Disclaimer:

None of these characters are mine. All characters from Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Charmed are the property of Joss Whedon and Aaron Spelling, respectively.

Summary:

Crossover between the Charmed and Buffy universes. Phoebe wants to vanquish Willow. Xander has other ideas.

Author's Note: Please read and review.

Chapter Sixteen – To Vanquish Or Not To Vanquish...

Wyatt had fallen asleep at last. Xander felt very sorry for him. This white lighter business is even harder than being a parent, he thinks. Xander picked up the exhausted boy and laid him down on the bed. He looked over at the younger boy. Chris is looking at his white lighter with a mix of wonder and confusion. He thought that Xander didn't like Wyatt. That he was sent to punish Wyatt for hurting him. But now he didn't think that was it at all. He had said that he was Chris' white lighter, too. Chris liked the sound of that. He got to have his very own white lighter; well, at least different, than his mom's. "How long will you be our white lighter?"

Xander looked up at the boy and smiled. Chris reminded him of Willow in so many ways. He was smart, really smart for his age. He was also a watcher, he sat and watched and made up his mind before acting. That was good. He'll be a good witch or white lighter, depending on fate or those meddling Elders. He won't make the same mistakes his mother and aunts did. They act on impulse, it's just dumb luck they're still alive.

"Well, I'm not really sure. They didn't tell me how long. I guess until I screw up or they send me somewhere else." What Xander didn't say was or when you die. He's a little young for that. "How long do you want me to stay? Or do you want me to go?"

Chris started at that. "Oh, no! I think you're cool. And.."

"And, what?"

"I think maybe you can make Wyatt nice. He's not really bad is he? He's just broken or sick or something..."

"That's right, Chris. We just need to take the time to help him get better. It's not like when you take a pill. It's going to take some time. Do you think you could do that?"

Chris smiled and opened his mouth to speak when he heard the front door slam. Then there was a lot of screaming. It was all Aunt Phoebe, she was upset about something... again. She's always so loud. Wyatt woke up with a start and looked around confused. Chris smiled at his brother. "It's just Auntie Pheebs – she's throwing a fit again."

Wyatt smiled back. "No, Chris, Aunt Pheebs doesn't throw fits, she has issues."

They both looked at each other and laughed. That was good, thought Xander, they shared a joke. "Well, would you care to share the funny with me?"

"Oh," started Wyatt and then looked at his brother. "Maybe Chris should."

Chris stared at Wyatt. He was beginning to think aliens had stolen his brother and left whoever this guy was. It was really weird. "Oh! That's what Auntie Paige says. Grown-ups don't throw fits, they have issues that need to.. need to.."

Chris frowned and looked at Wyatt. Wyatt smiled, "...that need to be worked through. Or is it out?"

All three of them laughed together. "That's what you get living with all these girls. Guys, we always throw fits. No matter how old we get!" Xander listened to the screaming above. He'd thought he heard them say the name... Nah! Couldn't be talking about her. She's in LA. "Uh, guys, I need to go upstairs. I want you to stay down here unless I call you. Okay? Promise."

"Sure, Xander." Wyatt promised. Chris yelled out, "Me, too!"

Upstairs

Xander came up the stairs to find the girls arguing about something. He decided to stay in the background and find out just what was going on. It seemed like Phoebe was the one in thermonuclear war mode. From what he heard from Them, that was her standard mode.

"...I tell you she's evil and we need to vanquish her. She threatened me!"

"Are you sure, Pheebs? After all, Cole hasn't tried anything and even told us about Chris."

"Paige is right, Phoebe."

"What you're siding with some warlock babe that Cole dug up from the Underworld?"

Xander was getting irritated. Were they talking about Willow? They did mention Cole, but still... It could be anyone. Yeah, he thought, anyone other witch that married a guy named Cole. Give me the odds on that. Xander decided he had to enter the fray. He coughed twice and the sisters turned and glared at him.

"I thought you were at the park." Piper accused.

"We were. We came back, Wyatt and Chris were tired so I just orbed them straight to the basement. Why? Do you guys keep and in-out board? Because in this crazy place, that might be really handy."

"Well, what do you want, Xander?" Leo asked, still really irritated with this annoying boy. Hell, he was even more annoying than Future Chris.

"I was.. just wondering what the problem is.. Because you were disturbing the boys. Although, the boys did say that Aunt Phoebe had... issues."

Phoebe bristled at that. "Did you teach them that?"

"No," Xander chuckled. "They said Aunt Paige told them you didn't have fits, you had issues."

Xander looked over at Paige, meaning to apologize somehow. But, he nearly had the breath knocked out of the body. She was blushing. Boy, was she cute when she blushed. Really cute. He shook his head and forced himself to look at Phoebe. "You were, um, talking about vanquishing someone. Is it someone I need to worry about... for the boys' sake?"

"It's my demon ex-husband, he's gotten remarried and his new wife threatened me."

"It's a long story, Xander. It seems that Phoebe's ex-husband, Cole, has reappeared and is now remarried. She dropped by the newspaper and invited Phoebe out for coffee and then threatened her. Is that about right?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Phoebe shouted. "We have to stop talking and get to work. She has a lot of power – I could feel it."

"Okay, then I have only two questions. One, is your ex-husband's name Cole Turner?"

"Yes. You must have heard of him up There."

"Right, right, just wanted to get it clear. And what exactly did the wife say?"

"Why does that matter?"

"Just humor me." Xander pressed, he really didn't like this sister. The other two had brains, she just seemed to have a hot switch.

"She said if I threatened what was hers, I'd find out how powerful she was. Okay? Now can we get to work?"

Xander sighed and came up to her. This is SO against the rules but he didn't see any other choice. He swung his arm back and threw his fist into her face. Ouch! Phoebe went down like a rock. Chaos erupted in the room as everyone looked at him.

"Stop!" he yelled. "I know, I know, I'm not supposed to attack people like that. But I had my reasons. Please, let me explain."

They looked expectantly at him. He knelt down and picked her up. They rushed at him, but it was too late. He had orbed.

Piper, Paige, and Leo were completely at a loss. Leo sensed for Phoebe. "It's alright. She's just in the basement."

Just then, Xander orbed back into the room. "Sorry, I just wanted to make sure she doesn't cause any more trouble. She's alright. The boys are looking after her."

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?" Leo yelled before the girls had a chance.

Xander smiled and took a deep breath. Okay, I better make this good, he thought. "Before I died, I had a best friend. I've known her since we were five. Every Christmas season, she would come over to my house to watch A Charlie Brown Christmas. She helped me pass my classes. She listened to my problems. I listened to hers. Neither one of us was popular, and we just clicked. I was a loser and she was a nerd."

Paige looked at him, he seemed so sad. "When we were fifteen, a new girl moved to our town and started going to school with us. She was different. She carried wooden stakes in her book bag. We found out later who she was after she rescued us from a couple of vamps."

Leo looked at him. Sunny-D. Sunnydale. "She was the Slayer."

Xander looked up and smiled. "Yeah, well, we got to be really good friends. Willow and I would help her patrol and kill the bad guys. Ask me anything about killing demons or vampires, I got an A+ in that class. Well, Willow started getting interested in spells and things. Giles, well, he's the guy who trained the Slayer, but he was also our librarian..."

"He was the Slayer's Watcher?"

"Yeah, right. Anyway, he had a lot of books on all sorts of things. Sometimes you needed a potion or what's it to take these guys down. Well, Willow got curious. And, well, next thing you know she's a witch."

"What about her family? Were they witches? Did she have a white lighter?"

"No, no. I'd imagine white lighters would last on the Hellmouth about as long as a Frosty the Snowman would in Hell." He smiled grimly. "I just don't think Sunnydale was on Their radar. And as to her family, as far as I know there was no history. Anyway, Willow became really powerful and, even got sucked into dark magics. That power your sister felt is real. Willow has a great potential and you do NOT want to wake it up. Trust me."

Paige shook her head with all this information. "Did you know about Cole? Did you know him before you died?"

Xander laughed. "Hell, yeah. He's a great guy. He treats Willow like she's a precious jewel or something, and he's terrific with his kids. I'm their godfather, you know. I was man of honor at the wedding."

They looked at him strangely. "Well it was the least I could do. She was best woman at my almost wedding."

"Please, I swear to you. If Cole was evil, Buffy would have killed him long ago. Willow is the kindest, sweetest person you'll ever meet. Please, if you don't believe me, go. Go see Willow. Visit the kids."

Paige was nearly crying at the picture he presented. He was desperate to protect her. He would probably die to ... "Xander! That's how you died. You died for her."

Xander smiled sweetly at her. He crossed over to her and cupped her chin, leaned over and planted achaste kiss on her cheek. "No, but I would. In a heartbeat. As a mortal or an angel. Please, Paige. Piper. Leo."

Paige put her hand on his cheek. Leo and Piper exchanged a glance at her. Looking at Xander, Leo patted his shoulder. "All right, but you are not getting out of punching a Charmed One."

Xander smiled and watched as the three of them orbed out.