Summary: This is the twelfth part of a series in response to many challenges, the first of which is "what if Xander had been possessed by a different animal
October 3rd Cultural Heritage Dance, 7PM
"So, Xander," Giles asked, "If what you say is true and that outfit is a family heirloom, who was your ancestor?"
"Oh, he was some explorer guy, I think, and let's see," Xander said, starting to remember a lot more of whomever he was in his Spirit trek, but continued in his Xander way, a bad British accent coming into play, "I'm John Clayton III, Duke of Greystoke, at your service, sir." And with that he passed out as the memories overwhelmed him in the first person.
"Xander?!" a half-dozen young women exclaimed in concern, Willow and Ampa Topa catching the young man as he slumped down. Giles and Angel appropriated a couch and placed the young man on it as Jenny brought over a glass of water. Cordelia, meanwhile, disengages herself from her group long enough to check on Xander. Opening his eyes, he sees her, and seems confused for a moment.
"Alice," Xander addresses Cordelia with certainty in a slight but rough-edged upper class British accent, "How did we make it out of the cavern system? And why am a awakening at a costume ball?" He slowly but energetically sat up, then closing his eyes for a moment shook his head to clear it while the others looked at each other in confusion.
"Alice? I'm Cordelia, Xander," the girl asked, confused. "Are you okay?"
"I'm as alright as anyone can be when their previous incarnation reasserts itself with one's new incarnation," the Xander Harris now tightly filling in his costume sighed, "And the reason I called you Alice, is that I was the...mentor, for Alice Chase back in '47 and '48. Identical in appearance and attitude, Cordelia. Beautiful with a biting wit. My grandson wished to pursue yo-her, but I guess that demon managed to send us forward in time like it threatened, so nothing could come of it." He noticed he'd been caressing her shoulder in a 'paternal' manner and that most of the party had returned to other matters.
"S-so, Xander?" Giles asked, "How did this happen? I mean if I recall my studies of previous Watcher's diaries and biographies, then you, or rather John Clayton were lost with his Slayer in the caverns that led to the fabled lands of Opar."
"Well, from what I recall, we were cast forward in time, leave mortality until born again, cursed to not know who we are until we state it ourselves as ourselves," Xander lectured, "So I'll hazard that my dressing in the clothes of my 'ancestor,' and saying I am he, fits the bill. Least that explains my languages and physical skills and abilities. And why I merged the Spirit with me at the zoo."
"Y-yes, I suppose it would," Giles affirmed, noting Xander's expanded physique near-bursting the seams of his attire. "Also, you might wish to consider a change of shirt, or be careful with your movements as you seem to have regained your previous physical attainments as well."
"I suppose you're right, Rupert," the young man sighed, standing to remove coat and shirt as he spoke. The female population in the room went silent as he did so, and even after he put the coat itself back on. "I must admit that since I'm Xander, that I'm not quite ready to disrobe to 'field attire' just quite yet." Giles, Angel and Xander chuckled, the women not catching the references to Clayton's 'alias.' Jenny cleared her throat and raised an eyebrow.
"For the first twenty ears of my life I went around in far less than this after my parents died. It's become part of life to emphasize a different set of abilities and skills to be taken seriously," Xander replied, still not coming out with anything concrete. "Let's say the only thing smaller would be a speedo swimsuit." Ampa Topa and Willow looked at each other, than each embraced a Xander arm, and were about to press for information when Sherman headed towards the group, dressed the same as always, but with a few wolf and eagle fetishes on his clothes. Giles looked as though he were the cat that happily ate the canary but wasn't confessing.
"Okay, Rupert, spill," Jenny pressured as the others drew around, "What was that evil smile I just saw you flash when they mentioned the zoo?"
"Jenny, I thought you or Willow would have picked up on Xander's clues by now," Giles 'innocently' replied.
Sherman greeted the group quietly, and stared into Xander's eyes when he caught sight of the young man. Getting close to each other, the shaman looked carefully, and picked up the scents from the air before speaking.
"It looks like your trek is over, Alex," the wolfen remarked, "your aura is singular now, though there's a little lingering influence probably from the transitional magics, and the power you radiate is amazing. So, you complete now?"
"You knew who I was?" Xander asked, unhappy, "Why didn't you tell me?"
"What do you mean, who you are?" Sherman responded, "I just meant what I said, you've become you, not parts of you...Not a jigsaw puzzle...but the picture before it's broken into a puzzle." They nodded, though Buffy was still curious.
"I thought you said you used to be John Clayton, Xander?" Buffy asked, trying a pale version of the famous Willow 'resolve face.'
"No shit!" the shaman exclaimed, then looked abashed that he was the one to lose his façade of cool, "You were Tarzan?!" Buffy's jaw dropped to the ground in amazement. Willow sized Xander up again with her eyes and meeting Ampa's eyes, nodded a silent agreement.
"Xander?" the red-headed girl whispered softly, catching his attention. He nodded to continue. "The answer for Ampa...and myself...is 'yes.'" His eyes went big and a big 'hug a trois' ensued. Buffy and Marcie gasped, then rushed over to congratulate the three.
"What's with them?" Sherman asked the other males. "They act like somebody's getting married." Angel looked a cross between envious and uncomfortable.
"That's pretty much what just happened between the three of them," the 2 ½ century individual replied, then filled in those out-of-the-loop on the whole Xander and relationship thing since the wolf spirit merger. The girls were starting to look at their own men-folk as applicable, when Xander handed over two identical wolf head rings, the eyes as tiny emeralds that matched Willow's, and miniscule black diamond pieces on each where Ampata's beauty mark was located, then tiny ruby and obsidian stones channeling around the ring bands in the shades of their hair. The womenfolk dove back in for another round of ooh and ah noises, in which somehow Xander managed to extricate himself and make his way over to his fellow males.
"So, two wives, huh?' Sherman asked, "Better get into a good career or into even better investments."
"Why's that, Mr. Blackstone?" Rupert asked, "Though I admit it's a bit unorthodox."
"If he still has the alpha-wolf thing going on, he'll need to provide," the shaman said, then smirked, "Cause with two beauties like that, his clan'll be welcoming a lot of cubs in the decade to come" Xander actually raised both eyebrows as the men chuckled. Hondo and Giles then both gave him the same 'about to lecture you' look, but Xander beat them to it.
"That'll just have to wait," Xander said, "They need to figure out things for themselves, and we'll go from there once they humanly turn eighteen. No cubs until then." The men backed off, getting the response they'd hoped to elicit.
Sunnydale High, Thursday, October 9th
Ampa and Marcie come down the stairs and head down the hall with Marcie and Willow.
"You dreamed about Angel again?" Willow asked.
"Third night in a row," Buffy sighed lightly with a small smile.
"What did he do in the dream?"
"Stuff."
"Oh! Stuff!" Willow exclaimed as Buffy smiled, "Was it one of those
vivid dreams where you could feel his lips and smell his hair?"
"It had surround sound. I'm just thinking about him so much lately."
"You two are so right for each other," Willow assured her, "Except for the, uh..."
"Vampire thing," the young pseudo-blonde bemoaned.
"That doesn't make him a bad person, Buffy," Ampa interrupted, Willow patting the Incan princess on the shoulder, "Necessarily. Maybe something will be figured out to...I don't know..."
"I'm brainsick," Buffy asserted, "I can't have a relationship with him."
"Not during the day, but you could ask him for coffee some night," Willow suggested as the other girls nodded along. "It's the non-relationship drink of choice. It's not a date, it's a caffeinated beverage. Okay, sure, it's hot and bitter like a relationship that way, but..."
"Nothing I have," Buffy grimaced lightly, then semi-hopefully, "Coffee?"
SHS Main Entrance
The girls met up again after school, planning a quick run to the store to pick up an order of martial arts and gymnastics clothing and accoutrements from one of the two dojos in Sunnydale. Xander is expected to arrive any minute. Cordelia comes walking by and bumps into Willow as a black BMW pulls up to the curb, windows darkly tinted.
"Sorry," Cordelia calls over her shoulder as she heads over to the car. She
pushes her sunglasses on top of her head as the driver's window lowers.
The friends watch as Cordelia interacts with the two rich guys, Xander pulling up in a camper-shelled dual king cab truck. The friends get in just before Cordelia can grab a hold of Buffy.
"Buffy, come on over a minute," Cordelia asks, "Richard and his fraternity brother wanna meet you."
"Well, I don't really wanna meet any fraternity boys," Buffy told her, "And we have to go pick up stuff for the clubs before they start in twenty-five minutes."
SHS Gym (5PMish)
As they finish showering and changing clothes, the lingering members of the martial arts and gymnastics clubs watch in wonder as Xander swings back and forth between the dozen ropes hanging from the gym ceiling, hands and feet used to grab and release, slaloming around other ropes. For fifteen more minutes he moves from inches from the ceiling to inches above the floor, sweat shimmering as he ends his exercises from fifteen feet up to land with an in-air backwards somersault in front of them.
"Wow, Xander," Jonathan remarked, "I guess the whole jungle thing is coming back to you, huh?"
"Wheeeew..." Xander replied, letting out a large exhale, "I guess so. It felt good though. I feel really limbered up."
"Hey 'Lord of the Jungle,'" Marcie called out, "You may be pretty, but if we're going to drive the vehicles to be serviced, you need to do a 'Lord of the Shower' routine first or you'll be walking back."
Cemetery near UC Sunnydale and 'Greek' Row 11:30 PM
Buffy strolls through, keeping a careful watch. She spots a bracelet on the ground and bends down to pick it up when Angel suddenly appears behind her.
"There's blood on it," the vampire states simply, "I can smell it."
"Oh," she replies, looking at the bracelet, "It's pretty thin. It probably
belonged to a girl."
"Probably," Angel said, nodding quietly, "About a day ago."
"I-I was... just thinking, wouldn't it be funny some time to see each other when it wasn't a blood thing," Buffy mused, smiling, "Not funny ha, ha."
"What are you sayin'," Angel replies, hopeful but not showing it, "You wanna have a date?"
"I don't know," Buffy remarks
"Right. You just wanna have coffee or somethin'."
"Coffee?" she says hopefully
"I knew this was gonna happen," Angel grimaced, "You're sixteen years old. I'm two hundred and forty-one."
"I've done the math."
"You don't know what you're doing, you don't know what you want..."
"Oh. No, I, I think I do," she counters, starting to walk away, "I want out of this conversation."
"Listen, if we date you and I both know one thing's gonna lead to another," he calls after her, "I'm just tryin' to protect you. This could get outta control." She pauses.
"Isn't that the way it's supposed to be?" she asks as he catches up to her and looks her in the eyes.
"This isn't some fairy tale, Buffy," he tells her, "No matter how much we want it, when I kiss you, you don't wake up from a deep sleep and live happily ever after."
"No," Buffy retorts, "When you kiss me I wanna die." She pulls herself free and runs off.
SHS Friday October 10th Late Morning
Class is over and while the students are leaving for lunch, Cordelia comes up to the girl-scoobies.
"Okay," Cordelia begins, "I need your help, the Delta Zeta Kappas have to have a certain balance at their party, and Richard explained it all to me, but I was so busy really listening that I didn't hear much. Anyway, the deal is they need three of you to go. And if you don't go, I can't. And I'm talking about Richard Anderson, okay? As in Anderson Farms, Anderson Aeronautics (becomes emotional) and Anderson Cosmetics." Cordelia sobs. "Well, you see why I have to go. Buffy, these men are rich. And I am not being shallow. Think of all the poor people I could help with all my money!"
"Er, uh, Amy and I can't help you tonight, Cordelia," Willow responds, "We've started taking Wicca meditation lessons with Ms. Calendar on Friday nights as the boys are off doing some Xander thing." Amy nods, glad that they didn't have to lie to avoid a Cordelia social situation.
"I'll go," Marcie said, "But don't expect me to stay for more than two hours, that's all I'll have left before becoming inviso-girl." Ampa remained quiet, unsure of the situation.
"I'll go for a while," Buffy agreed, "I've nothing better to do."
"You'll go?" Cordelia responds with a huge smile, "Great! I'll drive...Oh, we need one more! Ampa, how 'bout you come with us?"
"I'm committed to Alexander, Cordelia," the girl replied in confusion, "I don't think it would be right to go without letting him know."
"Just stick with Marcie the whole time and have him pick you up later on, that'll be plenty of time." Cordelia replied, and gesturing to the other girls, "And just tell him you're going to a party with us."
That night, while the girls are attending a college fraternity party and feeling a bit out of place, sipping sodas instead of beer, the guys (Giles, Jonathan, Andrew, Angel, Hondo, Sherman, Dave, Fritz and the surprisingly off-duty and in-town SWAT unit) are listening to Xander tell his tales as Tarzan in the first person, while Dave and Fritz are running simultaneous automated full background searches on individual 'Greek' houses, the university and university police databases, the area law enforcement databases and hospital records to develop patterns of human and/or supernatural negative behavior.
Hondo and the 'Swatters' had brought in finally-fitted combat armor for the Sunnydale group, including leg and arm pieces, and they'd begun making it look SCA-like as Xander told the tale of his childhood and teen years..
Willow, Amy and Jenny, having finished lessons, were now trying to figure out what the word on the bracelet might be. Willow types the words as they think of them. Bent. Cent. Gent. Sent. Rent. Lent. Dent. Went. Kent.
"Kent!" Willow exclaimed, "That's it!"
"Her boyfriend's name was Kent?" Jenny asks.
"No! Kent Preparatory School. Just outside of town. That's where I've seen these bracelets." She begins to call up their internet browser interface.
"W-what are you doing?" Amy asks, putting away the last of their Wicca stuff.
"Pulling up their school newsletter for the past few months," Willow informs the other two, "See if there's anything about a missing girl."
The most recent issue of the newsletter has a picture of Callie on the
front page. The title of the article reads 'Callie Our Hearts & Prayers
Are With You'.
Delta Zeta Kappa House
Buffy makes her way over to the stairs, feeling a little woozy, even though she'd only had one beer with Tom and Richard a few minutes ago. She knocks over a glass but her reactions are way too slow to catch it. She looks up at the commotion in the next room, but can't see Tom and Richard helping a swaying Ampa to a back room. Through hazy eyes slowly starts to make her way up the stairs to find a place to rest. Upstairs she pushes open a door, and collapses on a bed, not seeing the unconscious Cordelia.
Meanwhile, Marcie has come out of the upstairs bathroom and is looking around for her friends, her visibility amulet out of charge for the day
Marcie is coming down the hall quietly as she listens in on a conversation between Richard and Tom.
"Get away from her!" Tom orders Richard, "She's not here for your fun, you pervert. She's here for the pleasure of the one we serve."
"In his name," Richard intones, ashamed, and looks toward Cordelia.
"And that goes for the other ones, too," Tom rebukes, as Marcie sees Cordelia and Buffy on the bed. Marcie carefully heads away to find a private spot to make a phone call before looking for Ampa
SHS Library
The phone rings, Jenny picking it up. She listens with concern for a few moments, then hangs up hitting speed dial on her 'scooby' cell phone. The girls listen in as she talks to Giles.
"That's right, the Delta Zeta Kappas..."
"Marcie said they were unconscious..."
"No, Something about the one they serve..."
"Okay, we'll meet you there..."
Elsewhere, Xander has given Hondo the hand signal to saddle up, possible police and Scooby action. As the young man finishes talking to Jenny on the phone, the others are in basic gear and are putting on their partially-geeked armor for a foray. Xander turns to Dave, Fritz and Andrew.
"I need you guys to stay here and find what we have on these frat guys," Xander tells them, "and if this is some kind of weird ritual, maybe they've done it before. Look up all their guys and compare backgrounds and such, criminal records and patterns if any, especially in Sunnydale, money, personal lives, the works. I want evidence we can turn over to the police that isn't supernatural. Andrew, you seem to be into the computer stuff, consider yourself the padawan to their knights, got it?" The three nodded and got to work as the others headed out.
Delta Zeta Kappa Basement
Richard takes a sword and walks behind a kneeling Tom, who has a series of symbols carved onto his chest. Richard begins to carve another one on Tom's back. Nearby, Cordelia, Ampa, Buffy and Callie, the girl from Kent preparatory school, are shackled to the wall, but coming to.
"Buffy?" Ampa asks, concerned that even with her mummy strength, she can't affect the chains binding her, "Where are we?"
"In the basement, far as I can tell," Buffy remarked, noticing the door quietly and quickly open and close. Marcie comes down, finger to lips, then at amulet in pocket instead of around neck to show 'inviso-mode.'
"What's happening?" Cordelia asks, "What did they do to us?"
"They drugged us," Ampa suggests as Buffy becomes distracted at Marcie's progress.
"I want out of here, Buffy," Cordelia whines, "Do something."
"No one's going home, ever," Callie interrupts, "Look, one of them's different than the others. Nicer." They watch as Richard is finished carving Tom's new symbol. He gets up and turns to the girls. Two brothers help him on with his robe as Marcie lifts a set of keys behind them, and starts to slnk around.
"He's the one to watch out for," Callie continues. Buffy shakes her chain a bit and looks up where it's anchored. Tom looks at her.
"She's last," Tom says, walking over to a well to pick up a bag. Tom lets four stones drop out of the bag and into his hand.
"Four stones," Buffy says as Marcie gets close to them. She starts unlocking Ampa first as she's furthest from the frat guys, "Four of us." Tom pours water over the stones. Ampa's shackles come undone as Tom finishes his stone-cleansing ritual and faces the girls. He stares at Buffy, but resumes participation in the ritual before noticing Ampa's chains falling off. She starts on Callie, as Buffy whispers to her to remain calm and in place until they're all loose.
Four vehicles pull up in front of the fraternity house, fourteen shadows moving out and dispersing around the building, as Kyle's quad and the great wolves arrive.
"Kyle, Magnus," Xander greets with the high-whistle, pair off between groups and secure our perimeter while we go in." Both nod and begin taking up their tasks. "Street, your team pair off with Giles, Jonathan, Angel and Sherman, myself with you and Hondo. You call the shots once things start, I'm betting a rear room or basement if it's evil, and upstairs if they're just human bastards. Girls, I need you to prep some first aid and arm up for vamps in case we have the Hell Mouth's luck if we don't prepare. Soakers and Fire spells." They nod. "Three minutes, people, and those who aren't SWAT are there to mimic and learn. Do only what your team leader tells you or someone will die." More nods, though Jonathan starts to look really antsy because of Marcie being inside.
Frat Basement
The ritual is continuing, Tom is standing on the basement stairs holding the sword as Buffy and Cordelia's legs but not arms are freed.
"Machida," Tom invokes, starting down the stairs ceremonially.
"In his name," the Brothers respond.
"We who serve you, we who receive all that you bestow," Tom continues, "call upon you in this holy hour." Cordelia is fre except one arm, the undone shackles barely staying on.
Five groups pour through doors and windows upstairs, a large fraternity brother in the kitchen stunned into immobility...
"In this holy hour," the Brothers respond. Tom turns to walk toward Richard, holding the sword horizontally in both hands.
"We have no wealth, no possession... except that which you give us," Tom continues.
The fraternity brother upstairs is clothes-lined by Sanchez as Jonathan uses a police baton lower than the belt buckle.
"Except that which you give us," the Brothers continue. Tom places the sword on Richard's arms. Buffy and Cordelia need one hand each to be free.
"We have no power, no place in the world... except that which you
give us," Tom continues.
The first floor is secure, as two teams head and three teams check for secret rooms and basement stairs.
"Except that which you give us," the Brothers continue. Richard hugs the sword to his chest, crossing his hands over his heart. Marcie drops the key, causing Cordelia to panic.
"Marcie hurry!" Cordelia cries out, just a little too loud, "They're almost done!" Four brothers look up and start moving over to check on the disturbance.
"It's been a year since our last offering," Tom declares, Richard lowering the sword to rest the tip on the floor. "A year in which our bounty overflowed. We come before you with fresh offerings."
Upstairs, access ways and possible escape ways are secure as teams start heading down hallways, kicking in doors to find the place strangely empty.
"Accept our offering, Dark Lord," Tom proclaims, "And bless us with your power. Machida!"
"Machida!" the Brothers cry as Tom tosses the stones into the well at the center of the basement one at a time.
Marcie frees Cordelia, who simply races for the door, the four Brothers racing after the now-screaming girl. As they pass, Buffy, she kicks two of them, as Marcie pushes another right into Ampa.
"Kiss him a little, Ampa!" Marcie cries, Cordelia tackled by a Brother.
"Come forth, and let your terrible countenance look upon your servants," Tom finishes, "and their humble offering. We call you, Machida."
"In his name. Machida."
All but this basement have been cleared and secured from upstairs.
Tom looks up, awaiting Machida's arrival while the Brothers attempt to get the girls under control, Callie slapping and kicking the ones that a mostly-unrestrained Buffy kicks her way. Cordelia thumps her attacker into a wall, only to see 'Machida' head their way.
Buffy yanks hard, the chain in the ceiling finally coming loose with a chunk of concrete.
"Cool!" Buffy smirks, looking at Tom and Machida, "A really big mace-thingy." She jumps over toward Richard, who trips over a fallen and invisible Marcie. Ampa kisses another boy until he goes unconscious.
Buffy uses the chain to knock down four brothers and slam the end to strike the reptile demon in the chest. She then grabs the sword as the basement door bursts in, knocking Cordelia directly atop three Brothers. As Buffy slices hard to sever her chains, then jumps up onto the edge of the well, the former captives are pounding on the Brothers until Ampa gives them 'sleep kisses.'
The 'rescuers' reach the bottom of the steps as Buffy wields back the sword and slashes it into Machida and nicks Tom. Both monster and master scream in pain. Xander leaps over the crowd to knock out two surprised frat boys, as Angel leaps beside him to pound on two sneaking up on Buffy.
Buffy ends Machida as Angel and Xander subdue a weeping Tom.
"Who are you people?" Tom cries out, "How?" Buffy looks smug, and gets close to him, making the college student worry."
"Just my boyfriend and brother," Buffy quipped as she turned away, "And I don't think they like you much."
Tuesday Morning, October 14th, SHS Library
Xander is reading the Sunnydale Press with the others, humming a happy tune as he reads the latest Delta Zeta Kappa news.
"Says here that they've already pled to charges that will result in consecutive life sentences," the happy young police consultant summarized. Stein and the other investigators have found the bones of missing girls in a huge cavern beneath the frat house. And older bones dating back fifty years."
The girls all exchange grossed-out looks as Xander continues.
"A surprising number of corporations whose chairmen and founders are former Delta Zeta Kappas are suffering from falling profits, IRS raids... Ooo, and suicides in the boardroom. Hmm. Starve a snake, lose a fortune. Boy, I guess the rich really are different, huh?" Dave, Fritz and Andrew walk over from their computers.
"So guys, how'd we do?" Xander asked the computer specialists. Fritz answers.
"There's nothing like legal insider information and careful revelation of association to make an astounding profit," the arrogant-in-the-service-of-good young cyber-apostle crowed. "The portfolios are now three hundred thousand above your quarterly fixed expenses."
"Y-You made money off the raid, Xander?" Giles asked, somewhat incredulous.
"Sure," the young man turned to his mentor, "Once we knew the extent of the rot, and knowing it was going to fall no matter what, we jumped in through the third-party markets, and Fritz isn't telling you how Dave already pre-paid the three hundred thousand on an appraised thirty million value in not-yet-paid taxes on very nice and very lucrative hotels and rentals throughout the Coast just before the local governments froze all assets.
"What does that mean exactly, Xander?" Jenny asked, "It sounds bad for you."
"Oh no," Fritz chimed in, "Because the property and values are now in question, Harris will now file claims of potential loss equal to the current value of the property, and ask for a 120-day serving of notice to seize as the tax-lien holder, the holder of first presence. Either the creditors pay him off, or they'll lose everything owed to them. Also, by filing a transfer of custody claim, he can keep operating and renting out the properties until things are settled."
"And that means?" Jenny pressed again for a real answer.
"Harris'll probably turn that three hundred thousand into millions in a year or so," Dave piped up. "We've already been contacted by several creditors offering major buy-outs, and to make offers as 'friends of the court' explaining why it is imperative to free up title before hundreds are left homeless or unemployed."
"So," Ampa realized, "Willow and I will be receiving very nice presents from our Xander soon?" Willow returned her beaming smile as Xander rolled his eyes and the other teens laughed at him.
"Somehow even though I'm now 'Lord of the Hell Mouth,'" Xander sighed melodramatically, "a guy just can't get respect."
"No, just you, Xan," Amy snickered, setting off another round of chuckles.