"I'm so glad the hangover from the spell and the drinking doesn't seem to follow me to the next dimension," Alexander winced in the daylight, "Or maybe it's that spell where I put their possessor's memories in my head. Not my best idea."
"I-if you don't mind," the local Giles interrupted from where he was relaxing after decorating his place for Halloween, "Who are you and why did you teleport into my apartment."
"Oh, sorry, it's just I was in another dimension, and as I was in your apartment there, I shifted over to this one while still inside," Alexander told him, "I have a few things to discuss with you of some importance, but first we need to go move Xander out of the Harris house if he's still living with them in this dimension."
"Oh, and why would we do that?"
"Because even though he turns nineteen in nine days, it's still an abusive environment, emotionally if no longer physical," Alexander told him, "And I'll fill you in on the way over."
Twenty minutes, a fleeing Anya and a Ripper-pounded Tony Harris later, the three males were packed and returning to Giles' place, a confused but grateful Xander happy at his improved circumstance until Giles told him of their costumes.
"You're kidding right?" Xander said, "You want me to dress up as Connor Macleod and you as Ramirez? I didn't even know you watched that show."
"I've had a bit of free time since graduation?" Giles remarked, "So as I'm considering buying that Magic Box place, it wouldn't hurt to have someone around that knew enough to help out…or serve as junior partner if he had the ability."
"Hmm, wow," Xander responded, amazed that Giles had enough confidence in him, "But how about you go as Connor that remembers everything from every Quickening, and I'll be Duncan who does he same?"
"Should work if I cast a memory spell also," Alexander conceded, "But let's give you some of Giles' Watcher materials, so that both of you might also have many as many Watcher and related memories as well."
"I-I say, that is an excellent idea," Giles considered, "Let's give that a try."
"Alright, but I want to hit Xander with the reclamation spell first," Alexander replied, "Then go from there, okay?"
"Sure."
"Indeed."
The Macleods spent a quiet evening with an Alexander Harris, who'd explained that he'd been asked to keep them under wraps for a couple of hours by a Joe Dawson and an Adam Pierson when they'd been found unconscious in the care of some Watchers normally assigned to Kell's bunch.
Alexander had excused himself to go upstairs, and the Macleods were still discussing a possible call to Dawson when all of the magic in Sunnydale disappeared for a minute.
A woozy Alexander made his way downstairs, where Xander and Giles were starting to recover.
"What was that?" Xander asked, "I don't remember that from last time."
"I cast a spell that removed all magic within ten miles, for a minute, and sent it against the enemies of the Aesir on this plane."
"Those demon lawyers you talked about?" local Xander asked, standing with proper posture.
"Yes, them, though I didn't realize until now just how much power that meant, and I merely cast a spell to trigger the event."
"All magic was removed, lad?" Giles replied quietly, "What does that mean?"
"The bindings on your magic have been removed, Giles," Alexander considered, "and as for the rest, why don't we arm up and see."
The three men spent an hour driving around Sunnydale, checking out many areas they'd in the past considered as concentrations of the demonic, but found no vampires. They cautiously entered Willy's, where only vampires seemed absent.
"Oh no, not you guys," Willy sighed, "That's all I need."
"Bad evening, Willy?" Xander asked as he dropped a twenty on the bar and pointed to a bottle of scotch on the top shelf, "Anything interesting happen tonight?"
"Yeah, you could say that," the bartender responded as he reached for glasses and the bottle, pouring three shots, "An hour or so ago, something went through this town and dusted every vampire, and a few other magical types."
"Hmm, decent stuff," Xander commented on the whiskey, "Anything else?"
"Well if rumors are to be believed, that would be at least a hundred vampires, but other than that, no. Hey, for another twenty take the bottle with ya, no one here bothers with the good stuff."
"Thanks Willy," Xander replied, dropping forty on the bar as he grabbed the bottle and made to leave.
They headed back toward Giles' place, when they saw a tired, pale Faith in nothing but a hospital gown leaving Wilkins Memorial. Xander was the first out of the car, recognizing her and racing over to her as she leaned on a wall, not enough energy to get away.
"Faith, are you alright?" the now-enhance young man asked, "Ya donna seem to be."
"What's with the sexy accent?" the dark-haired slayer asked, swaying as he guided her back into the hospital, "And why are you helping me.
"I'm helping you because I like you Faith," he said as he caught the attention of the ER staff, and summoned them, "Hey! Coma patients just allowed to walk out right by ya! Get over here and help."
To Faith, as Alexander and Giles entered the building, he continued, "We'll have them make sure you're okay, then we'll take you home, okay?" He looked deeply and caringly into her eyes until she nodded, "Good, it's been five months since you were admitted here, and it'll be okay."
"What happened to her?" Alexander asked, "Why is she in a coma?"
"The Aesir didn't tell you about things since your Halloween?'
"I've seen a couple of variants up to around a year ago, but no, they didn't."
"Well, let's see," Giles considered, "Faith is in a coma, because she was stabbed in the abdomen. Faith had joined the other side, I'm afraid, and she'd stabbed Angel with a poisoned dagger."
"This is bad, why?" Alexander replied, more than a bit of his Xanderness showing through, causing local Xander to snort and nod in agreement. A nurse came up to Xander, who went away with her.
"It had a poison known as Killer of the Dead, and promised an agonizing death for Angel, to distract Buffy from being able to fight effectively…"
"And she blamed Faith, and just gut-stabbed her?"
"Well, it turns out the only cure was the blood of a slayer…"
"And Buffy wanted to feed a human to a vampire."
"Y-yes…"
"And you didn't stop her?"
"I wasn't consulted," Giles snapped a little, then regained composure, "But we must now see if we can help Faith, correct?"
"Agreed," Alexander sighed heavily, "Hopefully we can get the bunch of you working together."
"Hmm, considering the rifts in the group, I daresay it will be more than a bit difficult, but I suppose we must try."
"Good, let's see if they need to keep her overnight…"
"They do," Xander said, approaching, seething as a late-shift administrator followed him apologetically, "And lucky we got here when we did, because apparently a few days Faith gave birth and they were getting ready to ship our daughter off to an adoption agency."
"Good Lord."
"We didn't know who the father could have been," the administrator said, "None was placed into the records of Miss Wilkins."
"But you didn't think to ask the guy who visited her a couple times a week the month after she was admitted?" Xander snapped, "Anyway, just get the paperwork ready, if she can come home with us, I'm checking them both out right away."
An hour later, Linda Joyce Harris was recorded as the name of the baby, which left with her parents and two other men, free post-natal care for mother and daughter for a year exacted as compensation for anything that occurred during the last several months.
The five reached Giles' house to find Oz, Buffy and Willow approaching the door.
"I'm sorry, but isn't it customary to shout 'trick or treat' or some such?" Giles snarked as they surprised the college students. The three men and new mom carrying a baby walked into the place, followed by the musician and two girls.
"Giles, something weird happened a while ago, we were trapped in this haunted house, and everything was real," Buffy ranted, "And then it all went back to normal except that…" She noticed the baby, in the arms of Faith, next to Xander.
"Could you hold it down, Buff?" Xander told her, "Little Linda Joyce is sleeping." The slayer, like Willow next to her, gaped for a moment.
"Anyway, Buffy, we're aware of the magic involved," Giles stepped in, and gestured to their guest, "Alexander here was the one who cast it, and it seems to have had the side effect of briefly interrupting magic, there are now a lack of vampires in Sunnydale tonight. It also snapped Faith out of the coma, before the hospital could send her and Xander's daughter off to an adoption service."
"But Faith, she's…evil," Buffy slowly began, the sight of the happy familial unit at odds with what she knew.
"Like stabbing a woman to feed her to a vampire?" Alexander asked, "I'm afraid that you do not seem to have a moral leg upon which to stand, Buff. So please accept the fact that things can be better, lighten up, you're only a slayer, every one of you has helped or prevented the end of the world, not just you."
"Who are you, anyway?" she asked, glaring at him, but only lightly as he events of the evening were such that she hadn't formed a real position to get stubborn over.
"I'm Alexander Harris from another dimension, sent here by a pair of gods, to ensure this world continues, my being in this home now because I wanted to check up on myself, and maybe give him a boost."
"Boost?" Willow asked, "Like what?"
"Some start up dollars, giving him back the whole soldier and hyena package without the Spirit…get him out of the Harris house. Just the basics, I never thought he might have a family ready to go."
"Wow," Willow replied, her and Buffy looking reticently at Xander for any signs of the Hyena, "So now what?"
"Now the whole lot of you try to put everything behind you, take a few weekends off since the vampires are temporarily gone, lighten up. And I mean especially you, Buffy. You have a big shadow on your aura from fatigue and depression."
"Can I get anyone anything?" Giles asked, standing up, "tea?"
"That would be great, Rupert," Alexander replied, "thank you."
"Some quality treats here, Giles," Oz complimented.
"Please, finish them," the Watcher responded as Buffy grabbed at a couple of really nice chocolates.
"Uhm, this is much better," the blonde slayer replied, and considered everything, "There is no problem that can not be solved with chocolate. Even us."
The group took her meaning to heart and the rest of the evening was spent discussing plans, baby and otherwise.