It was about half past seven when Xander Harris and his girlfriend Anya heard the loud banging and thumping upstairs. Tossing on minimal clothes before they heard the heavy stepping coming down the stairs, they were unsure as it was day outside already. Two loud raps on the door, a pause, then two more raps. Anya in full annoyance mode, got up and opened the door, turning to berate her boyfriend.
"Coward, the sun's up," she sighed facing him as she yanked the door open, "What dangers knock anyway? You!"
"Me," Alexander sighed, stepping into the room. He handed Anya three thousand of the ten thousand, "Leave before sundown, and never come back to California." She yelped, grabbed her things, started up the steps, came back for the cash subsidy, kissed Xander good-bye and left forever.
"Kinda sorry about that," Alexander sympathetically offered, "Please finish getting dressed while I explain. First off, I'm you from a different dimension and I'm saving the universes by casting spells and helping out in different realities. With me? Cool. Second, I cast a big ol' spell as part of that, and I have until midnight before I'm teleported to the next one, which should be my last. Still with me? Excellent. So what does this have to do with you? Nothing, but I thought after all we've done in the past, o comfortador, that you like my other selves, should have a chance at the hero package, I mean, getting powers, not that so just get the look off your face. What powers you ask?"
"Um, fine, okay," Xander responded at his own style of joke, finishing with all but the hair, "What powers?"
"Whatever you've had, hyena, soldier, that kind of thing, but it'll be you and not a spirit or whatever," Alexander told him, knowing most of the buttons to push, "That way you can help your friends, feel inferior to no one and we can head to LA for the day to piss off Dead-Boy."
"Okay, that last one proves you're me, Me," Xander smiled, "But I was going apartment hunting today with the gang, then maybe help Giles out at his new store."
"So he bought the Magic Box in this dimension too? I managed to get you guys in as partners in the last one. Um, so what's your answer on boosting you?"
"Sure, go ahead…Ah, man you have cold hands."
"Okay, what's the demon with a cape doing heading into Giles' new shop," the local Xander asked, "He seems to be carrying a rod thingy."
"Why don't we go see," Alexander replied, rolling his eyes and really appreciating his own situation even more.
They made good time, stopping just long enough to peer into the shop to make sure it wasn't just a customer. Seeing Giles pounding it with a statue they ran into the store, local Xander first.
Toth turned quickly and pointed his rod, firing twice at the new entrants, then once at Giles before pushing his way out. Six men and four mini-drags got up, the closest Alexander to the door ran out as the Alaspinians surged through the air and envenomed the fleeing demon. Toth screamed, allowing Alexander to make his way forward, reach over his back and from nowhere draw the Sword of Iron-Grip to sever the head from the demon. All four flying serpents hovered and sniffed around, then settled on his shoulders after he sheathed the weapon and returned with the rod.
"This seems to be drawing power from me," he told the others, surprised only a bit that they were all duplicates, "Any idea if we should destroy it or not."
"Hmm, if it's not bothering you too much," Alex2 replied, "Better keep it with you until we can research this. How about you keep at that and keep watch while we research?"
"An excellent plan," Giles said, but Ripper rolled his eyes and threw off his jacket. Alex2 held up his hand before the old reprobate could fly off the handle.
"Listen, Ripper, you've just been split in half, don't you think you should find out if you'll be dead in the next hour before heading off?"
"Oh bugger," the Brit conceded, and kicked up his feet as he occupied two chairs as to take a nap, "Just wake me when it's over."
An hour later, Alexander had put down the rod for a moment, and walked over to stand next to himself, and spoke quietly, "I think we could probably just destroy the rod and be restored, but studying the energy flows, I think we could also decide to boost the others and simply have each person here become two individuals, twins if you will."
"Why don't we give them the choice, though I think we should recombine."
"Agreed."
"Everyone," Alex2 called, attracting them, "I think we can either restore us back to one of each, or maybe push enough energy into each to make sure we are individuals instead of the halves our auras and energy levels seem to show."
"I-I agree," Watcher Giles remarked, "My research shows that simply destroying the rod would return us."
"I don't want to become tweed man again," Ripper asserted angrily, "I choose to remain separate."
"We actually seem to be different aspects of ourselves," Giles asserted, "Not complete. Would your spell overcome this?"
"Actually, yes, mostly," Alexander asserted, "I think if we used the destruction of the rod as the catalyst for the doubling spell, we'll have two nearly complete selves, mostly twins. Though Alex and I have decided on one of us."
"Two," voted the Xanders.
"Okay," Alexander said, "Let's get this going."
A few minutes later, Buffy, Willow, Dawn, Riley, and Tara walked into the shop to see a flash of light and two Xanders, two Giles and a large unknown fellow radiating power, supporting each other. Four flying snakes landed on the new guy.
"What's going on?" Buffy asked, "And why are there two Xanders and two Giles?"
"Make that a Watcher," the slightly more energetic-seeming Giles said as he thumbed a gesture at the other, "And a 'Ripper.'"
"Oh."
"Not really, but close enough, Buffy," the Ripper told her, "There are two of us, now, and we're more like twins than copies. I seem to have greater wanderlust and slightly less control than usual, so I'll bow out as Watcher to you, and perhaps throw my hat in with the lads." He gestured at the Xanders.
"I think we're pretty close to identical," the two said, "Maybe a coin toss and we'll see who bothers Deadboy and Wesley, and who moves in with Giles in Sunnydale."
"Hmm, in that case," Ripper considered, pulling out a coin, "I'll take a third of our savings, and follow the LA Xander, sounds like fun." He announced the result. They then explained what had happened since that morning began.
"Wow," was the only possible response.