A Buffy the Vampire Slayer Crossover Event with Marvel Comics
Sequel To: Chapters 99, 104 and 108 the Xander is Loki fic idea.
A/N: Sorry for the mix-up, I accidentally posted a chapter I had posted before, not realizing it until after I'd posted. Here is the correct version of Chapter 110.
They'd stopped at a rest stop allowing everyone to get some much needed rest. Dawn, who'd fallen asleep on Xander, was surprised to see that she was alone. It didn't take her long to find her wayward friend and thus swiftly and quietly exited the bus to where Xander was standing all alone watching the stars.
"Xander?" Dawn asked hesitantly.
"Dawn," Xander greeted in reply, though he did not turn to face her.
"What's up?" she asked, not knowing what to say to her would-be paramour.
"I can't go to Cleveland... Or anywhere else. Not yet at least," Xander told her.
"Y-You're leaving?" Dawn asked in surprise. Of all the Scoobies, Xander was the only one who never left the fight. Even on his Road Trip that ended in Oxnard he'd fought evil. Willow, Giles, Faith, Cordelia and even Buffy had each tried to leave or did leave at one time or another.
"I have to, Dawn," Xander told her sadly.
Dawn swallowed down her sadness, but the tears still welled up in her eyes. "Why? Why now?"
"I'm not sure who I am right now. Ever since Sif showed up... The bindings keeping Loki at bay have been unraveling," Xander confessed.
"Why didn't you say anything?" Dawn asked.
Xander snorted. "And what? After everyone found out that I was an exiled god in human form, almost everyone started looking at me differently. I'm pretty sure that Kennedy is absolutely terrified of what I might do to her once I ascend to Godhood again and Anya couldn't even look me in the eye afterwards. Even after all this time, people are still terrified of the things Loki did and what he was capable of. Nobody needed that sort of distraction."
"So... Where are you gonna go and how long are you gonna be gone?" Dawn inquired further.
"Asgard and I don't know," Xander replied.
"Were you even gonna say 'Good-bye'?" Dawn asked with a slight edge in her voice.
"You're awake and I'm still here," Xander stated.
"Wha-... I...," Dawn was at a loss for words. She gulped nervously. "Wha-What are you saying, Xander?" She felt her heart suddenly racing.
Xander turned to her looking sad and much older than he ever had before. "Ever since your little chat Amora, you've been my rock. You and Faith both." He smiled at her, but it was a bittersweet one. "That's something I'd have never expected in a million years."
"You have and would have done the same for everyone else," Dawn replied.
"Maybe not Spike," Xander replied. Both shared a brief chuckle with one another.
Dawn sobered quickly. "What about Faith? She did face down a goddess for you."
"We talked earlier," Xander informed her. "She, more than anyone, except maybe Angel, knows what it's like to not feel quite like yourself."
"She's not the only one here to have an identity crisis Xander," Dawn said angrily.
"No, but to be honest, I'm not sure how to talk to you," Xander admitted.
"Isn't that what we're doing?" Dawn asked.
"You've changed since your little chat with The Enchantress. It's subtle, but it's there and I'm not sure what to make of it. No matter how much she's changed, Amora has always been a schemer and she went to you and you alone," Xander stated. "One can't help but wonder why."
"Xander..." Dawn began, but was interrupted.
"You don't have to tell me, or anyone else really and I'm sure you have your reasons for hiding things," Xander told her. "I trust you." A comfortable silence fell between them. "There have been times when I've noticed things others haven't, but I'm beginning to realize that there were a lot of things I didn't see before that I'm seeing now and it scares me a bit."
"Like what?" Dawn asked in anticipation, trying to keep her voice calm.
Xander smiled more genuinely at her and her heart skipped a beat. "I'm pretty sure you already know."
"I'm not entirely sure I do," Dawn replied.
Xander walked towards her. He gently cupped her chin and tilted her head. She closed her eyes, but to her eternal torment he kissed her forehead. She slowly opened her eyes as she resisted to moan in frustration. "I'll return as soon as I can." Their eyes met and Dawn instinctively knew that more was conveyed in that message than was actually said. He stepped away from her several paces. He smirked at her. "Heimdall, one for transport. Energize."
Much like Sif had done, Xander vanished in a rainbow colored flash.
Dawn grinned widely even as she wiped away her tears. "God, he is such a dork sometimes."
"Yeah, but that's part of his charm."
"Faith! How long have you been standing there!?" Dawn asked, more than a little startled.
"Long enough to see you and Boy-Toy putting the moves on each other. Gotta say, I didn't think either of you guys had it in you," Faith commented with a grin. "Boy can be charming when he needs to be."
"It's always been like that," Dawn commented with a sigh. "For once I'd like to be the one leaving him wanting more."
Suddenly, Faith's teasing grin turned into a predatory grin. Dawn wasn't sure she was going to like what that meant. "Now that's something I can help you with. By the time I'm done with you, you'll be leading around Mr. God of Mischief by his... Well, let's just say it won't be his nose."
"Faith!" Dawn exclaimed in a scandalized tone.
"You'll thank me later," Faith said with confidence and a wink. "Trust me."
Xander suddenly found himself in the Realm Eternal, dressed far differently from when he left Midgard. He was wearing a large green overcoat that was held together with golden clasps and buckles and was adorned with golden embellishments. He also had an elaborate green and gold pauldron clasped to his right shoulder. His pants were jet black and his boots were green with golden buckles and he wore two green and gold embellished bracers. His golden crown was changed as well. Where before it was a circlet with with two oversized horns, now it was a full, open faced helm with oversized horns, though part of the opening covered his left eye, which he'd lost facing off with Caleb. Furthermore, his staff, which he had been stripped of, had returned to him.
He could also feel a little bit more of himself fade away, something he'd been fearing since his little chatting sessions with The First.
He met the unwavering and, more than a little unsettling, gaze of Heimdall. "Heimdall."
"Loki."
The silence between them was tense.
"Your father is awaiting your presence in the Royal Palace," Heimdall informed him.
"All well and good, if I intended to see him," Xander replied coolly. "Where is Amora, Heimdall?"
"In the palace gardens, Protector of Man," Heimdall replied.
Xander raised his right eyebrow at the form of address and the location of Amora, but no explanation was forthcoming. "Thank you."
Heimdall nodded in acknowledgment.
Xander had barely left the dais when he was confronted by a group he most certainly didn't want to see: Fandral, Volstagg, and Hogun, the Warriors Three.
"To what do I owe the honor of your illustrious, voluptuous and stoic presences?" Xander asked.
It was Hogun who answered. "Escort duty."
"Ah, so Father sent you to babysit me," Xander stated with a sarcastic smile.
"Not in so many words... But essentially, yes," Fandral answered. "Although it wasn't the All-Father who sent for us. It was your brother."
Xander snorted. "So Thor's afraid I'll cause some long overdue mischief and decided I was to be marched directly up to the palace and paraded in front of our father did he?"
The Warriors Three exchanged uneasy looks. Volstagg the Voluminous was the one who answered. "Actually... No."
"Oh?"
"We're just here to escort, as in follow you around, not escort as in take you from point 'a' to point 'b' by any means necessary," Fandral explained.
"I suppose some things have changed..." Xander noted neutrally.
"You, most of all, to hear Thor tell it," Fandral said uncharacteristically serious.
Xander raised an eyebrow. "I was under the impression that Amora was the only one who looked in on me."
"Her more than anyone else, but Thor did from time to time as well," Fandral explained.
"I see..." Xander said neutrally, weighing the merits of seeing Thor vs ignoring him like he planned on doing to his foster father. Ultimately, he decided to table the issue for the time being and left to see Amora, The Brother's Three in tow.
Xander thought it odd that Amora would be in the palace gardens, but he shrugged it off. In all likeliness she knew he would come and search her out- the palace would be as safe a place as any for her.
He couldn't help but be suspicious of her motives even after all the time that had passed since they'd last interacted.
When he arrived, he was surprised to find that Amora was not alone. His brother was with her.
"Amora, Thor... Didn't expect to find the two of you together," Xander told them. "Are the two of you... 'A thing'?"
"Thank you, my friends, for seeing him safely here," Thor said to the Brother's Three.
"Always a pleasure, Your Highness," Fandral said with a bow. The three of them left swiftly.
"To answer your question, Alexander, we are not 'a thing'," Amora answered. "As delightfully handsome as your brother is- we would make a gorgeous couple- he holds far too much attachment to Midgard for my liking." She said that last part in genuine distaste.
"It's not so bad once you get used to it," Xander commented. "It has some redeeming features to it."
Amora rolled her eyes. "I'll admit that it does have some redeeming features, but there's hardly anything there that I'd give up my place here for."
"Did I become the crown prince during my exile, because I'm pretty sure I didn't give anything up that wasn't already taken from me?" Xander asked his foster brother.
"Nay, brother. We both still retain our status," Thor answered with a grin. "Much to some other's dismay."
"How is your lovely betrothed?" Xander asked. "Did she tell you she stopped by for a visit?"
Thor grimaced. "I apologize for that. I tried to talk her out of going, but she can be quite stubborn at times."
Amora snorted in amusement. "You have a gift for the understatement, Your Highness."
"Amora..." Thor warned.
"Yes, I know..." Amora replied with a long suffering sigh. "You have to admit, however, that I am rarely the aggressor in our little conflicts anymore."
Xander watched the byplay between them with great interest. Thor had always held a great deal of mistrust for Amora and Amora herself had held a great deal of affection and romantic hope that she might snag Thor one day. What he was seeing here, however, held none of those connotations. They most certainly weren't romantically involved and spoke to one another as friends. He couldn't help but wonder what else had happened in his absence from the Realm Eternal.
Thor raised an eyebrow at that. "I highly doubt that. You are simply more subtle."
"You wound me, Thor!" Amora exclaimed mockingly.
"As amusing at this is, why am I here?" Xander asked. "Amora wouldn't have risked the All-Father's wrath lightly and I doubt you'd have thought to manipulate Sif into confronting me. What's going on?"
"That would be my doing, Loki," said the voice of a woman hidden in the shadow of a nearby alcove.
"Mother..." Xander said.
"Hello, My Son," Frigga greeted. "It's good to see you again."
"It's good to be seen," Xander commented. "I'm not him anymore. I'm not sure who I am."
"No, thou art not. Either of them," Frigga acknowledged. She smiled sadly at him. "Thou art more than both Loki and Alexander."
"Xanki? Or is it Lokander?" Xander asked. "Aloki?"
Amora giggled in response. Thor grimaced. "Your sense of humor has hardly changed, brother."
"Part of my charm, I'm told," Xander commented, buffing his nails. "Now, do tell, what's going on?"
Frigga glanced at Thor and Amora and then back to Xander. "The Loom of Fate has shifted. The future is no longer as it was."
Xander couldn't hold back the sneer from his face. "I hate prophecy."
"As we're well aware," Amora commented. "Speaking of which, you should stop in and see Hela before returning to Midgard."
Xander grimaced. "How fares my daughter?"
"As pleasant as always," Amora replied with a grimace of her own.
"Loki... My son... The fates of all worlds have changed. I cannot see the future as I once could," Frigga informed him. "The Norns have secluded themselves beyond the sight of both Heimdall and your Father."
"He is not my father," Xander said almost on instinct.
Frigga sighed. "Must thou always be so stubborn?"
"I refuse to acknowledge the authority of any being who so swiftly bends to the whims of fate! As much as he and others would like to pretend otherwise, he and he alone would have been the primary reason Ragnarok came about! His feeble attempts to prevent it had all but assured it might happen, all because he feared our potential and his own potential downfall," Xander snapped. He was immediately felt apologetic when Frigga flinched at his unexpected hostility. "I apologize, Mother."
Frigga graced him with a weak smile.
Thor grimaced. "As much as I would like to say otherwise, there is wisdom to what you say."
"Would have, Alexander? Had?" Amora inquired having caught on to a few keywords of his rant.
"The circumstances of Ragnarok have changed, even if the event itself has not," Xander told them. "That event alone is more than enough for Mother to sidestep the All-Father's edicts. Odin's attempts to further subvert/enforce Ragnarok has backfired greatly."
"Brother, Xander, whatever your grievances with him, he is still our..." Thor began.
"Your." Xander interrupted.
"Father," Thor continued ignoring Xander's interruption. "He may not be perfect, but he does the best he can."
"Excuse me if I don't feel that his best was enough," Xander sneered.
"Can you truly say that you would have done better?" Thor rebutted.
"No... Not that I let that little fact stop me from trying, Oh Mighty Thunderer. I am like I am for a reason," Xander acknowledged.
That earned him a smile and a nod from Thor.
"Despite thine own hardships on Midgard, thou have flourished beyond what any could have hoped for, Brother. Thou have changed beyond what anyone could have foreseen." Thor replied. "Whatever the All-Father's true intentions of placing you with those... People... I have to believe that he did it for the best."
"Believe as you will, Thor," Xander responded. "But that is an issue we shall never agree on. Ever."
"Understood," Thor acknowledged. "Oh, Mischievous One."
Xander raised an eyebrow at the address, but took it in the spirit in which it was given. "So, Mother. You've told us your reasoning for side-stepping the All-Father's edicts of my banishment, but not why we're here," Xander said as he turned back to his beloved foster mother.
"Quite the contrary, My Son, thou merely voiced thy own thoughts as to why thou thought I called thee here," Frigga told him.
"Was I wrong?" Xander asked with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.
Frigga smiled warmly at him. She'd missed him terribly. "Can not a mother simply miss her son?" Xander said nothing, merely continuing to wear his rather amused smirk, which was copied by Thor. She sighed. "Thou art not wrong. The future that was foreseen has been unseen and is now is hidden from even thine own eyes. I know only that Thee and Thou Brother are a part of that."
"What about Ragnarok, Mother?" Thor inquired.
"Nothing lasts forever, My Son. Not even the Gods," Frigga replied. "Dark things stir within the shadows. I fear that the End of All will be upon us soon enough."
Seeing Thor's grim expression, Xander took it upon himself to raise his brother's morale. "Relax, I've been dealing with a minimum of an apocalypse per year for the last several years now, as a regular mortal even. If Ragnarok can be averted or stopped, we will find a way."
Thor chuckled. "I wish I had thy confidence, but I suppose there is no worrying about it for the time being."
"That's the spirit!" Xander exclaimed. "Now, Dearest Brother of Mine, how about you come with me to Niflheim to visit my dearest daughter?"
Thor chuckled. "I think I shall pass, Mortal of Mischief. She is not one to cross lightly. Besides, as she's told me countless times, you are her father. I doubt that anything Hela has in mind for thee shall be too permanent."
"Sarcasm, Thor?" Xander inquired. "Did you truly miss me that much that you went an acquired a sense of humor as your own?"
"That I have," Thor admitted with a grin before his countenance turned more serious. "I wish I could accompany Thee into Niflheim, but I have obligations elsewhere that take me away from here. While I know not what Hela wishes to do with Thee, I do not think that her intent is malicious."
"Then I suppose this is farewell," Xander stated.
"For now," Thor replied.
"Before you go, Loki, I have a gift for Thee," Frigga spoke up.
"Mother?" Xander asked in confusion.
Frigga held a small glowing jewel in her hand. "I know that fate had not always been kind to thee. Many millenia ago, Thy Father sacrificed his eye for knowledge. T'is but a small fragment of that eye. With this talisman, thou shalt truly become the 'One Who Sees'."
She then pressed the jewel to the plate covering his eye.
"Aaaarrrggghhh!" Xander yelled out in pain.
"LOKI!" Thor shouted and stepped towards his brother. Amora however grabbed his arm, holding him back. His head snapped around to face her. Though her expression showed that she was equally worried, she shook her head.
"Damn... That hurt worse than when Caleb took my eye," Xander said after a moment. When he lifted his head, in the place where his eye would be, embedded in the gold plate sat the glowing jewel. "Whoa!"
"Are you well, Xander?" Thor asked.
"Yeah... That was a bit of a rush," Xander told him. "It's weird being able to see out of two eyes again though. I was just starting to get used to having just the one." He used his staff to hoist himself up. "I suppose we shall be off."
"Farewell, Loki," Frigga said with a smile. "Amora, Thor."
"Mother." Xander and Thor replied with bowed heads.
Your Highness," Amora said as she knelt before her queen.
They all watched as Frigga went back into the palace. The newly formed trio then made their way back to the Bifrost.
"Ho' Heimdall!" Thor shouted out in greeting.
"Your Highness," Heimdall greeted with a nod. "Back to Midgard?"
"Yes, it's time I returned," Thor acknowledged as he stepped up onto the dais he turned to Xander and Amora. "I hope to see you again soon, Xander!" With those parting words, he disappeared in a flash of rainbow colored lights.
"This has been a rather informative visit," Xander said to Amora. "Why did you visit Dawn? You could have visited anyone you wished, but you chose Dawn. Why?"
His tone held a modicum of steel and danger she'd never heard come from Loki.
"A few reasons," Amora replied. "The biggest of which was to show you that she was not a little girl."
"The way she tazed me proved that much to me," Xander told her.
"I've watched over you quite often these last two decades," Amora explained. "Saw a different side to you I had no idea existed. So I decided that if I got the chance, I would do something for you that would bring you happiness."
"And you think Dawn can bring me happiness?" Xander asked. "So what, did you bewitch us?"
"I do, actually. And though I offered, I didn't." Amora admitted. "She turned me down. I was quite impressed given how long the poor girl has been pining after you."
"And what about us? You've obviously gotten over that infatuation of Thor you had. Given your actions I'm surprised you're not making a play for me yourself, instead of pushing me and Dawn together" Xander inquired. "Or even someone more like you, like Cordy."
"Don't think the thought didn't cross my mind," Amora acknowledged. "But do you really think we could be happy together? After all, look at how your relationship with young Cordelia turned out."
"Honestly?" Xander asked. He continued when Amora nodded. "Yes. I've always found you attractive, even as Loki. I'm simply better equipped to appreciate it more as I am now. And to be honest, I'm not all that convinced some sort of outside influence wasn't involved in breaking me and Cordy apart in the first place."
"If there was a malevolent force acting against your relationship with Cordelia, whoever it was, was at least as cunning as you, as I didn't notice them," Amora told him. "It would make sense, I suppose. Your attraction to Rosenberg did appear and disappear rather quickly."
"What's your problem with Willow?" Xander asked, surprised by the sudden hostility that entered her voice.
"You mean besides how she and the elder Summers girl have treated you over the years?" Amora asked glaring at him. "You deserve better."
Xander sighed. "I'll be the first to admit that things between all of us isn't exactly perfect, it's been a rough couple of years. But we're all friends for a reason."
"For all that they show it," Amora countered.
"Look. If I had more time, I'd convince you that Buffy and Willow are good people, but I-"
"We."
"What?"
"We." Amora reiterated. "I'm going to Niflheim with you. Thor has far more faith in Hela than I do."
"Are you sure?" Xander asked. "Hela has never exactly been your biggest fan."
"I'm sure," Amora replied. "Can't let you continue to have all the fun around here!"
For a brief moment, Amora felt as if she was being judged.
"Heimdall."
"Yes, Prince Loki," Heimdall replied.
Taking Amora's hand, Xander led her onto the dais. "Two for Niflheim."
Both, like the Thunderer before them, disappeared in a rainbow colored flash of light.