In Sapphire Light Chapter 9, a Buffy: The Vampire Slayer + Young Justice Crossover fanfic

Chapter 9 – In Sapphire Light

Disclaimer - I don't own DC comics or any of its characters nor do I own anything to do with Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This story is purely a work of fanfiction and does not seek to claim ownership or seek any financial gain.

Last Time:

"How do you know this?" whispered Aga'po.

Aphrodite looked saddened for a moment before answering, "I discovered the prophecy millennia ago. It was hidden away by Zeus. He fears, rightly that we would be unable to stop the nameless and he sought other ways to stop the prophecy. I, however, began planning, Artemis joined me, and we began to plan how we would help."

"We must warn the others," said Aga'po.

"Yes, you must and while you do so Artemis and I shall see to our champions," said Aphrodite as she waved her hand, forming a portal. "Can we count on you Queen Apa'po?"

"Yes, you can My Lady."

oOoOo

The Watchtower – Cafeteria

Clark smiled as he watched Xander smiling and joking with his fellow Star Sapphires. The young man appeared to be adapting well to his situation.

Sadly, Clark feared that the next conversation was likely to put a dent in his good mood.

Xander looked up to see Superman approaching and waved, then warned his companions.

"Do you mind if I interrupt your lunch?" asked Clark.

"Not at all," replied Xander with a smile. "Pull up a seat."

Clark pulled a chair out and sat, "Thank you."

"What can we do for you Superman?" asked Amanda with a smile of her own.

"Given the recent situation with Black Adam, the League wants to know if you would be willing to share some of the possibilities you may be aware of," explained Clark.

Xander's smile faded slightly, "I can understand why you are asking."

"But," prompted Clark.

Xander locked eyes with Superman, "I've watched enough science fiction to know that there is a risk in knowing too much. What if I tell you something but changing it makes it worse? What if my memories of events are wrong? Canon in comics changed, hell your backstory changed a few times. What if I make things worse?"

Clark frowned, "I can see why you would be concerned. However, we feel that the risk…"

Xander sighed and raised his hand, "I respect your position Superman, but I won't be telling you everything. I will, however, make a list of events and people where intervention might be possible."

"Alexander, lives could be saved," argued Clark.

"And lives could be lost because of changes I cause," countered Xander.

Clark sighed, "I see, you make a compelling argument Alexander. What information you choose to share will be welcome."

Xander grinned ruefully, "Batman will be peeved, won't he?"

Clark had to smile, his friend was often misunderstood. "You might be surprised."

oOoOo

Watchtower Monitoring Control Room

Batman didn't turn away from the monitor he was facing as Superman entered. "He said no, didn't he Clark."

It was not a question, not really anyway. Still, Superman answered him, "No, he made the same argument you did Bruce."

"He's had to make hard choices before. His apparent youth aside, he has clearly thought this through. He was right to warn Black Adam about Isis and Faust. I shudder to imagine what Adam would do if those events had actually happened."

"According to Alexander they may still," warned Superman.

Batman finally turned to look at his colleague. "Perhaps, but I doubt it. I certainly would not want to be Faust right now."

oOoOo

League of Shadows Base – Southern China

Ra's al Ghul considered the report the Guild's most senior mystic had just delivered. All the while staring at the elderly man standing patiently before him.

"You are sure?" asked Ra's al Ghul.

"Yes Master," replied the Monk.

Ra's al Ghul waved the Monk away, ignoring his departure as he considered what the revelations could do to his plans.

Ubu's trip to the Lazarus Pit had failed to revive his faithful servant and Ra's had demanded answers. The entity that had invaded his sanctum had been powerful. Powerful enough to defeat the finest wards known to man and that made it a threat to his plans. The effect of its corrupting influence on Ubu had alarmed the Mystics in his employ to the extent that they had wanted to destroy the body immediately.

Sadly, the Monks and the powerful mystics they supplied had only been able to tell him what it was not…it was not of terrestrial origin and it was old and powerful. He had initially suspected that it might be connected to Klarion or one of the magic users associated with the Light, but that hypothesis did not hold up under scrutiny. Klarion and his ilk might be dangerous and unpredictable, but they were not fools. Not when matters were going so well.

A report from his vast information network had raised more questions. Why had the Wizard turned on Cheshire? Now that the presence of a possessing spirit had been exposed, it made more sense but still left a great many unanswered questions. It was vexing, not knowing who, or perhaps what, the spirit was after.

"Father?" questioned Talia al Ghul from the doorway.

"Yes, Daughter?"

"Your guest has arrived."

"Send him in and tell my pilots that we will be departing shortly," instructed Ra's.

"Yes Father," acknowledged Talia as she held the door open allowing two armed men to escort in their 'guest'.

"Can't say that I'm pleased to be here Ra's," said Klarion as he looked around the room. "Lovely, very dark lord."

"You may go," Ra's instructed his guards, ignoring Klarion's comment.

Talia and the escorts left, shutting the door behind them.

"I have…questions," said Ra's as he gestured toward a seat.

Klarion sat and his familiar Teekl jumped into his lap, "What do you want?"

Ra's explained about the attack on his stronghold.

Klarion sat silently, thinking through the Ra's description of events. "You've got a problem then. I've seen the work your people do…not that I'll ever admit it to anyone else, but they are good. For something to blow through them…" He trailed off as Ra's sat forward. "There are a few meta's about that could do what you are describing. Maybe five mystics that could do it, me of course. Trouble is that they leave mystical fingerprints. They're calling card if you like. Your mystics would be able to sense that. So, that means we are looking at a different magnitude of being."

"Are you able to identify this one?" asked Ra's.

Klarion smirked, as he stroked Teekl, "Not yet."

Ra's frowned, unimpressed with the magic user's overconfidence. "It cannot be allowed to interfere with our long-term plans. The Light has supported your efforts and now requires your…assistance. This entity must either serve our purposes or be destroyed."

Klarion rolled his eyes, "I said I will deal with it."

"See that you do."

oOoOo

Klarion stood in the centre of his meticulously drawn circle of protection. That sat amid a larger circle of runes that served as the 'teeth' of the trap he had set. Normally, he would not have gone to such lengths but the entity he had been tracking had proven rather resilient and difficult to pin down.

For a being that was empowered by chaos, it galled him to resort to such ho-hum techniques. He had been forced into hours of boring work. Still, he had managed to track it and its host. Admittedly, its choice of host was a concern, a minor concern, but it had necessitated some precautions.

Raising his hands, he began to chant. Focusing his spell on the host rather than the possessing spirit. Whatever protection the being had; it was powerful enough to cause him to expend a great deal of power. Indeed, Klarion soon found himself having to push himself far harder than he had anticipated.

Then suddenly the wards activated and a misshapen figure, dressed in the remains of a very familiar costume appeared before slumping to the ground. Rising up from the crumpled figure was a shadowy, indistinct form. Vaguely humanoid, it seemed to look around before focusing on Klarion. It drifted closer to Klarion's circle but paused as the runes flashed with a sickly red light.

"Well, well, well and what are you?" muttered Klarion.

He was about to try and interrogate the spirit when all the runes flashed again…and again. Frowning he poured power into the runic circle. For a moment he thought it had worked then the runes began flashing as the captured spirit began fighting its containment.

Gritting his teeth, Klarion poured more power into his trap.

To his horror, his protections began to collapse.

Klarion was not an idiot. The entity battering down the wall of his mystical trap was not a simple dark spirit or demonic entity. Its nature was entirely different and clearly much more dangerous. In fact, it potentially had the capacity to really cause him problems. Retreat was now looking like the best option.

With a final burst of power sent surging through his runes he grabbed his familiar Teekl and teleported out

A few minutes later Bizarro left the burning ruins of the League of Shadow's base behind.

oOoOo

Zatara grimaced, as he felt another mystical power surge from somewhere on Earth. In fact, it was powerful enough to have been picked up by the energy sensors. Then almost immediately he saw an alert from the Mount Justice scanners. Turning to the monitors, he quickly ran through the feeds until he identified two figures walking toward the guest quarters.

His hand had reached the alarm controls when he got a good look at the two women.

"Oh, this is not going to end well."

oOoOo

Artemis and Aphrodite stepped out of the pink portal into a deserted corridor on beneath Mount Justice.

Artemis looked around and raised an eyebrow, "Did you miss?"

Aphrodite giggled, "No, I just thought that popping straight into their room might be an issue."

"Ah, a fair point," replied Artemis.

Aphrodite softly knocked on the door and stepped back to stand next to Artemis.

"Hold on," called out a male voice.

oOoOo

Xander's Room Mount Justice

Amanda, Miri and Xander were talking through a training scenario when someone knocked on the door.

"I'll get it," said Xander before raising his voice. "Hold on."

Xander jumped off the bed and walked over to the door and pulled it open. He was confronted with two oddly dressed, stunningly beautiful women.

"Um…hello?" was all that a suddenly tongue tired Xander could manage.

"Greetings my Champions," said the blonde with a beaming smile. "I am Aphrodite, and this is my sister Artemis."

"Er…" was Xander's eloquent reply.

Aphrodite's smile widened, "I was wondering if my sister and I could have a quick word. It's quite important."

The other woman snorted and stepped forward, shooting her 'sister' an exasperated look. "How about you dial back the aura a bit Dite?"

Miri and Amanda appeared behind Xander to stare curiously at the two women.

"What's going on?" asked Amanda.

"Hail and well meet Slayer," said Artemis with a polite nod toward Amanda. "I have been watching since your arrival in this dimension in the hope of meeting you."

"You what…who are you?" asked Amanda.

"And more importantly why are you here?" asked Wonder Woman as she appeared in the corridor accompanied by Superman and the Martian Manhunter.

"Diana," greeted Artemis in a calm voice as she studied the three newcomers.

Aphrodite however almost squealed with delight on spotting the Amazon princess. "Diana…how delightful!"

Wonder Woman dropped to one knee, "Divine Ones."

Superman and the Martian Manhunter exchanged a glance before both bowed their heads respectfully.

"No need for formality Diana," Aphrodite's voice lowered in volume to a near whisper. "We are here unofficially."

Wonder Woman rose to her feet, "I am confused, My Lady."

Artemis gestured toward Amanda, Miri and Xander, "Amanda and Alexander have caused a great deal of chaos among the Gods. The prophecy of the Nameless is known to us, although you may not have heard it."

"Um excuse my…er your majesty," said Amanda as she looked at the five figures outside Xander's door.

"Just Artemis will do Slayer," replied Artemis. "Even though you may hold the favour of Aphrodite your skills are more suited to one of my chosen."

"Hey, no poaching!" complained Aphrodite. "Both, no all three of them serve love so they come under my sphere of influence. They serve an aspect of me!"

"Say what now?" replied Amanda as her eyes narrowed.

"What is going on Diana?" asked Superman.

Artemis whistled, loudly.

"Alright, everyone be quiet for a few moments and I'll explain. I am Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt and this is Aphrodite the Goddess of Love and Beauty. We are here to assist Alexander and Amanda."

"Assist, how?" asked Amanda.

Aphrodite looked slightly taken back by the question, but Artemis smiled. "We know more of its nature than any mortal and if you want to win then you need to know what you are facing."

"Perhaps we should move this discussion out of the hallway?" suggested the Martian Manhunter.

oOoOo

"What is the Nameless?" asked Superman. "Even the Guardians would only share speculation as to its nature."

"It is a primordial evil…an entity that predates the Gods. Eventually, the Elder Gods banded together to imprison the Whisper in the Darkness, the Nameless. Defeating it was impossible thanks to its nature. It exists out of phase with this universe and is intangible save for the most powerful magic imaginable," explained Artemis.

Xander winced, "This sounds depressingly familiar."

"You are referring to the entity known as the First," said Aphrodite. "From what I have discovered the First was a similar entity."

"An Entity we barely managed to stop…" said Xander. "It had a flunky, called Caleb who was a match for our big hitter."

"But you still defeated it," replied Artemis.

"Hold on the First was like an uber Big Bad," said Amanda. "Me and Xander rock but this is kind of out of our league."

"Perhaps, but we are sure you are the ones mentioned in the prophecy regarding the defeat of the Nameless," replied Aphrodite. "It names an outsider, a chosen one who will be the one that sees. This outsider is the key to its prison and the means to destroy it."

"Well, there's your problem," said Xander. "I was called the One that See's by our versions minion Caleb, but I was never one of the Chosen. Which is another name for the Slayers."

"Me," said Amanda.

"The magic that temporarily combined you may have been unexpected, but the fact remains that you are the ones mentioned in the prophecy. Because right now a powerful minion of the Nameless, called the Deceiver is here on Earth," explained Artemis.

"No doubt trying to subvert the prophecy by killing you," added Aphrodite.

"Can you tell us how to track this Deceiver?" asked Superman.

Artemis nodded, looking pensive, "Yes…maybe, it is easier to track when it has taken over a host. If it is in its spirit form it is almost impossible to track."

The Martian Manhunter cleared his throat, "Did the entity use Wizard as a host?"

"We believe so," confirmed Aphrodite.

"And it has another host now?" asked Wonder Woman.

"Yes, it does, it has taken Bizarro," replied Aphrodite.

Xander grimaced, as did Superman.

"That is an unfortunate turn of events," said the Martian Manhunter.

"More than you might think. Bizarro fought back, but in the end, the Deceiver has gained full control of Bizarro," explained Aphrodite.

"We have beaten Bizarro before," said Diana.

"And now you have a millennia-old, evil entity with the powers of Bizarro," said Xander.

Superman sighed, "Well at least we now know what happened with Black Adam."

Diana frowned, "We must be cautious and prepare. If this entity is seeking to attack Alexander and Amanda because of the prophecy, then we must be prepared."

Aphrodite rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to speak but fell silent when Artemis elbowed her.

"Even if you deal with Bizarro the entity itself is non-corporeal. Containing it will be troublesome," explained Artemis.

"That's where we come in!" exclaimed Aphrodite. "I believe that we can help your magic users contain the entity. Once it is contained, we can destroy it or at least imprison it somewhere it cannot do any harm."

Artemis continued on, "But to do that, we'll need to capture Bizarro and for that, I think we need to make sure that we have enough muscle on hand."

"I will ensure that the Justice League is prepared," said Diana.

"Good and we will make our own preparations," said Aphrodite with a nod to the Amazon and then a wink toward Xander. "We can't afford to have any champions sitting this one out."

oOoOo

Kahndaq

Black Adam studied the remains of his beloved Isis as he ran gentle fingers over her amulet. He had finally found Faust and from him recovered information about the amulet. Faust had obviously not done more than plan to steal the power of Isis. He had researched a ritual and begun tracking down the components he needed. Unfortunately, the slippery magic user had escaped before he could be suitably punished for his presumptuous plan.

Now he was left with a dilemma.

He had his wife's remains and the amulet that should restore her powers but his attempt to use a Lazarus Pit had failed. As had his subsequent attempts to find Faust and force him to reveal how to resurrect her.

In the aftermath of his beloved's death and his grief-fuelled rampage against the Justice League and all those that stood against him, he had burnt many bridges. Now, he could go to the Justice League for help but most of the organisation was morally opposed to resurrection, thanks to the many evildoers that used such techniques. He could swallow his pride and ask, for the sake of his beloved, but it was unlikely that the League would be sympathetic…. Adam's head swung around as he sensed something very powerful, very close by.

"Who dares…" his voice trailed off as a pink tinted doorway appeared in the solid stone wall.

Standing he prepared to do battle with whatever stepped out of the doorway to threaten his realm. Only to pause when two figures he recognised stepped through. The taller of the two rolled her eyes at his defensive stance, "Really Teth-Adam?"

Adam relaxed slightly, "Divine ones, may I inquire why you are here?"

He was being rather cautious. The Greek Gods were not his enemies, nor were they allies. He had barely interacted with most of them. Save for a few rare occasions where he had been allied with the Justice League. He had thought that they had mostly abandoned interaction with the 'lower' realms.

Aphrodite smiled sadly, "I believe that one of my champions warned you of Faust's plans for your beloved Isis."

Adam's eyebrow quirked upward, "You are speaking of Alexander the Star Sapphire? I did not know that you were allied with them."

"Strictly speaking, I am not but as they serve one of my divine aspects our alliance should not be too difficult to imagine," replied Aphrodite with a shrug.

Artemis quickly chimed in, "And Alexander's protégé Amanda is a hunter of vampires and other demonic breeds. In her home dimension, she is a chosen warrior and Alexander is her guide and trainer."

Adam nodded, "I see, honourable callings no matter their dimension. And love has its own power." His gaze shifted to the marble bier on which Isis lay.

"We have recently confirmed that Bizarro has been possessed and we think that this deceiver entity now has full control," explained Artemis.

Adam frowned as he considered their news, "A worrying turn of events but not totally unexpected. I will remain vigilant."

"Good," replied Artemis. "But that is not the only reason we are here. Your desire to revive Isis is something that we need to discuss."

"I will not abandon my quest," warned Adam with narrowed eyes.

Aphrodite shook her head, "You misunderstand our intent. Alexander and Amanda's arrival and his knowledge of potential futures have shined a light on certain injustices. The death of Isis was a tragedy and most importantly it was a mystical death."

"You point out what I already know divine one. She died of a magical disease. Such things are within the purview of the Gods and they chose not to act, despite my entreaties," replied Adam with clear bitterness and no small amount of anger in his voice. The Gods of Egypt could be capricious.

"The Egyptian Pantheon may be our sometimes allies, but I confess that I don't always understand the decisions they make," admitted Artemis.

Aphrodite's expression was stern as she stood tall, looking Adam in the eye, "Which is why we now chose to act. A dark time is fast approaching, and you are needed Teth-Adam, champion of Shazam."

Adam was about to reply when he became aware of a familiar presence behind him. Shocked to the core, he turned and saw his beloved sitting up.

Alive…she was alive.

"Isis," whispered Adam as he rushed to her and pulled her into his arms.

"Faust's ignorance regarding resurrection is staggering. The ritual he was going to use had so many flaws it was ludicrous," said Aphrodite with a sniff of disdain. "She would have had her…what?"

"Dite, it's time for us to go. Let them get reacquainted," said Artemis with a smile as she tugged on her friend's arm.

oOoOo

Mount Justice Training Room

Xander caught the water bottle thrown at him by Amanda and opened it before draining it in one long pull.

"Thanks," said Xander as he turned to look at their instructor.

"You are both coming along well," said Miri with a smile. "I would like you both to think about how you could mix up physical and ring attacks and defences. You both to tend to default to hand to hand and won't always work. Other than that, we are finished for this morning."

Amanda grinned as she opened her own bottle of water. "You and X headed out Miri?"

Miri nodded, "Yes, we have Carol's apartment for the weekend."

Amanda waggled her eyebrows, "Nice, play time hey?"

Miri laughed, "If he's a good boy. What about you, any plans?"

"Sara and I are going to the movies," replied Amanda.

Xander resisted the urge to point out the besotted expression that appeared on Amanda's face at the mention of Sara's name.

"Well have fun and remember to be careful. The bad guys don't respect dates. Speaking from experience here," cautioned Xander.

"Which is why they are the villains," added Miri.

"I bet other teens don't get lectures about supervillains," complained Amanda with an exaggerated pout.

"You might be surprised," said Artemis from the doorway to the training room. "Are you nearly finished? I can come back if you are still going."

"We are done for the day," said Miri.

"Great, I…" she trailed off as all their communicators sounded at the same time.

"Come on!" exclaimed Amanda. "It's Friday afternoon!"

oOoOo

The Watchtower

Batman studied Xander silently for nearly a minute before gesturing for him to sit.

"I think I understand why you've held back, but I would like to hear it from you."

Xander sighed, "There are a lot of things that don't quite match up. People that aren't quite the same. Events that clearly haven't taken place…how can I put this? it is like the major things seem the same. You are Batman, Superman is Superman, but other things are wildly different. I mean, events, people that I should be hearing about are not here. Part of that, I think, is because the comics retconned the DC universe…" He trailed off at the look on Batman's face. "Retcon, retrospective revision. Ah, so origin stories change, new heroes are introduced. It means that the timeline of events changes. In this reality, I can't say for sure what is going to happen or when. That being said, there are some big things and I mean big things that we need to try and avoid."

Batman nodded, having noted the 'we' in Alexander's explanation.

Xander shrugged, looking frustrated. "I'm not sure what to share, to be honest. The list I gave Superman are all the really important things."

"The Blackest Night," said Batman.

Xander nodded, "Yeah, that's a bad one."

"Ganthet and the Guardians are looking at it. He seemed to recognise a few of the names you supplied," explained Batman. "Any others I should be concerned about?"

"The light and the Injustice league," said Xander. "I put them on the list because if the Reach really exists, then Earth has some real problems on the horizon. Like Darkseid level badness. Even with the few changes I've made."

"You are referring to Black Adam," said Batman.

"He's a good example. In some of the stories I read, he's a villain in others an Anti-Hero. When I found out Isis had been killed, I knew I had a chance to turn him back to the side of good."

"And when he goes on another rampage?" asked Batman.

Xander shrugged, "Then we deal with it. Somehow I don't think Isis will let that happen." He paused considering before continuing. "The League needs to actually sit and talk to Black Adam. His take on evil is similar to the beliefs of warriors like Wonder Woman. Hell, his sense of right and wrong was developed way back when the world was a different place. When eye for an eye and live by the sword, die by the sword were a freaking fact of life. He was around before Urukagina's code before laws were made to be fair. It was about crime and punishment. Is it any wonder that he deals harshly with criminals?"

"That doesn't mean he can continue killing criminals and expect the civilized world to accept it," argued Batman.

"I agree, so why hasn't anyone sat down with him. I mean he does possess the Wisdom of Zehuti. Good old genius-level intellect and wisdom."

Batman's expression didn't change but he nodded, "I'll look into it." Then, to the surprise of Xander, his lips turned upward. "The law code of Urukagina?"

Xander grinned, "I like the history channel."

Batman accepted Xander's flippant answer without comment. Instead, he changed the topic, "Of course, I suggest that you and your companions take the opportunity to rest because I suspect that we may ask you to attend a meeting later today."

Once Xander had left a door slid open and Batgirl and Robin stepped into the room.

"What do you make of him?" Batman asked his protégés.

Robin looked thoughtful, "He's good at keeping secrets but from what I've seen he's trustworthy."

Batgirl shrugged, "I can understand not wanting to risk causing a catastrophe by trying to change the wrong thing or making things worse."

Batman replayed the conversation in his head and nodded, "Keep an eye on them during the meeting."

oOoOo

The Deceiver was growing frustrated as it attempted to find a way to destroy the anomalies that threatened its master. Despite the powers, it's host provided, it was still outnumbered and outgunned by the forces opposing it.

Divide and conquer…weaken them…bring their enemies against them

There were other paths to victory.

oOoOo

Ganthet set down the tome he was reading and managed to resist the almost overpowering urge to vomit. He and by extension the Guardians had initially dismissed much of the warning Alexander Harris had provided. Comic books, action heroes, movies…any such connection was clearly coincidental. This latest instalment supplied to the Justice League was far more detailed and disturbingly accurate. The fall of the Guardians and the shattering of the spectrum was not something he was going to dismiss. He had researched and amid the legends, myths and prophecies stored by the Guardians, he had found a reference to a prophecy that seemed to apply. Concerned, he dug further into the records and what he had found left him speechless.

There were records warning of the threat posed by Nekron. Only by chance had this universe managed to avoid a similar fate. The events that led up to the emotional spectrum being represented by ring bearers had thankfully evolved differently here. It was hard enough dealing with the Yellow Power Ring users, that there could be worse was worrying. 'Wait, there was something here,' thought Ganthet as he paged back through the tome.

There amid the earliest prophecies of Lum the mad, was a reference to the Dark God. He quickly read the entire section before putting the tome back down. The Dark God was destined to reawaken when the Chosen One and the One who sees appeared. Their arrival would firstly awaken the Dark God's servants. An event that would herald the death of love and will and the Opening of the Way.

"I have seen that wording before," whispered Ganthet. He quickly set aside several books and data pads until he found what he was after. It was an ancient book, which was reportedly from a dead world in Sector 0666. He had originally set it aside because it was not relevant. The text itself was a translation of fragments of an even older work. It claimed to be the words of a holy man and sage who had born witness to some of the events he had recorded.

And once Glorificus, The Beast, The Abomination, That Which Cannot Be Named was sent far from her seat of power…the triumvirate that ruled that hellish place was broken and battle began anew between Draconius the Endless and Severan the Shadowbinder.

Draconius the Endless prevailed and Severan knew that his fate would be akin to his 'sister'. In his desperation, he reached into the eternal darkness of the Well and released one of the sleepers.

It consumed all that was the Shadowbinder, The Fell Demon-God Draconius realised that it was growing powerful beyond all measure…the entire might of that hellish land managed to exile the new dark god to another dimension.

…the Dark God appeared and immediately sought to conquer all that was. The Gods and powers strived against it and managed; at great cost, to imprison it in a place akin to the deeper well...It sleeps and whispers evil into the darkness. Forever seeking to open the way.

Ganthet quickly made a copy of the relevant text and then summoned the Green Lantern on duty. He had a trip to make.

oOoOo

Watchtower

Xander was less than impressed that his time with Miri had been cut short by a meeting of the Justice League. That didn't mean that he didn't understand why it was important, it was just that the timing sucked.

"Don't worry my love I'll make it up to you," said Miri with a smile that left little opportunity to misconstrue her meaning.

"Is that a promise?" asked Xander.

"It is," she replied as she stepped into his arms to kiss him. "But now we are late meeting Amanda in the mess."

Xander embraced Miri and then sighed, "True, I wonder who will ask next?"

Miri leaned back and studied his face for a moment before answering. "I can understand their questions, even if I agree with you about being cautious."

"What will happen if I change too much?" asked Xander. That he would change things for the worse was his fear and thanks to their tether, Miri could feel his apprehension.

"I agree with your caution but by doing nothing, by not acting, you risk being indecisive. You can only do what you think is right my love. Warning Adam was the right thing to do. You are a Star Sapphire and that act alone should prove to my sisters that you understand the power of love."

"But there are so many things that might happen," argued Xander.

"You cannot control everything, Alexander Harris. Even the most powerful of heroes wish that they could have done more. Moreover, I am sure many of them second-guess themselves. My people had a saying, do not fear to be. You cannot save everyone. You cannot control everything. What you have knowledge of are possibilities, not certainties. Life is to be lived and part of that is doing the right thing, the best you can without self-recrimination."

Xander slowly nodded, "So, you are saying I have to do what I think is right?"

Miri tilted her head up to kiss him on the lips. "Exactly, now let's get this out of the way because I have some tricks I've heard about that I really want to try."

Xander took a moment to imagine what his stunningly beautiful lover might have in mind. Even without their connection, he could feel Miri's love and amusement. "Now that sounds like a plan!"

A knock on the door intruded on the moment.

Xander opened the door to see Wonder Woman and Superman standing in the corridor.

"Alexander, Miri the meeting of the League and our allies is about to begin. We have both active and inactive members coming in to discuss the threat this entity brings," explained Wonder Woman.

"Everyone?" asked Xander.

"Everyone that isn't otherwise occupied," replied Superman.

"What about Amanda?" asked Miri.

Wonder Woman smiled, "Black Canary is talking to her as we speak."

"What is the dress code?" asked Xander.

Superman's lips curved into a smile, "Come as a Star Sapphire. I really want to see a few people's expression when you do."

Xander grinned back while the two women simultaneously rolled their eyes.

oOoOo

'Okay, I never saw anything like this in the comics,' thought Xander as he followed Black Canary into the Watchtowers large meeting room with Amanda and Miri beside him.

It was hard not to stare at the literal who's who of DC comics!

As they sat down, many of the others were also taking their seats. Standing at the head of the table was Superman. "Please, if we could take our seats while we wait for the last of those we invited to arrive."

The conversation in the room started dying down. As it did Xander began constructing a mental list of who was in the room.

Superman

Supergirl a pretty blonde who looked…hmmm say Seventeen

The Martian Manhunter

Wonder Woman

Batman, sitting with Batgirl. With the red hair that was showing, it had to be Barbara Gordon. On his other side, Robin sat studying the others in the room. Xander had to wonder why he wasn't sitting with the rest of the young justice team.

Aquaman sat with his wife, Mera as they spoke to Hawkman and Hawkgirl.

Black Canary had taken a seat and was talking quietly with the Green Arrow and two women. One green haired and the other platinum blonde…they just had to be the international superheroes Fire and Ice.

Giovanni Zatara sat talking quietly with a blond woman. Her accent was English but otherwise, he had no idea who she was.

Cyborg was seated next to another African American Hero, thanks to his costume Xander knew it was Black Lightning.

The Atom was seated next to the Flash and Hal Jordan. Jordan was staring at the three Star Sapphires with a rather amused expression.

Then there was the rest of the young justice team. Miss Martian, Aqualad, Kid Flash and Artemis. Kid Flash noticed Xander and gave him a friendly wave.

Next was a cat-themed, costumed figure. So maybe it was Wildcat, talking with Helena Bertinelli in her Huntress costume. Beside her was another cat-themed figure, this one in black leather with a matching mask, wow Catwoman!

Kent Nelson/Doctor Fate in his golden Helmet was talking with a dignified older man Xander didn't recognise. Although he heard Doctor Fate call him Jason. Could he be Jason Blood?

A bored looking man in a trench coat, who had to be John Constantine. He was glaring at the no smoking sign. Yeah, that was Constantine.

And there were still quite a few empty chairs.

"Who are all these people?" asked Amanda nervously.

Before Xander could answer, the door opened, and Captain Marvel led in two figures that brought most conversations to a halt, Black Adam and a woman that had to be Isis.

"Sorry we're late," said Captain Marvel with a faint smile. "At least we are not last, there was another group just behind us."

He was proven right as the door swung open again. This time it was Red Tornado leading the recognisable figures of the Question, Vixen, Mister Terrific and surprisingly the duo of Aphrodite and Artemis.

Surprised conversations started as many of those present stared at the newcomers. Black Adam ignored those in the room as he walked over to where the three Star Sapphire's sat, with a smiling Isis trailing behind him.

"Alexander my friend, I owe you a debt." Black Adam extended his hand and Xander stood to take Black Adam's hand. "Your intervention has seen Isis returned to me."

Xander smiled and shook his head, "I'm glad it worked but I can't take credit for what happened after I warned you."

Black Adam laughed, "I beg to differ my friend. Let me introduce you to my beloved, Isis."

Isis stepped forward and kissed Xander on the cheek, "I too owe you a great debt, Star Sapphire Alexander." She turned to Miri and Amanda and kissed both women on the cheek. "You must be Amanda and Miri. The divine Artemis and Aphrodite have shared some of your story. I would like to hear more."

Amanda blushed, "Ah…um, sure Your Majesty."

Isis smiled, "To you, I am Isis. You are friends."

"Indeed," agreed Black Adam. "I think that we will sit with you."

As Xander sat, with Black Adam by his side he noticed that he was receiving quite a few concerned looks.

"Well you lot are generating some gossip," said John Constantine with a smirk. "Now me, I'm loving the outfits…but I'm guessing there's more to what's going on here than tweaking the nose of our local green lanterns."

"I'm sure you will be filled in soon enough," replied Miri.

"Too right love. There's been a lot of whispers among those in my trade and while I don't usually run with the boy scouts, I think I need to know what the Bloody Hell is going on." Constantine glanced over at Zatara. "Zatara sent out a warning but facts were a bit thin on the ground. It has to be something if they are getting in everyone they can. I never thought I'd see Jason Blood or myself in the same room as all this lot."

A few more late arrivals appeared and hurried to find seats. Xander had no idea who most of them were, with the exception of Nightwing. Nightwing was clearly an example of how this universe diverged from the comics and cartoons. As his timeline did not seem to match the rest of the Bat-family.

Once everyone was seated, Superman stood. "Thank you all for coming. I know that some of you have questions. I would ask that you hold them until the end of the presentation."

The Martian Manhunter stood and concisely explained the current situation. As he spoke, Xander studied the others in the room. There were people in the room to whom the full story was either more than they had known, or it was totally new. When Xander, Miri and Amanda were introduced, Xander found himself under the intense scrutiny of those newcomers. Frankly, it was quite embarrassing, and he was feeling quite a bit of regret in choosing his rather tight Star Sapphire uniform. Beside him, Amanda was fidgeting nervously so he gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze.

As the Martian Manhunter finished, there was silence for a few moments before several people began speaking. Before the room could be called to order the door swung open and a Green Lantern, this one clearly an alien, stepped in followed by Ganthet.

"My apologies for the interruption but I believe that I have uncovered some relevant information. The nature of our enemy."

Black Adam sat forward in his chair, "Which is?"

"Demonic, specifically it is a God from an alternate hellish dimension that was banished here by its own brethren when it grew too powerful. It was imprisoned and could only be freed from its prison if a specific sequence of events. From what I can find those events are coming to pass."

Xander frowned, "Are you talking about Glory?"

Ganthet shook his head, much to Xander's clear relief.

"She was bad news, even with most of her powers blocked. I'm glad we aren't facing something like…what?" Xander asked as Ganthet shook his head.

"No, I believe that the entity is, in fact, her brother. He was exiled but, in this case, his essence has been blended with an entity known as an Old One."

Xander paled, shocked. "You have got to be kidding me!"

"What is an old one?" asked Isis, her expression showed concern given Xander's extreme reaction.

"A big problem," replied Constantine with a frown. "I've read what little there is that mentions the Old Ones. Never thought I'd be facing one."

"I've faced demons before," said Black Adam.

"Not like this," replied Constantine. "These are the demonic version of Gods. Nigh on indestructible and everything that comes with nearly unimaginable power levels in everything else."

"Surely, we can fight, we've faced powerful entities before," argued the Flash. "We've beaten Darkseid."

Constantine frowned, "You're misunderstanding the threat they pose Mate. I don't think hitting it until it falls over is going to work. The Old Gods barely managed to deal with the Old Ones. Got a Pantheon or two lying around?" Constantine glanced over to the representatives of the Greek Pantheon.

Artemis scowled back at him, "Those like you, who traffic with the supernatural, know of the great compact."

"And yet, here you are," replied Constantine with a knowing smirk.

"What of your allies John Constantine, should we be expecting an influx of succubi?" asked Aphrodite with a chill smile.

"This isn't helping," interjected Superman. "What are we looking at here?"

Ganthet gestured and a section of text appeared, alongside it was an English translation. There was a section highlighted.

Draconius the Endless prevailed and Severan knew that his fate would be akin to his 'sister'. In his desperation, he reached into the eternal darkness of the Well and released one of the sleepers.

"That is what we are looking at," stated Ganthet. "A being that the Old God's almost failed to stop. I have been researching and I have contacted many worlds, seeking their assistance. Fortunately, we have someone here who has firsthand knowledge of these beings. Alexander, are you willing to share what you know?"

Xander grimaced, any amusement he had regarding wearing his skin-tight Star Sapphire uniform evaporated as he stood. The room seemed warmer, was that only for him?

Then he felt the support of Miri through their tether. He turned to her and smiled, hoping to convey his thanks.

Clearing his throat, he looked once more around the room.

Then he told them about Glory, the First Evil and the slayer's ally, Illyria.

When he finished there was a profound silence for a few moments before quite a few people in the room started talking at once. Eventually, order was restored again, and Superman stood to address the room.

"Thank you Xander. Well, that is what we and our allies face. We need to come up with ways to track and neutralize this possessing spirit that the Nameless is using and we need a plan should the worst happen and the Nameless manages to escape its prison."

"Such a foe will be hard to defeat," stated Black Adam. "However, many of the mightiest defenders of this world are in this room. I have faith that we can overcome this enemy. However, we must not forget that Alexander and Amanda have a role to play in this."

Amanda grimaced and leaned over to talk to Xander, "I always wanted to play with the big dogs but…right now, I wish Willow and some of the big guns were here."

Xander's eyes widened and Amanda suddenly cursed under her breath. She had used the W word.

Xander looked wildly around the room before relaxing, "Looks like we got away with it…what?"

Xander could see quite a few of the heroes in the room jumping to their feet, ready for battle.

"Fuck!" exclaimed Amanda as she leapt to her feet knocking her chair over.

Dreading what he would see, Xander turned to see a sadly familiar form standing behind him.

The Master of the Vengeance Demons D'Hoffryn was standing directly behind his chair. The ruler of the hell dimension of Arashmaharr, stood tall seemingly unconcerned by the forces arrayed against him. "Behold D'Hoffryn! Lord of Arashmaharr, he that turns the air to blood and rains death upon those that would… Ah…Mister Harris and Miss Hayes. What a delightful surprise and I must ask, have you had a little work done, you look years younger."

Xander sighed, "Hello D'Hoffryn, I thought you were dead. It's okay, everyone can stand down. I doubt Lord D'Hoffryn has plans to harm anyone."

D'Hoffryn grinned, showing sharp teeth, "You are a long way from home. I imagine that Miss Summers and Miss Rosenberg would be quite happy to hear that you both survived. I would pass a message along but alas I'm not overly keen to be decapitated again. Miss Summers can hold a grudge."

"You double-crossed us," pointed out Xander. "And you tried to control all magic."

"Hello, Demon Lord," replied D'Hoffryn with an exaggerated eye roll. "Once I got myself back together again, I have managed to avoid your lot."

Amanda cleared her throat, "I'm…I am sorry for um…summoning you."

D'Hoffryn smiled again, "Quite alright Miss Hayes. I'll forgive you this once if you put in a good word with Miss Rosenberg."

"Done," replied Amanda. "Not that we can get home."

"As I said, you are a long way from home young lady." The Demon Lord paused and peered more closely at Amanda and then at Xander. "My, my what have you two done to yourselves?" He gestured and seemed to listen to something before frowning. "I see, well that is surprising. I had hoped to never see this day dawn."

Ganthet stepped forward, "You can sense it."

D'Hoffryn nodded absently, "Yes, the Shadowbinder…I had wondered where he had been imprisoned. I must return to Arashmaharr to prepare. If it is freed nowhere will be safe."

"There is a prophecy that Amanda and I will set him free, but we are apparently also the key to killing him," Xander quickly explained.

"A prophecy…hmm…I will look into it. You will need help if you are to achieve that end," replied D'Hoffryn.

"Can't you help?" asked Miri.

D'Hoffryn frowned, "Miss, I am far from my seat of power and have not been active in this dimension for quite a while. When Miss Summer's saw fit to cut me down, I lost a lot of power. Indeed, I only heard your wish because you are a Slayer. I listen very carefully for Slayer wishes."

Amanda didn't look happy and then she looked thoughtful. Was D'Hoffryn saying he wouldn't help or was he…" I wish we had some help."

"Amanda no!" exclaimed Xander.

D'Hoffryn smiled, seemingly amused, "I knew you would get there. You can have Miss Rosenberg's help for one week without upsetting things too much back home….and DONE."

There was a flash of white light that had everyone blinking. When their vision cleared D'Hoffryn was gone and in his place stood a shocked Willow Rosenberg.