Azure Halloween

Summary: Crossover with something of my own invention Halloween fic. Things will never be the same again for Xander.

Disclaimer: Buffy belongs to Fox Interactive and Mutant Enemy. No copyright infringement intended. Anything not recognizable as someone else's work most likely belongs to me. Mitts off.

Chapter 6

Xander sighed and leaned backwards, resting his back on the library wall. Last night had been rough, both physically and mentally. Thankfully most of his cuts and bruises were healing or healed already.. Apparently his Skye essence granted him a faster-than-normal healing factor and an enhanced immunity system. He'd been practically covered in the disease spores when he'd finally crawled up from the sewers, completely exhausted, but otherwise he appeared to have been unaffected by the plaguelord's influence.. even the cut on his upper arm had faded into an angry red that would probably leave a scar but seemed to be healed nicely enough despite the poison plaguelord tentacles secreted.

The death of the plaguelord had had the effect Xander had hoped for.. without the nexus to spread and control it the disease had died off without further ado. The Scoobies had been up some ten hours after the fight in the sewers.. although most had been throwing up green slime for a good hour after that, the remains of the demonic infestation that had nearly claimed them.

All's well that ends well, they say, Xander thought. If only the price would not have to have been so high..

Power tingled underneath his skin and he bit back a curse, concentrating on forcing the energy welling inside him back down. Ever since the fight.. ever since he had blasted the demon away.. At first he'd thought he was feeling the remains of the energy he'd channeled through his body to form the thunderbolt.. but he already knew it wasn't so. Something formerly dormant within him was now active.. he could feel it as a constant itch he couldn't scratch as energy steadily built up within his body. Sometimes it would well up and he'd have to concentrate on suppressing it. The first time he'd used the energy he'd created a lightning bolt roughly powerful enough to power Las Vegas for a minute or two.. he didn't dare to release it again anywhere near someone. He didn't need any more lives on his conscience.

Xander gently set the lifeless body down and stood up, a strange keening noise welling up in his throat for a moment. Streams of blue-white energy crawled upon his skin as he gave in to the impulse and tossed his head backwards.

The long beastly call of pure rage and mourn had nothing human left in it.

Lightning crackled around him in a destructive aura as he took the first step out of the former hive. Behind him there was a faint rustling sound; he did not need to look to know her dead flesh was rapidly drying and crumbling into thin greenish dust, leaving only a blackened skeleton behind.

He could not even grant her a proper burial.

Something gave within him and Xander roared, the inhuman sound resounding through the chamber like a thunderclap. There was a grinding noise from behind; then the chamber shook as a large stone fell from the ceiling, quickly followed by a second one. The moment he had cleared the cavernous room the ground shook beneath him as the entire chamber collapsed.

For a moment he thought the gust of wind made by the collapsing room sounded like a relieved sigh.

He could hear the footsteps approaching and smell the approaching presence long before they could see him. Xander took a deep breath and tried to calm himself.

"…Xander?"

He opened his eyes. "Hey, Willow." She was still pale, but the stench of death and disease was gone, replaced with her normal scent.. although she smelled more like of cinnamon and strawberries with her perfume. Sometimes his sense of smell was so good it was scary.

"..So, you wanted to see me?"

Xander sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I did.. c'mon, let's go somewhere more private. There's something I need to tell you. Alone."

Willow gave him an odd look at that but followed him to the deepest corner of the library nevertheless. It was with deepest anxiousness that Xander finally sat down with her in a small niche near the storage.

"Willow.." Funny how he'd practiced his little speech in his mind for hours and still he was lost for words with the real deal. "There's something I need to tell you. I don't know how to say this.. I should've told you before but it took me time to realize this could be my best chance."

Willow nodded, her face clouded with worry.

"Xander.."

He closed his eyes for a moment, gathering his thoughts. "What I'm about to tell you.. I haven't told anyone about this before. Not Giles, or Buffy, or Oz.. anyone. I need you to swear you won't tell anybody else of this.. Lives could depend on it, my life, your life, or anyone we know could be in danger if the wrong people learn of this."

Now she looked almost frightened. "Xander, what.."

"Swear, Willow. Swear by the Wiccan Goddess, swear by your blood or by your hand, but make a vow you would never betray. Willow, please.."

Willow looked him in the eyes for a long while.. then she stood up with steel in her voice and posture. "By the Goddess, this I swear: No word shall leave my mortal lips, for good or ill. So let it be, and may it harm none."

Xander took a deep breath and sighed. "Thank you.. Then, take a seat and make yourself comfortable.. this could take a while. You remember this Halloween, when I was…"

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It seemed the more he spoke the easier it was for him to go on. Thankfully Willow kept silent, watching with an undecipherable expression at first as he told her of the confusing first few days after Halloween.. finding he was growing stronger and faster day by day.. the flashes of memories that sometimes left him unaware of where he was.. He omitted nothing, embellished nothing, told everything just as he remembered.

By the time he told of his encounter with Drusilla Willow's eyes had grown roughly to the size of saucers with something from between curiosity and fear; his following dream or vision or whatever of Skye left her looking thoughtful. He told her how he'd bound the Stormhammer to himself.. then he got to how he woke up that one morning and found whole Sunnydale except himself under the cursed plague. He faltered there for a moment before Willow ushered him to go on.. it was almost painful reliving the trek through the sewers, and the fight that followed it.. It felt impossible to describe the rage that had flowed over him, or the feeling of power when he'd turned himself into a live converter, and the aftermath of the fight.. it hurt in a way he couldn't understand himself.

Finally he fell silent and, after a moment of silence, dared to look at Willow. He'd expected top see fear or loathing.. what he hadn't expected was the tingle of sympathy he saw in her eyes moments before she traced his cheekbone, now much thicker and sturdier than before, with a gentle hand.

"All this time.. I thought you were just growing up."

Xander could feel the power surging beneath his skin again and clamped down onto it, forcing it to steady down. Tiny arcs of lightning formed for a second between his fingers, sliding along the skin, before Willow drew her hand back.

"You.. aren't afraid?"

"Terrified," Willow dryly admitted, "the shock just hasn't quite gotten through yet. Why didn't you tell us, Xander?"

Xander sighed and closed his eyes. "At first.. I hoped it would pass, that it was just fading more slowly than with you and Buffy. Then I was happy I was finally stronger, finally more useful in the good fight.. I was afraid you'd stop this, that you'd take it away. Finally I was afraid you'd be afraid of me when the changes became more pronounced."

Willow shook her head. "You should've told us, Xander.. we could've helped you. You were possessed before by the Hyena, remember?"

"This isn't like back then, Willow. I'm still Xander, just.. different. Skye doesn't control me like Hyena did.. in fact, since I got Skye.. or what's left of him.. 'up here'.. I haven't even felt the remains of Hyena's influence. Besides, trying to remove what's left of him wouldn't work- 'What has been molded together cannot be split apart without destroying both', remember?"

Willow sighed and leaned back. "This is important, Xander. I think we should tell Giles about this, he could-"

"No." The power tingled under his skin again, making the single word sound more like a short rumbling growl. Xander shook his head and cleared his throat at Willow's incredulous expression. "I mean no, Willow- I can't tell anybody else yet. The fewer people know of this the better. If we tell Giles, we might as well tell Buffy- he's her Watcher, he's bound to tell. And, don't get me wrong, I like Buffy, I'm her friend and all, but her impulse control could really use some working on. You swore to keep silent of this, Willow, now I'm asking you to keep that vow."

"That's not fair, Xander, making me swear before telling me what this was about!" Willow accused.

Xander held back a wince and closed his eyes. "And I hate myself for it already. I'm sorry, Willow, I really am, but this was the only way. You've got to understand."

Willow sighed. "Why me, Xander? Why'd you decide to tell me?"

Xander rubbed his eyes. "Because.. I remember some of the things Skye did. He did the same mistake before, Wills- he kept his true self hidden from someone close to him, and it backfired." He opened his eyes and nailed Willow with his a near-desperate look. "She was hurt real bad, Willow.. he almost got her killed." The sound of steel against steel, a heart-shattering scream of pain and horror.. the splash of a body hitting cold, dark water and the beastly roar of ultimate wrath and loss..

Xander shivered at the memory fragment before continuing. The power churned beneath his skin, stirred by the memory. "Sometimes.. I see someone on the street or in a store and I.. I think they're someone Skye knew. For a moment they look like.. I don't know. Sometimes.. I miss her, Willow. I keep telling myself that it's stupid, that it's because of Skye, but I can't help it. I don't even know her name, what she looks like, but.. Gods how I miss her. I.. I needed someone to know, someone to understand. I need someone I can speak with. I need someone to stay behind when I leave."

Willow blinked. "You're leaving?"

Xander shrugged. "Not now.. I can't leave you to deal with Angelus by yourselves, but after this.. Maybe. Uncle Ned's got a cottage somewhere in the mountains, far away from people.. I could go there to try and learn to control this. That way the only one who can get hurt will be me. Someone will have to know so that Buffy won't decide to drag me back here then." He sighed again before continuing.

"I just thought.. you're the smartest one of us, Willow, you would've figured this out by yourself after a while.. this way I don't have to hurt you as well by keeping this a secret. And.."

"…And?"

"..I need someone who won't be afraid of me when this is over."

¤¤¤

It was almost two AM and he couldn't sleep. Lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling without actually seeing anything, Xander sighed for what seemed the hundredth time that night and tried to will himself to feel sleepy with no success. It wasn't that he weren't feeling tired or anything.. consciously he knew he had been up for the last eighteen-or-something hours straight and, logically, his body needed the rest. Illogically enough, his body had now apparently decided it didn't need to rest this particular night.

Something was coming.. Xander could feel it. He could sense how the power flowing within his body was building up in anticipation so.. something. Whatever it was, somehow it felt natural.. nothing like a demon, completely unlike the sense of smothering darkness of the Hellmouth.. somehow he knew whatever was coming needed to be there.. and he could feel it approaching.

The power pulsed faintly and Xander tensed. Moments later his ears picked up a distant rippling crack. He got up slowly and opened his window, feeling the cold wind against the bare skin of his chest and shoulders. The air smelled heavy and moist as he climbed out onto the roof and looked up.

He could feel the power pulse again milliseconds before there was a distant bluish-white flash somewhere to the west. Moments later there was a second rippling crack that broke into a long, drawn-out rumble. The wind picked up ever-so slightly as he looked up into the dark sky, knowing the clouds above would be dark and heavy. It was here.

A single droplet of cold liquid hit his shoulder and made its way down his side before falling off to hit the roof somewhere near his foot. It was soon followed by a second one, then a third, fourth..

Power surged beneath his skin, tingling in his hands as the clouds overhead were lit up by a blast of white light, followed by a clap of thunder that shook the tiles beneath his feet. The heavens opened with water, heavy, large droplets splattering against his skin and the roof. The wind was a living, breathing thing around him, swirling, pulsing, flowing around him and through the deserted streets as the storm revealed its full fury. Every flash of lightning overhead sent a surge of energy flowing through him, streams of blue sparks flowing across his wet skin as the cool, refreshing rain hammered into his flesh.

Xander could feel the energy pulsing within his body, raging with the storm. This was what he had sensed before, what his new instincts had kept him waiting for; this storm didn't have anything to do with the Hellmouth, demons or anything supernatural.. just wind and rain and thunder seeking release like Nature had intended.

Thunder crackled overhead and Xander closed his eyes and spread his arms, allowing the raging storm drown his senses.

¤¤¤

Spike cursed vehemently, trying to light his fag for the seventh time but failing miserably due to the violent storm winds. Sure, thunderstorms made traveling easy for a vampire, but that didn't mean he had to like them.

Word was out that something- or someone- was slaying vampires in Sunnydale, as if the Slayer and her lapdogs weren't enough. Something big had set up camp in the sewers and had gotten wiped out alongside a small vampire nest. Spike had seen the tons of rock that now blocked entry to a particular section; whatever could do that could mean problems for him and Angelus. He could've cared less about the bastard but Dru was an entirely different case. Whatever she'd seen back before had shaken her badly; she didn't even dare leave the lair anymore, muttering about monsters and stars and dragons.

Thunder shook the street beneath him and he couldn't help flinching instinctively. Stupid effing storm. Spike felt like he'd take weeks to dry off after the night.

Lightning struck again and this time he felt a tingle in the air, his hair suddenly seemingly coming to life with static. The streetlights flickered and went out.

In the sudden darkness Spike became suddenly aware of a faint blue-white glow pulsing in the neighboring block. Instantly curious, he decided the direction was just as good as any.

The light seemed to grow stronger as he approached it; finally he had to blink a few times after turning the corner.

"Bloody hell.."

He was standing across the street from a small, normal-looking house.. but now he saw what was making the glow.

There was somebody standing on the roof of the first floor. It was a young man, shirtless, his arms spread wide, face looking up into the heart of the storm. The light was coming from the hundreds of tiny sparks of static crawling along his skin, drawn taut by hard muscles. Tiny streams of lightning jolted across his bare torso, forming a halo of pure energy around him.

Spike stared and realized that at some point his mouth had fallen open. Shaking his head, he warily circled around the corner to get a look at the man's profile. He looked familiar, like he'd seen him before.. then it clicked.

"Bloody hell.. Harris!"

There was no doubt about it. The blue glow of energy around him made his face stand out clearly. He had his eyes closed, face against the rain, and the smile on his face.. cool, faintly vacant.. nearly extatic as thunder creeped along his bare flesh.

A thunderclap shook the air and the aura around Harris intensified for a moment. A feeling of dread washed suddenly over Spike, who found himself running away, fervently thinking of ways to smuggle himself and Drusilla out of Sunnydale as fast as possible. Screw Angelus, screw the Slayer- this was too much for him.

He never saw the halo of power around Xander take momentarily a definite shape, forming a sparkling silhuette of something massive around him for a second.. a tall, broad figure with a pair of batlike wings sprouting from the shoulders.

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Alex DarkFire: Thank you very much! I'm glad you liked it and I hope you like what will come later.

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