"Dreams and Ideas Vol.2" by Shadow Master aka Ryley Breen

email: ryley[underscorebreen[athotmail[dotcom

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"Phoenix Rising or Attack of the Airheads" by Shadow Master aka Ryley Breen

Disclaimer: This is to make clear that I do not own any of the copyrighted material that appears in this drabble/short whatsoever. They are the rightful property of their respective creators and associated companies. I am making no profit from this at all. I write this for my own enjoyment and the enjoyment of those who choose to read it.

Note 1: I know that the whole 'Halloween-turn-Xander-into-a-girl' thing has been done before as I have read many of them myself. However in my opinion just about EVERYTHING has been done before to one point or another so the most one can do is take an idea one likes and put one's own original spin on it. That is what I intend to do with this drabble/fanfic.

So without further delay let's see what kind of trouble Xander gets himself into this time.

Phoenix Rising or Attack of the Airheads Back Alleyway Behind the Harris Home, Night, Day Before Halloween

"Are you sure this is, like, a good idea Harmony?" Aura asked as she did her best not to let the ickiness of where she was, both clean-wise and class-wise, get to her too much.

"Of course it is! Duh! You know that our Cordy has been spending more and more time with those freaks lately. That has to stop!" Harmony replied as she tried to find a spot closer to the fence blocking off the Harris back yard that wasn't overwhelmingly yuck worthy, "She's Cordelia Chase, the Queen of Sunnydale High School, and it is our duty as her loyal followers to keep her from going down the wrong path!"

"So why does that mean we have to sneak down this disgusting alley to peek inside that loser Harris' home?" Aura asked as she tried to figure out how much it would cost to replace her shoes.

"It's simple. We're going to capture something super embarrassing on film and use it to force him to do something even freakier than normal." Harmony replied as she turned on the camera, "Doing that will wake Cordelia up and show her what a big mistake she's making by going near those freaks."

She pondered this for a moment and she could see the logic in it. After all, while Harris and his friends were known to be freaks by the entire school, a stranger wouldn't know it just by looking at them. A person would actually have to talk to those losers to find that out and that was what she figured was wrong with Cordy. The Queen of the Sunnydale High School social scene needed a reminder of just how freaksome Xander and his friends were to show her why someone of high status shouldn't associate with them. Just talking to Queen C wouldn't do it and it would be a major social faux pas to challenge someone who was at the top of the social ladder. By doing it this way they could still knock some sense into their leader while at the same time not be connected to it in any way.

After finally managing to get close enough to the fence to see over it without getting too close to something revolting, she looked in the direction Harmony was focusing her camera. From what she could tell she was aiming it at the sliding glass doors leading into the dining room and it was easy to see why a moment later. Sitting at the table, eating what she supposed was his supper, was the loser Harris wearing only a tank top and some shorts. For a moment she was distracted by how tone his arms were and how his shirt showed off a nice chest but a second later she caught herself and shook such thoughts from her head. Obviously the 'starting-to-see-freaks-as-people' thing Cordy had was contagious and if she didn't watch herself she'd need one of these intervention things before too long.

A minute later she began to get impatient for something interesting to happen when the sound of glass breaking caught her ear. Looking for the source, she found a sight that almost caused her to lose her lunch right then and there as her eyes fell upon the most disgusting guy she had ever seen. Wearing boxers and a wife beater shirt was a fat tub of lard that obviously didn't believe in either exercising or bathing regularly. For a moment she wondered what connection this slob of a man had with Xander and she got her answer a moment later.

"YOU FILTHY LITTLE SHIT! YOU GOT YOUR DINNER AN HOUR AGO!" The bum bellowed as he advanced on Xander, "I WORK MY ASS OF TO DO WHAT THE LAW SAYS A FATHER OUGHT TO DO FOR HIS SON AND YOU STILL TRY AND GET SOME MORE! I'M GONNA KICK YOUR ASS FOR THIS!"

That's Xander's Dad!?!?! She thought to herself as she tried to reconcile the slob walking towards the dining room with the teenage guy that looked like he could disappear into a crowd if he wanted.

She didn't have much time to contemplate that revelation further because, a second later, the elder Harris grabbed a dish that had been left on the kitchen counter and threw it at Xander. The Loser managed to get out of the way in time and was heading for the backyard, probably to make a break for it, but only got about three quarters of the way there before his dad caught him. At that moment she expected the slob to drag his son back into the house for more abuse but instead the slob threw his son crashing through the glass door leading to the backyard. Obviously knocked silly by the act, the Loser took a while to get to his feet but that was enough time for the slob to grab a frying pan from the kitchen counter and follow him out.

It only took two minutes of seeing the slob beating Xander with the frying pan for her to want to leave and never come back. Fortunately Harmony felt the same way and, without a word, the two of them slipped away as quietly as they could while avoiding the trash that would mess up their outfits. While they felt triumphant at getting what they came for, she had to admit she felt kinda bad for Xander Harris. Sure he was a freak and all, but to have to live with a disgusting, abusive slob like that day in and day out wasn't something she'd wish on anyone. Still, it wasn't her problem and with any luck the slob would become one of those missing people she'd heard about and the Loser might finally be cut some slack by the world.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Sunnydale High School, Halloween Day, Noon-ish, Hallway

I can't BELIEVE she did THAT! He thought to himself as he walked down the hallways of the school away from the Student lounge.

While there was a ten percent piece of him that understood how it must have looked to the blonde Slayer, the remaining ninety percent of him was fuming mad at how she had just changed him from 'Loser Harris' to 'Loser-Harris-who-needs-a-girl-to-rescue-him'. It had all started with him getting up from one of the couches in the student lounge to get a can of Pepsi to drink only to run into Larry the Cave Man. Despite the difference in size, muscle mass and intelligence, he had stood his ground while the football player had asked about his chances of getting a date with Buffy. Naturally his mouth got the better of him and it only got worse when Larry had implied that the blonde Slayer was a woman of loose virtues or proficient in doing the splits for guys on command. He had taken great offense to someone thinking that about one of his friends and did his best to give the athlete a piece of his mind.

A little difficult given the height and muscle difference between the two of them you might think.

Still, he had done it and had been seconds away from being pummeled by Larry, something he wouldn't have minded since he got mucho manliness points for trying, when Buffy had decided to intervene on his behalf. Now it wouldn't have been so bad if she had just told Larry off using her own unique vocabulary but she actually had the audacity to manhandle the linebacker in front of everyone. Needless to say he knew that he was going to have to work double time from here until graduation if he was going to leave this school with a respectable reputation.

Grumbling as he went down the hall, he was caught completely off guard when two sets of arms exploded from inside of the stairwell leading to the roof of the school and dragged him in. Normally he would have been strong enough to resist, he knew he was stronger than his assailants the second the started the yanking, but his arms were still sore from what Tony had done to him last night. So he decided it would be less trouble to find out what his abductors wanted than to force his way free. Besides it was broad daylight, so he didn't think he had anything demonic to worry about.

To say that he was surprised to find that his attackers were Harmony and Aura would be the mother of all understatements.

"O-kay! Now I know you two probably like it rough but you mind telling me why you yanked me in here?" He asked with a little annoyance in his voice since he personally hated their type of student.

"Always the first with a pathetic quip, eh, Harris?" Harmony asked rhetorically, completely unaffected by his comment about her preferred method of passing her classes, "Too bad they're about the same quality as your clothes."

"If by that you mean tried and true classics then I'd have to agree with you." He replied even while knowing that her question had not been asked with an answer in mind, "Seriously, though, what's with the sneaky stairwell meeting?"

"Well Harris you have been causing problems for Cordy, you and your freak friends, and that is going to stop as of NOW!" Harmony replied, trying to put her best high and mighty attitude on, "From this day forward you will do everything you can to make sure that Cordelia doesn't spent so much as a minute of time with you or your loser friends. If she tries you will give the cold shoulder or insult her until she leaves. Understood?"

What does she think I am?! Her pet!? He thought angrily to himself after hearing Harmony order him like he was her servant or something.

"If you have a problem with Cordy talking to me and my friends then why don't you take it up with her instead of bothering me?" He asked snarkily as he let the two airheads know exactly what he thought of the orders he'd been given.

"Because, moron, Cordy is above us socially so we can't challenge her decisions without beaucoup evidence!" Aura replied pointing out one of the rules of social status at Sunnydale High School, "So if we can't talk her into changing her ways, we're going to force her to see why freaks and the rich don't mix."

"Which is why you're going to wear this tonight when you take those brats around trick-or-treating." Harmony said as she took a large bag from the third step of the staircase leading to the roof and handed it to him, "We want you to wear it in plain view of everyone with nothing to cover it up or hide it. If you do it from the moment you show up to get your group of brats to the moment you bring them back then we shall consider it a job well done."

While he was tempted to just throw the bag back in their faces, curiosity go the better of him and egged him on to open the bag and see what costume they had picked out for him. Looking inside he saw a lot of green spandex with a little black in it along with really long golden boots and gloves as well. There was also a long bright red wig inside the bag and for a moment he tried to picture what this costume would look like once it was all put on. The image he came up with looked familiar but for the life of him he couldn't figure out who exactly he was supposed to be. However when he shook the bag to see if there was anything he was missing a piece of the green cloth that had until then covered up the bulk of the black parts shifted and he saw one mother of a clue. It was golden in color and shaped to resemble a bird of prey with outstretched wings and set on top of the black plunging neckline of the costume. With that piece of information it all came together and he knew who Harmony and Aura wanted him to dress up as for Halloween tonight.

Jean Grey, aka Phoenix.

"This had better be an attempt at a funny, girls, because there's no way in HELL I'd be caught dead or alive wearing this in front of anyone!" He said, showing his adamant refusal to do something that would make him the laughing stock of the school, if not Sunnydale itself.

"Yes, you WILL. Otherwise I'll have a couple people I know broadcast this all over Sunnydale for everyone to see." Harmony said as she pulled out a camcorder and tilted the small screen on the side in his direction.

For a moment all he saw was blue but that quickly changed to show a backyard he recognized all too well as his own. It was nighttime in the footage and for a moment he wondered if they were trying to blackmail him with how unkempt his backyard was but then the recording zoomed in on the dining room. From there events in the recording played out exactly as they had last night when he had made himself a second dinner to make up for the one his mom had botched in her drunken stupor. He had been certain at the time that both his parents would be out cold in the living room until he had finished eating and put everything in the sink. However something must have woken Tony up and from there it was just another typical episode of 'beating on Xander' with his fat slob of a father kicking his ass for actually wanting a decent meal for a change. He had thought that there had been nobody watching them since he'd been beaten off and on for years and no one claimed to have seen anything. Apparently, though, the Fates were tired of this and had decided to spice things up a bit at his expense by prodding Aura and Harmony to do something intelligent for a change. His reaction to this was one of anger and a desire to vent some of this anger at the two who had dared to use his misfortune against him but he forced himself to settle for grabbing the camera and throwing it at the nearest wall. He watched with some satisfaction as the mechanical device shattered into a million pieces destroying their blackmail material with it. However when he looked back at the two to gloat at how their plan had fallen apart he was puzzled to find that they were just smiling smugly at him.

"Thanks Harris! You just destroyed the one piece of evidence linking us to this entire scheme but don't think that this means you're in the clear." Harmony said clearly reveling in her perceived brilliance and foresight, "What you destroyed was just what was in the camera. I made six copies of that little show of your dad's and unless you do as you're told, I'll make sure that everyone in Sunnydale knows about it."

He didn't know whether or not he should believe the blonde ditz, but if she was telling the truth then he was definitely in a 'damned-if-I-do-and-damned-if-I-don't' scenario. If he did what they told him to do, people would either think he was gay or a cross dresser, both of which would make him even more of an outcast amongst his peers than he was now. Even Buffy and Willow would probably start having second thoughts about him, at least in terms of what went on inside his head if nothing else. However if he didn't do what these two were ordering him to do, everyone would find out that he had at least one abusive parent that beat him on a regular basis, and that would cause everyone to either see him as a perfect example of pitiful or some kind of charity case to be coddled. That was one thing he knew he wouldn't be able to take in the end because while he might not be a brain like Willow or a jock like Larry, people still saw him as being an average guy for the most part. That was something he had accepted and oddly found he could live with despite the fact that most people wanted nothing more than to be above average.

So in the end there was really only one choice he could make.

Grabbing the bag viciously, he spared one moment to direct a hate filled glare at the two sluts before turning around and stomping out into the hallway.

He'd get his revenge on those two and when he did he would make sure that they wouldn't be able to show their faces at Sunnydale High School for six MONTHS.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Later That Day, 4:05p.m, Approaching the Student Lounge of Sunnydale High School

I am SO gonna get those two skanks for this! He thought to himself as he walked down the hallway to where Snyder said they would be picking up their groups of brats.

Every step he took, every time he felt the wig shift as much as the clasps would let it, he swore he'd get even with the two bimbos that were forcing him to humiliate himself in front of everyone. The only thing that kept him from defying them was the fact that he would prefer that people saw him as a freak than a charity case. At least as a freak he'd still have Buffy and the gang to hang out with later once he told them why he had to dress up like a girl. After all Harmony's little scheme didn't say anything about telling his friends the truth after he went through with this humiliation. Once they knew the truth the Scooby's could unite and work on a plan to get all the copies of the damaging footage destroyed. Then his plans of revenge would start and by the time he was done the airhead blonde and her Asian friend would wish they'd never set eyes on him.

Until then… until then he would just have to endure what was to come as best he could until he got the kids back to the school to drop them off. He was sure that when that happened he could finally get back into some guy clothes and leave the whole embarrassing incident behind him. After all Harmony and Aura couldn't possibly intend for him to wear this costume all night could they?

As he reached the student lounge he saw that his hope of only being seen by a few of his fellow classmates held true for the most part but those few were the very ones he had hoped would be long gone by the time he arrived. To the far left stood Willow and Buffy who had apparently decided to stick around and wait for him to arrive before taking their groups out for trick-or-treating. When they laid eyes on him he had no doubt that they were shocked almost to the point of fainting and would probably stick close to him and his group the entire night trying to get answers. Right in front of him was Snyder who he knew was mentally signing him up for three month's detention at least for showing up dressed as he was. At this point he figured whatever dust mote of respect the little troll might have had for him had just met its end. To the far right was Cordy and the Cordettes and he could tell with just a glance that if blowing Queen C's mind and driving her away from him had been the goal of the two sluts they had just made serious progress.

"Congratulations Harris! Just when I thought you couldn't stoop any lower you go and prove me wrong!" Snyder growled in disgust as herded a group of six kids towards him with each brat looking at him like he was a freak of nature, "Luckily, if what I've heard about these six brats is true, you're in good company with this bunch. Leave with them now and be back by six. Keep the conversation to a minimum or else by the time you graduate they will be graduating as well!"

"Yes sir." Was all he was able to get out and still be respectful to the little troll that was the bane of the entire student body of Sunnydale High School.

With that exchange of words done Snyder quickly walked away exhibiting his usual desire to be anywhere where there were no teenagers. Looking down at the group he'd been given he decided that the sooner they got going the sooner six in the evening would come and he could ditch this costume of embarrassment. However just as he and his group of six began to head for the nearest exit the two sluts decided to make a point of making sure Cordy got an up close and personal look at him.

"What the HELL made you dress up like that Harris? I used to think you were just some deadbeat loser but I never thought you were this much of a freak!" Cordy exclaimed clearly wanting some kind of explanation for his choice in costume.

He was about to tell her exactly what happened in the hopes that her rank would allow her to force Harmony and Aura to relinquish the tapes but a reminder from Aura in the form of a cassette from a camcorder waved in the air stopped him. While Cordy might have the social power to force it out of them that would only work if she believed him when he said that Harmony and Aura were blackmailing him. Unfortunately if it wasn't demon or supernatural related Queen C was not likely to believe him if he told her that two of her sheep were doing something behind her back. As far as Cordelia was concerned her word was law to her Cordettes and none of them would even think of stepping out of line.

"None of your business, Chase." He replied before putting extra emphasis on getting his group of six kids out the door before anyone else asked him that question.

He could only imagine the shock that must have been on Cordy's face at the moment and how Harmony was probably using to her advantage to persuade Queen C never to have anything to do with the Scoobies ever again. If those two twits only knew that the real reason Cordy stuck close to them was because the gang kept her informed about possible threats to her survival the Cordettes as a whole would probably attend meetings. Unfortunately with Cordelia no doubt wanting to maintain her position of superiority there was no way she was going to start talking demons to her followers and without backing like that the socialites would never believe anyone else.

He was about halfway to the sidewalk outside the wall surrounding the school when he heard the pitter-patter of twenty-eight feet with four of those feet being the right weight to them to be Buffy and Willow. Deciding that he didn't want to answer the same question again, not with the risk of someone running back to Harmony or Aura, he did his best to get the kids in his group to pick up the pace. Unfortunately their legs were too short and any faster and they'd be running which apparently they didn't like doing because some pushy grown-up was forcing them to. So by the time he actually reached the front gate both of his friends had caught up to him with Buffy using both her body and the bodies of the kids in her group to block off possible escape routes.

"Xander. Explain." Buffy demanded in that imperious tone she usually used when someone questioned a course of action she'd suggested.

Normally he'd give in and explain like he usually did, after all she was the leader and hero of the team, but in this case he knew he couldn't. Still he knew he had to give her something or else he'd never get these kids anywhere.

"Later. Not now but I'll explain later." He said with pleading eyes hoping she would be satisfied with a delayed explanation promise.

For a moment it looked like she might press the issue but with a sharp nod she stepped out of the way and motioned for the kids in her group to do the same. As he walked by he wondered why Willow wasn't making a fuss but looking into her eyes he could almost believe she understood that he hadn't chosen the costume nor wore it willingly. It was an understanding born of knowing each other for almost their entire lives and not for the first time he was glad it was there. He knew the redheaded genius would still want a full explanation later along with Buffy but she was willing to wait and he appreciated it.

With that done he began the long and difficult process of shepherding the kids from house to house while doing his best not to let the people inside get a good look at his face.

No sense in making more people see me as a freak then absolutely necessary. He thought for the hundredth time as he vowed divine retribution on Aura and Harmony BOTH.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

One Hour Later, Outside 3200 Pennsylvania Lane

Well I think I can count on never being treated kindly in this town again! He thought to himself angrily as he caught yet another scornful look from one of the residents of Pennsylvania Lane.

It had been like this off and on since the first house and while only about a third of the people in them probably recognized him as Alexander Harris he knew word would spread quickly enough. By this time tomorrow everyone would think he was either gay or a cross dresser and while America as a whole was more open to such ways of life than other countries it was still something people could use to justify treating you badly. In the end it'd just mean he had the entire town of Sunnydale to convince he was a normal guy rather than just the students at Sunnydale High School. That meant doing manly things and acting more like those macho jocks right up until graduation in a year and a half in order to repair the damage to his reputation. It PISSED him off to no END what he was being forced to do just to keep word from getting out that he had two drunken abusive slobs for parents. However he kept reminding himself that it was much easier to repair a reputation from a single calamity than something that wouldn't go away at all. A single night of dressing like a girl could be recovered from but an exposed home life would stay with him no matter what. So in the end all he could do was grind his teeth and endure the remaining hour before he could toss this costume in the nearest open flame he could find.

It's times like this that I wish I could just get a fresh start at life and start all over again. He thought to himself as he followed his group of kids to the next house, Anything would be better than being looked like that!

If he had been thinking clearer he would have realized that that wasn't the sort of thing you said lightly when your town rested on top of a Hellmouth.

Alas his mind wasn't given the time to realize that as less than a second later he was hit full force by the chaos spell unleashed by one Ethan Rayne less than two seconds earlier. Now to those that had access to the multitude of alternate realities that existed, it would seem odd that Xander would be affected by the spell when he himself had never gone to the new costume store 'Ethan's'. However, upon closer inspection, they would discover that while most of the costume had been acquired at Party Town the clasp part of the golden sash around his waist had been broken when it had been purchased. Therefore both Harmony and Aura had been forced to look for a replacement and had managed to find one at 'Ethan's' and even managed to get it at discount. With that one item added to an otherwise magic free costume, Xander became ensnared in the same spell as everyone else who had bought something from one Ethan Rayne.

However, unlike the others, the changes that Xander would go through were of a far more flashy and dramatic nature. Gasping in pain as sensations of being burned alive filled his being, Xander Harris dropped to one knee as his natural body resisted the changes being force upon it. Sadly, flesh has only the strength of instinct to draw upon and against such a potent spell guided by such a devious mind, its defenses were soon obliterated. More and more the power overwhelmed him until he could contain what he was feeling no more and let loose a scream out into the night that caught the attention of all who heard it. What none of them expected, though, was that about halfway through the scream it began to change and take on distinctly more feminine qualities until it was a woman's voice instead of one belonging to a man. However it was then that the biggest shock of all happened because, without any warning at all, a pillar of unearthly flame shot into the sky higher than the tallest man made structure. Second upon second passed with no sign that the column of flame would disperse and then in a move unprecedented the flame began to take shape.

It was the shape of a bird of prey.

To those who knew it, though, it was the shape of the Phoenix.

With an avian cry touched with a mix of power and godliness, it spread its wings as far as they would go. It cried to let the whole world and all neighboring layers of existence know that it was there and was there to stay.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Hollywood, The Set of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Same Time

"What?" Was all he could say as a feeling of power washed over his senses completely capturing his attention the moment it hit him.

However that it turned out was the exact wrong moment to let his attention drift because, a second later, a plastic sword with tracer balls taped up and down it struck him in the head. While it didn't hurt him, years of practice and experience had him behaving as though it had as he stumbled back a bit with an expression of pain on his face. This, of course, had the motion capture director to call for an end to the cut since it would hardly do for the purposes of capturing his movements for the videogame they were making. The director barked a few orders about taking a break but made it clear that every member of the team had to be back in fifteen minutes 'or else'. With that done, the man in charge walked up to him with a look bordering on annoyance and that was understandable, given the hour as well as how difficult it was to do this kind of work. He did his best to put on a sheepish regretful face knowing he would have to come up with some kind of credible reason why he had been distracted since the truth wouldn't work.

"Care to explain that little slip up, Kevin?" Mr. Carson asked in a tone that he would accept just about any excuse so long as it was reasonable enough, "You know we're behind schedule as it is and only have another month and a half before this has to be on the store shelves."

"Yeah, I know, I'm sorry, it's just I received a call from Lucy last night and she sounded a little off." He replied using a fellow star as the foundation for his excuse, "I tried to get her to tell me what it was but she dodged the question every time. I've been trying to think of a way to get her to open up and just came up with one right before Jason hit me with that piece of plastic."

A light of understanding and compassion entered the eyes of the director nodded in understanding since it was pretty common knowledge that the two actors had developed a strong friendship, given how often they worked together.

"Okay. Just try to keep your mind on the job from here on out, okay." Mr. Carson said before walking off to bark orders at the rest of the crew.

I'll do my best. He thought although with what he was feeling it would not be easy.

After all, the power he was feeling through his demi-god senses was like a warm light beeing directed at the back of his head. It had been years since he had last felt anything that came anywhere near to this level of power and, each time he had felt something like it, a time of change always followed. He made a mental note to get in contact with his half-sister to see if she knew anything as well as a few 'old friends' who had recently popped back into the world recently. Only if things got really desperate would he even consider asking Ares for any help, since it had been only a few weeks since the jerk had crashed the trip to the forest the show's team had taken recently. While nothing serious had happened, it had still taken quite a bit of work to get the others to stop looking at him funny.

Still, if things turn out to be as serious as I think it is I might have to start getting back in shape sooner rather than later. He thought as he decided to go get a cup of juice before Mr. Carson put them all to work again.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

A Higher Realm of Existence, Same Time

"Woah! What was that?!" He exclaimed as he tried to figure out what could have caused the mental environment around him to ripple so violently.

"Something that has not been in contact with the physical world for thousands of years, Daniel." Oma replied, sounding significantly worried and that was enough to cause him to get serious considering how tranquil the ascended being usually was.

"What is it?" He asked, curious about what could so disturb a being as powerful as Oma.

"A being that played a key role in the creation of all that is and will be. A being that caused many to become greatly concerned about the possible calamities that could arise should it remain in the mortal realm too long." Oma replied as her expression changed to one of searching and analyzing, "Worry became fear and an unprecedented alliance was formed to cast the being out of this dimension as well as neutralize any means by which it might one day return."

Daniel Jackson was not liking where this was going because if this being was big enough to cause such a massive alliance and undertaking, then its return was trouble with a capital T.

"Is there anything we can do?" He asked the being who had helped him ascend to the next level.

"Unfortunately this being is beyond the power of the Ancients and the others would not condone any intervention on our part." Oma replied with some frustration, implying that she didn't like being restrained as she was, "Forces are already on the move to deal with the cause of all this. All we can do is wait and hope that they are successful in once again casting out this embodiment of rebirth."

"What is this force? Does it have a name?" He asked hopeful for any information she could give him.

"It is called The Phoenix." Oma replied and, if one listened closely enough, one would be able to hear a faint tremor of true terror in her voice.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Northern Scotland, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Same Time

"Fear oh mortals, for the Phoenix once again soars through the sky. And if humanity is found unworthy, it will be burnt from the face of the earth, so that something new may rise from the ashes," roared Professor Sybill Patricia Trelawney in an unearthly voice before passing out in her chair behind the professorial table. Suffice it to say that while the majority of the people in the dining hall never once believed that Trelawney really had any divination ability, despite that that was the class she taught, most were shocked at the legitimacy of what was being said.

Most thought that the only reason she was there was because she came from a rather illustrious family of seers and that brought a certain amount of good press to Hogwarts. This, of course, was due to the fact that she had made numerous predictions since she started at the school and, with the exception of perhaps one or two, none of them had come to pass. However the unearthly voice with which she had just yelled combined with the rather foreboding message made all freeze in place and wonder if this was one of the predictions that would in fact come to pass. This lasted for seconds at best before all but three people in the room went firmly into denial and used the woman's past failures to dispel any feelings they might have that this might be a real prophecy. For the three that did not do this, though, the prediction pretty much made their schedule for the next month for them and perhaps beyond.

For Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, he worried about what this could mean in the struggle against Tom since he harbored no illusions about whether nor not news of Professor Trelawney's prediction would reach the leader of the Death Eaters. If the Professor of divination had indeed made a genuine prophecy, it meant that an ancient power and been reborn into this world. While written records of it were few and far between, he had seen almost all of them and so had as good idea of how powerful this Phoenix truly was. If Voldemort got so much as a hint of this, he would almost certainly assign the majority of his forces to finding out where this power was and how it might be controlled. While Tom Riddle was powerful enough on his own, he was still afflicted with the same disease that all dark wizards suffered from and that was an insatiable thirst for more power. For the next month he would spend every spare moment he had attempting to gain a better understanding of this new factor and how it might be resolved in favor of the light.

For Hermione Granger, though, it started an itch in her head that always appeared whenever a topic caught her interest with a fury. While she too is among those that do not have a very high opinion of Professor Trelawney's divination abilities, the manner by which this prediction was delivered had her convinced that it needs at least to be looked into. Already her mind was making up a list of books to look through in the school library as well as concocting a feasible reason to borrow Harry's invisibility cloak just in case she needed to break into the restricted section. She wondered whether this 'Phoenix' was simply a larger version of Fawkes or if it was something else altogether. With a mental shake of her head, she settled on the position that it was definitely something much more impressive than a large phoenix bird. In the end, though, she was certain that she would find the truth fascinating and, if she was lucky, she might just be able to see it for herself.

For Draco Malfoy, though, it was just another sign of the old lady's dementia and he took it about as seriously as he took the Weasel. The woman was completely insane and if it had been up to him, he would have had her put down like the mad bitch she was years ago. However he could see it out of the corner of his eyes that that old fool Dumbledore was putting quite a bit of weight behind the madwoman's words and that made him pause for a moment. While most certainly a fool, the Headmaster was not stupid and if he was putting serious thought into the matter, then maybe he should as well. When he had the opportunity he would owl his father about this and ask for further instructions about how to proceed: if this turned out to be important enough, it could turn out to be a great opportunity to gain some value in his father's eyes and maybe even a little respect. While it would also earn him some early prestige among the Death Eaters, he was a little less than excited about that since he didn't share his father's fanatic devotion to Voldemort. To him, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was nothing more than an out of date madman whose only value to the Malfoy family was as a potential stepping-stone to even greater heights of wealth and power. However should the snake man prove to be more trouble than he was worth, he would do everything he could to sever ties with the abomination, even if it meant defecting to the other side if things became intolerable for him.

It was in these moments that the roles that Hogwarts would play in the coming years were set and they would bring about changes in the Wizarding world that would not conclude for years to come.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Sunnydale, California, U.S.A, One Minute Later

Confusion.

Disorientation.

Concern.

Those were the sensations that first came to mind as Jean Grey's mind finally settled from whatever had thrown it into chaos. As she reigned in the power of the Phoenix that had been explosively been released in an attempt to thwart whoever or whatever had attacked, she tried to figure out what had happened. However her thoughts are muddled and conflicting in more ways than one, presenting an endless collection of memories that as far as she can tell all belong to her. If she had to liken it to anything, she would say it was as if she now possessed the memories of every Jean Grey in every alternate reality within reach. With all the power of her mind, she tried to comprehend each memory and assign it an orderly place within her mind, but she is quickly overwhelmed by such a large task. Surrounded on all sides, it looked as though her mind would once again fall into the state of confusion and disorientation that it had been in moments before.

Sorry Red, but if what's happened to me has happened to my friends, I need you coherent and mobile. came a voice she didn't recognize but that still possessed strength enough to get her attention. Worry about all the clutter later. Focus on the here and now.

Logan? She asked mentally as she tried to find the source of the voice only to be surprised by the discovery that it was inside her own mind. Closing her eyes, she used her powers to journey inward to find this mind within her that did not belong there as far as she was concerned.

HEY! While I appreciate the compliment about sounding like Mr.'The Best There Is At What I Do' Logan, this is MY body and you're the one trespassing! Exclaimed an angry male voice that sounded like it was pointing a finger at her.

Once inside her mind, she found the young man who had yelled at her quickly and quickly 'flew' to his position so that they could talk 'face-to-face' so to speak. At first glance she could tell that he was like any other American teenager in looks but upon closer inspection she could see bits of Scott and Logan in him. He was definitely on his way to developing Wolverine's hairstyle and shared the loyalty that the Adamantium warrior possessed, however she sensed that this young man also possessed Scott's heart and, to a degree, his code of honor with only a few differences here and there. It was an odd combination but one she found she liked more than she probably should given the current situation.

Instead she chose to focus on his claim that she was inside his body instead of the other way around. Stretching out with her telepathic senses, she examined the psychic topography of the mind around her as well as the strength of the young man's connection to that mind. While she was able to find areas that did indeed belong to the boy, she also discovered that parts of her mind were gradually beginning to overcome and replace what belonged to him. It was almost as if someone was trying to fuse her with this body permanently and erase its native tenant completely. Reaching out with her powers, she began to forge psionic defenses around the areas that belonged to him, using her own willpower to force that essence that belonged to her to stop its advance. While she might not have known exactly what was going on at the moment, she refused to let her one possible source of information be destroyed until she had a better grip on things.

Who are you? She asked mentally, since she figured introductions were the best way to start things off.

Xander Harris and before you say it I know you're Jean Grey of the X-Men. He replied with a smile and a set of briefly wandering eyes that were obviously taking in her psionic form.

And how do you know that? She asked after causing her psionic form to before more mist like and formless so as to keep Xander's attention on the conversation rather than elsewhere.

Well… ya see… in this reality, my reality, you're a fictional character. He replied, as though not sure of how she would take such news, You and your team have been featured in everything from cartoons to comic books to videogames and I hear that they're even thinking about putting a movie together in a few years.

It took her only a moment to tap into his memories and verify what he had told her as well as discover a few other… naughtier things… that she wasn't quite sure how to take. While she didn't sense any sort of disgusting lechery coming from Xander personally it was clear that some people spent a little too much time trying to put what they thought she and her fellow X-Women looked like without their uniforms to paper. Pushing such things aside, she could see no sign of forgery to falseness to the memories of the media involving herself and her team and since the comics depicted events, she knew no one had been eavesdropping on, she had no choice but to believe that she was not in her native reality. That, of course, led to the question of where exactly she was and how she had gotten here as well as how she could return to where she belonged. It took less than a second to convey these questions to Xander in the hopes that he might have some of the answers.

Well considering we're in Sunnyhell and it's Halloween, I guess that it's related. I mean, unless you know of another way that somehow everyone's been magically transformed into whatever they were dressed up as, I'm all ears. He replied with a thoughtful and contemplative look on his face.

Magic? I suppose that's feasible. I know as an X-man it exists and after seeing some of the things that Dr. Strange has done, changing people into their costumes isn't too big of a stretch. She thought as facts began to fall into place, Wait! If everyone changed into whoever or whatever they were dressed up as then why were you dressed as me?

Um… well… I was… kinda… blackmailed into it. He replied looking distinctly uncomfortable for a moment before regaining some composure, But that's SO not important at the moment! We gotta find Buffy and Willow fast so we can figure out who's doing this FAST!

It didn't take a genius to figure out that Xander was trying to change topics on her and divert attention away from why a young man like him would dress up as a woman. In the end she decided that she could shelve this particular discussion until later when it was more appropriate and they didn't have something more pressing to take care of. Returning to the physical world, she could see that while she had not been approached by anyone, there were several mini-demons that were watching her from an invisible perimeter about twenty meters in diameter. They probably sensed the power she possessed and were neither brave enough to come closer nor disinterested enough to stop looking at her. While she contemplated for the moment, reigning in all her power so as not to exude such a potent and distancing aura, she reconsidered when she took into account the possible benefits. It would keep the more dangerous transformed people away allowing an area of protection for both her and Xander's friends once they were found.

It was then when she sensed a psionic signature approaching and turned to see a redheaded young woman of about fifteen or sixteen years running towards them. She was wearing clothes that not even Betsy would wear and that was saying something, since neither 'shy' nor 'conservative' would ever be applied to the British X-Woman.

It was Buffy's idea for her to dress like that. Xander mentally said to her, Willow's normally so shy and pretty much dresses in clothes a mother would approve of rather than what she wants to wear. Unfortunately it looks like Buff took her eyes off her at the wrong time and Willow put her usual ghost costume on before heading out. WAIT! If Willow dressed up as a ghost does that mean she's--!

Immediately sensing her 'partner' beginning to rev up his worry engine, she stretched out with her senses to see if there was anything she could find to reassure him that his friend was not dead, even temporarily. It took a bit, but eventually she was able to perceive a thin connection of psychic energy linking the approaching form to someplace about five blocks away. Further examination revealed that Willow's body was still alive but it was as if her spirit had been displaced from her body by some force. The connection was strong enough to sustain the body but nowhere near enough to draw the spirit back into the body. The link between spirit and body seemed stable enough and contact with solid objects didn't seem to affect it any as she watched the shy redhead pass through a collection of trashcans. In a way this reminded her of Kitty and at that thought a glimpse of Xander's friend in a school setting confirmed that the young woman was just as technologically proficient as Shadowcat was.

"Xander…? Is that you?" She asked clearly uncertain with whom she was speaking with.

"Sort of, Willow. My name is Jean Grey and while he isn't in control of this body at the moment, he is inside it and can hear you." She said hoping to ease the young woman's discomfort, "However I am in control of it as long as the spell is in effect."

"O-okay. So how's it feel to be in a woman's body, Xander?" Willow asked once she got over the initial shock of her friend's mind being inside a woman's body.

"He says 'well it's giving me a serious case of the wiggins but at least I'm hot now'." Jean replied, smiling at the unintentional compliment on her appearance.

"That's Xander alright!" Willow said giggling at the familiar sense of humor of her best guy friend, "OH! We gotta find Buffy! Who knows what she'll be if she's turned into her costume."

"Well then let's get going. Once we find her we can start trying to figure out how to break this spell and get things back to normal." She said as she used her telekinetic abilities to lift herself a few feet of the ground, since it would allow her to move faster than her own feet would.

"I think I know where she was taking her group of kids before all this happened." Willow said before taking off in an easterly direction as fast as her intangible feet could carry her.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Heading Towards the Industrial Sector of Sunnydale, Two Hours Later

Well it's nice to see that the X-Men aren't the only ones who lead interesting lives. Jean thought as she flew above Willow, Cordelia and the vampire Angel as they moved to where Buffy had fled to.

While it was true that most of her attention remained on keeping Xander's friends (although he only connected Angel loosely with that term) safe and conferencing telepathically with their mentor Rupert Giles, she had also been asking him about Sunnydale. While still not able to safely access the other memories of hers without being overwhelmed by the sheer number of them, she was fairly certain that even in the case of alternate realities there should have been more heroes in this world. However, if Xander was right, then this world at best had only a handful of protectors capable of dealing with the supernatural and demonic threats that plagued the Earth. Add to that the appalling lack of resources Ruper Giles was forced to work with in order to train and aid Buffy and it was nothing short of a miracle to her that the world was still around. This was not to say that she believed that normal humans were incapable of dealing with the paranormal and the threat it sometimes posed. No, her belief was simply that there existed a limit to what a normal person could overcome, even if they were outfitted with the latest in technology. After all, back in the realities where the X-Men existed, the military was decades ahead of the armed forces of this world in terms of technology and still they needed help from those with special powers more often then not. For a world to exist with so few capable of meeting supernatural threats on an even battlefield…well let's just say she was not happy.

Yeah, it's a rotten deal, but what can you do huh? Xander thought at her from his place in their mind, The world is what it is and there's not a whole lot that can be done about it. Besides it's still here and while there are a few more demons around, then I'd like at least the blue ball's still spinning.

I guess. She thought even though she still wasn't happy with it all.

Hearing a scream recognizable as Buffy's, she increased her speed and altitude in order to get to the source as quickly as possible. Mere seconds later she found the Slayer-turned-noblewoman being attacked by what looked like a pirate of some kind with lewd thoughts practically pulsing out of him. Disgusted, she began her descent and as she touched down between Buffy and the pirate, a casual sweep of her arm threw the filthy man was telekinetically thrown into the wall of the nearest warehouse. Seeing him slump down, she could feel that Xander was very happy about what she'd done and an inquiry revealed that the pirate was the local school bully who had harassed Xander many times before. Learning of this, she was tempted to do some psychic rewiring of the brute's mind to eliminate these bullying tendencies but her recalled lessons under the Professor stopped her. Even if she could make Larry into a better person by tampering with his mind, it would be wrong to violate another person's mind like that. She could hear Xander attempting to persuade her otherwise by pointing out all the misery she'd be keeping the bully from causing but she remained firm in her decision not to act.

"Are you alright?" She asked the still-frightened noblewoman, who was only now getting back to her feet.

"Y-yes. H-h-how did you do that?" Buffy asked, clearly indicating the display of telekinesis, "I-is it some kind of m-magic?"

"I suppose you could call it that." She replied, deciding that explaining the finer points of telekinetics and mutants would be useless to someone with an eighteenth century education.

By this time Angel, Cordelia and Willow had caught up with her but despite the fact that there was to visible sign of a threat, all of them looked distinctly afraid at the moment.

"We have to get inside someplace! NOW!" Willow exclaimed with fear as she looked over her shoulder at the entrance to the alley that they'd come from.

The reason for this appeared a few moments later in the form of a large group of demons led by a vampire Xander informed her was named Spike. Something of a notorious vampire who had once been a part of a group of vampires called the Scourge of Europe and had managed to kill two Slayers during his time as one of the undead. More facts drifted through her mind as Xander's accessing of his memories of the research session that took place after Spike's initial appearance allowed her to access them as well. By the time she had reviewed about half of them, she was both angry and sickened at what this monster had done in the past century or so. The people he had killed and sometimes tortured! Right then and there she made a decision that she would NOT be running from this creature and that before this night was done, she would send him screaming in terror back to hell! Firmly pushing the others out of her way, she moved well clear of them before taking up a position clearly saying 'YOU SHALL NOT PASS'.

"Well hello, cutie! While I enjoy lady in skin tight clothes as much as the next bloke, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to ask you to step aside." Spike said, making a show of taking in her figure, "Got me a Slayer I need to kill!"

"You won't be killing her or anyone else, vampire!" Jean spat out, making her feelings regarding Spike blatantly obvious.

"Oh? An' how do you plan on stoppin' me bint?" Spike asked, his lewd appreciation of her beauty turning to annoyance.

"Like this!" She replied and, with a mere thought, she gripped all of the enemies with her telekinetic abilities and lifted them ten feet off the ground.

Suddenly deprived of solid footing, it was no surprise that most of the demons and transformed children began to feel a distinct drop in their confidence levels. A handful of them, Spike included, did their best to put on a good show and make it appear as though this was but a minor setback, but her telepathy told her that the 'brave' ones were just as unsettled as the rest of them. While it was revolting to delve into the thoughts of those caught in her grip, it did help her to separate those changed by the spell from those that were born demons. With the innocents singled out, she released them from her grip and let them drop to the ground with little more than bruises to show for it.

"I will let you bunch go, but I suggest you get out my sight before I change my mind." She said to those she had released making sure they understood that 'a change of heart' was a very real possibility.

It took those released from her telekinetic grip less than a minute to take her advice and make a run for it.

"Oi! Come on now, pet! I'm sure we can cut a deal of some kind!" Spike cried out once he pieced together that with those that were to be spared gone it was probably time to deal with those that would not be spared.

"Did you allow those Slayers you killed to cut a deal, Spike? Did you let your multitude of victims cut a deal?! Would you have let Buffy CUT A DEAL!!" She asked rhetorically and with a vengeance, "I suppose that's the way you vampires think! Why bother valuing life when you've got so much of it to live out? Well I've got a question for you, Peroxide Boy: DID YOU REALLY THINK YOU'D LIVE FOREVER!?!!?!?!"

With those words she felt a familiar power well up within her, a power that was both hers and yet belonging to no one, and in a gush of fire the power took shape on the physical plane for all to see. While smaller than it had been the first time, it was no less awe inspiring to those that saw it and, for some, terror came with the awe. For the Scoobies who stood behind her, they had to wonder just how powerful the spell was that had transformed them into their costumes in order for it to manage something like this. For the demons and vampires still trapped in her telekinetic grip, they were filled with a terror unlike anything they had ever experienced in their long, malevolent lives. Standing before them was a force that outshined everything they knew, even the legends of the Old Ones didn't come close, and to have it directed at them was literally enough to make them wish they'd never been born.

For Jean Grey and Xander Harris though what they were experiencing could be summed up in one word.

GLORIOUS!!

With an unearthly avian cry, the flames of the Phoenix swept forward and engulfed its prey, burning them to their very demonic spirits. Their screams filled the area for blocks in every direction, letting all know what it meant to feel the wrath of the bird of flame. It took only ten seconds but to those that witnessed the sight firsthand, it seemed to take forever for the demons caught in her grip to finally perish. They fell to the floor of the alley as little more than a collection of dusty ash, leaving no clue as to who met their end here. It would have continued further had there been time, the Phoenix along with its hosts Jean and Xander would have spread out to exact their judgment on every demon in Sunnydale, however it was right at that moment that Rupert Giles threw the focus of the spell to the ground and shattered it. With this act, a chain reaction was brought about by which every person that had been changed by the spell was returned to who they had been beforehand. In another reality, some would remember bits and pieces of who they had been while the majority would only treat it like a half remembered dream as it faded from their mind. In the end, none of them would experience any lasting changes and would continue down the road of destiny that had been laid out for them.

In this reality, though, a loftier hand was at work and would set the stage for the Twilight of the Powers That Be and the Lords of Hell.

As both the Phoenix Force and Jean Grey sensed the spell coming to a swift end, it brought its power to its highest level and released a wave of energy that swept over the world like a tsunami. As it passed, it shattered the restraints and bindings that the Powers That Be and their allies had placed on the human race oh-so-long ago 'for their own good'. It awoke allies of humanity that had been forced into a perpetual state of sleep by the governing body of light when they opposed the restrictions being placed on humanity. In the end it would not matter if the Powers That Be restored those restrictions in an instant because the damage had already been done. For but a few seconds their grip on the planet Earth had been removed by force and the natural order had been allowed to make a move.

For one Alexander LaVelle Harris, though, who was at the epicenter of this wave of change, the change would be of a different sort than the removal of mystical restraints.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

They Alleyway, Industrial Sector, Sunnydale, California, Five Minutes Later

Ohhhhh! Note to self: next time someone forces me to dress up as a girl I make sure it's someone with super strength rather than mind powers. He thought to himself as the disorientation from the end of the spell passed.

To say that he was a little out of whack at the moment would have been something of an understatement as it felt like his entire body was off by quite a bit. Strength that he should have felt in his limbs was half of what it should have been and his center of gravity was showing signs of being somewhat different than he remembered. As a result, it took him a couple of minutes to get to his feet and stay there without any sort of wobbling or instability. Once he did, though, he turned around to look to see if the gang was okay and found a rather unusual sight that told him that maybe Jean and The Phoenix had done some tinkering before they left. The first sign of this was the fact that Cordy's hair had gone from stylish to wild and, extending a little over a foot from between each knuckle of each hand, were three metallic blades that looked quite sharp. Next came Willow, who seemed to be caught up with trying to keep herself from ghosting through the ground to who knows where and only having partial luck. Next came Angel, who while looking the same for the most part now had red on black eyes who, aside from cursing in Cajun, also appeared to be human now with all vampiric aspects gone. Naturally the Xan-man was not happy with that, since it meant that the former Deadboy no longer had that keeping him from having a relationship with Buffy. As far as the blonde Slayer was concerned, though her skin had taken on a decidedly darker color that, while not exactly making her an African American, definitely made her look like she had gotten the perfect tan at the beach. Also her hair had gone from dirty blonde to extra-extra light golden in color to the point of almost being completely white. All this collectively sent a rather nasty chill down his spine as his Murphy filter and Hellmouth paranoia was able to come up with only one conclusion.

Looks like the X-Men have come to Sunnydale! He thought to himself with shock as the eyes of the gang finally fell on him.

Judging from the looks of shock on their faces, it was clear that he had undergone some changes as well and immediately began skimming through the best and worst case scenarios. In the best case side of things he could have wound up as Iceman because of their similar sense of humor, Warren Worthington the Third, which would explain the problem he was having with his center of gravity, or maybe the bouncing blue-eyed Beast. In the worst case scenario he could have would up as Nightcrawler, which was kind of a good bad thing with the looks and teleporting power, Mr. Sinister with the pale face and shark teeth or Apocalypse with the marker-made lips. While each set of powers would be cool, the looks would take some serious getting used to, as would the mental baggage that he just knew that'd probably come with it. Still, he was sure that with the help of his friends he'd find some way of managing and life would go on the same as always.

"Xander?" Willow asked, having finally managed (more or less) to stay solid and above ground.

"Yeah what is it, Wills?" He asked but the voice that it was asked with shocked him into complete speechlessness.

The voice that came out was definitely not the one he'd woken up with this morning and was NOT MALE! Testing his voice to make sure that he hadn't just imagined things, he made a few cursory noises but each one was distinctly missing the maleness factor he'd gotten used to over the past decade or so. In a flurry of panic, he looked about the alleyway for any sort of reflective surface, no matter how small it was, to confirm with his eyes what his ears were trying to convince him of. It took him a moment but eventually he was able to find the remains of a bathroom mirror leaning up against the side of one of the warehouses. Moving as fast as he could, without thinking to much about his current condition, he picked it up and after a moment taken to brace himself he brought the reflective surface up so he could see his face.

What he saw was the exact OPPOSITE of what he'd been praying for, since the face looking back at him was not his own but rather the real life version of Jean Grey. Sure, he looked like her at about his age but there was no way a comic book fanatic like him would be unable to take the images in the books and imagine the real life equivalent. After all, meeting her on a beach had been one of his earliest happy places once he stopped thinking of girls as cootie factories and started thinking of them as babes. At the moment, though, it was distinctly less of a happy and more of a 'nonononononononoNO' moment to find that he had now been changed into the real life equivalent of the redheaded X-Woman.

This can NOT be HAPPENING! He thought to himself as he did his best to anchor himself firmly in the land of denial, There's no way in HELL that I can be stuck in a girl's body like this for the rest of my life!

I'm afraid that's the way it's going to be Xander. Came a familiar voice and mind inside his head, There are only a select few people capable of becoming avatars for the Phoenix Force and in order to dwell within you without destroying you it had to make some changes.

Jean? He asked mentally having put a name to the voice in his head, Please tell me that this is just temporary! Please tell me that once the Phoenix accomplishes whatever mission it's here for it'll turn me back!

I'm sorry, but I am as much in the dark about what the Phoenix wants in your reality as you are. I was only certain about why she changed your body because of my past experience with it. Jean replied with her thoughts made of honesty, I can only assume it allowed me to stay behind because it thought that you could use some help adjusting to the changes as well as some instruction in your new abilities.

To this there was only one thing Xander could say to accurately sum up his position after hearing this.

"Well FUCK!!"

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&