IT was a quiet night in Caritas. Lorne the host watched his crowd of mixed demons and mortals wondering who was going to make things interesting. His Karaoke evenings were getting to be famous by now. Beings from all over Southern California came to him for readings on their destinies. Whom would they fall in love with? Where would they find happiness? Who was going to take the third race at the dog track?

"Alex, another seabreeze." His bartender looked up from his glass polishing. Alex had rolled through the door dragging a huge weight of destiny behind him. Unfortunately, he seemed determined to avoid that destiny at all costs

Normally Lorne wouldn't care if someone was avoiding their lives but this kid had special inscribed in neon letters all over his aura. He also noticed a significant drop in the kind of neighborhood scum that made the vampires such a welcome intrusion to his happy little abode.

"Sorry Lorne, one SB with all the fixings, coming up."

"And could you cheer up, you're dragging enough negative vibe to do a credible imitation of Pigpen."

"Sorry boss." Xander Harris watched the gathering crowd. Time for some entertainment.

He began flipping glasses and containers into the air. Juggling several bottles as the seabreeze began to take shape. Spider-reflexes, he thought to himself, so many applications. With a dramatic flourish and a bow to the cheering customers Xander set the completed Seabreeze on the bar sliding it down the length to be snagged by his very pleased boss.

"Remember folks, he's here all the time. " The green skinned horned demon smiled and encouraged the applause.

Lorne waited for the crowd to disperse a bit before cornering Xander. "Kid how much longer are you planning on avoiding your responsibilities."

"Lorne I told you I would take the garbage out later."

"I meant your larger responsibilities."

"Could we not do this."

"Look sunshine it's not that I'm not enjoying the arrangement. You're a goldmine with cute brown eyes. But this holding pattern life you're living is doing you no good."

"I'm just not ready to leave "

"Look butter tart, you can reach for your destiny or your destiny will reach for you. The longer you stay here greater the chances you will have to deal with your past or your future."

"Its not like my past is going to come waltzing through the door." Xander insisted stubbornly

"Rum and coke please?" Cordelia Chase asked

"One sec." Xander said before looking at her "Cordy what are you doing here."

"Ordering drinks and wondering if I should hug you or slap you upside your dumb little head."

Cordy had found him by accident. One of her dad's assistants had raved about Caritas and its dark haired bartender. Cordy had taken a chance.

"Did you really think that you could hide here in LA?"

"It's been a few months Cordy. I'd say that hiding in LA was a great way to avoid my friends."

"Cheap shot Harris, when you slipped out of town did you give a thought to the rest of us, to me?"

"That why I left"

'What, cause your masked buddy dumped Angel in a vortex thus saving the world…oh big evil there."

"Buffy doesn't agree with you, "

"Yeah if you got dumped in a swirling vortex of terror I might have issues myself." she paused to take a drink. "Of course if you were actively trying to destroy the planet I might have to get a grip."

"It was my fault "

"You were not Mr. Killing Spree Angelus was and you did not toss Mr. Killing Spree into eternity, Spider-man did. Frankly, if he hadn't done it, Buffy would have had to. Picture if you will the Basket Case formerly known as Buffy if she had to send the man she claimed to love into hell to save the world."

"Instead, she hates Spider-man …and me."

"What cause you told the web head to kick Angelus' ass. I thank you on behalf of all the other beautiful things of this world that are still around thanks to the vortex being closed before damage was done."

Xander shivered at the memory of the newly souled Angel working to save Buffy before allowing himself to be sucked into the portal. All Xander's annoyed whining about Angel's fixation on Buffy and in the end that may have been what saved them all. Still another thing Xander couldn't share with anyone at risk of exposing his secret.

"All of this makes me feel like scum." Xander whined miserably. "No worse then scum, I would have to live a perfect life and die so that I could earn the right to come back as scum."

"You were angry and scared, we all were."

"I was jealous and I'm sorry. I especially owed you, more then that."

"You're right you owe it to me to come back and show every one what being the heart of the team is all about."

"I'm not the heart of the team "

"Yes you are, and the sooner you realize that the better off all of us will be.

"I'm not ready "

Cordy snorted "I'm surprised to hear you say that, look if you want to hide in the City Of Angels forever you go ahead." She got up from the booth "You know between Buffy and Spider-man you've logged a lot of time hanging out with heroic types you would think something would have rubbed off."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Both Buffy and Spider-man have given their all to save us more times then I like to remember and now when we really need the one guy who kept the faith and believed when nobody else did. You want to hide in the corner and sulk; in my mind that's selfish."

"Reverse psychology doesn't work on me

"I wasn't manipulating you Xander. You've done a bang up job screwing with your own head."

"Since you're so pissed I assume your going to tell everyone I'm down here."

"Why break their hearts, they already lost you once. Why punish them just so you can rub their faces in how much you don't need them anymore."

"Well that didn't go well." Xander muttered later that night after Cordelia had left.

"Yeah funny how some people react to having their hopes crushed." Lorne smiled sadly

"I just said no."

She so wanted to be the one to reach you and convince you to come home. I wish I had someone that concerned about me."

"Please I'm sure no one's world will come to an end if I just sit here and be a bartender."

"Well except for the bottle blonde at that end of the bar."

Xander looked up at his boss who smiled indulgently "The nice looking thing working on the soft drinks she was looking for information about an absent boyfriend. I can promise you that if someone doesn't help her tonight she is going to be dead tomorrow."


Lorne was not kidding. The girl, Lily by name, was looking for her boyfriend Rickie. Xander consented to help her and they started searching. Unfortunately, They eventually found him. He was an old man. At first, Xander balked at the May-December thing going on. Lily stated that her Boyfriend was a teenager yet this decrepit old man and her youthful boyfriend were obviously the same person. A lifetime in Sunnyhell had set his alarm bells ringing.

He had tracked the boy's movements to A place called Family Home, A shelter for street kids and runaways. At least that was what it was on the surface. Investigation and being his annoying self soon lead him to the truth. The place was a front, pulling in warm bodies and sending them to an alternate world wherein they became slaves. There, time moved faster. Decades could pass in the otherworldly realm while only a day went by in the real world.

When they had confronted the leader, he had tried to take both Lily and Xander. It fell to him fighting for his life. Trying to get the slaves out as the kids fled through the demonic landscape Xander tried to figure a way out. Eventually the guards caught up with them. Xander commanded Lily to get everyone out while he tried to hold off the guards.

As the kids fled, he used a web-line to haul a pipe carrying super hot steam out of the wall. The boiling hot steam created a barrier blocking the demons from chasing the fleeing slaves.

He had not fought this way for months and it quickly showed. He was not as fast as he had been. He was still a match for most of the guards but for every one he put out of action two more rose up to replace them. Finally their leader Ken appeared and began yelling at his troops to finish off Xander and get the slaves back. Xander was overwhelmed. Ken stood over him. "The rest of the slaves will be back at work before the day is out but not you, You are going to vanish forever."

"Ah and just when he was getting to like you." Xander raised his eyes to see the new voice had came from Spider-man. Perched on a wall

"Impossible" Xander and Ken chorused together

"Get him" Ken screamed and turned back to meet Xander's fist. Meanwhile Spider-man vaulted off the wall to land in the midst of the demonic overseers he began kicking and punching to his hearts content. Since he was moving so quickly, the guards hit their fellow guardsmen more then they tagged the webbed wonder.

Xander grabbed Ken, hurled him to a wall, raining blows in his face. Ken shoved him back and swung wildly at him Xander caught his fist and threw him in the air. The Demon jailer landed on the broken pipe impaling him.

As the guards fled the scene, Xander stood amazed at the sight of his alter ego. Spider-man waved off all questions or comments. "In the time it took me to answer your questions they might come back so lets move."

Xander nodded. Spider-man jumped back the wall he had been perched on and retrieved a body from the rafters.

"Who is… "

"Later when we are safe. There's a portal we need to make to get those kids out of here, it's close."

The two fled through the hellish landscape until they caught up to the ex-slaves who had come to a dead end. Spider-man made a gesture with his hand. "Pray we are in the right spot." He said as the air ripped apart and a portal opened before them.

Xander nodded and gathered the fearful kids. "Is it safe?" he asked his costumed double.

"Wherever it goes, It's better then right here, right now " Spider-man said quickly before yelling at everyone to jump through the portal. Xander was the last to go though. He landed in a cool dark place and watched as the portal closed behind him.

He looked around; He had landed along with the rest of the group in Caritas. Lorne and Cordy were at the bar looking in his direction with a shocked looks on their faces. "What in the name of…?"

"Harris where have you been." Cordy cried out as she ran to him and wrapped him in a hug.

"Doing some community Service." Xander supplied. " Demonic Forced labour camp, the kids can tell you all the details."

"At least you had help."

Xander was about to ask what she meant until he saw her walk over, throw her arms around Spider-man, and hug him very hard. Then she let him go and hit him in the shoulder. "Where the hell have you been. Buffy has a diva moment and two grown men scuttle out of town. What is it with that girl."'

"Actually, Xander has been waiting for word from me. After we figured out where Angel had gotten off to, I went on a little quest. I couldn't be sure fi I would be able to bring him back let alone find him so I had Xander wait for me in a place that where we could do an exchange. As you can see he pulled it off."

He stepped aside to show Angel slumped in a chair. The Vampire looked weak. His clothes were in tatters and he had burns and bruises all over his body.

"Angel is alive, You were trying to rescue Angel? You dope." She turned to Xander "Why didn't you say something before."

"I wasn't sure that the plan would work and I didn't want to raise any false hopes." He was getting good at this thinking up lies to cover his Spidey activities.

Lorne was looking at Spider-man and Xander in a weird way; Xander felt an explanation would be in order as soon as he had a clue what was going on himself. "Well kids I think the Kitchen is open." He said getting the kids attention. "Let's get some food into those bodies then see about getting you some help. " he ushered the grateful teens out of the room. Cordy joined them after a last grateful hug to both Spider-man and Xander.

Xander looked at Angel. "He looks like hell. So where was he?"

"A hell dimension like the one those kids where trapped in. He was almost insane when I found him."

"So you are …me? How is this possible "

"I promised not to answer that question." Spidey said resolutely

"Who did you promise?" Xander asked suspiciously

"I also promised not to answer that question "

"Well what can you tell me?"

"What can I tell you." The wall crawler paused, thinking carefully. "How about this. GO home kid, what you do, what we do is too important for you to give up on -- remember with great power comes…"

"…Great responsibility " Xander finished " You know you sound like a friend of mine."

"Actually Giles sounds more like my Uncle Ben."

"You know Giles, Rupert Giles."

"I feel like I do. I learned about him from you "

"Me?"

"You… Consider this payback for rescuing Mary Jane."

"Who is Mary Jane, who are you, why would you go into Hell on my account? "

"All good questions, and all of them Will go unanswered, I made a promise" the man paused " Actually I can answer the last one. I marched into hell because it's what we do and we Spider-men have to stick together regardless of where we come from." A portal opened and the Spider-man stepped through giving Xander a jaunty wave as he vanished.

Xander was still staring at the empty space Spider-man vanished into when Cordy came back "Where is the webbed one."

"Had to pull a fade "

"Of course, you know for a second there, I was starting to think you and he might be the same person."

"What are you kidding." Xander let out slightly hysterical giggle. "Ridiculous, we look nothing alike."

"I'll say, he is like a foot taller then you and his physique is unreal.".

Angel struggled upward from where he slumped in the chair. "Xander, it that you?"

"Angel old buddy you're safe, you're with friends." Xander went behind the bar and retrieved a few blood packs Lorne kept in storage.

"Where is Buffy you told me we where going to see Buffy." The Vampire weakly asked as he drained one pack after the other.

"She's not far away now I just had to tie up a few loose ends. "

"Consider them tied bubby" Lorne smiled as he joined them " I'll give you a great recommendation for your next gig."

"How did you know?"

"Hey, A good host always knows, now Cordy babe you get these men back home."

"I'll miss you, boss."

"Please, you'll be back, I got a feeling about you." He looked at Angel and Cordillia. "About all of you."

Cordy helped him get Angel to the car.

Xander thought a lot during the trip back home. Lorne had said, "Reach For Your Destiny or Your Destiny Will Reach out For You." He had been right. Somewhere out there, his destiny was waiting. Better to stand with his friends against the coming foes.

"OK World, watch out… Spidey is back and this time he mans business."