Xantastic Voyage

It probably wouldn't have happened had Xander not been standing directly over the Hellmouth at the time. Even then, the odds were so far against it that it could be classified as a miracle that it happened. However, Xander was known for beating the odds, and not always in a good way.

*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*

Alexander stared in disbelief at the piece of wood sticking out of his chest, a symbol of life breaking the compact that kept him on this plane.

Hell itself reached up and grabbed the young blood demon, its mere presence burning his body to ash.

Alexander, like every demon since time immortal, fought against being dragged to hell, because he instinctively knew that being in hell sucked for demons as much as it did for humans.

*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*

Angel, Buffy, and Faith tensed and glanced around the library.

"What the fuck was that?" Faith demanded.

"A minor spike in the Hellmouth's energies," Giles replied. "Not an unusual event this close to ascension."

"Yeah, well how about that?" Faith asked, pointing to Xander who was standing in the center of the library, pale and trembling, his eyes a baleful yellow and giving off a sputtering golden glow.

"Wait!" Angel commanded, stopping anyone from rushing to Xander's side. "He feels... like a vampire."

Another spike hit, strong enough that everyone felt it this time, and Xander collapsed.

*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*

Alexander blocked a swing at his head, the strength of the blow making him stumble backwards, his feet slipping in the mud as the sun beat down on them. He wasn't sure why he wasn't bursting into flame, but any desire to walk in the daylight ever again was firmly squelched by how hot and bright it was. He was already missing the night and how comforting it was drawing off the heat of the day and hiding you from your enemies.

A leather clad figure's boot lifted the poor vampire about a foot and his world dissolved into pain.

Alexander came-to as he was flung across a canyon and over a waist-high wall to land on the cement with a bone jarring thud, something made worse by the numerous broken bones. From his position on the ground he could see a plaque mounted on the wall, but he couldn't read it from his angle.

*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*

"This isn't good," Giles said as Xander's eyes blazed with golden energy, making Angel flinch back.

"You think?" Cordelia drawled out as the light faded and Xander's body went slack in the chair they'd tied him to.

"What's going on?" Faith asked.

"I'm not sure, but when Xander was hit with that surge of energy, it may have re-energized one of his past possessions."

"Possessions, as in more than one?"

"Yes. Xander has been most unfortunate at times, and it's led to him being possessed a couple of times."

"What have you done to prevent him from being possessed again?" Wesley asked curiously.

Silence filled the room, broken a moment later by Xander's guttural growl, "Damn that hurt. Worse than fighting a slayer."

"I see," Wesley said calmly before beginning to search through the stacks for anything that would help. "What all has he been possessed by?"

"Hyena," Buffy said, remembering the scene vividly.

"It was a primal empowerment," Giles explained.

"A soldier costume," Willow added.

"Janus empowered one of his worshiper's spells and everyone turned into their Halloween costume."

"A ghost," Cordelia reminded them.

"That would have been from the student-teacher affair that led to a murder-suicide about half a century ago."

"The swim team coach almost turned him into a water demon," Willow reminded them.

"He enjoys fish a bit more, but has reported no other changes," Giles said.

"And the vampiric presence Mr. Angel felt?" Wesley asked.

"It's still there, but a bit weaker," Angel said.

"As far as I know, he has had no contact with anything that would explain his present state," Giles said. "He's clearly alive and has his soul, but apparently is a vampire as well."

"A souled vampire?" Cordelia asked, causing everyone to look at Angel.

"Gypsy curse, not transferable or contagious," Angel said.

Recalling their latest problem, Willow spoke up, "W-what if someone made the W-word?"

"You mean like wishing Xander knew what it felt like to be a souled vamp?" Cordelia asked as all eyes in the room turned towards Buffy and Angel.

"If I wished misfortune on him, it wouldn't be something that would make him my roommate for the next century," Angel promised, shivering.

"I may have thought it, but I'd never say it," Buffy swore.

*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*

Alexander dragged himself to his feet as his bones knit, and took a look around. He appeared to be in ... a zoo?

Collapsing on a bench, he looked at the plaque labeling the creature he had fought. "Primal what?" he muttered as he looked over the wall and across the moat that surrounded a landscape bathed in sunlight, as opposed to the zoo where it was night. The figure in the center of the habitat looked a lot like how he remembered looking before mirrors the world over decided to ignore he watched Primal run, he saw the scenery change as it moved to keep him in the center of the habitat. Sun baked planes gave way to a familiar looking high school.

Typing By: Ordieth

AN: An early ficlet on Xander's Zoo.