Walking into Spider Webs

"Mister Harris?" the doctor asked, consulting his clipboard as he entered the crowded hospital room, where half a dozen people were waiting at Xander's bedside.

"So, what's the verdict?" Xander asked. "Am I going to live?"

"Well, we have the results from your blood tests, it appears that the chemicals the rest of the team were exposed to are completely absent. I'm guessing you received too small a dose to be detected, or your body managed to flush out what you were exposed to. At any rate, unlike the rest of the team, you are fine, and free to go," the doctor explained.

"Sounds like an excuse to go out and celebrate," Oz noted.

"I'll leave you to it," the doctor said cheerfully. "Just remember to check out with the front desk."

"Thanks!" Xander called out as the doctor departed. Climbing out of bed, he started dressing, pulling on his clothes under his hospital gown, though Cordelia was apparently getting an eyeful standing behind him, from her grin.

"Xander, have a little modesty!" Buffy complained as Giles turned away from the half-dressed teen. "You're embarrassing Giles!"

"Relax, Buff," Xander told her. "I'm completely covered here. The most anyone's going to see is me topless for a moment as I put on a shirt."

"Do give a warning next time," Giles said. "There are some things teachers should not see."

"Holy shit!" Buffy exclaimed as Xander removed the gown.

"What happened?" Willow asked, surprised, as she stared at Xander's bare chest.

"Giles, I think this is something you should see," Oz said calmly.

"Woo, you didn't have these yesterday," Cordelia said, reaching out to fondle Xander.

Giles turned and noted Xander looked like he'd hired a professional trainer and spent half a year working out. "My word," he said, surprised. "How did this occur?"

"I have no idea," Xander said, examining himself. "I was exposed like everyone else, got dizzy, you guys brought me here for overnight observation, and Boom! I'm…actually, I'm pretty happy with this."

"So am I," Cordelia purred, making Xander grin.

"Must have been a delayed effect of the chemicals you were exposed to," Giles said. "This is probably what the formula was designed to accomplish."

"So Xander got lucky?" Buffy asked.

"I believe so," Giles agreed. "That's not to say we shouldn't monitor his condition and insure he's stable, however, as the chemicals are no longer in his system, I doubt we have to worry about him mutating further."

"This is good," Xander said, flexing his muscles.

"You can put a shirt on now," Giles said dryly.

0o0o0o0o0o0

"So, do you think the formula did a Captain America on me, or are we looking at Spiderman here?" Xander asked as they entered the school gym.

"Baffling comic references aside, that is what we are trying to ascertain," Giles said, gesturing towards the school's weight equipment.

The Sunnydale high school gym was closed on Sundays, so the Scoobs had gathered there to see what changes Xander's short stint on the swim team had wrought.

"We shall start off light, say a hundred and fifty pounds," Giles said, waiving Oz and Buffy over to set up the weight bench.

"That's light?" Xander asked doubtfully.

"It is for me," Buffy said with a grin.

"I've seen guys a lot smaller than you press it," Cordelia assured him. "They weren't nearly as cut, either." She licked her lips as she undressed him with her eyes.

Xander laid down on the bench. "OK, now remember, you have to keep the weights from killing me if it's too heavy, just like if they were vampires."

Buffy laughed loudly and both Willow and Cordelia stared at her in shock as she moved to stand behind the weights. "Ready when you are," the Slayer said with a bright smile.

Xander tried not to notice how close Buffy was standing to his head, or that she was wearing spandex, or that it seemed to have ridden up. Xander closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and had his overactive imagination claiming he could smell…'I'm imaging things, and Cordelia would make me eat my own liver.'

Cordelia glared at Buffy. She recognized that laugh, that was the 'you're so funny' laugh cheerleaders used to flatter a guy.

"Did the weight fall off?" Xander asked as he easily lifted the bar and opened his eyes.

"Double it? Buffy offered, seeing how easily Xander had pushed it.

Several minutes later…

The bar flexed as Xander easily pushed the weight up, the bench he was laying on groaning slightly. "Definitely Spider-Man," Xander said with a grin.

"There's no more room to add weight and he's benching more than I do," Buffy said in shock.

"Extraordinary," Giles said, amazed.

"We gotta spar," Buffy demanded, bouncing on her heels.

"Spar?" Xander said with a smile.

"Best way to test your reflexes and if you can take a hit," Buffy said. "We gotta find out if you're just strong or if you've got the full…" Buffy's eyes ran down his body inadvertently, "package," she finished.

Cordelia's eyes narrowed and she felt her palms itch for a weapon.

Giles jumped back when Xander got up and quickly covered it with a cough. "Yes, well, just remember to go easy on him until we know what his limits are."

Willow and Oz exchanged glances. Buffy and Giles were both acting a little 'off' and neither knew why. Buffy was showing interest in Xander and Giles was looking tense, almost fearful. Neither was sure what was going on.

"I'll get the pads so we can go full contact," Buffy offered, emphasizing the last two words.

"Cool," Xander said, completely missing it. "Just remember, I'm fragile."

"I don't know, you look pretty hard to me," Cordelia said, ignoring the light sheen of sweat on Xander and sitting on his lap like a cat marking its territory against another.

Xander gave Cordelia a hug and kissed her cheek. "You'll make sure she doesn't hurt me, right hon?" he joked.

"Of course," Cordelia replied seriously, much to his surprise. "I've gotta protect my investment, and I've invested a lot in you."

Xander smiled, happy to see Cordelia being so open about their relationship.

"Ahem," Buffy interrupted the pair's tender moment by passing Xander some protective gear, already wearing her own. "Ready?"

"Sure, Buff," he said, standing up holding Cordelia who he set down so he could don his pads and gloves. "Give me a second." He gave Cordelia a peck on the lips before joining Buffy on the mats. "Ready when you are."

"Begin," Giles announced.

The spar started slow, with Buffy lightly testing his defenses and attempting to grapple with him several times, where he showed that not only could he match her strength, but he was insanely flexible as well. The pair sped up until they were practically a blur. Xander quickly demonstrated he could take a lot more damage than she could, and Buffy was having to reach down deeper and deeper into her bag of tricks, as Xander's rough brawler style rapidly evolved, incorporating a lot of the same moves she used almost the instant she used them.

"Time!" Giles called out as one of Xander's pads split apart under a series of blows.

"That was amazing!" Buffy enthused as she caught her breath. "How long have you been practicing to pull that off?"

"Practice?" Xander asked, confused, while Cordelia fussed over him and checked him for damage. "I didn't practice anything, I just saw what you did and it clicked, so I did the same."

"I need to look up a few things," Giles said suddenly. "It's getting late, lock up behind you, and I'll see you all in the morning."

"Anyone need a ride?" Oz asked, taking Willow's hand.

"I'll walk," Xander said since it was still early.

"Sounds good," Cordelia agreed, claiming his hand. "We could use a walk."

"I'll walk you both home," Buffy offered, using a towel to wipe the sweat off.

"The more the merrier," Xander said cheerfully, wondering if Buffy and Cordelia seemed a bit tense.

Five minutes later…

'Definitely not my imagination,' Xander decided as he walked down the street with a girl on each side, exchanging glares and making comments that seemed innocent… but the tone was all wrong.

"Isn't that your parents?" Cordelia asked.

Xander saw his dad carrying a cake box as he got out of the car and groaned, "It's my mom's birthday."

"Ah," Buffy said in understanding, knowing Xander's family had a problem with alcohol and that he tended to sleep outside on holidays to avoid them.

"I gotta show up for it," Xander said with a sigh. "It's her birthday, I have to at least put in an appearance."

"Shit!" Cordelia tensed as a pair of early rising vamps came out of a dark alley and used the shadow of the buildings as protection from the setting sun to attack Xander's parents.

The three teens started to rush over, knowing they'd be too late but stumbled to a stop a second later as they saw what was happening.

Tony casually passed the box holding the cake to his other hand as he deflected the charging vampire so it ran head first into a tree, then grabbing the dazed vamp's arm, he spun it around so it fell out into the fading daylight and burst into flames. "Olé!" Tony said with a grin.

Jessica chuckled and side-stepped her own vamp, slamming an elbow into its temple and knocking it out.

"Did you want Italian or Chinese?" Tony asked her as he opened the passenger side door of the car, careful not to drop the cake.

"Pizza," she decided as she climbed into the driver's side. "No plates to wash."

Xander watched his parents drive off in shock while Buffy and Cordelia examined the downed vamp.

"She crushed its temple," Buffy said.

"And left its wallet," Cordelia noted, rolling it for cash and jewelry.

"She'd have to be as strong as me to pull it off in one blow like that," Buffy said while Cordelia passed her a stake from her purse to finish off the vampire.

"Were them imposters or possessed?" Cordelia asked, concerned.

"No, I don't think so," Xander said, shaking his head. "Except for the vampire killing deal, they seemed like they always do."

"Xander, I think I should go to your mom's birthday party," Buffy said seriously.

"Not without me you're not," Cordelia growled.

Typing by: Elrod Albino

AN: Two Marvel characters with the first name of Jessica and Tony are his parents, who are they?