I feel like I should clarify something that I hope was obvious. I do NOT intend on any romantic encounters with Buffy and the Hulk or Dr. Banner. I was thinking of King Kong when I wrote that scene with Buffy and the Hulk. I just thought it'd be funny.

Chapter 9: An Alien and a Witch

******Same Scooby Time, Same Scooby Place******

Thor took in the new scene in a glance. He shook his head in bemusement as he waved at his friends.

"It looks like you've made some new friends in my absence," he said to Fury and Tony. He stepped forward and held out his hand. Nick shook it.

Tony grinned. "We've met some new superheroes called vampire slayers," Tony said. He pointed. "Those are vampires."

"I see. Distasteful creatures," Thor said with a dismissive sniff. He watched as a few dozen woman engaged in tremendous feats of valor. "Impressive warriors. They remind me of my old friend Sif back home. Are there no male vampire slayers?"

"Only women," Tony said.

Xander stood there, star struck as he gazed at Thor. The demi-god had a presence that spoke of power and confidence. When Thor's glance struck Xander, he flinched.

"Who is your one-eyed friend? A relative?" he asked Nick.

Nick frowned at the question. "No. He's a friend of the Slayer Buffy. He works for Tony," Nick explained.

"Xander! Watch out!" Buffy called out as she saw some vampires trying to sneak up behind him.

Xander turned and instinctively ducked, narrowly missing the pounce of a blood sucker. Nick threw his arm out to punch one of the vampires in the face. Buffy made it to Xander's side and engaged the vampire that was trying to attack him.

Thor watched, impressed with the tiny woman's fighting skills. "She's so small," he observed. He blinked in surprise when the creature she was battling turned to dust. "Her blows turn the creatures to dirt? Is that magic?"

Tony snickered at his assumption and lasered the other vampire for kicks. Nick was fighting it. Buffy staked it in the back, causing it to turn to dust. Buffy turned to the newcomer and answered his question. "Vampires turn to dust if you aim for the heart or cut off their heads. No magic required," she said.

"Ah," Thor said in understanding. He observed the battlefield. "Would you like some help?"

Buffy couldn't resist rolling her eyes at the guy's arrogance, but since he was so beautiful and flew in on lightening, she decided to be nice. "Sure. By all means," she said, gesturing.

"Buffy, do you know who that is?" Xander whispered to her with barely suppressed excitement. "Andrew is going to die of jealousy when I tell him I met Thor!"

Thor took several steps closer to the battle. When a vampire approached him, he swung his hammer, and the vampire went airborne. Then he raised his hammer and called down lightening. "If you're not a vampire, you might want to hit the ground!" he announced in his booming voice. The slayers glanced at him but didn't obey.

Buffy realized what he was about to do and yelled, "Get down everyone!" Instantly, the slayers all stopped and moved back from the vampires they were fighting. When Thor pointed the hammer at the vamps, they jumped to their stomachs.

Thor directed the lightening at the vampires. The bolts went through their hearts, killing them all at once.

The battle was suddenly over. Everyone stood there in amazement for a minute. It felt kind of anti-climactic. The girls got up from the ground where they'd mostly dived for cover. Faith grinned as she approached.

"Man, B, your new friends can come play with me any day of the week!" Faith exclaimed with an admiring look at Thor.

"Now that was a handy little trick!" Buffy said to Thor. "Thanks!"

"It was my pleasure," Thor said with a regal nod of his head.

"We need to get the sun back. That will keep the vamps from coming back," Buffy said with a frown as she looked up at the rain.

"Aren't you going to introduce me, B?" Faith asked.

"Oh, sorry!" Buffy said. "Guys, this is Faith. She's the slayer in charge now that I've mostly retired."

Faith waved. "We used to be the chosen two before Willow got down with the magics. Now we're not so special anymore," Faith said.

"You're still special," Xander said loyally.

"Faith, this is Nick Fury, head of SHIELD. This is Tony Stark, and I think the new arrival is Thor," Buffy said, a note of doubt in her voice.

"Yes, this is Thor," Nick Fury said, barely glancing at the new arrival. He had other things on his mind and quickly stepping up to the new slayer. She seemed much more approachable than Buffy. "I'm so glad to meet you. It's an impressive display of fighting you and your slayers have going on."

"We do okay," Faith said. Robin came up to stand next to her. "This is Robin Woods. He's the main reason the girls fight so well. He's much more disciplined than I am. He trains them."

Robin held out his hand and shook Nick's. "It's good to meet you," he said. "We appreciate the assistance."

"It's the least we could do since our friend here stirred up your hellmouth," Tony said.

"Hellmouth? What is that?" Thor asked.

"You're standing on one," Buffy said with a small smile. It widened as Thor looked startled and looked around for signs of hell.

A roar was heard in the distance. They turned and saw Hulk battling some more vampires.

"What is going on with the hellmouth?" Buffy wondered. "I wish Giles was here to give me an answer."

"I called Willow. She should be here soon," Xander said. "Maybe she'll figure it out."

"It'll take her hours to get her from New York," Tony pointed out.

"If she took a plane," Buffy said with a smirk.

"Can she fly?" Thor wondered.

"Sometimes," Buffy said. "But she can also teleport. It's faster than flying." Nick and Tony both looked skeptical at this but refrained from commenting.

Steve, Clint, and Natasha joined them, greeting Thor. He grinned at his friends.

"It's good to see you all," he said, greeting them. "You have tiny women that can fight monsters that turn to dust. And now a Willow that can teleport! I've missed too much!"

"It's a brave new world," Steve said with a smile. He was used to things being so different than what he was used to that he usually just rolled with it.

"What brings you back to earth? Is Loki giving your trouble again?" Natasha asked.

"No, Father has him well contained. I came to see Jane. I neglected her the last time I was on earth. I'm hoping to gain her forgiveness," Thor said. "Pepper told me where you all were."

"That's a nifty trick you can do," Buffy said. "I like your hammer. May I?" She held out her hand for his weapon.

"None but I can wield it," Thor said arrogantly.

Buffy rolled her eyes and shared a look with Faith. "Fine, be that way. I have my own god hammer anyway. It's good for beating the faces of hell gods in," she said with a snicker as she recalled Glory.

Thor wasn't sure how to take her words. Humans often had references he didn't quite get. Maybe she was jesting.

Xander grinned, knowing the look on Thor's face. "She's not joking," he said to Thor.

"None but I can wield Mjolnir," Thor informed her.

"Hey, can you use your powers to stop the rain?" Buffy asked him.

"Of course," he said. He held up the hammer and used its magic to stop the rain by dispensing the storm clouds. Within moments, the sun came out. It was only five o'clock, so sunset wasn't for a few more hours.

The vampires battling Hulk turned to ash. He looked down at them in confusion. Roaring in disappointment, he turned toward his friends. He spotted the irritating Asgardian and ran toward him, rightly assuming he was to blame for the sudden loss of his foes. Thor tried to give the Hulk a friendly greeting; however, the dark energy from the hellmouth was pushing more and more against the thread of humanity in him. All he felt was his dislike for the demi-god. His fist knocked the Asgardian back.

All the slayers and Avengers watched the new arrival go airborne. Thor's natural reaction to any challenge was to react with equal aggression. He flew toward the Hulk and knocked him back with his hammer.

The slayers ran out of the way as the battle between Thor and Hulk raged on.

"Umm, wow! Is this supposed to happen?" Buffy asked Tony. "I thought you guys were all friends?"

"We are," Tony said. "Thor is the only opponent the Hulk has never been able to defeat. I guess he's still mad about that."

They watched as the Hulk managed to separate Thor from his hammer.

"Is his power in his hammer?" Faith asked.

"It gives him a distinct advantage," Nick replied. "But he's still impervious without it. I believe he's been fighting for his father's kingdom for more years than known human existence."

They watched as the Hulk tried in vain to pick up the hammer. His inability to do so caused his anger to increase.

"Why can't the Hulk pick up the hammer? He should be strong enough," Buffy said.

"I don't think his hammer is like yours," Xander said.

"His hammer is enchanted by his father Odin's magic," Tony explained. "Only someone worthy can wield it."

"Oh, so it's not something only Thor can touch?" Buffy asked, fascinated by the weapon. Her hands were itching to wield it.

"The Hulk is made up of pure rage, so he would not be considered a good candidate," Tony said. "Besides, Thor is a bit possessive of the thing."

Thor used his fist to hit the Hulk, knocking him away from his hammer.

"He's still pretty tough without it," Xander said, impressed with the fighting display.

The hellmouth, however, was not responding well to the new battle. Buffy and Faith quickly detected some rumblings from below. "We've got to get the Hulk away from the hellmouth!" Buffy said. The ground began to shake, not from the fierce battle, but from earth tremors.

"I think an earthquake is beginning," Faith said. "Girls, stand guard!" Her slayers all braced themselves.

Buffy walked toward the Hulk. "Hey! You two need to stop it!" she yelled. The Hulk roared down at her in disapproval, but he paused in his battle to gaze down at her.

"His rage is stronger than normal," Thor observed.

"It's the effect of the hellmouth," Buffy said. Suddenly, the ground between them split open. Buffy fell down the crevice. Before she could brace herself for impact, strong arms wrapped around her. Thor flew her back to safety.

"Thanks," Buffy said, not used to being so readily rescued.

The Hulk did not appreciate his gallantry or his hands on Buffy. Taking his actions as a threat to her, the Hulk knocked Thor back away from her. Then he once again picked up Buffy, cradling her protectively. He roared at Thor as he approached.

"He seems protective toward you," Thor observed with a smile.

"You think?" Buffy replied in irritation. "Why don't you back away from him? Maybe I can get him to calm down."

Suddenly, a wave of magical energy exploded on the scene knocking everyone back. Buffy gripped the Hulk, so she didn't go flying. The Hulk jumped up to face the new threat.

Willow grinned back at them. "Hey guys! Did I miss the party?" she asked.

Nick and the Avengers all looked at her in surprise. Only the slayers and Xander seemed unimpressed with her sudden appearance.

The Hulk roared angrily at Willow and took a step toward her.

"Stop!" Buffy yelled up at him. "That's Willow! She's my friend!"

The Hulk paused in steps and frowned down at Buffy.

"Who's your new friend?" Willow asked.

"That's Thor," Buffy said, gesturing to the god standing a few feet to her right. "This here is the Hulk, normally called Dr. Banner."

"Will! Do something about the Hulk!" Xander called out. The earth tremored again.

"His presence is making the hellmouth go bonkers," Buffy explained to Willow.

"Why is he holding you? Are you injured?" Willow asked in concern.

"No. He thinks he's protecting me from Thor," Buffy said in resignation. She looked up at the Hulk. "Put me down."

"No!" he roared, surprising his audience with his ability to speak.

"Okay, Hulk. Time for you to go," Willow said. She walked closer to him and held up her hand. "Somnum!" Instantly, the Hulk feel into a deep slumber, dropping Buffy, who jumped to her feet.

Everyone watched as the Hulk changed into a normal looking male. Instantly, all the earth rumblings ceased.

Buffy let out a relieved breath. "Just in time, Will! Thanks!" she said.

"Glad to help," Willow said.

Xander walked up to hug her. "You missed all the excitement! We fought demons. Then the vamps came out," he said.

"Really? How?" Willow asked confused as she looked up at the sun.

"It was dark and stormy until Thor made it stop raining," Buffy said.

Nick exchanged a look with Clint and Natasha. A witch with this much power made them all a bit antsy. "Don't worry, sir," Natasha said. "I got a plan." She walked up to Willow and greeted her.

"Does anyone else feel as stupid as I for not simply bringing Willow along to begin with?" Tony asked dryly.

"She's your employee," Clint pointed out.

Steve laughed. The women of this century were truly remarkable.

Nick took advantage of Buffy's distraction and moved closer to Faith. "So I'd love to have you and your girls working for me," he told her with a friendly smile.

Faith snickered. "Yeah, I bet you would," she said. "I don't do politics. I don't alter what we do. That's up to Buffy and Giles. Talk to them. I fight when I'm needed. I got a lot to atone for." She smiled at Captain America. "Sir, would you mind meeting some of my girls before you leave? They're very excited to meet you."

Steve gave her a friendly smile and followed her to the group of women a few feet away.

Clint laughed. "He always gets the girls," Clint said.

"Well, Clint, I'm sure I could find you one or two," Tony said with a grin.

"Your new employees are a unique bunch," Nick said to him.

"You're telling me. Willow appeared out of nowhere. It defies the laws of nature," Tony said with a shake of his head. "I'm going to have to do some experiments."

"Don't go alienating her like you did Buffy," Nick warned. "We need allies like them. We don't need any more enemies."

Tony remained thoughtful as he watched the girls. He moved over to rouse Bruce. "Bruce! Wake up!" he yelled down at him. He leaned down and shook his shoulders.

"He should wake up in a half hour or so," Willow said.

Nick ordered a few of his uninjured agents to secure Dr. Banner onto one of the planes.

"This has been loads of fun," Tony said to Buffy.

"Loads," she said sarcastically. "You handled yourself well. I'm impressed."

"I told you. I am Iron Man!" he said with a grin and a wink.

"Yes, where is your metal suit?" Thor asked him.

"You missed a lot," Tony said. "Can you join Pepper and I for dinner? We'll catch you up to speed. You can tell me all about how your dear brother Loki is suffering."

"My mother would not permit us to torture him no matter how well deserving," Thor said.

"Too bad," Tony said, clasping him on the back. "Do you want to ride back with us?"

"On your flimsy metal flying machine?" he said disdainfully. "I think not."

"It's not the fastest way," Willow said with a grin.

Thor regarded her with interest. "I was told that Earth had no magic," he observed.

"You were told wrong," Willow said. "There's a lot of practicing witches with magic. Many demons with magic also."

"We're learning a lot since meeting these girls," Tony said to Thor.

"So we're on for dinner?" Natasha asked Willow.

"I finished my interviews for the day. Do you want to come back with me?" Willow asked her.

Natasha looked over at Clint who gave her a slight nod. "Sure," she said. She took Willow's outstretched hand.

"It was nice meeting you," Willow said to Thor. "I hope to see you again. Dawnie would love to meet you."

"That's my younger sister," Buffy explained.

"It will be my pleasure," Thor said formally.

In a blink, Willow disappeared with Natasha. "Will she be okay?" Clint asked Buffy.

"Yeah. Willow is extremely powerful," Buffy said.

"More powerful than you?" he asked.

Buffy nodded. "Yes. She can use her magic to make herself as strong as a slayer. There's not much she can't do if she puts her mind to it. However, magic is dangerous and can be addictive. Her job with Tony is a good thing," Buffy said, not explaining further.

"Glad to have you both," Tony said. "Let's go home. I can't wait to tell Pepper about today!"

Buffy smiled at his enthusiasm. "Let me say goodbye to the girls," Buffy said.

She and Xander walked over to Faith and the slayers.

Steve Rogers was blushing. There was no telling what Faith and the girls said to the poor fellow. Buffy took pity on him. "Captain, thanks so much for your help!"

"You can fight with us anytime!" Zara said, flashing him a flirtatious smile. She was ex-military and loved a man in uniform.

"Thanks for the autograph!" Meredith said. "Derrick's going to be so excited!"

"We'll make you an honorary slayer if you get tired of working for SHIELD," Faith told him with a grin.

"It'd be nice to have another man around," Robin said with a friendly smile.

"I appreciate the invitation," Steve said. "But I work for Uncle Sam. You can come join us!"

Faith laughed in appreciation at his maneuvering. She watched him walk back to his friends. "That is one fine piece of ass!" she said.

"Faith!" Buffy scolded, looking at Robin in concern.

He gave a long-suffering sigh. "It's okay. She can't help it," he said.

"Sure, I can," Faith said, throwing her arms around his waist and patting his butt. "I kept my hands to myself, didn't I?"

The girls laughed as Robin frowned at her. "Should I thank you for that?" he asked.

"No thanks necessary!" Faith teased. She gave him a hard kiss. Then looked at Buffy. "So which one of those fine specimen of super hero goodness are you going to sample first?"

Buffy looked over at Clint, Steve, and Thor as if considering. "Who knows? Thor, I think, has a girlfriend," she said.

"Captain America's last girlfriend was in the 1940's before he was frozen in time," Xander said.

"Ooh, he's got a lot of pent up sexual urges just waiting for some woman to untap!" Faith said, bumping her hip against Buffy's.

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Not going to happen. At least not any time soon. I got enough on my plate right now dealing with Tony and Nick Fury," she said.

"Yeah, he approached me about working for him," Faith shared.

"Already?" Buffy said in surprise. "That took him a whole five minutes!"

"He knows talent when he sees it! What can I say?" Faith replied with a wink. "Don't worry. I told him I didn't do politics. Have him talk to Giles. That'll keep him busy for a long while."

"I plan on it," Buffy said. "I don't think he'll let up until I do."

"If it'll get me closer to that hunk of a Captain, I'll work for him!" Zara said eagerly.

"You would abandon your duty here?" Faith asked.

"Of course not!" Zara said quickly.

"We'll talk about it," Buffy said. "I need to get back home. It was great seeing you girls again." She went around to hug those she knew well and speak to a few she barely knew.

A half hour later, Bruce Banner opened his eyes. He looked around and spotted Tony and others he didn't know. "What happened?" he asked.

"So many things, my friend! So many things!" Tony said with a laugh.

******Chapter End******

Here ends the hellmouth adventure. I hope it lived up to your expectations! There will be a few less action-packed chapters before I start my Thor storyline. Thanks so much for reading, following, and reviewing!