I don't own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Firefly. They belong to Joss Whedon.
AN: Some of the early lines are from the Firefly Episode: Serenity
What Makes Us Mighty
When Xander adds a little something to his Halloween soldier costume, he quickly finds himself trapped in someone else's life. His only hope? Doing what he does best… survive.
October 31st 1997
Ethan's Costume Shop
"You're sure about this, now?"
Ethan smiled at the young man across from him. "Trust me, young man. That brown overcoat will give your soldier's garb an exotic and different feel from the average no-necked thug in uniform."
Xander ignored the proprietor's apparent bias against soldiers and thought about the statement. The coat would definitely give him a slightly different look. He nodded his satisfaction. "Yeah, okay. This and the battle rifle then."
Ethan's smile lit the store. "You won't regret this, my boy. That'll be ten dollars."
Xander winced as he paid up. He only hoped the higher cost was all that he regretted concerning this purchase.
May 24th 2511
Serenity Valley, Hera
"Just focus!" The shouted words jolted Xander out of his shock at suddenly appearing in a war zone, one far away from the one in Sunnydale that he was used to.
Not noticing that one of his men wasn't who he had been a few moments ago, the Sergeant continued his little pep talk. "The Alliance said they were gonna waltz through Serenity Valley and we choked them with those words. We've done the impossible and that makes us mighty. Just a little while longer… Our Angels are going to be soaring overhead raining fire on those arrogant Khangs so you hold… You hold!"
The speech the sergeant gave really cut through Xander like a knife stabbing at his heart. We've done the impossible and that makes us mighty. These people were like him. He too had done the impossible once, when he brought Buffy back to life and defied a prophecy. He hadn't felt mighty at the time, but now he did.
Xander gripped the battle rifle that was suddenly very real. The sergeant had said to hold and that was what he had to do. He would hold out until he was returned to his own reality. As of now, he just had to pretend he was Private…
"Bendis!"
Xander jolted back to reality. "Ma'am?"
The dark-skinned woman sighed. "It's Corporal, Private. Are you with us?"
Xander nodded, feigning the calm of a career soldier. He just had to remember that the other guys were out to kill him, just like vampires. That was how he would think of it. "I'm with you, Corporal. Where do you need me?"
The woman smiled softly. "Cover fire, Private. Get their heads down so Mal and I can deal with that skiff."
Xander grinned winningly at her. "You got it, Corporal. I got your back."
As the corporal and the sergeant started to make their way to the anti-aircraft weapon, Xander started firing with varying success at the enemy troops. His general aim was decent from wielding a crossbow, but he was rather unfamiliar with the weapon. He only hit a few of the people he was aiming at, but he did get their heads down.
Xander watched helplessly as Mal exchanged fire with the skiff and sighed in relief when the enemy ship went down and Mal and the corporal seemed to make it, if just barely.
Seconds later, they were returning to the trench. "Nice cover fire." The bright smile on the corporal's face told him he'd done a better job then was expected.
Xander was rather shocked to find out that Green had been killed. It must have been from a stray bullet that had been aimed at him as he was laying down cover fire. He felt a short twinge of guilt for the death of a man he had never really known, but accepted that he had been trying to protect the sergeant and the corporal. He had succeeded in what he had been assigned and he tried desperately to be content with that.
Mal had apparently sensed this and started a rather absurd speech on how they were too pretty for God to let them die. Xander was tempted to tell Mal that God was perfectly willing to let the pretty people die. He had seen many a pretty young woman die in his high school. Ampata had been pretty. Buffy had been pretty before she died. She was still pretty to look at after she came back too, though she had done a few things Xander considered rather unpretty. Her actions at the start of that year were not forgotten or forgiven by Xander.
"They're not coming." The corporal's, Zoe's, voice cut through his thoughts and seemed to shock Mal too. "Command says its too hot. They're pulling out. We're to lay down arms."
Mal and Xander, hearing the ships flying overhead both glanced out of their trench to see the craft overhead. Mal immediately recognised them as Alliance. Xander immediately recognised them as firing on them. Xander dodged fast, fast as a person who had spent a year fighting vamps can dodge. It was fast enough to save his life. It wasn't fast enough to prevent him from taking a nasty hit in the shoulder.
As Xander started to rapidly lose consciousness from his injury, he heard Zoe saying he would be alright. He also felt the inexplicable pull that he had felt when he switched bodies last time. It looked like he was going home. Good luck, folks…
October 31st 1997
1630 Revello Drive
'This is madness.' Lex Bendis paced back and forth, his weapon clutched tight as he tried to process what had happened to him in the last few hours. He had been on Hera, engaged in bloody hand-to-hand combat with the Alliance when ha and the rest of his platoon had been swept up into Sergeant Malcolm Reynolds' platoon, all the officers above Reynolds were dead. He, Reynolds, Corporal Alleyne and Private Green had been holed up in a trench and he had been certain death was imminent.
And then he was here. Wherever the heck here was… Lex wasn't sure, but he was beginning to think this was hell. There were monsters everywhere, it was dark and it was terrifying. He had been swept up by a girl named Willow who seemed to be a ghost and was being asked to protect a noblewoman named Buffy of all things. Bendis tightened his grip on his weapon some more.
"Somebody help me!" A voice screamed.
Hearing that and thinking of the death of his sister at the hands of Alliance troops, Bendis charged out the door to rescue whoever was screaming. Unfortunately, when confronted with the rather large monster that was chasing the girl in the catsuit, Lex froze. It was huge. It was fearsome. He was screwed.
Lex Bendis' freezing up could not have been more poorly timed. The sasquatch that had been chasing Cordelia decided to turn its aggression on Lex, killing the traumatised soldier almost instantly.
Out of Time
Out of Place
"Alexander Bendis arrived ahead of schedule by several hours."
"So? That's fine. The guy was a nothing. A bit character in the great game, at best."
"Janus interfered with matters and its all gone to hell in a hand-basket."
"I take it there is more to it then this Bendis arriving a touch early, then?"
"He died in the wrong body. The body of Alexander Harris."
"… This is very bad. And Alexander Harris?"
"He's in Bendis' body, but the spell that put him there was just broken."
"Is Bendis' body in good condition?"
"Not perfect, but he's expected to survive and have no lasting effects from the damage."
"It'll have to do. Tell Janus that he is forbidden to switch Bendis and Harris back. Bendis' spirit is at rest and cannot be retrieved from there. Harris' spirit is anchored to the mortal realm and cannot be made to depart. That goes outside his purview."
"He's not going to like this."
"I don't care if he likes it. I didn't come here to be liked."
"What about Harris? He's in the wrong body and the wrong reality…"
"This is about balance, my friend. Harris was meant to make some major, positive contributions to his reality. Those contributions were withheld from his reality and so he is given the chance to make them in his new reality, to make up for it…"
"If you say so…"
"I do. Get to work."
June 1st 2511
Alliance Cruiser, Indomitable
"You are Alexander Bendis, are you not?"
An officer in what Xander had come to recognise as Alliance colours was addressing him. "If you say so…"
The officer seemed unhappy at the non-answer but continued. "You were with the 517th light infantry until you were swept up by Sergeant Malcolm Reynolds, were you not?"
Xander worked damn hard to commit each new bit of information to memory. Every little detail was golden. He needed to keep up his act until he was returned to his reality… If he was ever returned. "I think so. It's all such a blur."
The officer nodded sagely. "That's to be expected, Private. You understand that the Independents have surrendered, yes? Your war is over."
Xander felt numb at that. He had shed blood in this cause and it was all for nothing. Everything for nothing. No. Not for nothing. Mal and… Zoe… were still alive. That had to count for something. "I understand. When can I get out of here?"
The officer pinned Xander with a firm look and seemed to consider for a moment. "You can get out of medical in two more days, Mr. Bendis. As for leaving this cruiser, that will be another week. You can leave with Mr. Reynolds and Miss Alleyne. We'll be dropping them on Persephone."
Xander nodded as if he understood where Persephone was. He considered long and hard and decided to stick with Mal and Zoe if they let him. If not, he'd have to wing it. "Okay…"
February12th 2512
Persephone
Lex watched as Mal hauled the door of an old mid-bulk transport open. He had been Lex for a while now, after learning that was how Bendis had been called. His almost a year in this new life had done wonders for his understanding of spoken and even written Mandarin. It was times like this that Lex had been glad of the books Giles had them translating back in his old life. The skills he had used to translate things had been of great use to him in piecing together how to talk.
Zoe was currently expressing her vehement dislike for the ship that Mal had bought. Mal was defending himself as best he could. In desperation, Mal turned to Lex, a pleading expression on his face. "Bendis likes it. Don't you Bendis?"
Lex took a long look around the hold. It was dusty, probably couldn't fly yet and was plug ugly. It was worse then his parents' place in looks. But if there was one thing the newly named Lex Bendis had learned in his years living with his parents and his friends, it was that the people made it home, not the place. That was why his house was never a home, but Buffy and Jesse and Willow's places had been. Because he loved the people within. "She's ugly as sin, Sir… But I think we can change that."
Mal nodded. "For that, I'll even give you your name, kid. It's Lex from now on… Unless you lose the privilege."
Zoe shook her head in mild amusement and Lex rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, sir…"
Anyone who'd like to pick up this plot please drop me a line via the reviews and it'll be all yours.
Jasper