A/N Ok part two of the conclusion. This chapter is for fun, not to vent or work out issues or make something plausible out of canon. Just for fun. I don't know which author/fic first came up with the notion of Xander as an Avatar of Janus, or Agent of Chaos or Nexus of Chaos, but I am going to give credit to some authors who used the concept in some truly good stories. Kerrain's Xander and the Ferula Gemina and the sadly unfinished SG1 Comes to Sunnydale, Starwar Man's The Oracle which both use the Nexus of Chaos term. Kylia Quillor's Iron Coin Chronicles where the term Agent of Chaos is used and Ironbear's And Another Thing I Hate About You, where Xander is refered to as a Champion of Janus are just a few excellent examples. I'm going to use these concepts in Janus' explaination of his choice of this story's Alex, hopefully successfully.

I was planning an Epilogue, but have decided to incorporate some of what would have been included in it in Janus explaination, so there's no need for an actual Epilogue now.

If anyone is curious, the white streak in Amelie's hair is meant to convey the opposite of what Dark Willow's black hair did. That the kind of magic you channel can physically alter you. Amelia has been a practiononer for at least two decades by now and as a result has a permanent and increasing physical evidence of that fact, the white stripe.

Now on with the story.

As Giles and Wesley gathered the ingredients for the summoning ritual, Willow eagerly asked if she could help. "No Willow," Giles answered, "this is well beyond anything a practiononer at your level should be doing. Which reminds me, later we are going to sit down and discuss everything you currently know. Obviously you have been skipping around trying to teach yourself and that is an extremely dangerous method of learning. It's like trying to build a house with only part of a foundation, a wall and a roof. You need to build each level in it's entirety before going onto the next. Magic is not a game or a toy to play with. Without the proper foundation, you could kill yourself or others or maim or any of hundreds of other problems. Just look at Amy, she's a multigenerational witch, she grew up with magic and yet has gotten herself trapped as a rat. She had far more of an idea of what magic can do then you do and she still made a mistake that I don't know if we will ever be able to correct. Magic isn't about intellect, Willow. It's about emotion, will, intent and imagination. Right now you can't be trusted with magic and until you can, I expect you to not do any magic unless I approve and am with you when you cast. I'm serious, Willow, binding your powers is still an option, so don't push me on this, understand?"

"Yes."

"Good, why don't you study Amelia's books and decide how you want your protection method done. Leave this to Wesley and me, we know what we are doing."

"Ok." Willow said somewhat resentfully, but deciding to heed his warning headed over to the table where the books were laid out.

Alex and Cordelia were arguing about which tattoo he should get. Cordelia wanted an elaborate cross for his right shoulder. Alex wanted to get a sword and shield.

Angel heard them arguing and snarkily said, "A sword and shield? Buffy's White Knight strikes again."

"What do you mean Angel?" Buffy asked.

"Oh something Angelus said to him, nothing important."

"When was this?" The others had stopped talking and were listening curiously.

"Might as well tell them, Angel, you know they aren't going to be able to let it go and you're the one who brought it up." Alex said quietly.

"Ok fine. It was when you when in the hospital with the superflu. Angelus showed up to try to kill you. He ran into Xander and he stopped him."

"Stopped him how?"

"I don't actually understand it myself, I just know something about the way Xander looked at Angelus made him back off."

"Xander, what did you do?" Buffy asked.

"Bluffed my ass and told him basically that I'd get the cops that were talking to some orderlies about a patient to believe he was a danger and shoot him. Might not of killed him, but it sure would of hurt and that between me and the orderlies we might be able to dust him. He decided not take the risk and left."

"It isn't just that, he believed you, he honestly thought you might just be able to do it. So he left."

Buffy and Willow immediately went into overprotective mode and started lecturing him. Alex held up his hand and said, "We've had this discussion before, you don't get to make decisions for me, so stop trying and stop treating me like a child. Buffy if I had done nothing, you might have been killed or worse turned. It might not of worked, but it did, so just be grateful ok?"

"Besides, that's not the only time Alex has done something heroically stupid," Cordelia said. "Just last week he did something that earned him a dope slap."

"Is this what you hinted at earlier today, Queenie?" Faith asked.

"Yes. Go on Doofus, tell them about your little adventure the night you and Faith hooked up."

"The night of the Jhe apocalypse? What happened?" Faith asked.

"Well bear in mind, I tried to get both Giles and Buffy to listen to me, but Buffy was doing that whole stupid 'Make Xander Fray Adjacent' crap, so I ended up taking care of it myself. Successfully, I might add."

"Ok, tell us then, what did you do?" Buffy asked grumpily.

"Stopped a bomb from going off in the boiler room. The one under our feet."

Dead silence greeted his statement, and then Giles yelled, "Bomb? Good Lord if that had gone off while the Hellmouth was open and we were trying to close it, it would have stayed open. Tell me everything!"

"Remember Jack O'Toole? Psycho bully who's repeated three grades and still hasn't graduated? Well it turns out Jack died about a month ago, drive by shooting. Him and his whole little gang. Also turns out his gramps is a voodoo necromancer. He voodooed Jack back from the dead. And Jack wanted his whole gang back, so he hijacked me and my car and made me drive him around to the various cemeteries where they were buried, while he did his voodoo. Wouldn't let me leave while he did it. Then they made me drive them around while they decided what kind of fun they wanted to have. Finally decided they wanted to bake a cake, which I figured out later meant, make a bomb. While they were robbing a hardware store I took off. Ran into Faith, helped her out and then when I figured out that bake a cake meant a bomb and I couldn't get you guys to listen, I grabbed Dickie and dragged him along beside the car and made him tell me where the bomb was. He told me it was in the boiler room at the high school. After I knocked his head off with a mailbox and dropped what was left if him in the street, I headed over here. I knocked one of the gang out and since taking Dickie's head off had stopped him, I tipped a pop machine over onto the other one so it's head was crushed. Then I chased the other one with a fire ax. And we ran into one of Jhe demons. Fortunately for me, I can run faster than a zombie. The demon tore him up. And as for Jack himself, well, I trapped him in the boiler room with the bomb. He was the only one who could disable it. He reminded me he was already dead. I told him that there was a difference between walking around drinking with your buddies dead and being swept up in pieces by the janitor dead. He believed me and disarmed it. You don't need to worry about him coming back, he's been dealt with too. Anyway I burned the remains of the zombies in the furnace. And if you don't believe me talk to Willie, he wanted to hire me as a bouncer for his bar because some of his customers were talking about it."

Everyone was looking at each other, no one knew quite what to say and then Cordelia said. "Alex has never been Buffy's White Knight, he's always been my Black Knight. When we were kids, one of my favorite games was Knights and Castles. Willow and I were the Queens and Jesse and Alex were our Knights. Alex was mine and Jessie was Willow's. My Black Knight, because White Knights are afraid of getting their clothes dirty and Knights in Shining Armor just stand around looking stupid. But Black Knights, whether their good guys or bad guys have dirty and dented armor because they fight for what they believe in. Alex was my Black Knight, he kept me safe from rampaging monsters and invading armies and pirates. It was one my favorite games when we six and seven."

Alex dropped to one knee in front of her and bowed his head, "My Queen, my sword and my shield are yours to command."

"Rise Sir Knight, take my favor upon thine arm and lead our soldiers to victory."

Alex stood and pulled her close and kissed her. "I always enjoyed being your knight Cordy." She cuddled into his arms.

Giles dropped into a chair, "I swear you children are going be the death of me. Alex, Cordelia is right, that the was definition of heroically stupid and yet, what else could you have done. Two apocalypses averted in one night may well be a record."

After a moment he rose and returned to completing the summoning circle.

"You know Cordy, maybe I should just get both, the cross on one shoulder and the sword and the shield on the other, can I do that Ms. Sullivan?"

"Amelia please, and yes that would be no problem, I can incorporate the runes into both, plus the symbols themselves are protective." Amelia sounded amused.

"By the way, how much is this going to cost? I will happily empty out my savings if it means I can avoid getting possessed again."

"Don't worry about, Rupert and I worked a deal, it's covered. He wants you all safe."

"In that case could you make a carving of some sort for my house and one for my mother's gallery? She knows about the night life and magic and everything, but I'd like to take every precaution I can for her." Buffy asked,

"No problem, if you like I could meet with her and discuss what she would prefer."

"That sounds great, thanks."

"Well, we are ready over here, if you all could gather around, don't touch anything, just form a circle."

Giles began the chant that would summon Janus and everyone could feel the energy rising in the area. The space above the large crystal inside the circle began to shimmer and then ripple. Soon an image appeared in the middle, a face, male, clean shaven, with dark hair and eyes could clearly be seen. And then he spoke.

"Well it's about time, I have been waiting to hear from you for over a year. You were running out time, in a few more months, most of that knowledge and my Mark would have faded away."

"I apologize, Lord Janus," Giles said, "it is my fault, I have no excuse for not paying attention to the Mark you placed on Alexander."

"I am aware. Thankfully, Alexander's call was heard and we were finally able to make contact. As you are no doubt aware, since the Accords, we gods cannot come where we have not been invited. Although we have been aware of you since the night you revived Buffy Summers from death."

"You have been aware of me? Why, all I did was CPR, anyone who knows it could have done the same."

"That's where you are wrong, Alexander, no one else could have accomplished what you did that night in the Master's lair, because what you did wasn't just reviving a Slayer. She lives, not because of your actions, but because you willed it."

"You defied Prophecy, you defied the Fates themselves, successfully. You bent the world to your will, Alexander. The seer who foretold the death of the Slayer, could not see you. You are a Wild Card, a Prophecy Breaker, beyond the power of the Fates. There has not been one such as you in hundreds of years. You are a Nexus, a Nexus of Power. Specifically, a Nexus of Chaos."

"Good Lord," Giles exclaimed, "A living Nexus is rare enough, but of Chaos is almost unheard of."

"Not quite, but still rare."

"Giles, what's a Nexus?" Alex asked hesitantly, "and is it bad?"

"No, my boy, a Nexus, in and of itself is neutral. It's a gathering place of energy, like a battery. It's what can be done with a Nexus that could be problematic. It can be used to augment anothers magic. If the intent of the one using the Nexus' power is bad, then there would be a problem. But if the intent is good, well it's all about intent."

"Was this why he was affected by the Halloween spell as well?" Wesley asked.

"Yes and it's a good thing he was, as he managed to siphon a good deal of power from the spell away from those that would have been harmed by it. The foolish mage did not realize that casting such a spell on a Hellmouth would have amplified the effects. Some of those affected may have remained in their altered form, if you had not been able to absorb as much as you did. And yes, I know it was a risk to allow him to use my power, but it was necessary in order to contact you. You were unaware of your status and needed to be told. Without precautions someone like that mage could become aware of you and use you without you being aware of it to cause immeasurable harm. That is why I wish to make you my Avatar, it would place you and yours under my protection, so none may use you to cause harm."

"Alexander, do not be alarmed, you, yourself have not caused harm to anyone. We wish you to be aware of the possibility. The choice is, as always yours."

"While you are considering my offer, there is something else I must tell you. The Guardian ritual, as well as the corrupted version, that you inadvertently became apart of when you simultaneously committed both a violent act and a sincerely protective act by pushing that bully away from his victim, the affects of the Guardian spirit upon your body are continuing, though it will a take a couple more years it will eventually make you the first Protector created on this continent in more than 200 years. The Guardian Ritual is one if the oldest rituals in world. The Protectors created by it originally were the ones who drove out the Old Ones, the demons that once ruled this world. The last of which created the first vampire. The Protectors continued to be the ones who fought vampires and demons on this continent, the African one and the Australian one until the European expansions destroyed the ability of the conquered to create more. Only a few have been created in Africa since then and no where else. You are ta true Wild Card."

"Giles, do you think I can wake up now? I mean when I was kid, I dreamed of being a superhero, but I never actually thought, - is this real? I don't want to hurt anyone."

"It's real, I'm afraid, my boy. Janus is not known to be liar or trickster, he's a protective diety."

"If being your Avatar means I won't be used to hurt anyone, then I agree."

"You enter this agreement of your own free will, Alexander?"

"Yes, I do."

"Then so be it. From this day forth, you shall be my Avatar, The Hand of Janus. My protection to you and those you lay to claim to as friend or family, So Mote It Be!"

Alex fell to his knees as a glow appeared on the back of his right shoulder, where the birthmark like Mark had been. A pain, greater than any he had ever felt before ripped though his body as a new magical core formed within him. His mouth opened in a wordless scream and then it was over. Everyone rushed to him, Cordelia grabbed his collar and pulled it down, checking to see if he was alright. A Mark was visible. She reached out tentatively to touch it. Alex flinched slightly at her touch, then said, surprised, "It doesn't hurt anymore. For a moment it felt worse than anything I've ever felt and now its fine."

"Your sure," Willow asked, scared

"Yes, I'm sure." He hugged her briefly before sliding his arm around Cordelia. "In fact I feel great."

"Your powers will manifest in time and one at a time, you will need to master each before another will manifest."

"You have chosen wisely, Alexander. Now a new future will come to pass. One in which the Red Witch does not attempt to end the world while on a black magic high, and Buffy Summers is not responsible for destroying the Slayers line and Cordelia Chase is not forced to give birth to The Devourer."

"Wesley Wyndham-Price take this message to your Council, the Slayers Buffy Summers and Faith Lehane are also under my protection. If they attempt to control or harm either of them or anyone else in this group, they will feel the wrath of the gods upon them. Remember, the Furies and the Oneroi do not need to be invited in."

"If you have need of me, Alexander, you have but to call." The image faded away, leaving a stunned silence. Then Willow said, "Did he say I would try to end the world?"

"Yep," said Faith, "and B would destroy the Slayers."

"And I would be forced to give birth to something called The Devourer. What kind of messed up future was that?!" Cordelia screamed as Alex held her.

"One that will no longer come to pass, thankfully." Giles said.

"Giles what's the Oneroi?" Buffy asked.

"Dream gods that cause nightmares," he answered.

"Well here's hoping the Council listens," Alex said as Wesley fainted.

And so a new and happier future began on the Hellmouth.