Steve cleared his throat. "Explain?" It sounded almost plaintive as he looked at the witch and the automaton.

"Stark is right," Thor said, his voice assured. "That gem in his forehead is an infinity gem and is more powerful than anything you can imagine." He gave a quick glace at the gem embedded in the being's forehead. It glittered as if it knew they were talking about it. "We can not defeat Ultron, not alone."

Xander noticed Thor did not look at Willow, who watched this all with narrowed eyes.

"He is the Vision that we need. That you set the seeds to create."

Tony moved to the bed. "You say you are not Jarvis. You sound like him."

"No. There are parts of me that are, but the power that created my life did not replicate the being you knew as Jarvis. I am … Vision." He floated up out of the cradle and Xander was glad Jolie's head remained buried in his chest. No one needed to see that much male anatomy.

The being, Vision, looked around and a minute later had a cape eerily like Thors and spandex pants like Caps, but tighter. Either way, it made him less distracting to look at.

"What did you create?" Steve hissed at Tony, who shook his head.

"You think I'm a child of Ultron?" Vision asked, turning to look at Steve and the unconscious witch.

"You're not?" Steve challenged.

Xander saw Willow shake her head, but she bit her lip and stared at the witch and the boy. He wanted to go see what she was worried about, but stayed still.

"I'm not Ultron. I am…." Vision turned and looked at Thor, then Willow. "I am, something unexpected." He lifted a hand and a green glow of light appeared, then his other hand held electricity in a sphere.

"He isn't what you think he is. We changed that. I suspect we changed everything," Willow said, her voice soft. She pushed herself to her feet. "He is what is needed."

Everyone turned to look at her, Steve with worry in his eyes. "Isn't he? Ultron wants to destroy everything."

"Yes, but I feed him magic from the Earth," Willow said.

"And I feed him power from the sky. He is literally life and breath," Thor finished. "We need him, we need the power he has to fight Ultron and what is coming. Otherwise, this world will not survive."

"How do we know he is on our side?" Steve's clenched hands vibrated with tension. Xander wondered how much worry about Safira and Nat drove him. Having hope ripped from your grasp was the cruelest cut.

Steve cleared his throat. "Are you on our side?" He turned to spear Thor and Willow. "Is he?"

Willow laughed, a tired, bitter laugh. The only reason Xander didn't go hug her was the girl still in his arms. He had an uncomfortable flash back to Jesse. His friend there, but not. In many ways, that had been the cruelest part of vampires. Your lost ones were still there, but more lost than ever.

"Last time I checked, every sentient being has free will. If he does," she nodded at Vision. "Then only he can say."

As if one person, Xander saw all of their eyes shift to the android. He watched Willow. She nodded, and he knew she was seeing just as many ghosts as he.

"I am not sure sides are the answer. The problem is Ultron is against all life. He wants the world dead. I want to live. To see life."

"Well, we'd better make up our minds. I found Nat and Safira," Clint said, his voice devoid of anything except annoyance.

Xander snapped his attention to the archer, and in the same breath as Steve. "Where?"

"Sokovia."

So that is where they are going.

He glanced at Willow, and she gave him the barest nod, but jerked her head toward Vision. He got the message. She would be there if she had to be, but she believed Vision could stop it. He hoped so. Darth Willow would be worse than Ultron. Ultron didn't care. Darth Willow would revel in the suffering of others.

Bruce walked over to Vision. "If you betray us. If you are with Ultron-"

The android didn't do many facial expressions, but Xander caught the hint of brows drawn together.

"If I am. What will you do?"

If it had been any other situation, Xander might have cheered as Bruce smiled and leaned in. "I will let myself get very, very angry."

Vision nodded. "I see. I do not wish death on any creature, but Ultron will destroy everything. He knows only pain and can only strike out. We have to stop him. We have to act now."

He paced to look out the windows at New York sparkling below. Xander envied the New Yorkers their ignorance. Why was he so often the one that knew how much danger they were in?

"We can't do this without everyone together." His eyes swept the room, bouncing off of Jolie, but landing on Willow and the witch. "All of us."

"I'm afraid not. The young woman is," Willow paused and tilted her head. "Sick, damaged, insane. She has hurt so much, but if she is let loose the world will suffer more than you can imagine. She will go with me. I will rouse others and we will see if we can heal her or I'll remove her powers all together." There was something about that word that had Xander stepping toward her, only to be anchored in place by a small slayer.

"Willow?"

"Eh. I'm better. I can take it. I'll leave speedy here with you." She frowned and waved her hand. The swelling on his jaw went down and he moaned. A trickle of blood ran from her nose. "Healing shouldn't be so blasted costly. It's fixed, not completely healed, so don't hit him there again." Willow smiled and even Vision floated back a bit. "Unless he has learned nothing. Come on witchy-poo you have mediation and healing to do." With that she and the woman were gone, leaving all of them staring at where she had been.

Clint blinked. "Yep. She's scarier than Nat, and I'll tell Natasha that to her face."

Xander snorted and even Jolie managed a muffled laugh.

"That woman is disturbing," Vision managed. "Either way. We need to go. Now." He picked up Mjolner. All of them just stared at that, including Thor.

"And we see his worthiness." For some reason Thor glanced at Xander who just shrugged. He had no idea what effect Willow's mojo would do, but she didn't seem worried or scared. And if any part of him was still Jarvis, then maybe he'd get a new friend.

"I don't know how to make you trust me, but we need to go." Vision turned and handed Thor Mjolinr. "Now."

They all stared as Thor accepted the hammer. Xander let the smallest smile curve his lips. Maybe his friend was in there after all.

Silence settled in until Thor, hammer in had smiled. "Right."

"Then let's go." Steve looked at everyone. "Three minutes. Move it." Everyone raced off to grab supplies. Steve walked over to Xander. "Are you coming with us?"

Xander looked down and the young old woman who had slowly dislodged herself from him and at the young man coming around. "I don't think so. You'll have enough to deal with between speedy over there, Vision, and a pissed of Nat and Safira. I'm not you guys. I don't move that fast." He took the charm bracelet and handed it to Steve. "Keep this with you. Someplace no one would think to look, but someplace you can get to. If, and I mean this, if half the world dying is a better choice than what you face, rip off the charms. Help will come, but the price might be more than any of us can pay and it may be paid by innocents. Keep that very, very close in your mind."

Steve reached out a shaky hand and took it, then glanced at where Willow and the girl had been. "Is it that dangerous? And will the girl be okay?"

"Wanda will be alright?" The young man was picking himself up off the floor gingerly. He gave Jolie a wide berth. For her part, she just glared at him.

Xander shrugged. "You're asking me to tell the future. I think you need to have the charms with you, though giving it to Safira might be smart. As for the girl. Yes. She'll either be sane, in charge of her magic, and understand the consequences of it. Or she'll be a normal human girl, maybe a bit more pissed off than most." He turned to look at the confused young man. "You know her powers were changing her?" Xander asked, while trying to figure out how to stop him if he started running.

"Da. She was darker, angrier. Every time. She her rage kept growing, but then Ultron. He was the one she wanted. He promised her revenge. Until she saw too much. But she is my sister. Promise me," he growled, and Xander arched his eyebrow. The growl disappeared and pleading appeared. "Promise me she will not be hurt."

"I can't. But Willow will do everything possible to make her healthy and sane. That is all I can say."

The man stared at the place his sister had been taken out with a wave of a hand. "Your witch, she is very powerful. She could stop Ultron, no?"

"She could." Xander didn't say anymore than that, too aware of the people listening in. Especially the new one, Vision. The one with the magic of earth and sky in his very being.

"Then why doesn't she?" There was almost a pleading in his voice.

"Because there is a cost for all power," Jolie spoke before Xander could. "And if Willow gathers enough power to take Ultron down single handedly, the power has a very real chance of making her into a dark goddess that Ultron would bow down to and worship out of fear. A goddess that would find the lives of mortals interesting playthings before she drowned the world in her rage."

Xander turned to look at Jolie. She shrugged. "I read all the case files and I chat with her sometimes. She is relatively intelligent and doesn't shy away from the truth about herself. Though she still can not see the truth about you. Most people are blind in some manner."

"There you have it. You staying to help or going back to wasting your life?" Captain Rogers asked, the command mode clear in his voice.

The boy's eyes drifted to Jolie, Thor, Vision, then lingered on where his sister had been. "I'll help. I'm Pietro."

"Then gear up Pietro, we have a world to save."

Steve spun, headed towards his gear, and Xander followed him with his gaze.

You'd better save Safira too, or there might not be a world left when I am through.


I am writing, just focusing on a lot of original stuff. Just finished the rough draft of the final book in the Twisted Luck series. So now on to other stuff.