A/N There's a challenge on Twisting the Hellmouth where the First won and Xander was ultimately the only Scooby survivor. The premise of the challenge is that powerful witches use a spell to send his mind back in time in an effort to fix what's gone wrong. The challenge also calls for him to be deposited in the mind of a woman. I'm not doing that part of the challenge. Besides the fact that it would severely impact his mission, I just don't see Xander as a girl or gay for that matter. Part of the challenge that I am keeping is that as a result of the spell, he can't tell anyone he's from the future. He has to make changes without telling anyone. Doesn't mean he can't figure out another way of letting someone know. And no Anya, I still maintain she was a substitute Cordelia, both for the show and for Xander.
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Agatha Harkness, Head of the Devon Coven of Devonshire England looked out over the devastated landscape that used to be the beautiful green countryside she'd grown up in. Horrifying to think this destruction was actually mild compared to places like Los Angeles, California that had ended up in a Hell dimension after the souled vampire fell for yet another trick. Or New York City that become a post apocalyptic war zone. The blackened countryside might actually still qualify as beautiful compared to them and other places. While Buffy Summers, one of the accidental architects of this insanity had hidden in Rome with her lastest evil boyfriend pretending all was well in the world and Willow Rosenberg, another architect had laid on a beach in Rio de Janeiro with her lover, Rupert Giles had desperately tried to fix what had gone wrong before his heart literally gave out. And Alexander Harris, the One Who Sees, he'd been on the front lines of the war fighting besides Faith Lehaine, the True Slayer. Her death had been the reason he'd come to Agatha Harkness and her coven and asked for help. Looking out over that devastated landscape, Agatha made her decision.
"We will help, Alexander Harris. We will create a spell that will allow you to travel back, to before all this happened. Be aware, there will be a price to pay though."
"I know. Magic always requires a price. I will pay it. It's the only chance I have to save the people I love."
"It may be the only chance we all have to save the people we love."
After months of careful work, the coven had succeeded in creating the spell. Agatha sat with Alexander the night before they enacted the spell and explained the details to him.
"To avoid a paradox we can only send your mind back. Your body will die, used up to help fuel the spell."
"The price I have to pay."
"Yes. As a consequence of the spell you will not be able to tell anyone about the future, about you being from the future and your mission. Not even your younger self will retain any memory of the twenty four hours you will be in control."
"Just not tell? Could I write things down or something?"
"I don't know. It's possible. Also, you will only have twenty four hours to complete the mission. To hopefully make enough changes to affect the future. Without a mind body connection, future you won't be able to continue existing. And the body of the past belongs to your past self."
"Makes sense." Alexander agreed.
"We don't know when exactly you'll end up. It depends on how much fuel we can manage to pull from your body before it's used up. A few years, no more then a decade."
"Which at most, would put me back to age seventeen."
"Yes. Are you really prepared to do this, Alexander?"
"I've buried my friends, my mentor, my hometown and the only two women I've ever really loved. Earth is dying because of Buffy's choices. She was tricked by the First into activating the remaining Potentials. There were so many better ways to handle that battle and she never bothered to consider any of them. Angel was manipulated into sending Los Angeles to Hell after he and his group were manipulated into bringing forth Jasmine. Willow fell into Dark Magic and addiction twice and didn't survive the second time. And Faith and Cordelia are dead. There will never be another Slayer called and Magic is dead thanks to Buffy."
"Which is why we have to use your body to fuel the spell." Agatha stated.
"I'm prepared. Once I'm sure when I've ended up, I'll be a hairball in the throat of fate."
"Such colorful American language." Agatha said dryly. "Very well, come dawn we will begin the spell."
Alexander winched at the word dawn. He'd loved Dawn like a little sister. Without Magic in the world, Dawn had simply ceased to be. There'd been no body to bury.
The man who became Alexander Harris lay on an alter surrounded by the very powerful Devon Coven of witches. His body faded in and out then ceased to be.
Xander Harris opened his eyes and looked around. He realized when he was. Perfect. Time to be a hairball.