Chapter 34: Mutant Scoobies

*****Mostly Where We Left Off*****

Xander and Oz were hugged by the girls, who anxiously watched. They were strapped down in the medical room. Since Oz had been a werewolf longer, they started with him first. Of course, the full moon would hit them at the same time. The boys both had an IV hooked up to them and a heart monitor, so that Dr. Grey could monitor their vitals as she insisted on being there, too. Of course, Dr. Banner was also a medical doctor. Willow felt reassured that there was more than one medical doctor on hand in case something went wrong. She held her mother's hand as she waited for something to happen.

When the full moon hit, the boys had very different reactions. Oz first said, "I feel different."

"What do you mean?" Willow asked.

Then only his face and hands turned wolf-like. "That's odd," he said.

"You're not transforming," Tony remarked. "Focus and see if you can change back to human."

That's when he disappeared.

"Teleport? He can teleport now?" Willow asked.

"I'm still here," Oz said from the table.

Willow reached over to touch him and could feel him on the table.

"Guys, what's happening to me?" Xander asked. He was starting to levitate off the table—at least the parts of him that were strapped down.

Then his body started to transform, and he turned into a very large—huge—black wolf. He tore the restraints and IV, but he did not attack anyone. Instead, he was floating above the hospital bed. It was a really strange sight.

Xander could not believe this was happening. The transformation from man to wolf was nearly instantaneous and not painful—that was a plus. However, he could not talk, so he let out a howl.

The sound broke every glass in the room. Startled by the sound of breaking glass, he broke off his howl and fell on the table. Then he covered his face with his paws.

Oz was so upset at his Alpha's howl that he became transparent, some part of him instinctively wanting to protect him, but there was no danger. However, he, too, was able to break the restraints holding him on the table. After he pulled off his IV, he moved to sit next to Xander, his hand on his back in reassurance.

Tony and Bruce watched the scene in fascination while Hank took notes.

"Are you getting this, JARVIS?" Tony asked.

"Of course, Sir," JARVIS replied.

"They're okay," Buffy observed. She was relieved.

"Looks like," Xander agreed. "Oz seems to have gained a way better wolf form and the gift of invisibility."

"Both of them have increased strength," Giles added.

"Xander is able to turn into a full on wolf, which is fascinating," Hank said. "I wonder if he can change back to human at will."

"What's with the floating thing?" Willow asked.

"It probably means that he can fly," Tony said.

Buffy and Willow looked at each other and then Xander. Then they both grinned.

"Wow!" exclaimed.

"That's awesome!" Buffy added.

"Oz, move away from him for a moment," Bruce said. "Let's see if we can get him to change back to human."

Oz got off Xander's bed. Then Bruce moved closer and spoke his name. "Xander?"

Xander looked up at him, making it clear that he was listening. "Try to focus on changing back to human. See if you can control the change," Bruce suggested.

He couldn't change back until the moon was no longer at its apex.

"Damn, that was strange," Xander said when he finally had a mouth again.

Oz was back to his human form and nodded. "It was different," he said.

"It was awesome," Buffy said. "You aren't those ugly wolves anymore. Cordelia would've been very happy if she was here."

Xander smiled and agreed. "That's true," he said. "I'm tired. Can we talk about this and do all the many experiments that I know Tony is dying to do tomorrow?"

Tony looked disappointed, but Pepper elbowed in the side. "Okay, fine," he said.

The kids went to Xander's room, determined to make him talk about it.

"So how did it feel?" Willow asked.

"It was odd. The transformation was like instant," he said.

"No pain?" Willow wondered.

He shook his head. "Nope," he replied. He gave Oz a questioning look.

"Me either. I just changed a bit in the face and hands," he said. He closed his eyes a moment and transformed to show Xander. That he already had control of his change said something about who he was and the amount of self-control he had.

"That's great, Oz," Xander said. "I'm not sure how I feel about being a full-blown wolf."

"It's really beautiful, Xander," Buffy told him.

"Yeah," Willow agreed.

"Of course, a floating wolf was the oddest thing I have ever seen, and we live on a hellmouth," Buffy added.

"Tony thinks that means you can fly," Willow told him.

"Really?" Xander asked.

She nodded. "Isn't that cool? You'll be liked Superman," she said.

"But without the x-ray vision," Willow added.

"And weaknesses," Buffy added.

"Superman was really strong—invulnerable," Xander said.

"You and Oz both showed extra strength," Buffy told them. "You both easily broke out of your restraints. I bet you're going to be really happy that you're a mutant."

The teenagers spent an hour discussing it before Xander said he really needed to sleep because he knew Tony would be relentless the next day and made them leave.

Tony had the boys up at eight.

"Okay, there's the donuts, juice, and coffee," he said, pointing. "I have a lot of questions."

The teens exchanged amused glances and went to eat, each answering his many questions about how they felt, how they slept, what it was like, etc.

Tony, Bruce, and Hank with Giles watching had just begun testing them when the others wandered in to observe. It seemed that Oz could not go invincible at will. However, it did take an hour of Tony throwing things at him to trigger his ability to activate it in times of distress. Eventually, he got the hang of turning it on and off at will.

Tony had the two arm wrestle each other, and Xander won. Then they had them arm wrestle Buffy, and she won. Next, they tested how much they could lift. Of course, the slayers had never tested how much they could lift, and Buffy wanted to know. Oz could lift five hundreds with ease. Tony suspected if under duress he could lift more. Xander was able to lift nearly a thousand pounds. Buffy could lift more than the boys. She wondered if she could lift more than Faith; Giles was confident that she could.

"I suspect it is due to the length of time she was a slayer," Giles observed. "The longer she is a slayer, the more skilled and stronger she becomes."

"Makes sense," Tony said.

"How did we not know I was so strong?" Buffy asked.

"Like you ever have a reason to go around lifting things so heavy," Willow said with a shrug.

"Now we need to see if Xander can fly while in human form and not just his wolf form," Bruce said.

This was where Storm came in to help. They went to the balcony of the second story mansion, and she spoke to him about flying.

"My ability comes from the elements," she said. Then she demonstrated.

"Cool," Xander said.

"I want you to know that you do not need to be afraid. Jean is down there ready to catch you with her very powerful telekinetic ability," Storm said. "However, she won't need to because that's plan C. Plan B is I fly you down if you need help."

"What's Plan A?" Xander asked.

"You fly yourself," she said with a gentle smile.

"Do you think I can do this?" he asked. Something about her just radiated peace and serenity. If she said yes, he just wanted to believe her.

"I think that if you don't let the fear take hold of you, you can activate the mutant gift that you have been given," she said. "Just close your eyes and relax and will yourself to come off the ground."

Xander closed his eyes and tried to do what she said, but nothing seemed to happen. "It's not working," he said.

"Look down," she said.

Xander looked, and he was floating a foot off the ground. Startled, he crashed down onto the ground. "Crapola!" he exclaimed. "Wow! I can do it!"

"You can," she said, smiling.

"So what should we do next?" he said.

"How about I take your hand, and we'll fly off the roof together?" she said.

Xander took her hand and closed his eyes, thinking of flying, willing himself to fly. Then he felt the floor move from under his feet as she lifted them up slowly, her arm wrapped around him, and he thought it wasn't too bad.

I can handle this. He slowly opened his eyes and realized that they were hovering just above the balcony.

"You got this, Xander!" Buffy hollered up at him.

"X-man is the man!" Tony cheered.

"Be careful!" Willow called out, worried for him.

"Don't worry, Willow. There's X-Men with powers to catch him if something goes wrong," Buffy assured her.

"That's right," Pepper agreed. "He'll be okay."

"Not to mention Storm would never allow him to fall," Professor Xavier said.

"So, Xander, how do you feel?" Storm asked him.

Xander knew they weren't up terribly high, and he waved at his friends, who were cheering him on.

"I feel pretty good," he said.

"Would you like me to let go and see if you can stay up on your own?" she asked.

Xander's heart beat so fast that he thought it might jump out of his chest, but he took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. I can do this!

"Go slowly," he said.

Storm nodded and began loosening her hold on Xander. At first, she had her arm around his waist, so she was now holding his hand.

His heart still thumping, he was relieved that he was still hovering at the same level. "I guess it's not just you, huh?" he asked her.

"No, you are able to float," she assured him.

That reassured him, so he loosened his death grip on her hand. "I think you can let go, but don't go far," he told her.

"Don't worry, Xander. We won't let anything happen to you," she said.

Her kind eyes were just not eyes you doubted, so Xander nodded and let go. Relief filled him when he didn't go plunging to the ground. "I'm floating on my own!" he shouted.

"Whoohoo!" his friends exclaimed from below.

Then Storm said, "Why don't you slowly float down to the ground? There's no point in doing too much right now."

Xander nodded. "Slowly," he whispered as he willed himself to get to the ground.

"You did it!" Willow cheered, hugging him when he touched the ground.

"That was way cool," Buffy said, smiling.

"It could've been cooler," Tony said with a smirk. "I was hoping you'd go up higher."

"Next time," Bruce said. "We just want him to get used to knowing that he can actually do it."

"I suspect that he will be like most mutants," Professor Xavier said. "Their powers are the strongest when under duress."

"Well, we live on a hellmouth," Buffy said. "He'll be under duress at some point."

The teenagers were excited for Xander and relieved that he didn't have a mutant power that was too freaky like Dr. McCoy's or Kurt's. They had met the poor girl, Rogue, who couldn't touch anyone's bare skin without nearly killing them, too. Overall, they felt that Xander finally caught a break—a well-deserved one.

Xander practiced jumping up and catching flight. He was able to stay up for a few minutes at a time, but it was tiring.

"It's like a muscle," Giles said. "The more you use it, the easier it will be for you."

"Cool," Xander said.

The next morning, they were set to return to NYC, but after breakfast, Tony wanted them to work one more time in the professor's training room with their new mutant friends. He had a probable Sunnydale scenario programmed in for them.

Logan and the rest of the X-Men were eager to see the two new mutants use their powers in a battle setting and watched with Tony and the other adults.

It was typical graveyard setting. Buffy carried her stake while Oz used his normal crossbow.

"Don't you think Willow should have that now?" Buffy said. "You don't need it."

Oz realized she was right and passed it to Willow. Xander was carrying a battle axe. For this simulation, he didn't want to turn into a wolf. He wanted to know how strong he was without the wolf.

Buffy knew that she needed to let the boys take the lead as this was more of a test for them, so she let them get ahead of them for once, which was strange for her.

"This is weird," Willow said, not used to following the two boys.

"I know, but we have to know what they can do," Buffy replied. "Better to do it in this type of setting that is much safer."

Willow knew she was right and watched as three vampires appeared from behind a crypt. Willow immediately killed one with her crossbow while Oz attacked the one closest to him, and Xander took the one on the left.

Oz's claws came out of his hands, and he felt an instinctive rage build inside at the face of an unholy evil creature. Snarling, he jumped up and sliced the vampire's throat, decapitating it.

"Go, Oz!" Willow cheered, impressed.

Oz was a bit shocked.

Xander didn't have claws come out, but he used his fist to pound the face of his vampire. Normally, a hit would cause him a lot more pain than the vampire but not this time. This time, the vampire's head swung back at his hard blow, and he followed it up with another. Then he grabbed the stake out of his back pocket and plunged it into the vampire's heart.

It was the fastest that he had ever staked one in a fight.

"Great work, Xander!" Buffy told him.

"How do you feel?" Willow wondered.

"Strong," Xander said.

"That's good," Buffy said.

The program went on for twenty more minutes, and all of them killed a few more vampires and some demons that looked familiar to them. At no time did the boys have any issues. Once, Oz was startled by a demon that appeared suddenly, and he went invisible, which excited Tony.

"I knew it! Duress triggers it," Tony said.

"Actually, I believe I knew it," Professor Xavier said, smiling at him.

Tony's mouth was open in surprise while Bruce laughed and slapped his buddy on the back. "That's very true," Bruce said.

"Do you believe the situation must be dire before Xander would turn into a wolf?" Giles asked Dr. McCoy.

"I do," he said.

"As do I," Professor Xavier said. "Wolves are pack animals, and Xander will have an instinctive drive to defend to the death anyone or anything that tries to harm what he deems his pack. When his human form cannot defeat a threat, he will revert to his animal form to defend. He won't be able to stop himself."

"No, he won't," Logan added. "Sometimes, my claws come out before I even realize it."

Giles was a bit concerned as Xander had already been through so much and was a hormonal teenage boy. "We have a therapist coming to talk to the kids. I hope he'll be able to help," he said.

"One who will know about what they deal with?" Professor Xavier asked.

Giles nodded. "SHIELD is sending one of their people who will be brief," he said.

"That's good," Professor Xavier suggested. "But if I might suggest something. Encourage them to spend the summer here at the school with other mutants. It will do them both some good before they go off to college."

"I'm not sure Xander plans on going to college," Giles said.

"Then maybe he can find a place here with us," Professor Xavier said.

"Xander an X-man?" Tony asked.

"He has a lot of combat experience—more than anyone but Logan," Professor Xavier said. "We would be lucky to have him."

Pepper was thinking of the advantages of having Willow's best friend in the state of New York and smiled. "I think that's a wonderful idea," she said. "If he doesn't want to go to college, I will do my best to convince Willow to support it."

The teenagers were excited at the success of their final training program and were sad to say goodbye to their new friends.

Kitty, John, Bobby, and Rogue saw the kids off.

"Man, I wish that Buffy girl was staying," John said to Bobby. "She was so hot."

"They all were nice," Bobby said. "The boys will probably be back this summer."

"I wish I could fly," Rogue said. "That'd be fun."

"You should've touched him," John said with smirk.

"Not funny," Rogue said, rolling her eyes.

"Don't be an ass," Bobby told John.

Scott and Jean joined Storm and Logan to see their guests off.

Scott hugged Buffy. "Don't be a stranger," he told her.

"I won't," she said. Glad to have met someone who could understand her life and was family even if it was just a cousin.

"Tony's throwing a New Year's Eve party in Sunnydale," Willow said. "You guys should come."

"The more the merrier," Tony added.

"I will consider it," Professor Xavier said.

After their guests left, Logan and Scott looked at him. "Are you really considering let us take the jet all the way to California?" he asked.

"Well, Tony Stark is a very important ally to foster," the professor replied. "It might be a good idea also to see exactly what a hellmouth is really like. If you two and Jean and Storm are willing to go."

"Can't we go?" Rogue begged.

"If you want Xander to be an X-Men someday, shouldn't he spend more time to kids closer to his own age?" Bobby argued.

"Good point," John said.

"Safety in numbers," Kitty said.

"I will consider it," he said.

Xavier was just glad the two young men's lives weren't ruined for activating the gene. It could've gone very differently.

*****New Year's Eve*****

Willow was excited to have the New Year's Eve party because she was ready for the year to be over. It wasn't that she wanted to forget Cordelia or anything, but she was going to graduate and start college in the new year. She was excited about the new chapter in her life, so she was happy to have the old year leave.

Also, Oz was okay and feeling good. He was going to back to New York for the summer and spend time with the other mutants instead of traveling with his band like he normally did.

Faith was super stoked to have an actual party at the house. Tony went all out on food and decorations. Oz's band wasn't the only band playing as Tony hired another one from L.A., so that Oz was free to have fun.

They had been allowed to invite friends from school, but they had kept it a bit on the small size as Cordy would've liked. If everyone was invited, it wouldn't have been as special. She had taught them well.

Harmony made it back from her Aspen trip and joined the party.

"Hey, guys," she said, hugging Xander. "How has your break been?"

"Well, I became a wolf and learned how to fly," Xander said with a grin.

Harmony giggled. "You're so funny!" she said. "Both of those things sound very cool. I've always wanted to see a wolf in real life."

"Hang around long enough and you just might," he said, winking at her.

"You're a nut," she said, slapping his arm. "Come dance with me. I need to see your bad dancing to make me forget about my depressing Christmas."

Xander was happy to comply as he knew it was very difficult for her to be without her best friend.

Joyce and Phil arrived with Buffy, who immediately looked for her friends and was shocked to see Matt and Foggy there.

"Oh, my God! I can't believe you guys are both here!" she exclaimed, hugging them both.

"Tony arranged it," Foggy said. "I told Matt not to tell you, so it was a surprise."

"I was in New York for a few days, and I felt so bad that I wasn't able to see you guys," Buffy said. "This is great. Tomorrow afternoon, I have to go to Los Angeles to see my dad since I didn't spend Thanksgiving or Christmas with him like I was going to before Cordelia passed. "

"You were in New York City?" Matt asked, frowning.

"Not really, we were upstate at the school for mutants for the most part," Buffy said. "Xander and Oz got injected with the mutant gene, so now they don't have to be ugly werewolves anymore on the full moon."

"Okay, let's grab a drink and a table, so you can tell us all about that!" Foggy insisted.

He went to grab drinks for him and Matt, so Buffy reached for Matt's hand. "I've missed you," she said softly.

"I missed you, too," he said. "How was Christmas?"

"Okay. We kept it low key," she said. "Xander got a visit from Cordelia in a dream, and it made things easier for him."

"You think it was really her?" Matt asked.

Buffy shrugged, and then winced as she realized he couldn't see it. "I don't know," she said. "It made him feel better, so I was glad about that. It felt real to him and brought him comfort. Cordelia said she was in Valhalla."

"Wow," Matt said.

"Here's your drink," Foggy told him, placing it in his hand as they sat at the table.

Buffy was really glad to see her friends, and Faith said down next to Foggy, flirting with him. "Good to see you, Frankie," she said to Foggy

"You, too," Foggy said, smiling at the outrageous teen, who he had last met in the hospital when she was shot.

"I was just about to tell them about Xander and Oz's new superpowers," Buffy shared.

"Cool. I haven't got to see it myself. I had to stay here and guard the hellmouth," she said.

"It's a dirty job, but someone's got to do it," Foggy said, winking at her.

"Damn straight," she said.

Buffy filled them in on the boys' new powers.

"I am so jealous," Foggy asked. "I wonder if I can ask Dr. Banner to activate my mutant gene?"

"What if you turn into a blue furball?" Buffy pointed out.

"Or grow a tail?" Faith said with a snicker.

"You can't ever know what your mutant gene will be," Matt said. "That's the issue. Some turn out okay."

"There's this one girl, Rogue, who can't touch anyone because she absorbs their gifts, but she also drains their life force," Buffy said. Then she noticed some new arrivals. "Oh, my God. They're here! The X-Men have arrived! Excuse me. I need to go greet them."

Foggy and Faith provided color commentary to Matt as they described the newcomers. Eventually, Buffy brought over one guy with a vision on his eyes and an attractive redhead, who was holding his hand.

"Faith, when I was at the school, I discovered that I had a cousin, who was a teacher at the school. This is Scott Summers. He is my dad's second cousin, so he's my second cousin once removed or my third cousin—however, you like to say it. This is Dr. Jean Gray, another teacher, and his wife. This is Faith, the other slayer. And the two guys are friends of mine from your side of the country, Foggy and Matt. They're going to school at Columbia," Buffy introduced.

"It's nice to meet you guys," Jean said.

"Nice to see someone else wearing eye coverings inside," Scott said to Matt.

"Oh, Matt's blind," Faith said. "Why are you wearing yours?"

Jean winced at Faith blunt statement while Scott grimaced. "Oh, sorry," he said. "Mine don't allow me to see as clearly as normal people."

"Not a problem," Matt said, unoffended.

"Faith can't help but be Faith," Buffy said with a sigh but a fond smile at her sister slayer. "Scott's mutant powers are in his eyes, and the glasses help him control it. Without them, he can accidentally burn us all up."

"Basically," Scott said.

"Wicked," Faith said. A fast song was playing, and she turned to Foggy. "Come dance with me."

"Of course," he said.

"Will you guys sit with us?" Buffy asked her cousin.

"If you don't mind?" he asked.

"Not at all," she said.

"I'll go grab us some drinks," Jean said.

"So what year are you?" Scott asked Matt.

"We are in the middle of our sophomore year," Matt said.

"Have you decided on majors?" he asked.

"We're both pre-law," Matt said.

"That's great," Scott said.

"Matt's very smart and focused. He also is a trained fighter," Buffy bragged. "I fought him blind folded once, and he can hold his own."

"Why did you fight him blindfolded?" Scott asked, puzzled.

"Well, I fought him regular, too," she said. "I just wanted to know if I lost my vision if I could still fight. My blood would still draw evil creatures to me, you know. It wouldn't matter to them that I was blind. It would just make me more vulnerable."

Scott glanced at Matt, who had a small smile on his lips. "I take it she could still fight blindfolded," he asked.

Matt nodded. "Yes, she can. She is remarkable," he said.

Buffy blushed. "I told him that Giles used to blindfold me and throw knives at me, but I had never fought with one. What Matt can do, though, is really impressive," Buffy said.

"Do you have heightened senses?" Scott asked.

"My hearing is very advanced," Matt admitted. "I've been working on fine tuning it even more, so that I can locate where a person is in a fight."

"That's a good strategy," Scott said.

"Logan, another teacher at our school, has advanced senses, even smell, and it gives him advantages in a fight," Scott said.

A slow song began to play as Jean came back with their drinks. "Matt, they're playing a slow song, so you have to dance with me," Buffy said, reaching for his hand.

"If I must," he said, smiling and getting up.

Jean sat down next to Scott. "I like your cousin," Jean said. "I would've never guessed that she would be interested in a guy with that kind of handicap."

"Buffy is an amazing girl," Scott said. "I just don't understand how Hank is so absent from her life. He knows nothing about it. She told me that he did come in town when she was shot. She was happy to see him."

"I'm glad you have family you can share your life with," Jean said. "Maybe you can see if see would come spend some time at the school this summer before college. If her boyfriend is in New York, I bet she chooses a college in New York."

Scott brightened at the thought.

Nearby, Tony was dancing with wife, smiling at his party. It was a perfect blend of teenagers and adults. Some of his employees on the West Coast were invited, and Rhodey came. He had been eager to show him the hellmouth. After it hit midnight, Rhodey was going to get to slay his first vampire. Faith already promised to take them patrolling since Buffy had Matt in town.

"I can't believe that Professor Xavier let his X-Men come to our party," Tony said.

"I think he really wants the new mutants to join his school," Pepper speculated.

"Well, he can't have Oz," Tony said. "That kid is mine if I have to buy out every company he ever tries to work for. He has no ambition or drive to speak of, but his mind is every bit as brilliant as mine. However, he has the most soothing presence. I want him as a lab assistant if nothing else. Hell, I would give him any title he wanted if he would work for me."

"You know he only cares about two things," Pepper said with a grin.

"Yeah, I know, music and Willow," Tony said with a sigh. "He's still young. He might still get some ambition at some point."

"Do you think Xander would make a good X-man?" Pepper asked.

"Well, he is an X-man already!" Tony quipped. "Getting him out of Sunnydale would only be a good thing for him."

"You're probably right," Pepper agreed. "I haven't seen Rupert here. Where is he?"

"Oh, he stayed in New York," Tony said with a grin. "He was determined to track down a certain former employee of mine.

The various couples danced, talked, ate, and had a good time as midnight approached. Kitty, John, Bobby, and Rogue were welcomed by Buffy and company. Buffy introduced John to Faith, who asked the fire starter to dance—much to his delight.

"I don't think John will ever want to leave," Bobby said, grinning.

"Faith loves to twist the boys in knots," Xander said fondly. He looked at Kitty. "How about a dance? I'm always good for a laugh I've been told."

Kitty smiled, finding Xander fun, not knowing he had just lost his girlfriend.

Harmony, though, saw him dancing with someone she didn't know. Buffy was telling Matt, Bobby, and Rogue about her first-time meeting Xander.

"Who's the floozy dancing with Xander?" Harmony asked.

"Excuse me?" Rogue asked, outraged.

"Chill, Harmony. These are out of town guests from New York we invited," Buffy said. "They don't know anyone but us, so Xander asked Kitty to dance."

"Well, you better let her know that Xander is in mourning," Harmony said firmly. "He just lost the love of his life, and he is not ready to let some kitty cat get her claws in him!"

She flounced off in typical Cordette fashion, and Buffy felt a pang as she missed her acid friend that Harmony was so staunchly defending. Her new friends looked puzzled and waited for explanation. "Oh, I'm sorry about Harmony. Cordelia was her best friend, and Xander's girlfriend. She died a few days before Thanksgiving. It's still hard on everyone," Buffy said.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Rogue said, feeling bad. "We didn't know."

"It's okay. How could you? Don't worry about it," Buffy said.

The lead singer in the band from L.A., said, "It's almost midnight. We're about to do the countdown."

Everyone counted down, and there were shouts of "Happy New Year!" from everyone. Xander hugged Kitty. Harmony came and kissed his cheek, and Xander hugged her. "We'll get through this, Harm," he whispered to her.

Rogue was hugged by her boyfriend.

John was kissed by his dance partner, the hot slayer, Faith—much to his delight.

Then she moved to kiss Bobby, too. When Rogue glared at her, she said, "No worries, Happy New Year!" Then she kissed Rogue.

Faith felt some of her energy drain from her as the mutant power was activated, but she pulled back before too much damage was done. "That's some power you got there, girl!" she said with a grin and a wink.

Rogue was stunned. Her kiss didn't cripple the girl. "Who was that?" she asked.

"That's the other slayer," John said with a grin. "I thought Buffy was hot. Then I met her. Now I'm in love."

"She kissed me and was barely fazed," Rogue commented in bemusement. "I feel very strong."

"Well, the kiss was quick," Bobby said. "She kissed all of us."

"That's Faith," Xander said, having been close enough to hear and see what was happening.

He saw her kissing Foggy and nearby Buffy kissing Matt.

This new year had to be better for his friends because it couldn't possibly be worse than last year.

Nearby, Willow was kissing Oz, who was setting aside his normal dislike of PDA.

Then she pulled back and looked at him. "Oz, I want us to make love tonight," she told him.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

She nodded. "I love you, and I want the new year to start off with something wonderful. It will be a way to bring in something good and amazing instead of the pain and sorrow that we've had the past few months," she said.

"Let me go tell the guys I won't be back with the band," he said.

Willow smiled, feeling nervous but excited. Her mother had taken her to a female doctor at the beginning of the school year, so she was on birth control. It had been an embarrassing conversation, but Pepper said that it was better that she be prepared in case she got caught up in a moment, which is how Willow had come to be, after all.

Willow walked over to Buffy, who was slow dancing with Matt, and she tapped her on the shoulder. "Can I speak to you for a minute?" she asked.

Buffy told Matt that she'd be right back. "No problem," he said. "I'll go back to the table."

"What's up?" Buffy asked.

"I'm going to go all the way with Oz tonight," Willow told her.

"Really?" Buffy asked with a wide smile. "Are you sure that you're ready? It's a big step."

Willow nodded. "I am. I want to start the new year off with something wonderful, and Oz is wonderful. I love him so much," she said.

"He is a great guy. I'm so happy for you, Will," Buffy said, hugging her.

Oz came up to Willow. "I'm ready to go," he told her.

Willow nodded and took his hand.

"Happy New Year, Oz," Buffy said, smiling at him.

"Happy New Year, Buffy," Oz replied.

The couple left the large ball room SQ had and slipped into Willow's room, which was on the second floor and far from the master bedroom.

As for Buffy, she was happy that New Year countdown had gotten a hot kiss of her own from Matt, and she was looking forward to her eighteenth birthday.

Matt smiled when Buffy sat down at the table. "Everything okay with Willow?" he asked.

"Great. She and Oz were ready to leave for the night. She wanted to say goodbye," Buffy said. "Matt, I know you have a busy school life, but my eighteenth birthday is this month. In just a few weeks. I'm sure that Tony will throw another party and want to bring you to town. Do you think you'll be able to come?"

"It will be early in the semester, so, yes, it shouldn't be a problem," he said. "Maybe you can come to New York for spring break?"

Buffy's heart felt full at the suggestion, and she nodded. "I would love to do that," she said, reaching for his hand. The dark cloud that had been over her for the past several weeks began to recede.

*****New York*****

Giles was glad that Oz and Xander were going to be okay. Buffy was speaking to him again, so she didn't hate him for allowing Nat to kill Angel. He wondered if he should tell Tony and the rest of them what she had revealed to him before she left town.

She, too, was a spy. A plant. An agent of SHIELD. Her real name was Natasha Romanoff. However, he hesitated to do so. Why? Why did he not tell them? Where was his loyalty? His should be with his slayer alone, not to a lover. One he had been with only under a magical spell of some kind anyway.

And yet, Giles was unable to tell anyone, not even Wesley about Natalie's real identity. When everyone went back to Sunnydale, though, he stayed in New York, wanting to see her face-to-face. Maybe then, he would be able to figure out how he felt.

She had given him her home address, so he knocked on her door. "Hello, Rupert," she said, smiling at him.

One smile and he was lost. "Hello, Natalie," he said.

"Please, call me, Natasha," she said, holding out her hand.

He took it, and she pulled him inside her apartment.

For three days, he hardly left her side or her bed.

She was intoxicating, and he was sunk.

Natasha couldn't believe that Rupert came to see her. Although she felt better after Clint's visit and went to his house for Christmas, she had just gotten back to her barren apartment when Rupert had called, asking to come see her. As her empty apartment felt more oppressive than ever, she was more than glad to receive his visit.

They couldn't seem to get enough of each other, and she was happy.

The novel emotion unsettled her.

Black widows weren't meant to be happy. Rupert Giles deserved more than someone with so much red in her ledger.

Yet when he smiled and kissed her, she couldn't seem to make him leave.

"Happy New Year, Natasha," he said.

"Happy New Year, Rupert," she said.

Then she kissed him again.

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