There's a challenge on Twisting the Hellmouth where Toth hits Xander with the Ferrula-Gemini and because of fanon belief that Magic doesn't work right around Xander instead of splitting him into weak and strong Xander, a Xander from a very different reality gets pulled into their reality. When they try to send other Xander back to his reality, things don't go quite right, because hey, it's Xander. Also, since that episode is just a filler, the challenge encourages anyone who answered the challenge to move it to another point in canon. And since I like to play around with the challenges, there's going be a little twist.

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Xander felt satisfied with himself. He'd stopped Jack from setting off a bomb in the boiler room. He'd been making a lot of bad choices lately, ones he regretted deeply and frankly didn't understand, but what he'd done tonight was a good thing for the first time in awhile. Now if only he could get Cordy to listen to him and maybe forgive him, on the other hand he'd also like to understand why the others had suddenly decided to try to push him out of things. That made even less sense. He was wondering how their battle was going when he spotted a demon with weird glowing strips on it heading for the library. Where the others were fighting. Xander didn't stop to think, he just raced after it.

Buffy sighed, the battle was done, they'd done it, they stopped the Jhe and closed the Hellmouth after the Jhe had briefly gotten it open. She was about to comment on how tired she felt when the doors of the library were pushed open and a totally different demon entered. It raised a stick with a glowing orb on it aimed it at her.

"B, look out!" Faith yelled. Before Buffy could respond the demon was tackled from behind and fell forward. The demon kicked free from whoever had tackled him and swung the rod around and aimed at Xander.

"Xander!" Buffy yelled as she turned around. "What are you doing here?!"

"Saving your apparently ungrateful life again, Buffy." He answered, just as the demon shot him. Faith leaped forward and decapitated the demon. Everyone rushed to the prone body of Xander Harris. Giles checked for a pulse.

"He's alive."

"Oh, thank the gods!" Willow exclaimed. "What did he mean about Buffy being ungrateful?"

"I'm not ungrateful, I just don't need him to save my life. I could have handled it."

"I doubt that." A voice said. "Considering that whatever it is would have shot you in the back if it hadn't been tackled."

The group turned to find Xander Harris standing behind them. A Xander Harris that was wearing a uniform they'd never seen before. "Can someone explain to me where I am and how I got here? I was on Minbar delivering a report to Entil'za Delenn and then I was here, wherever here is."

"Demon!" Buffy yelled and attacked the look alike Xander.

He was moving into a defense form before she realized it and sent her flying. "Why are you attacking me? I am not a danger to you! And why are you calling me a demon? I'm a human. Is someone going to answer my questions? And please do not attack me again. I am Anla'Shok, there is very little chance of you succeeding in a fight against me."

"What's a Anla'Shok?" Giles asked. "I've never heard the term before.

"A Ranger. You speak English but you don't recognize an Anla'Shok? What planet am I on?"

"Planet?" Willow squeaked. "What do you mean planet? This is Earth!"

"Earth is 25 lights years from Minbar, it doesn't explain how I got here."

"How old are you?" Faith asked suddenly. "Because you look older then our Xander."

"Xander? Is that what he goes by? I'm Alexander and I'm 25 years old."

"Oh dear." Giles said. "I don't believe he's a demon, Buffy. Somehow another version of Xander has been brought to our reality."

"Another reality? I suppose that would make some sense." Alexander said. "If this isn't some hallucination or new tech I'm unfamiliar with. But I believe some investigation is necessary. And perhaps the blond could explain why having what seems to be another version of me save her life bothers her."

"It doesn't bother me." Buffy glared at him. "But he's going to get himself hurt being stupid."

"Saving your life is stupid?" Alexander asked.

"No, him doing something is stupid. I don't need his help."

"Nice to know what you think of me, Buffy." Xander said sourly. "I wonder what things would be like if you hadn't had my help for all the times I've come up with the ideas and the plans and the other times I've saved your life."

"That isn't what I mean, Xander!"

"Perhaps this discussion can wait." Giles said tiredly. "We need to figure out how Alexander got here and figure out how to get him back."

"I'd appreciate that." Alexander said. "I do need to get back to my assignment."

"You said an Anla'Shok is a Ranger. Are you some sort of police or military?" Giles asked.

"I am a Ranger."

"We walk in the dark places no others will enter."

"We stand on the bridge, and no one may pass."

"We live for the One, we die for the One"

"The One? A god? Or religious figure?" Giles asked.

"A combination military force and intelligence gathering agency and we crew the White Star Fleet of the Interstellar Alliance, of which the Earth Alliance is a member. The One is the Entil'za or Ranger One. The one who leads."

"What year is it where you're from?" Giles asked curiously.

"2270." Alexander answered. "The Interstellar Alliance was founded eight years ago. President John Sheridan has led it since it's inception. But he earned it, he did unify and lead us to victory in the Shadow War."

"Oh my, you really are from another reality." Giles breathed, awestruck.

"It seems so. How do I get home? Preferably the sooner, the better."

"That device that the demon shot Xander with, I believe that's the key." Giles replied. "I need to study it and figure out what it is and how it works. Hopefully then we'll be able to send you back."

"Very well, do what you need to." Alexander agreed.