I do not own Buffy or SG-1 or SGA or any other show that may be used in this multi-crossover YAHF response to a Ship of the Line Challenge.

Fair warning: This story may eventually contain (mild) sex scenes and a slash pairing. Pairings for main characters haven't been fully settled on, though none will be a major part of the story.

Halloween 1997:

Xander rolled his eyes at losing Buffy's attention to a pink dress that had enough ruffles to hide an entire second person in; though she would probably look good in it. He was still a little miffed at her stepping in with Larry and not understanding he didn't need help with some human bully; someone he had been dealing with for years. There was a reason Larry and his goons had never gone too far when it came to him and Willow (and Jesse-when he was still alive) and that was because Xander had run a terror campaign against them for months after they had almost pulled Willow's skirt down in middle school and that was after he had broken Larry's nose and cheekbone, when he caught him. The whole group had been terrified of him for the rest of the year, though time had obviously dimmed their memory.

He shook his head before going back to looking for a costume. He had planned to just get a toy gun, which was supposed to be the perfect $2 costume idea; the gun would have gone with the old army fatigues that he had. Now, he would need to look for something else because all the toy guns were gone and possibly dip into his small savings fund. Xander quickly browsed through the store, most of the more common costumes were completely picked over or only available in children sizes before he found a back corner with a few odder costumes.

Something drew him towards a packaged costume with the title 'Gate Builders'; it had cream-colored pants and a long-sleeved shirt in some natural-looking fiber, a light brown leather-looking vest with wide stripes that met in a V in the center, and a belt with some type of weapon. There was a smaller bag attached to the clothes bag that had a square metal tab and some oddly elongated hexagon that was bright green with silver edges. The little tag inside said it was a communicator and personal shield.

As he was looking for the likely expensive price for the costume, a voice spoke right behind him, causing him to jump and turn around. "Very interesting beings."

"Woah, man, don't sneak up on me." Sunnydale was the last place you wanted someone sneaking up on you.

"Apologies. I'm Ethan, the purveyor of this unique shop. I was just saying that is a good choice for a costume, though no one else has seemed interested. The Gate Builders were incredibly advanced and intelligent beings that are said to have been on Earth millions of years ago and they built a gate that could travel to other gates on other planets throughout the galaxy. That they are the ones who built the lost city of Atlantis before disappearing."

Xander didn't think the man was truly sorry from the small smirk on his face but he supposed Halloween shop owners were allowed to be a little creepy. The idea behind the costume was really neat though, maybe not the same as a soldier but still cool. "Sounds cool but I doubt I could afford it; I didn't see a price but I bet it isn't cheap."

"Ah, since it seems you're the only one to show any interest in the costume, I'm more than willing to make you a good deal. How about $20 or if you can get a friend to wear the other one, you can have them both for $30."

"Really?" Xander expected the costume to be near double that.

"Yes, indeed. The more sold, the less that will have to be packed up after tonight."

"Alright, let me go ask my friend and see if she'll go with me." Xander grabbed both costumes and headed to find Willow. Buffy had been trying to get her to wear something different than the ghost costume that was his best friend's standby but he didn't think Willow would be willing to wear anything Buffy had tried to point out.

"Buffy! Commander Buffy! I can't believe you actually picked that!" Xander exclaims in surprise, looking at the blue dress with black knee-high boots and tights with appreciation.

"Well, between not wanting to get in trouble for spending more than mom told me and the idea of dressing up as someone who would be nothing more than property to some man, it ended up not being a hard decision." Buffy shrugged, which brought the short hemline of the dress uniform up even more.

When Xander had gone to talk Willow into going as the same thing as him, requiring full puppy dog eyes, he had found his two friends still talking about the pink dress. Buffy had been wondering if her mother would kill her for spending the money and had asked his opinion when he had found them. Xander thought it had looked okay but said Angel needed better taste if he liked his women without rights because Xander preferred them strong and independent with the ability to vote and own land.

He had suggested a female Spock costume, mostly as a joke, because Vulcans were incredibly smart and still a warrior race but had left before Buffy had made a decision. Xander had never imagined that Buffy would choose the blue dress uniform from Star Trek over the pink dress from centuries past.

"Well, you make a mighty fine Starfleet Commander." Xander complimented, very much in appreciation of the dress uniform.

"Thanks, Willow was telling me more about Vulcans and they sounded cool. She should be down in a second." Buffy said before yelling up the stairs for Willow to hurry up.

Xander brought his hand up in a belated Vulcan salute, "Live long and prosper."

Buffy's eyebrows scrunched as she did the same thing, "Live long and prosper?"

"That works or the other reply is, 'peace and long life'." Buffy nodded before being distracted by Willow coming down the stairs.

Willow came down the stairs in a similar outfit to Xander's own. The same cream-colored pants, though the shirt seemed to be missing as her arms were bare, and a slightly different vest. Willow's vest had a higher collar than his own and cut slightly different with a belt, it was also showing a hint of cleavage. Willow was also wearing boots with a good heel, where Xander had gone with brown leather dress shoes.

They both had the metal tab attached to their vest below the collar and their weapon belt strapped on; though Xander thought the handle with odd short crystal protrusion, that lights up with a click of a button, was kind of lame. Xander didn't see the green 'shield' thing on Willow but he had clipped his on under the vest.

"You look awesome Willow." Xander told his best friend, as he admired her outfit and figured that it was Buffy's influence that had caused Willow to not wear the shirt and add heeled boots.

"Thanks, you too. We all ready?" Xander and Buffy nodded, so they headed off to the school to acquire gangs of monsters...also known as children.

"Janus, I invoke your spirit. Hear my plea. Seize the night for your own reason. Come, appear and show to us that which is infinite power. The mask transforms itself into flesh and blood. Your holy presence curdles the heart. Janus! Take the night!"

A wave of energy sweeps from the two-faced bust of the god Janus, spreading change that would last much longer than just a single night.

Evander shook his head, trying to clear the disturbance from his mind, before looking around himself. He had somehow ended up on a planet, when just before he had been piloting his ship to check on an anomaly in Terra's system. Now, he was on an unknown planet with an unknown level of technological development.

He touched the communicator near his collar, glad that it was there, and called for his ship; he wasn't sure what he would do if his ship wasn't in range. "Curatrix, this is Commander Evander. Relay location and estimate for a gate ship arrival. Is Salix still aboard?"

The crisp female voice brought sharp relief, causing Evander to take a deep breath before letting it out slowly. "Commander we are in the Avalon Galaxy and I am currently in high orbit around Terra, though it does not match last scan. There is an irregularly high concentration of type-Iota metaphysical energy in your location and my sensors are picking up 5,931,672,379 human lifeforms worldwide. A gate ship can be with you within 10.2 minutes and Salix is not aboard but within 100 ft of your location and closing."

"Thank you, Curatrix. Send a gate ship to my location, immediately, and keep it cloaked. Keep a check on the energy readings and report any changes."

"Gate Ship Alpha has disembarked, Commander." Evander nodded before looking around for his lead scientist, Salix. It wasn't long before she came into view from around a house.

"Evander! Have you already contacted Curatrix? I've gotten very odd readings from here and the beings that are running around." Salix wasn't looking at him but at the hand-held screen in front of her, her brow slightly furrowed in worry.

"I have and her sensors have found a high concentration of metaphysical energy in the area and is sending a ship to our location."

Salix nodded in relief before her brow furrowed again and her hand touched her temple. "I believe this energy has done something to us."

"Salix?" Evander questioned, unsure what she meant, hoping this has not injured his lead scientist in some way.

"I am hearing a voice inside my mind; she tells me that I have possessed her body and that the beings I have seen are children in costumes that have been changed."

Evander raised a brow before closing his eyes and searched for another presence in his own mind, jolting when he heard a voice shouting loudly to be heard; he is unsure how he was unaware of it till just now. "I believe I am experiencing something similar."

Before he is able to reach a hand for Salix, to share his mind with her, they both heard the sound of some type of energy weapon firing. A woman comes running around the corner and is firing upon beasts that are chasing her. Evander and Salix bring up their own stun weapons and fire off a few shots, taking down the last two possibly changed children. Thankfully, it looks like the energy weapon the woman was using was also a type of stunner.

The woman spins towards them but doesn't raise her weapon at them but neither does she put it up. She has a slight green tinge to her skin and long, pointed, ears. Her mind reminded Evander of a still river that has hidden currents underneath the surface. "Greetings, I am Commander Spock of Starfleet and First Officer of the United Federation starship Enterprise. Do you know the name of this planet, it looks like Earth during the beginning of the 21st century?"

Evander tilts his head slightly, as his translation micro-nanites engage and process this new language. "I am Commander Evander of the Lantean warship Curatrix and this is my lead scientist, Salix. We are on the planet Terra in the Avalon Galaxy and we are unaware of the year. Previously, we were on our ship checking out an anomaly in Terra's system when we appeared on the planet's surface."

Commander Spock raised a sharp eyebrow before replying. "I believe I experienced something similar, as I was on the Enterprise before I awoke here. Though our ship had not encountered an anomaly of any kind and we were still hours away from a planet in the beta quadrant. I have been unable to get in contact with either the Enterprise or my Captain, Kirk."

"If you wish, you can come with us onto the Curatrix and we can scan for your ship. If it is in this galaxy, we will pick it up." Evander offered, as he sensed no ill-will from Commander Spock.

"I believe that is perhaps the best choice, at this moment. How will we be getting there, transporter or transport ship?" Spock asked, curious. She was slightly wary but sensed no malice from either of the two beings; though with how well trained their minds were, it was entirely possible they were hiding their true intentions. Evander and Salix had minds that were calmer and more even than Vulcan elders, though warmer and much more curious.

To Spock's surprise, a small slanted cylindrical ship shimmered into view down the street. "We will use a gate ship because I am unaware of a transport platform in a reasonable distance."

The three quickly headed towards the gate ship, keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings for another attack.

Evander slid into the pilot's chair and re-cloaked the ship with a thought before taking off towards Curatrix.

Spock had to work to keep her surprise to herself, as the small ship quickly passed through the atmosphere and it wasn't long before a massive ship came into view. Far larger than any Federation ship that Spock was aware of. Spock estimated it was between 3,200 to 3,500 meters long and that was a very rough estimate, with only the small ship to use in comparison.

Not only that but it seemed as if the small ship was piloted by thought alone. Commander Evander piloted the small ship into a large multi-level bay on the back side of what looked like a long attachment to the side of the main ship; the front of which had several antenna-like structures attached to it. There were 11 other ships that matched the one they were in docked on the 2nd and 3rd level along with a larger ship in the center.

The three quickly departed with Spock quietly following the other two, while observing everything around themselves. She was beginning to think these were members of a highly advanced species and their technology was so far very unlike any she had seen among the Federation.

"We'll be transporting to the main bridge." Evander explained as they entered a small room, right outside of the ship bay. With a bright white light, they disappeared before reappearing in a similar room and emerged in a wide, well-lit, hallway. The architecture was nothing like the sharp and occasionally sterile look of the Enterprise.

As they entered the large Bridge, the Commander quickly settled into the center raised seat. The Commander's seat had slightly slanted work tables on either side and wide hand rests that obviously allowed some type of connection; they had lit up as soon as the Commander had laid his hands on them. Salix, on the other hand, went to a station to the far right and began pulling up images on a viewing screen. There were multiple stations spread across the spacious area and most faced towards the massive viewport that looked out over the ship and into space.

Spock took a step closer to Salix's station and tried to comprehend the information that had been brought up but it made no sense and was in no language that she recognized. The pair was quiet for several long minutes, obviously analyzing the data their ship had collected. Though Salix did have Spock explain Enterprise's energy signature and its last known location.

"I've cloaked the ship, as the planet has advanced enough technology to get a visual of us if they haven't already. I've set the Curatrix to monitoring communications, in case they try to contact us. There isn't another ship in this star system but there are hundreds scattered across the galaxy with various energy signatures and none that match Spock's description. The most confusing information is that we have two full zero-point energy crystals and the ship is in perfect condition. The minor damage we sustained in the last encounter with the Wraith is gone and Curatrix is in good enough shape to have just finished being constructed; except we still have all her upgrades. The ship is emitting faint but similar energy readings as where we came from, as are we." The Commander reported as he turned towards them.

Spock wasn't surprised to hear that the Enterprise hadn't been found, especially if she wasn't in the same century or possible universe, but still couldn't deny she wasn't disappointed. What would happen if she was never able to get back to the Enterprise or Kirk; they had just gotten their shit together, as her Captain liked to say, and now this.

Salix nodded, "I'm getting similar readings and I've found a center that the energy seems to be radiating from. It supports the idea that our consciousness is possessing these bodies and the surge of this particular type of metaphysical energy has somehow facilitated that."

Spock had heard the pair discussing what the 'voices' they believed were the original owners of their body were telling them when they were flying towards Curatrix. Apparently, they were told to find someone named Giles but the Commander and Salix both wished to get better energy readings. Spock had not been able to communicate in such a way but the minds of the deformed beings on the planet had been oddly dual-natured.

"The question is, do we try to fix the problem from here or go back to the planet's surface and try to find this Giles?" The Commander asked them.

"If we could be sure there wouldn't be a negative reaction, the simplest solution would be to use a drone to destroy the center or perhaps a remotely controlled gate ship." Salix offered.

"We can't take that chance; the population is too dense if the explosion is amplified and we have no idea the psychological consequences that would have on those of us affected," Spock added to the conversation.

The three spent the next several minutes deciding on a course of action before the ship let out an alarm. "What-" Salix cut off as the three of them were hit by a wave of energy and knocked out.

General Hammond rubbed a hand over his face before going back to looking at the picture that one of the NORAD satellites had taken before the ship had disappeared completely. It had appeared with no warning and had disappeared just the same; they couldn't even be sure that it was still there. SGC hadn't gotten ahold of the pictures till the ship had already disappeared; he had made a note to find out what had delayed the relay of the pictures from NORAD above them.

He was currently waiting for SG-1 to arrive, as they had been off base for a team cookout at Colonel O'Neill's place. If they got into contact with the space ship, SG-1 would be making first contact.

A bottle of Tums and a bottle of water appeared in front of him and he gave the MSgt. a grateful look. "Thanks, Walter."

"No problem, Sir. We are still keeping a look at communications but so far, it seems as if no civilian saw the ship while it was still visible. Though there have been reports of something making a streak through the atmosphere, we haven't received any pictures or video. We'll begin trying to communicate with the ship as soon as you give word."

"After I brief SG-1, then we'll begin trying to contact the ship if it is still there."

MSgt Harriman nodded before going back to his station, looking out over the gate room below.

Xander shook his head, trying to clear it, but just succeeded in making his head pound even worse. When he heard a soft groan to the side, he bolted up to see Willow and Buffy sitting up from the floor. "You guys okay?" He asked, as he headed over to them and helped them up off the floor.

"Xander...look behind you." Willow said in a quiet voice, causing him to spin around and still at the view of space he was offered. "I don't think we went back to normal; I still have all of Salix's memories."

Xander swallowed roughly as he realized the same thing, he knew every detail about Evander's life and not only that but he could do any of the things the Lantean had been able to. "Same, Buffy?"

She shook her head and he was thankful to see that she had lost the green tinge to her skin and pointy ears. "Not exactly. I don't think I'm half-Vulcan anymore but I still have faded memories and I think I'm smarter."

"So, why did we stay the same?" Willow asked, curious as always.

"Maybe because we were evolved along our evolutionary path instead of completely changing species. Humans, as we know them, were made with the same basic physiology as the Alterans and were meant to eventually evolve along similar lines, as long as they didn't purposefully diverge themselves with genetic experimentation. Plus, we went as beings that are real, not a fictional character." Xander offered an explanation, his mind considering multiple ideas before giving the most likely.

Willow nodded slowly before Buffy asked a question, "Does that mean that all the others that were changed will have memories of what happened?"

The three looked at each other with barely suppressed horror, hoping that wasn't the case.

"Maybe you kept what you have because of the Slayer spirit, as that makes you slightly different from your average human, but we won't know till we get into contact with Giles. We need to head back down and see what happened and who or what stopped it." Willow said hopefully.

The three nodded before quickly making their way toward the transporter that would take them to a gate ship bay.

Giles shook his head and rubbed at his temple with one hand, trying to comprehend all he had been told. "So, you are saying that two of you have been completely changed by the spell and Buffy still has memories. Not only that but there is a space ship in orbit above Earth?"

The Watcher couldn't help but ask, again, because it seemed nearly unbelievable but they all seemed changed, though Willow and Xander the most obvious because of the knowledge they had of the spell and hellmouth; the conversation of types of metaphysical energies and the fabric of the dimension had been a level of knowledge that couldn't be faked and had gone far beyond what he knew. He would need to sit them both down and get them to explain what they knew, though Willow seemed better informed than Xander on the subject.

The three changed teens nodded seriously and Giles wanted to track down Ethan and continue the 'discussion' they had been having before the man had managed to escape. The supposedly quiet Halloween night had turned out anything but and now he knew there would be lasting consequences. He, along with the unlikely duo of Angel and Cordelia, had discovered the origin of the costumes and had confronted Ethan and destroyed the bust of Janus that had been the anchor for the chaos spell.

"From what we saw and found out from Ethan, there shouldn't have been any lasting consequences. Those who were affected, shouldn't have anything but possibly faded memories that would quickly disappear. The spell absolutely didn't have the power or parameters to create a space ship." Giles knew that type of power, if even possible, would have killed Ethan.

"As I said before, I believe it is because Lanteans are real but Vulcans and many of the other costumes were not. There is also the possibility that distance played a significant factor in us not changing back. As for my ship, it could have very likely already been cloaked in space; though the pristine condition and full energy crystals were obvious alterations. The last memories I have as Evander is when my ship had arrived back in Terra's system from Pegasus, after being told to return by the Lantean Council before they departed Atlantis, and after the passengers and the rest of the crew departed, Salix and Evander were going to investigate an anomaly before finishing repairs to the damaged ship. You must also consider that space wasn't littered with a variety of ships, even though it is likely there were other space ship captains that were transformed; this is another factor that supports my idea that Curatrix was already in this solar system, just cloaked." Xander offered.

Willow nodded before added her own thoughts. "My memories stop in a similar place and I have to agree with why we kept out changes. Along with the fact that this god Janus, is likely an Ascended. Among the Alterans that left with us to avoid a war with the more pious Ori, who were becoming violently zealous in their beliefs, there were still those who held similar but more peaceful ideals. They believed their path to ascension was much more spiritual and didn't agree that worship, with careful restrictions and reciprocation, was detrimental to them as ascended beings. Janus may have been a more scientific mind, an unbelievably brilliant one-even among us, but that doesn't mean he didn't balance that with a more spiritual aspect along his path to ascension. It is highly possible that he chose a path that led to reciprocal worship."

"Reciprocal worship?" Giles couldn't help but be intrigued by the new knowledge that was available to him now but it was tempered with the fact that Willow and Xander would be forever changed by the events of this night. He could only hope that the changes weren't detrimental to them in the long run.

"The Ori created a religion called Origin, that was supposedly to help others along the path to ascension but they corrupted and twisted it. Those of the Ori that would ascend would use the forced worship they received to become more powerful; one of their goals was to become so powerful they could destroy any other Ascended that didn't follow them. This type of forced worship, without a return of some sort to the worshippers, twisted the Ascended Ori even more. The Alterans who left to avoid a war with the Ori put in place restrictions upon those who planned to receive worship in their ascended state and discouraged it altogether. It limited the power those who ascended along that path would be able to wield and the amount of worship they could receive. They would only receive true worship from devote followers or those who followed correct rituals and in exchange for the worship they had to provide something, though only with a direct request. In the case of Janus, Ethan used a ritual to evoke an aspect of him and in exchange for Ethan's worship, he powered the chaos spell." Willow informed Giles.

"Ah, very interesting. How about-" Giles was cut off from more questions by Buffy.

"I know this is all fascinating stuff and even I want to know more but I would also like to make it home and get a couple hours of sleep. Species changes are exhausting."

"I suppose this can wait, we will reconvene sometime this weekend or Monday." Giles wouldn't mind some sleep for himself, after the long evening.

The three give him quick nods of agreement before heading out of the library.

Xander headed back to the cloaked gate ship that was parked on the football field, as he planned to go back to Curatrix for the night. There had been information that he hadn't had time to investigate earlier on-board the ship, such as the filled storage rooms and raw material hold. Along with checking out the ships in all 3 ship bays and the results of the deep scan that Xander had started before they had left the warship. The deep scan of Terra and its solar system should be completed and he would have all the locations of the Lantean labs that had been created when they had traveled back to Terra from Pegasus and the ones from before they left Terra. That and the location of the Astria Porta, if it had been moved from its previous location on Terra's south pole.

Xander didn't comment when Willow slid into the co-pilot chair of the gate ship, just let his fingertips brush hers in communication; an automatic gesture that had been common between Evander and Salis, who had been as close as siblings. They had been born the same year, along with 8 others on Atlantis, and had gone through common classes together before they had gone into their more specific fields. When Evander had been granted his own ship, and then small fleet, he had immediately requested Salix as his lead scientist.

"Sleep before you start investigating or you'll never get to sleep." Willow ordered, as they lifted off and headed towards Curatrix.

Xander wanted to argue but he could feel his fatigue dragging at him and knew he would give into his oldest friend. He gave a grumpy grunt in agreement, which brought an amused eye roll from Willow.