"Balance For All But One" by Shadow Master aka Ryley Breen

(AtLA/Marvel Comics/BtVS)

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the copyrighted material contained herein. They are the rightful property of their respective creators and/or associated companies. I make no profit off of this fanfic whatsoever nor do I intend to change this in the future. I write this because it's fun and because there are those that enjoy reading my stories. Therefore I would be greatly appreciative if the lawyers for these respective materials didn't file a lawsuit against me because I can promise you that what you'll get won't even cover a single day of legal fees.

Note: As far as timeline goes here I'm going by episode airdates for BtVS and the month/year that's posted on the comic book issue as far as Marvel comics is concerned.

Note 2: While I will be doing my best to adhere to canon for 'Avatar the Last Airbender', Earth-616 Marvel Comics Universe and 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' there will be some deviations to varying degrees. This is because I have a specific story I wish to tell but there will almost certainly be facts, figures or scenarios that will get in the way of this story. Therefore if you are a fanfic reader who refuses to read stories that don't adhere to canon 100% then you might as well turn around to find something else to read.

Balance for All but One

Ethan's Costume Shop, Sunnydale, California

October 31st, 1997

Xander's POV

Dammit! There goes the last gun! he thought as he watched an eight year old kid walk away with the toy firearm. Guess I'm going to have to find something else.

It hadn't been his original plan to dress up for Halloween; he'd planned to just do a monster movie marathon with the gang, but when Snyder had dragged them into being chaperones for the elementary school students, he'd had to come up with something quick. When they'd been let out early to get their costumes, he'd planned on getting a toy gun from this place then go to the army surplus store on 8th avenue for some military fatigues. However with the last gun gone and no time to go hunting elsewhere for a substitute, he was back at square one and he needed something else.

Looking over at Buffy and Willow, he could only frown in disapproval at the way they were gushing over a frilly dress that would cover Buffy like a tent. It'd be a dressed up tent with lots of bows and decorations but it still wasn't something he could see the appeal of. He'd seen pictures, he'd seen the odd TV show or movie, but nothing really made him think more than 'meh' when it came to the old style dresses. In his mind, wearing something like that was a step back for the whole 'women lib' thing and he knew his friends knew it as well. The only reason they were probably looking at it was because of a certain undead corpse Buffy was infatuated with. He called it infatuation because he believed that, just like him, the Slayer was answering the call of her hormones and lust rather than discovering true love. After all, when he saw a pretty girl, it was lust that hit him first and, while the potential for love might exist, he wasn't stupid enough to think love at first sight actually existed. That was just a storybook fantasy that appealed to hopeless romantics and schoolgirls wanting to believe that their 'one and only' was out there somewhere.

He stopped believing in love at first sight right about the time he stopped believing that his parents would someday be nice to him again.

With a sigh he looked away from the girls with their delusions of romance and towards the various costumes as well as costume pieces that were arrayed about the store. There were many different things, ranging from superhero costumes from the various teams out there to characters from the movies. Still, going as a superhero was just so… cliché, plus he'd done it for the last five years so it was time for something new. As for movie characters, there was nothing really that jumped out at him as someone he wanted to pretend to be for a single night.

It was when he reached the furthest corner of the store that he saw an outfit that seemed… different… from the rest of the costumes. It wasn't a hero costume or even very modern, given the billowing nature and the oddly Asian designs he saw on it. Curious, he took it down from where it hung with the rest of the outfits and saw that it was definitely a robe of some kind with billowing sleeves that went all the way down the ground. Holding it up to his body, he could see that if he wore it, the only things that'd be visible would be his hands and his head. It had what looked to be these double shoulder pad things but there was no real padding in them and there was this loose belt at roughly waist level that he could see. It was an odd combination of reds but, looking at it, he couldn't really figure out what it was supposed to be. A wizard? A wise man perhaps? Maybe some old martial arts master but that was the best he could figure out with the thing.

He was about to put it back where he found it when an idea struck him that'd earn him brownie points with both Giles and Willow if he went with it.

It had been years ago when he and Willow had first seen the 1978 version of the Lord of the Rings animated movie that they'd become interested in the idea of wizards, elves and pointy weapons. Willow, being the more ambitious of the bunch, had managed to get the original books from the local library starting with 'The Hobbit' and going right through to 'The Return of the King'. After she'd finished reading them, all she'd started telling him all about them like it was the greatest thing ever but he'd told her that it just wasn't his thing. Somehow by saying this, he'd tripped over some rule of 'the girl code' and his best bud had decided that the silent treatment was an appropriate punishment. Jesse hadn't been too concerned, figuring that their redheaded friend would get over it eventually, but he'd been more worried and so used to his daily dose of Willow-babble that he'd caved in. He'd gone to her and done his best to apologize to her but all she'd done was give him 'the look' followed by 'the cold shoulder'.

He'd chosen to do something he'd never have done under anything but the direst circumstances: he'd decided to read all four of the books Willow had read.

It hadn't been easy for a guy who'd pretty much lived off of comic books and TV but, with the help of a trusty dictionary as well as a Thesaurus, he'd slowly made his way through each book. Much to his surprise, it wasn't boring and some parts actually had him ignoring his superhero comics completely just so he could get another chapter in. By the time he'd finished reading the last one, he'd come to understand what Willow had seen in them and, while he hadn't gone crazy over it like she had, it'd made him reconsider his tastes a little bit. A few days later he'd quoted dialogue from the books almost word for word in front of Willow and she'd been so impressed that he'd gone to such lengths to make her happy that all had been forgiven.

Of course when she'd begun dumping a dozen or so other books she really liked in his lap, he'd felt a twinge of regret at what he'd unleashed but had muddled through just the same.

Now, though, he had an idea that was both unique and a good homage to the original character of Gandalf. He'd go out tonight as an Asian version of Gandalf, what the Grey Pilgrim would've looked like if someone in China had written Lord of the Rings, making it a lot more original than most of the costumes that'd be on the streets later. Feeling the fabric, he was pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn't that heavy, so he wouldn't be sweating himself into a case of heat stroke.

Looks like I've got a plan. Just have to get a couple of odds and ends first though.

Going throughout the store, he began to hunt for the little things he'd need for his costume, completely putting his girls out of his mind as he went. He'd need a wig, a fake beard, maybe a bald skull cap to go under the wig to fake a receding hairline, a leather strap for the whole topknot thing he'd seen in samurai movies and some other things. By the time he'd found everything he could think of for the costume, his arms were pretty full but he still managed to get to the cashier's counter without dropping anything.

"I say, dear boy, you seem to have chosen quite the number of items from my store," the cashier remarked with genuine surprise. "Have something ambitious planned do we?"

"Maybe a little but I'm kinda aiming for unique, too. I'll have to wait and see about that one."

"Yes, well, I'd say you're off to a good start," the cashier said as he finished putting the smaller items into a normal grocery bag before putting the robes into some kind of special dress bag. "In fact you've lucked out already. We have a discount for large purchases like this: all of it for half price."

"Really?" he asked, looking at the price that'd been rung up on the cash register.

"Oh, yes. It's quite common back home for newly opening stores to have opening week deals in order to put themselves above already established businesses," the cashier said as the necessary amount of money was exchanged. "Now be sure to tell all your friends about this place."

"Count on it."

Looking over at Buffy and Willow he could see that they were still oohing and ahhing the frilly dress that the former obviously wanted to get for a certain undead corpse with fire hazard hair. For a moment he debated going over and letting them know that he'd found his costume but then he remembered Buffy obliterating his manly rep in front of the entire school. Sure, they'd had half of a touching reconciliation moment when they'd entered the store but, in his opinion, that was pretty much half ruined by her walking off like a zombie towards the frilly dress meant for Deadboy.

Still… the right thing to do, he supposed, would be to turn the other cheek and forgive her for her little teenage delusions because quite frankly that was the only excuse he could come up with to explain her attraction to Angel. Hopefully when she was older and WISER she'd realize that her relationship with Angel was never going to work out and that she should stick with human boyfriends, or at least living boyfriends.

"Hey! You guys picked out your costumes yet?" he asked once he'd gotten close to where they were.

"I got mine!" Willow replied holding up a bag containing a ghost costume.

Same old Willow. I guess enough of Buffy's boldness hasn't rubbed off on her yet for anything different.

"And I think I've found mine," Buffy replied her eyes never leaving the frilly dress before her. "What did you get?"

Surprise of surprises, the blonde actually glanced in his direction after the final words slipped from her mouth but only for a couple of seconds.

"It's a surprise. I'll spin by your place to hook up with you before we head to the school," he hedged, deciding to take a little bit of revenge by keeping her in the dark. "You'll find out then."

When Willow merely smiled at him with the look of curiosity in her eyes while Buffy kept her peepers locked on the dress, he mentally sighed with disappointment before leaving the store.

Here's hoping some chocolatey goodness can cheer me up, 'cause I'm gonna need it.

A Little Over a Half An Hour Later, Summers Home, Mrs. Summers' POV

Ding-dong.

That must be Xander, she thought as she put down the bowl of candy on a table near the front door. Hopefully he can rescue Willow from my ambitious daughter.

She agreed with her daughter in the sense that it was a good thing to try and coax Willow out of her shell but in her opinion it was something done at a pace the redhead could handle. Her daughter, on the other hand, seemed determined to make her friend the most popular girl in school by the end of this school year and prom queen by the end of the next one. That was much too quick for such a shy young woman such as Willow but all the times she'd told her daughter that had fallen on deaf ears. She supposed that might've been due to the period of time when she'd thought she could be a better mother by reading many current books on how to be a better single mother or how to deal with problem children. Honestly it had sounded like a good idea at the time and a lot of the books had perfectly logical trains of thought to support the advice they provided. However, when she actually tried to put the advice into actual use, she usually wound up confusing or embarrassing her daughter so she'd decided to put the books to better use; being a deposit at the local recycling center.

Opening the door, she was beholden to a sight that she hadn't expected and, for a brief moment, she wondered if she'd been wrong thinking it'd be Xander ringing her doorbell. Standing before her, dressed in unusual robes, seemed to be a man in his fifties with a slightly curly white beard and long hair going down the back though some of it was tied up into a knot on the top of the head. Looking down out of idle curiosity, she spotted what looked to be black sandals sticking out from the bottom of the robe but even after that she couldn't quite figure out who the person before her was supposed to be.

"Is there something I can help you with?" she asked politely, believing that that could be the only reason for a stranger knocking on her door.

"Why yes, dear lady, you can. I was wondering if the Lady Buffy and the Lady Willow were ready yet." The man's voice was probably meant to sound wise and cultured but it missed the mark slightly. "We have something of an engagement in less than half an hour and I would hate for us to be late."

"Xander? Is that you?"

The 'old man' instantly smiled in a way she recognized all too well and she could see the somewhat hidden edges of the skull cap and the unnaturalness of the beard. She didn't know how Xander had done it but the young man had managed quite the feat of make-up concealment but she decided he just might have the knack for it professionally. Maybe she should suggest he think about a career as one of those people that put the monster knick-knacks on the actors for the movies.

"Yep! Sorry for the act but I wanted to see if my outfit was good enough." Xander replied in his usual voice.

"It certainly is quite a bit more thorough then most Halloween costumes," she said, taking in the entire costume once more. "It must've cost you a lot to get all the pieces."

"Not really. The store was running a special deal since it was their opening week," he said as he entered the house. "So, are Buffy and Willow almost ready? We really have to get going soon if we want to avoid angering Herr Snyder."

"If what I've been hearing is right then they should be along in a few minutes." She was confident that she had interpreted the muffled talking of the two girls properly.

As though she'd seen the future, her daughter appeared in her fabulous dress looking every bit the princess she'd always thought Buffy was when she was little. She still occasionally thought of her daughter as a princess but those times were getting fewer and fewer as teenager habits kept cropping up every week. Still, it was nice to see her little girl returning to her 'princess obsession' even if it was only for one night before teenage angst kicked in again.

"Buffy! Lady of Buffdom, Duchess of Buffonia, I am in awe! I completely renounce spandex!" Xander exclaimed, sounding a bit surprised.

Not surprising since very few guys in her experience tended to go for the whole ballroom dress bit when they were teenagers, especially when there was something more form fitting available. She suspected that was what had drawn Hank to that hussy of a secretary: the tramp had appealed to his libido with tight, revealing outfits while she had chosen more refined and dignified clothes. Therefore it was good to see that Xander, while still suffering from the same issue as Hank did, was at least willing to acknowledge the beauty of the dress and how superior it was in some areas to spandex.

"Why thank you, kind sir!" Buffy said before doing a somewhat passable curtsy. "Um… what are you supposed to be?"

She couldn't exactly blame her daughter for not being able to figure it out since she still couldn't quite figure it out either. Personally she was thinking maybe some sort of feudal lord or maybe a magician but she wasn't one hundred percent certain.

"Well, I got this idea when we were at the costume store about what Gandalf would've looked like if someone in Japan or China thought him up instead of Tolkein," Xander replied, gesturing to his costume. "This is what I came up with. Cool, huh? I think Willow and G-man will get a kick out of it."

Now that she had the missing information, she could certainly see the connection the young man had tried to make and it certainly fit the description he'd given. She couldn't help but grin at how Xander had managed to put such a unique and ultimately successful spin on such a classic character.

"Who's Gandalf?" Buffy asked, clearly clueless about Xander's answer.

I really have to get Buffy to read something more than romance novels or teen magazines, she sighed, unable to keep from rolling her eyes at her daughter's narrow scope of interests.

"Whatever," Buffy said, pushing aside something she clearly saw as irrelevant. "Wait until you see…"

Another set of footsteps could be heard approaching the top of the stairs and, like the rest, she looked to see what Willow had chosen to dress up as. When a sheet covered figure with two holes around the eyes and the word 'Boo' on the front appeared, she was a bit surprised since she'd thought it'd be a little more risqué with all the talking she'd heard. Looking at her daughter, she could tell immediately that it HAD been something a bit more risqué but that the redhead had chickened out.

"…Casper." Buffy finished, sounding quite disappointed that her efforts had been wasted.

"Hey, Will! That's a… fine boo you got there." Xander said with his usual smile that looked only slightly out of place in his wizard's outfit.

"Thanks," Willow said, slightly muffled by her ghost costume. "We should probably get going. We don't want Principal Snyder to mark us as late."

"Yeah. Knowing the little general, he'd mark us as late even if we were five minutes early," Xander said, clearly having a low opinion of the man.

While she could not herself say anything about the man since she'd never met Principal Snyder, she presumed that this was just the usual teenage stuff the popped up when an adult was being somewhat strict with them.

"Have a good time," she said as the trio walked out of the house. "I'll make sure there's plenty of candy left for you when you get back."

"Thanks, Mrs. S!" Xander said over his shoulder as he walked onto the sidewalk.

Seeing the three young people walk away, she couldn't help but believe she was looking at a strong friendship that would last until they all died as grumpy old people. It soothed her heart to know that even after she died there would be someone to keep her little girl safe and help her through whatever troubles life sent her way.

Maybe if I'm lucky, Buffy and Xander will be given one more reason to take care of one another, she thought as whimsical possibility crossed her mind.

The Realm of the Deities, Janus' POV

Well this is turning out to be a completely shit-tastic day! he thought as he entered his place of power, where he'd answer this cycle's series of supplications from his worshippers.

Normally he looked forward to hearing what the mortals who worshipped him wanted to use his power for because, quite often, it was very amusing. Sure, he might not get any press like Zeus and his demigod son, Hercules, but to those that had a thing for gateways, time and especially transitions often looked to him because that was just another word for chaos. After all, people equated the upsetting of the status quo as chaos but such moments were also periods of transition to a new improved status quo. True, most humans who called upon him for chaos didn't care about improving things or changing the status quo but that was what usually happened. Most proponents of chaos were in it strictly for amusement or vengeance but he didn't mind since he made sure that those whose prayers he answered were too small-minded to do any read damage. Oh, sure, he had to do the odd big show of power in order to maintain his reputation but he was careful enough to not do anything to upset other deities to the point where they'd do more than lecture him.

Bottom line, his was usually a fun bit of work.

Not today, though.

Just before the beginning of the cycle, he received 'a call' from the goddess that had been his consort for the past five centuries, Peitho, and in the beginning he'd presumed it was to formalize their next evening together. However the truth proved to be far worse as she'd told him that she was leaving him for some human who just happened to be immortal but was otherwise no different from his mortal brethren. Oh, she had done the whole 'it is not you, it's me' thing as well as a few other excuses that most mortal women used when they broke off a relationship with a man. However the worst part was that she'd told him that she'd be introducing the human to all of her children and, when you consider the fact that Peitho was just as old as he was, that meant there were a LOT of children. She was concerned that he might very well choose to 'act out' due to this news so she'd be placing wards of obscurity and illusion around them all so he couldn't find them. The women didn't even seem to realize that five of those children were his, with three of them being ones he was fond enough to actually visit every other year.

She was essentially putting the deity equivalent of a restraining order on him for at least a decade per child.

He'd tried to bring that point up but she'd just ignored him and cut the connection as well as block his efforts to re-establish it.

After he'd prepared for 'work', he had received another call from the governing body known to mortals as 'The Powers That Be', who had proceeded to inform him that there would be further restrictions placed on all beta level deities in two human months. Most of the big name deities didn't bother listening to those pretentious assholes because, even though the group had authority from the Almighty, the nine weren't really all that powerful under most circumstances. Only when specific variables were in play could the PTB tap into the power allotted to them by the Creator but, when those moments did present themselves, no one could oppose them. Sadly one of those moments involved adjusting the restrictions on what deities below alpha level could do in the mortal world or what spells they could empower. For the last fifty years, the pricks had used the growing superhuman community and rapidly progressing sciences as excuses to tighten the reins on everyone they could, however they could. Higher level deities could blow off any memos and restrictions sent their way because they possessed power enough to make a fight of things if the Powers pressed them too hard.

Making a mess in the higher, lower and mortal realms was one of the few things the Powers That Be wanted to avoid more than anything.

However for deities like himself, there was only so much defiance that could be shown before they had to give into their authority.

If they were going to increase restrictions on his level of deity soon, then his fun would be sharply curtailed and it was hard enough already to have a good time. While he hadn't read through the entire memo they'd sent him, he'd read enough to know that it'd keep him off Earth save when summoned by an alpha level deity or an apocalypse. It'd also reduce the spells he could empower to mere parlor tricks and that would cut the number of worshippers he had in half, if he was lucky, and down to one third if he wasn't.

Given that the lion's share of a deity's power either came from the people that worship them or an otherworldly source of energy, reducing his worshippers would reduce his power. Reducing his power would make him less favorable as an option to his worshippers, causing them to find something or someone else to worship. That would in turn reduce the number of followers and even a genius could see how this'd turn out in the end.

It'd end with him being reduced to a memory or worse, a forgotten memory.

The more he thought about it, the more furious he became at how his life had got straight to crap in an unbelievably short period of time. Yet when he tapped into the first request, inspiration hit him and caused him to smile a smile that was usually reserved for super villains and particularly cunning tricksters. One of his more experienced acolytes, Ethan Rayne, was preparing to call upon him to power to fuel an old favorite of his that always managed to bring a smile to his face. It was always so interesting because each generation that performed it contributed such interesting ideas and concepts that never failed to keep him amused. The fact that Rayne was planning on performing the spell on a hellmouth only made things better since it was notoriously difficult to pierce the demonic interference the dimensional weak spot put out. If he played his cards right, he could manage a feat of power that would ensure that no mortal forgot Janus for at least half a millennia.

Reaching out with his mind, he located each and every item prepared to receive his power in order to see what the mortals had prepared for him this time. There were indeed quite a few interesting choices but it wasn't until his senses fell upon one that he something with truly magnificent potential that made all others inconsequential.

Alexander LaVelle Harris.

He'd heard about the mortal and how the young man had managed to destroy a prophecy planted by the Powers themselves and it intrigued him that so ordinary a person could do so. There were many people with superhuman power across the planet that had tried to do the same only to fail while a small few actually succeeded. The ones that were victorious were usually those with overwhelming power or actually managed to find a loophole in the prophecy that the Powers That Be hadn't thought of when they'd sent it to one of their seers. The boy, on the other hand, had broken the prophecy of the Slayer's death through sheer determination and a little bit of C.P.R.

That was impressive to say the least.

However as he peered deep into the young man's soul that he found the reason why Alexander had managed to accomplish such a feat and that was what caught his attention. Buried deep within the layers of normality there existed a small essence fragment that came from the entity known only as Infinity. Throughout existence there were only five beings whose existence very nearly matched that of the Almighty when combined and Infinity was one of them. Each of them embodied a certain element of reality but all of them possessed power on a level that no one, save the Creator, could oppose. According to rumor, there existed a bit of Infinity in every living thing in this reality but that in ninety-nine point ninety-nine percent of the reality's population, the amount was so small so as to be inconsequential. However there were extremely rare cases in which the amount was not quite so small and usually enabled the being who possessed it to perform one planetary act of cosmic power or several smaller acts before using up this energy.

Mister Harris was one such individual.

It explained so much including how he'd been able to resist and ultimately obliterate the prophecy of the Powers That Be.

According to his sight, the boy had managed to use some of the essence of Infinity within him but there was still enough for one final spectacle that would cause the Powers headaches for years to come. With this in mind, he turned his attention to the costume the young man was wearing and what it was supposed to be in order to see if it was awe inspiring enough. A Chinese wizard version of the fictional Gandalf the Grey… not a poor choice but still not something that could generate the 'show stopper' he wanted. How could he build upon this? Peering across the Earth and connected realms, he tried to find something, ANYTHING, that he could connect to this costume to get what he wanted out of the spell his acolyte was moments away from casting.

It wasn't until he peered into the mind of someone in Burbank, California that he found something that made him believe he had the covert support of the Almighty. A man currently in the TV business had a mind that possessed a tentative connection to another reality and, while he doubted the guy would ever consciously be aware of it, there would be some bleed off in the man's dreams. Indeed the man might take what he saw in his dreams and perhaps turn it into a successful television show or movie but that would be the extent of it.

In his case, though, he'd get a great deal more out of it.

Following the connection to the other end, he was surprised at the world that existed there because it was unlike anything he'd seen before and it had the one thing that would serve his purposes nicely. In this reality existed humans capable of manipulating the four classic elements via a style of martial arts unique to each element. Air, Water, Earth and Fire were all being manipulated with surprising skill but the focus of his interest was the one being who wore clothes close enough to what Alexander was wearing to suit his needs. The man in the other world was unique for, while every other human could only manipulate one element, the elderly man he had his eyes on could control all four. Using his dominion over time, he was only able to see a few months into the wise man's future but it was enough to see that the scarlet-clad man was an even bigger catch than he'd originally thought.

The man known as Roku was something called 'The Avatar' and possessed the ability to enter a powerful state that amplified the guy's elemental attributes to magnificent levels. Going from person to person within the realm, he was able to learn much about this 'Avatar' business and the more he heard, the more he knew he'd found what he wanted. However there were a few things that he needed to resolve before he could successfully put his scheme into motion.

Fortunately for one whose divine domain included time, he had more than enough time to figure out just the right way to make his grand scheme work the way he desired.

He would have his grand finale no matter the consequences.

The Streets of Sunnydale, Fifteen Minutes Before the Spell Was Activated, Xander's POV

I get NO respect! he thought as he escorted his group of elementary school brats on their trick or treating rounds. None at ALL!

It was such a shame, especially since the night had started off well enough with his friends complimenting each other's costumes and making plans for after they dropped of the kids at six. Then they'd entered the school and met with Principal Snyder and that was when things took a turn for the worse when the troll made a crack about how he'd never be an old man because he'd die long before then. Still he'd tried to wash away the bad taste the tiny tyrant had left in his mouth by checking out the costumes the other chaperones had on. Some of them were the usual superhero outfits and even a few cliché monster costumes, but there were some people who'd gone the same route as him by going for something original. Too bad Murphy was determined to make this night hell on Earth for him because, once he met the little brats he was supposed to escort around, the idea of having a few words with their parents about proper instruction on the topic of manners would have been an understatement.

Still, he'd known that if he acted on his increasing fury, Snyder would make not only him but also the entire Scooby gang pay for his lack of self-control, so he kept his opinions to himself. It wasn't easy, the little monsters made sure of that, but so far he'd managed to keep anything he said to them marginally civilized. True, if the kids repeated what they'd heard to their parents, some of it could still come back to bite him in the ass since he'd used a few words no one outside of a British librarian would know. He was banking on the low attention span and selective memory issues most kids their age had when it came to people older than them to keep the gang out of trouble.

"Alright, kids, we have another twenty minutes before we have to head back, so pick your houses carefully," he said, trying to improve his mood. "I'd recommend numbers eleven, thirteen and nineteen. They haven't given out anything healthy for as long as I can remember and chocolate is definitely their treat of choice."

Naturally they ignored him and went wherever they wanted.

He was about to mutter something particularly nasty when his primal instincts told him that something had changed in the world around him. He tried to find it but, no matter where he looked, there didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary and Giles had told Buffy that Halloween was a no evil night for demons.

Two seconds later, what he could only sense on the most primal of levels hit him and, even as he felt the world pull away from him, he knew something life changing was about to happen.

Roku's POV

Poison in the air.

Heat all around him that he could no longer bend to his will.

Regrets that plagued him as his body struggled for each successive breath.

Chief among them was his failure to stop a lifelong friend from plunging the world that he had a duty to protect into a state of war.

Then, without warning… he felt revitalized and all the things his senses had been conveying to him vanished replaced with a cool breeze and the smell of something that reminded him of smoke from a distant fire.

He opened his eyes and beheld a landscape that was unlike anything he had ever seen in any of the four nations and, considering his duties, he felt it safe to say he'd been just about everywhere. There were houses of a design he'd never seen before, made of materials he didn't know and lit from within by something other than flames. There were metal… vehicles… that made the newest war machines seem pathetically primitive by comparison lining the sides of the street or at rest within feet of the houses. It was all so bizarre but he could feel within himself the power of the Avatar and a casual wave of his right arm proved that he could still firebend. Deciding to go a bit further, he quickly did a few basic moves from each bending discipline in order to confirm that the elements had not abandoned him in this strange new world.

This proved to be a good thing as a particularly fearsome growl caused him to whirl around and what he saw only confirmed what he had already concluded. Running towards him at a height of three feet were scaled little creatures that matched the phrase humanoid lizards quite nicely and apparently the quartet of creatures saw a meal in him.

"While I can understand your desire to satisfy your hunger, little ones, I am afraid that you shall have to seek it elsewhere," he said, performing an air swipe with his left arm.

It took little time for his crescent-shaped construct to hit the four but, as he'd intended, it knocked them off their feet rolled them a good number of meters back before stopping. When they got to their feet, they looked at him for a few seconds, growling angrily as they did, before coming to the conclusion that it was better to search for easier prey than continue their attack on him.

Now that that is resolved, I had best find out how I came to be here. He put his arms into his billowing sleeves, I must find a way back to my world.

"Xander, how did you do that?"

Turning to face the owner of the voice, he immediately focused his gaze on her head for she wore clothes that normally weren't seen off of a Fire Nation beach or the bedroom.

"I am afraid you have mistaken me for someone else, young lady," he said politely while never letting his gaze drop below her shoulders. "I am not Xander and I am quite certain I have never met you before tonight."

"Xander, quite messing around. This is no time for jokes," the young woman said, sounding a bit exasperated.

"While I'd be the first to admit that my sense of humor isn't as good as some, I am afraid you're quite mistaken about my identity," he said, once more insisting that she had mistaken him for someone else.

It was then though that he noticed something that he hadn't before.

There was a breeze on the wind causing the leaves on the trees to flutter and the grass to flow from one direction to another but not a hair on the young woman's head was moving in a similar manner. With a quick movement, he tried to grab the young woman's shoulder but was somewhat surprised to watch his hand pass right through her shoulder as if it wasn't even there. He did gain something from the action, though, for as his hand passed through the young woman, his connection immediately informed him that it was the girl's spirit he saw before him now rather than her body. This fascinated him because, as far as he knew, only an Avatar was able to separate their spirit from their body safely.

Obviously something truly extraordinary was at work this night and there was a good chance that it had something to do with the force that brought him to this world.

"Young lady, while I can understand the concept of mistaken identity, I assure you my name isn't Xander. My name is Roku and I believe that something has brought me to your world from my own," he added with a polite bow.

"No, it hasn't… well, not exactly, I think. I mean the body you're in isn't but…" said the young woman before getting a frustrated look. "Just look at yourself in the car window over there."

Deciding it would be best to humor the lady, he walked over to the window of the mechanical construct indicated and gazed upon his reflection. At first glance he didn't see anything out of place but, upon closer inspection, there were small differences in his reflection that didn't match the last time he looked at it in a mirror. There were parts of his face that were in contrast to his actual age, parts that looked more like they belonged to someone much younger, but more than that scars that had once been there were gone.

Closing his eyes, he looked inward to find his own spirit and, while he did find it, he discovered that it wasn't one with his physical form. It looked more like it had been brought across a great expanse before being connected tentatively to the body he was now in control of. It was after he spiritually looked around that he found the spirit of the person who owned the body but that soul was locked behind a potent barrier.

"It appears you are correct, young lady," he said as he returned his focus to the outside world. "I am not in my own body and, as such, I must return to it so your friend can reclaim control of his body."

"If this is magic then we need to get to Giles," the young woman said after some thought. "He knows a lot about magic. He'll know what to do."

"An excellent—" he said before a scream cut through the air grabbing his attention.

"That's Buffy! We gotta help her!" the young woman said with concern for the person who screamed.

While he truly wished to return to his own world as soon as possible, even though it was likely that only death waited for him there, he could not ignore an innocent's call for help. Using his earthbending, he launched himself into the air and onto the rooftop of the home that blocked the imperiled person from view. From the higher vantage point he could see that the person in trouble was a brown haired woman in an extravagant dress made in a style unfamiliar to him. However what puzzled him though was that the young woman was screaming in response to passing vehicles rather than anything truly threatening. Still, he was reminded of a few Fire Nation noble women who were easy to frighten and tended to cling to their husbands whenever matters became difficult. Leaping off the roof, he used a bit of airbending to cushion his landing before calmly walking towards the frightened young woman, hoping that his emotional state rubbed off on her.

"Is there something the matter, young lady?"

"Demons! Demons are everywhere!" the noble woman exclaimed, looking at him with fear in her eyes.

"You are mistaken, young lady," he said calmly. "They are not demons but machines crafted by men. You have nothing to fear from them unless you carelessly place yourself in their path."

"Truly?" she asked, sounding a little less frightened then before.

"Yes. However I do believe that it would be best if you returned to your home," he said directing her to the safest option for her. "There seems to be some mischief makers about and it would be safer for you to be inside."

"I would do as you ask but this is not the city where I live, nor do I know anyone here." Her fear and despair showed on her face and was plainly in her voice.

Another displaced individual? he thought as stroked his beard. Is she from another world like me or merely from some other region of this world? Whatever the case, it is clear she is in unfamiliar territory and incapable of caring for herself.

"Well, if that is the case, then it is my duty as a gentlemen to find a place of safety for you before I go about my business," he said with a friendly smile. "As luck would have it, I just met someone who I believe lives in this town. Perhaps she knows of a safe haven."

Holding out his hand in invitation, he was glad when she took it with a smile of her own. Gently he guided her towards the place where he had left the girl with the red hair. Fortunately he didn't need to go too far because the spirit girl had apparently chosen to follow him after he'd abruptly left, though why she didn't simply walk through the houses rather than around them was a mystery to him.

"Buffy! Are you okay?"

"Why do you call me 'Buffy'?" the noblewoman asked sounding quite confused. "That is not my name."

"Oh no! Not you too!"

"I do not see why you must be so upset!" Buffy snapped with regal annoyance in her voice. "You are simply mistaken in thinking I am this 'Buffy' person. Though how you could mistake me for her when she is likely of low class like you, I cannot understand."

This obviously offended the spirit girl and, while he would like to take the time to help them work out their differences, whatever 'magic' was at work here had to take priority. With such chaos occurring as well as the displacement of people from their proper worlds, it was only a matter of time before someone was seriously hurt or worse.

"My lady, I understand your displeasure but it is likely that the young woman here is just as unnerved by what is happening as you are. I am sure that the one desire that we all share is to return home to the people we care for. Now, if we can set aside our differences and work towards that one goal, we will soon be able to put all of this behind us."

Buffy considered this for a moment before nodding in agreement with his proposal.

"Now young lady, there is something I would like to ask you: is the place where this Giles person resides reasonably safe?" he asked, seeing no reason why they should go to two places rather than one.

"My name is Willow and as for the library… it's definitely better than staying out here on the street." Willow replied as she released her own irritation into the air.

"Then lead the way, Willow. We will follow."

The Realm of the Deities, Janus' POV

Hmmmm… this is an odd wrinkle. he thought as he watched the trio move to find the Watcher. Not completely unexpected but they shouldn't have thought to look for the British man until much later.

It was early into the spell and, for the most part, he was pleased with how things had developed with his little project. Alexander Harris had accepted the power and mind of Avatar Roku and had demonstrated full bending ability without any sign of difficulty. He had hoped that he would have a bit more time to orchestrate a little fun for the dear Avatar but, with this change, he would have to accelerate his timetable considerably.

He was just about to nudge a few of the costumed teenagers affected by his spell towards the library when all of a sudden his senses flared. Whirling towards the source, he barely had enough time to perceive the bands of light coming at him before they wrapped themselves tightly around his body. In an instant the power within his body was compressed and confined, causing him to drop to the floor of his office in a somewhat painful manner. However pain mattered little when his eyes fell upon the ones who had succeeded in taking him by surprise because, while he hadn't been expecting the Watcher move until later, he hadn't expected the arrival of THEM until MUCH later.

The Powers That Be.

"Well, this is an unexpected surprise." He was trying and failing to sound casual and in no way guilty. "To what do I owe this profound honor?"

"You can cease your attempts pleasantries, Janus," the female Power to the far left said. "We have been aware of your plan for quite some time now."

Well, this isn't good.

"Indeed. Ever since you peered into a distant dimension," said a male Power just to the right of the center of their group. "Did you really think you could do something so out of the ordinary and not be noticed?"

"Your scheme to upset the Balance became all too clear with the special effort you placed on that blasted Harris boy." The central figure's obvious hatred for Alexander was nigh-legendary. "You've always been a malcontent, Janus, but I thought even you understood the importance of the Balance."

"And what Balance would that be?" he asked with a bit of snark in his voice. "The balance between good and evil? Between light and dark? Or is the real Balance you're hoping to maintain the balance between all of you being necessary and being obsolete!?"

He saw anger in their eyes, perhaps even fury, but surprisingly enough they did not strike him with their power or even go on a rant like he'd expected.

"Clearly you are incapable of comprehending the necessity of the work my brethren and I perform for the Creator," the central figure growled before a cruel smirk blossomed on his face. "Fortunately, though, your schemes have provided a most momentous opportunity to eliminate a certain troublemaker from this world."

It didn't take a god to figure out who they meant by the word 'troublemaker'.

"You can't kill Alexander Harris!" he exclaimed in outrage. "Regardless of what he did to your precious prophecy all those months ago, he is still human and therefore protected by the Almighty's decree of free will!"

"Ah, but it will not be us who slays him. It will be… you." The female figure to the far left wore a positively evil smile, "We won't be using even a speck of our power but rather altering the variables of your actions using your own resources."

"Indeed we know of the method you intend to use in order to allow all of the memories and knowledge to be safely transferred to Harris," the man just to the right of center said, sounding quite smug. "How horrible it would be if something undid your work in that regard. All that vast knowledge, all those memories, crammed into a fragile human mind completely underequipped to handle it. I wonder what would happen."

"Do you really think you can get away with this?" he snapped angry at what these so called 'higher beings' were about to do. "That the Almighty isn't watching you at this very moment?!"

"Yes to the first and wouldn't you like to know to the second." The female Power never lost her smile, "Contrary to the drivel we feed the mortals, the Almighty isn't any more omniscient than you are. Oh, she possesses power beyond anything we have and does see more than most deities, but in case you hadn't noticed, it's a big reality out there with multiple layers. So long as we do nothing to draw her attention to this, we can do whatever we want."

"You're lying!" he declared angrily at what these servants of the Creator dared to say.

"Perhaps… then again, perhaps we're telling the truth and you are simply too afraid to accept it," the central figure stated in a bored manner. "In any case, it is time for us to make some adjustments to your plan before our Watcher pawn terminates the spell."

The central being extended his right arm and a beam of magic leapt from it to hit his end of the Halloween spell. While he could do nothing to prevent it, he did know what was being done and it made him struggle against the bands. They were beginning to remove the spell he placed on Alexander to enable the boy's mind to take in all the knowledge he had gained from Roku through the spell. It was still mostly in place but it was unraveling quickly and, if it went past a certain point before Rupert Giles terminated the Halloween spell, death was all but a certainty.

Desperately he tried to force his way free but the spells confining him were just too strong. If he worked at it, he might eventually force his way free in a few mortal hours but by then it would be too late. Indeed, by the time he eventually forced his way free, he'd likely be in a dimensional prison awaiting an official hearing into his actions this night. He knew reasoning with any of the Powers would be pointless because, if his conversation with them was any hint, they were either corrupt or arrogant to the point idiocy.

It was then that his mind came to the only option he had, the final option that any deity had in times of desperation and one he never thought he'd use.

Every deity had the ability within themselves to, for a brief time, burn the power within them ten times as bright as they normally did but, by utilizing this ability, they brought about the end of their divine existence. Indeed there were many gods and goddesses, some known to mortals while others were not, who had made use of this ability and that was why they no longer existed. Some used it to perform great and noble acts while others did so out of selfishness or greed, but all of them suffered the same, irreversible fate. He'd never thought he'd need to use the ability because he never thought he'd get into a situation he couldn't get out of or that he'd find himself in a situation where his very life was in danger.

Sadly, both possible scenarios had come to pass but, even as thoughts of self-preservation rose up within him, he thought of the young man he'd condemned by involving him in his plans. A mere mortal, completely unaware of the rare gift that lay inside him, had managed to thwart the plans of being as far above him as he was above germs. That was more than many a deity had managed to do in centuries.

So the question became: was his life more valuable than the life of Alexander Harris?

He would only have a brief period in which to use the power of the requiem spell and, once he committed himself to his final act, there would be no turning back.

Surprisingly enough, he didn't even need ten seconds to come to a decision and, with a smile on both his faces, he took action.

"Ta ym tsal tnemom I llac nopu eht tserup rewop," he chanted under his breath as expediently as he could. "Eht rewop fo ym luos! A rewop enivid! Thiw ym tsal tca sa a dog! Os etom ti EB! Os etom ti EB! OS ETOM TI EB!"

With his final words power surged from within him like he had never known.

It shattered the spells binding him, sending out a shockwave in all directions, knocking the Powers That Be off their feet due to their lack of forewarning, disrupting the tampering of his work. Ignoring them for the time being, he reached out with his new wellspring of power to his end of the Halloween spell but grimly saw that it was over two thirds of the way undone and the Watcher had his hands on the bust focal point. With all his will and all his determination he pushed for the spells he'd set to strengthen Alexander's mind to once more become strong and to be ready. With every second that passed he got closer to repairing the damage done but time was against him as every second that passed brought the spell closer to termination.

It was as he reached sixty-two percent that he received notice that Roku had entered the Avatar state and, like clockwork, his preparations began warming up before beginning the transfer of Avatar knowledge. He had little time for subtlety now and began pushing harder than was strictly speaking safe and it was at the last second, right before the stone bust in Ethan's store hit the ground, that he reached eighty-three percent.

Before the spell ended, though, he needed to do one final thing especially considering the damage that would still be done despite his best efforts. Putting all but the last three percent of the power he had left into slowing time to a hundredth of its normal speed, he cast his consciousness down the arcane wire to the mind of Alexander.

He owed the boy an explanation. Not just the boy but also Avatar Roku as well.

The Warehouse District of Sunnydale, Avatar Roku's POV

There, he thought as he watched the last enemy flee before the three walls of flame then he sent down the streets in front if the warehouse he protected. With them gone, we should be safe until Rupert can end the spell.

Lowering himself to the ground, he prepared to release the Avatar state when suddenly he felt his mind pulled in a different direction and was soon standing in a landscape made of clouds. It reminded him of the time he'd spoken with Avatar Kyoshi but, looking about, he did not see his previous incarnations watching him from their positions in the clouds. Instead the only ones he saw were a young man that he suspected was the true owner of the body he currently inhabited and another clad in clothes that implied high status but only in the spirit world.

He suspected that he was about to get some answers.

"Avatar Roku. Alexander Harris," the spiritual aristocrat said, looking at each of them. "My name is Janus and first I must apologize if I am a bit abrupt but we have precious little time left. First I admit that I am the one that has made this night possible."

"You're the asshole that ruined Halloween like this!" Alexander exclaimed before turning to Roku, "No offense intended, Roku."

"None taken. I understand your anger at innocents being placed in danger," he said, turning to the one called Janus. "I believe I owe us an explanation for your actions."

"As much as I would like to say it was for altruistic reasons, it was not. I allowed my personal problems to affect my work and for this I apologize. My wife had divorced me and barred me from seeing my children for half a millennia and I had received word that further restrictions were going to be placed on my work by a bureaucratic body that was as bad as any either of you have dealt with," Janus explained with genuine regret in his voice. "I believed that it was only a matter of time before any joy I might once have had down the road was taken from me. Therefore the solution was obvious: go out in a blaze of glory rather than slowly whimper away into nothingness. It was then that I became aware of Ethan Rayne's plans and chose to use them to my advantage by permanently transforming someone into something that would shake the world. It was my hope that that someone would be you, Alexander."

"Why me? There has to be three dozen kids out there with superhero costumes on. Why not choose one of them?" Alexander asked, sounding more curious than angry now.

"Because there are already so many heroes in this world it wouldn't have done a thing towards shaking the status quo. Besides, enough of them have contacts in the realm of magic that they would've tracked the others down quickly and slid them into the normal superhero fold," Janus replied, sounding like the option hadn't even been contemplated very long. "No, I wanted something unique, something that this world had never known before was the only thing that would satisfy me and that was when I learned of Avatar Roku's world. It is truly fascinating and the concept of the Avatar itself pretty much sealed the deal. The fact that your Halloween costume was a close match to Roku's own clothing was merely the cherry on top, as far as I was concerned."

"You wish to turn Alexander into an Avatar?" he asked as the discussion came to a point most concerning to him.

"Yes. This world has never known a being quite like the Avatar, nor do they know how to manipulate the elements like you do with your bending. It was my belief that by making Alexander the Avatar of this world, he would send ripples of change throughout the world just by his very presence. Unfortunately now that work is imperiled despite my best efforts," Janus said, sounding truly remorseful about what was to come.

"What do you mean?" Alexander asked with worry seeping into his voice.

"You remember that bureaucratic body I mentioned earlier? They learned of my plans but instead of undoing it completely, they chose to take advantage of my less than legal activities. They attempted to remove the spell I prepared for you, Alexander, so that your mind would be strong enough to contain all of the knowledge and memories of not only Avatar Roku but also the fourteen Avatars that came before him," Janus replied with clear anger towards those that had imperiled his plan. "If the spell allowing Roku to possess your body was ended without the mind strengthening spell put into place, you would be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information that was being poured into your brain. It would have killed you."

"WHAT!? Why do these guys want me dead?!" Alexander asked, clearly shocked that someone was trying to kill him. "What did I ever do to them?!"

"You destroyed one of their prophecies. The Powers That Be are rather obsessive about their plans and do not take kindly to those that ruin them. When you revived Buffy Summers from death that night in the Master's lair you destroyed their plans for the entire future of the Slayer line, a Slayer that they wanted to die that night had not and, therefore, the plans for not only her but those that would have succeeded her needed to be redone. They were not happy about it but I never thought they'd go so far as to kill you," Janus replied, revealing the motivations of his enemies. "With one final act of defiance I have managed to undo some of the damage done to the mind strengthening spell but it is not fully complete. There will be… repercussions… that will likely lead to you being hospitalized for a time."

Neither he nor Alexander liked the sound of that if the young man's expression was anything to go by.

"How long is 'for a time'?" Alexander asked, getting straight to the point that mattered.

"A few years, at least. My efforts have ensured that your body will not die, nor your mind be completely destroyed but receiving that much information. It will take time for your mind to organize it all. Assuming it ever does," Janus replied with true regret in his voice for how this would affect Alexander's life.

"WHAT!?" Alexander exclaimed in a combination of shock, anger and fear. "I… I thought a few weeks, maybe a couple of months… but a few YEARS!"

"Understand, Alexander, that had my plan reached fruition without the interference of the Powers That Be, you would have only been unconscious for a few days before waking. However, with the mind enhancing spell incomplete, this is the best I can do!" Janus said, sounding as though he wanted the young man to understand more than anything. "If I could have restored the mind spell completely I would have but the focal point of the Halloween spell is only a second away from shattering and there is not near enough time to fix it further!"

"If you couldn't fix it completely then why did you even bother showing up here! This is all your fault!" Alexander roared with fury at the person closest to both him and to being responsible for his predicament.

"I came because I believed the two of you deserved to know the truth of the situation. I believed that it was only right that I explain myself to the two people who would be most affected by my actions," Janus replied his head hung in remorse. "I also came because, with help from both of you, the transition could be smoothed out somewhat and perhaps the time lost decreased if only by a little. No words can express how sorry I am for damaging your life like this, Alexander, but I ask you just this once to trust me and aid me if for no other reason than it will help you in the end."

"I don't exactly have a choice now, do I? Fine! I'll help you," Alexander bitterly said with a nod even as signs of his fury marred his face.

"And you, Avatar Roku?" Janus asked, turning to face him.

"Alexander is an innocent in all of this and, if I can spare him even a portion of suffering, then there is no choice for me other than to agree to aid you. My life back on my world is ending. It would honor me greatly to know that my last act will not be failing to stop my old friend but instead be to aid a young man on a difficult journey."

"Then let us begin." Janus said before an orb of white energy blossomed into existence above them.

With only a brief pulse as warning, beams of energy shot down and struck all three of them, instantly connecting them on multiple levels. In his mind he could see what had been done to Alexander and he could perceive the wealth of information that was flowing from him into the young man. Instantly he recognized that Janus wished for him to organize the memories and knowledge as best he could, even if he only did so by Avatar and nothing more. With all the resolve and focus he had shown during his life, he worked to complete his task using all that he knew of those that came before as a guide. Alexander's task was to place the packets of information into the vacant spaces that Janus and his spell created within the young man's mind, keeping each portion separate yet connected just like the Avatar cycle he knew. It seemed to take an eternity and it was just as he thought that they might finish before the end of the spell that the environment around him began to crack.

"The bust is shattering!" Janus exclaimed in fear even as he frantically worked to get even one more packet into place. "There's no more time!"

This was true because, even as the cracks continued to spread, he felt his spirit being drawn back across the great expanse between Alexander's world and his own. He struggled to remain, to finish the final packet, and it was this act of will that granted him the power to do as he wished. As he felt his connection to Alexander fade, he said one final thing to the young man as a parting bit of wisdom.

"Always remember to show discipline and restraint but never let it prevent you from doing what must be done for the good of your world. Farewell, Avatar Alexander."

The Next Day, Sunnydale General Hospital, Waiting Room, Rupert Giles' POV

Ethan, you had best find a deep, dark hole in the lowest pits of hell because that's the only safe place there will be for you! he thought angrily as he took in the sorrow marred faces of Willow and Buffy.

Twenty-four hours ago he had been in position to put an end to the irresponsible actions of his former friend and, when the bust of the Roman god Janus shattered, he had truly believed that everything had been set right. It wasn't until he returned to his apartment to find numerous messages from Buffy that he learned to his horror that he'd only been partially successful in his efforts. While it was true that Buffy and Willow had returned to normal, the same could not be said for Xander. No, the same could definitely not be said for the young man.

He was in the hospital.

Needless to say he rushed over as swiftly as his classic car could take him and went directly to the emergency room's waiting room. There he found both of the young ladies he'd come to know sitting down next to each other, holding each other's hands for comfort. When he'd arrived the two of them had swarmed him, talking at the same time, trying to explain what had happened but it had been all but incomprehensible to him. Eventually once he had calmed them down they'd each taken turns explaining what had happened and, to be honest, he'd been shocked at what Xander had done while under the influence of the spell. Even in a world where there were superheroes and super villains that both possessed near godlike and, in some cases, genuinely godlike power, what the girls had told him still seemed so unreal. Control over the four elements was impressive enough but their description of this… this eye glowing state that Xander entered that empowered him further was beyond his knowledge of the arcane. This ability, though, had proven useful for it had been while in this state that Xander's costume personae had succeeded in slaying Spike before driving away the remaining threats with walls made of fire.

However, with the termination of Ethan's spell, Buffy had come out of the warehouse to find Xander's limp body on the ground. She had thought that he was merely disoriented or dazed but, when he didn't respond to her words, she'd gotten worried. She'd tried shaking him but this fared no better than words did and it was then that she'd realized something was seriously wrong. Buffy had run about the area looking for a phone while Angel kept watch over the children and Xander. Five minutes later an ambulance arrived to take their friend to Sunnydale General Hospital, with Buffy accompanying the boy while Angel waited for Willow to arrive since they'd predicted she'd be quick to check on them.

This had proven wise and, once the young student had met up with the vampire, they'd both gone to the hospital to be at Xander's side.

Buffy had told him that she'd been calling him ever since she'd arrived at the hospital and seen Xander wheeled into another room to be examined. She'd stopped after the fifth failed attempt and, since then, they'd been doing the best to support one another while they waited for a doctor to tell them the status of their friend.

While he'd been waiting, he had also been trying to deduce why the spell had so adversely affected Xander and if there was some lingering energy within him that was preventing his recovery. Without his books, he'd been forced to use only the knowledge stored in his mind as well as what he'd managed to read in Ethan's store before leaving. Yet nothing he could recall could explain Xander's condition, especially in light of the fact that everyone else had returned to normal at the end of the spell. He would have to consult his books once he returned home and find an opportunity to cast a few diagnosis spells when he could be certain no one outside of their group could see him.

Hearing the sound of footsteps, he looked up to find a bald doctor approaching them.

"Miss Summers?" the doctor asked tentatively looking about the waiting room.

"How is Xander? Is he okay? When is he going to wake up?" Buffy asked, or rather babbled as she homed in on the doctor.

"We've examined him and can find no physical injuries on his body to explain his unconscious state," the doctor with the nametag 'Gold' replied, keeping his cool under the questioning look of the Slayer. "However when we did some scans of his brain, there was some… bizarre activity. It looked as though it was operating at more than triple its normal level but we're checking the machine for malfunctions. In any case, he's completely unresponsive to outside stimulus. Based on our examination… there's no easy way to say this: he's in a coma."

To say that this news was not taken well would have been the mother of all understatements; Willow broke down crying, dropping to the floor, while Buffy had a look of utter shock on her face as she sank to the floor as well.

Together the two hung onto each other out of sheer reflex as they tried to come to grips with what they'd all heard.

"We'll have to wait until we finished making sure the machines are in perfect working order before we can complete our scans. Once that is done, we will be able to determine an appropriate treatment," Doctor Gold said with the look all doctors had when delivering difficult news. "The good news is that he doesn't need to be put on life support of any kind. All of his autonomic functions are still operating properly, so at least that's something."

Yes… something. He thought even as he placed a comforting hand on Willow's shoulder.

"Now there is the matter of… paperwork," Doctor Gold said hesitantly. "If you would please come this way, 'Mister Harris', we need to get this out of the way in order to proceed with your son's care."

"I'm afraid you're mistaken. I'm not—" he began to say before being cut off with a wave of the doctor's arm.

"No, I'm not. I know just by looking at you that you care about the boy as only a father would," Doctor Gold stated before a hint of anger filled his eyes. "Unlike that abusive, drunken slob of a man who is usually called in whenever Alexander is hurt seriously. I don't know why the nurses continue to call him when not even an idiot could mistake that… MAN for a father. After all, what sort of father shows up to a hospital half drunk and then proceeds to insult everyone who talks to him?"

With every word that the doctor said two things became abundantly clear to him causing him to feel equal parts pleased and upset. If he was interpreting the doctor's words properly, the man knew full well that he wasn't Xander's father but was willing to let him handle the young man's care just the same. That pleased him because if he understood the other half of the man's statement Xander's biological father was a textbook example of a man who should have been arrested for child abuse years ago. He had always suspected that Xander's home life was not ideal but clearly he had vastly underestimated just how poor it was and it made him quite upset.

He made a personal note to call in some favors that he was owed within the Watcher's Council to put a bit of pressure on California child services as well as the local law enforcement. Once Xander's parents were stripped of custody, he would formally apply to become the young man's guardian so that WHEN the boy returned to them, he would never have to deal with his DNA donors again.

"Then please lead the way, Doctor Gold."

He followed the man to the nearby nurse station and filled in the paperwork as best he could, substituting his information where directed by the doctor and writing down 'Anthony Harris' where needed. Gold assured him that he would ensure that any 'misunderstandings' were resolved to their joint satisfaction. He was sure the man was putting himself in a measure of professional risk by aiding in the filing of false information and not informing Xander's legal parents but, given the lack of anxiety, he presumed the man had either done this before or didn't care about the consequences. In any case, he was in the man's debt.

Once they were done, the two of them returned to the girls, who since then had apparently recovered somewhat, although in Willow's case he'd wager would break down again with the slightest application of pressure.

"Well, now that the unpleasantness of paperwork is complete, I'll go and see how things are proceeding with those malfunctions we were having." Doctor Gold put his pen back into his pocket, "All of you should go home and get some rest. I don't expect that they'll be ready for the scans of his head until late tonight."

"We can wait!" both girls said at the same time with resolve.

"I have no doubt that you could but might I remind you that this is a school night," he said, trying to gently make them see the light. "Besides I am sure that your parents are concerned and might appreciate hearing about Xander from you in person rather than over the phone. I'm sure that you will be able to visit tomorrow after school and by then they should have more information."

"But-" Buffy protested, as though she didn't care.

He imagined that neither of the young ladies would particularly care if they missed a day of school but he'd hoped that mentioning their parents would be enough to persuade them to return home. They had each experienced significant trauma in the last day and the best way to begin the healing process was by getting a good night's rest.

"Can…can we see him first?" Willow asked, sounding like it was the most important request she'd ever made.

"Of course. This way," Doctor Gold replied before leading them down a hallway.

It took a few minutes but they eventually arrived at the room the hospital staff had placed Xander in until they were ready to examine him in more depth. When they entered, at first glance it merely looked as though the young man was merely sleeping and would wake at the slightest bit of noise. However, when you looked closer, it was easy to see the unnaturalness of the sleep and how it would take more than conventional means to wake him up.

Both Buffy and Willow sent to his side with the latter, taking hold of one of Xander's hands tightly in her own. It hurt them all to see Xander like this, himself included. Friend, brother and surrogate father were the titles Buffy, Willow and he had with regards to the young boy before them. No matter that there had been times when they'd been at odds with one another, they were still close in a way only those who had fought side by side could be. It would not be easy living out their days with their comrade in this state but they would hold tight to the hope that he would one day return to them.

Until then, they would do their best to ensure that he had a world to return to and many stories to hear.

Time passed as it always would and the members of the group Alexander Harris dubbed 'The Scoobies' did their best to carry on the fight without him. It wasn't easy and it became all too apparent in the months that followed that their ailing friend played a far more crucial role in their group then they ever realized. He was the humor that lightened the mood when things got too serious. He was the eyes that saw things the rest of them overlooked. He was the kind shoulder that they could lean on when things took a turn for the worst. The rest of them tried to fill in the void left behind by his lack of presence but it didn't always work out.

Over the course of the next year, though, the Slaying side of things proved difficult.

With Spike dust in the wind, the mad seer Drusilla seized control of the vampire community in an effort to avenge the loss of her lover. With her ability to foresee the future, her minions were scarily effective in evading pursuit and popping up at the worst possible moments. Fortunately, with the arrival of the Jamaican Slayer, Kendra, the master vampiress soon followed William the Bloody into the next world.

When the eggs of the Bezor began to cause trouble, Buffy had to treat the creatures' victims a little harsher than normal in order to keep from being swarmed. In the end she managed to messily mangle the momma of the demons to its death, putting an end to the threat it posed while also dusting one half of a vamp duo that had come to town.

When it was discovered that the swimming team's coach was having the team breath in a transforming virus, it was the group's newest member, Oz, who agreed to go undercover. It was close and Buffy almost perished in the sewer at the hands of the transformed swimmers but, thanks to some last minute help from Angel, they made it through.

During all the adventures and all the battles his friends went through though, Alexander Harris remained cut off from the world kept alive by nutrients fed by I.V drip while being cared for by the staff. For the entire year that passed since Halloween night, no one outside of Doctor Gold and Rupert Giles suspected their little scheme with regards to the paperwork or the financial transactions that took place between them. Also, thanks to a little… talk… Giles had with Anthony and Jessica Harris, neither of the young man's parents stirred up a fuss over their missing sla… son. In fact, anytime the British librarian requested medical information from them, they were only 'too happy' to do as he asked.

And for some reason, Rupert always left the Harris home with a smile on his face better suited for the cruelest of villains.

However, on the one year anniversary of hearing the news that shook them so severely, fate had decided to make life changing events a tradition.

Whether it was for the better or not, fate decided to let her twelve sided dice determine that.

Even numbers meant good luck while odd numbers meant bad luck.

What a fair way to determine a young man's fate, eh?