Man of Steel, World of Marvels.

Disclaimer: This is a work of diction, I do not own any of the characters that appear in this fanfiction, BTVS, Superman and Marvel are still own by their respective owners.

For those of you who are wondering what the heck happened to me? Why did I go silent? Well the reason for that is both simple and infuriating…my house was robbed, none of my family was hurt albeit a bit shocked and scared but we are ok.

I was working on some new stories along with some updates and rewriting some of the scenes in my Castlevania fic when it happened; so naturally I have to start from scratch in some cases while in orders I had the right mind to save them on my memory stick.

This is one of those along with another project I am working on that was recently inspired by ShadowMaster's "A Grey Justice OnThe Horizon".

Don't know if you will like it but I needed an outlet for my anger and this is the most constructive one so I went with it. Interestingly enough I did it before the new Superman film came out and I felt myself convinced I had to publish it after watching the movie, which took the bad taste the last one left.

This will be a balance to my "Son of Thunder" fic, where Xander took the mantle of Thor in the DC universe.

The premise of this story is simple: Xander obtains the powers of Superman after Halloween, at a critical juncture he sacrifices his life in order to save the world in Buffy's place only to receive a new life among heroes he thought only existed in Comic Books as a reward.

Pairings are undecided, but I am willing to hear out your choices, but do not get your hopes up if I don't go with one of the characters selected, heck I don't even know if I should go multi or single, I usually wing it.

Which Marvel Universe is undecided as well as the time period. I am willing to hear you out but please keep the comments polite and tasteful.

A few things to clarify before we begin:

This is not a gender-bender, to be honest I only read those when it involves Ranma ½ or there is a possibility of the character returning to normal. Anything outside of that and I will wash my hands of it, so no Xander becoming Power Girl or Supergirl.

I will not be making a 5 chapter introduction of what he does with the powers in the BTVS universe, it will be mostly flashbacks in this chapter and that is it.

And finally and probably the most important, there will be in all likelihood grammar errors, plot holes, spacing and other reasonable and unreasonable mistakes in the process of making this work of fiction.

I will say this now, do not expect me to deliver perfection and do not expect me to give you a work of art. What you can expect and know is that I will try and deliver unto you some entertainment.

Despite what some of my fans say (and much to my surprise that I have a following of many at all), I am not the greatest or the most innovative writer out there. There will always be better ones, I said it once and I will say it again I am simply a man trying to tell a story as best he can.

Do not place in your reviews the typical "Your story was so poorly written I will no longer read it" "Get a competent Beta reader" or "You don't know jack about the characters" I say this here and now:

Those types of comments do not tell me how I can improve or tell me anything worth knowing that can help this story all they do is say the same thing over and over, things I have done in various forms.

You want competent literature? Read a book, or write your own work and see how it feels to us striving fanfic writers who chose one day to indulge in these fantasies and share them with strangers who have no reason to get involved.

So my fellow readers and writers, men and women of all ages, let's get this show on the road!

"Talking"

"Whisper"

*SOUND EFFECT*

*Thought*

Chapter 1: Endings and Beginnings. Part 1

"So…this is how it ends." A young man spoke quietly as he stares down at the 20 storied below him.

"Don't do it!"

"Please Xander! Listen to me! We can find another way!"

Two blond haired women, one a young adult and the other a teen cried out to him.

"Funny, I always thought I'd go down with a claw through the chest or a pair of fangs in my neck." He continues his sad eulogy as he blocks out their anguished pleas, wishing for some way to explain to them the importance of his up and coming death but knowing any words would never work.

He could hear the footsteps of the others as they ran through the flights of stairs in hopes of preventing a tragedy, he recognized them easily enough.

"Hurry guys!" Willow his oldest and dearest friend cried out, he could almost see the tears pouring down her face.

"Wait for us Xander, for God sakes wait!" Giles the man he considered a father was followed.

"Please don't let us be too late! Please dear God." Jenny Calendar, a woman he had saved from a terrible fate.

"Come on Fang! Move it!" Faith with none of the innuendo or sassiness he had to break through to reach the real her.

"Move it Spike or so help me I'll rip out your fangs with a rusty pair of pliers!" Angel, a man he held no love for but respected nonetheless.

"Oh shut up you limey ponce, why I am even doing this?!" Spike, a man he REALLY hated.

"Xander you better not be dead! Or so help me I'll kill you myself!" Cordelia, a woman he both had loved and hated yelled though he could tell it was out of fear not anger.

"Cordelia, calm yourself I'm sure he is well." Wesley a man who he had come to respect spoke to convey some calm he clearly did not feel if his rapid heartbeat told him anything.

"I swear to God! I am quitting the vision gig if he's dead!" Doyle a man he rescued from certain death.

"Please be okay Xander, please Goddess watch over him." Tara, another one of his rescues, maybe his last if things proceed to their inevitable conclusion.

All this would appear as a dramatic and tragic scene in a movie except for several key details.

The two women near the man standing on the ledge were tied to a girder with thick rope. The young man wore a tattered and torn black bodysuit with a silver "S" shield on the chest, blood stains blending with the dark material.

And finally and most importantly, we see below him a portal of mystical energy violently lashing out as it grows in size.

Xander, as the young man chose to be called, closed his eyes as he had to contemplate his inevitable death in order to prevent another. In his right hand he gently held a vial of blood needed to close the portal.

He would deliver it using his body as a shield as a previous attempt ended in failure when the energies vaporized it before reaching the event horizon.

*Figures I learn to control my strength now that I'm going to kick the bucket, damn Harris luck is still strong.* He thought dryly.

"So I guess this is it…" He spoke softly as he turned to address the two women he lashed to the girder "…Buffy, Dawn you take care of each other now."

"Xander please!"

*SOB*

"Please don't do this! I'm begging you please don't!" Buffy cries out as her friend prepared himself to die in her place the tears streaming down only emphasized the mask of sorrow she wore "I'm sorry I pushed you away! I'm…"

"I know Buffy; I forgave you a long time ago…" He gently replies her as he gave her a sad smile that just broke her heart even more "…The world needs you more than me Buffy. You were right when you said I was too dangerous, I hurt people just by touching them now…I hurt you guys without wanting too." He said in a sad defeated tone before giving her a strong confident look.

"It's time for me to make things right, I left a letter in your bedroom I know I'm not much for goodbyes but..."

"Xander!" He heard Willow close now.

"You take care of them Buffy…and remember me from time to time." With that said he broke the vial on his shield, turned to face the portal…and jumped as the others arrived.

"NOOOO!" Buffy, Willow, Giles, Dawn and Cordelia all cried out in horror.

Xander quickly struck the portal and once more after his battle with the Hell Goddess Glorificus did he feel pain once more.

The energies interacted with the blood he took from Dawn and slowly the portal began to shrink yet at the same time grew more violent in its discharge. He could feel his skin burn and felt as it was striking at his very soul.

As all that was occurring, his mind went through every event in his life in some vain attempt to block out the pain and latch onto his sanity. He found that it was true when they say your life flashes before your eyes when you die.

Meeting Willow over a mishap with a yellow crayon.

Meeting his brother in all but blood and the many times he sheltered him from a cruel home life.

The day he met Buffy and his first words to her "Can I have you?"

The truth behind what truly goes on in the night when the sun goes down, and with it the terrible deed of killing his turned brother in name and cementing his participation in an ongoing war with the darkness.

And the day it all changed for him, one Halloween night…

Flashback…

Xander was looking around the costume shop he and the girls found themselves in after being forcibly conscripted by the troll that was their principle. Having bought a plastic M16 to go with the military fatigues his Uncle use to own he was all set.

*Once more I defy the odds and come out on top with my bargain finding skills.* He thinks to himself with mirth as he searched for Willow and Buffy.

He found the duo near an 19th century gown with a man who worked here, from the way the diminutive Slayer was eyeing the dress and the man was sweet talking to her, it was a done deal she was getting that.

*I'd bet my secret stash of Twinkies that it's to impress Deadboy.* He thinks with a mental dry tone in his inner voice.

He was still a bit mad at her for coming to his rescue when Larry had him up against the Soda machine after he made some comments about her and he chose to defend her honor.

Deciding to give the place a look around until the girls were finished he sees several costumes that just screamed "take me" to his inner geek.

Predator, Master Chief, Darth Vader and many more were there that tugged at his love for videogames and movies; however none of these ever compared for his love of comic books.

There he found so many characters from both major franchises.

*Black Spidey, Red and Yellow Daredevil or maybe D-man, Green Arrow, Azrael and…whoa, now that's something you don't see everyday.* He thought as he spied a mannequin wearing a black and silver Superman outfit.

Being one of the titles he often read both before and after Jesse's death, he knew it was a perfect replica of the solar suit the Man of Steel wore after healing in the fortress in the aftermath of his battle with Doomsday.

*Man, whoever made this sure gave it a lot of thought.* He spoke as he ran his hand over it.

As he did it brought him back to simpler times, back when he, Willow and Jesse were still together and were untouched by the darkness that dwell in the shadows of the world.

It was when they were eight at the time and together they managed to scrounge up enough money for a trio of costumes. However what to wear was the question, they wanted to go with a similar theme.

It was Jesse and his love of comic books that helped as they decided to go as the three greatest heroes in DC comics, Wonder Woman, Batman and Superman. Willow was a bit reluctant to dress as such an iconic hero but the two of them easily convinced her otherwise.

Jesse decided to go as the Dark Knight allowing his brother in all but name and blood the honor of being the Man of Steel. Jesse's mother took a picture of the three one he kept with all his other treasures that help him get through the days when his parents were in one of their drunken tirades.

*Man, those were the days huh Jesse? Just you, me and Willow against the world of high school anghst and not blood sucking vamps or world ending demons.* He thought forlornly, his reminiscing distracted him that he did not see someone approach him from behind.

"Can I help you young man?" A British toned voice asks suddenly.

"Gah!" The startled young teen let out jumping in the air and unconsciously releasing his hold on the toy gun, where his foot soon met it on the way down.

*CRACK!*

"Ah man…" Xander dismally spoke as he saw the weapon was broken item "…that was the last one too."

"Oh dear, I am terribly sorry young man." The gentleman spoke with what seemed to be true regret.

*Sigh*

"No, it's my fault I shouldn't have reacted that way."

*Real smooth Xander, I can just feel my masculinity shrivel.*

"No, no, I should have made my presence felt sooner. Ethan Rayne at your service my good sir, I am the owner of this fine establishment." The now identified man said with a disarming smile as he held out his hand.

"Xander Harris, renewed customer once again." He replied with a shake of the hand.

"Pleasure, now then how may I make up for my transgression?"

"You wouldn't happen to have any more toy rifles would you?"

"Sadly no…" The older man spoke before eyeing the Superman costume "…but perhaps I can help you with something else, this costume perhaps?"

"What? There is no way I can afford this."

"It's no bother…" Ethan spoke as he faced the costume "…in fact you'd be doing me a favor since no one seems to like this one, something about the original being better."

"I guess people like the classics more…don't see why it is a great costume, you sure you want me to use this?" He naturally asked as the suit seemed high quality.

"Of course my young friend, it would be a waste to have this suit be left to rot in a dingy box. And you look a man who can appreciate the value in it."

"Well…you got a point, I'll take it!" Xander spoke with some satisfaction that he could both have a great costume and relieve a happy moment of his childhood.

"Excellent, I assure you that this is a deal you won't regret and will leave a most…interesting impression."

End flashback…

And it did indeed do just that, for one night he had become one of the greatest heroes in the DC universe though not at full power given the nature of his costume and the period it was involved in.

He didn't lift cars or fly through the air; Superman was recuperating after his battle with Doomsday and wore the suit when the Cyborg Superman and Mogul attacked. Even with those limitations he was told that the Man of Steel who had inhabited his body that night still acted the hero by protecting the depowered Slayer and Cordelia.

When Giles finally disrupted the spell everyone involved was returned to normal…or so he thought.

The young man had indeed return home that night and fell to sleep exhausted, he was unaware his body had been irrevocably altered on the genetic level. He had seized to be an average human and became a full blooded Kryptonian.

The change did not end there as he recalled every moment of Kal-El/Clark Kent's life, every struggle, every battle, all of his losses and triumphs. Xander at first thought that he was remembering some issues…but that thought was soon discarded when he saw moments that never made the comics.

Birthdays and Christmases with Martha and Jonathan Kent, the first wedding anniversary with his wife, talks about adopting a child or ways for them to conceived a child. This was more than the remembrance of days gone by…this was the life of a man who carried a great burden and power upon his shoulders each day and used his fantastic powers to help those many would deem his inferior.

When he awoke the next day he found himself stunned into silence by what his mind showed him while he slept, he felt dirty somehow as if he had intruded on something that was not for his eyes.

Life continued and three weeks after the event he began to notice something happening to him, he felt stronger and started to see changes in his body, muscles were he did not have any before and an increase in height. Anyone else would have written this off as an effect of a late growth spurt taking effect…but Xander Harris was not just anybody and Sunnydale wasn't just any ordinary town.

He had suspected that Halloween had left him something more so he set about testing himself, he would lift weights and see if there was any increase in strength beyond the norm. He was soon proven correct as the more time he spent in the sun the better he felt, he found his skin was slightly harder to pierce and his healing rate was faster than before.

He had debated the pros and cons of keeping this a secret from the others. On the one hand he could do some good now and help in the fight. He would no longer have to worry about being seen as useless or have them worry about him, sure magic is one of Superman's major weaknesses but he would just have to be careful when facing off against the supernatural.

On the other hand, Buffy may attack him since she was very much of the mentality of "shoot first and let God sort out the mess later". She had not given any signs that she knew he was changed so maybe aliens didn't register in her senses…yet.

Then he had debated if keeping the lie would end up biting him in the ass. His luck was never that good as any one aware of his dating history would be aware of that little gem as well as how he reacted to magic.

In the end the potential good outweighed the potential bad, or at least that's what he thought at the time. His new abilities had helped deal with the Terakan's. When bug guy showed his true colors, he just grabbed Cordy and busted through the back door and ran. Not at super speed but fast enough the maggots and whatever else he was made of couldn't catch up.

She of course wanted to know how he pulled that off but he lied through his teeth to make her believe he owed it all to the many nights of running for his life and a new training regime he put himself through. Which wasn't entirely a lie he did go out on patrols to test himself against the local nightlife but still had yet to find a way to fully control his strength in combat.

She was SLIGHTLY nicer to him after that but nothing worth writing home about…which begged the question how they ended up dating later. He's changing appearance spared her the scorn of her Cordettes but his friendship with Willow was on rocky shores once the news came out.

Then it all went to Hell when Buffy and Angel became intimate…much to his eternal disgust, seeing as she was a minor and he was a walking, talking corpse. The result of this impromptu night of passion was the return of Angelus. Add the return of a powerful demon called the Judge that no human weapon could harm and you had a potential apocalypse in hand.

They all thought up as many ideas as they could since this was a situation that required a good plan seeing as the Judge took out a Slayer and an army before getting suckered into getting drunk and hacked up.

He voiced that maybe a modern day weapon could do the trick since so many are made from machines now a day. Giles agreed and soon he along with Oz and Cordelia went to the local army base and…liberated a rocket launcher. Figuring that Sunnydale Mall would be a likely target to power up the Demon they headed there.

Now facing his inevitable end he thought that honesty would have been the better than secrecy…it would have saved him plenty of pain and anguish that came later on.

Flashback…

People were screaming in anguish as the Judge released a yellow bolt of energy from his hands and began to burn away the humanity in the shoppers. Buffy called him out getting the attention before she aimed and fired the weapon.

The Judge did not seem to care what it was and with mild annoyance grabbed it with a single gloved hand.

"FOOLISH LITTLE SLAYER! I CANNOT BE DEFEATED WITH MERE TRINKETS!" He bellowed before returning the missile to the stunned Slayer.

At that moment Xander acted, he forgot about keeping secrets and what consequences may come from revealing them as he ran to her. Everyone watched as Xander one moment was standing and the next blurred before appearing next to Buffy. He grabbed her as gently as possible and threw her at Giles.

"Oof!" the man let out as the blonde Slayer was in his arms and both watched as the missile landed at the feet of the young man.

Xander grimaced as it hit the floor in front of him.

*This is sooo going to hurt!*

*BOOM!*

"XANDER!" Willow and Cordelia screamed in horror as they watched his body be flung into a clothing store.

"Ha ha ha! Well, he always did want to leave an impression." Angelus mocked as he always hated how Angel allowed himself to be bullied by the boy to save the Slayer.

"Oy! Time to feed blue boy…" Spike ordered as he spied the shell shocked Scooby's "…that Slayer looks mighty tasty don't you think?"

"INDEED SHE DOES…BURN HUMANS!" The blue skinned demon cried out as he prepared to once more unleash his power onto the humans.

However before it could go further the Judge was suddenly slammed into a support column by something powerful.

Everyone gaped as they saw none other than Xander Harris looking very much alive, his shirt and pants torn and blackened by the explosion, some cuts bled showing that he did incur some damage since he did not share the full level of invulnerability the Man of Steel held.

From the expression on his face Xander was furious, he charged the demon and picked it by the waist and before throwing him at the Master vampires. The three members of the Scourge managed to get out of the way of the Demon and moved as the person they thought to be the weak link charged again.

The Judge met the charge with equal fury and both got caught in a battle of wills as one tried to overpower the other.

"WHY…DO YOU NOT…RRRGH….BURN!?" The creature growled.

"Like…I'd tell…you freak!" He grunted as he pushed the creature back.

"What the bloody Hell!? How is he doing this!?" Spike asked the question on everyone's mind as they saw the struggle.

"I don't care how!" Angelus snarled as he watched the plan falter "…kill the rest!" the vampire ordered as he ran at Buffy.

Seeing this broke the surprise they had at watching their companion go toe to toe with the Judge, and defend themselves. This was not missed on Xander who gritted his teeth in anger.

"YOU SHOULD BE PAYING ATTENTION HUMAN." The demonic being spoke as he headbutted Xander with enough force he broke his nose. He back stepped from the force of the blow before taking a right hook to the jaw that left him stunned for a minute.

Xander retaliated by taking body shots the creature felt, from the look on its face it was not use to feeling pain yet still despite his strength being on a level that COULD inflict pain he was nowhere near strong enough to be more than a nuisance. Add in the fact that he was being hurt be the creature's blows and he was not going nowhere fast.

Unfortunately the Judge had enough of the being hurting him and impeding his goals and grabbed him by the neck and slammed him down hard enough the floor cracked.

"I WILL FEAST ON YOUR FLESH CREATURE! BUT NOT BEFORE I BURN EVERY TRACE OF HUMANITY IN YOUR COMPANIONS STARTING WITH THE TWO WOMEN WHO CRIED OUT YOUR NAME."

That was the last thing it ever said, Xander had learned to tolerate much in his life, but the one thing he never stood for was anyone threatening Willow, Buffy... and now Cordelia. He glared at the monster until he saw red…literally as from his eyes a blast of heat vision engulfed the head of the Judge.

"DIE YOU SON OF BITCH!" The enraged young cried out drawing all attention to him as the beams of searing energy killed the demon that no human had ever even damaged.

"Spike…Miss Edith says it's time to go now!" Drusilla cried out in fear from witnessing the display of power.

"Right luv…time to go!" He yelled as the two left.

Angelus was furious at what just happened not only had he lost a powerful ally but the Slayer's weakest link just stepped up.

"This isn't over!" He cried out in anger.

After battle was done the Scooby's all turned to face Xander, his eyes still glowed red so he decided to incinerate the body of the Judge despite this being his first use of the iconic heat vision. After that he turned to face them and he could tell there were questions to be made.

End flashback…

True enough, they returned to the library to mend their wounds and the Slayer immediately pounced on him demanding to know how he survived and killed the Judge. He explained as clearly and calmly as he could about Halloween's aftereffects and how he took it upon himself to use his abilities to help in the fight.

The group was not happy…or more to the point Buffy, Willow and Cordelia were not happy. Willow was very disappointed he lied to her and worried he bit off more than he could chew. Buffy was in full slayer mode demanding they find some way to fix him so he can leave the fighting to the professionals. Cordelia was pissed because he kept such a big secret from her though in all fairness he did deserve that one.

Giles was naturally worried for him. He understood where the man was coming from since magic, especially Chaos magic, was not to be taken lightly. Oz just tried to calm Willow who was now thinking of ways to change him back.

He allowed Giles to see if it was reversible…they found out it was not since he was fundamentally altered on a genetic level. Buffy then went as far as forbidding him to get involved while demanding they block his powers.

He argued that they had no right to dictate his life to him and what he did with these powers was his business, that he would continue to use them to fight the demons and vampires especially now that Angelus was free.

That finally let the anger and grief Buffy was feeling come out as she spoke that Angelus was her problem not his. He counter saying that lives were on the line and they needed to stop him before he gained a powerbase…sadly he was ignored by the two women.

The following days weren't any better, Willow and Buffy gave him the cold shoulder and Cordelia was still miffed. Giles was too busy looking for any and all records on Angelus if they were to have any hope of fighting the cunning vampire.

Surprisingly Jenny (or Janna Kalderash as she was really called) approached him, having revealed the nature of her mission to them, it was only natural the girls and Giles would feel betrayed. He saw it as necessary to keep an evil contained but they weren't in an understanding mood.

She was something of a confidant to him as he explained how it all went down. She asked if he had all the powers and he spoke that so far he had enough strength and speed to make him a substantial threat and heat vision.

She gave him a smirk when she asked if he had used his X-ray vision to peep in the girls locker room…or herself, which strangely brought a memory of Lana Lang asking him the same question to Clark. He of course said she would be the first to know if he did.

He had continued patrolling despite the many protests of Buffy, quite frankly someone had to pick up the slack since she was to immersed in her depression to do nothing more than mope.

It was thanks to that he managed to save Jenny since she had been working on returning Angel's soul; somehow the vampire caught wind of this and stalked her at the school. It was at that time his super hearing kick in and caught her cries for help.

Flashback…

Xander was currently dealing with a pair of Polgara demons who were out for a snack. He had started to practice his heat vision on them when suddenly…

-Help! -

*Miss Calendar?*

-I love it when you meat sacks run in terror…-

"Angelus!" He snarled as he ran as fast as he could, his clothes were ripped because of the force with which he ran at but that was least of his concern as he smashed through the doors.

"Miss Calendar! Where are you!?"

"Xander help!"

He wished he had X-ray vision right now but made do with hearing to pin point her location.

He soon found her in the Biology lab…Angelus had her with a scalpel to the neck.

"Well if it isn't our own resident Superman." The Master Vampire mocked.

"Let her go Deadboy!"

"You know me and that wimp Angel do have some things in common …we both hate that fucking name!"

"Let her go before I finish what I started at the mall and throw an impromptu barbecue."

"Aw isn't that nice…" The former ally spoke with disdain "…the white knight thinks he can save the damsel, maybe she'll pop your cherry as a reward now that your bitch is about to dump your sorry ass, can't say she wouldn't be worth it." He spoke as he gave her neck a lick making her recoil despite the knife.

"Let. Her. Go. Now" He spoke through his teeth while his eyes glowed red.

"Just kill him Xander! Forget about me!"

"Well looks like someone has a death wish…" Angelus sneered "…let's oblige her." He said as he rammed the scalpel into her stomach.

"NO!" He screamed as he ran to her just as she fell and the vampire fled. He fired a burst of heat vision but the vampire left unharmed. Drawing on whatever knowledge he had from Superman he took out the knife slowly and tore of a piece of his shirt.

"Keep pressure on it, I'll get you to a hospital!" He spoke to her as he gently picked her up and dashed out of the room, trying desperately not to hurt her even worse.

End Flashback…

He had gotten her to a hospital in time, but still the fact remained that the situation had gotten out of hand. He contacted Giles after calming down since he destroyed two payphones in his anger.

The librarian was overcome with worry and anger at learning that his romantic interest was wounded, he came as soon as he could but it seems he had company since Buffy and Willow were with him.

They were still not happy with him as he refused to surrender his abilities; the same abilities that helped him rescue them against the Judge and now Jenny as well. They became less happy when he told them it was open season on Angelus.

Buffy was livid when he spoke of killing him, she had the audacity to punch him…which she soon regretted as her hand broke, for even though she was empowered supernaturally she didn't have the same effect as demons and vampires who were fully mystical in nature much less stronger than her in some cases.

Xander did not mean for her to hurt herself but the glare he received was enough to tell he was not wanted there, it hurt even worse because Willow also looked at him with a mixture of fear and anger.

Things finally came to a head when Acathla was discovered and with it came the death of Kendra the second slayer to be called, the beating of Willow, Jenny and Cordelia, Giles torture and finally the final battle between Angelus and Buffy.

He had arrived at the mansion and made sure that Giles was safely in the hospital where he learned that Jenny enacted the ensoulment ritual. However Giles had told him that should the sword that held the demon at bay be removed only the blood of the one who removed it would seal it shut taking the summoner as well.

He returned just in time to see Buffy falter while Angel asked what was going on and the portal grew in size. A choice had to be made, one life for billions and Buffy was biased so it fell to him to both save the world and… lose his family.

There was no great fanfare, he simply crashed through the glass doors took the sword and rammed into Angel. He looked him straight into the eyes of the cursed vampire and apologized deeply as he pushed him into the portal, his heart went out to Buffy as she screamed his name.

He did not look back as he left, he simply went home packed a bag and grabbed as much money that was in the house and left. He would not be welcomed again and the next time they saw him there would only be scorn in their eyes for what he did.

He had gone to L.A at first, only approaching Sunnydale to check up on them whether they cared or not. His name was taboo around Buffy but Jenny refused to pander her as she understood what had to be done for the world to survive.

Giles tried to defend his actions as he too saw the logic in his reasoning, but the girl was not about to forgive him any time soon. Willow seemed reluctant to support his exile but she also did not approve of the way things went down. Cordelia seem to miss him but not enough for him to return.

All in all his life had been one big mess at that point in time, worse yet his powers continued to grow as he absorbed more sunlight, he was now at half Superman's power level and exhibited the other fields of vision and senses.

Hearing so many cries for help nearly drove him over the edge, and what's worse he could never be there for all of them or make sure he did not hurt any one accidentally. In the comics Superman had the fortress, years of training and many people to help him gain control here he had to rely on sheer luck.

He knew Superman had mental blocks to control most of his powers in combat, but frankly he did not have the discipline and patience to apply all of them, he mostly concentrated on not hurting anyone by just going out to walk.

It also didn´t help that he had every bady looking to make him their minion, especially a group of evil lawyers called Wolfram and Hart, who somehow knew who he was and what he could do and often tried to brainwashing or bind him to their will. The thing about brainwashing was that it depended on the targets willpower, and if there was something he had in abundance it was will, he ran as fast as he could since range was a key factor.

He was just glad they hadn´t tried summoning Doomsday or cloning him with some mystical Xerox machine. He had learned to circumvent LA since they did not operate in Sunnyhell, something to do with a client who lived there or so he overheard.

It was on one of his patrols around the Hellmouth he came upon Faith, a girl with a history much like his own, she was on the run from a Vampire that was said put the Master to shame. He dealt with him discreetly before she even knew he and his right hand man, Mr. Trick, were even there.

Angel somehow returned from whatever Hell dimension he was sent to, so he kept watch over him at a distance thanks to his telescopic vision, Buffy was caring for him but he had to make sure they were dealing with Angel not his evil counterpart.

One night he had to reveal himself as both Buffy and Faith were dealing with a group of vampires, however one of them was not part of the group because he had a heartbeat and he recognized him as the mayor's deputy. Buffy threw him to Faith who had stake ready.

He dashed in just as she rammed the stake into his back, it shattered easily as he covered the man. Buffy took one look at him and he saw the hatred in her eyes that cut him to the bone. Faith however wanted to know who he was and what the deal was with protecting the guy, he simply took the man away leaving them behind and trying to ignore the sadness he felt or the tears that fell.

According to Alan Finch the Mayor was really a 100 year old Warlock who was planning to ascend into full demonhood. He took him to Giles place and was surprised to see Jenny there. Both were relieved to see him and he allowed himself a moment to be held by them before he left so they could plan for the new threat.

He made a pass at the dark Slayer's motel room to speak to her about what nearly happened out of some need to talk to someone who wasn't about to shove a dagger in his back.

Flashback…

*KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK*

Faith heard the knocking and moved towards it with a dagger ready; she slowly opened it an inch and found it was the same person who had stopped her from killing the guy who had informed them of the mayor.

She opened the door and stepped aside, Xander recognized the tactic as he and the others utilized the same when the found out vampires where real.

"Well if it isn't Superboy, what brings you to my neck of the woods?" She asked with her usual smirk in place.

"Came to check up on you, see how you were doing after that run in with the deputy and the bloodsuckers."

"Aw and here I thought you came because you liked me." She spoke as she sat on her bed.

"Trust me there is nothing I don't like." He replied with a confidence he did not know where it came from as he gently sat on a chair that was in the room.

"So what's the deal with you and B? She looked ready to rip you six ways to Sunday."

*SIGH*

"Long story, they tell you about Halloween yet?"

"They don't tell much of anything involving you, only the Watcher dude and his honey talk about you and only when she and Red aren't around."

That surprised Xander a bit.

"So Miss C and G-man hooked up huh? Good for them."

"Heh, G-man?" She asked in amusement.

"My pet name for our esteemed British gentleman…" He said with a bit of mock English accent "…feel free to use it repeatedly in his presence."

"Oh I will."

"Anyway what happened was some guy Giles knew back in the day decided to have some fun at our expense. We all dressed up and I happened to get suckered by the asshole into a Superman costume, well he decides to spice things up and I and some others turn into our costumes."

"So you became the Man of steel."

"Didn't peg you for a fan."

"I'm not but the first two movies were all right."

"Back to the story, nothing happened at first but after a couple of days I notice I'm getting taller and manlier…" He said in a suave tone that earned a snort from her.

"Well you do look very yummy." She said with a stare that said she did indeed like what she saw.

"If I didn't know better I think you just complimented me."

"Hmm…maybe."

"Right, anyway I do some testing and find out I'm getting stronger the more time I spend getting a tan. So here's where I make the choice that has me where I am now. Do I tell everyone I am the first and last Kryptonian on the planet or do I keep it a secret and fight nobly from the shadows? Guess what I chose?"

"Door number 2?"

"Give the pretty lady a prize." He said with a smirk.

"If I didn't know better I'd say YOU complimented ME."

"Yes…yes I did."

"Okay…I see you are not one to sugarcoat things." She asked though she was surprised that he accepted calling her pretty and that she liked it.

"Yeah…well when I was going out with Cordy we were very honest with each other…" He said to her while he slumped in his chair "…is she seeing any one?"

"Well Queen C does go out but I haven't seen her stay with one guy for more than a day, mostly because they take a gander at these…" She said as she placed her hands on her breasts shamelessly, he averted his eyes and blushed not seeing her smirk.

"Is she okay?"

"Well she definitely has the wicked tongue with some blonde bitch who hangs with her and her group but I sometimes see her moping from time to time…I think I heard her say your name once."

He gave her a look and for some reason they way he was looking at her was as if he was trying to see if she was lying about that.

"Are you using your peep vision on me?"

"NO!"

"Boy you sure know how to make a girl feel special."

"What?"

"Heh heh, I'm messing with ya…but honestly you have all his powers? Can you fly?" She asked with a little excitement.

"Little bit, I try not to since I don't know how to navigate well."

"Care to give a girl a ride…I'll make it worth your wild."

"Well…okay but don't blame me if something happens..." He replied as he stepped out "…hop on." He said as he signaled to his back.

She immediately grabbed onto him and pressed herself against him. To his credit he lasted a whole ten seconds before he fantasized about her offer.

"Gyddy up big boy." She whispered into his ear.

*Do not get a boner!* He repeated in his head as he gently took to the sky.

End Flashback…

Faith had enjoyed the short but exhilarating ride and had indeed tried to reward him, however he had enough trouble controlling his powers in combat much less…in THAT situation, so instead they talked more.

He found himself visiting her frequently; he wasn't looking for much except someone who could understand the loneliness he felt because of his self-imposed exile. She in turn found herself telling him about her life before becoming a Slayer and the happiness she felt with Diana.

He had helped out against O'Toole and his zombie gang and against the Sisterhood of Jhe, he got slightly wounded by the thing they were trying to bring out of the Hellmouth, he never could remember the name, not that he cared. Thing managed to knock him unconscious and woke up to the sound of screaming between Buffy, Willow and Faith. Giles and Faith's watcher Wesley tried to mediate while Angel and Oz watched, Jenny and Cordelia were near him.

Turned out Willow wanted to work some mojo on him and change him back, Buffy wanted the beat the shit out of him and Faith was about to go medieval on both of them.

A small part of him wanted to go back to the way things were but then he realized that after Angelus he would still be an outcast. He slipped off the able and blasted through the ceilings glass window.

He had taken the time to heal as the creature had done a number on him. Thankfully his alien healing factor had done wonders for him. Of course this was balanced by the fact that he had to endure many cries for help going unanswered.

Faith informed him that they had planned to blow up the Mayor since it would take a big blast to kill him, from what he had seen she was still angry at them for threatening her friend but he just brushed it of

The time of the Ascension ceremony came and bodies were piling up, Snyder among them but that was just the only death that wasn't really going to bother him. An army of demons and vampires under the Mayor Wilkins orders came to bathe in innocent blood.

Flashback…

Chaos reigned in front of the school as students and teacher alike fled to safety and away from the horde of monsters. The demonic aberration that was now Wilkins was targeting anything that moved.

The Scooby's were fighting as best they could as several students were coordinated by the Watchers into fighting the demons with any and all weapons they had on hand.

The Olvikan that was once Mayor Wilkins would drop down on several people and devour them. Buffy and Faith were killing anything inhuman but even they could only hold for so long, they need to get him into the library.

Cordelia was helping with the stragglers when she was tackled by a vampire; she pulled up a cross before staking him; however that delay cost her…

"MISS CHASE, WHAT A DELICIOUS SURPRISE…" Wilkins spoke in a twisted mockery of his voice and his demonic one as he lunged at her.

"AAAAAHHHH!" she screamed in terror as he descended on her bringing her arms up.

*BOOM!*

Instead of staring at the demonic visage she saw the back of a man straining against the demonic creature. When he spoke she knew who it was…

"DON'T YOU FUCKING TOUCH HER ASSHOLE!"

"Xander!"

"Cordy where's the bomb!?"

"In the library!" She yelled as she got up.

"Rig…duck!" He yelled as his eyes glowed.

She did as told as he fired several heat beams at some 3 demons and 5 vampires, all headshots.

"Get to the others!" He yelled as he rushed the Olvikan.

Wilkins coiled to full height and though it did not look like it he was glaring at him.

"MR. HARRIS I'M AFRAID THAT WASN'T VERY SMART, YOU SHOULD USE THOSE POWERS TO RULE THESE PEOPLE NOT PROTECT…" The demon started to speak before Xander flew up and delivered a right hook.

"BAM!"

"Shut up and bleed!" He yelled as he fired a several beams at the creature who roared in pain. The young man then assaulted it with several blows to the head each one shook the air as they struck.

Wilkins tail whipped to the ground and slammed his tail repeatedly on him; on the fifth strike Xander rolled away and fired one last beam to one of the creature's eye.

"YAAAARGH!"

"COME GET ME YOU FREAK!" He yelled as he ran for the school with the demon at his back.

He easily stayed ahead of it before he arrived at the library filled to the brim with gasoline tanks, fertilizers and all other manner of homemade bombs.

He knew they wouldn't detonate the bombs until he was out but he couldn't risk letting Wilkins escape. Said demon crashed through the doors just as Xander's eyes glowed red.

The demon took one look at the explosives and at the now smirking super powered teen and said only one word one would not normally associate with him.

"AH SHIT!"

"I know huh?" Xander replied before igniting the bombs.

End Flashback…

He had woken up in the basement under some rubble not knowing how much time had passed but from the looks of things it must have been several days since most of the damage was cleared away. He first went to his supplies for a fresh set of clothes and then went in search of Giles or Faith.

He found them both at Gile's apartment with Jenny there, the three were extremely happy he was alive, when asked how long he was out they replied that three days at least. They asked him what now and he simply replied that he needed to find some way to control his growing powers away from the Hellmouth.

They were not pleased to hear that but both Giles and Jenny agreed that such power needed to be tamed. Faith was angry and sad to hear he was leaving. He held her as gently as he could and told her he would always be near if she needed a friend "Just call me and I'll come running." He said to her.

She said that she was heading with Cordelia to LA, to watch her back and expand her horizons from Sunnyhell. Angel was heading the same way after accepting he just couldn't be near Buffy without hurting each other.

He had talked to him to set the record straight. He pretty much told him the ensouled vampire he had dropped the ball big time but he better make up for it. Angel understood the message loud and clear and thanked him for being there to stop him when his bad side reared its head and saving the world even if Buffy couldn't see it that way.

His memories than blurred to his other adventures and people he helped as he traveled. A trio of white witch sisters in San Francisco he saved from a demonic hitman. A pair of demon hunting brothers who ran a foul with a demon who held the soul of the elder brother who sold it to save his little brother.

He occasionally returned to face any threats to his girls, ADAM and Dracula to name a few, recalling how he ripped off the head of the demonic cyborg or charbroiled the vampire as he tried to enslave him, but it was Glory who had finally done him in in a manner of speaking. He heard from Giles about her being a Hell Goddess bent on killing Dawn which made her number one on his hit list.

Flashback…

He had arrived to see Buffy get beaten by the blonde Goddess after wailing on her with a hammer he sensed was magical in nature.

Her followers where holding back the Scooby's and Angels group whom he had contacted and told them of the terrible danger the Sunnydale team faced, high on top Dawn was being held by some demon with a dagger in hand.

He chose to handle the bigger threat so he rushed in and shoulder tackled Glory.

"AUGH!"

"Xander!?"

She asked as she saw him wearing the suit that started it all.

"Buffy get to Dawn!"

She looked hesitant before nodding and heading up the tower.

The Hell Goddess got up and took a look at her new foe.

"What the…!? Are you shitting me!?"

"What? I needed to look my best if I was going to kick your fat, ugly ass!"

"I will rip out your spine and beat you to death with it!"

Both charged each other and struck hard with a right cross. A thundering boom was heard by all. From there it devolved into a free for all as they rained down blows at each other. Gaining the attention of everyone involved to watch the two destroy one another.

Xander struck with a left right combo to the body followed by a heat blast, Glory dodged the twin beams and thrusts the palm of her hand to his chin before delivering a side kick.

She followed through with a knee to the stomach and a left uppercut.

He fell on his back and she raised her leg to cave his head in but he grabbed her foot and gave a hard twist to the right.

*SNAP!*

"ARRRGH!"

Seeing his opportunity he charged in with blow after blow, putting all his strength behind them, the Hell Goddess reeled as the powerful strikes were shattering her bones and tearing her muscles.

He finally delivered a fierce uppercut of his own.

"W…Who…What are you!?" She asked through her swollen lips.

"I'm Superman bitch!" He yelled as he stomped on her skull.

With a sickening crunch he crushed the Hell Goddess head in before falling to one knee.

The wounds he had suffered left him tired but when he felt the energy in the air change he saw that a portal was opening, he strained his hearing over the noise and heard the Key and the Slayer talk about the need for Slayers blood and a body to close it.

End flashback…

He was brought back to the now just as the portal collapsed in on him with no regrets save the pain his death would cause to his girls, thus ending the life of the world's first and last Kryptonian.

The descent from the tower was just as fast as the one they groups had done when they rushed to prevent a tragedy, now spurred by the need to see their fallen friend.

"He's not dead! He can't be dead!" Buffy cried as she ran ignoring all her aches and pains and focused on her friend.

*WHY!? WHY DID I HAVE TO DO THIS TO HIM!? IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME! OH GOD PLEASE BE ALIVE!* Her mind cried out in anguish.

They all searched frantically for signs of a body but it was Buffy who discovered the remains of the shield still stained with blood and burnt slightly around the edges. Her cries call all the others to her position and all shared in her grief.

One week later…

It was with great sadness that they gathered to attend the funeral of one Alexander "Xander" L. Harris. It was held at night so that Angel could attend, he owed the man who saved the world and Buffy and Dawn that much at least.

On the right of the grave were the Scooby's mourning heavily while on the left was the whole group of Angel Investigations in equal state.

The casket was filled with Hawaiian shirts, Twinkies, CD's, pictures and the tattered "S" shield that reminded them of the man who gave his all in the fight. Buffy held in her hands the letter her friend left. She and the others had read it many times after that fateful night...She read it out loud one last time.

-To my dearest friends and family…and the Deadboys.—

-If you are reading this, then it means I finally bought the farm, personally I hope I went down doing what I swore on Jessie's grave, protecting my loved ones.—

-I know that after that so memorable Halloween a lot changed between us, some good but mostly bad. In retrospect I should have been more honest with you all and acted like an adult instead of a kid with a new toy.—

-Buffy, I know I hurt you when I made the choice of sending Angel into that portal…but I had to make that choice for you. It may seem callous and arrogant of me to presume to know what is best but I like to think I spared you some heartache by doing it myself instead of letting you do that to someone you loved.—

-Dawn…you are real and never ever forget you are more than special, I don't know how I know it but I do. Look after your big sister for me and be patient with her, she can be handful believe me but she will be there for you when you most need her.—

-Faith you and I shared so much in common it was scary. I'd like to think you have found a new and better family like I did and even though I may no longer be around to talk to that doesn't mean I won't be looking in on you wherever I end up in this crazy afterlife. Please protect my family, they can save you just liked they saved me.—

-Willow you were right to be angry at me for hiding things from you, we were best friends since preschool and we promised to always be honest with each other. I'm sorry I broke our promise. I pray for your happiness with Tara, heal each others wounds and watch out for each other like we did.—

-Giles you were the father I wish I had, I may not ever seemed to take you seriously but that doesn't mean I never respected your advice you gave me, you trusted me that I would use these powers well and I hope that I proved myself worthy of that trust. I know my girls will always be safe with you around watching out for them.—

-Cordy…I wish words could express how much I enjoyed our time together, both good and bad. I was the outcast and you were the queen of the school…yet somehow we made it work for a while until all this happened. A part of my heart will always belong to you and you alone Cor…I love you Cordelia Chase and that is why I want you to move on with your life and find someone who can love you just as much as I did.—

-Angel…I will be honest with you and admit that I was jealous of how Buffy fawned over you and angry when she thanked you for saving her at the cave instead of correcting her. But that is in the past and since I'm worm food now it doesn't matter really, however despite all our conflicts I still respected you for trying to make up for your past. Look after my girls for me, you can take it as honoring a man's last request…oh and kick Spike in the crotch for me as well.—

-Well guys and gals, this is it I guess, I had a lot of regrets and fond memories but that's behind me now. I hope after all is said and done we will all see each other again in that great Twinkie factory in the sky. I'll look in on you from time to time so be careful out there and kick ass for me.—

-Alexander "Xander" Harris.—

Finally they lowered the casket into the earth. Giles had a priest who was a close personal friend of his bless the land while Jenny, Willow and Tara placed protective wards so as it never is disturbed and the tombstone and casket never ware out.

On the Tombstone made of black marble was an inscription, it read:

-HERE LIES ALEXANDER HARRIS. PROTECTOR OF MAN. MAN OF STEEL. A TRUE HERO AND FRIEND TO ALL. HE HELPED SAVE THE WORLD A LOT. — At the bottom was the Superman Shield.

One by one they all placed a handful of dirt on it before Giles, Angel, Doyle and Wesley began to shovel in the dirt, Rupert shed tears as they did this. Each thinking hard on the moments the man had made with them.

When all was said and done they all left together and went to the Summers home to speak of him in more memorable moments and vowed never to forget him or his unending courage and determination in the fight against evil.

And so the life of one Xander Harris came to a close.

…or did it?

Outside of time and space…

If one would define what absolute nothing would look like, most would people would find it difficult to describe such terms. However in this case it would be a vast expanse of white, no color or sound being heard just miles upon miles of absolute emptiness.

However that changed when in a flash of light a body simply appeared in it, his torn and bloody black suit stood in contrast with the white of the space he occupied. He just seemed to lie until finally…

*GASP!*

"Ugh!" He groaned as consciousness slowly came to him, with some effort despite his muscles protesting he got on his hands and knees and slowly but surely stood up.

"Wh…where am …I?"

"Well you are not dead my young friend." Someone spoke behind him, a man by the tone and pitch involved.

He tried to turn but the aches he felt from his battle with the Hell Goddess were still healing.

"Oh I apologize for not taking care of those, here…" The unknown man spoke once more and as soon as it did he felt invigorated and healthy once more. He looked at his suit and found it also repaired.

He finally faced the person speaking to him and found himself staring at what at first glance seemed to be a homeless man with black unruly hair wearing a black jacket hoodie, fingerless gloves and black pants.

"Oh, this is the last form I took when I presented myself." The being spoke as if in answer to his unasked question.

"Who…?"

"Who am I? Well Xander…may I call you Xander?"

"Sure…" The young man replied.

"Well Xander, I have gone by many names and forms from so many cultures in the universe, both human and not, Kami, Yahweh, Rao, Allah…" The being spoke as series of names that made the former Sunnydalian grow paler.

"Oh my…"

"God?" He finished for him with some humor "…yes that is the name many know me by."

Xander promptly fainted again.

*SIGH*

"I really must learn to hand out a card first before presenting myself. At least the other men I introduced myself to were of sterner stuff."

The omnipotent being spoke, conjuring a bed for Xander and a chair to sit on as he waited for his guest to awake.

To be continued…