Other Lives Lived.
"Have you ever wondered how you got to a certain place in life?" the young seeming man asked the young acolyte in front of him.
"Yes. Then I realized I made a shitty decision that has both enhanced and ruined my life." He looked up at the chains on his wrists then at that guy. "But enough about me. Why did you have them capture me?"
"Because I find you interesting." He smirked. "Don't I deserve to talk to interesting people?"
"Maybe. Doesn't mean I'm that interesting though."
"I think you are. You could channel our God."
"I could probably destroy him too. Not the first." The man laughed, shaking his head with a smile. "Seriously. Want references?" The older man slapped him hard. Xander stared at him. "That's not going to get me to cooperate."
"We don't need you healthy for that. We only need you living."
"Well, no. By your rites you need me to be a pure human and I'm not any longer. See, I've been exposed to demon blood." The older man flinched back, staring at him in horror. "Also, yeah, I could channel him but I'd be doing it for my benefit, not yours. It'd just be added to the slayer legacy really. Even though they'll never hear of any of this."
The man came back to hit him again so Xander kicked him across the room, then kicked up to get his wrists free of the hook the chain was on. "You're worse at this than Sanda's people were. And he was a super powerful being. An original line warrior mage from the demon owning times and you think you're better than his people were? You don't even have minions."
"I do, Harris. I have many minions and acolytes. They'll rip you apart for me."
Xander grinned. "If I don't make them mine you mean?" The man stared, mouth open. "I could use a few good minions. They just need to be able to help me with the baby slayers." The man shrieked and attacked him. Xander fought him off, breaking his face with the chains still on his wrists. "Really?" He grinned. "Wow. So damn weak. And you want to be a god? Really?"
He found the keys to unlock himself, then found the guy's wine goblet, sniffing before drinking from it. "The hellsbane formula will nicely do tonight to let me have some fun with those *acolytes*." The man whined and reached for him but Xander just kicked him in the face, killing him. "Pity." He finished that drugged wine and walked off looking casually pleased. That potion and poison did funny things thanks to the demon blood in his veins.
It made him super horny, very open to spirits, and even a bit cruel. It did not make him able to put up with aggressive minions. So when he walked into the ritual room he got a few with his mini crossbow he had hidden on him before going to the portal and breaking it. The acolytes wailed. "Yeah, shut up. The only way he'll be summoned is if I do it myself."
He strolled off, going to the club out front. He could at least get some fun stress relief. There were a whole lot of succuba out there. That god had supposedly had a large harem of them to keep himself satisfied so they had summoned some for him to contain and control later on.
Which to Xander meant he had premature ejaculation and no stamina. So instead, Xander got to have some fun. They all stared at him as he walked past, finding one he knew to kiss deeply and dip her backwards. "I'm back, bitch." He grinned. "Did you miss me?"
"Xander," she moaned. "Oh, Goddess of the Dark. You're potioned."
"Yes but it's only hellsbane." He winked at another one. "It just makes me horny. You up for some fun?"
"We need to be here for the summoning."
"Yeah, they wanted me to summon him and I declined. Pity." She stared then kissed him desperately. "Yeah, I saved your pretty buns too." He winked at a few incubi, who came over to help him have some fun. The few normal people in the club mostly fled as the orgy got started. That was fine. He didn't need more to worship his stamina problem tonight. He hadn't in many years.
***
A different Xander, one from a past time, the fifth incarnation of Xander, looked up to shake his head at his current incarnation's stupid moments. "Succuba, really?" he muttered. He mixed the proper potions and made sure his marks were correct. His lover, who expected him to be doing all this for him, was going to interfere. Pity but he was expendable now.
He got himself ready for the ritual to call back a past life. Or a future life really would work if he had to. Either would do this time. Maybe they'd just switch places. The priests who guarded him watched him bathe and relax to soak for a bit. One sent for their master because it looked like the spell was tonight. It was suspicious timing.
***
Xander was in the park when the spell hit. He closed his eyes and sighed, but nodded. "Great, bitch. Just what we needed." He felt the spell going strong, but a bit tilted. "I'm not going back there. I do not want to go back there," he told himself. A vampire stopped trying to sneak up on him to eat him when he heard that. "Not you." He staked him.
"A past self." He found a sturdy stick and drew himself a protection circle. He'd had memories of that Xander for years now. The hyena had brought them up. He finished the diagram and stepped into it, nodding as it lit up. "Not bad for an on the fly spell circle."
He looked at the staring vampire, which was one he knew. "Another me in another time and place is calling." He grinned and waved. "It's either this or I have to go help him with the ones who think he's a warrior slave."
The vampire shook his head. "What?"
"Weird Xander shit," he explained in a simpler tone. "Don't worry about it. Just another me coming to visit."
The vampire stared at him oddly. "That is very weird but impossible."
Xander grinned. "Nothing's impossible." He waved a hand and a ball of magic lit up on it. "Hmm. Sure, you can come here. I'm not going to take your place though," he told the ball. It changed colors to a sunny blue. He shook his head, putting it between his feet. He felt a witch from the local coven come running and waved. "Weird Xander shit," he called. "Stay."
"Who's trying to sacrifice you, boy?" she demanded, pulling out herbs.
"It's another me coming to visit, Valerie. Calm down! Really!" He grinned as the calling happened, yanking hard to get that him out of that very drafty old tower. And the lap of luxury that one lived in. With it came the other past hims. All five of them. He stepped up to absorb them and moaned as it hit.
"Fuck me," he muttered. "Though not literally. I don't need that tonight." He sucked in a deep breath and nodded. "Sure, that's who we were. Now we're not." He concentrated and the magic eased off slowly, leaving him mostly a normal Xander. Maybe a bit twisted. Maybe a lot twisted. He looked up and called up the magic then let it ease again.
"Yeah. We can do that." He kicked the ball up gently and caught it, using it to undo the circle. Then he walked off carrying it, smiling at the confused looking witch. "A past me needed an escape plan." He shrugged. "He had people who thought his butthole gave out wishes." He strolled around her. "Going back to my place."
"Willow will be very upset."
"That's why you don't tell her. Let her figure it out on her own," he quipped, glaring at her. She shivered at that touch of magic but he grinned. "She hasn't seen the real me in years, Valerie. For all she knows I'm not actually still alive." He grinned. "So relax, let it all out. I'm going to have some fun. If you run into the priests that used to guard me, let me know. I'm escaping them. They could be here by spring."
He strolled off humming, playing with his magic ball. The spirit of his ancestor, or past life, was pretty neat but complaining about all the people who wanted to use him for his ass and his skills but didn't really care about his well being. Which figured. Xander had seen a few of those himself. Some of them had even left him things when they had died from it.
Valerie looked at the vampire, who shook his head. "Not a chance I'm telling the girls. I like my unlife the way it is, even though I am taking Buffy shopping tomorrow." He walked off, going to hide from everyone.
Valerie sighed but went to talk to Rupert. He'd know how to tell Willow to make sure she didn't lose her temper and attack the poor, possessed boy.
***
Back in that time zone, the master of the tower came stomping in to figure out what had happened. He was a higher level mage, but Xander had some specific skills that he didn't and needed. A priest found a letter addressed to him and handed it over so he read it, smirking at that. "So, his next life? Really?" He looked around. "Gather things. He'll need a few of them to do the spell when we catch up with him." He walked off seething but amused. Xander was always amusing.
The priests shared a look before moving to pack things quickly. Then they'd be escaping the tower because that Master would have them killed. Horribly killed.
***
Xander meditated on the past lives, and they were happy to show him happy things. Not always the best happy things but the nicer things. How they all connected to that same souls. That 'master of the tower'. But Xander didn't really want him. The him in this current realm, place, and time was dead. He recognized him as someone who had tried to summon something big and had died for it.
Twice actually since that spirit had tried to inhabit his body and had to be taken out too. That second time he was gotten by a slayer he was working with. The past lives all pouted at that. Most of them thought they were probably soulmates or destined somehow to be together. Him, he just thought he had been an asshole in his way and causing him work.
They showed him why they decided he was connected. It was a very dark night. A ritual night. A ritual circle drawn on a stone floor. A stone room that looked like a tower area, with arches to capture power and hold it in the room by the marking on them. They were both naked and they each had a dagger in hand.
They had painted on marks. Xander looked at that fourth version of himself, who was a redheaded warrior sort, and sighed mentally. Well, that guy was a whole lot less bulky than he was. The guy brought him out of his thoughts with a finger snap, getting an irritated look back but the guy just smiled.
"It's time."
That Xander nodded once. "I suppose it is." He palmed the dagger again then nodded, looking over his lover's marks. None were quite what he expected, what were the right ones. So he had to draw the right one. Just the one. A perfect one. That guy would demand it be perfectly drawn. All the things that had drawn his soul to this guy, they were really irritating. He was a picky perfectionist, magical sort.
He was demanding, loud, and annoying. Some of his soul loved that guy, or a former version of him, but this version of him hated this guy's guts this time. The last time he had drawn something other than a bonding mark so apparently that bled into this life's distaste of him. Or made him into something he hated this time.
Or he could free himself of all this. Draw the mark on himself maybe? But that was not done with this spell active. It'd lead to a huge fight and one of them dying. He had some options here about what to draw, where to draw it, how to draw it in a few cases. He'd been learning one specific one and had practiced it repeatedly to make sure he got it correct.
It wasn't the one he wanted to use. The one he wanted to use, he ached to use, was a more ancient one. One that sang to him when he saw it. He sighed and leaned forward to use the sharp dagger to draw his mark. But he just...couldn't. His hand hesitated and he sat up, staring at the marks he already had. Something wasn't right. He felt something wasn't right. He knew what it was.
"You've been practicing," his lover noted patiently.
The Xander then stared at him. "Yes but I have a choice here and the one I've been practicing doesn't feel right. In magic, that does matter, doesn't it?"
"Very much so. Why are you hesitating to draw the one you want then?"
"The fight later." He stared at him then felt whatever was wrong snapping the bond. So he was free. The magic was still building but he was free. He blinked a few times and that mark, the one he craved, it was for him. Not the other. That one got whatever he wanted to gift to him. That one he had practiced would be a nice present. So would two others. And the magic hummed at that thought.
So he closed his eyes then sat up to draw on his lover's arms, the marks he wanted to give him. All three of them. It wasn't usually done but his lover was pleased he was gifting him with extra. He spread the spilled blood over them, mumbling the incantation to set them. His 'other half' saw the first one and then he screamed. The Xander back then drew the one that he craved using the guy's dagger, putting it on his leg. Then he sighed in pleasure.
It was ended.
He was free of the cycle.
"I'm done," he said, then stood up. His other half stood up and attacked him. "One of us always sends the other to the afterlife with the daggers," he noted calmly and quietly. "Will it be you this time or me?"
"I am your master, boy!"
"No you're not. I'm free now." Xander stabbed him and the dagger sank into his body, being sucked in magically. It was the duty of that dagger to show up with the next incarnation. To be summoned forth. He watched him fall and crafted the magic whipping around them from the release into a spell to send him off. Anywhere but here. He did not want another go-round. He closed his eyes as the magic left him and he sighed in pleasure.
"It's done," he said quietly. He picked up the other dagger, looking at it. "Yes, we'll make sure you don't have to join that one again if we can." He kissed it and dropped it into the waiting box, then locked it tightly and handed it to one of the priests as he walked out. "Bury that. It may not come to light again." He put on robes as he walked, feeling lighter now. Now he could go do whatever he wanted.
Of course, he ran into a problem outside. That just how things went. He stared up at the demon that had bound them together the first time, shrugging. "Not into him or you. Move."
"I will not."
"You will."
"I will never leave you alone, boy."
The then Xander smiled. "You sure of that?" He cast something, a final strike spell, and that demon died with a scream as Xander himself faded out. Now he was fully free.
The present Xander woke up, blinking hard at his body. "Well, huh, older me," he muttered. "Nice one! And that demon's already dead. Faith took it out last year." The older hims all cheered at that. "That other guy? Yeah, not going there." He felt the thoughts of the tower show up and sighed. "Or there. No, I'm not a princess or a priest."
They all relaxed. "So let's go handle things before they show up here. Too many can find me here." He looked at his leg, seeing the scar now on it. He nodded once. "Okay, sure. I'll have that colored on." He got up, going to handle the needs for leaving the town again. It wasn't that hard, he did it really often. He went back to the Council center to check in. "I'm going on rotation."
Rupert Giles stared up at him. "What the fucking bloody hell did you do, boy?"
"Well, apparently I talked to my former selves," he said dryly. "Who were escaping an abusive guy in a tower who wanted me to summon a higher power to possess him." He shrugged. "Oh, are we talking about the cult to Gregoros? Because yeah I took down the high priest and some of the acolytes because they had me hostage for a few hours.
"Drank some hellsbane to do it, which just makes me super horny so the succuba were really nice to celebrate us all being free with that." He stared at him. "Or what are you talking about?" he asked at the horrified look.
"Valerie noted you were in the middle of a spell circle last night. She announced you're possessed and not normal."
"Yeah, that was a past me coming to visit. Apparently I've had five past lives and they're all evading some guy in a tower who wants me to summon his god to possess him. And some other supposed soulmate guy." He shrugged. "Won't happen here. That mage is the one that I had to get with Sandra, who she had to get the demon in him so she got him last."
Giles blinked a few times. "What?" he demanded.
"Um...huh. Didn't read that report?" He walked out. "Let me get it from the storage room." He came back with that year's book of reports and let him see it. "That guy? He had a tower with the last version of me." He let him see it. "That him wasn't trying to summon that demon but wanted Sybat instead. He was going to use me to summon it.
"That me *then* destroyed his hopes by using that magic built up to send him to his next life, me. So I drew that circle and let him come visit. Found out about the guy in the tower and the one that *thought* he was a soulmate and wasn't. They showed me last night how I got rid of *that* one."
Giles blinked a few times. "I want a full report."
"I'd like to not be easily found by that second guy at the moment. He's around here somewhere and I'm not taking his ass back. So I'm going on rotation."
Giles blinked a few times. "Write it out first." Xander sighed but took his computer to do that. He read it at the end and stared at him oddly. "What the hell was that?"
"Have you been in the scotch already this morning?" he asked dryly. "What did it look like?"
Giles glared. "Boy," he warned.
Xander stared at him. "It wasn't a possession by more than my past lives showing up. We knew I had one. The hyena showed me that when I was sent to meditate with her." Giles winced at that. "Yeah! Native healers, Giles." He smirked. "We knew we had 'em. They just had to come visiting to save that one from the guy in the tower."
He frowned at him then out a window. "Go back to sleep!" he ordered. The mini slayer pouted but went back upstairs. He looked at his boss and mentor again. "Did you want me to leave my past self vulnerable? Or have them summon me there? I mean, I could probably handle being spoiled by the priests and stuff but I'm still not going to summon Sybat for him. And the sex was horrible so...." He shrugged but stared at him.
"Fucking hell, boy."
"You are clearly drunk," Xander said dryly. "So please erase that before the other watchers get hopeful I'm going to let them use me to do the same stupid things?"
"They wouldn't."
"Bullshit. Two have thought about calling higher powers and their plan was to call me to do it. Though they both probably wanted to sacrifice me during it, but I'm the only medium around here." He rubbed over that mark. "Sorry, new scar's itching."
Giles looked and winced. "That's not a good mark."
"I drew it on myself during that freeing myself from the supposed soulmate thing." He stared at him. "I'll have it colored sometime soon. It meant I was free of that supposed soulmate and owner."
"Breaking that sort of run is dangerous to you and others."
"Or we might not have been soulmates," Xander said dryly, smirking a bit. "Because you're not supposed to be able to harm your soulmate, right?"
"Well, no," he admitted, calming himself down. "You should not be able to."
"And yet, I did. And hated him too I might add. Absolutely loathed that Xander owner." He stared at him. "Had my dagger go with him into the afterlife and mine's hidden somewhere on that realm by the priests he had."
"It'll come to you."
"I can always use a new knife but it doesn't mean I'm taking that weak ass in."
Giles huffed. He destroyed that report and stared at him again. "Where are you going?"
"Fuck if I care mostly. Please don't send me to be diplomatic though. All my other incarnations were more slim, magic using Xanders for some reason. I'm the only barbarian warrior type."
Giles stared at him. "Yes, you certainly are."
Xander smirked. "You say some of the sweetest things while drunk, Giles."
He huffed. "That dagger ritual is as old as time. Comes from a few off-realm areas."
"I know. I knew that then." He nodded at that. "Doesn't mean I wanted that particular being to do it with me. I had tried to get free the life before then and did manage it that time. Then the last one that guy in the tower managed to capture me for a bit longer than average." He shifted his weight. "So I've got two I'm avoiding."
"That soulmate may show up."
"Maybe. Not like I'm gonna go on my back for him. I'm pretty much over screwing bad lovers unless I *really* need weapons."
Giles cleared his throat. "I do not want to know."
"Then next time send me more than a sword when I need an army."
Giles scowled. "We will not go into that."
Xander stared at him. "You know, that one does owe me a wish." Giles glared harder. Xander grinned. "At least tower guy is gone."
"Are you certain?"
"Yeah. I took him out because I realize he was bad shit and summoning something. The thing he was summoning showed up and Sandra took them out."
"Oh." He sucked in a breath then nodded. "All right. We should get you gone before Willow hears."
He snorted. "With the past lives having magic I've been wondering about a few things."
"Do not," he warned, holding up a finger. "That level of magic here would be a very bad idea."
Xander grinned. "Because it's not earth magic?"
"Yes!"
"I realize it's sorcery level, Giles. Calm down? Before you have a heart attack and I have to take out Willow?"
"Well, yes, not a bad idea," he sighed. He stared at him. "Could you cast that?"
"I've always been able to cast that. That's part of what makes me a medium."
"Oh, fucking hell." He tossed down something he had picked up. "That figures. I had not thought of that but it really does figure that's why you're so open."
Xander grinned and nodded. "That plus the demon blood I've been splashed by or been exposed to? The guy last night had poisoned hellsbane potion and it just makes me horny. So I had fun with the succuba. And a few incubus."
Giles stared at him. "I don't need to know, Xander."
Xander grinned. "You'll probably have someone complaining. You can tell them I was drugged."
"You're clearly still drugged."
"Not hardly. The ancient ones coming to visit cured that."
Giles groaned. "Yes, that would." He huffed again. "All right. You get to tell Willow."
"I told Valerie what was going on and she was confused."
"So am I."
Xander blew a kiss. "You say some of the sweetest things."
"Go tell Willow." He pointed.
Xander opened the door. "Rosenburg! Office!" He slammed the door in the face of a mini slayer. She stomped in a minute later. "Valerie still complaining that an ancient version of me came to visit last night?"
"Yes! What was that!"
"That was the past life coming to visit. We knew I had one, the time I spent working on the hyena showed that. He just needed to get away from some mage in a tower who wanted me to summon his demon lord of choice. But that guy's dead here anyway." He stared at her. She laughed so he bopped her magically.
She tried to fight back. He held her off with a casual shield, making her shriek in anger until she stomped off. "Have a better week," he called with a wave after her. "I'm going on rotation to get the hell away from you." He shut the door again, grinning at Giles. "There. Better?"
"That shield is very...weird."
Xander looked at it then uncast it. "Doing it on past memories." He shrugged. "Not like I've fully studied it here. The only ones I've been studying here have been combative magics."
Giles blinked a few times. "Why would you?" he demanded.
"Um, what do I do most of the time?" he asked dryly then pointed. "Like in battles and things?"
"Well, I hadn't thought on that. Crafting perhaps."
"Yeah, maybe. I like crafting." He nodded a bit. "Doesn't help me much in daily life." Valerie and a few other members of the coven showed up. "Ladies," he said with a nod. "I *told* you it was the past selves coming to visit," he told Valerie. "Yeah, they had some magic. That's how they got away from a douchebag who had a tower.
"Willow will calm down later and decide I'm weird and wrong and try to solve me or depossess me and then she'll fail and have to recover from the magic sucking it'll cause. She's done that before and forgot about that apparently. Did you guys forget about that?" One of them went pale and shook her head slowly.
He grinned and nodded. "Yeah, that wasn't possessed. That was the former Xanders had sorcerer level magic. I've been studying combat magics when I can get my hands on books. Frankly, I'm tired of her doing that. We might need her for something magically and that's going to suck when she's down with that recovery." He grinned at them. "So yeah, I knew they'd show up sometime. Working on the hyena thing showed they were around."
The witches all groaned. "But that doesn't happen to normal people," one of the older bidides complained.
"You guys are the only ones who think I'm *normal*," Xander said dryly, smirking at her. "And I'm pretty sure that's an infection of eau de'Rosenburg."
"Fuck," Giles muttered, casting a spell cleansing on the room. The witches did their own version. Xander did his and they all stared at him. Giles stood up and stared at him. "Bloody hell, Xander."
"What? Did it backfire?"
"No." He stared at him. "You are a bit powerful."
"Yeah, there's some who're betting on who I vow to and I haven't yet. They all think I will but I'm really not into demonic overlords or gods. Or even goddesses. Though some of them have been really nice in bed." Giles moaned, rubbing over his face. Xander grinned. "Did you want me to vow to a higher being?"
"NO!" got growled.
"Then yeah, sex is always better than aligning myself permanently." He grinned. "And I really did need the sex." He shrugged but grinned. "It was mostly even happy sex."
Giles glared. "Shut up. Just....shut the bloody hell up before I have mental images I do not want."
"Sorry." He grinned at the witches, who all moaned at that. Willow came back to try to depossess him. "You tried that before, Willow. Do you not remember that headache?" She growled and cast it at him. He let it hit, showing that he wasn't possessed, then he turned it back on her and like last time it leeched magic from her.
Which he nicely created into a ball of energy in his hand. Until Willow screamed and fell down in a faint. Then he let her go and handed the head witch the ball of power with a grin. "Here, in case you need her magically before the headache ends this time."
Buffy stomped in. "What did you do this time, Xander?"
"My past life came to visit. It panicked Witch Valerie." He waved a hand at her. "Then Giles realized he's been clouded for years that I have magic."
"You do?" she demanded.
"Yeah, Buffy. Actually, I'm going on rotation again because there's some mage who thinks I'm his soulmate and I don't want his skanky ass. So I'm escaping him showing up here soon." Buffy looked confused. "He tried to claim soulmate status and I loathed that guy. So I stabbed him in the chest and sent the special, mystical dagger with him. So he'll show up sometime and I'd rather not have that fight here."
"You don't have magic." He lit up a hand light. "Oh, you do have magic. Are you possessed?"
"No," the head of the coven said dryly as she walked in. "He's always had magic, Slayer Summers. He's always been a sorcerer." She stared at him.
He grinned and nodded. "Working with the holy men and healers about the hyena showed me them. They came to visit last night."
"I figured with what Valerie complained about and you said." She stared at him. "He'll show up. He was said to be a possessive sort."
"The soulmate wannabe? I figured. That's why I'm going on rotation."
"I was talking about the one in the tower."
"No, him we took out earlier. He was the guy that Sandra and I fought. The one that she took him out after he had been possessed."
"That's nice but he could come around again too. He's got reciprocating immortality. He'll just turn into his son or grandson probably. Maybe a granddaughter."
"Yeah, not into towers and priests who treat me like I'm a sacrificial princess."
The elder witch snorted, staring at him. "You may not be able to do that."
"Last time I used that magic to flee that life to this one."
She blinked a few times. "That's what...." He grinned and nodded. "Oh, hell. Yes, he'll be showing up."
"I'm going on rotation. That way the minis don't have to giggle over bad lovers being pouty."
"Good idea. They'll get the wrong idea about men anyway. Who are you going to vow to?"
"Myself. I *am* mythical."
She snorted, staring at him. "Won't work."
"Someday I may change that. Right now I'm mythical enough to get people vowing to me. Some of the succuba before that visit did. Because of the hellsbane potion I'm pretty sure I received prayers."
"That's poisonous."
"Demon blood exposure?" he said with a grin.
"Oh, frilly hell, boy."
"Yeah. It's just super happy and horny making so I freed the succuba that guy wanting that one Gregoros to come be his had waiting. We had fun. Then I went to the park."
She blinked a few times. "You had sex with succuba, multiple succuba, and could still do magic?"
"They can't feed from me. They can take hellmouth taint, and I've had a few do that on purpose after Willow's cliffside thing, but they can't feed on my personal energy." He grinned and shrugged a bit. "So they're just for fun and weeding out energy exposures."
She blinked a few times. "That's why you saw that succuba after Sunnydale fell down."
"Yeah! I had radiation sickness. Dawn and I both so I had one of them suck at her energy without touching her sexually due to her age. It cured the hellmouth radiation problem we both had."
"Huh. Hadn't thought about that use." She nodded, making herself a note on a pad from Giles' desk. "I need to ask them about that." She looked at him. "Where are you headed?"
"I haven't heard yet. Giles was in the scotch and swore at me. I did ask for somewhere I don't have to be diplomatic. Because we all know I'm not."
"You're going to the London house," Giles said.
"Okay. Sure, I can study over there. I'll have access to a lot more magical texts so maybe I'll up my combat magic skills." He grinned. "Thanks, Giles!" He grinned. "I'll tell Kennedy I'm coming myself so she can swear at me and find me an apartment." Giles growled. "Did you want me to live in the house with the girls? Really?"
"No," he complained. "You and Kennedy do rather fight, Xander." He pointed at Willow. "I'm aware." He sighed. "I could assign you upcountry in one of the former watchers' residences. Though most of them had their title stripped. Not sure if the house goes with it."
Xander cleared his throat. "I could go build my own."
Giles stared at him. "Excuse me?"
He grinned. "What?"
"You could build your own what, boy?"
"Lordship's house?" He grinned.
"How?"
"Ummmm." Xander got into a file on his phone and let Giles have that report. Giles read it over then looked up that link on his computer, eyes going wide. Xander grinned and nodded. "So yeah, I could."
"When..." He cleared his throat and took off his glasses to stare at him. "How did you do that?"
"You're the one who sent me to clean up that building. I spent a few days sightseeing?" Giles groaned, rubbing his forehead. "Found the demon holding the House of Commons hostage. Talked to him and made him very confused so he stomped off in anger. Blew him up once he was away from all the targets to free them, as you taught me." He smiled at the staring witches. "Talked two spirits he had called into being into going back to sleep."
Giles held up a hand. "That's not a knighthood that report stated."
"No. I had one of those already from something else and then MI-whatever-they-are showed up to nag me right after that." He grinned. "They were waiting outside the private, quiet knighting to ask me what I had done to be firing off artillery in London. So I told them about that demon and all that. The Queen was not amused. She gave me that look that showed not amused. Yeah, that same look you're giving me."
He grinned. "They told her about everything because that knighting was for those two spirits. So yeah, she decided this way I could take it out of London. Please take it out of London and have all of them out there. So now if I hear of something going on in London I do try to have them go out to wherever I'm at outside the city. Kennedy knows that. That MI-whatever guy told her. She was there for the knighting too to complain. I had her help me find a nice suit. She choked through the whole knighting thing."
Giles sucked in a breath then nodded. "Yes, you can go to your estate, boy. Set up the house. Find some other magical texts to read through and ignore."
"I don't ignore them."
"Then why did you build a shield that way?"
"That's how they instinctively form. I haven't read that book yet."
"Oh. Yes, do read that. Tell Ethan to lend it to you," he said dryly, staring at him.
"The last time I saw Ethan he was complaining I was like a kid between you and him. Again." Giles burst out laughing but nodded at that. He also drank some more scotch. "But yeah, I can go ask him to bum some of his books. Any other commands, Giles?"
"Yes. Do not let the girls hear about that. They may try to depend on you for things you won't survive to handle."
"Don't know about that," he muttered. "Buffy told them I'm normal too often. Half of them don't even respect me in battles."
Giles nodded. "Point. Go. Have fun."
"Thanks! I'll have the stuff in the apartment packed up later this week once I figure out where the house is." He skipped off, driving to the airport. He did call Kennedy. "It's me, your head watcher in charge from up country. I'll be there tonight." He hung up. She would warn others in the peaceful community and probably some agents he was on his way back.
***
In England, Kennedy hung up and sighed, going to find her boyfriend. "Xander's being put on as our watcher in charge from up country, probably wherever that house of his is. I'm sure he'll want a map."
"I'll let the higher ups know. Don't think there's a house there though."
"Knowing Xander, he'll put up a camper for a bit and build one." She walked off sighing. "Ladies, Giles sent Xander to annoy us as our head watcher," she announced. They all groaned. "Let the locals hear that. Before they all panic that it's an attack." The older girls went to spread the news to the peaceful community.
***
In the office, Giles was staring at the head of the coven. "We all did spell cleanings."
"I felt. His was stronger. That boy reminds me of a more fun version of Ethan at times. Thankfully Janus won't accept that boy." She gathered her witches to go make tea for them. They'd need some for Willow's headache when she woke up.
Giles went to talk to the other watchers, who were huddled in the library with some of the mini slayers they favored to go on. "We found out Xander had past selves." They all stared at him oddly. "Last night, one escaped to come to him."
"So he's possessed?"
"No." They all groaned. "But I also was not aware he had sorcery." A few nodded slowly.
"Why didn't you realize it? The boy glows in dim rooms," one said dryly. "I handed him a book on shielding and he went to find a succuba again."
"I've heard about that this morning as well. He's going to England to his estate."
"Which one did you give him?"
"His own. He was awarded one." They all whined at that. That meant Harris had status on the level of theirs. "He also said he's escaping whatever past wanter who kept him in a tower that might be showing up."
"Oh, dear. Which tower?"
"Something about the one that Sandra and he took out?" He let them see that report.
"Oh, that one. Yes, his new life is in Brazil." That one grimaced. "We've been tracking him because he has good plans to summon something strong. It figures he'd use a medium to do that and Harris is the most open as he's not vowed."
"He said he's mythical enough to vow to himself," Giles complained.
"Yes, he rather is," the head librarian said dryly with a smirk for him. "A few of us have as well." They nodded at that. "Mostly to calm down the younger slayers."
"I told him to go to Rayne to get some books to help himself learn more things." He walked off. "Willow of course tried to depossess him. She's knocked out. We did a spell cleansing as well."
"Wonderful. We need to all do one," the head librarian agreed. They went to let the witches do that for them. It did help clear their minds and they still hated Harris and his ways.
***
The one with the tower was not amused. He had felt his prey, his minion, his magical other half getting free of the past tower and was now with his new life. He had an idea who that life was, though he had tried to prove it and couldn't. That one was still locked in a large crystal ball of magic. Which was annoying as he didn't have access to that power at the moment. He'd release him but that would let him tell others. He didn't need that at this moment.
His lower priests came in to leave him food and wine then left again, staying silent. He knew he was pouty and angry. The lower priests were annoyed with him probably but he couldn't help it. He had to do this during the upcoming convergence night or he'd have to wait for over a hundred years and this body wasn't immortal yet. He didn't want to wait too long for that spell but this summoning had to take precedent.
He settled himself down in his permanent magical circle. It kept his magic from flashing out and bringing curious witches to see what was going on. He did so hate to remove their memories and send them into the rainforest to be eaten. He cleared himself and sent out a search to see if he could find who the new life was.
He found a vampire of all things. That was very weird. His magical other half was turned into a vampire? How did he still have magic? Well, that one did have magic apparently. Was he really the reincarnation of his helper? He felt of him. Not of the spirit though. "How very odd," he mumbled. He searched farther. That one probably had contact with the one who was the new life.
He searched farther in that city. It was a nice looking small city, with a portal problem. He frowned at that thing. How very annoying. He worked his way around it. That sense got sucked into the portal so he sighed. He searched around the area, not there. He felt a few traces of him here and there, but they were all old. How could he not be on the earth?
He had to find that new life and bring him home, where he belonged. To do as he said, to be spoiled by the lower priests, to be his again.
***
A few months later, Xander looked up from dealing with the current demon menace, shrugging at the two slayers and one priest staring at him. "What? Did you want to kill it for me? It tried to date me."
"No," the slayers said in unison, shaking their heads. "Not a bit."
Xander smirked at them. "Little smartasses." He finished beheading and stood up, brushing the dirt off his legs. "There, better." He looked at the priest. "Are you bored?" he demanded sarcastically. The girls stared at him like they had just noticed him.
"Our master said you have knowledge of a being he wants to find, Hunter," the priest said.
"I don't deal with minions and I doubt I'd ever tell anyone where someone is. I'm not Google maps either."
The priest scowled. "He thinks you know of his beloved and minion."
"Hmm. Yeah, someone like that I'd never talk about for their own safety." He looked at the slayers. "Want to take pictures for the others so you can teach them? The look on Kennedy's face is often very funny." They grinned, coming over to take notes and pictures for the other slayers. "Shoo," he told the priest, enforcing it with magic.
The guy wandered off muttering. Xander rolled his eyes. The girls smirked at him. "Yeah, that's protective. I don't give over abuse victims, potential or actual." They nodded at that. They could understand that decision. Weird magic users were dangerous to them too.
***
Xander had another nightmare about the time in the tower. The priests were fussing over him. He didn't want them to but they were presently forcing a bath on him like he was a kid who couldn't scrub his own ass. He was fighting back but the mage came in and stunned him so they could do that one part of the ritual.
Xander's third past life huffed and had to let them because he couldn't move, but he didn't have to like it. And they'd all hear about it later when he beat them. Then he realized they were going to try to sacrifice him this time. He shook off the magic and got out of the tub, dragging a few of the priests into the water when they tried to grab him. "That won't work."
"It will work." He looked at him. "It has in the past. That's why you're here now."
"It. Will. Not. Work," he repeated. "I'm not the right sacrifice."
"You're just scared," he said with a smile.
Xander hit him with a ball of magic. "Like fucking hell! At least then I'd be free of *you* but I'm still not the right sacrifice."
"I can fix all the things you don't have. Including that lack of virginity."
Xander shook his head. "Renewed won't work. It has to be pure. First time pure. Not remade." He walked over to get the book to show him. "See, someone else tried that and it destroyed half the world." He shoved it at him. "So you're fucked in the head." He walked off again, summoning something to wear as he stomped off.
The priests ran after him to stop him at their master's hand wave while he read that part over again. "Oh, he's right." The priests came back without him and pouting because they knew the price for failure.
Xander's past life had disappeared to a whole new area and was going to find a way to get a real life without that guy in the tower again. Or his minions. Even if he had to do magic tricks on a corner for a bit to make money. Though at least he was dressed. Even if it was a fancy dress robe. He sighed and changed it as he walked through a gateway, nodding at the guards there. "I'm not here."
"I don't see a thing," someone said dryly, rolling his eyes. Three days later that one got attacked by minions looking for a magic user and yup, he had no idea where the guy was. Thankfully. Those drooling beasts the magic users had on leashes were nasty and stunk.
Xander sat up as he woke up, panting hard. He stared at the beast staring at him and shooed it off, banishing it back to the nether realm. He sighed, looking around his room to make sure there weren't any more of them. Not yet but he'd have to deal with that too. That mage was an idiot in his life and he did not need that right now.
He had a battle in a few days and needed some rest. He laid back down. The dog came back to curl up next to him and snuggled in to snore in his ear. Xander looked at it and sighed. Then he flipped onto his side and went back to sleep. The dog wouldn't summon anyone. Probably.
It was nicely warm to sleep beside even though it was a bed hog.
***
Xander frowned when the dagger reappeared in his life. He was at an auction for Giles to look for things that the Council had lost. The dagger's box was up for auction. He was not bidding on that. He was sitting on his hands to make sure he didn't accidentally bid on that. A few people were looking at him so he quit humming again. The ones in there who realized who he was with were a bit worried about what that dagger meant.
Someone bid on it and won it easily. Xander was happy the museum had gotten it. Hopefully they'd keep it safe. Safely away from him at least. The last thing on his list was up next and he bid, getting it fairly easily. Only that museum wanted it and they were pouty but they didn't need another demon possessed item. They had plenty already.
Xander sent a message to Giles, who sent in money for that one as well. They'd mail them to the main Council house so he didn't have to deal with it. The last item up for bid made Xander stare but shake his head. He didn't want to deal with that.
Someone stared at him and he looked at them, shaking his head again. They bid and won it, but weren't looking happy. At the end, Xander went to make sure Giles had handled things, getting agreement so he left to go do his own thing. The museum person walked over to him. "Having a problem with all the possessed things the museum has?"
"We do?"
"Yes. They're loud and you have a lot."
"Oh. I say, that's not good news. The dagger, you looked upset, Watcher Harris."
"It's part of a set for a specific ritual." The man looked interested. "It's an ancient bonding ritual that's not from this realm at all.
"Demonic?"
"No. Could be done by anyone who thinks they have a soulmate. It'll permanently bond the souls together." The man shivered. "It's led to a lot of problems and I know about this because there's hints that some being that possessed me once did that. It's a blood magic ritual. If the other one shows up, it'll probably be stolen. At the end of the ritual one of the two usually dies by the other's hand and the dagger goes with them into the next life. And it's repeated every single time."
"So romantic but deadly."
"Tragic, it's not romantic. A lot of time it's used to bond someone to you that may not want it. There has to be some consent but it's not total and there's often a power imbalance there as well."
"Do we have any books on that?"
"Yes. There's a few in the current Council's library. If you ask Giles, he can have stuff copied or let someone over there copy it for you if you talked to the local museum people in Cleveland."
"That's not a bad idea. Thank you." He shook his hand and left him to sulk that night.
Xander looked at the other magic user there, shrugging a bit. "Have fun with that library."
"You could've used it."
"I don't think it's something I could use." He grinned. "But have some fun with it."
"Fine, Harris. Are you still Council?"
"Unfortunately. But it does pay the bills. Especially the hospital bills." He grimaced but grinned. "I've got books coming from another source."
"Good. You could use the training."
"I've been doing a lot of that. I didn't have full access before."
"Hmm. What about that ritual dagger?"
"It's from a ritual bonding set." The guy shuddered. "Yeah, not touching that. I've been possessed by someone who went through that. No thank you."
"The museum will have fun I guess." He walked off shaking his head. Xander went back to his new house that night, having some fun.
***
The mage in the tower was dreaming about his soulmate, and saw his past lives. That one made him wince. Of course his apprentice/mate/minion wouldn't come to him if he had a real soulmate! He got up to look that being up. He was a powerful mage, who had wanted that one for his gifts of course. He was said to be not returned at this time.
He thought about summoning him to possess him. The both of them combined would surely draw this new life to him. He started to summon the spirit and then time seemed to ...fold a bit. He looked around, blinking at the woman standing there. "A vengeance demon?" he demanded. "Why are you defiling my tower?"
"Because someone was granted a wish to stop that because it nearly destroyed humanity," she said with a smirk. "You nearly ended up being an open portal to have the earth invaded by that one's realm." The mage shuddered. "Exactly. I'm being nice by telling you this so you don't try the stupid thing again. Please?" She gave him a pointed look before disappearing.
He huffed, putting that summoning aside. Apparently that spirit was stronger than he was at the moment so he had lost the battle of wills to stay in control. He could plan that one more carefully. The summoning spell went up in flames so apparently he shouldn't do that either. He did so hate doing the bidding of demons. Higher gods, yes, fine. Wanted even. Demons, no.
***
Xander looked up and around the poker hall. "Thank whoever ended that for everyone," he called.
"It was a baby slayer in Brazil," someone called back. "In two years during the fighting to regain some of humanity."
"Great."
"Can't you end him, Harris?" He looked over.
Xander stared back. "Was that the guy in the tower or the other one?"
"The one in the tower trying to summon the other one."
"Yeah, if I run into him I'm ending him." He grinned. "Gotta be up here though."
"Point," he complained. "Well, if you go to Brazil or he travels...."
"Let me know. I don't want that douchebag." The demons who knew what they were talking about grinned at that. "Or the other one."
"We heard rumors of a bonding dagger?" a vampire asked, staring at him.
Xander grinned. "Yeah. It's in the magical part of the natural history museum. They won it at auction." The vampire moaned. "If the second one shows up, run from it. Really. The guy who was using that set was a super powerful, kinda evil cunt of magic. Worse than Rosenburg on a rip and he wanted to be a god."
The vampire just nodded. "Sure, we'll warn you if it shows up so you can avoid it."
"Thank you." He went back to the game. He ended up losing a pint of blood but that was fine. It would confuse the mage in the tower from trying to find him again.
***
Xander was back to dreaming, with that hellhound curled up next to him again. That soulmate asshole this time though. The soulmate guy usually rescued him from the mage guy, and he still didn't want him. But this time it was about their second life.
He had a slim, almost elfin, non gendered body that time. Well, he had a gender he just hid it completely under a spell. And this guy was annoying him greatly. There was a good way to break the spells binding them, and he knew how. He just had to wait on the right moment. Thankfully, the stuff he had told the mage about was being used.
The mage's group was on the outskirts of that encampment that held Xander's past life hostage right now. He pulled out a vial to open and spread it magically, watching what it'd do. Xander had said it was to take down a full encampment or a standing field battle. He was amused as it seemed to make them...grab each other and fall down to screw immediately. He blinked a few times.
"Well, I wonder where he found that. I'm thankful he did though." It let his group sneak through most of the camp. The only place it didn't reach he could lust spell so they were the same. That left one guard not affected, because lust spells wouldn't harm one who was vowed against sex. They stabbed him and walked into the tent the lesser mage was in, making him look up. "Where did you find that whatever-it-was?"
"Here and there. It's fairly common on some realms." He rattled the wrist chains. "Would you mind?" They undid those then the ankle chains and the waist chains they all attached to. The collar was last and he rolled his head around with a moan. "That's good. Let me get dressed."
He looked at himself then used the backed up magic he had to pack everything in the tent except a shirt and pants, plus his boots. He kicked the bed over. "Grab one of the parts. If we leave it here, they'll be able to put together the demon. The last part's on its way here."
The minions nodded, taking one part with them to go destroy it. "I do mean fully burn it," he called. "If anyone can recover it, it can be put back together." He looked at his master, pulling on the shirt finally and then grabbing the pack he had used. "C'mon. I need to go steal a horse probably. I haven't heard my mare in hours."
"She's on the line with the others." He followed him. "What was that?"
"A flower spore." He grinned. "It's doing this so it has stuff to plant itself in. Some day this whole area will be known for promoting fertility." The senior mage shuddered but nodded. "It'll also keep them for days by what I've seen so we could literally walk back before they got done." He smirked at his horse, who nuzzled him. "Hey, Pretty. You ready to get out of here?" He looked at the nearest stallion, unhitching him with a nod. "We'll take him, Pretty One. He'll make you have pretty, strong babies."
His mate sighed, shaking his head. "Great." They got near the boundary of the camp and the new horse seemed to stumble. "It looks like they're using an anti-theft spell."
Xander looked and fixed the shoe by taking it off. Then the nail out of the frog. Then he undid the spell to ease the pulling. "It shortened his muscle there. He'll be walkable and he can still breed her. We can work on that." He healed it and the horse nudged him with a nose. "I know, you're beautiful." He petted him. "You'll give my mare some pretty foals, dear." The senior mage sighed again. "What? She's a good mare with great training." He walked the horses past the two minions. "Guys, burn it."
"We cannot. It will not burn."
"Okay. Move." He let go of the horses. "Hellsbane!" he cast, burning the demon part with hellfire. He leaned on his mare's side, getting nudged by the other one. "I know, sweetheart. We'll figure it the fuck out." He climbed up on his mare and led the other one, who was happy with that. The others mounted and they went back to their present village to rest and fix the new horse. He was a good breeder for his mare.
***
Late the next night, that mage showed up in their shared suite. "How do you find those flowers?"
"They're silver, there's not many on this realm, so I went to Johnny." He grinned. "They're not that hard to find."
"I see. Can they be used in other ways? Such as a fertility ritual?"
"Yes. They can." He nodded, pulling out his spare vial to check over then nodded. He got up to dust some across his lover's lips, making him moan as the spores started to work. It made him suggestable too. "Summon Divena," he said in his ear. "Earn a blessing." The mage went to do that while that version of Xander got the guards to find a few women who'd want to carry a kid for their master.
He negated two for having illnesses and paid them for it. The other two showed up to help him. The other mage, the senior mage's former student and lover, was summoned already and complaining so he dusted them all. Then he cast a blessing on them. Divena glared at him. "He needed a blessing and so did you."
"If I carry, it will rob me of my gifts," she said firmly.
"That's only if you deliver and there's ways around that. Aren't you that clever?" The mage cast the spell to promote the blessing and pulled her to him. The spores started to work on them and Xander left, going to get a few minions to move his stuff to his former room. They did that and Xander nicely gifted them with a time stop to the room.
The higher being Divena prayed to added on a time speeding up when that one was done because he appeared to personally bless that child into being. Though she'd be having twins thanks to that. Xander's former incarnation knew that there was a prophecy about his master having three daughters being the end of his reign. So now he would.
He went to work with the guards on things. They had no idea he had skills beyond magic and some limited animal healing.
***
Xander woke up, grimacing. "Well, that was probably fun for him. He got to play with gods and drink their sperm out of his girlfriend's body. Yeah." He nodded. The hellhound licked him. He looked at him. "Thanks, puppy." He petted him, shaking his head as he checked the time and tried to get some more sleep. It might not work so he got a book to read through. Not a magic book, he didn't bring those to bed. Not since the day he had woken up sleeping on one he was absorbing. He read the Stephen King book to the hellhound, making him a happy dog. And hey, he hated clowns anyway.
***
Xander looked at the battle in front of him and sighed. "Crap." They had one major demon left. He tried to call up hellsfire. No go. He tried it again after connecting to the local magic. Nope. He tried it a third time, connecting like the past lives showed him. Hell no. Unfortunately.
"Fuck this shit," he decided, connecting like he felt he should. This time he had power. "Hellsbane!" he cast at the demon, burning it to a crisp. "Hey!" He grinned and felt really dizzy suddenly. "Ooh, I hate that feeling." He held his head, leaning on the slayer next to him. "Shit."
"Is that like you drained yourself?" Kennedy demanded while holding him up.
"No, head rush from the energy flowing out. It's like the dizzy you get when you puke up all the alcohol in the club's bathroom." She groaned but made him stand on his own. He was still holding his head. "Wow. Okay. Clean up the mess?" he suggested to her.
She looked. "You're explaining that a lot, Xander."
"I have magic. Always have had magic." She moaned. "I'm actually a sorcerer. I'm just expanding on what I know thanks to the past lives." He shrugged but grinned. "Willow hates it."
"I guess I know why." She got the girls to finish the cleaning up and stared at him. "You're telling Giles."
"Fine." He called on a video call. "Look what we did!" He showed the demon. "I had to call fire. This dizziness sucks and I can't link in like the books say." He hung up. "There. All reported." He grinned, stumbling off to go home to shower, eat something, and lay down. He really could use a good nap.
Kennedy glared. "I'm going to beat his ass," she told herself as she headed for the clean up fire. "Anyone else want to beat Xander?" The girls all nodded. "Good, someone find a map so we can drive up to his house to beat him."
"I'm not letting you drive at all," her boyfriend said as he dragged over another demon body. "None of us have a death wish, Kennedy." She glared but he kissed her. "More fire, dear."
"Fine." They finished cleaning up the mess and let the agents standing there handle the rest. Then they'd go call Giles to talk to him about Xander. The agents wanted to talk to Xander about his magic too. It'd be a long few days of trying to talk to him.
Especially since that mage in the tower in Brazil showed up to capture Kennedy because Xander had leaked magic on her during the battle. Xander's new canine friend got her free and back to the slayers before Xander had to show up to do it himself. The agents were not amused! They had no idea who this one was or why a hellhound had shown up.
One of the slayers looked at the dog. "Thank you, Puppy! You're a good boy." She petted it.
"It's a hellhound," Kennedy complained. "We are not keeping it as a pet."
"It's Xander's friend."
"That *so* figures," she muttered, walking off shaking her head. "Who was that guy?" She looked up. "Xander Fucking Harris, call me right the fuck now!" she ordered. She did it to her girlfriend at times and she called. No call from Xander. She sent a note with the dog, who brought a better explanation back. "Okay. That guy is a mage in a tower in Brazil who wants to capture Xander to make him summon Sybat. What the hell?"
The agents took it to look over. It had a lot of information on him and why Xander as avoiding him. That made some sense and they could put him under special arrest to make sure he didn't escape. Even if his minions helped him get free. They could also dose him with a tracking chip. Today's technology did sometimes overrule magic.
***
Story notes:
This is your holiday story! Enjoy!
I figured some of you could use it a bit early for traveling and being trapped by the storm.
Technically part of the Year of Kinks series but very Gen. Kinks used: Aphrodisiacs
I figured some of you could use it a bit early for traveling and being trapped by the storm.
Technically part of the Year of Kinks series but very Gen. Kinks used: Aphrodisiacs