Something to Fill In The Gaps in Forger Plays The Universe's Traumas. (On His Nose Horn and Butt Flute) by Voracity2

Something to Fill In The Gaps in Forger Plays The Universe's Traumas. (On His Nose Horn and Butt Flute)

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Pre Epilogue in part 2:

John looked at the shrunken car that was in her usual hiding spot under the coffee table, then at the car's owner. "We should clean out the car. She just opened a door and an empty drink cup fell out, Xander."

"That was probably the stuff that I was using to fume the inside to make sure none of the demonic mold I ran into recently stayed around." He shifted to pick up his car to check her over. "Yeah, that was for the fume stuff. I do it about once a month or if I've been in there while carrying demonic goo or anything like that so she can't get infected." He petted her, making her a happy car. "We don't want goo in her in any manner."

"I can agree with that," John said with a nod. "But the last time I knew, back in Vegas, your car looked like an explosion of boxes had happened," he said dryly. "She'd probably feel good if we could clean her up a bit. Maybe even do a bath since she's got some floor dust."

"You just want in the warehouse," Bucky told him.

"Well, yeah, I would like to see what's in there," John admitted with a nod. "But his trunk was a mess when he pulled out that nuke to hand over." He looked at Xander. "How could you tell which one it was?"

"I had it marked?"

"Uh-huh. Can we...maybe just straighten it out? I'd like her to be a happy car too." He grinned. "And it's easier for people to think you know what you're doing when you have things nicely sorted."

"No one gets into my trunk, John."

"Unless we need to grab something," Bucky said, grinning at him. "I agree, go straighten her trunk out. Use one of the empty floors that we haven't finished putting to a bad use yet."

"Not a good use?" Ava joked with a grin for him.

"Not with us doing it, no." He shook his head. "Not likely."

Xander sighed, but looked at his best friend. "Want us to straighten up the trunk, dear?" She beeped happily. "Okay, we'll go do that." He got up, taking her with him. They found a former lab floor that had no windows so he could bring out the warehouse's entry and let the car expand to full size in there. He looked in the trunk. "I did just toss stuff I raided into the trunk. Sorry, dear." She wiggled some. He patted her back hood and looked then pawed through the first layer of boxes to see what there was.

"We can pull it out to sort it on the floor," John said. "Then put what needs to go into the warehouse in there easier by carrying piles."

"Okay. If you want to do that." He pulled out the first few semi-shrank boxes to go through them.

John took them to start nice little piles. The piles would be messy by the time Xander got to the trunk's floorboards. He blinked at a few things, then looked at his buddy, who shrugged. "Why?"

"I raided that germ doc set of brothers? It was in their stuff?"

"Ah." He nodded at that. Then sighed and shook his head. "I guess."

Xander shrugged but smirked a bit. "It was handy to do! And they're not near anyone like me anymore."

"True," he agreed patiently. He was going to stay patient and not complaining a lot about all this mess. He wasn't used to mess and clutter. The military really did frown on that stuff.

Xander had to stare at a few things to decide where they could go so John took them from him to put into the weapons. They were probably weapons, just weird ones. And he was right about everything but one book that was in a locked silver box. He stared at it then at Xander, who shrugged. "Special?"

"I don't know. I haven't had the opportunity to research it."

"Yes," one of the guardian incubi called from their spot watching them work. "It goes well with the capturing vessels you carry everywhere, babe." He grinned at Xander. "It doesn't have something stuffed in it but it is how to make such things and how to trap other things." The other two nodded at that.

"Speaking of, that one dude and his buddy who showed up during that battle?" another of the trio asked. Then he smirked. "Is he getting free?"

"When I find a way to get him home." He looked at John. "He showed up during a battle doing some sort of dance thing and ...." He shrugged. "He did step in to shoot at things that could be shot, he agreed that some things needed beheaded but it wasn't his skill mix, and he was helpful but one of the idiots that was trying to invade got pissy so I told him I'd let him out of the urn when I got a way to send him home." He grimaced. "I'm hoping I can during the portal running away vision."

"Ah." John just nodded. "Is he in a uniform?"

"Yeah but to us he's a comic."

"Oh. Sure." He nodded. "Good guy?"

"Not always. Sometimes though I guess." He grinned. "He said that would be fine. He could use a nap. Him showing up was why I started to read his comic, to see what he was like."

"Okay, sure." He put the book with the capturing urns they had found. The book being added to that group meant it now had twelve things. He didn't want to know about the rest of them, yet. Maybe soon though. "Someday I need to know how to do that. Just in case."

Xander looked at him. "Are you going to start trapping bad demons?"

"It's a skill I might have to use some day," he said, looking at him. "Or maybe use to infiltrate somewhere by bringing them in hidden in something. If it'd work that way."

"There's sheet portals that do that easier."

"There's what now?" he asked with a grin.

Xander smirked back. "I'll show you when we go in there." He got back to cleaning out the backseat of stuff that didn't need to be in his car, like fast food receipts. Not like someone would expense account him for them. "I really need someone who pays me for stuff so I can start keeping track of bills," Xander muttered.

John nodded. "We could all use that. We're basically living on Bucky's paycheck, my pension, and Yelena's stored money."

Xander nodded. "I don't even have a lot of that because all mine goes to weapons." He looked at that pile and sighed. "That should have been twice as large. I've been busy." He finished up in the front and got the warehouse out to open the door. The door itself was bent inward like someone had tried to force it open. Which they had but they had lost. He took his special spear out of the door handles keeping it closed and put it aside. Then he picked up stuff. "This way for weapons."

John got a few to help carry in. He stepped in and stared up. The ceiling had skylights and it was sunny somehow. "Where is that to?"

"The original one. This is the cloned version of it." He grinned at him. "It's probably about three in the afternoon out there. If it ever goes completely dark, which has happened once, it means something found it and sat on it again." He opened a vault looking door and checked then tossed stuff in there. John huffed at that. Xander shrugged. "I can straighten it out later. It's not able to be touched by anyone not me."

"Sure," he agreed, carrying his in there to set up neater piles of stuff. A lot of stuff. Xander had apparently just stuffed things in here over the last few years because there were boxes, cases, and bags everywhere. "How do you know what you're grabbing?"

"I remember some of what's in them." He went to get more and brought it back to help straighten up his messiness. It was nice John wanted to check the weapons over but he wasn't going to let him keep any of them.

John stared at one thing. "What the hell are you?" he muttered.

Xander leaned on his arm to look over it, ignoring John's shiver. "I'd say that was a toy that one of the others of us created. It's for taking down dragons. It has an ice ball and a fire ball to fire." He grinned. "They're in globes sort of stuff for easy launching and refilling if you can. The cold one is *really* strong though. Like lowered the temp in July in their New York City down into the seventies for a few days."

John shivered. "Oh, that's interesting. Is there a way you can test it?"

"Probably. It's easy enough to make reloads for it. But I do have tape of it being tested." He grinned. "They had to show it off to the ones who needed it thanks to a stupid D&D spell to add more magic back to their world."

John blinked. "Are they native to here?"

"Nope." He shrugged. "Or that stupid spell I've stopped a few times." He walked off again. "Let me get the rest before we have nosy people like Bucky and Yelena digging through the weapons and they accidentally open something."

"We can do the capturing stuff next and come back to the weapons, Xander." He went with him to grab those. There were now fifteen and there had been thirteen. "How did we get two more?"

Xander looked then pointed. "Those two volunteered. Whoever's in there must be bored." He felt each one to see if he could tell who was stuffed in them and made tags to put on their handles. He had them on most of the others. "Don't touch that with bare skin," he warned, making John stop and back away with a nod. "It might try to entice you to let them out. Or take you over. Something like that."

John got some gloves he had spotted laying on a shelf in the warehouse, coming back putting them on to lift those into a different room that Xander opened up after he was done petting one of the new urns. He wouldn't ask. Xander might know the being in there and be protecting them.

Xander grinned at his back but let him fuss at things if he wanted to. Not like Xander was great at organizing things so they were found by others. Which was a bit of safety for his stuff, but sometimes people had to come looking for stuff for him.

"Why does this safe have a radiation meter next to it?"

"So I get a warning if someone got into it for the radioactive bullets I have for a few special cases."

John blinked at him. "Radioactive bullets?"

"It takes blessed radiation to kill them and keep them dead."

"Oh." He nodded once. "So the bullets are blessed to be that way?"

"No, they're uranium."

John just blinked and nodded. "They stay in there, right?"

"Yeah. That's a safe area. That's one reason I put the meter up there, to make sure there wasn't anything trying to get in."

"That's not a bad warning I guess. How do you usually organize the vault rooms with weapons?"

"I don't usually have the chance to." He stared at the slightly older guy. "I never get a chance to. I'm usually only tossing in to pull out. There's been a few times I had to go in to nudge things out of the way of me tossing in new babies, but they're not that frequent, John. I pretty well use weapons soon after I get them. There's not a lot of resting time for them once I get them." He grimaced. "That reminds me, I should find someone new to raid to get weapons. I could use some soon probably."

"That vault room was pretty full."

"Some cases are reused for other things."

"I can understand that." He nodded a bit. "As long as they're marked so you pull out something in the right strength."

"I usually just hope I have something strong enough. Grenade launchers and RPG's are cheaper so I end up with a lot of them." John winced. "Or bigger guns." He shrugged. "Not like I can haul a SCUD system behind my car to various things in case I need one."

"Do you have one?" he asked.

"Had. Way back at home. Once. I used it though. I stole it just to use it. They were not amused but agreed I needed it more than they did. President Clinton wasn't really *happy* when I got asked why I had stolen from the US military. So I told him, with film.

"He got a bit nauseous and so did the generals, who agreed, I definitely needed it more than they did. Then one slipped me a listing of what sort of arms most of the local militaries down there kept. That way I could find something I needed faster. The locals weren't amused. They were trying to hide their poor babies from being used." He grimaced, going to look in a few other rooms then to the weapons vault room they had been stuffing things in. "I did set up accessory vaults but I never get to use them."

"We can sort the reused cases into them if you want. I've got nothing to do today." Xander shrugged. They finished carrying things in from the car, which shrank down to come watch over them while they worked. John found that weird but a bit cute so he let it go for now. As long as he didn't step on the car.

Xander looked at the car when he almost stepped on her then pointed. She got out of the way by going to sit on a shelf for a few minutes.

John arranged the piles in the other vault rooms for easy grabbing if he had to. He also put one of each type of thing on top to show what that pile was for. Xander switched the stakes on him. "Why?" he asked.

"That one's not sharp. If I'm grabbing it to use suddenly I'd need it to have a decent point."

"I thought that could work as a pile indicator."

"It can, but I'd probably still grab it to use first because it was on top and I didn't have to take the time to open anything."

"Good point," he admitted. "We can put a few more out if you want." Xander nodded so they did that. John could see how Xander was organized even if it had just tossed things into a room when he got them. The start of the organization was there, and in a reasonable manner that was understandable by others, but he hadn't finished the organizing job. Doing the whole warehouse was probably a huge task to consider though. He glanced in the library then at Xander's back.

Xander looked back at him. "Giles would've had a *fit* if we had left books unshelved or anything like that. I don't want that and books are more fragile than most weapons. Weapons, if I trip over them, they're still probably usable even if dented. Books, not always the case." He shrugged.

"Has he yelled since Sunnydale fell in?"

"No. Still, it was the training. Like how they apparently do a year of everything in Latin. I got told my speaking it was weirdly accented more than once. I'm not sure if they didn't invent Latin with the way the other watchers acted about how I pronounce things."

"Want help to make the other rooms as neat as the library is?"

Xander considered it. "There's a lot more fun ways to spend time in this warehouse than that. Including the DVD library."

John mentally rolled his eyes. "But if you can't find what you need..."

"Usually I'm just grabbing for anything bigger than a sword. The really big stuff is sealed in its own vault. The rest, it's for blowing the heads off *somehow*, which is a real category in the stuff I deal with usually." He stared at him. "Though, if you just wanna get hands on time with the weapons I'm not gonna mind or pick on you. I really won't. One of my former minis teethed on a launcher one year and I didn't mind her drool. Yours probably can't be any worse," he offered with a slight grin.

John snorted, smirking at him. "I don't drool on weapons that aren't my own. There's that ownership thing about drooling on your own being acceptable."

"Point. I have a few times when I slept on them." He blinked a few times. "If you wanna straighten things out and do an inventory, go for it. If I know what I have, I'll start second guessing what I'm grabbing when I just need *something*. I'll do the 'oh, I need to save that for something bigger' debate with myself. Then hesitate. I did that a few times. It was not the right way to handle things. And I got yelled at by a few generals for hesitating to grab *something*."

John winced at that. "So yeah, if I don't have an inventory I can't second guess which one I'm grabbing. I'd throw it back in if it was way too large to be useful. There's been a few battles the doorway area looked like a pack of teenage girls had went through a shoe store. Cleaning that mess up was bad enough."

"I can actually understand how that works. If you know you only have two of something then you're hesitant to use them both in case you need them later. We could just sort them into bigger than Godzilla and smaller than Godzilla."

"I have that already. That's why the really big things are in their own vault area. Remember, I get mine off the black market and whatever's cheapest that'll actually work or I can fix. I get a whole lotta things like grenade launchers because they're cheaper."

"I didn't consider that part." He considered that. "Yeah so most of that vault is already sorted into the right strength to go together and it's so massive because they're cheap."

"Yeah, pretty much." Xander nodded at that with a grimace. "Which sucks, a lot, because I could really have used that money instead for other things. Motel rooms come to mind in that category. Not having to hunt to eat does too." John winced. "I'm actually pretty good at it. I'm also aware of what's endangered so I don't go near them."

John patted him on the arm. "I get that fully. You do need more support." Xander nodded with a sigh and a grimace, looking down. "Can we maybe load you up with MRE's?"

"They're so gross though. Monkey brains are better tasting than some of them."

"I can't say as I've had monkey brains," he admitted, blinking a few times. "You have?"

"Yeah, a few times. They're better stewed."

John grimaced. "MRE's are nicely portable. You don't have to hunt them down when you're hungry."

"Yeah but they give me heartburn and I'd almost rather eat a tree instead."

"Yeah, a few are that bad. I can't lie about that. They have some better flavors though." He gave him a look. "The pasta ones are usually okay."

"Mine are always mushy."

"You must get the out of date ones then. Mine aren't overly mushy but they're not really al dente either. We'll help figure that out. I'm used to survival planning and long trip planning for missions. Usually meaning I have to be able to carry it in a backpack if it's coming with us."

"I've tried that. Before I got the first truck. It sucked completely." He sighed. "It really sucked completely. I was walking forever." He walked off. "Want to see the DVD library?"

"Sure. Let's see what you have. Maybe we can all watch something tonight that we've never seen?"

"Probably. I do have some from at home. I had to get my stuff out of the former storage area before Willow sold it on me." He grimaced again. "Almost as bad as Anya was about that shit only she wanted to erase the knowledge that I exist from others."

"Great friend there."

"Well, it's been years and she's got problems." He looked at him. "A whole lotta problems sometimes with her magic addiction."

"If someone in my life did that I'd make sure they never got near me again."

"I have to work with her."

"True." He considered that. "I guess hiding it from her is best?"

"It is. It's also easier. She can't even get into the slayer warehouse. Which I did build for them."

John patted him on the back. "They needed it just as much probably but you needed to put more into yours because you're one guy and not twenty bitchy girls."

Xander grinned at him. "Don't tempt me. Then they'd complain."

John nodded. "Then hopefully they took over your former route for you."

"I'd hope so. I can't be sure. I've heard both some have and some haven't. Thankfully I've also heard that some of the ones I worked with took over." He sighed. "I really miss having both warehouses because then I could borrow out of theirs and just hear Buffy complain about that being their weapons, not mine. So I put in a report that was mostly video capture from the battle. Which usually shut her up. Usually. A few times I had nothing and had to borrow and she was still huffy."

"If you got it for them, they should have to go find their own."

"I can't see my contacts liking the slayers. They're kinda....not the sort of girls who could mostly do what's necessary for survival. A few could and that's because they were already there and I'd never want them to go back there."

John stopped him by touching his arm. "I know that the arms people won't give them things. In that case, you expect the arms people to handle it themselves or die." Xander snorted, shaking his head. "Did you do that?"

"A few times when I was in another country. Then I got complained at for being there instead." He stared at him. "Including by the watchers and the slayers themselves. Plus those governments. When I pointed out I was just one guy, they got really mad and tried to kill me for it. Which made me tell them that they could learn to handle it all on their own from then on.

"I was forced to backtrack on that at first, but Giles finally agreed it was their own faults. It just took three times." He grimaced. "Though the assassins were usually a lot of fun stress relief." He considered it. "A whole lotta fun stress relief." He grinned a bit. "I should go find one of them for downtime fun too."

"You should probably try to find someone who won't try to kill you during sex."

"Nah. They won't. They know it won't work. A few of the first ones tried that and realized it didn't work for them and I'd just make them really sorry. Or in one case I made one realize there was a God somehow. She said I did. She retired and just had fun from then on." John just blinked at him for that story. He shrugged but grinned. "I was good to her."

"I'm sure you were," he said with a nod. "Still a bit weird."

"I realize what levels I'm allowed to play in and when I can break that for something huge. They made sure I realized that when I walked past two arms dealers and took some of their cases off the stacks of them they were negotiating as I walked past them and took them to use.

"The guards were stunned that I was that stupidly brave and then they saw the thing crawling up the roadway that needed to be blown apart." He grimaced. "So I did apologize and pointed out I had nothing and they had some at least. I could have let that thing crawl up on them and nibble since it would've sucked them dry and then eaten them. I even got to hear the stereotypical 'who do you think you are' from those two.

"Then I told them it seemed like some days I was the universe's idiot magnet but that day I was the guy who was blowing a huge problem demon away and they were lucky I was there since that thing had probably already eaten a few town's worth of people if it wasn't just appearing.

"I pulled out the manual so they could see it and they were horrified I expected them to do some homework but I told them how to tell and how to post a better guard who had what he needed just in case. Then I referred them to someone like Hannal to find a good minion who could do that sort of thing too. I walked off and they got *so* mad but..." He shrugged.

"I know the feeling of being the universe's useful idiot. The shield gave me that a few times and the military many more times." Xander grinned at him for understanding that. "Did you have to do that here?"

"Yeah. A few times but I made sure everyone knew who I was before I had to start handling bigger things. I made sure the peaceful community spread the news of who I was so they weren't scared of me unless they had to be and that the others that played in the circuit would tell their normal friends so they understood if I showed up it was probably because something was going on. The only time that backfired, I went to Paris Disney." He grimaced.

"I told them I was there just to have a day off when I bought my ticket. They passed that on but some others there recognized me and panicked until I noted that I was there for a fun day too. They agreed I could probably use one more than most." He walked off again. "Come pick something you think the other picky ones will like. Though, don't pull out a few of the action movies. Bucky hates those."

"He's not into action movies?"

"No, he likes to snort at them really hard." He looked at John then grinned before running into the open door. He stared at it. "When did you start to self open? Didn't we have a talk about that with the bedroom door?" The door shut. Xander sighed but pried it open. "Thank you for trying to be helpful and I'm sorry I hurt your feelings, door. I really am." He petted it. "We're going to grab a few things that the others may want to watch. You're a good door." He patted it again.

John patted it too. "Thank you for trying to help." It didn't nudge him but that was a bit too weird for him at the moment. Xander did have a good collection of DVD's and blu-rays. A few he had seen so they were probably close enough. He read the back of the ones that looked interesting, letting Xander take a few from him and put them back. So apparently those were some that Bucky hated. He was fine with that though one did look really interesting. He pulled that one back out.

Xander looked at him oddly. "You know that's a rom-com, right?"

"I hadn't. It's an action movie."

"Kinda." He grimaced. "The guy has to do action stuff to get the girl."

"Ah." He nodded, adding it to his stack. He could at least try it. He was open minded enough for that. One other one got his attention so he stared at it. "What's that one?"

"That one is Muppets but everyone considers it kind of creepy." He let him see the Dark Crystal. "Some people even claim that a few scenes were too creepy. It's a good movie. It's a classic. It's just a bit...creepy."

"Huh. So Halloween Muppets?"

"I don't know if they did a Muppets do halloween sort of movie or not. This was done by the guy behind the Muppets. The same as Yoda was."

"Ah." He nodded. He added that to his stack and they left, resealing the doors and letting the car have the warehouse again. Xander finished detailing the car and cleaning it up with John's help. He did know how to treat a good car specially. When they were done, they went upstairs to the movie room and then to the kitchen area. John made something to eat, handing Xander some as he walked past him. "C'mon, we'll go start with that one action one that you claim is a rom-com."

Bob frowned. "Why is it a rom-com?"

"He does action stuff to get the girl," Xander said dryly.

"Oh." He nodded. "Why?"

"You can come watch it with us if you want," Xander offered with a grin. "It's from home and as far as I know it's never been here."

"Okay. Sure." He got a snack and went with them. He did text the others so Yelena came in to flop down on a couch to watch with them. They let her have that whole couch to herself. Though she sniffed it and grimaced, getting up to move it and pick another one.

Xander looked over. "That's probably Thor butt stink."

"It smells like butt so maybe." She laid down again. John put in that movie and let it start, making her tip her head. It was very much a rom-com action movie. At one point she nearly fell asleep but then something blew up on the screen and it woke her. She blinked, staring at what was going on. It wasn't a great movie but it was fun to watch. When it was over she yawned and looked at the stack John had brought out. "What's that one?"

"He said it's a bit creepy but it's a classic," John told her. "It's by the same team who do the Muppets and Sesame Street."

"For me it's a sniffly movie." Xander looked at her with a grin. "For some they consider it kind of creepy and a few said that a few characters almost gave them a nightmare."

She hesitated then put it down and picked up another one to put in. "Oh, an action movie."

"One Bucky usually snorts at," Xander agreed with a nod. He got comfy, watching it. He'd seen it plenty of times but John was really enjoying it. It was great they liked the same type of movies.

Bucky came in near the end and did indeed snort. "This movie."

"John picked out the queue and Yelena picked this one," Xander said, looking at him.

"Oh, that's fine." He looked at the small stack and then at one. "Can I finally see that one?"

"It's you who said you didn't want to see it before," Xander reminded him.

"Good point." He let that one finish and put in the Dark Crystal then sat down to watch it with the others. Sure enough, Yelena and Xander both sniffled a bit during it. John tried to hide himself doing it. Bucky was awed, that wasn't what he was expecting at all. But it was a great movie. At the end he was slumped down and staring at it. "I can see why people consider it a classic yet a bit creepy."

"Those clothes things...." Yelena said and nodded once. "I'm guessing they're the nightmare producer ones?" Xander grinned and nodded. "But that was a great movie." She looked at the others. "Do we have others like that?"

"No, they didn't do too many. There's Labyrinth but my disc is scratched in the menu section so sometimes it doesn't want to work too well." He got up with a groan, going to find that one. He brought it back and put it in then sat back down. John fiddled until it did play like it should and it was good. Yelena was groaning about the teenage girl but she did the right thing.

"Speaking as a sibling, I know very well how frustrating your siblings can be," Bucky said at the end, then shook his head. "And I would've probably done the same thing. Then had to go find them myself. Though I would've brought Steve."

Xander looked at him. "You know he stole my Neverending Story disc, right?"

Bucky winced. "Why?"

"I don't know if he wasn't into it but sad about it or if he just wanted to make sure I never let anyone else watch it."

Bucky blinked a few times. "I can get it back from him. Another classic that'll make you sniffle in a few spots but it's a good movie." He sighed. "Though sad in a few spots."

Xander nodded. "It is. I did not let him bring in Rocky Horror as I know it's not here and that is probably not the movie to watch tonight."

"That one did look a bit odd," John agreed.

Xander grinned at him. "There's huge amounts of showings of it, usually during October, but all year long they have fandom like showings of it at midnight and stuff. There's rituals with it and everything." He grinned.

"I do not want to see that again," Bucky noted. "Really."

John looked at him then at Xander. "Is it just weird?"

"Yeah and a musical. One of them was even one of the biggest pop stars of his day for a bit. Then he left and came back about fifteen years later to restart his music career."

John blinked a few times. "I want to watch that."

"Without me," Bucky said.

"Sure, we can do that tomorrow when you're back in DC."

"Are there Muppets in that one?" Bob asked, raising a hand slightly.

Xander looked at him. "No, it's live action. Just a bit...weird." He grinned.

"After this and Bucky goes to bed," Yelena decided. She got up to pick the next one, looking at two then at Xander to hold them up. "Which is better?"

"Two. It's better. One wasn't bad but it was a lot better with two." She nodded, putting that one in and sitting down again once she had stolen the almost empty bowl of popcorn John had left beside him. It was a good action movie, she was pleased with that. Near the end, Xander took the ones they had watched back to reshelve and get Rocky Horror out. If he could find it. He came back a few minutes later.

"Someone played case roulette with them. Sorry." He made popcorn and some toast, which he promised himself he would not throw. He put in that one and let Bucky head to bed for the night. Bob got a closer couch to curl up on. "This one is a special edition that shows the pre-show stuff from one of the showings if you wanted to watch that first. That way you understood a few things."

"Things?" John asked.

"Newbies to the showings often get their balloons popped." He ran that special for them, explaining the showings. Alexei came in during it and stared at it oddly but sat down on Bob's former couch to watch. Then Xander put on the regular movie, which made him tip his head, looking at it oddly.

It started off very bland. Very story book. And then there was that guy. He opened his mouth then shut it and settled in to watch it. This was...not something he was used to seeing. He spent half the movie with his head tipped slightly to the side as he watched it, feeling a bit confused.

At the end, Bob shook his head quickly. "I think I know Dr. Furter," he muttered. He rubbed his face. "I'm going to bed." He got up and headed to bed, going to shake all over to clear himself. That was...just very weird. Xander had been right, it was weird and a classic because it was stuck in your head.

Yelena nodded slowly. "I can see why they consider that a cult classic," she agreed dryly. "Why you said it was a bit weird." She opened her mouth again then shut it. "But I did enjoy that and I can see why people do that in whole theaters." She looked at Xander, who grinned as he nibbled his toast. "I... Maybe for halloween." She got up, going to her own room to think. That had made her really wonder a few things. She blinked and then sighed. It was time for her to sleep for a while.

***

Yelena came out for breakfast. "Did you show the original team that one?" she asked Xander. "Because I could swear I saw a picture of Natasha and Stark in that outfit."

He nodded, swallowing his current sip of coffee. "She caught me doing a rewatch once and took it back to show Clint, who showed the others. Stark hosted a yearly watch party for it. That was probably the third one. Pepper kinda told him to keep that down. Because no one else would know it was here. Before you ask, Clint went as Rocky."

She nodded at that. "Oh." John snickered at that response. "I..." She cleared her throat. "Did Banner do that?"

"He kinda had the same reaction Bucky did but thought it was a fun movie."

"It was," she agreed. "And I would have loved going to one of those shows, though I do not want to see myself in the costumes. I *could* but I do not want to see me doing that in October."

John stared at her. "Do I need that mental image?" he asked blandly.

She smirked at him for that. "Do *I* need that mental image?" Bob asked, looking upset. "Because I don't think I want to see you in that either, Yelena. Please?"

"I would not wear it around you anyway, Bob." She patted him on the shoulder.

Alexei looked over from his cereal. "Show Melina."

"She would be most upset if I made her watch movies with me."

"She likes odd things." He shrugged. "I do not know many more odd movies."

"The earlier one, with the Muppets, that could do as well."

"I guess that's one way to see if someone's from his world instead of this one," Bob said. "Ask them if they know the Time Warp. Or whoever that guy who was the Goblin King was."

"David Bowie. Amazing musician, lasted from the seventies through the early 2000's when I got sent here," Xander told him. "Still going probably."

Bob blinked a few times. "He was a musician?" He nodded with a grin. "Wow."

"He kinda created glam rock and androgynous rock, or was at least one of the most popular in those categories. People liked him even if they didn't like him crossdressed or dressed gender neutral."

"Was that one guy in the other movie one too?"

"Actor. That movie basically let people know who he was. He did some drama and some comedy work but a lot really like him for the comedy stuff he did."

"Ah." He nodded. "Wow." He ate some breakfast and tried to get that out of his head again. He didn't even look at Yelena because he would see her that way and he didn't want to. At all. He could see her as Eddie but then they'd have to eat her so he didn't want that thought either.

Xander gave Bob a hug around the shoulders. "Go watch Pokemon to clear that thought process," he said in his ear. "It'll help."

"If you're sure."

"I am sure and if not, there's one that's even more mentally clearing." He gave him a pat then went back to his coffee.

Bob did get up to turn on Pokemon through one of their streaming services to watch that. It did make his mind go quiet and shut down to rest for a bit. He even got to fall asleep during it. Though that gave him the nightmare of Pokemon doing the Time Warp. That woke him up and he went back to mind clearing things. He turned on his usual one for that and it was nicer. He could meditate to it too. Maybe that's what he needed.

Xander kept his grin to himself over that. John didn't but he was just that way sometimes.

Alexei went to watch Pokemon with Bob to see if it helped his bad thoughts, and it seemed to. He made Yelena watch with him when Bob gave up on it and went to meditation. She frowned but let it clear her own mind for now.

Ava came of the elevator. "What did you guys do while I was gone?" she asked cheerfully.

"We got into Xander's movies," Yelena said, looking at her. "We're doing a mind clearing moment from that."

"Ah." She nodded. "That figures if they're stuff we don't have here." She looked at Xander, who grinned at her. "I don't want to know."

"No, we won't want you to be mentally wondering," Alexei said. "Because I am trying not to."

"You didn't even see the Muppet one," Bob said, looking at him. Then going back to his meditation work. "We should've done those three in reverse order and ended on the Dark Crystal."

"You should've done it so you ended on Labyrinth," Xander said. "So the musical got the old music out."

Bob considered that. "That may have worked, yeah. Not creepy, mostly."

Ava looked at Xander. "Huh?"

"Three movies considered cult classics," he said with a smile. "Two of which were considered kids movies when they were put out in the eighties."

"I don't see how the Dark Crystal would be a kid's movie but...the eighties were kind of like that," John admitted. "Their movies were a lot more open about things and definitions of what kids would watch." He sipped some coffee.

"Though I agree on that reorder to watch them in. Because I had that same nightmare of me being in that outfit doing the Time Warp." Xander patted him on the shoulder. John shook his head quickly. "Nope, not going there. I'm going to the gym." He went to do that to make sure his mind was clear and healthy again.

Xander grinned at Ava. "I'll loan them to you if you want. Alexei only saw one of the three."

"Sure, I'm up for that." He got the movies for her so she could watch them and bring Alexei with her to watch them. He appreciated that rewatch, it let him catch some things he hadn't caught the first time in his confusion. Ava was blinking hard at the end. Alexei put in the next movie while she got them drinks.

That did help mind clearing from that first one. Though it was sad in a few places. She sniffled too. Thankfully the last one was more mind helping and clearing. It was a good movie, she really liked it and giggled through most of it, but it was a good mental reset point for her today. She could end it there and be happy she had watched them. Alexei was happier too. Now he wasn't stuck with that thought.

***

Steve Rogers showed up at the tower with a small envelope. He walked in with a sigh, handing it to the security team. "Xander said to please give him back the movies I stole so no one else had to see them and be traumatized."

The guard took them with a nod. "He'd probably thank you but he's meditating right now, Rogers."

"That figures." He grimaced. "How did they get onto the movies?"

"Rocky Horror."

Steve winced then nodded once. "I remember that movie. I got so stuck in my head," he complained quietly, walking off shaking his head again. A few reporters caught that. One even got in his way so he nearly ran her over. "Sorry, ma'am."

"Are you all right?" she asked. "You look upset."

"Forger had me bring back the movies I took from him so no one else had to watch then and it was noted they were watching a few others, one of which...made me have that reaction for days on end the first time I saw it, but Stark really loved it." He grimaced. "Not my thing I guess." He walked around her.

"Is it one we have?"

"Nope. Over there."

"Oh. That's interesting. I wonder what type of movie it was."

"Confusing. Very confusing," he called back. "But a musical." He looked back at her. "The ones I stole from him to keep anyone else from seeing weren't musical but were weird and a bit sad." He turned the corner, going home to have some beer and a headache. Anytime he saw gold speedos he had that same headache.

She went to ask the building's guards. "Can we maybe see that movie too?" she asked the one who came to answer her knocking to talk to them.

"Forger said it's a movie that's considered a cult classic over there, ma'am. I'm not sure who'd want to. It's a bit weird. I remember seeing it during a watch party Stark held."

"Weird can be fun." She smiled.

"I can send up a note,. He's meditating."

"Thank you." She grinned, going back to where the reporters had to wait. "Forger has movies from over there and some of them are the cult classic sort." The other reporters nodded at that. "Which is why Rogers was trying to clear his head so hard." A few grinned at that tidbit. "The guard called it weird and Stark watched it in a watch party sort of thing."

"Is that the one that Pepper had a fit about?" another one asked. "I remember there was one related to a movie."

"Probably," another agreed. "Something about costumes." They nodded at that and waited on Forger to let them into his movie collection from over there. "Do we know how they rate movies over there?"

"Slightly. It's rated by age like we do."

"That's good. I wonder if they had older ones that are a bit more loose on that like we do too."

"Probably. They had the seventies there too." That got a sigh and a nod of understanding. One tweeted a few people Forger might have shared movies with, Deadpool and Hawkeye-Barton. Though Hawkeye-Bishop did admit she had borrowed a few of them but he had kept her out of anything too weird.

Deadpool sent back a 'yeah, a few are real weird to him too but fun. Very fun, and I can rock that outfit better than most'. It made them all wonder about what 'that outfit' was. No one was answering that question though. Even when Forger came out, he told them he was going to ask his poker buddies if they could get him some more of his favorite movies from over there. Maybe he'd give them a copy of those too?

***

John watched Xander gear up for a battle. He saw him visibly switch from goofy, fun, Xander to combat Xander. It was an interesting sight. It made sense he did that. It...almost seemed familiar in a few ways. He'd seen soldiers who did that same thing. The more he learned about Xander, the more he realized why people thought they'd be good friends at least. If not more and closer. That really was a thought he needed to think about. Did he like the guy that way?

A lot of thinking was coming up. After they defeated this bad guy.

The end.

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