Title: Time Turned Backwards

Author: Caliadragon

Spoilers: Indigo on Buffy and latest episode of Angel.

Category: AU Crossover

Pairings: Xander/Graham, Doyle/Oz, Spike/Angel

Rating: PG 13 - NC 17

Warnings: Character Deaths, Angst, Slash, Violence

AN: Answer to my own What If Challenge. What if Buffy confided in Xander what happened between her, Wood, Spike and Giles. What if she told Xander everything that was said. And what if those words began to plague him. I don't remember the name of the episode, but I remember that the big eye thingy said that Buffy brought on the First Evil herself. This will go AU after Indigo. Fred calls back to tell Willow that Cordy has been corrupted by the First. This is the last straw for Xander, he sees everyone around him falling apart.


Part one of the challenge is that Xander knows magic. Secretly he has been learning it since Buffy's resurrection. He performs a revelation spell that tells him the exact moment that awakens the First and what it was that made Buffy lose hope.


Part two: The spell reveals that Buffy loses hope after Riley leaves town. She really did love him and was unable to express it. Buffy was supposed to call on Angel and the LA gang for help, but pride prevented it.


Part three: Knowing the truth, Xander performs a spell that turns time backwards back to just after Adam's defeat. Xander must keep Riley and Graham in town and bring Angel and Crew there. In the midst of performing the spell Xander brings with him a savior and a unifier: Doyle.

Chapter 6:



Xander had refused to say anything to anyone until Angel and the others arrived. Spike, Doyle, Andrew and Jonathon had shown up at the same time as Giles. The older man was surprised to find himself in a tight hug. He just let Xander hold him for several minutes before Xander broke away with a watery smile.


What was even more unnerving was the fact that both Doyle and Spike were squeezed up against him and seemed to be giving Xander the comfort he needed. In the three hours they sat waiting and trying to get information out of Xander, Riley and his friend Graham showed up. When Riley was told what was going on, he was confused and decided to wait.


The fact that Angel was coming made him even more unnerved. Or at least a little more unnerved, the sight of Xander pressed against Spike was as unnerving as hell. Obviously something was wrong.


The knock at the front door was a relief for all of them. Xander wanted to tell everyone the truth and get it over with. He stood as Cordelia, Angel, Wes and Gunn came through the door. They were given another shock as Xander greeted Wes and Angel with a warm smile. Cordy started in surprise when Xander gave her a warm kiss on the forehead. She was confused by what was going on.

He nodded hello to Gunn, then stepped back so they could see who was in the room with them. At their first sight of Doyle, Angel and Cordelia swarmed all over him. They hugged him tightly and began to demand answers. Doyle silenced them and turned to Xander. "It's your show boss." Xander nodded and took a deep breath.


"I'm not your Xander, I'm from the future. Three years to be precise. In the time I come from, things are bad. Actually they're worse than bad." He stopped speaking and tears streamed down his face.


He took another breath and turned to face them again. Slowly he began to tell them everything. The girls were all sobbing by the time he was finished. Riley was sitting with his head in his hands and the others looked ill. "I came back to stop this from happening. To do this we have to stop Glory. To stop Glory we have to separate her from Ben." He turned to look at Dawn, who was staring at him with wide, horrified eyes.

Remembering how Dawn had acted the first time the truth was revealed, Xander went to her and pulled her into his lap. Cradling her close, he smiled. "Dawnie, you're thinking you're not real now, but you are. You're my Dawnie, my best girl. You're a gentle, sweet girl who is loved and cared for. Being the Key is just second place. No matter what happens, you are real and a vital part of our lives." Dawn burrowed into Xander's arms and felt safe there. That was Xander's gift, she thought, as she snuggled close to him.


Andrew looked at Jonathon with tears and fear in his eyes. "I won't kill him now will I?" he asked brokenly. The two held hands and looked at Xander in appeal.


Xander shook his head. "No, but we need your help. The stuff you did with Warren could be used to help us. You're both good with magic. We can always use extra back up. Are you willing?" They both nodded.


Xander turned to look at the Fang Gang and smiled. "We need you here. I realize that you helped a lot of people in the original time line, but a lot more are going to die if you stay in LA. Come home, Angel. This is where you're needed, where you belong. Your Childe needs you. We need you." Angel could only stare at him in dazed silence.


Xander turned his attention to Cordelia. "I have a way to make your visions easier to bear, but it will change you. You won't be completely human anymore."

His attention turned then to Wes. "Wes, I'm sorry for the way that I treated you. You're a good man and a damn good researcher. We could use your skills here. I hope you decide to stay. Gunn, I didn't get to know you in the other time line, but I know from Cordy that you're one hell of a fighter. We need you in Sunnydale. I hope you all decide to stay."


He then turned his attention to his family. "Buffy, you've got to tell Riley how you really feel. He thinks you don't love him." Buffy's eyes widened in shock, and her eyes went to Riley. "Riley, Graham, you guys need to have the Initiative doctors look you over. Those drugs that Walsh was giving you have messed with your heart. All of your buddies need treatment as well."


He looked at Giles and smiled sadly. "Giles, I'm so sorry for not seeing you for who you are. We need you. You're our rock and our father. Please don't leave us. You are not useless. Joyce, all I need to do is get the ingredients to the spell to heal you. I love you. I just wish I had a mother like you."


Finally he turned his attention to Willow and Tara. "Wills, I love you. You're my oldest friend and my sister. I am telling you now, you have to learn to control your magic before it costs you the best thing to ever happen in your life. Tara loves you so much. I don't think you realize just how much. I found a spell to help you control your magic, but you have to be the one to perform it."


"Tara, you are my family now and I want you to know, you're not a demon. Your family used that as a way of keeping control of the women in your family. You're human and you're beautiful and you're ours. So when your family comes, we're going to kick their asses and send them packing." Tara's eyes were wide and she began to cry. Willow pulled her into her arms and cuddled her.


"Any more bombs you need to drop Xan?" Buffy asked weakly.

Xander nodded. "Yeah, I'm going to bring Faith out of her coma and back into the fold, and find Oz and bring him home as well." They all gaped at him in astonishment.


That was a big bomb to drop.


The End for Now