Untitled Nano 2017 fic by voracity

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Author's Chapter Notes:

I'm slacking this year and I don't know why. I'm seriously behind my usual level this year.

The sorcerer smiled at her. "I have heard from a young sorcerer with special gifts recently. He mentioned Xander and the Council but wanted to know about control exercises."

"I found him because he had trapped two spirits to learn how to woo a proper wife from them," Xander said dryly. "I made him let the succuba go." Giles coughed and spluttered a bit. "Which is why I had him write to a higher power." He grinned at his boss. "Ladies, any other immediate needs we've seen?"

"Just water," one said, grimacing. "It's kinda nasty, Dad."

"Baby wipes are in the med kit," he offered. She went to get some and came back to put them into the bathroom they were using for now. Xander heard someone knock and jogged down to the front door, staring at the guy there. Agent suit. Agent sunglasses. Agent haircut. A few bruises on his face. "Let me guess, you're an agent," he said dryly. He was blocking him from coming in. "What's up, Agent Guy?"

"Mr. Harris?" Xander nodded. "We wanted to talk to you about something that's went on recently."

"How recently? Giles is upstairs. With my daughters and the minis."

"I'm sure he can watch them while you come talk to us," he said smoothly.

"Fat chance." Xander stared at him. "I don't care what demon cocksucking minion feels that I've helped the slayers too much. Or for any other reason. If it's about a vision I've had, I've put them in easily accessible places so people can make plans about it. Probably on both sides but oh well. If it's about a battle I've had, you're welcome for still being alive and humanity surviving. Anything else?" The agent glared at him. Xander stared back. "Then you have a good day," he said when nothing else got said. He shut the door and walked off. He paused to hit Willow's emergency necklace to get her back to the Council building. "Giles, an agent just showed up to sneer. I sent Willow home in case they try to break in and tried to capture her as well." He walked back up the stairs. "Girls, if he busts in, do we have a saferoom set up?" Mercada and Ophelia went to do that for him. "Thanks." He looked at Giles. "He was bruised too so apparently whatever cocksucking minion he's under was mean to him."

"We do try to work with agents, Xander," Giles said firmly.

"And if he hadn't said I'd have to go with him and leave all the girls here with you I might've." He stared back. "I work with ones that show a bit of respect. I'm not going to let any of the girls be hurt by agents like that. We've seen plenty already and I'm the reason yours got saved from that one government group last year."

"They were quite angry about that."

"Then they shouldn't think slayers are lab rats, huh?"

"Point. We have stopped other such events." He stared at the younger man. "You do have quite a temper."

"Well, yeah. I'm the original overprotective dad sort." He hugged the bouncy mini slayer. "It's not like the one that tried to snatch you from your parents. He won't take any of you out into the street to try to kill you in front of them."

"Good!" She pouted at Giles. "All government sorts are *bad*!" she said a bit loudly. "They try to kill us or try to cut us up and take our gifts to give to men who'll use it to feel even worse about their wives and beat them." The other minis nodded. "We've all seen it."

"No, that sort comes near you and I'm going to make sure you girls are fine," Xander assured her, patting her on the head. "US agents aren't as evil as the ones you grew up near but they can still be fought off the same way." She nodded, cuddling into Cygyn's side. "You don't have to worry. Even if they show up and by some miracle of a dark god or goddess managed to get you for a few seconds I'd be there almost instantly to rescue you and whoever then destroy them." She hugged his leg then went back to cuddling Cygyn. She was the preferred cuddling target of the big girls. Xander looked at Giles, shrugging some. "I had to at least twice now. There was one when I was drunk that I only half remember and I don't remember if I destroyed them to the point of death or not."

"I dare say that's a wonderful response," Giles said, staring at him. "The girls need rescued when things like that should occur."

The sorcerer nodded. "I concur. The girls need more protections from those sort."

Xander looked at him. "Last vision had Asgard's remains running down here."

"Oh, shite," he muttered, walking off. "Thank you for that warning, Xander." He ran into the agent outside, who had clearly been listening. "If agents in the US should attempt what those around that child did, he wouldn't have to do more than ask for help." The agent walked off shuddering but calling in that report. Dr. Strange went back to his house and looked up those visions again. One had Thor down here looking for Loki before the battle, and having a beer with him so that was a good warning to have.

***

Xander looked up as the new agent showed up right after the water turn-on rep left. "At least we have water," he said dryly. "It's on," he called.

"Thank you! The toilets were smelling gross!" one of the minis yelled back. "Worse than an outhouse!"

Xander grinned at the agent. "You needed...?"

"We looked into the agents around the mini slayers you have with you. We would've helped destroy them if you had asked."

Xander stared at him for a minute. "You didn't stop the ones in the US. Why would I trust that?"

"We were not aware of it. Now that we are, we're stopping the plots against the Council and the two others who want to confiscate the girls."

"Yeah, that idiot general. He's gonna die." He stared at him. "And I'm going to do it if Ross comes near my girls. You can warn him if you want."

"That would probably make him act, which would give you a reasonable, legal reason to take him and his teams out," the agent agreed. "We'd rather not have that showdown yet."

Xander shrugged. "He's got someone watching my daughters and I'm about to fire a missile up his ass." He pointed at him. "You can start there if you want."

"I will on the way out. I wanted to ask for an account on the visions about Asgard and how you got daughters."

"Some witches in another realm created them to have a powerful sacrifice." He grimaced. "They're soup."

"Agreed, and good job saving them. Why pick you?"

"I used the portal I found and I defeated a dragon by curing a scale rot problem with some mud. It couldn't reach the bad spot and had landed in a village to get help but had panicked the villagers. So they now have a young woman who helps with that weekly. They'll have one teenage girl who goes up to check on him every week or so."

"Interesting. So a Sunnydale way got you notice?"

Xander grinned. "Pretty much, yeah."

"Huh. Are more going to create more children?"

"Nope. After that mermaid thing I'm not fertile. Otherwise I'd have a few others on Asgard."

The agent nodded once. "You've been?"

"Yup. Odin's still pissing me off by pushing that prophecy that says I'll be taking his seat from him and then he'll have to take me out to get it back for one of his kids. I told him I don't want it but oh well. He'll figure it out some year I'm sure." The agent watching over them got out of the car and strolled over. "Oh, look, it's the pervert watching my teenage daughters," he said loudly. "I'd suggest he get back in his car and scoot."

"I have a turn over order for the mutants in the house," he sneered.

Xander walked out. "My daughters aren't mutants and you come near the slayers again, you'll be facing an apocalypse battle by yourselves." He stared the guy down. "You try though, dude."

"Those girls are mutants. They're not human."

Xander hit him. "Yeah they are. I am."

"You're not. You have known demon taint."

Xander smirked, leaning down to look at him since he was on the ground. "Yeah, that means you can't charge me by current US laws. Watch me finish it. I have plenty of people who'd like to make war on the government and most of them owe me something." The agent shrank away from him. "You come near my slayers or my daughters and that is the *last* mistake this government is going to make. Even if Giles fires my ass, I'm still going to be protecting them. Now, anything else from the diseased minds that tried the Initiative thing? Because I'm not amused and I'm going to share it." He smirked, standing upright again. "Hell, I can pull an Independence Day move in DC if I really feel like it. I *do* have a space ship at my command." The agent scurried off to his car, already babbling on his phone. He smirked and waved. "I'm perfectly reasonable until you try to threaten my girls. Learn the lesson that Lesotho had to learn faster than they did!" He glared at the other agent.

"I would've stopped him, you didn't give me time to act." He tapped out a text message. "Please don't destroy DC."

"The weapons would only get a few buildings." He shrugged. "I'll pick and choose." He walked back to the doorway, smiling at the staring cable guy. "It's fine. He decided my daughters should be taken into custody because I'm Council." He grinned. "Please give the girls something to do?" He nodded, coming in to hook things up as quickly as he could. He still got pounced and hugged by some of the daughters. "Ladies," he warned. "Quit picking on him!"

"He's giving us internet!" Daisy called. "He's a saint because I'm stupidly bored and out of homework!"

Xander rolled his eyes, looking at the worker. "Sorry. They're teenage girls. I don't let them shop that often."

He smiled. "They're pretty but I've got a thirteen-year-old daughter myself, sir. She does the same thing." He went back to hooking up tv's, modems, and wi-fi routers.

Xander looked at the agent. "Sorry you had to see that."

"I'd rather see that. What was that Initiative thing you mentioned?"

"A group of morons that were torturing demons in Sunnydale."

He looked that up, frowning as he read that. "That's sick."

"Yes it was. I'm glad our group ended them."

"Me as well." He put his phone back into his pants pocket. "I'm going to make sure there's no other plans in that direction later. The US laws...."

Xander held up a hand. "No, they won't. Only two states have laws that say anyone with any demon taint or blood can be charged like a normal human. Congress turned down making it a national law twice."

"I had forgotten about that. That would matter, wouldn't it? Would you really blow debts for that?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "I'm highly protective of my girls. Slayers and my daughters. And frankly, since last year I blew up a hell goddess that would've taken out all of humanity...." He grinned. "A few hate me for taking her out. The rest.... Well, actually I know how to revive her. It'll take a pint of my blood being put onto a certain stone." He smiled. "And there's others like that around that I can get to in a reasonably quick bit of time. Including using a few poker debts to get them faster." He leaned on the doorway. "You've seen the talk shows where the lady's so mad she takes off her wig to beat someone?" The agent nodded slowly. "That's about where I start when someone tries for my daughters. Then I get coldly rational." He grinned. "Anything else you wanted to talk about?"

"Would you warn us if someone came for your daughters?"

"If you tell me that you've heard someone's trying. I can call in a warning." He accepted the card. He smiled again. "It'll be okay. They just need to leave us alone before they have to handle their own emergencies. Because be damned if I'm dying to save someone like General Ross."

"I don't think anyone would feel any differently," the agent agreed. "I'll tell our director."

"Tell Dead Guy that I said hi. He's seen me avenging one of the minis a few years back." He winked and walked into the house, closing the door. "What's left on our list of tasks for the day?" he called.

"Dinner," Daisy called. "Finding how Mira fell down a closet."

Xander went up to find Mira and get her out of the hidden area under the closet. He found the ladder and sent it down. The mini slayer climbed up it. "Safe room?" She nodded. "We can use that then. Find me any others. Just in case." They went to search the house better. He stared back at the cable guy. "What?" He just nodded, grinning some as he finished hooking things up. "Did you get the outside tap already?"

"Doing that last to make sure everything works that the same time, sir."

Xander nodded. "Okay." He went to check all the other utilities. They had the dumpster out back since early that morning. Them dropping it off had woken everyone up. The agent doing their cable would report to people. Hopefully they weren't stupid people.

***

Xander woke up the next morning to someone staring at him from the foot of his bed. "Did I sleep with you last night? If so, that was probably fun and have a great day. If not, you're trespassing and I've got three weapons within grabbing distance plus daughters who will kill you for me before I have to do more than yell."

The guy shook his head. "One of them let me in, Harris." Tony Stark stared at him. "You have a space ship."

"Yeah, won it from the space pirate douchebags." He sat up. "So?"

"I wanted to get a good look at it."

"You can do that when it's evacuating Asgardians." He stared at him. "More important and we need it to work then."

"How would you pull an Independence Day with a ship you need in a few weeks?"

"Not that hard. Space ships have to be able to withstand a whole lot of pressure and beatings from asteroids and other small bits of space junk. They're tougher than all the weapons I know of down here." He blinked at him a few times. "You can look at it later."

"I might be able to build more. Which could help Asgard more."

"We don't have time for that."

"Oh." He frowned and shifted his stance. "I can look at it then?" Xander nodded. "Will we not need it then?"

"By then we might need to evacuate parts of earth thanks to the big guy coming to avenge his girlfriend Hela."

Stark stared, mouth slightly open. "I saw those visions." Xander nodded. "Can we not win?"

"He's supposedly immortal and has some native powers but the gems are what powers him."

The older man stared at him. "Share your source, kid?"

Xander sat up, staring at him. "I would but it'd be really hard for you to find that cave that held the trans-dimensional portal that I fell through to a world where you're all comic books." He stared at him. "If I had known, I would've read that one more closely. Though it did show you guys beating him." Stark glared. "My vision differed from the comic book because the guy with one arm wasn't there and neither was the King of Kitty Cats. I'm pretty sure both of them will be. And I'll keep Mercada from pouncing either one. She's actually flirting with the King's sister, confusing her greatly most of the time." He sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Speaking of, call him. Today." He looked at Stark. "No clue why but something's going on out there. Also, their version, didn't have slayers and I doubt you'll get to have an apocalypse battle without them or some of the demon societies helping save everyone. They don't want to die either."

Stark nodded once. "That's still a really weird source."

"From what I've seen and heard, it's correct about his powers. It was mostly correct about you guys but Rogers didn't have a beard."

Stark just nodded and left, shaking his head the whole way. He'd tell the others before calling Wakanda to see if they needed some help. And to ask about why that young teen had been flirting with a full grown woman.

Xander laid back down then leaned over and looked under his bed at the two slayers hiding underneath there. "That's fine. Go back to bed when you can." They cuddled better and he flopped back down with a sigh. "Gonna be a long day again." The girls giggled but they were tired.

***

Xander poked his daughter on the arm and pointed with a grunt since his mouth was full. Mercada sighed and walked over. "Dad said I need to apologize for being a horrible flirt and confusing your sister. Especially since I'm still underage and he'd kill me if I managed to even get in a close hug. Not your sister since he knows I'm pushy but I'd die of it and I'm sorry if I upset her."

The king smirked at her a tiny bit. "I think she was more confused, kid."

Mercada grinned. "You always gotta dream big about getting a romance for the ages." She skipped off. He was smiling. Xander waved at him. "I'm trying to be good."

"Uh-huh," he agreed, swallowing again. "I'm sure you are. You're also not going to joint either battle coming up, dear." She pouted. "You know you're going to evacuating people. You're good enough to protect them as they run but you're not a warrior and you're too young to even do more than self defense. You and all the other six."

She nodded. "I can agree with that. Are we holding the meeting with Thor?"

"I think so." He finished his sandwich in one bite, grinning as he chewed. "I've got eight minis, my six, two bathrooms, one kitchen, and they already emptied it so I haven't eaten since yesterday." The king walked off snickering, shaking his head. "By the way, I've got Mimi," he called after her. "She's pouty that her mother won't answer the phone."

"I'll have someone check on her mother, Harris." He looked back at him. "Why do you have her?"

"Cresida had her evacuated when the idiot demon was calling in his debts to regain his powers after winning a battle against something huge that thankfully he won against. That's why all those nice idiots who sold themselves, and their families, are acting up right now."

"So he moved them all to Uganda and you got them out of there?"

"Yeah. They're presently messing up the living room with Faith and my other five."

"Where is your one you're not mentioning?"

"Odin found her making out with a Valkyrie so had them married off. Raisa kept me from killing his ass to free her but apparently they're cute together." He shrugged. "She said it's okay and I'm not going to protest, much, about that. Yet." He grimaced. "I have forbidden the gifting of any grandchildren or else I'll bless them to be just like me." Mercada shuddered but he grinned at her. "From any of you, yes. I've got a delayed wish and all that ready to go off."

"Too young to be a mom anyway, Dad. You made sure I knew what that age range was. I don't want to be beaten to death for getting down and funky with a boy."

Xander grinned at the staring people. "I'm an overprotective boob of a father, yeah."

"It goes well with the mediaeval weapons," Stark joked.

The king stared at him. "I've seen him take on a twelve-foot demon with his battle axe, killing it and getting fairly injured, spit on it and have it start to regenerate so he pulled out a photon grenade and used it to finish killing it. I don't think many Middle Ages knights could've done that, Stark. Especially not with the being taken by his girlfriend of the moment, who was an assassin, who took him to baby his injuries, kept up half the motel that night with her squealing, and come out the next morning needing food and coffee and sleep but nothing else."

Xander shrugged when everyone stared at him. "Kristen was very nice to baby my clawing injuries. All she wanted was a great night in return and I'm all about that anyway. None of my lovers ever go away disappointed." He shrugged again, grinning at his blushing daughter. "I'll tell your future spouse how to do that."

"I remember the two warriors at the training camp on Asgard, Dad. I don't need to know how to make guys like that so tired they begged for mercy." She walked off, going to talk to Hawkeye. "We've got a debate and the slayers joined in. Is your bow blessed to a deity?"

"No. Sorry."

She grinned. "That means we won. The girls swear it has to be a blessed weapon." She shook her head. "So many spoiled brats," she mouthed. "Thankfully I'm hiding from the main group of bouncy slayers who wear slutty clothes to school." She bounded off, finding a seat outside. "Tell me when we talk about where we're evacuating people to, Dad."

"Yup, sure," Xander called. He looked at the others, grinning at them. "Mercada is my mini me. Including my ADHD apparently."

Thor looked at him. "You slept with some of the trainee warriors?"

"They asked." He grinned. "I never flirt with anyone, I let them flirt with me. It works nicer that way for me. They were cute, and muscled, and not too bad in bed but a bit vanilla. It's like they didn't even know how to get on their knees, Thor. If you want, I'll introduce you to them and one's older brother. Who said his brother should go into *service* instead of being a warrior."

"Nay, that is not my thing. Thank thee though, Xander." Xander grinned at him. "Were there no females at that one?"

"Yeah, two, and they both thought I was cute but not bed worthy until after those two warriors. Then one flirted and got some handsy help in the gardens. The other one got scared of being pleased and ran off to go become a warrior nun."

"Ah. I heard that part of the story about the newest novitiate. She came to my Father to be blessed into the service." He walked off looking amused.

"Yeah, the training camp had a liberal view of eat, drink, and be merry," he told the staring heros. "We all needed stress relief after that fire giant attempt." He shrugged but grinned.

Stark shook his head with a sigh. "So damn weird."

"Better than I can do. I can't handle a threesome anymore," Clint quipped. "I do better now with one-on-one."

"My last one of those went to the ER. She got a bit worn out," Xander said dryly, grimacing. "She really needed more stamina. You'd think former agents would have more stamina." He shook his head. Everyone was still staring at him. "Spain's people."

"Ah," Natasha said, nodding once. "Have you slept with many agents?"

"Yup." He grinned. "But I'm not going to brag. They might get mad. Then I'd have to defend against an attack and spank a few of them for it. Or let the daughters spank them for it." He looked out at Mercada. "Who was the agent you got last night?"

"Ophelia and Daisy got him, Dad," she called back. "And he was supposedly SHIELD. Sucker thought Daisy was weak because she was in a nighty. Pity. I'm guessing they'll be able to reattach his penis since that's what height Ophelia was in. She was in bed when he broke into her and Daisy's room. So her knife hit him there and Daisy almost dismembered his other limbs. Sucks to be him I guess but he was dumb."

Xander looked at Clint, who was staring at her oddly. "My girls were trained to protect themselves by any warrior or assassin I could talk into giving them lessons. They're pretty and I'm not going to be a grandfather anytime soon."

Natasha went out to talk to the young woman to see if she could identify which agent, and if they were really SHIELD. It turns out they were and they were in the infirmary. Someone had picked them up and dropped them on their doorstep. She came in to show Steve and Stark who it had been. Steve grimaced. "It's good he's out of the way of harm."

"Very. If he's going to try to harm young women, he deserves worse." He handed back her phone. "Any others going to try?"

"That one general idiot," Xander quipped. "He's going to hate it when I call in a poker debt and have him taken out in a horrible way." The king walked off shuddering. "I probably won't call in the debt from those cannibal imps," he called after him. "Just a really badass demon who'll make sure he knows better than to come near them or the slayers."

"Cannibal imps?" Steve asked, looking confused. Xander looked them up on the held out phone, handing it to him then stepping back. Steve read and turned a bit green, handing Natasha her phone back. "Not over here?"

"South Africa," Xander said. "Hardly ever leave the area unless they're on a holy quest, which takes them to New Zealand because they used to live there until the natives drove them off. They have to fast until they get to the temple and then most of the way back they're plotting so only get a few victims."

"I'll be on the lookout for them," Steve decided. "Just so I don't have to deal with that."

"There's a local, adult slayer near where they're living. She knows to watch out for them. The only three adult slayers in Africa are all in areas that have some problems but not a ton of local, human problems. That one handles that, a few temples, a calling stone that takes blood spilled on it, and depending on what sort of blood depends on what gets summoned. Last year a bird dropped her prey on it and it called a squirrel goddess from another realm. She was not amused but only wanted brushed. That slayer's daughter is old enough to squee over furry things so she brushed her until they could reverse it."

"Was she squirrel headed like the ones in Egypt were supposed to be or was she an actual squirrel?"

"Humanish face, mostly squirrel," Xander said. "The dog goddess that showed up last year thanks to one giving birth was more werewolf like but the other one that showed up thanks to that was dog headed. And naked."

"I know of them," Thor said. "They are most amusing."

Xander grinned. "She was sweet to talk to." He saw the staring. "We can't break that stone, it'll cause huge destruction. Probably to the earthquake level. It's tied to something like a hellmouth structure and it'll create a huge amount of hell. Though one of the local goddesses that was mostly peaceful used it to create her daughter on. The slayer put in that report and the statement that she didn't watch after finding out what was going on. It clearly wasn't to summon something and no blood should have been spilled that way. She's due next year I think. I need to find her a good baby present." He made himself a note and put his phone up.

Stark looked at the phone then at him. "Why is it glowing?"

"It got dropped into a mystical well of energy just inside my borders," the king complained. "He joked about it not getting water damage."

"Yup," Xander quipped, grinning at him. "It'll be powered for years. And can make transdimensional calls."

"Might come in handy," Mercada called. "Ophelia said that Raisa's pouty, Dad. Atlina went up to beat someone for her."

"How did she get up there?" he demanded. "Or Raisa sent an email?"

"Called by scrying, and Atlina got summoned by Raisa's wife. It's going to create a mess. Sorry about that group of douchebros, Thor. And your cousin Mordred."

Thor groaned. "Oh, dear."

"Apparently," Xander agreed. He frowned at her. She came in to show him the message. He growled. "We'll see if we can get the idiot boy later for trying that shit."

A light came down on the balcony where Thor had set up a bridge terminus sigil. Two girls walked out then another girl and Lady Sif. Mercada squealed, running over to pounce her sister. "Hi! Hi, Lady Sif! Is she in trouble?"

"No. She beat them fairly. Odin had her sister summoned to make her quit beating them." She patted the girls on the back, grinning at Xander. "Odin says that the girls need a stern talking to for beating half the scholar's class at the local college. The boys were being rude and one tried to assault them. Unfortunately he's still alive. Miserable with multiple broken bones, but alive." She smirked a tiny bit at Xander. "Their training shows well."

"I'm glad you could help them with sword work," Xander said, grinning back. He kissed Sif on the cheek. "Thank you, Sif."

"You're most welcome. The girls are delightful but they've adopted a hunting cat from somewhere not in the nine realms." She handed over the box that the wife was carrying. "It's still young but likes to pounce." She looked at Thor. "You are coming soon?"

"I can come now," he offered, looking at Xander.

"You'll be back by then and I'll probably end up on Asgard to help against Hela, Thor. We can use the ship I have to help evacuate people."

"I was going to help with that," Raisa said, pushing back her hair. "I got told I was too young until I beat three warriors I'm training with. I've beaten two and the other one I got sneaky and got him at night. He really did hate the mustache I drew." She grinned at Thor. "Fandaral said hello and to keep me away from any art supplies." He laughed, patting her on the head. "Oh, and we have scrolls from up there." She opened the box to hand them over. "Yours. Yours," she said, handing one to Dad. "Odin wants you to show up to pray at the Warrior's Shrine."

"We'd have to rebuild it. The Dark Elves destroyed it," Xander quipped. Thor grimaced. "Not my fault. I wasn't even there. Or else your mom wouldn't be dead." He patted him on the arm. "Though, your aunt? Bitch of the extreme levels? Please keep her away from me?" He gave him a look. "I've dated a few bitches but even Anyanka wasn't *that* bad."

Sif blinked. "You dated the one who punished men?"

"Yup. Took her to our prom, which is a dance held in your last year of standard schooling, and nearly married her a few years later. But she would've been miserable. It's why she got her powers back and then lost them because I had somehow exposed her conscience. She couldn't be that mean."

Sif moaned. "Many had wondered," she told Thor. Then she cleared her throat and smiled at him. "Did you also see the one known as Kathleen?"

"The maid of death?"

She nodded. "Yes, that one."

"Yeah. We dated for about two weeks then she decided I was bad for her duties. I made her feel squishy things. She couldn't be a genocidal fuckhead with squishy feelings. That's when I found out what she did and I turned her in, but ended up taking her out a few months later. She showed up to take out one of my slayers. Pity."

Sif swallowed, nodding some. "It was good of you to handle her once you knew of her deeds, Xander."

Xander grinned, blowing a kiss at her. "I always take care of my duties, Sif." She shivered and Thor ducked his head. "Can we find Willow a date up there?"

Sif blinked a few times. "I know a few who'd probably think she was cute," Raisa's wife offered. Xander pointed at where they felt magic coming. She walked over to babble at Willow about two of her girlfriends she'd like to introduce her to. One was doing magical studies but was in potions and the other was a warrior trainee. Willow blushed and squeaked.

"That's my daughter-in-law, Willow," Xander said. "Raisa's wife." He pulled his daughter over to cuddle. "My turn." He looked at the hunting kitten. "It'll be leopard sized, right?" She nodded against his shoulder. "Huh. Interesting hunting helper, dear."

"It's cute, Dad."

"It's very cute. It's got long hair that'll tangle and get everywhere but it's adorable." He let it sniff his finger. It huffed but leaped up to sit on her mistress' shoulder. Raisa got free and went to pet her own cat. And wife maybe. Xander grinned at Sif. "Thank you for the bringing back." He looked at Atlina.

"He thought I was Ophelia, Dad."

"She's a brunette and you're more blonde," Xander said, staring at her. "And you're taller and bustier. I don't know how he got you two confused."

"Me either," she admitted. She sat down. "I can hang out here until you get done."

"Sure." He looked at Sif. "We're talking about Thanos."

"I know of his rumors," she said, walking inside with him. "There's many rumors of Thanos among our senior warriors. May I help?"

"Of course," Thor agreed, coming in. "The girls are playing with the future hunting feline and telling Willow of their friends on Asgard to see if she might like introduced." He sat down.

"I'd love to see her as happy as she was with Tara," Xander said. He glanced out there then back at the others. "I found out very little when I was sucked into another dimension that had all of us as comic books. But what I know I've balanced against what we know of in facts for here. The battle they showed against Thanos had a few of you missing." He pointed at Bucky in his corner. "Him in particular. And King Kitty Cat." He grinned at him. He got growled at but the king looked smug about it. He grinned at the others. "The mini slayer from his kingdom calls him that. Always has." He nodded. "And names can have power since he's still under a curse." He shifted. "When I got the first vision of Thanos, eight months after that little trip, it felt like something higher had sent me to look at things specifically." The others nodded. "The one thing I saw that was different was in those comics, he wore a metal bracelet with rings attached. Like those seventies bracelets. The vision I've had showed a gold gauntlet with stones on his knuckles."

Sif nodded. "He would need the Infinity Gauntlet to hold them. It is a tacky gold glove with spaces for the Infinity Gems."

"He fractured one when he made the staff," Xander told her. "Can it be reformed? Or would even just under half of it be enough?"

She considered it. "I know very little of that artifact, Xander. What I know of it, it would be enough but stones could heal itself. How do you know it's fractured?" He pulled his staff out of thin air, making her moan. She took it to look at the black stone at the bottom. "That holds a sliver of it."

"It's got two slivers. Barely matchstick sized. I found the broken half in the bottom of the well that's under the summoning altar I mentioned earlier." He took it back and made it disappear.

"Can we rescue it?" Stark asked.

"Not without a lot of very cautious magic," Xander said. "Breaking that would destroy countless hundreds of miles as it flashed outward. Then you'd have to get around the physical portal underneath it that ties into the hellmouth structure, how they get here. Then dig about two feet of falling in dirt. I put a pinhole camera down there to film the structure and caught sight of it. I did cut that out of the film I sent Giles because I realized what it was when the staff hummed at it. I knew it was a dangerous artifact."

"Could we use something like a claw on a chain?" Stark asked. Xander made a hole with his fingers. "Very tiny," he agreed. "I might be able to find a way to get it out of there."

Xander nodded. "Then it'd have to be guarded and safe." He looked at Thor. "I have six artifacts you'll need to bring back with you when you go home."

Thor frowned. "Why?"

"Because you'll need them and I might not get there in that much time."

"Good point. I can gather them before we go back." He looked at Sif, who nodded. "Heimdall will be on duty later?"

"Tomorrow," she said. "He thought I'd need about a day."

"That's fine," Xander agreed. "I'll have to buy food if you want dinner. The girls have eaten everything and didn't even leave me a slice of bread. But you can come to dinner with him if you want."

She smiled. "Thank thee, Xander."

"The girls need to be reminded they have good role models. The minis at the house would love to come chat with you."

"They are adorable." She looked at the others. "I know of his immortality. It is natural to his people."

"So he can't be killed or there's a particular way?" Xander asked.

"We believe a particular method but we're not certain. Banished has been done by Asgard in the past." She grimaced. "It didn't keep him penned up very hard. Loki stated he's on an asteroid like area that has his throne. He tends to travel with it from what the stories tell us."

"He made the staff Loki used," Thor said. Xander nodded. "You've seen it?"

"Yeah. And it's on the ship." He grinned. "It got stolen."

Thor moaned. "The Collector."

"He had the Aether," Sif said. "Not the staff."

"The Aether is in an urn," Xander said. "Next to the engine so no one can go in and get it." She smiled at that precaution. "The staff was summoned by someone who had trapped the Aether in the urn." She slumped again. "They do not have the gauntlet. I had one of the mages test the urn to see if anything that showed it's power or contagious properties with it was around. The power of contagion is what binds things together. Like anything I have with me often would hold some of my essence," he explained at the curious looks. "My staff shows contagion from where it was sitting before that dragon dropped it on my head." They nodded at that. "Nothing with any contagion from the urn, or the Aether in the urn, was anywhere near Asgard."

"The gauntlet was given to a far guardian culture," Thor said. "If I remember right, they were Legion or something. We would have to casually look that way to see if it's still there." He looked at Sif, who nodded she would start that looking. He looked at Xander. "What else do you know of the stones?"

"Very little. Though there's one in the open. Protected, but in the open. I got told that story by the stupid pirate assholes who wanted to be son-in-laws. Something about a human, a tree being, a few warriors, and they defended it. A bigger planet has it stored safely somewhere on it."

"I head rumors of that," Sif agreed. "When we went to put the Aether with The Collector."

"Is that a title?" Steve asked.

She nodded. "Yes. He had a large collection of various things, including some very dangerous things he was hiding. He was not a friend of Asgard but he would not want something dangerous in bad hands. It would devalue his collection."

"And then they broke into his castle," Xander quipped. Sif nodded, grimacing some. "Which is how I got the Aether, because one of them had it. Nova Corps," he said with a finger snap. "That's who's protecting it."

"I can ask of them," Sif agreed. "Warn them that he might be attempting to gather that stone." She looked at Xander. "Those pirates, what happened to them?"

"I won their ship and all their scrungy stuff. Then I dropped them at a bar and flew off with it and the girls." He grinned. "I have no idea but I hope they're now underlings to someone with some real skills. Because they were pathetic."

She giggled. "You are highly overprotective of the girls. It is amusing to watch you make them be girls, even when they want to be doing other things."

"They're young. They have plenty of times to do other things. They need to be girls until they're too old to have fun."

"Agreed," she said with a smile for him. "All that can wait as long as they train to protect themselves." He nodded. She looked at the other heros. "The girls are looking to be admirable warriors when necessary, but most of them won't be full time warriors."

"Thank you, Goddess," Xander said, looking up then at her. "I don't want the girls to have stories of battles like mine or yours, Sif."

"Agreed. Most parents wouldn't." She smiled. "Maybe two or three may go that way, Xander, but you can help them find easier places to battle from." He nodded. His phone beeped so he looked at it and growled. The staff appeared and he disappeared. "Oh, dear. Mercada, Raisa?" she called. "Your father just got a message and left."

"We're protecting each other and the idiot agents who broke in to steal the slayers and the other sisters are going to die," Mercada called. "In a horrible, messy manner that will make Dad laugh like he's insane again. Sorry about them but we'd only go help make the mess to protect them."

Steve and Natasha both pulled up information sites and put their phones where they could see them. The others were making notes. Steve's phone beeped first. And then Stark's phone rang with a news alert. Yup, Xander had destroyed a medical complex. He had freed the hostages they had. And the victims. The people who were holding them hostage, and the military people and agents who were helping, were all on the ground and might just be unconscious.

"He's been merciful," Natasha decided. Another alert came in and the tv switched itself on to show two rather large, powerful demons about to kill some higher ups for that move. And Xander's note that he had warned them not to come near his daughters or the slayers. But he hadn't had to ask them for this favor. They were hoping Xander would appreciate it and cancel two debts owed before a worse apocalypse battle happened. Xander and the girls all appeared there thanks to some magic. Xander counted noses then looked at the demons, shrugging a bit.

"Thanks for the help. I was just going to kill them for it." He grinned. "And if you want to help, we've got visions of Thanos coming, ladies. You want out of those debts before then, can you get us some info on him?"

"That is a good repayment and we will have fun with these who would use your daughters as puzzles to be torn apart." One patted him on the head. "My son wanted your help with his wooing."

"He needs to get on his knees and beg his girlfriend to come back. Then he'll hopefully use the last stuff I told him to do."

She smiled and patted him again. "Thank you, Xander. Ladies, I hope you heal if you were touched, and are well otherwise. We look forward to hearing great stories of your future deeds." The girls all cuddled Xander but grinned at them. "Let us talk to these half-breeds who have decided to deface innocent girls. Even Voldemort didn't use things like these ones do."

One of the mini slayers poked her on the hand. "You read Harry Potter?" she asked with a grin.

"I read them to my own child, Slayer Sophina. He adored it." She patted her hair down. "You will do great things some year in the future. For now, go with Xander. You do not need to see such things and he had seen much but does not need this as well." Xander nodded, getting them moved. It took two tries to get them all but that was fine with them. Then the demons glared at the humans and went after the ones responsible. They would learn. Others could use them as an example. Then one that Xander called in the debt of showed up to show others what they had done wrong.

Xander showed back up with the girls, pointing. "Raisa's out there." They squealed and ran out to hug their sister. The minis settled around him to be cuddly and stare at the heros they looked up to. "Sorry, they need to be safe for a bit."

"Nice work with the one showing what they're guilty of," Stark said quietly.

Xander grinned. "That way others know. They can't be hidden like the ones we took down in Sunnydale did. Though only a few were in common." He smirked a tiny bit. "Those guys in Homeland and on the UN hunting squads? They'd be horrified too. Most of them learned after we had to end their version of that problem."

"You had a group in Sunnydale?" Stark asked, sitting up. "Why?"

"They were trying to figure out demons. The army said so." Steve groaned. "Yeah, you fought others doing just as bad." He pulled up the files he had and handed them to Stark with a smirk. "Make sure it can't be restarted?"

"Gladly," he said after reading over it. "Damn." The minis giggled at him. "Sorry, I won't swear."

"We hear worse when we're fighting over the showers," one said. "We've only got eight showers for almost twenty big girls and only two tubs for us littler ones."

"Wow, that's gotta be a problem before school," Steve said, smiling at her. "I'm Steve."

"I'm Britney," she said with a grin. She waved. "We look up to you guys a lot. It means we're not alone."

Xander smiled at her. "You're not alone anyway. You're not like Buffy was when it was just her being a slayer."

"True. There's more of us now." She hugged the mini next to her, getting cuddled back. She kissed her forehead. "You have a fever."

Xander checked. "Can I bum some water for them, Stark?"

"Yeah. Huge spring water bottle system in the kitchen," he said with a point. "The party cups are next to the sink in the bar." He pointed at that one. Xander got up to get them plastic cups with cold water for now. Most of them didn't have any physical injuries. He had sent them to the main center before they had evacuated. That one had a few bruises and a cut he got treated for her. She cuddled up to the others. They all huddled and kept listening to the war council. Someday they'd have to know how to hold one and any meeting with Buffy ended up talking about clothes or boys.

Xander grinned at them and got back to discussing the current problems.

***

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