What Changed?

The beginning....

Xander sighed as he sat quietly waiting for his friend to come down the stairs. The young girl had gone to get him and bring him down. Xander was exhausted. The drive up had taken longer than he planned, thanks to a vampire attack. He was still sporting bruises and broken ribs. Even away from the hellmouth the bastards managed to show up. He was unaware of the looks he was receiving from the various people around the room.

Jean, Logan, Scott and Ororo were watching the boy. Jean was the one most strongly focused on him. She couldn't read him, and it confused her. The only other person she could not read was Professor Xavier. Yet this boy could block her without trying. Logan was trying to figure out what it was about the boy that caught his attention. He smelled really good and had a hint of wildness to him. It was damn distracting.

Scott was trying to figure out why the boy seemed so familiar. Something was at the root of it, but it was eluding him. Ororo was just captivated by the fact that the boy had not stared or jumped when Kitty had walked through the wall, or Johnny had started forming a fire ball. Other than a raised eyebrow, the young man had done nothing.

Their attention was caught by Remy calling out to the dark haired boy. "Lexy!" The boy stood in a fluid motion and was across the room and in Remy's arms before they could react. Remy laughed as he was swept up into the hug. His laughter was silenced by a quick kiss. Remy wrapped his arms around his friend's neck and returned the kiss.

When they broke apart, Remy became aware of the fact that they were the focus of a lot of incredulous stares. "What, haven't you ever seen friends say hello?" Remy rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to Xander. He could still see sorrow in his friend's eyes, and knew from talking to Richie just what had caused it.

Remy took Xander's hand and led him back over to the sofa that his friend had been sitting on. Once they were seated, Remy asked, "How are you, mon ami? Ri told me about the loss of your mate. I'm sorry."

Xander bit his lip and had to look away as tears filled his eyes; he was beginning to wonder if he would ever get over losing Larry. "It hurts, Remy. God, it hurts so bad. I don't know if I'll ever get over losing him. We were just beginning to come together. He accepted me totally. I don't know what to do now that I've lost him."

Remy sighed sadly and pulled his friend into his arms and rocked him gently. For the first time since he had cried in Sunnydale, Xander felt sobs rip through him. He let Remy hold him as he cried out his grief and rage once more, but this time in the arms of someone who cared about him.

The two young men had forgotten everything and everyone around them. They were caught up in Xander's grief. Logan had heard every word that the two had said, and sadness came over him. Would anyone cry for him like that if he was lost? Somehow he doubted it. "Maybe we should remind them this is a common room," Scott said, as he watched the two embracing. Xander's sobs were silent, so no one knew he was crying, but Logan.

"Leave them alone. Let the kid grieve with his friend," Logan snapped.

"Grieve?" Jean asked concerned. She could feel sadness from Remy, but nothing from the other boy.

"The boy lost his mate, the cajun's consoling him. Can't you read that?" Logan asked tersely. He still loved Jean, but had long since accepted that he would not be able to have her.

"I can't read him at all. I can sense sorrow from Remy, but nothing from his friend," Jean answered.

The others looked at her in shock. Jean was the second most powerful mutant in the institute. The fact that she couldn't read the boy meant he was a very powerful psychic. "Yes, he is very powerful and very dangerous," Charles said from behind them, as he wheeled himself to a position beside them.

"Dangerous, Charles?" Ororo asked, concerned.

"Yes, though not to us. At least as long as we do nothing to harm Remy. The boy is very powerful. He's just recently become aware of that fact. He's come here for help. Help I intend to give him for however long he stays," Charles answered.

They all turned their attention back to the two young men holding one another close. After a while the pair parted, and they watched as the normally blase cajun gently whipped tears off of his friend's face and brushed a gentle kiss over his brow.

Remy looked over and saw the Professor and Jean watching them closly. "Lexy, you up to talkin' to da Professor now, or ye wanna wait?"

Xander smiled and stood, keeping his hand in Remy's as they stood to face the small group of X-Men. "Hello Alexander, welcome to our school," Charles said with a smile.

"I would prefer it if you called me Xander," he said respectfully. Remy liked the man, and the older man had taken him in despite Remy's past. It was enough to earn Xander's respect.

"Of course. I have a couple of tests I would like Jean to perform so that we can assess your power level. If that would be alright?" Xander nodded and the small group made their way over to the elevators.

When they reached the Infirmary, Xander calmly followed directions and stripped off his clothes and climbed onto a table. Scott was shocked by the boy's easy attitude. Xander looked at him and smiled. He had seen the look that crossed Scott's face. "I spend a lot of time in hospitals. It's kind of hard to cling to modesty when you spend most of your life getting naked in front of strangers," Xander told him bluntly.

They could see scars on his body from various fights, and fresh bruises from his fight with the vamps. "Lexy, you not tell Remy you were hurt!" Remy scolded.

Xander grinned at his friend and shrugged. "Vampires, they have no sense of timing," Xander quipped tiredly.

Jean froze and looked at him in shock. Ororo and Scott were also shocked. "Vampires? Are you talking about mutant drainers?" Scott asked.

"No, I'm talking about evil, undead, soulless, blood suckers," Xander answered.

Logan, Remy and Charles all sighed. "Vampires," Jean murmured, a bit distracted.

"Yeah, all the oogies of the night that you were told were fairy tales really do exist and are waiting to pounce," Xander told her sadly.

Jean cleared her throat again and returned to testing Xander. She was curious as to why Logan, Remy the the Professor were not surprised by the boy's words.


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An hour later, Xander and the others were sitting in the Professor's office as Jean was explaining the level and variation of Xander's mutation. "He's extremely powerful, as powerful as you are Professor. However, he also has hyperactive healing powers and superior strength. The strange thing is that, while he has the recessive gene that causes mutation, he also has another gene sequence that is attached to it. His mutation is more advanced, and more powerful, than any I have ever seen."

Xander frowned slightly, then asked, "Could that be why I've been possessed twice, and why I'm a demon magnet?"

Jean looked startled, while Charles looked thoughtful. "That is a distinct possibility. Your mutation would draw magic-doers and spirits to you," Charles told him.

"I believe you are beyond the level of control that I could teach you," Charles added.

Xander frowned slightly. "I'm afraid. What if I abuse my gift?"

Charles smiled slightly. "I don't see that ever being a problem. You are very in touch with who you want to be. I don't see you abusing your gift, ever."

Xander smiled in relief. He was unsure why the man's opinion mattered to him, but it did, and he was no longer worried about losing control.

Xander looked over at Remy, who winked at him. Remy knew his friend would only be able to stay a few days, but he was going to enjoy the time they had together. Lexy was one of the few people Remy knew that didn't mhim him feel uncomfortable; he could be himself with the younger boy.

Xander stayed at the school with Remy for two more days before leaving. He had decided to go back to the hellmouth, and still needed to make one more stop. He had promised to stop and visit one of his cousins while he was on the road. It meant back-tracking, but he didn't mind