GRANT THEM CHANGE
BY DANIELLE FRANCES DUCREST

Disclaimers: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel: The Series belong to Joss Whedon, Marti Noxon, David Greenwalt, Mutant Enemy, Greenwolf Corp, Kuzui Enterprises, Sandollar Television, Twentieth Century Fox Productions, and Warner Brothers Studios. The concept of shape shifting from solids to liquids to gases and linking is a part of the Star Trek universe, and that belongs to Paramount and the Roddenberry family, although I think I changed it a little. The Tomorrow People (New Series) belong to Thames/Tetra Television, Roger Price, and Nickelodeon. No copyright infringement was intended. This story was written for entertainment purposes and no money was exchanged.

Spoilers/Timeline: Takes place after "Harsh Light of Day" in the Buffy universe and "In the Dark" in the Angel universe. There's only a brief mentioning of either episode. As for the Star Trek Universe, this takes place after most of the time-traveling scenes in the movies/all four series. That doesn't include the time Sisko and some of his crew (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) went back in time to the original Enterprise during the "Trouble with Trebles" episode (Star Trek: The Original Series). As for the Tomorrow People, since the show ended in 1995, this of course takes place five years after everything.

This is the sequel to Alex McPhierce. It's the second story in the Unimaginable Forces series.

EPILOGUE
Several hundred years ago…

The demon leader, Preta, stood before the small group. They all had green reptilian skin, arms less than two feet in length, and spikes running down their backbones to the tips of their long tails. The tails were the most menacing part of all and very lethal because they were used for everything, from picking up food from a meal to blocking a sword in battle. Their tails were the only invincible part of their body. No weapon could slice through it or damage it in any way.

They all knew what the gathering was about, and could hardly stay still in anticipation. They waved their tails in the air, the spiked ends going every which way, showing their respect and appreciation to their leader.

Preta's own tail was waving, but his was from excitement of inhabiting his enemy leader's body, and leading his kind into reducing their enemy's reputation to dust.

"The time has come," he told them in their language. "It is time to destroy our enemies, so they may never again be a threat to us!"

The crowd went wild. Their short arms reached as high as they could into the air, and their shouted their asset.

"We must do it as quickly as possible," Preta continued, "Gather in a circle and we shall begin."

The nine demons got in a circle. Preta commanded, "Bring the nine others and lead them into the circle."

Some of the demons broke ranks and fetched their sacrifices. They looked just like them, but they were shorter, and their arms were longer. These sacrifices were females of their kind. Some came willingly, but others kicked and tried to defend themselves with their tails, but the males' tails were sharper, and they prodded the females with the tails until the nine female demons stood in the center of the circle.

The leader's wife, Uala, was there. She stood in front of him and waited.

"Ona hee-ana gopa togil," she told him. "I grant you entrance."

Preta nodded and brought his tail to bare. He would go last. He didn't have any qualms about killing his wife, and she did not regret it. That was all there was to it.

Preta nodded to the demon to his left. The male brought his tail and, saying the incantation, pierced his own mate with the spear-like tip.

The other seven demons and their mates repeated the ritual until the leader's wife was the only female in the circle left.

He stabbed her, and before she died, he said, "Upal biki ya, Uala un Preta, hee-ana kay igal. By this circle, mate and leader, grant them change."

Several minutes later, they felt the change beginning.

Soon, very soon, they would know what it was like to be human. They'd ruin their enemies', the alleged good guys', lives every way they knew.

PART ONE
DAY I-Thursday
Present Day

Alex gazed down at the grave of his girlfriend, Samantha van Strasbourg. It hadn't

been that long since she died, only a few weeks. Whenever he went to Buffy's and Willow's dorm, he fantasized that Sam would be only a few doors down, and that she'd love it if he stopped at her room for a surprise visit. But the only place he'd ever find her now would be here, in Sunnydale Cemetery. Even that wasn't enough. He missed her greatly.

As soon as the semester was over, he was dropping out of college. He knew he couldn't concentrate on his studies for long without thinking about her. They used to sit in the student lounge or go to the Bronze when they weren't in classes or studying. Alex hadn't gone to the Bronze since the night before she was killed.

He knew Samantha's murderer. Her name had been Ryana. They had been lovers for three hundred years.

Alex and Ryana were shape-shifters. Ryana was, at least. When she went after Sam, Alex killed Ryana the only way he knew. It was almost impossible to kill his kind. He didn't need to sleep or eat, and the usual diseases couldn't kill him. He didn't even need to change clothes. They were a part of himself, shaped from the very thing that made him a living being, and not actual material. Even the shape he was using now was one of the many forms he'd taken over his five hundred years. This form had black hair and dark almond eyes set into a young-looking Asian male's face. He appeared to be in his late teens/early twenties, and wore jeans, a t-shirt, and a jacket.

Sam hadn't known that he was a shape-shifter, and he'd hoped she'd never have to find out. Perhaps if he'd told her about himself and Ryana, she would have been more careful.

He didn't want to think about the could-have-beens. Sam hadn't been his first girlfriend. He'd had several over the last five hundred years, and it hurt to leave all of them.

But it was never a good idea to stay in the past. It was better to think about what was happening now. With one last blown kiss to Sam's grave, Alex left the graveyard.

He turned right on the sidewalk that ran on the other side of the fence and walked down the street. He thought he'd catch up with Buffy in the nearby park. Because he was five hundred and a shape-shifter, he had plenty of experience in combat and it was very hard to kill him. He could be a great asset to Buffy instead of causing her to worry while on patrol. They'd gone on patrol before, and they'd been quite a team.

After Sam died, Alex had revealed himself to this generation's slayer and her friends when he and Buffy went after Ryana. Since then, he'd become one of the gang. His knowledge and experience could really help out, and if it weren't for them, he probably wouldn't have stayed in Sunnydale.

"Alex, man! Wait up!"

Alex turned. Further down the street was Oz. Alex waited until the teen werewolf caught up with him, then they walked side-by-side down the street.

"What's up, Oz?" Alex asked. "Where's your van? And isn't tonight the night before the full moon?"

Oz nodded. "Yeah, but I've got an hour. I was heading to my cage. The van's in the shop. It was damaged a little while I was in L. A."

Alex looked at him. "What happened?"

"It was a few weeks before you joined the group. Spike got hold of this ring that gave him invincibility. Buffy took the ring from him after she kicked his butt. I had a gig in L. A., so Buffy gave the ring to me to give to Angel." He looked at Alex. "You know about Angel?"

"Buffy and Willow have told me a little bit about him."

Oz nodded and continued, "Spike followed me and tortured Angel for the ring, and I had to ram my van into a building to get him back."

"How bad is your van?"

"Not bad. The building's construction job had been pretty lousy."

They reached the park. Oz had to pass through it to get to the crypt and his cage, so they started down the path on alert. This park was one of the local vampire haunts, and they had to be careful. Oz took out a cross and a stake.

They passed several late-night joggers and dog walkers. That was the reason why vampires frequented the park, they could always find someone to make a late night snack.

When Sam was alive, she and Alex had gone on many picnics in this very park. But he always made sure they'd go in the daytime. There were fewer demons to worry about then.

A scream made them stop. They turned to the left towards the sound. It came from deep within the park's woods.

With a glance at each other, Oz and Alex ran through the forest to the source.

When they got there, they found a young woman backing up against a bush. She's been on a late night jog. Her sweat pants and sweatshirt, however, were covered in more blood than sweat, and her radio lay in pieces on the ground.

A demon was advancing on her. It had green slimy skin with spikes running down its spine, a long spiky tail and short arms. The young girl was paralyzed with fear.

Alex wasted no time. He pulled a stake out of his pocket and gave it to Oz.

"I'll try to distract him," he said. "Stab him in the chest when I give the signal."

"Got it," Oz replied.

Alex ran at the demon and jumped. Clothing and human flesh changed to a liquid-like substance before becoming solid again in the shape of a lion.

Alex let out a ferocious roar before his claws sank into the demon's back, leaving deep gashes that spilled yellow blood and broke off three of the smaller spikes. Then Alex jumped away, landing on his feet, and whirled around, still shaped like a lion.

Roaring in pain and rage, the demon whirled around. The girl, afraid of Alex as much as the demon, ran away, leaving her trashed radio where it was.

Now that the demon was facing them, they could see two small horns in his forehead and sharp yellow teeth. He certainly wasn't pretty.

The demon swung his tail at Alex, but Alex was already changing into a bird and flying out of his reach. He flew at the demon's head. He flew around it several times, taunting the demon. The demon snapped its jaws at him, while his spike-end tail tried to stab Alex's small body.

Alex flew onto the demon's head and, changing back to human form again, sat on its back and pulled on its horns.

The demon's arms were two small to reach up and pull Alex off, so the demon resorted to snapping and trying to poke him with his tail. A long, snake-like tail sprouted from the shape-shifter's behind and rapped around the demon's tail.

Oz watched this with a sick fascination and a hunger he could hardly control. The way Alex had cut the demon, the ferociousness of it…with the closeness of the full moon, Oz's werewolf self was trying to force its way to the surface before dusk. And with the stench of blood so near, the wolf was fighting much harder than usual.

"Now!" Alex cried.

Alex's signal for help helped Oz focus. He ran forward and pierced the demon in the heart with his stake.

The demon fell over on the stake, and Oz jumped out of the way before it collapsed on the ground.

Alex jumped off its back. The demon moaned. He looked up at the other two with hatred in his eyes.

"Yaga tool eskara, J'aka un toga, hee-ana kay igal!" the demon cried. His head fell back to the ground, and his body movements ceased.

Oz and Alex stared at it for a long moment. "What did he say?" Oz asked.

"Don't know," Alex said. He glanced at his watch. It was a half an hour before dusk. "I'll find Buffy and we'll go tell Giles. You'd better get to your cage."

"Yeah. Willow's probably waiting," Oz said. "Bye, Alex."

"See you later," Alex called back. They headed in opposite directions, Alex backtracking to the gate they'd come through, and Oz heading up the path.

Alex's expression was troubled. He was sure he recognized a few of the words. He knew a few demon languages similar to the spiked-demon's language, but they weren't similar enough to know exactly what he said. He was sure J'aka meant shifter, and toga meant wolf, or did they mean shaker and water? He'd have to leave the translating to Giles.

He passed a cemetery on the way to the ex-watcher's apartment. While passing by the gate, he glanced inside, trying to spot Buffy.

He got lucky. The Slayer was just dusting the last of a group of vampires in front of a large family crypt.

"Buffy!" Alex called.

Buffy looked up and, seeing him, smiled. "Hey!" she put the stakes back in her Slayer's bag and ran over to him. "What's up?"

"I'm heading over to Giles' place. You want to come?"

Buffy shrugged. "Sure. I just finished patrol, anyway. Why are you going to see Giles?"

As they walked toward Giles' apartment, Alex began telling her what had happened.

Oz made it to the crypt only fifteen minutes before sundown.

Willow was there. Oz hastily explained what happened. "I'll head over to Giles' place after you change," Willow said. "Maybe he's found something."

"Maybe," Oz said. He kissed Willow on the cheek. "Goodnight, Willow."

Willow kissed him, too. "'Night, Oz."

Oz stepped into his cage and closed the door. Willow walked up the stairs. He watched her with longing and relief. Oz hated for her to see him change. That's why she always left a few minutes before sunset. He knew she wanted to stay with him and keep him company, but Oz hated for her to have to see his wolf side. He'd almost killed her when the beast took over before.

Oz could feel the moon's power pulling on him. His bestial side tried to push itself to the surface. Oz pulled off his shirt and waited.

He bent over in pain, the first part of the transformation. He could already feel fur growing on his skin. He could feel his ears moving further up on the sides of his head and becoming pointed.

But something was different. It sent him staggering. He leaned against the cage bars for support. Something was violating him, something other than the wolf.

When they reached the courtyard, Alex was ahead of Buffy. He was half-way down the stairs when pain exploded in his chest.

Alex had never felt anything like it. Of course, he'd never felt pain at all before. His kind was prone to human diseases. Alex had no idea what pain was like. He'd often seen the effects on humans, and knew it wasn't pleasant. Right now, what he was experiencing was pain far worse than anything he'd ever seen or imagined.

It was too much. He cried out in pain and clutched his stomach. Then, before he registered what was happening, he was falling down the stairs.

"Alex!" Buffy cried.

Alex's face met concrete. Alex rolled onto his side. A few minutes later, his nerves told his brain that Buffy was bending over him.

But that was the last thought he had about the real world. Because in his mind was something, no, someone who was invading him. He or she was invading his body and his thoughts.

Perhaps someone more experienced with pain might have resisted this unslaught, but Alex couldn't. He passed out, only to wake up to more pain a few seconds later.

"Alex? Alex!" Buffy yelled at the thrashing shape-shifter. Before her eyes, his hair changed colors, from brown to bleached to green and any other color imaginable. Spikes protruded from his back one minute and were gone the next. Buffy wasn't sure what was wrong with him, but it was clear Alex was not consciously aware that he was shape-shifting at a constant rate.

Giles' door opened, and the ex-watcher ran outside. When he saw the shape-shifter, he bent down. "Oh my! What happened?"

"He just cried out and fell to the ground," Buffy explained. "I thought shape-shifters couldn't get hurt."

"Apparently, there are some exceptions to the rule," Giles said. "We'd better get him inside."

Alex moaned, making Buffy and Giles pause. Alex's form changed back to normal. The ridges disappeared, and his skin changed back to golden brown and his hair color changed back to black.

The shape-shifter opened his eyes and looked around. Unsteadily, he picked himself up into a sitting position. His gaze settled on Giles and Buffy. There were no signs of fever in his eyes, just confusion.

"Giles? Buffy?" he felt his clothes, his hair. "How did I get here? I feel…different. Like I'm not human."

Giles and Buffy exchanged glances. "Alex, are you alright? What just happened?" Giles asked.

"What are you talking about?" Buffy added.

"Alex?" he asked, confused. "I'm not Alex. I'm Oz."

The pain was gone.

Alex opened his eyes, sweat running down his face. I'm sweating? Alex thought.

He looked around at his surroundings. He wasn't in Giles' courtyard anymore. He was in some old crypt behind some bars.

Alex tried to say something, anything, but all that came out was a low growl.

Then he felt it. It was more pain, but not quite as severe. Something else was invading him, but it was more primitive, much more savage than what he'd felt only moments before.

Alex glanced down at his hands. They were covered in fur now, and long, sharp talons protruded from each finger.

He could feel the beast taking over his mind. A heart he didn't know he had was beating rapidly. Alex sniffed the air, smelling a million smells at once, including the smell of live prey. He thought of the kill and felt a savage craving like nothing he'd ever felt before.

He knew where he was now and what was happening. There was only one explanation.

He looked up at the ceiling and let out a long howl.