Temple of Ares

By Cinder

Fandom: Buffy/X-Files/HerculesTLJ/Sentinel x-over

Pairing: Strife/Ethan/Alex, Alex/Fox/Wesley, Strife/Fox, Ares/Joxer, Xander/Blair

Rating: NC-17

Summary: Fifth in the New Temple Series. Strife's uncle gets in on the temple action.

Disclaimer: Nope, still don't belong to me. I put them on my Christmas list every year, but I guess I haven't been good enough yet.

Temple of Ares
by Cinder

Xander looked up in awe at the towering doors, twenty feet of intimidating oak panel and black iron hinges. "So, this is where people go to be all studly and dangerous."

"Yes," Wesley agreed, equally awed. He swallowed hard.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"Aren't we going to go inside?" Xander's eyes begged, but whether it was for the other man to say yes or no, Wesley couldn't be sure. Those were awfully large doors. And gray concrete walls. Mustn't forget the walls.

"I should never have brought you here," he finally said.

"Why not? We're tired of stifling under other people's expectations. Aren't we agreed on that?"

"This is a corrupt and evil power, Xander. We are tools of the Powers that Be, Warriors of Light. Have you forgotten that?"

Xander frowned. "I'm the donut boy and you're the book guy," he snarled. "Have you forgotten that? We are not warriors. We're not even sidekicks. We're comic relief."

"I knew a man like that once." A lanky young man wandered between them and threw an arm around each of their shoulders. His blue eyes danced with barely suppressed mirth.

"Really?" Xander asked.

"He's not like that now," the young man continued.

"What happened to him?" Wesley asked, unconsciously rubbing himself up against that skintight leather. It was just as soft as it looked.

"War." He licked his lips.

"Oh, the battle hurt him?" Xander sounded disappointed.

"No, not the battle. War. As in the god of. Ares to be specific." He let go of them and swaggered up to the temple door, grasping the big handle and tugging it open. It swung silently. "Who knows. Maybe Strife will happen to you." He slipped inside. The door remained open, a crack, inviting.

"Should we?" Xander asked quietly, suddenly thinking he should be whispering.

"No, probably not."

"But we're going to anyway, aren't we?"

"Most likely."

Taking a deep breath, Wesley led the way inside. The door shut behind them with a soft snick, coating them in inky blackness. Grabbing Xander's hand, Wesley felt for the wall and they slowly wound their way down into the bowels of the temple. The floor sloped sharply down. About twenty feet in and eight feet down, a gray light lit the hall, uncovering a line of supplicants working their way through a maze of ropes, like the lines at Disneyland.

"Dastardly," Wesley whispered.

"Those bastards."

180 minutes from this point, the sign said.

"Well, there's no help for it now." Resolutely, Wesley began worming his way through the maze. A little less resolutely, Xander followed. And it truly was a maze, Wesley realized as he took several wrong turns. Blast it!

Finally, Xander just took charge. "Look, Wes, you gotta do it this way." And he started climbing over ropes.

"What if we get caught?" Wesley asked.

"In a place like this, they'll probably give us a medal."

In well under the 180 minutes listed on the sign, they made it to the front of the line. Only three people ahead of them. Two.

"Okay, now I'm nervous," Xander whispered.

"You weren't before?"

"Yeah, but this is sweaty palms, go hide under a rock nervous."

"Our gifts are much better than theirs," Wesley assured him.

"How do you know?"

But before Wesley could answer, they were at the front of the line. The dirt floor in front of them was smeared liberally with the blood of several previous postulants. Wesley took a deep breath and knelt in it, dragging Xander down beside him. "We bring gifts for the great god, Strife," he intoned. Reaching into his pack, he pulled out the withered claw of a dragon. He glanced back at Xander who pulled out a good-sized axe. "These we give unto Strife."

"Boy? Aren't you one of Ripper's boys?" A tired voice drifted down to them.

Xander's head snapped up. "Ethan Rayne." He rocked back on his heels and flashed the enthroned men a sardonic grin. "Uncle Sam decided you were too pitiful to be a threat?"

"I'd watch your tone if I were you," Ethan growled.

"Ooo, I'm so scared. Watch me shake."

"Xander," Wesley hissed.

Xander dismissed him with a toss of his head and stood. "You know, this is not exactly the Disney advertisement, line not included. I think I'm going to take my axe and go." He picked up his weapon and turned his back on the dais. Alex's tentacles shot out and lifted him high into the air. Xander screamed in agony and rage and chopped at them. Alex yelped as the barbs were severed. He dropped the boy in the dirt with a thud. Ethan grabbed a ball out of energy out of thin air and took aim. Wesley grabbed an energy ball of is own and prepared to counter.

"Stop!"

Everyone froze. The young man with the spiky hair and the blue eyes sauntered into the center of their standoff.

"What the fuck? Huh? What the fuck? Ethan, Wesley, put those things away. You too, lumberjack boy." Alex's tentacles, he pulled down and kissed, instantly healing them, petting them and rubbing them tenderly against his cheeks. They left deep red gouges in their wake.

Wesley gasped. "Strife!"

"Glad ya finally got it, Wessie boy." He glared at everyone indiscriminately. "I can't leave ya alone fer a minute, can I?"

"He was rude to Ethan," Alex pouted.

"He's ensorcelled me and stuff and my friends and he turned Giles into a demon. So there!" Xander spat back.

"Cool." Strife shot Ethan a thumbs up. "No Alex, not that I would turn my back anyway." He stuck his tongue out. "Kay. Everybody get out!" All the supplicants in line ran for the door. "Alex, kill anybody who doesn't leave. Need to talk to Wessie boy and the lumberjack here in peace. Kay?" He turned back to the two men, rubbing his hands with obvious glee. "Now, let's get this over with, 'cause Dana's coming home with the baby later today and we gotta all go act silly over it."

"You're going to kill us, aren't you?" Xander asked.

"Well, I don't take too kindly to you doing like that thing to Alex, but no, not gonna kill ya. And take yer trinkets back. They don't belong ta me." He glanced over at the man with the scaly arm and clawed hand. "No, and that's final. Dana and Foxy-baby should be here any minute. Go make sure they get settled. Take Ethan with ya."

Alex snarled, but followed directions, leading Ethan into the back.

"Can't take that boy anywhere," Strife complained. "Kay now, ya'll are gonna have to apologize to him. You know that, right?" He paused and waited for Xander to nod sullenly.

"I didn't do anything," Wesley muttered.

"Hint, I'm a god, humor me." Strife grinned. "See, here's how it goes, ya two belong ta my uncle and he's been like waiting for you to show up. There's somebody else coming later and when he gets here I'll take ya'll ta see Unc. Kay? Kay. While yer waiting, you have free run of the temple, but mind Dana cause she's like not feelin' so hot and don't piss off Alex and Ethan if you can help it. They're my boys. And, oh, yeah, Fox gives great blowjobs. I think that about covers it."

Xander shot Strife his best 'yeah, right' look. "A fox gives great blowjobs?"

"When he's not an elephant."

Wesley smiled serenely. "Of course, of course. Which begs the larger question, who is your uncle?"

"Ares, God of War. Heard of him?"

"Indeed. I see." Wesley smiled a trifle too serenely. "Well then, perhaps we had better go apologize."

Strife stared at him hard, but Wesley only smiled. "Yeah, ya do that. Call me if ya need me. I'll probably be with Dana." And Strife flashed out.

"Well, shall we?" Wesley asked, indicated the doorway at the top of the dais.

"I think we should leave."

"Why?"

"Did you hear him? Ares God of War? And saying sorry to Ethan Rayne? Ethan Rayne? Gag me."

Wesley sighed, crossing his arms. "Obviously something is going on which we do not yet fully comprehend. This is momentous. We were already dedicated to a god and we didn't even know it. When we get to see Him I'm sure He'll be able to explain everything. Until then let's make the best of things, hmmm?"

"You know I'm holding you personally responsible for all this."

"Delighted." Wesley turned and led the way up the dais steps. "Prick," he muttered.

The door above them whipped open and a very excited brunette looked down at them. "New people?"

"It would seem," Wesley replied.

The man let loose a rather girlish scream. "Well, get up here. There's some food and..." He smiled seductively. "...stuff." Wesley jogged up the stairs, Xander hot on his heels.

"Food?" Xander asked as soon as they got to the top. Wesley rolled his eyes.

"Over there." The man pointed to a full table. "I'm Fox by the way."

"Wesley." The former watcher stepped much too close and offered his hand. "Strife mentioned you."

"Oh, yeah, He did, didn't He?" Xander mumbled around a mouthful of something or other. "He said...well..." The boy blushed.

Fox leaned against the wall, showing off his leather-clad body. "Did He? Mouth or ass?"

Xander blushed even harder.

"Mouth actually," Wesley told him, leaning against the wall next to the pretty, brunette man. "Why? Did He leave something out?"

"Maybe."

"Uh, guys?"

"Shut up, Xander," Wesley told him without even looking at the boy. "Eat your lunch. So, been at the temple long?"

"Long enough. Want to see my room?" Fox waggled his eyebrows.

"How could I pass up such a subtle invitation?"

Fox offered his arm and Wesley took it. Xander's eyes almost bugged out of his head as he watched the two men walk arm in arm out of the room.

By the time he got out of the room, Wesley was laughing so hard he had to lean against the wall to stay upright. "Did you see his face?"

"That kid is totally freakin'."

Wesley only laughed harder, until Fox pulled his chin up and kissed him.

"You going to laugh all day or are we going to get it on?"

"Oh, my, yes, let's get going."

He led Wesley to an opulent little room. The walls were made of black marble, detailed in red gold and silver. Against one wall stood a four-poster bed with green velvet covers. "What do you think?"

"It's beautiful."

"Good. You should take a closer look." Fox shoved Wesley face first onto the bed.

"Hey!"

"Take it like a man, pretty boy." He crawled onto Wesley's back. "Bottoms up."

Wesley flipped him over with ease and slammed him into the coverlet, nose first. "Ahh, no, I don't think so." Pressing himself into Fox, he rubbed his hard-on against that beautiful little leather-clad ass. "We're going to do this my way."

"Oh, please, I just wanna - "

Wesley muffled Fox's words with the palm of his hand. "No more talking now. You scream, you moan, you groan, but no more talking, understand?"

"Yes."

Wesley smacked his ass, hard. "No more talking!" Fox nodded, panting for breath and wiggling his ass for more. With a smile, Wesley delivered. The palm of his hand cracked loudly against Fox's ass. After a few swipes he took the time to pull those leathers to Fox's knees before continuing. Those lush, round cheeks glowed a healthy pink before he was finished. "Now," he shoved Fox to the floor, "off with the clothes."

"What if I don't want to?"

Wesley reached for his belt.

Fox scrambled to get out of his clothes.

"You know you were bad," Wes whispered, wrapping a hand around the trembling man's neck. He pulled Fox down over his lap. "You know I have to punish you." He looped the belt and brought it down hard across Fox's thighs. "You know you've been a bad, bad boy." He spread several slaps out across Fox's ass and lower back. "I wouldn't be good to you if I didn't punish you." Fox moaned. "Good boy." Wesley rubbed the leather over Fox's heated ass. "Very good boy. Now up on the bed, spread your legs, and don't say a word." With a little whimper, Fox scrambled to do just that, settling his shoulders on the bed and thrusting his cherry red ass out to be taken. "Yes, we'll just have to try out all your charms, won't we," Wesley murmured, rubbing that beautiful ass again, making Fox moan, whimper, and writhe. He grabbed the lube from the bedside table and used it to coat his long, thin fingers. "You like having things up your ass, don't you, Fox?" Fox whimpered again and thrust back, opening himself lewdly. "You're such a slut. You're the temple bitch, aren't you? I just bet you are. Ready, willing and able at all times." Wesley teased two fingers up and down Fox's ass, rubbing them over the moaning man's entrance. "Open up, slut." Very slowly he sank the fingers inside. "Oh, yes, you're hot all right." Fox moaned. "You little whore, open wider." He pushed Fox's thighs even farther open. Fucking his fingers in and out, he searched for just the right spot. Suddenly Fox all but screamed and thrust back hard onto Wesley's hand. "Oh, yeah, that's it, isn't it?" The former FBI agent, crime fighter, conspiracy breaker, Momma's boy moaned lusciously. "I'm going to fuck you now." So saying, Wesley pulled out his fingers and replaced them with his cock. He thrust in hard, nearly driving Fox to the mattress. "Skies, you're hot!" Fox moaned and whimpered, rolling his hips up to beg for more. Wesley pounded into him until he came with a scream.

Fox moaned, whimpered, begged and pleaded, rolling those hips up, but Wesley just fell on his side to the mattress. "What about me?" the former FBI agent finally whined.

"Toss yourself off," Wesley ordered, sitting up on his elbow to watch.

"No." Fox pouted, crossing his arms in front of his nipples. His thick, drooling cock bounced lewdly between his legs. "Tired of tossing off. Tired of putting on a god-dammed show. Want to fuck you."

Wesley smiled. "No."

"Is he being difficult?" a quiet voice called from the doorway.

Wesley looked up. The man with the scaly demon arm stood, leaning against the door, his long bangs falling in his emerald green eyes. This close, Wesley could see his nipple rings through his thin, white t-shirt and wondered just what else he might have pierced.

"I want to top him and he won't let me," Fox pouted.

"Fox, you couldn't top a cheesy chicken bake."

Fox sputtered and snarled. "Out of my room, Alex!"

"Or what?" Smirking, the other man stalked further into the room, imposing his presence on what was quickly becoming a very small space. Wesley relaxed back against the pillows, prepared to enjoy the show.

"Or ... or ... " Fox scrambled backwards until he had his back up against the wall. His erection had only gotten harder, if it were possible.

"Yes?"

Suddenly, Fox sprang off the bed, using the wall to give himself extra thrust. He tackled Alex to the ground and the two wrestled for supremacy. Over and over they rolled, until they bumped into the far wall, legs and arms tangled in a writhing morass. Fox finally gained the upper hand, pinning Alex to the ground. Thrusting himself against his one time enemy and now sometime lover, he growled, "I - am - going - to - fuck - you - Alex Krycek. And it's about damn time."

Releasing his tentacles, Alex easily plucked Fox off him and deposited the man back on the bed. Smirking, "Don't think so." Turning to Wesley, he said, "Help me hold him down."

"It's not fair!" Fox wailed, flailing his arms and legs, but the tentacles held him fast.

"You're what's known as perpetual, bottom, slut-boy, Foxy," Alex laughed, dumping Fox back on the bed, face-up. Wesley, happy to help, sat on Fox's arms. Alex grabbed the other man's spread legs and stepped between them. "You said you wanted to get off, bitch."

"Go away!"

"You're still hard. You know you want me." Alex smiled and it wasn't a very nice smile at all. "I'm just going to get you off." The clawed demon hand reached for Fox's cock. Fox went very still and whimpered.

"Are you... I mean... Is he...." Wesley stammered.

"He'll be just fine if he doesn't move." Those razor sharp claws folded over one another, curling over Fox's cock. Slowly, achingly slowly, Alex began to jerk Fox off. "One wrong twitch and I won't be responsible for the consequences, pretty boy."

"Please, Alex!"

"Please, what? Don't hurt me? Leave me alone?"

"Faster!" Fox bellowed, resisting the urge to pump his hips.

Alex's eyes widened, but he sped up his hand, careful to keep those claws far away from the shaft.

"Astounding," Wesley whispered, leaning over them. He planted a kiss on Fox's lips. Fox wrapped his hands around Wesley's neck and attacked the other man's lips, biting them until they bled and sucking on them. Wes shoved him back to the bed and fucked Fox's mouth with his tongue.

With a scream, Fox came all over himself.

Wesley sat up. "I like that."

"That's what we keep him around for." Alex looked quite pleased with himself. Very slowly, he licked his claw clean. "He's not good for much else."

Fox flushed and turned away.

Alex ignored him. "Would you like to see the rest of the temple?" he asked Wesley.

"I'd love to."

The two of them left, talking animatedly about Alex's demon arm, how he got it and all it could do.

Fox lay there for a long time, just staring at the wall. Behind him he heard the gentle rush of energy that he knew heralded the arrival of his god. Sure enough, the bed beside him sank as someone sat on it.

"Ya know, I like ya this way," Strife told him gently, running fingers up and down his back. Fox didn't reply. "Turn over and face me." Very slowly, he turned on his back. Strife lovingly stroked his face. "If ya tell anyone I did this, I'll turn ya inta a radish."

"It might be nice to be a radish for a little while."

Strife giggled. "Nah, ya might get eaten, or stepped on, and then, it's like, really hard to bring you back. Can you trust me when I tell you it will get better?"

"I want to sleep with you at night."

"Soon. Not now."

"I love you. I worship you. You are my god." Fox wrapped his fingers in Strife's hair and pulled him down for a long, leisurely kiss. "Please, I don't want to be alone anymore."

"Soon."

"When is soon?"

"All times are soon." Strife stood and held out his hand. "C'mon, you need to meet someone, and then you've got baby duty. I finally got Dana to take a nap, but only if you come to watch Iris while she's asleep."

Even though Strife could flash them from place to place in the temple, he didn't like the way the displacement played havoc with their human senses, so they walked. Following his god was always a treat as far as Fox was concerned, all those ropy, firm muscles moving so tantalizingly under all that leather. At the door to the banquet hall, Strife turned to him, grinning. "You and Alex think too much alike." Before Fox could ask what he meant, Strife had slipped inside. Helpless to do otherwise, Fox followed.

The young man from earlier, Xander, Wesley had said his name was, was standing at the far end of the room juggling apples. Six of them in fact; he appeared to be quite good. Strife cleared his throat and the young man turned around ... without catching the apples. They fell to the floor with six separate thunks. "Oops," Xander offered weakly.

Strife giggled. "You're cute."

"Uh, I'll take that as a compliment, I guess."

"C'mon, you and Fox got babysitting duty."

"Babysitting duty?"

Strife gestured and they walked through the large arch that led into the rear of the temple where the priests' bedrooms were ... well, except for Fox's, of course. "Fox has to sit up with Iris, Dana's new daughter, and you're going to sit up with him."

"Why am I going to do this?"

"Because I said so."

"Uh, yeah, sure. Whatever you say."

Dana had two rooms adjoined by a private bath. One was her bedroom and the other had been set up as a sitting room for now. When the time was right it would become Iris' bedroom.

Dana was waiting for them in the sitting room when they arrived. She looked a little frazzled, her usually immaculate red hair tangled and slack, and she was wrapped up in a worn, blue dressing gown. On her feet was a pair of fluffy, new bunny slippers with little fangs in their mouths. A present from their god, to be sure. Strife let them in and then promptly disappeared.

"Fox," she murmured, greeting him with a kiss on the cheek. "You look upset. What's wrong?"

"What's always wrong? It's Alex and Ethan." He leaned over the sleeping bundle in the crib. "She's so beautiful."

"Yes, yes she is. Who's your friend?"

"Xander? This is Dana, also a priest of Strife and my best friend. And this," he indicated the crib, "is her daughter Iris."

"Our daughter."

"Well, yes, but you know I'm not going to interfere." He turned to her, brushing some of the hair off of her forehead. "You should get some sleep."

"I am tired."

"So, go lay down."

"You're sure you'll be all right?"

"I'm positive. Don't I look all right?"

"Well, don't loose her. I don't have a hold-out."

"I won't."

She pecked him on the cheek again and then went in to bed.

Xander stared after her thoughtfully. "But, I thought … "

"I am gay. We're just friends." He sat in one of the plush chairs and gestured to another. "Please, sit. And try to be quiet so we don't wake Iris."

"Yes, that would be of the bad." Xander picked himself out a nice comfy chair and flopped in it. "So, how'd you get into this gig?"

"That's a long story."

"I seem to have time."

"Do you believe in aliens?"

"I believe in just about anything at this point."

So, Mulder sat back and told Xander Harris all about aliens and government conspiracies and FBI files. Xander in turn told him about vampires, fish men, apocalypses, exploding schools and even more government conspiracies. It was like they'd known each other all their lives. They spoke effortlessly, grinning like young boys without a care in the world.

"So, let me get this straight, Ethan was a chaos worshipping warlock who turned you into your costume, a soldier, one Halloween?"

"Yup," Xander confirmed. "But it was of the good in the end. When Evil-Angel tried to end the world by raising a demon called the Judge, I still remembered enough about being a soldier to steal and operate a bazooka. So, I guess I owe him one, but don't tell him that."

"And then he turned your friend into a demon?"

"Yup. And some other stuff too. Ethan Rayne is definitely bad news. We were all really happy when the government locked him up."

"Yeah, well, we're priests of Strife. We're all bad news." Fox grinned. "So, who's this guy he's obsessed with again?"

"Rupert Giles." Xander grinned back. "You should ask about it just to get a reaction. Something like, so, Ethan, ol' boy, how is Rupes doing these days? Only Ethan calls him Ripper." They both grinned at one another for a moment and then laughed.

They talked a bit aimlessly after that about sports scores and music and TV. Fox had missed so much since he'd come to the temple.

"You don't even have a TV?" Xander asked. "How can you live without TVs warm, loving glow?"

"It's strange. I haven't needed it since I've come here. I used to fall asleep to it every single night. For the longest time, before I came here, I didn't even have a bed, I just slept on a couch. But now Strife comes to me each evening and puts me to sleep. It's very odd. And I don't dream." He smiled. "It's wonderful."

"I could certainly go for that. I've got way, way too much nightmare material."

"So, did Strife say what's going on with you two?"

"Well, we're going to be Ares priests, like I told you, so we've got to meet him, but apparently there's a third guy coming and we're waiting until he gets here before we go. And then, I suppose we'll be building the temple. That should be interesting."

"You like building things?"

"I love it." Xander leaned forward, caught up in his own enthusiasm. "Construction is like creation or something, the smooth grain of the wood like bone under flesh, the cold stone that warms to the touch and the - I suppose it's more solid and tangible than anything else I've experienced in my life."

"So you're able to have a better relationship with a building than a woman."

Xander grimaced. "That's about the size of it. My girlfriend left me about three weeks ago. No, wait, how did she put it? My mutual orgasm friend. She said I cared more for bricks than her. Maybe true."

"Do you think about bricks when you masturbate?"

"No." Xander laughed.

"Then you're still all right." Fox shifted so he could look into Iris' crib. Nope, still all right. And they hadn't woken her. He wondered for a moment if that were Strife's doing. Turning back to Xander, he smiled, a real smile. "You know, Dana and I ran into vampires one time … "

*

Wesley, by contrast, found himself in the throne room, in the company of Alex and Ethan drinking Watney's Red Barrel. It was heaven. They were quickly on their way to getting properly soused when the young man arrived. The curly haired brunette navigated the ropes easily, jumping over more than a few like some sort of crazy obstacle course, in his rush to the front of the empty audience chamber.

"Go 'way!" Ethan yelled. "We're closed."

"I want revenge!" the young man yelled back, his eyes flashing. "I've heard you can give me the right to vigilante justice, and I want it."

Alex stood. "Strife, god of, among other things, poetic justice, asks that you come back tomorrow between visiting hours of 11 am and 8 pm before we get pissed off and gut you like a fish."

"He's talkative when he's drunk," Wesley observed.

Ethan nodded enthusiastically. "Alex and a good bottle of vodka will tell you the secrets of the world. Kind of frightening, really."

"I want justice now!" That young man's curls were flying, his fists balled up at his sides as he yelled. "I will do whatever it takes!"

"It takes coming back tomorrow!" Alex's tentacles uncurled from his palm.

"Mmm, blood," Ethan mused. "I knew we were missing something tonight."

Suddenly, Fox and Xander stepped out of one of the side doorways. "Stop," Xander called. Running up to Wesley, he pulled the man's beer away from his mouth and whispered, "that's him."

"Him? Who? What? Give that back!"

"Don't you feel it? That's the guy, the one we've been waiting for." He stepped forward, between Alex and the supplicant. "Hi, I'm Xander."

"I want revenge."

"Umm, that's nice, I guess." He glanced at Wesley, but his associate was no help. "Why don't you come inside and sit down and we'll discuss that. Discussion is of the good. Disembowelment of the bad."

Those piercing blue eyes suddenly turned on him, pinning Xander to the dais steps. "Will you swear to me they will die? Will you kill them with me?"

"I will kill all that harm you. Your enemies are my enemies." It felt like he had entered another world and his mouth was saying things without his brain. Good things though, weird things. He barely noticed when several gods flashed in and Dana appeared through the doorway with the baby, her face flush with sleep, so focused was he on the young man.

"We will bathe in their blood." Slowly he held his hand forth and Xander clasped it.

"My hand will be as though it were your own." And suddenly he could breathe again and think on his own. "That was weird," he whispered.

"Very weird," the other man whispered back, but neither of them let go of the other.

Two large hands landed on their wrists and a deep voice boomed, "Done."

Xander turned to face his god for the very first time. Ares was impressive, to say the very least, the way lions were impressive. He represented raw, unleashed power held carefully in check. Deep in his eyes, Xander could see the suffering of the innocents. He looked long and hard, reminding himself that this was why they fought. Suddenly, Ares backed up and winked at him, flashing him a jaunty grin.

"Yes, yes, all three of you are even better than I expected. But I didn't think you two would marry so soon."

Xander and his companion jumped apart. "Married?" the young man asked.

"Of course, Blair, what did you think you were doing?" that deceptively mild voice asked.

"But I'm not even gay," Xander protested.

Maybe it was the situation, or maybe it was the beer, but Wesley started laughing. Hard. So hard he couldn't stop. "You wouldn't happen to be a demon of some sort, would you?"

"Uh, no." Blair crossed his arms, obviously becoming very irritated with the situation.

"Well, there goes that theory."

"Cordelia tell you I was a demon magnet?"

"She might have mentioned it. Angel might have agreed with her." He laughed again. "Only you, Xander." He slowly made his way down the steps, careful not to trip in his half-inebriated state. "Blair?"

"Blair Sandberg."

"Wesley Wyndam-Pryce. It's very nice to meet you, Blair." He turned to Ares and bowed. "Umm … "

"Ares is fine."

"You don't prefer anything more formal?"

"Not right now." He gestured for the others to gather round and took the hand of his consort, drawing him close. "This is Joxer, god of Peace. Why don't we go up to the banquet hall my nephew has so kindly had built and the rest of you can all introduce yourselves to Blair there."

"Umm, I hate to be a stickler about this, but, uh, what about my revenge?" Blair asked.

"Didn't your husband just swear to help you annihilate all your enemies?"

"Well, yeah."

"I'll leave it up to the two of you then."

Blair grabbed hold of his husband's hand, holding him back so they could check one another out before they joined everyone else. The height difference was obvious, and where Blair was wiry, the other man had broad shoulders and bulging bi-ceps. And Blair was going to have to teach him to stand up straight. A little younger. "How old are you, man?"

"How old are you?"

"I asked you first."

"Twenty."

"Shit."

"Well?"

"I'm a bad, bad man." Blair smiled and stepped forward, just inside his husband's personal space. "What's your name?"

"Xander Harris. Does that make you Blair Harris?"

"Or does it make you Xander Sandberg?" He grinned.

"Quit ogling each other and come up to the banquet hall," Wesley called down from the doorway. The two men flushed and walked up the steps, hand in hand.

END TEMPLE 5