Friday, December 20, 2019

T'was the night before Christmas...

Key: Md, MC

Description: Xander gives everyone a Merry Christmas... whether they want it or not.

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house,
not a creature was stirring, except for an Incubus and his mouse.
The plan had been studied, so neatly with care,
for soon an incubus, would be here, here, and there.

    As the evening of Christmas Eve was quickly approaching, Xander sat in his work room studying his plans. As with every year he took Christmas very seriously, but this year he wanted to give something back to everyone. And by everyone he meant his male friends mostly. But he also wanted to make sure that Celest had a good and relaxing Christmas, but in order to pull off both he would have to execute a very intricate plan that he had been laying out all afternoon.
    Sitting before him on his oversized architects desk was a detailed map of the city that he had downloaded and printed out. That is, however, where the elegance of this set up ends as most of his notes and other markings were done in crayon or colored pencil. The map detailed not only every single street and building in the city, but also the less used mechanical, electrical and sewer lines. Several locations had been marked with crayons and colored pencils to show the movements of individuals, where they were at what times and the location of several nice restaurants, and a toy shop.
    His detailed mind had studied the movements and habits of everyone on his special Christmas list and had calculated a pattern, a battle plan if you will, that would make the great military minds of the world gasp in awe.  Of course once they realized it was drawn in crayon they would probably lose a little respect for him, but that couldn’t be helped.

The Targets were nestled all snug in their plans,
Each in their own way to spend this Christmas they planned.
Some would be working while others would play
Little did they know, their energy would soon sway.

    For the most part it didn’t take much to keep track of everyone's plans on Christmas Eve. Ruby, Shadow, Larka and Hazel would all be working the night shift, three of the four trying to keep the city safe while the fourth would be doing a late night job for a client. Kila would be out getting a late night snack, as it were. Isabella would probably be doing something quiet like working, while Rose would be out taking pictures. The only wild cards in his plans would be Ryder and Chloe who were too unpredictable to actually know exactly where they would be, but fortunately for him he had taken that into consideration. All of the girls, including Celest, had been at a party at Spirals for Thanksgiving, where he had taken the liberty of slipping a nano-synthetic tracking device into the drinks and had successfully managed to ‘bug’ everyone at the party. 
    The deed might have been mildly disgusting or arrogant, but it was quite fun to see exactly how quickly Kila could teleport from one place to another. Or how quickly Larka could run in wolf mode. The guiltiest of his pleasures, however, was watching Celest as she moved about her day. He trusted her, and wasn’t really trying  to ‘stalk’ her. But it was nice to be able to see her during the day, and just watching her as she moved through her daily business was a lot like seeing a lover from across the street, to him anyways. They may not know you are there, they may not see you, but you can watch them, and admire them from afar. He gave her as much privacy as he could and still gathered all the information he needed. Her plans for the evening were the easiest to gage, she would be home soon and had planned to simply sit in front of the fire and rest. A rest that he planned to make a lot longer then she might have anticipated.

The Incubus plotted and sorted and planned,
A gift for the boys, he had written by hand,
This Christmas he would move like a snap,
To see that the girls, had a long winter's nap.

    As he sat at his desk with a good old fashioned notebook in hand, he reviewed his Christmas list that he had planned out one day while waiting for Spirals to open. On the notebook was each of his male friends names with their corresponding girlfriends name and their particular fantasies. The fantasies he had discovered by invading their dreams while they slept. It was a bit weird to invade the dreams of a person of the same gender but for Christmas he was willing to deal with it!
    Behind him on the floor were 9 boxes all neatly wrapped and labeled for the individual that they were for, most specifically for the individual who was going to be using them, as they were actually for the boys. Celest’s present was under the tree and was actually aimed at her instead of Xander.
    As he took one last look over his plans, his map, his equipment, and finally his tablet computer which was now going to hold all of this information he sat back and gave a sigh of relief. Months of planning was about to come to a head. It was now or never. He finished the last of his eggnog as he watched the little dot on his computer screen move closer and closer to the building. Celest was about to come home... and the games were about to begin.

His girlfriend Celest the first of the vixens,
A lovely, and passion mate, complete with all the fixins,
To lull her to sleep would take quite a feat,
But seducing her down would be quick, nice and neat,

    Celest came in looking rather exhausted, her shoulders were slumped, her back was arched just a bit and her head was down. All signs of exhaustion for a woman that normally has impeccable posture. For some people the Christmas season is a time of relaxation and of joy, for most it is a season of hectic family planning. For Celest it was practically an Olympic sport. With balancing things in this realm, as well as in the mage realm she had been run pretty thin, but was finally done with everything she needed to do, and it was still well before sunset on Christmas eve.
    Celest trudged into the living room after taking off her coat and shoes and slid into the couch, curling up in the corner with a pillow and putting her feet towards the fire to let it warm them up. she closed her eyes and listened to the fire softly crackle away and breathed a sigh of relief.
    Xander couldn't help but smile at her as she sat there relaxing. She looked so adorable when she was completely worn out. A comment that would probably get him hit, which is why it remains only in text and not spoke. He gently slid up behind the couch and slowly slid his hands down along her shoulders, under her shirt and began to massage very gently.
    Celest grinned and just enjoyed the massage without moving "I didn't think you would be home this early" she said as she started to take slower breaths. "I thought you said you had some Christmas errands to run?" she asked moving into a position that would allow him to rub her shoulders a bit better.
    "I still do" he said with a grin "but I thought I would see if there is anything that you need first." Gently starting to rub his thumbs into her shoulder blades and rolling her shoulders with each nice deep squeeze. Moving in a bit closer he kissed her cheek and whispered "how was your day?"
    Celest held back a sarcastic chuckle and just sighed. "It was a day. A long, painful, annoying day" she said, trying to let it go.
    Xander grinned "So you did see your family!" he said with a tone of excitement that is normally not associated with Celest’s family.
    Celest laughed for a second "Yes, I saw them, they send their best holiday wishes for you... which was something along the lines of 'may he burn in hell for all eternity' I decided not to explain to them that your an incubus and hell is a vacation spot for you." she said with a playful grin as xander ran his hand up her neck and massaged the back of her head while he slid his
other hand along her chest and slowly started to climb over the couch.
    "Summer home actually, bit too cold in the winter for my tastes." he said with a smile and kissed her softly, kneeling on the couch on either side of her legs he kept up the massage on her shoulders and neck.
    Celest gave a sarcastic grin as she opened her left eye at Xander just a bit "You’re blocking my heat you know" she said playfully.
    Xander smirked and slid into the couch next to her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, and massaged her far arm. Pulling her in a bit so she could lean up against him.
    Celest curled up into his chest and breathed a contented sigh "all I want to do is take a nap right now. just sit here with me for a while.. please?" she asked with a tone that was mockingly pleading.
    Xander smiled and kissed her head and gently rubbed her shoulder, while his other hand held hers. "Of course love, just close your eyes and enjoy the heat of the fire. Let yourself relax... let your muscles loosen... and let go... and just go to sleep Celest... just go to sleep."  With that last line he put just a bit of energy into her to make her drowsy.
    Celest smiled and closed her eyes again, and just listened to his heart beat, slowly, rhythmically away in his chest, while the warmth of the fire caressed her feet and legs. She drifted off to sleep less then a minute later.
    Xander smiled down at his sleeping girlfriend, it had been far easier to put her to sleep then he had anticipated. He let her sleep naturally for about 5 minutes before forming an orb and sliding it into her ear. The moment it was inside it made her eyes flash under her eyelids. and she dropped into an even deeper sleep. She would remain in this state till Xander removed the orb.
    He gently picked her up and carried her to bed, sliding her into the bed and letting her drift to sleep. She would be well rested by the time he got back. He planted a gentle kiss on her lips and pulled away slowly. Not that he could wake her. He set the alarm to keep her safe and fed the hyproid, which would also guard the house while he was gone, grabbed his things, and off he went.

Ruby was a strong and powerful foe,
The idea to confront her made Xander say ‘Whoa!’
To get to her energy he would need to think higher,
‘Ah ha!’ he said, I'll rig her blow dryer!

    Ruby's house was quiet and well decorated for the holidays. There was garland and candles all over the place, a wreath, and a huge tree filled with antique hand made ornaments. Presents were wrapped under the tree in bright reds and greens, wrapped in gold and silver ribbons. The house looked like something out of an old novel, about an old fashioned Christmas.
    That is until a pair of black boots came down the chimney. Of course the incubus who was wearing them didn't think the plan through all the way and he was stuck about 6 inches from the floor. Xander shook and groaned and wiggled and finally came to land in the fireplace with a thud.  Fortunately for him, and Ruby, the house was kept in immaculate condition and there was no soot in the fireplace. Not one speck.
    Xander groaned and moved to his feet to stretch. He looked around in amazement. Not so much at the decorating but at the fact that not a thing in the house was even remotely close to having a single piece of dust on it. He turned to the fireplace that he had just exited to see a perfectly kept, neat fireplace with 6 fresh, immaculate logs piled in a perfect pile in the fire.
    Xander looked around and shook his head "Good lord, does she even live in here or just keep it hermetically sealed... sheesh!" he said with a groan. He reached into the chimney and pulled out his supplies and slowly started to walk towards the stairs.
    He was aware of all the traps and dangers of this house and had carefully studied the interior design inside of Sam, and Josh's minds. The place was a virtual minefield but he had the route memorized. He quietly slid up the stairs and into the master bedroom. Laid out on the bed was Ruby's uniform, weapons, and some paperwork for the evening. Hysterically all of it
was completely and totally laid out neatly, to the point where even the paper was in a perfect pile. Xander could hear the water running the shower and the sound of splashes hitting the floor, a good indicator that Ruby was exactly where she was supposed to be, in the shower.
    He had decided a long time ago that any direct method of trying to capture Ruby would result in a physical confrontation. She didn't like him, and the feeling was relatively mutual. As such, him trying to incapacitate her would probably result in her hurting him, or him having to hurt her. He didn't want that, not on Christmas eve. So he came up with another plan.
    He moved over to the bed where Ruby's hair drier was neatly laid on the side of the bed. Carefully picking it up, he unscrewed the case screws and opened it. Pulling a small vial of dust from his pocket that was perfectly designed to fit inside the hair drier, he slid the vial into place with a soft click, and set to work to put the hair drier back together.
    Once it was together he put it back, careful to make sure it was exactly where it belonged and then crept quietly to the closet and climbed inside, just as the sound of the shower ended.
    Monitoring the room with an optics cable that was in the key hole, he watched as Ruby came out of the shower, dressed only in a dark red towel wrapped around her just below her armpits and another towel on her head.
    She gently sat down with a dainty little plop, and picked up the top paper on the pile.  She read over it carefully as she undid the towel on her head and set it neatly on the floor. then picked up the hair drier. She set it to the lowest setting first to get her hair some fluff and began to fluff her hair.
    Xander grinned and watched his prey, completely unaware of his presence. He watched closely trying not to laugh at exactly how precise a routine she kept. He had seen this image a hundred times over inside of Josh and Sam's minds, it looked like a carbon copy exactly of each one previous.
    Exactly on cue, she flipped her finger up and activated the heat on the hair drier and begin to wave it back and forth over the side of her hair... then gently over to just above her forehead. It was at this exact moment, just when she first had the hair drier as close to her face as she could get it, that a cloud of white dust flew out of the hair drier and covered her face perfectly.
    Ruby jerked in surprise but instantly began to feel the effects of the dust. She tried to brush it off but to her surprise the dust seemed to be fading away. In reality it was being absorbed into her. And as she looked up to see if she could figure out what had happened the world slowly spun and faded to black.
    Xander watched as her head rose to look around but then kept going up, and back, Her eyes rolled into her head and she tilted back and slumped onto the bed, completely and totally asleep.
    Xander grinned and opened the door, taking a moment to admire just how good of shape Ruby kept herself in. But then quickly set about his task. He laid the package next to her on the bed, and held up a single finger,  and on the tip of that finger, a small orb formed.
    Xander slid next to Ruby and lowered the the finger to her forehead. The moment he did her eyes flew open and her iris's reflected the color of the orb. He sat there with it in her head for a moment concentrating on the commands he was putting into her mind, then smiled and drained every last ounce of energy from her.
    He pulled his finger away and the orb completely reabsorbed into his system as he smiled and watched his prey’s eyes slowly close. She was so deeply drained that she would sleep for hours before she could get up again, not that she would, she had been programed to sleep until her alarm went off.
    Having some kindness in him, he picked her up and placed her under the covers, and yanked out the towel as he covered her. Elegant enough to be a magician, he did the whole thing without even taking a peek at her. He set her alarm, then dashed down the stairs around the corner and face first into the chimney... having miscalculated that last step, just a bit.
    He bounced off the chimney and fell flat on his back, little birdies circling his head. He shook it off and climbed up the chimney slowly... "next time" he thought “I think I'll use the door.”

Shadow was soft, and gentle to some,
But in the presence of evil a great warrior she would become,
But greater the challenge to Xander would be this,
How to get the energy from a niece that Celest loved like a sis?

    Shadow was busy doing what Shadow did best... hunting demons. A task that, on Christmas eve, was just as important on any other day. But with a layer of newly fallen snow on the ground, they were just easier to track. After all, most demons hate snow so if you see something crawling on the walls, it’s probably a demon.
    In this particular case, Shadow was running down the street full force after a large four legged lizard like creature that was waddling along the side of the buildings.  From time to time it would hiss at her as it jumped from one building to the next, but she was keeping pace and simply planning the best place to get ahead of the demon.
    Fortunately for her it was Christmas eve, after all, and most people were not on the street, at least not walking.  The demon finally made a sharp turn down an alleyway. As Shadow grinned and pulled her dagger, running past the alley, she ran up the wall on the opposite side of the alley, gave a loud yell as she leapt across the gap and met the demon 20 feet down the wall on the other side of the alley.
    The demon hissed and flopped around, jerking and twitching as Shadow put her foot on its back and pushed off hard, pulling her dagger out of the creature and doing a perfect back flip to land on her feet in the middle of the alleyway.
    The demon fell to the ground and landed right on the snow bursting into a cloud of steam and vanishing into the underworld. Shadow simply smiled and patted off her hands as she turned and pulled out her list to look for the next demon in the area.
    “Nicely done!” Xander said with a smile as he landed next to her in the alley. Shadow didn’t really even flinch, more than to look over him as he landed then back to her list.
    “Thanks” she said rather flatly “what are you doing out here?”
    “Oh I was out getting some errands done before Christmas and I saw you chasing the thing down the alley so I thought I would stop and say hello.” he said with a genuine smile.
    Shadow nodded and made her list disappear. “Hello” she said and turned to walk out into the street.
    Xander shook his head, laughing a bit at exactly how single minded this girl could be. “I was actually hoping I could get your opinion on something before you left”  he asked with a nervous smile hoping she didn’t just vanish or something equally annoying.
    Shadow however just turned and looked at Xander with a smile “Sure, what do you need my help with?”
    Xander smiled and pulled out a perfect green ruby pendant, on a gold chain, and dangled it up before Shadow for her to see. “This is what I was going to give Celest for Christmas, do you think she would like it?” he asked, honestly curious but more wanting her to look at the pendant...but I'm sure you figured that out already.
    Shadow was actually rather impressed and looked right at the crystal. “Wow that is beautiful, where did you get that?” she asked.
    Xander smiled, “I had it specially made for her, there is even an inscription in the center of the crystal for her.”
    Shadow looked at him with a smile. “Aww that's sweet,” she said, blushing a bit “What does it say?” she asked.
    Xander couldn’t have been happier. “Well read it for yourself, it’s at the very very center of the pendant, but because it’s in a crystal you have to relax your eyes, and just let them find their own focus, like those old hidden picture books, you need to just relax, and watch the center of the crystal Shadow. It’s deep in the crystal so you’ll have to focus, very deeply on the crystal. The inscription is small but it refracts, so just watch the crystal and watch the shining flashes of light that bounce off the crystal as it shines, watching it flash, and just relax, focusing down, all the way inside.
    Shadow for her part had played right into Xander’s hand, she had relaxed and was starting to get a far away feeling in her head, just watching the crystal spin and flash, so relaxing, and it had been a long day.
    Xander couldn’t have asked for a more willing subject at this point. He took a step closer and calmly said “That's it, almost there, just let your focus relax, and catch the flashes, catches the lights, catch the spin, catch the word at the center, the word, is... sleep” with that he snapped his fingers in front of Shadow’s eyes in one smooth motion.
    Shadow jerked for a second at the snap but then let her eyes close and her shoulders slump. She was, of course, faking it and was about to pull a fast one on Xander for being so blatantly bad at this. But before she could, Xander’s finger with an orb on the tip of it, touched her forehead. She gasped and her eyes opened fully clear for a brief second before they flashed with the color of the orb and then her face went slack.
    Xander grinned. “Seriously? You didn’t think I noticed that it was too easy? Come on!” he said with a grin and then set about programming her. After a few moments he removed his finger but kept the orb in her and had her teleport them to her place.  He tucked her into bed after having her change clothes and then sucked the orb and her energy right out of her. Setting yet another young woman down for the night.

Kila was ancient, and strong as could be,
“Who could over power this woman”, he thought, “surely not me!”
But then a little thought popped into his head,
Even the mighty Kila, is helpless in bed!

    Kila was enjoying the cool weather, it allowed her to be the only one on the street wearing something revealing. Her vampire nature made her more then immune to the cold and she rather liked being elegant in less clothing than overloaded with fabric.
    She was enjoying the hustle and bustle of the of the last day of the Christmas shopping season. So many people running about, so concerned with their daily routines and last minute shopping, that they barely noticed her feeding in plain sight. She had already enjoyed three small snacks, as well as an ice cream cone, while walking through the mall.
    As she made her way into part of the darker areas of the mall she came across one of the fetish stores. The kind with the blacked out windows and thick red curtains, goths behind the counters with way too much makeup on and more than a few unusual piercings. And let’s not forget at least one person inside who will claim to be a vampire. She smiled to herself as she was about to walk past when she felt something. Something strange coming from the fetish shop. It was a ripple, a  wave of energy emitting from the shop, followed by the sound of a woman sighing and then the unmistakable thump of the same woman hitting the ground in a limp pile. This intrigued her.
    She walked into the shop, quietly, not so much for her own safety but more to not disturb what was going on. And to her surprise she walked in to see Xander holding one of the goths in his arms, the poor young woman was only 5 feet tall and was easily 4 inches or more off the ground as he held her in his arms draining her.  Her eyes fluttered as she went limp, and he gently let her flop to the floor to join her friend already deeply asleep.
    Kila smiled and clapped softly. “Nicely done, young incubus, very nicely done.” she said with a proud smile.
    Xander, who had hoped this would get her attention, pretended to be surprised. “Kila... how nice of you to stop by, did you want a snack? I already had what I need from them, there is plenty of what you need as well.”
    Kila shook her head. “No thank you, I have already had goth today, “ she said with shrug and a smile.
    Xander grinned and moved to stand next to her “All the better, they are high in caffeine” he said trying to sound as serious as possible. it lasted a moment before they both laughed.
    Kila grinned and turned to leave “Have fun incubus, I'll see you again soon I'm sure” she said warmly.
    Xander wasn’t expecting this so he did the first thing that came to mind. he reached out and grabbed her hand and pulled her straight to him. Kila, who hadn’t expected such an overt act gasped as she spun around to face Xander. She wasn’t threatened but was curious what the hell he was doing. As she spun around she came face first with Xander, his hand up in classic vampire ‘hypnotic’ fashion but in his hand was an orb, and his eyes were glowing a deep hypnotic blue. “Look into my eyes, Kila...” he said with all the confidence and power he could muster “look deep into my eyes...” he said, trying to look as vampiric as he could.
    Kila was a bit stunned and off guard, the initial effects hit her pretty hard but she recovered quickly. Not in enough time to actually break free, but enough to slow his advances into her mind.  She quickly built up a wall in her mind to stop any more losses and looked right back at Xander.
    Xander expected her to put up a fight and began to move closer to her, focusing most of his energy on her defenses. But he knew that that was like trying to break a brick wall down using only marshmallows. His true plan was much more subtle. As the two ancient beings locked eye to eye with each other, he put a little image in her head.
    A quiet, elegant bed room scene played in the back of her mind, like a daydream while driving. Subtle, out of the way, not focused on, but there. In the bedroom she was wearing a rather loose fitting night dress, while Xander was in a pair of matching silk pajama pants.  She was sitting on the bed while he gently stroked a rose, softly over her skin,  lightly, tenderly.
    The two kept their gaze locked on one another as Xander fruitlessly pounded on the wall in her mind. All of her focus was being used to keep that wall strong, he didn’t know it but he was hitting her mind harder then she thought he would and was putting dedicated effort into strengthening the wall. The faint scent of a rose drifted into her nostrils.
    Xander slowly glided his hands up along her arms as he slid the rose along her cheek, down her chin, slowly and gently, letting it caress its way down her neck and across her chest, then gently sliding the rose into her hand,  and gliding his hand back up her arm to her cheek, tilting her head up to look into her eyes, and softly kiss her lips.
    Kila’s gaze faded for a moment and Xander caught it just in time, his attacks could wake her if he hit her defenses hard enough, so he lowered his attack a bit, matching the strength of Kila’s defenses perfectly while planting the image of a gentle kiss along her lips.
    Xander lowered Kila gently on to the bed as he kissed her., moving one hand up to the head board and softly, gently tying it to the head board with a silk scarf.  He moved in and kissed her again, then slowly tied the other hand to the head board, gently, just enough to keep her from moving.  Then he leaned down and kissed her lips softly.
    Kila’s mouth moved open just a bit, it looked like she was about to kiss someone back then stopped, focusing on the wall, strengthening it, making it harder, stronger, like silk, like the petals of a rose. “Wait that's not right, is it?” she thought.
    Xander gently pulled a blindfold over her eyes and moved the rose slowly over her body,  under her nose,  the fragrance was sweet and soft as it flowed into her nostrils. The feel of the rose moving down her skin, the feel of Xander’s lips kissing her neck, her chest, little pecks, one after the other, down, slowly, gently down as his hands caressed her body.
    Kila visibly wobbled on her feet, and Xander moved his hand slowly, up her arm, matching the movement in the fantasy that was playing out in the back of her mind, a slow caress up her forearm. Gently along her wrist. The attack in her mind was continuing, the wall was holding but she didn’t know how, as Xander’s attack was relentless, how did he have so much power, and why, why was she feeling so relaxed in this fight.
    She didn’t have the answers to that, but she did know it felt so good to feel his hand caressing her shoulder, caressing up her neck.  She moaned softly as his hand slid across her cheek, slid down along her ear tenderly to the back of her neck. Slid up slowly and...
    “Sleep!” Xander commanded as he gently but quickly pulled her head forward, in the exact same moment he put all of his hypnotic energy into overwhelming Kila’s defenses. Her wall had been getting smaller and smaller in her mind, and the last wave washed right over her as her head slumped forward and her eyes closed.
    Xander grinned and took a breath, then leaned in and whispered. “Let’s go to your place for a few minutes, shall we...”

Larka was wild, a wolf in the night,
Not only beautiful but wow what a bite!
But a wolf she is truly, and that may be her plight,
Could a scratch behind the ears, put her out like a light?

    Larka was finishing up her latest assignment. She had been hired to find an antique Christmas tree, made out of fine oak wood with all the ornaments hand carved out of wood as well and highlighted with gold and silver. It was to be a gift for a young man's grandfather who had lost the one that he made as a child in a fire. It had taken her several days but she finally tracked down the exact right one that fit all the criteria, and after dropping it off at the new owner’s house she was on her way to enjoy the rest of the holiday.
    As she walked down the street, all bundled up in her winter wear, she couldn’t help but smile at how everything was lit up and how beautiful everything looked with just a light dusting of snow.
    Her way home took her past Spirals and just as she was about to pass she noticed Xander in the doorway trying to move a large Christmas tree into the building. “Shouldn’t you have done that days ago?” she asked, grabbing a part of the tree to help before he even asked.
    Xander smiled and nodded a thank you. “Yes, and I did actually but the water pan leaked and the tree died, so I had to get a new one.  What are you doing out today?” he asked warmly as they carried the tree into the club and set it up.
    “Just on my way home actually, finished up work for the month and now I am going to enjoy myself till the new year” she said smiling happily.
    Xander nodded and grinned. “Sounds like a plan, are you going to be here for the new year’s party? It’s invite only?” he said with a warm smile.
    Larka laughed and grinned “As long as Liam is working I will be here, besides you throw a great party when you’re not trying to trance, drain, sedate, freeze, or Pink all of us.”
    Xander grinned and shook his head. “A guy has ONE hobby and everyone's a critic,  would you like a pink hot chocolate? I mean a white hot chocolate?” he asked with a playful laugh.
    Larka smirked “White hot chocolate only please, no pink additive... you didn’t come up with a white chemical did you?” she asked, getting suddenly serious.
    Xander laughed “No I didn’t, it’s just a new addiction of mine.” he said pouring them both a cup and sitting down to drink. They shared small talk for awhile, and Xander genuinely did enjoy the company, but if he was going to do what he needed to do, he had to get to work. He cocked his head to the side and looked at the back of Larka’s head. “Hold still, you have a string or something on your head.”
    She turned her head a bit and he reached out and started to scratch behind her human ear. the effect was actually more profound than either of them had expected. Yhe instant he started to scratch, Larka’s eyes rolled up into her head and she slumped just a bit in her chair. From her point of view it was like the ‘relax button’ had been pushed with a truck. He moved the nonexistent hair out of the way and they both shared a laugh.
    “I guess I am a bit more stressed than I originally thought” she said “it’s a good time to take a vacation, I think” she finished.
    Xander, taking on a playful mode, looked at her. “I wonder if I can get your foot to stomp by rubbing your belly!” he said excitedly.
    Larka shot him a playful look and grabbed the hand that was going for her belly “Oh no you donnnnnnnn... oooooh” she was distracted enough for Xander to start scratching behind her ear again. This time not just a test, but a dedicated effort.
    Larka started to shiver as her body just seemed to let go of all of the tension she had had from the year, letting it out of her body slowly. Her eyes were blinking in a strange way, half rolling up, half fighting to open. Xander knew he was on to something, and stood up and started to scratch gently behind both ears, sliding his finger nails through her hair and scratching her scalp slowly and easily.  Larka didn’t stand a chance.  Minute after minute she just become more and more relaxed, any thought of protest just slipped away as finally her body just slumped into the stool. Two minutes later she was sound asleep.
    Xander leaned her back against him and tilted her head back so he could see her face. “That was the easiest one yet” he said with a smile and created an orb on his finger, slowly sliding it into her head.

Hazel was young, and confident it’s true,
But as far as cops go she was proud to be Blue!
Her bracelet would keep her from being knocked out,
But Xander was determined to get her energy, of that there was no doubt!

    Hazel loved the Christmas patrol route. It basically was just plain clothed officers walking around the malls and shopping areas to make sure that no one shoplifted anything, or there were no fights, things of that nature. The officers were not only allowed, but encouraged to shop and to mingle and take part in the festivities, it not only allowed them to blend in more but helped them to become a part of the community.
    This Christmas eve she was casually browsing the upper decks of the mall, and was taking in all of the intricately hand carved nick knacks, and ornaments. she wandered up and down the displays and took note of all the detail and work that went into these fine hand crafted pieces of art. The people who created them would have had to have worked all year long, and now was the moment they were waiting for.  A year is a long time to wait for a payday, after all.
    She picked out a few small ornaments that she thought would work for family, and one of the old H.G. Wells Time machine that she thought that Max would like, purchased her treasures and continued her way along the mall.
    The mall was surprisingly quiet for there being nearly 10,000 people in it, but everyone seemed focused and determined. She smiled at a group of young children playing in the artificial snow bank that they had created in the mall, then noticed a new shop that had just moved in.
    The shop was one of those new aged, natural relaxation places that sold crystals and candles, and used meditation music and tones to help you relax. The person at the desk seemed normal enough and the wares had varied backgrounds. The incense and candles looked like they were straight from the orient, yet there was a brain wave generator next to them that looked like it was right out of Star Trek.
    She looked around and noticed a small ‘pod’ like device, it was egg shaped and looked like a chair you might see in “men in black’ or Austin Powers, something straight from the sixties where what you actually sit down in would be the center of an egg and the outer ‘shell’ surrounds most of you. “What is that?” she asked the man at the front desk curiously.
    The man came around the desk and looked at it more closely. “Oh, that's our new dream machine, you hop inside and it allows you to dream while your awake. The lights and sounds put your mind in a dream state but allow you to remain conscious so you can easily just open your eyes and go about your day without having the wake up time you would have from a nap. Would you care to try it?” he asked honestly.
    Hazel looked at the odd machine for a minute then shrugged “Sure, why not!” she said with a smile. She sat down inside the egg shaped chair, which had plenty of room for her bag inside with her. She got comfortable then the man showed her how to turn the machine on and off. She nodded and waited for him to go back to what he was doing before she took a deep breathe and flipped the switch to on.
    Anyone watching from the outside would not have noticed a thing, but inside the pod the entire inner layer of the egg shaped shell lit up with lights and sparkles. The colors didn’t flash so much as blend from one into the other, dozens of colors all at once mixing and melting from one into the other without the slightest hint of resistance. Completely smooth transitions. Also around her was a soothing hum that seemed not so much to come from any one location but to be actually coming from inside of her own head. The speakers were laid out from every angle so it had a more surrounding feeling then the best earbuds.
    The feeling completely overwhelmed Hazel, and for a second, her reflexes told her to turn off the machine and run away. But she stuck it out and after a few seconds the colors and sounds blended into a molten swirl around her. She relaxed into the chair, but noticed with a smile that her body really didn’t even seem to register the chair, or anything else for that matter, in fact she was pretty sure she was standing now, walking even, down a nice cool beach on a late summer's day.
    The colors blended into the image of the beach and she no longer saw the store of the inside of the pod, no longer felt the chair or her real body, but she was walking along a beach that didn’t exist. She could feel it, smell it, taste the water in the air, hear the waves and see all the vibrant colors of the late evening sunset, walking along the beach.
    She couldn’t help but laugh, and then laughed a bit harder when she realized, although just barely that she was only laughing in the dream, and not in the pod. She tried to imagine what her body would look like in that pod, completely comatose was the image that came to mind, but she just shrugged it off and went on her walk.
    In the shop the man behind the counter grinned and walked into the back, he came out a few moments later with a 100 dollar bill in his hand and dropped the apron on the counter and closed up shop. Xander came out of the back with a smile and looked into the pod at Hazel.
    The man had told the truth, the pod was harmless and you were conscious for it. But what he hadn’t told her was that this one was set to maximum power. She could get out of it if she wanted to, but would be so engrossed in the dream that she wouldn't even realize something was happening to her body.
    Xander was, however, very cautious, and noticed her wiggling her toes in her shoes. He gently moved down and massaged her feet through her shoes, then slowly started to massage up her body, tenderly, softly. Watching her bracelet to make sure he didn’t accidentally use any of his energy, anything that would set off the bracelet.
    Hazel smiled at how relaxing the dream was, just walking along the beach, her thoughts of course were turning a bit more intimate. She imaged a man with her, sitting on the sand and curled up with him. looking him over and how nice and tanned and built he was, she let her hands glide over his body slowly. Normally she wouldn’t do this but it was a dream, who’s to know.
    Xander moved gently up her legs, caressing and massaging them, far more than a normal massage, he was doing an intimate slow caress, and despite her completely dreamy mind state, he noticed her pulse quicken and her breathing become more rapid. His plan was working.
    Hazel laid down next to the man on the beach and felt his hands along her legs. So real, so vivid, she never gave it another thought. She looked around and giggled a bit to herself then leaned in and kissed him tenderly. Letting his arms wrap around her and lay her back into the sand as he caressed her stomach, and up to her chest, while kissing her neck.
    Xander was surprised to see her react as quickly as she did, he couldn’t see what was going on in the dream but from her motions and soft moans he figured it out quickly enough. He had moved his hands up to her chest and was massaging slowly when he noticed her head move to expose her neck. He smiled and leaned in and started to kiss her neck softly, teasingly, and gauged her energy level, the bracelet had so far not done anything more then sit there.
    He leaned in and kissed her lips softly, continuing the slow gentle, soothing motions and started to drain her energy, very slowly.
    In her dream Hazel was laughing at what she was doing but was enjoying herself nonetheless. She was letting a perfect fantasy man relax her and massage her. Then, almost without realizing it, he was kissing her. She let herself go into the fantasy and relaxed back into the sand, happy to let him give her all the attention that he wanted to. She began to feel tired and relaxed as she lay on the sands, and just let the man's hands do as they pleased while she kissed him back softly. Such a wonderful dream, she though, she may have to buy one of these...
    Xander broke the kiss and Hazel's head slumped forward, she was totally asleep now and sleeping very soundly. Xander grinned and opened his hand, creating an orb, but instead of putting it into Hazel he let it roam free in the pod. It swirled and blended and merged into the lights of the pod. The entire pod had turned into one giant hypnotic reprogrammer, and Hazel was at the center of it. He slid out and grinned, the pod would wake her in an hour, more or less, mostly less as she would simply get up... and walk home, never regaining consciousness. 

Ryder existed in all places and times,
Seeing the future to her, was like reading the Sun Times.
But if the future she sees, and the future she knows,
to her it has happened already, like yesterday’s snows.

    Having left the mall Xander checked his watch, he had a 2 hour time gap before his next target would be in position, so now he had to do some thinking on his feet. The young nymph Ryder was new in town, and if rumors were true she could see the future as easily as seeing the past. She didn’t have a boyfriend or anyone she was close to, but he knew someone that would enjoy the company.
    The problem that he had was simple, how do you capture someone who already knows it’s going to happen. And if they know it’s going to happen, can they stop it, or are they destined to relive it. Do they know if they should do it, can they avoid it or are they locked into a predestined path?
    The questions swam in his head, but besides that how do you capture someone that can move through time. Without actually knowing where, or when she is, capturing her would be rather hard. He sighed and looked at his watch, if he was going to try and get her now was the best time, he had two hours as mentioned earlier, but where would she be.
    He took a deep sigh and turned the corner trying to think, when he walked face first into Ryder. “Oh...excuse me... Oh! Are you ok, miss?” he said trying to hide his fortunate surprise.
    Ryder smiled “Perfectly fine, but for someone who is looking for me, you weren’t really looking all that hard now were you Mr. Incubus” she said in a playfully scolding tone as she wagged her finger from side to side at him.
    Xander blinked a bit, confused as to what to say or do next “You know I was looking for you?” he questioned.
    Ryder smiled “Of course, I know your whole plan, and you are right, he will really be surprised.” she said with a devious grin.
    Xander just stared, dumbfounded. “So you know what I had planned, you know what I am going to do, you know what I intend to do. You know it, cause it already happened... and if that is all true, why are you here?” he asked, getting confused in his own logic.
    Ryder laughed “Cause it will be fun that's why!” she said with a smile and seemed to give him a ‘Duh!’ look.
    Xander just let his jaw drop, not really sure what to do next.
    Ryder shook her head and started to turn to walk down the street. “Aren't you going to put your plan into action Mr. Incubus?” she said with a smile, almost teasing him as she slinked her way down the street.
    Xander snapped out of his confusion... somewhat, and looked at her. “I don't even have a plan on how to capture you!” he said, then realized what he had done, if she didn’t know the plan, she sure did now, or at least as much of the plan as he knew.
    Ryder smiled “Oh don’t worry, it will come to you, in about ten seconds.” she turned and pointed to a lamp pole a few feet in front of her the she was walking towards. “I’m under that when you get me, if that's any help” she said turning back and giving him a grin.
    Xander looked up at the street light, and had a revelation, he quickly moved over to the telephone pole next to him and grabbed the ground cable. He closed his eyes and focused and sent a huge burst of hypnotic energy into the ground wire and up the pole, across the lines to the street light.
    Ryder stepped under the street light with a grin “See, I told you you would become inspired.” she said with a wink as the energy reached the street light. The moment it did a cone of hypnotic energy rained down on Ryder, surrounding her like she was standing in the only light in the world. The color of the energy swirled around her and her grin sank into a limp neutral stare.
    The light from the street light slowly faded back to a dull white as Ryder's eyes took on the color of one of Xander’s orbs. She turned and walked towards him with the energy in her mind controlling her, but not conscious of Xander’s will, only knowing what she would do before she did it.
    Xander looked tired, it had taken a lot out of him to pull that off, but just as he was about to ask what had happened, Ryder kissed him. Deeply hypnotized as she was, she knew this was the right time, and kissed him with a sleepy passion. Xander looked surprised but returned the kiss, and Ryder let her energy flow directly into him, she sighed as the kiss broke and whispered “Better than I remembered...” then fell lip into his arms.
    Xander looked at her and blinked... staring down at the now drained nymph, he said the only thing that came to mind. “What the hell just happened?!”

Isabella was sexy, kinky and wry,
To win her over directly, the Incubus would try.
A moment of passion, of playfulness and joy,
Her energy would be played with, like an Incubus’ new toy!

    Isabella was heading home after finishing up the last of her Christmas shopping. She had been crafty enough to make most of the gifts that she needed, but she still had to buy one or two last minute items. She was looking forward to a nice quiet night and spending the day with Sandy, maybe even seeing Dorian if he was around.
    As she came into her apartment she sighed and let her packages down, took off her coat and opened her closet, the moment she did Xander sprang into action. He quickly grabbed her and pulled her into the closet giving him the advantage in the close quarters. He pulled her right up to his chest and kissed her deeply while holding her wrists in his hands and moving her arms straight down so he could control them more easily.
    Isabella struggled, not really knowing who it was that had grabbed her but the kiss seemed familiar and the restraints seemed playful. She broke the kiss and leaned in, biting the unknown attacker’s neck just hard enough to get his attention.
    “Oww!” exclaimed Xander and pulled her arms behind her back so he could hold them there, leaning back as quickly as he could to avoid her bite. But he inadvertently pushed them both out of the closet and into the light, where Isabella fell on her back and Xander on top of her. The fall had allowed her to free her hands for a moment, but Xander quickly pinned her wrists to the floor and held the rest of her down with his body weight and legs. “Surprise” he smiled.
    Isabella looked at Xander, her defense dropping just a bit as she leaned up and gave him a soft kiss. “Well hello to you too, what are you doing here?” she asked a bit more curious.
    Xander smiled and leaned in, kissing her neck tenderly while keeping her arms pinned to the floor. “I am here to give you your Christmas present... and to drain your energy my dear” he whispered softly into her ear as he licked her ear lobe tenderly.
    Isabella shuddered with pleasure and smiled “Is that so? And what makes you think you can get away with that, hmm?” she said teasing him while trying to struggle her arm free.
    Xander held her down and leaned his head up looking eye to eye with her and gave a confident grin “Because I know you, my dear, and I can feel you, the struggle, the fire within you, pure power and confidence, turning slowly to arousal, to passion. You can deny it but I can feel it, your heart beat moving from fight or flight, to a desire for pleasure, the beating slower than panic, and faster than calm. Excitement is replacing your desire to resist, and the more you resist the more excited you become. I can feel it, deep inside of you, you know that Isabella, we both know that.” Before she could answer he leaned in and kissed her, cutting off her reply.
    Isabella struggled against him, but enjoyed the kiss, her attention wavering from time to time, but trying to keep up the struggle. She was determined to make this as hard for him as possible.  Xander kept her pinned down and began to slide his tongue along hers, and gently glided the tip of it along her lips, before breaking the kiss and staring into her eyes. “So much fire in your tonight, you’re in a good mood, aren't you?” he asked, more of a distraction then a genuine question.
    Isabella laughed a bit and lifted her head off the ground to be nose to nose with him in a gesture of strength. “I'm in a very good mood, and just because it’s Christmas doesn’t mean I am going to let you get away with whatever you want” she said with a wink.
    Xander grinned happily. “I expected as much” he said as he leaned in and kissed her neck. She moaned and lifted her back off the floor a bit and went back to struggling. Xander didn’t flinch but moved his hands away from her wrists down along her arms to her chest.
    Isabella noticed that he had moved his hands and as soon as he started to massage her chest went to move but found she couldn’t, her arms seemed unable to move from their spot. She looked at Xander confused “What the hell?” she asked.
    Xander smiled and looked up at her, and moved his hand into his pocket and took out his cell phone, with the screen off it made a perfectly good mirror. He slide the cell phone before her eyes where she looked at her own reflection, and her own eyes glowing the color of one of Xander’s orbs. “You little... when did you put that in me!” she demanded.
    Xander caressed his hands along her chest and down her stomach, kissing down her chest slowly. “Right at the beginning, as soon as I grabbed you I had you Isabella, there is no sense in struggling, your body is pinned to the floor, helpless, and restrained.” he said with a knowing grin. He let his hands glide along her body, above her clothes and kissed her neck and chest softly, sucking on the skin from time to time.
    Isabella moaned softly and gave a slightly embarrassed grin. “I'll get you for this you know” she said as another moan escaped from her. 
    Xander smiled and licked along her ear as he whispered “I know... if you remember it” he said teasingly. Isabella laughed a bit as he reached into her with his energy and began to massage her inner most intimate thoughts and feelings.  The energy he had inside of her made her feel like she was being made love too from the inside out. Emotionally, spiritually, mentally, besides the obvious of physically. She writhed in pleasure as the emotions built inside, and Xander kept her pinned softly to the ground to enhance the pleasure... and the fun, until she finally climaxed deep inside.
    With a soft moan and a pant she came down from her ecstasy and grinned at Xander. “Is that my Christmas present?” she asked with a rather satisfied look in her eyes.
    Xander looked at her with a warm smile and gave her a soft kiss “Indeed, Merry Christmas, my friend” he said with a smile. Isabella grinned and let her body relax. Her eyes were closed or she would have notice Xander’s hand gently slide up to her head, the orb he had in her needed only a small boost to put her to sleep, and her head lolled to side as she fell into a deep restful sleep. Xander smiled and began implanting her suggestions.

Rose was light hearted, carefree and happy,
To catch her at all he would have to be snappy,
A playful scene put on for the children this season,
Her long winter's nap, oh that would be the real reason!

    As the evening began to become late, Rose was out taking pictures of the scenery, the lights, the passersby, and everything that was Christmas in the city. She had stopped by the park to get a picture of all of the lights on the trees. Photographed several decorated churches and more than 2 dozen families out enjoying Christmas eve, and the falling snow.
    She was about to return home when she noticed outside of a small shopping area a man dressed as Santa Claus surrounded by children. The man was happily listening to all the children tell him what they wanted, and laughing in that classic jolly ‘Ho Ho Ho!’ laugh as he handed out candy canes and caps.
    Rose moved a bit closer to take some pictures and the Santa Claus look alike quickly started to pose with the children, one by one letting them all get their picture. He even laughed when one of the younger children who had opened their candy cane already managed to get it stuck in his beard.  Rose got several shots of the man trying to get that out, and then gave the softly sobbing child a kiss on the cheek and two new candy canes.
    The child ran off with her parents happy and content then stopped and turned to yell to the santa to not forget her house tonight. The man dressed as Santa simply laughed and waved and reassured he that would not forget her house or her.
    As the children started to scatter the Santa looked at Rose with a smile and said “And you young lady, what is it that you wish for this Christmas?”
    Rose smiled and took another picture and then grinned “Nothing too much Xander, what about you?”
    The Santa grinned and looked around to make sure that the children didn’t hear and put his finger to his lips to whisper a “shhhh” to her. Rose smiled and nodded as two more children ran past.
    “This is really nice of you to do, you know that?” she said genuinely.
    Xander nodded “I like to do this from time to time, it can be draining as children require so much energy, but it is worthwhile. And the candy canes help them to have pleasant dreams all through the night. Don’t worry, what is in it is harmless and all natural, it just helps mommy and daddy get a little peace during this night of all nights.” he said honestly.
    Rose grinned and watched as two more children ran up and hugged Santa Claus, then they pulled him over to their parents to introduce them to Santa Claus, as if they had never met them before. Rose laughed and took several pictures of the incubus being dragged along and going through very formal introductions with the parents.
    Xander followed the parents and the kids down back to the front of the store with Rose in tow up until the parents walked under a hanging mistletoe and stopped for a kiss. The two young kids made ‘ewww’ faces then pointed at Xander and Rose. “You have to do it now too,  it’s the law” said one of the young kids with a disgusted look on his face.
    The parents laughed and tried to pull the kids away. But even while being dragged off the kids were pointing and saying “You have too, you have too! Please don’t make Santa go to jail!” Rose and Xander laughed a bit as the kids were about to be dragged around the corner.
    Rose looked at Xander with a warm smile,and moved by the season and what he was doing shrugged and said “Oh what the hell.” To Xander’s surprise she leaned in and gave him a peck on the lips. As soon as she did the mistletoe above them sent out a quick flash of yellow energy into Rose. It looked like a quick lightning bolt but it was energy and not electricity. As the kiss broke Rose looked at Xander with a far away stare and slowly fell backwards. Xander caught her easily and she ended up going limp in his arms with her head back, completely asleep.
    Xander looked around to make sure the kids were gone and picked her up in his arms. The plan had always been to use the mistletoe on her, but he never expected her to do it to herself. With a devious grin he spread his wings and carried her back to her place for a long winter's nap... and a little programming.

Chloe was dangerous, vicious and cruel
Yet her figure left little option but to stare and to drool.
But what if through tenderness, compassion and love,
could this woman of anger, end up sleeping like a dove.

    Castle Card was rather cold this time of year, cold and lonely. Alan was out on business and was not expected to return until the morning. As such Chloe was all alone in the big drafty, and rather cold castle. Sure Alan had modernized it but it was still a stone structure, and it still leaked air, both in and out.
    Not to mention that she was lonely this evening, and missed someone who had been gone for far far too long. As she sat watching the fire there was a knock at the door.  She leaned over to look at the door with a curious look as one of the zombies opened it and Xander walked in. “What are you doing here?” she asked concerned he may be here for some kind of pay back.
    Xander looked at her and gave a genuine pure smile. “I'm here to bury the hatchet, after all that's what Christmas is for isn’t it?”
    Chloe looked at him very suspiciously, but Xander simply sat down in the chair farther from her but the one closest to the fire, a small couch with room for two. He opened his box and took out a bottle of eggnog, two glasses, and a wrapped book. “Merry Christmas Chloe” he said honestly.
    Chloe moved towards Xander slowly, cautiously, “Why are you doing this...what do you really want?”
    Xander grinned “I won’t lie to you, I have an agenda, but for right now I am simply here to see if there is anything I can do for you. I am not here to harm you, or manipulate you, or anything else. I am simply here to talk, make peace, and give you your Christmas present.”
    Chloe looked at the wrapped book and was cautious “You open it!” she demanded.
    Xander smiled and unwrapped the book, a first edition signed copy of Alice in Wonderland. Chloe just looked at it and had Xander go through the book page by page. Finally she sat down as far from Xander on the small couch as she could.
    Xander poured them both some eggnog and handed her a glass. He grinned and took the first sip, then gently sat back and looked at her. “I promise you nothing here will hurt you, including me, OK?” he asked genuinely being open and unthreatening.
    Chloe looked at the eggnog and took a sip, she grinned and sat back nodding, starting at Xander who just sat there as non threateningly as he could and asked. “How are you doing?”
    Chloe gave short answers to just about every question that he asked, for about half an hour until she finally just snapped “What is it you really want? I tried to kill a bunch of people you cared about, what is it that you want from me!” She demanded.
    Xander took a sip of egg nog and set his glass down. “Nothing, I heard about what happened to you and why you did what you did. I forgive you. I am just here to give you someone to talk to, nothing more. Well not exactly nothing more but I don't want anything from you, not even your energy.”
    Chloe didn’t seem to know what to say, after a few minutes Xander gave a soft smile and said “I’m here to listen. Talk to me Chloe... please?”
    Chloe and Xander sat talking, at first about nothing, and then about simple things, and finally about what had happened to her, and the person she loved. She couldn’t believe how easy it was to just let some things flow out while talking to Xander, that in itself surprised her. But she also couldn’t believe how much better she felt after talking about it. She also got out some of the things that she had done in the past, an agent of chaos has much on her mind to discuss, and finally after hours of talking, she started to nod off on the couch, exhausted, and feeling strangely more at peace then she had felt in a long time.
    Xander didn’t say a word as he noticed her drifting, all he did instead was gently slide over to her, and wave a hand over her eyes, placing her mind in a gentle sleep. He leaned in and kissed her tenderly, draining just enough energy to see to it that she would sleep through the rest of the night, and wake up well rested. He slid the gift for her and Joshua into her hand and departed.

With all the girls sleeping, all tired and breathless
To the Incubus suggestions they all were quite helpless,
The Incubus work was done and he slipped out of sight,
A devious grin as he whispered “sleep tight”

    Xander perched himself on the roof of the tallest building in the city and looked out at the wonder that was an early morning Christmas. The church bells were ringing as midnight mass was letting out. Covering the parishioners with a soft Christmas morning snow.
    He pulled out his tablet and looked over his plans, every girl had been drained, even Chloe although that was only enough to keep her asleep till morning. Every one had received the gifts which were more for the boys than for them, but they would enjoy it as well. And each one was gently sleeping away the draining, to wake up with implanted suggestions ready to kick in as soon as they did.
    He took one last look along the city and smiled. “Merry Christmas to all! And to all a good night!” he said as he spread his wings and began his glide home.

The morning's light, a sight for all to behold,
For the evening had brought them a wonderful sleep, both young, and old,
But as the boys began to stir, their hearts were a flutter,
After seeing their presents from Xander, their minds went right into the gutter!

    As the sun began to rise into the sky, a tired world woke to the excitement of Christmas morning, and Xander’s friends woke to the Christmas surprise that he had laid for them out under the proverbial Christmas tree... well in most cases it was proverbial.


    Sam groaned as he hobbled out of bed and walked groggily towards the kitchen, he hated mornings and last night was a long night. He was surprised he didn’t bump into Ruby out on patrol but figured that she was probably busy, and since the evening was remarkably quiet he wasn’t worried that something happened to her.
    He hobbled slowly past his Christmas tree and into the kitchen, then immediately flew out of the kitchen and looked at the tree. Sitting under it in a skimpy red female Santa outfit was Ruby, sound asleep with a tag sitting on her hat. Sam looked around and quietly walked over towards her, feeling her pulse to make sure she was ok. He tried to shake her to wake her up, but she didn’t even stir. Finally he grabbed the tag and read it. “Merry Christmas Sam, From Xander... To ‘open’ your gift, think sleeping beauty”.
    Sam looked at the card in confusion then leaned in and softly kissed Ruby. Ruby gave a soft sigh and then opened her eyes with a grin. “Merry Christmas” she said, and leaned in and kissed Sam deeply. Sam was about to question what happened but Ruby gently moved into his lap, and his thoughts strangely moved to... other things.


    Across Town Nick was just coming in from a long night of work. He had volunteered for the night shift so he could have the day to himself and hopefully see Shadow. He didn’t have any family left, not really, but he liked having a quiet Christmas day, to enjoy himself and unwind a bit. He had bought himself a brand new video game and planned to spend a good chunk of the day torturing monsters in a fantasy world.
    He came through his door and was surprised to see Shadow standing there in a very skin tight leather version of her normal ‘work’ clothes standing next to a large wrapped box. “Merry Christmas” she said as she moved over to him and gave him a nice deep kiss, then handed him a note without even thinking about it.
    He looked at the note which only said “Merry Christmas ~ Xander”, then looked at Shadow and her outfit and instantly figured out what had happened. He was going to have to have some words with Xander... later.
    Shadow pulled back and grinned and pointed to the box “Open it!” she said rather happily. Nick walked up to the package and ripped it open, and inside was Carl, the Gnome, hanging upside down about a foot off the ground in a harness, gagged and bound.
    Nick grinned and looked at Shadow “Aww just what I always wanted!” he said then looked at a small control panel on the harnessing rig that had five buttons. “what do these do” He pushed the first and Carl received a high power electrical shock. The second button made a large clamp come up and clamp his nose, the third made a hammer hit him in the groin, the fourth shot a flame thrower up at his head, and the fifth did all of the previous four.
    Nick smiled at each one then looked at Shadow, who gave him a knowing smile and kissed him, grabbing onto his collar and tugging it towards the bedroom “Now you can unwrap your other present” she said as she pulled him along.
    Nick chuckled a bit “Work, work, work...”


    Alan had enjoyed his night of business, the annual ball was not only profitable but rather tasty, as he had made several new business contacts, sealed four business deals and fed off of five rather festive young ladies, all of which were now subject to his... influence.
    As he came in he found Chloe asleep on the couch and just let her be, he walked up to his room and opened the door to discover Kila laying on his bed with a grin, she was wearing a rather elegant dress that was much too thin for this time of year. Alan looked at her and she simply grinned and tossed a note aside saying “Xander wishes you a merry Christmas” sliding off the bed and walking over to him.
    Alan was a bit confused and looked at Kila.”Really, how so?” the reply was for Kila to kiss him deeply and begin to slide off his coat. The vampire grinned and looked at Kila questioningly “Did someone fall prey to an incubus last night, my dear?”
    Kila grinned just a bit “Perhaps, the annoying part is I remember it, but I can’t resist it, so I am stuck doing his suggestions” she said with a playfully annoyed tone.
    Alan smiled and wrapped his arms around her. “And what are his suggestions?” he asked both teasing and interested at the same time.
    Kila kissed down his neck and gently pulled him towards the bed. “Well first off...” she said, then smiled and pushed him onto the bed and followed him down, landing on top of him with a deep kiss.


    Liam was sound asleep on his bed as he felt a hand roaming slowly along his sheets. He didn’t really move much but grinned, thinking it was a dream. The hand moved along his body, up his chest and down his arm, then Larka leaned in and kissed him very tenderly on the lips.
    Liam's eyes flew open as he jumped back into a seated position and looked at Larka. “Oh, hello” he said a bit confused, as he looked her over she was wearing a green elf outfit, that was very snug and had a rather deep neck line. The outfit was complete with an elves hat and a bell.
    Larka smiled and handed him Xander’s note as she said herself “Merry Christmas Liam, you have been a good boy” she said with smile as she bent over and set a tray on his bed, complete with pancakes, eggs, french toast, bacon, sausage, waffles, orange juice, and milk, after all he was a growing boy.
    Liam looked at the note, then at Larka and the breakfast and smiled “Apparently the boss is happy with me.”
    Larka grinned and slid a finger under Liam's chin and leaned in close to him and kissed him very tenderly then smiled “Wait till you see desert” she said with a wink.
    Liam managed to break new speed records in chowing down breakfast,  I wonder why?


    “Merry Christmas!” the words blasted over Max as he woke up with a start, falling out of bed at what sounded like a police bull horn being blown into his ear. After hitting the floor and covering himself up like a child he slowly raised up his head and pulled back the covers to see Hazel standing there with a smile “Did I wake you?” she said with a grin.
    Max nodded and noticed that although she was wearing clothes that looked similar to what she would normally wear, they were far tighter and lower cut then usual. The only part of her that was not form fitting was a light jacket she had on over her shirt. He looked her over a moment then asked still a bit exhausted. “Yes, yes you woke me. What are you doing?”
    Hazel smiled and set down her bull horn and offered him a hand up. “Do I need a reason to visit?” she asked playfully.
    Max took the offered hand and let her help him up “No, I guess not but usually you would...” he was cut off when she gave him a nice deep kiss and smiled, handing him Xander’s ‘Merry Christmas’ card without even realizing she was doing it.
    “I figured since you’re here with no one to celebrate Christmas with, that I would invite you to celebrate with me and some friends. We are having a good old fashioned Christmas, turkey, fireplace, eggnog, all the trimmings. You name it, we got it!” she said with an excited smile. Max was still half asleep but managed to give her a confused look, which made Hazel laugh “What don’t you have Christmas in the future?” she asked playfully.
    Max nodded as he started to get dressed “We do but I didn’t expect you to show up so early” he said, putting his pants on.
    Hazel grabbed his arm and started to drag him out of the room, clothes in hand but not on his body yet. “I don't know how long it takes to cook a turkey in the future, but here it’s an all day event, let’s go mister you have work to do!”


    Mike, being mostly electrical didn’t require much sleep, especially if he got his early morning shower with the toaster plugged in and dropped into the water. A nice shocking way to start the day. He had decided to go for a walk a bit early this Christmas. He loved Christmas but was feeling very alone this year as all of his friends were busy and he had no family to speak of, so he figured he would wander the park for a while.
    The freshly fallen snow had made quite a scene in the park, and although it was cold, it was not a bitter cold so he could walk easily through the winter wonderland that was laid out before him. As he did, he watched children play and families make snowmen in the early morning hours before the rest of the world would be in full swing.
    He stopped for a moment and looked out over the lake, it was really quite beautiful, he thought. the way the sun shined over the frozen waters and the geese walked along the ice. He grinned when he heard a soft voice behind him.
    “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Ryder asked as she watched the scene before her.
    Mike turned in surprise was was greeted by the girl who looked very beautiful yet very gentle and sweet. Unlike the rest of the girls she was more conservatively dressed, after all what Mike really wanted this Christmas day was not a hot steamy lover, but a friend. The woman smiled and offered Mike her hand “I’m Ryder. A friend of yours, a Mr. Xander, told me you would be here. I am alone this Christmas as well, and he thought we might both enjoy spending some time together?”
    Mike watched Ryder's face as she spoke, an honest and sincere nervousness on her face as she extended her hand. Mike blushed and looked at her and smiled nervous as he took her hand in both of his warmly. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Ryder,  my name is Mike” he said with a blush before offering her his arm.
    Ryder took his arm and they continued their walk through the park, together on Christmas.


    Chloe woke on the couch with a stretch, she had fallen asleep on her own she knew that, but suspected that since she slept for nearly 9 hours that Xander had drained her a bit. She was about to get off the couch when she noticed an envelope in her hands. She looked around and didn’t see Alan or any of the zombies so she figured it was safe to open it up here. She slid her finger along the envelope and inside were two plane tickets. She sat up a bit confused then noticed that the tickets were for Alaska, with a note on them that said “3 months of night, Merry Christmas, Xander.” 
    She looked at the tickets and smiled, if there was 3 solid months of night, Joshua would not turn to stone. He would be awake for 3 solid months. She was about to stand up when she accidentally bumped a box on the floor with her foot. She leaned down and opened the box and inside was a very skimpy bikini for her and speedo shorts for Joshua. As well as a reservation at a secluded cabin with all the fixins, complete with a hot tub and king sized bed.
    Chloe blushed a bit and looked around, she figured she could sneak away for a while, although Joshua wouldn’t be awake for another 11 hours. That was, however, the nice thing about winter, the gargoyle type creature she was kind of getting interested in would be up longer than in summer, and 3 months alone...well, that might be nice after all.


    Sandy knocked on Isabella's door for the third time, there was no answer, no response no sign that she was even home, yet he get a text message from her to come on over just 20 minutes ago. He listened at the door then finally just got impatient and stuck his finger in the lock and gently allowed his finger to morph into the perfect shape of the lock and turned to undo it.
    The door opened and he came in slowly. “Hello... Isabella... are you here?  I let myself in, I hope you don’t mind.” he said but still got no response.  He walked around the living room cautiously but saw nothing. Checked the kitchen, nothing, the bathroom, still nothing.
    Finally he walked into the bedroom and to his surprise found Isabella frozen in crystal, chained to the wall and completely naked. The look on her face was one of playful joy, frozen in time in the crystal. Sitting next to her on the end table was a device that was aimed at her emitting a light that had created the crystal. Sitting next to it was a note that read “Merry Christmas, From Xander.  Turn device off, crystal will respond to your power, as will your girlfriend. *wink wink*”
    Sandy flipped the device off and ran his hands over the frozen form of his girlfriend. He couldn’t feel her but yet the caress seemed to connect the two. He stroked her cheek and the crystal around her face and head faded away. Revealing a blank staring Isabella. A moment later her eyes blinked and she smiled at Sandy “Merry Christmas” she said with a half dazed look.
    Sandy kissed her softly and slowly started to free her from the crystal, smiling when he realized she was also chained to the wall. He looked her in the eyes and grinned. “Merry Christmas, indeed.”


    Josh was making his way across town to meet Rose. He had gotten a call from her to meet him at one of the clearings in the old south side park. A rather abandoned area he thought, but what better place to be on Christmas then someplace quiet.
    As he made his way to the now mostly overgrown forest area he moved through the pine trees and the bushes towards the clearing. The newly fallen snow crunched beneath his feet as he walked. To his surprise it seemed to be getting warmer, almost balmy the further in he went. He noticed the snow was now gone and the grass was nice and green beneath his feet.
    He came to the clearing but it was far more overgrown then before, the trees were bigger and stronger. He walked in through a small opening and gasped at what he saw. Inside the clearing the pine trees had been decorated with flowers and natural vines, Poinsettia plants were naturally growing everywhere and the temperature was a relaxing 75 degrees.
    He looked around and took off his coat then turned around to see Rose slide up to him and kiss him. She pulled back and smiled, handing him Xander’s greeting tag and echoing the sentiment of “Merry Christmas.” As Josh read the card he noticed that she was wearing a small pair of shorts, and what looked to be a shirt although it was the size of a sports bra.
    Behind her was a picnic lunch set out as well as a laptop computer with a stack of old fashioned Christmas DVDs, a volleyball net that could be set up and a bottle of massage oil. Josh just smiled, it was looking to be a very warm Christmas after all.


    He spoke not a word but went right to work,
    Had the girls remembered, they would say ‘What a jerk!’
    But for all the women in the world there was one that best knows,
    The joy of waking up, to an Incubus, with a rose.


    Xander woke up early and got dressed, Nothing too fancy, mostly something warm and Christmasy. Celest was still sleeping off being drained, but he could feel her energy rebuilding to the point where she would be waking up soon.
    He went to the bed and took a single long stem rose from one of the 10 vases that he had set up in the bedroom. He gently slid the rose along her cheek, then her neck, under her nose and along her lips. Slowly caressing her skin with the rose and letting its scent slide into her nostrils.
    Celest started to stir and smiled as she smelled the rose, opening her eyes she reached over and hugged Xander and gave him a soft kiss. “Good morning” he said with a warm smile.
    Celest grinned a bit more and stretched out, “Good morning, I slept like a rock, although I am sure you had something to do with that.” she said with a smile.
    Xander nodded “Guilty as charged...I needed the time to prepare your Christmas surprise.”
    Celest raised and eyebrow in curiosity. “Oh?”
    Xander took her hand with a smile and led her out into the living room. The living room had been completely redone, the walls now resembled an old fashioned log cabin, with a classic fireplace, four green live Christmas trees covered in lights. One tree was in all white with red ribbons and flock. One was in all white with classic ornaments and tinsel. One with colored lights lit up with plastic balls and bells, and silver garland. And a final one was loaded with colored blinking lights and Star Trek ornaments. All through the room were strands of evergreen based garland and old fashioned ornaments. A wreath hung on every wall and candles on every table, the mantle and newly installed wall holders. Even though it was daylight it seemed as if the world were dark, the snow had ridden up the windows perfectly and the room took on a warm soft glow.
    Celest looked around in shock and smiled at Xander. ‘How did you do all of this?!” she asked in amazement.
    Xander shrugged and laughed, “When you have the energy from 11 very fit young women, you can do just about anything” he said with a laugh.
    Celest gave him a confused look and Xander laughed “It’s a long story, I’ll tell you over breakfast, love.” he took her hand and walked her into the kitchen, where he had her breakfast all laid out for her. And as he held the chair out for her, he kissed her softly and whispered. “Merry christmas, my love.”


For all who would ponder, wonder, and look for a reason,
They find only love, and joy, in this season,
but from one that would play Santa, may they be wrong or right,
He wishes a bright Merry Christmas to all! and to all a good night!

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