r***@aol.com
2007-06-04 22:33:31 UTC
"The Buffy Effect..." VII...
A shortie...
PG 13
Disclaimer: No, Joss, no...I make no claims, put that thing down!
It's all yours and ME's.
Spoilers for Angel to this week...Flee at once!...
Summary: Similar to my Immortal Beloved series of sketches, and my
Semi Parallel Lives bits mostly just short brainstorming ideas for
other tales...As with both of those, some bits may be multipart,
others just a few lines...
***
Part D...
"We could just do the sensible thing for once...Tell Willow who we are
and get her to let us find our even-nuttier-than-you sister and have
Warren take us off this hellhole with that thing of yours..." Third
Buffy noted...
"Uh-huh..." Buffy eyed her twin... "I don't think this Willow or her
Xander are exactly the 'sensible' type...And they seem pretty down on
Buffy Summerses in general...I think our counterpart on this Earth
screwed it big time...Maybe even went over to the enemy..."
"Great...A fourth Buffy, possibly evil?...And meanwhile we just sit
here and wait for them to try staking us just to be sure..."
"Unless you can break these chains, yeah..."
"What about our using the thing...?" Third Buffy twisted her head
Buffy's way... "Couldn't we at least teleport outta here with
it?...Just a few miles away, maybe?..."
"And end up potentially anywhere, including another Earth or inside
solid rock or on another Earth inside solid rock?... No, thanks..."
"God..." Third Buffy kicked at the ground...
"And you thought you had problems when you were just back from the
dead..." Buffy grinned faintly...
"Shut up...I didn't ask for this...Or to be brought back for that
matter..."
"Quiet..." Buffy cautioned, hearing the sound of something large
moving on the ground just beyond their cell...A key scraping in the
lock of their massive door...Willow eyeing them...
"Xander..." she waved him in...He bearing two plates of what looked
like some kind of mushy stew with spoons stuck upright in the
center...She eyed the two Buffies coolly as Xander hastily placed the
two plates within their reach ...Buffy giving Third Buffy a cautious
look...Don't...
I know what you're thinking but grab him while Willow has us locked up
and I don't think it'll end well...The hostage option can
wait...Xander hurried back to where Willow watched, darting past
her...
"Sorry, it's not gourmet fare, girls, but there aren't many unlooted
grocery stores left around here..."
"So you believe we're human..." Buffy stated...
"Willow...We didn't come here intentionally..." Third Buffy tried...
"More or less yes...And I believe that..." Willow replied to both...
"But..." Buffy stared at her...
"But..." Willow nodded... "I haven't decided I can risk letting you
go...Yet...Not at least until I have your triplet safely under lock
and key...And know for sure I'm not being had..."
"Willow, we're not evil..." Third Buffy began...Willow putting up a
hand as Xander began rocking and chuckling behind her...
"That what she says..." he laughed...Then suddenly burst into tears,
startling the Buffies, though Alternate Willow remained
unmoved...Except to reach back and gently touch him with one hand, not
taking her eyes from the chained Buffies...
"It's all right, Xander..." she said, without emotion...
"Ladies..." she addressed them... "I don't have time to worry whether
you're evil or innocent and pure as the driven snow...Until I have the
other one of you here and am sure there's no threat, you are going
nowhere...I'd suggest you eat up and then try earning my trust by
helping me find her...It's for her own good, I promise you..."
"The only way we can help you is if you let us go..." Third Buffy told
her...
Hey...I was about to say that...Buffy frowned...
"Not a deal-maker, sweetie..." Willow shook her head...
"We haven't any idea where the other one went, Willow..." Buffy cut
in... "All we know is she's looking for William..."
"Really?...Great..." Willow smiled... "Then she's sure to come back in
time, if she doesn't die of thirst or starvation out in what's left of
our good ole California...Cause William...Our William, anyway...Is
right here..."
"Willow..." Buffy tried... "At least tell us what happened here...What
did..." she hesitated...
"...She do..." Third Buffy finished... Thanks, little Lady
Echo...Buffy glared a bit...
Don't remember resigning my post as Slayer, Third Buffy stared
back...Reading thought...Hmmn...She eyed the plate of stew...No point in
asking if there's any bread I suppose...Oh, well...She pulled it over...
"Your other sister?..." Willow grinned... "Quite the little hellion,
that one...But, gone...After we bottled her and Spike up here I'm
afraid the supply of fresh meat didn't last too long once their army
let reproduction take its course...A little disappointing, really,
considering her record of leadership...But she did nearly flunk the
section on population biology back in high school..."
Xander, calming, watching from behind her...Running fingers through
his long hair and twisting...
"She was turned..." Buffy...And I was busy with the Mayor that
quarter, Third Buffy thought, swallowing, a little peeved...
"Oh, yeah..." Willow nodded... "But it was a neat romantic story from
her pov...Though involving a leetle suffering on the part of the rest
of us..."
"Spike..." Third Buffy whispered... "He turned...Her...She trusted him
and he..." Ignoring Buffy's hard stare...
"Not exactly...The amazing thing's poor ole Spike isn't the villain of
the piece..." Willow smiled coldly... "Though he was the instrument in
part..."
"I'm afraid Love, the bastard...And Buffy Summers...Were the monsters
here..."
***
"This was where we arrived...I'm almost sure..." Previous looked
around... "They must've gone looking for me...Or something happened to
them..."
"Uh-huh...Not meaning to complain, boss lady..." Anne spoke up... "But
pinking skies and me don't agree..." she pointed to where the dawn was
fast arriving... "I gotta get somewhere dark...Soon..."
"I'll try to let that worry me..." Previous replied, carefully
searching the ground... "Yeah...I smell that crappy perfume Dawn
bought me after I came back...She was wearing it, the one just
resurrected...I remember I splashed it on that week to please
her...Didn't care what I smelled like..."
Anne eyed her...
"...Ok, when Will noticed, I scrubbed it off...First sign I wasn't
totally dead to the world, really..."
"Resurrected, eh?...How'd we pull that off?..."
"Glory...Willow..."
"Nice...Willow must've been strutting that week..."
"How'd you avoid...?...You said Giles killed you, not Glory...?"
"Will killed Glory..." Anne beamed proudly... "He found out where and
in whom she lived and disposed of a certain young doctor-
host...Knowing we were married, he wasn't about to take chances...He
saved us all and Giles' reward was a pompous speech about my duty and
the need for sacrifice and that arrow aimed at his heart which I chose
to take..."
"Sounds like Giles..." Previous frowned...
"So Glory whacked you and Willow pulled you back...The other two as
well?..."
"Yeah..."
"And you found out...I mean, Cicely...When?..."
"After Will stopped the First...And Giles showed about as much
consideration..."
"The First...What?..." Anne asked, puzzled...
"Evil...I'd've thought you'd know her..."
"Oh, that First...She actually came forth and put her sacred ass on the
line?..." twisted smile, mocking nod... "Bout time we got a little
respect..." she paused... "William took her out?..." a slow, genuine smile
which cut abruptly... "Could we get moving before...?" she waved a hand at
the sky...Now rapidly brightening...
"He did..." Previous nodded... "And here..." she tossed her jacket...A short-
sleeved affair...Anne frowning as she made shift to cover her head...
Big help, sis...
"You're the local...Where's the nearest shelter?...If you left
anything..."
"I think there's some buildings still standing that way..." Anne
pointed... "And it wasn't all our fault...It's hard keeping a horde of
mostly mindless creatures of instinct in check...Especially when they're
fascinated by things like indoor plumbing..."
Hmmn...Warren considered as he regarded his chains, then the door of his
cell...Choosing for the moment to take the 'glass half full' route...
Lesbo the Wiccan seems willing to deal...And while clearly gifted
magically, not exactly ably backed up by what one might call...Well,
able back-...
Xander opened the cell door...
"Hey...It's Renfield Jr...Say bad-hair man, hows about..."
Xander tossed a plastic bottle at him...
"Geesh, watch it!..." Warren glared...Moving to the bottle, looking it
over...Seemed ordinary enough...He managed to twist the cap off and
sniffing, drank greedily...Xander watching quietly...
"You know I eat too..." he looked over...
"Willow say water...When she say eats, you eat..." Xander shook his head...
"Tell her I'm no use if I'm dead..." Warren fumed...
"You ok...Plenty fat on you..."
"Thanks, Jenny Craig...Get Willow in here, now!...Tell her it's no...What
the hell are you staring at..." he stared back at Xander's intent look...
Things don't look so prosperous round here...And wild man Harris did
seem rather quick to notice my figure...
"You human..." he stated flatly... "But no good..."
"Gee...I'm devastated...You being such a fit judge of character, nutcase...
Will you..." Warren stared at the bottle of water in his hand...Gagging as
the stale taste hit...
"Christ...This is more holy water, isn't it?...Tastes like it's been in
the fount the last century..."
"Human...But no good..." Xander repeated...
"Can't you go find some nice bugs to chow down on, pal?...And send
your little witch to me?..."
"Willow?..." Xander stared... "You trying to get Willow?..." he frowned...
"Willow and I have a deal, nutboy...Just tell her..."
"She not right these days...I better..." Xander started looking round...Ah...
"Oh?...Well, coming from you...You better what?...Hey...Ummn..." Mears
stared at the large mallet now held by the wild-haired escapee from
some carnival of freaks...
"I take care for Willow...No trouble..." Xander stepped forward, mallet
securely held...
"Look, pal...Uh, Harris, right?...We were classmates, right?...Sunnydale
High...Remember, the good ole days when you weren't a candidate for the
looney bin?..."
"You no good...Willow not right...I take care..." he raised the mallet...
"Jesus!..." Warren managed to roll right just as the mallet came down,
hard...
The answer being obvious there was little point to mouthing the
standard 'are you nuts?'...
"Willow!!!..." Warren screamed as Xander brought the mallet down hard
again...Again missing as Warren barely dodged...
"Stay and I take care!..." Xander insisted...
***
"You could've helped her..." Buffy noted quietly as Willow finished her
tale of Anne's emergence and the horrors this world had experienced
since...
"I did...Just too late...I should have told Giles the first day...Or flamed
William myself the day she told me..."
"Bullshit...You could've helped him get his soul back...Giles could have...
If my Will could find out about the African demon god, Giles must've
known of him...It wasn't Will's fault...He was trapped..."
"I don't blame him...Much...Spike is what he is..." Willow nodded... "And he
didn't kill Tara or Anya...Or Dawn..."
"I'm sorry..." Buffy shook her head... "But that wasn't us..."
"From where I'm sitting it could've been..." Willow noted... "From what
you've told me you were about ready to do anything...Whatever the
consequences to your friends and family...To save him...Throw in a little
demonic evil and that sounds like our Anne to me..."
"We just want to leave, Willow...Lets find the other Buffy and we'll go
and never bother you again..."
"Hmmn...Not quite the deal I have in mind..." Willow shook her head... "What
does your sister say?...Buffy?...You got anything to
offer?...What?...Cat got your tongue?..."
Third Buffy was still silent where she'd been sitting, finishing her
plate...Buffy stared at her...She was more than silent...Statuesque...
"What did you do to her?..." Buffy looked at Willow who'd moved in
closer to Third Buffy... "That stuff...?" she regarded the mostly-wolfed
plate by her twin...
"A little something I whipped up..." Willow grinned, gently patting
Third Buffy's now rigid right arm... "I had a feeling she might be the
one to try it without waiting...Guess she's not so well acquainted with
my darker side as you seem to be...Though there's a little of me in her
now..." she moved back to the door...Standing by it and opening...
A faint cry from the hall...Hmmn...
"Sounds like my new partner's in trouble..." Third Buffy smiled
suddenly, rising...The chains dropping off...Willow at the door now stiff
in the same statue-like pose she'd been in a moment ago...
"Excuse me, sis..." she went to the door and out...Buffy staring after
her, then at the silent, frozen Willow...
***
.
A shortie...
PG 13
Disclaimer: No, Joss, no...I make no claims, put that thing down!
It's all yours and ME's.
Spoilers for Angel to this week...Flee at once!...
Summary: Similar to my Immortal Beloved series of sketches, and my
Semi Parallel Lives bits mostly just short brainstorming ideas for
other tales...As with both of those, some bits may be multipart,
others just a few lines...
***
Part D...
"We could just do the sensible thing for once...Tell Willow who we are
and get her to let us find our even-nuttier-than-you sister and have
Warren take us off this hellhole with that thing of yours..." Third
Buffy noted...
"Uh-huh..." Buffy eyed her twin... "I don't think this Willow or her
Xander are exactly the 'sensible' type...And they seem pretty down on
Buffy Summerses in general...I think our counterpart on this Earth
screwed it big time...Maybe even went over to the enemy..."
"Great...A fourth Buffy, possibly evil?...And meanwhile we just sit
here and wait for them to try staking us just to be sure..."
"Unless you can break these chains, yeah..."
"What about our using the thing...?" Third Buffy twisted her head
Buffy's way... "Couldn't we at least teleport outta here with
it?...Just a few miles away, maybe?..."
"And end up potentially anywhere, including another Earth or inside
solid rock or on another Earth inside solid rock?... No, thanks..."
"God..." Third Buffy kicked at the ground...
"And you thought you had problems when you were just back from the
dead..." Buffy grinned faintly...
"Shut up...I didn't ask for this...Or to be brought back for that
matter..."
"Quiet..." Buffy cautioned, hearing the sound of something large
moving on the ground just beyond their cell...A key scraping in the
lock of their massive door...Willow eyeing them...
"Xander..." she waved him in...He bearing two plates of what looked
like some kind of mushy stew with spoons stuck upright in the
center...She eyed the two Buffies coolly as Xander hastily placed the
two plates within their reach ...Buffy giving Third Buffy a cautious
look...Don't...
I know what you're thinking but grab him while Willow has us locked up
and I don't think it'll end well...The hostage option can
wait...Xander hurried back to where Willow watched, darting past
her...
"Sorry, it's not gourmet fare, girls, but there aren't many unlooted
grocery stores left around here..."
"So you believe we're human..." Buffy stated...
"Willow...We didn't come here intentionally..." Third Buffy tried...
"More or less yes...And I believe that..." Willow replied to both...
"But..." Buffy stared at her...
"But..." Willow nodded... "I haven't decided I can risk letting you
go...Yet...Not at least until I have your triplet safely under lock
and key...And know for sure I'm not being had..."
"Willow, we're not evil..." Third Buffy began...Willow putting up a
hand as Xander began rocking and chuckling behind her...
"That what she says..." he laughed...Then suddenly burst into tears,
startling the Buffies, though Alternate Willow remained
unmoved...Except to reach back and gently touch him with one hand, not
taking her eyes from the chained Buffies...
"It's all right, Xander..." she said, without emotion...
"Ladies..." she addressed them... "I don't have time to worry whether
you're evil or innocent and pure as the driven snow...Until I have the
other one of you here and am sure there's no threat, you are going
nowhere...I'd suggest you eat up and then try earning my trust by
helping me find her...It's for her own good, I promise you..."
"The only way we can help you is if you let us go..." Third Buffy told
her...
Hey...I was about to say that...Buffy frowned...
"Not a deal-maker, sweetie..." Willow shook her head...
"We haven't any idea where the other one went, Willow..." Buffy cut
in... "All we know is she's looking for William..."
"Really?...Great..." Willow smiled... "Then she's sure to come back in
time, if she doesn't die of thirst or starvation out in what's left of
our good ole California...Cause William...Our William, anyway...Is
right here..."
"Willow..." Buffy tried... "At least tell us what happened here...What
did..." she hesitated...
"...She do..." Third Buffy finished... Thanks, little Lady
Echo...Buffy glared a bit...
Don't remember resigning my post as Slayer, Third Buffy stared
back...Reading thought...Hmmn...She eyed the plate of stew...No point in
asking if there's any bread I suppose...Oh, well...She pulled it over...
"Your other sister?..." Willow grinned... "Quite the little hellion,
that one...But, gone...After we bottled her and Spike up here I'm
afraid the supply of fresh meat didn't last too long once their army
let reproduction take its course...A little disappointing, really,
considering her record of leadership...But she did nearly flunk the
section on population biology back in high school..."
Xander, calming, watching from behind her...Running fingers through
his long hair and twisting...
"She was turned..." Buffy...And I was busy with the Mayor that
quarter, Third Buffy thought, swallowing, a little peeved...
"Oh, yeah..." Willow nodded... "But it was a neat romantic story from
her pov...Though involving a leetle suffering on the part of the rest
of us..."
"Spike..." Third Buffy whispered... "He turned...Her...She trusted him
and he..." Ignoring Buffy's hard stare...
"Not exactly...The amazing thing's poor ole Spike isn't the villain of
the piece..." Willow smiled coldly... "Though he was the instrument in
part..."
"I'm afraid Love, the bastard...And Buffy Summers...Were the monsters
here..."
***
"This was where we arrived...I'm almost sure..." Previous looked
around... "They must've gone looking for me...Or something happened to
them..."
"Uh-huh...Not meaning to complain, boss lady..." Anne spoke up... "But
pinking skies and me don't agree..." she pointed to where the dawn was
fast arriving... "I gotta get somewhere dark...Soon..."
"I'll try to let that worry me..." Previous replied, carefully
searching the ground... "Yeah...I smell that crappy perfume Dawn
bought me after I came back...She was wearing it, the one just
resurrected...I remember I splashed it on that week to please
her...Didn't care what I smelled like..."
Anne eyed her...
"...Ok, when Will noticed, I scrubbed it off...First sign I wasn't
totally dead to the world, really..."
"Resurrected, eh?...How'd we pull that off?..."
"Glory...Willow..."
"Nice...Willow must've been strutting that week..."
"How'd you avoid...?...You said Giles killed you, not Glory...?"
"Will killed Glory..." Anne beamed proudly... "He found out where and
in whom she lived and disposed of a certain young doctor-
host...Knowing we were married, he wasn't about to take chances...He
saved us all and Giles' reward was a pompous speech about my duty and
the need for sacrifice and that arrow aimed at his heart which I chose
to take..."
"Sounds like Giles..." Previous frowned...
"So Glory whacked you and Willow pulled you back...The other two as
well?..."
"Yeah..."
"And you found out...I mean, Cicely...When?..."
"After Will stopped the First...And Giles showed about as much
consideration..."
"The First...What?..." Anne asked, puzzled...
"Evil...I'd've thought you'd know her..."
"Oh, that First...She actually came forth and put her sacred ass on the
line?..." twisted smile, mocking nod... "Bout time we got a little
respect..." she paused... "William took her out?..." a slow, genuine smile
which cut abruptly... "Could we get moving before...?" she waved a hand at
the sky...Now rapidly brightening...
"He did..." Previous nodded... "And here..." she tossed her jacket...A short-
sleeved affair...Anne frowning as she made shift to cover her head...
Big help, sis...
"You're the local...Where's the nearest shelter?...If you left
anything..."
"I think there's some buildings still standing that way..." Anne
pointed... "And it wasn't all our fault...It's hard keeping a horde of
mostly mindless creatures of instinct in check...Especially when they're
fascinated by things like indoor plumbing..."
Hmmn...Warren considered as he regarded his chains, then the door of his
cell...Choosing for the moment to take the 'glass half full' route...
Lesbo the Wiccan seems willing to deal...And while clearly gifted
magically, not exactly ably backed up by what one might call...Well,
able back-...
Xander opened the cell door...
"Hey...It's Renfield Jr...Say bad-hair man, hows about..."
Xander tossed a plastic bottle at him...
"Geesh, watch it!..." Warren glared...Moving to the bottle, looking it
over...Seemed ordinary enough...He managed to twist the cap off and
sniffing, drank greedily...Xander watching quietly...
"You know I eat too..." he looked over...
"Willow say water...When she say eats, you eat..." Xander shook his head...
"Tell her I'm no use if I'm dead..." Warren fumed...
"You ok...Plenty fat on you..."
"Thanks, Jenny Craig...Get Willow in here, now!...Tell her it's no...What
the hell are you staring at..." he stared back at Xander's intent look...
Things don't look so prosperous round here...And wild man Harris did
seem rather quick to notice my figure...
"You human..." he stated flatly... "But no good..."
"Gee...I'm devastated...You being such a fit judge of character, nutcase...
Will you..." Warren stared at the bottle of water in his hand...Gagging as
the stale taste hit...
"Christ...This is more holy water, isn't it?...Tastes like it's been in
the fount the last century..."
"Human...But no good..." Xander repeated...
"Can't you go find some nice bugs to chow down on, pal?...And send
your little witch to me?..."
"Willow?..." Xander stared... "You trying to get Willow?..." he frowned...
"Willow and I have a deal, nutboy...Just tell her..."
"She not right these days...I better..." Xander started looking round...Ah...
"Oh?...Well, coming from you...You better what?...Hey...Ummn..." Mears
stared at the large mallet now held by the wild-haired escapee from
some carnival of freaks...
"I take care for Willow...No trouble..." Xander stepped forward, mallet
securely held...
"Look, pal...Uh, Harris, right?...We were classmates, right?...Sunnydale
High...Remember, the good ole days when you weren't a candidate for the
looney bin?..."
"You no good...Willow not right...I take care..." he raised the mallet...
"Jesus!..." Warren managed to roll right just as the mallet came down,
hard...
The answer being obvious there was little point to mouthing the
standard 'are you nuts?'...
"Willow!!!..." Warren screamed as Xander brought the mallet down hard
again...Again missing as Warren barely dodged...
"Stay and I take care!..." Xander insisted...
***
"You could've helped her..." Buffy noted quietly as Willow finished her
tale of Anne's emergence and the horrors this world had experienced
since...
"I did...Just too late...I should have told Giles the first day...Or flamed
William myself the day she told me..."
"Bullshit...You could've helped him get his soul back...Giles could have...
If my Will could find out about the African demon god, Giles must've
known of him...It wasn't Will's fault...He was trapped..."
"I don't blame him...Much...Spike is what he is..." Willow nodded... "And he
didn't kill Tara or Anya...Or Dawn..."
"I'm sorry..." Buffy shook her head... "But that wasn't us..."
"From where I'm sitting it could've been..." Willow noted... "From what
you've told me you were about ready to do anything...Whatever the
consequences to your friends and family...To save him...Throw in a little
demonic evil and that sounds like our Anne to me..."
"We just want to leave, Willow...Lets find the other Buffy and we'll go
and never bother you again..."
"Hmmn...Not quite the deal I have in mind..." Willow shook her head... "What
does your sister say?...Buffy?...You got anything to
offer?...What?...Cat got your tongue?..."
Third Buffy was still silent where she'd been sitting, finishing her
plate...Buffy stared at her...She was more than silent...Statuesque...
"What did you do to her?..." Buffy looked at Willow who'd moved in
closer to Third Buffy... "That stuff...?" she regarded the mostly-wolfed
plate by her twin...
"A little something I whipped up..." Willow grinned, gently patting
Third Buffy's now rigid right arm... "I had a feeling she might be the
one to try it without waiting...Guess she's not so well acquainted with
my darker side as you seem to be...Though there's a little of me in her
now..." she moved back to the door...Standing by it and opening...
A faint cry from the hall...Hmmn...
"Sounds like my new partner's in trouble..." Third Buffy smiled
suddenly, rising...The chains dropping off...Willow at the door now stiff
in the same statue-like pose she'd been in a moment ago...
"Excuse me, sis..." she went to the door and out...Buffy staring after
her, then at the silent, frozen Willow...
***
.