Author: Restive Nature (aka Bavite)
Disclaimer: The characters and fictional placings of either of these shows do not belong to me. They belong to Cameron/ Eglee (Dark Angel), Joss Whedon (BtVS) and Whedon/ Greenwalt (AtS). Only the story belongs to me.
Rating: 13 (for now)
Genre: Crossover of DA/ BtVS
Type: WiP
Timeline/ Spoilers: Post Season 5 for Buffy. Up to LAtR for DA. Story set in DA time.
Summary: BtVS/ DA crossover. Life brings about so many changes. Especially when one has just risen from the dead.
A/N- Not all of the events that took place in Dark Angel will be present in this fiction. And there may be more time passing between events than it appeared on the show. So I guess that makes this AU.
Chapter Nine
May 23rd, 2021
6:03 a.m.
"Where are they?" Logan grumbled once again. Max held back a groan. He’d been asking that every hour at first, the frequency accelerating as time continued to pass. Now he was asking every few minutes.
"Logan, sit down," Max instructed, careful to keep the annoyance out of her voice. She indicated the other side of the dilapidated porch steps. "Look, Alec has his cell phone, you have yours. He’ll call if there’s a problem."
"But they should have been here hours ago," Logan grumbled, gingerly lowering himself to the bottom step. He’d been shocked when he saw the house. All the windows were smashed inwards, the inside gutted by looters. It looked like someone had tried to make repairs at one time and then gave up faced with the futility of it. All the things that Joyce had taken pride in were ruined.
"Think about it Logan," Max shrugged. "Those woods were a forty-five minute drive. It’ll take them a lot longer to walk back."
"That’s true," Logan conceded with a frown. "But still, it’s been six hours. It wouldn’t take that long."
"Well," Max gazed down the street again as she spoke; "your cousin might have been confused and got lost. She may not have decided to come back here first." She glanced back down at Logan, staring at her earnestly, a little boy looking for reassurance. "We don’t know what’s going though her mind. But I’m sure she’s okay. Or at least as well as can be expected." Logan nodded slowly, trying to take her words to heart. He knew that she was probably correct. But this secret fear dwelled in his heart. A common fear that swelled up whenever anyone he cared about was in trouble.
A few minutes passed in silence before Max noticed movement. She rose from her perch and advanced down the walkway to the street. She heard Logan jump up and cautioned him back. Silly, she knew, for a ghost town, but she wasn’t taking any chances at the moment. She was still mildly freaked out by the events of the night. She let her breath go though when she recognized Alec. She motioned Logan forward. They waited on what was left of the sidewalk as Alec came to them, carrying Buffy in his arms. Once he was close enough, Logan addressed this.
"Is she okay?" he called out. Alec took the last few steps to them before answering. He adjusted the woman in his arms so that her head, which had been starting to slide back, found a comfortable nesting spot.
"Worn out," were Alec’s clipped words. He glanced up at the house, grimacing at the state. Even by post pulse standards, it was despicable. Odds were that they wouldn’t be able to salvage anything. Nor would they want to stay there. So instead of heading inside as he’d been planning to do, he turned on his heel and made for Logan’s car. Max jogged ahead of him and opened the back door for him. Alec lowered Buffy’s still form into the car, waiting quietly until she’d settled in. He pushed the door shut. "Let’s go."
"Go where?" Logan demanded as the other man moved around the rear of the car to the driver’s side. "Alec what happened?"
Alec ran a tired hand over the back of his neck. "You know what Logan, why don’t I tell you once we’re on our way. I don’t know about you, but I’m tired, I’m hungry and I could really use a shower. And we need to get your cousin somewhere she’ll feel safe. Okay?" the tone was light, but the words were, not threatening but action inducing. Logan found himself heading to the car before he fully took in everything Alec had said. Alec climbed into the backseat on the driver’s seat, leaving the front for Max and Logan.
When they climbed in, they found Alec rummaging along the floor of the vehicle. Max was about to ask what he was looking for when he came up with an old, worn blanket that Logan kept for emergencies. He carefully spread it over Buffy, making sure that as much of her body was covered as possible. Max and Logan both jumped in surprise when she turned her head in his direction. Her eyes peeped open just the tiniest bit.
"Ow," she murmured.
"Buffy," Logan breathed, a silly grin adorning his face. "I thought you were asleep." But she didn’t respond, just stared at him blankly. Alec leaned forward slowly, coming into her sights with ease.
"Close your eyes," he instructed. After a moment, she complied. Max and Logan exchanged speculative glances, but Alec turned to them to explain. "The light hurts her eyes." Logan chewed on the inside of his cheek, then nodded and turned around to start the vehicle.
"LA?" he asked as he eased the car back into the empty street. He glanced in the rearview mirror and saw Alec nod while trying to fight off a yawn.
"We can try and get a motel room or something there," Alec responded once his jaw gave up control of his mouth. "And then we can figure out where we’ll go from there."
"Sounds like a plan," Max agreed quietly. They drove on quietly, making for the highway. Logan’s concentration was on the road, trying to avoid obstacles, though he wasn’t going very fast. But once they were speeding along the road at a more acceptable rate, Logan glanced up in the rearview mirror again, focusing on the male transgenic.
"Alec," he muttered quietly. The man’s eyes had fluttered closed, but with that uttered sound, they popped open. He rubbed a tired hand over his face as he straightened up. He really shouldn’t have been so tired, but he’d discovered over the past year that emotional turmoil could tire him out quicker than physical exertion. But he’d trained to exist on minimal standards for many things. Sleep among them.
"Yeah Logan?"
"You were going to tell us what happened," Logan prompted. "Why you took so long?"
Alec glanced over at Buffy before answering. He knew she wasn’t asleep by the way her eyes stole open every few moments. He wondered if she was scared to fall asleep. Of course, having been dead for the last twenty years, she’d probably had enough of that state and sleep was close enough. Even as he watched, her eyes slid open again, staring straight at his face. She flinched a little and shut her eyes again. He wondered how much he could say to them, to explain. He didn’t mind telling them; there was nothing to hide. But his opinion of what had gone down earlier could hurt the woman across from him. And he was of the opinion that she’d had enough trauma for the night. So he decided on the edited version.
"I stayed with her all the way back to town," he told them evenly, turning to address the front seat passengers. "She made for what I assumed was city center. We talked for a few minutes and then we headed back to the house."
"That’s it?" Logan scoffed incredulously. He’d been sure that in the amount of time that had passed, another momentous event must have occurred.
"Logan," Max admonished softly, catching another yawn from Alec’s direction. She turned in her seat. "Sleep. We’ll wake you up when we hit LA." He nodded his thanks and shifted around, trying to find a comfortable position. He finally ended up pulling his right leg to rest on the middle of the seat and curling into the seat. He was tall enough that sitting back there; his head reclined comfortably against the edge of the seat. He leaned his head down on the padded headrest and blinked sleepily.
A grin stole over his face as he caught Buffy peering at him again. And every time it was accompanied by a flinch. He turned his head to see that light was glinting in the window, probably right in her vision. He adjusted himself minutely, so that his shoulder was further out, blocking the pain inducing rays. When he chanced another look, her eyes were wide open and staring blankly at him. As if trying to understand him. Not who or what he was, but just generally placing him in the world at large.
At long last, Buffy moved, pushing the blanket off. She continued until most of it was bunched between them. She surprised him a little by holding out the corner to him. Without bothering to try and analyze her behavior, Alec just accepted it. He settled the blanket around himself, making sure that enough was left for her and let himself drift off. If she wanted to study his face to keep everything else at bay for a few hours more, that was fine by him. Neither did he care about the two sets of indulgent eyes from the front seat. Both of which belonged to people who were thinking quite along similar lines. It was almost as if the duo on the back were just plain old kids, tuckered out by a long day of play. If only that could have been the truth of it.
May 23rd, 2021
Los Angeles- a little before nine o’clock.
Alec stood in the doorway, beside Buffy, at the motel that Logan had found. The very first one he’d found. Max and Logan had already entered, murmuring about their luck in finding one room with two double beds. It was quite luxurious in this day and age. Max was carrying her bag and moved to set it down on one of the beds. Logan followed suit with the other bed and then turned back to see why his cousin and Alec hadn’t entered yet.
"Come in Buffy," he encouraged with a broad smile. But the only response he received was Alec’s aggravated grunt.
"Give her a sec," Alec told the other man. "I think she’s checking it out." And indeed, Buffy’s eyes were darting into every deep dark, recessed corner that she could see. And finally cautiously she took a few steps forward. Alec followed and shut the door. He leaned against it, settling his bag at his feet. All three of the original travelers watched Buffy warily. She moved slowly around the room, picking up objects where she could, studying them for a brief moment before letting them fall from her grip.
Logan was almost on an euphoric high at having his cousin back. Her odd behavior worried him a little, but he eventually figured that she needed time to acclimate herself to being alive again. Max, who’d in a way woken up from death to find her surroundings and circumstances had changed drastically, pondered on how difficult Buffy must be finding just simply functioning. Alec realized immediately that her wandering didn’t have too much deeper meaning than what she’d been doing with him earlier. Ordering the things around her by classifying them, losing interest when she’d gleaned whatever information she needed.
"Buffy," Logan finally called, when he got tired of watching her slow progression around the room. She turned and stared at him, her face straight, nothing sparking in her eyes. The full weight of that blank stare made him falter just a little, but he bolstered himself. All they had to do was help her out a little, set her back on the path of her new life and she’d be okay. "Would you like to take a bath? Get cleaned up? You’ll feel better." He frowned momentarily at Alec’s snort of contempt. Buffy heard it as well and turned to the other man.
Alec waited for something more, to come from her, but she was as reactionless as she’d been during the return to her house. Knowing what was called for, he stepped forward and addressed her specifically. "Buffy, go into the bathroom," he directed and held his hand out, his finger pointing to the appropriate door. And like a docile pet, she turned and followed his order. Logan gaped at Alec, but Max eyed first him and then Buffy’s retreating back thoughtfully.
Alec ignored Logan and moved to retrieve the first aid kit he’d brought in with him from the car. He followed Buffy and stood once more in a doorway. "Buffy, I’m going to clean up your hands. Sit down on the toilet." Peeking over Alec’s shoulder Logan saw her comply, with nary a comment. Which just wasn’t his cousin at all. He grimaced. ‘Time Logan,’ he chastised himself, ‘she needs time.’ Alec set the kit down in the edge of the freestanding sink and removed tweezers, antiseptic and bandages. "Show me your right hand." With his free hand, he took the proffered one and studied it carefully. Without letting her go, he glanced up at her face again. "I’m going to pull the splinters out. It’ll probably hurt a bit. Then we’ll wash your hand and bandage it up. Then I’ll do the same with your other hand?" He didn’t ask for approval of his plan, just set about putting it in motion. He completely ignored the others as he dropped down to his knees so that he could get close enough to work at it quickly.
Logan was glaring at his back, though he didn’t seem to notice or care. Logan noticed that Max had moved to his side and was observing as well. "Why is he talking to her like she’s a child. She’s not," he muttered heatedly under his breath. But Max heard him. Alec too, probably, though he didn’t react. Max simply sighed and pulled Logan away, to the other side of the room.
"He’s not," Max said, a little grudgingly. She’d been surprised that Alec had come up with some sort of game plan for dealing with this anomaly that had cropped up in their lives. And that so far it was working. Logan cocked his head to the side, trying to understand how Max and Alec had gotten to be on the same wavelength in the past twenty-four hours without him realizing it. "He’s simply telling her what he’s going to do and what to expect," she explained. "That way she’s not surprised." She turned her head to study the duo in the bathroom. Another thought raced through her mind, and though it was new, she understood on an instinctive level that she’d gotten it right. "I think he’s also developing a level of trust. When he tells her something will happen and it does, then that’ll help her to believe that he’s telling her the truth."
Logan thought it over and what she said did make sense. "I guess," he finally admitted. Max smiled sadly.
"Cause face it Logan," she went on. "Your cousin doesn’t exactly have a lot of reason to trust us right now." Before he could protest this, she held up her hand. "I know. You’re her cousin. But the cousin she would remember isn’t the man standing before her. She doesn’t know Alec or I. Her world has changed so drastically…"
There was little else to say to that. Eventually Alec had finished up doctoring Buffy’s hands and the other minor cuts and abrasions she had incurred. He’d informed her that she needed to get cleaned up and called Max back in to deal with that portion of the morning. Alec advised Max to stay with Buffy, no matter how strange that request might seem. Max frowned at him, but did as he requested. Alec shut the bathroom door and ambled over to where he’d left his bag. He busied himself removing some fresh clothes for himself and the other necessities for his turn at cleaning up.
"Alec?" Logan asked quietly, having taken a seat on the bed closest to the main door. Alec glanced over his shoulder, his hands still. "You were going to tell me about earlier?" he prompted again. Alec averted his face and stalled a little, zipping the bag back up.
"Are you sure you want to know?" he finally asked, resigned. Why he’d even bothered with the question was beyond him. Of course Logan would want to know. He always wanted to know everything. Digging into dirty sector cops, corrupted politicians lives and the underworld of mobsters had spilled over into his personal life as well. As expected, Logan answered in the affirmative. Alec took a moment, ordering the chaotic thoughts that had whirled through his brain this morning. He had to put it in order, or Logan might not understand the full implication of what had happened.
May 23rd, 2021
5:38 a.m.
"Is this hell?" Buffy asked, her voice rough, unused to being used. Hesitant, as if she really believed that such a thing were possible. Alec was puzzled. He’d never really given a thought to the concept of hell. If he had, he supposed that it would be a purgatory of sorts. Different for each individual, designed for maximum damage. Kind of like Manticore. But he didn’t know what she expected, so he tried to be gentle.
"Not to me, it isn’t," he replied, ducking down to look her full in the face. There was a flicker of something in her eyes. "Is that what it feels like to you?"
She barely reacted, but the slight tremor that ran through her body confirmed that yes, the designation was important and relevant to her. But instead of pursuing that line of thought with him, she turned her attention back to the structure that had once adorned the city for a brief time, before an earthquake and time had pulled it down. Just like every other relic in this forsaken town. Alec saw her tense up, her body preparing to move. And since she couldn’t go forward, and she wasn’t leaning backwards in that minute way that people did, that meant she intended to go up.
The plan she’d formulated burst into Alec’s mind. This was Hell to her. A Hell she’d tried to escape before. His belief that she’d head for home, like a wounded animal wanting to nurse itself back to health was way off the mark. She’d tried to end the pain, escape life once before. And had managed to do it. Of course she wouldn’t want to be here.
"Buffy, stop," his voice was a little louder now, urgency lowering the tone. She turned to look at him once more, her eyes quickly dismissing him as she prepared to climb. Alec decided that he didn’t have time for the kid gloves treatment and reached out to grab her hand. He pulled her away from the structure, though she put up a token resistance. "If it hurts, if this is hell, then we’ll take you someplace that doesn’t hurt. But you need to stay with us," he urged, including Logan and Max in his sentiments.
But now, with the full weight of her blank, emotionless face gazing up at his, Alec was the one shuddering. How short a time ago was it that he’d intimated to Max the complete and utter disgust he’d felt with himself, with Manticore, with the circumstances that had led to his reindoctrination? A person could never describe the emptiness a person carried when all your emotions had been burned away. When everything you ever cared about was taken away and the memory of it purged. You just couldn’t describe the eventual duality of mind as you screamed at yourself inside your own mind, begging to be let out. And the absolute straight shot of a figurative foot wide lance that went through your being when you finally did wake up again. To find that the world was no better now than it was then, maybe in fact worse. But somehow, Alec had the impression that Buffy knew.
Here, in this place, everything had been stripped from her. Had been taken from her. A person couldn’t put it into words. Only someone who had experienced it first hand knew. And Buffy had it in spades. But Alec wondered if she were also looking for a reason to keep going. There had to have been something that had prompted her initial reaction. After living for twenty years, something had happened, whether in her life or her mind that left no way out but escape. Alec’s mind strove furiously to find understanding of what could draw her back. He knew so little about her, and everything was from Logan’s point of view. How then could he make a connection with her and get her mind off where her instincts were leading her?
Was family the answer for her? But that wouldn’t work, he decided quickly. She didn’t know the adult Logan. Her family and friends were gone. And if any of them were still around, the differences between what they’d been and what they were now would be impossible for her to grasp and accept immediately. Alec took a desperate glance around, still holding her hand. He could feel her tugging, trying to get away.
"I know," he threw out desperately. "I know, none of this feels right. Everything’s changed, hasn’t it?" She wasn’t looking at him, but he caught the small nod she gave. "And it’s going to change again, you know," he warned. She stiffened at that. But he pressed on, reached out with his free hand to tilt her face up to look at him. "The sun’s coming up and that makes everything look different."
He didn’t know why, but her eyes flashed then. "Sun?" she repeated quietly, then sucked in a huge breath, her eyes widening. "Dawn."
Alec felt like smiling. Finally he’d gotten a reaction from her, though he wasn’t sure it was good. He glanced behind him, to the east, where he could see where the sky was lightened in that curious gray color that preceded the sun's ascent, tinges of blood red shooting over the horizon. "Yeah dawn, it’ll be soon." He turned back to her, taken aback when her hand tightened its grip; the strength she displayed was disconcerting. And then it occurred to him that this wasn’t the dawn she’d meant. "Oh," he sighed. "You mean your sister, don’t you." The pressure on his hand increased and he winced. It was starting to border on painful really. She noticed his reaction and let loose of him, sticking her hands behind her back, like a naughty child about to be chastised.
"Dawn’s in danger," she whispered, her eyes looking back up at the tower. Alec followed her eyes and took this in. Was she relieving that night? Was that why she’d returned? It was entirely possible that Logan had been wrong about the motivation Buffy had had. If her sister were in danger, whatever that meant, would Buffy, the older sister of a pair that had just lost their mother, not do everything in her power to protect her younger sister? It was something to consider. But for now, he had to get her away from this place. But Buffy whirled around. "Where’s Dawn?"
"I don’t know," Alec answered as honestly as possible. Logan hadn’t said where his cousin had settled. But at least they could get some answers. So this was good. "We can ask Logan," he offered. "He’ll know. But we have to go find him now. He’s waiting for us at your house. We should go." Alec felt relief settle in his chest as she hesitantly nodded, but Buffy’s face fell as she turned slowly around in a complete circle. "What is it?" he asked gently. She didn’t reply as her eyes continued to roam over the ghost town, looking for markers that may have no longer been in place. Looking for something familiar.
"Let’s find a phone book then, huh," Alec suggested softly. "Hopefully it’ll have a map. You live on Revello, right?"
"1630," she murmured. Alec’s grin widened as he realized that somehow, and he didn’t think it was thanks to him, but Buffy was coming back to them. He pointed back the way they had come.
"I saw an old telephone booth back that way," he told her. "Let’s go over there and see if we can find that map." She didn’t reply or acknowledge his direction, but to start off in that direction. Alec followed, this time staying by her side as they walked as quickly as Buffy could manage. After her ordeal and then walking and running all night, to be bombarded by confusion, he was surprised that she had energy enough for this. She did stumble a few times and he was ready for the eventuality that she would run out of energy completely. But they made it back to the phone booth without incident.
Alec nudged her onto the bench a few steps away and she sank down, her face having reverted to the blank mask of earlier. Keeping one eye on her, he gingerly fingered his way though the phone book to see if it included the hoped for map. It did. Alec glanced about, calculating their location and then finding Buffy’s address. They weren’t too far away.
"Ow!" He dropped the book and spun around, his body on edge, tensing for what his adrenaline thought was an attack. But it was simply the young woman sitting on the bench, her eyes wide, even as she flinched back. Alec relaxed and bit back a rueful chuckle as he knelt beside her.
"Close your eyes," he ordered, then shook his head. "I’m sure you remember that looking full on at the sun is never a good idea." Finally she complied and Alec sighed. Her face was still lifted to the sky, as soon as she opened her eyes, she’d be staring at the sun again. "Turn your face," he instructed and she did. But when her eyes came open again, she winced.
"Hurts," she mumbled. Alec nodded in understanding.
"Okay then," he decided. "You just keep your eyes closed. We’re not far from your place, so I’ll carry you, okay." She didn’t agree, but neither did she give any indication that he shouldn’t. So Alec simply swept her up, settling her against his chest and pulling his arm tightly around the curve of her back. "You can rest if you want," he offered, shrugging the shoulder where her head could lay. But she didn’t react. It was as if she had lost track of things around her again. They were going to have their work cut out for them, trying to reach her at times like these. "Buffy," he said, but still there was no reaction. "Put your head on my shoulder," he instructed. And with no argument or hesitation, she did exactly as he told her.
Alec hid his sigh of relief. He could work with this. Even if it were basic commands, at least she was responding to something. And after a quick glance about to make sure he was going in the right direction, he headed off to find Max and Logan.
May 23rd, 2021
Los Angeles, a little after nine o’clock
"Alec?" Logan’s voice brought Alec out of his reverie. He straightened up.
"Look Logan," he sighed, "I don’t know what was going through her mind, but I can guess. The first place she made to was that tower downtown. I think it was where she… you know?" Logan looked shaken, but nodded.
"Of course, it was the last thing she’d remember," he answered quietly.
"But I’m not so sure that your cousin committed suicide," Alec mumbled. It was something that had been turning over in his brain all morning. But instead of Logan protesting, as he’d expected, the older man had a glint in his eyes.
"Why do you say that?" he asked eagerly. And Alec realized his mistake. Logan was so desperate to have acceptance, most especially from family that didn’t ridicule and belittle him. He wanted back the cousin that treated him like he was perfectly fine the way he was. But there was no help for it.
"She said that Dawn was in danger," Alec chewed at his lower lip. "I think she was referring to that night." Logan nodded. That was like his cousin. Buffy and Dawn might have disagreed and brawled, like siblings do, but when it came down to brass tacks, they looked out for each other. Hadn’t they?
"If Dawn was in danger…" Logan worried at it. The implications were clear, he just didn’t have the whole story. Maybe his assumptions all these years had been wrong.
"She wants to see her," Alec told him after a moment of silence and Logan turned his glance back to him. "Buffy wants to see Dawn," he clarified and Logan’s face fell.
"She can’t," Logan groaned. Alec was about to ask why, but Logan explained in drastically lowered tones. "Dawn’s dead."
Chapter Ten
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