Author: Restive Nature
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
Time line/ 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.
Distribution: Is under the discretion of the author, so just ask instead of taking please.
Reviews: While I may not always respond to reviews, they are always welcome!
Darkening Of The Light
Chapter Twenty-six
June 1st, 2021
1:10 p.m.
Seattle, WA
Fogle Apartments
Buffy waited anxiously in the living room, for Tara to show up. She had taken up her position, directly after the lunch that Logan had kindly prepared for them. Again, it was small servings of several things and Buffy had to agree with Logan's newest mindset that this was the way to go to actually fuel her body.
She had spent the morning that had remained after getting in touch with Tara, writing out some things, questions, thoughts, the occasional ramble. And now she was eager to get on with it. When the clock ticked over to one o'clock, she had paced for a little while. But Tara had told her as soon as possible after one and had given her plenty of reasons that she might not be there right at the appointed time. Buffy was grateful for that. Because even if she had been out of the game for a good long while, she still seemed to run the bad things through her mind first. But it was daylight, not the hellmouth and only ten minutes later than the blond witch had said.
And sure enough the doorbell to the apartment rang. With relief, Buffy hurried to answer, even as she heard Logan, in the kitchen, moving this way. He had taken a phone call after he had washed the dishes they had used and she had heard him making plans to meet with someone named Asha to discuss a few things. He hadn't said much more, but intimated that she, Buffy, was in need of a quiet afternoon, so he would meet her at another place. There hadn't seemed to be any protest by the woman and Buffy wondered only briefly if this woman was as devoted to her work as Logan was to his. Or so he alleged.
Buffy pulled the door open and saw Tara's beaming face. She immediately began to apologize for being late as she stepped into the apartment. But Logan was smoothing the way as he came into view.
“Seattle can be difficult to navigate for newcomers,” he smiled easily as he took Tara's coat again and hung it on a rack. He removed his own light coat from the same place and pulled it on, before reaching for a file folder that he had placed on an entryway table. “Especially at the check points. Some of the cops take pleasure in hassling guests to our city.”
“Well, luckily, I didn't have that problem,” Tara sighed. “Just forgot one of them between the motel and your apartment and so misjudged how long it would take to get through.”
“Did... did Angel drive you over?” Buffy asked, trying for calm and not quite achieving it. Tara nodded.
“He d-did,” she agreed. “He dropped me off and then was going to go back to the motel and he and Cordy are making up a list of books that we might research.”
“Okay,” Buffy sighed with relief. Angel was away for the moment, doing something that might be useful. She could push back dealing with him for the time being. That was one minor weight slightly lifted from her shoulders.
“All right,” Logan smiled as he moved to open the door once more. “I should be back around four,” he offered to his cousin. “Feel free to help yourself to whatever you need. I put some supplies in the credenza for you, if you need. And there's plenty in the kitchen if you're hungry later.”
“Thanks Logan,” Buffy nodded as her cousin headed out the door. She once again caught his unspoken request to stay out of the office. The door shut quietly and they both heard his footsteps quickly fade away. Buffy gave Tara a small smile and turned to head to the living room, picking up her own pad of paper before she shrugged. “Did you want anything? We already ate, but...”
“Oh no, I'm fine,” Tara waved her hand gently as she took a seat in the chair adjacent to the sofa. Buffy nodded and took a seat as well. She waited a moment for Buffy to situate herself before she leaned forward. “How are you doing?” she asked broadly. Buffy drew in her breath, ready to respond, but realized that she still didn't know herself. There were just so many thoughts swirling around her head. Questions that may or may not have answers. And Tara might or might not be the person to answer.
“Still kind of headachy over the whole thing,” she finally admitted. “Didn't sleep well. But then, with the... and the...” she glanced sheepishly up at the older woman. “I don't sleep much.”
“I can imagine,” Tara offered softly. She seemed to take a moment and then drew in a deep breath herself. “Buffy, do you want to talk? A-about wh-where you w-were, I mean.”
“No!” Buffy's yell startled both of them and she winced, lowering her volume. “Sorry. No. I'd... rather not.”
“All right,” Tara was quick to soothe. “I honestly think that at some point you sh-should,” she stressed in her gentle way. “But if you're not ready, then you're not ready.”
“I'm not ready,” Buffy agreed quietly, blinking back the tears that had started to gather in her eyes. She fiddled with the paper in her lap and then shoved them onto the coffee table before her. “There's some, uh, other stuff though.”
“I can see that,” Tara smiled as she tilted her head to take in Buffy's scribblings. “Anything that seemed very important to you? More than anything else?”
Buffy chewed at her lower lip for a moment. And then nodded slowly. “The Watcher's Council,” she finally admitted. Tara was nodding as well. “They didn't find me right away. The first time,” she admitted. Tara did not seem surprised by that. “I mean, Merrick, my first watcher, he had to watch me for a while to make sure I was the one he was looking for. And then Giles...”
“Are you worried that they'll send someone to find you, now that you're back?” Tara wondered.
“I guess,” Buffy shrugged. “I don't know how they do that. And with Faith and then... Kennedy?”
Tara was pursing her lips thoughtfully. “I'm not quite certain how they find the Slayer. I remember Giles saying something about locating potential Slayers and watching them, especially when the current Slayer passes on. From what Giles told me once, every potential that they are aware of has a Watcher assigned to them. You didn't?”
Buffy shook her head. “I guess I took them by surprise.”
“Always,” Tara grinned. She seemed to be remembering something but it was escaping Buffy at the moment. “Well, I think they also use some spell work to help them locate unknown potentials or Slayers.”
Buffy digested that quickly. “So, they could be on their way here already?”
“I think so,” Tara winced and settled back in her seat. “We- Angel, Cordy and I went to Sunnydale first. To determine what had happened. That's where we met Pietr Voskovic? The one whose Slayer had died in the Cruciamentum?” Buffy was nodding. “He saw your g-grave.”
“So they know I'm back?” Buffy sighed. “And knowing them, they won't react well to that...”
“No, probably not,” Tara agreed with a sigh. And then grimaced. “At best, they'll think they're dealing with a former Slayer turned Zombie. But at least there's one thing that hasn't changed.”
“What's that?” Buffy asked aloud.
“They've always been... slow to respond,” Tara reasoned out. “I... don't think Mr. Voskovic was ordered to Sunnydale. I think he was drawn there somehow. So he'll have to report, they'll send in teams to make assessments on what happened and then when they've made their determination, then they'll have to find you.”
“Or,” Buffy decided morosely, “they can just do their little spell and find out I'm an active Slayer and they'll come right to me. I don't want them here,” she groaned, her head falling into her hands.
“The Slayer,” Tara corrected gently and Buffy's head popped up, her eyes questioning. “Wh-when you died, the line had already reverted to Faith and continued th-through her. Then Kennedy and on to Pietr's Slayer, Tania. Wh-when she died, I... well I think that you came back and were called in that moment.”
“So it's back down to me?” Buffy offered quietly, with a small nod. “I think, somehow I knew that.” Her arm flopped down to the sofa arm. “So it's back to them being able to come right to me with their one girl speech and blah blah destiny, blah blah duty.”
“Yes, I think it goes something like that,” Tara chuckled, well used to this side of her old friend. “How do you feel about that?”
Buffy glanced at her friend and shook her head. Suddenly she felt as if she should be laying on the sofa and Tara should be 'hmming' at everything she uttered. And maybe scribbling startling revelations on a notepad. She shook away the thought. Her friend would never treat her like that, even if it felt like she was being treated like that.
“I don't know,” she finally sighed. “I can't... I was thinking earlier, when I was talking to Logan, we were talking about how our lives were different from when we were kids, things that had happened to him since. Did you know that he...?” she stopped short, wondering if she were betraying a huge secret on Logan's part. It had taken him a while to tell her that he'd been injured on such a devastating manner. But then she decided, Tara would not treat Logan differently, especially as he'd found a manner to deal with his hanidicap.
“He what?” Tara prompted gently.
“He was shot,” she admitted and Tara's eyes widened only slightly. “In the back and was told that he'd be paralyzed for life. He has...” she frowned again, “mechanical assistance to help him get around now. But the thing is, he was talking about how depressed he was,” not that he'd actually said so, but it was an easy enough thing to see and imagine. “Losing such a vital part of himself. And it reminded me of the test.”
“The cruciamentum?” Tara clarified. Buffy nodded.
“I lost my powers,” she murmured. “And on the surface, that seemed like a good thing. But I had just...”
“Seen too much by then?” Tara finished for her and Buffy shrugged one shoulder.
“I was devastated by the thought that I couldn't do anything to keep people safe,” Buffy admitted. “That I couldn't keep my friends, my family safe.”
“That's always been a driving force with you,” Tara noted, though not harshly.
“And the thing is,” Buffy sighed. “Logan pointed out to me, that even with all I've... lost, I still have people, family and friends that care about me. How could I go on, having the power, the abilities that I do, and not do something? But... I'm just so tired,” the words were weak, thought the sentiment behind them were not and Tara instantly scooted herself forward to physically comfort the girl. They sat like that for a moment, no tears or words, until Buffy was able to sit back, in control of herself once more. “I think I need to be out there.”
“Okay,” Tara accepted that calmly. “But there's a problem?”
“Several,” Buffy noted dryly. “Just off the top of my head, Logan and the others don't know about me. And I don't want them to know. I've been down that road. It's too hard, too dangerous. And the Watchers? I don't want them around, but I need some sort of guide. I want you here, but you have a life back in Los Angeles. And Angel. I don't know...”
“Plenty on your plate,” Tara agreed. “Ummm, I think that I'm not going to be able to help you decide on those first few, but as for Angel and I? We'll deal. We may have to pound it through Angel's head that he's got to back off and wait for you to come to him, if and when you're ready. As for myself, Buffy, this is important too and I'm happy to say that my business is in good hands. If you need me to stay, I'll stay.”
Buffy, tears gathering in her eyes again, too fast to blink back, said softly, “I need you to stay. Please. I don't know if I can do this...”
Tara responded as she always did. Scooting forward, gathering the girl up and offering the strength she did have, as she stroked Buffy's back and soothed, “of course. Of course!”
*****
Logan sat at Asha's table as they pored over the information that Asha had garnered through her position in the so-called terrorist group, the S1-W. It wasn't about terrorism, more about revealing the hypocrisy of the government and their many branches of ineptitude. Mostly the sector cops.
“So this girl? The one staying with you” Asha began as she regained her seat, offering one of the glasses of water that she had brought, to Logan which he gratefully accepted. He was sort of regretting having mentioned Buffy, since he was quite sure that Asha, who'd had a tough time accepting animal/ human hybrids from Manticore, would have an even tougher time with a cousin resurrected back to life twenty years after her death.
“Buffy,” he offered, frowning as he thought what could be an acceptable story to give the woman who was an old and dear friend.
“Buffy,” she smirked slightly. “She's your family?”
“My cousin's daughter,” Logan announced suddenly. “Did I never mention her. My cousin, I mean?”
“Not that I recall,” Asha pointed out archly. She fingered one slip of paper as she tried unsuccessfully to hide her curiosity.
“Hmm,” Logan nodded, trying to affect a casual air. “Well, Buffy died when I was young,” and then he winced. “Buffy...” he forced a chuckle. “The current Buffy, was very young and of course, we didn't know about her. When I found out recently that she was alive, and had lost her home and everyone she cared about, pretty much, well,” he shrugged, “what could I do?”
“So you went and got her and offered her a place to live?”
“Yeah,” he nodded, like it was no big deal. And in some ways it wasn't.
“Logan,” Asha whined until he glanced up at her. “That's just... so sweet!” He grinned slightly at the admiration in her eyes. The blond leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table, work seemingly forgotten. “What's she like?”
“Just like her mom,” Logan smiled fondly and then cleared his throat. “Actually, she's been... pretty traumatized, with everything that's happened. Losing everything, and she doesn't remember me, of course. I guess the family tree wasn't that big a deal. But she's... dealing.”
“That's good,” Asha nodded, a little breathlessly. “Is that why you wanted to come over here today?”
“Yes,” he agreed and then straightened, a little stiff. “That's not a problem, is it? I mean, Buffy was having an old friend over, a woman she knew a long time ago that's been helping her with things. I just thought it was better...”
“Not to have strangers invading the only safe place she has right now?” Asha asked, bemused and Logan nodded at her insight. “That's probably the right call. Okay,” she muttered, as if to herself. “Note to self, call before just dropping in.”
“I think that'd be the prudent way to go,” Logan agreed mildly. Asha threw him a smile and pulled some of the papers they were poring over to herself and started reading. Logan just barely avoided letting out a sigh of relief. He'd have to remember to mention this story to Buffy, and the others. It was a good enough cover story, especially to those not in the know about the extent of the strangeness in his life.
Chapter Twenty-seven
No comments:
Post a Comment