Title:
Memory In Motion
Chapter
Title: Getting It Done Right
Author:
Restive Nature
Disclaimer:
I do not own the rights
to BtVS. They belong to Whedon & Mutant Enemy. I also do not own
the rights to Supernatural. They belong to Eric Kripke and The CW.
Portions of dialogue have been taken from Supernatural Episode 1.18
“Someting Wicked”, written by Daniel Knauf and BtVS Episode 2.22
“Becoming” written by Joss Whedon. They are used to enhance the
story and are not intended as infringement, but for private enjoyment
only.
Rating:
PG-15
Genre:
Crossover
Type:
Humor, Angst
Pairing:
DaddyDean/ WeeWillow
Summary:
Through a magical mix-up, Willow ends up in the Impala, disoriented,
terrified, facing the barrel of a gun and somehow... only six years
old.
Spoilers/
Time line: Post series for Buffy and late season one of Supernatural.
Feedback:
Always welcome!
Distribution:
Ask first please.
A/N:
This is a challenge response to pezgirl's The Little Demon Hunting
Challenge at the Twisting the Hellmouth site. Please refer to chapter
one for challenge details.
A/N2:
There is a spell used in this chapter that is very familiar to Buffy
fans. I sort of cobbled it together from translations and it seems to
work. The translations for it are provided at the end of the chapter.
Memory
In Motion
Chapter
Six
Getting
It Done Right
It
was one thing to have a child assure them, after understanding the
situation as well or even better than a six year old could or should.
It was a completely different matter to approach a kid whose brother
was hospitalized, in danger of dying and telling him that you wanted
him to act as bait for something straight out of a fairy tale
nightmare.
But
that's what the brother's, with Willow in tow, were about to do.
Dean, connecting with the boy on a level that the others couldn't
achieve, had gotten the boy to admit that he had actually seen the
shtriga in his brother's room. He had, at that cusp of letting go of
little kid things and trying to act older and cooler than he really
was, had written it off as a nightmare.
But
when Dean explained that the thing would come back, Michael had
gotten scared. Oh, he realized almost immediately, what it was that
Dean had wanted. For him, still very much a child, even if he
wouldn't admit it out loud, to lay in his bed, waiting for that thing
to come and do to him what it had done to Asher. To his little
brother.
Feeling
a sick, twisting feeling in his gut, Michael had stared at the girl
that had shown up out of nowhere, hanging first on Dean's hand and
then letting go of him to wrap her arm's around the other guy's leg.
“Why can't she do it?” had come blurting out of his mouth before
he could even think about it.
Of
course, he knew that it was wrong. As wrong as what they were asking
him to do. But less wrong to ask of him. He was a boy after all. He
should have more courage. And she was littler than he was, as little
as Asher. But instead of the men answering, the little girl had
looked up then.
“Because
the bad monster witch likes siblings,” she told him. “They like
brothers' an sisters, because they develop a taste for the genetic
combination of pheromones that sibling's present. They leave the
parent's alone because they're more likely to fight back and it takes
more vitae, or the life force, than they can suck out in the first
moment, to knock an adult down. Secondly, their sense of smell is
highly developed, so even if I were to just hide in your room,”
obviously she was referring to one of the arguments that Dean and Sam
had had on the walk over, “it would sense that I wasn't you and
might sense a trap. It might look for you, if it sensed you in the
house. They have a cyclic need to fulfill, which is why they choose
the siblings.”
Dean
and Sam, unaware of those tidbits, glanced at each other, both ill at
ease as Michael blinked at the little girl. “Takes after her mom,
huh?” he sassed Dean once more automatically, though it came out
shakily.
“Michael,”
Dean stressed quietly, “what d'ya say?” He was done playing
around waiting for an answer on this. They needed to take that
bastard out before it got Michael, or Willow, even if the girl's own
words purported that she'd be safe.
“Oh
and also?” Willow glanced up at her “uncle”. “The correct
term for this one is shtrigu or shtrigan.”
“It
is?” Sam's eyebrows came together in confusion. Willow nodded
rapidly.
“Cause
it's a boy. Not a girl!”
MiM~MiM~MiM
“So
what the hell are we gonna do now?” Dean demanded grumpily as he
unlocked the door to their motel room. As a group, they were rather
dispirited. Willow followed Dean in with Sam bringing up the rear. He
closed the door behind himself and then leaned against it.
“I
don't know,” he responded. “Make sure Michael's mom doesn't take
him to the hospital. Hope he locks up good and tight and stake out
the perimeter in case this thing shows up?”
Dean
grunted in agreement because it was about all they could do.
“Or
I could run around outside for a while,” Willow suggested. Both
brothers stared down at where she had taken a seat at the edge of the
bed, her knees together, though her feet didn't quite meet the floor.
She sighed as they stared at her, both dumbfounded. “I could get
sweaty,” she offered. “So the sheega smells me.” She didn't
seem to realize that she was back to mispronouncing the word and
using the original gender assingation they'd given it. “Though I
don't like to smell,” she continued. “It's yucky. But then, if
the bad witch can't get into Michael's room, he might come back here.
'Cause it would be hungry an... an'...” she trailed off, paling
drastically as she seemed to realize what she was saying.
“No,
no Willow,” Dean protested softly, moving to kneel before the girl.
He took her hands from where they were resting on her lap and
squeezed gently. “We wouldn't ask you to do that.” He heard his
brother's soft gurgling snort, but chose to ignore it for the moment.
They wouldn't ask Willow, but they had asked Michael who really
wasn't that much older than the girl. But Sam didn't need to say
anything, because Willow did it for him.
“But
Michael said no, so I'm the only choice left, and...” she swallowed
heavily. “It's bad. We haveta stop it, right?”
“There's
a problem with the plan anyways,” Sam pointed out. “You said, and
I'm wondering how you know all this, but you pointed out the sibling
bond. This thing needs to complete a cycle? So what makes you think
that it will give up on Michael without a fight?”
“It
ran when Dad shot it and didn't track you down,” Dean pointed out,
though he realized what side he was pushing with that.
“So
you think that if one of us is there to protect Michael and the other
is with Willow,” Sam suggested and then broke off. “Dean, I don't
like the idea of splitting up on this one.”
“Neither
do I Sam,” Dean grunted. “But it might be our only choice. Our
only shot.”
But
before Dean could say more, Sam could protest or Willow could come up
with yet another idea, they all heard the knock on the door. Glancing
at one another, Sam leaned over to check out the side window. “It's
Michael,” he announced quietly and Dean rose up to move over to his
brother. He yanked the door open and saw the face of a very scared
little boy staring up at him.
“If
I help you,” Michael began and it was very obvious that he was
terrified, but trying to be brave, “will it save Asher? Will he
wake up?”
Dean,
wishing and hoping that he could assure the kid, was unable to, not
sure of that outcome himself. He glanced back at Willow, but the
little girl, after a moment simply shrugged. “I don't know,” he
answered truthfully. “I hope so.”
“It
depends if the kids are too far gone,” Willow spoke softly. “If
the shtrigu is destroyed, then it's possible that all the spirit that
it ingested could be released. The spirits would probably seek out
their natural hosts, going back to the kids. But the ones that have
died...” she trailed off and lowered her head.
“You
guys really do this?” Michael stared up at Dean and Sam. “I mean,
I thought you were just... but she knows so much.”
“Yeah,”
Sam nodded. “She does,” he agreed, worries that he just couldn't
deal with at the moment, clamoring in his head.
“Okay,”
Michael nodded and they could all see him steeling himself. “I'm
in. Let's do it.”
MiM~MiM~MiM
It
hadn't taken Dean too long, once he had a plan of action, to plot the
course. His idea of using technology wasn't too surprising when Sam
thought about it. His brother, like their father had a natural grasp
of mechanics and obviously, electronics. Dean had proven that when
he'd made his own EMF reader from the parts and casing of an old
Walkman.
So
when he came back from an outdoor sports store, and dumped the bag on
the bed to start sorting it out, Sam was quiet. He let his brother
explain the different night vision capable cameras and wireless
receivers. It was a good idea, he realized. This way they could see
into Michael's room, yet make the shtrigu think Michael was alone.
The
only question, was what to do with Willow. They were all wary of the
thought of leaving her alone in the motel room. That was how it had
gotten to Sam all those years ago. Nor did they want to have her in
Michael's home, where, if they made the wrong move, it could turn and
attack her before they could prevent it. Dean had noted that it
didn't just suck once, from his memory, but seemed to take it's time
to draw every last bit of spirit out of it's victim before it moved
on to the next. It still was a chilling thought.
Finally,
they decided that they would put Willow in the Impala, parked just
off of the main lobby. She would have a transmitter radio, so that
she would be able to communicate with Sam. They'd leave the doors
locked and she could tell them if she saw movement around Michael's
window, which would be left ajar. But on the other hand, if the
shtrigu went after her, it would have to manipulate the doors to get
to her, giving her enough time to scream to bring the brother's
running.
They
were hoping that it didn't go down like that, because her scream
could scare the thing away and they'd not get another chance. If it
went to pattern, which these damn things usually did, then it would
go for Michael next.
They
prayed it did, even as the thoughts coated their psyche, making them
feel scummy for putting a child, any child in this position.
In
the end, the fight was short and brutal.
It
worked out amazingly like they had planned, which was good, but also
switched directions mid way, taking them by surprise. Though Sam
realized in hindsight that they had discounted something very
important that Willow had said.
The
thing showed up, gunning for Michael. Willow had barely caught a
glimpse of it, warning them from the Impala. They'd thanked her, told
her to stay put and warned Michael that this might be it. Sure
enough, seconds later, the shtrigu was creeping into the boy's
bedroom.
And
then Sam and Dean were there to protect him. But the cycles. The damn
cycles that Willow had mentioned. The imperative that the shtrigu
felt to complete it's feeding cycles. There was a fruit there too
juicy for the vampiric witch spirit feeder to resist. In the form of
Sam. The child that had gotten away from him. And it had turned on
Sam faster than either realized and it was only Dean's over riding
drive, highly developed and honed, to protect his little brother,
that had Dean filling it with the consecrated iron rounds.
And
then Willow had burst into the outer room, racing with unerring
accuracy, to Michael's room. She stared down at Sam on the floor, the
form of the shtrigu beside him and saw it start to shrivel. Which was
what the brothers had thought they'd wanted. The bastard was dying.
“No!”
she shrieked and threw her hand out. “Illume!” she called and
suddenly, the air around the shtrigu was glowing, an ethereal silver.
“There,” she grunted, pointing. Some of the lights broke off,
darting away and Michael took a hasty gulp. His eyes widened, feeling
revived, much like an adrenaline rush. Which, unknowingly is just
what he attributed it to. “Orb!” Willow called next. And a glass
orb appeared in her hand. With her other hand she pointed at the
still withering form.
“Willow?”
Dean grunted. “What the hell are you doing?” But she ignored him.
“Spiritus
shtregan te invoctus,” she intoned and it was like the silver
thread connected to the body was writhing, fighting.
“Te
implor, Doamne; nu ignoră aceasta rugăminte.
Lăsa
orbită să fie vasul care-i vă transportă sufletul,”
the girl continued. “Asa sa fie. Asa sa fie! Acum!”
Sam
watched in fascination. The words weren't Latin, but they had a
familiar feel that ritual words carried. He had no clue what she was
doing or why and was wondering if he needed to be ready to strike
this menace down. Whether he was talking about the shtrigu or
whatever Willow might really be, he didn't want to admit. He thought
perhaps with what she had just said, that she was calling the dead,
the evil. But for what, was the big question.
It
was answered shortly as she seemed to have finished her ritual and
the remaining silver thread, the rest had fled from the room,
continued to fight only to be sucked slowly into the orb she held. It
was almost like it was bleeding into her as black tinges appeared in
her hair and Sam, even Dean felt their fingers tightening around the
sweat slickened grips of their pistols. Ready to draw on her at a
split seconds notice. And then the light was trapped in the orb, red
and angry now and Willow's hair came back to normal before she looked
up at them.
“Sorry,”
she slurred her voice a little. “It was tryin' to get away.
Couldn't... let it... go. Infect someone else...new host,” were the
last words she said before the little girl collapsed. Dean caught
Willow, while Sam hastily caught the orb. And immediately he could
see why she had maybe reacted the way that she did. Sam felt like
vomiting as he held it and he twisted around to see if there was
anything that he could deposit it in or on, that was safe, but
nowhere near himself.
“Willow?'
Dean demanded, his voice panicked. He was cradling the girl and
Michael, forgotten in the latest excitement, scooted to the end of
his bed.
“She
okay?” he asked frantically, almost seeing his little brother Asher
in that moment, instead of just Willow.
“I
don't know,” Dean snapped, shaking Willow's body a little.
Thankfully, to his relief and the others, Willow's eyes fluttered
open.
“Tired,”
she murmured. She was prevented from saying more as the telephone
rang in the main room and Michael, after staring for a moment at the
adults, jumped off the bed and raced to answer it. They heard him
from where they sat and relief filled them all.
“Mom?
What happened?” A pause and then a happy welcome sound. “He is?
He did? Oh God, I'm so glad! Yeah, yeah Mom. I love you too! Give
Asher a hug for me.” There was another pause and then a laugh that
almost bordered on hysteria. “Don't worry. You didn't. I couldn't
sleep tonight. Maybe I was waiting for this news.”
“That's
awesome,” Sam grinned down at his brother, who was scooping up
Willow. One thing they both knew. These kids needed a good nights
sleep.
“Good
night mom,” Michael concluded his phone call. “I will now. See
you in the morning.” As Sam and Dean, carrying the orb and Willow
respectively, came out of his room, he eyed them and with a glimpse
of the familiar smart ass attitude that he'd used when he'd first met
them, grunted. “can't wait to see the last of you.”
“Feeling's
mutual kid,” Dean grinned as Sam held the front door open for him.
The eldest Winchester brother grunted in annoyance as he saw the back
door of the Impala left hanging open. Willow had obviously been in a
hurry.
“We're
gonna have to talk about this,” Sam mentioned, holding the orb up.
“Like what she intends to do with it.”
“And
how she even knew that,” Dean agreed. “Dude, she's a six year old
kid with who knows what crap in her head. None of it the right
stuff.”
“So
you agree we need to be careful,” Sam prompted quietly, flicking
his eyes to check that Wilow was still asleep.
“Yeah,”
Dean nodded, though he couldn't look his brother in the eye.
MiM~MiM~MiM
The
next morning, to the brother's relief, Willow awoke in good spirits.
Dean had fallen asleep for a few hours, but unable to sleep, Sam had
taken to his computer, doing research. Although he couldn't clearly
remember all the words of the spell that Willow had used, he was able
to recall some of them and through some trial and error on some
language sites, managed to decipher that the ritual was Romanian.
Close enough to the Albanian legends from which the Shtrigu sprang,
he had supposed, though not really.
Dean,
snorting awake only moments before Willow, which might have been the
reason she woke, looked up and around to discover he was still fully
dressed, Willow was still tucked in bed and Sam was snoozing, head on
his arms at the motel room's tiny table. Relieved that everything and
everyone was still in the positions that he or she had fallen asleep
to, he sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
“Good
morning,” he heard from Willow and turned, dropping his hands, to
see the little girl kicking the covers off. She was swimming a little
in the pajamas they had chosen, but he figured that was better than
not having any at all. He realized within seconds what the sudden
flurry was about when Willow rolled from the bed and dashed to the
bathroom. He grinned a little, until his eye caught sight of the
still glowing orb nestled in a t-shirt on the table.
He
rose from the bed and went to shake his brother awake. His laptop had
either powered down from lack of use, or Sam had done so before
falling asleep. Luckily Sam came immediately awake, relieving Dean's
irrational, or maybe not so much, fear that the orb was doing
something to him.
“Up
and at 'em man,” he grunted quietly, his eyes darting between the
door and his brother. “We need to get on the road. Get to Bobby's.”
“Yeah,
definitely,” Sam nodded, saying through a yawn as he stretched
slightly. He glanced around. “Where's Willow?” he asked, which
was answered by the sound of the toilet flushing and water running a
moment later in the sink. After another moment, the little girl
emerged. She hovered in the doorway as the weight of both adult's
stare caught her.
“I'm
in trouble, huh?” she pouted and the brother's exchanged glances.
“Not
so much,” Dean hedged after he calmed himself. “But we do need to
talk. Get changed and we'll get some breakfast and talk about it on
the road.”
“We're
leaving?” the girl asked, her voice trembling a little.
“We'll
come back if we need to,” Sam assured her. “But we need to see
someone who knows more about this.”
The
girl said no more as they began preparing to pack up and leave. But
there were fears and worries weighing down all of their spirits.
Translation-
approximation
“Illume!”-
light
“Spiritus
shtregan te invoctus,”- spirit of the Shtregan I call
“Te
implor, Doamne; nu ignoră aceasta rugăminte.- I call on you Lord;
do not ignore this request
“Lăsa
orbită să fie vasul care-i vă transportă sufletul,”-
Let this orb be the vessel that will carry the soul.
“Asa sa fie. Asa sa
fie! Acum!”- So it shall be. So it shall be! Now!
Chapter 07- A Smashy Hammer Troll Tale
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