jesterladyfic (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
jesterladyfic) wrote2008-11-19 08:05 pm
jesterladyfic) wrote2008-11-19 08:05 pm
Half a Stranger: Chapter Nine: Free From Much Entanglements
This chapter's title is from John Woolman
Chapter Nine:
“It’s really weird hearing my voice come over the phone when I know I didn’t say anything.”
“Me too,” Buffy agreed. “But I thought we should at least meet a little bit,
since we’re all swapped and all.”
“I agree. I gotta admit there are some things I won’t be happy to give up.
This Slayer stuff, it would make late night stakeouts a breeze.”
Buffy laughed.
“Well, I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself. Sorry, there’s not much I can do
on the helping you with that. Other than dying and that rides on the whole 'you
being the next Slayer' thing.”
“Maybe we shouldn’t shoot for that. They really need you here to deal with
this Glory person.”
“Yeah, I need to protect Dawn.”
“She really looks up to you.”
“Ah, she was programmed that way.”
“I guess family’s like that.”
“No,” Buffy argued, “she really was programmed that way. But that’s a story
for another time. And it’s not like I won’t be glad to get away from high school.
Yours is almost as bad as mine was. Less monsters, more pricks.”
“It’s the Neptune way. But I’m not usually in bodily danger, so I might just
take it.”
“Maybe this whole thing can give us some perspective.”
“I guess so. Just don’t tell Ethan that. He’s downstairs gloating about our
little predicament.”
“Tell Giles he has my permission to hit him.”
“I don’t think he waited for the go ahead, but I will.”
“Listen, Veronica, thanks for everything. I know it must have been really
hard to fit into my world.”
“Well, mine’s no cake walk. Or a different cake walk and variety does us all
some good.”
“Makes sense. And I really like your clothes. Some good shopping sense
going on in that PI brain of yours.”
“I wouldn’t have thought a Slayer would have as much time to shop as you
obviously do because the wardrobe I will miss.”
“Advantage of a night gig.”
“Ah. Well, they’re on their way, so hopefully you’ll be back here soon.”
“I’ll talk to you later. No matter what happens.”
“Cool.”
They each hung up the phone and waited for the change.
***
“Tell me again why the civilians are here,” Logan requested as they made their way onto the beach.
Buffy rolled her eyes and walked faster to stay in step with Wallace and
Mac. It seemed to make Logan feel good to be her chief helper, but she wasn’t going
to deny Wallace and Mac a chance to see their friend restored to them. It might help
them become totally convinced for another thing.
“Duncan’s not here yet.” Mac stopped at the meeting place.
“That’s good, maybe,” Buffy pondered. “I don’t know what Celeste will do
when she sees us.”
“Cast some black magic?” Logan suggested and plopped down on the blanket he’d
spread in the sand.
The other three sat down to wait with him.
“We are supposed to look like we’re having fun,” Wallace reminded them when
everyone kept looking around tensely.
“Right, fun. A demonstration would be nice,” Logan urged sarcastically.
“Meeting at night might make Celeste more likely to guess something is up,”
Mac said quietly.
“But Spike can only meet on the beach at night,” Buffy answered. “And it’s
less crowded. If Willow has to do magic fast, we do not want anyone caught in the
cross fire.”
“I’ll take your word for it.” Mac grinned, but it was clear she was slightly
anxious.
“What, no blood and tea? Whatever will the Watcher do?”
“Spike!” Buffy jumped up and saw the vampire and Willow coming toward them.
Keith and Giles were surreptitiously bringing Ethan along behind.
“Ethan, you’re gonna wish you were still in Area 51 somewhere when I’m done
with you,” Buffy said after she’d hugged her friends.
It felt really good to see familiar faces.
“Ripper here has seen to that,” Ethan assured her.
“Shut it,” Spike snapped. He held up his hand. “Listen. We got company.”
“Where are you taking me, sweetie? You know I don’t like to get my feet
wet! Your father is going to be wondering where we are.”
“It’s okay, Mom. Just a little further.”
“Flashlights,” Buffy whispered.
Wallace and Mac held up the heavy duty camping equipment Mac had picked out
and clicked them on. They landed on a shocked Celeste and startled Duncan.
Celeste’s eyes ran over the group and widened when they spotted Ethan. She turned to
leave and would have run in the opposite direction. Duncan blinked in surprise as a
black and white blur shot past him and Spike hauled Celeste back to the group
probably more gently than he would have had the chip been gone.
“Howdy, Celeste.” Buffy walked forward. “I’m guessing you know I’m not
Veronica, but as her current representative, she’s not too pleased with you. Nor am
I.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Celeste protested. “Duncan, what
have you done?”
“It’s always my fault, huh, mom? I killed Lilly, I did it all.”
Duncan looked nervously from Veronica’s body to his mother held by the man
with deformed features. It clearly took everything within him not to run away
himself.
Ethan started to edge out of the group but Giles gripped him sharply, hitting him with his other hand. Ethan groaned and bent over double, but didn’t try to run again. Giles' lips wore a small smirk of satisfaction.
“Will, you ready to be Spell-girl?”
“I’m ready for you to be back.”
Willow stepped into the middle of the group and drew a circle in the sand.
She had Buffy stand in the center of it, holding Veronica’s hair. Ethan and Celeste
were made to clasp hands around Buffy, standing just outside the circle. Willow
began to mumble in Latin.
“Buffy, my part is to undo the binding they’ve put on the spell. When I’m
done, you take the Katra device. You know how to use it, just like with Faith except
without the Veronica actually being here part.”
“Do your thing.”
Sweat started to gather on Ethan and Celeste’s foreheads and Giles and Spike
gathered tighter grips as they began to struggle.
“Take hold their spirits. Gather them to their home. Cast out the
mis-fitted souls. No more may they roam. Let the castor’s hold be broken. Let the
bond and barrier break. Be gone, Chaos, be gone hate.”
Willow’s eyes flashed and Ethan and Celeste’s joined hands burned black and
then faded to normal. They fell back, panting. Willow nodded to Buffy. She clasped
Veronica’s hair tightly and there was a red flash and she fell to the sand.
***
Spike caught Buffy, letting Celeste unceremoniously slump to the ground, then wincing as the chip apparently kicked in.
“Luv? Private Eye?”
“Spike?” Veronica’s form stirred and Logan stepped toward it in concern.
“It’s me. But which are you, pet?”
“Well, there’s sand. I’m guessing that means I’m home?”
“Veronica!” Keith exclaimed and strode forward.
Spike stepped away and let them reunite. Logan hung back, but when she’d
finished getting fawned over by her father, he grabbed Veronica and kissed her hard.
“I have been deprived for awhile, you know,” he whispered in her ear before
clutching her to his chest.
“My boyfriend, the pig,” she mumbled as she hugged him back.
“It worked.”
Giles heaved a sigh of relief. Willow joined him. They hadn’t been one
hundred percent sure about the first spell and it was obviously good they'd spent the
time needed on it to get it right.
“Call Sunnydale. See if the Slayer’s all right.”
Giles turned to Logan.
“Perhaps I could use that contraption of yours.”
“Don’t sweat it, big guy.”
Logan handed it over, keeping one arm around Veronica’s waist. Her other
side was enveloped by her father, but she still managed to squat down in front of
Celeste.
“Why?” she asked simply and calmly.
“Why not?” Celeste spat out. “You’ve been a thorn in my side since you were
born. It doesn’t matter that you’re not his child, the fact that nobody could tell
for so long is bad enough.”
“I am not to blame for my mother’s sin.”
“You did plenty of other things to my family. My children.”
“Duncan is fine. And I had nothing to do with Lilly’s death.”
“You corrupted her.” Celeste looked away. “You made everything wrong in my
life. One of Jake’s friends in the government let me know about Ethan Rayne. It all
fit well from there until you decided to play magic detective.”
“I’m sorry you feel that way. I’m not going to forget what happened here.”
“I will.”
“No, you won’t. You’re going to remember how I beat you…again. If you try
anything like this again, you’ll be begging me for jail time.”
Celeste looked slightly shaken, but more haughty than anything else. She
struggled to her feet and glanced at the shell shocked Duncan.
“If you’d care to drive me home?”
Duncan just looked at her and numbly made his way toward the parking lot.
Celeste followed, brushing sand off her clothes. Veronica watched them go. There
really wasn’t any way for her to press charges against Celeste, without appearing crazy. Probably the way she’d planned it.
“We need to talk to him later,” Logan whispered in Veronica’s ear.
She nodded and turned her attention to the rest of the group. It was weird
to see everyone through her own eyes.
“Hey.”
***
“Veronica! Veronica! Buffy?”
Buffy stirred at the incessant poking.
“Dawn, I’m trying to sleep. Go bug mom.”
“Buffy! It’s you. You’re back.”
Dawn grabbed Buffy in a huge hug and Buffy sat up. She was on her own
floor. It looked like heaven.
“Dawnie!” She returned the hug with force.
“Ow!”
“Sorry.” She pulled back. “Slayer strength returns. I missed you and your
whining.”
“I missed you and your nagging.”
“I’m not going to go anywhere again.” Buffy took hold of her sister’s hand.
“I promise.”
Buffy got up and pulled Dawn up with her. She knew exactly where she wanted
to go. Just down the hall. She pushed the door open gently and tiptoed in. Dawn
leaned on the doorjamb behind her.
“Buffy, you’re home! Did you avert the apocalypse in Cleveland, honey?”
Buffy was slightly confused until she figured out that was the cunning
explanation for her absence over the last couple of weeks.
“Averted and fully stopped.” She sat down on the edge of the bed and hugged
her mother tightly. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too, sweetheart. I like having both my girls home.”
Dawn entered the room and stood by the head of the bed, holding Joyce’s
hand. The phone rang, most likely Giles or Willow. Buffy smiled. She was glad to
be home.
Chapter Nine:
“It’s really weird hearing my voice come over the phone when I know I didn’t say anything.”
“Me too,” Buffy agreed. “But I thought we should at least meet a little bit,
since we’re all swapped and all.”
“I agree. I gotta admit there are some things I won’t be happy to give up.
This Slayer stuff, it would make late night stakeouts a breeze.”
Buffy laughed.
“Well, I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself. Sorry, there’s not much I can do
on the helping you with that. Other than dying and that rides on the whole 'you
being the next Slayer' thing.”
“Maybe we shouldn’t shoot for that. They really need you here to deal with
this Glory person.”
“Yeah, I need to protect Dawn.”
“She really looks up to you.”
“Ah, she was programmed that way.”
“I guess family’s like that.”
“No,” Buffy argued, “she really was programmed that way. But that’s a story
for another time. And it’s not like I won’t be glad to get away from high school.
Yours is almost as bad as mine was. Less monsters, more pricks.”
“It’s the Neptune way. But I’m not usually in bodily danger, so I might just
take it.”
“Maybe this whole thing can give us some perspective.”
“I guess so. Just don’t tell Ethan that. He’s downstairs gloating about our
little predicament.”
“Tell Giles he has my permission to hit him.”
“I don’t think he waited for the go ahead, but I will.”
“Listen, Veronica, thanks for everything. I know it must have been really
hard to fit into my world.”
“Well, mine’s no cake walk. Or a different cake walk and variety does us all
some good.”
“Makes sense. And I really like your clothes. Some good shopping sense
going on in that PI brain of yours.”
“I wouldn’t have thought a Slayer would have as much time to shop as you
obviously do because the wardrobe I will miss.”
“Advantage of a night gig.”
“Ah. Well, they’re on their way, so hopefully you’ll be back here soon.”
“I’ll talk to you later. No matter what happens.”
“Cool.”
They each hung up the phone and waited for the change.
***
“Tell me again why the civilians are here,” Logan requested as they made their way onto the beach.
Buffy rolled her eyes and walked faster to stay in step with Wallace and
Mac. It seemed to make Logan feel good to be her chief helper, but she wasn’t going
to deny Wallace and Mac a chance to see their friend restored to them. It might help
them become totally convinced for another thing.
“Duncan’s not here yet.” Mac stopped at the meeting place.
“That’s good, maybe,” Buffy pondered. “I don’t know what Celeste will do
when she sees us.”
“Cast some black magic?” Logan suggested and plopped down on the blanket he’d
spread in the sand.
The other three sat down to wait with him.
“We are supposed to look like we’re having fun,” Wallace reminded them when
everyone kept looking around tensely.
“Right, fun. A demonstration would be nice,” Logan urged sarcastically.
“Meeting at night might make Celeste more likely to guess something is up,”
Mac said quietly.
“But Spike can only meet on the beach at night,” Buffy answered. “And it’s
less crowded. If Willow has to do magic fast, we do not want anyone caught in the
cross fire.”
“I’ll take your word for it.” Mac grinned, but it was clear she was slightly
anxious.
“What, no blood and tea? Whatever will the Watcher do?”
“Spike!” Buffy jumped up and saw the vampire and Willow coming toward them.
Keith and Giles were surreptitiously bringing Ethan along behind.
“Ethan, you’re gonna wish you were still in Area 51 somewhere when I’m done
with you,” Buffy said after she’d hugged her friends.
It felt really good to see familiar faces.
“Ripper here has seen to that,” Ethan assured her.
“Shut it,” Spike snapped. He held up his hand. “Listen. We got company.”
“Where are you taking me, sweetie? You know I don’t like to get my feet
wet! Your father is going to be wondering where we are.”
“It’s okay, Mom. Just a little further.”
“Flashlights,” Buffy whispered.
Wallace and Mac held up the heavy duty camping equipment Mac had picked out
and clicked them on. They landed on a shocked Celeste and startled Duncan.
Celeste’s eyes ran over the group and widened when they spotted Ethan. She turned to
leave and would have run in the opposite direction. Duncan blinked in surprise as a
black and white blur shot past him and Spike hauled Celeste back to the group
probably more gently than he would have had the chip been gone.
“Howdy, Celeste.” Buffy walked forward. “I’m guessing you know I’m not
Veronica, but as her current representative, she’s not too pleased with you. Nor am
I.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Celeste protested. “Duncan, what
have you done?”
“It’s always my fault, huh, mom? I killed Lilly, I did it all.”
Duncan looked nervously from Veronica’s body to his mother held by the man
with deformed features. It clearly took everything within him not to run away
himself.
Ethan started to edge out of the group but Giles gripped him sharply, hitting him with his other hand. Ethan groaned and bent over double, but didn’t try to run again. Giles' lips wore a small smirk of satisfaction.
“Will, you ready to be Spell-girl?”
“I’m ready for you to be back.”
Willow stepped into the middle of the group and drew a circle in the sand.
She had Buffy stand in the center of it, holding Veronica’s hair. Ethan and Celeste
were made to clasp hands around Buffy, standing just outside the circle. Willow
began to mumble in Latin.
“Buffy, my part is to undo the binding they’ve put on the spell. When I’m
done, you take the Katra device. You know how to use it, just like with Faith except
without the Veronica actually being here part.”
“Do your thing.”
Sweat started to gather on Ethan and Celeste’s foreheads and Giles and Spike
gathered tighter grips as they began to struggle.
“Take hold their spirits. Gather them to their home. Cast out the
mis-fitted souls. No more may they roam. Let the castor’s hold be broken. Let the
bond and barrier break. Be gone, Chaos, be gone hate.”
Willow’s eyes flashed and Ethan and Celeste’s joined hands burned black and
then faded to normal. They fell back, panting. Willow nodded to Buffy. She clasped
Veronica’s hair tightly and there was a red flash and she fell to the sand.
***
Spike caught Buffy, letting Celeste unceremoniously slump to the ground, then wincing as the chip apparently kicked in.
“Luv? Private Eye?”
“Spike?” Veronica’s form stirred and Logan stepped toward it in concern.
“It’s me. But which are you, pet?”
“Well, there’s sand. I’m guessing that means I’m home?”
“Veronica!” Keith exclaimed and strode forward.
Spike stepped away and let them reunite. Logan hung back, but when she’d
finished getting fawned over by her father, he grabbed Veronica and kissed her hard.
“I have been deprived for awhile, you know,” he whispered in her ear before
clutching her to his chest.
“My boyfriend, the pig,” she mumbled as she hugged him back.
“It worked.”
Giles heaved a sigh of relief. Willow joined him. They hadn’t been one
hundred percent sure about the first spell and it was obviously good they'd spent the
time needed on it to get it right.
“Call Sunnydale. See if the Slayer’s all right.”
Giles turned to Logan.
“Perhaps I could use that contraption of yours.”
“Don’t sweat it, big guy.”
Logan handed it over, keeping one arm around Veronica’s waist. Her other
side was enveloped by her father, but she still managed to squat down in front of
Celeste.
“Why?” she asked simply and calmly.
“Why not?” Celeste spat out. “You’ve been a thorn in my side since you were
born. It doesn’t matter that you’re not his child, the fact that nobody could tell
for so long is bad enough.”
“I am not to blame for my mother’s sin.”
“You did plenty of other things to my family. My children.”
“Duncan is fine. And I had nothing to do with Lilly’s death.”
“You corrupted her.” Celeste looked away. “You made everything wrong in my
life. One of Jake’s friends in the government let me know about Ethan Rayne. It all
fit well from there until you decided to play magic detective.”
“I’m sorry you feel that way. I’m not going to forget what happened here.”
“I will.”
“No, you won’t. You’re going to remember how I beat you…again. If you try
anything like this again, you’ll be begging me for jail time.”
Celeste looked slightly shaken, but more haughty than anything else. She
struggled to her feet and glanced at the shell shocked Duncan.
“If you’d care to drive me home?”
Duncan just looked at her and numbly made his way toward the parking lot.
Celeste followed, brushing sand off her clothes. Veronica watched them go. There
really wasn’t any way for her to press charges against Celeste, without appearing crazy. Probably the way she’d planned it.
“We need to talk to him later,” Logan whispered in Veronica’s ear.
She nodded and turned her attention to the rest of the group. It was weird
to see everyone through her own eyes.
“Hey.”
***
“Veronica! Veronica! Buffy?”
Buffy stirred at the incessant poking.
“Dawn, I’m trying to sleep. Go bug mom.”
“Buffy! It’s you. You’re back.”
Dawn grabbed Buffy in a huge hug and Buffy sat up. She was on her own
floor. It looked like heaven.
“Dawnie!” She returned the hug with force.
“Ow!”
“Sorry.” She pulled back. “Slayer strength returns. I missed you and your
whining.”
“I missed you and your nagging.”
“I’m not going to go anywhere again.” Buffy took hold of her sister’s hand.
“I promise.”
Buffy got up and pulled Dawn up with her. She knew exactly where she wanted
to go. Just down the hall. She pushed the door open gently and tiptoed in. Dawn
leaned on the doorjamb behind her.
“Buffy, you’re home! Did you avert the apocalypse in Cleveland, honey?”
Buffy was slightly confused until she figured out that was the cunning
explanation for her absence over the last couple of weeks.
“Averted and fully stopped.” She sat down on the edge of the bed and hugged
her mother tightly. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too, sweetheart. I like having both my girls home.”
Dawn entered the room and stood by the head of the bed, holding Joyce’s
hand. The phone rang, most likely Giles or Willow. Buffy smiled. She was glad to
be home.