FIC: Hotel Kilo 2-2 part AU/part Buffyverse

[jixer]

Title: Hotel Kilo 2-2

Author: Jixer

E-mail: jixer@attbi.com

Feedback: Please. This is my first fanfiction on the Kitten Board. Bouquets and brickbats welcome

Distribution: Any free fanfiction site

Spoilers: Up through the end of Season 6

Rating: Hard PG-13 to Soft R at most.

Pairing: W/T

Disclaimer: All characters of BtVS are owned by Mutant Enemy and Joss Whedon. All I own are tattered books, the love of a good woman and a few pots of tomato plants.

Summary: This is the hard part. Set partly in the Buffyverse and partly in an AU. For those of you have plowed through Shattered Hope on the Wiccan Ways site this will be a touch lighter.

Note: I will try to keep the updates coming at least every 48 hours. I may have a day or so off due to my schedule.

WARNINGS: Kitten Angst Advisory. This is after Season 6. The AU’s Season Six wasn’t much better.

Does He Ever Get To The Point Warning- It’s long. Sorry.













Hotel Kilo 2-2



Air Canada Flight 869





Willow Rosenberg shifted in her coach class seat as the tourist next to her grumbled in his sleep. She curled up slightly and closed her eyes. She didn’t expect to sleep even after traveling all night to London. Sleep was infrequent now so she had plenty of time to worry that Giles would be upset when he found her note. Or maybe he’d be relieved, she thought. No more half-crazed redhead triggering painful memories.



Willow tried to get comfortable and relax using the techniques she’d learned in the coven in Devon. The best she achieved for a long while was a half doze. She finally drifted off to sleep dreaming about opening door after door looking for Tara just as the plane started it’s descent into Toronto. The announcement overhead broke her fitful slumber and she yawned.



An hour later she was looking at the departure board holding her lone carry on. It was late morning outside the glass and steel central terminal. Time for a new start, she thought. Overhead the call for boarding for some flight came through first in English and then in French. Willow only heard the French part of the call.



"We’re never going to have Paris," she whispered.



She looked up again at the board and knew there was only one place for her to go. Willow walked to the phone bank of the terminal waiting area and plugged her laptop in for the first time in weeks. The picture of Tara smiling and the brief voice sample saying "vixen" came up quick and clear. After a few minutes Willow stopped crying and began looking for flights to LA and connections to Sunnydale.





University of California at Santa Barbara



Tara Maclay awakened quickly, but stayed still in her bed. It had become a habit and now it was a refuge. Before last week she had stayed still until she sensed the security person on watch at the camera monitoring station left for their morning coffee. She'd wait for an extra second and then look up into mischievous green eyes. In the space of a minute Tara's whole day would be made wonderful as her lips found Judith's and her arms wrapped around the warmth of the redhead.



Now she kept her eyes closed and tried to imagine the other bed in the dorm room held Judith, or that she was in the tiny bathroom of the room. For a brief time Tara could almost be happy. Then the alarm went off and she fumbled for the noisy box. There was a knock at the door. She reached out with her mind and touched a familiar and friendly presence, puppy eager and in good spirits.



"Come in, Riley," Tara said between yawns.



Riley Finn opened the door with a smile and held out a bag and a cup of tea. His words were lost as a helicopter roared overhead. For a second Tara wondered what it would be like to be a student here in California and not be accustomed to helicopters and the (E) OIS cameras. She shook away the thought and looked up at the tall young man in camouflage fatigues.



"W-what?" she asked.



"They pulled us off the flying ULF hunt and put 1-4 one it," Riley explained again. "We’re back to the bottom of the rotation. There’s time for muffins and tea before our slot in the gym opens up."



"Gym?" Tara asked wearily as she pulled a sheet over her head. "I hate the gym. I hated PE. Sleep is very important for sensitives, you know."



"Rise and grouse, Maclay," Riley teased as he pulled the sheet off her. "Only awake sensitives get banana chocolate chip muffins."



"Slave driver!" Tara muttered as she got up and headed for the tiny bathroom.



"Hurry up, the tea’s getting cold," Riley said with a grin.



As the door closed Riley felt his smile fade. He might not have the new and unprecedented talents of a sensitive but he could tell Tara was still hurting. He sighed and started getting her stuff out. She could dawdle when it came to working out.



In the shower Tara could let her tears fall freely. She had to hold them back under the watchful eye of the (Emergency) Office of Internal Security camera in her quarters. The youngest Federal agency frowned on signs of deviant behavior being shown by its staff, conscript or not. Since Judith had been lost with the rest of her team on a mission into the nexus point Tara had been taking lots of showers.



After a few minutes the young woman came out wrapped in a fuzzy robe. Riley handed her the muffin and tea and then turned his back. He stared into the camera and smiled. Between his height and wearing the patrol cap with the scarlet 2-2 on the front panel he blocked the view of the watcher entirely.



Tara looked at the neatly laid out equipment and sighed. She pulled on her uniform pants and boots and then glared at the rest of it.



"It’s got to be in the 80’s today," Tara started without hope.



"That’s why I put out the concealment vest and the shorty," Riley answered. "Sorry, but regs…"



"All sensitives will wear armor at all times in unsecured areas," Tara quoted as she fastened the vest on and pulled her combat blouse.



"And?" Riley prompted.



Tara made a face as she pulled on her own cap marked with 2-2 in scarlet. She picked up the lump of polymer and cold metal and pulled back the slide carefully. Shiny brass winked in the light and the stubby suppressor was firmly in place.



"All sensitives shall be armed at all times in unsecured areas," Tara recited with distaste as she eased the slide forward. "At least Howard got me a suppressor. I’m not embarrassing myself anymore at the range."



"Sorry, Mama Cat, the shorty kicks. Hey, you stopped calling it a silencer!" Riley said happily. "We’ll turn you into a soldier yet."



"Eewww!" Tara replied with a small lop-sided smile. "I’m going back to dresses and classes as soon as the monsters are gone even if you weirdos give me expensive presents and, um, f-fascinating clothes."



"Only the best for 2-2’s wonder girl," Riley said jauntily as they left. "Besides, without you we miss the monsters. We have to protect our interests. You’re what makes us the best hunter-killer team in the North American Commonwealth."



Tara just shook her head gently as she locked up. She took a second and touched the sign on the door gently. It had been taken down after Judith had been lost but the men of Hotel Kilo team 2-2 had convinced the (E) OIS billeting officer to return it. The officious woman couldn’t understand why the sign was so important. All it said was "Maclay/Rosenberg".

Edited by: xita  at: 10/16/02 7:14:48 pm

[CaptMurdock]

Interesting



"Hotel Kilo" being the phonetic alphabet for "HK," I'm wondering what that stands for. "Hunter-Killer"?



Was Judith the AU version of Willow?



Love to see more...

______________________

"I love you all. I love you more than life itself. You're all f***ing mad." -- Ozzy as "The Dad," THE OSBOURNES.

[MissQuirky]

Hmmm this is very interesting!! I'm lookin forward to reading more!!

"Don't warn the tadpoles!...
I-I have frog fear."

[Latsric]

Well, you've got me curious. Please continue



-lat-

- I need my obsessions, they keep me sane -

[jixer]

Hi Kittens and thank you-



Wow! Feedback! Thank you very much. I appreciate the time you took and your interest. I'll try not to disappoint you.



CaptMurdock-Okay, I'm counting on you to get the clues.



MissQuirky- Careful, I blush easily.



Lastric-I hope I can do so and keep the interest.



Again, thank you,



Jixer

[jixer]

Title: Hotel Kilo 2-2

Author: Jixer

Spoilers: Up through the end of Season 6

Rating: Hard PG-13 to Soft R at most.

Pairing: W/T

WARNINGS: Kitten Angst Advisory. Still.







Sunnydale California



Willow looked at the house on Revello from her rental car in the afternoon. She took several deep breaths and opened the car door. Her stomach knotted as she walked up the steps of the porch and tapped on the door. When there was no answer she paused and tried to make herself knock harder. Willow stood there, arm raised, fighting an internal battle on the porch of what had once been her home.



"Will?" Buffy said behind her.



Willow let out a choked off screech and whirled around, her heart suddenly pounding.



"B-Buffy, I, ah," she said as tears filled her eyes. "H-hi."



"Giles called us," Buffy said carefully.



"He’d do that," Willow replied with a nod. "What with the note and the sudden disappearance and leaving most of my clothes and the whole not being able to cope with anything ‘cause I’m a total screw up who can’t even talk to somebody without crying about everything I-I ruined..."



Buffy had kept out of reach for the first few seconds, and then she climbed the steps and took her friend in her arms as Willow ran out of steam. Willow seemed even more lean and frail in the afternoon light. Buffy shook away an image of Willow just fading away.



"Let’s get you inside," Buffy said firmly.



"Don’t," Willow cried softly, "I don’t deserve it. I’ll just go over to my parent’s and, and I’ll be fine there, at my parents..."



"Alone?" Buffy asked quickly.



Willow just nodded. All the clever speeches and explanations she’d rehearsed over the weeks were just empty words she knew now. Facing the friend she’d attacked and knowing what she had said and done made Willow want to crawl away and hide forever. Then she thought of facing Dawn. Willow tried to pull away. No one could forgive her.



"No," Buffy declared calmly.



"I can’t," Willow whispered.



"Will, please," Buffy said with a sudden surge of unshed tears of her own. "I can’t keep losing people."



The two women embraced, trying to be strong for each other in the fading daylight. Buffy gently lead Willow into the house and shut the door quickly behind them.



"Trouble?" Willow asked worriedly.



"Escape artist," Buffy replied with a smile. "She'll be happy to see you."



"I kinda doubt Dawn wants to be near me," Willow replied sadly.



Then Willow heard a noise halfway between a purr and a meow. She looked down to see a black and white form looking up at her. Then the cat burst into a barrage of meows and pawed at her. Willow couldn't see clearly through her tears as she reached down and picked up

Miss Kitty. She could feel two sets of claws dig into her shirt and a rough tongue start licking her ear as the small cat purred loudly.



Willow buried her face in the soft, warm fur and felt the cat rub her head against her own, marking Willow as Miss Kitty’s.



"Thank you," Willow finally choked out.



"It was all Dawn's idea," Buffy said not meeting her friend's eyes.





University of California at Santa Barbara





Tara didn’t like being sweaty or sore or looking foolish though she was used to looking inept. None of that mattered as she stretched sore muscles because she felt safe. Hotel Kilo 2-2 in it’s entirety was around her in the gym of the University. Six men, volunteers from the cutting edge of the United States of the Americas military, had accepted the reluctant female drafted by the (E) OIS.



"You call that stretching?" a tenor voice chided behind her.



"No, Doc, it's an interpretive dance called the daydreaming sensitive," Tara replied with a small smile.



"Dance later, stretch now," the short, broad man said firmly. "I want you loose and ready to save my butt again."



Tara winced at the memory of a vampire closing on 'Doc' Talbot as he patched up Riley. It was her first mission. The single palladium round she fired had 'poofed' the vamp. Sometimes she saw it again in her dreams. The dark skinned medic hadn't even looked up. It was the first time she’d felt that much trust.



And it was the only time she fired her weapon in the field.



Tara moved slowly but completely through the stretching and Talbot smiled. He moved off as Tara carefully stretched. She didn’t want to disappoint her friend. She was wrapped up in doing her stretches perfectly but she still noticed the battered sneakers stop in front of her.



"How's the can working, babe?" a rough voice asked.



"The can?" Tara asked innocently.



"The artificial environment suppressor," Howard Prader explained in an exasperated tone. She didn't need her talent to know it was faked.



Tara looked up at the tech specialist and oldest man on the team. She tilted her head and then smiled vacuously.



"Oh!" Tara simpered. "The si-len-cer."



"Don't try that on me," Howard sniffed. "I happen to know you just lighten your hair."



"It's great," Tara said with a shy smile. "It doesn't buck as much and I actually did better than passing with the shorty. Thanks."



Howard squatted down in front of her and looked around surreptitiously. Tara knew what he was going to ask. She looked down and pretended to stretch her neck.



"I'm fine," she whispered.



"Bullshit," Howard replied gently. "If you want to talk, you know where I am lass, and I can guarantee the snoops won't hear."



"Thanks," she whispered.



Howard gave her a smile and sauntered over to a couple of co-eds half his age or less. Tara just shook her head and felt a twinge of envy for his easy confidence with women. She turned her attention to her team leader.



Michael Delacroix was showing Riley a move that the younger man had yet to master. Riley moved in with power and sureness. Michael moved with minimalist grace as Riley flew and landed hard. Graham Miller was already on the mat, rubbing his neck. The stolid young man saw her looking and just shrugged and gave a weak grin.



Tara nodded in sympathy and smiled back with a shrug of her own. She’d been there before.



"Again," Delacroix said in his quiet voice. Years in the United States of the Americas Army hadn't softened his Quebecois accent. Tara thought it was one more reason there always seemed to be extra women in the gym when he was here.



The other reasons were the black hair, the face that was saved from being pretty by gray, distant eyes and the lean warrior's build. None of which meant much to Tara except on an aesthetic level. What mattered more to the sensitive was the almost inhumanly tight control

he kept on his emotions. He was nearly impossible for her to read.



And not being able to read Delacroix was less important than the fact that he had, for whatever reason, chosen to integrate her into the team. Unlike some teams that just took their sensitives into the field like a breathing piece of equipment, Delacroix had insisted '2-2' train her.



She'd been a painfully shy undergraduate in art history from a small college in the Midwest, terrified of her new talent, when he'd first seen her. The team he selected and that had trained Tara had also accepted her. For the first time her life she'd felt some confidence in herself.



She'd taken her newfound confidence and had gently responded to a stronger sensitive with red hair and green eyes. In the midst of the Unknown Life Form crisis she'd found Judith Rosenberg, and lost her heart. Tara remembered the first moment Judith had looked at her and smiled-



"Maclay," Ramirez said sternly.



Tara looked up at the ugly, balding Assistant Team Leader with a start. Ramirez gave her one of his rare smiles and his hand.



"We're through, Tara," he said lightly as he pulled her up. "Unless you wish to spend your hours on pass in this palace of the body beautiful?"



"Um, not really, sir," she answered and headed for the showers.



Ramirez shook his head. Her manners wouldn't let her call the sergeant first class anything else. He accepted it. At least she'd stopped using 'Mister'.

[MissQuirky]

Me Like, MORE PLEASE!!!

"Don't warn the tadpoles!...
I-I have frog fear."

[Loco2]

decided this was really really lame the post - not the fic.



but i am reading and enjoying muchly

"I'm not gay - I'm just Trevor's bitch." - some drunken guy about his sexuality
"Oh, bugger off, you BROLLY!" - Anya to Giles on his use of the english language
"We'll all be a lot happier without the constant whining....Mom, Buffy, Tara, Waah" - DMW to Dawn

Edited by: Loco2 at: 8/18/02 7:52:37 am

[xita]

Very interesting, the AU is quite different and yet the parallel season 7 seems intact. The 2-2's are infinitely more interesting than the initiative, even Riley doesn't seem as boring :d I am def. going to be following this one, thanks

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Childie -"Not all girls are raving bloody lesbians, you know!"

George - "That's a misfortune of which I am perfectly well aware."

The Killing of Sister George

[LeatherQueen]

This is getting really interesting. And they found Miss Kitty. Looking forward to more.

--------------------------------


"But when they're playing your song on the jukebox in Hell, you might as well dance." - K. Simpson


"Futile... like a FOX, baby!" - Tara in The Late Shift by wiccachica

[jixer]

Hi Kittens-



First I’d like to say thank you. I can’t stress how much I appreciate the time you give me in reading my story and then responding. Thanks to everyone.



MissQuirky- I hope I don’t disappoint.



Loco2- Thanks. You do know encouragement leads to more of this? If you insist…



Xita- Thank you. I never quite liked the Initiative. As for Riley, another character that could have been more. I’m sensing a theme.



Leatherqueen- A thanks and a damn right they found Miss Kitty! Unrepentant Miss Kitty fan here.



And now the unfortunate warning about the schedule monster. After Monday the updates are going to be about 48 hours apart unless I give up sleep. By next weekend I’m hoping to get ahead enough to make daily posts again. Thank you for your patience.



J

[jixer]

Sunnydale California





Willow looked around the kitchen and couldn’t help but feel the weight of memories building in her mind. Tara and Dawn, Tara humming with the radio as Willow fixed the robot, Xander and Dawn competing over pancakes and Tara laughing. Buffy and Xander smiling as Joyce made hot chocolate. The room seemed too large now, and colder than she remembered.



"Will?" Buffy asked quietly.



"Sorry," the young woman answered with a start. "Where’s Dawn?"



"She’s at the library," Buffy said wearily. "She’s getting a ride home from Janice’s mom."



"Library?" Willow asked with a touch of suspicion. "Dawnie’s at the library at night during Summer Vacation?"



"Summer school," Buffy explained hesitantly. "There were… ah, problems."



Willow winced at the memories of her words to Dawn and the danger the child that meant so much to Tara had been in, thanks to her.



"I’m sorry," Willow said after a second. "God, that’s so old and useless and I keep saying it."



"As long as you mean it," Buffy said gently.



"So how badly did I screw her up?" Willow asked as her stomach clenched.



"It wasn’t all you," Buffy answered, carefully hiding her own pain at the memories. "She had a bad mail day after the funeral."



"How bad?" Willow asked with a weak smile as she heard Buffy’s pain. "Girlfriend here, all used to the Buffy hides own hurts gambit."



"An LA friend of Mom’s sent her a birthday and ‘Hi, haven’t seen you for a while’ card," Buffy answered with a sigh.



"And?" Willow asked reluctantly.



"We got back the funeral notice from Tara’s family marked return to sender," Buffy snarled, "and they wrote ‘good riddance’ on it."



"Oh, God, the bastards," Willow hissed, "Dawnie didn’t deserve to see that." Then she looked at Buffy. "There’s more isn’t there?" Willow said distantly. Suddenly she felt a small shove on her leg. Without thinking she lifted the head-butting feline and stroked her.



"There was a letter from Tara’s scholarship committee," Buffy said without looking into Willow’s eyes. "They said as soon as she filled out the forms I was approved to receive her dorm fees."



"She was coming home for good," Willow whispered with a sense of wonder as she stroked the cat in her lap. "It wasn’t just to, not for one night, but, but for always."



Willow cuddled the cat and felt Miss Kitty buzz happily even as the woman’s tears fell on her coat.





University of California at Santa Barbara





Tara walked along the shaded path to the UCSB Student Union Building half listening to Riley and Graham chatter about a new move they were going to spring on their team leader at the next sparring session. It wasn’t like tuning out her brother Donnie when he talked about cars or partying. She cared about the speakers and their subject.



"I guess he’s off with the rest of the old guys doing the OMC thing on the twisties," Tara heard Graham say.



"Um," she started, "Since the old guys are rest of the team, what’s the OMC and do I want to know what ‘twisties’ are?"



"The OMC is the Omega Motorcycle Club," Riley said enviously. "And Omega is just a name, remember that Cat."



"Of course," Tara said with a shake of her head. "After all the top secret War Department Omega team has only shown up in every silly guy movie in the last twenty years. What are twisties?"



"Roads with lots of corners and twists," Graham said with a rare smile. "The no-go zone out near the nexus point has plenty of them."



"They’re using their clearance to ride two-wheeled death mobiles really fast in a danger zone?" Tara asked incredulously. "And you two want to go along, don’t you?"



"Who wouldn’t?" Riley answered with a sigh. "California sun, a fast bike and no cars to slow you down. I’m telling you it’s as close to heaven as you can get coming out of an S curve at 90."



"I think I need to get you two inside, you know, and out of the sun," Tara teased. "At least until you come to your senses."





University of California at Santa Barbara

Science Building





Assistant Director Margaret Walsh looked up at the commotion outside her door. She lowered her hand to her keyboard to pull up a view of the outer room in her temporary command center when the cause of the disturbance opened the door and stepped in.



"Delacroix," she said levelly.



Behind the soldier she saw two of her guards slowly getting up. She could see their weapons partially disassembled on the floor. The sear assemblies in Delacroix’s hands made sure they would be inoperable. Walsh glared at him.



"We had an appointment," Michael stated quietly.



"Something came up," the hard faced woman snapped. "What makes it so important that you can’t wait?"



"My team," Delacroix answered flatly.



"What about it?" Walsh asked carefully as she motioned to the guards behind the soldier. They glared but closed the door.



"You know what Maclay is," Delacroix said coldly. "She is a satisfactory sensitive but I have valuable future assets that may be compromised."



Walsh felt herself relax just a bit. The covert action specialist was finally acting like a snake eater. They were predictable and useful, but bothersome. The Omega team troublemakers she was forced to contend with daily were useful, if handled properly.



"Do you want her off your team?" she asked in a concerned tone of voice.



"No, she’s useful," he answered quickly. He shrugged very slightly and put his motorcycle helmet down on her desk. "We need her to keep our kill level within parameters."



"Yes," Walsh said thoughtfully. "You do realize I can’t act at this time, without evidence, unless you have some?"



"No," Michael answered calmly.



"Very well, I have a lot of work to do," she said brusquely. "I will take your concerns under advisement."



"Thank you," Delacroix said as he picked up his helmet and turned to leave.



"Do leave the government property with my staff on the way out," Walsh ordered levelly.



In the outer office the two OIS security men glared at him. Michael placed their weapons’ vital parts on the desk of the secretary who was watching him with appreciation. He leaned against her desk for a second and gave her a small nod, then strode out the door.



"I could of taken him," the youngest security man said to the closed door.



"Hmm, so could I," the secretary said mostly to herself.





Walsh looked out the window and saw the hard form emerge. She watched him swing on to a low, sleek motorcycle and pull away with a sweeping turn. She looked to the other side of the street and saw the usual collection of protesters with their banners. The Pacific Confederation seemed to breed them like any other vermin.



Behind her a door opened. Without looking back she stiffened slightly. Another necessary tool, but one that needed a different approach.



"Well?" she asked curtly.



"The results of the voice stress analysis are, ah, not conclusive," her science adviser said evasively.



"Are you telling me, Mr. Meers, that the resources of the OIS can’t determine if one tin soldier is actually worried about his precious men?" Walsh asked harshly.



"He’s hard to read," the young man almost whined. "Do you think he knows about Midnight Transposition?"



"Doubtful," the woman said with a frown. "And I doubt he can see the real dangers to the Republic, either. He’s off to ride macho machines with his heroes, a bunch of old snake-eaters spending the last years of their careers at desks in the War Department just waiting for some chance to play with dangerous toys again. None of those adolescents see the dangers."



"What dangers, Ma’am?" Meers asked as he walked gingerly to the window she was looking out.



He looked out and saw the ragged band of protesters and their signs. It was the usual mix demanding the US put an end to the Foreign Church Act, the Deviant Statutes, and the (E) OIS itself among other causes. He made himself frown. You had to know the boss’s pet peeves if you were going to move up in an organization. Flattery helped too.



"Oh, them," he said with distaste. "Fruits and nuts, Director Walsh. It’s not like a Catholic is ever going to be president or a faggot’s going to Congress."



"Error is more dangerous than ULFs, Warren," Walsh said tiredly. "We need the OIS. We need it all through the NAC, not just in the USA. God knows we need it on the left coast."



"Don’t worry," Warren said confidently. "Midnight Transposition will get rid of the ‘E’ and PacConfed both. You’ve thought of everything."





Four Miles Northeast of Santa Barbara





Michael Delacroix pulled in behind the lumbering chopper Howard Prader was riding. Prader slowed down with five quick taps on his brakes. As they moved along the older man hit his brakes in a short tap, then two long pulls and short tap. Then as other riders swept past up the hill Howard tapped his brakes again with five even taps.



Michael opened the throttle and threw his bike around the grinning older man’s ride and disappeared up the hill.

[MissQuirky]

Quote:

---

MissQuirky- I hope I don’t disappoint.

---

No u could never disappoint! This fic Rox! I'm really enjoying it!! That was a great update!! Can't wait 4 ur next one!!

"Don't warn the tadpoles!...
I-I have frog fear."

[xita]

Oh Tara was coming back for good, how terribly heartbreaking. I am a bit confused about the AU but I do know Walsh is up to no good and Tara's in trouble.



Oh, next time you should really post in the update thread letting us know when there is a new update I'd hate to miss a part !

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Childie -"Not all girls are raving bloody lesbians, you know!"

George - "That's a misfortune of which I am perfectly well aware."

The Killing of Sister George

[Loco2]

ooh - update



yes - i find the au a little confusing, too, but i've made up my own little explanation in my head and now it's fine



aw - tara returning for good - how sad.



and the card...



thank you for a great update



steph

"I'm not gay - I'm just Trevor's bitch." - some drunken guy about his sexuality
"Oh, bugger off, you BROLLY!" - Anya to Giles on his use of the english language
"We'll all be a lot happier without the constant whining....Mom, Buffy, Tara, Waah" - DMW to Dawn

[jixer]

Hello Kittens-



MissQuirky- As always, thank you. I'll do my best.



Xita- Um, Update Thread, errr. Oops. I'll do better. I'm even going to start numbering them.



Loco2- Thank you. Both you and Xita raise a question I've been struggling with, which is how to keep the AU interesting without getting detailed and bogged down.

I'm going to try something a touch different in a future post. Both the AU and Sunnydale sections are getting their own posts for a brief stretch. Just as soon as I get time.





Thank you for the time. I'll try to make it worth your efforts.



J

[jixer]

Hotel Kilo 2-2

Update #4

Spoilers: Up through the end of Season 6

WARNINGS: Kitten Angst Advisory. This is after Season 6.



Sunnydale California





Buffy went upstairs to change as Willow sat in the kitchen. There was no way she would ever climb those stairs again. She made a note to herself about getting her things out of the Summers home. The memories were too sharp.



"I can’t stay here, Miss Kitty," she said gently. "Would you be happier here with Dawn? I think Buffy likes you but there’s no way she’s ever going to say that."



"She does," Dawn said flatly behind her.



Willow turned quickly and stared at the teenager. Dawn looked older and harder than Willow remembered. The cat slipped out of her hands and sauntered over to the slim girl, sniffing her jeans and rubbing against them. Dawn was hers too. The moment lengthened in silence as Willow struggled for some way to bridge the gap between them.



"Why?" Dawn asked finally.



"Which why?" Willow asked with a desperate tone she couldn’t hide. "There’s a whole lot of whys and, and not a lot of becauses because I don’t know, I can’t find any answers and I don’t even know where to look anymore and I can’t even sleep on it-which isn’t what you’re asking is it?"



"Why can’t you stay?" Dawn asked pointedly. "Not that I want you to, understand, but Buffy’s been all worried about you."



"It’s the memories in here," Willow said in a small voice. "I, I keep expecting to see her, and then I do."



Dawn looked away from Willow’s eyes for a moment. When she looked back she’d stopped looking older. Tears welled up in the teenager’s eyes.



"I see her too," Dawn said smiling through her tears. "Then I see her just laying there…"



Willow stood up slowly and walked carefully up to the girl. Awkwardly she took Dawn in her arms. For a second the girl stiffened and then Willow felt Dawn sag into her embrace. Willow stroked her hair gently and just made soothing noises. After a few minutes the younger woman pulled away and rubbed her eyes.



"Don’t tell Buffy," Dawn pleaded. "She’s got too much on her mind right now."



"I won’t," Willow promised.



"You’re staying tonight, right?" Dawn asked in a carefully careless tone.



"I guess," Willow answered unsurely. "I could just crash on Xander’s couch."



"I wouldn’t," Dawn said, her attitude seemed to edge back towards a cold anger.



"Okay," Willow said uncertainly. "I’ll crash on the Summers’ couch."



"I’ll get you some sheets and stuff," Dawn said brusquely as she turned away and fled from the room.



Willow looked around the kitchen and tried to understand Dawn’s reactions. She was sure it made sense to a teenager.







University of California Santa Barbara

Student Union Building





Tara was glad of the cool air inside the Student Union Building. She still hadn’t gotten used to wearing body armor in the waning California summer. Even with special T shirts and lightweight carriers the armor was still like wearing a down vest. Adding the weight of the pistol and concealment holster made sure her first stop was a drinking fountain.



She tried not to look around too much. Santa Barbara had been Judith’s home before the strange sensitive talent had swept the world the day the monsters slipped in. Judith had shown Tara everything she’d loved in her town and at UCSB including the tiny coffee shop in the Student Union Building. Now everything here, even the mochas Judith had introduced her to, reminded Tara of her loss.



"Hey, commando twins, look at this!" a now familiar voice called out. Everything and everyone as well.



Tara looked up to see Beth Summers and a knot of other off duty California National Guard troops around a vid monitor. Beth and Judith had gone to high school together. What had started out as study help had turned to real friendship between the studious Judith and the energetic cheerleader and athlete in her own right. If you met one you met the other, and it seemed everyone had met one of them.



Tara rolled her eyes and tried to block out Riley’s very requited affections for the tiny brunette with the sun streaked hair as they embraced. Then Graham saw a blonde he knew very well and Tara felt very much the odd girl out.



She concentrated on the video feed and tried not to look uncomfortable as her organization’s titular leader came on the screen. Director Patrick Carruthers looked into the camera with a rehearsed look of studied concern.



"My fellow Americans," the coifed politician intoned, "I have good news. We of the Emergency Office of Internal Security are close to ending our mandate with the successful eradication of the so called Unknown Life Forms and the closure of the dimensional anomaly that allows these creatures access to our world."



Tara could feel hope sweep through the crowd except for islands of distrust from her teammates. Carruthers was making political moves before the tactical ones were done. Tara felt her own feeling edging towards anger. This man was using what Judith and everyone on her team had died for to make a bid for higher office. Part of her wondered what had happened to the trusting art history student she’d been.



"I will be travelling tomorrow to our neighbors to the West to oversee personally the last phases of Operation Freedom Defender," the politico went on. "When we are successful I intend to ask the President to retire the (E) OIS, for our mission will be finished. Miss Faulkner will take your questions. Thank you"



As Carruthers left the stage with his bodyguards a perky young woman stepped up to the podium. Tara heard a question shouted out just before the news announcer cut in to tell them what the great man had just said.



"What about the mentals?" someone had yelled out with an underlying fear Tara could just barely feel.



No one else caught the words or her look of worry. It seemed only the task force hunting the ULFs still used sensitive as the definition of her abilities. Something else worried her. She’d never been able to catch any trace of emotion from an electronic source before.



"There goes the weekend," Beth said bitterly. "We’ll end up on roadblock duty so some politician can push a button in front of the cameras. Let’s head over to my place and enjoy our last pass for awhile."



"I wish Judi could have seen this," a young combat engineer said wistfully. His nametape said Harris and Tara knew him as one of Judith’s oldest friends. There was a sad chorus of agreement from the Santa Barbara natives.



"So do I," Tara whispered hoarsely.





University of California at Santa Barbara

Science Building





"Paulson, why did I find out about this on WNN?" Assistant Director Walsh asked coldly of the Operations Manager recently foisted on her by Carruthers.



"It was a back room deal," Paulson said quickly.



"So you knew nothing about it?" Walsh asked carefully.



"Nothing, ma’am," the man lied.



"Get out," she ordered. Paulson heaved his middle-aged body out of the chair and to the door quickly.



Walsh didn’t let herself smile until he was gone.

[Bagheera]

This is humming along nicely - Willow dealing with her anguish is well drawn. And re: the AU in part 3 - if there's gonna be two-wheeled action, I vote for leather- and leather- . "I have just two words to say to you that will make it all go away: 'Biker - Fic'" what the Mayor should have said to Faith

A black shadow dropped down into the circle. It was Bagheera
the Black Panther, inky black all over, but with the panther markings showing up in certain lights like the pattern of watered
silk.
Rudyard Kipling

[xita]

Ok, now it's getting set up and all the scoobies seem to be around except of course Tara lost her Willow. Now I am not sure what is going on with the 2-2 but I am getting the feeling that whatever it is will be the key to getting w/t together.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Childie -"Not all girls are raving bloody lesbians, you know!"

George - "That's a misfortune of which I am perfectly well aware."

The Killing of Sister George

[Loco2]

yeah - i'm guessing that whatever they're doing, they might find willow, too...



dawn and willow in the kitchen was kind of sweet, in a bitter sort of way



and the explanation i had in my head just got blown straight to hell with that update



thanks



steph

"I'm not gay - I'm just Trevor's bitch." - some drunken guy about his sexuality
"Oh, bugger off, you BROLLY!" - Anya to Giles on his use of the english language
"We'll all be a lot happier without the constant whining....Mom, Buffy, Tara, Waah" - DMW to Dawn

[mollyig]

Finally got the time to start reading this.



Willow having Tara's voice on logging into her computer seemed like something she would do, and I found it touching. The new found knowledge that Tara had planned on returning to the Summers house for good must have been so hard for Willow to hear. And the exchange with Dawn must also have been tough.



The AU is extremely intriguing. Tara as a sensitive is totally in character. Her natural empathy was always so strong. The organisation's aims are clear cut, but there seems to be a sinister undercurrent. Maggie Walsh seems to be up to something - this Midnight Transposition project. Most curious. And can I just say that I really like the image of Tara in a uniform!

Adding up the total of a love that's true, multiply life by the power of two
Indigo Girls

[MissQuirky]

Its all unfolding now! I def. think that W/T are gonna reunite soon, I hope! I'm also thinkin it will be w/ the help of the 2-2 group.



A very emotional moment between Willow n Dawn bout Tara, it was sad! Yet very touching!



Can't wait 4 ur next update!!

Willow: We can come by between classes. Usually I use that time to copy over my class notes with a system of different colored pens. But it's been pointed out to me that that's, you know... insane.
Tara: I said quirky.

[jixer]

Hello Kittens-



Thanks to all for your comments and time. I'm going to break the storyline for a couple of updates, then weave them back together. And get some sleep. Really.



Again, thank you for the gift of your time.



J

[jixer]

Hotel Kilo 2-2

Update #5

Spoilers: Up through the end of Season 6

WARNINGS: Kitten Angst Advisory. This is after Season 6.

EXTRA WARNING! Season Six didn’t leave our redhead in a good way. High Kitten Angst Advisory. This is going to be a Sunnydale only update, followed by an AU only update.



Sunnydale California





The dinner at the Summers house that night had been the hardest thing Willow had done in two months. The meal itself was a shadow of meals past. Both Summers had asked innocuous questions over microwaved food that Joyce would never have approved of for her girls. The conversation had sputtered to a stop several times with Dawn breaking the silences.



Now the nightly patrol was approaching and Willow was troubled. She watched Dawn pull out a sword from the weapons chest and glanced at Buffy with a worried look. The blonde shrugged.



"She’s got talent," Buffy said weakly.



"I’m a chip off the old blockhead," Dawn said with a sweet smile.



"Isn’t it a school night?" Willow asked unsurely. She’d never had to have Summer School.



"You three went patrolling on school nights all the time," Dawn pointed out with a grin.



Willow watched Dawn and remembered Buffy being the same age, but not as happy about patrolling. Buffy had told her she was eager once, but watching her first Watcher die had ended her excitement about most of the Slayer’s duties.



But for Dawn the thrills of patrolling were still new without the stain of loss or defeat. The girl was now sixteen and had the perceived immortality of all teenagers. Willow shuddered at the memories of how she’d found out she wasn’t immortal. She wished silently that there was some way to make sure Dawn would never feel the same pain and disappointments.



"What about extra help?" Willow asked hopefully.



"Are you up to patrolling without…" Buffy let the question die uneasily.



"Magic," Willow said with a forced calm. "You can say it. Giles told you?"



"Told us what?" Dawn demanded, looking at Buffy. "What did he tell you that you didn’t tell me?"



"I still have magic, Dawn," Willow explained reluctantly, "but I can’t use it."



"You mean like the Wicca twelve step program you fell off last time?" Dawn asked tightly.



The words hurt, but the mix of fear and disappointment in the teen’s voice and the way she took a step back while gripping the sword tightly seared Willow’s soul.



"Dawn," Buffy said firmly, "Willow can’t do magic at all. Something’s blocking her."



"You could’ve told me!" Dawn snapped at her sister.



"Look, guys, I wasn’t going to go along," Willow said trying to placate Dawn. "Just asking, okay? Jet lag, you know, and time zone craziness. I mean Xander would be way better right now for patrolling."



"Yeah, right," Dawn said bitterly.



"Dawn," Buffy said warningly, then more softly she added, "Wait for me on the porch. Okay?"



Dawn hurried out of the room, not meeting Willow’s eyes. Buffy watched her with a look of pained concern and then turned to her friend with a sigh.



"I’m sorry, Will," Buffy said tiredly.



"Did something happen to Xander?" Willow interjected with a growing fear in her heart.



"You did," Anya said coldly.



Willow and Buffy turned to see Anya standing in the doorway. The demon visage faded but the smoldering anger in her eyes didn’t. She wore a leather coat and a most un-Anya like pair of boots. Willow noticed the highlights were gone from her hair.



"An, not now, please," Buffy implored her as the Slayer reached out her hand to the demon. Anya’s angry shell cracked as she shook her head and pulled back from Buffy.



"No, I-I have to go," Anya said raggedly. "I’ll wait with Dawn."



"Boy, I did a real good job," Willow said softly as she watched Anya bolt from the room. "I screwed up everybody wonderfully. Where’s Xander?"



"Promise me you’ll stay here tonight first," Buffy said sternly. "I don’t want to lose you to a stray vamp and I’ve been having these weird dreams."



"It’s that bad?" Willow asked weakly.



"Will," Buffy said in a warning tone.



"Okay, okay, I’ll stay here tonight," Willow answered quickly. "What happened to Xander?"



"He’s been taking things kinda hard," Buffy explained tightly.



"Has he been…drinking?" Willow asked in whisper.



"No, he said Giles…no," Buffy fought for words and strength. "He’s blaming himself for what happened. He’s been just sitting at home most nights. He won’t go on patrol. He says he’d just get more of his friends killed."



"Why is Anya so angry?" Willow said to cover her pain as she thought of Xander walling himself off from the Scoobies.



"He’s avoiding her, and she’s become a bad demon," Buffy said running her hands through her hair. "It’s complicated."



"Well, yeah," Willow said quickly as she seized on a familiar topic. "You know, vengeance demon, very bad as a rule."



"No, she’s bad at being a demon," Buffy snapped, then went more softly. "Her worst, I guess case, was she was summoned by a woman who was being battered by her drunken boy friend."



"How messy is this gonna be?" Willow asked timidly. "I’m trying to avoid messy."



"Its not," Buffy said firmly. "That’s the point. She sobers him up and makes him unable to get drunk anymore, period. Then she makes the guy turn himself in to the cops for his punishment. Then she makes him get counseling. No blood, no guts, and he’s really changing and dealing with what he’s done. She gets the girl friend to move on and get help too so she can deal with things."



"That’s great, I mean especially from Miss Exploding, ah, Member," Willow said with real praise.



"Not if you’re a Vengeance demon," Buffy pointed out. "She’s the laughing stock of the demon world. She’s on a kind of probation." Buffy looked into Willow’s eyes and swallowed. "She said could never match you for vengeance. She couldn’t kill the whole world to put it out of her misery."



"Oh," Willow said weakly as she sat down hard. "I’ll just stay here for now, okay?"



"Will, please." Buffy started despondently.



"Go," Willow snapped.



"Promise me you’ll stay," Buffy pleaded softly.



"I’ll stay," Willow replied not looking at her friend.



"I’ve got to go," Buffy said uneasily.



"So go, save the world, kill the monsters," Willow answered tightly.



Buffy turned and left hurriedly. Willow watched her go out of the corner of her eye. As Buffy locked the door behind her Willow took a ragged breath.



"I’m sorry," she said gently into the empty room.





Something that felt very good and warm-lap-nice caught Miss Kitty’s attention. She followed it to the thing her returned tall mommy carried other things in. A small object with a nasty smell was sticking out of the carrying thing. She batted at the small thing and it rattled. She batted at it again and it fell to the floor where it moved and rattled some more. She chittered, twitched her tail and pounced. It spun away and rattled. Miss Kitty followed it happily as it veered into the big room.



She didn’t notice the good feeling thing fade away as she stalked and then attacked her new prey in the living room.





Dawn looked up at Buffy as the Slayer locked the door. Her eyes were red and she couldn’t meet her older sister’s eyes.



"I’m sorry," Dawn said in a raspy voice. "I want to be happy she’s home and all right and safe and I’m being such a butthead and…"



Buffy took her in her arms and held her as Dawn ran out of words. Buffy stroked her sister’s hair gently.



"Anya?" Buffy asked trying to keep the disappointment out of her voice.



"She said all she could sense was a new vamp coming up in the old part of Shady Brook," Dawn said trying to sound more grown up than she felt right now. "Then she started crying and said she was being summoned and swirled off. She still can’t lie worth sh-ugar. We’re gonna lose her too, aren’t we?"



"No," Buffy said firmly. "We’re not going to lose anyone else. That includes you most of all."



"Huh?" Dawn said as she stood back and looked at Buffy quizzically.



"You’re not up to patrolling," Buffy said sternly. "You’re distracted and that’ll get us messed up."



Dawn just nodded and that clenched the fact that she wasn’t up to patrolling for both girls. The teenager unlocked the door reluctantly and stepped inside. She turned and saw her sister moving quickly down the street.



"Be careful," Dawn whispered as she closed the door.



The teenager heard a noise and looked down, bringing her foot into the block-the-cat’s-escape position. She saw the black and white cat not looking at the door eagerly for once, but rather enraptured with her pursuit of a small, blue plastic prescription pill bottle. Dawn snatched it up just as small white teeth were working on the cap. Miss Kitty yowled angrily at her.



"No!" the girl said sternly. "This is child-proof, not cat-proof."



Dawn looked at the label, saw Willow’s name and the name of the drug. She heard a gasp and looked up to see Willow staring at her with a shamed expression.



"How long have you been depressed?" Dawn asked Willow with a measuring tone.



"How?" Willow asked on the edge of tears.



"Janice’s dad takes them," Dawn explained. "She kind of freaked when he got diagnosed with depression."



"Yeah," Willow replied in a rough, bitter whisper. "Really mental this time."



"It’s a disease," Dawn insisted. "Your brain chemicals get messed up."



"It’s the last stop on the ‘Willow the Loser’ tour is what it is," Willow barked angrily.



"STOP IT!" Dawn shouted. Willow and Miss Kitty both gave a start. Then the girl advanced on Willow, who looked away from the teen’s new freshet of tears. She wasn’t expecting the fierce hug that enveloped her.



"Stop it!" Dawn sobbed. "You’re Willow and you’re wonderful and she loved you."



"Please, don’t," Willow begged as she tried to pull away, "I’m dirty."



Dawn wouldn’t let her go. Willow finally just gave in and hugged her back as hard as she could.





Sunnydale California

Outside 1630 Revello Drive





Trevor shifted uncomfortably as the Slayer passed by beneath him. The demon wanted to rend her, match it’s strength and rage against hers. Trevor fought it down. He’d learned to do that finally just before the Battle of Sedan. His sire had been proud of him. Most vampires were more dangerous to themselves and each other than a Slayer. The demon inside wanted up-close kills and animal strength to rule the day. Most vamps gave in to that, but not Trevor.



He still thought of himself as Trevor Underwood, even though that man had died in the Fifties. Specifically in 1855, following William Walker in Nicaragua as a mercenary with a bullet in his gut and an empty Colt revolver in his hand. But the bullet wasn’t what killed him. That had been the slender, pale young man who’d found him under the half-burned wagon.



So he’d stayed a mercenary much longer than anyone else who’d followed the gray-eyed ‘filibuster’ into Latin America. Sorcerers and demons hired him these days, and the occasional retainer from a law firm that was rather more frightening. After the latter the disembodied voice that came to him whispering of revenge was almost refreshing. Still, the vampire wished he could distinguish whether the voice was male or female.



The voice had magic, that he knew. It shielded him from the pathetic demon’s probes and the Slayer’s senses. It found lost treasure for his fee and told him which workmen wouldn’t be missed after they recovered it for him. But even with it’s magic it was still a weak voice. It had killed recently for power, but the power was inimical to its evil nature. All its efforts had achieved was a voice only a vampire could hear. But it would be enough.



Trevor waited for the sister or the redhead who reeked of power to appear. Her return alone brought him this close to the Slayer. When they did not he pulled out a cell phone. He already knew the young man wouldn’t move this evening. It was frustrating since the client wanted all of them dead at the same time and the bodies tossed into the Hellmouth.



"Abort and feed," Trevor said briefly.



Trevor swung out of the tree and headed for the car that had had such a tasty owner. He hoped his team, the product of a century’s work, wouldn’t kill another newbie in their disappointment. This Slayer was a legend, and he wanted to see if the thighbones of a Morax demon would work as lethal clubs against the failed demon as the voice had said. But the client’s conditions meant another night’s delay, and the client was always correct.



He sighed, even though he didn’t breathe. Some habits are hard to break.

[xita]

Willow's breaking my heart, "I'm dirty." But Dawn is so good to her. Love Dawnie. And Trevor.. hmm wonder who he is.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Childie -"Not all girls are raving bloody lesbians, you know!"

George - "That's a misfortune of which I am perfectly well aware."

The Killing of Sister George

[MissQuirky]

Aww Willow!! Its sooo sad! I'm glad Dawnie is there 4 her! Can't wait 4 more!!

Willow: We can come by between classes. Usually I use that time to copy over my class notes with a system of different colored pens. But it's been pointed out to me that that's, you know... insane.
Tara: I said quirky.

[LeatherQueen]

This is very intriguing. I'm wondering who Trevor's boss is that wants the Scoobs dead.



Great update. Willow's pain is so palpable. It's heartbreaking, but you do it very well.

--------------------------------


"But when they're playing your song on the jukebox in Hell, you might as well dance." - K. Simpson


"Futile... like a FOX, baby!" - Tara in The Late Shift by wiccachica

[mollyig]

Our poor Willow, in such a dark place. Glad our honorary kitten was there for her.



This Trevor bloke is most intriguing. The fact that he's plotting the kill makes him a much scarier vamp, and who is controlling him?



Great update.

Adding up the total of a love that's true, multiply life by the power of two
Indigo Girls

[the vamp nurd]

hmm interesting, [strokes faux beard]

[jixer]

Hello Kittens-



Just a quick thank you and a bleary eyed wave. The schedule monster is back to lurking in the wings. Thanks for the time and patience.



As I said in the last pre-update this is the AU only one. I hope it holds your interest.



Thanks everyone!



J