Ms. Hunter Ash
a BTVS/Dark Shadows crossover
ripperbard7@yahoo.com
frost29@post.com
Rating: PG13
pairings: Buffy/Quentin, Barnabas/Roxanne, Julia/Thomas, Xander/Anya, Willow/Tara, Giles/Angelique, Maggie/Joe
# # #
COLLINSPORT,
MAINE
Carolyn
moved the broken chair back in front of the half door to the secret
door in the basement and yawned.
She
set about making coffee and smiled as Dawn wandered in rubbing her
eyes.
“I
bet when I get home I'm going to be waking up at 4 a.m.,” Dawn
grumbled.
Carolyn
laughed. “I understand. I always thought it odd that Barnabas was
up all night and we never saw him in the day time. I didn't remember
what Barnabas was and what had happened until they were gone. I don't
think Julia hypnotized me or if your hellmouth or node was protecting
itself. I mean we've had werewolf attacks, vampires, ghosts and
Frankenstein like creatures and no one seemed to notice it was
really, really odd. I mean people knew it was odd but they didn't dig
really deep.”
“Sounds
like Sunnydale,” Dawn said. “On a parent-teacher's night a cadre
of vampires attacked the school, the next day it was reported that a
gang on pcp was to blame.”
“Okay,
that's more extreme,” Carolyn said.
“The
hellmouth is partly open,” Dawn explained. “Others just
kinda.... leak occult energy. I'm surprised if Collinwood is on a
hellmouth that you haven't had more weird stuff happen.”
“Oh,
we haven't even begun to tell you all the stories!” Carolyn said
with a laugh. “Let's wake up Elizabeth and get ready to go.”
“Cool.”
#
# # #
SUNNYDALE,
CALIFORNIA
Buffy
looked around as Giles pulled slightly off an old, rough dirt road in
the desert. He jumped out of the car and opened the trunk.
“Thank
God it's almost fall, the heat out here has to be intense,” Buffy
commented.
“Yes,
very,” Giles said.
“What's
in the trunk?”
“Supplies,”
he said as he leaned into the trunk.
“Supplies?
I was wondering about that. Like, you know, food, water, maybe a
compass?”
The
Watcher stood up with a box in hand. “What about a book, a gourd,
and a bunch of twigs?”
“I
don't think I'll be that hungry.”
“They're
for me,” Giles responded. “Come on, this way.”
After
several minutes of walking he began talking again.
“The
location of the sacred place is a guarded secret,” he began
explaining. “I can't take you there myself. I'll have to perform
a ritual to... well, transfer my guardianship of you, temporarily, to
a guide. This will do.”
He
stopped and put the box down at the base of a dune.
“A
guide but no food or water,” Buffy said. “So, it leads me to the
sacred place and then a week later it leads you to my bleached
bones?”
“Buffy,
please,” Giles said. “It takes more than a week to bleach bones.”
The
Watcher knelt down and began arranging the twigs around himself.
“So
how's it started?” Buffy asked.
“Well,
I, uh, jump out of the circle and then jump back in it and... well, I
shake the gourd.”
“I
know this ritual!” Buffy exclaimed. “The ancient shamans were
next called upon to do the hokey-pokey and turn themselves around!”
“Buffy,”
the Watcher stood up. “Go quiet.”
The
Watcher sighed and jumped into the circle, out and then back in again
and shook to gourd rattle. After a moment he looked at Buffy.
“And
that's what it's all about,” she muttered.
Giles
sat down and began reading aloud from the book in Swahili.
Buffy
began walking across the sand and then stopped when she heard a
growling sound. She could see a mountain lion sitting on the sand
about thirty feet away.
“Hello,
kitty.”
The
lion turned and began walking and Buffy followed the creature through
a small passageway made by two large outcroppings of rock. Buffy
stared at a large expanse of sandy desert dotted with small bushes
and Joshua trees.
She
went to a rock and sat down.
“I
know this place.”
# # ##
BOSTON,
MASS
Dawn
looked at the tall ships in the harbor with wide eyes. “This is...
like a movie. It smells different than the beaches in California.”
Carolyn
nodded. “There's a lot of history here. You can come here every
summer and not see it all in one life time.”
Dawn
frowned. “And Barnabas, Julia and Roxanne can't see it in the
daytime when most things are happening.”
“Yeah,”
Carolyn said. “But Barnabas lived through some of it. He sailed the
world before coming back to settle down and marry Josette.”
“And
everything went wrong,” Dawn commented.
“Yeah,
I finally got the entire story from Julia,” Carolyn said. “Naomi,
Barnabas' mother, didn't die from an illness, she committed suicide
when she found out about Barnabas. Almost everyone in the family
died except his father, a cousin and nephew. Joshua adopted Daniel
and kept the family going.”
“And
he had Barnabas chained in his coffin,” Dawn said as Elizabeth
chased the seagulls on the wharf.
“Yes,
from 1795 to 1967,” Carolyn said.
“Wild.”
#
# # # #
CALIFORNIA
Giles
glanced at the sky and sighed. He poured a cup of tea from a
thermos.
Buffy
was still sitting on the rock, hugging her arms and shivering. Just
as her eyes were closing the hooting of an owl snapped her awake.
It
was an hour when something woke Buffy again. She blinked at the
sight of a fire burning away.
“Hello?
Who's there?” she called.
After
a moment she could see the First Slayer on the other side of the
fire.
Buffy
walked over to the fire.
“I
know you, you're the first Slayer,” she said.
“This
is a form,” the FS answered. “I am a guide.”
“I
have a few questions,” Buffy began. “About being the Slayer. What
about love, not just boyfriend and girlfriend love?”
“You
think you're losing your ability to love,” the First Slayer
commented.
“I
didn't....” Buffy began to protest. “Yeah.”
“You're
afraid that being the Slayer means losing your humanity,” the First
Slayer said.
“Does
it?” Buffy asked.
“You
are full of love,” the First Slayer responded. “You love with all
of your soul. It's brighter than fire, blinding. That's why you
pull away from it.”
“I'm
full of love?” Buffy asked. “I'm not losing it?”
“Only
if you reject it,” the First Slayer answered. “Love is pain and
the Slayer forges strength from pain. Love...give...forgive. Risk
the pain. It is your nature. Love will bring you to your gift.”
“What?”
Buffy asked after a moment.
# # # #
Giles kicked his feet up onto the door
of his car and he tried to stretch out side ways in the back seat.
# # # #
“I... I'm sorry, I'm just a little
confused,” Buffy admitted. “I'm full of love, which is nice,
and... love will lead me to my gift?”
“Yes.”
“I'm getting a gift or do you mean
that I have a gift to give to someone else?” Buffy asked.
“Death is your gift,” the First
Slayer answered.
“Death.”
“Is your gift,” the First Slayer
repeated.
“Okay, no,” Buffy said softly. “We
almost lost our mom this month. If I have to kill demons because it
makes the world a better place, then I kill demons but it's not a
gift to anybody.”
“Your question has been answered,”
the First Slayer answered across the fire.
Buffy blinked as the fire and the First
Slayer disappeared leaving cold rocks and sand.
# # #
COLLINSPORT, MAINE
Barnabas opened his eyes and smiled. He
kissed the top of Roxanne's head as she laid in his arms.
Roxanne moved closer in his arms and
kissed him.
“I like waking up like this,” she
said softly.
“So do I,” Barnabas said. “This
is amazing, you know.”
“What are we doing tonight, my love?”
“Tonight, we'll figure out when we're
heading back to California. We'll have the witches figure out how to
keep Nicholas from trying to call you.”
“Okay. Shall we spend some time with
your family?” Roxanne suggested. “I want to hear more stories
about you.”
# # # #
SUNNYDALE, CALIFORNIA
Spike jumped when the door to his tomb
slammed open. His eyebrows rose at the sight of an upset Xander.
“Oh, it's you.”
“What the hell were you doing
sneaking into the backyard at the mansion to try and talk Joyce-mom
into letting you close to any of us?” Xander demanded.
Spike shrugged. “I like her and I've
a feeling she can see past the monster I've been most of the time.”
“Yes, you are a monster,” Xander
agreed. “Most vampires are monsters. They make monster movies
about them.”
“Well, yeah, you got me there,”
Spike said sarcastically. “And your new breed of vamps aren't
monsters, right?”
“Some of them have been,” Xander
admitted. “They've also changed without the curse or some computer
chip in their brains.”
“Yeah, well, newbies can be pretty
weak,” Spike commented.
“And when were you turned, clueless?”
Xander asked with a smirk.
Spike frowned. “1880, why?”
Xander chuckled. “One is about 100
years older than you and one of them is even a lot older than that.”
“I don't believe you,” Spike said
softly.
“Do you remember the Revolutionary
War?” Xander countered and grabbed the front of Spike's shirt.
“Listen, we all love Buffy very much and we'll do whatever it takes
to protect her. Now, if that means killing you, then, well, that's
just a bonus.”
The door slammed open and Jinx walked
in.
“Gentlemen! I'm so sorry to intrude,
but I wondered if I might beg a moment of your time?”
More demons entered behind him.
“Friends of yours?” Spike asked
Xander.
Jinx punched Xander in the stomach.
“Guess not,” Spike said casually
and kicked Jinx away from the young man. Xander struggled to his
feet as Spike and Jinx began trading blows. A demon kicked Xander,
sending him to the floor once more.
Two demons grabbed Spike by the arms
and held on despite Spike headbutting one of them.
“Tie his hands! Glory will want him
restrained,” Jinx ordered.
“Let me go!” Spike yelled.
“Careful with him, she will want the
key intact,” Jinx commanded.
“Key? Who's a key?” Spike yelled.
“I'm not the...”|
Jinx stuffed a bandanna into Spike's
mouth.
“Bring him.”
# # # #
COLLINSPORT, MAINE
Carolyn smiled as she hesitated at the
door to the parlor with a fresh cup of coffee in hand. Watching
David, Amy, Dawn and Barnabas in a deep conversation with Roxanne
listening was something the middle-aged psychic had never foreseen.
She caught Roxanne's gaze and subtly
motioned Roxanne to join her outside the room.
Carolyn moved away from the doorway.
“Hey, what's up?” Roxanne asked
softly.
“I don't want to be...well, impolite
but I think I should ask, have you fed recently?” Carolyn asked.
“Yes, last night before joining all
of you,” Roxanne responded. “A cow if you'd like details.”
“No, it's just... I don't think
Barnabas has since he got here three nights ago,” Carolyn
explained.
“And he was a lot worse when we found
him than he's let on with all of you,” Roxanne said. “That's why
he looks a little older than usual. He won't want to call attention
to the need to feed, though.”
“When are you three heading back to
California?” Carolyn asked.
“We're going to stay one more night,
if that's all right,” Roxanne said. “Dawn's mother and sister
said it's fine that she stays another night. We'll leave first thing
night after tomorrow. I think reconnecting with family and friends
is doing Barnabas a lot of good, except for not feeding.”
Carolyn nodded. “I'll suggest
everyone get some sleep about 2 hrs before sunrise,” she offered.
“That should give you both time to visit one of the farms and get
back before sunrise.”
“Thank you, that should work,”
Roxanne said softly.
“Tomorrow night we'll have everyone
up for dinner and talk long into the night,” Carolyn decided. “I
wish Mother and Uncle Roger were here. They never did learn about
most of the strange happenings in Collinwood.”
“I haven't had the chance to talk to
Barnabas very much about the family yet,” Roxanne commented. “I
tried to walk away but felt he was in danger. Then I couldn't walk
away again and Julia was gone.”
Carolyn sighed. “I know what that's
like.”
“I am sorry that Julia got hurt in
all of this,” Roxanne added.
“I know,” Carolyn said. “Barnabas
could be... neglectful when she was alive and I know they butted
heads quiet frequently. I could feel the tension between them a lot.
I have a feeling a lot of it had to do with his desperation to keep
his condition secret. I think the decades of them being on the move
all the time kept the tension down, they were too busy traveling, you
know?”
“And when I reappeared the past
caught up with them?” Roxanne ventured.
“I think so,” Carolyn said. “Let's
get back inside with them before they think I'm telling you
embarrassing stories about David when he was a child.”
Roxanne laughed softly.
# # # #
SUNNYDALE, CALIFORNIA
Glory looked up after the door to her
apartment slammed open and two of her pet demons pulled Spike into
the room.
“What the hell is that and why is his
hair that color?” she demanded as she got up.
“Stunning one,” Murk the demon
began. “We believe he is....”
“The Key!” he said in unison with
Jinx.
“Really?” Glory asked. “That
fantabulous!” She walked over and shoved Murk out of the way. “And
impossible. He can't be the Key, because, you see, the key has to be
pure.”
She sniffed Spike as he tried to draw
away.
“This is a vampire,” she declared.
“Lesson number one, vampires equal impure.”
“Uh, yeah, damn right I'm impure. I'm
as impure as the driven yellow snow. Let me go,” Spike urged.
“You can't even brain-suck a
vampire,” Glory said as she patted him on the chest. “He's
completely useless.”
“So... I'm just gonna let myself
out,” Spike said and growled when Murk stopped him.
“But he went to where the Slayer is
staying and talked with the human's mother quite fondly,” Jinx
protested. “She responded like he was precious or such.”
“Really? Precious?” Glory repeated.
“Let's take a peek at you, Precious.”
“Sod off,” Spike mumbled.
“Oh...” Glory responded with a
laugh and punched him in the stomach sending the vampire flying
backwards into a wall. “He doesn't look very fancy to me.”
She pulled Spike up by his lower lip.
“Hey, watch the lip!”
“But, if the Slayer's mother is fond
of him.... maybe appearances are deceiving,” Glory threw him onto a
round bed.
He landed on his hands that were still
tied behind his back. Before he could move Glory was straddling him.
“Maybe there's something on the inside.”
Spike screamed when she rammed one of
her fingernails into his stomach.
“Shhh, what do you know, Precious?
What can I dig out of you?”
Spike writhed in pain.
# # # #
COLLINSPORT, MAINE
“Well, I do have to be up a little
early,” Carolyn said. “So does David if he's going to check out
the family business.”
“And I'm unconscious on my feet,”
Amy added.
“Dawn's already mostly asleep,”
Barnabas noted. “I'll carry her up.”
“Goodnight, Roxanne,” Carolyn said.
“See you tomorrow evening.”
“Goodnight, everyone,” Roxanne said
and sat down by the fire.
When Barnabas returned, she stood up
and hugged him. “Let's go out, Barnabas.”
“Out?” the vampire questioned.
“To feed,” Roxanne said. “Come
on, you're too pale and starting to look older.”
“That's why Carolyn urged everyone to
bed?” Barnabas ventured and Roxanne nodded.
“She realized why you're so pale and
ill looking aside from being starved by Blair,” Roxanne explained.
“Come on, my love, let’s find a cow or something.”
# # ##
SUNNYDALE, CALIFORNIA
“So, Barnabas and Dawn are staying
another night?” Giles asked as he and his Slayer got out of the car
and started inside the mansion.
“Yeah,” Buffy answered. “Mom said
it was fine when I talked to her earlier. Oh hey, everyone's here?”
“Glory has Spike,” Xander said
quickly.
“Grab weapons, guys,” Buffy said.
“I have to kill Spike, he knows about Dawn.”
“We don't even know where to look,”
Willow complained.
“I might know where to start,”
Buffy said.
# # # #
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