(been a bit since I was free to do a little on these, so...)
"You Only Live Thrice..."
PG13
Disclaimer: All BTVS characters remain the property of Joss Whedon,
Mutant Enemy, and all other owner/creators of the Buffy the Vampire
Slayer series...
Archived at the Cicelyverse page of the Buffy Rebecca verse,
www.geocities.com/buffyrebecca/Cicelypg.html
Or direct to story at
http://www.angelfire.com/zine2/buffyrebecca/yolt.html
Summary: A certain 'benevolent' supervillain has tried to employ a
little more cleverness, patience, and respect for modern science and
technology than the usual Bverse evildoer...
Now c'mon you get it about the 'thrice'...And you know which of them
I'm talking about...
(Hey it gives me an excuse to use my favorite JB film theme...)
LA...
The tragic day after...
Stunned-looking police, fire, rescue, and military teams picking
through the debris of the battered streets around the shattered
Wolfram-Hart Tower building...Although most fires were out or under
control now... Ruin and desolation everywhere...
Though fortunately and rather the most startling thing...Confined to
an area of only ten blocks...With relatively few casualties...
Human, that is...
However there seemed to be an astonishing amount of what appeared to
certainly be...Gore... about...
Poor animals...Though where so many might have come from?...No damage
to the local zoos having been reported...And while it was hard to id
just what sort of animals had been killed, some must have once been
fairly large...
In the midst of these sad events, speaking gravely to several of the
senior commanders of the said teams, reporters, and the first
politicos brave, ambitious, or foolhardy enough to come, and
apparently only moderately wounded during the bizarre 'natural
disaster', the CEO of Wolfram-Hart, LA...Mr. Liam Angel...
Supposed (They wouldn't have made him CEO if he weren't, right?)
attorney-at-law...
Near him, likewise grave, though surprisingly freshly dressed and made-
up...The scientific director of Wolfram-Hart, LA, Dr. Winifred
Burkle...Who as yet was following her chief's lead in refusing to
speculate on the cause of the disaster...Her only volunteered
information being that, yes, a senior member of the firm, Mr. Charles
Gunn (Likewise supposed attorney-at-law), had indeed been rushed by
her to LA General with severe injuries, though he was expected to
survive...
And close by, looking equally grave, if not graver...A mysterious...At
least to several reporters trying to determine her connection to the
famed Mr. Angel...Blonde-haired, slight young woman in badly rumpled,
though clearly once stylish, clothes...Who, occasionally intruding on
the reporters' questioning of Mr. Angel with harshly whispered
questions to the Wolfram-Hart chief, seemed to be seeking someone
lost in the tragic...Localized earthquake?...Underground
explosion?...Unconfirmed terrorist attack?...
"William..." one reporter had caught the name from her whisper as
she'd again shoved past the circle around Mr. Angel... Mr. Angel
nodding to her and speaking briefly, likewise in whispered tones...
Probably some nobody asking about her missing boyfriend or hubby
working' late...An older reporter shrugged to her colleague as he
returned with the info...Both eyeing the young woman as she hurried
off yet again with anxious look...Ignoring calls from the various
rescue personnel not to proceed into the disaster area...One senior
rescue commander moving to Mr. Angel with a stern look...Angel
speaking to him, apparently trying to reassure him as to the safety of
the young lady...
A young, twenties-ish camerawoman filming near the two reporters,
though not recognized by them, broke off to move back to her waiting
van...Getting more film, she noted to one policeman warning her to
stay within the designated area, as she climbed into the back of her
van...
And on closing the rear door, in solitude allowed
her?...his?...Its?...shape to lose its human features and take a
nondescript, though upright and cohesive, gelatinous form...
He?...She?...It...Moving...Flowing might be a better way to describe
it...Toward a large, gray metal, rectangular box-like object on the
left side of the van...The object in question, a generator of some
sort which the creature now extended protrusions toward...Protrusions
from its main mass which resume form identical to the hands of what
had appeared to be a young camerawoman just moments before...The
generator, activated, emitted a hum, and the creature resumed human
form...
The 'young woman' sighing contentedly...Was getting a bit much, that
wait for a recharge...
She moved to the front of the van, pausing as she reached the point
where she could be seen through the windshield to wave at the
policeman who warned her earlier...And reached to grab a cell phone on
the passenger's seat...Which she unfolded and activated, punching out
a quick number...
"Your Benevolence...We can proceed...Phase Two has gone as well as
hoped...The other Partners' army has been routed and they have been
driven back to Hell...And I've no doubt William the Bloody at least is
no more..." the shapeshifter told her?...his?...Phone... "Even Ms.
Summers can't..." it paused...Staring out the windshield...
The young blonde was walking slowly back through the ruins, ignoring
the harsh cries of several rescue and military personnel demanding to
know why she was not complying with the order to proceed to the
designated area for evaluation of injuries and transport out of the
area and clutching a battered leather jacket in her hands...Looking
dazedly over at Angel as he called to her...The shapeshifting
camerawoman emerging from her van's driver's side...Hastily focusing
her camera on the woman...
"Buffy?!..."
Dr. Burkle looking over as well...
"William?..." Dr. Burkle looked to Angel...Who quickly pushed past the
crowd about him, making his way to the young woman addressed as
"Buffy"...He stood in front of her as she stared at him...
"Why...Why didn't you tell me?..." Buffy said simply...Then turned and
walked off, again ignoring Angel's calls and the commands addressed
to her, shoving one soldier who tried to grab her off to the side...
The two reporters and the shapeshifter now beside them watching as she
disappeared behind a building...Jacket in hand...
Angel looking forlorn and shattered... "I'll go..." Dr. Burkle told
him, hurrying off after Buffy, and once hidden by the turn of a
corner, with a quickly developing speed that astonished those few who
caught sight of her...
Though not so much as her sudden change of clothes and hair color...
"Where the hell are they going?...Maybe we oughta..." the younger
reporter stared at his colleagues...The older reporter shrugging...No
point in chasing after some deceased nobody's wifey or
girlfriend...Nice of a senior staffer to want to console her though...
"Jesus...Forgot my damn battery..." the 'camerawoman' noted to the
reporters...Hurrying off to her? van and climbing in...
"Your Benevolence...I have excellent news to report..." the shifter
beamed at his?...her?...Phone...
[Theme from "You Only Live Twice" is heard...]
***
Same time, Europe...Evening...
A small principality on the Austrian-Italian border...Hardly ever
mentioned in the media though occasionally referred to by historians
as the site of a couple of long-forgotten battles only important to
true buffs...Even most of the citizens of its larger neighbors unaware
of its continued independent existence...
Yet a surprisingly well-defended little state...Its network of
friendly if unusually conscientious border guard positions only
concealing the much more elaborate and sophisticated military defenses
just beyond the immediate border zone...Helped considerably both in
defense and the concealment of such defense by the ruggedness of the
terrain...Terrain so mountainous and rough it had never been sought
after by Europe's numerous would-be conquerors, though on rare
occasions, armies on their way elsewhere had tramped
through...Generally without incident...
Excepting two or three occasions where a vague curiosity or desire for
plunder had led them to take more interest in and, shortly, to regret
ever visiting the place...
If anyone survived to regret...
Near the center of the small state, only a few square miles of
territory in all, a large and ancient estate with enormous grounds and
a rather grim though beautiful in its way central castle/fortress...
Where just now, on a small landing strip within the castle gates, a
large helicopter was currently
setting down...Its whirling blades churning clouds of dry dust for a
few moments until they finally quieted and stopped...
The door of the copter on the opposite side from the pilot opening to
allow a large and striking figure to emerge...
That of His Benevolence, the famed Immortal...A tall, dark-haired, and
devastatingly handsome man of about thirty in appearance, bearing a
striking resemblance to actor Jude Law...Dressed impeccably in Italian
suit and shoes, his large white overcoat being taken from him by the
figure, in appearance an elderly butler, who had stood rather
dangerously close to the landing spot throughout the copter's
descent...
"All well, Roberts?..." the Immortal smiled...Benevolently...At the
elderly butler...Who nodded slightly...
"As always, sir...I trust things went well in Rome and elsewhere,
sir..." the two moved away from the helicopter to a doorway set in a
small structure...The butler opening it with a quick move and holding
it open...
"Thank you, Roberts...Things went reasonably well in Rome...And
elsewhere, reasonably so, Roberts..." His Benevolence paused...
"Has there by any chance been word from Ms. Summers in America?..."
"Yes, sir..." Roberts nodded... "A telephone message confirming that
she had arrived safely and that she was quite well..."
"Anything else?..."
"No, sir..." The two were descending a long flight of stairs...
"Well...I fear we may have some need to offer comfort, Roberts...I've
heard there has been some unfortunate news from the City of
Angel...Angels..." His Benevolence smiled briefly...
"I see, sir..."
"It is a tragedy when a great love story comes to an end, Roberts..."
a slightly less than benevolent grin...
"Indeed, sir..."
***
London...About ten hours later...
"Here we go...A little more..." a silky female voice...Belonging to a
rather silky-haired young brunette...
"No more, please..." a pleading voice...
"Now, now...Just one more and we're done..." another woman's
voice...Teasing yet with an undercurrent...Belonging to a second dark-
haired young woman...
"Ladies, have mercy..."
"Oh, now...You're going to hurt Claire's feelings, William..." the
first woman noted... "She cooked this specially for you...It's loaded
with every nutrient a vampire could possibly make use of...She spent
hours working it out..." she smiled at the figure in his hospital
bed...A bandaged and somewhat battered, though very much Undead
William Soames Walthrop...aka William the Bloody, presoul recovery...
"Lass...I'm full..." William sighed... "Dawn, please...Between the
blood IV and this I'm really fine..." he paused as Dawn frowned at
him...
"Ok..." she relented... "Gong Li, you can let him off for now..." Gong
Li frowning now in her turn but reluctantly taking the plate from his
bed tray...
"Where is she?..." he eyed Dawn who shook her head...
"Busy..." a narrow look...
"Busy?...What?..."
"You were too busy to hop a plane or call her for a year...What's your
beef?..." the girl glared...
"I...Was..."
"Busy?..." Dawn said, sarcastically... "Well, so's Mother...You're
lucky she found time to run over to LA and save your ass..."
"Dawn, look...I thought..."
"We know what you thought, you stupid jerk...Just thank God Giles' and
Angel's plan worked...Though things are still in a pretty mess causea
you..."
Mother?...The thought suddenly hit...
"Dawn, what the hell's going on?...Why did you have me brought here to
London?...And where the hell is Buffy?..."
"Doesn't she want to see me?..."
"Gee..." Dawn... "How could she not after all the trouble you went to
to let her know you were alive...Well, not fully dead...?"
"Dawn..."
She put up a hand... "There's someone who'll explain it all to
you...Including when you may get to see Buffy...If she's not dead by
then..." another frown... She picked up a phone on a small table by
his bed... "He's ready..."
There was an almost instantaneous buzz at the room's door...She went
over and opened it to reveal Gong Li pushing a wheelchair...
"I don't need that..." he frowned, throwing back covers and starting
to...Oops...
"Till one of our people combing LA finds your right leg or we get you
an artificial one, you do..." Dawn noted calmly...
But a slight flushed look on her face as she eyed the remnant of
thigh...
"Come on, we'll take you..." she went to him...
And to his shocked surprise, suddenly kissed him...Then, with Gong Li
on his other side, hoisted him and transferred him from bed to
chair...
"There..." she hastily pulled a blanket over his lap, concealing the
missing leg...Turning her face away from him...
"You ok, William?..." Gong Li asked anxiously... "We're not exactly
balanced, I know..."
"Yeah...It's fine, Slayer..." he nodded absently...
Dawn?...
Crying?....For me?...
"Dawn...?"
"What?..." she said curtly, turning back...
"Lets get him in..." she waved to Gong Li and followed as the other
pushed him out of the room and into a bright hallway...
Definitely a hospital of some sort, he noted as they moved along...But
interesting that there are no windows...He looked into one open room
to see something in bed definitely not human...
"This some sort of holding place for demons?...A Council prison
hospital?..." he looked at Dawn as she walked beside him...
"Why?...You screw your redemption up so well over the last year that
you'd deserve prison?...Not that you don't deserve it for Harmony
alone..."
"Did that brooding louse of an Angel...?" he glared... "It was spur of
the moment after I turned solid again..." he tried... "It didn't
mean..."
"Quit while you're ahead..." Dawn muttered grimly as they stopped by
a door no different that he could see from any in the long hallway
they'd come...
Gong Li moving to open the door... "See ya...Dad..." Dawn called as
she pushed him into the dark room and Gong Li shut the door behind
him ...
He sat in the chair, blinking...
Dad...?
A light snapped on, his eyes immediately locked onto the large swivel
chair behind the desk in front of him...The chair turning round...
He stared at the seated figure in the swivel chair...A somewhat wild-
haired young man in suit...Holding a cat in his hands which he
stroked...
"So...We meet again, Mr. Blond...And once again you've interfered with
the plans of the Council of Watchers..."
"Andrew?..." William stared at him...
***
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