SUMMARY: What if Seasons 5-7 were all the fault of a vengeance demon and a thoughtless Willow?
SPOILERS: Through mid-season 7. Takes place after "First Date", but before "Get It Done". "Get It Done" originally aired on Feb 18, but for my purposes the events of that episode happen (or actually, don't happen - you'll see) after that. Hope that doesn't bother anybody too much.
RATING: PG-13 for language eventually, though not in this installment.
DISCLAIMER: All characters, settings, universe, etc, belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.
ARCHIVING: Absolutely, but ask first so I know where it is.
FEEDBACK: Please! Send to annakovsky@hotmail.com
Part 1/11
Thanks to Erin, my lovely roommate and beta.
This is a WIP, but it's all plotted out and will be finished very soon.
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Back Before Dawn
by Annakovsky
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8:31 am - Wednesday, February 19, 2003
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"Get his yo-yo!" Willow yelled, grabbing at the little boy who deftly eluded her and slipped around to stand behind Buffy.
"Willow, what is wrong with you?" Buffy asked, her face tight and unamused. "I have enough problems without you acting like a lunatic and chasing little kids around."
"I told you, that's not a little kid! That's a centuries old vengeance demon masquerading as an eight year old, and he changed everything!" Willow again darted after the boy, chasing him into the kitchen where she finally made a flying leap to tackle him. As they hit the floor with a thump, a yo-yo fell out of his hand and rolled under the refrigerator.
"Willow! God!" Buffy said from the doorway, shocked. Willow crawled quickly over to the fridge and lay flat on the floor, reaching frantically underneath to try to find the toy. The little boy started crying loudly, and all the commotion seemed to have brought the whole house running. Soon Dawn, Xander, Giles, Spike, Andrew and a whole host of Potentials were staring at the scene playing out. Dawn moved to the boy's side.
"Um… there, there," she said, patting his shoulder. Willow suddenly pulled her arm out from under the fridge, covered in dust but triumphantly holding up a yellow plastic yo-yo with some kind of insignia on the side of it.
"Ah ha!" she said. "If I destroy your power center, things will go back to the way they were, right?" She looked around frantically, then made a quick motion towards the microwave. But Buffy was faster, and had grabbed her arm, twisted it, and taken possession of the toy before Willow had moved more than a step.
"Ow! Hey!" she said.
"Please, lady, don't break my yo-yo," the little boy said through his tears.
"Willow, honestly! You've been acting like a freak ever since yesterday afternoon. We don't have time for this kind of nonsense when we've got the First to fight and crazy demons who are trying to open the Seal of Danzig through dating Xander."
"The seal of what, now?" asked Willow, looking blank. Then her eyes widened. "Anya's trying to open a seal? An evil seal? Is that why she's not here?"
"Are you high?" Buffy asked, exasperated. Willow stared at her, completely thrown off balance. But Buffy looked like she was serious, and mad.
"Am I what? Buffy, you know I don't do drugs. It's me!"
"Not drugs, high on magic! God, Willow, I can smell the herbs all over you."
"High on magic? What? Buffy, that doesn't even make any sense, people don't get high on magic, magic is…"
"Willow, cut the B.S., all right? If you had a relapse into your addiction, we're all here for you, but don't try to pretend you don't know what we're talking about."
"What? Buffy…," Willow trailed off. "Look. Okay. I don't know what kind of weird stuff I've been into in this reality, but you have to believe me. All this is my fault. I made a wish, okay? I know I should have known better, but that little fiend…" She glared at the little boy, who had stopped crying and was doing an impressive big-eyed innocent look. "… tricked me. I didn't know vengeance demons could look like kids! And honestly," she said, addressing the little boy, "could you have possibly come up with a wackier way to grant the wish? I mean, monks? A hell-god? Isn't that a little ridiculous?"
"Please, lady, can I have my yo-yo back?" the kid asked Buffy, making his eyes even bigger, if that were possible, and adding an impressive lip-tremble.
"Oh, give me a break, like she'll buy that act," Willow said, rolling her eyes. Buffy glared and her and turned to the little boy.
"What's your name?" Buffy asked him.
"Joey," he replied.
"Well, I'm really sorry about this, Joey. My friend Willow has been having some problems lately. But here's your yo-yo." She held it out to him, and he reached to take it.
"Buffy! No!" Willow said, dismayed.
"Er… Buffy," said Giles. "Would you mind if I took a look at that for a moment? The design on the side is quite unusual. It's possible that the boy unknowingly found some kind of mystical object."
"I guess so," said Buffy, pulling the yo-yo back from Joey and handing it over to Giles. "But honestly, I don't see why we should waste any more time on this."
"Mister," said Joey quickly. "Can I have my yo-yo back now? I promise it's not magic or anything. I need it now and I have to get to school. So just give it back and I'll be on my way."
"You'll be on your way?" said Xander. "What are you, thirty-five?"
"I'm precocious," Joey shot back, glaring at him.
"He's a demon!" Willow said. "Oh! I know! Spike, punch him!"
"What?" said Spike, who had been leaning against the wall, looking bored. "I'm not punching some bloody pre-teen 'cause you've gone all loony tunes."
"No, no, see, 'cause if you can hit him, then he's a demon and that'll prove that I'm right! Like you did with Tara that one time, except the opposite." Spike looked uncomfortable.
"Well, I don't have the chip anymore, do I?"
"To my extreme dismay," muttered Giles, looking up from his examination of the yo-yo.
"I see that extreme dismay and raise you a consternation," said Xander.
"You guys, he has a soul now!" said Buffy. "He's not going to hurt anybody."
"Says you," muttered a Potential Willow didn't know, the only African-American one in the bunch.
"Can we stick to the point, here?" asked Willow. "We have to destroy that yo-yo and get the world back the way it was! Buffy, you're the Slayer, it's your job to fix things like this!"
"Yes, Willow, because it's my sacred calling to steal toys from children and then break them. God!" Buffy said, starting to get teary. "We're all about to die in an apocalypse and not only are none of you any help at all, but you have to make up stories about mystic yo-yos to make yourself feel better? The world is like this, Willow, it's hard and violent and cold. There isn't some alternate universe where things all wonderful and happy. God knows I wish there were. I wish I could go back in time and make everything better, but we're stuck here and we have to make the best of it, okay? Giles, give Joey his yo-yo back, and let's get back to trying to figure out how to save the world. Again."
"Actually," said Giles. "I believe Willow may be right about the nature of this, er, yo-yo. I'm sure I've seen this symbol before in one of my books. I'd prefer not to return it to this young man until I'm sure it's harmless."
"That won't be necessary," said Joey, his high voice suddenly sounding slightly menacing. "Just give it back. I'm going to be late for school."
"I'm terribly sorry," said Giles kindly, looking down at the boy. "We're going to have to hold onto your toy for now. Maybe you could come back after school to fetch it?"
"Maybe not," Joey growled, his face turning into a vein-y, vengeance demon mask as he leaped at Giles, knocking him to the ground. Everyone stared at the struggling pair for a second in shock, before Buffy, Spike and Xander all grabbed the tiny vengeance demon and pulled him off. Xander yanked the yo-yo from his hand and moved a good distance away from where "Joey" was struggling in Buffy's arms.
"Oof!" Buffy said, as his elbow connected with her stomach. "He's ridiculously strong for such a little kid."
"That's because I'm not a kid, you sniveling moron!" Joey said in a now deep and gravelly voice. He twisted and almost managed to get away before Buffy got a firmer hold on him.
"Can we tie him up somewhere?" Buffy asked.
"Basement?" suggested Spike, and he and Buffy wrestled little not-Joey down the stairs, yelling and kicking all the way, to fasten him into the manacles still on the wall. In the meantime, Willow and Xander helped Giles up. He rubbed his lower back.
"Are you okay?" Xander asked.
"I'm fine," said Giles distractedly, looking at Willow. "If a little confused. Would you like to explain exactly what's going on here?"
SPOILERS: Through mid-season 7. Takes place after "First Date", but before "Get It Done". "Get It Done" originally aired on Feb 18, but for my purposes the events of that episode happen (or actually, don't happen - you'll see) after that. Hope that doesn't bother anybody too much.
RATING: PG-13 for language eventually, though not in this installment.
DISCLAIMER: All characters, settings, universe, etc, belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.
ARCHIVING: Absolutely, but ask first so I know where it is.
FEEDBACK: Please! Send to annakovsky@hotmail.com
Part 1/11
Thanks to Erin, my lovely roommate and beta.
This is a WIP, but it's all plotted out and will be finished very soon.
*
*
*
Back Before Dawn
by Annakovsky
*
*
*
**************************************
8:31 am - Wednesday, February 19, 2003
**************************************
"Get his yo-yo!" Willow yelled, grabbing at the little boy who deftly eluded her and slipped around to stand behind Buffy.
"Willow, what is wrong with you?" Buffy asked, her face tight and unamused. "I have enough problems without you acting like a lunatic and chasing little kids around."
"I told you, that's not a little kid! That's a centuries old vengeance demon masquerading as an eight year old, and he changed everything!" Willow again darted after the boy, chasing him into the kitchen where she finally made a flying leap to tackle him. As they hit the floor with a thump, a yo-yo fell out of his hand and rolled under the refrigerator.
"Willow! God!" Buffy said from the doorway, shocked. Willow crawled quickly over to the fridge and lay flat on the floor, reaching frantically underneath to try to find the toy. The little boy started crying loudly, and all the commotion seemed to have brought the whole house running. Soon Dawn, Xander, Giles, Spike, Andrew and a whole host of Potentials were staring at the scene playing out. Dawn moved to the boy's side.
"Um… there, there," she said, patting his shoulder. Willow suddenly pulled her arm out from under the fridge, covered in dust but triumphantly holding up a yellow plastic yo-yo with some kind of insignia on the side of it.
"Ah ha!" she said. "If I destroy your power center, things will go back to the way they were, right?" She looked around frantically, then made a quick motion towards the microwave. But Buffy was faster, and had grabbed her arm, twisted it, and taken possession of the toy before Willow had moved more than a step.
"Ow! Hey!" she said.
"Please, lady, don't break my yo-yo," the little boy said through his tears.
"Willow, honestly! You've been acting like a freak ever since yesterday afternoon. We don't have time for this kind of nonsense when we've got the First to fight and crazy demons who are trying to open the Seal of Danzig through dating Xander."
"The seal of what, now?" asked Willow, looking blank. Then her eyes widened. "Anya's trying to open a seal? An evil seal? Is that why she's not here?"
"Are you high?" Buffy asked, exasperated. Willow stared at her, completely thrown off balance. But Buffy looked like she was serious, and mad.
"Am I what? Buffy, you know I don't do drugs. It's me!"
"Not drugs, high on magic! God, Willow, I can smell the herbs all over you."
"High on magic? What? Buffy, that doesn't even make any sense, people don't get high on magic, magic is…"
"Willow, cut the B.S., all right? If you had a relapse into your addiction, we're all here for you, but don't try to pretend you don't know what we're talking about."
"What? Buffy…," Willow trailed off. "Look. Okay. I don't know what kind of weird stuff I've been into in this reality, but you have to believe me. All this is my fault. I made a wish, okay? I know I should have known better, but that little fiend…" She glared at the little boy, who had stopped crying and was doing an impressive big-eyed innocent look. "… tricked me. I didn't know vengeance demons could look like kids! And honestly," she said, addressing the little boy, "could you have possibly come up with a wackier way to grant the wish? I mean, monks? A hell-god? Isn't that a little ridiculous?"
"Please, lady, can I have my yo-yo back?" the kid asked Buffy, making his eyes even bigger, if that were possible, and adding an impressive lip-tremble.
"Oh, give me a break, like she'll buy that act," Willow said, rolling her eyes. Buffy glared and her and turned to the little boy.
"What's your name?" Buffy asked him.
"Joey," he replied.
"Well, I'm really sorry about this, Joey. My friend Willow has been having some problems lately. But here's your yo-yo." She held it out to him, and he reached to take it.
"Buffy! No!" Willow said, dismayed.
"Er… Buffy," said Giles. "Would you mind if I took a look at that for a moment? The design on the side is quite unusual. It's possible that the boy unknowingly found some kind of mystical object."
"I guess so," said Buffy, pulling the yo-yo back from Joey and handing it over to Giles. "But honestly, I don't see why we should waste any more time on this."
"Mister," said Joey quickly. "Can I have my yo-yo back now? I promise it's not magic or anything. I need it now and I have to get to school. So just give it back and I'll be on my way."
"You'll be on your way?" said Xander. "What are you, thirty-five?"
"I'm precocious," Joey shot back, glaring at him.
"He's a demon!" Willow said. "Oh! I know! Spike, punch him!"
"What?" said Spike, who had been leaning against the wall, looking bored. "I'm not punching some bloody pre-teen 'cause you've gone all loony tunes."
"No, no, see, 'cause if you can hit him, then he's a demon and that'll prove that I'm right! Like you did with Tara that one time, except the opposite." Spike looked uncomfortable.
"Well, I don't have the chip anymore, do I?"
"To my extreme dismay," muttered Giles, looking up from his examination of the yo-yo.
"I see that extreme dismay and raise you a consternation," said Xander.
"You guys, he has a soul now!" said Buffy. "He's not going to hurt anybody."
"Says you," muttered a Potential Willow didn't know, the only African-American one in the bunch.
"Can we stick to the point, here?" asked Willow. "We have to destroy that yo-yo and get the world back the way it was! Buffy, you're the Slayer, it's your job to fix things like this!"
"Yes, Willow, because it's my sacred calling to steal toys from children and then break them. God!" Buffy said, starting to get teary. "We're all about to die in an apocalypse and not only are none of you any help at all, but you have to make up stories about mystic yo-yos to make yourself feel better? The world is like this, Willow, it's hard and violent and cold. There isn't some alternate universe where things all wonderful and happy. God knows I wish there were. I wish I could go back in time and make everything better, but we're stuck here and we have to make the best of it, okay? Giles, give Joey his yo-yo back, and let's get back to trying to figure out how to save the world. Again."
"Actually," said Giles. "I believe Willow may be right about the nature of this, er, yo-yo. I'm sure I've seen this symbol before in one of my books. I'd prefer not to return it to this young man until I'm sure it's harmless."
"That won't be necessary," said Joey, his high voice suddenly sounding slightly menacing. "Just give it back. I'm going to be late for school."
"I'm terribly sorry," said Giles kindly, looking down at the boy. "We're going to have to hold onto your toy for now. Maybe you could come back after school to fetch it?"
"Maybe not," Joey growled, his face turning into a vein-y, vengeance demon mask as he leaped at Giles, knocking him to the ground. Everyone stared at the struggling pair for a second in shock, before Buffy, Spike and Xander all grabbed the tiny vengeance demon and pulled him off. Xander yanked the yo-yo from his hand and moved a good distance away from where "Joey" was struggling in Buffy's arms.
"Oof!" Buffy said, as his elbow connected with her stomach. "He's ridiculously strong for such a little kid."
"That's because I'm not a kid, you sniveling moron!" Joey said in a now deep and gravelly voice. He twisted and almost managed to get away before Buffy got a firmer hold on him.
"Can we tie him up somewhere?" Buffy asked.
"Basement?" suggested Spike, and he and Buffy wrestled little not-Joey down the stairs, yelling and kicking all the way, to fasten him into the manacles still on the wall. In the meantime, Willow and Xander helped Giles up. He rubbed his lower back.
"Are you okay?" Xander asked.
"I'm fine," said Giles distractedly, looking at Willow. "If a little confused. Would you like to explain exactly what's going on here?"