Life's Not a Catchy Story Title!
Disclaimer: I am not Joss Whedon or Brad Wright or Jonathan Glassner, or Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer or anyone else who earns hard earned money by creating anything you find familiar in this story. I create this work of fiction solely for entertainment purposes and to have some fun in my free time.
Response to Challenge #5273 Long Lost Sister
Buffy is Daniel's younger sister. When their parents were killed they were put into the system and separated. After years apart they find each other again.
For the purposes of this response to Challenge #5273, I've messed with Buffy's age a bit, instead of being born in 1981, she will be born in 1975. This will make her 10 years younger than Daniel. This story also takes place after season 7 or Buffy and during Season 7 of Stargate SG-1.
Chapter 1 - "Life is pain, anyone who says differently is selling something."
"Do you see the problem I'm in? How am I supposed to get a passport if I need ID, and clearly I don't have any? I've never had a passport before and they wouldn't let me have a driver's licence. I don't even have my birth certificate. The incident in Sunnydale happened so fast, there's wasn't much time to search the house to see where my mother had stashed things in the house."
Buffy Summers sat in an office of sorts, trying to get her life situated again. All she wanted was a passport so that she could go to Europe; go off to the land of Giles where said person had a nifty castle waiting, where most of the called Slayers were already undergoing their training. And Buffy, well, she was still stuck in Los Angeles.
"I understand your situation Miss Summers. Which is why were are having this appointment. I've been trying to track down a copy of your birth certificate to verify your identity. I've checked every hospital in the city for some record of your birth and have come up with nothing. Are you sure that you were born in LA?" Ms. Monroe was a nice city hall worker person that had been trying her best to help Buffy get everything in order. Buffy didn't even have proof of her Social Security number and had to call Dawn to ask if she remembered what is was, which thankfully Dawn inherited the capacity to remember trivial numbers as well as in talents with languages.
"Positive, unless of course my mother was keeping something from me." Buffy quipped. Ms. Monroe bit her bottom lip, as if trying to decide whether to divulge some kind of information. Buffy caught this and eyed her careful. "You found something, didn't you?"
"Well, as well as checking the hospitals, I also checked our records here. I found something with reference to your parents, Joyce and Hank Summer. I found their marriage certificate and also an application to be foster parents." Ms. Monroe handed Buffy a set of papers from across the table for her to look at. "With that to go on, I found the paper work that put you in the care of your mother and father."
"Are you trying to tell me that my mother and father are not my biological mother and father?" Buffy asked her with disbelief.
"Sorry, I wish I had less awkward news. I'll have to dig some more to get your birth certificate. But I have to ask, are you interested to know anything about your birth parents? I can just get what we need and go no further if that is what you want."
Buffy thought about it for the few moments she was allotted before she decided the silence was too weird. As much as she loved her mother, Buffy always felt like she couldn't connect with her. Not in a way that she really needed. Maybe if would be enough just to know the entire truth. Buffy had no intention of wigging them out by showing up on their doorstep saying 'Hey, I'm the daughter you never wanted.'
"Nah, go ahead. Curiosity won't kill me, last I checked I wasn't a cat." Buffy shrugged off an answer.
"Okay then. But I have to warn you. I didn't find any adoption papers. If I don't find any, where ever I find your birth certificate, we'll have to use the family name that is on the certificate. Legally anyway."
Buffy had slightly mixed feelings about that possibility.
A week later, Buffy found herself back in Ms. Monroe's office. Apparently finding all the puzzle pieces had been easier than expected. Buffy had spent the last week trying to keep herself busy, to not think about the whole situation until she had to. Thankfully there had been a slight mini-apocalypse back in Cleveland that Faith called her in for help. It was almost easy with a small army of Slayer. Even Willow teleported from wherever she was to help. Buffy was glad to catch up with one of her best friends. Buffy told her everything that was happening with the whole foster child thing and the quest for her birth certificate. Willow had even offered to do some deep digger herself when she got the chance.
"Good afternoon Buffy, how are you today?" Ms. Monroe, or Abby as they were now on first name basis, asked.
"I've got butterflies, it's all a bit weird still." Buffy admitted.
"Understandable. So shall we just rip the band-aid off so to speak?" Buffy nodded in agreement. "So, it looks like Hank and Joyce Summers were your legal guardians but you were never officially adopted by them. You're birth parents were Melburn and Claire Jackson from New York City."
"What do you mean 'were'?" Buffy caught the word and it felt like someone was gripping her throat.
"I'm sorry to say that a death certificate was issued for your birth parents about six months after you were born. They worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and there was an accident with one of the exhibits. I wish I had better news for you Buffy. I did find something about a sibling, a brother Daniel who's about ten years your senior. I haven't been able to find any current information about him. We can however continue on with getting your identification in order, your passport and perhaps even your licence."
Buffy was mulling over the information in her head. She was relieved that there would be no awkward long lost daughter scenario. The long lost sibling scenario however had different prospects. She had never been anyone's little sister.
Buffy found herself in Cleveland once again. She was just waiting for her passport to come in the mail, so she had it sent to the Cleveland Slayer House. In the meantime, Buffy helped some of the Sunny-D Slayerettes that were stationed in Cleveland with some extra training along with Faith. These Slayers were to be in charge of their own factions around various locations around the world.
Buffy was sitting at the kitchen island of the massive house, and oddly silent kitchen of an oddly silent house. Most of the girls were occupied with one thing or another, which helped with the sanity level.
"Hey Buffy." Willow walked into the kitchen.
"Hey, visiting with Kennedy are we?" Buffy raised an eyebrow at the red head in jest.
"I never kiss and tell." Willow said sternly with her resolve face, but playing at the same time.
Buffy's first thought was that she might kiss and turn into Warren, but she knew better. Touchy subjects were off limits. "I'm glad you're here actually. I need your help with some research. Family related, apparently I have an older brother. There's just no record of where he is at the moment."
Willow sat down at the island with Buffy, a real serious face on. "What about your birth parents?"
"Dead, like the reason I went into foster care dead." Buffy replied, "The while situation is so weird. With all we deal with, all we've dealt with, life just throws another hard ball at you."
"Curve ball." Willow corrected.
"Huh?" Buffy was puzzled obviously not getting the reference.
"Never mind, so does this brother of yours have a name?" Willow asked ready to be research girl mode. "And it might help if I had other information to." With a wave of her hand, Willow had her laptop in front of her.
"Okay, so my brother's name is Daniel Jackson, parents Melburn and Claire, same last name. Um, New York City...do you need anything else?"
"Nope, I can start with that. At least weird names run in the family. I mean...Melburn?" Willow giggled.
"You're one to talk Willow...what's your dad's name again? Buffy teased right back.
"Hey, I get mocking privileges because of that. Now, let me work."
Nothing was out of the ordinary that SG-1 be called for a briefing randomly. Each of the team members could tell that something was up, they just didn't know what. The team was still in the process of getting use to being together again. It was only just a few months before that SG-1 found Daniel on Vis Uban, after descending from that special higher plane of existence. Daniel was still trying to piece together parts of his memories from his ascension and even some events that happened a long time ago while he was still alive. The other members of the team were happy to have Daniel alive again. Each one of them missed the Archaeologist in their own little way. And even though Jonas Quinn worked well with SG-1, there was nothing like the team dynamics the original team had.
General Hammond walked into the briefing room from his office. "SG-1, it would seem that we may have a breach of security. Someone has been looking deeply into Dr. Jackson's personnel files. So far they haven't found anything about the Stargate program, but if whoever they are has managed to track you here then it could potentially go further than we like."
"Do we know where this breach is coming from?" Major Samantha Carter asked.
"As far as we know, somewhere in Ohio. I'm ordering you SG-1 to get to the bottom of this. It may be nothing, but we can't be too sure. Dismissed." General Hammond excused himself from the room.
Colonel Jack O'Neill turned to his good friend Daniel, giving him a questionable look, "Daniel?"
Daniel gave him a look right back, equally puzzled. "Jack?"
"Any admires you forgot to mention?"
"Don't know Jack, I've been dead for a year or so." Daniel replied.
"Had to ask, with having to investigate and all. Carter?" Jack turned to his second in command.
"I'll see if I can pull more information on the trace, Sir." Carter replied as she got up to go do her job.
Daniel remained seated, thinking to himself more than anything. He felt like he was missing something, he just didn't know what.
A/N: Well, tell me what you think so far. Reviews are a must, they motivate me to write more. And I also like to know your opinions and stuff. I love Stargate SG-1 and Buffy, so I hope you enjoy them both as well. (In fact I'm watch Stargate as I type...lol)