"Blonde Thunder…Ball…"
Archived at the Buffy Rebecca-verse, Cicelyverse page,
....
Disclaimer: I won't blame Joss for those comics if he doesn't blame
me for this… All BTVS characters remain the property of Joss Whedon,
Mutant Enemy, and all other owner/creators of the Buffy the Vampire
Slayer series...
Summary: When a little pig-faced cockroach with nukes under his arm
rattles his sword and makes trouble, who ya gonna call?...
***
Part I…
LA…
Offices of Angel, Burkle-Wyndham-Price, Gunn, and Walthrop…
Yesterday…Though in an alternate universe…
Slap of hand on newspaper…The blonde-haired figure across the desk
eyed the headline struck…
"North Korea Vows Attack if Provoked…War Threat Mounts…"
"Well, Spike?…" the brunette-haired figure across the table, holding
said paper, eyed the blonde…
"You want me to take this one?..." William eyed his senior partner…In
age, certainly not competence, he mentally noted…
"You were requested…" Angel sighed…
"Oh?...Obama liked the job I did on that ex-Nazi possessing Palin?..."
"Actually, no…Splattering the guts of a former political opponent and
ex-governor while under Presidential orders
was not exactly proper form, Spike…"
"It was self-defence…And even without Bormann running the show, she
was a threat to American democracy…You'd've done no different…"
"True enough…" Angel nodded… "And I would point out I did cover for
you…But, this isn't a Presidential assignment…"
"Oh…So am I the Unman from UNCLE this time?..."
"The request came from a more secret organization…One we both know
pretty well…" pause…
"Oh, crap…" Will sighed…
"Yeah…England…And not the Queen's government…"
"Giles out to get me killed for good, eh?..."
"Spike, he did send 100 Slayers to LA that day…"
"Nearly too late…Probably hoping they'd never make it…"
"Possibly, but we did make it…And we're officially recognized and
cleared with them…And given our financial sit since the collapse of
Wolfram-Hart, we need their support…"
"In exchange for my head on a platter, eh?..."
"You're being asked to save the world again, Spike…Officially and by
the people who wanted you dead for quite a while…"
"North Korea isn't a threat, it's a bad joke…This is a humiliation…"
"Then it'll be easy money…And you'll have the satisfaction of taking
them for a ride…"
"Lovely…How much…?"
"Enough…"
"Enough for you, maybe…" frown…
"Even enough for you…
"Really…Then 20,052 Slayers'll will be having to make do without meals
in the company cafeteria for quite a few weeks…Did she sign off on
this?..."
Angel hesitated…
"Well?..."
"She asked for you…" Buffy's voice…From the now open door to the outer
office… "In spite of you're being the world's greatest asshole…"
"I love you, too…" he frowned at her…
***
Buffy at 30, he thought…Looking at her surreptiously from his seat
next to her on the plane…She with head buried in a novel or something
she'd brought along…
Still lovely as ever but a bit more…World-weary?...Hard?...Unfeeling
toward suffering, innocent victim ex-…
"Stop staring at me…" she hissed, pulling away from the book to look
at him… "If you want to talk…Say so…"
"I've been briefed…" he said… "Unless you have something else to
contribute on the mission…"
"Fine…" she glared… "Be that way…" she returned to her novel…
"How's the book?..."
"Fine…" brittle reply…
"Must be…You've worn the cover off…What is it?..."
"It's…Good…" brittle reply… "I suppose you're amazed I read…"
"I'm intrigued…" he said, archly… "Especially by it's bein' a hard
cover…"
"Drop dead…" brittle reply…
"Been there, done that…In searing flame…"
She looked at him… "I would've…" she paused…Eyeing his bland…
Yes?...face…
"Eh, fuck off…" she returned to her book…
"Fine…" he put pillow over his head and tried to sleep…
Hmmn…Wonder when she picked up that slight Brit accent…?
Eight hours later he opened his eyes…To find her staring at him…
Was that a tear running…?
She caught the opening eyes and brushed whatever it had been away…
Probably just the book…Another silly fool died for love and there it
seemed romantic…No doubt some dark, brooding type…
He looked to the window…Thoughtfully closed…
"How we doin'?..." he asked…
She blinked a moment…
"How far…?"
"Hours yet…" she replied…
"Great…Couldn't the Council have teleported us?...I thought this was
supposed to be a crisis sit…"
"They wanted to see if things might settle down…And to…" she
hesitated…
"Give the NKs a shot at us?…Or me, at least?..."
"If they have time to hear we're on the way, it might be one more
factor in getting them to back down…After all, most of the experts
think the whole thing's blackmail on the large scale…That they'll back
down if a conference is called and they have a reasonable chance of
getting food and money from the West…"
"I see…Then why are we even here, heading there?...I mean, why am I
here, given you seem to be Buffy the World Diplomat now?..."
"To keep me company…" she replied, blandly…
"Delightful…" he nodded, putting pillow back over his face…
She stared at him a moment, then pulled up her book…Wiping her cheek…
Turning a page…
"The Wanton Folly of Me Mum…" she whispered to herself, grinning…
Glance his way…
"Sorry, m-i-l…" she whispered… "You know he meant no harm…"
She glanced at the closed window…Nodding to herself…
***
Hnnn…He turned at the tap…
"Hmmn…" he rolled over at the second, harder tap…
"Hey!..." he sat bolt upright at the hard punch to the chest…
"Sorry…We're in Tokyo…" she eyed him… "Gotta change planes…"
"Lovely…Is this the way the Council treats world-saving
types?...Couldn't spring for non-stop, let alone first class…?"
"Just grab your bag and come on…I need to call Dawn and then we can
get something to eat…We'll have three hours…"
Three hours?...
"What's that?...Target practice time?..."
"For them?...Probably…" she nodded… "Get your bag…"
"After you, dear…"
Tokyo Haneda Airport…
"So…How's your sushi?..." Buffy asked, not looking up from her
book...Book perched on her plate…
"Terrible…" Will eyed his… "I've had better in LA…"
"Airports…My burger's ok…" she noted…Looking over to signal a waiter…
"Another saki, please…And my friend would like to order something
else…"
"Burger but very rare…" Will nodded… "And I'll take a Guinness…"
He eyed her…
"That's your fourth saki…I'd take it a little easy…"
"We're not going into battle when we get there…" she replied… "I'll
sleep it off if it catches up with me…"
"How was Dawn?..."
"Pissed…Nothing new…" she replied…
"At you or me…?"
"Both…"
"I say, Ms. Summers…Would you mind looking at me when you talk to
me?...We restored-in-soul Brits are finicky about that sort of thing…"
She looked up at him as the waiter brought their drinks…
"Yeah?..."
"Thanks…Why would Dawn be pissed at me?...She still sorry I didn't
stay flamed out?..."
"She oughta be…" Buffy replied… "But no…"
"And why at you…?"
"Cause I'm here, of course…"
"And as to me?..."
"Because you never gave her a chance to beg your forgiveness…" hard
stare…
He stared…
"It's a terrible thing to have to live with…I'm sure you and Angel
know all about it…"
"I see…" he paused… "Well, tell the silly nibs there's nothing to
forgive…"
"Tell her yourself, asshole…"
He looked round… "Is she here?..."
Buffy frowned and sighed… "I mean…Come and tell her…"
He eyed her…
"So now you've had a proper invite…" she noted, returning to her book…
Sipping at the sake…
"I'm not angry at Dawn…" he began…
"Just me, huh?...Big of you…"
"How long have you known…?"
"Bout?..."
"Me…" he frowned…
"What about you?..."
"Buffy…You know what the hell I mean…"
"About the trivial detail of you not being blasted forever, refusing
to believe in me?...Ever since I betrayed the Council to get you
back…" she said quietly… "About the other things, about a year…"
"What?..."
"What?..."
"Betrayed the Council?..." he stared at her…
"And Angel…Nearly wrecking their little scheme to bring out and
destroy the Partners, the last major pure Demonic force on Earth…Did
you really think that jerk Lindsay did it without help?..." she
frowned over the book at him…
"I sold the Council…And Angel out…To save you…Though I didn't give any
info…Just promised to not to intervene and try to save Angel from the
corrupting influence of the Partners…I suppose in a way it actually
helped the scheme, made Angel's move over look real…But if the
Partners had asked...If they'd had the brains to insist I tell them,
rather than convincing themselves their little scheme of getting Angel
via Connor on their side was working…I would have spilled the beans to
save you…Probably getting Giles and Angel at least, killed…Maybe some
of my other friends…But I would've done it gladly to save you…"
He blinked…
"But don't mention it…After all I owed you…" she concluded…
"You went to the Partners…?"
"They actually knew all about Lindsay's little plan…And turned it to
their advantage or so they thought…Of course having me in their debt
made them quite willing to let him think he'd fooled them…"
"Does Giles…?"
"Please…He'd've had you killed…And I would've had to kill him instead…
But fortunately I was spared that…Though I haven't forgotten or
forgiven what he tried to do to you…And us…"
"But if you knew I was…"
"You didn't come…I couldn't go, Giles would've known I'd done
something…He might have figured out about the
Partners and you'd be on his list…Then Andy came back and told me…He
thought I'd be pleased…I listened…" she paused… " And I smiled and
shook my head at silly ole Spike's strange reluctance to come and see
his ole girlfriend…And that night I nearly cut my wrists and then
nearly let two vamps in succession take me…" she stared at him,
coldly…
"But I knew by then…That it was what I deserved…" she sighed…
"Buffy…" he stared at her worn face… "If I'd…"
"You could have come…You could have got on a plane, any time and come…
Oh, why didn't you come?...Why didn't you believe in me?..." she said…
"And poor Dawn, when she learned the truth…When we knew…It's
destroying her…"
"What?...Buffy…I've never blamed either of you…I knew what I was
doing…"
"So, you heard I was with that piece of…His Benevolence…?" she spat
out the name…
"And put yourself on a plane…You and Angel, dear ole Angelus
reformed…" she said, coolly… "To come and save me…"
"It was ridiculous, I know…But you seemed…"
"Giles guessed when I heard, I think…He was all set to enjoy the fun
of seeing his little plan score so well…My two Undead lovers convinced
by his play actor Buffy…"
"It wasn't you?...With the Immortal…" he said, slowly…
"Unbelievable, right?…He had everything and more…And you know how I go
for immortals…But maybe it was his still being human, though
artificially preserved…If he'd been dead…But hey, she convinced you…"
she teared up now…
"God, the Immortal…You thought I was with that …"
"Giles set it up?..."
"To protect me…"she grinned coldly, bitter smile held… "Clever,
huh?...But not so clever as His Benevolence…Who as throughout his
whole miserable artificially extended life has played both sides…
Actually though, I did spend a little time with him…The Partners made
sure of that…Thought it would sweeten the deal for me…He was glad to
oblige, seeing as it wasn't something violent he could be held
accountable for later on…Just a little history lesson…"
She glanced at the clock above them… "We'd best get crackin…" she
stood or tried to stand up…He gave her an arm…Thanks, she said, taking
it…Looking at him with a strangely intense look…
"I'll never let you go…" she said quietly… "I'll kill if I have to…The
Council…Every friend I've made this time round…But I'll never let you
go again…"
"Buffy…"
"Sorry…So soory…" she grinned, releasing him… "Little drunk…Lets go…"
she hurried off, swaying a bit as she marched with speed…
He stared after her and hurried in pursuit…
En route to Seoul…
"Buffy?..."
"Yeah…?"
"Buffy, if I'd known…"
"You never believed in me…" she waved him off… "And now I know why…
Excuse me…Oh…" She heaved, groaning…
"Sorry…" she moaned…Trying to daub him off… "Oh…" she sobbed…William
taking towel from flight attendant whom he then glared off…
"Buffy, it's alright…"
"No, it's not…" she wept… "You know, in your heart you've always known…
And you'll never forgive me…"
"There's nothing to forgive…You did what you had to do…And I made the
choice…"
"No, you didn't…" she eyed him solemnly…Hic, hic…She took the towel
and finished cleaning up…
"Not that night in 1880…You didn't…" she started weeping again…
"Now see here…" he took her chin, forcing head up to face him… "Who
are you and what have you done with Buffy Summers…"
Faint smile at his grin…He blinked at her…
"1880?..."
"Oh…" she burst the dam again…
"I didn't mean to tell you like this…" she put her head in his lap and
sobbed…
Hmmn…The new Buffy Anne…Empathic and emotive…He thought…
Or maybe it's just the sake?...She pulled head up, looking at him…
"Well?..." he asked…
"Not here…" she said…And sat back…
"But…"
"Sorry about the waterworks…It's been building a long time…" she said
quietly… "And I overdid the sake…"
"Buffy…"
"Later, in Seoul…" she looked at him…Put her head close and indicating
he should put his ear to her lips..
"Cicely…" she whispered… "Call me Cicely…" she pull away…
He stared…What…?
"Here, you can read it now…" she handed him the book… "It's yours
anyway…"
He stared at the worn old hardcover now in his hands…Minus both covers
but with a good spine…
"Mind the pages…I don't want any lost…" she noted, laying head back…
"And ask the attendant for some aspirin when she comes, please?..."
" 'The Collected Works of William Soames Walthrop'…" he read to
himself from the spine…Turning the book in his hands…
"Uh, some aspirin for the lady, please…" he asked the returning
attendant who took the towel back with grim expression…
" 'To my husband…From Cicely who loves you always…'" he read a
dedication on the second page…
He stared yet again at Buffy, now laying with eyes closed…
As he moved closer she let out a snore…
"Right…" he sat back…
Come to think of it now…She does snore just like Cicely…Never noticed
before…
***
Seoul…Midafternoon…
Where a grim-looking team of men and women in trench coats had quickly
hustled them off from the airport arrivals area to a waiting car and
with only the grunt of "Walthrop?...Summers?"…had brought them to a
small hotel in a quiet suburb…
"We'll be back in five hours…" one of the women-in-black finally spoke
up…He eyed her…Late 20's, Korean Asian, if he judged correctly, with
perfect English…
And Slayer, no doubt…
"Council or…?"
"Both…" she replied… "Get her to bed…" she indicated the rather wobbly
Buffy clinging to his shoulder…
The group bowed slightly, in unison, and left…
"South Korean Intel and Council…" he noted to Buffy's look… "And the
Slayer in the group's right…Bedtime for
Buf…" he looked at her, smiled…
"For Ciczo…"
She smiled back…
"So long as we're not talking possession here…?" questioning tone… "
'Cause while I'd appreciate it…I couldn't allow it…"
"Not possession…" she shook head… "Will you come?..."
"If you like…But it might be best if I kept watch…"
She sighed… "Those guys are doin' that…Take a look…"
"Can't…" he noted… "Midafternoon…"
"Well, they are…Take my word for it…"
"I'll do that, then…"
"Good…Cause I've been dreamin' of…" she struggled to keep head up…
"Right…Well, let me make like Rhett Butler then…" he lifted her off
the floor in his arms…
Hmmn…Don't remember Rhett carrying Scarlett off like a sack of
potatoes…But…
She snored in his arms…Rather loudly…
"I see I'm going to have to work for this…" he noted to her… Carrying
her into the bedroom carefully…
Ooops…
"Greetings…From Our Great Leader…" the young woman, the same Slayer
who'd left him five minutes ago, addressed him solemnly… "Don't force
me to stake you, Mr. Walthrop…" Two other young women beside her…
Both Slayers he noted…
Though looking a hair off-stride as they regarded him blankly, but
with total attention…
"So…You infiltrated South Korean Intelligence?..." William asked the
young woman sitting across from him in their non-descript van…
"No…" she said, quietly…Her face having now the same rather blank look
of her comrades… "I was an agent…"
"But…?"
"I'm not to answer more questions, sir…Please keep calm and restrained
until we pass the border…His
Greatness will answer all your questions…"
"And if I don't keep 'calm and restrained'…?"
"I will do my best to stake you…And Ms. Summers there will suffer…"
"Right…Hey?..." he turned, trying to rise as one of the other women,
holding the sleeping Buffy, gave her an injection…
"That's the second one…What is that stuff?...If she's harmed…"
"Just to keep her weakened and sleeping, sir…" the young Slayer noted…
"It won't kill her…"
"Forgive me if I don't take your word for it…If you do that again I
will make trouble…"
"More shouldn't be necessary, sir…"
"Aren't your friends from SKI going to pursue us?...How did you get us
out from that group anyway?..."
"I assigned the agents to their posts, away from the rear door where
we brought our car…My rank is quite high so no one doubted me, thanks
to our Great Leader's skills…"
"You're not doing this voluntarily, eh?..." he eyed her… "What's he
done to you?..."
"Made me appreciate his Greatness, sir…I mustn't answer more
questions, forgive me…"
"You're a Slayer, love…Shake it off…" he eyed her…
She eyed him blankly…
"Well, give it a try…Tell me your name…"
Blank stare…
"Right, then…Keep tryin' love…Might I have my book back at least,
seein' as this is likely to be a rather dull journey?..."
She turned and pulled the old book from her purse….Handing it to him
without a word…
"Much obliged…Could I sit with…?"
"No…" she replied…Staring…
"Interesting technique…You seemed pretty functional before…Is it
magics-based or what?..."
No answer but a blank stare…
"Right…" he sighed, pulling up the book…
After about four hours by his watch, the van had halted…He presumed at
a border checkpoint…For nearly 30 minutes…One of the Slayers, who'd
left the van immediately on its stopping returned and spoke a few
words in Korean to the young woman who'd captured them…She nodded, the
other staring now at Spike…The presumed leader turned to speak to the
Slayer beside the sleeping Buffy…Who nodded and unhandcuffed Buffy,
lifting her carefully…
"Don't hurt her…" William rose as much as he could…
"Wait…" the leader cautioned him… "We'll bring you out in a moment…We
must hurry now…"
"The border?..." he asked…She ignored him, moving to let the other
women carry Buffy out through the van's side door…
"Come…" she moved to him, unlocking his cuffs from the grill on the
van's side wall… "If you try to fight me, Ms. Summers will likely be
killed…"
"All right…" he nodded, rising… "I'll be good for the moment…"
"Thank you…" she nodded, stepping back out of the open side door…
Waving for him to follow…
Dusk now, the sun had set just a little while before…He stepped out…
Cuffs easy enough to break, but a drugged Summers closely covered by
her two Slayer guards…
Even if they seemed a tad off-stride more than a match for him just
now…
He looked to see a good-sized helicopter…The Slayer leader indicated
he move toward it, motioning for her comrades to carry Buffy to it as
well…
"Isn't your air command here on high alert?...Likely we'll be shot
down…" he noted…
"My clearance should get us through…" the woman replied…
"Handy…" he nodded… "The Great Leader chose well with you, love…How'd
he get you anyway?..."
"All questions will be answered by His Greatness…" she replied…
"Please get inside, sir…"
Helipad, secret fortress estate of the Great Leader…Night…
"This way…" the young Slayer indicated for William to follow her…
Buffy still sleeping, carried by a Slayer…He reluctantly following
from the helipad to a large doorway flanked by heavily armed…Crossbow
as well as machine gun…Guards…
The Slayer leader brought them to a small room…The one carrying Buffy
laid her on a bed and locked her handcuffed wrists to a bedpost…
"Any chance of…" the door slammed in Will's face as he frowned…
Not exactly a courteous reception by His Greatness…He turned and went
over to the bed…
"Buffy…" he shook her… "Wakey-wakey…"
She snored at him…
Hmmn…He tried again…More violently…
"Slayer?...I've lost my soul again and I'm about to kill Dawn…"
Hmmn…Nothing…
Loud snore…Oh, well…
"Cicely?..." he tried… "Why did you abandon me?..."
One eye popped…Then the other… "What?..."
Well…
"We've been captured, girl…We're in the North…You've been drugged…Are
you ok?..."
She struggled to sit up…He giving support…
Rather pleased not to be lectured on the Great Leader's Greatness…
Apparently it took more than a shot in the arm and a little
telepathy?...
She looked round, blinking…Eyes resting on him…
"Did you tell me I…?" she began…Hesitantly…
"You were dreamin'…"
"No I wasn't…" narrow look… "I recognize the walls…You said I
abandoned you…"
"I asked…To get a rise out of you…Why Cicely abandoned me…"
She eyed him…
"My ole…"
"I know…" she frowned… "And you know…"
"No, I don't…And I'd appreciate being enlightened…The last time I saw
Ms. Addams she was…Well, Halfreck…"
"That was not me!..." Buffy sat bolt upright… "That was a lie!" she
tried to rise but couldn't quite manage it…
"Calm down…What the hell do you mean, it wasn't you?...Tell me what
you're talking about…?"
"And it's Mrs. Walthrop…As you damned well know…"
He eyed her… "Nobody knew about that…I'm reconsidering the possession
thing…"
"Reincarnation, not possession, idiot…" she sighed… "My mouth is full
of sawdust or something, can you get me a glass of wather?..."
"If there's a bathroom…This is North Korea, you know…" he went in
search… "Ah, we must be staying at the presidential suite…A bathroom
with what seems to be running water…Hang on…"
Knock at door…He emerged from the bathroom and handed Buffy a filled
glass which she took and drank from gratefully as he went to the door…
Another knock… "Mr. Walthrop?...Ms. Summers?...May we come in?..."
"Are the cameras and microphones actin' up?..." William called back…
"Oh, they're just fine, sir…But we have an invitation to deliver…"
He eyed Buffy who shrugged…May as well open it before they break it
down…He went to the door…And opened…
"Greetings…" a youngish man in uniform called from behind a group
consisting of the Slayers who'd captured them and several heavily
armed guards… "I'm Kim Jong-un…My father sends his best and a personal
welcome to you, our distinguished visitors…"
The Slayers, including the leader of their capture team stared at him
blankly…The soldiers a bit less so…
"Thanks…" Will nodded… "So you're the young prince, eh?...Your dad's
gone to some trouble, we appreciate it…"
"Not at all…" friendly smile… "With two of your reputation one must
make an effort…My father, our Great Leader, would like me to invite
you to meet with him to discuss the current situation…"
"We're not exactly accredited diplomats…" Will noted… "We'll see him…"
Buffy called…
"As she says…" he shrugged…
"Excellent…Of course we're aware you've had a long journey…So please,
get some rest…He will be here by morning and we can all meet for
breakfast…" Kim Jong-un noted pleasantly… "If you'd like something for
dinner?...Or, given your special needs, Mr. Walthrop…?"
"Bag of cow's blood and a scotch-and-soda would be appreciated…
Buffy?..." Will turned to her…
"I'm fine, thanks…"
"I'll have the ladies see to it…Good night…"
The Slayer leader closed the door…
Hmmn…Will sensed the Slayers remaining by the door, most of the humans
pulling back…Sensible deployment, he noted to Buffy…
"You think we should try in a bit?..." she asked…
"Only if you're up to it…Otherwise, may as well accept the young
Divinity's gracious hospitality and kill him and his porcine, pointy-
haired dad in the am after you've slept off his drugs…"
She sighed, nodding… "I'm feeling pretty woozy still…"
"But not ready to fall to your knees in adoration of His Greatness…?"
"Not quite…" she shook her head…
"The lad seems pleasant enough…Do you suppose they might really want
to deal?...This was pretty much supposed a blackmail operation…"
"They could've just asked for us…Contacted the ambassador or something…
Besides, they've got Slayers under their thumb...Drugged you
think?...Or magicked?..." she looked at him…
"Some kind of brainwashing, that's certain…Their auras are depressed
and they seem to lose it when not under orders…"
"I suppose I'm expected to join the harem…" she frowned…
"Likely…But not without a fight…Did you recognize the ladies?..."
"Not from what I saw of them, no…But I was pretty drunk…And dopey…"
she smiled wanly…
A knock…He went over...And opening found the lead Slayer holding a
tray which she handed him…
"Thanks, love…And keep tryin'…" he smiled at her, closing the door
with a carefully freed hand, one hand on the tray…
"Never hurts to encourage the effort…" he noted to Buffy, bringing the
tray on which a bag of blood sat next to a scotch-and-soda in large
whiskey glass… "I'm sure she's fighting it, whatever it is…"
"At least she's not voluntary…" Buffy sighed…Not looking at him…
"About what we were discussing…" he began…
"I'm not possessed…Or crazy…" she replied… "But I am your wife, Cicely
Addams Walthrop…I always was…
And you knew that, even if not consciously…From the day we met in
Sunnydale…Maybe even before that…"
He nodded… "Would explain a few things…"
"Like my abandoning you again at Sunnydale…?" she asked... "I know I
have a talent for that…"
"What do you remember?…Assuming for the moment, this isn't a trick of
some sort…"
"Nearly everything, now…Thanks to His Benevolence…But wise of you to
be cautious…Considering the way we keep finding new ways to make you
suffer…"
"What was that about Dawn?..." he looked at her… "You said…"
"Your daughter can't bear that her father won't let her beg his
forgiveness…Is that so surprising…?"
He sat down, staring…
"My…"
"Born November 1880, died the same day…Though I can't yet recall the
exact date…Actually she was still…" she looked at him…
"I'm sorry…William…" she stared at his tear-streaked face… "I didn't
think you'd believe it so quickly…Oh, Will…God…" she struggled to her
feet…He rose and went to her, helping her back to the bed…
"She tried not to believe it but the minute she heard me tell the
story…She knew…" Buffy whispered, burying her face in his chest…
He pulled away from her…Eyeing her… "You sent her…In your place…That
bloody night…"
"I stayed upstairs…" she nodded… "William, they told me you were
doomed…If I didn't give you up…Drusilla would find you…And the Council
wouldn't help me protect you…"
"And Halfreck…She was the one…Who told me…"
"I was tryin' to save you, Will…I couldn't get Dru…She was coming for
you…And they lied to me…" she said, voice turning bitter… "They
tricked me…They wanted you dead…And me their Slayer…Oh, God…"
"The Council…" he said, quietly…
"They weren't about to let me off and do my own thing…Even after I'd
tole them I'd still do my job…They wouldn't allow me to have my own
life…Will, I did everything to try and find you after it was over…I
stole everything from the Council or magics types I thought could be
of use…I never stopped looking for Spike…And if I couldn't get you
back…" she eyed him…
"Then, I got sick with the baby…And they decided I was too much
trouble to let live…" she continued in a weary voice… "So they
arranged my death and our baby's…There's always another Slayer, after
all…"
"The Council murdered you…And our child…?" he asked, quietly…
"Poison…From my own dear Watcher…"
"And Giles knew, didn't he…?" he asked…
"He knew…The story was told to any Watcher whose charge seemed to
harbor the right aura…Maybe not all the details…But enough to know he
was to keep you and me apart if we got too close…"
"Well…" he nodded… "Sorry to hear his motive in trying to kill me
wasn't all for his little Slayer…"
"When I started having visions, after Sunnydale…And His Benevolence
contacted me, for the Partners…Who figured, if I knew the truth…" she
paused…
"Right…" he nodded…
"But…It's not all their fault…" she noted… "I…"
"You never told me…Warned me…" he said…Nodding… "You put me and our
little girl in jeopardy…Left me this…" he indicated himself… "And my
daughter reborn as an energy key for a crazed goddess…"
"I wanted you…I wanted a life…" she sighed… "I know I'm guilty as the
Council or my Watcher…"
"Well, thank goodness I didn't wait around for you to save me…" he
noted calmly…
"Yeah…" she nodded…
"How is my daughter, apart from the crushing guilt she doesn't
deserve…?"
"She's at the University of Milan…Doing pretty well, majorin' in art
design…"
"Great…"
"She'd love to see you…" wistful tone…
"A killer vampire for a father?...I don't think so…"
"A hero for a father…"
"Hardly…" he sighed…
"Your daughter needs her father…" Buffy said firmly… "Hate me forever
if you want…But she needs you,
William…"
He sighed again… "Here now, girl…Are you tryin' to back out of this
marriage?..." careful look…
"Never…And I'll never grant you a divorce…I'll threaten every judge
you try…" she said…Wan smile…
"Then I guess…We're saddled with each other…"
"I guess so…" she nodded…"I brought pictures…Ones from when Dawn was
little…" hopeful tone…
"Lets see em…"
"Blonde Thunder…Ball…"
Archived at the Buffy Rebecca-verse, Cicelyverse page,
....
Disclaimer: I won't blame Joss for those comics if he doesn't blame
me for this… All BTVS characters remain the property of Joss Whedon,
Mutant Enemy, and all other owner/creators of the Buffy the Vampire
Slayer series...
Summary: When a little pig-faced cockroach with nukes under his arm
rattles his sword and makes trouble, who ya gonna call?...
***
Part II…
A polite rapping summoned them to breakfast…After a quick shower in
the rather small bathroom…They emerged to find their Slayer and human
soldiers awaiting them just outside…
"I hope you girls got some sleep last night…"Will eyed the Slayers…
"Please come, His Greatness is waiting…" the lead Slayer, her clothes
now looking a bit rumpled, urged…
"Fine, but tell His Greatness when you can that his guests would take
it as a curtesy if he allowed his slaves a little rest…" Will
suggested…
"Yes, sir…" the Slayer nodded…
"Nice to know you'll be lookin' out for me when I join the team…"
Buffy noted with smile…
"Mrs. W…Lets remember you may be a Walthrop…I'll expect better from
you…" he frowned…
"Yes, your Greaterness…" she grinned…Then frowned…
May be…?
"Hey…" by a huge ground to ceiling window with magnificient view of
mountains, a chubby, just over middle-aged fellow in beige jump suit,
flanked by guards…Kim Jong-un to his left in military uniform…Greeted
them…
"Welcome to my secret estate far from Pyongyang…" a smiling Kim Jong
Il greeted his "guests".
"You've met little kim, small k…My heir…Apparently…" Kim frowned at
the apparent heir…
Little kim, small k, sighing…Dad…
"So, the world-famous vampire killer, Buffy Summers…And her
significant other…Vampire vampire killer, William Walthrop…"
"Say hi quick, little kim, small k…Cause they probably gotta die soon…
Assuming our negotiations fail…"
"Hey…" little kim, small k…nodded…
"Another mistake…Moron…" Kim frowned… "You're the Great-Leader-in-
Waiting…You don't say 'hi' or 'hey' to your prisoners-in-waiting-to-
die…You sneer at the 'little nothings' and look away…How many times do
I gotta tell you…" shakes head…
"Kids…" he sighed to Buffy… "I understand, confirmed by our
surveillance, you two are parents too?..."
"Toughest job in the world…" he noted, not waiting for her reply...
"But at least yours is a potential source of limitless power…Whereas…"
he frowned at little kim…Who tried looking at the wall…
"But ya got love 'em…Within well-defined limits…Oh well, what the
hell, shall we get to breakfast?...I know I'm starved…And we got a
busy day ahead…The last day…For a lot of us…" Kim smiled…
"More pancakes…?" Kim asked round…
"I love pancakes…When they're done just right…Had to have my chef
trained in an IHOP…Got her from Paris but they don't know shit about
making good pancakes there…Just how to make crepes…I hate crepes…
Buffy?...More pancakes?..."
"I'm fine…"
"Right…Got keep that figure…Though I understand Slayers don't gotta
worry much that way…Which is neat…I like seeing a pretty girl enjoy
her food…Terrible the way American girls starve themselves these days…
Hey, Walthrop, you're a Brit from the last century or two…You agree
with me about the US girls?..."
"Depends…" Will replied… "But we were more likely to exercise all day
in those days…"
"True enough…" Kim nodded… "Hey, hon…More coffee, please…" he eyed the
passing Slayer, the team leader of the previous evening, now in fresh
and elegant dress…She paused to pour from her carried pot for him…
"So…" Kim stretched a bit… "I suppose you'd like to know why we went
to all this trouble, bringin' you in…?"
"Thought had crossed…" Will nodded… "May I ask if we're to act as
diplomats for negotiation?...And if so, might we have access to our
people for instructions?..."
"Mmmn…" Kim wiggled his raised hand a bit… "Not exactly diplomatic
reps…More…Hostages, I'd say…Or did in my transmission to your guys in
England…"
"Us?..." Will gave a wry smile…
"You know they basically gave the same response…You oughta get tough
with them, they're treatin' you two like coolies…You're world-savers
and they act like you're not worth their time…"
"Nice to know the Council holds us in such high esteem…" Will nodded…
"About what I'd expected…" Buffy frowned…
"Shockin' I call it…" Kim shook his head…
"Yeah…" little kim agreed…Kim eyeing him…Somebody talking to you?...
"So maybe you'd consider the option of throwin' your lot in with me…?"
he returned to the Walthrops…
"We could say, 'sure'…" Buffy noted… "But you'd know we were lyin'…"
"I suppose…Had to make the offer, ya know?..."
"Only to be expected…" Will nodded… "And it's appreciated…"
"So we're not negotiating?..." Buffy asked…
"Mmmmn…I could lie and say 'yes'…" Kim noted… "But we're all adults
here, right?...Though I am stringin' your Western bosses along with
that as an option for now…"
"Uh-huh…So?..." Will eyed him…"If we not here to negotiate…And we've
no real value as hostages…"
"I didn't mean to put it that way…" Kim replied hastily…Earnest look…
Matched by little kim…
"You're very valuable…Just that it doesn't really matter whether
you're existing or no…"
"Ah…" Will nodded…
"And of course, you are my only foreign witnesses…"
"Oh?...Of…?"
"My presentation…"
"Presentation?..." Buffy asked…
"Dad's been planning this for weeks…The…um…Presentation, I mean…"
little kim noted eagerly…
"The Plot of course has been years in the making…"
"Thanks, little kim, small k…I can take it from here…" Kim frowned…
"And the Plot has been decades in the making…" Kim grinned…
"That's a shame…" Will noted…
Additional guards with guns and crossbows entered the room, taking up
positions by the Great Leader…
"Now…" Kim wagged a finger… "Ladies…" he turned to the three Slayers
now in the room, the leader and two assistants from the night before,
waving the leader in to whisper to her, she nodding… "Escort Mr.
Walthrop and Ms. Summers to the Presentation Room…"
"Mrs. Walthrop…" Buffy insisted…
"Thousand apologies…Mrs. Walthrop…" Kim nodded…
"Come…" the lead Slayer urged Buffy…Pulling her up carefully…Buffy
grimacing and pulling free…
Kim put up a hand… "No need, hon…Mrs. Walthrop will come on her own…"
"Sir…" another of the three politely addressed Will…She now flanked by
crossbow-bearers…He rose reluctantly…
"We'll join you in just a mo…" Kim nodded cherrily… "Little kim, come
on…" he rose from his chair, a rushing team of servants gathering
round him… "Just a few administrative chores for the day's big one…See
they're made comfortable in the Presentation Room…" he told the lead
Slayer…
"Whatdaya think?..." Buffy hissed as they were politely but firmly led
out of the breakfast hall…
"I think we get to sit through the usual supervillian's rant…" Will
sighed…
"We can take three Slayers…And a few humans…" she suggested…
"Not in your condition, Mrs. Walthrop…" the lead Slayer cut in… "His
Greatness wanted me to be sure to remind you the drug we gave you
yesterday lasts a few days…He didn't want us to have to kill you…"
"We oughta hear fat boy out anyway, love…" Will noted… "He's sure to
give it all away…He's the type…"
"Please come along…" the lead Slayer urged, nodding to a human guard
who prodded Will with his crossbow…
"Hey!..." Buffy grabbed at the bow…Frustrated at her slowness…
"Mrs. Walthrop…" the lead Slayer frowned… "I don't want to have to
displease His Greatness…"
"Lord, we wouldn't want that…" William sighed… "C'mon, love…Lets give
Fatfinger his moment…"
"You're not one I trained, are you?…" Buffy eyed the lead Slayer who
shook head…
"Good…I would've hoped mine'ld do a better job…"
"She's just nervous for me…"Will cut in… "No offense, sweetheart…We
know you can't help it…"
"Thank you, sir…Lets go, please…"
Buffy frowning…What, now you're speakin' for me?...
"What?..." he looked at her frown…Which turned to a smile…
"So, you believe me, don't you?...You Victorian jackass of a
domineering husband…?" she grinned…
Gigantic auditorium of the Great Leader's hidden fortress estate…
Buffy and Will lost in the vast space, seated in the middle of the
middle row, Slayer and human guards about them…
Buzz of microphone…Shrieking metallic clang…
Kim and little kim, small k, visible now moving about a glassed-in
room above them…Kim on microphone…
"Sorry there, damned A/V dates from the 70s…Anyhow, welcome to the
Great Presentation Hall of the People…
Where you, our honored guests, will bear witness to the greatest event
in human history since that asteroid hit and cleared the way for the
mammals…" Kim, proudly…
Buzz…Tap, tap… "Sorry…Little kim?..."
Little kim rushing about the room throwing switches till the buzzing
eased…
"Ok, then…Please observe the window to your right, folks…"
Halves of the wall on the right parted slowly…Revealing beyond and
below them a vast complex…Full of scurrying technicians and equipment…
Vehicles racing about on tracks bearing equipment, personnel, and what
looked rather like giant fuel tanks…Giving off white vapor like the
liquid oxygen and hydrogen tanks of NASA rockets…
"And to your left…" Kim's voice…
Metallic blare… "Little kim!..."
"Sorry, dad…" little kim's voice clear… "I hit the amplifier with my
foot…"
"Moron…" exasperated tone… "Never admit fault in public…Blame some
nobody and have him shot…How many times do I have to tell you,
kid?..."
To the left, projected in four screens on the wall, similar shots of
vast complexes…
"Ok, well…Our launch sites, at five different locations…" Kim noted…
"Where's my laser pointer?..."
"Here, dad…" little kim's voice…
"See here…" the light of Kim's laser touched the four sites… "Ten long-
range at five different hidden sites…I got 50 nukes on ICBMs all
primed and ready…And none of that keys and codes nonsense…I just press
the button and varoom!..."
"Oooh…50 nukes…" Will sneered, calling to the glassed control room…
"And missiles that might just…Just…
Reach Sarah Palinland…But probably couldn't make it to Tokyo…"
"Hey, asshole…" little kim's voice, annoyed… "It all depends on where
you fire them at…"
"little kim, small k…?" Kim's voice, more annoyed… "This is my
supervillain's rant…"
"Uh…Sorry, Dad…"
"…It all depends on where you fire them at, asshole…" Kim continued…
"And what's with the crack about Tokyo?...An Asian capital ain't worth
your time?...You Brit racist…"
"Will didn't mean it that way…" Buffy cut in…
"I bet…" Kim's sneering voice… "Goddamn Brit imperialists…Well, anyway…
Like I say…It's all in where you fire them at…In this case being the
upper stratosphere…"
"What?..." William blinked at the room… "What's up there?..."
"Nothing but the ozone layer…" Kim, amused tone… "But once my nukes go
off there…A chain reaction…The sky aflame…Irradiated superozone…Global
superwarming…Getting the picture?..."
"Ok…You prove Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck are idiots…Something Fox
News does every evening…"
"The Earth becomes uninhabitable, you undead dolt…" Kim, annoyed…
"Hmmn…Ok…And this is a what?...Stalement, everyone dead, that's a good
scenario for you, how?..."
"Not if we're safely underground, in a gigantic supershelter…" Kim
pressed a button on his control panel…A final giant TV screen above
them blinked on…
Cathrode-ray…Will noted to Buffy…Guy hasn't even got LCD yet…
"I heard that…" Kim's voice, exasperated… "And I've got plasma at home…
Just tryin' to be a responsible Great Leader and not waste the
People's dough here…"
"Dad's very thoughtful toward the People…" little kim's voice noted…
"Yeah…Right…" Buffy glared…
"Look…" Kim's laser dot pointed at the vast chamber on screen… "Twenty-
five years in the making…Enough room for ten million people…Hydroponic
farms, underground factories, we'll sit pretty for a thousand or so
years
while you all bake…Then we come out…And the Earth is one Great
Leader's paradise…"
"And ecologically restored…" little kim added…
"I may be covered in blood, but I'm Green to the core…" Kim agreed…
"And since it'll be my People under my little kim's rule who write the
histories, I'll be the greatest Great Leader in history…"
Hmmn…Little kim rolled eyes while out of eyeshot…
Don't hold yer breath, dad…
"And since it'll kill the Undead above ground as well…Estimated
projections, little kim?…" Kim eyed him…
Little kim sighed and turned on a computer screen…Whirrrrr…
Two minutes passed in silence…
"We're waiting…" Kim noted…Annoyed tone…
"It's only a 128K machine…" little kim sighed…
"I tole you to get a new computer from the Chinese and dump this piece
of crap…" Kim glared…
"Dad…They kept the US sanctions too…Ah, there we are…" little kim
began working the console…
"Well…" Kim shrugged… "As you see…We do more with less…"
"Estimated Undead kills, 98%..." little kim noted…
"So…I not only free the world from imperialism, capitalism, and
ecologic devastation by the wealthy powers…I destroy most of Demonism…
I am the Greatest…" Kim, thumbs-up from the glass window…
"Little more impressed with me, now, Mr. British vamp guy…?" sneering
voice…
"Goldfinger's was better…" Will shrugged… "Though I guess you beat
some of Blofeld's, Dr. No, and that Eddie Munster guy, Drax's plans…"
Narrow look from Kim…
"I won't have to conquer Moscow…Or Washington…I'll just drive over the
corpses…" his voice fumed… "And two of 'em will be yours…"
"We'll see…" Will eyed the control room… "But what's holding you back…
Missing a ball or two?..."
"Nice talk in front of a lady…" Kim, indignant tone… "But it just so
happens we've been waiting for the right atmospheric conditions…Just
had to get a few million more Chinese drivers on the road…And now…
We're just
about ready…Tonight in fact…Operation Ball of Thunder commences…"
"At 11:34 and 30 seconds pm…" little Kim noted…
Backing away at Dad's glaring eye roll…
" 'Ball of Thunder'?...You mean Thunderball?..." Will sighed… "A
Spectre scheme retread?..."
"No, I mean 'Ball of Thunder', that's how it's gonna sound around the
world…" Kim replied… "And 'Thunderball'
wasn't about global warming…I've seen the movie too, you know…"
"Still, it doesn't have to end this way…For you…" Kim's voice resumed
a cheery tone… "I could see my way to providing a very nice honeyroom
cottage underground for the two of you if you'd consider serving
Humanity post
Kimpocalyse…"
"Anyone ever tell you you're a bug-faced little turd?..." Will called…
"Yes…" Kim, amused… "Lived to tell about it?...No…But I was only being
the polite world-conquering supervillain…I really don't care to have
you around, Mr. Blonde…Though if Ms. Blonde might consider my offer,
plus sparing her main squeeze…?"
Buffy frowned...As a loud gong sounded…
"Well, that's the UN trying to reach me…Girls, take them back to their
room…We've got hours yet so I'll give you two a chance to think it
over…Carefully…" Kim, pleasantly… "See you at dinner…"
"Dinner?..." Will stared…
"Hey, I'm not an animal…" Kim's voice, aggrieved… "No foreign
visitor's ever had cause to fault my hospitality…
Formal dress, I'd say, given the occasion…The ladies will bring you
what you need…"
Blare over speaker…
"Little kim?..."
"It's not my fault, dad!..."
***
"We're not just gonna sit here?..." Buffy frowned at Will as they sat
in their small room…The lead Slayer having assured them she and her
team would be right outside the only door…
"Until you get your strength back or figure a way to handle the ladies
and their friends without Slayer strength, yes…" he nodded… "Be calm,
love…As our little cockroach of a host noted, we've got time…Do you
feel like it's wearing off?..."
She sighed, shaking head…
"But you could take them…" she suggested… "I'll just barricade and
wait for you…"
"They'd just bring you out and hold you as a hostage or threaten to
shoot the room up…No, we go together, when you're up to it…" he shook
head…
"And if we run outta time?..." she eyed him…
"Cross that when we run into it…Now, you think there's any other way
out of here?..."
"Only if Willow teleports us out…" she replied, staring at the blank
walls…
He regarded her…She giving careful look…
The door opened…The lead Slayer entered…
"Up, please…" she waved a hand to indicate they should stand…
"Ming-na…Check them for magics again, Sue, pat them down…" she told
the Slayers following behind her, one
of whom immediately went to Buffy…The other pulled out a small glowing
orb…
"I expect it's a trick but…" the lead Slayer noted, eyeing Buffy
carefully…
"Ooooh…Your Greatness…." Buffy looked past her…All three turned…
Will frowned…Lovely…
I ask her to be sensible and wait…This is the support I get…
Typical…
Another brilliant scheme…He grabbed Sue and threw her down…Lunging for
Ming-na as Buffy kicked rather feebly at the lead Slayer…
The door to the room closed…As he knocked Ming-Na unconscious and
reached the lead Slayer before she could grab Buffy…
Great…He sighed at Buffy's pleased face…
Hey, three Slayers with only a little help from me…That's my guy,
there…
Course they were a bit on the dopey, enthralled side, but still…
"You'll never get out of here alive…" the lead Slayer struggled in his
grip…
"Will, bite her…" Buffy whispered in his ear…
"What?..." he stared at her, trying to keep the girl from escaping his
hold…Ooof!...He groaned as the Slayer elbowed him viciously, barely
managing to hold on…
"Now…" she hissed… "I'll try and cover…"
"Will you do like I say?..." urgent hiss… She moved as if to help him
hold her, trying to cover him and the Slayer from any view… "Before
the other two wake up…Or they send more in…?"
"Hey…" she pulled back as he poked at her…
"Just wanted to be sure…" he eyed her carefully…Taking face and
sinking fangs in the struggling woman's neck…
"Release the Slayers, or we'll gas you…" a voice came over a hidden
speaker above them… "You have five seconds!…"
"All right…" Buffy called… "Just open the door…Two are unconscious and
the other's hurt…"
"Bring them by the door, stand clear, and don't make a move…"
"What's going on?..." another voice cut in… Little kim's they
recognized…
"The prisoners overpowered our Slayers…We've sealed them in…" the
first speaker's voice… "They're surrendering them now…"
"Let me see…" static… "Crap…Is Dad getting this?..." voice cut off…
Will pulled the two unconscious Slayers to the door…Eyeing
Buffy?...Should I?...
She shook head, indicating the leader…He went to her…Patting her
gently… "Sweetheart, you hear me?..." he whispered…
The woman nodded…Eyes closed, head down…
"Can you give us a hand getting out of here, love?..."
"No…Great Leader…" she mumbled…
"Tell her you're the Great Leader now…" Buffy whispered…
"Right…Sweetheart, I'm your Great Leader now, understand?...Not fat-
four eyes…"
"You…Are…Great…Leader?..."
"Absolutely…You know it, kid…Right?..."
"You….Are…Great…Leader…" she nodded…
That's my vampiral husband…Buffy beamed…
Though if he keeps her in thrall a minute longer than we need her…
"When they open the door, tell 'em you're ok and resume command of the
guards…" he told her… "Try not to let
them examine you too closely…" he looked to Buffy…
"She should wait and get us out later…After getting me the antidote to
whatever she gave me…" she hissed…
He nodded and instructed the woman…The door opened…
"Go…" he told her… "Make it look good…"
A guard cautiously peeked in…Clearly the low man on the pole…Grabbing
Sue's body, he retreated…
"Wait for me…" the lead Slayer called, taking Ming-na by the legs…
"Sorry if we hurt you or the girls, love…" Will called…
"Gas them as soon as I'm out…" the lead Slayer called to the
loudspeaker…Eyeing William and giving a slight nod…
Buffy staring…
"I did tell her to make it look good…" he noted…Pulling a handkerchief
from his pocket which he passed to Buffy…
White gas now starting to fill the room, Buffy tried to cover her
mouth and nose…
"I'm fine, but it's best we leave them unconscious for now…" the lead
Slayer noted to the head of the guards outside, a short, husky man of
tough face and hard physique…
"Are they all right?..." Little kim eyed the unconscious Slayers…
"Yes, just knocked out…Take them to the infirmary…" she waved to a
guard…
"They're down…" a guard noted from his monitor in the hall…
"Walthrop's less susceptible…Don't trust him…" the lead Slayer
insisted…
Little kim eyeing her… "You all right, Soong?..."
"Fine, sir…" she nodded… "Just ashamed to have failed his Greatness
like that…"
"No need for Dad to hear about it…" he suggested… "Alls well now and
he's got bigger things on his mind today…"
"If you wish, sir…" she eyed him…
"It's fine…Just don't kill Ms. Summers with the gas, please…"
"Yes, sir…" she nodded… "Vent the room, please…" she turned to the
guard at the monitor…Eyeing the screen showing Buffy and William
stretched out on the floor…
"Better send the doctor in to check…But no one else in case Walthrop
is deceiving us…" she noted…
"The stuff does work even on the Undead, right?..." little kim eyed
the screen…
"It should…But we should be cautious for the Great Leader's sake…"
Soong watched the screen…
"Sure…" little kim sighed…
Wish she'd be cautious for my sake…Well, one day…Soon…
"I'd better go join Dad…Give me constant reports on them…"
"Yes, sir…" Soong nodded…Watching him leave…
"Resume positions…" she ordered the guards…
"More?..." Will asked, sympathetic tone…
"If you got it, yeah…" Buffy sighed…
He opened the ice pack the doctor had left for what he warned would be
a humdinger of a headache and stuffed a few more cubes in from the
pail one of the guards had brought…Closed the top and handed it to
Buffy who applied it to her aching head…
"How about you?..." she looked at him…
"I'm fine…No aftereffects thanks to my wonderful physical condition…
Unphysical condition, that is…"
She eyed him…Mouthing 'Sorry'…
He nodded… "I guess that little move gained us nothing…Except your
splitting headache…You sure you're ok…"
"I'll be fine…The Slayers ok…?" stare…
"The first girl, Soong, said so…I imagine she'd have no need to lie in
this case for her master…"
"But she probably could if she wanted to…" he eyed her…
"I'm sure she couldn't help herself if she were told to…" Buffy
replied…Leaning to him, and kissing him…
"Lets knock off the subtle doubletalk, they're gonna catch on…" she
whispered…
"I know I'm totally confused…" he whispered back, grinning at her…
Resuming normal tone… "Thanks, sweet…Glad you're ok… But lets not try
again…Just now…"
"Yeah…" she nodded…
"Well, since we got nothing but time…" he noted… "And no doubt an
appreciative audience eavesdroppin'…"
She eyed him…
"Cicely?..." he asked…
"I was in London, trying to look you up…In the archives that survived
Caleb, I mean…His Benevolence contacted me through the Council,
claiming he had info for me on you of a confidential nature…" she
sighed… "Very confidential…And restricted…"
"He gave me this…" she pulled up the pendant of a necklace she'd been
keeping tucked under her blouse…
"Yeah, you recognize it…You saw it on me every day…Except those two
nights we were together…" she smiled wanly…
"It is Cicely's…Or a reasonable facsimile thereof…He had it?..."
"My Watcher took it off my corpse…They took just about everything…By
the way…" she raised her voice sharply… "I want that book back…!"
"Apparently His Benevolence then stole my necklace from them…" she
continued… "He has a pretty tight thing with the Council…As well as
the Partners…Though probably both sides knew all along he was playing
both ends…"
"Anything else?..." Will looked at her…
"He told me my diary was in the archives, locked away…But I already
knew most of what I needed to know…The minute I held my necklace in my
hand again…" she looked away… "I knew what I'd done to you…"
"You said you were trying to save me…I think I can guess what
happened…"
"Yeah…" she sighed… "My Watcher very kindly furnished me with my own
vengeance demon…Or in my case, she was called a 'justice' demon, I
believe…And she carried out my little plan to the letter…Only she
neglected to mention she'd arranged things with Drusilla…"
"And then he…Our dear Immortal?...Told you about the Partners' little
game with me and Angel?..."
"He said they'd allowed Angel's enemy to bring you back in spirit to
challenge him for their own purposes…And if I agreed just not to
interfere, they'd see you all the way back and leave you in one piece…
I imagine they'd've raised the price later to cooperation or selling
my soul or something like that…"
"Idiots…" he grinned…
"I'd've paid…Gladly…" she eyed him… "If I'd thought they'd keep their
word…Or even just give me the time I'd need to get you out…And leave
Angel and the Council and maybe all Humanity to go hang…"
"I'm…" he began, pausing at her intense stare…
"I thought that night…I'd given everything up to save you…" she said…
"And when I saw you…When they were taking you and I couldn't stop them…
No, I couldn't grab that coffin out of that hearse and smash it to
splinters and raise you then and there and let you take me with you…
When all I could do was watch and then listen to my father and Simon,
my watcher, tell me it was for the…" she look down, fists clenched…
"And now a century later, the same thing all over again…Giles telling
me it was a real shame you had to be sacrificed, he supposed after all
you weren't a bad fellow in your soul…But what a convenience for the
Council…In so many words…That I did my duty and left you to fry…
They're lucky people, those Councilors…If I hadn't blamed myself so
much more…" she looked up at his face, hers deathly pale… "I'd've
killed every one of them, starting with Giles…But…Once again, I was
the one most to blame…The one who'd failed you…Betrayed you…"
"No…" he said quietly… "I'd have been lost forever without you…"
"I think…I think I knew…At the cavern…" she said, ignoring him… "But I
was so terrified to face the truth…It was so much easier to let you
die again, thinking I didn't give a damn…And maybe, the truth is…"
"Stop it, Cicely…" he took her clenched fists in his hands…
"Tell me what happened…After…"
"After?..." she looked at him…
"You bore my child, you tried to find me?..."
She sighed… "My father…Sir Richard…Tried to force me to deny the
marriage had ever taken place…Tried to force me to…I left…My cousin…"
"I remember Henry…" he nodded…
"He helped me slip out…Gave me what money he could…I managed to get
Mother's sent to him after a while and he sent it on to me so Father
couldn't trace me easily…And I started looking for you…You rose while
I was ill, locked in the house by Father after you died…I think the
Council still hoped they could make me see reason…At first…"
"Then they saw it was hopeless and poisoned me…" she said quietly…
"And killed our baby with me…Before I could find you…"
"And Giles knew…?" William eyed her…
"He knew some of it…They thought I might come back…Pissing in their
pants with each new Slayer, that it might be me, back…They were
watching for any signs a Slayer seemed interested in you…I don't know
if it was me with the others…" she eyed his shocked face…
"I…" he choked…
"No…No…" she rose, putting hands on his shoulders… "No, I'm sure they
weren't…Will, you know they weren't…" she smiled at his stricken face,
holding his shaking hands firmly… "I'm too good…I wouldn't have
lost…"
He calmed…Then nodded slowly…Right…
"They tried to get you a few times…But not because they feared William
the Bloody Awful, prince of Darkness…You were never the world-
threatening type…They knew…And the Immortal stressed it…Your soul
hadn't left for good…You were hangin' round Spike, trying to find out
what happened…You knew something wasn't right and there was unfinished
business…And so did I…"
"When you came to Sunnydale…" she eyed him… "They were nervous, since
I was turning out to be one hell of a Slayer…But, they told Giles to
leave it to me…Hoped I'd solve their problem in my usual way…And every
time I failed to knock you off and seemed a little closer to you, they
got a little more terrified…"
"I see…" he nodded… "And here we are, saving Humanity and Council yet
again…"
"Humanity and our own future…I've told Giles if the Council ever
interferes with us again…" she looked at him… "If they so much as try
to take a tissue sample from Dawn…If you catch cold…"
"And Dawn?..."
"The monks needed a soul for their construct…They found the one I was
certain to protect instinctively…And that you would protect as well…"
she shook her head…
"Naturally Giles couldn't resist pointing out that all had after all
ended reasonably well for us…"
"Did he?..." Will nodded… "Big of him…"
"The docs say his broken arm will only take four weeks to heal…" she
grinned…
"So Dawn's…Ok?...With me…?" he hesitated…
"She's ok…" she nodded… "But she needs to see you…And tell you…I think
it's killing her even more than me…
If that's possible…" wan smile…
"Please come home, Will…When we wrap things here…" she looked at him…
"We can't live without you…Not
another day…"
"Yes, thanks…" he nodded…Hugging her desperately… "Cics…Cics…" he
whispered, she clutching him… "Oh…"
A noncommittal Soong summoned them for dinner about three hours later,
leading them quietly under human and the other two recovered Slayers'
guard to a palatial dining hall… Where their rotund host and son
awaited them…
"Guys…Hope you got some rest…Been a bitch of a day for me…" Kim noted…
Waving them to chairs…Each on either side of him…
Cheeky little bastard to put me so close, Will thought…Even if Buffy's
still a bit under the influence…
Still three enthralled Slayers, ten…Nope fifteen…Humans with crossbows…
A trifle daunting at first glance anyway…
"So…My plot to rule the world?...Pretty neat, eh, toots…?" Kim in his
seat at table's head nudged Buffy next to him…Who shrank from his
nudge…
"What?…You sleep with Undead guys and an Asian guy isn't good
enough?...You some kind of racist or something?..." he frowned…
"Hey…" Will glared… "That's a lousy thing to say…Buffy's just never
met an Asian guy she wanted to sleep with…If you weren't a venomous
bug, she'd probably be undressed right now…"
Uh…Buffy stared…
Thanks…I guess…
"Really…" Kim nodded…Smiling at a Buffy frowning at Will…Really…Thanks…
Very funny…
"Then she's sure to respond well to my conditioning process…Especially
with that tough will of hers…"
"Excuse me?..." Will stared…
Little kim chuckling evilly…Hey, Dad…Way to go…
"Observe…" Kim smiled… "Say, Soong-Li?..." he called…The pale, wan-
faced, lovely Slayer leader who'd quietly served dinner came to his
side…Staring blankly…
"Tell our guests who you used to be…"
"Soong-Li Wang…China's top agent…" she replied…
"Sent here to…?"
"Infiltrate South Korean Intelligence and reach a high position in the
ranks…At the same time to spy on and later assassinate your Greatness,
Greatness…" she replied, flat tone…
"And you changed your mind?..."
"Your Greatness changed it for me…" she replied…
"And what kinds of torture did you endure without cracking?…She was
one hell of a tough broad…" he noted to the others…
"Several months of mind drugs, isolation, waterboarding, fingernail
removal…"
"…I feel bad about that…But we got her new ones…" Kim interrupted...
"Sorry, babe…Go on…"
"…Beatings, the rack, blowtorch…"
"…I feel bad about that too…But we needed a really tough test
subject…"
"…Rat cage, wild dogs, psychologic torture…"
"We did some things from 'The Prisoner' TV series…Truly mind-blowing…"
Kim grinned… "Was that all?..."
"Sledgehammer to my toes…"
"Who sanctioned that?..." Kim stared… "I distinctly said no damage to
the feet…"
"Uh…We did it with an orthopedic surgeon in attendance, Dad…" little
kim, nervously… "No permanent damage…I was just sure it would work…She
seemed sensitive about her feet…"
Glare… "Well...Anyway, the point is…Did you talk, sweetie…?"
"No, Greatness…"
"And how long after conditioning did you spill everything and pledge
yourself to me?..."
"Immediately, Greatness…"
"Thanks, hon…Take your trays, go clean up the kitchen, and resume
guard duty with the girls…"
"Yes, Greatness…" Soong-Li blankly marched off with trays…Little kim
rising hastily and following… "Lemme help you with that…" trying to
take heavy tray from her…
"Little kim, small k!..." Kim called… "Get back here…!" Eye roll…
Buffy eyed Will…Hmmn…
Little kim reluctantly taking seat again…Glancing off to watch Soong-
Li enter the kitchen…
"You're thinking…She's fakin' and he's bluffin'…" Kim grinned, turning
back to them… "But I assure you, I'm no more bluffing with you than
with the UN…And you'll be happily attending me by missile launch
tonight, Ms. S….And you'll even more happily do the honors as to
seein' your undead Brit off the face of this world…"
She eyed William…Thin smile…
This could be fun…Her look saying…
"Mrs. Walthrop…" she corrected…
"If you prefer…" Kim grinned, sneering… "I'd say half my girls were
once pretty keen on other guys before the Great One turned their
heads…"
"Yeah, Dad's a real stud, pal…" little kim, small k, agreed…Kim
frowning at him…
Uh…
Soong-Li returned from the kitchen…Taking her place with the other two
Slayers near Buffy and Will…
The slightest of brief glances to Will as she did so…
Hmmn…He thought, contentedly…As always, the Missus is right…
This could very well be fun…
"Shall we do dessert on the missile control platform?..." Kim
suggested…
"Thanks love…" Will nodded to the blank-faced Slayer passing him a
sugar bowl…He taking two lump for his coffee and passing it to Buffy…
"This has been pleasant…But might I ask?..." he eyed Kim sitting in
large, throne-like recliner with Soong-Li and the third Slayer
flanking him, along with half-a-dozen guards to each side…
Little kim in ordinary chair off to the right side…
"Hmmn?...Please…" the Great One nodded…
"You fire one missile…The US, if not the Chinese, Air Force comes
screaming in, blasting every one of your bases apart…If they don't go
nuclear straight out…?"
"The missiles fire simultaneously…We're all in the various underground
caverns…Mine being the most secure, of course…"
"Of course…" Will nodded… "But the US has been working on a missile
shield…"
"Star Wars…Beautiful 'Star Wars'…Hey, don't let those
'Star Wars' ever end…" Kim sang, mockingly… "C'mon…Everyone knows your
boys are years away from
knocking ICBMs down…You get lucky on Scuds with a few Patriots and you
start believing your own propaganda…Not a chance…You might have
something to knock one, maybe two down…"
"NK glowing doesn't worry you?..."
"The caverns are ten thousand feet down…Not a chance…" Kim shrugged…
"Besides what we'll be doing will take a thousand years to heal
anyway…"
"Pity you won't live to see that day…Unless…" he eyed Kim…"You weren't
possibly thinking of utilizing my services?..."
"Please…" Kim frowned… "If I'd wanted Undead I'd've gone Undead years
ago like my ole man…"
Will blinked…Little kim looking down…
Hate it when Dad tells Grampa's story to strangers…It oughta stay in
family…
"Yeah, the Great Father didn't want to kick the bucket…But he
overestimated his willpower…A little too much listening to his own
propaganda…I understand Stalin was the same way…" Kim eyed William…
"So I've heard…" Will nodded…
"What?..." Buffy stared… "You two look like you know something?..."
"Dad?..." little kim asked, curious…
"Mr. Walthrop been keeping his light under a bushel, girlie…" Kim
chuckled…
"It was no big deal…" Will sighed to Buffy… "Dru and I were picked up
Leningrad during the siege by Stalin's boys…We'd been passing as
British correspondents…I'll tell you the story later…"
"Ole Joe sure never forgot…He had agents after you en masse, kid…" Kim
chuckled… " 'Watch you drown in your own drool'? was that it…?"
"Something like that…" Will nodded…
"I nearly bust a gut when I first heard that one…" Kim guffawed…
"Well, anyway…The Undead Unlifestyle's not for me, thanks…But I do
intend to be around for the big unopening…"
"Oh…Did you choke the secret out of the Immortal?..." Will asked…
"Oooh…" Kim grinned… "I think your guy's been reading the tabloids,
girlie…" he chuckled to Buffy…
Oh, God…Thanks, honey…She frowned at Will…
"But no, his way is kinda hit and miss…I didn't like the odds…I'm
goin' with cryogenics…"
"Kimsicle?...Nice…Especially since they've not got it to work yet…"
Will noted…
"Here we go with the racism again…You think every major breakthrough
comes in the West?..." Kim frowned… "We worked cryogenics out over ten
years ago…Of course, we did have plenty of volunteers and fewer
bureaucratic obstacles to human experimentation..Plus a few ex-Nazis
with experience…"
"Dad's got nearly a million followers frozen…" little kim noted…Kim
glaring…
"Well, a lot…The exact number's a state secret…" little kim,
nervously…
"Awaiting Judgment Day and the life to come, no doubt…" Will smiled…
"Well, you better hope it works…For your girlie's sake…" Kim glared…
"That's thoughtful…" Will nodded… "You'll turn her into a zombie, then
freeze her to keep you company your Thousand Year and a day Reich,
eh?..."
"Guy's irresistible, eh sweetheart?..." he smiled at Buffy…
"I'm won…" she nodded coolly…
"Hey, banter…I like that…" Kim nodded… "Too bad you won't be very good
at it when he's burned to a crisp and you're more interested in
licking my toes…" he smiled…
"I didn't mention we were planning to strap you down in front of the
first missile to be launched at 11, did I?..." he asked Will…
"I'm sure it slipped your chubby little mind…" Will nodded… "I
understand bad cholesterol ups the likelihood of Alzheimer's…"
Stifled chuckle from little kim…
"Hilarious…I will miss you…Suppose we name our first born after you,
pal?…Eh, Buffy?..." Kim grinned at Buffy…
"Why not?..." she shrugged…
"Ah, spirit…I like that too…It's great to watch the spirited types
snap like brittle iron bars under the treatment…You know, the shifty
ones hold out much longer?...They're used to swaying with the wind so
they've got coping strategies…Or so my psych docs tell me…The really
strong-willed like our Soong-Li here break completely in a hour or two…
I give you three hours tops, girlie…"
"So you and Dan Quayle here go ice cube when?..." William asked…
Little kim frowning a bit…
"Oh…" Will nodded…
"So that stuff about a power transfer was true…Within limits…?"
"Somebody's gotta run the caverns while I'm in deep-freeze…" Kim
nodded…
"My son and his descendants…If God willing…He can get it up at least
via artificially insemination…Will rule in my stead until the great
day of awakening…" Kim rose up… "When like the reblossoming world, I
will emerge from my sleep and resume the reins of power as the
Greatest Leader…"
"Yeah…" little kim…Looking away…
"Now I call that filial loyalty…" Will nodded… "They run the slophouse
so you don't have to put up with a booze and pretzels shortage and you
reap the benefits in 3010…Nice…"
"Time?..." Kim turned to the other Slayer nearest Soong-Li…
"Seven-sixteen and thirty-five seconds, Greatness…"
"Great…Well, folks…It's been a mix of real and Unreal…" Kim rose with
the help of the other two Slayers…
Soong-Li keeping watch on Buffy…
"But Mrs. Walthrop has an appointment with my psychiatrists…And you,
pal…" he eyed William… "Need to be fitted for that once-in-an-
Unlifetime front row seat in the missile launch bay…"
Buffy rose to her feet suddenly…Soong-LI grabbing her as Will lunged
for the closest Kim, little kim, small k…
"Hey…Nice…" Kim clapped… "I've been waiting for that all evening…I
kinda feel bad we doped Mrs. W…It wasn't really a fair game…Soong-Li
will drive that stake through your girlie's heart if you take another
step toward my heir apparent, Walthrop…"
"Not that it would be much loss on my part…" he grinned… "But losing
Mrs. W would be a tragedy…Be reasonable, Mr. Blonde…You've had your
lives and then some…I'm sure you'd rather go out as a flaming hero one
more time than a pile of dust with a crossbow sticking out…"
"Debatable…" Will noted… "But…" he sighed and put up his hands,
allowing the other two Slayers to secure his wrists with cuffs…While
Soong-Li cuffed Buffy… "Where there's Unlife..."
"That's the spirit…" Kim grinned… "Fortunately I'll soon be crushing
it out of Humanity
***