Disclaimer:
The characters of Charmed, Buffy – the Vampire Slayer, and Angel do not belong to me. (If only. Imagine what I could do with Angel or Cole if I did!)
Summary:
AU Crossover story between the Charmed and Buffy universes. Three peeks into the future courtesy of Willow, Phoebe, and the Seer.
Author's Note:
A special note. This story has evolved beyond my control and is now headed in a different direction than I had ever previously planned. As such, it will now be titled "The Passion of 3"
Chapter Six: Three Visions
Willow
My eyes are closed. I moan ecstatically as I feel the feather soft lips work their way down my abdomen. Tara. It had to be. But she had been killed, hadn't she? I grab the head as it focused on my throbbing arousal. Short hair. Curly, too. Huh? It's not Tara. I open my eyes and bring the head up to face me. I'm faced with a beautiful, curvaceous brunette. Who is this? The woman had a sultry and mischievous glint in her eyes as she smiled sexily at me. Well, who the hell cares? I wrap my arms around her neck and kiss her passionately...
A sharp jolt hits me, and the scene shifts and swirls about me. Huh? Is this a dream? What's happening? Is this what happens when you get drunk on demon beer? I knew I shouldn't have accepted that drink from my father. The new room comes into focus. I'm in some kind of formal chamber. There are no windows and the room is packed on three sides with spectators. They're all dressed in black with robes. I must be still in the Underworld. I look to my left and there is the Source, smiling happily down at me. Looking down, I see my hands are held within his and another set of hands is on top of those. Looking to my right, I see the beauty from my previous vision. She's looking at me and the Source with undisguised love in her eyes. Does this mean she's a demon if she's here? Do demons love? I look back at the Source and he, too, is looking with love at the two of us. As I swing back to the beauty, I see she's wearing a small crown or tiara. My hands are being pulled downwards. I look down and there is a large tome on a table and our hands are being placed on it. It's huge and obviously very old. I can feel the power emanating from it. It's a grimoire! Looking up, I see an older man in a hood... he is speaking in some unknown dialect... some kind of ritual. I gasp as I feel cold steel on the inside of my wrist. I tense as I prepare to pull my wrist away...
Ugh! Not again! The room shifts and swirls once more. I'm beginning to feel like Dorothy of Oz. Maybe if I click my heels. There's no place like the Hellmouth... There's no place like the Hellmouth... There's no place... AAAAARRRGH! Oh! This is much worse. Such pain. It feels like I'm being torn apart. My eyes are squeezed tight. I can hear the Source telling me it's almost over. Everything will be alright soon, darling. Darling? I'm the Source's darling? AAAAARRRGH! Another pain! It's like cramps but a hundred times worse. What the hell is happening to me? The pain subsides for a moment and I open my eyes tentatively. Looking down my body, I can see the problem. I'm pregnant! The pains are labor contractions! The Source is holding my hand and the beauty is at my feet encouraging me to push. Okay, if this is the future, I'm definitely checking into demon birth control pills... Besides, if they're all powerful, don't they have epidurals! I open my mouth to curse at the Source, and AAAAARRRGH! I push and push and push... and AAAAHHHH! The thing is out... thank the Goddess! I look down at the beauty who is cleaning the creature up. She wraps it in red satin... satin? ... and hands it to me. The Source peers in with an insane joy on his face. I look down at the orange bundle in my arms...
Oh, good! I am SO glad we're moving on. Maybe we can go somewhere nice this time. Maybe a vision of a weekend in Venice with Angelina Jolie. Or another interlude with that brunette babe. That was nice... better than nice. My vision blurs as the atmosphere swirls and hazes around me. I pick up a smell, a smell of burning. The acrid smell burns and my stomach turns as I detect the unmistakable smell of burning flesh. Now I can hear some sounds too. I hear screaming and crying and some metallic noises. Swords! My surroundings finally clear. Well, the good news is I'm on the surface. Definitely, not the Underworld. The bad news is it's not the surface world I left. I'm in LA... right in front of the Hyperion Hotel. The entire city is either in ruins or in flames. Somehow, the Hyperion has survived. It's like a beacon in the middle of the city. There's a spooky orange glow coming from the downtown sector. Shielding my eyes, I see a large fount of flames bursting into the sky. It's as if a crack to hell has opened underneath the city. No, not hell, that's molten lava! I think I saw this movie. Well, where's Tommy Lee Jones when you need him?
All of a sudden I hear a familiar voice to my left. Xander! But he's not the Xander I remember. He's much older, his hair is steel gray with white at his temples. He has a trim mustache and is wearing glasses. I gasp as he see that he is missing an eye and one of his forearms. It is replaced with a steel claw, not at all like any prosthetic I have ever seen. It looked a lot like that Glove of Myhnegon. But, that had been destroyed. She sure hoped it was nothing like that. An evil Xander I don't want to see! I may be part demon and all, but Xander was all human... However, he was really good at making dumb decisions. He was brandishing a battle-axe in the still human left hand. (Since when did Xander become left-handed?) This dream was getting more and more confusing. That is the last time I drink demon beer! It's bad enough when I drink too much human beer... this is ridiculous!
She looked up sharply as she hear Xander yelling at someone. "Plunge and move on! Plunge and move on!" Now where have I heard that before? Of course! Giles! He was always saying things like that to Buffy when he was training her back in high school. I turn to my right to see who he was berating. By the Goddess! I nearly fall down in shock. There fighting several Mohra demons was a young woman, about 18 or 20 years of age. She was tall and statuesque with a coppery orange complexion. There were tattoos ringing her neck and wrists. She was wearing a tunic of armor and knee-high armored boots. Her hair was the same color as mine, plaited down her back with leather tie backs. She wore a silver coronet inset with ruby crystals. Her face reminded me of myself in high school; however, her eyes were a cold blue color. Dear Goddess! Those are the Source's eyes! She's my daughter! I watched her dispatch first one demon, then two, then three and... Hell, she would give Buffy a run for...
"AAAAHHHH!" Willow screams as she sits bolt upright. Her head burning and pounding, she leapt from the bed she was sleeping in, lurching forward. She saw a small basin and vomited violently. "I will never drink again. I will never drink again. I will never drink again."
Phoebe
Noooooo! Damn! I'm having a vision! What did I touch? Oh, that's right. I was shaking that man's hand. The one that was worried about whoever this Willow was. Not that he should worry. She's a demon or something. At any rate, she's one of Cole's subjects. I tentatively look at my surroundings. At least this vision doesn't seem too violent. I'm in the Underworld, that's for sure. A small red-haired woman a little younger than me is in the room. Naked. I look down. So am I! The woman reaches out for me and begins to kiss me passionately. Oh, dear God! I curl my hands into her hair and pull her down on top of me. What the hell am I doing? I'm straight! I like men! But, she feels wonderful. She is running her hands tenderly over my swollen abdomen. Swollen? I look down nervously and notice that I seem to have swallowed a watermelon. Damn! I must be near term. I should be on the surface near a medical doctor! I don't want that damn Seer anywhere near me or my darling boy! I start to cry and she holds me telling me that she and Cole will never let anything happen to me. I feel a second pair of hands and turn to see Cole – also naked! - soothing and crooning to me...
The vision fades and a new one takes its place. I'm dressed and so are the woman and Cole. We are in the throne room. I am carrying something. I look down and there is a moving bundle in my arms. It's a boy! A demon boy! And healthy by the look of him. He looks like an infant version of Balthazor and perfect. I don't feel the revulsion I usually feel when looking at a demon. I feel love and joy and pride. I look over and the red-haired woman is heavily pregnant. Six or seven months. She is wearing a coronet with encrusted rubies. I look into a mirror on one wall. I see that I am wearing a long red satin dress – no, judging by the feel it's silk! - I have a tiara on my head, slightly more ornate than the other woman, but encrusted with the same ruby jewels. A priest – a dark priest – comes forward and takes my child. I acquiesce with a noble nod as he takes my boy. He is taken to the altar and the priest raises a dagger over him. My heart clutches and...
AAAAARRRGH! I would like to have seen the end of that! This is worse than when Leo goes channel surfing! Now where am I? I look around cautiously. I know I can't be hurt in these visions, but still... I hear some metallic sounds and head towards them. If someone gets hurt in the future I want to know... I gasp! Two children, a boy and girl, about eight to ten years of age are dueling with large swords. (Well, large for them.) Oh, no! It's my son and the other woman's child, I'm sure of it! The girl has the same red hair, but judging by her size, she'll be taller than her mother when she's full grown. (And a beauty, I'm sure.) The boy looks just like his father. The same ice-blue eyes and dark hair. The same look of confidence in himself. I see him poise for a killer blow, when the girl falls to the floor in a squatting position. She swings a leg out and fells her brother. She jumps on top of him, placing the point of her sword at his neck. NOOOOOOO! I scream, but no sound comes out of my mouth. Then I hear a familiar sound. Cole chuckling. He praises his daughter and lends a hand to help our son to his feet. I listen to him praise not just one, but both of them. They look up at him adoringly. He opens his arms and they run into his embrace. My heart swells with love and pride. What a wonderful father! Then it hits me! The Source would never act this way! I look intently in Cole's eyes and all I see is Cole! I start to cry with gratitude to whatever demon or god did this.
No! No! I want to stay here! I want to stay with my love and my son! However, the vision has other plans. The room shifts again. I am on the surface this time. Where? Hmmm... it almost looks like P3. The décor has changed, but the floor plan seems the same. The room is lit by the emergency lighting only, casting some eerie shadows throughout the place. I look up as the office door opens and out comes a young sandy-haired man. Leo? No, maybe Leo's son. He has a hard glint in his powder blue eyes. He is holding a small cloth bag... The crystals! He removes the crystals that we had used to entrap and destroy the Source – was it only a few months ago? It seems like an eternity. He begins to chant... I don't even recognize the language he is using. Is it white magic? Or dark? It must be white or wicca... If he's Leo's son he could hardly use dark magic, right? I can feel his power – he is much more powerful than his mother or the rest of us. A cold wind begins to whip through the club, blowing chairs and glasses around the room. The wind coalesces and someone appears in the web the crystals have created. The girl! Cole and the other woman's daughter! My heart contracts at how Cole will feel and what he will do when this adored child is killed. But, Leo's son reaches into the web and grabs the girl. He clasps some large bracelets – bands, really – on her wrists. She sneers at him and tries to strike him. The man just laughs – such a hard laugh – and pulls the girl to him. He grabs her hair and clamps his lips down on hers in a bruising kiss. Stop it! I try to cry...
"Stop it! Stop it!" I yell at the top of my lungs. He's going to rape her! I know he is.
"Phoebe! It's okay, snap out of it! You're back!" I hear Cole yelling and shaking me. I look at him dazed. I shake my head and look around at all the astounded faces. I turn to Leo. I walk to him and slap his face as hard as I can. "That's for raising a sexual predator!"
The Seer
My mind clears as the veils of time part for me to step through. I must be prepared for what is to come. The timing is critical. If only those damned Charmed Ones had killed the Source as they were foretold to do! How I hate love! Love is responsible for the greatest crimes and injustices of the world. Love, not hate. Love caused wars and atrocities and all the evils of the world. How ironic that evil cannot love, but love creates more evil than evil can. Would that mean evil creates more love than love ever did? I chuckle to myself as I muse a little longer. I am no philosopher. No, the philosophers were swept aside when the first Source came to power. All except that weak Alchemist. That old fool! He thinks he understands me. How dare he preach to me as if I were still a neophyte in one of his lectures? One of my first acts as the new Source will be to incinerate that old nuisance!
No, not my first. My first will be to destroy those meddling girls. Slowly. They will die slowly and by my own hand. My first step is to get rid of Cole and the Source. If only I could've been the one to get rid of Balthazor! I rub my leg futilely as I think of the young imp that he was. I smile grimly as I remember how I arranged to have his mother killed. One of the best decisions I ever made. That was my first step to greatness. This journey started with a single step and soon I will be at the summit.
The final veil parts and I find myself in the Source's private chamber. I look around. The Source is no where to be seen. Then I hear some sounds – the rather distinctive sounds of sexual intercourse. No! That damn strumpet better not be down here! She and her damn sisters are supposed to vanquish him! Moving forward, I edge forward carefully to get a better view. (Not that I want to watch the Source and his Queen making 'tender love'.) However, I must be sure. I look around futilely for a clue to when this is occurring. However, unlike the Surface World, this is useless. Up there are clocks and calendars and newspapers. I groan as I reflect once again how difficult it is to be a Seer in a world as timeless as the Underworld.
The rhythm of the pair in the bed is increasing. They are very near their climax. Suddenly, I hear a shriek as the Queen reaches her... No! That was NOT the Queen! I move forward quickly to peer at the bed. By the First! It's that half-breed that Tempus sired! She was wrapped around the Source. Her legs ringed his waist, her tail entwining his legs. The Source, too, was inhis demonic form. His large talons were gripping her hips, dark red blood streamed down her legs dampening the sheets. They were breathing heavily as the dark magicks of their intercourse crackling around them. No! This is by far the worst thing that could happen! This is no tender love... this is a true demonic mating. This must be...
My vision blurred as the veils of time surrounded me once more. However, instead of finding myself back in my chambers, the veils became thicker and swirled angrily around me. Time is definitely disturbed by something. Familiar blue-green flames crackled around me. I must be careful. Someone else is peering into this time fragment. It could be the Charmed One. Now that she no longer lives with the Source, her visions will no longer be occluded. I just beg favor from the First that she is just as much a novice at this as I think she is. If I don't stay vigilant, she may be able to see my form as I could see hers. My vision clears. I am in the throne room. I gasp. At the altar, Phoebe is carrying her newborn baby. The Source looks at her... I peer at him intently. No! It's Balthazor – not the Source that I placed in Cole. How is this possible? I must find out how Phoebe manages it. I have to. I cannot let this happen. I turn from Cole's disgusting display of human emotion to the women at his side. For there are two. Across from Phoebe is that miserable half-breed of Tempus' – heavily pregnant. I grasp my head and moan in frustration. It cannot end like this! Especially after all my careful planning.
I close my eyes and concentrate. I try to refocus my vision for an earlier time. I need to find out how we get here so I can stop it. I will not allow a witch and a half-breed to disrupt my carefully laid plans. I will be the Source! Fortunately, I don't believe that Phoebe saw me. I am sure that she saw that future as well. Hmmm. That can work for me. Phoebe will not want to raise a child in the Underworld. She has already left him; she will not come back. I just need to rid myself of Tempus' half-breed and everything will fall in line. It must! The veils of time swirl around me once more. Good. Phoebe is not tapping into this vision. I don't want any unpredictables. The mists part to find me...
AAAAARRRGH! I scream as I feel a blow. I fly across the chamber and crash into a shelf full of totems and icons. They all crash down around me. I shake my head in disbelief. I can't be hurt in a vision! This has never happened before. I look around to see what has happened. I am in my chambers in the Underworld. I look up from where the blow came. I suck in my breath sharply when I see who is there. I skitter to my feet in a panic. I mumble a spell under my breath to destroy Her. Damn! It doesn't work. I throw fire and She jumps over it, landing in front of me. She smiles grimly, as She whisks something out of Her hair. How did She get here? They can't shimmer.. or even teleport. No! No! NOOOOOOOOO!
I gasp as the visions is shattered by my death. I place a hand self-consciously over my chest at the exact location where She had plunged the dagger. I look around. I am back in my chambers in my own time. "I don't understand," I breathe. "What has happened? How did She get down to the Underworld? And what can I do to stop Her coming?"