Disclaimer: Let's see. Broke. Still working for a living. Not famous. Name not Joss Whedon. So that must mean that I don't own any of the characters that people recognise. More's the pity. Ahh well.
Spoilers: This was written about half way through season one ATS, so anything prior to that.
Authors Note: No malice is intended towards those that are mentally and physically disabled. I'd been watching 12 Monkeys and Patch Adams when this idea came to me. I know that these illnesses are debilitating and serious. Okay, now that I've got that understood (I hope) please R&R.
Rating: Mostly PG, some may be NC17 for violent content. I'll give a warning at the beginning of those chapters
Chapter 1
There was something familiar about the woman standing talking Miss Bronson. Someone from before, perhaps? His head felt like alarm bells were going off inside. Like there'd been some sort of explosion, or maybe a fire. He didn't like fire. Hated it in fact. He could feel himself frowning and stopped. They all said he frowned too much. Cave-man. The others had nick-named him cave-man. He frowned again. He didn't like that name. He looked up at the pretty woman. She was still talking to Miss Bronson. Miss Bronson was nice. She always smiled at him. She was nodding at the pretty woman and smiling. The pretty woman leaned down and drew on some paper. Visitors always got to draw on paper. And they got a pretty badge to put on their chest. He wanted one of those badges. They had pretty colours on them, and they opened lots of doors he couldn't open by himself.
"Hey, cave-man!" David yelled from the other side of the desk. He looked back and noticed it was his turn. He pulled a card from his hand and slapped it on the table, on top of David's. Nick went next. Richard's turn came up and it was a match.
"Snap!" He cried, slapping his hand down on the desk, before the others. He put the pile of cards with his other collection and smiled widely at the others.
"Not fair!" Richard cried. "You cheated!" Richard stood up and leant over the table, but suddenly Mr D was there, holding his shoulder.
"Richard, you know he didn't cheat. But I think we've had enough of cards for this afternoon. Besides, John has a visitor." He looked up, surprised. No one had ever visited him. Except for Dr Julian. Dr Julian used to visit him every week. On a Monday. They used to play lots of fun games. With pretty pictures and blocks.
"John, you have a visitor. Go over and sit on the visitor's chair, and we'll bring her to you." John stood up quickly. This was something new, and he liked new things. He quickly walked over to the visitors chair, which was next to a big desk. Then he saw the pretty woman walking slowly towards him. He watched her get closer. She was very small. Smaller than Miss Betty, even. She had pretty blonde hair. Like the girl on the program Miss Betty watched. He couldn't remember the name right now, but it had lots of pretty women on it, and big men with funny names like Leaf and River. The pretty woman put a hand to her mouth like she was going to sneeze, and her eyes went all sparkly. He reached for a tissue. He knew pretty women always used tissues when they sneezed. He handed it to her and she looked at it then took it off him, slowly.
"So you don't get all icky when you sneeze." He told her when she just stared at it.
"Oh. Thank you." She sat down in front of him and just stared at him. It was very quiet. He shifted. This visiting stuff wasn't as interesting as he'd thought.
"You're pretty." He finally said to her. She smiled, but she didn't look happy. He wondered why. "Why aren't you happy?" He asked her.
"Oh, but I am. I ......" She bowed her head for a minute. Then looked back up at him. She had tears in her eyes!
"Why are you crying?" He asked, getting worried now. She wasn't a very happy pretty woman.
"Because I found you. Finally."
"Found me? But I was here, all the time!" He'd never gotten lost. He was proud of that.
"I know. I didn't before."
"Oh. Did you get lost, pretty woman?" He asked her. Maybe she needed some help?
"I think I may have. What is your name?" She asked him.
"My name is John. John Doe." He said proudly. He had two names. He was special.
"John. My name is Buffy." The pretty woman, Buffy, held out her hand to him. He looked at it, then remembered from Miss Betty's favourite show what that man Leaf did with the other pretty woman's hand. He grabbed hold of it and kissed the back of it. He looked up at Buffy and smiled.
"Oh. Thank you John." Mr D came up and cleared his throat, and Buffy looked up at him and nodded. "John, I have to leave now, but would you mind if I came back and visited, with some friends?"
"What do you mean?"
"Can I bring some other people to visit you?" She asked again.
"Me? Visit me? Ahh....okay. That'd be cool!" He stood up, ready to meet her friends. "When? Now?" He looked around for them.
"No, John. Not now. Tomorrow. I have to go now." Buffy stepped up close to him and stared at him for a while, then leant forward and kissed his cheek.
"Ouch!" He cried out. That had hurt.
"What's the matter John?" Mr D asked.
"That hurt!" He rubbed his head.
"What, your cheek?" Mr D didn't sound like he believed him.
"No, in here." He pointed at his hurt. "It hurt in here!" He continued rubbing at his head. The pain was going away now. So was Pretty Woman.
"Wait!" He cried out. Pretty Woman turned back, tears falling on her cheeks. But she looked happier now.
"When tomorrow?" He asked her, running up to her.
"Just after lunch. Before you go out for your walk." Mr D said from behind him. "At 12.30." John nodded, happy. He'd learnt to tell the time last week. So now he could tell when Pretty Woman would come back.
"Okay. See you tomorrow, Pretty Woman!" She said something in return, but he'd gone back to watch Miss Betty's favourite show.
"See you tomorrow, Angel." She whispered, then walked out the door. Down the corridor, into the lift and finally into the lobby of the hospital. She walked mindlessly through into the waiting room to collapse in tears in Giles' arms. She sobbed on his shoulder for an extended period, lacing the tears with the odd punch to his shoulder. Finally, after he'd lost all feeling in his left arm, he stood back.
"It was him, then?" He asked her, wiping her eyes with his handkerchief. She nodded, unable to speak. "How...." She shook her head.
"He's a child, Giles!" She said thickly. "He called me Pretty Woman. He doesn't remember me. He was playing snap when I came in! Then went and watched Days as I left! I.....I asked if I could bring some friends tomorrow, and they okayed it. We get longer than today, though. Can you and...?"
"Of course we can!" Giles reassured her. He looked to Willow, who was nodding her head. She had tears of sympathy in her eyes, looking on as the newly instated Watcher comforted the Slayer.
"I told him we'd be back at 12.30 tomorrow. I need to go and lie down." She said weakly. Willow walked out in front of them, getting to the car and starting it up for them.
So? What do you think? Do you want more?
Please, give me feed back
Spoilers: This was written about half way through season one ATS, so anything prior to that.
Authors Note: No malice is intended towards those that are mentally and physically disabled. I'd been watching 12 Monkeys and Patch Adams when this idea came to me. I know that these illnesses are debilitating and serious. Okay, now that I've got that understood (I hope) please R&R.
Rating: Mostly PG, some may be NC17 for violent content. I'll give a warning at the beginning of those chapters
Chapter 1
There was something familiar about the woman standing talking Miss Bronson. Someone from before, perhaps? His head felt like alarm bells were going off inside. Like there'd been some sort of explosion, or maybe a fire. He didn't like fire. Hated it in fact. He could feel himself frowning and stopped. They all said he frowned too much. Cave-man. The others had nick-named him cave-man. He frowned again. He didn't like that name. He looked up at the pretty woman. She was still talking to Miss Bronson. Miss Bronson was nice. She always smiled at him. She was nodding at the pretty woman and smiling. The pretty woman leaned down and drew on some paper. Visitors always got to draw on paper. And they got a pretty badge to put on their chest. He wanted one of those badges. They had pretty colours on them, and they opened lots of doors he couldn't open by himself.
"Hey, cave-man!" David yelled from the other side of the desk. He looked back and noticed it was his turn. He pulled a card from his hand and slapped it on the table, on top of David's. Nick went next. Richard's turn came up and it was a match.
"Snap!" He cried, slapping his hand down on the desk, before the others. He put the pile of cards with his other collection and smiled widely at the others.
"Not fair!" Richard cried. "You cheated!" Richard stood up and leant over the table, but suddenly Mr D was there, holding his shoulder.
"Richard, you know he didn't cheat. But I think we've had enough of cards for this afternoon. Besides, John has a visitor." He looked up, surprised. No one had ever visited him. Except for Dr Julian. Dr Julian used to visit him every week. On a Monday. They used to play lots of fun games. With pretty pictures and blocks.
"John, you have a visitor. Go over and sit on the visitor's chair, and we'll bring her to you." John stood up quickly. This was something new, and he liked new things. He quickly walked over to the visitors chair, which was next to a big desk. Then he saw the pretty woman walking slowly towards him. He watched her get closer. She was very small. Smaller than Miss Betty, even. She had pretty blonde hair. Like the girl on the program Miss Betty watched. He couldn't remember the name right now, but it had lots of pretty women on it, and big men with funny names like Leaf and River. The pretty woman put a hand to her mouth like she was going to sneeze, and her eyes went all sparkly. He reached for a tissue. He knew pretty women always used tissues when they sneezed. He handed it to her and she looked at it then took it off him, slowly.
"So you don't get all icky when you sneeze." He told her when she just stared at it.
"Oh. Thank you." She sat down in front of him and just stared at him. It was very quiet. He shifted. This visiting stuff wasn't as interesting as he'd thought.
"You're pretty." He finally said to her. She smiled, but she didn't look happy. He wondered why. "Why aren't you happy?" He asked her.
"Oh, but I am. I ......" She bowed her head for a minute. Then looked back up at him. She had tears in her eyes!
"Why are you crying?" He asked, getting worried now. She wasn't a very happy pretty woman.
"Because I found you. Finally."
"Found me? But I was here, all the time!" He'd never gotten lost. He was proud of that.
"I know. I didn't before."
"Oh. Did you get lost, pretty woman?" He asked her. Maybe she needed some help?
"I think I may have. What is your name?" She asked him.
"My name is John. John Doe." He said proudly. He had two names. He was special.
"John. My name is Buffy." The pretty woman, Buffy, held out her hand to him. He looked at it, then remembered from Miss Betty's favourite show what that man Leaf did with the other pretty woman's hand. He grabbed hold of it and kissed the back of it. He looked up at Buffy and smiled.
"Oh. Thank you John." Mr D came up and cleared his throat, and Buffy looked up at him and nodded. "John, I have to leave now, but would you mind if I came back and visited, with some friends?"
"What do you mean?"
"Can I bring some other people to visit you?" She asked again.
"Me? Visit me? Ahh....okay. That'd be cool!" He stood up, ready to meet her friends. "When? Now?" He looked around for them.
"No, John. Not now. Tomorrow. I have to go now." Buffy stepped up close to him and stared at him for a while, then leant forward and kissed his cheek.
"Ouch!" He cried out. That had hurt.
"What's the matter John?" Mr D asked.
"That hurt!" He rubbed his head.
"What, your cheek?" Mr D didn't sound like he believed him.
"No, in here." He pointed at his hurt. "It hurt in here!" He continued rubbing at his head. The pain was going away now. So was Pretty Woman.
"Wait!" He cried out. Pretty Woman turned back, tears falling on her cheeks. But she looked happier now.
"When tomorrow?" He asked her, running up to her.
"Just after lunch. Before you go out for your walk." Mr D said from behind him. "At 12.30." John nodded, happy. He'd learnt to tell the time last week. So now he could tell when Pretty Woman would come back.
"Okay. See you tomorrow, Pretty Woman!" She said something in return, but he'd gone back to watch Miss Betty's favourite show.
"See you tomorrow, Angel." She whispered, then walked out the door. Down the corridor, into the lift and finally into the lobby of the hospital. She walked mindlessly through into the waiting room to collapse in tears in Giles' arms. She sobbed on his shoulder for an extended period, lacing the tears with the odd punch to his shoulder. Finally, after he'd lost all feeling in his left arm, he stood back.
"It was him, then?" He asked her, wiping her eyes with his handkerchief. She nodded, unable to speak. "How...." She shook her head.
"He's a child, Giles!" She said thickly. "He called me Pretty Woman. He doesn't remember me. He was playing snap when I came in! Then went and watched Days as I left! I.....I asked if I could bring some friends tomorrow, and they okayed it. We get longer than today, though. Can you and...?"
"Of course we can!" Giles reassured her. He looked to Willow, who was nodding her head. She had tears of sympathy in her eyes, looking on as the newly instated Watcher comforted the Slayer.
"I told him we'd be back at 12.30 tomorrow. I need to go and lie down." She said weakly. Willow walked out in front of them, getting to the car and starting it up for them.
So? What do you think? Do you want more?
Please, give me feed back
