The People of New York v. Buffy Summers

by: Sam Lincoln (sam@cosmic-hippo.org)

Rating PG-13
Summary: An unusual case crosses the desk of Assistant District Attorney Jack McCoy.

Spoilers: Post series finale for Buffy. Set in the current season of Law and Order, but no real spoilers.

Disclaimer: All characters from Buffy are property of Mutant Enemy. All characters from Law and Order are property of Wolf Films/USA Studios. Used without permission, blah blah.

The People of New York v. Buffy Summers: Chapter Three

-27th Precinct
-Thursday, June 13

Goran and Lenny stared at Buffy through the one-way glass of the interrogation room. "Think she's stewed long enough?" Lenny asked Goran.

"I think so," Goran adjusted the files in his organizer.

"Well this is definitely the high point of my day; getting to see the great Bobby Goran interrogate a murder suspect."

"Oh this one is going to be easy," Goran commented.

"And why is that?"

"Because we don't need the confession," Goran replied before opening the door.

Buffy sat at the table in the middle of the drab room. Her eyes were locked on an untouched cup of coffee sitting on the table. Despite her insistence that she did not need to see a doctor Lenny had stopped at an emergency room and her arm was now bound with a large gauze bandage.

Lenny sat down across from Buffy while Goran chose the seat in between the two. She paid the detectives no attention until Goran slammed his organizer onto the table.

"Oh, is it time to play 'Good Cop, Bad Cop' now?" She asked.

"You really should be more respectful Miss Summers," Goran said as he opened up his organizer. "We're the only ones who can get you out of this jam. Why don't you tell us what happened."

"I saw my friend Willow leaving the club with that guy, so I followed them."

"Why would you do that?" Goran asked.

"Because Willow isn't the sort of person who'd leave a club with a strange man," Buffy replied.

"There's a first time for everything," Lenny pointed out.

Buffy shook her head, "Willow's...not into guys."

"So what you're saying is that she's a lesbian, right?" Goran asked. "It's ok, we're all open minded adults here," he added.

"Yes, she's a lesbian, why does that matter?"

"It helps us build a better picture of what happened," Goran explained.

"Even if she bats for the other team how did you know she was in trouble?" Lenny asked.

"Her body language seemed off," Buffy replied. "Plus she would have told me what she was up to."

"So that's why you stuck a knife in a man's chest?" Goran asked in disbelief.

"No, I just wanted to talk to him, he attacked me first."

"That's curious, because you don't have a mark on you." Goran opened a folder. "I had a hard time getting a copy of your police record, what with your home town being wiped off the face of the earth. You had quite the teenaged years, disorderly conduct, assault, arson, suspected murder, you were even under suspicion for blowing up your high school on graduation day." Goran looked up, "Am I missing anything?"

"I've never been charged with any crime," Buffy shot back. "And besides, you can't use any of that stuff again me now."

"Not directly, but it does tell us that you're a dangerous person with violent tendencies," Lenny said.

"You're in town for the Wicca convention, aren't you?" Goran said.

"What?" Buffy asked, confused by the sudden shift in the conversation.

"The Wicca convention, that's why you're in town," Goran said again.

"Oh...yeah."

"Are you a wiccan?"

"No, but my friend Willow is."

"Strange place to have a convention for Wiccans isn't it? Manhattan I mean. You'd think they'd get together in a place more in tune with nature."

Buffy shrugged, "Willow says New York has a special energy that's unlike anything. Maybe they just like the change of pace, or they want to see shows on Broadway."

"If you're not a Wiccan then why are you here?" Lenny asked.

"Willow's girlfriend couldn't make it and I've never been to New York City. It seemed like a good time to do some shopping. I haven't had much 'me' time lately."

"Do you believe in this Wiccan stuff?" Goran asked.

"Some of it's a little out there," Buffy admitted. "But there's more to it than a bunch of wannabes with henna in their spice racks saying 'Blessed Be.' Anything more than that, I don't know."

"Your parents' divorce, you were what, fifteen?" Goran asked. He leaned forward in his chair to emphasize the question.

"That's none of your business," Buffy snapped.

"And for all intents and purposes your father abandoned you after that, even after your mother died," Goran continued.

"You leave my mother out of this," Buffy growled.

"It must have been hard," Goran said. "having your father abandon you like that, and then being forced to take care of your little sister. You had to drop out of college, didn't you?"

"You have no right..." Buffy began to say.

"I have every right!" Goran roared back, "You brutally killed a man because he looked at your friend the wrong way. You were Daddy's Little Princess and you've been lashing out at the world ever since he left."

Buffy laughed. "You don't know anything."

"Then enlighten us," Lenny said.

"That...thing was going to kill Willow, and was going to keep on killing."

Goran cocked his head to one side. "You knew about the prophecy, didn't you?"

"The what?" Buffy replied stiffly.

"The prophecy, the one that says if you burn the hearts of four women born on a certain day you will awaken a powerful demon."

"That's ridiculous," Buffy said.

"You were the blonde at the Americana," Lenny realized.

"Your friend Willow shares a birth date with Rachel Dietz and Shawna Mills, doesn't she," Goran said. "When you saw her leave the club with Nicholas Carstairs you were afraid that he was the killer. You were so afraid of loosing your friend that you followed them and when you caught up with them something snapped and you killed him, isn't that what happened?" As Goran spoke his voice rose in volume until he was practically shouting.

"You don't get it, that thing was a monster."

"He was also a human being," Lenny said in disgust.

"No he wasn't," Buffy snapped. "Nicholas Carstairs was a demon. I don't know why his blood was red, but he was a demon. Demons are real, and I'm the person who gets to stop them. I'm Buffy the Vampire Slayer. There, that's the big secret. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

"I'd be more happy if you didn't just claim the man you killed had horns and a tail," Lenny quipped.

"Don't believe me, check the body. In twenty-four hours it will dissolve into a puddle of goo."

"And if it doesn't?" Goran asked.

"Then I just made a huge mistake," Buffy replied, her voice showing no emotion.

Lenny and Goran walked out of the interrogation room and found Van Buren and Assistant District Attorney Serena Southerlyn waiting for them. "Looks like we've got a whack-job on our hands," Lenny told the women.

"Does she have a lawyer yet?" Goran asked.

Southerlyn shook her head, "Legal Aid hasn't sent one over. She'll have one at her arraignment though."

Goran nodded, "Think he'll go for mental defect?"

"Wouldn't you?"

Goran stared through the glass, "I don't know, there's something more here. What did her friend have to say?"

Van Buren shrugged, "That she left the club with Carstairs and the next thing she knew Miss Summers was going to town on him. She says he must have spiked her drink because she doesn't remember it that well."

"That would explain how he got the girls to go with him," Lenny concluded.

"Did you let her go?" Goran asked.

Van Buren nodded, "Eames and Green drover her back to her hotel about forty minutes ago."

"And the arraignment is tomorrow?" Goran asked Southerlyn.

"Today to be precise, why do you ask?"

"I was thinking I might head over to the morgue beforehand."

"You believe that fruitcake?" Lenny asked Goran incredulously.

"Let's just say I have my doubts about her story, but I want to be sure," Goran replied.

-Medical Examiners Office
-Thursday, June 13

"Sorry Detective," the ME told Goran, "We don't have the body."

"You don't? Why not?"

"The family claimed it. They said that autopsy is against their religion." The ME shrugged. "Since you guys caught the perp in the act and cause of death was so visibly evident I didn't think an autopsy was necessary. We did keep his clothing and personal effects thought. Why, is something wrong?"

"No it's just the suspect made some claims and I wanted to see if they were substantiated," Goran paused. "There was a lot of blood on the murder weapon, right?"

"The guy was stabbed in the heart, there's more than a little."

"Could you send a few samples off for analysis?" Goran asked.

"Sure thing."

"Thanks, it's probably nothing, but I'd like to be sure."

"The lab's pretty backed up, do you want me to put a rush on it?"

"No, no hurry, I just want to make sure we've got all the blanks filled in when the case goes to trial."

-Superior Court
-Arraignment
-Thursday, June 13

"Docket number 241540, People versus Buffy Summers. Charge is murder in the second degree," The bailiff read from his clipboard before passing it to the judge.

"How do you plead?" The overworked judge asked Buffy and her public defender.

"Brian Schmidt for the defense, and my client pleads not guilty by reason of mental defect your honor," Buffy's lawyer said. "Miss Summer claims the victim was a demon." Buffy didn't say a word. Instead she stood numb, as if the reality of the situation was finally sinking in.

"And what do the people think about this?" The judge asked Southerlyn.

"the people will want our own expert to examine the defendant of course," Southerlyn said. "Also, this crime was particularly violent. If Miss Summers is not in full control of her mental faculties then the people request she be held in the psychiatric ward of Bellevue for observation."

"Agreed, the defendant is remanded to Bellevue Hospital until further notice." The judge banged the gavel, signaling that he was ready for the next case.

"Ms. Southerlyn," Buffy's lawyer called out as Southerlyn left the courtroom. "I want to talk to you for a moment."

"About?"

"About the case, obviously. First of all, why drag this out? That girl is off her rocker and we both know it. Secondly are you really sure you want to press hard on this one? The way I hear it this girl's a hero, stopped a serial killer before he could strike again."

"You know what my boss thinks about vigilantes," Southerlyn replied. "Look, we won't fight the mental defect plea, but we have to have our guy check her out before we can sign off on anything."

Schmidt sighed, "Is that the best I can get?"

"I'm afraid so Mr. Schmidt."

"Fine, have your boy Skoda check her out. It's a waste of time though, that girl is stone crazy."

-Bellevue Psychiatric Hospital
-Friday, June 14

Doctor Emil Skoda sat down across from Buffy in one of the examination rooms in Bellevue. The young woman was wearing a prison jumpsuit and heavy shackles.

Skoda looked down at his folder, "So Buffy, it says here that you claim to be a vampire slayer."

"Do you believe that?" Buffy asked. Skoda noted the indifferent tone of Buffy's voice.

"Do I believe in vampires? That's hardly the point."

"No, that's precisely the point," Buffy growled. "Because vampires and demons are real; it's just a matter of if you're willing to accept that fact. You're the shrink right? You're the one who gets to decide if I'm crazy or not."

"That's a bit of an oversimplification, but basically yes," Skoda admitted.

"Then we have a problem, because I'm not crazy, and vampires, demons and everything else that goes bump in the night are real."

Skoda leaned back in his chair, "And you're the person who gets to fight the forces of darkness like some superhero?"

Buffy shook her head, "Not just me, not anymore..."

"Care to explain that?"

"There are others, but it wasn't always like that, used to be there was just the Chosen One."

"You."

"I was the last in a long line of Slayers, after one Slayer died the next got called."

"And when did you get called?"

"When I was fifteen."

"Fifteen, isn't that kind of young?"

"I didn't make the rules."

"Ok, let's come back to that later. You slay vampires."

"That's right."

"Everything I've ever heard about vampires says that they possess enhanced strength."

"They do, and so do I."

"How strong are you?"

"These shackles aren't really enough to hold me."

Skoda leaned forward in his chair, "Prove it."

"And you don't think that would bring every guard in this place in here?"

"What do you care? You've got super-strength."

"I'm not Superwoman, bullets can kill me just as dead as anyone else."

"But if you are super-strong then why are you here? Why did you let the detectives arrest you?"

"I didn't want to be a fugitive. The detectives got a good look at my face. I figured once they saw the corpse decompose they'd let me go."

"How's that?"

"Krisnakh demons turn into a puddle of ooze a day after they die."

"And the man you killed was a...Krisnakh demon?" Skoda asked, gingerly pronouncing the unusual name.

"Yes he was a demon, why else would I ram a silver dagger into its heart," Buffy snapped. "Do you think I run around ramming daggers into people's hearts at random?"

"You tell me, would that be wrong?"

"Of course it's wrong!" Buffy shouted. "I'm keeping people safe from demons like the one in that alley. Do you know what he was planning, why he was cutting out those hearts?"

"He was a random whack job who got his jollies from cutting up young girls."

"He needed those hearts for a ritual to summon a greater demon. If I hadn't stopped him this city would be bathed in fire by now."

"So we should be throwing you a parade?"

"I don't need a parade. I just want to walk out of here and get back to doing what I do best."

"Slaying vampires?" Skoda challenged.

"Saving people," Buffy insisted. She met Skoda's gaze and held it. "So now what, you go back to that lawyer and tell her I'm a paranoid delusional who's suffered a complete break from reality?"

"That's a pretty specific diagnosis, have you ever spoken to a psychologist before?"

"No...not exactly. Well there was a guidance counselor in high school, but I don't think he counts."

"Alright, now let's talk about your family."

"You don't get it, do you?" Buffy shouted. "None of this matters. I'm not crazy, demons do exist. All that matters is your ability to accept that fact."

"I need proof, without that I can't do anything."

"You want proof, fine!" Buffy jumped out of her seat and slammed her fists down on the metal table between them. Prison guards immediately poured into the room. One of the guards jabbed a needle into Buffy's arm and she fell into the guards' waiting arms.

"I've never seen anything like it," Skoda told Executive Assistant District Attorney Jack McCoy and ADA Southerlyn over lunch that afternoon. "I've seen delusionals cling to their worlds, but this kid takes the cake."

"So she isn't competent?" McCoy asked.

"According to her Nicholas Carstairs was a demon trying to bring out the apocalypse. She knows the difference between right and wrong, but to her slaying demons and vampires isn't wrong. Her fantasy world and the real world are so intertwined in her mind that she's highly functional and highly dangerous."

"Because she gets to say who's a vampire and who isn't, that's convenient."

"On the surface I'd say this kid is nuttier than a box of mixed nuts and needs to be locked away."

"But you don't think so?" Southerlyn asked.

"She's the most rational delusional I've ever met. She admitted that I wouldn't believe her."

"Of course not, it's an absurd claim," McCoy snapped.

"Did I say it wasn't? But the thing about people who believe something as deeply as she does is that they're either right, or completely insane. I can tell you this; before the guards pulled her out of the room that little slip of a girl bent a metal table in two with one punch." Skoda stood up. "Thanks for the grub."

"You're saying you believe her?" McCoy asked indignantly.

Skoda shook her head, "No, but I'm still going to buy a cross and holy water just to be safe. Don't worry Jack, I'll say she's crazy in the courtroom, but better safe than sorry, right?" Skoda nodded before walking out of the restaurant.

-to be continued-