Rainbow Over Sunnydale Chapter 8
Disclaimer: Red Storm and Tom Clancy own Rainbow and Characters. Joss Whedon owns Buffy and Characters. Anyone else belongs to me. I make no profit of the following except to have a little fun.
Spoilers: Buffy to present. Rainbow to Bear and the Dragon.
Authors note: I am adjusting the Buffy time line slightly, moving things back about a month.
Thanks to all that reviewed. Constructive criticisms always welcomed. Flames cheerfully ignored.
Response to reviewers:
I would once again like to thanks all that have reviewed.
Fastpilot: She hasn't totally dealt with it yet. And don't worry about Faith, I am a sucker for a redemption story.
Linsey: I am glad that you are starting to like Riley, he will be around for awhile. I personally always felt that Whedon had done him a little dirty by making him Angel's replacement.
UNTALENTEDTKK: Ryan bought it to easy? Well take your pick, A) The situation was such that if true he needed to get things moving, if it turned out to be a false alarm he could just recall everyone, or B) Ryan's briefing had already gone on 2 ½ to 3 times as long as I had originally planned and I thought people would want to get back to Sunnydale.
Majin Gojira: Thank You.
Marcus Rowland: Thanks for the idea for the Anya/John Kelly story line.
Fic starts here*******
John Clark tried to bring the cross up between him and the vampire. Hell it worked in the horror movies. He underestimated the speed of the vampire though, so his fist plowed into the vamps upper lip. The vamp was already starting to recoil from the cross so when the cross itself slammed into it's forehead and started burning, the vampire reared back. Ding was there then and threw an arm around the vampire's throat and rammed a knee into the small of it's back. Ding could feel the strength of the thing and realized that he could only hold it for a short time. He punched into the vamps back, hard and fast, with the stake, praying he remembered were the heart was.
He did.
The vampire exploded into dust. This robbed Ding of the support keeping him up, and he started to fall backward. He compounded the problem when he sucked in a deep breath, and got a lung full of vampire. Coughing uncontrollably he slammed into the ground. Fortunately he missed the tombstone behind him and just landed on grass. He rolled over still hacking, trying to get the dust out of his nose and throat.
Mr. Clark dropped the cross and grabbed his bleeding hand. He saw Ding on the ground and started toward him. Buffy got there first and started slapping him hard on the back, to help him clear his airway.
"N..n…nnot so hard John," Ding gasped.
"Sorry," Buffy replied.
Ding glanced sideways and saw Buffy's smiling face a couple of inches from him, tears still on her cheeks.
"That was well done." She told him.
"Thanks. My first" He hacked.
"Really? You must be a natural." She said.
"You're just saying that so I don't feel like a total loser right?" Ding wheezed.
"No, I'm serious. You should of seen my first. I tripped and fell on him." Buffy reassured him.
Buffy turned and looked at Riley and Mr. Clark. Riley was shining a flashlight on John Clark's right hand. Buffy could see the blood from where she was. "Are you alright? I want to check on your bosses hand." She asked Ding.
Ding shot a look at Clark, and when he saw the blood started to struggle to his feet. "I'll take that as a yes." Buffy said, watching Ding head over to Clark.
"Do I have anything to worry about?" Clark questioned Riley, real concern in his voice.
"No, you don't," Buffy answered for Finn. "In order for you to turn, the vamp has to suck your blood, then you have to suck his. It's a whole big suckey thing." Buffy, after considering for a couple of seconds went on, " I wouldn't do that to a werewolf though."
John Clark's face visibly relaxed. "I'll remember that," He told her. He looked her over again. She had taken down four of those things at once? Mr. Clark decided that there was something to this superhero stuff.
"Come on I have a first-aid kit at the house, this needs to be seen to. Just because you won't get vampirism from it, a vampire's mouth isn't the cleanest thing on Earth either." Buffy said.
"Ah, Buffy you were telling me about Andrew before I noticed Tara's tombstone." Riley asked gently.
"Tara?" John Clark asked. "That would be Tara McClay?"
"Yes," Buffy said softly. "She was killed last May."
"You have my condolences," John told her.
"I'm sorry," Ding said an instant later.
"Thanks," Buffy replied. She explained about the Nerd Herd so John and Ding would have some idea what she was talking about, she didn't go into much detail though.
"Andrew and Jonathan were caught at the amusement park. Jonathan gave himself up, Andrew knocked himself out when he tried to fly off with his rocket-pack." Buffy explained as they began walking back toward Riley's SUV.
"Rocket pack?!" Ding exclaimed. "You mean like James Bond?"
"Yeah, but James Bond usually checks to make sure that there isn't a roof over his head. Cuts down on the cool factor a lot when you bounce off and knock yourself out." Buffy replied, not sharing Ding's excitement.
"Okay," Riley stepped into the breach, "How does he end up in your living room."
"When Tara was killed, Willow lost it," Buffy said, staring at the ground three feet in front of her feet, and returning to the monotone that she had started to tell the story in at the tombstone.
"After she dealt with Warren, she went after Andrew and Jonathan"
John Clark had a good idea how Warren was 'dealt' with; well he wasn't one to throw stones, now was he.
"We couldn't let her do it. So we broke them out of jail. Well….. Technically I guess that Willow broke the jail, we just made sure that the dubious duo didn't get fried."
"God," Riley said, "You didn't have to …..,"
"No!" Buffy was quick to reassure him. "It got tight for awhile, but Xander was able to talk her down. She went with Giles over the summer. She came home about a month ago. She's been good since she's been back." They arrived at the SUV Buffy helped Mr. Clark into the front seat of the suburban, and then she climbed into the back seat with Ding.
"I can put you up tonight at my house." Buffy explained. "It will be a little cramped with Anya sleeping over, but we have plenty of floor space."
"Anya? Why is she staying at your house? Did she and Xander have a fight?" Riley wanted to know.
"Kind of," Buffy said evasively.
"Give!" Riley ordered.
"Xander left Anya at the alter." Buffy said quietly. "A former victim of Anya's showed up and pretended to be a future Xander, when he heard what life after the wedding would be like he spooked."
"What did Anya do?" Riley wondered.
"Er… went back to her old job," Buffy supplied. Seeing Riley's shocked reaction she quickly went on, "But she quit again last week. So her old boss is kind of ticked with her, so she's staying over for protection."
"I appreciate the offer of floor space Ms. Summers," Clark began, getting annoyed at being talked around, "But we can just get a room at a local motel. In the morning we will be able to get quarters at the local army base."
"Bad idea, Mr. Clark," Buffy said. "You don't know what's been invited into a motel room, or the visitor quarters on the base. If you insist on moving into a rented room at least have Willow do a revocation."
"Willow is doing magic again?" Riley wanted to know, and from the tone in his voice, he did not consider it a good idea.
"She doesn't have a lot of choice," Buffy said, "When she lost it last year she sucked in so much magic it's a part of her now."
Riley didn't say anything to that; he simply started the SUV and put it into gear. He pulled out into the street and headed for Buffy's house on Revello Drive.
"So how did this Andrew end up in your house?" Ding asked.
"Willow went down to the Butcher shop to get some blood for a friend. While she was there she bumped into Andrew, buying blood for a ritual. She sort of grabbed him and brought him back to the house."
Clark groaned, "Let me get this straight. You are not only harboring a federal fugitive, but you kidnapped him to boot?"
"Why was she buying blood for a friend?" Ding found that much more interesting.
Buffy ignored Ding; "We needed to know why he was back in town. A lot of weird things had been going on, we were expecting a new big bad to showing up, and all we had to go on was the expression, 'From beneath you it devours.' I had been having slayer dreams of young girls all over the world being killed by guy's in robes. When Willow found Andrew she thought that it was interesting that he was back, so she grabbed him. She got him home and we questioned him. We found out that he and Jonathan had come up from Mexico, with the idea to close The Hellmouth. Well that was Jonathan's idea anyway, apparently the First had gotten to Andrew and tricked him into killing Jonathan trying to open a portal under the high school." Buffy explained, not sounding too contrite.
"Jonathan Levenson is dead too?" Riley wanted to know.
"Jonathan Levenson," Ding said, "Why is that name familiar?" Ding wondered.
"You don't want to go there Ding," Riley told him, "Trust me on this one."
Ding had a momentary mental picture of an autographed picture, and a calendar of a stocky guy on the wall of his cubical, and decided that Riley might have a point.
"Andrew said he stabbed him. But the body wasn't there when we went back to bury the disk again," Buffy continued.
"You can maneuver under the school then?" Mr. Clark asked Buffy.
"Sure, it's like a maze but I am starting to learn it."
"Okay, tomorrow would it be possible for you to show Ding around so he can start planning to set up defenses for the Hellmouth itself?"
"Sure. I have to tell you though, Principle Wood will be real upset if you booby trap his office."
"Principle Wood?" Clark asked turning around so he could look at Buffy, "We were told that you had destroyed the building, we saw the photo's!"
"It was, we did, they rebuilt it." Buffy returned.
"What?!?!?!?!?" All three of the other people in the car exclaimed.
"I don't understand," Ding said, "How could you let them do that?"
Buffy shrugged, "I'm not on the school board. On the plus side I work at the school now so I can get in anytime I need to."
"What are you doing?" Riley asked.
"Student Councilor," Buffy replied, some pride in her voice.
Riley almost snorted; he managed to turn it into a very convincing cough. Ignoring Buffy's glare in the rear-view mirror, he turned onto Revello Drive and pulled up in front of Buffy's house at 1630.
Everyone jumped out of the suburban and started up toward the house. Riley, John, and Ding saw that the front window of the house was gone. Someone had nailed up plywood over it. As they started up the steps, a voice over by the window suddenly said, "Hey Buffy,"
The three men jerked and turned toward the sound. Hands dived under coats and grabbed gun buts. Buffy reached out and grabbed Ding's hand to prevent him from drawing, and said, "Hi Xander."
A dark haired young man stepped out of the shadows. He was wearing a tool belt and holding a battleaxe. Seeing who was with Buffy, and not perceiving a threat from the others, he rested the axe back on his shoulder and stepped further out into the light. "Nice to see you Riley," He said. "Your timing is great, we can really use the help."
"Xander," Riley said, rather coldly. Indicating the two other people with them, "This is General John Clark, and Major Domingo Chevez. Gentlemen, this is Alexander Harris."
"Mr. Harris," John said to him formally, Ding just nodded to him.
"I see my fame has proceeded me," Xander said somewhat bitterly. "Buffy, I got the window fixed, it should hold till the morning. I think that I can get some more glass cheap."
"Thanks Xander," Buffy said, "Come in we have more problems."
So saying she went up the steps and entered the house. "I'm home!" She called out. "We have guests!"
Dawn charged out of dinning room and squealed, "Riley!" Ignoring the other people as she threw her arms around Riley and gave him a big hug.
"Hi Dawnie," Riley said, obviously pleased to see the girl.
"Who are they?" she asked looking at the two strangers.
"They are here to help," Riley said, "This is General Clark, and Major Chavez."
"Hello," Dawn said to the two men, then looking around and realizing that Samantha wasn't here she exclaimed, "Where's Sam? Nothings happened to her has it?"
"No Dawn, Sam is fine, she is just getting the rest of our team. I'm afraid that we have some real problems coming," Riley reassured the teenager.
"Come on," Buffy said impatiently, "The others are in the dining room."
At this point the Anya poked her head out from around the corner to see what the excitement was. "Hello Anya, " Riley said. "How are you doing? I'm sorry to hear about the wedding," he said, somewhat awkwardly.
"To late to help me out with a wish," Anya replied, "Glad to see you, I hope that you won't run off this time though."
Riley flinched at the mention of when he rejoined The Initiative and left Buffy.
Willow came in then and said, "Hey Riley, how have you been?"
"Willow, I'm sorry for your loss. I'll miss Tara," He said kindly.
Willow misted up, "Thanks Riley, she would have appreciated that."
"Who are your fiends?" She asked.
"They're General John Clark, and Major 'Just-Call-Me-Ding Chavez," Buffy supplied. "They work for a group called Rainbow."
"You work for Rainbow?" Willow asked, very excited, "It must be great working with Jesse Jackson, and everyone. It must be very rewarding working toward affirmative actio….," Willow wound down as she saw the expressions on Ding and Mr. Clark's faces, "And I am guessing that you work for a different Rainbow," She finished quietly.
"Yes we do," Clark supplied. "We are a multinational, anti-terrorist unit. No affiliation with the other one."
"Oh," Willow said in a small voice, "Sorry."
Xander had come in behind everyone else and quietly had closed the door. He watched the by-play between his friends and the new comers. What drew his attention though was Anya, his former fiancée; she was staring at the new comers with a look of awe on her face. The last time that he could remember that look on her face was when she had counted the till from last years Halloween sale. Suddenly she raised her finger and pointed it directly at Mr. Clark, "You're John Kelly!" She exclaimed.
John Clark visibly started, "Who?" Looking at the former vengeance demon and trying to figure out how she knew his real name.
"I can't believe that after all this time we finally get to meet!" Anya gushed, then turning to Willow she said, "Willow, you and John Kelly have a lot in common! You both hunted down and slaughtered the killer of your lover!"