Injection of Reality
"What the hell just happened?" Xander shook his hands at the floor. "Where did they go?"
Tara looked from the empty bowl to the television still playing out a scene showing the bridge of the Enterprise. "Always unpredictable." She whispered under her breath and looked at Xander.
"What is? Tara, where are they?" He walked over to her and tried to find the answer in her eyes.
She leaned down and picked up the bowl and the paper lying beside it, then stood up slowly and looked back at her confused friend. "W-whatever you imagine the u-universe of Star Trek is like."
A nervous smile took over the brunette's face. "Wha-What?" A light chuckle mixed with his words.
His face fell when she didn't join in the laughter.
She shook her head at the floor. "I t-told her. Tried to w-warn Willow, these magics were too powerful."
Xander put his hands up as if to shield himself from her words. "Please tell me you're not saying what you're saying. Because we did not just send out friends to the inescapable dimension all made up for Glory."
Tara shook her head more severely this time. "N-no. Actually, D-Dawn sent them to a dimension built from your knowledge of Star Trek." She glimpsed back at the television. She wondered just how much he did know about the show. "Which one is this again?"
Xander, caught off guard looked at the screen "The Mind's Eye, season four. One of the more interesting ones because there is involvement between the Romulans and the Klingons. Generally considered enem-," He stopped himself. "Wait. What does this have to do with anything?"
Tara looked around the room and noted the position of both the phaser replica and the stack of books on Trekkie facts. Right where Xander had been sitting. She looked up at him. "Exactly how much do you know about all this stuff?"
"I dunno. A little. I mean, I don't actually own a Klingon costume, but I," He muffled the last few words with his hand., "gnoegingog."
Tara reached up and pulled his arm down. "You what?"
Xander began to redden. "I know Klingon.. alright?" He spun around and paced to the door then turned back. "I don't get why all this matters. Shouldn't we be figuring out how to .. oh I dunno, save our friends?"
Tara looked back at him. For the first time since she'd entered the group, the shy witch was being asked to solve the problem. What would Willow do? "Well, first, I think we should call Mr. Giles. He'll want to know." She looked behind her and walked into the kitchen. "These are the books we used for the spell."
Xander came through the door of the kitchen and picked up the phone only to have Tara walk past back to the living room.
As he dialed, he watched Tara pick up the picture frames and tiny statues that had been knocked to the floor. "Not that Buffy won't appreciate you wanting to tidy up, but shouldn't the spell be top prio-Hey, Giles! I have some bad news."
He watched Tara pick up a frame, then move a bit of glass before pulling out the stack of books filled with facts on characters, ships and the history of Star Trek.
"Well, see there was a spell." He continued. "No. No one tried to bring back Joyce." There was another pause and Tara walked into the kitchen and began going through the books. "No, Glory wasn't involved. That's. sort of the problem."
Xander listened a moment longer. "Ok, ok. Willow was trying to work out a spell with Tara and Spike-" Tara looked up when Xander became quiet.
"I know. That's what I said. But they invited him in anyway, and apparently Dawn did the spell." Xander shook his head. "No. It was Dawn, and now they're all just. gone." Xander held the phone away from his ear as Giles voice echoed loudly in the small kitchen.
Tara stared at the receiver with surprise. She hadn't really seen Giles very angry, and this was her first introduction to 'Ripper' in any shape or form.
"Buffy, Willow, Dawn and Spike. They all just. well, vanished." Xander explained again.
Xander nodded. "Alright." And he hung up.
"He's on his way." The worried brunette joined the witch and picked up one of the books. "So what are we looking for?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The thick fog of deep slumber slowly pulled away. Her limbs still felt heavy, and her body seemed to fight her each time she tried to rouse, but soon her stubbornness won over exhaustion and Buffy opened her lids only to see stars. "What the?" She blinked a few times and soon saw it was a domed ceiling that had a skylight at its center. Still unfamiliar, but solid.
She pushed herself up onto her elbows to see where she was, and what had happened. All of the sudden she knew, something was very wrong. All around her was a brightly lit room, larger than any in her house and much rounder. The walls were a cream color and beside her, a large screen took up most of what she assumed was the front of the room. A red flashing on a black panel in the far side of the area caught her eyes. Then the sound seemed to catch up. "Intruder Alert."
"What?" The images and faces around seemed somewhat familiar, but at the moment, she couldn't figure out why. "Where am I?" She shot up onto her feet, ignoring her still sleeping limbs when one of the figures came closer to her. He pointed some kind of weapon towards her.
He was a dark hulking creature wearing a gold and black uniform, ridged like a vampire but more so and she noticed, a bit smelly like a minion. He was saying something, yelling it seemed. The only problem was. she didn't understand a word.
"Oh, bleedin' hell!" Buffy turned and looked at the ground behind her. Her sister and Willow were still lying on the floor, but the vampire that seemed to plague her life, was awake and moving.
Spike sat up with one hand on his temple and the other he used to brace himself as he sat upright. His grumbling stopped when he scanned his surroundings. "Well this is different." He said sarcastically.
Buffy looked back at her captors, and raised her fists, now in fighting stance.
She studied the ones who seemed to be the leaders here The balding man wearing a red and black uniform, the red headed woman wearing blue and black, the same uniform, but with what looked like blue lab-coat as well walked towards her.
Others sat behind odd looking desks a few feet from her, and still more people stood behind the central area separated by a railing beside the ramp that led up to what looked like more posts. They seemed to be using the black panels that blinked on the back wall, taping on them sporadically.
The large vampiric looking man, still pointed something at her, and stepped forward then spoke again, but Buffy still didn't catch any of his words. She noted he was not attacking, but still kept her eye on his movements.
"What?" She finally managed to ask.
Then the bald man took a few tentative steps forward and spoke. "Identifiez- vous."
Buffy gave him a skeptical look. "Well that was French, but it's been awhile, and I wasn't that good before." She'd barely finished her sentence when all of the sudden a familiar voice sounded off unexpectedly.
"Mon nom est William. C'est Buffy et c'est sa petite soeur et son ami." Spike seemed to let the words roll of his tongue as he identified himself along with the ladies.
The balding man looked at the ground behind her. There lay Willow and Dawn still unconscious.
Seeing that the man showed interest, Buffy leaned down to make sure they were alright. "They're both breathing, just knocked out." Buffy looked back at the uniformed people again, then to her sister. She gently pushed a stray hair from her sleeping sister's face then addressed Spike. "Ask them where we are."
"Qui êtes-vous ? Comment avez-vous obtenu ici ?" The bald man spoke to Spike again.
"Fraid I'm getting a lot of questions here. Haven't got answer to a one of them, 'cept who we are."
The red headed woman standing beside the man in the red uniform had followed all points of the conversation, when something struck her. "Excuse me, Buffy was it?"
Buffy nodded, happy that at least one person spoke plain English.
"So you do understand me?" The red head asked.
"Well, yeah." She shrugged. "I'm sorry, are we in some automatic translation dimension, cuz that's a new one." She spun on Spike, " and since when do you speak French?"
He shrugged. "About 1874. Wasn't really fluent until about 1882 though." He waggled an eyebrow at her. "Impressed many a female once upon a time."
"Did you say 1882?" The red head questioned.
"I do believe he did, Doctor." The bald man said in English.
Buffy glared at Spike, then the bald man. "Well why didn't you just speak English from the beginning?"
The woman in the lab-coat kept glancing at Buffy's sister and friend on the ground. "I'm a doctor." She explained to the blonde woman. "I'd like to make sure your friends are ok."
Buffy lowered her fists and took a step back. Unsure of herself, but noting that no one, not even the large creature still pointing a small metallic box at her, had made any moves without speaking first. She decided to believe the gentle looking woman.
The woman pulled an instrument from the pocket of her blue lab-coat and went to the fallen slayerettes. A beeping sound emanated from what looked like a plastic toy with blinking lights to Buffy. The red head studied her instrument then turned. "Captain, they are both suffering from extreme exhaustion. I'd like to take them to sickbay."
"Captain?" Buffy scanned the man once again as she began to put the pieces together. Xander's Trekkie marathon, the props, the spell.
She paled. "Oh God."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I'm not seeing the word reversal anywhere, Tara." Xander turned the pages and skimmed them expertly. After years of research he had learned that looking for a key word was faster than reading each page. Of course, you may miss things every now and then, but when time was of the essence, fast was good.
"I'm not sure there will be a reversal spell. I mean, the spell used isn't exactly in print. Not completely anyway."
Xander slammed the book shut and stared at Tara in confusion. "What do you mean?"
The blonde Wiccan pulled out the two books the spell had been contrived from and laid them out on the island. "See, Willow wanted to transport Glory, and create the dimension as she entered. The forces of the magic themselves would build a world that would change over time, drawing it's basic components from the three elements and the surrounding environment, but still a dimension that would grow over time. Hopefully without leaving any loopholes for escape."
Xander shook his head. " I don't get it. Why can't you just reverse it, or end it?"
"Because, it's not just one spell." Tara turned to two different sections in each book, and pushed one over to him. "See here, the basic elements of a dimension?"
Xander read a little then nodded slowly.
Tara placed the other book on top of the one in front of him, "And this one covers transportation, but neither covers both at the same time so-"
"So you made a magic milkshake and now they're inside the blender?"
Tara creased her brow. "I-I guess."
"Hello?" They looked up when Giles voice called from the front door.
"Just walk in." They heard Anya explain impatiently.
Giles came in the kitchen with Anya close behind. Rupert looked over the room and took note of the tomes sitting out on the counter. The mixture of titles caught his attention immediately. "Oh dear."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Doctor stood up and tapped the triangular piece of jewelry clipped to her uniform. "This is Dr. Crusher. I need direct transport to sickbay" She scanned the faces of the blonde man and woman standing on either side of her patients. "Five to transport."
Buffy was just beginning to guess where she was when the word transport hit her ears and her memory kicked into full gear. Fearfully she asked, "Transport?"
Before the word had time to echo she felt an odd tingle very different from her slayer senses, touch every point of her skin as she watched the bridge seem to shift into a sparkly blue, then rearrange itself into a completely different room.
When the blue faded, she found herself standing next to a row of beds against a wall. She spun and watched two men pick up Dawn, then Willow and lay them out on two of the beds. Similar black panels over their heads began to light up and move along lines that, she assumed, told the doctor what was going on with their bodies.
"I've had some bleedin weird experiences since I started mixing it up with you lot, but what the hell is going on? The French I can handle, but how'd we manage to get ourselves 'ere?"
Buffy didn't answer as the two men dressed in blue stood over Willow and Dawn taking readings. The Doctor began filling up something Buffy thought could be dangerous. She moved quickly to block the Doctors steps towards the people the slayer cared for. "What are you doing?"
Doctor Crusher stopped for a moment and tried to read the strange girl who'd appeared out of nowhere onto their bridge. She held up the silver hypo spray. "This is a compound of nutrients and proteins. It will help them gain back their strength."
Buffy was too confused. Was it safe? Was it poison? What would this place have? She stepped aside, hoping it was the right decision.
The doctor walked past and administered the injections to both unconscious girls before turning to Buffy again. "It will be awhile before it takes effect. I'll need to examine both of you."
Buffy raised an eyebrow and looked back at Spike who was studying the room with intensity. "What do you say Spike. Want the doc to check you out?"
"What?" He asked, having missed most of the conversation.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On the bridge, Picard turned to his chief of Security. "Mr. Worf, can you explain what just happened?"
The Klingon stood at his post behind the captain and went through the recorded readings he'd received just before the four strangers appeared. "There was nothing to indicate transport, and no vessels were detected in the area, Sir."
"Captain?" The pale yellow eyed android turned in his seat at the OPPS position, one of the odd desks in front of the captain. "It seemed that they were just as confused with their appearance here as we."
Picard nodded. "Yes, and they lack universal translators as well it seems."
"A mystery?" Data asked raising an eyebrow.
"An odd one at that." The Captain headed to the back of the bridge towards the turbo lift. "Mr. Data, you have the bridge. I'll be in sickbay."
The android confirmed the statement with a nod and turned back to his post.
Picard swept into the turbo-lift and let the doors close behind him as he requested his deck to the computer. He then tapped his comunicator. "Commander Riker, would you join me in sickbay?"
A moment later the commander's voice sounded. "On my way."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Buffy smiled at the doctor, then turned around and yanked on Spikes duster sleeve, pulling him as far from the group of doctors and nurses as she could, while still keeping an eye on her sister and friend.
"Hey! Lay off!" He yelled at her and yanked his arm back, freeing himself from her grip.
She gave him her sweetest smile, and grabbed the back of his head, pulling his ear to her lips. "We are in Trekville, and right now that nice doctor wants to make sure we're all healthy." She paused.
He pulled his head back enough to look at her. "You mean the whelp's fantasy life?"
Buffy nodded slowly.
"The spell." He said without having to ask again how.
Buffy nodded again.
Spike, now realized how close he was to her, and sneered. "Any other fine endearments you'd like to share while I'm here?" He gave her a half smile.
She shoved him backward, causing his balance to falter for a moment. Vampire reflexes saved him from falling and he stared her down.
"Look," She started, trying to keep her voice at a whisper. "Do you have any idea how to break the spell?"
"Well, no. S'posed to be unbreakable. Sort of the point."
She rolled her eyes. "Great."
Spike shifted his feet and gazed over his shoulder at the medical personnel. "Don't much fancy bein poked an' prodded once she realizes I haven't a heart beat to speak of."
Buffy nodded. "Just tell her you're a vampire. If they want proof, I'll stake you."
With squinted eyes and a twisted smile he nodded once. "Very funny, Slayer."
"Well what's your great idea?" She crossed her arms and waited.
"Excuse me." The doctor called quietly as she walked towards the bickering couple.
Spike cleared his throat and turned to face the woman. "Yeah, Doc.?"
Beverly Crusher measured up the two as she walked towards them. "Is everything alright?"
Both blondes looked at her as though she had grown an extra head.
"Its bloody well not."
Buffy glared at him before turning to the doctor. "It's just that. we aren't sure how we got here." She looked back at Spike. "And my. friend here has an odd. medical condition. We don't want you to freak."
Dr. Crusher took a few tentative steps towards the man dressed in black. "Well, perhaps we can help." She again pulled out the plastic box and flipped it open letting the readings of the man register. Her eyes squinted when the readings came quickly.
The man standing in front of her was dead.
Her look of confusion would have been funny if it weren't for the situation.
Spike watched her as she tried mentally to make sense of whatever she was seeing.
With a few taps onto the small screen of the tri-corder, the doctor reset it and took readings from the girl standing at the dead man's side.
"Well." She said to Buffy as she closed and pocketed the instrument calmly. "You seem fine, a few vitals are elevated, tension or stress can cause that. But it seems your friend is. is dead."
Buffy nodded. "He's a pain in the ass too."
"Now look 'ere. I'm not the one who cast the bleedin spell."
"So not the point right now, Spike."
"Spell?" The doctor tried to cut in.
"Well if it weren't for the bit's need to get into everything."
"You leave Dawn out of it. She just read the paper. How was she supposed to know it would work? Did you?"
"I knew it would work. I didn't know it would work today, but I knew-"
"You knew diddly." She cut him off. Too pissed to care.
He cocked his head to the side. "Diddly?"
It was worse than watching a ping pong match. The doctor's head turned back and forth as they squabbled. She tried to look calm, but every part of her mind was trying to register that the man in front of her, talking, standing, was for all intents and purposes. dead.
*************************************** *****************************************
My intention is to have this fit neatly between the eps without disturbing the BtVS story line. I hope. Argh!
"What the hell just happened?" Xander shook his hands at the floor. "Where did they go?"
Tara looked from the empty bowl to the television still playing out a scene showing the bridge of the Enterprise. "Always unpredictable." She whispered under her breath and looked at Xander.
"What is? Tara, where are they?" He walked over to her and tried to find the answer in her eyes.
She leaned down and picked up the bowl and the paper lying beside it, then stood up slowly and looked back at her confused friend. "W-whatever you imagine the u-universe of Star Trek is like."
A nervous smile took over the brunette's face. "Wha-What?" A light chuckle mixed with his words.
His face fell when she didn't join in the laughter.
She shook her head at the floor. "I t-told her. Tried to w-warn Willow, these magics were too powerful."
Xander put his hands up as if to shield himself from her words. "Please tell me you're not saying what you're saying. Because we did not just send out friends to the inescapable dimension all made up for Glory."
Tara shook her head more severely this time. "N-no. Actually, D-Dawn sent them to a dimension built from your knowledge of Star Trek." She glimpsed back at the television. She wondered just how much he did know about the show. "Which one is this again?"
Xander, caught off guard looked at the screen "The Mind's Eye, season four. One of the more interesting ones because there is involvement between the Romulans and the Klingons. Generally considered enem-," He stopped himself. "Wait. What does this have to do with anything?"
Tara looked around the room and noted the position of both the phaser replica and the stack of books on Trekkie facts. Right where Xander had been sitting. She looked up at him. "Exactly how much do you know about all this stuff?"
"I dunno. A little. I mean, I don't actually own a Klingon costume, but I," He muffled the last few words with his hand., "gnoegingog."
Tara reached up and pulled his arm down. "You what?"
Xander began to redden. "I know Klingon.. alright?" He spun around and paced to the door then turned back. "I don't get why all this matters. Shouldn't we be figuring out how to .. oh I dunno, save our friends?"
Tara looked back at him. For the first time since she'd entered the group, the shy witch was being asked to solve the problem. What would Willow do? "Well, first, I think we should call Mr. Giles. He'll want to know." She looked behind her and walked into the kitchen. "These are the books we used for the spell."
Xander came through the door of the kitchen and picked up the phone only to have Tara walk past back to the living room.
As he dialed, he watched Tara pick up the picture frames and tiny statues that had been knocked to the floor. "Not that Buffy won't appreciate you wanting to tidy up, but shouldn't the spell be top prio-Hey, Giles! I have some bad news."
He watched Tara pick up a frame, then move a bit of glass before pulling out the stack of books filled with facts on characters, ships and the history of Star Trek.
"Well, see there was a spell." He continued. "No. No one tried to bring back Joyce." There was another pause and Tara walked into the kitchen and began going through the books. "No, Glory wasn't involved. That's. sort of the problem."
Xander listened a moment longer. "Ok, ok. Willow was trying to work out a spell with Tara and Spike-" Tara looked up when Xander became quiet.
"I know. That's what I said. But they invited him in anyway, and apparently Dawn did the spell." Xander shook his head. "No. It was Dawn, and now they're all just. gone." Xander held the phone away from his ear as Giles voice echoed loudly in the small kitchen.
Tara stared at the receiver with surprise. She hadn't really seen Giles very angry, and this was her first introduction to 'Ripper' in any shape or form.
"Buffy, Willow, Dawn and Spike. They all just. well, vanished." Xander explained again.
Xander nodded. "Alright." And he hung up.
"He's on his way." The worried brunette joined the witch and picked up one of the books. "So what are we looking for?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The thick fog of deep slumber slowly pulled away. Her limbs still felt heavy, and her body seemed to fight her each time she tried to rouse, but soon her stubbornness won over exhaustion and Buffy opened her lids only to see stars. "What the?" She blinked a few times and soon saw it was a domed ceiling that had a skylight at its center. Still unfamiliar, but solid.
She pushed herself up onto her elbows to see where she was, and what had happened. All of the sudden she knew, something was very wrong. All around her was a brightly lit room, larger than any in her house and much rounder. The walls were a cream color and beside her, a large screen took up most of what she assumed was the front of the room. A red flashing on a black panel in the far side of the area caught her eyes. Then the sound seemed to catch up. "Intruder Alert."
"What?" The images and faces around seemed somewhat familiar, but at the moment, she couldn't figure out why. "Where am I?" She shot up onto her feet, ignoring her still sleeping limbs when one of the figures came closer to her. He pointed some kind of weapon towards her.
He was a dark hulking creature wearing a gold and black uniform, ridged like a vampire but more so and she noticed, a bit smelly like a minion. He was saying something, yelling it seemed. The only problem was. she didn't understand a word.
"Oh, bleedin' hell!" Buffy turned and looked at the ground behind her. Her sister and Willow were still lying on the floor, but the vampire that seemed to plague her life, was awake and moving.
Spike sat up with one hand on his temple and the other he used to brace himself as he sat upright. His grumbling stopped when he scanned his surroundings. "Well this is different." He said sarcastically.
Buffy looked back at her captors, and raised her fists, now in fighting stance.
She studied the ones who seemed to be the leaders here The balding man wearing a red and black uniform, the red headed woman wearing blue and black, the same uniform, but with what looked like blue lab-coat as well walked towards her.
Others sat behind odd looking desks a few feet from her, and still more people stood behind the central area separated by a railing beside the ramp that led up to what looked like more posts. They seemed to be using the black panels that blinked on the back wall, taping on them sporadically.
The large vampiric looking man, still pointed something at her, and stepped forward then spoke again, but Buffy still didn't catch any of his words. She noted he was not attacking, but still kept her eye on his movements.
"What?" She finally managed to ask.
Then the bald man took a few tentative steps forward and spoke. "Identifiez- vous."
Buffy gave him a skeptical look. "Well that was French, but it's been awhile, and I wasn't that good before." She'd barely finished her sentence when all of the sudden a familiar voice sounded off unexpectedly.
"Mon nom est William. C'est Buffy et c'est sa petite soeur et son ami." Spike seemed to let the words roll of his tongue as he identified himself along with the ladies.
The balding man looked at the ground behind her. There lay Willow and Dawn still unconscious.
Seeing that the man showed interest, Buffy leaned down to make sure they were alright. "They're both breathing, just knocked out." Buffy looked back at the uniformed people again, then to her sister. She gently pushed a stray hair from her sleeping sister's face then addressed Spike. "Ask them where we are."
"Qui êtes-vous ? Comment avez-vous obtenu ici ?" The bald man spoke to Spike again.
"Fraid I'm getting a lot of questions here. Haven't got answer to a one of them, 'cept who we are."
The red headed woman standing beside the man in the red uniform had followed all points of the conversation, when something struck her. "Excuse me, Buffy was it?"
Buffy nodded, happy that at least one person spoke plain English.
"So you do understand me?" The red head asked.
"Well, yeah." She shrugged. "I'm sorry, are we in some automatic translation dimension, cuz that's a new one." She spun on Spike, " and since when do you speak French?"
He shrugged. "About 1874. Wasn't really fluent until about 1882 though." He waggled an eyebrow at her. "Impressed many a female once upon a time."
"Did you say 1882?" The red head questioned.
"I do believe he did, Doctor." The bald man said in English.
Buffy glared at Spike, then the bald man. "Well why didn't you just speak English from the beginning?"
The woman in the lab-coat kept glancing at Buffy's sister and friend on the ground. "I'm a doctor." She explained to the blonde woman. "I'd like to make sure your friends are ok."
Buffy lowered her fists and took a step back. Unsure of herself, but noting that no one, not even the large creature still pointing a small metallic box at her, had made any moves without speaking first. She decided to believe the gentle looking woman.
The woman pulled an instrument from the pocket of her blue lab-coat and went to the fallen slayerettes. A beeping sound emanated from what looked like a plastic toy with blinking lights to Buffy. The red head studied her instrument then turned. "Captain, they are both suffering from extreme exhaustion. I'd like to take them to sickbay."
"Captain?" Buffy scanned the man once again as she began to put the pieces together. Xander's Trekkie marathon, the props, the spell.
She paled. "Oh God."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I'm not seeing the word reversal anywhere, Tara." Xander turned the pages and skimmed them expertly. After years of research he had learned that looking for a key word was faster than reading each page. Of course, you may miss things every now and then, but when time was of the essence, fast was good.
"I'm not sure there will be a reversal spell. I mean, the spell used isn't exactly in print. Not completely anyway."
Xander slammed the book shut and stared at Tara in confusion. "What do you mean?"
The blonde Wiccan pulled out the two books the spell had been contrived from and laid them out on the island. "See, Willow wanted to transport Glory, and create the dimension as she entered. The forces of the magic themselves would build a world that would change over time, drawing it's basic components from the three elements and the surrounding environment, but still a dimension that would grow over time. Hopefully without leaving any loopholes for escape."
Xander shook his head. " I don't get it. Why can't you just reverse it, or end it?"
"Because, it's not just one spell." Tara turned to two different sections in each book, and pushed one over to him. "See here, the basic elements of a dimension?"
Xander read a little then nodded slowly.
Tara placed the other book on top of the one in front of him, "And this one covers transportation, but neither covers both at the same time so-"
"So you made a magic milkshake and now they're inside the blender?"
Tara creased her brow. "I-I guess."
"Hello?" They looked up when Giles voice called from the front door.
"Just walk in." They heard Anya explain impatiently.
Giles came in the kitchen with Anya close behind. Rupert looked over the room and took note of the tomes sitting out on the counter. The mixture of titles caught his attention immediately. "Oh dear."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Doctor stood up and tapped the triangular piece of jewelry clipped to her uniform. "This is Dr. Crusher. I need direct transport to sickbay" She scanned the faces of the blonde man and woman standing on either side of her patients. "Five to transport."
Buffy was just beginning to guess where she was when the word transport hit her ears and her memory kicked into full gear. Fearfully she asked, "Transport?"
Before the word had time to echo she felt an odd tingle very different from her slayer senses, touch every point of her skin as she watched the bridge seem to shift into a sparkly blue, then rearrange itself into a completely different room.
When the blue faded, she found herself standing next to a row of beds against a wall. She spun and watched two men pick up Dawn, then Willow and lay them out on two of the beds. Similar black panels over their heads began to light up and move along lines that, she assumed, told the doctor what was going on with their bodies.
"I've had some bleedin weird experiences since I started mixing it up with you lot, but what the hell is going on? The French I can handle, but how'd we manage to get ourselves 'ere?"
Buffy didn't answer as the two men dressed in blue stood over Willow and Dawn taking readings. The Doctor began filling up something Buffy thought could be dangerous. She moved quickly to block the Doctors steps towards the people the slayer cared for. "What are you doing?"
Doctor Crusher stopped for a moment and tried to read the strange girl who'd appeared out of nowhere onto their bridge. She held up the silver hypo spray. "This is a compound of nutrients and proteins. It will help them gain back their strength."
Buffy was too confused. Was it safe? Was it poison? What would this place have? She stepped aside, hoping it was the right decision.
The doctor walked past and administered the injections to both unconscious girls before turning to Buffy again. "It will be awhile before it takes effect. I'll need to examine both of you."
Buffy raised an eyebrow and looked back at Spike who was studying the room with intensity. "What do you say Spike. Want the doc to check you out?"
"What?" He asked, having missed most of the conversation.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On the bridge, Picard turned to his chief of Security. "Mr. Worf, can you explain what just happened?"
The Klingon stood at his post behind the captain and went through the recorded readings he'd received just before the four strangers appeared. "There was nothing to indicate transport, and no vessels were detected in the area, Sir."
"Captain?" The pale yellow eyed android turned in his seat at the OPPS position, one of the odd desks in front of the captain. "It seemed that they were just as confused with their appearance here as we."
Picard nodded. "Yes, and they lack universal translators as well it seems."
"A mystery?" Data asked raising an eyebrow.
"An odd one at that." The Captain headed to the back of the bridge towards the turbo lift. "Mr. Data, you have the bridge. I'll be in sickbay."
The android confirmed the statement with a nod and turned back to his post.
Picard swept into the turbo-lift and let the doors close behind him as he requested his deck to the computer. He then tapped his comunicator. "Commander Riker, would you join me in sickbay?"
A moment later the commander's voice sounded. "On my way."
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Buffy smiled at the doctor, then turned around and yanked on Spikes duster sleeve, pulling him as far from the group of doctors and nurses as she could, while still keeping an eye on her sister and friend.
"Hey! Lay off!" He yelled at her and yanked his arm back, freeing himself from her grip.
She gave him her sweetest smile, and grabbed the back of his head, pulling his ear to her lips. "We are in Trekville, and right now that nice doctor wants to make sure we're all healthy." She paused.
He pulled his head back enough to look at her. "You mean the whelp's fantasy life?"
Buffy nodded slowly.
"The spell." He said without having to ask again how.
Buffy nodded again.
Spike, now realized how close he was to her, and sneered. "Any other fine endearments you'd like to share while I'm here?" He gave her a half smile.
She shoved him backward, causing his balance to falter for a moment. Vampire reflexes saved him from falling and he stared her down.
"Look," She started, trying to keep her voice at a whisper. "Do you have any idea how to break the spell?"
"Well, no. S'posed to be unbreakable. Sort of the point."
She rolled her eyes. "Great."
Spike shifted his feet and gazed over his shoulder at the medical personnel. "Don't much fancy bein poked an' prodded once she realizes I haven't a heart beat to speak of."
Buffy nodded. "Just tell her you're a vampire. If they want proof, I'll stake you."
With squinted eyes and a twisted smile he nodded once. "Very funny, Slayer."
"Well what's your great idea?" She crossed her arms and waited.
"Excuse me." The doctor called quietly as she walked towards the bickering couple.
Spike cleared his throat and turned to face the woman. "Yeah, Doc.?"
Beverly Crusher measured up the two as she walked towards them. "Is everything alright?"
Both blondes looked at her as though she had grown an extra head.
"Its bloody well not."
Buffy glared at him before turning to the doctor. "It's just that. we aren't sure how we got here." She looked back at Spike. "And my. friend here has an odd. medical condition. We don't want you to freak."
Dr. Crusher took a few tentative steps towards the man dressed in black. "Well, perhaps we can help." She again pulled out the plastic box and flipped it open letting the readings of the man register. Her eyes squinted when the readings came quickly.
The man standing in front of her was dead.
Her look of confusion would have been funny if it weren't for the situation.
Spike watched her as she tried mentally to make sense of whatever she was seeing.
With a few taps onto the small screen of the tri-corder, the doctor reset it and took readings from the girl standing at the dead man's side.
"Well." She said to Buffy as she closed and pocketed the instrument calmly. "You seem fine, a few vitals are elevated, tension or stress can cause that. But it seems your friend is. is dead."
Buffy nodded. "He's a pain in the ass too."
"Now look 'ere. I'm not the one who cast the bleedin spell."
"So not the point right now, Spike."
"Spell?" The doctor tried to cut in.
"Well if it weren't for the bit's need to get into everything."
"You leave Dawn out of it. She just read the paper. How was she supposed to know it would work? Did you?"
"I knew it would work. I didn't know it would work today, but I knew-"
"You knew diddly." She cut him off. Too pissed to care.
He cocked his head to the side. "Diddly?"
It was worse than watching a ping pong match. The doctor's head turned back and forth as they squabbled. She tried to look calm, but every part of her mind was trying to register that the man in front of her, talking, standing, was for all intents and purposes. dead.
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My intention is to have this fit neatly between the eps without disturbing the BtVS story line. I hope. Argh!