Chapter 4 Decisions
Cheyenne Mountain
Colorado Springs, Colorado
It was a day that Airman Peter Clements would never forget. It was very rare that the chopper pad was used and it was never a good thing when it was. Today was no exception. He heard the chopper before he saw it and when the med team appeared he got nervous.
It got worse when General Hammond appeared. The moment the chopper touched down the med team was running out towards it, he almost gasped in shock as the doors opened to reveal the base CMO Dr Janet Fraiser, bruises discolouring her face, along with a line of blood down one cheek. He didn't recognize the woman they loaded onto the stretcher or the man who bolted for shade with a blanket over his head.
The next to get out was Teal'c; he immediately lifted out Major Carter, who was protesting being carried. As they passed him, Airman Clements could see the knife in her leg; he nearly cringed at the thought of how much pain she must have been in but still claimed she could walk.
Lastly came Jonas Quinn and Colonel O'Neill, neither sporting major injuries but both looking all the more worse for wear. Although exactly what condition they were in he couldn't tell.
He expected to hear all about what happened to them eventually.
Private Residence
Colorado Springs, Colorado
This was the house, it had to be the one she had seen, it looked exactly like this, and everything matched perfectly. When she looked through the front window she would see Buffy sitting there waiting for her, Faith was sure of it.
Walking slowly, almost reverently across the immaculate front lawn, Faith held her breath in nervous anticipation. Taking the final step up to the window she peered through into the well-lit room, what she saw dropped her to her knees.
"Faith?"
A soft voice caused her to turn around, seeing Jacob standing there behind her she finally allowed the defeat to sink in.
What was that old saying, no one wins in a war, there are just degrees of losers.
SGC Infirmary
Cheyenne Mountain
Colorado Springs, Colorado.
It had been three hours since landing, Mac and Sam had been taken straight into surgery nearly all the others had all been checked over and fixed up, so they sat in the waiting room, anxious to hear from either Jacob or the General.
As far as injuries went, they got out fairly lucky. Other than those two there was nothing else major, unless you counted Janet's dislocated shoulder that she didn't tell anyone about until the Doctor passed out when one of the medics had grabbed her by the arm as she tried to follow Mac into surgery.
Jack didn't want any needles within spitting distance of Janet when she woke up. She would be one very unhappy camper.
"Any word?" Jack asked, as General Hammond walked into the waiting room. They still hadn't heard from Jacob or Faith.
"Actually yes" A frown marred the Colonel's features as the General related the news.
Hyperion Hotel
Los Angeles, California
2 Weeks later
It was a warm early summer day in Los Angeles when Sam Carter limped into the Hyperion Hotel. Looking about her surroundings she couldn't see anyone in the lobby, but that didn't mean that there wasn't anyone there.
From behind her a soft Texan voice sounded, "Can I help you?" Turning she saw a slim young woman with long brown hair regarding her with curiosity and wariness.
"Ah, yes. I'm looking for Dawn Summers."
The girls' eyes narrowed "And who're you?"
Holding her head high and schooling her features Sam prepared for an inquisition "Sam"
"Miss Carter." Rupert Giles' soft English accent echoed through the lobby. "It's alright Fred, she's a friend" he smiled at the young woman, "of sorts."
Leaning heavily on the cane she was forced to use Sam slowly walked towards him. "I'm glad you regard me so highly." Stopping a meter in front of him, she met his piercing gaze steadily. "Is Dawn around?"
"Why do you wish to see her?" He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket, took his glasses off and proceeded to polish the lenses meticulously.
Sam shifted her weight off the injured leg slightly. "There are things she needs to know. I made a promise, and I always keep my promises."
"You promised me that you'd look after my Slayer" Giles started but trailed off as Sam's face darkened with anger.
"Tell me where she is," Sam threatened, her voice dropping dangerously. "Or do I have to call in Child Services and tell them, that you are refusing to let me see the minor who, is in fact by law, my charge." Seeing the shocked look on his face she continued, "I don't think either of us wants it to come to that."
"You would forcibly take a 16 year old girl from the only family she has left?" Giles finally found his voice again, hoping he was calling a bluff he could call her on.
Sam had to keep herself from rolling her eyes. "No I wouldn't." She shifted her weight again, finding it difficult to stand so long. "But don't you think Dawn deserves to be able to choose what she wants to do."
Staring at the woman, he tried to work out if she was telling the truth or not. However her face was unreadable. Finally he nodded his assent; "Her room is up this way." He led her towards the back of the lobby, taking in the cane and her obvious limp he skipped the stairs and went straight to the elevator.
"What happened down there?" His curiosity got the better of him.
Turning to look at him as they waited for the elevator. "We beat the First's Army."
A single eyebrow rose questioningly at her short succinct and uninformative answer.
"I'm not going to ask if everyone survived. I think I quite like the fact that I can live in denial and assume that she's alive and well somewhere and cooling off that temper of hers."
Sam avoided looking at his face and didn't respond. Dawn was the only one who needed to know the truth. If she wanted the others to know she could tell them.
In silence they got into the lift, neither comfortable with the situation they found themselves in.
As the elevator reached the third floor the doors opened and they found themselves face to face with Willow. She immediately scowled at the sight of Sam but didn't say anything knowing the older blond didn't like her.
Giles led her down a semi lit hall, to a room at the very end they stopped outside a closed door. He raised his hand to knock but stopped halfway. "I feel I must warn you that Dawn has been rather anti-social, these last weeks. I don't know what kind of reception you'll get."
"I'll be fine, I'm somewhat familiar with teenage girl trauma." Sam's eyes dared him to contradict her.
Giles nodded and rapped sharply on the wooden door twice. They didn't have to wait long for a young voice to respond to the knock.
"Go Away"
Sam however was stubborn reaching around Giles she tried the door know only to find it was locked. Sighing she reached round into her backpack and after rummaging through it for a minute she pulled out a small black case. His curiosity peaked as the case was opened and he saw a lock picking kit.
"You're a very interesting woman, Sam Carter." He commented, as she struggled to get onto her knees to pick the lock. Gently reaching down he took the tools out of her hands and pulled her back onto her feet.
She stood to the side and watched as he expertly worked the lock until it clicked softly, rising with little difficulty he gestured for her to enter.
"Thank you." She twisted the doorknob and entered the room without giving him a chance to say anything else.
"I thought I told you" Dawn started to call until she saw Sam standing there. "What're you doing here?" She was slightly taken aback by the Air Force Majors presence in her bedroom. Sam was the last person she expected to see.
"I came to see you."
Willow's Room
Hyperion Hotel
Giles closed the door quietly behind him, and looked over to see the redhead sitting at her computer typing furiously and staring intently at the screen.
"Anything yet?"
"Nope." Willow spared him a glance. "They're using a security system that I've never seen before. Every time I think I'm close all the protocols change, and I don't think it's even timed." The red headed witch slumped back into her chair. "It's totally random, I've never seen anything like it" She trailed off and smiled sheepishly at the Watcher.
"Is there anything you do know?" Giles pulled up a chair and sat down next to her.
"Just the stuff the Air Force lets everyone see. Major Samantha Carter PhD, current assignment is classified but she's based out of NORAD."
Giles nodded thoughtfully. "Can you get into anything else, medical records etc?"
"Nothing recent, anything from the last 6 years is classified and buried so deeply that, I can't get into it with normal means, but I did find out she has an eight year old daughter, Bethuen."
Dawn's Room
Hyperion Hotel
Los Angeles, California
Dawn stood there and stared at Sam for a few moments before turning round and stalking back to her bed flopping onto it sullenly.
"If you're here to tell me that my sister is dead, don't worry about it. I already know."
Sam moved over to sit at the chair by the bed, grateful to get off her feet. "I guess that makes what I'm about to do slightly easier." She shuffled slightly, her leg still painful to move. "Buffy made some arrangements, before hand." Sam pulled a folder out of her backpack. "She said that she wanted you to have a normal life, if that's what you wanted."
Dawn remained silent.
Flipping through the papers she stopped at a certain one and looked at it for a moment before pulling it out and held it out to Dawn. "Here's the deal. If you want to, you can come and live with me in Colorado. Go to a school that's not on the Hell Mouth, live in a town that's not full a demons and pretty much be a normal teenager." Sam took a deep breath and continued, "but, if you don't want to, I rip this up and things remain status quo. You remain with Mr Giles and spend your life either fighting or running away from the demons."
Dawn reached a hand out tentatively and fingered the edge of the document lightly. Her eyes scanning it quickly and her brain trying to process what Sam had just told her.
A normal life
What about the others?
No more monsters
Looking up at Sam, she could see the blond was nervous, "tell me about yourself."
Letting out a relived sigh Sam sat back in her chair and started to speak with a smile. "Well, I'm a Major in the Air Force, currently based at NORAD in Colorado Springs"
