Title: One Strange Day Author: Rachelie Email: rachelie229yahoo.com
Summary: Buffy is traveling down Highway 285 when she stops at a quaint diner called the Crashdown. Something tells her not all is right with Roswellians.
Disclaimer: BTVS and Roswell belong to Joss Whedon and Jason Katims respectively. Unfortunately I am neither of those people and have no money. So, please don't sue me.
Notes: One-shot AU. Story is post Becoming, Part Two for BTVS and the pilot for Roswell. I'm pretending that when Max healed Liz it was 1998 instead of 1999. Please, just humor me.
One Strange Day
Buffy Anne Summers was driving north on Highway 285 in a beaten-up red convertible with the frayed black top down. The car she had purchased, with what little money she had, at a shady used-car sales place in L.A. Although very sad in appearance, the convertible hadn't broken down yet, which was a big plus in Buffy's book. Much better than riding a bus. The wind whipped her hair behind her as the sun beat down on her. She was tired, hot, and sticky with sweat. For miles around all she could see was brown, brown, and more brown. Dirt, sand, and rocks. Boring. Boring. Boring. "So they call this New Mexico," she mused as the radio station started playing commercials. "At least there aren't many places for the baddies to hide in this place. Beats the hell out of Sunnydale." At the thought of Sunnydale, she grimaced and pushed all thoughts of him out of her mind. She refused to dwell on it anymore. She had done what she needed to do. What she had been "chosen" to do. End of story.
She switched off the radio and pulled a map out of the glove box. "There should be a town around here... yep, there it is. Roswell, New Mexico." Buffy glanced at the glaring sun. Just in time for a snack before she was back on the road toward Santa Fe. She wanted to get a motel room before sunset. Her tummy growled as she switched off the radio. "Time for some munchies." Hopefully she could find a decent place to eat around here. Her mind drifted from food towards her friends. She wandered if the Scooby gang had continued to slay without her. What were Willow, Xander, Cordelia, and Oz doing with their summer? Giles? Her mom? Tears formed in her eyes at the thought of her mother. She angrily wiped the tears off her face, refusing to dwell on her mother's angry face when she had told Buffy not to bother coming back.
As Buffy drove through Roswell, she spotted a diner off to her left in what could only be called a "quaint" downtown area. "Crashdown? Not exactly a name that screams good food," she said to herself as she parked. Across the street there appeared to be some kind of UFO center. "Great, UFO freaks," she sighed as she walked into the diner. She thought Roswell had sounded familiar. Something to do with a supposed UFO crash in the 1950's. Or was it the 40's? She quickly looked around the restaurant as she waited for someone to seat her. Not bad. Other than the UFO paraphernalia on the walls and the oddly dressed waitresses, quite normal looking compared to some of the places she'd been to during her road trip tour of the southwest.
She glanced over the menu after being seated by one of the waitresses. Alright, not so normal, she decided as she debated between a Will Smith and Sigourney Weaver burger. Perusing the beverage selection, she caught sight of a couple of boys sitting on the other side of the diner. Definite hotties. Maybe New Mexico wasn't so bad. One had dark chocolate-colored hair, an earnest expression, and dark soulful eyes. The other had spiky dirty blonde hair, harsh brown eyes, and an air about him that was all too familiar to Buffy. He looked like he had seen a lot more than his solemn friend. Buffy had come to recognize that expression on her own face whenever she looked into a mirror.
"What can I get for you?" a young female's voice broke Buffy's reverie. Startled for a moment, she snapped her attention to the young, blonde, short-haired, teen-aged girl in front of her. She chastised herself for letting her guard down. After ordering her food (how could a burger named after the gorgeous Will Smith be bad?) she started to study the other Crashdown customers. As with everyplace she visited, she tried to imagine what these peoples' lives were like. What life was like for normal teenage girls her age. She caught Mr. Soulful Eyes glance longingly at a pretty, dark-haired waitress and then quickly look away. Man, he had it bad. What would it be like to have a normal, awkward, teenage romance with a normal guy? Without vamps, demons, or an impending apocalypse? Buffy sadly shook her head. She didn't think she'd ever get to find out.
"Here you go. Anything else I can get you?" asked the blonde waitress, Maria, Buffy believed she said her name was, as she placed Buffy's food and drink in front of her. At Buffy's negative response, she turned to another table proffering coffee refills to two men who appeared to be arguing about money. Typical male mentality. Sex, sports, and money. Buffy smiled affectionately as her thoughts turned back to the Scoobies. Oz was so NOT the typical male, in more ways than one. And Xander... Buffy's smile faded as she realized how much she missed her goofy friend. Demon-magnet that he was. Xan and shy, computer-hacking, witchy Willow. Her tweed-wearing, glasses-polishing, British Watcher. And suddenly things became clear to Buffy. Her life was far from anything close to resembling normal. But it was her life. And she wasn't alone. Unlike all the slayers before, she had the Scooby gang. And maybe, maybe that was enough.
Buffy's attention returned to the diner as the argument heated up between the two burly men. Who could definitely benefit from some of Cordelia's fashion advice. Buffy giggled at the thought. Suddenly, one drew a gun, they struggled and everyone in the restaurant seemed to freeze. Buffy was on her feet in a split second and had almost reached them when the gun went off. She watched helplessly as the bullet traveled across the room and hit the dark-haired waitress in the stomach. As the men ran out of the front door, Buffy let them go. They were human; there wasn't much she could do to them now. The damage had been done. She headed towards the back where the girl had fallen. Everyone started moving at once. As she approached, she noticed Mr. Soulful Eyes leaning over the girl and Mr. Spiky Hair keeping people back. Buffy felt the hair on her arms rise. Her spidey-sense informed her that the dark-haired boy was doing something, something not natural. Not human. She concentrated on her Slayer senses. She couldn't get a fix. Not a demon. Not a witch, or were boy witches called wizards? Definitely not evil. She watched in fascination as the dark-haired boy stood up, grabbed a ketchup bottle, broke it, and spilled it onto the girl. Then he and his friend were out the door.
The young waitress was now standing, unharmed, holding the front of her light blue uniform together. Buffy followed the startled girl's gaze to where the boys had exited. Once again she ran her eyes over the diner's paraphernalia. And suddenly it clicked. Not supernatural. Other-worldly. Aliens. Who would have thought? "So not my problem," Buffy muttered as she strode to her table, dropped some bills and change, and walked out the door.