TITLE: Interim
AUTHOR: William Rayne
EMAIL: knytmareyahoo.com
RATING: PG-13
PAIRING: Clark/Lana
SUMMARY: Willow sends Buffy (and by extension, Dawn) to Kansas to find 3 newly chosen slayers. Who knew that a place called Smallville would become more than a routine search and train. AU, cross-over with Smallville.
SPOILERS: BtVS: Chosen, SV: Exile, Phoenix, Skinwalker
DISTRIBUTION: FanFiction.net, email me
DISCLAIMER someone else owns 'em, I'm just taking them out to play. Don't sue me, I have no money
FEEDBACK: Desired like none other.
NOTES AND NEWS: Thanks for the confirms on stuff. Can't remember the translations and placing for the symbols for the cave stuff, so I'm going to make them up to fit my story.
Get It Done, which I forgot to put in the spoilers on my last chapter, (Buffy Season 7 Ep 15) had ancient Sumerian turn into English when Dawn read it. General consensus is that it was the storyteller artifact or PTB that made that happen
My theory is that b/c dawn is the key, basically able to access dimensions, then she subconsciously reshaped the symbols to writing she knew how to translate. Hence Dawn being able to read Kryptonian.
Yes, Vin Diesel really does play D&D.
As always: bold italics for stressed, italics for thoughts or voice-over, and underlines for sarcasm or disgust.
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Interim
Chapter 4
Saturday Afternoon, Kawatche Caves
The talk with Chloe had gone so well that Dawn was both surprised and skeptical of the intrepid reporter's reaction. Chloe had responded to Dawn's skepticism by pointing to the wall of weird. "People all me crazy for thinking this is true. If I said that you were crazy for believing the same about demons and vampires, I'd be a hypocrite. Besides, I like to keep an open mind after the things I've seen," Chloe had said.
They talked about Dawn's theories on the meteor mutations were most probably supernatural. Chloe argued that they couldn't know for sure and that it may be supernatural and meteor mutants. Dawn wanted to see the caves in person, she was curious about this legend and the language. Chloe agreed to show them to her
As Dawn looked at the cave walls in silence, Chloe tapped her foot waiting for her companion to say a word. "Well?" Chloe asked finally.
"It's still confusing in person," Dawn replied. Pointing to the glyph that troubled her earlier, she continued, "It keeps shifting. I think it's undetermined what this 'Last Son' will actually do."
Turning her attention to the octagonal indentations, Dawn examined the writing around it and muttered, "House of El."
Chloe caught the statement and asked, "L? Like as in lion?"
"What about a lion?" said a familiar voice that caught them off guard.
The girls turned around to see Jonathan Kent. Mr. Kent eyed Chloe warily, took his hand out of his jacket pocket and then shifted his gaze towards Dawn. The girls could tell he was tense but were unsure as to the reason.
"Hi Mr. Kent," Dawn said, "Whatcha doing here?"
When Jonathan blinked, Dawn amended, "Not like you don't have any right being here or that I'm demanding to know why you're here. It's just that, well, last place I expected to run into you and all."
Dawn turned beet red and Mr. Kent couldn't help but laugh, "It's alright, Dawn. I'm as surprised as you also. My son use to come to this cave a lot. In fact, he stumbled into these caves and helped to preserve them."
"Well, Pete was also there when Clark," Chloe chipped in and then used air-quotes for her next word, "stumbled onto the caves."
"That's right," Mr. Kent agreed, "sorry for leaving that out. Anyways, I figured that since Clark sometimes comes down here to think. It wouldn't hurt to come down myself and think a little." His hand returning to his jacket pocket, Jonathan made sure the octagonal metal key he had was still there. What was I thinking? I was about to try to bargain with Jor-El. Now that these girls have luckily delayed that brash impulse, I realize that Martha's right, Clark will come back on his own terms, Jonathan thought. Chuckling to himself, he said aloud, "I thought that maybe it'd inspire me into finding Clark."
The girls smiled and Dawn offered, "If you want us to leave you alone in your thoughts---"
"It's quite alright, Dawn," Jonathan said with a warm smile, "If I may ask, what brings you down here?"
Dawn wasn't sure if he was asking if she was here because of natural or supernatural, given his knowledge of Buffy and her. Something told her that Mr. Kent was the private type and wouldn't want Chloe to know about his awareness of the supernatural. So Dawn opted for a normal seeming answer. Her eyes shifting between Mr. Kent and Chloe, Dawn replied, "I saw the pictures of this cave somewhere and asked Chloe to bring me here. I have this thing for symbolism and writings, thought I'd take a shot at trying to translate it."
Chloe gave Dawn a curious look but otherwise played along, "Yeah, I told her that no one knows what it means but she insisted. I still don't know how she's coming up with what she tells me it says or if she can somehow actually read it."
Mr. Kent laughed, "I'm sure Dawn's just pulling your leg. What do you think it says Dawn?"
The three faced the wall as Dawn pointed out what she had translated so far, "The day has come." Dawn paused momentarily then started once more, "Sorry. The day has come that the Last Son has passed the first trial in his quest to." Again she paused and decided to go with the first translation she saw, knowing that to explain her theory on the symbol would only cause confusion, "conquer this third planet from the star, Sol."
Dawn was caught up in translating and due to the word change, Chloe was focused on Dawn. Neither girl noticed Mr. Kent's lack of color as Dawn translated what she didn't know was Kryptonian language. Though he wondered how it was possible, he recomposed himself. With a forced laugh, he said, "I still don't get where the lion comes in."
"Oh," Dawn said, pointing to the symbols above the indentation. "I think this here says 'House of El'. But not like the letter 'L', like in lion but more like if you spelled it. You know, like 'E-L' or maybe 'E-H-L'. Follow?"
The laughter that came from Mr. Kent wasn't forced, he genuinely found amusement in the way Dawn explained it to him. "I think you have a very vivid imagination," he stated though he knew that was far from the truth.
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Saturday Night, Kal's Apartment
"Wow, Clark," Lana said as she took in his décor, "This is a real nice place. How are you able to afford this?"
"I can't," Clark lied, knowing that Lana wouldn't approve of his crime spree, "I'm house-sitting for a very well connected friend."
He felt weird lying to her after their moment of honesty in the alleyway but old habits are hard to break. Lana was rooting through the fridge and she brought out a lot of food. "Hungry much?" Clark said, clearly surprised at the cornucopia of tasteful delights she brought out.
"Yeah," Lana replied, "I don't know why. Ever since we got back from the alley, I've been famished." Lana turned a deep red, not wanting to say the other urges that seemed to be a byproduct of slaying. "Anyways," she said as she unconsciously ate a banana in a seductive manner, "what's so important that you have to leave me alone for a few hours?"
"A job. One that'll make me a lot of cash," Clark said absentmindedly, concentrating on Lana's actions more than what he was saying. Clearing his head and turning away from Lana, he said, "You stay here. I'll be back later."
"Don't be too long," Lana said, "I have to leave for Smallville tomorrow and unless you're coming with---"
Clark interrupted as he turned back to glare at Lana but found that she was still eating the banana, "Stop talking about Hicksville. Things have changed, I'm not going back there." He turned away from her sharply to emphasize his stance on the subject.
Lana bit harshly on the fruit then snapped back, "You don't have tell me things have changed. I know they have." She emphasized her point by quickly grabbing a nearby kitchen knife and whipping it at Clark. The knife shattered on Clark's back and suddenly Lana found him in front of her.
"What was that for?" Clark said, more surprised than angry but his tone still harsh.
"To prove a point," Lana shot back heatedly, "A lot of things have changed, Clark. You know how sick I am of hearing that things change? That I'm supposed to deal and move on as best as I can? But you know what? No matter how much things change, some things still remain the same. Despite everything, I still love you and I know you love me. So why can't you get it through your thick skull that the same may still go for your parents. Your real parents, Martha and Jonathan Kent. What are you so afraid of? The Clark Kent I knew wasn't this much of a coward. In fact, he was the bravest man have ever known."
Clark blinked and Lana could've sworn he was blinking back tears. Unfortunately she couldn't confirm it as she found Clark had moved to the door of his apartment and once more, had his back to her. "When I get back," he said. Lana moved to grab her coat. Clark continued, "We'll talk about it." Lana paused and didn't have time to reply as the door closed and she found herself alone in his apartment. Smiling and thinking to herself as she waited, Maybe I actually got through to him. Ironic that we both had similar fears and secrets. Of course I just found out about mine. This has got to be the longest day ever.
Clark grabbed a familiar ski mask as he made his way to do the job Morgan Edge had 'hired' him to do. Lana's words had stung. Touching the ring on his finger reminded him of what he was and what he needed to do. He pulled on the mask. Right now, he didn't want to be Clark Kent. In order to keep his mind off of Lana, he had to concentrate on being Kal-El, the terror of Metropolis.
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Saturday Evening, Bad Part of Smallville
Dawn slid herself through the window after Chloe. Their trip in the caves was cut short by a call from one of Chloe's informants that had led them to the very building they were breaking into. Mr. Kent had escorted them back to their car and Dawn found the chivalry in this area to be cute. On the trip to this abandoned house, Chloe had given Dawn a brief overview of the Kents and their son.
"So," Dawn said, "was it just me or did you get a weird vibe in that cave?"
"Uh," Chloe said as she clicked on a small flashlight, "must be just you. What kind of vibe? Good, bad, mediocre?"
The light cut through the darkness and revealed cobwebs, dust and discarded furnishings. "I dunno," Dawn replied, "It was like there was something else there. Besides Mr. Kent and how weird was that? Running into him and all?"
"Yeah," Chloe said absentmindedly, "Then again, Clark running away is also weird. Maybe it's a nurture thing."
Chloe's contact had said the Jane Doe from the hospital was spotted in this neighborhood. After paying off a few denizens, Chloe and Dawn had been told about this house. The worn out structure reminded Dawn of Rack's, the magical crackhouse that Willow had frequented in her days of Magic addiction. Dawn had mentioned to Chloe that these sorts of areas usually contained a vampire nest or two. Chloe, reluctantly, entered the building properly armed in case of such an event. Though unlike Dawn, she kept her stake sheathed as the two women investigated the structure.
Chloe sensed something was wrong before it happened. Unfortunately, she barely had time to avoid ambush herself but not enough to warn Dawn about the imminent attack. Dawn was knocked into an adjacent room, her stake sent clattering across the floor when she hit the ground.
Chloe had ducked one attacker's lunge but was caught unprepared by the kick from a second opponent. Gasping for breath, she reached for the stake in her jacket only to discover its absence. Looking up, she found herself facing a green lizard-like demon and a vampire. Behind them, she saw her stake lying on the floor.
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Dawn's body was on fire, not literally but still quite painful. Though she had used a shoulder roll to absorb most of the blow, the hit was still effective. Landing back on her feet, she assumed a defensive stance and took in her surroundings. She was inside the kitchen section of the house with the only exit from the room guarded by 3 vampires. Her stake was on the far side of the room and the knife rack was apparently emptied by the vamps.
"I thought the blonde was supposed to be the Slayer," said a skanky female vampire that looked like an underage prostitute.
"No," said another female, "The Slayer I fought had longer hair."
"Will you two shut up?" said a male vampire in an elegant business suit, "It doesn't matter. We'll find the Slayer later and kill her. For now, we have two very delectable snacks waiting for us." The man turned towards the prostitute and said, "Marissa, tell the others to keep the blonde alive. Mr. Edge will want to know who's intruding on his business in this quaint little town. We'll all share this one."
"I don't think so," Dawn said. While the vampires were busy talking to one another, Dawn had taken the time to incant a spell. Her palms facing outward, she let it loose. The bolts of fire had managed to hit the businessman and prostitute but the other female dodged the attack.
Her two companions reduced to cinder, she hissed, "Witch."
Hands still smoking from the magic, Dawn said coolly, "What? Did you think I was gonna be all whining and shrieky-like?"
"That was the plan," the vampire replied while warily circling the brunette.
"Get use to disappointment," Dawn said with a vicious smile, preparing for more physical combat.
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"I don't suppose we could talk this over?" Chloe said sheepishly as she tried to assess her options. The growls from both beasts confirmed that negotiation wasn't one of them.
The vampire attacked claws first and Chloe had learned her lesson. Sidestepping the attack, Chloe let loose a sidekick that connected with the other demon's second attack. "Fool me once, shame on you," she said while shaking her finger at the green monster that was driven halfway across the room by the force of her counter-attack.
She dropped to execute a sweep kick that caught the vampire sneaking up behind her by surprise. The arc of the maneuver made contact with a nearby chair that Chloe had spotted earlier. The force of the kick shattered the furniture and sent debris flying into the air. Grabbing a piece of wood from the air, Chloe brought the weapon home and as dust exploded into the air, she turned back towards the remaining foe and finished, "Fool me twice, shame on me."
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Saturday Night, Lionel's Office
Clark put the box in his jacket pocket and rushed the blonde that held the hammer, knocking her back. He had miscalculated and sent her flying through the wall into the next office. He was at war with himself. One part thought that anyone working for Lionel Luthor deserved it and would probably be compensated for any injury. The other part wanted to check if she was alright. Hearing a groan from the other room, the latter won out.
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Buffy was surprised at how quick her opponent had caught her off guard. She was equally surprised by the intensity of the hit. She hadn't felt anything like that since Glory. She wondered if Dawn's charm bag was working then decided if it was, she was in for one hell of a fight. Getting up, she saw the creature coming through the wall for the next round. Getting a good grip on the Troll hammer, she took on the air of confidence and a phrase that her old lover, Spike, had used on many an occasion. Smiling at the masked humanoid, she said, "That all you got, nancy?"
The creature didn't respond and stalked towards her in a way that reminded her of the Friday the 13th movies. She was ready for a quick attack this time and when the creature got close, it suddenly stumbled. Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, Buffy took a swing with the hammer. It connected with a thunderous crack and sent the creature flying off through a wall and into the hallway. "Quiet type, huh?" Buffy stated as she climbed through the wall towards her adversary, "Well, Teddy, just remember who has the big stick."
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Clark had intended to knock out Lionel's guard but this time around when he got close, he felt weak as if Kryptonite was present. Before he could look for the source, he felt the crushing weight of the hammer propel him into the hallway. Slightly disoriented from the hit, he barely heard her say something about a big stick.
He was through playing games. He stood up and stalked back towards the girl. As he got closer, he ruled out the possibility of the offending stones being on her because of the lack of nausea. The girl was obviously trained in the art of combat, a skill that he could envision Jor-El respecting. Seeing the fire escape behind her, Clark figured out a way to make the fight end quickly. Using his superspeed, he took the blonde through the door behind her and they began to fall down open area within the rectangular stairwell.
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So not good, Buffy thought as she and the demon careened through the open shaft the stairwell contained. At least there's enough room that I'm not hitting my head on the guardrails. And I still have the hammer.
Buffy grinned as she devised a plan and the monster that held her suddenly grew weak. Utilizing the lapse, Buffy twisted their bodies so that she was 'on top'. The maneuver had moved their trajectory and the demon's head was now clanging against the guardrails on their trip downwards. Buffy had expected the head of the humanoid to snap off. Surprisingly, it didn't and she was stuck with the dilemma of slowing the descent more so that she would survive the trip.
Using her free hand to keep the monster's head down so that it would catch on the railings, she swung the hammer out to catch the other side of the stairwell. Her muscles were on fire and she was sure that her shoulder would be dislocated when they landed but she was also sure that she had slowed them down enough for her to survive the impact. They crashed through the floor into the basement with a resounding bang. Dust and various other debris littered the air. Both combatants groaned in the aftermath. No sooner was Buffy able to get up did the creature do the same. Looking at the masked humanoid, Buffy tried to find any sign of injury and wasn't sure if the blood stains on the mask was hers or its. You gotta be kidding me. It's like the Energizer Bunny. A demonic, evil Energizer Bunny. Actually, is there a difference?
The creature threw a wicked haymaker that caught Buffy off-guard. The Slayer flew through the air and crashed with her back onto a steel pillar. Shaking off her daze and clutching her side, she thought, Gotta end this soon. At least it didn't notice I snagged that box in the fall. The hammer weighed heavy in her hand, she readied her next attack only to find the demon in front of her with a fearsome grin.
She tried to buy some time with a sucker-punch but was rewarded with what felt like a shattered hand. She did gain some distance with a reverse spinning kick, but only a foot of breathing room at most. Both combatants breathed heavily, knowing that the next move and successful hit would determine the victor. The two titans wound up to deliver their final blow. Buffy blocked the demon's punch with the Troll hammer, shattering its ring but before she could deliver an elbow shot, the creature used its other hand to land a solid punch on the Slayer's jaw. Years of Slayer training and experience kicked in as the Buffy drifted into unconsciousness, she spun with the momentum of the punch and angled the heel of her right foot to resemble a makeshift reverse roundhouse kick. The result ended with the Buffy literally unconsciously delivering her final attack upon her opponent. The sound of her kick echoed through the basement. Both warriors fell to the ground, neither rising to claim victory.
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He wasn't sure how long he was out. It could've been seconds, minutes, hours, maybe even days but one thing was for sure, the first thought that crossed Clark's mind was, Ouch, that girl sure can pack a punch. He was still groggy and fighting to keep consciousness when he heard shambling coming towards him. Still weak from the exertion of battle, Clark struggled to rise but found he didn't yet have coherent control over his muscles to move. He heard a familiar feminine voice say, "Gee Fred, Velma, if it isn't the ghost of Teddy Roosevelt, who is it?"
As he felt the hand grasp his mask, Clark regained control of his body and used his superspeed to disappear.
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A confused Buffy held the ski mask and stared the empty space the monster's body had occupied. "Huh," she shrugged, "guess it's a melty kind of demon."
The Slayer dropped the mask and as she started to leave before any authorities arrived, a brilliant white light appeared in front of her and a disembodied voice boomed from within it, "You dare to interfere in my affairs? Foolish earthling, feel the wrath of Jor-El." With that said, a bolt of vibrant white energy shot menacingly towards Buffy.
A/N: Building on the Dawn magics angle and other stuff we saw in season 7. More to come later. I forgot that season 7 Buffy actually did have a potential slayer named Chloe, who was blonde. Ironic, huh?
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