Date : 6th July 2004
Disclaimer : I don't own any of the TRA:JQ characters and neither do I own any of the characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. No money is made out of this fic. Don't sue me as I'm not sure I can afford Ally McBeal.
Category : A, DBN-HR, F, E, JQ/Buffy Crossover
Rating : Parental guidance is advised. Some profanity in this chapter.
Author's note : This takes place after Season 2 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This is my account on what happens and is based fully on my own creativity.
Archiver's Permission: Granted to those who want it. Just inform me on where it can be found.
EMPTY
The Dragonfly II took off silently, a deep black shadow against the night sky. Race switched off the stealth mode; they wouldn't need it anymore. They were headed home. Jade sat next to him, acting as co-pilot. Together, they kept each other's silent company.
In the passenger compartment, Seth couldn't help but notice that Jonny was considerably paler than he had ever remembered. He was also very quiet.
"Are you feeling okay?" he asked, peering through his heavy dark lashes. He had changed out of his wet and muddy gear, and cleaned himself up as much as he possibly could in the small bathroom.
Jonny got up and headed for the kitchen. "Yeah… just feeling a little…" He collapsed.
In a flash, Seth was next to him, checking his vital signs. As his fingers felt for a pulse, he suddenly realized than a section of the tank top was shiny, glistening wet. Touching it gingerly, he saw his fingers bloodstained when he removed them.
"Damn you, Quest!" he muttered. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"We didn't have time then. Had to get out…" Jonny managed weakly.
"And when were you going to tell me?" Seth demanded, settling into a more comfortable position.
Jonny shrugged weakly. "I guessed I would be okay," he said sheepishly.
Seth's hands glowed purple as he passed them over the wound, concentrating on healing the grievous injury. He noticed with pained satisfaction that the bullet was being pushed out of the wound as the internal tissues began their accelerated repair. The bullet fell to the ground with a metallic clink, and Seth fell back, panting, His eyes were glazed and his breathing ragged. He curled himself into a fetal position, his expression one of great pain.
Jonny moved over to his healer. "Seth, what's wrong?" Then he noticed the growing blood stain on Seth's white shirt. Ripping the shirt open, he saw a serious wound, almost identical to his a few minutes ago.
"Oh God… what the hell?" Jonny wadded up Seth's shirt and pressed it firmly on the wound. "Just hold on, I'll get Race!"
"No… just wait… and see." With trembling hands, he pushed away the wadded shirt to expose the wound. Jonny watched as the wound began to heal miraculously, the dead and injured tissues regenerating at an unnatural rate. And then, there was no more wound.
"I accelerate your healing by transferring my own tissues and whatever else," Seth explained briskly. "In order to deal with it, my own body regenerates just as quickly as I can heal you… so that I can continue my duty."
"Why'd you do it? You could've died?" Jonny exclaimed, his anger flaring now.
"I knew I wouldn't!"
"Bullshit!"
Seth looked away. "My powers are to be put to use, regardless of the risks to myself."
"Seth, look at me."
"No. I know what you're going to say, and it's not going to change a thing…"
"I'm not going to say that… you're too bloody stubborn to listen anyway," Jonny said softly. Seth looked his way, surprised by the tenderness in place of the usual cocky swagger.
"But I am going to say two things. First: Thank you. For everything, you know." He paused and looked straight at Seth. "And secondly…" Jonny moved in, closing the small gap between them. His lips sought Seth's, pressing tenderly. "Thank you, again," he whispered.
JQJQJQ
MAINE
"What time is it, Hadji?" Benton paced the library floor. Hadji mumbled a reply, and continued to peruse through the journal he had been reading for the past two hours. His eyes ached from the strain, but he persevered. It was all he could do for now.
"They'll be back, Father. Race'll get him back."
"Wrong, Hadj!" A familiar voice said, as IRIS announced their return. "It was I who kicked Corvin's ass!"
"Son!" Benton shot out of the library, colliding violently with his son. He grabbed his son by the shoulders, and then hugged him firmly. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, in between sobs.
"Pops… all's good." Jonny managed to disengage himself from his father's firm grasp. "If anything, this trip has been a somewhat enlightening experience." He turned around to face Hadji. "How's it going, bro?"
Hadji returned his brother's smirk. "Been trying to find a way to get you out of another mess."
"Aww… apocalypse got everyone down huh?"
"You better believe it, kid," Jade said, stretching her lithe body.
"I believe we have yet to work out a deal on your part of this, Jade," Benton said, smiling.
Jade shrugged. "Call it a favor returned, Benton. No charge," she said. "Now, if you boys will excuse me, I need to take a long hot shower."
"I need one too," Seth added, his presence unrecognized till now. He made his way upstairs, presumably to the showers.
"Hadj, show me what we've got on this apocalypse so far," Jonny said, headed for the library. Hadji followed briskly, mentally cataloguing the information he had acquired so far.
"So, how did the plan work out?" Benton asked Race, turning his eyes away from Seth.
"The plan was okay for the most part. Jonny saved the end, but honestly, I'm not sure if the plan would have worked as well as it did had it not been for Seth."
"He comes in handy, doesn't he?" Benton sounded troubled.
"What's eating you, Ben? Jon's back isn't he?"
"It's not Jonny… it's Seth… something just doesn't seem right with that kid."
"Look, Benton, I know I had my doubts about him before… but I'm willing to give him a chance now."
"But…"
"He's earned it."
"That's what I'm worried about."
"So this is going to go down in Sunnydale?" Jonny flipped the pages idly.
"Yes. But there's a Slayer down there, isn't there?" Hadji sat down on the table, settling next to his brother.
"Yeah…"
"Then, there's no need for you to…"
"Hadj…" Jonny warned.
"You don't need to go then!" Hadji protested.
"This is gonna be big, Hadj. And you know how big it can probably get. It's bigger than her."
"But…"
"No buts on this one, Hadj. You're the one who always believed in stepping up to the challenge, and doing the right thing. This is the right thing."
"You know that I'll have to watch your back then," Hadji said.
"I'll have it no other way."
They shared a moment of silence before Jonny left.
JQJQJQ
SUNNYDALE
"Any idea when this whole thing is going to drop?" Buffy asked, looking expectantly at Giles.
"Soon."
"Soon is not good enough, Giles! I need to know what I'm facing and when if we're gonna come out of this alive."
Giles sighed. "Do you know when the winter solstice is?"
Buffy wrinkled her brow. "Winter wha-ha?"
"The winter solstice. The longest night of the year."
Buffy grunted. "Figures… vamps and all."
"This gets a whole lot bigger than just simply vampires, Buffy. Should the prophecy come into play, we're talking a whole host of demons. Some of unimaginable proportions." Giles tapped his glasses on the table.
"Got it covered. We'll just break out the weapons and…"
"Buffy…"
"God, Giles… I know this is bad. I've been through enough to recognize bad when it stands before me. But despair isn't going to help… and right now, morale's all we got hanging on our side." Silence ensued.
"What do you propose we do then?"
"We take it a day at a time. If this is as bad as it seems, chances are we won't live to see the next day." Buffy paused to look at her Watcher. "Maybe it'll just blow away like a storm, but if it rains on us, then we go out and face the wet."
"We'll weather this storm." Giles offered no more, and continued with his work. "How's Angel?"
"He's okay. Still a little shaken, but I guess Hell does that to you."
"Tense isn't it?" Xander motioned with a quick jerk of his head. Willow looked up and at the direction he had gestured at. Buffy and Giles seemed to be in some deep conversation.
"Probably nothing." She could hear the uncertainty in her voice.
"This is going to be big, Will… and you know it."
"We don't know anything guys. Not yet. So maybe we should try to remedy that by doing some more research." Oz interjected. Willow looked gratefully at him. He was her rock, her steadiness.
"We'll know when it's time, Xand. Don't worry."
Xander feigned shock. "Me? Worry? You gotta be kiddin' me, Will. Big ghoulies don't surprise me. They just make me wanna crawl under a big security blankie and suck my thumb!"
"We'll make it."
"How can you be so sure?"
"It's all I have. The belief that the next day can only get better." Willow turned her attentions back to the books on the table.
Silence ensued, and the flicking of pages was the only audible sound in the whole library.
JQJQJQ
MAINE
"Don't go." Seth sat up on his bed, pulling his legs to his chest. The night poured in through the uncovered windows. In the darkness, his skin appeared the color of ebony, a light sheen on the surface. His hair was tousled, mussed slightly from the pillow.
"Don't start too." Jonny didn't move, but Seth felt his gaze shift onto him.
"Fine. But why do you have to go?"
"It's my duty."
"Now you play the dutiful soldier!" Seth snapped. He shifted quickly as he felt Jonny reaching for him. Slipping off the bed, he walked over to the windows and peered out into the darkness. "I'm sorry."
"Why?"
"Coz I was the one always bugging you to take hold of your destiny, and now that you're going to, I don't want to let you."
"Yeah well, thanks for caring then." Jonny moved into a sitting position to get a better view of the naked shadow. "Now, will you come back here?"
"It's my bed, I'll come whenever I please," Seth said tersely.
Jonny got up and in a few steps stood next to Seth. "What's so interesting out there?"
Seth shrugged. "Nothing I guess. Just the darkness."
"So come back to bed." Jonny wrapped his arms around Seth's narrow waist and hoisted him back to the bed where he laid him down. In the darkness, he glimpsed the shining darkness of Seth's eyes.
"Your eyes droop a little," he noted, smiling lazily.
"So?"
"They give you that cute puppy dog look."
Seth laughed softly. He squirmed a little as he felt Jonny's fingers dance across his navel. "Your hands are cold!"
"Warm them up for me then." Jonny sighed softly as he felt Seth's soft kisses on his fingers. He remained silent for a long time.
"What?" Seth suddenly asked, stopping.
"I've never felt like this before. I mean, I have… but it was different. Jessie was a… and you're well…"
"Jessie was a girl, yes. A very hot one too… you've nothing to be embarrassed there. I'm well, a more controversial choice," Seth caught Jonny's gaze. "Look, we don't have to go on if you don't want to. I know this is complicated, and confusing, and probably wrong, but…"
"I don't want to stop. Not now. And it feels right, Seth. That's what's wrong. It feels so right!"
"Then it is."
Jonny leaned in and kissed his lover tenderly. "You're right." He lay down and drifted off to sleep.
Jonny awoke. The room was still washed in darkness, and next to him, Seth lay, asleep. Breathing slowly and evenly. Jonny took a moment to study how each eyelash gently caressed his cheeks. Silently, he slipped out of bed, pulled on his shorts and slipped on his tank top. He made his exit as silently as possible, careful not to wake anyone.
He entered his own room, closing the door quietly.
Hadji stepped out of the bathroom, and entered his own room.
"Which of these weapons are you best versed in?" Race asked, opening the vast cabinet of weapons, both medieval and fairly modern.
Jonny scanned the racks and hooks, taking in each polished surface that glinted grimly. Any weapon for any form of damage was neatly placed; either hanging or neatly laid out on the polished darkwood shelves.
"I've got my sword, Race."
"I know, but you can't solely rely on that. A Destined One has to be well-versed in as many weapons as possible." Race picked up a pair of kali sticks. "Know these?"
Jonny nodded. "Kali sticks… Filipino origin."
"Can you use them?"
Jonny shrugged. "Wouldn't something with sharp surfaces be a better bet?"
"What if you are out of sharp weaponry?"
"Hand-to-hand?"
"Why are you being so difficult?" Race demanded, slamming the cabinet doors.
"Because since we got back, I've had a total of seven hours of sleep in the past five days. I've been patrolling with you to insane hours, gone to school, come back for more grueling shit.
"Yes, Race, I know how to use kali sticks. Yes, I'm pretty handy with the mace, even more so with the crossbow. I'm an expert with the bladed staffs, and a pretty good aim with the shurikens!
"On top of that, I'm fluent in three styles of kung fu: Crane, mantis and tiger, taekwondo, a black belt in karate, and a junior instructor in muay tai!" Jonny glowered at Race.
"Fine, show me! Then, you can rest!"
"Fine." Jonny strode over to the mat, shrugging off his backpack, and pulling his t-shirt off. "Start the simulation."
"It won't be as easy as it used to be." Race keyed in the specifications for the simulation.
"Such as?"
"Such as every injury sustained will hurt, you will feel it and you'll probably weaken from them."
"Hyper-reality?"
Race nodded.
"Okay." Jonny secured the headpiece, and flashed Race a thumbs-up. "Ready whenever you are."
Darkness. Oblivion.
"Erm, Race. I can't see a thing. Check IRIS to see if you got the code right."
"I did. That's the point of this exercise."
"I can't see a damn thing!"
"You're catching on, Jonny."
"How can I fight without being able to see my opponent?"
"Use your other senses."
"You want me to taste them?" He grunted in response when a heavy blow struck him on the side of his head. "Race!"
"Concentrate. Sense them, you know you can."
"I can feel the pain!" Jonny yelled, blocking a blow too late. He keeled over and fell to his knees. A hard kick sent him reeling backwards, slamming hard into some hard surface. He balanced himself with his hands, breathing heavily. Adrenaline surged through him, his muscles were so tense that he was ready to snap, his ears ringing. Don't panic… it's only a simulation. He took another blow, this time to the back. He fell flat on his face, crashing hard on his chin. But what if it wasn't?
Focus, hear their movements, feel the energy. Jonny picked himself up. He felt a brief rush of air to his right and swung an arm to parry the blow, lashing out with a kick. His assailant tumbled away, moaning.
"Better," Race commented. "Keep it up!"
Ducking a high blow, Jonny returned a spinning back thrust, which he followed with a jumping snap kick. Reaching for the stake he always kept at his belt, he rammed it through what he hoped would be the chest. Nothing happened, but the snarl he heard in response was blood-curdling.
"No one ever said they were vampires, Jonny." Race was watching the scene unfold on his monitor.
"No one said they weren't." Jonny bit back. He jabbed a hard punch, and yanked out his stake. "I need another weapon."
Race keyed in a code, and watched as a pair of kali sticks materialized in Jonny's hands on the monitor.
"Kali sticks?" Jonny couldn't hide his disgust. "You're really trying to drive home a point here, aren't ya?"
"Just use the damn sticks. It's either that or nothing at all." He watched in satisfaction as the slightly battered image began to put the sticks to good effect, bashing the wireframe opponents silly with the sticks. He had not bothered to specify a demon for the battle, instead using the wireframe models as something of a hybrid creation, pulling out various abilities from the mainframe and infusing the models with them.
Keying in a few more codes, he watched as the wireframe figures morphed, bigger this time, with huge claws and fangs.
Jonny must have sensed the change too, as he immediately backed off a little, but his attacks were unrelenting. Race watched as a demon took a swipe at the blond teenager with a heavily clawed paw, sending the boy ten feet back.
"Crap!" Jonny cursed, searching blindly for his weapons. "Race, I can't find the bloody things!"
"What would you prefer this time?"
"A bladed staff would work."
Jonny felt the comfortable weight of the staff in his hands as it materialized. He wiped his brow with the back of his hand, wondering if it was just sweat, or was he bleeding too. He breathed slowly, locating his enemy. Sensing the change in the air current, he rolled to the side, swinging the staff in a wide arc as he got up. He felt it catch onto something, and rip free.
The howl confirmed a hit, as did the loud grunt when he bashed it with the blunt end of the staff. Risking getting too close, Jonny rammed the staff through his enemy, and ripped upwards, disemboweling the creature. Whipping it around, he carved the other one across the torso.
"IRIS, end simulation!" Race commanded.
Jonny slipped off his headpiece, breathing heavily. His hands were empty, the staff that had been there a moment ago was gone. He was bathed in sweat, and claw marks marked his arms and chest. "Grueling," he muttered.
"Well done." Race smiled. "You're about as ready as I can prepare you."
"Now, can I rest?" Jonny slumped, feeling the tension drain from his muscles.
Race nodded.
"We'll continue this tomorrow. That was AWESOME!" Jonny bounded off.
Race smiled. You're still learning…
JQJQJQ
DECEMBER 20TH 2002
MAINE
"Yes, Mother. I will be there soon. Yes…" Hadji paced his room, avoiding the cardboard boxes that cluttered the floor. After several more minutes, he snapped his cell phone shut.
"Where ya going?" Jonny asked, stepping into the mess.
"Bangalore."
"When?" Jonny demanded, looking around. The sight of filled boxes upset him more than he could imagine.
"Soon."
"Why?"
"I'm the sovereign ruler of my kingdom, Jonny. As much as I've tried running away from that, I can't. It's my birthright. You've taught me that much, my brother. To accept what's ours with as much grace as we can manage."
"This isn't about birthrights, Hadj! This is about you leaving!"
"I'm leaving to take my rightful place. To lead my people…"
"You're leaving US!"
"I'm not abandoning you, if that's what you're implying."
"I'm not implying anything, Hadj. Look around you… everything's packed. When was I going to find out? After you'd left? What was I going to get? A card?"
"Jonny!"
Jonny remained silent. He glared sullenly at his brother.
"I came back from completing my degree during your absence. I stayed on till I knew things had stabilized. Till you knew your place, and accepted your duties." Hadji paused. "In turn, I also learnt that my burden was not much lighter. I learnt that a lot of people depended on me to make the right decisions, just as the rest of the world depends on you to make the right choices.
"I will finish off as soon as possible, and then I must return to Bangalore. Father knows about it. So does Race."
"When are you leaving?" Jonny's tone was clipped, but Hadji saw that the anger had ebbed away, and a wave of fear was left in its wake.
"After the apocalypse. That way, if we lose, it won't matter. If we win, then at least I'll have a future to lead."
"You'll still watch my back?"
"Always. Always, my brother, always!" Hadji embraced his brother. His voice was choked up. "Always."
Seth looked up from his trig assignment when he heard a knock a his door. "Who is it?"
"Hadji."
"Come in. It's not locked." He spun his chair around. "What's up?"
Hadji stood in the doorway for a moment, surveying the room before stepping in. He closed the door behind him. He remained silent.
"Come on, Hadji. What's wrong? You're freaking me out, man!" Seth stood up, eyeing his visitor.
"I know, Seth."
"What do you know?" Seth asked, puzzled by the suddenly cryptic Hadji. He wasn't being mysterious anymore. In fact, Hadji scared him now.
"I know about you. And Jonny."
"And?" Seth's voice was edged with ice now.
"And I know what you're doing."
"And what's that?"
"I've seen you, Seth. I've seen into you. I know what's inside… what you're capable of." Hadji held Seth's eyes with his powerful gaze. "I know what it is that you want."
"Tell me then…"
"You're empty, Seth. You need him to fill you up, but you'll never be anything but empty. A vessel, nothing more."
"And you care so much, why? Aren't you the one who's leaving us? Leaving him?"
"I'm not leaving him. He knows that!"
"But not as well as you know me." Seth smirked, his tone malicious now.
"I won't let you hurt him!"
"I love him!"
"You have no idea what that word means!"
"And you do? Just because you're not 'empty'?" Seth moved closer. "Do you? Does it mean that you will give your life for him? Does it mean that you wish you could lay him down to sleep, to rest his weary limbs? To cradle his head, to whisper stories into his ear as he lies there, not moving? To be there, just for the sake of being there?" Seth turned away, and moved to his window. "Because I do!" He watched as the fat flakes of snow drifted from the white sky, settling onto everything.
"Exactly." Hadji stepped up next to him. "That's why I trust you."
"Huh?"
"I trust you. I entrust him into your hands when I'm gone."
"But…"
"He will need someone, Seth. It may not always be you, but he will need someone. Even for a little while…"
The both of them stared out the window, watching as flakes of snow cascaded onto the winter landscape.
"He leaves tonight."
"I know."
"What do we do here?"
"We hold the fort for him."
To be continued…