Balance chp 9: Conversations with big fish
Calista lay on the bed, feeling exhausted, she had spent a lot of energy healing herself and protecting the babies and then the contractions had zapped what little she had regained from the night before, and now said babies seemed to be trying to kick their way out of her stomach. She loved them and would always, but there were times when she just wished they would hurry up and come out. She had found things almost impossible, living on her own, in a strange world. She had lived out of soup kitchens and had trained by hunting vampires. When she had been around eight months down the line things got strange. A psychic, who she knew had been following her for many weeks, had approached her. He had told her, her children were important for the next apocalypse and that she had to get the slayer and find her mate. She had finally found out that he was ok, but that he didn't remember her because of Cordelia. She had been all set to go and reclaim Connor but the psychic had said she had to track down the slayer and approach her with the suggestion of her and her people going to L.A. Calista had headed for Sunnydale but the trip took a while and then she ran into trouble. A young man, with a strange accent had attacked her and tried to kill her. He called her dirty and a whore and all sorts of horrid names and she had trouble fending his attack off since he was stronger then her. She had managed to knock him back enough so she could turn and run. He had given chase for hours and she was exhausted by the time she had reach Sunnydale after running most of the way there. She had shaken him off there and then began to watch the slayer, finding as much as she could before approaching them. Now she was here and was with her mate, Steven or Connor it didn't matter to her which he was, as long as she was near him. Just as she thought of him Connor came into the room. He smiled at her and sat beside her leaning on his hand that he put over her. She sighed happily, yet tiredly. Connor regarded her with a passive face and then he whispered
"You're exhausted!" She touched his face softly with her fingertips and said just as quietly
"I'll be fine." He gently took her hand and pressed it to his face. "Your kids are just trying to make a football out of my spleen!" she joked as the babies set off on another round of kicks and punches, they always got more active when he was near, as if they knew he was near and wanted to show how glad they were. Connor placed his other hand on her tummy and smiled as he felt them.
"Wesley said to me that he thought it would be a good idea if you went to the hospital so we could have a scan done, whatever that is." he said, Calista sighed again, this time irritably
"They still don't trust me, they just want to see if our babies are human or not." Connor's brow creased in annoyance,
"Nice to know they trust us so much." he muttered bitterly. She sat up and looked him in the eye going serious
"Hey, it's fine, you know as well as I do how hard it is to trust strangers and that's what we are. They are a family and you are a new part of it, besides they aren't sure which side your on, because from what I've heard you have kinda been switching sides when it comes to them, one moment your with them the next your against them. They can't help but be wary around you, and I'm a complete stranger to them who just turned up ready to pop with your child while another woman is in the exact same position except she's a, evil and b, a part of their family. This is a lot for them to take in, so just be patient, if you warm to them they'll warm to you." Connor sighed and averted his gaze preferring to look out the window. Calista sighed again and flopped down back on the bed. Connor unconsciously rubbed her tummy in soothing circular motions, which seemed to make the babies settle down. Calista smiled slightly and she was quickly asleep. Connor on the other hand was thinking, about his family, both of them. He knew Calista was right, the others didn't have any real reason to trust either of them, but he needed them to, he knew it in his heart. Something was coming, growing up in Qour-Toth had taught him how to tell when something was coming, in time he even knew how big it would be. And this… this would be something huge! He looked at Calista, she looked like an angel fallen from heaven, she always had, Daniel had named her his little angel when they were children, before everything started to change, feelings changed, personalities were altered, the dimension was a dangerous one, not because of the demons, but the actual dimension itself, it got inside you, affected you. Calista had never been affected but both he, Connor, and Daniel had, leading them to do things they were both disgusted and ashamed of. Calista had been the one who kept them together. Connor couldn't help but think back to a point when he realised how much she meant to him.
(Flashback)
A scream of pain brought Daniel and Steven running back to the cave. Just out side it lay Calista, demon towering over her one of it's long spindly legs dripping with crimson blood. It was lowering its mouth with the intent of killing the girl, but Steven and Daniel cried out and charged the damned creature. It didn't stand a chance and was quickly dead. While Daniel cut the body up to search for a special pouch which contained the only thing that came near to water that could only be gotten from said pouch from the demons here, Steven rushed over to Calista and knelt beside her. She was whimpering in pain and shaking. Her wound was quiet nasty looking at a glance. He took her hand and squeezed it gently, she opened her eyes slowly and looked at him with frightened sapphires.
"Steven" she whispered, her voice laced with pain, "It hurts!"
"I know, but you'll be alright."
"How? It's so dark I don't like the dark, its full of monsters." she whimpered as her eyes closed and she fell unconscious. Steven became panicked and shook her slightly trying to wake her up.
"Father!" he cried, sounding terrified. Daniel rushed over and knelt on the other side of the nine year old girl. He examined the wound and said
"Steven go get that water, we'll need it!" he gently scooped Calista up and carried her back into the cave.
The next few days were awful. Calista hung on the brink of life and death, Daniel was very worried and Steven was terrified of loosing her, death was one of the few things he truly feared. On the fifth day Steven was sitting beside her watching her, she was sweating and tossing feverishly.
"Calista, please, you have to wake up. I need you, more then I ever realised! You keep us together, you make us laugh, when we get hurt you take care of us. You are so much stronger then you think father and I both see that, so don't let it win, you have to fight, please." He leaned down and kissed her brow. At his touch she stilled and her breathing deepened. He took it as a good sign, although he just wished she would open her eyes and smile at him again.
(End flashback)
Calista had healed over the next week and was very quickly up and about again. Connor had made sure he always took notice of her, and what she did and appreciated everything about her. He still did, and he would do anything for her. Sighing and kissing her brow he left the room and headed downstairs to help out.
"Is it time?"
"Yes, send out the signal!"
"Alright, but I hope you know what you're doing."
"Will you relax, I do!"
"What ever you say."
Calista lay on the bed fast asleep when suddenly her eyes snapped open and she stared unseeing ahead.
Downstairs Connor was laughing and talking with the gang as they took a break when he suddenly stopped and his eyes became glazed and unseeing.
"Hey kid, you ok?" asked Gunn, Connor didn't answer he just turned and strode out of the room. Gunn caught Angel's eye and saw he look concerned as well. They followed the boy to the lobby where Calista met up with Connor the same expression on her face. She and Connor walked outside without acknowledging each other. Angel called their names but they ignored him and kept going.
"What was that?" asked Lorne
"I don't know, but I have a bad feeling about it." said Angel, he turned to Buffy, "We need the potentials now!" She nodded and ordered the potentials to grab their weapons as quick as possible. When everyone was loaded up they followed the two teens scent to catch up with them. Connor and Calista walked through the city under a now dark sky. The large group of fighters caught up with them as they walked onto the same beach where Angel had ended up in a box for three months. He wondered what the hell was going on. Connor and Calista walked across the sand to the edge of the water. They stopped there and extended their hands and the others watched in complete shock as the sea parted before them, revealing dry land. They followed as the two teens began to walk along the 'path'. It was in a slope and they watched in amazement as the water rose on either side of them as they walked out into the deeper water. They came to a stop when the water was about five metres above their heads.
The water before them was swirling like a whirlpool on its side. Connor reached out and touched the centre of it and it opened like a door to reveal a stair that descended even lower. Connor and Calista, who still hadn't snapped out of whatever they were in, began to go down them and the others, who were more then a little curious, followed. They went down and down and down, never seeming to end in a straight line deeper and deeper into the pacific. Wesley commented if they weren't being protected by some kind of magic, they mostly likely would have been crushed by pressure by now, which didn't help the already scared potentials. They finally, after what must have been several hours reached a sandy clean path just like the one before. They were stunned even more to see a tunnel like you'd find in an aquarium, only this was way longer! As Dawn, who'd been the last of them, hopped off the stair the same whirlpool covered the entrance to the stair, trapping them! Calista shook her head and blinked and Connor followed. They looked around in utter shock and voice the same question at once
"Where are we?" Spike stared at them his eyes wide, and his face slack. It would have been quiet funny but the next thing they knew he pounced on Connor and began shaking him viciously,
"You mean to tell us we followed you when you two went catatonic and led us here only to wake up with no idea where we are?" Angel moved to stop him but Calista was quicker. She grabbed Spike by his leather coat and tossed him away into the water 'wall'
"Hey we don't have a clue what's going on so don't give out to us, I only remember going to sleep!"
"And I only remember talking to Gunn!" added Connor rubbing his neck.
"Ok so we are at the bottom of the pacific and are now in a tunnel that doesn't appear to have an end. So what should we do?"
"How 'bout those two try getting the stairs back!" suggested Xander nodded to the two completely lost teens.
"How?"
"Well Connor touched the centre of the whirlpool so maybe if he did it again then maybe-"
"Ahh!" screeched Dawn leaping away staring in horror at the wall. Everyone went into defence stance, but there was nothing to fight.
"What was all that about?" asked Kennedy
"I-I s-saw a- a demon!" stuttered Dawn pointing at the water that was somehow being kept away.
"A demon?" asked Giles doubtfully
"Well it was ugly enough to be one!" said Dawn. Just then a faint light appeared in the water, then huge jagged teeth, and finally they could make out the ugliest, scariest bloody fish they'd ever seen. It watched them with big opaque, unblinking eyes. There was some kind of light attached to its body and it dangled in front of it between those disturbing eyes. It's teeth were as long as an upper arm and the body was as long as Angel's torso. They back up a bit, except Connor who stood right where he was. His face was passive as he stepped closer the fish watched him curiously. Connor stopped just before the 'wall' continuing to stare at the fish.
"Uh, Connor? What are you doing?" asked Angel slowly, Connor didn't answer, he just kept staring at the fish. Said fish seemingly was thinking, then suddenly it darted away along the wall, though they could still see it. When no one moved it turned and came back then went ahead again. No one understood what it was doing. It came back a third time and jerked its body it the direction down along the tunnel, Connor looked down along it and pointed that way in questioning. The fish nodded, or did its version of nodding then swam away again, slower this time and then stopped.
"I think it wants us to follow it." said Connor. Spike instantly said
"Oh no! No, I may have followed you down here but I am not following a bloody fish!"
"I can't believe we're following a bloody fish!" he exclaimed for what had to be the twentieth time. They were walking along the tunnel, Connor and Calista were at the front. Connor seemed to be the only one not worried, he was just curious about what was going on. The fish was beside them swimming lazily along watching them with one of it's opaque eyes. Calista clung to Connor's arm tightly, she was very unnerved, Connor looked at her and said
"Can't you feel it?"
"Feel what?"
"Like this is all familiar to you?" she looked at him and said
"Yeah I can, but that's what scares me the most." They continued in silence. Suddenly Calista screeched and did a kind of double take. There, on the other side of the 'wall', was a BIG fish! Its eye was watching them and they could just make out the head, whew, it was bigger then Robin Wood, who was the tallest person there! Their guide fish swam up to it and snapped its teeth at it. The new one turned its attention to it and they started a staring contest. Connor sighed and folded his arms across his chest impatiently. They waited for many moments until, Anya, who was extremely impatient actually went and hit her hand on the 'wall'
"Hey you, guppy boy!" The first fish turned to her his eyes somehow looking annoyed at the name, "We, unlike you, don't have all day! So c'mon lets get moving, or swimming or what ever you guys do!" the fish regarded her and then, flicking its tail in the other fish's face continued leading them down the tunnel.
"Wesley how far out do you think we are?" asked Fred nervously.
"Well I think we may be about a fifth into the pacific. Give or take a mile or two."
"Wow!"
"Yes, wow."
"Hey do you see that!" exclaimed Connor, pointing ahead.
"See what?" asked Buffy
"That! At the end of the tunnel! It looks like a door of some kind!"
"Oh goody!" muttered Spike sarcastically. Suddenly Calista double over and groaned in pain. Instantly they crowded around her.
"What's wrong?" She looked at them and said irritably
"First of all, back off! Second the babies just started kicking like crazy and it hurts! Something's wrong, or something's right."
"What do you mean?" asked Giles
"Well when Daniel and I first arrived in this world was the first time they kicked! I think they knew where we were, then whenever Connor's near they start up as if they can feel him, and now they just started again when he pointed out whatever's down there."
"Can you walk?" she nodded
"Yeah they just took me by surprise."
"Ok I think we should just keep going see what happens." said Angel as Connor helped Calista straighten up. "Lets go!" They made their way to the door and slowly they could all see it and picked up the pace a bit. Their fish friend got excited and did circles around and swam up and down and all over, it was quiet creepy. They finally reached it and Robin whistled appreciatively. The door was huge and detailed, the wood was a kind they had never seen before and carved into it were symbols and pictures. But while it looked new and old at the same time, the pictures were hard to define. They looked at the fish, who had disappeared.
"I guess we have to go in here." said Willow nervously. Connor went up and pushed at it. It didn't move. Angel joined him and then Spike and Buffy and Gunn. They all pushed hard but it still refused to budge they stopped and back away looking at the door trying to find a key or something. Suddenly Molly, the British potential, said to Giles,
"Mr. Giles perhaps one of the symbols has to be touched for it to open."
"Y-yes! Good idea Molly, just which one?" asked Giles looking at the door for something that might be the right one.
"There, those two hand imprints, they'd probably be them." said Fred pointing.
"But one's bigger then the other so we need two people." Angel and Buffy stepped forward and placed their hands into the imprints or tried. Angel's hand was too big and Buffy's didn't fit right. Spike, who happened to be in a bad mood, grabbed Connor and Calista by the shoulders and said,
"I bet these two will work." They both shot angry looks at Spike, which he ignored and let go. They slowly placed their hands into the imprints and they fitted perfectly. But the door didn't move. Calista frowned then slowly reached out and touched Connor's shoulder, her hand trailed down his arm and took his hand. No sooner had she done so then the door opened slowly to reveal…
Think Finding Nemo for the fish.
Night's Darkness
