Interlude

'Interludes and examinations'

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AN: There was a time I had chapters of this size. Now I call it an interlude because I don't deem it long enough to call it a chapter. It's basically a single scene I couldn't place elsewhere but which I felt important enough to keep.

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Belmovekk sat on the living room couch of 1630 Revello Drive holding a sleeping baby girl and he watched it like it was the most wondrous thing he'd ever seen. It wasn't like he hadn't seen babies before. Or never held one. He helped out raising Belgarath's daughters. Occasionally he chipped in helping Polgara handling the Rivan bloodline.

But life had a funny way of changing this when they were your own children. He now really understood why some Saiyan parents hid their children, or bribed the Auditor, the official sent to measure new born infants. Anything but send them away to some strange world to survive on their own. Intellectually every Saiyan understood that policy. The survival of the species depended on the species being strong. It was just that the species meant so little once you had your newborn child in your hand.

Not that that mattered much at the moment. Belmovekk could sense that his two daughters were already exceptionally strong. With a chi already in the double digits. Which could potentially be a big problem. A man or woman trained to such a level would know how to restrain themselves. What does a new born baby know of restraint however?

Luckily Saiyan physiology had adapted for that. Saiyan thinkers had speculated that the origin of Saiyan telepathy lay in the need of Saiyan parents to communicate with their infants. To instill in them the necessity to restrain themselves, lest they hurt themselves and/or their surroundings.

Which was why Belmovekk had been busy for several hours a day walking and holding the children. It was pure necessity since Joyce did not have the telepathy that came natural to Saiyans. They quickly learned that the children could still reach out towards her. Which at least made for quiet nights and days. Belmovekk hadn't lied when he had said that Saiyan children were very quiet. They didn't need to cry with more decibels then a Manowar concert. They called for their parents with their minds. It didn't mean less sleepless nights though, just silent sleepless nights.

As he held them Belmovekk communicated with the children. Instilling in them the need for restraint, that everything would be alright, that their father and mother were there for them. He could only do this with one child at the time. Not that it was too hard for him to carry both. He could easily lift a whole battalion of babies if need be. The problem was that the children were only half Saiyan. He found it hard to commune to the both of them at the same time, although he suspected this might change as the children would grow in the coming weeks or months.

The Twins were born a few days ago at a local private clinic, courtesy of the good folks at Capsule Corp. After Giles had told them, Buffy and the others had arrived as soon as they could so Buffy could see her new sisters.

"Buffy," Joyce said, still tired from giving birth as the Scoobies had entered her room at the clinic.

"Mom," Buffy said concerned as she settled down beside her mother's bed, "are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Buffy," Joyce said smiling, then she held up the baby she was carrying, "meet your new sister."

Joyce gave Buffy a small baby wrapped in a blanket which Buffy took in her hands. It looked so tiny and fragile that Buffy felt she had to restrain herself even more then she was used to normally.

"Hi there, little sis," Buffy smiled at her new sibling. The baby opened its eyes and looked at Buffy. For a moment Buffy felt something touch her mind, then the baby closed its eyes again.

"I think she recognized you," Joyce said to Buffy.

"Oh, she's gorgeous," Willow cooed as she settled next to Buffy, then she looked at Xander, "isn't she gorgeous, Xander?"

"She is, Will," Xander said, then he leaned over towards Giles and whispered softly, "God these babies look ugly. They do get to look better, right?"

Giles just smiled as he whispered back.

"Don't be an arse, Xander."

Xander shook his head, then he sighed. Maybe he just wasn't a baby person. Or maybe it would be different if they were his.

"So, Joyce," he asked, "what's the name of Buffy junior?"

"Mayan," Joyce replied, "after Belmo's sister."

"I like that name," Willow said, "hi there little Mayan."

The baby didn't reply as Willow stuck her finger out towards her.

"She doesn't say much," Willow asked Joyce.

"She hardly cried at all," Joyce said, "even when she was born. The nurse found it uncanny. Of course it wasn't the only thing she found uncanny."

"Ohmigod," Buffy cried when she opened Mayan's blanket and saw a little furry tail emerge, "Ew! Ew! Ew! Gross!"

"Come on, Buff," Xander said grinning, "surely this isn't the first tail you've seen?"

"Yeah, but not on my sister," Buffy said as she quickly closed the blanket.

"Speaking of sisters, where is the other one," Willow asked, "I thought there was going to be twins?"

"Yeah, where is little tyke number two," Xander asked.

"With me, young man," Belmovekk's voice said behind them as the Saiyan walked in carrying another little bundle. He then walked over to Joyce and sat down beside her on the other side.

"She is totally different from her sister, Joyce," Belmovekk said as he kissed Joyce, "she already wants to see everything."

As if to illustrate the point the baby was already looking around, taking notice of everybody in the room.

"But that would be impossible," Giles said scratching his head, "Babies can't see more then a few feet ahead of them at birth. Increased depth perception only comes later on."

"You're thinking human babies, G-man," Xander said and waved to the baby, "I don't think the rule book applies to them. Hi there, little girl."

With Xander standing several meters away the baby proved Xander right by wiggling a few fingers at him.

"See?" Xander grinned victoriously, "I think she likes me."

"I think you just volunteered to baby-sit her," Buffy smiled, "A lot."

"I don't mind," Xander replied, "it warms my heart that at least one Summers girl likes me."

"Technically she's not a Summers girl of course," Giles coughed discretely, "as the father is Belmovekk, not Hank Summers."

"What's her name?" Willow asked the Saiyan.

"Joyce allowed me to name one of the girls, which I did, she named this one," Belmovekk said and looked at Joyce. Who smiled and then spoke.

"I knew that if I ever had another baby girl I would name her Dawn."

That was a few days ago. Now Belmovekk sat with Dawn in his arms on one of the living room chairs. Where Mayan was an easy child, always content to be fed and cleaned on time, Dawn was the curious one. Always demanding to be picked up and carried so she could see things. Even now, this late in the evening, she was still awake. Mayan meanwhile lay asleep in the arms of her mother, who lay asleep as well under a blanket on the sofa.

"It's a strange thing," a copy of Belmovekk's voice, overlaid with harmonic overtones spoke. Belmovekk looked sideways and saw the gold clad copy of himself sitting on the chair closest to the hallway.

"Human births have always amazed me," Amūn said, his fingertips touching each other as he sat at his leisure, "it is so much work, so much difficulty, both during the gestation and beyond."

By now Belmovekk had long given up on making a fuss whenever the Goa'uld deemed it necessary to show up.

"Still, it does have its advantages," the Goa'uld said, sounding slightly wistful, "it must be comforting to know as a child that you will be taken care of. While I knew everything my sire knew, I hardly knew them until I reached adulthood.

"How do Goa'uld spawn?" Belmovekk asked curious, "I hear it involves a queen."

"You need a Goa'uld queen indeed," Amūn said, "she spawns many larvae and they can grow to adulthood on their own. At first they need the comforts of a pool, filled with nutrients and at the right temperature. Until they are ready for implantation."

"To be implanted in your poor deluded Jaffa?" Belmovekk snorted.

"We all do what we must, Saiyan," Amūn shrugged indifferent, "I'm sure the planets that the Saiyan race subjugated for its own needs were perfectly happy with that state of affairs."

"I gave up on those ideals long ago," the Saiyan said.

"Yeah, yeah," Amūn said unimpressed, "your much vaunted 'I'm so sorry, I must make amends' schtick. Well, you hear that, Saiyan? That is the sound of nobody giving a damn!"

Amūn brought one hand to his ear to pretend he heard something which wasn't.

"You are picking up quite the number of local colloquialisms," Belmovekk remarked, one eyebrow raised in surprise.

"It's all I ever get to hear these days," Amūn sighed, then he looked at the baby, "I think she sees me."

Belmovekk looked at Dawn. She was indeed looking at the Goa'uld. Then she looked at him, back to Amūn and then at him again, her eyes implying something fishy was going on.

"I think so too," Belmovekk said as he studied Dawn's face.

"How can this be?" Amūn asked curious, "nobody, not even that strange feline of yours, can see me."

"It must be the telepathic connection," the Saiyan mused out loud, "Maybe she can see you through me?"

"Hmm," the Goa'uld replied, "interesting. I wonder if this mea…."

As the Goa'uld rambled on Belmovekk noticed how Dawn's eyes suddenly narrowed and she started to look angry at something. Turning around he saw a man standing behind him.

The man looked almost like a corpse. Like he had died and could decompose at any moment. His unkempt black hair showed many blotchy bald spots and his angular eyes looked at Belmovekk with a cadaverous grin.

"Melakon!" Belmovekk hissed aghast. Then an energy beam shot forth from his left eye. It passed right through the figure and over the table through the window, leaving behind a small round hole. It didn't phase the man though as his grin just spread.

"Joyce is going to be so pissed you ruined her window," Amūn said as he got up to examine the newcomer, then he glanced at Belmovekk, "Eye lasers? What else can you do?"

"Oh, stay long enough with him and you will learn them all," the cadaverous man said to Amūn. Who was so startled that he inadvertently stepped back.

"What the…." Amūn exclaimed wide eyed, "can everybody suddenly see me?"

"It can't be, Melakon," Belmovekk said as he went to stand next to Amūn, still carrying Dawn, "you're dead!"

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not," Melakon grinned.

"Who is this," the Goa'uld asked Belmovekk.

"Melakon was an old enemy," he said, "a Grolim priest who wormed himself into my life. Claiming he was a defector he feigned friendship. And we, no, I believed him. Of course, he didn't look like this at the time and as he was the only Grolim to ever make it into the Vale of Aldur I trusted him and took him under my wings. Teaching him things not even Buffy knows yet. He betrayed me and became my greatest enemy. Creating a secret Grolim brotherhood of chi fighters, the Twelve. Even though I killed Melakon it took me and Beldin a thousand years to destroy the Twelve for good. "

"Oh, you talk a good deal, Belmovekk," Melakon said in a Grolim accent, "but it only serves to hide that it was you who betrayed me. I believed in you. It was you who betrayed me and left me to die, fodder for the demon you raised. Which made me look like this"

"You are not real," Belmovekk said and swept his free hand through Melakon. It went right through him as if he were a hologram.

"No wonder he can see you," he said to Amūn, "he is like you. Nothing but a ghost."

Then Belmovekk looked at the apparition again.

"I killed you with my bare hands, Melakon, you are most certainly dead. Now be gone!"

He unleashed his Will against the apparition, expecting it to go away. Instead the apparition just flickered for a moment but it never went away.

"Now that has never happened before," it said as it examined itself. Then before their eyes it changed form into that of a woman with raven black hair. She fell onto her knees and held out her arms pleading.

"Bello," it wailed in despair, "Why did you abandon me? I'm lost without you in death!"

"Bello?" Amūn said giving Belmovekk a weird look. The Saiyan looked at first shocked, then pained, finally angered..

"It is how my late wife used to call me," he said angry, eyes wide open, nostrils flaring, "and she is also very, very dead!"

"Why have you forsaken me for so long, Bello," the woman wailed again, "it is lonely, so lonely in the afterlife!"

"Be gone, foul spirit," Belmovekk said, again unleashing his Will causing a small wind to blow through the room. Again the apparition flickered for an instant. For a moment the woman looked annoyed.

"That's twice you tried," Amūn said as he studied the apparition, "it would seem we deal with more then just a simple specter."

The woman changed shape again, this time into a gold clad Goa'uld as it turned towards Amūn and began speaking in the Goa'uld language.

"It can't be," Amūn said aghast, "I killed you!"

The Goa'uld spoke again and Amūn waved dismissively at it.

"No," he said vehemently," you only had yourself to blame!"

"I am starting to detect a theme here," Belmovekk said as he put another hand through the apparition, much to it's annoyance, "whatever this is, all it can do is taunt us and assume the shapes of the dead."

"How do you know for certain?" it said looking at Belmovekk, "Maybe I can do so much more?."

It changed shape again into that of Jenny Calendar.

"Isn't she alive?" it said smirking. It wasn't quite true of course since Jenny had died.

"Fine, you can do so much more," Belmovekk sighed, then turned it's back to the thing and went to sit in his chair again and sat down, "is there a purpose to your visit, shade, or did you come here just to raise specters from the past for your own amusement."

"I was intrigued," it said as it started to walk around the room to have a look, "you have made quite an impact lately. I just finished what I came to do and I thought I'd drop by for a visit."

"And who might you be?" Amūn asked curious.

"The First," it said casually.

"The First," Amūn said surprised, "the first what?"

It turned to the Goa'uld, its eyes transfixed on it in such a way it made Amūn flinch.

"I am the First, little worm. Before your species ever evolved I was already there. I'm neither demon nor a ghost. I am something that you can't even conceive. The First Evil. Beyond sin, beyond death. I am the thing the darkness fears. You'll never see me, but I am everywhere. Every being, every thought, every drop of hate."

"Spare me the speeches," Belmovekk said unimpressed, "I had to suffer through the combined works of Kal Torak. What do you want?"

"Good, straight to the point," the First Said impressed, "I like that."

The First went to the chair Amūn had previously sat in and sat down.

"I want an alliance, Saiyan."

That surprised Belmovekk and he raised an eyebrow.

"What, that's it? No threats, no hollow pledges of my destruction?"

"Why should I?" the First shrugged, "Your goals and mine run parallel. We fight the same enemies. The only difference being that I know who they are and you don't."

"He could be right, Saiyan," Amūn asked, "if it knows…."

"It could be lying," Belmovekk said to the Goa'uld, "the best liars mix truth and falsehoods."

"All too true," Amūn agreed. The First meanwhile shook its head.

"I can see there are some trust issues," it said.

"Can you blame us?" Belmovekk said, "You come in here, frighten the child, in the guises of our past and loved ones and expect to be trusted?"

"Alright," the First nodded before smiling again, "how about a first step then. I think you should go and visit your friend Kami. Ask him to give you a guided tour of the place. There may be some things up there that might interest you."

"What do you mean?" Belmovekk asked, but the First smiled and got up.

"I already said too much," it said smirking, "if you excuse me I must go, I only had this small window of opportunity to escape from Their attention."

And then it vanished. Amūn walked up to the place where it disappeared as if he could somehow figure out where it went.

"This is indeed the strangest place in the universe I ever had to visit," Amūn said, shaking his head.

"How do you think I feel?" Belmovekk replied, still holding Dawn. To his surprise she had somehow fallen asleep during the whole scene.

"And what now?" Amūn asked.

"We will go to Kami's lookout tomorrow," Belmovekk said as he put Dawn next her sleeping sibling.

"You're going to do as it said?" Amūn said surprised, "Like you said, it might have mixed truth with lies. And lies with truth."

"I know," the Saiyan replied as he stood before the window and looked outside, "that is why tomorrow I will speak with Master Giles first. See what he knows of this First Evil."

"You better get some sleep first," Amūn said as it came next to him, "the sun will be up soon."

"I can take a few sleepless nights," Belmovekk shrugged, "whatever needs to be do….."

Suddenly outside it began to snow.

"Snow? Here? I thought that was unheard of in this place," Amūn asked surprised.

"It is," Belmovekk said transfixed, "and I suspect someone or something has been tampering with the weather."

"The First?"

"If it could change the weather do you think it would have just taunted us disguised as dead people?" Belmovekk snorted, "But it is possible. It mentioned some others though. I think it just became even more important then ever to ask Kami for that guided tour. "