Dreams and Ideas

by Shadow Master

These are a collection of fanfic crossover ideas that my admittingly warped imagination has come up with. For the most part this is to satisfy the plot bunnies but if you see a drabbleshortetc that you think deserves to be made into a full fanfic let me k

15. An OUTRAGEOUS Return!

"An Outrageous Return"

Jem and the Holograms/BtVS crossover

Disclaimer: I just wanted to make it clear that I do not own the characters, shows or lyrics contained in this drabble/short and am most definitely NOT making one red cent off of this story. Therefore I would appreciate not being dragged into any legal proceedings concerning copyright problems or anything.

Note: I know that to a lot of you readers a guy writing a fanfic involving an girl band cartoon from the 80's might seem weird but even I can't predict or control where my plot bunnies will come from or whether or not I will be able to fight them off. With this idea I managed to fight off any desire to turn this into a full fledged fanfic so this is pretty much just to get this creative idea out of my head and done with. In short it would take a large amount of demand from you the readers in order to change this from a one shot short/drabble into a full fledged fanfic. So depending on who you are if you want more of this then review this idea and encourage like minded friends to do the same.

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Outskirts of New York City, One Year After the Destruction of Sunnydale

"So which house are we going to check out this time Giles?" Buffy asked as she watched the neighborhood they'd entered pass by her passenger side window.

"One that I think might suit our needs as a possible New York safe house for the new Council." Replied Rupert Giles her Watcher for the last eight years both officially and unofficially, "While our main base of operations might be in Cleveland with the Hellmouth there are still other locations that must also be monitored for demonic activity."

"If you say so. Just so long as we get back in time for my trip to Italy in three weeks." Buffy said not really interested in house shopping especially if it wasn't going to be her house.

The truth of the matter was that if it wasn't for the pressure by the other core members of the new Slayer and Watcher Council she wouldn't be here at all. She had never been Miss. Administrator back when they had been in Sunnydale and that hadn't changed even though her former hometown was now a big sinkhole. Still as the oldest living Slayer and the one responsible for turning destiny on its ear by Calling all the potential Slayers that final day in Sunnyhell the others insisted that she had certain obligations. The way they explained it she was like the spokesperson for the new generation of Slayers as well as the example that the majority of them would strive to imitate. Never mind the fact that there were other Slayers just as noteworthy that survived Sunnydale or that Faith was a close runner up for oldest living Slayer. In the end they had come to a compromise with her: the new Council would foot the bill for her 'vacation' from Slayage if she would at least stop by and inspect newly established Slayer safe houses. All she needed to do was give the houses a good inspection and then call them in with her report before going out to have fun in whatever city or town she was in. Giles had made it clear that he did not expect a concise or professional report from her (even made some comment about expecting that from Xander first) but hoped she would at least take inspecting the buildings somewhat seriously.

Funny how during those last days in Sunnydale they were all about making me not any more important than anyone else and now they practically made me the Queen of Slayers. She thought to herself with some bitterness as she remembered how she had been treated before, during and after the disaster that was the first vineyard assault.

With a sigh she knew that she shouldn't still be bitter over the whole event especially since the gang had gotten back together in time to save the day and had pretty much made up with one another but their betrayal still hurt even now. Even the acknowledging of their side of things, that the non-Slayer members of the team did contribute to the fight just as much as she did, didn't change the fact that one screw up was all it took to make them kick her out of her own home. How was she to know Caleb would be that strong? All they had known going in about the evil preacher guy was that he had a full mad on towards teenage girls and was commanding the Bringers. That was IT! They hadn't known going in that he was just as fast and as strong as a Slayer or that he had a few slick moves all his own. It was like leading a team into a camp run by hippies and finding out at the last minute that they had a tank ready and waiting for them. However the others hadn't seemed to realise that and assumed that just because she was the leader that she would have been able to predict something like that and plan for it. Even when they had time to come up with a new plan and she decided that they should go back in they were against her. She remembered at the time thinking that going back in would be the last thing Caleb and the First Evil would expect. She had been certain from the beginning that there had to be something at the vineyard otherwise the First wouldn't have such a strong defence around it. They just looked at her like she had lost her mind and then proceeded to tell her off making it sound like she was being reckless when the bottom line was that they were just scared.

Scared of getting hurt or perhaps even dying.

Not that there's anything wrong with being scared of dying or getting hurt. She thought as a part of her mind began to take note of the upscale houses on the street they were driving down, But they were acting like the whole thing was going to be like some prime time TV show where the good guys never die or get hurt all that bad.

Ever since she had first died at the Masters hands her first year in Sunnydale she knew what it meant to be the Slayer, how it could possibly end, and she had accepted that. It didn't mean that she was going to stop trying to live her life and hope for a brighter tomorrow but it also didn't mean that she'd let any fluffy daydreams blind her when it was time to get serious. She had known from the very moment signs of the First trying to end the line of Slayers popped into her dreams that things would be different that year and it took the death of one of the potentials Giles had brought with him to really drive it home. So she had taken off the kid gloves and tried her best to lead the team to victory not bothering to sell the girls any sugar coated promises and serving up the truth instead.

I have to believe in a better world. Giles had said one night during those troubled times.

Go ahead. She'd replied with a stone cold realistic frame of mind, I have to live in this one.

That one exchange had pretty much summed up her entire outlook during the struggle with the First Evil and how she believed the battle should be fought. She remembered trying to impress on the others how not everyone was going to make it out of the fight alive and how there was going to be pain involved. She had tried to make them understand that the very idea that they'd all come out of the war with nothing worse than maybe one broken bone was ridiculous. However they refused to let go of their fantasies and when reality had come knocking after the failed first assault on the vineyard they'd all blamed it on her. Even Anya, who'd probably never fought unless she had to in all her years as both a vengeance demon and a human, had heaped the blame on her making her out to be worse than she really was. Even the rest of the gang who had been with her for the past seven years in Sunnydale didn't seem to realise that this battle with the First wouldn't be like the previous apocalypses they'd thwarted. They all seemed to be stuck thinking that fatalities would be kept in the single digits and there'd only be one major hospital visit after the big finale.

Idiots!

Still in the end they had managed to pull it together and save the day and while time had mostly healed the scar created by their betrayal it still stung when they took a position the opposite of what they had assumed in Sunnydale. She did her best to look on the bright side of things and remember that it pretty much meant a paid vacation around the world with none of the cash coming out of her own bank account. That would certainly make things easier for her financially and if all she had to do was look a place over and mail give a three-page report to Giles she'd do it.

Assuming of course she managed to make her flight and didn't get bogged down by this little excursion to inspect the New York safe house possibilities. At least the gang was here to back her up and she had to admit that their presence kept the situation from being completely boring. Dawn was here to check out the Empire State University campus and see if she would take a few courses there and Willow was with them since she'd be the one putting up the magical safeguards on whatever place they wound up buying. Faith was also present since she would be the one put in charge of the place once everything was up and running. Giles wanted her around so she could familiarize herself with the area and the place that would be her home for the foreseeable future. Rona was along for the ride along with Chao-Ahn in order to learn from Faith before being shipped off to their posts at other Council safe houses around the world. Topping off the rather unique collection of former Sunnydale residents was Xander who would be working with the construction team on their chosen house to make sure it was Slayer proof. After all it was one thing for a house to be able to stand up to years of use by a large group of normal people but it was quite another for it to be able to stand up to a group of newbie Slayers who didn't know their own strength yet. Add to the possibility of various demons and baddies paying unannounced visits and you need one helluva sturdy house to meet the standards of the new Council. All together it was probably one of the most diverse groups of people around and that would make things quite interesting or potentially volatile depending on how things went.

"Hey Giles? What's with all the upscale mansions on this street?" she asked taking notice of the big money buildings they were driving by, "I thought you said the Council was on a strict budget and couldn't afford things like this."

"Contrary to how they may look Buffy these mansions and houses are actually being sold at surprisingly affordable prices." Giles replied as he began looking at the numbers next to the front gates of some of the places, "From what the real estate agent told me most of these houses are what's left of the 'dot com' phase and certain formerly wealthy people falling on hard times. In fact if I recall correctly the woman who we'll be meeting once lived at the place we will be looking at. Although she did not disclose how it happened I believe some tragedy occurred that caused she and her family to fall into near financial ruin. She's tried to hold onto this house for as long as she could but apparently the cost of maintaining it has caught up with her."

"Just what kind of house are we talking about?" Dawn asked looking at a house on one side of the street before looking at another no doubt trying to guess which one was the one they'd be looking at.

"Well I believe it was once called—" Giles began to reply before his eyes spotted the number he'd been looking for that matched the address he'd been given, "Oh here we are."

Driving up between two stone pillars with rusted metal fences stretching off in different directions they quickly made it to the house only to find that 'house' was a poor description. A three-story mansion with several additions built onto the side and a pool in the back yard that looked like it belonged to a university by its size. All in all it looked just like the sort of home most teenage girls imagined themselves living in once they struck it rich in either the movie business, TV or music. As they pulled up to the front door of the place they found a woman in her mid-to-late twenties waiting for them wearing your standard ladies business suit. She had blond hair that was slightly wild looking as if she normally had it all over the place but had tried to make it presentable just for this occasion. When Buffy caught her eyes though she could see a deep sadness in them and she began to believe that the woman had tried everything to keep the place but in the end couldn't afford to do so. She remembered what that was like after her mom and dad divorced forcing her to leave L.A for Sunnydale. She was forced to leave the only home she'd known to start over someplace else. It was a sad scene but hopefully, if this place met the Scooby gang's needs, the woman would have enough money to make a fresh start and start creating new memories somewhere else.

"Mr. Giles?" the woman asked attempting to put a professional face over her saddened one.

"Yes and you must be Ms. Larsen. Thank you for agreeing to allow us to view your home." Giles said sounding as polite as possible and gentle since he had obviously picked up on the same vibes she had.

"Please call me Ashley Mr. Giles and it was really no trouble." She replied with surprisingly perfect acting to cover her true feelings, "Are these some of the young ladies you mentioned?"

"Some of them yes. While not all of them will be staying here each of them will likely pass through from time to time." Giles replied and then began making with the formal introductions.

"Well if you'll follow me I'll show you around the place and then we can start with the negotiating." Ashley Larsen said before turning towards the front door of the place.

"Wait! Negotiating? You mean there's no set price?" Dawn asked sounding a little puzzled that the house's price wasn't set like foot at a supermarket or her favourite music CD at the store.

"Not exactly. While there is a range that the selling price has to stick in where it sticks depends what you think of the place and what I think of you guys later." Ms. Larsen replied with only a brief look over her shoulder, "After just because I have to sell the place to make ends meet doesn't mean I can't choose who I sell it to right?"

With those words Ashley took the group of Scoobies on a tour of the place from top to bottom and one side of the house to the other. All in all it looked like exactly the sort of thing that the new Council was looking for since it could both house quite a few people and had room for some Slayerly additions. It was also tickling her spidey senses in a weird way, not evil exactly, sort of like a memory struggling to bring itself to the surface. It was little things at first like the view through a certain window here and a familiar looking room there but she definitely felt like she should know this place for some reason. All through the rest of the tour it acted like an annoying itch that she couldn't get rid of and when they finally came to the end in a large living room she was almost unable to focus on the discussion at hand.

"Well I must admit Ms. Larsen that your home certainly does possess the sort of attributes we're looking for in house." Giles stated being completely honest and looking like he was two steps from increasing his offer for the place.

"I'm glad you like it Mr. Giles." Ashley said with a polite yet firm smile, "However you still have to convince me that you and your friends are the right people to become the new owners. Perhaps you could start by elaborating on what exactly my home will be used for?"

This was met with some hesitance from Giles and it was obvious he hadn't thought to prepare more than a one-page cover story for purchasing the place. Deciding she might as well start leading by example the way the others apparently wanted her to she leaned forward in her seat drawing all attention to her.

"Basically Ashley we'd be using this as a home for teenage girls and young women who need a place to stay until they find out what they want to do in life." Buffy replied trying to sound professional about the sales pitch she was delivering, "We were once a part of an organization that helped girls with unique talents that for one reason or another didn't really have a place to call home. Unfortunately about a year ago that group went belly up and we've been trying ever since to put things back together and give it a fresh spin. We just need places to house all these girls and in New York this looked like the best place."

"Oh really?" Ashley asked with a weird harsh edge to her voice, "Just what's so unique about these girls?"

That of course caused even her, the oldest living Slayer, to stumble a bit since she couldn't exactly tell the truth but at the same time didn't have much else to offer.

"Well… some of them are gifted athletes and some of the others are pretty good when it comes to hitting the books." She replied trying to keep any sign of 'I-just-made-this-up' tone out of her voice.

For a moment she waited with baited breath hoping against hope that that would be enough to satisfy the woman in front of them otherwise the chances of them getting this place would probably drop through the floor. It was clear that Ms. Larsen was at war with herself with one half not entirely trusting the Scoobies while the other seemed to possess a growing spring of hope. In the end it looked like it would come down to one final question and that would decide how things would turn out.

"Just how far are you prepared to go to help these girls and young women?" Ashley asked as though it was the most important question the Scoobies would ever be asked, "Are you willing to put as much work into this place and those girls as I have over the past twelve years?"

"I promise you Ashley that all of us here will be doing out best to make sure that this home and the girls that'll be living here will get nothing but the best." Buffy replied meaning every word she said both in her mind as well as her heart.

"I hope I'm doing the right thing Jerrica." Ashley said almost too softly to hear before saying, "Alright Mr. Giles you've got yourself a house."

"Wait! You said Jerrica just now? What was her last name?" Buffy asked as the name the woman mentioned caused the itch in her mind to grow into a full body rash in the blink of an eye.

"Benton. Her name was Jerrica Benton. What's it to you?" Ashley asked with some hostility at having to answer a question that had personal meaning for her.

"Oh…my…GOD!" she exclaimed as she began to look about the room with new eyes and in the space of three seconds she knew where she was more than ever, "This is Starlight mansion!!!"

That named caused the pieces to click into place for Dawn as well and in moments she was standing up looking all over the place with awe and wonder plastered on her face. She could tell that her sister felt the same way she did and all of a sudden it was like she was nine years old again and Dawn looked like she'd start behaving like a four year old. She knew that right now she shouldn't be acting like she was but knowing where she was she couldn't help herself. She had no doubt that if Giles was able to pay a visit to Merlin's laboratory or Xander got dumped in Superman's fortress of solitude they'd be acting the same way.

"What's got you two in full geek mode?" Faith asked speaking for the rest of the group who apparently didn't have the same taste in music when they were younger.

"This house was where a band called Jem and the Holograms lived about twelve years ago!" Buffy replied managing to get her excitement under control enough to reply, "When I was nine they were the girl band and I had all their albums! Mom once said that my room was practically a shrine to them."

"Yeah and mine wasn't much better! I remember every Halloween 'til the early nineties I dressed up as one of the Holograms." Dawn put in still looking like she'd start jumping up and down like a kid at any moment, "I think I actually still have a few of their albums packed away in some box somewhere."

"I think I heard of 'em from my big sis before I got picked up by the Wa—old guys." Rona said managing to catch herself before saying something potentially troublesome, "Didn't they break up for some reason back in '93?"

"October 6th, 1993." Buffy supplied promptly like she had the date memorized and always at the front of her mind, "There was never really a reason given in any of the papers or on any of the music TV shows besides 'personal reasons'."

"It was a little more complicated than that but none of us wanted the truth to get out." Ashley said sadly as memories of the past danced in her eyes, "We wanted everyone to remember Jem and the Holograms at their best."

"You don't have to tell us anything if you don't want to Ashley." Dawn said taking note of the sadness on the woman's face.

"No. If you guys are going to be inheriting the place you might as well know the most important piece of history about it." Ashley said waving off any attempt at sympathy, "It was the summer of '93 and the place was in full swing like it usually was with everyone doing their thing. Jem and the band had a big gig planned over in Paris and Jerrica was getting ready to fly ahead of them with Rio to nail down the details."

"Everyone huddled around the phone when they called each night to check up on us and let us know how things were going over with the French. Everyone was excited about flying to France for the gig and were all ready to go when we got a call." Ashley said with her resolve to telling the tale wavering a moment before firming up, "Jerrica and Rio had gotten into a car accident outside of Paris. They'd both been rushed to the nearest hospital but the prognosis wasn't good. Countess Danielle du Voisin was the one that called since she'd been there on business and had met with Jerrica and Rio earlier that day."

"We all flew out right away, dropping anything we'd been doing, to be with them but by the time we arrived it was all pretty much over. Rio lost both of his legs and… a-and Jerrica didn't make it." Ashley said her voice cracking a bit as she relived the events of over a decade ago in her mind, "To say that we were all a wreck would have been a big understatement. Jerrica had been a mother to a lot of us Starlight girls and been the business smarts for Jem and the Holograms. The funeral was a big affair with people coming from all over to pay their respects with some of them even being enemies. To make matters worse no one had seen Jem since Jerrica had left for Paris and every one of us girls wanted to know where she was and why she hadn't been at the funeral."

"Kimber had been the one to tell us that Jerrica's death had hit Jem harder than just about anyone besides herself. The lady just couldn't bear to be anywhere that reminded her of Jerrica so she just left never to be seen again." Ashley said in an almost dead tone of voice, "After that things pretty much went downhill for us. Kimber and the others did their best to run Starlight Music themselves and even tried to keep the Holograms in the top ten. Unfortunately without Jem as the lead attraction or Jerrica getting all the best gigs the band's popularity took a serious drop. Eventually Aja and the others gave up on keeping the Holograms alive and focused instead on recruiting new talent."

"For awhile it worked and we even managed to give a coupe of unknown musicians their big break but in the end it turned out we were just delaying the inevitable. We all tried our best but none of us had the same business knack that Jerrica had and eventually Starlight had to declare bankruptcy. Eric Raymond and the Misfits must have had one helluva blast to celebrate that!" Ashley explained making her feelings for the shady manager and his band clear, "From there the priority was in keeping Starlight Mansion as a home for foster girls since it was pretty much all we had left from the good times. Without Starlight music as a source of income though money dried up quick and it was back to how things had been in the old Starlight House with everyone working like crazy to make ends meet. After a year it began to show all over and for some it got to be too much."

"Terri went off to get her law degree, Lela went with Shana to try again to break into the fashion business and Marianne went to work for Lin-Z on her show. Before too long it was just me and Nancy working to keep this place alive." Ashley said looking like she was only admitting defeat reluctantly, "As you can see though it was all for nothing but if you're being straight with me about making this a home for unique girls then I know I'm leaving things in good hands."

By the end of the last Starlight girl's story there was not a person in the room that didn't feel for what she had been through and had a new reason to want to treat this mansion right. For Buffy and Dawn it was a part of their childhood worship of Jem and the Holograms that provided them a way to pay their idols back for their wonderful music. For Willow, Xander and Faith it was more a desire to show their respect to people who worked so hard to help others without fighting the darkness. As for the rest they just felt a certain kinship with the people who had once lived in the mansion and promised to never forget those that had come before.

"Thank you for your confidence Ms. Larsen. I promise you that we will show this place the respect it deserves." Giles said with more sincerity than anyone else.

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Five Weeks Later, Early Afternoon

"Hey Dawn? Could you hand me the Pledge?" Buffy asked as she finished clearing the dust off of a table they'd dug out of the mansion's attic.

"Sure Buff'!" Dawn said grabbing the spray can from the coffee table near her and tossed it in the direction of her older sister.

Catching it with the ease that only a Slayer could manage she immediately sprayed a good amount on the table she'd just cleared the dust off of and began wiping. As she worked she marvelled at how much time had passed since Giles had signed the papers to the mansion and how much things had changed for her as well. Gone was the fatigue of seven long years of being the Slayer and instead was the normal fatigue of bringing a home back to its former glory. Surprise of surprises she felt good doing this normal work instead of slaying and considering how dedicated she'd been in doing chores back in Sunnydale most of the others were shocked. When asked why she wasn't looking for ways out of the cleaning and repairing she was only able to tell them that she felt like she was actually making a difference restoring the place. Naturally they pointed out that she had been making a difference as the Slayer since almost every May/June she managed to save the entire world in one fell swoop. What she hadn't told the others was that while it was true that being the Slayer allowed her to do some pretty impressive hero stuff it had become harder in recent years to see if she'd made any progress against the forces of evil or was just maintaining a stalemate. She wasn't delusional enough to think she could really change the status quo between good and evil all that much but it'd just be nice if she could know whether or not she was making any difference at all.

In the end it had been this feeling of progress and accomplishment that came from restoring the mansion that had caused her to pass the paid world tour trip to Faith when the time for her flight to Italy came around. Most of the others had been a little shocked by this but Faith accepted within seconds and immediately left to pack for the trip. That had been a week ago and despite all the places she could have been to and seen she didn't regret giving up the world tour for this. After giving one final wipe with her handful of paper towel she dumped it into a trash bag and decided to head upstairs and see if she could give Xander a hand. The one-eyed carpenter had been scouting out areas in the mansion that could be redone to house some of the Slayerly additions that'd be needed when the newbie Slayers arrived. He'd managed to get a copy of the architectural plans for the place and was going over everything so they could make the most of the space they had. Personally she thought they might actually have too much room but Giles had mentioned that the space would be filled in quick with weapons, books and the general teenage girl paraphernalia. Reaching the top of the stairs she headed towards the area on the plans that she'd seen him frowning at breakfast that morning figuring that'd be the place to find him. Turning a corner three minutes later she wasn't disappointed when she saw her Xander-shaped friend standing in front of a wall with a look that reminded her of when he'd spent three days straight trying to figure out a brain teaser Willow had given him.

Better give him a break before his brain overheats. She thought with some humour as she walked up to him a little louder than normal.

This did the trick since as soon as the sound of lead feet hit Xander's ears he looked up from the plans he'd been staring at and smiled when he saw it was her.

"Hey Buff! How're things going downstairs?" he asked with his lopsided grin.

"Well Dawn and I have pretty much finished cleaning the main living room. Giles and Rona should be finished with the yard soon and I think Willow said she'd have the internet connection up and running by this afternoon." Buffy replied as she looked at the same wall her friend had been staring at, "How about you? What's got you stumped about this wall? Is it lopsided or something?"

"No but it's just that this wall shouldn't be here." Xander replied as he began his comparison between the plans and wall once again, "There should be a twenty-five by thirty feet space here for some kind of lounge or second floor living room but instead there's this. I've been trying to decide whether the people that built this place just made a last minute change or if that Benton lady made some changes after her people moved in."

"Well then let's take a look then." Buffy said as she clenched her right hand into a fist and walked up to the wall.

Without waiting for Xander's permission she cocked her right arm and let loose with a Slayer strength punch breaking through the plaster and some of the wood behind it easily. To her that pretty much settled that the wall had been an addition after the place had been built and that it'd be possible to tear this wall down if they needed to make more room. It wasn't until after she removed her arm from the wall though that she spotted something reflecting coming from inside the walled off space. Her curiosity piqued she made the hole her fist had made a little bigger and then peeked through to get a better look. What she could see wasn't much because of the lack of light but it looked like some kind of high tech machinery but oddly designed since it looked like it belonged on the set of some eighties sci-fi show. Suddenly a thought struck her, maybe it was a left behind piece of equipment belonging to Jem and the Holograms, and that was enough for her to completely block out Xander who was probably asking her to stop or at least get a sledgehammer. With almost a single-minded determination she began to break down the wall in front of her until a door sized hole had been made. Pausing only to swipe the flashlight that had been hanging from Xander's tool belt she switched it on and entered the mysterious room to take a look at what she hoped was a piece of music history.

Looks like someone needed anger management classes! She thought as she took in the obviously bashed piece of equipment.

Now that she had more light at her disposal and a better view she could see that someone had taken a crowbar to the large piece of electrical equipment smashing everything made of glass and putting some decent sized dents in the metal parts. It looked like a cross between a computer, a pipe organ and some sort of light show generator but was unlike anything she'd seen in her entire life. Not one of the televised concerts or the one her mom had taken her to in L.A that Jem and her band had performed had included this piece of equipment. Then out of the corner of her eye she spotted something on the ground that sparkled when her flashlight touched it briefly. Focusing the light on the sparkle she found a pair of pink star earrings on the floor and after picking them up she recognised them as the earrings that Jem always wore everywhere she went. Had Jem done this out of grief after Jerrica Benton died? They must have been pretty close to provoke a reaction like this. Putting the earrings in her pocket she went back to looking at the damaged piece of equipment set against the far wall.

I wonder if it could be repaired? She idly thought as she briefly tried to make a guess at the damage before she remembered she knew next to nothing about machines much less how to repair something like this.

"Buffy why did you bust a hole in the wall?" came Willow's questioning voice from behind her.

Turning around she found that just about everyone else who had been in the house was there and looking at her as though she was going to start demolishing more things at any moment.

"I was just trying to help Xander figure out why the blueprints of the place didn't match with what was here and look what I FOUND!" she said with returning excitement believing now that she could get Willow to repair the piece of equipment.

"WOW! You think this belonged to the Holograms?" Dawn asked since it took the younger Summers sister less than a minute to put the pieces together.

"I think so Dawnie! Hey Willow? Do you think you could get this thing running again?" Buffy asked with the discovery of the Jem earrings momentarily slipping her mind.

"I don't know Buffy. This isn't exactly something I've ever seen before." Willow replied making her own visual survey of the machine.

"C'mon Willow! You're like the super genius of the group!" Buffy said deciding that flattery might get the redhead to see things her way, "I bet you can get this thing going in less than two weeks!"

"Yeah! Besides some of the baby Slayers might like having a high tech piece of music gear around to practice with." Dawn said applying a little practical reasoning to the mix.

"While I share Willow's lack of knowledge about this particular I must point out that it could be quite expensive to restore this machine and we are on a tight enough budget as it is." Giles pointed out trying gently to deny the Summers girls their request.

"I'm willing to pay for some of it with the money from my savings account." Buffy said with determination since she refused to give up on this without a fight.

"Me too! I'm even willing to check out the area for any odd jobs I can get paid for." Dawn said siding with her sister in a rare example of familial solidarity.

"Well Giles?" Xander said showing some interest in hearing what reason the elder Watcher would give to counter the blonde Slayer and her sister.

"Very well. Do what you will." Giles said with a sigh realizing that he would not be winning this battle, "I would only hope that you finish your duties in restoring the house before working on this machine afterwards."

"Sure thing Giles!" Buffy said with a smile wider and brighter than it had been in a while.

"Thanks Giles!" Dawn said as she used a little emotional blackmail to seal the deal by hugging the British man and giving him a light peck on the cheek.

"Yes… well… let's get back to cleaning the yard Rona." Giles said grabbing a hold of the first feasible reason for leaving that he could come up with.

"Right behind you Mr. Giles." Rona said with a lack of enthusiasm that made it clear she wanted to avoid that particular duty but hadn't been able to think up a half decent excuse.

"So when do we start?" Buffy asked turning to her genius friend eager to see the machine belonging to her childhood idol repaired.

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Ten Days Later, Kitchen, Morning

"So how're the repairs going Willow?" Buffy asked watching the redhead enter the kitchen with a notebook in hand and a pen tucked behind her ear.

"Better than I expected given how bad it looked at the start. I think whoever smashed it was just swinging wild instead of aiming for anything in particular." Willow replied as she sat down at the table and grabbed a piece of toast before pouring herself a glass of orange juice, "Still there are some parts I'm going have to go all wicca on to put back together but the rest I should be able to get replacement parts for. My biggest problem is making sure all the information stored on the thing gets transferred over to the new parts. Don't want to leave anything important out."

"I'm sure you'll be able to do it Willow." Buffy said with the utmost confidence that her genius friend would be able to pull of this repair job even if she had to bring out a miracle or two.

"Well I'm afraid I shall not be able to be around when you finally do manage to get that contraption working again." Came the voice of a worried and somewhat irritable Rupert Giles as he walked into the kitchen with suitcase in hand as well as all his tweed on.

"What's wrong Giles? Did something happen?" she asked not liking the sharp edge to her former Watcher's voice or the concern on his face.

"I'm afraid that I've been informed of some questionable practices back in Cleveland at the Council headquarters." Giles replied taking his glasses off and giving them a good cleaning, "Apparently Kennedy has been exercising her authority as senior Slayer in charge a bit too much and it is beginning to stray close to an abuse of power. So I've decided to head back myself and determine the situation in person. If matters turn out to be as described I might be sending you some young Slayers earlier than we had planned while I attempt to talk some sense into Kennedy."

"Do you want me to come along Giles?" Willow asked almost immediately, "I know Kennedy a bit better than you do so I might have better luck getting through to her if she's going a little tyranty."

"No that will not be necessary Willow. What I've been told is mere opinion at the moment and for all we know my informant is merely lying in order to better her own position." Giles replied as he put his glasses back on, "However if things do turn out to be dire I'll be certain to let you know."

From there it was a series of goodbyes and 'call me' words before the Watcher got into a cab that had pulled up to the front outside and was driven to the local airport. Looking at Willow the blonde Slayer could tell that the wicca was feeling a little torn about where she should be at the moment despite the fact that she and the newbie Slayer were no longer an item. It had been about three months before they came to New York to scope out Starlight Mansion (yes she was still calling it that even though it was there place now) and it was clear that the genius Rosenberg still wasn't completely over the break up. After Sunnydale became a sinkhole it had been great according to the mistress of magic but once a command structure began to be set up for the new Council Kennedy's behaviour began to take a rather ambitious turn. Oh the brat still challenged Slayer Summers every chance she got but she was also beginning to curry favour with some of the other newbie Slayers and was among the first to greet new arrivals. Things took a serious turn for the worse when Willow found Kennedy fishing through the wicca's magic files for something. Needless to say there was yelling, slandering and in the end both had stalked off in a rage with neither even wanting to be in the same room with the other for a week. Eventually, Willow being the persons she was, the wicca had tried to extend the olive branch between the two of them as well as make an attempt to reclaim what she and Kennedy had once had. Unfortunately the newbie Slayer had been stubborn and even worse had tried to make it sound like she'd been planning on dumping Willow for awhile now and was actually thankful for an excuse to do it sooner than later.

Spoiled bitch! Buffy thought with a temporary rise in anger, Using Willow like that and messing with her emotions. Barely a year after Tara was killed too!

Forcing the anger she was feeling back down she tried to focus more on the positive things that had happened lately. For one thing she had gotten a job as a waitress at a local club to help supplement the funds from the Council that was still going towards bringing the mansion up to snuff. Of course sizeable part of those funds were also going towards restoring the machine they'd found in that walled off room but it wasn't effecting the overall mansion restoration efforts all that much. Willow was also putting in some time at the local Apple store teaching some computer classes for some of their more advanced classes and was getting paid a pretty fat pay check all things considered. Dawn had started taking some classes and E.S.U but was off to a rocky start in terms of the marks she got back for various assignments. Still her little sister was determined to make it work and the blonde Slayer had no doubt that Dawn would manage somehow. Even if for some reason she flunked out the youngest Summers daughter would still have a place to live and friends to back her up.

Xander was still pretty much the leader for the restoration projects around the grounds and was working pretty close with Rona and Chao-Ahn in those areas. Also, unless she was seriously starting to lose her edge, it looked like the Chinese girl was beginning to develop a slight crush on the one-eyed carpenter. The Xan-man was of course completely oblivious to this and probably saw her helpful attitude and looks as nothing more than a strong friendship in the making. Whether or not it would develop into anything more meaningful was still up in the air but she thought it would be good for Xander to get back into the dating thing. Sure there was something of an age difference thing but considering his last serious girlfriend was over a thousand years older than him she doubted it would matter if his girlfriend was younger than him. Besides if the crush Rona had turned into something more it would be doubtful as to whether or not the Xan-man would be able to hold her off for long before giving in. If nothing else it would be good for a few 'all-in-good-fun' laughs.

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Five Days Later, The Formerly Walled Off Room, Afternoon

"So what's the what Willow?" Buffy asked entering the room through the door that Xander had constructed around the hole she'd made over a week earlier, "You sounded pretty excited about something over the phone."

"Oh Buffy! I owe you big for finding something like this!" Willow said as she virtually bounced from one end of the machine to another installing circuit boards and plugging in cables, "It took me awhile but three days ago I finally figured out what this machine did! Whoever made this was a certified genius, someone decades ahead of his time, and I think I managed to piece it almost completely back together data and all!"

Willow's excitement was contagious and bouncy energy was beginning to bubble up with the blonde Slayer along with making her want to know exactly what this machine did.

"So what is it? Some kind of laser light show generator that some designer went too far with so it was walled away never to be seen again?" Xander asked obviously amused at his bestest friend's behaviour but still clueless as to what the machine did.

"Well you're kinda right but also way wrong. It's so much more than that!" Willow said looking like she'd finished the last of the assembling she needed to do, "Hopefully in a few seconds I'll be able to show you exactly what this baby can do. I just want to do one final magic check to make sure there aren't any loose connections ro shorts just waiting to happen. I might have been thorough while I was putting it back together but I could have missed something on one of my caffeine highs."

"Someone let you have coffee?!" Xander asked with a worried look on his face as he took an unconscious step away from the machine in front of him, "Who?"

"Hey she said she needed something to keep her awake while she pulled an all nighter." Rona said looking a little sheepish at her apparent mistake.

"ANYway! It looks like everything is where it should be so if you'll all take a step or two back, just for safeties sake of course, I'll turn it on." Willow requested before going over to what looked like the central console and began typing in commands.

Despite the utmost confidence that they had in the redheaded genius everyone took four steps away from the machine. After a minute some of them, mostly Dawn and Buffy, thought that perhaps there was some kind of problem but it turned out that their concerns were unfounded. With a moment of random flickering the lights on the machine came to life and all could hear the growing hum of a machine coming to life. Then all at once things began to take a turn for the weird when beams of light began to fly from the machine and where they touched objects began to appear out of nowhere. In some cases it was just plants and furniture but in others it was living things that moved as well as sounded real. Fortunately these manifestations didn't linger for long since ten seconds after appearing each form vanished. Gradually the light show died down and an increase in light from the main screen caused everyone to look at it to see what bizarre thing would happen next. A purple woman with 80's hair and dressed in an outfit that looked like it was straight from the set of Star Trek the Original series was most definitely NOT what they'd been expecting. For a moment they all thought that it was some kind of recording or something like that but the image on the screen quickly showed signs that it could see them.

"Intruders! Identify yourselves!" the pixal woman demanded before yelling, "Jerrica! There are intruders in the mansion!"

While an intelligent sounding machine on its own would have been enough for the Scoobies to break out the exorcism books, especially given their 'adventure' with Moloch, one thing stopped the blonde Slayer in her tracks. She could hear the woman as if she was a lot closer than it looked. It wasn't an auditory malady like some might think but rather it was kind of like she had some earphones on and was hearing the woman speak through them as well as the speakers of the machine in front of her. Looking around sharply she tried to find out if there were hidden speakers in the room close by that either she or Willow might have missed. Finding none she tried to figure out where the voice was coming from and when she felt one of the pink star earrings she had taken to wearing everywhere hit her it all clicked into place.

"The earrings!" she gasped as she almost unconsciously reached up with her right hand to grasp one.

"Buffy?" Dawn asked with a little concern at what she had just heard her sister say.

"I can hear Ms. Purple talking through these earrings." She replied taking said earrings off to get a better look at them in case there was some sort of visual cue on them that something was happening.

"Those earrings look like Jem's! Where did you find them?! Why didn't you tell me!?" Dawn exclaimed at first with surprise and then with some annoyance at her sister keeping this from her.

"Indeed that is what I would like to know." Ms. Purple asked with a look that was moderately more rational but also angry.

Assuming it was possible for a machine to feel anything.

Still given the results that Warren managed to accomplish with his robots it wasn't too big of stretch.

"Look! How about we all calm down a little and start things off with some intros? Okay?" she asked not wanting things to devolve into a yell fest, "I'll go first since I'm the one with the earrings. My name is Buffy Summers and the annoyed brat over there is my little sister Dawn. Next wearing the eyepatch and painful-to-look-at Hawaiian shirts is Xander Harris and the girl with 'tude next to him is Rona."

"And I'm Willow Rosenberg. I'm kinda the one that fixed you and I gotta say you are one impressive piece of machinery." Willow said looking about ten times worse than she usually did when she picked up the latest 'state-of-the-art' piece of computer tech, "So now that we've all said who we are can you tell us who you are?"

"My name is Synergy." Ms. Purple replied honestly though with some wariness still in her voice, "Where is Jerrica Benton? Or Kimber perhaps? I would like to speak with one of them as soon as possible."

This pretty much confirmed for the oldest living Slayer that this machine, this arty-facial intelligence she thought Willow said people-like machines were called, was indeed connected with Jem and the Holograms. What that connection was still something she was clueless about but it was clear that Synergy considered them important. That made the reply they had to give the mech-lady all the harder to give considering how she'd feel after being given such sad news. Still it wouldn't be right to lie to the lady and so she decided to just come out with some straight honesty.

"I'm afraid that neither of them are around anymore Synergy. Jerrica died in a car crash in France eleven years ago and no one's seen Kimber since then." Buffy explained as gently as she could deciding to treat Ms. Purple as a woman rather than a machine, "From what Ashley told us the rest of the Holograms started breaking apart after Jerrica died and have all pretty much gone their own ways. I'm sorry."

The almost human look of shock, sadness and grief on Synergy's voice was a surprise since none of them really had expected something made in the eighties to be so advanced. It almost became painful to watch the emotions cascading across the purple skinned face on the screen but fortunately that changed. Synergy apparently was ready to proceed straight past the initial shock and grief in order to proceed straight to the next most human reaction to such tragic news.

Denial.

"No! You're lying! They can't all be gone!" Synergy yelled with anger and looked like she might try something violent very soon.

"I'm afraid it is true. Check for yourself if you don't believe us." Willow said joining Buffy in her 'give it to her straight' stance.

"How? I cannot leave this room and can only view things elsewhere secondhand through those earrings." Synergy said with slightly less anger than before but contempt more than ready to take up the slack.

"A lot's changed since you were last working. We have something called the internet now and when I was repairing you I made a few upgrades along the way. You should now be able to search the internet for the proof you need." Willow stated as rationally as well as gently as gently as she could.

For a moment it looked like Synergy was going to refuse to do so just to act contrary to the wicca's suggestion. Eventually though the woman on the screen nodded in agreement to which everyone in the room smiled.

"Very well Willow Rosenberg. I will use this 'internet' to verify the truth of your claims." Synergy said in a diplomatic manner, "I will contact you when I have come to a decision."

"Good. See you then okay?" Willow asked rhetorically before turning and walking towards the door.

"Take as much time as you need." Said the blonde Slayer as she followed the redheaded genius out of the room.

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Two Hours Later, Kitchen

"So what do you think she'll do once she finds out?" Buffy asked the collected group of mansion tenants.

"Personally I'm putting my money on blowing a fuse and then crashing." Xander replied half with seriouesness and the other half humorous.

"Xander!" Willow exclaimed angrily while looking like she was five seconds away from giving her best-bud-since-pre-school a serious lecture.

"I'm just saying that she's probably going to go through what most coma patients do when they wake up years later to find everythings changed without her." Xander said quickly explaining his earlier comment in order to avoid the Willow tongue lashing he would have received otherwise, "I know if I woke up ten or twenty years later to find you guys had gone on without me I'd be two steps from freakin' out."

This managed to calm down the wicca and persuade her not to give the 'artificial intelligences are people too' speech that she'd been contemplating just in case anyone else made a thoughtless comment about Synergy. None of the Scoobies present could find fault with Xander's words because in the years since they'd first met they had become as close as a group of friends could get. Not one of them wanted to even contemplate what it'd be like if for some reason they landed in a coma then woke up to find one or both of the others dead. There would be grief, guilt and anger in them for sure when they woke up from the coma. They'd be grief stricken at the loss of such good friends and guilty that they had not been there to prevent it somehow. Then the anger would come at the unjustness of it all and probably more than a little cursing at the stinking PTBs for not stepping in to help. All together it made for a emotion cocktail that concievably could lead to someone doing something drastic if they weren't strong enough to bear it.

"We'll just have to be there to help her through it." Buffy said simply with a set determination in her eyes

"I appreciate the thought Buffy but that will not be necessary." Came the voice of Synergy moments before the computer lady materialized in the form of a realistic looking hologram, "I did as you suggested Willow and sought out information about Jerrica and the others. While I don't want to believe that Jerrica is dead the information I managed to find does appear to be authentic."

"So what will you do now?" Dawn asked with interest since they'd have some big issues if the A.I decided it wanted to leave them or something.

"I do not know. When Jerrica was alive I aided her and the Holograms in their performances as well as with any mishaps that happened on their journeys." Synergy replied with a lost look of contemplation on her face, "Perhaps if you could tell me what it is you all do I might get the inspiration I need to choose my own path."

"Sure! Well I guess it all started eight years ago in a little southern Californian town called Sunnydale…" Buffy said as she began regaling the A.I with tales of the Scooby gang.

Over the next two hours Buffy told a condensed version of the lives she and the rest of the Scooby gang had led up until recently. Every once and awhile one of the others would put in their own opinions of various adventures as well as make sure Buffy left nothing out at all. Needless to say there were many an embarassing Buffy moment revealed with the blonde Slayer either countering with an equally embarassing moment in retaliation or just with the threat of later retaliation at a later date. Both Rona and Synergy laughed at some of these exploits since the former was relatively new to the group while the latter obviously was just getting to know everyone for the first time. By the time recents events were laid out for the holographic being the Scoobies could tell that Synergy had come to a decision regarding her future.

"While I will have to do further research before I can believe in the existance of the paranormal and demonic before I can believe in them your tale has intrigued me." Synergy said with geniune sounding interest, "I do not know what help I can be to your fight but I promise to do all I can nevertheless."

"Great! I'm sure you'll be a big help!" Buffy said with joy at the idea of Synergy staying with them and not downloading herself somewhere else or something.

Just as Willow was about to make a comment the phone rang and with a little irritation the reheaded wicca got out of her seat to answer it.

"Hello? Giles! How are things going in Cleveland?" Willow asked with a smile at hearing from her old friend and some times mentor.

However the smile quickly changed to a look of shock before becoming one of hurt and eventually settling on anger.

"How bad is it Giles?" Willow asked looking like someone had just told her that someone had burned down her home and that not everything of value might have been saved, "No problem. We'll get things ready for you and the others right away and everything'll be set for when you guys get here. Bye."

While all of the Scoobies not in possession of the phone knew that it was impossible to have a good idea of what the conversation was about they could discern enough to know that it was not of the good. Willow had a look on her face that was usually reserved for the likes of Cordelia at the height of her Queen C days. When added to the fact that apparently Giles and others from the Cleveland HQ of the Council were coming here everyone was eager to find out what had happened. Watching Willow hang up the phone everyone waited with baited breath to find out what was going on.

"So what's the what Will'?" Xander asked no doubt figuring his status as Willow's best bud would shield him from any of her ire.

"Well as you might have heard that was Giles on the phone. Apparently things are worse than he'd heard before leaving!" Willow replied sounding like she was actively trying to stay calm, "According to him Kennedy has been treating the Cleveland branch of the Council like her own personal kingdom and ordering the others around like a bunch of lackeys! Giles confronted her about it but then she threatened to have her family yank the funding completely!"

Shock was the dominant emotion present on most of the Scoobies faces at the moment since they all knew that as a member of the rich Gabor family Kennedy had been a big help financially in setting up the various branches of the new Council. In fact it was safe to say that without the money from that family it would have taken years to bring the organization back up to the level where it could support Slayers worldwide. A lot could happen in that amount of time so if Kennedy carried through on her threat then a lot of young girls would be left high and dry. Oh the various members of the new Council would try to take care of them, Giles had made sure that they actually gave a damn about their charges, but without strong financial backing it would be like Sunnydale all over again. All those Slayers would only have their Watchers and a few local supporters to call on for aide since it would take to long for others to gather the necessary funds to get there at all much less in time to be of any use. All in all they expected that the reason why Willow was so upset was because Giles had told her that they would have to let Kennedy have her way for the time being until the Council had sufficient funds to do without her and her family.

"So Giles basically told her to pack her bags and get out! Well he put it a bit more Britishy than that and was a bit more colourful but that was the jist of it." Willow explained with her control over her anger starting to slip a little, "So not only did the Queen Bitch not cave at that but she also managed to persuade a few of the other newbie Slayers to leave with her!"

"What!?!" everyone exclaimed at that with the exception of Synergy and that was because she was too new to the group to understand the full scope of the situation.

"How could Giles let that happen?" Dawn asked startled that the G-Man wouldn't do everything he could to keep even a couple of Slayers from straying from the path.

"From what he told me over the phone he tried to convince them to stay but all Kennedy needed to do was flash money in ther faces and promise them high ranking positions in order to get them to abandon the Council." Willow said in a way that everyone could tell she was redoubling her efforts to calm down, "Giles expects that the funding from the Gabor family will dry up in a day or two so he's going to move the majority of the new Slayers that stayed loyal here and relocate the more experienced ones to smaller homes."

Everyone knew that by 'smaller' Giles meant less expensive and agreed with his move to keep the costs of running the Council down by squeezing as many Slayers as he could into one place as possible and selling all the unoccupied buildings. That way the money from the sold buildings would take at least some of the financial pressure off of the Council and buy them some time to find some other financial backers that had a few more scruples than the Gabor family. Still things would be tight and the Watchers of the world would be vulnerable as well as their charges making them prime targets for the demon community.

"Guess we better get this place ready because it's going to be a lot more crowded pretty soon." Xander said as he got up from his chair, "I'll go make sure that most of the rooms are cleared out and put the repair stuff in another room."

"I'll go for groceries and make sure that the fridge is stocked when they get here." Dawn said heading for the kitchen counter where all the flyers from the local supermarkets were sitting, "Hopefully there'll be enough good deals on what we need so that it won't cost too much."

"I'll check with some of the contacts we've made in the city to see if there's anyone who might be willing to fund us without asking too many questions or might ask for the wrong kind of favors in return." Willow said heading for the nearby stairs, "There has to be someone willing to fund a home for special girls."

"The people from the furniture store should be here to deliver the rest of the beds." Rona said with a look that made it clear that Kennedy was dead next time the African American girl set eyes on her, "Hopefully they'll cut us some slack on the payments otherwise we'll be down literally to bread and butter before too long."

Watching the gang jump into action the blonde Slayer couldn't help but be proud of the way that they hadn't let such discouraging news get them down. To them Kennedy's betrayal was just another hurdle to overcome and not only would they beat this problem but they would thrive despite it. For her though she was still worried about what it could mean in the long term and how she could help fix it. She remembered what it was like to be tight for money after her mother had died and she had to try and raise Dawn on her own money-wise. Contributions from her friends, minimum wage jobs and the occassional loan from the bank were what had kept the two of them afloat but somehow she doubted that it would be that easy this time around.

It would be worse.

"Is the situation really so dire Buffy?" Synergy asked from her metaphorical place at the head of the table.

"Yeah. The First Evil pretty much wiped out the Watcher's Council a year ago and while Giles has managed to get a hold of some of their money most of it was lost." Buffy replied turning to the A.I, "A lot of us considered it to be a big help when Kennedy offered to have her family back the new Council financially. Guess we should have known there'd be strings attached to that kind of help."

"Perhaps. However I believe I may know of a way you might be able to earn the money you need and help your cause at the same time." Synergy said with a look that hinted she had a plan up her holographic sleeve.

As the A.I started to reveal her plan Buffy's spirits began to soar higher and higher until she could contain it no more. Racing up the stairs to the room where the sophisticated machine dwelled she had a feeling in her gut that things were going to get better a lot quicker than the others might think.

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Synergy's Room, Evening the Next Day

"So what's the big surprise Buff'?" Xander asked once the core Scooby members had all entered the room and the door had closed shut.

"Well I got a bit of inspiration yesterday when we found out what The Bitch had done and so I spent all yesterday and most of today coming up with a plan to turn things around." Buffy replied looking for all the world that she was dangling the proverbial carrot in front of them and teasing them with it, "Now its not a guarantee or anything but considering how well it worked for Jerrica Benton and the others I bet it can work for us too."

"What exactly is it you are proposing Buffy?" Giles asked neutrally even though he was internally doubting that anything that could be thought up in the space of twenty-four hours could work as well as the Council would need it to.

"It'd probably be better if I show you rather than just tell you." Buffy replied before reaching up to touch one of her pink star earrings, "Showtime Synergy."

With a shimmer of neon green light a field of energy enveloped the blonde Slayer momentarily blocking her vision but when it cleared she could tell immediately by the look on their faces that her transformation had gone off without a hitch. Like a little girl playing dress up she spun around to give the others a full three hundred and sixty degree view of the new her. She had spent hours working with Synergy to come up with just the right combination of Jem's features and her own to make her plan work. The face and body had been pretty easy to come up with but the mix of 80's fashion with what was considered stylish today had been sheer torture. However if the growing smiles on the faces of Willow and Dawn were any indication she'd aced everything.

"Good lord! Is this some sort of glamour?" Giles asked in fascination has he began to look at her from different angles, "You've never shown promise in magic before Buffy."

"That's because this isn't a glamour Giles! It's all technology thanks to Synergy." Buffy said loving the fact that she was not only managing to get one over on her former Watcher but also showing up his old ways with modern tech, "According to Synergy the Holograms did this all the time when they were in a bind before a big show. Stage outfits not arrive on time? No problem! Just tell Synergy what you want and BAM it's on you in seconds!"

"Outrageous! Can I try it too?" Dawn asked as though she had just seen something in a store that she just had to have.

"I figured you'd say something like that so yeah!" Buffy replied glad that she'd be able to count on at least one person to support her idea, "Show Dawn what we made for her Synergy."

With a flash of light from one of the many multicolored spotlights that adorned Ms. Purple's body the younger sister of the blonde Slayer changed in appearance as well. Gone was the long-haired blonde with the gymnast figure and in her place was a redhead with long blood red hair dressed in an white feminine tux blazer with purple skirt. Just like the eldest Summers girl had planned she had also combined the features of the Holograms' keyboard master and back up vocalist Kimber with Dawn's narure appearance. It made for a stunning change but it also pretty much made her plan obvious to the others.

"So your big plan is to form a band and raise money that way Buffy?" Xander asked tentatively as though he didn't want to appear to be either in favor of the idea or against it.

"Yeah. I mean Dawn took piano lessons for a long time back in Sunnydale and both me and Willow sounded pretty good when Sweet showed up that time turning Sunnydale into one big musical." She replied setting up the framework for her proposal, "With a little practice and a lot of luck we should be able to get good enough to get ourselves a gig at a local club."

"Then what? Get center stage at Madison Square Garden?" Rona asked with some skepticism about the idea, "'Cause that's the kind of money we're going to be needing. No offense Buffy but I just don't see your 'I wanna be a star' dream getting us anywhere."

"While I admit I am impressed with the amount of thought you put into this plan Buffy I am afraid I must side with Rona on this. While the times may have changed I clearly remember from my younger days that club bands weren't paid very much and certainly not enough to make much of a difference where the Council is concerned." Giles said trying to gently lead his one time Slayer away from her fantasy, "Also you have far too many obligations as the elder Slayer to spend time performing in front of a crowd."

Buffy had known he'd point those details out and already had a counter argument ready to give her the lead in the discussion.

"Actually I never thought this could solve all the Council's money problems but with a little creative thinking I think it could keep our heads above water long enough to find some other backers." She explained sounding like she was already certain that she'd be winning the debate, "As for my duties as the senior Slayer this would actually work out great. After all Giles you've already told us a million times how the demons are keeping an eye out for us mega good guys. With Synergy backing us up and a little work to get some gigs in the towns where we need to go we can get in without any vamp or demon knowing until it's too late."

This definitely put the brakes on whatever follow up he'd been planning on giving and unless she was very much mistaken there was actually a bit of optimistic speculation going on behind those librarian glasses of his. All he'd need would be one more push in the right direction and then it'd be almost impossible for him to stay opposed to her idea.

"Besides Giles even if we practice 'til we collapse I doubt we'll be able to become any better than your average club band so you don't have to worry about the band becoming too high profile." She said allaying any fear that attracting too much attention would compromise the combat effectiveness of the members, "This'll just be a way to earn some money and get around all stealthily at the same time. So what do you say? You on board or what?"

For the next few minutes everyone waited in hushed silence waiting to see which direction the most senior surviving member of the previous Council would go. There was no doubt which way both she and Dawn wanted him to go and judging from the look on Willow's face she wasn't that far behind. Xander looked indecisive since he probably wasn't sure where he fit into the plan but she knew he'd happily join up once she told him he'd be the head roadie for the band. He'd be the one directing the newbie Slayers who'd be assigned to the band as well as making sure everything was ready for the performance. She figured with his history in contruction and some tutoring from Willow in the field of electronic gizmos he'd be able to pull it off easily. Rona still looked skeptical about whether or not the plan would work but the blonde Slayer had a feeling that whichever way Xander went she wouldn't be far behind.

"Well I suppose every young person is entitled to chase at least one of their dreams before settling down. If this idea of yours is your dream and it can benefit the Council in some way then I will support it one hundred percent!" Giles said with a supportive smile followed soon by a hug.

The room erupted into cheers and whoops of joy marking the beginning of something truly great.

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The Bottom Line, New York City, Three Months Later, The Dressing Room

"Are you guys nervous? I'm nervous! Aren't you guys nervous?!" Willow asked as she continued to pace back and forth at a speed usually reserved for those on a caffiene high.

"Chill Shala!" Buffy said using the wicca's stage name to remind her friend of the role she was meant to play, "We've been practicing for three months straight and we've been coached by someone who was there every step of the way on the Holograms' rise to the top. We're ready for this!"

"Jenna's right girlfriend! Besides once you get out there picture performing in front of the others back at the mansion." Dawn said lending her support to the combination of Shana Elmsford and Willow Rosenberg, "Besides you heard the manager of this place when he auditioned earlier in the week. He loved us! We're going to be a hit!"

"Doesn't mean it's going to go so well in front of a live crowd Sinder." Rona pointed out as she made sure her outfit fit right, "'Sides which this is our first big break since this whole thing started. Bottom Line's a top notch club in New York and if we blow it here we can forget about performing in this city anytime soon."

"Don't worry Ana 'cause you guys are going to be great out there." Declared Xander as he entered the room in his self-made roadie outfit with the band name on the front of his shirt.

"I guess if you say so then we at least got a chance." Rona said not completely surrendering her position but encouraged by the man whom she was starting to make moves on.

"Trust me! You've got more than a chance." Xander said before addressing the band as a whole, "Everything's on stage and set up just like you wanted Jenna and Bob says you guys are on in three so you better get on stage and ready."

"Right. Let's go girls!" she said leading the way out of the dressing room and towards the main stage.

With each step she took though the 'butterfly stomach' feeling that everyone came down with before the first big performance stirred within her stomach. Were they really going to pull this off? Sure they'd been practicing non-stop since she told everyone her big idea but that didn't mean necessarily that they'd be able to perform tonight. After all she knew that not many bands even made it on stage at a club like this much less made it big like Jem and the Holograms had done from the beginning of their careers. Most people with the dream of making it in the music business were eventually forced to give up on their dreams for something a little more attainable. She knew she had just meant this to be a cover for the Council and a source of revenue but she'd be lying if she said that there wasn't a small part of her that wanted to go all the way. Ever since she had first seen Jem and her band perform there had been a part of her that wished it was her on stage in front of all those people.

Well tonight I'm going to get my wish so here's hoping I don't wind up tossing my cookies on stage! She thought to herself as she walked up the steps and onto the stage.

Stepping up to the lead mike she listened to the people on the other side of the curtain and for a moment she was overcome with the urge to make a break for it. Doubt and fear clawed at her insides moreso than any demon could hope to manage. However with a deep breath and the focus needed to block out everything but the stage and her friends on it. There was no club, there were no strangers watching her, there was nothing but her and the music she was about to let out with every fiber of her being. Tonight dreams became reality and she wasn't about to let anything as flimsy as cold feet get in her way.

"Ladies and gentleman we have a special treat for you tonight! Here for you this evening we have an undiscovered band that is like nothing you've seen in years!" came Bob's voice from the club speakers, "Performing for you here tonight, for the first time anywhere in New York City, I give you J.A.T.H 2!!"

With those words the curtains were swept back by the stage hands off stage and the light fixtures clicked on with both being operated under the direction of Xander. Holding her empty hand off to the side she made the signs to the others and with the classic '1…2…1-2-3-4' they all began the premiere song that would make the first and most important impression the citizens of New York would have of the band.

There's music in the air
News is in the makin'
Music in the air
Something big is breakin'

They'd all had a big debate two weeks before on what songs they'd make a part of their set of performance songs and while there had been a few good suggestions none of them felt quite right.

Wow look around at the sight and sound
Did we take you by surprise
Bet you can't believe your eyes oh whoa

She'd been the one to use some of the old classics written by Jem and Holograms but both Willow and Xander had pointed out that 80's music would only be popular in retro and theme clubs.

Well, this is only the beginning
Only the Beginning

It took her less than a minute to suggest that the song's lyrics could still work if they just updated the music and tempo to match the times. After all plenty of big name bands took songs from a decade or two past and put a brand new spin on them. Hell! Some bands took music straight from the sixties and made them appeal to contemporary audiences!

Now, now's the time when our stars don't climb
Watch us try for the prize
We're already on the rise
Oh

It was that 'modernization' that had kept most of them up in the days leading up until their audition with Bob but if his reaction had been any indication it had been more than worth it.

Well, this is only the beginning
Only the Beginning
Only the Beginning
Only the Beginning
Only the Beginning

Tapping her foot to keep the tempo of the updated version of the classic Jem and the Hologram song she could feel all the doubt fade away with the music. Losing herself in the music she barely noticed the crowd in front of the stage getting into the swing of the music on the dance floor. Right at that moment there was only her and the music with nothing else even entering her mind.

Wow, look around at the sight and the sound
Did it take you by surprise?
That you can't believe your eyes
Whoa

It was like she was in a dream where nothing could go wrong and everything turned out to be better than any expectations she had set for herself. With every word she sang she shared a little bit of herself with the crowd in front of herself letting her soul seep into the word coming from her mouth.

Well, this is only the beginning
Only the Beginning

Moving with the modest dance moves that Dawn and Rona had come up with in their spare time she kept the rhythem of the music at the forefront of her mind. Every step she took and every movement she made was perfectly in time with the beat of the music making it look easy to those watching.

Now, now's the time when our stars don't climb
Watch us try for the prize
We're already on the rise
Oh

Out of the corner of her eye when she could spare a moment between lyrics she could see that Dawn, Willow and even Rona were getting into the swing of things. Dawn and Willow were pretty open about how much fun they were having but the blonde Slayer could tell from the way that Rona was moving she was having just as much fun.

Well, this is only the beginning
Only the Beginning
Only the Beginning
Only the Beginning
Only the Beginning

Only the Beginning!

With one final emotional surge of singing the song came to an end and no one could see the reactions of the people in the audience as anything but overwhelming. There was not a single person in the crowd that wasn't on their feet somewhere clapping, cheering, and yelling for more of the same. Basking in this atmosphere she couldn't help but ride the high it was giving her that made all the work that went into it worth it. For the first time in a long time her hard work felt like it had meant something to someone other than she and her friends. No longer was she this unknown warrior fighting an unknown battle doomed to die without any sort of recognition from the people she was protecting.

It felt simply OUTRAGEOUS!!

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

At the Bar Farthest From the Stage, Same Time

Looks like history just might be repeating itself! Thought the orange haired woman as she got up from the bar stool she'd been watching the band from, I gotta tell Lindsey about this!

Discreetly making her way closer to the door in order to get a better connection for her cell phone she quickly hit the speed dial and watched as a number she'd had for the past seventeen years was rung up. She and Lindsey had been friends for what seemed like forever with one always benefiting from the work that the other did. If she was doing good work her friend could be certain it would benefit her ratings in some way and likewise she'd benefit each time one of the videos she'd directed was featured on the show her friend hosted. Together they had become known as the superstar sisters of the music business and Lindsey was definitely better than her own sister. Sure Constance had matured a bit from her teenage 'destroy the career of my sister' phase but all that really meant was that the quality of the sabotage had gone up. She just hoped that Clash waited a bit before she tried to make a mess of J.A.T.H 2's career because she really thought these girls might go all the way just like the band that had obviously inspired them had.

"Hi Video! Been awhile since I've heard from you." Lin-Z, the premiere music v-jay in the business, said obviously having looked at her caller I.D before answering, "I assume this is not a social call?"

"It's a little bit of business and a little bit of girl talk between friends." Video replied with a smile as she tried to predict her friend's reaction to her news, "I'm down at the 'Bottom Line' scouting out talent and you'll never believe the act that's on stage now."

From there Vivian 'Video' Montgomery told Lindsey 'Lin-Z' Pierce of the band going into their second song of their set, who they reminded the music video director of, and just how much potential she thought was rocking on that stage at the moment. It was at that moment that the gears of Fate began to turn and any hope that Buffy and the others had for keeping a low profile became more of a dream than being a superstar was to most teenagers. It was the rebirth of a music industry icon and only time would tell if they would follow the path set out by their predecessors or soar to even greater heights.