The Circle of Scooby

by red-jacobson

The activation of the world's slayers has caused massive destruction throughout the multi-verse, and the Circle of Ouroborus is determined to prevent that happening and recruit three natives of the critical timeline to save the multi-verse!

12. Chapter 12

STORY TITLE: The Circle of Scooby

PART: 12 of ?

AUTHOR: Red Jacobson ( )

DISTRIBUTION: , Archive of Our Own, Twisting the Hellmouth

DISCLAIMER: None of the Characters You Recognize belong to me, the Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel Characters belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy (Grrr! Argh!), and the Boondock characters belong to the Estate of Robert A Heinlein and his publishers.

SUMMARY: The activation of the world's slayers has caused massive destruction throughout the multiverse, and the Circle of Ouroborus is determined to prevent that from happening and recruit three natives of the critical timeline to save the multiverse!

FEEDBACK: Of course! It Makes Me Write Faster

RELATIONSHIPS: Xander/Cordelia/Tara, Buffy/Willow, Giles/Jenny

RATING: PG-13

WORD COUNT: 4,396

SPOILERS: A Crossover with RAH's Lazarus Long Books. I'm afraid that, while I'm going to do my best to explain things, at least a passing familiarity with Time Enough For Love, The Number of the Beast, The Cat Who Walks Through Walls, and To Sail Beyond the Sunset would help you understand who these characters are. None, but if you don't know how the Buffy the Vampire Slayer story goes by now, why are you reading this story?

CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE DEPARTMENT: I'm borrowing a bit of Cordy's childhood background from my buddy IronBear's stories, specifically Rio Blanco on the Mouth of Hell, and the Hell-er-nator Stories. If you want some amazing Xander/Cordelia stories, do yourself a favor and check him out!

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I'm going to try something unusual for this story, no lemons. Frankly, they've gotten to be a bore to write, and I imagine they've become boring to read as well. Hope this goes well.

PART TWO OF CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE DEPARTMENT: The 'Ritual of Disavowal' is borrowed from Vidicon's Waifs and Strays Universe on TTH.

HEY BUD, IT'S BEEN A WHILE: Sorry for disappearing like that, but it was the depression grabbing me by the sac and squeezing, keeping me from focusing enough to write a coherent sentence. At least I'm feeling better now, hope it lasts for a while.

The Bronze

Monday, November 3rd, 1997

8:00 PM

Xander only had a minute to give Buffy and the others an alert before Ford was at their booth. With a smile, Xander turned and said, "Ford, perfect timing bud, I could use a pair of extra hands to bring back the refills. Tell you what, for your help I'll even buy your first drink."

Ford looked at him in surprise, not expecting a friendly greeting, but just shrugged as he gave Buffy a grin and walked toward the bar. When they were close to the hallway for the restrooms, he saw the grin drop off Xander's face as the other guy turned to look at him. Ford knew that he wasn't going to like what Xander said, but he figured it was warning him off Buffy, not that he had any plans for romancing Buffy. That was why you could have knocked him over with a feather when the first thing Xander said was,

"We'll see about the drinks in a minute or so Ford, but right now, I need to know if you made any deals with the vamps at the Sunset Club? Specifically have you made any deal with Spike?"

Ford was so surprised he just shook his head, "No, not yet, and I saw Spike but he was too obsessed with all of you to want to have anything to do with. I did my research and found out he didn't get the name Spike because he was a volleyball player!"

Xander could see the truth in his eyes and gave a mental sigh of relief. With a more natural smile, he said, "That was just about as good an answer as I could have hoped for, because there are other ways to help you, follow me."

Xander pushed open the door into the alley behind the club, and when Ford stepped out, he felt the prick of a needle at the back of his neck and was unconscious before the door closed behind him. Xander put the injector back in his case, grateful that Galahad was willing to provide it so they could get Ford to Boondock.

Raising his ring to his mouth, Xander said, "Fish in the net, needs cleaning before release."

He heard Jake Burroughs's voice come through, "Understood, cleaning commencing in, three, two, one, Now!"

Out of nowhere, an opening appeared in the wall behind him, and Zeb and Deety hopped out, Xander could see Hilda at the wheel, which he wasn't expecting, but it wasn't a big deal compared to what they were actually doing here. Deety was running a scanner around Ford's head, saying, "It's good that you were able to get to him in time, the tumors are nearly at the point where even Ish and Galahad wouldn't be able to save him. We'll have him back when we're satisfied he's cured and provide the records demonstrating the experimental treatment he went through, and the NDA's to keep people from digging too deeply."

"Thanks Deety, Ford was one of ones I felt bad about, yeah, he made a crappy decision, but who can say they would have done anything different?" Pulling the injector case out of his pocket, he handed it to Deety, stepping back out of the way as they finished what they were doing to get ready.

While they were talking, Zeb picked up Ford's unconscious body and put him on the stretcher, and he and Deety floated him through the hole that closed behind them.

Checking the time, it was 8:11 and a few seconds, and three seconds later the hole reappeared in the opposite wall, and Ford stepped out, looking the same as he did earlier, except the strain was gone from his face and eyes, and he said, "I don't know why you went out of your way like this, but thanks! I already got the lowdown on World as Myth, and I've actually been through Time Corps training so I'll continue to be sick for a few weeks longer, then I will die and head off to Boondock."

Xander gave him a grin, and said, "Did Zeb and Hilda put you through the Ego Busting part of the training?"

"Who the hell would think a tiny woman like Hilda could pack a punch like that? But we still need to get the girls their drinks, and you owe me one!"

Laughing, the two of them slipped back into the club and headed toward the bar. Neither of them looked back, if they had, they would have seen Angel step out of the shadows with a shocked look on his face, wondering what the hell Harris and the others had gotten themselves into, because he recognized the names of the people mentioned, from a series of books he read a few years ago. I wish he had taken the time to pick up a bottle at Willie's when he was there Saturday, but, even though it was tempting, getting smashed wouldn't accomplish anything, Even though his feelings for Buffy crashed in flames when Harris told him about the curse on Friday night, he still cared for her, and if Spike was on the rampage, Buffy and the others would need his help, and he could do that by finding out where Spike was holing up now.

Walking with a purpose, Angel strode out of the alley, heading toward the docks, to pick up any news that was out there.

TCOS & TCOS & TCOS

1630 Revello Dr

Approximately the Same Time

Joyce sat back in her office chair, rubbing her eyes tiredly. She had been working on entering the new inventory into the Gallery's computer database, but she couldn't stop thinking about what she had heard from Willow the day before. She had already been concerned about the amount of time Willow spent alone in that house, but it sounds like even when Sheila and Ira are at home, they don't have time for their daughter. From what she remembered from her Dad's dinner table stories, it sounded like Willow could make a good case for abandonment and Joyce would be more than happy to open up the guest room for Willow's stuff, even though she would most likely be sleeping in Buffy's bed. The only question is if Willow has any source of income of her own. If she and Buffy aren't too late getting back from the Bronze, she would sit down with both of them and discuss it.

Putting the notepad where she had been putting down her thoughts to the side of her desk, she stood and stretched before taking her seat and managed to complete the new inventory in less than two hours, in time to hear Buffy's keys in the lock at the front door. A quick look at the time and she saw Buffy was in almost a half hour before curfew, which pleased her. Stepping out of her home office, she headed toward the kitchen and intercepted Buffy and Willow, and said, "I'm glad you are home early, because I have something important to discuss with both of you, and no, it's not a bad thing at all, so don't worry."

Pretending she didn't see the look of relief on the two of their faces, she had them sitting at the table and said, "I'm going to be blunt here, Willow I'm really not happy with the amount of time you spend alone in that house, and from what I heard you say yesterday about Sheila wanting to fill out a questionnaire after finding you and Buffy, it sounds like you're on your own even when they are physically there, am I wrong?"

Willow blushed, looking down as she shook her head. Buffy moved closer and put her arm around the other girl, saying, "Don't worry Will, I think I know where Mom is going with this, and it can be a very good thing!"

Joyce smiled at Buffy, "I'm glad you approve, Buffy, but wait until I finish what I was saying to make sure you are right about what I'm planning. But Willow, Buffy is right about one thing, I'm not even close to being unhappy with you, you are doing the best you can, considering you are basically raising yourself and have been for years, haven't you?" Not waiting for a reaction, Joyce said, "I've been thinking that, if you could show a reasonable amount of income that wasn't from Sheila or Ira, you could make a very good case to be emancipated as a minor. Of course, you would be welcome to move in, in fact we can get the guest room cleared out so you have a place for your computers and everything else that belongs to you."

The look of shock on Willow's face was almost painful to see, before she smiled, and started talking, but she was talking so fast that Joyce couldn't make heads or tails of what she was saying, but couldn't get a word in to tell her that. Fortunately, Buffy was more familiar with the way Willow could react, and just pulled her into a kiss, cutting off the flow of words instantly. After a few minutes, Buffy pulled back, and Willow snuggled in her arms. "Willow is very excited about the idea, and she makes more than enough to live on from selling her computer programs. And, yes, this is where I thought you were going, and I'm very much in favor of the idea."

Joyce chuckled, "I never would have guessed." Glancing up at the clock, she said, "It getting late, and I need to get some sleep, and you two should be heading to bed yourselves, you do have school in the morning."

Getting up from the table, she was heading to the stairs when she heard the girls getting up as well, talking quietly as they followed her up to the bedrooms. Joyce wasn't trying to eavesdrop, but she could hear the tension in Buffy's voice, talking about somebody named Ford, and how he was acting strange after talking to Xander. She didn't know what to make of that bit of conversation, but neither of the girls seemed angry or upset with Xander so it must not be too serious.

Shutting the door behind her, she completed her bedtime rituals of cleaning the makeup and other things before going to bed, and she was still wondering about the snippet of conversation as she fell asleep.

Jenny Calendar's Apartment

Monday, November 3rd, 1997

10:12 PM

Jenny slipped out of bed, careful not to disturb the sleeping man in her bed, but she really needed to visit the ladies, otherwise, there would be another wet spot on her bed, and she didn't want that! Making the bathroom just in time, she was washing her hands when she finished, and looked at her face in the mirror, wanting to laugh at her hair, she was currently sporting the hairstyle called 'just fucked stupid, and loved it!' She was looking forward to waking up early so they could repeat the experience. Walking out into the dark living room, a blinking light from her computer caught her attention, she had an email, and since she only used that particular computer for her mystic endeavors, it could be important.

Sitting down at the keyboard, she woke the screen up and opened the email mailbox, grinning when she recognized the sender, it was one of her contacts who was searching for the Ritual of Disavowal, and hoping that Velma had luck finding something because she really didn't want to depend on the Lone Gunman to find the information she needed. The three of them were good at what they did, but she didn't have the time to follow them down the different rabbit holes their conspiracy theories led them to. Opening the email, she read the first few lines and had to restrain herself from waking English up to tell him the news. The ritual was surprisingly simple, and Velma had even included attached photographs of the pages she found the ritual written on.

Sending a quick reply thanking Velma for finding the information, Jenny promised to send observations of the ritual if she was allowed to be there, otherwise, she would make notes on any after-effects and send those along. Sending the email, she was getting up when she heard Giles walking around and then heard the toilet flush. When he stepped into the living room, she was standing, the glow of the computer monitor providing the only light. With a wide smile, she asked, "How awake are you, English?"

He managed to smirk, and said, "Awake enough for another round or two, if that's what you are asking."

"That's good to know, and I'll ask you to prove it in a couple of minutes, but I just got an email with some very good news. A complete description of the Ritual of Disavowal, including pictures of the pages in the book! It doesn't seem like it would be difficult, and there aren't any unusual components needed."

She didn't get to go any further because she was being lifted in his arms, and his lips were capturing hers, as she wrapped her legs around his thighs, feeling him sliding deep into her body. They managed to stumble back to the bedroom, and Jenny discovered, to her delight, that Giles was good for more than just a round or two.

They were both late for work the next day.

TCOS & TCOS & TCOS

Los Angeles International Airport

Monday, November 3rd, 1996

11:45 PM

Kendra stretched, after so many hours sitting in the airplane, it felt good to be able to move freely again! It would have been better if the flight had arrived earlier, because there are no shuttles to Sunnydale running at night, and checking the bus schedule, the last bus left 45 minutes ago. She had the name and phone number of the Watcher, Mister Giles, but it was far too late to ask him to come to pick her up. Not wanting to sit around the airport, she was too restless after the hours in flight, so she got directions to a Denny's restaurant that was within an easy walk of the airport. The man at the information booth looked at her a little strangely, but she was confident she could handle any humans that tried anything, and the route to the Denny's was all well-lit and a lot of traffic so the risk of vampires was a lot lower than it could be. Double-checking the directions, Kendra seated her backpack so it was comfortable, and headed out into the Los Angeles night.

She was surprised that nobody even gave her a second look as she walked, but that was fine with her, she just wanted to get something to eat and a cup of coffee if possible, but she wasn't expecting much, not after getting used to the way Mister Zabuto ground his beans and made the coffee. But at least it won't be instant coffee, that is an offense against the blessed bean and whoever developed it should have been staked out over a fire ant colony covered with honey, The pain would be almost enough to make up for what they did to coffee!

Seeing the Denny's up ahead, she started moving a bit faster and soon was having a seat at the counter looking over the menu options. She got her coffee while going over the menu, and was surprised that the coffee wasn't that bad, it wasn't as good as she was used to, but she could drink it and enjoy the taste. Eventually, she decided to have the Veggie omelet, since most of the other choices looked delicious but would sit heavy in her belly and make her sluggish, she could wait until she was somewhere she could relax to try one of the other dishes.

She made quick work of the breakfast, and getting a cup of coffee to go, she paid the ticket and left a tip before walking toward where the bus terminal is located. Checking the time, and it was just after 1 a.m., so there were still several hours before the first bus to Sunnydale would start to load. She was still feeling too restless to sit in one place for very long, so she started walking in the direction of the bus terminal, only to stop as she was passing a vacant lot, because something felt very strange to her, just on the edge of awareness, but she couldn't tell what had gotten her attention. Taking two steps into the vacant lot, it felt like she walked through a curtain, and a bar was in front of her, the name of the bar was lit up in neon, but she had no idea what a 'Caritas' was.

The Westin Hotel, Times Square

Private Work Area

New York City

Tuesday, November 4th, 1997

6:00 AM

Charles Chase set his laptop on the table in front of him, plugging it into the power outlet before he attached the phone cable to the separate cable that spoofed where the connection was coming from. He may be being excessively cautious, the Mayor had long arms, but Charles doubted they stretched all the way to New York. But better safe than sacrificed. That's why he only used the internet to conduct Misfits business from the secure room he had set up in most of the Hotels he would stay at in his travels. Logging into the computer with the separate identity he had created for himself and Rom and the others, although he didn't think Paul, Tony, or Jess ever made use of theirs. Surfing to the website of L'Ermitage in Beverly Hills, he reserved the private conference room for the entire day this coming Saturday. Providing the credit card that he had in the other name, he paid the total up front, and the room was reserved in the name of the Mount Shasta Hiking Society, about as innocuous a name as can be imagined. And considering some of the legends about Mount Shasta, a black magician like Wilkins wouldn't want to be within 100 miles of the place!

Pulling the small whiteboard from the drawer, he worked until the message was as short as possible, before converting it to the code they set up so long ago. Sending the mail with the Heather email addresses to each of the others, he saw that it was far too early for them to be awake, so he should expect replies late that afternoon. Shutting down the computer, he removed all the security devices and slipped them into a hidden compartment in his briefcase before packing up the computer itself. Setting his 'tells' to alert him if anybody had been in the room, he locked the door behind him, holding back a smile imagining what Heather would have said about the James Bond routine. Heather would never have had the patience to do what he and the others have been doing, she would have been leaping through the window at City Hall, her sword swinging and the devil take the hindmost!

He still wasn't sure how he felt about Cordelia getting involved and with Tony and Jess's boy at that. Part of him wanted to let her know how proud he was that she was getting passed the rich girl socialite that the women he married after Cynthia died, had insisted that his daughter behave like. He was focusing too much on the business and didn't notice until it was too late what the woman was doing. She didn't last long after he figured it out, too late to make a difference in Cordelia's behavior, especially when he found out the woman had gotten rid of all of Cordelia's Jungle Books and other Kipling adventure stories. That had hurt, because when Cynthia was alive, he would hold Cordy, she wasn't Cordelia yet, on his lap and read to her the adventures of Raksha and Akela and their man-cub Mowgli. He sometimes wished he could go back to those days and pay attention to what was important. But he was aware enough that he would never vocalize the words 'I wish' he'd seen the references to Anyanka and Halfrek and others in the damn watcher's library, and never wanted to encounter them in the flesh, no thank you!

Opening the door to the suite, Margaret was sitting with a cup of coffee and the morning paper. To his surprise, she was reading a copy of the Sunnydale Press, he didn't realize that it could be delivered this far away. Sitting down at the table he poured himself a cup and said, "Anything interesting happening back home in the last few days?"

"The usual, a 'gas leak caused mass hallucinations on Halloween night, people thinking they were turned into their costumes." She shook her head, "Honestly! Can't they think of something better that a gas leak? I know that most of the people in town are subject to Sunnydale Syndrome, but come on! Give me a break, will ya?"

Charles almost choked on his coffee as he registered what she had said, and looked intently at her, "How long? How long have you known?"

"Since before Heather died, so years. I didn't say anything because it was obvious that even thinking about Heather hurt, badly. But she saved my life my freshman year at UC Sunnydale, I was jumped by a bunch of freaks in robes, muttered something about a proper sacrifice for Machida. I was struggling and trying to call for help but couldn't make a sound. Next thing I knew, I was on the ground coughing and trying to get air into my lungs, and the guys in robes were long gone. Heather was still there, helping me up, and after thanking her, I asked her what was going on, so the two of us went to a coffee shop near the campus, where we wouldn't be overheard, and I got the full story about the vamps and the demons and what to do, and not to do to stay safe. A few months later I saw her name in the obituaries. I was there, in the back, paying my respects, but left before any of you noticed me. Now, you know that I know about Sunnydale, what is happening that has you acting very strangely? If I didn't know better, I'd think you were having an affair, and had a guilty conscience, but the two of us are far to active, not to mention adventurous, for you to stray." She grinned, "Unless of course, you find a girl open to playing with both of us. That could be a fun weekend."

He sat there, thinking furiously, "You're right, there is something going on, but, I'm sorry, until I get a chance to check things out, I'm not going to say anything more. If you are aware of what Sunnydale is like, then you know that there are things worse than death that can happen."

She nodded, "Actually, I don't have a problem with that, and before you ask, I didn't agree to date you when we met because of all this, I didn't even recognize you from the memorial service and at the cemetery. So, I'm going to stay here in the city while you do your investigations, and come back when you tell me you've got your questions answered, and can let me know what is going on."

Charles nodded, absently, pulling out his planner, and making a list of things he needed to confirm or deny because it was just too convenient that the Misfits were getting back in the saddle and his wife dropped a bombshell like that on him. He wasn't that gullible, so it's best that Margaret stays behind. Of course, if she was on the level, it would be helpful not to have to hide certain things.

End Chapter Twelve