Well I wanted to get through all of 'Hush' before I posted this, but some jerk did a hit-and-run on my car while it was parked in a parking lot and I've been somewhat upset. Here'swhat I have for now. Enjoy!
TITLE: To Cross the River Styx(4a/?)
AUTHOR: Chazzman
E-MAIL: charles.parise@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of thecharacters in this story. They all belong to Joss and the WB network. Please don't sue.
SPOILERS: Open season on Season 4. This chapter centers on the events in 'Hush'.
SUMMERY: I'm re-inventing season 4.
RATED: PG
DISTRIBUTION: Just ask me, please...
FEEDBACK: Is very welcome.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you again to all the wonderful people who have sent me feedback saying they are interested in seeing more.
To Cross the River Styx
Chap 4a
"Willow!" sobbed Buffy softly as she looked into the coffin holding the body of her dearest friend. It had been found in the city morgue. No one knew how it had gotten there, or how long it had been there. It had just been discoveredin one of the cabinets that was supposed to have been empty. Each ofthe morgue attendants had thought another person was working on her. Nothing was said for three days before someone asked when the body in cabinet 15 was to be picked up.
Now Buffy stood beside her coffin, last in the line of mourners who had passed by to take one final look, before she would be buried in the cold ground. Buffy knew she had to move but she felt frozen as she looked down upon Willow's face. She leaned forward to place a light kiss on Willow's lips. "I miss you, Will."
Her mind felt like it was in a daze. **They've over done the make-up** she thought. "Willow never wears that much make-up," she said aloud.
"I'm sure it's for the best," said voice and she looked up in surprise to find Riley at her side. She had hardly seen him outside of class for the last couple of weeks.
"What are you doing here?"Buffy asked puzzled.
"Ssh," said Riley. "There's a new sheriff in town. Better take your seat, the lecture's about to start."
Buffy looked over at the altar and found Professor Walsh instead of the Rabbi. She looked around, only tofind herself in the crowded auditorium at UC Sunnydale. Riley and Buffy moved to sit down in the only open seats in the front row near the door.
"Death. The final frontier. Paradise, purgatory, hell. Who can truly say what happens tous when we pass on? Impressions of the afterlife have changed throughout history as theology has changed." As Professor Walsh went on, Buffy slowly tuned her voice out. The room seemed to darken until only a single spotlight shown down on Willow's coffin. Except it wasn't a coffin, it was a large, perfectly square, wooden box.
A soft humming began to intrude uponher consciousness. It seemed to be coming from the hall.
"Do you hear that?" Buffy said turning towards Riley. Riley however was listening as Forrest whispered something in his ear.
Buffy slowly stood up and headed outof the lecture hall. Riley watched her go and smiled as he whispered, "Along came a spider..."
As Buffy moved into the hall, the humming became a girl's voice singing a nursery rhyme.
"Can't even shout.
Can't even cry.
The Gentlemen are coming by.
Looking in windows,
knocking on doors...
They need to take seven
and they might take yours..."
Buffy turned the corner and saw a girl standing facing her at the other end of the hall. In her hands, she helda smaller version of the box that had been Willow's coffin. She continued singing.
"Can't call to mom.
Can't say a word.
You're gonna die screaming
but you won't be heard."
Buffy felt a presence behind her. She thought it was Riley, but when she looked behind her, a hideous grinning white face was all she saw before-
...she woke with a start in the lecture hall as Professor Walsh finished her lecture
Gathering up her notes and bag, Buffy moved with the rest of the students as they exited the hall. But her progress was interrupted when she bumped into Riley Finn.
"Buffy!"
"Hello, Riley."
"Look I know I haven't been around much lately. It's just that something came up and Professor Walsh has been-"
"It's OK. I haven't really beenone for company lately. Not like I've really had any time to go on adate or anything since..." she trailed off.
"Since Willow disappeared," said Riley in a subdued tone.
"Yeah."
"Can I...Would you like to go for a cup of coffee? Maybe talk a little."
"Uhm... no, sorry I've got a meeting to get to."
"Oh well...uhm...maybe later."
"Sure. Later. But... right now, I gotta book. Kay?"
"OK"
Riley watched her quickly walk off. Unseen, Willow stayed beside him for a moment, "It's OK. She likes you. It's just going to take a little time. Specially, with her hunting for me and the commandos and all." Willow frowned. "'Course if she does find me it's gonna be a depression-fest. Seeing as I'm dead and all."
Forrest came up. "Ri. Heywhat's up?"
"Buffy," Riley said nodding toward the blonde girl who had stopped at a pay phone to make a call.
"Oh. Yeah well, the Professor wanted us to round up Green and Metz and meet her back at the lab at 5. Right away."
As they walked off Willow shrugged and headed off after Buffy.
*****
Jude Law stepped into the lab where Professor Walsh and Dr. Ackerman were watching a monitor. "How'syour monster today Doc?"
Professor Walsh refused to react to Jude Law's goading. She knew he did it to test her and she refused toplay his games. Instead she answered his questions directly. "She has exceeded every single one of my initial predictions on her performance. The modified DNA has healed all of the surgical wounds, andher residual memory is far more complete than I had anticipated, alleviating many of the expected rehabilitation problems. In light of this we should be ready to return her in two more days."
"Really? Well that's wonderful. It's the type of news I love to hear. Now if only she performs as well in real life as she has in all your simulations."
"She will. But in preparation for that, I wish to introduce her to alpha team. Tonight."
Jude leaned back as he pulled out a cigar. "That's fine. They were going to need to be informed in any case before we released her. But I'm going to be there to make sure they understand what's at stake."
*****
Buffy and Willow were bored. Actually Buffy was bored. Willow was embarrassed. This was the third Wicca group on campus who's meeting Buffy was attending. Thus far, however, all she had found were a lot of irritating, pseudo-hippie girlswho spent their time talking about nature, menstrual cycles, Gaia, scentedcandles, womyn empowerment, male oppression, and, now, a bake sale as a fundraiser. None of which Buffy was interested in. She was looking for a witch, a real witch.
Giles had found and attempted a locator spell only to have a rather nasty, little imp appear and run about the apartment whimpering, shrieking and urinating on everything. After the beast was dispelled back to the nether realms, Anya had the bad taste to point out that this was what happened when a man performed a spell design exclusively for a witch to cast. From the baleful glare Giles gave herit was apparent that he had been unaware of this stipulation of the spell,and Xander couldn't get her out of the now foul smelling apartment fast enough.
So now Buffy had spent the last ten days hunting for a real witch and thus far coming up empty handed. Inher search through Willow's papers, she had come across information on thecampus Wicca groups and had decided to check them out. Unsure of howelse to approach the subject, when Nancy, the group leader had asked aboutwhat else they could do as a Wicca group, Buffy had brought up the possibility of spell casting. As she was shot down for making such a 'non-empowering stereotype' suggestion, she noted who laughed and who didn't. On girl, a rather shy blonde had looked as if she wanted to speak up but had immediately retracted back into herself when she became the center of attention for starting to say something.
After the meeting, however, Buffy followed the girl and caught up with her outside.
"Hey," said Buffy.
"Uhm...Hello," Tara said uncertainly.
"Tara, Right?"
"Y-Yes."
"I'm Buffy. Do you have afew minutes to spare?"
*****
The four soldiers sat and stared in shock.
"Woah."
"My God."
"!"
"This -This is wrong," said Riley. He was beginning to hyperventilate.
"You are in shock," Professor Walsh said calmly in what she hoped was a soothing voice. "Iunderstand. It takes a while to accept, but when you've had time to absorb everything, you will see this is for the best."
"This is obscene!" Riley continued to protest. "How... How did you-?"
"Those details are not important," Jude Law harshly interrupted. "Dr Walsh and Ackerman have done this to save your collective asses, son. As well as this giving the Initiative a new lease on life. Or do you think we should close this project down because of one unforeseen accident?"
"No sir, but-" Riley started to say
"Miss Rosenburg is dead. It was unfortunate, but we are engaged in a war on our on soil that can never be declared, against an enemy that can never be made public. Ever think about how you would explain to the Rosenburgs that their daughter wascaught in the crossfire while you were hunting a vampire?"
He paused to let his words sink in.
"Public pressure is bad enoughwith the girl missing and the rumors of military involvement, if we only returned the body who knows how bad an uproar may occur or what investigations may develop. Therefor we return the girl alive and apparently suffering from amnesia. She spends a few months establishing herself while things cool down, after which she will 'decide' that she must leave Sunnydale. Join a cult or something. That way she disappears again but without the questions directed towards this operation. Yes, there will still be questions about her kidnapping but blame for that will be directed elsewhere when she is found wandering in another city."
Riley looked down in defeat. "Istill think this is a mistake."
"Well it's not your decision. Your only concern is to follow the game plan. Of the soldiers here, only thefour of you are aware of Miss Rosenburg's demise. I trust, as per your instructions, you haven't discussed what happened to anyone. Family, friends, your local parish priest?"
The four soldiers shook their heads.
"Good. Then we will proceed with Project Resurrection and Willow Rosenburg will return home in two days."
~~~~~
End Chap 4a
TBC