FIC: Three Years in Hell, A Lifetime of Pain (2/?)

[William Labarbera <asagiri@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Authors: Red Demon & Bill Gopher
Email: senseiferret@xxxxxxxxx <mailto:senseiferret@xxxxxxxxx> or
kerrison29@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:kerrison29@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Disclaimers: Buffy and Company belong to Joss, Mutant Enemy, 20th Century
Fox and UPN.
Pairings: Buffy/Faith, Willow/Tara
Rating: PG13 for now at least, NC17 later on.
Distribution: If you want it, ask us and we'll probably say yes.
Feedback: A definite 'Must Have'. Makes us write much faster, Thoughts,
Opinions.
Summary: In an Alternate Universe where what was right is now wrong.

Three Years in Hell, A Lifetime of Pain.

Part Two

Beth looked up from the book she was reading when she noticed a young girl
in front of her. The child was about seven years old with a light pink
dress and dark hair.

"Miss," the young girl shyly asked. "My mom says you're a soldier, is that
true?"

"Yes, why?" Beth answered, wondering what this child wanted.

"Are you gonna go and kill those mean people in eurrrp, uhmm eurrrop?"

Leaning forward towards the little girl, "What's your name?"

"Prudence, but my friends call me Prue". The little girl smiled at Beth.

"Well Prue, I'm a Marine. But I don't go out killing mean people, killing
people is wrong." The little girl looked confused as Beth spoke. "What I do
is to talk to them to convince them they've made a mistake, this way people
don't get hurt. You don't like it when you get hurt, right Prue?"

"Nuh uh, it's not fun and it hurts."

"See? Now you go back over to your mom. She's probably worried about you,
ok?" Beth ruffled Prue's hair and the girl turned with a smile on her face
and ran over to her mother.

Standing up as he heard the call for her bus, she folded the newspaper she
had been reading. Walking to the gate she saw the little girls mother with a
newspaper and across the front she saw the headline."6 Marines killed, 12
wounded in Paris in attack on US Embassy". 'Sometimes I wish life were that
simple as that little girl sees it.' Beth thought.

Arriving at her gate, she saw her bus that would take her home and boarded,
stopping only to hand the driver her ticket and found a seat at the back and
settled in.

As the bus started driving Beth pulled out the book Taylor had lent her,
opened it and started reading "On War".

After several hours she stared out the window as the road blurred by, broken
only by the occasional house or car. 'God how things have changed for me in
the last three years. If only....' Her mind wandered back to the day
everything had changed her life as she started to fall asleep.

Three years earlier....

Buffy had just returned from her Psych class with Professor Walsh and threw
her books down on her bed when she heard a knock on the door. Opening the
door she saw two Sunnydale police officers and the detective that had spoken
to her once after Kendra had died.

"Yes?" she asked puzzled at why they were at her dorm room.

"Elizabeth Anne Summers, you're under arrest for the murder of Deputy Mayor
Richard Finch, place your hands behind your head", the detective grabbed her
arms pulling them behind her and cuffing her just as Willow walked in.
"Willow call Giles, quick please!!!"

In shock, Buffy had let the police escort her to the car. The drive itself
she didn't remember, but by the time they started to process her into the
system the numbness that had hit her when she was told she was under arrest
for murder had started to wear off.

As they took her fingerprints and pictures she felt angry and confused,
'maybe this is how Faith felt when I saw her in the police station in LA
that time' she thought.

When they were done, Buffy had been stripped, searched, photographed,
fingerprinted and was now wearing bright orange coveralls as she stood in
the holding cell with several other prisoners for several hours before she
was moved to her cell in solitary confinement.

As the cell door slammed shut behind her Buffy looked around the cell, there
was 'toilet' if you could call it that in the far right corner and a small
bed against the left wall. Moving towards the bed Buffy fell down on it and
curled up trying to fight the tears she felt. She was scared, tired and
wanted to go home, most of all she wanted to be told that this was a bad
dream, only it wasn't.

After three days Buffy was finally meeting the attorney Giles had hired for
her, she knew that he was British and he was coming from London to represent
her. The door opened and in walked a man in his 50's, rather distinguished
looking and sat down in front of Buffy at the steel table she was seated at
in this otherwise empty room.

"Miss Summers, I'm Oliver Cromwell, your barrister and I'll be representing
you. I know what the police here have said occurred; now I should like to
hear your version of the events."

Buffy hesitated at this, since she was unsure if she could tell him
'everything' since she didn't want to have him run out of the room
screaming.

"If by your hesitation has to do with your shall we say 'nocturnal'
occupation, I can say I am familiar with it. So please do not hesitate for
that reason."

"Alright, that night Faith...err the other Slayer and I were fighting vamps
to get to Balthazar's lair...." Buffy proceeded to tell the lawyer
everything that happened that night with Finch, Faith and Balthazar when she
was finished she leaned back the chains on her arms and legs rattled
slightly. "And that's everything that happened, so now what?"

"From what you've told me I believe we can have the charges reduced or
dropped in favor of your testimony against this Faith Spencer."

"Uh, what? No, I won't testify against her, she's already suffered enough
because of me. Right now she's in a coma, what if they find her guilty?
They could decide to kill her as she's sleeping. No, not happening."

"Miss Summers, you have several witnesses who can ID you as in the area when
the murder took place. That and your 'previous record' at your last two high
schools, the fights and other problems will be shown as evidence that you
are dangerous and unstable."

The sound of the door unlocking halted any further conversation as it swung
open to reveal the Sunnydale ADA, Thomas Nox as he entered the room.

"Mr. Cromwell, have you informed your client as to the deal we are offering
her?"

"Not yet, I was just speaking to her about that now."

"Well let me save you some time then, what we are offering is Man 1 and a
minimum of 25 years before parole if you testify against Miss Spencer,
otherwise we go to trial."

"WHAT!! Are you crazy? I didn't kill anyone." 'Well alive at least' Buffy
added silently.

"That's not what the evidence will show in court Miss Summers and if we go
to court you'll be tried for Murder 1 and you'll be facing the death
penalty."

"Not only that, but if we find out that your family has been concealing
knowledge of this murder, I will have your mother arrested for perjury and
obstruction of justice and your sister will end up in foster care, this is
your last chance Miss Summers. Cooperate or your family will pay as well as
you." Nox smiled evilly.

Anger filled Buffy as she stood up suddenly, the chains holding her until
snapped the links holding her arms down. "No-ones' gonna hurt Dawn or my
mom."

"Guards!!" Nox yelled out as he backed away in fear, and in rushed three
large guards who grabbed the small young woman who was partially free from
her chains.

As the guards grabbed her, Buffy didn't fight back, she allowed them to cuff
her and hold her down. "Nox, get out of my face, we have nothing to talk
about. I didn't kill anyone and I'm not going to testify. Now get out of
here before I do something I won't regret."

"Guards, it's ok to leave now. I need to speak with my client. There will be
no further outbursts." Cromwell looked at Buffy sternly as he spoke. The
guards reluctantly let the prisoner go and walked out of the room.

"Are you going to do anything else that foolish Miss Summers? Just so that
I'm prepared."

"No. But he threatened Dawn and Mom. How can you..."

"Enough. That was all it was Miss Summers, a threat, nothing more. However
if you continue with these outbursts I cannot defend you properly."

The dream changed and she moved restlessly in her seat as he recognized
where she was now....

She'd been in solitary for two months and she longed to see Dawn or her mom.
Out of all the things she missed from her life on the outside, the aching
for her mom and sister were unbearable. She'd had the attorney Cromwell tell
her mom that she was okay and that she missed them, but they never replied,
and the ache that they might think she was a murderer cut her worse than
anything.

Turning as Cromwell faced her, she tried to push away the thought of never
seeing her family again. It was the middle of the trial and the police
officer who had 'discovered' the murder weapon was on the stand and the ADA
had finished questioning him. He walked past her and to the DA's table and
picked up the murder weapon.

"Officer Johannsen, how long have you been with the Sunnydale Police?"

"Almost two years now."

"I see, and how exactly did you know where to look for this weapon?"

"We caught a lucky break, we were searching down at the docks when I found
it near a trash can in an alley".

"So you just 'happened' to find this lying on the ground from a murder that
occurred over a year ago? Is that right?"

The officer visibly squirmed in the witness chair. "Well I wouldn't put it
that way."

"Oh really!" Cromwell pounced on the opening he was waiting for, "And how
would you put it?"

"I'd say she probably tried to dump it and just ran afterwards."

"So Miss Summers after coldly murdering the Deputy Mayor, decides to leave
the weapon lying in an alley instead of disposing of it? That is your
conclusion Officer?"

Cromwell handed the weapon in the evidence bag to the officer, "Officer tell
the jury exactly what this is."

"It's a stake."

"And it's made of wood, correct?"

"Yes."

"Then why didn't she just burn it or carve it into a toothpick?"

"Objection, your honor, where is defense counsel going with this?" the ADA
asked.

"Sustained, defense counsel will keep to the facts at hand and stop raising
speculation on this."

"What! How can I defend my client this way? The defense must have the
latitude to raise reasonable doubt as to the reliability of this being the
murder weapon."

"Mr. Cromwell, I've made my decision, one more outburst and I'll have you
held in contempt, do I make myself clear?"

> > From there Buffy knew the outcome had already been decided...
Buffy turned around looking for her Mom & Dawn in the courtroom. But she
only saw Dawn enter and duck her head, letting her hair, which was longer
now, cover her face as she sat down next to Giles. Turning back around
quickly, she couldn't bring herself to look at her, and see the anger and
hurt in Dawn's eyes, and looked at her orange clad legs barely paying
attention to what Cromwell was saying.

Cromwell looked at the defeat written on her face. "The judge is going to
be back any second. You need not react harshly. Miss Summers no matter
what the outcome."

She sat back letting the chains rattle loudly in the otherwise quiet
courtroom.

"All rise for the Honorable Richard Green." The bailiff called out as the
judge entered the room.

"Has the jury made a decision?"

"We have your Honor," the jury foreman replied and then opened a piece of
paper. "We the jury in the case of California vs. Elizabeth Anne Summers on
the sole count of the indictment, Murder in the First Degree find the
defendant guilty."

"The court thanks the jury for their assistance and they are relieved, this
court will have the sentencing in one hour."

Present......

"Ma'am?" Beth felt a hand on her shoulder and barely remembered that she was
in public. She quickly curbed her initial reaction to fight back. She felt
the dried tears on her face and the after affects of the dream started to
drift away.

"This is the last stop Ma'am, Sunnydale, California."

She glanced up, noticing the empty bus and the sun starting to drift below
the horizon. "Oh, I'm sorry for falling asleep" and she quickly grabbed her
bag and started to shift past the bus driver. "Home" Beth murmured and
stepped off into the cooling April air.

It felt strange to be back in Sunnydale. This lace had been her home for
five years and yet now she felt like a stranger. "This place is no longer
my home" Beth thought, 'I'm just a visitor here.'

Squaring her shoulders she headed down the street in search of a payphone
and spotted a sign at one of the stores and headed on over. As she got
closer she saw the name, "The Magic Box", 'sounds like someplace Will would
have gone to.'

Opening the door Beth stepped inside and looked around for the payphone. She
saw quite a variety of books on magic, herbs and other odd items on the
shelves in here. Over by the register up front Beth spotted the payphone
and walked over, not paying attention to the young woman behind the counter.


Walking over, as she reached the payphone she stiffened as heard a voice she
thought she'd never hear again and dropped her duffel bag.

"Can I help you Miss?"

Beth turned around slowly to see Giles standing in front of her.

"Buffy!" Giles whispered his eyes widening in surprise. "What are
you...How?" Giles knees buckled underneath him and he collapsed to the
floor.

TBC....

Thoughts, Comments, Anyone still alive after this?

Bill L aka Spike Jr.
Vice-President of Monetary Embezzlement and Lawyerial Affairs to the Senior
Executive Committe of List Gutter Affairs.
Dark Jedi Knight and member of the Dark Jedi Council, Worshipper of the
Temple of Chaos, Mischief and Mayhem.
Card-Carrying Member of the Captain Cardboard Must Die and GBWNS (Get Willow
and Buffy Naked Society) GWBNS - Hey, It's a Way of Life.
Member #5 in the CSWCS and Director of Conversions
Resident Silent Gopher and fellow Mischief maker with Sam (I Am) Koala in
the Sunnydale Forest Woods Outback
Member #3 of the Hand of Chaos

And

Sensei Ferret, co-president of TOTW (Take Over The World)- I'm not only a
president, I'm a member for life, worshipper of Koala Feet and Fruit Bats
everywhere, videographer of the Intergalactic Sexcapades and Strip Tango
companies, co-founder of CSWCS (Can't Spell Worth Crap Society) It's not
just my passion, it's my life, and Samurai Ferret Extrodanaire.