Re: [buffywantswillow] FF Guess who's coming to dinner (2/2)

[kimly <klinonis@xxxxxxxxx>]

Chris,

I FINALLY have gotten around to working on the
crossover again. I've added some stuff to the mall
scene you penned (typed?). Check it over and see what
you think. Make any corrections, additions, deletions
you feel are needed.

Did you get all the forwards of the comments on the
story - there were quite a few of them.

Hope all is well.

==========================
< > thoughts

"Hey? what do you think of these?" Buffy asked,
thrusting the gray shorts at the warrior. The Warrior
caught the hanger and placed them up against herself
like she had seen the Slayer do although she had no
idea why.

"Hmm. Not bad." She felt the cottony material of the
shorts, liking how soft they were, and decided to go
easy on the girls by actually getting something that
they suggested. "I'll take 'em."

By the time they finished buying the Warrior clothes
that she deemed she could actually wear, said Warrior
was getting sick of shopping. Xena had never been all
that thrilled with Gabrielle's shopping trips to
Athens and Thrace, not to mention the clothes shopping
expedition in India and Chin. To put it mildly, she
was never that big on shopping, especially for
herself. If you had one serviceable outfit, plus the
right assorted weapons - preferably a sword and
chakrum - what else did a person need? But the girls
both said that she needed a several outfits. She just
couldn't go around wearing the same thing all the
time. So by the time they were done with the exercise
clothing portion, Xena was beat.

Buffy and Willow however, were by no means done with
the afternoon's little shopping excursion. They'd only
been at it for two hours. After introducing the
Warrior to the wonders of the Mall's food court, which
reminded Xena a little bit of the food markets in
Athens (Gabrielle would have died and gone to Elysia),
and the Slurpee (which the Warrior tossed away as much
too sweet after taking one sip of it, she regretted
the rash action seconds later when she took a spoonful
of the chili the girls had chosen for her and her
mouth turned into a blazing inferno, hotter than
Hades' Tartarus).

After lunch, they wandered into the nearest department
store. Willow wouldn't tell either Buffy or Xena what
she was looking for, merely blushing when asked and
said that it was a surprise for the Warrior and that
she'd explain to them later. < How I'm gonna explain
this without turning six shades of red is beyond me. >

The store's escalator levied another yet challenge for
Xena. She was quickly determining that she hated these
new fangled moving things. She nearly tripped on the
mobile staircase, but wasn't about to let this
weakness show in front of the two young girls?she had
already made enough of a fool of herself over of the
horseless carriage. Her ego wouldn't let herself be
portrayed as anything but an able bodied warrior.

Xena was surprised at the variety of merchandize that
was in the store, though. She couldn't even begin to
fathom what half of the gizmos and gadgets were for,
but her analytical mind wanted to examine each and
every one of them. The televisions in the corner
caught her attention. She remembered the funny talking
blonde man had been looking at the talking boxes with
moving pictures yesterday when they had first arrived.
She watched in fascination as tiny people moved across
the screen, seeming as if they lived in their own
private worlds inside the box. Buffy patiently
explained to the out of touch Warrior what a
television was, while Willow slipped away unnoticed,
to pick up the necessary surprise she had in mind
their new friend.

She made her way to the baby section, almost
embarrassed to be there, as she searched for the item
she wanted. After passing by blankets and clothes and
toys, she came across the aisle that was filled with
baby monitors and other gadgets for the new mother. It
wasn't long until she spotted the breast pump section.
< Why in the name of all that is holy are there four
different models? How am I gonna know which one to
pick? What happens if I pick the wrong one? Do they
come in sizes or something. > She nervously picked up
one box and studiously read the back before sticking
it under her arm and grabbing a different model. 

She was juggling all for brands trying to decide
whether to buy electric or manual suction - < Manual,
she may want to take it home with her. Besides, I
don't know if I'd want something stuck to my chest
also plugged into a wall > - and if color really
mattered - < She said she had a daughter but Xena
doesn't strike me as a "pink" person > - when an
actual mother, toting a baby in her arms, entered the
aisle.

Willow placed two of the choices back on the shelf.
She didn't even realize she was still mumbling to
herself until the other woman ducked her head and
asked if she needed any help. Knowing that her friends
were going to be looking for her soon, coupled with
the frustration of making a selection she was ill
equipped to make, the redhead forgot she was
embarrassed and thrust the two remaining models
towards the stranger. "Ugh! Which one would you buy?
The one with the Comfort Cup? or the blue one with the
cute little dolphins?"

The mother smiled indulgently at Willow. "Let me
guess, this isn't for you, is it?"

"Lord, no! I have this friend?" Willow began before
she realized she sounded like a cliché. "No, really I
do. See, she dropped in un expectantly from out of
town and forgot hers. I kinda figured I'd pick one up
since I was here, at the mall, were they sell these
types of things, only? who knew there were so many
choices?"

Taking pity on the teen, the woman pried one of the
boxes out of the hands and mouth of her offspring and
placed it back on the shelf. "The one you've got there
is made my a good company. I've used some of their
other baby products. Since your friend seems to travel
un expectantly, it's fairly small but should get the
job done."

The wiccan graced her with a grateful smile and a
"Thank you," as she bolted for the check out.

Willow paid for the gadget, receiving strange eyebrow
raised looks from the cashier as she paid for the
purchase. The strange looks brought back her
nervousness now that the decision had been made. She
then made her way back to her friend, blue plastic bag
in tow. Buffy immediately asked her what she had
bought, but the hacker turned red at the thought of
explain why she knew Xena would find this gift useful,
so she simply told her that it was a surprise for the
Warrior. Buffy whispered to her that she wouldn't
tell, noticing that the six foot warrior was still
engrossed with what was happening on the television
screen. Neither realized that Xena's keen hearing had
picked up every word. Yet Willow wouldn't utter a word
no matter the amount of Buffy's cajoling.

Unlike the clothes shopping, Buffy and Willow had to
drag the Warrior out of the department store. Xena
kept wanting to stop and look at every appliance,
lawnmower and electronic or handheld tool in the
place. She kept asking what each one was used for, how
did they work, where were they made, what were they
made out of? the questions were endless. The girls
tried to answer her questions patiently, knowing that
it must be weird to be in a different time and place,
not knowing what anything was. Plus it was interesting
to get a truly fresh perspective on their own times.
So many things they took for granted, Xena was amazed
by. 

But by the time Buffy had answered the question "What
is that?" for the umpteenth time, she was about ready
to scream. The Slayer could answer the what but often
the how she truly had no idea. Not that she was alone.
No many could explain the intricate workings of a
gasoline engine or how electricity traveled through a
wire to make a washing machine turn. Tired of feeling
less than worthy of her high school diploma, she
promised Willow that if she got them out of there,
they'd visit the pet shop next. So Willow used her
powers of persuasion on the unsuspecting Warrior
(sending a tingling of familiarity down the Xena's
spine as she did so) and convinced her to leave the
store. Willow couldn't wait to see the puppies.


Well - I hope I didn't butcher it too badly...

kimly

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