ff:The Synchronicity Solution 4

[Carol.Clarke@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Title: The Synchronicity Solution
Chapter Four: Night
Rating NC-17/R
Disclaimer: All BTVS characters belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.
Timeline: The Story bounces around in time from 2003 to 2019.
Summary: Catherine Finn likes to help people, human and non-human alike. But
can she save her own granddaughter?
Thanks: Cheryl Hill
Warning: Character death, forced drug taking, NOT FOR THE SQUEMISH 

The Synchronicity Solution
Night

York, United Kingdom 2019

James Travers prepared for his Sensai's attack, he knew his teacher would
try to swipe his left leg. His weak point. Twisting, he flipped just out of
reach of his teacher only to have his Uncle Martin kick his left leg out
from under him. He rolled to avoid the kick to his balls that his uncle
usually gave him when he caught him off guard. The kick was never hard, well
most of the time it wasn't hard, it was just there to make him think. His
Uncle, like his father, Quentin Travers never took excuses or failure.

"Boy, how many times is it going to take until you learn to pay attention to
everyone in the room. You didn't even see me come in did you." Martin
screamed while he picked up two of the wooden staffs off the wall. James
knew he was in for it now as Martin tossed his Sensai the other staff. He
would have to fight them both without a weapon. He kipped up and flipped to
his feet and took a fighting stance. Well he had beaten the two of them
before he could beat them again. Hopefully... was his last thought as his
mind and body became one and he began to fight.

Des Moines, Iowa 2019

Kimberly Rosenberg had the TV on with the sound off, the stereo blaring
vintage Rush Mum Rum, the loudest, badest, kick ass music in the world. Or
at least that is what their promoter claimed. She was working on her
homework using her laptop as she danced around the room. She had even set
the computer control system to blink the lights in the house with the bass
on the stereo. That drove her mom crazy. 

"Under the water, Lay my systems down...But ah hum hum Under the water but
ah hum hum I lay my problems down" Kimberly sang as she danced, totally
missing her mother entering the house.

"That song was old when I was young. And turn it down please. There are some
children in China that I don't think can hear it." Willow screamed over the
din.

Kimberly quickly hit the buttons on her laptop that stopped the lights and
turned off the TV and stereo. God forbid her mother see her having fun, she
thought, then added to herself, or in moms case maybe that should be Goddess
forbid. She still wasn't sure what deity Jewish Lesbian Witches prayed too,
though she knew for a fact her mother prayed. Often in fact, mostly after
their ever frequent arguments. "God I hope your children are just like you
when you grow up, was her favorite prayer.

"Where is Alex?"

"Maybe she is at the spectrum?" Kimberly replied saving her homework and
moving into the kitchen where her mother was.

"Tracks are closed this week." Willow answered pushing the computer location
system on the refrigerator control panel.

"When has that stopped Alex from gambling." Kimberly answered taking a seat
at the bar.

"It's her job, Kim. Mmm she's at your Aunt Dawn's." Willow said puzzled.
Generally Dawn avoided them as much as was possible. It wasn't that Dawn
didn't want to be part of the family it was more that she wanted to forget
the dark secrets the family kept and to just live a normal life. Having a
sister that was a witch or a slayer, who wasn't really your sister, wasn't
exactly easy. Mostly because at some point she might have got around to
explaining who or what she herself was and that might require figuring out
the answer to that very mysterious question. 

"Mom I know the speech, Alex is a demon and holding down a nine to five is
like not going to happen. So she uses her skills to earn a living the best
way she can. And she is a demon so expecting her to be vice free would be a
little much. Mom are you even listening?" Kim asked as her mother got that
blank look on her face. Frowning she realized her mother was tracing again.
So she simply moved out of the line of sight of the nearest cell phone.
Which was a good thing seeing that it was floating toward her mother's hand.

"I guess I am supposed to be impressed." Kimberly muttered under her breath
as her mother dialed.

"Dawn? Hi is Alex there?" Willow spoke into the phone. Kimberly knew her
mother was using her cell instead of the house voice system so she could not
hear all of their conversation. She had the urge to yell, "Like you are that
quiet in bed. It's not a secret mom!" but she kept her mouth closed. 

"Is she ok?" Willow said into the other end of the phone turning a little
white. Kimberly stopped her inner dialogue and started to pay attention to
her mother. She had seen her mom like this before. Her mom would take off
for days or weeks, once even a couple of months leaving her with her
grandparents, or Aunts and Uncles or on occasion with Alex. She knew her mom
had secrets but she had learned a long time ago not to ask too many
questions. It only made her mother and Aunt Dawn cry. Besides the secrets
about her mother she knew were way out there as it was, she couldn't even
begin to imagine what her mother still had to hide.

"I'll see if Kate can keep her for a few days. I'll meet you at Katherine's
as soon as I can, and Alex I love you too." Willow said white as a sheet.
Putting down the phone, Willow turned to her daughter and said, "Go pack
some things, I need to go away for a little while." Kimberly didn't miss her
mother's purposeful vagueness. Kimberly left the room as her mother picked
up the phone and dialed a second number.

"Can I speak to your mom?" Willow said to the eight-year-old on the line.

"Kate this is Willow Rosenberg."

"Willow I know who you are." Kate said in a tone that Willow knew had a
smile with it on the other side of the line.

"Sorry..." Willow never knew how to ask Riley's family for the on going help
they seemed to need from them on many occasions.

"Willow just ask honey. I haven't said no yet." Kate replied. She was a
great deal like her mother Katherine Finn. Besides she actually liked
Willow.

"I need to bring Kimberly over to stay and I have no idea for how long.
Buffy is back." Willow said slowly. She had long ago stopped babbling. Her
life was just too dangerous for it.

"How bad?" Kate asked.

"Bad, I haven't seen her yet but Alex has her at Dawn's. Alex thinks it will
take both of us to help Katherine with her. They really worked her over."
Willow said letting a few tears drip down her cheek.

"I am guessing that means Buffy will show up peeking in my windows looking
for Kimberly again too." Kate asked.

"You know Buffy. Kate you can't blame her. She gave her up because she loved
her. What else could she do? I don't know how she has made it this long."
Willow said tears really falling now. 

"You really loved her didn't you?" Kate said quietly.

"I still do." Was Willow's only reply before she hung up the phone and went
into the bathroom to finish crying.

Campfield, Iowa 2010.

Bob Williams had been watching the stranger around town for the last two
days. There weren't that many strangers that came through Campfield. He had
thought about calling the sheriff about her, only the girl didn't seem to be
doing anything other then sneaking around and hanging out in the shadows.
Maybe she had a married boyfriend in town. He just hoped his wife didn't
bring her home to help on the farm. It was bad enough he was still suffering
with the drunk she had hired a month ago. His mother in law had a talent for
finding the strangest people. It wasn't that Mike was a bad worker, and he
had stayed sober. No way was he going to keep a drunk on the pay role. But
Mike wasn't exactly dealing with a full deck either. And from what he had
seen of the girl she was a lot worse off than Mike.

Still he was willing to live and let live as long as she wasn't hurting
anyone. At least that was what he thought until he came home to find the
woman peeking into his kitchen window at his wife and niece. She was hiding
there in the bushes peeking in the window at them big as day. 

"Can I help you?" He said in an angry tone. Nobody messed with his wife.
Hell they were two miles from the main road; it wasn't likely she was there
by accident. The minute the woman saw him she took off running which was
impressive since she had a cast on her leg. Mike wondered just for a second
how he had missed the cast. Since the woman was running he naturally took
off running after her.

"Hold on their Missy." He screamed able to catch up to the woman easily. She
was in one hell of a bad way. How the hell did he miss her injuries when he
had noticed her? He was just about to stop chasing her when she tripped on a
rake. And in usual comic style the handle popped up to hit her in the head
or would have, instead she moved her arm which was also in a cast across the
handle in the fastest move he had ever seen and snapped it in half. He
watched the broken part fly off to the side, when he turned back around the
woman had the other half of the rake in her hand in a defensive stance. Bob
had never seen such a wild look in anyone's eyes before.

"Buffy? Is that you?" Kate said from the porch where she and Kimberly had
come out to see what was going on.

"Kimberly?" Buffy replied her voice near breaking.

"Yes, this is Kimberly" Kate replied then added "your niece." In her life,
there had been only one thing her entire family had ever agreed upon and it
had been solely out of respect for Riley that they had done so. Days after
Kimberly's birth they had agreed upon a story, a series of lies. And from
that day forward those lies were guarded as truth. And no one outside of the
family had ever gone back on their word. 

"You know this woman?" Her husband of five years asked.

"She is my sister-in-law Bob" Kate explained. "Buffy please come into the
house, I'll make you something to eat."

"I should go." Buffy replied still staring at her daughter. Kate picked
Kimberly up and walked over to her husband handing him the girl. "Honey take
Kim inside." She whispered. Then she walked over to Buffy.

Twenty minutes later his wife came back into the house leaving the woman
outside. Kate picked up the phone and called her mother. "Buffy is here" was
all she said, and then she hung up and coolly walked back outside to the
woman taking her a beer. Ten minutes later Bob's in-laws showed up and took
the woman away. Sunday dinner at their house was cancelled for the next
month. 

And after that his wife acted like nothing had happened. Any questions he
tried to ask she just didn't answer. Then after a few weeks his
sister-in-law and her lover showed up and took his niece home. He had some
idea that his wife didn't want to discuss anything about the woman with him
until the girl had gone home. He had been right.

"Ok, honey I have waited patiently. Kimberly's gone. You want to tell me
about it?" He said patiently.

"Mother says I need to tell you, that you're family now. It's just hard."
Kate said quietly. "So many bad memories. Buffy..."

"The woman your parents came for?"

"Yeah, she isn't... she's really..."

"So she isn't your sister-in-law?" He asked. He still hadn't figured that
part out.

"No, she is my sister in law. Willow is the one who isn't my sister-in-law."
She blurted out.

"Ok now you've lost me."

"You know I had two brothers killed in the second gulf war." Kate said
slowly.

"James and Riley. Honey I know I went to school with James."

"I remember. I couldn't date you until James left town. He always was the
big over protective brother." Kate laughed thinking of her brothers. 

"And this woman has something to do with James and Kimberly?" He asked.

"Yes, she is Kimberly's natural mother."

"But I thought Willow?" Bob said confused.

"It's a long story. One you may not believe." Kate said staring out the back
window.

August 12, 2003. Somewhere at Sea nearing the English shore.

Dawn kissed him gently on the lips, rubbing his bare chest. She didn't think
she would have been able to make it through the long days and nights without
him. He returned the kiss slowly and gently. He liked lying with her after
they had made love. And Ben Timmins did love her with all his nineteen years
of life. Which was why he had to find a way to get them ashore. To free her
and her sister even if it meant his death. And Ben Timmins knew that freeing
the women meant exactly that, his death maybe even theirs as well.

Ben pulled Dawn closer to him. Wanting to protect her with all his soul and
essence. Looking down her tiny body he made himself hold back his tears. He
didn't want her to see him cry. He hated them for what they did to her, to
the other women as well. Carefully glancing down trying not to let her see
where his gaze fell, he was studying the purple bruise on her tender bottom.
'At least they only spanked her. At least Quentin only let Martin use his
belt on her.' He kept trying to repeat in his head as if this information
would stop his heart from breaking more than it already had. He had helped
clean the redheaded witch up more then once after Martin had used his
bullwhip on the girl. Not even Dawn's pregnant sister had been saved from
Martin's lash and temper. The man loved hurting helpless woman with a
passion that sickened Ben.

The reasons the three women were beaten never seemed to matter to the
bastards either. His lovely Dawn had been turned over Martins knee and
whipped with his belt earlier as a punishment for the slayer. She had been
slow to rise off the cold floor for her daily bathroom trip and medical
exam. The slayer was five months pregnant and showings. Ben didn't even want
to think about the drugs they were kept on, it was no wonder they were both
slow to react to commands. 

Normally Martin whipped the witch for the smallest infraction from the
slayer. She moved too slowly or to quickly. She pissed her pants. They now
only let the woman use the bathroom once daily and left them half-naked in
diapers. At least the witch felt little of the pain Martin gave her. Most of
the drugs did not curtail her power to the Watchers satisfaction so the girl
was now given heroin daily. Even then she still made items around the boat
shake and move when she could summon her anger, only with the heavy drug use
she could not control the power. But the witch was only of minor interest to
the watchers. A happy added research project. Her true value was to control
the slayer. 

It didn't take a genius to figure out that the worst way to hurt Buffy was
to hurt her friend or her sister. Since the sister seemed to be of some
importance to them that Ben didn't understand, she was never more than
bruised. The witch was not so lucky. Some nights Ben and the other men would
turn on every machine or radio or piece of equipment to try and drown out
the witch's cries as Martin tortured her in front of the pregnant slayer.

Carefully running his finger along her bruised bottom, Ben came to a
conclusion. Sooner or later they would kill the witch and that would leave
only Dawn, his Dawn to torture in front of the slayer. To hang before her as
a 'behavior management tool.' That is what Quentin Travers had called the
torture of the witch, a behavior management tool. He would not let Dawn
suffer the way the slayer and witch had; he would see her dead first, by his
own hand if needed. 

He was going to find a way to get them off the ship, even if it killed them
all. 

Finn Farm, Iowa 2019

Dawn Rosenberg pulled into the Finn Farm around midnight. Buffy had gotten
sick a few times on the road. Which had not surprised her. Buffy really did
look bad. What had surprised her was David William's presence in the car. He
had called in sick to work and refused to let them take Buffy alone. Which
was one of the reasons they were running so late. He kept trying to get them
to take her to a hospital. Then he had wanted to know why they couldn't or
wouldn't take her. Not for the first time in her life Dawn wished her sexual
orientation was closer to Willows. Men could be pigs, ok cute cuddly pigs
but still pigs. And David was as pig headed as a man could get. 

Even before the car stopped a very worried Willow followed by Katherine and
Ryan Finn meet them at the car.

"Lord girl we thought you'd forgotten how to get here." Ryan Finn announced
which for Ryan meant they were scared to death something had happened to
them. Ryan Finn may have lost two sons in his life but he gained four
daughters. And to him they were as much family as his own flesh and blood.
Then Ryan Finn was a good man. 

"Sorry Ryan. It was my fault. Motion sickness." Buffy explained as she tried
to get out of the car under her own power. She still tried to cover or take
blame for things that weren't always in her control. Buffy didn't even get a
step out of the car before Alex and Willow had her firmly between them.

"Let's get her inside." A worried Katharine said.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

An hour later Katharine and Willow returned from the upstairs bedroom after
tucking Buffy in. The rest of the group sat quietly around the table
drinking or more accurately staring into their coffee. 

"How is she?" Dawn asked not looking Katherine in the face.

Katherine sat down next to the girl putting her arm around her. "I said I
would never lie to you. Your sister is in bad shape. But she is a survivor.
With Willow's healing spells and a little love she'll get through this. She
always does." 

"I just wish she didn't have to." Dawn cried hugging Katherine. 

"I hope the bastards burn in hell." Ryan broke in angrily. "I am going to go
fix the room above the barn for the boy." Ryan said before storming off.

"Speaking of the boy. Dawn are you ever going to introduce us to your friend
dear." Katherine asked, smiling a little as she noticed Willow and Alex
holding hands under the table.

"Katherine Finn, this is my boyfriend, Bob Williams."

"So you're dating a policeman now." Katherine smiled. She liked him on first
sight. God knew Dawn needed a good man in her life. The fact that he was
here at her side said enough for Katherine. 


7-11 phoneboth Campfield, Iowa 2019

"Sir, the slayer is with the witches." A man in a tweed suit spoke into the
phone.

"Will she live?" Quentin Travers asked.

"If the witches use their power I think she will survive. But she is
extremely ill. I think far worse then the other times." The man answered.

"And the key? Is the key there as well?" Quentin asked. He cared little
about the slayer in truth. If it weren't for several prophecies he would
have seen she died long ago. He loathed the woman. He always had. Why else
would he have sent her Rupert Giles as her watcher. He cursed Merik again.
Why the hell Merik had taken it upon himself to train the girl. She should
have just been left her on her own to die, but Merik had to break away from
the counsel do what he thought was right. Quentin was just thankful it had
taken him over five years to find the girl and her train was incomplete.

It was bad enough it was the Summer's girl who got the key. Hell even the
psychotic Faith would have been a better choice as champion for the key then
the Summers girl. Well soon enough, that would be resolved. And he, Quentin
Travers would be remembered as the man who changed the face of the earth.
Closing his eyes he saw the statues raised in his name. He saw himself in
bronze in Tefalga square larger then Lord Nelson. Yes the world would know
his name.









"I wear the cheese it does not wear me." Bald Man, Buffy the Vampire Slayer.