Re: Fic: The Tears and the Cost--M-21 violence--(1/?)

["koi_japan" <koi_japan@xxxxxxxxx>]

ummmm... the only question i have is when are you going to write more.
i was totally hooked. i like the dark stuff (not too dark - if i want
that i'd read the Well of Loneliness). so pls, pls, pls, write more
soon -it's terrific (does anyone use that word anymore?)!


Koi


--- In buffywantswillow@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, Exiled <exiled44@...> wrote:
>
> Title: The Tears and The Cost
> Author: Ivy Gort, oops, I mean Exiled!
> Rating: M-21 for violence
> Feedback: Yes, please.
> Disclaimer: I don¹t own Buffy the Vampire Slayer
> Spoilers: Season Six of Buffy
> 
> Summary: My answer to the Dark Buffy Challenge.  What if Dawn was shot
> instead of Tara and Buffy.  Of course I¹m not sure how closely I will be
> able to follow it.
> A/N: The requirement for each chapter will be posted at the bottom.
> 
> 
> AND THE TIME AND THE YEARS
> AND THE TEARS AND THE COST
> AND THE HOPES AND THE DREAMS
> OF EACH CHILD THAT IS LOST--Trans-Siberian Orchestra
> 
> Chapter One: Becoming
> 
> Buffy locked her knees because the Slayer within her wanted her to do
> something, anything, to save herself.  It was screaming at her,
pounding on
> the door of the prison she kept it in.  Buffy stared down the barrel of
> Warren's gun; it filled her sight and it filled her heart with joy.
 All she
> had to do was stand perfectly still and hope he didn't miss.  All
the pain
> from the past year would be over. The memory of Spike's breath,
tainted with
> alcohol, wouldn't matter.  Willow's betrayals, lies, and addiction
wouldn't
> matter--she would be back in the arms of her mother--and part of the
warm
> loving essence she missed so much, in just a few moments.
> 
> "You think you can just do that to me? That I'd let you get away
with it?"
> The words of Warren's rant barely made sense to her. Why did the bad
guys
> always have to talk?  Why did they always have to justify or gloat?
 Xander
> was still on the ground where she'd pushed him, helpless for the
moment, but
> if Warren didn't get on with it already....
> 
> Her entire being focused on his twisted face and she smiled when she
saw it
> in his eyes the second he decided to pull the trigger.  Buffy could
almost
> see the the electrical impulse go through his nervous system to his
hand as
> his finger tightened.
> 
> Abruptly, Buffy was knocked aside, her arms pin-wheeling wildly as she
> fought to regain her balance. The heels on her boots sank into the soft
> ground as if they were spikes so that she fell backwards. The
muscles of her
> back were still weak and healing from the night before and couldn't
support
> her so that she fell onto the cold, wet ground.
> 
> She stared up at Dawn, saw the muzzle of the gun flash, then
everything sped
> up, until it was going too fast for Buffy. Dawn lay spread eagle on the
> green grass with a growing puddle of red under her.  The colors of
> Christmas, Dawn's favorite time of year, red and green was
everywhere around
> her.  Xander was the first to react as he seemed to fly over to Dawn. He
> pressed his huge hands down on her open wound, covering the hole.
His hands
> were instantly covered in crimison and he turned towards Buffy.  She
could
> see his mouth moving, could read the wild fright in his eyes, but she
> couldn't hear him. All Buffy could do was sit there as the morning dew
> soaked her jeans.
> 
> Buffy couldn't hear Xander but she could hear the gurgling as Dawn
gasped
> for each desperate breath, fighting, for the air her body craved as she
> drowned.  Buffy had seen enough people die to know that even if
there was a
> hospital next door, it would be too late for her baby sister.
> 
> Dawn turned her head towards Buffy and the young girl's clean hand
moved.
> How could Dawn's hand be so clean when the rest of her was covered
in red?
> Buffy's eyes were then drawn to her sister's pale face and she knew the
> exact moment that Dawn saw the dim light of her earthly life being
replaced
> by the luminous joyous light that was heaven.
> 
> Dawn's bloody, dirty face changed from struggling to survive for one
more
> minute, changed from the fear, the regret, that this was all her
life would
> ever be, that she would never fulfill her dreams--to compete
acceptance and
> Peace.
> 
> Buffy paralysis was broken and she forced herself to her knees so
that she
> was kneeling beside Dawn.  She watched Dawn's monumental fight to
speak, to
> say the final words Buffy would ever hear from her.  Buffy stopped
breathing
> in fear that she would miss one word, one sound, as she leaned over her
> sister's prone form.
> 
> "You were right, Buffy, it is beautiful.  I love you."  Then the
final light
> faded from her eyes and Buffy was once again left alone in this Hell
called
> life.
> 
> The faint morning breeze off the ocean floated by her as she knelt
next the
> lifeless shell that had been her sister.  Buffy tried to understand
what had
> happened, how in just seconds--the only joy she had left-- could be torn
> from her.  
> 
> "Dawn?  Dawnie? Oh, no!" She wailed in total agony...then her tunnel
vision,
> the focus on her sister's face vanished as she heard Willow's scream.
>  
> Both Willow and Tara rushed out the back door of the empty house. 
Willow
> pushing her way in between Buffy and Dawn, knocking Buffy down once
more to
> the ground.  Willow frantically felt Dawn's neck for a pulse, her
fingers
> pushing harder and harder until Buffy thought she would break Dawn's
neck.
> 
> "She...she's gone, Willow," Buffy heard the voice but she couldn't
tell if
> she said the words or Xander.  The redhead glanced over her shoulder at
> Buffy with such pain in her eyes that even as numb as she was, Buffy
> flinched and turned away.
> 
> "No, no, I can fix it, I can save her," the redhead cried.  Then clouds,
> dark frightening clouds, formed directly over the house.  Centering over
> Dawn's lifeless shell. "Osiris hear me now!  Hear me now and bring
back...."
> 
>  It broke.  Something, somewhere deep inside of Buffy simply broke.
 "No."
> She cried. It was the only warning Willow had as she was picked-up and
> thrown across the yard.  The Witch was able to roll with the fall so
that
> she lay on the ground more stunned than hurt.
> 
> "Buffy?" Tara asked, placing a calming hand on the Slayer's
shoulder.  Buffy
> looked up into Tara's compassionate face, to see tears streaming
from the
> blonde witch's eyes--a testament to her pain.
> 
> The Slayer shook Tara's hand off.  The dark, foreboding energy in
the form
> of the deep navy and green clouds was still there, waiting...waiting
to be
> used.  The eyes of Osiris peered out of them at her then glancing at
Willow
> the one who had summon him.
> 
> "No," Buffy's voice took on the guttural inflection of another
entity who
> lived much closer to the time when Osiris ruled the earth.  "Dawn
is," that
> wasn't what she wanted to say.  What did she want to say?  Buffy
couldn't
> think, she only knew she couldn't let Willow do it again.
> 
> Not to Dawn.
> 
> "Buffy please, let's go inside, let's let," Tara pleaded, reaching
out to
> Buffy.  
> 
> The broken part of Buffy, the thing behind the broken dam surged forth.
> Buffy and the Slayer merged with a single purpose. For the first
time both
> the Slayer and Buffy's need combined in a single focused thought, a
final
> act of protection for their sister.
> 
> 
> 'No!'  The Slayer screamed, in the deep recesses of Buffy's mind.  'She
> wasn't just our sister!  She was our daughter!  They made her from
us both,
> we gave her life! She belonged to us, she was a part of us--blood
calls to
> blood--blood spilled calls for more blood.'
> 
> 
> And Buffy knew that the Slayer was right, that what she said was
true.  Dawn
> was their daughter, she wasn't a sister, she was made with her flesh and
> blood.  
> 
> Osiris peering eyes met the hazel eyes of the Power's Champion, met
them and
> understood what both the Slayer and the human needed.  Osiris  knew what
> they silently cried out for and the dark clouds condensed like a
tornado and
> then slammed into Buffy's chest forcing her to take a step back.
>  
> Buffy accepted the darkness pouring through her feeding the Slayer
all the
> energy she could hold, filling her. The Slayer accepted the energy
and the
> power it gave her.
> 
> Then the energy ceased, the peering eyes of Osiris blinked and a face
> formed.  "It is done, you are transformed.  Blood calls for blood,
vengeance
> will be granted."  
> 
> Buffy dropped to one knee as the energy began to change her from within,
> burning its way through her cells and her soul. It was making her
more than
> human, more than slayer, merging both human and demon as never been done
> before in the history of time.
> 
> "Buffy?" Willow's whiney voice intruded and grated.  "Buffy, what just
> happened?" The witch pressed, daring to walk up to the Slayer and
placing
> her hand on her shoulder.  The very witch who not two minutes ago
wanted to
> repeat her crimes by rendering another soul from Heaven.
> 
> "Stop Police!" The shout came from the side of the yard, near the gate
> leading to the street.  The Slayer knew there were two humans just
by their
> heart beats, before she even glanced in their direction.
>  
> "Stay right where you are with your hands up!" the taller of the two men
> yelled as if volume would make up for his frailty.  As if the gun in his
> hands could really protect him if the Slayer decided to hurt him.  She
> wouldn't hurt him, he was trying to protect the people from the monsters
> just like she did.  She could see his fear in the way his eyes
dilated, she
> could smell it in the sweat that trickled down the side of his face.  He
> only wanted to help the situation but his fear kept him paralyzed in
place.
> The other police officer didn't care one way or the other, he had no
fear of
> the four people standing in the yard.  He was young and stupid not to be
> afraid.
> 
> "What happened here?" The young policeman asked when it became clear
that
> none of the people in the yard were going to move.
>  
> Willow looked at Tara, Tara looked at Buffy to answer him, only the
Slayer
> didn't care about questions.  The Slayer only cared about her daughter.
> 
> Xander, still knelling beside the rapidly cooling corpse, answered.
"He--he
> shot her." Xander stumbled to his feet, tears streaming down his
face.  The
> frightened police officer nearly shot him when he moved, however
when he saw
> Xander's tears he put his weapon away.  He walked up to Xander and
gently
> reach out both hands and put them on the young man's shoulders.
> 
> "Who shot her? Do you know a name?" the policeman coaxed, bending
his head
> down so that he could make eye contact with Xander.
> 
> "Warren, Warren Mears," Xander whispered then broke.  Falling into
the arms
> of the police officer as the sobs choked him.
> 
> "I want an All Points Armed and Dangerous bulletin out on Mears,
Warren.  He
> is wanted in connection to a homicide at 1630 Rellevo Drive."  The young
> officer said into the radio pinned to his shoulder as he, too, put his
> weapon away.
> 
> "Do you know if its the same Mears wanted in connection with the
1014 last
> night?"  A disembodied voice over the radio asked.  The young policeman
> glanced up at the Xander for confirmation, but saw he was beyond
questions.
>   
> Hearing the name spoken out loud seemed to have the same affect on
Willow as
> she started to wail, a sound that grated worse to the Slayer than
her whiney
> voice.  Thankfully Tara took the step needed to reach around Buffy
to pull
> Willow into her arms.
> 
> Only Buffy was left standing over the body that had been her
daughter but
> was now only a piece of meat laying in a pool of blood.  Her sister
was safe
> in their mother's arms right now, safe, warm, complete, waiting for
Buffy to
> join them.
> 
>  The Slayer rebelled at the thought of heaven, of leaving the earth
until
> her job was done! They, Buffy and the Slayer, now had real power and the
> true ability to make a difference, a way to cut a path through the
monsters
> of this earth.  They were like the avenging Goddess of legend and
the first
> monster to feel her vengeance would be the one who killed her daughter!
> 
> TBC
> 
> Challenge Rules:
> 1. Dawn dies in front of Buffy in the yard by Warren's temper tantrum.
> Due to Buffy's injuries from patrol, she's a little too slow to save
> Dawn. Bonus points for Dawn saying something to Buffy that's
> meaningful (could be anything from "I love you", to her being happy to
> be the one saving BUFFY for a change)
>




Willow: "It's a good fight, Buffy, and I want in."
Buffy:  "I kinda love you."
                      --'Choices'

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