Aug. 13th: Dandelion, Ch. 2: I Am Not Her
Title: Dandelion, Ch. 2: I Am Not Her
Author: 3am_moonlight (MirroredIllusions on TtH)
Crossover: BtVS / Criminal Minds / Stargate SG-1
Rating: Gen / Teen
Word Count: 1,465
Timeline: BtVS: Post-Chose, later seasons for CM, and not decided for SG1.
Disclaimer: The Buffyverse, the Criminal Mind 'verse, and the Stargate 'verse all belong to people who are not yours truly.
Summary: Buffy meets the O'Neill's.
Author's Note: Written for Day 13 of the 2020 August Fic-A-Day.
A/N: Lots of handwaving here, so suspend your disbelief.
Agent Jareau didn't get very far from Buffy's hospital room, just far enough that a normal person would only have heard indistinctive voices but been unable to pick out any words. Buffy, however, having enhanced senses, heard everything as clearly as if the conversation had taken place right beside her bed.
"Easy, Jack." An older man said, attempting to sound soothing. "There are a few things you need to know before you go in there."
"My daughter is in there!" Probably Jack O'Neill protested in an agitated voice.
"She claims she's not," Dr. Lewis interjected before her teammate got the chance.
"She's awake?" Another female voice, a hopeful one, most likely the missus.
"She is," Agent Jareau confirmed. "But she keeps denying that her name is Elizabeth O'Neill. She seems to think her name is Buffy Summers, and that her parents are Joyce and Henry Summers."
The statement was followed by several sharp intakes of breath, and she was certain it wasn't just the O'Neill's.
Buffy used the opportunity to get comfortable in the hospital bed. Her body was less achy this time, and it wouldn't be long before she was completely healed. That begged the question, had she been healed somehow between hitting the ground and arriving in Tampa, or did she suddenly heal even faster than before? If she had been in Sunnydale, these injuries would've taken a week at least to heal, but from her understanding, it had been about 12 hours. Unless her timing was off.
"She also believes she has a sister, and that she spoke to her just before she fell."
A man commented before the O'Neill's got a chance, but she heard Mrs. O'Neill abruptly inhaling again. "Swyler insisted the women call each other sisters and that they call him father. It could just be a projection or self-protection on her part."
"But there's no evidence he ever had her, aside from where she was found, and he looked genuinely confused when he was shown a picture of her. Even going so far as to claim he didn't touch blondes because they were unclean and fake." That was informative of Dr. Lewis, even if it didn't explain why she had ended up in the same alley as this man's victims. Thinking back, there had been three women, two brunettes, and one with fiery red hair.
The group outside spoke some more before the O'Neill's finally demanded to be let inside to talk to her.
Agent Jareau was the first to enter, followed by an elder gentleman with graying hair, then another middle-aged man with graying hair, and finally a woman with short blonde hair. None of the newcomers were even remotely familiar to her.
The female agent smiled at her before she began introducing the new people. "Elizabeth, this is Agent David Rossi of the BAU, and your parents, Colonel Jack O'Neill and his ex-wife, Sara O'Neill."
Buffy gave all of them a polite smile, this was so going to get awkward. "Hello." She said to the new arrivals, then she turned to Agent Jareau. "I told you, my name is Buffy, not Elizabeth. People have assumed it's a nickname for Elizabeth my entire life, so you won't trigger anything but annoyance if you keeping using it."
She got a slightly strained smile in reply, but at that point, Sara had reached her bed and tried to take her hand. Buffy instinctively withdrew it so the woman only touched the duvet. The middle-aged woman's face fell immediately. It took some doing, but she finally managed to get both of the supposed parents to back away from her bed. Mainly by telling them straight out that their close proximity was making her uncomfortable.
The two agents had retreated to the hallway shortly after the introductions, where they had a short meeting with their teammates. The two unknown male agents and Lewis left shortly after, but Jareau and Rossi remained outside.
Sara seemed to be convinced Buffy was her daughter, but Jack looked increasingly skeptical even if he tried to hide it. His eyes told her he hoped she was his, but at the same time she could see he knew she wasn't, and he didn't know how to deal with it.
Breaking into the woman's attempt to convince her, she asked. "When did Elizabeth go missing? And what is today's date?" Sara's eyes became confused and she opened and closed her mouth several times but nothing came out.
Beside her, Jack answered the questions. "Elizabeth went missing on September 21st, 1999. Today is May 16th, 2001." Buffy nodded, which meant it was the correct date at least. One less thing to keep straight.
"Does today's date match with your memories?"
"Yes. It was the 15th yesterday, so it matches."
"Was May 15th the day you fell?" She gave an affirmative response. "Dr. Rees said those injuries were several months old and nearly healed."
"Then explain why I was unconscious in a back alley, in a state I've never been to before." The sooner she could make him separate her from his daughter the better. Beside him, his ex-wife had begun showing the smallest hint of doubt.
"Excuse me, I need a few minutes." Sara left the room and Jack gave her a concerned look as she went through the door.
As soon as she was out of earshot, Buffy said, "You know I'm not your daughter, pretending for your ex-wife won't help anyone."
He studied her closely for a few minutes and she managed not to squirm under the scrutiny. She couldn't even begin to imagine what he was going through. It made her heart go out to Dawn though and how she must've felt when she found out she had almost nothing but fake memories.
"You could've been Elizabeth's identical twin, but your personality, self-awareness, and demeanor couldn't be more different. You behave like a seasoned soldier, one who has seen too much action and gotten little or no help to manage the consequences."
This time it took effort not to squirm because that was a little too close to the truth. "I've never been to the military and I'm not a soldier." A disposable toy soldier maybe, but not what this man was implying.
He kept scrutinizing her, "No, but you have seen extended action of some kind, and not what Swyler did. I bet you're a good fighter in your chosen field."
She smiled reflexively in response, because, duh. Of course, she was an excellent fighter; Slayers were apex predators! Then her smile faltered. Glory hadn't managed to kill her, but her minions had made sure she had died regardless even if it was by her own hand. Different methods but the same result; dead Buffy. Or, she should've been dead, except she wasn't.
"What?" The man beside her bed asked.
What indeed. "The last memories I have are chaotic and not of the good." Attempting to draw his attention away from asking the obvious questions, she asked. "You're a soldier, Colonel. I'm sure you've done some research or gotten someone else to do it for you, but what made anyone think I was your daughter?"
He slid a hand across his face. "Call me Jack, it's too weird for you to call me something else."
"Only if you call me Buffy. The faster you stop comparing me to Elizabeth the better it will be for you to cope." After a short hesitation, he agreed. "The question still stands."
This time Colonel O'Neill, no, Jack, sighed. "Dave is an old friend of mine." Off her confusion, he added. "Agent Rossi, one of the agents who came in with Sara and I. He recognized you and, knowing my daughter had been missing for two years he rushed a DNA test. It came back with a positive match just before we arrived here."
It was Buffy's turn to stare. "But you believe me. You didn't lie about that."
"I believe you." He affirmed. "Something weird is going on, but to try and figure it out I need you to come back with me to Colorado Springs. We have an excellent team of doctors there who can help us get to the bottom of this."
Flashbacks of Maggie Walsh and her military experiments ran through her mind instantly and she tensed. "That's a negatory, I won't be anyone's science experiment!" Not happening, once was more than enough.
She was saved from elaborating on her refusal to accompanying him, by the arrival of the much-talked-about Dr. Rees. Mrs. O'Neill and Agent Jareau were both following in his wake. The doctor kindly but firmly kicked everyone out of the room before he began looking her over. But the look Jack gave her before he left was clear; their talk wasn't over.
Author: 3am_moonlight (MirroredIllusions on TtH)
Crossover: BtVS / Criminal Minds / Stargate SG-1
Rating: Gen / Teen
Word Count: 1,465
Timeline: BtVS: Post-Chose, later seasons for CM, and not decided for SG1.
Disclaimer: The Buffyverse, the Criminal Mind 'verse, and the Stargate 'verse all belong to people who are not yours truly.
Summary: Buffy meets the O'Neill's.
Author's Note: Written for Day 13 of the 2020 August Fic-A-Day.
A/N: Lots of handwaving here, so suspend your disbelief.
Agent Jareau didn't get very far from Buffy's hospital room, just far enough that a normal person would only have heard indistinctive voices but been unable to pick out any words. Buffy, however, having enhanced senses, heard everything as clearly as if the conversation had taken place right beside her bed.
"Easy, Jack." An older man said, attempting to sound soothing. "There are a few things you need to know before you go in there."
"My daughter is in there!" Probably Jack O'Neill protested in an agitated voice.
"She claims she's not," Dr. Lewis interjected before her teammate got the chance.
"She's awake?" Another female voice, a hopeful one, most likely the missus.
"She is," Agent Jareau confirmed. "But she keeps denying that her name is Elizabeth O'Neill. She seems to think her name is Buffy Summers, and that her parents are Joyce and Henry Summers."
The statement was followed by several sharp intakes of breath, and she was certain it wasn't just the O'Neill's.
Buffy used the opportunity to get comfortable in the hospital bed. Her body was less achy this time, and it wouldn't be long before she was completely healed. That begged the question, had she been healed somehow between hitting the ground and arriving in Tampa, or did she suddenly heal even faster than before? If she had been in Sunnydale, these injuries would've taken a week at least to heal, but from her understanding, it had been about 12 hours. Unless her timing was off.
"She also believes she has a sister, and that she spoke to her just before she fell."
A man commented before the O'Neill's got a chance, but she heard Mrs. O'Neill abruptly inhaling again. "Swyler insisted the women call each other sisters and that they call him father. It could just be a projection or self-protection on her part."
"But there's no evidence he ever had her, aside from where she was found, and he looked genuinely confused when he was shown a picture of her. Even going so far as to claim he didn't touch blondes because they were unclean and fake." That was informative of Dr. Lewis, even if it didn't explain why she had ended up in the same alley as this man's victims. Thinking back, there had been three women, two brunettes, and one with fiery red hair.
The group outside spoke some more before the O'Neill's finally demanded to be let inside to talk to her.
Agent Jareau was the first to enter, followed by an elder gentleman with graying hair, then another middle-aged man with graying hair, and finally a woman with short blonde hair. None of the newcomers were even remotely familiar to her.
The female agent smiled at her before she began introducing the new people. "Elizabeth, this is Agent David Rossi of the BAU, and your parents, Colonel Jack O'Neill and his ex-wife, Sara O'Neill."
Buffy gave all of them a polite smile, this was so going to get awkward. "Hello." She said to the new arrivals, then she turned to Agent Jareau. "I told you, my name is Buffy, not Elizabeth. People have assumed it's a nickname for Elizabeth my entire life, so you won't trigger anything but annoyance if you keeping using it."
She got a slightly strained smile in reply, but at that point, Sara had reached her bed and tried to take her hand. Buffy instinctively withdrew it so the woman only touched the duvet. The middle-aged woman's face fell immediately. It took some doing, but she finally managed to get both of the supposed parents to back away from her bed. Mainly by telling them straight out that their close proximity was making her uncomfortable.
The two agents had retreated to the hallway shortly after the introductions, where they had a short meeting with their teammates. The two unknown male agents and Lewis left shortly after, but Jareau and Rossi remained outside.
Sara seemed to be convinced Buffy was her daughter, but Jack looked increasingly skeptical even if he tried to hide it. His eyes told her he hoped she was his, but at the same time she could see he knew she wasn't, and he didn't know how to deal with it.
Breaking into the woman's attempt to convince her, she asked. "When did Elizabeth go missing? And what is today's date?" Sara's eyes became confused and she opened and closed her mouth several times but nothing came out.
Beside her, Jack answered the questions. "Elizabeth went missing on September 21st, 1999. Today is May 16th, 2001." Buffy nodded, which meant it was the correct date at least. One less thing to keep straight.
"Does today's date match with your memories?"
"Yes. It was the 15th yesterday, so it matches."
"Was May 15th the day you fell?" She gave an affirmative response. "Dr. Rees said those injuries were several months old and nearly healed."
"Then explain why I was unconscious in a back alley, in a state I've never been to before." The sooner she could make him separate her from his daughter the better. Beside him, his ex-wife had begun showing the smallest hint of doubt.
"Excuse me, I need a few minutes." Sara left the room and Jack gave her a concerned look as she went through the door.
As soon as she was out of earshot, Buffy said, "You know I'm not your daughter, pretending for your ex-wife won't help anyone."
He studied her closely for a few minutes and she managed not to squirm under the scrutiny. She couldn't even begin to imagine what he was going through. It made her heart go out to Dawn though and how she must've felt when she found out she had almost nothing but fake memories.
"You could've been Elizabeth's identical twin, but your personality, self-awareness, and demeanor couldn't be more different. You behave like a seasoned soldier, one who has seen too much action and gotten little or no help to manage the consequences."
This time it took effort not to squirm because that was a little too close to the truth. "I've never been to the military and I'm not a soldier." A disposable toy soldier maybe, but not what this man was implying.
He kept scrutinizing her, "No, but you have seen extended action of some kind, and not what Swyler did. I bet you're a good fighter in your chosen field."
She smiled reflexively in response, because, duh. Of course, she was an excellent fighter; Slayers were apex predators! Then her smile faltered. Glory hadn't managed to kill her, but her minions had made sure she had died regardless even if it was by her own hand. Different methods but the same result; dead Buffy. Or, she should've been dead, except she wasn't.
"What?" The man beside her bed asked.
What indeed. "The last memories I have are chaotic and not of the good." Attempting to draw his attention away from asking the obvious questions, she asked. "You're a soldier, Colonel. I'm sure you've done some research or gotten someone else to do it for you, but what made anyone think I was your daughter?"
He slid a hand across his face. "Call me Jack, it's too weird for you to call me something else."
"Only if you call me Buffy. The faster you stop comparing me to Elizabeth the better it will be for you to cope." After a short hesitation, he agreed. "The question still stands."
This time Colonel O'Neill, no, Jack, sighed. "Dave is an old friend of mine." Off her confusion, he added. "Agent Rossi, one of the agents who came in with Sara and I. He recognized you and, knowing my daughter had been missing for two years he rushed a DNA test. It came back with a positive match just before we arrived here."
It was Buffy's turn to stare. "But you believe me. You didn't lie about that."
"I believe you." He affirmed. "Something weird is going on, but to try and figure it out I need you to come back with me to Colorado Springs. We have an excellent team of doctors there who can help us get to the bottom of this."
Flashbacks of Maggie Walsh and her military experiments ran through her mind instantly and she tensed. "That's a negatory, I won't be anyone's science experiment!" Not happening, once was more than enough.
She was saved from elaborating on her refusal to accompanying him, by the arrival of the much-talked-about Dr. Rees. Mrs. O'Neill and Agent Jareau were both following in his wake. The doctor kindly but firmly kicked everyone out of the room before he began looking her over. But the look Jack gave her before he left was clear; their talk wasn't over.