2 Aug 22 - Can You Break...
Title: Can You Break….
Author: Beriaearwen
Crossover: Buffy the Vampire Slayer / MacGyver (1980’s version)
Characters: Buffy Summers, Angus MacGyver
Rating: Suitable for people over 13
Word Count: 2287
Disclaimer: The characters of Buffy the Vampire Slayer belong to Mutant Enemy, etc. The characters of MacGyver belong to CBS, etc. All are used here without permission. No copyright infringement is intended.
Summary: What if Buffy, as Anne, had a slight detour when she got off the bus?
Can You Break…
By Beriaearwen
Stepping off the bus, Buffy kept her head down and moved quickly away from it, into the crowd where she could become unnoticed, unseen, lost. She knew generally where she wanted to go and had some ideas thanks to Pike and her time with him, but specifics were eluding her. She’d grabbed all of the money she had in her room which, thanks to her Dad sending her an apology check for missing out on her Junior Prom - not that she would have wanted him there anyway - she had a few hundred dollars.
If she could find a cheap enough place to stay, it should hold her over until she could find a job.
Moving forward and looking around to spot the cameras in the station, she was careful to keep her face away from them and head out the nearest exit. She hung around the door looking at the area surrounding the terminal.
There was a cheap hotel across the street, but staying too near wouldn’t be a good idea. She’d have to find somewhere else. She vaguely recalled a homeless shelter being nearby. Maybe she could get some information there. Besides, tired as she was, it was a little early to get a hotel room.
Heading off in the direction she thought held the shelter, she was passing by an alley when she heard a very familiar scuffle.
The shelter had been more helpful than she thought it would be and didn’t ask a lot of questions. She’d managed to find out what she needed including a few places that would hire an underage teen with no ID and work that wasn’t in the sex trade. She’d hit them up tomorrow.
She also got a list of cheap apartments that she might be able to afford.
It was getting dark now and she was headed to one of the recommended places.
She was passing an alley when she heard a familiar scuffling sound. Closing her eyes for a moment, she took a breath, put her head down and quickened her pace, trying her best to ignore what she knew was going on.
Buffy made it one step past the entrance to the alley before she stopped and went back. Sacred calling or not, she couldn’t just walk by and let someone die because she was hurting.
Stepping into the alley, she found a piece of wood that would do the trick and took in the situation. The vamp was actually pretty well dressed. His suit was tailored to him, which spoke of experience. He’d removed his jacket and hung it off of a nail or something protruding from the side of a building.
His victim was not much older than Buffy, but certainly didn’t look it. Life had not been kind to her and she looked completely uncaring as the Vamp sucked her blood.
“Sir, I’m afraid that’s not legal in this part of the city,” she stated, trying to quip, but it sounded as flat and dead as she felt inside.
He tore his face away from his meal and eyed her briefly. “And who do you think you are? I highly doubt you can stop me, unless you’re interested in coming over to my place for some -”
“Gross!” Buffy cried, completely repulsed by the thing and his statement.
He laughed and let his victim fall to the ground, too weak to stand. “It’s not like anyone will miss either of you. The streets of LA are not kind,” he explained, moving closer to her.
Buffy took a few steps further into the alley so it would be less likely people would see the upcoming fight. At her second step, the vampire raced at her and she lifted her arm at just the right moment, putting just enough effort into holding it still and letting the vampire stake himself.
As the dust fell to the ground, Buffy let out a tired sigh, unable to think of anything to say and not caring to try for more.
Looking at the previous victim, she felt more of her energy drain away as she realized the woman had died while they waited.
When she was about to turn and leave, she paused as the coat caught her sight. Her eyes darted to the end of the alley. Seeing no one at the end of the alley, she moved cautiously forward and retrieved the coat. It was good quality and she was pretty sure she could get a few dollars for it at a second hand store. The weight was wrong, though, so she checked the pockets and discovered a set of keys and a packet of cash folded and clipped.
The keys looked like a key to an apartment or house and the others didn’t make much sense, so she tossed the keys and looked at the bills. There were a few hundreds as well as smaller bills.
A brief battle with her conscious later and she tucked the bills away. She would need to break the hundreds since they not only made her a target, but would draw attention. Looked like she would need to visit a bank tomorrow before checking out the possible jobs.
~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~
Buffy sighed as she looked at the bank. She was dressed like most kids her age and in California she was about as forgettable as she could make herself and still look like she belonged.
Shifting her bag of necessities to her left hand, she reached for the door to the bank. As she stepped through, she caught sight of a man coming up the stairs, his arm in a sling. Stepping back out, she held the door for him, earning her a quick “thanks” and a smile.
She wasn’t sure she managed to smile in return, but she’d at least felt her facial muscles shift.
With a sigh, she followed the man in and withheld a groan.
The line wasn’t the worst she’d seen, but she’d come quite a ways from where she was staying and still had an interview to get to.
With no other choice, she got in line. A few moments later the man with the sling got in line behind her.
She’d moved forward two people and three others had gotten in line behind the man with the sling when a loud noise at the door drew everyone’s attention. She felt a flash of anger and a wariness she usually only experienced on patrol. She carefully placed her bag on the floor next to her to ensure her hands were free.
Six armed men flowed into the building, guarding the doors and moving toward the front. There were a few people who cried out, but most, stood still.
Buffy started scanning the room. There were cameras, there were alarms and there were sprinklers. There were the ropes that defined the line they stood in and a few pens.
Not much to work with.
She was fast, but not faster than bullets, so she would need to wait this through or wait for the right time.
Things seemed to be going smoothly and she was pretty sure that one of the Tellers up front had hit the silent alarm. Hopefully this would all be over before the police…
Of course her luck couldn’t be that good, she thought as she heard the approach of Police sirens.
She ignored the shout of the man at the door and waited to be told where to go.
Unconsciously, she took a defensive stance in front of the injured man, who shifted behind her and eased the shopping bag out of her hand.
They followed the instruction of the robbers and moved to the side of the bank, sitting down on the floor facing the wall.
A glance at the man beside her showed him shifting her shopping bag in front of him, out of sight of the robbers. “Looking for anything in particular?” she asked softly enough that only he heard.
He tilted his head and studied her for a few moments. “How’s your throwing arm?” he asked just as softly.
This time she did grin. She couldn’t help it, not with the Slayer awake and alert with her. The situation in which she found herself had dumped enough adrenaline into her system to overcome her pain, grief and apathy.
They both stilled and turned more fully toward the wall as one of the robbers came closer to them.
Waiting until the robber was distracted by a discussion about what to tell the police, the man slipped a pocket knife out of his jacket and slit the box of powdered laundry detergent in a few specific places. He then pulled out a can of soup.
“When I tell you, throw the soap on the ground in front of the door and then the can at one of the sprinkler heads.”
Her face asked the question she didn’t want to risk. Why wait for his say so?
His eyes tracked over toward the window on his side which faced the alley. She couldn’t see anything from where she sat, but with the shadow of the alley, it would act a bit like a mirror and show him what was going on behind them. She’d used that trick before on various demons and vampires.
Dipping her head in acknowledgment, she carefully slipped the can into her hand and slowly slipped her other hand closer to the rigged box.
There was much going on and not working out well for any of them. Buffy could feel the tension rising in the room, but kept an eye on the man beside her, waiting for his signal.
Finally, he nodded his head.
Faster than a normal human, fast enough to catch the attention of anyone paying attention, she whipped around.
The box of detergent landed on the floor and exploded, covering the majority of the floor and several of the robbers in soap flakes. Before they could react, the can of soup knocked one of the sprinklers setting them all off.
The addition of the water made the floor slick as ice and all but one of the robbers fell to the ground within seconds. Four of them lost their guns.
Buffy was already in motion and thanking her ice skating days as she skated toward the lone standing robber.
Faster than the man could react, she ripped the gun out of his hands and gave him a gentle push to knock him down.
Spinning, she spotted the man in the sling having tossed another can of soup at the other robber who had retained his gun and two other customers making their way out to gather the guns from the floor.
In a mad rush, the customers suddenly had the guns and the robbers were down.
Things seemed to rush by after that, police coming in, people leaving.
She did her best to sneak away, but the man with the sling stopped her and made her be checked by an EMT.
She was beginning to resent him as he watched her like a hawk.
Once their statements were given and they got the all clear to leave, the man, who had told her to call him Mac, placed a hand on her shoulder.
“So,” he started. “I’m supposed to be watching my neighbor’s apartment, taking care of her fish, etc, but with this,” he said, lifting his injured arm, “it’s a bit of a challenge. I hate to impose on you, but if you haven’t found a summer job yet, would you mind helping me out? You would be able to stay in her apartment and I’d be in mine next door…”
Buffy eyed him suspiciously. It sounded too good to be true, and there was always a catch. She may be devastated by her actions with Angel, but she hadn’t completely lost her senses. “I don’t…”
“Look, my neighbor has a spare room and is paying me to watch her place. I’ll give you the money for as long as you can stay. Also, if you have time to maybe help me out?” he asked.
Buffy wavered in her thoughts. The guy most likely did need help and she would like a nicer place to stay. Maybe she could get a job in a better place if she lived in a better place.
“Please?” he added, his face honest and pleading.
Blowing out a breath in a long stream, Buffy nodded. “Alright. Let me get my stuff. Where should I meet you?”
“Thank you,” he said sincerely before providing her the address. “I’ll see you soon.”
“Sure,” Buffy agreed, disappearing down the street.
~!~!~!~!~!~!~
Mac waited until Buffy was out of sight before pulling out his cell phone. He pressed speed dial one on it and waited. “Hey, Pete! It’s Mac. … I know… I know! I am taking it easy. Hey, listen, I met a kid who I think needs some help… runaway… No… No. Pete! Would you listen? I’m having her take over house sitting next door and asked her to help me out. … No. … No… I’m not sure yet, but I’ll let you know when I find out. … Give it a couple days before stopping by, let her get comfortable. … I will. Bye.” He closed his phone and slipped it back into his pocked.
He had a few things he needed to do before Buffy arrived including calling his neighbor to let her know about the change in plans. He knew she would understand.
He also had a mystery to solve. Something about Buffy and the sadness which followed her tugged at him and he wanted to help her. Hopefully he was up to the challenge.
End
Author: Beriaearwen
Crossover: Buffy the Vampire Slayer / MacGyver (1980’s version)
Characters: Buffy Summers, Angus MacGyver
Rating: Suitable for people over 13
Word Count: 2287
Disclaimer: The characters of Buffy the Vampire Slayer belong to Mutant Enemy, etc. The characters of MacGyver belong to CBS, etc. All are used here without permission. No copyright infringement is intended.
Summary: What if Buffy, as Anne, had a slight detour when she got off the bus?
Can You Break…
By Beriaearwen
Stepping off the bus, Buffy kept her head down and moved quickly away from it, into the crowd where she could become unnoticed, unseen, lost. She knew generally where she wanted to go and had some ideas thanks to Pike and her time with him, but specifics were eluding her. She’d grabbed all of the money she had in her room which, thanks to her Dad sending her an apology check for missing out on her Junior Prom - not that she would have wanted him there anyway - she had a few hundred dollars.
If she could find a cheap enough place to stay, it should hold her over until she could find a job.
Moving forward and looking around to spot the cameras in the station, she was careful to keep her face away from them and head out the nearest exit. She hung around the door looking at the area surrounding the terminal.
There was a cheap hotel across the street, but staying too near wouldn’t be a good idea. She’d have to find somewhere else. She vaguely recalled a homeless shelter being nearby. Maybe she could get some information there. Besides, tired as she was, it was a little early to get a hotel room.
Heading off in the direction she thought held the shelter, she was passing by an alley when she heard a very familiar scuffle.
The shelter had been more helpful than she thought it would be and didn’t ask a lot of questions. She’d managed to find out what she needed including a few places that would hire an underage teen with no ID and work that wasn’t in the sex trade. She’d hit them up tomorrow.
She also got a list of cheap apartments that she might be able to afford.
It was getting dark now and she was headed to one of the recommended places.
She was passing an alley when she heard a familiar scuffling sound. Closing her eyes for a moment, she took a breath, put her head down and quickened her pace, trying her best to ignore what she knew was going on.
Buffy made it one step past the entrance to the alley before she stopped and went back. Sacred calling or not, she couldn’t just walk by and let someone die because she was hurting.
Stepping into the alley, she found a piece of wood that would do the trick and took in the situation. The vamp was actually pretty well dressed. His suit was tailored to him, which spoke of experience. He’d removed his jacket and hung it off of a nail or something protruding from the side of a building.
His victim was not much older than Buffy, but certainly didn’t look it. Life had not been kind to her and she looked completely uncaring as the Vamp sucked her blood.
“Sir, I’m afraid that’s not legal in this part of the city,” she stated, trying to quip, but it sounded as flat and dead as she felt inside.
He tore his face away from his meal and eyed her briefly. “And who do you think you are? I highly doubt you can stop me, unless you’re interested in coming over to my place for some -”
“Gross!” Buffy cried, completely repulsed by the thing and his statement.
He laughed and let his victim fall to the ground, too weak to stand. “It’s not like anyone will miss either of you. The streets of LA are not kind,” he explained, moving closer to her.
Buffy took a few steps further into the alley so it would be less likely people would see the upcoming fight. At her second step, the vampire raced at her and she lifted her arm at just the right moment, putting just enough effort into holding it still and letting the vampire stake himself.
As the dust fell to the ground, Buffy let out a tired sigh, unable to think of anything to say and not caring to try for more.
Looking at the previous victim, she felt more of her energy drain away as she realized the woman had died while they waited.
When she was about to turn and leave, she paused as the coat caught her sight. Her eyes darted to the end of the alley. Seeing no one at the end of the alley, she moved cautiously forward and retrieved the coat. It was good quality and she was pretty sure she could get a few dollars for it at a second hand store. The weight was wrong, though, so she checked the pockets and discovered a set of keys and a packet of cash folded and clipped.
The keys looked like a key to an apartment or house and the others didn’t make much sense, so she tossed the keys and looked at the bills. There were a few hundreds as well as smaller bills.
A brief battle with her conscious later and she tucked the bills away. She would need to break the hundreds since they not only made her a target, but would draw attention. Looked like she would need to visit a bank tomorrow before checking out the possible jobs.
~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~
Buffy sighed as she looked at the bank. She was dressed like most kids her age and in California she was about as forgettable as she could make herself and still look like she belonged.
Shifting her bag of necessities to her left hand, she reached for the door to the bank. As she stepped through, she caught sight of a man coming up the stairs, his arm in a sling. Stepping back out, she held the door for him, earning her a quick “thanks” and a smile.
She wasn’t sure she managed to smile in return, but she’d at least felt her facial muscles shift.
With a sigh, she followed the man in and withheld a groan.
The line wasn’t the worst she’d seen, but she’d come quite a ways from where she was staying and still had an interview to get to.
With no other choice, she got in line. A few moments later the man with the sling got in line behind her.
She’d moved forward two people and three others had gotten in line behind the man with the sling when a loud noise at the door drew everyone’s attention. She felt a flash of anger and a wariness she usually only experienced on patrol. She carefully placed her bag on the floor next to her to ensure her hands were free.
Six armed men flowed into the building, guarding the doors and moving toward the front. There were a few people who cried out, but most, stood still.
Buffy started scanning the room. There were cameras, there were alarms and there were sprinklers. There were the ropes that defined the line they stood in and a few pens.
Not much to work with.
She was fast, but not faster than bullets, so she would need to wait this through or wait for the right time.
Things seemed to be going smoothly and she was pretty sure that one of the Tellers up front had hit the silent alarm. Hopefully this would all be over before the police…
Of course her luck couldn’t be that good, she thought as she heard the approach of Police sirens.
She ignored the shout of the man at the door and waited to be told where to go.
Unconsciously, she took a defensive stance in front of the injured man, who shifted behind her and eased the shopping bag out of her hand.
They followed the instruction of the robbers and moved to the side of the bank, sitting down on the floor facing the wall.
A glance at the man beside her showed him shifting her shopping bag in front of him, out of sight of the robbers. “Looking for anything in particular?” she asked softly enough that only he heard.
He tilted his head and studied her for a few moments. “How’s your throwing arm?” he asked just as softly.
This time she did grin. She couldn’t help it, not with the Slayer awake and alert with her. The situation in which she found herself had dumped enough adrenaline into her system to overcome her pain, grief and apathy.
They both stilled and turned more fully toward the wall as one of the robbers came closer to them.
Waiting until the robber was distracted by a discussion about what to tell the police, the man slipped a pocket knife out of his jacket and slit the box of powdered laundry detergent in a few specific places. He then pulled out a can of soup.
“When I tell you, throw the soap on the ground in front of the door and then the can at one of the sprinkler heads.”
Her face asked the question she didn’t want to risk. Why wait for his say so?
His eyes tracked over toward the window on his side which faced the alley. She couldn’t see anything from where she sat, but with the shadow of the alley, it would act a bit like a mirror and show him what was going on behind them. She’d used that trick before on various demons and vampires.
Dipping her head in acknowledgment, she carefully slipped the can into her hand and slowly slipped her other hand closer to the rigged box.
There was much going on and not working out well for any of them. Buffy could feel the tension rising in the room, but kept an eye on the man beside her, waiting for his signal.
Finally, he nodded his head.
Faster than a normal human, fast enough to catch the attention of anyone paying attention, she whipped around.
The box of detergent landed on the floor and exploded, covering the majority of the floor and several of the robbers in soap flakes. Before they could react, the can of soup knocked one of the sprinklers setting them all off.
The addition of the water made the floor slick as ice and all but one of the robbers fell to the ground within seconds. Four of them lost their guns.
Buffy was already in motion and thanking her ice skating days as she skated toward the lone standing robber.
Faster than the man could react, she ripped the gun out of his hands and gave him a gentle push to knock him down.
Spinning, she spotted the man in the sling having tossed another can of soup at the other robber who had retained his gun and two other customers making their way out to gather the guns from the floor.
In a mad rush, the customers suddenly had the guns and the robbers were down.
Things seemed to rush by after that, police coming in, people leaving.
She did her best to sneak away, but the man with the sling stopped her and made her be checked by an EMT.
She was beginning to resent him as he watched her like a hawk.
Once their statements were given and they got the all clear to leave, the man, who had told her to call him Mac, placed a hand on her shoulder.
“So,” he started. “I’m supposed to be watching my neighbor’s apartment, taking care of her fish, etc, but with this,” he said, lifting his injured arm, “it’s a bit of a challenge. I hate to impose on you, but if you haven’t found a summer job yet, would you mind helping me out? You would be able to stay in her apartment and I’d be in mine next door…”
Buffy eyed him suspiciously. It sounded too good to be true, and there was always a catch. She may be devastated by her actions with Angel, but she hadn’t completely lost her senses. “I don’t…”
“Look, my neighbor has a spare room and is paying me to watch her place. I’ll give you the money for as long as you can stay. Also, if you have time to maybe help me out?” he asked.
Buffy wavered in her thoughts. The guy most likely did need help and she would like a nicer place to stay. Maybe she could get a job in a better place if she lived in a better place.
“Please?” he added, his face honest and pleading.
Blowing out a breath in a long stream, Buffy nodded. “Alright. Let me get my stuff. Where should I meet you?”
“Thank you,” he said sincerely before providing her the address. “I’ll see you soon.”
“Sure,” Buffy agreed, disappearing down the street.
~!~!~!~!~!~!~
Mac waited until Buffy was out of sight before pulling out his cell phone. He pressed speed dial one on it and waited. “Hey, Pete! It’s Mac. … I know… I know! I am taking it easy. Hey, listen, I met a kid who I think needs some help… runaway… No… No. Pete! Would you listen? I’m having her take over house sitting next door and asked her to help me out. … No. … No… I’m not sure yet, but I’ll let you know when I find out. … Give it a couple days before stopping by, let her get comfortable. … I will. Bye.” He closed his phone and slipped it back into his pocked.
He had a few things he needed to do before Buffy arrived including calling his neighbor to let her know about the change in plans. He knew she would understand.
He also had a mystery to solve. Something about Buffy and the sadness which followed her tugged at him and he wanted to help her. Hopefully he was up to the challenge.
End