August 28 - Future Bought
Title: Future Bought
Author: koohii_cafe
Rating: FR7
Crossover: BtVS/Star Trek: The Original Series
Disclaimer: Since I am a poor chickadee with no wealth to speak of, I think it's safe to say that neither BtVS nor Star Trek: The Original Series are mine. ^^;
Written for: TtH August Fic A Day Challenge
Summary: "We have never met before, Buffy Summers, and yet we have. Perhaps not in a physical fashion, as we have met now, but on another plane."
Author's notes: Part of my 'Bound in Story' series.
~*~*~*~*~
It was at the party for her graduating class that she finally met him in person. The Enterprise had somehow happened to be in the system for a brief layover, for her crew to get a little bit of shore leave while the ship herself underwent some minor repairs in spacedock, the same day that the ceremony was set. Not that Buffy was under any mistaken impression that it was at all happenstance, she wasn't that gullible, no matter how Jim had grinned and shrugged it off when she pressed him about it. Not that she minded either, because it meant that both he and Leonard had been able to attend her graduation in person, and having her two oldest friends in this world there had been an unexpected, but welcomed and special treat. Having them at the Academy hosted party had been even better, no matter how much Leonard griped about not being big on dancing, or how people gawked when she dragged the legendary Captain Kirk onto the dance floor and kissed him soundly as they danced. And maybe, given that both Leonard and Jim had been in attendance, she should have expected that the last member of their trio would attend as well, but she hadn't. Rather, it was a complete surprise when Jim laughingly dragged her back off the dance floor, back to where Leonard was waiting with drink in hand, and back to where-
"Buffy, I want you to meet-"
"Spock?" The name escaped her before she could stop herself, surprise, confusion, and a strange familiarity lacing her tone. Strange because while she'd never seen the Vulcan in reality, she knew him. Knew him not because of her studies at the Academy, or the pictures she'd seen of the most famous crew in Starfleet, but because he had figured prominently in the first- and only- Slayer dream she'd had in this world.
The Vulcan arched an eyebrow at her exclamation, his head cocking to one side, and Jim chuckled, amused. "Of course you would recognize him. I suppose I don't need to introduce him to you, then, but to introduce you to him. Spock, this is-"
"No introductions will be required, Captain." His voice was just as she remembered, smooth and even, without the slightest inflection to give anything away. She had a thought that Jim and Leonard, who both turned to stare at the third man at the statement, were as surprised as she was by his words.
"What do you mean, 'no introductions will be required,' Spock?" It was Leonard, his expression incredulous as he looked at the other man. Jim, however, turned away from his first officer to look at Buffy in some mix between amusement and confusion, even as she shook her head back at him.
"Buffy, don't tell me you've been in communication with my crew without telling me." His voice was teasing, to match the look on his face, and she kept shaking her head. She had no idea how to answer that. Thankfully, Spock spoke before she had to.
"Not at all, Captain," Spock answered for her smoothly. "I have never before met Ensign Summers. I am, however, aware of her identity; her performance at the Academy has been most impeccable, especially given the unusual nature of her admittance and her background, and she has garnered quite a bit of attention for it."
It was a... logical answer. And she didn't believe it for a second. There was something about the look in his eye, the quirk of his eyebrow, the tilt of his head... And she remembered his words in her dream, then.
'We shall meet one day, Buffy Summers. When the time comes.'
"I wasn't aware you'd heard of her, Spock," Jim commented casually, and the look in his eyes made her think of a cunning hunter baiting a trap. "Or that you knew of her... background. It isn't exactly common knowledge."
Which was true, for the most part. While she hadn't exactly been told not to tell people about her past, about the fact that she'd come from another dimension, another reality, she hadn't been encouraged to either. Alternate realities and dimensions weren't unknown to Starfleet- Jim had told her the story about the one he had been trapped in briefly with Leonard, Uhura, and Scotty- but they were just an abstract theory to most people, and to the public at large. So instead of telling people she was from another universe, she only told what year she'd come from- and usually only when asked.
"Mr. Summers' origins are a matter of record when you have the proper clearance," Spock answered simply. Then, before either Jim or Leonard could riposte, he continued, "Captain, Doctor. I have several questions for the ensign, things I have been curious about for some time. If you will excuse us?"
The words were a question, both for her and for the other men. Jim was staring at his first officer, staring hard, as if trying to figure out some puzzle. Leonard was... well, Leonard was eying Spock just as hard as Jim was, with perhaps a little more suspicion as well as a touch of exasperation.
"For god's sake, Spock, the poor girl just graduated. This is a party. Buffy," and the doctor stressed her first name, as if to emphasize that they were meant to be off duty and casual, "is here to relax and have fun after the sheer hell that's a cadet's last year in the Academy, not answer whatever prying, unending questions some complete stranger with a computer for a brain has for her."
"It's okay." She finally spoke up then, interrupting Leonard before he could make some further comment about Spock's Vulcan heritage. She may not have seen their rivalry in action herself, but she'd heard about it often enough. She smiled, at Jim and Leonard both, both to reassure them- and to cover up the fact that there was something going on here that neither of them knew about, and stepped forward. "I don't mind, really. I've heard so much about Commander Spock by now that I might as well see how much of it is true, and how much of it's just your bluster, Leonard."
The comment made Leonard fluster, Jim grin, and Spock arch an eyebrow at her, with some look hiding behind his perfectly unreadable eyes that made her think he approved of the comment, of the distraction tactic, and then he motioned a hand off to one side.
"After you then, Ensign." He nodded at Jim and Leonard, and Buffy moved forward quickly, before either of their friends could protest further, winding her way through the party crowd towards an empty alcove in the direction he'd indicated. This was going to be... interesting.
The large hall the party was taking place in was one that served several different functions, including often serving as a meeting hall for diplomatic functions. It was that knowledge that kept her from being surprised when, once they were within the alcove, Spock reached over to active a dampening field of sorts. It wouldn't stop anyone from coming in and out of the alcove, she knew, but it would provide a kind of sound barrier, affording them a bit of privacy. It was enough to give her a bit of courage where she was otherwise a little unsure of her footing here, with the infamous Spock, who she'd heard so much about from her friends, who seemed so intimidating in his records, and she looked up at him with an arched eyebrow of her own.
"So, Commander. Is there a reason you just flat out lied to two of my closest friends about why you wanted to talk to me?" She paused, tilted her head, then added, "Two of my closest friends who are also your closest friends, from what I understand."
"Indeed." The one word answer was placid, calm and easy, and she wasn't sure if he was addressing her first statement, or her second, and it was more than a little frustrating. Or maybe that was Leonard's previous commentaries about the Vulcan influencing her a little. Either way, she wasn't going to let him just leave it there.
"Is that 'indeed, there's a reason you lied to them,' or 'indeed, they are your friends?'" she challenged, allowing her second eyebrow to raise to join the first.
"It is both." He paused after the answer, tilted his head once more, and before could become further frustrated by the simplistic answer, he continued. "We have never met before, Buffy Summers, and yet we have. Perhaps not in a physical fashion, as we have met now, but on another plane."
"I-" She faltered, because the question answered the question that was running rampant in her head. Asking that question meant that he remembered her Slayer dream, in some way that no one else ever had. No one outside of Faith, at least, but Faith had been... Faith had been a slayer. Their dreams had been shared because of that, because of their shared calling. Spock wasn't a slayer. "What?"
"'Death is my gift,'" he said, the words a quote, and her breath caught. "'No one else's, and I've already given it.'" There was a pause, and he added, "I do not know what you meant by that. I am also unsure of how you were able to contact me telepathically, or how the memory was hidden from me afterward. Altering a Vulcan's memory is a difficult feat, and there is nothing in your records to indicate that you are telepathic, but the fact remains that it happened."
"I'm not," Buffy interjected quickly, shaking her head. "Telepathic, I mean. I'm not telepathic. Been there, did that, didn't get the t-shirt because it sucked. That- what happened- it wasn't- telepathy."
"That you state that with such certainty indicates you know what it was."
"I do. I-" She bit her lip, looking away from that intense stare, trying to decide how to explain. "What do you know? About my past?"
"I know that you came here from an alternate reality, and from a different time. The records state that Captain Kirk rescued you, although they do not state how, and that he brought you here with him. You stayed with his family for the remainder of his leave; when he came to San Francisco to return to active duty, you moved to San Francisco as well, and applied to Starfleet Academy. Your performance at the Academy since then is public record."
So- nothing then. Nothing about what her world had been like, or how it had differed. Buffy sighed, her eyes sliding closed for a moment, and she had to trust that he would believe her now. Jim had, hadn't he? And Leonard too.
"The- alternate reality I come from was different than here. In my universe, there are things that don't exist here, things that don't work here. In my universe- magic is real. There's demons, and a ton of different kinds of supernatural creatures, and witches and werewolves, vampires, things you only hear about in fairytales. But they're real in my world. Most people don't know about them, or believe in them, but they're there, and they're dangerous." She paused, looking up to meet that impenetrable dark gaze, to try and somehow gauge reaction, but it was impossible to see through the mask.
"I see," he commented, as calm as if she'd just told him the sky was blue, or the grass was green. As if she wasn't talking what most people would call crazy talk. That was a good sign, right?
"There's this whole story were the Earth started out overrun by demons, in my world. In order to fight the demons, a bunch of cowardly warlocks kidnapped a girl. They used a spell on her, to make her strong enough to fight the demons off so she could do their dirty work for them, and then they made sure that if she died, her power would go to another girl, and when she died, to another girl, and another girl, and another girl, and- you get the picture. They called her the Slayer."
There was no recognition in his eyes at the title. No reaction at all. It was strangely unnerving.
"That's what I am. I'm the Slayer- or I was, in my world."
"Your unusual strength and speed," he deduced, and she nodded.
"I'm stronger and faster than most humans. And I have prophetic dreams. What you remember... that was one of my dreams."
And there- there it was. Tiny, almost imperceptible, and if she hadn't been staring straight into his eyes, watching for it, she would have missed it. But it was there, almost a flinch of some kind, and she remembered the look in Leonard's eyes when he'd come back to Earth after that, remembered the way Jim had thrown himself into anything he could as if to drive away some indescribable pain- and she remembered the way Spock had looked in the dream. She continued, her voice quiet.
"Normally my dreams helped me fight some enemy, told me what I needed to do to save people. But you told me I couldn't. That it would cost-"
"Yes." A single word, but enough to stop her in her tracks. He looked away then, and she followed his gaze to where Jim and Leonard were still in the crowd, and then he turned back to her and nodded. "I understand now. You are correct. I do not understand how I was able to foretell that you could not have interfered, but had you tried, the results would have been... worse than what they were."
"Magic," she answered, sighing quietly. Shaking her head, she added, "I've dreamed about my friends before, and the dreams used them to tell me what I needed to know, but they've never remembered before. I don't know how you remember."
"I am Vulcan," he stated, as if that was the answer, and maybe it was.
"Are you going to tell-" she started to ask, a thread of uncertainly running through her. She didn't know how Jim or Leonard would react, if they knew she'd known something horrible was coming and that she hadn't done anything to stop it. Spock answered before she could complete the question.
"No." A breath, his chest rising and falling with it, and then whatever she thought she could see in him was gone. The placid, calm mask was back, and he was quirking an eyebrow at her. "I am pleased to have made your acquaintance, Ensign. As I am sure this encounter will not be our last, I look forward to meeting you again in the future."
He raised his hand, in the Vulcan salute, inclined his head, and then turned to deactivate the privacy field and move away from the alcove. Buffy's eyes followed him, as he wound his way through the crowd back to their friends- to say his goodbyes, she thought. She waited, long enough to see him turn away from Jim and Leonard and move away through the crowd again before she inhaled deeply and stepped out of the alcove herself.
She was right. That had been... interesting. And she had a feeling that it would only become more so after today. The bonds between the three men were firm now, had been since the incident that had brought Jim back to the captain's chair, and she sensed now a new bond, one that connected her to them as well. Not part of their trio, no, she wouldn't dream of intruding on what they shared, but a bond nonetheless. Because this future that they had bought for Jim, she and Spock together, was her future as well.
Author: koohii_cafe
Rating: FR7
Crossover: BtVS/Star Trek: The Original Series
Disclaimer: Since I am a poor chickadee with no wealth to speak of, I think it's safe to say that neither BtVS nor Star Trek: The Original Series are mine. ^^;
Written for: TtH August Fic A Day Challenge
Summary: "We have never met before, Buffy Summers, and yet we have. Perhaps not in a physical fashion, as we have met now, but on another plane."
Author's notes: Part of my 'Bound in Story' series.
~*~*~*~*~
It was at the party for her graduating class that she finally met him in person. The Enterprise had somehow happened to be in the system for a brief layover, for her crew to get a little bit of shore leave while the ship herself underwent some minor repairs in spacedock, the same day that the ceremony was set. Not that Buffy was under any mistaken impression that it was at all happenstance, she wasn't that gullible, no matter how Jim had grinned and shrugged it off when she pressed him about it. Not that she minded either, because it meant that both he and Leonard had been able to attend her graduation in person, and having her two oldest friends in this world there had been an unexpected, but welcomed and special treat. Having them at the Academy hosted party had been even better, no matter how much Leonard griped about not being big on dancing, or how people gawked when she dragged the legendary Captain Kirk onto the dance floor and kissed him soundly as they danced. And maybe, given that both Leonard and Jim had been in attendance, she should have expected that the last member of their trio would attend as well, but she hadn't. Rather, it was a complete surprise when Jim laughingly dragged her back off the dance floor, back to where Leonard was waiting with drink in hand, and back to where-
"Buffy, I want you to meet-"
"Spock?" The name escaped her before she could stop herself, surprise, confusion, and a strange familiarity lacing her tone. Strange because while she'd never seen the Vulcan in reality, she knew him. Knew him not because of her studies at the Academy, or the pictures she'd seen of the most famous crew in Starfleet, but because he had figured prominently in the first- and only- Slayer dream she'd had in this world.
The Vulcan arched an eyebrow at her exclamation, his head cocking to one side, and Jim chuckled, amused. "Of course you would recognize him. I suppose I don't need to introduce him to you, then, but to introduce you to him. Spock, this is-"
"No introductions will be required, Captain." His voice was just as she remembered, smooth and even, without the slightest inflection to give anything away. She had a thought that Jim and Leonard, who both turned to stare at the third man at the statement, were as surprised as she was by his words.
"What do you mean, 'no introductions will be required,' Spock?" It was Leonard, his expression incredulous as he looked at the other man. Jim, however, turned away from his first officer to look at Buffy in some mix between amusement and confusion, even as she shook her head back at him.
"Buffy, don't tell me you've been in communication with my crew without telling me." His voice was teasing, to match the look on his face, and she kept shaking her head. She had no idea how to answer that. Thankfully, Spock spoke before she had to.
"Not at all, Captain," Spock answered for her smoothly. "I have never before met Ensign Summers. I am, however, aware of her identity; her performance at the Academy has been most impeccable, especially given the unusual nature of her admittance and her background, and she has garnered quite a bit of attention for it."
It was a... logical answer. And she didn't believe it for a second. There was something about the look in his eye, the quirk of his eyebrow, the tilt of his head... And she remembered his words in her dream, then.
'We shall meet one day, Buffy Summers. When the time comes.'
"I wasn't aware you'd heard of her, Spock," Jim commented casually, and the look in his eyes made her think of a cunning hunter baiting a trap. "Or that you knew of her... background. It isn't exactly common knowledge."
Which was true, for the most part. While she hadn't exactly been told not to tell people about her past, about the fact that she'd come from another dimension, another reality, she hadn't been encouraged to either. Alternate realities and dimensions weren't unknown to Starfleet- Jim had told her the story about the one he had been trapped in briefly with Leonard, Uhura, and Scotty- but they were just an abstract theory to most people, and to the public at large. So instead of telling people she was from another universe, she only told what year she'd come from- and usually only when asked.
"Mr. Summers' origins are a matter of record when you have the proper clearance," Spock answered simply. Then, before either Jim or Leonard could riposte, he continued, "Captain, Doctor. I have several questions for the ensign, things I have been curious about for some time. If you will excuse us?"
The words were a question, both for her and for the other men. Jim was staring at his first officer, staring hard, as if trying to figure out some puzzle. Leonard was... well, Leonard was eying Spock just as hard as Jim was, with perhaps a little more suspicion as well as a touch of exasperation.
"For god's sake, Spock, the poor girl just graduated. This is a party. Buffy," and the doctor stressed her first name, as if to emphasize that they were meant to be off duty and casual, "is here to relax and have fun after the sheer hell that's a cadet's last year in the Academy, not answer whatever prying, unending questions some complete stranger with a computer for a brain has for her."
"It's okay." She finally spoke up then, interrupting Leonard before he could make some further comment about Spock's Vulcan heritage. She may not have seen their rivalry in action herself, but she'd heard about it often enough. She smiled, at Jim and Leonard both, both to reassure them- and to cover up the fact that there was something going on here that neither of them knew about, and stepped forward. "I don't mind, really. I've heard so much about Commander Spock by now that I might as well see how much of it is true, and how much of it's just your bluster, Leonard."
The comment made Leonard fluster, Jim grin, and Spock arch an eyebrow at her, with some look hiding behind his perfectly unreadable eyes that made her think he approved of the comment, of the distraction tactic, and then he motioned a hand off to one side.
"After you then, Ensign." He nodded at Jim and Leonard, and Buffy moved forward quickly, before either of their friends could protest further, winding her way through the party crowd towards an empty alcove in the direction he'd indicated. This was going to be... interesting.
The large hall the party was taking place in was one that served several different functions, including often serving as a meeting hall for diplomatic functions. It was that knowledge that kept her from being surprised when, once they were within the alcove, Spock reached over to active a dampening field of sorts. It wouldn't stop anyone from coming in and out of the alcove, she knew, but it would provide a kind of sound barrier, affording them a bit of privacy. It was enough to give her a bit of courage where she was otherwise a little unsure of her footing here, with the infamous Spock, who she'd heard so much about from her friends, who seemed so intimidating in his records, and she looked up at him with an arched eyebrow of her own.
"So, Commander. Is there a reason you just flat out lied to two of my closest friends about why you wanted to talk to me?" She paused, tilted her head, then added, "Two of my closest friends who are also your closest friends, from what I understand."
"Indeed." The one word answer was placid, calm and easy, and she wasn't sure if he was addressing her first statement, or her second, and it was more than a little frustrating. Or maybe that was Leonard's previous commentaries about the Vulcan influencing her a little. Either way, she wasn't going to let him just leave it there.
"Is that 'indeed, there's a reason you lied to them,' or 'indeed, they are your friends?'" she challenged, allowing her second eyebrow to raise to join the first.
"It is both." He paused after the answer, tilted his head once more, and before could become further frustrated by the simplistic answer, he continued. "We have never met before, Buffy Summers, and yet we have. Perhaps not in a physical fashion, as we have met now, but on another plane."
"I-" She faltered, because the question answered the question that was running rampant in her head. Asking that question meant that he remembered her Slayer dream, in some way that no one else ever had. No one outside of Faith, at least, but Faith had been... Faith had been a slayer. Their dreams had been shared because of that, because of their shared calling. Spock wasn't a slayer. "What?"
"'Death is my gift,'" he said, the words a quote, and her breath caught. "'No one else's, and I've already given it.'" There was a pause, and he added, "I do not know what you meant by that. I am also unsure of how you were able to contact me telepathically, or how the memory was hidden from me afterward. Altering a Vulcan's memory is a difficult feat, and there is nothing in your records to indicate that you are telepathic, but the fact remains that it happened."
"I'm not," Buffy interjected quickly, shaking her head. "Telepathic, I mean. I'm not telepathic. Been there, did that, didn't get the t-shirt because it sucked. That- what happened- it wasn't- telepathy."
"That you state that with such certainty indicates you know what it was."
"I do. I-" She bit her lip, looking away from that intense stare, trying to decide how to explain. "What do you know? About my past?"
"I know that you came here from an alternate reality, and from a different time. The records state that Captain Kirk rescued you, although they do not state how, and that he brought you here with him. You stayed with his family for the remainder of his leave; when he came to San Francisco to return to active duty, you moved to San Francisco as well, and applied to Starfleet Academy. Your performance at the Academy since then is public record."
So- nothing then. Nothing about what her world had been like, or how it had differed. Buffy sighed, her eyes sliding closed for a moment, and she had to trust that he would believe her now. Jim had, hadn't he? And Leonard too.
"The- alternate reality I come from was different than here. In my universe, there are things that don't exist here, things that don't work here. In my universe- magic is real. There's demons, and a ton of different kinds of supernatural creatures, and witches and werewolves, vampires, things you only hear about in fairytales. But they're real in my world. Most people don't know about them, or believe in them, but they're there, and they're dangerous." She paused, looking up to meet that impenetrable dark gaze, to try and somehow gauge reaction, but it was impossible to see through the mask.
"I see," he commented, as calm as if she'd just told him the sky was blue, or the grass was green. As if she wasn't talking what most people would call crazy talk. That was a good sign, right?
"There's this whole story were the Earth started out overrun by demons, in my world. In order to fight the demons, a bunch of cowardly warlocks kidnapped a girl. They used a spell on her, to make her strong enough to fight the demons off so she could do their dirty work for them, and then they made sure that if she died, her power would go to another girl, and when she died, to another girl, and another girl, and another girl, and- you get the picture. They called her the Slayer."
There was no recognition in his eyes at the title. No reaction at all. It was strangely unnerving.
"That's what I am. I'm the Slayer- or I was, in my world."
"Your unusual strength and speed," he deduced, and she nodded.
"I'm stronger and faster than most humans. And I have prophetic dreams. What you remember... that was one of my dreams."
And there- there it was. Tiny, almost imperceptible, and if she hadn't been staring straight into his eyes, watching for it, she would have missed it. But it was there, almost a flinch of some kind, and she remembered the look in Leonard's eyes when he'd come back to Earth after that, remembered the way Jim had thrown himself into anything he could as if to drive away some indescribable pain- and she remembered the way Spock had looked in the dream. She continued, her voice quiet.
"Normally my dreams helped me fight some enemy, told me what I needed to do to save people. But you told me I couldn't. That it would cost-"
"Yes." A single word, but enough to stop her in her tracks. He looked away then, and she followed his gaze to where Jim and Leonard were still in the crowd, and then he turned back to her and nodded. "I understand now. You are correct. I do not understand how I was able to foretell that you could not have interfered, but had you tried, the results would have been... worse than what they were."
"Magic," she answered, sighing quietly. Shaking her head, she added, "I've dreamed about my friends before, and the dreams used them to tell me what I needed to know, but they've never remembered before. I don't know how you remember."
"I am Vulcan," he stated, as if that was the answer, and maybe it was.
"Are you going to tell-" she started to ask, a thread of uncertainly running through her. She didn't know how Jim or Leonard would react, if they knew she'd known something horrible was coming and that she hadn't done anything to stop it. Spock answered before she could complete the question.
"No." A breath, his chest rising and falling with it, and then whatever she thought she could see in him was gone. The placid, calm mask was back, and he was quirking an eyebrow at her. "I am pleased to have made your acquaintance, Ensign. As I am sure this encounter will not be our last, I look forward to meeting you again in the future."
He raised his hand, in the Vulcan salute, inclined his head, and then turned to deactivate the privacy field and move away from the alcove. Buffy's eyes followed him, as he wound his way through the crowd back to their friends- to say his goodbyes, she thought. She waited, long enough to see him turn away from Jim and Leonard and move away through the crowd again before she inhaled deeply and stepped out of the alcove herself.
She was right. That had been... interesting. And she had a feeling that it would only become more so after today. The bonds between the three men were firm now, had been since the incident that had brought Jim back to the captain's chair, and she sensed now a new bond, one that connected her to them as well. Not part of their trio, no, she wouldn't dream of intruding on what they shared, but a bond nonetheless. Because this future that they had bought for Jim, she and Spock together, was her future as well.