August 27: Secret Identity Girl Is Still Not Her Thing
Title: Secret Identity Girl Still Isn't Her Thing
Author: Beriaearwen
Crossover: Buffy the Vampire Slayer / Captain America : The First Avenger (post movie)
Characters: Buffy Summers, Steve Rogers, Dawn Summers (minor)
Rating: FRT
Word count: 1498
Disclaimer: The characters of Buffy the Vampire Slayer belong to Mutant Enemy, etc. The character of Captain America : The First Avenger belong to Marvel, etc. All are used here without permission. No copyright infringement is intended.
Notes : Just a quick peek in to how Buffy's dealing with having a boarder. Follows ”An Easier Way
Summary: Not everyone who lives with the Summers sisters can be as oblivious as their parents.
Secret Identity Girl Still Isn't Her Thing
By Beriaearwen
Buffy stumbled down the steps, barely awake. She'd had a rough night and needed the extra sleep to help her heal , especially since she was back to being secret identity girl.
She'd been sound asleep when something drew her up to consciousness. At first her sleepy brain registered sounds of someone in the kitchen and then the smell of pancakes cooking.
Once she recognized the smell, despite her body's protest her mind and the slayer spirit were on high alert and forced her protesting body from bed. She needed to assess the threat.
As she made her way down the stairs, she became more awake. By the time she reached the kitchen door she was at least semi-functional even if her side and her leg were killing her as they continued to heal.
Standing in the kitchen, cooking pancakes on the stove was her boarder, Steve, who she had recognized as the man who had been Captain America back during WWII. Her mom - Buffy's heart ached at even thinking of her - had been a huge fan, even if he had disappeared years before she was born. She'd had no choice but to tell Xander and Willow. Like her, Dawn had recognized him the moment she laid eyes on him. Fortunately, Dawn was taking her cues from the Scoobies in this. Willow and Xander, having never really been fans were neutral and just treated him like another person, Buffy didn't have enough energy to muster in order to feel any excitement. It still took too much effort just to get through the day. So, Dawn just treated him as someone slightly older than her sister and her sister's friends that she didn't know yet.
And really, when all was said and done, despite years in the ice, Steve Rogers was a man in his mid-twenties. The only problem the Scoobies had was debating whether or not to tell him about the nightlife in Sunnydale. Buffy, despite an honest attempt at being secret identity girl, and Dawn were both realistic enough to realize he would start asking questions and forewarned is forearmed. Besides, if he was interested, maybe, just maybe, he might be good backup for Buffy.
Oddly, Anya had been very quiet with regard to Steve Rogers and Buffy kept meaning to ask her about it. Some small part of her thought that the former vengeance demon hadn't been so former when she last met the man.
Still, Buffy was trying to process how the man who had moved into the new extension on the house was in the kitchen cooking what looked to be enough pancakes to feed her post slaying twice over, or enough for about eight normal adults. Sure, he had been given free reign of the rooms on the first floor as well as the yard. The only thing that was off limits were the bedrooms upstairs.
Finally, her mind circled back around from its tangents and she managed to murmur, “Pancakes.”
Steve turned and looked at her. His eyes widened and he quickly removed the pan from the head, setting aside the spatula he was using before walking over to her and placing a gentle but firm hand on her arm. “Are you all right? Should you be standing? Do you need the hospital?”
“I'll be fine. I'm healing fine,” Buffy assured with no vehemence in her voice as she let herself be settled into one of the chairs at the table as Steve checked her visible wounds more closely. She was rather thankful for the overly large teeshirt and sweats she was wearing at the moment. Her arms and face were bruised, but the ones on her side and the wound on her leg would, she was sure, have her in a position to see who was stronger - a wounded slayer or a healthy super-soldier - as he tried to force her to the hospital.
“Who did this to you?” he demanded, his voice dropping in tone, more than a dash of anger in it.
Reaching out, she rested her hand on the one he was using to gently turn her arm to get a better look at a nearly black bruise on the back of her arm. At the touch, their eyes met. She easily read the expression in them and sighed. A small noise had both of them turning to spy Dawn standing in the doorway in her pajamas and bathrobe looking at both of them.
“Guess decision's made to tell him, huh?” Dawn offered, hoping to break the charged silence.
Buffy sighed, knowing she wasn't feeling as upset as she should. “Guess we will.” Looking at Steve once more, she suggested, “Why don't you finish the pancakes, I'll drink several cups of coffee and Dawn will set the table? We might as well enjoy breakfast before we begin to explain about all those weird customs you've been too polite to ask about.”
“Like the no invitation thing and the fact that the entire town shuts down an hour before sunset?”
“Yeah, those things,” Dawn agreed, heading over to the cupboard where the plates were.
“And a few others,” Buffy agreed.
A few hours later, after giving the general introduction to life in Sunnydale and the supernatural side of the street before Dawn left for school, Buffy and Steve were sitting in the living room in silence. Buffy was waiting quietly, mind thankfully blank at the moment, while Steve processed what he'd heard - an didn't look too happy about.
Eventually he sighed and ran his hand through his hair. He turned his head and met Buffy's eyes. “When I was thawed out and discovered what year it was, that everyone and everything I knew was gone, I didn't know what I'd do. Worse, I thought I'd be stuck working for Fury and his organization or some other organization in the government since they had paid for the experiment which gave me the abilities I have. When Tony came through with the necessary paperwork freeing me and giving me my back pay, I didn't know what to do with myself. I went from fighting a war one minute to a completely different world that I didn't understand the next.”
Buffy flinched slightly and shifted at that.
“I don't know what I'm supposed to do, but I know what I can do. If you'll help me, teach me, I can help you fight this war here.” They sat for several minutes in silence before he gently prodded, “And I'd very much like to know why you look so haunted and why you look like you know exactly what I mean when I say it's a completely different world.”
Buffy felt her eyes tearing up and fought for control, but he was the first person since she'd been brought back who had bothered to ask, the first one to not pretend that everything was all right. The compassion and non-judgement in his eyes had her blurting out, “They dragged me out of Heaven, at least I think it was Heaven.” The the first huge, ugly sob escaped her. She didn't have the energy to care that she was soon sobbing into Steve's shoulder. She barely knew the man and ugly weeping was not the best way to make a good impression, but by the time she had her sobs under control and pulled back, she realized his eyes were damp too. Maybe he would understand.
“Tell me about it,” he coaxed softly. “How you got there, how you got back, all of it.”
And Buffy did.
There were more tears, and so much pain, but she felt at least a small bit better for sharing the truth with someone.
After several more minutes of comfortable silence, Steve sighed. “We need something to do besides sitting around here. I don't think either of us are the type to sit around doing nothing and doing something will distract us.”
Buffy sniffled slightly. “I was in college, but with Mom gone and Dawn... I just don't think I could afford to go back.”
Steve's brow furrowed in thought. “What did your mom do for a living?”
“She ran an art gallery here in town.”
Steve perked up. He'd always been more interested in creating his own art than other people's, but maybe that was something they could look into doing - running the gallery. “Did she own it?”
“Yeah, and all the stuff in it.”
“So, who's handling it now and where are the profits going?”
Buffy blinked, her mind and face completely blank. “I... I don't know.”
“Maybe we should find out. And after we get that sorted today, maybe you could start training me on how to handle the supernatural world. I'm sure another fighter in your war won't hurt.”
Buffy smiled a small, honest smile - her first since her return. “No, it wouldn't hurt at all.”
End.
Author: Beriaearwen
Crossover: Buffy the Vampire Slayer / Captain America : The First Avenger (post movie)
Characters: Buffy Summers, Steve Rogers, Dawn Summers (minor)
Rating: FRT
Word count: 1498
Disclaimer: The characters of Buffy the Vampire Slayer belong to Mutant Enemy, etc. The character of Captain America : The First Avenger belong to Marvel, etc. All are used here without permission. No copyright infringement is intended.
Notes : Just a quick peek in to how Buffy's dealing with having a boarder. Follows ”An Easier Way
Summary: Not everyone who lives with the Summers sisters can be as oblivious as their parents.
Secret Identity Girl Still Isn't Her Thing
By Beriaearwen
Buffy stumbled down the steps, barely awake. She'd had a rough night and needed the extra sleep to help her heal , especially since she was back to being secret identity girl.
She'd been sound asleep when something drew her up to consciousness. At first her sleepy brain registered sounds of someone in the kitchen and then the smell of pancakes cooking.
Once she recognized the smell, despite her body's protest her mind and the slayer spirit were on high alert and forced her protesting body from bed. She needed to assess the threat.
As she made her way down the stairs, she became more awake. By the time she reached the kitchen door she was at least semi-functional even if her side and her leg were killing her as they continued to heal.
Standing in the kitchen, cooking pancakes on the stove was her boarder, Steve, who she had recognized as the man who had been Captain America back during WWII. Her mom - Buffy's heart ached at even thinking of her - had been a huge fan, even if he had disappeared years before she was born. She'd had no choice but to tell Xander and Willow. Like her, Dawn had recognized him the moment she laid eyes on him. Fortunately, Dawn was taking her cues from the Scoobies in this. Willow and Xander, having never really been fans were neutral and just treated him like another person, Buffy didn't have enough energy to muster in order to feel any excitement. It still took too much effort just to get through the day. So, Dawn just treated him as someone slightly older than her sister and her sister's friends that she didn't know yet.
And really, when all was said and done, despite years in the ice, Steve Rogers was a man in his mid-twenties. The only problem the Scoobies had was debating whether or not to tell him about the nightlife in Sunnydale. Buffy, despite an honest attempt at being secret identity girl, and Dawn were both realistic enough to realize he would start asking questions and forewarned is forearmed. Besides, if he was interested, maybe, just maybe, he might be good backup for Buffy.
Oddly, Anya had been very quiet with regard to Steve Rogers and Buffy kept meaning to ask her about it. Some small part of her thought that the former vengeance demon hadn't been so former when she last met the man.
Still, Buffy was trying to process how the man who had moved into the new extension on the house was in the kitchen cooking what looked to be enough pancakes to feed her post slaying twice over, or enough for about eight normal adults. Sure, he had been given free reign of the rooms on the first floor as well as the yard. The only thing that was off limits were the bedrooms upstairs.
Finally, her mind circled back around from its tangents and she managed to murmur, “Pancakes.”
Steve turned and looked at her. His eyes widened and he quickly removed the pan from the head, setting aside the spatula he was using before walking over to her and placing a gentle but firm hand on her arm. “Are you all right? Should you be standing? Do you need the hospital?”
“I'll be fine. I'm healing fine,” Buffy assured with no vehemence in her voice as she let herself be settled into one of the chairs at the table as Steve checked her visible wounds more closely. She was rather thankful for the overly large teeshirt and sweats she was wearing at the moment. Her arms and face were bruised, but the ones on her side and the wound on her leg would, she was sure, have her in a position to see who was stronger - a wounded slayer or a healthy super-soldier - as he tried to force her to the hospital.
“Who did this to you?” he demanded, his voice dropping in tone, more than a dash of anger in it.
Reaching out, she rested her hand on the one he was using to gently turn her arm to get a better look at a nearly black bruise on the back of her arm. At the touch, their eyes met. She easily read the expression in them and sighed. A small noise had both of them turning to spy Dawn standing in the doorway in her pajamas and bathrobe looking at both of them.
“Guess decision's made to tell him, huh?” Dawn offered, hoping to break the charged silence.
Buffy sighed, knowing she wasn't feeling as upset as she should. “Guess we will.” Looking at Steve once more, she suggested, “Why don't you finish the pancakes, I'll drink several cups of coffee and Dawn will set the table? We might as well enjoy breakfast before we begin to explain about all those weird customs you've been too polite to ask about.”
“Like the no invitation thing and the fact that the entire town shuts down an hour before sunset?”
“Yeah, those things,” Dawn agreed, heading over to the cupboard where the plates were.
“And a few others,” Buffy agreed.
A few hours later, after giving the general introduction to life in Sunnydale and the supernatural side of the street before Dawn left for school, Buffy and Steve were sitting in the living room in silence. Buffy was waiting quietly, mind thankfully blank at the moment, while Steve processed what he'd heard - an didn't look too happy about.
Eventually he sighed and ran his hand through his hair. He turned his head and met Buffy's eyes. “When I was thawed out and discovered what year it was, that everyone and everything I knew was gone, I didn't know what I'd do. Worse, I thought I'd be stuck working for Fury and his organization or some other organization in the government since they had paid for the experiment which gave me the abilities I have. When Tony came through with the necessary paperwork freeing me and giving me my back pay, I didn't know what to do with myself. I went from fighting a war one minute to a completely different world that I didn't understand the next.”
Buffy flinched slightly and shifted at that.
“I don't know what I'm supposed to do, but I know what I can do. If you'll help me, teach me, I can help you fight this war here.” They sat for several minutes in silence before he gently prodded, “And I'd very much like to know why you look so haunted and why you look like you know exactly what I mean when I say it's a completely different world.”
Buffy felt her eyes tearing up and fought for control, but he was the first person since she'd been brought back who had bothered to ask, the first one to not pretend that everything was all right. The compassion and non-judgement in his eyes had her blurting out, “They dragged me out of Heaven, at least I think it was Heaven.” The the first huge, ugly sob escaped her. She didn't have the energy to care that she was soon sobbing into Steve's shoulder. She barely knew the man and ugly weeping was not the best way to make a good impression, but by the time she had her sobs under control and pulled back, she realized his eyes were damp too. Maybe he would understand.
“Tell me about it,” he coaxed softly. “How you got there, how you got back, all of it.”
And Buffy did.
There were more tears, and so much pain, but she felt at least a small bit better for sharing the truth with someone.
After several more minutes of comfortable silence, Steve sighed. “We need something to do besides sitting around here. I don't think either of us are the type to sit around doing nothing and doing something will distract us.”
Buffy sniffled slightly. “I was in college, but with Mom gone and Dawn... I just don't think I could afford to go back.”
Steve's brow furrowed in thought. “What did your mom do for a living?”
“She ran an art gallery here in town.”
Steve perked up. He'd always been more interested in creating his own art than other people's, but maybe that was something they could look into doing - running the gallery. “Did she own it?”
“Yeah, and all the stuff in it.”
“So, who's handling it now and where are the profits going?”
Buffy blinked, her mind and face completely blank. “I... I don't know.”
“Maybe we should find out. And after we get that sorted today, maybe you could start training me on how to handle the supernatural world. I'm sure another fighter in your war won't hurt.”
Buffy smiled a small, honest smile - her first since her return. “No, it wouldn't hurt at all.”
End.