TITLE: A Bolt From the Blue
RATING: PG (mild language)
AUTHOR: Niklarus
EMAIL: [email protected]
CROSSOVER: BtVS/The Flash TV series/DC Multiverse
SPOILERS: Slight Buffy Season 6 spoilers, nothing detailed. I have no UPN
station where I live, so I haven't actually seen this season, but I have
read about it. No real spoilers from the Flash TV series (1990-1991). For
my purposes, Barry (John Wesley Shipp) and Tina (Amanda Pays) did eventually
marry, as did Julio (Barry's partner at the Central City Police crime lab,
played by Alex Desert) and his girlfriend Sabrina. No major Teen Titans
spoilers.
RELATIONSHIPS: Xander/Tara friendship, Xander/Other romance, Barry/Tina
(The Flash), maybe eventually Tara/Donna Troy. We'll see if the story
develops that way.
DISCLAIMERS: Joss Whedon/Mutant Enemy/etc. own all things Buffy. AOL/Time
Warner owns DC Comics, The Flash, the Teen Titans, etc.
NOTES: Okay, for purposes of the DC Universe stuff, think in terms of the
pre-Crisis Multiverse and let's call this Earth-Hellmouth or Earth-H for
short. So this doesn't in any way, shape or form fit into current
DCU continuity. Secondly, I'm thumbing my nose at the bastards at DC who
killed off the One True Supergirl all those years ago. In my universe, by
God, Kara lives!!! Third, with exception of adding Kara to the roster, I'm
using the original lineup of the Teen Titans back when they comprised the
"sidekicks" of the main JLA members. So you'll be seeing Robin, Kid Flash,
Speedy, Wonder Girl, Aqualad and Supergirl in this fic. Though for the most
part, they'll be out of costume and using their real names. Also, since
Xander's life took an unexpected turn during his road trip, he turned Anya
down when she originally came on to him later that year and they did not end
up as a couple. They are, nonetheless, friends. Finally, the developments
in Buffy and Willow's characters over the past year have put a strain on his
friendship with them. Through it all, he and Tara have become as close as
brother and sister.
** ** **
I put the bowl of Doritos between the bowls of chips and pretzels on
the coffee table in my living room. Well, it wasn't always mine. It's
still technically not mine. I'm renting it from Jesse's parents. *sigh*
God, I miss you, man. How could she not even have come to visit them
once in all the time since you died? I told them in the end, you know?
They even believed me, after I found a way to show them. Of course you
know. You've probably been watching from up there the whole time. Say "Hi"
to the Big Guy for me. And if he's still listening to someone whose faith's
become beaten down and tattered, tell him I'm sorry I didn't argue harder
against Willow's plan to bring Buffy back. I let my guilt at not being able
to save her override my conscience, Jess. I blew it and I'm sorry.
Huh. Listen to me, talking to you like you're actually here. I wish
you were. Hey, think you could haunt this place every now and then? Just
to say "Hi." Nah, didn't think so. Listen, bud, I gotta make sure the
place is spotless before everyone gets here. It's their first time visiting
since I moved in and I want it to be perfect. Okay, maybe not "perfect."
Would you believe "lived-in but tidy?" How about "less disastrous than a
trailer park after a tornado?" Okay, I swear I'll leave the Maxwell Smart
impressions to someone who actually sounds like him.
Now, where was I? Right, the checklist. Snacks on the table. Soda
chilling in the fridge. Guest bedrooms done up and ready. Pillows and
blankets for those sleeping down here. Soap and shampoo enough for everyone
to take a shower. Hot water may be a problem, but can't do anything about
that. Steaks! God, tell me I remembered to take the steaks out of the
freezer. Dash into the kitchen. They're there and thawed. Dash back into
the living room. Resume checklist. Grill is on the deck and the charcoal
is already in it. Now, if I can light it when I need to without having to
douse the charcoal in enough lighter fluid to set the entire town ablaze,
things will be just fine. Did I remember to plug in the stereo system?
Yep.
Hurry up and wait. Not sure about when they'll be arriving. Wonder if
they'll be taking a commercial flight or if Robbie borrowed one of Big
Scary's corporate jets for the trip. But it should be soon. Early
afternoon they said. Might as well sit down, veg out in front of the tube
for a while.
Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Okay, what was
the name of that song? "57 Channels and Nothing On," right? Try two
hundred channels and nothing on. Why am I paying for this again? Hark,
what sound through yonder kitchen breaks? It is the phone and I am saved.
(And our English teacher thought I wasn't paying attention when we read that
play. Ha, I say. Ha.) I picked up the cordless and pushed the talk
button.
"Wide World of Weirdos, what do you want? Barry, hey! How are things
in the big Double-C? You and Tina are what? That's great. Boy or Girl?
Twins? Congratulations, man. When is she due? Of course I'll be there.
All the Rogues in the Gallery couldn't keep me away from this. I hope this
means things are finally taking a turn for the better. Yeah, she's still on
the edge. *sigh* We...we grew up together, you know? Maybe I was too
close to see it. I believed in her too blindly. In her innocence. I never
doubted or questioned that she would do the right thing. I didn't think she
could fall like that. Now.... When everyone gets here, I'm gonna see if
Roy'll talk to her. With what he's been through, maybe he can reach her in
a way I can't."
I stood up and paced like a caged animal while I listened to what the
voice on the other end of the line - my friend, mentor and surrogate uncle
Barry Allen - had to say.
"Now hold on, Barry. You're right, Willow did make her own choices
and, as much as I wish I could have talked her out of them, her choices ARE
her responsibility. You know I can't argue with you there. But dammit, I
SHOULD have been able to save Buffy. Not directly, I know that was
physically impossible at the time. But I still should have called in the
team and had them help in fighting that Hellbitch. Dammit, Barry, I'm not
gonna hear this. Yes, it WAS my responsibility to keep her alive! I swore
two things when I first started helping her fight. I swore that I'd never,
ever quit and I swore that I'd make damn sure she'd die of old age and
natural causes. Before I'd ever heard of Central City; before I met you;
and before that damn lightning bolt ever hit me and those chemicals. I
swore I'd keep her safe, Barry. I failed and nothing you can say will ever
convince me otherwise. *sigh* I don't want to argue, either, Barry.
Especially not today with that good news of yours. Is that your doorbell I
hear or mine? Guess I'd better answer it, then. Give Tina and the
kids-to-be my love. Julio and Sabrina too. Yeah, see you soon. Bye."
I pushed the off button and tossed the phone on the couch as I walked
over to the door. Opening it without even looking to see who was on the
other side, I smiled as I saw my unexpected guest standing there.
"Tara, hi. Come on in. Not that you need an invitation. You being
human and it being the middle of the afternoon and all."
She smiled and I took in how well she looked considering all the
stresses of this past year and what Willow had done to her. For a while
after the breakup, she'd taken to hiding herself once again in sweaters and
loose, form-concealing clothing. The agonizing shyness had also made a
reappearance. But over the past two months or so, the real Tara MacLay had
broken through all that and before me stood a woman who was blossoming
again. She was wearing a light blue blouse that, while not tight by any
stretch of the imagination, certainly showcased her form more the sweaters
and slacks that hinted not-too-subtly at her curves. On Buffy or Cordy,
these might have been job-interview clothes. On Tara, it was a
"dressed-to-kill" look.
"I didn't know you were expecting company," she said, nodding towards
the bowls on the coffee table as she stepped through the front door and I
closed it behind her. "I can come back later."
"It's just some friends from the East Coast visiting for day or two.
They wanted to see the new place. Why don't you stay? You'll get along
great. They probably won't be here for a while yet, anyway. Besides, I
always did want to be able to say I had a sexy blonde lesbian witch all
alone in my place with me," I quipped, waggling my eyebrows and twirling a
pretend mustache at her.
She laughed one of her extremely rare full-on belly laughs and stood
there shaking her head at my antics. "Xander, you're incorrigible."
"Encouragable? Why yes, I am," I replied. She just smiled and rolled
her eyes towards the ceiling. "I've really missed that smile of yours.
It's good to see it again," I told her. She responded by reaching over to
hug me. I hugged her back, then led her into the living room. "Feel free,"
I said, gesturing towards the snacks. "So," I asked, "do the light colors
and attention-getting clothes mean you're dating again?"
She shook her head negatively as she nibbled on a pretzel. "I haven't
actually had any dates yet. But I'm finally ready to start looking again."
"Good," I replied, raising a Dorito in a mock-toast. "To finding the
women of our dreams."
"As long as it's not the same woman," she said, 'clinking' her chip
against my Dorito.
"Here, here."
"Where, where?"
"There, there," I finished, patting her on the shoulder. As we'd
become real friends over the past months, this had become our routine
whenever one or the other of us raised a toast. It never failed to make us
smile. And this year, those smiles were sometimes the only things keeping
us sane. "I'm glad you came over. So was this a spur-of-the-moment kinda
thing or is something going on?"
"Dawnie wants to see Lord of the Rings again. And, if you weren't
busy, we thought you'd like to join us. But since you are..."
"Maybe I can talk the others into it. I know there's at least one of
them who hasn't seen it yet. And, hey, it beats the vampire-hunting and
Legends of the Hellmouth walking tour I had planned. See the famous mansion
where the stone demon Acathla almost sucked the world into Hell! And over
here we have the ruins of the old Sunnydale High, blown up by its own
students to save the town from a demon Mayor! Yes, the dream of every high
school student who ever lived came true that day! Scenic Sunnydale Tours.
Late night hours only. Crosses and stakes handed out to everyone who gets
on the tour bus."
She was shaking her head, fighting the urge to eat and laugh at the
same time. "Somehow, Xander, I think your friends could handle themselves
really well on that tour."
"You say that now, missy. You'll change that tune when you actually
meet them."
"Xander?" she said in a questioning, suddenly serious tone.
"Yeah, Tara?"
"I've got a confession to make."
"This doesn't have anything to do with that song-and-dance demon, does
it? Cause I kinda thought I was covering for Dawn on that."
"I kn-know your friends -- the ones who are coming over -- they're the
Teen Titans."
Oh shit. I need to breathe. Breathing is good. Breathing is my
friend. In, out. In, out. In, out. Oh God, what do I do now? Deny it?
Laugh it off and pretend I don't know what she's talking about. Or maybe,
just maybe.... Pop quiz, Alexander Lavelle Harris. The woman who's snuck
in under your radar and become your best friend in the whole world just told
you she knows about the part of your life you thought you've been hiding.
What do you do? What DO you do?
"How did you know?" I asked, making my choice.
"It's your ring," she said, lifting up my right hand and running her
finger lightly across the ring I wear there. The ring I've worn for so long
that it's become a part of me. The ring I've worn for so long that I never
even thought of it as a clue. Eighteen-karat gold, a yellow lightning bolt
against a circular field of red on top. Our insignia, Barry's and mine.
Practically a coat of arms for us. "It's very unique," I heard her say as I
realized just how I'd blown it. "Only two people in the whole world have a
ring like this. The Flash is one, and you're much too young to be him."
Considering that Barry's been doing this since I was only ten years old,
that's kind of a gimme. Her eyes caught mine and I could tell she was
looking for some sign of what I'm thinking. A sign of whether or not I was
angry at her. My initial panic and fear had already vanished and I found,
to even my own surprise, that there was no anger there at all. So I just
smiled at her, made a leap of faith and trust and pronounced her conclusion
for her. My emotions had been all over the map in just the past couple
minutes. Now only calmness remained.
"You're right. The Flash has one of these rings...and Kid Flash has
the other."
RATING: PG (mild language)
AUTHOR: Niklarus
EMAIL: [email protected]
CROSSOVER: BtVS/The Flash TV series/DC Multiverse
SPOILERS: Slight Buffy Season 6 spoilers, nothing detailed. I have no UPN
station where I live, so I haven't actually seen this season, but I have
read about it. No real spoilers from the Flash TV series (1990-1991). For
my purposes, Barry (John Wesley Shipp) and Tina (Amanda Pays) did eventually
marry, as did Julio (Barry's partner at the Central City Police crime lab,
played by Alex Desert) and his girlfriend Sabrina. No major Teen Titans
spoilers.
RELATIONSHIPS: Xander/Tara friendship, Xander/Other romance, Barry/Tina
(The Flash), maybe eventually Tara/Donna Troy. We'll see if the story
develops that way.
DISCLAIMERS: Joss Whedon/Mutant Enemy/etc. own all things Buffy. AOL/Time
Warner owns DC Comics, The Flash, the Teen Titans, etc.
NOTES: Okay, for purposes of the DC Universe stuff, think in terms of the
pre-Crisis Multiverse and let's call this Earth-Hellmouth or Earth-H for
short. So this doesn't in any way, shape or form fit into current
DCU continuity. Secondly, I'm thumbing my nose at the bastards at DC who
killed off the One True Supergirl all those years ago. In my universe, by
God, Kara lives!!! Third, with exception of adding Kara to the roster, I'm
using the original lineup of the Teen Titans back when they comprised the
"sidekicks" of the main JLA members. So you'll be seeing Robin, Kid Flash,
Speedy, Wonder Girl, Aqualad and Supergirl in this fic. Though for the most
part, they'll be out of costume and using their real names. Also, since
Xander's life took an unexpected turn during his road trip, he turned Anya
down when she originally came on to him later that year and they did not end
up as a couple. They are, nonetheless, friends. Finally, the developments
in Buffy and Willow's characters over the past year have put a strain on his
friendship with them. Through it all, he and Tara have become as close as
brother and sister.
** ** **
I put the bowl of Doritos between the bowls of chips and pretzels on
the coffee table in my living room. Well, it wasn't always mine. It's
still technically not mine. I'm renting it from Jesse's parents. *sigh*
God, I miss you, man. How could she not even have come to visit them
once in all the time since you died? I told them in the end, you know?
They even believed me, after I found a way to show them. Of course you
know. You've probably been watching from up there the whole time. Say "Hi"
to the Big Guy for me. And if he's still listening to someone whose faith's
become beaten down and tattered, tell him I'm sorry I didn't argue harder
against Willow's plan to bring Buffy back. I let my guilt at not being able
to save her override my conscience, Jess. I blew it and I'm sorry.
Huh. Listen to me, talking to you like you're actually here. I wish
you were. Hey, think you could haunt this place every now and then? Just
to say "Hi." Nah, didn't think so. Listen, bud, I gotta make sure the
place is spotless before everyone gets here. It's their first time visiting
since I moved in and I want it to be perfect. Okay, maybe not "perfect."
Would you believe "lived-in but tidy?" How about "less disastrous than a
trailer park after a tornado?" Okay, I swear I'll leave the Maxwell Smart
impressions to someone who actually sounds like him.
Now, where was I? Right, the checklist. Snacks on the table. Soda
chilling in the fridge. Guest bedrooms done up and ready. Pillows and
blankets for those sleeping down here. Soap and shampoo enough for everyone
to take a shower. Hot water may be a problem, but can't do anything about
that. Steaks! God, tell me I remembered to take the steaks out of the
freezer. Dash into the kitchen. They're there and thawed. Dash back into
the living room. Resume checklist. Grill is on the deck and the charcoal
is already in it. Now, if I can light it when I need to without having to
douse the charcoal in enough lighter fluid to set the entire town ablaze,
things will be just fine. Did I remember to plug in the stereo system?
Yep.
Hurry up and wait. Not sure about when they'll be arriving. Wonder if
they'll be taking a commercial flight or if Robbie borrowed one of Big
Scary's corporate jets for the trip. But it should be soon. Early
afternoon they said. Might as well sit down, veg out in front of the tube
for a while.
Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Okay, what was
the name of that song? "57 Channels and Nothing On," right? Try two
hundred channels and nothing on. Why am I paying for this again? Hark,
what sound through yonder kitchen breaks? It is the phone and I am saved.
(And our English teacher thought I wasn't paying attention when we read that
play. Ha, I say. Ha.) I picked up the cordless and pushed the talk
button.
"Wide World of Weirdos, what do you want? Barry, hey! How are things
in the big Double-C? You and Tina are what? That's great. Boy or Girl?
Twins? Congratulations, man. When is she due? Of course I'll be there.
All the Rogues in the Gallery couldn't keep me away from this. I hope this
means things are finally taking a turn for the better. Yeah, she's still on
the edge. *sigh* We...we grew up together, you know? Maybe I was too
close to see it. I believed in her too blindly. In her innocence. I never
doubted or questioned that she would do the right thing. I didn't think she
could fall like that. Now.... When everyone gets here, I'm gonna see if
Roy'll talk to her. With what he's been through, maybe he can reach her in
a way I can't."
I stood up and paced like a caged animal while I listened to what the
voice on the other end of the line - my friend, mentor and surrogate uncle
Barry Allen - had to say.
"Now hold on, Barry. You're right, Willow did make her own choices
and, as much as I wish I could have talked her out of them, her choices ARE
her responsibility. You know I can't argue with you there. But dammit, I
SHOULD have been able to save Buffy. Not directly, I know that was
physically impossible at the time. But I still should have called in the
team and had them help in fighting that Hellbitch. Dammit, Barry, I'm not
gonna hear this. Yes, it WAS my responsibility to keep her alive! I swore
two things when I first started helping her fight. I swore that I'd never,
ever quit and I swore that I'd make damn sure she'd die of old age and
natural causes. Before I'd ever heard of Central City; before I met you;
and before that damn lightning bolt ever hit me and those chemicals. I
swore I'd keep her safe, Barry. I failed and nothing you can say will ever
convince me otherwise. *sigh* I don't want to argue, either, Barry.
Especially not today with that good news of yours. Is that your doorbell I
hear or mine? Guess I'd better answer it, then. Give Tina and the
kids-to-be my love. Julio and Sabrina too. Yeah, see you soon. Bye."
I pushed the off button and tossed the phone on the couch as I walked
over to the door. Opening it without even looking to see who was on the
other side, I smiled as I saw my unexpected guest standing there.
"Tara, hi. Come on in. Not that you need an invitation. You being
human and it being the middle of the afternoon and all."
She smiled and I took in how well she looked considering all the
stresses of this past year and what Willow had done to her. For a while
after the breakup, she'd taken to hiding herself once again in sweaters and
loose, form-concealing clothing. The agonizing shyness had also made a
reappearance. But over the past two months or so, the real Tara MacLay had
broken through all that and before me stood a woman who was blossoming
again. She was wearing a light blue blouse that, while not tight by any
stretch of the imagination, certainly showcased her form more the sweaters
and slacks that hinted not-too-subtly at her curves. On Buffy or Cordy,
these might have been job-interview clothes. On Tara, it was a
"dressed-to-kill" look.
"I didn't know you were expecting company," she said, nodding towards
the bowls on the coffee table as she stepped through the front door and I
closed it behind her. "I can come back later."
"It's just some friends from the East Coast visiting for day or two.
They wanted to see the new place. Why don't you stay? You'll get along
great. They probably won't be here for a while yet, anyway. Besides, I
always did want to be able to say I had a sexy blonde lesbian witch all
alone in my place with me," I quipped, waggling my eyebrows and twirling a
pretend mustache at her.
She laughed one of her extremely rare full-on belly laughs and stood
there shaking her head at my antics. "Xander, you're incorrigible."
"Encouragable? Why yes, I am," I replied. She just smiled and rolled
her eyes towards the ceiling. "I've really missed that smile of yours.
It's good to see it again," I told her. She responded by reaching over to
hug me. I hugged her back, then led her into the living room. "Feel free,"
I said, gesturing towards the snacks. "So," I asked, "do the light colors
and attention-getting clothes mean you're dating again?"
She shook her head negatively as she nibbled on a pretzel. "I haven't
actually had any dates yet. But I'm finally ready to start looking again."
"Good," I replied, raising a Dorito in a mock-toast. "To finding the
women of our dreams."
"As long as it's not the same woman," she said, 'clinking' her chip
against my Dorito.
"Here, here."
"Where, where?"
"There, there," I finished, patting her on the shoulder. As we'd
become real friends over the past months, this had become our routine
whenever one or the other of us raised a toast. It never failed to make us
smile. And this year, those smiles were sometimes the only things keeping
us sane. "I'm glad you came over. So was this a spur-of-the-moment kinda
thing or is something going on?"
"Dawnie wants to see Lord of the Rings again. And, if you weren't
busy, we thought you'd like to join us. But since you are..."
"Maybe I can talk the others into it. I know there's at least one of
them who hasn't seen it yet. And, hey, it beats the vampire-hunting and
Legends of the Hellmouth walking tour I had planned. See the famous mansion
where the stone demon Acathla almost sucked the world into Hell! And over
here we have the ruins of the old Sunnydale High, blown up by its own
students to save the town from a demon Mayor! Yes, the dream of every high
school student who ever lived came true that day! Scenic Sunnydale Tours.
Late night hours only. Crosses and stakes handed out to everyone who gets
on the tour bus."
She was shaking her head, fighting the urge to eat and laugh at the
same time. "Somehow, Xander, I think your friends could handle themselves
really well on that tour."
"You say that now, missy. You'll change that tune when you actually
meet them."
"Xander?" she said in a questioning, suddenly serious tone.
"Yeah, Tara?"
"I've got a confession to make."
"This doesn't have anything to do with that song-and-dance demon, does
it? Cause I kinda thought I was covering for Dawn on that."
"I kn-know your friends -- the ones who are coming over -- they're the
Teen Titans."
Oh shit. I need to breathe. Breathing is good. Breathing is my
friend. In, out. In, out. In, out. Oh God, what do I do now? Deny it?
Laugh it off and pretend I don't know what she's talking about. Or maybe,
just maybe.... Pop quiz, Alexander Lavelle Harris. The woman who's snuck
in under your radar and become your best friend in the whole world just told
you she knows about the part of your life you thought you've been hiding.
What do you do? What DO you do?
"How did you know?" I asked, making my choice.
"It's your ring," she said, lifting up my right hand and running her
finger lightly across the ring I wear there. The ring I've worn for so long
that it's become a part of me. The ring I've worn for so long that I never
even thought of it as a clue. Eighteen-karat gold, a yellow lightning bolt
against a circular field of red on top. Our insignia, Barry's and mine.
Practically a coat of arms for us. "It's very unique," I heard her say as I
realized just how I'd blown it. "Only two people in the whole world have a
ring like this. The Flash is one, and you're much too young to be him."
Considering that Barry's been doing this since I was only ten years old,
that's kind of a gimme. Her eyes caught mine and I could tell she was
looking for some sign of what I'm thinking. A sign of whether or not I was
angry at her. My initial panic and fear had already vanished and I found,
to even my own surprise, that there was no anger there at all. So I just
smiled at her, made a leap of faith and trust and pronounced her conclusion
for her. My emotions had been all over the map in just the past couple
minutes. Now only calmness remained.
"You're right. The Flash has one of these rings...and Kid Flash has
the other."