OC Fic : Strange Bedfellows (9/11)
Title : Strange Bedfellows
Author : Helen C.
Rating : PG-13
Summary : Julie makes a wish, and her wish is granted. An OC/Buffy The Vampire Slayer crossover.
Disclaimer : The characters and the universe of The OC were created and are owned by Josh Schwartz. The characters and the universe of Buffy the Vampire Slayer were created and are owned by Joss Whedon. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
A/N : crack!fic if there ever was one. I wrote this because I just need to cross whatever fandom I'm involved in with the Buffyverse, and it was a fun way to explore, yet again, the roads not taken. Don't expect to see many of the Scoobies in this, though-I just used concepts and ideas, not characters.
The plot bears more than a passing resemblance to the BTVS episode The Wish. Please, don't sue, Joss-I'm not claiming ownership of the idea, but it was pure genius and I couldn't resist borrowing it to play a little.
A/N2 : Thanks to the awsome joey51 for betaing this. All mistakes are mine--I couldn't help tinkering some more...
Chapter Eight
"Well, here goes nothing," Callahan said from where he stood, in the middle of his living room.
They had pushed the furniture against the walls to make more space, shut the curtains closed for fear of being seen from the street, and were now waiting for Julie Cooper-Nichol to show.
"Yeah," Ryan replied, unenthusiastically. "Here it goes…"
Callahan gave him an encouraging smile. "Come on, I'm sure it will work," he said.
Ryan couldn't believe the other man was so calm-not given what they were about to do, and certainly not given what was likely to happen.
"How can you be so…" He trailed off, at a loss for words.
"Blasé?" Callahan asked, smiling.
"Well, yeah… It's a demon."
Ryan wasn't prone to spiritual or philosophical discussions, but even so he couldn't help feeling slightly awed at the fact that demons really existed. Of course, it was still possible that AJ had hit too hard and he was now stuck in a coma and having a really wacky nightmare. But if this was real, if this was really happening, then surely, the situation deserved more than, "Here goes nothing."
And surely, a priest had to be more wary of creatures such as demons.
"I fight for God," Callahan replied.
Ryan rolled his eyes. "Well, I'm still an atheist," he said. "And I hope you don't expect God to save you if things go wrong."
"I think He helps those who help themselves," Callahan said.
Ryan felt a wave of anger wash through him and barely held back the, "Is that why my mother died, Father? Because she didn't help herself?"
And fuck it all to hell, Callahan again managed to guess what he was thinking. Was he that transparent?
"Oh, Ryan," Callahan said, taking a step toward him.
Ryan took a hasty step back and had to struggle to keep his balance.
Damn this leg.
And damn these crutches.
And damn AJ, and Dawn, and Callahan, and this whole fucking situation.
"I'm sorry," Callahan said. "I didn't mean-"
Ryan cut him off. Now was not a time for kindness. "I know you didn't," he snapped. "It doesn't matter."
Besides, it was not like he could really disagree.
If Dawn had been stronger, if she had accepted help when she had been offered it, if she had seen AJ for who he was, perhaps she would have still been alive.
And if Ryan had been quicker, and stronger, and less willing to always help his mother, perhaps he wouldn't have been hurt quite so badly.
What was done was done, and the only way to change it was to build a time-travelling machine.
No, scratch that.
The only way to change it was to do exactly what they were trying to do.
"You were wrong, you know," Callahan said conversationally.
Ryan looked at him askance. "About what?"
"When you said that it wouldn't matter if you didn't exist anymore," Callahan explained. "It would matter a great deal to some people, myself included."
"You'd find another lost cause to help," Ryan scoffed.
"Ryan, I like you."
Ryan tried to cut him off, but Callahan was having none of it. His voice louder, he added, "You may not want to believe it, but it's true. I think the world, my world, is a better place with you in it, and it doesn't matter if you don't believe that, because I have enough faith for the two of us."
Struck speechless, Ryan stood still, his own heart beating in his ears.
He opened his mouth to reply, but before he could think of anything to say, someone started pounding on the door.
With one last look at Callahan, Ryan made his way to the door and opened it, just as Julie was about to make her presence known again, if her annoyed face and her raised arm were any indication.
"About time," she snapped, entering the room.
Ryan refrained from apologizing. He wasn't her employee, and it wasn't his fault he was stuck on crutches, damn it.
"Come in," he said, politely.
She did, only barely avoiding stepping on his foot when he didn't move out of her way fast enough.
He closed the door and followed her back into the living room, just in time to see her look around, her smile disturbingly shark-like. "Nice place you have here," she said.
"Thank you," Callahan replied, as if he hadn't noticed her tone. "Shall we begin, or do you want something to drink?"
"Let's just get this over with," Julie snapped.
Ryan was torn between amusement and annoyance, and finally settled for not saying anything. He might regret it eventually, and he didn't want that.
Besides, he had to admit that he envied her a little. He had never felt as… entitled to anything, as she did, and he wondered what it was like to live like that, instead of constantly wondering if he deserved what he got-good or bad.
Still, as he watched Father Callahan starting the incantation that would bring the, well, demon, Ryan briefly hoped this was just a nightmare.
Coma wasn't any fun, but it might be funnier than what was coming.
And if he was in a coma, Ryan wouldn't need to feel stupid when it all turned out to be a scam or something.
Then he remembered that his mother was dead, that his own professional perspectives were bad, and that he had so many debts that he could barely sleep at night anymore, wondering how he was going to pay them all.
Who cared about feeling stupid, who cared about what was beneath Julie Cooper-Nichol, who cared what that woman thought about anything?
This was about righting some wrongs, and Ryan understood that.
***
The whole night had taken on a surreal tone, Julie thought.
Here she was, with a priest and seventeen-year-old boy, trying to summon a demon to try and beat her/him/it at her/his/its own game, and, if possible, to leave that hellish life she had lead here.
She didn't really follow what Callahan was saying-something boring, possibly in another language, whatever.
Julie Cooper only bothered with technicalities when she was sure it would pay back, and in this situation, she wasn't sure of anything.
Besides, according to their plan, it was the priest's role to handle the incantation stuff.
Just as Julie was thinking that this wasn't going to work, the boring-woman-slash-demon appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, and looked around, slightly irritated.
"I hope you have a good reason to-" it started.
Then, its eyes fell on Julie who said, with a smile that had put fear in the heart of countless gardeners, waiters and other workers, "Hi."
"What-?" the demon said, surprised.
"Oh, come on," Julie said. "I'm sure you can do better than that."
The demon looked around, obviously catching up, and none too happy to be disturbed. "Why did you summon me?"
"Because you killed my daughter," Julie snapped.
She had thought she would be able to remain calm and detached, but she realized now that she wouldn't.
That thing was the reason why Julie had been stuck in this hell for weeks.
That thing was the reason Julie felt like hell 24/7.
That thing needed a good lesson.
"I granted your wish!" it said. "You're the one who wanted this boy out of your way!"
"I was just talking!" Julie all but screamed. "I talk all the time; I don't mean half of it. I was just talking, damn it!"
"Well, you should be more careful who you talk to," the demon said, shrugging. "It's not my fault you're not satisfied with the end result."
Then it noticed the necklace on Callahan's table, and Ryan, standing near it, a hammer in hand.
"Don't you dare," it said.
"Or what?" Ryan shot back, his tone weary.
The demon took a step toward him. "You don't know what you're doing!" it screamed.
Julie watched, fascinated, as Ryan turned to Father Callahan, said, "Thank you," then brought the hammer down on the necklace.
Which shattered.
She heard a horrified, "NOOOOOO!"
Then, things went black.
Again.
Chapter Nine
Author : Helen C.
Rating : PG-13
Summary : Julie makes a wish, and her wish is granted. An OC/Buffy The Vampire Slayer crossover.
Disclaimer : The characters and the universe of The OC were created and are owned by Josh Schwartz. The characters and the universe of Buffy the Vampire Slayer were created and are owned by Joss Whedon. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
A/N : crack!fic if there ever was one. I wrote this because I just need to cross whatever fandom I'm involved in with the Buffyverse, and it was a fun way to explore, yet again, the roads not taken. Don't expect to see many of the Scoobies in this, though-I just used concepts and ideas, not characters.
The plot bears more than a passing resemblance to the BTVS episode The Wish. Please, don't sue, Joss-I'm not claiming ownership of the idea, but it was pure genius and I couldn't resist borrowing it to play a little.
A/N2 : Thanks to the awsome joey51 for betaing this. All mistakes are mine--I couldn't help tinkering some more...
Chapter Eight
"Well, here goes nothing," Callahan said from where he stood, in the middle of his living room.
They had pushed the furniture against the walls to make more space, shut the curtains closed for fear of being seen from the street, and were now waiting for Julie Cooper-Nichol to show.
"Yeah," Ryan replied, unenthusiastically. "Here it goes…"
Callahan gave him an encouraging smile. "Come on, I'm sure it will work," he said.
Ryan couldn't believe the other man was so calm-not given what they were about to do, and certainly not given what was likely to happen.
"How can you be so…" He trailed off, at a loss for words.
"Blasé?" Callahan asked, smiling.
"Well, yeah… It's a demon."
Ryan wasn't prone to spiritual or philosophical discussions, but even so he couldn't help feeling slightly awed at the fact that demons really existed. Of course, it was still possible that AJ had hit too hard and he was now stuck in a coma and having a really wacky nightmare. But if this was real, if this was really happening, then surely, the situation deserved more than, "Here goes nothing."
And surely, a priest had to be more wary of creatures such as demons.
"I fight for God," Callahan replied.
Ryan rolled his eyes. "Well, I'm still an atheist," he said. "And I hope you don't expect God to save you if things go wrong."
"I think He helps those who help themselves," Callahan said.
Ryan felt a wave of anger wash through him and barely held back the, "Is that why my mother died, Father? Because she didn't help herself?"
And fuck it all to hell, Callahan again managed to guess what he was thinking. Was he that transparent?
"Oh, Ryan," Callahan said, taking a step toward him.
Ryan took a hasty step back and had to struggle to keep his balance.
Damn this leg.
And damn these crutches.
And damn AJ, and Dawn, and Callahan, and this whole fucking situation.
"I'm sorry," Callahan said. "I didn't mean-"
Ryan cut him off. Now was not a time for kindness. "I know you didn't," he snapped. "It doesn't matter."
Besides, it was not like he could really disagree.
If Dawn had been stronger, if she had accepted help when she had been offered it, if she had seen AJ for who he was, perhaps she would have still been alive.
And if Ryan had been quicker, and stronger, and less willing to always help his mother, perhaps he wouldn't have been hurt quite so badly.
What was done was done, and the only way to change it was to build a time-travelling machine.
No, scratch that.
The only way to change it was to do exactly what they were trying to do.
"You were wrong, you know," Callahan said conversationally.
Ryan looked at him askance. "About what?"
"When you said that it wouldn't matter if you didn't exist anymore," Callahan explained. "It would matter a great deal to some people, myself included."
"You'd find another lost cause to help," Ryan scoffed.
"Ryan, I like you."
Ryan tried to cut him off, but Callahan was having none of it. His voice louder, he added, "You may not want to believe it, but it's true. I think the world, my world, is a better place with you in it, and it doesn't matter if you don't believe that, because I have enough faith for the two of us."
Struck speechless, Ryan stood still, his own heart beating in his ears.
He opened his mouth to reply, but before he could think of anything to say, someone started pounding on the door.
With one last look at Callahan, Ryan made his way to the door and opened it, just as Julie was about to make her presence known again, if her annoyed face and her raised arm were any indication.
"About time," she snapped, entering the room.
Ryan refrained from apologizing. He wasn't her employee, and it wasn't his fault he was stuck on crutches, damn it.
"Come in," he said, politely.
She did, only barely avoiding stepping on his foot when he didn't move out of her way fast enough.
He closed the door and followed her back into the living room, just in time to see her look around, her smile disturbingly shark-like. "Nice place you have here," she said.
"Thank you," Callahan replied, as if he hadn't noticed her tone. "Shall we begin, or do you want something to drink?"
"Let's just get this over with," Julie snapped.
Ryan was torn between amusement and annoyance, and finally settled for not saying anything. He might regret it eventually, and he didn't want that.
Besides, he had to admit that he envied her a little. He had never felt as… entitled to anything, as she did, and he wondered what it was like to live like that, instead of constantly wondering if he deserved what he got-good or bad.
Still, as he watched Father Callahan starting the incantation that would bring the, well, demon, Ryan briefly hoped this was just a nightmare.
Coma wasn't any fun, but it might be funnier than what was coming.
And if he was in a coma, Ryan wouldn't need to feel stupid when it all turned out to be a scam or something.
Then he remembered that his mother was dead, that his own professional perspectives were bad, and that he had so many debts that he could barely sleep at night anymore, wondering how he was going to pay them all.
Who cared about feeling stupid, who cared about what was beneath Julie Cooper-Nichol, who cared what that woman thought about anything?
This was about righting some wrongs, and Ryan understood that.
***
The whole night had taken on a surreal tone, Julie thought.
Here she was, with a priest and seventeen-year-old boy, trying to summon a demon to try and beat her/him/it at her/his/its own game, and, if possible, to leave that hellish life she had lead here.
She didn't really follow what Callahan was saying-something boring, possibly in another language, whatever.
Julie Cooper only bothered with technicalities when she was sure it would pay back, and in this situation, she wasn't sure of anything.
Besides, according to their plan, it was the priest's role to handle the incantation stuff.
Just as Julie was thinking that this wasn't going to work, the boring-woman-slash-demon appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, and looked around, slightly irritated.
"I hope you have a good reason to-" it started.
Then, its eyes fell on Julie who said, with a smile that had put fear in the heart of countless gardeners, waiters and other workers, "Hi."
"What-?" the demon said, surprised.
"Oh, come on," Julie said. "I'm sure you can do better than that."
The demon looked around, obviously catching up, and none too happy to be disturbed. "Why did you summon me?"
"Because you killed my daughter," Julie snapped.
She had thought she would be able to remain calm and detached, but she realized now that she wouldn't.
That thing was the reason why Julie had been stuck in this hell for weeks.
That thing was the reason Julie felt like hell 24/7.
That thing needed a good lesson.
"I granted your wish!" it said. "You're the one who wanted this boy out of your way!"
"I was just talking!" Julie all but screamed. "I talk all the time; I don't mean half of it. I was just talking, damn it!"
"Well, you should be more careful who you talk to," the demon said, shrugging. "It's not my fault you're not satisfied with the end result."
Then it noticed the necklace on Callahan's table, and Ryan, standing near it, a hammer in hand.
"Don't you dare," it said.
"Or what?" Ryan shot back, his tone weary.
The demon took a step toward him. "You don't know what you're doing!" it screamed.
Julie watched, fascinated, as Ryan turned to Father Callahan, said, "Thank you," then brought the hammer down on the necklace.
Which shattered.
She heard a horrified, "NOOOOOO!"
Then, things went black.
Again.
Chapter Nine