Who Are You? - Chapter 10 (Buffy/Nick)
Title: Unsettled
Author: Lisa
Status: 10/100
Chapter List: Full Chapter List
Rating: PG
Fandom: BtVS/CSI
Character(s) and/or Pairing(s): Buffy/Nick
Genre: Drama/Angst
Summary: Perhaps the vampires in Vegas didn’t appreciate the cliché of living in a crypt like Spike had.
Challenge: Prompt#086: Forest Written for tth100
Spoilers: All Seasons of BtVS and CSI are game. Episode 2x19 (Stalker) is referenced.
Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and all related characters are copyright of Joss Whedon & Mutant Enemy. No infringement intended. CSI and all related characters are copyright of Anthony E. Zuiker, Jerry Bruckheimer Television & CBS. No infringement intended.
Distribution: Not without permission from myself.
AN: Thanks to Ava for being my beta, any mistakes are mine.
Patrol had been duller then when Giles used to lecture her on the use of ‘magic’ stones. All the normal haunts were vacant of vamps and demons. The cemeteries had oddly supplied no freshly upturned graves or soil, a telltale sign that a new fledgling had risen. The various stone and marble mausoleums either had been broken into by grave robbers or where still safely sealed shut. Perhaps the vampires in Vegas didn’t appreciate the cliché of living in a crypt like Spike had.
If it hadn’t been for the Polgara demon she’d slain Buffy would’ve bet money that Vegas was demon free. After her first incident in Vegas she’d begun watching the news religiously, trying to figure out if any of the deaths were more up her alley. When you knew the signs it wasn’t hard to watch the news and pick out the ones that were supernaturally caused. So far nothing seemed out of the ordinary, well except for the reminder that humans did worse damage to each other then some demons did. Buffy wasn’t sure when kidnapping a child had become a recreational sport. Vampires were fluffy bunnies in comparison to some of humanity. The desire to don a red cape and blue tights was strong.
Instinct had guided her through the various cemeteries and lush tree filled parks. She was still surprised that in the desert the parks looked so naturally green. Sprinklers had been on for almost the full duration of her stay and she couldn’t even imagine how much water was required to keep the grounds looking like they ‘belonged’. Somehow through her patrol she’d found herself back in the same park that had initiated her patrolling ‘on’ status.
With no moon breaking through the leaves of the trees the whole forest was cast in dark shadows. The foliage was dense and allowed Buffy to keep further into the shadows while she walked a few feet away from the trail. Trickling water was her indicator that the familiar stream and bridge were getting closer.
‘Snap’
The sound of a twig snapping twenty feet behind her was impossible to miss and caused Buffy to react with supernatural speed. In seconds she delved further in the darkness and crouched, waiting for the cause of the noise. The possibility that it had been a small animal was slim and that left two other options, human or demon. If it was a demon she was downwind and had the element of surprise. If a human caused the noise, she still didn’t want to be spotted.
Within a minute movement caught her eye and around the bend came a male. The branches had done an excellent job of concealing his face in dark shadows. His gait, however, seemed familiar, his boots crunched against the debris on the path as he walked closer, towards her hiding spot.
A strong breeze pushed the branches above and just enough of the glow from the city filled the space and Buffy stifled a gasp as the man’s face was finally visible. It was Mr. Stokes, the lead CSI that had been investigating Mr. Carlson’s death. Hundreds of thoughts raced through her mind but she pushed them all aside while she silently crouched lower and her heartbeat sped up.
After he had passed her and was a few feet in front of her Buffy began to trail him. Unless he also had some supernatural tricks up his sleeves she wouldn’t be spotted nor heard. You didn’t become the longest living Slayer without having some skill in evading.
~*~
Nick strode down the same path that had probably led Mr. Carlson to his death.
Shoving his hands further into his jacket pockets he looked around and realized how easy it would’ve been for the perp to follow his victim. The trees were dense and bushy shrubs filled in the empty spaces.
Earlier in the day, Brass and him had explained to the Carlson family that due to a lack of evidence and dead ends the case had been closed.
Mrs. Carlson’s face had paled; her lips trembled before she clamped her hand over her mouth to muffle her anguished cry. Jackson, the Carlson’s oldest son, had caught his mother as her legs gave out and she crumbled to the ground, tears pouring down her cheeks.
Her sobs had haunted him all shift and would take time before they stopped. That’s what brought him back to the scene. He wasn’t looking for closure, but needed to check on last time that there wasn’t anything he missed.
As he rounded the corner he spotted the small wooden bridge, indicating that he was almost at the crime scene, just one more curve in the trail.
From the corner of his eye a movement caught his attention. Planting his feet firmly on the ground, bracing him for an attack. Right hand moved to the butt of his gun, he’d started carrying off hours after Nigel Crane.
Squinting, his eyes he scanned the trees that framed both sides of the path. The breeze swayed the limbs above and created low groans as they moved.
Second passed as he listened for noises before he continued on.
~*~
Circling around the glade for a second time Buffy kept her eyes on the CSI while her ears listened for movement. He’d been standing in the same spot for twenty minutes now and while patrol hadn’t yielded anything supernatural she wasn’t about to risk him becoming a late night snack.
Buffy crouched down, balancing on the balls of her feet before she sprung up and landed on a sturdy limb a few feet above the ground, but was still concealed in the shadows.
He wasn’t like the detectives and cops that she’d had the misfortune of running into in the past. Sunnydale’s cops all seemed dirty, like they got immense pleasure from watching their victims suffer. Though, considering that for the last few decades the Mayor had been bargaining with evil it seemed on par that the cops wouldn’t care. Mr. Stokes was different, he seemed to truly long for justice and that fact tugged on her, making her almost want to give the CSI the solace he came seeking for.
~Fin~
Completed: January 26, 2009
Author: Lisa
Status: 10/100
Chapter List: Full Chapter List
Rating: PG
Fandom: BtVS/CSI
Character(s) and/or Pairing(s): Buffy/Nick
Genre: Drama/Angst
Summary: Perhaps the vampires in Vegas didn’t appreciate the cliché of living in a crypt like Spike had.
Challenge: Prompt#086: Forest Written for tth100
Spoilers: All Seasons of BtVS and CSI are game. Episode 2x19 (Stalker) is referenced.
Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and all related characters are copyright of Joss Whedon & Mutant Enemy. No infringement intended. CSI and all related characters are copyright of Anthony E. Zuiker, Jerry Bruckheimer Television & CBS. No infringement intended.
Distribution: Not without permission from myself.
AN: Thanks to Ava for being my beta, any mistakes are mine.
Patrol had been duller then when Giles used to lecture her on the use of ‘magic’ stones. All the normal haunts were vacant of vamps and demons. The cemeteries had oddly supplied no freshly upturned graves or soil, a telltale sign that a new fledgling had risen. The various stone and marble mausoleums either had been broken into by grave robbers or where still safely sealed shut. Perhaps the vampires in Vegas didn’t appreciate the cliché of living in a crypt like Spike had.
If it hadn’t been for the Polgara demon she’d slain Buffy would’ve bet money that Vegas was demon free. After her first incident in Vegas she’d begun watching the news religiously, trying to figure out if any of the deaths were more up her alley. When you knew the signs it wasn’t hard to watch the news and pick out the ones that were supernaturally caused. So far nothing seemed out of the ordinary, well except for the reminder that humans did worse damage to each other then some demons did. Buffy wasn’t sure when kidnapping a child had become a recreational sport. Vampires were fluffy bunnies in comparison to some of humanity. The desire to don a red cape and blue tights was strong.
Instinct had guided her through the various cemeteries and lush tree filled parks. She was still surprised that in the desert the parks looked so naturally green. Sprinklers had been on for almost the full duration of her stay and she couldn’t even imagine how much water was required to keep the grounds looking like they ‘belonged’. Somehow through her patrol she’d found herself back in the same park that had initiated her patrolling ‘on’ status.
With no moon breaking through the leaves of the trees the whole forest was cast in dark shadows. The foliage was dense and allowed Buffy to keep further into the shadows while she walked a few feet away from the trail. Trickling water was her indicator that the familiar stream and bridge were getting closer.
‘Snap’
The sound of a twig snapping twenty feet behind her was impossible to miss and caused Buffy to react with supernatural speed. In seconds she delved further in the darkness and crouched, waiting for the cause of the noise. The possibility that it had been a small animal was slim and that left two other options, human or demon. If it was a demon she was downwind and had the element of surprise. If a human caused the noise, she still didn’t want to be spotted.
Within a minute movement caught her eye and around the bend came a male. The branches had done an excellent job of concealing his face in dark shadows. His gait, however, seemed familiar, his boots crunched against the debris on the path as he walked closer, towards her hiding spot.
A strong breeze pushed the branches above and just enough of the glow from the city filled the space and Buffy stifled a gasp as the man’s face was finally visible. It was Mr. Stokes, the lead CSI that had been investigating Mr. Carlson’s death. Hundreds of thoughts raced through her mind but she pushed them all aside while she silently crouched lower and her heartbeat sped up.
After he had passed her and was a few feet in front of her Buffy began to trail him. Unless he also had some supernatural tricks up his sleeves she wouldn’t be spotted nor heard. You didn’t become the longest living Slayer without having some skill in evading.
~*~
Nick strode down the same path that had probably led Mr. Carlson to his death.
Shoving his hands further into his jacket pockets he looked around and realized how easy it would’ve been for the perp to follow his victim. The trees were dense and bushy shrubs filled in the empty spaces.
Earlier in the day, Brass and him had explained to the Carlson family that due to a lack of evidence and dead ends the case had been closed.
Mrs. Carlson’s face had paled; her lips trembled before she clamped her hand over her mouth to muffle her anguished cry. Jackson, the Carlson’s oldest son, had caught his mother as her legs gave out and she crumbled to the ground, tears pouring down her cheeks.
Her sobs had haunted him all shift and would take time before they stopped. That’s what brought him back to the scene. He wasn’t looking for closure, but needed to check on last time that there wasn’t anything he missed.
As he rounded the corner he spotted the small wooden bridge, indicating that he was almost at the crime scene, just one more curve in the trail.
From the corner of his eye a movement caught his attention. Planting his feet firmly on the ground, bracing him for an attack. Right hand moved to the butt of his gun, he’d started carrying off hours after Nigel Crane.
Squinting, his eyes he scanned the trees that framed both sides of the path. The breeze swayed the limbs above and created low groans as they moved.
Second passed as he listened for noises before he continued on.
~*~
Circling around the glade for a second time Buffy kept her eyes on the CSI while her ears listened for movement. He’d been standing in the same spot for twenty minutes now and while patrol hadn’t yielded anything supernatural she wasn’t about to risk him becoming a late night snack.
Buffy crouched down, balancing on the balls of her feet before she sprung up and landed on a sturdy limb a few feet above the ground, but was still concealed in the shadows.
He wasn’t like the detectives and cops that she’d had the misfortune of running into in the past. Sunnydale’s cops all seemed dirty, like they got immense pleasure from watching their victims suffer. Though, considering that for the last few decades the Mayor had been bargaining with evil it seemed on par that the cops wouldn’t care. Mr. Stokes was different, he seemed to truly long for justice and that fact tugged on her, making her almost want to give the CSI the solace he came seeking for.
~Fin~
Completed: January 26, 2009