The Slayer and the Wiccan
by nab
End Game
[reviews]
U>Northern Cuba
They headed west, away from Port Rogue and nowhere near Jerez. It was the safest route
that Hector could think of. It was, of course, longer, at least a three hour drive. However, all
four women knew that they had to add at least another three hours to that and more with
Willow's injury. But, at least the makeshift suture under the bandage was holding. With the
bullet out, Willow was looking stronger with every hour that passed, helped possibly by the
pain deadening spell that she cast to help her move easily.
"It doesn't solve my problem," Willow said "but at least I wont be a burden."
Those words didn't stop Scully from constantly looking at her fellow red-head to check if she
was alright. However, there was another reason for her looking. Something was still
bothering Scully about the way Willow seemed to be gaining strength. She was glad to see it
of course, but how was she doing it? She looked back again and saw that Willow had seen
her looking at her.
"You will find out eventually, Dana, you both will, trust me."
Scully looked at Willow in disbelief at what she had just heard in her mind. Willow smiled
at her in encouragement.
"Trust me! All will be clear soon."
However, the philosophy of 'sods law' dictates that 'anything that can go wrong, will go
wrong', and it started to go wrong for Buffy, Willow, Monica and Dana when the car ran out
of petrol and spluttered to a halt.
"Damn it!" Reyes exploded slamming her hand on the steering wheel.
"So what do we do now?" Buffy asked.
"Somebody goes for petrol?" Willow suggested..
"No," Reyes said "We stick together."
The four women got out of the car and unloaded their belongings from the boot. Scully,
Reyes and Buffy pushed the car off the road with Willow steering. They then started walking
north west, keeping the main road close so that it acted as a guide to the port where Hector
said he would wait. Half an hours walking lead them to a village with very little modern
equipment. The two cars on view were very well worn 1950's models. Willow, despite her
getting stronger, still felt tired and that lead her to getting a dizzy spell. Scully had to catch
her before she fell.
"I think we need to rest," Scully suggested helping Willow to straighten herself up
The others agreed, feeling a bit tired themselves.
"There's a tavern just over there," Reyes said "I say we get something to eat and
move on, we can't stay in one place for too long."
The four women walked toward the tavern, only just avoiding a drunken man who stumbled
out of the tavern and almost pawed Reyes.
"Whoa, big boy."
Reyes steered the man away and entered the tavern. Scully, Buffy and Willow followed.
The place was relatively quiet, a few people sat at tables, eating meals and imbibing alcohol.
A couple of the men staggered up to Buffy and Scully and tried their luck. Buffy smashed
one of the men into a table, Scully kneed the other in the groin.
"We don't want trouble," Reyes said "We just want something to eat."
The men staggered to their feet and, enraged by their battering, launched at Buffy and Scully.
They went flying again, this time from Reyes's fist and Willow's magic. The Innkeeper
came from behind his bar to stop the two enraged men from launching a new attack at the
four women who had adopted a defensive mode and was ready for anything.
"Carlos, Luis," The Innkeeper said "Leave the Ladies alone before they wreck the
building beating you to a pulp."
The two men looked at the Innkeeper, then the four women, then left muttering revenge. The
Innkeeper burst into laughter and then lead the applause.
"You are the first women to give those two what they deserve," The Innkeeper said
after the applause died down "I think that deserves a free meal."
"Thank you," Reyes said.
They got the best table and the finest food and a pat on the back from villagers glad to see the
Rodriguez brothers get their comeuppance. They even got use of the Innkeepers old jeep,
complete with a full tank. But then 'Sods Law' struck again and the Rodriguez brothers
returned, with the Militia close behind.
"You're harbouring American spies," Carlos announced "They murdered Luis
Macarin."
Suddenly their 'friends' turned hostile. Buffy and Willow had to use their full powers to beat
off attacks from the Rodriguez brothers, the militia and certain villagers, whist Scully and
Reyes used fists and chairs to fend off their attackers. Suddenly, machine gun fire ripped
through the air.
"Go!" The Innkeeper said tossing Reyes the keys to his jeep.
The four women left with the Innkeeper and two of the villagers covering their retreat. As
the jeep sped away, two military vehicles emerged to give chase.
"Oh Hell!" Reyes cursed.
She floored the accelerator and swerved from side to side to avoid the bullets.
"Will?" Buffy said expectantly.
Willow closed her eyes and concentrated. Behind them the two drivers lost control and
crashed into each other causing both vehicles to explode in a ball of flames. All four women
breathed a sigh of relief, a feeling which lasted for a minute before a gunship emerged and
started to fire on them, some bullets ripping into the jeep just missing the occupants. This
time Scully and Buffy opened fire on the helicopter causing it to back away and giving Reyes
a chance to crash the jeep into the forest and zigzag through the trees, avoiding bullets and a
flame throwing weapon which incinerated trees in their path.
"Willow, can you do it again?" Scully asked.
"I don't know," Willow said.
Willow hung onto Buffy as Reyes swerved the jeep around a tree that had just been hit by a
flame thrower.
"If you don't do it, we're dead!" Reyes said.
With Buffy and Scully grasping her hands, Willow began to chant. Above the helicopter
engine began to misfire and then stopped. Suddenly, the helicopter dropped like a stone and
exploded on impact with the ground. The threat for now had passed. However, the next
village gave Scully and Reyes their worst fears. It was obvious that Collargo had found out
who they were and that the names of Dana Scully and Monica Reyes had joined the names of
Buffy Summers and Willow Rosenberg on Cuba's most wanted list. If things were bad
before, they were worse now.
"We need a new disguise," Buffy suggested.
The rest agreed, which was why Buffy and Reyes raided two gardens to borrow clothes
hanging on lines. They were loose fitting and the majority of the clothes were for men, but
beggars couldn't be choosers. They had also found a stream for them to bathe in. It gave
them a chance to clean up and for Scully to check Willow's wound. She was amazed that it
was virtually healed.
"You have better powers of healing than you thought," Willow offered.
Scully shook her head.
"There was no way you could have recovered like that," Scully said "That bullet had
done some damage, enough to have kept you in hospital for at least two weeks."
"Both Willow and I have tremendous powers of recovery," Buffy said
She handed both Scully and Willow a canteen of water and a change of clothing.
"And telepathy as well?" Scully challenged "On the road, Willow said 'you will find
out eventually, Dana, you both will, trust me', but she didn't say a thing. What did that
mean?"
"That both you and Monica have the power as well. The four of us are the Slayer and
The Wiccan. Monica and Buffy are the Slayer, you and I are the Wiccan," Willow answered
"You're joking!"
"There was no way I could have brought that helicopter down on my own. You and
Buffy tipped the balance."
"Why hasn't this so-called power manifested itself before now?"
"Because they were dormant," Buffy answered "You probably had some inkling, but
they remained in the back of your mind, unable to break forward."
"There is a way to prove that what we are saying is true," Willow said.
"Which is?"
"A joining of souls," Buffy said "It will prove once and for all that we are soul mates
and you have Willow's powers as much as Monica has mine."
Scully closed her eyes. She couldn't believe she was hearing this. Yet there was something.
At her partners' funeral, how did she and Reyes know that Buffy and Willow were there, the
same at the Courthouse, and she did hear Willow clearly in the car a couple of hours ago.
"Wait a minute!" Scully said "Soul Mates! All four of us?"
"Take the joining ritual and find out," Willow said "Monica has the same doubts you
have, but, she has agreed to take part."
Scully sighed. This sounded ludicrous, but somehow believable. There were things that
happened in her life that needed explaining.
"Why not," She said "If Monica can find a place where we can hide, we'll do it."
Willow grasped Scully's hand.
"Thank you Dana, this means more to me than you'll ever know."
Five minutes later, Monica returned with news of a place where they can rest and hide.
"It's twenty minutes walk from here, but it should give us enough cover."
It was agreed to move to the new location and to stay there until night and then head to the
rendezvous point.
A Cave - Northern Cuba
Reyes was only slightly out with her estimate. It was a twenty five minute walk to a group of
caves hidden within the forest. Once they settled in and prepared and ate a meal from rations
that Ricardo had prepared for this reason, they sat in a diamond, Scully facing Reyes, Buffy
facing Willow.
"All link hands," Willow said
Scully took a deep breath, nervously shook her hands to loosen them and took Buffy and
Willow's hands. Reyes, smiling at Scully's reaction, took Buffy and Willow's other hands
thus completing the diamond.
"I want you to relax and clear your mind of all doubt," Willow said.
Seeing all the others close their eyes, Scully closed hers. To her left, she heard Willow
chanting and, to her surprise, felt herself joining in with the chant as if it was some song that
she heard on the radio and had been compelled to join in with. Slowly the sound began
fading until nothing, not even her own voice, could be heard. It was eery and at first Scully
didn't want to open her eyes. She could feel that she was sitting on something soft, probably
grass. Reaching out, she touched the ground and felt that it was grass.
"Dana?"
Willow's voice sounded calm and confident. She felt Willow's touch and felt that her hand
was touching skin. Wasn't I wearing a jacket? Scully thought.
"Hey, Dana. It's beautiful!"
Reyes's infectious voice caused Scully to open her eyes. The first thing she saw was that
Reyes, Buffy and Willow were all naked. The second thing she felt was a slight breeze
touching her skin suggesting that she too was naked. She looked around and saw that she
was in a typical English garden on a hot summers day.
"Where are we?" She thought out loud.
"Paradise," Reyes 'said' with a smile.
Scully saw Reyes stand up and stretch, her athletic form stretching in perfect formation, her
breasts firm and beautiful. Willow took Scully's hand and helped her to stand up. She
noticed that Willow too had a beautiful well formed body, as did Buffy. Scully could feel
herself breathing faster as if trying to fight lust from coming on. She saw Buffy perform a
well executed cartwheel and felt herself chuckle as Buffy landed gracefully. Scully bent
down and picked a flower, she smelt it and felt a slight tingle of excitement. Reyes was
right, this was paradise.
"This is the Gateway," Willow 'said'.
"To?"
"The testing of the soul."
All four looked up and saw Rupert Giles sitting on a swing seat. His face reddened when he
saw their condition and produced four robes from seemingly nowhere.
"I wish there wasn't a necessity for nudity," He 'said' "It's so....awkward."
"Still the prude, Giles," Buffy 'kidded.'.
Giles shook his head and frowned. The four women put on the robes and sat in front of him.
"Okay," Scully 'said' "What do we need to do?"
"You need to believe in extreme possibilities, Dana," Giles 'said'.
"I'm here, aren't I?"
"You believe some of it, but, not all if it. You have to trust yourself and your
colleagues."
"Dana, you are part of the greater whole," Willow 'said' "You, myself, Monica and
Buffy share a destiny. Together we are a force for good against the oncoming darkness."
"Whoa! Back up! Oncoming darkness?"
"We have discussed this often, Dana," Reyes 'said' "There has been an increase of
evil activity over the last one hundred years. Two World Wars, the events of September the
11th 2001, the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, the Gulf War, Vietnam, the death of our partners.
Everything seems to be building up to something big."
"And the four of us can stop this 'oncoming darkness'?"
"Yes," Giles 'said' "The Slayer and The Wiccan are powerful enough to stop the
forces of evil, but only if they act as one."
This was a lot for Scully to take in. She saw Reyes and Buffy take off their robes and face
each other.
"Monica?"
"It's the joining ritual," Giles 'said' "The Slayers are going to be joined as one, as
will the Wiccans."
Buffy and Reyes held hands and began merging into each other, first the hands and then the
arms.
"Take my hands, Dana," Willow 'said'.
Scully looked at Willow and saw that she had taken off her robe and was again naked. She
looked at Buffy and Reyes and saw that their torsos were touching and merging at the same
time.
"I'm scared!" Scully 'admitted'.
"I know, so am I, so are Buffy and Monica." Willow 'said'
Scully looked over and saw that Buffy and Reyes were now completely merged and were one
complete entity, a body shaped mass of light which glowed in a mass of oranges, reds and
yellows mixed with the odd spec of black.
"It's okay, Dana," The body spoke in Reyes's voice "I feel renewed, invigorated...."
"You forgot to say great!" The body said in Buffy's voice.
The body emitted Reyes's infectious chuckle that Scully so loved. Scully smiled and then
slipped off her robe and turned to face Willow. She caressed Willow's hands and then
grasped them. Both of her hands merged with Willow's. Within seconds both sets of arms
had merged leaving Scully and Willow's faces close as if ready to kiss.
"You're doing great, Dana," Willow 'said'.
Scully was feeling great. The pains of the last two years were ebbing away. When full
merger with Willow happened, the pains were all gone. The being known as Scully/Willow
felt invigorated and alive. Scully/Willow saw Buffy/Reyes approach. They turned to Giles
who smiled and pointed to the archway that suddenly appeared. Buffy/Reyes took
Scully/Willow's hand and began walking towards the archway. They stopped to turn around
and look at Giles. Giles took off his glasses and gave them a rub. His eyes were red with
tears. Buffy/Reyes and Scully/Willow both took deep breaths and walked through the
archway.
Dreamland - An Ice Rink
They reappeared just as they were stepping onto an ice rink. Scully/Willow could see that
Buffy/Reyes was wearing an all in one black sequin costume and that she was wearing a
black sequin dress. After being announced the two of them glided on the ice and took their
position.
"This is probably the most important skate of their lives," The BBC Commentator
'said' in Scully/Willow and Buffy/Reyes's mind "The perfect skate and the elusive gold
medal is theirs."
"I hear it's a brand new routine," The Ice Skating Expert 'said' "That is a very big
risk."
"We shall see," The Commentator 'said "The music by the way is from Bjorn
Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Sir Tim Rice's 'Chess'."
The music, the opening theme from the musical, started and the routine was underway.
Within ten seconds Scully/Willow and Buffy/Reyes had completed the perfect synchronised
Triple Axel, Triple Toe-Loop combination.
"Excellent Combination!" The Commentator 'gushed'.
"Did you see the height of the Triple Axel?" The Ice Skating Expert 'said'.
By now Scully/Willow had landed the perfect thrown Triple Salchow and the two couples
had gone into the most synchronised side by side combination spin anybody had ever seen.
"So far, so good," The Commentator 'said'.
"The Quad is coming. That will be the test, if they land that then they are one step
closer to the gold."
The death spiral was completed with perfection, followed by a graceful linked combination
spin and another side by side triple/triple. All of it perfectly choreographed in time with the
music. Scully/Willow saw the smile on Giles's face and gracefully spun Buffy/Reyes around
to see Giles, who gave the thumbs up sign. Two side by side triples and a side by side Camel
Spin later, Giles was gone. That created a small falter in the next combination jump, which
they both just survived.
"That was close," The Commentator 'said' "A near disaster."
"It took a great deal of strength and agility to complete that combination," The Ice
Skating Expert 'agreed' "But these two were already noted for that, what was lacking until
tonight was the artistry."
Then it came. Scully/Willow pulled Buffy/Reyes through the lightening fast straight line
steps sequence and then prepared for the thrown quad. Buffy/Reyes threw Scully/Willow
from a toe-loop position. Scully/Willow spun four and a half times in the air and landed the
perfect toe-loop landing.
"They've landed the Quad!" The Ice Skating Expert 'said' with excitement.
"I think we've just seen the gold medal jump," The Commentator 'agreed'.
"Not quite," The Ice Skating Expert 'said' "There is still the Axel combination."
Again the big jump came after a steps sequence, this time a circular one. The Axel/Axel
combination was landed with no falter or hesitation. The audience, already livened by the
performance, went mad.
"That's the Gold!" The Ice Skating Expert 'said'.
Buffy/Reyes and Scully/Willow went into the final combination spin before laying gracefully
on the ice like the ending of Torvill and Dean's Bolero routine. The audience, already mad
with wonder, were on their feet in applause. Flowers were thrown onto the ice. Buffy/Reyes
helped Scully/Willow to her feet. They hugged each other and kissed before skating towards
the trainers and performers box.
"I'm speechless," The Ice Skating Expert 'said' "The grace, the power, the speed, all
was in perfect union. Even the small mistake showed the power of recovery of these two."
"It was like the joining of Soul Mates," The Commentator 'said' "But will the Judges
agree?"
"They must, it'll be an outrage if they don't."
Scully/Willow and Buffy/Reyes sat down holding hands tightly. The first marks came up -
seven 5.9's and two 6.0's, enough for first place. A few seconds later, the second mark, for
artistic impression, emerged. The audience went nuts.
"It's sixes across the board!" The Commentator 'said' with growing excitement "All
the Judges have given them a six."
"It's what they deserved," The Ice Skating Expert 'said'.
Scully/Willow and Buffy/Reyes hugged each other with tears in their eyes. As they left the
arena the applause was still ringing in their ears.
Dreamland - The Garden
They walked through the archway back into the garden. Giles got to his feet, tears in his
eyes.
"The Slayer and The Wiccan are as one. My job is done."
"Giles?" Buffy/Reyes 'said' sensing something wrong.
"It is time for the Slayer and the Wiccan to stand on their own two feet."
"Giles, you're starting to scare me," Scully/Willow 'said'.
"There is no need to be afraid," Giles 'said' "The Slayer and the Wiccan is complete.
Evil will not stand up against them."
"Two of us are new to the power," Buffy/Reyes 'said' "They will need a mentor."
"They already have one."
Giles got to his feet and headed towards the archway.
"Giles!" Both Buffy/Reyes and Scully/Willow pleaded.
"Do me proud."
Giles passed through the archway. As soon as he went through, the archway disappeared.
The Cave - Northern Cuba
Scully opened her eyes and saw that she was back in the caves and cradling a sobbing
Willow. She was feeling tears coming out of her own eyes.
"He's dead, Dana," Willow said "Giles is dead."
"I know," Scully said
Reyes and Buffy joined Scully and Willow in a group hug. All four had shared an
exhilarating experience, all four had learned something new about themselves and each
other, but, more importantly, all four knew that they were alone. Reyes looked at her watch.
Only five minutes had passed and it was still light outside.
"I suggest that we get some sleep," Reyes said "We have a long night ahead."
The others agreed.
Northern Cuba
They left the caves an hour after night fell, all of them wearing the stolen clothes and looking
more like Cuban peasants. Within the next hour, they had to duck into hiding once when a
couple of Cuban soldiers, cursing Collargo's name for daring to get them out of the comfort
of their mistresses bed, passed them. The two men stopped right in front of their hiding
place and lit cigarettes for a brief rest.
"I hear that those four women killed twenty soldiers during two escapes from our
wonderful Militia elite. Fidel is going to have the survivors shot for incompetence."
"I would love to see that," The taller soldier said "Just for the look on those smug
bastards' faces when they pulled the trigger."
"You would have done any better, Miguel?"
"Of course, I know how to handle women."
The smaller soldier took a drag of his cigarette.
"They crashed two cars and a helicopter just by thought alone. If they can do that to
them, just think what they could do to us."
The taller soldier stopped smoking and looked at his companion.
"Two cars and a helicopter? Just by thought alone?"
"That's what I heard."
The taller soldier made the sign of the cross and caused Willow to stifle a chuckle. The two
soldiers tensed and grasped their rifles tighter.
"Who's there?" The Taller soldier snapped.
Buffy placed a hand over Willow's mouth to make sure of no more giggles. Beside them
Scully and Reyes held their breath. They could hear their hearts pounding ten to the dozen as
the soldiers drew closer to their hiding place.
"Hear anything now, Miguel?" The smaller soldier asked.
The taller soldier shook his head.
"I think some coffee might calm our nerves eh, my friend?"
"Something a bit stronger, perhaps," The taller soldier replied "I have something in
the jeep."
"Lead the way."
The two soldiers left. When they were finally out of sight, Scully and Reyes started to
breathe again and Buffy removed her hand from Willow's mouth.
"Sorry!" Willow whispered meekly.
The others simply glared at her.
A Fishing Port - Northern Cuba
They reached the objective, a small fishing port, within the next two hours. They entered the
village and found that, despite the heavy concentration of troopers within the port, most of
them were drunk. It also helped that they were all dressed in male clothes and how somehow
developed the male way of walking, easy for Buffy and Reyes, but a little harder for the more
genteel Willow and Scully. For those two reasons, they easily passed the troopers and
entered the rendezvous point, a tavern close to one of the jetties, and found a quiet secluded
table out of the way. Within a minute, a man walked over with a tray containing five beers.
It was Hector.
"I didn't think you'd get here," He said placing the tray on the table.
"Neither did we," Reyes said.
Hector pulled up a chair and sat down.
"How are you, Miss Rosenberg?"
Willow looked at Scully and Reyes who nodded that he was all right.
"I'm fine," She answered.
"I heard that you were seriously wounded."
"I was."
Hector looked at Scully and Reyes in astonishment.
"Long story, Hector, which is going to have to wait for another time," Scully said.
"Do you have the boat?" Reyes asked.
"Jetty five, it's a motor-boat."
Hector suddenly ducked his head.
"What is it?" Buffy asked.
"Collargo's just come in."
Scully looked over Willow's shoulder and saw Collargo enter with five soldiers, two of them
being the ones they avoided just a couple of hours ago.
"What do we do?" Willow whispered urgently
"We remain calm and pray that he goes away," Hector answered.
Collargo and the five troopers began touring around each table, inspecting all of the women
and some feminine looking men.
"I think we should leave," Reyes suggested as Collargo got closer.
That plan was blocked by the arrival of the Sergeant from the road black at the back
entrance. They could see Collargo approach their table.
"Hector?"
"Oh shit!"
Hector closed his eyes. Again Scully and Reyes held their breath, but they were joined this
time by Buffy and Willow.
"It is you, Hector, what are you doing so far away from your tobacco shop?"
"Meeting friends," Hector said.
"Really," Collargo said "I really would like to meet your friends."
He touched Buffy's shoulder and found himself being thrown over Buffy's shoulder into the
wall. The tall trooper called Miguel went for his weapon but Reyes leaped like a gazelle and
smashed the weapon out of his hand. Scully knocked a recovering Collargo cold with a right
cross, whilst at the same time Willow hit the encroaching Sergeant with a chair, the force of
the blow staggering him into another table. The five of them headed for the exit. A shot
stopped the five of them cold, along with the arrival of more troopers.
"Do you really think I wouldn't have back-up considering what Miss Rosenberg and
Miss Summers can do," Collargo approached the five of them, his luger in his hand
unwavering in its determination to fire if needed.
"Now, are we going to be sensible or do I have to kill you?"
Hector toppled over, showing signs of bleeding from his back.
"Hector?" Scully said.
The trooper known as Miguel pistol whipped Scully causing her to crash into Reyes. Buffy
drop kicked Miguel into another table and smashed one of the troopers blocking the front
entrance out the door. Willow grasped Scully's hand.
"Start chanting."
"What?" Scully said stunned.
"Just do it," Willow ordered.
Willow began chanting. Scully took a deep breath and began chanting the same words as
Willow. She was amazed to hear the ancient language coming out of her mouth as fluently
as it was coming out of Willow's. The fact that she knew the language at all also amazed her.
Reyes hit another trooper using all of her newly gained slayer strength. She heard Scully and
Willow chanting some ancient spell. She also saw that Collargo was about to open fire and
sent a beer glass in his direction. As it hit Collargo's gun hand causing his bullet to whistle
past her head, Reyes could feel herself chanting the ancient spell as well. Buffy too had
closed her eyes and was chanting. All four could faintly hear a piercing whistling sound
which seemed to be paralysing everybody else in the room.
"Get Hector!" Willow told Reyes.
Reyes could see that Buffy had also got the message and was already pulling the badly
injured Hector out of the bar. She helped and the two of them were able to bodily carry the
man out. Willow and Scully followed still chanting. The four of them started running
towards the water, Buffy and Reyes still carrying Hector.
"Let me go," He hissed "Save yourselves."
"No way, Malone will have my hide," Reyes said.
Hector struggled to free himself and was hit again by another bullet. Willow sent a fireball
speeding towards the soldier who shot Hector. He had no chance, the ball hit him square on,
incinerating him in a ball of flames. Hector took out his weapon and starting firing on the
advancing troopers.
"Tell Malone that all debts are repaid," He shouted.
"Hector!"
Buffy grabbed Reyes and pulled her towards the water.
"We can't leave him," Reyes said.
Scully took Reyes's other hand and helped Buffy drag the reluctant Reyes towards the jetty.
More soldiers emerged in front of them.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Buffy exclaimed.
Both she and Reyes dealt with two more soldiers, whilst Scully and Willow used telekinetic
powers to propel the other two into the water. Before anybody else could react, the four of
them dove gracefully into the harbour. Underneath the water, as bullets whistled past them,
Scully, Reyes, Buffy and Willow swam powerfully, the fact that they were still holding their
breath as they swam not even close to being a problem. Thirty seconds later, the four of
them emerged to find they had escaped their pursuers.
"How the hell did we do that?" Scully asked.
"The Slayer and the Wiccan can do anything," Reyes said.
"Don't you start, Monica," Scully said.
"We'll discuss that later," Willow said "We have to get to Jetty five. We owe that to
Hector at least."
The four of them started swimming.
The Harbour - Two Hours Later
The target yacht was dark and quiet. A little too quiet for all four of them. From their hiding
place, they could see troopers all over the jetty and mini coastguard cutters combed the
waters. They were safe in this particular hiding place. However, to go for the yacht now
would be dangerous to say the least. Unfortunately, staying in the water wasn't an option
either.
"Stay here," Reyes said "I'll go and have a look. If I'm not back in five minutes, get
out of here and find another way off."
"No!" Buffy said "If we go, we go together."
"Damn it, Buffy!" Reyes hissed "We can't risk all of us."
Buffy answered by diving under the water. Reyes held up her hands in exasperation and
dived in after her with Scully and Willow close behind. They caught up with Buffy at the
bow of the yacht.
"Never do that again," Reyes snapped "We work as a team or not at all."
"Okay, Boss!" Buffy said sarcastically.
They ducked into hiding as a trooper emerged on the deck and looked over the side. They
lowered themselves under the water and held their breaths. First Buffy, then Reyes
occasionally popped their head up to see if he was still there. A minute later, all four popped
up to catch their breath and found to their relief that the trooper had gone.
"Damn it!" Reyes said.
"What the hell do we do now?" Scully asked.
"We find another boat," Willow said "There was a small fishing trawler two jetties
back."
Reyes looked at her companions thoughtfully
"Okay, but, this is how we're going to do it."
Reyes outlined her plan, which involved her and Buffy going on first and ensuring that the coast was clear and then Willow and Scully following up. In that way, if Buffy and Reyes ran into problems, then Scully and Willow would have the choice of either trying to find another way out or, if possible, attempt a rescue. The plan was agreed. They swam away from the yacht and made their way to the trawler. Waiting for a patrol to move away, Buffy clambered up the anchor rope and hauled herself quietly on board. Reyes followed and joined Buffy on the deck. Everything seemed quiet causing Reyes to give the signal for Scully and Willow to follow them up. In the meantime Buffy had sprinted to the Trawlers' cabin and was crouching below the steps leading up to the cabin. A man came out of the cabin and lit a cigarette.
"Monica, Dana, Willow! We have company."
"How many?" Scully 'said'.
"As far as I can see, one."
Scully looked at Reyes and Willow. Willow picked up an object and threw it into the water. The man looked up and raised his weapon.
"Who's there?"
Willow threw another object into the water causing the man to come down the steps. Buffy launched herself at the man and knocked him cold with a stunning left, right combination. She snatched up his weapon and pistol whipped him when he stirred.
"Buffy, Dana, put him overboard," Reyes ordered "Willow, you're with me."
A few seconds later a splash caused several men on jetty five to turn and look including Collargo, who had obviously planned his trap around the yacht and hadn't even anticipated that the women would improvise like this. Reyes, seeing the men descending on the trawler, managed to get the trawler started.
"Buffy, Dana," She called "The anchor."
The two women undid the rope and threw the rope into the water. As they did so Scully dove on Buffy pushing her to the ground. Several bullets whistled past them hitting the bulkhead.
"Shit! These bastards' mean business," Buffy said.
The trawler starting moving off its mooring and started to head out to sea, accompanied by a hail of bullets smashing both the cabin window and keeping Buffy and Scully pinned down at the bow of the Trawler. They made it to open sea but found that a coastguard cutter was tacking to intercept them, guns blazing from the main weapon. Reyes, tried to steer the trawler whilst at the same time trying to stay out of the way of the bullets. Willow opened the cabin door and opened fire with the stolen weapon on the cutter, giving Buffy and Scully a chance to join them on the bridge. Within a minute, it became a hell of a lot more difficult when more cutters emerged, effectively cutting off any chance of escape. Collargo's voice boomed from one of the cutters.
"Miss Rosenberg, Miss Summers, Miss Scully, Miss Reyes, you have lost. Surrender now and I promise we will not harm you."
"Like hell he will," Reyes said.
She opened up the engine and advanced at ramming speed at the cutters.
"What the hell are you doing?" Willow exclaimed in horror.
"Trusting to luck."
"What happened to 'we work as a team or not at all'?" Buffy said.
"Do you have a better idea?"
Buffy shook her head and held on to something solid tightly. Scully and Willow offered up a prayer to the Goddess of Luck as they followed Buffy's lead and held on. The trawler was being strafed by weapons fire, some were hitting canisters of oil and exploding. By the time the Trawler reached the cutters, the ship was ablaze and on the verge of explosion.
"We've got to jump," Scully said.
Reyes reacted by opening the engine right up and following the other three women off the bridge. The four of them dived off the trawler just as the trawler crashed into two cutters causing a massive explosion which took out another two. Two more cutters emerged from the smoke and opened fire on the water, causing the four women to dive down. This time there was no hiding place, all the cutters needed to do was wait. The four women had to come up for air and that would be the time to take them. The four women held hands and prayed for a miracle as the pain of holding their breath ripped into their lungs. Above them they could hear explosions and wondered if Collargo was trying to force them up. They saw flames belching from the cutters and men diving into the water. Collargo and several men dived in and swam towards them, their weapons raised ready to fire. Buffy, Reyes, Scully and Willow broke away from each other and prepared to fight for their lives. Collargo reached them first but found that his weapon jammed. It was too wet. Buffy took the opportunity to wrestle with the man, but, was unable to stop him putting his hands to her throat and squeezing. The combination of that and being under water caused her lungs to almost explode. She could see that the other three women were embroiled in their own fight, some more successful then others. Willow for example, was lashing out with her feet as her assailant tried to throttle her. She saw the red-head produce a knife and stab the man several times until blood oozed from the body. She then went to help Scully who was struggling in her fight. Reyes in the meantime was almost playing with her assailant, causing the man to miss with a punch and delivering her own blow. However, Buffy could see that Reyes was starting to have trouble holding her breath. She was starting to have trouble as well, so with all her strength she wrenched Collargo's hands free and delivered an almighty punch which send the man spinning away. She headed for the surface to get some air and saw that the other three had already beaten her to it in their own fights. She saw Scully and Willow force their assailants head down until he breathed no more. She saw Collargo emerge and swim towards her ready to continue the attack. Buffy lashed out and hit the man square on the jaw, which only seemed to enrage him. Reyes took Collargo's arms and stopped him from following up. The man struggled violently and tried to pull Reyes towards the flaming cutter which was ready to explode again. Buffy followed and grabbed Collargo and punched him again, this time helping Reyes to pull the man down under water. Two more cutters emerged and more people dived in, only to be met by frogmen who suddenly emerged from the water and forced the other men to back off. Collargo bounced up trying to catch his breath, both Reyes and Buffy hit him and the fight was over. They pulled the man away from the cutter just as it erupted in a violent explosion. Collargo was taken prisoner by two frogmen, whilst four more fitted scuba gear to Buffy, Willow, Scully and Reyes.
A Motorised Dinghy - International Waters
It was a short swim to a motorised dinghy where the four women were hauled on board by sailors dressed in American Naval uniforms. A blonde haired woman wearing the insignia of a Lieutenant Commander approached them and said:
"Miss Rosenberg, Miss Summers, Miss Scully, Miss Reyes, I'm Lieutenant Commander Samantha Carter. Welcome to the USS George Washington."
The four women looked at the short haired blonde and breathed a huge sigh of relief. They then hugged each other in tears. They had made it. The USS George Washington took Buffy, Willow, Scully and Reyes to Jamaica where Willow, under Scully's insistence, went through a through medical. She was, incredibly, given a clean bill of health, all signs of the wound had gone. However, Scully had given up her feeling of disbelief. She had seen too much, done too much, during those twenty four hours on Cuba to disbelieve anything that happened. The debriefing that took place on Jamaica was by necessity devoid of all extra information other than what happened.
Washington DC
Two days later, they were on a flight to Washington DC for a reunion with Malone, who had pulled many strings to stop any further investigations as to what happened on Cuba until they reached the American capital. The State Department were, of course, furious. It had been a diplomatic disaster of the most embarrassing magnitude for the United States. Castro himself had demanded the extradition of Willow Rosenberg, Buffy Summers, Dana Scully and Monica Reyes for the murder of twenty five Cuban nationals. Malone told the State Department that they no longer had jurisdiction over the four women. The United Nations had to make that decision. By the time the four women arrived in Washington DC, Malone had presented Buffy and Willow's case against their bosses - The CIA - to both the UN and The President of the United States, including evidence that Collargo had assassinated Luis Macarin under instructions from his paymasters - The CIA! That coupled with the information that Rupert Giles gave his life to retrieve was enough for a senate enquiry to be ordered and for the CIA to arrest several of their own people.
The Chambers of the United Nations - Three Days Later
In the chambers of the United Nations, the Cuban Ambassador was on the verge of meltdown when he heard that his government's extradition order had been turned down.
"Although, we feel that Miss Rosenberg, Miss Summers and in particular Miss Scully and Miss Reyes were more than a little excessive in their use of force in trying to escape. We accept Mr Malone's view that their lives were in danger, albeit due to misunderstanding created by the American CIA." The Secretary General, Fiona Anstey said
"This is an outrage!" The Cuban Ambassador exploded. "We demand justice for our people."
"And you will get it Mr Mendes," The Secretary General said "You will note that several members of the CIA are at this present moment in custody pending trial. These include the people who created the mess in the first place. They will be given a fair trial and if found guilty, they will be punished to the full extent of the law."
"However, Miss Rosenberg, Miss Summers, Miss Scully and Miss Reyes are not to be punished. Is that correct?"
"We think they've been punished enough," The British Ambassador, Sir Hugh Manning said.
The Cuban Ambassador nodded his agreement. He probably would have done the same thing had he been set up by his own government for assassination.
"What about the charge of espionage and illegal entry against Miss Rosenberg and Miss Summers and illegal entry into my country by Miss Scully and Miss Reyes."
"Let it lie, for gods' sake Ambassador Mendes!" The Secretary General said.
The Cuban Ambassador sighed. However, he had to come away with something for the humiliation that his country had suffered.
"What about Louis Collargo?" The Cuban Ambassador said.
At the Secretary General insistence, Malone got to his feet.
"We are prepared to hand Mr Collargo over to you for judgment, if you can guarantee him a fair trial."
"That is an insult, Mr Malone."
"It is also the only way that the US Government will release one of their operatives into your hands. Believe me Mr Mendes, considering what Mr Collargo tried to do to my people, you can have him with my blessing," Malone said "Unfortunately, we have to bow down to American jurisdiction on this one. Can you guarantee Mr Collargo a fair trial?"
"Absolutely!"
"Will you allow UN observers to attend that trial?" The Secretary General asked.
The Cuban Ambassador consulted with his colleague.
"We will have to consult with our government on that one."
"Don't take too long," The Secretary General said "Under American law, Mr Malone can only hold Mr Collargo for a certain amount of time. It is your case not the Americans'."
The Cuban Ambassador again sighed.
"You will have my government's decision within twenty four hours."
With that the Cuban delegation left the chamber.
"It wont happen," Malone said after the door shut "The Americans will not want their dirty washing shown in public."
"Meaning?"
"That it wouldn't surprise me if Mr Collargo met with a little accident whilst in custody."
"They wouldn't dare."
Malone smiled. He had heard that one before.
Over The Next Few Months
It was feeding time at the zoo. The Senate Committee hearing turned into a shouting match, with accusations and counter accusations flying across the room. Buffy, Willow, Monica and Dana would all give evidence. Buffy and Willow into the events that led up to the events of Cuba; Monica, Dana and Malone into why they gave aid when Rupert Giles asked them for help and the events of Cuba itself; Malone into the events that lead up to the shooting death of Rupert Giles. It would turn into a public frenzy that would last for months before the CIA would come out of the mess with a clean bill of health. They had got rid of their dirty linen as Malone predicted. Collargo had, as Malone suggested, died in an accident whilst being transferred from a Jamaican jail to a high security prison in Miami. Again the Cuban Ambassador went ballistic in a full meeting of the United Nations accusing the United States of orchestrating a cover up.
"My government demands a full apology for this outrage," He shouted "We demand that the people responsible for this barbarous act be punished."
It never happened, despite UN pressure being applied. As Malone said, 'the Americans would never want their dirty linen to be shown in public'.
Arlington Cemetery
The funeral of Rupert Giles was arranged a week after Willow, Buffy, Scully and Reyes returned from Jamaica. It took place at Arlington Cemetery with military and civil honours. Malone had personally set the whole event up with a full armed guard delivering the traditional twenty one gun salute reserved for a fallen hero. Malone himself gave a eulogy which described Rupert Giles as a giant with integrity and honour.
"He gave his life in an attempt to expose a cancer which was destroying his country and the people that he worked for. He gave his life to protect his charges Willow Rosenberg and Buffy Summers and to ensure that the hard work that those two brave women did should be brought to light. Not only will I continue that work, I give Mr Giles my word, under the sight of the Holy Redeemer, that I will ensure that Miss Rosenberg and Miss Summers will receive the same protection that he so gallantly gave them,"
Malone smiled in the direction of Willow and Buffy who stood in front of the grave arm in arm with Monica Reyes and Dana Scully.
"You were a brave and honourable man," Malone said "Your wisdom and knowledge will be missed by those who know and loved you."
Malone stepped back and allowed the twenty one gun salute to begin. In front of the grave Buffy, Willow, Scully and Reyes grasped each others hands and bowed their heads.
Dreamland - The Ice Rink
The action took them back to the garden and the archway. The merger of Buffy and Reyes and Scully and Willow was swift and beautiful, with two bright lights which once was four people glowing in the warm English sunshine. The two lights which were Buffy/Reyes and Scully/Willow moved through the archway back onto the ice rink.
"And here are the gold medalists ," The BBC Commentator said as Buffy/Reyes and Scully/Willow skated to the podium at the centre of the rink.
Buffy/Reyes took Scully/Willow's hand and they stepped onto the top podium. To their surprise, Harry Malone stepped forward and placed the medals around their necks.
"The Slayer and the Wiccan are now as one," Malone said "They may join with my blessing."
Buffy/Reyes turned Scully/Willow around and began the merger again. First the arms of the two entities were joined, then the torsos until one entity stood on the podium. The Buffy/Willow/Scully/Reyes entity lifted up into the air and glided through the roof and into outer space. They took a tour of the known universe, landing on planets and taking in the sights, smells and taste of each planet they landed on. The Buffy/Willow/Scully/Reyes entity was completely free, invigorated and alive. The entire spectrum of lights and colour became one to them. The slightest molecule of every living and sentient being was in reach and was easily manipulated. Their power was immense and both comforting and frightening. Comforting because Scully, Reyes, Buffy and Willow were together and nothing, not even death, could part them. They loved each other like sisters and lovers at the same time. They were making love with each other and the stars. It was also frightening because they were all powerful. In this state, no molecules were safe. They could kill by the simple manipulation of molecules. They were the ultimate killing machine - totally unstoppable and highly dangerous. In fact the only thing stopping them from being that killing machine were their own separate personalities. They were one, but the Reyes/Buffy/Scully/Willow entity also had reason, the distinction between right and wrong and therefore the ability to exercise common sense. It was that common sense that saved them in Cuba, that would help them in all other missions for the forces of light. They also had individual thought and the ability to challenge each others decision. It was the perfect balance which meant that as long as they were together, they could never go off the straight and narrow and into the abyss which would lead to the destruction of the world. The Buffy/Reyes/Scully/Willow entity had been given the role of lights' champion against the darkness and with darkness starting to gain a foothold, they knew they couldn't be found wanting.
Arlington Cemetery
As they returned to the grave-side, they found that the ceremony was over and only the four of them remained. Their arms were linked together like one long unbroken chain. Willow placed the flowers she was carrying on the grave.
"Goodbye Giles," She said.
Reyes placed an arm around Willow's shoulder and held her close. Buffy and Scully took her hands and squeezed them tightly. Malone, behind them, chose that moment to step forward.
"Time to leave, ladies," He said.
The four women bowed their heads again and followed Malone to the car.
THE END