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kerk_hiraethTITLE: Sports Report
AUTHOR: kerk hiraeth
FANDOM: Buffy the Vampier Slayer (Jet Wolf's Chosen'verse);
CHARACTER(s): Faith Lehane; Buffy Summers; *oc; Sam & Riley Finn; Capt. Ben Sisko;
'SHIP(s): None (Finn's*);
LENGTH: 1,600;
RATING: PG-13;
A/N: This mostly from Faith's POV, with the unnamed Slayer being the little girl seen becoming a Slayer the Series Finale (we do not acknowledge the comics as canon) so, depending on how you age her; this being set on her twentieth birthday, the year in which this is set can be calculated from that.
This is set in one of my versions of Jet Wolf's Chosen continuation (which one I have yet to make clear to myself, so I have left that vague).
Hers is, or was, for me the only continuation that truly captured what I felt about the show. Sadly, though she completed an Eighth season, that continuation ended part way through a ninth season and it seems as if she has disappeared from the fandom for good as her various wonderful Buffy stories, on her own sites, have begun to to disappear (I have yet to have the courage to find out if any are archived; being left with the printed & personally archived versions.
She was one of a handful of fan writers who competed with and, in many cases, bettered what was produced on the show itself.
*Characters/Ships marked thus are only mentioned and may be regarded as uncredited.
Keeping a tight hold of the reports vital to the mission, Faith wandered down to the quiet clearing in the, now extensive, wooded land at what was the most down hill of the land that constituted the Headquarters of the International Network of Slayers; Watchers and Mystics had a major presence, but their headquarters were on separate continents.
Trillium; located at the centre of a triangle of hellmouths, with Cleveland being the one most closely watched; only one with it's separate Slayer Command Centre would always be the HQ, no matter where operational HQ was located.
It was operating as Operations Command for the moment, simply because Buffy was in situ; as were others in close touch with Faith who was the Slayer; though Buffy was The Slayer. She recalled getting drunk the first time she realised she had noticed the difference in one of her own reports to the Council Afrchives.
Today was much more important.
Approaching the end of the path; now shaded by as many trees as Faith had seen before she had become the Slayer, she began to slow; unconsciously allowing the grief control her pace. She felt her hand touch her jacket pocket; hard leather covered object strapped against her hip.
Then she spied the Sapling; still called that, and always capitalized, even though it had children all over the world now; even one at a, mostly, secret base on Antarctica.
Stepping into the clearing she pulled the object from its harness; removed the flask from its leather cover and took a sip of the Rum within.
Five months since the kid; always a kid to her, had been killed protecting two of her charges and Faith still needed to take a drink whenever she had to deal with that.
The flask had been a gift from her mother; handed to her at the memorial she wished she could forget.
No body. No funeral.
Her mom bore no malice; proud of the woman she had become, and as proud as Faith of the warrior she had become.
Faith still could hardly bear to think of the tiny, fiercely determined, child she had picked up when she had arrived in Florida all those years ago.
The child had become an adult before her eyes; graduated with honors, from three of the world's finest Universities, as well as being made an honorary member of the Baseball Hall of Fame; never to have the chance to play the sport she loved professionally. Faith recalled the day that baby had come screaming with joy at the Rockford Peaches replica uniform some movie star had sent her.
Faith had still not cleared her room; would not allow anyone to do it.
Not yet.
She couldn't.
She took another sip from the flask as she recalled the drunken tirade she had hit 'B' with when she had discovered the age of the child she had to train.
Watchers, every one from the dawn of time, were the target, but the blows; five of them, rained on Buffy's face, which no hands were raised to protect, until her inebriation had resulted in a glancing blow to the side of 'B's head and Faith going ass over tit into the swimming pool; from which Faith had to be rescued, the younger Slayers had built ~ almost with their bare hands ~ in world record time.
Sometimes; even today, she still wanted to knock 'B' onto her backside.
Mostly now it was because 'B' would tap the side of her head and complain about bells in a bad Charles Laughton voice.
Five months since she had died; five months that seemed to have changed Faith beyond her own recognition, even more than the years since this place has been set up and she had returned to take a full role in it's operation had done.
It would have been her twentieth birthday; no cruciamentum nowadays, this would have been the day she would have discovered she been promoted to an operational command; officially made a full Slayer, with a place on the Council and command over a small army of Slayers; Watchers; Mystics and a larger force of ancilliary personnel.
Faith had put her on the list of candidates for that post when she had turned eighteen.
Even though no one under twenty five was usually considered for a command like that these days, Faith was one of the few who could make a recommendation like that, and she had not hesitated.
Gratefully she had handed over the decision on that post to Buffy; unable to bear naming a replacement; only one besides Giles; Willow; Kenn... and...
It would never happen.
She took another sip and knelt down in front of the Sapling; dropping the flask on the ground.
Buffy told her who the replacement would be; More than forty months older than she would have been, the replacement had been one of Faith's charges too; same squad as a matter of fact.
She had taken two years out to become a mother, but had kept up her training; actually considered becoming a Watcher, but accepted Buffy's request ~ after some intense discussions with her partner ~ which 'B' had told her about less than half an hour before.
'B' had offered Faith the opportunity to inform her, but Faith had politely, but forcefully, declined.
Buffy had smiled and handed her the folder she was now leafing through.
It was full of important reports; for this mission, from every command in the world even, she noted, the Finns - wherever they were in Central America - had sent reports.
She smiled at the different styles of the recs; especially the shade that Sam aimed her way and the detailed stats of the different operations teams in their 'league' ~ which had never yet completed a season.
Even 'Sailor Boy' Sisko had sent a report up from Baton Rouge; complete with a set of Navy Knickers for her.
*note to self. Whup him upside the head next time you see him, Lehane.
As Faith recalled the pride in the pictures all three had sent her when she got her latest medal from the Secretary of the Navy, she could still hear the excited little girl waving the Peaches uniform; leaping about Faith's office as if she'd just just had her cheek kissed by some teen pop star crush.
Faith wiped dust from her eyes, and had another sip from the flask.
Leafing through the reports trying to decide which one to start with, she suddenly lay them on top of the flask; making a sudden decision.
Hesitating for a few moments, Faith took a heavy breath and...
A red crested bird, several thousand kilometres from where it should have been, suddenly dropped on top of the papers; stared up at her, and hopped over to one of the water vessels filled several times a day by all the personnel at HQ, it was needed.
Nobody came here without water.
Except for her.
Today.
Faith couldn't recall ever hearing of a bird using that one.
She watched it as it drank; occasionally lifting it's head.
Was the wee bastard glaring at her?
The creature hopped back on top of the papers again; cocking its head as if it was waiting for Faith to start.
Faith felt her breath leaving her for a second.
She couldn't take another sip; not in front of...
Get a hold of yourself, Lehane. It's a bird.
Just a bird.
Her favorite bird.
Faith managed to glare back at the creature before she gathered her senses and began speaking.
“Thought you'd enjoy getting it from me, but the Red Sox got swept by the Marlins; means they secured at least a wildcard. Red Sox need to win at least five of their remaining games to get one.
Kid sister got a sports scholarship to Notre Dame, but has decided to go to Smith College instead. I quote, 'can't play professional, so I might as well work on my noggin instead.' I will be having a word with her watcher about the words she's teaching her pupils.
Oughta let you know one of your old squad will be taking on the command I had you greenlit for before you got slack and let your ass get kicked.
The two slayers you saved returned to full duty last week and want me to pass on their thanks.
Your mother donated the money we sent her to a dozen public schools in your city, and the neighbouring counties.
Don't tell her but we tripled it.
Billie passed her exams and will be refereeing in Professional Soccer leagues in Scotland. She asked me to tell you she misses you; her wife passed on her thanks too for convincing Billie that not being an active Slayer was the best choice. She's still on the reserve, but you were right and I think it's obvious she's better suited to be a tutor and watcher in the future. You got the better of me on that one too.
Last thing. I bought your family World Series tickets; all seven games, assuming the Marlins make it that far. One seat to be left empty, or given to someone else.
Be wanting the cash if they don't,
If the Red Sox make it I'll expect nothing less than a barrel of Blood Wine and a lifetime's supply of Fenway Dogs.
Right, I've got a lot of these mission reports to get through; so I'd better crack on. “
*note to self, stop listening to that bloody watcher's verbal reports, Lehane.
“Since the one replacing you is from there; I'll start with Taslima's. She's home in Dhaka and it's all bloody Cricket of course! She's all about their youth team winning their group at the world cup; apparently she's expecting them... “
The tiny bird, having needed refreshment, had left when she had mentioned money; returned when she got on to the subject of food. It began to sing a bit when she mentioned Taslima, and made her smile when it seemed to nod excitedly.
Sun shining through the treeline, she appreciated it's warmth even more.
Faith grinned, zipped up her jacket and tilted her head in appreciation before continuing.
Sharp eye on her, she sat straight and behaved.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KV9Mo_b1C1s
Footage of the Bangladesh Women winning the 2018 T20 World Cup
May the Goddess watch over you and those you love
kerk
no subject
Date: 2023-02-05 12:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-02-05 01:54 pm (UTC)I did consider mentioning Tara, but I really wanted to keep this one vague on that; until I figure out which 'verse this is set in.
Faith had been through a helluva lot before she appeared at the beginning of Season 3; personally believe she turned 16 at some point during that season, and I think Buffy & Giles would recognise in her the perfect person to take care of young kids suddenly thrust into a violent and extremely dangerous life.
Her reaction to finding out such a young child could conceivably have become an actual Slayer would seem to me to be a perfectly in character one, and Buffy just letting herself get beaten the same; partly through her own guilt at her own responsibility, but also because she would feel the same anger. She would have stopped Faith soon enough, but Faith being so drunk I don't believe she would have felt in actual danger.
Faith & the kid bonding over Baseball seemed obvious too; was just a matter of where to have the mention. My first thought was to have them scattered through the story but, once I started the story just came together.
As i was writing the last bit the characters there were created literally as I was typing; my fingers realised the replacement & Taslima were separate people and I didn't need to write in Bangladesh. I did need to go back and put in the Dhaka mention; seemed to me that Faith and the kid would both know what she was referring to, so why would Faith say it unless it was for an audience.
The bird just appeared out of nowhere when I wa writing the pencil & paper version; didn't realise it might be the kid unti I was reading that back to myself. Decided not to do more than hint, as even in the Buffyverse, sometimes 'a sausage is just a sausage#' or a 'curious bird is just a curious bird'.
In this case one that had seriously caught the wrong bus.
kerk
no subject
Date: 2023-02-05 07:00 pm (UTC)The bird was such a lovely touch, a 'is it or isn't it' touch, where I guess both are true.
I think Buffy & Giles would recognise in her the perfect person to take care of young kids suddenly thrust into a violent and extremely dangerous life.
I have a similar thing in one of my 'verses. Buffy takes the 'awkward ones' and Faith takes the damaged ones.
no subject
Date: 2023-02-06 02:16 pm (UTC)Or it could just be my muse having fun with me...
kerk
no subject
Date: 2023-02-06 03:56 pm (UTC)as well as being made an honorary member of the Baseball Hall of Fame; never to have the chance to play the sport she loved professionally
Bittersweetness that -- a lost dream but such a needed role. This all says so much about Faith too, and how she has settled into the mentorship, leadership, and responsibility of their organization.
no subject
Date: 2023-02-06 05:42 pm (UTC)I miss Jet Wolf more than any such writer I think, because her stories were so important to me. She and another writer (who I think was Italian) actually got me liking Kennedy at a time when it had still to hit me how much I blamed Willow for what she had done to Tara (haven't watched a single post-The Gift episode, that I can recall, since the tenth anniversary in 2007. I've watch some reactions, but I can't imagine writing Willow positively if I watched any of them now; some scenes, pieces of fanvids & scripts; nothing more though.
Even there some fan writers have created works that can hit me in the gut.
Faith had already survived so much before she arrived in Sunnydale; worshipped Buffy in a way I don't think either was capable of appreciating until much, much later. Sometimes wonder, when I'm creating scenarios set post-series whether they've ever sat down and talked it through; think though that, rather like Faith and Tara in my FemaleHusband stories, they talked, but never verbally, with what they've been through, and allowed the odd remark and deed fill in for deep, meaningful conversations neither can openly deal with.
kerk
no subject
Date: 2023-02-07 01:34 am (UTC)Interesting too to see Faith's new place in the Council and how she acts as a mentor to the girls she trains.
Beautifully done.
no subject
Date: 2023-02-07 02:57 am (UTC)Not that Buffy does not, but with there being very few of the old style Watchers; Slayers like Faith & Buffy and, to a lesser extent, Kennedy (who I believe would have been the next Slayer had Faith been killed), Vi, Rona and that group would, over time, begin to act and see the need for ex-Slayers or ones who felt more comfortable with a less active Slayer role (hence my Muslim Chaplain), taking over the role with those who would have become Watchers, such as Giles was and Dawn was beginning to be, filling much more of a research role.
Thus you have Slayers choosing one role over another; some taking on the roles of leadership and others joining groups such as Sam & Riley's or, as in one 'verse with Kennedy, leaving active Slaying behind and taking an active role in the world at large.
The kid at the heart of this story was so good at her job, she was heading towards being a Watcher at some time in the future; one reason why Faith recommened her for a command post at such a young age.
I do see Sport playing an important social role; especially for those who might have had a sporting career, with some becoming coaches as a way of spotting potential watchers; trainers & support staff.
I wrote a couple of stories about another of the young Slayers in that Chosen sequence; the one who takes the arm connected to the fist that is being used to beat her. I want to revisit her again some time too.
kerk