NO LONGER UNSPOKEN (OUT OF THE SILVER SEA: THE CARETAKER'S REMIX)
Author: M. Scott Eiland
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Star Trek 2009
Rating: PG-13, for themes
Time Frame: Post-”Into Darkness”
Original Story: “Out of the Silver Sea,”https://archiveofourown.org/works/308140 by Jedi Buttercup
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters or settings—I'm just taking them out for a spin.
NO LONGER UNSPOKEN (OUT OF THE SILVER SEA: THE CARETAKER'S REMIX)
Buffy's eyes snapped open, and it took her a moment to remember where she was. The little cottage that had just been there when she turned a corner on a path through lakeside woods on the shore leave planet, and which featured Leonard standing in its front yard with a vaguely puzzled expression on his face that matched the one on her own. The confusion was quickly replaced by simple surprise and pleasure, and they had exchanged greetings before Buffy spotted the key sitting on the unlabeled mat on the front porch. They had gone inside, and catching up had turned into a passionate embrace on the couch before they adjourned to resume matters in the bedroom.
Buffy had read Captain Kirk's lengthy report on the events during the Enterprise's initial visit to the Shore Leave planet, and—even with the perspective of centuries as a Slayer facing epic opponents—was awed at the level of power involved for instantaneously summoning into reality the very thoughts of the Enterprise landing party, then managing to undo some of the unpleasant consequences of those realities. Leonard had suffered a “mortal” wound, only to be whisked away and healed to full health, and the planet had produced what seemed to be perfectly real humans along with various creatures of varying levels of threat. The appearance of the mysterious “Caretaker” after the alien intelligence running the planet apparently finally noticed that the new arrivals didn't seem to fully understand what was going on had calmed things down, and after Kirk had forwarded the invitation of the Caretaker to Starfleet, it hadn't taken long for the higher ups to decide to accept the offer and to announce to the entire Federation that the Shore Leave planet would be an officially approved vacation destination for anyone who wished to make use of it. When an opening in her schedule had preceded what would be her new position on the Enterprise, she had decided to make the trip to see for herself.
She had decided to avoid any specific agenda in her thoughts when she arrived—to see what the apparently nearly omniscient place would summon from her thoughts unbidden. She wasn't completely surprised when Leonard had appeared instead of loved ones who had died centuries ago—Willow, Xander, or her mother—as she had said her final good-byes to them long ago: Leonard was still an open wound for her, and—between the bouts of passionate lovemaking—that wound had been aggravated even further as Leonard confirmed her worst suspicions as to what had made him join Starfleet.
Some shore leave this has been.
Not that it was all bad, she admitted to herself as she slipped out of bed to shower and slip away before the fantasy Leonard woke up. Leonard had been just as she remembered him during their better days together during their passionate moments. But isn't that what you'd expect? After almost three centuries of life where she was often exposed to the darkest aspects of the human condition, Buffy's cynical side was well-developed, and it nagged at her as she dressed and slipped out the door before the image of the man she still loved could “awaken” and confront her again. You remembered how he was in bed, and you feared what he thought of you and having to confront your guilt about what you did to him, and the magic omniscient aliens put it all out there for you to see in the flesh—more or less. She chuckled involuntarily at that last part: Oh, Spike—if you were here you'd be giving me so much crap as payback for what I said to you about the BuffyBot, and I'd have it coming.
Even knowing that he wasn't really there, Buffy closed the outer door quietly after leaving the key on the small table by the front door. It's a well-put together fantasy—might as well treat it as real as much as possible. She closed her eyes for a moment and sighed at the ridiculous sense of loss she was feeling before looking up and starting down the path she had come from. Time to beam back up and get ready to face the real Leonard in a couple of weeks.
“Ah—good morning, Lieutenant Summers. Have you been enjoying your stay here?”
Buffy turned and saw an elderly—human or apparently so—man standing nearby with a friendly smile on his face. She recognized him instantly from Kirk's report on the planet—which had included a audio recording of the landing party's encounter with the sole known living native on the planet and a picture—and replied, “It's definitely been memorable, Mr. Caretaker. Or will just Caretaker do?”
“Caretaker will suffice, Lieutenant Summers. My personal name is a bit hard for humans to pronounce—even a Vulcan might have trouble with it.” The Caretaker smiled again, then added “I gather that you don't have much time to rest in your line of work—I'm pleased that opening up our world to the Federation created an opportunity for you to treat yourself.”
Buffy laughed, though there was some discomfort visible on her face as she replied, “And I'm grateful for it. . .but you do know that it can be a bit creepy to have your thoughts put on display, right? I had telepathy once for a few days, and it almost drove me crazy and made all of my friends and family uncomfortable being around me. You do what you do really well, but I'm amazed if you don't have people freaking out here all the time.”
The Caretaker shrugged in a very human manner. “The ban on weapons other than what are produced here by the thoughts of the new arrivals helps keep visitors out of trouble, and the medical facilities take care of any. . .unfortunate accidents.” He paused, then changed the subject: “Did you find your visit with your young man rewarding?”
“He's not really my young man any more—at this point I'm not sure he ever was.” Buffy shook her head in frustration and added, “I'll be seeing him again soon—I wish I could know for sure if the things we said to each other inside the cottage last night are actually useful insights, or just stuff that will piss him off if I bring it up to him.”
“There is an old saying among your people, Lieutenant Summers: Who dares wins.” Buffy blinked at the unexpected observation from the older man, and the Caretaker chuckled slightly at the reaction and added, “As if you of all people need to be told that. You've already volunteered to serve on a ship knowing he would be there—unless you're planning to avoid him for months on end you've pretty well committed to risking 'pissing him off.'”
Buffy nodded reluctantly, then decided to end the conversation: “Thank you for your hospitality—I'm going to go back to my ship now.” She spoke into her communicator, then dispersed into rainbow light that vanished quickly.
The Caretaker nodded to himself, then turned back to the doorway and waited.
* * * *
McCoy's eyes snapped open, and it took only a moment to register that he was alone. The memories of the events of the prior evening were still fresh in his mind, and he took a moment to consider them, both the physical and verbal parts of them.
Buffy had never been far from his thoughts during the years following his enlistment in Starfleet, and in retrospect he wasn't surprised when she had shown up on the path to the cottage he had encountered not long after he beamed down to the Shore Leave world. After his own experiences on his prior visit to that planet, very little would surprise him—and the sudden arrival of a Buffy who was a perfect image of the woman he had left behind certainly wasn't on the list of things that would have done the trick.
He rolled out of bed and walked back to the shower, making a point to run the water a bit hotter than usual. After years of sonic showers being the order of the day on Starfleet vessels, that bit of luxury was welcome indeed. The fact that the pleasant sensation kept him from dwelling on some of the less desirable parts of his quasi-encounter with Buffy was just a bonus.
He had almost turned down the chance to go down to the planet after the Enterprise reached orbit: there was always plenty of paperwork to get done in Sickbay, and—as much as he had been awed by the medical facilities that had preserved his life--he had not been completely spared from the trauma of a near death experience.
Still, there were a number of positive memories he had of the place, and after the roller coaster of Jim literally coming back from the dead recently, he had decided that a bit of recreation had been called for and the planet had delivered, for better or worse.
He dressed quickly, then walked to the front door, noting that the key was sitting on the small table just inside. Amazing how they keep track of the little details like that. He locked the door on the way out and left the key under the mat, and was turning to walk back to the small visitor's center he had beamed down to when he saw a familiar face just down the path: “Caretaker! Good to see you—thanks for putting me up for the night.”
The Caretaker smiled in response. “After your last visit here, I assume that a quieter evening was to your liking?”
McCoy snorted. “Less violent, yes—but it was far from quiet.” He looked past The Caretaker down the path and muttered, “There are some things that even your miracle medicine can't heal.”
“True enough—but perhaps this matter is not lost beyond hope, Doctor McCoy. Have you considered contacting Lieutenant Summers now that this much time has passed?” The Caretaker's tone was optimistic, but McCoy still caught the out of place reference in the question.
McCoy blinked. “Lieutenant Summers? Buffy wasn't Starfleet when I knew her—and as far as I know she still isn't.”
The Caretaker shrugged. “A slip of the tongue—many Starfleet officers come to this place now, and it is easy for an elderly man to confuse them at times.”
McCoy gave The Caretaker a skeptical look. You're about as much a forgetful senior as Spock is literally an elf. He decided to let it go, and said, “Buffy and I haven't spoken in years—last night didn't change that. The things that ended us are still there, and would be there if she walked through the doors of Sickbay tomorrow.”
“Don't be too sure, Doctor—you've changed a great deal since you last saw her: what makes you think that the years haven't changed her as well?” The Caretaker met McCoy's gaze and added, “If that moment comes when she does walk through your doors, the boldness you have learned during your time with Captain Kirk may serve you well. Who dares wins, Leonard McCoy.” Without another word, The Caretaker nodded to McCoy and walked away.
McCoy watched him go, his expression puzzled. What in the hell was that all about? He shrugged and walked back towards the visitor center. It was time to see what Jim was up to, before they all had to leave for the Enterprise's next mission.
* * * *
McCoy stared at the petite woman standing outside Sickbay. “Buffy?” But the greater measure of his shock was devoted to the lieutenant's stripes on her sleeves.
“Yes it's me, Leonard.” Buffy's voice was quiet, missing the usual energy that was her birthright. She hesitated, then began: “I have so much to tell you--”
“Who dares wins.” McCoy interjected, and Buffy only had a moment to register shock at Leonard repeating the phrase that she had so recently heard from The Caretaker before his lips crashed into hers and his arms were around her.
An amused and familiar voice pulled them out of the moment: “I was planning on introducing our chief medical officer and our new logistics officer, but you seem to have taken care of introductions already.” McCoy glanced over and saw Jim grinning at him like a damned fool. Spock was standing a few steps behind his captain, an eyebrow raised in reaction.
Buffy coughed self-consciously, and McCoy looked over at his two best friends for a moment before sighing and looking down at Buffy as he commented, “I have a few stories to tell you, too.”
Author: M. Scott Eiland
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Star Trek 2009
Rating: PG-13, for themes
Time Frame: Post-”Into Darkness”
Original Story: “Out of the Silver Sea,”https://archiveofourown.org/works/308140 by Jedi Buttercup
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters or settings—I'm just taking them out for a spin.
NO LONGER UNSPOKEN (OUT OF THE SILVER SEA: THE CARETAKER'S REMIX)
Buffy's eyes snapped open, and it took her a moment to remember where she was. The little cottage that had just been there when she turned a corner on a path through lakeside woods on the shore leave planet, and which featured Leonard standing in its front yard with a vaguely puzzled expression on his face that matched the one on her own. The confusion was quickly replaced by simple surprise and pleasure, and they had exchanged greetings before Buffy spotted the key sitting on the unlabeled mat on the front porch. They had gone inside, and catching up had turned into a passionate embrace on the couch before they adjourned to resume matters in the bedroom.
Buffy had read Captain Kirk's lengthy report on the events during the Enterprise's initial visit to the Shore Leave planet, and—even with the perspective of centuries as a Slayer facing epic opponents—was awed at the level of power involved for instantaneously summoning into reality the very thoughts of the Enterprise landing party, then managing to undo some of the unpleasant consequences of those realities. Leonard had suffered a “mortal” wound, only to be whisked away and healed to full health, and the planet had produced what seemed to be perfectly real humans along with various creatures of varying levels of threat. The appearance of the mysterious “Caretaker” after the alien intelligence running the planet apparently finally noticed that the new arrivals didn't seem to fully understand what was going on had calmed things down, and after Kirk had forwarded the invitation of the Caretaker to Starfleet, it hadn't taken long for the higher ups to decide to accept the offer and to announce to the entire Federation that the Shore Leave planet would be an officially approved vacation destination for anyone who wished to make use of it. When an opening in her schedule had preceded what would be her new position on the Enterprise, she had decided to make the trip to see for herself.
She had decided to avoid any specific agenda in her thoughts when she arrived—to see what the apparently nearly omniscient place would summon from her thoughts unbidden. She wasn't completely surprised when Leonard had appeared instead of loved ones who had died centuries ago—Willow, Xander, or her mother—as she had said her final good-byes to them long ago: Leonard was still an open wound for her, and—between the bouts of passionate lovemaking—that wound had been aggravated even further as Leonard confirmed her worst suspicions as to what had made him join Starfleet.
Some shore leave this has been.
Not that it was all bad, she admitted to herself as she slipped out of bed to shower and slip away before the fantasy Leonard woke up. Leonard had been just as she remembered him during their better days together during their passionate moments. But isn't that what you'd expect? After almost three centuries of life where she was often exposed to the darkest aspects of the human condition, Buffy's cynical side was well-developed, and it nagged at her as she dressed and slipped out the door before the image of the man she still loved could “awaken” and confront her again. You remembered how he was in bed, and you feared what he thought of you and having to confront your guilt about what you did to him, and the magic omniscient aliens put it all out there for you to see in the flesh—more or less. She chuckled involuntarily at that last part: Oh, Spike—if you were here you'd be giving me so much crap as payback for what I said to you about the BuffyBot, and I'd have it coming.
Even knowing that he wasn't really there, Buffy closed the outer door quietly after leaving the key on the small table by the front door. It's a well-put together fantasy—might as well treat it as real as much as possible. She closed her eyes for a moment and sighed at the ridiculous sense of loss she was feeling before looking up and starting down the path she had come from. Time to beam back up and get ready to face the real Leonard in a couple of weeks.
“Ah—good morning, Lieutenant Summers. Have you been enjoying your stay here?”
Buffy turned and saw an elderly—human or apparently so—man standing nearby with a friendly smile on his face. She recognized him instantly from Kirk's report on the planet—which had included a audio recording of the landing party's encounter with the sole known living native on the planet and a picture—and replied, “It's definitely been memorable, Mr. Caretaker. Or will just Caretaker do?”
“Caretaker will suffice, Lieutenant Summers. My personal name is a bit hard for humans to pronounce—even a Vulcan might have trouble with it.” The Caretaker smiled again, then added “I gather that you don't have much time to rest in your line of work—I'm pleased that opening up our world to the Federation created an opportunity for you to treat yourself.”
Buffy laughed, though there was some discomfort visible on her face as she replied, “And I'm grateful for it. . .but you do know that it can be a bit creepy to have your thoughts put on display, right? I had telepathy once for a few days, and it almost drove me crazy and made all of my friends and family uncomfortable being around me. You do what you do really well, but I'm amazed if you don't have people freaking out here all the time.”
The Caretaker shrugged in a very human manner. “The ban on weapons other than what are produced here by the thoughts of the new arrivals helps keep visitors out of trouble, and the medical facilities take care of any. . .unfortunate accidents.” He paused, then changed the subject: “Did you find your visit with your young man rewarding?”
“He's not really my young man any more—at this point I'm not sure he ever was.” Buffy shook her head in frustration and added, “I'll be seeing him again soon—I wish I could know for sure if the things we said to each other inside the cottage last night are actually useful insights, or just stuff that will piss him off if I bring it up to him.”
“There is an old saying among your people, Lieutenant Summers: Who dares wins.” Buffy blinked at the unexpected observation from the older man, and the Caretaker chuckled slightly at the reaction and added, “As if you of all people need to be told that. You've already volunteered to serve on a ship knowing he would be there—unless you're planning to avoid him for months on end you've pretty well committed to risking 'pissing him off.'”
Buffy nodded reluctantly, then decided to end the conversation: “Thank you for your hospitality—I'm going to go back to my ship now.” She spoke into her communicator, then dispersed into rainbow light that vanished quickly.
The Caretaker nodded to himself, then turned back to the doorway and waited.
* * * *
McCoy's eyes snapped open, and it took only a moment to register that he was alone. The memories of the events of the prior evening were still fresh in his mind, and he took a moment to consider them, both the physical and verbal parts of them.
Buffy had never been far from his thoughts during the years following his enlistment in Starfleet, and in retrospect he wasn't surprised when she had shown up on the path to the cottage he had encountered not long after he beamed down to the Shore Leave world. After his own experiences on his prior visit to that planet, very little would surprise him—and the sudden arrival of a Buffy who was a perfect image of the woman he had left behind certainly wasn't on the list of things that would have done the trick.
He rolled out of bed and walked back to the shower, making a point to run the water a bit hotter than usual. After years of sonic showers being the order of the day on Starfleet vessels, that bit of luxury was welcome indeed. The fact that the pleasant sensation kept him from dwelling on some of the less desirable parts of his quasi-encounter with Buffy was just a bonus.
He had almost turned down the chance to go down to the planet after the Enterprise reached orbit: there was always plenty of paperwork to get done in Sickbay, and—as much as he had been awed by the medical facilities that had preserved his life--he had not been completely spared from the trauma of a near death experience.
Still, there were a number of positive memories he had of the place, and after the roller coaster of Jim literally coming back from the dead recently, he had decided that a bit of recreation had been called for and the planet had delivered, for better or worse.
He dressed quickly, then walked to the front door, noting that the key was sitting on the small table just inside. Amazing how they keep track of the little details like that. He locked the door on the way out and left the key under the mat, and was turning to walk back to the small visitor's center he had beamed down to when he saw a familiar face just down the path: “Caretaker! Good to see you—thanks for putting me up for the night.”
The Caretaker smiled in response. “After your last visit here, I assume that a quieter evening was to your liking?”
McCoy snorted. “Less violent, yes—but it was far from quiet.” He looked past The Caretaker down the path and muttered, “There are some things that even your miracle medicine can't heal.”
“True enough—but perhaps this matter is not lost beyond hope, Doctor McCoy. Have you considered contacting Lieutenant Summers now that this much time has passed?” The Caretaker's tone was optimistic, but McCoy still caught the out of place reference in the question.
McCoy blinked. “Lieutenant Summers? Buffy wasn't Starfleet when I knew her—and as far as I know she still isn't.”
The Caretaker shrugged. “A slip of the tongue—many Starfleet officers come to this place now, and it is easy for an elderly man to confuse them at times.”
McCoy gave The Caretaker a skeptical look. You're about as much a forgetful senior as Spock is literally an elf. He decided to let it go, and said, “Buffy and I haven't spoken in years—last night didn't change that. The things that ended us are still there, and would be there if she walked through the doors of Sickbay tomorrow.”
“Don't be too sure, Doctor—you've changed a great deal since you last saw her: what makes you think that the years haven't changed her as well?” The Caretaker met McCoy's gaze and added, “If that moment comes when she does walk through your doors, the boldness you have learned during your time with Captain Kirk may serve you well. Who dares wins, Leonard McCoy.” Without another word, The Caretaker nodded to McCoy and walked away.
McCoy watched him go, his expression puzzled. What in the hell was that all about? He shrugged and walked back towards the visitor center. It was time to see what Jim was up to, before they all had to leave for the Enterprise's next mission.
* * * *
McCoy stared at the petite woman standing outside Sickbay. “Buffy?” But the greater measure of his shock was devoted to the lieutenant's stripes on her sleeves.
“Yes it's me, Leonard.” Buffy's voice was quiet, missing the usual energy that was her birthright. She hesitated, then began: “I have so much to tell you--”
“Who dares wins.” McCoy interjected, and Buffy only had a moment to register shock at Leonard repeating the phrase that she had so recently heard from The Caretaker before his lips crashed into hers and his arms were around her.
An amused and familiar voice pulled them out of the moment: “I was planning on introducing our chief medical officer and our new logistics officer, but you seem to have taken care of introductions already.” McCoy glanced over and saw Jim grinning at him like a damned fool. Spock was standing a few steps behind his captain, an eyebrow raised in reaction.
Buffy coughed self-consciously, and McCoy looked over at his two best friends for a moment before sighing and looking down at Buffy as he commented, “I have a few stories to tell you, too.”