trying to make the pieces fit ((Buffyverse plot))

[slayers_desire]

There was a small gathering of people in the room, doing things that might seem normal. Drinking coffee. Reading a book. Checking sites on the computer. Talking with their neighbor.

But this wasn't a normal day. And despite appearances, these people were all preparing to help save their world.

Most of the 'Scoobies' were here... Xander, Connor, Wes, Lorne, Spike and even Willow had come down for the event. There were others there too... Victor Allen, Clark Kent and Edward Elric.

They were all here to figure out how to create a new Seed. They already had a few clues to go on... but there were still a lot to discuss.

The most recent revelation came after Illyria had deceived the group, and put Clark and April right into the heart of the White Room. Where their memories were taken from them. They had fought free... and now April was more determined than ever to find a way to save her world.

((posting order: April, Clark, Victor, Ed))

Comments

[kalel_ofkrypton]

"That doesn't look threatening," Clark observes. He'd be suspicious, with the track record this place has had so far, and he is a bit cautious. But he's not sure that this one is going to be as bad.

He steps up next to April, putting his hand in hers.

[victormakesart]

Victor suppresses the urge to just start painting on the walls and zips her gem into her backpack (at which point the urge lessens somewhat), and holds onto her hedgehog to make sure it'll be safe, and offers Ed her arm again, and follows Clark and April.

[fmalchemist160]

Ed grins and takes her arm again, following behind Clark and April as well. "You were awesome back there," he tells Victor with a smile. He's kind of curious as to what their last test is going to be... From the pattern so far, he's guessing they're going to have to find another sort of... virtue, he supposes would be the closest word.

[slayers_desire]

They follow the humming, until they reach the center of the garden. There is a woman there planting seeds into the heart of the garden. There is something strange about her... she has every attribute of any mother that could be imagined. In fact, if any one of them think of a mother-figure in their lives... she will take on the traits of that woman. Sometimes she is pregnant. Sometimes she is with child.

She looks up. A voice, in their heads, speaks softly. "Greetings children."

[kalel_ofkrypton]

Well, this is certainly strange. And not at all what Clark was expecting. When he looks at her, he sees both Martha and Lara, two very different women who can't be the same. "Hello?"

[victormakesart]

To Victor, she looks a little bit like her best friend Candy, mother of her baby. And slightly, slightly like the tenth Doctor, who is really the closest thing to a mom that she has.

She says, nervously, "Hello."

She's expecting another battle. Maybe the plants will come up and eat her. Maybe the lady is just trying to lure them into a sense of security. But the part of her brain that is lured into a sense of security is calling the rest of her brain stupid. Of course she'd never hurt them. Of course.

[fmalchemist160]

Ed sees his own mother, Trisha Elric... and a little bit of his Alchemy teacher, Izumi Curtis. His breath catches in his throat when he sees her; Trisha has been dead for almost seven years now, and it's been a long time since he last saw Izumi. He knows, because Trisha's dead, that it's not actually his mother; and he knows that because his Teacher is helping to look after Al, and is continuing his brother's training in Alchemy, that this can't be Izumi either.

"Uh..." he says, voice slightly higher-pitched than its usual light tenor out of nerves, "...hi?"

[slayers_desire]

"What wonderful children... you have brought me seeds." The woman holds out her hands to them.

April herself is seeing a mixture of Martha Kent, Drusilla and Mo'at. "I think this is the time... that you do give over that you earned."

[kalel_ofkrypton]

Clark holds out the glowing blue orb, feeling the faint warmth of it against his palm. He doesn't know why they've collected them, or what this woman - the Mother? - is going to do with them, but he trusts April completely.

[victormakesart]

She gets her gem from her bag, approaches her with anxiety. She looks, now, a little like her own mother. Now back to a little like the Doctor. "H-here you go, ma'am."

Please let this not be a mistake, please let this not be a mistake, please please please.

This seems like the right thing, but it can't really be so easy.

[fmalchemist160]

Ed trusts April completely, too; if April thinks it's time to hand over their gems, then it's time to hand over their gems. He claps his hands and unseals the pouch on his utility belt which he had sealed with Alchemy, pulls out the hope gem, and hands it to the woman who looks so much like his mom, without saying a word.

[slayers_desire]

The woman takes each seed, then plants them into the ground. There is a soft glow underneath the ground. It is a mixture of white, blue and purple.

Turning, the woman faces April. "The Key has brought heros here. You may rest now..." And then touches April's face.

April gasps... whatever the woman did, it has made the voices completely silent. Her psychic gifts are just not there anymore. And while there is still a bond between her and Clark... it is a lot less strong than it was before. Like someone has muffled it.

"What... what did you do to me?" April whispers, it is too quiet in her head.

"The Key may rest..." The woman kneels back to the ground, caring to the area where the three seeds were planted.

[kalel_ofkrypton]

Clark can feel the difference in their bond, and he moves forward, not quite putting himself between April and the woman. "What did you do?"

[victormakesart]

There's something wrong. She can tell just by looking at April's face. "Wait, what's going on?"

[fmalchemist160]

"April?" Ed says, alarmed, hearing the surprise in his friend's voice and running to her side. He looks over at the woman. "What have you done to her?" he asks, suspicion and anger seeping into his voice.

[slayers_desire]

"My voices... they are gone..." April holds her head. She has been without her powers before, once when she overpowered them helping the Fortress.

But this is different. And she misses the strong bond she had with Clark.

The woman looks up. "The Key has had its purpose. The heros were brought to the garden. We no longer need it."

[kalel_ofkrypton]

Clark is filled with protective anger as he turns towards the woman. "You might not need her, but I do." His wife is not an it.

[victormakesart]

"The Key is a hero, too," Victor protests. "She does great good with the powers she has. To do this is not to bring rest. Ma'am. Your womanliness."

[fmalchemist160]

"Just because you don't need her doesn't mean the same is true of everyone else!" Ed snarls, resting his left hand on April's shoulder and raising his right arm a bit. "Her powers are a gift, one that should be used for good—you can't just take them away from her! This woman helped me find the most precious person in my life for me, and has helped set me on the path to be reunited with him; she's part of my Chosen Family, and I'm not going to just let you deprive someone I care about of their purpose or their talents!"

((Headed to bed early tonight... I hate being sick. :(.))

[slayers_desire]

"She would still be with you... the vessel still exists without the gift of the Key." The mother rises to her feet. "But show me the need, and I will consider your requests."

April is near tears, the only thing keeping her from actually crying is the words from her husband and her friends.

((night Ed-mun))

[kalel_ofkrypton]

Clark faces the woman, his arm around April's shoulders. "You can't just take away a part of someone and expect them to be the same. I love April with all my heart, not despite her gifts but because of who she is with them. She took a power that could have been a curse and mastered it, using it for the good of all people, making it her own. We're bonded in a way I never thought possible before I met her, and I don't want to give up that closeness. She's my other half, the person who kept me grounded as long as I needed it, and knew when to let me go when I had to fulfill my destiny. She wouldn't be the woman she is today if she didn't have her powers."

[victormakesart]

"She's saved tons of lives by being able to tap into her voices and give us hints as to what our next moves should be. She helps in combat in a myriad of ways, by helping us communicate silently, by fooling our opponents, by protecting us in a bubble, by shielding, by helping us to understand things that don't speak our language, knowing a danger before it happens. She is fantastic and brilliant, and while she would still be amazing without her powers, depriving her of them would be like depriving a masterful painter of his sight, or a perfect soprano of her voice. She is a hero. You can't do this to her. You just can't. She's who she is today because of those powers, and we-- the so called heroes-- would never have met her without them. Sometimes a gift given for a specific purpose serves a purpose beyond what was intended... and this is the case."

[fmalchemist160]

"I love April too... as a sister, as family, because of who she is and because of who her gifts have made her into. If she hadn't had them... well, you might not have one of those seeds there, because I'm not sure I would have as much hope as I do if it weren't for her. She helped me find out whether my younger brother was still alive, and after that, she helped me get in touch with him so I could see him again. She did all of that with her powers. She could help so many people, save so many lives... and she has done that, but she could help so many more. She's an amazing woman, and she's a hero too, not just the three of us. Taking her gifts away isn't a respite; it would be a torment."

[slayers_desire]

April feels so touched. Their support means so much to her... and she feels proud to have such wonderful people in her life.

"My gifts are a part of me... and they have defined me as the woman who now stands before you. Us Keys... we are real people with real emotions and real friends. And I am ready to do anything to fight for my gifts."

"Would all of you fight for her too?" The mother asks.

[kalel_ofkrypton]

"I have, and I will, whenever I need to," Clark replies without hesitation. "April has the right to make her own choices. I won't let you take that away from her."