Chapter 42

Colorado Springs

"Hello Ms. Summers, I'm Detective Shanahan," Pete introduced himself to the pretty red head that had opened the door.

The red head narrowed her eyes. "Uh, I'm not Ms. Summers, I'm a friend of the family's."

"Is Ms. Summers home?"

"No. Can I ask why you are here?" Willow was fairly certain that his appearance was somehow related to the previous night's events. The holes in the wall told her that she should have stripped Dr. Jackson and his party of their weapons before she sent them to Buffy. Ah, hindsight, she thought. The sound of the automatic weapons probably resulted in someone calling the police. The locals in Colorado Springs were unlikely to be as oblivious as those Sunnydale where folks didn't make an issue of a rocket launcher in the mall. Still, playing dumb usually worked for Buffy and Xander so she might as try it herself.

"It's about the incident last night," Pete explained. "I was just checking to see if everything worked out Miss, um?"

"What incident," she questioned.

"The one involving the Air Force apprehending an illegal alien."

"No, I'm afraid not," Willow replied. Illegal alien? Which one of Dr. Jackson's companions could that have been? And was the Air Force responsible for Buffy and Dawn's absence? "Would you like to come in and wait for Buffy? I could make some tea."

Pete shook his head. "No thank you. But could you give her my card and have her call me when she gets back?"

"Oh, but I insist," Willow said. "Intrare. Quid hic agis?"

Pete's eyes glazed over as he stepped across the threshold.

Stargate Command

Will Grogan was halfway through his second cup of coffee. Since it was still early Sunday morning, the mess hall was almost deserted. There were a few Air Force personnel finishing breakfast but none of the civilian scientists that might have been there on a weekday morning. Normally he would have been elsewhere (hey, he had a life outside of the military) but after last night's cluster flop, he expected to get called in to "discuss" the event of last night sooner or later. He figured he might as well bite the bullet and come in before he got the call.

He stared into his coffee cup as he mulled over the events of the last twelve hours. Even by SGC's standards it had been weird to put it politely. Finding out that his new girlfriend was related, however tangentially, to the base's chief trouble magnet was somewhat disturbing. Although, in retrospect, it made Dawn's comment about her sister's dating history make a whole lot more sense. Buffy was following in her father's footsteps if Dawn was correct. While the general's clone wasn't a serial killer or a Goa'uld, he definitely qualified as extremely dangerous.


Will looked up to see SG-3's CO standing by his table.

"Colonel Reynolds."

"So, I hear that your date last night was, shall we say, interesting," the colonel said as he pulled out a chair to sit down.

It took Grogan a minute to recall that the colonel's connection to the general's clone. "You could say that, sir."

"Well, at least you are not the one sleeping with Daniel's daughter."

"No, sir. I'm happy to say that I'm not. I though Dr. Jackson was going to kill him."Grogan started chuckling. "Or maybe have a stroke."

"I like to think of it as karmic payback, on so many levels," Reynolds snickered.

Also at Stargate Command

Dawn connected the dots and started giggling. "Okay, somebody has got to tell me how the general ended up with a mini-me."

O'Neill pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Buffy, why don't you start with what the twerp told you."

"You're calling yourself a twerp?" Buffy grinned in amusement before complying with the general's request. "He really didn't say much, just that Dr. Walsh wasn't the only mad scientist running around and that a member of Dad's old team was cloned. Only his mad scientist kinda botched the job and created a kid-sized version of a colonel. I think he only told me that much because Dad looked like he was going to go postal earlier."

"So when Daniel hit the general," Dawn started slowly.

"Yep, that pretty much filled in the blanks," Buffy finished her sister's sentence. "Of course, his jail bait comment earlier would have been a pretty big clue even if he hadn't tried for career suicide."

Daniel couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You might as well be jail bait even if you are over eighteen Buffy. Jason may look like a kid but he's got fifty plus years of memories in his head. He's too old for you."

"Well Buffy does have a thing for older guys," Dawn giggled. "Especially ones that don't look their age. When you calm down, ask her how many centennials her first boyfriend had."

"Centennials? What were you dating? A vampire" Daniel gaped in disbelief.

"Two actually. The second one was way cooler though," Dawn said throwing more fuel on the fire. "Billy Idol stole his look."

In the hallway, just out of visual range, Siler and Walter stood in shock as they took in what had been said.

"As my oldest would say, TMI," Siler whispered.

"No kidding," the smaller man replied. "Let's head to the mess. They'll wind up there sooner or later. Besides, I think I'll need more witnesses when I pass on the message to Miss Summers from the British."

Colorado Springs

Willow contemplated her next move as she watched as the bewitched detective finished his tea. Daniel's alien really was an alien, actually two aliens. She had to admit that she had an easier time believing that the one called Teal'c was alien rather than the biker chick. Actually, in a strange way, it was all rather reassuring. Oh, not that there even more baddies in outer space, that she could have done without. The Air Force apparently working with aliens to protect the world, well that was a major step up from the idiocy that had been the Initiative. Plus, Buffy's father should be a bit more open minded about things that go bump in the night than her mother and stepfather had been. Maybe Buffy really would get her happily ever after family.

She frowned though at the threat that Detective Shanahan posed to that happily ever after. He was a bit too obsessive for comfort. The only reason he knew as much as he did was because he had pulled strings to investigate his now ex-girlfriend. Willow thought that the woman had a lucky escape. The primary motivation for his checking up on Buffy was curiosity about SG-1, the girlfriend's old teammates. Buffy did not need him sniffing around. So, what to do?

Lethe's bramble would have been her choice a few years ago before everything had gone so horribly wrong. She would have make do with a mild hypnotic suggestion that he just get over the ex and move on. She would also clue in Buffy and Dawn. They could always alert the Air Force that Shanahan was still a loose cannon if he came back.

Five minutes later, Pete left the Summers home. He wondered if he could get his old job back in Denver.