Fic: "Bringing Up Botty..." Part II...

[reg...@aol.com]

“Bringing Up Botty...”

Summary: At a Writer’s Convention, a certain poet is thrown into the
most bizarre of his adventures...

Disclaimers: Disclaimers?...We ain’t got no disclaimers…I don’ need to
show you no disclaimers…No, Joss, no!...It’s all yours and ME’s!...

Though Mort still gets nothing…

Archived sooner or later at the Buffy Rebecca verse, www.buffyrebecca.com,
Cicelyverse page, www.buffyrebecca.com/Cicelypg.html but always
premiered here at alt.tv.buffy-v-slayer.creative

Part II...

“Ok, ok...” William had pulled free as they reached a black car in the
parking lot... My Prius...Bought it just a month ago...Botty noted
proudly...

“We’d best get going...” she insisted, unlocking doors... “Unless
you’d rather stay with Buffy...” she eyed him...Tone a hair
downcast...

“What I’d like is...” he began...

“Oh, shit...” Botty threw the passenger door open and pushed him in,
slamming the door, which she’d locked manually... “Here she comes...”

Before he could break the lock, she was inside, starting...

“Will?...I know you can bust out if you want, but please...Take a ride
with your ole sex bot...” she looked at his annoyed face, wan smile...
“You owe me that much...And it is my first carDon’t break it first
time out...”

“I thought we had a book launch tonight?...Apparently all three of
us?...”

“YeahWell, we’ll be back before things get going...I promise...” she
waved a hand, turned head, looking out the rear...

“Fine...Drive...” he gave up...Lurching forward as she floored it back
on his “Fine..” and spun out of the space...Barely braking in time to
avoid colliding with a car behind them...Flooring it with a quick spin
in forward...He crashed back…

“Don’t kill anyone...That’s an order...!” he tried...

“So masterful...” she grinned... “But I’m one liberated bot now...”

He looked behind, out the rear window...Buffy racing through a maze of
cars...Looking...Seeing...

“Hold on!...” Botty called...Dodging two cars just pulling into the
main lot...Racing through a descending gate bar...

Buffy still coming on, gaining speed but clearly falling behind...

“She’ll go for a car in a moment...But once I get into the streets
here we should be ok...Like a maze these little western Mass towns...”

“Ok?...” William asked... “What, is she angry with me?...”

“Probably a little...But she’d mostly want to dismantle me, for taking
you...” Botty grinned, looking at him... “But first come, first...”

“Eyes, girl...!” he told her...Blanching at the truck bearing down on
them…

“I have ultrasonic tracking...Don’t worry...” she noted... “And way
improved over what Mearsy built in...Thanks...”

“For what?...” he looked at herStill trying to take it all in

“For coming fairly quietly and letting me ruin your evening...You
looked set to hobnob...” she noted as they sped along...She now
staying within a reasonable approximation of the speed limit...

“You did say we’d get back in time...And I don’t hob or nob that
well...”

“You sure look the part...English professor...?” she turned into a
side street, passing homes, driving quite sedately now...

“Modern Lit...Felix...Dr. Killey has Council connections...Angel
arranged it for me when I wanted to get out of LA...”

“I know...Except the details” she eyed his look... “I know Felix
too...He really came through for me when I was stuck in Japan...You
know, he was quite the Council field guy once...Ran his own Slayer
about five years before Nikki...”

Sorry...She caught his wince... “Not good to bring up old Slayers, I
should’ve known better...”

She turned into a side street with poor lighting... “I think we can
talk now...So...?”

“So what the hell is my old sex bot doing here?...With a book
launch?...On the same day, Buffy happens...”

“Felix wanted all three launched on the same day...Bigger impact...”

“As in heart attack?...Wait?...” he paused...

“I accept the apology...” she cut in, arch look...The “old sex bot”
crack?...she noted...

“I meanShe didn’t know...?”

“At least say you apologize for the ‘old’, Will...” she
grinned...Pulling over...

“Fine, sorry..What now...?”

“I want my hands free...” she embraced him...Pulling him to her...

“Girl...” he gasped...She kissed him, deeply...

“...I’ve been waitin’ for that a long time...” she sighed,
releasing...

“At least say you liked it...” she looked at his face...

“The kidnapping or the assault?...”

“Both...” Grin...

“Wait...” his eyes narrowed... “I knew the bot’s aura pretty well...”

“I hope so, after all the times we had...Different?...But not Buffy’s,
eh...?” smile... “Though I’d appreciate it if you didn’t call me
‘the’...Makes me sound thingy...Botty’s fine...”

“No, not Buffy’s...And not exactly human...But not the same...And...“

“A pretty good approximation of human...” she nodded... “I’ve been
upgraded, obviously...And it shows...Don’t it?...” somewhat wistful
smile...

“Girl...When last we saw each other...”

“I was in pieces, headed for the dumpster...Yeah...”

“Willow...I did ask her...” he began...A bit sheepish...

“I know and I appreciated...” she patted his hand... “I was still
recording everything for my data archive...But I wasn’t quite ready to
kick the bucket, whatever her diagnosis...Guess I got a lot of Summers
in me at that...”

“How?...” he looked her over...

“I came to in the LA dump...For a moment...Just long enough to put my
central core into hibernation...” she said... “Some clown of a demon
found me and thought I’d look good in his lair, guess he thought I was
somebody’s Slayer mannequin or something...He loved stacking me up on
what he’d found of my parts, prowling through the dump, and dancing
round... ‘I vanquished the Slayer’, that sort of thing...But one day a
buddy of his noticed I had circuitry and figured it would be fun to
see if plugging me in got the doll speakin’...That gave me enough
power to reboot...I shocked my ‘vanquisher’ unconscious that night
with 50000 volts, crawled out with my good arm, my loose remaining
parts in a bag with strap in my teeth and never looked back...”

Grin at his stare…

“Though it did take a while to get myself back together... ‘Fraid I
had to practice a lil’ Spike to get the job done...Nothing very bad,
just a few whoppers and a little financial manipulation via the
Net...”

“Why didn’t you...?”

“Call my old master, like some retro version of Barbara Eden?...A
leetle hard with only a head and upper torso and one arm...Besides, I
didn’t know where to reach you...Your crypt never did have a phone
installed...While we’re at it why didn’t you call Buffy?...”

“I had my reasons...Say...Did she send you here to ask?...”

“Now you are gettin’ me a wee bit pissed...I don’t need to do Buffy
any favors...” she said, coolly... “I’m not a programmed doll,
William...I came here of my own free will...”

“Excuse me...?”

“I could question the free will and human status of a souled vampire,
you know...” she noted, with frown... “For the moment, grant me the
benefit of the doubt...”

“Anyway, free will’s in the eye of the beholder...” she continued...
“Do you act on free will, personal choice, or is it decided for you by
those bizarre little biochemical reactions going on in your
skull?...One could ask...”

“All right, concede the point and well put...” he nodded... “So
why?...”

“Thank you…Took me years to get into some kind of working order...I
like to think it was my own slow climb to a soul...” she smiled warmly
now... “Though it wasn’t till I shipped myself to Japan and met
Felix’s friend Dr. Hondku that I had my own true soul quest...”

“A soul…You’ve confirmed a soul?...”

“Have you?...” she frowned... “I found a magics guy once my processors
were upgraded to the max...After reading about you and your soul quest
on the Net...Occult sites...No secrets from the endless supply of
geeks posting every rumor...” she explained “He found me a spell for
pulling a lost Buffy soul from the infinite...”

Parallel universes...She explained... There’s an infinite supply and
in a few at least, Buffy’s soul needs a new home...Never born, killed
too early...Drained out of her by some foe...Vamped by a bad dating
choice…

Ummn…Angelus of course…she lied to his perturbed look…

“I like to think mine is the one that tried to rescue you and got
killed doin’ it...But never quite gave up...”

“A soul...A Buffy soul...?”

“I think so...But...” she shrugged... “Who knows?...Maybe the fellow
was conning me...In any case, you feel my aura’s more human...And I
feel like I’m a human soul...I feel therefore I am souled...” she
said, grandly...Frowning at his stare…

“I didn’t steal it from a living Buf, you know...I’m sure it was glad
to have even a roboBuffy to call home after drifting round the void
for God knows how long...”

“And you wrote a memoir...?”

“When I grew upgraded I decided I wanted to be a writer like my old
boyfriend...” coy smile... “Felix suggested this as a good start when
I was writing him while recuperating in Japan...And that it might
catch your interest...He didn’t know then you’d be coming to Amherst
for a teaching job...But once you did...”

“He urged me to write mine...Just so he could have both...Hell, all
three...At once?...”

“He’s a romantic...And a very shrewd businessman...Under that tweedy
professorial bit...”

“And you came...”

“Got a book to launch...And I wanted to see the love of my life
again...And tell him so...”

“Girl...”

“If I’d been ready and in the US...I would’ve been in LA that day...”
she stared into his eyes... “When I heard...I’d been in a shipping
crate en route to Hong Kong for a new type of minigyroscope before I
went on to Tokyo...Claiming in my letters to the companies to be some
billionaire’s bot toy...Even without my processor upgrade...I was
devastated...I couldn’t cry tears but...I wept for you...”

“And when I heard...Oh, God...” she paused... “That you and poor ole
Angel had made it...”

“Nothing stopped me from getting myself back in
shape...Enhanced...And, as I say, as souled as I could be...”

“Worthy…” she added, quietly regarding his face…

“Buffy...Botty, I mean...Sorry...”

“Buffy’s fine...”

“But you’re not...”

“Is she?...” Botty eyed him... “The Buffy you dreamed of, I
mean?...The one who’d save you from what Dru made you...Who’d help you
find a way back?...I know that’s what you hoped, all that was left of
you in Spike when you found her in Sunnydale...Is she the one you
hoped for?...The girl who used you and beat you and left you to
die...”

“She asked me to come back with her...She made me no promises...”

“Oh, really?...” careful, shrewd glance…

Well, ummn… “Nothing that I’d hold her to…”

“Great...So she has no claim on you then...”

“Meaning?...”

“Meaning...Whatever...” another coy smile....

“I was only expectin’ to sign some books tonight...I didn’t expect a
pick up...”

“I noted five elevated female libidos when they looked your way...I
think you’d’ve been hit on tonight...Though I hope...You’re taken, for
tonight...” she smiled, a bit wanly...

“What about the girl we’re hidin’ from...?”

“She wants to chat and see how you made out...We can do that later...”

“Botty...”

“Ok...” she shrugged...Brittle tone... “I’ll take you back...Sorry to
have taken up your time...”

“Girl...You haven’t asked me what I want...And don’t you think you owe
yourself a chance to consider if I’m really worth the...”

“I’ve had five lovers...” she cut in... “God, I knew souled Will would
say something like that and I wanted to make sure everything was in
workin’ order...Plus Dr. Hondku was the same way, thought I needed to
‘experience other relationships’...Three were great guys...One was a
maniac...I had to kill him when he attacked me, found out he’d been a
serial killer...One was ok, but kinda dull...And I considered living
alone...Free...Hear me roar...But I wasn’t happy with that either...My
ole programs are deleted so it’s not that...As for any residual effect
of my sex bot days...Lord knows you’ve been lookin’ for Mrs. Walthrop,
dear ole mum, in me...Buffy, I mean...Since you met her, you good
mum’s boy you...”

“Five?...”

“Yeah...How’s Harmony by the way?...”

“Resouled and hated my guts for a year, then forgave me for the kid’s
sake...Hates Buffy’s too by the way, for not helping her...Lord, don't
tell me that was on YouTube?...”

“Next time beware security videos...I’d’ve gladly staked her to give
her peace...” narrow look...“You’re not with her?...Felix said you
didn’t haveYou weren’t seein’ anyone...”

“I’m not her type, thank God...”

“Really?...” beam...

“So...Five lousy lovers and you want a worse?...A vamp who created you
to be an eternal insult to his foe, the Slayer...?”

“I said three were very nice...Just not a lost soul who ran to the one
he dreamed could save him...And ended by sacrificing himself for her,
rather than being helped...Did you love Buffy?...You, I mean...Not
Spike...”

“I thought so... But don’t sentimentalize me...I didn’t stop Spike for
an instant...”

“We’ll make me or Buffy a vamp sometime and see how she or I does...If
you can still feel you loved her...That it wasn’t some kind of weird
thing from Spike’s nature...Why not believe that I could love
you...Even without programs 1 100...”

“And Buffy Summers...?”

“Did she come looking for you?...Did she pull you out of that amulet
with Willow’s help?...Did she try to help you when you were sitting in
Sunnydale High School’s basement, insane?...Anyway...” she put up a
hand... “I don’t expect an answer tonight... I don’t want
one...Yet...It’s too soon to expect you to settle the course of your
existence...”

“Oh...?...Well...Gee...Thanks...”

“Just wanted to see you, natch...Before she starts in...And see if you
might like to hang out after the launch... ‘Sides, she might’ve tried
to dismantle me if she’d seen me first...”

“She may not want to even see me...Just surprised that I
survived...Why would she want to dismantle you?...”

“Yeah...I agree..Best you both move on...” high-mindedly… “And God
knows, I know a nice girl ready and willin’ to help you
forget...Ummn...The insult, you know...” brightly... “Obscene, didn’t
she call me once?...”

“Unfortunate choice of words...But, she meant them for Spike, anyway,
not you...I’ll speak to her...”

“Oh...I don’t think that’s a good idea, Will...” she shook her head...
“Just get her madder...Reminding her of the degradation...I wouldn’t
stand a chance... Wait for the light, jackass!!...” she howled at the
car stopping short as she raced past...

Phew, she eyed the terrified male driver...Hasn’t caught up with us
yet...

“But...”

“She won’t try anything if we get back first, out in the openAnd when
she sees you’re with me tonight...” Slight eye roll... “She’ll
probably...” Ummn... “Accept the sit...Not really caring anyway...It’s
just the idea of me that might get her stirred up...You gotta protect
me, Will...” pleading glance...

“But I should speak with her...I think... I’m sure I could get her to
listen to...”

“Plenty of time...” hand wave... “Later...Well, we’ve caught up and
there’s books to pushLets head back...”

“Just a mo...” he frowned... “You deliberately led Buffy out of there,
didn’t you?...”

“Sorry...I’ve a good self preservation motivator...Remember when I led
the demon gang right to Willow, looking for her to do
repairs?...Naturally I didn’t want her taking me apart before I’d even
had a chance to see you...Sorry for not wanting to be in pieces before
my first book hits the shelves...”

“Are you?...” he frowned again... “You’re trying to keep her from
speaking to me, aren’t you?...”

“Moi?...” she frowned in turn... “What, next you claim Giles ordered
me to, to protect her from you?...”

“No...I’d say you did it on your own...” stern glance...

“Thanks...” beam... “Glad to know you grant me that much
humanity...Oh, come on...” she glared at his stare... “I’ve been
through roboHell for years, you know...I wanted a little time...I sure
deserve it, bucko...”

“You could’ve come by before...Why tonight?...”

“Actually...” she sighed... “I wanted to, but I only got the new arm
last week...Back order on the artificial skin for it...To tell the
truth, Felix’d told me a little about Will, Jr. and I didn’t want to
scare him...Plus this is the first day I’m fully complete and
everything’s up and running...Exceptin’ a few seam scars, but they’ll
heal fast...I wanted to look my best and I couldn’t not try and have
my mo before Buffy came waltzin’ in...”

“Very flattering...”

“I always knew how to appeal to your ego...” she lifted her head to
eye him, straight on, grinning...“You big bad boy, you...”

“I thought you deleted those programs...”

“Sure...But I did printout everything...I needed a few good lines for
dating...”

“Then all those five were idiots...”

“Hey...I stuck with humans, at least...”

“Speaking of which..Seriously, what’s Buffy going to do when she
catches up with you after you grabbed me like that?...”

“Hopefully, my big strong Champion will defend me...Oh, hell...” she
grinned... “She’ll probably be grateful I’m around to keep you from
pestering her too much...”

“Yeah...” curt nod...

She sighed... “Will, you know I don’t mean that...I’m still learning
this interactin’ thing...But I did so much want to see you
tonight...And I knew if she got hold of you first...”

“No, you’re right...No problem there...She’d just want me out of her
hair...”

“Don’t be unfair...” she insisted...Frowning... “God, now I’m speakin’
for her when I wanted...”

“Hmmn?...”

“...to make my case...”

“As I said, I’m flattered...But...”

“Crap...Always a ‘but’ with you since the soul...”

He stared...

I monitored the ‘Net constantly for you...She grinned... “Got that
whole year on video clips from geeks who viewed you and Buffy from the
corners...You’d be amazed what they got...”

“Horrified, more like it...”

“I found nothin’ to be ‘horrified’ by in those bedroom scenes...Buffy
tried hard of course, but...”

“What?...”

“Congrats, Spike and Buffy were a sensation...Though the kid had no
idea what to do half the time...Don’t you watch YouTube?...”

“Is that supposed to be...?”

“What?... You want me to praise her skills?...Besides, I honestly
think we were better at it...”

“Great...No doubt she wants to dismantle me as well…” he sighed...

“What did you mean about souled Will?...”

“You came home and gave up…” she eyed him… “Not even the ‘help me with
my redemption’ bit an Angel would try…”

“I didn’t ‘give up’…I still loved her…It’s just…”

“You didn’t believe in her…” she nodded… “And she sure did her best to
confirm that…God, what was that crap with the ‘tough love’ when you
were insane…I nearly called her up to yell at her…”

“She wasn’t…”

“Even a ‘just friend’ would’ve gotten you outta there right away…”

“Buffy had a lot of things going on…Resurrection issues, First Evil…
Anyway, I knew it was wrong to think she’d…”

“If I coulda come to Sunnydale then, after I saw what was going on…”

“That was on You Tube, too?...”

“Some…And some geeks had private video at their sites…”

“Lord, remind me to get some kind of restraining order…But she did
help me later…”

“I woulda helped you sooner…” she said, quietly…

He smiled a bit wanly… Girl…

“And then the Mouth battle?...”

“Buffy, you know she had no choice…”

“She had Willow…If I’d had Willow…”

“I believe you…” he smiled…Warmly now…

“Aw, Will…” grin…

“I still need to speak with her...”

“Now you need to speak with her?...Now?...” frown…

“Well, maybe she needs to speak with me...”

“Yeah...?” Botty, defeated tone...

“Girl, as you said...A bit soon to decide my existence...”

“I was lying...Decide now...”

“Botty?...”

“Can’t blame a robogirl for tryin’, Will...” she grinned, a bit
sadly... “I’ll take you back now...” resigned look as she started the
engine...

But he caught her satisfied glance about...No sign of her yet, phew...

***

Dr. Killey noted the return of two of his star performers with
relief...

“Where’s...?” Giles eyed the dress...Black, right...

“You can’t tell except for the dress, can you Giles...?” she beamed...

“Where is Buffy?...” he frowned...

“She’ll be along, you know her...” Botty waved a hand... “Oooh, is
that champagne?...Hey, over here, garcon...”

“Felix?...” Giles turned to his friend... “How could you do this
without warning me?...”

“God, it wasn’t easy, Giles...” Botty grinned... Downing one of two
glasses of champagne...

“Bottoms’ up, Walthrop...” she passed a glass to him...Sighing at his
stern look...

“Pretend you’re happy to see me at least...I didn’t abandon you...”

“Whatdaya mean, abandoned...?!” Buffy’s voice, annoyed...

I get no kick from champagne tonight...Botty thought...Sighing...

***