The Beginning of Everything Part 1, PG Las Vegas/ Charmed/ OC/ Xena/ SG1/ Buffy/ ER/ Lois & Clark

[kieraj2480.livejournal.com]

Title: The Beginning Of Everything
Author: kieraj2480
Fandoms: Las Vegas/ Charmed/ The OC/ Buffy/ ER/ SG1/ Lois & Clark/ Xena
Rating: PG
Characters: LOTS from many fandoms.
Summary: A young woman finds herself trapped in an alternate reality where TV shows and their characters are real... and somehow, some of them are a major part of her life!

  I gasped as the world snapped back into view. Feeling disorientated, I stumbled slightly as I took in my new surroundings. New surroundings? What the-? I looked down at my now perfectly manicured hand and the beautiful bracelet that slid along my wrist as I raised my arm slightly. In my right hand, I held a tumbler full of orange juice. I sniffed it cautiously and caught the faint waft of alcohol. Not just juice, then. This was all bizarre...

  Then it came crashing back to me. The memory of how I got here. My good friend and I had been catching up over drinks at a local bar in Ballina when both of our drinks had been spiked. Who had done that to us? Gasping, I dropped the tumbler to the ground where it smashed into pieces. I watched nervously as the juice pooled out, slowly but surely expanding in size. I was faintly aware of someone entering my periphery, but took no notice as I tried to calm down.

 “Hey.”

  I looked up at him, snapping myself out of my trance-like state. He was a tall and very handsome young man, probably in his early thirties and he was made even better looking by the sharp black suit and the gold coloured tie he was wearing. He seemed familiar, yet I couldn’t quite place him. He gently placed a hand on my elbow.

 “You okay?”

  Then I finally recognized who it was. My mouth dropped open in surprise. He looked past me while I just stared at him, wide-eyed and star struck. “Delinda!”

 “Delinda?” I frowned.

  As I turned, I saw a beautiful, slender blonde walking towards us. “Hey, Danny, what’s up?” She asked cheerfully as she joined us.

 “Danny?” I repeated, still feeling confused.

  “I think there’s something wrong with your friend here,” he told her.

 Delinda looked at me with concern and took a step forward. Her shoe crushed the glass and she hastily lifted it back up. She looked at Danny. “Was that her drink?”

 “Yeah.”

She called to a barmaid,  “Can we get a clean up over here?”

  All the while, I was trying in vain to work out what the hell was going on. One obvious way to work that out? Ask. “Where am I?”

Delinda frowned at me. “Mystique,” She said.

“Mystique?”

“My restaurant in the Montecito? Las Vegas, Nevada?” She prompted.

“Okay...” I said slowly. “And- Wait, Danny?”

“Yeah?”

“Danny... McCoy?”

He nodded.

“So, not Josh Duhamel then?”

“Who’s Josh Duhamel?” Danny asked.

I looked him up and down appreciatively. “Doesn’t matter, you’re still-“ I cut myself off, realizing what I was saying. “Um, I mean... never mind.”

Delinda led me over to the bar as a member of the staff came to clean up the mess I had made. “Sweetie, are you okay?”

“No, not really. Why am I here?”

“To celebrate your birthday,” Delinda replied.

“Don’t you remember?” Danny asked.

“But it’s not-“ I took a deep breath. “Okay, wait, let me try to figure this out: So, I’m here in Mystique, a fictional restaurant in the Montecito, a fictional casino, celebrating my birthday on a day when it isn’t my birthday? That doesn’t even make sense.”

Delinda narrowed her eyes. “Did you hit your head?”

“Good question,” I said a little flippantly. Then I paused. Actually, that was a good question. “Okay, you know what? I need to find my friend.”

“Which one?” Delinda asked. She gestured to the room at large.

Mouth agape again, I stepped forward slightly and looked around at the people milling about. “All those people are my friends?”

“Well, I would hope so. I mean, Mystique is closed for your private party.”

“Wow, I feel special.” I smiled at her and she returned it. I turned back to the room. “I can’t see the girl I’m looking for, though.”

“Well, we could check the database, see if she’s staying here,” Danny suggested.

“Oh, that would be sweet. Can you?”

“Sure. What’s her name?”

“Eve Slavich,” I replied.

Danny pulled his mobile phone out of his jacket pocket and pressed a couple of buttons. “Why don’t you go and have a good look around while I do this? You can make sure she’s really not here.”

I nodded. “Alright.”

I nervously left the relative safety of the bar. Looking around the room, I recognized more famous people than I could poke a really big stick at. Or perhaps more ‘characters’ was a more accurate description. People like Buffy and co, SG-1 members (past and present), the Charmed Ones and so on. Too many to even mention.

“Hey, there you are!” A male voice interrupted my search of the room. I watched as a handsome, sharply dressed African American man came over to me. “Happy Birthday,” he said as he gave me an enthusiastic hug.

“Um, thanks...” I replied as he pulled away. “Mike Cannon.” Ooh, that was a bit suggestive, I thought. I felt myself blush as embarrassment took a hold of me.

Going by the cheeky half-smile Mike gave me, it seemed that not only did he pick up on my tone, but he welcomed it openly. Mike’s face turned serious as a concerned frown formed on his brow. “Hey, Delinda said you had a little accident before?”

“Oh. Yeah, I did,” I said sheepishly.

“Are you okay?”

“I don’t know.”

“What’s up?”

I hugged myself self-conciously. “I’m not sure.” I paused, then said, “Is there any way that you could test for drugs?”

“Did you take something?” Mike asked quietly.

“Maybe by accident,” I answered, trying very hard to keep it together.

“You think someone slipped you something?”

Tears sprung to my eyes and I nodded.

Mike placed a comforting hand on my arm. “Okay. It’s alright. Come on, we’ll go and do a test.”  He started to lead me towards the door of the restaurant. But just as we got there, I started to feel dizzy. The room started to spin and I felt myself go faint. “Kiera?” His voice sounded like it was coming from underwater. The next thing I knew, I was falling. I felt Mike’s arms slip around me as he prevented me from hitting the floor and then the world faded away to black.

“There are worlds within worlds

That keep rotating...”

The Sugababes played softly in the background as I sat up in a chair and took in my surroundings. I was back in the Ballina Bar, but something didn’t feel right. There was no sign of Eve and it felt like I was not quite in phase with my surroundings. A strange feeling to say the least. Looking around, I noticed a bartender leaning his hands on the bar and just blatantly staring straight at me. Unnerved, I quickly averted my gaze.

“You having fun yet?” He asked.

I looked at him again and he just continued staring at me, as if he hadn’t said a word. Maybe he hadn’t. Then... snap! Darkness again.

 

  A steady beep, beep, beep met my ears and as I slowly opened my eyes, I squinted against the harsh light. As my eyes adjusted, I could make out three figures standing on the left hand side of my bed. The Halliwell sisters, all dressed up and looking extremely beautiful.

“Hey, you’re awake,” Said the middle sister, Phoebe as she squeezed my hand.

“Where am I?” I croaked out. I cleared my throat as Paige answered me.

“You’re in the hospital. You collapsed,” She explained.

“What?” I exclaimed, sitting forward.

Piper, who was standing closest to me, Put a staying hand on my shoulder. “It’s okay, you’re safe. They’re just running some tests now.”

“Tests?” I questioned.

“Drug tests,” Phoebe clarified. “Mike said you thought your drink might have been spiked?”

“I don’t know what to think,” I muttered.

“Well, tell us what happened. What do you remember?” Phoebe asked kindly.

I looked at her nervously. How could I explain anything when I wasn’t even sure myself?

“I’d rather, um... see my parents? I mean, can you get in touch with them, somehow?”

Phoebe looked a little surprised.

Paige nodded to me. “Sure, I’ll get them. They’re right outside.”

She left the room in an uncomfortable silence.

“I’ll go with her,” Piper decided, following her younger sister.

I looked at Phoebe apologetically. “Sorry about all of this. You were probably really enjoying the party.”

“Hey, don’t be silly. You’re more important than a party,” Phoebe assured me. She sat down on the edge of my bed and brushed my hair away from my eyes. “Sisters look out for each other.”

I frowned at her. “Sisters?”

“Yeah.” She smirked.

Before we could broach the subject, an older blonde woman and a handsome older man with salt and pepper hair entered the room and approached my bed. Victor Bennett and Kirsten Cohen.

“Hey, Daddy,” Phoebe said with a smile.

“Hi, sweetie.”

The witch got to her feet and gave her father a hug. Then she pulled away and looked at the three of us. “I’ll leave you alone.”

As she exited, Victor bent down and kissed me on the forehead. “Hi, sweetheart,” He said lovingly. He stepped back to allow Kirsten to peck me on the cheek.

“How are you feeling, honey?” She asked.

I looked at them dubiously. “Fine thanks. But where are my mum and dad?”

“We’re here,” Kirsten replied with a curious look.

“What?” I exclaimed. “Wait, so you, Victor, you’re my father and Kirsten, you are my mother and the Halliwell sisters are my sisters? Could someone please tell me what the hell is going on here?” I cried, my voice rising.

Kirsten looked at Victor. “They didn’t mention anything about memory loss.”

“No, they didn’t.” Victor looked at me, deeply worried. He sat on my bed, more or less bringing himself to my level. “What do you remember, Kiera?”

“I remember being in Mystique at a party that was apparently being thrown for me, but... I don’t remember how I got there. Everything’s wrong!” I said, starting to stress out.

“Calm down,” Kirsten said, placing a hand on my shoulder.

“I can’t.”

“Yes, you can,” Kirsten said encouragingly. “I know this must be frightening. I know how much you hate hospitals, but you just need to relax.”

“Your mother’s right,” Victor agreed.

“She’s not my mother!” I cried. “And you are not my father! My parents are Kathy and Mike McNeill!”

“Well, yeah, they were your adoptive parents-“ Victor started.

“Adoptive? Excuse me, but I have my mother’s blonde hair and high cheekbones. I have my dad’s nose! The  McNeill nose!”

“You have Kirsten’s blonde hair and high cheekbones and you have my nose,” He countered, running his finger down the bridge of my nose. There was a pause and then he looked at Kirsten. “I think we should go and speak to the doctor.”

Kirsten nodded. “Me, too. Get some rest, Kiera,” She said kindly. I could tell she was trying to hide her hurt.

Victor got up and without so much as a goodbye, they exited the room.

Fighting back tears, I turned my head on the pillow so I could look out the window. At least the tree blowing in the breeze seemed normal. It was calming and allowed me a somewhat peculiar form of meditation. Hours passed and I watched the night slowly fade away and soon enough, dawn came. When a pair of footsteps echoed on the polished floor, I reluctantly turned my head away from the window.  Who would be showing up this time? Superman? Nothing would’ve surprised me at that point. It was Mike Cannon.

“Hey,” He said with a smile. “I thought you might be asleep.”

“Nope.” I forced a closed mouthed smile.

Mike patted my leg and sat down in the spot that Phoebe and Victor had before him. “How are ya feelin’?”

“Confused. Like, really,” I told him candidly.

“About what?”

A small, wry chuckle escaped my lips. “Maybe you should ask what I’m not confused about, because that would be a quicker reply.” There was a pause. “Sorry. How are you?”

“I'm worried about you.”

I lowered my eyes self-consciously. “That’s sweet, but you don’t have to.”

“I can’t help it,” Mike said simply with a shrug.

I smirked.

“I also wanted to give you something.” He dug into the breast pocket of his jacket and pulled out a small, square gift wrapped box wrapped in dark pink paper and decorated with a lighter pink ribbon. “It’s your birthday present.” He handed it to me and I looked at it, turning it over in my hands. “Go ahead, open it.”

I did so, pulling the ribbon undone and delicately pulling the paper apart, trying not to tear it. I mostly succeeded. I let the paper fall away to reveal a blue box. I gulped and lifted the lid. Inside was a beautiful sterling silver necklace and hanging on the delicate chain was a charm of two thin, curved silver pieces holding between them a blue sapphire. It was so shiny and flawless. I gently took it from the box and examined it.

“It’s beautiful!” I exclaimed. “It must’ve cost a fortune!”

“It doesn’t matter what it cost. You’re worth every cent,” Mike told me. He took the necklace from me and unclasped it. He grinned brightly as he said, “What kind of good luck is it that your birthstone matches your eyes?”

I laughed slightly as he held out the open necklace. I leaned forward and lifted my hair out of the way. Mike moved in close to me, reached around me to put the necklace on. I felt his breath on my neck, the touch of his fingers lightly brushed my nape, just where I was the most ticklish. A giggle escaped my lips as goosebumps ran down my body.

Mike looked at me with false innocence. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to do that.” His playful smile said otherwise.

In an attempt to hide my uncomfortableness, I fiddled with the charm, then gathered the courage to meet Mike’s gaze. “Thanks. No guy has ever given me something like this before.”

“Well, it helps that you’re my girlfriend and I care very deeply for you.” Mike casually put his hand on my blanket-covered leg.

I looked at him incredulously. This news was... interesting. I shifted my leg slightly, tried to make the movement look natural. “Mike?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I ask a question?”

“Sure!” he clasped his hands together in his lap and looked at me intently.

“I... don’t want to hurt your feelings,” I said, having second thoughts.

“No, it’s okay. Go ahead,” He assured me.

“Okay,” I said reluctantly. “”Uh, how- how long have we been together?”

The hurt on Mike’s face could not have been more palpable.

I lowered my eyes in shame. “I told you.”

Mike snapped himself out of it. “Oh, no. Kiera, I’m sorry,” He said apologetically. “They warned me about the memory loss, but I guess I didn’t really take notice.”

“Oh. Well, that’s okay.”

“No, it’s not. That was inconsiderate and I’m sorry.”

“Apology accepted.”

“Oh, hey, Danny told me to tell you that he couldn’t find an Eve Slavich in the hotel registry.”

I paused, eyes wide. “That’s... bad news,” I said after a moment. “Well, damn.” I shook my head, feeling lost. Not for the first time that day.

“Well, maybe she’s staying in another hotel. I can check it out for ya,” Mike suggested.

“Could you really?”

“Yeah, sure, it’ll be easy.”

I smiled at him gratefully.

We were interrupted by the sound of high heels hammering out a steady beat on the polished tile floor. My eyes followed the sound to see who the footsteps belonged to. A petite blonde woman with beautiful, delicate features appeared from behind the curtain. Her good looks, however, didn’t detract from the dangerous air about her. Arms folded, she stopped in her tracks as she looked from myself to Mike. “Oh! I’m sorry, am I interrupting?”

Mike looked at her and then at me and then back at her. “No, it’s cool. I was just about to leave.”

“Are you sure?” She gestured to the door. “I can come back.”

“I’m sure.” Mike looked back at me. “I’ll go and check up on this friend of your’s.”

I nodded and quietly muttered thanks to him. He leaned over to kiss me on the forehead, but I pulled away slightly. Cue pained look again. Mike turned, head lowered, and left the room.

I sighed and then looked at the young woman. “So... How do we know each other, Buffy?”

If I sounded fed up, the vampire slayer didn’t take any notice of it. Instead, she simply said, “You remember my name.” It was a very matter-of-fact statement.

“Yeah, well...” I trailed off and shrugged. I was unsure of what to say.

“We went to high school together. Remember? You, me, Willow and Xander? The Scoobies?”

I nodded. “I do know you guys. I feel like I do. But not because I went to school with you.”

“What do you mean?”

I paused. Should I tell her who I was? That I wasn’t really the person she thought I was? That I was from an alternate universe, one in which she and everyone else I had interacted with in the last

few hours were fictional characters? I considered Buffy’s suspicious nature. Maybe not such a good idea.

I shrugged. “I’m not really sure what I mean. Not much is very clear to me right now.”

Buffy look sympathetic. “I know what that’s like,” she told me.

“I guess we all feel like that sometimes, hey?”

“Guess we do.”

“Well, I, uh... I think I’d better get some rest. I still feel a bit funky.” I touched my forehead for emphasis.

“Oh, sure! I’ll let you take a nap or whatever,” Buffy said. “I just wanted to come and give you my best wishes, and let you know that if you need anything-”

I smirked. “Thanks.”

“I hope you feel better soon."

I smirked again and gave a nod.

As Buffy turned to go, I called after her. She turned back to me.

“Thanks for stopping by. I appreciate it. Say hi to everyone for me?”

“I will.”

With a small wave, she left.