10.29.2010

Hallowhedon Excerpt

So my original Hallowhedon story was going to be this long and thoughtful look at Ellie after she had spent time in the Dollhouse and had undergone a composite event.  It was going to be philosophical, with plenty of action, and Sarah and Ellie kicking butt side by side as our motley crew makes their way through post-apocalyptic L.A. in search of a safe haven.  I had planned to bring Ivy from Dollhouse in and make Ellie constantly have to deal with Jeffster and it was going to be romantic with Ellie and Awesome.

Turns out I'm not so good at the philosophical.  Or maybe it's the stream of conscience that was tripping me up here, but I never sat down to work on this story and now Halloween is two days away.

Time for a new idea, right?  Here's an excerpt.  I'll see if anybody can pick up on what I did:


It didn’t amaze him when Sarah nudged his arm with her elbow. She was either a mind-reader—and Chuck hoped this wasn’t the case—or she had memorized his facial expressions because she always seemed to know whenever his thoughts took a dark turn. He looked over at her and forced an absent smile even as he pushed thoughts of the bunker to the back of his mind. “What’s up?”

“You’re a nerd,” Sarah said.

Chuck blinked. “Oh, God, did my spending hours a day on the computer give it away?”

She grinned. “Not what I meant. I’m just curious. You know anything about…” She trailed off and nodded.

After a few seconds, Chuck realized she was nodding up at the stars. “Astronomy?” he asked. “I took a couple of courses in college, and I’ve read up on it. What do you want to know?”

“I don’t know. Anything. The stars out on the Point were just amazing, but I never really knew anything about them, except which is the North Star.”

“Hm. Okay.” Chuck scanned the sky for a moment. “Okay, there, do you see that W-shaped constellation?” He leaned closer to Sarah and pointed.

It took her a minute to reply. “Yeah, I think?”

“Close enough for government work. That’s Cassiopeia. Not really a role model, as she was kind of vain and boasted about her beauty.”

“Does this story have a moral attached to it?” Sarah asked, stealing the beer for another sip.

Chuck grinned over at her. “I doubt you’d let anybody hang you upside down for half of eternity, even if you were vain.”

“Probably not,” Sarah agreed.

“Cassie up there was the wife of Cepheus. What happened, and this is just one version of the tale and also me dealing with a patchy memory, but she claimed that she and…I think it was her daughter? Yeah, her daughter, Andromeda. She said she and Andromeda were prettier than these demigoddesses, which of course pissed good old Poseidon, god of the sea, off. And he flooded the country.”

“I’m guessing he had a temper,” Sarah said.
 Hint: this story is also the result of a bet.  If I were into bird-killin', I'd be proud that it's a two birds, one stone sort of deal.  It'll be posted either tomorrow or on Halloween.

:)

Frea

11 comments:

  1. Thoughts of the bunker make this an AU of Fates - maybe?
    After that - no clue. Oh boy, a surprise!

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  2. Cristian29.10.10

    okay....so...aliens gonna abduct chuck and sarah is gonna have to figh in outerspace??
    because c'mon...chuck and sarah alone at night...talking about stars...with alcohol... hell no, because Frea will forbid them to get lucky!! XD

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  3. Whedon did write Alien Resurrection. Fates Sarah is the new Ellen Ripley?

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  4. Anonymous29.10.10

    hmmm...so i agree with peter that the bunker suggests a melding of fates with some whedon villian. let's see, they're outside with beers...like in dc after the bbq, but it didn't seem as cold here and it seems earlier in the C/S relationship based on their banter. it doesn't sound like the greek bungalow scene since they barely interacted together while awake there, so i don't think it's that bet. swimming pool clue only reminds me of when xander nearly turned into a fish on buffy, but i'm guessing that's not the chosen villian. and what's/where's "the Point"? hmmm...looking forward to seeing how this plays out.
    --- seaboji

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  5. The bet is one that Frea and I didn't really publicize much, mainly because it was dependent on people not knowing there was an actual bet going on. So I will say the pool has to do with the bet, and not anything Whedon related. I'd give you more hints, but MBOF would probably have me liquidated if I did that.

    Oh, and the Point is a Fates/W&T reference. It's a real location where a CIA training facility is located. And by typing that, I probably just popped up on the NSA's radar.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvey_Point

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  6. Ayefah29.10.10

    How bad is it that I already knew the thing about the point? That said, my brain is too mushy right now to get what's going on in this excerpt other than the obvious. So...Fates!Chuck and Sarah stargazing. With beer.

    The only idea I have is that this is an AU where mind-readers do actually exist. Superpower land? The X-Men universe? Okay, I'm out. :P

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  7. Anonymous29.10.10

    well, a bet with mxpw that involves a swimming pool, sarah walker, star gazing and beer. i wonder just how AU this story will get! i think we should all sit back and enjoy the ride (and thank mxpw for giving frea this challenge).
    -- seaboji

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  8. Seaboji makes a really great point. Sarah Walker, a pool, and a bet with mxpw...

    That being said, I'm the one that proposed this idea for the bet, so Sarah may or may not be wearing a white shirt. And I'll answer one question definitively: yes, it's an AU of Fates. As to which Whedonverse I picked, you'll have to wait and see for that one.

    Also, from the Fates Guide at the top of the page, just to clear everything up:

    June, 2001
    Sarah goes to Harvey Point, North Carolina (a.k.a. “The Point”) Operative Training with specializing in joint operations between foreign governments. Meets Carina Miller, then Katrina Hansen, whose nationality is not known to her, but is on retainer as a brand new DEA undercover agent. The two strike up a friendship. Sarah’s cover at the time: Sabrina Wiley, a Kentucky farm-girl, hanging with all of the big CIA men and “Katrina,” of course.

    And Carina mentions her time at the Point (starting a fight and having Sarah back her up) in Wasted On Us. Glad you guys all liked, hope you enjoy the full thing tomorrow, and Chris's, and Max's, and Wep's!

    - Frea

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  9. Anonymous30.10.10

    oh, so frea proposed this idea for the bet. well then, it's clear i've got this all backwards. apparently i should focus on a swimming pool and chuck's shoulders. tomorrow will be fun!
    -- seaboji

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  10. The man does have majestic shoulders. :) But never let it be said I don't believe in fanservice...

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  11. Ayefah30.10.10

    Oh, so it is Whedon? Erm. No way I'm going to guess it, in that case.

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