From: ingrid29@juno.com (Ingrid E Stanton) Subject: BUFFYFIC: DISCUSS: New Fic Date: 01 Mar 1998 00:09:06 -0500 (A few notes from the author) This is just so everybody knows I haven't dropped off the face of the earth when you stop getting my fanfics. I AM writing a new fanfic, but I'm going to post it only after I've written the whole thing. This should be a fun one. It takes place about 10 years into the future, and it's a mix of the post-"passion" universe and my post-"One Vampire's Headache..." universe. If anyone wants to help me with ideas, feel free to write. In particular, I'm having trouble with what to do with Willow in 10 years. If you have any suggestions, please write! (Ingrid29@juno.com) -Ingrid _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: ingrid29@juno.com (Ingrid E Stanton) Subject: BUFFYFIC: DISCUSS: Welcome to the Hellmouth, Scully 6/6 Date: 01 Mar 1998 00:51:33 -0500 This was fantastic! Normally I detest crossovers, but this was a fine job! It was a bit mushy for Mulder and Scully, but I loved the way you brought Angel back! The werewolf comment at the end was hysterical! -Ingrid _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "The Mistress" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Buffyfic: Beta Request Date: 01 Mar 1998 19:37:03 EST I need a Beta Reader for an ongoing fic I'm writing. It's called "Hacker Hunting". Karras ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Amber Wilkinson Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: Buffyfic: Beta Request Date: 01 Mar 1998 18:51:16 -0600 The Mistress wrote: > > I need a Beta Reader for an ongoing fic I'm writing. It's called > "Hacker Hunting". > > Karras Hints as to what it's about? It sounds like good reading to me! Amber - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: NuPhalanx Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: Buffyfic: Beta Request Date: 01 Mar 1998 20:04:48 EST Hi! I'd like to check it out. cordially, Mike Z. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "The Mistress" Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: Buffyfic: Beta Request Date: 01 Mar 1998 20:12:52 EST >> I need a Beta Reader for an ongoing fic I'm writing. It's called >> "Hacker Hunting". >> >> Karras > >Hints as to what it's about? It sounds like good reading to me! > >Amber It's a crossover with the Tv series Weird Science....which oddly enough has a load of parrallels with BTVS. (The hackers on both shows have "dated" robotics, done battle with Buffy type vamps, etc) Karras ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Amber Wilkinson Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: Buffyfic: Beta Request Date: 01 Mar 1998 19:18:46 -0600 The Mistress wrote: > > >> I need a Beta Reader for an ongoing fic I'm writing. It's called > >> "Hacker Hunting". > >> > >> Karras > > > >Hints as to what it's about? It sounds like good reading to me! > > > >Amber > > It's a crossover with the Tv series Weird Science....which oddly enough > has a load of parrallels with BTVS. (The hackers on both shows have > "dated" robotics, done battle with Buffy type vamps, etc) I've never watched Weird Science. Is it something that I would need to know for the 'fic to make sense? Amber - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Anexsin Subject: BUFFYFIC: Who Am I (4/8) Date: 02 Mar 1998 16:53:43 EST Title: Who Am I (4/8) Author: Melinda Email Addy: Anexsin@aol.com Rating: PG for some violence Spoiler: All eps before "What's My line" Therefore, Angel still has his soul & Dru is weak. Disclaimer: Anything to do with the Buffyverse belongs to Joss Whedon, WB, etc. Just borrowing his proteges for a lillte bit. Only the story was hatched from my very own brain. Summary: Buffy gets amnesia, while Spike tries to use it to dispose of the Slayer. ******************** ~PART 4~ "Good morning." Xander greeted as he caught up with Buffy and Willow. "Hey." Willow replied. "How are you feeling Buffs?" Xander asked concerned. "Did you sleep well?" "Not really. I had a lot of weird nightmares." she replied tiredly. "Well, we'll make you forget them because us three are going to the Bronze tonight." Xander admitted. "The what?" Buffy asked trying to comprehend. "The Bronze. It's the local club. Actually the only club." Willow informed. "Angel will probably be there." Willow was hoping to get that silly grin out of Buffy that she always got when his name was mentioned and it worked. "Really?" Buffy asked her eyes lighting up. "Uggh." Xander groaned at the mention of Angel's name, but Willow elbowed him quietly telling him to shut up. "Probably." Willow smiled. "Great, I need to get to class." Buffy happily replied. "See you later." "We'll meet in the library after school." Willow called to Buffy's retreating form. "Ok." she called back. "Now we know she's lost her memory. Buffy willingly going to class. My world's all askew. Again." Willow observed. "Even with no memory, she's hung up on the undead." Xander interjected. "It's real sad when a girl would choose a walking corpse over me." Willow was real tired of hearing they same thing from Xander day after day. "Xander give it up, and lay off Angel." she replied harshly. She didn't mean for it to come out like it did, but once it was said she felt a little better. Xander didn't answer or even acknowledge. Instead of continuing the argument they headed to class. ********************* "Well, this is the Bronze." Xander informed as the three entered the dark and murky nightclub. "It's nice." Buffy replied looking at her surroundings. Xander and Willow gave her a look. "In a-a dismal sort of way." she added. "Come on, let's get a table." Willow offered. While the trio made their way to an empty table they didn't see the dark figure lurking in the shadows. Spike just finding out that Buffy lost her memory decided to confirm this for himself. He was pleasantly pleased that the Slayer was finally going to meet the fate she kept denying. He silently watched the group until he saw Angel walk in. "Damn." he muttered. "At least I can put my plan into action. Operation kill the Slayer is looking better and better." he murmured and backed deeper into the shadows and left. Willow looked up to see Angel approaching, and wanting to give him and Buffy some time alone nudged Xander, "Why don't we go get some drinks." Willow suggested. Xander also seeing Angel was more reluctant to leave the two alone. "I'm not really thirsty." he replied. "Well, I am and I'm sure Buffy is as well." Willow gritted her teeth. "Yeah, a water would be great." Buffy supplied. "Great. We'll go get it." Willow answered while grabbing Xander by the arm and dragging him towards the counter. "Hi." Angel greeted Buffy as he approached the table. Buffy swiveled her head towards the voice and smiled when she saw who it was. "Oh, hi." she replied. She held in her happiness at his presence. "Are you doing alright? You look kind of tired." Angel asked concerned. "I didn't get much sleep. Nightmares kept me up." she replied. "I really don't want to be here, but Willow and Xander asked me to come." Buffy added. "I could walk you to Willow's if you want to go." Angel offered. "You really don't have to do that." Buffy declared. "I want to. I'd feel better knowing you were safe." Angel responded. "Well, if you insist." Buffy joked, but was pleased at his concern for her. "I insist." he finished with a small smile. Buffy felt her knees getting all melty. "Let me just tell them I'm leaving." Buffy replied. Angel nodded. When she came back they headed out of the Bronze into the dark. **************** They walked in silence for most of the walk, until Angel glanced sideways at her and realized she seemed distracted. "Do you want to talk about it?" Angel asked breaking the silence. "Huh? I'm sorry. I know I'm probably terrible company right now." "I've always enjoyed your company." Angel replied sincerely. Buffy smiled and looked at the slowly moving sidewalk underneath her feet. "I know this is going to sound stupid but, do you think vampires exist." she asked. Angel began to panic. "Anything's possible." his voice cracked. Little did she know she was walking right beside one. "Why do you ask?" he prodded, curious as to why she brought up that particular subject. "Well, that's what the nightmares are about. Never mind it's stupid." she gently shook her head. "No it's not. It'll all come back to to. You'll figure it out." Angel reassured. "I hope." Buffy didn't seem as sure as he did. "You will. And I'll be here if you need help." Angel informed. They stopped at the front door to Willow's house and Angel patiently waited while Buffy retrieved the house key from her pocket that Willow had given her and turned back to him. "Thank you for walking me here." Buffy started. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to you." Angel confessed. Buffy couldn't respond. She felt herself falling deeper into his eyes. Neither of them noticed themselves leaning closer as if they were drawn by some invisible force. Their lips met and she felt the world around her disappear. When he pulled her closer and deepened the kiss she pulled away before she wouldn't be able to. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that." Angel guiltly said. "No, it's just that I don't want to start something I know nothing about. This feels so right. I-I just need some time to figure things out." Buffy wanted to take that guilty expression off his face. "I know I didn't mean to confuse you." Angel replied. Buffy shrugged her shoulders. "Don't worry about it. It's not as if I didn't enjoy it." Buffy slyly responded with a grin. Angel grinned as well and leaned foward and gently kissed her cheek. "Goodnight Buffy." he began. "And don't invite anybody in." he finished. Buffy looked at him confused. "Just trust me on this one. Okay." he answered to her unspoken question. She nodded and wished him goodnight and went inside. Angel watched silently until she was safely inside with the door shut and locked and headed back into the night. *********************** To be continued........... - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Black Fire" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Mail Problem Date: 02 Mar 1998 14:51:19 PST I had a slight problem this morning, in that in the span of 3 hours, all the mail in my account disappeared. I would appriceate it if anyone who sent out story parts within the last 24 hours could resend them to me privately. I think there was also a couple of requests for parts of my story in there. If you've sent me a request for parts of Inner Demons and haven't gotten a reply, please send your request again. Thank you. The Black Fire Blackfire42@hotmail.com ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Anexsin Subject: BUFFYFIC: Who Am I (1/8) Date: 02 Mar 1998 03:03:01 EST Title: Who Am I (1/8) Author: Melinda Email Addy: Anexsin@aol.com Rating: PG for some violence Spoiler: All eps before "What's My line" Therefore, Angel still has his soul & Dru is weak. Disclaimer: Anything to do with the Buffyverse belongs to Joss Whedon, WB, etc. Just borrowing his proteges for a lillte bit. Only the story was hatched from my very own brain. Summary: Buffy gets amnesia, while Spike tries to use it to dispose of the Slayer. ********************* ~PART 1~ In a wharehouse on the bad side of town Spike paced back & forth with a very agitated look upon his face. "What can I do to get rid of that bloody slayer?" he mumbled to himself. So caught up in his own thoughts, he didn't see Drusilla walk in until he felt her hand upon his shoulder. "What's wrong love?" his consort prodded him gently. Spike never glanced up. Instead he kept his gaze down scuffing his boots against the floor. "It's that damn slayer. She keeps mucking up my plans." he replied. "Oh, don't worry love that's all going to change. Soon very soon." Drusilla confirmed while she grazed his cheek with her cold hand. Suddenly interested Spike jerked his head her way. "What do you mean?" he asked impatiently. "You'll see." She replied with a sly grin. "Should I send the boys out?" "Yes, do that and then we can finally have our party." Drusilla reminded. Spike gave her an evil grin. "Brutus." he yelled. ********************************* " I'll wait 5 more minutes. If the undead don't attack, the Slayer doesn't slay." Buffy Summers said th the empty cemetary. She was on her daily patrol through the graveyard looking for the usual blood sucking baddies, but none have appeared for the past 2 hours. She stopped walking and leaned up against an old mausoleum. "I really could be doing something better with my time, then sitting in a graveyard talking to myself." she said loudly hoping to attract some undead attention. "You'd at least think Angel would show up." Buffy whispered to herself. Before she could get wrapped up in her thoughts of him she heard a loud growl. Dead ahead (no pun intended) were 2 snarling vampires. Buffy grabbed the stake in the inside of her sleeve. "Finally some action." she said to herself. "Come on boys, don't be shy." Bufy coaxed them. Taking her up on her offer they rushed at her. Buffy stood perfectly still hands folded across her chest and when the two vamps were close enough she stepped aside and held out the stake. The vamp closest to her ran heart first into it, quickly disintergrating into dust. "One down, one to go." she said. Buffy quickly grabbed the stake snug in her boot and took on the other. She ducked as the vampire through a punch at her, and quickly got up and delivered a round house kick to the side of his face. The vampire staggered back, but didn't give up. The angrier he became the clumsier he got.In no time Buffy had him staked as well. She pushed a wisp of stray hair behind her ear and before she could revel in her victory another large growl emitted from behind her. Before she could turn around to see who her next victim was, a large hand grabbed her neck and suddenly she realized she was flying through the air, right into a tree. She put her hands out in front of her to soften the blow. When she hit the ground her head hit a rock knocking her unconscious. The large vampire seeing such an easy kill stalked over to the unconscious Slayer. He lifted her up easily by the neck, tilted her head to the side as his fangs slowly descended towards the soft flesh of her neck. ********************** To be continued.......... - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Anexsin Subject: BUFFYFIC: Who Am I (3/8) Date: 02 Mar 1998 03:07:02 EST Title: Who Am I (3/8) Author: Melinda Email Addy: Anexsin@aol.com Rating: PG for some violence Spoiler: All eps before "What's My line" Therefore, Angel still has his soul & Dru is weak. Disclaimer: Anything to do with the Buffyverse belongs to Joss Whedon, WB, etc. Just borrowing his proteges for a lillte bit. Only the story was hatched from my very own brain. Summary: Buffy gets amnesia, while Spike tries to use it to dispose of the Slayer. ************************ ~PART 3~ "None of us look familiar to you?" Willow asked quiet concern clouding her eyes. "No, I don't even know my own name." Buffy answered back. "Buffy." Angel supplied. "What did you say?" Buffy asked back. "Buffy Summers, that's your name." Giles responded to her confused question. "Buffy. What kind of name is that? What were my parents thinking? I do have parents right, and I'll ask again who are you people?" Buffy rambled, while jumping off the table to stand in front of the group. "Calm down Buffy. We'll answer any questions you may have, but first what's the last thing you remember?" Giles asked quickly trying to reassure the distraught girl, while Xander guided Buffy to an empty seat. "I-I can't remember anything. Everything is new to me." she answered slowly. "I'm Xander, this is Willow, Giles, and Angel." Xander said. Indicating each presence with his finger. "We're your friends." he finished. The word friends seemed to register in her head. Although she couldn't remember these people her heart told her they spoke the truth. Once again Buffy studied each "friend" in turn analyzing them. Her gaze fell upon the only other girl in the room. The petite redhead. Willow was her name. To Buffy she seemed shy and unsure of her self, but fierce about her love and loyalty. The boy Xander seemed to give off that funny, sarcastic vibe. Always trying to get people to laugh even if he doesn't mean to. The older man. The one with the glasses, Giles they called him. He seemed kind of stuffy yet wise. Like if you asked him a question and he didn't know the answer he wouldn't stop until he found it. When her gaze fell upon the last occupant of the room she smiled to herself. He was gorgeous. The classic tall, dark, and handsome guy that every girl dreamed of. Yet his eyes held a hint of mystery, a knowledge that set him apart from the rest. He seemed different somehow, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Angel the one name she wouldn't forget. It seemed to fit him. "Buffy, did you hear me?" Willow interrupted her thoughts. "Hmm, oh that's me right?" she asked. "Right?" Willow answered back. "I'm sorry. What were you saying?" Buffy asked. "Your mom's out of town, but your more then welcome to stay with me." Willow extended the invitation graciously. "Are you sure? I-I don't want to impose." "I'm positive", Willow responded to her unsurity "your my best friend." I wide grin set upon Buffy's face and nodded. At least she wasn't alone in this.The two girls vacated their seats and began to head out. Buffy turned around. "Thank you", she started, "for helping me. I won't forget it." Buffy finished. "Hey, that's what guys are for. To protect the little women." Xander put in while puffing out his chest to try and seem manly. The girls giggled. "Xander." Willow scolded. "Call us when you two get home, so we know you are safe." Giles tone commanded more than requested. "I will." she answered reassuringly and headed out with Buffy in tow. " What are we going to do?" Angel finally spoke. "Let's just hope her amnesia is temporary, and let's not make it harder on her by telling her about being the slayer or vampires. I don't think she'd be able to handle it." Giles replied. "But if Spike knows about this, he'll come back for her, and she couldn't possibly fight him in this state." Angel added. "Yeah, I'm going to have to go with dead boy on this one." Xander interjected. Angel glared at him, but Giles responded. "Xander this is not the time to joke around. We must all work together to help Buffy through this. And one of us must be with her whenever she goes out." Giles informed. Xander and Angel looked at each other then back at Giles and nodded their heads in agreement. ******************************** To be continued........ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Anexsin Subject: BUFFYFIC: Who Am I (2/8) Date: 02 Mar 1998 03:04:17 EST Title: Who Am I (2/8) Author: Melinda Email Addy: Anexsin@aol.com Rating: PG for some violence Spoiler: All eps before "What's My line" Therefore, Angel still has his soul & Dru is weak. Disclaimer: Anything to do with the Buffyverse belongs to Joss Whedon, WB, etc. Just borrowing his proteges for a lillte bit. Only the story was hatched from my very own brain. Summary: Buffy gets amnesia, while Spike tries to use it to dispose of the Slayer. ************************* ~PART 2~ Before he could sink his fangs into Buffy's neck he was dealt a blow from behind. The vamp dropped the Slayer once more and turned around to see who had attacked him. Angel stood behind him in "game face" snarlingly angrily. "Get away from her." he snarled. The vampire not intimidated by Angel lunged at him. Angel was to angry to play any games, seeing how easily Buffy could be taken from him. He lunged as well, knocking the vamp to the ground and began pummeling him senslessly. When he stopped to search for a stake, the large vamp got up and ran. Not wanting to pursue in fear of Buffy's life he resorted to shouting. "Tell Spike he's going to pay for this." he yelled at the back of the retreating vampire. When Angel reverted his gaze at Buffy's prone form his anger turned to worry. He slipped back into his human guise and knelt beside her. "Buffy." he called to her softly. When she didn't respond or even stir he became worried. He checked to make sure she had a steady pulse and her breathing was normal. When he was assured of that, he lifted her small form into his arms as though she weighed a feather and headed towards the library. ******************** When Brutus stumbled back into the wharehouse a few minutes later he was immediately greeted by Spike. "Did you get her." Spike asked quickly. "Yeah, I got her. I was this far away from drinking her lifes blood when your buddy Angelus came along and stopped me." Brutus exclaimed. "Damn traitor." he replied pounding the table with his fist for emphasis. "What exactly happened?" he continued. "I threw her into a tree and she hit her head on a rock, knocked her unconscious and them your friend showed up." Brutus answered. "We might be able to use her injury to our advantage." Spike smiled evily. Realizing there may be a silver lining he began to scheme his next plan of action. ***************** Willow and Xander were chatting happily in the library, waiting for Buffy to get back from patroling so they could all go to the Bronze, while Giles had his head buried in a book as usual, when Angel came through the double doors carrying Bufffy's unconscious form in his arms. He gently laid her on the table. "Oh my God! What happened!?" Willow shouted. "What happened to Buffy?" Xander asked as well. Giles was immediately at her side checking her injuries. "I don't know exactly. Except for the fact that she was about to become vamp food, and I think she hit her head." Angel informed, although seeing Buffy laying there unconscious, cold fear struck his heart. Giles gently probed the base of her skull and felt the swollen lump begin to form. "Yes, she has a bump," Giles offered "but otherwise she seems to be fine." "Fine, she's not moving, you consider that fine? It must be a British thing." Xander was becoming paranoid. "I meant beside the obvious." Giles snapped back. Just then Buffy's eyes fluttered open. Everyone assembled held their breath (well almost everyone, Angel would if he could.) as she worked herself back into consciousness. Buffy let out a small moan and brought her hand up to her head. Angel helped her sit up. "Ouch." was the first word out of her mouth as she felt the bump. "Let me get you some ice." Giles offered. She just nodded. "Buffy, are you ok?" Willow asked concern written all over her face. Buffy didn't answer. Giles came back with some ice wrapped in a cloth and handed it to Buffy. "Thanks." she murmured as she placed the coldness on the bump. "Buffy." Angel called softly brushing the hair away from her face. For the first time she lifted her head and glanced at each in turn with a blank stare. There was no recognition in her eyes. "Who are you people?" she asked confused. The others starred at each other, but it was Xander who spoke. "Uh, oh." Xander murmured. "We're in trouble." ******************************** To be continued......... - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Hope (4/?) Date: 01 Mar 1998 18:05:41 PST Author: Sara B. Sara114@hotmail.com Rating: Varies...will be posted at beginning of each part. Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, yada yada yada belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox.... I’m just borrowing them, (although I wish Angel was mine!) Everything else belongs to me! Author’s note: This is your usual generic story. Angel is still good, so basically in my story surprise/innocence didn’t happen. Willow and Oz are together, and Xander and Cordy are still hiding their secret utility closet rondevu’s. This is going to be a long story, and will take some time so be patient with me. I’m not very good at story telling, so if this totally sucks and isn’t read-worthy, just let me know.Oh yeah, and I want feedback, feedback, and more feedback. I don’t care if it’s good or bad, just tell me what you thought of it. PART 4 PG A piercing scream broke the usual lunchroom chatter. Everyone shot their heads in the direction of it. “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HELP!!!!!!!!!” screamed the voice again. Just then Cordelia jumped up on one of the tables and screamed. “SOMEONE CATCH IT!!! OH MY GOD IT’S DISGUSTING!!!!!” Everybody stared at her in confusion. “Catch what?” a voice yelled. “A RAT! ITS A RAT! OH MY GOD!” she screamed. Her outburst caused an uproar. Soon everyone was screaming and trying to get out of the room. From the corner door of the room, Buffy, Willow, and Oz crouched. When they saw Snyder and all the other staff run in to try and break up the chaos, Buffy whispered to her friend, “You ready?” and Oz responded, “Yep!” “Then let them go!” At her command, Oz opened the box and a dozed rats into the room, causing even more of an uproar. The three of them immediately left, so they wouldn’t be spotted. “I have to give Cordy some credit. She is one good screamer.” Buffy said, laughing. “I didn’t think it would work!” Willow giggled. “Well the riot will only last so long so we’d better hurry.” They ran down the hall to the other end of the school to the electrical room. When they got there, Buffy grabbed the lock. “Well here goes nothin’!” she said, and pulled down with all her strength. The lock broke open easily. Buffy smiled when she saw Oz’s eyes widen “Ha. Cheap locks. Gotta love em’.” Buffy opened the door and stepped inside. “Okay, keep a watch out.” she whispered. “No prob.” Buffy turned on the light, which caused dust to go flying everywhere. “Good Lord! Its like no one has been in here for a hundred years,” she coughed. Looking at the main power source, she thought to herself She leaned in for a closer look, and saw a big lever. She pulled down hard and it broke off. “Uh Oh!” she said, and the power when out. She turned on her flashlight and grabbed a stake out of her bag and rammed it into the machine. It started sparking and smoke rose from behind it. “Buffy! Are you okay in there?” called Willow. She opened the door and Buffy came out, coughing. “We’d better get back to the library before someone catches us.” The Slayer nodded her head in agreement. She shut the heavy door and grabbed identical lock from her pocket that she had taken from Giles’ office and locked the door. They quickly left the scene. * * * * * “Whew! I’m so glad that worked!” Buffy said with relief as she walked through the doors of the library. “Damn. I didn’t think you could do it.” Oz said with a smile. “Oh..Buffy! I’m glad that your okay. The power when out and I wasn’t sure of what was going on...” he stopped speaking when he noticed her mischievous grin. “Oh dear. That was you?” “A job well done! They won’t be able to fix that generator for a while, so it’s only a matter of time before we should be getting the notice to leave.” Giles rubbed his temples. “Is that before or after your expelled?” Ignoring him, she sat on the table. “All we have to do is wait.” ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Hope (5/?) Date: 01 Mar 1998 18:07:19 PST Author: Sara B. Sara114@hotmail.com Rating: Varies...will be posted at beginning of each part. Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, yada yada yada belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox.... I’m just borrowing them, (although I wish Angel was mine!) Everything else belongs to me! Author’s note: This is your usual generic story. Angel is still good, so basically in my story surprise/innocence didn’t happen. Willow and Oz are together, and Xander and Cordy are still hiding their secret utility closet rondevu’s. This is going to be a long story, and will take some time so be patient with me. I’m not very good at story telling, so if this totally sucks and isn’t read-worthy, just let me know.Oh yeah, and I want feedback, feedback, and more feedback. I don’t care if it’s good or bad, just tell me what you thought of it. PART 5 G About twenty minutes later, they heard the library door open and saw Sunnydale High School’s Assistant Principal Brandt walk through. “Hello everyone.” “Hey Mr. Brandt. Is everything okay? We’ve been worried since the power went out.” Buffy said in her most innocent tone. “Yes, everything is fine. It seems as though someone broke into the school’s electrical room and busted the generator.” “Oh no! Can it be fixed?” “Not anytime soon. I came to let you know that school is canceled for at least the rest of the week, and there will be no more classes for the rest of the day. He said, and left. Buffy glanced at Giles with a big smile. “Like I said, a job well done.” she put her leather jacket on that Angel gave her, and put the book she had previously dropped into her bag. “I’m going to go see Angel now. I’ll come back in a couple of hours.” As the girl ran out of the library, Xander was coming in. She was in such a hurry that she almost knocked him over. “Woah! Where ya going?” He asked. “Bye Xander!” she yelled back. “Hmm,” he said and shrugged his shoulders. “This is sooo cool! No school. Hey guys did you here what happened in the cafeteria? A whole bunch of mice ran through and Cordelia freaked out,” he started laughing. “You should have seen the look on her face!” he said, laughing harder. “Then, to top it off, some kid caused the power to go out...” he stopped laughing when he noticed that they didn’t seem surprised. “What’s going on?” he asked, confused. “Well are you guys happy? I made a total fool out of myself just for you! Now my throat hurts from screaming so hard. Anyway, how did Buffy get the power to go out?” Cordelia said, walking into the room. “Wha...wait. You guys were behind this?” Xander asked, completely surprised. “I should have known.” “You gotta do what you gotta do,” Willow said, then busted up laughing. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Robert Rhoades Subject: BUFFYFIC: Sins of the Mother (7/9) Rated R, by Vapthorne Date: 02 Mar 1998 21:22:45 -0500 (EST) Title: Sins of the Mother 7/9 Author: Robbie Rhoades (a.k.a. Vapthorne) E-Mail: rorhoad@ibm.net or rrhoades@astro.ocis.temple.edu Spoiler: None, but this chapter is a lot like School Hard Distibution: Ask. Content Warning: This chapter get very violent and has a lot of foul language. Summary: Buffy's Mom looks back to her youth on an event that concerned vampires. Disclaimer: Joy Matthews (aka Joyce Summers) is not my character. She, along with Buffy and Co. belong to Joss, and Mutant Enemy. And belive me they have better things to do than to drag me in court. Feedback: The only way for me to continue and finish this story is with your feedback. Special Thanks to Sarah Douglas for editting. ***** Sins of the Mother, Part 7 The door to the ladies' room slowly creaked open. "All clear!" Joy whispered, as the three slowly stepped out. "What's our first move, fearless leader." Dalton asked. "Our first move is for you to get in volume down." Joy quietly explained, "If the vampires here us, we'll lose our element." "What element?" Rebecca wondered. "Surprise!" A mysterious voice replied from behind the teenage trio. They turned around and noticed two vampires and another demonic figure. "That element." Joy dimly said. She quickly took notice of the third being, carrying a spiked mace. Judging from the size of the monstrous party and the size of the massive demon, Joy knew that it would be unwise to fight. Logic told to do the next best thing. "Run!" Before the monsters could make the first move, the three youths retreated into the boys' restroom and had the door locked. "This went well." Dalton mentioned. The swift smash of the wooden door interrupted the conversation. "Shit! I don't think the door will hold." Rebecca dreaded with fright. "Not to mention the fact that we're trapped!" Despite the fact that death was upon them, Joy remained calm and in control as she examined her options. Confidence sparked when she noticed the window and the weapons that they were carrying. "No, we're not trapped." ***** The demon completely smashed the door, now the bathroom was free for entry. "Come on. Now we got..." The demon charged into the room, noticed that no one was in the bathroom, and became puzzled. "What the? These humans aren't magicians. Where did they..." He glanced at the opened window and realized what happened. "Of course, they escaped through the window. You two, give me a boost." The other two vampires quickly assembled to form a stand so the third on can climb up. The mace-wielding vampire placed his weapon to the ground and stepped on the backs of the two. "Now when I'm all the way up, hand me my mace..." He grabbed the ledge of the window and struggled to scale up, suddenly he lost support from the bottom. "What the..." Rebecca and Dalton sneaked up from behind the two vamps and stabbed them in the back turning them to dust. Apparently the adolescents had opened the window as a ruse, and hid in the bathroom stales, waiting to when the timing was right. Joy walked out of the third stale and pick up the mace. The remaining vampire lost his grip and fell on his back. The next thing he knew, Joy was standing on top of him. "You want your mace?" Joy sarcastically asked, "Well, here it is." She stroked the heavy weapon at his chest thrusting his heart a spiked end, now making him no different than the other two. "Three down in the first five minutes, that's what I call progress. Let's go." As the three walked down the hallway, Joy noticed the fire axe, so she smashed the glass with the mace, she handed the spike weapon to Dalton, and she gave the axe to Rebecca. Joy held the silver dagger firmly in her hand as she left the vampires in their dust. ***** "This girl is good." The Necromancer examined the three dust piles in the bathroom, long after Joy and the others left. "If I didn't posses foresight, I would say this female is the slayer." "What do we do?" Flower asked. "What about the other humans locked inside?" The Necromancer asked. "Half are in a classroom. The other half are in the library." Flower said. "Come, if we can't catch the girl, then we'll make her come to us." The Necromancer moved out of the bathroom and towards the library. "How?" Flower asked as she followed. "How does a fisherman catch a fish... with bait. " "You're Unholyness." Another vampire entered the bathroom dragging Claudia, who was barefooted, by the arm. Claudia did every effort to struggle free, but was unable to succeed. When she looked at the Necromancer, she became paralyzed with fright. "I found her trying to escape. What should we do with her?" "We place her on a hook." He said. "What?" Claudia shocked with fear. "Groovy man." Flower replied. ***** Joy, Rebecca, and Dalton, now near the cafeteria kitchen, continued their search for the vampires. "What was that?" Rebecca heard a small sound coming from the kitchen. The three quietly and cautiously stepped towards the sound. As they advanced forward, the pale vampire came into view, feasting on cheese. "I must say, you have a strong stomach if you can digest government cheese." Joy wisecracked. "So we meet again, Maiden, and I see you brought allies." The pale vampire declared, "Little good it will do you, when you experience my true power." The vampire demonstrated this power and morphed into a more demonic bat-like creature. The creature still possessed a fairly humanoid frame with a pair of wings attached to his back, almost like a hair-covered gargoyle. Everyone stood in daze, Joy seen vampires before, but never a monster like this. This monster stood massive compared to his old form, covered in fur, and snorted with terror. "What are you?" Joy asked, "You can't be a vampire." "But, I am." The were bat retorted, "I'm a special breed. A true creature of the night." He charged toward Joy, and just as he was to land on top of her, Dalton smashed his face with the spike club. The bat turned to Dalton and he knocked him down with his left wing. Rebecca hewed the fire axe into the back of the monster, despite the wound the blade dealt he was able to remove from his skin, and then he smacked the Asian girl across the face with his whip-like tail. While fending off the attack form the other two, he had shortly forgot about his intentional target, Joy Matthews. She took the opportunity to take her silver blade and stabbed the demon in the heart. However, a swift body movement on his part made her puncture his chest instead. The holy properties of the silver burned the bat's skin like acid. "Damn you, bitch." The monster grabbed Joy by the shirt and flung her toward the stove. He then leaped towards her with his claws ready to strike. However, she managed to roll out of the way just in time, and the bat lashed at the stove, causing it to knock over and the gas pipe busted. Rebecca sniffed the air, and she knew the room was filling up with gas. To aid Joy, Dalton gripped the mace and aimed towards the demon-bat. "No!" Rebecca halted him, "If you set off a spark, the whole school could go up." The winged vampire neared exhaustion from the metamorphosis and combat, he thought it would be best to flee. With supernatural agility he leaped past Rebecca towards the doorway and was no longer in sight. "Great, Batman got away." Dalton said. "At least we're all in one peace." Rebecca sighed with relief. "God damn it!" Joy cursed, "I almost nailed the fucking bastard!" She slammed her fist on the cold floor in frustration. Never in her life had Joy experienced such wrath and hatred towards anything. These increased encounters had been pushing Joy in a corner, and like anything pinned in a corner, the only way to escape with to fight with an inflamed rage. Joy realized that. "Joy?" Rebecca worried about the mental of her friend. "Let's go, there are still innocent people in danger." Joy commanded the other two out of the cafeteria. ***** Another vampire approached the Necromancer and handed him a roll of duct tape that he uncovered in a room right next to them. "What's that funky smell?" Flower inhaled the methane scented air. "Natural gas?" The Necromancer replied as he duct taped Claudia's feet and arms. "Please! Let me go." Claudia pleaded with the cloaked seer. "You can kill Joy if you want. I don't care; she's a bitch. Come on, mister scary guy, I'm just an average teenager who wants to live." "Why do you mortals think life is so important?" The Necromancer approached the redhead and placed his hand across her chin. "You're born, you spend a few decades running on this planet, you then die, and finally spend an eternity in heaven or hell. Tell me, in the broad scheme of this, what makes you're live so important?" "It's important because it's mine." Claudia noticed the demon bat creature that entered behind the Necromancer, and released a nasty scream. The dark foreteller turned around and eyed his wounds. "What happened to you?" He asked. "That woman and her two allies ambushed me." The demon collapsed on his knees and reverted back to his humanoid vampire form. "I failed you." "Where is she now?" "I left them in the kitchen." "Did this kitchen have a gas stove?" Flower asked "All kitchens have a gas stove, you groovy hippie trash." Claudia insulted. The hippie growled at the girl, and she quickly subdued her remarks. "Ah, that explains the odor." The Necromancer said. "What do we do?" The bat demon asked "We must find her." Flower said. "No." The Necromancer intervened. "Why not?" "We don't need to, as long as we know where they'll be going. Plus, we can't risk combat inside these walls with the gas. Let's go." ***** In the meantime, Joy moved to accomplish her primary objective, getting the teachers and students out of danger. It was her fault that they were in danger she knew it. Vampires wouldn't attack in such numbers just to feed, they wanted Joy dead, and they didn't care how they would do it. She placed them and her friends in danger. As Joy walked the hallways she wondered, 'Why me?" She had no idea why these vampires wanted her dead. She was just a normal girl; there was nothing special that vampires would consider threatening. Joy felt she was cursed, that was the only way to explain it. Until, these vampires were eliminated, she would not get any peace. As they walked down the empty hallways, Joy looked at Rebecca and Dalton. Now they became involved in her vampire trouble. Joy would rather want her friends to think that she was crazy then have them fought along side her. Actually, deep down, Joy would rather wish she were crazy. It would be a better alternative to the harsher fact that she wasn't crazy and these vampires were real. It was hard for Joy to know what her friends were really thinking. They stood by her side in this time of crisis. But, Joy thought how would they look at her after this was over. 'Would they forgive me for what I put them through?' she thought, 'Would they still want to be around me? Would anyone?' What became more important to Joy was the safety of the people trapped inside. The three moved towards the library, when they encountered two vampires that blocked them in the hallway. Joy immediately took a battle stance with her dagger held firmly in hand. One of the vampires morphed into his vampire face with his fangs extending outward. He hurdled towards the girl and knocked her down on the ground, as the other vampire turned his attention towards Joy's friends. Dalton grabbed the vampire and placed him in a headlock, while Rebecca tried to strike him down with fire axe. Unfortunately, the vampire managed to fling Dalton over the shoulder and towards the girl, causing them both to fall on the floor. Dalton's mace left his grasp and swiveled towards Joy and the other vampire. He then pulled Rebecca up by the hair and banged her face against his knee, then dropped her. Dalton didn't like to see his girlfriend being pounded like that, consequently he grabbed the vampire by his legs and pulled them away causing the vampire to fall down. The boy quickly regained a standing position, and he kicked the vampire in the chest. When the vampire stood up, Dalton aimed a fist toward his face. Ineptly, the vampire managed to grab the fist; he squeezed on the boy's hand hard, causing groans in pain. Rebecca quickly jumped up, and turned the vampire towards her, then kneed him in the stomach, and thrown a wild punch across his face. Finally, Dalton tripped the demon, grabbed the fire axe and staked his with the pointy end, turning him into dust. During the whole time, Joy had been wrestling with the other vampire. He tortuously squeezed her hand, forcing the silver blade to drop to the ground. With Joy pinned to the floor, he stood on top of her and started to choke her. Struggling to break free, she managed to pull out her wooden cross, which she had concealed in the back of her shirt. With the cross she pressed it against his chest: repelling him to fall back and off of her. She picked up her silver knife, and stabbed him deep in the leg. She started to fell intense hatred for vampires, it wasn't enough for them just to die and turn to dust. She wanted them to suffer physcically for what they were doing to her mentally. As she sliced the vampire upward, she felt a strange desire to kill. To her it was no longer self-defense, it suddenly converted to a passion to kill, to murder these unholy being for the fruition. It was the same purpose that vampires had towards feeding on humans, when the demon took over the body. A demon started to conquer Joy's spirit. Tired of being stalked by the vampires, she decided to destroy them. Joy noticed the mace next to her, with the spike weapon she brutally hammered the vampire. She tired not to aim for the heart this time; she did not want him to simply turn to dust. After several strikes across the body and face, the vampire started to resemble a blood-like pudding. Half of his bones were crashed and eyes glared for mercy, she continued her assault emotionlessly, showing no mercy. The heartless tears on Joy's face were not signs of sadness, pity, or feeling it was cold pure hatred. With a frozen heart and a burning fury, Joy suddenly became the demon and the vampire remained the helpless victim. "Joy!" Rebecca tried to reach her friend, but she did not respond. "Joy!" Dalton quickly pulled the mace off of Joy, and Rebecca moved towards her and slapped her on the face, "Snap out of it! He's dead." Realizing the act of sin just committed, Joy froze and stared at her two friends. "What am I doing?" Joy first thought to herself, "What have I become? A monster?" "I'm sorry!" Joy sobbed, "I don't know what came over me?" The wrath-struck teen took another look at her friends. She suddenly realized what her real sin was, putting those she cared about in danger. "They never asked to be a part of this ordeal." She thought, "Neither did I, unfortunately, but, I still managed to drag them into this. Why? What did they do to deserve this? Would they want to be my friends when this is over?" The paradox dawned on her; it would never be over, she realized, the vampire made that clear. However, Joy had to focus on the primary task of getting the trapped students and teachers out of the building. Luckily they were just outside the library and no vampires were in sight. ***** "What's that knocking?" A trapped student asked trying to maintain alertness. The lack of ventilation in the closed library made it hard for the people to stay awake with the toxic gases flowing. Half of the people were already in a death-invited sleep. "Open up!" Joy's voice boomed across the door, "It's me Joy! The coast is clear." Rayer and a few other teachers removed the barricades from the doors, and opened them. Joy quickly sheathed her blade and concealed it under her shirt before anyone could notice it. "Joy?" Rayer concernedly asked, "Are you all right? What's going on?" "Bunch of goons broke into the school and forced us in this situation." Rebecca said, "Were you paying attention?" "I know that much, but why? And, who are they?" "You don't wanna know!" Joy told, "We just need to get out of here." Joy, Rayer, and the others carried the unconscious outside of the gas-infested school, and near the parking lot. Joy sighed with relief that everyone managed to escape all right. "Wait!" Joy silently realized, "There are more inside. About 5 trapped in the one classroom." "I'm going back inside." Joy announced, "There are still others trapped." "No." Rayer intervened, "I'll go get them out. It's too dangerous for a child to go in there." "You're still weak from the gas leak." Joy explained, "By the way? How did the gas fill up in the library so quickly?" "The ventilation system must have seeped the gas more quickly in the library than in other rooms." "Well, we better get going." Joy said, "Dalton come with me. Rebecca you should stay here and help the others." ***** "Okay, where are the others locked?" Joy asked when she first stepped back into the building. "Good question, now all it needs is an answer." Dalton replied. "Let's start looking." Joy moved to the nearest classroom, banged on the door tried to see if anyone is still inside. The fact that all of the classroom doors were locked added the difficulty. A minute of knocking on one door, realizing that no one was in there they moved on to another and continued for a while. ***** "How long have they been in there?" asked Rayer as he checked his watch. "It must have been an hour. Someone should have gone to get help." "Claudia went." Rebecca said, turned and noticed a small object. The object was too small to see in the darkness. After getting close enough she determined that they were a small pair of shoes. 'Who's shoes could these be?' Suddenly the pale vampire sneaked up from behind Rebecca; she had found her answer. "Sorry." The vampire smirked, "You're friend didn't quite make it." "Who they hell are you?" Rayer approached the pale vampire, and naturally, the vampire answered with a swift swing across the face. He then extended his fangs to feed on the principal's blood. However since was knocked out, the pale vampire decided to feed on someone else, saving Rayer for a later time. Rebecca's next reaction was to locate the fire axe. Where did she put it? Swiftly, she remembered she laid it down on the ground somewhere. Peering through the darkness she suddenly spotted it. The sharp edged weapon was almost within her grasp, however it became inaccessible when someone's foot prevented it to be picked up. Rebecca focused her attention upward to see the hippie demon, Flower. "Oh, poor little thing." Flower teased, "Do you want you're axe. Awe, bummer bitch." The hippie grabbed Rebecca by the neck and had a sudden urge for an oriental meal. "Time for my midnight snack." "No, Flower." The Necromancer marched from the night darkness, along with the remaining vampires and the captive Claudia; "This one can serve our greater purpose." ***** "Come on. I think this is it." Joy pushed against the door with all her might, "Almost got it." She took a few paces away and rammed the door with her body. Now she was inside the small, almost claustrophobic, classroom, and shrieked with fright, "Oh, my god." "What is it?" Dalton stepped inside and saw what had happened, "Dear lord. Are they..." "I'm afraid so, they're all dead." Joy gazed at the dead students and teachers; "We didn't get here in time. They been trapped in this small room for too long, with the gas." Her words started to become muddled by her sobbing tears of sorrow. "Joy! This isn't your fault, you know that." Dalton felt little comfort; at least they all died peacefully and not at the hands of the vampires. Joy bent down to the several bodies, laid them on the backs, and closed their open, dead eyelids. This was truly painstaking for Joy, to witness innocent people, some who barely begun life and had it ahead of them, dead like this. They were trapped like rats, afraid to come out of hiding, forced to die slowly. "Joy! We need to get going." ***** Meanwhile, the vampires treated themselves to the students and teachers that they surrounded. By now, everyone one of them, excluding Rayer, Rebecca, and Claudia, filled the hungry monster's veins. And their drained bodies dropped to the ground like food scraps. "Oh my god!" Rebecca looked into the Necromancer's shadowy image, which was taping the girl's arms and legs in the same fashion with Claudia, preventing her from moving. "You're that macromanner Joy's been talking." "I am the Necromancer, bard of the unholy." "With a tendency to brag and become overly poetic." Flower joked. From the chilling brow he raised at Flower told her that he was not pleased, "It was a joke. I figure since people were going to die soon, I should give a little bit of humor in there last minute of there miserable existence." "Now who's being overly poetic." Claudia retorted. "Girl you need to shut up." Flower threatened, "You are not putting me in a groovy mood." Rayer managed to awake. With the pale one disorientated, the principal pushed him aside and grabbed the dark seer. "You son of a bitch!" Rayer, who never took abuse from disobedient students would certainly not take for any necromancer, gathered his strength and, vainly, punched the cloaked figure in the stomach. Weak from the blood drain, Rayer, unable to stand on feet, fell to his knees. The Necromancer, showing no signs of brutal anger or any kind of reaction, extended his right arm towards the foolish principal and chanted, "Will of the Wisp, I summon thee to cleanse this infidel to the unholy realm of Hades." At the very instant he cast the spell, Joy and Dalton exited the school just in time to witness the evil wizard's magic. Small points of lights materialized around the Necromancer. Will 'o Wisps, creatures of pure magic that can enter the Earth plane when summoned. Joy read about them in Fairy lore, but never had a second thought about their existence. They glowed violently and swooped down towards Rayer, passing through his flesh. The painful passing of their flight, become evident as the principal screamed violently. They moved faster and slowly he started to burn, his flesh vaporized, organs scorched, and soon nothing was left but a burned skeleton. As the Will 'o Wisps dematerialized, Joy took a spectator at gruesome death for the first time. Tired of fear and sorrow, her hatred for the Necromancer flared. She reached for her silver dagger, for soon she will have it stained with the prophet's blood. "You bastard!" Joy advanced toward him, ignoring Dalton's warning to stop, as if she challenged him to a duel. "We finally meet again, Joy Matthews." The Necromancer said. Joy raised her blade in preparation to strike, but see saw Rebecca and Claudia held by his two chief vampire and at their mercy, so she declined her battle stance and desisted right in the center of the street. "Pity it must end like this." The Necromancer pressed his palms upward, with his open hands forming an arch upward, then as he chanted and a purple-flame sparked between his fingers. When the flame was fully formed, he fired it towards Joy. The impact from the fireball engulfed her body, and paralyzed all of her senses. Unable to move a single nerve, Joy stood in suspended animation. The spell bolt never made contact with Dalton, but just the majestic image of it was enough to freeze him. The masked sorcerer walked towards his conquered foe, he looked into Joy's frozen eye. As she stood like a motionless statue, he carefully removed the silver dagger locked in her grasp. "Ironic, how this final conflict ended. I was expecting more of a fight, yet it only started and finished with a mere gesture." The Necromancer knew that Joy could still hear his words and see his action. However, unable to move he wondered what how frightful she must be felling as he touched her skin. The more he imagined her terror, the more pleasure he gained. The fingers on his left hand felt her soft silk-like hair, while with the thumb, index, and middle finger grasped the bottom of the blade's handle. The very tip of the silver-plated knife penetrated a small fine point in the back of Joy's neck. The blood slowly trickled from her neck, and the Necromancer knew victory was his. "Now, young siren. You will soon join my undead chorus." The doom-bringing seer raised the dagger, ready to stab. Dalton, realizing what was about to happen, shook off his petrifaction and charged towards the Necromancer. Knocked to the ground by a crashing body slam, the wizard dropped Joy's sword. Dalton created a fist with his hand and, in a roundhouse fashion, nailed his enemy across the face. The Necromancer pushed Dalton away from him, and got back on his. Dalton reclaimed his footing as well, and gazed into the Necromancer's eyes. He did not know what the dark mage's next move would be; zap him with glowing sparks, or solidify him with a purple fireball. As the Necromancer started another spell, Dalton prayed that Joy would come to her sense. A sound had broken the silence, the sound of a motorcycle. Dalton looked to identify the sound and saw a young woman riding a scooter bike, riding towards them. At the speed she was going, he knew that she would not let three people in her path stop her. Hastily he grabbed the fleshed statue Joy, threw her over his shoulder, and moved them both to safety. The biker skidded at a perpendicular angle with the Necromancer. The moment the girl jumped off her bike, he knew what would happen. The speed of the flatten bike skewed too fast for any reaction. The scooter smacked into the Necromancer legs, forcing a violent and extremely painful crash to the ground. The young girl walked over to Joy and Dalton. "Is she alright?" The little brunette asked. "I do know you?" Dalton asked. The Necromancer stirred with ache, and turned towards his four vampires, "You idiots... don't just stand there... kill them." "Sorry no time to introduce myself." The girl said, "We got company." Flower and the bat demon dropped their two hostages on the cold concrete, and engaged with the other two vampires. Just as the vampires were closing in, An electric bolt fired from the distance; the swift bolt zapped a vampire into dust. The Necromancer regained footing and located the source of the bolt. "Kane!" The Necromancer saw the dark stranger advancing from the distance. "Long time, indeed Aya." Cecil greeted his shadowy acquaintance. The spellbind on Joy as finally, and she now had the ability to move freely. As her vision focused she saw Dalton and the young girl at her side. "Jana?" Joy recognized the girl from those nights ago. "Hey Joy, I thought you might be here." "You two know each other?" Dalton asked. "We just meet." The two girls answered simultaneously. The third vampire charged at them. Joy quickly subdued him and knocked him aside. "Do those two know each other?" Dalton referred to Cecil and the Necromancer Jonas. "Good question." Joy inquired. "Jana?" She turned to her friend for an answer. "I dunno, this is knew to me." Joy wondered what the connection Kane had with her archfoe. "It's been awhile." The Necromancer addressed, "I would ask why you are here, but I know. I applaud your victory of finding me here, pity our interests conflict." The Necromancer removed the hood that shadowed the face, and Joy never imagined what it revealed. The Necromancer was a woman, with long orange hair. Under the jaded cloak and garments, Joy could tell whether the Necromancer's physique was masculine or feminine. White bandages wrapped Aya's neck, explaining why her voice didn't sound purely womanly. "But you are beaten." Cecil retorted with confidence, "We have you surrounded." "You are correct, love." Realized the Necromancer, "Where does the time go? Come my followers." The chief vampires and the Necromancer crowded around the two tied virgins. The vampires grabbed their hostages and the Necromancer, with her finger pointing downward, gestured a circular motion. Smoke slowly risen around them, and quickly concealed them. "No!" Cecil leaped into the smoke screen in hopes to grab the Necromancer. The smoke finally cleared and they were all gone; Flower, the bat demon, Claudia, Rebecca, and the Necromancer, all of them... gone, leaving questions for Joy, Dalton, and even Jana. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Tina Subject: BUFFYFIC: "The Hellmouth's Greatest Threat" (1/1) (fwd) Date: 02 Mar 1998 11:45:50 -0600 (CST) This is all for fun, and also because I'm an incredibly sarcastic woman. Everyone belongs to Joss and such, even though he's not telling the story right. Post-"Passion" stuff is in here, in case you hadn't guessed by my level of irritation. Feedback is, as has been mentioned in everything else I've written that's up here, greatly appreciated. The story is up at Ms. Calendar's Doman and the Sunnydale Slayers Fic Archive, but I'll probably ask Anya to link to it (later, once I get the long story finished, and that way I'll ask you about updates all at once). This is also post-"Passion" fic that was *intended* to be badfic, at least until Jenny showed up. She was *really* mad about that whole "dead" thing. "The Hellmouth's Greatest Threat" by Tina Cooling Copyright 1998 "Hello," said the woman, who was wearing a deep emerald velvet dress. She leaned into the library and looked around. "I'm looking for my sister?" She stepped inside and came face to face with Rupert Giles. Her eyes, as emerald green as her dress, widened in surprise. "May I help you?" He asked politely, though distractedly, while gazing deeply into her eyes. "My sister?" She blinked and looked around. "Jenny Calendar? She wrote and told me that she needed me to come here." "I'm sorry," said Giles, his eyes traveling up and down her lithe body. "Your sister's dead." A wordless cry of psychic energy burst from the woman, nearly staggering Giles with the strength of the anguish he could feel in it. She fell into his arms, muttering weakly. Giles bent his head to see if she was all right, and she pulled him down to her, kissing him feverishly. "Goddamn it, Rupert," Jenny Calendar said, slamming through the doors of the library. "What the hell do you think you're doing? I died *two* *days* ago!" The woman dropped to the floor abruptly. Rupert stood and looked at Jenny, his mouth hanging open and an expression of extreme shock on his face. "Jenny?" His eyes widened. "Dear God, I thought you were dead!" "I was," she said, pushing her hair out of her eyes and giving the woman an exasperated look. "But do you honestly expect me to stay dead with a hussy like *that* after you?" Goddess, Rupert, what is it with women like them?" "Excuse me?" It was all he could do to speak, befuddled as he was. "Mary Sues." Jenny glared around the library, possibly searching for more of them. "Did she touch anything? We'll have to disinfect." "She's not, ah, your sister?" Rupert took off his glasses and began polishing them, steadfastly avoiding looking at either woman. "Of course not!" Jenny threw up her arms in frustration. "I told you that I'm an only child!" She crossed her arms and glared at Rupert. "She wasn't given up for adoption, we weren't forcibly separated at a young age, we didn't have any strange mystical experiences that bonded us in the womb, she's bloody *Mary* Sue*!" "And who, might I ask, is Mary Sue?" Giles put his glasses back on, as they really couldn't get any cleaner, and proceeded to file index cards with a concentration that was, perhaps, a bit more than needed for such a simple task. "*She* is," said Jenny. "So are a million other women. At least it feels like a million, because there are so many of them." She sighed. "Mary Sue happens to be a particularly hideous form of possession. Unfortunately, the Hellmouth seems to attract a larger than usual amount of them." Jenny started pacing back and forth. "Mary Sues tend to have astonishingly beautiful and unusually colored eyes, amazing psychic powers, usually telepathy, gorgeous, well-stacked figures, incredibly loud and amazing singing abilities." She turned and looked Giles in the eyes. "They also have the power to make attractive male leads fall instantly in love with them for no reason whatsoever." "Attractive," said Giles, smiling slightly and glancing up from his filing at Jenny. "Oh, don't start with me, Rupert Giles," said Jenny. "You're in enough trouble as it is." The woman shifted and raised her head, opening her mouth. A single, pure note rang from her throat, and... ...Jenny grabbed a stake off the table and plunged it into Mary Sue's back. "Dear God!" Giles stared in shock as the woman's corpse dissipated into mist. He stared at Jenny, who smiled grimly. "Are you..." He paused and glanced in the direction of the cemetery. "Going back?" "Hardly," said Jenny. "Since there are reports of my death everywhere, Mary Sues are going to be showing up by the score in Sunnydale. Hurt/comfort Mary Sues even, who are the worst of the breed." She smiled and took a step toward him. "Someone's got to protect you." "So, ah, what do we do now?" Giles set his filing down *very* carefully. "Well," said Jenny, taking another step closer, "there's something we haven't had the chance to do yet." "That would be what?" Rupert swallowed, and Jenny kissed him and dragged him down behind the desk. "Shut up, Rupert," Jenny told him, flinging his tie into the air, and then no words were spoken for a *very* long time. Fin. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Leslie S." Subject: BUFFYFIC: DISCUSS: Buffyfic common writing problems Date: 02 Mar 1998 19:26:11 PST I was wondering is anyone thinks it is a good idea to post common errors that can be found in some of the stories (not to be named). For example, do writers want to know that when they want to shorten "you are" the correct form is "you're" and not "your"? What does anybody think? ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Michelle" Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: DISCUSS: Buffyfic common writing problems Date: 02 Mar 1998 21:50:01 -0600 Leslie, From the notices I see on some stories that say "Hasn't been edited yet," I'd say some people aren't overly concerned. Personally, I think a story should be checked for grammar BEFORE it's posted. But then that's just me, and I certainly don't want to waggle my finger at anyone. I'm just happy to be reading Buffy stories. :-) Michelle -----Original Message----- >I was wondering is anyone thinks it is a good idea to post common errors >that can be found in some of the stories (not to be named). > >For example, do writers want to know that when they want to shorten "you >are" the correct form is "you're" and not "your"? > >What does anybody think? > >______________________________________________________ >Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com > >- > - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: JMHnoodles Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: DISCUSS: Buffyfic common writing problems Date: 02 Mar 1998 23:44:10 EST In a message dated 98-03-02 22:56:11 EST, you write: << From the notices I see on some stories that say "Hasn't been edited yet," I'd say some people aren't overly concerned. Personally, I think a story should be checked for grammar BEFORE it's posted. >> As sick as this sounds, I actually enjoy proofreading. If anyone doesn't feel like checking their story for spelling and grammar or just doesn't have the time, I'd be happy to help. Feel free to email me (JMHnoodles@aol.com) jen (the noodlebrain) - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "The Mistress" Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: Buffyfic: Beta Request Date: 01 Mar 1998 22:52:52 EST >I've never watched Weird Science. Is it something that I would need to >know for the 'fic to make sense? > >Amber > >- Not at all. > > ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: nothoney@olg.com (slb) Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: DISCUSS: Buffyfic common writing problems Date: 03 Mar 1998 05:02:02 -0500 At 11:44 PM 3/2/98 -0500, JMHnoodles wrote: >In a message dated 98-03-02 22:56:11 EST, you write: > ><< From the notices I see on some stories that say "Hasn't been edited yet," > I'd say some people aren't overly concerned. Personally, I think a story > should be checked for grammar BEFORE it's posted. >> > >As sick as this sounds, I actually enjoy proofreading. If anyone doesn't feel >like checking their story for spelling and grammar or just doesn't have the >time, I'd be happy to help. Feel free to email me (JMHnoodles@aol.com) That's not sick, that's my job! Personally, if I find errors in grammar, punctuation or spelling in the first couple of sentences, I don't finish the story. If you're going to take time to write and post, have someone reliable check it first. Sheryl NotHoney@olg.com Ravenette~Slayerette~Discoverer~SunS "Passion is the source of our finest moments. The joy of love, the clarity of hatred, and the ecstasy of grief ..." Angel, BTVS Moo: A Fan Fiction Zine http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Cafe/3063 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Michelle" Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: DISCUSS: Buffyfic common writing problems Date: 03 Mar 1998 07:09:32 -0600 Sheryl, What a coincidence, that's my job too! Michelle -----Original Message----- >At 11:44 PM 3/2/98 -0500, JMHnoodles wrote: >>In a message dated 98-03-02 22:56:11 EST, you write: >> >><< From the notices I see on some stories that say "Hasn't been edited yet," >> I'd say some people aren't overly concerned. Personally, I think a story >> should be checked for grammar BEFORE it's posted. >> >> >>As sick as this sounds, I actually enjoy proofreading. If anyone doesn't feel >>like checking their story for spelling and grammar or just doesn't have the >>time, I'd be happy to help. Feel free to email me (JMHnoodles@aol.com) > >That's not sick, that's my job! > >Personally, if I find errors in grammar, punctuation or spelling in the >first couple of sentences, I don't finish the story. If you're going to >take time to write and post, have someone reliable check it first. > >Sheryl > >NotHoney@olg.com >Ravenette~Slayerette~Discoverer~SunS >"Passion is the source of our finest moments. The joy of love, >the clarity of hatred, and the ecstasy of grief ..." Angel, BTVS > Moo: A Fan Fiction Zine > http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Cafe/3063 > > > > > >- > - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: sah Subject: BUFFYFIC: ADMIN: List rules Date: 03 Mar 1998 16:36:06 -0600 Welcome! This list is for fiction related to "Buffy The Vampire Slayer," both the TV series and the movie. To ensure that we all get to enjoy as much fiction as possible, please adhere to the following guidelines, and please save them for future reference. 1. Fiction should have Buffy characters in it and clearly be related to Buffy. Crossovers are great, and expected, but general vampire/monster stories that aren't in the Buffy universe and don't use Buffy characters belong somewhere else. 2. Discussion of posted fiction is permitted onlist. Please put "DISCUSS" in your subject line. Requests for missing story parts should go directly to the author, and not be posted to the list. Discussion that is not related directly to the fiction should go over to the general Buffy list. Discussion of fiction is expected to follow common netiquette guidelines and use PG-13 language. 3. No advertising of items or services, Buffy related or not, and no posting of non-story items such as .gifs, sound files, etc.. No attached files of kind-- if your mailer makes your fiction into attached files, you need to find another way to get it to the list. 4. If you're writing a story and including advance information on a new episode, and you're posting your story earlier than the national viewing time, please: **Mark the post as a "spoiler" in the subject header. **Leave about twelve lines (blank or with non-spoiler info) at the top of the post. This ensures that anyone who doesn't like knowing about an episode ahead of time is "protected." :) The blank space is for people whose mailers automatically open up the next piece of mail, without giving them a chance to see "spoiler" in the header. Spoiler warnings are not necessary after the start of the episode's national viewing time, which is currently set at 9 p.m. Mondays, Eastern Standard Time. Spoiler warnings are not necessary for reruns. 5. This list is absolutely NOT for erotic fiction. stronger than sexually PG-13 material is to be posted to the list under any circumstances. A story may be R rated for violence or language, however. If you have a question about something's suitability for posting, feel free to ask one of the listowners. Sending sexually explicit material will get you immediately and permanently unsubscribed. No exceptions. 6. By subscribing and/or posting to this list, you acknowledge that Buffy the Vampire slayer and all characters associated with either the televised series or the motion picture were created by Josh Whedon and are owned by Mutant Enemy productions, Kuzui Productions, Sandollar Productions, and 20th Century Fox. All stories posted to this list are for entertainment purposes only, are not sold for profit of any kind, and are not intended to infringe on any copyrights. 7. When posting stories to the list, please follow the following formatting guidelines --No story parts longer than 250 lines --No lines longer than 75 characters --Turn off your "smart quotes"-- many readers receive these as garbage or weird symbols --Put the title of the story in the subject header, indicate if it's a multipart story, and if so what part this is. Example: Buffy Meets Godzilla (2/65) indicates that this post is part two of a 65 part story. 8. If a story is rated "R" for language/violence, indicate this in an introduction. For example, "There's a really bloody fight scene at the end of this part" or "if you don't like dismemberment, stop reading now!" If there's chance that someone might be disturbed by something in your story (even if it's not rated R) please include some kind of warning up front. 9. And last, but not least, the listowners reserve the right to deny subscription (new, renewed, or continued) to the list for any individual(s). PLEASE NOTE: not following any or all of these rules will get you the following: **First offense: offender is unsubscribed for one week. **Second offense: offender is unsubscribed to the Buffyfic list for a minimum of three months. **If the offender returns and does it again, they're offlist permanently. As noted above, posting sexually explicit material is the exception -- you go straight to permanent unsubbing. Again, welcome! If you have any questions about these rules, please contact either one of us offlist. If you have subscription problems or questions, the fastest way to get help is to e-mail one of us at the addresses below, at the kirby@xmission.com addy which is the "official" e-mail owner of the list. Jill Kirby (jtkirby@mcs.com) & Sharon Himmanen (romana@mindspring.com) Listowners, Buffy the Vampire Slayer Fiction List buffyfic@xmission.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Hope (3/?) Date: 03 Mar 1998 17:17:25 PST Author: Sara B. Sara114@hotmail.com Rating: Varies...will be posted at beginning of each part. Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, yada yada yada belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox.... I’m just borrowing them, (although I wish Angel was mine!) Everything else belongs to me! Author’s note: This is your usual generic story. Angel is still good, so basically in my story surprise/innocence didn’t happen. Willow and Oz are together, and Xander and Cordy are still hiding their secret utility closet rondevu’s. This is going to be a long story, and will take some time so be patient with me. I’m not very good at story telling, so if this totally sucks and isn’t read-worthy, just let me know.Oh yeah, and I want feedback, feedback, and more feedback. I don’t care if it’s good or bad, just tell me what you thought of it. PART 3 PG Buffy pushed open the heavy door and looked over at Snyder, who was talking to a girl that Buffy didn’t recognize. . Buffy thought. She stood there for a moment, looking at her. She was very pretty, with bright green eyes and long blond hair that fell past her shoulders. . As Buffy made her way over to Snyder, she suddenly got the shivers. She could feel the hair raise on the back of her neck. “Ah, Miss Summers. Good of you to *finally* join us.” he said in his usual cynical tone. “Ha Ha, right. Join you.” she said with a fake laugh. “So, ha, this must be the new girl.” Buffy moved closer, and with every step, she got more of an uncomfortable feeling. . “This fine young lady is Hope Wilson. Hope, this is Buffy Summers. She will be your guide around Sunnydale High School.” Hope reached out to shake Buffy’s hand. When their palms touched, a warm tingle sensation shot through her body. Buffy gasped and dropped Hopes hand. “Is there something wrong?” Hope asked, slightly offended. “Oh, uh, no. Not at all,” she managed a slight smile. “Its uh, nice to meet you.” “Um, yeah. Nice to meet you too,” “Well I have things to do.” As Snyder began to walk away, he whispered in Buffy’s ear, “Remember. I’ll be watching you. Don’t mess up.” Buffy felt extremely uncomfortable around Hope. The aura coming off of her was extraordinary. She had never felt anything like it. When their hands touched and Buffy felt that sensation, she knew that something was very different, yet very familiar about her. Finally after what seemed like hours, Buffy spoke. “Well, um...” she said. Then something sparked. She had to show this girl to Giles. “I’d like you to meet some of my friends,” she said quickly, and grabbed Hope’s hand as she pulled her thought the library doors. No one in their looked up, not even when the door slammed shut behind them. “Hey! Guys! I want you to meet somebody. Her name is Hope Wilson, and she is new at SHS.” The slayeretts got up and came over to say hello. “Uh, Hope, this is Willow, Xander, and Cordelia.” “Hi,” Hope mustered to say. She was very nervous. “Wweellll Hello there,” Xander said in his suave tone, “It is *such* a pleasure to meet you.” “Hello! Are your hormones raging much?” Cordelia said, and gave him a ‘what do you think you are doing’ look. Xander ignored her comment and continued to speak. “My name is Xander, and I was wondering if I could be of *any* assistance to you.” . “Down Boy!!!” Cordelia yelled. She was extremely jealous. Willow felt a twang of jealousy ignite in her. Xander always seemed to go ga ga over every girl but her. She could see the same look in his eyes that shone when he first saw Buffy. . As Willow went to say hi, Buffy dragged her away from Hope. “Will where is Giles?” “Um, he is in his office, why?” “I have to talk to him...” At that moment Giles walked over to the group. “What do you need, Buffy?” “Giles! Come meet the new girl.” Buffy pulled Hope over to where he was standing. “This is Hope. Hope, this is Giles.” Giles looked at the girl and was about to speak but stopped. He just looked at her with the oddest expression. Buffy knew that he felt it too. Even though he was just a watcher, he too had a strong sense for weird, unexplainable things. “Um, is there something wrong?” Hope asked. “W-Whhat? Oh, uh, no. O..o-of course not,” he stumbled over his words. “Its nice to meet you, Hope.” At that moment, the bell rang. “Oh look...the bell. Its time you kids got off to class.” Giles gestured to Xander, who immediately got the hint. “Right. Class. Well, ha ha, We’d all better go then. Hope, may I escort your beautifulness there?” he asked, taking her hand. “Jeez, drool much?” Cordelia muttered. “You may,” she said, blushing. She turned to look at them. “Like I said, it was really nice to meet you all.” “I’ll talk to you after class Hope. We can all eat lunch together!” Buffy said with half a smile. “Bye!” The moment the two teenagers were gone, Buffy grabbed Giles’ arm. “Okay, what the *hell* is going on? I get the weirdest sensation when I’m around her, and when we shook hands, I got warm tinglies all over my body. Something isn’t right here.” Giles was at a total loss for words. “I...I don’t really know. I could feel it too. It really quite perplexing” He managed to say. Cordelia sighed. “Well you guys can finish your little conversation alone. I’ve better things to do.” She said, leaving the library. Willow grabbed her arm before she made it through the doors. “Stop, you have to stay here.” “I don’t’ have to do anything,” she replied in her snobby voice. “There is still a lot to be done, and now we have more things to worry about” Cordelia just stood there, looking at her. “You are going to say here and help us figure this all out. Now sit down and grab a book and start looking!” Willow commanded. She didn’t want to stay, but she knew that they needed her. “Ugghh. Fine.” She walked over to the chair she had been sitting in and sat down with a plop. “This is all giving me a major case of the wiggins. I have to find out more about Hope. Where she lives, where she used to live, if she has any kind of connection with the weird forces of the Hellmouth, or if she has any kind of connection with this prophecy.” Buffy said. “I have an idea.” Cordy piped up. The three of them turned to look at her with disbelief. “Uggh! What?” she said with disgust. “Anyway,” she continued, ignoring them, “we should take her to the Bronze tonight. That way you can learn get more info about her.” The Slayer thought for a moment. “That’s a real good idea Cordelia. Willow, you can bring Oz, and I can get Xander and we can take Hope...” “*Excuse me*? *Who* came up with the idea?” “We can take Hope *and* Cordelia to the Bronze.” Buffy plopped down next to Willow, who was searching on the net. “Any luck, Will?” “No, not yet. Sorry, Buffy.” “Its okay. Just keep searching. All of you should keep researching. Meanwhile, I’m going to go see Angel. I’ll be back before school get out,” she got up and grabbed her bag. “Wait! Buffy!” Willow jumped out of her chair and grabbed the girls arm. “What?” she asked, with a confused look. “If Snyder finds out you have left, you’ll be toast. You have to stay here with Hope.” “Oh God, I almost forgot!” Buffy groaned and slapped her forehead. She plopped back down in her chair. “Now what do I do?” At that moment, the bell rang. “Well, class is out. I have to find Xander and Hope.” She looked at the clock. It said 11:15. She glanced at Giles. “Giles, I can’t stay here all day long. There are more important things we have to get done.” He pondered for a moment. “Well unless something happens, school won’t get out early.” “School get out early, school get out early,” Buffy repeated quietly. “I’ve got it! Somehow I have to get school let out early. But how?” “Well last time we had an early release it was because of a power outage. The school’s generator broke down.” a familiar male voice said. Startled, they all looked at the door to see Oz standing there. “Uh, hey guys. Sorry, I didn’t mean to listen in to your conversation, but I couldn’t help overhearing.” “That’s okay,” Willow said, her face lighting up when she saw him. She jumped up and gave him a hug. Buffy smiled. She was so happy for her friend. she thought. “I ran into Xander a couple of minutes ago, and he briefly explained everything to me, and I thought I should come and see if you could use some help.” “We definitely can. So what is this you said about the generator?” Asked Buffy. “Well last year the power was cut off for a week because a couple of kids broke into the electrical room and busted it.” Oz said. “Oh I remember that! They jammed it with a broom...right into the core of it.” Willow said. “Well all I have to do then is somehow jam it again.” The Slayer said. “Uh, and how do you expect to manage that? Since it happened the janitor put a big lock on the electrical room door, and I doubt that he is just going to *let* you in.” Said Cordelia. “Than I will just have to break the lock, and I’ve got just the plan to do it.” ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Hope (4/?) Date: 03 Mar 1998 17:20:07 PST Author: Sara B. Sara114@hotmail.com Rating: Varies...will be posted at beginning of each part. Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, yada yada yada belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox.... I'm just borrowing them, (although I wish Angel was mine!) Everything else belongs to me! Author's note: This is your usual generic story. Angel is still good, so basically in my story surprise/innocence didn't happen. Willow and Oz are together, and Xander and Cordy are still hiding their secret utility closet rondevu's. This is going to be a long story, and will take some time so be patient with me. I'm not very good at story telling, so if this totally sucks and isn't read-worthy, just let me know.Oh yeah, and I want feedback, feedback, and more feedback. I don't care if it's good or bad, just tell me what you thought of it. PART 4 PG A piercing scream broke the usual lunchroom chatter. Everyone shot their heads in the direction of it. “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HELP!!!!!!!!!” screamed the voice again. Just then Cordelia jumped up on one of the tables and screamed. “SOMEONE CATCH IT!!! OH MY GOD IT’S DISGUSTING!!!!!” Everybody stared at her in confusion. “Catch what?” a voice yelled. “A RAT! ITS A RAT! OH MY GOD!” she screamed. Her outburst caused an uproar. Soon everyone was screaming and trying to get out of the room. From the corner door of the room, Buffy, Willow, and Oz crouched. When they saw Snyder and all the other staff run in to try and break up the chaos, Buffy whispered to her friend, “You ready?” and Oz responded, “Yep!” “Then let them go!” At her command, Oz opened the box and a dozed rats into the room, causing even more of an uproar. The three of them immediately left, so they wouldn’t be spotted. “I have to give Cordy some credit. She is one good screamer.” Buffy said, laughing. “I didn’t think it would work!” Willow giggled. “Well the riot will only last so long so we’d better hurry.” They ran down the hall to the other end of the school to the electrical room. When they got there, Buffy grabbed the lock. “Well here goes nothin’!” she said, and pulled down with all her strength. The lock broke open easily. Buffy smiled when she saw Oz’s eyes widen “Ha. Cheap locks. Gotta love em’.” Buffy opened the door and stepped inside. “Okay, keep a watch out.” she whispered. “No prob.” Buffy turned on the light, which caused dust to go flying everywhere. “Good Lord! Its like no one has been in here for a hundred years,” she coughed. Looking at the main power source, she thought to herself She leaned in for a closer look, and saw a big lever. She pulled down hard and it broke off. “Uh Oh!” she said, and the power when out. She turned on her flashlight and grabbed a stake out of her bag and rammed it into the machine. It started sparking and smoke rose from behind it. “Buffy! Are you okay in there?” called Willow. She opened the door and Buffy came out, coughing. “We’d better get back to the library before someone catches us.” The Slayer nodded her head in agreement. She shut the heavy door and grabbed identical lock from her pocket that she had taken from Giles’ office and locked the door. They quickly left the scene. * * * * * “Whew! I’m so glad that worked!” Buffy said with relief as she walked through the doors of the library. “Damn. I didn’t think you could do it.” Oz said with a smile. “Oh..Buffy! I’m glad that your okay. The power when out and I wasn’t sure of what was going on...” he stopped speaking when he noticed her mischievous grin. “Oh dear. That was you?” “A job well done! They won’t be able to fix that generator for a while, so it’s only a matter of time before we should be getting the notice to leave.” Giles rubbed his temples. “Is that before or after your expelled?” Ignoring him, she sat on the table. “All we have to do is wait.” ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Hope (5/?) Date: 03 Mar 1998 17:22:56 PST Author: Sara B. Sara114@hotmail.com Rating: Varies...will be posted at beginning of each part. Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, yada yada yada belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox.... I'm just borrowing them, (although I wish Angel was mine!) Everything else belongs to me! Author's note: This is your usual generic story. Angel is still good, so basically in my story surprise/innocence didn't happen. Willow and Oz are together, and Xander and Cordy are still hiding their secret utility closet rondevu's. This is going to be a long story, and will take some time so be patient with me. I'm not very good at story telling, so if this totally sucks and isn't read-worthy, just let me know.Oh yeah, and I want feedback, feedback, and more feedback. I don't care if it's good or bad, just tell me what you thought of it. PART 5 G About twenty minutes later, they heard the library door open and saw Sunnydale High School’s Assistant Principal Brandt walk through. “Hello everyone.” “Hey Mr. Brandt. Is everything okay? We’ve been worried since the power went out.” Buffy said in her most innocent tone. “Yes, everything is fine. It seems as though someone broke into the school’s electrical room and busted the generator.” “Oh no! Can it be fixed?” “Not anytime soon. I came to let you know that school is canceled for at least the rest of the week, and there will be no more classes for the rest of the day. He said, and left. Buffy glanced at Giles with a big smile. “Like I said, a job well done.” she put her leather jacket on that Angel gave her, and put the book she had previously dropped into her bag. “I’m going to go see Angel now. I’ll come back in a couple of hours.” As the girl ran out of the library, Xander was coming in. She was in such a hurry that she almost knocked him over. “Woah! Where ya going?” He asked. “Bye Xander!” she yelled back. “Hmm,” he said and shrugged his shoulders. “This is sooo cool! No school. Hey guys did you here what happened in the cafeteria? A whole bunch of mice ran through and Cordelia freaked out,” he started laughing. “You should have seen the look on her face!” he said, laughing harder. “Then, to top it off, some kid caused the power to go out...” he stopped laughing when he noticed that they didn’t seem surprised. “What’s going on?” he asked, confused. “Well are you guys happy? I made a total fool out of myself just for you! Now my throat hurts from screaming so hard. Anyway, how did Buffy get the power to go out?” Cordelia said, walking into the room. “Wha...wait. You guys were behind this?” Xander asked, completely surprised. “I should have known.” “You gotta do what you gotta do,” Willow said, then busted up laughing. ****** PG (language, sexual situation) Buffy practically ran all the way to Angel’s loft. When she reached his door, she stopped to catch her breath. She knocked on his door. “Angel! Are you there?” Nothing happened. “Hello?” A groggy Angel opened his door slowly. She had woken him up. “Where else would I be?” he asked, yawning. “Oh yeah.” she felt bad for awakening him. “I’m sorry. Its just that there is something incredibly important that you need to know about,” and she pushed her way past him into inside. “What’s going on?” The Slayer opened her bag and pulled out the book. “Turn to the bookmarked page and read.” He did what she said. “What the hell is this?” He asked her, fear and concern in his voice. She swallowed the hard lump that had formed in her throat. “Well, Giles came across this-this morning. H..he was worried because of how quiet its been lately, and so he did some researching, and this is what he found.” She looked at him and saw the fear and disbelief. “I...I...” He gazed into her eyes and watched a flood of tears form as her fragile body began to tremble. Immediately he rushed to her side and embraced her. “Ssshhh...Its okay.” he spoke in a soothing voice. He gently wiped away her tears and kissed her forehead. “No, its not okay.” she uttered, her voice quivering. “Why does something like this always happen?” “I don’t know, Buffy.” he told her softly. “This has been the worst day of my life. First I hear about this damn prophecy, then this weird girl comes to school who give me the creeps.” “Who is she?” he asked, as he stroked her hair. She sighed. “Her name is Hope, and she is new here.” Buffy turned her body around so she was facing him. “Angel, something isn’t right about her. I get the most bizarre feeling when I’m near hear, but what’s even more strange is that the feeling is so familiar, like I’ve felt it before.” “Do you know if she has any connection to the Hellmouth?” “I have not idea, but I’m going to find out. We are going to the Bronze tonight, will you come with?” “Of course I will.” “Thanks,” she took a deep breath, “I don’t know. Maybe I’m just going crazy,” she said with a half-hearted laugh. “The only thing that is crazy,” he paused, then smiled, “is the way I feel about you.” Angel took her face into his hands. “Buffy, I love you. I love you with all my heart and more.” Buffy was so shocked at his confession that she almost fainted. “You do?” “Yes, I do. You keep me going. If it weren’t for you, I don’t know how I would survive.” “I love you too.” She uttered. Her eyes searched his face till they got to his lips. “Don’t ever let me go.” “I won’t.” As if in slow motion, Buffy and Angel leaned closer, till their lips were barely touching. They were both trembling. Their breathing grew heavier, and Buffy felt as if she would melt in the moment. Then, in the midst of their passion, their desire to have each other, they kissed. The fire that was overflowing in their bodies grew out of control, and their kiss grew more passionate, until their mouths were pressed hard against one another, their arms embracing. It seemed as if it would never end. They wanted to stay this way forever. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Hope (6/?) Date: 03 Mar 1998 17:24:49 PST Author: Sara B. Sara114@hotmail.com Rating: Varies...will be posted at beginning of each part. Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, yada yada yada belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox.... I'm just borrowing them, (although I wish Angel was mine!) Everything else belongs to me! Author's note: This is your usual generic story. Angel is still good, so basically in my story surprise/innocence didn't happen. Willow and Oz are together, and Xander and Cordy are still hiding their secret utility closet rondevu's. This is going to be a long story, and will take some time so be patient with me. I'm not very good at story telling, so if this totally sucks and isn't read-worthy, just let me know.Oh yeah, and I want feedback, feedback, and more feedback. I don't care if it's good or bad, just tell me what you thought of it. PART 6 PG (fighting, language) It was just after sunset, when Buffy and Angel left his loft. They had spent the rest of the day in each others arms, talking and cuddling. Buffy had phoned Willow, and the plans were set. They would meet her, Xander, Hope, and Cordelia at the Bronze at 7 o’clock. As they walked through the heavy front doors of the only decent hang out place in Sunnydale, they saw the 4 friends immediately. “Hey guys,” Willow said, greeting them. “Hey Will. So what’s going on?” Buffy asked, taking a seat. Angel sat down next to her. “Not much. We’re just hanging out. Hope was telling us about her old school, in San Diego.” “Really? Cool. Oh! Hope, this is my boyfriend, Angel. Angel, this is Hope.” They shook hands. “Nice to meet you, Hope,” Angel said. “You look really familiar, have we met before?” she asked. He laughed. “I doubt it. I don’t get around much.” Buffy gave him a small smile. The rest of the evening didn’t get Buffy anywhere. She tried to find something, anything about Hope that was suspicious, but had no luck at all. When it was time to leave, and the group was standing outside of the Bronze, Buffy decided to give it one more shot. “Hope, where do you live?” she asked. “Oh, at 1675 Rovello Drive.” “You do?” She was genuinely surprised. “That’s right by my house. I live at 1630, on the same street. How about we walk home together?” “That would be great!” She said. Before the group all when their separate ways, Buffy whispered in Angels ear. “Listen, can you do your swell lurking thing and follow us home? Just in case.” He grinned. “No prob.” “So what do you think of Sunnydale so far?” Buffy asked, as they walked under the dark sky. “Its a nice town. A lot quieter than San Diego, but I can deal.” Buffy thought with a silent chuckle. Hope sighed. “I wanted to thank you, Buffy. You have been so nice to me, and so have your friends. I was worried that when I moved, I wouldn’t make any friends.” “Your very welcome. I know what its like being the ‘new girl’. I moved her last year from L.A. and felt the same way you do. Its tough starting over.” “That’s not all that’s tough,” a deep voice growled from behind. Buffy spun around to come face to face with a vampire. “Hope! Run!” She shouted. The vamp moved in to bite her neck but Buffy moved quicker and flipped over him. When she landed she kicked him from behind, causing him to fly forward into a tree, but he was only dazed for a moment and charged at her. He pushed her so hard she fell back, and he jumped on top of her. “I wonder how it will feel to kill a Slayer,” he snarled. “Well its too bad that you won’t find out!” She yelled and grabbed a stake from her pocket, then plunged it into his heart. Buffy stood up and brushed the grass off of her skirt. “Whew. That was soooo eas.....” Buffy’s mouth gaped open in utter astonishment. There, in the middle of the street, was Hope fighting a vampire, and from her moves Buffy could tell the frail girl was stronger than the vampire was. She watched as Hope kicked the vamp into the fence, then grabbing his hair and letting his head collide with her knee. He stumbled back, charged again, and she did a roundhouse kick that sent him flying. When the vamp fell to the ground, Hope turned to Buffy and started screaming, “How the Hell do I kill this thing?!?!” The Slayer snapped out of her trance and ran over to Hope, but out of nowhere Angel got there first and drove a tree branch into him, turning the vamp into dust. “Oh my God. Oh my God. Wha...Wha...What w..was that?” “Hope! How did you fight him off like that?!” Buffy asked incredulously. “Like what?” she asked, her eyes still wide from fear. Buffy looked at Angel. He was just as shocked as she was. “I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner, but I had two vamps attack me as I was following you.” “That’s all right, Angel.” At that moment Hope screamed again, only this time because of Angel. “Oh no, Angel! Your vampire face!” Angel, without realizing, had his game face on. He quickly transformed. “It’s okay, Hope, its okay,” she breathed, trying to reassure her friend, “he is our friend.” “Sorry,” Angel whispered, feeling a little guilty. Buffy just gave him an ‘its okay’ smile. “You saw her fight, Angel. I’ve never seen anybody who wasn’t a vampire or some other weird creature fight like that. Lets go see Giles. He can explain this.” Hope nodded, still a little shaky. And the three made their way to the school library. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Hope (7/?) Date: 03 Mar 1998 17:26:25 PST Author: Sara B. Sara114@hotmail.com Rating: Varies...will be posted at beginning of each part. Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, yada yada yada belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox.... I'm just borrowing them, (although I wish Angel was mine!) Everything else belongs to me! Author's note: This is your usual generic story. Angel is still good, so basically in my story surprise/innocence didn't happen. Willow and Oz are together, and Xander and Cordy are still hiding their secret utility closet rondevu's. This is going to be a long story, and will take some time so be patient with me. I'm not very good at story telling, so if this totally sucks and isn't read-worthy, just let me know.Oh yeah, and I want feedback, feedback, and more feedback. I don't care if it's good or bad, just tell me what you thought of it. PART 7 PG (language) Buffy busted through the library doors, causing an unsuspecting Giles’ to freak out. “AAAAGGG!” he screamed, then noticed who it was. “Oh, its only you, Buffy. You scared me half to death.” Jenny Calendar came out from behind a bookshelf, obviously startled. “Everything okay?” she asked. “No. Everything is NOT okay. You would not believe what happened. Hope can fight off a vampire. And I don’t mean just fight, she can fight with the same strength, as..as...,” Buffy was trying to think of the right word, “Well, I don’t know what, but she is really strong..” Giles looked at her puzzled. “It’s true! She can! Watch this.” She turned to Hope. “Hope, punch Angel in the face with all you’ve got.” “What? I can’t do that!” She said, her eyes open wide. “Yes you can. Trust me, it won’t hurt that much,” Angel said reassuringly. “Are you sure?” Angel nodded. “Well, okay, here goes nothing,” Hope said, and pulled her fist back. She let out a right-hook at Angel’s jaw. “Holy shit!” he shouted, as he fell back on the floor with a thud. “Oh God! I’m sorry! Are you okay?” she asked, helping him up. “Yeah, yeah. I’m fine,” he said, rubbing his sore jaw. Buffy looked at Giles, who was in complete absolute astonishment. “See? See? You saw that. She has the strength of a....of a....of a slayer!” “Buffy is right. Last time I was hit like that was when I fought off a slayer a long time ago.” Angel said. “That was remarkable. Hope, have you always been like this?” “No, I...I just put all of my strength into it. I’ve never been this strong.” She sat down the steps. “Whoa! Wait a minute. Are you saying that I was fighting....a vampire?” She asked incredulously. Jenny sighed. “Yes. You were fighting a real life vampire.” “No way. I don’t believe it. Vampires are fiction!” “Nope, there as real as you and me. Well, I guess that you should know the story too.” Buffy glanced over at her Watcher, who took it from there. “Most likely, you aren’t going to believe me when I tell you this, but I assure you that it is all real.” He said, and told Hope the story of the Hellmouth, the Master, and vampires. He explained it all. When he was finished, she just sat there, slowly digesting it all. “Either you guys are all insane, or you are telling the truth. No one can make up a story like that.” Hope said at last. “Although, it is *very* hard to believe.” “Everyone is shocked when they hear it for the first time, but it will all wear in soon. Now that you’ve got the jist on Sunnydale life, we need the jist on you.” “Buffy is right. If you fight the way she says you do, you have to have some kind of connection with something.” “Well if there is I don’t know anything about it. I mean, there isn’t much to tell. I’m sixteen, I moved here from San Diego, the only real interesting thing about me is that I was born in Ireland.” “You were born in Ireland? Where?” Angel asked, suddenly *very* interested. “Dublin. Why?” “Uh, no reason.” “Can you think of anything else?” Buffy asked, desperate. “Well...” she sat there for a moment. “Oh my god! Where is my necklace!” she said, feeling her chest. “I thought for sure I was wearing it!” Hope was seriously panicked. “What necklace?” “The necklace I got for my birthday, it belonged to one of my great, great aunts! Oh no!” she started looking on the floor. “Oh!” she said, as she put her hand in her pocket. “I feel like an idiot now. It forgot I put it in my pocket.” She pulled it out and looked at it, as if she just found the most important thing in her life. Relief filled her face. “Would you like to see it?” “Sure.” Hope handed it to Buffy. The Slayer gasped. “Its breathtaking!” It was a beautiful sapphire pendant, encased with two silver bands that seemed to hold it in place. The deep blue sparkle of it mesmerized Buffy. “Let me see,” Jenny asked. She looked over her shoulder. “Oh my! It is brilliant! Giles, look at this.” Buffy handed it to him. He studied it. “Yes, its astounding. I haven’t seen one like it in years.” he said, amazed. “You mean you’ve seen one like it before?” Hope asked him. “Many, many years ago, before you were born. Where, might I ask, did you get it?” “Oh, well it belonged to my grandmother’s great aunt. Her name was Mira.” Both Giles and Angel looked as if they would have a heart attack. “D..Did you say Mira?” “Uh, yeah, why?” she asked, suspiciously. “Oh no,” Angel breathed. He began to get dizzy. The vampire grabbed onto a nearby chair for support. Buffy ran over to him and helped him sit down. “Angel! What’s wrong? Are you okay?” she asked, concerned, but he didn’t say anything. He looked as if he would be sick. “Giles! What is going on?” With a heavy sigh, he took of his glasses and rubbed his temples. He knew the same thing that Angel did. He was beginning to get a throbbing headache. “In the early 1800’s, in Ireland, there was a slayer named Mira Dashwood. She was one of the strongest ever known. Back in that time there were many vampires roaming about, more than today in Sunnydale.” he stopped and grabbed one of his diaries. “She is in here somewhere...” he said as he flipped through the pages. “Well I take it this Mira chick had a lot of slayage to do.” Buffy said. “Yes, she did. Ah, here is is.” he said when he found the right page. “She soon became the hero of her village, and was well known all around Ireland.” “Wow. She must of been some girl.” “She was. She was slaying one night, and came across a vicious vampire. He was unlike the others. Very strong and very determined to kill her.” Giles was looking over his book. “Here is her picture.” He gave the book to Buffy. She gasped. “Giles, she looks just like Hope, and she is wearing that pendant too. Angel, look at this.” He tried to show him the picture, but he just turned his head. Jenny walked over and took a look. “Wow. Its she’s a splitting image of her. If I didn’t know better, I would think that *was* Hope.” “What happened to her?” Buffy asked. “Uhh...W...Well,” he stuttered. “Giles, don’t make me find out myself. Just tell me.” He was about to protest again, but Angel interrupted him. “I killed her.” ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Black Fire" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Inner Demons (10/?) Date: 03 Mar 1998 17:33:38 PST Title:Inner Demons Author: Black Fire Email address: Blackfire42@hotmail.com FEEDBACK: If you wish Rating: PG Spoilers: I've changed this. This story takes place after BBB. Disclaimers: Buffy: The Vampire Slayer and all characters therein belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy and The WB. Jäzen (pronounced Jay-sten or Jay-zen) is my own creation. Author's note: This idea came to me long when Buffy first began. Needless to say, I was very angry at Joss when the Angel episode aired and my idea for a good vampire went down the tubes. But I got over that and since then the idea has... evolved. Also. I have not finished this yet. Summary so far: Angelus figured out who was helping Buffy. Joyce put in an appearance. Hope you liked that bit of comic relief. It's the last one you'll get. From here on in, you'll get no quarter from our players. INNER DEMONS Part 10 "Your mother is very nice," Jäzen commented in his normal accent. "Thanks," Buffy said. "I'm sorry about all that. It's just that too many vampires have free access to my house. "I understand completely," Jäzen nodded. "Do not worry about that, I am not offended." As they got to the end of the street, Jäzen stooped to get his weapons out of the bushes. Buffy shivered as she watched him. In her hurry to leave the house, she had forgotten to grab a jacket. "Where are my manners?" Jäzen scolded himself as he looked at her. "Here, take this." He removed his coat and handed it to her. "Thanks," Buffy said as she put it on. As she closed the coat around her, a memory stirred. "You're the second vampire to give me his jacket." "You miss him," he observed. "Is it that obvious?" she asked. "It doesn't take someone my age to figure it out," Jäzen replied. Buffy sighed. "Is it wrong to hold out for a cure?" "A woman once told me," he started, "that there are always bigger spells. There will always be a more powerful curse. And a spell that has been worked once can be worked again." "But what if we can't find a spell or a curse to bring him back?" "Would Angel want you to suffer at the hands of Angelus?" "You talk as if they're two different people," she said. "In a way they are," he said. "The demon has a personality all it's own. It's separate from Angel, yet they are still the same." "You mean, Angel could do what you did?" Buffy asked. "My case was different," Jäzen explained. "My anger at what happened to my sister was what drove my demon. When that anger left me, it no longer had the control it had before. That loss of power gave me the window I needed to retake control of myself. That didn't happen to Angel. The curse gave him the power to reassert himself. But, with that gone..." "He can't do it," Buffy finished. "Exactly," Jäzen confirmed. "Angel is still in there somewhere. But he's trapped by the demon." * * * * * Angelus set out early that evening. His goal: to find Jäzen. He knew the older vampire was hanging around Buffy. But why? What was his game? Whatever it was, he was playing it close to the chest. Angelus knew Jäzen was good, but he didn't know he was *that* good. To get into Buffy's confidence like that took the skills of a master. His search took him to a wearhouse near the Bronze. That's when he sensed it. He was close, he knew he was. But where were they? His only option was to keep looking. * * * * * The Black Fire Blackfire42@hotmail.com ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Hope (8/?) Date: 03 Mar 1998 17:33:58 PST Author: Sara B. Sara114@hotmail.com Rating: Varies...will be posted at beginning of each part. Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, yada yada yada belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox.... I'm just borrowing them, (although I wish Angel was mine!) Everything else belongs to me! Author's note: This is your usual generic story. Angel is still good, so basically in my story surprise/innocence didn't happen. Willow and Oz are together, and Xander and Cordy are still hiding their secret utility closet rondevu's. This is going to be a long story, and will take some time so be patient with me. I'm not very good at story telling, so if this totally sucks and isn't read-worthy, just let me know.Oh yeah, and I want feedback, feedback, and more feedback. I don't care if it's good or bad, just tell me what you thought of it. PART 8 PG-13 (Violence. Warning: It might be disturbing for some people.) A frigid silence fell upon the room. No one dared speak, for fear that they would say the wrong thing. Hope looked as if she would cry. “You killed her?” she whispered. He could feel shame rise through his body. “It was just after I became a vampire. I was out one night, looking for a meal, and saw her. When I attacked her, I didn’t know she was a slayer, but when she fought back with strength and skill equal to mine, I knew who she was.” He paused, and felt the burning tears fall down his face turn into sobs. It was the first time Buffy ever saw him cry. She put her arms around him and held him tight. “Wha...What happened?” Hope asked. Angel tried to speak, but couldn’t. “Angel, do you mind if I tell?” Giles asked him. He shook his head ‘no’. The Watcher took a deep, sharp breath. “The two fought all night, neither one of them wanting to give up. Finally, at a half an hour till sunrise they stopped. Not wanting to die from the sunlight, Angel ran away into the shadows, leaving Mira in a bad state. They both had fought so hard they hadn’t realized the damage that was being done to them. Their adrenaline had numbed their pain. After their fight, she hunted almost every night in hopes to see him again. When she would run into him, he taunted her. When she didn’t see him, he would scare her family.” “I don’t understand, why didn’t he just kill her and get it over with?” Hope questioned angrily. Giles preceded to continue, but Angel stopped him. “It’s my story. I can finish it,” he breathed. Trying to hold in his anguish, he spoke. “I...I wanted to mess with her head...drive her insane, and unfortunately, I did. On the night of her 19th birthday, I attacked and killed her family. She came home and found them there. I had...” he paused, and looked down, covering his face with his hands, “mutilated their bodies.” Hope let out a stifled cry. The tears never stopped flowing from Angel’s dark eyes. “I was hiding outside one of the house windows, so I could see her reaction. When she saw them--she threw up, then let out the most bloodcurdling scream. It was an awful sound, but I loved it. Her face was twisted in horror.” Angel’s head began to throb at the memories of his actions. He could still smell their blood on his hands, he could still see the look of fear that her family had in their eyes right before he killed them. The pain he was feeling at the memories made him want to drive a stake through his heart. “She was full of rage, because she knew that it was I did it. Knowing she would come after me, I waited in the village graveyard. She got there soon I did. She walked up to me, and said, ‘kill me’. She bared her neck to me. I grabbed her and shoved her into a tree, and bit her.” ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Lawrence Mendon=?iso-8859-1?Q?=E7a ?= Subject: BUFFYFIC: Anyone need a proofreader? Date: 03 Mar 1998 20:59:08 -0700 Does anyone need a proofreader? Because I'm pretty good at it, and I'd be happy to help. -Sarah - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Anexsin Subject: BUFFYFIC: Who Am I (5/8) Date: 04 Mar 1998 01:53:16 EST Title: Who Am I (5/8) Author: Melinda Email Addy: Anexsin@aol.com Rating: PG for some violence Spoiler: All eps before "What's My line" Therefore, Angel still has his soul & Dru is weak. Disclaimer: Anything to do with the Buffyverse belongs to Joss Whedon, WB, etc. Just borrowing his proteges for a lillte bit. Only the story was hatched from my very own brain. Summary: Buffy gets amnesia, while Spike tries to use it to dispose of the Slayer. ********************** ~PART 5~ Willow's parents both worked the night shifts, so Buffy was all alone in the big house. Willow had told them Buffy's mother was out of town and she didn't want to stay in the house alone. Well it wasn't a complete lie. Willow's parents had graciously extended her an invitation. As of now Buffy was laying in the guestroom trying to catch up on the sleep she lost last night, but she couldn't fall asleep. So she decided to go for a walk and get some fresh air. Her mind wandered to what Angel had said. "He said not to invite anyone in. He didn't say I couldn't go out." she murmured to herself. She left a note on the kitchen counter telling Willow she went for a walk, and she stepped into the cool, crisp night air locking the door behind her. **************** Buffy had been walking for awhile. Nothing looked remotely familiar to her, but she was hoping something would finally click. She had walked past the cemetary and stopped in front of it. Something seemed to beckon her from within her its dark depths, as if she frolicked in there every night. But she couldn't bring herself to go in, at least not alone. So she walked past and ended up near the wharehouse section of town. She kept walking oblivious to the dark figure in the shadows. When Spike saw the Slayer walk past he stepped out from between one of the many alleys. Spike had called all the vampires together to make sure none of them were out hunting tonight. He wanted to make sure the Slayer was killed by his hands and to make Buffy believe he was a friend was only the beginning of his plan. "Buffy." he called putting on a innocent face. Which was kind of hard since he killed his victims mercilessly and reveled in it. He didn't have an ounce of innocence in him. Buffy turned around to acknowledge the voice. She saw a short, peroxide blonde haired man running towards her. "Yes." she asked wondering who this guy was. He looked to be in his early twenties as Angel did, but she couldn't place him as everything else for the past few days. "Willow and Xander told me what happened. You shouldn't be out alone at night in your condition." he played her for all it was worth. "I just went for a walk. May I ask who you are?" Buffy questioned still puzzled. "Oh, forgive me. The name's Spike. I help out in the library at your school." he lied through his fangs. "I'm sorry I can't remember." Buffy informed. "That's quite all right. Come I'll make you some tea." Boy Spike was loving this. Buffy not seeing anything wrong with his invitation or with this Spike she willingly followed him into a wharehouse a few ways down. Little did Buffy know she was walking right into a trap and possibly her death ****************** Once she stepped over the threshold of the wharehouse she heard Spike yell. "Grab her." Before Buffy knew what was going on both her arms were pinned to the side by two very large creatures. She didn't have time to ponder why they looked as they did, she just knew she was in big trouble. "What are you doing? You said you were a friend." Buffy yelled. "I lied so stake me." Spike laughed hysterically at his own joke. "Oh, I forgot. You don't know who you are or what you do." Spike informed. "Your the Slayer and I'm a vampire." Spike finished and changed his face to his demonic side. Buffy screamed and began to struggle against her captors. Spike laughed. "What are going to do to me." Buffy asked on the verge to tears. Spike was loving every moment of this. "Princess, come here. I want to show you something." Spike spoke to a dark haired woman. Drusilla approached Spike. "Look at the poor thing all scared." Drusilla cooed. "Ain't it wonderful, love?" Spike asked. "Are you going to make her dead for Princess?" Drusilla asked. "Very dead darling. Now go make plans for your party." Spike ordered. "Can I invite Daddy and the slayer's little friends?" she asked. "Of course love, we'll have a nice dinner celebration after they watch me kill their little heroine. And we'll bring Angelus back to our side." Spike assured his girlfriend. Drusilla walked away leaving Spike to taunt Buffy with a happy smile on her face. "Very very dead." Spike spoke directly to Buffy and let out a wicked laugh. Buffy shrank back and let out a small whimper. "God, help me." she prayed. ************************ To be continued......... - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Anexsin Subject: BUFFYFIC: Who Am I (6/8) Date: 04 Mar 1998 01:53:28 EST Title: Who Am I (6/8) Author: Melinda Email Addy: Anexsin@aol.com Rating: PG for some violence Spoiler: All eps before "What's My line" Therefore, Angel still has his soul & Dru is weak. Disclaimer: Anything to do with the Buffyverse belongs to Joss Whedon, WB, etc. Just borrowing his proteges for a lillte bit. Only the story was hatched from my very own brain. Summary: Buffy gets amnesia, while Spike tries to use it to dispose of the Slayer. ********************** ~PART 6~ "Buffy we're back." Willow yelled inside the empty house. When no one answered Willow and Xander exchanged a look of worry. "Buffy?" Xander called this time. "I'll take the upstairs and you look a round down here." Xander ordered taking control. Willow nodded her head and Xander took off up the stairs. After checking all the rooms upstairs and finding the bed in the room Buffy was staying in unmade, Xander went downstairs to tell Willow that Buffy had been here. "Xander." Willow screeched before he reached the bottom step. He ran into the kitchen where he saw Willow clutching a piece of paper. Tears were threatening to spill over her eye lids. "What? What's wrong?" Xander rushed out. Willow held up the piece of paper. Her hands shaking with fear. "She left. She went out, alone, by herself. What if she's hurt or dead. She could be...." "Shhh." Xander cut off his hysterical friend and pulled her into a hug. "I'm sure she's alright." Xander tried to seem in control, but he was inches away from losing it. What would he do if he ever lost Buffy or Willow. They're his reason for being. Before Buffy came to town it was just him and Willow, but since Buffy came their lives have been filled with adventure and danger. They were always kept on their toes. Besides of making all his nightmares come true, being possessed, or eaten Buffy brought with her new friends for him to make. Herself, Giles, and as much as he hated to admit it Angel. he thought to himself. Xander laughed inwardly. He no longer saw himself as a "loser" as so many others labeled him. He felt more confident and sure of himself. All because of Buffy. If Buffy died she wouldn't know what to do. She had given her so much. She wasn't Willow Rosenburg Geek Extradonaire anymore. At least not in her own eyes. It's more like Willow you mess with me I'll stake you Rosenburg. Since Buffy had come Willow felt more self-confident. As though what others said about her didn't matter, only what she thought of herself. She felt like she had a purpose in life, even if it frightened her. She was research girl. Looking up information or dangerous prophecies to aid Buffy in her destiny. To know you helped save the world is an overwhelming feeling. It didn't matter how much danger she put herself in or stumbled into Buffy was one of her two best friends and she wouldn't trade it for the world. If the supernatural came with Buffy's friendship, so be it. "We need to get to the library and let Giles know." Xander broke Willow out of her reverie, wiping the tears from her face. Willow nodded and they headed out towards the library running as fast as they could. ***************** "What did she ask you?" Giles questioned Angel as they sat in the library conversing over his and Buffy's conversation earlier in the evening. "She asked me if I thought vampires existed." Angel answered to Giles amazed question. "What did you say to her?" Giles continued as he got up to reshelve some books. "What was I supposed to say. Yeah, how do I look. I told her anything's possible." Angel finished. "If she's having the nightmares and correctly identifies the creatures as vampires, her memory may be returning." Giles reported. Suddenly the library doors burst open with a bang and Willow and Xander rushed through gasping for air. "She's gone." Xander gushed trying to suck air into his burning lungs. "What?" Angel asked confused. Willow stepped foward and handed Giles the note that Buffy left before going out. As Giles read the note fear crept in to his voice. "She left by herself?" Giles asked his voice cracking with fear. Angel stood up from his seat. "Damn it. I told her not to invite anyone in. I should've told her not to go out as well." Angel said grief striken. "It's not your fault." Willow tried to offer comfort. "Do you think they have her?" she asked speaking to no one in particular. Before anyone could answer Willow's question the sound of broken glass turned their attention to the rock sailing their way. Angel stepped in front of the group and caught it. He removed the note attached and began reading it. "How many times are they going to use the note tied to a rock and throw it through the window routine? It's getting soooo old." Xander asked half joking. The rest of them ignored Xander's sarcastic comment and waited patiently as Angel read the note. "Well it looks like we're invited to a dinner party." Angel informed. "They're going to cook us dinner?" Xander questioned. When eveyone glared at him he stepped away. "Pretend I didn't say that. Again." he gulped. They turned their attention back to Angel. "To get right to the point, they have Buffy, they're going to kill her, and I'm going to save her." Angel confirmed. "We all are." Giles reinformed. No one argued just grabbed the weapons bag and rushed out of the library to stop Buffy from meeting her terrible fate. ********************* To be continued............. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Black Fire" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Inner Demons (11/?) Date: 04 Mar 1998 10:46:51 PST Title:Inner Demons Author: Black Fire Email address: Blackfire42@hotmail.com FEEDBACK: If you wish Rating: PG Spoilers: I've changed this. This story takes place after BBB. Disclaimers: Buffy: The Vampire Slayer and all characters therein belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy and The WB. Jäzen (pronounced Jay-sten or Jay-zen) is my own creation. Author's note: This idea came to me long when Buffy first began. Needless to say, I was very angry at Joss when the Angel episode aired and my idea for a good vampire went down the tubes. But I got over that and since then the idea has... evolved. Also. I have not finished this yet. Summary so far: Jäzen and Buffy have been engaging in polite conversation. Angelus has been looking for Jäzen. INNER DEMONS Part 11 "So, how am I supposed to fight him?" Buffy asked. "I mean, he hardly ever comes near me." "He will," Jäzen said, smiling to himself. "Angelus is no fool, he knows that you're as much a threat to him as he is to you. However, you have one advantage." "What's that?" "Well, you know Angelus' hunting patterns," Jäzen explained. "And you know how obsessed he is with you. That obsession is his weakness. Unlike his other women, you have the power and the ability to fight back." "Just because I'm a slayer and they weren't?" "Not just any slayer," he corrected. "Over the years, I've read up on past slayers and kept track of the current ones. And you, Buffy, are the most unique of them all. You are inventive, resourceful, and, unlike previous slayers, you haven't cut yourself off from the rest of the world. That, and your ability to have found others to share the burden of your secret has and will make you more successful than any slayer in history. Indeed, you, my dear," he said, touching a hand to her face, "survive longer than the others because of your refusal to play by the rules set up centuries ago. Most fiends would be fools to go up against one such as you. Isn't that right, Angelus?" Buffy looked up at Jäzen to see him staring over her head at someone. She spun around and there he was, coming out of the shadows. "Oh!" the intruder said, "am I interupting something?" * * * * * The Black Fire Blackfire42@hotmail.com ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: tabbylink@patrol.i-way.co.uk Subject: RE: BUFFYFIC: Anyone need a proofreader? Date: 05 Mar 1998 00:25:46 --- On Tue, 03 Mar 1998 20:59:08 -0700 wrote: >Does anyone need a proofreader? Because I'm pretty good at it, and I'd be >happy to help. > >-Sarah If this makes it to the list it'll be a first; on previous tries I haven't managed to get through. Um, do you have an e-mail addy, Sarah? Maybe something got messed up, and if this shouldn't have gone to the list I'm sorry. But your message came in with no way to reply. Regards, Krissy & Betzi - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Hope (9/?) Date: 04 Mar 1998 17:06:17 PST Author: Sara B. Sara114@hotmail.com Rating: Varies...will be posted at beginning of each part. Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, yada yada yada belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox.... I'm just borrowing them, (although I wish Angel was mine!) Everything else belongs to me! Author's note: This is your usual generic story. Angel is still good, so basically in my story surprise/innocence didn't happen. Willow and Oz are together, and Xander and Cordy are still hiding their secret utility closet rondevu's. This is going to be a long story, and will take some time so be patient with me. I'm not very good at story telling, so if this totally sucks and isn't read-worthy, just let me know.Oh yeah, and I want feedback, feedback, and more feedback. I don't care if it's good or bad, just tell me what you thought of it. PART 9 PG “Oh God...Oh Lord,” Hope said, feeling pressure in her chest. “I can’t breath....” Buffy ran over to Hope just as she passed out. “Hope!” Buffy shouted. “Clear off that table!” She commanded, picking her friend up. Giles did as she said, and Buffy laid her gently down. Angel took off his jacket and laid it underneath her head. “I’ll go get some water,” Jenny said. “This is all my fault,” Angel said, wiping his tears away. “I can’t believe I ...” “Its okay, Angel. What you did wasn’t your fault. It was the demon within you. It was Angelus.” He shook his head. “But it was done by my hands. Buffy, What I told you doesn’t even begin to describe the things I’ve done.” She kissed him, and took his hand and squeezed it. “I know. But you still can blame yourself for these things...” she trailed off, and looked over at Hope. “I know that she won’t blame you either.” “Hope? Are you awake?” Hope opened her eyes. She could see Giles standing over her, and Jenny next to him. “Oh,” she said, smiling, “It was all a dream.” She sat up, to see Angel and Buffy walking over to her. “Oh no! It wasn’t a dream.” She put a hand to her head. “Did I pass out?” “Yes, you did. Are you feeling all right?” Buffy asked her, concerned. Hope nodded. “I think so.” “I’m so sorry. I...I...” Angel apologized. “Don’t be sorry. I know that it wasn’t really you.” She tried to soothe the tension between her and Angel. “So, ha ha, what do we do now?” “Now, we party!” A woman’s soft voice called out from behind them. The group turned around to see Drusilla standing before them, very much alive. Behind her was Spike and about 20 vampires, all with their game face’s on. “Oh my god your alive,” Buffy uttered. “Yes. Alive and strong. Isn’t that right, love?” Spike said, kissing Drusilla’s hand. “Yes, Spike.” she looked at Angel, “Hello my pet.” Buffy turned to Angel, who had transformed into his vampiric face. He growled, “What do you want?” “Don’t you know, love. We want you,” she said laughing. “Its party time. Charge!” Spike yelled, and all the vampires ran to attack them. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Hope (10/?) Date: 04 Mar 1998 17:08:34 PST Author: Sara B. Sara114@hotmail.com Rating: Varies...will be posted at beginning of each part. Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, yada yada yada belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox.... I'm just borrowing them, (although I wish Angel was mine!) Everything else belongs to me! Author's note: This is your usual generic story. Angel is still good, so basically in my story surprise/innocence didn't happen. Willow and Oz are together, and Xander and Cordy are still hiding their secret utility closet rondevu's. This is going to be a long story, and will take some time so be patient with me. I'm not very good at story telling, so if this totally sucks and isn't read-worthy, just let me know.Oh yeah, and I want feedback, feedback, and more feedback. I don't care if it's good or bad, just tell me what you thought of it. PART 10 PG-13 Buffy reacted instantly by screaming at Giles, Hope, and Jenny. “RUN! GET OUT OF HERE NOW!” The Slayer threw a chair at the oncoming vamps, almost knocking them all down. She grabbed another chair and threw it at a window, breaking all the glass. “GO!” She said, pointing toward the hole. Buffy ran to Angel, but two vamps got in her way. One of them kicked her, and she stumbled back. “NOT NOW!” she screamed. Adrenaline pumped through her body as she lunged at him, throwing him over her head and into a bookshelf. She grabbed a nearby stake and drove it through the heart of the other. Before she could get to Angel, 3 vamps came up behind her and grabbed her, making it unable for her to move. Buffy struggled desperately to escape, but failed. She watched as two burly vampires grabbed a hold of Angel. He tried to fight them off, but they were too strong for him. “Well well well. Isn’t this nice? Poor little Slayer and her traitor of a boyfriend. Tie them up.” He ordered. “And you two, go get the other three who ran from here, and I want them alive,” he commanded, and two vampires left to get Giles, Jenny, and Hope. “Let her go! Take me, but spare her,” Angel yelled. Spike only laughed. “You actually think I’m going to let her go? You’re dumber than I thought.” He walked over to Buffy and sniffed her. “Mmm. You smell good. Good enough to eat.” Buffy spit in his face. “Well aren’t you the feisty one?” He laughed, wiping his face off. The vampire grabbed her neck and squeezed softly. “I wouldn’t do that again if I were you. You know, I just got a brilliant idea,” he looked at Dru, “Wouldn’t it be nice to make our little sunshine here one of us?” “Oooohh, Spike. Let’s do it. And afterward we can have a party, with cake and presents.” “I would rather die than become like you,” Buffy snapped. “Well that is a shame, but it can be arranged.” he smiled evily. “You are very sexy, very beautiful.” All of a sudden Spike kissed her roughly on the lips. Buffy cringed. “LET HER GO!” Angel bellowed, and tried his hardest to break free, but he was tied to tightly to the chair. Dru sauntered over to the angry vampire. “Don’t worry my pet,” Dru crooned as she caressed his face. “It will all be better soon, I promise. We just have to get you home.” ********* Buffy and Angel were dragged to an abandoned home in the outskirts of Sunnydale. They had been blindfolded and gagged, and had no clue where they were. “Hey Spike, where do we put them?” a voice asked. “Just dump them in one of the bedrooms. They won’t be going anywhere. Did you find the other three?” “We almost caught them, but they ran into a house and we couldn’t go inside.” “Can’t you do anything right?” He asked, angrily. “Forget it. Just take them away.” Buffy felt herself being carried upstairs. “OUCH!” Her muffled voice said, when they dropped her body on the hard wooden floor. She heard the door shut and listened for any noise. When she was sure that there wasn’t anybody else with her, she spit the gag out of her mouth. “Buffy?” “Angel?” “Are you okay?” “Yeah, I’m fine, but I think my whole side is bruised. How are you holding up?” “I can’t get these ropes undone. The son of a bitch tied them too tight.” “My wrists are killing me. The rope is making my skin raw.” “Can you get your blindfold off?” “I can try.” Buffy rubbed her head back and forth along the floor, trying to get the blindfold to inch up so she could see. Finally, after scratching her face up, it came off, and she opened her eyes. Her blurry vision took a moment to adjust. She looked up and examined her surroundings. “Ugghh...where are we?” The room was small, and there was one tiny window covered in cobwebs with a curtain over it. Dust filled every nook and cranny, and the wood was rotting. She saw Angel laying five feet in front of her. “Oh Angel, your bleeding.” His wrists had been cut up from the coarse rope. “Can you scoot closer to me?” Buffy wiggled her way over to him. “Now turn so that your back is to my back, and our hands are touching. She did as he said, and when there hand met, she felt relief flood over her. Just his touch comforted her. “Okay, now try and undo the ropes.” Buffy frantically worked at his ropes. “Damn, they are tight.” “Just keep trying.” Despite the tightness of it, she managed to undo the binding rope. “I got it!” she exclaimed. “Sshh! Keep your voice down.” Angel reached up and pulled off his blindfold and undid the rope at his feet. He immediately reached over and untied Buffy. As soon as she was free, she hugged him. “Angel, we have to get out of here.” They stood up and Buffy rubbed her sore, bloody wrists. Angel wiggled the door handle, but it was locked. He tried busting through it, but the wood was too solid and the lock was too strong. “Figures. We’ll have to go out the window.” Buffy pulled back the curtain. All she saw was a barren field and some trees. There was a road nearby, but no other houses. “Where are we?” she whispered. Angel came to the window. “Damnit! The sun is going to rise soon.” That is when Buffy noticed how light it was. “Oh no, sunrise,” She said, and glanced at Angel. “We can’t leave.” “I can’t, but you can,” he said. “I want you to get out of here as fast as you can.” “No, I wont’ leave you.” He grabbed her arms and pulled her close to him. “You have to leave. Save yourself. Most likely they won’t try to kill me until sunset anyway, so you have time to get help.” He kissed her. “Now go.” Her eyes teared up, as there lips embraced. She knew she had to go. Buffy opened the window, to see the sun slowly start to come up. “Angel, get to a dark corner of a room.” He moved out of the sun’s deadly rays, and Buffy put one leg out and took one last look at Angel, as if she wouldn’t never see his beautiful face again, and climbed out. She grabbed onto the branch of the nearby tree and swung herself up on it, and climbed down. The only relief she had was that she knew she was safe, and that Giles, Hope, and Jenny had made it to safety. The Slayer walked over to the road. “Which way to town?” She asked herself. She walked a few steps down the road, and looked behind her. Then, like a miracle from heaven, she saw a car driving from the distance. She stuck out her thumb, and hoped they would stop. “Come on, come on. Please stop.” The car slowed down, and pulled off to the side of the road where she was standing. The driver rolled down the passenger window. “Where to?” The elderly woman asked. “Oh dear!” she exclaimed, noticing Buffy’s disheveled clothes, hair, and bloody wrists. “Are you okay, Miss?” she asked in a southern accent. “I need to get to Sunnydale as soon as possible. Can you take me there?” “Yes, Yes. Get in!” she urged. “I’m on my way there right now." ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Hope (11/?) Date: 04 Mar 1998 17:16:08 PST Author: Sara B. Sara114@hotmail.com Rating: Varies...will be posted at beginning of each part. Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, yada yada yada belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox.... I'm just borrowing them, (although I wish Angel was mine!) Everything else belongs to me! Author's note: This is your usual generic story. Angel is still good, so basically in my story surprise/innocence didn't happen. Willow and Oz are together, and Xander and Cordy are still hiding their secret utility closet rondevu's. This is going to be a long story, and will take some time so be patient with me. I'm not very good at story telling, so if this totally sucks and isn't read-worthy, just let me know.Oh yeah, and I want feedback, feedback, and more feedback. I don't care if it's good or bad, just tell me what you thought of it. PART 11 PG Buffy got into the strange car and shut the door. “You don’t know how much this means to me. Thank you so much for giving me a ride.” “Oh you are welcome. Where did you get those awful looking cuts on your wrists?” “Its rope burn,” Buffy told her. “Rope burn! Honey, were you kidnapped or somethin’?” “Something like that. But I’m okay now.” She assured the woman. “Should I call the police?” she asked. “No, really. I’m okay.” “Well, if you say so. You know, to be honest, I never stop for hitchhikers, but something beckoned me to stop for you. I don’t know what it was. Maybe it is the full moon.” Buffy felt her heart thump. “Full moon?” “Well yes, don’t you know? The Full moon is tonight.” She could feel her stomach rise into her throat. “Are you sure its tonight? I thought it was on Saturday.” “Oh no. You are probably thinking of last month. Last month the first full moon was on a Saturday. This month it is on a Wednesday.” “Oh.” Buffy barely uttered. The woman laughed. “You’re probly wonderin’ how I know all this. Well, my name is Gayle Callahan. I’m an astronomer for the local TV station.” “I’m Buffy Summers,” , she thought. “How far are we from town?” Gale smiled. “Boy, you sure are anxious to get there, aren’t you?” Buffy nodded earnestly. “We should be arriving there in ten minutes.” Those ten minutes were total hell to The Slayer. All she could think about was the prophecy, and how Angel was still trapped in that house. All the while Gayle was yammering about something. Tears formed in her dry eyes. Buffy was so deep in thought, that she didn’t realize they had gotten into town. “Well, we’re here,” Gayle said cheerfully. “Buffy? Buffy? Are you okay, dear?” Buffy snapped out of her trance. “Huh? Oh, we’re here.” She looked at Gayle. “Thank you so much. This means the world to me.” “No problem. I’m just glad I can help out. Is there any specific place you would like me to take you?” Buffy thought for a moment. “Can you take me to Sunnydale High School?” “Sure.” * * * Five minutes later they arrived in front of the large school. Since she broke the generator, there was no one there, but she knew that Giles would be in the library. Buffy looked at the kind woman. “I don’t have any money or something to give you.” “Oh don’t worry about it. Maybe we will meet again someday and you can buy me a cup of coffee.” She joked. “Sure. That would be great,” Buffy opened the car door and got out. “Thank you again,” she said, turned and walked toward the front door. She heard the car drive away. The Slayer pulled open the heavy door and made her way to the library. Not realizing how bad she looked, she walked into the library and saw Giles sitting at their table, looking so worried. She could tell he hadn’t slept last night. “Buffy! Your alive!” He exclaimed, relieved. “Oh God, you look terrible.” he said and helped her over to a chair. He grabbed a few paper towels and pressed them to her wrists. “What happened? Is Angel okay?” “Oh Giles,” She said, and began to cry. She could no longer hold it in. “Tonight is the full moon!” He looked dumbfounded. “N..No...It’s on Saturday.” “Giles, look at your calendar. You haven’t changed the month on it yet!” He got up and dashed to it. “Oh no,” he whispered. The top of the calendar said December, 1997. “How could I have overlooked this?” He turned to the young girl and tried to comfort her. “I’m so sorry. Angel--is he...” “I don’t’ know. I *sob* had *sob* to leave *sob* him.” she managed to say between sobs. “Leave him where?” “Where we were taken.” “Buffy, tell me what happened.” She did her best to explained to him what had happened. “So Angel is still in that house? We have to get him out as soon as possible.” “How Giles? There are tons of vampires swarming in it, and once the sunsets...” she sobbed heavily, “...once the sun sets, they will take his soul away.” “We won’t let that happen. Listen, I want to get home, clean yourself up, and get some sleep. Hope is there, I couldn’t let her go home. Since your mother is out of town, I used the key you gave me to let her in. Her parents think that she is spending the day with you.” “Hope--is she okay? And what about Jenny?” “Yes, they are both fine. Now please, listen to me once, and get home.” Buffy knew he was right. She hadn’t eaten or slept, and needed a shower. “Call me if you find anything out.” “I will.” ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Hope (12/?) Date: 04 Mar 1998 17:17:40 PST Author: Sara B. Sara114@hotmail.com Rating: Varies...will be posted at beginning of each part. Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, yada yada yada belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox.... I'm just borrowing them, (although I wish Angel was mine!) Everything else belongs to me! Author's note: This is your usual generic story. Angel is still good, so basically in my story surprise/innocence didn't happen. Willow and Oz are together, and Xander and Cordy are still hiding their secret utility closet rondevu's. This is going to be a long story, and will take some time so be patient with me. I'm not very good at story telling, so if this totally sucks and isn't read-worthy, just let me know.Oh yeah, and I want feedback, feedback, and more feedback. I don't care if it's good or bad, just tell me what you thought of it. PART 12 PG Buffy slowly trudged home, taking in her surroundings. She basked in the sun’s warm rays, listened to the birds chirping, and watched the small puffy clouds move against the pale blue sky. She felt like collapsing. Not because of exhaustion, but because she felt so hopeless, so alone. The Slayer walked up the steps, to her front door. She took out her key and opened it. “Hope?” she called out to the thick silence. “Are you here? It’s me, Buffy.” She shut the door behind her, making sure it was locked. Hope came bounding out from the kitchen and threw her arms around Buffy. “I’m so glad your okay! Oh my, you look awful!” “Gee, that seems to be the universal reaction to my present looks.” “I’m sorry, Buffy. You just look like you’ve been through hell.” “Sure, if you’re into understatements. So how are you doing?” Hope sat down on the stairs. “I am okay, I think. So much has happened in the past twenty-four hours. I’m still trying to take it all in.” The Slayer sat down next to her. “It will be weird at first, but trust me. Soon it will become an everyday thing, just like breathing.” “Giles told me about those vampires last night...Spike and Drusilla. What happened?” “Let me take a shower and I will tell you.” Buffy said, walking up the stairs. “How about you make some coffee?” “Sure. Oh, I’m making soup, do you want some?” “That would be great. Thanks.” Buffy made her way up the stairs to her bedroom. She shut the door behind her and collapsed on her bed. “Oh God,” she cried to herself, “How am I going to get through this day?” Buffy forced herself to get up. “I have to think clearly.” She sauntered over to her dresser and looked into the mirror. It was the first good look she has gotten of herself since yesterday. “Oh man, I do look like hell.” She peeled off her clothes and wrapped a bath towel around her small body, and went to the bathroom. Shutting and locking the door, she removed her towel and got into the shower. The hot water hit her body softly. It was the first time since yesterday that she felt relaxed. The raw skin on her wrists stung as the water made its way over her body, but she ignored the pain. Buffy washed her hair and body with her favorite peach shampoo and soap that she had gotten for her 17th birthday. After twenty minutes, she made herself shut the water off, not wanting to come out like a prune. Buffy left the bathroom and went back to her room. She sat down in a chair and examined her reflection in a small hand mirror. “Oh crap,” she said, as she noticed the dark circles under her eyes and the red blemish on her cheek. “This is not what I needed right now.” She applied a light coat of makeup, blow-dried and styled her hair, and put on her favorite pink tank top and pair of blue jeans. After finally feeling good about her appearance, she decided to join Hope in the kitchen. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Hope (13/?) Date: 04 Mar 1998 17:19:02 PST PART 13 G In a dark room, two voices spoke out in the dead silence. “Spike?” “Yes, luv?” “Is it time yet?” “No, luv. Be patient.” “But I can’t wait. I want my party.” “Soon, luv. Soon.” ******** “Feeling better?” Hope asked, when she saw her friend emerge from the hallway and sit down on the couch. “Yeah, a little.” Buffy responded. Hope handed her a cup of coffee and bowl of soup. “Thanks,” she said, and took a bite. “This is really good. I didn’t realize how hungry is was.” “So, do you mind telling me what happened?” Hope asked. When she saw Buffy grimace, she quickly added, “But if you don’t’ want to, that’s okay. I don’t want, well, I just,” she was trying to find the right words. “Its just that, well, I’m worried about you. I know we haven’t known each other for very long, but I feel like I’ve known you all my life.” Buffy was touched by her honesty. She felt guilty for being so suspicious of Hope. Even though she still felt an aura coming off of Hope, she was extremely comfortable around her new friend. “I don’t mind telling you about what happened.” The Slayer relived the night through her words as she retold the story to Hope. “And right now he is sitting there...just waiting...” ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Hope (14/?) Date: 04 Mar 1998 17:20:57 PST Author: Sara B. Sara114@hotmail.com Rating: Varies...will be posted at beginning of each part. Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, yada yada yada belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox.... I'm just borrowing them, (although I wish Angel was mine!) Everything else belongs to me! Author's note: This is your usual generic story. Angel is still good, so basically in my story surprise/innocence didn't happen. Willow and Oz are together, and Xander and Cordy are still hiding their secret utility closet rondevu's. This is going to be a long story, and will take some time so be patient with me. I'm not very good at story telling, so if this totally sucks and isn't read-worthy, just let me know.Oh yeah, and I want feedback, feedback, and more feedback. I don't care if it's good or bad, just tell me what you thought of it. PART 14 R **WARNING: This part gets really graphic and might be disturbing for some people. Reader discretion is adivsed.** Angel sat in the dark corner of the musty room, hiding from the window. The curtain didn’t completely cover the deadly rays of the sun. He had been sitting there for hours, waiting. Waiting to live, waiting to die. Angel was scared. The usually fearless vampire was so scared of what was going to happen. Not just to him, but to Buffy. He would never forgive himself if something happened to her. If Spike and Drusilla tried to make him evil again, he would drive a stake through his heart before they got the chance. He just sat there, thinking. It was all he could do. He thought of the past, of the horrible things he had done. He remembered killing Mira. He thought about how he hadn’t told his friends the whole story. He hadn’t lied to them, but he withheld some information. Gruesome information. Yes, Angelus had killed her family, mutilating them. Gouging out their eyes, bashing their heads in, ripping their still beating hears out of their chests. Sucking every bit of blood out of their bodies that he could get. He remembered grabbing her little puppy from the backyard. He thing was only about four months old. Angelus had nailed the puppies tiny body to the wall above her families bodies. He could still see Mira’s face when she had dashed through her front door so show her mother the gift her watcher had given to her. The sapphire pendant. The happy look on her face twisting into utter horror. And when the girl had found him in the graveyard, he had said “Your family tasted sooo good!” She tried to fight him, but couldn’t. She didn’t have the will. The thing that Angel didn’t tell them was that she didn’t just give up after a fight, he had abused her. Angelus had pushed her down on the ground, and tore her clothes off. She laid there, frightened, shocked, in fear of him, and didn’t struggle when he did the most horrible thing he could do to a girl, he raped her. He remembered her crying, sobbing, shaking. When she couldn’t take it anymore, she told him to kill her, and he did. He leaned down on her naked body, turned her head to the side, exposing the soft, white flesh on her neck, and slowly sunk his fangs into her jugular. He sucked every ounce of blood that was in her body. And when he had finished, he left her there, walking away without a second thought. Angel shuddered. He loathed himself. He hated thinking about the things he had done in the past. All the killing, the hurting, the pain. A tear fell down his pale face. So much guilt filled his body. He choked back the emerging sob. His body quivered. He reached up and grabbed the cross he wore around his neck. Despite the burns that it caused him, he wore it anyway. It helped calm him. Angel looked down at his hand and gazed at the claddagh ring, the heart pointing toward him, representing his love for Buffy. Just this calmed him down. All of a sudden he was ripped from his thoughts to the sound of a key in the door. He watched the doorknob slowly turn, and the door creep open. . ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Hope (15/?) Date: 04 Mar 1998 17:27:47 PST Author: Sara B. Sara114@hotmail.com Rating: Varies...will be posted at beginning of each part. Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, yada yada yada belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox.... I'm just borrowing them, (although I wish Angel was mine!) Everything else belongs to me! Author's note: This is your usual generic story. Angel is still good, so basically in my story surprise/innocence didn't happen. Willow and Oz are together, and Xander and Cordy are still hiding their secret utility closet rondevu's. This is going to be a long story, and will take some time so be patient with me. I'm not very good at story telling, so if this totally sucks and isn't read-worthy, just let me know.Oh yeah, and I want feedback, feedback, and more feedback. I don't care if it's good or bad, just tell me what you thought of it. PART 15 PG (language) Ring. “Shit.” Ring. “Don’t you dare answer that phone.” Ring. “But...” Ring. “NO!” Ring. “It might be Buffy..” “Ugggh!” Xander reached over and grabbed the phone. Breathlessly, he answered. “Hello?” “Xander?” a worried voice said. “Uh, yeah?” “This is Giles. Something terrible has happened.” “What? Is everything okay?” Cordelia shot him a look of disgust. “No, unfortunately not. There is a huge crisis on our hands. Everything is in a complete disarray. I made a costly error. My inaccuracy could be the downfall of everything...” “Whoa, Whoa, Slow down. What is going on?” Xander asked, greatly concerned. He looked at Cordelia, who sensed his worry. “I don’t have time to explain over the phone, just get to the library right now. Call Cordelia and have her come too.” “Right...right. What about Willow?” “I’ve already called and informed her. Now hurry.” “Wait--Giles!” Xander called, but Giles had already slammed down the receiver. Xander hung up the phone. “What’s going on?” Cordelia asked, her voice filled with fear and concern. “I don’t know, but something bad has happened. Giles, he sounded, so, un-Giles like. He seemed so scared.” He gazed up at her face. “Will everything be okay?” She whispered, not wanting to reveal her fear, but he already felt it. Suddenly her hugged her fiercely, not wanting to let go, not wanting to go to the library, or find out the horrible news that awaited them. He wanted to protect her from the world, but he couldn’t. She grabbed his face and kissed him. “We have to leave. We need to help Giles and Buffy.” He nodded, grasped her small hand, and the two teenagers left Xander’s house. ******* “I wonder what he is doing right now...” Buffy said. “I hope he is okay...” “He is probably thinking of you.” Hope replied. “You think so?” “I know so. I can see the love you share just by the looks you give each other. Its like an electric current running on high.” The Slayer smiled at her new friend. “You know, Hope, I have to be honest with you. When we first met, I didn’t trust you.” She seemed a bit hurt. “What do you mean?” “Well, when I’m near you, I get this weird feeling. It’s like, you give off this sensation, these funky vibes. Remember when we shook hands? When you touched me, you sent these tingles throughout my body.” She glanced at Hope, you looked confused. “Don’t get me wrong, I do like you, but there is something different about you.” “Well, I can’t say that I felt the exact same way, but, when I met you, something was different. It was like, I was supposed to meet you...I had a reason for it. Almost like fate.” She looked away. “Do you think it has anything to do with Mira?” “I have no clue.” Buffy sat and pondered for a moment. “Where is your necklace?” “Oh, it’s right here.” She pulled it out of her bag. “Can I see it?” “Sure.” She handed the pendant to Buffy. The Slayer took it from her. She fingered it, staring into it. It was mesmerizing, like a deep ocean of blue, swimming in her head. She stared hard into it, going deeper and deeper past the surface. She was suddenly lost in its beauty. Buffy felt like was *in* the stone. Her head started to spin. She felt dizzy, and dropped the necklace. Then everything when black. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: michele v Subject: BUFFYFIC: Our Hearts Will Go On 1/? Date: 04 Mar 1998 19:26:50 -0800 (PST) TITLE: Our Hearts Will Go On 1/? AUTHOR: Michele V EMAIL ADDRESS: glynisgrl33@yahoo.com DISTRIBUTION: Please ask first FEEDBACK: Yes, especially since this is my first fic-but since it is, please don't be too harsh SPOILER: What's My Line 1&2 RATING PG-13 SUMMARY: A Buffy/Angel story that takes place after What's My Line 1 & 2, with some added Willow/Oz and Xander/Cordelia. Also, Buffy and the gang find out about the return of the Master- in some form. CONTENT WARNING: Some kissing,talk of sex, and a sexual situation(nothing graphic at all) DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters except for one, whose name is unknown as of now-but will be included in Part 2 and possibly all remaining parts of this. All of the other characters belong to Joss Whedon and the WB. No copywrite infringement is intended. NOTE: I wrote this after "What's My Line 2", therefor without knowing that something similar to this *sort of* happens in "Surprise" ********** PART 1 SUNNYDALE HIGH SCHOOL Willow spotted Buffy hurrying down the hallway ahead of her. "Buffy! Hey, wait up!" she called as she ran to catch up with her. Buffy waited for her friend. "Hey Will. What's up?" Willow frowned. "Will- what's wrong? What aren't you telling me?," Buffy asked suspiciously. "Well I saw something that I really didn't want to and didn't need to see. I saw- oh boy, you are never gonna believe this-" "Well I don't really need to believe it- I just need to know. What is it, Will?" Buffy asked impatiently. Willow sighed. "Ok, well I was in the library helping Giles with something before and Xander was there and so was Cordelia- and Giles asked Xander to go find a book on some- thing- and Cordelia to help him-so they went. And I was left to do research on the computer, of course, but I finished before Xander and Cordelia found the book so I went in the back to help them and-" Willow paused. "And?" Buffy asked anxiously. Willow frowned. "I saw Xander and Cordelia making out in front of the Encyclopedias." "Wow, you really took note of where they were standing-But maybe it wasn;t what you thought it was," Buffy said trying to give Willow some hope. Willow shook her head. "No, no- I know what I saw. And I saw Xander and Cordelia totally lip locked." "Maybe one of them passed out and needed mouth to mouth," Buffy suggested jokingly. "Buffy this is not funny- I mean- it's Xander and Cordelia here- Xander hates Cordelia-Cordelia hates Xander- That's like, that's like Tom the cat kissing Jerry the mouse...uh, well, you know what I mean" "True, but haven't you ever heard of the saying that opposites attract? I mean as ick-worthy as it is, maybe Xander and Cordelia are an example of that." "Well I don't like *that* example. And the worst part is, I'm his best friend- you are too- and he didn't even tell us," Willow said with anger. "Maybe he was afraid of our reaction. I mean it is Cordelia-she was supposed to be his- and our - sworn enemy- and now he's kissing her," Buffy suggested. "Maybe- but I'm still mad at him. I don't understand what he sees in her- he never saw anything in her before except popular snotiness- I thought she would be the last person that he'd ever date. But now this happened, and now it's like-" Willow stopped with a frown. "It's like what?" Buffy asked trying to be understanding. "It's like I'm the last person he'd ever date," Willow said with tears forming in her eyes. She continued. "Like Cordelia's good enough for him- and I-his best friend-am not." The tears began falling down her face. "Hey, it's not you Willow-Xander's probably just going through those hormonal changes that men tend to go through. I'm sure he never meant it to be like that," Buffy said as she hugged her friend. Willow pulled away to look at Buffy, wiping her tears. "Really?" "*Really*"Buffy repeated. "Well, I'm still mad at him. I don't know if I'm even gonna talk to him. I'll let him tell me- or us, that is." "We'll see about that. Somehow, I think you will." The two started walking again. "So, who's this Oz guy that was so heroic as to risk himself getting shot in the arm so that you wouldn't?" Buffy asked changing the subject. "Oz? Oz is no one- he's just this guy- that I know." "A guy that you know. Very informative Will," "Ok, well, we were both chosen for this computer thing at the Career Fair, so we've been talking," Willow told her. "By the way, how did that whole Slayer goodbye thing go between you and Kendra?," Willow asked changing the subject. "Was there any hugging or crying going on?" she continued. Buffy shook her head at her friend with a grin. "You were quick to change the subject. But no, no hugging. Just a goodbye. Kendra has that "No Huggy Huggy, Touchy Touchy," policy." "Oh, right. So- I guess that means there was no crying," Willow answered for Buffy. "Definitely a negative. But even though I was counting the days until she'd leave, it was a little sad to see her go. I guess cause we had something in common. I'm ok now, though." Willow smiled. "Well, good. So have you and Angel been playing helpless patient and nurse lately?" Willow asked anxious to hear the answer. "Actually, me and Angel haven't even talked or seen each other since the night at the church. Kendra was kind enough to volunteer to take him home safely that night so that I could get home to sleep." Willow couldn't believe it. "Wow, you mean you're not even worried that he could not be ok?" "I thought about it of course. But I thought it would be better if he could rest and if I was was with him, there definitely would be no resting going on," Buffy explained. Willow nodded in agreement. "Oh, I see your point. I bet you miss his kisses though." "You could say that. I've definitely been going through some *major* withdrawal," Buffy agreed. Xander came up behind the two of them just in time to hear Buffy's last sentence. "Withdrawal! Buffy, you're not taking drugs now are you? 'Cause that's what that DARE Program is all bout- Saying *no* to drugs." Buffy grinned. "No Xander, Buffy was talking about withdrawal from Angel's kisses- which is probably what you're going through now without Cordelia's kisses!" Willow shot at him with anger. Xander's eyes widened in shock. He looked at Buffy. Buffy shrugged. "What can I say, Xand- secrets secrets are no fun-especially when you keep them from your best friends." Xander shook his head in disbelief. "I don't kn-I don't know what you're talking about," he said trying to cover everything up. Buffy looked at Willow. "Willow?" she asked giving her the cue to explain. "I-I saw you two in the library-when you were looking for that book-I went to help you-and I saw you two-kissing," she told Xander. "Oh, boy... Gosh...I'm sorry, Will. We didn't mean for you-or anyone to see that. We- Look, I have no idea what is going on between me and Cordelia. I mean we get into these fights and then we kiss-and it's completely-completely weird. I mean I don't understand it and I know you two don't either. Right now I'm just trying to sort everything out. And that's why I didn't tell you guys. I mean it's me and- Cordelia- we're not supposed to be together. I mean that's like Tom and Jerry kissing each other-Well,you know-you know what I'm saying." Willow smiled. "I said the same thing," she told him. "Xander like I told Willow before, you're probably going through hormonal changes that men tend to go through," Buffy explained. Xander grinned. "Maybe. I just hope you two will forgive me for not telling," he pleaded. Buffy grinned. "You're forgiven-by me at least." "Willow?" Xander asked. "I forgive you-but only this once Xander-you not tell us something again and I'll-I'll..." Willow paused. Xander smiled. "Thanks you guys. I promise- it'll *never* happen again." "So-" Willow said changing the subject once again,"Where were we?" "Well I know that I was about to tell Buffy that withdrawal from Angel's kisses is even worse then from drugs and that she could say no to that too.. but then.."Xander started. Willow finished for him. "We kinda got into a different conversation. But about what you were gonna say," Willow said with a smile,"I don't think she'd wanna say no to that." Xander smiled at her then turned to Buffy. "How is our vampish fiend anyway? Not that I really care but he just looked like he was in major pain the other night- definitely a good thing." "Actually," she explained again," I haven't seen him since that night. But, I'm sure he's fine." "Darn!" Xander said as he stomped his foot. Willow and Buffy gave him "the look." "Sorry, that just came out unplanned-like a reflex," Xander explained. "Well you better try to control that reflex or my reflex will be to tape your mouth shut," Buffy warned him jokingly. "Whoa-Buff, I knew you were a violent one- with evil creatures but I didn't think you'd be that way with friends. I mean I 'll try but a reflex is a reflex- pretty much uncontrollable. Oh, by the way, Buff, the G-man was looking for you- I was supposed to tell you. Seemed pretty urgent." "Gee, thanks for telling me now that class starts in like a minute." Xander spotted Giles approaching them. "Well, it must be pretty important 'cause here he comes now," he informed Buffy and motioned to him. "Buffy!" Giles called as he caught site of her. Buffy, Xander, and Willow walked over to him. "Giles, hey. What's up?" Buffy asked him. "Buffy I need to see you in the library- in five minutes." Buffy sighed. "Giles, can this wait? 'Cause I have history now and you know how much I'm faltering in that class." Giles shook his head. "Buffy, this is extremely urgent. It'll only take a few minutes," he told her. "Ok. Ill be right there," she obeyed. She turned to her two friends. "I'll see you guys at lunch." Xander nodded. "Ok, best of luck Buff! You may need it with whatever this urgent thing is." "See ya," Willow told her. SCHOOL LIBRARY Giles was relieved when he saw Buffy come through the library doors. "Oh, good. You're here." "What you didn't trust that I'd come?" Buffy asked him slightly annoyed. Giles shook his head. "Well, no. No it's just-" he began. Buffy interrupted shaking her head. "Ok, Giles, What's up? What is this extremely urgent thing that you *need* to tell me about?" she asked impatiently. Giles sighed. "Sit down," he told her. "Gosh this must be bad. When someone asks you to sit down before they tell you something, you know it can *never* be a good thing," she said as she sat. "So, what is this terrible thing?" she asked. "Well, it's two things actually," he told her. "Oh goody. So it's the more problems the merrier kind of deal. So, go head, share." Giles sighed. "Well, I went back to what remains of the church that Druscilla's healing ritual was performed in a few nights ago.." he began. "And?" Buffy asked impatiently. "And while I was looking through the remains of it, I found this," he continued as he pulled a piece of red cloth out of his pocket and handed it to Buffy. "Hmm..a piece of red cloth, probably from a shirt or something," she said as she examined it in her hands, "Giles what does this have to do with- anything?" she asked. "Well, it's not just a piece of cloth off of just anyone's shirt.." he began. "Oooo-could it be-I mean maybe it's a piece of one of Gavin Rossdale's shirts. Can I keep it then- for a souvenir?" Buffy said jokingly. "Gavin Rossdale- I don't believe I've heard of a Gavin Rossdale. Who-Who is he?" Giles asked her. "No one- never mind." Buffy stared down at the torn piece of clothing in her hands. "Wait a sec," she said realizing something,"Spike was wearing a shirt that looked something like this the night that we were in the church and I...killed.." She paused and her eyes widened. "When a vampire is killed every part of it turns to dust, except anything that it may be holding, such as a weapon, but everything else becomes dust, including all of its clothing," he began explaining. "Him," Buffy said finishing her sentence from before, "Oh my gosh." "But when I looked underneath all of the debris, I found not only a piece of his clothing but not a sign of vampire dust in the area in which they were supposed to be killed. It still would have been visible even days later, but since there was none, it would mean that.." Giles continued explaining but was interrupted by Buffy who finished his sentence for him. "Spike and Druscilla are alive," she finished. Giles nodded. "I'm afraid so. Now, have you spoken to Angel at all since that night?" Buffy shook her head. "I haven't yet. I thought I should leave him to recuperate," she started. Giles interrupted. "Well I think it would be a good idea to go see hi, tonight. To- make sure that he's al right. With Druscilla still alive and uncured, he could be in great danger of her and Spike," he warned her. Buffy became a little nervous at what he said. "Great danger? Are we talking death here?" she asked him. "Buffy he was nearly killed by Spike's last attempt to cure her, and if that hasn't worked, well- there's no telling what they'll do next." Buffy agreed. "Ok, so it's Destination Angel's then." "Wait, Buffy. As I said before, that us only one of the problems." "Uh, Giles- I wasn't going anywhere. Remember, school? Well, it's still in session in case you didn't know. And I don't need Principle Snyder to find out that I ditched the rest of the day," Buffy reminded him. Giles agreed. "Oh, yes. That's right. Well anyway, I was researching that Watcher Diaries.." Buffy rolled her eyes and interrupted him. "Really Giles? Cause I thought you always were researching in Reader's Digest," she joked. Giles gave her a stern look. "Continue," she told him. "Well as I was researching, I found out that six months after the Master dies, on the six day, and the six hour, his or her spirit comes back in the form of the opposite sex. It then, goes after the person who killed him or her, along with a team of all the vampires existing at that time," he explained. "Sixth month, sixth day, sixth hour..Giles are you noticing this 666 ocult reference that I'm noticing?"she asked him. "Yes and I believe that has something to do with the fact that the Master is like a vampires versian of the Christian religion's "Anichrist," he explained. "Ok, so anyway, the person who killed the Master," Buffy observed, "That would be me. So why don't they just say "the slayer" cause I thought that's always the person he fights during the Prophecy." "Well, in a few earlier cases," Giles explained,"the Slayer was not the person who killed him or her. Sometimes, it was just a person who happened to be there." Buffy shook her head in confusion. "You keep saying "him or her." Are you saying that the Master could be female?" she asked him. "Well, yes. There have been some female masters in the past, and quite powerful ones, I might add," he explained. "Wow. Talk about girl power. And I thought women only ruled in the 90's." "Yes and the spirit oh the Master that is supposed to be coming will be female, since it's spirit is always the opposite sex." Buffy took everything in and tried putting it into her own words. "Ok, so this master spirit girl, she's coming- six months after the Master's death- which would be- next month-and on the sixth day- Giles, today is the 15th- that means that ghost girl will be coming in only three weeks, and I'm guessing she's *no* Casper-which means we're gonna need a *lot* of time to prepare for it- and we don't even know much of anything about it- I mean it's a spirit,worse then your ordinary poltergeist, and it's the Masters-opposite sex or not- Giles, how the hell are we gonna kill this thing!? Or..make it go away?" Giles took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes in distress. He looked at Buffy who stood waiting for an answer. One that he didn't have. "I-I don't know," he told her truthfully. Buffy couldn't believe it. "You don't know?! You're the Watcher- You're supposed to know these things.... Just tell me one thing- Am I supposed to die from this?" she asked him with tears almost beginning to form in her eyes. Giles shook his head. "No, not that I'm aware if. All that's listed in the Watcher Diaries is what I've told you. That is why, I need you to find out from Angel, everything he knows about this," he told her. Buffy finally calmed down and returned to her normal self. "Ok, well, I'll make sure I make some time in between kisses for us to chat about it," she told him. "Buffy, this is nothing to joke about. You must be serious." "I was being serious just now," she joked again. Giles gave Buffy the same stern look from before. "Ok, Ok, I'll make sure that I talk to him about it. And by the way, I was being serious just a few minutes before the other thing I said. Maybe a little *too* serious. Anyway, are we done here cause I have to get to class now?" Giles nodded. "Ok then I better go. See ya, Giles," she said as she walked out the library doors. LATER ON IN THE SCHOOL DAY *bell rings* Willow and Xander walked together out of the classroom that they were just in and down the halls. Approaching them was Cordelia, Devon, and Oz. Willow smiled at the sight of Oz. When they were in speaking range Xander acknowledged Cordelia."Well, would you look who it is," Xander said looking at her. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked him. "Nothing. Just, look who it is- it's you." "And your point is?" "No point. I was just- acknowledging your presence," he told her. "Why?" she asked him in a snotty voice. "Never mind. I don't wanna know. Come on Devon. Let's go." She pulled Devon with her down the halls. Oz stayed behind. "Hi," he said looking at Willow. "Hey Oz," she said smiling. "Weren't you supposed to leave with them," Willow asked referring to Cordelia and Devon. "Well, see, I wanted to know if you were going to the Bronze tonight," he explained. "Oh. Well, I don't know- I mean I gotta check with my friends to see if their going or not," she told him. "Why do you wanna know?" she asked him. "Well my band is gonna be playing there tonight and if you were going, then you'd get to see us play. And, you know, maybe when we're done playing, you and I could maybe hang out together for a little while if it was cool with you," he told her. "Oh, yeah, that, that would be cool-with me. Yeah." "So you're going then?" Oz asked her. "Yeah. I'll be there," she told him. "Alright, well I'll see you then." "Yeah, see ya," she said with a smile. She turned and watched him walk away. "Willow? Hello? Anyone there?" Xander called waving his hands in front of her face. "Oh, yeah. Sorry, Xand." "That's ok. So, I guess we're Bronze bound tonight, huh?" Xander asked. "Yeah," she answered with a smile across her face. "Well, that'll work out good. I can dance with Cordelia while Devon's busy singing and you can stare at Oz, the great and powerful." "Xander!" "Sorry, couldn't stop myself there. The Wizard of Oz thing was gonna come up some time. And then was the time." "By the way, why were you and Cordelia fighting back there. I thought you guys were ok with each other now." Willow asked confused slightly. "We are ok, but Devon and Oz were there. We can't act like love birds in front of them. Not that we are or anything," he explained. Xander noticed Buffy walking up ahead. "Hey, let's go see if Buffy can join us tonight," he told Willow. The two ran to catch up with her. "Hey Buff." "Hey guys." "So, Willow and I are going to the Bronze tonight. Feel like joining us?" he asked. "Well, I would but I'm gonna go check on Angel tonight. I have to find out stuff from him for Giles too," she told them. "Well, if it's for Giles then I guess you should," Xander said a little disappointed. "Oz is gonna be there," Willow told her excitedly. "And we're gonna hang out when his band's done playing." "And you said you two would never become a thing. It's already in the working," Buffy told her. Willow smiled. *bell rings* "Ooo, gotta get to class. I'll see you guys," Buffy said and then started to walk to her next class. Willow and Xander did the same. Buffy turned back around. "Willow!" she shouted down the hall. Willow turned around. "Good luck tonight." Willow smiled and they both turned and continued on to their next class. LATER THAT NIGHT ANGEL'S APARTMENT Buffy knocked on Angel's door."Angel?" she called. She tried to open it but it as locked of course. She knocked again. "Angel, it's just me .Open up." She waited then knocked once more. When he still didn't answer she decided to let herself in by kicking open the door. She walked in and closed the door behind her. "Angel?...Hello? Anybody home?" she called. *He's gotta be home. He's recuperating* she thought. Finally she came to the area where his bed was and found him sound asleep in it. She smiled at the sight of his sleeping figure, then got an idea. She went over to the phone and dialed her home phone number. "Mom? Hi. I'm over at Willow's- she's helping me study for this big history test and it looks like we won't be done till late tonight. So can I stay over and get a ride to school with her?...Yeah, it's ok with her parents...Ok, thanks a lot mom..I love you too. Bye." Buffy listened as her mom hung up and grinned mischeiviously at what she had just done. Then, as she was going to hang up the phone she was pulled back onto the bed behind her and on top of Angel who immediately leaned up and kissed her. They kissed again and soon the two were wrapped up in a whirl of passion. Angel began kissing down Buffy's face and to her neck. Buffy let out a slight moan as Angel kissed her neck. She then moved to claim his lips with hers again, afraid that if he kissed her neck any longer, he might go vamp on her. But soon she found his lips trailing back down the same path to her neck. She had to admit, it felt great when he kissed her there, but again, she didn't want him to lose his control. It was too late though- his lips were already there and the pleasure from him kissing her there, overwhelmed her. "Angel," she managed to get out, trying to make him stop, but what it really sounded like was a sigh of pleasure. After a moment, she called his name again, this time sounded more like her calling him. Still he didn't stop. "Mmm?" he just said as his lips trailed up and down her face to her neck. She let out a soft cry again as he kissed a sensitive spot that he hadn't kissed yet. Finally she was able to tell him. "Um, Angel, maybe you shouldn't kiss me there." Angel stopped and lifted his head to meet her eyes. He was a little confused. "Sorry-I thought you were enjoying it." Buffy blushed alittle."I was- I was- it's just-Well I was afraid you'd go vampire on me- No offense," she explained. Angel chuckled. "Why would you think that?" he asked with a smile. "Oh- I don't know, maybe because you-on a few occasions-have been known to go vamp on me while we were lip locked," she said with a slight grin. Angel shook his head. "Well, just so you know, that really only happens when I'm angry-or- I have something on my mind. But- I can control it otherwise," he explained to her with a smile. Buffy tried to fight back her impulse to ask him more, but couldn't. "Even if you're kissing my neck- the very same spot that you could be feeding on me from?" Angel's face saddened a bit. "I'm Sorry, that didn't come out the right way," she told him. Angel just looked away. Buffy took her hand and turned his face so that he faced her. "Hey, I trust you Angel, I do." Angel nodded, but still looked a little sad. "I know," he answered. Buffy changed the subject."Well, so anyway, I came here to see how you were-You're ok, right?" Angel nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." "Ok, good-Is there anything I could do?" she asked with a smile. Angel grinned. "Well, you could start by, kissing me again." Buffy smiled back at him. "That I can definitely do," she said as she leaned down to kiss him. Their lips met for a few more kisses before they pulled away. "I've missed you," Angel said as their lips parted. "Been kinda lonely here-and without you," he continued. Buffy smiled. "Sorry I haven't come by- but I thought you'd need some time to rest and recuperate without any distractions," she explained. "Yeah, you're probably right," he told her with a smile. Buffy loved when he told her she was right. "Well, I'm here now-And we have the whole night to be together-I told my mom I was at Willow's so I can stay the night," she told him. Angel shook his head. "Buffy, that's very kind of you to be here, but I'm not sure it's such a good idea you spend the night." Buffy didn't understand. "Well, why not? If you're worried that you don't have an extra bed, you shouldn't cause I think were a little past sleeping in separate beds. I can just- sleep right here next to you," she said then patted a spot on the bed. "That's just it, Buffy. Don't you think it would be a little tempting being together in the same bed? I mean don't you thing we might end up wanting to-," "Have sex?" Buffy suggested bluntly. Angel seemed a little uncomfortable. "Well..yeah," he told her. "So- what's so wrong with that? I mean, we've been way past a cup of of coffee. We can't even go 5 minutes without kissing each other." "It's just- If I lose control Buffy, which I could, you could die. And hurting you is the last thing I want to do," he told her. "Angel, I know that-But I don't think you would. I trust you enough to know that you'd never hurt me, even in your vampire mode." Angel shook his head. "Buffy please- It's hard enough not to- please don't make it any harder," he begged. Buffy looked deeply into Angel's eyes. "Please Angel- I love you..I need you," she pleaded with him. Angel lightened a bit. "What caused the change of mind? Just before, you didn't even want me kissing you- and now-," Angel began, curious. "You told me you could control it- and I believe you. And I realized that we don't know how much time we'll have together. I mean, it was the scariest thing, you almost died the other night. And me, being the Slayer-Well,you know, Slayers are known to have short lives. I figure we should do..things..while we have the chance," she explained. Angel agreed. "Alright," he said with a slight nod. His eyes stared deeply into Buffy's.But there was something about them- something about his eyes that was different. It was as if they held an untold secret-as if Angel knew that something was about to tear him and Buffy apart. "Ok?" Buffy asked with a smile. "Ok," Angel replied grinning. Buffy leaned in and kissed him. "I love you, Buffy. I want you to know that," he told her. She kissed him again. "I know," she said with a smile. Angel looked as if he was waiting for her to say more. "I love you too," she finished finally. He smiled-but then that look appeared in his eyes again-the look of pain-of knowing something Buffy did not. Buffy kissed him again, then saw that look in his eyes. "Hey, what's wrong?" she asked concerned. "It's nothing- really." "Are you sure? I mean are you nervous or something?-'cause I'll admit that I am a little," she asked slightly worried. "No- I'm fine," Angel said with a smile. He then pulled her back down on him for a kiss. "Good," Buffy said as she pulled the covers up over them , coming back down on him, and kissing him. They kissed each other passionately for a few moments. Then Buffy took control and began kissing down Angel's face, nibbling on his jaw line and planting soft kisses down his neck. She then paused to help him remove his white tee-shirt, and began kissing him again from his collar bone down to his smooth chest. She then worked her way back up to his mouth as her hands ran up and down his arms and broad chest, feeling his muscles....beneath her touch. Their kiss lingered on for a while, before it was broken by Angel, who sat up in bed. "Angel, what's worng," Buffy asked concerned. Angel shook his head. "I can't. I can't do this Buffy...I'm sorry. I 'm so, sorry. You know I'd do anything for you Buffy, but I can't do this. I can't," Angel explained to her, quite upset. He looked almost as if he was about to cry and Buffy could sense that. She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him close to her. "It's ok Angel. It's ok-I understand. I shouldn't have..pressured you so much. I'm sorry," she whispered in his ear. Angel pulled away after a short while and laid back down on the bed. Buffy laid down also, resting her head against his shoulder. She turned to look at him. "Are you ok?" she asked him. Angel nodded. "Yeah, I'm ok," he replied in a sad tone. "I still love you,Angel. You know that, right?," she told him. "I know," he replied. Buffy gave him a little smile then settled her head on his chest and closed her eyes. Angel put an arm around her and did the same. Little did Buffy know that,inside, Angel really wasn't fine or ok-and she would soon not be either. To be continued... _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Anexsin Subject: BUFFYFIC: Who Am I (7/8) Date: 05 Mar 1998 02:08:52 EST Title: Who Am I (7/8) Author: Melinda Email Addy: Anexsin@aol.com Rating: PG for some violence Spoiler: All eps before "What's My line" Therefore, Angel still has his soul & Dru is weak. Disclaimer: Anything to do with the Buffyverse belongs to Joss Whedon, WB, etc. Just borrowing his proteges for a lillte bit. Only the story was hatched from my very own brain. Summary: Buffy gets amnesia, while Spike tries to use it to dispose of the Slayer. ********************** ~PART 7~ When the gang arrived at the wharehouse through the back entrance, seeing as how the front door had a guard, they slipped quietly into the shadows as not to be seen or heard by Spike. Buffy was chained on the far wall while Spike loomed over her with his demon face on. They listened intently to what was being said. "No ones going to save you this time, Slayer." Spike taunted. "You've cheated destiny long enough. I think it's about time I put you out of your misery." "My misery? You're the one with birth defects. If I looked like you do I'd kill myself." Buffy quiped. "Tut tut. You'll bruise my ego." Spike tsked. "I bet you don't say that to Angelus." Spike resumed. "Who?" Buffy seemed confused once again. "Oh, It's Angel now. I forgot." Spike corrected himself. "You know Angel?" Buffy asked. "Quite well, and he looks just like I do right now. He just hasn't showed you." "You lie." Buffy screamed. "He's sweet and beautiful and caring." "And a demon, might I add." Spike spoke matter-of-factly. From their hidden spots on the other side of the wharehouse the gang silently watched. "What is he doing?" Xander questioned. "He likes toying with her. Playing with her emotions." Angel informed. They were distracted from saying anything else when two vampires unchained Buffy's wrists and brought her to stand in the center of the room. Buffy struggled and tried to break free of their grasps, but to no effort. "I'm tired of this conversation. It looks like your friends aren't coming for you, so I'll get on with the killing." Spike bared his teeth. He grabbed Buffy's arms pinning the two vamps with a stare making them retreat in fear. "Goodbye, Slayer. Been nice fighting with you." were Spike's last words. He tilted her head to the side and slowly lowered his fangs to her neck. Buffy's life suddenly flashed before her eyes. The Harvest, killing the master, dieing at his hands, training with Giles in the library, the last fight in the cemetary. It was all coming back to her. She finally knew who she was & what she had to do. Spike was inches from her neck when he heard yelling from behind him. "NO!" screamed Angel. His demon face showing in the light as he ran towards him. Buffy didn't hesitate to take the interruption to her advantage. When Spike looked away she kneed him hard in the groin. Falling to the floor in pain, Buffy kicked him in the face sending him flying onto his back. "Guess who's back, Spikey?" Now it was Buffy doing the taunting. He got up from the floor and he and Buffy became engaged in a fight. The gang was so busy fighting their own vamps that they didn't know Buffy regained her memory. Willow and Xander were holding back the vampire that was guarding the front door, while Giles staked it. Angel was taking on the two vamps that brought Buffy foward, which he promptly discarded in his attempts to reach her. But Buffy was successfully holding her own. She had a piece of wood she broke off from a crate in her hand, and was about to plunge it downward into Spike's unbeating heart when he rolled out of the way. Spike jumped to his feet and ran towards the door. "This isn't over Slayer. You haven't seen the last of me." he yelled and ran out the door. "I'm looking foward to it, scaredy cat." she yelled back. Buffy turned towards her friends. "Buffy?" Willow asked unsure of what to think. "That's me Wil. Buffy the Slayer, back from vacation." Buffy replied happily. She never thought she'd be so happy to be the Slayer in all her life. A huge smile spread acoss Willow's face and she enfolded her friend in a hug and then Xander joined in. When they separated Buffy turned to Angel and kissed him fully on the lips and hugged him to her tightly. "I'm so glad you're ok." Angel whispered in her ear. "So am I." she whispered back. She released him and took his hand. "So Giles, unless you want to prod me on details, I'd like to go home. I feel icky and want to take a shower and possibly get some sleep." Buffy remained hopeful. "Details can wait until tomorrow." Giles assured her. "I'm just glad you're back." Giles and Buffy shared one of those slayer/watcher smiles, and the whole gang headed towards their homes. Happy to have their Slayer back safe and sound. ****************************** To be continued............... - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Anexsin Subject: BUFFYFIC: Who Am I (8/8) Date: 05 Mar 1998 02:09:05 EST Title: Who Am I (8/8) Author: Melinda Email Addy: Anexsin@aol.com Rating: PG for some violence Spoiler: All eps before "What's My line" Therefore, Angel still has his soul & Dru is weak. Disclaimer: Anything to do with the Buffyverse belongs to Joss Whedon, WB, etc. Just borrowing his proteges for a lillte bit. Only the story was hatched from my very own brain. Summary: Buffy gets amnesia, while Spike tries to use it to dispose of the Slayer. ************************* ~PART 8~ "So when last night did you memory come back?" Willow asked as the trio sat in the library on their free period. "Right when Spike was about to sink his fangs into my neck. My life like flashed before my eyes." Buffy answered. "It seems as though your slayer senses reactivated itself when your life was put in danger." Giles informed. "Well whatever happened, I'm glad it did. I couldn't stand being in the dark anymore." Buffy stated. "Buffy and the dark. Two words I can't even imagine putting in the same sentence." Xander joked. "Ha Ha very funny." Buffy quiped. "I know. I'm a laugh a minute." Xander informed. "Whatever you say, Xander." Willow assured. "So, ladies are we bronzing it tonight? We can have a crazed dance party." Xander asked. "Absolutely. Angel said he might show." Buffy confirmed. "Oh, come on Buffy, the guys is older then dirt." Xander interjected. "Yeah, but he sure looks good for someone whose older then dirt." Willow defended. "Thank you, Wil." Buffy said. Before Xander could retaliate the bell rang ending their free time. "You kids better get to class." Giles informed. "Before Snyder gives you all detention." "Auugh. I'm seriously thinking about staking Snyder anyway." Buffy commented. "All in favor say aye." Xander motioned and raised his hand as did Willow. "Go to class, all of you." Giles commanded and went back into his office. "Fine. Maybe I can catch some z's during history." Buffy stated. "She's back." Willow and Xander replied in unison. Giles could hear the three laughing as they exited the library. Shaking his head and chuckling he whispered to himself, "at least things are back to normal. Or as normal as things can get on the Hellmouth." He went bout skimming the card catalogue being a dutiful librarian *************** The band playing in the Bronze was loud as usual, but not all that bad. Xander seemed to be enjoying himself, while he showed off his unique style of dancing. The girls couldn't help but laugh at him. "So how are you feeling?" Willow started. "Much better." Buffy confirmed. "I wanted to thank you guys for sticking by me through this. It means alot to me." "Hey, that's what friends are for. Besides you would've done the same for us." Willow applied. "Without a doubt." Buffy assured. The two girls shared a knowing smile conveying much more then words could. "Hey." Angel greeted. Both girls jumped startled not realizing him appear. "Sorry." Angel apologized with a slight chuckle. "I really wish you wouldn't do that." Buffy commented. "I think I'll get something to drink." Willow offered herself an escape. She vacated her stool and headed towards the drink counter with a pleased smile on her face. Angel and Buffy watched her go and smiled at each other. "So I see you are feeling better." Angel stated. "Much better." Buffy assured him. "Good, then can I have this dance?" he asked as a slow song started playing. "Sure." Buffy replied and took his outstreched hand. Buffy was surprised at how casually he had asked her, but she melted into his embrace as he slowly rocked her to the music. "I told you this felt right." Buffy broke the silence. "So do you need more time to think things over." Angel asked. "Not anymore." Buffy whispered as she stood on her toes to reach his lips. Very gently she pressed them to his as his arms encircled her. When they separated Angel smiled down at her as she laid her head on his chest. He kissed her on the head lightly as they continued to lose themselves in their own little world, where nothing seemed to exist but each other. **************** The End - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Vinnie Ellis Subject: BUFFYFIC: unsubscribe Date: 05 Mar 1998 10:27:47 -0500 Unscubscribe buffyfic - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Black Fire" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Inner Demons (12/?) Date: 05 Mar 1998 16:24:15 PST Title:Inner Demons Author: Black Fire Email address: Blackfire42@hotmail.com FEEDBACK: If you wish Rating: PG Spoilers: I've changed this. This story takes place after BBB. Disclaimers: Buffy: The Vampire Slayer and all characters therein belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy and The WB. Jäzen (pronounced Jay-sten or Jay-zen) is my own creation. Author's note: This idea came to me long when Buffy first began. Needless to say, I was very angry at Joss when the Angel episode aired and my idea for a good vampire went down the tubes. But I got over that and since then the idea has... evolved. Also. I have not finished this yet. Summary so far: Jäzen and Buffy (still talking) were rudely interrupted by Angelus. INNER DEMONS Part 12 "Oh, you're good, Jäzen," Angelus said. "However did you get her to trust you?" "I told her the truth," Jäzen answered. "Same as you did." "Really?" came the reply. "So, tell me, how long were you going to lead her on until you put the bite on her?" “How long were you planing on following us before you showed your sorry face?” came the reply. “What?” Buffy asked, but she was silenced by Jäzen’s hand. "I have no intention of 'putting the bite' on her," Jäzen finally said. "You don't expect me to believe that?" Angelus asked in a disbelieving tone. "I don't expect you to do anything," Jäzen replied. “Except, maybe, leave.” "I can't believe I'm hearing this," Angelus laughed. "Jäzen! The Great monster! The legendary slaughterer of thousands has gone soft?” “I would hardly say I’ve gone soft,” Jäzen simply said. "More, I would say that *I've* gotten stronger. But you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?" Angelus was taken aback. They stared each other down for several minutes. All the while, Buffy was stuck in the middle of the two vampires, unsure whether to get out of the line of fire or keep them separated (which she doubted she could do anyway). "Do you remember the night Spike and I ran into you?" Angelus finally asked. "Yes," Jäzen answered after a moment's thought. "As I recall, I nearly ripped you both to pieces." "We wanted to join you," was the soft reply. "Like I said," Jäzen repeated, "I nearly ripped you both to pieces. Who's idea was that anyway? Your's or the insolent Balg's*?" "Watch it," Angelus warned. "Or what?" came the indignat response, "you'll kill me? Or will you just go back to torturing the girl here?" "Oh, I have plans for *her*," Angelus retorted, shifting his gaze to Buffy. "Right now, I have other people to take care of." "Use your head, Angelus," Jäzen raised his voice, "if you still can. If you think you can play your little games with her and expect the usual results, your as stupid as those welps of yours!" He calmed down and stared coldly at the younger vampire. "As for me, just try it and I'll do what I *should* have done 160 years ago." “I don’t think you have it in you,” Angelus scoffed. “And I think something in you *wants* to die,” was the counter. “Let’s settle it then,” Angelus growled as he put on his game face. "Let's." * * * * * The Black Fire Blackfire42@hotmail.com ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Hope (16/?) Date: 05 Mar 1998 18:13:13 PST Author: Sara B. Sara114@hotmail.com Rating: Varies...will be posted at beginning of each part. Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, yada yada yada belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox.... I’m just borrowing them, (although I wish Angel was mine!) Everything else belongs to me! Author’s note: This is your usual generic story. Angel is still good, so basically in my story surprise/innocence didn’t happen. Willow and Oz are together, and Xander and Cordy are still hiding their secret utility closet rondevu’s. This is going to be a long story, and will take some time so be patient with me. I’m not very good at story telling, so if this totally sucks and isn’t read-worthy, just let me know.Oh yeah, and I want feedback, feedback, and more feedback. I don’t care if it’s good or bad, just tell me what you thought of it. PART 16 Xander and Cordelia entered the dark confines of the library. Giles and Jenny huddled at a table full of weapons, sharpening stakes and putting together a new crossbow, while trying to repair the broken one. Willow sat in a corner, going through books. Giles noticed that they weren’t alone. He looked up and saw the them standing there. “Thank God you have finally arrived. It’s about bloody time.” He said, rushing over to them. “Giles, you called us *five* minutes ago.” Xander said. “Time is of the essence. You don’t understand what is going on.” he immediately went into the details of their situation. “This is really serious.” Cordelia spoke, after Giles finished. “Yes, it is. We have to...” “I GOT IT!” The Watcher was interrupted by a loud voice. “I FOUND SOMETHING!” Everyone in the room looked at Willow, who jumped up with glee at her newly found information. “You found what?” Xander asked. “Well, you know how you told me that Hope was so strong and Buffy felt so weird around her?” Giles nodded earnestly. “Well, I think I might have found an explanation. Listen to this: There is only one slayer in each generation. She is the chosen one who has the skill and ability to fight and destroy the demons that walk the earth. However, if her power is not strong enough, she may obtain guidance or help. A slayer from the past may reach out to her by bestowing her power on to a girl of the age of 16. It is customary that she be of blood relation. The source of the power may come in a special origin, presumably in an item that was greatly significant to the slayer.” ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Hope (17/?) Date: 05 Mar 1998 18:16:42 PST Author: Sara B. Sara114@hotmail.com Rating: Varies...will be posted at beginning of each part. Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, yada yada yada belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox.... I'm just borrowing them, (although I wish Angel was mine!) Everything else belongs to me! Author's note: This is your usual generic story. Angel is still good, so basically in my story surprise/innocence didn't happen. Willow and Oz are together, and Xander and Cordy are still hiding their secret utility closet rondevu's. This is going to be a long story, and will take some time so be patient with me. I'm not very good at story telling, so if this totally sucks and isn't read-worthy, just let me know.Oh yeah, and I want feedback, feedback, and more feedback. I don't care if it's good or bad, just tell me what you thought of it. PART 17 G “Buffy? Buffy? Are you there?” Buffy slowly opened her eyes to the sound of the soft voice calling her name. Her vision was blurry, and took a moment to focus. She looked at her surroundings. “Where am I?” “You’re in your subconscious.” the soothing voice said. Buffy staggered to her feet. She felt as if she were floating on a cloud. She was in a garden of wild flowers, endless fields of them, all around her. She spun around to see an angelic-like girl standing in front of her. “Who are you?” She asked suspiciously. “You know who I am.” the girl said. Buffy looked into her familiar eyes. “Hope?” “No, my dear. Not Hope. But someone very close, yet distant to her and you. Buffy, you and I share a connection. I am Mira, the Vampire Slayer. “No way. You’re dead, very dead. For a couple hundred years now.” Buffy said uneasily. The girl gave a small laugh. “Yes, I am dead, but I’m coming to you in a dream. Don’t be frightened.” “Well, what do you want?” “To tell you something very important. It is about Angel.” Buffy felt a small lump in her throat. “Is he dead?” she uttered. She smiled. “No dear, he is alive, but in grave danger. You must rescue him as soon as possible. Or else he will no longer be your Angel.” “Wait a minute, why are you telling me this? He killed you and your family, what makes you want to help him?” Buffy asked. “Your wrong. He didn’t to all those horrible things. Not Angel, but Angelus, the demon within him. When you become a vampire, your soul flees to safety, and is forced to watch the demon take over your body, destroying everything dear to you. Angel has been forgiven. He has redeemed himself by becoming good. He no longer feeds on humans, and has joined you in your fight against the forces of darkness.” Buffy didn’t know what to say. “Will he become the new Master when the sun goes down?” Mira nodded. “That is why you must hurry.” “But how do I save him? Spike and Drusilla have him captured, and he can’t go outside or the sun will kill him!” Buffy said exasperated. “I can’t lose him. I love him.” “I know. That is why he will be given a second chance. You must give him a token of life. It will be the key to his humanity. It will protect him from harm.” “What? What is the key?” she desperately asked. “You will know when you see it.” “Oh god, this is all too much for me to handle.” “You are strong, Buffy. Believe in yourself and you can do anything.” “Mira, why is Hope here? There has to be a reason.” “She is here to help you. She will fight by your side. She has the power within her.” “What power? How does she have power like that? She isn’t a slayer.” Mira gave Buffy an angelic smile. “Don’t ask so many questions. Just have faith in her and in yourself. She hasn’t realized the gift she has been give, but she will.” “Gift? What gift? I don’t understand!” “Good bye, Buffy.” Her image started to fade away. “No wait! Don’t leave!” Buffy ran to her but it was too late, she had already disappeared. “Now what do I do?” Her head began to throb again, and frustration filled her mind. She looked up into the sky and there was a blinding flash of light. Then darkness. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Hope (18/?) Date: 05 Mar 1998 18:19:05 PST Author: Sara B. Sara114@hotmail.com Rating: Varies...will be posted at beginning of each part. Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, yada yada yada belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox.... I'm just borrowing them, (although I wish Angel was mine!) Everything else belongs to me! Author's note: This is your usual generic story. Angel is still good, so basically in my story surprise/innocence didn't happen. Willow and Oz are together, and Xander and Cordy are still hiding their secret utility closet rondevu's. This is going to be a long story, and will take some time so be patient with me. I'm not very good at story telling, so if this totally sucks and isn't read-worthy, just let me know.Oh yeah, and I want feedback, feedback, and more feedback. I don't care if it's good or bad, just tell me what you thought of it. PART 18 PG Angel stared at the door. He knew what was coming. He watched as it slowly opened, and Spike walked through. He gestured to someone outside the hall, then shut the door behind him. “Well, man, how you holding up?” he asked casually. The vampire looked around and saw that Buffy was gone. “So she did escape? I’m surprised. I didn’t think she would leave you.” “What do you want?” Angel growled. “Hmm...let’s see. What do I want? To be honest, I want to kill you. You are a traitor. But, you being my sire and all restricts me from doing so, I have two options: I can torture you, or, I can make that damn soul of yours go away and return you to your true ways.” Angel stood up. “That’s really funny Spike. You amuse me to no end.” “You know, it’s really too bad that your precious slayer is going to die. She is quite the feisty one, don’t you agree?” Spike something out of his pocket. It was small, and Angel couldn’t tell what it was. “Curious, Angelus? Here.” He threw the object at Angel. He caught it. Opening his palm, he saw that it was the claddagh ring that he had given to Buffy. “How did you get this?” Rage filled his body. “Oh, very easily. When you two were tied up, I slipped it off her finger. She never even noticed.” He laughed. “Nor did she even care.” “What’s that supposed to mean?” Angel asked, suspiciously. “Tsk tsk tsk. You are dense, aren’t you. You really disappoint me. What I mean is that she really *doesn’t* love you. She is just using you.” “She is NOT using me. We love each other. Something you will never understand.” “Oh, poor Angelus. She *is* using you. She doesn’t love you. She just pretends to care so you will stay on her side....so you will continue killing your own kind.” “YOUR WRONG!” “Just keep telling yourself that old boy.” Spike said. He grabbed the ring back from Angel and walked toward the door. When his back was turned, Angel lunged at him, knocking him down. Spike kicked him away, and quickly got back up. Angel tried to lunge at him again, but two vamps from out in the hall ran into the room after hearing the commotion and held him back. Spike rubbed his sore jaw. “It’s only a matter of time.” He said, and walked out the door. One of the vamps grabbed a baseball bat and hit Angel over the head with it, knocking him unconscious. They left, and slammed and locked the door shut behind them. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Hope (19/?) Date: 05 Mar 1998 18:21:53 PST Author: Sara B. Sara114@hotmail.com Rating: Varies...will be posted at beginning of each part. Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, yada yada yada belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox.... I'm just borrowing them, (although I wish Angel was mine!) Everything else belongs to me! Author's note: This is your usual generic story. Angel is still good, so basically in my story surprise/innocence didn't happen. Willow and Oz are together, and Xander and Cordy are still hiding their secret utility closet rondevu's. This is going to be a long story, and will take some time so be patient with me. I'm not very good at story telling, so if this totally sucks and isn't read-worthy, just let me know.Oh yeah, and I want feedback, feedback, and more feedback. I don't care if it's good or bad, just tell me what you thought of it. Part 19 PG “Buffy! Wake up! Buffy?” Hope shook her friend slightly. Buffy had been passed out on the couch for ten minutes, and nothing seemed to wake her up. “Buffy!” Hope went to the bathroom and grabbed a bottle of rubbing alcohol from beneath the sink. She poured a little on a cotton ball and waved it underneath her friend’s nose. Buffy stirred, and slowly opened her eyes. “Mira? Don’t go, Mira, tell me the key, I have to help Angel.” Buffy murmured. “Buffy, It’s Hope, not Mira. Remember me?” “Help me, Mira. Please don’t go,” she said, and closed her eyes again. “Buffy! No, don’t close your eyes. Uugghh! What do I do? What do I do?” She was racked with worry. An idea flashed in her mind. She ran to the kitchen and searched for a phonebook. When she found one, she looked up a number and grabbed the phone and dialed. ********* “I definitely think that you may have found something. If this is true, then it explains a lot. Especially with Hope.” Giles said, when Willow finished. “Giles,” Jenny said, “Something crossed my mind. Hope came to Sunnydale just in time for us to find out about all of this. She has the strength of a slayer, but not the skill. Her aunt was a slayer, and she wears a mysterious pendant. I’m might be wrong, but It almost fits in with what Willow just read to us. Is it possible that Mira sent Hope here to help Buffy?” Giles thought for a moment. “It is very likely. But what would her source of power be?” “The necklace?” Jenny suggested. “So the plot unravels...” Xander’s attempt at dry humor was cut off by the telephone. Giles walked over and picked it up. “Hello?” “I need to speak with Giles!!!” The voice said urgently. “This is him.” “Oh I’m so glad you there! It’s Hope. I’m at Buffy’s house, and we were talking and she was looking at my necklace and then she passed out and I can’t wake her up and I don’t know what to do!” Hope rambled quickly. “Calm down, calm down. Where is she now?” “She is lying on the couch. She woke up for a minute and was murmuring something and then passed out again!” “All right, I’ll be over there as soon as possible.” He hung up the phone. “Something is wrong with Buffy. She’s passed and can’t be woken.” He told them. “I am going over to her house right now.” “Well I’m coming too!” Xander said. “If he is going, I’m going.” Willow said. Cordelia piped up. “Well then I’m going too.” Everyone looked at Jenny. “I don’t want to be here alone, so I’m also going.” Giles sighed. “Very well then. Let’s go. We still need to prepare, so we will do it at her house. Gather up all the weapons and books that you can. And hurry!” The group gathered up everything that they could and made their way to Buffy’s house. In Giles’ drove Willow, Jenny, and Cordelia with Xander. “Giles, what do you think is wrong with Buffy?” Jenny asked. “I really don’t know. Hope was very frantic on the telephone.” “I hope she will be okay, she is our only hope.” “But remember that Hope is here to fight too, and Hope is also our hope.” Willow said. “Did that make sense?” “But Hope has no skills. She is strong enough to go against a vampire, but doesn’t ability to fight him.” Jenny said. “Maybe she does.” Giles said. “What do you mean by that?” Jenny asked. “Well, perhaps Hope does possess the skill and ability, but she just doesn’t recognize it yet. It is possible that she doesn’t know how to use her power.” “Let’s just pray that she figures it out.” ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Hope (20/?) Date: 05 Mar 1998 18:24:50 PST Author: Sara B. Sara114@hotmail.com Rating: Varies...will be posted at beginning of each part. Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, yada yada yada belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox.... I'm just borrowing them, (although I wish Angel was mine!) Everything else belongs to me! Author's note: This is your usual generic story. Angel is still good, so basically in my story surprise/innocence didn't happen. Willow and Oz are together, and Xander and Cordy are still hiding their secret utility closet rondevu's. This is going to be a long story, and will take some time so be patient with me. I'm not very good at story telling, so if this totally sucks and isn't read-worthy, just let me know.Oh yeah, and I want feedback, feedback, and more feedback. I don't care if it's good or bad, just tell me what you thought of it. Part 20 PG *Groan* Angel’s head was pounding as he slowly drifted in and out of consciousness. He opened his eyes, and looked around. The walls were spinning and the floor was moving, like he was on a roller coaster. Sickness came over him, and he felt like we was going to throw up. Angel brought his hand to his forehead and felt a big lump. he thought. He looked up to see Drusilla standing over him. She knelt down beside him. “Hello Angel. How are we feeling?” “Like I’ve been hit by a semi truck. Where am I?” he asked. Dru was puzzled. “You don’t know?” she asked him, helping him sit up. “I don’t remember anything.” “Do you remember me?” “Of course I remember you. I could never forget you. I just can’t seem to remember anything else.” “What is the last thing that your pretty little head does remember?” “I don’t know. It’s like my memory is jumbled. What is going on?” “Nothing, my luv.” she smiled. “Do you remember Buffy?” He looked puzzled. “Who the hell is Buffy?” Dru squealed. “I’ll be right back. You just wait here.” She ran out of the room. “Spike! Come here. Spike!” He walked into the hallway. “What?” “Angel doesn’t remember anything.” “What do you mean?” “Come and see him, luv.” She gently pulled on his arm and lead him into the room. Angel looked up. “Spike, buddy. What’s going on?” “Buddy? I’m not your buddy. Are you feeling okay, Angel?” “Okay, you two are getting me *really* confused. Would you tell me where the hell I am, and why do you keep calling me Angel?” Spike was confused. “What do you want to be called?” “Gee...Hmmm...I don’t know.” he said, sarcastically. “What do you think?” he asked, angrily. “My name is Angelus.” ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Help! (Hope) Date: 05 Mar 1998 22:26:38 PST I feel like a total bonehead, but could anyone tell me what was the last part of my fanfic "Hope" that I sent to the list? I completely spaced and don't know what parts to send next. Thanx-- Sara ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Hope (21/?) Date: 05 Mar 1998 23:46:59 PST Author: Sara B. Sara114@hotmail.com Rating: Varies...will be posted at beginning of each part. Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, yada yada yada belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox.... I'm just borrowing them, (although I wish Angel was mine!) Everything else belongs to me! Author's note: This is your usual generic story. Angel is still good, so basically in my story surprise/innocence didn't happen. Willow and Oz are together, and Xander and Cordy are still hiding their secret utility closet rondevu's. This is going to be a long story, and will take some time so be patient with me. I'm not very good at story telling, so if this totally sucks and isn't read-worthy, just let me know.Oh yeah, and I want feedback, feedback, and more feedback. I don't care if it's good or bad, just tell me what you thought of it. Part 21 PG Hope was waiting anxiously on Buffy’s porch for Giles. When she saw the car pull up in front of the house, she felt relieved. “He is finally here.” Giles, Jenny, and Willow got out of the car. He rushed up to Hope, who took him inside and lead him to the unconcious Buffy who lay on the couch. “Here she is.” “Buffy...wake up. It’s me, Giles.” He rubbed her head gently and squeezed the palm of her small hand. “Giles?” she uttered. The Slayer opened her glassy eyes. She looked at Giles. “I saw her.” her voice was weak and quiet. “Saw who?” “Saw Mira.” “Where did you see her at?” “In my dream. She told me to help Angel.” “What did she say?” “I have to get the key.” Buffy closed her eyes. She thought back to Mira. Buffy sat up and and grasped Giles’ hand. Intently, she looked into his eyes. “We have to help him.” “Don’t worry, we will.” As he spoke, Xander and Cordelia entered her living room. “Hey, Buff, how you feelin’?” Xander asked. “I’m fine, but my head kind of hurts.” she replied. “I want you to know that I will do anything I can to help you,” Cordelia said. She smiled. “Thanks. That means a lot.” “Now Buffy,” Giles said, “Back to your dream. What happened?” “Well,” she began, “I was looking into Hope’s necklace, and I just passed out. Then, I saw Mira, and she told me that I had to help Angel before sunset, and that I have to find the key to his humanity.” “What’s the key?” Willow asked. “She didn’t tell me. She said I would know it when I saw it.” “Hmm...Did she say anything else?” Buffy thought for a moment. She remembered Mira talking about Hope. “Oh, she talked about Hope.” Hope’s green eyes flashed. “About me?” “Yes. She said that you have been given the power to something, but I can’t remember what..” Buffy’s mind was drawing a blank. Giles looked at Jenny. “I think we have our answer.” He said, and she nodded. “Answer to what?” Buffy asked. “Answer to everything.” ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Hope (22/?) Date: 05 Mar 1998 23:50:24 PST Author: Sara B. Sara114@hotmail.com Rating: Varies...will be posted at beginning of each part. Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, yada yada yada belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox.... I'm just borrowing them, (although I wish Angel was mine!) Everything else belongs to me! Author's note: This is your usual generic story. Angel is still good, so basically in my story surprise/innocence didn't happen. Willow and Oz are together, and Xander and Cordy are still hiding their secret utility closet rondevu's. This is going to be a long story, and will take some time so be patient with me. I'm not very good at story telling, so if this totally sucks and isn't read-worthy, just let me know.Oh yeah, and I want feedback, feedback, and more feedback. I don't care if it's good or bad, just tell me what you thought of it. Part 22 PG-13 (a tiny bit gruesome) “Angelus? You want to be called Angelus?” Spike asked, incredulously. “Well, that is my name, isn’t it?” Angel retorted, annoyed. “See, Spike? He’s back.” Drusilla said. “Back from where?” Angel asked, as he struggled to get up. “What the hell happened to me?” “You were accidentally hit on the head with a baseball bat.” Dru said, innocently. “Oh,” he grunted. “So where are we, anyway?” “The outskirsts of Sunnydale. We are getting ready for a party.” Spike told him. “Really? What kind of party?” “A celebration. Everything is wonderfull.” “Any special reason?” Spike laughed. “You really don’t remember, do you. Well, this makes everything a hell of a lot easier.” “Makes what easier?” Angel asked. “The ceremony to make that damn soul of yours go away.” “Spike, what the fuck are you talking about? I don’t have a soul. You know what? I am so hungry. It feels like I haven’t had a good meal in 80 years.” “You could say that.” Spike said. “There is a human tied up in the room across the hall. She is just waiting to be fed on. I was going to use her as a snack, but you can have her.” “Thanks, man.” Angel said. His face transformed. “Hey moron,” Spike called to the vampire in the hall, “go get that girl and bring her here.” The vampire did as he said and brought the frightened girl to Spike. “No, not for me, for Angelus.” The vamp looked confused. “Well? What are you waiting for?” Angel grabbed the girl, who was sobbing with fear. “Please...don’t kill me.” her shaky voice pleaded. Angel pushed her hair off of her neck. He leaned in and sunk his fangs into her neck. She screamed, but quickly died away as he emptied her body. When he had drank every bit of blood he could, he dropped her lifeless body on the floor. “Man, do I feel good!” He said. “So do I.” Spike said. “So do I.” ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Hope (23/?) Date: 05 Mar 1998 23:55:26 PST Author: Sara B. Sara114@hotmail.com Rating: Varies...will be posted at beginning of each part. Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, yada yada yada belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox.... I'm just borrowing them, (although I wish Angel was mine!) Everything else belongs to me! Author's note: This is your usual generic story. Angel is still good, so basically in my story surprise/innocence didn't happen. Willow and Oz are together, and Xander and Cordy are still hiding their secret utility closet rondevu's. This is going to be a long story, and will take some time so be patient with me. I'm not very good at story telling, so if this totally sucks and isn't read-worthy, just let me know.Oh yeah, and I want feedback, feedback, and more feedback. I don't care if it's good or bad, just tell me what you thought of it. Part 23 “Have you guys found something out about Hope?” The Slayer asked. “Yes, we have. Hope,” Giles turned to face the girl, “I want you to listen to this.” he read from the book. “There is only one slayer in each generation. She is the chosen one who has the skill and ability to fight and destroy the demons that walk the earth. However, if her power is not strong enough, she may obtain guidance or help. A slayer from the past may reach out to her by bestowing her power on to a girl of the age of 16. It is customary that she be of blood relation. The source of the power may come in a special origin, presumably in an item that was greatly significant to the slayer.” “So does this mean that Mira has given Hope her slaying abilities?” Buffy asked. “Yes, that is exactly what it means. There could be no other explination for everything that has happened in the last two days. Hope was sent here to fight along side you.” Hope was shocked. “I...I don’t think so. I can’t fight with Buffy.” Everyone was bewildered at her confession. “Why not?” Cordelia asked. “Because I just can’t. I don't know the first thing about fighting.” “But your wrong. I saw you fight, Hope. You may not think that you do, but deep down inside, you have every instinct, every skill, every ability that I do. You may not fight as well as I can because you haven’t ever trained, but you can still fight with me.” Buffy stood up and felt a moment of dizziness. She almsot fell over, but Jenny caught her. “Buffy, sit down and rest.” Giles ordered. “I’m fine, I’m fine.” Buffy assured her watcher. “Come with me into the back yard.” They all followed her. She walked into the middle of the grass. “Come here, Hope.” Hope walked over to where she was standing. Before she knew it, Buffy punched her. Hope stumbled back, but didn’t seem too affected. “What the hell was that for!” Hope yelled, angrily. Buffy didn’t answer her, she just went after Hope. She did a roundhouse kick, but Hope ducked just in time. Buffy grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back. Hope felt a surge of power and flipped Buffy over her head. She quickly rose to her feet, and pushed Hope into a tree. Hope freed herself of Buffy’s grasp, and kicked her legs out from underneath her and Buffy fell to the ground with a thud. She scrambled back up, and Hope punched her. Buffy stumbled back, and tried to kick Hope in the stomach, but Hope grabbed her leg and pulled the Slayer forward and went to punch her again, but Buffy blocked it and grabbed Hope and threw her over her head. Hope landed on the ground with a thud and groaned. Buffy walked over and helped Hope up. “See. You can fight.” She said. Hope smiled. “I think I’m ready to kick some vamp ass.” The two girls laughed and turned to face the five shocked faces. “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s get a move on! We only have a few hours until sunset.” “Well, first we need a plan.” Buffy said. She put her arm around Hope. “So, are you in? Will you fight with me?” Hope thought for a moment. “You bet!” she said. The group went back into the house. “Now Buffy, where is the house?” asked Giles. “About 15 minutes outside of Sunnydale.” “Well, we need to figure something out very soon. We could get there before the sunsets, or after. Which do you think would be better?” “I think we should wait until sunset.” “Good idea. That way we can get Angel out of the house.” The six friends came up with a plan. Then, they waited for what seemed like an eternity. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Hope (24/?) Date: 05 Mar 1998 23:57:27 PST Author: Sara B. Sara114@hotmail.com Rating: Varies...will be posted at beginning of each part. Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, yada yada yada belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox.... I'm just borrowing them, (although I wish Angel was mine!) Everything else belongs to me! Author's note: This is your usual generic story. Angel is still good, so basically in my story surprise/innocence didn't happen. Willow and Oz are together, and Xander and Cordy are still hiding their secret utility closet rondevu's. This is going to be a long story, and will take some time so be patient with me. I'm not very good at story telling, so if this totally sucks and isn't read-worthy, just let me know.Oh yeah, and I want feedback, feedback, and more feedback. I don't care if it's good or bad, just tell me what you thought of it. PART 24 PG Angel sat alone in the living room. Spike and Dru were off in the other room doing god only knows what, and vampires were roaming about. Angel didn’t feel right. He felt like he couldn’t remember anything. He knew that Spike and Dru weren’t telling him everything, but he didn’t know what they could be hiding from him. And for some odd reason, he almost felt *bad* for feeding off that girl. He couldn’t understand that. Last time he fed off someone......wait. When was the last time? he said to himself. Angel felt frustrated. He didn’t know what was going on. He felt like something vitally important was missing from his memory. He thought about what Dru had asked him. “Do you remember Buffy?” and when he didn’t, she was strangely happy. His head still ached from getting hit, and all of this thinking was making it hurt more. Something popped into his head. He chuckled to himself. He sighed. He didn’t even know where they were. He knew that they were near the Hellmouth. He could feel it. he thought. The vampire looked at the clock. 4:00. Three hours till sundown. He couldn’t wait...he hated being cooped up in the house. That is another thing that was bothering him. He felt sort of--human like. He almost felt as if he *was* human, or that he had tried to be. he thought. He laid down on the only piece of furniture in the room besides a dirty old yellow chair--the dirty old brown sofa. He decided to kill off the time by sleeping. was his last thought as he drifted off into a deep slumber. ********** Spike and Drusilla sat in one of the bedrooms alone. “Oh Spike, I’m so happy. Angelus is back with us.” Drusilla crooned. “As long as his amnesia holds up till sundown, we are home free. I still can’t believe that he has forgotten everything.” “He doesn’t even remember Buffy.” Spiked laughed. “And that is the best part of it all. I can’t wait to see the look on her pretty little face when she sees him as the Master. It is going to be classic. You know, we should get a camera and take her picture. It will definitely be a Kodak moment.” “Spike, do you like her?” “Like who?” “The Slayer.” He thought about her question. “Of course not, luv. She is a pest. Once Angelus kills her, we can get on with our lives. We can rule the world.” “Your lying to me.” She said, and turned her head. “I can feel that you like her.” “No, I am not lying to you.” he tried to reassure her. “You need your rest. Do you want to take a nap?” She yawned. “No, I want to stay awake.” “Just lie down and close those pretty eyes. I will wake you up before sundown.” She did as he said. “Have a nice sleep, luv.” He stood up and left the room, quietly shutting the door behind him. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Hope (25/?) Date: 06 Mar 1998 00:03:19 PST Author: Sara B. Sara114@hotmail.com Rating: Varies...will be posted at beginning of each part. Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, yada yada yada belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox.... I'm just borrowing them, (although I wish Angel was mine!) Everything else belongs to me! Author's note: This is your usual generic story. Angel is still good, so basically in my story surprise/innocence didn't happen. Willow and Oz are together, and Xander and Cordy are still hiding their secret utility closet rondevu's. This is going to be a long story, and will take some time so be patient with me. I'm not very good at story telling, so if this totally sucks and isn't read-worthy, just let me know.Oh yeah, and I want feedback, feedback, and more feedback. I don't care if it's good or bad, just tell me what you thought of it. Part 25 It seemed like an eternity till sunset came. Buffy was racked with nerves. She was so scared that something would happen to Angel. Hope was on nerves end too. She was afraid that she would mess their plan up somehow. she thought over and over again. About twenty minutes before 7:15, Willow, Hope, Buffy, and Jenny pilled up into Giles’ car. Xander and Cordelia got into her car, and the seven of them headed with little confidence for that house. Hope didn’t realize it, but her hands and legs were shaking. Buffy, who was wedged between her and Willow in the back seat, noticed her friend’s tenseness. “It’s going to be okay, Hope. Don’t worry. We’ll get through this.” She whispered. Hope just nodded her head ‘yes’. Buffy knew that her friend wasn’t reassured, and to be honest, she wasn’t to confident herself. she said to herself. Willow stared out the window thinking of Oz. she thought. She pictured him smiling, and laughing and playing in his band. She felt herself blush when she imagined kissing him. She smiled, then frowned. Xander. He was her first huge crush. She was in love with him for as long as she could remember. She thought back to when she saw him and Cordelia together...and not just having a nice chit-chat, but really *together*. She had seen them kissing through the open space in the bookshelf. They never noticed her there, and she still hadn’t told him what she saw. She hadn’t told anybody, not even Buffy. But despite her wonderful relationship with him, there would always be a part of her who loved Xander, even thought she knew that they would never be together. In the front seat Giles tried to stay calm. He wasn’t optimistic that their plan would work. But he knew they had to try. If they didn’t, they would surely die. He thought back to when he first found out that he would be a watcher. He was so angry. He had rebelled against his family. Then he met Ethan. Giles shuddered. He hated Ethan, not because of their past, but because he was still evil. Giles had wanted to kill him when he had painted the mark of Eyghon on her. She could have died. He thought about when he first met Buffy. He knew at the instant that he saw her that she was the Slayer. He hoped that he was a good Watcher to her. He prayed that he had prepared her and trained her enough. Tonight could be the moment of truth. In the passenger seat, Jenny forced herself to stay relaxed. She was afraid that she might mess up, not in their plan, but that she might reveal her secret. Her nervousness grew and she felt her hands tremble. She looked at Giles. Forty feet behind Giles old, beat up car, Cordelia and Xander sat in silence. Cordelia thought. She looked at Xander who seemed tense. A frown formed on her face. She smiled. She shook her head. Xander looked at her confused. “Something wrong?” He asked. “Uh, no. Nothing wrong.” She said quickly. “Oh, okay.” He murmured. He rubbed his forehead and sighed. “Something wrong with you?” She asked. He shook his head. “Gee, no. What could be wrong?” “What’s that supposed to mean?” “You honestly don’t know?” “If I knew why would I ask?” she replied. “That is what I’m talking about.” He said exasperatly. “Why are you mysterioso guy all of a sudden?” “Me? Your are the one who never tells me what you want.” “What do you mean?” She was getting annoyed. “Nevermind.” “Fine then!” “Fine!” ***** “There is the house,” Buffy said, “Drive past it and park behind the trees so we won’t be spotted.” He did as she said. When he saw Cordelia’s car he flashed his lights. She parked her car in front of his. Everyone got out of the cars and huddled in a group. “We all have to be very careful. There are vampires lurking about, and could attack us at any minute.” Buffy said. “Does everyone have their weapons on hand?” They all murmured ‘yes’. Each person was armed with stakes strapped to their bodies. Two on each arm, four each leg, one on their stomach and one on the small of their backs. “Now don’t’ forget you have them. If you face a vampire, don’t panic. Just remember what I have taught you.” Giles said. For that past five months, he had involved Willow, Xander, and Cordelia in self defense. He trained them like he trained Buffy. Giles wanted them to be able to take care of themselves if Buffy wasn’t around. Even thought they weren’t as strong as her, or as a vampire, they were trained enough so that if something happened, they would have a good chance of escaping. “All right then. Let’s roll.” Buffy said. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Black Fire" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Inner Demons (13/15) Date: 06 Mar 1998 10:33:50 PST Title:Inner Demons Author: Black Fire Email address: Blackfire42@hotmail.com FEEDBACK: If you wish Rating: PG Spoilers: I've changed this. This story takes place after BBB. Disclaimers: Buffy: The Vampire Slayer and all characters therein belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy and The WB. Jäzen (pronounced Jay-sten or Jay-zen) is my own creation. Author's note: This idea came to me long when Buffy first began. Needless to say, I was very angry at Joss when the Angel episode aired and my idea for a good vampire went down the tubes. But I got over that and since then the idea has... evolved. Summary so far: This is it. The battle you have all been waiting for is about to begin. Who will win? INNER DEMONS Part 13 It was about this time that Buffy decided that moving would be a good idea. As Angelus charged Jäzen, she jumped out of his path. Jäzen did the same, moving in the opposite direction, he evaded his attacker. Angelus came back for a second attempt. This time, Jäzen stopped him with a fist in the face that sent the other vampire to the ground. Angelus looked up, clearly angered by the blow. Jäzen just stood there calmly waiting for the next attack. "What are you waiting for?" Angelus asked as he got to his feet. "For you to realise that this is a mistake," was Jäzen's answer. "Heh," was all the reply Angelus would give. That and a punch to the midsection. Jäzen took the hit and returned it with one of his own. They continued beating each other for several minutes until Angelus was grabbed by the throat and slammed into a wall. "I know he's in there," Jäzen half whispered, half growled as he pinned his opponent. "Who?" Angelus answered in the same tone. "Your better half," was the reply. "He's in there. Trapped, trying to get out." "As I told *her*," Angelus started as turned the tables and forced Jäzen into another wall, "he's dead. Dead and gone, so why don't you give up on it?" "You're lying," Jäzen growled as he freed himself. "You know it and I know it." "Am I?" Angelus made another pass at his elder. "And you would know about such things." "More than you would think," Jäzen answered as he used Angelus' momentum to place him in a choke hold. "Come on, Angel. Fight back. Retake control of this body before it does something stupid." Angelus found a way to send his elbow back to connect with Jäzen's ribs. The hit forced Jäzen to release his hold on him and stagger back. "I told you, Angel is dead. There's only me now." "I don't believe that anymore than you do," Jäzen spat. "Believe it," Angelus countered. "Then why are you hesitating?" "I'll show you hesitating." * * * * * The Black Fire Blackfire42@hotmail.com ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Black Fire" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Inner Demons (14/15) Date: 06 Mar 1998 10:35:49 PST Title:Inner Demons Author: Black Fire Email address: Blackfire42@hotmail.com FEEDBACK: If you wish Rating: PG Spoilers: I've changed this. This story takes place after BBB. Disclaimers: Buffy: The Vampire Slayer and all characters therein belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy and The WB. Jäzen (pronounced Jay-sten or Jay-zen) is my own creation. Author's note: This idea came to me long when Buffy first began. Needless to say, I was very angry at Joss when the Angel episode aired and my idea for a good vampire went down the tubes. But I got over that and since then the idea has... evolved. Summary so far: The battle continues INNER DEMONS Part 14 Buffy watched helplessly from the sidelines. Every once in a while, she had to run out of the way to avoid being caught in the war. At one point they started whispering at each other. As the fight continued on, she watched as Jäzen put a choke hold on Angelus. When he did, he said something that made her ex-boyfriend really mad. She saw the blow to the chest before it happened. Buffy watched as Jäzen staggered back from it. "I told you, Angel is dead," she heard Angelus say. "There's only me now." "I don't believe that anymore than you do," she heard Jäzen retort. By this time, she knew Jäzen had been trying to reach Angel. "Believe it," came the counter. "Then why are you hesitating?" "I'll show you hesitating." With that, the agument ended and the battle resumed. Only, this time, it was more brutal. The two vampires attacked each other with such speed that it was hard for Buffy to follow their movements. They crashed through the wearhouse doors and into the building. Buffy followed them, never taking her eyes from the combatants. The battle continued for what seemed an eternity. All the while, she could tell that Angelus was weakening from the hits he was taking. Meanwhile, Jäzen seemed to be getting stronger. For a long while, it seemed she knew what the outcome of the fight would be. That's when it happened. Jäzen had grabbed Angelus from behind and was hitting him, repeatedly in the back. Somehow, Angelus found the strength to throw the other vampire off him. Buffy watched as Angelus called on all his reserves to pick Jäzen up and throw him across the room. Jäzen landed on an upended, wooden table half way between Angelus and Buffy. "NNNOOOO!!!" Buffy cried as she saw a table leg portruding from Jäzen's chest. Jäzen, who was facing Buffy, seemed to look passed her, his arm was stretched out, as if reaching for something. In a matter of seconds, the haunted look that had been ever-present on his face, gave way to a look of peace as he crumbled to dust. * * * * * The Black Fire Blackfire42@hotmail.com ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Black Fire" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Inner Demons (15/15) Date: 06 Mar 1998 10:40:21 PST Title:Inner Demons Author: Black Fire Email address: Blackfire42@hotmail.com FEEDBACK: If you wish Rating: PG Spoilers: I've changed this. This story takes place after BBB. Disclaimers: Buffy: The Vampire Slayer and all characters therein belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy and The WB. Jäzen (pronounced Jay-sten or Jay-zen) is my own creation. Author's note: This idea came to me long when Buffy first began. Needless to say, I was very angry at Joss when the Angel episode aired and my idea for a good vampire went down the tubes. But I got over that and since then the idea has... evolved. Summary so far: The battle is over. The victor has been chosen. For those of you rooting for Jäzen, I appologize. This part has the same format as part 1. It shouldn't be too hard to guess who is who. INNER DEMONS Part 15 What was seconds for the two who remained, was an eternity for him. The pain was instant and brief. He barely saw the table leg in his chest. Buffy's scream, he heard as a distant whisper. He was distracted by a lighted figure coming towards him. As she approached, she reached out a hand to him, as if inviting him to go with her. He looked up into his sister's smiling face and knew that his long battle was over. He reached out to accept her invitation. As his hand took hers, a feeling of peace that he thought he had lost came over him and the world he had known for 350 years crumbled away. * * * * * The two stood in silence. Staring first at the table, then at each other. A look of hatred came over her face as he smiled back at her. "Good riddance," he finally said as he looked back down at the table. "I think I've done enough for today. See you around, lover." And he disappeared back into the shadows. She was left alone in the wearhouse, filled with feelings of sorrow and hatred for what had happened. She stiffled her tears, they wouldn't help her now. Wouldn't bring him back. She looked back at the table and caught a glint of something in the dust. She moved in for a closer look. It was a large, oval-shaped locket on a silver chain. On the inside were the pictures of a brother and sister who were reunited now, and on the back was an inscription in German. She clasped the necklace to her heart and allowed herself one more moment to mourn the man who had worn it. She then stood up and slowly walked out of the building. * * * * * He disappeared into the shadows, but he didn't leave. From his vantage point, he watched her pick up the locket and looked at it. She stayed there another minute and then stood up and left. As he watched her move away, something stired in him. A faint feeling of guilt, remorse and loss. He quickly shoved it back down again as she disappeared. And he just stood there, waiting and planning his next move. ~Fin~ So what did you think? The Black Fire Blackfire42@hotmail.com ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: A mistake with "Hope" Date: 06 Mar 1998 14:50:23 PST In part 19 of my fanfic "Hope" I made a few typo's and I just wanted to fix it in case there was confusion. Mistake: <> It was supposed to say: "The group gathered up everything that they could and made their way to Buffy's house. Jenny and Willow went in Giles' car, and Xander went with Cordelia." If there are any more mistakes like that, let me know. Thanks to Kirsten for bringing it to my attention! *sArA* ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Dawn Murrell Subject: BUFFYFIC: A First Step 1/1 by Dawn Murrell Date: 07 Mar 1998 00:01:53 -0800 Title: A First Step 1/1 Author: Dawn Murrell Distribution Statement: Anya, my site, anyone else just. Spoiler Warning: All of the episodes already aired are game. Rating: PG, just to be safe. Content Warning: Kissing, allusions to sex. Classification: Buffy/Angel romance Summary: Angel=92s soul is back-what now? Disclaimer: I don=92t own Buffy, Angel, or any other characters that are in this story. They belong to Joss Whedon. The song, "Truly Madly Deeply" belongs to Savage Garden. Author=92s Note: Okay, I know I=92m a *little* ahead of myself here, as Angel is still evil on the show, but I was just thinking what will happen when Angel does get his soul back (=91Cause he will! No, I=92m not= in denial:-). A lot of people on the discussion lists are worried about how Buffy and the others are going to react to Angel becoming good again, after all that he=92s done, and this is just my version of what I think might possibly happen. All you really need to know is that he has his soul back. I don=92t really feel like dealing with that right now, but I just might write a prequel to this. Also, if you don=92t like sappy romance, then you should probably skip this. A First Step 1/1 by Dawn Murrell "I want to stand with you on the mountain, I want to bathe with you in the sea, I want to lay like this forever, Until the sky falls down on me." Buffy sat at a table in the Bronze, idly stirring her drink. Her mind was filled with thoughts, all about Angel. She wasn=92t sure how she should be acting toward him, now that he was back to being a "good guy". She was happy that he was back, and she wanted to just jump into his arms and hold him and kiss him until all the hurt went away, but she felt as if she would be betraying her friends, most of all Giles and Willow. They had been the closest to Ms. Calendar, and Angel=92s evil persona, Angelus, had killed her. She just didn=92t know what she should do, and she couldn=92t run to Angel for this problem. That made her think. Before Angel turned, she could run to him with any problem she had. But back then none of her problems involved him. So much had happened since then to change all of that. It seemed like years had passed since that night she spent in his arms, yet she could still remember every detail as if it had happened yesterday. The fear of losing him, the joy of hearing him say "I love you" for the first time, the ecstasy of passion as they made love, the agony of heartbreak as she woke up alone. She remembered every feeling, every sensation, every emotion felt as real as it had that night. She was brought back to the present moment as a new song began. She spotted Angel, and started walking toward him. "I=92ll be you dream, I=92ll be your wish, I=92ll be your fantasy. I=92ll be your hope, I=92ll be your love, Be everything that you need. I=92ll love you more with every breath, Truly, madly, deeply, do." Angel watched as she walked toward him, unconsciously in perfect time with the music. "I will be strong, I will be faithful =91Cos I=92m counting on A new beginning, A reason for living, A deeper meaning, yeah." "Hey." She said softly, searching his eyes for answers to the millions of questions she had in her mind right now. They held no answer, only pain, so much more pain than they had ever held before. She wished she could ease that pain, but it wasn=92t that easy. She knew what he needed right now, and she knew that she couldn=92t give it to him completely jus= t yet. What he needed was forgiveness, love, and trust. She could give him love, and forgiveness, but she couldn=92t trust him again just yet, not completely. And she worried that maybe it wasn=92t enough. "Hi." He replied, just as softly, turning away from her gaze. She put a hand on the side of his face, forcing him to look at her. "Care to dance?" She asked, surprised at how casual she sounded. Her heart was beating rapidly, and she was so nervous, more nervous than she had ever been around him. Suddenly, millions of questions came to her. What if he had decided that it couldn=92t work? What if he didn=92t trust himself enough to be around her anymore? She quickly squashed these thoughts, deciding to concentrate only on the here and now, and not worry about what he was thinking. The look in his eyes told her more than words ever could. "Buffy=85" Angel started to reply, but Buffy put a finger to his lips, silencing him. She saw the uneasiness in his eyes, the insecurity. She took his hands in hers, attempting to lead him to the dance floor, but he stood his ground. "Please?" She begged, pleading not only with her words but with her eyes as well. He couldn=92t avoid her eyes, and he finally gave in. He wasn=92t sure where they stood in their relationship, but he could tell she was trying to make a start. "Okay." He gave in. It wasn=92t as if he needed much persuasion to hold her in his arms again. "And when the stars are shining brightly in the velvet sky, I=92ll make a wish, send it to heaven then make you want to cry The tears of joy for all the pleasure in the certainty That we=92re surrounded by the comfort And protection of the highest power, In lonely hours, the tears devour you." She smiled slightly and slowly led him to the dance floor. He put his hands on her waist, despite the strong urge to pull her closer, not wanting to be too forward. He knew that Buffy needed some time to get used to having him back. But, once again, Buffy proved to be stronger than he thought. She twined her arms around his neck, pulling him close enough to rest her head on his shoulder as they started swaying to the music. They danced for awhile, and then she looked up into his eyes again. "Oh, can you see it, baby? Don=92t have to close your eyes, =91Cos it=92s standing right before you. All that you need will surely come." Angel felt a wave of desire flood over him, and one look in Buffy=92s eye= s told him she wanted the same thing. He leaned down, their lips slowly drawing together, each savoring the sensation that they had been denied for so long. This kiss meant more to them than any of their previous kisses. To Angel, the kiss meant forgiveness, love, and maybe the tiniest bit of trust. To Buffy, the kiss was a first step, tentative and hesitant. She gently broke the kiss, returning her head to Angel=92s shoulder. "I=92ll be you dream, I=92ll be your wish, I=92ll be your fantasy. I=92ll be your hope, I=92ll be your love, Be everything that you need. I=92ll love you more with every breath, Truly, madly, deeply, do." "I love you." She whispered ever-so-softly into his ear. His heart soared at hearing those words. He had thought he would never hear her say those words to him again. He kissed the top of her head tenderly, then replied. "I love you, too." He whispered back just as softly as she had. She pulled away slightly and looked into his eyes. He meant it. Not like the last time those words had come out of his mouth. She kissed him once more, a short sweet kiss, then, as the song came to a close, she pulled away slowly. "So, see you =91round?" Buffy asked rhetorically, her parting words givin= g Angel a strong sense of deja vu. Only this time when she said it, her voice contained much more maturity, much more pain. And much more hope. Angel smiled. "I certainly hope so." He replied. She smiled before turning away. He watched as she disappeared into the crowd, then turned to go home. He sighed. It was going to take some time for things to get back to anywhere near "normal". They just had to take it one step at a time. And tonight was the first. The End Dawn http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Academy/9592/index.html - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Hope (26/?) Date: 07 Mar 1998 17:12:51 PST Author: Sara B. Sara114@hotmail.com Rating: Varies...will be posted at beginning of each part. Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, yada yada yada belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox.... I’m just borrowing them, (although I wish Angel was mine!) Everything else belongs to me! Author’s note: This is your usual generic story. Angel is still good, so basically in my story surprise/innocence didn’t happen. Willow and Oz are together, and Xander and Cordy are still hiding their secret utility closet rondevu’s. This is going to be a long story, and will take some time so be patient with me. I’m not very good at story telling, so if this totally sucks and isn’t read-worthy, just let me know.Oh yeah, and I want feedback, feedback, and more feedback. I don’t care if it’s good or bad, just tell me what you thought of it. This story is coming along slowly but surely. Thanks for the feedback, and for bearing with me! Part 26 Angel watched as two vamps prepared for the ceremony. They were a good distance away from the house, in an open space among a small grove of trees. One of them stole a sheep from a nearby farm and gutted it. In the middle of the grove, he spread it’s blood in a big circle, then put some in a small bowl. The other spread candles all around, each one lit. He then placed a table in front of the pool of blood and set a large book down on it, with two candelabra’s on each side. Angel got a closer look at the book and read the inscription which was written in sliver. “‘El Noche del Ascende’? What the hell is that?” He said quietly. He watched as Spike walked up to Angel, wearing a black robe with the hood hanging down in back. “Put this on.” He ordered, and threw a robe at Angel. “I don’t want to put this stupid thing on.” Angel said, and threw it back at him. Spike growled. “Just put the damn thing on, Angelus. It’s part of the ceremony.” “Fine.” he said, and slipped the robe on over his head. “You know, you haven’t told me what all this is about yet.” “As soon as everyone gets out here, you will.” he said. “Come on you morons! Get your lazy asses out here NOW!” He yelled into a cell phone. Angel could hear a voice on the other end, but couldn’t make out what they were saying. Spike hung up. “Lazy bastards.” Angel heard the sound of a vehicle nearby and saw two black drive up. Numerous vamps ran into the grove, each one was wearing the same robe and carrying a black candle. “It’s about bloody time.” “Are we ready, Spike?” Dru asked, walking up to her lover. “Yes, luv.” He said, and gave her a kiss on the nose. “Angelus, stand in the middle of the blood.” Angel did as he commanded. The vamps formed a large circle around Angel, Spike, and Dru. “Everyone put your hoods on.” As Spike opened the book, thick dark clouds passed over the moon, taking away all of their light, except for the flame that shown from the candles. “Give me your claddagh ring.” He said, and Angel wiggled it off his finger and threw it at Spike. He took the ring, and pulled Buffy’s out of his pocket, and set them down next the the book. Thunder boomed over the desolate land. He looked at Drusilla and smiled. “It’s time.” ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Hope (27/?) Date: 07 Mar 1998 17:19:10 PST Author: Sara B. Sara114@hotmail.com Rating: Varies...will be posted at beginning of each part. Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, yada yada yada belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox.... I’m just borrowing them, (although I wish Angel was mine!) Everything else belongs to me! Author’s note: This is your usual generic story. Angel is still good, so basically in my story surprise/innocence didn’t happen. Willow and Oz are together, and Xander and Cordy are still hiding their secret utility closet rondevu’s. This is going to be a long story, and will take some time so be patient with me. I’m not very good at story telling, so if this totally sucks and isn’t read-worthy, just let me know.Oh yeah, and I want feedback, feedback, and more feedback. I don’t care if it’s good or bad, just tell me what you thought of it. Part 27 PG-13 Willow gasped as a vampire jumped out in front of her. “Agghhh!” She screamed. She pulled the stake that was wrapped to her wrist, and kicked at him. He was barely stunned, and lunged at her again. She ducked, and he flew over her, landing with a thud at Buffy’s feet. He looked up at her and she waved at him. His eyes opened wide as she plunged a stake into his heart. Willow sighed. “Good job, Will.” Buffy said, smiling at her friend. “Yeah, right.” Willow said, still a little shocked. There group had split up. Willow, Buffy, and Jenny went together and Hope, Xander, Cordelia, and Giles went together. They were planning to attack the house from all sides, Buffy taking the front and Hope taking the back. They made their way to the front door. “Something’s not right.” Buffy said. “This place is deserted.” “Maybe they all left.” Willow said. “No, they have to be around here.” Buffy said. “Do you sense anything Buffy?” Jenny asked. “I sense danger.” She said, and kicked open the door. She walked in and flipped the nearest light switch. Nothing happened. “The power has been cut off.” Looking around the room she frowned. There was one chair, one couch, and both looked about a hundred years old. “Yuck.” She heard the sound of glass breaking. “Oh...So we aren’t alone.” she turned to her friends. “Stay here and don’t say a word.” The Slayer made her way down the hallway. “AAAggghhhh!!!!!” She heard a voice scream and a figure jumped out in front of her. It kicked her and she stumbled backward. It lunged at her, trying to punch and kick her. She blocked all of its blows, and gave him a hard punch to the face. She knew who it was by the clumsiness of her attacker. “Xander, it’s Buffy.” she said dryly. “Who? What? Buffy?” he said, scrambling to get up. She looked up to see Giles, Hope, and Cordelia run into the hall. “Xander stop!” He yelled and came to a halt in front of Xander. “What the hell do you think your doing?” “He was just playing hero,” Cordelia said as she walked up them. Xander shot her a dirty look. Giles looked up at Buffy. “Any luck?” “No. I haven’t come across anything. Not even a hint or a feeling of a vampire.” She replied with a heavy sigh. She looked at Xander who was rubbing his now swollen jaw. “You okay?” She said sympathetically. “Oh I’m fine! All except for my face which now requires it’s own zip code,” he grumbled sarcastically. “I’m sorry. But you’ve learned your lesson. Next time let Hope attack the unknown,” she said and smiled. “Yeah, yeah.” he grumbled. “Well this house seems deserted. They couldn’t have gone very far--” Buffy was cut off shortly by a quiet voice. “What’s that?” Hope asked, staring out the old, dirty window in the small kitchen. “Come over here and look at this,” Hope motioned Buffy too follow her outside. They walked out the back door of the old house and Hope stared into the sky. “Hope, what is it?” Buffy asked earnestly. “Look into the sky.” Hope murmured. Buffy craned her neck upward. “I don’t see anything,” she told her. She stared into the endless space above her. “Over there,” Hope murmured. Buffy followed her gaze to a grove of trees. She watched the dark clouds form a circle around a batch of trees. The sky thundered and the power in the house went out. An orange glow arose from the trees, hovering beneath the clouds. “What is that?” Xander said, amazed. “I don’t know, but it can’t be good.” Hope turned to her friends. “We need to check this out.” “You’re right, Hope. Let’s go.” The two girls began walking in the direction of the grove, with the rest of the group behind them. Buffy turned around. “No, don’t come with us. You all need to stay here. Or better yet, go back to the cars.” “Buffy you are NOT going out there alone.” Xander and Giles said in unison. “Let me go with you!” Jenny said suddenly. All eyes turned on her. “I think I should go.” “Why?” Giles asked. She didn’t know what to say. “Well, because that way if something happens I can hopefully escape and come get you all for help. If you stay behind in the cars, we have a better chance of keeping our presence discreet. If we need your help, we will let you know.” She said. He pondered. “W..Well, a..are you sure about this?” She looked at Buffy, who nodded in approval. “Yes, I’m sure.” “Okay then, we are wasting time.” Buffy said. “Let’s go.” Buffy, Hope, and Jenny marched through the vast field of wildflowers toward the trees that lie ahead to them in the distance. Jenny gave Giles one last look before she left. ********* PG-13 Spike grabbed Dru’s hand and held it high into the air. “I call upon the all the fires of hell!” His deep voice bellowed into the night sky. The flame on the candles grew two inches higher. “Come to me now!” The blood around Angel’s feet began to boil, as did the blood in the goblets. “This is the Night of the Rising. This is the night the new Master will take his place. He will rise from the remains of the previous Master, and lead us!” Drusilla grabbed a red velvet pouch from the ground and sauntered over to Angel. She opened the bag and sprinkled the contents into the blood. “The ashes will bring you power.” She said, and emptied the bag. One of her minions walked hurriedly toward her, holding an old, wooden box. He bowed to her, kneeling on one knee. He held the box over his head, as if her was offering it to her. She opened it slowly, revealing a sharp dagger. The black, onyx handle was carved into the shape of a dragon’s head, and the long blade gleamed under the night sky. She carefully lifted it out of the box. “With this dagger I will kill your soul,” she, her eyes full of hate and lust. Drusilla ripped Angel’s black robe off of his body, revealing his bare chest. She shoved the blade into his chest, and carved a star. He winced in pain as his blood gushed down the front of him, into the pool. Smoke arose, and the sky bellowed in thunder. The same minion brought her a crystal goblet, half filled with blood. Drusilla took it from him, and held it under Angel’s outstretched arm. She slashed his wrist, and let the blood drain into the goblet till it was full. She mixed the blood with the dagger, and handed it to Angel. He brought the goblet to his lips. Tilting his head, he drank it all. The pool of blood around his feet boiled rapidly. “Its almost finished,” Drusilla murmured to Angel. “Then you’ll be with us forever.” She grabbed the rings from the table and held them in front of him. “Say buh-bye,” she whispered, and dropped the rings into the steaming pool. “Out of his remains, the new Master will ascend. He will rule in Hell over the vampires, and the minions will serve him.” Spike stood before Angel, holding a large ring. “This was worn by the Old One. Now you will wear it, taking his place.” Angel slipped the black ring onto his index finger. It glowed brightly, causing them to wince their eyes. “Now you are the Master.” Angel felt power pump through his veins and he grew stronger and stronger. His soul vanished as the Master’s soul was driven into his body. Angel’s face transformed, and his vampiric face grew more defined. The ridges around his eyes and nose were larger, his eyes were a bright shade of yellow, his fangs grew bigger. Spike took a candle touched the flame to the blood at his feet, causing it to immediately exploded into a blaze. Towering flames surrounded Angel, engulfing his body. He raised his hands into the air, as the vampires bowed down to him. They were bowing down to their new Master. The flames died down, and Angel felt as he never felt before. The immense power he now possessed flowed like a river through him. He grinned evily at Spike and Drusilla. “Don’t smile yet, Angelus. We aren’t finished yet.” He looked at her puzzled. “We have a surprise for you.” The same minion as before brought Drusilla a different box, this one bigger and more elaborate looking. She opened it, and pulled out a large crystal ball. It was an Orb of Thessulah. She screamed into the night sky, “Masters and demons of Hell, bring her back to us! Bring her back to rule with Angelus!” A lightening bolt crashed down from the sky, striking the orb. It burst into a fireball in her palms. A terrifying laugh emerged from her small throat, and threw the ball to the ground beside Angel. It exploded. Sparks flew about the vampires, as the fireball began to take the shape of something. She watched in glee as it took the form of a woman. She had a black robe on, covering body. The blaze died down, and the woman threw the hood back, revealing her familiar face. She smiled. “I’m back.” ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: michele v Subject: BUFFYFIC: Our Hearts Will Go On 2/? Date: 07 Mar 1998 19:38:54 -0800 (PST) TITLE: Our Hearts Will Go On 2/? AUTHOR: Michele V EMAIL ADDRESS: glynisgrl33@yahoo.com FEEDBACK: Definitely, especially since this is my first fic- but since it is, please don't be too harsh. SPOILERS: all episodes through What's My Line 1 & 2 RATING: PG SUMMARY: A Buffy/Angel story that takes place after "What's My Line 1 & 2", with some added Willow/Oz and Xander Cordelia. Also, Buffy and the gang find out about the return of the Master- in some form. DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters except for "The Elgradora" All of the other characters belong to Joss Whedon and the WB. No copywrite infringement intended. NOTE: I wrote this after "What's My Line 2," therefor without knowing that something similar would *sort of* happen in *Surprise* ********** PART 2 Buffy sat on top of a grave stone, staring down at the stake in her hands- and daydreaming about Angel. She snapped herself out of it when she sensed something behind her. "Sorry- I never did like or fall for those 'sneaking up behind me so that I won't notice you're there and you can kill me,' games," Buffy said as she spun around, raising her stake. No one was there. "Ok..I was never one for hide and seek either. Now show yourself." She looked all around and still saw no one. Then she felt a cool breeze behind her. "Who's there?!?" she yelled turning around again. But again, she saw nothing. Then she heard it. A faint whisper. "I'm coming, Buffy.....I'm coming soon," the ghostly woman's voice whispered. The breeze went away. Buffy knew what it was-it had to have been her- the spirit of the Master, warning her. "No!" she yelled at the top of her lungs, as she sprang up in Angel's bed. Breathing heavily, she looked around and noticed where she was. Angel immediately came to her side, wrapping his strong arms around her, and hugging her close to him. "Hey- it was just a dream. Everything's alright- you just had a bad dream," he whispered in her ear while rocking her slowly. She pulled away and ran her fingers through her hair in distress. "Hey-Are you alright?..you ok?" he asked her softly while putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Yeah, I uh, had this nightmare," she told him. Angel sat there staring at her, waiting for her to continue. "It was about this thing Giles told me about earlier today...I was- supposed to ask you about it but I guess I got a little distracted and forgot," she explained. A look of concern appeared on Angel's face. "What is it?" he asked her. "The Master- he's supposed to come back six months after he was killed , on the sixth day, at the 6th hour- and go after the person killed him..which, unfortunately would be me. Only it won't be the actual Master, it'll be its spirit and it'll be female. The spirit of the Master is always of the opposite sex," Buffy explained. "And this is what your dream was about?" he asked her. Buffy nodded. "Yeah, I was um, in the graveyard hunting vampires and I felt someone behind me-I thought it was a vampire- but when I turned around no one was there. Then I felt this breeze behind me and I turned around again but still didn't see anything but heard her voice, whispering to me," she explained. "What did she say to you?" "She told me that she's coming...soon. I figured it out with Giles and the Master's spirit is supposed to be coming in just three weeks." "And, you think that the voice you heard in the dream was the Master's spirit?" Angel asked her "It was- I know it was. In the dream, I could feel the Master's power, I could feel his presence-just like I could in the dreams I had about him killing me. It had to have been the spirit," Buffy told him. Angel sighed and looked down. "I take it- you know something about this thing." Angel looked back up at her. He nodded slightly. Buffy waited in silence for him to begin telling her about it. "It's known as The Elgradora," he finally started. "In other words, meaning?" Buffy asked, confused. " The Spirit of the Master" "Couldn't they just call it "Spirit of the Master," Angel went on. "It comes in spirit form of the opposite sex- to kill the person who was responsible for killing *it*" he continued. "So um, how exactly does it kill?" Buffy asked unsure of whether she really wanted to know. "It goes inside your body, without you knowing, and kills you internally. Once you're dead, the spirit takes over your body and uses your body as *it's* body until it's old body reforms over yours. Then, slowly but surely, it is restored back to its full strength, and begins to destroy all that it can. It also, assembles a team of all the vampires that are existing to help it in destroying everything and everyone before it is restored to its full strength." "If you can stop it from going inside you, or kill it somehow, then all the other bad stuff won't happen, right?" "Yes,but, since you're the Slayer, you'll still have to deal with the vampires. Every vampire in the world will be here- terrorizing Sunnydale." "Angel?" "Yeah?" "You can stop with the explanation now. It's really creeping me out," she told him with a look of fright on her face. "Sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you...I thought you needed to know." "I do but..I guess I just don't want to..unless there's ways of stopping it. Is there?" Angel looked down once again. "Angel?" He couldn't look at her. "There's no way...is there?" He finally looked up. "I don't know of any. I- read about it years ago but I can't remember anything about how it's been stopped in the past." "You mean you can't kill it, you can- only stop it?" "You can't kill it because it's already dead," he reminded her with a slight grin. "Oh...yeah...But you can make it go away maybe, right?" "Maybe..but there's no telling how. The only way to find out is to get a hold of the book that I read about it in." "So, I'm guessing that you don't still have a copy of it on your bookshelf, huh?" Angel shook his head. "I don't. I wish I could remember the name of the book but-," he stared. "Don't worry about now. We don't have to know it right now. I mean we have three weeks until it comes. I'm- sure we'll find out something else before then." He looked up at her, a sad look on his face. "Angel? What's wrong?" Is there something you're not telling me here?" she asked him, concerned. He looked away. *I don't have three weeks* he said to himself. He looked at the clock and noticed that it was 3:30 in the morning."You better get back to sleep, you have school tomorrow," he reminded Buffy, avoiding her question. Buffy sighed. "Oh..yeah..school. Well, at least tommorow's Thursday and the weekend's almost here," she said then laid back down on the bed. Angel got up and pulled the covers back up over her and kissed her forehead. "Sweet dreams," he whispered softly. "Hey, aren't you gonna sleep here next to me. You seemed to have evacuated the bed before- Why?" "Well I couldn't sleep, really. I- don't- normally go to sleep at that time. I'm usually up the whole night," he told her with a smile. "Oh, yeah. I kinda forgot about the vampire thing." Angel smiled down at her. "I will, though, if it'll help you sleep better," he said, climbing into bed next to her. She turned around to face him and smiled. He smiled back. Then she closed her eyes and fell asleep again. When Buffy woke up it was dark outside again. *Must've over slept big time* she thought. *Oh no, that means I missed school. Well I'll worry about that later. I better go save the world now* she thought as she got dressed. She put her jacket on, grabbed a stake and headed out the door. This time, she decided to hit Sunnydale Park. Buffy seated herself on a swing, stake in her hand, just waiting for a vampire to show. Time passed, and there was still no vampires in sight. Buffy sighed. She actually beginning to feel a little bored. All of a sudden, a gust of wind came, blowing the empty swing next to her so that it swung back and forth-as if someone was on it. Then she heard it again- The ghostly woman's voice, whispering to her. "I'm coming,Buffy....I'm coming soon...And when I do...you will die," the voice whispered to her. Then the gust of wind disappeared as did the voice and the swing next to her stopped swinging. "No!!! Please!!! No!!!" Buffy screamed as loud as she could. She turned to her side with a jerk, and opened her eyes. She was still in Angel's bed. Angel was awake next to her and slipped his arms around her, pulling her closer to him. "Guess you had another bad dream, huh?" he asked her. Buffy nodded. "Was it about The Elgradora?" "Yes..this time, I was hunting in the park and this huge gust of wind came, causing the swing next to me to swing back and forth- I think she was sitting on it or something- but she warned me again-said she was coming soon-but this time, she said I would die...I'm scared, Angel. Last time I had a dream like this, it really did happen. I mean, I died once, I don't wanna do it again," Buffy told him, frightened. Angel hugged her even closer to him. "Don't worry-We'll get through this. You're not gonna die-I won't let it happen...We'll just have to find a way to stop it-somehow...I'll- call some people I know to find out if they know where I can get a copy of that book I told you about." Buffy smiled at him. Then she looked at the clock. Her eyes widened. "Oh my god. It's already 6:30-I have to get ready for school. Angel, you don't by any chance have a shower do you?" Angel smiled. "Yeah, right through that door," he said pointing to a door in the room. "Ok, thanks...I'll- be out in a few minutes." She gave him a quick kiss on the mouth and then made a dash to the shower. Buffy came out twenty minutes later, all dressed and ready for school. She caught sight of Angel in front of the fridge, feeding on a bag of blood. "Hi. I'm finished," Buffy greeted him. Angel was startled and very much embarrassed. Although he knew that she saw him, he hid the blood bag behind his back with one hand, and wiped any blood around his mouth with the other. "I was just, uh-" Angel began nervously. "Eating your breakfast?" Buffy suggested. Angel just stared at her. "It's- nothing to get all up-tight about. You know, a lot of people do it." Angel sighed. "They don't eat what I eat though." "Well- different people have different taste buds- eat different things. That's the way it goes," Buffy said grinning. She was trying her best to make him more comfortable about the situation. Angel managed a smile. He stuck the blood packet back into the refrigerator and walked over to her. His eyes traveled up and down the length of her body. Buffy blushed a little. "You look beautiful," Angel said softly. He leaned in and kissed her. Buffy wrapped her arms arms around his neck, running her fingers through his hair, as the kiss deepened. Buffy pulled away finally. "I better go to school. It's getting late," she told him. Angel nodded inn agreement. "I wish you could stay. It's so lonely without you," he admitted. "I know...believe me, I know. Sometimes- I find myself not being able to wait until it's dark out, so that I could be with you again," she told him. The two stared at each other in silence for awhile. "You better go," Angel finally spoke, a look of sadness across his face. "I should...but I just have to get something out first," she told him. "Ok..what is it?" Angel asked. "Well, it's kinda about what I was just saying. The days seem to go by so slowly-all I can do is count the hours until I'll see you- and then it's the night-and I see you-but it goes by so fast. It's like,that's all I wait for all day, and it's over as soon as it starts...I just wish our time together wasn't so limited.," she told him. She paused for a second and then continued on. "And then- there's the fear the I have-of- one of us going away...You-getting hurt by some other vampire and dying-or you- being exposed to sunlight and dying-or me-having to move again for whatever reason...And it scares me so much..For me to ever be without you, Angel...it's the scariest thing in the world." Buffy looked up at him to see his reaction. His head was down, and from what Buffy saw, it looked like he may have even been crying. "Angel?" she called him softly. Angel didn't look up. He couldn't. He couldn't let her know the reason why tears were streaming down his face. Not yet. Not then. He promised himself he'd tell her that night though. Buffy called his name again. When he didn't answer or look up, she walked over to him. She placed a hand under his chin and lifted his head to see his face. She realized that she was right- he was crying. Buffy never thought that she'd ever see Angel,"Mr. Cryptic Man,"-himself- actually crying. But there he was with tear stains down his cheeks. Buffy gently ran the back of her hand over his left cheek, wiping away the wetness. She did the same with the other. Angel still didn't make eye contact with her. His eyes were focussed off to the side. "Look at me Angel...Please," Buffy pleaded with him softly. He couldn't resist to that. He finally looked at her. When Angel's watery eyes stared in to Buffy's, her eyes began to get watery. "What's wrong, Angel?..Tell, me...Please." Buffy paused for a second. "Look, I know something's wrong. You've been acting weird ever since I came here last night. I saw it in you're eyes-And I see it now-You're hiding something...I wanna know what," she pleaded with him. Angel just stared at her. She begged him with her eyes-with the look on her face. "Please, Angel," she asked again. Tears began rolling down her beautiful face. When Angel saw this, his own tears began to fall again. Buffy continued to stare at him, waiting for him to tell her. Angel just shook his head. "I can't...I can't Buffy...Not right now." Buffy was understanding towards this. "Ok...Will you tell me later then?" Buffy asked, hopeful he'd say yes. Angel nodded. "I will," he promised. "I will." Buffy stared at him for a few more seconds then decided that she really had to go. "Well, I uh- have to go now. I guess I'll see you tonight," Angel nodded. Buffy grabbed her back-pack and jacket and walked to the door. "Bye, Angel," she said as she went out the door. "Bye, Buffy," Angel said, but she was already gone. SUNNYDALE HIGH SCHOOL Buffy walked into the school library to find her two best friends sitting at a table talking with Giles. Giles looked up and noticed Buffy. "Buffy-you're late to school-We weren't sure you were coming today," Giles said as Buffy walked over to the table and took a seat. "Well, here I am," Buffy said, trying to sound as enthusiastic as she could. Willow looked closely at Buffy. She looked very upset. "Are you ok, Buffy?" Willow asked, concerned. "Yeah- It's just- I was talking to Angel and he was acting kind of strange," she told her friend. "Well, maybe that's because he *is* strange. I mean he's a vampire with a soul-that's just about as strange as you can get," Xander said trying to lighten the mood. Buffy didn't seem amused. "How do you mean-strange? You don't think he's changed over to a normal vampire, do you" Giles stepped in. "No, It's just- he was crying and I asked him what was wrong and he said he couldn't tell me-then," Buffy explained. "Angel-crying!?!?" Xander asked with a laugh. Buffy, Giles, and Willow looked at him, annoyed. "Sorry," Xander apologized."Guess I just couldn't picture deadboy crying." "I don't know, maybe it's nothing-but I've just never seen him so upset," Buffy told them."And this thing that he's not telling me-I don't understand-Why couldn't he tell me? Why does he have to wait until tonight?" "I wish I could help you, Buffy, but I'm afraid there's nothing you can do but wait until tonight" Giles said, trying to comfort her. "I guess," Buffy agreed. "But- in the mean time, were you able to find out from Angel, anything about the coming of the Master's spirit?" Giles asked changing the subject. "Wait a minute. The Master is going to grace us Sunydalers with the presence of his spirit? How come I wasn't informed of this?" Xander asked. "Sorry-I didn't want to scare you guys until I knew for sure what this thing was," Buffy told him. "Well you know now right? So it's time to do some sharing and scaring," Xander said. Buffy looked at Giles for approval. "We *do* have to know, Buffy. And if Xander and Willow are going to be involved then they should be aware of this too," Giles told her. Buffy agreed and explained everything she knew and found out from Angel to Giles and her two friends. "Were you able to find out any method of-preventing this from coming forth-somehow?" Giles asked after Buffy was finished explaining. "I was just about to ask the same thing...with less words," Xander said. "Angel once read something about it in a book but he couldn't remember.what it said. He's working on it,though. He said he's gonna try calling some people to get information on it," Buffy told them. "Does that mean we don't have to do any work?" Xander asked with hope. "For now, no. But- if he's unable to find anything soon, we will...You may go to class now," Giles told them. "Ok, thanks Giles. See ya," Buffy said as she walked out of the library with her two friends. Xander and Willow also said bye to him. "So, what do you two ladies want to do tonight?" Xander asked as they headed to their next class. "Buffy, aren't you doing something with Angel tonight..So he can tell you that thing?" Willow asked her friend. "Well we didn't exactly make plans do go anyplace or do anything but we could go someplace where he'd know that I might be," Buffy suggested. "Like, say, the Bronze?" Xander nodded. "The Bronze it is!" "Yeah, and maybe Oz will be there," Willow said hopefully. Buffy smiled. "By the way, how did it go last night with Oz?" she asked her friend. "Oh, it went...We talked," Willow told her. "Details?" Buffy asked wanting to hear more. "Well, I watched him play and then he came over to my table, asked me if I wanted a cappucino, I said yes, and he bought me one." Willow began. "Then we talked about this new computer that's coming out soon and told silly jokes about people or things that happened at school. Then he had to go so he said goodbye and left. Is that enough details for you?" Buffy smiled. "Aren't you gonna asked me how my night with Cordelia went?" Xander asked. "Uh, that I don't really need to know," Buffy told him. *bell rings* "Well we missed first period class, I better get to class early before I'm late for second," Willow said to her friends. "We have the same class so guess I'll be going with you," Xander told his friend. "We'll see you at lunch Buffy," Willow told her friend. "Actually, you won't. I have to go meet with Giles at the library during lunch. He says I need to start training more to prepare for all those vampires that'll be coming here soon," Buffy told them. "We'll see you after school then," Xander said. "And after school. I have to train after school now too," Buffy told them. "Ok then we'll see you at the Bronze tonight," Willow said. "Yeah..tonight," Buffy answered. She walked to her next class in a daze-thinking about that night. Thinking about what it could be that Angel had to tell her. _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Michelle" Subject: DISCUSS: BUFFYFIC: "The Hellmouth's Greatest Threat" (1/1) (fwd) Date: 07 Mar 1998 21:56:35 -0600 I finally got a chance to read this story (OK, so I'm a little behind). It's hysterical!!! I've been in fandom a while, long enough to know and hate Mary Sues on sight. Thanks for a good laugh! Michelle Arthemise@geocities.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Leah Michelle Biellicki Subject: Re: DISCUSS: BUFFYFIC: "The Hellmouth's Greatest Threat" (1/1) (fwd) Date: 07 Mar 1998 23:13:50 -0600 (CST) On Sat, 7 Mar 1998, Michelle wrote: > I finally got a chance to read this story (OK, so I'm a little behind). It's > hysterical!!! I've been in fandom a while, long enough to know and hate Mary > Sues on sight. Thanks for a good laugh! > > Michelle > Arthemise@geocities.com > I also got a real kick out of this. "We'll have to disinfect." LoL! It cracked me up. Let us just pray, after last week, that we aren't writing this story about a certain maternal figure someday, hmm? - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Hope (28/?) Date: 07 Mar 1998 22:00:43 PST Author: Sara B. Sara114@hotmail.com Rating: Varies...will be posted at beginning of each part. Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, yada yada yada belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox.... I’m just borrowing them, (although I wish Angel was mine!) Everything else belongs to me! Author’s note: This is your usual generic story. Angel is still good, so basically in my story surprise/innocence didn’t happen. Willow and Oz are together, and Xander and Cordy are still hiding their secret utility closet rondevu’s. This is going to be a long story, and will take some time so be patient with me. I’m not very good at story telling, so if this totally sucks and isn’t read-worthy, just let me know.Oh yeah, and I want feedback, feedback, and more feedback. I don’t care if it’s good or bad, just tell me what you thought of it. Part 28 Buffy, Hope, and Jenny trudged through the thick field. The Slayer stared into the vast emptiness of her surroundings. She bent down and picked a flower, smelling it. The aroma was so familiar. Buffy stopped walking as she stared at the flower. “Wait.” Her two friends paused and looked at her. “What’s wrong, Buffy?” Hope asked. Buffy’s eyes grew wide and her mouth gaped open as she realized why everything seemed so familiar to her. “The endless fields, the wild flowers, the trees. This is it. This is where I was.” Jenny looked around. “What do you mean, this is where you were?” “In my dream. I was here. I remember it all.” Buffy spun around, looking at everything. “Why didn’t I see this before?” “Are you sure this is where you were? It’s just a field.” Hope said. Buffy nodded earnestly. “Yes, I am sure. I know it and I can feel it...” her voice trailed off. Suddenly, without warning, the silence was shattered by a loud explosion. A blast of heat swarmed them as they turned and saw a fireball rise above the small grouping of trees. They watched it, shocked. The sky thundered and the wind gusted. "We are too late.” Buffy uttered. ******** Xander, Cordelia, Willow, and Giles sat in the Watchers car, waiting for a sign, waiting for Buffy to come and tell them everything was okay, waiting for danger. Willow sat, fidgeting with so much worry she was unable to keep still. “Do you think they are okay?” She managed to say. “I certainly hope so,” Giles answered. “No, no, I don’t think they are,” she said, shaking her head. “They ARE,” Cordelia said. “They have to be. Buffy is the Slayer, and she has Hope, and Ms. Calendar. They just have to be.” “Who are you trying to fool? Us, or yourself?” Xander said. “Both,” she whispered quietly. “Listen, I think we should go help Buffy. We can’t just sit here and wonder whether or not she is okay,” Xander said. When Giles didn’t respond, Xander yelled at him, anger filling his voice. “What are we waiting for? Her death notice?! Her lifeless body?! We HAVE to go help them!” “Calm yourself, Xander. We can’t just go barging in on an army of vampires.” Giles scolded him. “It is just too dangerous.” “Dangerous or not, I’m going to go help her!” Xander exclaimed, opening his car door. “Army or not, she needs me. She needs *all of us*.” He stepped outside. “Are you coming?” He turned to face the field. “I can still see them. They are--” he paused, “Oh my God.” “What? What’s wrong?!” Cordelia yelled. She got out of the car. “Wha--whoa!” Willow and Giles stared out the front window in astonishment as they watched a fireball emerege from the grove. “Holy Shit,” Willow said. “I don’t give a damn what you think right now, Giles. I am going to go help Buffy whether you go or not!” He said, and ran to Buffy. “Wait! Xander, come back!” Giles yelled. Xander slowed down and turned around. “What?” “Get in the car. We are all going to help her,” Giles told him. Xander came back to the car and got in. Giles turned the key in the ignition, and drove into the field toward Buffy. ******* Buffy choked back her tears. “We are too late.” Hearing the rumble of an engine, she spun around to see Giles old car barreling straight for them. Her Watcher came to a screeching halt inches in front of her. Her friend got out of the car and walked over to her. “Are you okay?” he asked, gently. She shook her head. “Yeah, I’m okay,” she assured him, and wiped her eyes. “What are we going to do? Angel is probably dead by now.” “Don’t say that. We don’t know what caused that fireball. He may not even be there,” Giles said. “Don’t try to make me feel better with false hope, Giles. He’s gone. I can feel it.” She shuddered. “There is always a chance. We can’t give up now,” Hope said. “Yeah, right. Whatever.” Buffy said. “So what? Your just going to give up now? No. I don’t think so,” Hope said, “I may have not known you for very long, but I do know that you’re not a quiter. You don’t give up easily in tough situations. You are the Slayer, and if you give up then your basically signing the death warrant for all of us. You have overcome so much. Don’t just throw that all away. Yes, this is a tough situation, and the pressure is on big time, but you can’t give up. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and get out there and FIGHT! Fight for yourself, fight for your family and your friends. But most of all, for Angel. He needs you. We all need you.” Everyone was shocked, especially Buffy. She got tears in her eyes, and gave Hope a big hug. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I dont know what came over me.” “It’s okay,” she whispered. They parted, and Buffy smiled. She turned to her friends. “She is right. We can do this. And we will. I will.” ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Farrah Tahar Subject: BUFFYFIC: Buffyfic: BETA readers needed Date: 08 Mar 1998 17:20:05 +0800 hi! i need people to help me read through my story and stuff and help me like make it more interesting, coz i'm not very good :) thanks!!! HUgz Farrah - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: JMHnoodles Subject: Re: DISCUSS: BUFFYFIC: "The Hellmouth's Greatest Threat" (1/1) (fwd) Date: 08 Mar 1998 10:13:30 EST In a message dated 98-03-08 00:15:01 EST, you write: << Let us just pray, after last week, that we aren't writing this story about a certain maternal figure someday, hmm? >> You tryin' to give me nightmares? :-) We'll have to send a lynch mob out after Whedon... The story was hilarious, by the way! Jen - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: JMHnoodles Subject: BUFFYFIC: Buffyfic: help with episode synopsis? Date: 08 Mar 1998 10:22:31 EST I have a friend who just started watching BtVS last week (I was falling all over myself trying convince her that it was a sucky ep), and she's a bit confused. Does anyone have or know where I could get some sort of synopsis of all the episodes so far? Any help would be greatly appreciated. You can email me directly at JMHnoodles.com; I don't want to clog up other people's mailboxes... thanx bunches! Jen (the noodlebrain) - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Michelle" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Curious Goods (1/7) Date: 08 Mar 1998 11:49:14 -0600 TITLE: Curious Goods AUTHOR: Michelle Benoit Walker (arthemise@geocities.com) SUMMARY: Buffy the Vampire Slayer crossover with Friday the 13th: The Series. Wait, come back! You don't have to have ever seen the show to get the story since it's mostly Buffy anyway. But the cursed antiques involved in FTT:TS add an interesting twist. FTT:TS aired 1987-90 and has nothing to do with the movies of the same name or Jason (or whoever it is). The two horror series just seem to go together. Expect a sequel eventually. RATING: R. Buffy does things that are a little cruel--but to vampires. TIME PERIOD: After Bothered, Bewitched, and Bewildered. THANK-YOUS: To Ingrid Stanton for providing her excellent editing skills. FEEDBACK: Yes, please. DISTRIBUTION: Ask first. DISCLAIMER: The characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Friday the 13th: The Series are not mine. I'm just borrowing them for some fun. ************************************ CURIOUS GOODS Part 1 ************************************ "What a load of junk!" Buffy dusted off one of several boxes piled in Giles' storeroom and hefted the top one down to the floor. "Think any of these are books?" She looked up at Willow, who just grinned at her. "Silly me. This IS Giles we're talking about, Mr. Tweedy Bird himself. What else would he have in them except books?" Willow cracked open another box and pulled out several huge tomes at once. "But look on the bright side. If these were books he really needed, they'd be on the shelves. There might be a chance that they're actually--you know--something interesting." It was Willow's turn to stop and look up at her friend. "Silly me. What was I thinking?" Buffy read off a few titles. *Legends and Lore from the Middle East.* *The Occult Powers of the Mind.* *L'Homme en Colere.* Fun, happy stuff. As if it wasn't enough that she had to train and kill vampires every minute of her life. Now Giles expected her to help Willow with her research too. *A good Vampire Slayer knows her prey,* she could hear him reciting. And there certainly was a lot of prey out there. Willow had gotten the bright idea to catalog and scan all these ancient tomes into the computer. Her friend was great to have when it came to Internet searches, but this Database of the Occult was just too much. Like they had nothing better to do with their time! "Great, all text," Buffy grumped. Giles had acquired a scanner at Willow's request, and now the Slayerettes (plus one Slayer) were busily inputting these books that probably hadn't seen the light of day for years. There was a reason for that. No one but a bunch of vampire-killing freaks would be reading this stuff. All vampire-killing freaks raise their hands! Buffy was handling the text OCR scanning, and Willow was doing the more complicated illustration scanning and tweaking, copyright law be damned (if there still was a copyright on books centuries old). Then they would have a fully searchable database that they could quickly check when they ran into a crisis, rather than spending hours looking through books under a deadline. Instead they could spend hours now, before the crisis, while her social life died a death that wasn't quite lingering enough. But at least it kept her from thinking about Angel. Ow... See, that didn't hurt that much. Her throat tightened, and her heart clenched inside her, but the heartache wasn't the gut-wrenching agony it had been only a few weeks ago. Giles' therapy by work was having some effect, making her go on with her life and even spend time with her friends, when all she wanted to do was curl up in a ball at the bottom of her closet. Eat, sleep, get over it. She picked at the heartache like a new sore that was just starting to heal over. It oozed, not quite healed enough to itch, but she would go on. She was the Slayer. Slayers couldn't give up. Yada yada yada. No room for self-pity when the fate of the world was in her hands. Yet there was a hole in her heart, a huge gaping one where Angel used to dwell. She forgot sometimes what was missing, groping after it like a ghost arm after it had been amputated. Only when she realized what was missing did she pull away and pretend it wasn't there. Her friends were handling it well, trying to make her not quite so miserable. They could be aggravating sometimes, especially since she didn't want to be not miserable, but she had to admit that she wouldn't have been able to handle it without them. From the day they had met, Willow had turned out to be a better friend than she had ever imagined. Even Cordelia of all people--the queen B herself--had turned into a friend. Not all the amazing occurrences were supenatural in nature. And Xander...well, Xander had proved that he wasn't as shallow as the muddle puddle she had first judged him. Speaking of which... "Our delivery boy is taking his time." Xander had made a mess out of everything, deleting a file it had taken Buffy a full half-day to scan in and clean up. Giles had dismissed him, and now he was making a soda run for the group. Guys were so good at getting out of real work. Buffy decided she would make him sort through these cobweb-crusted boxes himself. He wasn't getting off that easy. Maybe SHE should delete a file or two... Thinking of the hours she had already spent, she thought better of it. "Hey, what's this?" Willow's voice pulled her out of a decidedly extended grump. "Hey, it's a box full of junk!" "Wow, junk!" She helped Willow untape the massive cardboard box. "Giles's been holding out on us." "I hope it's something cool and ratty!" Only Willow could get that excited about a box of junk. But then after the hours they had logged today--Saturday hours at that--a box of junk even interested her. It had to be some good junk for Giles to have kept it around. Books he would tolerate, but not much of anything else. The light in Willow's eyes died, and Buffy knew that the junk trunk had been too good to be true. "Well, I'm not quite sure what it is." Buffy peeked into the box, past the tapy cardboard flaps. Inside was junk, i n the truest sense of the word. She couldn't even recognize most of it, but she picked out a few items: a twisted, tarnished goblet; a set of three knives, each smaller than the next, that didn't look like they could cut their way out of a paper bag; a bunch of books (yes, more books!) that looked like readers in languages she couldn't even recognize; and some old rope. She uncoiled the thick corded rope to get it out of the way; it smelled like mildew and old fish. Yum, what a winner, Giles! What, dating Mrs. Paul? "Ooh, a wooden box!" Willow cooed, trying to inject the moment with more excitement than it was worth. The box was pretty ornate, carved with mystic symbols and stained with red and peeling gold leaf. Ever the optimist, Willow handed the find to her. "If it's a book, I'm going to kill someone," Buffy told her skeptically. A lifted brow told her friend that, yes, she was the closest one within killing range. But it wasn't a book. But something almost as boring. "A wooden stake," Buffy deadpanned, holding it as if it were a present from her grandma on Christmas eve, and not the cool grandma either. "Like I don't have enough of THESE lying around..." "But it's got metal on it, like a handle-type thingy." Willow craned her head around to get a better look. "I think it's brass. It couldn't be gold." "Gold doesn't tarnish," Buffy lectured. "Brass tarnishes. I learned that one from Grandma Summers when she gave me a 'gold' chain one year." Still, the stake was fancier than her bought-at-Home-Depot-and-hacked-to-a-point-by-a-butcher-knife variety. It looked hard, harder than fresh wood, almost as if it had been stuck in a fire or rockified like the petrified wood she saw at the pet store. And it did have a handle, sort of, with a thick brass wire twisted around the base of it like a grip. "It's what all the Slayers are sporting this year," Buffy quipped, jerking the box up quickly so that the stake flew into the air and landed firmly in her fist, ready to attack. *** The bell to Curious Goods chimed cheerfully in a vain attempt to brighten the dusty, dingy store. Micki looked up from the wooden box she was unpacking. "If I have to unpack one more box of inventory..." she warned the newcomer. "Well, lucky you, here's some mail for you to go through." Johnny Ventura tossed several letters onto the check-out counter. "Looks like some potential hits. Want to check it out?" Micki looked back at the still-full box she was unpacking. "Ah, and I'll finish unpacking." The dark-haired young man grinned and dug in, true to his word. Micki pushed back long red hair from her sticky forehead with the back of her hand. "Deal." She shuffled quickly through the mail, separating the bills from the "other." While their store front Curious Goods gave them an excuse for dabbling into the occult and acquiring strange, ominous artifacts, it also gave them the resources to do their real job: tracking down items cursed by Old Scratch himself. She had been lucky enough to be the niece of Lewis Vendredi, the Devil's right-hand man. All the many long years her uncle had been in business for the dark side had given them a lot of nasty pieces of work to track down and tuck away into the vault hidden deep in the basement of the store. They had begun their quest of tracking down the cursed objects by sending out letters and making calls to those buyers so thoughtfully listed in her uncle's Manifest. "Here's a returned one." She examined the postmark. "Looks like they held on to it--oh--about a year before returning it. Guess the post office didn't notice. It says no longer at address." "Sounds suspicious," Johnny said as he hefted out a particularly gruesome African statue, which would probably sell within the week. "Want to give them a call? Maybe take a trip?" "I guess. I'll get the Manifest." A moment later she was paging through a huge tome that would have made even Rupert Giles envious. "Here it is. John Hyrman. Here's a new one: a wooden stake." She looked over at Johnny, who had almost cleared out the wooden box and was rummaging through wooden curls of packing material. "Any idea why anyone would want a wooden stake?" the redhead asked. Johnny wiped the sweat away from his forehead, much as Micki had done. He shook his head and looked at the junk he had unpacked. Why did anyone want ANY of the stuff sold at Curious Goods? Looking to the entry where Micki pointed, he verified: one wooden stake. He shook his head and shrugged. "A vampire hunter?" ************************************ END Part 1 ************************************ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Michelle" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Curious Goods (2/7) Date: 08 Mar 1998 11:49:55 -0600 TITLE: Curious Goods AUTHOR: Michelle Benoit Walker (arthemise@geocities.com) SUMMARY: Buffy the Vampire Slayer crossover with Friday the 13th: The Series. Wait, come back! You don't have to have ever seen the show to get the story since it's mostly Buffy anyway. But the cursed antiques involved in FTT:TS add an interesting twist. FTT:TS aired 1987-90 and has nothing to do with the movies of the same name or Jason (or whoever it is). The two horror series just seem to go together. Expect a sequel eventually. RATING: R. Buffy does things that are a little cruel--but to vampires. TIME PERIOD: After Bothered, Bewitched, and Bewildered. THANK-YOUS: To Ingrid Stanton for providing her excellent editing skills. FEEDBACK: Yes, please. DISTRIBUTION: Ask first. DISCLAIMER: The characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Friday the 13th: The Series are not mine. I'm just borrowing them for some fun. ************************************ CURIOUS GOODS Part 2 ************************************ The jolt of electricity that went through Buffy's hand as she caught the wooden stake was enough to make her almost drop it again. But it didn't leave her hand. On the contrary, it seemed to fit perfectly there, nestling into her palm as if it had been made for her. "Cool," Willow observed, watching Buffy making quick swipes through the air. "You--you look good with that thing." With a last flourish, Buffy tucked the stake into the back of her pants. "Gotta see if Giles will give it to me." Willow nodded furiously. "Might as well. It was just sitting there. Bet he doesn't even know it was there." "But--you're gonna ask him anyway." "Sure. Right." Buffy had no idea why her friend was wigging on her over a dusty old stake Giles probably didn't even know was there. Sometimes Willow spazzed over nothing. "OK, chicas, you can come out of the closet." Xander characteristically grinned and wagged 16 oz. bottles of soda at them. He seemed to realize what he had said and swallowed the grin. "I mean--the storeroom. Uh--wanna Coke?" Buffy snagged the Diet Coke from his hand and brushed past him. "Thanks, Xander. Hope you didn't break your leg hurrying to get back here." Giles looked up from his book, saw that it was just the juveniles bickering again, and returned to his reading. He had actually begun smiling again, especially after he and Jenny had made something of a peace between them. Buffy still couldn't forgive him for that. "I hurried over as fast as I could, Your Highness," Xander told her. "Wouldn't want to miss the cobwebs and stuff." He pulled a long gray strand from Buffy's hair. "Ew. That does it." Buffy dumped the pile of books they had accumulated from the storeroom into Xander's arms. "I'm going home and washing my hair. You people are crazy." She stomped out of the library, throwing the doors wide, and simply exiting the school building. This time Giles looked up from his book and stared at the wildly swinging doors in bewilderment. Usually the teenagers thrived on their bickering sessions, going on for hours just sniping at each other. He had learned that this was the way they related to one another. And judging from the way Xander and Cordelia usually argued, they really related. But the bickering usually didn't end like this. Not with Buffy storming out with little or no cause. Xander looked at them, a little embarrassed that he had made Buffy leave. "Uh--what was that?" he asked. Willow shrugged and pulled on the straps of her coveralls. "She was all right a minute ago. I think--she's probably still depressed about--you know." Giles shook his head and returned to his book. Mood swings. Why did Slayers always have to be teenagers? *** By the time Buffy left the library, it was already starting to get dark. She didn't know why she had stormed out like that. She just got so frustrated sometimes. Why should Xander be so happy all the time when her life was in a shambles? How could the world go on when she felt like her life had ended? She felt the stake at the small of her back, slightly stretching the band of her pants. She needed to work out her frustrations, and tonight was a good night to do that. She felt like killing something, making something pay. Why not a vampire? Vampires were good. She lucked out and found two, just lounging there in the shadows of an abandoned house. Anywhere else it would have been a crackhouse, but in Sunnydale it had more serious vermin. Vampires didn't seem to be smart enough to attack her all at once. Instead they split their strength, one going after her full force while the other looked for an opening to get his turn. That was fine by her. By the time she had impaled the first one against the rusted metal gate, she was ready for the second. A solid punch to the vampire's twisted face spun him around, and a roundhouse kick to the head with her thick, platform shoes laid him low, blood oozing from his broken nose. Aw, and she was just starting to have fun. But he wasn't out for the count. He growled at her low in his throat, his demon eyes shining in the dim moonlight. He bared his fangs at her and charged, getting a lucky shot and dodging under her defenses. His pointed teeth actually grazed her throat before she could whip out the stake at her back. Grabbing the demon by the throat with one hand, she plunged the stake through his heart with the other. Buffy was used to having vampires turn to dust under her hands. This one, however, seemed to writhe in agony for several long seconds. She pushed the stake in deeper and twisted it against bone, which finally disintegrated to dust. The act oddly satisfied her. She wanted them to pay, pay for what they had done to her. She hadn't chosen this life. THEY had inflicted it on her. The other vampire lay over the short metal fence, its sharp rusted points still strong enough to punch through his undead flesh. Buffy raised the stake high and looked into the demons eyes as she killed it. She saw the creature's pain, its death agonies as it finally surrendered its unlife. It fell to dust under her feet, and she ground her boots into the dirt it made. She brought the strange stake up to eye level so that she could gaze at it. The brass handle glimmered in the moonlight, and the stake seemed almost beautiful in its craggy perfection. She hadn't felt this good in a long time. It felt like she was doing something for a change. Making a difference. Living again. *** "Are you sure you can handle the store by yourself?" Micki Foster asked for the tenth time--that day. "Sure," Johnny assured her with more confidence than Micki thought warranted. "How hard can it be to sell this stuff. It sells itself, remember?" "He'll be fine," Jack Marshak assured her. "And we'll be checking in every day." The leader of the group at Curious Goods was a friendly man in his robust fifties, hair balding and gray, with a portliness that had probably been with him his entire life. He eyed Johnny as if to say, *humor her,* and hefted his suitcase. "Johnny knows what to do." Micki sighed and picked up her own suitcase and purse. She knew she could trust Johnny, but she wasn't entirely certain he could handle their special type of weirdness on his own. "Just don't try to take on anything by yourself. We're only going to be gone for a few days while we figure out where Hyrman's wife put this stake. Call us if there's ANYTHING out of the ordinary." "I have Mrs. Hyrman's number right here." He waved a piece of paper at her. "Stop worrying and enjoy Texas." Micki frowned at him as if to say, *yeah, right,* but gave him a quick hug and toted her suitcase out the narrow door. Jack lingered and told the young man, "Ask for me." Jack patted Johnny on the arm, put on his tweed hat, and followed Micki out the door. Johnny laughed and shook his head at those two. They thought they held the fate of the world in their hands. They were more responsible than anyone he had ever hung out with. Which wasn't surprising considering the kind of people Johnny had hung out with before coming to work--and do other things--at Curious Goods. Kicking back on the stool at the counter, Johnny put his feet up and closed his eyes, grateful for the quietude. *Wonder if Jack's going to wear that hat in the Texas heat,* Johnny thought. ************************************ END Part 2 ************************************ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Michelle" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Curious Goods (3/7) Date: 08 Mar 1998 11:50:24 -0600 TITLE: Curious Goods AUTHOR: Michelle Benoit Walker (arthemise@geocities.com) SUMMARY: Buffy the Vampire Slayer crossover with Friday the 13th: The Series. Wait, come back! You don't have to have ever seen the show to get the story since it's mostly Buffy anyway. But the cursed antiques involved in FTT:TS add an interesting twist. FTT:TS aired 1987-90 and has nothing to do with the movies of the same name or Jason (or whoever it is). The two horror series just seem to go together. Expect a sequel eventually. RATING: R. Buffy does things that are a little cruel--but to vampires. TIME PERIOD: After Bothered, Bewitched, and Bewildered. THANK-YOUS: To Ingrid Stanton for providing her excellent editing skills. FEEDBACK: Yes, please. DISTRIBUTION: Ask first. DISCLAIMER: The characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Friday the 13th: The Series are not mine. I'm just borrowing them for some fun. ************************************ CURIOUS GOODS Part 3 ************************************ The halls of Sunnydale High School were always crowded early in the morning. As sleepy as most of the kids looked at this time of day, they definitely felt the urge to mingle. Which irritated Giles no end as he searched for one sleepy teenager in particular. Why did they all have to look the same? At last a familiar blonde head appear, and Giles chased after it through the crowd. He finally got her attention and smiled at her somber features. "Buffy! Have you been all right?" Buffy looked at him, puzzled, and nodded. "Sure. I'm fine." Giles removed his glasses and glanced around. "But--but you weren't in class yesterday. I thought maybe the hunt--" "The hunt's going fine, Giles," she said, a little impatiently, he noticed. "Just chill a little bit. That's what I was doing yesterday. You know, save the world, sacred duty, all that stuff." "But your schoolwork--" "Is it more important than killing vampires? I don't think so. I even found a few of their daytime hidey-holes yesterday." Buffy pushed wisps of hair away from her face and looked intently at Giles. "That is what I'm supposed to be doing, isn't it?" Giles was at a loss in the face of such intensity. Had Buffy thrown herself so deeply into her work that it was now becoming an obsession? "I just thought that school was something of a break for you. A--a chance to be with your friends." "Well, I have more important things to do than be with my friends, don't I?" Buffy was actually angry at him now. "My first duty is to protect the world from vampires. I don't think the world will be too concerned if I make a C on my geometry test." "But your mother will," Giles said, bewildered by Buffy's suddenly hostile attitude. When had Buffy decided that killing vampires was more important than her own life? Buffy rolled her eyes in frustration and stomped off. "Whatever." Giles watched her disappear into the flood of teenagers filling the hall. He almost didn't hear when the morning bell rang to go to class. He never would understand his ward. He only hoped that lack of understanding wouldn't permanently harm the person he was trying to protect. *** What did Giles want from her? She was finally taking her job seriously, like he wanted, and it STILL wasn't good enough for him. What did he want, blood? Sometimes she felt like vampires weren't the only ones sucking her life away. Giles, her mom, even her friends all wanted her to be the perfect little Buffy. Slayer, daughter, friend, schoolgirl, fill in the blank here. She just wished her life wouldn't be molded for her, like she had to fit what THEY wanted her to be. Her vampire hunts had grown longer and longer with the enchanted stake in her hand. She knew by now that it was no regular stake. It made her feel strong and confident and actually made the vampires suffer for their crimes. At last they were getting a little of what they had been giving out. How many victims had they toyed with, made them scream for mercy before they sucked the life out of them? Now she was hearing their screams and liking it a little too much. Buffy plopped herself down in her desk for math class. *The hunts WERE getting overboard,* she admitted to herself. Maybe Giles did have a point there. And Buffy didn't want to tell him that the stake she had found in the storeroom had actually led her to those secret vampire caches during daylight hours. She would limit herself to nighttime hunts. But how could a weapon that helped her kill demons be anything but kick-ass good? The teacher began handing back their geometry tests and she winced at the grade. No C here. Mr. Karper looked at her with that teacher look that said the entire story: I'm-so-disappointed-in-you-you-have-so-much-potential-you-could-do-better. She crumpled the paper into her backpack and stared at the desk in front of her, her cheeks hot. She would only go out at night now, and maybe get a little math homework done. But she felt the stake in her purse like a second heart beating. And waited for the night. *** Micki and Jack arrived at the Austin airport right on schedule. They picked up their car at the Advantage counter, along with a map of the city, and set out for Mrs. Hyrman's house. It was perched high in the hills of Austin, in the many rich neighborhoods that took advantage of the gorgeous Hill Country scenery. "Did she sound upset to you?" Micki asked as she zoomed the car up yet another hill. Jack nodded sadly, taking in the view from the window. "I could barely get a coherent sentence out of her. She's still terribly disoriented, and Hyrman's been dead for almost six months now. At least she agreed to meet with us. I'm hoping we can get something more sensible from her in person." After the horror story Jack had told her on the plane ride in from Chicago, Micki could tell why. From the newspaper reports Jack had dug up, and the criminal court cases, they pieced together the story of John Hyrman and the murders he had committed. Apparently Hyrman had been a quiet professor of Gothic literature at the University of Texas. He had studied and taught all the classics, including Bram Stoker's *Dracula.* Hyrman had been passionately interested in the work, not to a fault and certainly not to murder in the beginning. He had begun collecting vampire memorabilia, anything he could find, according to his wife's testimony. No mention of THE stake was made, but he had had several around the house, and a stake was thought to be his murder weapon of choice. At least that's what the gaping hole in his victim's chest looked like. But no wood fragments were found in the wound by the crime lab. His obsession had eventually taken a turn toward psychoses as he came to believe that he was von Helsing, or someone like him, a hunter of Nosferatu and the savior of mankind. The only problem was that his victims weren't vampires. Jack had told her that vampires--yes, they were real--turned to dust once they were killed. Hyrman's victims were all too solid, and he had left a trail of them wherever he went. Too many were college students he came across. People began to notice, and eventually he was killed as someone (an armed someone) came upon him staking another victim. Jack seemed to think that Hyrman's change from interest to obsession came from Lewis Vendredi's intervention. The papers said that Hyrman had been an avid collector of occult--and especially vampire--memorabilia. Logic said that Hyrman had finally found the ultimate collectible from Lewis Vendredi's Curious Goods, in the days when the shop was more known for the evil it put into the world, than the evil it took out. So the stake had changed Hyrman, made him into a raving maniac who thought he was put on earth to kill vampires. It tricked him into seeing vampires where there were none, to kill innocent people and add to Vendredi's collection of taken souls. These items could twist a person, given just the smallest in. They spoke to the weakest part of the soul and caused an evil so insidious it went unnoticed until it was too late. Their only hope was that the stake was still in Hyrman's estate. If it fell into the wrong hands or was lost in a police evidence vault, the entire killing spree could be repeated until they finally tracked down the cursed item. Their meeting with Mrs. Hyrman would tell them that. As a collectible, the stake was less likely to be thrown away as worthless. It would probably be sold for its value, and that at least was traceable. Sometimes their search for cursed items took them weeks to track down, hopping from one plane to the other following leads. Micki would enjoy the travel if it didn't usually come to a gruesome end. Too often they found their cursed items AFTER it had been used again. Micki hoped that Mrs. Hyrman would help them find this thing, before it killed any more innocent victims. That was always the hardest part of their job for her--seeing the people they had been too late to save. ************************************ END part 3 ************************************ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Michelle" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Curious Goods (4/7) Date: 08 Mar 1998 11:51:09 -0600 TITLE: Curious Goods AUTHOR: Michelle Benoit Walker (arthemise@geocities.com) SUMMARY: Buffy the Vampire Slayer crossover with Friday the 13th: The Series. Wait, come back! You don't have to have ever seen the show to get the story since it's mostly Buffy anyway. But the cursed antiques involved in FTT:TS add an interesting twist. FTT:TS aired 1987-90 and has nothing to do with the movies of the same name or Jason (or whoever it is). The two horror series just seem to go together. Expect a sequel eventually. RATING: R. Buffy does things that are a little cruel--but to vampires. TIME PERIOD: After Bothered, Bewitched, and Bewildered. THANK-YOUS: To Ingrid Stanton for providing her excellent editing skills. FEEDBACK: Yes, please. DISTRIBUTION: Ask first. DISCLAIMER: The characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Friday the 13th: The Series are not mine. I'm just borrowing them for some fun. ************************************ CURIOUS GOODS Part 4 ************************************ "Thanks for the help, Will," Buffy said into the telephone, cradling it against her shoulder. "I owe ya. See you tomorrow." Buffy hung up and tapped her pencil against her lips. Satisfied, she slammed the geometry book shut. "Math all done. Time for work." The stake lay in the drawer by her nightstand. She had stopped carrying it with her on all but her night hunts. Its power was a little frightening, the feeling it gave her a little too heady. But when she clutched it in her hand, she couldn't resist the triumph she felt. Out the window and down to the cemetery. Her nightly routine. The cemetery had gotten a little slow, especially since she had been killing nonstop for more than a week now. The word was bound to get out. So this time it was the Bronze. Vampires liked nothing better than to follow kids home from their nightly adventures. That's why Angel had always walked her home-- The heartache took her unawares. Angel. She wondered if it would ever go away. The heartache was her shadow nowadays, coming upon her when she least expected it. She tucked it away and carried on. The Bronze wasn't really kickin' on a Wednesday night, but the vampires were waiting, as she knew they would be. This time it was four of them, ambushing her in a dark alley between two warehouses. The fight was furious, the odds against her, but she was invincible. They couldn't touch her. She kicked and punched and stabbed like a wild animal, grinding each vampire into dust with the stake. Buffy exhaled as the last one disintegrated. A hand touched her shoulder, and she whirled to face her next attacker, the stake upraised and ready to take another life. The stake almost plunged into another heart before it registered who her attacker was. His surprise was almost as great at hers, and his eyes widened as the stake grew closer. "Angel," dribbled the word from her lips. She tried to pull back her punch, get the stake away from Angel. She wasn't ready to deal with this yet. Not Angel, even an evil Angel. Not now. But she knew the stake was unstoppable during a fight. It knew its prey. It wouldn't stop in time. No. No! The stake flew at Angel's unprotected chest, and they were both powerless to stop it. But it twisted in her hand at the last minute, as if it had a mind of its own. She hit Angel firmly in the chest with the handle, the business end safely away. But he staggered back as if she had punctured his heart. He fell to the ground, a blue glow hanging where she hit him and then sinking in. Buffy ran to him, not knowing what had happened. She wasn't ready, not to give up hope on ever getting her Angel back. This might be a demon in her lover's body, but while that body lived, so did her hope of getting him back one day. "Angel! Angel!" she screamed in his face as it lost all trace of the vampire's deformity. Angel opened his eyes and focused on the woman above him. They lit with wonder and smiled at her. "Buffy." A weak hand cupped her cheek. "It's you--" Then the eyes clouded over and filled with confused tears. "I..." Buffy pulled back but looked into those eyes again. Could it be? It sounded like... She looked deeper, into his soul. Angelus wasn't a good faker. He had pretended to be Angel after the change, but the moment she looked, really looked, she could tell the difference. The eyes of a demon didn't look back at her now. They were the eyes of a man who loved her. "Angel." She cried into his chest for a moment, holding him to her. It felt like so long she had wanted to do this, to hold her love in her arms again. "How?" she gasped out. He sat up, still weak from what had happened to him. "I don't know, Buffy." She could see the agony in his eyes as he realized what he had done, once again. "I remember it all. But--but I couldn't do anything. I was trapped, just watching the horrible--" A shudder ran through his body. "The things I did to you, what I said--" He turned away from her, shrinking from her touch as if he might corrupt her by being too close. But Buffy wouldn't let him. She held him tight, as if she would never let him go again. "That wasn't you, Angel. It wasn't your fault." The tears ran down her face, but she wouldn't look away from him." I love you, Angel. I know that you could never do those things." It was Angel's turn to sob helplessly against her. "I can't go through this again. Kill me, Buffy. Stop this now. Don't let me kill again." But she couldn't, not now, not even when he had been evil. How could she tell him that? So she quietly held him, as she had wanted to do since she had discovered that his soul had been stolen. "Everything will be fine, Angel. I promise." *I couldn't live if it wasn't,* she added to herself. But the reunion was short-lived. Angel gasped and began screaming. "No, Buffy, he's coming back. Go! Leave! I--I can't control it." Angel writhed on the ground. She wouldn't leave him. Not ever again. No, this wasn't happening! She took the stake handle and thumped him on the chest with it as he convulsed. It felt dead now in her hand. Just then a gang of vampires approached, come to back up Angelus. She looked from a tortured Angel to the gang, unwilling to leave her love in peril. How could she abandon him now when he needed her so much? She couldn't explain what had happened, didn't need to. This was Angel. But then she looked into his eyes as they flicked opened and his features calmed. Something had changed. The demon was back. She would face the mouth of hell itself with Angel by her side. But this wasn't Angel. Confused, dazed, she couldn't deal with a horde of vampires AND an Angel that wanted her dead. Scrabbling to her feet, Buffy grabbed the stake and ran. *** This wasn't real. It couldn't be real. How could she lose Angel for a second time? Angelus was a poor actor; it had to be real. She had held Angel in her arms for those brief moments, and it wasn't enough. It would never be enough. She had no tears left. She was empty of everything. Buffy was almost afraid to touch the stake now. Whatever had happened--it had to be the stake. It had hit him square in the chest and restored Angel to her. But then it had done nothing. It hadn't "spoken" to her since she had released the blue glow on Angel. Maybe that was it... She had released its power. Power which came from... Killing vampires. It had to be. All those deaths she had taken from evil. Maybe it had stored up the power to do good. She wished she could ask Giles. But then she would have to admit to him--and to Willow--that she had taken the stake without mentioning it. And Giles might even make her give it back--say it was dangerous or something. And looking into her Angel's eyes again, she knew she could never do that. ************************************ END Part 4 ************************************ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Michelle" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Curious Goods (5/7) Date: 08 Mar 1998 11:51:27 -0600 TITLE: Curious Goods AUTHOR: Michelle Benoit Walker (arthemise@geocities.com) SUMMARY: Buffy the Vampire Slayer crossover with Friday the 13th: The Series. Wait, come back! You don't have to have ever seen the show to get the story since it's mostly Buffy anyway. But the cursed antiques involved in FTT:TS add an interesting twist. FTT:TS aired 1987-90 and has nothing to do with the movies of the same name or Jason (or whoever it is). The two horror series just seem to go together. Expect a sequel eventually. RATING: R. Buffy does things that are a little cruel--but to vampires. TIME PERIOD: After Bothered, Bewitched, and Bewildered. THANK-YOUS: To Ingrid Stanton for providing her excellent editing skills. FEEDBACK: Yes, please. DISTRIBUTION: Ask first. DISCLAIMER: The characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Friday the 13th: The Series are not mine. I'm just borrowing them for some fun. ************************************ CURIOUS GOODS Part 5 ************************************ Mrs. Hyrman greeted them at the door with a hesitant gesture. She had dark circles under her eyes, and from the smell of alcohol on her, her new courage was not self-made. "Come in, Mr. Marshak," she said listlessly. "I--I'll try to answer your questions." Jack could tell that she had been interrogated before, endlessly, and didn't have much strength for more questions. "We just have a few questions," Jack reassured her. "About an item in your husband's collection. It was sold from our store, and we do need to get it back." The old woman, aged by her tragedy, nodded to herself, gathering what real courage remained. "I can try to tell you what I know. But most of it was sold at auction. The rest of it I got rid of." "Do you think we could see the auction list?" Micki asked. She tried to be delicate, but sometimes it was hard when the quest was as urgent as theirs. The woman nodded and left to search out the documentation. "How collectible do you think this stake is?" Micki asked Jack. The man shook his head. "The Manifest describes it as having a carved case. Hopefully that gave someone the clue that it was valuable and it wasn't just thrown away." Mrs. Hyrman returned shortly and gave the auction list to Jack. "The item we're looking for isn't on this list," Jack told her after scanning it. "We're looking for a stake with a brass handle that came in a carved gold-leaf box. Do you remember seeing anything like that?" A shudder seemed to run through the woman's body. "I remember. I didn't put--those kinds of items on the auction. I didn't want those kinds of people to show up. I sent it to someone my husband knew and trusted. I found his name in John's planner. Rupert Giles. He--he used to be a museum curator." "Do you have his address?" Micki asked quietly. On the verge of tears, Mrs. Hyrman nodded again and went to get it for them. *** Buffy skipped school again that day. She didn't talk to her mother as she left the house at the crack of dawn. She had one thing on her mind. If this thing could cure Angel, really cure him, she would kill every vampire in this world to get him back. She would do anything it took to have him touch her even one more time, to see that love shine in his eyes. It was almost mechanical. The stake led her to vampire after vampire. She didn't even torture them. Stab and move on. She broke locks to abandoned buildings, muscled herself into crypts, even found her way into storm drains. As the day wore on, she could feel the power thrumming in the stake and into her body. Tonight she would do it. She would get Angel back. *** Giles picked up the phone as it rang. Very few people called the library; it was usually one of his group of special students, so he kept it close by. Willow and Xander looked up from a busy cram session before school--and the first-period English test. "Giles here." He listened for several second before he said, "Yes, I do remember receiving the box from Mrs. Hyrman some time ago. But there wasn't anything of value that I remember--" He was silent again. "A stake? I don't remember--" "Buffy found it," Willow piped up. "Just a moment," Giles put his hand over the receiver. "Buffy found a stake?" Willow nodded emphatically. "While we were cleaning out the storeroom looking for books. I--I thought she told you about it..." Giles' serious expression worried her. If Buffy was in trouble because she hadn't mentioned it... "You'd better take the first flight in," Giles told the person on the phone. "I think--a friend--has it." *** Giles pulled Willow, Xander, Cordelia, and Oz out of class, using the excuse that the library club had a field trip that day, he had found out about an exciting exhibit at the last minute, and so on. Giles was a terrible actor, but the other teachers knew he was boringly responsible and honest. Just a little weird and excitable sometimes. "We have to find Buffy," Giles told them as they mobilized. "She's in terrible danger." "We've heard THAT before," Xander said. "And--and it's very true this time," Giles said so seriously that even Xander began worrying. "She's gotten herself mixed up in something that could--I really don't know what it could do to her." Cordelia clapped her hands together to break the mood. "OK, fine, I have my car, Oz has his van, and Giles--Giles has the tweedmobile. Let's go." "I have to meet someone at the airport," Giles told them. "They know more about this thing than we do. If you find her, don't let her do anything. And keep an eye out for a stake with a brass handle." "Ew, brass," Cordelia frowned, grabbing Xander by the hand and pulling him along. Willow rolled her eyes and stomped off, Oz hurriedly following. *** Buffy was running out of vampires, or at least the ones within easy reach. She jogged in the direction the stake pointed her, careful to keep out of sight lest anyone she knew--or the Sunnydale truant patrol--found her. It would be dark soon, and that's when her real hunt would begin. Power thrummed in her brain and made her almost giddy with excitement. She was an unstoppable force. In the back of her mind, the voice of a mad vampire babbled. They knew she was coming for them. *** Their flight was on schedule, and Jack and Micki met Rupert Giles at the taxi stand. They shook hands briefly. "You might as well talk as we ride," Giles told them, sizing up the two as he let them into his car. "I have to find Buffy. She's the Slayer. She may be using the stake." Jack was instantly worried. "The Slayer has it?" Giles nodded as he pulled away from the curb. "You know about Slayers?" "Of course," Jack said. "And you must be her Watcher. A Slayer with a cursed object could be--" Jack was at a loss for the magnitude of the situation. "Yes...quite." Giles said as he sped away. ************************************ END Part 5 ************************************ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Michelle" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Curious Goods (6/7) Date: 08 Mar 1998 11:51:44 -0600 TITLE: Curious Goods AUTHOR: Michelle Benoit Walker (arthemise@geocities.com) SUMMARY: Buffy the Vampire Slayer crossover with Friday the 13th: The Series. Wait, come back! You don't have to have ever seen the show to get the story since it's mostly Buffy anyway. But the cursed antiques involved in FTT:TS add an interesting twist. FTT:TS aired 1987-90 and has nothing to do with the movies of the same name or Jason (or whoever it is). The two horror series just seem to go together. Expect a sequel eventually. RATING: R. Buffy does things that are a little cruel--but to vampires. TIME PERIOD: After Bothered, Bewitched, and Bewildered. THANK-YOUS: To Ingrid Stanton for providing her excellent editing skills. FEEDBACK: Yes, please. DISTRIBUTION: Ask first. DISCLAIMER: The characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Friday the 13th: The Series are not mine. I'm just borrowing them for some fun. ************************************ CURIOUS GOODS Part 6 ************************************ Drusilla clutched her head. "The bad girl comes. Make it go away!" Angel paced in a small circle like a caged animal. "She's killed the rest. There's nowhere to hide. She'll find us." His plans to make the Slayer mad had failed. And now he was being hunted by something more abhorrent to him than simple death. It was becoming that human again, becoming weak and sentimental and FEELING... Spike sat in his wheelchair, knowing that there was nothing he could do. Their cronies had turned up dead or had fled. They were the last three waiting for the Slayer. And she would come. While Dru and Angel worked themselves into a frenzy, he faced his fate with equanimity. But a lot could happen between now and death. "Looking for me?" called a sensuous voice atop the landing. They knew she would come, that no locked doors would dissuade her. Her power as a Slayer had increased ten-fold. Drusilla screamed her grating scream and threw herself at the girl descending the stairs. Buffy whipped out the stake and planted it in Drusilla's chest. The scream as Dru slowly died brought tears to Spike's eyes. Her body turned stiff and brittle like a mummy and slowly crumbled away. Spooked, Angel tried to run. But Buffy grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and threw him to the floor, hard. Next she caught sight of Spike and smiled. "So nice to see you, Spike. Are you ready to pay for all your little crimes?" He held perfectly still, clutching the armrests of his wheelchair until they crumpled under his hands. "Ah, I see you are. Say hi to Drusilla for me." She stabbed hard with the stake and it slid easily into his body. He didn't let out a sound as he bored into her eyes with his. Buffy watched him die and dusted off her hands when he was through. "Your turn, Angel. But you'll like this." Already the stake glowed blue with power. Approaching Angel, she tenderly knelt at his side and took his head in her hands. "I love you so much, Angel. I want to be with you always. I can't live without you." She kissed his face, which was peaceful in unconsciousness. The stake was poised over his chest, handle first. Right on cue, Giles burst through the door with the rest straggling in behind him. And there were two others Buffy didn't recognize. What was Giles doing here? Had he followed her? "Buffy, it's not real. You have to stop this," Giles told her. Buffy shook her head, confused. "What's not? I found the answer, Giles." Giles knelt close to her, almost afraid to come too close. "But it's not the answer, Buffy. It's a trick. A trick to get you to do--to do--awful things...in the name of your love for Angel." "No, it's real," Buffy said, her angry eyes raking over the ones standing there looking at her. "I can make Angel good again. I can cure him." She looked from Angel to the others, torn. "It's not a cure," a woman with red hair told her, coming forward. "We look for these items. They're cursed. They make people kill and hurt other people. It's just an illusion, Buffy." "I've killed vampires," Buffy ground out angrily. "It's why I was put on this earth. I kill the evil ones. That makes me good. And anything that can bring Angel back to life has got to be good too." Before they could move to stop her, Buffy breathed in and struck Angel with the flat of the stake. His body spasmed and the glow sank into him. Moments passed. Then his eyes flicked open and he buried his head in her shoulder. "Not--again, Buffy. Don't do this," he gasped "You see," she said challengingly. "I saved him." The redhead nodded. "But how many are you going to have to kill every time he needs to be saved?" The woman's clear eyes slowly began to glow, their kindness snarling into hatred. Buffy's face stilled. "You're one of them, aren't you?" The woman shook her head, confused. "What?" Her mouth sighed open to reveal pointed fangs. Buffy stood, carefully placing a weak Angel on the floor. "You're a vampire and you're trying to trick me." She brought the stake up. The people ranged around her suddenly transformed into vampires in front of her eyes, their faces deformed with head ridges, fangs, and glowing eyes. "You're just trying to get me to give up so that you can kill me. I'm the Slayer. I don't give up." "Buffy, we're not vampires," Willow said, her face horribly twisted. "We're your friends. Best buds, remember?" She tried to come closer, but Buffy raised the stake at her. "I don't know who you are." Xander couldn't keep silent. "Buffy, listen, you're tripping. It's us. Come on." The vampire snapped his fingers and pulled a cross out of his pocket. He licked it and stuck it to his forehead. "Vampires can't do that." He pulled out a vial marked with a black cross. He doused himself from head to toe. "Or that." He searched his pockets. "Anyone got any garlic?" But he had made his point. Buffy pulled back, confused but not convinced. The stake quivered in her hand, begging her to stake the monsters in front of her. It pulsed with power again and urged her on. Kill them. It's your job. Save Angel. But Angel was saved. Wasn't he? He lay on the floor, the light of sanity in his eyes again. "Buffy, they're your friends," he said weakly, gasping. "You can't kill them, not for me. Don't--don't sell your soul for me." He screamed as the pain hit him. His face was changing again, turning into a vampire. No, not again. Not her Angel! She looked from those in front of her to Angel. She wanted him, wanted him like nothing in her life. If she killed them, Angel would live, perhaps forever this time. And if they WERE her friends... Angel grasped at her leg. "No, Buffy, don't--don't put another mark on my soul." It hit her like a slap in the face. Her friends. Was she really contemplating killing her friends without even knowing if they were really vampires? She threw the stake away like it was a giant cockroach in her hand. It clattered on the stone floor and rolled away. The old guy took a handkerchief and carefully rolled it up and put it in his pocket. "Guys..." Buffy swallowed hard at what she had almost done. Giles and the woman patted her on the back and helped her away. They weren't vampires anymore, never had been, Buffy realized. "Uh, guys," Oz said, gesturing vaguely behind them. Angel had disappeared. Just as well, Buffy realized. She didn't think she had the strength to deal with him right now. It hurt too much to face her failure. ************************************ END Part 6 ************************************ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Michelle" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Curious Goods (7/7) Date: 08 Mar 1998 11:53:18 -0600 TITLE: Curious Goods AUTHOR: Michelle Benoit Walker (arthemise@geocities.com) SUMMARY: Buffy the Vampire Slayer crossover with Friday the 13th: The Series. Wait, come back! You don't have to have ever seen the show to get the story since it's mostly Buffy anyway. But the cursed antiques involved in FTT:TS add an interesting twist. FTT:TS aired 1987-90 and has nothing to do with the movies of the same name or Jason (or whoever it is). The two horror series just seem to go together. Expect a sequel eventually. RATING: R. Buffy does things that are a little cruel--but to vampires. NEWS FLASH: If you want to check out Friday the 13th: The Series, there's going to be a marathon Friday on the Sci-Fi Channel! It's a great show. TIME PERIOD: After Bothered, Bewitched, and Bewildered. THANK-YOUS: To Ingrid Stanton for providing her excellent editing skills. FEEDBACK: Yes, please. DISTRIBUTION: Ask first. DISCLAIMER: The characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Friday the 13th: The Series are not mine. I'm just borrowing them for some fun. ************************************ CURIOUS GOODS Part 7 ************************************ "So you guys, like, fight evil and save the world too?" Xander asked Micki, obviously so in love that he couldn't get a good sarcastic remark in if he tried. He was obviously too dazed to notice the killer glares Cordelia was giving him. "Something like that," Micki said, humoring the boy. "We look for cursed object and have a tendency to run into those who want to use them for evil." Her eyes skipped to Buffy, who stood looking out the library window. "Not that that's the case here. Sometimes innocents get caught up in it too." She smiled at Xander and went over to Buffy. The two had a lot in common. "Giles tells me you've been through a lot," Micki said quietly so they couldn't be overheard. "You could say that," the girl said. Micki nodded. "So have we. It's not always easy to keep up your spirits and think of the good you do. Sometimes you just want to be a little selfish. It's all right. It's human." "But a Slayer can't be selfish." "A human can and will." Micki turned Buffy to face her. "Evil can just creep in when you're not looking. This object helped you kill vampires so that it could eventually convince you to do evil. But you were smarter than that." Buffy smirked slightly. "Score one for the good guys. Guess I won't have to go out on patrol for a while." Micki knew that Buffy was trying to make jokes so she wouldn't have to face the truth. Maybe it took a stronger truth. "You know, I died once because of this little crusade. But I had friends there to bring me back. They're there to bring you back." Buffy looked at the woman but didn't mention her own brush with death. She hesitantly glanced over at her friends. "They're worried about you," Micki said. "I know," Buffy said, smiling a little at last. "I don't know what I'd do without them." Micki took her arm. "Then come on. No sense making them worry anymore." Buffy stopped her. "Can I ask you a question? How can Jack make tweed look so comfortable when Giles makes it look like it could rip your skin off?" Micki suppressed a laugh. "Guess you need to meet Jack. He's one of a kind." He was. And so was Giles, she guessed, party-poopedness and all. And that kind was caring. She could see it in both of them, making them save the world instead of shrugging it off as someone else's job. The two older men talked animatedly, like two sides of the same coin. Micki and she did have a lot in common. Not to mention Micki was drop-dead gorgeous and didn't mind admitting her faults. There were worse things to be. "OK, who wants to compare adventures first?" Xander quipped, eyeing Micki as they rejoined the group. "Let me tell you about this giant underground insect that laid eggs and we had to take care of them as social studies projects..." ************************************ END Part 7 ************************************ END OF STORY - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Aurelia Destiny" Subject: BUFFYFIC: help proof new story and welcome newbie? Date: 08 Mar 1998 16:13:02 PST Hi everyone, I just joined the Buffy List and I was wondering if some kind person out there would proof each Chapter of my first Fic as I write them and give idea's/suggestions about what I have done...? And give me an idea of how the List works and such? Thanks! Love, Aurelia ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "mireille roman" Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: help proof new story and welcome newbie? Date: 08 Mar 1998 19:26:02 -0500 Hi well I'm not the best writer but i'd like to help you so if your interested just email me(privatly). bye mirom ---------- > From: Aurelia Destiny > To: buffyfic@xmission.com > Subject: BUFFYFIC: help proof new story and welcome newbie? > Date: March 8, 1998 19:13 PM > > Hi everyone, I just joined the Buffy List and I was wondering if some > kind person out there would proof each Chapter of my first Fic as I > write them and give idea's/suggestions about what I have done...? > > And give me an idea of how the List works and such? > > Thanks! > > Love, > Aurelia > > ______________________________________________________ > Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com > > - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: michele v Subject: BUFFYFIC: Our Hearts Will Go On 3/? Date: 08 Mar 1998 17:02:55 -0800 (PST) TITLE: Our Hearts Will Go On 3/? AUTHOR: Michele V. EMAIL ADDRESS: glynisgrl33@yahoo.com FEEDBACK: Definitely, especially since this is my first fic- but since it is, please don't be too harsh SPOILERS: All episodes through "What's My Line 1 & 2" RATING: PG SUMMARY: A Buffy/Angel story that takes place after "What's My Line 1& 2," with some added Willow/Oz and Xander/Cordelia/ Also, Buffy and the gang find out about the return of the Master- in some form. DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters except for "The Elgradora" All of the other characters belong to Joss Whedon and the WB. No copywrite infringement intended. NOTE: I wrote this after "What's My Line 2" therefor without knowing that something similar would *sort of* happen in "Surprise" ********** PART 3 THE BRONZE Buffy, Xander, and Willow sat at a table talking. After a while, Xander stood up and asked Buffy and Willow if they wanted to dance. "Ok, sure" Willow answered. "Buffy?" Xander asked. "You know what, you guys go ahead. I'm-not really up to dancing right now," Buffy told them. "Are you sure Buffy?" Willow asked her. Buffy nodded. "Yeah. I'm sure." Xander and Willow started to walk out onto the dance floor. Xander turned back around to Buffy. "Hey, Buff. If this is about the thing with Angel, I wouldn't worry. I'm sure it can't be that bad," Xander said trying to cheer her up. Buffy nodded and smiled as best she could. She sat there alone at the table as her two friends danced on to each song that was played. Buffy kept watching the entrance, hoping that Angel would walk through it. Finally, Buffy spotted Angel walk in just as another, slower song came on. Angel looked around a bit, then finally noticed her. He started walking towards her table. Buffy had to smile at the sight of him. He looked just gorgeous. Like an angel. He finally reached here table. "Hey," he said softly. "Hi," Buffy said with a slight smile cross her face. Angel stood there, staring into Subject: BUFFYFIC: thanks everyone for your help! Date: 08 Mar 1998 22:49:49 EST When I asked for help with the episode synopses yesterday, I certainly wasn't expecting to open my mailbox today and find 15 responses! I would have perferred to thank each of you individually (I don't think a mass thank-you is adequate), but AOL is evil and has this nasty little trick where it boots me offline and deletes my read emails instead of saving them to my "Mail You've Read" thing. Therefore, I lost track of who sent help. So, I'd like to thank each and every one of you who emailed me back with help; I was provided with a bunch of different URLs. You're all great, thankyou thankyou thank you! thanx bunches, jen (noodlebrain) PS- sorry again for not being able to thank you individually!!!!! - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Mark Safransky Subject: BUFFYFIC: DISCUSS: Curious Goods Date: 09 Mar 1998 00:20:20 -0500 Michelle wrote one kickbutt crossover here. The mix of the Buffyverse with the Friday the 13th: The Series worked pretty well. Of course, this story does ignore the instances where FT13TS did do vampires. But that's what fanfic is for. The cursed stake and it's history were very well done and the feelings Buffy has under it's influence were very well written as well. The spelling was good and the grammer as well. Yeah for Beta-Readers! It kept the flow of the story going and I must again say it was a joy to read. Michelle, we want a sequel now! Mark Safransky x-lander@geocities.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Michelle" Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: DISCUSS: Curious Goods Date: 08 Mar 1998 23:30:12 -0600 I kind of figured Friday the 13th: The Series had done vampires before. It's been so long since I've seen the series that I couldn't remember. And it would have messed up the story. :-) Hopefully I'll be able to catch reruns soon and maybe try to explain it in a sequel. Thanks for the hint, Mark! Michelle >Michelle wrote one kickbutt crossover here. The mix of the Buffyverse with the >Friday the 13th: The Series worked pretty well. Of course, this story does >ignore the instances where FT13TS did do vampires. But that's what fanfic is >for. The cursed stake and it's history were very well done and the feelings >Buffy has under it's influence were very well written as well. The spelling was >good and the grammer as well. Yeah for Beta-Readers! It kept the flow of the >story going and I must again say it was a joy to read. Michelle, we want a >sequel now! > >Mark Safransky >x-lander@geocities.com > > >- > - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Trey Cash Subject: BUFFYFIC: This Used To Be My Playground 1/1 Date: 09 Mar 1998 04:19:34 EST Title: Painful Memories Author: Alex Queirolo E-mail: Treycash@Aol.com Title: This Used To Be My Playground Feedback: Please. Distribution: Just ask. On my page: http://members.aol.com/treycash/ff3.html ************** THIS USED TO BE MY PLAYGROUND Author's Note: This doesn't exist within any particular time-frame. It does however deal with the death of the Slayer so be fore-warned. Disclaimer: Joss is da man. Buffy not mine. Blah, blah, blah. Notes: Title is from Madonna. Have no clue who wrote the song the quotes came from. "Life's so fragile and love's so pure We try to hold on but we can't We watch how quickly it disappears And we never know why" We were a group. All of us. United in a bond of fear and pain that would hold us together forever. Even when the end hit us like a ton of bricks at mach ten. We came from a place where the darkness we knew as small children was a reality even as we tried to put our childhood away in the closet. And the light which had always seemed our salvation became little more than a bitter reminder that we were only safe some of the time. And so when it faded and she fell to her destiny; so did we. A quiet night. The type where a peaceful walk through the park should have calmed our nerves. We should have known better..our world could never exist within the childish fantasy of sanity. A church bell ringing far in the distance. We have a lot of them around here but I've never heard one quite as haunting as that. And all we knew then was a hallucinatory thought brought on by the terrifying psychosis we called our own. Danger in submission; agony in aversion. And we found her. Red on green. Dying on the grass. She breathed in large gasps and pawed at the ground trying to find some type of control. What good would it have been to tell her that even in her finest moments, she lacked that precious balance. We tried to ease her delirium but it was a futile effort. In her last moments, we could do little for her body so we concentrated on closure. It was all any of us had left. We said our goodbyes. And as we took our grief and poushed it away, she took her last breath and died. Another was called. The cycle began again. Just not for us. That was the first time I ever saw Xander cry. Head in his hands, he tried to be strong but the tears rushed down his cheeks. Oz moved cautiously over to Willow and pulled her to him, crushing her with the fierceness of his emotion. Angel collapsed to the ground and blood flowed from his eyes. And then Xander looked up at me and in that moment, he let me into his heart and soul. "But I'm okay now Goodbye, my friends You can go now Goodbye, my friends" - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: JMHnoodles Subject: BUFFYFIC: DISCUSS: This Used To Be My Playground 1/1 Date: 09 Mar 1998 16:07:34 EST wow. This is very powerful, and quite well written. You know it's good when your audience is at a loss for words, and I was certainly stunned into silence. Very, very good. Jen (the noodlebrain) - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Hope errors Date: 09 Mar 1998 15:37:46 PST This is just another post to clear up any possible confusion that I might have caused. I accidentally wrote: "Angel heard the sound of a vehicle nearby and saw two black drive up." It was supposed to say: "Angel heard the sound of a vehicle nearby and saw two black cars drive up." I hate spending time proof reading, so mistakes will occure often. I will try to spell check, tho. Small note to Anna: "rendevous" wasn't in the spell checker, and I am toooooo lazy to grab a dictionary. Just one of my faults! :) I will try to send more parts in, but I am having a small case of writers block, so it might be a few days. Thanks for bearing with me, and keep reading! Sara ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Clare H." Subject: BUFFYFIC: I'm new Date: 10 Mar 1998 08:10:05 EST I'm new to the list, so if any one has any really good stories from before that the could forward me, that would be great. Clare teddybartcbh@hotmail.com ----Original Message Follows---- From owner-buffyfic@lists.xmission.com Mon Mar 9 18:52:37 1998 Received: from domo by lists.xmission.com with local (Exim 1.82 #1) id 0yC9o7-0005P7-00; Mon, 9 Mar 1998 14:09:59 -0700 Received: from (mail.xmission.com) [198.60.22.22] by lists.xmission.com with smtp (Exim 1.82 #1) id 0yC9o4-0005Od-00; Mon, 9 Mar 1998 14:09:56 -0700 Received: from imo29.mx.aol.com [198.81.19.157] by mail.xmission.com with esmtp (Exim 1.73 #4) id 0yC9o3-0006FB-00; Mon, 9 Mar 1998 14:09:55 -0700 Received: from JMHnoodles@aol.com by imo29.mx.aol.com (IMOv13.ems) id DSHQa21408 for ; Mon, 9 Mar 1998 16:07:34 -0500 (EST) Message-ID: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: AOL 3.0 16-bit for Windows sub 38 Sender: owner-buffyfic@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: buffyfic@xmission.com wow. This is very powerful, and quite well written. You know it's good when your audience is at a loss for words, and I was certainly stunned into silence. Very, very good. Jen (the noodlebrain) - ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: ingrid29@juno.com (Ingrid E Stanton) Subject: BUFFYFIC: "Footsteps" (1/?) by Ingrid Date: 10 Mar 1998 16:41:49 -0500 Disclaimer: The characters of Willow Rosenberg, Spike (the vampire) and anyone else I mentioned from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" are not mine. They belong to Kuzui, Sandollar, WB, Joss Whedon (that punk), and Mutant Enemy. I make no money on this- Don't sue me, okay? Summary: I'm back! (I'm not dead, really!) Let me say right off the bat, people, that this isn't my typical story. Frankly, it's weird. =) Anyway, this has little to do with Buffy or Angel. The main characters are Spike and Willow. Live with it. I think they're cute. Okay, maybe not in the conventional sense, but I hate convention. Enjoy it (you'd better!). A big thank you to Jen the noodlebrain for editing, and idea-type stuff. ************************ "Footsteps" by Ingrid ************************ The warehouse was vacant and chilly, with almost its own breeze. She was surprised to feel cold- she hadn't thought vampires could. The rusty metal bars pressed into her back, but she had grown used to sitting still like this that she barely noticed. She was dirty and tired, and her ripped clothes looked thin and old. Her hair was ragged and dull- she couldn't remember the last time she'd washed it. Her thoughts wandered as the cage swung a bit, making her sick to her stomach. She pondered the mysteries of life absently; lethargically. A Willow in the wind. The steel was cold against her cheeks, but somehow comforting. Her face was relaxed, but her stomach was churning. She looked up slightly, and the movement disturbed her sense of balance- she felt heady, dizzy. A satisfied smile spread across her face as she saw the skylight above her. Maybe he'd forgotten about it this time. Maybe when morning came, this could be over. She welcomed the agonizing death, longed for the burning of her own flesh. Footsteps echoed through the large airy room, but she didn't turn around. Most likely it was him again, but she didn't really care. "Helloooo!" she heard an Englishman- well a vampire, drawl out. She said nothing, as if she were dust at the bottom of the cage. "Cat got your tongue?" He called again, approaching. She could feel him, one of her own kind, as he came. It was something she'd accepted easily, as if she'd always been this way. There was nothing left of her humanity, and nothing left to remind her that she hadn't. With each day she her old life faded further and further into oblivion. She was a listless body in a cage now. That was all. He approached her side of the cage, his face a few feet below hers. "You haven't eaten for days," Spike observed pleasantly, trying to broach the subject gently. "Why should I," she mumbled back. "I don't know what's wrong with you, Willow. Vampires just aren't supposed to starve themselves for nothing. Are you staging a protest?" "I'm tired. What do I care if I live or die?" "Come on, now- that's no way to talk. Here." He moved towards the crank, lowering her cage close to the floor. Grabbing a crystal goblet from atop a wooden crate, he crossed the room again to stand next to her. "Open up," he requested. She did as he asked, remembering the skylight. He pressed the bright glass to her lips and she made a wish. The sweet crimson liquid filled her mouth, and she swallowed with difficulty, choking on the last of it. "There." He took the cup back and looked at her idly. She sighed and sunk to the bottom of her new home, relieving the pressure of her pounding head by pressing her temple against the icy floor of the cage. She had to admit, she was beginning to feel better. Her stomach gave a satisfied growl, glad to have the nourishment. That had been the thirteenth day. *** END, Part one. Hey- Tell me what you think! I'm writing about different characters! It's fun! (Ingrid29@juno.com) _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: LMcint6188 Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: DISCUSS: "Footsteps" (1/?) by Ingrid Date: 10 Mar 1998 19:28:56 EST Wow..... Thats was really scary, and sad. So very sad! Even Mrs. Edith is crying! Her willingness to give up.. then and there Just end it all! Wow...... Lins - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Black Fire" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Inner Demons - revised and spell checked Date: 10 Mar 1998 17:19:06 PST --====================987654321_0==_ Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Hello again. I've been bored. So I went into my story and finally spell checked it. I also made a few minor changes. So, let me know what you think. As before, the characters of Buffy the Vampire slayer do not belong to me. They belong to Joss Whedon, the WB network, Mutant Enemy, etc, etc, etc. Jäzen and Verena are my own creations. If you wish to use them or the knowledge of them for anything, let me know. If you have trouble with the tiny bit of German spoken in the story, please let me know. I'll be happy to translate. Oh! One thing I *did* forget to mention when I first wrote Inner Demons: the view and opinions of Jäzen do not, necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the writer. One of these days, if I get *really*, *really* bored, I might write a profile on him. But, anyway, without further blabbering from me, here is... 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M``"``@``W8X````"``#&!@``@`(``-L%`````@``QSD``(`"``#=E0``@`(` M`,D3``"``@``VRX``(`"``#;B`````(``,G```"``@``W9P``(`"``#)Q@`` M``(``,G'````'@``"T5N9VQI Subject: BUFFYFIC: Restoration Part Three of ???? Date: 11 Mar 1998 01:18:16 -0800 The following is the third part in an on going story I am writing. The characters do not belong to me, they belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy Productions, Warner Bros and all those associated with BTVS. I am not making money off of this, and no copyright infringment was intended. This gets angsty in parts... know that Giles' reactions are the subject of my own reactions to some news I received recently similar to this situation. They are honest emotions, and I suppose I am using this story as a forum for my feelings, however, I believe this all fits together. I don't know where this story is going or where it will end, so I'll just keep writing and posting until the end makes it's presence known. Please forward all comments to Lea at either lfox@continuum.org or angelslover@geocities.com . Thanks for reading, and enjoy! _____________________ Restoration ~ Part Three Buffy hesitated at the stairs leading to the library. Yes, Giles had helped return Angel's soul... willingly according to Willow, but facing him now... Ack.. it was almost too much. She turned to look over her shoulder, Angel was watching her from the far end of the street. He smiled reassuringly, a warm smile the likes of which Buffy had been missing for too long. The strength it took for Angel to smile so at her when she knew that deep down his soul was eating itself away with the guilt of what his body had done gave Buffy the strength she needed to climb those stairs. One by one she climbed until she stood at the library door. Her fingers gently caressed the door knob, but one last look at Angel as he disappeared into the night propelled her forward. With a deep breath, Buffy crossed the threshold into Giles' territory. The first thing to strike her was the overwhelming silence of the building. Of course, as a library, it had always been a quiet place, but tonight something had changed. It was almost as though something had died, something that wasn't just Jenny Calendar, but something vital to the very essence of the building. Something Giles put into the air with his mere presence. Something burried so deep within him that Buffy hadn't noticed, until it was gone. Until now. Silently she lowered her aching body into a chair and listened to the nothing commanding her attention. There she stayed until something shifted on the second level. Her eyes rose to meet those of the ragged man before her. Giles sighed. "How long were you planning on remaining?" His voice was without tone. "As lnog as it takes to talk to you." He shrugged. "Talk all you like; it matters not." Buffy chewed nervously on her lip as she flicked her eyes away. "I... I have to thank you." she murmered quietly. Giles turned his back to her, making as though he were searching through the rows of books. "Don't. If I'd had my initial choice Angel would be dead now, only his body would have turned to dust. Not like Jenny's. Do you know what Jenny is doing right now, Buffy? Do you?" The girl blinked, her voice breaking. "I.. I.. don't... ah... I.." The watcher's fist drove into the shelf sending books flying in every direction. Buffy jumped. "Rotting, Buffy. Jenny is in a grave, six feet under the ground, rotting! Her beautifu eyes.. gentle hands... smiling lips... its all gone." A sob broke over him, his shoulders shaking as he supported himself against the shelf. "All gone..." Her heart broke for her tortured friend, knowing, not exactly, but still knowing through what he was suffering. "Giles... not everything is gone. You still have us... you'll always have me. I swear." "You swear." His voice grew harsh. "Yes, you swear. You swear as you leave to fight vampires, demons, hell spawn.. all of it.. that you will always return. So have all the other slayers, my dear, and you know what happened to them? The oldest slayer recorded was nineteen, Buffy, nineteen. Three years she managed to stay alive before she was finally slain herself. How long do you think you will last? Tell me that!" Her eyes welled up with tears. "Giles, what are you saying?" He sighed, his voice calming. "The only things that I ever believed to be eternal were love and our battle against the dark forces. When Jenny died, love died. All there is now is the war and..." "And?" "Silence." ************************ A tapping on Willow's sliding door. The girl jerked in her chair, terrified of turning around to see what she knew she would. The tapping again. She turned. Angel stood outside, his head hung in shame as Willow moved to open the door. Her fingers shook as she undid the lock, sliding the door back, removing the only barrier between them. He made no move towards her. "I left Buffy at the library; there was something I had to do without her." Angel's voice was low. Willow swallowed, "Having to do with the involving of my neck?" He slowly shook his head, "No, Willow?" Her eyes grew wide, her voice weak. "Some other body part? 'Cause you know, my body isn't perfect but I have formed a bond with it over the last seventeen years... a change now could destroy that bond.. and I rather am comfortable as it stands now..." He sighed. "I'm not going to hurt you, Will, or kill you, or bite you, or torture you. You have my word." "Then what?" "Give me your hands." She took a step backwards. "Ah.. I would but actually they're really quite happy where they are.. at the ends of my arms.. not in a box being sent to Buffy's... that would be really not cool." He shook his head. "Just hold your hands out... please." Willow's hands edged out so that they lay flat, palms upwards, mere inches in front of Angel. She closed her eyes and turned her head, a grimace of expectant pain spreading across her features. The pain did not come. A light weight was rested into her hands, his cold fingers only slightly brushing her warm ones. A breath of air followed, and Willow could have sworn she heard an apology on that light wind. She opened her eyes. Angel was gone. Laying in her hands was a small, clear plastic bag, filled with warm water. Swimming calmly in that water was a stunningly beautiful angel fish. Willow smiled softly. Angel really had returned. She moved over to her aquarium, opening the top of the bag and gently released the new fish into the water. She decided his name would be Future. *********************** "If you're so hell bent on making Angel pay for Ms. Calendar's death, why'd you go and help us?" Buffy lay her head down on the table in both exasperation and exhaustion. "A tribe of wiser elders cannot be wrong, Buffy. Who am I to go against their decision of a century ago? I decided that perhaps Angel would indeed be better off suffering the agonies of a guilt ridden life rather than the painfree existance of death." "Oh. I see." Giles sighed at the obvious tone of dissapointment in her voice. "Buffy, I will not hold it against you should you decide to continue your liasons with him. Mind you, I would prefer in the future not having to discuss Angel, your relationship, or have any dealings with him what so ever unless it absolutely cannot be helped. Is this understood?" She nodded silently. "Go home, Buffy, or go see him, or go to the Bronze. I really do not care. Just please, leave me now." "We won't break the spell this time, Giles." "Buffy." "I'm going. I just wanted you to know that we will be careful." "Buffy!" His tone was harsh and angry, but as her eyes filled once again with tears, he gentled. "Just go and try to be happy, I will not ever deny you that. There is nothing you can do to help me." "Maybe one day..." He shook his head. Slowly Buffy got to her feet and moved to the door. She looked over her shoulder and opened her mouth to speak. Giles disappeared behind the bookshelves once more. "Good night, Buffy." His tone was final. She sighed. ************************* End Part Three - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Black Fire" Subject: BUFFYFIC: An apology Date: 11 Mar 1998 08:35:53 PST It has been brought to my attention that the message I sent out last night came out as giberish. I only wish to apologize to you all for the inconvenience I have caused you. I promise that I will never get that bored again. The Black Fire Blackfire42@hotmail.com ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: ingrid29@juno.com (Ingrid E Stanton) Subject: BUFFYFIC: "Footsteps" (3/?) by Ingrid Date: 11 Mar 1998 12:49:23 -0500 Disclaimer: The characters in the following story from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" are not mine. They belong to Whedon, WB, Kuzui, Sandollar, and Mutant Enemy. I ain't makin' no money on it! Don't sue me, please. Summary: Spike and Willow madness. Am I the only one who sees this happening, or what? As always, I appreciate comments. If you didn't get an earlier part or parts of this story, you can request them too at Ingrid29@juno.com. Enjoy! Thanks to Jen the Noodlebrain for excellent editing (and conception) assistance. My first editor! I never thought it would happen! ********************** "Footsteps" by Ingrid Part Three ********************** Months, he’d told her. It had been months since the beginning of this life. She was slowly gaining her strength back. Her new room was comfortable, and she was now free to wander about the warehouse without help. She slept less, spent more time thinking, spent more time with him. She’d been able to shower. Not a real shower of course- it had been an emergency water valve in a cramped room at the back of the warehouse, but the icy cold water had been a godsend. Spike had finally opened Dru’s overstuffed closet. Dozens of frilly dresses popped out in a burst of color as he’d opened the doors and released all the stored pressure. She saw the pain in his eyes before he turned away and left the room brusquely. Something had happened, she knew. He hadn’t talked about Dru at all since they’d left. Willow hadn’t felt right mentioning it either. She’d just avoided the whole subject, sensing that it would do more harm than good to try. She put on the dress, changing as quickly as she could to escape the cold air. The lily white silk was smooth and delicate. She wobbled a bit as she put the shoes on and then searched for a something to pull back her hair with. The drawer was musty, but there were a few shiny clips inside. She chose the pearl ones, drawing her still-drying hair up at the sides and out of her face. Spike looked stunned when she walked out into the main room. He didn’t say anything at first. Her hair was curly now, not having the advantage of a blow-dryer. She might have been Dru, if not for her bright auburn hair and smaller stature. She smiled at him, and decided now was as good a time as any. Slow, even paces brought her to his side. "Spike?" She was bearding the lion in his den now, and it was making her more than a little nervous. "What happened to Drusilla?" He had been looking down, but his head snapped up to stare her directly and defiantly in the face. He was stricken, and taken unaware, his body sprung like a coil, or a tiger ready to pounce. She shrunk back almost imperceptibly. Then as quickly as it had come, it passed. He let out a tired sigh and leaned against a broken-down conveyor belt. "The last time I checked, *Drusilla* was with Angelus." Sarcastic defense-mechanism, she noted, but waited for him to continue. She knew he would. "Meant to be, I suppose. After all, he is her sire, and who am I to stand in the way of a relationship like *that*? To put it simply, they never came back." He forced a dry laugh. "Ah, who cares anyway? To hell with them." "You loved her," she said, prying just a bit more, just waiting for the lid to snap shut. It didn’t. Spike wasn’t Angelus. He wasn’t like any of the other vampires she’d seen before, but then again, neither was she. She didn’t know what she’d expected anyway. She felt like herself in some ways, but in others… "Yes. I loved her. God knows why. She was nothing more than a shell by then, but I couldn’t stop." Willow touched his shoulder cautiously. "Did you know her before-" "Before I was changed? Yes. She’d been able to love back then." He paused, reliving a memory or two. She watched the light and dark play on his face. "So sweet." His voice was resigned as he studied the floor. He looked up and faced her. "Of course Angelus changed all that." She let silence dance without interruption. "Sometimes she would look at me, and for a moment, it would be like nothing had changed. And I felt I had to… She was so weak…" "You wanted to stay with her." "What would she have done? At the beginning, she couldn’t even get out of bed. I suppose I should be thankful. They’re probably feasting in Ireland somewhere together. He was always able to make her happy." "What about you?" "I want her to be taken care of. She is. She’s fine. I’ve fulfilled my duty." "It was more than a duty." "It’s over." He looked up again, but this time, he didn’t look so upset. In fact, he looked as if he were contemplating some remote possibility in the study of her face. "Red hair. It’s nice. The stuff of bad vampire novels, but nice," he laughed, lightening the mood. She smiled in response, patting her hair down at the sides. Her stomach growled restlessly. He nodded and laughed again, having heard it too. "Guess it’s lunchtime." Their footsteps interchanged an easy syncopation as they quit the room. *** Ingrid: Author of many long Buffyfics (and some short ones). "Return to Normalcy," "One Vampire's Headache...," "This Fleeting Hope," "Ghost of a Chance," and "Footsteps." _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Anexsin Subject: BUFFYFIC: Moments of Truth (1/1) Date: 12 Mar 1998 02:39:51 EST Title: Moments of Truth (1/1) Author: Melinda Email Addy: Anexsin@aol.com Distribution: Please ask first Rating: PG Spoiler: All episodes are game Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy & co. They belong to Joss Whedon, WB, etc. Only the stroy is mine. Summary: Angel's soul visits the group. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The small group entered the library to find a site they never thought they'd see. Angel or Angel's soul sat in one of the chairs silently starring at a book. The site was amazing. His body was a white aura almost transparent with a light tinge of blue along the edges. The site was to say the least etheral. Angel quickly dispersed the thought of the book & stood up upon the groups arrival. "Angel." Buffy whispered. He only smiled & starred at her. He looked so sad. Buffy ran to him on impulse to throw herself into his arms, but ran right through him. He turned around to face her. "I can't hold you Buffy or touch you. I can only speak & look at you." he answered her unasked question. Buffy started crying. Angel gave Xander a silent look conveying with his eyes for Xander to comfort her. Xander nodded & silently walked over to Buffy and hugged her to him. "I have something for you." Angel directed to Giles. "On the table. The white envelope. Don't read it until your alone." Angel instructed. Giles walked over to the table & picked up the envelop. On the front said Rupert. He recognized the handwriting. Giles gasped, "this is from her?" he asked Angel nodded, "she says to tell you she loves you." he whispered. "I'm sorry." Angel voice filled with sorrow & guilt. "It's not your fault." Willow spoke to him. "Isn't it?" he asked her. "If I'd never come here none of this would've happened." Angel informed. "As much as I hate to say this, if you hadn't come here we'd all be dead at some point." Xander told him. "Maybe." Angel contemplated. "Buffy I have something for you as well. It's the book I was looking at. It's for you . I want you to know my thoughts and feelings. The ones I never had the nerve to tell you." Angel looked into her teary eyes. He stepped towards her & grazed her cheek with his hand. Buffy gasped and felt a warm feeling of peace pass over her. "I don't understand why you won't kill him." Angel confided. "If I kill him there's no way of bringing you back." Buffy informed. "But it's ok to hold out while he kills more innocent people? I'm not worth it Buffy. Don't let him kill more of your friends. In the end it's not worth it. You'll resent me and I wouldn't be able to handle that. You don't deserve this pain. Don't let him do to you what he did to Drusilla." Angel pleaded. "My life isn't worth living without you in it." Buffy sobbed. "Don't ever say that. I'll always be with you. If not physically then spiritually." Angel comforted her. He turned towards the group once again. "I just wanted to see for myself that you all were alright." Angel informed. "Just for the record you will always have a place here Angel. He on the other hand I'll rip to shreds if I get my hands on him." Giles gritted his teeth. "I'm looking foward to it. I'll laugh while he turns to dust. Just remember fear motivates him. He thrives on pain and torture. Don't give him the satisfaction." Angel spoke to everyone. "I have to go. I'm thinking about paying him a visit." Angel quirked a half smile. As he passed Buffy he lightly kissed her on the forehead or what looked like he did & whispered in her ear, "I love you Buffy. Always remember that. No regrets?" he asked hopefully. "I love you to. No regrets." Buffy whispered. "You were incredible. I'm just sorry I couldn't be there for you afterwards." Angel whispered a last time. He gently took his hand from her cheek & faded out of sight. "Willow you might want to feed the fish when you get home." Willow heard him call before he disappeared. "My fish are...oh." she smiled. "You didn't have to do that Angel." Buffy walked towards the table and picked up the forgotten book Angel was looking at. It had no title. It was small and thick and encased in brownish leather and rimmed with gold borders. She opened the cover. "It's his journal." Buffy informed. "There's entries from the very first time we met until the last.... Oh, Angel." she whispered. "I think I'm going to go home and do a little reading." Buffy told the group with small smile. "Yes, I think I'll do that as well." Giles agreed & looked longingly at the envelope he was clutching close to his heart. "A very good idea indeed." he whispered to no one in particular. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The End - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Sarah Douglas Subject: BUFFYFIC: Virus Warning Date: 12 Mar 1998 23:18:17 Okay, this doen't have anyting to do with Buffy, but you all should see this. A friend of mine sent it to me. I hope none of you get the virus Love, Sarah If you receive an email titled "WIN A HOLIDAY" DO NOT open it. It will erase everything in your hard drive. Forward this letter out to as many people as you can. This is a new, very malicious virus and not many people know about it. This information was announced yesterday morning by Microsoft; please share it with everyone that might access the internet. Once again, pass this along to EVERYONE in your address book so it may be stopped. Also, do not open or even look at any mail that says "RETURNED OR UNABLE TO DELIVER". This virus will attach itself to your computer components and render them useless. Immediately delete any mail items that say this. AOL has also said that this is a very dangerous virus and that there is NO remedy for it at this time. Please practice cautionary measures and forward this to all your online friends ASAP. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Berg Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: Virus Warning Date: 12 Mar 1998 20:50:12 -0800 (PST) It's a hoax, and has always BEEN a hoax (this one has been around nearly a decade now). - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Aglx Subject: BUFFYFIC: Fan Fiction Date: 13 Mar 1998 11:28:29 EST Hi, I want to ask the list if there is anyone who would let me feature their fan fiction on my web page. I've got a few series so far but I would like more. The site hasn't been activated yet, but it will be. If you would let me host your fan fic, or let me link to your page that has your fan fiction on it, that would be great. Please no submissions that are more that 10 printable pages. If you would like more information on this or would like to submit your work for me to host, please contact me at: Aglx@aol.com Thanks. -Michelle http://members.aol.com/aglx/main.html - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Michelle" Subject: BUFFYFIC: DISCUSS: "Footsteps" by Ingrid Date: 13 Mar 1998 12:33:37 -0600 Wow, this is a powerful story, just in the first few parts! I can't wait to read the rest. You've got some talent, girl! Michelle - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Anexsin Subject: BUFFYFIC: Moments of Truth (1/1) Revised Date: 13 Mar 1998 16:32:08 EST Title: Moments of Truth (1/1) Author: Melinda Email Addy: Anexsin@aol.com Distribution: Please ask first Rating: PG Spoiler: All episodes are game Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy & co. They belong to Joss Whedon, WB, etc. Only the stroy is mine. Summary: Angel's soul visits the group. Notes: Alot of people wanted to know what the note from Jenny to Rupert said so I decided to add it in the story. Hope you enjoy. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The small group entered the library to find a site they never thought they'd see. Angel or Angel's soul sat in one of the chairs silently starring at a book. The site was amazing. His body was a white aura almost transparent with a light tinge of blue along the edges. The site was to say the least etheral. Angel quickly dispersed the thought of the book & stood up upon the groups arrival. "Angel." Buffy whispered. He only smiled & starred at her. He looked so sad. Buffy ran to him on impulse to throw herself into his arms, but ran right through him. He turned around to face her. "I can't hold you Buffy or touch you. I can only speak & look at you." he answered her unasked question. Buffy started crying. Angel gave Xander a silent look conveying with his eyes for Xander to comfort her. Xander nodded & silently walked over to Buffy and hugged her to him. "I have something for you." Angel directed to Giles. "On the table. The white envelope. Don't read it until your alone." Angel instructed. Giles walked over to the table & picked up the envelop. On the front said Rupert. He recognized the handwriting. Giles gasped, "this is from her?" he asked Angel nodded, "she says to tell you she loves you." he whispered. "I'm sorry." Angel voice filled with sorrow & guilt. "It's not your fault." Willow spoke to him. "Isn't it?" he asked her. "If I'd never come here none of this would've happened." Angel informed. "As much as I hate to say this, if you hadn't come here we'd all be dead at some point." Xander told him. "Maybe." Angel contemplated. "Buffy I have something for you as well. It's the book I was looking at. It's for you . I want you to know my thoughts and feelings. The ones I never had the nerve to tell you." Angel looked into her teary eyes. He stepped towards her & grazed her cheek with his hand. Buffy gasped and felt a warm feeling of peace pass over her. "I don't understand why you won't kill him." Angel confided. "If I kill him there's no way of bringing you back." Buffy informed. "But it's ok to hold out while he kills more innocent people? I'm not worth it Buffy. Don't let him kill more of your friends. In the end it's not worth it. You'll resent me and I wouldn't be able to handle that. You don't deserve this pain. Don't let him do to you what he did to Drusilla." Angel pleaded. "My life isn't worth living without you in it." Buffy sobbed. "Don't ever say that. I'll always be with you. If not physically then spiritually." Angel comforted her. He turned towards the group once again. "I just wanted to see for myself that you all were alright." Angel informed. "Just for the record you will always have a place here Angel. He on the other hand I'll rip to shreds if I get my hands on him." Giles gritted his teeth. "I'm looking foward to it. I'll laugh while he turns to dust. Just remember fear motivates him. He thrives on pain and torture. Don't give him the satisfaction." Angel spoke to everyone. "I have to go. I'm thinking about paying him a visit." Angel quirked a half smile. As he passed Buffy he lightly kissed her on the forehead or what looked like he did & whispered in her ear, "I love you Buffy. Always remember that. No regrets?" he asked hopefully. "I love you to. No regrets." Buffy whispered. "You were incredible. I'm just sorry I couldn't be there for you afterwards." Angel whispered a last time. He gently took his hand from her cheek & faded out of sight. "Willow you might want to feed the fish when you get home." Willow heard him call before he disappeared. "My fish are...oh." she smiled. "You didn't have to do that Angel." Buffy walked towards the table and picked up the forgotten book Angel was looking at. It had no title. It was small and thick and encased in brownish leather and rimmed with gold borders. She opened the cover. "It's his journal." Buffy informed. "There's entries from the very first time we met until the last.... Oh, Angel." she whispered. "I think I'm going to go home and do a little reading." Buffy told the group with small smile. "Yes, I think I'll do that as well." Giles agreed & looked longingly at the envelope he was clutching close to his heart. "A very good idea indeed." he whispered to no one in particular. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Giles paid no heed to where his jacket landed as he went and sat himself on the couch in his apartment. He took deep breaths before he get the nerve up to open the letter. Finally he was brave enough. He opened the top flap of the envelop and pulled out a neatly folded letter. He unfolded it and begen to read. Dear Rupert, I guess I need to get some things out into the open. First of all I love you. I'm sorry I never got to tell you that. This place I'm in now it's so peaceful and happy. There's no evil, hate, or darkness. It's perfect, except for the fact that you aren't with me, but you will be one day and I'll wait for you. I still can't express how sorry I am that all of this happened, but I did try to undo my mistake.The night Angelus killed me I deciphering a cure to return his soul. The downfall was that Angelus found out and wasn't to happy about it. He trashed the computer and burned the printouts, but I did manage to save it disk. A yellow disk somewhere in the classroom. Finish what I started Rupert. Give Angel his soul back and let him and Buffy be together. Angel's been nothing but nice to me here and I want to repay him. He misses her so much and I know she misses him. Angel knows about this and he says if you decide not to do it he understands it's a choice you all need to make as a group. Just remember that Angel and Angelus are two different beings. Angelus is our enemy, Angel is our friend. I just wanted to tell you that I'm happy were I am, and that nothing can hurt me anymore. I'll watch over you and always think about you. Don't forget me, Rupert because I won't forget you. Love Always, Jenny Calendar "I won't ever forget you Jenny because I love you to. Be happy my love." Giles whispered. Giles took the letter and put it away safely in the desk draw, then picked up the telephone and dialed Buffy's number. "Hello." Buffy greeted. "Buffy It's Giles I have some news." ~~~~~~~~~~~ The End - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Dalton Spence Subject: BUFFYFIC: DISCUSS: Curious Goods Date: 13 Mar 1998 21:15:01 -0500 (EST) On Sun, 8 Mar 1998 from 11:49:14 to 11:53:18, "Michelle" wrote; > TITLE: Curious Goods > AUTHOR: Michelle Benoit Walker (arthemise@geocities.com) > SUMMARY: Buffy the Vampire Slayer crossover with Friday the 13th: The > Series. Wait, come back! Expect a sequel eventually. I'll be waiting. (Impatiently, considering how good THIS story was.) An idea: Angelus follows Jack and company back to Chicago and stages a raid on the Vault, making off with several items. (BTW, isn't the Vault situated over ANOTHER Hellmouth? IIRC, there was a family of demon hunters who were nearly tricked into opening it. The good guys won, sealed it, and used the extra space to expand the Vault.) > RATING: R. Buffy does things that are a little cruel--but to vampires. Well now, that's her job, isn't it? 8-)= > FEEDBACK: Yes, please. Here it is. As someone else has already said, it was certainly a "kick ass" fanfic. I've been waiting for someone to do this xover for a long time (like you said, it's a natural), and even hinted at a connection between Giles and Jack in one of my unfinished ones. I was REALLY glad you chose to avoid any innocent casualties; it made a refreshing change from the way F13 stories usually go. (Once is enough though; to be true to F13, the sequel will need a higher body count.) The characterizations were right on (I could actually SEE Buffy getting steadily more obsessed), and the climax was PERFECT. > DISTRIBUTION: Ask first. Could I forward your story to the newsgroup? It could really use material of this caliber. 8-)= -- @==================================================@ | Dalton S. Spence, B.Sc. | | Home Page: http://www.hwcn.org/~ag775/home.html | | Keeper of Cordelia's Roll of Linoleum | | and Xander's Key to the Utility Closet | | Family Motto: Virtute Acquiritur Honos | @==================================================@ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: LnCAGCRulz Subject: BUFFYFIC: Memoria Tenere Memoriam (1/?) by EJJ Date: 14 Mar 1998 00:27:44 EST I am writing this with the intent of getting major feedback. In such a case, this is only a trail. Yes, I’ve written more than you see here. Not a huge amount more, but more. However, if you want to see it you have to let me know. I won’t take the time to put my ideas to paper if they will not be received or appreciated. I NEED feedback for this story to continue, otherwise it’s no more. I urge you to send me a quick e-mail to tell me if you think it’s worth continuing or if I should find a better use of my time. LET ME KNOW!! As I’ve said, no responses means no more story. SEND ANY AND ALL COMMENTS TO LNCAGCRULZ@AOL.COM!!! Please please please please please let me know what you think. Title: Memoria Tenere Memoriam (Latin for "Remember the Memories") Rating: PG to date Summary: A resolution to the current problem, not to give anything away. Spoilers: All episodes up to the current date (3/13) are game. Major info pertaining to ‘Surprise’ and ‘Innocence,’ however. Comments: YES!!! LnCAGCRulz@aol.com Distribution: I’d prefer that this not be destributed outside of this list for the time being. However, if you are interested in doing so in the future, let me know. Disclaimers: As a rule, if you recognize it, it’s not mine. Everything else is. I am not making any money off of this piece of fanfic, nor is anyone else. If you think you are, I suggest you think otherwise. As is customary in my stories, a song will likely be used. If we make it to that point, all information about the song will be included. Other: As far as the title goes, it could be wrong. ;) I am in Latin I an have humbly used two of the words on my current list. The only question I have about it is the tense of "Memoriam." Anyone out there who could let me know if it’s wrong… Please, let me know! Now, off to my story. Please remember, comments are essential!! Memoria Tenere Memoriam The knocking on the door began quietly, although it grew slightly louder with each pound. A man, appearing to be in his mid-twenties stood outside the still closed door. He sighed and closed his deep brown eyes, mumbling some insecurity to himself. When he opened his eyes he faced a young woman. Her eyes seemed to have seen more than they should have in their 30 years. The eyes of the blond girl squinted, as she were attempting to put a memory with this face. The realization hit her suddenly. "Hi." She was spellbound. He was dead. She knew he was dead. She hadn’t just heard it was so – she had done it with her own two hands. She had killed this man. "You’re dead." What was she supposed to say at a time like this? It isn’t every day that one is confronted with their formal lover-turned rival. Their dead one, at that. "I mean, you’re… I killed you!" "You did." "Which would make you dead…" "Well, it depends what you mean by that. May I come in? I need a chance to explain." He wasn’t sure how he was going to do this. It had been so long. Thirteen years, he reminded himself. Fourteen in a month. The longest thirteen years of his 251 year life. Too long. "Um… I guess. Do I…" "No, you don’t have to formally invite me." Just as he begun to take his first step through her threshold, she stopped him. "Wait! Who are you… honestly." "Angel." -Teaser End- Again, comments to LnCAGCRulz@aol.com!! - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: LMcint6188 Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: Virus Warning Date: 14 Mar 1998 00:50:35 EST In a message dated 98-03-12 23:51:40 EST, you write: << It's a hoax, and has always BEEN a hoax (this one has been around nearly a decade now). >> True, true! If you go to Aol Virus center or whatever then youd realise that it is impossible to get a virus from just opening your mail. Downloading is the more commen way however... Please dont believe everything you hear, it just creates more useless stress in your life! And its not eustress! Love Lins - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Michelle" Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: DISCUSS: Curious Goods Date: 13 Mar 1998 22:59:53 -0600 Dalton, Ack! You figured out my next plotline! I just went on vacation and had 18 hours to think about it (both ways). I plan on having Angelus investigate the bunch at Curious Goods and then have that coin that killed Micki bring back Dru and Spike. And then they could run crazy with all those cursed items. Should be fun! The body count will indeed be higher. Vampires with cursed items means no remorse or compunctions about killing. I'm taping the Friday the 13th marathon on the Sci-Fi Channel. Unfortunately they're only showing 12 of the 72 episodes. And I don't think they run them at 2 a.m. anymore. I really need to see these eps so that I can do the series justice. My memory from several years ago isn't very good. I had asked someone if they remembered seeing anything like a Friday the 13th crossover. That no one had done it was too good to be true. I'm having so much fun with this. Ingrid really helped me with her editing too. Yes, you can forward the story to the newsgroup (as is, of course). I'll have to check the newsgroup out. Never seen it. Oh, am I going to get e-mail from weird people if you post this? Thanks for the feedback!!! Michelle -----Original Message----- >On Sun, 8 Mar 1998 from 11:49:14 to 11:53:18, "Michelle" > wrote; > >> TITLE: Curious Goods >> AUTHOR: Michelle Benoit Walker (arthemise@geocities.com) >> SUMMARY: Buffy the Vampire Slayer crossover with Friday the 13th: The >> Series. Wait, come back! Expect a sequel eventually. > >I'll be waiting. (Impatiently, considering how good THIS story was.) >An idea: Angelus follows Jack and company back to Chicago and stages >a raid on the Vault, making off with several items. (BTW, isn't the >Vault situated over ANOTHER Hellmouth? IIRC, there was a family of >demon hunters who were nearly tricked into opening it. The good guys >won, sealed it, and used the extra space to expand the Vault.) > >> RATING: R. Buffy does things that are a little cruel--but to vampires. > >Well now, that's her job, isn't it? 8-)= > > >> FEEDBACK: Yes, please. > >Here it is. As someone else has already said, it was certainly a >"kick ass" fanfic. I've been waiting for someone to do this xover >for a long time (like you said, it's a natural), and even hinted at >a connection between Giles and Jack in one of my unfinished ones. I >was REALLY glad you chose to avoid any innocent casualties; it made >a refreshing change from the way F13 stories usually go. (Once is >enough though; to be true to F13, the sequel will need a higher body >count.) The characterizations were right on (I could actually SEE >Buffy getting steadily more obsessed), and the climax was PERFECT. > >> DISTRIBUTION: Ask first. > >Could I forward your story to the >newsgroup? It could really use material of this caliber. 8-)= > >-- > @==================================================@ > | Dalton S. Spence, B.Sc. | > | Home Page: http://www.hwcn.org/~ag775/home.html | > | Keeper of Cordelia's Roll of Linoleum | > | and Xander's Key to the Utility Closet | > | Family Motto: Virtute Acquiritur Honos | > @==================================================@ > >- > - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Michelle" Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: DISCUSS: Curious Goods Date: 14 Mar 1998 00:10:15 -0600 Oooops, meant that last post to go private. Sorry about that! Now I gave away my plotline to everyone! - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: LMcint6188 Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: Moments of Truth (1/1) Revised Date: 14 Mar 1998 01:29:42 EST What do you mean? (1/1) It should be (1/?) This is really good, and I hope you continue it! Lins - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: LJEFFERS@Highland.Net Subject: BUFFYFIC: her darkest hour Date: 14 Mar 1998 08:42:10 -0800 Buffy The Vampire Slayer Her Darkest Hour 1 By NightHunter DISCLAIMER: Buffy The Vampire Slayer, and its characters belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox.... I'm Just borrowing them. The story is all from my dranged mind. No copywrite infringement is intended. Special Thanks to Mel my proofreader & Lorene My Beta Reader Feedback needed so that I know if I should finsh part 2 E-Mail (LJEFFERS@HIGHLAND.NET Part 1 Angel Restored (The Deal) Spike & Dru had just returned to the Hellmouth when he noticed that something was different. "Spike it's gone all the power is gone just like me dollies." "What are you talking about lov-" Spike's chair is grabed from behind before he can finish his question. And a familiar face leans down and whispers in his ear. "Why Spikie, what she's trying to say is that there is now a new master in town who has succeeded where all others have failed, one who has taken the power of the Hellmouth for himself." As Spike turns around he is aghast in surprise at what he sees. "You!" "Yes me, now what's the expression O yes, lets make a deal." "Why should I make a deal with you when you'll probably betray us to the Slayer?" Just as Spike finishes his last words, the dark figure lifts his hand and from it comes a dark light which engulfs Spike lifting him from his chair and throwing him half-way across the dark chamber. "IF YOU EVER MENTION HER AGAIN, I WILL SHOW YOU THAT THERE ARE WORSE FATES THEN DEATH!" "Ok, you proved your point so what's your deal, and what's in it for me?" "Well, lets see you help me by capturing angel." "Capture Angel! Why what are you going to do with him.?" "Well, since you ask so nicely I'll tell you. I'm going to rip his dark soul and powers from him so I need someone to receive them, and I thought of you Spike. And if your very evil, I may just restore Dru to her full power." "When do you need him, Master?" "Tomorrow night, when the moon is in the house of Koral, O and Spike, if I find out that you have betrayed me. I will make sure that the pain you endure will make you beg for the Slayer to kill you." Part 2 Angel Restored (The Spell) Angel enters the chamber to see Spike kissing Dru. "Oh Spike, how about sharing?" "Angulus, just the person I want to see, how would you like to be an actor." "What are you talking about Spike?" "Well, Just that I have a plan to destroy the Slayer once and for all, and make her suffer." "Oh, I'm very interested, and I've always wanted to play to a captive house, what did you have in mind?" "Well, first; you get in this cage, then the Slayer happens to hear that somehow you've regained your humanity; then, when she comes to save you, well even you can figure out the rest." As Angulus enters the cage the door is slammed shut and locked, Angulus grabs the bars, and his hands start to burn, his screams fill the night. Then a figure moves from the shadows and stands before him. "Well, look what the bat flew in." The dark figure motions for Spike to stand next to the cage." With Spike standing next to the cage that is holding Angulus the figure waves his hands and the dark power of the Hellmouth pours forth surrounding both Angulus and Spike. When it clears Spike stands taller and his face reflects the evil of two deamons. "Oh Angulus! I should think you. I feel like a god; Now what do we do with the trash Master? "Feel free to have fun but don't kill him yet!" Using a pair of gloves Spike opens the cage and grabs angel. Hurling him across the room when he hits the wall the sound of bones breaking can be heard. Spike moves with a speed that has never been seen in any other vampire. He grabs Angel again and Prepears to throw him once again across the room when Dru Grabs his shoulder. "I want to play with daddy." She grabs Angel using her new found strength and breaks both his legs. "Oh no, dollies broke!" "Enough! Now the fun begins bring him and follow me." With that the two vampires grab the battered and bruised Angel and follow the dark one. Soon they are outside of Buffy's house when the figure grabs Angel from Spike using one hand, holds him to the door, and using the other drives a wooden stake through his shoulder. The pain is so intense that Angel passes out. "Oh!" Says Spike I would really like to see her face when she comes home to this." "Don't worry Spike, I'll tell you everything." Part 3 Angel Restored (Discovery) Buffy comes home to find Angel impaled to her door. She grabs the stake and starts to pull it from him when she notices that the sun is coming up and the places where it's touching Angel are not burning she runs into the house and dials 911. Within a matter of moments an ambulance arrives, they carefully remove the stake and dress the wound, then they put him on a stretcher and start to the ambulance, one of them asked Buffy if she knows the man. "Yes!" she replies "He's my boyfriend." "Ok! were taking him to the hospital, do you want to ride in with us?" "Yes!" Later at the Hospital Buffy calls Giles and tells him what happened. He tells her that he'll stop and get Willow & Xander and they be there as soon as they can. As the doctor comes out of the O/R Buffy corners him to ask how Angel is. "Miss Summers, he has had both arms & legs broke, multiple cuts & abrasions and we've had to give him a lot of blood to replace what he lost from the shoulder wound, but he's going to be fine. He just needs a lot of rest. You can go see him now, but, no more then 15 minutes. You can come back tomorrow." As Buffy starts toward the room Giles, Willow & Xander met her and they all enter the room. "Giles! he's human" says Buffy "I saw the sun hit him and nothing happened." Angel starts to wake up. The first sight he sees is Buffy, and he says. "I've died and gone to heaven because I'm looking into the face of an angel." Buffy grabs him and starts to cry." "Oh god! Angel I love your so much it hurts, It's good to have you back." "Yes" says Giles "very good, but how did this happen?" "I don't know! The last thing I remember was Spike putting me in a cage, and a figure coming out of the shadows and waing his hands at both me and Spike, then, pain as if, Oh god! He ripped the deamon from me and added it to Spikes" "I've heard of this happening" Said Giles "But it's said that only a Deamon Wizard can do it. An if there's one here, than this is just the start but, I wonder what would make him change you back into a human?" "Looks like it would keep Buffy busy trying to take care of vamp boy here while he raises an army." said Xander That night in the chamber of the Master, laugher can be heard as the evil figure tells Spike what happened at the hospital. "Then she says oh Angel I love you so much. It was all I could do not to rip her heart out then and there. But soon the Slayer will see what the price is for her love as I destroy her friends and family, one by one, till she is the only one left. Then I will make her watch as her precious Angel is ripped to pieces. Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!" To Be Continued....Her Darkest Hour 2 The First Death - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: ingrid29@juno.com (Ingrid E Stanton) Subject: BUFFYFIC: DISCUSS: " Memoria Tenere Memoriam" Date: 14 Mar 1998 08:56:17 -0500 Though there wasn't much fic there to read, I liked what you had. There's some good potential there. Please continue. I like Buffyfutures- I'm working on one myself. -Ingrid "There once was a man from the sticks, Who liked to compose limericks. But he failed at the sport 'Cause he wrote them too short." --Everett Simons _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Whodinky Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: Memoria Tenere Memoriam (1/?) by EJJ Date: 14 Mar 1998 09:40:12 EST Okay here's your feedback. It's great. Major cliff hanger, that works!! I REALLY want to read more!! - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: lilyp215@juno.com (Lynda T Phan) Subject: BUFFYFIC: Moments of Truth Date: 14 Mar 1998 09:16:22 -0800 I just wanted to tell Melinda, author of "Moments of Truth", that the first part of your story was really. It made me cry. I wish this would really happen. I think you should continue with the story. _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: JMHnoodles Subject: BUFFYFIC: question Date: 14 Mar 1998 13:00:05 EST Hi. There's something that's been bugging the hell out of me. I joined the list about 2 weeks after "Passion" aired, so I don't know if you've already discussed this, my apologies if you have, but... Angel got into Giles' house *how,* exactly? jen - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: ingrid29@juno.com (Ingrid E Stanton) Subject: BUFFYFIC: "Footsteps" (4/?) by Ingrid Date: 14 Mar 1998 13:51:44 -0500 Disclaimer: Willow, Spike, Drusilla, Angel(us) and Buffy belong to Joss Whedon, The WB Network, Sandollar, Mutant enemy and Kuzui. Je na gagne pas de l'argent pour ecriver cet histoire. (You know what I mean! Just don't sue me.) Summary: A continuation of my Willow and Spike story. This one takes place after some time has elapsed, as usual. Angelus is briefly mentioned. Comments are wonderful to get- take some time and write to me! What else? Oh! I wrote this story while listening to "Rusty the Skatemaker," by Rasputina. They were featured on Buffy at the vampire party in "Surprise." I strongly reccomend their CD "Transylvanian Regurgitations," but I'm biased, being a cellist, that is! BTW, If anyone wants previous parts to this story, just write to me! I'll send them to you gladly. (Ingrid29@juno.com) *********************** "Footsteps," by Ingrid Part Four *********************** The chill wind whipped across the ground, bending and breaking the stems of withering flowers. Winter was coming. Willow held his jacket tightly around her as she pressed ahead of him. The sky twinkled down on her. She stood on the hill, cheeks flushed with the cold, her long auburn curls trailing behind her. The dress was white again- her favorite. Her silhouette was breathtaking against the moon, or would have been, had he any breath, he thought. Dru’s apparition had begun to haunt him less and less. He was beginning to forget what she looked like in those dresses. They were Willow’s. They had always been Willow’s. His mind drifted back to minutes before when she’d brushed his shoulder. His blush wouldn’t have been noticeable in the dark anyway, but he’d looked away shyly for convention’s sake. She stood up on the still green hill and craned her neck towards the sky. "It’s beautiful," she shouted down to him. Still exploring the constellations, she continued to watch the sky as she spoke to him. "I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed it," she mused, and then came back to her senses. "Why are you waiting down there? Come on up." He hesitated, unwilling to spoil the calm moment of reflection. And he liked standing in the valley below and watching her enjoy her new life. There had been so many times before when she’d been reduced to listlessness. He was afraid for her sanity. He wasn’t Angelus. But she was safe from Angelus, he assured himself with a sigh. There was nothing he could do to her now, even if he did return. That seemed a distant possibility now. He joined her on the hill, stepping up behind her and watching all she saw from over her shoulder. She was smiling in wonder. He’d never seen her face lit up that way, and it delighted him. "I didn’t know this would mean that much to you." "I miss them. I miss the outdoors." "Then we’ll have to go out much more often," he decided, and she nodded in agreement. Without warning, she pulled him down to sit on the soft earth alongside her. "I’m glad you made me eat that night," she confessed, pinning him with her eyes. He was startled. "I thought-" "I wanted to die?" He nodded. "I did. But not now. I must admit that living in a cage kind of clouds your judgments on life." She’d meant it as a joke, but he looked like she’d just pulled out a stake. "I didn’t mean-" She touched his arm apologetically. "I’m sorry," he sighed, looking away from her, "It was just, well, Angelus, and Dru-" "You don’t have to explain," she said gently. "They wanted to kill me. You had no choice." When he didn’t turn around, she reached out for him , drawing his face to her slowly. "Hey," She tried to smile, but felt it ooze away as she saw his face. The seriousness she found there struck her like a physical blow. She’d never seen such a look. "It’s alright," she purred, trying to heal the painful wound she’d somehow caused. The rays of the moon lit up his pale face, and his hair looked as white as the light itself. Something within her clicked when his eyes finally met hers. Her heart rose in her throat, and tried to steady herself to keep from choking on it. Her cheeks were burning under the scrutiny of his searching gaze. She froze, not daring to move her hand, or anything else. An outside force pushed them together, if anything. Their lips met tenderly, but the shock of the contact was like lightning. Both were temporarily taken aback, and on the verge of turning around and taking off in opposite directions. They didn’t. Willow touched his face gently, smoothing her fingers over a scar on his cheek. With that encouragement, he weaved his fingers into her hair delicately and deepened their kiss. Though they were vampires, and creatures of passion, the kiss remained an angelic experiment. A swift gust of wind had them huddling closer. Neither needed air, so it lasted for minutes. Spike drew away first, looking more like a shy child than a powerful vampire. Willow smiled at him reassuringly, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear. Reality was quick to rush in, and Willow suddenly realized that it was later than they’d imagined. She could feel the faint glow of the sun beginning approach the horizon, and grabbed Spike’s hand. She saw him look back over his shoulder. He felt it too. Together, they charged for the warehouse, tripping up several times in the process. The light was getting stronger she knew. Halfway there, she saw the glow. "Spike! We can’t make it. We have to find somewhere else to-" That was when he dragged her down cement stairs and through a broken door. Regaining her senses in an instant, she slammed the door behind her and sunk to a seated position on the floor. It suddenly struck her: this was Angelus’ apartment. *** Ingrid: Author of many long Buffyfics (and some short ones). "Return to Normalcy," "One Vampire's Headache...," "This Fleeting Hope," "Ghost of a Chance," "Tragic Sighs" and "Footsteps." _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: G90210 Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: Memoria Tenere Memoriam (1/?) by EJJ Date: 14 Mar 1998 14:55:44 EST VERY VERY GOOD!!!!! I wanna know what happens PLLLLEEEAAASSSEEEE!!!! ~Mindy - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: LnCAGCRulz Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: DISCUSS: " Memoria Tenere Memoriam" Date: 14 Mar 1998 16:48:23 EST In a message dated 98-03-14 09:35:50 EST, you write: > Though there wasn't much fic there to read, I liked what you had. There's > some good potential there. Please continue. I like Buffyfutures- I'm > working on one myself. > -Ingrid I'm sorry there wasn't much. My main goal was to try to get people drawn in. I do have more, though. :) I'm glad you enjoy what I have so far. Thanks so much for your feedback!! I can't wait to read your story! Any idea when you'll be sending it out to the list? Thanks again! Em :) - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: LnCAGCRulz Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: Memoria Tenere Memoriam (1/?) by EJJ Date: 14 Mar 1998 16:49:25 EST In a message dated 98-03-14 09:43:02 EST, you write: > Okay here's your feedback. > > It's great. Major cliff hanger, that works!! I REALLY want to read more!! Thanks so much for your positive feedback!! I'm glad you enjoyed it. :) From the responces I've gotten so far it looks as though this story will go on. Lord willing I'll get a lot more written before my trip to Cali. for my b-day next week. Thanks again! Em :) - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: LnCAGCRulz Subject: DISCUSS: BUFFYFIC: Memoria Tenere Memoriam (1/?) by EJJ Date: 14 Mar 1998 16:57:18 EST I'm sorry I've sent two responces to the list... Please ignore them. :) I've been kinda' out of it today... I meant to send those to their writers. Thanks! Em :) - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: LMcint6188 Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: question Date: 14 Mar 1998 17:51:13 EST In a message dated 98-03-14 13:03:30 EST, you write: << Hi. There's something that's been bugging the hell out of me. I joined the list about 2 weeks after "Passion" aired, so I don't know if you've already discussed this, my apologies if you have, but... Angel got into Giles' house *how,* exactly? >> Yeah, didnt he block him outta his house or something? Lins - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: LMcint6188 Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: "Footsteps" (4/?) by Ingrid Date: 14 Mar 1998 17:57:37 EST AHHHHHHH... boy do you know how to cut it off..... more more more! please! Lins - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Jill Kirby Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: question-- Admin Note Date: 14 Mar 1998 18:44:32 -0600 (CST) Hello all-- Discussion on Buffyfic is for discussion of fiction -- other topics should be taken over to the regular Buffy list. The list rules might not be clear on this. I'll check, and fix them if necessary. :) Jill co-listowner Jill Kirby ~~ jtkirby@mcs.com ~~ www.geocities.com/SoHo/Lofts/4107 NatPack ~~ ABotCoS ~~ NP4 ~~ Dreamer/Minstrel ~~ CW Matt Damon! Cary Grant would have tipped him five bucks for being a good bellhop. --A. Lane, "The New Yorker" - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: JMHnoodles Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: question-- Admin Note...sorry! Date: 14 Mar 1998 20:20:48 EST In a message dated 98-03-14 19:45:52 EST, you write: << Discussion on Buffyfic is for discussion of fiction -- other topics should be taken over to the regular Buffy list. >> ::blushes:: Sorry! This is the only Buffy list I've heard of, so I didn't know where else to ask! Again, I'm wicked sorry... Jen - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Anexsin Subject: BUFFYFIC: Unexpected Confrontation (1/1) Date: 15 Mar 1998 03:22:41 EST Title: Unexpected Confrontation (1/1) Author: Melinda Email Addy: Anexsin@aol.com Distribution: Ask first, please. Rating: PG Spoiler: All episodes are relevant. Feedback: Greatly appreciated Disclaimer: Angel(us), Spike, and Drusilla belong to Joss Whedon, WB, etc. I own nothing but the story. Summary: Angel(the soul) confronts Angelus. Notes: Although it isn't necessary to read "Moments of Truth" you might want to, b/c there are tiny references to it. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Angelus was lounging around the old warehouse, paying no heed to the fact it was basically charcoal. That was the Watcher's doing. After finding his love dead on his bed with a broken neck,compliments of Angelus, Giles went postal and came after him. But the knowledge that he is slowly killing Buffy mentally, starting with Jenny Calendar, made up for the fact that Giles had beaten him. Drusilla and Spike took the others vampires out to look for a new place to live So now in the quiet surroundings of the empty wharehouse Angelus was lost in his evil thoughts. "So Angelus, play any good games lately?" A voice called out to him. Angelus' eyeslids flew open and he looked around the warehouse. "Who said that?" he snarled. "I'm hurt that you don't remember me, especially since we've been so close for 80 years," the voice taunted. Suddenly an apparition of Angel appeared in the warehouse. Arms folded across his chest and his trademark half smirk upon his face. "Well if it isn't the loser Angel," Angelus observed. "I didn't lose anything....well except control of my body," Angel informed. "Your about to lose a whole lot more, including your precious Buffy," Angelus vowed. "In fact you're already losing her." "I'm warning you to leave her alone. You hurt her and I'll kill you myself," Angel warned. Angelus chuckled. "I'd like to know what you're going to do about it. I have control of this body now, and now that the gypsy is dead you're never going to get it back." Now it was Angel's turn to chuckle. "How do you know that? Can you be absolutely sure?" The smirk Angelus now wore was gone and anger replaced his features. He snarled and lept at Angel reaching for his throat, but passed right through him. Angel laughed hysterically. "You poor fool. You have no idea." "What are you talking about?" Angelus snarled his game face in place. "That's for me to know and you to find out," Angel replied. "I swear I'm going to kill her. I'm going to kill them all. They're going to die a slow painful death," Angelus sneered. "No you won't. You can't break them down anymore. She's not Drusilla. Buffy's stronger then you think. Your leaving little gifts on their beds was one thing, but killing Ms. Calendar was the last straw." Angel informed. "Never say never," Angelus smirked. "You should because I saw them all a little while ago. We've all had closure. Especially Buffy and myself," Angel stated. Angelus simply glared realizing his plans may be ruined. "That doesn't stop me from killing them. No one can stop me." "Well see," Angel smiled. "A little advice from spirit to demon. What goes around comes around." Angelus glared at the apparition of himself and lunged angrily at it once again. Angel faded out of sight, leaving laughter behind him. He knew full well he accomplished what he came for. "Who's the loser now!" Angelus heard him yell. A little while later Spike and Drusilla entered the main room of the wharehouse, where a very agitated Angelus was pacing back and forth like a rat in a cage. "What's wrong my Angel?" Drusilla cooed. "Nothing," Angelus gritted out. "Oh,does Mister I Got It All Under Control, not have it under control anymore," Spike taunted. "Shut up roller boy!" Angelus yelled and left the room. "You have my sympathy!" Spike shouted to his retreating form. "Yeah, right. Your time is coming Angelus," he whispered. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The End - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Somalilly Subject: BUFFYFIC: I know that we're only supposed to address fics, but please read this!! Date: 15 Mar 1998 17:00:40 EST Vote for SMG!!! please? sorry to bother those of you who only like getting fics.. shes currently in third place-vote!!! Cover Poll - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: ingrid29@juno.com (Ingrid E Stanton) Subject: BUFFYFIC: DISCUSS: Question Date: 15 Mar 1998 17:10:35 -0500 Anybody- I just found the willfic list (fanfic about willow) and I'm wondering whether I should send "Footsteps" there too. Is everyone that's on that list on this one? What do you think? -Ingrid _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Slyr Buffy Subject: BUFFYFIC: Re: Buffyfic-digest V2 #57 Date: 15 Mar 1998 17:17:52 EST Could you please unsubscribe me? Thank you - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: ingrid29@juno.com (Ingrid E Stanton) Subject: BUFFYFIC: "Footsteps" (5/?) by Ingrid Date: 15 Mar 1998 17:28:51 -0500 DISCLAIMER: Willow, Spike, Angelus, Drusilla and Buffy belong to Joss Whedon, the WB, Kuzui, Sandollar, and Mutant Enemy. I make no $. Don't sue me, guys! SUMMARY: Some more Spike/Willow madness! Now all you people who keep asking me what has happened to Buffy, Drusilla, and Angel can get a little peek into the history of this story. If you don't get this, that's 'cause you haven't read the other parts. If you want them, write to me at Ingrid29@juno.com. Also, comments are fun to get. Tell me if I'm doing a good job! RATING: I don't know. I hate rating these things. PG? PG-13? Something like that. There's an itty-bitty make-out session (nothing much at all). That's it! ********************** "Footsteps" by Ingrid Part Five ********************** The apartment was new to her- she’d never been in Angel’s home as a vampire or as a human. It was as still as a crypt, and the cement walls certainly reminded her of one. There were a few things placed about haphazardly, apparently for decorative purposes. Some decoration. A little carved statuette encased in glass stood as a display near one wall, and there was an old dusty bed in the corner. She supposed that everything had remained intact since his change. That had been eons ago. She remembered the her fish in the envelope and grimaced. She didn’t like Angelus. It was something she’d picked up from Spike, and that she’d observed during her first week at the warehouse, despite the fact that most of it had been a result of Drusilla. She looked at the bed again, and suddenly something pink peeking out from under the sheets attracted her attention. She drifted to the bed and sat down. It was Buffy’s shirt, she realized, and an odd feeling passed over her as a twinge of her old life returned transiently. Where was Buffy, anyway? Somewhere in Europe. Probably Transylvania by now, she thought with a wry twitch of her lips. The slayer’s distance allowed Willow to remember Buffy fondly. If she were here trying to stake her old friend now, it would have been an entirely different story, she thought. Spike startled her when he sat down behind her. She almost jumped until she looked back over her shoulder to meet his incredulity. "Willow," he whispered calmly as he smoothed the shoulder of her dress with one hand. "Vampires aren’t supposed to be this jumpy." "I know," she answered, watching her feet, "but they aren’t supposed to want to take care of others, or to harbor affection, or-" Spike stroked her hair, running his fingers through the auburn locks and caressing her cheek. Before the silence began to set in, he pulled her into a long, sweet kiss, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her towards him. Reluctantly, she let her concerns fly away; kissed him back gently. She slid her fingers through the bleached hair at the base of his skull, enjoying the rush that was beginning to lift her heart. She felt him nuzzle her throat and almost cried out. She was melting into him, and it was wonderful to just let herself go. Her thoughts returned to plague her suddenly. "Spike, what if they come back?" She barely managed to get the words out. They seemed to be stuck in her throat. He continued to press his lips to her neck languorously as he answered. "They won’t. They’ll be there forever with the slayer chasing them like she is. And I have every confidence that Angelus can take care of the both of them." "What if he can’t?" He stopped, disturbed by the thought. He looked pained. "Maybe it’ll be better for her then." "You don’t mean that." He winced. "I do," and paused. "I finally do." She almost squirmed at the intensity she saw in his eyes. It was indescribable. She attempted a pained smile to cover it up, but then another thought struck her. "What if Buffy-" "As much as I hate to admit this, the slayer is strong. She will not give in easily. They won’t come back, Willow." She looked at him doubtfully. "They won’t. And if they do… Nothing’s going to change this." The silence was as resolute as he seemed, and she trusted him. After all, hadn’t it been his footsteps she’d grown accustomed to day after day? *** >"I myself have never been able to find out >precisely what a feminist is; I only know >that people call me a feminist whenever I >express sentiments that differentiate me >from a doormat." > --Rebecca West, 1913 > _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Jeff Reid Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: I know that we're only supposed to address fics, but please read this!! Date: 15 Mar 1998 18:40:02 -0500 (EST) On Sun, 15 Mar 1998, Somalilly wrote: > Vote for SMG!!! > please? sorry to bother those of you who only like getting fics.. > shes currently in third place-vote!!! > Cover Poll For those of use with better internet providers, you can vote at: http://www.pathfinder.com/teenpeople/gdml3/topten20.html Sorry, for the off-topic post. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: moonsw Subject: BUFFYFIC: unsubscribe Date: 15 Mar 1998 19:45:29 -0800 (PST) unsubsribe buffyfic-digest - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: GothGirl77 Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: "Footsteps" Date: 15 Mar 1998 20:37:07 EST Hi I just got subbed to the Buffy list and I don't have parts 1-4 of Footsetps. Can you send them to me? Thanx in advance, Nastassia - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: LMcint6188 Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: DISCUSS: Question Date: 15 Mar 1998 22:11:14 EST Im on the willfic list. Im sure people would enjoy it there too.... Lins - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Greeneteen Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: "Footsteps" (5/?) by Ingrid Date: 16 Mar 1998 20:08:29 EST can u please send me the missing parts? i just signed on. thanks. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Hope (28/?) Date: 16 Mar 1998 17:38:20 PST Author: Sara B. Sara114@hotmail.com Rating: Varies...will be posted at beginning of each part. Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, yada yada yada belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox.... I'm just borrowing them, (although I wish Angel was mine!) Everything else belongs to me! Author's note: This is your usual generic story. Angel is still good, so basically in my story surprise/innocence didn't happen. Willow and Oz are together, and Xander and Cordy are still hiding their secret utility closet rondevu's. This is going to be a long story, and will take some time so be patient with me. I'm not very good at story telling, so if this totally sucks and isn't read-worthy, just let me know.Oh yeah, and I want feedback, feedback, and more feedback. I don't care if it's good or bad, just tell me what you thought of it. ***Yes! I have finally gotten another part written. Ah...Writer's block is pure hell. Sorry this took so long, and thanks for being patient. Happy reading!*** Part 28 PG Buffy, Hope, and Jenny trudged through the thick field. The Slayer stared into the vast emptiness of her surroundings. She bent down and picked a flower, smelling it. The aroma was so familiar. Buffy stopped walking as she stared at the flower. “Wait.” Her two friends paused and looked at her. “What’s wrong, Buffy?” Hope asked. Buffy’s eyes grew wide and her mouth gaped open as she realized why everything seemed so familiar to her. “The endless fields, the wild flowers, the trees. This is it. This is where I was.” Jenny looked around. “What do you mean, this is where you were?” “In my dream. I was here. I remember it all.” Buffy spun around, looking at everything. “Why didn’t I see this before?” “Are you sure this is where you were? It’s just a field.” Hope said. Buffy nodded earnestly. “Yes, I am sure. I know it and I can feel it...” her voice trailed off. Suddenly, without warning, the silence was shattered by a loud explosion. A blast of heat swarmed them as they turned and saw a fireball rise above the small grouping of trees. They watched it, shocked. The black cloud hovering over started to move like a spiral, as the sky thundered, and the wind gusted. “Oh god, we are too late.” Buffy uttered. ******** Xander, Cordelia, Willow, and Giles sat in the Watchers car, waiting for a sign, waiting for Buffy to come and tell them everything was okay, waiting for danger. Willow sat, fidgeting with so much worry she was unable to keep still. “Do you think they are okay?” She managed to say. “I certainly hope so,” Giles answered. “No, no, I don’t think they are,” she said, shaking her head. “They ARE,” Cordelia said. “They have to be. Buffy is the Slayer, and she has Hope, and Ms. Calendar. They just have to be.” “Who are you trying to fool? Us, or yourself?” Xander said. “Both,” she whispered quietly. “Listen, I think we should go help Buffy. We can’t just sit here and wonder whether or not she is okay,” Xander said. When Giles didn’t respond, Xander yelled at him, anger filling his voice. “What are we waiting for? Her death notice?! Her lifeless body?! We HAVE to go help them!” “Calm yourself, Xander. We can’t just go barging in on an army of vampires.” Giles scolded him. “It is just too dangerous.” “Dangerous or not, I’m going to go help her!” Xander exclaimed, opening his car door. “Army or not, she needs me. She needs *all of us*.” He stepped outside. “Are you coming?” He turned to face the field. “I can still see them. They are--” he paused, “Oh my God.” “What? What’s wrong?!” Cordelia yelled. She got out of the car. “Wha--whoa!” Willow and Giles stared out the front window in astonishment as they watched a fireball emerege from the grove. “Holy Shit,” Willow said. “I don’t give a damn what you think right now, Giles. I am going to go help Buffy whether you go or not!” He said, and ran to Buffy. “Wait! Xander, come back!” Giles yelled. Xander slowed down and turned around. “What?” “Get in the car. We are all going to help her,” Giles told him. Xander came back to the car and got in. Giles turned the key in the ignition, and drove into the field toward Buffy. ********* Buffy choked back her tears. “We are too late.” Hearing the rumble of an engine, she spun around to see Giles old car barreling straight for them. Her Watcher came to a screeching halt inches in front of her. Her friend got out of the car and walked over to her. “Are you okay?” he asked, gently. She shook her head. “Yeah, I’m okay,” she assured him, and wiped her eyes. “What are we going to do? Angel is probably dead by now.” “Don’t say that. We don’t know what caused that fireball. He may not even be there,” Giles said. “Don’t try to make me feel better with false hope, Giles. He’s gone. I can feel it.” She shuddered. “There is always a chance. We can’t give up now,” Hope said. “Yeah, right. Whatever.” Buffy said, her voiced dripping with sarcasm as she rolled her eyes. “So what? Your just going to give up now? No. I don’t think so,” Hope said, “I may have not known you for very long, but I do know that you’re not a quitter. You don’t give up easily in tough situations. You are the Slayer, and if you give up then your basically signing the death warrant for all of us. You have overcome so much. Don’t just throw that all away. Yes, this is a tough situation, and the pressure is on big time, but you can’t give up. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and get out there and FIGHT! Fight for yourself, fight for your family and your friends. But most of all, for Angel. He needs you. We all need you.” Everyone was shocked, especially Buffy. She got tears in her eyes, and gave Hope a big hug. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.” “It’s okay,” she whispered. They parted, and Buffy smiled. She turned to her friends. “She is right. We can do this. And we will. I will.” ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Hope (29/?) Date: 16 Mar 1998 17:42:18 PST Author: Sara B. Sara114@hotmail.com Rating: Varies...will be posted at beginning of each part. Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, yada yada yada belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox.... I'm just borrowing them, (although I wish Angel was mine!) Everything else belongs to me! Author's note: This is your usual generic story. Angel is still good, so basically in my story surprise/innocence didn't happen. Willow and Oz are together, and Xander and Cordy are still hiding their secret utility closet rondevu's. This is going to be a long story, and will take some time so be patient with me. I'm not very good at story telling, so if this totally sucks and isn't read-worthy, just let me know.Oh yeah, and I want feedback, feedback, and more feedback. I don't care if it's good or bad, just tell me what you thought of it. Part 29 “Hello Angelus,” the woman crooned. “It’s been along time.” “Too long,” he said. “I’ve missed you.” “Have you? Prove it,” she said. He grabbed her and pulled her near, placing his mouth on hers. Their passionate kiss was interrupted. “Enough with the kissy kissy. It’s time for our party,” Spike said. “Ooohh, yes. Our party. I want to go now, luv,” Drusilla said, pressing herself against Spike. He smiled at her. “You always know how to turn me on,” he said, and kissed her. Pulling away, he yelled to the minions. “Well? What the fuck are you all waiting for? Bring us the cars.” They scampered away. “So how do you feel?” Spike asked Angel. “Better than I’ve ever felt before. I can easily get used to this.” “Well you will feel even better once we get to the Hellmouth.” “Can’t wait,” he said. Spike started to walk away, but Angel pulled him back. “Thanks, man.” Spike looked at him funny. “Thanks for what?” Angel laughed. “Thanks for pounding me on the head with that damn bat. Of course if it had been any other situation, I’d have to kick your ass, but this is an exception.” “What the hell do you mean by that?” Spike asked. “If you hadn’t hit me, I wouldn’t have gotten my amnesia, and I wouldn’t have so easily gone through with this,” Angel said, grinning. Spike was taken back. “Oh, so you remember everything now?” Angel nodded. “Yep, every last bit of it. I remember that damn curse, my 80 years of self wallowing, and that damn slayer.” “I am sure glad your back, Angelus. I was getting sick and tired of your whole ‘I’m-a good-vampire-now’ routine.” Spike said with bitterness in his voice. “What can I say? I was going through a phase,” Angel laughed. “But I’m over it. And I’m over the Slayer. In fact, I can’t wait to see her later.” “What?” Spike asked suspiciously. “I said, I can’t wait to see her later. That is, the look on her pretty little face when she sees the new me for the first and only time.” “Only time?” “Right...only time. Should I kill her before or after I kill her friends?” Spike smiled. “You just gave me an incredible idea.” “Do tell,” Angel said, very interested in what his fellow vampire had to say. “I’ll tell you when we get there. Just follow me,” he told him. One of the vampires escorted his Master to the car. Angel got into the driver’s seat, with the woman beside him. Spike and Drusilla got into the car in front of them. Angel started his vehicle and drove through the grove, close behind Spike, running over trees and anything else in his path. The woman laughed. “You were never good at driving,” she said. He turned and looked at her. “But there is other things I am an expert at.” “Well then, you will definately have to show me your expertise.” He smiled. “It’s not like I haven’t before.” The two cars barreled though the field and onto the old road, with three large vans of vampires taking up the rear. Spike laughed in the car. “This will be a night to remember for our pretty little slayer friend. She will NEVER forget it.” ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Hope (30/?) Date: 16 Mar 1998 17:46:51 PST Author: Sara B. Sara114@hotmail.com Rating: Varies...will be posted at beginning of each part. Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, yada yada yada belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox.... I'm just borrowing them, (although I wish Angel was mine!) Everything else belongs to me! Author's note: This is your usual generic story. Angel is still good, so basically in my story surprise/innocence didn't happen. Willow and Oz are together, and Xander and Cordy are still hiding their secret utility closet rondevu's. This is going to be a long story, and will take some time so be patient with me. I'm not very good at story telling, so if this totally sucks and isn't read-worthy, just let me know.Oh yeah, and I want feedback, feedback, and more feedback. I don't care if it's good or bad, just tell me what you thought of it. PART 30 “Do you hear that?” Jenny asked. The group strained to listen for something, and heard the faint sound of an engine. “Sounds like a car,” Cordelia said. “Good job, Einstein,” Xander said sarcastically. “Shut up, Harris,” she snapped. Buffy stared off into the distance, as her eyes grew wide in fear. “GET IN THE CAR!!!” Buffy screamed. She pushed Willow into the back seat and got into the car. Her friends were bewildered as they looked in the direction of the loud rumbling. Two cars and three vans came charging through the field, in their direction. “GET IN HERE NOW!!!!” Buffy screamed again, as her friends jumped into the car. They shut the door and Giles desperately tried to start it, but it failed. “What are you waiting for!” Cordelia screamed. “It won’t start!” Giles yelled back at her. “Well do something!” She screamed back, her face full of fright. “I’m trying, I’m trying!” He panicked. Giles turned the key and pumped the gas, but the car refused to start. “Start, damnit! Start you piece of junk!” “I told you to get a new car Giles!” Buffy screamed. She looked at Willow who stared in shock at out the front window. She reached over and grabbed her friend and hugged her. Hope and Jenny clung to each other in the front seat. “Oh God! Here they come....DUCK!!!” Xander yelled. He threw himself over the three girls in the back and the seven friends crouched and braced themselves for the oncoming impact. ******* The group sat, bracing for their lives, their bodies tense and minds full of fear. Ten seconds later the loud rumbling died down, till it could no longer be heard. Giles slowly peeked his head up out the window to see nothing but field and trees. He breathed a heavy sigh of relief as the pounding of his heart slowed down. “Are we dead?” Cordelia’s muffled voice said. Giles almost laughed with relief, but restrained. “No, Cordelia. We are alive.” “Oh good,” she said. “Xander get off of me!” “Why, Cordelia? I kind of like this,” he replied with a snicker. “Would you like my fist in your face?” She said. “I’m off, I’m off,” he said, lifting himself off of her, Buffy, and Willow. “What was that?” Hope said, running her fingers through her tangled hair. “More like *who* was that,” Giles said. “My guess is Spike and Drusilla,” Buffy breathed. “Well what ever it was, there is another one coming!” Willow’s shaky voice yelled. They looked up to see another van coming straight for them. “Not again!” Cordelia shouted. Giles tried to start the car again as the van came closer and closer to colliding with them. Vibrations flowed through the vehicle as the old engine started. “Yes! Yes!” Giles said with glee. He slammed on the accelerator and turned the wheel sharply to the right, just as the van hit the side of the automobile. ********* “What the hell are you doing?!” Marcus asked angrily at his friend David as he tried to keep himself from hitting the dashboard. “I’m sorry! The van hit a bump and I lost control!” he replied. “Oh yeah, sure, whatever,” Marcus grumbled. “It’s true!” David exclaimed, then burst into laughter. “Did you see that car fly? It must have flipped about 3 times! I wonder if there was anybody in there?” Marcus glared at him. “Probably not. The car was just sitting there. It most likely broke down and was abandoned. I can’t believe you hit it. Spike is going to be so pissed at us.” “Why?” David asked, turning the large van onto the road. He sped up to try and catch up with the other vampires. “I’ll tell you why....because there is probably a huge dent in the front of this thing, and we just stole it yesterday! That’s why.” “You worry to much, man,” David said with a laugh. “Lighten up.” “I’ll be saying that to you when Spike is kicking your ass from here to China.” Marcus grumbled. “We’d better hurry and catch up with them. We can’t be late for the Master’s party,” David said. “I can’t believe Angelus is the Master now. Out of all vampires. I remember when he was killing his own kind with his Slayer girlfriend.” “Hmph. The Slayer. What’s her name? Buffy?” David asked. Marcus nodded his head. “Damn, she is a babe, isn’t she? I’d like to get closer with her, if you know what I mean,” David said with a sly grin. “The day you try and get close with her is the day Angel appoints you as the Vessel. Besides, if you tried anything with her she would tear you up. Have you ever seen her fight?” Marcus said. “Oh yeah, I’ve seen her fight. I love watching her in those short little skirts and tight dresses.” Marcus rolled his eyes. “Is that all you think about?” “When it comes to her I do,” he said. Marcus laughed despite David’s answer. “You are hopeless,” he said, as they drove off toward the Hellmouth. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Trey Cash Subject: BUFFYFIC: The End of The Innocence 2/5 Date: 17 Mar 1998 03:45:36 EST Title: The End of the Innocence Pt 2/5 Author: Alex Queirolo & Erika Rottler Email: treycash@aol.com, Sasheer@Aol.com Distribution: Just ask. Feedback: Absolutely! Please..we're eager to know what y'all thought of our collaboration. Drop us a line. Rating: PG-14 at best..extreme situations..see CONTENT WARNING below. Spoilers: When She Was Bad..basically everything up until PASSION. *** AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story takes about three months after "I Will Survive" and "That Was the Day". In this time-line, everything up until "Passion" occured but that is where they split. For the important back story, please read "I Will Survive". CONTENT WARNING: We need to be up-front about this; this piece is NOT meant for minors to read. It tells of graphic violent events and speaks rather frankly of sexual situations. However, there is no actual sex involved in this piece. It is rather unflinching and at points crude. We hope you will agree however that nothing is out of place. Again, this story contains violence, intense language, extreme angst and rather explicit discussions of sexual situations. DISCLAIMER: The only character in this piece that belongs to us is Asher. All of the others belong to Joss "Da Man" Whedon and Co. Them are gods..we are students. No bad is meant by this. *** And then there was no hold. Willow blinked and watched as the dust scattered into the soft breeze. Looking up she saw Angel staring back at her with concern in his eyes. "Are you alright?" She felt quickly at her neck to ensure that no biting had taken place and then she nodded, "Fine, but Buffy needs help." Angel glanced over to Buffy and his eyes widened in suprise as he watched the young Slayer dance around with a large red and blue throw blanket. And to make it that much worse, she was yelling "Toro, toro" at the two growling vampires that were advancing upon her. "What the hell is wrong with her?" Angel demanded, his eyes never leaving her. She was jumping all over the place, moving as if she were attached to springs. "The brownies were laced," Cordelia breathed as she and Xander trotted up to them. "Pot," Oz nodded. "Wow. Sinister." Angel gave him a look and then shook his head. "How much did she ingest? You guys are all relatively normal." Xander made a face and then replied, "Only like most of them." Then he turned around and decked a vampire that had thought it was sneaking up on them. Reaching down, Xander grabbed a stick and slew the vamp. "Lesson number one, dumbass..in the forest...there is an abundance of staking material. Duh?" Angel rolled his eyes, "Oh the fun." With a loud sigh, he moved swiftly towards where Buffy was now spinning herself in circles and chanting in strange accents much to the amusement of her two attackers. "Buffy," Angel said sharply, grabbing her shoulder, "Get ahold of yourself." "Angel!" Buffy chirped. "My Angel." Then she pointed at the snarling vampires. "They don't want to play with me. Make them play. Pleaseeeee." "Buffy, snap out of it!" Angel ordered, lashing out with a kick that drove one of the vamps backwards and to the ground. To his horror, the little Slayer then began to snap her fingers to a rythym only she could hear. Angel shook his head in disbelief and then turned around and hit her soundly across the face. Not hard enough to hurt or even bruise her but hopefully enough to ring some bells. Buffy staggered backwards and fell to her butt, a hand upon her cheek. "Sorry," Angel shrugged as he made quick work of the remaining vamps. He immediately dropped to his knees beside her and helped her up. He placed a hand over the one of hers that was still rested on her cheek and said softly, "You need to.." "No lectures," Buffy groaned, grabbing his arm and using it to steady her. "I had a chocolate craving and then I had the munchies. How the hell was I supposed to know?" "Buffy?" Two voices called out in unison from about fifty feet away. Buffy looked up and groaned. "Oh hey, just in time. You missed Spike's welcome to nature party." Buffy informed Giles and Jenny. They exchanged worried glances. "Are you alright?" Giles asked. "For God's sake, what happened?" "Vampires." Oz told them with a nod. "And brownies," Buffy mumbled, taking her seat and pulling Angel down with her. Then she looked up at Giles and Jenny. "I'm fine. We're all fine. It was...an experience." "You're sure you're alright?" Jenny asked. "Yeah, thanks to Angel." Willow said, taking a seat next to Oz. Almost immediately an uneasy silence fell over the group. Then Jenny smiled, "Um, I think we're tired...isn't that right, Rupert." She grinned. "Us old ones need our rest. G'night kids." Giles made as if to protest but Jenny grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the vans. They didn't have to share but everyone pretty much assumed they would anyways. "Um, yes, well..goodnight." Giles finally stammered before disappearing. "Well that was weird," Buffy murmured. "Them and the vampires. But it was awfully nice of Spike to send a welcoming party." Willow giggled and pointed at her, "You should have seen yourself though, Buffy..it was really funny." Both Oz and Xander joined in the laughter. "You even killed one by accident." Xander chuckled. "Maybe we should give you laced brownies more often." "Ha ha..real funny." Buffy replied, sticking out her tongue at Xander and then curling further into Angel's leather jacket. He looked down at her and smirked. "It's not funny at all," Cordelia said quietly. Everyone looked up at her and blinked. Her tone was so low and shaky that none of them were quite convinced that she'd actually spoken. She swallowed hard and said, "Someone could have been seriously hurt." "Cordy, what are you talking about?" Xander asked, reaching for her hand. She evaded it and laced her fingers together. "It's just.." she paused and took a moment to think before whispering, "These things aren't all fun and games. Horrible things can happen and things can go very..very wrong." There was a loud silence interrupted only by the crackling of the fire as the group waited for her to continue. Closing her eyes, she began to speak in a voice so small that the group had to lean forward to hear her. "Back in eighth grade, if you wanted to be anything, you had to be a cheerleader so I was. I was the captain of the team..it was a great honor..everyone looked up to me. Anyways, mid year, the team went to Culver Hills for a retreat..kind of like this except we were in cabins. Our coach that year was Jim Nordhoff." "Didn't he teach math?" Willow asked. Cordelia nodded thoughtfully, "Yeah, yeah, he did. No matter what he taught..we all wanted to be in it. All of us girls had a crush on him. He was young, cute and he loved to hang with us. He acted like one of us and never made us feel like children." She paused a beat and licked her lips. "On the second night of the retreat, he started passing around joints. None of us had ever tried it and some of us were scared but he said it was alright so we believed him. After about an hour of us smoking it and getting really..really high, he stood up and said that he needed to talk to me about new routines. I was the captain..it made sense at the time. I didn't think anything of it." Willow reached over and handed her a paper cup of water. "Here." Cordelia nodded, drank from it but still didn't look up. Taking a deep breath, she continued. "Um...I met him in his cabin..he had one all to himself..after everyone else had gone back to the main one. I thought it was strange when he locked the door but he told me that we were at a camp with other teams and these routines were our secret. God..I can still remember the tone he used when he called it 'our secret'. It was so sneaky and it creeped me." She laughed bitterly. "And then he kissed me and all I could remember thinking at first was 'this is the routine?' I was so stunned that I didn't even realize what was happening and I was so high that I'm not sure I really cared at first. I kept thinking that it was so neat and that all of the other girls would be jealous. I mean..Coach Nordhoff..it was like some pre-pubescent fantasy or something like that. But when he took off my shirt, I knew something wasn't right. I knew. I know I did. And he didn't stop there. I started crying and begging him to stop. Maybe even yelling but it didn't matter." She looked at her hands and stared at the empty cup for a few moments. "After it was over, he leaned down to me and said 'Cordelia...the unattainable black beauty...every guy wants you..every girl wants to be you.' And then he kissed me on the cheek and left. After the door shut, I just cried. I couldn't think of anything else." She laughed again. "And you know..he didn't touch me the rest of the year. I stayed on the team because if I had left..I dunno..I just couldn't do that. It would have been uncool. Couldn't have that. Anyways, on the last day of school, when we were getting our letters, he whispered in my ear, 'Remember what I taught you, Cordelia..you were great.' He transferred to Jackson the next year. Last I heard, he was leading up the champion junior high cheerleading squad for the school. And me...I can't help but wonder if he's done what he did to me to some other girl and if maybe I couldn't have stopped it." "Cordy.." Xander whispered. She shook her head feverishly, silencing him. And for a long moment, that was all there was and then she pushed herself up and away. "I...I..I.." she stammered before tossing the cup down and walking away towards the tents. Buffy immediately stood to follow but Xander clamped a hand on her shoulder and very softly whispered, "Let me." Buffy nodded and gave him a small smile of encouragement before retaking the seat next to Angel. She watched Xander move off towards the shadows which Cordy had disappeared into. Then she looked at Willow and Oz. Not surprisingly, they both looked shaken. Oz rose first, offering a hand to Willow. "We're gonna...go for a walk." Buffy nodded, "Don't go out of calling range, okay? We don't know if any more of Spike's crew is around. I doubt it but just to be safe?" "Sure, Buffy." Willow said, taking Oz's hand and allowing him to lead her away. It was clear that she was troubled but Buffy was quick to discover that she herself was also disturbed by Cordelia's tale. She curled closer to Angel and stared out at the fire, watching the flames leap and dance. Angel gazed at her intently, practically seeing the gears grind in her head. Closing his eyes, he wrapped his arms around her and brought her to his chest. *** Her back was to him when he finally found her standing near the area where the tents the Slayerettes were sharing had been set up. She was leaning against a tree, with her palms spread flat on the trunk. She looked very deep in thought but he could tell by her slight trembling that she was hurting. Reaching out, he wrapped his arms around her and duck-walked them both into the tent he was sharing with Oz and Jonathon. Thankfully neither of them were present. He pushed her to the ground and then lifted her chin with a finger. "Are you alright?" "I don't need your pity. That's not why I told you what happened." Cordelia snapped, pushing away from him roughly. He caught her hands just as they pushed off of his chest, "This isn't my pity. Dammit, I care about you." He felt anger welling up inside of him. "God, why do you have to.." "Have to what, Xander? Have my pride? I don't even know why I brought it up. I've been at peace.." "Maybe you haven't," Xander countered, trying to reach for her again. She flinched away from him, "You don't know what the hell you're talking about, Xander. You never do." "I'm not him, Cordy. I'm not." Xander shot back, grabbing her shoulders. She glared daggers at him and said in an equally icy tone, "Drop it." "No, I won't. We need to talk about this." "No, we don't." She said, turning away from him. "I don't need your sympathetic shoulder to cry on. You're not my big teddy bear, Xander." He looked down and away, "You can't do it, can you?" "Excuse me?" "You can't just let go and believe that someone else could actually give a damn about you. You can't help but be the snobby higher-than-thou self- righteous bitch who pushes everyone away before they can get too close. Don't you understand that you've got to? Why can't you let someone else be there for you? Why does it all have to come back to you?" "Damn you," Cordelia growled. "It's gotta be you, though. Doesn't it? You're strong enough to get through everything by yourself, right? Nothing can ever touch you, right? Well, strike three because that's not true. We're here for you..dammit..I'm here for you." "I don't need this," She hissed, shaking her head. "I'm outta here." "No!" He reached out and grabbed her arm. In a quick deliberate motion, he spun her back towards him but what he got was only the flat of her palm against the swell of his cheek and a loud slapping noise to go with it. He dropped her arm in shocked astonishment and then watched as she quickly fled towards the safety of her own tent. *** She felt the coolness of his lips moving down the inside of her shoulder. Moaning, she reached out and pulled him closer to her, hot on cold but fire just the same. He grinned and pressed his mouth to her feverish skin. She moaned his name as his fingers very gently released another button on the flannel she'd thrown on after Xander had gotten tree sap all over her overalls. He continued his voyage down her flesh with his mouth. He'd protested of course. Said that there were too many people around. He'd been shy and that'd been cute but she'd been quick to assure him that everyone else was too busy doing their own thing. Interruptions, she'd murmured as she'd pulled his shirt off, were highly unlikely. And he'd protested again, albeit lightly, when she'd pushed him down onto the row of three sleeping bags laid out on the floor of the girls' tent. Again, she'd silenced him and now suddenly he was the aggressor. She felt the intensity of his kisses increasing and the hold on her small body tightening as he gave in to her. "Buffy.." he protested once more, this time much weaker. "God, shut up, Angel." Buffy moaned, weaving her hand through his thick hair and pressing his face to her collarbone. This time he didn't bother to protest; he swept her into his arms and and then rolled over so that he was atop her. With a growl that was almost a laugh, he pulled loose the last button of her flannel. "What the hell right does he...oh my God.." Cordelia groaned as she pushed the zipper to the tent up and stepped in. She stared at the couple on the floor with abundant disgust and placed her hands on her hips. Immediately, Angel and Buffy separated from each other albeit reluctantly. "God, guys..get a room. Have some dignity." "Sorry," Angel mumbled, grabbing his shirt and slipping out through the tent flap. Buffy hastened to quickly button up her own shirt. "Sorry 'bout that, Cordy." Cordelia rolled her eyes. "Ever heard of discretion? Learn some manners, Slayer." Buffy allowed the words to just roll past her. It was obvious that the taller girl was still venting. To no great surprise, her revelation had bothered her probably more than she's thought it would. After a brief moment, Buffy asked, "Have you ever talked to anyone else about what happened?" Sighing loudly, Cordelia turned around from Buffy. Talking was not high on her wish list at the moment. "Look, Cordy..we are here for you." Cordelia spun and glared at the little Slayer, "So I've heard. Look, I'm fine. I think you guys are having more trouble with this than I am but if you're so interested in what I want..how about you go run off to your boyfriend and have your fun, okay?" Buffy watched Cordelia turn away from her and reach for a magazine. Shaking her head sadly, she grabbed the throw blanket, wrapped it around herself and stepped out of the tent. She rezipped it and then turned to Angel who'd found a comfortable spot in the shadows. "She okay?" Angel asked, stepping behind her and taking the blanket off her shoulders. She whimpered a bit in protest but quieted when he first wrapped his arms around her and then pulled the blanket around the both of them. Not that he needed the warmth but it still worked better. Shaking her head, she sighed, "I think she and Xander had another fight. Newsflash." "Great." Angel said with a small laugh. Then he pointed towards the abandoned camp-fire pit. "Looks like we're sleeping under the stars tonight." Buffy reached up and kissed him. Then she giggled, "Cool. You've been around long enough...you should know all the constellations." He rolled his eyes and laughed. *** It was well after midnight when Willow slipped into the tent. She zipped it back up and then moved to sit next to Cordelia. The taller girl was still flipping through a magazine but it didn't look like she was paying to much attention to what was in it. "Hey Cordelia," Willow whispered softly. "Hi," Cordy replied tersely. "Are..are you alright?" "Willow..please..I really don't want to talk about this." Cordelia said softly, putting the magazine down next to the sleeping bags. She snapped off the little flashlight and turned on her back. Willow nodded, "Sure. Wow, it's cold." She glanced over at the third sleeping bag, "I saw Buffy and Angel out by the fire..I don't think she'll be needing this tonight. You wanna share?' "Sure," Cordelia replied. "Goodnight, Willow." *** "Hey Jonathon, Xander." "Oz," Xander muttered. He was lying atop of his sleeping bag with his hands folded under his head. Oz spared him a concerned look and then reached into his overnight bag and pullled out a deck of blue-backed cards. "Guys up for a game?" Oz asked, casually bridge-shuffling the cards. Jonathon nodded, "Cool." He scooted over on his butt so that he was sitting on the same sleeping bag as Oz. Xander declined with a slight wave of his hand and then turned back to his own thoughts. Damn her. He'd only tried to be there for her. She was his girlfriend and he was only trying to help. Why did she have to be such a bitch about things? Why couldn't she let anyone in? It wasn't like he would ever turn his back on her but just the same, everytime he tried to get close to her, she would push him away. But it wasn't just the pushing, it was the fact that she threw back fire. She was so damn difficult.. "I gotta pee," Xander said suddenly, jumping to his feet. The boys acknowledged him with mutters and then went back to their game. Xander sighed and stumbled out of the tent and into the cool night air. What he really wanted to do was talk to one of the girls but he doubted that they were available. Since Oz had returned to the tent, that probably meant that Will was now shacking up with Cordelia. As for Buffy...well..one glance over to the campfire confirmed that she was unavailable. No, it could probably wait until morning anyways. So what was left to do but return to the tent? "No," he muttered. Shaking his head, he started to walk towards the campfire. Not towards Buffy and Angel who were talking in hushed tones and accenting just about every sentence with kisses but more towards the opening to the dense woods right behind the clearing. He moved slowly and carefully, determined not to alert either the Slayer or her vampiric boyfriend. Damn the two of them and their heightened senses; it sure did make walking across a camp-ground a lot more difficult. Once he cleared the sight, he sighed. A short walk would clear his head. That's what he needed. To stop thinking about Cordelia and how much she infiriated him. Okay it wasn't working. Ah hell. Why did he let her get under his skin. She knew just what to say. How to hurt him. How to make it stick. Xander growled as he felt his anger rising. Gritting his teeth together, he reached out and slammed his fist into a tree. And then immediately howled in pain. "Smart, Harris." Xander scolded himself as he clenched his injured hand. He lifted his knuckles to his mouth and pressed his lip hard against the top of his hand. Backing away from the tree, he began to mutter at it. And then everything went dark when he collided with the ground. *** Angel watched her sleep; her chest rising and falling with every breath. A small smile played delightfully across her delicate features, dancing to a dream he could only guess about. She murmured softly and curled closer to him. If that was possible. Reaching across the slim body that he held protectively against his own, he lifted up her left wrist. He glanced warily at the watch and sighed. Two hours until daybreak. Just long enough to get to relative safety. That being, of course, a dank and very disgusting sewer system. Careful not to pull the blanket off of her, Angel slipped out from under Buffy's still sleeping body. He was well aware that recent events had brought the young Slayer to the point of a complete mental breakdown from both physical and emotional exhaustion. Hopefully this retreat would go a long way in re-energizing her. He leaned down and kissed her lightly on the forehead and then stood to move away. But she knew. She knew when he wasn't holding her and that was all it took to bring her partly back to her waking senses. "Angel?" Buffy murmured, eyes at half-mast and barely aware. "Shh," Angel whispered, leaning over to place a finger lightly against her lips. A moment later he replaced it with his mouth. After a beat, he reluctantly broke away and said very softly,"I gotta go." "Don't go," she murmured. Angel regarded her with an amused grin; she had no idea what the hell she was saying. He traced a hand across her jawline and watched as she pressed her cheek against his hand and tried to fall back to sleep. It was at times like this when it was easy to forget that she was the all-powerful Slayer. Standing up, he moved away from her. She moaned in complaint but he continued his trek around the campfire. He picked up as many large pieces of wood as he could find and tossed them into the fire along with a newspaper. Once he was satisfied that the flame would keep for awhile, he went back over to Buffy and leaned down next to her. "I gotta go. Sunrise is soon," Angel told her softly as he pulled the blanket tighter around her obviously chilled frame. He held her there for a moment and then very gently dropped her back to the ground. Lying flat on his stomache, he brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes and kissed her on the forehead. "Get some sleep." Then he stood to leave. "No," she whimpered. And then, looking very much like a small child, she grabbed at him and tried to pull him back down to her so that she could curl into his arms. He broke her grasp gently and kissed her again. First on the chin and then on the lips. "I'll be back tonight," Angel reassured her, again pulling her blanketed body into his arms. "You promise?" Buffy slurred, her eyelids dropping closed. "I do," he replied, kissing her again and then reluctantly moving away from her. He pulled the blanket tight around her once more and then stood. Smiling at what appeared to be her sleeping form, he started for the clearing where he'd parked the rental car. "Hey Angel?" Buffy murmured, her voice thick with sleep. "Yeah?" Angel asked as he turned. "I love you." "I love you too, Buffy. Now go to sleep." *** Daybreak brought peace. As she opened her eyes upon the new day, she felt as though she was completely ready to let it all pass over her. She'd slept well and been woken by nothing but the calm swirl of a nearby creek and the musical chirping of birds on the hunt for breakfast. Yawning, both she and Willow stepped out of their tent. Almost immediately Will giggled and pointed towards the campfire. Cordelia smiled also when she saw Buffy lying curled up in a blanket, still sleeping soundly by a barely flickering fire. "What's Buffy doing out there alone?" Giles asked, coming up from behind the two teens. Jenny Calendar stood at his side. Impossibly, Giles was dressed in a vest but at least he'd tried to be nature-boy; he was wearing a white tee- shirt under the vest instead of a dress shirt. Jenny was decked out in jeans and a flannel. Well at least one of them got it. "I doubt she was alone most of the night, Rupert." Jenny said with a grin. "What? Oh..oh." Giles muttered, looking down. "Right, um, well let's get breakfast started, shall we?" Almost as if a magical switch had been thrown, sleepy forms started to emerge from the other tents at the mention of food. Harmony walked over to them and glanced around, "Well, since you people are going to take forever to get breakfast ready, we're going to those disgusting bathrooms for showers." She then shook her head and walked past Buffy, her foot coming within an inch of the girls' head. Fortunately her head was so high up in the air that she didn't even notice Buffy's hand shoot out to grab her ankle and then stop and change direction. Once Harmony and her posse were gone, Buffy sat up and rubbed at her eyes with her fists. "Man...I really don't like her." Buffy groaned. Willow offered her a hand and pulled her to her feet. Then both girls retreated over to one of the logs and placed the blanket over their knees. "Oh hey..um...where's Xander?" Cordelia asked from where she was standing next to Giles and Jenny. She made a face as Giles handed her a stick of butter to use to grease a metal pan. Buffy shrugged and turned to Oz and Jonathon who were just making their way back from the bathrooms. "Is Xander still in the little boys' room?" "He did go.." Jonathon offered weakly. Oz frowned, "Nine hours ago. He wasn't there when we went...in fact we haven't seen him since last night when he left." "What?" Buffy cried, jumping up. "Are you sure?" "Was he upset?" Cordelia threw in, pushing the butter and pan back into Jenny's hands. Neither of the adults looked too terribly concerned. Oz nodded slowly, "Suppose so. He was kinda moody. We didn't really talk about it." Buffy shook her head and glared at Cordelia, "Of course he was mad, Cordy. You always push so much...I mean...why do you always have to be such a bitch to him?" It was apparent by her tone that even though the adults remained calm, the Slayer was not happy. "Buffy!" Willow gasped. Cordelia glared back at Buffy, eyes sparking fire. "I don't have to explain myself to you and it's none of your damn business what happens between he and I anyways," she spat back. "My question is..why didn't you see him leave, Buffy? I mean you did sleep outside last night..oh wait..you were too busy screwing your boyfriend!" "Guys! Enough dammit!" Willow cried out, stepping between the two girls who looked very much like they were ready to brawl. "We're not solving anything this way,"Oz added. "He's right," Giles said, placing a hand on Buffy's shoulder. He gave her a hard look and kept it steady until she backed down from her fighting position. She took a deep breath and then nodded. "I'm sure that Xander just wandered off..he's probably fine. Just the same, we should organize a search party." "Right," Jenny said with a nod. "Why don't the four of you.." she made a sweeping gesture to include Buffy, Willow, Oz and Cordelia, "go down to the creek and look. Rupert and I will check some of the other camp-sites. Jonathon, wait here in case he returns. Tell the other girls to stick when they get back.Okay, gang?" There were general nods of agreement and then Buffy murmured, "We should get some supplies just in case Xander did get himself into trouble." TBC... - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Trey Cash Subject: BUFFYFIC: The End Of The Innocence Pt 1/5 Date: 17 Mar 1998 03:46:08 EST Title: The End of the Innocence Pt 1/5 Author: Alex Queirolo & Erika Rottler Email: treycash@aol.com, Sasheer@Aol.com Distribution: Just ask. Feedback: Absolutely! Please..we're eager to know what y'all thought of our collaboration. Drop us a line. Rating: PG-14 at best..extreme situations..see CONTENT WARNING below. Spoilers: When She Was Bad..basically everything up until PASSION. *** AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story takes about three months after "I Will Survive" and "That Was the Day". In this time-line, everything up until "Passion" occured but that is where they split. For the important back story, please read "I Will Survive". CONTENT WARNING: We need to be up-front about this; this piece is NOT meant for minors to read. It tells of graphic violent events and speaks rather frankly of sexual situations. However, there is no actual sex involved in this piece. It is rather unflinching and at points crude. We hope you will agree however that nothing is out of place. Again, this story contains violence, intense language, extreme angst and rather explicit discussions of sexual situations. DISCLAIMER: The only character in this piece that belongs to us is Asher. All of the others belong to Joss "Da Man" Whedon and Co. Them are gods..we are students. No bad is meant by this. *** He groaned and tried to lift it up and into the air. With a sigh of defeat, he allowed it to drop back to the black asphalt of the parking lot with a loud thudding noise. "It's too heavy," he whimpered, turning to glare at Cordelia Chase. Growling he asked, "What the hell did you pack? Your whole damn room?" "Funny, Xander," Cordelia replied with a grin that was entirely too large. She nodded her head towards Buffy and said with a smirk,"Buffy understands." She turned to look at the blonde haired Slayer for back-up. Buffy just sighed and rolled her eyes. Crossing over to Xander, she reached down and with a grunt tossed the overstuffed duffle into the beige van parked in the faculty lot of Sunnydale High. "We're only going for three days," Xander insisted. "Right, Buff?" "Sorry, Xand..us girls gotta pack more than just boxers and socks," Buffy replied with a grin as she single-handidly finished loading the van. "Yeah, gang up on me," Xander grumbled. "Hey Will, you're with me, right?" "All that matters is that you believe that," Willow replied, turning back to some coversation that she was having with Oz. "Fine, I see how it is. Just no one better look at me if we fall over a bridge and sink to the bottom of a river because Cordelia's luggage has made us heavier than the whole Ringling Brothers circus." Xander shot back. Buffy chuckled and rolled her eyes. "We're not going over any bridges, Xander." Giles said as he and Jenny Calendar walked past him and the other teens. They seemed to both be concentrating on a piece of paper that had a lot of scribbles on it. Presumably directions to White Wolf Creek. "Giles," Xander groaned. Again Buffy chuckled. "Hey Cordelia!" A shrill called out from the entrance gate to the parking lot. The teens all looked up to see Harmony Cates and three of her friends moving towards them. Cordelia smiled weakly at her friend. "Why don't you come with us and lose the social reject project?" Cordelia opened her mouth to reply and then thought better of it. "We'll see you there, Harmony." She finally said. Harmony snickered and then snapped her fingers and started towards the second beige van. A low growling noise brought their attention to the young boy in back who was trudging Harmony's suitcase along and grunting. He looked up at Xander, "Please..please..I'm begging you...are you sure you guys don't have room for one more?" Xander grinned, "Sorry man. I suggest using the Walkman and playing heavy metal. Trust me..it works." Jonathon sighed and very dejectedly moved after Harmony. Buffy watched him sympathetically and then with a slight shake of her head, she turned away and looked at Xander. Reaching out, she grabbed his arm and pulled him over to the side of the van. "Hey, I got something for you," she said to him, a small almost shy smile on her face. "Oh yeah?" Xander asked, perking up. "Down boy," Buffy grinned. "It's nothing major. Just something to help you feel like a man." She winced at her own choice of words. "It sounded better in my..oh here...just take it!" She thrust out her hand and opened her palm to reveal her gift. "Wow," he whistled. "Cool." He leaned forward and removed a knife from her palm. Turning it over in his hands, he grinned at the design of it. It was about three to four inches in length with a slopping tip. The entire stainless steel blade folded back into an aged oak handle. It wasn't a hunting knife but it was perfect for camping purposes. "My dad gave it to me when I saw him last weekend. Not really my style but I thought maybe you'd jam on it," Buffy said by way of explanation. "Thanks Buffster," Xander grinned, leaning forward to give her a quick hug. "Alright kids, lock and load." Jenny Calendar called out, walking towards them. She was holding a blue clip-board in her right hand and a plastic bottle of Pepsi in the other. "It's time to hit the road." The kids let out a collective cheer. Buffy looked up at Xander, gave him a quick peck on the cheek and then broke away from him and rushed towards the passenger door. "Shot-gun." "No fair, Slayer!" Xander cried out, looking to the others for help. "Well..it's not fair.." Cordelia sighed loudly and then very gently slapped Xander on the arm, "You're sitting with me anyways, Xander." He looked at her and then noddded and grinned. Then he looked up in alarm. "What?" She asked quickly. "Oh hey..hang a sec...there was something I wanted to give you too." Xander said with a grin. She arched an eyebrow. "Oh yeah?" "Uh huh. Come here." He took her by the elbow and led her a few feet away from the van. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a silver chain with a small silver ring on it. "This..is for you. That is..I got it..or I'm giving it..or something...dammmit Cordelia...it's yours." She smiled and took the neckalce from him, moving the ring up on the chain so that she could examine it. "Wow..it's incredible." She whispered. And it was. It was a solid silver band all the way around except for one part at the top where the silver split and then rejoined. She put it around her neck and smiled up at him again. He returned the expression and then leaned forward and kissed her. After a few moments she broke away and looked up at him. "What? You think just because you gave me a gorgeous ring that you're entitled to smoochies?" "Well?" he said pathetically, eyebrow arched in confusion. Then she shrugged. "You are." Grinning she reached up and pulled his head down to her so that she could initiate the kiss. "Come on, love-birds...we outtie." Buffy called from the van. She gave them a grin and then rolled her eyes. Looking behind her, she nodded to Oz and Willow also. Once the group was loaded into the van, Jenny shouted across the lot to where Giles was trying to cajole Harmony and company into the other van. "We're outta here, Rupert. See ya there." She looked back at the Scooby Gang as they so called themselves. "You kids ready?" "Yup, let's get outta this hellmouth," Xander quipped from the back-seat as he belted himself in. "Good enough," Jenny grinned, starting the ignition. Buffy leaned across the seat, "By the way, how did you manage to get Giles to be willing to drive the dode patrol? It was hard enough just getting him to sign up to chaperone this retreat." "Well..you convinced him to come by saying you could get in trouble...which is why his bag is loaded with every weapon known to man and I convinced him to drive that van by using a two headed nickel." "You didn't!" Willow gasped, honestly looking shocked. Jenny grinned again, "You never know." *** "Vogue or Allure?" Willow asked, holding up two magazines. Cordelia frowned for a moment and then took the Allure. Settling back against the seat, she opened it and began to casually leaf through it. Xander chuckled and then made a loud sighing noise and stretched out his legs. Sighing again, he dropped his head into Cordelia's lap and closed his eyes. "Nap-time." Rolling up the magazine, Cordelia bent down next to his ear and whispered, "Of course it is." Then she shoved him off her and into the wedge between the seat and the seat-back in front of them. "Just not on me." Xander groaned and then sat up, looking at her with his saddest puppy-dog look. Finally she relented and he curled up with his head against her. Buffy chuckled and then looked over at Willow and Oz. Her eyes narrowed when she saw the black box that Oz was playing was. "Heya, could I..uh..play that when you're done?" He looked up at her and grinned, "Sure, Buffy." "Cool," she chirped, leaning forward to drum her fingers over the tuning buttons of the radio. In the few short minutes that they'd been in the van so far, she'd alternated between REM and Air Supply already. "Just relax kids, "Jenny said with a small smile. "We'll be there before you know it." *** "Dammit. Dammit. Dammit! Die!" Buffy yelled as she shook the black Game-Boy back and forth. Oz and Willow exchanged amused glances. Then with a slight chuckle, Will leaned forward and wrapped an arm over the seat and said softly, careful not to further irritate the frustrated Slayer, "Buffy..maybe you should..give me...the Game-Boy." "Touch it and die, Will." Buffy muttered, shaking it again. "Dammit, hey..you cheated!" She growled at the blinking screen. She looked up at the faces watching her. "I'm fine..really. The big slimy eye-ball dude just keeps kicking my Slayer ass and it's really starting to piss me off. No worries. Die bastard!" She immediately refocused on the screen. "Wow..loony bin much?" Cordelia quipped, nudging Xander. His only response was a low-pitched snore that made her frown. She considered giving him a harder push but was interrupted by an announcement from Ms. C. "We're here gang." Jenny said, glancing over to where Buffy was sitting. The young Slayer seemed oblivious to her words. She shook her head and then looked back at the others. "Do any of you see Rupert?" Everyone but Buffy turned to look. Willow squinted her eyes. "I don't...wait." Craning her neck, she looked closer. "Yeah, wait..there they are." Looking back up at Jenny, Willow sighed. "Only two more things left to do before we can start setting up camp." "What's that?" Jenny asked. "Wrestle the Game-Boy away from Buffy and uh..." she nodded to Xander. "I'll take care of that, "Cordelia said with a wicked grin. Leaning down, she pressed her lips to his ear and then blew very softly. That was all it took. Xander jumped forward, "I didn't do it!" He looked around wildly and saw everyone but Buffy watching him. And laughing at him. "That was wrong," he growled. "Whatever. You loved it." Cordelia grinned. "That's right, that's right....you are so going down you ugly rat thingee!" Buffy cried out, still staring at the screen with a glazed look. Xander lifted an eyebrow. "Lookie, lookie..the Slayer is as nutty as an almond cookie." "You just think that up?" Cordelia asked. Xander favored her with an annoyed scowled. She simply winked, "Thought so. It was kinda cute..in an adolescent kinda way." He moved his head slightly to acknowledge her comment with a silent sarcastic nod. "Alright kids, pile out..daylight is fading and we gotta get the tents up." Jenny said as she got out of the van. Xander was the first of the students out and he quickly jumped up and down and then turned to face the others. "Ah..fresh air. You gotta love a school that allows a camping retreat." "Oh yeah...fun." Cordelia groaned. The Senior/Junior weekend retreat was very much something she had mixed feelings about. She wasn't a big fan of nature but on the other hand..she was with friends. The Junior/Senior retreat commitee had rented out all of White Wolf's camp- sites so that there were ten students at each of the well spaced sites for a total of something like one hundred and fifty students. And the surrounding area was about ten miles of forest. It was just beautiful. Just the same, originally the gang had had no intention of participating in the retreat until Snyder had nailed them all for leaving campus and made it mandatory. Anything to mess with them. And so now their options were go and hate it or go and shove it back in Snyders' face by having a good time. The latter option seemed more preferable. "well, it's good to see that you're all in one piece," Giles said, coming towards them from the other van. The five members of that van were all of Cordelia's official clique and the only reason they were on the trip was that they were the planning commitee. And the only reason they were that was because it looked good on their college applications. Well except for poor Jonathon..he actually liked camping. "Did you have a nice trip?" Oz asked as he helped Willow pull one of the tents off of the roof of the van. Willow unsnapped a bungee cord and then giggled as it sprang away. Oz favored her with a large smile. Giles shook his head, "Let's just..get the tents up so I can go lay down and take a long nap." Grinning, Xander headed over to help Willow and Oz, "It's always all work and no play with you, G-Man. Where's your sense of fun? Come on..." "My sense of fun must have dribbled out the window with the sixth continuous playing of Nine Ounce Knuckles or whatever the bloody hell that was," Giles retorted. Both Jenny and Xander exchanged amused glances. "Nine Inch Nails, Rupert." Jenny soothed. "Right. Yes. Um, where's Buffy?" He glanced around at the others to ensure that he hadn't missed his Slayer but sure enough, she was seemingly unaccounted for. Willow laughed and then put a hand over her mouth to contain her chuckles. Oz pointed towards the passenger seat, "She's into some serious slayage. Beware." Giles walked around the van and over to the passenger door. Sure enough, there she was. Focused. Determined. Into the hunt. Deadly. All the things he's ever asked of her. Of course her prey was a blinking screen. "Buffy.." "In an minute, Giles..I'm fighting ucky skeleton boy. He's going down," she breathed quickly, her fingers continuing to punch out a frantic rythym on the Game-Boy's control panel. Her eyes remained locked on the screen so she never saw him move in for the kill and then pull the game away from her. "Hey!" "Buffy.." "Dammit, Giles...give it back," Buffy growled, advancing on him. "Buffy, calm down." Giles said softly, lifting it above his head. "This is for your own good. I'm cutting you off now before you put yourself or anyone else in danger." "The only one gonna be in danger is you..now come on..." "No..." "Giles..." He shook his head. She stared at him for a moment and then decided to change her approach. Immediately her bottom lip began to waiver. "Aw come on, please? A few more minutes can't hurt..please?" "I'm sorry," Giles replied, passing the game to Jenny who was laughing entirely too much in Buffy's opinion. "Don't you love me, Giles?" Buffy tried again, looking at him desperately. He sighed, "I'll make you a deal. Help us get the tents up and I'll grant you supervised visiting rights." She considered it and then reluctantly nodded, Grumbling, she stalked over to where Xander was standing. Jenny lifted an eyebrow at Giles and then shook her head. "Problems, Buff?" Xander asked, handing her a long metal pole. All he knew about it was that it belonged somewhere in the framing of the tent. After that..well...he was pretty much lost. Of course Willow and Cordy weren't helping; they'd already managed to construct the frame of theirs and they weren't giving the self proclaimed nature boy any hints. And Oz? Well on Willow's advice, he was off with Jonathon collecting wood to start the fire. "Giles is a big meanie," Buffy grunted, slamming the pole into the ground with the force equal to that of it having been hammered in. Xander looked up, "Right. That's where it goes." He shook his head and rested a comforting hand on her overall clad shoulder, "It'll be okay. You'll get Mr. Game-Boy back with good behavior." "That's right, Xander..keep laughing..just remember..I know where you sleep." Buffy hissed, grabbing another pole from him and slamming it into the ground just like the first. Then she looked up at him and smiled evily. "Not that I would everrrrrr hurt you..that is." "Uh huh," he nodded, "I'm believing that." *** With Buffy's feverish help, they managed to finish getting the tents up well before dark fell and then they got the fire going. They acutually had to push the logs they were using to sit on back a few feet after Willow inadvertingly built something that better resembled a five star blaze than a camp-fire. Dinner duty fell to the adults as they were the only ones who weren't complaining of chronic fatigue. What was constructed was certainly better than cafeteria food but not quite gourmet. Just the same, Xander was more than happy to finish off the extras. After a few minutes of after-dinner silence, both Giles and Jenny stood. "We're going to take the dishes down to the creek," Jenny told them, not bothering to add that they would probably take a little walk also. It was a beautiful night for an after-dinner stroll through nature. "You kids think you can handle it?" Giles asked, more to the outsiders to the group than to the Slayerettes. Xander waved off the two adults, "No worries...we've got it covered. Hey Oz- man...pass the marshmallows." Oz tipped his head in acknowledgement and then tossed the bag about five feet over the roaring fire and into Xander's hand. Immediately, Xander passed one to Cordelia who was sitting next to him, curled against him with his arm around her. She chose to forego the roasting of it and instead popped it into her mouth. Xander sighed and decided to give up on his attempts to teach her the ways of camping. "Hey losers, a peace offering." Harmony chirped, crossing over to them. Not suprisingly, her group was right at her heels. Thrusting her hand out, she produced a glass dish. "Brownies. All yours. Don't break the dish." She pushed it into Xander's hand and then nodded to her friends. Immediately they turned and moved back towards the tent at the very border of the camp-site. No..they were most certainly not in danger of over-socializing. "My new best friend," Xander called after her as he hastily ripped through the tin-foil packaging to get to the brownies. "Oh, lucky me," Harmony shot back. Her words were followed by giggles as the girls disappeared into the tent. Xander popped a brownie into his mouth and then passed the dish to Cordelia. "Here. Yummy." He said between a mouthful of brownie. Cordelia rolled her eyes. She eyed the dish suspiciously for a moment and then sighed and took one herself. She then placed the dish on Buffy's knees. The Slayer didn't even react. "Buffy..food." Willow whispered. Buffy glanced down and away from the Game- Boy screen. Quickly she took two of them and jammed them into her mouth. It rather single-handedly killed the notion of being lady-like. Oz chuckled and took the dish from her so that she could return to the game that she'd stolen back from Giles' things while he and Ms.C had been making dinner. "Okay," Willow chirped, "Truth or dare." "Cool," Oz grinned. "Three days a month...I need a body wax." Cordelia laughed and then narrowed her eyes and focused on the Slayer whose gaze was locked rather intently on the Final Fantasy game being played out on the game rested in her palms. "Buffy..truth or dare?" "Truth," Buffy muttered, not looking up. "Damn bastards. Fight me...are you scared? That's right..bring it on." "When was the last time you and Angel were..you know...together?" Cordelia questioned, knowing that it would eventually get Buffy's attention. "Thurs..wha..what?" Buffy asked, looking up with blue eyes full of shock. Xander started cackling but when she turned her deadly gaze on him, he lost it completely and began to laugh. A moment later, he found himself off of the log he was sitting on, rubbing his bruised bottom and glaring at the marshmallow that had blind-sided him. "Owww." And then he started laughing again. Cordelia shook her head at him and then pulled him back up. "Truth or dare, Cordy." Buffy asked, returning her focus to the game. Cordelia narrowed her eyes, "Dare." A few long moments of silence passed and then Buffy finally grunted and punched the start button to pause the game. "Damn litttle little bug things." Looking up she asked, "I'm sorry..did you say.." "Dare." Cordelia reitterated. "Okay. Hm...okay...kiss Xander." Buffy grinned, her mind churning. Cordelia shrugged and leaned in towards Xander to give him a peck on the lips but Buffy quickly reached across and put a hand between them. "Nuh uh. A real kiss, Cordy." "You're evil." "Turnaround is fair play." Buffy laughed. "And you said dare." "Fine." Still glaring at the chuckling Slayer, Cordelia reached forward and grabbed the collar of Xander's flannel and pulled him to her. Not that he was resisting. Just the same, she wasn't very big on PDA's. Which of course didn't explain how explosive things almost got when their lips touched and the kiss deepened. He wrapped his arm around her and she tried to wrap her hand around his neck. Which was of course when they both lost their balance and went tumbling to the dirt. "Woah," Oz said, "I'm thinking NC-17." Willow giggled and reached for another brownie. She passed the plate back to Buffy who'd already consumed half of it anyways. Buffy, having returned to the game, fumbled for the brownie for a few moments and then managed to break off an edge and stuff it into her mouth. Willow began to laugh harder. "Okay, truth or dare, Will?" Xander asked, scowling at the empty plate of brownies. He shot Buffy a look but then found that he couldn't keep a straight face without giggling like a school girl. "Truth," Willow all but sang. She was grinning like a fool. "Um.." Xander stared at his fingers for a minute and then laughed. Then looking back up at Willow, he narrowed his eyes and asked, "Who are you? Who are you really?" Buffy looked up and lifted an eyebrow, "Oh that was..." then she frowned. "Hm..oh hey...what was I saying?" Xander started to laugh. He looked up at her and tried to talk,"Oh hey..Buff...um..Buffy.." He tried to look behind her but ended up doubling over in laughter instead. Cordelia glanced up at the shadows forming behind Buffy and a look of fear crossed over her face. But it didn't stay very long before amusement won out. Giggling almost hysterically, she turned to Buffy, "Truth or dare?" "I already took my turn, "Buffy replied, not looking up. "Dammit, Oz..I think this thing is broken...this little dude with the horns..he's floating or something." She shook the game and then stared at it again with an annoyed expression. "Stop moving." "Truth or dare, Buffy." Cordelia asked again, falling down beside Xander on the ground. "Definately an..or something...uh..truth?" "Do you like vampires?" "There's only one I like and he doesn't move half as much as these stupid little men. Oz! What the hell is wrong with this thing? Oh my God..he's..he's..what the hell is he doing?" She turned the game sideways and then turned her head also. "Buffy..vampires..there's..um....one..no three..no sex..d'oh..I said sex," Xander chortled, holding his sides. "Sex? Where?" Cordelia asked. Then she looked up at Xander and they both exclaimed, "Oh shit! Vampires!" And then they began to laugh again. Buffy leapt upwards and dropped the game to the log. She watched as the ground began to spin. "Bad guys! Bad guys! Yes!" "Right!" Xander yelled, reaching over to grab Cordelia's hand. "We can dance to it!" The vampires all exchanged amused glances and the largest, presumably the leader smirked when he said, "Oh this is gonna be fun. And Spike worried that six of us couldn't stir up enough trouble." Laughing, he reached towards the woozy Slayer. Buffy took a step backwards and reached down to grab a marshmallow stick that had been charred on the end. She then proceded to jab it at the vampire in a playful but certainly un-Slayer like manner. "On guard." She cried. The vampire stared at her in shock and just watched as she delivered jab after jab, while continuously making silly taunts. He should have been paying more attention though because one of her playful jabs sent the stick directly into his heart. As the dust settled about her shoulders, she stared at it almost sadly before shrugging and chirping, "Oops, my bad." "Oh...that had to hurt," Willow observed as she started to turn. "Not as much as you'll hurt when I break your neck," a second vampire growled, grabbing her by the throat. He pressed his teeth to her throat and growled, "You're a cute one." Willow's eyes widened as all of the humor of the situation seeped away and she realized just what intense danger she and all of her friends were in. "Buffy!" Willow screamed towards her bouncy and still completely out of it friend. "No Slayer to help you this time," the vamp laughed. Eyes wide in horror, she began to squirm, desperately fighting to break his hold. TBC... - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Trey Cash Subject: BUFFYFIC: The End Of The Innocence 3/7 Date: 17 Mar 1998 03:56:00 EST Title: The End of the Innocence Pt 3/7 Author: Alex Queirolo & Erika Rottler Email: treycash@aol.com, Sasheer@Aol.com Distribution: Just ask. Feedback: Absolutely! Please..we're eager to know what y'all thought of our collaboration. Drop us a line. Rating: PG-14 at best..extreme situations..see CONTENT WARNING below. Spoilers: When She Was Bad..basically everything up until PASSION. *** AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story takes about three months after "I Will Survive" and "That Was the Day". In this time-line, everything up until "Passion" occured but that is where they split. For the important back story, please read "I Will Survive". CONTENT WARNING: We need to be up-front about this; this piece is NOT meant for minors to read. It tells of graphic violent events and speaks rather frankly of sexual situations. However, there is no actual sex involved in this piece. It is rather unflinching and at points crude. We hope you will agree however that nothing is out of place. Again, this story contains violence, intense language, extreme angst and rather explicit discussions of sexual situations. DISCLAIMER: The only character in this piece that belongs to us is Asher. All of the others belong to Joss "Da Man" Whedon and Co. Them are gods..we are students. No bad is meant by this. *** Buffy took the lead, carrying the back-pack on her shoulders. She'd loaded it with a rope in case Xander had managed to fall down a hill or something, a gallon of water which hung from the side of the pack, a blanket and a very downsized first aide kit. Just band-aids and stuff. It would suffice. She looked over her shoulder and saw Willow and Oz trailing a few feet back talking in hushed tones and carrying on a thumb war while trying to walk without tripping. And behind them, about five to six feet back was Cordelia who was still very obviously still fuming from her argument with Buffy. "Xander?" Buffy cried out, her voice echoing in the crisp morning air. She pulled her black and grey flannel shirt tighter around her. She called out for her missing friend again and heard both Willow and Oz repeat the call. "Over here," came a voice from just beyond the trees; by the creek. "Xander!" The quartet cried out in sinc. They all exchanged amused glances and Buffy lifted an eyebrow. Shaking her head, she grabbed Willow by the arm and took off towards the sound of Xanders' voice. When they got there, they found him standing by the creek. He had his back to them but they could see that he was swirling a long stick in the water. He tapped his foot against the muddy embankment and then turned to smile at them. "Xander? Are you alright?"Willow asked hurriedly as she moved over to inspect him for injuries. He put out a hand to stop her. "Hey guys, I'm fine. I just came down here to think..I guess I lost track of time. Sorry if I worried you." Xander said, still smiling. He dropped the stick into the water. "Well..as long as your're alright," Buffy replied, torn between scolding or hugging him. She finally settled on playfully punching him on the shoulder. "Great. He's fine. Can we get back to camp so I can shower?" Cordelia asked with irritation weighing down her voice. It was better than letting any of them know how worried she'd actually been. "Ya, wouldn't want you to have a bad hair day. Oh wait..that's every day," Xander quipped dryly. "Hey guys, no fighting before breakfast, ok?" Oz pleaded. Xander laughed, "Sure. Oh heyyyy...I found something." He made an excited motion with his hands," You guys have got to see it. It is so cool." "Where it is?" Willow asked. "And what is it?" "Not too far and it's well...no...I can't put it into words. You've got to see it with your own eyes." Xander gushed, reaching out to grab Buffy. He spun her quickly. "It's amazing." Buffy laughed, "Okay. Five minutes extra won't kill us." She shrugged and wrapped an arm around his. "Nope," Xander said with a strange smile, "But it is killer...trust me." "I'd prefer to go back," Cordelia protested, hands on her hips. "Then go," Xander countered. "You've been against this whole trip so far..why not this?" "That is so not true," Cordelia growled. "You know what? I don't need any of this...I'm going back.." "Wait a minute," Willow said softly. She reached out and grabbed Cordelia by the arm. Dragging her a few feet away, the girls had a quiet but very animated conversation that ended with Cordy yelling "Fine.". Willow smiled back over at the others. "We're ready now, Xander." "Excellent." Oz smiled. Then he looked at Buffy. "Hey, why don't you let me carry the pack for awhile. It will..increase my feeling of manliness." Willow laughed at him and grabbed his arm. Buffy smirked and very willingly handed over the back. "Ready gang?" Xander asked. Buffy grinned and looked up at Xander, "Lead on, Xand-man." "Gladly," he replied, sticking a hand into the pocket of his jeans. They walked for a few minutes, ten at least, with Buffy and Xander at the top. Once again Willow and Oz walked in the middle and Cordelia brought up the end. She continued to grumble to herself, eyes locked on the back of Xanders' head. He, of course, seemed oblivious to it all. He continued to chat merrily with Buffy; making her laugh at his stupid jokes. And then he stopped. And looked around. "You sure you know where we are, Xand?" Buffy asked with an amused grin. She turned so that she was facing him instead of standing side-by-side with him. "The way you've lead us...I doubt we'll ever find our way out of here." Eyes turning like slabs of rock, he whispered, "That's the plan, Slayer." And then he jerked his hand forward and slapped it with a hard twist of his wrist against her stomache. Buffy gasped and looked up at him with horror and pain reflected in her waterty blue eyes. She gasped his name as an uncertain question. He watched as she turned towards the others, standing only on the strength of her will-power. Wavering and trembling fiercely, she reached down to her stomache and pulled the knife she'd given him the day earlier out of her. She looked at her blood drenched hands in shocked wonder and then her eyes rolled back and her knees turned to jello. With a anguished whimper, the little Slayer crashed to the forest floor; blood streaking upwards and staining her flannel. As she hit the ground, several twigs snapped under the sudden weight. "Buffy!" Willow screamed, dropping to her friends' side. She wasted no time in ripping the flannel away and peeling Buffy's white shirt up so that she could inspect the wound. Cordelia rolled her eyes, "Oh hysterical, guys. How long did it take you to come up with this?" Oz, who'd dropped down next to Willow and Buffy, stared up at her in horror. He then reached over and grabbed one of Willow's now blood soaked hands and lifted it so that Cordelia could see it. "No joke...oh God..." "Xander, what have you done?" Willow begged as she took Oz's flannel and pressed it against Buffy's wound. The Slayer continued to tremble but somehow managed to stay both quiet and consious. "I've had fun," Xander grinned. "Research boy got to do some damage. Damn..I don't think I've killed someone since the last time Buffy let me save her life." Then he frowned. "But I want more fun." With a shake of his head, he reached down and picked up the discarded bloody knife. He wiped it clean with the tail of his shirt. "Willow!" Cordelia screamed. Xander cocked his head and smiled, "Aw..too late." And with that he shoved the knife to Willow's throat. "Stand up, Wills." His voice left little room for argument. Gazing evenly at Oz he said, "Don't even think about it, Wolf- Boy...I will bleed her dry before you lift your foot. Trust me, you don't want to piss me off." "Xander, please.."Willow whispered. "Buffy.." "Shut up," he growled. "I'm sick of always hearing about Buffy. It's always her." "I've been saying that forever," Cordelia muttered. Then she looked up at him, "But this isn't you. You're not you. You must be possessed or something." "Oh yeah," Xander laughed, "Dream on. This is me." He shoved the knife harder against Willow's throat. "All me. I guess I just had it with all of your self- righteous, self-absorbed all-me ways. Maybe I thought I'd teach you a lesson." Then he shrugged. "Or maybe I just wanted to play." "Play-time is over,Xander. Buffy needs a doctor," Cordelia snapped back, dropping down next to Oz. "Nuh uh..both of you up and away from our unfortunate Slayer." Xander growled. Then he pointed the knife away from Willow and towards Buffy. "As of right now, she's out of the game. It's just us." Then he turned back to Cordelia. "Up, love of mine...and get the rope out of the pack. And the water. Go on, Oz..help her out. Let's make this quick." Oz unstrapped the pack and opened it up so that he could get the rest of the rope. His eyes caught on the first aide kit and he locked gazes with Cordelia. She nodded almost imperctibly. Reaching across, she took the rope from Oz and lifted the first aide kit under the bulk of it. "You really are a dumb bitch, aren't you?" Xander growled. "Damn, Cordelia...you know...brains never were your strong suit so stop trying to use what you don't have." He grabbed her by the wrist and forced her to drop the kit. Picking it up himself, he threw it into the woods. "Now, you two walk in front of me...Willow will stay with me until we get to where we're going. Move out, glitter bunnies." Cordelia threw him a disgusted look and then started to move slowly forward. Oz did likewise. Xander grinned and sighed and then wrapped his arm around Willow and held her close to him as they slowly walked behind the others. "God, do you know how great it feels when a plan comes together, Will? It's awesome." "Xander..please." She said softly, tears falling down her cheeks."She needs help..she'll die...please..please..." "Shut up, Will. You're pissing me off now. Man..right when we were beginning to be okay with each other," Xander said in exasperation. He made a noise with the air between his tongue and his cheek and then pressed the knife harder against Willow's throat, drawing a drop of blood. She gasped more in surprise than pain but the sound just the same caused Oz to spin around in horror. Xander smirked at him and then gazed around the area, "Okay, hey..this is far enough." He took the knife away from Willow's throat and then tossed her against Oz, causing them to both crumble to the ground. "Cordelia, sweetheart, tie them up for me." "Why don't you do it yourself," Cordelia growled, throwing the rope to the ground. His face contorted into a visage of pure rage. She barely had time to think before his hand connected soundly with her cheek. She closed her eyes tightly and bit back on the pain. "Dammit, do it or they all die." Her face still stinging, she glared at him challenging. But then she saw the mental image of Buffy lying bloody and only semi-consious on the ground. He was serious. Slowly, the defiant resolve melted away and she bent down to comply. She crawled over to where Oz was holding Willow against his chest and lifted the rope up in a gesture that showed how helpless she was. He nodded understandingly. "You okay, Willow?" Cordelia whispered as she began to wrap the rope around Oz and the young hacker. Willow nodded slowly and her eyes widened as she saw their assilant walk up behind Cordelia. "Get down next to them, Cordy. Gotta tie you up, too. " "Xander, please, what's wrong with you..this...this isn't you." Willow insisted. "What do you know about me, Wills? That I'm sweet ol' lovable Xander. Side- kick extrordinaire and the loyal love-struck puppy-dog of the almighty Slayer?" Then he shook his head, "As for what's wrong with me? Nothing...I feel..." he paused and then promptly burst into song, "I feel pretty!" Then with a laugh, he bent down and began to tie the rope tightly around the trio. He made a loose knot and then sat down, pointing the knife at the threesome. "Here's how it goes..you've got a decision to make, Cordelia." "Oh? What's that..you want me to decide whether to kill you or just maim you?" She growled. He dipped his head towards her in annoyed acknowledgement. "No, you get to choose who stays and who goes. That could mean who lives and who dies if y'all piss me off enough." "What?" Cordelia whispered. Xander sighed impatiently, "Spell it out, much? Alright, let me walk you through this..I see it's gonna take that much. Either you or Oz is gonna be set free. No, no..let me cut off your question..why? Right? Why? Because it's apart of the game and no game is as fun without a chance for the other team to win. So this is your chance. One of you two gets to try and find help..not that you have a prayer of it..but you get to try..before I decide to play slice and dice boy with the rest of you." "Xander.." "Your choice, Cordy. You or wolfy. Make it smart." Cordelia turned her head away from him. Closing her eyes, she saw the image of Buffy flash in her mind again. Assuming that the Slayer was still alive, her time had to be growing short so whoever went for help had to be able to cover ground in a time effecient manner. That would mean Oz..afterall, wasn't it possible that he still had some of his wolf tracking instincts even though he wasn't weirded out? But it was more than that. Because when it was all said and done, what it eventually came down to was the question of whether or not she had the right to condemn another person to death. "I'll stay." "No!" Oz yelled. Xander silenced him with a dramatic point of the knife. Then he looked back at Cordelia. "Good choice. Perhaps there still are a few working brain cells left in there, Cordy. Maybe we didn't smoke them all out of ya just yet, eh?" He laughed and bent to untie Oz. "Under two conditions." Cordelia said suddenly, voice sharp but emotionless. Xander turned back towards, the laughter gone. "Excuse me? Maybe I was wrong about the brain cells. Hello...I don't think so. This ain't your game, pom-pom girl." "Yeah, well..if you want me to play, you'll let the others go.." "Not happening. I said Oz..don't push it or I'll let you all go with nice little slits in your neck." "Fine," she growled, "Then at least bring Buffy back over here and let Willow try to help her. Afterall, what do you have to lose? You know we won't leave her here. We're trapped with you." Xander tapped the knife against his teeth as he thought about it. Finally he shrugged, "Sure..what do I care? We can watch her die in front of us. Yeah..yeah..that'll be fun. You know...payback for watching Jesse die in front of me." "Xander," Willow gasped. "Why thank you, Will. You just volunteered to go bring Buffy over her. I do love you." He finished untying them and then he tapped Oz on the shoulder. "Off with you now." Oz stood reluctantly and looked at the girls. Willow nodded and he very slowly began to move off. Then Xander pushed Willow towards Buffy. When she protested that dragging her would only further injure the Slayer, he promptly laughed and said, "And that's a problem..why?" Finally, she moved to help Buffy. About five minutes later, she reappeared half-dragging and half-carrying the semi-consious Slayer. She threw down her jacket and laid Buffy on it. Xander watched for a few minutes and then bent to finish untying Cordelia. As she'd said, with Buffy unable to do anything to save herself, the other girls were also trapped. "Are you enjoying the game, Cordy?" Xander whispered into her ear, his fingers grazing her left cheekbone. Cordelia snorted derisively," Not likely." "Aw, don't sweat it..because things are about to get even more interesting. I promise." He glanced over at Willow who was working feverishly to prevent the trembling Slayer from bleeding to death. He shook his head and sighed. "We're gonna start a new game. It's kinda like...truth or dare. Like last night. Only one itty bitty little change. See in this game..I ask all the questions and you answer them all." "Xander, please..I know you're angry about last night but.." "This isn't about last night you stupid bitch. God, do you really think that the entire world revolves around you?" Xander hissed as his eyes turned to cold hard slits. "Fine," she agreed icily, "It has nothing to do with last night." A smile slowly reappeared on his face, "So..you wanna play? Oh, come on..I know you do. Ooh ooh...this is gonna be so much fun." "Umm, Xander?" Willow called out, her voice shaky. Cordelia turned her head to look at Willow who was sitting next to Buffy, pressing a light colored flannel against Buffy's wound. By the dark red tint beginning to overtake the cloth, it was obvious that Buffy was not in a good way. "Xander?" Willow called out again but just as before, he seemed oblivious to her. Cordelia made a dramatic motion of pointing towards Willow and Buffy so that Xander would have to see it. He blinked and then turned towards them. Sounding almost bored, he drawled, "What?" "Um, can..can I have Cordelia's jacket?" Willow asked. She looked over at Cordelia questioningly. Xander shrugged so Cordelia quickly removed the jacket. It was worth somewhere in the hundreds but right now the fact that it was about to be stained with blood didn't really bother her that much. It scared her, yes, but the reason for that was fear for the individual bleeding. Without a second thought, she tossed it to Willow. She caught the jacket and immediately pressed it against the wound. Buffy made a slight whimpering noise at the pressure. Reaching down, Willow moved the little Slayers' head into her lap. She leaned forward and whispered for Buffy to hold on. Then taking Buffy's hand, she squeezed it. "Xander, this has got to stop...I don't know what's wrong with you but...please..she's losing too much..." "Blood?" Xander finished for her with a laugh. "She's losing too much blood, is she, Will? Lemme see if ol' buddy Xander can help." And with that he moved over and bent down next to Buffy. "How ya feeling, Buffster?" "Xander?" She whispered. "Wha...what's wrong...wi..with you?" Her hand shook as she tried to lift it up to touch him. Almost immediately, his face contorted and lashing out, he snagged her wrist in an iron grab. Holding it tight, he twisted it hard until there was a snap. Lacking the strength to scream in agony, she simply whimpered in pain; a tear streaking down her face. "Xander! Dammit, stop it! Haven't you done enough?!" Willow howled. She squeezed the hand she was still holding and despite the Slayers' weakened state, felt equal return. "Oh, I've just begun." He brandished the knife and flashed it in Willow's face. "Alright, here it is..I make the rules here, Will. You contradict me again and I won't give Oz ol' boy time to return with the rest of the Scooby gang...I'll make her bleed from her throat." Then he grinned. "Might even get creative and give her a nice big happy face." He bent down next to Buffy again. "You'd like that, wouldn't ya, Buff?" "X..Xand? Where are you?" Buffy gasped out, shaking. She held her injured and quickly swelling left hand tightly against her body. Not that it mattered; she was soaked in blood and pretty much all of her that was important besides her head and her legs was injured. He narrowed his eyes and leaned forward, "You don't learn, do you?" You never fucking learn. Just drag everyone around you kicking and screaming into hell. You wanna know where I am, Slayer? I'm where you sent me and now I'm right here." And with that he pulled back his fist and slammed it against her rib cage. She gasped out and began to cough frantically. Her entire body shook violently with each hack as she tried to force oxygen into her lungs. Willow grabbed her friend and wrapped her body around her, rocking her in her arms until she managed to calm the Slayer into taking more sedate breaths. She then looked up at Xander, "I won't let you hurt her anymore..." He growled at her and took a step forward, flicking the knife towards her, "I warned you.." "Xander, stop." Cordelia said loudly. She looked up at him with determination and fear naked in her eyes. He knew she was scared. She wouldn't hide that. Let him know. He knew already. He had taken down the Slayer..it didn't get much scarier than that. "What" Xander queried, looking at her increduously. He stood and loomed tall over Willow and Buffy. Not surprisingly, Willow continued to hold the fiercely trembling Slayer tightly against her own body. "This is our game. You said so yourself. You and me. Let it be our game. Leave them out of this. It has nothing to do with them. Just us." Xander grinned. "Quite right, Cordy. Quite right." Walking over to her, he pocketed the knife. "Okay, then let's start simple. My...thank you for agreeing to play. See I can be nice as long as you follow the rules. Then you don't have to bleed. Yet..anyways." He drummed his open palm against his knuckles for a few beats before finally grinning. "Oh. Oh. Oh. Yes, I got it now..see. Okay..here it is...how many guys have you...what's the magic word..anticipation time...fucked? How many guys have you fucked?" Cordelia tensed up. Looking away, her gaze fell on Buffy and Willow. It was then, while she watched Willow work desperately to keep Buffy calm and still that she realized just how futile her resistance really was. How like the Borg. If she refused to play his game, then the Slayers' life was almost certainly forfeit. Her pride wasn't worth that much. Turning back to Xander, she whispered, "Three." "Oooh...I take it he's not one of them, "Xander said thoughtfully, almost absently. Then he looked back up at her. "What were they like?" "What?" she whispered. "Aw..don't get squeamish on me now. I mean, if that's what you want..I can make you hold Buffy while I play the slicer boy. Then you'll know squeamish. All I'm asking is if you liked getting fucked. Not really a hard question for a scholar like you." "Fuck you," she hissed. "Not yet, love." Xander laughed. And then he leaned forward, "Course you never were my first choice of girls to do. I wanted Buffy but when she played cold except for the corpse...I figured you'd pony up and give a good ride." Then he sighed. "But once again you distract me. Answer the question or I spill some more blood." Staring at the ground, barely able to keep her mind from shutting down at the bitter echoing of his hateful words, she managed to force out the words he wanted to hear, "The first...hurt..I...um..cried through it all." "Not a good memory," he stated. "No," she whispered, clearing her throat. "The second was...more out of pressure than anything else." "What was the sex like?" Xander murmured, pacing in front of her. He stopped and faced it, "Was it hard? Good..come on..." And then he started moving again. She stared up at him, "It felt good. A fun time. The third was the best. He knew just what was right...what buttons to push. I enjoyed it..a lot." And then she saw it. A flash of pain in his eyes. He was still in there. Her Xander..the one that still knew the side of the angels. Not the twisted demented one that had been formed by..well...only God knew the answer to that one. Before she could think too hard on it, she saw Xander turn his head towards Buffy and Willow. "Hey, Will...I'm thirsty. We're outta water..see.." he reached down and grabbed the water bottle. Uncapping it, he poured it out. "Go down to the creek and get some more. From acoss the falls where the water is white. That means it's pure." Willow took Buffy's good hand and pressed it down against the jackets over her wound. Then slowly, she stood. She could tell by his focused gaze that he wasn't playing games at the moment. He wouldn't hesistate to kill Buffy if she didn't comply. As she started to walk towards the sound of rushing water, he called out after her, "Oh and Wills, hurry back or I may get a little knife happy." Willow stared at him for a moment and then did as she was told. *** By the time Willow returned almost two hours later, she could tell by the setting of the sun in the sky that it was mid-afternoon. She trudged up to Xander carrying an empty water jug and set it down at his feet. "We're too lost..I can't find it. And I won't let you kill her because I got lost." Xander grinned. "That's okay. I've had my fun. You'd better get to nurse- maiding her, Will. You're always good at that. Picking up poor pathetic Buffy's life and putting it at the top of your list everytime she gets a boo- boo. Cripes... honestly don't know who'd more pathetic..." Then he sighed. "She's bleeding pretty heavy again. And she's making noise. It's in your best interests to make both stop." "What did you do to her?' Willow demanded, anger flashing in her eyes. She looked over at Cordelia and was astonished to see the girl staring down at the ground, shaking as she tried to control herself. She could see the dark shading of newly forming bruises on Cordy's cheeks. Sadly, Willow turned her gaze back to Xander. "Now Will, take it easy there little buddy. You seem to have forgotten whose game this is." He jabbed the handle of the knife against his chest. "It's my game. Mine. So sit the fuck down and do what you can for her. Give her peace, keep her quiet. You do it or I will and believe me...my way is a lot more fun for me." "You sick fuck, "Cordelia growled. He turned to face her and grinned, "You ready to play again? Break over? I'll give you a few more minutes if ya want. I figure we have all the time in the world." "Angel...Angel..." Buffy whispered suddenly, her words slurred and barely audible. Her eyelids were at half-mast and at best, she was only semi- consious. Her color was becoming increasingly bad as was her breathing. "Angel.." Xanders' eyes blazed with fire and he took two steps towards Buffy and Willow. The red-haired girl, for her part, tightened her hold on the Slayer, once again cradling her. "Don't you have anymore questions, Xander?" Cordelia screamed. He spun on her and then slid down next to her, placing the knife against her throat. "Do you want to die, Cordy?" "No," she replied hoarsely, her eyes refusing to lock with his. "Then why do you keep challenging me? Doesn't it occur to you that maybe if I slice and dice Buffy over there..then maybe..just maybe..I'll feel happy again. And if I feel happy again, then we can end this little game? Wouldn't that be nice? Don't you want to live, Cordelia?" "I want to live," she whispered, looking over at Buffy. She could see little more than the way that the Slayer shook with every trembling breath she took. And she could see the horrified expression on Willow's face as she tried valiantly to keep her best friend breathing. "I want us all to live. Please..end this." Xander ignored her last comments, "You wanna live..then kill Buffy..make her scream and bleed. If you make it hurt enough..I'll let both you and Willow free." "Xander.." Willow whispered. "Well, Cordy....how about it..won't take much right now to kill her...you might even find out you enjoy it." She looked up at him, "Fine. I'll do it." "Wow...I don't fucking believe you." Xander hissed, grabbing her by the shirt. "I mean..would he actually believe that? Is he that stupid and gulliable? I'm not that dumb, little girl...no no no." Cordelia clenched her jaw and turned away, "This game is getting old, Xander." "Oh well, can't have that, "Xander teased. "Hmm...let's see here...what can we do to make this game more enjoyable for our dear Cordelia?" Suddenly he jumped and clapped his hands together. "Oh oh oh. I got it. I know...let's do some role-playing. Have you ever done that before, Cordy? You know..like with your other boyfriends...he's the big bad cop and you're the cheap hooker..well granted..that's not role-playing but you get the idea. Well, have you?" "No," she whispered, looking away from him. It was so hard to believe that this was really him. But he spoke with Xanders' words. He was Xander...just not the good part of him. "Oh..you'll like this one," Xander hissed into her ear. He stood back and clapped his hands together. "Actually it's simple for you..see you get to play poor pathetic you and me...well I get the juicy role. I get to be your cheerleading coach...what was his name..oh ya...Jimmy Nordhoff. The big bad man who got the prize. That's me." Her fragile hold on her remaining calm finally snapped, "You sick bastard." "No, no, no...you know you liked it, " he growled savagely. "Fuck you," she threw into his face. She felt the anger boil up inside her and harden her heart. And as he leaned in closer to her, to taunt her and challenge her, she felt the fury trip the wire that was holding her self- control in place. Without realizing just what she was doing, she pulled back and hit him as hard as she could swing. He jumped back in pain and yelped. He placed a hand on his reddening cheek and then pulled away. As he stalked back towards her, his face contorted into a visage of pure hatred. "You're right...I'm sick of this game." Reaching forward, he grabbed her hair and then threw her into a tree. With a grunt, she collapsed to the ground; out cold. TBC... - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Trey Cash Subject: BUFFYFIC: The End of The Innocence Notes Date: 17 Mar 1998 03:59:32 EST For some reason, AOL is delivering the pieces of this story as downloadable files instead of us readables from the e-mail. I don't know why this is. Also, instead of five parts..there are seven. I mis-calculated how much space I would need. For those of you have your e-mail set up to refuse attachments but would still like to read the story, please e-mail me and we'll see what we can figure out. My apologies for the inconvience. Alex - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Trey Cash Subject: BUFFYFIC: The End Of The Innocence 4/7 Date: 17 Mar 1998 04:08:45 EST Title: The End of the Innocence Pt 4/7 Author: Alex Queirolo & Erika Rottler Email: treycash@aol.com, Sasheer@Aol.com Distribution: Just ask. Feedback: Absolutely! Please..we're eager to know what y'all thought of our collaboration. Drop us a line. Rating: PG-14 at best..extreme situations..see CONTENT WARNING below. Spoilers: When She Was Bad..basically everything up until PASSION. *** AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story takes about three months after "I Will Survive" and "That Was the Day". In this time-line, everything up until "Passion" occured but that is where they split. For the important back story, please read "I Will Survive". CONTENT WARNING: We need to be up-front about this; this piece is NOT meant for minors to read. It tells of graphic violent events and speaks rather frankly of sexual situations. However, there is no actual sex involved in this piece. It is rather unflinching and at points crude. We hope you will agree however that nothing is out of place. Again, this story contains violence, intense language, extreme angst and rather explicit discussions of sexual situations. DISCLAIMER: The only character in this piece that belongs to us is Asher. All of the others belong to Joss "Da Man" Whedon and Co. Them are gods..we are students. No bad is meant by this. *** "What's he doing, Will?" Buffy stammered. Willow glanced up at Xander and then back down at her injured friend. "He's still pacing." And that was true. And had been true. For the last hour and half, he'd been walking both and forth in front of the unmoving form of Cordelia. Willow could hear him muttering but she couldn't make out the words. "What about Cordy?" Willow squeezed her hand tightly and whispered, "I don't know. She hasn't moved at all. I can't tell if she's breathing." She dropped her head to her chest and tried to blink back tears but it was becoming harder and harder. One friend was down and in uncertain condition, another was lost and a third lay dying in her arms. And as for the fourth..well...he was just unstable and that scared the hell out of her. She'd loved him like family and it was so hard to think that somehow, someway, she'd lost her best friend to his own insanity. "Buffy..I can't stop him." "It's gonna be..ok..okay, Will." Buffy gasped out. She squeezed back as hard as she could which was devastatingly weak. "It's night...Angel..." she stopped and coughed and then fell back against Willow. Willow gazed up at the sky and found that Buffy was right, the sun was setting...total darkness was no more than a half hour off. Hopefully help would come then. On the other hand....if Oz had never found the group..or had been hurt.. "Stay strong....we'll get through this, "Buffy murmured sleepily. She wanted to close her eyes and sleep but fear and pain kept her awake. "I know..I'm just scared," Willow admitted. Buffy raised her eyes so that they locked with Willow's," After all we've been through, Will..we'll make it..we've come too far to die this.." her words broke off into a harsh body-racking coughing fit. Willow tightened her hold on Buffy and as she waited for the tremors to subside, she resolved to become the strong one. "You hold on," she urged, "Oz will find help and we'll all make it out of here." "And then..get Xa..Xander help, "Buffy gasped out, her eyelids dropping down so that very little of her blue eyes were actually viewable. Willow watched her friend warily. She was fading fast but still holding onto some hope that their Xander was still there. If Buffy were stronger, Willow would have expressed her doubts but as weak as the Slayer was... "Alright, alright..I get it now! She tried to play the game!" Xander shouted as he turned and walked towards Buffy and Willow. "Well I don't think so. It's a one player game. One fucking player. How the hell hard is that to grasp?" "Xand," Buffy breathed. "Xander?" He pulled back and hit her across the face hard enough to cut her cheek. "You don't talk to me! You never talk to me unless I tell you to! The rules!" He stood up and started walking in frantic, crazed circles, thumping the handle of the knife against his forehead. "For as long as I've been around...none of you ever fucking learn." And then just like that, he turned and smiled. Bending down, he ran the tips of his fingers across Buffy's pale cheek. He looked up at Willow. "Play with me, Will." "No, " she whispered, holding Buffy tighter as another wave of tremors ripped through the little Slayer. "This has got to end.." His eyes blazed fire, "Oh it'll end alright, little buddy..but only when I say. Now you'll play or I'll start up a new carving lesson with Buffy." He grinned at the Slayer. "You'd like that..wouldn't you, Buffy? To feel the blood dripping out of your body. To feel your heart slowing..isn't that how you always thought you'd die? Isn't that how you're dying now? Slowly and afraid?" "I'll never be afraid of you," Buffy whispered, opening her blood-shot eyes long enough to let him see the lack of hatred reflected in them. "You're a fool, Slayer and you've led them all to hell!" Xander howled. Then laughed." Not that I'm minding. Hell's a beautiful place. You'll all like it there." He grabbed her by the collar and began to shake her, knowing just how much it had to be hurting. And was hurting. "Leave her alone, Xander. You wanna play..then come on.." Willow challenged, voice trembling. Xander dropped Buffy back down and Willow watched as her friend curled into herself and began to tremble even more fiercely. Xander grinned, "You see that, Buffy? You see how far they are willing to go for you? Cordelia died for you. That was fun. Will...that'll be better." "Cordelia's dead?" Willow whispered, feeling as though she'd just been punched in the stomache."No..you're lying." "Am I? Do you know that for certain? You willing to wager a stab per answer in our little game, Will? If you answer wrong, I get to put a hole in her. That okay with ya, little buddy?" "Xander, don't.." Xander waved the knife in front of her, forcing her to stand up. She kept her eyes locked on him the entire time, searching for any sign of her oldest friend. All she saw was the darkness. And as she tried to look away, she suddenly realized that looking behind him would be more dangerous. "Come on, Willow....it'll be fun." And that was all he said before a large piece of wood connected with the back of his head and he sank to the ground. He tried to blink away the swirling colors and as he did so, he crawled towards Cordelia. He never made it there before everything went dark. Willow turned and grabbed onto her rescurer. "Oz..." "It's okay," he said, grabbing her arm and pulling her down to Buffy. Angel and Giles joined them while Jenny went to check on Cordelia. Assured that Buffy was in good hands for the moment, Willow turned to Ms. C. "Is she?" "She'll be fine. She's just unconsious." Jenny said softly. "Willow, why don't you help me carry her to the van." "Sure..." Willow replied absently as she looked back over at Buffy. She watched as Angel very carefully lifted Buffy off of the ground and into his arms. She whimpered softly, muttered something incomprehensible and then finally slipped into a state of unconsiousness herself. "She's dying..." Willow whispered, seeing Angel's uncharacteristally frightened look. "She'll make it, "Giles reassured her. "She will. Oz, help me with Xander. Let's get the hell out of here. I think it's safe to say that we've overstayed our welcome in the great outdoors." "Sure," Oz replied. As he passed Willow, he stopped. "Are you okay?" "I'll be fine. It's Buffy I'm worried about." "Have faith," he whispered, "Have faith." *** "Cordelia? Cordelia? Can you hear me?" Jenny asked as she waved a clear capsule under the girls' nose. She timed her pulse again and then repeated the waving action. This time it worked. Cordelia awaoke with a jerk, gagging at the intense sensations and then moaning slightly at the memory of recently inflicted pain. "Xander?" she whispered, praying that someone would tell her that it was all a dream. "Behind you on the floor," Jenny said softly, pointing to the floor of the van where sure enough, her tormentor lay unconsious. She stared at him for a long moment and then bit back tears. This couldn't actually be real..could it? "He won't be hurting anyone," Giles promised from the drivers' seat. "Are you alright?" "I'm fine, " she replied. "How's Buffy?" She glanced over her shoulder at Angel who was now ironically soaked with his girlfriends' blood. And yet she could tell by his expression that it wasn't the blood that troubled him...it was the fact that it was hers. Yes, he was a vampire but for Buffy, he could control his blood-lust. Catching her eye, he gave her a small smile. "She'll make it throught this. She always does." Angel told her softly. Cordelia noodded and then turned back towards the window. Her reflection presented her with the image of a bruised and dirty young woman whose eyes had no light in them. Closing her eyes, she fought hard against breaking down. Without even realizing what she was doing, she began to finger the necklace around her neck. Jenny leaned over the passenger seat and touched her shoulder. Cordelia looked back at her with eyes brimming with tears. "We're almost there," Jenny whispered, squeezing the girls' hand. Cordelia nodded and tried to push the tears back. "What are you going to do with him?" Cordelia asked, pointing to Xander. "He's gonna stay at my apartment until we figure out what's wrong with him," Angel spoke up. "That is, after we get Buffy checked into the hospital, I'll take him back and tie him up and then come back. He'll stay with me for a few days." "Fine," Cordelia whispered. "I...I just want to go home." She looked up at the others.. "Please.." "Maybe we should have a doctor check you out..you were knocked unconsious." Giles protested. "Believe me..I'm fine." Cordelia said. "I think I'll walk from the hospital to my house." "We'll get you there," Willow said, squeezing Oz's hand. To Giles, she added, "Then we'll double back." "Right, okay. Cordelia, are you sure?" "Yeah..I really am.I'll be fine. Just..when you find anything out...give me a call." *** She watched just long enough to see a hand full of ER medics race up to the van and quickly load Buffy onto a gurney. One spat out her vitals and a handful of medical terms and then they raced towards the OR. "Come on," Willow said softly, taking her arm. "Let's get you home." *** She was twisting in her blankets, the sheets weaving about her legs. She turned frantically, trying desperately to outrun a nightmare. She was caught in the middle of a colorless replay of the days' events when the cordless phone by her bed went off. Once. Twice. A third time. Damn. "Hello?" Cordelia groaned, clutching a sweat drenched sheet to her chest. A casual look at her digital clock revealed it to be just after three in the morning. "Hi. Um, it's Willow," a soft voice said over the line. Cordelia blinked her sleep away and sat up. "Oh God...Buffy?" "Is going to be okay. She just cleared surgery and is in the process of being admitted to the ICU." Willow reassured her. "So...she's alright?" Cordelia asked again, needing to make sure. "Yeah..she'll be okay. Oz and I are here with Giles, Ms. C, Angel and Buffy's mom and dad. Everyone is a little calmer now. We were pretty..tense there for awhile. They're still not really letting anyone see her yet." "Are her parents power-freaked?" Cordelia queried, flipping on the light next to her bed. "They were pretty scared when they got here. Her mom has been here since earlier this evening but her dad just got in from LA a couple of hours ago. They both wanted explanations..them and the police so Oz and I told 'em when we went out for a hike, Buffy got attacked and knocked unconsious by a weird guy who ran off. I think they bought it." "We did get attacked by some weird guy," Cordelia murmured absently. She glanced over to her desk where a little green and black picture frame sat. In the frame were four little black and white photos of she and Xander. They'd taken them at the last little fair on the docks. Shaking her head and forcing back tears, she flipped off the light again. "I think she's still unconsious," Willow said softly. "The doctor told us that she's probably be out for a good portion of the next few days. He said she was pretty lucky." "Ya," Cordelia murmured. There was a large pause and then Willow said softly, "Xander's still out too." "Good. He's safer that way. Look, Will, I'm gonna try to get some sleep. I'll stop by the hospital in the morning. Okay?" "Sure...g'night." *** Cordelia walked very slowly down the dark empty hallways of Sunnydale High. It was weird being at the school on a Sunday but as a Slayerette, she was quickly becoming used to it. Pausing for a beat and then sighing, she pushed open the library doors and entered. Looking around, she saw Willow and Oz sitting at the table. Giles stood in the doorway of his office, scanning over the morning newspaper. Jenny Calendar stood next to him, sipping a cup of coffee and reading over his shoulder which was clearly annoying him thereby in turn amusing her. "Cordelia," Willow breathed, standing up. "Are you alright? Oz asked. "Peachy. Look..I'm sorry I didn't show up this morning..I overslept." "That's quite understandable," Jenny offered. "Thanks. So um..what's the deal?" Cordelia asked, looking up to Giles and Jenny. "Well..Buffy's alright..as Willow told you. Or at least she will be. The doctors plan to keep her hospitalized for at least another week or so. They anticipate her being in the ICU for another week before they move her to a regular room for a few days of observation. With her healing abilities, she shouldn't be in there for more than six days or so. That is of course assuming she doesn't do anything to aggravate her injuries. "And what exactly are her injuries?" Cordelia asked softly. She reached down to the table, picked up Willow's troll pencil and began to nervously play with it. "Well...obviously her most signifigant one is the knife wound. She suffered a good deal of internal damage not to mention a large amount of blood loss. Unfortunately that's not the extent..her left wrist is severly sprained; she has no movement in it whatsoever. And there are quite a few contusions and lacerations." "Not to mention bruised ribs," Willow added in. "Well, you gotta give him some credit," Cordelia whispered, "When he said that he wanted to see her hurt..he really meant it." She sighed. "Speaking of..where is he?" "Still with.." The phone rang before Jenny could finish the sentence. Giles lifted an eyebrow and then picked it up. "Hello. Oh Angel..yes...um..how are things?" He paused, nodded, paused again and then sighed. "Well..are you sure? Alright..but be careful. Okay..yes..thank you..we'll see you tonight. Goodbye." "Well?" Jenny queried as soon as the phone hit the cradle. "Um..well that was Angel." "He's good," Oz quipped. Giles ignored him and plunged ahead,"He says that Xander has no memory of what he's done. And Angel believes him. In any case, they're going to head over to see Buffy at nightfall." "Are you sure that's wise?" Willow asked. "Angel will be watching. If Xander is trying to trick him..Angel should be able to stop him before he further injures her. However, I think we should go under the assumption that this could be the truth and Xander might not remember. In this case, we should investigate both supernatural and psychological reasons for what occured." Giles replied. "Right," Jenny said. "Willow...you and I can use the computers to look through DSM IV." "Gotcha." Willow replied. Then she sighed. "You know..I usually love research parties..usually being the key word here." *** Angel watched from the doorway as Xander very slowly and cautiously moved through Buffy's ICU room. Holding a small bundle of flowers in his hand, he sat in the chair beside her bed. Almost immediately, her eyes flickered open. Seeing Angel in the back, she seemed to instinctively know that it was okay and that this was her Xander. "Hey Xand," she whispered, pushing herself into the sitting position with a low groan. She settled back against propped up pillows and then looked at him with a weak smile. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Angel mouth the words "He doesn't remember anything." She nodded slightly and then reinforced her smile. "Hey," Xander replied, taking her uninjured hand in his, "How ya feeling, Buffster?" "I'm okay although I gotta tell ya Xand-man...I'm not loving the food here." He smiled at her joke but she wasn't fooled; she saw sadness lurking in his dark eyes. Taking her hand from his, she reached up and touched his face. He smiled again, this time for real and said, "It's nothing. I..I was just worried. I woke up this morning in Angel's apartment and all he could tell me was that I'd been knocked unconsious and that you'd been seriously hurt. God...Buff..what happened?" "I'm not even sure, Xand. It all happened so damn fast. But it doesn't matter..it doesn't...because we're all okay now." Buffy reassured him. And it wasn't like she way lying..afterall..she really wasn't sure what had occured the previous day. "I had dreams," he whispered. "I saw things." "Wha..what?" Buffy questioned, exchanging a worried look with Angel. She tried to adjust her positioning but only ended up gritting her teeth and holding back a cry of pain. Xander quickly moved to help but she put up a hand and urged him with a nod of her head to continue. "When I was knocked out..I guess." He looked up at her and she saw mist in his eyes. "I saw myself hurting you...hurting them. God Buffy..in my dream...I did this to you. It was a dream..right?" "Just a dream, Xand." Buffy murmured, as much to herself as him. "In any case..it's over. Everyone is gonna be just fine. The docs say that I'll be outta here in no time. Just as long as I..." "Behave," Angel smirked, coming up from behind them. "That means you stay on your back and do what the nice men in white coats tell you to do until then." Buffy scowled,"We'll see about that. I'm a girl of independence. I must have my independence. I can't be held down." "I bet I could convince you to stay in bed," Angel grinned, tracing a finger over her jawline. She shivered slightly and whimpered, "No fair." "I agree!" Xander cried. "Yuck guys! I mean c'mon...Buff..your parents are in the hallway talking to the doctor.." "They know about me and Angel...." "Yeah..I remember..your mom found the two of you making out on the porch..believe me..I remember," Xander quipped dryly. "Hey, you know what..I'm gonna leave you two love-birds and go find Cord..." "No!" Buffy and Angel both cried at once. Buffy groaned and then shook her head to keep both of the boys at bay. "Xand..I..uh, talked to Cordy earlier..she's pretty busy tonight. Family, I think. Hey...I got an idea...why don't you stay and chat with me tonight? I could use the company. All my parents keep doing is fixing my pillows...it's driving me batty." "What about you and Angel? Wouldn't you much..." "Giles wanted Angel to help him translate some new fire and yuck prophecy that will probably end up getting me all bruised and battered. So....I guess that means it's just you and me tonight." She stuck out her lower lip and gave him her poutiest look. "Unless of course..there's something else you'd rather do." "Of course not," Xander chirped. "I get to play nurse-boy. Cool." He grinned. "Hey Angel...oh wait..you guys want a moment...right?" Buffy grinned and gave Xander a small push with her good hand. Once he was outside and probably creating a diversion so that her parents didn't interupt her "session" with Angel, she turned to him. Smiling up at him, she reached up and brought him down to her. Then she gave him a small kiss. "How are you really feeling?" Angel asked with concern. He knew her well enough to see past the humor to the pain. That and he could smell the blood. The dressing for her stomache wound would have to be changed very soon. "It hurts," she whispered. "A lot. Everytime I move, I can feel it. But I can deal. I'm more worried about the rest of them. Especially Xander and Cordy. She won't admit it and he doesn't remember it but they both will." "I know," he said. "I'll keep an eye on her. You watch your back with him. Xander is.." "My friend. He's Xander. It wasn't him, Angel. I don't know how I know..but I do." "Alright..just be careful. I'll stop by later tonight and dammit..relax, okay?" She winked, "We'll see. That just might cost you extra." He grinned, shook his head and then leaned down and kissed her. TBC... - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Trey Cash Subject: BUFFYFIC: The End Of The Innocence 5/7 Date: 17 Mar 1998 04:11:53 EST Title: The End of the Innocence Pt 5/7 Author: Alex Queirolo & Erika Rottler Email: treycash@aol.com, Sasheer@Aol.com Distribution: Just ask. Feedback: Absolutely! Please..we're eager to know what y'all thought of our collaboration. Drop us a line. Rating: PG-14 at best..extreme situations..see CONTENT WARNING below. Spoilers: When She Was Bad..basically everything up until PASSION. *** AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story takes about three months after "I Will Survive" and "That Was the Day". In this time-line, everything up until "Passion" occured but that is where they split. For the important back story, please read "I Will Survive". CONTENT WARNING: We need to be up-front about this; this piece is NOT meant for minors to read. It tells of graphic violent events and speaks rather frankly of sexual situations. However, there is no actual sex involved in this piece. It is rather unflinching and at points crude. We hope you will agree however that nothing is out of place. Again, this story contains violence, intense language, extreme angst and rather explicit discussions of sexual situations. DISCLAIMER: The only character in this piece that belongs to us is Asher. All of the others belong to Joss "Da Man" Whedon and Co. Them are gods..we are students. No bad is meant by this. *** Xander walked through the crowded hallways of Sunnydale High. Students moved around him like ants, all rushing to get to their homerooms. He moved towards the library in a foggy daze. He'd spent the entire night sneaking in and out of Buffy's room so that he could stay and talk with her. He'd been forced to avoid the nurses who'd not so gently reminded him that in the ICU when visiting hours were over...that meant that they were OVER. Of course, Buffy hadn't really wanted to sleep...something about not really caring to do the REM thing.And although he'd known that he should have forced her to rest because of her fragile condition...the truth had been that he'd needed the conversation as much as she. So they'd talked. About his dreams. And somewhere during the middle of the night, he'd found himself completely void of all energy but they'd continued talking. Well mostly he had. After about two in the morning, she'd started to slip in and out of an exhausted dream-less sleep. In any case, he felt like his legs were made of lead. The damn dreams had felt so bloody real..and he couldn't seem to just open his eyes and make them go away. Glancing up, he saw Cordelia standing alone by her locker. The door was open and it looked like she was checking her make-up in the little magnetic mirror. Smiling slightly, he moved towards her. "Hey Cordy," For her part, she spun so fast that he was honestly suprised she didn't develop whip-flash. "Xander," Cordelia stammered, plastering on an unconvincing smile. "Yup," he grinned, leaning in for a kiss. What he met however was not her lips but the soft swell of her cheek. He pulled back in confusion. "What's wrong? Oh hey look...I'm sorry I didn't call last night. I spent the entire night at the hospital..." She nodded slowly, her eyes not meeting his. Instead, she gazed evenly at a poster on the wall behind him. "That's okay..I was..um..out anyways." "Good, good. So...ya headed to homeroom? Want the Xand-man to escort you?" She looked up, initially startled and inadvertingly caught his eye. Looking away quickly, she murmured, "Actually I gotta talk to Harmony..about ..something.." Xander's eyebrows lowered, "Okay..um..well...meet you in the library after homeroom then?" "Yeah," she nodded quickly. "I, uh...I gotta go." She gave him a quick uneasy smile and then brushed quickly past him, barreling into Willow in her rush. "Cordelia..we need to talk," Willow hissed, grinning up at Xander. Cordelia glanced back at her boyfriend somberly, touched her necklace and then nodded. Not missing a beat, Willow grabbed her by the arm and yanked her towards the girls' bathroom. Willow quickly checked the stalls to ensure that no one would overhear them. "It's all around school about Buffy getting attacked," Cordelia started uneasily. "People are saying that an escaped lunatic from Wacko Hill did it. But we know better, don't we?" "Cord.." Willow stopped abruptly as two giggling freshmen entered. Narrowing her eyes, Cordelia growled, "Get lost." The two girls exchanged looks and then left, muttering as they went. "Go on, Will...you were about to tell me that I shouldn't be like this." "No..you have every right but you've got to understand...he doesn't know what's going on. Right now..more than ever..we need to stick together. For us. For Buffy. And for him." Cordelia clenched her teeth and turned away, "He's the bad guy, Will. He's the goblin under the bed this time." "He's still Xander. It wasn't him." "God, Willow...were you even listening? Were you even there? Did you hear the things he was saying? That was Xander! He knew exactly what he was doing. He tore into all of us...tried to destroy us..it was him...maybe a bad side but still Xander..still what he's capable of being." "I know...Ms.Calendar and I are working off the theory of multiple personality disorder.Who he was there is characteristic of the classic protector personality..." "You know, Will...right now I don't really care what's wrong with him...I just want him to stay away from me until I can sort things out in my own head. I'll worry about that whats and whys later." "Are you going to break up with him?" "Right now I just want to avoid him. Breaking up isn't really one of my concerns at the moment," Cordelia replied evenly. She sighed. "You know what..I can't deal with this today..I'm going home." She shook her head and started for the door. As she moved, Willow reached out and caught her arm. "Cordelia...I'm sorry..I'm just scared...I don't mean..." "I know. but you know what it comes down to? Trust. I'd gotten used to all of this weirdness you guys got me into but I never thought it would become part of me. But it has. I can't sleep without nightmares now...without seeing his face full of fury. He wanted to hurt us...he tried to kill Buffy. And all I keep thinking is...if I can't trust the man I'm dating..the man I care a lot about..then who am I supposed to trust in this hell?" Willow looked at her helplessly and then whispered, "I don't know..." "That's what I thought," Cordelia said with a bitter laugh. "And you know..it may be none of our faults in the long run but somehow we're all doomed." She laughed again and then moved swiftly through the bathroom doors,leaving them swinging in her wake. *** "God, Giles...I'm bored." Buffy growled as she aimlessly stirred a half-full cup of cold beef broth. He was only the third visitor she'd had all day. Of course it hadn't helped that she'd finally gotten annoyed with being coddled and had all but thrown her parents out. "You didn't eat much," Giles noted as he took a seat next to her bed. "You really need to.." "I know, I know...eat so I can regain my strength. Rest so I can regain my strength. You know..I have been hearing that from everyone who comes near me." She sighed dramatically. "Dammit Giles...I'm bored and these old grandpa doctors keep trying to sedate me and dope me up on painkillers." "Well, does it hurt?" "Well yes," she replied sarcastically. "But Giles...these old guys wig me..." Giles lifted an eyebrow in amusement,"Buffy, no one here is much older than forty or so." "See?" she replied with a pout. "Giles..you want to know what I've done today? I woke up, ate something unidentifiable and then was drugged and sedated. Someone touched and poked me a lot and got obscene pleasure in hearing me in pain and then gave me more drugs. Do you know what it feels like to have cotten in your head? You can't think around that. You try but it just doesn't happen..." "Buffy.." "So then after the mean man in white touched me and redressed the wound which was nice and bloody..I might add...they sedated me again. Next thing I know...I'm waking up needing to pee and Nurse Psycho wants to watch. I think she threatened to sedate me at first.. "Well..they seem very nice to me," Giles put in with a grin. "Wow..color me shocked," Buffy dead-panned. "I bet you're the one behind all the sedatives." Shaking her head, she tried to adjust her position and ended up wincing as a shot of pain raced through her like fire. "Okay...ow...ow." She gritted her teeth and closed her eyes until the intense agony turned back into a dull throbbing. "Ow. Okay Giles..I'm bored. That means you get to entertain me. Let's start with...what's going on at school for two hundred." "What?" "Jeopardy, Giles...get with it. Now answer the question." "School?" Giles repeated, not really wanting to burden her with the investigation into Xander's mysterious condition. He'd spoken with Joyce Summers before entering the room and she'd told him that although Buffy was making good progress, she was still being rather difficult about the whole thing. Not suprising considering that she was and the Slayer and she harbored a rather large dislike of hospitals. Just the same, she was far from in good shape. Her being up and talking was almost a mirage; he knew that she was still weak and in a tremendous amount of pain. "Right. Is Xander okay? He was up with me all last night talking about what he thinks are dreams. Sooner or later, he's gonna know the truth. We need to be able to offer him an expla...Giles? What is it? You're staring at me.." "You're remarkable, you know that? You only care about helping him.." "He's my friend. He's Xander. I gotta believe that there is a good reason why he tried to kill me. And for what he did to Cordelia...if you could have seen it, Giles...you would understand. God..it wasn't him." "It might be harder to convince Cordelia of that," Giles murmured. "Willow tells me that she's not coping well." "I imagine not. If I weren't the Slayer..I might not be either." "If you weren't the Slayer..you'd be dead of blood loss," Giles reminded her. "Thank you Doctor G," Buffy quipped. She rolled her eyes, "He stabbed me because I am the Slayer." "Um, yes, quite right," he conceded. Then he sighed, "Well..as fun as this has been.." "It's time for you to leave me to the dull fate that is mine and return to the dusty stacks of Dodge," Buffy groaned. Giles rolled his eyes, "How melodramatic. Why don't you try sleeping? Allowing the wound to heal. You're not helping it by moving so much." "Whatever. Hey Giles?" "Yes?" "Bring me something to read." They locked eyes. "Stop staring at me like that..I know how to read." "Um, yes, right..I know that..it's just that well..frankly you've never expressed interest in extracirricular vocational literary comsumption." "Uh..yeah..whatever the hell you just said. But hey..my interests can change." Buffy insisted. "Right. Alright. Requests?" She crinkled her nose as if to think. "Hmm..yeah. Something you would read. You know...something covered in dust and cobwebs..with you know...all yellow icked pages." "It's lovely to see how much you respect my resource collection," Giles muttered dryly. "Oh lighten up. How about something about say...hm.." she appeared to be deep in thought again and then she drummed a finger against her temple. "Demons that possess human bodies." Giles' eyebrow shot up and with heavy suspicion in his voice, he queried, "Any particular reason?" He had a pretty good idea what she was up to but just the same, he decided to question her. He knew to trust her hunches but still... "Nah," she shrugged, flinching at the movement. Recovering as quickly as she could, she chirped, "Just bored." She wasn't quite ready to let him in on her thoughts. "Alright..well...Willow and Oz plan to stop by after school ends this afternoon. Something about homework and that computer box thing." She wrinkled her nose in amusement,"Gameboy, Giles. C'mon...say it one time with me; computers are not the enemy." "Cute. In any case..I'll uh, have them bring the book..on demons who possess individuals..to you this evening." "Nice, Giles. Good try though. Points for effort. Look, if I find anything out...from my totally disinterested and completely bored reading...I'll let you know." "Fair enough," Giles said with a nod. "On one condition." "What's that?" She asked dryly. "That I let the evil nurse sedate and drug me without trying to break her nose again?" "Wow," he grinned, "You do learn." *** He waited almost an hour after school for her to show but she never did. And in the meanwhile, he managed to annoy Jenny Calendar to no end. Finally she sighed and went into Giles' office to play on Willow's lap-top. She was looking up something or other. With a dramatic sigh, he moved over to the desk and picked up the phone. He dialed quickly and waited as the phone rang. Once. Twice. Three times. "Hello?" "Oh, hi Mr. Chase. This is Xander..is Cordelia around?" Therer was a slight pause and then Jack Chase replied, "Actually Xander, she's not feeling very well. She came home from school early." "Thanks. Tell her I'll stop by later tonight, okay? Cool. Bye." He hung up the phone and then slouched against the desk. What a day. Looking up, he saw Willow and Oz emerge from the office. "Hey guys," he chirped. "Sorry Xander..we gotta fly..Buffy is expecting us," Willow replied, squeezing his arm. And with that said, they disappeared. Xander made a face. Alone again. Having nothing better to do, he decided that he would take a walk. He felt a little guilt at not going with Willow and Oz to the hospital but he knew Buffy would understand. It'd been hard enough to stay with her the night before and watch her in some much pain. He needed some time to think. To try to make things make sense. And so he started walking. He'd never had a remarkable sense of direction but ever since he'd become a Slayerette he'd discovered that these thought walks often took on a life of their own. This being the case, he found that he wasn't even slightly suprised to find Cordelia's house in front of him when he stopped walking.Gazing up at the second story window where he knew her room was, he saw movement. Sighing, he trotted across the lawn to the front door. He rang the bell and waited impatiently. It wasn't all that long before Jack Chance opened the door. He smiled widely at the boy. "Hello, Xander." "Um, hi Mr. Chase..I know I just called....but I really want to see her." Jack smiled sympathetically,"She's feeling much better actually. She uh..just left with her mother to go shopping. I'll tell her you dropped by..I'm sure she'll give you a call tonight." Xander nodded slowly. "Right..." he didn't bother to tell the man that he was pretty sure he'd just seen Cordy up in her bedroom. He plastered on a smile and then said. "Thanks." Jack Chance nodded and shut the door. Xander waited a few moments and then trotted back over to the side of the house. Fortunately, there was a large oak tree by her window. Wasting no time, he began to climb it, grunting as he asscended. Once he reached the roof, he slipped onto his stomache and crawled the rest of the way to her window. Reaching out, he tapped soundly on the window. Cordelia heard the sound before her eye registered his presense and without intending to, she jumped up startled. "Xander?" She moved over to the window and opened it so that he could crawl in. He brushed himself off and then laughed, "Now I know what Angel feels like everytime he sneaks into Buffy's room. Well not everytime..." "Xander..what are you doing? Why are you here?" Cordelia queried, quickly moving away from him and over towards the other side of the room. "Well...see there's some weirdness going around. First you take off from school after acting really weird. Then I call and your dad says you're sick..makes sense. But then I come by and he says you just left. What's going on?" Cordelia shook her head, "Look...can we..can we just talk about this tommorow? I really am not feeling well.." "Then let me help. I can play nurse-boy. I did it last night with Buffy," Xander quipped. He reached out for her arm and pulled her to him. He placed a finger under her chin and lifted it so he could see her eyes. But what he saw there was fear. "Oh God...Cordelia..what's wrong?" Xander demanded. She pulled away from his gasp and turned away, "Nothing." "Cordy.." "Just stop it, okay? Just leave me the hell alone!" "Dammit! Talk to me!" Xander yelled, his own anger flashing hot in his eyes. "What did I do?" She flinched away from the anger in his tone and retreated to her desk. She placed her palms flat on the wood and stared down at the necklace he'd given her a few days earlier. She'd tried to wear it even after the attack but it too hurt. As she gazed down at the chain and ring, her eyes darkened. By the time he placed a hand on her shoulder, everything had changed. "You really want to know what you did, Xander?" Cordelia replied, spinning around. She was wearing a crazed grin on her face as she moved towards him, finger jutting out at him accusingly. "You wanna know what's wrong?" She pushed him down into a chair and then leaned over and whispered, "You want to know why all of the sudden all of your friends are so fucking scared of you that they constantly look like they've just seen a ghost? How about why you see fear everywhere you look? And why I can't even stand to be next to you?" "What did I do?" Xander asked, eyes watering. "You tried to kill us all," Cordelia said simply, eyes like slits. "Oh that's right dear Xander. You pulled a knife on us. You tried to gut Buffy like a fish. You put our lives in danger. For ten long hours, you held Willow and I captive while you allowed Buffy to lie there bleeding to death. You beat us all up..even her..even after you'd already stabbed her." "No..stop..." "Oh..oh but Xander..it gets so much better!" Cordelia hissed into his ear. "You demanded to know my sex life and then you insisted on further humiliating me trying to play a role-playing game and recreating my first time. You wanted to be Coach Nordhoff." "No...you're lying.." ""And now you're saying that you don't remember any of it? Not the thrill you felt when you ripped Buffy's flesh apart. Not the power that surged through you when you made me decide between Oz and myself. But you do remember..don't you? You liked almost killing her and you liked hurting me and Willow. It made you strong..powerful.." "No!" Xander yelled, shoving her away from her. "You're fucking psychotic." "No honey...that would be you," Cordelia laughed. Then she turned back to the desk. "I think it's safe to say that we're officially over." "Why are you doing this?" Xander pleaded. She laughed, "Because I want you to hurt the way I hurt." And then she picked something up from the desk and hurled it at him. It knicked him on the chin and caused a drop of blood to form. Reaching out with his hand, he caught the object before it hit the ground. Lifting it up, he recognized it as the necklace he'd given her. He glanced up at her desperately, hoping for some explanation but when all he saw was psychotic fury, he turned and ran from the room, brushing past Jack as he went. The older man watched the departing boy in shock,"Cordelia..what is..what is going on? How did Xander..?" Cordelia all but skipped into the hallway,"It's okay, daddy..we just had a little fight. I'm gonna go talk to him. It'll all be alright by tommorow morning. I promise." And then she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. *** "So, what's the word, Giles?" Willow called out as she and Oz entered the library carrying two brown bags full of fast food from Woody's Eat-Out. She quickly handed out two oversized hamburgers to both Giles and Jenny. "Word?" Giles asked as he took a large cup of ice tea from her. "On what Buffy is up to..why did she want a book on demons," Willow queried. "She wouldn't even tell me. That's not usual. I'm not liking unusual." "I suspect that Buffy is working off of a supernatural tilt on what occured with Xander." Giles replied. "And we're still looking at psychological," Jenny informed her. "Okay then.." an unsteady voice said from the doorway, "Since it's safe to say that you're investigating me for some reason...anyone care to tell me what the hell I did?" "Xander?"Willow cried, looking up. She and Oz exchanged worried looks. "Yeah,Will...it's me..or is it? So what I want to know is what the hell I've done? Did I do what she said I did? Did I try to kill Buffy?" *** She dressed quickly, ignoring the nearly blinding bolts of pain that ripped through her like flashes of red hot fire. Every movement caused another. As she pulled on her tee-shirt and allowed the hospital gown to fall to the floor, her eyes caught on the heart monitor sitting by her bed. She was supposed to remain hooked up to it for at least another two days but some young nurse had turned it off. Talk about luck, That pretty much took care of forced interruptions by the hospital. Now all she had to do was sneak past the main desk and slide into the elevator. "Where the hell do you think you're going?" Angel growled from the doorway. He stared at her with dark eyes full of a cocktail of emotions. Fear. Anger. Concern. Love. Frustration. He gestured at her with his left hand which held a small brown and white stuffed rabbit. "I know you're not doing what it looks like you're doing." Well, it'd been a good idea in theory. Afterall, Willow and Oz had left at least two hours ago to return to the library and her mom had taken her dad to the museum so that she could show him around. But Angel...well...oops. "Angel," Buffy said with a sweet smile, "Hi, honey.. how was your day?" "How much am I going to have to fight with you to get you back in bed, Buffy?" Angel asked warily. He moved a couple steps towards her. Buffy lifted an amused eyebrow,"Not much, lover." Sighing dramaticaly, he decided to let that comment go over his head. "Buffy," Angel scolded, "You heard what the doctor said..your injuries are extremely fragile. Any exertion could rupture the wound. Buffy...you could bleed..." "Not now,Angel. I've got to get to the library. My spider sense just kicked into overdrive. Something very bad is about to happen and I need to be there now." "I'm guessing you know what?" Angel asked. "Yeah," she replied, letting out a moan of agony as she leaned over to lace up her boots. "And if it happens...me dying will be the least of our worries." She looked up at him. "C'mon...I'll explain everything on the way there." "The way?" he asked, leaning over and wrapping an arm around her. She was shaking so badly that she could barely stand. She needed his support. "Right. I tried calling but the phone line is dead. We gotta go...now!" Buffy replied, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist and allowing him to support her almost completely. Leaning up slightly, she pressed her lips to his. "Angel, my love..you just became my partner in crime. We're breaking outta here." TBC... - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Trey Cash Subject: BUFFYFIC: The End of the Innocence 6/7 Date: 17 Mar 1998 04:18:13 EST Title: The End of the Innocence Pt 6/7 Author: Alex Queirolo & Erika Rottler Email: treycash@aol.com, Sasheer@Aol.com Distribution: Just ask. Feedback: Absolutely! Please..we're eager to know what y'all thought of our collaboration. Drop us a line. Rating: PG-14 at best..extreme situations..see CONTENT WARNING below. Spoilers: When She Was Bad..basically everything up until PASSION. *** AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story takes about three months after "I Will Survive" and "That Was the Day". In this time-line, everything up until "Passion" occured but that is where they split. For the important back story, please read "I Will Survive". CONTENT WARNING: We need to be up-front about this; this piece is NOT meant for minors to read. It tells of graphic violent events and speaks rather frankly of sexual situations. However, there is no actual sex involved in this piece. It is rather unflinching and at points crude. We hope you will agree however that nothing is out of place. Again, this story contains violence, intense language, extreme angst and rather explicit discussions of sexual situations. DISCLAIMER: The only character in this piece that belongs to us is Asher. All of the others belong to Joss "Da Man" Whedon and Co. Them are gods..we are students. No bad is meant by this. *** "Did I hurt you, Will?" Xander demanded. "Did I stab Buffy? Am I responsible for her almost dying?" "Xander.." Dammit..tell me the truth!" Xander cried, tears filling his eyes. "Please..I have to know...did I do those things? Am I one of the monsters we've been hunting?" "God, no...you mustn't believe that, Xander." Giles murmured, stepping around the desk. "How can I not?" Xander replied bitterly. Then he looked back at Willow. "Did I do those things?" Looking down at her hands, she nodded slowly. "Yes." "Oh God..." Xander stammered, stumbling backwards and falling against the wall. He crumbled to his knees and dropped his head. "Who told you?" Oz asked, stepping over to him and bending down. "I did." Another voice from the doorway said. The others looked up and into the eyes of a very infuriated looking Cordelia Chase. And yet somehow, she was still smiling. She moved over to Xander and pushed Oz out of the way. "See my little boy-toy...I was right." And then she pulled back and hit him as hard as she could across the face. He cried out and sunk even further against the wall. "Cordelia!" Giles yelled, walking towards her and placing himself in front of Xander. "Stop this. I know you're hurting but this solves nothing." "You know nothing, librarian." Cordelia spat. "Now get the hell out of my way." "Cordelia, what is wrong with you?" Willow demanded, walking towards her. She bent down next to Oz and then looked up at the taller girl. "This isn't like you at all." "That's because it's not her," a third new voice said from the doorway. The tone was dry and daring. "I'm right, aren't I...Asher?" "Buffy?" Giles exclaimed, turning to stare at his Slayer. She was leaning heavily against the strong frame of her vampiric boyfriend. "Slayer." Cordelia growled, her voice taking on a sinister pitch."I knew I should have killed you when I had the chance." "Your bad," Buffy quipped, her watery blue eyes locked into the intensity of her battle gaze. "Cordelia? Buffy? What the hell is going on?" Willow asked desperately, her own eyes full of fear and uncertainty. Giles looked from his wounded Slayer back to Cordelia. "Asher? My God...is it possible?" "Yeah, Giles...just trust me on this one," Buffy replied. She closed her eyes in pain and then looked back up at the demon in Cordelia's body. Very slowly, Giles nodded. He knew better than to argue the word of the Slayer when she had that particular look on her face. "So tell me, Slayer..how did a vapid blonde bitch figure it all out? A Read Me the Clues book?" Buffy smiled sardonically at Asher,"Oh you're good...did years of stealing bodies teach you colorful language like that?" "No," he whispered, "Just a few hours in your friends' bodies taught me how much they despise you." "I'm not buying, Asher. You can't hurt me like that." Buffy replied. "Yeah, whatever, Slayer..so tell me..how did you figure it out?" "You really want to know? You actually thinking you're gonna be able to use the knowledge to improve upon your performance next time? Nah..don't think so..tonight is the end." Then she grinned coldly at him. "But I am willing to humor your last request. You were a moron, Asher...while you were in Xander's body...trying to convince us all that you were him...you kept identifying him in the third person. And then you spoke of being alive for a very long time." Then she narrowed her eyes, "But aside from all that...I know him...I know what he's capable of..and I know attempted murder and torture ain't it. You fucked up, asshole." He laughed and then replied,"In the words of you moronic twits 'oops..my bad'. Alright, Slayer..you wanna end it? Right here, right now? Okay with me...let's get it on." "Fine by me," Buffy shot back, eyes cold as ice. She dropped her arms away from Angel and moved towards Asher. Angel tried to grab her but she gave him a violent shove and pushed him away. "Buffy, no!" Giles cried. What the hell did she think she was doing? As badly injured as she was, she didn't stand a chance against a demon in full control of an athletic and healthy body. She had to know that. And she probably did. And didn't care. Bitterly, Giles realized that maybe his countless hours of lecturing her on persistance of duty had finally paid off. Buffy ignored his warning and charged, spinning into a high kick that made her grit her teeth in pain as she spun in the air. Asher blocked high and then lashed out with a kick of his own, finding Cordelia's perfectly toned body to be an ideal fit. Buffy slammed to the hard floor with a loud thud and a cry of agony. She tried to rise but the pain overwhelmed her and she crumbled. Angel cast a worried but irked look at her and then his facial features changed and he rushed Asher. He broke out with three straight brutal combinations and then finished with a 360 kick to the solar plexus. As Asher fell to the ground gasping, Angel leaned over him and growled, "You forgot one thing, Asher..even as limber as Cordelia is..even she has her limitations and now...you've reached yours." Xander watched the action with wide eyes, still not understanding what was happening. He looked over at Buffy and his heart stopped."Oh God.." Shaking his head, he rushed to her and joined Giles and Willow as they tried to keep her consious. "Is she okay?" "Yes," Giles replied tersely. "No thanks to her." He placed an arm under the Slayer's body and helped her into the sitting position. She shot him a weary look and then muttered,"You needed my help." Before he could reply, he saw movement out of the corner of his eyes. He turned his head so that he could watch the struggle between Angel and Asher. The vampire looked to be winning. As Giles looked on, he witnessed Angel slam the demon in Cordelia's body to the ground and then grab him by the hair and pull him upwards. And then Asher spoke. In Cordelia's voice. "Xander..please..God..help me...what are you doing?" Xander looked up from Buffy to the site of his girlfriends' watery and fearful eyes. She stared back at him with such pain that he felt his heart crumble. He tried to move towards her but Buffy grabbed his arm tightly and held on. "No!" Xander cried, trying to brush her away. "What are you doing? She needs me!" "That's not Cordy," Buffy hissed, the pain coloring her tone. "It's Asher..he's trying to manipulate us." He looked at Buffy and saw the way she shook with each flash of pain and then he looked back over at Cordelia who was still looking at him desperately. "Xander..please..it's me...he's hurting me." "Enough," Angel growled, slamming Asher hard against the floor. The demon grunted and then allowed the body to grow weak and slip into unconsiousness. Xander felt Buffy's less than strong grip on his arm fall away. He looked down at her and then got up and crawled over to Cordelia. He knelt beside her and pulled her into his lap. "Would someone like to tell me once and for all what the hell is going on?" Angel picked Buffy up into his arms and carried her to a chair. He set her down in it and knelt down on his knees to check her wound. Then he looked up at Giles, "This is pretty much your territory." "Explanations..right." Giles murmured. He crossed over to his desk and pulled out a thick book from underneath. He set it on the table and then leafed through it. Finally he picked up the book and faced it towards the others. "What is that?" Willow asked, turning her head. The others followed suit and they all gazed at a dark blue blurr on the page. "That would be Asher. Biblically, he was Lucifer's right hand man when the dark angels fell. He was cast out of his body and became a 'body snatcher' of sorts. He survives by using the anger and hatred of mankind to transfer between bodies." "So, it wasn't Xander.." Oz said. "No..it was definately Asher. He's a rather ancient demon and he's quite adept at manipulation. He uses a body's memories to further harm the individual's close comrades. He is a proven murderer." "You don't have to tell us that..he cut Buffy down like she was nothing," Oz murmured. He looked over at Xander hoping to see relief coloring the younger boys' face. What he saw however was still doubt and confusion. "I remember," Buffy said quickly. She winced as she tried to move slightly away from Angel's painfully probing fingers. Finally with a grunt of annoyance, she pushed him away from her. "I'm fine." "You were stupid," Giles shot at her, anger seeping into his voice. He turned and stared at her, shaking his head in irritation. "You could have gotten yourself killed pulling that idiotic stunt." "Giles..I'm the Slayer," Buffy reminded him just as forcefully. "You were almost a dead Slayer, Buffy. Dammit, you must learn to recognize your limitations." Giles retorted, taking off his glasses and kneading a hand through his hair. "Giles...I really, really think you're over-reacting," Buffy growled. "Okay, both of you..knock it off," Angel shouted, placing a hand on Buffy's arm. "Look...I've known of Asher for awhile. This is the first time I've actually faced him but I will say this..he feeds off of anger. It's how he transfers from one body to the next." "Meaning he has his limitations," Jenny put in, placing a hand on Giles' back and rubbing it. "Right," Angel nodded. "Even he must adhere to certain rules. Every demon has it's individual set but Asher is a rather infamous case." He looked down at Buffy to make sure that she had calmed down enough to listen. "He can only stay in a host body for 72 hours before he is expelled. He must exist within a human body. And the only way he can jump is if the receiver..that is the prospective new host must be enraged." "Just angry?" Willow asked. "I mean..that seems like it would be easy for Asher to make someone angry...it seems almost like a gimme." "No...not just angry...infuriated. Pure rage...nothing else...just focused hated and blind fury. It's the simplest of emotions and yet the hardest to get a person to. That's why Asher pushes and prods until he finds the way to hurt the most." "Wow...sinister," Buffy murmured."But how did he jump into Cordelia? She was unconsious by the time he jumped?" "Well..that's the other thing..in order for Asher to jump..the new host must be unconsious. Human emotion changes so quickly..even unadulterated rage can be tempered in consiousness. So, to even up the score...in some backwards way..Asher can only jump if the host is out cold because then the subconsious takes over and maintains the rage." "Okay..so we have the jump figured out. How do we fight him? Can't we just lock Cordelia in a room until the seventy-two hours is up? Won't that just kill him?" Buffy asked, pulling Angels' hand to her chest and holding it against her while at the same time keeping him from further inspecting her wound. "No...he'll destroy Cordelia. If we put him in a position where he knows that he is going to die...he will kill her." Angel replied. "He can't hurt her if he remains unconsious," Willow suggested. "Were it that easy. Asher works on an extreme subconsious level. He can enter her mind and destroy her forever. Even if her body survives, she'd be cataonic. No..we need to find a different way and one that will destroy him once and for all." Giles said softly. Angel narrowed his eyes,"I have an idea." *** "Why can't I stay with her?" Xander asked again as he paced back and forth. He stopped in front of Buffy and shook his head. "None of this makes any sense." "It's gotta be this way, Xand. It's the only way. Angel is already dead so that voids the rule about him having to be unconsious and in theory, his demon should be able to battle with Asher." "In theory and what if Asher kills Angels' demon..what then?" Xander exclaimed. "I mean..we're all assuming that just because Angel's big bad nasty boy whooped Eyghon that he can clean Asher's clock too...but what if he doesn't?" Buffy shook her head,"Well...I don't know what then." She touched his shoulder. "It'll work, Xand. Believe that." "It's done," Jenny said, walking into the library with Willow and Giles. "It is? Asher jumped?" Xander queried, hopeful. Giles shook his head,"No...Jenny sealed the room." "Asher won't be leaving there..one way or another. I placed a barrier..an old curse over the doorway to the basement. He can't go past it. He and Angel are trapped down there." Jenny told him. "With Cordelia," Xander whispered. Then he looked up at them, "Now what?" "We wait," Buffy murmured. She tried to adjust in the chair and winced in pain. Giles saw her reaction and frowned. He immediately scolded himself for allowing her to remain as long as he had. "We need to get you back to the hospital. They're probably frantic by now." "Oh right," she replied. "I kinda left without checking out..mom's not gonna be happy with her little Slayer." "I imagine not." Giles replied. Buffy sighed and started to stand but quickly discovered that she lacked the strength. She fell back down in the chair and looked over to Xander. Her eyes misted as she watched her friend stare at the ground. Even though he knew he wasn't responsible for what he'd done...it was obvious that he was still carrying guilt. "Hey Xand..will you take me back?" He looked up in surprise and caught the soft compassionate look in her eyes. Nodding slowly, he replied, "Sure..not like I'm any good around here. Not like that's different than usual." He stood up and grabbed his jacket. Pulling it on quickly, he moved around to Buffy. He slipped an arm under her and pulled her up. She grunted in pain and closed her eyes tightly until it subsided. He whispered an apology but she waved him off and huddled closer to him to show her support. Giles strode over to them, "Buffy..I uh..wanted to apologize for losing my temper with you. I was concerned." "No worries, Giles. I'm sorry too." Buffy replied. "Good..um..well..promise me that you'll stay there the rest of the night. No more rescue missions?" "Sure..no more Slayer Commando for me." Buffy said with a grin. "Excellent." He reached into his pocket. "Xander, why don't you take my car?" Jenny grabbed his arm before he could give Xander the keys. Smiling like a fool she said,"Let's get her to the hospital before the millenium, Rupert. Xander..you can take my car." *** They drove in silence, each focused on their own thoughts. He glanced over at her a couple times, the pain lines creasing her face causing his guilt to mount. He saw her clutch the seat as a fresh wave of agony overtook her. She ground her teeth together and choked back a whimper. He shook his head and looked away from her. He couldn't do it. He couldn't look at the pain he'd caused. It was impossible and simply too much to ask. "Xander..stop the car," Buffy whispered, hand across her stomache. "Why?" he stammered. "I mean..you're hurt. We should get you back to the hospital so maybe they can give you painkillers or something..." "Plenty of time for that," Buffy replied with a sardonic grin. Then she sighed. "This isn't about me..it's about you. And we need to talk so stop the damn car." Knowing better to argue with a Slayer in pain, he simply nodded and pulled the car over. It was well after ten at night so the streets of Sunnydale were deserted. Turning to her, he murmured, "Okay..now what?" "Get out. I want to show you something." Buffy said, moving her hand down her stomache so that it was directly over her wound. "Sure..oh hey! Stay there..I'll come around and open the door for you," Xander insisted as he got out of the driver's seat. He ran around to the passenger side and helped Buffy out, wrapping an arm around her slim waist. "Over here," she instructed, leading him over to the hood of the car. She pushed herself up onto it and then patted the spot next to her. "You're hurting." "I'm fine," Xander replied, taking the seat. "Just confused. And angry. God Buff...what did I do to you?" "Xander, haven't you been listening? It wasn't you.." "It was me! It was! It was my body..my hands...my thoughts...God...my words." Xander whispered, unable to look at her. She touched his face and turned him to look at her. "You can't believe that." "I can't not. I mean...look at what I've done. I stabbed you. My hands had your blood dripping all over them. And I laughed at it. you can't tell me that that doesn't wig you.." "Oh it does," Buffy confirmed. "See.." "But not the way you're thinking, Xand. Look at me," she smiled up at him. "I'm scared because someone used you to hurt us. Someone..this Asher asshole hurt us by hurting you. That's what wigs me." "I nearly killed you. You're in pain because of something I did. Responsible or otherwise..I did it to you." "Dammit, no!" Buffy errupted. Then she winced. He looked at her with fear and concern in his eyes. As he shakily reached out to touch her, she caught his hand in hers "Just shut up and listen to me. For once..just listen." "Okay," he mumbled, allowing her to guide his hand to her stomache. She slipped his hand under the front of her tee-shirt and brought it to the bandaged area on her stomache. "Your hands did this." Then she pressed her sprained hand against his chest. "But you didn't. Xander could never hurt me. You could never hurt me. I trust you with my life. I always will." "Buffy.." "Asher tried to kill me. He tried to kill us all. But he didn't suceed." She took his hand out from under her shirt and then leaned forward and curled against his chest. "I'm alive. We're all alive and we're going to get Cordelia back." He couldn't respond to that. He just laid back against the hood of the car and held her against him, watching the rise and fall of her chest. It was when he adjusted his grip to make her more comfortable that he felt something that alarmed him. Eyes widening in surprise, he reached across and touched her stomache again. He felt her wince at the touch but when he brought his hand away, all he saw was red. "Oh my..Buffy..you're bleeding," Xander breathed in disbelief as he stared at his fingers. She looked down at her obscenely white shirt and saw a small but growing spot of red on it. "Wow. You're right. Maybe Giles is right...I guess getting out of bed tonight was a bad..a bad..a bad something." She tried to jump off of the hood but ended up nearly falling over instead. "Yeah..I'm thinking so," Xander replied, grabbing her before she pitched over. "Okay..end of the heart to heart. You my little Slayer..are going back to bed...ASAP." "Okay," she murmured, suddenly drowsy. "No arguments here." Then she reached out and grabbed his arm, using every bit of strength she could muster. "But you gotta promise me something." "What's that?" Xander asked, nearly carrying her to the car. He opened the door and very gently put her in. He strapped her in and then ran around to the other side and got in. He started the engine and then looked over at her so that she could continue. "You won't blame yourself for this. Not anymore. Enough damage has been done. You wanna hold someone responsible...then fine...blame Asher. Don't let him kick your ass with guilt. Kick his." She said, falling back against the seat. Xander nodded slowly," You stay horizontal and you get well enough to kick some vamp ass again and Buffy my little buddy..you got yourself a deal." *** Angel watched her sleep. A vessel. The beautiful young form of a girl who had no idea that her body was being used as one of the playing pieces in one of the greatest battles of all. How could she know? Better off that she was unaware. "Does it amuse you to watch me, Angelus?" Angel blinked and stared back at Cordelia. Only he knew instantly that it wasn't her. Asher watched him out of her eyes and with hatred reflected in his own soul. "We're gonna end this now,"Angel told him solemnly. Asher laughed,"Alright then. Let's get to it. I hate to be late to funerals. You always miss all the good stuff." *** "How did it go?" Giles asked, looking up from a a newspaper. He watched as Xander trudged wearily across the library and fell into one of the chairs at the table. Willow put her hand over his and gave him a smile. "Alright, I guess. She started bleeding again but I think she'll be okay. The docs wheeled her away pretty quick. I told them that I found her wandering around delirious but I think she's gonna be in some trouble anyways." "Great," Giles muttered. "That child..." Xander sighed and then looked back over at Willow and Oz. As he and Will locked eyes, he thought he saw something lurking in the shadows. Fear. Oh God. Xander quickly broke away from her and stood up. He asscended the steps to the stacks and disappeared into them. Giles made to go after him but Willow shook her head. "I'll do it." She smiled at Oz and then went after Xander. "Hey," she called out, finding him in the demons without heads section. "Will...I'm sorry." Xander said, looking down. "I promised Buffy I wouldn't but I can't not..." "Yes, you can. Look at me." Willow said, flashing him the smile he'd grown up with. The one that showed only love and absoloute trust. "You have nothing to be sorry for. You didn't do anything wrong." "Then why are you still scared of me?" "I'm not, Xander. I'm not." She took his hand and squeezed it. "Come on." Still holding his hand, she led him out of the stacks and back down to the others. He flashed them an apologetic smile. "Alright, people," Jenny murmured. "I guess we'd all better relax. It's gonna be a very long night." TBC... - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Trey Cash Subject: BUFFYFIC: The End Of The Innocence 7/7 Date: 17 Mar 1998 04:24:18 EST Title: The End of the Innocence Pt 7/7 Author: Alex Queirolo & Erika Rottler Email: treycash@aol.com, Sasheer@Aol.com Distribution: Just ask. Feedback: Absolutely! Please..we're eager to know what y'all thought of our collaboration. Drop us a line. Rating: PG-14 at best..extreme situations..see CONTENT WARNING below. Spoilers: When She Was Bad..basically everything up until PASSION. *** AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story takes about three months after "I Will Survive" and "That Was the Day". In this time-line, everything up until "Passion" occured but that is where they split. For the important back story, please read "I Will Survive". CONTENT WARNING: We need to be up-front about this; this piece is NOT meant for minors to read. It tells of graphic violent events and speaks rather frankly of sexual situations. However, there is no actual sex involved in this piece. It is rather unflinching and at points crude. We hope you will agree however that nothing is out of place. Again, this story contains violence, intense language, extreme angst and rather explicit discussions of sexual situations. DISCLAIMER: The only character in this piece that belongs to us is Asher. All of the others belong to Joss "Da Man" Whedon and Co. Them are gods..we are students. No bad is meant by this. *** "Let's start easy, Angelus." Asher said softly, still using Cordelia's voice. "Let's start with your past and how many people you've killed." "You'll have to do better than that," Angel replied. "Oh but why? Don't tell me you've actually made peace with yourself over the fact that you've butchered and murdered hundreds. That's pretty sick, Angelus." Asher taunted. "I've made the peace I need to." Angel retorted. "Alright..alright..if you think you can forgive away all that brutality..then why don't we talk about more recent events...like the second time you went bad. Like the first time you really had Buffy by the throat and you really wanted to rip it out." Asher laughed. "Yeah, yeah..let's talk about the little bitch. Sounds like a good time to me." *** "Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes. Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes.." "Willow.." both Giles and Xander grumbled. She looked up, eyes wide with innocent. "What?" Behind her, Oz laughed at the dirty looks the two other males were throwing the small hacker. Just as he was about to speak up to tell her that it was fine by him if she sang, the phone rang. Willow jumped up from her seat, eager to do something, and charged it. Xander glanced at his watch and grinned,"Three in the morning...wonder who that could be." "Someone who should bloody well be sleeping," Giles muttered. Willow threw him a look and then picked up the receiver. "Hello?" "Heya, Will." The Slayer replied, sounding very tired but also very unable to sleep. "Hi, Buffy. How are you doing? And what are you doing? And why are you up so late..or is it early?" "Either, or." Buffy replied with a laugh. "As for the other questions..I'm fine and not really in a lot of pain at the moment. Good damn drugs." Willow couldn't help but laugh. "And the doctors?" "Not very happy with me. I don't think anyone is completely buying Xander's sleepwalking delirium story. I think I'm gonna be in trouble with my mom for this one and now I got an armed nurse at the door." "Armed?" "Ya..with tranks. Which reminds me..they just gave me enough to knock out King Kong so if I suddenly go all funky crazy...something or other...like that..just stay..stay with me." "Gotcha, Buffy." Willow grinned. Now that at least one of her friends was safe, she could allow herself a little bit of humor. "So...how are things here..I mean there?" Buffy asked, beginning to sound disoriented. "Slow and full of tension." Willow replied. "And how's our Xander shaped...person.." Willow turned around and smiled at Xander who had conveniently knelt behind the desk to find a deck of cards. Lowering her voice substantially, she whispered," I don't think he's well at all. He's hurting pretty bad, Buffy..and I don't know what to do." "Reassure keep him." There was a pause and then said, "That is...keep reassuring him. It'll take awhile to get rid of the guilt but he will get through this. We all will. We always...do..yeah..those are the right words." She sighed and muttered something unintelligible and then said,"So..is Giles..optimism..optimistic?" "Yeah..he believes it'll work. We're gonna wait until thirty minutes before sun-up to check the score. Angel knows the time-table...they both do." "Yeah," Buffy replied. There was a long pause and then she again muttered something incoherent. "Buffy," Willow laughed. "It's time for you to allow the happy pills to work. Get some sleep." "Uh huh. Okay." Buffy murmured drowsily. "You know what, Will..I think it's time I let the drugs work. I'm gonna get some sleep." "Great idea...wish I'd thought of it. Night." "Night, Will. I'm surprised you didn't think of that," Buffy drawled as she put the phone down. Once the line went dead, Willow turned to stare at the others. "She really needs mental help, Giles." *** "So what do you want to talk about, Angelus? I'll give you your pick. We'll keep it sportmanslike. We'll play the game like old friends." "We're not friends," Angel growled. "You want me to pick the topic?" Asher asked, lifting an eyebrow. He shrugged. "Okay..well..hm..I'm kinda stuck between sex and death. You know what though..we got plenty of time for both so let's start with..death. Yeah..it's one of my favorite categories." "You better study up..you're about to get first hand experience," Angel retorted. "Ooh..harsh. No fair..not a question. My turn." Asher laughed. "Okay, tell me...how does it feel to take a life? Is is a thrill...to feel your victims blood against your flesh. To watch them shudder.." "I won't play your games," Angel replied. "How did it feel to almost kill Cordelia? I mean..of course I'm glad you didn't..that'll be my fun but how was it?" Asher smiled up at him. Angel's eyes narrowed."I don't remember." "Of course you do. I do. She does. They all do, Angelus. Remember..you'd almost choked your beloved Buffy..and we'll talk about that later..but someone stabbed you with Cordelia's hair clip so you took her out and you bit her. You tried to take her life. And you almost suceeded until that Slayer bitch stabbed you. Again..back to that later. I want to know what it feels like to take the life of a person who can't defend themself?" "You should know," Angel whispered, agony in his tone. The events of months earlier were still fresh in his mind. "This isn't about me, Angel. I love killing. I love their screams..as if they think that I can be swayed to feel pity or compassion. I mean...come on." Asher sighed. "And once..once you were like me..now all you are is a weak little puppy dog. What did Xander call you? Oh yeah...whooped little dead boy. Do you have any idea how much that boy hates you?" "I'm not like you...and you're gonna hafta do better than that." Asher squinted his eyes,"Here's the game, vamp boy..I have the control here..you gotta make me switch bodies and I know I have to but you're not playing fair. So understand this, I have control of Cordelia's mind...if you don't start playing along...I will destroy it. Believe me...I won't hesitate to take her apart piece by piece. And I'll make it hell for her. I'll make her run for the darkest depths of her mind to get away from the torments I'll bring to her. So here we are...will you play?" "Yes," Angel hissed, unwilling to risk hurting Cordelia. Pride was important but none of this was worth it if he allowed Cordelia's mind to be destroyed. Asher grinned,"Excellent. I knew you were still a sport, lad. You know, you have quite a reputation. Or at least you used to. You were one mean fucker..someone I'd gladly call brother. Now you're just a coward screwing a little girl." Angel growled," If you want to play your twisted little game of 20 questions, then do it but leave..." "You're not about to say 'leave the Slayer out of it' now are you?" Asher asked. He made a face and then shook his head in mock disappointment. "No can do..I mean...what's the fun in that?" "Let's just get this over," Angel replied, pacing the small basement. He looked over at Asher. "Okay. Okay. Back to the other question then. When you had Cordelia in your arms, with your teeth in her throat..what were you thinking?" "That I wanted to kill her," Angel replied in a low voice. "Why?" "I had my reasons." "And I have my ways to make every moment of the destruction of her mind pure hell. Now answer that damn question." Asher growled. "I wanted to see Buffy cry. I wanted to destroy her. And I knew that if Buffy allowed me to kill Cordelia...Xander could never forgive her. Never." "Very true. It's still there," Asher murmured. Then he looked up. "The stupid boy feels shame over the anger he felt towards Buffy for putting Cordelia in danger. Of course then he became a coward and let that beautiful anger go. Moron. What I helped him to do was the best thing he's ever done." "I wanted to tear them apart," Angel finished. "But you wanted more, right? You whispered something to Cordelia...I don't think any of the others heard. Do you remember what that was?" Angel nodded slowly,"I told her that I would make her like me so that she could get her revenge on Buffy herself. I knew that it would hurt Buffy even more if she had to kill one of her friends." "That's right. And that feeling of passionate fury..total hatred towards the Slayer..it set you free..didn't it?" "Yeah," Angel replied. "I felt like I could do anything.." "So why don't you allow yourself to do that now?" Asher cried. "Imagine what you could do...still play the Slayers' fiddle but do the Angelus bit also." "No," Angel growled, eyes narrowing into slits. "Oh, why not? Wouldn't want to betray her? Open your eyes you idiot..she killed you." "I'm already dead," he retorted. "Technicality," Asher replied with a wave of his hand. He sighed impatiently. "She chose the life of someone she's only kinda friends with over her 'true love'..that's gotta kind burn you, man." "She made the right decision," Angel replied. "Just like when she decided that you two should get..oh hey that's a great phrase host o' mine...horizontal." Asher laughed. "You know that's the fun of taking over teens...they give you just the coolest lingo." He sighed. "In any case..back to the good stuff..the carnal stuff..." "We made love," Angel said evenly. "Right. Yeah. Sure, Casanova. You know, both Xander and Cordy think you two just got horny and messed a lot of stuff up." "It wasn't like that," Angel protested. "It's not like that "See, I wouldn't know...not with the Slayer anyhows. All I got to do was almost kill her. Now that was fun. Maybe when this fun evening is over, I can find a way to get into her hospital room and complete the job. Or maybe I'll possess her for a little while..get the intimate details." "You'll never get the chance," Angel shot back. "Ooh..awful cocky. Well hey, wait a minute...that's the point." Asher laughed. He shook his head and made a motion to dry tears away from his eyes. Then he narrowed his eyes."But you liked it, didn't you? The sex. You were her first.." "Go to hell." "Her mind, Angelus..her mind. Don't start holding back on me just because I wanna know the good stuff. I've kinda got a short temper about right now. I mean come on...your slut of a girlfriend tried to take me on...gotta tell you, bro...it was fun watching her hit the ground. Her cries...talk about sweet music. Ah well...I'll get to hear them again soon enough." "I'll kill you." "You've been around these idiot humans too long, Angelus. Come on...don't say things you can't back up." He leaned towards him. "So, what I want to know is how much pleasure you got out of hearing her scream in pain when you broke her in? Did you like it?" He frowned. "You know...this kinda sucks...I should have taken over Willow...I bet she has better details...this body has a whole section of her memory devoted to how little she gets told. She's actually jealous that Buffy doesn't confide in her more. Stupid girl...you know...of all of them..Cordelia has the most potential to snap but she won't because she has mushy feelings towards Xander. Yuck, man..seriously." Then he looked back up at Angel. "So answer the question..didn't you get a kick out of being her first...the wrangler who broke the stallion." "Stallions are male," Angel replied dryly. "Answer the question or I'll end this game right now." Asher hissed. "Yes, I enjoyed it." Angel replied shortly. "How delicate. C'mon Angelus.. gimme details.." Asher grinned. "I mean c'mon...she looks like fun. You know...come to think of it..this body I'm in looks like fun too.." "Your game, Asher..we haven't much more time.." Angel reminded him. "Oh right..too bad. Okay, back to the Slayer then." Asher said with a sigh. Then he grinned,"Was she a good fuck?" Angel closed his eyes,"Yeah...she was." "Details, brother of mine..did she sceam?" "No," Angel replied tersely. "Did it hurt her? You gotta know that...I mean she's so small.." "Yes. Are we done with this?" "We're done when I say we are. But you're right in a way..this is getting us nowhere..you're just being a nostalgic little mush. Aw..what a sweet fuck. Come on, Angelus...admit it..you felt power in that you got to the almighty Slayer first. But that's not all..you felt power because in those moments...you could have killed the little bitch and she couldn't have stopped you." "Yes," Angel admitted. "Did you want to? Was there even a moment there when you thought to yourself..I could end it right here? Make her mine forever?" "Yes," he replied again, voice strung with tension. "You should have." Asher said simply. "But now all you've got is a little tramp that you can lay for a few more years until someone is lucky enough to kill her." He leaned forward. "Someone like me." "She's still alive. She beat you." "For now. But do you know what it was like to have her blood gush down my hands when I turned the knife in her stomache. Or to hear her moan in agony when I hit her. Ecstacy, brother. Pure." "I'm not like that anymore..I love her. I would never hurt her." "But you did. You hurt them all. You tried to kill all of them. When you died..both Xander and Cordelia felt relief...you made it all worse again..and you made them lose respect for Buffy." Angel looked up in shock, "What?" "Oh..didn't know that, didja?" Asher said, shaking his head in mock disappointment. "Well, yeah...when Buffy rushed back to your arms..they thought she was pretty much just a tramp...I mean come on..talk about lack of loyalty. You wanna know a secret, Angelus? Cordelia wanted to whoop Buffy's ass...wanted to get even for a few months ago when the oh so distraught Slayer kissed Xander. Aw..so when I took your little slut girlfriend out upstairs...it wasn't me..it was Cordelia..and it's your fault." *** "Check-mate," Willow muttered, knocking over Xander's king with her pawn. She sighed and fell back against the seat. "For the tenth time." Xander was about to reply when the phone came roaring to life. He blinked and glanced at it for a few moments before jumping to his feet. Only to be beat by Willow who hadn't needed to identify what was ringing. Without preamble she said into the receiver,"Buffy, it's almost four in the morning..why aren't you asleep?" "Technically...I think they call this sleeping. Took me twenty minutes to dial the number..I can't feel my ear." Buffy slurred back. "Those are the painkillers, Buffy. They work better if you don't fight them," Willow admonished gently. "Yeah..you're..probably right...you know I can't think...very well...this is kinda hurting..um..what was I saying?" "Not a clue..I'm guessing you want to know if there's anything new...which there isn't." "Oh...I remember now," Buffy rambled on. "Anything new happening?" "No," Willow said with a laugh. She was about to tell her friend to go back to sleep when she heard Buffy moan and then make a sound that vaguely resembled the stiffling back of a pained cry. "Buffy?" "No..worries..Will...I just.." Buffy cut off again, coughing harshly. Then there was a brief silence followed by a few softly murmured words from a second person in the room. After another pause, someone picked up the phone. "Willow?" A strong female voice said over the line. Uh oh. "Mrs. Summers?" Willow asked, lifting an eyebrow. "Yes, hi Willow." Joyce Summers replied. "Sorry about this. I know you're probably sound asleep in bed. Buffy had a little adventure tonight so she kind of re-injured herself." "Is she alright?" Willow asked, with real concern. It wouldn't surprise her at all if Buffy had downplayed her injuries. "She pulled open some of the stiching but she'll be fine if she'll just lay down and get some sleep. I guess the sedatives and painkillers they gave her weren't strong enough. But she's sleeping now." "That's good to hear," Willow replied. "Yes, it is. Doctor Clark just gave her a new dosage..it should keep her out for a few hours but her little stunt tonight is going to keep her hospital bound for a few more days." "Ouch." "Right." Joyce replied. Then she sighed. "Alright, I'm gonna let you get back to bed, Willow. I'm sorry about you getting woken up." "No problem. I'm used to it. Tell Buffy..when she wakes up..that we'll all stop by tommorow." "Will do. Goodnight, Willow." "Goodnight." Willow sighed and hung up the phone. She looked over at Giles. "Buffy is asleep." *** "Sex is a powerful thing, Angel. Nations have been built and destroyed over the power of a man and a woman uniting." Asher said as he stood up and began to walk in circles. "Your night of passion with the Slayer did that much and more. How many people fell because of you? How many lives did you destroy? All because of one little tramp?" "I don't regret making love to her," Angel hissed. "I never will. I regret the sins of my past but I will never look back on my love for Buffy with any bad feelings." "Except for the fact that even after saying she loved you..she tried to pick up on Xander. You remember that...you told Xander afterwards that you saw it. And you didn't like it." "I felt jealousy.." "Because she's a tramp. Yeah..your sweet precious no-longer virginal Buffy is nothing but a slut. I mean come on, man...it was only weeks after you rock and rolled with her that she was picking up on Xander..trying to get with him.." "That's not true.." "That's sure what Cordelia thinks. And if I recall...Xander thought she was using him too." Asher said, shaking his head as if he couldn't believe what he was saying. "Great girl you have there." "She was hurting and confused," Angel replied, teeth ground together. "Alright..then how did you explain the affair she had in Los Angeles during last summer? Oh wait..I bet she never told you about that. Nope..I imagine not. She told Willow and Cordelia...one of the only things she's ever told Cordy..." "You're lying..." "Oops...no I'm not. Well..if it makes you feel better..she didn't have sex with the boy but she did go pretty far...yeah...your sweet loyal Buffy was playing around with her old boy-toy." "I don't believe you.." "Hmm..now..Cordy here has a memory of Buffy saying that she'd moved on to the living during the summer. Now..what do you think that means?" "She was in a lot of pain...things didn't end well between us." "They never will. You haven't a prayer of it. I mean, what was just a good fuck at the moment will very soon give way to the fact that she's nothing but a tramp who will use you and then destroy you. And if that's not enough...she's going to lead all of the rest of them to their deaths. But you..you..can stop her." "What?" "That's right...you can squeeze the life from her body...drink her blood...gain enormous power and yet prevent all these losers from dying because they they won't be part of the Slayer game." "You're insane." "And I grow weary. Time to take the kid gloves off. I know you almost killed Buffy...I know you placed your hands around her throat and listened as her heart slowed. And in those moments...you wanted that bitch dead and a part of you still does." "No!" Angel yelled, leaping to his feet. He took two steps towards Asher, hands out-stretched and then he stopped. "I will never hurt her." "Why do you fight your nature? You are a sick bastard..more than me. I know my destiny...I know my purpose. I accept my power and the gifts it gives to me. I enjoy it." "I'm not you." "Yes, Angelus, you are me. You feel the thrill of death when you kill. You know the raw lust involved in sex..and taking what is not given to you. And you know that if you could kill her...even for a second..the raw energy and passion would overwelm you. And that may scare you but it is your nature. You are a murderer. Deny it if you will but you are here to take lives and to enjoy it and one day..you will take hers." "No..." "She will fall under your hand and as she dies..as your name leaves her lips..you will know nothing more than the feel of pure ecstasy." "No!" Angel growled. His eyes glowed dark yellow as his face shifted. "If you don't have the balls to me who you are..then I will and believe me..I'll make her hurt..even as I take her.." Angel felt himself fall away from his humanity as the anger took hold. His body went airborne and he slammed Asher to the ground, forgetting completely about the host body. Wrapping his hands around Asher's throat, he bared his fangs. Asher laughed and then closed Cordelia's eyes and allowed himself to slide away. He felt his coporial body sliding. The fight was about to begin. *** At just after four in the morning, she began to tremble as if she were having a convulsion. Joyce Summers ripped upwards from the seat next to her daughters' bed and called out for a nurse. "Something's wrong," Joyce breathed. She pointed dramaticallt towards Buffy's bed where the girl continued to spasm wildly. The nurse nodded sharply and then turned to another and barked out a series of orders. She turned to Joyce,"It'll be alright..." *** The darkness consumed her. She felt the walls slide against her, pressing her body together and cutting off the oxygen. She struggled desperately for air but relief refused to come to her. "Help me," a voice called out to her. Cordelia. "No..." Buffy begged, tears streaming down her face. She started to shake her head. "No..please.." "I'm dying," Cordelia cried again. "Fight it," a second voice yelled. "Don't give in." God..that had to be Angel. "Your time has come, Buffy." Xander charged, stepping out of the darkness. He strode towards Buffy and grabbed her by the collar of her shirt. Lifting her into the air, he threw her. When she looked up again, it wasn't Xander. "I killed you," Buffy whispered, staring at the Master. "You thought you killed me also," Angelus growled, stepping beside the Master. "No.." Buffy cried, trying to back away from him. "You can't fight destiny, Slayer." The Master growled, reaching for her. She tried to crawl away from him but only ended up smashing up against a wall. He wrapped his hands around her throat and hoisted her into the air. "You are a killer like us all. Either accept your fate or die like the coward you appear to be." Buffy continued to shake, unable to speak or even fight as the air rushed out of her lungs. "Buffy..please.." She turned her head ever-so-slightly and gazed over at the form of her vampiric lover lying on the ground. He stared up at her with agony in her eyes. "It grows dark. The fight rages on but we both fall." Drawing upon every bit of strength she had left in her body, she screamed out his name. And then the grip on her throat relaxed and she felt herself falling. "Do you love me?"came the whisper in the air. She lifted her head, tears in her eyes and replied,"Always." And then her strength gave out and she collapsed. *** He fell to the ground and clutched at at his chest. The battle had been fierce and his injuries would take a few days to mend but it was finally over. The winner and the loser were no longer one. *** And then she stopped. The tremors ended and her body fell silent. She gasped out for air but her eyes remained shut. A nurse leaned forward and wiped a line of sweat away from her brow. "Whatever that was..it's over now." TBC...Conclusion Coming Up. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Trey Cash Subject: BUFFYFIC: The End Of The Innocence Epilogue Date: 17 Mar 1998 04:29:26 EST Title: The End of the Innocence Epilogue Author: Alex Queirolo & Erika Rottler Email: treycash@aol.com, Sasheer@Aol.com Distribution: Just ask. Feedback: Absolutely! Please..we're eager to know what y'all thought of our collaboration. Drop us a line. Rating: PG-14 at best..extreme situations..see CONTENT WARNING below. Spoilers: When She Was Bad..basically everything up until PASSION. *** AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story takes about three months after "I Will Survive" and "That Was the Day". In this time-line, everything up until "Passion" occured but that is where they split. For the important back story, please read "I Will Survive". CONTENT WARNING: We need to be up-front about this; this piece is NOT meant for minors to read. It tells of graphic violent events and speaks rather frankly of sexual situations. However, there is no actual sex involved in this piece. It is rather unflinching and at points crude. We hope you will agree however that nothing is out of place. Again, this story contains violence, intense language, extreme angst and rather explicit discussions of sexual situations. DISCLAIMER: The only character in this piece that belongs to us is Asher. All of the others belong to Joss "Da Man" Whedon and Co. Them are gods..we are students. No bad is meant by this. *** "Shouldn't we like...bring stakes?" Willow squeaked as she took the flashlight from Giles. "It won't matter. If Asher is alive..we'll know instantly." Jenny told her. She picked up a cross and a small vile of holy water. "Let's get going then," Xander whispered, leading them down the steps to the basement. "Cordelia is down there and she needs our help one way or another." Oz rested a hand on his friends' shoulder,"She'll get it, bro." Xander nodded. He didn't bother adding that the only thing that could comfort him would be seeing Cordelia alive and breathing. Closing his eyes gently, he stepped up to the door of the basement and gently pressed it open. "Cordy?" he asked, voice shaking with emotion. When he heard nothing, he started to move into the room but a hand caught his wrist. He looked up at Giles. "No, let Jenny perform the spell. We must know if it is Angel who leaves." "Fine. Hurry..her life could be in danger.." Xander growled. "Right," Jenny whispered, setting down the cross. "Everyone give me your hand. We need to form a link." *** Her eyes opened to a blinding light and she instinctively shrank away from it, whimpering in protest. "Cordelia?" a voice said from above her. "No..." she said, turning away from it. "Open your eyes, Cordy." Xander whispered, touching her cheek gently. She blinked and allowed the burn of a flashlight to pierce her mind."Turn it off, " she grunted, reaching out to push it away. Jenny dropped the light and offered Cordelia a hand. "Sit still, okay? You've got some cuts and bruises I want to clean up." "I'm sorry," Angel whispered, looking away. Xander stood up from where he was crouched next to Cordelia. "You have nothing to be sorry for. This is my fault. I started all this.." Angel spun so quickly that he almost toppled. His eyes staring dagger, he growled at Xander. "Outside, now." Xander blinked and was about to reply but commom sense stepped in and he nodded. Glancing back at Cordelia, he sighed and then turned to follow Angel. Once outside in the cool morning air, Angel reached over and grabbed Xander. Pulling him up by the lapels, he smashed Xander against a wall. "Dammit, get a grip on yourself." "Wha?" Xander squeaked, wide-eyed. "This wasn't your fault. This was no one's fault. Asher manipulated you..God..he got all of us. You've got to stop blaming yourself. Enough is enough. There are other people hurting here." "Okay," Xander whispered. "Okay." "Good," Angel replied, setting the boy down. Then he let out a breath of exhaustion. "The sun will be up in fifteen minutes so I better get moving. You take care of Cordelia..she and Buffy need your strength. Tell Buffy I'll stop by tonight." "Sure," Xander replied. "Okay. Oh hey, Xander?" "Yeah?" "You're a good man. Don't forget that. Buffy..Willow..Cordelia..they have a good friend in you." And with that, Angel turned and walked away. Nodding slowly, Xander fell to his butt next to the wall and placed his head in his hands. He felt hsi eyes watering and then he just let go and began to shake as the emotions overwhelmed him. *** "Hi, Mrs. Summers? It's Willow...I just wanted to call and make sure Buffy is okay." "Hi, Willow. Buffy had a rough night but she's alright now," Joyce replied. "She's sleeping." "Good. I was..worried. Tell her we'll stop by later." "Okay, Willow. Have a good day at school." *** "Cordelia!" Xander called out. He'd watched her to exit the school staring at the ground and for a moment he'd considered letting her go but he couldn't..he just couldn't.. She turned slowly and gazed back at him through weary eyes, "What?" "Can we talk?" "Yes. But not now." "Don't you want to know what happened?" Xander asked. She laughed bitterly. "You know, I probably do..but not right now. I have a feeling that whatever the truth is..I can't handle it." She swallowed hard and opened her mouth to say something else. And the closing her eyes, she whispered. "Please, just give me time." He reached forward and touched her face. Almost immediately, he felt her stiffen. Cringing slightly, he pulled his hand away. "All the time you need. All you need but you know what..I'll still be here. I won't let this end like this." She nodded and then smiled at him, tears glinting in her eyes,"Thank you." *** She finally found him standing by his lccker before Biology class. Striding up to him, she placed a hand on his arm. "Hey, Xander." "Will," he murmured, still staring at his lockers' contents as if they might give him the answers to life. He'd been in the same lethargic state since the Monday night the week previous. "Um, Buffy wanted me to remind you that we're doing the group movie thing tommorow night at her place to celebrate her release from the hospital." Willow chirped, reaching into his locker and pulling out his Bio book. "Right. You know..maybe I.." "Don't even say it..I already went through this with Cordelia..it took me over an hour to make her see reason. God..you guys can't avoid each other for ever. This is stupid...you're not even angry at each other." "No," he said shaking his head. "Not angry." "You guys are scared but you have to face this sooner or later..." Willow said softly. "You need to." "I know." "So you'll be there, right?" "Will.." "Xander..if you're not...Buffy will hurt you. You know pain..bad. She just got out of the hospital after almost two weeks.." "That's because she kept trying to escape and kept reopening the wound," Xander muttered, shaking his head. "True enough but now she wants to party," Willow chirped. "And I have specific orders to get you there any way I can." He sighed, "Alright. I know better than to go against a testy Slayer. I'm there." "Good," Willow grinned. "It'll be fun. And remember..Buffy is still laid up..in bed..only she'll be on the couch...so we can harass her without worrying about her taking us out." Xander laughed and this time it reached his eyes,"Sounds like a plan, little buddy." *** "Just where the hell do you think you're going?" Willow asked as she stepped over Oz's legs and sat down next to him. She glared up at Buffy who was trying to sit up but failing miserably. The little Slayer was curled up next to Angel with a blanket over her body and her head on his chest. Angel for his part, simply watched her struggles with amusement. Looking rather pathetic, Buffy lifted up a glass and whimpered, "Is empty. Need refill. Soda in kitchen." Sitting on the couch next to Buffy and Angel, Cordelia rolled her eyes and grinned. She couldn't help it. It wasn't every day that she got to see the Slayer to weak to take out someone if they insulted her. It was open season and people were having a field-day. And of course, Angel wasn't defending her. He'd actually joined in a couple of times. "I'll get it. I need one myself," Cordelia replied, standing up. She took the glass from Buffy's hand and shook her head. "If you didn't look so pathetic, you'd actually look normal." Buffy grinned sardonically and tilted her head,"Oh Cordy..always good to know you care." "Only enough to send the very best," Cordelia shot back as she walked towards the kitchen. Still laughing, she pushed the door open and stepped in. She walked around to the fridge and opened it. "Hey," Xander murmured from the doorway to the back yard. She jumped at the sound of his voice and almost dropped the bottle of Dr.Pepper. "Xander," she stammered. "Yeah..hey..I'm sorry." "No..I'm sorry..no..." "It's okay." "Right. So,haven't seen you around much this last week." Cordelia murmured. "Yeah..I've been busy." "Right. Um, how did you do on Keller's test?" "Okay..I think." "Yeah..me too..I think.." "Cordelia.." "Maybe an A or a B.." There was a ling noise in teh other room. The bell from the front door. "Pizza is here." "Right, yeah..Cordelia, this has got to stop." Xander exclaimed. She looked up at him, "Yeah..I guess so." Unable to meet his eyes just yet, she stared down at his hands and to her shock, she saw that in them, he held the necklace he'd given her two weeks earlier. The same one that Asher had used to hurt him. "I gotta know..can you look at me without hating me? Do we even stand a chance?" "I have dreams, Xander." "I know..so do I. They scare me." He reached forward and placed a finger under her chin. Lifting it up so that their eyes locked, he whispered. "I don't want to walk away unless you want me to." There was a moment of silence and then he nodded. "Okay." Shaking his head, he stepped away from her and walked through the door back into the living room. Cordelia stared at the ground for a moment and then crossed back over to the fridge and finished refilling the drinks. She watched the carbonation fizzle for a few moments and then she turned and followed Xander into the living room. She walked through the doors and locked her sites on the Slayer and her undead boyfriend who were very visibly having a PDA moment. She rolled her eyes in amusement and then stepped over to them. "Smoochies later..like..when I can't see them." Buffy blushed and pushed her face against Angels's chest. Then she pushed herself up and took the glass from Cordelia. "Thanks, Cordy." "Don't get used to it, Slayer..I'm just being nice." "Must be killing you. Sit down, take a load off," Buffy quipped. "Funny." Cordelia replied. Then she sombered up as she saw Xander sittinng on the floor by the end of the couch. He was holding a video case from Blockbuster in his hands. She looked back up at Buffy and the Slayer nodded her towards him. Cordelia smiled slightly and then moved over to him. Sitting down, she placed a hand on his arm. He looked up at her in confusion and then watched as she moved her hand down to his and opened it up. Catching his eyes, she removed the necklace from his palm and put it around her neck. In a low voice she whispered, "Does that answer your question?" He grinned and replied in the same low tone,"Can I make everyone leave the room?" She punched him in the arm and then curled against him. He smiled and looked up at Buffy who was grinning at him like a hyena on uppers. She winked at him and then fell back against Angel. "Okay, who has the movie?" Oz asked as he walked into the room carrying a pizza. "I do," Xander chirped, throwing Oz the box. "Cool." Oz said, staring at the box. "Denzel Washington." "What's the movie?" Buffy asked, reaching back to knead Angel's chest in order to make it more comfortable. He said his head and watched her with an amused look. The girl was crazy. "Fallen." Oz murmured, sliding the tape into the VCR. Willow lifted an eyebrow. "Oh good." FIN FEEEEEEEEEEDBAAAAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCCK Please. Pretty please? - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: sah Subject: BUFFYFIC: ADMIN: List rules Date: 17 Mar 1998 10:34:36 -0500 Welcome! This list is for fiction related to "Buffy The Vampire Slayer," both the TV series and the movie. To ensure that we all get to enjoy as much fiction as possible, please adhere to the following guidelines, and please save them for future reference. 1. Fiction should have Buffy characters in it and clearly be related to Buffy. Crossovers are great, and expected, but general vampire/monster stories that aren't in the Buffy universe and don't use Buffy characters belong somewhere else. 2. Discussion of posted fiction is permitted onlist. Please put "DISCUSS" in your subject line. Requests for missing story parts should go directly to the author, and not be posted to the list. Discussion that is not related directly to the fiction should go over to the general Buffy list. Discussion of fiction is expected to follow common netiquette guidelines and use PG-13 language. 3. No advertising of items or services, Buffy related or not, and no posting of non-story items such as .gifs, sound files, etc.. No attached files of kind-- if your mailer makes your fiction into attached files, you need to find another way to get it to the list. 4. If you're writing a story and including advance information on a new episode, and you're posting your story earlier than the national viewing time, please: **Mark the post as a "spoiler" in the subject header. **Leave about twelve lines (blank or with non-spoiler info) at the top of the post. This ensures that anyone who doesn't like knowing about an episode ahead of time is "protected." :) The blank space is for people whose mailers automatically open up the next piece of mail, without giving them a chance to see "spoiler" in the header. Spoiler warnings are not necessary after the start of the episode's national viewing time, which is currently set at 9 p.m. Mondays, Eastern Standard Time. Spoiler warnings are not necessary for reruns. 5. This list is absolutely NOT for erotic fiction. stronger than sexually PG-13 material is to be posted to the list under any circumstances. A story may be R rated for violence or language, however. If you have a question about something's suitability for posting, feel free to ask one of the listowners. Sending sexually explicit material will get you immediately and permanently uns*bscribed. No exceptions. 6. By subscribing and/or posting to this list, you acknowledge that Buffy the Vampire slayer and all characters associated with either the televised series or the motion picture were created by Josh Whedon and are owned by Mutant Enemy productions, Kuzui Productions, Sandollar Productions, and 20th Century Fox. All stories posted to this list are for entertainment purposes only, are not sold for profit of any kind, and are not intended to infringe on any copyrights. 7. When posting stories to the list, please follow the following formatting guidelines --No story parts longer than 250 lines --No lines longer than 75 characters --Turn off your "smart quotes"-- many readers receive these as garbage or weird symbols --Put the title of the story in the subject header, indicate if it's a multipart story, and if so what part this is. Example: Buffy Meets Godzilla (2/65) indicates that this post is part two of a 65 part story. 8. If a story is rated "R" for language/violence, indicate this in an introduction. For example, "There's a really bloody fight scene at the end of this part" or "if you don't like dismemberment, stop reading now!" If there's chance that someone might be disturbed by something in your story (even if it's not rated R) please include some kind of warning up front. 9. And last, but not least, the listowners reserve the right to deny subscription (new, renewed, or continued) to the list for any individual(s). PLEASE NOTE: not following any or all of these rules will get you the following: **First offense: offender is uns*bscribed for one week. **Second offense: offender is uns*bscribed to the Buffyfic list for a minimum of three months. **If the offender returns and does it again, they're offlist permanently. As noted above, posting sexually explicit material is the exception -- you go straight to permanent unsubbing. Again, welcome! If you have any questions about these rules, please contact either one of us offlist. If you have subscription problems or questions, the fastest way to get help is to e-mail one of us at the addresses below, at the kirby@xmission.com addy which is the "official" e-mail owner of the list. Jill Kirby (jtkirby@mcs.com) & Sharon Himmanen (romana@mindspring.com) Listowners, Buffy the Vampire Slayer Fiction List buffyfic@xmission.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: groovy@snowline.net (vampyreprincess(Rachel)) Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: Need Collaborator or Other Assistance Date: 17 Mar 1998 08:21:23 -0800 >Buffy/Scream SCREAM IS THE BEST MOVIE EVER MADE!!!! YES YOU SHOULD REALLY CROSS BUFFY WITH SCREAM. I MYSELF WANTED TO DO THAT, BUT I CAN'T THINK OF A PLOT. PLEASE, IT WOULD BE SOOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSO COOL. YES, DO SCREAM. If you need someone to help write it, I would LOVE to help!!! Cya! -Rachel ++++++++++++++++++++++++ "Did Norman Bates have a motive? Did they ever figure out why Hannibal Lector liked to eat people? DON'T THINK SO!" -Billy Loomis 'Scream' ---scream-----------------------------------------------scream 2--- Buffy The Vampire Slayer: **BUFFYFIC List**Faithful Followers of Xander**Xanderite Keeper of: Xander's oh-so-yummy hyena stage, cute Buffy chasing, and Willow's ear lick...** --vampire----------------------buffy----------------------vampire-- X-Files: WLDD**SPCDD**DDSB**GBLA**DDPOL**LODD**X-F Creative**^Friend^ Shipper MY DD WEBSITE:Obsessed with David Duchovny http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Lot/4440/ If you believe, no proof is necessary. If you don't, no proof is sufficient. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Janine Sebastian Subject: BUFFYFIC: "Kendra" (1/?) Date: 17 Mar 1998 11:09:36 -0800 (PST) TITLE: "Kendra"(1/?) AUTHOR: Janine Sebastian (Jeanie) EMAIL: or DISTRIBUTION: If you want it great, just keep my name on it please. SPOILER WARNING: "Prophecy Girl", "What's My Line part I and II" RATING: G SUMMARY: Kendra has spent her whole life training to be a slayer. How did she know she was to be a chosen one? What happened before she met Buffy and co.? DISCLAIMER: Kendra and all other Buffy related characters do not belong to me. I'm just borrowing them for a while. They belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant enemy, WB etc. "Grr Argg." The name Sam Zabuto is taken from the dialogue of 'What's My Line Part II.' Kendra's family members [Carrah, Shali, Nuru, and Kendall] and the details of her past are creations of mine. If you'd like to play with them, I'd be happy to lend them to you, just ask first. AUTHOR'S NOTES: Well, this is my first fanfic. I was avoiding studying for an upcoming test, and I somehow stumbled upon this *great* new form of procrastination. [it should be my middle name!] This is what happens when I give in to that little voice in my head which tells stories. Thoughts are enclosed with < >. Keep in mind that Kendra and Zabuto have thick accents, though I have left the spelling normal in order to understand what they are saying. If you like where this story is going, and you want me to continue it I will. Feedback and constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated. Well I've babbled long enough...enjoy the story! Kendra by Janine (Jeanie) Sebastian Kendra, the vampire slayer, was sitting in the cargo hold of an airplane, thinking about what lay ahead, and about the events which led to this journey. Kendra had been training her whole life for one thing, to slay the vampires. She was the chosen one...the one girl in all the world with the strength and skill to fight the vampires... She had finally got her calling last spring... She automatically knew when the last slayer had died...she had felt it...and dreamed about it. That was when the dreams began. Kendra's first dream was of the last slayer's death. The slayer had been drained by a Master vampire, and had fallen unconscious, face first in a few inches of water. She had drowned. One day Kendra's watcher told her that a great evil was about to arise in Sunnydale California. He told her that she was to go to Sunnydale to try to control the dark forces there. That was the reason for this impromptu trip. In order to keep her identity a secret, she had concealed herself in the cargo hold of a plane destined for California. This was where she was now sitting, pondering her destiny. *** Coming from a small, superstitious village, Kendra had known her entire life that she was to be a chosen one. Her watcher, Sam Zabuto, had been training her in martial arts, mythical studies, and slaying tactics since she was a small child. Kendra's parents had sent her to Sam Zabuto's village to train when she was very young. She could remember clearly the day she asked Zabuto about her parents. "I know 'tis me destiny to be a slayer, and that is why I am with thee, but do I not have parents somewhere?" His answer, as always, was cryptic. "In the past, family has only distracted the chosen one from her calling. Thee, and *thee alone,* must fight the creatures of darkness..." "...I know...I just wonder who they were, that is all." Sam Zabuto walked slowly over to the old cupboard which Kendra had never seen unlocked. She had always wondered what was in there, but every time as a child in her inquisitive voice she had asked, Zabuto had made it clear that the contents of the cupboard were to be left untouched. Zabuto extracted an old box from the cupboard, then locked the door again. He proceeded to carry the box over to the anxious girl. "I knew the time would come for thee to know thy past, I suppose now is the right time." Zabuto carefully handed the box to Kendra, with only the faintest hint of hesitation. "Thee will find what thee is looking for within this box...but remember, thee cannot allow the past such importance that it will detract thee from thy calling. It is important that thy destiny be fulfilled...Do not dwell on the past..." With that he exited the room, leaving the child to ponder the meaning of his words. Eventually curiosity got the better of her, so she carefully opened the box, not knowing what to expect. As the lid was lifted, the contents of the box were revealed. Inside were many papers, a weathered envelope, and two old leather-bound books. , Kendra thought to herself. First she took the envelope out and examined it's contents. It was filled with pictures. Kendra looked at the first, labeled simply 'the babies.' It was a photograph of two young children, a boy and a girl, both approximately two years of age. The little girl looked disturbingly familiar, and after careful examination, Kendra realized the baby was in fact, herself. "But if that is me, who is the boy?" Kendra looked at the next picture, this one of what appeared to be a family. A young couple, each holding an infant, a girl of five, and a boy of three. Kendra knew that she was not the five year old girl, for she had been sent to train with her watcher when she was four, yet there was a striking family resemblance. It took several minutes of shuffling through pictures before Kendra found one that particularly caught her eye: it was of a boy and a girl both approximately four years old. The back of the photo said: 'The twins fourth birthday." Now Kendra was even more confused. Kendra didn't let herself continue the thought. Instead she lifted the first book. As she opened it to an arbitrary page, she knew her first assumption had been correct, it was a journal...or a diary. 'On May 21st, 1981 Shali and Nuru both had their wishes granted. Shali wanted the baby to be a girl...so she'd have someone to mother. Nuru wanted a boy so he'd have someone to play with. Well Shali got her sister...and Nuru got his brother. Twins! I could hardy believe it myself...And here I thought the two children I had were hard enough to handle. How are we ever going to deal with twins? Zabuto was right, Kendra...that's what we've named her...has the birthmark of the chosen one. The same one that I have. She will one day become the new slayer. We'll have to begin her training as soon as she is old enough. Kendall is also a doll. They are both so alike! Not only in looks, but in temperament. I love being a mother! And Zabuto said I'd probably never reach twenty! I am twenty-three years old...the oldest slayer on record. I just hope I live long enough to see my children grow. Carrah, May 24th, 1981.' Kendra read the page over and over, not believing her eyes. Her mind was filled with questions. She opened the other book, also a journal, but in a different hand....A chillingly familiar hand...she recognized it as Zabuto's writing. Kendra skimmed through the pages until she reached the last entry. 'June, 2nd, 1985, My worst fear has been realized. Carrah is dead. She, like too many of her kind, met her fate at the hand of Lothos. He had her hypnotized, and she couldn't break free. It pained me so, to see her perish. Lothos was also the one who claimed my grandmother's life. I suppose now another slayer will be called. It will not be Kendra for she is far too young, but her training must begin soon. I mustn't let the child down as I did her mother. I simply cannot. I have spoken to the child's father, he agrees that I must take her away, keep her from harm until she is ready...until she is called. She *WILL* be prepared when her turn comes. I will see to it. I only wish I could have better prepared her mother. Carrah...she insisted upon pursuing a family. Well I will not allow Kendra to make the same mistake. A family only weakens a slayer. It distracts her from carrying out her destiny. It pains me to think of separating Kendra from Kendall and the others but it must be done. It is for their own good. The twins should not have to be separated but there is no other way. This is a truly sad time for me. I shall never forgive myself for not better preparing Carrah. I will not make the same mistake twice. Carrah, I hope that thee shall have peace now. Sam Zabuto.' Kendra was twelve then, in the eight years she had lived with Zabuto, she had learned every available fact about vampires, demons and the other creatures of night. She was in excellent physical condition. Kendra had learned to distance herself from everyone except her watcher. She had no contact with her family, though sometimes she was aware of thoughts invading her own. She never told Zabuto about them, but secretly Kendra believed that the voice in her head was that of her twin brother, Kendall. ...TO BE CONTINUED... Jeanie :-) Feedback PLEASE!!!!!!!! (good? terrible? more? or should I quit now?) "The thunder was ominous-sounding, much like the sound of a thin sheet of metal being shaken backstage during the storm scene in a play." (Barbara Fetherolf, Alexandria) :) - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Tannim Umoren Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: The End Of The Innocence Epilogue Date: 17 Mar 1998 14:35:00 -0600 Wow... This story is one of the best if not the best I have read this year. You kept the characters well.. in character! You even expounded on them! I mean I love how you had Cordy and the X-man react to the situation. I mean I could feel their pain! Excuisite!! Buffy and Willows action were so totally real like it took my breath away. It was excellent. I can't wait to hear more from you guys. Keep up the good work. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go back to the.... ...all concealing lurker-type shadows :-) - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Trey Cash Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: The End Of The Innocence Epilogue Date: 17 Mar 1998 16:50:45 EST Thank you so much. It's good to know that pur time and effort came out well. Thanks again, Alex - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Laura Nurczyk" Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: The End Of The Innocence Epilogue Date: 18 Mar 1998 13:44:45 PST >From owner-buffyfic@lists.xmission.com Tue Mar 17 13:34:52 1998 >Received: from domo by lists.xmission.com with local (Exim 1.82 #1) > id 0yF363-0003aK-00; Tue, 17 Mar 1998 13:36:27 -0700 >Received: from (mail.xmission.com) [198.60.22.22] > by lists.xmission.com with smtp (Exim 1.82 #1) > id 0yF361-0003aE-00; Tue, 17 Mar 1998 13:36:25 -0700 >Received: from (iria.inwave.com) [206.101.238.8] (root) > by mail.xmission.com with esmtp (Exim 1.82 #1) > id 0yF35x-0004r9-00; Tue, 17 Mar 1998 13:36:21 -0700 >Received: from [207.170.32.151] ([207.170.32.151]) > by iria.inwave.com (8.8.7/8.8.7) with ESMTP id PAA25026; > Tue, 17 Mar 1998 15:36:26 -0600 >Message-Id: I agree, this is by far the best Buffy fanfic I have ever read. I loved the plot and your perfect depiction of the characters. Keep up the good work! Laura nurch4@hotmail.com >In-Reply-To: <92f1be72.350e4278@aol.com> >Mime-Version: 1.0 >Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" >Date: Tue, 17 Mar 1998 14:35:00 -0600 >To: buffyfic@xmission.com >From: Tannim Umoren >Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: The End Of The Innocence Epilogue >Cc: treycash@aol.com, Sasheer@aol.com >Sender: owner-buffyfic@lists.xmission.com >Precedence: bulk >Reply-To: buffyfic@xmission.com > >Wow... This story is one of the best if not the best I have read this year. >You kept the characters well.. in character! You even expounded on them! >I mean I love how you had Cordy and the X-man react to the situation. I >mean I could feel their pain! Excuisite!! Buffy and Willows action were so >totally real like it took my breath away. It was excellent. I can't wait >to hear more from you guys. Keep up the good work. > > > > > >Now if you'll excuse me, > > I need to go back to the.... > > ...all concealing lurker-type shadows :-) > > > >- > > > ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: ingrid29@juno.com (Ingrid E Stanton) Subject: BUFFYFIC: "Footsteps" (6/?) by Ingrid Date: 18 Mar 1998 23:07:15 -0500 Disclaimer: Characters are not mine. They belong to Joss, WB, ME, K, and SD. Sue me and die!!! (Sorry about that- I'm a little tired and cranky right now.) Summary: Hey! I finally wrote another part. It's short, but it's more, ok? I had a concert today- there's my excuse. I'm trying!!! If you don't get this, that's b/c you haven't read the other parts. If you want to get this, ask me for them. As always, comments are what really inspire me to write- please send them (Ingrid29@juno.com)! Warning: Implied sex. Nothing bad. *********************** "Footsteps," by Ingrid Part Six *********************** He was sleeping peacefully now, she noticed, looking up from her resting place on his chest. His arm was wrapped around her securely, as if he thought she might float away in sleep. She might have. The ecstasy of this afternoon had been beyond imagination. She’d never realized what kind of passion she was capable of. After all she’d done little more than kiss a boy before her change. He’d been careful with her; tender. It was something she’d never imagined vampires capable of. But then she’d never imagined that becoming a vampire would be like this. Demons, Buffy had said. "They’re all a bunch of soulless demons." Willow felt like so much more. There was the demon, no doubt. She could feel it within her, and it gave her the strength she used to lack. But she was Willow, none the less. She was who she’d always been, altered, but still the same. Spike had said she looked more beautiful as a vampire then she ever had before. In truth, she had no way of knowing. It surprised her the first time she’d looked into a mirror and saw what was behind her instead of her own reflection. All she knew was that she felt more beautiful. She felt strong. She kissed his bare shoulder sweetly, and watched his eyelids begin to flutter. Recognition was instant, and he smiled drowsily. She slid back into his embrace, nuzzling his throat and whispering his name. It was nearly dusk, and soon it would be time to leave, she knew. Denying reality for a moment, she pressed her lips to his with a shyness that only she could maintain at this point. "We don’t have that much time," she reported, taking a look at the watch she’d left on the table. "As much as I’d like to stay, you’re right," he acquiesced, pulling her up with him. Their clothes were scattered all over the place. A shiver ran through her as she slipped on the long white dress. Automatically, she grabbed Buffy’s pink sweater from the floor and buttoned it over the silk. She felt strange. Some foreign energy seemed to be running through the warm folds of material, as if it was an object of magical significance. Instantly, she knew. They were coming. Soon. ********** Please let me know what you think!!! (Ingrid29@juno.com) Ingrid: Author of many long Buffyfics (and some short ones). "Return to Normalcy," "One Vampire's Headache...," "This Fleeting Hope," "Ghost of a Chance," "Tragic Sighs" and "Footsteps." _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: AlysFaire Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: "Footsteps" (6/?) by Ingrid Date: 19 Mar 1998 07:57:19 EST Short, yes, but, oh my. Way to go, Ingrid, another fabulous part (it certainly made my morning )! Looking very forward to what comes next, Alys - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: JMHnoodles Subject: BUFFYFIC: "On This Page..." (1/1) Date: 19 Mar 1998 16:59:10 EST Title: "On This Page, I Write My Last Confession" (1/1) Author: Noodlebrain (Jen) Rating: maybe a PG for a slightly descriptive death scene Disclaimer: "Grr, argh..." Not mine, no money, s'all good. Buffy, etc. belong to Whedon, WB, Sandollar, Mutant Enemy, and just about everyone else in the world besides me. The two song sections belong to Alain Boubil, who wrote all the lyrics for Les Miserables. Distribution: I don't care, just tell me about it. Notes: We're doing Les Mis in chorus, and I was inspired by a line from the finale, which is also the title of this story. This is not my first fic, but it is my first completed one, and it is also the first one I've shown to anyone else. And many thanks to Ingrid for reading it over for me. Feedback: Please!!!!!! (JMHnoodles@aol.com) I need to know if I suck! Don't leave me in the dark! Flames will be used to warm my feet...this basement's cold! ***"On this page, I write my last confession Read it well, while I at last am sleeping It's a story of those who always loved you..."*** The rain poured down in unebbing sheets, as if the heavens were sobbing for the departed soul. Even so, heaven couldn't match the anguish of the three people who were being steadily drenched by the celestial tears. There were three of them, standing in the tiny graveyard. Two females and a male. The male was holding one of the sobbing females, all the while trying to keep his own tears back in vain. The other female, though, was completely disconsolate. She was on her knees, wailing, burying her face in her hands. The male looked at her and lost all resolve, sobs racking his frame. He glanced at her once again, wanting to help her, but he already had his hands full, so he just buried his face in his companion's shoulder and cried. The skies continued their lament. Later on that night, the three found themselves at the library. They still weren't willing to let go of their loved one, and even his apartment wasn't as full of him as the rooms full of book-laden shelves were. A blonde girl with tears still forming in the corners of her eyes walked around the library, fingers trailing over the surfaces, realizing that he was gone forever, the kind man who had always been there for her. She still had the image fresh in her mind: he'd just stood there as the dark vampire came at him. He'd actually offered his damned neck to it, not struggling as the evil creature sank its fangs deep into his neck, passionately and greedily draining his life away. She'd caught his eye, and he had this look of sad resignation...he'd even smiled at her, a tear gliding down his cheek, right before he'd fallen into sleep everlasting. She returned to the present with a jolt. The library smelled like him; Christ, every table, every chair, every volume in the place radiated his essence. As she wandered into her Watcher's office, the girl once her shaky control, breaking down into tears. She sank down into his chair, laying her head down on his desk. She could feel the impressions his body had made in the chair, and pressed herself into it, attempting to fill the void her much smaller frame left. Her hands traced patterns on the wood of his desk, and she noticed every minute detail of the grain. Her hands moved onto an old tome that he'd left open, over some papers, and finally came to rest on an envelope. She sat up. *He doesn't have a family,* she realized, *he needs someone to take care of his things.* But when she saw the name on the envelope, and then noticed that it was not one, but three envelopes laid side to side, she choked back her tears and called for her friends. Three envelopes, made of cream-colored parchment, sat next to each other on the desk. Each bore a name: *Buffy Summers* *Xander Harris* *Willow Rosenberg* Her companions entered, and each picked up their respective envelope. The trio shared a look; they didn't need words to know that each wanted to read their letter in privacy. While Xander and Willow walked together in silence to their homes, Buffy wandered the dark streets of Sunnydale alone. She was eager to read the letter, wanting so desperately to cling to all of him that she was left with, but another part of her also knew that once she read the letter, it was read. She couldn't go back in time and read it again like it was for the first time. This was the last action he would ever make towards her. She stopped in front of a building, realizing where she'd made her way to: his apartment. She let herself in, made herself tea, sat on his couch, wrapped herself in his afghan, and finally, opened his letter. "My dear, wonderful girl, I love you more than anything on Earth. I care for you so much it's crushing me, which is why I'm have to do what I'm about to do. "You see, last night, I was reading an old book I had come upon. I hope you're laughing right now in spite of yourself...all my books are old, I'm always reading, what else is new?" And he was, right, Buffy smiled at that, her grin cutting a ray of light through the darkness into which she had plunged. She continued reading. "I stumbled upon a prophecy which I'm surprised I had not heard. I'm not going to bother you with what it said exactly, but the reason that you and Willow and Xander have gone through so much...torture...is because we had been defying destiny. "In short, my dear, I was supposed to die. Remember how the attempts on me had increased? I wasn't supposed to live past the last solstice. But we didn't know, and we went against it...it was my fault that all of you, but you especially (God knows you'll always hold the most special place in my heart), had to suffer those unending trials." Buffy noticed that the funny, circular dark smudges on the parchment were increasing as she read on. *Tears,* she realized, her heart wrenching painfully. *He's crying while he's writing this...* "I know, precious child, that we've resisted prophecy before, and gotten away with it, but this is different. This book is older than any other, for it was written by the Old Ones. It cannot be burned, the pages cannot be torn or erased. It is set in unbreakable stone." By now, Buffy was adding her own blotches to the paper- the tears were streaming uncontrollably down her face and onto the letter, and she was gagging trying to choke back her awful sobs. "With my death, you are set free. You no longer have to slay. You don't have to put your life in danger, or worry about putting your friends at risk. "By the time you read this, a new slayer will have been dispatched. Go, my dear, and live that normal life you always wanted. It was all you had ever really asked of life, and it was the one thing I could never give to you. I could give you all the protection and caring in the world, but as long as I was alive, you would always be a prisoner of your fate. "Please, I'm giving it to you now; remember me well by living you life the way you always wanted to. I'm sorry I can't be there to see you grow up and become the beautiful, successful, wonderful woman I know you'll be. "As I write this, I'm trying etch every detail of your face into my mind. Just five minutes ago, I watched you for the last time. I know I'll carry your memory with me forever, and I pray you'll never forget me. You are the most responsible, lovely, caring, extraordinary, marvelous, phenomenal person I've ever had the luck to encounter. So many people hate their jobs; I count myself unbelievably fortunate to have had *you* be my life's work. Goodnight, my dear, I will always be with you. Love eternally, Rupert" Buffy set the letter down on the table so she wouldn't ruin it as her fists clenched with grief. She let herself cry as she never had, not caring how each sob rattled her small body. She shook uncontrollably, her weeping eventually decrescendoing to a soft whimpering, which was reduced to haggard breathing, which became silence. Sitting up, she went for the phone. "Mom," she said when she heard the answer, her voice a pale shadow of the confidence it had once held, "I can't come home. I'm going to stay over Willow's." A pause. "I know. It's hard...I love you too. Bye." She sat back down and folded the letter back into the envelope. As she was doing so, something scrawled on the back caught her eye. In Giles' beautiful (everything of his seemed beautiful to her now) script, a line from a song: "All your grief, at last, at last, behind you." She managed a weak smile and nodded to the empty room, then climbed the stairs to his room. She snuggled beneath his sheets, burying her face in his pillow, trying to find him one last time. "Thank you so much, Giles," she murmured as she drifted off to her first peaceful sleep in years. "I love you that much and more. Eternally." finis - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Once again I need help! (Hope) Date: 19 Mar 1998 16:07:15 PST I have forgotten what part of "Hope" I sent in last. Can someone let me know what it is?! Thanks a bunch. *sArA* ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Aglx Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: Once again I need help! (Hope) Date: 19 Mar 1998 19:36:48 EST Part 30. -Michelle. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Frances Vanelli" Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: Once again I need help! (Hope) Date: 19 Mar 1998 20:15:14 -0500 Sara, The last part of "Hope" I got was 30. Please keep them coming it is a great story.............. fcv ---------- > From: Sara Barton > To: buffyfic@xmission.com > Subject: BUFFYFIC: Once again I need help! (Hope) > Date: Thursday, March 19, 1998 7:07 PM > > I have forgotten what part of "Hope" I sent in last. Can someone let > me know what it is?! > > Thanks a bunch. > > *sArA* > > > > ______________________________________________________ > Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com > > - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Daphne1784 Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: Once again I need help! (Hope) Date: 19 Mar 1998 20:23:54 EST In a message dated 98-03-19 19:16:43 EST, you write: << I have forgotten what part of "Hope" I sent in last. Can someone let me know what it is?! >> The last part was part #30. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: LMcint6188 Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: "On This Page..." (1/1) Date: 19 Mar 1998 21:04:32 EST Wow...... That was beautifully written.... I dont know if im emotional today or what, but I was weeping! :..) Lins - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sapphire" Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: "On This Page..." (1/1) Date: 19 Mar 1998 21:30:24 PST **sob** This was beautful...you *so* do not suck! I look forward to seeing more of your work :) *Sapphire picks up her empty kleeenex box and turns to leave* ::grin:: Sapphire: sapphire@chaos.taylored.com X-Over Crossover list admin: X-Over: XF Crossover archive http://www.busprod.com/aclaybor Taking the Challenge: BtVS Challenge Archive ; SPCDD; LOMIG ; G-Woman #3 Keeper of Willow's momentary obsession with sore thumbs, Willow's whimper of sadness for her dead fish and her fake frog fit in = KBD - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: GothGirl77 Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: "On This Page..." (1/1) Date: 19 Mar 1998 21:37:02 EST It was absolutely wonderful. Very few stories tat sort have that much emotion. Keep writing, please! ~Nastassia~ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Whodinky Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: "On This Page..." (1/1) Date: 19 Mar 1998 21:43:33 EST I thought this was great too. If whomever wrote this were to write more, I, personally, would love to know what Willow's and Xander's letters said. Also, how did Giles die? Was it Angel? It was a great story and I love Les Miserables (a bit of dramatic irony "The Miserable"? Buffy and the Crew have definetly had their fair share of misery lately!). I really enjoyed this story. Sarah - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: JMHnoodles Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: "On This Page..." (1/1) Date: 19 Mar 1998 21:51:31 EST In a message dated 98-03-19 21:46:38 EST, you write: << I, personally, would love to know what Willow's and Xander's letters said. Also, how did Giles die? >> First off, I'm *delighted* that everyone liked it. I certainly do not have a high opinion of my writing; I was afraid to send it. I was thinking of writing a follow-up with Xander and Willow's letters, but I didn't know if anyone would even like *this* one! Does anyone else want to know what their letters said? Jen (who's actually giddy right now) - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: GothGirl77 Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: "On This Page..." (1/1) Date: 19 Mar 1998 21:55:40 EST In a message dated 98-03-19 21:53:55 EST, you write: << I was thinking of writing a follow-up with Xander and Willow's letters, but I didn't know if anyone would even like *this* one! Does anyone else want to know what their letters said? >> Write it! We loved this one, and I for one wanted to know what Xander and Willow's letters said. ~Nastassia~ I fed of a flower person once, spent the next six hours watching my hand move. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Usako83 Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: "On This Page..." (1/1) Date: 19 Mar 1998 21:56:04 EST In a message dated 98-03-19 21:39:30 EST, you write: That truly was a beautiful story, and, oddly enough, I was singing that song when I logged on to check my mail! Anything from Les Mis is emotional, but combining it with a touching Buffy story is just so sad! A lovely story, though. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: xavier@ideasign.com (Adam Kost) Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: "On This Page..." (1/1) Date: 19 Mar 1998 23:39:57 -0600 This story was wonderful! I for one would love to see more of it. :) -- Forever Your Humble Servant, Adam Kost aka Lord Rolins Xavier Starfire Dark Knight of the Realms of Karnos xavier@ideasign.com (Karnos.Tradeweb.Net 2000) "With Knowledge is Power and with Power comes the Responsibility to use it wisely" -Lord Starfire ---------- > From: JMHnoodles > To: buffyfic@xmission.com > Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: "On This Page..." (1/1) > Date: Thursday, March 19, 1998 8:51 PM > > In a message dated 98-03-19 21:46:38 EST, you write: > > << I, > personally, would love to know what Willow's and Xander's letters said. Also, > how did Giles die? >> > > First off, I'm *delighted* that everyone liked it. I certainly do not have > a high opinion of my writing; I was afraid to send it. > > I was thinking of writing a follow-up with Xander and Willow's letters, but I > didn't know if anyone would even like *this* one! Does anyone else want to > know what their letters said? > > Jen > (who's actually giddy right now) > > - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Christina Tseng Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: "On This Page..." (1/1) Date: 20 Mar 1998 00:02:52 -0800 Incredibly sad - I've don't usually get that emotional reading fanfics. I think that you finally put in words what we wanted to hear about how Giles feels about Buffy. Anthony Head gives wonderful performances and his expressions often show complex and strong emotions. I'm glad that you wrote this and keep it up! Definitely write what Giles wrote to Xander and Willow. Christina - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: NuPhalanx Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: "On This Page..." (1/1) Date: 20 Mar 1998 09:01:05 EST Hello! Sorry for the off-topic post, but could someone send this story to me? AOL gpf'd on me and I lost a couple of messages. cordially, Mike Z. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Betsy Vera Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: "On This Page..." (1/1) Date: 20 Mar 1998 09:23:58 -0500 (EST) On Fri, 20 Mar 1998, NuPhalanx wrote: > Sorry for the off-topic post, but could someone send this story to me? AOL > gpf'd on me and I lost a couple of messages. I've done this. --Betsy bentley@umich.edu - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: NuPhalanx Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: "On This Page..." (1/1) Date: 20 Mar 1998 14:48:23 EST Hi! All I can say is one word - INCREDIBLE! Please write two more - one for Willow, and one for Xander. cordially, Mike Z. WOW!! - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Janine Sebastian Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: "On This Page..." (1/1) Date: 20 Mar 1998 11:59:27 -0800 (PST) ---NuPhalanx wrote: > > Hi! > All I can say is one word - INCREDIBLE! Please write two more - one for > Willow, and one for Xander. > > cordially, > > Mike Z. > > WOW!! > > - > > I totally agree! I'd really like to see what Giles wrote to Willow and Xander. Also how did Giles Die? Jeanie _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: LMcint6188 Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: "On This Page..." (1/1) Date: 20 Mar 1998 17:44:48 EST In a message dated 98-03-19 21:53:52 EST, you write: << Does anyone else want to know what their letters said? >> Ido Ido Ido Ido Ido Lins ;) - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: tabbylink@patrol.i-way.co.uk Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: "On This Page..." (1/1) Date: 20 Mar 1998 23:31:36 I thought your story was really well done. It had me crying all the way through. We're way, *way* behind you here in England, so it was only when all the responses came in that I realised this was your own creation. Phew! That is like such a relief! I don't think I could bear to see Giles really dead. It seemed so real I did a really stupid thing and trashed the story :). Could someone send me a copy... BTW I'd also love to know what he said to Xander and Willow. Promise I won't do anything dumb if you write these ;). Betzi - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Betsy Vera Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: "On This Page..." (1/1) Date: 20 Mar 1998 18:51:01 -0500 (EST) On Fri, 20 Mar 1998 tabbylink@patrol.i-way.co.uk wrote: > someone send me a copy... I forwarded this. Betsy bentley@umich.edu - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Anya Subject: BUFFYFIC: Lawful Evisceration (ArchiveFic) Date: 20 Mar 1998 22:20:29 -0500 Lawful Evisceration by Anya An Archive fic for the Slayer's Fanfic Archive. Disclaimer: The character's aren't mine. And to be clear on what copyright is: the story concept IS mine, but the characters and the Slayer concept isn't. Joss owns the last two. (Joss =3D God) "You owe me." Willow folded her arms across her chest, her voice offering no allowance for protest. "And you know you owe me, so you're going to help me." Spike's responding smile was slight, and very amused. Hands dropping to the large wheels at the side of his chair, he pulled himself closer to the more reserved of the Slayerettes, enjoying this departure from her normally reticent, quiet self. In fact, he mused, recalling the occasion that had indebted him, it was beginning to appear that this little redhead had more secrets than the Slayer. "For a little bitty bite of information, I owe you?" The inflected incredulousness he added to his voice was, in his opinion, worthy of a fine Shakespearean performance. "It kept Druscilla happy, didn't it." Willow stalked closer, the stake up her sleeve staying in place despite the arms swinging motion. It wasn't that she liked to take risks, but necessity required small chances to be taken, every so often. And Willow had no qualms against blackmailing Spike. Spike kept his poker face in place. "Yeeessss" He replied, cautiously. "It kept her from wigging out on you, over piddly fanfic while the archive went down, that time, didn't it?" Willow pressed. "And it was my idea." =20 Her smile was positively nasty, Spike noted in approval. A nasty, self-righteous, twisted and evil little smirk promising that the next step would be a doozy. And, given the girl's intelligence a step of any type was simply not on his list of things he could cope with. "It was your idea." Spike admitted, the poker face fading to admit mild defeat. "Good. As long as you see this." Willow smiled again. "Besides, you'll love this favor. It's right up your alley." Feeling more secure now, having obtained both the upper hand and Spike's interest, Willow moved further into the room, tugging out a chair and plopping down into it.=20 The warehouse was a cold building, looking a little crispy after the fire, but it'd been carefully restored to a vampires level of gloomy tomb-like misery. And who was she to argue with the interior decor of a vampire? "I will?" Spike had to admit, this was getting better by the moment.=20 >From the instant she'd knocked on the door, sprayed the two guards in holy water, and bearded him in the dining room, he had a feeling tonight was going to be interesting. "Oh, you will." Willow purred, thumb trailing along the fine beveled edge of the dining room table. "I know I'm liking this." Drawled a new voice behind them. "Dinner served on time! How delicious!" Angelus parted from the shadows at the doorway, Druscilla trailing along behind him. His black leather, and knowing smirk were the exact opposite of Angel, and that was a characteristic he liked to flaunt to those that used to know his goody-goody soulish side. "Dinner?" Druscilla perked up noticeably, peering around Angelus' back to see whatever had raised her Sire's spirits. "Oh, Miss Edith's cousin has come for tea!" Spike and Angelus both graced the vampiress with a rather chagrined look, amazed at just how daffy she was. "Dru, get a grip." Angelus muttered, looking at Spike as if to say she was his problem. "You did it to her, she's loopy =91cause o' you." The blond vampire grumbled. "Yeah, but you're the one who loves her, so it's your problem." Angelus retorted, forgetting his alleged meal for the moment. "Until she's useful to you again." Spike snarled, wheeling closer.=20 "Then you'll be all over her, just to piss me off." The blond was sitting just below Angelus' tower form. Craning his neck high, he stared up as Angelus stared down. "Whatever works." His sire taunted, the grin back in place. "Are you two done?" Willow's voice dripped sarcasm. Sitting cross-legged on the table, the better to view the scene across the room as it unfolded, she looked utterly unamused and totally unafraid. Two qualities Angelus didn't much enjoy in his meals. "I beg you pardon?" Angelus cuffed Spike upside the head. "How could you let her in here? Did you hear how she spoke to me?" Spike wheeled his chair back, his face shifting to a vampiric mask.=20 "What was I thinking? Of course, Angelus, I'd hate for anyone to badmouth you! You stupid son-of-a-bitca*!" "This is going far." Willow muttered, rolling her eyes and looking heavenward. If Necessity had a tangible form, Willow was going to get Buffy to stake it. "The things I do for you, Buffy." Willow heaved a huge sigh. Placing her two fingers at her mouth, the whistle was worthy of a field marshal. "YO! Fang-faces! Over here! Fresh blood!" Three sets of fangs turned to stare directly at her. "Great! Wonderful responsiveness." Willow grumbled, getting ready to lob out her weapon of choice. Angel was moving awfully quickly towards her, and since Willow was morally against losing more blood than she'd willingly donate to a blood banks blood drive... "Someone stole the Slayer's Fanfic Archive." =20 Like any good fanfic addicts, the threesome stopped dead, metaphorically speaking. "Someone did what?" Angelus roared, his diction surprisingly clear around his fangs. "You heard me." Willow said shortly, silently wishing he'd just step a few cities away. Spike, she could handle. Even Druscilla, she could outwit. (Heck, Willow thought, Xander could outwit Druscilla!) But Angelus... fishy-murderer that he was, she didn't have any holds over him. "The archive? They stole the archive?" His tone of voice was nearly hysterical. Savagely, he spun about, bent and hefted Spike from the wheelchair. Holding the weaker vampire at eye level, Angelus shook him like a rag doll. "They STOLE my ARCHIVE!" Okay, Willow mused, one eyebrow making a nice nest in her hairline, I do have something to hold over big bad Angelus. Spike shut his mouth to keep his jaw from rattling. Angelus kept on shaking, dangerously close to jarring more vertebrae loose. Druscilla's soothing intervention finally brought a measure of reason to their Sire, and he dropped Spike like a sack of potatoes. =20 "See." The blond vampire offered weakly to Willow. "It's not just Dru.=20 It runs inherently in his side of the family." "Oh." Angelus, tactician that he was, ignored that and moved on. "How did they steal the archive and who do we kill? Did they hurt Anya? What about the Update Team? I can have a team of elite vampires guarding them 24/7, just give me details." "The Update Team, Anya, Biohaz, and etc are fine." Willow reassured him, feeling ridiculous for the motherly soothing tone of voice she was using. "No guards needed. As for killing someone..." Angelus was looking crestfallen before she even got to the next part. "That's what I want to talk to you three about." "This is the offer?" Spike wheeled closer, willing to intervene on the girl's behalf until they got the whole story. "Oh yes." Willow smiled again, that little evil smirk that Spike was beginning to really like. Especially when Angelus flinched at the first sighting of it. "The offer. I want you to find the person or persons that did this." Her smile widened. "And I want the creep eviscerated.=20 As a belated birthday present for Anya." Three pairs of eyes lit up. "Eviscerate." Spike smiled fondly. "I love that word, it has such a civilized sound." "You just like using railroad spike's to rip people apart." Angelus jeered. "The word just makes it sound classier." "You're just jealous." Spike sighed. "I did it first and got a rep for it. You feel left out." "In your dreams." "Not my dreams, Angel, not you at least in my dreams." "Boys?" Willow coughed discreetly. "Can we do the bigger wrinklies contest later?" Both had the grace to look shamefaced. "Right, so the infringement site is at http://www.4link.net/~aejakim/Index.html ; and it is an infringement. The fool hasn't even disguised where they got their stuff from." Willow shook her head, making a small snort of disgust. =20 "He or she as stolen a number of fics, although, a lot of the story links don't work. Anya thinks this theft has only been going on for a week or two, =91cause of that. She's appealing to the writers to check for their stories on this unauthorized mirror site, and then decide if they want it archived there or not. He has her fics, and she knows no one asked her for them all." "Anya must be so mad." Druscilla sighed in a momentary appearance of sanity. "We'll kill the nasty archive-stealer for Anya, and then send her the pieces to cheer her up." The moment had clearly passed. "Lovely." Willow murmured. "Whatever. Just go massacre, murder, mutilate... whatever turns you on. And if you do that, Anya might even write a nice fic about you." Angelus laughed openly. "Nice fic? About us?" Willow shrugged, hopping off the table. "Sure. For some bizarre reason, Anya likes you bad." Smoothly, and before the threesome could protest, Willow moved to the door. "She says you're more fun when you're bad." Willow glanced quickly at Spike. "Oh, and it's nice to see you've recovered Spike." The vampire started to frantically sign her to be quiet. Willow smirked, elaborating for the other's benefit. "You know, when I first visited, I seriously thought you were a cripple.=20 Nice to see I was wrong." Smiling, and offering a cute little wave, the redheaded trouble maker shut the door. Spike's protest howled clearly through the warehouse walls as she stepped into the clear night air, humming softly on her way home. The End Seriously, this website has taken whole pages, complete stories and more from my site. According to copyright laws, the graphics I designed, as well as page setups (in their complete form and style) are also a copyright allowed and assigned to me as creator. I have emailed the individual regarding this, but my biggest concern is to the AUTHORS WHO'S WORKS ARE ON MY ARCHIVE! This person may have infringed on YOUR works. The stories, and ideas YOU developed in your works are a copyright to you. S/he has no right to distribute or display them without your express permission. If he/she asked you, that's fine. But, I need to be sure that the author's rights are protected. (It makes me feel better!) ~Anya *bitca =3D well, you know. This is nice company, we don't say nasty words. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: michele v Subject: BUFFYFIC: Our Hearts Will Go On 4/6 Date: 20 Mar 1998 20:06:59 -0800 (PST) TITLE: Our Hearts Will Go On 4/6 AUTHOR: Michele V. EMAIL ADDRESS: glynisgrl33@yahoo.com FEEDBACK: Definitely, especially since this is my first fic- but since it is, please don't be too harsh SPOILERS: All episodes through "What's My Line 1 & 2" RATING: PG SUMMARY: A Buffy/Angel story that takes place after "What's My Line 1 & 2" with some added Willow/Oz and Xander/Cordelia. Also, Buffy and the gang find out about the return of the Master- in some form. DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters except for "The Elgradora" All of the other characters belong to Joss Whedon and the WB. No copywrite infringement intended. NOTE: I wrote this after "What's My Line 2" therefor without knowing that something similar would *sort of* happen in "Surprise" ********** PART 4 SUNNYDALE HIGH SCHOOL Xander and Willow sat talking outside on the steps of Sunnydale High after school got out. "Did you see the look on Mr. Jamison's face when he realized that his toupe' had fallen off?" Xander asked, laughing. "Yeah, it was pretty funny," Willow said giggling. "But- not as funny as the time he bent over and split his pants and everyone saw his Batman underwear," Xander said, still laughing. "True, I don't thing anything could beat that," Willow answered. Xander looked off to the side briefly and spotted Buffy looking around for them. "Hey, Buff! We're over here!" Xander called to her. Buffy smiled and walked over towards them. "Hey," she greeted them. "Hi," Willow said. "How are you? I mean, are you feeling better?" she asked her friend. "A little," Buffy told them. "The story about Mr. Jamison made me smile, so that's a plus" Buffy said grinning. "You heard?" Xander asked. "Yeah, me and everyone else in school," Buffy told him. "Oh, of course" There was an awkward silence. Buffy's smile disappeared and her face was filled with sadness. "So...the big Friday night dance at the Bronze..Are you two game?" Xander asked breaking the silence. Buffy looked up at him. "Well I kinda have to go. I told Angel I'd be there so he's gonna meet me there after he's done packing," she told them. "So I'll take that as a yes from you. Willow?" "Yeah, I'll go," Willow told him. "Ok, then. Our plans are now set. Mom's here- so now I must go home and couch potato it until it's time to go. I'll see you guys, later," Xander said then got into his mother's car. Willow and Buffy waved goodbye to Xander and his mom. Buffy turned to Willow. "Well, since training is off for today, I can walk you home," Buffy said standing up. "Then when I get home I can sulk for three hours and by then it'll be time to get ready to leave." Willow smiled and the two of them walked home together. (LATER THAT NIGHT) THE BRONZE Willow and Xander finally took a break from dancing and walked over to the table where Buffy had been sitting alone for almost two hours. "Still no sign of Angel, huh?" Willow asked her friend. Xander shook his head in disgust. "And you call that a boyfriend? Where I'm from that's called standing someone up. Now he had better have a good reason for putting my best friend in more major mope mode then she already is in or I'll just have to-" Willow interrupted. "Xander, calm down. This is Angel we're talking about. He'd never do that to Buffy." "Ya know, you're right. What am I talking about? He'd never do such a thing as that- he'd just move far far away so that her heart could be broken." Willow looked at Buffy. "So, what do you think happened to him, Buffy? I mean, what if- he was on his way here and Spike and Druscilla found out he was coming here, so they waited outside for him and captured-" Willow paused when she saw the look Buffy was giving her. "Ok, ok, sorry- Guess I got a little carried away." "Just a little," Buffy said sarcasticly. "So you think he's ok then?," Willow asked, already knowing her answer. "I'm sure he's fine," Buffy answered her. "He's probably just finishing up all of his packing tonight so he can sleep all day tomorrow." "Yeah, well, I'd hate to tell you but I think our vampy pal Angel is a no show tonight- The Bronze closes in fifteen minutes- which means, there's only like three more songs left to boogie on down to"Xander told her. "So what do you say, Buffy- Think you can spare one little dance with your best friend?" Buffy nodded. "Sure- It beats sitting down and sulking.. Anyway, I came here to dance- and I haven't done that all night." "That's that spirit! C'mon!" Xander said, pulling Buffy onto the dance floor. Buffy and Xander danced together to an upbeat song. Then a slower song came on. Xander and Buffy continued dancing together while Willow sat alone at the table. "Are you with anyone?" a familiar voice behind her asked. Willow turned around to see Oz standing there. "Oh, hi, Oz. Well, I came with my two friends but they're out on the dance floor right now- so right now, no- Are you?" Oz shook his head. "Not anymore. I came with Devon but as soon as Cordelia spotted him she-" Willow interrupted. "You don't have to tell me the rest- I think I know what happened." "Yeah," Oz agreed. "So, did you just come here now? 'Cause it closes soon and it would just be kinda weird if you came for only the last few minutes," Willow asked. "Well, actually, yeah- we just came now. Devon wanted to see Cordelia since he knew shed be here-and since he's my ride home I had to come along, so, yeah," Oz told her. The two sat in silence for a moment. "Do you wanna dance?" Oz asked, breaking the silence. "Me?" Willow asked, somewhat surprised. Oz grinned. "Well, yeah- I didn't think there was any other Willow here that I was talking to- Unless you have some invisible clone- Wait let me check," he said, then looked under the table and behind him. "Willow? Willow?" he said as he did so. Willow giggled slightly. "Sorry- I guess-I' just not used to a guy-well other then Xander- asking me to dance," she explained. "Well you do know how, right?" Oz asked . "Oh, yeah, I just-" she began. "Well then let's dance," he told her. Willow nodded her head in agreement as Oz led her out on the dance floor. The two began slow dancing. When the song ended, Devon came over by where Oz and Willow were standing. "Hey Devon, What's going on?" Oz asked his friend. "Cordelia and I got into a little *disagreement*, so I'm ready to bail. You coming?" Oz looked at Willow for a moment then turned back to his friend. "I think I'm gonna stay," he told Devon. "Ok man, See you tomorrow at practice," Devon said. "Yeah-I'll be there. See ya," Oz answered. When Devon was gone, Willow turned to Oz. "Uh, Oz? Wasn't he your ride home?" she asked him. Oz nodded with a slight grin. "Yeah..but staying here is worth my walking home," he told her. Willow blushed. "Has anyone ever told you that you look kind of cute when you blush like that?" Oz asked her grinning. Willow just stared at him. "'Cause you do.. Not good at handling compliments, are you? "No- Oh, I mean- Sorry- it's just- Well, no one has really-" Willow began. "Ever complimented you," Oz finished for her. "Well, no guy-Well, besides-" Willow began again. "Xander," Oz finished for her again. Willow nodded. "Yeah." "Well, I don't handle them too well myself so...But, do you wanna keep dancing?" "Oh-yeah, sure. I mean if you want to," Willow answered nervously. Oz smiled. "I want to," he answered. "Ok, then, let's- keep dancing," she said. Willow and Oz started dancing dancing again as the song "How Do I Live," by LeAnn Rhymes came on. Xander and Buffy also began to slow dance together again, when someone approached them from behind Buffy. "Hey," the person said, looking at Xander. "Hi," Xander answered. Buffy turned around as soon as she heard the person's voice. "Angel. I wasn't sure you'd show," she told him. Angel looked at Xander. "Can I- cut in?" Angel asked him. Xander nodded. "She's all yours-Well, not *all* yours- Ah, you know what I mean." Xander headed back to a table by himself when he spotted Cordelia standing all alone in a corner. He approached her. "Cordelia- What are you doing here all by yourself-I figured you'd be latched on to Devon somewhere." "No. We-well we just broke up," Cordelia told him. "I'm sorry to hear that," Xander said, trying to sound like he meant it, although he really did not. "Look- I know your probably gonna say to no this- but I thought I'd ask anyway..Do you wanna maybe- dance?" Cordelia looked annoyed at first but then managed a slight smile. "Sure-why not." The two walked off onto the dance floor and began slow dancing together. Angel wrapped his arms around Buffy's waist holding her close to him while Buffy placed her hands on Angel's shoulders. "I'm really sorry that I got here so late. I just- had a lot of things to do to-" Angel began explaining softly. "It's ok. I understand. Let's just forget about it and enjoy now, ok?" Angel nodded. "Ok." They danced, holding each other close, as they looked deeply into each other's eyes. The words to the song finally came on. *How do I Get through the night with you If I had to live without you What kind of life would that be* *Oh I, Need you in my arms, need you to hold You're my world, my heart, my soul If you ever leave Baby it would take away everything good in my life* *And tell me now, How do I live without you, I want to know, How do I breathe without you, If you ever go* As Buffy stared into Angel's eyes, listening to the lyrics of the beautiful song, a tear rolled down her cheek when she realized how much the lyrics to the song expressed the way she was feeling about Angel leaving. When Angel noticed her tears he began to get slightly choked up himself. He pulled Buffy even closer to him, letting her head rest on his shoulder, and almost hugging her for comfort as they swayed to the music. *Without you, There would be no sun in my sky There would be no love in my life, There'd be no world left for me* *And I, Baby I don't know what I would do, I'd be lost if I lost you If you ever leave, Baby you would take away everything Real in my life* "Angel?" Buffy whispered in his ear, through slight sobs. "Hmm?" he answered. "Will you ever be back?" she asked him, drawing away from him so she could look into his eyes. "I don't know," he answered softly after a long pause. Buffy just nodded and pulled her self closer to him, holding on tight to him, as if that would keep him from leaving. *How do I go on If you ever leave, Baby you would take away everything Need you with me Baby don't you know that you are everything good in my life* Buffy couldn't take it anymore and tears flooded her eyes and cheeks as she cried onto Angel's shoulder. Angel felt her body shaking as she cried and tried to comfort her- while he hugged her with one arm, he brought his other arm to the back of her head, burying her head in his chest. He kissed the top of her head. *And tell me now How do I live without you I want to know How do I breathe without you If you ever go How do I ever, ever survive How do I, How do I, oh How do I live* The song was almost over but Buffy couldn't wait until the end-she had to leave-the pain was too much for her. She pulled away from Angel and sprinted out of the Bronze, hysterical, and ran all the way home. To her advantage her mother wasn't home again- she didn't want to have to answer any questions about why she was upset. Buffy just went straight to her room and laid down on her bed, crying hysterically. After a few minutes, she was able to calm down a bit, but still, hadn't noticed that someone else was in the room with her. Angel. Her back was turned towards him but he could tell that she was still crying by the light sobs he heard coming from her. Angel walked quietly over to her bed and placed a gentle hand on her cheek. Buffy knew who it was right away and turned to face him, exposing her tear-filled face to him. It hurt Angel so much to see her like that. He moved his hand to wipe the tears that were falling from her eyes as she stared at him. His own face showed a pain filled expression as he stared down at her. As he went to wipe more tears away Buffy covered his hand with hers for a second and then pushed it away from her face, letting go of her grip on it. She turned her head the other way- She couldn't look at him and see the pain that she afflicted upon him by pushing him away when he was only trying to comfort her. Angel stood there with question. Tears were beginning to fill his own eyes as he stood unsure of what he should say, or what he should do. After a few more sobs Buffy finally spoke to him. "This is hard ,Angel, this is so hard," she said. Angel nodded. "I know," was all he could say. Buffy waited a few moments and spoke again. "I can't do this- I can't say goodbye like this-when we're involved- It's too hard," Buffy continued. Angel just stared at her. Buffy waited a few more seconds. "I think- we should just- not be together anymore- end our relationship here- because it's just too hard to say goodbye to you while we're in one," she said. She turned her head the other way. "What are you saying, Buffy?" Angel asked softly. After a few more sobs she spoke again. "I need you... to leave," Buffy told him. She turned her head back, to see what his response to this would be. Angel stared at her for a second. He understood how she was feeling- and that it hurt her more right now to see him. He gave her a slight nod then stared at her a few more seconds-then turned and walked towards her door. Angel stopped when he reached the door and turned his head slightly, but still not enough to face her. "I wish things could be different, Buffy..that I didn't have to leave Sunnydale," he commented. After a short silence, Buffy answered. "Me too. But- things just don't go the way we want them to in life. Especially in mine." She wished he would just leave so that she wouldn't lose it in front of him. "Well, goodbye Buffy," he said knowing that she wanted him to leave. Buffy didn't answer and just watched him continue out of her room. She waited until she heard him close her front door to let loose the emotions she was holding back. She broke out into tears again. She cried and cried , nonstop for about an hour. Then around 11:00 she finally calmed down a bit. The phone rang on the night table next to Buffy's bed. Buffy reached over and picked it up. "Hello?...Oh, hey Will....I just couldn't take it anymore, I had to leave or I would've just cried write there....Yeah, he came by, but- I told him to leave. I think it was the right thing to do- Just break it off-and stay away from him until tommorow night..It should be easy to do considering it's only a day..Yeah, should be but right now it doesn't seem like it will be. I miss him already and I just saw him an hour ago...No, I think he understands why..I think it'll be easier to deal with, I guess..He said goodbye, but I didn't answer. I couldn't- It was just too hard..Will, I think I'm gonna go on slay patrol now, even though it's kind of late. That should get my mind off this..I will.Ok, I'll try. I'll call you tomorrow and we can do something..K, bye." Buffy hung up the phone, just to have it ring again. "Hello?..Mom- hi..I'm fine. I was just- getting ready t o go to Willow's-to sleep over I mean since it's so late..You do?..No, I'll be fine.Besides I'll be at Willow's tonight and- I'll see if I can stay there tomorrow night too..You just take care of whatever you have to at the gallery and I'll see you Monday..That's two days right?..No-mom, I'll be fine..Don't worry, I'll be good..Ok mom. Love you, too. Bye," Buffy hung up the phone again. She grabbed the jacket that Angel had given her awhile back and a stake from her drawer and left the house on slay patrol. Buffy was walking towards the park when she came to the building that Angel lived in. She stopped for a moment thinking of how badly she wanted to just go in there and throw her arms around him. But she couldn't. She had to stay away from him to make it easier to let go. She continued walking again, her thoughts still on Angel and how he was leaving. But since her thoughts were invading her mind and taking her attention off of slaying, she didn't notice the vampire that had come up behind her until it was too late. He had her by the neck and she was too tired and stressed out to fight back at the moment. The she felt it- two fangs puncture the skin on her neck and the vampire slowly draining the blood out of her. After he had taken the slightest bit, Buffy's salyer sense kicked in and she managed to push her stake through his heart, turning him to dust immediately. Buffy turned the other way and placed her fingers up to her neck, in pain. She decided that she needed help fast, and the closet place would be Angel's. As much as she wanted to stay away from him, she couldn't. She needed help immediately. Buffy ran to Angel's apartment and knocked on his door with tears in her eyes from the pain and fear she was feeling. As soon as Angel opened the door, she fell into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably. Angel hugged her close to him, trying to comfort her, thinking that she was crying because she would miss him and didn't want him to leave. "It'll be alright, soon," he whispered in her ear. "It hurts," Buffy sobbed. "I know, I know," he replied and kissed the top of her head. "The pain-" Buffy began. "Shhh..It'll all go away- it may take awhile- but soon, things will be alright," he promised her. "It-feels- like a thousand knives are stabbing into my neck- all at once," she told him. "Your...neck?" Angel asked hoping she wasn't referring to what he thought she was. "What are you talking about? I thought-" he began. Buffy pulled away, shaking her head, exposing the two red fang marks on her neck to him. Angel looked at the marks and growled. "Who did this to you?" he asked in anger. "I don't know. Just some- random vampire I guess," she told him. "How did it happen?" Angel asked. "Well, I was out on slay patrol and I guess I was a little..sidetracked and didn't notice that he was behind me. So he snuck up on me and attacked. It wasn't until he already had his fangs in my neck that I was able to fight back," Buffy explained. "Did you kill him?" Angel asked. Buffy nodded. "Yeah- dusted him off right away," she answered. Angel sighed, putting his head down. "What? Was I not supposed to kill him?" she asked, confused. Angel just stood there with his head down trying to figure out what to do. "Angel? You're scaring me. What gives here?" Buffy asked. Angel lifted his head to look at her. "Sorry- I ,uh- I was just worried. You shouldn't have," he began. "Killed him. I shouldn't have killed him," Buffy finished for him. Angel nodded. "But I didn't know- I thought vampires- except you, of course- were the bad guys and that I was supposed to kill them. I was scared- I didn't know what to do," she explained. "i know- It's not your fault. It's just- he could've been useful in getting you better," Angel told her. "How?" Buffy asked. "Well, as strange at it may sound, he didn't drain enough blood out of you to complete the process of healing- if he did, you'd be unconcous, so if he was still around we'd have to lure him into draining the slightest bit more out of you. Then, we'd have cut his neck and make him bleed and you'd have to drink the blood from his neck until you were strong again," he explained. Buffy was confused. "Uh, Angel- I could be wrong here but doesn't drinking a vampire's blood after he drank yours make you become a vampire?" she asked. "In most cases, yes, but not in this one. Since your the slayer it doesn't work the same for you," he told her. "How come?" Buffy asked. "Well, since your the slayer, you can drink the blood from the same spot that you were bitten in and not become a vampire," Angel explained. "Oh..ok..*ow* Whatever needs to be done to treat this, could we do it now?" Buffy asked in pain. "That's the thing, Buffy. Without that vampire, I don't know of any other way of treating it," he told her. "*Ow* Well, do I need *that* vampire? I mean, can't I just get any old vamp and suck the blood from that one's neck in stead? *Ow*" Buffy was able to get out. Angel shook his head. "It has to be the same one that bit you, otherwise it won't work," he told her. "Oh..great. So what do I do? I can't go to a hospital because they'll have to call my mom and she's out of town- I don't want her worrying or anything," Buffy said holding the spot on her neck again. "Let me look at it," Angel said. Buffy nodded and took her hand off the fang marks. Angel reached out his hand to touch it, then pulled back, almost instantly, and turned his head the other way with a growl. "Angel?" Buffy called. "You need to get help..now. Go find Giles or someone," he told her. "Aren't you gonna come? I mean, even though that vampire only got a little out of me, I'm still a little weak. What if another vampire comes along- I won't have the strength to fight it and-" "I can't," Angel answered with a growl, still turned the other way. Buffy walked around him so that she could face him. She realized that he was in his "game" face. "Oh. I get it. You can't look at me, can you? 'Cause when you do, all you see is the two red marks on my neck," she said. "I'm sorry, Buffy. I want to help you but..the temptation- it's just too great," Angel told her. "It's ok. I understand," Buffy said, with a hint of hurt in her voice. Angel noticed this and wanted to show her that he cared about her and loved her- even though they were no longer together. He stepped closer to her, placing a hand on the side of her neck without the fang marks. Angel bent his head down toward her neck. Fear overwhelmed Buffy as Angel's mouth neared the fang marks on her neck. After all, Angel was in his "vampire mode" But the fear and pain washed away, and was replaced with pleasure as Buffy felt Angel's soft, sensual lips, instead of fangs, pressed against the cut. Angel did not pull his lips away right way. He let them linger there for some seconds. As they did, Buffy closed her eyes and let her head tilt back slightly, exposing her neck to his lips and letting the pleasure take over her. Seeing Buffy's reaction to this, and how much pleasure this was giving her, he drew his lips away for merely a second, and kissed her there again. "Angel," Buffy sighed with pleasure. Angel was fighting so hard to control the demon inside him, so that he would not bite her. But the temptation was becoming to great, so he pulled his lips away from her neck. Buffy opened her eyes to find him staring at her. "Better?" Angel asked, referring to the pain from the bite. Buffy wanted to tell him how incredible it felt to have his lips on her, kissing her, since he hadn't in a while. But she knew that she couldn't. The y could no longer be together and she felt the need to remind him. "Angel, why did you do that? I mean, you know that we can't be together anymore. It'll be to hard to say goodbye if we are," Buffy said. Angel was finally able to gain control and morph back into his normal face again. "I know. I just- wanted to let you know that- whether we're together or not- I care about you, and..love you. And no matter what happens to us Buffy, I'll never stop. Even if..Even if you stake me right now. It hurts me so much to see you in pain and I'd give anything to help you- unless it would risk your life. And right now..it would-So I can't be with you..I'm sorry." Buffy nodded. She understood. But she was curious about something and had to ask him. "Did you wanna bite me just before?" she asked. Angel frowned and put his head down. "I did," he admitted in a sad tone. "But- I was able to control the urge," he told her. Buffy smiled slightly. "Well, I guess I should be greatful for your honesty. But- to answer your question from before..It is..better." Angel looked up at her with a slight smile. Buffy grinned back at him slightly. "Well, maybe I'll just have to do it again," Angel said flirtatiously. Buffy smiled. "Yeah, and maybe if you keep doing it, I'll be completely better." Angel's smile turned to a frown. "If that was all it really would take, I wish I could," he said, a sad tone in his voice again. Buffy's smile disappeared too, when he said this. "Well, I better go to Giles house now," she told him changing the subject. Angel nodded. "I'd go with you but-" "I know..the temptation..I know," Buffy said, understandingly. "Well, I guess this is goodbye then," Angel said, still with a sad tone. Buffy nodded. "Yeah..guess it is." She stared at him a few more seconds. "I'll..I'll see ya," she blurted out, quickly walking to the door. Without giving him the chance to answer her, she opened the door and left. She didn't start crying until she got outside. Once outside, the tears began to pour down her face as she walked to Giles to get help. Angel was left standing there in his apartment, tears rolling down his hace. "Yeah..see ya," he said in a whisper. TO BE CONTINUED _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Doug Lehman" Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: Lawful Evisceration (ArchiveFic) Date: 20 Mar 1998 15:25:24 -0500 Have you found out anything of whether or not they asked for permission. I looked at the page myself and the creator seems to have good intentions BUT as a writer(be it I have yet to post a fanfic I'm having enough trouble trying to wrap-up my book) I get more then alittle steamed about the unauthorized use of anothers work, and I have a few tricks up my sleeve. Pay backs a bitca* :) With warmest reguards, mental Seriously, this website has taken whole pages, complete stories and more from my site. According to copyright laws, the graphics I designed, as well as page setups (in their complete form and style) are also a copyright allowed and assigned to me as creator. I have emailed the individual regarding this, but my biggest concern is to the AUTHORS WHO'S WORKS ARE ON MY ARCHIVE! This person may have infringed on YOUR works. The stories, and ideas YOU developed in your works are a copyright to you. S/he has no right to distribute or display them without your express permission. If he/she asked you, that's fine. But, I need to be sure that the author's rights are protected. (It makes me feel better!) ~Anya *bitca = well, you know. This is nice company, we don't say nasty words. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: NightHunter Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: "On This PAGE..." (1/1) Date: 21 Mar 1998 06:20:31 -0800 I just finished reading this and Giles Letter to Buffy brought tears to my eyes. It was very very good. I hope you"ll let us know what Xander's & Willow's Letters Said - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Tina Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: Lawful Evisceration (ArchiveFic) Date: 21 Mar 1998 08:01:04 -0600 (CST) On Fri, 20 Mar 1998, Doug Lehman wrote: > Have you found out anything of whether or not they asked for permission. I know they haven't. I was rather...um, I'd say less-than-pleased is a good word...to find out that fifteen of my stories are up on that site. I promptly wrote the web site keeper, and asked him to take my stories off the page. Now, to attempt to make this vaguely on-topic,so the ListMoms don't eviscerate *me*... Anya, this was *extremely* funny. Not only that, but Willow got to be hyperassertive, and I love when that happens. Hehehe... Off to read more fic and mail... Tina Ms. Calendar's Domain: http://www.enteract.com/~shedwyn/calendar *NatPack *SunS *Slayerette *Duchovnik Lurker *CoS *MCTP *GDLM Clan *Keeper of Ms. Calendar's Pendant *Heretic ot CoJ *Broom Brigade Lurker "Nah, I just have this image of me in the desert trailing along behind the NatPack picking up their discarded monkeys." --Sharon H. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: NuPhalanx Subject: BUFFYFIC: All Alone in the Night Part 5/5 Date: 21 Mar 1998 13:17:42 EST TITLE: All Alone in the Night Part 5/5 AUTHOR: Mike Z. EMAIL: NuPhalanx@aol.com DISTRIBUTION: Anya and Zandarah, sure. Others, please ask. CONTENT/RATING: PG-13 - nothing too objectionable. SPOILER: Invisible Girl, 2nd season up to Some Assembly Required. FEEDBACK: Always welcome SUMMARY: Wrapping up the nights' events - Marci and Co. have left, and Angel must comfort Cordelia. DISCLAIMER: Joss Whedon and Warner Brothers get full rights to all characters used, I'm not making any money off of this so please be nice and don't sue me! I don't have any money anyway. Drat! All Alone in the Night Part 5/5 The rain had finally stopped. Angel was grateful for that as he stood outside the Chase house, watching the neighbors looking at the police cars and muttering amongst themselves. He could hear every word that was said, but was paying no attention. He watched closely as a man in coveralls finished repairing the alarm system, while another man was stapling a plastic sheet over the shattered kitchen window. He smiled when he remembered Cordelia's reaction to the news that her parents wouldn't be home until tommorow afternoon. He had never seen such a cold rage, and it was gone as soon as it had appeared. As long as Cordelia was alright, Mr. and Mrs. Chase saw no reason to cut their weekend short. Cordelia hadn't spoken to her mother, but Angel inferred the her parents had made the decision to stay at Vail together. The police Detective stepped outside and motioned to him. Angel did as he was asked and listened to what the man had to say. "So, there were three intruders? One male, two female, all caucasian? And the male had a gun?" Angel nodded before replying. He was glad that Cordelia seemed to go along with whatever he said, especially with the invisible parts. No sense in getting locked up at the local mental ward. "Yes. We were able to scare them off, I guess." Angel glanced inside. He could see Cordelia sitting on the stairs. "How is she holding up?" he asked, keeping his voice low. The detective puased for a moment, then answered. "Someone should stay with her tonight. I'd like the two of you to come down to the station and fill out some paperwork. But it can wait until Monday." The officer paused for a moment. "I still can't figure out who called 911. The Dispatcher said it cam from a cellular phone, yet Miss Chase told me all the phones in the house are out." He walked back to his car, shaking his head and writing on his notepad. Angel stepped back inside and sat down next to Cordelia. She was still a little pale, but at least she could keep her hands steady. She looked up at him with red eyes and managed a weak smile. "Thanks. I mean, if you hadn't shown up.." her voice trailed off in to silence. Angel hugger her close to him and rubbed her back. "It's okay now. Do you want me to take you anywhere?" Another policeman had told Cordelia that someone would keep an eye on the house until the repairs were completed, but that didn't reassure Cordelia. She stood and grabbed a leather jacket from a nearby closet. Angel helped her put it on and waited. "Look, I know you and Buffy are an item, but I really don't want to stay here tonight." She fixed her gaze on her shoes and continued. "Would it be okay if I stayed at your place? Please?" Her voice had a slight pleading note in it. Angel was just a little surprised; but being a gentleman, he couldn't say no to her. Buffy would understand - hopefully. "Sure. My bike's right down the road." He watched as she gathered a few things in to a small bag, then grabbed her keys and followed him out the door. As she was locking it, he scanned the area for any intruders but could detect nothing. Dulcimer and his kids were gone. True to the detective's word, there was a police cruiser parked at the end of the driveway. Cordelia spoke briefly with the officer inside, then started walking down the road with Angel. She was extremly quiet, which Angel knew was not like her. He was watching her closely, as she was obviously still in a slight state of shock. When they reached his motorcycle, he handed her the helmet and helped her put it on. She slid on the seat and clutched at his waist as he started the Kawasaki and rode off towards Sunnydale. *** Angel opened the door and held it while Cordelia entered. She still hadn't said a word, and he was starting to get a little worried. As he put his helmet away, he noticed she seemed to be fascinated by one of the paintings on the wall. He didn't get visitors very often, and he was glad he had kept the decor and furniture to a minimum. He checked his answering machine for messages and was relieved when there were none. He took Cordelia's jacket and hung it next to his. With a wave of his hand, he told her to make herself at home while he got her something to drink. He had just started keeping sodas in the fridge again since Buffy had been visiting him. Cordelia was curled up in a corner of the couch when he returned with a pepsi. He sat across from her and regarded her with his dark brown eyes. She had only taken a sip of the drink before going back to staring at the far wall. Angel was worried. He picked up the phone and dialed Giles' number. Giles answered after three rings. In hushed tones, Angel explained the nights' events to Giles. He answered a few questions from the Watcher, then put the phone back in its cradle. "Giles will take you home in the morning," he said. Cordelia didn't move, didn't give any indication of having heard him. He knelt on the floor and took her hands in his. "Talk to me." Her lower lip was trembling. A lone tear fell down her cheek, and she finally looked at him. With a trembling voice, she said: "I had to shoot him. I had to!" Angel shushed her and held her close. She started crying, her body racking with the sobs. She kept repeating the same words over and over. Angel closed his eyes and silently raged at the man who had done this. 'Do not cross my path again,' he vowed silently. After about ten minutes had passed, Cordelia hiccuped and pulled away from him. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. Angel offered her a Kleenex which she gladly accepted. He went back out to the kitchen and pulled a bottle of Jack Daniels out of the cabinet. He poured some in a small glass and set it in front of her. She looked at him with a strange expression on her face, then took the glass and downed the alchohol in two gulps. Cordelia smiled slightly at the confused look on his face. "Just like mom," she whispered, settling back on the couch. She closed her eyes and sighed. "I'll probably need therapy for the rest of my life after this." She motioned at the empty glass. "Could I have another?" Angel rose without a word and refilled her glass. He placed it on the table next to her and watched her down it in a few gulps. She looked at him again, and he shook his head. "That's your limit." She smiled sadly. Angel was curious. Cordelia had never mentioned her mother, and her actions gave him an insight into her personality. He sat back and waited; it was obvious that she wanted to talk. Hopefully the alcohol had calmed her down enough so she could let it out. "You're right, I don't want to end up like mother. She's either drunk, or sick, or..." her voice trailed off. She hugged herself and looked at him furtively, knowing she had revealed too much. Angel favored her with an encouraging smile. "It's okay, Cordelia. Our secret. Promise." She gave him a grateful smile and stretched out on the couch. He rose and knelt next to her. "You can have the bed, and I'll-" Cordelia cut him off with a raised hand. "No. I've, um, slept on couches before." She smiled at him at he pulled a blanket of the bed and covered her with it. "Besides, I like leather." She closed her eyes and tried to relax. Angel tucked the comforter around her and brushed her hair away from her face. She murmured something that he couldn't make out. He thought she said 'Dad' but wasn't sure. He straightened and returned to his post on the chair. He would watch her until Giles came in the morning. Angel had just started reading the book of poetry when it started. Cordelia snored, and loudly. Hanging his head, he reminded himself that a gentleman never complains about his guests. But it was going to be a long night. All Alone in the Night Fin. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: michele v Subject: BUFFYFIC: Our Hearts Will Go On 5/6 Date: 21 Mar 1998 14:44:20 -0800 (PST) TITLE: Our Hearts Will Go On 5/6 AUTHOR: Michele V. EMAIL ADDRESS: glynisgrl@yahoo.com FEEDBACK: Definitely, especially since this is my first fic. SPOILERS: All episodes through "What's My Line 1 & 2," and especially "Angel," in this part. RATING: PG SUMMARY: A Buffy/Angel story with some added Willow/Oz and Xander/Cordelia. Also, Buffy and the gang find out about the return of the Master- in some form. DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters except for "The Elgradora" All of the other characters belong to Joss Whedon and the WB. No copywrite infringement intended. NOTE: I wrote this after "What's My Line 2," therefor without knowing that something similar would *sort of* happen in "Surprise" ********** PART 5 THE NEXT DAY(SATURDAY) BUFFY'S HOUSE The door bell rang at the Summers' house and Buffy went to answer it since no one else was home. "Hi, Buffy," Willow greeted her at the door. "Hey, Will," Buffy answered. "Come on in." Willow walked in and Buffy shut the door behind her. "How are you feeling?" Willow asked her friend. Buffy seemed like she was in a daze. "No, Angel hasn't left yet," she answered her friend. "Uh, Buffy, are you alright?" Willow asked concerned. "Fine! Everything's fine! I'm fine, my mom's fine. I'm sure your fine..you are fine, right?" Willow nodded. "Yeah, but I don't think you are." "Don't be silly. I'm fine..great..wonderful. Nothing could be better," Buffy told her. "Are you sure about that Buffy," Willow asked. Buffy nodded. "Yeah! Why?" "Well, you're acting kind of strange. And when I asked you a minute ago how you were you told me that Angel hasn't left yet..That wasn't the question I asked," Willow told her. Buffy sighed. "I'm sorry..Guess I just have some- things on my mind," she explained. "Like, Angel leaving?" Willow asked. Buffy nodded. "Like Angel leaving," she repeated in an answer. "Look, I know this must be hard for you," Willow started, attempting to comfort her friend. Buffy looked at Willow, as if Willow really didn't know how hard it was. Willow sighed. "Ok, maybe I don't really know. I'm just trying to make you feel better- if that's possible," she said. Buffy sighed. "Look, I appreciate your help, I do. But, I really don't think that anything can help. I mean, Angel's leaving. There's nothing that can stop that from happening." Willow stared at Buffy. She knew that Buffy was right- There was nothing that could make Buffy feel any better- There was nothing that could prevent Angel from leaving. Buffy sat on her couch, looking in the other direction. Willow sat next to her. Tears were forming in Buffy's eyes. "It's just so hard...It's so hard..The only thing that makes sense to me is gone," she said. "He hasn't left yet, Buffy. You could still go see him now," Willow said softly. Buffy shook her head. "I can't. We said goodbye already..last night. We, well it wasn't exactly goodbye..I kinda just left and said bye," Buffy told her. "What happened? I mean, I expected you guys to go through that whole mushy goodbye thing," Willow said. "Definitely no mushy goodbye...He just told me that I had to go get help with the vampire bite and I said ok and just kinda said see you to him and walked out the door" she told Willow. "And I can't go back there to see him, it'll just make it harder for us both. I think that despite my feeling awful about ending like that, maybe there's still the chance that it'll work out easier," Buffy explained. "Well, is it working so far? Do you think it's easier?" Willow asker her. "No, I think I may have made it harder. I'll probably never forgive myself for not saying goodbye the right way, but, I guess I'll just have to give it time.," Buffy answered. There was a knock at the door. "Oh, I'll get it," Willow told her, getting up. "It's probably just Oz. He's been waiting out in his van for me," she said. "Oz?" Buffy asked. "Yeah..we're going on our first date tonight" Willow said. "Oh. Where to?" Buffy asked. "The Bronze," Willow answered. "The Bronze? That sounds romantic and quite..have fun," Buffy said sarcastically. Willow opened the door. "Hey, Oz. Come on in," she said motioning inside. "Shouldn't we get going?" he asked as she closed the door behind him. "Uh, yeah. Hey, Buffy- Do you wanna- come?" she asked her friend. "Xander's gonna be there too..uh, with Cordelia, but still there." "Nah. I think I'll stay in tonight. Besides, you two are going on a date, I don't wanna impose or anything," Buffy said. "Oh, no. You won't be imposing. We want you to come..Don't we Oz?" "Sure. It'll kinda break that first date tension having someone else around," Oz answered with a grin. "I don't know..I won't be much for company," she said. "Sure you will Buffy. You always are," Willow said. "Well, Angel has never left town for good before," Buffy reminded her. "Oh...yeah. But, I mean it's Saturday night. What else are you going to do besides stay home and wish Angel wasn't leaving," Willow pointed out. Buffy thought for a minute. "Ok..I'll come. I- just have to get something upstairs. I'll be down in a few minutes. You guys can wait outside," she said. "Ok..great," Willow said smiling. Buffy smiled back and ran upstairs. ******** GILE'S HOUSE Gile's was reading one of the Watcher diaries when he heard a knock on his door. He got up to answer it. He was surprised at who stood in front of it. "Oh..he..hello, Angel....Uh, why don't you come in?" he said, motioning him to come inside. Angel nodded. "Thanks." "Have a seat," Giles said pointing over to the couch. Angel nodded and sat down. "So..What brings you here?" Giles asked concerned. "The book on the Elgradora..I was able to get it for you. I thought- you'd be at the school library but you weren't..so I cam here to give it to you," Angel explained. He held out the book in his hands, giving it to Giles. Giles took it and looked down at it for a moment. He then began flipping through the pages. "It's somewhere in the fourth chapter," Angel told him. Giles flipped to Chapter four and scanned it for information. "Oh..yes, here it is..Well, Thank you very much. This will indeed be helpful in protecting Buffy-and- us all. Thank you," he said. "No problem," Angel said. His face saddened at the thought that he wouldn't be there anymore to protect Buffy as he always did before. "Is...she alright?" Angel asked suddenly. "Who? Buffy?" Giles asked. "Yeah. She was bitten by a vampire last night and I told her to go see you. Is she alright?" Angel asked, concerned. "Yes. Sh-she's fine," Giles assured him. There was a long silence. "Buffy-told me that you're leaving Sunnydale," Giles said, trying to make conversation. "I am..I'm leaving tonight," he told Giles. "Yes-I know. Buffy-is- very upset. She's going to miss you quite a bit, I suppose,"Giles told him. Angel nodded. "I know..I'm going to miss her too," he said in a sad tone. "When I got my soul back, I never thought that I'd be able to love anyone again. I thought..no human could ever love me because I'm not human and no vampire could ever love me and I could never love them because I'm not like them anymore..But then I met Buffy..and I fell in love with her..She- fell in love with me. And I was the happiest I'd ever been in all my life..because I felt-almost human again..I felt loved. There was still loneliness, still pain..but there was love..the greatest thing that could ever happen to me..and Buffy gave it to me. And now- it's all being taken away. I have to leave..." he "I'm terribly sorry that things can't work out for the two of you, Angel. And- I mean that. I know, I've said in the past that a vampire and a slayer could never belong together. But when I saw the extraordinary love that you have for Buffy and the extraordinary love that Buffy has for you...Well, I realized that you two were meant to be together" Giles told him. There was a short silence. "I should- probably thank you, as Buffy's watcher, for allowing us to be together," Angel said. "Well, as I said, I recognized that nothing could keep true lovers apart, and you two- are, in a sense, true lovers. I wasn't about to attempt to tear that apart," Giles explained. "But this does," Angel said, a sad tone in his voice. "Well, yes, I suppose it will.. But- even while the two of you are apart, I know- that you're love for each other will remain..perhaps forever" Giles said. "Angel," Giles began, curious,"Have you told Buffy what you just told me- about how you never thought you could love anyone until you met her?" he asked. "I've told her..many times," Angel told him. "Well did you tell her last night- before the two of you said goodbye?" Giles continued. Angel shook his head. "I didn't..I didn't get the chance to say goodbye to her. She was gone before I could say anything," Angel explained. He paused for a second. "Do you..think- you could tell her that I said goodbye..and..that- I love her?" he asked. Giles nodded. "I could..But- I know Buffy very well, and I know that she'd much rather hear you say that to her then, well me, of course," Giles told him. Angel shook his head. "Buffy said goodbye already. She doesn't want to see me again. It'll be to hard for her." "I'm afraid that Buffy is trying to talk herself into not seeing you again. She's afraid..of how she'll act when she sees you leaving her. But, I think what will be harder for her, is when she realizes that she should've said goodbye to you- the right way. And then it'll be too late," Giles said. He paused. "But, I'll tell her for you if that's what you'd like." Angel just stared at him. "I better go," he said after a few seconds,"My train leaves soon." He stood up and walked towards the door. "Very well," Giles said, following him and opening the door for him. "Goodbye," Angel said looking at Giles. "Goodbye, Angel," Giles replied. Angel turned and walked out the door. "Angel," Giles called as he watched Angel walk out into the street. Angel turned around. "You've..been of much help to- us all..over the course of the years we've known you..very much help. And I..thank you for that," Giles said. Angel nodded and turned back around and walked away. Giles watched him walk away. "Poor Buffy," he thought. "I hope he makes the right descision." ****** THE BRONZE While Willow and Oz were dancing, Willow looked over into a dark corner of the Bronze and spotted someone standing alone in the shadows. "Hey, Oz. Can you excuse me for a few minutes? I have to go to the DJ stand to- request a song," Willow told Oz. "Oh, sure. I'll just wait here for you," Oz said. "Ok, I'll be back in a little while," Willow said, then turned and walked over to where Xander and Cordelia were making out. Willow tapped Xander on the shoulder. "Uh, excuse me, Xander- There's something we need to go do," she told him. "Yeah, there is. *You* need to go back on the dance floor and dance with Oz, and *I* need to continue making out with Cordelia," Xander answered. "I'm sorry- I- interrupted your little..thing, but- this is more important," Willow explained. "Right now, nothing could be more important then Cordelia's lips against my lips- or maybe other body parts," Xander told her. Cordelia and Xander started kissing again. "But..it's about Buffy!" Willow told him. Xander broke away from Cordelia. "Well, maybe that." He looked at Cordelia. "Cordy, don't move. I'll be right back..My lips'll miss you- yours," he told her. "Ew! You're leaving me for her! Listen, Xander, If you think you've got me wrapped around your fingers, you're wrong! Ok, cause there's plenty of guys that are dying to go out with me- and some that I'd much rather go out with- and a few of them are here right now, So if I-" Cordelia began shouting at him. Xander grabbed the back of her head and passionately kissed her. "You better hurry up. Wouldn't want one of those stupid single losers to think I'm not with anyone," Cordelia said, changing her mind. Xander turned to a surprised Willow. "These babies are magical," he said pointing to his lips. Willow managed to smile slightly. "So, what's this we have to do for Buffy?" Xander asked following Willow. "Just follow my lead," Willow told him as they headed towards the DJ stand. Willow whispered a request of a song in the DJ's ear, who agreed to play it. "Will, you mind letting me in on the big secret?" Xander asked. Willow nodded. "Well, remember the night.." Willow started and proceeded to tell Xander her plan. Xander looked over at a dark figure in the corner of the Bronze, then looked at a lonely Buffy. "For Buffy's sake, I hope this works," Xander said. Willow nodded. "Me too.. Come on. let's go," she said. The two of them walked over to where Buffy sat. "Hi," Willow said to Buffy. Buffy looked up at the two of them. "Oh, hey guys," she answered. There was a long silence as Willow waited for the right moment to begin talking again. Finally, a new song began playing- the one that Willow had requested. Willow was relieved- her plan was working so far. The words to the song came on. *It's daybreak And you are asleep I can hear you breathe now Your breath is deep* "So, no word from Angel?" Willow asked Buffy, on cue. Buffy looked at Willow, confused. "What are you talking about, Will? Angel and I said goodbye already- last night- maybe it wasn't the best goodbye, but it was goodbye..I thought I told you," she said. Willow just ignored Buffy's question and comments. It did seem a little awkward saying this to her but it was part of her plan. Willow waited a few seconds, then continued. "Well, in a way he sort of is, in the way of that he's right over there," she said motioning to a dark figure in a corner of the Bronze. Buffy, looked at Willow, then at Xander, still quite confused. She then looked over at the figure Willow had pointed out. The person was looking in her direction. It was Angel. Buffy then realized that the things that Willow had just said to her-that weren't making a bit of sense- were the things that Willow said to her the night that Buffy and Angel said their first goodbye to each other, in a way. Buffy played their conversation from that night back in her head. *"So, no word from Angel?" Willow had asked Buffy. "Nah. It's weird, though. In this way, I feel like he's still watching me," Buffy told her. "Well, in a way he sort of is," Willow said, "In the way of that he's right over there," Willow said pointing to a dark figure that was staring in Buffy's direction..Angel.* Even the song that was playing right then- "I'll Remember You," by Sophie Zelmani- that was the same song that was playing that night too- Although, Willow had set it up that way. *But before I go I look at you one last time I can heat a heartbeat Is it yours or is it mine?* Buffy looked back at her two best friends. Xander motioned his head in Angel's direction, signaling her to go over to him. Buffy looked over at Willow, then back at Xander. She was hesitant about going over to him, afraid that it would be too hard to say goodbye. But then she gave her friends a smile, a silent thank you and turned and began slowly approaching Angel. Xander turned to Willow. Willow had a grin on her face as she watched Buffy and Angel approach each other. She was happy that her planned had worked out- bringing Buffy and Angel together to say goodbye that way they should have the night before. She knew it would make Buffy happier- although maybe just the slightest bit. "So, guess this is my cue to say ,'I don't need to watch because I'm not threatened. I'm just gonna look this way,'" Xander said grinning. Willow smiled. The two of them watched as Buffy and Angel approached each other. When they met, towards the center of the Bronze, Buffy looked up at Angel, greeting him with a smile. Angel just stared down at her, a sad look on his face. *I look at your lips I know how soft they can be Did they know what they wanted the times they kissed me?" Angel finally spoke. "I couldn't leave here without saying a proper goodbye to you," he told Buffy. Buffy just looked up at him and nodded slightly. Angel sighed. "I need to know that you're going to be alright...I know, that it's going to take awhile, but I need to know that, in time...you'll move on..find someone else to love... Someone you can start a family with..someone you can grow old, and die with," Angel told her. He continued. "Someone you can watch the sunset with, before you go to bed at night..and- watch it rise with when you walk up in the morning...'Cause you deserve that, Buffy..you do. And I- need you to promise that you'll do that,Buffy...for me." Buffy's eyes held unshed tears as she stared up at him. She shook her head slightly. "I don't know if I can do that, Angel..I can't-just- forget you and move on. You're too much a part of me. I'm sorry, but- I can't make that promise," she told him. "Look, I know it all seems too hard right now- but I need to know that you'll try, at least," he said. "Do that for me, Buffy?" he asked. Buffy looked at him for a few seconds, then nodded. "I will..try, I mean." Angel gave her a slight smile. He felt slightly better knowing that she'd one day be happy again. "I have something for you," Angel told her, reaching into his pocket. "It's not much, really- but it's, a goodbye present." He held a velvet jewelry box in his hands. Buffy looked down at it in his hands. *And your hands that I held in mine Now they're reposing on the pillow Will they ever miss me some time?* She looked up at Angel. Finally, he handed her the box. "Don't open it, just now," Angel told her. "Wait- until I'm gone..When you really need to- when the pain is too much- open it then," he told her. Buffy nodded. "I, um, actually, have something for you, too. I was- gonna leave it by your door but- well, you're here now," she said. Buffy reached into her pocket and pulled out a small velvet pouch bag and handed it to him. "There's just a little something in there to remember me by..in case you forget," she told him. Angel shook his head. "I won't ever forget you, Buffy..I won't," he swore to her. Buffy knew that he meant it. She'd never forget him either. Ever. He'd always be in her heart, just as she'd always be in his. *I'll remember you You will be there in my heart I'll remember you And that is all that I can do But I'll remember* Buffy remembered that she had something else for him. She reached in her pocket and pulled out a cassette tape. "This is for you, too. It's- a tape of this song-that- kinda reflects the way I feel bout you leaving..You can- play it while you open the bag-or, whenever. I know I don't know your musical taste but- I just had to give it you. The song just- seems like it was written for us," Buffy told him. Angel nodded and placed the two items in his pocket. He looked back down at Buffy. They stared at each other for a few seconds. Buffy could tell that Angel had something on his mind. She knew it was probably the fact that he was leaving and they'd no longer be together, but she had to ask anyway. "Is there- something else on your mind?" she asked him softly. "It's nothing- It's just *this*... It's just so-," Angel began. Buffy knew what he was going to say. "Painful," she said, finishing his sentence for him. "I know." "I wish things could be different, Buffy," he told her. Buffy nodded. "I know," she agreed. "Me too." Buffy shrugged slightly. "Well, it's getting kind of late. You should probably go now, or- you'll miss your train," she told him. As much as Buffy hated having to say that, it was the truth. Angel nodded. "I know," he whispered. Buffy stared up at him. Angel leaned down towards her face slightly. Buffy just stared into his eyes. He leaned forward a few more inches until his lips met hers for a soft kiss. The power between the two of them brought their lips together again, as they kissed again. Buffy closed her eyes, wrapped up in the moment, as Angel did the same. *Your eyes that always make me shiver Now they are closed They just sometimes twitch a little* As Angel's arms wrapped tightly around her, Buffy moved her hand to Angel's face and brought her other arm around his neck, deepening their kiss. As they shared this passionate kiss goodbye, Buffy was reminded of the first time they kissed goodbye- when they first decided that they shouldn't be together. Their conversation just a minute ago was even similar to the one they had that night. *"I just wanted to see if you were ok, and your mother," Angel said when they finally reached each other. "We're both good..you?" Buffy asked. "If I can go a little while without being shot or stabbed, I'll be alright," he answered with a slight chuckle. He became more serious. "Look, this can't.." he started. "Ever-be anything" Buffy finished, "I know. For one thing your like two hundred and twenty four years older then I am," she said with a smile. "I just gotta..I gotta walked away from this," Angel told her. Buffy nodded. "I know, me too....One of us has to go here," she said. Angel nodded slightly. "I know," he said in a whisper, then leaned in and kissed her.* Their kiss was even during the same song-although, again, Willow had arranged that. But Buffy knew that this would be their last kiss goodbye. And unlike the previous time, this one was goodbye forever. Buffy held on tighter to Angel as they kissed, not wanting to ever let go. Savoring the feel of his body close to hers for the last time. *And your body I could hold for an hour It sent me to heaven With it's heat and power* Slowly, Buffy and Angel pulled apart, looking deeply into each other's eyes as they did so. Tears were in both of their eyes. As soon as Angel saw Buffy's face filled with tears, he pulled her back into his embrace, wrapping his arms tightly around her tiny body, hugging her close to him. Angel stroked the back of her hair as he held her. After a few seconds, they pulled away again. "I have to go now," Angel told Buffy softly. "Ok," she said trying not to make it any harder for them. She tried to hold back the tears from pouring down her face again, but one had already slipped out of her eye. Then another, then another. Angel moved his hand to her cheeks and wiped some of the tears from her eyes. Buffy grabbed his hand and held it against her cheek. She closed her eyes a she took in the feel of his touch for the last time. Then she guided his hand down to her lips and kissed the back of it. Angel closed his own eyes as she did this. Slowly, Buffy moved his hand down to rest beneath her chin. Tears were forming in Angel's eyes again. He was wishing more then ever that he wasn't a vampire- so that none of this would have to happen. So that he wouldn't have to leave the girl that he loved more then anything in the world. "Please don't go, Angel. Please. I can't do this without you..I can't- live without you, Angel. Please don't leave me," Buffy pleaded with him as tears ran down her pale cheeks. She knew that she was being unfair to him saying this, but she couldn't help but say how she felt at that moment. Angel's eyes flooded with tears. He would have done anything for Buffy. Anything, He'd give the world to her- if she asked for it. But staying in Sunnydale was one thing he could not d o for her. He would not put her in danger of Spike's attempts at using him to restore Druscilla or trying to make him a normal vampire again. Angel placed his gentle hand back to rest on the side of Buffy's face. He caressed her cheek lightly. Tears continued to roll down both of their cheeks. "Buffy, when I got my soul back, I never once thought that I'd be able to love again or that anyone could ever love me..But..when I met you, things changed..I fell in love with you, you were able to fall in love with me. And I- was the happiest I'd ever been in all my life-because you made me feel complete- you made me feel, almost- human..because you made me feel loved. Of course, there was still loneliness, still pain, but there was love too- The love I had for you and the love you had for me. And it was the greatest thing that could ever happen to me-you gave me the greatest thing the greatest gift off all..your love, your heart. And I thank you for that, Buffy. I'd love to give something more then just my love-and my heart for you- in return, but staying here..I can't do. You know that, Buffy..You know that if it were in any way possible to stay here with you, I would..But I can't, with this," Angel told her. He continued. "You mean the world to me Buffy. And I'll never stop missing you, never stop loving you..Your eyes, your hair, your lips, your warmth, your smile, your touch..I'll never stop," he told her. Buffy stared at him with tears rolling down her cheeks. Angel pulled her close to him again, giving her one last, soft kiss on her lips. It didn't last as long as the previous one, but it was still magical. Angel pulled away from her slowly. He looked at her for a few more seconds. "Goodbye, Buffy," he said, softly. Buffy tried to say something but words couldn't escape her mouth, only sobs. She just stood there looking at him with tears pouring out of her eyes. Angel looked at her for one more moment, then turned and headed towards the exit of the Bronze. Buffy watched him walk away from her. "Angel..don't go," Buffy whispered, mainly to herself, in tears. Angel passed where Willow and Xander were standing. They, too, watched as he headed towards the door. Xander shook his head in disgust, then turned towards Willow. "He walks right past us, knowing that he'll never again see our faces, and he doesn't even say goodbye?!? The nerve of some vampires!" he said. Willow shrugged. "He said goodbye to me...He- came by my house the other night- and- said goodbye," Willow told him. Xander shook his head again. Just before reaching the door, Angel paused. He turned to look back at Buffy one last time. He'd never see her beautiful face again. "I love you," he whispered to her, then turned and walked out of the bronze. Buffy wiped some of the tears from her eyes, only to have more pour from them again. "Goodbye, Angel" she whispered in between sobs, "I love you too," she said staring at the now empty space in front of the door, as the song that was playing ended. *I'll remember you You will be there in my heart I'll remember you And that is all that I can do But I'll remember* TO BE CONTINUED _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Klutz454 Subject: BUFFYFIC: Re: Buffyfic-digest V2 #64 Date: 21 Mar 1998 17:50:39 EST unsubscribe - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: GothGirl77 Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: All Alone in the Night Part 5/5 Date: 21 Mar 1998 20:06:05 EST Hi, I'm kinda new to the list. Can you send me parts 1-4? ~Nastassia~ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Jeff R. Harris" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Tomorrow Mourning 1/9 Date: 21 Mar 1998 19:58:51 -0800 (PST) TITLE: Tomorrow Mourning 1/9 AUTHOR: Jeff Harris EMAIL ADDRESS: caliban@wizards,com DISTRIBUTION: Please ask first FEEDBACK: If you want to. SPOILER: None really. Takes place before Lie to Me. RATING PG-13 SUMMARY: A mysterious man comes to Sunnydale with a warning for Giles and Angel. CONTENT WARNING: Violence. I tried to keep to the tone of the show DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters. All characters belong to Joss Whedon and the WB. No copywrite infringement is intended. NOTE: I started writing this right after Halloween aired and so I figure its off in it's own little buffyverse Monday He found himself outside of the back entrance of the bronze, the local club/Teen hangout. As he stared at the building he had conflicting emotions. (There is no good reason to go in there.) The man thought. (Sure they will probably be in there, but seeing them is not part of the plan. But its been so long since I saw them smile, heard them laugh. What could a few minutes hurt?) His inner debate was cut short as a hard won instinct kicked in. He quickly turned around and found that a slender man with blond hair was coming up behind him. He looked around, there was no one about, except the two of them. He looked at the other man and sighed. "Sure, why not?" He said to the other man. "What night in Sunnydale would be complete without being attacked by a vampire." The blond was taken back for a moment by the matter of fact way that his prey had disclosed that he knew what he faced. Dispensing with the illusion of humanity, the vampire assumed his true form and snarled at its intended victim. The man stared back at the vampire, with a slightly annoyed look on his face. "Can we get on with this? I've got a busy night ahead of me." Again the vampire was surprised by the lack of concern. Usually when confronted by his true nature a human would panic and try to flee, which of course he loved. But this one was treating him like he was simply a waste of time. No matter) thought the vampire as he leapt at the man. (His blood will still be nourishing.) As soon as the vampire moved the man did a quick sidstep and pushed his right palm into the creature's side. There was very little effort in the push, but the vampire felt an intense pain at the point of contact. The momentum of his jump combined with the push sent him to the ground. As he got back to his feet the vampire realized that the pain was so great that it that to come from some holy relic. Even before the vampire was fully on his feet again the human kicked him in the back of the knee and than moved around and followed through with as open hand strike to the face with his right hand. The searing pain came again as the vampire fell. The man was upon him instantly, holding the vampire's throat with his right hand, and a stake in his left. The vampire struggled but it was no good. The pain from the holy object was too much, the man too determined and strong. The man stared for a moment into the vampire's eyes with a look of intense hatred, then plunged the stake into the vampire's chest. The vampire had a look on its face that said ' how is this possible', and then it turned to dust. The man remained kneeling on the ground for full minutes, staring at the spot that the vampire had occupied, before he got up and slipped the stake back under his coat, and slipped something else in his right hand back up his sleeve. _____________________________________________________________ Once inside the Bronze the man knew that he had made a mistake. He was completely out of place. This was a place where young people came to enjoy their youth. Where for most of them the greatest concerns of life were passing the math test Friday morning and getting a date for Friday night. Here he was, A man in his early thirties, whose life had been rough enough to make him look even older, dressed in dark clothes with a dark over coat and a bread and hair that were already going gray. He had no business being here, and if the wrong person spotted him than his whole plan could collapse. He had just made up his mind to leave when he caught sight of them. They were sitting together as always. As much as he knew that he needed to go, he found that he couldn't make his legs work, and he could almost hear the beating of his heart. He found himself straining to hear what they were saying, even thought he was too far away for it to do any good. ______________________________________________________ Buffy, Xander, and Willow were sitting at their usual table. Buffy laid her head on the book in front of her. A frustrated sigh escaped her lips. "Why is it so important that I know the barter customs of the ancient Babylonians?" She asked. "In this town you mean? " Countered Xander. "You could conceivably meet one." "Thank you for that oh so cheerful thought, But this seriously does not rock my thunderdome" "Can't we just get beyond thunderdome?" Xander smirked. "Oh yuck. How long have you been waiting to use that one?" asked Willow. "Two months and 3 days." Was his reply. Buffy gave Xander a look of mild disgust. " What? Do you stay up at night dreaming up one-liners?" Xander feigned a hurt look. " You mean that's not normal?" ______________________________________________________ "Excuse me can I get you something?" The man's attention was drawn away from the three teenagers and to a young woman standing near him. It took him a moment to realize that she was a waitress. "Yeah, sure a Pepsi" he said looking for an open table. "No problem." As she left he saw an open table and went to it. He was glad that it was far enough away from the three that they probably wouldn't notice him, but he could still watch them. "Here you go." the Waitress said handing him his drink. As he paid her she gave him an inquisitive look. " Do I know you? you look familiar." "Well I use to live here, but that was when I was much younger." he replied. "Well my name is Amy. Just call me if you need anything else." She said with a smile. "Are you sure I don't know you?" "Pretty sure." "Well could you at least tell me your name?" She said smiling. "I'm Alex." he said, trying to smile. "Well Alex, If you need anything let me know." It was after she left that Alex realized that she was probably flirting with him. (To bad I don't know how to respond anymore.) ___________________________________________________________ "I give." Stated Buffy. "My homework has officially defeated me." "Well its only Monday. the quiz isn't until Wednesday." Willow said trying to sound reassuring. "Yeah. If you can defeat ancient prophecy, you can handle Ms. Conner's history class." Added Xander. " I'm so glad that you two have such great faith in my ability, but I'd rather face the Master again than have to face the quiz." "It can't be that bad." Said familiar voice. "Angel." Said Buffy. It never failed to amaze Willow that whenever Angel showed up that Buffy said his name like it was a revelation. the very same thing never failed to annoy Xander. "Well that's easy for you to say." Said Xander, "You were probably in Ancient Babylon." He immediately regretted how accusatory the comment sounded. "Just a little before my time." Was Angel's reply. his tone told Xander that his regret was well founded. ______________________________________________________ Alex saw Angel join the three teens at the table. He felt almost overwhelming urge to go over to the table, but choked it down. (No. first I find the Watcher. Then I deal with the Vampire.) ______________________________________________________ End of part 1 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Jeff R. Harris" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Tomorrow Mourning 0/9 Date: 21 Mar 1998 20:03:42 -0800 (PST) Just wanted to let folks know a couple of things before I post my first story to the list. I started work on this story right after the first airing of Halloween. I almost had it done by the time What's my line came on the first time, but I lost my job and that sort of put the story on the back burner. Since then I got a new job and decided to finnish the story. Originally this was going to be the first of a trilogy and that is how I finished it, but I'm unsure If I am actually going to do the other two stories now. I have a lot of other ideas I'd like to explore. Please let me know what you think. Jeff Harris - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Jeff R. Harris" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Tomorrow Mourning 2/9 Date: 21 Mar 1998 20:07:41 -0800 (PST) TITLE: Tomorrow Mourning 2/9 AUTHOR: Jeff Harris EMAIL ADDRESS: caliban@wizards,com DISTRIBUTION: Please ask first FEEDBACK: If you want to. SPOILER: None really. Takes place before Lie to Me. RATING PG-13 SUMMARY: A mysterious man comes to Sunnydale with a warning for Giles and Angel. CONTENT WARNING: Violence. I tried to keep to the tone of the show DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters. All characters belong to Joss Whedon and the WB. No copywrite infringement is intended. NOTE: I started writing this right after Halloween aired and so I figure its off in it's own little buffyverse Rupert Giles was amazed at how well his evening was going. When Jenny Calendar had suggested that they spend the evening at his house watching a video, he had felt slightly apprehensive. Partly due to the fact that he had no idea what movie she had planned on them watching and of course due to the fact that he was still incredibly awkward in intimate situations with her. Fortunately for him, all his fears were unfounded. The movie she had chosen was "The Mark of Zorro" with Tyrone Powers. How she had found out that it was one of his favorite movies he had no idea. He felt surprisingly at ease sitting on his couch next to Jenny, watching Don Diego dispatch Captain Esteban. So of course he found it annoying when he heard a knock art the door. "I wonder who that could be?" he mused aloud "Unless you have expanded your social circle recently it's probably the kids, which of course would mean the end of our quite evening." Jenny responded. Giles nodded as he got up to go to the door. If Buffy and her friends were at his door it meant there was a problem, some new supernatural threat that needed to be overcome. That was why he was surprised to find not a teenager on his porch, but a man in his thirties. For his part Alex just looked for a moment at the other man, lost in contemplation. "Hello, can I help you? " The surprised watcher asked the stranger. " I hope so." Was the answer. Alex reached into his coat and pulled out an envelope and handed it to Giles. "You need to read this letter and then meet me tomorrow night in the school library." With that Alex turned to leave. Wait a minute," Called an incensed Giles "What do you mean by 'read this and meet me tomorrow', and then just walk off? I think you had better explain yourself." Alex turned back towards Giles. "Trust me, nothing I have to say is going to make any sense until you've read that letter and had time to think about it." "But what..." Started Giles. "Look, I have a lot to get done and not a lot of time to do it. Just read the damn letter and meet me tomorrow, Alone!" With that the now agitated Alex stormed off, leaving a very perplexed Giles standing on his porch watching the stranger leave. "Who was that Rupert?" Asked jenny, coming into the foyer from he living room. "I don't know. A strange man who has left me a cryptic note." "So nothing really unusual for Sunnydale." "I wish I could share you level of amusement, but there was something about him. He seemed almost familiar, although I'm sure I would have remembered him is we had met before." "Well why don't you come back to the living room and read me the letter." "I'm not sure. he implied that I shouldn't involve anyone else. I thing I should read the letter myself and then decide whether or not to share it." Jenny seemed a little let down by that. "All right, if you think that is best. But at least wait until after the movie is over." "Very well." he agreed. Later, after Jenny had left for the evening, Giles sat down at his dinner table and opened the envelope. after finishing the letter he just sat, his face having drained of much of its color. (This can't be possible.) He thought. _____________________________________________ Angel entered his apartment feeling the same melancholy he felt ever time he saw Buffy. As much as he wanted to be with her he knew that it was a bad idea. He was a vampire and she was the slayer. No matter how many times he went over it he could find no way to make it work out without inviting tragedy. But at the same time he couldn't stay away from her. He knew that the pressure was building and something was bound to burst, especially when you threw Xander into the mix. Xander had made no secret about how he felt about Buffy. It bothered Angel every time he saw them together, since tragedy was not a forgone conclusion if they had a relationship. Of course that would require Buffy actually noticing Xander, which hadn't really happened yet, at least not on a conscious level. On a subconscious level was another question entirely. After all it was Xander who had saved her in the Master's lair. Angle knew that as long as this situation lasted there would be friction between Xander and himself, not that he felt particularly threatened by Xander, at least not physically. He went to the fridge, hoping that feeding would help to dull the edge in his mind. "Funny, I figured you would have noticed me by now." Said a strange voice. Angel turned quickly to see a man standing in the corner of his apartment in the shadows. He silently chided himself for being so wrapped up in his problems that he didn't notice the intruder. He quickly closed the distance between them and grabbed the stranger by the throat and lifted him off the floor. "Who the hell are you?" the vampire demanded. Alex grabbed Angel's wrist with his right hand. Angel felt pain lance out from his wrist causing him to loosen his grip on the intruder. Alex hit Angel square on the nose with an open palm strike with his right hand while sweeping his left foot causing the vampire to lose his balance. Angle fell and was momentarily disorientated by the force of the blow and the pain caused by what ever was in his opponent's hand. He looked up and saw that the human was just standing there, apparently waiting for him to get up. "I wish you hadn't done that." Alex said calmly, as Angel got back to his feet, his handsome human features replaced by the demonic visage of his vampire self. Angel took up a fighting stance. "I'll make you wish you'd never been born." Angel punched at the human. He was surprised that instead of blocking the blow or trying to dodge away, the man stepped forward and hit Angel in the shoulder, robbing the punch of any real power. He than followed threw by grabbing Angel's wrist with his right hand and yanking. The combination of the sudden pull and the pain caused by whatever it was he had in his palm caused Angel to fall for a second time. "I already wish I'd never been born. "Alex said. Angel looked up at Alex. He realized that this guy was good, maybe even better than he was. Alex reached into his overcoat. Angel was sure he was going for a stake, but instead he pulled out an envelope. He threw it down to the prone vampire. "Open the letter and read it. If you want to learn more after that, meet me at the school library tomorrow night. And please don't let anyone except Giles know about this." With that Alex turned and started to leave the apartment. "What makes you think I'm going to let you leave?" Asked Angel, getting up again. "Because you can't stop me." Was the answer Alex gave while putting on a pair of dark glasses. "I know you too well." Alex threw something into the air. Suddenly the room was filled with a blinding light. Angel's eyes, use to centuries of darkness, were unready for the brightness. By the time he had recovered his sight the stranger was gone. Angel was furious that a mortal could overcome him so easily. He grabbed the envelope and tore it open. After reading the letter he was no less agitated, but the emotion had switched from rage to uncertainty and just a little fear. (This can't be happening.) He thought, looking at the letter again. (Who the hell is this guy?) ____________________________________________________ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Jeff R. Harris" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Tomorrow Mourning 3/9 Date: 21 Mar 1998 20:11:30 -0800 (PST) TITLE: Tomorrow Mourning 3/9 AUTHOR: Jeff Harris EMAIL ADDRESS: caliban@wizards,com DISTRIBUTION: Please ask first FEEDBACK: If you want to. SPOILER: None really. Takes place before Lie to Me. RATING PG-13 SUMMARY: A mysterious man comes to Sunnydale with a warning for Giles and Angel. CONTENT WARNING: Violence. I tried to keep to the tone of the show DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters. All characters belong to Joss Whedon and the WB. No copywrite infringement is intended. NOTE: I started writing this right after Halloween aired and so I figure its off in it's own little buffyverse Tuesday The following day was mostly a haze for Giles. The letter and its mysterious deliveryman weighted heavily on his mind. Even by the standards one got use to living on top of a Hellmouth, the contents of the letter were inconceivable. By all rights such a letter should not exist, much less be tucked into his coat pocket. The entrance of Buffy and her friends broke his contemplation of the impossible. He had completely lost track of time. School had ended for the day and Buffy had arrived for their daily training session. While pleased that she was being responsible, he needed to get her out of the library. "Well here I am, ready to sacrifice my free time for the betterment of humanity." She said "Ah yes." He replied thinking quickly. "..And I assume your homework is done?" He knew it was weak, but this sort of improvisation was never his strong suit. "Homework?" She asked. "Yes, I assume you are caught up." He said, hoping to keep her off balance. "Well not exactly..." She began. "Really? Well as important as your continual training is, you do need to keep your grades up as well." "Wait a minute." Chimed in Xander. "Your telling us that Buffy's GPA is as important as keeping the world safe from the legions of the Damned?" "Yeah, isn't that a little disproportionate?" added Willow. "I'm not saying that they have equal gravity. I'm simply saying that since Buffy had been so diligent in her training that I don't see the harm in taking a break to attend to her studies." the Watcher said, hoping he was not behaving totally out of character. "A night off? Your serious?" Buffy asked, not sure she could believe what she was hearing. "Yes, this once. But I do expect you to be prompt tomorrow." "Sure, okay." The Slayer said, deciding not to question him, just in case he changed his mind. "Come on guys, lets hit the books instead of the bags." As soon as they left Giles let out a sigh of relief. now all he had to do was not lose his mind until the strange man showed up. _____________________________________________________ Shortly after sunset Giles became aware that he was not alone. "Hello? He called out. "Hi." Said Angel, stepping out from the shadows. "Angel, what are you doing here?" Inquired Giles. "I got a very bizarre invitation to meet here tonight." "You too?" "Yeah, and He said I couldn't tell anyone but you." "Did he give you anything?" Asked Giles. "Uh huh. A letter, and a sound beating." "A beating? he fought you? "I wouldn't call it a fight. For it to be a fight I would have had to get a shot in. How about you?" Just a letter in my case." the Watcher paused for a moment. "Did he strike you as somehow familiar, like you had met him before, but you couldn't tell where?" The vampire thought about it for a moment. "Now that you mention it he did, but that's not an uncommon sensation for someone my age." Before the two of them could continue, the doors to the library opened and the source of their speculation walked through. He walked straight up to the two. "I'm glad you both decided to show up." Was his greeting. "What the hell is going on? Angel snarled, taking a step towards him. He then paused, remembering his last encounter with this man. "Where did you get that letter you gave me?" "What exactly did the letter say?" "You know damn well what it said." The vampire countered. "Actually I don't. It was given to me sealed." Alex said flatly. This took both vampire and watcher by surprise. "Given by whom?" asked Giles. "You first." Alex said. "What did you letter say?" Giles took a seat and pulled the letter out of his coat. "It says that I am to listen to what you tell me. It than goes on to give details on an incident from my youth that I've never told anyone about. Its in my handwriting and has my signature." "How about you?" Alex asked the Vampire. "The same. It told me to listen to you, and told of something that happened before I became a vampire. my writing, my signature . Now you, who gave them to you?" "You did. Both of you." "But how is that possible?" Asked Giles "We've never met you before. And I for one would remember writing such a letter." "You don't remember writing them because you haven't done it yet." Angel let out a grunt of frustration. "Would you start making sense. Who in the hell are you?" He said. Both Angel and Alex stared in each other's eyes for a moment. "That's both very simple and very complicated. My name is Alexander Harris." Both Angel and Giles were struck silent for several moments staring into his face before Giles finally found his voice again. "Xander?" "Please Giles, I haven't gone by that name for years. It's Alex now." Angel took a seat next to Giles. Now that he knew what to look for it became clear, but the differences were glaring. He was about early to mid thirties now. His face was fuller, not with fat, but in the way that comes with bulking up from working out. The same was true of his build. His beard removed the boyish quality from his face. But most of all was his expression and body language. The Xander he knew always seemed so animated, even when he was standing still. This man's body language suggested more of a coiled spring, not moving but gave the impression that it could at any moment. His eyes were the most telling of all. Xander's eyes were bright and full of life, this man's seemed dead, like they had seen more pain then they knew what to do with. "How is this possible?" Asked Giles. "Have you ever heard of Teferi?" Alex responded. "No. Should I have? " Was the watchers answer. "He was an African witch-doctor about 300 years ago. He claimed to have discovered the secret of as he put it 'time walking'. And as you can see he was right." "So you discovered his secret and used it to come back in time." Angel stated. "But why?" Alex paused and took a seat himself. After taking several deep breaths he looked at the other tow. "I'm here to try to avert a tragedy." He took another breath and let it out slowly before continuing. "Unless we find and destroy Spike by Sunday, Buffy and Willow will die." End of Part 3 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Jeff R. Harris" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Tomorrow Mourning 4/9 Date: 21 Mar 1998 20:14:49 -0800 (PST) TITLE: Tomorrow Mourning 4/9 AUTHOR: Jeff Harris EMAIL ADDRESS: caliban@wizards,com DISTRIBUTION: Please ask first FEEDBACK: If you want to. SPOILER: None really. Takes place before Lie to Me. RATING PG-13 SUMMARY: A mysterious man comes to Sunnydale with a warning for Giles and Angel. CONTENT WARNING: Violence. I tried to keep to the tone of the show DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters. All characters belong to Joss Whedon and the WB. No copywrite infringement is intended. NOTE: I started writing this right after Halloween aired and so I figure its off in it's own little buffyverse Giles felt as though he had been physically struck. his greatest fear was that Buffy or one of her friends would die. now he was being told that his fear was on the verge of coming true. He saw that Angel was no better. He was sure that his demonic visage was just barely being held back. "Spike kills Buffy and Willow?" Angel asked. "I wish it was that simple." Alex returned, a pained look coming over his face. "But Spike is, as you later put it, 'an abomination even to other vampires'. He wasn't satisfied with just killing them." Alex had to stop talking, the look of emotional torment on his face was overwhelming. "What?" Giles asked, trying to be gentle but at the same time needing to know. "What did...will Spike do?" Alex looked at Giles with an expression that made the watcher want to cry out in sympathy. "He turned them into vampires." Giles had to get up and turn his back on Alex. This was too much. (Not just my greatest fear, but Buffy's as well.) Angel finally lost it. his full vampiric nature coming to the surface. "I'll kill him." He raged. "I'll find the bastard and I'll make him regret ever meeting Drusilla." "I sure the hell hope so." Said Alex. Giles turned back toward Alex, feeling as though he would burst into tears at any moment. "Did...Did we slay them?" he asked, not really wanting to know the answer. "Not we Giles. Me. You were in the hospital and Angel was out of commission." "Out of commission?" Asked Angel "How?" "As you explained it to me, when a vampire takes a lot of damage it goes into a kind of hibernation to heal. At least that's would you said happened." Angel nodded in agreement to that statement. "And only you were left?" The vampire inquired. "I was roughed up a bit, but that's all. Spike didn't consider me a threat so he left me alone." "And you went after them? Buffy and Willow?" Giles asked. "I had too. They were on a rampage. Each one killed their own parents. Then they killed Ms. Calendar, Principal Synder, and God knows how many students here. They damn near killed me twice." Giles wanted to ask more questions, but stopped himself. Reliving the memoirs was obviously taking a toll on Alex. He was sitting with his face buried in his hands. The silence in the room was more than Angel could take. "So what do you want us to do?" He asked. Alex looked up at the two. He, like Giles looked like he might burst into tears at any time. "I want Giles to keep an eye on the girls while you and I look for Spike. If we don't find him by Saturday, then we think up some excuse to keep them under wraps until we do." "Couldn't we tell them who you are and why you're here?" Angel asked. "We discussed that before I came here." "We?" Inquired Giles. "The three of us. you don't think I deciphered the ritual do you? You and Angel are the ones who sent me back here. We figured that Buffy and Willow's reactions might not be the ones we want. Remember how Buffy acted the last time we told her she was destined to die. So we decided against it. besides can you imagine my reaction to meeting myself?" "Ah, yes I see your point." Said the Watcher. "Well I suppose I can make up some nonsense involving prophecies and alignment of stars that I can use to cover whatever we decide to do. "Great, so when do we get started?" Asked Angel. "Tonight, right now." Said Alex. "I don't want to give that bastard another second." _____________________________________________________________ Giles sat alone in the library after Alex and Angel had left. There was so much to think about. Alex had disturbed him, not just because of his news, or the fact that he was a future version of Xander. No, how the man acted was also unsettling. his behavior had suggested that he was suffering from some psychological problem, most likely post-traumatic stress. It hurt for him to think that such a bright and vibrant boy like Xander would turn into that dark and pain filled man. he had to wonder what he was like in the future. If the events to come had remade Xander so much, what had the effects on him been. Alex had mentioned that one of Buffy and Willow's victims had been... would be Jenny. That meant that he was going to lose the three most important women in his life. (No, it doesn't) he thought. (It means it could happen, but I know about it now. I can fight it, and I will.) He got up and went to the phone in his office. (Dear God I hope this works.) He thought as he dialed. "Hello?" Said Ms. Calendar on the other end. "Jenny. Oh good, I caught you at home." "Hello Rupert. I hope that this call means you've decided to share the contents of that letter with me." "Yes.. the letter.. Well it is connected. The letter.. well it relates to some odd prophecies, and I need your help. "Now that sounds promising. what do you need?" "I need for you to search of signs of significant supernatural occurences outside of Sunnydale." He said. "Outside of Sunnydale?" she asked. "That sounds odd. "Yes I know. But never the less that is what we need to look for." "All right Rupert, I'll look. Why don't you come by my office tomorrow and we can look over the results." "Yes, I'll be there." "Good. It's a date then. bye now." "As Giles hung up he felt hopeful. (I think I can pull this off. Hopefully Angel and Alex can pull off their part.) _________________________________________________ End of part 4 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Jeff R. Harris" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Tomorrow Mourning 5/9 Date: 21 Mar 1998 20:17:01 -0800 (PST) TITLE: Tomorrow Mourning 5/9 AUTHOR: Jeff Harris EMAIL ADDRESS: caliban@wizards,com DISTRIBUTION: Please ask first FEEDBACK: If you want to. SPOILER: None really. Takes place before Lie to Me. RATING PG-13 SUMMARY: A mysterious man comes to Sunnydale with a warning for Giles and Angel. CONTENT WARNING: Violence. I tried to keep to the tone of the show DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters. All characters belong to Joss Whedon and the WB. No copywrite infringement is intended. NOTE: I started writing this right after Halloween aired and so I figure its off in it's own little buffyverse Angel supposed that it could be worse. He and Alex were surrounded by a group of four vampires. finding vampires was not surprising, in fact it was what the both of them had wanted. But four was a little much. Alex seemed unconcerned with their situation. "Remember last night?" He asked Angel while he put on a pair of dark glasses Getting his point Angel closed his eyes. Even though tightly shut lids Angel could see the bright light. Angel had to wonder what Alex used, it had a hiss like a flare. When he opened his eyes, he saw that the other vampires were blinded, just as he had been the night before. Being nocturnal creatures the brightness of the light had been too much for their eyes to handle. but they would recover quickly. Alex wasted no time staking one of them right away. "Take out that one." He told Angel, indicating another vampire. "Than grab one of the others. Two should be enough Although staking another vampire was not something he generally liked to do, Angel complied. After that he grabbed and easily overpowered one of the remaining two. Alex had managed to knock down the last one and was now standing over the fallen vampire. "All right you undead bastard!" Alex yelled at the helpless vampire. "I have questions, and you'd better damn well have answers!" (I can't believe that Xander is going to turn into this guy.) Thought Angel (I would never have believed he could be like this.) "Where the hell is Spike?" Demanded Alex, pressing his right palm into the vampire's forehead, smoke coming out from underneath. "I can't tell you what I don't know!" Screamed the agonized vampire. "Liar!" Bellowed Alex. "Tell me where he is!" "He can't " Called Angel's captive. "Spike doesn't hang with us. He's been condemned for slaying the Anointed One. No one has seen him in weeks." Alex got up and advanced on the second vampire, leaving his victim on the ground, writhing in pain. "Are you telling me there are two factions of vampires in town?" Alex asked, his voice barely under control due to his rage. "Y-yes." said the vampire. A stake suddenly slipped into Alex's hand from his sleeve. Without warning he plunged it into the vampire's chest. "Then I guess we won't need you." He said as the vampire turned to dust. Angel was dumb struck. He had seen vampires be less vicious than Alex had. Alex went over to the last of the vampires. He didn't say anything, he just plunged the stake into it. Angel felt a chill go up his spine when Alex turned his gaze on him. Alex walked towards him and then past him. "Come on, we have a few more hours before sunrise. Maybe we can find a bloodsucker who knows something useful." Alex said as he passed. Angel followed him, not sure what to think. ____________________________________________________ End of part 5 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Jeff R. Harris" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Tomorrow Mourning 6/9 Date: 21 Mar 1998 20:20:03 -0800 (PST) TITLE: Tomorrow Mourning 6/9 AUTHOR: Jeff Harris EMAIL ADDRESS: caliban@wizards,com DISTRIBUTION: Please ask first FEEDBACK: If you want to. SPOILER: None really. Takes place before Lie to Me. RATING PG-13 SUMMARY: A mysterious man comes to Sunnydale with a warning for Giles and Angel. CONTENT WARNING: Violence. I tried to keep to the tone of the show DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters. All characters belong to Joss Whedon and the WB. No copywrite infringement is intended. NOTE: I started writing this right after Halloween aired and so I figure its off in it's own little buffyverse Wednesday Giles set about preparing for Buffy to arrive for training. He hoped that his story had enough of a plausible ring for the youngsters to believe it. Buffy and Willow's lives and Xander's sanity depended on it. Thinking of Xander brought up a feeling of unease in Giles. When he had gotten into his office this morning there was a message from Angel on his voice mail. The point of the message was simple; Alex's behavior worried Angel. That just reinforced Giles belief that Alex suffered from post-traumatic stress, or some other condition brought on by having to slay Buffy and Willow. To Giles that meant that Xander was in as much danger as the girls. Well maybe not as much, but very close. Buffy and her friends arrived on time. Xander and Willow both said hello and took seats at the main table in the library. Buffy walked right up to the watcher. "Well Giles here I am. Homework all done." Said Buffy, teasingly "Good. well then, now that we've exercised your mind, lets see how you muscles have done." Giles said, donning the pads he had to wear during these workouts. "Don't you mind getting beat up all the time Giles?" Asked Willow. "I mean those pads never seem to do that much good." "Actually you get use to it after a while." Giles replied. "Just as long as you don't begin to like it." Joke Xander. Giles looked straight at Xander. "You know Xander, you could always do this for me." Chided Giles. "Me?" Xander asked, looking very much like a deer trapped in a car's headlights. " Yes you. It might be good for you in fact, considering that you seem to be constantly putting yourself in harms way. " Giles said, in a matter of fact manner. Both Buffy and Willow looked at Xander expectantly. Xander suddenly felt as if the room temperature had gone up several degrees. "You're kidding, right?" He asked. Giles gave Xander a small smile. "Yes I am, and the look on your face was worth it." Both Buffy and Willow laughed. Xander joined in, more out of relief than anything else. _____________________________________________________________ After 30 minutes and several bruises, Giles ended the practice session. "Well not that we've got that over with there are other matters we must discuss." Giles stated as he took off the protective pads. "What now? Some earth shaking new prophecy?" Joked Buffy as she took a seat next to Willow. "Actually yes." Giles said as he put the pads away. " I was joking Giles. Said Buffy. "Well unfortunately I'm not." Giles said as he took a seat next to Xander. "The Codex contains a prophecy that indicates something happening in the next few days, somewhere away from the Hellmouth." "Away from here?" Asked Willow. "That seems strange. I mean doesn't the Hellmouth attract supernatural forces?" "Normally, yes. But this seems to be the exception that proves the rule. I had Ms. Calendar check about on her computer. it seems that in the last few weeks, there has been a rash of disappearances in the Los Angeles area." "LA!" Buffy said. "You mean we have to go to Los Angeles?" She asked, excited about the prospect of going back to her former home. "Going to Los Angeles does seem to be the best way to find out what is going on and stop it. "I've already got Ms. Calendar working on getting it cleared as some sort of field trip to a science lad of some sort. That should cover you all being absent to both the school and you parents." "All of us. So you want Willow and I to go too?" Asked Xander. "Of course I do Xander." Said the watcher. "After all, you're the one Always saying that you're a team. It would be foolish to break up a winning formula." "Right." Said Xander, with a smile beaming on his face. "Sure." Added Willow. "When do we leave?" "Based on my calculations we should leave no later than this Sunday morning." Giles said, Pleased that all three were buying into the story, but feeling guilty for lying to them all the same. "That doesn't give us much time to get ready." Said Buffy. "No it doesn't." Agreed Giles "So tonight you all should tell your parents about it. Hopefully Ms. Calendar will have permissions slips ready for tomorrow. We should be prepared to spend about a week there." "A Week? That long? Asked Willow. "The Prophecy doesn't give any indication as to how long this will take. But I feel that a week should be sufficient." "Cool." Said Willow. "All right then, we go tell out folks that we are off on a week long science class in LA. Sounds weird but I think I can sell it." Said Buffy as she got up out of her chair. Xander and Willow got up and went to follow her out of the library. "Oh by the way Xander, can you stay for a moment longer?" Asked Giles. "There is something that I would like to talk to you about in private." "Private?" Xander felt the room temperature jump up again Both Buffy and Willow looked from Xander to Giles. "Is there some secret you two are keeping from us." The slayer asked with a teasing tone. "Nothing exceedingly interesting." Said the watcher. "Let us just say its, how would you put it? Guy stuff." "Guy stuff?" All three teenagers said in unison. "Yes, guy stuff. Now off with the two of you." Giles said, indicating the door. "All right, but no beating on drums, okay?" teased Buffy. "I can assure you that the bonds of civilization shall not be slipped." The two Giles turned and left, giggling quietly to each other. That left Giles and a conspicuously nervous Xander by themselves. "Please, have a seat." Invited the watcher. Xander complied. The two stared at each other for a second. "So what is it you want to talk about?" Asked Xander, hoping that he would not find the subject too embarrassing. "Well this is not an easy subject to broach" Giles said, trying to gather his thoughts. He really hadn't thought about what he wanted to say. It was simply that his meeting Xander's future self had made the watcher want to spend a few minutes with the young man. He wanted to somehow get a handle on how he felt out the whole strange situation. In the seconds that he paused he realized what it was that they had to talk about. After all, it was the root of all of Alex's motivation. "I want to talk to you about you relationship with Buffy." "Y-You want to talk about w-what?" Said Xander as he felt his throat go completely dry. "I know that this is a most uncomfortable subject, but never the less it is one, that as Buffy's watcher, I'm afraid I have to broach." "Do you plan on having this talk with Angel?" Xander asked, hoping to deflect the conversation away from himself. "Actually it is a subject we have discussed in the past, and undoubtedly will discuss in the future as well. However it is not Angel I wish to discuss, this is about you." (So much for deflection.) Thought Xander. "Well?" Asked the watcher. "Well what?" countered Xander. "She's my friend." "Xander, I'm sure that is what you think I want to hear, but right now I'm far more interested in the truth." Giles said as gently as he could. Xander started feeling like a trapped animal. "What do you want me to say? That I love Buffy? Okay, yeah I do. Do I expect anything to come from that? Hell no. I know that she is completely stuck on Angel. Happy now?" Giles was surprised by the bluntness with which Xander had stated his feelings and by the resentment in his voice when he mentioned Angel. "I see. So why do you continue to keep her company? It must be uncomfortable for you. Especially when ever Angel is around?" " I don't know. Maybe I just like what little attention she shows me. Maybe I'm a masochist. Maybe I want to keep an eye on her because I don't trust Angel." Giles considered that for a moment. "Maybe you secretly hope that if you stay around she will change her mind about you." He said finally. Xander was stopped short by that comment. He looked down at the table for a moment, feeling like all the oxygen had been ripped out of his lungs. "A guy can hope, can't he?" He said finally. "Yes, I suppose you can hope." Giles looked at Xander. Here was a sincere, brave young man caught in one of the situations that can make the teenage years of life so painful and trying. Add to that the burden of having to deal with the Hellmouth, and you had a truly heartbreaking situation. Additionally knowing of the boy's potential future made Giles' heart go out to him. "Xander, I wish I had something useful to say. Something to make what you are feeling easier. Unfortunately nothing comes to mind." "Yeah, well thanks man. At least the thought is there." "I know that if really doesn't help much, but for what it is worth, I at least, do appreciate you. Your dedication to your friends. Your bravery in the face of danger and your unwillingness to let the things you go through sour you towards life. I find you a quite remarkable young man, and an admirable one as well." "Thank you Giles" Xander said. "Look I don't mean to be rude or anything, but can I leave? This had been a little harsh." "Of course, and Xander I want you to know that anytime you want to talk I am here." I'll remember that." Xander said as he got up. "Bye." "Good bye." End of Part 6 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Jeff R. Harris" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Tomorrow Mourning 7/9 Date: 21 Mar 1998 20:23:46 -0800 (PST) TITLE: Tomorrow Mourning 7/9 AUTHOR: Jeff Harris EMAIL ADDRESS: caliban@wizards,com DISTRIBUTION: Please ask first FEEDBACK: If you want to. SPOILER: None really. Takes place before Lie to Me. RATING PG-13 SUMMARY: A mysterious man comes to Sunnydale with a warning for Giles and Angel. CONTENT WARNING: Violence. I tried to keep to the tone of the show DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters. All characters belong to Joss Whedon and the WB. No copywrite infringement is intended. NOTE: I started writing this right after Halloween aired and so I figure its off in it's own little buffyverse After Xander had left Giles went to his office. To his surprise he found Alex seated behind his desk. "Oh hello. How long have you been there?" Giles asked. "I snuck in while Buffy was practicing." Alex answered. "I see. So you heard my conversation with your younger self." "Yeah, I did. It was nice. But I don't remember us having that conversation. So I assume my being here prompted it?" "Well yes in a way." Giles answered. "I mean you must admit that your being here does bring some questions to mind." "Questions like 'is he going mad' you mean?" "Well I' Giles started. "Don't worry about it Giles. Its not like I haven't asked myself that question a thousand times." "And what answer have you come up with?" Giles inquired. "That the thing that is worst than going insane, is knowing that you're going insane and not being able to stop it." "So you do feel that you have a problem?" Giles probed. "Well let's see. I've had to drive stakes through the woman I love and both my best friends. That kind of thing can weigh on a guy." "Both Ah yes. I'm sorry, I'd forgotten about Jesse." "Yeah, I wish I could." Said Alex. "Every time I think about him I can only see the vampire that he became, not the guy that he was before. It's the same with Buffy and Willow. Every time I start to remember something we did together, some happy memory, I suddenly get sucked into a bad memory. Its even worst at night." "Nightmares." Giles said. "Sometimes," Agreed Alex. "But the worst are actually dreams of them alive. I can't have a good memory of them awake, but for some reason they come to me in my sleep. I see them alive and happy, the way things used to be. Them I wake up and remember how things turned out." "Dear God that must be horrible." Said Giles. "You don't know the half of it." Said Alex bitterly. "You'veyour future self that is says I'm like a soldier who has forgotten how not to fight. My whole life has become about destroying monsters and demons. Even when the next slayer showed up I couldn't stop. I can't seem to get past it. I can't relate to regular people anymore. Hell I can't even relate to my own son." "You have a son?" "Yeah, we actually named him Jesse. In hindsight that was probably a mistake. Of course considering how my life has gone, getting involved with his mother was a mistake too." "His mother?" Asked Giles. "Cordelia." "Oh. I think I would rather not know the rest." Said Giles quickly changing the subject. "I assume that this conversation is not the reason for your visit?" "No, I wanted to let you know what Angel and I learned last night." That watcher took a seat across from Alex. "Yes, go ahead. Said Giles. "Apparently Spike killed the Anointed One. That caused the vampires to split into two factions. Those that follow Spike and those that want to stake him." Alex said. "A vampire civil war." Said Giles. "Shouldn't that work in our favor?" " Well yes and no. We couldn't find any of Spike's followers. According to the vamps we questioned no one has seen them in a few weeks." Alex said. "He's gone to ground, so to speak. Which would indicate that he is planning something." Giles said "And I think that gives us an advantage in that we know he is going to make a move on Sunday. If we somehow let his enemies know that, we might be able to get them to do our job for us." Alex stated. `"Yes, that might work. You know the details of his plan, just let them slip during an interrogation and see what happens. " Giles said excitedly. "Good plan with just one flaw." Alex said flatly. "Spike drew Buffy and Willow in by capturing me and using me as bait to lure them to the same warehouse that the Anointed One tried to resurrect the Master in. When you all leave town it will immediately change everything." "Oh, I see. But still its a place to start." Said Giles hopefully. "Yes I suppose it is." Agreed Alex. ____________________________________________________ Saturday Angel looked across the table at Alex. They were in a diner in the downtown area of Sunnydale. Alex was finishing up his dinner. This was the first time that the two of them had done anything other than hunt for vampires. Angle felt uncomfortable, he still didn't know what to think about Alex. "Not big on dinner conversation, are you?" Asked Alex. "I don't go out to eat all that often." Responded Angel. "No, you don't." Alex agreed. "But you usually have something to say. At least in the future you do. The statement made Angel curious. "Do we spend a lot of time together in the future. "Oh yeah. You and Giles are the only two friends I have." "Friends? Xander and I can barely stand each other." Angel said. "Sure, but that's due to how we felt about Buffy. After I After she and Willow died we had something in common. Shared grief." "Not much to build a relationship off of." "No. But we were all we had. You, Giles, and me. Of course his grief wasn't the same as ours. He always felt like they were his children." Not comfortable with the direction of the conversation Angel decided to change the subject. "So what is that thing you use on the other vampires? It sure hurts more than a cross." Alex smiled slightly, one of the few signs of positive emotion that Angel had seen from the man. He palmed the object out of his sleeve. Somehow it adhered to his palm. "It's called the Amulet of Quaz. It's an artifact that was designed to banish demons. It wasn't a huge leap to figure out that it would have an effect on vampires." Alex said. "I'll say it has an effect." Angel said, remembering his one encounter with it. Alex's smile faded as he looked outside. He looked back at angel intently. "We've got company." He said. "What?" "Across the street. A vampire on top of the building watching us. He's not very good at the stealth thing. Angel casually looked out the window and saw the vampire that Alex was talking about. You're right, he sucks at hiding. How should we handle it?" The vampire was getting bored. The guys he was suppose to be watching were just sitting around the diner talking. (Why did I draw this lousy assignment?) He thought while looking at the moon. Looking down at the diner again he noticed that one of the guys had gone to the counter and was paying the bill. (Great. They're leaving. Maybe they'll finally do something interesting.) He noticed that the other one had gone to the back of the diner, towards the rest rooms. He didn't think anything of that at first, but then the thought his him a couple of minutes later. "Wait a second, the one in the can is the vampire. What the hell does he need with a restroom?" He said out loud. "You just now noticed that?" asked a voice behind him. A hand grabbed his shoulder and forcefully spun him around. He found himself face to face with Angel. He tried to get away, but Angel's grip was too strong. "There are two ways this can go." Angel said. "You can answer my questions now, or we can wait for my partner to get here and he can drag them out of you painfully. And trust me, you don't want him to do that." "You can't scare me." The vampire said trying to sound defiant, but only managing pathetic. "Maybe I can't, but he can." Angle said. "He can what?" Asked Alex as he climbed to the top of the roof. "Our new friend here was about to spill his guts, weren't you?" Angel said, giving his captive a good shake. Alex could have sworn that if vampires were capable of sweating that this one would be drenched already. "I can't. If I do Spike will kill me." Said the vampire. The mention of Spike was all that was necessary to set Alex off. "Well I'll kill you if you don't! And trust me, I can make it a hell of a lot more painful! He screamed as he closed the distance between himself and the vampire. Angel figured that stories of Alex's exploits in the last few days must have gotten around, because the vampire folded like the proverbial house of cards. Giles was pleased at the progress of his little lie. He had the youngsters and Ms. Calendar all set to leave for LA in the morning, with both the school and their parents convinced it was legitimate. With any luck by the time they got back Spike would be no more and Alex will have returned to whatever future awaits him. In the meantime he had convinced Alex's younger self to help him gather up supplies from the library to take on the trip, even if he knew it was really to keep up the appearance of this being a legitimate trip. "So Buffy is really excited about this trip?" He asked Xander. "Yeah, she can't wait to show Willow and I all her favorite places from when she was growing up." Xander answered as he packed a box with the stakes he had been making. "Well I suppose we can find time for that. I just hope that she remembers that we are going to be there on a very serious purpose." "I'm sure that you'll keep us all on the straight and narrow." Xander said with a smile. "Yes, of course." Agreed the watcher. (It's sad.) Thought Giles. (I have never seen Alex smile with that kind of open joy. If such a significant change can happen in Xander I would hate to see how I turned out.) "Earth to Giles." Teased Xander. "Hello?" "Sorry, lost in thought. Terrible habit." "Just don't wig out while driving, okay?" "I promise." Said the watcher. The sound of the library doors opening caught both of their attention. They both looked to see Angel running into the library. "Giles, there's a problem. Where are Buffy and Willow?" the vampire blurted out. "What, no 'Hi guys, going somewhere?'" teased Xander. Angel glared at Xander in a way that made the teenager feel like he would be safer trying To hand feed a great white shark. "What problem?" Asked the concerned watcher. "Alex and I caught on of Spike's minions. He knows about you trip so he moved his plans up to tonight. Now where is Buffy?" "Oh my God." Muttered Giles as his face paled. Xander looked from Angel to Giles and back again, not liking the fact that something was going on and that he didn't know what it was. "Buffy got a message from her mom to meet her at the art gallery. Willow went along to keep her company. Now what's up with Spike and who the hell is Alex?" "We'll explain on the way." Said Angel as he grabbed both Xander's arm and the box of stakes and started for the door. End of Part 7 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Jeff R. Harris" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Tomorrow Mourning 8/9 Date: 21 Mar 1998 20:27:39 -0800 (PST) TITLE: Tomorrow Mourning 8/9 AUTHOR: Jeff Harris EMAIL ADDRESS: caliban@wizards,com DISTRIBUTION: Please ask first FEEDBACK: If you want to. SPOILER: None really. Takes place before Lie to Me. RATING PG-13 SUMMARY: A mysterious man comes to Sunnydale with a warning for Giles and Angel. CONTENT WARNING: Violence. I tried to keep to the tone of the show DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters. All characters belong to Joss Whedon and the WB. No copywrite infringement is intended. NOTE: I started writing this right after Halloween aired and so I figure its off in it's own little buffyverse "Willow, wait." Said the slayer, as she and her friend approached the gallery. "Why?" Asked Willow. "Something feels wrong." Buffy said. "You wait here, I'm going to go in and check on mom." "No way. If there were something wrong I'd rather stick with you. I mean what if you go in and something sneaks up behind me out here?" "Good point. Come on." With that the two girls entered the gallery. The lights were on, but there was no one to be seen. "Hello? Mom?" Called Buffy. "Are you here?" "Maybe she's just in the basement of something?" Willow said, trying to sound confident. "And leave the gallery open with no one watching it? No way. Something is definitely out of whack here. Let's go check out her office." The girls headed towards the back of the building. As they got half way in a voice called out. "Well look what we have here. The guests of honor for our little get together have finally arrived." Buffy and Willow looked back towards the front door. Standing there was Spike, the newest addition to Sunnydales's nightlife. Buffy felt a sudden sense of dread. "Where's my mother you bastard?" She yelled. "Not here." Replied the blond vampire. "Never was to be truthfulfor once. Lucky for me one of my kiddies is a gifted mimic. Got you and your little friend to come here. Which is good considering all the trouble I went though preparing this booze up for you." As spike spoke more vampires revealed themselves, a lot more. "We really wanted to do this tomorrow night." Spike continued. "But then a little bird told me that you and your garden society were going on holiday. No bother though. It just means that Dru never got to bake the cake. Shame too, she was really looking forward to it." By now over two dozen vampire had surrounded the teens. Buffy pulled out a stake, which caused the vampires to laugh. "That little stick against all of us? My but you are confident, aren't you?" Spike taunted. Xander couldn't believe what he was hearing. "So you guys knew Spike was planning something and instead of telling us you decided to get us out of town." He said from the back seat of Giles car. "Basically." Said Angel from the passenger seat. "You lied to us." He said to Giles. "It seemed prudent at the time." Giles responded as he silently cursed how slow his car was. "And This Alex guy, where does he fit in?" Asked Xander. "That's too complex to get into." Answered Angel hoping to deflect the question. "What I'd like to know is where he is. He told me to go get you while he continued to question the vampire we caught." "What for?" Asked Giles "After all, you said that Spike hadn't told him where the ambush was going to happen. "This is Alex we're talking about. I have no idea how his mind works." Angel responded. Xander wanted to ask more questions, but couldn't figure out what. He was out of his mind worrying about Buffy and Willow. "If anything happens to either of them I'll never forgive either of you." He said. Angel turned to say something back, but his words stuck in his throat. Xander's eyes had a cold look in them. The same look that Alex's eyes always had. Angle felt an ache in his soul. (We've failed all three of them.) He thought. "We're here." Said Giles as he pulled up to the art gallery. Buffy was getting tired. There were too many vampires to fight. She had managed to dust two of them, but two more just took their place. They already had Willow, but hadn't hurt her yet. From the way they were fighting it was apparent to Buffy that their goal wasn't to kill her outright. "Give it up Slayer." Taunted Spike from the sidelines. "All you're doing is getting yourself all sweatyOn second thought keep it up for a while. I think sweaty is attractive. I'm kind of sad that way. (Oh how I wish I could think of a witty comeback for that bastard.) Thought Buffy. Giles, Angel, and Xander chose that moment to rush into the gallery. "Where the hell did all these bloodsuckers come from?" Asked Xander. A look of realization came over Giles face. "Los Angeles. All those disappearances. It was Spike, building up his forces." He said. "Whatever." Yelled Angel as he launched himself at the group of vampires surrounding Buffy. Xander and Giles started trying to use their crosses to wade their way through the other vampires to get to Willow. "Now this is what I call a party." Called out Spike. In a mad rage Angel managed to stake two of the vampires on Buffy, just to have more join in from the sidelines. "Good timing." Said Buffy. "Could have been better." Was Angel's reply as he and the slayer fought on. Xander had managed to break through the horde of undead and get up to the vampire holding his lifelong friend captive. The vampire released Willow and lunged at Xander. (Must be a newbie.) Thought Xander as he impaled it on the stake he had in his hand. Suddenly Spike was in front of Xander. "Now was that nice?" Asked the vampire mockingly. Xander stabbed at Spike with the stake, only to have it batted out of his hand by the blond vampire. He tried to get his cross up, but before he had a chance Spike had him by the throat. Grabbing Xander's hand, Spike squeezed until the pain made the cross fall from the boy's hand. "That's better. Now we can be friends." Said Spike. Then he yelled across the room. "Hey Slayer, look at what I got." Buffy had been busy trying to keep up with the constant onslaught of vampires. Three of them had grabbed angel and were holding him down. Giles was also being restrained, so she was on her own. At the sound of Spikes voice the ones fighting her had backed off and gave Buffy a chance to look at him. The sight of Xander in his grip terrified her. "Let him go spike!" She yelled. "Oh right." Responded the vampire. "Like that's going to happen." Willow leapt at Spike, hoping to help Xander. All she got for her trouble was a vicious backhand. "Not now little dove, I'll get to you later. Now where was I. Oh yeah. This is the guy who saved you, isn't it Slayer? The one who breathed life back into you when the Master sent you to the old dirt nap. If it weren't for him I wouldn't have to be dealing with you right now." "This is between you and me Spike" Yelled Buffy. "Leave Xander out of it. You and me, that's the way it's suppose to be, isn't it?" "Oh yeah, that's right. I let the dweeb go and you and I get it on. I don't think so. We're a little too evenly matched for my tastes. When I fight, I want to have an unfair advantage. That's why I brought so many friends. But I'll tell you what; I'm feeling generous. You surrender yourself to me and I'll let your savior go. If not I'll just disembowel him right here. It's not like you or Angelus can get through my kids here fast enough to stop me." "Buffy don'taack." Xander tried to yell, but Spike squeezed his throat. "Now why would you be going all noble on us? Hey Slayer what do you think? Why is he trying to be all noble? You don't suppose he loves you do you? That would be stupid, what with you all tinglely about Angelus and all." Spike Taunted. Those last taunts nearly brought Buffy to tears. She knew exactly how Xander felt about her. He hadn't ever bothered to hide the fact. Despite her open affection for Angel and the fact that she had turned him down outright when he had asked her out, Xander still loved her and now it seemed he was going to pay the ultimate price for that love. That left Buffy feeling that she had very little choice. "If I surrender to you, do you promise to let him go?" Asked Buffy. "Buffy no!" Screamed Angel. Don't" "I have to!" She cried out. "I can't let Xander suffer because of me." "That's right Slayer, you can't." Said Spike with a sneer. "So we have a deal. I get you and your not so secret admirer goes free. Who knows, maybe the next Slayer will avenge you. Now come here and I'll let the boy go. I'll even let you give him a good-bye kiss." The Undead cleared a path between Buffy and Spike. Giles and Angel Struggled against the vampires holding them, both yelling at Buffy not to do it as she approached the Spike. Even Xander struggling against Spike's grip was shaking his head no. Only Willow said nothing, though that was more due to being too stunned from Spike's blow to be aware of her surroundings. As Buffy approached her eyes met Xander's. "I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you." She said with tears in her eyes. The sound of crashing glass suddenly rang out. All eyes in the gallery turned to see a man come bursting through one of the gallery windows. He threw something from his hand, which landed in the middle of a group of six vampires. There was a flash and the six found themselves on fire, which lead to them quickly becoming ash. "Alex, thank God." Said Giles. Spike stared at the new comer with a look of disgust. "And who exactly the hell are you?" He demanded. "You killed the woman I loved." Answered Alex, returning Spike's stare with a look of open hatred. "You'll have to more specific that that mate." Said Spike "All right. I'm the one who has returned the favor." Alex announced as reached under his coat and threw something at Spike's feet. Spike looked down and saw an old fashion doll. The same kind that "Drusilla!" Screamed Spike as he released Xander to lunge at Alex. Alex sidestepped the attack and hit Spike in the die with his right palm. Spike's momentum combined with Alex's blow sent the vampire flying into a pair of his minions. Buffy used the distraction to attack the Vampires holding Giles down. Xander, who was still trying to recover from the abuse to his throat, went to check on Willow. Angel still found himself being held down by a trio of vampires. Spike got back to his feet and pointed at Alex. "Grab that bastard, but don't kill him. I want to make him suffer a long time." He ordered. At that command four vampires rushed the time traveler. Alex killed one of them right away, but was hit from behind by another. Satisfied that Drusilla's killer would be taken care of Spike turned his attention back to his main target. He saw Buffy fight two of the vampires that had been containing the watcher. It was obvious from the way that she was fighting that she was exhausted. She would be easy picking now. He ran across the room, closing the distance between him and the slayer. He hit her form behind knocking her to the ground. He stood over the stunned girl with a look of satisfaction. "I win." He said. As he started to bend down towards Buffy. The sound of someone yelling made him turn around and look. Xander was charging at him, stake in hand. "Oh please." He said sarcastically as he stepped forward to meet the boy. Xander collided into Spike at full speed. The impact caused Spike to actually back up a couple of steps. The two looked at each other for a moment, both having looks of surprise on their faces. Then Spike crumbled to dust, leaving Xander still holding the stake in his hand. "Buffy?" He asked. "I'm fine." She said as she shakily got back to her feet. He looked down at himself and then back at her. "I love you." He said and then collapsed. Buffy rushed to his side. "Xander! Xander!" She yelled She saw a red spot spreading out from his stomach "No!" She cried out. "You can't die!" Seeing that their leader was gone, The remaining vampires lost morale and fled. As soon as they were gone Giles rushed to join Buffy. Angel went to check on the unconscious Willow. Alex weakly got to his feet. "Giles do something." Begged the crying slayer. "I'll do what I can." He said as he removed his coat and started pressing it down on Xander's wound. "Alex call for help." "I can't Giles." Alex responded. "What? Why not?" demanded the watcher. "My mission is done. Buffy and Willow are safe and Spike is destroyed. The spell is ending. I'm going back." Was the reply. "I'll call the ambulance." Called Angel as he got up from Willow's side and started towards the gallery office. Giles spared Alex a glance as he tried his best to stop Xander from bleeding to death. A great deal of emotion played on his face. "What kind of future waits for you?" He asked the time traveler. "I have no idea." Answered Alex, who was beginning to glow. "I may not have a future. If my younger self dies I can never have existed there. Not that oblivion is so bad a fate after what I've been through." "What is he talking about?" Buffy asked Giles between sobs. "He's from the future" Answered the Watcher as he turned his full attention back to the wounded boy. "He's Xander from the future." As what Giles said sunk in, Buffy stopped crying and stood up She walked over to Alex who was now surrounded be an increasing yellow glow. Alex's face was showing signs of discomfort, bordering on pain. "Xander?" Asked Buffy. "Yes." He answered. "But how." "You'll have to ask Giles later. Just know this now. I loved you enough to risk coming back and changing time. No matter what happens to me now or in the future please remember that." As Alex said those last words the glow grew in brightness until it was too difficult to look at him. Buffy heard him yell out in pain and then both the glow and Alex where gone. End of Part 8 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Jeff R. Harris" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Tomorrow Mourning 9/9 Date: 21 Mar 1998 20:30:22 -0800 (PST) TITLE: Tomorrow Mourning 9/9 AUTHOR: Jeff Harris EMAIL ADDRESS: caliban@wizards,com DISTRIBUTION: Please ask first FEEDBACK: If you want to. SPOILER: None really. Takes place before Lie to Me. RATING PG-13 SUMMARY: A mysterious man comes to Sunnydale with a warning for Giles and Angel. CONTENT WARNING: Violence. I tried to keep to the tone of the show DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters. All characters belong to Joss Whedon and the WB. No copywrite infringement is intended. NOTE: I started writing this right after Halloween aired and so I figure its off in it's own little buffyverse The last five hours had truly been the longest of Rupert Giles life. First nearly losing Buffy and Willow to Spike and then having to enduring the horrible waiting as a team of surgeons struggled to save Xander's life. They had managed to stabilize him, but he was still in grave danger. The only good news was that Willow only had a mild concussion and would be fine. Giles was glad she had gone to sleep before anyone had told her about Xander. "Want some company" Giles looked up from his brooding and saw Jenny Calendar. The look of concern in her eyes was evident. "Yes, please." "So what really happened?" She asked as she sat down beside him. She looked across the waiting room to where Xander's parents were standing with Joyce Summers. "Mr. Harris said something about Xander hurt defending Buffy from a wild dog." "It was the most believable story we could tell. Spike's claws did considerable damage before he crumbled to dust." Giles went on to tell her everything. When he was done she sat there for a moment trying to process everything he had told her. "I can see why you didn't want to let on what was really happening. I'm not thrilled that you left me out mind you, but I do understand." She finally said. "I'm glad to hear that. I can only hope that Buffy will be as understanding." "Where is Buffy?" Asked Jenny. "She's at Xander's bedside. She absolutely refuses to move. She isn't taking this well." "I can't say that I blame her. What do you think will happen?" "I don't know." Admitted the Watcher. "My conduit to the future is no longer here. I just hope that where ever he is that he is at peace." His first conscious that was that no one could be in so much pain and still be alive. As he tried to gather his thoughts together he became aware of voices, but he couldn't make out what they were saying. He tried to open his eyes but the brightness of the light forced him to close them again. As more of the pain subsided he could make out the voices more clearly now. They were calling something out. If he concentrated he could almost understand them. "Xander? Xander can you hear me?" One of the voices said. Xander; that was his name. No wait, that's not right. It used to be his name. He went by Alex now. Why was the voice calling him Xander? "Xander can you move?" The voice said. It was a male voice. "Why are" Alex trailed off for a moment "Why are you calling me Xander?" "That's you name. You're Alexander Harris. Do you remember that?" Alex opened his eyes. The light was too bright but it was getting better. His head was clearing too. He was on a bed, in a room that was unfamiliar to him. He looked at the man speaking to him. It was Giles, but something wasn't right. Giles was standing next to him. "What happened to your wheelchair Giles?" He asked. "I've never had one." Answered the Watcher. Alex sat up and looked at Giles. "Yes you have. You've been in once since.." (Since Buffy put you in one.) Alex finished in his head. "Xander, listen to me. You're suffering from a kind of temporal jet lag. You still have the memories of the timeline you left. In a few days those memories will fade until they are like a kind of half remembered dream. Your memories of the current timeline will slowly take their place. Until then I would recommend pretending that you have the flu and stay here at your home, otherwise people will think you've gone right around the bend." Alex sat back and took in what the watcher was saying. He had survived and succeeded in changing the timeline. "But what about Buffy?" Asked Alex anxiously as he tried to stand up. "What about me?" said a voice behind him. Alex whipped around at the sound of the voice and almost lost his balance. Giles steadied him. Alex looked at the source of the voice. Buffy stood in the back of the room smiling at him. He looked at her in amazement. His mental pictures of Buffy were either the girl she was or the vampire she had become. The woman he looked at now was neither of those. She was a beautiful woman in her thirties. Alex felt as if he had misplaced his lungs. "I'd have to say that the reaction was definitely worth the wait." She said as she approached him. Alex was overcome with emotion. Tears started to roll down his face at the sight of her. He had done it. She was alive. And soon his memory of what had happened would fade. The nightmare he had been living since he was sixteen was over. Buffy stopped right in front of him. He thought she was going to pull him into an embrace. Instead she pulled him forward and kissed him passionately on the lips. As their lips parted Alex... Xander was to stunned to say anything "Welcome home Xander." Said Buffy The End. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: LMcint6188 Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: Tomorrow Mourning 9/9 Date: 22 Mar 1998 00:48:47 EST It was really great, but now I want to know what happened to Willow and Angel.... Maybe you should keep going?!?!? Lins - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: LMcint6188 Subject: BUFFYFIC: Episode schedule Date: 22 Mar 1998 00:54:11 EST Does anyone have an episode schedule.... more importantly (to me) Whats going to be on this Tuesday..? Thanx Lins ~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~ Keeper of Angel's visit to Willow's room... ~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Hope (31/?) Date: 21 Mar 1998 22:11:31 PST Author: Sara B. Sara114@hotmail.com Rating: Varies...will be posted at beginning of each part. Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, yada yada yada belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox.... I'm just borrowing them, (although I wish Angel was mine!) Everything else belongs to me! Author's note: This is your usual generic story. Angel is still good, so basically in my story surprise/innocence didn't happen. Willow and Oz are together, and Xander and Cordy are still hiding their secret utility closet rondevu's. This is going to be a long story, and will take some time so be patient with me. I'm not very good at story telling, so if this totally sucks and isn't read-worthy, just let me know.Oh yeah, and I want feedback, feedback, and more feedback. I don't care if it's good or bad, just tell me what you thought of it. PART 31 PG-13 Buffy slowly opened her eyes to find herself unable to move. She wiggled her arm free and pressed her hand against her forehead, feeling blood trickle out of a small cut. She looked over to her right and saw Cordelia lying unconscious. “Cordelia...wake up,” she whispered but had no luck. Turning her head to the left, she came face to face with the front seat. Buffy groaned and realized that the car was upside down. “Is anybody awake?” She said aloud. She felt movement at her feet and saw Xander. “Xander! Are you okay?” He looked at her and smiled faintly. “Yeah, I’m okay. How are you holding up?” “I’ve been better. I’m stuck between something, can you help me get free?” She said, struggling to move. “Yeah, hold on,” he said, and managed to sit up. “Oh jeez,” he said, looking around. “What? What is it?” Buffy asked. “This is bad,” he said, and managed to open his car door. Xander pulled himself out of the car. “Ouch!” He said, as he felt a sharp pain in his arm. He looked to see a piece of glass had cut his arm open and blood was coming out fast. “Shit,” he grumbled, and pulled off his striped sweater, wrapping it around his arm. He walked to the other side of the car and opened the door. He could see Buffy was wedged between the seat and Cordelia. The slayerette reached in and pulled Cordelia out of the car. He gently slapped her face to wake her up, but she remained unconscious. He could feel her warm breath on his arm as he laid her gently in the grass. Buffy groaned as she forced herself out of the vehicle. “Damn,” she said. She wasn’t too injured, but had a few bruises. She looked in the front seat to see something stirring. “Giles? Jenny? Hope? Are any of you okay?” Opening the door, she saw the three lying on top of each other. Hope slowly opened her eyes and looked around. Buffy helped her friend out of the car. “Are you okay?” Buffy breathed. Hope sat in the grass next to Cordelia. “Yeah, I think I’m okay. I just feel a little dizzy, that’s all,” she told her friend. “Just sit and rest, you should feel better soon. I don’t see any cuts, and you don’t seem to have any broken bones...and since your a slayer, you have the ability to heal very fast,” Buffy said. Hope smiled weakly. “Ah, a fringe benefit.” “Buffy, come help me get them out,” Xander yelled at the Slayer. Buffy moved to where he was standing. “I’ll get Willow out, and you get Giles. Be really careful, we don’t know what kind of injuries they have.” Buffy nodded, and ducked into the back seat. “Willow,” Buffy said to her friend, “are you okay?” She gently touched her friend. “Buffy?” Willow said softly. She looked up to see Buffy help her out of the car. “Am I dead?” “No, Will. You aren’t dead. How do you feel?” “I feel okay. My wrist really hurts, though.” “Let me see,” Buffy said. Willow held her wrist up to her friend and Buffy felt it lightly. “Can you move it?” Willow moved her wrist slowly, wincing in pain. “Yeah, but it hurts like a bitch.” Buffy’s blue eyes widened in surprise. “Like a bitch? That’s not a phrase in your general vocab.” Willow smiled. “I know, but it just *really* hurts.” “Well, I know it isn’t broken, so you just probably sprained it,” Buffy told her friend. “I don’t know a lot about injuries, but I’m sure Giles does so he can look at it.” She looked over at the unconscious Cordelia. “Hope, could you keep trying to wake her? I am worried about her.” Hope nodded. Buffy turned to face the damaged car to see Giles pull himself out. She ran over to him and he leaned against her for support. “Oh Buffy! Are you okay?” he asked desperately. “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. Just a little cut and a few bruises,” she assured him. “What about you?” “I feel fine. The only thing that hurts is my head,” he said, feeling a large bump on the back of his noggin. “Just lie down and rest for a minute. Cordelia is unconscious, but Willow and Hope seem to be fine, except for Hope’s wrist.” “Is it broken?” he asked, looking at the small girl who sat next to Cordelia. “No, she can move it, but it might be sprained,” she said. “Just go help her.” Giles nodded and went to Hope. Buffy turned back to the dented car to see Xander pull Jenny out. Her eyes were open, and she could walk. He helped her over to where the rest of the group sat. Buffy walked over to her friends. “How are you, Ms. Calendar?” The Slayer asked her. “Not good,” her slurred voice said, as she collapsed in his arms. Giles rushed over to help her lay down. Giles rubbed his head. “I can’t believe this has happened.” “You guys, we need to get Cordelia to a hospital, NOW,” Xander said. Everyone looked at him in surprise. “What?” He asked innocently. “I just want to make sure she is okay, that’s all.” Buffy frowned. “Xander is right. Cordelia may by really hurt.” “Mom?” a faint voice said. “I don’t want to wake up. No, I hate school.” Cordelia’s eyes fluttered open and she stared at Xander, who was in front of her. “Oh, I Xander. I love you,” she said, and fell back into unconsciousness. Xander’s mouth was gaping open and he was astonished at her confession. So was every one else. “She _loves_ you?” Willow asked. Xander shrugged his shoulders and tried to play it off. “She’s just delirious,” He said, and bent down to pick up her car keys that lay beside her. As his hand grabbed the keys, it grazed the surrounding grass. Xander was puzzled to find it damp. He brought his hand up and saw blood covering it and the keys. Xander bent down to get a closer look, but it was dark and he could barely see anything. Feeling the grass, he felt a puddle of blood trailing from Cordelia’s leg. “She’s bleeding!” He yelled to his friends, as he pulled up her short skirt to reveal her slender leg. He was horrified to see a stake stuck into her thigh. Giles ran over to him and saw the bloody mess that surrounded them. “Take off your sweater, Xander,” he commanded immediately. Xander pulled off the garment quickly, almost taking off the shirt he wore underneath it, and handed it to the Watcher. “No, hold it. I am going to pull out the stake, and as soon as it is out of her skin, you press the shirt hard on the wound, to limit her blood loss.” Xander nodded earnestly as his friends stared on in fright. “I am going to count to three,” Giles gripped the bloody stake. “One.......two.......THREE! NOW, XANDER!” He reacted quickly, forcing his now soiled shirt onto her wound as her warm blood flowed through the open cut onto his hands. She stirred, opening her eyes slightly, staring into Xander’s handsome face. She smiled, oblivious to her injury. Her crimson lips turned slowly into a frown, as she noticed the creases in his face were filled with worry. “Xander? What’s wrong?” She whispered, trying to sit up. Buffy ran over and gently held her down so she wouldn’t see the blood on her leg. Cordelia felt fear rise in her mind and body when she realized that things were not okay. “Shh,” Xander breathed, “Just relax. Everything is fine.” He gazed into her face lovingly, trying to hide his fear. “Don’t be frightened.” His soothing words touched her heart, and she once again smiled. Buffy was the only one to notice the strong connection between her two friends, as they looked intently into each other’s eyes. Giles looked at the teenagers, feeling horrifying guilt over the situation. < They are my responsibility, and I’ve let them down > he thought, trying to bury the overwhelming feelings deep down. “We need to get to a hospital immediately,” Giles said, breaking the silence the hung heavily over the group. Cordelia’s eyes widened. “Hospital? Why?!” Not wanting Cordelia to know about her injury, Hope spoke quickly. “Willow’s wrist is sprained, and she needs medical attention,” “Oh, okay,” she said with semi-relief. < As long as she doesn’t notice her wound, she won’t feel the pain > Giles thought. He looked at the still worrying Xander and saw that the blood was finally beginning to clot, but the shirt was utterly soiled, and another was needed. Buffy noticed this also and frantically searched for something to replace the bloody garment. Cordelia saw everyone staring at her leg and began to wonder what they were hiding from her. She craned her neck upward and glanced down at her blood skirt. She strained her neck farther and saw Xander’s crimson hands and crimson sweater, then realized she was hurt badly. Her leg instantly began throbbing violently, and she screamed out in pain, startling those around her. The agony and blood caused her to suddenly faint, and Buffy caught her head before it slammed into the ground. “Give me the keys, Xander,” Giles ordered, grabbing the keys from him. Xander only stared at Cordelia, not knowing what to do. Hope pulled off the lavender cardigan she wore over her while camisole tank top and jeans, and pressed it over the blood drenched sweater. “Xander, I’m going to pick her up slowly, and I need you to continue to press the clothes on her leg, okay?” she said, and Xander nodded. Slowly she lifted the limp body off the ground, as if it were weightless. Buffy stared at Giles. “We’d better hurry. After we take Cordelia to the hospital, I’m going to the Hellmouth to check out what is going on,” Buffy said. Before Giles could open his mouth in protest, she cruised past him toward the road. He slowly turned to follow her and the rest of the gang, leaving the old car in the field. “Can someone get the door?” Hope said, standing in front of Cordelia’s red car. Buffy opened it for her, and Xander got in, helping Hope ease the girl into the back seat. Willow got in after her, and Buffy next. Carefully, the laid her body on top of them. Giles carried Jenny into the front seat, and Hope helped him get her body inside. The Watcher started the car as the seats belts were fastened, and drove in the direction of Sunnydale Hospital. ***** Giles pulled up in front of the large hospital. Xander got out of the car and carried Cordelia through the front doors. He yelled for help, and was immediately greeted by a hospital doctor. Xander rambled at him, and the doctor shouted at another doctor, who pushed a bed over to them. Xander lay her body down on it. The doctors took her to the emergency room and made Xander wait behind. He protested loudly, but a nurse continued to refuse him, and two orderlies had to hold the boy back. Giles, Hope, Willow, and Buffy, who carried the still unconsious Jenny came in right behind him. They rushed Willow and Jenny up to the front desk, so they could receive help. Because it was a car accident, they were looked at immediately. Giles, Hope, and Buffy watched as the two girls were separated, taken different ways. Jenny to an emergency room, and Willow down a hallway, disappearing into one of the rooms. “This has been a long night,” Hope said with a sigh. “Well it definitely isn’t over. We still have to save Angel,” Buffy said, looking at a clock by the front desk. “It is 8:15. If the ceremony took place, and Angel has been made the master, we don’t have much time.” “Buffy, how do you plan to fight this battle?” Giles asked. She pondered his question. The truth was, she didn’t know how she was gong to beat this. < I have fought against some tough things, but I don’t know if I can do this. > “I will know how to do when it comes time.” Giles looked very skeptical. “I don’t think you should do this alone.” “She won’t be alone. I’m here,” Hope said, with more confidence than she ever knew she had. “I--” Giles stopped, and looked into Buffy’s eyes. He saw her commitment, willingness, and profound determination that Giles would never be able to fathom. He knew in his heart that this was the right thing to do, and he knew that he had to let her go, although his mind and soul screamed against it. Silently, he bid his farewell to her, as if it was his final good-bye. His soulful eyes watching her walk through the doors, toward her possible death. His Slayer, his Buffy, she was as much a child as she was an adult. The responsiblity that weighed heavily on her shoulders was her only obstacle to a normal life. He looked at her as if she was his own daughter. She was his responsibility. His duty to her was more important than anything in the world. Trying to hold back the tears that threatened to run down his aged face, he choked back a sob. < Dear God > he prayed silently < watch over her. Guide her in the right direction. Keep her safe and from harm. I don’t know what I would do if she died. She is my life. > ***** The cool night air stung Buffy’s face as she stood beneath the pale night sky. She usually enjoyed the night. It soothed her and comforted her, despite the hellish creatures that plagued the earth, that threatened the very existence of man. But tonight, evil filled the air. She breathed in its horrid smell. She could taste it’s revolting residue in her mouth. She could smell its stank presence. Angel filled her thoughts. He brought a small frown to her face. She loved him with every inch of her heart and soul. She felt his happiness, she felt his pain, and right now she couldn’t feel him. His presence in her felt empty, as if he has dispeared from the earth, as if he has died. She winced at that thought. Her body shuddered as she walked toward the Hellmouth. Her fear grew intensely as she became more aware of its pernicious presence. The memories of her death resurfaced in her mind. The last time she was there she had died at the hands of the Master. This time, the plausibility of déjà vu was high. Hope walked silently beside her friend. She was still amazed at things she had seen in the last two days. Vampires, slayers, souls, prophecies, demons, the Hellmouth. She wondered why all of this was kept in such a secrecy that only a small number of mortals were aware of the dangers that surrounded their lives. She marveled at the thought of how oblivious the world was. She thought back to last year when her five year old cousin was a vampire for Halloween. He had wore a long black cape with a frilly while shirt beneath it. His hair was slicked back and he had a small pair of plastic white fangs that he inserted into his mouth. She silently chuckled at how different people’s perception of vampires was to the reality of what they actually were. Sure, the movies and books portrayed the demons to be evil creatures that suck on blood and only go out in the night. But what they didn’t know is just how evil they were. Their faces an image of hell. Their actions so horrifying that the average horror movie was just child’s play in comparison. As the Hellmouth grew nearer, Hope’s awareness to the evil grew stronger, and she tried to mentally prepare her for the inevitable fight that her future held for her. Not just a fight of the body, but of the mind. She had to stay focused, and keep all fear and panic out. Any mistake could cost her her life, and the life of mankind. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Hope (32/?) Date: 21 Mar 1998 22:17:32 PST Author: Sara B. Sara114@hotmail.com Rating: Varies...will be posted at beginning of each part. Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, yada yada yada belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox.... I'm just borrowing them, (although I wish Angel was mine!) Everything else belongs to me! Author's note: This is your usual generic story. Angel is still good, so basically in my story surprise/innocence didn't happen. Willow and Oz are together, and Xander and Cordy are still hiding their secret utility closet rondevu's. This is going to be a long story, and will take some time so be patient with me. I'm not very good at story telling, so if this totally sucks and isn't read-worthy, just let me know.Oh yeah, and I want feedback, feedback, and more feedback. I don't care if it's good or bad, just tell me what you thought of it. Part 32 Spike pulled his car up into the small driveway of 1630 Rovello Drive. He got out of the car and stared at the house in glee. Angel pulled his car up on the curb, knocking over two trash cans and a mail box. He threw open the door and stepped out of the large, black BMW, slamming the door shut behind him. He stormed angrily up to Spike, and grabbed his shirt. “This is Buffy’s house,” he hissed, “why the hell are we here?” Spike removed Angel’s hand off of him. “Relax, man. I just have to pick up a meal.” Spike grinned. “The Slayer is MINE,” Angel growled. “Oh, no. You don’t understand. I don’t want the Slayer. I want her mother.” Angel blinked in surprise. “You...you want...her mother?” Spike nodded. Angel suddenly howled in laughter. Tears welled up in his eyes from his hysterics. Spike glared at him in annoyance. “What the hell is so funny?!” Angel took a deep breath to calm himself down. He stifled another emerging chuckle. “It’s just that I love how you think!” he said, slapped Spike hard on the back, causing him to stumble foreword. “Watch it man! I don’t think that you realize how strong you are,” he growled, adjusting his jacket. Angel grinned. “So what do you plan to do with Mrs. Summers?” Spike took a moment to ponder his fellow vampire’s question. “Well, I haven’t decided yet. Either I’m going to kill her right in front of our pretty little Slayer’s eyes, or make her one of us. That way Buffy will have to kill *her*.” A small rumble of a car engine interrupted the vampires’ conversation. The sound drew closer until the car was visible. It pulled up next to the curb behind Angel’s BMW. The door flew open and Joyce Summers got out, angrily shutting the door behind her. “What are you doing in my driveway?” She asked in a huff, walking up to Spike and Angel. Drusilla and the woman remained in the car, their faces pressed against the window’s eagerly awaiting for something to happen. Joyce came face to face with Angel. “You’re Buffy’s friend, aren’t you. What was your name again? Angel?” She asked. Angel nodded. “That’s right, Joyce..uh...May I call you Joyce?” he asked, sweetly. “I’d prefer Mrs. Summers.” She turned to Spike. “Who are you?” “Spike,” he replied. “Well, Spike, would you and Angel please leave? I just got back from a long trip and am tired. Buffy probably isn’t home.” < she never is > Joyce thought bitterly. “I’ll tell her to call you when she gets home.” She walked toward the front door of her house. Spike grinned at Angel, who quickly pushed himself in front of the woman. “Not so fast.” She put her hand up to her fore head and rubbed hard. Her head ache was growing larger by the minute. “*Please* get out of my way.” “I’m sorry, _Mrs. Summers_ , but you’ll have to come with us,” Angel said. “I’m not going anywhere with you. Now LEAVE!” She tried to push her way around Angel but he grabbed her arm and squeezed. “Your hurting me!” “Like I said,” his face slowly transformed into his vampire face. He watched her face immediately fill with astonished horror and fear. “You will have to come with us.” ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Jeff R. Harris" Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: Tomorrow Mourning 9/9 Date: 21 Mar 1998 23:06:24 -0800 (PST) On Sun, 22 Mar 1998, LMcint6188 wrote: > It was really great, but now I want to know what happened to Willow and > Angel.... > Maybe you should keep going?!?!? > Lins > When I wrote the story I had a solid idea of how everyone ended up in the future, including Willow and Angel. If I do write the sequels I will defintaly be exploring that. Jeff H. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Isis212 Subject: BUFFYFIC: Death of a Slayer (1/1) Date: 22 Mar 1998 08:45:28 EST Title: Death of a Slayer Author: Aramat! Email: Redfire98@aol.com Spoiler: "Surprise" Distribution: Ask me, please? Feedback: Yes, please. Thank you =) Disclaimer: Buffy and Angel, cute as they are, aren't mine. They belong to this guy named Joss Whedon. They most likely belong to other people, too, but right now I can't remember who they are. Anyway, I'm borrowing Buffy and Angel for a little bit. When we're finished playing I'll give them back. Okay, enough nonsense, on with the story. Note: This story is something I thought up during a case of writer's block (which I'm stil having). It switches the current situation around. In this story B & A's one night together transfers his demon to her. So, Buffy's an evil vampire on a killing spree, Angel's a guilty human on a mission, and one has to destory the other. One more thing, since I was in writer's hell while I wrote this, the story is kinda short. I concentrate on Buffy and Angel's fight. I couldn't come up with any stuff to make up a longer story (despite there being plenty to work with). But if you can, feel free to. I'd be interested to see where this could go. Angel paced the length of his room lost in deep thought. As much as he tried to forget, the events of the past few days kept playing over and over in his mind. He saw the look of hope and disbelief on Buffy's face when he told her that he loved her, he remembered the desire in her eyes when he kissed her lips. He could still hear the sounds of her pleasure as if she was still moaning them in his ears. But all that was gone. Because of one night, one exquistely perfect night, his Buffy was gone, replaced by something evil. If he had known that sharing something so special, daring to be with the woman he loved so completely, would transfer his demon to her, he never would have given in to her demands. It pained him to think of Buffy now, her soul gone, his demon now in control of her body. He couldn't forget the way she was before. But that Buffy was gone. And if he and the others were going to survive, he'd have to destroy her. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Angel stepped into the cemetery, his eyes searching for and finding Buffy. She was sitting in her usual spot, waiting for him. As he watched her he could almost believe she was still his Buffy, he could almost believe that things were the same. But, deep inside, he knew they weren't, and as much as he wanted Buffy back, he knew it wasn't going to happen. With sorrow in his heart for what he must do, he walked toward Buffy, determination replacing the pain. Tonight would be their final fight. When it was over, one of them would be victorious, the other dead. Angel had every intention of coming out a winner. "I see you made it," Buffy said as she turned to greet him. There was a smile on her face as she approached the man who, just three days ago, she had loved more than life itself. He nodded, watching her intently. "Of course," he answered his voice low, emotionless. "You didn't think I'd miss this, did you?" She shrugged. "I don't know, I figured you weren't strong enough to kill me. We've been so close." "Let's get this straight. I remeber who you used to be and I have no trouble distinguishing between the two. You're not Buffy, at least, not my Buffy. And I have no doubt that I'm strong enough to kill you." Angel said these words calmly, smiling inside when he noticed that Buffy didn't too much like what he had to say. He stepped toward her menancingly. "So, let's stop talking and get down to business." Buffy wasted no time. She stepped forward fists swinging, legs kicking. But Angel was not to be outdone. He blocked her shots, throwing a few of his own, all of which connected. Buffy fought strong, landing a punch here, a kick there. Angel rallied, each fist on a special mission to destroy what had taken what he cared about the most. "You know, you did this to her," Buffy said as she paused between punches. "If you had just said no, she would be here right now. You're the one who killed her." So stunned by the words of the demon, Angel dropped his guard. It was the one opening she needed. Buffy took advantage of his distraction, sending a savage kick to his midsection. When he doubled over in pain she grabbed him, tossing him effortlessly against the wall of a tomb. She grabbed a stake from her sleeve and pushed it against his chest, directly above his heart, positive that victory was hers. "Killing you will be so much fun," Buffy whispered softly to him, digging the stake into his skin. "I'm sure Buffy will thank me." She leaned forward, brushing his lips with hers. Angel instinctively opened up to her, forgetting momentarily that she wasn't his. But his lapse was a short one. As Buffy pressed closer to him, he made his move. Taking the stake from the small of Buffy's back, he thrust the weapon through her back and into her heart. Buffy pulled away, looking up at him, stunned. She'd lost. And soon, she was nothing but a pile of dust. Angel looked down at where the demon now lay and he breathed a sigh of relief. It was over. She was gone and no one else would be hurt. With one last look at the dusty ground, Angel turned and walked away. As he faded into the night, the wind blew faintly and he could have sworn he heard Buffy, his Buffy, whisper, "Thank you." The End - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sapphire" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Discuss: Death of a Slayer (1/1) Date: 22 Mar 1998 09:28:41 PST This was an interesting alternative universe story. It could have been longer, and you could have had alot of fun exploring the idea a bit more, but I enjoyed it as a short as well. Good work :) Hope that writer's block is gone now! Sapphire: sapphire@chaos.taylored.com X-Over Crossover list admin: X-Over: XF Crossover archive http://www.busprod.com/aclaybor Taking the Challenge: BtVS Challenge Archive ; SPCDD; LOMIG ; G-Woman #3 Keeper of Willow's momentary obsession with sore thumbs, Willow's whimper of sadness for her dead fish and her fake frog fit in = KBD - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: michele v Subject: BUFFYFIC: Our Hearts Will Go On Date: 22 Mar 1998 11:14:07 -0800 (PST) Ok, I decided to re-send out "Our Hearts Will Go On" Parts 1-5 again because a lot of people were asking for Parts 1-4 so I just decided to send out the whole thing again, including the new part (part 6) -Michele _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: michele v Subject: BUFFYFIC: Our Hearts Will Go On 1/6 Date: 22 Mar 1998 11:14:19 -0800 (PST) TITLE: Our Hearts Will Go On 1/6 AUTHOR: Michele V EMAIL ADDRESS: glynisgrl33@yahoo.com DISTRIBUTION: Please ask first FEEDBACK: Yes, especially since this is my first fic-but since it is, please don't be too harsh SPOILER: What's My Line 1&2 RATING PG-13 SUMMARY: A Buffy/Angel story that takes place after What's My Line 1 & 2, with some added Willow/Oz and Xander/Cordelia. Also, Buffy and the gang find out about the return of the Master- in some form. CONTENT WARNING: Some kissing,talk of sex, and a sexual situation(nothing graphic at all) DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters except for one, whose name is unknown as of now-but will be included in Part 2 and possibly all remaining parts of this. All of the other characters belong to Joss Whedon and the WB. No copywrite infringement is intended. NOTE: I wrote this after "What's My Line 2", therefor without knowing that something similar to this *sort of* happens in "Surprise" ********** PART 1 SUNNYDALE HIGH SCHOOL Willow spotted Buffy hurrying down the hallway ahead of her. "Buffy! Hey, wait up!" she called as she ran to catch up with her. Buffy waited for her friend. "Hey Will. What's up?" Willow frowned. "Will- what's wrong? What aren't you telling me?," Buffy asked suspiciously. "Well I saw something that I really didn't want to and didn't need to see. I saw- oh boy, you are never gonna believe this-" "Well I don't really need to believe it- I just need to know. What is it, Will?" Buffy asked impatiently. Willow sighed. "Ok, well I was in the library helping Giles with something before and Xander was there and so was Cordelia- and Giles asked Xander to go find a book on some- thing- and Cordelia to help him-so they went. And I was left to do research on the computer, of course, but I finished before Xander and Cordelia found the book so I went in the back to help them and-" Willow paused. "And?" Buffy asked anxiously. Willow frowned. "I saw Xander and Cordelia making out in front of the Encyclopedias." "Wow, you really took note of where they were standing-But maybe it wasn;t what you thought it was," Buffy said trying to give Willow some hope. Willow shook her head. "No, no- I know what I saw. And I saw Xander and Cordelia totally lip locked." "Maybe one of them passed out and needed mouth to mouth," Buffy suggested jokingly. "Buffy this is not funny- I mean- it's Xander and Cordelia here- Xander hates Cordelia-Cordelia hates Xander- That's like, that's like Tom the cat kissing Jerry the mouse...uh, well, you know what I mean" "True, but haven't you ever heard of the saying that opposites attract? I mean as ick-worthy as it is, maybe Xander and Cordelia are an example of that." "Well I don't like *that* example. And the worst part is, I'm his best friend- you are too- and he didn't even tell us," Willow said with anger. "Maybe he was afraid of our reaction. I mean it is Cordelia-she was supposed to be his- and our - sworn enemy- and now he's kissing her," Buffy suggested. "Maybe- but I'm still mad at him. I don't understand what he sees in her- he never saw anything in her before except popular snotiness- I thought she would be the last person that he'd ever date. But now this happened, and now it's like-" Willow stopped with a frown. "It's like what?" Buffy asked trying to be understanding. "It's like I'm the last person he'd ever date," Willow said with tears forming in her eyes. She continued. "Like Cordelia's good enough for him- and I-his best friend-am not." The tears began falling down her face. "Hey, it's not you Willow-Xander's probably just going through those hormonal changes that men tend to go through. I'm sure he never meant it to be like that," Buffy said as she hugged her friend. Willow pulled away to look at Buffy, wiping her tears. "Really?" "*Really*"Buffy repeated. "Well, I'm still mad at him. I don't know if I'm even gonna talk to him. I'll let him tell me- or us, that is." "We'll see about that. Somehow, I think you will." The two started walking again. "So, who's this Oz guy that was so heroic as to risk himself getting shot in the arm so that you wouldn't?" Buffy asked changing the subject. "Oz? Oz is no one- he's just this guy- that I know." "A guy that you know. Very informative Will," "Ok, well, we were both chosen for this computer thing at the Career Fair, so we've been talking," Willow told her. "By the way, how did that whole Slayer goodbye thing go between you and Kendra?," Willow asked changing the subject. "Was there any hugging or crying going on?" she continued. Buffy shook her head at her friend with a grin. "You were quick to change the subject. But no, no hugging. Just a goodbye. Kendra has that "No Huggy Huggy, Touchy Touchy," policy." "Oh, right. So- I guess that means there was no crying," Willow answered for Buffy. "Definitely a negative. But even though I was counting the days until she'd leave, it was a little sad to see her go. I guess cause we had something in common. I'm ok now, though." Willow smiled. "Well, good. So have you and Angel been playing helpless patient and nurse lately?" Willow asked anxious to hear the answer. "Actually, me and Angel haven't even talked or seen each other since the night at the church. Kendra was kind enough to volunteer to take him home safely that night so that I could get home to sleep." Willow couldn't believe it. "Wow, you mean you're not even worried that he could not be ok?" "I thought about it of course. But I thought it would be better if he could rest and if I was was with him, there definitely would be no resting going on," Buffy explained. Willow nodded in agreement. "Oh, I see your point. I bet you miss his kisses though." "You could say that. I've definitely been going through some *major* withdrawal," Buffy agreed. Xander came up behind the two of them just in time to hear Buffy's last sentence. "Withdrawal! Buffy, you're not taking drugs now are you? 'Cause that's what that DARE Program is all bout- Saying *no* to drugs." Buffy grinned. "No Xander, Buffy was talking about withdrawal from Angel's kisses- which is probably what you're going through now without Cordelia's kisses!" Willow shot at him with anger. Xander's eyes widened in shock. He looked at Buffy. Buffy shrugged. "What can I say, Xand- secrets secrets are no fun-especially when you keep them from your best friends." Xander shook his head in disbelief. "I don't kn-I don't know what you're talking about," he said trying to cover everything up. Buffy looked at Willow. "Willow?" she asked giving her the cue to explain. "I-I saw you two in the library-when you were looking for that book-I went to help you-and I saw you two-kissing," she told Xander. "Oh, boy... Gosh...I'm sorry, Will. We didn't mean for you-or anyone to see that. We- Look, I have no idea what is going on between me and Cordelia. I mean we get into these fights and then we kiss-and it's completely-completely weird. I mean I don't understand it and I know you two don't either. Right now I'm just trying to sort everything out. And that's why I didn't tell you guys. I mean it's me and- Cordelia- we're not supposed to be together. I mean that's like Tom and Jerry kissing each other-Well,you know-you know what I'm saying." Willow smiled. "I said the same thing," she told him. "Xander like I told Willow before, you're probably going through hormonal changes that men tend to go through," Buffy explained. Xander grinned. "Maybe. I just hope you two will forgive me for not telling," he pleaded. Buffy grinned. "You're forgiven-by me at least." "Willow?" Xander asked. "I forgive you-but only this once Xander-you not tell us something again and I'll-I'll..." Willow paused. Xander smiled. "Thanks you guys. I promise- it'll *never* happen again." "So-" Willow said changing the subject once again,"Where were we?" "Well I know that I was about to ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: michele v Subject: BUFFYFIC: Our Hearts Will Go On 2/6 Date: 22 Mar 1998 11:15:30 -0800 (PST) TITLE: Our Hearts Will Go On 2/6 AUTHOR: Michele V EMAIL ADDRESS: glynisgrl33@yahoo.com FEEDBACK: Definitely, especially since this is my first fic- but since it is, please don't be too harsh. SPOILERS: all episodes through What's My Line 1 & 2 RATING: PG SUMMARY: A Buffy/Angel story that takes place after "What's My Line 1 & 2", with some added Willow/Oz and Xander Cordelia. Also, Buffy and the gang find out about the return of the Master- in some form. DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters except for "The Elgradora" All of the other characters belong to Joss Whedon and the WB. No copywrite infringement intended. NOTE: I wrote this after "What's My Line 2," therefor without knowing that something similar would *sort of* happen in *Surprise* ********** PART 2 Buffy sat on top of a grave stone, staring down at the stake in her hands- and daydreaming about Angel. She snapped herself out of it when she sensed something behind her. "Sorry- I never did like or fall for those 'sneaking up behind me so that I won't notice you're there and you can kill me,' games," Buffy said as she spun around, raising her stake. No one was there. "Ok..I was never one for hide and seek either. Now show yourself." She looked all around and still saw no one. Then she felt a cool breeze behind her. "Who's there?!?" she yelled turning around again. But again, she saw nothing. Then she heard it. A faint whisper. "I'm coming, Buffy.....I'm coming soon," the ghostly woman's voice whispered. The breeze went away. Buffy knew what it was-it had to have been her- the spirit of the Master, warning her. "No!" she yelled at the top of her lungs, as she sprang up in Angel's bed. Breathing heavily, she looked around and noticed where she was. Angel immediately came to her side, wrapping his strong arms around her, and hugging her close to him. "Hey- it was just a dream. Everything's alright- you just had a bad dream," he whispered in her ear while rocking her slowly. She pulled away and ran her fingers through her hair in distress. "Hey-Are you alright?..you ok?" he asked her softly while putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Yeah, I uh, had this nightmare," she told him. Angel sat there staring at her, waiting for her to continue. "It was about this thing Giles told me about earlier today...I was- supposed to ask you about it but I guess I got a little distracted and forgot," she explained. A look of concern appeared on Angel's face. "What is it?" he asked her. "The Master- he's supposed to come back six months after he was killed , on the sixth day, at the 6th hour- and go after the person killed him..which, unfortunately would be me. Only it won't be the actual Master, it'll be its spirit and it'll be female. The spirit of the Master is always of the opposite sex," Buffy explained. "And this is what your dream was about?" he asked her. Buffy nodded. "Yeah, I was um, in the graveyard hunting vampires and I felt someone behind me-I thought it was a vampire- but when I turned around no one was there. Then I felt this breeze behind me and I turned around again but still didn't see anything but heard her voice, whispering to me," she explained. "What did she say to you?" "She told me that she's coming...soon. I figured it out with Giles and the Master's spirit is supposed to be coming in just three weeks." "And, you think that the voice you heard in the dream was the Master's spirit?" Angel asked her "It was- I know it was. In the dream, I could feel the Master's power, I could feel his presence-just like I could in the dreams I had about him killing me. It had to have been the spirit," Buffy told him. Angel sighed and looked down. "I take it- you know something about this thing." Angel looked back up at her. He nodded slightly. Buffy waited in silence for him to begin telling her about it. "It's known as The Elgradora," he finally started. "In other words, meaning?" Buffy asked, confused. " The Spirit of the Master" "Couldn't they just call it "Spirit of the Master," Angel went on. "It comes in spirit form of the opposite sex- to kill the person who was responsible for killing *it*" he continued. "So um, how exactly does it kill?" Buffy asked unsure of whether she really wanted to know. "It goes inside your body, without you knowing, and kills you internally. Once you're dead, the spirit takes over your body and uses your body as *it's* body until it's old body reforms over yours. Then, slowly but surely, it is restored back to its full strength, and begins to destroy all that it can. It also, assembles a team of all the vampires that are existing to help it in destroying everything and everyone before it is restored to its full strength." "If you can stop it from going inside you, or kill it somehow, then all the other bad stuff won't happen, right?" "Yes,but, since you're the Slayer, you'll still have to deal with the vampires. Every vampire in the world will be here- terrorizing Sunnydale." "Angel?" "Yeah?" "You can stop with the explanation now. It's really creeping me out," she told him with a look of fright on her face. "Sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you...I thought you needed to know." "I do but..I guess I just don't want to..unless there's ways of stopping it. Is there?" Angel looked down once again. "Angel?" He couldn't look at her. "There's no way...is there?" He finally looked up. "I don't know of any. I- read about it years ago but I can't remember anything about how it's been stopped in the past." "You mean you can't kill it, you can- only stop it?" "You can't kill it because it's already dead," he reminded her with a slight grin. "Oh...yeah...But you can make it go away maybe, right?" "Maybe..but there's no telling how. The only way to find out is to get a hold of the book that I read about it in." "So, I'm guessing that you don't still have a copy of it on your bookshelf, huh?" Angel shook his head. "I don't. I wish I could remember the name of the book but-," he stared. "Don't worry about now. We don't have to know it right now. I mean we have three weeks until it comes. I'm- sure we'll find out something else before then." He looked up at her, a sad look on his face. "Angel? What's wrong?" Is there something you're not telling me here?" she asked him, concerned. He looked away. *I don't have three weeks* he said to himself. He looked at the clock and noticed that it was 3:30 in the morning."You better get back to sleep, you have school tomorrow," he reminded Buffy, avoiding her question. Buffy sighed. "Oh..yeah..school. Well, at least tommorow's Thursday and the weekend's almost here," she said then laid back down on the bed. Angel got up and pulled the covers back up over her and kissed her forehead. "Sweet dreams," he whispered softly. "Hey, aren't you gonna sleep here next to me. You seemed to have evacuated the bed before- Why?" "Well I couldn't sleep, really. I- don't- normally go to sleep at that time. I'm usually up the whole night," he told her with a smile. "Oh, yeah. I kinda forgot about the vampire thing." Angel smiled down at her. "I will, though, if it'll help you sleep better," he said, climbing into bed next to her. She turned around to face him and smiled. He smiled back. Then she closed her eyes and fell asleep again. When Buffy woke up it was dark outside again. *Must've over slept big time* she thought. *Oh no, that means I missed school. Well I'll worry about that later. I better go save the world now* she thought as she got dressed. She put her jacket on, grabbed a stake and headed out the door. This time, she decided to hit Sunnydale Park. Buffy seated herself on a swing, stake in her hand, just waiting for a vampire to show. Time passed, and there was still no vampires in sight. Buffy sighed. She actually beginning to feel a little bored. All of a sudden, a gust of wind came, blowing the empty swing next to her so that itell Buffy that withdrawal from Angel's kisses is even worse then from drugs and that she could say no to that too.. but then.."Xander started. Willow finished for him. "We kinda got into a different conversation. But about what you were gonna say," Willow said with a smile,"I don't think she'd wanna say no to that." Xander smiled at her then turned to Buffy. "How is our vampish fiend anyway? Not that I really care but he just looked like he was in major pain the other night- definitely a good thing." "Actually," she explained again," I haven't seen him since that night. But, I'm sure he's fine." "Darn!" Xander said as he stomped his foot. Willow and Buffy gave him "the look." "Sorry, that just came out unplanned-like a reflex," Xander explained. "Well you better try to control that reflex or my reflex will be to tape your mouth shut," Buffy warned him jokingly. "Whoa-Buff, I knew you were a violent one- with evil creatures but I didn't think you'd be that way with friends. I mean I 'll try but a reflex is a reflex- pretty much uncontrollable. Oh, by the way, Buff, the G-man was looking for you- I was supposed to tell you. Seemed pretty urgent." "Gee, thanks for telling me now that class starts in like a minute." Xander spotted Giles approaching them. "Well, it must be pretty important 'cause here he comes now," he informed Buffy and motioned to him. "Buffy!" Giles called as he caught site of her. Buffy, Xander, and Willow walked over to him. "Giles, hey. What's up?" Buffy asked him. "Buffy I need to see you in the library- in five minutes." Buffy sighed. "Giles, can this wait? 'Cause I have history now and you know how much I'm faltering in that class." Giles shook his head. "Buffy, this is extremely urgent. It'll only take a few minutes," he told her. "Ok. Ill be right there," she obeyed. She turned to her two friends. "I'll see you guys at lunch." Xander nodded. "Ok, best of luck Buff! You may need it with whatever this urgent thing is." "See ya," Willow told her. SCHOOL LIBRARY Giles was relieved when he saw Buffy come through the library doors. "Oh, good. You're here." "What you didn't trust that I'd come?" Buffy asked him slightly annoyed. Giles shook his head. "Well, no. No it's just-" he began. Buffy interrupted shaking her head. "Ok, Giles, What's up? What is this extremely urgent thing that you *need* to tell me about?" she asked impatiently. Giles sighed. "Sit down," he told her. "Gosh this must be bad. When someone asks you to sit down before they tell you something, you know it can *never* be a good thing," she said as she sat. "So, what is this terrible thing?" she asked. "Well, it's two things actually," he told her. "Oh goody. So it's the more problems the merrier kind of deal. So, go head, share." Giles sighed. "Well, I went back to what remains of the church that Druscilla's healing ritual was performed in a few nights ago.." he began. "And?" Buffy asked impatiently. "And while I was looking through the remains of it, I found this," he continued as he pulled a piece of red cloth out of his pocket and handed it to Buffy. "Hmm..a piece of red cloth, probably from a shirt or something," she said as she examined it in her hands, "Giles what does this have to do with- anything?" she asked. "Well, it's not just a piece of cloth off of just anyone's shirt.." he began. "Oooo-could it be-I mean maybe it's a piece of one of Gavin Rossdale's shirts. Can I keep it then- for a souvenir?" Buffy said jokingly. "Gavin Rossdale- I don't believe I've heard of a Gavin Rossdale. Who-Who is he?" Giles asked her. "No one- never mind." Buffy stared down at the torn piece of clothing in her hands. "Wait a sec," she said realizing something,"Spike was wearing a shirt that looked something like this the night that we were in the church and I...killed.." She paused and her eyes widened. "When a vampire is killed every part of it turns to dust, except anything that it may be holding, such as a weapon, but everything else becomes dust, including all of its clothing," he began explaining. "Him," Buffy said finishing her sentence from before, "Oh my gosh." "But when I looked underneath all of the debris, I found not only a piece of his clothing but not a sign of vampire dust in the area in which they were supposed to be killed. It still would have been visible even days later, but since there was none, it would mean that.." Giles continued explaining but was interrupted by Buffy who finished his sentence for him. "Spike and Druscilla are alive," she finished. Giles nodded. "I'm afraid so. Now, have you spoken to Angel at all since that night?" Buffy shook her head. "I haven't yet. I thought I should leave him to recuperate," she started. Giles interrupted. "Well I think it would be a good idea to go see hi, tonight. To- make sure that he's al right. With Druscilla still alive and uncured, he could be in great ganger of her and Spike," he warned her. Buffy became a little nervous at what he said. "Great danger? Are we talking death here?" she asked him. "Buffy he was nearly killed by Spike's last attempt to cure her, and if that hasn't worked, well- there's no telling what they'll do next." Buffy agreed. "Ok, so it's Destination Angel's then." "Wait, Buffy. As I said before, that us only one of the problems." "Uh, Giles- I wasn't going anywhere. Remember, school? Well, it's still in session in case you didn't know. And I don't need Principle Snyder to find out that I ditched the rest of the day," Buffy reminded him. Giles agreed. "Oh, yes. That's right. Well anyway, I was researching that Watcher Diaries.." Buffy rolled her eyes and interrupted him. "Really Giles? Cause I thought you always were researching in Reader's Digest," she joked. Giles gave her a stern look. "Continue," she told him. "Well as I was researching, I found out that six months after the Master dies, on the six day, and the six hour, his or her spirit comes back in the form of the opposite sex. It then, goes after the person who killed him or her, along with a team of all the vampires existing at that time," he explained. "Sixth month, sixth day, sixth hour..Giles are you noticing this 666 ocult reference that I'm noticing?"she asked him. "Yes and I believe that has something to do with the fact that the Master is like a vampires versian of the Christian religion's "Anichrist," he explained. "Ok, so anyway, the person who killed the Master," Buffy observed, "That would be me. So why don't they just say "the slayer" cause I thought that's always the person he fights during the Prophecy." "Well, in a few earlier cases," Giles explained,"the Slayer was not the person who killed him or her. Sometimes, it was just a person who happened to be there." Buffy shook her head in confusion. "You keep saying "him or her." Are you saying that the Master could be female?" she asked him. "Well, yes. There have been some female masters in the past, and quite powerful ones, I might add," he explained. "Wow. Talk about girl power. And I thought women only ruled in the 90's." "Yes and the spirit oh the Master that is supposed to be coming will be female, since it's spirit is always the opposite sex." Buffy took everything in and tried putting it into her own words. "Ok, so this master spirit girl, she's coming- six months after the Master's death- which would be- next month-and on the sixth day- Giles, today is the 15th- that means that ghost girl will be coming in only three weeks, and I'm guessing she's *no* Casper-which means we're gonna need a *lot* of time to prepare for it- and we don't even know much of anything about it- I mean it's a spirit,worse then your ordinary poltergeist, and it's the Masters-opposite sex or not- Giles, how the hell are we gonna kill this thing!? Or..make it go away?" Giles took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes in distress. He looked at Buffy who stood waiting for an answer. One that he didn't have. "I-I don't know," he told her truthfully. Buffy couldn't believe it. "You don't know?! You're the Watcher- You're supposed to knot swung back and forth-as if someone was on it. Then she heard it again- The ghostly woman's voice, whispering to her. "I'm coming,Buffy....I'm coming soon...And when I do...you will die," the voice whispered to her. Then the gust of wind disappeared as did the voice and the swing next to her stopped swinging. "No!!! Please!!! No!!!" Buffy screamed as loud as she could. She turned to her side with a jerk, and opened her eyes. She was still in Angel's bed. Angel was awake next to her and slipped his arms around her, pulling her closer to him. "Guess you had another bad dream, huh?" he asked her. Buffy nodded. "Was it about The Elgradora?" "Yes..this time, I was hunting in the park and this huge gust of wind came, causing the swing next to me to swing back and forth- I think she was sitting on it or something- but she warned me again-said she was coming soon-but this time, she said I would die...I'm scared, Angel. Last time I had a dream like this, it really did happen. I mean, I died once, I don't wanna do it again," Buffy told him, frightened. Angel hugged her even closer to him. "Don't worry-We'll get through this. You're not gonna die-I won't let it happen...We'll just have to find a way to stop it-somehow...I'll- call some people I know to find out if they know where I can get a copy of that book I told you about." Buffy smiled at him. Then she looked at the clock. Her eyes widened. "Oh my god. It's already 6:30-I have to get ready for school. Angel, you don't by any chance have a shower do you?" Angel smiled. "Yeah, right through that door," he said pointing to a door in the room. "Ok, thanks...I'll- be out in a few minutes." She gave him a quick kiss on the mouth and then made a dash to the shower. Buffy came out twenty minutes later, all dressed and ready for school. She caught sight of Angel in front of the fridge, feeding on a bag of blood. "Hi. I'm finished," Buffy greeted him. Angel was startled and very much embarrassed. Although he knew that she saw him, he hid the blood bag behind his back with one hand, and wiped any blood around his mouth with the other. "I was just, uh-" Angel began nervously. "Eating your breakfast?" Buffy suggested. Angel just stared at her. "It's- nothing to get all up-tight about. You know, a lot of people do it." Angel sighed. "They don't eat what I eat though." "Well- different people have different taste buds- eat different things. That's the way it goes," Buffy said grinning. She was trying her best to make him more comfortable about the situation. Angel managed a smile. He stuck the blood packet back into the refrigerator and walked over to her. His eyes traveled up and down the length of her body. Buffy blushed a little. "You look beautiful," Angel said softly. He leaned in and kissed her. Buffy wrapped her arms arms around his neck, running her fingers through his air, as the kiss deepened. Buffy pulled away finally. "I better go to school. It's getting late," she told him. Angel nodded inn agreement. "I wish you could stay. It's so lonely without you," he admitted. "I know...believe me, I know. Sometimes- I find myself not being able to wait until it's dark out, so that I could be with you again," she told him. The two stared at each other in silence for awhile. "You better go," Angel finally spoke, a look of sadness across his face. "I should...but I just have to get something out first," she told him. "Ok..what is it?" Angel asked. "Well, it's kinda about what I was just saying. The days seem to go by so slowly-all I can do is count the hours until I'll see you- and then it's the night-and I see you-but it goes by so fast. It's like,that's all I wait for all day, and it's over as soon as it starts...I just wish our time together wasn't so limited.," she told him. She paused for a second and then continued on. "And then- there's the fear the I have-of- one of us going away...You-getting hurt by some other vampire and dying-or you- being exposed to sunlight and dying-or me-having to move again for whatever reason...And it scares me so much..For me to ever be without you, Angel...it's the scariest thing in the world." Buffy looked up at him to see his reaction. His head was down, and from what Buffy saw, it looked like he may have even been crying. "Angel?" she called him softly. Angel didn't look up. He couldn't. He couldn't let her know the reason why tears were streaming down his face. Not yet. Not then. He promised himself he'd tell her that night though. Buffy called his name again. When he didn't answer or look up, she walked over to him. She placed a hand under his chin and lifted his head to see his face. She realized that she was right- he was crying. Buffy never thought that she'd ever see Angel,"Mr. Cryptic Man,"-himself- actually crying. But there he was with tear stains down his cheeks. Buffy gently ran the back of her hand over his left cheek, wiping away the wetness. She did the same with the other. Angel still didn't make eye contact with her. His eyes were focussed off to the side. "Look at me Angel...Please," Buffy pleaded with him softly. He couldn't resist to that. He finally looked at her. When Angel's watery eyes stared in to Buffy's, her eyes began to get watery. "What's wrong, Angel?..Tell, me...Please." Buffy paused for a second. "Look, I know something's wrong. You've been acting weird ever since I came here last night. I saw it in you're eyes-And I see it now-You're hiding something...I wanna know what," she pleaded with him. Angel just stared at her. She begged him with her eyes-with the look on her face. "Please, Angel," she asked again. Tears began rolling down her beautiful face. When Angel saw this, his own tears began to fall again. Buffy continued to stare at him, waiting for him to tell her. Angel just shook his head. "I can't...I can't Buffy...Not right now." Buffy was understanding towards this. "Ok...Will you tell me later then?" Buffy asked, hopeful he'd say yes. Angel nodded. "I will," he promised. "I will." Buffy stared at him for a few more seconds then decided that she really had to go. "Well, I uh- have to go now. I guess I'll see you tonight," Angel nodded. Buffy grabbed her back-pack and jacket and walked to the door. "Bye, Angel," she said as she went out the door. "Bye, Buffy," Angel said, but she was already gone. SUNNYDALE HIGH SCHOOL Buffy walked into the school library to find her two best friends sitting at a table talking with Giles. Giles looked up and noticed Buffy. "Buffy-you're late to school-We weren't sure you were coming today," Giles said as Buffy walked over to the table and took a seat. "Well, here I am," Buffy said, trying to sound as enthusiastic as she could. Willow looked closely at Buffy. She looked very upset. "Are you ok, Buffy?" Willow asked, concerned. "Yeah- It's just- I was talking to Angel and he was acting kind of strange," she told her friend. "Well, maybe that's because he *is* strange. I mean he's a vampire with a soul-that's just about as strange as you can get," Xander said trying to lighten the mood. Buffy didn't seem amused. "How do you mean-strange? You don't think he's changed over to a normal vampire, do you" Giles stepped in. "No, It's just- he was crying and I asked him what was wrong and he said he couldn't tell me-then," Buffy explained. "Angel-crying!?!?" Xander asked with a laugh. Buffy, Giles, and Willow looked at him, annoyed. "Sorry," Xander apologized."Guess I just couldn't picture deadboy crying." "I don't know, maybe it's nothing-but I've just never seen him so upset," Buffy told them."And this thing that he's not telling me-I don't understand-Why couldn't he tell me? Why does he have to wait until tonight?" "I wish I could help you, Buffy, but I'm afraid there's nothing you can do but wait until tonight" Giles said, trying to comfort her. "I guess," Buffy agreed. "But- in the mean time, were you able to find out from Angel, anything about the coming of the Master's spirit?" Giles asked changing the subject. "Wait a minute. The Master is going to grace us Sunydalers with the presence of his spirit? How come I wasn't informed of this?" Xander asked. "Sorry-I didn't want to scare you guys until I knew for sure what this thing was," Buffy told him. "Well you know now right? So it's time to do some sharing and scaring," Xander said. Buffy looked at Giles for approval. "We *do* have to know, Buffy. And if Xander and Willow are going to be involved then they should be aware of this too," Giles told her. Buffy agreed and explained everything she knew and found out from Angel to Giles and her two friends. "Were you able to find out any method of-preventing this from coming forth-somehow?" Giles asked after Buffy was finished explaining. "I was just about to ask the same thing...with less words," Xander said. "Angel once read something about it in a book but he couldn't remember.what it said. He's working on it,though. He said he's gonna try calling some people to get information on it," Buffy told them. "Does that mean we don't have to do any work?" Xander asked with hope. "For now, no. But- if he's unable to find anything soon, we will...You may go to class now," Giles told them. "Ok, thanks Giles. See ya," Buffy said as she walked out of the library with her two friends. Xander and Willow also said bye to him. "So, what do you two ladies want to do tonight?" Xander asked as they headed to their next class. "Buffy, aren't you doing something with Angel tonight..So he can tell you that thing?" Willow asked her friend. "Well we didn't exactly make plans do go anyplace or do anything but we could go someplace where he'd know that I might be," Buffy suggested. "Like, say, the Bronze?" Xander nodded. "The Bronze it is!" "Yeah, and maybe Oz will be there," Willow said hopefully. Buffy smiled. "By the way, how did it go last night with Oz?" she asked her friend. "Oh, it went...We talked," Willow told her. "Details?" Buffy asked wanting to hear more. "Well, I watched him play and then he came over to my table, asked me if I wanted a cappucino, I said yes, and he bought me one." Willow began. "Then we talked about this new computer that's coming out soon and told silly jokes about people or things that happened at school. Then he had to go so he said goodbye and left. Is that enough details for you?" Buffy smiled. "Aren't you gonna asked me how my night with Cordelia went?" Xander asked. "Uh, that I don't really need to know," Buffy told him. *bell rings* "Well we missed first period class, I better get to class early before I'm late for second," Willow said to her friends. "We have the same class so guess I'll be going with you," Xander told his friend. "We'll see you at lunch Buffy," Willow told her friend. "Actually, you won't. I have to go meet with Giles at the library during lunch. He says I need to start training more to prepare for all those vampires that'll be coming here soon," Buffy told them. "We'll see you after school then," Xander said. "And after school. I have to train after school now too," Buffy told them. "Ok then we'll see you at the Bronze tonight," Willow said. "Yeah..tonight," Buffy answered. She walked to her next class in a daze-thinking about that night. Thinking about what it could be that Angel had to tell her. _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com - w these things.... Just tell me one thing- Am I supposed to die from this?" she asked him with tears almost beginning to form in her eyes. Giles shook his head. "No, not that I'm aware if. All that's listed in the Watcher Diaries is what I've told you. That is why, I need you to find out from Angel, everything he knows about this," he told her. Buffy finally calmed down and returned to her normal self. "Ok, well, I'll make sure I make some time in between kisses for us to chat about it," she told him. "Buffy, this is nothing to joke about. You must be serious." "I was being serious just now," she joked again. Giles gave Buffy the same stern look from before. "Ok, Ok, I'll make sure that I talk to him about it. And by the way, I was being serious just a few minutes before the other thing I said. Maybe a little *too* serious. Anyway, are we done here cause I have to get to class now?" Giles nodded. "Ok then I better go. See ya, Giles," she said as she walked out the library doors. LATER ON IN THE SCHOOL DAY *bell rings* Willow and Xander walked together out of the classroom that they were just in and down the halls. Approaching them was Cordelia, Devon, and Oz. Willow smiled at the sight of Oz. When they were in speaking range Xander acknowledged Cordelia."Well, would you look who it is," Xander said looking at her. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked him. "Nothing. Just, look who it is- it's you." "And your point is?" "No point. I was just- acknowledging your presence," he told her. "Why?" she asked him in a snotty voice. "Never mind. I don't wanna know. Come on Devon. Let's go." She pulled Devon with her down the halls. Oz stayed behind. "Hi," he said looking at Willow. "Hey Oz," she said smiling. "Weren't you supposed to leave with them," Willow asked referring to Cordelia and Devon. "Well, see, I wanted to know if you were going to the Bronze tonight," he explained. "Oh. Well, I don't know- I mean I gotta check with my friends to see if their going or not," she told him. "Why do you wanna know?" she asked him. "Well my band is gonna be playing there tonight and if you were going, then you'd get to see us play. And, you know, maybe when we're done playing, you and I could maybe hang out together for a little while if it was cool with you," he told her. "Oh, yeah, that, that would be cool-with me. Yeah." "So you're going then?" Oz asked her. "Yeah. I'll be there," she told him. "Alright, well I'll see you then." "Yeah, see ya," she said with a smile. She turned and watched him walk away. "Willow? Hello? Anyone there?" Xander called waving his hands in front of her face. "Oh, yeah. Sorry, Xand." "That's ok. So, I guess we're Bronze bound tonight, huh?" Xander asked. "Yeah," she answered with a smile across her face. "Well, that'll work out good. I can dance with Cordelia while Devon's busy singing and you can stare at Oz, the great and powerful." "Xander!" "Sorry, couldn't stop myself there. The Wizard of Oz thing was gonna come up some time. And then was the time." "By the way, why were you and Cordelia fighting back there. I thought you guys were ok with each other now." Willow asked confused slightly. "We are ok, but Devon and Oz were there. We can't act like love birds in front of them. Not that we are or anything," he explained. Xander noticed Buffy walking up ahead. "Hey, let's go see if Buffy can join us tonight," he told Willow. The two ran to catch up with her. "Hey Buff." "Hey guys." "So, Willow and I are going to the Bronze tonight. Feel like joining us?" he asked. "Well, I would but I'm gonna go check on Angel tonight. I have to find out stuff from him for Giles too," she told them. "Well, if it's for Giles then I guess you should," Xander said a little disappointed. "Oz is gonna be there," Willow told her excitedly. "And we're gonna hang out when his band's done playing." "And you said you two would never become a thing. It's already in the working," Buffy told her. Willow smiled. *bell rings* "Ooo, gotta get to class. I'll see you guys," Buffy said and then started to walk to her next class. Willow and Xander did the same. Buffy turned back around. "Willow!" she shouted down the hall. Willow turned around. "Good luck tonight." Willow smiled and they both turned and continued on to their next class. LATER THAT NIGHT ANGEL'S APARTMENT Buffy knocked on Angel's door."Angel?" she called. She tried to open it but it as locked of course. She knocked again. "Angel, it's just me .Open up." She waited then knocked once more. When he still didn't answer she decided to let herself in by kicking open the door. She walked in and closed the door behind her. "Angel?...Hello? Anybody home?" she called. *He's gotta be home. He's recuperating* she thought. Finally she came to the area where his bed was and found him sound asleep in it. She smiled at the sight of his sleeping figure, then got an idea. She went over to the phone and dialed her home phone number. "Mom? Hi. I'm over at Willow's- she's helping me study for this big history test and it looks like we won't be done till late tonight. So can I stay over and get a ride to school with her?...Yeah, it's ok with her parents...Ok, thanks a lot mom..I love you too. Bye." Buffy listened as her mom hung up and grinned mischeiviously at what she had just done. Then, as she was going to hang up the phone she was pulled back onto the bed behind her and on top of Angel who immediately leaned up and kissed her. They kissed again and soon the two were wrapped up in a whirl of passion. Angel began kissing down Buffy's face and to her neck. Buffy let out a slight moan as Angel kissed her neck. She then moved to claim his lips with hers again, afraid that if he kissed her neck any longer, he might go vamp on her. But soon she found his lips trailing back down the same path to her neck. She had to admit, it felt great when he kissed her there, but again, she didn't want him to lose his control. It was too late though- his lips were already there and the pleasure from him kissing her there, overwhelmed her. "Angel," she managed to get out, trying to make him stop, but what it really sounded like was a sigh of pleasure. After a moment, she called his name again, this time sounded more like her calling him. Still he didn't stop. "Mmm?" he just said as his lips trailed up and down her face to her neck. She let out a soft cry again as he kissed a sensitive spot that he hadn't kissed yet. Finally she was able to tell him. "Um, Angel, maybe you shouldn't kiss me there." Angel stopped and lifted his head to meet her eyes. He was a little confused. "Sorry-I thought you were enjoying it." Buffy blushed alittle."I was- I was- it's just-Well I was afraid you'd go vampire on me- No offense," she explained. Angel chuckled. "Why would you think that?" he asked with a smile. "Oh- I don't know, maybe because you-on a few occasions-have been known to go vamp on me while we were lip locked," she said with a slight grin. Angel shook his head. "Well, just so you know, that really only happens when I'm angry-or- I have something on my mind. But- I can control it otherwise," he explained to her with a smile. Buffy tried to fight back her impulse to ask him more, but couldn't. "Even if you're kissing my neck- the very same spot that you could be feeding on me from?" Angel's face saddened a bit. "I'm Sorry, that didn't come out the right way," she told him. Angel just looked away. Buffy took her hand and turned his face so that he faced her. "Hey, I trust you Angel, I do." Angel nodded, but still looked a little sad. "I know," he answered. Buffy changed the subject."Well, so anyway, I came here to see how you were-You're ok, right?" Angel nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." "Ok, good-Is there anything I could do?" she asked with a smile. Angel grinned. "Well, you could start by, kissing me again." Buffy smiled back at him. "That I can definitely do," she said as she leaned down to kiss him. Their lips met for a few more kisses before they pulled away. "I've missed you," Angel said as their lips parted. "Been kinda lonely here-and without you," he continued. Buffy smiled. "Sorry I haven't come by- but I thought you'd need some time to rest and recuperate without any distractions," she explained. "Yeah, you're probably right," he told her with a smile. Buffy loved when he told her she was right. "Well, I'm here now-And we have the whole night to be together-I told my mom I was at Willow's so I can stay the night," she told him. Angel shook his head. "Buffy, that's very kind of you to be here, but I'm not sure it's such a good idea you spend the night." Buffy didn't understand. "Well, why not? If you're worried that you don't have an extra bed, you shouldn't cause I think were a little past sleeping in separate beds. I can just- sleep right here next to you," she said then patted a spot on the bed. "That's just it, Buffy. Don't you think it would be a little tempting being together in the same bed? I mean don't you thing we might end up wanting to-," "Have sex?" Buffy suggested bluntly. Angel seemed a little uncomfortable. "Well..yeah," he told her. "So- what's so wrong with that? I mean, we've been way past a cup of of coffee. We can't even go 5 minutes without kissing each other." "It's just- If I lose control Buffy, which I could, you could die. And hurting you is the last thing I want to do," he told her. "Angel, I know that-But I don't think you would. I trust you enough to know that you'd never hurt me, even in your vampire mode." Angel shook his head. "Buffy please- It's hard enough not to- please don't make it any harder," he begged. Buffy looked deeply into Angel's eyes. "Please Angel- I love you..I need you," she pleaded with him. Angel lightened a bit. "What caused the change of mid? Just before, you didn't even want me kissing you- and now-," Angel began, curious. "You told me you could control it- and I believe you. And I realized that we don't know how much time we'll have together. I mean, it was the scariest thing, you almost died the other night. And me, being the Slayer-Well,you know, Slayers are known to have short lives. I figure we should do..things..while we have the chance," she explained. Angel agreed. "Alright," he said with a slight nod. His eyes stared deeply into Buffy's.But there was something about them- something about his eyes that was different. It was as if they held an untold secret-as if Angel knew that something was about to tear him and Buffy apart. "Ok?" Buffy asked with a smile. "Ok," Angel replied grinning. Buffy leaned in and kissed him. "I love you, Buffy. I want you to know that," he told her. She kissed him again. "I know," she said with a smile. Angel looked as if he was waiting for her to say more. "I love you too," she finished finally. He smiled-but then that look appeared in his eyes again-the look of pain-of knowing something Buffy did not. Buffy kissed him again, then saw that look in his eyes. "Hey, what's wrong?" she asked concerned. "It's nothing- really." "Are you sure? I mean are you nervous or something?-'cause I'll admit that I am a little," she asked slightly worried. "No- I'm fine," Angel said with a smile. He then pulled her back down on him for a kiss. "Good," Buffy said as she pulled the covers up over them , coming back down on him, and kissing him. They kissed each other passionately for a few moments. Then Buffy took control and began kissing down Angel's face, nibbling on his jaw line and planting soft kisses down his neck. She then paused to help him remove his white tee-shirt, and began kissing him again from his collar bone down to his smooth chest. She then worked her way back up to his mouth as her hands ran up and down his arms and broad chest, feeling his muscles....beneath her touch. Their kiss lingered on for a while, before it was broken by Angel, who sat up in bed. "Angel, what's worng," Buffy asked concerned. Angel shook his head. "I can't. I can't do this Buffy...I'm sorry. I 'm so, sorry. You know I'd do anything for you Buffy, but I can't do this. I can't," Angel explained to her, quite upset. He looked almost as if he was about to cry and Buffy could sense that. She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him close to her. "It's ok Angel. It's ok-I understand. I shouldn't have..pressured you so much. I'm sorry," she whispered in his ear. Angel pulled away after a short while and laid back down on the bed. Buffy laid down also, resting her head against his shoulder. She turned to look at him. "Are you ok?" she asked him. Angel nodded. "Yeah, I'm ok," he replied in a sad tone. "I still love you,Angel. You know that, right?," she told him. "I know," he replied. Buffy gave him a little smile then settled her head on his chest and closed her eyes. Angel put an arm around her and did the same. Little did Buffy know that,inside, Angel really wasn't fine or ok-and she would soon not be either. To be continued... _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: michele v Subject: BUFFYFIC: Our Hearts Will Go On 3/6 Date: 22 Mar 1998 11:15:35 -0800 (PST) TITLE: Our Hearts Will Go On 3/6 AUTHOR: Michele V. EMAIL ADDRESS: glynisgrl33@yahoo.com FEEDBACK: Definitely, especially since this is my first fic- but since it is, please don't be too harsh SPOILERS: All episodes through "What's My Line 1 & 2" RATING: PG SUMMARY: A Buffy/Angel story that takes place after "What's My Line 1& 2," with some added Willow/Oz and Xander/Cordelia/ Also, Buffy and the gang find out about the return of the Master- in some form. DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters except for "The Elgradora" All of the other characters belong to Joss Whedon and the WB. No copywrite infringement intended. NOTE: I wrote this after "What's My Line 2" therefor without knowing that something similar would *sort of* happen in "Surprise" ********** PART 3 THE BRONZE Buffy, Xander, and Willow sat at a table talking. After a while, Xander stood up and asked Buffy and Willow if they wanted to dance. "Ok, sure" Willow answered. "Buffy?" Xander asked. "You know what, you guys go ahead. I'm-not really up to dancing right now," Buffy told them. "Are you sure Buffy?" Willow asked her. Buffy nodded. "Yeah. I'm sure." Xander and Willow started to walk out onto the dance floor. Xander turned back around to Buffy. "Hey, Buff. If this is about the thing with Angel, I wouldn't worry. I'm sure it can't be that bad," Xander said trying to cheer her up. Buffy nodded and smiled as best she could. She sat there alone at the table as her two friends danced on to each song that was played. Buffy kept watching the entrance, hoping that Angel would walk through it. Finally, Buffy spotted Angel walk in just as another, slower song came on. Angel looked around a bit, then finally noticed her. He started walking towards her table. Buffy had to smile at the sight of him. He looked just gorgeous. Like an angel. He finally reached here table. "Hey," he said softly. "Hi," Buffy said with a slight smile cross her face. Angel stood there, staring into Subject: BUFFYFIC: Our Hearts Will Go On 4/6 Date: 22 Mar 1998 11:14:13 -0800 (PST) TITLE: Our Hearts Will Go On 4/? AUTHOR: Michele V. EMAIL ADDRESS: glynisgrl33@yahoo.com FEEDBACK: Definitely, especially since this is my first fic- but since it is, please don't be too harsh SPOILERS: All episodes through "What's My Line 1 & 2" RATING: PG SUMMARY: A Buffy/Angel story that takes place after "What's My Line 1 & 2" with some added Willow/Oz and Xander/Cordelia. Also, Buffy and the gang find out about the return of the Master- in some form. DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters except for "The Elgradora" All of the other characters belong to Joss Whedon and the WB. No copywrite infringement intended. NOTE: I wrote this after "What's My Line 2" therefor without knowing that something similar would *sort of* happen in "Surprise" ********** PART 4 SUNNYDALE HIGH SCHOOL Xander and Willow sat talking outside on the steps of Sunnydale High after school got out. "Did you see the look on Mr. Jamison's face when he realized that his toupe' had fallen off?" Xander asked, laughing. "Yeah, it was pretty funny," Willow said giggling. "But- not as funny as the time he bent over and split his pants and everyone saw his Batman underwear," Xander said, still laughing. "True, I don't thing anything could beat that," Willow answered. Xander looked off to the side briefly and spotted Buffy looking around for them. "Hey, Buff! We're over here!" Xander called to her. Buffy smiled and walked over towards them. "Hey," she greeted them. "Hi," Willow said. "How are you? I mean, are you feeling better?" she asked her friend. "A little," Buffy told them. "The story about Mr. Jamison made me smile, so that's a plus" Buffy said grinning. "You heard?" Xander asked. "Yeah, me and everyone else in school," Buffy told him. "Oh, of course" There was an awkward silence. Buffy's smile disappeared and her face was filled with sadness. "So...the big Friday night dance at the Bronze..Are you two game?" Xander asked breaking the silence. Buffy looked up at him. "Well I kinda have to go. I told Angel I'd be there so he's gonna meet me there after he's done packing," she told them. "So I'll take that as a yes from you. Willow?" "Yeah, I'll go," Willow told him. "Ok, then. Our plans are now set. Mom's here- so now I must go home and couch potato it until it's time to go. I'll see you guys, later," Xander said then got into his mother's car. Willow and Buffy waved goodbye to Xander and his mom. Buffy turned to Willow. "Well, since training is off for today, I can walk you home," Buffy said standing up. "Then when I get home I can sulk for three hours and by then it'll be time to get ready to leave." Willow smiled and the two of them walked home together. (LATER THAT NIGHT) THE BRONZE Willow and Xander finally took a break from dancing and walked over to the table where Buffy had been sitting alone for almost two hours. "Still no sign of Angel, huh?" Willow asked her friend. Xander shook his head in disgust. "And you call that a boyfriend? Where I'm from that's called standing someone up. Now he had better have a good reason for putting my best friend in more major mope mode then she already is in or I'll just have to-" Willow interrupted. "Xander, calm down. This is Angel we're talking about. He'd never do that to Buffy." "Ya know, you're right. What am I talking about? He'd never do such a thing as that- he'd just move far far away so that her heart could be broken." Willow looked at Buffy. "So, what do you think happened to him, Buffy? I mean, what if- he was on his way here and Spike and Druscilla found out he was coming here, so they waited outside for him and captured-" Willow paused when she saw the look Buffy was giving her. "Ok, ok, sorry- Guess I got a little carried away." "Just a little," Buffy said sarcasticly. "So you think he's ok then?," Willow asked, already knowing her answer. "I'm sure he's fine," Buffy answered her. "He's probably just finishing up all of his packing tonight so he can sleep all day tomorrow." "Yeah, well, I'd hate to tell you but I think our vampy pal Angel is a no show tonight- The Bronze closes in fifteen minutes- which means, there's only like three more songs left to boogie on down to"Xander told her. "So what do you say, Buffy- Think you can spare one little dance with your best friend?" Buffy nodded. "Sure- It beats sitting down and sulking.. Anyway, I came here to dance- and I haven't done that all night." "That's that spirit! C'mon!" Xander said, pulling Buffy onto the dance floor. Buffy and Xander danced together to an upbeat song. Then a slower song came on. Xander and Buffy continued dancing together while Willow sat alone at the table. "Are you with anyone?" a familiar voice behind her asked. Willow turned around to see Oz standing there. "Oh, hi, Oz. Well, I came with my two friends but they're out on the dance floor right now- so right now, no- Are you?" Oz shook his head. "Not anymore. I came with Devon but as soon as Cordelia spotted him she-" Willow interrupted. "You don't have to tell me the rest- I think I know what happened." "Yeah," Oz agreed. "So, did you just come here now? 'Cause it closes soon and it would just be kinda weird if you came for only the last few minutes," Willow asked. "Well, actually, yeah- we just came now. Devon wanted to see Cordelia since he knew shed be here-and since he's my ride home I had to come along, so, yeah," Oz told her. The two sat in silence for a moment. "Do you wanna dance?" Oz asked, breaking the silence. "Me?" Willow asked, somewhat surprised. Oz grinned. "Well, yeah- I didn't think there was any other Willow here that I was talking to- Unless you have some invisible clone- Wait let me check," he said, then looked under the table and behind him. "Willow? Willow?" he said as he did so. Willow giggled slightly. "Sorry- I guess-I' just not used to a guy-well other then Xander- asking me to dance," she explained. "Well you do know how, right?" Oz asked . "Oh, yeah, I just-" she began. "Well then let's dance," he told her. Willow nodded her head in agreement as Oz led her out on the dance floor. The two began slow dancing. When the song ended, Devon came over by where Oz and Willow were standing. "Hey Devon, What's going on?" Oz asked his friend. "Cordelia and I got into a little *disagreement*, so I'm ready to bail. You coming?" Oz looked at Willow for a moment then turned back to his friend. "I think I'm gonna stay," he told Devon. "Ok man, See you tomorrow at practice," Devon said. "Yeah-I'll be there. See ya," Oz answered. When Devon was gone, Willow turned to Oz. "Uh, Oz? Wasn't he your ride home?" she asked him. Oz nodded with a slight grin. "Yeah..but staying here is worth my walking home," he told her. Willow blushed. "Has anyone ever told you that you look kind of cute when you blush like that?" Oz asked her grinning. Willow just stared at him. "'Cause you do.. Not good at handling compliments, are you? "No- Oh, I mean- Sorry- it's just- Well, no one has really-" Willow began. "Ever complimented you," Oz finished for her. "Well, no guy-Well, besides-" Willow began again. "Xander," Oz finished for her again. Willow nodded. "Yeah." "Well, I don't handle them too well myself so...But, do you wanna keep dancing?" "Oh-yeah, sure. I mean if you want to," Willow answered nervously. Oz smiled. "I want to," he answered. "Ok, then, let's- keep dancing," she said. Willow and Oz started dancing dancing again as the song "How Do I Live," by LeAnn Rhymes came on. Xander and Buffy also began to slow dance together again, when someone approached them from behind Buffy. "Hey," the person said, looking at Xander. "Hi," Xander answered. Buffy turned around as soon as she heard the person's voice. "Angel. I wasn't sure you'd show," she told him. Angel looked at Xander. "Can I- cut in?" Angel asked him. Xander nodded. "She's all yours-Well, not *all* yours- Ah, you know what I mean." Xander headed back to a table by himself when he spotted Cordelia standing all alone in a corner. He approached her. "Cordelia- What are you doing here all by yourself-I figured you'd be latched on to Devon somewhere." "No. We-well we just broke up," Cordelia told him. "I'm sorry to hear that," Xander said, trying to sound like he meant it, although he really did not. "Look- I know your probably gonna say to no this- but I thought I'd ask anyway..Do you wanna maybe- dance?" Cordelia looked annoyed at first but then managed a slight smile. "Sure-why not." The two walked off onto the dance floor and began slow dancing together. Angel wrapped his arms around Buffy's waist holding her close to him while Buffy placed her hands on Angel's shoulders. "I'm really sorry that I got here so late. I just- had a lot of things to do to-" Angel began explaining softly. "It's ok. I understand. Let's just forget about it and enjoy now, ok?" Angel nodded. "Ok." They danced, holding each other close, as they looked deeply into each other's eyes. The words to the song finally came on. *How do I Get through the night with you If I had to live without you What kind of life would that be* *Oh I, Need you in my arms, need you to hold You're my world, my heart, my soul If you ever leave Baby it would take away everything good in my life* *And tell me now, How do I live without you, I want to know, How do I breathe without you, If you ever go* As Buffy stared into Angel's eyes, listening to the lyrics of the beautiful song, a tear rolled down her cheek when she realized how much the lyrics to the song expressed the way she was feeling about Angel leaving. When Angel noticed her tears he began to get slightly choked up himself. He pulled Buffy even closer to him, letting her head rest on his shoulder, and almost hugging her for comfort as they swayed to the music. *Without you, There would be no sun in my sky There would be no love in my life, There'd be no world left for me* *And I, Baby I don't know what I would do, I'd be lost if I lost you If you ever leave, Baby you would take away everything Real in my life* "Angel?" Buffy whispered in his ear, through slight sobs. "Hmm?" he answered. "Will you ever be back?" she asked him, drawing away from him so she could look into his eyes. "I don't know," he answered softly after a long pause. Buffy just nodded and pulled her self closer to him, holding on tight to him, as if that would keep him from leaving. *How do I go on If you ever leave, Baby you would take away everything Need you with me Baby don't you know that you are everything good in my life* Buffy couldn't take it anymore and tears flooded her eyes and cheeks as she cried onto Angel's shoulder. Angel felt her body shaking as she cried and tried to comfort her- while he hugged her with one arm, he brought his other arm to the back of her head, burying her head in his chest. He kissed the top of her head. *And tell me now How do I live without you I want to know How do I breathe without you If you ever go How do I ever, ever survive How do I, How do I, oh How do I live* The song was almost over but Buffy couldn't wait until the end-she had to leave-the pain was too much for her. She pulled away from Angel and sprinted out of the Bronze, hysterical, and ran all the way home. To her advantage her mother wasn't home again- she didn't want to have to answer any questions about why she was upset. Buffy just went straight to her room and laid down on her bed, crying hysterically. After a few minutes, she was able to calm down a bit, but still, hadn't noticed that someone else was in the room with her. Angel. Her back was turned towards him but he could tell that she was still crying by the light sobs he heard coming from her. Angel walked quietly over to her bed and placed a gentle hand on her cheek. Buffy knew who it was right away and turned to face him, exposing her tear-filled face to him. It hurt Angel so much to see her like that. He moved his hand to wipe the tears that were falling from her eyes as she stared at him. His own face showed a pain filled expression as he stared down at her. As he went to wipe more tears away Buffy covered his hand with hers for a second and then pushed it away from her face, letting go of her grip on it. She turned her head the other way- She couldn't look at him and see the pain that she afflicted upon him by pushing him away when he was only trying to comfort her. Angel stood there with question. Tears were beginning to fill his own eyes as he stood unsure of what he should say, or what he should do. After a few more sobs Buffy finally spoke to him. "This is hard ,Angel, this is so hard," she said. Angel nodded. "I know," was all he could say. Buffy waited a few moments and spoke again. "I can't do this- I can't say goodbye like this-when we're involved- It's too hard," Buffy continued. Angel just stared at her. Buffy waited a few more seconds. "I think- we should just- not be together anymore- end our relationship here- because it's just too hard to say goodbye to you while we're in one," she said. She turned her head the other way. "What are you saying, Buffy?" Angel asked softly. After a few more sobs she spoke again. "I need you... to leave," Buffy told him. She turned her head back, to see what his response to this would be. Angel stared at her for a second. He understood how she was feeling- and that it hurt her more right now to see him. He gave her a slight nod then stared at her a few more seconds-then turned and walked towards her door. Angel stopped when he reached the door and turned his head slightly, but still not enough to face her. "I wish things could be different, Buffy..that I didn't have to leave Sunnydale," he commented. After a short silence, Buffy answered. "Me too. But- things just don't go the way we want them to in life. Especially in mine." She wished he would just leave so that she wouldn't lose it in front of him. "Well, goodbye Buffy," he said knowing that she wanted him to leave. Buffy didn't answer and just watched him continue out of her room. She waited until she heard him close her front door to let loose the emotions she was holding back. She broke out into tears again. She cried and cried , nonstop for about an hour. Then around 11:00 she finally calmed down a bit. The phone rang on the night table next to Buffy's bed. Buffy reached over and picked it up. "Hello?...Oh, hey Will....I just couldn't take it anymore, I had to leave or I would've just cried write there....Yeah, he came by, but- I told him to leave. I think it was the right thing to do- Just break it off-and stay away from him until tommorow night..It should be easy to do considering it's only a day..Yeah, should be but right now it doesn't seem like it will be. I miss him already and I just saw him an hour ago...No, I think he understands why..I think it'll be easier to deal with, I guess..He said goodbye, but I didn't answer. I couldn't- It was just too hard..Will, I think I'm gonna go on slay patrol now, even though it's kind of late. That should get my mind off this..I will.Ok, I'll try. I'll call you tomorrow and we can do something..K, bye." Buffy hung up the phone, just to have it ring again. "Hello?..Mom- hi..I'm fine. I was just- getting ready t o go to Willow's-to sleep over I mean since it's so late..You do?..No, I'll be fine.Besides I'll be at Willow's tonight and- I'll see if I can stay there tomorrow night too..You just take care of whatever you have to at the gallery and I'll see you Monday..That's two days right?..No-mom, I'll be fine..Don't worry, I'll be good..Ok mom. Love you, too. Bye," Buffy hung up the phone again. She grabbed the jacket that Angel had given her awhile back and a stake from her drawer and left the house on slay patrol. Buffy was walking towards the park when she came to the building that Angel lived in. She stopped for a moment thinking of how badly she wanted to just go in there and throw her arms around him. But she couldn't. She had to stay away from him to make it easier to let go. She continued walking again, her thoughts still on Angel and how he was leaving. But since her thoughts were invading her mind and taking her attention off of slaying, she didn't notice the vampire that had come up behind her until it was too late. He had her by the neck and she was too tired and stressed out to fight back at the moment. The she felt it- two fangs puncture the skin on her neck and the vampire slowly draining the blood out of her. After he had taken the slightest bit, Buffy's salyer sense kicked in and she managed to push her stake through his heart, turning him to dust immediately. Buffy turned the other way and placed her fingers up to her neck, in pain. She decided that she needed help fast, and the closet place would be Angel's. As much as she wanted to stay away from him, she couldn't. She needed help immediately. Buffy ran to Angel's apartment and knocked on his door with tears in her eyes from the pain and fear she was feeling. As soon as Angel opened the door, she fell into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably. Angel hugged her close to him, trying to comfort her, thinking that she was crying because she would miss him and didn't want him to leave. "It'll be alright, soon," he whispered in her ear. "It hurts," Buffy sobbed. "I know, I know," he replied and kissed the top of her head. "The pain-" Buffy began. "Shhh..It'll all go away- it may take awhile- but soon, things will be alright," he promised her. "It-feels- like a thousand knives are stabbing into my neck- all at once," she told him. "Your...neck?" Angel asked hoping she wasn't referring to what he thought she was. "What are you talking about? I thought-" he began. Buffy pulled away, shaking her head, exposing the two red fang marks on her neck to him. Angel looked at the marks and growled. "Who did this to you?" he asked in anger. "I don't know. Just some- random vampire I guess," she told him. "How did it happen?" Angel asked. "Well, I was out on slay patrol and I guess I was a little..sidetracked and didn't notice that he was behind me. So he snuck up on me and attacked. It wasn't until he already had his fangs in my neck that I was able to fight back," Buffy explained. "Did you kill him?" Angel asked. Buffy nodded. "Yeah- dusted him off right away," she answered. Angel sighed, putting his head down. "What? Was I not supposed to kill him?" she asked, confused. Angel just stood there with his head down trying to figure out what to do. "Angel? You're scaring me. What gives here?" Buffy asked. Angel lifted his head to look at her. "Sorry- I ,uh- I was just worried. You shouldn't have," he began. "Killed him. I shouldn't have killed him," Buffy finished for him. Angel nodded. "But I didn't know- I thought vampires- except you, of course- were the bad guys and that I was supposed to kill them. I was scared- I didn't know what to do," she explained. "i know- It's not your fault. It's just- he could've been useful in getting you better," Angel told her. "How?" Buffy asked. "Well, as strange at it may sound, he didn't drain enough blood out of you to complete the process of healing- if he did, you'd be unconcous, so if he was still around we'd have to lure him into draining the slightest bit more out of you. Then, we'd have cut his neck and make him bleed and you'd have to drink the blood from his neck until you were strong again," he explained. Buffy was confused. "Uh, Angel- I could be wrong here but doesn't drinking a vampire's blood after he drank yours make you become a vampire?" she asked. "In most cases, yes, but not in this one. Since your the slayer it doesn't work the same for you," he told her. "How come?" Buffy asked. "Well, since your the slayer, you can drink the blood from the same spot that you were bitten in and not become a vampire," Angel explained. "Oh..ok..*ow* Whatever needs to be done to treat this, could we do it now?" Buffy asked in pain. "That's the thing, Buffy. Without that vampire, I don't know of any other way of treating it," he told her. "*Ow* Well, do I need *that* vampire? I mean, can't I just get any old vamp and suck the blood from that one's neck in stead? *Ow*" Buffy was able to get out. Angel shook his head. "It has to be the same one that bit you, otherwise it won't work," he told her. "Oh..great. So what do I do? I can't go to a hospital because they'll have to call my mom and she's out of town- I don't want her worrying or anything," Buffy said holding the spot on her neck again. "Let me look at it," Angel said. Buffy nodded and took her hand off the fang marks. Angel reached out his hand to touch it, then pulled back, almost instantly, and turned his head the other way with a growl. "Angel?" Buffy called. "You need to get help..now. Go find Giles or someone," he told her. "Aren't you gonna come? I mean, even though that vampire only got a little out of me, I'm still a little weak. What if another vampire comes along- I won't have the strength to fight it and-" "I can't," Angel answered with a growl, still turned the other way. Buffy walked around him so that she could face him. She realized that he was in his "game" face. "Oh. I get it. You can't look at me, can you? 'Cause when you do, all you see is the two red marks on my neck," she said. "I'm sorry, Buffy. I want to help you but..the temptation- it's just too great," Angel told her. "It's ok. I understand," Buffy said, with a hint of hurt in her voice. Angel noticed this and wanted to show her that he cared about her and loved her- even though they were no longer together. He stepped closer to her, placing a hand on the side of her neck without the fang marks. Angel bent his head down toward her neck. Fear overwhelmed Buffy as Angel's mouth neared the fang marks on her neck. After all, Angel was in his "vampire mode" But the fear and pain washed away, and was replaced with pleasure as Buffy felt Angel's soft, sensual lips, instead of fangs, pressed against the cut. Angel did not pull his lips away right way. He let them linger there for some seconds. As they did, Buffy closed her eyes and let her head tilt back slightly, exposing her neck to his lips and letting the pleasure take over her. Seeing Buffy's reaction to this, and how much pleasure this was giving her, he drew his lips away for merely a second, and kissed her there again. "Angel," Buffy sighed with pleasure. Angel was fighting so hard to control the demon inside him, so that he would not bite her. But the temptation was becoming to great, so he pulled his lips away from her neck. Buffy opened her eyes to find him staring at her. "Better?" Angel asked, referring to the pain from the bite. Buffy wanted to tell him how incredible it felt to have his lips on her, kissing her, since he hadn't in a while. But she knew that she couldn't. The y could no longer be together and she felt the need to remind him. "Angel, why did you do that? I mean, you know that we can't be together anymore. It'll be to hard to say goodbye if we are," Buffy said. Angel was finally able to gain control and morph back into his normal face again. "I know. I just- wanted to let you know that- whether we're together or not- I care about you, and..love you. And no matter what happens to us Buffy, I'll never stop. Even if..Even if you stake me right now. It hurts me so much to see you in pain and I'd give anything to help you- unless it would risk your life. And right now..it would-So I can't be with you..I'm sorry." Buffy nodded. She understood. But she was curious about something and had to ask him. "Did you wanna bite me just before?" she asked. Angel frowned and put his head down. "I did," he admitted in a sad tone. "But- I was able to control the urge," he told her. Buffy smiled slightly. "Well, I guess I should be greatful for your honesty. But- to answer your question from before..It is..better." Angel looked up at her with a slight smile. Buffy grinned back at him slightly. "Well, maybe I'll just have to do it again," Angel said flirtatiously. Buffy smiled. "Yeah, and maybe if you keep doing it, I'll be completely better." Angel's smile turned to a frown. "If that was all it really would take, I wish I could," he said, a sad tone in his voice again. Buffy's smile disappeared too, when he said this. "Well, I better go to Giles house now," she told him changing the subject. Angel nodded. "I'd go with you but-" "I know..the temptation..I know," Buffy said, understandingly. "Well, I guess this is goodbye then," Angel said, still with a sad tone. Buffy nodded. "Yeah..guess it is." She stared at him a few more seconds. "I'll..I'll see ya," she blurted out, quickly walking to the door. Without giving him the chance to answer her, she opened the door and left. She didn't start crying until she got outside. Once outside, the tears began to pour down her face as she walked to Giles to get help. Angel was left standing there in his apartment, tears rolling down his hace. "Yeah..see ya," he said in a whisper. TO BE CONTINUED _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: michele v Subject: BUFFYFIC: Our Hearts Will Go On 5/6 Date: 22 Mar 1998 11:15:50 -0800 (PST) TITLE: Our Hearts Will Go On 5/6 AUTHOR: Michele V. EMAIL ADDRESS: glynisgrl@yahoo.com FEEDBACK: Definitely, especially since this is my first fic. SPOILERS: All episodes through "What's My Line 1 & 2," and especially "Angel," in this part. RATING: PG SUMMARY: A Buffy/Angel story with some added Willow/Oz and Xander/Cordelia. Also, Buffy and the gang find out about the return of the Master- in some form. DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters except for "The Elgradora" All of the other characters belong to Joss Whedon and the WB. No copywrite infringement intended. NOTE: I wrote this after "What's My Line 2," therefor without knowing that something similar would *sort of* happen in "Surprise" ********** PART 5 THE NEXT DAY(SATURDAY) BUFFY'S HOUSE The door bell rang at the Summers' house and Buffy went to answer it since no one else was home. "Hi, Buffy," Willow greeted her at the door. "Hey, Will," Buffy answered. "Come on in." Willow walked in and Buffy shut the door behind her. "How are you feeling?" Willow asked her friend. Buffy seemed like she was in a daze. "No, Angel hasn't left yet," she answered her friend. "Uh, Buffy, are you alright?" Willow asked concerned. "Fine! Everything's fine! I'm fine, my mom's fine. I'm sure your fine..you are fine, right?" Willow nodded. "Yeah, but I don't think you are." "Don't be silly. I'm fine..great..wonderful. Nothing could be better," Buffy told her. "Are you sure about that Buffy," Willow asked. Buffy nodded. "Yeah! Why?" "Well, you're acting kind of strange. And when I asked you a minute ago how you were you told me that Angel hasn't left yet..That wasn't the question I asked," Willow told her. Buffy sighed. "I'm sorry..Guess I just have some- things on my mind," she explained. "Like, Angel leaving?" Willow asked. Buffy nodded. "Like Angel leaving," she repeated in an answer. "Look, I know this must be hard for you," Willow started, attempting to comfort her friend. Buffy looked at Willow, as if Willow really didn't know how hard it was. Willow sighed. "Ok, maybe I don't really know. I'm just trying to make you feel better- if that's possible," she said. Buffy sighed. "Look, I appreciate your help, I do. But, I really don't think that anything can help. I mean, Angel's leaving. There's nothing that can stop that from happening." Willow stared at Buffy. She knew that Buffy was right- There was nothing that could make Buffy feel any better- There was nothing that could prevent Angel from leaving. Buffy sat on her couch, looking in the other direction. Willow sat next to her. Tears were forming in Buffy's eyes. "It's just so hard...It's so hard..The only thing that makes sense to me is gone," she said. "He hasn't left yet, Buffy. You could still go see him now," Willow said softly. Buffy shook her head. "I can't. We said goodbye already..last night. We, well it wasn't exactly goodbye..I kinda just left and said bye," Buffy told her. "What happened? I mean, I expected you guys to go through that whole mushy goodbye thing," Willow said. "Definitely no mushy goodbye...He just told me that I had to go get help with the vampire bite and I said ok and just kinda said see you to him and walked out the door" she told Willow. "And I can't go back there to see him, it'll just make it harder for us both. I think that despite my feeling awful about ending like that, maybe there's still the chance that it'll work out easier," Buffy explained. "Well, is it working so far? Do you think it's easier?" Willow asker her. "No, I think I may have made it harder. I'll probably never forgive myself for not saying goodbye the right way, but, I guess I'll just have to give it time.," Buffy answered. There was a knock at the door. "Oh, I'll get it," Willow told her, getting up. "It's probably just Oz. He's been waiting out in his van for me," she said. "Oz?" Buffy asked. "Yeah..we're going on our first date tonight" Willow said. "Oh. Where to?" Buffy asked. "The Bronze," Willow answered. "The Bronze? That sounds romantic and quite..have fun," Buffy said sarcastically. Willow opened the door. "Hey, Oz. Come on in," she said motioning inside. "Shouldn't we get going?" he asked as she closed the door behind him. "Uh, yeah. Hey, Buffy- Do you wanna- come?" she asked her friend. "Xander's gonna be there too..uh, with Cordelia, but still there." "Nah. I think I'll stay in tonight. Besides, you two are going on a date, I don't wanna impose or anything," Buffy said. "Oh, no. You won't be imposing. We want you to come..Don't we Oz?" "Sure. It'll kinda break that first date tension having someone else around," Oz answered with a grin. "I don't know..I won't be much for company," she said. "Sure you will Buffy. You always are," Willow said. "Well, Angel has never left town for good before," Buffy reminded her. "Oh...yeah. But, I mean it's Saturday night. What else are you going to do besides stay home and wish Angel wasn't leaving," Willow pointed out. Buffy thought for a minute. "Ok..I'll come. I- just have to get something upstairs. I'll be down in a few minutes. You guys can wait outside," she said. "Ok..great," Willow said smiling. Buffy smiled back and ran upstairs. ******** GILE'S HOUSE Gile's was reading one of the Watcher diaries when he heard a knock on his door. He got up to answer it. He was surprised at who stood in front of it. "Oh..he..hello, Angel....Uh, why don't you come in?" he said, motioning him to come inside. Angel nodded. "Thanks." "Have a seat," Giles said pointing over to the couch. Angel nodded and sat down. "So..What brings you here?" Giles asked concerned. "The book on the Elgradora..I was able to get it for you. I thought- you'd be at the school library but you weren't..so I cam here to give it to you," Angel explained. He held out the book in his hands, giving it to Giles. Giles took it and looked down at it for a moment. He then began flipping through the pages. "It's somewhere in the fourth chapter," Angel told him. Giles flipped to Chapter four and scanned it for information. "Oh..yes, here it is..Well, Thank you very much. This will indeed be helpful in protecting Buffy-and- us all. Thank you," he said. "No problem," Angel said. His face saddened at the thought that he wouldn't be there anymore to protect Buffy as he always did before. "Is...she alright?" Angel asked suddenly. "Who? Buffy?" Giles asked. "Yeah. She was bitten by a vampire last night and I told her to go see you. Is she alright?" Angel asked, concerned. "Yes. Sh-she's fine," Giles assured him. There was a long silence. "Buffy-told me that you're leaving Sunnydale," Giles said, trying to make conversation. "I am..I'm leaving tonight," he told Giles. "Yes-I know. Buffy-is- very upset. She's going to miss you quite a bit, I suppose,"Giles told him. Angel nodded. "I know..I'm going to miss her too," he said in a sad tone. "When I got my soul back, I never thought that I'd be able to love anyone again. I thought..no human could ever love me because I'm not human and no vampire could ever love me and I could never love them because I'm not like them anymore..But then I met Buffy..and I fell in love with her..She- fell in love with me. And I was the happiest I'd ever been in all my life..because I felt-almost human again..I felt loved. There was still loneliness, still pain..but there was love..the greatest thing that could ever happen to me..and Buffy gave it to me. And now- it's all being taken away. I have to leave..." he "I'm terribly sorry that things can't work out for the two of you, Angel. And- I mean that. I know, I've said in the past that a vampire and a slayer could never belong together. But when I saw the extraordinary love that you have for Buffy and the extraordinary love that Buffy has for you...Well, I realized that you two were meant to be together" Giles told him. There was a short silence. "I should- probably thank you, as Buffy's watcher, for allowing us to be together," Angel said. "Well, as I said, I recognized that nothing could keep true lovers apart, and you two- are, in a sense, true lovers. I wasn't about to attempt to tear that apart," Giles explained. "But this does," Angel said, a sad tone in his voice. "Well, yes, I suppose it will.. But- even while the two of you are apart, I know- that you're love for each other will remain..perhaps forever" Giles said. "Angel," Giles began, curious,"Have you told Buffy what you just told me- about how you never thought you could love anyone until you met her?" he asked. "I've told her..many times," Angel told him. "Well did you tell her last night- before the two of you said goodbye?" Giles continued. Angel shook his head. "I didn't..I didn't get the chance to say goodbye to her. She was gone before I could say anything," Angel explained. He paused for a second. "Do you..think- you could tell her that I said goodbye..and..that- I love her?" he asked. Giles nodded. "I could..But- I know Buffy very well, and I know that she'd much rather hear you say that to her then, well me, of course," Giles told him. Angel shook his head. "Buffy said goodbye already. She doesn't want to see me again. It'll be to hard for her." "I'm afraid that Buffy is trying to talk herself into not seeing you again. She's afraid..of how she'll act when she sees you leaving her. But, I think what will be harder for her, is when she realizes that she should've said goodbye to you- the right way. And then it'll be too late," Giles said. He paused. "But, I'll tell her for you if that's what you'd like." Angel just stared at him. "I better go," he said after a few seconds,"My train leaves soon." He stood up and walked towards the door. "Very well," Giles said, following him and opening the door for him. "Goodbye," Angel said looking at Giles. "Goodbye, Angel," Giles replied. Angel turned and walked out the door. "Angel," Giles called as he watched Angel walk out into the street. Angel turned around. "You've..been of much help to- us all..over the course of the years we've known you..very much help. And I..thank you for that," Giles said. Angel nodded and turned back around and walked away. Giles watched him walk away. "Poor Buffy," he thought. "I hope he makes the right descision." ****** THE BRONZE While Willow and Oz were dancing, Willow looked over into a dark corner of the Bronze and spotted someone standing alone in the shadows. "Hey, Oz. Can you excuse me for a few minutes? I have to go to the DJ stand to- request a song," Willow told Oz. "Oh, sure. I'll just wait here for you," Oz said. "Ok, I'll be back in a little while," Willow said, then turned and walked over to where Xander and Cordelia were making out. Willow tapped Xander on the shoulder. "Uh, excuse me, Xander- There's something we need to go do," she told him. "Yeah, there is. *You* need to go back on the dance floor and dance with Oz, and *I* need to continue making out with Cordelia," Xander answered. "I'm sorry- I- interrupted your little..thing, but- this is more important," Willow explained. "Right now, nothing could be more important then Cordelia's lips against my lips- or maybe other body parts," Xander told her. Cordelia and Xander started kissing again. "But..it's about Buffy!" Willow told him. Xander broke away from Cordelia. "Well, maybe that." He looked at Cordelia. "Cordy, don't move. I'll be right back..My lips'll miss you- yours," he told her. "Ew! You're leaving me for her! Listen, Xander, If you think you've got me wrapped around your fingers, you're wrong! Ok, cause there's plenty of guys that are dying to go out with me- and some that I'd much rather go out with- and a few of them are here right now, So if I-" Cordelia began shouting at him. Xander grabbed the back of her head and passionately kissed her. "You better hurry up. Wouldn't want one of those stupid single losers to think I'm not with anyone," Cordelia said, changing her mind. Xander turned to a surprised Willow. "These babies are magical," he said pointing to his lips. Willow managed to smile slightly. "So, what's this we have to do for Buffy?" Xander asked following Willow. "Just follow my lead," Willow told him as they headed towards the DJ stand. Willow whispered a request of a song in the DJ's ear, who agreed to play it. "Will, you mind letting me in on the big secret?" Xander asked. Willow nodded. "Well, remember the night.." Willow started and proceeded to tell Xander her plan. Xander looked over at a dark figure in the corner of the Bronze, then looked at a lonely Buffy. "For Buffy's sake, I hope this works," Xander said. Willow nodded. "Me too.. Come on. let's go," she said. The two of them walked over to where Buffy sat. "Hi," Willow said to Buffy. Buffy looked up at the two of them. "Oh, hey guys," she answered. There was a long silence as Willow waited for the right moment to begin talking again. Finally, a new song began playing- the one that Willow had requested. Willow was relieved- her plan was working so far. The words to the song came on. *It's daybreak And you are asleep I can hear you breathe now Your breath is deep* "So, no word from Angel?" Willow asked Buffy, on cue. Buffy looked at Willow, confused. "What are you talking about, Will? Angel and I said goodbye already- last night- maybe it wasn't the best goodbye, but it was goodbye..I thought I told you," she said. Willow just ignored Buffy's question and comments. It did seem a little awkward saying this to her but it was part of her plan. Willow waited a few seconds, then continued. "Well, in a way he sort of is, in the way of that he's right over there," she said motioning to a dark figure in a corner of the Bronze. Buffy, looked at Willow, then at Xander, still quite confused. She then looked over at the figure Willow had pointed out. The person was looking in her direction. It was Angel. Buffy then realized that the things that Willow had just said to her-that weren't making a bit of sense- were the things that Willow said to her the night that Buffy and Angel said their first goodbye to each other, in a way. Buffy played their conversation from that night back in her head. *"So, no word from Angel?" Willow had asked Buffy. "Nah. It's weird, though. In this way, I feel like he's still watching me," Buffy told her. "Well, in a way he sort of is," Willow said, "In the way of that he's right over there," Willow said pointing to a dark figure that was staring in Buffy's direction..Angel.* Even the song that was playing right then- "I'll Remember You," by Sophie Zelmani- that was the same song that was playing that night too- Although, Willow had set it up that way. *But before I go I look at you one last time I can heat a heartbeat Is it yours or is it mine?* Buffy looked back at her two best friends. Xander motioned his head in Angel's direction, signaling her to go over to him. Buffy looked over at Willow, then back at Xander. She was hesitant about going over to him, afraid that it would be too hard to say goodbye. But then she gave her friends a smile, a silent thank you and turned and began slowly approaching Angel. Xander turned to Willow. Willow had a grin on her face as she watched Buffy and Angel approach each other. She was happy that her planned had worked out- bringing Buffy and Angel together to say goodbye that way they should have the night before. She knew it would make Buffy happier- although maybe just the slightest bit. "So, guess this is my cue to say ,'I don't need to watch because I'm not threatened. I'm just gonna look this way,'" Xander said grinning. Willow smiled. The two of them watched as Buffy and Angel approached each other. When they met, towards the center of the Bronze, Buffy looked up at Angel, greeting him with a smile. Angel just stared down at her, a sad look on his face. *I look at your lips I know how soft they can be Did they know what they wanted the times they kissed me?" Angel finally spoke. "I couldn't leave here without saying a proper goodbye to you," he told Buffy. Buffy just looked up at him and nodded slightly. Angel sighed. "I need to know that you're going to be alright...I know, that it's going to take awhile, but I need to know that, in time...you'll move on..find someone else to love... Someone you can start a family with..someone you can grow old, and die with," Angel told her. He continued. "Someone you can watch the sunset with, before you go to bed at night..and- watch it rise with when you walk up in the morning...'Cause you deserve that, Buffy..you do. And I- need you to promise that you'll do that,Buffy...for me." Buffy's eyes held unshed tears as she stared up at him. She shook her head slightly. "I don't know if I can do that, Angel..I can't-just- forget you and move on. You're too much a part of me. I'm sorry, but- I can't make that promise," she told him. "Look, I know it all seems too hard right now- but I need to know that you'll try, at least," he said. "Do that for me, Buffy?" he asked. Buffy looked at him for a few seconds, then nodded. "I will..try, I mean." Angel gave her a slight smile. He felt slightly better knowing that she'd one day be happy again. "I have something for you," Angel told her, reaching into his pocket. "It's not much, really- but it's, a goodbye present." He held a velvet jewelry box in his hands. Buffy looked down at it in his hands. *And your hands that I held in mine Now they're reposing on the pillow Will they ever miss me some time?* She looked up at Angel. Finally, he handed her the box. "Don't open it, just now," Angel told her. "Wait- until I'm gone..When you really need to- when the pain is too much- open it then," he told her. Buffy nodded. "I, um, actually, have something for you, too. I was- gonna leave it by your door but- well, you're here now," she said. Buffy reached into her pocket and pulled out a small velvet pouch bag and handed it to him. "There's just a little something in there to remember me by..in case you forget," she told him. Angel shook his head. "I won't ever forget you, Buffy..I won't," he swore to her. Buffy knew that he meant it. She'd never forget him either. Ever. He'd always be in her heart, just as she'd always be in his. *I'll remember you You will be there in my heart I'll remember you And that is all that I can do But I'll remember* Buffy remembered that she had something else for him. She reached in her pocket and pulled out a cassette tape. "This is for you, too. It's- a tape of this song-that- kinda reflects the way I feel bout you leaving..You can- play it while you open the bag-or, whenever. I know I don't know your musical taste but- I just had to give it you. The song just- seems like it was written for us," Buffy told him. Angel nodded and placed the two items in his pocket. He looked back down at Buffy. They stared at each other for a few seconds. Buffy could tell that Angel had something on his mind. She knew it was probably the fact that he was leaving and they'd no longer be together, but she had to ask anyway. "Is there- something else on your mind?" she asked him softly. "It's nothing- It's just *this*... It's just so-," Angel began. Buffy knew what he was going to say. "Painful," she said, finishing his sentence for him. "I know." "I wish things could be different, Buffy," he told her. Buffy nodded. "I know," she agreed. "Me too." Buffy shrugged slightly. "Well, it's getting kind of late. You should probably go now, or- you'll miss your train," she told him. As much as Buffy hated having to say that, it was the truth. Angel nodded. "I know," he whispered. Buffy stared up at him. Angel leaned down towards her face slightly. Buffy just stared into his eyes. He leaned forward a few more inches until his lips met hers for a soft kiss. The power between the two of them brought their lips together again, as they kissed again. Buffy closed her eyes, wrapped up in the moment, as Angel did the same. *Your eyes that always make me shiver Now they are closed They just sometimes twitch a little* As Angel's arms wrapped tightly around her, Buffy moved her hand to Angel's face and brought her other arm around his neck, deepening their kiss. As they shared this passionate kiss goodbye, Buffy was reminded of the first time they kissed goodbye- when they first decided that they shouldn't be together. Their conversation just a minute ago was even similar to the one they had that night. *"I just wanted to see if you were ok, and your mother," Angel said when they finally reached each other. "We're both good..you?" Buffy asked. "If I can go a little while without being shot or stabbed, I'll be alright," he answered with a slight chuckle. He became more serious. "Look, this can't.." he started. "Ever-be anything" Buffy finished, "I know. For one thing your like two hundred and twenty four years older then I am," she said with a smile. "I just gotta..I gotta walked away from this," Angel told her. Buffy nodded. "I know, me too....One of us has to go here," she said. Angel nodded slightly. "I know," he said in a whisper, then leaned in and kissed her.* Their kiss was even during the same song-although, again, Willow had arranged that. But Buffy knew that this would be their last kiss goodbye. And unlike the previous time, this one was goodbye forever. Buffy held on tighter to Angel as they kissed, not wanting to ever let go. Savoring the feel of his body close to hers for the last time. *And your body I could hold for an hour It sent me to heaven With it's heat and power* Slowly, Buffy and Angel pulled apart, looking deeply into each other's eyes as they did so. Tears were in both of their eyes. As soon as Angel saw Buffy's face filled with tears, he pulled her back into his embrace, wrapping his arms tightly around her tiny body, hugging her close to him. Angel stroked the back of her hair as he held her. After a few seconds, they pulled away again. "I have to go now," Angel told Buffy softly. "Ok," she said trying not to make it any harder for them. She tried to hold back the tears from pouring down her face again, but one had already slipped out of her eye. Then another, then another. Angel moved his hand to her cheeks and wiped some of the tears from her eyes. Buffy grabbed his hand and held it against her cheek. She closed her eyes a she took in the feel of his touch for the last time. Then she guided his hand down to her lips and kissed the back of it. Angel closed his own eyes as she did this. Slowly, Buffy moved his hand down to rest beneath her chin. Tears were forming in Angel's eyes again. He was wishing more then ever that he wasn't a vampire- so that none of this would have to happen. So that he wouldn't have to leave the girl that he loved more then anything in the world. "Please don't go, Angel. Please. I can't do this without you..I can't- live without you, Angel. Please don't leave me," Buffy pleaded with him as tears ran down her pale cheeks. She knew that she was being unfair to him saying this, but she couldn't help but say how she felt at that moment. Angel's eyes flooded with tears. He would have done anything for Buffy. Anything, He'd give the world to her- if she asked for it. But staying in Sunnydale was one thing he could not d o for her. He would not put her in danger of Spike's attempts at using him to restore Druscilla or trying to make him a normal vampire again. Angel placed his gentle hand back to rest on the side of Buffy's face. He caressed her cheek lightly. Tears continued to roll down both of their cheeks. "Buffy, when I got my soul back, I never once thought that I'd be able to love again or that anyone could ever love me..But..when I met you, things changed..I fell in love with you, you were able to fall in love with me. And I- was the happiest I'd ever been in all my life-because you made me feel complete- you made me feel, almost- human..because you made me feel loved. Of course, there was still loneliness, still pain, but there was love too- The love I had for you and the love you had for me. And it was the greatest thing that could ever happen to me-you gave me the greatest thing the greatest gift off all..your love, your heart. And I thank you for that, Buffy. I'd love to give something more then just my love-and my heart for you- in return, but staying here..I can't do. You know that, Buffy..You know that if it were in any way possible to stay here with you, I would..But I can't, with this," Angel told her. He continued. "You mean the world to me Buffy. And I'll never stop missing you, never stop loving you..Your eyes, your hair, your lips, your warmth, your smile, your touch..I'll never stop," he told her. Buffy stared at him with tears rolling down her cheeks. Angel pulled her close to him again, giving her one last, soft kiss on her lips. It didn't last as long as the previous one, but it was still magical. Angel pulled away from her slowly. He looked at her for a few more seconds. "Goodbye, Buffy," he said, softly. Buffy tried to say something but words couldn't escape her mouth, only sobs. She just stood there looking at him with tears pouring out of her eyes. Angel looked at her for one more moment, then turned and headed towards the exit of the Bronze. Buffy watched him walk away from her. "Angel..don't go," Buffy whispered, mainly to herself, in tears. Angel passed where Willow and Xander were standing. They, too, watched as he headed towards the door. Xander shook his head in disgust, then turned towards Willow. "He walks right past us, knowing that he'll never again see our faces, and he doesn't even say goodbye?!? The nerve of some vampires!" he said. Willow shrugged. "He said goodbye to me...He- came by my house the other night- and- said goodbye," Willow told him. Xander shook his head again. Just before reaching the door, Angel paused. He turned to look back at Buffy one last time. He'd never see her beautiful face again. "I love you," he whispered to her, then turned and walked out of the bronze. Buffy wiped some of the tears from her eyes, only to have more pour from them again. "Goodbye, Angel" she whispered in between sobs, "I love you too," she said staring at the now empty space in front of the door, as the song that was playing ended. *I'll remember you You will be there in my heart I'll remember you And that is all that I can do But I'll remember* TO BE CONTINUED _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: michele v Subject: BUFFYFIC: Our Hearts Will Go On 6/6 Date: 22 Mar 1998 11:16:02 -0800 (PST) TITLE: Our Hearts Will Go On 6/6 AUTHOR: Michele V. EMAIL ADDRESS: glynisgrl33@yahoo.com FEEDBACK: Definitely, especially since this is my first fic.RATING: PG SUMMARY: A Buffy/Angel story that takes place after "What's My Line 1 & 2" with some added Willow/Oz and Xander/Cordelia. Also, Buffy and the gang find out SPOILERS: All episodes through "What's My Line 1 & 2" about the return of the Master-in some form. DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters except for "The Elgradora" All of the other characters belong to Joss Whedon and the WB. No copywrite infringement intended. NOTE: I Wrote this after "What's My Line 2," therefor without knowing that something similar would *sort of* happen in "Surprise" ********** PART 6 SUNDAY NIGHT(THE NEXT DAY) Buffy walked into her bedroom, slammed the door shut behind her, and threw herself onto her bed, crying hysterically. While she was on her way home from Willow's, a vampire, that knew Angel had left Sunnydale, jumped out at her- and began harassing Buffy about his leaving. It had gotten to the point where Buffy did not have the mental capability or strength to fight him, so she just broke down in tears and ran home, where she now lay crying on her bed. Buffy hugged the leather jacket she held - that Angel had given her awhile back, close to her. She closed her eyes for a moment, pretending that it was Angel that she was holding. Reality of course kicked in when she opened her eyes, seconds later. Buffy couldn't take the pain anymore, it was all too much for her. She knew what it was time for. It was time to open it- the goodbye present that Angel had given her the night before. He told her to wait until she needed to open it- and at that moment she needed to. She a piece of him with her now. Something new. Buffy reached over and opened the drawer to the night table next to her bed. She took out the small velvet jewelry box, that was tucked neatly inside of it and closed the drawer again. She climbed under her covers, sitting up in bed and set the box down next to her. She reached back over to her night table and popped a cd that had been laying out, into her cd player and pressed play. She then settled herself back upright in bed. She picked up the small box again and stared down at it in her hands. ******* Angel walked into his new apartment, closing the door behind him. He threw his leather jacket on a nearby chair and placed his keys down on the coffee table. He walked over to his bed and sat down on it. With his head hung down, he ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. He was thinking of Buffy. How he missed her so much. Angel looked back up and noticed the small pouch bag that Buffy had given him the night before, lying on the night table next to his bed. He decided that it was time. Time to open it up. Before doing anything, he grabbed the cassette tape that was lying next to it, that Buffy also had given him, put it in his tape player and pressed play. He then picked up the small velvet bag, staring down at it in his hands. ****** Buffy slowly and carefully opened up the small box- afraid that something might fall out of it. When she saw what was inside of it, her eyes began to flood with tears again. ****** After a few seconds, Angel finally opened up the bag. Inside was a small cardboard box. Angel took it out of the bag and carefully opened it up. What he saw inside of it brought tears to his eyes. ****** Inside the box that Angel had given Buffy, was the long chained gold cross that Angel had always worn. Underneath it, a small sheet of paper, that Buffy could tell had something written on it. ****** Inside the box that Buffy had given Angel, was the silver cross necklace that Angel had given Buffy for protection the first time they met. The one that was almost always around Buffy's neck. Taped to the inside lid of the box was a picture of Buffy and underneath the necklace, a small envelope. ****** The words to the song that both Buffy and Angel had playing in their tape players finally came on. -"Every night in my dreams I see you, I feel you That is how I know you go on" Buffy, sitting on her bed with tears in her eyes, began thinking about all her times with Angel. Angel, sat on his bed as memories of all his times with Buffy played through his head. The beautiful song continued, serving as almost background music to their thoughts. -"Far across the distance And spaces between us You have come to show you go on" The two thought about the first time they met, outside of the Bronze.. *'Is there a problem mam?' Angel asked after Buffy had slammed his body to the ground. 'There's a problem,' Buffy shot back,'Why are you following me?' 'I know what you're thinking, but don't worry, I don't bite' Angel answered her. 'Who are you?' Buffy asked later on. 'Let's just say, I'm a friend,' Angel told her. 'Yeah, well maybe I don't want a friend,' Buffy shot at him. 'I didn't say I was yours,' he answered.* -"Near, far Wherever you are I believe that the heart does go on" The two looked down at each other's necklaces that they held in the boxes in their hands. ******** A tear fell from Buffy's eyes onto Angel's necklace. Buffy wiped it off quickly, leaving her fingers to rest on the cross. ***** -"Once more You open the door And you're here in my heart And my heart will go on and on" ****** Angel ran a finger over Buffy's cross. It hurt, burned, a little. But it was nothing compared to the hurt he was feeling without Buffy in his life. ****** -"Love can touch us one time And last for a lifetime And never let go till we're gone" They thought about their first kiss, in Buffy's bedroom-when she first found out he was a vampire. *'I did a lot of thinking today. I really can't be around you because when I am..' Angel started to tell her.'Hey, no big,' Buffy interrupted,'Water..over the bridge, under the bridge...' 'All I can ever think about is how badly I want to kiss you,' Angel admitted. 'Over the dam...kiss me?' Buffy said looking up at him in shock. 'I'm older then you and this can't ever...I better go,' he said. 'H-how much older?' Buffy asked. 'I should..' Angel began. 'Go,' Buffy said approaching him, 'You said.' Angel looked down at her and they kissed. They kissed again. Buffy put her arm around him as Angel put his around her. The kiss went on for several seconds. Suddenly Angel pulled away. 'What? What is it? What's wrong?' Buffy asked. Angel turned to face her and growled. Buffy screamed seeing that his face was then that of a vampire. Angel took one last look at her and jumped out of her window.* -"Love was when I loved you One true time I hold on to In my life we'll always go on" They thought about the time they were in the graveyard and Angel admitted that he was jealous of Xander. *'Love makes you do the wacky,' Buffy told Angel. 'What?" Angel asked. 'Crazy stuff,' Buffy explained. 'Oh. Crazy, like a two hundred and forty one year old being jealous of a high school junior?' Angel asked referring to himself. 'Are you fessing up?' Buffy asked him. 'I thought about it. Maybe it bothers me a little,' Angel admitted. 'I don't love Xander,' Buffy told him. 'Yeah, but he's in your life. He gets to be there when I can't. Take your classes, eat your meals, hear your jokes and complaints...He gets to see you in the sunlight,' Angel reminded her. 'I don't look that good in direct light,' Buffy told him. Angel looked at her for a moment.'Well, it'll be mourning soon,' Angel said looking up at the sky. 'I should probably go. I could walk you home,' Buffy told him. They stared at each other for a long moment. Finally Angel held out his hand. Buffy took in and they began to walk hand in hand.* "Near, far Wherever you are I believe that the heart does go on" The two thought about a time at the Bronze when Buffy wanted to give Angel his jacket back, but he refused. *'I heard a rumor that there was, uh, one last vampire walking around making a nuisance of himself,' Angel said coming up behind Buffy at the Bronze. 'There is. Guess I should thank you for the tip,' Buffy said. 'Pleasure's mine,' Angel told her. 'Course it would make things easier if I knew how to get in touch with you,' she told him. 'I'll be around,' he said. 'Or who you were,' Buffy continued. Angel smiled and walked around to the other side of her. 'Well, anyways, you can have your jacket back,' she said referring to the leather jacket he gave her that she was wearing then. 'It looks better on you,' Angel told her. He then turned and left. Buffy stared after him. Angel gave her another look aback then disappeared into the crowd.* -"Once, more You open the door And you're here in my heart And my heart will go on and on" They thought about the time at the ice skating rink when Angel had his game face on and didn't want Buffy to see him like that. *'Are you ok?' Angel asked Buffy after she had just fought with a member of the order of Teraka. Buffy skated over to him. She put a gloved hand on his face, noticing the cut above his eye. 'What about you? That cut!' Buffy said moved her hand towards his cut. Angel moved his head, shrugging her hand off. 'Forget about me. This is bad Buffy. We gotta get you outta here,' he told her. 'What, you mean hide?' she asked. 'Let's just get you some place safe!' he answered her. 'No! Your eye!' Buffy said reaching back up to touch his cut. He shook her off again. 'Hey, don't be a baby. I'm not gonna hurt you,' she told him. 'It's not that,' Angel said. 'What?' Buffy asked. 'You shouldn't have to touch me when I'm like this,' he told her. Buffy looked up into his vampire features. 'Oh,' she said. She removed the glove from her hand and moved her hand across his brow and wound, brushing gently down his cheek. 'I didn't even notice,' she told him softly. She moved closer to him and kissed him. Angel responds, and the kiss becomes more passionate.* Angel and Buffy's thoughts subsided as they looked back down at the small boxes they held in their hands. ******* Angel ran his hand over the picture of Buffy that was taped to the box. Tears were pouring from his eyes as he looked at her beautiful face. Looking at Buffy's picture and having her silver cross with him, made him feel as though a part of Buffy was still with him. Angel slipped his hand under the necklace and pulled out the small envelope that was underneath it. He opened it up and took out the piece of paper that was folded neatly inside of it. He unfolded it and read what it said. ********* Buffy picked up Angel's necklace and held it in her hands. She carefully brought it over her head and around her neck. She then up the cross part again and brought it to her lips. Gently, she kissed it, then let it go again, allowing it hang around her neck. With it around her neck, it made her feel as though a pice of him was with her. Buffy then reached back into the small velvet box and took out the piece of paper that was folded inside it. She unfolded it and read what was written in it. -"You're here There's nothing I fear And I know that my heart will go on" ******* Written on the sheet of paper that was inside the envelope that Angel found inn the box Buffy had given him was the following: Dear Angel, My heart for you will go on. Yours truly, Buffy Angel stared down at those words as even more tears flooded his eyes. ****** Buffy's eyes flooded with tears as she read the words written on the piece of paper Angel included in the box he had given her. The note read: My heart for you Buffy, will go on forever. Love, Angel ****** Tears in their eyes,the two of them listened as the last verse of the song played over both their tape players, staring down at the notes they held in their hands. -"We'll stay Forever this way You are safe in my heart And my heart will go on and on" ****** Buffy wiped some tears from her eyes as the song ended. She placed the velvet box and note she held on the table beside her bed. She then nestled under her covers. ***** Angel wiped some of the tears from his eyes as the song ended and placed the small cardboard box with Buffy's necklace and note in it on his night table. He positioned it so that her picture would be facing him when he lay in bed. He then got into bed and pulled the covers over him. ****** Before closing her eyes Buffy brought the cross part of Angel's necklace that she still wore around her neck- up to her lips again. She kissed it again. "I love you, Angel," she whispered, then let go of it again and went to sleep. ****** Before closing his eyes, Angel reached over to the box that lay on his night table. He touched Buffy's silver cross, letting his fingers rest on it, despite the pain he felt. "I love you, Buffy," he whispered then took his hand away again and went to sleep. ****** In the darkness of the two rooms, two crosses sparkled. One gold. One silver. It was a sign. A sign, that Buffy and Angel's love, their heart, for each other would go on forever. And although they were no longer physically together, in their hearts, in their dreams, they would always be. All of a sudden the song came on again in both of the rooms as Buffy and Angel slept, dreaming of each other. Neither of them had turned it back on..they were both asleep. Maybe it was another sign. It must've been. -"Every night in my dreams I see you, I feel you That is how I know you go on Far across the distance And spaces between us You have come to show you go on Near, far Wherever you are I believe that the heart does go on Once, more You open the door And you're here in my heart And my heart will go on and on Love can touch us one time And last for a life time And never let go till we're gone Love was when I loved you One true time I hold on to In my life we'll always go on Near, far Wherever you are I believe that the heart does go on Once, more You open the door And you're here in my heart And my heart will go on and on You're here There's nothing I fear And I know that my heart will go on We'll stay Forever this way You are safe in my heart And my heart will go on and on" It's not certain whether the song playing again by itself was a sign or not. But one thing *was* for certain. Their hearts-for each other- would go on. THE END. _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: ingrid29@juno.com (Ingrid E Stanton) Subject: BUFFYFIC: "Footsteps" (7/?) by Ingrid Date: 22 Mar 1998 14:16:40 -0500 Disclaimer: Willow, Spike, Drusilla, Angel(us) and Buffy belong to Joss Whedon, The WB Network, Sandollar, Mutant enemy and Kuzui. (You know what I mean! Just don't sue me.) Summary: A continuation of my Willow and Spike story. This one takes place after some time has elapsed, as usual. Comments are wonderful to get- take some time and write to me! BTW, If anyone wants previous parts to this story, just write to me! I'll send them to you gladly. (Ingrid29@juno.com) Nobody is allowed to beat me up because I haven't written for a while! Major ac-dec competition all day yesterday, and I'm talking 9 straight hours of solid test-taking! Eww.... WARNING: There's one bad word in here... The "a-word." Don't yell at me! You've been warned! ********************** "Footsteps" by Ingrid Part Seven ********************** Willow ripped open the door and felt the cool night air rush towards her. The wind struck her hard, but it was not unwelcome. Her claustrophobia had been quick to set in, especially with the oppressive realization weighing her down. She felt Spike close behind her as they cautiously stole across the large open field. The landscape swelled and buckled, and they sped over it, seriousness removing all other considerations. She wanted nothing more than to return to the warehouse. The airy hall was where she felt the safest these days. It was her vampiric womb, and held a mystical power of infinite reassurance. They were coming. The knowledge became more and more real as she walked the way a sound becomes louder. They were closer. Closer still, as if they were sharks closing in upon her ordered world. Sharks of the past, out for blood. She couldn’t seem to run fast enough, yet Spike was struggling to keep up with her. A dark terror seized her heart; pounced upon her, as if just seeing them might freeze time. They were here, she thought, seconds before a tall male plowed into her, apparently in the midst of some sort of race. One shoulder knocked her down, and he nearly crushed her with his weight. It was Angelus, she knew, without looking up, and she froze. Irrational fear had her shaking. She finally leveled her eyes with him like a deer staring into the headlights of a speeding car. What she saw threw her for a loop. He looked gaunt and tired. The evil pleasure in his eyes had flown, and only raw terror and survival instincts remained. She waited to meet his eyes, but he picked himself up and sped off as if he’d tripped on a rock or some other inanimate object. Spike looked stunned behind her, his eyes wide in amazement as he watched the vampire’s retreating back. Moments later, he grabbed Willow around the waist. Before she had time to protest, he dragged her into a bush near the high school. Willow tried to speak, but he silenced her and gestured with his eyes towards the spot where they’d been standing. The slayer had just rushed into the clearing, breathing heavily. Her figure brought back a plethora of ingrained memories, but something was very wrong. Buffy wore simple, almost rustic looking clothes. A plain white shirt and dark pants that were frayed at the bottom hung upon her as if she were merely a sack of bones. Her eyes were tired, but what determination! Buffy was businesslike, certainly, but she almost looked bored. "Get your sorry ass out here, Angelus," she threatened in a husky voice. Silence followed, and Willow gulped. The slayer was not big on patience, apparently, even less so than usual. She took off in the direction Angelus had gone, and it was only when the slayer was a good 30 feet away, and heading further from them that Spike released his grip on her. "We’ve got to get back to the warehouse," Willow urged, not sure why the words were coming from her now. "But, why? Let the slayer work out her own problems with Angel. We don’t have a quarrel with her." "We need...you need to find out," she whispered nervously, "what happened to Drusilla." *** END, PART SEVEN _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Jennifer Addis-Newton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: The Raven's Cry (2/?) Date: 22 Mar 1998 12:27:05 +0000 Disclaimer: This story is a cross-over between a superheroic role-playing campaign and the television show "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." All characters related to "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" are the creations of Joss Whedon et al. It is also entirely possible for additional well-known characters or ideas to appear in passing. I take no credit for these ideas, merely for reworking them so that they fit into the campaign world. Caitlin O'Riordan, however, is entirely my own creation. Feedback: Please! This is my first fanfic of any kind. If there's any way to make the characters more true to themselves, I'm all for it. Spoilers: None of which I am aware. My universe diverges from Joss' with "Passion" -- it didn't happen. Rating: Some adult situations and language -- I'd give the whole thing a solid PG-13. *********************************************** Part One: It had seemed like a good idea at the time - hit the Bronze and find a young girl desperate for attention. A few soulful glances and a kind word would persuade her to go outside, into the alley, for more desperate groping. She was harder to find than he had expected. She had to be awkward, someone who would die for his kisses. It was the easiest way to feed. Angel smiled grimly as he scanned the crowd. *If only I could find Willow.* Not exactly the original plan, but it would work well enough to catch the Slayer off-guard. He wanted to do something to ruin Buffy's day. At that moment, he saw his next victim. Sitting in a corner, hunched over her drink - sipping it intently while she read the book in front of her. Her hair was dark, her face was pale - not exactly ugly, but awkward enough to suit his purposes. Engrossed in her book, she did not notice him slide in the chair across from her. He placed one casual hand on the book and smiled ingratiatingly at the girl. "Mind if I join you?" The girl frowned, her slate blue eyes going hard as stones. "I'm waiting for someone." Angel knew she was lying, could see it in the way that her eyes darted from his face and to the door. She was nervous. Probably the most attention she's received in her life. He smiled at the thought, his eyes growing warm. "I could keep you company while you wait." To his amazement, the girl suddenly smiled. "No need. There she is." She nodded her head in the direction of the door. Angel turned in his chair. And there she was - the Slayer. *No longer wearing my jacket, I see.* Followed closely by her partners in crime, so to speak: Willow and Xander. The trio headed in their direction. Buffy's eyes swept the room, as though she was sizing up every object as a possible weapon. Luckily, she had not seen him. "So, you're a friend of Buffy's?" Angel turned back towards the girl. She was gone - and the book had gone with her. Best to do the same before Buffy noticed him - he needed to feed and regain his strength before facing her again. He rose to leave, his preternatural eyes noticing a piece of paper on the table. He picked it up and scanned the contents. OUTSIDE. THE ALLEY. It sounded like more like a challenge than an invitation. Angel chuckled. "I won't keep you waiting long." Willow looked thoughtfully at Buffy while she placed her jacket over the back of her chair. "What were those things?" "I don't know." The Slayer looked confused. Vampires she could deal with - but little stick figures? Hundreds of them had attacked her and Willow on their way to the Bronze. One minute, they were walking down a perfectly still street. The next minute, sticks started raining on them from the sky. Animated sticks. It made no sense. Xander grinned at his friends. "Couldn't you just find a picture in the Slayer handbook?" "If there is one," replied Buffy, "it probably doesn't come with pictures." "Maybe I'll do some research tonight and see what I can dig up," said Willow. She remembered the way those legs had felt crawling over her arms and through her hair. Buffy's presence in her life had exposed Willow to all sorts of unusual creatures - the walking twigs were probably low on the Sunnydale scale of weirdness. Still, she had to know what they were. "You should ask Giles." Xander sipped his drink cautiously. "Sure." Buffy rolled her eyes. "It's probably in his Watcher's handbook." "Sticks, lots of them," added Xander, doing a passable imitation of the librarian's British accent. "You can kill them, Buffy, but you have to set each one on fire individually while chanting the appropriate incantation." He placed his hands up in the air. "Oh, little twig, be cast back into the pit of hell from which you spawned." Willow started to laugh at Xander in spite of herself. Ever since she discovered his secret romance with Cordelia Chase, she had been going out of her way to ignore his jokes. Now that she had Oz, she knew that a relationship with Xander was the last thing she wanted but. It was the principle of the thing. He still needed to suffer a little more. "Yep, that's what the watcher's handbook would tell him." Xander's eyes widened suddenly, and his voice trailed off as he began to watch someone cross the dance floor. Buffy turned in her chair to follow the movement. Her senses were heightened by a familiar feeling: vampire. * Just what I need -- some serious slayage to take my mind off those sticks.* "Um," added Willow, recognizing the all-too-familiar figure in the crowd. "Maybe you should take a raincheck." Angel. Buffy would know the way he moved anywhere. How many nights had she sat in the same chair, watching him walk across the floor towards her. She blinked - the pain was still intense, but it was getting easier to control. He had underestimated her - they all had, really. The pain made her strong, gave her an edge. No more Miss Nice Slayer. The vampire did not even glance in their direction. He looked as though he was in a hurry to get where he was going. Buffy turned to her friends. "Stay here." Willow opened her mouth to protest but Xander shook his head, flashing a warning in his dark eyes. Willow closed her mouth, folded her arms in front of herself, and slumped back down in her chair. With a wary glance towards the door, Buffy slung her jacket back onto her shoulders and began to follow the vampire across the dance floor. *Tonight, it ends.* It was amazingly easy to find her. She was standing at the far end of the alley. She propped her hands above her on the edge of the fire escape. The moon hit her dark hair, still lank, and accentuated the white planes of her face. *How pathetic* Angel thought to himself. She was definitely making a show out of her casual attitude. "I thought you said you were waiting for Buffy." He moved to stand next to the girl, closing his hand over her shoulder. He had to give her credit - not one flinch. The girl shrugged her shoulders. "I had to make certain that you were who I thought you were." "Really." Her response had intrigued Angel. "How do you know me?" "Angelus, your exploits are legendary." She laughed. "A new town, a new leather jacket - but it's still you. You can't disguise that brooding stare." He looked into her eyes. She was not, he knew, a vampire - yet there was controlled power here, waiting to be unleashed. The cold look in her eyes, the smile on her face. She looked more like Dru than any human Angel had ever seen. He had to know more. "What do you want?" "There's strength here," she responded. "I imagine it's the Hellmouth." She giggled, and blinked once as she focused her eyes on the moon. "And I hear you run in circles that I might like to join." *Another wanna-be* Angel thought to himself disgustedly. He could see it now - the pale skin, the dark hair, the black clothes. How she had tracked him down, he had no idea, but here she was - and she had chosen him for her sire. He knew he should refuse, but the gleam of moonlight as she turned her face to the moon was impossible to resist. He felt the blood lust take him as he opened his mouth and leaned forward. "Not so fast," came a voice from behind him. *Not so fast! What kind of Slayer-speak is that?* Buffy blinked and immediately moved into a fighting stance, hands in front of her, as she watched Angel jump back from the girl and whirl to face her. He had already changed. "Buffy," was Angel's reply. "Have you come to dance?" He stepped forward, the girl almost forgotten. He would kill the Slayer and then come back for seconds. "I don't dance with you anymore, remember?" she promptly answered, eyeing him up and down. "I came to kick your ass." *Much better* she added silently to herself. Angel's dark eyes widened. "I am going to love killing you," the vampire drawled. He lunged forward suddenly, rocking into Buffy's left shoulder. It was a blow which would have knocked the average person onto their back - but the Slayer was not the average person. Buffy twisted with the blow and whirled to give the vampire a quick kick with her right foot. "Bullseye," she laughed as her foot connected with the back of Angel's pants and pushed him to the ground. Angel landed with greater force than he would have expected, his knees slamming onto the pavement in front of him. *That hurt.* She was mad - brute force would not overcome her. Better to go with plan B. He waited a few moments to get his beast under control, feeling the skin on his face alter, and remained kneeling before the Slayer. A few seconds more. "What's the matter," added Buffy, "I thought you liked dancing." Angel finally spoke. "Buffy." He shifted his body slowly. The look he gave her would have melted glass. "I'm sorry." It was the last thing that she would have expected - the sudden change of heart. Kneeling before her was not Angelus the vampire but Angel.just, Angel. She took a tentative step forward, feeling her heart twist inside her when she heard the words that she had imagined he would say so many times. "Angel." Her voice had lost its former bravado. Almost. The Slayer leaned towards him, all signs of fighting gone from her eyes. She was easy to manipulate when you knew the right buttons to push - and he knew them all. For some reason, he tried to remember the time when he could have spent hours merely listening to her breathe his name and gaze at him with her brilliant eyes. Those feelings were over. He reached his arms up towards her. "Save me from myself, Buffy." Her eyes widened again. She leaned forward to help him stand and felt his arms go around her. How long had she waited for this? Buffy reached a tentative hand down to caress his cheek. It was then that Angel struck, slamming a fist into her stomach and whipping behind her - suddenly holding her head away from her neck by grabbing a handful of hair. "Angel," she breathed again. How easy would it be to stop fighting now? Had to think of a way out. "Pitifully easy," he whispered, feeling the beast overcome him once more. He pulled harder on Buffy's hair, looking at the throb of her vein in the moonlight. "I almost hate to have it end this way, Buffy." "That makes two of us, dead boy," came another voice from the end of the alley. Angel forced himself to focus his attention, knowing that the slightest wrong move on his part would give Buffy the upper hand. It was Xander, holding Buffy's crossbow. By the expression on his face, he knew that Xander was willing to use it. Willow was trailing close behind, taking in the situation quickly. Angel grimaced. "Even if you were man enough to do it, Xander, there's still one problem." He tightened his grip on Buffy's hair. "Can you kill me before I kill her." Angel's words stopped Xander in his tracks. "And can you kill her once she turns?" "Do it, Xander," Buffy hissed. "Kill us both." *Better to take the bastard down with me.* "I can't." The pained expression on Xander's face was priceless as he lowered the crossbow. Angel smiled. "Pity." His mouth opened as he leaned forward for the kill. A shock of lightning flashed at the back of the alley. It was not much, but it served to distract Angel long enough for Buffy to wrest herself from his grasp. She fell forward to the ground, landing roughly on her knees in an unconscious imitation of Angel, and tried to roll out of the vampire's way. He dived for her. She pulled away and kicked forward with her foot. "Now, Xander!" The Slayer cried. From the back of the alley, footsteps made their way towards the struggle. A figure was quickly approaching the fight, a figure holding a staff in its hand, and it looked like no one Xander had ever seen. She was wearing thigh-high black leather boots and a black outfit he would have sworn was copied from the costumes from Sailor Moon, a Japanese superhero cartoon - a modified sailor suit, complete with a cobweb bow. As she came closer, Xander saw that the staff was actually a long-handled broom. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a thick, waist-length braid - tied at the end with another cobweb bow. The vision spoke. "I think this has gone on long enough." Even the voice was beautiful. "What the - " began Angel, all but ignoring the Slayer kneeling before him. The vision blinked ingenuously, her blue eyes bright in the dim light of the alley. "Hermes translocation!" The figure cried, pointing its broom at the bewildered vampire. Angel shimmered suddenly and disappeared - the only remnant of his passing was the sound of air rushing in to fill the space he had once occupied. Buffy rose to her feet and whirled at the girl standing before them. "Did you kill him?" "No. I need him alive." She walked towards the trio. A pained expression crossed her face. "Bad choice of phrase," she added softly. "Who are you?" Willow asked softly. "Sunnydale's newest visitor," the figure replied. She stood in front of Buffy, looking her up and down with her blue eyes. "And you would be the Slayer." Buffy's eyes widened at the statement. "Almost the Slayee," the figure continued. "Here's some advice: stay out of my way." She shimmered, leaving the area with another small pop of air. ************************************* (Part One continued in next installment) ************************************************** Jennifer Addis-Newton AKA Branwen ferch Modron whiteraven@pipeline.com http://www.pipeline.com/~whiteraven "For if that which you seek, you find not within yourself, you will never find it without." - from "The Charge of the Goddess" - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Jennifer Addis-Newton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: The Raven's Cry (3/?) Date: 22 Mar 1998 12:27:05 +0000 Disclaimer: This story is a cross-over between a superheroic role-playing campaign and the television show "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." All characters related to "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" are the creations of Joss Whedon et al. It is also entirely possible for additional well-known characters or ideas to appear in passing. I take no credit for these ideas, merely for reworking them so that they fit into the campaign world. Caitlin O'Riordan, however, is entirely my own creation. Feedback: Please! This is my first fanfic of any kind. If there's any way to make the characters more true to themselves, I'm all for it. Spoilers: None of which I am aware. My universe diverges from Joss' with "Passion" -- it didn't happen. Rating: Some adult situations and language -- I'd give the whole thing a solid PG-13. **************************************** Part One: Cont'd It was a disconcerting feeling. Angel felt as though his entire body had been pulled apart and smashed back together -- with a few pieces missing. He lurched forward and fell into one of the stacks of crates before him. He knew instinctively that he was in the abandoned warehouse where the vampires had set up new headquarters in anticipation of Dru's newest "game." "There y' are, mate!" Spike slammed into his leg with the wheel of his chair. Angel fought to keep from lurching forward again into the crates. He was not successful. "Good to have you back on your feet." Spike laughed and helped Angel to his feet. "Sorry about that." "No you're not," Angel replied automatically. Ever since he had returned, things had gotten a little, well, hostile between himself and Spike. It was over Drucilla - Angel was her sire, but Spike was the lover who had remained with her throughout the years. She appeared to love them both. "I just can't control meself, mate," Spike continued. "Dru did it." Angel groaned inwardly. "What did she get this time? Trolls?" "The big time," replied Spike. Angel shrugged his shoulders. Dru's latest plan in ridding Sunnydale of the human infestation was more far-fetched than usual. Since demons were unable to do the job, Dru decided that it was time to call upon a new group of otherworldly creatures: the faery. So far, she had conjured every variant that he could have imagined - and several he had not. Except for two or three giants, the denizens of faery who had walked through Dru's gateway did not appear to be much help in the "ridding the world of humans" department. He swatted a pixie out of the way as he followed Spike into the main room of the warehouse. Dru was sitting in the midst of her faery entourage, giggling madly as they whirled around her. Sitting beside Dru, outside the circle of faeries, was another woman. She was tall - taller than any woman Angel had ever seen, wearing a cloak of raven feathers that matched the sweep of her hair. Her eyes burned with a dark fire, and she smiled grimly at Angel. Her mouth was a splash of blood in her white face. "Angel," Dru giggled. "Have you met my friend?" She gestured towards the woman and then looked towards Angel. "I did it, Angel." "Did what, Dru?" He asked softly. "I found an old one," she replied. "An old faery." The mad vampire giggled again. "I found the Morrigan." Angel recognized the name. His people had spoken about her, in hushed tones, passing down the stories of the old ones. She had been called a goddess of death, the carrion crow who stalked battlefields in search of the slain. He looked at the woman, a smile spreading on his features. *This could get interesting.* The faery returned the smile. "I've been expected." ************************************* Intermission One: Mairrighana remembers.. The sun, the sun so bright, like Dulloran's hair. The flowers, his blue eyes as he handed her the flowers. Did she see them? Giggling in the bushes, waiting for Dulloran to give her flowers. Small bright suns in their hands, red blood in Dulloran's hair. The scream of the iron, cutting. Pain. Where is Dulloran? Where are the pretty flowers? Hard rope, biting rope. Rocky ground. Where is Dulloran? Humans. Too many humans. They have Dulloran's sword. His hair, so bright, like the sun. Where is Dulloran? Must escape. More iron, all around me. Must find Dulloran. A cart, a village. More humans. Small humans. A tree, more iron. Humans watching, throwing rocks. Tall human with Dulloran's sword. Laughing. A sun in his hand. Sun thrown at my feet. Dulloran's eyes in the sun, washed with blood. Take her down. Make magic babies. No! Dulloran's eyes. Laughing. Humans laughing. Rough hands. Bite. No! Do not do this! Do not make me! Please stop. Dulloran's sword dropped. Struggle. Kick. Bite. Do anything. Get Dulloran's sword. A raven's cry. Black wings. Dulloran's sword. Humans want magic? Dulloran's sword in my hand, liquid fire. Humans scream. Must kill humans. Kill all humans. No humans left. For Dulloran. ************************************** Part Two: Giles took his glasses off of his face, rubbing them absentmindedly on his handkerchief. He had spent the last few hours looking for as much information as he could regarding Sunnydale's latest visitor but his prophecies mentioned nothing about her possible identity. *Perhaps Jenny* he caught himself thinking before firmly shaking his head. Giles had been shocked when Buffy had explained her unnerving encounter with Angel the evening before - and the mysterious young woman who had come to their aid. *Why save Buffy's life only to threaten her.* It was one thing for the young woman to save Buffy's life; it was quite another for the young woman to spare Angel simply because "she had need of him." "And this spell she incanted?" He asked softly. "Hermes translocation," replied Buffy. "What does it mean?" "Hermes was the messenger of the gods in Greek mythology. He was generally depicted with winged shoes -" "Like the guy in that florist commercial!" Xander interrupted quickly. Giles rolled his eyes. "Quite." "Hermes translocation," repeated Buffy thoughtfully. It reminded her of the incantations that Amy had used on Valentine's Day. "Do you suppose she could be a witch?" "The broom didn't give that away?" It was Xander's turn to roll his eyes. "Come on, Buff - the Slayer should have figured that one out without the handbook." He looked as though he was going to continue with his conversation, but the librarian's curt cough and the stern glance of his eye made Xander think better of continuing in the same vein. "It wouldn't be the first time that a witch joined forces with a vampire," mused Giles. "I don't think she's really a witch." Willow had stopped typing on her keyboard and peeked her head out from behind the computer in the library. "I mean, she wants everyone to think that she's a witch, but she's not one." "What did you find?" Giles was halfway across the library before he had even finished asking the question. Buffy and Xander followed closely on Giles' heels. The trio crowded around Willow's chair and peered at the computer screen. Willow had already printed several photographs and began handing them to the rest of the group. The screen itself was brandished with the logo for The Rocky Mountain News, and Willow appeared to be cataloguing several articles from the site. "There she is! Sailor Moon meets the Addams family!" Xander handed his picture to Giles. The librarian stared at it intently. The scene in the picture was similar to many he had seen in comic books as a child. Two groups of figures in brightly colored suits were battling, presumably for justice to prevail. In the midst of the fight, a young woman with blonde hair and a broomstick was standing with a ball of fire poised in her hand. He handed the picture back to Xander. "Are you absolutely certain?" "That's her," Buffy replied. "Who is she?" "She's a superhero," said Willow. "Surely you're joking?" Giles closed his eyes, half hoping that the conversation would not take the inevitable path that it seemed to be following. "Minor occult figures are one thing but a superhero?" Humans with "super" powers had become more prevalent in the world during the last twenty-five years or so - several theories postulated that it might be the effects of chemicals or radiation. He had enough to deal with as it was with the Hellmouth. Willow shook her head. "Yep. She's actually kind of cool. I mean, for a vampire savior." She took a deep breath. "Her name is Nightshade. She's part of a superhero group that is based in Denver. She infiltrated a high school where a supervillian was recruiting teenagers with superpowers to use for his evil ends. Only he didn't know that she was working for the good guys, which she was." "I am getting too old for this." Giles sighed. It sounds worse than one of those pulp novels. "Cool," yelped Xander. He pointed towards a man standing next to Nightshade. "Is that a lightsaber?" Willow nodded. "His name is Jedite. He's a Jedi Knight." "That's original." Giles smiled weakly. Buffy leaned closer to take a better look at the picture. "So that's my new enemy? She doesn't look all that powerful." "That's what bothers me. She shouldn't be an enemy." Willow pointed to one of the articles on the screen ahead of her. "I've gone through lots of articles about the group and never once does anyone have something really bad to say about her. Sure, there's some problems that she has with Eric Dermann -" "Who's Eric Dermann?" asked Giles quickly. He latched onto the first item in Willow's explanation that he could, fearing that she might continue indefinitely if no one stopped her. "That name sounds familiar. I seem to remember some documents about a family in Germany named Dermann. They were rumoured to have a strong psychic gift." "Oh," replied Willow. "He's the dashing millionaire playboy in the group. I'm not certain what he really does but his family does come from Germany.." She pointed towards a young man wearing a double-breasted suit in a picture depicting the superhero team at a press conference. "He is dashing," added Buffy. "Every superhero team needs a dashing playboy," was Giles' resigned reply. Xander nodded. "Let me guess. He dresses up in a rubber suit to avenge the murder of his parents?" Willow merely raised an eyebrow and continued with her original explanation. "Well, she has problems with this Eric Dermann because he's always hitting on her and Dryad - that's the girl who looks like a tree - so the two of them cooked up some practical jokes to keep him in line. Anyway, he doesn't seem to have very good things to say about either of them lately and he's even gotten into public fights with the other members of the group." "And this fits in how?" Buffy asked, turning to gaze at Willow quizzically. "Well, she's supposed to be a good person but what if she got fed up with being in Denver and decided to move." Willow's brow wrinkled as she considered the thought. Giles continued with Willow's explanation. "Killing vampires would make a name for one's self, if one did it openly." "But how did she know I was the Slayer?" Buffy turned to Giles quickly. Giles shrugged his shoulders. "Calling it a lucky guess would most likely be premature." "So all we need to do is keep an eye out for someone with a broom." Xander spoke matter-of-factly. "I think we can handle that." "Xander, I want you to help Willow find out as much as you can about this Nightshade." Giles walked away from the computer and back towards the stacks near his private office. "I am going to try to find any references in the prophecies which might clarify the situation." "I'm going to see if I can find her myself," Buffy stated. The tone in her voice made it clear that she would win any argument before it even started. Giles sighed. "I was hoping to give the Slayer a night off, in light of last evening's excitement." "Sunnydale is safe from vampires and mystery guests whenever I'm around," replied Buffy in a fair imitation of the voice actress who played the character `Serena' from Sailor Moon. "In the name of the Watcher, I will protect the innocent and triumph over the undead." *And that means Angel* she added silently. The smile on her face hid any feelings she might have had on that regard; no one stopped her as she quietly left the library. ******************************************** Intermission Two will begin the next installment. ************************************************** Jennifer Addis-Newton AKA Branwen ferch Modron whiteraven@pipeline.com http://www.pipeline.com/~whiteraven "For if that which you seek, you find not within yourself, you will never find it without." - from "The Charge of the Goddess" - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Jennifer Addis-Newton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: The Raven's Cry (5/?) Date: 22 Mar 1998 12:27:06 +0000 Disclaimer: This story is a cross-over between a superheroic role-playing campaign and the television show "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." All characters related to "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" are the creations of Joss Whedon et al. It is also entirely possible for additional well-known characters or ideas to appear in passing. I take no credit for these ideas, merely for reworking them so that they fit into the campaign world. Caitlin O'Riordan, however, is entirely my own creation. Feedback: Please! This is my first fanfic of any kind. If there's any way to make the characters more true to themselves, I'm all for it. Spoilers: None of which I am aware. My universe diverges from Joss' with "Passion" -- it didn't happen. Rating: Some adult situations and language -- I'd give the whole thing a solid PG-13. ************************************* Intermission Three: Date sent: March 17, 1998 2:30 AM PST Archie, Let Alex know that his suspicions were confirmed. A rare type of bird was sighted in Sunnydale. Please research any related appearances in the Sunnydale area over the last few months and reply in care of jcalendar@sunnydale.hs.edu. Yours in the Audobon Society, Shade ******************************** Part Four: Jenny Calendar resolutely took a deep breath and placed her hand on the library door. It was difficult enough knowing that she was responsible for the Angel's change, far worse to remember that she had betrayed them all by never speaking the truth regarding her past until it was too late. But she knew something far more dangerous than usual was happening when she scanned her e-mail that morning and noticed that she had received an attached document from "Archie." No one really knew Archie's identity but he was one of the forerunners of the technopagan movement. He had been "connected" far earlier than most within Jenny's online circle, and his knowledge demonstrated a vast depth of experience that few technopagans would ever attain. If something was going on around the world, Archie would know who was involved and how it would affect the rest of them. It was uncanny - his help was never given lightly, nor were his "requests" ignored. So, here she was, with her right hand on the door to the library and a document from one of the leading techno-occult figures in her left hand.and all she could think about was the fact that she might never see Rupert smile at her again. Funny how the mind worked. Jenny smiled wanly and opened the door. Giles was hard at work. He looked as though he had stayed in the library all evening. Books and papers were piled around him, and the hum of the computer was unmistakable. Jenny could hear fingers moving on the keyboard. *Willow.* Hopefully, the document she had been sent would help to enlighten them all on the situation. "Rupert," she said softly. Jenny had tried speaking to him once, on Valentine's Day, with somewhat disastrous results. The computer teacher looked around quickly for Xander - another person she had been studiously attempting to avoid, and not just because of his friendship with Buffy. A love spell had made the teenager irresistible to women, and Jenny had also succumbed to his magical charm. Giles looked up from his book, rubbed his eyes tiredly, and said, "I'm not certain this is the time for our." His voice trailed off uncertainly. "This is business, Rupert." Jenny handed him the document she had printed. It detailed every strange occurrence that had happened in Sunnydale over the last several weeks - beginning with the love spell that had worked entirely too well. "I was sent this by Archie." A snore erupted from across the room. Jenny saw Xander sleeping on a couch. Giles ignored the noise and began to peruse the document. He motioned for the computer teacher to sit down at the table. She looked down and picked up the nearest piece of paper; it was a picture of someone she recognized, more by reputation than regard. "Is Nightshade involved in this?" The librarian looked up from the document. "What do you know about her?" "She's a superhero who thinks she's a witch," replied Jenny. "Apart from that, she's never been connected to real occult circles." "Although I have quite a following with male technopagans. I've seen the screensaver," returned a soft voice from across the room. Jenny turned in her seat to see two figures standing in the doorway. Buffy she recognized; like everyone else, the Slayer appeared to have stayed up all evening. The other was a teenager who looked to be of similar age as the others in the room. The newcomer's blonde hair had been pulled into a long braid, and she was dressed casually in jeans and a black tee-shirt. Jenny narrowed her eyes. *Put her in a witch's costume and give her a broom.* "What are you doing here?" "Nightshade is with me." Buffy's voice was cold. "What are you doing here?" "Jenny is here because Archie asked her to be," Nightshade replied. She crossed the room and reached the table, glancing at the papers which had been strewn across it. "Or, more to the point. She's here because I asked Archie to send her some research." She smiled at the computer teacher. "Looks like I'm connected to real occult figures after all." "I don't want her here." Buffy's voice was soft, and she crossed her arms dangerously. "Buffy, I'm -" Jenny began. She always tried to apologize. Buffy raised her hand for silence. "Giles has what he needs. Now leave." "I'm sor -" Jenny tried again. "I don't want to hear it," the Slayer replied. "Maybe you should leave, Ms. Calendar." Willow had come out from behind the computer, a concerned expression on her face. She tried to smile wanly at the computer teacher - whose anguish was obvious to every eye in the room. Save for one. Buffy had turned her back on the computer teacher. Jenny stood to leave, an apologetic glance in Giles' direction. He glanced as apologetically back. The sound of Xander's snoring filled the room. Nightshade glanced at Buffy, and back to the computer teacher. Jenny began to walk towards the door. "Wait," said Nightshade. "If she can help, she should stay." Buffy whirled on the superhero. "We don't need her kind of help." "You're fighting more than vampires, Buffy," Nightshade replied. There was a stubborn look in her blue eyes. "We're going to need something a little bit more powerful than the Slayer." "Who are we fighting?" Willow asked softly. Buffy shrugged her shoulders. "She called herself the Morrigan." "What?" Jenny started at the word. "Did you say Morrigan?" Giles asked quickly. Buffy nodded. "Angel's latest fling. Hangs around with a raven and a really big sword." "That is not precisely what I wished to hear," replied Giles. He frowned suddenly and looked at the superhero. "Can you add anything more?" Nightshade sighed. "She truly believes she is the Morrigan. When I attempted to use one of my spells against her, she was offended by the fact that I `dared' to call upon her own province of power." She turned to look at the window, her eyes going wide. Giles looked at Jenny. "Can your friends help?" "Archie is the best contact any technopagan could have," Jenny replied. "He sent you all the information he could find." "What's the big deal about Miss Raven Lover, anyway?" Buffy followed Nightshade's movement across the library. The superhero tugged at the latch on the window. "She was an Irish goddess," Jenny said. "The goddess of death and battle." "The Irish gods were beings known as the Tuatha de Danaan," added Rupert. "The Children of the Goddess Dana, roughly translated. They were once inhabitants of Ireland, according to the legends. They were all powerful magic-users." "She's powerful." Buffy's replied with a flat tone of voice. She remembered the way that the Morrigan had restrained every person in the Bronze the evening before. "I don't know what bothers me more," Xander's voice said from the couch. "The fact that I can't even sleep through these conversations anymore or the fact that we're fighting a death-slinging goddess." He covered his eyes as Nightshade opened the window. "Sleep, definitely." "If it's any consolation," Nightshade replied, "You're technically not fighting a death-slinging goddess." She peered out the window. "I am. In three days." "But a goddess." Willow's voice trailed off. "Maybe if you call in enough of your friends, we could combine forces and." "I think it's probably best if I leave my friends out of it, for the moment. A villain in a mechsuit is one thing; this takes a bit more of an open mind and I'm not certain that they're ready for that yet - even Jedite, and he's the most mystical of the bunch." Nightshade smiled at the hacker. "Besides, the Morrigan was never a goddess. Only a faery. Even she would not have presumed to call herself deity." "Since when did you ever hear of a death-slinging pixie?" retorted Xander. "Besides, faeries don't exist." A small figure, approximately six inches high, flitted in the window. It hovered, made a chirping sound, and flew into the library. Its movement was a blur. Nightshade spoke in a soft voice, and the figure moved to hover near her. She held out her hand and a small pixie landed there, one wing missing. The superhero did not say a word - the expression in her eyes was enough. "That's a - " Xander pointed. "Whoa." Willow added. "We live in a world where a man can wear his underwear on top of his pants and shoot lasers out of his eyes without anyone even blinking. Why is it so impossible to believe in faeries?" Nightshade shook her head and turned her attention to the pixie in her hand. It was speaking to her in a high-pitched voice. The superhero nodded and whispered something to the pixie. Before their eyes, its wing began to heal and the creature flew back out the window. Giles looked at the superhero. "Was that a." "A pixie. Perhaps one of the more common species of faery," the superhero replied. "Brought through to this world, I suspect, by a gateway created for such a purpose." "Drucilla." Buffy rolled her eyes. "This sounds like something she would do." "I heard rumors to that effect," replied Nightshade. "Archie had correlated the different faery sightings and determined a general area from the pattern. Then he overlaid the pattern of faery sightings with that of recent vampire sightings." Jenny inclined her head towards the document Giles was holding firmly in his hands. "He calculated the frequency of the sightings to determine a radius and possible starting point for both." "Exactly," added Giles, looking at the document. "Ingenious, actually." "You might want to refrain from letting how know that." The superhero smiled brightly. "He's impossible to deal with as it is." Buffy smiled back, still wondering how the superhero had managed to put all of them at ease despite their initial contact. "So, where do you fit in?" "I came to investigate the gate. I was hoping that it had opened spontaneously but I couldn't ignore the vampire connection based on Archie's calculations." The superhero closed the window and latched it firmly. "I decided to make contact with one of the vampires." "Angel," Buffy stated. Nightshade shrugged her shoulders. "He loves to be the center of attention. He's the easiest one to find." "Not the Angel I knew." Buffy felt better for making the statement. Oddly, she realized that the pain which she swore would never leave her somehow felt easier to bear - simply by admitting, to all her friends, that Angel was gone. She looked at the computer teacher suddenly - although she could say no more, the angry storms in her eyes had disappeared. It was enough. Jenny breathed a sigh of relief as Buffy continued. "And I interrupted contact." Nightshade nodded. "I did manage to cast a spell which allows me to track him, but I still didn't know whether or not the vampires were the ones who opened the gateway." "Until you saw Angel giving smoochies to Miss Raven Lady in the Bronze last night." The pieces were finally falling into place. Buffy turned to Giles. "Do the prophecies mention anything about this situation?" "No, but we can start looking up basic spells to counteract faery mischief," replied the librarian. "Actually, it's more difficult than that. A basic milk and bread spell is not going to work against the Sidhe," replied the superhero. "Although it might serve as a distraction to the little ones, it's also not going to stop the vampires or the larger creatures that wandered through the gate." "I am getting a very bad feeling about all of this," Xander said. ************************************ (Part Four continued in next installment) ************************************************** Jennifer Addis-Newton AKA Branwen ferch Modron whiteraven@pipeline.com http://www.pipeline.com/~whiteraven "For if that which you seek, you find not within yourself, you will never find it without." - from "The Charge of the Goddess" - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Jennifer Addis-Newton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: The Raven's Cry (4/?) Date: 22 Mar 1998 12:27:06 +0000 Disclaimer: This story is a cross-over between a superheroic role-playing campaign and the television show "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." All characters related to "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" are the creations of Joss Whedon et al. It is also entirely possible for additional well-known characters or ideas to appear in passing. I take no credit for these ideas, merely for reworking them so that they fit into the campaign world. Caitlin O'Riordan, however, is entirely my own creation. Feedback: Please! This is my first fanfic of any kind. If there's any way to make the characters more true to themselves, I'm all for it. Spoilers: None of which I am aware. My universe diverges from Joss' with "Passion" -- it didn't happen. Rating: Some adult situations and language -- I'd give the whole thing a solid PG-13. ********************************** Intermission Two: Mairrighana remembers. The baby, always the baby. Dulloran wanted a baby. Ripped from her, ripped from him. Humans. Kill the baby. No! Do not make me! Please, do not make me! I do not want to. Dulloran? What flowers bloom in your dead eyes, love? What suns burn in your sky? Remember the dancing, Dulloran, under the bright moon? Flowers all around us, your smile. The sun. Where are all the dances you promised? Dead. Dead. Dulloran's sword in the hands of the human. Dulloran's sword on the ground. Breathe. Breathe. The human cannot hurt you. Close your eyes. Think of Dulloran. No! Do not make me do this! I will hurt you. Yes, hurt humans who killed Dulloran. The sword is the key, Dulloran's sword. The baby. Kill humans for Dulloran and the baby. ******************************************* Part Three: "How would you like a night on the town?" Angel sat down next to the Morrigan. He had spent hours talking to the faery. She was fascinating - not just because she was beautiful. She shared the same dark beauty as Dru but it went much farther than that. The Morrigan had taken death to extremes; in the old days, his people had considered her a goddess. She understood the poetry of the kill. The Morrigan turned to face Angel, a bright smile on her beautiful face. "And what does one do on a night like this, youngling?" If the sound of war could be musical, it would have been fashioned into her voice. "I feed," the vampire replied. The faery looked at Angel with a serious expression on her face. "I suppose I could feed as well." She opened her hands and a large raven - the likes of which Angel had never seen - appeared between them. She spoke to the raven in a language the vampire did not understand. The raven cocked its head, flew up into the rafters of the building, and then landed suddenly on her shoulder. "Ah, nice trick," commented Angel. *Finally, a babe with some style.* "Macha has not fed in a long while." The faery rose to her feet, her silken dress clinging to the curves of her body. She was wearing red so dark that it looked like dried blood; it matched her smile. "Where is the battlefield?" Angel returned the smile. "We call it the Bronze." "An appropriate name for a battlefield." She extended her hand to Angel, somewhat delicately. The vampire took the faery's hand. "I thought you might like it." "It's not fair," sighed Dru. She was holding a small pixie between her hands, delicately ripping its left wing from its body. The pixie's mouth opened in agony, but its language was unintelligible. "Angel stole my old one tonight." Spike wheeled closer to his beloved. "You can always find a new one, love. You've still got the gateway." "But she was such a nice old one, Spike." When the pixie stopped its strangled, high-pitched scream, Dru looked at it thoughtfully. The pixie, although frightened, was doing its best not to show it. "I don't like these pixies anymore." She dropped the pixie in her hand abruptly. Spike watched the pixie scrabble its way across the floor. He toyed with the idea of following it with the wheelchair but noticed the expression on Dru's face. He moved closer to place a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We'll get you a new old one, Dru." Dru's face brightened with a smile. "I want a powerful one, Spike. More powerful than Angel's old one." "And you shall have it," replied Spike, pulling Dru closer to him for a kiss. After visiting several of the "vampire hot spots" in town, Buffy decided to head back to the library by way of the Bronze. She knew that she had more important things on her mind - she had to find out Nightshade's connection to the vampires - but she had a strange feeling about the local hangout. She paused with her hand on the door, half expecting to feel guiltier than she did, and walked into the Bronze. As soon as she opened the door, she knew instinctively that something was wrong. It was quiet - too quiet - and darker than usual. Although the band was still on the stage, someone had apparently piped the jukebox through the sound system. Tori Amos' "Little Earthquakes" was filling the room, its melodic beat almost hypnotic in the gloom. She tentatively touched the nearest person. The young man did not flinch. His body swayed with the motion of her arm and stopped moving once the body was tilted against the wall. Buffy gasped, and spotted movement out of the corner of her eye. Two figures were still dancing on the dance floor. One was Angel. The other was a woman, taller than she had ever seen, wearing a red velvet dress. The woman leaned back, enraptured in her dance, and laughed. It was almost as hypnotic as the music. Buffy clenched her fists as Angel wrapped his arms around the woman, kissing her exposed neck softly. His teeth left trailing marks of blood against the woman's neck, but she did not seem to mind. *What's going on?* The Slayer thought to herself. *A new vampire?* A raven's harsh croak filled the room. The woman laughed again, held up her hand, and a large raven landed on her hand. She spoke softly to the bird, the musical language unintelligible, and the bird flew towards one of the band members. It landed on the drummer's head and began pecking. *Time to size up Angel's new girl toy* Buffy thought to herself as the raven screeched one more time and continued its pecking. *Is that blood?* Buffy stepped forward resolutely. "Is this a private party or can anyone crash?" The Slayer asked brightly, stepping onto the dance floor. The woman merely raised an eyebrow at Buffy's approach. Buffy could see the puncture wounds on her neck. They appeared to be healing. The woman turned to Angel, her voice warm in the quiet room. "Is this another of your friends, my angel?" Angel grinned at Buffy. "Not a friend, exactly." "A lover," the woman responded, her voice a purr. Angel laughed outright at the comment. "Only in her teenage dreams." *Typical.* Buffy's outward reply to the statement was to jump forward and attempt to hit Angel in the shoulder with a flying jump kick. No sooner had she begun to move did the tall woman turn in her direction and begin to wave her hands in an intricate pattern. Buffy fell to the ground, paralyzed. She tried to struggle but the movement only increased the invisible pressure which was holding her motionless. Angel laughed quietly. The sound of his boots on the floor echoed sharply through the room. The vampire walked casually to where the Slayer lay and kicked her soundly in the side. Pain lanced through her body, but Buffy could not roll away from his blows. Angel knelt suddenly, caressing Buffy's side in the exact spot he had kicked. "This is so like you, Buffy. Why don't you just lie back and enjoy it?" He rose to his feet and kicked Buffy again, much to the amusement of the tall woman who watched the scene with brilliant eyes. "I thought I would just kill you, Buffy. Make it quick." The vampire walked around her slowly. "But there's something satisfying about torturing the Slayer." His foot cracked against her ribs. "Maybe it's just me, Buff, but that one sounded like it had to hurt." "Let me help," the woman said. She stepped forward, holding a wicked-looking knife in her right hand. "I am uncommonly fond of torture." The knife glinted in Buffy's eyes. The raven screamed again and was abruptly silenced. Buffy watched it arc its way across the Bronze, landing between the woman and herself. *What?* The pressure was gone. Buffy experimentally made a fist and rolled to one side. Jumping to her feet, she stepped back to appraise the scene. The woman in the red dress stared open-mouthed at the raven and dropped her knife, rushing to the raven's body. Angel strode protectively to her side, glaring at the Slayer. *How can this be my fault?* Buffy turned her head just in time to see a dark figure jump from the stage, twirl in the air, and land on the dance floor. "Nightshade!" Buffy was not entirely surprised to see the superhero standing next to her. "Slayer!" Nightshade returned with a friendlier smile than Buffy would have anticipated, given the conversation from the night before. "Fancy meeting you here." *Alright, let's go with this.* Buffy grinned. "You know us Slayers - we just don't like it when we're not invited to parties." "It's past your bedtime, Buffy," snapped Angel. His dark eyes were fuming, and he snarled as he stepped closer to the superhero. "But I'll start with you." He flexed his fingers dangerously. "Nuke the vamp," Nightshade responded, raising her broom. "I'll take the witch." "Gladly," Buffy replied, not quite fast enough to step between the raging vampire and the superhero standing before him. "Oh, no you don't!" Angel growled, jumping forward to grab the broom from the superhero's hands. "Thanks for the present." He was not prepared for Buffy's blow. She stepped forward, unconsciously adapting a move from the tai chi class she had started taking. Her teacher had explained that blows dealt from the palm of the hand were powerful, due to the chi which was expelled through a person's palms. *What do you know - it works.* Angel rocked to the ground, a grim smile on his face. The broom was still in his hands. "If only it were that easy," Nightshade replied. She made no attempt to retrieve the broom and whirled in a circle. "Touch of the Morrigan!" When she completed the circle, a ball of dark energy was balanced on her wrists where her hands had crossed. The woman's shoulders went straight as the superhero incanted her spell and moved to a standing position. Her voice was soft and all the more deadly. "Child, you play with powers you don't understand." A cloak of dark feather's seemed to appear on her back, and it flowed to the ground behind her. A giant sword, gleaming silver, appeared in her right hand. Buffy tensed, waiting for the next move. *If I kick her wrist it's just possible that I can get the sword out of her hands.provided I can get in the kick before she paralyzes me again.* Angel was standing too close to Nightshade and the swirling ball of fury she held for Buffy to chance grabbing the broom. "I don't play," Nightshade replied with a defiant toss of her blonde braid. "I win." "Never against me, child. The Tuatha de Danaan destroyed countless thousands of your race," the woman replied. She stepped slowly forward, her sword gathering all the light in the room. Its keen edge dripped with blood. "Invoking power in my name, to use against me." Her voices was soft. "I am the Morrigan." The faery now stood before the superhero, and her sword made a slow ascent into the air. "Feel the bite of Dulloran's blade." The sentence had an electrifying effect on the superhero. Nightshade's blue eyes widened and her face went chalk-white with anger. Giving an inarticulate cry of fury, the superhero threw the ball directly at the sword making its way towards her. The sword seemed to encompass the energy, growing brighter than before. The faery smiled. The energy coalesced and shimmered, bursting into black sparks within the sword. It exploded soundlessly, taking most of the Morrigan's right hand with it. The faery's mouth widened with the pain and she stepped backwards to look at the superhero. When she spoke, it was in a contained voice. "You will pay for that, child." The Morrigan looked at her right hand, and narrowed her eyes. It throbbed and began to heal. "Time for Angel to feed," the vampire interjected. "I don't think so," Nightshade replied, in a voice unlike any Buffy had ever heard. The anger in her eyes had diminished - barely controlled. The superhero pointed a finger at the faery. "By the bright moon and the dark forests. By the sweet water and the shimmering fire. By the binding spirits of the shining ones." "No!" There was fear in the faery's eyes. "How?" "You are called, Morrigan ferch Danu, to the fior-comlann." Nightshade dropped her hand. "In three days time." "On the darkest night of the moon?" The Morrigan smiled. "You are a foolish child." Nightshade shrugged her shoulders. "Do you accept." "I do," the faery replied. "I choose the weapons. Do you choose the place?" "I will find you, Morrigan ferch Danu." The superhero's voice sounded more like itself, and she sighed suddenly. "In three days time." The faery turned to face the vampire. "We leave, my angel. In three days time, this world will be ours." "I can scarcely wait," Angel replied. He viciously cracked the broom he was still holding over his knee and threw the broken pieces at Nightshade. "Oops. Did you need that?" He smiled. With a shimmer similar to the one used by Nightshade the night before, the vampire and the faery suddenly disappeared from the center of the dance floor. Buffy lowered her hands and turned to the superhero. There was an emotion far deeper than sadness on Nightshade's face. Buffy placed a hand on the superhero's arm. "Are you alright?" "Yes." Nightshade picked up the pieces of her broom, tried to put the two pieces together, and sighed again when it fell apart. "I lose more brooms this way." "Can't you just use magic?" Buffy asked, flicking her fingers awkwardly. Nightshade laughed, although her eyes did not change expression. "It's just a broom, Buffy. I only carry it to look the part." Her eyes brightened to match the smile. "You realize, of course, that I'm divulging a trade secret." "Speaking of brooms, it's clean-up time," Buffy replied, turning to look at the figures in the room. "The drummer," she remembered suddenly. "He'll be fine." Nightshade replied. "Being able to heal people is one of the perks of the job." She muttered something under her breath which Buffy did not hear. The Slayer nodded and began to make her way through the room, assessing the condition of the onlookers. A few had already been bitten - it looked as though Angel had been taking his time. "Got a few live ones here." "Vampires?" Nightshade asked from the other side of the room. She was looking intently at someone Buffy recognized - Harmony, Cordelia's friend. "This one doesn't have the marks." Buffy sighed. "I'm not certain how I would have explained that one to Cordy." She began to make a mental inventory of those in the room who had been bitten by Angel. "Looks like I'll be spending the next couple of nights in the cemetery." "I'm going to need your help in three days," returned Nightshade. There was a thoughtful expression on her face. "Doesn't fire kill vampires?" Buffy nodded. "I did the same thing to." A thought suddenly occurred to her. "You're not going to burn down the Bronze, are you?" The superhero appeared next to Buffy, a ball of fire in her right hand. "No. If you would be so kind as to point out the first target?" Nightshade's blue eyes followed Buffy's finger. She peered at the girl's neck, nodded slightly, and whispered softly to herself before touching the girl's body with the ball of fire. Buffy folded her arms across her chest, watching the fire burn its victim - and only its victim. The superhero moved onto the next of Angel's prey and slowly repeated the process. She thought over the only two words she had been able to hear before Nightshade had burned the first victim. *Forgive me.* Buffy echoed the sentiment silently as she scattered the ashes that remained. *************************************** (Intermission Three begins the next installment) ************************************************** Jennifer Addis-Newton AKA Branwen ferch Modron whiteraven@pipeline.com http://www.pipeline.com/~whiteraven "For if that which you seek, you find not within yourself, you will never find it without." - from "The Charge of the Goddess" - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Jennifer Addis-Newton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: The Raven's Cry (6/?) Date: 22 Mar 1998 12:27:06 +0000 Disclaimer: This story is a cross-over between a superheroic role-playing campaign and the television show "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." All characters related to "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" are the creations of Joss Whedon et al. It is also entirely possible for additional well-known characters or ideas to appear in passing. I take no credit for these ideas, merely for reworking them so that they fit into the campaign world. Caitlin O'Riordan, however, is entirely my own creation. Feedback: Please! This is my first fanfic of any kind. If there's any way to make the characters more true to themselves, I'm all for it. Spoilers: None of which I am aware. My universe diverges from Joss' with "Passion" -- it didn't happen. Rating: Some adult situations and language -- I'd give the whole thing a solid PG-13. ************************************* Part Four: Cont'd "You should be." Nightshade moved from the window towards the center of the room. "Because she's going to be sending creatures after us for the next three days, and I'd hazard an educated guess that vampires have also fallen prey to her glamour." "And Angel knows where to find us," added Willow. "What happens if you lose that fight?" Buffy asked. "The Fior-comlann." "What's that?" Xander looked at Giles expectantly. The librarian pinched the top of his nose with his hand and sighed. "A duel to the death." "It's bad enough that you're dragging us into this superhero business, but I'm drawing the line at a duel to the death." Xander casually meandered his way back to the couch and sat down. "Buffy, don't look at me like that." Buffy's mouth twitched dangerously but she succeeded in her attempt not to laugh outright at Xander. "You know that we're going to spend the next three hours convincing you to help despite your sense of self-preservation so why not just cry uncle and give up now?" "Because then I wouldn't get all this attention," the teenager replied, closing his eyes once more. Willow turned to Nightshade. "You see what we have to put up with?" "I'd rather spend an afternoon with Eric Dermann," the superhero replied. "You guys are bad enough." Xander opened an eye. "But now I'm getting dissed by a superhero." He sat up again. "Uncle. What are we going to do?" Giles cleared his throat. "I hate to interrupt all of this spirited teenage camaraderie but we really should formulate a plan." "About one sentence too late," Xander said. "It's pretty simple. We need to get Nightshade to the gate and give her enough time to fight Angel's new girl toy. I can take on the vampires but we're going to need a way to neutralize the other faery creatures." Buffy walked to the table and picked up a book. "Better start researching "milk and bread" spells." With those words, the Slayer pulled back a chair, sat down, and resolutely opened the book in her hand. ******************************************* Intermission Four: A faery tale. Two figures stand near the great oak: a young woman with hair the color of spun gold and an older man wearing a white robe. :Pwyll, where is my court disappearing to?: :Lady, I did not see you approach.: :Pwyll, stop groveling. It does not behoove a councilor to grovel.: :I am sorry, Lady.: :Be that as it may, it does not answer the question.: :A new gateway has been formed.: :Then I shall investigate the gateway.: :Mairrighana has failed you, Lady. She is flawed.: The young woman's eyes burn as bright as her hair. The green of her dress flickers against the grass as she walks away. The man sighs and leans back against the oak. *********************************** Part Five: Nightshade's prediction regarding the next three days had come true. Their otherworldly foe had sent several creatures on the attack - faery by day, vampires by night. Buffy suspected that the vampires fought more out of fear of Angel's retribution than out of regard for the Morrigan. The last vamp she had spiked had some interesting statements to make regarding the relationship between the Morrigan and Angel; it appeared that the only vampires who had actually fallen for the sidhe's glamour were Angel and Dru - even Spike thought the "whole lot of buggers should just go back through the gate - including that crazy raven bitch." The last afternoon had been the worst - several creatures that Nightshade had called "bogans" and something which was obviously a psychotic artist's rendition of a giant. The faery had not even attempted to remain hidden - they merely plowed through Sunnydale High until they hit the library. The bogans had been relatively easy to dispatch - between herself and Oz's new ability to control his transformations at will, the bogans spent more time fleeing than fighting. The giant, though, had been another story. It stood at least fifteen feet high and did not even attempt to enter the building. Instead, its fist pummeled through one of the library windows. His bellow immediately followed the sound of shattering glass. Buffy and Oz prepared to rush outside for a new attack but the giant suddenly stopped bellowing and spoke in a voice as grating as two stones. Buffy would never forget the voice: Youngling, are you ready for this evening? I grow strong in the dark moon. Tonight you will regret your challenge as the blood of humans flows once more from Dulloran's blade. As soon as this statement had been made, the giant fled. Buffy chanced a glance at the superhero; Nightshade's appeared more resigned than angry. As the afternoon meandered its way into the early evening, Buffy braced herself for the vampires to begin their last attack before the confrontation between Nightshade and the Morrigan. Strangely, no vampire attacks were forthcoming. Their preparations - interrupted as they had been over the last three days - were not fool-proof. Giles had briefed Xander, Willow and Cordelia on some of the lesser faery spells; he and Jenny would work on a greater spell which Giles had uncovered. Oz was going to run interference with the larger members of "the host" and Buffy was set to take on the vampires. Nightshade would neutralize the Morrigan and attempt to close the gate which had formed to what she called "the otherworld." Giles did not think that Nightshade could do it, and Buffy was hoping that the superhero would prove him wrong. They had gathered in the parking lot of the school. The original plan was to meet before splitting up and taking different routes to the abandoned warehouse where the vampires had made their new home. "Do you have all the spell components." Buffy smiled at the worried tone in Giles' voice. "What's so magical about milk?" Cordelia sounded incredulous. "It does a body good," quipped Xander. The sound of rusty wheels approached from behind. Buffy whirled quickly to find Spike rolling his way towards them in a wheelchair. She had not seen the vampire since his "accident" and he did not appear to be recovering quickly from the fire. He was flanked by several other vampires, most of whom Buffy did not recognize. *Here it comes* Buffy though to herself. She tensed automatically, her eyes flickering across the group. *Where's Nightshade?* "Slayer," Spike said softly. "I've got a proposition for you." "No deal, dead boy!" It was Xander who spoke. "I don't think any of you are in a position to argue at the moment." The vampire made a gesture and the vampires with him began to surround the group - all managing to stay out of the Slayers' range. "Doesn't feel good when you're outnumbered, does it?" "I think I can even the odds," came Nightshade's familiar voice. She floated into the midst of the group and landed next to Buffy. The simple clothes she had worn during the last three days were gone. The superhero costume was back. "Fresh meat." The vampire appraised Nightshade with a cool stare. The tone in his voice was appreciative. "And pretty meat at that." He laughed. "But you're still surrounded." "What Buffy can't take down, I can." The superhero held a ball of fire in her hands and looked at the vampire with an engaging smile. "I think you'd like her way better." "Less painful," added Buffy. Several of the vampires began to hiss at the idea. Spike held up his hand for silence and looked directly at the Slayer as he spoke. "I don't like the faery infestation any more than the rest of you. I want the old Sunnydale back." "The gullywodes too much for you?" It was Nightshade who responded to the vampire. There was an impudent grin on her face. The vampire ignored Nightshade's remark. His eyes began to burn with anger. "More importantly, I want Dru back. She's gone bonkers over this raven bitch and is quite put out that Angel took miss mighty Morrigan away from her." He sighed. "Since Angel has her old one, Dru has decided to find another." "Why are you telling us this?" Giles' voice was calm and the expression on his face was perplexed. "Look, I thought it was a good idea at first. Find a few faeries, kill off a few sods, and have done with it. Now this black-haired wench comes through and decides that she's going to revenge herself for a war that happened who knows how bloody long ago." The vampire rolled closer to the Slayer, a strange look on his face. "Now, I can admire the zeal but how she managed to wrap Angelus around her finger, I have no idea." "The glamour," breathed Jenny. Giles nodded. "I hadn't realized it would work so strongly on vampires." "Demons must love pixies," commented Xander. "Please," Spike growled. "I get very hungry when I'm interrupted." He looked at the comuputer teacher. "Your glamour hasn't worked on me or most of the blokes - I'd say about a third of us have defected to her side." "Defected?" Willow's voice was soft, a perplexed expression in her eyes. "The vampires are at war," returned Spike. "She's supplemented her side by pulling more creatures through. Dru's helping her." "Let me get this straight." Xander stepped forward despite the glares he received from his companions. "You vampires are at war - killing each other off, so to speak - and you want us to help you get rid of this faery so that you can all be undead buds again and start terrorizing the innocent schlubs of Sunnydale." "That sums it up fairly nicely," returned Spike mildly. Xander shook his head. "Just wanting to make certain I understood you completely before I speak for all of us and tell you where to ram that wheelchair." "I can see this was a waste of time." Spike turned on his left wheel and started to roll away. "Boys, get them." The vampires began to move in towards the group. *There are too many of them!* Buffy desperately placed herself between every vampire who approached her friends, kicking one back only to have another take its place. Giles was doing the best he could with his crossbow, and Oz was growling menacingly at a vampire who had grabbed Willow by the hair. *This is hopeless.* *You've got one chance, Buffy.* The Slayer noticed a ball of fire explode to her left and heard the screams of a dying vampire. *She's handy to have in a fight.* Spike had rolled beyond the fighting area and had turned to watch the melee with a twisted grin on his face. The Slayer slammed into a vampire running in her direction, used the momentum to propel herself into the air, and landed behind Spike's wheelchair with a stake in her hand. "We can do this the hard way," the Slayer whispered to the vampire, "Or we can do this the easy way." The stake was inches away from Spike's chest. "Back off, boys!" Spike bit out the words. The one vampire who continued to pursue Cordelia was summarily staked by Xander, grim determination in his eyes. "Talk," Buffy said. "Buffy, no!" The tone in Giles' voice was final. "I saw what the Morrigan did to one room of people, Giles. I'd hate to think what she could do to the entire town." Buffy shook her head with a sigh. It was Spike's turn to speak. "I'm offering a truce. One night only. My vampires won't attack you." He paused. "In fact, we're going to help you. And just to sweeten the deal.when it's over, I'm handing Angelus over to the Slayer." "What?" Buffy looked startled. She almost dropped the stake. Spike smiled. "Consider it a bonus for a job well done." Buffy's eyes narrowed. "How can I trust you?" "He's telling the truth," replied Nightshade. There was a look of intense concentration in her blue eyes as she watched the vampire steadily. Her hands were once again crossed in front of her and a white glow seemed to emanate from Spike's vicinity. "And his goons will only act on his word." Feeling that she might regret what she was about to do, Buffy lowered the stake and took a step back from Spike's wheelchair. "It's a deal." "You won't live to regret this," the vampire replied. Xander winced. "That's exactly what I'm afraid of." ******************************* Intermission Five: Mairrighana remembers. The blood in Dulloran's hair, darkening the sun, darkening the moon. A raven's cry pierces the air. His sword in her hand. Do you remember, Mairrighana? The riastradh? The humans must die. For Dulloran. Your vow, Mairrighana. The quiet voice, the still green place. See how it shatters the heart? The ravens circle you today, your vow unbroken. The child, Mairrighana. It was the child. Dulloran's blade in your hand, the human grunting for a magic baby. Your magic, like death, in their hands. Dulloran's dull eyes staring, the quiet voice in the still green place. Hearts shattered. Kill humans. Dulloran's blade will run. **************************************************** The story continues in Part Six but this is what I've got completed to date. Again, please send me any and all feedback (including negative criticism) you'd like. Jennifer ************************************************** Jennifer Addis-Newton AKA Branwen ferch Modron whiteraven@pipeline.com http://www.pipeline.com/~whiteraven "For if that which you seek, you find not within yourself, you will never find it without." - from "The Charge of the Goddess" - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Jennifer Addis-Newton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: The Raven's Cry (1/?) Date: 22 Mar 1998 12:27:05 +0000 Hello! I've been putting this off long enough so... Hope everyone likes it. Disclaimer: This story is a cross-over between a superheroic role-playing campaign and the television show "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." All characters related to "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" are the creations of Joss Whedon et al. It is also entirely possible for additional well-known characters or ideas to appear in passing. I take no credit for these ideas, merely for reworking them so that they fit into the campaign world. Caitlin O'Riordan, however, is entirely my own creation. Feedback: Please! This is my first fanfic of any kind. If there's any way to make the characters more true to themselves, I'm all for it. Spoilers: None of which I am aware. My universe diverges from Joss' with "Passion" -- it didn't happen. Rating: Some adult situations and language -- I'd give the whole thing a solid PG-13. ******************************************** Prologue: Caitlin O'Riordan quickly scanned the piece of paper in her hand, memorizing every line in detail, before turning in her chair to look at the man who stood before her. Alex Wethersby was the latest in a long line of men and women who had dedicated their lives to her singular task. He was the current leader of the Order of the Pentacle, an organization that had become her eyes and ears in the world. She smiled briefly at him before turning her attention back to the report he had handed her. "I suppose we should send someone to investigate directly." Alex spoke in a matter-of-fact tone. Caitlin merely nodded, and turned to the fireplace. She had created the Order of the Pentacle to observe the paranormal. There were other organizations in the world dedicated to similar purposes but they rarely appeared interested in phenomena outside of the jurisdictions of their sect. This had angered Caitlin on more than one occasion, especially because she knew that the higher-ranking members of each order were aware of the others' existence. She had attempted, once, to bring those leaders together and begin to exchange information; she was unsuccessful and left the groups to their own devices. Fortunately, she had been more successful in keeping The Order of the Pentacle intact through the years. Few people knew of its existence - people might have whispered about it in certain occult circles, but not one person could explain how to join or where to find a member. The order had no outward symbol of membership, so it was impossible to track the membership that way. Even those people who could be considered members were unaware of the organization's scope. An average member had two contacts: the person who passed information to them and the person to whom they passed information. Remarkably, the system worked beyond any of Caitlin's expectations. Its structure was the key, allowing members to pass information quickly to their superior as well as providing the membership with a certain protective anonymity. Looking back, it was difficult to connect the Order's vast information network with the five trustworthy seekers she had chosen on an island called Eiru; their initial task, like her own, had grown with time. Perhaps part of the Order's success was also based on the fact that the Order had no libraries, no real centralized location. A member's duty was to collect rumors of paranormal activity; all information passed through the ranks until it eventually ended in the leader's hands. The leader would then give the report to Caitlin, who would determine what action to take based on the information in the report. She handled this report in much the same way as she had every other. She read it twice, making certain that she understood its contents, and then destroyed the report. She had been gifted with an eidetic memory; it allowed her the opportunity to safeguard the knowledge she had spent years accumulating. In this case, Caitlin crumpled up the report in her hands and placed it in the fireplace on her right. She watched the report burn, her hair almost as red as the flames, before responding to her companion. "To be certain, you are right." There was a wild undertone to her voice that reminded the listener of green fields and wild flowers and an accent which most people would mistake for an Irish brogue. She chose not to correct the assumption. "We could send in the entire team." Alex pushed his glasses back on his nose thoughtfully. "You could say that someone in Sunnydale requested the team's assistance." Caitlin shook her head. "This isn't exactly a crime, Alex. Not in the sense that they would understand." She caught herself imagining how to convince the team to leave Denver - any explanation would entail more information than she believed her friends were ready to handle. Caitlin shrugged her shoulders. "Besides, Psyche would never forgive me - Jedite was planning on doing a refit this month." Alex decided to try another tactic. "What of the business?" "I believe that is why I hired you." She laughed suddenly, her eyes darkening to black velvet from their usual green. "I was hired for something else entirely." "But the Hellmouth." The woman who rose from the chair did not resemble the one who had sat in it a half hour earlier. She was tall now, with hair as dark as a raven's wing, and a fire burned in her black eyes. ".has been expecting me." ******************************************* ************************************************** Jennifer Addis-Newton AKA Branwen ferch Modron whiteraven@pipeline.com http://www.pipeline.com/~whiteraven "For if that which you seek, you find not within yourself, you will never find it without." - from "The Charge of the Goddess" - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Jennifer Addis-Newton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Discussion -- The Raven's Cry Date: 22 Mar 1998 12:40:53 +0000 Hello, all. Here I was stressed out about debuting my first piece of fanfic and, wouldn't you know, some of the parts didn't even make it to the list (the prologue) and others weren't in order. (Proof the some e-mail just takes a little longer to get where it's going... :) If you'd like a copy of the whole thing, I would be more than happy to send it. I will also wait a bit and see if Part 1 ever shows up on the list -- if not, I'll repost. Sorry! Jennifer Jennifer ************************************************** Jennifer Addis-Newton AKA Branwen ferch Modron whiteraven@pipeline.com http://www.pipeline.com/~whiteraven "For if that which you seek, you find not within yourself, you will never find it without." - from "The Charge of the Goddess" - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Greeneteen Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: Our Hearts Will Go On 4/6 Date: 22 Mar 1998 16:07:15 EST can u send me 1-3? i just signed on. thanks - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: michele v Subject: BUFFYFIC: Our Hearts Will Go On Date: 22 Mar 1998 13:14:22 -0800 (PST) Ok, something really got messed up when I tried to send out all parts of "Our Hearts Willow Go On" so I'm going to try this again. I'm sending out parts 1-5 because a lot of people have been asking for it again and also the last aprt. (part 6) _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: michele v Subject: BUFFYFIC: Our Hearts Will Go On 1/6 Date: 22 Mar 1998 13:16:04 -0800 (PST) TITLE: Our Hearts Will Go On 1/6 AUTHOR: Michele V EMAIL ADDRESS: glynisgrl33@yahoo.com DISTRIBUTION: Please ask first FEEDBACK: Yes, especially since this is my first fic-but since it is, please don't be too harsh SPOILER: What's My Line 1&2 RATING PG-13 SUMMARY: A Buffy/Angel story that takes place after What's My Line 1 & 2, with some added Willow/Oz and Xander/Cordelia. Also, Buffy and the gang find out about the return of the Master- in some form. CONTENT WARNING: Some kissing,talk of sex, and a sexual situation(nothing graphic at all) DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters except for one, whose name is unknown as of now-but will be included in Part 2 and possibly all remaining parts of this. All of the other characters belong to Joss Whedon and the WB. No copywrite infringement is intended. NOTE: I wrote this after "What's My Line 2", therefor without knowing that something similar to this *sort of* happens in "Surprise" ********** PART 1 SUNNYDALE HIGH SCHOOL Willow spotted Buffy hurrying down the hallway ahead of her. "Buffy! Hey, wait up!" she called as she ran to catch up with her. Buffy waited for her friend. "Hey Will. What's up?" Willow frowned. "Will- what's wrong? What aren't you telling me?," Buffy asked suspiciously. "Well I saw something that I really didn't want to and didn't need to see. I saw- oh boy, you are never gonna believe this-" "Well I don't really need to believe it- I just need to know. What is it, Will?" Buffy asked impatiently. Willow sighed. "Ok, well I was in the library helping Giles with something before and Xander was there and so was Cordelia- and Giles asked Xander to go find a book on some- thing- and Cordelia to help him-so they went. And I was left to do research on the computer, of course, but I finished before Xander and Cordelia found the book so I went in the back to help them and-" Willow paused. "And?" Buffy asked anxiously. Willow frowned. "I saw Xander and Cordelia making out in front of the Encyclopedias." "Wow, you really took note of where they were standing-But maybe it wasn;t what you thought it was," Buffy said trying to give Willow some hope. Willow shook her head. "No, no- I know what I saw. And I saw Xander and Cordelia totally lip locked." "Maybe one of them passed out and needed mouth to mouth," Buffy suggested jokingly. "Buffy this is not funny- I mean- it's Xander and Cordelia here- Xander hates Cordelia-Cordelia hates Xander- That's like, that's like Tom the cat kissing Jerry the mouse...uh, well, you know what I mean" "True, but haven't you ever heard of the saying that opposites attract? I mean as ick-worthy as it is, maybe Xander and Cordelia are an example of that." "Well I don't like *that* example. And the worst part is, I'm his best friend- you are too- and he didn't even tell us," Willow said with anger. "Maybe he was afraid of our reaction. I mean it is Cordelia-she was supposed to be his- and our - sworn enemy- and now he's kissing her," Buffy suggested. "Maybe- but I'm still mad at him. I don't understand what he sees in her- he never saw anything in her before except popular snotiness- I thought she would be the last person that he'd ever date. But now this happened, and now it's like-" Willow stopped with a frown. "It's like what?" Buffy asked trying to be understanding. "It's like I'm the last person he'd ever date," Willow said with tears forming in her eyes. She continued. "Like Cordelia's good enough for him- and I-his best friend-am not." The tears began falling down her face. "Hey, it's not you Willow-Xander's probably just going through those hormonal changes that men tend to go through. I'm sure he never meant it to be like that," Buffy said as she hugged her friend. Willow pulled away to look at Buffy, wiping her tears. "Really?" "*Really*"Buffy repeated. "Well, I'm still mad at him. I don't know if I'm even gonna talk to him. I'll let him tell me- or us, that is." "We'll see about that. Somehow, I think you will." The two started walking again. "So, who's this Oz guy that was so heroic as to risk himself getting shot in the arm so that you wouldn't?" Buffy asked changing the subject. "Oz? Oz is no one- he's just this guy- that I know." "A guy that you know. Very informative Will," "Ok, well, we were both chosen for this computer thing at the Career Fair, so we've been talking," Willow told her. "By the way, how did that whole Slayer goodbye thing go between you and Kendra?," Willow asked changing the subject. "Was there any hugging or crying going on?" she continued. Buffy shook her head at her friend with a grin. "You were quick to change the subject. But no, no hugging. Just a goodbye. Kendra has that "No Huggy Huggy, Touchy Touchy," policy." "Oh, right. So- I guess that means there was no crying," Willow answered for Buffy. "Definitely a negative. But even though I was counting the days until she'd leave, it was a little sad to see her go. I guess cause we had something in common. I'm ok now, though." Willow smiled. "Well, good. So have you and Angel been playing helpless patient and nurse lately?" Willow asked anxious to hear the answer. "Actually, me and Angel haven't even talked or seen each other since the night at the church. Kendra was kind enough to volunteer to take him home safely that night so that I could get home to sleep." Willow couldn't believe it. "Wow, you mean you're not even worried that he could not be ok?" "I thought about it of course. But I thought it would be better if he could rest and if I was was with him, there definitely would be no resting going on," Buffy explained. Willow nodded in agreement. "Oh, I see your point. I bet you miss his kisses though." "You could say that. I've definitely been going through some *major* withdrawal," Buffy agreed. Xander came up behind the two of them just in time to hear Buffy's last sentence. "Withdrawal! Buffy, you're not taking drugs now are you? 'Cause that's what that DARE Program is all bout- Saying *no* to drugs." Buffy grinned. "No Xander, Buffy was talking about withdrawal from Angel's kisses- which is probably what you're going through now without Cordelia's kisses!" Willow shot at him with anger. Xander's eyes widened in shock. He looked at Buffy. Buffy shrugged. "What can I say, Xand- secrets secrets are no fun-especially when you keep them from your best friends." Xander shook his head in disbelief. "I don't kn-I don't know what you're talking about," he said trying to cover everything up. Buffy looked at Willow. "Willow?" she asked giving her the cue to explain. "I-I saw you two in the library-when you were looking for that book-I went to help you-and I saw you two-kissing," she told Xander. "Oh, boy... Gosh...I'm sorry, Will. We didn't mean for you-or anyone to see that. We- Look, I have no idea what is going on between me and Cordelia. I mean we get into these fights and then we kiss-and it's completely-completely weird. I mean I don't understand it and I know you two don't either. Right now I'm just trying to sort everything out. And that's why I didn't tell you guys. I mean it's me and- Cordelia- we're not supposed to be together. I mean that's like Tom and Jerry kissing each other-Well,you know-you know what I'm saying." Willow smiled. "I said the same thing," she told him. "Xander like I told Willow before, you're probably going through hormonal changes that men tend to go through," Buffy explained. Xander grinned. "Maybe. I just hope you two will forgive me for not telling," he pleaded. Buffy grinned. "You're forgiven-by me at least." "Willow?" Xander asked. "I forgive you-but only this once Xander-you not tell us something again and I'll-I'll..." Willow paused. Xander smiled. "Thanks you guys. I promise- it'll *never* happen again." "So-" Willow said changing the subject once again,"Where were we?" "Well I know that I was about to tell Buffy that withdrawal from Angel's kisses is even worse then from drugs and that she could say no to that too.. but then.."Xander started. Willow finished for him. "We kinda got into a different conversation. But about what you were gonna say," Willow said with a smile,"I don't think she'd wanna say no to that." Xander smiled at her then turned to Buffy. "How is our vampish fiend anyway? Not that I really care but he just looked like he was in major pain the other night- definitely a good thing." "Actually," she explained again," I haven't seen him since that night. But, I'm sure he's fine." "Darn!" Xander said as he stomped his foot. Willow and Buffy gave him "the look." "Sorry, that just came out unplanned-like a reflex," Xander explained. "Well you better try to control that reflex or my reflex will be to tape your mouth shut," Buffy warned him jokingly. "Whoa-Buff, I knew you were a violent one- with evil creatures but I didn't think you'd be that way with friends. I mean I 'll try but a reflex is a reflex- pretty much uncontrollable. Oh, by the way, Buff, the G-man was looking for you- I was supposed to tell you. Seemed pretty urgent." "Gee, thanks for telling me now that class starts in like a minute." Xander spotted Giles approaching them. "Well, it must be pretty important 'cause here he comes now," he informed Buffy and motioned to him. "Buffy!" Giles called as he caught site of her. Buffy, Xander, and Willow walked over to him. "Giles, hey. What's up?" Buffy asked him. "Buffy I need to see you in the library- in five minutes." Buffy sighed. "Giles, can this wait? 'Cause I have history now and you know how much I'm faltering in that class." Giles shook his head. "Buffy, this is extremely urgent. It'll only take a few minutes," he told her. "Ok. Ill be right there," she obeyed. She turned to her two friends. "I'll see you guys at lunch." Xander nodded. "Ok, best of luck Buff! You may need it with whatever this urgent thing is." "See ya," Willow told her. SCHOOL LIBRARY Giles was relieved when he saw Buffy come through the library doors. "Oh, good. You're here." "What you didn't trust that I'd come?" Buffy asked him slightly annoyed. Giles shook his head. "Well, no. No it's just-" he began. Buffy interrupted shaking her head. "Ok, Giles, What's up? What is this extremely urgent thing that you *need* to tell me about?" she asked impatiently. Giles sighed. "Sit down," he told her. "Gosh this must be bad. When someone asks you to sit down before they tell you something, you know it can *never* be a good thing," she said as she sat. "So, what is this terrible thing?" she asked. "Well, it's two things actually," he told her. "Oh goody. So it's the more problems the merrier kind of deal. So, go head, share." Giles sighed. "Well, I went back to what remains of the church that Druscilla's healing ritual was performed in a few nights ago.." he began. "And?" Buffy asked impatiently. "And while I was looking through the remains of it, I found this," he continued as he pulled a piece of red cloth out of his pocket and handed it to Buffy. "Hmm..a piece of red cloth, probably from a shirt or something," she said as she examined it in her hands, "Giles what does this have to do with- anything?" she asked. "Well, it's not just a piece of cloth off of just anyone's shirt.." he began. "Oooo-could it be-I mean maybe it's a piece of one of Gavin Rossdale's shirts. Can I keep it then- for a souvenir?" Buffy said jokingly. "Gavin Rossdale- I don't believe I've heard of a Gavin Rossdale. Who-Who is he?" Giles asked her. "No one- never mind." Buffy stared down at the torn piece of clothing in her hands. "Wait a sec," she said realizing something,"Spike was wearing a shirt that looked something like this the night that we were in the church and I...killed.." She paused and her eyes widened. "When a vampire is killed every part of it turns to dust, except anything that it may be holding, such as a weapon, but everything else becomes dust, including all of its clothing," he began explaining. "Him," Buffy said finishing her sentence from before, "Oh my gosh." "But when I looked underneath all of the debris, I found not only a piece of his clothing but not a sign of vampire dust in the area in which they were supposed to be killed. It still would have been visible even days later, but since there was none, it would mean that.." Giles continued explaining but was interrupted by Buffy who finished his sentence for him. "Spike and Druscilla are alive," she finished. Giles nodded. "I'm afraid so. Now, have you spoken to Angel at all since that night?" Buffy shook her head. "I haven't yet. I thought I should leave him to recuperate," she started. Giles interrupted. "Well I think it would be a good idea to go see hi, tonight. To- make sure that he's al right. With Druscilla still alive and uncured, he could be in great ganger of her and Spike," he warned her. Buffy became a little nervous at what he said. "Great danger? Are we talking death here?" she asked him. "Buffy he was nearly killed by Spike's last attempt to cure her, and if that hasn't worked, well- there's no telling what they'll do next." Buffy agreed. "Ok, so it's Destination Angel's then." "Wait, Buffy. As I said before, that us only one of the problems." "Uh, Giles- I wasn't going anywhere. Remember, school? Well, it's still in session in case you didn't know. And I don't need Principle Snyder to find out that I ditched the rest of the day," Buffy reminded him. Giles agreed. "Oh, yes. That's right. Well anyway, I was researching that Watcher Diaries.." Buffy rolled her eyes and interrupted him. "Really Giles? Cause I thought you always were researching in Reader's Digest," she joked. Giles gave her a stern look. "Continue," she told him. "Well as I was researching, I found out that six months after the Master dies, on the six day, and the six hour, his or her spirit comes back in the form of the opposite sex. It then, goes after the person who killed him or her, along with a team of all the vampires existing at that time," he explained. "Sixth month, sixth day, sixth hour..Giles are you noticing this 666 ocult reference that I'm noticing?"she asked him. "Yes and I believe that has something to do with the fact that the Master is like a vampires versian of the Christian religion's "Anichrist," he explained. "Ok, so anyway, the person who killed the Master," Buffy observed, "That would be me. So why don't they just say "the slayer" cause I thought that's always the person he fights during the Prophecy." "Well, in a few earlier cases," Giles explained,"the Slayer was not the person who killed him or her. Sometimes, it was just a person who happened to be there." Buffy shook her head in confusion. "You keep saying "him or her." Are you saying that the Master could be female?" she asked him. "Well, yes. There have been some female masters in the past, and quite powerful ones, I might add," he explained. "Wow. Talk about girl power. And I thought women only ruled in the 90's." "Yes and the spirit oh the Master that is supposed to be coming will be female, since it's spirit is always the opposite sex." Buffy took everything in and tried putting it into her own words. "Ok, so this master spirit girl, she's coming- six months after the Master's death- which would be- next month-and on the sixth day- Giles, today is the 15th- that means that ghost girl will be coming in only three weeks, and I'm guessing she's *no* Casper-which means we're gonna need a *lot* of time to prepare for it- and we don't even know much of anything about it- I mean it's a spirit,worse then your ordinary poltergeist, and it's the Masters-opposite sex or not- Giles, how the hell are we gonna kill this thing!? Or..make it go away?" Giles took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes in distress. He looked at Buffy who stood waiting for an answer. One that he didn't have. "I-I don't know," he told her truthfully. Buffy couldn't believe it. "You don't know?! You're the Watcher- You're supposed to know these things.... Just tell me one thing- Am I supposed to die from this?" she asked him with tears almost beginning to form in her eyes. Giles shook his head. "No, not that I'm aware if. All that's listed in the Watcher Diaries is what I've told you. That is why, I need you to find out from Angel, everything he knows about this," he told her. Buffy finally calmed down and returned to her normal self. "Ok, well, I'll make sure I make some time in between kisses for us to chat about it," she told him. "Buffy, this is nothing to joke about. You must be serious." "I was being serious just now," she joked again. Giles gave Buffy the same stern look from before. "Ok, Ok, I'll make sure that I talk to him about it. And by the way, I was being serious just a few minutes before the other thing I said. Maybe a little *too* serious. Anyway, are we done here cause I have to get to class now?" Giles nodded. "Ok then I better go. See ya, Giles," she said as she walked out the library doors. LATER ON IN THE SCHOOL DAY *bell rings* Willow and Xander walked together out of the classroom that they were just in and down the halls. Approaching them was Cordelia, Devon, and Oz. Willow smiled at the sight of Oz. When they were in speaking range Xander acknowledged Cordelia."Well, would you look who it is," Xander said looking at her. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked him. "Nothing. Just, look who it is- it's you." "And your point is?" "No point. I was just- acknowledging your presence," he told her. "Why?" she asked him in a snotty voice. "Never mind. I don't wanna know. Come on Devon. Let's go." She pulled Devon with her down the halls. Oz stayed behind. "Hi," he said looking at Willow. "Hey Oz," she said smiling. "Weren't you supposed to leave with them," Willow asked referring to Cordelia and Devon. "Well, see, I wanted to know if you were going to the Bronze tonight," he explained. "Oh. Well, I don't know- I mean I gotta check with my friends to see if their going or not," she told him. "Why do you wanna know?" she asked him. "Well my band is gonna be playing there tonight and if you were going, then you'd get to see us play. And, you know, maybe when we're done playing, you and I could maybe hang out together for a little while if it was cool with you," he told her. "Oh, yeah, that, that would be cool-with me. Yeah." "So you're going then?" Oz asked her. "Yeah. I'll be there," she told him. "Alright, well I'll see you then." "Yeah, see ya," she said with a smile. She turned and watched him walk away. "Willow? Hello? Anyone there?" Xander called waving his hands in front of her face. "Oh, yeah. Sorry, Xand." "That's ok. So, I guess we're Bronze bound tonight, huh?" Xander asked. "Yeah," she answered with a smile across her face. "Well, that'll work out good. I can dance with Cordelia while Devon's busy singing and you can stare at Oz, the great and powerful." "Xander!" "Sorry, couldn't stop myself there. The Wizard of Oz thing was gonna come up some time. And then was the time." "By the way, why were you and Cordelia fighting back there. I thought you guys were ok with each other now." Willow asked confused slightly. "We are ok, but Devon and Oz were there. We can't act like love birds in front of them. Not that we are or anything," he explained. Xander noticed Buffy walking up ahead. "Hey, let's go see if Buffy can join us tonight," he told Willow. The two ran to catch up with her. "Hey Buff." "Hey guys." "So, Willow and I are going to the Bronze tonight. Feel like joining us?" he asked. "Well, I would but I'm gonna go check on Angel tonight. I have to find out stuff from him for Giles too," she told them. "Well, if it's for Giles then I guess you should," Xander said a little disappointed. "Oz is gonna be there," Willow told her excitedly. "And we're gonna hang out when his band's done playing." "And you said you two would never become a thing. It's already in the working," Buffy told her. Willow smiled. *bell rings* "Ooo, gotta get to class. I'll see you guys," Buffy said and then started to walk to her next class. Willow and Xander did the same. Buffy turned back around. "Willow!" she shouted down the hall. Willow turned around. "Good luck tonight." Willow smiled and they both turned and continued on to their next class. LATER THAT NIGHT ANGEL'S APARTMENT Buffy knocked on Angel's door."Angel?" she called. She tried to open it but it as locked of course. She knocked again. "Angel, it's just me .Open up." She waited then knocked once more. When he still didn't answer she decided to let herself in by kicking open the door. She walked in and closed the door behind her. "Angel?...Hello? Anybody home?" she called. *He's gotta be home. He's recuperating* she thought. Finally she came to the area where his bed was and found him sound asleep in it. She smiled at the sight of his sleeping figure, then got an idea. She went over to the phone and dialed her home phone number. "Mom? Hi. I'm over at Willow's- she's helping me study for this big history test and it looks like we won't be done till late tonight. So can I stay over and get a ride to school with her?...Yeah, it's ok with her parents...Ok, thanks a lot mom..I love you too. Bye." Buffy listened as her mom hung up and grinned mischeiviously at what she had just done. Then, as she was going to hang up the phone she was pulled back onto the bed behind her and on top of Angel who immediately leaned up and kissed her. They kissed again and soon the two were wrapped up in a whirl of passion. Angel began kissing down Buffy's face and to her neck. Buffy let out a slight moan as Angel kissed her neck. She then moved to claim his lips with hers again, afraid that if he kissed her neck any longer, he might go vamp on her. But soon she found his lips trailing back down the same path to her neck. She had to admit, it felt great when he kissed her there, but again, she didn't want him to lose his control. It was too late though- his lips were already there and the pleasure from him kissing her there, overwhelmed her. "Angel," she managed to get out, trying to make him stop, but what it really sounded like was a sigh of pleasure. After a moment, she called his name again, this time sounded more like her calling him. Still he didn't stop. "Mmm?" he just said as his lips trailed up and down her face to her neck. She let out a soft cry again as he kissed a sensitive spot that he hadn't kissed yet. Finally she was able to tell him. "Um, Angel, maybe you shouldn't kiss me there." Angel stopped and lifted his head to meet her eyes. He was a little confused. "Sorry-I thought you were enjoying it." Buffy blushed alittle."I was- I was- it's just-Well I was afraid you'd go vampire on me- No offense," she explained. Angel chuckled. "Why would you think that?" he asked with a smile. "Oh- I don't know, maybe because you-on a few occasions-have been known to go vamp on me while we were lip locked," she said with a slight grin. Angel shook his head. "Well, just so you know, that really only happens when I'm angry-or- I have something on my mind. But- I can control it otherwise," he explained to her with a smile. Buffy tried to fight back her impulse to ask him more, but couldn't. "Even if you're kissing my neck- the very same spot that you could be feeding on me from?" Angel's face saddened a bit. "I'm Sorry, that didn't come out the right way," she told him. Angel just looked away. Buffy took her hand and turned his face so that he faced her. "Hey, I trust you Angel, I do." Angel nodded, but still looked a little sad. "I know," he answered. Buffy changed the subject."Well, so anyway, I came here to see how you were-You're ok, right?" Angel nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." "Ok, good-Is there anything I could do?" she asked with a smile. Angel grinned. "Well, you could start by, kissing me again." Buffy smiled back at him. "That I can definitely do," she said as she leaned down to kiss him. Their lips met for a few more kisses before they pulled away. "I've missed you," Angel said as their lips parted. "Been kinda lonely here-and without you," he continued. Buffy smiled. "Sorry I haven't come by- but I thought you'd need some time to rest and recuperate without any distractions," she explained. "Yeah, you're probably right," he told her with a smile. Buffy loved when he told her she was right. "Well, I'm here now-And we have the whole night to be together-I told my mom I was at Willow's so I can stay the night," she told him. Angel shook his head. "Buffy, that's very kind of you to be here, but I'm not sure it's such a good idea you spend the night." Buffy didn't understand. "Well, why not? If you're worried that you don't have an extra bed, you shouldn't cause I think were a little past sleeping in separate beds. I can just- sleep right here next to you," she said then patted a spot on the bed. "That's just it, Buffy. Don't you think it would be a little tempting being together in the same bed? I mean don't you thing we might end up wanting to-," "Have sex?" Buffy suggested bluntly. Angel seemed a little uncomfortable. "Well..yeah," he told her. "So- what's so wrong with that? I mean, we've been way past a cup of of coffee. We can't even go 5 minutes without kissing each other." "It's just- If I lose control Buffy, which I could, you could die. And hurting you is the last thing I want to do," he told her. "Angel, I know that-But I don't think you would. I trust you enough to know that you'd never hurt me, even in your vampire mode." Angel shook his head. "Buffy please- It's hard enough not to- please don't make it any harder," he begged. Buffy looked deeply into Angel's eyes. "Please Angel- I love you..I need you," she pleaded with him. Angel lightened a bit. "What caused the change of mid? Just before, you didn't even want me kissing you- and now-," Angel began, curious. "You told me you could control it- and I believe you. And I realized that we don't know how much time we'll have together. I mean, it was the scariest thing, you almost died the other night. And me, being the Slayer-Well,you know, Slayers are known to have short lives. I figure we should do..things..while we have the chance," she explained. Angel agreed. "Alright," he said with a slight nod. His eyes stared deeply into Buffy's.But there was something about them- something about his eyes that was different. It was as if they held an untold secret-as if Angel knew that something was about to tear him and Buffy apart. "Ok?" Buffy asked with a smile. "Ok," Angel replied grinning. Buffy leaned in and kissed him. "I love you, Buffy. I want you to know that," he told her. She kissed him again. "I know," she said with a smile. Angel looked as if he was waiting for her to say more. "I love you too," she finished finally. He smiled-but then that look appeared in his eyes again-the look of pain-of knowing something Buffy did not. Buffy kissed him again, then saw that look in his eyes. "Hey, what's wrong?" she asked concerned. "It's nothing- really." "Are you sure? I mean are you nervous or something?-'cause I'll admit that I am a little," she asked slightly worried. "No- I'm fine," Angel said with a smile. He then pulled her back down on him for a kiss. "Good," Buffy said as she pulled the covers up over them , coming back down on him, and kissing him. They kissed each other passionately for a few moments. Then Buffy took control and began kissing down Angel's face, nibbling on his jaw line and planting soft kisses down his neck. She then paused to help him remove his white tee-shirt, and began kissing him again from his collar bone down to his smooth chest. She then worked her way back up to his mouth as her hands ran up and down his arms and broad chest, feeling his muscles....beneath her touch. Their kiss lingered on for a while, before it was broken by Angel, who sat up in bed. "Angel, what's worng," Buffy asked concerned. Angel shook his head. "I can't. I can't do this Buffy...I'm sorry. I 'm so, sorry. You know I'd do anything for you Buffy, but I can't do this. I can't," Angel explained to her, quite upset. He looked almost as if he was about to cry and Buffy could sense that. She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him close to her. "It's ok Angel. It's ok-I understand. I shouldn't have..pressured you so much. I'm sorry," she whispered in his ear. Angel pulled away after a short while and laid back down on the bed. Buffy laid down also, resting her head against his shoulder. She turned to look at him. "Are you ok?" she asked him. Angel nodded. "Yeah, I'm ok," he replied in a sad tone. "I still love you,Angel. You know that, right?," she told him. "I know," he replied. Buffy gave him a little smile then settled her head on his chest and closed her eyes. Angel put an arm around her and did the same. Little did Buffy know that,inside, Angel really wasn't fine or ok-and she would soon not be either. To be continued... _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: michele v Subject: BUFFYFIC: Our Hearts Will Go On 2/6 Date: 22 Mar 1998 13:18:18 -0800 (PST) TITLE: Our Hearts Will Go On 2/6 AUTHOR: Michele V EMAIL ADDRESS: glynisgrl33@yahoo.com FEEDBACK: Definitely, especially since this is my first fic- but since it is, please don't be too harsh. SPOILERS: all episodes through What's My Line 1 & 2 RATING: PG SUMMARY: A Buffy/Angel story that takes place after "What's My Line 1 & 2", with some added Willow/Oz and Xander Cordelia. Also, Buffy and the gang find out about the return of the Master- in some form. DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters except for "The Elgradora" All of the other characters belong to Joss Whedon and the WB. No copywrite infringement intended. NOTE: I wrote this after "What's My Line 2," therefor without knowing that something similar would *sort of* happen in *Surprise* ********** PART 2 Buffy sat on top of a grave stone, staring down at the stake in her hands- and daydreaming about Angel. She snapped herself out of it when she sensed something behind her. "Sorry- I never did like or fall for those 'sneaking up behind me so that I won't notice you're there and you can kill me,' games," Buffy said as she spun around, raising her stake. No one was there. "Ok..I was never one for hide and seek either. Now show yourself." She looked all around and still saw no one. Then she felt a cool breeze behind her. "Who's there?!?" she yelled turning around again. But again, she saw nothing. Then she heard it. A faint whisper. "I'm coming, Buffy.....I'm coming soon," the ghostly woman's voice whispered. The breeze went away. Buffy knew what it was-it had to have been her- the spirit of the Master, warning her. "No!" she yelled at the top of her lungs, as she sprang up in Angel's bed. Breathing heavily, she looked around and noticed where she was. Angel immediately came to her side, wrapping his strong arms around her, and hugging her close to him. "Hey- it was just a dream. Everything's alright- you just had a bad dream," he whispered in her ear while rocking her slowly. She pulled away and ran her fingers through her hair in distress. "Hey-Are you alright?..you ok?" he asked her softly while putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Yeah, I uh, had this nightmare," she told him. Angel sat there staring at her, waiting for her to continue. "It was about this thing Giles told me about earlier today...I was- supposed to ask you about it but I guess I got a little distracted and forgot," she explained. A look of concern appeared on Angel's face. "What is it?" he asked her. "The Master- he's supposed to come back six months after he was killed , on the sixth day, at the 6th hour- and go after the person killed him..which, unfortunately would be me. Only it won't be the actual Master, it'll be its spirit and it'll be female. The spirit of the Master is always of the opposite sex," Buffy explained. "And this is what your dream was about?" he asked her. Buffy nodded. "Yeah, I was um, in the graveyard hunting vampires and I felt someone behind me-I thought it was a vampire- but when I turned around no one was there. Then I felt this breeze behind me and I turned around again but still didn't see anything but heard her voice, whispering to me," she explained. "What did she say to you?" "She told me that she's coming...soon. I figured it out with Giles and the Master's spirit is supposed to be coming in just three weeks." "And, you think that the voice you heard in the dream was the Master's spirit?" Angel asked her "It was- I know it was. In the dream, I could feel the Master's power, I could feel his presence-just like I could in the dreams I had about him killing me. It had to have been the spirit," Buffy told him. Angel sighed and looked down. "I take it- you know something about this thing." Angel looked back up at her. He nodded slightly. Buffy waited in silence for him to begin telling her about it. "It's known as The Elgradora," he finally started. "In other words, meaning?" Buffy asked, confused. " The Spirit of the Master" "Couldn't they just call it "Spirit of the Master," Angel went on. "It comes in spirit form of the opposite sex- to kill the person who was responsible for killing *it*" he continued. "So um, how exactly does it kill?" Buffy asked unsure of whether she really wanted to know. "It goes inside your body, without you knowing, and kills you internally. Once you're dead, the spirit takes over your body and uses your body as *it's* body until it's old body reforms over yours. Then, slowly but surely, it is restored back to its full strength, and begins to destroy all that it can. It also, assembles a team of all the vampires that are existing to help it in destroying everything and everyone before it is restored to its full strength." "If you can stop it from going inside you, or kill it somehow, then all the other bad stuff won't happen, right?" "Yes,but, since you're the Slayer, you'll still have to deal with the vampires. Every vampire in the world will be here- terrorizing Sunnydale." "Angel?" "Yeah?" "You can stop with the explanation now. It's really creeping me out," she told him with a look of fright on her face. "Sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you...I thought you needed to know." "I do but..I guess I just don't want to..unless there's ways of stopping it. Is there?" Angel looked down once again. "Angel?" He couldn't look at her. "There's no way...is there?" He finally looked up. "I don't know of any. I- read about it years ago but I can't remember anything about how it's been stopped in the past." "You mean you can't kill it, you can- only stop it?" "You can't kill it because it's already dead," he reminded her with a slight grin. "Oh...yeah...But you can make it go away maybe, right?" "Maybe..but there's no telling how. The only way to find out is to get a hold of the book that I read about it in." "So, I'm guessing that you don't still have a copy of it on your bookshelf, huh?" Angel shook his head. "I don't. I wish I could remember the name of the book but-," he stared. "Don't worry about now. We don't have to know it right now. I mean we have three weeks until it comes. I'm- sure we'll find out something else before then." He looked up at her, a sad look on his face. "Angel? What's wrong?" Is there something you're not telling me here?" she asked him, concerned. He looked away. *I don't have three weeks* he said to himself. He looked at the clock and noticed that it was 3:30 in the morning."You better get back to sleep, you have school tomorrow," he reminded Buffy, avoiding her question. Buffy sighed. "Oh..yeah..school. Well, at least tommorow's Thursday and the weekend's almost here," she said then laid back down on the bed. Angel got up and pulled the covers back up over her and kissed her forehead. "Sweet dreams," he whispered softly. "Hey, aren't you gonna sleep here next to me. You seemed to have evacuated the bed before- Why?" "Well I couldn't sleep, really. I- don't- normally go to sleep at that time. I'm usually up the whole night," he told her with a smile. "Oh, yeah. I kinda forgot about the vampire thing." Angel smiled down at her. "I will, though, if it'll help you sleep better," he said, climbing into bed next to her. She turned around to face him and smiled. He smiled back. Then she closed her eyes and fell asleep again. When Buffy woke up it was dark outside again. *Must've over slept big time* she thought. *Oh no, that means I missed school. Well I'll worry about that later. I better go save the world now* she thought as she got dressed. She put her jacket on, grabbed a stake and headed out the door. This time, she decided to hit Sunnydale Park. Buffy seated herself on a swing, stake in her hand, just waiting for a vampire to show. Time passed, and there was still no vampires in sight. Buffy sighed. She actually beginning to feel a little bored. All of a sudden, a gust of wind came, blowing the empty swing next to her so that it swung back and forth-as if someone was on it. Then she heard it again- The ghostly woman's voice, whispering to her. "I'm coming,Buffy....I'm coming soon...And when I do...you will die," the voice whispered to her. Then the gust of wind disappeared as did the voice and the swing next to her stopped swinging. "No!!! Please!!! No!!!" Buffy screamed as loud as she could. She turned to her side with a jerk, and opened her eyes. She was still in Angel's bed. Angel was awake next to her and slipped his arms around her, pulling her closer to him. "Guess you had another bad dream, huh?" he asked her. Buffy nodded. "Was it about The Elgradora?" "Yes..this time, I was hunting in the park and this huge gust of wind came, causing the swing next to me to swing back and forth- I think she was sitting on it or something- but she warned me again-said she was coming soon-but this time, she said I would die...I'm scared, Angel. Last time I had a dream like this, it really did happen. I mean, I died once, I don't wanna do it again," Buffy told him, frightened. Angel hugged her even closer to him. "Don't worry-We'll get through this. You're not gonna die-I won't let it happen...We'll just have to find a way to stop it-somehow...I'll- call some people I know to find out if they know where I can get a copy of that book I told you about." Buffy smiled at him. Then she looked at the clock. Her eyes widened. "Oh my god. It's already 6:30-I have to get ready for school. Angel, you don't by any chance have a shower do you?" Angel smiled. "Yeah, right through that door," he said pointing to a door in the room. "Ok, thanks...I'll- be out in a few minutes." She gave him a quick kiss on the mouth and then made a dash to the shower. Buffy came out twenty minutes later, all dressed and ready for school. She caught sight of Angel in front of the fridge, feeding on a bag of blood. "Hi. I'm finished," Buffy greeted him. Angel was startled and very much embarrassed. Although he knew that she saw him, he hid the blood bag behind his back with one hand, and wiped any blood around his mouth with the other. "I was just, uh-" Angel began nervously. "Eating your breakfast?" Buffy suggested. Angel just stared at her. "It's- nothing to get all up-tight about. You know, a lot of people do it." Angel sighed. "They don't eat what I eat though." "Well- different people have different taste buds- eat different things. That's the way it goes," Buffy said grinning. She was trying her best to make him more comfortable about the situation. Angel managed a smile. He stuck the blood packet back into the refrigerator and walked over to her. His eyes traveled up and down the length of her body. Buffy blushed a little. "You look beautiful," Angel said softly. He leaned in and kissed her. Buffy wrapped her arms arms around his neck, running her fingers through his air, as the kiss deepened. Buffy pulled away finally. "I better go to school. It's getting late," she told him. Angel nodded inn agreement. "I wish you could stay. It's so lonely without you," he admitted. "I know...believe me, I know. Sometimes- I find myself not being able to wait until it's dark out, so that I could be with you again," she told him. The two stared at each other in silence for awhile. "You better go," Angel finally spoke, a look of sadness across his face. "I should...but I just have to get something out first," she told him. "Ok..what is it?" Angel asked. "Well, it's kinda about what I was just saying. The days seem to go by so slowly-all I can do is count the hours until I'll see you- and then it's the night-and I see you-but it goes by so fast. It's like,that's all I wait for all day, and it's over as soon as it starts...I just wish our time together wasn't so limited.," she told him. She paused for a second and then continued on. "And then- there's the fear the I have-of- one of us going away...You-getting hurt by some other vampire and dying-or you- being exposed to sunlight and dying-or me-having to move again for whatever reason...And it scares me so much..For me to ever be without you, Angel...it's the scariest thing in the world." Buffy looked up at him to see his reaction. His head was down, and from what Buffy saw, it looked like he may have even been crying. "Angel?" she called him softly. Angel didn't look up. He couldn't. He couldn't let her know the reason why tears were streaming down his face. Not yet. Not then. He promised himself he'd tell her that night though. Buffy called his name again. When he didn't answer or look up, she walked over to him. She placed a hand under his chin and lifted his head to see his face. She realized that she was right- he was crying. Buffy never thought that she'd ever see Angel,"Mr. Cryptic Man,"-himself- actually crying. But there he was with tear stains down his cheeks. Buffy gently ran the back of her hand over his left cheek, wiping away the wetness. She did the same with the other. Angel still didn't make eye contact with her. His eyes were focussed off to the side. "Look at me Angel...Please," Buffy pleaded with him softly. He couldn't resist to that. He finally looked at her. When Angel's watery eyes stared in to Buffy's, her eyes began to get watery. "What's wrong, Angel?..Tell, me...Please." Buffy paused for a second. "Look, I know something's wrong. You've been acting weird ever since I came here last night. I saw it in you're eyes-And I see it now-You're hiding something...I wanna know what," she pleaded with him. Angel just stared at her. She begged him with her eyes-with the look on her face. "Please, Angel," she asked again. Tears began rolling down her beautiful face. When Angel saw this, his own tears began to fall again. Buffy continued to stare at him, waiting for him to tell her. Angel just shook his head. "I can't...I can't Buffy...Not right now." Buffy was understanding towards this. "Ok...Will you tell me later then?" Buffy asked, hopeful he'd say yes. Angel nodded. "I will," he promised. "I will." Buffy stared at him for a few more seconds then decided that she really had to go. "Well, I uh- have to go now. I guess I'll see you tonight," Angel nodded. Buffy grabbed her back-pack and jacket and walked to the door. "Bye, Angel," she said as she went out the door. "Bye, Buffy," Angel said, but she was already gone. SUNNYDALE HIGH SCHOOL Buffy walked into the school library to find her two best friends sitting at a table talking with Giles. Giles looked up and noticed Buffy. "Buffy-you're late to school-We weren't sure you were coming today," Giles said as Buffy walked over to the table and took a seat. "Well, here I am," Buffy said, trying to sound as enthusiastic as she could. Willow looked closely at Buffy. She looked very upset. "Are you ok, Buffy?" Willow asked, concerned. "Yeah- It's just- I was talking to Angel and he was acting kind of strange," she told her friend. "Well, maybe that's because he *is* strange. I mean he's a vampire with a soul-that's just about as strange as you can get," Xander said trying to lighten the mood. Buffy didn't seem amused. "How do you mean-strange? You don't think he's changed over to a normal vampire, do you" Giles stepped in. "No, It's just- he was crying and I asked him what was wrong and he said he couldn't tell me-then," Buffy explained. "Angel-crying!?!?" Xander asked with a laugh. Buffy, Giles, and Willow looked at him, annoyed. "Sorry," Xander apologized."Guess I just couldn't picture deadboy crying." "I don't know, maybe it's nothing-but I've just never seen him so upset," Buffy told them."And this thing that he's not telling me-I don't understand-Why couldn't he tell me? Why does he have to wait until tonight?" "I wish I could help you, Buffy, but I'm afraid there's nothing you can do but wait until tonight" Giles said, trying to comfort her. "I guess," Buffy agreed. "But- in the mean time, were you able to find out from Angel, anything about the coming of the Master's spirit?" Giles asked changing the subject. "Wait a minute. The Master is going to grace us Sunydalers with the presence of his spirit? How come I wasn't informed of this?" Xander asked. "Sorry-I didn't want to scare you guys until I knew for sure what this thing was," Buffy told him. "Well you know now right? So it's time to do some sharing and scaring," Xander said. Buffy looked at Giles for approval. "We *do* have to know, Buffy. And if Xander and Willow are going to be involved then they should be aware of this too," Giles told her. Buffy agreed and explained everything she knew and found out from Angel to Giles and her two friends. "Were you able to find out any method of-preventing this from coming forth-somehow?" Giles asked after Buffy was finished explaining. "I was just about to ask the same thing...with less words," Xander said. "Angel once read something about it in a book but he couldn't remember.what it said. He's working on it,though. He said he's gonna try calling some people to get information on it," Buffy told them. "Does that mean we don't have to do any work?" Xander asked with hope. "For now, no. But- if he's unable to find anything soon, we will...You may go to class now," Giles told them. "Ok, thanks Giles. See ya," Buffy said as she walked out of the library with her two friends. Xander and Willow also said bye to him. "So, what do you two ladies want to do tonight?" Xander asked as they headed to their next class. "Buffy, aren't you doing something with Angel tonight..So he can tell you that thing?" Willow asked her friend. "Well we didn't exactly make plans do go anyplace or do anything but we could go someplace where he'd know that I might be," Buffy suggested. "Like, say, the Bronze?" Xander nodded. "The Bronze it is!" "Yeah, and maybe Oz will be there," Willow said hopefully. Buffy smiled. "By the way, how did it go last night with Oz?" she asked her friend. "Oh, it went...We talked," Willow told her. "Details?" Buffy asked wanting to hear more. "Well, I watched him play and then he came over to my table, asked me if I wanted a cappucino, I said yes, and he bought me one." Willow began. "Then we talked about this new computer that's coming out soon and told silly jokes about people or things that happened at school. Then he had to go so he said goodbye and left. Is that enough details for you?" Buffy smiled. "Aren't you gonna asked me how my night with Cordelia went?" Xander asked. "Uh, that I don't really need to know," Buffy told him. *bell rings* "Well we missed first period class, I better get to class early before I'm late for second," Willow said to her friends. "We have the same class so guess I'll be going with you," Xander told his friend. "We'll see you at lunch Buffy," Willow told her friend. "Actually, you won't. I have to go meet with Giles at the library during lunch. He says I need to start training more to prepare for all those vampires that'll be coming here soon," Buffy told them. "We'll see you after school then," Xander said. "And after school. I have to train after school now too," Buffy told them. "Ok then we'll see you at the Bronze tonight," Willow said. "Yeah..tonight," Buffy answered. She walked to her next class in a daze-thinking about that night. Thinking about what it could be that Angel had to tell her. _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: michele v Subject: BUFFYFIC: Our Hearts Will Go On 3/6 Date: 22 Mar 1998 13:18:22 -0800 (PST) TITLE: Our Hearts Will Go On 3/6 AUTHOR: Michele V. EMAIL ADDRESS: glynisgrl33@yahoo.com FEEDBACK: Definitely, especially since this is my first fic- but since it is, please don't be too harsh SPOILERS: All episodes through "What's My Line 1 & 2" RATING: PG SUMMARY: A Buffy/Angel story that takes place after "What's My Line 1& 2," with some added Willow/Oz and Xander/Cordelia/ Also, Buffy and the gang find out about the return of the Master- in some form. DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters except for "The Elgradora" All of the other characters belong to Joss Whedon and the WB. No copywrite infringement intended. NOTE: I wrote this after "What's My Line 2" therefor without knowing that something similar would *sort of* happen in "Surprise" ********** PART 3 THE BRONZE Buffy, Xander, and Willow sat at a table talking. After a while, Xander stood up and asked Buffy and Willow if they wanted to dance. "Ok, sure" Willow answered. "Buffy?" Xander asked. "You know what, you guys go ahead. I'm-not really up to dancing right now," Buffy told them. "Are you sure Buffy?" Willow asked her. Buffy nodded. "Yeah. I'm sure." Xander and Willow started to walk out onto the dance floor. Xander turned back around to Buffy. "Hey, Buff. If this is about the thing with Angel, I wouldn't worry. I'm sure it can't be that bad," Xander said trying to cheer her up. Buffy nodded and smiled as best she could. She sat there alone at the table as her two friends danced on to each song that was played. Buffy kept watching the entrance, hoping that Angel would walk through it. Finally, Buffy spotted Angel walk in just as another, slower song came on. Angel looked around a bit, then finally noticed her. He started walking towards her table. Buffy had to smile at the sight of him. He looked just gorgeous. Like an angel. He finally reached here table. "Hey," he said softly. "Hi," Buffy said with a slight smile cross her face. Angel stood there, staring into Subject: BUFFYFIC: Our Hearts Will Go On 4/6 Date: 22 Mar 1998 13:18:12 -0800 (PST) TITLE: Our Hearts Will Go On 4/? AUTHOR: Michele V. EMAIL ADDRESS: glynisgrl33@yahoo.com FEEDBACK: Definitely, especially since this is my first fic- but since it is, please don't be too harsh SPOILERS: All episodes through "What's My Line 1 & 2" RATING: PG SUMMARY: A Buffy/Angel story that takes place after "What's My Line 1 & 2" with some added Willow/Oz and Xander/Cordelia. Also, Buffy and the gang find out about the return of the Master- in some form. DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters except for "The Elgradora" All of the other characters belong to Joss Whedon and the WB. No copywrite infringement intended. NOTE: I wrote this after "What's My Line 2" therefor without knowing that something similar would *sort of* happen in "Surprise" ********** PART 4 SUNNYDALE HIGH SCHOOL Xander and Willow sat talking outside on the steps of Sunnydale High after school got out. "Did you see the look on Mr. Jamison's face when he realized that his toupe' had fallen off?" Xander asked, laughing. "Yeah, it was pretty funny," Willow said giggling. "But- not as funny as the time he bent over and split his pants and everyone saw his Batman underwear," Xander said, still laughing. "True, I don't thing anything could beat that," Willow answered. Xander looked off to the side briefly and spotted Buffy looking around for them. "Hey, Buff! We're over here!" Xander called to her. Buffy smiled and walked over towards them. "Hey," she greeted them. "Hi," Willow said. "How are you? I mean, are you feeling better?" she asked her friend. "A little," Buffy told them. "The story about Mr. Jamison made me smile, so that's a plus" Buffy said grinning. "You heard?" Xander asked. "Yeah, me and everyone else in school," Buffy told him. "Oh, of course" There was an awkward silence. Buffy's smile disappeared and her face was filled with sadness. "So...the big Friday night dance at the Bronze..Are you two game?" Xander asked breaking the silence. Buffy looked up at him. "Well I kinda have to go. I told Angel I'd be there so he's gonna meet me there after he's done packing," she told them. "So I'll take that as a yes from you. Willow?" "Yeah, I'll go," Willow told him. "Ok, then. Our plans are now set. Mom's here- so now I must go home and couch potato it until it's time to go. I'll see you guys, later," Xander said then got into his mother's car. Willow and Buffy waved goodbye to Xander and his mom. Buffy turned to Willow. "Well, since training is off for today, I can walk you home," Buffy said standing up. "Then when I get home I can sulk for three hours and by then it'll be time to get ready to leave." Willow smiled and the two of them walked home together. (LATER THAT NIGHT) THE BRONZE Willow and Xander finally took a break from dancing and walked over to the table where Buffy had been sitting alone for almost two hours. "Still no sign of Angel, huh?" Willow asked her friend. Xander shook his head in disgust. "And you call that a boyfriend? Where I'm from that's called standing someone up. Now he had better have a good reason for putting my best friend in more major mope mode then she already is in or I'll just have to-" Willow interrupted. "Xander, calm down. This is Angel we're talking about. He'd never do that to Buffy." "Ya know, you're right. What am I talking about? He'd never do such a thing as that- he'd just move far far away so that her heart could be broken." Willow looked at Buffy. "So, what do you think happened to him, Buffy? I mean, what if- he was on his way here and Spike and Druscilla found out he was coming here, so they waited outside for him and captured-" Willow paused when she saw the look Buffy was giving her. "Ok, ok, sorry- Guess I got a little carried away." "Just a little," Buffy said sarcasticly. "So you think he's ok then?," Willow asked, already knowing her answer. "I'm sure he's fine," Buffy answered her. "He's probably just finishing up all of his packing tonight so he can sleep all day tomorrow." "Yeah, well, I'd hate to tell you but I think our vampy pal Angel is a no show tonight- The Bronze closes in fifteen minutes- which means, there's only like three more songs left to boogie on down to"Xander told her. "So what do you say, Buffy- Think you can spare one little dance with your best friend?" Buffy nodded. "Sure- It beats sitting down and sulking.. Anyway, I came here to dance- and I haven't done that all night." "That's that spirit! C'mon!" Xander said, pulling Buffy onto the dance floor. Buffy and Xander danced together to an upbeat song. Then a slower song came on. Xander and Buffy continued dancing together while Willow sat alone at the table. "Are you with anyone?" a familiar voice behind her asked. Willow turned around to see Oz standing there. "Oh, hi, Oz. Well, I came with my two friends but they're out on the dance floor right now- so right now, no- Are you?" Oz shook his head. "Not anymore. I came with Devon but as soon as Cordelia spotted him she-" Willow interrupted. "You don't have to tell me the rest- I think I know what happened." "Yeah," Oz agreed. "So, did you just come here now? 'Cause it closes soon and it would just be kinda weird if you came for only the last few minutes," Willow asked. "Well, actually, yeah- we just came now. Devon wanted to see Cordelia since he knew shed be here-and since he's my ride home I had to come along, so, yeah," Oz told her. The two sat in silence for a moment. "Do you wanna dance?" Oz asked, breaking the silence. "Me?" Willow asked, somewhat surprised. Oz grinned. "Well, yeah- I didn't think there was any other Willow here that I was talking to- Unless you have some invisible clone- Wait let me check," he said, then looked under the table and behind him. "Willow? Willow?" he said as he did so. Willow giggled slightly. "Sorry- I guess-I' just not used to a guy-well other then Xander- asking me to dance," she explained. "Well you do know how, right?" Oz asked . "Oh, yeah, I just-" she began. "Well then let's dance," he told her. Willow nodded her head in agreement as Oz led her out on the dance floor. The two began slow dancing. When the song ended, Devon came over by where Oz and Willow were standing. "Hey Devon, What's going on?" Oz asked his friend. "Cordelia and I got into a little *disagreement*, so I'm ready to bail. You coming?" Oz looked at Willow for a moment then turned back to his friend. "I think I'm gonna stay," he told Devon. "Ok man, See you tomorrow at practice," Devon said. "Yeah-I'll be there. See ya," Oz answered. When Devon was gone, Willow turned to Oz. "Uh, Oz? Wasn't he your ride home?" she asked him. Oz nodded with a slight grin. "Yeah..but staying here is worth my walking home," he told her. Willow blushed. "Has anyone ever told you that you look kind of cute when you blush like that?" Oz asked her grinning. Willow just stared at him. "'Cause you do.. Not good at handling compliments, are you? "No- Oh, I mean- Sorry- it's just- Well, no one has really-" Willow began. "Ever complimented you," Oz finished for her. "Well, no guy-Well, besides-" Willow began again. "Xander," Oz finished for her again. Willow nodded. "Yeah." "Well, I don't handle them too well myself so...But, do you wanna keep dancing?" "Oh-yeah, sure. I mean if you want to," Willow answered nervously. Oz smiled. "I want to," he answered. "Ok, then, let's- keep dancing," she said. Willow and Oz started dancing dancing again as the song "How Do I Live," by LeAnn Rhymes came on. Xander and Buffy also began to slow dance together again, when someone approached them from behind Buffy. "Hey," the person said, looking at Xander. "Hi," Xander answered. Buffy turned around as soon as she heard the person's voice. "Angel. I wasn't sure you'd show," she told him. Angel looked at Xander. "Can I- cut in?" Angel asked him. Xander nodded. "She's all yours-Well, not *all* yours- Ah, you know what I mean." Xander headed back to a table by himself when he spotted Cordelia standing all alone in a corner. He approached her. "Cordelia- What are you doing here all by yourself-I figured you'd be latched on to Devon somewhere." "No. We-well we just broke up," Cordelia told him. "I'm sorry to hear that," Xander said, trying to sound like he meant it, although he really did not. "Look- I know your probably gonna say to no this- but I thought I'd ask anyway..Do you wanna maybe- dance?" Cordelia looked annoyed at first but then managed a slight smile. "Sure-why not." The two walked off onto the dance floor and began slow dancing together. Angel wrapped his arms around Buffy's waist holding her close to him while Buffy placed her hands on Angel's shoulders. "I'm really sorry that I got here so late. I just- had a lot of things to do to-" Angel began explaining softly. "It's ok. I understand. Let's just forget about it and enjoy now, ok?" Angel nodded. "Ok." They danced, holding each other close, as they looked deeply into each other's eyes. The words to the song finally came on. *How do I Get through the night with you If I had to live without you What kind of life would that be* *Oh I, Need you in my arms, need you to hold You're my world, my heart, my soul If you ever leave Baby it would take away everything good in my life* *And tell me now, How do I live without you, I want to know, How do I breathe without you, If you ever go* As Buffy stared into Angel's eyes, listening to the lyrics of the beautiful song, a tear rolled down her cheek when she realized how much the lyrics to the song expressed the way she was feeling about Angel leaving. When Angel noticed her tears he began to get slightly choked up himself. He pulled Buffy even closer to him, letting her head rest on his shoulder, and almost hugging her for comfort as they swayed to the music. *Without you, There would be no sun in my sky There would be no love in my life, There'd be no world left for me* *And I, Baby I don't know what I would do, I'd be lost if I lost you If you ever leave, Baby you would take away everything Real in my life* "Angel?" Buffy whispered in his ear, through slight sobs. "Hmm?" he answered. "Will you ever be back?" she asked him, drawing away from him so she could look into his eyes. "I don't know," he answered softly after a long pause. Buffy just nodded and pulled her self closer to him, holding on tight to him, as if that would keep him from leaving. *How do I go on If you ever leave, Baby you would take away everything Need you with me Baby don't you know that you are everything good in my life* Buffy couldn't take it anymore and tears flooded her eyes and cheeks as she cried onto Angel's shoulder. Angel felt her body shaking as she cried and tried to comfort her- while he hugged her with one arm, he brought his other arm to the back of her head, burying her head in his chest. He kissed the top of her head. *And tell me now How do I live without you I want to know How do I breathe without you If you ever go How do I ever, ever survive How do I, How do I, oh How do I live* The song was almost over but Buffy couldn't wait until the end-she had to leave-the pain was too much for her. She pulled away from Angel and sprinted out of the Bronze, hysterical, and ran all the way home. To her advantage her mother wasn't home again- she didn't want to have to answer any questions about why she was upset. Buffy just went straight to her room and laid down on her bed, crying hysterically. After a few minutes, she was able to calm down a bit, but still, hadn't noticed that someone else was in the room with her. Angel. Her back was turned towards him but he could tell that she was still crying by the light sobs he heard coming from her. Angel walked quietly over to her bed and placed a gentle hand on her cheek. Buffy knew who it was right away and turned to face him, exposing her tear-filled face to him. It hurt Angel so much to see her like that. He moved his hand to wipe the tears that were falling from her eyes as she stared at him. His own face showed a pain filled expression as he stared down at her. As he went to wipe more tears away Buffy covered his hand with hers for a second and then pushed it away from her face, letting go of her grip on it. She turned her head the other way- She couldn't look at him and see the pain that she afflicted upon him by pushing him away when he was only trying to comfort her. Angel stood there with question. Tears were beginning to fill his own eyes as he stood unsure of what he should say, or what he should do. After a few more sobs Buffy finally spoke to him. "This is hard ,Angel, this is so hard," she said. Angel nodded. "I know," was all he could say. Buffy waited a few moments and spoke again. "I can't do this- I can't say goodbye like this-when we're involved- It's too hard," Buffy continued. Angel just stared at her. Buffy waited a few more seconds. "I think- we should just- not be together anymore- end our relationship here- because it's just too hard to say goodbye to you while we're in one," she said. She turned her head the other way. "What are you saying, Buffy?" Angel asked softly. After a few more sobs she spoke again. "I need you... to leave," Buffy told him. She turned her head back, to see what his response to this would be. Angel stared at her for a second. He understood how she was feeling- and that it hurt her more right now to see him. He gave her a slight nod then stared at her a few more seconds-then turned and walked towards her door. Angel stopped when he reached the door and turned his head slightly, but still not enough to face her. "I wish things could be different, Buffy..that I didn't have to leave Sunnydale," he commented. After a short silence, Buffy answered. "Me too. But- things just don't go the way we want them to in life. Especially in mine." She wished he would just leave so that she wouldn't lose it in front of him. "Well, goodbye Buffy," he said knowing that she wanted him to leave. Buffy didn't answer and just watched him continue out of her room. She waited until she heard him close her front door to let loose the emotions she was holding back. She broke out into tears again. She cried and cried , nonstop for about an hour. Then around 11:00 she finally calmed down a bit. The phone rang on the night table next to Buffy's bed. Buffy reached over and picked it up. "Hello?...Oh, hey Will....I just couldn't take it anymore, I had to leave or I would've just cried write there....Yeah, he came by, but- I told him to leave. I think it was the right thing to do- Just break it off-and stay away from him until tommorow night..It should be easy to do considering it's only a day..Yeah, should be but right now it doesn't seem like it will be. I miss him already and I just saw him an hour ago...No, I think he understands why..I think it'll be easier to deal with, I guess..He said goodbye, but I didn't answer. I couldn't- It was just too hard..Will, I think I'm gonna go on slay patrol now, even though it's kind of late. That should get my mind off this..I will.Ok, I'll try. I'll call you tomorrow and we can do something..K, bye." Buffy hung up the phone, just to have it ring again. "Hello?..Mom- hi..I'm fine. I was just- getting ready t o go to Willow's-to sleep over I mean since it's so late..You do?..No, I'll be fine.Besides I'll be at Willow's tonight and- I'll see if I can stay there tomorrow night too..You just take care of whatever you have to at the gallery and I'll see you Monday..That's two days right?..No-mom, I'll be fine..Don't worry, I'll be good..Ok mom. Love you, too. Bye," Buffy hung up the phone again. She grabbed the jacket that Angel had given her awhile back and a stake from her drawer and left the house on slay patrol. Buffy was walking towards the park when she came to the building that Angel lived in. She stopped for a moment thinking of how badly she wanted to just go in there and throw her arms around him. But she couldn't. She had to stay away from him to make it easier to let go. She continued walking again, her thoughts still on Angel and how he was leaving. But since her thoughts were invading her mind and taking her attention off of slaying, she didn't notice the vampire that had come up behind her until it was too late. He had her by the neck and she was too tired and stressed out to fight back at the moment. The she felt it- two fangs puncture the skin on her neck and the vampire slowly draining the blood out of her. After he had taken the slightest bit, Buffy's salyer sense kicked in and she managed to push her stake through his heart, turning him to dust immediately. Buffy turned the other way and placed her fingers up to her neck, in pain. She decided that she needed help fast, and the closet place would be Angel's. As much as she wanted to stay away from him, she couldn't. She needed help immediately. Buffy ran to Angel's apartment and knocked on his door with tears in her eyes from the pain and fear she was feeling. As soon as Angel opened the door, she fell into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably. Angel hugged her close to him, trying to comfort her, thinking that she was crying because she would miss him and didn't want him to leave. "It'll be alright, soon," he whispered in her ear. "It hurts," Buffy sobbed. "I know, I know," he replied and kissed the top of her head. "The pain-" Buffy began. "Shhh..It'll all go away- it may take awhile- but soon, things will be alright," he promised her. "It-feels- like a thousand knives are stabbing into my neck- all at once," she told him. "Your...neck?" Angel asked hoping she wasn't referring to what he thought she was. "What are you talking about? I thought-" he began. Buffy pulled away, shaking her head, exposing the two red fang marks on her neck to him. Angel looked at the marks and growled. "Who did this to you?" he asked in anger. "I don't know. Just some- random vampire I guess," she told him. "How did it happen?" Angel asked. "Well, I was out on slay patrol and I guess I was a little..sidetracked and didn't notice that he was behind me. So he snuck up on me and attacked. It wasn't until he already had his fangs in my neck that I was able to fight back," Buffy explained. "Did you kill him?" Angel asked. Buffy nodded. "Yeah- dusted him off right away," she answered. Angel sighed, putting his head down. "What? Was I not supposed to kill him?" she asked, confused. Angel just stood there with his head down trying to figure out what to do. "Angel? You're scaring me. What gives here?" Buffy asked. Angel lifted his head to look at her. "Sorry- I ,uh- I was just worried. You shouldn't have," he began. "Killed him. I shouldn't have killed him," Buffy finished for him. Angel nodded. "But I didn't know- I thought vampires- except you, of course- were the bad guys and that I was supposed to kill them. I was scared- I didn't know what to do," she explained. "i know- It's not your fault. It's just- he could've been useful in getting you better," Angel told her. "How?" Buffy asked. "Well, as strange at it may sound, he didn't drain enough blood out of you to complete the process of healing- if he did, you'd be unconcous, so if he was still around we'd have to lure him into draining the slightest bit more out of you. Then, we'd have cut his neck and make him bleed and you'd have to drink the blood from his neck until you were strong again," he explained. Buffy was confused. "Uh, Angel- I could be wrong here but doesn't drinking a vampire's blood after he drank yours make you become a vampire?" she asked. "In most cases, yes, but not in this one. Since your the slayer it doesn't work the same for you," he told her. "How come?" Buffy asked. "Well, since your the slayer, you can drink the blood from the same spot that you were bitten in and not become a vampire," Angel explained. "Oh..ok..*ow* Whatever needs to be done to treat this, could we do it now?" Buffy asked in pain. "That's the thing, Buffy. Without that vampire, I don't know of any other way of treating it," he told her. "*Ow* Well, do I need *that* vampire? I mean, can't I just get any old vamp and suck the blood from that one's neck in stead? *Ow*" Buffy was able to get out. Angel shook his head. "It has to be the same one that bit you, otherwise it won't work," he told her. "Oh..great. So what do I do? I can't go to a hospital because they'll have to call my mom and she's out of town- I don't want her worrying or anything," Buffy said holding the spot on her neck again. "Let me look at it," Angel said. Buffy nodded and took her hand off the fang marks. Angel reached out his hand to touch it, then pulled back, almost instantly, and turned his head the other way with a growl. "Angel?" Buffy called. "You need to get help..now. Go find Giles or someone," he told her. "Aren't you gonna come? I mean, even though that vampire only got a little out of me, I'm still a little weak. What if another vampire comes along- I won't have the strength to fight it and-" "I can't," Angel answered with a growl, still turned the other way. Buffy walked around him so that she could face him. She realized that he was in his "game" face. "Oh. I get it. You can't look at me, can you? 'Cause when you do, all you see is the two red marks on my neck," she said. "I'm sorry, Buffy. I want to help you but..the temptation- it's just too great," Angel told her. "It's ok. I understand," Buffy said, with a hint of hurt in her voice. Angel noticed this and wanted to show her that he cared about her and loved her- even though they were no longer together. He stepped closer to her, placing a hand on the side of her neck without the fang marks. Angel bent his head down toward her neck. Fear overwhelmed Buffy as Angel's mouth neared the fang marks on her neck. After all, Angel was in his "vampire mode" But the fear and pain washed away, and was replaced with pleasure as Buffy felt Angel's soft, sensual lips, instead of fangs, pressed against the cut. Angel did not pull his lips away right way. He let them linger there for some seconds. As they did, Buffy closed her eyes and let her head tilt back slightly, exposing her neck to his lips and letting the pleasure take over her. Seeing Buffy's reaction to this, and how much pleasure this was giving her, he drew his lips away for merely a second, and kissed her there again. "Angel," Buffy sighed with pleasure. Angel was fighting so hard to control the demon inside him, so that he would not bite her. But the temptation was becoming to great, so he pulled his lips away from her neck. Buffy opened her eyes to find him staring at her. "Better?" Angel asked, referring to the pain from the bite. Buffy wanted to tell him how incredible it felt to have his lips on her, kissing her, since he hadn't in a while. But she knew that she couldn't. The y could no longer be together and she felt the need to remind him. "Angel, why did you do that? I mean, you know that we can't be together anymore. It'll be to hard to say goodbye if we are," Buffy said. Angel was finally able to gain control and morph back into his normal face again. "I know. I just- wanted to let you know that- whether we're together or not- I care about you, and..love you. And no matter what happens to us Buffy, I'll never stop. Even if..Even if you stake me right now. It hurts me so much to see you in pain and I'd give anything to help you- unless it would risk your life. And right now..it would-So I can't be with you..I'm sorry." Buffy nodded. She understood. But she was curious about something and had to ask him. "Did you wanna bite me just before?" she asked. Angel frowned and put his head down. "I did," he admitted in a sad tone. "But- I was able to control the urge," he told her. Buffy smiled slightly. "Well, I guess I should be greatful for your honesty. But- to answer your question from before..It is..better." Angel looked up at her with a slight smile. Buffy grinned back at him slightly. "Well, maybe I'll just have to do it again," Angel said flirtatiously. Buffy smiled. "Yeah, and maybe if you keep doing it, I'll be completely better." Angel's smile turned to a frown. "If that was all it really would take, I wish I could," he said, a sad tone in his voice again. Buffy's smile disappeared too, when he said this. "Well, I better go to Giles house now," she told him changing the subject. Angel nodded. "I'd go with you but-" "I know..the temptation..I know," Buffy said, understandingly. "Well, I guess this is goodbye then," Angel said, still with a sad tone. Buffy nodded. "Yeah..guess it is." She stared at him a few more seconds. "I'll..I'll see ya," she blurted out, quickly walking to the door. Without giving him the chance to answer her, she opened the door and left. She didn't start crying until she got outside. Once outside, the tears began to pour down her face as she walked to Giles to get help. Angel was left standing there in his apartment, tears rolling down his hace. "Yeah..see ya," he said in a whisper. TO BE CONTINUED _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: michele v Subject: BUFFYFIC: Our Hearts Will Go On 5/6 Date: 22 Mar 1998 13:23:27 -0800 (PST) TITLE: Our Hearts Will Go On 5/6 AUTHOR: Michele V. EMAIL ADDRESS: glynisgrl@yahoo.com FEEDBACK: Definitely, especially since this is my first fic. SPOILERS: All episodes through "What's My Line 1 & 2," and especially "Angel," in this part. RATING: PG SUMMARY: A Buffy/Angel story with some added Willow/Oz and Xander/Cordelia. Also, Buffy and the gang find out about the return of the Master- in some form. DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters except for "The Elgradora" All of the other characters belong to Joss Whedon and the WB. No copywrite infringement intended. NOTE: I wrote this after "What's My Line 2," therefor without knowing that something similar would *sort of* happen in "Surprise" ********** PART 5 THE NEXT DAY(SATURDAY) BUFFY'S HOUSE The door bell rang at the Summers' house and Buffy went to answer it since no one else was home. "Hi, Buffy," Willow greeted her at the door. "Hey, Will," Buffy answered. "Come on in." Willow walked in and Buffy shut the door behind her. "How are you feeling?" Willow asked her friend. Buffy seemed like she was in a daze. "No, Angel hasn't left yet," she answered her friend. "Uh, Buffy, are you alright?" Willow asked concerned. "Fine! Everything's fine! I'm fine, my mom's fine. I'm sure your fine..you are fine, right?" Willow nodded. "Yeah, but I don't think you are." "Don't be silly. I'm fine..great..wonderful. Nothing could be better," Buffy told her. "Are you sure about that Buffy," Willow asked. Buffy nodded. "Yeah! Why?" "Well, you're acting kind of strange. And when I asked you a minute ago how you were you told me that Angel hasn't left yet..That wasn't the question I asked," Willow told her. Buffy sighed. "I'm sorry..Guess I just have some- things on my mind," she explained. "Like, Angel leaving?" Willow asked. Buffy nodded. "Like Angel leaving," she repeated in an answer. "Look, I know this must be hard for you," Willow started, attempting to comfort her friend. Buffy looked at Willow, as if Willow really didn't know how hard it was. Willow sighed. "Ok, maybe I don't really know. I'm just trying to make you feel better- if that's possible," she said. Buffy sighed. "Look, I appreciate your help, I do. But, I really don't think that anything can help. I mean, Angel's leaving. There's nothing that can stop that from happening." Willow stared at Buffy. She knew that Buffy was right- There was nothing that could make Buffy feel any better- There was nothing that could prevent Angel from leaving. Buffy sat on her couch, looking in the other direction. Willow sat next to her. Tears were forming in Buffy's eyes. "It's just so hard...It's so hard..The only thing that makes sense to me is gone," she said. "He hasn't left yet, Buffy. You could still go see him now," Willow said softly. Buffy shook her head. "I can't. We said goodbye already..last night. We, well it wasn't exactly goodbye..I kinda just left and said bye," Buffy told her. "What happened? I mean, I expected you guys to go through that whole mushy goodbye thing," Willow said. "Definitely no mushy goodbye...He just told me that I had to go get help with the vampire bite and I said ok and just kinda said see you to him and walked out the door" she told Willow. "And I can't go back there to see him, it'll just make it harder for us both. I think that despite my feeling awful about ending like that, maybe there's still the chance that it'll work out easier," Buffy explained. "Well, is it working so far? Do you think it's easier?" Willow asker her. "No, I think I may have made it harder. I'll probably never forgive myself for not saying goodbye the right way, but, I guess I'll just have to give it time.," Buffy answered. There was a knock at the door. "Oh, I'll get it," Willow told her, getting up. "It's probably just Oz. He's been waiting out in his van for me," she said. "Oz?" Buffy asked. "Yeah..we're going on our first date tonight" Willow said. "Oh. Where to?" Buffy asked. "The Bronze," Willow answered. "The Bronze? That sounds romantic and quite..have fun," Buffy said sarcastically. Willow opened the door. "Hey, Oz. Come on in," she said motioning inside. "Shouldn't we get going?" he asked as she closed the door behind him. "Uh, yeah. Hey, Buffy- Do you wanna- come?" she asked her friend. "Xander's gonna be there too..uh, with Cordelia, but still there." "Nah. I think I'll stay in tonight. Besides, you two are going on a date, I don't wanna impose or anything," Buffy said. "Oh, no. You won't be imposing. We want you to come..Don't we Oz?" "Sure. It'll kinda break that first date tension having someone else around," Oz answered with a grin. "I don't know..I won't be much for company," she said. "Sure you will Buffy. You always are," Willow said. "Well, Angel has never left town for good before," Buffy reminded her. "Oh...yeah. But, I mean it's Saturday night. What else are you going to do besides stay home and wish Angel wasn't leaving," Willow pointed out. Buffy thought for a minute. "Ok..I'll come. I- just have to get something upstairs. I'll be down in a few minutes. You guys can wait outside," she said. "Ok..great," Willow said smiling. Buffy smiled back and ran upstairs. ******** GILE'S HOUSE Gile's was reading one of the Watcher diaries when he heard a knock on his door. He got up to answer it. He was surprised at who stood in front of it. "Oh..he..hello, Angel....Uh, why don't you come in?" he said, motioning him to come inside. Angel nodded. "Thanks." "Have a seat," Giles said pointing over to the couch. Angel nodded and sat down. "So..What brings you here?" Giles asked concerned. "The book on the Elgradora..I was able to get it for you. I thought- you'd be at the school library but you weren't..so I cam here to give it to you," Angel explained. He held out the book in his hands, giving it to Giles. Giles took it and looked down at it for a moment. He then began flipping through the pages. "It's somewhere in the fourth chapter," Angel told him. Giles flipped to Chapter four and scanned it for information. "Oh..yes, here it is..Well, Thank you very much. This will indeed be helpful in protecting Buffy-and- us all. Thank you," he said. "No problem," Angel said. His face saddened at the thought that he wouldn't be there anymore to protect Buffy as he always did before. "Is...she alright?" Angel asked suddenly. "Who? Buffy?" Giles asked. "Yeah. She was bitten by a vampire last night and I told her to go see you. Is she alright?" Angel asked, concerned. "Yes. Sh-she's fine," Giles assured him. There was a long silence. "Buffy-told me that you're leaving Sunnydale," Giles said, trying to make conversation. "I am..I'm leaving tonight," he told Giles. "Yes-I know. Buffy-is- very upset. She's going to miss you quite a bit, I suppose,"Giles told him. Angel nodded. "I know..I'm going to miss her too," he said in a sad tone. "When I got my soul back, I never thought that I'd be able to love anyone again. I thought..no human could ever love me because I'm not human and no vampire could ever love me and I could never love them because I'm not like them anymore..But then I met Buffy..and I fell in love with her..She- fell in love with me. And I was the happiest I'd ever been in all my life..because I felt-almost human again..I felt loved. There was still loneliness, still pain..but there was love..the greatest thing that could ever happen to me..and Buffy gave it to me. And now- it's all being taken away. I have to leave..." he "I'm terribly sorry that things can't work out for the two of you, Angel. And- I mean that. I know, I've said in the past that a vampire and a slayer could never belong together. But when I saw the extraordinary love that you have for Buffy and the extraordinary love that Buffy has for you...Well, I realized that you two were meant to be together" Giles told him. There was a short silence. "I should- probably thank you, as Buffy's watcher, for allowing us to be together," Angel said. "Well, as I said, I recognized that nothing could keep true lovers apart, and you two- are, in a sense, true lovers. I wasn't about to attempt to tear that apart," Giles explained. "But this does," Angel said, a sad tone in his voice. "Well, yes, I suppose it will.. But- even while the two of you are apart, I know- that you're love for each other will remain..perhaps forever" Giles said. "Angel," Giles began, curious,"Have you told Buffy what you just told me- about how you never thought you could love anyone until you met her?" he asked. "I've told her..many times," Angel told him. "Well did you tell her last night- before the two of you said goodbye?" Giles continued. Angel shook his head. "I didn't..I didn't get the chance to say goodbye to her. She was gone before I could say anything," Angel explained. He paused for a second. "Do you..think- you could tell her that I said goodbye..and..that- I love her?" he asked. Giles nodded. "I could..But- I know Buffy very well, and I know that she'd much rather hear you say that to her then, well me, of course," Giles told him. Angel shook his head. "Buffy said goodbye already. She doesn't want to see me again. It'll be to hard for her." "I'm afraid that Buffy is trying to talk herself into not seeing you again. She's afraid..of how she'll act when she sees you leaving her. But, I think what will be harder for her, is when she realizes that she should've said goodbye to you- the right way. And then it'll be too late," Giles said. He paused. "But, I'll tell her for you if that's what you'd like." Angel just stared at him. "I better go," he said after a few seconds,"My train leaves soon." He stood up and walked towards the door. "Very well," Giles said, following him and opening the door for him. "Goodbye," Angel said looking at Giles. "Goodbye, Angel," Giles replied. Angel turned and walked out the door. "Angel," Giles called as he watched Angel walk out into the street. Angel turned around. "You've..been of much help to- us all..over the course of the years we've known you..very much help. And I..thank you for that," Giles said. Angel nodded and turned back around and walked away. Giles watched him walk away. "Poor Buffy," he thought. "I hope he makes the right descision." ****** THE BRONZE While Willow and Oz were dancing, Willow looked over into a dark corner of the Bronze and spotted someone standing alone in the shadows. "Hey, Oz. Can you excuse me for a few minutes? I have to go to the DJ stand to- request a song," Willow told Oz. "Oh, sure. I'll just wait here for you," Oz said. "Ok, I'll be back in a little while," Willow said, then turned and walked over to where Xander and Cordelia were making out. Willow tapped Xander on the shoulder. "Uh, excuse me, Xander- There's something we need to go do," she told him. "Yeah, there is. *You* need to go back on the dance floor and dance with Oz, and *I* need to continue making out with Cordelia," Xander answered. "I'm sorry- I- interrupted your little..thing, but- this is more important," Willow explained. "Right now, nothing could be more important then Cordelia's lips against my lips- or maybe other body parts," Xander told her. Cordelia and Xander started kissing again. "But..it's about Buffy!" Willow told him. Xander broke away from Cordelia. "Well, maybe that." He looked at Cordelia. "Cordy, don't move. I'll be right back..My lips'll miss you- yours," he told her. "Ew! You're leaving me for her! Listen, Xander, If you think you've got me wrapped around your fingers, you're wrong! Ok, cause there's plenty of guys that are dying to go out with me- and some that I'd much rather go out with- and a few of them are here right now, So if I-" Cordelia began shouting at him. Xander grabbed the back of her head and passionately kissed her. "You better hurry up. Wouldn't want one of those stupid single losers to think I'm not with anyone," Cordelia said, changing her mind. Xander turned to a surprised Willow. "These babies are magical," he said pointing to his lips. Willow managed to smile slightly. "So, what's this we have to do for Buffy?" Xander asked following Willow. "Just follow my lead," Willow told him as they headed towards the DJ stand. Willow whispered a request of a song in the DJ's ear, who agreed to play it. "Will, you mind letting me in on the big secret?" Xander asked. Willow nodded. "Well, remember the night.." Willow started and proceeded to tell Xander her plan. Xander looked over at a dark figure in the corner of the Bronze, then looked at a lonely Buffy. "For Buffy's sake, I hope this works," Xander said. Willow nodded. "Me too.. Come on. let's go," she said. The two of them walked over to where Buffy sat. "Hi," Willow said to Buffy. Buffy looked up at the two of them. "Oh, hey guys," she answered. There was a long silence as Willow waited for the right moment to begin talking again. Finally, a new song began playing- the one that Willow had requested. Willow was relieved- her plan was working so far. The words to the song came on. *It's daybreak And you are asleep I can hear you breathe now Your breath is deep* "So, no word from Angel?" Willow asked Buffy, on cue. Buffy looked at Willow, confused. "What are you talking about, Will? Angel and I said goodbye already- last night- maybe it wasn't the best goodbye, but it was goodbye..I thought I told you," she said. Willow just ignored Buffy's question and comments. It did seem a little awkward saying this to her but it was part of her plan. Willow waited a few seconds, then continued. "Well, in a way he sort of is, in the way of that he's right over there," she said motioning to a dark figure in a corner of the Bronze. Buffy, looked at Willow, then at Xander, still quite confused. She then looked over at the figure Willow had pointed out. The person was looking in her direction. It was Angel. Buffy then realized that the things that Willow had just said to her-that weren't making a bit of sense- were the things that Willow said to her the night that Buffy and Angel said their first goodbye to each other, in a way. Buffy played their conversation from that night back in her head. *"So, no word from Angel?" Willow had asked Buffy. "Nah. It's weird, though. In this way, I feel like he's still watching me," Buffy told her. "Well, in a way he sort of is," Willow said, "In the way of that he's right over there," Willow said pointing to a dark figure that was staring in Buffy's direction..Angel.* Even the song that was playing right then- "I'll Remember You," by Sophie Zelmani- that was the same song that was playing that night too- Although, Willow had set it up that way. *But before I go I look at you one last time I can heat a heartbeat Is it yours or is it mine?* Buffy looked back at her two best friends. Xander motioned his head in Angel's direction, signaling her to go over to him. Buffy looked over at Willow, then back at Xander. She was hesitant about going over to him, afraid that it would be too hard to say goodbye. But then she gave her friends a smile, a silent thank you and turned and began slowly approaching Angel. Xander turned to Willow. Willow had a grin on her face as she watched Buffy and Angel approach each other. She was happy that her planned had worked out- bringing Buffy and Angel together to say goodbye that way they should have the night before. She knew it would make Buffy happier- although maybe just the slightest bit. "So, guess this is my cue to say ,'I don't need to watch because I'm not threatened. I'm just gonna look this way,'" Xander said grinning. Willow smiled. The two of them watched as Buffy and Angel approached each other. When they met, towards the center of the Bronze, Buffy looked up at Angel, greeting him with a smile. Angel just stared down at her, a sad look on his face. *I look at your lips I know how soft they can be Did they know what they wanted the times they kissed me?" Angel finally spoke. "I couldn't leave here without saying a proper goodbye to you," he told Buffy. Buffy just looked up at him and nodded slightly. Angel sighed. "I need to know that you're going to be alright...I know, that it's going to take awhile, but I need to know that, in time...you'll move on..find someone else to love... Someone you can start a family with..someone you can grow old, and die with," Angel told her. He continued. "Someone you can watch the sunset with, before you go to bed at night..and- watch it rise with when you walk up in the morning...'Cause you deserve that, Buffy..you do. And I- need you to promise that you'll do that,Buffy...for me." Buffy's eyes held unshed tears as she stared up at him. She shook her head slightly. "I don't know if I can do that, Angel..I can't-just- forget you and move on. You're too much a part of me. I'm sorry, but- I can't make that promise," she told him. "Look, I know it all seems too hard right now- but I need to know that you'll try, at least," he said. "Do that for me, Buffy?" he asked. Buffy looked at him for a few seconds, then nodded. "I will..try, I mean." Angel gave her a slight smile. He felt slightly better knowing that she'd one day be happy again. "I have something for you," Angel told her, reaching into his pocket. "It's not much, really- but it's, a goodbye present." He held a velvet jewelry box in his hands. Buffy looked down at it in his hands. *And your hands that I held in mine Now they're reposing on the pillow Will they ever miss me some time?* She looked up at Angel. Finally, he handed her the box. "Don't open it, just now," Angel told her. "Wait- until I'm gone..When you really need to- when the pain is too much- open it then," he told her. Buffy nodded. "I, um, actually, have something for you, too. I was- gonna leave it by your door but- well, you're here now," she said. Buffy reached into her pocket and pulled out a small velvet pouch bag and handed it to him. "There's just a little something in there to remember me by..in case you forget," she told him. Angel shook his head. "I won't ever forget you, Buffy..I won't," he swore to her. Buffy knew that he meant it. She'd never forget him either. Ever. He'd always be in her heart, just as she'd always be in his. *I'll remember you You will be there in my heart I'll remember you And that is all that I can do But I'll remember* Buffy remembered that she had something else for him. She reached in her pocket and pulled out a cassette tape. "This is for you, too. It's- a tape of this song-that- kinda reflects the way I feel bout you leaving..You can- play it while you open the bag-or, whenever. I know I don't know your musical taste but- I just had to give it you. The song just- seems like it was written for us," Buffy told him. Angel nodded and placed the two items in his pocket. He looked back down at Buffy. They stared at each other for a few seconds. Buffy could tell that Angel had something on his mind. She knew it was probably the fact that he was leaving and they'd no longer be together, but she had to ask anyway. "Is there- something else on your mind?" she asked him softly. "It's nothing- It's just *this*... It's just so-," Angel began. Buffy knew what he was going to say. "Painful," she said, finishing his sentence for him. "I know." "I wish things could be different, Buffy," he told her. Buffy nodded. "I know," she agreed. "Me too." Buffy shrugged slightly. "Well, it's getting kind of late. You should probably go now, or- you'll miss your train," she told him. As much as Buffy hated having to say that, it was the truth. Angel nodded. "I know," he whispered. Buffy stared up at him. Angel leaned down towards her face slightly. Buffy just stared into his eyes. He leaned forward a few more inches until his lips met hers for a soft kiss. The power between the two of them brought their lips together again, as they kissed again. Buffy closed her eyes, wrapped up in the moment, as Angel did the same. *Your eyes that always make me shiver Now they are closed They just sometimes twitch a little* As Angel's arms wrapped tightly around her, Buffy moved her hand to Angel's face and brought her other arm around his neck, deepening their kiss. As they shared this passionate kiss goodbye, Buffy was reminded of the first time they kissed goodbye- when they first decided that they shouldn't be together. Their conversation just a minute ago was even similar to the one they had that night. *"I just wanted to see if you were ok, and your mother," Angel said when they finally reached each other. "We're both good..you?" Buffy asked. "If I can go a little while without being shot or stabbed, I'll be alright," he answered with a slight chuckle. He became more serious. "Look, this can't.." he started. "Ever-be anything" Buffy finished, "I know. For one thing your like two hundred and twenty four years older then I am," she said with a smile. "I just gotta..I gotta walked away from this," Angel told her. Buffy nodded. "I know, me too....One of us has to go here," she said. Angel nodded slightly. "I know," he said in a whisper, then leaned in and kissed her.* Their kiss was even during the same song-although, again, Willow had arranged that. But Buffy knew that this would be their last kiss goodbye. And unlike the previous time, this one was goodbye forever. Buffy held on tighter to Angel as they kissed, not wanting to ever let go. Savoring the feel of his body close to hers for the last time. *And your body I could hold for an hour It sent me to heaven With it's heat and power* Slowly, Buffy and Angel pulled apart, looking deeply into each other's eyes as they did so. Tears were in both of their eyes. As soon as Angel saw Buffy's face filled with tears, he pulled her back into his embrace, wrapping his arms tightly around her tiny body, hugging her close to him. Angel stroked the back of her hair as he held her. After a few seconds, they pulled away again. "I have to go now," Angel told Buffy softly. "Ok," she said trying not to make it any harder for them. She tried to hold back the tears from pouring down her face again, but one had already slipped out of her eye. Then another, then another. Angel moved his hand to her cheeks and wiped some of the tears from her eyes. Buffy grabbed his hand and held it against her cheek. She closed her eyes a she took in the feel of his touch for the last time. Then she guided his hand down to her lips and kissed the back of it. Angel closed his own eyes as she did this. Slowly, Buffy moved his hand down to rest beneath her chin. Tears were forming in Angel's eyes again. He was wishing more then ever that he wasn't a vampire- so that none of this would have to happen. So that he wouldn't have to leave the girl that he loved more then anything in the world. "Please don't go, Angel. Please. I can't do this without you..I can't- live without you, Angel. Please don't leave me," Buffy pleaded with him as tears ran down her pale cheeks. She knew that she was being unfair to him saying this, but she couldn't help but say how she felt at that moment. Angel's eyes flooded with tears. He would have done anything for Buffy. Anything, He'd give the world to her- if she asked for it. But staying in Sunnydale was one thing he could not d o for her. He would not put her in danger of Spike's attempts at using him to restore Druscilla or trying to make him a normal vampire again. Angel placed his gentle hand back to rest on the side of Buffy's face. He caressed her cheek lightly. Tears continued to roll down both of their cheeks. "Buffy, when I got my soul back, I never once thought that I'd be able to love again or that anyone could ever love me..But..when I met you, things changed..I fell in love with you, you were able to fall in love with me. And I- was the happiest I'd ever been in all my life-because you made me feel complete- you made me feel, almost- human..because you made me feel loved. Of course, there was still loneliness, still pain, but there was love too- The love I had for you and the love you had for me. And it was the greatest thing that could ever happen to me-you gave me the greatest thing the greatest gift off all..your love, your heart. And I thank you for that, Buffy. I'd love to give something more then just my love-and my heart for you- in return, but staying here..I can't do. You know that, Buffy..You know that if it were in any way possible to stay here with you, I would..But I can't, with this," Angel told her. He continued. "You mean the world to me Buffy. And I'll never stop missing you, never stop loving you..Your eyes, your hair, your lips, your warmth, your smile, your touch..I'll never stop," he told her. Buffy stared at him with tears rolling down her cheeks. Angel pulled her close to him again, giving her one last, soft kiss on her lips. It didn't last as long as the previous one, but it was still magical. Angel pulled away from her slowly. He looked at her for a few more seconds. "Goodbye, Buffy," he said, softly. Buffy tried to say something but words couldn't escape her mouth, only sobs. She just stood there looking at him with tears pouring out of her eyes. Angel looked at her for one more moment, then turned and headed towards the exit of the Bronze. Buffy watched him walk away from her. "Angel..don't go," Buffy whispered, mainly to herself, in tears. Angel passed where Willow and Xander were standing. They, too, watched as he headed towards the door. Xander shook his head in disgust, then turned towards Willow. "He walks right past us, knowing that he'll never again see our faces, and he doesn't even say goodbye?!? The nerve of some vampires!" he said. Willow shrugged. "He said goodbye to me...He- came by my house the other night- and- said goodbye," Willow told him. Xander shook his head again. Just before reaching the door, Angel paused. He turned to look back at Buffy one last time. He'd never see her beautiful face again. "I love you," he whispered to her, then turned and walked out of the bronze. Buffy wiped some of the tears from her eyes, only to have more pour from them again. "Goodbye, Angel" she whispered in between sobs, "I love you too," she said staring at the now empty space in front of the door, as the song that was playing ended. *I'll remember you You will be there in my heart I'll remember you And that is all that I can do But I'll remember* TO BE CONTINUED _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: michele v Subject: BUFFYFIC: Our Hearts Will Go On 6/6 Date: 22 Mar 1998 13:19:49 -0800 (PST) TITLE: Our Hearts Will Go On 6/6 AUTHOR: Michele V. EMAIL ADDRESS: glynisgrl33@yahoo.com FEEDBACK: Definitely, especially since this is my first fic.RATING: PG SUMMARY: A Buffy/Angel story that takes place after "What's My Line 1 & 2" with some added Willow/Oz and Xander/Cordelia. Also, Buffy and the gang find out SPOILERS: All episodes through "What's My Line 1 & 2" about the return of the Master-in some form. DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters except for "The Elgradora" All of the other characters belong to Joss Whedon and the WB. No copywrite infringement intended. NOTE: I Wrote this after "What's My Line 2," therefor without knowing that something similar would *sort of* happen in "Surprise" ********** PART 6 SUNDAY NIGHT(THE NEXT DAY) Buffy walked into her bedroom, slammed the door shut behind her, and threw herself onto her bed, crying hysterically. While she was on her way home from Willow's, a vampire, that knew Angel had left Sunnydale, jumped out at her- and began harassing Buffy about his leaving. It had gotten to the point where Buffy did not have the mental capability or strength to fight him, so she just broke down in tears and ran home, where she now lay crying on her bed. Buffy hugged the leather jacket she held - that Angel had given her awhile back, close to her. She closed her eyes for a moment, pretending that it was Angel that she was holding. Reality of course kicked in when she opened her eyes, seconds later. Buffy couldn't take the pain anymore, it was all too much for her. She knew what it was time for. It was time to open it- the goodbye present that Angel had given her the night before. He told her to wait until she needed to open it- and at that moment she needed to. She a piece of him with her now. Something new. Buffy reached over and opened the drawer to the night table next to her bed. She took out the small velvet jewelry box, that was tucked neatly inside of it and closed the drawer again. She climbed under her covers, sitting up in bed and set the box down next to her. She reached back over to her night table and popped a cd that had been laying out, into her cd player and pressed play. She then settled herself back upright in bed. She picked up the small box again and stared down at it in her hands. ******* Angel walked into his new apartment, closing the door behind him. He threw his leather jacket on a nearby chair and placed his keys down on the coffee table. He walked over to his bed and sat down on it. With his head hung down, he ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. He was thinking of Buffy. How he missed her so much. Angel looked back up and noticed the small pouch bag that Buffy had given him the night before, lying on the night table next to his bed. He decided that it was time. Time to open it up. Before doing anything, he grabbed the cassette tape that was lying next to it, that Buffy also had given him, put it in his tape player and pressed play. He then picked up the small velvet bag, staring down at it in his hands. ****** Buffy slowly and carefully opened up the small box- afraid that something might fall out of it. When she saw what was inside of it, her eyes began to flood with tears again. ****** After a few seconds, Angel finally opened up the bag. Inside was a small cardboard box. Angel took it out of the bag and carefully opened it up. What he saw inside of it brought tears to his eyes. ****** Inside the box that Angel had given Buffy, was the long chained gold cross that Angel had always worn. Underneath it, a small sheet of paper, that Buffy could tell had something written on it. ****** Inside the box that Buffy had given Angel, was the silver cross necklace that Angel had given Buffy for protection the first time they met. The one that was almost always around Buffy's neck. Taped to the inside lid of the box was a picture of Buffy and underneath the necklace, a small envelope. ****** The words to the song that both Buffy and Angel had playing in their tape players finally came on. -"Every night in my dreams I see you, I feel you That is how I know you go on" Buffy, sitting on her bed with tears in her eyes, began thinking about all her times with Angel. Angel, sat on his bed as memories of all his times with Buffy played through his head. The beautiful song continued, serving as almost background music to their thoughts. -"Far across the distance And spaces between us You have come to show you go on" The two thought about the first time they met, outside of the Bronze.. *'Is there a problem mam?' Angel asked after Buffy had slammed his body to the ground. 'There's a problem,' Buffy shot back,'Why are you following me?' 'I know what you're thinking, but don't worry, I don't bite' Angel answered her. 'Who are you?' Buffy asked later on. 'Let's just say, I'm a friend,' Angel told her. 'Yeah, well maybe I don't want a friend,' Buffy shot at him. 'I didn't say I was yours,' he answered.* -"Near, far Wherever you are I believe that the heart does go on" The two looked down at each other's necklaces that they held in the boxes in their hands. ******** A tear fell from Buffy's eyes onto Angel's necklace. Buffy wiped it off quickly, leaving her fingers to rest on the cross. ***** -"Once more You open the door And you're here in my heart And my heart will go on and on" ****** Angel ran a finger over Buffy's cross. It hurt, burned, a little. But it was nothing compared to the hurt he was feeling without Buffy in his life. ****** -"Love can touch us one time And last for a lifetime And never let go till we're gone" They thought about their first kiss, in Buffy's bedroom-when she first found out he was a vampire. *'I did a lot of thinking today. I really can't be around you because when I am..' Angel started to tell her.'Hey, no big,' Buffy interrupted,'Water..over the bridge, under the bridge...' 'All I can ever think about is how badly I want to kiss you,' Angel admitted. 'Over the dam...kiss me?' Buffy said looking up at him in shock. 'I'm older then you and this can't ever...I better go,' he said. 'H-how much older?' Buffy asked. 'I should..' Angel began. 'Go,' Buffy said approaching him, 'You said.' Angel looked down at her and they kissed. They kissed again. Buffy put her arm around him as Angel put his around her. The kiss went on for several seconds. Suddenly Angel pulled away. 'What? What is it? What's wrong?' Buffy asked. Angel turned to face her and growled. Buffy screamed seeing that his face was then that of a vampire. Angel took one last look at her and jumped out of her window.* -"Love was when I loved you One true time I hold on to In my life we'll always go on" They thought about the time they were in the graveyard and Angel admitted that he was jealous of Xander. *'Love makes you do the wacky,' Buffy told Angel. 'What?" Angel asked. 'Crazy stuff,' Buffy explained. 'Oh. Crazy, like a two hundred and forty one year old being jealous of a high school junior?' Angel asked referring to himself. 'Are you fessing up?' Buffy asked him. 'I thought about it. Maybe it bothers me a little,' Angel admitted. 'I don't love Xander,' Buffy told him. 'Yeah, but he's in your life. He gets to be there when I can't. Take your classes, eat your meals, hear your jokes and complaints...He gets to see you in the sunlight,' Angel reminded her. 'I don't look that good in direct light,' Buffy told him. Angel looked at her for a moment.'Well, it'll be mourning soon,' Angel said looking up at the sky. 'I should probably go. I could walk you home,' Buffy told him. They stared at each other for a long moment. Finally Angel held out his hand. Buffy took in and they began to walk hand in hand.* "Near, far Wherever you are I believe that the heart does go on" The two thought about a time at the Bronze when Buffy wanted to give Angel his jacket back, but he refused. *'I heard a rumor that there was, uh, one last vampire walking around making a nuisance of himself,' Angel said coming up behind Buffy at the Bronze. 'There is. Guess I should thank you for the tip,' Buffy said. 'Pleasure's mine,' Angel told her. 'Course it would make things easier if I knew how to get in touch with you,' she told him. 'I'll be around,' he said. 'Or who you were,' Buffy continued. Angel smiled and walked around to the other side of her. 'Well, anyways, you can have your jacket back,' she said referring to the leather jacket he gave her that she was wearing then. 'It looks better on you,' Angel told her. He then turned and left. Buffy stared after him. Angel gave her another look aback then disappeared into the crowd.* -"Once, more You open the door And you're here in my heart And my heart will go on and on" They thought about the time at the ice skating rink when Angel had his game face on and didn't want Buffy to see him like that. *'Are you ok?' Angel asked Buffy after she had just fought with a member of the order of Teraka. Buffy skated over to him. She put a gloved hand on his face, noticing the cut above his eye. 'What about you? That cut!' Buffy said moved her hand towards his cut. Angel moved his head, shrugging her hand off. 'Forget about me. This is bad Buffy. We gotta get you outta here,' he told her. 'What, you mean hide?' she asked. 'Let's just get you some place safe!' he answered her. 'No! Your eye!' Buffy said reaching back up to touch his cut. He shook her off again. 'Hey, don't be a baby. I'm not gonna hurt you,' she told him. 'It's not that,' Angel said. 'What?' Buffy asked. 'You shouldn't have to touch me when I'm like this,' he told her. Buffy looked up into his vampire features. 'Oh,' she said. She removed the glove from her hand and moved her hand across his brow and wound, brushing gently down his cheek. 'I didn't even notice,' she told him softly. She moved closer to him and kissed him. Angel responds, and the kiss becomes more passionate.* Angel and Buffy's thoughts subsided as they looked back down at the small boxes they held in their hands. ******* Angel ran his hand over the picture of Buffy that was taped to the box. Tears were pouring from his eyes as he looked at her beautiful face. Looking at Buffy's picture and having her silver cross with him, made him feel as though a part of Buffy was still with him. Angel slipped his hand under the necklace and pulled out the small envelope that was underneath it. He opened it up and took out the piece of paper that was folded neatly inside of it. He unfolded it and read what it said. ********* Buffy picked up Angel's necklace and held it in her hands. She carefully brought it over her head and around her neck. She then up the cross part again and brought it to her lips. Gently, she kissed it, then let it go again, allowing it hang around her neck. With it around her neck, it made her feel as though a pice of him was with her. Buffy then reached back into the small velvet box and took out the piece of paper that was folded inside it. She unfolded it and read what was written in it. -"You're here There's nothing I fear And I know that my heart will go on" ******* Written on the sheet of paper that was inside the envelope that Angel found inn the box Buffy had given him was the following: Dear Angel, My heart for you will go on. Yours truly, Buffy Angel stared down at those words as even more tears flooded his eyes. ****** Buffy's eyes flooded with tears as she read the words written on the piece of paper Angel included in the box he had given her. The note read: My heart for you Buffy, will go on forever. Love, Angel ****** Tears in their eyes,the two of them listened as the last verse of the song played over both their tape players, staring down at the notes they held in their hands. -"We'll stay Forever this way You are safe in my heart And my heart will go on and on" ****** Buffy wiped some tears from her eyes as the song ended. She placed the velvet box and note she held on the table beside her bed. She then nestled under her covers. ***** Angel wiped some of the tears from his eyes as the song ended and placed the small cardboard box with Buffy's necklace and note in it on his night table. He positioned it so that her picture would be facing him when he lay in bed. He then got into bed and pulled the covers over him. ****** Before closing her eyes Buffy brought the cross part of Angel's necklace that she still wore around her neck- up to her lips again. She kissed it again. "I love you, Angel," she whispered, then let go of it again and went to sleep. ****** Before closing his eyes, Angel reached over to the box that lay on his night table. He touched Buffy's silver cross, letting his fingers rest on it, despite the pain he felt. "I love you, Buffy," he whispered then took his hand away again and went to sleep. ****** In the darkness of the two rooms, two crosses sparkled. One gold. One silver. It was a sign. A sign, that Buffy and Angel's love, their heart, for each other would go on forever. And although they were no longer physically together, in their hearts, in their dreams, they would always be. All of a sudden the song came on again in both of the rooms as Buffy and Angel slept, dreaming of each other. Neither of them had turned it back on..they were both asleep. Maybe it was another sign. It must've been. -"Every night in my dreams I see you, I feel you That is how I know you go on Far across the distance And spaces between us You have come to show you go on Near, far Wherever you are I believe that the heart does go on Once, more You open the door And you're here in my heart And my heart will go on and on Love can touch us one time And last for a life time And never let go till we're gone Love was when I loved you One true time I hold on to In my life we'll always go on Near, far Wherever you are I believe that the heart does go on Once, more You open the door And you're here in my heart And my heart will go on and on You're here There's nothing I fear And I know that my heart will go on We'll stay Forever this way You are safe in my heart And my heart will go on and on" It's not certain whether the song playing again by itself was a sign or not. But one thing *was* for certain. Their hearts-for each other- would go on. THE END. _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: michele v Subject: BUFFYFIC: Our Hearts Will Go On 5/6 Date: 22 Mar 1998 13:26:21 -0800 (PST) TITLE: Our Hearts Will Go On 5/6 AUTHOR: Michele V. EMAIL ADDRESS: glynisgrl@yahoo.com FEEDBACK: Definitely, especially since this is my first fic. SPOILERS: All episodes through "What's My Line 1 & 2," and especially "Angel," in this part. RATING: PG SUMMARY: A Buffy/Angel story with some added Willow/Oz and Xander/Cordelia. Also, Buffy and the gang find out about the return of the Master- in some form. DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters except for "The Elgradora" All of the other characters belong to Joss Whedon and the WB. No copywrite infringement intended. NOTE: I wrote this after "What's My Line 2," therefor without knowing that something similar would *sort of* happen in "Surprise" ********** PART 5 THE NEXT DAY(SATURDAY) BUFFY'S HOUSE The door bell rang at the Summers' house and Buffy went to answer it since no one else was home. "Hi, Buffy," Willow greeted her at the door. "Hey, Will," Buffy answered. "Come on in." Willow walked in and Buffy shut the door behind her. "How are you feeling?" Willow asked her friend. Buffy seemed like she was in a daze. "No, Angel hasn't left yet," she answered her friend. "Uh, Buffy, are you alright?" Willow asked concerned. "Fine! Everything's fine! I'm fine, my mom's fine. I'm sure your fine..you are fine, right?" Willow nodded. "Yeah, but I don't think you are." "Don't be silly. I'm fine..great..wonderful. Nothing could be better," Buffy told her. "Are you sure about that Buffy," Willow asked. Buffy nodded. "Yeah! Why?" "Well, you're acting kind of strange. And when I asked you a minute ago how you were you told me that Angel hasn't left yet..That wasn't the question I asked," Willow told her. Buffy sighed. "I'm sorry..Guess I just have some- things on my mind," she explained. "Like, Angel leaving?" Willow asked. Buffy nodded. "Like Angel leaving," she repeated in an answer. "Look, I know this must be hard for you," Willow started, attempting to comfort her friend. Buffy looked at Willow, as if Willow really didn't know how hard it was. Willow sighed. "Ok, maybe I don't really know. I'm just trying to make you feel better- if that's possible," she said. Buffy sighed. "Look, I appreciate your help, I do. But, I really don't think that anything can help. I mean, Angel's leaving. There's nothing that can stop that from happening." Willow stared at Buffy. She knew that Buffy was right- There was nothing that could make Buffy feel any better- There was nothing that could prevent Angel from leaving. Buffy sat on her couch, looking in the other direction. Willow sat next to her. Tears were forming in Buffy's eyes. "It's just so hard...It's so hard..The only thing that makes sense to me is gone," she said. "He hasn't left yet, Buffy. You could still go see him now," Willow said softly. Buffy shook her head. "I can't. We said goodbye already..last night. We, well it wasn't exactly goodbye..I kinda just left and said bye," Buffy told her. "What happened? I mean, I expected you guys to go through that whole mushy goodbye thing," Willow said. "Definitely no mushy goodbye...He just told me that I had to go get help with the vampire bite and I said ok and just kinda said see you to him and walked out the door" she told Willow. "And I can't go back there to see him, it'll just make it harder for us both. I think that despite my feeling awful about ending like that, maybe there's still the chance that it'll work out easier," Buffy explained. "Well, is it working so far? Do you think it's easier?" Willow asker her. "No, I think I may have made it harder. I'll probably never forgive myself for not saying goodbye the right way, but, I guess I'll just have to give it time.," Buffy answered. There was a knock at the door. "Oh, I'll get it," Willow told her, getting up. "It's probably just Oz. He's been waiting out in his van for me," she said. "Oz?" Buffy asked. "Yeah..we're going on our first date tonight" Willow said. "Oh. Where to?" Buffy asked. "The Bronze," Willow answered. "The Bronze? That sounds romantic and quite..have fun," Buffy said sarcastically. Willow opened the door. "Hey, Oz. Come on in," she said motioning inside. "Shouldn't we get going?" he asked as she closed the door behind him. "Uh, yeah. Hey, Buffy- Do you wanna- come?" she asked her friend. "Xander's gonna be there too..uh, with Cordelia, but still there." "Nah. I think I'll stay in tonight. Besides, you two are going on a date, I don't wanna impose or anything," Buffy said. "Oh, no. You won't be imposing. We want you to come..Don't we Oz?" "Sure. It'll kinda break that first date tension having someone else around," Oz answered with a grin. "I don't know..I won't be much for company," she said. "Sure you will Buffy. You always are," Willow said. "Well, Angel has never left town for good before," Buffy reminded her. "Oh...yeah. But, I mean it's Saturday night. What else are you going to do besides stay home and wish Angel wasn't leaving," Willow pointed out. Buffy thought for a minute. "Ok..I'll come. I- just have to get something upstairs. I'll be down in a few minutes. You guys can wait outside," she said. "Ok..great," Willow said smiling. Buffy smiled back and ran upstairs. ******** GILE'S HOUSE Gile's was reading one of the Watcher diaries when he heard a knock on his door. He got up to answer it. He was surprised at who stood in front of it. "Oh..he..hello, Angel....Uh, why don't you come in?" he said, motioning him to come inside. Angel nodded. "Thanks." "Have a seat," Giles said pointing over to the couch. Angel nodded and sat down. "So..What brings you here?" Giles asked concerned. "The book on the Elgradora..I was able to get it for you. I thought- you'd be at the school library but you weren't..so I cam here to give it to you," Angel explained. He held out the book in his hands, giving it to Giles. Giles took it and looked down at it for a moment. He then began flipping through the pages. "It's somewhere in the fourth chapter," Angel told him. Giles flipped to Chapter four and scanned it for information. "Oh..yes, here it is..Well, Thank you very much. This will indeed be helpful in protecting Buffy-and- us all. Thank you," he said. "No problem," Angel said. His face saddened at the thought that he wouldn't be there anymore to protect Buffy as he always did before. "Is...she alright?" Angel asked suddenly. "Who? Buffy?" Giles asked. "Yeah. She was bitten by a vampire last night and I told her to go see you. Is she alright?" Angel asked, concerned. "Yes. Sh-she's fine," Giles assured him. There was a long silence. "Buffy-told me that you're leaving Sunnydale," Giles said, trying to make conversation. "I am..I'm leaving tonight," he told Giles. "Yes-I know. Buffy-is- very upset. She's going to miss you quite a bit, I suppose,"Giles told him. Angel nodded. "I know..I'm going to miss her too," he said in a sad tone. "When I got my soul back, I never thought that I'd be able to love anyone again. I thought..no human could ever love me because I'm not human and no vampire could ever love me and I could never love them because I'm not like them anymore..But then I met Buffy..and I fell in love with her..She- fell in love with me. And I was the happiest I'd ever been in all my life..because I felt-almost human again..I felt loved. There was still loneliness, still pain..but there was love..the greatest thing that could ever happen to me..and Buffy gave it to me. And now- it's all being taken away. I have to leave..." he "I'm terribly sorry that things can't work out for the two of you, Angel. And- I mean that. I know, I've said in the past that a vampire and a slayer could never belong together. But when I saw the extraordinary love that you have for Buffy and the extraordinary love that Buffy has for you...Well, I realized that you two were meant to be together" Giles told him. There was a short silence. "I should- probably thank you, as Buffy's watcher, for allowing us to be together," Angel said. "Well, as I said, I recognized that nothing could keep true lovers apart, and you two- are, in a sense, true lovers. I wasn't about to attempt to tear that apart," Giles explained. "But this does," Angel said, a sad tone in his voice. "Well, yes, I suppose it will.. But- even while the two of you are apart, I know- that you're love for each other will remain..perhaps forever" Giles said. "Angel," Giles began, curious,"Have you told Buffy what you just told me- about how you never thought you could love anyone until you met her?" he asked. "I've told her..many times," Angel told him. "Well did you tell her last night- before the two of you said goodbye?" Giles continued. Angel shook his head. "I didn't..I didn't get the chance to say goodbye to her. She was gone before I could say anything," Angel explained. He paused for a second. "Do you..think- you could tell her that I said goodbye..and..that- I love her?" he asked. Giles nodded. "I could..But- I know Buffy very well, and I know that she'd much rather hear you say that to her then, well me, of course," Giles told him. Angel shook his head. "Buffy said goodbye already. She doesn't want to see me again. It'll be to hard for her." "I'm afraid that Buffy is trying to talk herself into not seeing you again. She's afraid..of how she'll act when she sees you leaving her. But, I think what will be harder for her, is when she realizes that she should've said goodbye to you- the right way. And then it'll be too late," Giles said. He paused. "But, I'll tell her for you if that's what you'd like." Angel just stared at him. "I better go," he said after a few seconds,"My train leaves soon." He stood up and walked towards the door. "Very well," Giles said, following him and opening the door for him. "Goodbye," Angel said looking at Giles. "Goodbye, Angel," Giles replied. Angel turned and walked out the door. "Angel," Giles called as he watched Angel walk out into the street. Angel turned around. "You've..been of much help to- us all..over the course of the years we've known you..very much help. And I..thank you for that," Giles said. Angel nodded and turned back around and walked away. Giles watched him walk away. "Poor Buffy," he thought. "I hope he makes the right descision." ****** THE BRONZE While Willow and Oz were dancing, Willow looked over into a dark corner of the Bronze and spotted someone standing alone in the shadows. "Hey, Oz. Can you excuse me for a few minutes? I have to go to the DJ stand to- request a song," Willow told Oz. "Oh, sure. I'll just wait here for you," Oz said. "Ok, I'll be back in a little while," Willow said, then turned and walked over to where Xander and Cordelia were making out. Willow tapped Xander on the shoulder. "Uh, excuse me, Xander- There's something we need to go do," she told him. "Yeah, there is. *You* need to go back on the dance floor and dance with Oz, and *I* need to continue making out with Cordelia," Xander answered. "I'm sorry- I- interrupted your little..thing, but- this is more important," Willow explained. "Right now, nothing could be more important then Cordelia's lips against my lips- or maybe other body parts," Xander told her. Cordelia and Xander started kissing again. "But..it's about Buffy!" Willow told him. Xander broke away from Cordelia. "Well, maybe that." He looked at Cordelia. "Cordy, don't move. I'll be right back..My lips'll miss you- yours," he told her. "Ew! You're leaving me for her! Listen, Xander, If you think you've got me wrapped around your fingers, you're wrong! Ok, cause there's plenty of guys that are dying to go out with me- and some that I'd much rather go out with- and a few of them are here right now, So if I-" Cordelia began shouting at him. Xander grabbed the back of her head and passionately kissed her. "You better hurry up. Wouldn't want one of those stupid single losers to think I'm not with anyone," Cordelia said, changing her mind. Xander turned to a surprised Willow. "These babies are magical," he said pointing to his lips. Willow managed to smile slightly. "So, what's this we have to do for Buffy?" Xander asked following Willow. "Just follow my lead," Willow told him as they headed towards the DJ stand. Willow whispered a request of a song in the DJ's ear, who agreed to play it. "Will, you mind letting me in on the big secret?" Xander asked. Willow nodded. "Well, remember the night.." Willow started and proceeded to tell Xander her plan. Xander looked over at a dark figure in the corner of the Bronze, then looked at a lonely Buffy. "For Buffy's sake, I hope this works," Xander said. Willow nodded. "Me too.. Come on. let's go," she said. The two of them walked over to where Buffy sat. "Hi," Willow said to Buffy. Buffy looked up at the two of them. "Oh, hey guys," she answered. There was a long silence as Willow waited for the right moment to begin talking again. Finally, a new song began playing- the one that Willow had requested. Willow was relieved- her plan was working so far. The words to the song came on. *It's daybreak And you are asleep I can hear you breathe now Your breath is deep* "So, no word from Angel?" Willow asked Buffy, on cue. Buffy looked at Willow, confused. "What are you talking about, Will? Angel and I said goodbye already- last night- maybe it wasn't the best goodbye, but it was goodbye..I thought I told you," she said. Willow just ignored Buffy's question and comments. It did seem a little awkward saying this to her but it was part of her plan. Willow waited a few seconds, then continued. "Well, in a way he sort of is, in the way of that he's right over there," she said motioning to a dark figure in a corner of the Bronze. Buffy, looked at Willow, then at Xander, still quite confused. She then looked over at the figure Willow had pointed out. The person was looking in her direction. It was Angel. Buffy then realized that the things that Willow had just said to her-that weren't making a bit of sense- were the things that Willow said to her the night that Buffy and Angel said their first goodbye to each other, in a way. Buffy played their conversation from that night back in her head. *"So, no word from Angel?" Willow had asked Buffy. "Nah. It's weird, though. In this way, I feel like he's still watching me," Buffy told her. "Well, in a way he sort of is," Willow said, "In the way of that he's right over there," Willow said pointing to a dark figure that was staring in Buffy's direction..Angel.* Even the song that was playing right then- "I'll Remember You," by Sophie Zelmani- that was the same song that was playing that night too- Although, Willow had set it up that way. *But before I go I look at you one last time I can heat a heartbeat Is it yours or is it mine?* Buffy looked back at her two best friends. Xander motioned his head in Angel's direction, signaling her to go over to him. Buffy looked over at Willow, then back at Xander. She was hesitant about going over to him, afraid that it would be too hard to say goodbye. But then she gave her friends a smile, a silent thank you and turned and began slowly approaching Angel. Xander turned to Willow. Willow had a grin on her face as she watched Buffy and Angel approach each other. She was happy that her planned had worked out- bringing Buffy and Angel together to say goodbye that way they should have the night before. She knew it would make Buffy happier- although maybe just the slightest bit. "So, guess this is my cue to say ,'I don't need to watch because I'm not threatened. I'm just gonna look this way,'" Xander said grinning. Willow smiled. The two of them watched as Buffy and Angel approached each other. When they met, towards the center of the Bronze, Buffy looked up at Angel, greeting him with a smile. Angel just stared down at her, a sad look on his face. *I look at your lips I know how soft they can be Did they know what they wanted the times they kissed me?" Angel finally spoke. "I couldn't leave here without saying a proper goodbye to you," he told Buffy. Buffy just looked up at him and nodded slightly. Angel sighed. "I need to know that you're going to be alright...I know, that it's going to take awhile, but I need to know that, in time...you'll move on..find someone else to love... Someone you can start a family with..someone you can grow old, and die with," Angel told her. He continued. "Someone you can watch the sunset with, before you go to bed at night..and- watch it rise with when you walk up in the morning...'Cause you deserve that, Buffy..you do. And I- need you to promise that you'll do that,Buffy...for me." Buffy's eyes held unshed tears as she stared up at him. She shook her head slightly. "I don't know if I can do that, Angel..I can't-just- forget you and move on. You're too much a part of me. I'm sorry, but- I can't make that promise," she told him. "Look, I know it all seems too hard right now- but I need to know that you'll try, at least," he said. "Do that for me, Buffy?" he asked. Buffy looked at him for a few seconds, then nodded. "I will..try, I mean." Angel gave her a slight smile. He felt slightly better knowing that she'd one day be happy again. "I have something for you," Angel told her, reaching into his pocket. "It's not much, really- but it's, a goodbye present." He held a velvet jewelry box in his hands. Buffy looked down at it in his hands. *And your hands that I held in mine Now they're reposing on the pillow Will they ever miss me some time?* She looked up at Angel. Finally, he handed her the box. "Don't open it, just now," Angel told her. "Wait- until I'm gone..When you really need to- when the pain is too much- open it then," he told her. Buffy nodded. "I, um, actually, have something for you, too. I was- gonna leave it by your door but- well, you're here now," she said. Buffy reached into her pocket and pulled out a small velvet pouch bag and handed it to him. "There's just a little something in there to remember me by..in case you forget," she told him. Angel shook his head. "I won't ever forget you, Buffy..I won't," he swore to her. Buffy knew that he meant it. She'd never forget him either. Ever. He'd always be in her heart, just as she'd always be in his. *I'll remember you You will be there in my heart I'll remember you And that is all that I can do But I'll remember* Buffy remembered that she had something else for him. She reached in her pocket and pulled out a cassette tape. "This is for you, too. It's- a tape of this song-that- kinda reflects the way I feel bout you leaving..You can- play it while you open the bag-or, whenever. I know I don't know your musical taste but- I just had to give it you. The song just- seems like it was written for us," Buffy told him. Angel nodded and placed the two items in his pocket. He looked back down at Buffy. They stared at each other for a few seconds. Buffy could tell that Angel had something on his mind. She knew it was probably the fact that he was leaving and they'd no longer be together, but she had to ask anyway. "Is there- something else on your mind?" she asked him softly. "It's nothing- It's just *this*... It's just so-," Angel began. Buffy knew what he was going to say. "Painful," she said, finishing his sentence for him. "I know." "I wish things could be different, Buffy," he told her. Buffy nodded. "I know," she agreed. "Me too." Buffy shrugged slightly. "Well, it's getting kind of late. You should probably go now, or- you'll miss your train," she told him. As much as Buffy hated having to say that, it was the truth. Angel nodded. "I know," he whispered. Buffy stared up at him. Angel leaned down towards her face slightly. Buffy just stared into his eyes. He leaned forward a few more inches until his lips met hers for a soft kiss. The power between the two of them brought their lips together again, as they kissed again. Buffy closed her eyes, wrapped up in the moment, as Angel did the same. *Your eyes that always make me shiver Now they are closed They just sometimes twitch a little* As Angel's arms wrapped tightly around her, Buffy moved her hand to Angel's face and brought her other arm around his neck, deepening their kiss. As they shared this passionate kiss goodbye, Buffy was reminded of the first time they kissed goodbye- when they first decided that they shouldn't be together. Their conversation just a minute ago was even similar to the one they had that night. *"I just wanted to see if you were ok, and your mother," Angel said when they finally reached each other. "We're both good..you?" Buffy asked. "If I can go a little while without being shot or stabbed, I'll be alright," he answered with a slight chuckle. He became more serious. "Look, this can't.." he started. "Ever-be anything" Buffy finished, "I know. For one thing your like two hundred and twenty four years older then I am," she said with a smile. "I just gotta..I gotta walked away from this," Angel told her. Buffy nodded. "I know, me too....One of us has to go here," she said. Angel nodded slightly. "I know," he said in a whisper, then leaned in and kissed her.* Their kiss was even during the same song-although, again, Willow had arranged that. But Buffy knew that this would be their last kiss goodbye. And unlike the previous time, this one was goodbye forever. Buffy held on tighter to Angel as they kissed, not wanting to ever let go. Savoring the feel of his body close to hers for the last time. *And your body I could hold for an hour It sent me to heaven With it's heat and power* Slowly, Buffy and Angel pulled apart, looking deeply into each other's eyes as they did so. Tears were in both of their eyes. As soon as Angel saw Buffy's face filled with tears, he pulled her back into his embrace, wrapping his arms tightly around her tiny body, hugging her close to him. Angel stroked the back of her hair as he held her. After a few seconds, they pulled away again. "I have to go now," Angel told Buffy softly. "Ok," she said trying not to make it any harder for them. She tried to hold back the tears from pouring down her face again, but one had already slipped out of her eye. Then another, then another. Angel moved his hand to her cheeks and wiped some of the tears from her eyes. Buffy grabbed his hand and held it against her cheek. She closed her eyes a she took in the feel of his touch for the last time. Then she guided his hand down to her lips and kissed the back of it. Angel closed his own eyes as she did this. Slowly, Buffy moved his hand down to rest beneath her chin. Tears were forming in Angel's eyes again. He was wishing more then ever that he wasn't a vampire- so that none of this would have to happen. So that he wouldn't have to leave the girl that he loved more then anything in the world. "Please don't go, Angel. Please. I can't do this without you..I can't- live without you, Angel. Please don't leave me," Buffy pleaded with him as tears ran down her pale cheeks. She knew that she was being unfair to him saying this, but she couldn't help but say how she felt at that moment. Angel's eyes flooded with tears. He would have done anything for Buffy. Anything, He'd give the world to her- if she asked for it. But staying in Sunnydale was one thing he could not d o for her. He would not put her in danger of Spike's attempts at using him to restore Druscilla or trying to make him a normal vampire again. Angel placed his gentle hand back to rest on the side of Buffy's face. He caressed her cheek lightly. Tears continued to roll down both of their cheeks. "Buffy, when I got my soul back, I never once thought that I'd be able to love again or that anyone could ever love me..But..when I met you, things changed..I fell in love with you, you were able to fall in love with me. And I- was the happiest I'd ever been in all my life-because you made me feel complete- you made me feel, almost- human..because you made me feel loved. Of course, there was still loneliness, still pain, but there was love too- The love I had for you and the love you had for me. And it was the greatest thing that could ever happen to me-you gave me the greatest thing the greatest gift off all..your love, your heart. And I thank you for that, Buffy. I'd love to give something more then just my love-and my heart for you- in return, but staying here..I can't do. You know that, Buffy..You know that if it were in any way possible to stay here with you, I would..But I can't, with this," Angel told her. He continued. "You mean the world to me Buffy. And I'll never stop missing you, never stop loving you..Your eyes, your hair, your lips, your warmth, your smile, your touch..I'll never stop," he told her. Buffy stared at him with tears rolling down her cheeks. Angel pulled her close to him again, giving her one last, soft kiss on her lips. It didn't last as long as the previous one, but it was still magical. Angel pulled away from her slowly. He looked at her for a few more seconds. "Goodbye, Buffy," he said, softly. Buffy tried to say something but words couldn't escape her mouth, only sobs. She just stood there looking at him with tears pouring out of her eyes. Angel looked at her for one more moment, then turned and headed towards the exit of the Bronze. Buffy watched him walk away from her. "Angel..don't go," Buffy whispered, mainly to herself, in tears. Angel passed where Willow and Xander were standing. They, too, watched as he headed towards the door. Xander shook his head in disgust, then turned towards Willow. "He walks right past us, knowing that he'll never again see our faces, and he doesn't even say goodbye?!? The nerve of some vampires!" he said. Willow shrugged. "He said goodbye to me...He- came by my house the other night- and- said goodbye," Willow told him. Xander shook his head again. Just before reaching the door, Angel paused. He turned to look back at Buffy one last time. He'd never see her beautiful face again. "I love you," he whispered to her, then turned and walked out of the bronze. Buffy wiped some of the tears from her eyes, only to have more pour from them again. "Goodbye, Angel" she whispered in between sobs, "I love you too," she said staring at the now empty space in front of the door, as the song that was playing ended. *I'll remember you You will be there in my heart I'll remember you And that is all that I can do But I'll remember* TO BE CONTINUED _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Gabriel N Nichols Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: Our Hearts Will Go On 6/6 Date: 22 Mar 1998 19:09:32 -0500 (EST) I just read this story. It was awsome during the last part I put the song on in my room and it was just amazing. I don't usually gfet into the fics but when I was done there were tears in my eyes. good job - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Anexsin Subject: BUFFYFIC: The Ties That Bind (prolouge/?) Date: 23 Mar 1998 02:20:33 EST Title: The Ties That Bind (prolouge/?) Author: Melinda Frango Email Addy: Anexsin@aol.com Rating: PG Spoiler: All episodes before Passion. Feedback: Greatly appreciated. Disclaimer: Buffy and the gang belong to Joss Whedon, the WB, etc. Only the story is mine, and whatever characters never seen or mentioned on the show. Summary: Buffy and the gang get help from an unexpected source in restoring Angel's soul. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* -Ireland 1775- A young girl at the age of 15 waved goodbye to her family as the carriage took off down the dirt road. The young girls name is Caitlin and she's very gifted with the art of magic. Her mother and father saw it fit that she study to train and hone her powers. They kept it secret not wanting to stir up trouble and told those who asked that she was going away to school in London. That's where her tutor will be awaiting her arrival. She had a very average family. A mother, a father, and two older brothers. Patrick and Angelus. Out of all her family members, her brother Angelus was the only one who understood her. Perhaps, because they were so much alike. They not only looked alike, they thought alike. Both Caitlin and Angelus wanted to be different. They wanted to be able to think what they wanted to and to make t heir own decisions. Who to marry, when to marry, who to speak to, what to do. Caitlin and her brother never realized how easy they had it until it was to late ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* End of prolouge............to be continued - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Anexsin Subject: BUFFYFIC: The Ties That Bind (1/?) Date: 23 Mar 1998 02:20:43 EST Title: The Ties That Bind (1/?) Author: Melinda Frango Email Addy: Anexsin@aol.com Rating: PG Spoiler: All episodes before Passion. Feedback: Greatly appreciated. Disclaimer: Buffy and the gang belong to Joss Whedon, the WB, etc. Only the story is mine, and whatever characters never seen or mentioned on the show. Summary: Buffy and the gang get help from an unexpected source in restoring Angel's soul. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* -4 years later, Ireland 1779- When Caitlin returned home from her studies, what greeted her was not what she expected. When the carriage stopped in front of her home she got out, and what had greeted her was not what she expected. When she walked into the house, she saw the most horrific thing she could ever have imagined. The dead bodies of her family were strewn about the house. The blood was drained from their bodies; their eyes wide open in terror. Caitlin immediately knew that a vampire had killed her family, and her suspicions were confirmed when she saw the tell-tale bite marks on each of their necks. Her mentor had warned her about the creatures of the dark. How merciless they were, and how they thrived on pain and torture. But nothing could have prepared her for this, not in a million years would she think it could happen to her. She ran away from the house as fast as she could, letting tears blur her vision. She stopped at the edge of a cliff overlooking the town. She contemplated jumping, there was nothing left to live for, but something held her back. Revenge. She would not rest until she killed whoever did this. It never once entered her mind at the time why she did not see Angelus among the bodies. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* As dusk approached Caitlin sat in a pastuer, armed with a stake and a cross. Knowing full well the demon would come looking for a meal. She also knew that even if she lost the fight this time, in the end she would overcome. After all she did have an eternity ahead of her. When her mentor gave her some spell books, he didn't expect her to actually cast the spells. They were to study from, and become accustomed to the concept of them, but she went beyond her teachings and cast a very old, and powerful spell. One that granted her immortality. "Caitlin," she heard a dear voice call from behind her, "is that you?" Angelus asked. Caitlin jumped to her feet and hugged him to her. "Angel, thank God you're alright. They're all dead, it killed them," she sobbed into his coat. "Shh, it's alright," he cooed while stroking her her "I'll take care of you." Caitlin suddenly got a funny feeling. Realization struck her. She didn't hear a heartbeat underneath her ear, no heaving of his chest with every breath, and the tone of his voice sounded almost as if it was mocking her. She looked up into her former brother's face to see that of a demon's. "No!" she screamed. "Not Angel, not him." "Sorry witch, Angel's dead and you're about to join him," Angelus sneered. "And please call me Angelus." Caitlin was to stunned to move or even fight back, so when the vampire sunk his fangs into her neck she slowly let darkness claim her. It was time to tell if her spell worked. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* She blinked her eyes to accustom herself to the bright rays of the sun. She had one heck of a headache and every bone in her body ached. "Well at least my spell worked, or I'd wouldn't be here now," she murmured to herself. Caitlin looked up into the sky and silently vowed to avenge her family and bring her brother back. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* -The Present, Sunnydale CA, 1998- Caitlin walked out of Sunnydale airport into the late afternoon sun. "So this is the Hellmouth," she muttered to herself. "Let the fun begin." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* End part1..........to be continued - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Anexsin Subject: BUFFYFIC: The Ties That Bind (2/?) Date: 23 Mar 1998 02:20:52 EST Title: The Ties That Bind (2/?) Author: Melinda Frango Email Addy: Anexsin@aol.com Rating: PG Spoiler: All episodes before Passion. Feedback: Greatly appreciated. Disclaimer: Buffy and the gang belong to Joss Whedon, the WB, etc. Only the story is mine, and whatever characters never seen or mentioned on the show. Summary: Buffy and the gang get help from an unexpected source in restoring Angel's soul. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* "I really don't want you guys to come hunting with me," Buffy started "We just want to know you're safe," Willow assured. "Safety in numbers," Xander reiterated. Xander, Cordelia, and Willow had once again decided to go with Buffy on her hunt, much to her objections. It was a pretty slow night. Two vamps and no surprise threats from Angelus. "So are you finished yet?" Cordelia spoke up. Ever since she and Xander got their so-called relationship out into the open, she felt as if a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. She'd never admit it outloud, but she enjoyed being part of the group. And was thankful to them for accepting her when she wouldn't accept them. "Yes, I just have to check in with Giles," Bufy answered. "He wants me to check in after every hunt. Ever since..." she trailed off. The group nodded their heads solemnly. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Further up ahead Caitlin was making her way to the library when a dinner seeking vamp decided to attack her. Not wasting any time she quickly dispatched the vampire with a quick burst of fire from her finger tips. Caitlin was so caught up in making her way to the Watcher, a one Rupert Giles, she was oblivious to the small group of onlookers including the Slayer. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* "Oh, my God. Did you see that?" Bufy asked wide jawed. "Uh, huh," Willow squeked. "Another super chic? Think she'll go out with me?" Xander asked. Cordelia elbowed him hard and gave him one of her famous glares. "Just wondering," Xander shrugged. "I think Giles needs to know about this," Buffy supplied and took off towards the library. The rest followed close behind. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* In a warehouse on the bad side of town Spike was scolding Angelus once again. "What are you witing for? New Year's 3022," Spike practically yelled. "Patience is a virtue," Angelus retorted. "It's no fun if you rush things." "It would be fun if she was dead," Spike snapped back. "How are you going to have fun? Pop wheelies in your chair?" Angelus chuckled. "Your going to be sorry when I get out of this chair," Spike conceded. "I'm counting the years," Angelus wasn't fazed by Spike's threat. "Spike darling. Leave well enough alone. Angel knows what he's doing." Drusilla assured him. "Isn't that right my Angel?" "You got it baby," he answered. All of a sudden Drusilla started moaning and holding her head. "Dru, baby. What is it?" Spike asked worriedly. "Someone's come. Someone new and powerful. Come to change it all," she whined. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* End part 2........to be continued. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Anexsin Subject: BUFFYFIC: The Ties That Bind (3/?) Date: 23 Mar 1998 02:21:01 EST Title: The Ties That Bind (3/?) Author: Melinda Frango Email Addy: Anexsin@aol.com Rating: PG Spoiler: All episodes before Passion. Feedback: Greatly appreciated. Disclaimer: Buffy and the gang belong to Joss Whedon, the WB, etc. Only the story is mine, and whatever characters never seen or mentioned on the show. Summary: Buffy and the gang get help from an unexpected source in restoring Angel's soul. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* In the library Giles was reading through some spell books, searching for a spell to restore a person's soul. Ever since Angel had changed over, things had gotten worse. Buffy was in deep denial, believing the outcome of the past few weeks was her fault, and longing for Angel to come back. Willow and Xander tried to be strong for her, but were truly afraid of what Angelus might do given his past, and of course, no one was speaking with Ms. Calendar. "Rupert," came a soft voice fom his office doorway. He turned his head to see who was there "Jenny, what ah, what can I do for you?" he asked. "I figured you would be here. Can we talk?" she asked hopefully. "I'm a-a little busy right now and frankly I don't want to have this conversation just yet," he replied hotly. "Well then just listen to what I have to say. Ok?" she almost begged. Giles hesitated, but then nodded in response. "You have every right to hate me. I wasn't honest with you. Even after being in the loop," she paused and took a deep breath. "But you have to believe me when I say I didn't know this was going to happen, or I swear I would've told you," she stopped and waited for some type of response. Even a "get out" would do better then the silence she was recieving. When he finally spoke she sucked in a ragged breath. "I don't hate you. I could never hate you. It just hurts that you didn't believe you could trust me, us, with your secret. Even after we told you all of ours," Giles made aware. "Angel's saved all our lives at some point and now he threatens that very same existance. I considerd him a friend a valuable ally. I can't help thinking that if you didn't hold back such vital information, things would've tuned out differently," he stopped. "I know," Jenny whispered. "And I'm not the one you should be apologizing to. It's Buffy. She is the one who's hurting the most," Giles added. "I've tried, but she won't speak to me," Jenny supplied. "Do you blame her?" Giles stated more then asked. "No," she answered smally. "Hello," a new voice rang out. "Is anybody here?" "Yes, what can I do for you?" Giles greeted while stepping out of his office with Jenny in tow. There stood a tall girl about 18 or 19 with long thick brownish-black hair. Dark brown eyes and a creamy complexion. Her chiseled features highlighted her prominant cheekbones. She wore a black leather jacket, charcoal gray pants, and a black form fitting shirt with exposed a small amount of her muscled midriff. "You wouldn't by any chance be Rupert Giles?" the girl asked. "Yes," Giles answered looking perplexed. "The Watcher, Rupert Giles?" she asked to be sure. "How did you know that?" Giles blurted out. "My names Caitlin. Angel's my brother," she informed him. "Dear God," Giles gasped. "You look just like him, except in a... girl way," Jenny observed. "The resemblance is amazing." "But Angel told us he killed all his family," Giles said with a questioning look. "That's a long story. One I'm willing to tell if you'll agree to help me help him," she bargained. "Yes, of course. Please sit down," Giles agreed, and offered her a chair. "Where to begin?" Caitlin asked more to herself then the others once she was seated. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* End part 3.........to be continued. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: IRamadi Subject: BUFFYFIC: Introduction Date: 23 Mar 1998 03:57:52 EST Hi, thought i might inroduce myself. my name is idham and i am from london. over here they are currently ended series 2 - i think (where all the people are the prom turns to vampires and hell mouth opened up etc) and about to start series 3 over here next sat. just wondering how far behind we are with america. i like the series alot, it's like a mini horror film and has made me jump loads of times. how popular is it over there? anyway, look forward to receiving loads of interesting messages, idham - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Margaret Wang Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: Introduction Date: 23 Mar 1998 01:11:11 -0800 IRamadi wrote: > over > here they are currently ended series 2 - i think (where all the people are the > prom turns to vampires and hell mouth opened up etc) and about to start series > 3 over here next sat. just wondering how far behind we are with america. Whoa, I don't remember all the people at the prom turning to vampires. Maybe in London you're actually ahead in the episodes! :) - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Margaret Wang Subject: BUFFYFIC: whoops Date: 23 Mar 1998 01:34:16 -0800 Sorry memory lapse, you can just ignore the message I wrote before. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: moonsw Subject: BUFFYFIC: unsubscribe Date: 23 Mar 1998 12:34:03 -0800 (PST) unsubscribe buffyfic-digest - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Greeneteen Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: "Footsteps" (6/?) by Ingrid Date: 23 Mar 1998 16:44:11 EST could u please send me 1-5 of footsteps? - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: ingrid29@juno.com (Ingrid E Stanton) Subject: BUFFYFIC: "Footsteps" (8/8) by Ingrid Date: 23 Mar 1998 18:09:38 -0500 First things first... DISCLAIMER: The characters of Willow, Buffy, Spike, Drusilla and Angel(us) are the property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar Productions, and The Warner Brothers Network, and are used without permission. The author claims no rights to these characters. SUMMARY: The last part, but there will be an epilogue to follow. This one's a whole lot of action, and we get to see both Buffy and Angelus. If you don't get this, that's cause you haven't read the other parts. If you want to get this, write to me and request them. Send me some feedback. I need self-esteem boosters! =) WARNING: A PG-13 for violence and language. Thanks to Jen the noodlebrain for her editing and conception assistance. ****************** "Footsteps," by Ingrid Part Eight ****************** The racket was deafening as they got to the warehouse. Willow heard two voices, the sound of fists making contact, and then a loud crash. As the metal door creaked open echoes of shouting assaulted her. Before she’d blinked, a body flew across the room, and the slayer stepped into the center floor. "I can’t believe you bothered to come all the way over here to let me kill you. You could have at least saved me for the travel expense." She planted a swift kick to his stomach. Willow had trouble following her lightning-fast moves, and wondered where she’d learned to fight like that. Certainly never in the library. A stake was high in the air in an instant, and Willow crashed into the room suddenly, a surge of emotions overtaking her. "WAIT!" She screamed as the stake began its descent. Buffy looked up almost simultaneously and her eyes popped open in horror at seeing her friend as a vampire for the first time. Angel took full advantage, popping her in the jaw fiercely. She fell to the ground with a grunt. "Thanks," he grinned at Willow as Buffy scrambled to her feet. Again Willow noticed his gaunt face. The cheeks were hollow, and his eyes sunken in. It simply made his grin all the more revolting to look at. Anger rose within her, and with a surge of adrenaline, she rushed at Angelus before he could make his next attack. She slammed him against the wall with a strength she’d never imagined herself capable of. "Who said I was helping you," she snarled, her face transforming. Buffy stood watching, unable to recover from the shock. Spike stood behind her, and neither of them made a move for each other. Both were too amazed to be capable of any action. They all waited for an action from Willow. "*What happened to Dru,*" she said in a low, even growl. Angel turned away and looked at the floor, refusing to answer. With a shattering blow, she broke his jaw. Spike winced, Buffy noticed, but she continued to watch her former best friend. "WHAT HAPPENED TO DRU," she screamed at the bleeding Angel. In a cracked and faint voice he answered her. Buffy and Spike strained unsuccessfully to hear what the vampire was saying. Willow heard. "Well, you see, It happened like this. A few months ago, we got stuck in an alley until the sun went down." He rested his head against the wall. "Drusilla kept whining about her dolls, and normally I wouldn’t mind it, but I was having a bad day…" Willow leaned in closer as his voice grew even quieter. "So I shoved her out into the street." He looked at the oblivious Spike with the best impression of a grin he could manage. Crimson liquid oozed from his lips. Then he turned back to Willow, coughing briefly on his own blood. "Oh don’t worry," he breathed, "She didn’t suffer for long." Despite his position, the snicker that followed was triumphant. With a quick lunge, she ripped a bloody hole in his face, and turned around. Moving with a speed rivaling Buffy’s, she grabbed the stake out of the slayer’s hand, and wasted no time in plunging it through the vampire’s heart. A scattering of dust tingled her skin, bringing life back into her bloody hands. "Bastard," she whispered to the floor. She turned around and barely smiled at Buffy as her face reverted back to its human form. Buffy didn’t move. She didn’t know what to make of the situation, and almost jerked away when she felt the cold hands deliver the stake to her. Willow backed away. "Consider it an act of good faith," she shrugged, and pulled an incredulous Spike with her upstairs. Buffy remained there for some time, staring at the stake in her hands. *** END. (Epilogue to follow) Didja like? Write to me at Ingrid29@juno.com. _______________________________________________________________ Ingrid: Author of many long Buffyfics (and some short ones). "Return to Normalcy," "One Vampire's Headache...," "This Fleeting Hope," "Ghost of a Chance," "Tragic Sighs" and "Footsteps." _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Aglx Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: "Footsteps" (8/8) by Ingrid Date: 23 Mar 1998 18:34:20 EST Absolutely wonderful!!! I love reading your stories. Please don't stop!!! - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Jecilop Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: "Footsteps" (7/?) by Ingrid Date: 23 Mar 1998 18:43:46 EST Keep it coming. This stories great. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: AlysFaire Subject: DISCUSS: BUFFYFIC: "Footsteps" (8/8) by Ingrid Date: 23 Mar 1998 20:03:52 EST Ingrid! Wow, that was *great*! I really enjoyed this story and I'm looking forward to your epilogue. Spike and Willow~who'd have thunk it?! (works for me) :-) Thanks for a wonderfully offbeat story. Alys ps~any chance of more Spike/Willow tales in the future? pretty please? :-) - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: tabbylink@patrol.i-way.co.uk Subject: RE: BUFFYFIC: Introduction Date: 24 Mar 1998 03:18:23 Hi Idham, I don't know what channel you're watching if they're going to show series 3, but I sure wish I had it! :) I watch Sky One and we've just reached the end of the first season - the episode where Buffy is killed and she gets revived by Xander. Nice to welcome someone else from England to the list, though I had thought you'd be as far behind those in the US as I am. :) This being a fanfic list I didn't think of introducing myself... if there's anyone out there curious I'd be more than willing to have a go. :) I've been here just over a month now, Idham, and I hope yo get as much fun from reading the great fic that comes in as I have. Betzi - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: tabbylink@patrol.i-way.co.uk Subject: RE: BUFFYFIC: "Footsteps" (8/8) by Ingrid Date: 24 Mar 1998 03:18:10 Thought it was just *great*! You are such a good storyteller. More! Please! More! Betzi - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Angel's Lover" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Restoration Part Four of ????? Date: 24 Mar 1998 00:18:07 PST This is part four of a continuing story of mine... nothing big.. just the= tale of how Angelus is reversed back into Angel. I have no idea where = it's going.. hell, I barely know where it's been so my plan is basically = to keep on writing until it tells me it's finished. The characters of = BtVS are not mine, they belogn to Joss and Mutant Enemy Productions and = WB Productions... I am making no money off of this, and no copyright inf= ringement was intended. All my stories are archived at my homepage, Heav= en's Gates: http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Cafe/3863 , comments are alway= s appreciated.. please direct them all to Lea at either lfox@continuum.or= g or angelslover@geocities.com . Thanks, and enjoy! _______________________ Restoration ~ Part Four She hesitated for a moment before raising her hand to knock on Angel's = door. She knew he was there, she could feel him standing behind the door= waiting for her arrival. His presence was in everything. She tapped lightly. The door opened almost immediately, and she found = herself staring up into chocolate brown eyes that housed centuries of wis= dom and pain. Eyes she loved with all her heart. "Hi," she murmered weakly, the sight of him taking her breath away. He smiled, "Hi, yourself." He stepped back to allow her to enter his = appartment. She wasn't sure what she expected as the door closed behind = her; maybe she expected him to suddently revert back into his evil self; = maybe she expected him to want her to sleep with him, attempting to pick = up where they had left off; maybe she expected him to turn his back on = her, hating her for what she had helped him to become. Whatever it was = that she was expecting, it didn't happen. She watched him silently, unsure as to what to say or do as Angel sudden= ly crumpled before her eyes. He moved across the loft, sinking heavily = onto his sofa, resting his head in his hands. Buffy sat down beside him,= resting her hand on his back as he tried to regain his composure. After a while he raised his eyes back to meet her gaze. How awful it = must be for him having to live forever knowing the pain and sorrow he inf= licted upon others, especially now that he had killed yet another friend.= She sighed, moving closer to him, slowly moving her hand to softly stro= ke his hair as he rested his head upon her shoulder. He had always been the strong one in their relationship, someone for her= to turn to when she didn't know what to do. He had helped her when thin= gs between her mother and Ted confused her. He had held her while she cr= ied, at last coming to terms with what she suffered at the hands of the = Master. He had saved her life, all of their lives, more times than she = could count. He had held her close and tenderly made love to her when = the world seemed like it was coming to an end. Now, when it was her turn= to hold him, her turn to impart the words of wisdom that would ease his = agonized soul, no words would pass her lips. Thankfully, she needed no words to help him, her mere presence eased his= troubled heart in many ways. He had feared desperately that she would = not show tonight. It may have been her request to see him, but given tim= e, a step back from the suddenness of the situation, and Giles' unfavoura= ble influence, he feared she may change her mind. Worse yet, he feared = that if she did show, it would be to tell him his actions had been unforg= iveable, and she no longer could bring herself to love him. Though the = terrible truth of his evil tortured his every breath, it was the thought = of losing Buffy that terrified him the most. Never before had he loved, = had allowed himself to be loved like this, to lose that love now would = be insurmountable. He took a deep breath, his emotions calming as he slowly pulled away fro= m her comforting embrace. "How'd it go with Giles?" he asked, quietly. She shrugged, drawing her legs underneath herself. "Could have gone wor= se. Could have gone better, too, but at this point I'll take what I can = get." "Does he know you're here?" She nodded, "He's not leaping for joy with the thought,but he says he = won't stop us from being together." He paused, his fingers turning the ring on his hand nervously. "And me?= " She shook her head, "Trust me, you don't want to go there." "Bad?" "Way bad." "As opposed to..?" "Put it this way.. if I hadn't stopped the Master, that would be bad. = We're way past that, probably the equivalent of at least fifteen Judges = set loose on the world." Buffy sighed. Angel grimaced. "Ouch." She nodded, "So don't be surprised if you don't get an invitation to the= next creepy city party, k?" His hand reached out to rest upon her shoulder, "And you?" Buffy tensed, dreading this question. Rather than answer she smiled at = him softly and shrugged. "What do you remember about tonight?" "What?" his face blanked at the change of topic. "I remember some things.. I need to know what you can think of... I just= want to put everything together." Disappointment flashed across his features, but for the sake of them eac= h he smothered it and allowed his thoughts to return to that night. "I remember you staking me through the graveyard," he began, and like = pieces in a puzzle, the night fell into place in their minds. ********************** "Giles, what's got you so wigged about tonight? It's not like I've neve= r gone on patrole before. Hello! That happens to be the single most des= tructive factor in my social life!" "As usual, Buffy, your depth of perception simply amazes me." "Yeah, well, be amazed while you tell me exactly what's going on. You'r= e more tense than normal, if that's humanly possible." "Thank you for your concern, however I suggest you concentrate less upon= my personal state of mind and more upon preparing for the night ahead. = You're going up against Angel, Buffy, not the lesser strength of a newbo= rn. You must prepare yourself completely if you expect to live." Xander scowled, "Couldn't you have just said, Butt out, Buffy, you have = your own job to do? Yeesh!" Giles frowned at him, "Xander!" The boy gulped, "Gone. 'Later, Buff. 'Luck!" Buffy smiled distractedly at her friend's back as she finished packing = her bag of demon killing knick-knacks. "Buffy, get the crossbow from the weapons cage." Giles ordered, his eye= s tracking the girl until she disappeared. In those few moments he slipp= ed the orb into the bag and closed it tightly. Buffy came out of the back, wrinkling her nose. "Jeez, Giles, you reall= y need to dust back there." "Why, is it beginning to remind you of your room?" The girl blushed, abashed. "Hell, no. Mom dusts at least once a week." "God forbid you should lift a finger to help." "Maybe if someone would give me a night off here and there I wouldn't = be too tired to help." "Perhaps if you spent less of your free time upon wasteful recreational = activities and more time sleeping you would not be too tired after all." "Yeah and maybe then I'd have no friends at all, plus lose any chance = at ever redeeming my social existance." She sighed. "But we've had this= little talk a thousand times, and you'll probably preach it at me a thou= sand more, so let's give it up for the night. I have a boyfriend to kill= ." Giles shook his head. "And you say you have no social life." Buffy stared at him in wonder for a moment, finally smiling. "Egads! = You do have a sense of humor! Damn!" He frowned, "What?" "Now I owe Willow twenty dollars, and there was this sweet pair of shoes= I was saving up for, too!" "Go! Slay. Be smart... er.. well.. at least try hard." Giles raised = an eyebrow as Buffy scowled. "Enough with the jokes already! You're starting to scare me." She threw= the bag upon her back as she headed out the door. "I'm beginning to won= der if Rowan Atkinson hasn't invaded your body and I'm going to have to = slay you in personal defense." "Rowan Atkinson?" She grinned, "Turn on your tv once in a while. You just can't miss Mr. = Bean!" She slammed the door shut and bolted down the hallway before the Brittis= h librarian could throw anything at her in a rage. With their luck he'd = miss, and Buffy would be left explaining how the chemistry lab blew up = while she was passing its doors. ********************** Angel shifted his position on the sofa, breaking Buffy from the flood = of memories and experiences she was relaying. "What?" she queried softly, losing herself in his chocolate brown eyes. "Dawn. The sun will be up soon." His eyes were full of regret. Buffy snapped up quickly, fear crossing her face. "Oh, God! Mom's gonn= a kill me!" Angel handed her her jacket and quickly planted a kiss upon her forehead= . It warmed his heart that she didn't pull away from his touch. "If you hurry she may not be awake. You can get in without being notice= d." She nodded, flashing him a brief smile before darting out the door. "Ca= n I come back tonight to finish this?" He nodded, "Anytime." "Great, see ya then!" Her voice echoed up the hall, but she had already disapeared into the = outside world. End Part Four! _____________________________ Angel's Lover (fondly known as Lea) "Love makes you do the wacky!" "When you kiss me I want to die." "I'm SO the net girl!" Defender of David Boreanaz... you know, the man with the fangs! - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: NightHunter Subject: BUFFYFIC: RE: Footsteps by Ingrid Date: 24 Mar 1998 05:35:11 -0800 I just finshed reading it and all I can say is WOW! it was one of the best story's that I have read so far can't wait for the Epilogue. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Clare H." Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: Date: 24 Mar 1998 12:25:00 EST wow. i even started crying at the end. wow. Clare teddybartcbh@hotmail.com ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: tabbylink@patrol.i-way.co.uk Subject: RE: BUFFYFIC: The Ties That Bind (3/?) Date: 24 Mar 1998 18:52:36 Dunno when you posted this cos I've kinda let my mailbox overfill, but... but... you've stopped at part 3 . You're gonna do more soon, right? Like *real soon? You had me hooked the moment I started reading. Though I'll have to start thinking of a new way for my story to go, I guess be both came up with the same kind of idea for a spell that kills vampires - no worries, I haven't even started the real planning yet :). Betzi - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Anexsin Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: The Ties That Bind (3/?) Date: 24 Mar 1998 16:14:22 EST I'm sorry if I messed up your idea. It sort of popped into my head, and I went with it. :) It's my way to deal with the whole Angel situation on the show. More parts will be coming out soon, and I only posted them a few days ago. Glad you liked it though. Melinda - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: groovy@snowline.net (Rachel {vampireprincess}) Subject: BUFFYFIC: Re:Welcome to the Hellmouth, Scully Date: 24 Mar 1998 18:43:10 -0800 Hey! Isn't it weird that you should write a fan fic about my two most favorite shows. Wow. Thank you sosososososososo much! It was really awesome too. good job! -Rachel ++++++++++++++++++++++++ "Did Norman Bates have a motive? Did they ever figure out why Hannibal Lector liked to eat people? DON'T THINK SO!" -Billy Loomis 'Scream' ---scream-----------------------------------------------scream 2--- Buffy The Vampire Slayer: **BUFFYFIC List**Faithful Followers of Xander**Xanderite Keeper of: Xander's oh-so-yummy hyena stage, cute Buffy chasing, and Willow's ear lick...** --vampire----------------------buffy----------------------vampire-- X-Files: WLDD**SPCDD**DDSB**GBLA**DDPOL**LODD**X-F Creative**^Friend^ Shipper MY DD WEBSITE:Obsessed with David Duchovny http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Lot/4440/ If you believe, no proof is necessary. If you don't, no proof is sufficient. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: ingrid29@juno.com (Ingrid E Stanton) Subject: BUFFYFIC: "Footsteps" Epilogue: "Going Home," by Ingrid Date: 24 Mar 1998 20:49:32 -0500 First things first... DISCLAIMER: The characters of Willow, Buffy, Spike, Drusilla and Angel(us) are the property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar Productions, and The Warner Brothers Network, and are used without permission. The author claims no rights to these characters. SUMMARY: The long awaited epilogue (I *am* being sarcastic). This one's a whole lot of action, and we get to see both Buffy and Angelus. If you don't get this, that's cause you haven't read the other parts. If you want to get this, write to me and request them. Send me some feedback. I need self-esteem boosters! =) May I add a thank you for all the feedback I've gotten. My mailbox exploded, making me extremely tense, thanks to this crazy week. Now I'm eating thinmints and drinking coffee...and bouncing off the walls! WARNING: I think I cursed in this part. Be warned. ********************* "Footsteps," by Ingrid Epilogue: "Going Home" ********************* A constant dripping echoing from the main floor stirred them both awake in bed. She shifted slightly, pulling the covers to her chin and pressing herself more firmly against her lover’s body. It didn’t help much. He was nearly as cold as she was. He pulled her to him in a vain attempt for warmth. It did seem to comfort her, though. She was the first to interrupt the still that had come over them. "We can leave tomorrow night." "But for where?" "I don’t know. Europe? It’s a little old." "Too many of us there," he agreed. Neither one of them mentioned Buffy. "I’ve always wanted to visit India," she revealed, smiling hopefully. "India. It’s warm there," he answered, sharing a shiver that passed through them as if they were one body. "Then it’s settled." There was nothing to worry about, he thought, and smiled as the image of Angelus turning to dust flashed before his eyes. She was safe. And soon they would be far off, leaving Sunnydale nothing more than a distant memory. They could put this time away in the attic and never look back. What was worth remembering? Angelus? The slayer? Drusilla... She seemed to understand almost telepathically. She caressed his jaw as she spoke. "Do you want to know what he told me?" He was taken aback with the situation. He wasn’t used to being the one in the dark. In fact, he couldn’t remember a time when he wasn’t leading Dru around by the hand. Willow lay above him now with some secret that gave her the advantage. He liked it. "Yes," he answered, trying to remember what Drusilla looked like, and only coming up with an image of a petite redhead. Her mouth opened in what might have been a sentence, but then she stopped and seemed to consider for a moment. She slowly lay back down beside him, pulled his arm around her waist, and began speaking to the ceiling in hushed tones. "The slayer killed her," she explained gently, "early on. It was only a few days after their arrival. Angelus didn’t see fit to come back until he was forced to." Spike nodded and tucked her head beneath his own, and they rested without moving for some time. "Why did you stake him," he asked eventually, running his fingers through her soft curls. "He insulted my dress." **** END Ingrid: Author of many long Buffyfics (and some short ones). "Return to Normalcy," "One Vampire's Headache...," "This Fleeting Hope," "Ghost of a Chance," "Tragic Sighs" and "Footsteps." _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Kirstin" Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: "Footsteps" Epilogue: "Going Home," by Ingrid Date: 24 Mar 1998 23:01:13 -0500 please write more spike and willow stuff!!!!! i love it!!!!! this story was really great -- well written and enthralling. :) more! Kirstin -- kmo@acpub.duke.edu Keeper of Giles' Football Flag (GASPer) Keeper of Cordelia's everlasting position as "Victim of the Week" Member of the Buffy Crew ---------- > From: Ingrid E Stanton > To: buffyfic@xmission.com > Subject: BUFFYFIC: "Footsteps" Epilogue: "Going Home," by Ingrid > Date: Tuesday, March 24, 1998 8:49 PM >=20 > First things first... > DISCLAIMER: The characters of Willow, Buffy,=20 > Spike, Drusilla and Angel(us) are the property=20 > of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar Productions,=20 > and The Warner Brothers Network, and are used without=20 > permission. The author claims no rights to these characters.=20 >=20 > SUMMARY: The long awaited epilogue (I *am* being=20 > sarcastic). This one's a whole lot of action, and we get=20 > to see both Buffy and Angelus. If you don't get this,=20 > that's cause you haven't read the other parts. If you=20 > want to get this, write to me and request them. Send=20 > me some feedback. I need self-esteem boosters! =3D)=20 >=20 > May I add a thank you for all the feedback I've gotten. > My mailbox exploded, making me extremely tense, > thanks to this crazy week. Now I'm eating thinmints > and drinking coffee...and bouncing off the walls! >=20 > WARNING: I think I cursed in this part. Be warned. >=20 > ********************* > "Footsteps," by Ingrid > Epilogue: "Going Home" > ********************* > =20 > A constant dripping echoing from the main floor=20 > stirred them both awake in bed. She shifted slightly,=20 > pulling the covers to her chin and pressing herself=20 > more firmly against her lover=92s body. It didn=92t help=20 > much. He was nearly as cold as she was.=20 > =20 > He pulled her to him in a vain attempt for warmth.=20 > It did seem to comfort her, though. > =20 > She was the first to interrupt the still that had come=20 > over them.=20 > =20 > "We can leave tomorrow night." > =20 > "But for where?" > =20 > "I don=92t know. Europe? It=92s a little old." > =20 > "Too many of us there," he agreed. Neither one of=20 > them mentioned Buffy. > =20 > "I=92ve always wanted to visit India," she revealed,=20 > smiling hopefully. > =20 > "India. It=92s warm there," he answered, sharing=20 > a shiver that passed through them as if they were=20 > one body.=20 > =20 > "Then it=92s settled." > =20 > There was nothing to worry about, he thought, and=20 > smiled as the image of Angelus turning to dust=20 > flashed before his eyes. She was safe.=20 > =20 > And soon they would be far off, leaving Sunnydale=20 > nothing more than a distant memory. They could put=20 > this time away in the attic and never look back. > What was worth remembering? Angelus? The slayer? > =20 > Drusilla... > =20 > She seemed to understand almost telepathically. She=20 > caressed his jaw as she spoke. > =20 > "Do you want to know what he told me?" > =20 > He was taken aback with the situation. He wasn=92t used=20 > to being the one in the dark. In fact, he couldn=92t remember=20 > a time when he wasn=92t leading Dru around by the hand. > Willow lay above him now with some secret that gave > her the advantage. > =20 > He liked it.=20 > =20 > "Yes," he answered, trying to remember what Drusilla=20 > looked like, and only coming up with an image of a petite=20 > redhead. =09 > =20 > Her mouth opened in what might have been a sentence,=20 > but then she stopped and seemed to consider for a moment.=20 > She slowly lay back down beside him, pulled his arm around=20 > her waist, and began speaking to the ceiling in hushed tones. > =20 > "The slayer killed her," she explained gently, "early on. It was=20 > only a few days after their arrival. Angelus didn=92t see fit to=20 > come back until he was forced to." > =20 > Spike nodded and tucked her head beneath his own, and they=20 > rested without moving for some time. > =20 > "Why did you stake him," he asked eventually, running his=20 > fingers through her soft curls.=20 > =20 > "He insulted my dress." >=20 > **** > END > Ingrid: Author of many long Buffyfics (and some short ones). "Return to > Normalcy," > "One Vampire's Headache...," "This Fleeting Hope," "Ghost of a Chance," > "Tragic > Sighs" and "Footsteps." >=20 > _____________________________________________________________________ > You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. > Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com > Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] >=20 >=20 > - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Anexsin Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: The Ties That Bind (3/?) Date: 25 Mar 1998 00:23:42 EST <> Please excuse this message. It was meant to be sent privately, I didn't realize I sent it to the list. Sorry 'bout that. :) Melinda - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Anexsin Subject: BUFFYFIC: The Ties That Bind (4/?) Date: 25 Mar 1998 01:41:19 EST Title: The Ties That Bind (4/?) Author: Melinda Frango Email Addy: Anexsin@aol.com Rating: PG Spoiler: All episodes before Passion. Feedback: Greatly appreciated. Disclaimer: Buffy and the gang belong to Joss Whedon, the WB, etc. Only the story is mine, and whatever characters never seen or mentioned on the show. Summary: Buffy and the gang get help from an unexpected source in restoring Angel's soul. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Caitlin was deep in discussion with Giles and Jenny when the gang burst through the library doors. "Giles your not going to believe this," Buffy emitted loudly. The group stopped short when they saw the newcomer. "Buffy, I'm gald you're here. Please why don't you all sit down," Giles proposed. "There's some things you should hear." When the group was seated Giles cleared his throat softly. "This is Caitlin," he introduced. "Angel's sister." "Wow," Willow's eyes lit up. "You look just like him," Buffy's eyes began to well up with tears. "Wait a second," Xander interrupted, "I thought Angel killed his family." "Have some sympathy." Cordelia complained. "You must be Xander," Caitlin guessed. "How did you know that?" he asked astonished. "My brother describes you as ungrateful, oblivious to what's right in front of you, sarcastic, and annoying," Caitlin stated. "Am I right?" she asked the other occupants of the room. "Yep," they replied in unison. "Hey, I resent that!" Xander shouted. "As for the how did I know question. I know about all of you or what Angel told me," was Caitlin's explanation. " But Angel's dead," Buffy lowered her head sadly. "It seems that Angel and his sister have some sort of tie that binds his soul to hers. He can speak with her when she dreams," Giles explained. "I haven't seen Angel in over 200 years. So he never knew I was alive, but since for some odd reason our souls are connected, his can communicate with mine, subconsciously, he doesn't realize I can pick up on his thoughts. It's hard to explain," Caitlin mumbled. "Why are you here?" Cordelia spoke up. "I've come to restore Angel's soul permanently," Caitlin spoke matter-of- factly. "You can do that? When? How?" Buffy couldn't contain her excitement. Caitlin smiled. "Soon. The night of the full moon which is 3 days away. But it won't work unless all of you are willing to participate." "We'll come back to the ritual later," Giles jumped in before anymore questions could be asked, but Xander beat him to it. "You still didn't tell us why your not, well...." he stopped. "Dead," Caitlin supplied Xander nodded his head, "Not that I'd mind if you were. I'm sure you'd still look beautiful. Your not a vampire are you? Or a giant bug? Maybe a mummy? " Xander babbled. "Xander!" Buffy, Willow, and Cordelia scolded him. Xander shrank back in his chair when Cordelia shot him a glare that could burn through him. "No I'm completely human. Just immortal," Caitlin chuckled. "Maybe I should explain." For the next hour or so Caitlin told the group about the death of her family, her knowledge of magic, and her ambition to help her brother. "..... and ever since then I have wanted to find a cure to make him human again. Which has been in vain so far. Then I would be able to help Angel half that life that was taken from him and be able to avenge my family's death with the demon's." Caitlin finished. "You don't seem that caught up on revenge," Oz observed. "My family died without a cause. I just want to make sure their death doesn't go firgotten. I know that whereever they are now, they are happy and at peace. I don't want my anger to turn me into some physco killer who thinks about revenge day in and day otu. I know they wouldn't have wanted that. It just not a way to live your life," Caitlin explained. "I admire you for that," Giles complimented. "Thank you," Caitlin said. "You have so many of your brother's qualities it's remarkable," Giles smiled. "He's very special to me. He always stuck by me through thick and thin, and I intend to do the same," Cailitn said informed. "So do we," Buffy agreed. "So about this ritual." Buffy brought up once again. "A little anxious," Caitlin asked her with a wry smile. "Just a little," Buffy's smile brightened up her face. "The ritual requires a circle of people who share a common bond. All of you are friends and fight the forces of darkness together. That creates a bond between you all, the more people who share the same bond the stronger the pull." "The pull?" Jenny interrupted. "The bond is supposed to pull the soul called upon into this reality and guide it to it's rightful place," Caitlin explained. "That is quite intriguing. I would love to see the book you got this from." Giles directed towards Caitlin. Suddenly a large book encased in brown leather appeared in front of Giles. The group gasped. "Very convenient. May I keep this and read through it tonight?" Giles asked. "Sure, I know the ritual by heart, should something happen to the book," Caitlin assured him. "Thank you. We should all go home and get some rest. We'll reconvene tomorrow. It's saturday and Buffy you have training. Do you have someplace to stay?" Giles asked Caitlin. "She can stay with me," Buffy offered. "I mean if you want to." "Are you sure? I don't want to impose." "Positive," Buffy replied with certainty. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* End part 4......to be continued - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Hope (33/?) Date: 25 Mar 1998 11:50:07 PST Author: Sara B. Sara114@hotmail.com Rating: Varies...will be posted at beginning of each part. Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, yada yada yada belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox.... I'm just borrowing them, (although I wish Angel was mine!) Everything else belongs to me! Author's note: This is your usual generic story. Angel is still good, so basically in my story surprise/innocence didn't happen. Willow and Oz are together, and Xander and Cordy are still hiding their secret utility closet rondevu's. This is going to be a long story, and will take some time so be patient with me. I'm not very good at story telling, so if this totally sucks and isn't read-worthy, just let me know.Oh yeah, and I want feedback, feedback, and more feedback. I don't care if it's good or bad, just tell me what you thought of it. Part 33 PG Buffy and Hope walked down the dark road, their faces illuminated by the bright street light that stood nearby. Buffy slowed down when they came to a quiet intersection. “Hope, I want to stop by my house first. I need to get a couple of things,” Buffy said, looking at her friend. “Sure. Where is it?” Hope asked. Buffy smiled. “I see you haven’t completely learned the streets of Sunnydale yet. Don’t worry, it won’t take long,” she said. “There isn’t a lot of town here. Like Xander told me when I first moved her, this is a one Starbucks town.” Hope busted up in laughter. “He is really funny.” Buffy raised her right eyebrow. “You think he’s funny?” Hope blushed slightly. “Well....I...” “It’s okay. He is a great guy.” Buffy said, as they turned left and walked toward her house. “Yeah, but Cordelia has her claws in him,” Hope said, pouting. Buffy was startled. “What?” “You mean, you didn’t know? It’s obvious how much those to want each other. They are always bickering and giving each other those animal lust looks.” “I...I never noticed before,” Buffy said. She noticed the frown on her friend’s face. “You like him, don’t you?” Hope’s frown slowly turned into a wry smile. “Yeah, I do.” “Then go for him!” encouraged Buffy. “Cordelia,” Hope reminded her. “Well if Xander hasn’t told me or Willow, then that means they are keeping it secret, and that means that it would be easier for you to get him to fall for you,” Buffy said. “He wouldn’t go for me,” Hope said. “How can you say that! You are beautiful, nice, sweet, not to mention strong. He would too go for you.” “You think so?” Hope asked reluctantly. “I know so,” Buffy assured her. “You know, he had a crush on me when I first moved here.” “Really? What happened?” Hope asked, eager to know all the details. Buffy giggled. “Well, nothing really.” “Nothing?! Why not?!” She shrugged. “I didn’t like him. He was just a friend. Besides, I was in love with Angel,” Buffy paused, wondering if those words were still true. < If he is the Master, can I still love him? > She shook her head to try to erase that thought. “Ah, Angel. He is extremely hot,” Hope said, grinning. Buffy nodded. “You got that right. I remember the first time I saw him. The first thing that popped into my mind was ‘Hello gorgeous!”.” “How did you guys meet?” Hope questioned. She smiled. “Well, a couple of nights after I had just moved here, Angel was following me around. I sensed the presence of a vampire, and I caught him off guard. I knocked him to the ground and put my foot at his neck. I remember his look of utter shock. At the time I was annoyed at him. I didn’t like him. He would give me these cryptic messages and then vanish. But, after a while, I began to fall in love with him.” “Wow. That is an unusual ‘How we met’ story,” commented Hope. “When did you find out he was a vampire?” Buffy grimaced. “Let’s just say his vampireness interrupted our first romantic moment. He was in my bedroom...” she paused when Hope gave her a mischievous look. “What?! He needed a place to stay!” She exclaimed with a laugh. “Three vampires had attacked me and he came to my rescue. Since they were lurking around my house, I let him stay the night.” “Stay the night?” Hope asked, raising her eyebrow. “On the floor! Geez, Hope, you have a dirty mind!” “Just a character flaw,” she giggled. “Anyway...he was in your room and????” “And we had our first kiss. It was one of the most exciting moments of my life. When our lips touched it was like electricity. Then, all of a sudden, he vamped out. It definitely wasn’t our best moment together.” Hope laughed. “I’ll be you were freaked!” “That I was. But, we worked it out. And everything is great...I hope.” “I have a feeling that what ever happens tonight, you two will be together again.” “Thanks, Hope. That means a lot.” “Anytime!” She said. They continued to walk and talk, sharing things about their lives, learning about each other. They were laughing about some of their embarrassing stories when Hope’s smile turned into a bitter frown. “Oh shit. Look over their,” Hope pointed. “Vampires are attacking that woman.” Buffy looked up to see two vampires grab a hold of a woman and groaned. “Oh wonderful. This is the last thing we need right now.” She pulled out a stake from the sheath of her jacket. Hope followed her lead and did the same, taking one that was strapped to the small of her back. The two girls causally strolled across Rovello Drive. Hope grimaced as she recognized one of the vampires, and Buffy came to a halt. She stared at the demons with a sickly expression. Her face turned to a ghostly pale. Buffy felt as if her heart was being ripped out of her chest. “Oh God. Angel. Angel has...my mother,” she choked. Her hand flew to her mouth, and her knees grew week. Tears sprung to her eyes and she trembled. “It happened.” ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Hope (34/?) Date: 25 Mar 1998 11:58:05 PST Author: Sara B. Sara114@hotmail.com Rating: Varies...will be posted at beginning of each part. Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, yada yada yada belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox.... I'm just borrowing them, (although I wish Angel was mine!) Everything else belongs to me! Author's note: This is your usual generic story. Angel is still good, so basically in my story surprise/innocence didn't happen. Willow and Oz are together, and Xander and Cordy are still hiding their secret utility closet rondevu's. This is going to be a long story, and will take some time so be patient with me. I'm not very good at story telling, so if this totally sucks and isn't read-worthy, just let me know.Oh yeah, and I want feedback, feedback, and more feedback. I don't care if it's good or bad, just tell me what you thought of it. Part 34 ****Warning: This part gets a bit gruesome and some readers might find it offensive or disturbing***** “That asshole!” Hope screamed. She stormed across the street, leaving Buffy standing alone. The vampires turned to look at her in surprise. “HEY YOU! LET HER GO!!!!!” Her voice pierced the dark sky. Angel and Spike shot their heads at the direction of the girls voice. Angel immediately recognized Hope and Buffy. “Oh, look Joyce. Your daughter and her little friend have come to join our party.” Joyce saw her daughter standing across the street. “BUFFY!!! RUN!!!” She screamed for her daughters safety. Buffy knew what she had to do. She did her best and pushed her heartbreaking feelings aside and ran behind Hope. “Let my her go!” Hope sneered. Buffy came up beside her friend. She looked into Angel’s eyes and saw the vast emptiness where his beautiful soul used to reside. Instead, a vicious, malignant evil filled it’s place. The sinister and black-hearted look in his eyes told Buffy everything she need to know. Angel was gone. “I said, LET HER GO!” Hope hissed again. Angel laughed at her. “What are you going to do about it?” “Buffy run! Get out of here!!” Joyce yelled at her daughter. Angel pushed her into two minions, who held her struggling body. He turned to look at the frightened woman. “The Slayer’s mother. Ah, what an oblivious creature.” “What the hell are you talking about?” Joyce snapped. “I still can’t believe that Buffy hasn’t told you her deepest, darkest secrets,” Angel said with a laugh. “Leave her alone. You don’t want her. You want me,” Buffy finally managed to say. The usual strong Slayer was reduced to putty in the presence of the now evil Angel. “You are absolutely right. I don’t want her. Spike does. He thinks she would make an excellent collaborator. The Slayer’s own mother against her. Tsk Tsk Tsk. What ever shall she do?” He said sarcastically. “Buffy, what is he talking about?!” Joyce questioned Buffy. “Don’t listen to him, Mom,” Buffy ordered her. “Oh, but I think she should listen. I think it’s high time that she knew who you really are.” “Don’t you dare,” Buffy said. “Oh, but I do dare. Joyce, let me explain something to you,” he paused. “You see, Buffy is somewhat of a...oh how do I put this...Vampire Slayer.” “THAT’S ENOUGH!” Buffy snarled, and attacked Angel. She let out a hard roundhouse kick to his face, followed by two swift punches to his face. He was fazed for only a moment, and Buffy used it to her advantage. She grabbed his hair and swung his body around, causing his head to collide with the tree. He grabbed her arm and swung her over his head, body slamming her. She stumbled to her feet. Angel grabbed her throat, and lifted her into the air, choking her. She clung to his fist, trying to pry it off her slender neck. Joyce watched in horror as Buffy’s body went limp. Angel dropped it to the ground. Joyce sobbed uncontrollably. “Oh, God, NO!” She cried, grief-stricken. A blue glow emerged from Hope’s chest, as her necklace began to shine brightly beneath the pale yellow light of the street lamp. Angel turned to look at her. “First you killed my aunt, then you killed my friend. You’re going down, you son of a bitch,” she shouted with sinister edge to her voice. Angel played it coolly, despite the uncomfortable feelings she caused him to have. “Don’t worry, she isn’t dead. She is just passed out. It isn’t time for her to die, but it is time for you to die.” Hope glared. “Give it your best shot.” Angel felt the hair raise on the back of his neck as the necklace glowed brighter. He felt the power shoot off of her like a bomb detonated in her body. Her eyes narrowed and her blood pumped through her veins like a freight train. He backed away. His power wasn’t complete, and he knew what this small girl was capable of. Her small, 5’3 frame didn’t fool him, or any of the other vampires. “Are you afraid of me?” Hope asked innocently. “Don’t worry. It won’t hurt much.” she said sweetly. “Stay away from me, bitch,” he snapped. She glared fiercely. For once in his life as a vampire, he actually felt fear. This was new him, especially now that he was the Master. “I’m not afraid of you. It’s just not time yet,” he said. “You already used that excuse,” she mused, inching toward him as he backed away from her. “Come on man!” Spike yelled at him. “What the hell are you waiting for?!” Angel shot his head at Spike. “Don’t underestimate her. You don’t know who she is.” “I don’t need to know who she is. She is a mortal. A girl. A human. Not to mention puny. Just get on with it.” Annoyance filled Spike’s voice he strolled over to Hope and stood behind her. Hope smiled. She turned around to face him. “Wanna bet?” “Sure,” he answered. “Let’s fight. I win, you die. You win, you die. Any questions?” “You are sure of yourself, aren’t you?” Hope stated, with newly found confidence. Spike laughed. “I should be asking you that.” With the tension building between Hope and Spike, no one noticed Buffy awaken. She slowly pulled herself to her feet. She no longer felt remorse or sadness. She was mad, she was angry, and most of all, she was ready to kill. Right now, Buffy was the Hellmouth’s greatest threat. “Are you going to fight, or just stand there all night?” Buffy asked causally, interrupting them. All heads turned to face The Slayer, who stood with a vengeance. With her head held high and her hands on her hips, she stood with poise and confidence. Angel looked at Buffy, then at Hope. < Shit. These two have power. I need to get out of here so I can get to full strength > He tried inching his way toward the car, but Buffy caught him. “Leaving so soon, lover boy?” She asked. Angrily, he tried to retort, but was interrupted. Marcus and David came barreling down the road. They drove up in the grass and almost hit the tree. “Learn how to drive,” David grumbled at Marcus as they got out of the van. Spike broke his concentration off of Hope to look at the young vampires. “What the hell took you so damn long?” he asked. “Sorry, Spike. We got caught in traffic,” Marcus lied. “Bull shit,” he said, noticing the dent in the front of the van. “Why is there a dent in my van?” he asked. Both vampires looked at anything but Spike, not wanting to get in trouble. Spike sighed. “If you don’t answer me in the next three seconds I am going to kill you.” “Marcus plowed into a car in the field,” David replied fearfully. Marcus have him a dirty look. “Thanks for telling him,” he said sarcastically. Buffy and Hope gave each other knowing looks, realizing these were the men who almost killed them. Without warning, Hope’s anger rose wildly out of control and she stormed over to them. She utterly lost her temper. Hope grabbed their necks and lifted them both high above the ground with remarkable strength. Marcus’s and David’s eyes enlarged at her action, as they dangled in the air. “Holy shit,” Spike said, amazed at her ability. He had never seen a human who wasn’t a slayer this strong. < Who is this girl? > “You almost killed my friends,” she snarled, a low growl erupting from her slender throat. All eyes were on her, as threw David into the tree. She squeezed hard on Marcus’s throat, and he laughed. “I don’t breathe,” he whispered. “But you can hurt,” she whispered back, bringing her fist up and colliding it with his nose. She heard the bones in his face crack and shatter as blood sprayed everywhere. He screamed in agony. Grabbing her stake, she plunged it into his stomach. Then, she did one of the unthinkable things. She put her hand down the front of his pants and reached for his manhood. In a split second, she ripped it from his body. His face twisted with the severe pain that plagued him. She dropped him onto the ground and wiped the blood off of her hands onto her jeans. Turning back to face her audience, she smiled. “He won’t be getting up any time soon,” Hope said. Shocked faces stared at her. David scrambled to get up and began to run down the street away from Buffy’s house in fear of his life. Hope laughed, watching him run away. “Any one else want to piss me off? How about you Spike?” Spike bolted with Angel at his heals. The two vampires pushed their ways into their cars and locked the doors, driving away as fast as they could with their minions close behind. Buffy inhaled a sharp breath and looked away from the withering, tortured body that laid at Hope’s feet. Hope looked down at him and immediately began to feel remorse. Tears sprung to her eyes and she threw her and over her mouth. Trembling, she stepped away from him. “What did I just do?” Buffy, still stunned, reached for Hope, and pulled her away from Marcus. “What did I do?” Hope repeated, crying. Buffy didn’t say anything. She kept picturing the look that resided in Hope’s crystal green eyes. It was a look of hatred, anger, and a lust for revenge. “It’s okay,” she whispered into her friend’s ear. Buffy picked up her stake and put it through Marcus’s heart, killing whatever life he had left and ending his suffering. “I...I...” Hope stammered. “I don’t know what came over me. It was like I wasn’t in control of my body.” Tears streamed down her face like a waterfall. “I can’t believe I did that. I’m not like that. I’m not a bad person! I don’t kill!” She cried. “Hope, he was a vampire. He has killed and hurt people. Don’t feel bad for what you did. It might have been a little gruesome, and a quick stake through the heart might have been more practical, but he almost killed us all tonight,” Buffy said, trying to comfort her friend. “A _little_ gruesome? Try gory...bloodly...offensively violent,” Hope said, slightly laughing despite the heinous chain of events that had occurred. “Buffy, I ripped it off.” Buffy smiled sympathetically. “Come on, we really need to call Giles and tell him everything. Angel has been transformed, and he has my mother,” she said, hiding her devastating feelings that were flooding back into her mind. < I guess pushing my feelings aside isn’t going to help > she thought. But, in defiance of those feelings, Buffy knew that she couldn’t let them get in the way of what she had to do. < Angel is the Master. And I now have to kill him. I have to kill Angel. I have to kill the man I am in love with > The two girls felt a tidal wave of emotion crash over them as they stood in the Summers’ now bloody lawn. Both were struggling to keep a hold of their sanity, which was very slowly threatening to slip away. Buffy and Hope’s connection was stronger than they knew. Physically, they stood, helping one another walk up the steps and through the door of Buffy’s home. Mentally, they grasped each other in an ever lasting hold. A bind that would remain strong, and would in time, would save their lives. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: hjrobert@nap.com Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: Re:Welcome to the Hellmouth, Scully Date: 26 Mar 1998 20:08:12 +0000 Hey! Isn't it weird that you should write a fan fic about my two most favorite shows. Wow. Thank you sosososososososo much! It was really awesome too. good job! -Rachel Rachel, thank you for the input!! how old are you? - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: hjrobert@nap.com Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: "Footsteps" Epilogue: "Going Home," by Ingrid Date: 26 Mar 1998 20:13:05 +0000 please write more spike and willow stuff!!!!! i love it!!!!! this story was really great -- well written and enthralling. :) more! THANK YOU! - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: NHZA04A@prodigy.com ( LORA K CHANDLER) Subject: BUFFYFIC: Internet Message Date: 25 Mar 1998 18:58:18, -0500 Could you send me the other parts to "Footsteps" Lora - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sapphire" Subject: Discuss: Re: BUFFYFIC: Re:Welcome to the Hellmouth, Scully Date: 25 Mar 1998 21:01:12 PST ---------- > Wow. Thank you sosososososososo much! > It was really awesome too. good job! > -Rachel > > Rachel, thank you for the input!! how old are you? Um, I don't who answered this feedback, but Welcome to the Hellmouth, Scu= lly is a story that *I* wrote and posted not to long ago....I usually like to ans= wer feedback, but when people post feedback to buffyfic and not to *me* it is impossible to pull a pers= onal e-mail addy off of it unless they put it in their sig...BTW, this fic is archive= d at the X-Files archive now, it hasn't hit Anya's yet :) Sapphire: sapphire@chaos.taylored.com X-Over Crossover list admin: X-Over: XF Crossover archive http://www.busprod.com/aclaybor Taking the Challenge: BtVS Challenge Archive ; SPCDD; LOMIG ; G-Woman #3 Keeper of Willow's momentary obsession with sore thumbs, Willow's whimper of sadness for her dead fish and her fake frog fit in = KBD - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Anexsin Subject: BUFFYFIC: The Ties That Bind (5/10) Date: 26 Mar 1998 02:03:36 EST Title: The Ties That Bind (5/10) Author: Melinda Frango Email Addy: Anexsin@aol.com Rating: PG Spoiler: All episodes before Passion. Feedback: Greatly appreciated. Disclaimer: Buffy and the gang belong to Joss Whedon, the WB, etc. Only the story is mine, and whatever characters never seen or mentioned on the show. Summary: Buffy and the gang get help from an unexpected source in restoring Angel's soul. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* -Back in the warehouse - "Who is it?" Angelus questioned. "A girl who knows of us. She's helping the Slayer," Drusilla responded. "Wondeful!" Spike exclaimed sarcastically. "Don't worry about it. I'll take care of it," Angelus assured him. "Oh? How pray tell do you intend to do that?" Spike inquired. "I'll come up with a plan. In fact I already have one." "Oh, please do tell." "Well if this girl is helping the Slayer I'll just force my beloved Buffy to tell me," Angelus confided. "Real great plan. Did you actually burn some brain cells thinking that one up. She's not stupid. You think she's just going to tell you?" Spike smirked. "I have my ways," Angelus sneered. "Your ways will spell trouble for us all," Spike informed. "You don't have to worry about anything," Angelus started. "I'll take care of the important stuff. You just sit in your chair and look pretty." "Go to hell," Spike gritted his teeth. "I'm already there my friend," Angelus chuckled. "She's going to change everything," Drusilla whined again. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* "Where's your parents?" Caitlin asked Buffy as she led her up to her room. "My mom and dad are divorced. My dad lives in L.A. and my mom's away on business. She owns an art gallery here, and she goes to New York often to buy art for it," Buffy explained. "Is it hard having your parents divorced?" Caitlin questioned. "Sometimes, but it's better that they're separated and on good terms with each other, than to be together and fighting all the time," Buffy answered. Caitlin nodded in agreement and glanced around Buffy's bedroom. "I know the room is kind of small, but I don't spend much time in here...well unless I get grounded which is pretty often. Never mind," Buffy smiled. "I can imagine," Caitlin smirked. "So," Buffy broke the awkward silence. "What did Angel tell you about me?" Buffy asked curiously. Caitlin laughed and leaned against the desk. "He couldn't stop talking about you." "Really?" "Yep. He went on and on about how beautiful and smart you are. He also said you were caring, to trusting for your own good, loving, passionate, stubborn, and strong. As I said he went on and on," Caitlin laughed again. "That makes me feel good," Buffy announced. "It should. He loves you very much," she reassured "Can we ever continue our relationship?" Buffy asked hopefully. "It's going to take some time. It's going to be hard for Angel, but with you there for him he'll get through this and be able to move on. He'll push us all away at first, but it's important that we stick with him. And remember love conquers all," Caitlin answered firmly. "I hope your right," Buffy whispered. Buffy went to her closet and took out a neatly folded sleeping bag then laid it out on the floor next to her bed. "This is all I have, unless you want the bed?" Buffy asked. "No this is perfect. Thank you for letting me stay." "No problem. Do you need pajamas?" "Nope." Caitlin gestured to herself and right before Buffy's eyes her clothing changed from the outfit she was wearing to green and blue stripped flannel pajamas. "Wow!" Buffy gasped. "I actually have to go and change. I need to get some magical powers." Caitlin smiled and shook her head when Buffy left the room to change. When she returned, Buffy handed Caitlin a pillow and got into bed. "Goodnight," Buffy said when she was settled. "Sweet dreams, Buffy," Caitlin wished. And then the light went out to leave the room aluminated with the glow from the moon. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* End part 5.......to be continued - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: 986092@keppel.yeppoon.shs.net.au (Mitchell Robertson) Subject: BUFFYFIC: New Member Date: 27 Mar 1998 10:37:44 +1000 Hi I'm new to this mailing list and am like heaps confused. Are all the stories people write into the list like ones that have screened on tv or ones that are made up by members of the list. In Australia, Buffy has just been taken off, I think it just finished the fisrt season. Was the season finale the episode where Buffy is all bitchy and snobby, and the vampires try to reincarnate the Master, but Buffy smashes his bones. Well anyway, Else where to be, MITCH - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Fran Vanelli" Subject: BUFFYFIC: The Sex Thing Date: 26 Mar 1998 21:39:47 -0500 LilyRei says <> I agree.... Why would anyone want to think twice about it? fcv - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: MARK SAFRANSKY Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: New Member Date: 26 Mar 1998 21:41:27 -0500 Mitch, The stories that show up on the list are made up by the list members. They are just inspired by the show. The episode you mentioned where Buffy was bitchy and the vamps under the Annointed One and Absalom try to resurrect the Master using his bones and the blood of the ones closest at the time of his death was the Second Season premiere called "When She Was Bad." Hope this helps. X-Lander - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Aglx Subject: BUFFYFIC: The Dark One (1/?) Date: 27 Mar 1998 12:14:29 EST Title: The Dark One (1/?) Author: Michelle Email Addy: Aglx@aol.com Rating: PG-13 Time: This takes place after Killed By Death Feedback: Please send some, good or bad so I know whether to continue with this. Disclaimer: Buffy and everyone belong to Joss, WB etc. Savarah and any other characters mention that are not a part of the TV-Show are mine. The language is nothing worse that we see on Buffy. There are a few mentions and indications of sex but nothing more. _____ Buffy entered the library with her head hanging low. She slowly moped over to a chair and sat down. She didn't need to speak, Giles and Willow could see her screaming, "Ask me what happened." "Buffy, are you okay? You look a little...upset," Giles finally brought up. "Snyder caught me trying to get off campus again. Soon, he's going to put a silver plaque at the desk where at sit in detention." Giles and Willow couldn't help but smile. "So, what are my slayage plans tonight?" "Well, patroling. But I shouldn't have to remind you of..." "Of Angel. Yeah, I know." "Dear, dear Angel, such a sweet little boy." A voice came from the doorway of the library. Everyone turned to look as Buffy jumped out of her seat up to meet girl. "Who the hell are you?" Buffy glared at the very attractive young girl standing before her. "I'm a friend." "Certainly not mine," Buffy at her with a harsh tone. The girl approached Buffy with a sly grin on her face. "Oh, Buffy, but you don't even know me yet. So quick to judge a person. You really must work on that." "Do you wanna tell me what you want before I knock you out cold?" Giles and Willow could only watch from afar. You could see the wheels turning in Giles head as he tried to ponder who was this strange girl who challenged the Slayer. "I don't want anything, Buffy. Not yet anyway. You know Buffy, you and I, we're the same. Well, kinda. See, your the Slayer, born with the strength and knowlege to fight and kill of vampires, deamons and ghools. Well, so am I, only, I was choosen to work for the other side. I fight and kill the good so that evil may rule. "Savarah!" Giles gasped as he fell into a chair. He'd heard that she existed but always hoped she wasn't real. "Good, good, I see we've been doing some reading. But then, when are you not." "Look, I don't care who you are, however knowing is all the more reason to kill you." Buffy continued to stare at Savarah with fire in her eyes. "Oh, but Slayer...you can't. I'm smarter, and stronger. You'll never kill me." Buffy threw three hard kicks to Savarah's stomach and then a hard backhand to her face as she tried to recover from the blows. Savarah took several steps back but showed no sign of pain. Buffy pulled a stake from her shirt sleeve and thrust it directly into Savarah's chest. The stake caused Savarah to stumble a few steps before pulling it out of her chest. Buffy looked to Giles for help but found nothing. When she returned her eyes' on Savarah, she saw the gaping wound repair itself in seconds. "A stake? Come on Buffy, I'm no vampire." Savarah smiled as she tossed the stake back to Buffy. "Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you, I'm immortal. You can't kill me. Isn't that just the coolest?" "Immortality never stopped me from killing anyone before." "In due time, we'll find out my dear. Right now, I have some friends to visit. I do believe you know them. Angel, Spike and Drusilla are expecting me. It's been ages since I've seen dear old Angelus. I wonder if he's still as bad as he used to be? Oh well, I'll find out soon enough." Buffy's face faded from anger to fear and jelousy. As much as she hated the evil Angelus, she would always love Angel. Savarah disapeared out of the room. ============================================ "You know Dru, Spike's a big boy, he doesn't need your pity. You could be doing more important things...with me." A large grin came over Angel's face as he entered the wherehouse. Drusilla was sitting on Spike's lap cuddling close. "Angel, I do believe we were here first. Why don't you go somewhere else." "Don't mind him, Angel, he's just a little crabby as usual." Drusilla coyly stroked Spike's face with her fingers. "When is he not crabby?" A girls' voice came from the shadows of the room. "If I remember right, that's what made him so good at what he does." Savarah stepped out of the shadows and strolled over to the group who was standing by the large dining table. Angel's face lit up as he watched her come into the light. "Savarah!" "Angel," Savarah spoke fondly. "It's been way too long." She steped up to Angel and looked deep into his eyes. He wrapped his arms around her and then they kissed, passionately. A large smile came over Spike's face as he watched them kiss. He knew that with Savarah here, Angel would be too busy to even think about Dru. "Oh, get a room, you two! I know it's been a while, but please, there are others here." The two reluctantly broke away from their kiss but remained tight in eachother's arms. "Spike, that wheelchair, it's so not you. You really should get out of that thing. "I don't suppose you could help with that?" Spike spoke eagerly. "It's a possibility." Spike and Drusilla smiled with excitement. "So, I met this, Slayer...she's good, but I can't stand the attitude." "What are your plans for her, Savarah?" Drusilla asked still on Spike's lap. "Oh, I was thinking somewhere along the lines of a long painful death. How's that sound to you guys?" They all began to laugh hystarically. ============================================ "Who's Savarah?" Giles sat quietly still in shock from momments ago. "Giles, wake up, who is Savarah?!?" "Uh, what? Oh, yes, Savarah. She's well, uh, someone I never really knew existed. I only heard myths about her existance but, never in my life as a watcher did I think she'd..." He faded off into his worries. "Giles, that's not helping." "Well, she's a creature of the darkness and yet she's not a vampire or demon. She is 100% human and 100% evil. She's never lost a battle." "Hey guys!" Xander strolled into the library with Cordelia on his arm. Oz was following after them. After viewing the frightened look upon their faces Xander began to worry. "Hey, is everything okay?" "No...not at all okay. Things are not okay. Okay, is not what everything is right now." Willow sat impatientenly in her seat waiting for someone to comfort her. Oz rushed to her side. "Will, relax, everything will be just fine. That is as soon as someone tells me what will be just fine? Someone wanna fill me in here," Oz snapped. Buffy and Giles fill Xander, Oz and Cordelia in on what just happened. "Okay, so we have an immortal demon that wants to kill Buffy and has some sort of strong alliance with vampires." "Xander, you sure have a way of making things sound a whole lot worse." "Oh, sorry Buffy." "Giles, I need you to find anything you can on this girl. There has got to be a way to kill her." "Right." "We've got a lot of work to do, so lets get busy before this girl goes on a killing spree." End Part 1 To Be Continued. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Aglx Subject: BUFFYFIC: The Dark One (2/?) Date: 27 Mar 1998 12:18:06 EST Title: The Dark One (2/?) Author: Michelle Email Addy: Aglx@aol.com Rating: PG-13 Time: This takes place after Killed By Death Feedback: Please send some, good or bad so I know whether to continue with this. Disclaimer: Buffy and everyone belong to Joss, WB etc. Savarah and any other characters mention that are not a part of the TV-Show are mine. The language is nothing worse that we see on Buffy. There are a few mentions and indications of sex but nothing more. Author's Note: This is a story that begins where Killed By Death left off. All characters except Rockter and Savarah belong to Joss Wheedon and the production companies of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. No copyright infrindgment is intended. Please send feedback to me about these stories. I'm new at this and need to know if it's worth it. Ms. Calendar is dead, the warehouse is still standing however badly burned. _____ "Nothing!" Buffy yelled, scared and frustrated. "If this girl is so powerful, then why can't we find one bit of information on her?" Giles looked briefly at Buffy and then held his head low. For the first time in his life as a watcher, he didn't know how fix this. Even with the Master, he was willing to offer himself, but this time, that wouldn't work. "Wait, I think I found something. Yes, I found it." Willow looked around the library trying to grab everyone's attention. Buffy rushed up behind Willow who was sitting at her laptop. "What? What'd you find?!?" Buffy couldn't control herself. The thought of her Savarah and her powers fueled her passion to kill her. "Whoh! She sure looks good for someone who's 1200 years old." "1200?" Buffy and Willow both leaned closer to the computer to examine the picture and facts next to it. "Yeah, I'd have to say she looks good." "In 794, she was transformed by a vampire known as Rockter. He was a big and as bad as the come. Months after she became a vampire, Rockter faced a slayer to the death. After hours of fighting, the element of exhaustion was factored in and he was killed. When Savarah found out about this, she avenged her sire's death by going after the slayer. Savarah killed the slayer in minutes." "Wait, she was a vampire? What about this "human" thing she was talking about?" "I'm getting there." Willow tried not to snap, but Buffy's enthusiasm towards killing Savarah was being to freak her out. "In her years, Savarah faced and killed 4 Slayers. Each one, she killed with ease. At the age of 600, Savarah encountered a man who called himself, 'The Dark One.' He made her a deal she couldn't resist. His time as 'The Dark One' was near its end and he wanted Savarah to take his place. Her strength and willpower was more than enough to prove that she was the only candidate for the job. She accepted and took over as 'The Dark One'. Her powers as a vampire were stripped and she took on an immortal human form. "'Dark One?' What the hell is that?" Buffy's voice trembled with fear. "The Devil." Giles quietly added in. "What?" Buffy gasped and stared at Giles, impatiently waiting for an answer. "'The Dark One' is not exactly the devil, but the name fits. It's the ruler of the darkness. Every vampire, demon, and creature of evil worships it. Vampires are the worst, they would kiss the ground she walked on if asked to do so." "I really don't see Angel as the ground-kissing type." "I'm afraid to say, but Angel is the worst of all." "Oh," Buffy spoke under her breath. She dropped her head as far as she could. ============================================ "Angel. You know this Slayer pretty well, huh?" "You could say that." The slightest bit of fear exposed itself in his voice. "Good. Then you can come with." "Where?" "We're going to pay our little Slayer a visit. When she faces me, I want it to be fun. And it won't be any fun if she isn't scared." "I do love the way you think," Angel spoke with a small grin on his face. "Among other things." Savarah smiled lightly back at him. "We'll be back in a while. You two hold down the fort while we're gone." "I think we can do that," Spike responded sarcastically. "Spike..." "Sorry." Angel was shocked. In his time knowing Spike, he had never seen him apologize to anyone but Dru. Angel and Savarah left the warehouse hand in hand. It was completely dark outside now. As they left, Drusilla fell into one of her visions. Spike rushed to her side as she collapsed into a chair. "Dru! What do you see?" "She knows. She knows everything. Something's going to go wrong. Someone will betray." "Dru, who?" "The Slayer." Drusilla went unconscious and fell off the chair. Spike caught her in his arms and pulled her onto his lap. He was worried, but not sure for whom. He wheeled the two of them off to the bedroom. To Be Continued - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Aglx Subject: BUFFYFIC: The Dark One (3/?) Date: 27 Mar 1998 12:20:13 EST Title: The Dark One (3/?) Author: Michelle Email Addy: Aglx@aol.com Rating: PG-13 Time: This takes place after Killed By Death Feedback: Please send some, good or bad so I know whether to continue with this. Disclaimer: Buffy and everyone belong to Joss, WB etc. Savarah and any other characters mention that are not a part of the TV-Show are mine. The language is nothing worse that we see on Buffy. There are a few mentions and indications of sex but nothing more. Authors Note: Ms. Calendar is dead, the warehouse is still up but badly burned. "Hey look what I found!" Willow jumped in her seat as everyone gathered around the computer screen. "I found out how to kill Savarah." She pauses for a momment as she reads more. "Oh, oohh." "What is it?" Xander was too scared for Buffy's life to be patient. "Well, the only way to kill her is for her to be killed by those that worship her the most." "Vampires," Buffy gasped as she stepped away from the computer and walked to the counter. "So, I guess this time, it's for real. No Xander coming to breath life back into me." "Now, Buffy...don't jump to conclusions. We still haven't had..." "Spare me, Giles." Buffy couldn't control herself. "I've been there and done that. In case you hadn't noticed, we're not exactly good friends with any vampires." Giles was speechless. "Well, at least I know who will take my place this time. I doubt she was having much of a life anyway." Tears pooled up in Buffy's eyes as she slammed her fist into the counter top. Everyone jumped at the noise. Her friends couldn't stand to watch the Slayer cry but tried to hold their tears back for her sake. "Buffy! How you been?" A familiar voice bounded into the room. Buffy jumped at the sight of Angel and Savarah entering the Library. "What the hell are you doing here?" Buffy's voice was deep and full of fury. "Oh, I brought him along. I thought it might be nice for you two to meet again." "How did you get in here?" Giles questioned, fear was evident in his voice. "Well, I explained this to your former girlfriend. It really isn't that hard with such a inviting sign out front." "We just thought we'd come by and say, 'Hi!'. "How thoughtful of you," Buffy snapped. "I thought so." Angel dropped in hoping to get deep under Buffy's skin. "Why me? Why do you want to kill me?" "Kill? Well, that's an easy one. Your the Slayer. And I know I can take you." Buffy glared at Savarah and briefly took her eyes off her to keep an eye on Angel. "What makes you think that?" Buffy spoke challenging however knowing that she didn't stand a chance. "See your little friends over there. The Watcher, the bookworm, the reject, the snob, the wolf. I could kill them all right now with the snap of my finger." Savarah spoke braggingly, hoping to put all the fear she could into the slayer. Buffy was more scared than ever. Not just for her life, but for her friends. Now knowing of Savarah's powers, she felt trapped. The thought of offering her life to keep her friends alive crossed her mind several times. "We really should be going now. Like I said, we just wanted to say 'Hi'. "Sleep tight!" Angel growled as he left the room with Savarah on his arm. To Be Continued. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Aglx Subject: BUFFYFIC: The Dark One (4/?) Date: 27 Mar 1998 12:21:15 EST Title: The Dark One (4/?) Author: Michelle Email Addy: Aglx@aol.com Rating: PG-13 Time: This takes place after Killed By Death Feedback: Please send some, good or bad so I know whether to continue with this. Disclaimer: Buffy and everyone belong to Joss, WB etc. Savarah and any other characters mention that are not a part of the TV-Show are mine. The language is nothing worse that we see on Buffy. There are a few mentions and indications of sex but nothing more. _____ Buffy stumbled back until she hit the counter. She had tried to hold back, but couldn't. Tears rushed down her cheeks and she sank to the floor. Giles rushed to her side and wrapped his arms around her. Buffy was too upset and scared to notice that he had never shown this side of himself before. The rest of the group could only watch for a lack of words kept them at bay. "Buffy, I want you to know, I am not going to let you die from this." Giles' voice was carried with great assurance. "But Giles," Buffy cried to him as she notices his jacket was covered in her tears. "But nothing. You are too important to me. We will find a way." ====================================== "Spike, what would you say to the concept of, 'walking?'" "I'd say, yes and who do I have to kill?" Savarah was amused at his enthusiasm to get out of that dreaded chair. "Angel, dearest, will you come over here for a second." "Yeah, what is it?" "We're going to get Spike to walk again. That chair is getting on my nerves." "Your nerves? You haven't had to sit in it all this time," Spike chuckled. "Help him up. We need him standing." Angel and Drusilla both grabbed an arm and lifted him out of his chair with ease. "Now what do we do with him?" Angel asked annoyed that Spike would be walking. "Shhh," Savarah said as she placed a hand up in front of Spike's face. "Now if I do this. You owe me." "If you do this, I will be forever at your debt." "You know those wheelchair jokes are going to be hard to top." Angel had to throw in a last attempt to annoy Spike before his legs were restored to their former strength. "Poteri scuri. Mi arricchisca col potere." A light wind filled the warehouse. Savarah snapped her fingers and then indicated for Angel and Drusilla to place Spike down on his feet. After Drusilla's hand finally slipped away from his arm, Spike rose his head revealing an enormous grin. "I'm hungry. Let's go out to eat," Spike said. Drusilla laughed as Spike picked her off the ground and danced about the warehouse with her in his arms. Angel rolled his eyes but then focused on Savarah. She didn't need to hear the words to know that Angel was hungry as well. He led her out of the warehouse. "That was Italian, wasn't it," Angel added as the walked out. "Yeah, I was getting so tired of Latin." Minutes passed and then Spike and Dru followed after them. ====================================== Buffy strolled through the darkness in the night. She walked with great caution, even more than usual. As she walked pass the graveyard, she decided to make a pass through. It was unusually quiet and that made her worry all the more. A soft rustling was heard behind her. She jumped to face her accouter. "Spike?" Spike rolled out of the shadows into the light of the moon. "I want to talk to you, Slayer." "Talk? You want to talk with me?" "Was I not clear?" "What about?" Buffy cautiously scanned the surrounding areas presuming a trap was being set and Spike was the bait. "You know you're not very threatening in that chair." Buffy mentioned trying to spring the trap. "Oh really. I can fix that." Spike lifted himself out of the chair being sure to keep eye contact with Buffy. He wanted to make sure he saw her expression. "You can walk!" "Threatening now?" Spike was taking no chances of getting hurt this time. Buffy was frightened and shocked. She took another look around to make sure. "You have nothing to worry about. I came alone." "Oh yeah, I trust you." Buffy's tone was clearly sarcastic. "Have I ever lied to you before?" "Come to think of it, yeah, you have." "I'm not perfect," Spike grinned. "So, are you going to talk?" Buffy was growing impatient. Buffy had a stake ready in her hand. She knew it made Spike uncomfortable. "I want to make a deal with you. It has to do with Savarah." Buffy's face was suddenly covered in fear. "She wants to fight a fair fight against you. You see, if you win, she would restore Angel's soul. If you loose, you die. Simple as that. "Except for the Angel card, what else is new?" Buffy cocked an eyebrow and waited for Spike's response. "Well, that's the fun part. Her 'super powers' as 'The Dark One' would not exist. She would still be as strong and as smart as she was when she was a vampire. Basically that's who'd you be fighting. Of course, she won't be killed really, but if you manage to kill her in a fight, you will get your Angel back. Which, in my book is a good thing." "He's really getting on your nerves, huh?" Buffy smiled slightly knowing how painful Angel's evil side really could be. "You might say that." Spike tried to avoid the subject. "I'll do it. As long as her word stays true, I'll do it. But if she or anyone tries to pull anything...it's over. Is that clear?" Spike only nodded as he walked away leaving the chair behind. Buffy remained where she stood for several minutes. The shock of Spike being capable of walking was more than enough, but 'The Dark One' making a deal with her? It was too much to comprehend. Buffy finally walked off heading towards the library. Boy did she have a story to tell Giles. End Part 4 To Be Continued Part 5 coming soon. Please send feedback!!! - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Daphne1784 Subject: BUFFYFIC: Homecoming - Prologue/? Date: 27 Mar 1998 17:49:47 EST Title: Homecoming Author: Aphrodite ( Just my pen name :P ) Email Addy: Daphne1784@aol.com Rating: It will vary so I will have them listed at the beginning of each part Distribution: Sure just make sure you ask me first! Summary: This is going to be about Buffy/Angel mostly. Spoilers: All the way up through "Killed By Death" Disclaimer: Buffy and the gang belong to the television show "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", Joss Whedon, FOX, Mutant Enemy, and Warner Brothers. The story and all characters that I decide to created are mine. Don't sue!! Feedback: Please send me some feedback, good or bad, so that I will know if I should continue to write it. Also this is my very first fanfic so I want to know how I'm doing. ********************************* Homecoming Prolougue Rating PG By: Aphrodite ********************************* Buffy sat at the Bronze watching Xander and Cordelia dancing to the band that was playing at the Bronze that night. So many thoughts flowed through her head. Thoughts about her, Angel, Xander, Cordelia, Willow, and Oz. Willow and Oz and Xander and Cordelia are soo happy together, Buffy thought, just like Angel and I used to be....before..... Tears flooded her eyes. She loved Angel soo much and the thought of what she had done to him tore her to pieces. She had loved him soo much and her carelessness had caused him to become the demon that he was 80 years ago before the Gypsy curse had been put on him. Even though Giles and everyone else tried to convince her that this wasn't her fault she still had a hard time excepting that fact. The only other thing that bothered her was that whenever she and Angelus had a confrontation he always managed to bring up the fact the Angel would still be around if she had just been able to say no. Buffy knew that until she realized that this wasn't her fault there was absolutly no way that she was going to be able to fight Angelus and kill him. She didn't think that she would ever be able to kill him. He was her one true love. No matter what happened. She didn't care if she only got to see him at night, or that he was a vampire. She didn't even care about him being stealth guy with all the cryptic messages. All she wanted was her Angel back and she would do ANYTHING to get him back. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: LnCAGCRulz Subject: BUFFYFIC: Remembering the Memories (0/?) Date: 27 Mar 1998 18:34:13 EST Please forgive me. I know I was going to post more before my trip... Sorry!! That time passed too quickly, and then our flight was cancled so we didn't fly back until a day later and then I had a lot of work to catch up on and then and then and then... Still, it's no excuse, and I'm sorry. I'm going to post from the begining as not to leave anyone in the dark. Expect a lot as the evening progresses. And even more tomorrow. I promise. :) (Yeah, I said that last time, too. I know...) So, here ya' go. You'll notice that I've changed the title to simply "Remembering the Memories." "Memoria Tenere Memorium" (as I know it wasn't, but correctly shoulda' been...) was entirely too complicated. So we'll just go with the time honored English. :) Any questions or comments, good or bad, should be sent to me. Title: Remembering the Memories Rating: PG to date Summary: A resolution to the current problem, not to give anything away. Spoilers: All episodes up to the current date (3/13) are game. Major info pertaining to ‘Surprise’ and ‘Innocence,’ however. Comments: YES!!! LnCAGCRulz@aol.com Distribution: I’d prefer that this not be destributed outside of this list for the time being. However, if you are interested in destributing in the future, let me know. Disclaimers: As a rule, if you recognize it, it’s not mine. Everything else is. I am not making any money off of this piece of fanfic, nor is anyone else. If you think you are, I suggest you think otherwise. As is customary in my stories, a song will likely be used. If we make it to that point, all information about the song will be included. Remembering the Memories The knocking on the door began quietly, although it grew slightly louder with each pound. A man, appearing to be in his mid-twenties stood outside the still closed door. He sighed and closed his deep brown eyes, mumbling some insecurity to himself. When he opened his eyes he faced a young woman. Her eyes seemed to have seen more than they should have in their 30 years. The eyes of the blond girl squinted, as she were attempting to put a memory with this face. The realization hit her suddenly. “Hi.” She was spellbound. He was dead. She knew he was dead. She hadn’t just heard it was so – she had done it with her own two hands. She had killed this man. “You’re dead.” What was she supposed to say at a time like this? It isn’t every day that one is confronted with their formal lover-turned rival. Their dead one, at that. “I mean, you’re… I killed you!” “You did.” “Which would make you dead…” “Well, it depends what you mean by that. May I come in? I need a chance to explain.” He wasn’t sure how he was going to do this. It had been so long. Thirteen years, he reminded himself. Fourteen in a month. The longest thirteen years of his 251 year life. Too long. “Um… I guess. Do I…” “No, you don’t have to formally invite me.” Just as he begun to take his first step through her threshold, she stopped him. “Wait! Who are you… honestly.” “Angel.” -Teaser End- - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Andrew Oswell Subject: BUFFYFIC: Re: Buffyfic-digest V2 #76 Date: 28 Mar 1998 10:44:24 +1100 unsubscribe buffyfic-digest Kerry Von Erich irc.starchat.net You have been hit with the Discus Punch ! :) - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: LnCAGCRulz Subject: BUFFYFIC: Remembering the Memories (1/?) Date: 27 Mar 1998 18:45:27 EST Title: Remembering the Memories Author: Emily J. Jerome Rating: PG to date Summary: A resolution to the current problem, not to give anything away. Spoilers: All episodes up to the current date (3/13) are game. Major info pertaining to ‘Surprise’ and ‘Innocence,’ however. Comments: YES!!! LnCAGCRulz@aol.com Distribution: I’d prefer that this not be destributed outside of this list for the time being. However, if you are interested in destributing in the future, let me know. Disclaimers: As a rule, if you recognize it, it’s not mine. Everything else is. I am not making any money off of this piece of fanfic, nor is anyone else. If you think you are, I suggest you think otherwise. As is customary in my stories, a song will likely be used. If we make it to that point, all information about the song will be included. Part I She glared at him much harder than he would have liked. She still had the ability to scare someone to death. “Which one?” “The good one. The one with the soul.” Her look was that as a skeptic, but after a moment of deep consideration she stepped away from the door to let him in. As he entered she carefully closed the door behind him. Angel knew he should be saying something, anything, but he just had to look around. The apartment was small, but not stifling. Immediately after walking in he encountered a small living area, complete with a sofa, chair, and small TV. A stereo sat on a nearby shelf along with books – some new, others very old. Past the wall with the shelves was a short hall with two doors. One appeared to lead into a bedroom, the other a bathroom. On the other side of the apartment was a quaint kitchen. “It’s nice.” “It’s not much, but it’s home,” she responded quietly. Her nervousness was obvious not only through her tone of voice but also through her lack of eye contact. “Um, have a seat. Sit wherever you want. Treat it as a second home.” The statement had just slipped out, but in the situation it reminded both the guest and the host of the time they both believed that they would live together. Her house would not have to be his second home. It would have been his only home… “Thanks.” He sat in one of the chairs in a place where he knew he’d be able to look out the window if worse came to worse. “Oh… I’m sorry… It must be time for dinner for you.” As if on cue, a beeping noise came from the kitchen area. “I can go… come back later, if you’d like…” “NO! I mean, don’t go. It’s fine. Just something I heated up. I don’t have to eat. Or you could have something. You, uh…” “I could, but I don’t need anything . You should eat, though.” He couldn’t help but notice her exceptionally thin frame. She had always small, but not like this. “I’ll wait…” She sat in the other chair, situated across the room from the other. “So… what are you doing here?” “Visiting.” It was obvious she needed more. “I can explain everything if you’ll give me the chance.” “Well, the chance is here for the taking. You’ve got a lot of ‘splain’in to do.” She smiled a small, shy smile. That of a schoolgirl to her crush. A smile that he remembered fondly. A smile he returned. “Yeah, I guess I do.” - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: LnCAGCRulz Subject: BUFFYFIC: Remembering the Memories (2/?) Date: 27 Mar 1998 19:44:38 EST Title: Remembering the Memories Author: Emily J. Jerome Rating: PG to date Summary: A resolution to the current problem, not to give anything away. Spoilers: All episodes up to the current date (3/13) are game. Major info pertaining to ‘Surprise’ and ‘Innocence,’ however. Comments: YES!!! LnCAGCRulz@aol.com Distribution: I’d prefer that this not be distributed outside of this list for the time being. However, if you are interested in distributing in the future, let me know. Disclaimers: As a rule, if you recognize it, it’s not mine. Everything else is. I am not making any money off of this piece of fanfic, nor is anyone else. If you think you are, I suggest you think otherwise. As is customary in my stories, a song will likely be used. If we make it to that point, all information about the song will be included. Part II She stared at him, waiting for a beginning and not expecting an end any time soon. "So...?" she prompted him. "This will be a long story. You're sure you have the time and everything? Because if you don't..." "YES! I mean, I do have the time. Start." He took a long, deep breath. "Well, I assume you remember the last time we saw each other." There was a pause as they both remembered. Christmas Eve 1998. It had been a particularly brutal night, even by Angel's terms. It was his first holiday being a vampire again and he wanted to make it memorable. He went on a killing spree until he held a former friend of both his and Buffy's. Willow Rosenburg was about to die when the slayer broke in. Immediately after saving her friend she fled. She left her family, her friends. Everything. When Angel had learned of this he knew his business in Sunnydale was over. He left also, partially in search of the slayer, partially escaping her. Being somewhere where she wasn't would make feeding much easier. "Yeah... I do. Clearly." "After you left, I left. I was trying to escape, just like you were. I excused it by telling Spike and Drucillia..." She injected her question with a tone of irritation. "How are they, anyway?" After further thought, she considered the fact that she may not really want to know. "I'm not sure, but we'll talk more about them later." "I can hardly wait." A look of slight disgust took over her face as she said the words, despite the fact that she tried to hide it. "I didn't mean to give that face..." she added quickly. "I'm sure you didn't. Back to the story. I told Spike and Dru that I was going to look for you. Sometimes I'd look. Other times I wouldn't. I traveled the world, just like I had before. On my typical rampage." Just as her look of disgust left her face, it returned tenfold. It was quickly followed by a look of confusion. She had loved this man before he had 'turned.' She hated him after. But now what was he? How could she be sure he was who he said she was. With Buffy's looks, Angel had paused his story. He know what she was thinking and it greatly saddened him. He hoped he would be able to explain. Even if they couldn't have the same feelings for each other as they once did, at least he wanted to be able to make her feel comfortable around him. When he received her attention again he continued. "I did the same things I had done before. Gone the same places... Killed the same people. Thinking I was having an exceptionally lucky streak, I ventured back to the area I had killed in when the curse was cast upon me. The same tribe was there, just has I had hoped. They recognized me immediately. "Their first instinct was to kill me. They tried very hard and nearly succeeded. I offered an explanation. Still, they attempted to kill. After three tries of explaining and them trying to take their revenge, I was able to talk my way out of it. I told them of my life with my soul. I explained all the good deeds I had done. I lied through my teeth, asking for my soul to return. I even went as far as to ask to be one of them -- to be accepted as a Gypsy. After this they unchained me and let me roam free through their camp. I'm not sure what lead them to do this, but they did. They didn't completely believe me, as far as I could tell. I had decided that I wasn't safe there, that they had a plan to do away with me once and for all." Buffy had her full attention on the man in her living room. Before he begun again, his eyes darted to the window. The evening he had first entered upon had been replaced by night. The sky was pitch black, as it often was in the country. Stars were just beginning to appear as the day time clouds cleared out. A full moon shown above trees and buildings. As he brought his eyes back to the woman, he noticed she was trying to look him in the eye. "It's okay. I've heard it all." "Sorry... This part is a little hard..." Doubt shown in his eyes, but he continued. "That night I killed the daughter of the tribe. Their prized child -- the one who was going to be the wisest. Just has I had done the first time. Except for this time I wanted everything to be worth it. I raped her. When she was laying dead on the floor, I went and killed her family. Her friends. Everyone who was close to her wound up dead." As he spoke the words he saw the pictures. Small flashes of the night came back to him evoking resentment in not only what he had done but also in how good the night had felt. Both pair of eyes filled with tears without a single drop spilling over. His were in memory, hers in realization. Both took a deep breath and looked away from each other. There was a silent agreement to give it a minute... These ideas were a lot for one person to comprehend. After a couple of minutes had passed Angel began his story again. His voice gained all the power it had lost. "They hunted me down. I was sure I had gotten far enough away, hidden myself well enough. I guess I didn't take into consideration that thousands of people would be looking for me. "It took them a day, but they found me. I had hidden in what I thought was a secluded cave. Suddenly, while I was sleeping, I was bound and gagged. A black cloth was placed over my eyes and plugs were put in my ears. "I'm not sure how much time passed, hours or days, but eventually I was unmasked and forced to face masses of angry people. I was tightly chained to a pole in the center of a circle. Before I could comprehend what was happening I heard chants in unrecognizable languages being spoken. I hadn't had anything to drink in possibly days, so I was weak and unable to escape, despite my valiant attempts. "When they saw that I had regained continence they hit me on the head with a long pole from outside of the circle. I was immediately on the, ground unable to understand my situation. I just laid there until everything went black. "I awoke to feel the sun beating on my skin. A feeling of guilt hit me as quickly as my eyes had opened, and I realized what had happened. A man who I think was a guard called out to the others. 'He's awake!!' A few more people came over with food and water. I ate as if I had never seen food before and drank all they had. As soon as I had my fill they gave me my instructions. I was told to head any direction I chose. They would all turn their backs to me for ten minutes as I ran. After those ten minutes had passed, they would come after me. I ran to the sound of their steady counting. I ran as fast as I could, at a speed that I don't assume was very great. I don't know if they ever turned around to try to find me, I just know I didn't look back." His eyes returned to Buffy's after realizing that they had once again drifted out the window. "That was two years ago. Since then I've been trying to make amends for my evil. And I've been trying to find you." The look Buffy returned to Angel was an unrecognizable one. Maybe it was one of many feelings attempting to be masked. Whatever it was, she kept it to herself. "Oh," she responded in a small voice. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: G90210 Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: Homecoming - Prologue/? Date: 27 Mar 1998 20:14:18 EST it was very good, want more more more more more more =o) ~Mindy - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Klutz454 Subject: BUFFYFIC: *** Date: 27 Mar 1998 22:14:36 EST unsubscribe - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Daphne1784 Subject: BUFFYFIC: Test Readers for Homecoming Pt. 1 Date: 27 Mar 1998 22:44:25 EST Hi my name is Katherine. I sent out the prologue to Homecoming a few hours ago and I just finished Part One and I need some test readers to read the story and give me some suggestions and help me a little with my story! Since this is my first fanfic I'm a little nervous and I want to make sure it is just right. Please respond to me off-list. Thanks. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: I NEED HELLMOUTH HELP!!!!!!! Date: 27 Mar 1998 20:16:59 PST I really need help!!! (No, not psychiactric help!) Can anyone PLEASE give me a description of what the Master's Lair looked like??? I am trying to write my fanfiction, and I don't remember. I need this info to continue writing "Hope". Also, was he in Hell? Or the Hellmouth? And remember in Prophecy Girl, when the Annointed One led her to see the Master, how did he lead her into Hell? Where exactly is the opening? Did it go thru the sewer systems? A portal? WHAT and WHERE??!! Mostly, I need to know what the Master's Lair looked like. I have posted this same message to a different list, and no one seems to want to help me! Since you are all huge Buffy fans and incredibly nice people, I thought that maybe SOMEONE could help me with this. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!! I would look myself, but I don't have any eps on tape. Now that I'm done groveling, I'm going to go and try to be the happy author that I am. Thanx so much!!! *sArA* Sara114@hotmail.com "What am I? Mass transportation?" Cordy "That's what all the guys say, but I wouldn't pay any attention to it...it's just locker room talk." Xander ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: I NEED HELLMOUTH HELP!!!!!!! Date: 27 Mar 1998 20:19:10 PST I really need help!!! (No, not psychiactric help!) Can anyone PLEASE give me a description of what the Master's Lair looked like??? I am trying to write my fanfiction, and I don't remember. I need this info to continue writing "Hope". Also, was he in Hell? Or the Hellmouth? And remember in Prophecy Girl, when the Annointed One led her to see the Master, how did he lead her into Hell? Where exactly is the opening? Did it go thru the sewer systems? A portal? WHAT and WHERE??!! Mostly, I need to know what the Master's Lair looked like. I have posted this same message to a different list, and no one seems to want to help me! Since you are all huge Buffy fans and incredibly nice people, I thought that maybe SOMEONE could help me with this. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!! I would look myself, but I don't have any eps on tape. Now that I'm done groveling, I'm going to go and try to be the happy author that I am. Thanx so much!!! *sArA* Sara114@hotmail.com "What am I? Mass transportation?" Cordy "That's what all the guys say, but I wouldn't pay any attention to it...it's just locker room talk." Xander ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Anexsin Subject: BUFFYFIC: The Ties That Bind (6/10) Date: 28 Mar 1998 02:15:49 EST Title: The Ties That Bind (6/10) Author: Melinda Frango Email Addy: Anexsin@aol.com Rating: PG Spoiler: All episodes before Passion. Feedback: Greatly appreciated. Disclaimer: Buffy and the gang belong to Joss Whedon, the WB, etc. Only the story is mine, and whatever characters never seen or mentioned on the show. Summary: Buffy and the gang get help from an unexpected source in restoring Angel's soul. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* "Ow," Giles winced as he landed on his back on the library floor. Another weekly training session with Buffy was landing the Watcher a brand new set of bruises. "That looks painful," Caitlin commented. "It is," Giles grunted, while Buffy helped him up. "Why don't we take a break," Giles offered as he took of his padding. Buffy grabbed a bottle of water and seated herself at the table where the rest of the group was sitting and planning a strategy for the ritual. "So where is the ritual going to take place?" Xander asked. "Well it has to be someplace where no one can see it happen, or interrupt," Caitlin explained. "The cemetary?" Willow offered. "No, to many souls floating around there," Caitlin took a deep breath. "The chance that the wrong soul could be caught in the pull is to great." "The park," Jenny Calendar called out from the doors of the library. "Aren't people there at night?" Caitlin questioned. "Not in this section of town. Usually the crowds are down by the Bronze," Cordelia interrupted walking into the library. "Cordy what are you doing here? I recall you saying 'I'm not wasting my saturday sitting in the library again. I have more important things to do. Like my nails,' " Xander seemed shocked. "Well I never been a part of anything this big. I want to help," Cordelia replied. "Well the park sounds good to me," Caitlin agreed. "The only other problem is getting Angelus there." "I'll be the bait," Buffy volunteered. "I don't think that's such a good idea," Giles doubted. "Buffy's our best chance. All she has to do is lure him to the park, and I'll take care of the rest," Caitlin explained. "How are you going to get him to follow her?"Cordelia inquired. "He'll come looking for Buffy. I'm sure physco girl told him trouble's here helping the Slayer. He'll want to know who," Caitlin inferred. "Drusilla?" Giles guessed. "Yeah. I knew Drusilla when I was younger. She gets these visions of what's to come. I was kind of surprised when I found out he brought her across." "You think she told him about the ritual?" Jenny asked still standing by the doors. "No. Before I came I cast a little spell to keep her in the dark, so to speak. She doesn't know what's going on." "What if she shows up with him?" Willow asked worriedly. "I doubt she will, but if she does we'll manage. I won't let her mess this up," Caitlin smiled. Willow nodded, obviously put at ease by Caitlin's comforting words. "So we have a plan worked out. That's step one. Step 2 is setting it up, and step 3 is actually casting it," Caitlin confirmed. "We should all meet at the park at 8:00. You'll all keep out of sight, I'll look like I'm hunting, and when Angel comes looking for me..." Caitlin cut Buffy off, "I'll ruff him up a bit, while you all get the circle ready. Set up the candles in one circle, all of you in a bigger circle around them, and I'll get him where he needs to be. Deal?" Caitlin asked. "Deal," Everyone answered in unison. "Tonight we bring Angel back," Caitlin assured. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* End part 6......to be continued. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Aglx Subject: BUFFYFIC: The Question About Love (1/?) Date: 28 Mar 1998 12:33:38 EST Title: The Question about Love (1/?) Author: Dominique Email Addy: Aglx@aol.com Rating: PG Spoiler: Not really. Takes place before Angel becomes evil. Feedback: PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!!! Disclaimer: Buffy and the gang belong to Joss Whedon, the WB, etc. The Story and the characters not part of the regular cast are mine! Summary: A new creature comes to Sunnydale with an interesting tie to vampires. (The other story I submitted wasn't mine. This isn't either. Please send feedback to me and I'll relay it to the authors. I'll have my first story out soon.) The Question About Love (Part 1) Important: This story is from the earlier days when Angel was good. All characters except LOVE belong to Joss Whedon and the production teams of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. LOVE is capatalized to express the importance of the character and to keep the name from being confused with the word. It was a beautiful morning. The sun was shinning so brightly that everyone in the quad was wearing sunglasses. Buffy Summers just hopped out of her mom's car. Yes, it was a calm day, even for the slayer. She didn't have to walk far before her two best friends; Willow and Xander greeted her. "Hey Buffy, Slay any Vampires last night?" Xander questioned. "No," Buffy said. "It was a surprisingly calm night last night." "Were you with Angel?" Willow curiously asked. "I was at first," she replied, "but Cordilia showed up with her normal charm, and the next thing I knew, he was gone. I didn't even see him leave." Willow and Xander couldn't keep themselves from laughing. "So are we Bronzing it tonight?" Xander asked. "I guess so," Buffy replied. "We have nothing better to do unless there is grave danger." "Great," Xander ecstatically said. "There is supposed to be a hot new singer tonight." "Cool," Willow said with a happy tone. "Do you know what their name is?" "The flyer just says her name is LOVE" he answered. "Who is LOVE?" Buffy asked "Good question" Xander replied. All three of them walked to class. Actually, they didn't ditch a single class, which is amazing considering how many times they skipped class to fight off demons. "Wow, that was boring" Buffy said as if she were a walking zombie. "Home-ec is not my favorite class either," Xander replied. "That is not what you said last…" Willow started "SHUT-UP," Xander squealed. They all walked to the library. As they were going down the hall, Cordilia caught up with them. "Buffy," she said. "What did you do to poor Angel last night? When I got there he looked as if he was dead. Then he just vanished." "Yeah, you just have this affect on people," Buffy snapped. "Ha, ha. Did you make that up yourself?" Cordy said, trying to be mean. "First of all Cordy, that has got to be the worst come back of all times. Secondly, Angel is dead. And thirdly, YOU scared him away last night." Buffy answered. "AS IF!" she sharply replied. "He is not dead. Oh no," she said as she glared far ahead. "He hangs out with you, he totally ignores me, you can never see him when he is hiding in the shadows, and he likes you. He must be a vampire," she said. "Funny. Really funny," Buffy said. "Come on Buffy. Get off it. If Angel is a vampire, then how come he hangs with the slayer? Plus, he is way to cute to be a demon," Cordy replied. "You're right Cordy," Xander said. "You have nothing to worry about. If Angel were a vampire, then he would have shone you his demon face by now. UNLESS," he hissed in a tone so scary that even Buffy was startled. "Unless what?" She asked. "Unless he wanted to eat you!" Xander shouted. Xander began to crack up laughing. Cordially elbowed him hard in the ribs as he hissed "SHUT-UP!" "Go Xander," Buffy cheered. "Yeah, yeah. Very funny." Cordy snapped. "I thought so" Willow replied. "Xander, you have had your fun, now we all need to talk to Giles." "Why?" Buffy questioned. "Nothing bad happened last night." "Exactly" Willow said. "Giles promised last night to be a major blood feast or something. Yet, you said that there was nothing." "Good listening skills," Buffy said. "Lets go." All four of them walked in the library door. As Buffy was entering, she got this cold clammy feeling that she only had when she was being watched. She turned around and looked in directions, but the halls were completely deserted. "Oh well" she replied to herself. She walked through the library doors and closed them behind her. When she was gone, a girl peered around a corner to make sure Buffy didn't see her. When she was assured, the girl walked to the center of the hall. She looked younger than Buffy, but was a bit taller than her. "Well, well. They don't know," she said to herself. She walked down the hall toward the doors. Her shoes made a 'click', 'click' sound. She went out the door and disappeared. In the library Giles was talking on the phone while rummaging through a large selection of books. "Ok, thanks William. Call me if you find anything out. Alright, Bye." Giles said to the person on the other end of the phone. He hung the phone up and continued looking through his books. "Who was that?" Buffy asked. Her words startled Giles. "Buffy, you scared me," he replied. "That was a good friend of mine, William. He studies vampires and occasionally tapes them fighting, eating, you name it." "So what did he want?" Xander asked. "He had an unusual encounter last night. He said that he was tapping some vampires have a discussion about something, when he tripped and made noise as he fell to the ground. This, of course, informed the vampires of his presence. They came up to him, backed him up against a tree, and prepared to eat him. One of the vamps went for his neck, so he tightly closed his eyes. The next thing he knew, he fell to the floor and the vampires were gone. They just vanished. He said he didn't even hear them leave." 'That is unusual," Buffy said. "What time did he say that this happened?" "Around eight o'clock, why?" Giles questioned. "Well," Buffy started. "Cordilia came to the Bronze around eight, Right?" she asked Cordy. "Yeah...so," Cordilia replied. "Well," Buffy continued. "Angel left as soon as Cordy got there. Maybe it is this thing that has to do with all vampires." "Maybe," Giles said. "We should ask Angel where he went to. Ok?" "Ok," Buffy replied. "I might see him at the Bronze tonight." End Part 1 Please let me know if you want me to go on. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: NightHunter Subject: BUFFYFIC: Her Darkest Hour 2 Date: 28 Mar 1998 15:16:28 -0800 Her Darkest Hour 2 By NightHunter DISCLAIMER: Buffy The Vampire Slayer, and its characters belong to Jo= ss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox.... I'm Just borrowing them. Th= e story is all from my deranged mind. No copyright infringement is intended. For those of you that read Her Darkest Hour 1 I stated that the next part would be called Her Darkest Hour 2 The First Death, I started writing and the name changed. Sorry! Special Thanks to Leslie Part 1 Darkness Falls (Hospital) Buffy had just entered the Sunnydale Hospital to see Angel. To her surprise he was to be released that day after only 3 weeks during which she came by every d= ay to talk to him about their future together. As she approached his room she saw that Giles, Xander & Willow were already there, and just like the old days Xander & Angel were fighting. She entered the room to see Angel looking at Xander with murder in his eyes yelling, "I am not going to leave here in a wheelchair!" Xander in his usual care-free way said "Look for a guy who's over 240 years old, you can be such a girlie boy. Besides they won't let you leave = if you are not in the chair. It can be so much fun." =20 "Fun how?" replied Angel.=20 "Trust me." said Xander helping Angel into the wheelchair. Just as Angel sat down in the chair, Xander let out a rebel yell and tiltes the chair backwards. In one smooth motion he then spun the chair around and started pushing it out the door. He sped down the hall at break neck speeds as nurses and doctors leapt out of the way. Buffy stepped out into the hall ready to stop Xander when she caught = the look on Angel's face, which had a smile on it a mile wide. Then she heard him yellin= g "Hey Xander you are right this is fun, but is this as fast as you can go?" Part 2 Darkness Falls (First Strike) While our group was having fun at the hospital an evil plan was unfolding at the Hellmouth. The dark figure had used a powerful spell to bring back li= fe to one of the most evil Vampire that had ever been. When the spell was completed, in the center of the chamber stood a 7' tall engine of muscle and destruction. When he growled, even the new Spike backed aw= ay. "Soon my friend, you will have your first taste of human blood in ove= r 2,000 years." The dark figure stated as it approached the new vampire. Spike who had been looking at this new vampire spoke to the dark figu= re. "What's so special about this vampire? And why do you think that he'll be able t= o destroy the Slayer?" The Dark figure approach Spike causing him to move back a step. "He's not here to destroy the Slayer, only to make her suffer." Then with a wave of its hand the dark figure freed the vampire from= =20 it's holding place it, looked at the Dark Figure and said, "I will not fail Master." The vampire moving at a speed that even a Formula - 4 Car would have trouble keeping up with left the chamber. Later that night at Buffy's house, Mrs. Summers answered the door to = see a very tall man wearing a Gas Company uniform. He looked at a clip board in his hands then back to her, saying "Is this the Summer's house?"=20 "Yes!" answered Mrs. Summers "How can I help you?" "I'm with the Gas Company. We've been having reports of gas leaks in = the neighborhood, so, the boss wanted us to go from house to house checking the gas levels. May I come in?" As she turns around to open the door wider she answers "Of course. Co= me in. We don't want to take a chance with something serious like that!" She missed = the evil grin on the man's face. After entering and closing the door the screams began. Part 3 Darkness Falls (Mom) Later that night Willow and Buffy arrived at Buffy's house. Willow ha= d been helping Buffy & Giles look up some old prophecies and had arranged to spend the nig= ht at Buffy's house.=20 They had just got to the door when Buffy notice that it was ajar. She slowly pushed it open with her left hand while pulling out her st= ake with her right hand. One thing that she had learned in her time fighting vampires wa= s that, they could be very sneaky in tricking someone into inviting them in. As the door opened all the way she was almost over powered by the cop= per like stench. She entered the house calling out for her mom. After receiving no answer she slowly entered the kitchen. Her screams caused Willow to come running in fro= m the front porch were she had been standing. Soon her screams also joined Buffy's. The= =20 sight that confronted them was that of Buffy's mom with two Stakes holding = her to the wall one through each shoulder. The copper like smell had come from the blood that was splattered all over everything. Buffy thought that her mom was dead until she heard her moan. Several minutes later the Ambulance that Willow had called arrived an= d took Buffy's mom to the hospital. Just as the ambulance was pulling out Giles's car pulled up. Giles and Xander jumped out running over to Buffy who was sitting on the front porch not moving, or even acknowledging the presence of her friends. After Willow had explained what had happened, Giles told her to go to Buffy's room and get a some of her things together. He would take her home with him, a= nd then call the hospital and see what he could find out about Buffy's mom. Part 4 Darkness Falls (Willow) Willow was walking home when she heard a loud growl from behind her. = She quickly turned around to see a werewolf approaching her. She slowly moved ba= ck saying, "OZ, its me Willow, you know the girl your going out with!" But as the creatu= re approached her she look into its eyes and could see that no trace of humanity remain= ed within him. Her last thoughts as the wolf's fangs sank into her throat was that, she really should have told Xander that she loved him, but, now it was to late. The wolf lifted it's blood stained muzzle up to the moon, howling its victory. Having completed its mission for the Master and knowing that it would soon h= ave a mate. Part 5 Darkness Falls (Xander) Xander had just left Giles house after making sure that Buffy would b= e alright. When he heard a soft voice calling "Xanderrr...Xanderrrr..." He turned and started to follow the sound of the voice into the tree line, not knowing why, only that he= =20 must find out who that lovely voice belonged to. He had just entered the tree line when he was grabbed from behind by = a giant vampire. Just as the vampire was getting ready to sink it's teeth into his throat, a voice called out =66rom the darkness. "Mad Dog, stop! He's mine!" A dark figure steps out of the trees making Mad Dog loosen his hold o= n Xander, but not enough to let him escape. As the figure approached Xander, the hood that had been covering it's face fell back. And upon seeing the face of the one controlling the vampire Xander asked, "Amy, why I thought that we were your friends?" =20 "Oh Xander, you may have been Amy's friends, but, she's gone now and= =20 this body is mine. I mean, did you really think that you could keep me imprisoned = in a school trophy?" Part 5 Darkness Falls (Giles) Several days later Buffy has still had no success in trying to find Willow and Xander. Her mom was still in the hospital in a coma. Buffy she had also just foun= d out that her dad had been killed in a car wreck. He had been coming to see her mother at = the hospital. Buffy was opening the door to Giles house using the key that he had given her. She had been staying with him ever since the attack on her mother since she didn't feel safe in her house any more. She had just opened the door to see Giles standing a= s still as a statue. As she started to get closer, she notice that the mirror in front of him. It reflected a female head, sitting on the table in front of him, and that it had snakes fo= r hair. Buffy quickly recalled the story of Medusas, she quickly grabbed a blanket and thre= w it over the head. Then using the blanket she picked it up and quickly (hurled) it all i= nto the fire. The head exploded into flames. She turns to see that Giles has been turned into stone. Then she hear= d the window break and turned to see two werewolves enter the room. One of them had red= =20 fur. Behind them, was Xander, who's face reflected the demon within him quite well. >F= rom behind Xander stepped Amy. "Well, it looks like you are all alone now little Slayer. You'll neve= r know who that you can trust again. You never should have challenged me. If I was you, I'd run!" Buffy turned and ran out the door into the night with the evil laught= er of a witch and vampire behind her. When Buffy reached Angels house she raised her hand to knock on the door. It was pulled open to show Spike & Druscilla standing there with Angelus. "Well Buffy, I guess your running out of places to hide. But keep running you might just get lucky." said Angelus laughing. Buffy turned and ran from Angel=92s house. Tears were streaming down= her face. She ran until out of breath then collapsed. In a dark alley, the past few day= s=20 began to flash in her mind. She relived everything that had happened: Her mother being attacked and put in a coma; her dad dead; Xander now a vampire; Willow being turned into a werewolf; and Giles getting turned into a stone statue. Then Angel going back to be= ing Angelus. She felt that she had finally hit the bottom of a seemingly bottomles= s pit as everything that she had worked for had been taken from her. She was ready to give it = all up. Let another be chosen she wearily thought. She then felt something rubbing agains= t her leg and looked down into the furry face of a small black cat. It had a white belly & paws, one of which had a small black spot on it. It made Buffy think of a sock with a ho= le in it. (You describe my cat almost to a tee!) She reached down picked up the small cat and begin to pet it. When sh= e heard the cat began to purr for the first time that night she felt safe. To Be Concluded in Her Darkest Hour 3 The Light Shines - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: LMcint6188 Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: Her Darkest Hour 2 Date: 28 Mar 1998 15:37:17 EST could you send me Her Darkest hour 1? THanx Lins - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: LMcint6188 Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: OOOOOPS Her Darkest Hour 2 Date: 28 Mar 1998 15:37:55 EST oops, sorry... didnt mean for that to go to the list Forgive? Lins - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Hope (35/?) Date: 28 Mar 1998 13:28:48 PST Author: Sara B. Sara114@hotmail.com Rating: Varies...will be posted at beginning of each part. Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, yada yada yada belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox.... I'm just borrowing them, (although I wish Angel was mine!) Everything else belongs to me! Author's note: This is your usual generic story. Angel is still good, so basically in my story surprise/innocence didn't happen. Willow and Oz are together, and Xander and Cordy are still hiding their secret utility closet rondevu's. This is going to be a long story, and will take some time so be patient with me. I'm not very good at story telling, so if this totally sucks and isn't read-worthy, just let me know. Oh yeah, and I want feedback, feedback, and more feedback. I don't care if it's good or bad, just tell me what you thought of it. Part 35 PG “Go upstairs and get washed up. Their is a towel in the closet a the end of the hallway, and feel free to use anything we have in the bathroom,” Buffy said to Hope, as she shut the door behind her. Hope nodded wearily and trudged up the stairs. “Hope?” The beautiful girl turned around. “Yeah?” her parched voice said. Buffy did her best to smile. “A vampire is a demon. They kill, torture, and cause suffering to people. They have no conscious and no guilt. Killing one of them is a good thing, in a weird way. The more of them you kill, the safer the world is.” Hope took her words to heart. “I’ll remember that.” She said, and continued making her way up the stairs. Buffy walked into the downstairs bathroom. She cleaned up the cut she had on her forehead, and took off her clothes. Standing in front of the full length mirror that was hanging on the door, she eyed her appearance. “Yuck,” she said, noticing her mussed hair. Grabbing a brush out of a drawer, she ran it through her hair, trying to make it descent looking. “Why am I even doing this? I have a world to save.” Sighing, she pulled a tissue out of the box and wiped the black makeup off that had run down her face from her tears. “I really need waterproof mascara.” She pulled a pair of clean jeans from the laundry basket and put them on. She put on a small white shirt on and pulled her hair back into a low pony tail. After taking a final glance at herself, she walked to the kitchen. Walking over to the counter, she noticed the open phone book. Flipping to the right page, she found the number for the hospital and dialed. “Sunnydayle Hospital,” the male voice said. “Uh, hi. I need to speak with Rupert Giles. He should be there,” Buffy said. “Does he work here?” “Uh, no...he is a librarian. I mean, he is waiting there....at the hospital,” she stammered, “just page him or whatever you do. It’s really urgent,” Buffy said, feeling like an idiot. “Right. What was his name again?” “Giles. Uh, Rupert Giles.” “Okay, please hold.” Elevator music blared through the phone into her ear as she was put on hold. After three minutes of what seemed like an eternity, her Watcher’s familiar voice soothed her. “Hello?” Giles asked. “Giles! It’s Buffy. We’ve got big problems.” ***** Hope walked to the hall closet and pulled out a plush pink towel, then walked to the bathroom. Shutting the door behind her, she rested, leaning on it. Her body tingled, and she could smell the stench of dried blood. Looking down, she saw her stained jeans, remembering what she did to Marcus. Groaning, she peeled off her clothes and started a shower. She relaxed as the water hit her. The water turned a light pink color as she washed her body. Hope grabbed the nearest bottle of shampoo. “Mmm...peach. My favorite.” When she finally felt clean, she turned the water off, and stepped onto the mat that lay beside the tub. She dried herself off, and wiped the mist off on the foggy mirror. “I really need waterproof mascara,” she grumbled, and grabbed a tissue to wipe off her makeup that had run down her face. Running a comb through her blond hair, she left the bathroom. In Buffy’s room, Hope got dressed, putting on a pair of jeans and a white shirt that she pulled out of her bag. That’s when she looked at the clock and realized she hadn’t spoken or seen her parents in a long time. “Oh know! They are probably so freaked! I’m going to be grounded forever,” she said. Racing to the phone, she quickly dialed her number, fearing what her parents would say. “Hello?” “Mom! Oh, I’m so sorry I haven’t called you!” Hope rushed. “Its just that, well, there are things going on and I can’t explain them to you but I can’t come home because I have to save the world. OH! I ...I mean I have to uh, I have to, um...” she rambled, trying to think of an excuse. “It’s okay, honey. Calm down. I understand that you are busy with your new friends,” her mother, Gayle Callahan said. Hope was confused. “Who are you and what have you done with my mother?” she asked, and Gayle laughed. “I don’t get it. I was sure you and Frank would be wigged out with worry.” “Hope, dear, we know,” Gayle said. “You know what?” Hope questioned suspiciously. “We know about Mira and the necklace and the prophecy,” Frank Callahan’s voice said as he picked up the extension. “Wh..What?! I don’t understand!” Hope exclaimed, feeling queasy. “We know about what is going on right now. Why do you think we came to Sunnydale? Why do you think we gave you the necklace right before we moved? Because of your destiny to fight with Buffy,” Gayle said. Hope now felt like throwing up. “You know Buffy?” “Yes, we met today. I was the one who gave her a ride into Sunnydale. I know that this is a lot to take in all at once, but there is no time to explain. We can talk about it later. Right now you have a duty to perform. You must save Angelus.” Gayle said. “Your mother is right. Angelus needs you to give him his greatest wish,” Frank said. “What wish?” his step-daughter asked. “His wish to be able to human. To be with Buffy,” he told her. “Oh man. How do I do that?” “You will know what to do when the time comes,” Frank said. “How long have you known all of this?” Hope asked. “Since before your birth. That is why I named you ‘Hope’. You were to be the hope of the future. And you are,” Gayle explained. Hope was astonished. “Did my dad know about this before he died?” “Yes, he did. And Frank also new before I married him.” “This is all too much,” Hope said. “Don’t think about this right now. Think about what you have to do. And remember, you have the power within you,” Gayle said. “Right, right,” Hope said, dazed. “We love you, honey,” she said. “We know you will fulfill your destiny,” Frank said. “Bye Mom, Frank,” Hope said. “I love you.” She slowly placed the phone on the base. “Holy shit. This is too much.” ***** Hope walked down the stairs to inform Buffy of her newly found information. She found her lounging on the couch, sharpening a stake. “Hey,” she said, shyly, and put her hands into her pockets. Buffy looked up and sprung to her feet. She was about to speak but shut her mouth closed, eyeing Hope’s outfit to find it exactly like her own. Both girls stared at each other in bewilderment, shocked to find out that they both had on jeans, white shirts, and hair pulled back. “This is really weird,” Hope said, breaking their silence. Buffy took a deep breath. “Should you change, or should I?” she said, beginning to laugh. Both girls burst into giggles, laughing uncontrollably until their stomachs hurt. When they were able to control themselves, the happy atmosphere turned into a serious one. They shared their telephone conversations. “This is all too much,” Buffy said. “Strange. That is what I said,” Hope sighed. Buffy stared at her friend. “We have to win this fight. But how?” “I don’t know,” she said, leaning up against the wall. “I can’t believe they took your mother.” Buffy looked down, hiding her tears. Her stomach flipped upside down and her throat tightened. “If they hurt her, they will live to regret it. Actually, part of me thinks that Angel won’t do anything to her.” “Why do you think that?” Hope questioned. She shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. “Because he doesn’t want her. He wants me. And he wont let Spike hurt her because she is the bate to lure me in.” Buffy stared at Hope. Suddenly an idea floated into her mind. Buffy jumped up off the couch. “I have an idea!” She exclaimed, and pulled Hope up the stairs. She ran to her room. Hope followed her quickly, eager to find out what Buffy was up to. Buffy pulled out her desk chair and told Hope to sit in it. She stood behind her friend and they stared into the mirror. “Do you see what I see?” Buffy asked. “No,” Hope replied honestly. “With our blond hair, slender figures, light skin, we almost look incredibly alike,” she said. Hope examined her reflection against Buffy’s. “You know, your right,” she agreed. “But what does this have to do with anything?” Buffy grinned mischievously. “Just wait and you’ll find out.” ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Hope (36/?) Date: 28 Mar 1998 13:30:36 PST Author: Sara B. Sara114@hotmail.com Rating: Varies...will be posted at beginning of each part. Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, yada yada yada belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox.... I'm just borrowing them, (although I wish Angel was mine!) Everything else belongs to me! Author's note: This is your usual generic story. Angel is still good, so basically in my story surprise/innocence didn't happen. Willow and Oz are together, and Xander and Cordy are still hiding their secret utility closet rondevu's. This is going to be a long story, and will take some time so be patient with me. I'm not very good at story telling, so if this totally sucks and isn't read-worthy, just let me know.Oh yeah, and I want feedback, feedback, and more feedback. I don't care if it's good or bad, just tell me what you thought of it. Part 36 PG “Paging Mr. Giles. Mr. Rupert Giles. You have a telephone call,” a loud voice said over the intercom. Giles sprung to his feet and ran to the front desk. “I’m Rupert Giles,” he said quickly. The large, overweight man pointed to a phone. “Line 3.” Giles nodded and picked up the receiver. “Hello?” “Giles! It’s Buffy. We’ve got big problems.” Buffy explained what had happened, from the moment her and Hope left the hospital right up to this telephone call. “Oh....oh m..my. Sh-Sh-She rrripped it off?” Giles gulped, loosening the tie that had suddenly become extremely tight around his neck. “Yes, Giles. She ripped it off. I think Hope just fulfilled the fantasy of every American woman,” Buffy said. Giles felt largely uncomfortable, and changed the subject. The though of what Hope did to Marcus made him feel queasy. “S..so you say that she wasn’t in control of her body? “That’s what she told me. You should have seen her, Giles. She was raving mad. It was like someone else in Hope’s body.” Giles pondered this. “It may be a side effect of her transformation.” “Her transformation?” Buffy asked, confused. “Yes. If her slaying abilities are permanent, then she is going through a transformation, just like what you went through and what all the other slayers went through.” “Oh...okay. What if her abilities are temporary?” She asked. Giles took in a deep breath and was silent. “What is it? Is it bad?” He winced. Giles didn’t want to have to tell her this. He had hoped she wouldn’t ask, but since she did he couldn’t lie to her. “Yes, I’m afraid so. If her abilities are only temporary, then she might die when they leave her.” “What do you mean, she might die?!” Buffy exclaimed, feeling a little dizzy. The Watcher wiped the sweat from his brow. “A transformation takes a lot out of a person. Her body is going through some changes. If her abilities were to leave her, then her body might not be able to handle the immense stress that she would endure. The stress would kill her.” “Oh, no,” she whispered. Buffy tried to push the thought of Hope dying out of her mind. “If we are lucky, she won’t die. The transformation will be permanent, and she will be a slayer,” Giles said, trying to not make Buffy more upset than she already was. “But we can’t think about that right now. We need to think about how to rescue your mother.” Buffy nodded. “Your right. I’m sure by now she already knows all about who I am. How is she going to handle that? What if Angel kills her?” Buffy’s hands began to shake and her chin quivered. “What if Angel turns her into a vampire?! What if I never see my mother again?! What if I am forced to kill her if she is a vampire?!” She was starting to panic. Her mind was racing with horrible things Angel could do to Joyce. The thought of Angel hurting her mother made her sick. Buffy’s emotions were running wild. One moment she felt fine, the next she was in a frenzy. “Buffy, now is not the time to panic. You have to think clearly and rationally. Angel won’t kill your mother. I hate to say this, but right now she is the bait to lure you in.” When Buffy didn’t respond, he continued. “Listen, just try to relax. I will be there as soon as I can.” He said, and hung up the phone. < How are we ever going to do this? Hope is raging and Buffy is hysterical > He saw Xander who sat with his head resting in his hands. < Poor boy. He must be tired > Giles walked over to him. “Would you like me to take you home, Xander?” Giles asked. Xander looked at the old librarian, shaking his head. “No. I want to stay here.” Giles sighed. “Very well. I am going to Buffy’s house. Apparently she had a run in with Angel, and he has kidnapped her mother.” Xander stood up so quickly he almost knocked Giles over. “What? That bastard. I’m going with you.” “Xander, I don’t think--” Giles began, but stopped in mid sentence as Xander pushed him out of the way and out the doors of the lobby. Giles sighed again. “Teenagers,” he muttered, and followed the boy to the car. ***** A half an hour later, Giles walked up to Buffy’s front porch. He paused before knocking, feeling guilty for leaving Jenny, Willow, and Cordelia at the hospital. Xander walked up behind him. “What are you waiting for, G-man? Knock already,” Xander said. Giles glared at him with annoyance, and Xander shut his mouth. He knocked three times, and waited. The door opened, and Hope greeted them with a smile. “Hey guys,” she said. “Hey, Buffster,” Xander said, pushing his way in front of Giles. “Where’s Hope?” Someone poked him gently on the back and he turned around to face Buffy. “Hey Buffy.” He stopped, his eyes opening wide. He looked at the girl in front of him and again at the girl behind him. “WOAH! What is going on? Have I entered the Twilight Zone?” he asked, backing away. Buffy smiled at Hope. “Told you it would work.” Hope laughed. “I didn’t think they would buy it!” Xander and Giles, both incredibly confused, demanded an answer. “Who is who? And what is going on?” Buffy smiled. “I’m Buffy, and that’s Hope. How alike do we look?” Giles was amazed. “The resemblance is uncanny,” he said. “How did you do this?” “Let’s just say it was a fast hair cut and a quick dye job,” Buffy said. “I cut about two inches and lightened her hair, then I styled it just like I do mine. We dressed the same, so we now look alike.” “Except that I have to wear a pair of two inch black boots to make me taller,” Hope said, grinning. “Wow, two Buffy’s. This is my lucky day. Thank you God!” Xander exclaimed. Ignoring his rude comment, Buffy shut the front door. “Now, we have to get moving. I have stakes, holy water, and crosses,” she said, sitting on the couch. “Does everyone still have their stakes? Or did they fall off when we were hit?” She asked, referring to their car accident earlier. Giles and Xander nodded, while Hope re-strapped the stakes on her body. Both girls had tiny backpacks full of crosses and two small bottles of holy water. Buffy handed the two men each a large cross and a bottle of holy water. “Take these,” she ordered. “What is the plan?” Xander asked. “I’ll explain it on the way. Right now, we need to hurry before it is too late,” Buffy said, leading her three friends our of the house. “Hey Hope, I have a question,” Xander asked, hurrying down the steps of Buffy’s porch to catch up with the blond beauty. She turned to look at him. “What?” She asked. < He is so cute. No wonder why Cordelia likes him. She is so lucky > “Did you really rip off that guys ----” “XANDER!!!” Buffy and Giles scremed in usinson. He quickly snapped his jaw shut for the second time that evening. Hope leaned over and whispered in his ear. “Yes, but don’t worry...I only do it when I’m angry.” Grinning, she walked away, silently chucking to herself, while Xander stared at her in amazement. “That is one wild woman,” he said to himself, and followed them to the car. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Sarah Douglas Subject: BUFFYFIC: "The Cure" (1/14) Date: 28 Mar 1998 18:39:10 DISCLAIMER: I don't own Buffy or any of the other wonderful characters in the Buffyverse. I am using them without the permission of the people who do own them who are not going to sue me because I am not making any money off this. Joss Whedon, WB, Mutant Enemy, Kusui and Sandollar own the Buffy characters. DISTRIBUTION: Just ask. RATING: Probably PG FEEDBACK: I would love to know what you all think of this. Please send me feedback. Pretty please. SUMMARY: Okay, well this takes place while Ms. Calendar is still alive, but Angel is evil, so probably Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered. It's another "Angel gets his soul back" story which I wrote to convince myself that Angel could be good again. It's kind of long and I'm sorry about that you all. Well, enough with the talk, on with the show. The Cure (1/14) He had waited for this moment all day. The anitsipation had been sending shivers up his spine since he woke up in mid afternoon and hadn't been able to get back to sleep. He looked down at his victim. Today, he'd chosen a girl, he guessed she was about 14 years old. he saw the fear in her eyes and he began to smile, his yellowish teeth protruding. Suddenly, he clutched his chest. He made little gasping noises. Angel felt a pain like he felt the night his soul left. The girl ran off. Angel fell to the ground. He stayed there for about ten minutes. Then he got up, all the pain gone. "Wierd." ********************* Jenny Calendar was not having a good week. She's been numb to all feelings except this overwhelming guilt. Her thoughts wandered over the recent events and drifted over to the staff meeting yesterday. She had hoped against hope that Rupert would talk to her, htat he would forgive her and they could be friends. She missed him so much. Jenny pulled into the parking lot and headed for the school. As she approached the faculty lounge she prayed that Rupert would be in there. She crossed her fingers for luck and went in. He wasn't there. She sighed, then she smiled. The thought that Rupert would leave his books to come to the staff room and socialize almost made her laugh. Rupert was not really a people person. Suddenly, the bell rang and Jenny realized that she had to get to class. She hurried to the classroom. When she entered she saw the auburn head of her favourite student staring at a computor screen. Jenny was surprised to see Willow. Every calss since they had found out that she was actually Janna, Willow had had an excuse slip signed by Rupert. maybe they were going to forgive her. She went over to talk to Willow. "Hi Willow," Ms. Calendar said brightly. "Hi," Willow responded coldly. Then again, maybe not. "How are you? How is everyone?" Jenny asked. "We'll be fine," Willow responded. Jenny understood what that meant. It meant they weren't fine yet, but they didn't need or want her help. "Okay Willow. Let me know if I can help," Jenny said and went back to her desk. << I hate this >> Jenny thought << the people that became my closest friends will barely speak to me. Rupert avoids me like the plague. And it's all my fault. >> Jenny thought about how much heartache she had caused for Buffy, how she had alienated everyone she cared about. << Or killed >> she thought, thinking of her uncle. << What can I do? >> she wondered. She looked ober at Willow, her favourite student who now would barely speak to her. << I've got to find a way to bring Angel back. >> - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Gubs Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: I NEED HELLMOUTH HELP!!!!!!! Date: 28 Mar 1998 19:57:16 -0500 (EST) On Fri, 27 Mar 1998, Sara Barton wrote: > I really need help!!! (No, not psychiactric help!) if I recall the masters lair consisted of a natural looking cavern with tons of stalctimites and stalacmites. there are pools of water on the ground and a large cross hanging on the wall. The are is generally open with a few pillars scattered around. And the hellmouth when it opened was under the library not in the lair at all. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: GothGirl77 Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: Homecoming - Prologue/? Date: 28 Mar 1998 20:18:08 EST In a message dated 98-03-27 20:16:43 EST, you write: << it was very good, want more more more more more more =o) ~Mindy >> I second that! You must write more! ~Nastassia~ Who is not to proud to beg when it comes to good fanfic! - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Anexsin Subject: BUFFYFIC: The Ties That Bind (7/10) Date: 29 Mar 1998 00:36:32 EST Title: The Ties That Bind (7/10) Author: Melinda Frango Email Addy: Anexsin@aol.com Rating: PG Spoiler: All episodes before Passion. Feedback: Greatly appreciated. Distribution: Sure, but ask first. Disclaimer: Buffy and the gang belong to Joss Whedon, the WB, etc. Only the story is mine, and whatever characters never seen or mentioned on the show. Summary: Buffy and the gang get help from an unexpected source in restoring Angel's soul. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* That night, Buffy, Caitlin, and the rest of the gang met up in the park at 8:00 as planned, where they began setting up the ritual. "Are you sure he's going to come?" Buffy asked glancing around nervously. "Trust me, he'll come," Caitlin assured. "Okay, let's set up the candles over there," Caitlin suggested, while pointing to a small clearing set back a little behind a large tree. Jenny took the sack she had been carrying off her shoulder, which contained the candles, and set it on the ground. Willow, Xander, and Cordelia began gathering the candles and arranging them in a circle, in the spot Caitlin pointed out. "You guys can hide in those bushes over there beside the clearing, and I'll be up in this tree," Caitlin offered. "I'll get him by the tree and..." Buffy started. "And I'll take care of the rest," Caitlin finished. "As soon as I have his attention, all of you get the larger circle formed around the ring of candles," Caitlin informed them. "Is there anything other then forming the circle we need to do?" Willow questioned. "Yes, it's extremely important that the circle is not broken in any way. Which means your hands must be joined at all times, until it's finished," Caitlin explained. "Why?" Xander asked confused. "Because, if we are all joined the pull will be concentrated inside the circle. If the circle is to be broken in anyway, that very same pull could attract something outside the circle we don't want," Giles added. Caitlin smiled. "I see you've read the book." "Yes. Yes it-it was quite fascinating material." "I can feel him near," Caitlin said abruptly. "Let's get into our places," she ordered. The others scurried to obey, and kneeled down behind the bushes Caitlin had pointed out earlier. "You know what to do?" Caitlin asked Buffy. Buffy nodded and swallowed nervously. "This is it," were Caitlin's parting words after giving Buffy a reassuring hug. Then she climbed up into the large tree out of site. ~*~*~*~*~*~* Buffy was sitting on a swing, lightly swaying when Angelus approached minutes later. "Well if it isn't my darling Buffy," he greeted. "What do you care?" Buffy asked coldly, pushing down her nervousness. "Oh, I care. I don't just pick any girl to become my obssesion. They have to be special to me," Angelus smirked. "I'm touched by your devotion. Almost really," she retorted, and began walking towards the designated tree. Angelus followed. "I just need some information, and then I'll leave you and your friends alone for tonight. Tomorrow's a different story," Angelus stated. "Sorry, I don't know the secret on how to go to hell. But don't worry I'm sure you'll find it," Buffy quipped. Angelus laughed. "You are quite humorous. Actually, I heard something interesting." "Oh really?" Buffy arched an eyebrow. "Yes, I hear there's a new girl in town. You wouldn't happen to know where I can find her, do you?" he asked. "As a matter of fact, I do." Buffy and Angleus were now standing under the tree. "You want to meet her?" "That might prove interesting. Where is she?" Buffy smiled slyly at him and he was momentarily taken back with confusion. That moment of confusion cost him when he was hit by something above. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Caitlin was a blur of motion when she leaped from an extending branch up towards the top of the tree and pounced on him, knocking him to the ground. Caitlin loomed over him. "Remember me?" Caitlin asked anger playing over her features. Angelus' eyes widened in disbelief, and before he could answer or react, her fist lunged out and connected solidly with his jaw. He jumped up quickly and backed away from her, rubbing his jaw in pain and slipping into his game face. "Caitlin! Little sister, your supposed to be dead," Angelus greeted. "Yeah, well you didn't do as good of a job as you thought," Caitlin threw back. "Now!" she yelled to the others. Before Angelus could find out what was going on Caitlin came after him again distracting him from finding out what they were doing and running off. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* The others quickly came out of their hiding place and were greeted by Buffy. They began to form the circle around the already existing one of candles. The grasped each others hands tightly and waited. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* "You killed them all, you bastard!" Caitlin screamed at him. She kicked him hard in the stomach, which caused him to stumble back, closer to the circle. "You're going to join them!" he growled. "I doubt it," she informed him. Caitlin spun around and delivered a kick to the side of his head, blood began to seep down the side of his vampire visage, but Caitlin could care less. Angelus was weakening and this was the chance she was waiting for. She kicked him again, this time in the shin, which brought him to his knees. Caitlin then grabbed his head and brought her knee up to connect with his head, which landed him right into the middle of the circle. Caitlin quickly rose her arm and the candles ignited. She kept lifting her arm higher and higher, causing the flames to expand and rise, creating a wall of flames alloing no escape. The wind had also picked up creating a eerily howling sound. Caitlin quickly lowered her arm and grabbed Buffy and Giles hands completeing the circle. She closed her eyes and began chanting words that seemed foreign to the others. "No!" Angelus screamed, but his protests were cut off by the roaring of the flames. What felt like an eternity later, which in reality had only been a few minutes, Caitlin's chanting died. The wind returned to normal, and the fire from the candles was no more, but there in the center layed an unconscious Angel. "Did it work?" Cordelia asked, breaking the silence. The group let go of each others hands, and watched silently as Caitlin stepped towards the unconscious vampire. "We'll have to wait and see," was her answer. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* End of part 7........to be continued. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Klutz454 Subject: BUFFYFIC: Re: Buffyfic-digest V2 #78 Date: 29 Mar 1998 00:50:26 EST unsubsribe - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Aurelia Destiny" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Cloaked In Darkness 1/? Date: 28 Mar 1998 22:05:08 PST TITLE: Cloaked In Darkness AUTHOR: Princess Destiny (princessdestiny@hotmail.com) SUMMARY: Things are not exactly what they seem when Giles finds an ancient diary, with news of the death of the Slayer. A new girl comes to Sunnydale and things start to go crazy, Angel is jealous because Buffy has a boyfriend and The Master gets a nasty surprise... It is naturally a Buffy/Angel Romance story, cause I'm a hopeless romantic! Although it starts off a bit rocky, but I assure you they will end up together in this one! RATING: PG. TIME PERIOD: Hmm, well since we have only seen up till 'Prophesy Girl' here in Australia But I HAVE read the scripts for the rest of them...Okay, say just after the 'Angel' episode and we'll leave it at that! THANK-YOUS: To all who helped me edit this! FEEDBACK: PLEASE! I love to hear from people! DISTRIBUTION: Ask me first, I'll say yes anyway, but I want to know where it is going. DISCLAIMER: Buffy, Angel and the others are the property of Joss Whedon. Gabriella and any others I add later on are Mine, Mine, Mine! This is my first try at a Buffy fic so don't be too harsh, comments and suggestions or even praise for my lovely story are very welcome! ************************ CLOAKED IN DARKNESS ************************ ***PART 1: JEALOUSY*** Chapter 1: The Calm Before the Storm The Street lights went by in a blur, reflecting off of the glass windows as the bus crawled at a respectable speed through the town. Inside the bus was black, only a few snores and people muttering in their sleep, revealed that anyone was within except for the silent driver. His eyes swept the road for the stop sign and he spotted it a few meters from the end of the next street. He sighed and looked into the rear-view mirror at the girl sitting in the first row to the right. If he turned his head slightly he could look at her pale features from the corner of his eye. She was beautiful and his mind had been on nothing but her since the bus had started its trip from New York. She had stepped up and given him a sweet smile before taking her seat, watching all the other passengers as they, too, entered the bus. Her long dark hair was gorgeous, glossy and silken and just waiting for someone to run their hands through it. And her eyes, like emeralds, were dark green with dark lashes surrounding them. Her skin was white, like fine porcelain and her lips a natural red. He doubted she had ever needed to use makeup in her life. Her clothes were expensive, he could see at a glance, having seen many people getting onto his bus over the years. It occurred to him briefly to wonder why a lovely young girl, with obviously expensive taste, would be catching a bus to her destination when she could obviously afford to catch a plane...or a limo. He chuckled humorously, risking a slight glance over his shoulder at her sleeping face, so peaceful against the stained and worn red of the bus seat. The stop sign came closer and he slowed the bus. After a quick look at all the other sleeping people he got out of his seat and walked slowly towards her. He had intended to wake her gently, perhaps with soft endearment, his wife would never know...but when he had taken but one step towards her, her eyes flashed open, wide awake and without the slightest trace of sleep in their green depths. He paused, embarrassed, and saw a wariness in her eyes as she stared at him for a moment. Then her eyes softened and she smiled that sweet curving of the lips that he had not been able to forget since she entered his vehicle. "We’ve arrived, I didn’t want to startle you, or wake the others." He whispered almost nervously, wondering if those eyes had seen the flush enter his cheeks and the look of guilt in his eyes. A spark of laughter entered her face. She got fluidly to her feet and shrugged her shoulders lightly, trying to get the sleepiness out of her limbs. "Thank you, I enjoyed the ride." she said. A shiver went down his spine at the sound of her voice, he felt as if he would melt into a puddle as she stepped past him and descended the steps to the sidewalk. He saw her look around curiously, and then she turned slightly to looked back at him as he slid into the driver’s seat again. "Will you be all right? It’s a dangerous place here, I’ve heard stories..." he hesitated as she frowned slightly, stepping closer to the bus to peer in at him. A slender hand reached up to grasp the side of the door and he felt a sudden urge to take back his words and smooth the frown from her delicate face. "What stories?" she asked. He repressed the shudder that went through his body at the musical sound of her voice and tried to control his wandering mind enough to answer her question. "Ah...not much, just rumors you understand. They say this is the ‘Murder Capital’, people end up dead, especially the tourists" he told her in a low conspiratorial voice as someone stirred in the bus and a child started to whine about food. The girl released the door and severed her last link to the bus driver and his life. He felt it almost physically, she was so beautiful and he wanted to keep her there longer but knew he had a deadline to deliver all his passengers to their destinations. "I can take care of myself, I lived in New York remember?" she said softly, a laugh in her tone. He smiled foolishly at her as he started the bus again. She stepped back so as not to get in the way of the bus and he stared at her as if seeing a vision, feeling that something was not right. The moon shone down giving her skin an unearthly glow and her long dark hair blew lightly around her slender frame like a cloak. She raised her arms and hugged herself lightly, a farewell smile on her face and he closed the door on her, pulling away. She looked after the bus as it went slowly down the street and stopped at a light, then the light changed and the bus continued on faster until it was out of sight. She sighed a little, almost a whisper of breath and then looked around her, starting to walk the way the bus had gone. The breeze was cool and she wondered if she should have worn more appropriate clothes, her designer grey skirt just reached her knee’s and her top was light blue silk. The soft grey leather half-boots she wore did little to cover her legs and only her long hair kept her top half warm as it swirled around her in the wind. The night was lonely, but the moon was absolutely beautiful and she could not help but stare longingly at it as she walked along. She was so intent on the sky that when a bunch of teenagers ran past her, she was almost knocked over. "What a babe!" one guy said as he glanced over his shoulder to see who they had barreled past, the other guys looked back but then they grabbed the first guy and they continued on. "Yeah, she is! But we’ve gotta get to the ‘Bronze’ before the band starts!" their voices faded away as they ran and soon so did their hard footsteps. She sighed and ran a hand unconsciously through her hair, then smoothed her skirt down. She had to find a hotel or something and get some sleep before the sun came up. *************************************** The girl screamed again and Buffy gritted her teeth, silently willing the girl to shut up. Her eyes clashed with the vampire’s yellow one’s in a deadly struggle as each looked for an opening to attack. It would have helped, of course, if the vampire and Buffy weren’t in a sort of stalemate, each had a hand about the other’s throat. She was seriously pissed off at the male vampire for ruining her night and her glaring green eyes told him so. Her grip tightened and his did simultaneously, Buffy started to see stars and tried to get her other hand free from his. The long claws merely dug into her flesh harder and she gasped involuntarily. She kicked at him and he grunted with pain as it connected with his ribs. He snarled and bared his fangs as a wicked smile covered his face and he lifted her slightly from the ground. Buffy choked and saw the girl crawling rapidly away, only to run into the legs of another vampire, who was amused to see the slayer in such a weakened position and had forfeited dinner to watch the entertainment. "Going somewhere my Dear?" the second vampire purred. Grabbing the girl by the hair and holding her up by it. She screamed in pain and struggled futilely, eventually fainting. "I...really...wish..." Buffy panted as she kicked again at the vampire holding her up. Her neck muscles threatened to give way and she bit her lips as darkness entered the edges of her vision. "...they would LEARN..." She gave an especially hard kick to his solar plexus and the vampire was the one to gasp with pain this time, his grip loosening enough for Buffy to struggle free. She fell back to the ground and her eyes narrowed dangerously as she rubbed at the skin of her bruised neck. Buffy leapt to her feet and grabbed the stake she had dropped when he grabbed her. She roundhouse kicked his face and he spun backwards. "...Not to..." Another kick to his face and a few rapid punches, then she thrust the stake through his heart. He turned to dust in seconds and she spun at the ready. The second vampire looked a lot less amused as she raised the stake and leapt at him. He flew back and she staked him before he could get back on his feet. Buffy returned the stake to the back of her mini-skirt and leaned down to check the unconscious girl. "...piss a Slayer off, especially when she has a hot date!" Buffy finished triumphantly. The girl started to come around and Buffy helped her to her feet, explaining that they had been attacked by gang members. She seemed to accept it and took off without a word, too terrified to even thank Buffy for apparently ‘running off’ the ‘gang members’. "Geez, so much for gratitude, but that’s two less blood suckers." Buffy muttered as she straightened her dress and walked back out of the alley she had been passing before she heard the girl’s scream. "You’d think girls these days would have more sense than to go into a dark alley with a strange guy!" Buffy threw up her hands in disgust and continued on to the ‘Bronze’ and her date with Dwayne. She didn’t usually go for the football type, but he was nice and she was hoping to make Angel jealous, if nothing else. It was a month since she last talked to him. Though she constantly felt his eyes on her wherever she went, he never appeared and she had given up trying to speak to him. It just wasn’t meant to be, a vampire and a Slayer and he WAS 241 years old. Way to old for her, she convinced herself, she was only 16 after all. Dwayne was waiting upstairs and Buffy was pleasantly surprised to see a warmth enter his eyes when he saw her. He got to his feet and gave her a hug, not even mentioning the fact she was 20 minutes late for a date. "What a guy" she muttered dryly, not so sure if she should take his disinterest in her lateness as a compliment. "Well, well, so Buffy finally decided to turn up. Are you sure you want someone as...absent-minded as her as a girlfriend Dwayne? And that hair, you could have at least done your hair Buffy." Cordelia’s sarcastic voice clearly heard even over the loud music and Buffy’s hands flew to her hair in defense, finding that most of it had fallen from her ponytail in the struggle with the vampire. "You fight the un-dead each night and see how YOUR hair looks." Buffy muttered darkly under her breath, glaring as she rapidly fixed her hair and Cordelia watched with a snobby expression on her face. Dwayne but an arm around Buffy’s shoulders and smiled down at her softly, touching a blonde curl as it lay against her check. "I love your hair, messy or not." Dwayne told her and she smiled back, her eyes sparkling as he leaned in to give her a kiss. Buffy heard Cordelia snort un-lady-like, but they both ignored her. She leaned back and her eyes caught a slight movement in the corner of the room. "The world is coming to an end! Buffy is hanging with the same group as I am!" Cordelia glared accusingly upward for a moment as if waiting for some hint that it was all just a big mistake. Buffy didn’t hear her and Cordelia left, unnoticed, a second later, muttering about losers. A shiver went through Buffy and she knew only one guy could get that reaction out of her without her even seeing him. Angel. And even from the other side of the room she could feel his anger. He was jealous and a smile touched her lips before she could stop it. He was watching her but even her sharp eyes could only pick up the faintest outline of his form as he stood in the shadows. Buffy lifted her chin and deliberately turned her back on him. She looked at her date instead and contemplated his cute features. He was as light as Angel was dark, short hair as blonde as Buffy’s own and light blue eyes. He was good-looking, but not as good-looking as Angel, Buffy thought dreamily. She shook her head abruptly and focused on Dwayne as he asked her if she wanted a drink. She nodded and he got up from the table. Her eyes followed him and she looked at his muscled body absently, more muscle than she usually liked, but that was football players for you. It made her wonder if she was really serious about dating. She took her feelings out and examined them, ignoring the music and conversation of all Dwayne’s friends as they talked and laughed around her. Her feeling for Dwayne were, friendship only, as much as she wanted to feel more, there was only one person who could make her heart race. Buffy looked over her shoulder and towards the shadows but her senses told her that Angel was gone. She turned back with a sigh and gasped as she saw Angel sitting across the table from her. Staring with burning eyes.... ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Aurelia Destiny" Subject: BUFFYFIC: BUUFYFIC: Cloaked In Darkness 2/? Date: 28 Mar 1998 22:06:23 PST TITLE: Cloaked In Darkness AUTHOR: Princess Destiny (princessdestiny@hotmail.com) SUMMARY: Things are not exactly what they seem when Giles finds an ancient diary, with news of the death of the Slayer. A new girl comes to Sunnydale and things start to go crazy, Angel is jealous because Buffy has a boyfriend and The Master gets a nasty surprise... It is naturally a Buffy/Angel Romance story, cause I'm a hopeless romantic! Although it starts off a bit rocky, but I assure you they will end up together in this one! RATING: PG. TIME PERIOD: Hmm, well since we have only seen up till 'Prophesy Girl' here in AustraliaBut I HAVE read the scripts for the rest of them...Okay, say just after the 'Angel' episode and we'll leave it at that! THANK-YOUS: FEEDBACK: PLEASE! I love to hear from people! DISTRIBUTION: Ask me first, I'll say yes anyway, but I want to know where it is going. DISCLAIMER: Buffy, Angel and the others are the property of Joss Whedon. Gabriella and any others I add later on are Mine, Mine, Mine! This is my first try at a Buffy fic so don't be too harsh, comments and suggestions or even praise for my lovely story are very welcome! ************************ CLOAKED IN DARKNESS ************************ Chapter 2: Loosing The Slayer "Angel! What are you doing here?" Buffy demanded, looking for Dwayne with anxious eyes, if he came back and found Angel with her... "I come here every night, you know that" Angel said, his voice low, almost accusing. Buffy snorted, much as Cordelia had earlier. Angel was in no mood for games however and his eyes told her that, they seemed to burn a hole into her with their angered intensity. "Well you can go sit somewhere else, I’m with Dwayne" she told him and turned away with feigned disinterest, a low growl came from Angel and she pretended not to hear it. "Who is he? Does he know about you?" Angel demanded and Buffy turned back with a sweet smile, leaning in slightly towards him over the table. "Maybe" she taunted. Angel clenched his fists, visibly fighting for control and Buffy felt a thrill of fear and excitement at causing such a strong reaction. Angel pretended to be indifferent, but it was obvious to her that he was anything but...and the danger she sensed from Angel made her reckless. "He’s my boyfriend if you must know, so go away, he’ll be back any moment!" Buffy said with a sugary tone. Angel leaned forward also, seeming about to deliver some scathing retort but then he got to his feet and towered over her. "It won’t last." he said with a slight smile. They both watched as Buffy’s fingernails scraped strips of wood out of the surface of the table. She realized what she had done and turned away abruptly, furious that he had gotten to her so easily. Something thumped onto the table and she spun to face Angel angrily only to see that it was Dwayne back with the drinks. He saw her face and held up his hands mock-frightened. Buffy flushed and toyed with the straw in her coke. "What’s got you so angry, did I do something?" he joked and Buffy forced a smile to her face, though her eyes remained furious. "No, not you. Just..." she was interrupted as Cordelia stormed over to their table, her eyes annoyed. "Buffy, what did you say to Angel about me? I tried to talk to him and he just brushed right past me. ME!" she ranted at Buffy. The blonde sighed, Dwayne looking slightly confused until Cordelia left. "Who’s Angel?" he wanted to know. Buffy twisted the straw almost viciously, her thoughts again on the vampire who infuriated her as much as he made her heart leap with excitement at his presence. "No one. Just someone we both know, just...an acquaintance." Buffy said with a bright smile and took a sip of her drink while Dwayne talked about his last football game. Angel watched from the shadows again, baring his sharp teeth in fury. He was so angered that he had gone vampire. His eyes burned into Buffy’s back, her words echoing tauntingly in his mind. ‘No one’. His hands clenched, the nails biting sharply into his hands until blood was almost drawn. ‘Just someone we both know, just...an acquaintance’. He felt like breaking things, and even worse he felt like hurting the blonde guy Buffy was with. Sinking his fangs in and...he shook his head abruptly and his human face came back as he forced himself to relax. Buffy had made him this angry and Angel admitted he WAS jealous, she had a boyfriend now and wanted Angel out of her life. Well that was what she would get, he thought as he made his way unnoticed past her table and down the stairs to where he could see Xander and Willow talking and laughing together. They looked up and Willow smiled in welcome, though the look on Xanders face couldn’t possibly have been less inviting. "Hi Angel." She saw his face and the smile faded as he stood there and looked at them broodingly, something unreadable in his dark eyes. "Oh, you saw Buffy huh?" Willow said sadly, knowingly. Xander’s grin was tight, torn between relief that Buffy and Angel were no longer friends, and depression at the fact that she was now upstairs with another guy. "Yes" Angel said shortly, forcing a smile to his face and holding out a hand to Willow. "Care to dance?" he asked her, she smiled and put her hand in his. Willow ignored the daggered look her friend was giving her, sick of his comments about ‘dead boy’ as he called Angel regularly now. "Sure, nothing’s happening around here." she said innocently and was happily swept off by the gorgeous vampire, fervently hoping that Xander would be jealous. "In an alternate universe" she muttered as she put her arms around Angel and wondered if Buffy would be angry if she saw Willow dancing with the dark-haired vampire, especially to such a slow song. "So Angel..." Willow trailed off as she leaned back to look at his face and saw he was staring up at where Buffy and Dwayne could be seen. "You know, when you ask a girl to dance, it’s traditional to pay attention to her...maybe some light conversation?" Willow suggested lightly. Angel looked down at her, taking his eyes from Buffy for a moment. A rueful expression crossed his face and Willow suddenly wondered if it had been such a good idea to have a hunk like Angel giving her his full attention. He was so gorgeous, Willow found herself gaping like a fool at his face and looked down quickly. "You’re right, Willow." Angel’s voice came near her ear and she almost shivered, glancing up in shock, wondering vaguely if he could read minds. "I should be paying you more attention." he continued with a slight smile and Willow breathed easier, it had freaked her to think he knew she thought he was good-looking. Oh, Buffy, I could steal him away from you Willow told herself and almost stumbled to a halt at the un-Willow-like thoughts. "Willow?" Angel asked her and realized he had said something. She smiled brightly and met his dark eyes. "Yes?" she almost squeaked but he didn’t seem to notice, his eyes were again on Buffy and Dwayne, who were dancing slowly upstairs. "Do you think she’s serious about him?" Angel said almost under his breath and Willow felt suddenly protective of him, she smiled widely and flapped a hand nonchalantly. "Nah, it’s a faze" she assured him. Angel looked broodingly at the couple till the song ended, then he took her back to her seat and Xander. Willow was pleased to see that Xander was frowning like a thunderclap and her heart leapt. Angel sat down beside her and stared into space, his eyes dark and thoughtful. "What’s up vamp-man, can’t take the competition?" Xander asked laughingly and Angel’s eyes darkened even more as he swiftly glanced at Xander. Xander immediately realized his mistake and held up his hands as if to keep off the angry vampire. "Okay, sorry sorry. Bad joke" Xander muttered, turning away. Willow looked at him disapprovingly and Xander met her eyes almost guiltily. Willow turned back to apologize for Xander but saw the seat next to her was empty. A quick look around the room revealed nothing and she wondered where he had gone to in such a hurry. "Dead boy sure moves fast, I’ll give him that" Xander said happily and Willow sighed. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Andrew Oswell Subject: BUFFYFIC: unsubscribe buffyfic-digest Date: 29 Mar 1998 17:58:04 +1100 unsubscribe buffyfic-digest - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Klutz454 Subject: BUFFYFIC: *** Date: 29 Mar 1998 09:40:53 EST unsubscribe - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: ingrid29@juno.com (Ingrid E Stanton) Subject: BUFFYFIC: DISCUSS: "Cloaked in Darkness" part 2 Date: 29 Mar 1998 09:52:08 -0500 Aurelia- I loved this! What marvelous thoughts were running through Willow's head there? I know you're not going to go in this direction, b/c you said it was an Angel/Buffy piece, but...what if....? CHALLENGE: (to Aurelia or anyone else on the list) Write an Angel/ Willow piece. Sure, it's weird, but those kind are the most fun, in the hands of good writers, that is! -Ingrid Ingrid: Author of many long Buffyfics (and some short ones). "Return to Normalcy," "One Vampire's Headache...," "This Fleeting Hope," "Ghost of a Chance," "Tragic Sighs" and "Footsteps." _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Greeneteen Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: The Ties That Bind (6/10) Date: 29 Mar 1998 12:05:15 EST could u please send me pasrts 4 and 5? i think i deleted them on acciedent. thanks - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: NightHunter Subject: BUFFYFIC: Help Date: 29 Mar 1998 13:24:01 -0800 Does any one remember the name of amy's mother from BTVS The Witch. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: G90210 Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: Cloaked In Darkness 1/? Date: 29 Mar 1998 14:40:00 EST MORE MORE MORE, I'm a hopeless romantic too. hehehe very good story. ~mInDy - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: LIPS000000 Subject: BUFFYFIC: unsubscribe buffyfic-digest Date: 29 Mar 1998 16:20:08 EST unsubscribe buffyfic-digest - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Daphne1784 Subject: BUFFYFIC: Homecoming Pt. 1/? Date: 29 Mar 1998 17:15:13 EST Title: Homecoming Pt 1/? Author: Aphrodite ( Just my pen name :P ) E-mail Addy: Daphne1784@aol.com Rating: It will vary so I will have them listed at the beginning of each part Distribution: Sure just make sure you ask me first! Summary: This is going to be about Buffy/Angel mostly. Spoilers: All the way up through "Killed by Death" Disclaimer: Buffy and the gang belong to the television show "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," Joss Whedon, FOX, Mutant Enemy, and Warner Brothers. The Story and all characters that I decide to create are mine. Don't sue! Feedback: Please send me some feedback, good or bad, so that I will know if I should continue to write it. Also this is my very first fanfic so I want to know how I'm doing. ********************************* Homecoming Part One Rating P.G. By: Aphrodite ********************************* The next day Buffy was feeling a little tired when she walked into the library. Giles and the rest of the gang were already there. "How come you left the Bronze so early Buffy?" Xander asked, "We missed ya." "I wasn't feeling well so I decided to go home and rest. It's been really quiet and Angelus must be up to something." Buffy answered, hoping that nobody would push the subject any further. "Are you sure you're up for it Buffy? You seem a bit...tired." Giles replied. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me. I can deal." Buffy said, sounding a little tense. Not wanting to push the issue, Giles returned to his books. "Knowing something was wrong with Buffy, but figuring she would discuss it with her friends, he decided not to push the subject." "Well I gotta to go to class," Willow said trying to break the silence. "Will, don't you have a freebie right now?" Xander asked curiously. "Yeah but they still haven't found a replacement for Miss..." Willow stopped and looked over at Giles. A sadness swept through him. Even though he tried to cover it up everyone knew that he still missed Jenny. Suspecting that Giles probably wanted to be alone Buffy suggested that they accompany Willow to the computer lab. "I feel so sorry for Giles. He needs to do something to distract himself from her." Cordelia replied. "Hey, that's a good idea but what? But Giles is like book geek. That is definitely not my area of expertise. That's more Willow." Buffy said. "No offense Will." "None taken." Willow said, "but Giles is more of a book geek then me." "Well we'll just figure something out later. Right now Cordy and I have to........uh......we have to go to class." Xander said quickly. "Uh huh" Buffy and Willow replied at the exact same time. "Well see ya later" Cordy said as they ran off. "Hey Will, are you sure you're okay about Xander and Cordelia? I mean after everything that happened last Valentines Day?" Buffy asked to her friend. "Well I know that it's going to take some time you know. I really loved Xander and I know that he only thinks of me as a friend and I guess that's ok and any ways, I have Oz." Willow said, convincing herself that that was the way she wanted it. "Well okay Will. See you after class." Buffy said as Willow walked into the classroom. Willow walked into the classroom. She was a bit early and only the janitor was in there. "Umm miss." the janitor asked. "Yes?" answered Willow. "Well I found this yellow disk between the desk and the trash can. It was probably Miss Calender's. Do you want to keep it or do you want me to throw it away?" "Well," Willow said thinking it over, "It might be something important. I think I'll just keep it." "Ok." the janitor said handing the disk to Willow. The bell rang. Oh well Willow thought, as she tossed the disk onto her temporary desk. I'll just look at it later. End of Part One - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: JMHnoodles Subject: BUFFYFIC: DISCUSS: Homecoming Pt. 1/? Date: 29 Mar 1998 17:39:19 EST Ooh, I love the way you're doing this! Keep it coming! Jen - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: dmklamt@juno.com (Diane K.) Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: Help Date: 29 Mar 1998 19:06:33 EST Catherine "the Great" _______________/7______/7______/7______/7______________ \ ::::::::::::Diane Klamt dmklamt@juno.com::::::::::::/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ On Sun, 29 Mar 1998 13:24:01 -0800 NightHunter writes: >Does any one remember the name of amy's mother from BTVS >The Witch. > > >- > > _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: NightHunter Subject: BUFFYFIC: Re: Thanks Date: 29 Mar 1998 20:17:00 -0800 Thanks to everyone who sent me the name of amy's mom. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Aurelia Destiny" Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: DISCUSS: Date: 29 Mar 1998 20:56:34 PST > >Aurelia- >I loved this! What marvelous thoughts were running through Willow's head there? I know you're not going to go in this direction, b/c you said it was an Angel/Buffy piece, but...what if....? > >CHALLENGE: (to Aurelia or anyone else on the list) Write an Angel/ Willow piece. Sure, it's weird, but those kind are the most fun, in the hands of good writers, that is! > >-Ingrid > Ingrid, I'd LOVE the challenge...but unfortunetly I'm already in the middle of Three Lists, 9 Fanfics plus stuff on the side...do you have any idea how much e-mail a day you get from 3 Lists? It's HELL, Hehehe. Love, Aurelia ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Andrew Parkinson Subject: BUFFYFIC: Sacrifices of Love 1/14 Date: 31 Mar 1998 02:23:27 +1000 Sacrifices of Love 1/14 Author: Andrew Parkinson hazman@powerup.com.au Rating: Ratings for each chapter would vary, but the story overall contains, PG13 for Sexual Scenes and Discussion and TV14 for violence and action scenes.(This is only a saftey barrier for people who may be offended. The actual content may not be that high depending on your point of view) Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, situation and settings belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox. This story is written for the sake of enjoyment for fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This story is not intended to infringe on copyright and is not to be used by anyone else or myself for commercial gain. Spoiler/Setting for the Story: Set after Killed By Death, so anything that has happened on the show before that episode is fair game. Author's note: This Story is set aprox 2 months after "Killed By Death". Feedback: Yes Please.....This is my first story since high school, so I am very interested in feedback. ************************************ Chapter 1 Sunnydale California 4.30am May 1st 1998 Evil. The place shouted the feeling. It wasn't just the darkness of the hall. It was more tangible than that. It hung in the air. The hall while mainly spartan was decorated in part with furniture that would not have looked out of place two hundred years earlier. Candles, situated around the room provided the light. There was probably fifty or more, giving the room enough light to illuminate the main areas, while shrouding the corners in darkness. From the center of the room it was impossible to tell if anyone else was in the room, unless they were also in the center. With more than ten entry points to the room, it was a disconcerting place to be, except if it was your home. The silence was broken with a scream. It almost sounded like a moan. "No!!!!!!!" At that point three figures emerged from the shadows. The taller of the figures moved towards the table situated in the center of the room. He slammed his fists on the table, "I am not having fun" He through a couple of plates and cups that were on the table, smashing them into the far wall, just missing the two other occupants, a male and a female. "Watch it Angel" spoke the male, with an English accent. Angel glared at him. His glare could create fear into normal people. Cold, pure as it could be. He looked like he was contemplating attacking, but withdrew from his offensive pose and sat himself in a chair that was situated beside the table. Angel could have been considered good looking. A tall male. Looking around twenty-four, dark hair and the face of a model, he would have been quite a catch, if it weren't for one thing. "Don't lecture me Spike. She did it to us again. We live to enjoy ourselves. Otherwise what's the point? " Spike moved towards him. He had a top of white hair and a maniacal look in his eye. While not as tall as Angel, he was only a little less intimidating, "Well why don't we do something about it?" "What do you think we have been doing. She gets in our way," Angel retorted. "That's not what I mean. We need to forget about all our other pleasures for a while and concentrate on eliminating her," Spike replied while moving away to take the hand of the female. He brought her into the center of the room and sat her at the table, "What do you think Dru?" "Angel knows what he's doing, Spike" she also spoke with an English accent although it had a twisted edge to it, an almost insane touch, "you do know what you are doing?" she asked Angel. "Drusilla my darling, I knew what I was doing when I did you didn't I", he replied with a smile. Drusilla smiled back, as if drooling on the experience. Spike moved back towards Angel and crouched behind him, with one hand on his shoulder, "O.K. what next?" he asked. "I think it's time to stop playing around. It was fun in the beginning but our numbers are being depleted and we have not progressed. I want to hurt her, " Angel said as he rose to circle the table. "Killing her would be too easy. I want to take her friends one by one. And when they are all gone, then I will take her as my mate, only this time it will be the real me. Buffy and Angel, Spike an Drusilla, it does have a good ring to it" "I don't like it Angel. Killing that gypsy witch didn't help, if anything it has made the Slayer stronger. Just kill her," Spike stated. "No! It's not my way. You know that Spike, you use to enjoy witnessing it." "That was before her. Before you and her were close. She's too dangerous." "Yes she is dangerous. She is more dangerous than any other slayer. That's precisely why I need to kill her from the inside. And stop bringing up the past Spike. That wasn't me. I have none of those feelings anymore. I just think that if she dies with the knowledge in her head that she will be by my side for eternity it will be the icing on the cake, but only if her friends are gone one by one in front of her eyes first" "Let me do it Angel, I want to do it," Drusilla interjected. Angel moved to Drusilla and caressed he face; "There will be plenty for all of us to do, Dru" Spike looked on with rising anger. Drusilla was his. He would have been more worried if he really thought Angel would take her away. He was more upset with how Drusilla encouraged it and enjoyed it. "You would do better to think about what we have to do, Angel. How do you want to do this?" he asked. Angel looked up and smiled, knowing that he was getting to Spike, one of his favorite pastimes. "It's simple really. I want to kill two birds with one stone. Hurt Buffy and accomplish a personal task. Xander is first on the list." "Why him specifically?" Spike asked Angel turned around. His face had changed and he now had a protruding forehead, which shaped around the eyes, creating an arrow point down the nose. He smiled revealing two longer teeth at the side of his mouth. "Why? I don't like him." **************************************************************** Andrew Parkinson hazman@powerup.com.au http://www.powerup.com.au/~hazman ICQ-6962498 **************************************************************** - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Andrew Parkinson Subject: BUFFYFIC: Sacrifices of Love 9/14 Date: 31 Mar 1998 02:34:04 +1000 Sacrifices of Love 9/14 Author: Andrew Parkinson hazman@powerup.com.au Rating: Ratings for each chapter would vary, but the story overall contains, PG13 for Sexual Scenes and Discussion and TV14 for violence and action scenes.(This is only a saftey barrier for people who may be offended. The actual content may not be that high depending on your point of view) Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, situation and settings belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox. This story is written for the sake of enjoyment for fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This story is not intended to infringe on copyright and is not to be used by anyone else or myself for commercial gain. Spoiler/Setting for the Story: Set after Killed By Death, so anything that has happened on the show before that episode is fair game. Author's note: This Story is set aprox 2 months after "Killed By Death". Feedback: Yes Please.....This is my first story since high school, so I am very interested in feedback. ************************************ Chapter 9 Oz's band had started their second set of the night. The Band, "The dingo ate my baby" had built a steady following in the last few months. Oz often commented that this was helped in no small part by the band actually practicing. Willow didn't care; she would be up dancing even if it was horrible. She looked over at her friends motioning for them to join her on the dance floor. Giles recoiled in horror, but Buffy and Cordelia got up to join her. Xander volunteered to stay with Giles and keep observing. "No worries Xander, at least you can do that better than you dance," Cordelia quipped as she made her way to the dance floor. Xander of course liked to dance, almost as much as he liked to see Cordelia dance. But he wasn't totally lying about his reasons for staying with Giles. His limited training so far, his own instincts and his short period as a solider last Halloween made him realize that it was best not to weaken a flank. It was much better to have him and Giles together than Giles by himself. Giles turned to him, "So Xander have you been practicing your moves?" "No...what's Cordelia been saying?" he replied looking embarrassed. "No not that, heaven forbid the details," Giles jumped in before Xander could say anything more. "Your fighting skills?" "Yes. Not that I really want to test them yet unless I have to, but I have been putting in the hours." "Good. I must say you have come along rather well. All of you have, " Giles replied. "We have excellent teachers," Xander said with just the slightest hint of patronization. 'Yes fine.... I wouldn't want you to go one on one with a vampire yet, but hopefully it will be enough to get you out of trouble not into it. Just enough to get away to safety." "Believe me Giles, that will be the only thing on my mind." ............................................. Behind them the vampires had started to enter. With the light show that was going on while the band was playing it was impossible to see much off the dance floor. Angel ordered the vampires to conceal themselves until it was time. Spike, Drusilla and Angel spread out along the back wall, near the bar. "Remember I want Xander, anyone else is gravy for the masses" he told them. He hadn't bothered to tell the rest of the Vampires. To be honest he didn't care what happened to them. He considered them to stupid to pose a serious threat to Buffy's gang. ............................................. "Wow he's really good," Cordelia said commenting on Oz's playing as they exited the dance floor and took their seats. Buffy and Willow just stared at each other. "I can be nice sometimes," Cordelia said in her own defense," I'm in a really good mood." She leant over and put her arm around Xander. Buffy and Willow looked at each other as if to say, "Oh My God!!!" Buffy decided to change the subject, "So Giles anything hairy going on." "No it has been surprisingly quiet." "Funny. I feel as though we are being watched," she said as she looked around. "Well if you think we should go," Giles suggested. "We can't go. Oz has a few more songs to play," Willow interjected. "It's O.K. Willow. We won't go yet. The feeling is pretty small on the wig factor." Willow happy with that, turned back around to face the band. "I am going for a drink," Cordelia said looking around the table, "anyone else?" Buffy, Willow and Giles all shook their heads. "I'll come with you," said Xander getting up next to Cordelia. "Oh glorious savior" replied Cordelia. "Better prey I don't have to protect you from Dragons. That will be a tough call distinguishing the difference," Xander said as they moved off. Buffy looked at Willow, " ... and maybe they didn't." Buffy followed them with her eyes as they walked towards the bar. She saw Cordelia go up and order, with Xander doing his best bodyguard impression. She got the feeling again. She quickly glanced to the left, then to the right. She couldn't see anyone. "Giles, something's wrong, I can sense it." Giles turned around and looked. He could not see anything either. .......... Cordelia got her drink and turned to face Xander ............ Buffy saw him, "Cordelia, Xander watch out," she shouted .............. Cordelia thought she heard something, before she could check a dark shape blocked her way. She looked the figure, she new that Face, Angel. She screamed, but was quickly silenced by a punch to the jaw. Cordelia fell down, knocking her head against the bar as she did. ............ Buffy had seen Angel appear and punch Cordelia and she was now no more than a couple of feet from him when he reached for Xander. She went to shout and warn him, when suddenly her legs were taken out from under her. .............. By this time the club was filled with screams. The band had stopped playing. Oz saw a vampire sneaking up on Willow. Grabbing a drumstick he ran and plunged the stick through its heart, shattering it to dust. He grabbed Willow and headed for the stage, to open the back door and let some people out. ................ Giles saw Buffy take off, and then in quick succession Cordelia get hit and Buffy get taken down by Spike. He was about to rush to help Buffy but saw that she was back on her feet. He grabbed his stakes out of his bag he was carrying and went looking for vampires to kill. .................... Xander had seen out of the corner of his eye Cordelia go down, in one motion he turned and punched Angel. Angel reeled from the blow. "Not bad," he commented. "Good enough to make you wish you had never laid a hand on her," Xander replied. He shouldn't have replied, it gave Angel the opportunity to kick him in the stomach, knocking him to the floor. ................. Buffy unleashed a flurry of kicks against Spike. Spike took most of them but by the sixth and seventh he had decided that he should get out of there. He exited quickly. Buffy was going to follow but saw Drusilla moving towards Cordelia's prone body. A couple of twists and flips and she stood in front of Drusilla. Quickly punching her away, she bent down over Cordelia checking her neck to see if she was O.K.. There was no bite marks and she still had a pulse. Good, now onto Angel. She turned to see Xander hit Angel again, only this time Angel hardly felt it. She knew Xander was tiring and soon he wouldn't be able to defend himself. She got up and kicked Angel away from Xander. "Xander look after Cordelia," she screamed as she laid another flurry of kicks at Angel. ................. Giles moved to another vampire and staked it. He looked around for another vampire and couldn't see any on the top level. He raced to the stairs and down them. It looked like all the vampires were gone, apart from Angel. ................. Buffy and Angel continued hitting each other. Blow for blow, kick fo ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Andrew Parkinson Subject: BUFFYFIC: Sacrifices of Love 8/14 Date: 31 Mar 1998 02:33:02 +1000 Sacrifices of Love 8/14 Author: Andrew Parkinson hazman@powerup.com.au Rating: Ratings for each chapter would vary, but the story overall contains, PG13 for Sexual Scenes and Discussion and TV14 for violence and action scenes.(This is only a saftey barrier for people who may be offended. The actual content may not be that high depending on your point of view) Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, situation and settings belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox. This story is written for the sake of enjoyment for fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This story is not intended to infringe on copyright and is not to be used by anyone else or myself for commercial gain. Spoiler/Setting for the Story: Set after Killed By Death, so anything that has happened on the show before that episode is fair game. Author's note: This Story is set aprox 2 months after "Killed By Death". Feedback: Yes Please.....This is my first story since high school, so I am very interested in feedback. ************************************ Chapter 8 A long line of people was the first thing Willow noticed when she and Oz pulled up at the Stage entrance door for the Bronze. Willow had noted on numerous occasions that The Bronze was so popular primarily because there wasn't anywhere else to go in Sunnydale. The nightclub itself was not flash my any means. A fairly sparse interior that mainly did the job in providing some nighttime entertainment. It did however seem to have no problems letting under-age club goers in so Willow and her friends had pretty much adopted in as their hangout. "At least being in the Band gets you some privileges," Oz remarked looking at the cue at the front door. "So does being a girlfriend," replied Willow with a smile. "If only we were successful enough for us to have our own roadies." " Well you will be, then I will be able to say, I used to do that," Willow said as she opened the door. She went around to the back of the van. Oz came around the other side and opened the doors. There were two guitars and a couple of amps in the back. "It's times like this I am glad you don't play the drums," Willow said as she picked up one of the guitars. 'So are my neighbors" ...................... Giles was putting on a tie when his doorbell rang. "Be there in a minute," he said loud enough to travel the distance to the patio. Outside Buffy waited. Giles had suggested picking her up at her place, but she decided that having her mother, who had returned that day, see her getting into a teachers car at night may not be the wisest move in avoiding unnecessary questions. The door opened. "Hi Giles, nice gear" Buffy greeted him, giving his outfit the once over. Giles looked down and quickly glanced at his usual trousers, tie and jacket. "Ah teenage fashion sarcasm" he thought. "Hmmm" was his only audible reply. "So are you ready?" She asked. "Yes, let's get a move on then." ..................................... Willow and Oz had finished setting up the band equipment and had taken custody of a table with enough seats around it for their friends that would be turning up soon. "You know I'm all for turning up in the sunlight, but it's really a non-hip, not to mention an incredibly boring time to be here" Oz said. " Better bored that gored," Willow replied, then seeing Buffy and Giles walking through the entranceway, "Buffy, Giles over here," she said with a wave. Buffy acknowledged her call and nudged Giles in the right direction. They both took seats at the table. "You know Buffy, it's a wonder that people don't think it's weird all of you hanging around with a librarian after school" Giles asked. " Well I think it's a combination of, Willow, Xander and me are thought of as strange anyway, Oz is in the band and Cordelia goes out with Xander, which incidentally has people looking at her in a whole new light. And the fact they probably think I am trying to suck up to a teacher. Mind you I think it has worked in reverse for you. Principal Snyder seems to think we are putting to much bad teenage influence on you." "Yes quite, I am going to have a scout around and check to see if there are any other places vampires could hide, just in case they decide to get in another way," Giles said moving off. "Ah speaking of checking on things, I should see if the other band members have arrived yet. Last time one didn't turn up. Wasn't till I saw him a coupe of days later with a extra large forehead I realized what had happened," Oz said. He kissed Willow on the cheek. Willow turned to Buffy and smiled. "Anyway, did you see Xander and Cordelia outside?" she asked Buffy. "Nah, Xander is probably waiting for Cordelia to try on her tenth outfit or something. Well either that or he has finally run out silly one liners to add to every conversation," Buffy looked at Willow, they both agreed, "Nah." "Yeah go figure. I can't believe that they are still together. I mean I have heard that opposites attract but Oil and Water" Willow said. "True, but Cordelia has surprised me lately. She has been quite keen to get involved in our training. It also can't have been an easy decision to stand up to her friends and stay with Xander. They have basically ignored her since" "Strange I used to think that it would be harder for Xander seeing that we all really didn't like her. But you're right, she's not the girl she use to be." Willow took another sip of cola. "And now you are with Oz," Buffy said, "and I might add it seems to be agreeing with you rather well." "Yes it does. It shows doesn't it? I can't help it. My life is so full when he's around," replied Willow, "if Xander's as happy as I am - lucky him." "Yeah well I think he is. He was really glowing this morning," Buffy added looking at Willow inquisitively. "I didn't really notice," then seeing Buffy's look, "you mean, nah... you think?" ........................................................... Outside the Bronze, Cordelia parked the car and Xander and Cordelia got out. "Do you think our friends noticed?" Xander asked. "I don't think so. Who cares if they do? I know this about our friends, they may interested but they won't pry" Cordelia responded. "C'mon lets get inside. Maybe we should argue a bit to throw them off track, just in case," Xander offered. Cordelia grabbed his hand, "As if that would ever be a problem, I mean, look at your hair, heard of a brush?" ........................................................ The sun seemed to set very quickly in Sunnydale. Tonight was no exception. It had the aura of completely transforming the place. What in daylight could look inviting, in darkness oozed terror. Shadows that could conceal, shadows that only brought them. Terror in the form of Vampires. A group of fifteen vampires, including Angel, Drusilla and Spike appeared from one such shadow, in an alleyway, just to the right of the front entrance to the Bronze. "Are you sure she's in here Angel?" Spike asked, looking at the front entrance. "I can feel her. She's in there all right. I just hope our appetizer is in there as well," he replied as the group headed towards the entrance. **************************************************************** hazman@powerup.com.au Visit Slayer's Down Under at http://www.powerup.com.au/~hazman/index3.htm The Offical Keeper of: "There is a beautiful, big full moon outside tonight. It doesn't get more romantic than this. So shut up!" - Cordelia [Phases] **************************************************************** - r kick, neither one was gaining the advantage. It didn't help that she kept checking on Xander and Cordelia to see it they were O.K.. Xander's face was a bloody mess. He had at least three deep lacerations. "Giles, get over here and get them out of here" she shouted as she saw Giles coming over to her. "You aren't going to kill my friends tonight" she spat at Angel, ducking a punch and landing one of her own. ................................... Giles made it over to Xander and Cordelia. Cordelia was barley conscious; Xander was covering her, alert, if exhausted. He bent down to drag them away, when suddenly he was kicked from behind. As he turned around he saw Spike standing above him. Xander witnessed Spike take Giles down. He saw Spike move towards Giles to try and end it. With every ounce of strength he made it to his feet and half jumped/half fell on Spike. Spike was knocked away from the impact. Spike got up and turned around about to attack when suddenly he noticed something behind Xander and Giles. He smiled and waved goodbye, exiting out the front door. ............................ Angel glanced off another blow. He decided to cut his losses and fight another day. "It has been fun hasn't it" he mocked Buffy as he moved off. Buffy made no attempt to follow, as she was more concerned with her friends. She went over to them. Giles and Xander were both alive. She looked around. She saw Willow and Oz coming over. "We got nearly everyone out," Willow said. Buffy continued glancing around. Where was Cordelia? A sudden panic hit her. She ran out the front entrance. She reached outside. There was no sign of them. She was pretty sure they had taken her. She had to get her back. Cordelia had not only become a good friend; she was also the girlfriend of one of her best friends. "Oh god...how am I going to tell Xander," she whispered to herself. **************************************************************** hazman@powerup.com.au Visit Slayer's Down Under at http://www.powerup.com.au/~hazman/index3.htm The Offical Keeper of: "There is a beautiful, big full moon outside tonight. It doesn't get more romantic than this. So shut up!" - Cordelia [Phases] **************************************************************** - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Andrew Parkinson Subject: BUFFYFIC: Sacrifices of Love 6/14 Date: 31 Mar 1998 02:31:25 +1000 Sacrifices of Love 6/14 Author: Andrew Parkinson hazman@powerup.com.au Rating: Ratings for each chapter would vary, but the story overall contains, PG13 for Sexual Scenes and Discussion and TV14 for violence and action scenes.(This is only a saftey barrier for people who may be offended. The actual content may not be that high depending on your point of view) Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, situation and settings belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox. This story is written for the sake of enjoyment for fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This story is not intended to infringe on copyright and is not to be used by anyone else or myself for commercial gain. Spoiler/Setting for the Story: Set after Killed By Death, so anything that has happened on the show before that episode is fair game. Author's note: This Story is set aprox 2 months after "Killed By Death". Feedback: Yes Please.....This is my first story since high school, so I am very interested in feedback. ************************************ Chapter 6 Buffy was glad Giles was an early starter. Not many librarians would be at school at 6.00am, but she knew he would be. She had found it difficult to get to sleep last night, she knew she was safe, but the knowledge that Angel could be outside anytime looking at her gave her the wig, in the worse way. It didn't totally surprise her that he did not return, that she noticed at least. He was there for one reason. He wanted to move his little game along. Like moving pieces on a chessboard. She knew her move was next. "Giles!" she shouted. "Buffy" Giles replied, walking out of his office with a book in his hand. "You are early", his face changed, "what's wrong?" "Oh nothing really, I just had a little visit from Angel last night. He just wanted to let me know the game had moved on," she said sitting down at the desk. Giles moved over to her, "He didn't get in did he. The spell still works?" "Yeah, no worries about that. Still creeps me out, knowing he could be watching me at any time. I used to like it when...." There was no need to say any more. "Yes," Giles said quietly, putting his arm around her. "Did he say anything of importance?" "He told me that one of my friends will die tonight," Buffy replied, patting Giles arm letting him know she appreciated his support. "He must be really frustrated. He's trying to rattle you into making a mistake. O.K., we have to make plans for tonight" Giles started saying. "We already have plans, we are going to the Bronze, remember?" Buffy looked at him, hoping he would agree. By the incredulous look on his face he did not. "You can't. Look I know I agreed yesterday, but after his little calling card last night, well it changes everything." Buffy got up out of her chair and moved over to face him. "It doesn't change anything Giles. The reasons I gave for going to the Bronze still stand." "But Buffy...." "But nothing. Look - Number One; Oz is playing there tonight. Without us there he's on his own. Number. Two and I know that this is not high on your list; we are all teenagers. We need to have some fun. Number Three; Where else do we go. If we run out of town, the Vampires take over. Number Four; If we stay in town, and we keep ourselves in our own houses every night, we will drive ourselves crazy. Going to the Bronze is the best of a bad situation. We will all be together, there will plenty of other people around to limit the chance of surprise and it might just convince us that we do have a normal life for a couple of hours. I was born into this Giles. My friends were not. They are in danger because of me. I have to do all I can to protect them, but we also have to live. Otherwise what's the point." Giles listened to Buffy's reasoning. He thought about for a while. He still wasn't happy but he thought there was at least one thing he could suggest. "O.K. But only if I come with you." ............................................................................. Xander looked up at the ceiling when he awoke. Not for any particular reason, that just happened to be the position his head was facing when he opened up his eyes. He could sense something was missing. He felt to his side....nothing. Then he looked Cordelia was gone. A myriad of thoughts occurred to him at this point. What have I done, what did I do wrong, was I that bad, did I snore. He got himself out of bed and slipped into his shirt and jeans that were dumped on the floor. He looked first in the bathroom, not so much because he thought she would be in there, but he really wanted to splash down his face and clean his teeth. He looked in the mirror. It was true what they say...you do look like you are beaming. He went down the hallway, calling her name. "Oh good you are awake, I'm out here," came the reply from the balcony. Xander moved over to the balcony doors and opened them. He saw Cordelia lying on one of the lounges in her dressing gown. She beamed that perfect smile at him. "Good Morning" Xander moved over to her and kissed her, "Good morning to you," he said between a non stop smile, "I was worried there for a bit. Thought I had done something." Cordelia looked at him finding it hard to suppress a giggle, "Oh Xander. You know me. I would have told you if you had, probably in a biting way, but I would have told you." She grabbed his hand holding it tight to her chest, "I am sorry I wasn't there when you woke up. I woke up an hour or so ago and you looked so nice sleeping, I couldn't bear to wake you up." Xander smiled "And believe me, you did nothing that would ever make me want to leave you." "Cordy, thank you," Xander softly said. "What for?" "I had always hoped that my first time would be with someone I truly loved. Too many of my friends did not get the chance" Cordelia reached over and hugged him. "Xander you don't have to tell me. I consider myself to be really lucky to have met you. My taste in boyfriends has been somewhat questionable. I feel even luckier that you could actually stand to be with me after the way I treated you. But not only did you put up with my crap...." "Cordy, you know I love your crap." Cordelia moved her hand and touched him on the face; "last night was very special for me to. I found out how it was to make love to someone I truly loved." **************************************************************** hazman@powerup.com.au Visit Slayer's Down Under at http://www.powerup.com.au/~hazman/index3.htm The Offical Keeper of: "There is a beautiful, big full moon outside tonight. It doesn't get more romantic than this. So shut up!" - Cordelia [Phases] **************************************************************** - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Andrew Parkinson Subject: BUFFYFIC: Sacrifices of Love 10/14 Date: 31 Mar 1998 02:34:49 +1000 Sacrifices of Love 10/14 Author: Andrew Parkinson hazman@powerup.com.au Rating: Ratings for each chapter would vary, but the story overall contains, PG13 for Sexual Scenes and Discussion and TV14 for violence and action scenes.(This is only a saftey barrier for people who may be offended. The actual content may not be that high depending on your point of view) Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, situation and settings belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox. This story is written for the sake of enjoyment for fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This story is not intended to infringe on copyright and is not to be used by anyone else or myself for commercial gain. Spoiler/Setting for the Story: Set after Killed By Death, so anything that has happened on the show before that episode is fair game. Author's note: This Story is set aprox 2 months after "Killed By Death". Feedback: Yes Please.....This is my first story since high school, so I am very interested in feedback. ************************************ Chapter 10 Cordelia awoke to find herself tied down. She looked around the room, struggling to make out any shapes. The room had little if no light. There were a few candles lit next to the bed she was tied up to. "A bed" she thought, "Why am I tied to a bed?" ...................................................... "What the hell to you mean, you think Angel took her?" Xander looked at Buffy hoping for a more positive response. He had held his anger in as much as possible as they had made their way back to the school library. "All I know is I turned around and she was gone. I think it's highly probably that she was either taken or....,"she replied. "No don't say it," Xander said as he walked away from Buffy. He walked over to a filing cabinet, which was in the corner of the library and rested his arms and head on the top of it. He exploded. He kicked and punched the filing cabinet, as if he could draw blood from it, he did not stop till blood was spilt from his hands. He slowly turned around and addressed the group. " If that blood sucking parasite has hurt her, I will kill him. I won't stop till he, or I are dead." "Xander, think of what you are saying. We have to think about this if we are to save her." Willow advised. "Willow she has become my life," tears started to swell up in Xander's eyes, "we are together now. I can't be without her. You know what I mean." Willow looked at him. Trying to understand exactly what he was saying. "I do, "Buffy said softly looking him straight in the eyes. Her eyes showed the inner torment she was feeling. She moved towards him and put her arm around him. "Xander you will not lose her. I won't have you go through what I did." ................................... "So Cordelia, you always wanted to share a bed with me. What's it like." Angel asked while stroking her hair, "Oh that's right you can't speak. Must be an unusual experience for you not being able to have the last word." Cordelia had seen Angel appear out of the shadows. He mockingly called he name as he did. She watched in terror as he moved towards her position. She couldn't think about what Angel was going to do to her. She had already decided that unless Buffy came to rescue her she did not want to think about her future. Angel came over and lay down on the bed with her. His hand moved over and for a minute she thought he was going to strangle her. Instead he touched her hair. She felt like she was going to be sick. "C'mon Cordelia, this is your fantasy isn't it. You always wanted what Buffy had." Angel moved his hand down from Cordelia's hair, over her face, lightly touching her cheeks, "It's almost worth taking the gag off, just to savor you lips, " he whispered. He then moved his hand down further, running along the front of her dress. "Angel, let me kill her now," came a voice from the dark. "Dru, you know my rules. We have to get the catch, before the bait can be eaten," Angel said stopping his caressing. Drusilla came out of the shadows and sat on the opposite side of the bed, so that Cordelia was sandwiched between the two. "But after that, I have her, can't I Angel," "Of course you can Dru, you can have her, while I have her boyfriend," Angel said glancing down at Cordelia. Cordelia tried to scream. ............................ Buffy, Willow, Oz and Giles were sitting around a table formulating a plan. All had agreed that this would be the hardest thing they would have had to do. Xander sat by himself. Buffy turned to look at him hoping that his anger would not hinder him in what was to come. She wanted to get him in on the conversation. "Xander what do you think?" she asked hoping he would offer some suggestions. Xander just shrugged his shoulders. Buffy turned to Giles, "We have to get him doing something." "I know," Giles replied, "Xander could you go and get all the weaponry ready?" Xander got up and went over to the cupboard where all the weaponry was kept. It took all of his willpower not to grab a few crossbows and go after her. The bottles of Holy Water caught his eye. His mouth started to curl up at the sides, in the form of a sadistic grin rather than a smile. He had a plan. One that he hoped would cause a great deal of pain to Angel, if not killing him. ............................... Cordelia was relieved that both Angel and Drusilla had moved away from her. Her mind really wasn't on herself. She kept hearing Angel's last words, ..... "when I have her boyfriend." A number of vampires came into the room. Cordelia tried to close off her thoughts, seeing she could hear what they were saying. "We should just kill her now, " Spike argued, " this game's pointless. Why worry about the boy, we should be killing the Slayer." Angel had by this time had more than enough of Spike's objections, "Listen Spike, if you don't like it, there's the door. Remember that you failed pretty miserably in getting the Slayer. To kill Buffy, you need to kill her from the inside. First you take her friends, then her family and then maybe you will be able to kill her." " Well Angel, I am telling you that if you don't get some results tonight, you and me are going to have to have a talk." Angel looked like he would strike Spike there and then. Instead he smiled, "I will be looking forward to it Spike." .................. "C'mon let's get going already," Xander was calling from the door. "Just a sec, Xander," Giles said, "Buffy over here". Buffy came over to Giles, who was looking at one of the Holy Water containers, "One of them is missing some fluid," he said. "Wow there's a puzzle," she replied, "who cares, there's plenty left. We have to get going. You grab those three containers and I grab the rest." With that Buffy and Giles caught up with Willow, Oz and Xander at the door. Rushing past them, Buffy turned around, "Well are you ready? " She kept on walking. Willow and Oz immediately followed, with Giles just behind them. Xander looked at them for a moment and then tapped his jacket pocket. "You don't know just how ready I am," he said to himself, before setting off with them. **************************************************************** hazman@powerup.com.au Visit Slayer's Down Under at http://www.powerup.com.au/~hazman/index3.htm The Offical Keeper of: "There is a beautiful, big full moon outside tonight. It doesn't get more romantic than this. So shut up!" - Cordelia [Phases] **************************************************************** - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Andrew Parkinson Subject: BUFFYFIC: Sacrifices of Love 7/14 Date: 31 Mar 1998 02:32:15 +1000 Sacrifices of Love 7/14 Author: Andrew Parkinson hazman@powerup.com.au Rating: Ratings for each chapter would vary, but the story overall contains, PG13 for Sexual Scenes and Discussion and TV14 for violence and action scenes.(This is only a saftey barrier for people who may be offended. The actual content may not be that high depending on your point of view) Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, situation and settings belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox. This story is written for the sake of enjoyment for fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This story is not intended to infringe on copyright and is not to be used by anyone else or myself for commercial gain. Spoiler/Setting for the Story: Set after Killed By Death, so anything that has happened on the show before that episode is fair game. Author's note: This Story is set aprox 2 months after "Killed By Death". Feedback: Yes Please.....This is my first story since high school, so I am very interested in feedback. ************************************ Chapter 7 Xander and Cordelia came through the Library doors at the same time. They saw Buffy, Giles, Willow and Oz, sitting around a computer terminal. Willow looked up from her computer terminal, "Here's the happy couple Giles." Xander and Cordelia looked and each other, "nah" they both said. They went over to a couple of the spare seats. "So what's up this morning?" Xander asked. Giles answered, "Buffy had a visit from Angel last night." "Oh God, are you O.K.?" Cordelia asked "Yeah I'm Fine", still trying to come to grips that Cordelia actually showed concern these days, "It was more of a psychological meeting." Xander leaned forward on the table, "So what did he want?" Buffy looked him straight in the eye; "He wanted to tell me that one of my friends would die tonight." Cordelia got up off her chair, "O.K. now look, is it only me that sees that we are all in danger here. I mean hello! We have been told one of us will die tonight, let's like get out of here" "To where Cordelia?" Willow asked, not really expecting an answer, "We have lived with Angels death threat for months. So he said it again. It's not like he hasn't tried to kill us before." "Yes, but why tempt fate?" she replied. "Cordelia, no-one knows more than me the danger you are in. If you weren't friends of mine you wouldn't be in that danger. You would of course be in as much danger as the rest of the population. But I think we should still go out tonight. Let's face it we will all be together. And I really don't want to boast but my training job is coming along quite well," she looked at Giles, "... our training job." Giles looked at Buffy and then at Cordelia, "Cordelia, you are of course free to stay at home, you will be safe there, but as Buffy has told me in no uncertain terms, you are teenagers, you need to go out occasionally." Cordelia was looking at Xander wondering why he hadn't said anything. He noticed her staring and shrugged his shoulder, "I say we go out. I am sick of Angel trying to run our lives." Giles sat down again, "Now look, there are a couple of things that you should all do. Number One; carry your crosses. It won't save you but it will give you a little time. Number Two; arrive there in daylight. That will eliminate one of the most obvious potential attack places. Number Three; stay together, it will harder to attack you as a group. Number 4 do not go anywhere by yourself. We all know they can get into the Bronze so don't trust anyone. Lastly, take a stock of tools to use against them if you have to. Of course only things you can hide, otherwise you won't get in." The group nodded in agreement. "Well I think the School Bell has already rung, you better stay here till next class and hope Principal Snyder doesn't come looking for you." ............................... Buffy felt a shiver as she closed the door to her house. "That was weird," she thought, as she wiped the sweat from your forehead. She had come to get use to the strange feeling in Sunnydale. Part of it was her slayer abilities, but she was sure it was almost as nature was sending clues to everyone, that there was something seriously wrong in this place. She glanced at her watch; "good there's a couple of hours till I have to meet up with everybody". Buffy was tired more mentally than physically. She was tired of the constant battle with Angel, made worse by the knowledge that it's not his fault he's like he is. It took her a while but she was now certain she could kill him if the need arose. Of course she hadn't yet so there was always the doubt in her mind that she could follow through if she needed to. What she wanted was to do nothing but soak in a bath for an hour or so, a reasonably normal thing to do for any teenager. "If only I was one," she whispered to herself. ................. Xander looked at himself in the mirror. "Oh god, the geek is back," he said, thinking it was to himself. "Xander, please, it's not as if I love you for your fashion sense. That would be sick", Cordelia said as she came up behind him, putting her arms around his waist. "And I see your fashion sense hasn't helped me, doesn't say much for your future in the industry" Xander returned. "Xander, darling, If I thought I had a shot at helping I would have. Afraid my time was taken up with getting you to chew and talk at different times." Xander took a last look at the mirror and turned to face Cordelia, "I thought you would be more happy I have learnt to breathe through my nose, it certainly makes kissing much more enjoyable" "Yes it does," she replied just before her lips met his. .................... "The time approaches, Angel", Spike called from the other room, "Hurry Up" Angel surveyed the room. He had spent the last hour making sure the room was exactly how he wanted it to be. "I'm almost done, Spike. I am just waiting for a special delivery from my old dwellings, then I will be ready." Spike came from one of the entrances and looked around the room. He didn't understand Angel's need for this. He wanted to kill the Slayer, quickly. Get her out of the way and then they would be free to do as they please. "Mind you," he thought, "It would be good to punish the Slayer". Spike thought about it once more and came to the conclusion that if Angel's plan did not work tonight, then maybe it would be time to make a move. "Hmmm, I win both ways" he chuckled to himself, forgetting the fact that sound traveled in the warehouse. "What's that Spike" Angel enquired moving towards him. "Nothing Angel, just dreaming of dead Slayers," Spike replied hoping Angel didn't see in his eyes what he was planning. "So what are you bringing from your old apartment?" Angel looked Spike straight in the eye, "something that will make the night complete." **************************************************************** hazman@powerup.com.au Visit Slayer's Down Under at http://www.powerup.com.au/~hazman/index3.htm The Offical Keeper of: "There is a beautiful, big full moon outside tonight. It doesn't get more romantic than this. So shut up!" - Cordelia [Phases] **************************************************************** - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Andrew Parkinson Subject: BUFFYFIC: Sacrifices of Love 3/14 Date: 31 Mar 1998 02:28:10 +1000 Sacrifices of Love 3/14 Author: Andrew Parkinson hazman@powerup.com.au Rating: Ratings for each chapter would vary, but the story overall contains, PG13 for Sexual Scenes and Discussion and TV14 for violence and action scenes.(This is only a saftey barrier for people who may be offended. The actual content may not be that high depending on your point of view) Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, situation and settings belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox. This story is written for the sake of enjoyment for fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This story is not intended to infringe on copyright and is not to be used by anyone else or myself for commercial gain. Spoiler/Setting for the Story: Set after Killed By Death, so anything that has happened on the show before that episode is fair game. Author's note: This Story is set aprox 2 months after "Killed By Death". Feedback: Yes Please.....This is my first story since high school, so I am very interested in feedback. ************************************ Chapter 3 "Hi Giles," Buffy said as she entered the school's library with Willow. Giles looked up from his book and muttered a greeting. He was obviously engrossed. "What ya reading?" Buffy asked. "Oh .. Research on Angel, you know information gives you the advantage" "Oh" Buffy responded and immediately wished she hadn't asked. "Buffy, I can not let that happen again" Buffy knew exactly what he was talking about. "Giles, we can't let that happen again. O.K.?" she smiled at him. He looked at her and gave his best reassuring smile he could. "Hi Guys", Xander said as he and Cordelia walked through the library doors, "What's up?" "More Doom and Gloom," Buffy responded. "Oh, nothing new then," Cordelia said as Xander and she took their seats at the table. Giles gave her a stern look, "Cordelia you have to take this seriously. Angel is one of the most vicious of vampires I have records on." Cordelia looked at him as a child would, when a parent chastised it. Before she could respond Buffy took Giles aside. "Giles, We have heard this all before. I know he is dangerous. The simple fact he's still alive proves to me that he's different than most of the other vamps around. We are all still here. In fact some of us are prospering," she said as she glanced at Xander and Cordelia, who were now busy gazing into each other's eyes. Giles looked over and rolled his eyes, turning to face the group, "Now listen all of you. I have spent the night research the history of Angel. Yes you have lived with Angel's threats for months. But it's because you are still alive, that is why you are now in greater danger." The gang all stopped what they were doing and looked at Giles, not so much because of what he said but because of his tone, the tone of a schoolteacher talking down to grade school students. It was not a tone they liked and it was not a tone they usually heard from Giles. "O.K., I give. Tell us all about it?" Buffy asked "We have all for the last few months been living with the danger of Angel targeting us in a way to get to Buffy. So far we have resisted all attempts. Angel will be getting very frustrated. His history shows he is use to getting his way. Now while this may cause some people to be careless and make mistakes, it has been shown in Angel's past that he gets more and more determined, more vicious, in short more dangerous." He moved over to seat and the head of the table and sat down. "Angel is particularly nasty. He does not kill people just for blood. Of course he does feed on unsuspecting people, but he is a hunter and I do not mean just a physical hunter. He likes to pick a victim, usually a girl, get to know her and then destroy her life, before destroying her. Sometimes he makes them into his consort, until he gets bored and he moves along." Giles put the book down on the desk and sat at the head of it. He took off his glasses and cleaned them, while continuing, "He goes after the friends and family of his victim. Picking them off one by one. Driving his victim crazy. Sometimes he befriends the victim and pretends to be helping her through her pain, until unleashing the final agony of telling her what he has done. Sometimes he makes sure he kills her friends and family in front of her, and sometimes he takes years. It's a game to him. He needs to enjoy it. I have a feeling he hasn't had much enjoyment since Jenny." Giles voice faded slightly as he said her name. "O.K. you have my attention, what can we do?" Buffy enquired. "Well I am sorry to say there's not much else we can do. We have made all of your places safe, we have started training you all in self defense, I think the usual, never be alone, always carry a weapon, don't go down dark alleys" Giles shrugged his shoulders as he realized it was not much of a solution. "Well O.K. fine. We all know the score, but he will win if we let it stuff with our lives as well. So I say let's be careful but enjoy ourselves. Bronze tomorrow night?" Buffy retorted "I give up," Giles said as he walked away. "Giles, wait," Buffy said as she got out of her chair and grabbed Giles arm, "look I know if we stay at home we will be safe, but Oz's band is playing tomorrow at the Bronze. I think it's best that we are all there together. Look if we all go to the Bronze, we will not only be together but we will also be in a crowded place. It's about as safe a place there is if we want to go out" "I suppose you are right." Giles relented. "Well guys, as interesting as this is we have about thirty seconds to get to class," Cordelia said. "Yes, you're right, off you go" Giles said. **************************************************************** hazman@powerup.com.au Visit Slayer's Down Under at http://www.powerup.com.au/~hazman/index3.htm The Offical Keeper of: "There is a beautiful, big full moon outside tonight. It doesn't get more romantic than this. So shut up!" - Cordelia [Phases] **************************************************************** - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Andrew Parkinson Subject: BUFFYFIC: Sacrifices of Love 2/14 Date: 31 Mar 1998 02:26:14 +1000 Sacrifices of Love 2/14 Author: Andrew Parkinson hazman@powerup.com.au Rating: Ratings for each chapter would vary, but the story overall contains, PG13 for Sexual Scenes and Discussion and TV14 for violence and action scenes.(This is only a saftey barrier for people who may be offended. The actual content may not be that high depending on your point of view) Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, situation and settings belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox. This story is written for the sake of enjoyment for fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This story is not intended to infringe on copyright and is not to be used by anyone else or myself for commercial gain. Spoiler/Setting for the Story: Set after Killed By Death, so anything that has happened on the show before that episode is fair game. Author's note: This Story is set aprox 2 months after "Killed By Death". Feedback: Yes Please.....This is my first story since high school, so I am very interested in feedback. ************************************ Chapter 2 Sunnydale High 8.00am May 1st 1998 Giles sat reading at his desk. To say he was engrossed would be an understatement. Ever since the fateful night that Angel's curse had been lifted and his soul had been taken again, he had become his worst nightmare. Something that was compounded with Angel's brutal murder of Jenny. He had to beat him, for Jenny, for Buffy and maybe more importantly for his own soul. The school library had become the unofficial headquarters of Buffy and her friends. Of course that was to be expected, as Giles was the School Librarian. The library was an unusual design. The books were mostly situated on a raised level at the back, which curled around the bottom level. It was amazing the library still looked as good, considering the number of vampires and various demons that had been fought there. Giles had a dignified reserved air about him. He was in his early forties, and considered quite handsome, not by himself but then again he didn't concern himself in those matters. His English accent accentuated people's perception that he was stand offish and a little bit full of himself. The truth was that he was very serious about the job that he had been born into, that of a watcher. Not that it had always been that way, he had dabbled in some questionable practices while at university and they had come back to haunt him, but since then he had been very focused. Perhaps that's why he had been so lenient with Buffy. By all accounts she should have kept her Slayer position secret and been dedicated to the task needed to the exception of all other things. That pretty much changed on the first couple of days after he met her. Now it seemed that more people knew about Buffy's supposed secret than didn't, although in reality only five people knew, not counting the vampires. He knew he had become almost a father figure to her, and he had no problem returning those feelings. She was a very easy person to be loyal to. ............................................................................ ....... Outside in the school grounds, Buffy and her best friend Willow sat chatting on one of the benches that dotted the central quad. Buffy was the elder looking of the two had mid length blonde hair, was in the mid five feet height and had a pleasant optimistic face, that often showed a much more serious side to those who could look past the obvious features. Willow, although the same age and height looked a good deal younger, she had long mid brown hair, although it had a tendency to look red more often than not, and the face of an innocent naive teenager. Buffy had remarked a number of times with a wry grin that Willow could never be accused of doing something wrong as she looked too innocent to do anything wrong. "So fill me in, how was the date last night with Oz?" Buffy asked, with obvious happiness that Willow's relationship was still going strong. "Oh fine, fine...he kisses so good.' Willow blushed and giggled at the same time. "I saw stars, or something, it was really good." "Chalk another one up for romance," Buffy said. Willow saw a little glint of sadness in Buffy's eyes. She knew it still hurt her so bad that Angel was now her enemy, instead of her lover. What made it worse was because Buffy had made love to Angel, her first time, it had caused the curse to be lifted. Buffy saw Willow looking at her. She tried to keep her pain hidden as much as possible from her friends, especially since she didn't want to be a downer on their relationships. Change the subject she thought. "So have you seen Xander today?" she asked. "No. He's probably meeting up with Cordelia." "Weird I didn't think that would last. I mean I love Xander and nothing against Cordelia but them together...go figure!" "Well I am going out with a Werewolf, I don't think I can really comment." Buffy and Willow looked at each other and laughed. ............................................................................ ....... Xander Harris felt great. For years he was a bit of a joke. To guys he was a dork; to girls he was the guy who perennially asked them out in the vain hope that one of them would say yes. Although he had suffered a big let down when Buffy had rebuked him almost twelve months ago, he still counted her as one of his best friends and then there was Willow. He knew of course she had a crush on him, but it was an ironic twist of fate, while he was chasing Buffy, when all she wanted to do was stay friends, Willow had the same feelings for him and all he did want was to stay friends. Everything changed four months ago and he never could have guessed in his wildest dreams what or more importantly who would change things. Cordelia Chase. She had put him down almost everyday in the last twelve years. Yet in all their sarcastic barbs that flew between the two their feelings changed for one and other. In fact they first kissed straight after yet another shouting match. It almost seemed that they would either kiss or hit each other. Well they were holed up in Buffy's basement hiding from a bug man bounty hunter. Cordelia although growing to love Xander found it hard to believe that she was feeling the things she was for the same person she and her friends had ridiculed for so long. So much so she swore Xander to secrecy for weeks, until Willow discovered them kissing. Then she had even broken up with him because her friends had put pressure on her. Eventually it was a failed spell Xander had arranged to put on Cordelia, which backfired that finally convinced Cordelia that her feelings for Xander were more important than her friends. "Xander?" called Cordelia as she walked up the front steps at the school. She was a person of striking beauty; five feet 8 inches, long dark hair, and a smile than Xander would die for. She was of course wearing the latest outfit that she considered in, on that day. Xander turned around and smiled, "Cordy," they greeted each other with a kiss. "So still dressing in the dark?" Cordelia asked "Yes well, I felt I should do my bit to conserve all the electricity that you use. You know, hot water, hair dryer etc.." "Well fair enough then" **************************************************************** hazman@powerup.com.au Visit Slayer's Down Under at http://www.powerup.com.au/~hazman/index3.htm The Offical Keeper of: "There is a beautiful, big full moon outside tonight. It doesn't get more romantic than this. So shut up!" - Cordelia [Phases] **************************************************************** - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Andrew Parkinson Subject: BUFFYFIC: Sacrifices of Love 14/14 Date: 31 Mar 1998 02:38:13 +1000 Sacrifices of Love 14/14 Author: Andrew Parkinson hazman@powerup.com.au Rating: Ratings for each chapter would vary, but the story overall contains, PG13 for Sexual Scenes and Discussion and TV14 for violence and action scenes.(This is only a saftey barrier for people who may be offended. The actual content may not be that high depending on your point of view) Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, situation and settings belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox. This story is written for the sake of enjoyment for fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This story is not intended to infringe on copyright and is not to be used by anyone else or myself for commercial gain. Spoiler/Setting for the Story: Set after Killed By Death, so anything that has happened on the show before that episode is fair game. Author's note: This Story is set aprox 2 months after "Killed By Death". Feedback: Yes Please.....This is my first story since high school, so I am very interested in feedback. ************************************ Chapter 14 Later that day Cordelia's house Cordelia smiled as Willow finished putting the last of the dressings on her arms. Thankfully the blood on her face had been mostly from her arms and she only had a few bruisers. She moved her head over and rested in on Xander's chest. They were half sitting, half lying on the lounge in the living room. Buffy and Giles emerged from the kitchen with drinks for everyone. Buffy raised a glass, " I didn't think we would be here right now and I don't know what the future will have in store for us. I can say however that I am so proud to have you as my friends. I love you guys." "Hear Hear," Willow added. ........................... Xander came down the stairs into the living room. Buffy and Giles were there, Willow and Oz having already gone home. "She O.K.?" Buffy asked. "Yep, she's sleeping. I'm hoping that she doesn't have any nightmares," Xander replied. "I think that even if she does, it will be less traumatic than what she has just been through," Giles said, "did she say anything to you?" "Not really, apart from the fact that I was meant to be the one taken from the Bronze. I think Angel had thought that she wouldn't be a big enough bait for you to come, Buffy," Xander said. "Well it looks like Angel does not know you as well as he thinks Buffy," Giles replied, " and certainly won't underestimate you again Xander. I wish you had told us what you were planning." Xander looked down. "Xander?" Buffy asked. He looked up, his eyes tear stained. "I was so scared. I couldn't tell you what I was planning, because for one I didn't know if I would go through with it and also you wouldn't have let me" 'Well maybe, maybe not" Giles interjected. "No you don't understand. What happened wasn't my original plan. I thought Cordelia was dead. I didn't have your confidence that she would still be alive when we got there. So I filled the needle with Holy Water and kept it in my pocket. My only plan was a selfish one. I was going to kill Angel. I didn't care about the mission, I wanted revenge. It was only when I got there and saw everyone fighting as hard as they could to rescue her that I knew I had to do something else." Buffy moved over to him and put an arm around his shoulders, "You are being too hard on yourself, those feelings are very normal," she said. "Yes," Giles said softly, "I should know." "The point is you came through and I refuse to put it down to your experience last Halloween," Buffy gave him a hug. She looked at Giles, 'I think we should be going". "Yes we should," Giles agreed as he got up. Buffy turned to Xander, "Are you going to be able to look after Cordelia?" "Yes that won't be a problem. Her folks are away till Sunday night, so hopefully we will have a good cover story sorted out by then," Xander said with a smile. Xander let Buffy and Giles out the front door and locked it. He went up the stairs to Cordelia's bedroom. She was still sleeping peacefully. He got out of his jeans and shirt and slipped into bed beside her, wrapping his arms around her. Her body seemed to move back to him as he held her tight. Lying there Xander could almost believe they didn't have a trouble in the world. **************************************************************** hazman@powerup.com.au Visit Slayer's Down Under at http://www.powerup.com.au/~hazman/index3.htm The Offical Keeper of: "There is a beautiful, big full moon outside tonight. It doesn't get more romantic than this. So shut up!" - Cordelia [Phases] **************************************************************** - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Andrew Parkinson Subject: BUFFYFIC: Sacrifices of Love 12/14 Date: 31 Mar 1998 02:36:29 +1000 Sacrifices of Love 12/14 Author: Andrew Parkinson hazman@powerup.com.au Rating: Ratings for each chapter would vary, but the story overall contains, PG13 for Sexual Scenes and Discussion and TV14 for violence and action scenes.(This is only a saftey barrier for people who may be offended. The actual content may not be that high depending on your point of view) Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, situation and settings belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox. This story is written for the sake of enjoyment for fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This story is not intended to infringe on copyright and is not to be used by anyone else or myself for commercial gain. Spoiler/Setting for the Story: Set after Killed By Death, so anything that has happened on the show before that episode is fair game. Author's note: This Story is set aprox 2 months after "Killed By Death". = =20 Feedback: Yes Please.....This is my first story since high school, so I am very interested in feedback. ************************************ Chapter 12 "Let her go you bloodsucking bastard!" Xander screamed at Angel, trying to get to him. Buffy still held on to him, not wanting Xander to rush something when she knew it was going to take a lot of precision to get out of here. "If I was you I would drop those cross bows, otherwise you can all watch me slit her throat and lap up the blood," Angel demanded. =20 Buffy didn't want to, knowing that she lost the advantage, but looking around she decided that she should accept his orders for now. She had heard a saying once, "Where there's life, there's hope". She motioned to Giles to put his weapon down. Angel got off the bed and walked a few paces ahead. Drusilla immediately sat down next to Cordelia and started playing with her hair. Much the same way a predator plays with its food. "And get your witch away as well," Xander ordered. "Oh Geek boy thinks he can order us. Listen worm, I can kill her so easily, all I have to do is give Dru a look and you will be back to lonely nights with the playboy channel. Besides Cordelia has served her purpose. She has no reason to live anymore, so don't tempt me," Angel hissed at= Xander. Xander looked at Buffy. She knew what he was going to suggest, "No Xander don't," she yelled. "I'm sorry Buffy," Xander replied then turned around to face Angel, "take me instead, let her go." Cordelia tried all she could to shout but with the gag she couldn't. Drusilla bent down over her and whispered, "don't worry love, Xander won't die alone tonight. My Angel will see to that." Angel gave the impression he was thinking it over. It was of course exactly what he was expecting. "How noble," Angel replied. "Stuff you, now let her go," Xander yelled and at the same time he finally broke away from Buffy's grip. "You know, I think I will enjoy killing you myself, Cordelia and your friends won't make it out of here alive anyway, but if you want to give yourself to me so easily, fine," he motioned Drusilla to untie Cordelia, "get her up". Drusilla untied Cordelia's arms and legs. She was about to untie her gag, when Angel interjected, "Leave the gag on. I can't stand to listen to her prattling mouth." After she was released Cordelia tried to stand but found that she had no feeling in her legs. She crashed to the floor. Xander rushed over to help her up. Angel thought about grabbing him then but decided that now wasn't the time to improvise. His plan was going exactly as he had thought it would. He also wanted Cordelia to be very alert when he snapped Xander's neck. " After all if a boy is killed when no-one is around did it really happen," he laughed at his own thought. Xander picked up Cordelia and carried her back to their friends, handing her to Giles. He never took his eyes off her until he reached the group. Her eyes haunting his soul. He inwardly shuddered thinking about what she must have gone through. He slowly looked up at Giles, "Take care of her." Giles nodded slowly, his heart pounding with admiration for the actions Xander was taking. Xander once again looked down at Cordelia. Her eyes were filled with tears. He pulled the gag aside, to expose a portion of her lips. He bent down and lightly kissed her whispering, "I love you, I will love you always." Cordelia grabbed hold of him, she did not want to let go. He whispered in her ear, "We have a plan. Be ready, this is going to be rough". He backed away from her looking her straight in the eye. She looked back. Her mood had changed from heartache to incredulous. Her eyes were screaming at Xander, "You have got to be kidding." Xander looked over at Buffy, then Willow and then Oz. He hoped that the others would realize that he had changed the plan around. He had decided there was no choice, he had to get Cordelia away. He looked very carefully, straight at his friends, longer than any normal look would be for. Buffy looked back, a flicker of realization entering her stare. "Xander if this works out you and me are going to have a talk about following a plan, " she thought. Xander turned around and walked slowly towards Angel. He was hoping that the couple of months training would allow him to provide the diversion needed. He looked at Angel. His heart was turning to hate. He was fighting the urge to go over and try to rip out his throat. Angel motioned for Spike and Drusilla to take Xander and bring him over. Spike was less than impressed. He couldn't understand why they just didn't kill them all. He used to enjoy Angel's little games, but that was before this latest Slayer. She was too dangerous to mess around with. Spike had a contingency plan. He had decided to let Angel have his little game, but if things went wrong he would bring in the rest of them and save the day. That would not only show up Angel in the eyes of the other vampires but more importantly would show Drusilla that Angel was not the infallible person she thought he was. He looked over at her. She bounded across to take hold of the boy like an over eager dog, hoping to please its master. He took hold of Xander's left arm while Drusilla took hold of his right.=20 Once Xander was held, Angel came up to him, grabbing his hair reefing his neck back, "I am going to enjoy this almost as much as when I kill Buffy" "I will give you a final warning. Let go now" Xander screamed, not expecting any success except delaying Angel' attack. It worked. Angel looked down at Xander and laughed, "Xander you insignificant piece of filth, you are the appetizer, your friends the entr=E9e, and Buffy is the desert. You are all going to die. I just wanted to kill you first." The delay however had given Xander enough time to make eye contact with Buffy; signaling that he and she were ready. He knew that this was it. "NOW!" he shouted. =20 Buffy and Giles reached into their jackets and pulled out a couple of bottles that were filled with Holy Water. Buffy threw one straight at Angel, while Giles through his at Spike. Angel was about to grab Xander's neck and snap it when he heard Xander shout. He turned around to see what he was shouting at and got hit straight in the face with the bottle Buffy threw. The Holy Water started to burn; Angel recoiled in pain and screamed loudly. Almost simultaneously the other bottle smashed into the right side of Spike's face. The water covered Xander and Drusilla on her left side. As soon as the bottle hit, Xander was able to get away, taking advantage of his captors' agony. Drusilla and Spike had not been hit with as much water as Angel, but none the less they could feel their skin burning. Angel could just make out the moving image of Xander. The water had effected his eyesight. He yelled, "Get him, get them all!" The dozen vampires that had been stationed around the room had already started to move in. Buffy and Giles picked up the crossbows and started firing. Quickly five of them hit the ground and dissipated into dust. Willow and Oz had been protecting Cordelia, but knew they had to do something more now. Taking a hold of one of the remaining three bottles of Holy Water, Willow opened the top and sprayed it in a semi-circle at the oncoming vampires. Four of them went down screaming, then ran out of there. Xander by this time had reached them and grabbed a stake. He moved over to take hold of Cordelia. She put her arms around him,=20 "Stay behind me!" Xander said. A vampire attacked, Xander ducked and was able to land the stake into its heart. Xander sighed with relief. Buffy had explained that if the vampires were new they probably would not be that difficult to kill, however if there were old vampires around, they would be in trouble. Thankfully it seemed that that one was not that experienced. ........ Spike looked around at the scene in front of him. Half his face was burnt quite severely, if it wasn't for the bottle hitting only his right side he would be in more pain. "Damn Angel, "he thought. He grabbed Drusilla, "come on love let's get out of here." "What about Angel, " she asked. Spike looked down at her burned face, "Angel has dug his own grave and now I will have to get him out". Spike picked her up and carried her to one of the doorways. When he got there he set Drusilla down and turned to his= left. From out of the darkness a vampire came up to him. "You left Angel in there?" it asked. "I couldn't save him, "Spike sort of lied, he didn't try," see if you can." "What do you want us to do?" "Get them" was all Spike needed to say. ................. Buffy staked a vampire in front of her. She quickly looked around. There was only one left, and it was fighting with Giles. She moved over and landed a kick to the back of its head. As it fell to the ground she pounced on it and staked it threw the heart. She looked back at her friends. "C'mon, let's get out of here," she yelled. They turned to run out of the door when all of the sudden the room started filling with Vampires, from each doorway and from above, they were suddenly surrounded by fifty vampires and they were closing in. **************************************************************** hazman@powerup.com.au Visit Slayer's Down Under at http://www.powerup.com.au/~hazman/index3.htm The Offical Keeper of: "There is a beautiful, big full moon outside tonight. It doesn't get more romantic than this. So shut up!" - Cordelia [Phases] **************************************************************** - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Andrew Parkinson Subject: BUFFYFIC: Sacrifices of Love 11/14 Date: 31 Mar 1998 02:38:22 +1000 Sacrifices of Love 11/14 Author: Andrew Parkinson hazman@powerup.com.au Rating: Ratings for each chapter would vary, but the story overall contains, PG13 for Sexual Scenes and Discussion and TV14 for violence and action scenes.(This is only a saftey barrier for people who may be offended. The actual content may not be that high depending on your point of view) Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, situation and settings belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox. This story is written for the sake of enjoyment for fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This story is not intended to infringe on copyright and is not to be used by anyone else or myself for commercial gain. Spoiler/Setting for the Story: Set after Killed By Death, so anything that has happened on the show before that episode is fair game. Author's note: This Story is set aprox 2 months after "Killed By Death". Feedback: Yes Please.....This is my first story since high school, so I am very interested in feedback. ************************************ Chapter 11 "Ahhh..." Cordelia's scream filled the hall. Angel had removed the gag. Cordelia assumed it was only to hear her screams, and judging from the smile that grew on his face, it seemed to be true. Angel crouched over her, running a knife along her forearm from elbow to wrist. Cordelia's arms looked like a tiger had mauled her. She had parallel lines running along the front of the arms, the blood of which was congealing on the mattress beneath her. "Oh come-on Cordelia, show a bit of mettle, I haven't even got to you pretty face yet," Angel smirked as he ran the knife across her chest. "Why don't you just kill me you bastard," Cordelia shouted at him, spitting in his face at the same time. Angel roughly struck her across the cheek. "Now now, be nice. Your screams are music to my ears ... but I am not against putting the gag back on," Angel said. " You are alive for one reason, you don't matter enough to kill now. Once I have an audience, then it's different. Killing in front of loved ones always delivers a more powerful effect. It's sort of poetic in a way, " he reached slightly ran his fingers across Cordelia's lips, "although I am toying with the idea of letting you go, after your face has had a few touch ups, I think it would do wonders for your personality." He picked up the knife and brought it closer to her face. "No. I think that having Xander see his girlfriend a bloody mess than killed in front of his eyes should be more than enough stimulus for the desired effect." He brought the knife down and rested it next to her left ear, "How would you like a quick and easy face lift?" Cordelia screamed again and tried to push Angel away but could only thrash on the bed as her bounds were to tight. "Now, now Cordelia, don't move. I would hate to poke an eye out," he cautioned, "well actually I couldn't give a damn, but Drusilla has already got dibs on the eyes." Before Angel could start cutting another Vampire came up behind him, "Angel, they are coming, should we go and meet them?" " No let them come. Once inside I want guards posted on all exits," he shoved the vampire away, who crawled away like a dog that knew he had done something wrong and was hoping for forgiveness. "Ah sweet Cordelia, our time has come to an end. It was short but ever so sweet," Angel said. He then put the gag over Cordelia's mouth and retreated. Cordelia looked around. She could see no one. She knew they were there, but they were in hiding. Waiting for her friends to come. She knew she could not warn them. ......................... Buffy and the Gang were crouched behind some crates about fifty feet away from the entrance to the warehouse. "O.K. guys we have probably already been spotted. I expect them to come from all sides. Giles and I will go up front with the crossbows, but remember we only have ten arrows between us. Once they attack there will not be anytime to reload. I know the rest of you are not trained for this but this is Cordelia's only hope. If she is alive, they won't keep her that way for long," Buffy patted Xander on the shoulder for support. Buffy, Giles and the others went towards the entrance. While they were not running, they were walking at a fairly brisk pace. Giles and Buffy at front, Willow and Oz in the middle and Xander making up the rear. Buffy was very surprised that they had made it to the doorway without any sign of attack. She motioned for everyone to stop. She poked her head around the corner. She couldn't see anyone, she could feel them, but there was no one in sight. She moved the party forward. The pace had slowed, with so little light to guide them it would be difficult to see a surprise attack, even more so if running. "Giles, I don't like this," Buffy said. "Neither do I. They should have attacked," Giles replied as they reached the entrance of the main hall. "I think they have something planned for us in there and I don't think we will like it." When the reached the entrance, Buffy had motioned everyone to stop. She went by herself a couple of paces forward. She still couldn't see anyone. She moved further forward. "Buffy wait!" Giles said as loud as he dared. Buffy didn't respond. Giles looked at her and decided he had no choice. He motioned the rest of the group forward. They moved slowly towards the center of the hall. They reached the old wooden table and eight chairs that surrounded it. They still couldn't see anyone and apart from Buffy's feelings had no tangible evidence that any vampires were there. Suddenly there was movement. A footstep to the left. Shuffling of legs on the other side. Then suddenly a huge bang as the front entrance door was slammed shut. Vampires, maybe a dozen or more came out of the shadows as if appearing in mid air. The came slowly forward. Forming a circle around the group. A red light filled the hall and in front of them a large black curtain fell down. Willow let out a scream. Xander was about to run forward but Buffy held him back. She looked straight ahead. The hate in her heart growing steadily. In front of them was Angel, holding a knife to Cordelia's throat. On either side of them were Spike and Drusilla. Cordelia was heavily bleeding from her arms and face. Although the wounds on her face seemed to be from being struck, the wounds on her arms were definitely inflicted by a blade. She was gagged and tied down on a bed. Buffy knew that bed. Yet another reminder of a night which has turned out to be memorable in all the wrong ways. It was the bed that she and Angel made love on. In a way it was the bed Angel died on as well. Now it looked like it was going to be where Cordelia died as well. "Buffy, so nice of you to grace us with your presence. You have missed most of the fun but I assure you the climax will be a killer," Angel said, the last few words coming out in a horrific laugh. **************************************************************** hazman@powerup.com.au Visit Slayer's Down Under at http://www.powerup.com.au/~hazman/index3.htm The Offical Keeper of: "There is a beautiful, big full moon outside tonight. It doesn't get more romantic than this. So shut up!" - Cordelia [Phases] **************************************************************** - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Andrew Parkinson Subject: BUFFYFIC: Sacrifices of Love 13/14 Date: 31 Mar 1998 02:38:29 +1000 Sacrifices of Love 13/14 Author: Andrew Parkinson hazman@powerup.com.au Rating: Ratings for each chapter would vary, but the story overall contains, PG13 for Sexual Scenes and Discussion and TV14 for violence and action scenes.(This is only a saftey barrier for people who may be offended. The actual content may not be that high depending on your point of view) Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, situation and settings belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox. This story is written for the sake of enjoyment for fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This story is not intended to infringe on copyright and is not to be used by anyone else or myself for commercial gain. Spoiler/Setting for the Story: Set after Killed By Death, so anything that has happened on the show before that episode is fair game. Author's note: This Story is set aprox 2 months after "Killed By Death". Feedback: Yes Please.....This is my first story since high school, so I am very interested in feedback. ************************************ Chapter 13 "Oh my god!" Buffy said as she saw the room fill up with vampires, "Giles, our plan has gone a bit out of the window, what do we do?" "I don't know Buffy, try and get everyone closer to the door as we fight them off, it may be our only chance," he replied. Buffy tried to get them all moving but in doing that the first couple of vampires attacked, she suddenly had two of them on her. She got in a few kicks enabling her to survey the area. Giles, Willow and Xander were all fighting off vampires. She knew they could not last much longer. The vampires had gathered in a group in front of them, almost like a pack of hyenas waiting for the lions to leave the scraps. Xander kicked the vampire away and then staked the vampire who was attacking Willow in the back. He grabbed Willow and placed her next to Cordelia and Oz. "Stay here!" he said. He looked up and also noticed the pack in front of them. He also noticed Angel, who had been writhing on the floor in agony had now got to his feet and looked like he was preparing to attack, "Maybe that was why they were waiting," he wondered. He knocked his front pocket and remembered the little surprise he had planned for Angel. He quickly thought about it and decided there was no other choice. We ran over and grabbed the last bottle of Holy Water. Buffy saw him do it, it between kicking another vampire, "What are doing Xander?" "Just hold on for a minute, I'll get you out of here," he replied. "Xander!" Cordelia yelled when she noticed he was moving towards the pack. Xander did not acknowledge her. He didn't want to face her for fear he would not be able to get through with this. The vampires looked surprised that one of the group was moving to face them. The delay did not last long, as they moved forward, Xander sprayed the last remaining water from the bottle, showering the vast majority of them. He knew however that it would not be enough to kill them, or even immobilize them for long. He got however the desired effect when they started worrying more about their burning faces than his friends. He took his chance and went threw the pack, straight to Angel. Angel had seen Xander coming but in this haze that was his eyesight now, he didn't see Xander clearly. Angel struck out at the blur that was Xander. It missed as Xander ducked and leg swept Angel's legs out from under him. Xander jumped on top of Angel pounding on him. "Spike!" Angel shouted. "Sorry to disappoint you, Spike has already taken off, "Xander informed him with glee, "It's just you and me," Xander reached into his pocket and pulled out a syringe. Angel started to turn himself over when he felt a pin prick in his back. "Now I don't know if this will kill you or not, but judging by what the Holy Water has done to your face, I would say injecting it into you heart is not going to give you just heartburn." Angel tried to move again, but felt the needle being pressed further in. ........................... Buffy had succeeded in keeping the remaining vampires at bay, but now the main group had started to recover. She got her friends together behind her and started to move towards the doorway. "We can't leave Xander," Cordelia said. "Cordy I don't want to leave him but he did what he did to give us a chance", Buffy replied, 'so come-on we need to get you all out." A couple of vampires had seen them moving away and rushed over to stop them. They blocked the exit and forced them back to the center of the room. .............................................. Xander saw that his friends were trapped again. It was time to see if it his actions had been worth it. "Get up," he screamed at Angel. "Stuff you," he replied. "O.K. have it your way, either you get up and order your friends to let mine go, or I am going to turn your insides to dust soup," he said while pushing the needle in as far as it would go, to emphasize the point. Angel thought about it for a split second. His instinct for survival was highly compromised by his hatred of this punk getting one up on him. The vampires were only a few feet away from Buffy, they were out of Holy Water and unlike before they looked like they would attack at once. "Stop!" Angel yelled. The vampires nearest to him heard him. They immediately stopped, but the other did not. Xander saw this and got Angel to his feet, "Remember all I have to do is push on this plunger and you are history, if any of my friends are hurt I will do it.". He led Angel over to the pack. "Stop!" he yelled again. This time the remaining vampires heard him and turned around. "O.K. Dead Guys," Xander shouted to the throng of vampires, "we are leaving, If you try to stop us, your leader will probably liquefy before your eyes. Now unless you have a ladle ready I suggest you get out of our way." It wasn't just the vampires that looked at him incredulously, Buffy, Giles, Cordelia, Willow and Oz, now that they weren't fighting for their lives, were speechless at the turn of events. Xander looked at them, "Guys the exit's that way, get out" he yelled. "You too Xander," Buffy said. "I will be right behind you" he replied. "Xander we won't leave you, c'mon," Cordelia pleaded. Xander spoke softly to her, "Just go Cordy." Cordelia looked at him, but was pulled away by Willow and Oz. Buffy and Giles made it to the door and pushed the other three threw it. He told them to run as fast as they can back to the school. Buffy turned back to Xander, "C'mon, let's go" she yelled. Xander turned Angel around so that he was now facing the vampires, while Xander had his back to the door. He judged that he would probably have only an 8 yard head start from when he let Angel go. "Well," he thought, "it won't be the craziest thing I have done today." He pushed Angel away, throwing him towards the pack of vampires, hoping that in the confusion the needle would expel its contents in Angel's heart. He ran as fast as he could towards the doorway, "Buffy, Giles go now, "he screamed at them. Buffy and Giles took off with Xander a couple of feet behind. The vampires had reacted quickly and were making up distance on the three. Xander looked around, the leading vampires were only a dozen or so feet behind him now and while there was only sixty feet or so to the street, they would then have to make it back to school. "Hurry Up Guys," came a voice. Buffy turned to Giles while running, "I told them to get going, we have to really do something about following orders"; Giles couldn't suppress a laugh, which resulted in Buffy giving him a dirty look. They reached the doorway and opened it, throwing themselves through it they were hit by blinding light. It was daylight already. Xander ran straight up to Cordelia. They held each other, knowing that they could have easily not been able to that again. After a few seconds, Buffy, Willow, Oz and even Giles came over to put their arms around each other. Giles spoke first, "I know that we are safe here, but let's get away from this place," he smiled at Buffy, she returned it and they walked off. ........................ Angel had managed to survive only by the luck of falling on his front. He had been able to reach around and pull the syringe from his back. He crawled over to his bed, he needed rest. Rest and then this whole damn city would pay for last night. "Angel," Spike called as he came into the hall, his face still blistered, "you look a little bit weak, would you like to borrow my wheelchair?" "Don't patronize me Spike. If you and Dru hadn't run off we would be celebrating tonight." "Cut the crap Angel. You failed miserably again. We lost over half our people, Drusilla, myself and you have badly burned bodies, and you killed no-one, " Spike shouted, "you are a complete failure, you no longer give any orders around here." "Watch it Spike, you can't take over. Drusilla would never stand for it." Angel replied. Drusilla appeared from behind a curtain, she was wearing a half mask, much like the fabled phantom. "Angel, darling, there has been a few changes...." She said. **************************************************************** hazman@powerup.com.au Visit Slayer's Down Under at http://www.powerup.com.au/~hazman/index3.htm The Offical Keeper of: "There is a beautiful, big full moon outside tonight. It doesn't get more romantic than this. So shut up!" - Cordelia [Phases] **************************************************************** - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Andrew Parkinson Subject: BUFFYFIC: Sacrifices of Love 5/14 Date: 31 Mar 1998 02:38:37 +1000 Sacrifices of Love 5/14 Author: Andrew Parkinson hazman@powerup.com.au Rating: Ratings for each chapter would vary, but the story overall contains, PG13 for Sexual Scenes and Discussion and TV14 for violence and action scenes.(This is only a saftey barrier for people who may be offended. The actual content may not be that high depending on your point of view) Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, situation and settings belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox. This story is written for the sake of enjoyment for fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This story is not intended to infringe on copyright and is not to be used by anyone else or myself for commercial gain. Spoiler/Setting for the Story: Set after Killed By Death, so anything that has happened on the show before that episode is fair game. Author's note: This Story is set aprox 2 months after "Killed By Death". Feedback: Yes Please.....This is my first story since high school, so I am very interested in feedback. ************************************ Chapter 5 Buffy looked at herself in the mirror. To anyone else she would like any other seventeen year-old. To herself she could see the strain of the last few months showing under her eyes. It still pained her to think that the night she was meant to remember for life will now be remembered for all the wrong reasons. She was so much in love with Angel, and he was with her, she was sure of that. They made love for the very first time; her first time and it took his soul away. Not the act itself, but it was the trigger. Angel had lived his last eighty years with a curse. The curse had been put on him by a clan of gypsies as punishment for killing their most beloved daughter and her family. The curse was to restore his soul, so he would live out his eternal life in torment for what he had done. And he had shown remorse, he had spent most of the last year helping Buffy and her friends fight Vampires and demons. But then the real kicker came. The curse was meant to leave him in torment. He could not have one perfect moment of happiness for the rest of his life. If he did, his soul would be taken from him again. Of course no one had bothered to tell him about that. Buffy could never understand that. If they wanted Angel to live in torment they should have told him. Then he would not of let himself get close to her. He would not have risked the taking away of his soul. But because they did not tell him, she and Angel had fallen in love. They made love. And now he is free of the curse. He's a vampire with out a soul again and he loved it. Buffy however did not. Buffy finished in the bedroom and turned the light off. She walked across the across the hall and into her bedroom. She knew there was something instantly wrong. She sensed him before she could see him. She turned her head frightened. She and Willow had cast a spell that was meant to keep him out of her house. She turned towards the window; he was outside looking at her. At least she was safe. She looked straight at him. "Sorry not today," she said "Brings back memories doesn't it Buffy. You use to like it when I turned up unannounced. Don't tell me that you still don't get a rush of blood from seeing me." Angel almost laughed at her. "Angel you can stay out there and die for all I care. I know you can't come in here. What do you want?" Angel moved closer to the window, almost caressing it with his face, "C'mon Buffy, I just came for a little foreplay before I start with the little people. It so helps to bring the act to a satisfying conclusion." He moved away from the window, as if to go, then turned towards her, "Buffy, just thought I would let you know, one of your friends dies tomorrow night, pleasant dreams" he smiled at her, although it seems more like a snarl. With that he disappeared. Buffy stared at the window for a while and whispered to herself, "Over my dead body." .................................................. Xander lay motionless on Cordelia's bed. He wasn't just nervous he was scared. Not that he hadn't thought about what he was about to do, sometimes it was all he thought about, but thinking and doing are two different things. Now all he could think was that he was going to show Cordelia that he was a bigger failure than she originally thought she was. Xander looked at the bathroom door and chuckled to himself. Here he was shaking on a summer's night and Cordelia was still taking her time in the bathroom. "Some things stay the same," he thought, "no matter what the circumstance". It reassured him that there was still normality in the world. He had not bothered to get undressed. He rationalized it as not wanting to appear too eager. In reality it was the part of him, that was wishing he wasn't so scared, trying to delay the onset of pure terror. Suddenly the bedroom light went dark. "Argh!!!" he screamed. "I will try not to take that so personally" came the reply. It took Xander a while to adjust to the small amount of light, provided by a solitary candle on the dresser, that illuminated the room. When he did he saw Cordelia standing in front of him. He was relieved, she was wearing a nightgown. "Looks good too' he mused to himself. "Move over Xander," Cordelia said as she sat down on the bed. Xander moved and Cordelia got in next to him, curling her body, backing into Xander's front. Xander reached around and held her to him. He started to feel a lot better. He moved his mouth to her ear. "I love you." "I love you," came the reply. **************************************************************** hazman@powerup.com.au Visit Slayer's Down Under at http://www.powerup.com.au/~hazman/index3.htm The Offical Keeper of: "There is a beautiful, big full moon outside tonight. It doesn't get more romantic than this. So shut up!" - Cordelia [Phases] **************************************************************** - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Andrew Parkinson Subject: BUFFYFIC: Sacrifices of Love 4/14 Date: 31 Mar 1998 02:38:44 +1000 Sacrifices of Love 4/14 Author: Andrew Parkinson hazman@powerup.com.au Rating: Ratings for each chapter would vary, but the story overall contains, PG13 for Sexual Scenes and Discussion and TV14 for violence and action scenes.(This is only a saftey barrier for people who may be offended. The actual content may not be that high depending on your point of view) Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, situation and settings belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox. This story is written for the sake of enjoyment for fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This story is not intended to infringe on copyright and is not to be used by anyone else or myself for commercial gain. Spoiler/Setting for the Story: Set after Killed By Death, so anything that has happened on the show before that episode is fair game. Author's note: This Story is set aprox 2 months after "Killed By Death". Feedback: Yes Please.....This is my first story since high school, so I am very interested in feedback. ************************************ Chapter 4 "C'mon Xander!" Cordelia shouted as she saw Xander coming across the student's car park. Like herself, Cordelia's car could hardly be missed, bright red with the number plate 'QUEEN C", well it seemed to fit her. "O.K., what's the rush. God it isn't even dark yet" Xander returned. He reached her and gave her a quick kiss, before opening the door for her. "It's the little things she likes," he thought to himself. Cordelia sped the car out of the park and onto the street. ..................................... Buffy walked through the doors of the library, "Giles, are you there?" Giles appeared from behind one of the seemingly endless rows of bookshelves, "Oh Buffy here already?" "Yes well, thought I would get some brownie points for showing up on time, after you let me have my way this morning" she replied sheepishly. Giles smiled. "Fair enough. Get the equipment, I will be down in a second" Buffy moved over to the cupboard that housed the entire vampire fighting equipment that Giles stored. She had moved quite a bit to her own house recently and was surprised to find some new weaponry when she opened the doors. She looked it over and noticed a number of bottles filled with a clear liquid. She picked one of them up and examined it, opening the top and smelling the contents. There was no discernible smell. "Giles, what are these?" she said holding on of them up so he could see. Giles was coming towards her as she did, "oh that's a little spin on the Molotov cocktail. Filled with Holy Water. Never know when it might come in handy," he said as he took the bottle and put it back, "we only have these five so be careful, it can be difficult to explain in a hurry why you want to fill bottles up with Holy Water" "Cool" Buffy replied. ............................................................................ ....... Cordelia pulled the car up in the driveway to her place. Xander had been watching Cordelia all the way and did not realize he wasn't at his place till she stopped the engine. He looked around at the house in front of him. House, well maybe a mansion would be more of an apt description. With its Greek pillars at the front doorway to its elaborate gardens, it certainly stood out form the rest of the street. It did seem to suit Cordelia's family though. "I take it I was meant to navigate," he said. "Ha, ha" she replied sarcastically "Well it's just that I am not you father's favorite person" "Well it's a good thing you don't want to go out with my father" Cordelia replied. Xander just gave her a look; "my parents won't be home for a couple of hours, how about coming in for a drink?" "O.K.", Xander said as he got out of the car, "It's not that I am scared of your father, it's just that..." Xander glanced at Cordelia. "O.K., it is that I am scared of your father, but you would miss out as well if I am not allowed to see you." "Oh I would get by, there are some very nice eligible young men in this street" she said with a smile, "C'mon, I will save you from the boogie man." She took his hand and led him through the front doorway, "Take a seat, I will be back in a minute." ............................................................. It was getting dark as Buffy started to walk home, 'another session with Giles over, vege time in front of the TV tonight, things aren't all bad' she thought. Still she was more concerned about Giles' information session this morning than she was willing to let her friends see. She knew full well that she was not the one in the immediate danger, her friends were. Willow, Xander, Giles, Cordelia and maybe Oz were in the front line so to speak. Even though they had been training a few days a week with Giles and her, they were not equipped like she was. She felt responsible for them. She was glad her mother was away for the week at a conference in San Francisco. It was one less person to worry about. It was quite a thrill for her to be trusted to look after herself for a week. She liked to think that her mother had decided that she was responsible enough. She knew however that a big part of the reason was that her mother had to go to the conference. She had no other choice, as her father could not get out of work to come and look after her. She reached her front porch just as the sunset, and quickly went inside and locked the door behind her. ............................................................................ ....... Xander looked at the dark sky outside and then his watch, the couple of hours were getting really close to being over. It upset him. They got so little time to be together by themselves, without having to resort to necking in Cordy's car that he had really savored the opportunity to spend a couple of hours lying on the lounge holding Cordelia in his arms and feeling her close to him. "Cordy?" he whispered after lightly kissing her forehead, "I should get going, this has been great and I would hate to have it spoiled by the arrival of your parents, not to mention while it's still light it's a lot safer to get home." Cordelia didn't respond straight away, she too was enjoying the moment. She found it hard to believe that originally she couldn't face up to the fact she was falling for him, and yet lying in his arms she found a closeness that she had not before experienced. "Cordy?" he asked again. She moved herself up and turned to face him, "Xander, my parents are away for the night, I don't want you to go." **************************************************************** hazman@powerup.com.au Visit Slayer's Down Under at http://www.powerup.com.au/~hazman/index3.htm The Offical Keeper of: "There is a beautiful, big full moon outside tonight. It doesn't get more romantic than this. So shut up!" - Cordelia [Phases] **************************************************************** - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Clare H." Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: The Dark One (4/?) Date: 30 Mar 1998 14:47:01 EST cool story...please write more soon! Clare teddybartcbh@hotmail.com ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Aglx Subject: BUFFYFIC: The Question About Love (2/?) Date: 30 Mar 1998 15:53:40 EST Title: The Question about Love (2/?) Author: Dominique Email Addy: Aglx@aol.com Rating: PG Spoiler: Not really. Takes place before Angel becomes evil. Feedback: PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!!! Disclaimer: Buffy and the gang belong to Joss Whedon, the WB, etc. The Story and the characters not part of the regular cast are mine! Summary: A new creature comes to Sunnydale with an interesting tie to vampires. (The other story I submitted wasn't mine. This isn't either. Please send feedback to me and I'll relay it to the authors. I'll have my first story out soon.) The Question About Love (Part 2) Important: This story is from the earlier days when Angel was good. All characters except LOVE belong to Joss Whedon and the production teams of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. LOVE is capatalized to express the importance of the character and to keep the name from being confused with the word. The day went on, and on, and on. Buffy, Xander, and Willow went out to lunch at Hard Rock, then went to their ninth period class. They met up after school to discuss their party plans. They decided to go home and meet up around seven at Buffy's house. So they all walked home. At Buffy's house, in Buffy's room, Buffy lay sprawled across her bed staring at her trigonometry homework. She gazed at her watch. 6:00pm. "I had better get ready," she said to herself. "Xander will be here in an hour, and Willow will probably come early." So Buffy got dressed, put make-up on, and did her hair. She looked at her watch again. 6:45. The doorbell rang. Buffy walked down the steps and opened the door. She surprisingly saw both Willow and Xander at the door. "We're early," Xander said. "Come on in," Buffy said. "I was just getting ready." "Take your time," Willow said. "We are in no hurry." So Buffy finished her hair and reapplied her lipstick. She grabbed her leather jacket (the one that Angel let her keep), and headed down the stairs. All three of them walked out the door and walked to the Bronze. The place was packed! Kids were pushing and shoving to get inside. Ten dollars admission was obviously not enough. Willow peered through the window. She was amazed. Everyone in school, even some teachers, was there. Buffy looked in the window too. She spotted Giles, a few friends, Cordilia, and quite a few vampires. More vampires than usual. She saw at least twenty vampires without even trying to look. But no Angel. As she was making her way through the doors, the feeling of being watched came back. She looked everywhere but only one person was looking at her, and that was the guy at the door asking her for the ten bucks to get in. Inside sitting at a table all by herself, the same girl was watching her. Buffy couldn't detect her because Buffy was outside and the girl was inside. When they finally got in the Bronze she, again, noticed the vampires. She noticed that they were not lurking, but they were just hanging out. Not one of them looked hungry. Surprisingly she saw Giles coming her way. "What are doing here?" she asked. "I am on a date with Miss Calendar." Giles replied. "She said that she had to come see the hot new singer, and invited me to join her." "Aw, how cute," Buffy replied. "There are tons of vampires here. Do you know why?" "No," Giles said, "I spotted many myself. I even saw Spike." "SPIKE?" she asked with amazement. "Did he try anything?" "No, he is with someone, or least was with someone." Giles answered. "Who?" Buffy curiously asked. "Let me see if I can spot her. Oh, there she is. She is sitting at the far table. See her? She is sitting all by herself." Giles pointed her out Buffy spotted her then curiously stared at her. "Giles look," she said. "What?" he asked. "Look at the way she is sitting." Buffy said. Giles looked at the beautiful young girl. He stared at her for a few seconds then turned to Buffy. He saw nothing unusual about the way the girl was seated. Her legs were crossed and her hands were folded over her knees. She had great posture and you could tell from the way the lights hit her face, that she was nervous. "What is so strange about the way she is sitting?" he asked Buffy. "She is nervous," Buffy said. "I have slayed a lot of vamps in my day, and I have never seen one that was nervous." "So, maybe she is not a vampire," Giles responded. "You said she was with Spike. I have never seen him turn down a meal before," Buffy said. "Maybe that is why she is nervous," Giles said. "Maybe she knows he is going to eat her and is afraid." "Then why doesn't she run?" she asked him. "She could bust through those doors and be out of her in seconds." "No she couldn't," Giles said. "Look at how those vampires are posted around her. She the one standing at the door?" "Oh my gosh! You're right," she said. "The vampires are here because of her. That must explain why no guys are hitting on her." Just then, they both saw Xander leave the table where he and Willow were sitting. He was walking in the direction of the young girl. Buffy started toward him, but Giles stopped her. He explained that he didn't think the vampires would hurt Xander, but basically scare him away. Sure enough, the vampires just growled at Xander, without hurting him. He walked away in a huff. Buffy went to join Xander and Willow, while Giles went to sit with Miss. Calendar. The announcer went on stage and said that there would be quite a few singers tonight. He announced the name of the performers in order of when they would sing. LOVE's name was called last. So the other six singers went on stage. None of them were bad, but not as good as the kids hoped. The announcer came on once again. "Alright kids, take yours seats please. Now for the moment you all have been waiting for. I would like to introduce LOVE!" he said. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Aglx Subject: BUFFYFIC: The Dark One (5/?) Date: 30 Mar 1998 15:56:24 EST Title: The Dark One (5/?) Author: Michelle Email Addy: Aglx@aol.com Rating: PG Spoiler: All episodes up to Killed By Death Feedback: PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!!! Disclaimer: Buffy and the gang belong to Joss Whedon, the WB, etc. The Story and the characters not part of the regular cast are mine! The Dark One (5/?) "A fair fight?" "Am I the only one who see's this as not a good thing?" Xander questioned looking to Giles and Buffy for an answer. "No. I'm flipped by it. But, what else could I do? I had to tell him yes," Buffy said with tears in her voice. The room remained quiet for a few seconds as Buffy watched the frightened looks upon her friends' faces. "In all my time, I never have heard of Savarah doing something like that. She has always preferred having the advantage." "Giles. I think she does have the advantage." Buffy walked the library searching for an answer. "Well, if she was so great as a vampire, maybe she's just looking for that 'rush'. She knows she can kill a Slayer. I think she wants to do it again." Willow watched as a pacing Buffy stopped in her tracks. "That's it." Buffy's face lit up with excitement. "She wants me to fight for Angel." Buffy paused for a moment and then grabbed her back from the counter. "Uh, where are you going?" Giles started to follow after her in attempts to stop her. "I've got to visit a few friends." "Buffy, you can't fight her now. You're not prepared." "Giles, I'm the slayer, I was born prepared. I'm not going to fight her. I just want to chat." Buffy rushed out of the library and made her way to the streets. She walked at a determined pace as she headed for the warehouse. _______ "Don't move!" A hand with a knife was shot up to Buffy's throat from a formerly sleeping body. Buffy stood at the side of Savarah's bed. "What do you want, Slayer?" Savarah snapped as she flipped over to face Buffy. Her face was a near white as she tried not to move against the cold blade. "To talk," Buffy snapped. She was taking her chances. "Oh, so you talked to Spike," Savarah face smiled with enjoyment. Angel suddenly walked into the room. Buffy took immediate notice. She could see his body's impression on the bed next to Savarah. The thought sent chills down her body. "Buffy! What a surprise." He anxiously watched the blade against her neck. "You want to move that knife?" Buffy snapped not letting her eyes leave Angel's. "Oh, I'm sorry, is it bothering you?" "Yeah," she knocked Savarah's arm away from her throat, "it is." "So, do we have a deal?" "Yeah, we have a deal." "Oh, goodie. Meet me Saturday, 9:00PM, Sunnydale High School football field." "Fine," Buffy spoke quietly. She began to back out of the room, making sure not to turn her back on her two worst enemies. After Buffy had left, Angel sat down on the bed next to Savarah. "A fair fight? Do you really think it will work?" Angel asked worried of loosing one of the two women he loved. "Angel, I need a challenge. There is no risk involved except that I may loose you." She suddenly realized that she let her secret slip. "Me? What the hell you mean by that?" "Listen, you are a vicious, evil demon. You've set unbelievable standards for those who follow in your footsteps. However, having a soul has plagued you with flaws. Flaws that you don't even notice. You flaunt them to the Slayer, and one day, she will use them to her advantage." Angel didn't have words to express his rage to her. Even that she brought these things up to him hurt. But he refused to let it show. "The fact that you had a soul, has given you thoughts and feelings that will never leave you. Even if the demon inside prevents you from showing it, you're actions of rage against Buffy and her friends, is your way of warning her." "What are you saying?" "I'm saying, you still love the Slayer, you always will. He spent several minutes searching for the right words to counter her attack on him, but couldn't find them. "So, then, how would you loose me?" "I used you as the bet for Buffy to fight me. If I win, she dies, if she wins, you're soul is returned." Angel sprung to his feet and marched out of the room. Savarah remained in the bed. Her evil was too strong to have feelings. She had no concern for other regardless of what they meant to her. Attacking Angel with her words was just part of the job. She curled up and fell asleep again. End Part 5 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Aglx Subject: BUFFYFIC: The Question About Love (4/?) Date: 30 Mar 1998 16:04:15 EST Title: The Question about Love (4/?) Author: Dominique Email Addy: Aglx@aol.com Rating: PG Spoiler: Not really. Takes place before Angel becomes evil. Feedback: PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!!! Disclaimer: Buffy and the gang belong to Joss Whedon, the WB, etc. The Story and the characters not part of the regular cast are mine! Summary: A new creature comes to Sunnydale with an interesting tie to vampires. (The other story I submitted wasn't mine. This isn't either. Please send feedback to me and I'll relay it to the authors. I'll have my first story out soon.) The Question About Love (Part 4) Important: This story is from the earlier days when Angel was good. All characters except LOVE belong to Joss Whedon and the production teams of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. LOVE is capatalized to express the importance of the character and to keep the name from being confused with the word. "If Buffy is going, then I am going," Xander said. "We all are," Giles said. So they all followed the vampires. They ended up going to a large warehouse. The windows were spotless. "Are warehouses normally this clean?" Xander asked. "I don't think so." Miss. Calendar answered. They all looked inside the window. They were amazed. The inside of the warehouse was completely furnished. There was even a fireplace and kitchen. Willow thought that it was really cool how on the third level, there was a complete computer room. Xander loved how big the place was. Four stories high and what looked like two stories underground. Giles loved the library that was on the second floor. Miss. Calendar liked all of the big screen TV's and stereos. Buffy liked the gym, and Cordilia liked the huge bathroom with all of the vanity tables and stuff. "I don't know about you guys, but I think we should go inside and check it out," Xander said. "Yeah," everyone agreed. "NO," Angel stopped them. "The warehouse may look fun from the outside, and even better from the inside, but the place is the home of Spike. He has other vamps stay there, and they never refuse because they have the opportunity to stay in the coolest vampire home anywhere. There are dozens of vampires inside there that will do anything at Spikes command. We are safer outside until Spike leaves, then we can LOVE out simply." "Angel is right," Giles said. "Without their leader, the vampires won't know what to do. We are safer if we wait." So they waited, and waited, and waited. It took Spike forever to leave. They must have been waiting for hours. Then the warehouse door opened. Spike walked a ways away, then pulled out his cigar, lit it, and started to smoke. Now was there only chance get inside. Slowly, one bye one, they entered the back of the warehouse. Once they all were inside, the discussed their plan. They knew that they would have no chance if they decided to fight, so they thought maybe if they hid until the right moment. "I have to do this for LOVE," Angel said. "Do what?" Buffy asked. "It doesn't matter. You guys just stay here," he said. "NO!" Buffy screeched. "We will all do this together." "I am going to try to fight them. Other than you Buffy, no one else can fight." "Like I said, we do this together," she said. "Are you guys up to it?" "Yes," they all agreed. Cordilia took it upon herself to get the vampires attention. She stood up and yelled at them. "Hey you bloodsuckers over there," she screamed. "Yeah, I'm talking to you!" "Cordilia!" Buffy uttered. "What do you think you are doing?" One of the vampires heard Buffy. She stood up. Another vampire recognized her from a previous fight. He looked terrified when he saw her. "Slayer," he hissed. "Slayee," she hissed back. Buffy did a front handspring and landed in the middle of the room, right in front of the vampires. All of the vampires plunged at Buffy at the same time. She started to kick turn and twirl as she beat them up one at a time. One of the vampires that was holding a metal pole, came up from behind her and whacked he hard on the back of the head. She was always on her guard, but this time, she was not suspecting the attack. She fell to the floor. The rest of the gang rushed over to her and tried to help her gain consciousness. She opened on eye and was able to say "look" before she went out cold. The rest of the vampires piled on top of the seven people. Spike walked into the room and said, "tie them up." He then realized who Buffy really was. He said, "this must be my lucky day. I get to kill the Slayer." The other vampires tried to restrain the others, but none of the remaining six was going to give up easily. In fact, the only one that was not fighting back, was the sleeping slayer. All seven of them were finally restrained. Spike walked up and down looking at each and everyone of them. Not caring if Buffy was still alive or not. He just kept pacing. It was almost as if he was seeing who was the first one to go. "Who is ready to die?" he selfishly asked. "What? No volunteers?" "I do," Buffy managed to get out. "Kill me first." "NO!" Angel yelled. "Relax my gallant hero," Spike said. "It is no fun for me to kill the slayer unless she has complete consciousness. I'm going to drive a stake through her heart. The exact same weapon she uses to kill us is going to kill her. And I want her to feel it. So no, no, I am not going to kill her first, I want her to watch her friends die." "Then kill me first," Angel replied. "If you want to hurt her, than kill me first." "Well aren't you the throw yourself to the lions type of guy. You always were," he hissed. "Alright then, you die first. Your little Rebecca of Sunnydale farms gets to watch you suffer as I give you a bath of holy water." "Bring it on," Angel bravely spoke. "It is not like I am not used to it by now. Remember that little Drucila incident. Oh Yeah! I forgot that you were unconscious most of the time thanks to Buffy. Too bad Dru is dead now." "You know Angelus, I am going to enjoy watching you die. TIE HIM UP!" he barked. After a few minutes of struggling, Angel finally gave in and the other vampires were finally able to tie him up. He was tied on a large strong rope that was somehow attached to the ceiling. It was so strong that he could hang from it. Stupidly enough, the vampires didn't tie his feet together. Spike walked over to Angel with a jar of holy water. "Lets just hope you had some Pepsid AC because you are going to have some serious heart burn." Spike joked. "Cute", Angel remarked, "not funny but cute." Spike walked by the other six people that were still on the floor. He was holding a large glass jar. "This," he said "is the way I always wanted to kill you. Now that Dru is dead, I don't need you around anymore. Goodbye." - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Aglx Subject: BUFFYFIC: The Question About Love (5/?) Date: 30 Mar 1998 16:11:33 EST Title: The Question about Love (5/?) Author: Dominique Email Addy: Aglx@aol.com Rating: PG Spoiler: Not really. Takes place before Angel becomes evil. Feedback: PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!!! Disclaimer: Buffy and the gang belong to Joss Whedon, the WB, etc. The Story and the characters not part of the regular cast are mine! Summary: A new creature comes to Sunnydale with an interesting tie to vampires. (The other story I submitted wasn't mine. This isn't either. Please send feedback to me and I'll relay it to the authors. I'll have my first story out soon.) The Question About Love (Part 5) Important: This story is from the earlier days when Angel was good. All characters except LOVE belong to Joss Whedon and the production teams of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. LOVE is capatalized to express the importance of the character and to keep the name from being confused with the word. Spike came at Angel with the jar of holy water. He was just about to splash Angel with it when someone from behind Spike tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around in surprise. A clenched hand came at his face in a hard right hook. Spike fell backward. Angel turned to see his hero, expecting Buffy or maybe Giles, he was surprised when he saw Willow standing there rubbing her fist. "Ouch!" she screeched. "You have a hard head for a dead person." "Willow?" Angel asked in amazement. "How did you…?" "Hey," she said. "I am not going to let some slime ball hurt my best friend or her boyfriend." "Way to go Willow," cheered Xander from the background. "Thanks," Angel said still a little amazed. "That's right, thank your stupid little friend," Spike said as he got to his feet. "She isn't going to be around for much longer. But you Angel, are my first priority." Angel held the rope with his tied up hands and hung there as he kicked his feet high up and hit Spike right under the chin. "ENOUGH!" Spike screamed. "This is starting to become a bloody Bruce Lee film." Spike, once again got a jar of holy water and brought it over to Angel. He took the lid of once again and prepared to pour it on Angel. Just as he was about to, he was interrupted. "Spike?" a mysterious female voice asked. Just then a young girl (about Buffy's age) walked in the door. She was tall for her age and very beautiful. She was dressed in a long ivory nightgown. It was clear that all the yelling and smashing had woken her up from sleeping. She looked very familiar to everyone in the room. Though, it was clear that Angel, Spike, and the other vampires were very much afraid of her. "What are you doing?" she asked. "N-n-nothing," he replied with a shaky voice. She then realized what he really was doing. The calm, innocent look on her face disappeared. Her bright blue eyes turned black and cold. Her voice became strong and shaky. Her beautiful, long hair blew from side to side from the strong wind coming from the open doors of the furnished warehouse. The changes just made her more beautiful. Spike, Angel, Xander, Giles, and all of the male vamps knew it. "Oh yeah? Well it doesn't look like you are doing nothing. It looks like you are doing something. Something Bad! In fact it is the worst thing that you could possibly do. It looks like you are hurting MY ANGEL" she forcefully replied. "You know the rules! No one hurts My Angel and gets away with it. Or have you forgotten that rule already?" "No I remember it. I am sorry that I broke your number one rule. I promise that it will never happen again." Spike replied. "You're darn right it won't. And if it does than you know I will kill you. No one breaks my rules. Not even you." she replied strongly. She suddenly froze. Her eyes began to flood with tears, yet not a drop fell. She was facing Angel and not the other six. She didn't even see them when she came in which made her next move even weirder. She put her finger to her temple, and looked as if she was thinking. She closed her eyes and all the flooding tears fell to the floor. She looked even more psycho like that. She slowly turned around, still in the same position. "Slayer?" she asked with a strange hiss in her voice. "SPIKE!" she screamed. This time the entire room shook as she spoke. "You were going to kill the Slayer?" she asked with a lighter tone of voice. Her audience was amazed and terrified at the same time. You could tell that the other vampires were used to her strangeness. "LOVE, can you help me down?" Angel asked trying to change the subject. "Of course my Angel." she replied. She girl walked over to Angel and untied the rope he was fastened to. Angel lowered his hands and rubbed his wrists. There was an indentation on them where the rope was tightest. He fell to both knees and lowered his head. It was as if he was bowing to royalty. The rest of the vampires, even Spike, did the same. Just then, all of the remaining mortals remembered where they had seen her. She was LOVE. She was the singer at the Bronze. She was the one that the vampires bowed to. It couldn't be though. She looked so different. She looked so much older. She looked so much prettier. "RISE," Love said to the vampires. They all got up. She made a 'get lost' hand signal and all of the vampires left the room. Every vampire except for Angel. She looked at him, then looked at everyone else. "She needs some ice," LOVE said. "I'll get some." LOVE called Ox, one of the larger vampires, and had him carry Buffy into another room. LOVE walked into the kitchen and opened the huge freezer. She grabbed a plastic bad and filled it with ice. She walked back into the living room. When she had gotten there, everyone was already untied. "You guys just stay here and rest," she said. "Go ahead and use the stereos and TVs. You're more than welcome to grab a snack from the fridge on the left. Angel, grab yourself a drink, or a body part from the fridge on the right. The only rule is that you stay in this room. Oh, by the way I owe you guys, and I don't want you to let me forget." "She's awesome" Xander commented. "See. Not all vampires are bad," Angel declared. End Part 5 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Aglx Subject: BUFFYFIC: The Question About Love (6/6) Date: 30 Mar 1998 16:16:04 EST Title: The Question about Love (6/6) Author: Dominique Email Addy: Aglx@aol.com Rating: PG Spoiler: Not really. Takes place before Angel becomes evil. Feedback: PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!!! Disclaimer: Buffy and the gang belong to Joss Whedon, the WB, etc. The Story and the characters not part of the regular cast are mine! Summary: A new creature comes to Sunnydale with an interesting tie to vampires. (The other story I submitted wasn't mine. This isn't either. Please send feedback to me and I'll relay it to the authors. I'll have my first story out soon.) The Question About Love (Part 6) Important: This story is from the earlier days when Angel was good. All characters except LOVE belong to Joss Whedon and the production teams of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. LOVE is capatalized to express the importance of the character and to keep the name from being confused with the word. LOVE walked into the room that Buffy was in. She put the bag on Buffy's head, and they both introduced themselves. "Buffy Summers," Buffy said. "Occupation- vampire slayer." "LOVE," LOVE said. "Occupation- your worst nightmare." "It is amazing how many people have that job," Buffy answered. "From what I hear, only one person has the job, but they have to keep sending in reinforcements. They tell me that you are quite a diamond in the rough," LOVE said. "They do?" Buffy asked. "Yes," she said. "They say that they fear the slayer. It is told that every vampire has a chance to kill a slayer. If that is true, then you must encounter, and kill millions of them before the one that is supposed to kill you comes. Unless…." "Unless what?" Buffy asked. "Unless the one that kills you is someone you love. Someone you trust. Someone that you grew up with. Someone that was chosen to be a vampire just for the purpose of your death. Does that make that person's death your fault? Does it mean that your fate decided the fate of others? If it does, then I sure am glad that I was killed on my first day on the job. How many lives would be changed because of me? How many people would be without a person in their family because of my error? How many demons would be roaming around because of my misjudgment? How many people would only want one thing from life, which was to be one of the few that didn't have a vampire inside of them? How many people would be dead?" "I'm sorry. Are you telling me that you were the slayer?" Buffy questioned. "Yes," LOVE answered. "In my time, I was the slayer." "What was your time?" Buffy asked. "Well, lets see. I was born in 1740. Today I am 258 years old, which means I was killed in 1756," LOVE answered. "You were only sixteen when you died?" Buffy asked. "Correct. I guess I was too trusting," LOVE answered. "You are older than Angel. He is only 242. Who killed you?" Buffy asked. "Actually," Love said, "Angel had been a vampire for 242 years, but he was 20 when he died, so he really is 262 years old." "Oh. Who killed you then?" "That doesn't matter," LOVE said. "You rest now. I am going to check on the others." LOVE walked into the other room. She saw Willow, Xander, and Cordilia sitting in front of the TV watching a horror film on the sci-fi channel. She saw Giles, Miss. Calendar, and Angel talking. "Anyone need anything?" she asked. "Yes actually," Giles started. "I was wondering if I could stroll through the library." "Willow and I wanted to see your computers," Miss Calendar said. "I realize how interesting this place may look but I can't let you explore. You see this is my house, but I let other vampires stay here. If you are really interested, you are more than welcome to come back during the day when my friends are gone," she said. "We can come back?" Cordilia asked. "Of course you can. Anytime. But call first so I know to warn Spike and friends to not eat you," said LOVE. "Do you want us to leave?" Willow asked. "You can go at anytime. Buffy may have a small concussion so she can't be moved. Willow will you do me a favor?" she asked. "Of course. What do you need?" she asked. "I was wondering if you would call Buffy's mother and tell her that Buffy is spending the night at your house. I hope you don't mind lying. If we move Buffy, then there is a chance her head may begin bleeding, which would make her condition even worse," LOVE declared. "I don't mind lying, just as long as it is for Buffy," Willow said. Willow called Buffy's mom, and well, lied. All six of them left together around 10:30pm. In the morning, Buffy woke up, but she was not in her bed. She was sleeping on a couch, on a den, in a five-story warehouse. LOVE made breakfast, and loaned Buffy some clean clothes. She took Buffy to school. Buffy didn't mind her driving a little fast, because she had a chance to ride in LOVE's cherry red Ford Mustang Convertible. LOVE gave Buffy the choice of riding in that car or one of the other one hundred cars she owned. When Buffy asked her why she had so many cars, LOVE said it was because her life as a living person stunk, so she made a better life for herself. She also added that no one says "NO" to a 5'10 vampire. Anyway, LOVE and Buffy became good friends. They did lots together. Xander, Willow, Cordilia, and Angel hung around a lot too. They normally hung at the Bronze, but they went other places. She spent tons of money and magic on them. When they asked her why she did all of these nice things, she just said she wanted to have fun. They thought that she was just cooler after that. Spike, Angel, the other vampires, and LOVE knew the real reason that she did these things. They all knew that she was not going to be around for much longer. What Buffy and friends didn't know was that LOVE was dying. No one except LOVE could explain it, but she wouldn't tell a soul. One night LOVE invited everyone over to her house for a party. The only drawback was that there was going to be tons of vampires their. It really wasn't a problem though because they knew LOVE would warn them not to touch the mortals. Angel, Willow, and Xander all went to Buffy's house. They waited there until Cordilia came to pick them up. She drove them to the warehouse, and they all walked to the big iron doors. They could here loud music from inside. They looked into the window and saw everyone dancing. Even the vampires were having fun. "Don't you think that her neighbors would complain about the noise?" Xander asked. "Yeah. Making hungry vampires mad is something every mortal wants to do," Angel answered. "Shouldn't we ring the doorbell?" Buffy asked. "Good idea," Willow declared. Inside Love was dancing to "Come On Ride the Train" with Spike and the other vampires. She was the engine of the long line of people. Then a loud piercing scream came over the music. "What was that?" Cordilia asked. "Doorbell," Angel answered. Just then the large door opened, and LOVE invited them in. "Go ahead and grab some punch," she said. "It is the bowl on the left. The bowl on the right is something else." The party was great. Most of the vampires left around 2:00 though. They would have to if they wanted to make it home before sunrise. LOVE, Spike, Angel, Xander, Willow, Buffy, and Cordilia were the only ones left around 2:30. "Great party LOVE. Better than your last one," Spike commented as he kissed her cheek. "Yes I loved it," Angel said as he did the same. "I think I had better get home though before I get a sunburn." "Wait Angelous. I have something to give you," LOVE said. She walked out of the room and for moment, and returned with some items in her hands. One of things she had with her was torn pages from an old book. She handed them to him. He looked at the top of it. It had "THE ANSWER" written across the top of it (See The Answer). She then took his hand. And placed something in it. She closed his hand before he had a chance to see what it was. His hand stung at first then it stopped. He opened it and sitting on his palm, was the silver cross necklace that Angel had given her 258 years ago. He bought it on the day of her birth, and she had never taken it off even though it was to big for her as an infant. There was no burn mark where he had sat. He felt sick, and LOVE looked sick. Angel, LOVE, and Spike all fell to the ground. Angel and Spike weren't moving, but LOVE was gasping for air. Then she stopped struggling, and closed her eyes. Spike slowly sat up. Then Angel did the same. They both looked at their hands, and felt their faces. Buffy had never seen a person so happy before. Angel smiled, then said, "I'm human. I am not a vampire anymore." Spike looked happy too. Just then a man stumbled down the stairway. He was a large man. He looked just like Ox the vampire, but not as hideous. "I'm not a vampire anymore!" he happily cried. Angel unhappily looked at LOVE lying on the floor. He looked at her in those eyes. He took the cross, and put in her motionless hand. Her eyes opened. In surprise, she sat up. "Did it work?" she asked. "Are all of the vampires human?" "We are." Angel answered. "I don't know about all of the vampires." "If you are, then everyone is," she answered. "Looks like you are out of a job Buffy." "THANK YOU SO MUCH!" she screamed. "Maybe now I will have a normal life." "So Angel, Spike, now that you are human, what is the first thing you are going to do?" Xander asked in a cheesy game show host voice. "Shave," Spike replied. "Get a sun tan," Angel replied. "You know," Love started, "it is lonely in this big old house with no one around. How would you two like to move in with me? You don't have to pay rent." "Living with my sister, and my worst enemy in a huge warehouse, for free? I would love to," Angel replied. "Me too," Spike said. So Buffy, Xander, Willow, Cordilia, Miss. Calendar, Giles, Angel, Spike, and LOVE all became the best of friends. They did everything together during the summer, and when school began, LOVE, Spike, and Angel would sneak into classes and say they were foreign exchange students that didn't understand English. They had so much fun. Who would have thought that Angel and Spike would ever get along? Who would have thought that a 258-year-old ex-vampire would look so good? Who would have thought that vampire could do the "Train ride" dance? Who would have thought that a brother and sisters love for each other could be so strong that it could change the world. End of The Question About Love. The Answer is coming up soon! - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Klutz454 Subject: BUFFYFIC: *** Date: 30 Mar 1998 16:50:54 EST unsubscribe - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Aglx Subject: BUFFYFIC: The Question about Love (3/?) Date: 30 Mar 1998 15:53:46 EST Title: The Question about Love (3/?) Author: Dominique Email Addy: Aglx@aol.com Rating: PG Spoiler: Not really. Takes place before Angel becomes evil. Feedback: PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!!! Disclaimer: Buffy and the gang belong to Joss Whedon, the WB, etc. The Story and the characters not part of the regular cast are mine! Summary: A new creature comes to Sunnydale with an interesting tie to vampires. (The other story I submitted wasn't mine. This isn't either. Please send feedback to me and I'll relay it to the authors. I'll have my first story out soon.) The Question About Love (Part 3) Important: This story is from the earlier days when Angel was good. All characters except LOVE belong to Joss Whedon and the production teams of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. LOVE is capatalized to express the importance of the character and to keep the name from being confused with the word. The young girl from the far table got up and walked toward the stage. Giles and Buffy's faces lit up when they saw her. She looked even better standing. She glided across the dance floor, and up on stage. The announce handed her the microphone. "How's everybody doing tonight?" she asked. Almost all of the kids answered with a 'fine' or a 'good'. "That's good," she said. "I am going to sing a song I like to call 'Angelic demon'. I hope you like it." The band behind her played soft music, then she began to sing. The words she spoke were beautiful. They had the perfect tone. She sounded as if she were an angel. Buffy looked over at Willow and rolled her eyes. She liked the music, but wasn't too sure if she liked the title of the song. She saw Willow's face. Willow was starring at the stage in disbelief. "Come on Willow," Buffy said. "She is good, but not that good." "Tell that to them" Willow said pointing to the stage. Buffy turned and looked at the stage. She couldn't believe what she saw. Every guy in the Bronze was up at the stage. Giles, Xander, and ever Cordilia's date was by the stage, starring at LOVE. Just watching her sing. Listening to her words. Cordially came marching over to Buffy and Willow. "What is up with this?" she asked. "Richard dumping me for her? I don't think so." Love finished her song. Her voice was still as beautiful as the guys thought it was. She finished off with a "Thank You" and exited the stage. She returned to the same table. The men stopped drooling, and went back to their dates. You would be surprised how many of them were slapped or had coke poured on them. Buffy knew that she had to question the girl. She got up and started to make her way over there, even though she wasn't totally in hurry to meet her. Buffy watched as the girl looked around the room. She stopped when she saw Spike. It was almost like she had a plan. Buffy kept watching as Willow, Xander, Cordilia, Giles, and Miss. Calendar joined her. She informed them about what she saw, and they watched together. Once the girl saw Spike turn his head away, she took action. She stood up and looked at the vampire guarding the door. She ran toward him and, like a running back, she trampled him. She bolted out the door. Spike noticed what she did, and ordered the vampire to go in different directions to find her. Buffy and gang decided to help the girl, so they made their way outside. They saw vampires running here and there, and they also saw LOVE hiding. When she thought that the coast was clear, she headed out. She had bad timing. Though Spike and a good majority of the vampires had gone around to the other side, there were two huge burly vamps and two little ones that saw her. She was tired of running so she was walking while the four vampires were chasing her. "Let's try to help her," Buffy said to everyone else. "Here," she said as she handed them each a stake. Angel showed up just then. He took one look at the girl being chased be the vampires, and immediately ran after them. Buffy saw him and did the same. The rest of them followed. One of the small vampires and one of the large vampires realized they were being chased, so they turned around to fight of Angel and Buffy (who was not far behind). Angel went for the large guy. Angel did a spin kick in the air, and hit the vamp across the face. He fell back, but would be up in a few seconds. Buffy finally caught up with Angel and threw him a stake. He stabbed the big vampire and killed him. He was proud of his work and thankful for Buffy. The little vampire smacked Angel across the back of the head. Angel fell to the floor. Just because he wasn't hit hard enough to go unconsciousness, doesn't mean he wasn't hit hard enough for it to hurt. He got to his feet. He realized that Buffy was doing fine, so he continued to run after LOVE. Buffy staked and stabbed the other vamp just as the rest of the group caught up with her. They all followed Angel in the chase. They reached him. He was watching. LOVE had stopped walking, and the stalking vamps were only five feet away from her. "Shouldn't we help her?" Willow curiously asked. "Just watch," Angel answered. The larger vampire stepped on a twig, breaking it in half. The CRUNCH noise that it made enlightened LOVE of their presence. She turned around and kicked the little one in the face. The larger one came at her with his arms extended. She knew that her fighting would not hurt him, so she decided to do the only thing she could do. She turned and ran. He followed her. So did Angel, Buffy, and everyone else. After five minutes of running, she got tired, and stopped. She looked up at the sky as she gasped for air. "Enough," she said. "Bow." All of the vampire got down on their knees, and lowered their heads. They then got up. She raised her hands high into the air. The clouds shifted, and the sky became dark. Thunder boomed and lightning crashed all around. She clenched her hands as if she were reaching for something. A loud crackling noise came from in front of her (behind everyone else). Buffy couldn't believe her eyes. LOVE was ripping a tree out of the ground without even touching it (MAGIC). Just then, Spike and the rest of the vampires showed up. Spike went up to Angel. "What is she doing?" he asked Angel. "Getting rid of unwanted anger would be my best guess," Angel answered. "LOVE! Why don't you stop now, and we can go home for some nice hot tea," Spike shouted to LOVE. "I hate hot tea!" she screamed. "Coffee?" he asked. "I hate Coffee too," she answered. "Gee Spike, you really know your girlfriends well don't you?" Angel said to Spike. "Shut-up," he said back. "Hey LOVE," Angel shouted to her. "Angel? Is that you?" she asked. "Yep. How would you like some Snapple, or maybe some Frappuccino?" he asked. "I would love some," she said to him. "See Spike, I haven't seen Angel in almost five years, and yet he still know more about me than you do. You both should know because it wasn't just Angel that raised me. You and Dru raised me also. I am psychotic, just like Dru was so you stay away from me. No one owns me. I own myself. If I am going to live or die, then I am going to live or die the way I want to. Understand?" "Of course," Spike said sincerely. "You can have whatever you want. You know that." "Yeah, I really know that. Why do you think I ran away? I want to go outside. I want to be free. I want to be able to see my family. I want to see Angel. I want a chance to make friends," she shouted back. "That's all." The crackling noise stopped. She fell to the ground. The larger vampire stood in front of her so she wouldn't run away. Spike walked over to her and picked her up. He and the other vampires left with LOVE as they walked around the side of the building. Angel waited a minute, and then he slowly walked to the side of the building. "Where are you going?" Buffy asked him. "I am going to follow them. This way I will know where LOVE is kept, and I will know where Spikes hiding spot is," he answered "Good plan," Buffy agreed. "I will go with you." - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: G90210 Subject: BUFFYFIC: I Need You Now (1/?) Date: 30 Mar 1998 18:25:48 EST TITLE: I Need You Now AUTHOR: mInDy (G90210@aol.com or LoveAVamp@aol.com) SUMMARY: This is set 13 years after Angel lost his soul. Angel now has his soul back, and Buffy goes to visit him. Things don't turn out the way planned. SPOILERS: Everything that has happened, but mostly S/I DISCLAIMER: Nothing really, I own nothing, have no money. I only claim rights on the story idea. DISTRIBUTION: Ask Me First PLEEEAAASSSEEE! AUTHOR'S NOTE: At the end of this chapter there is something that said one, but alot of people thought it should be two, well it should be one. Read the story and it will make more sense. I Need You Now By: mInDy Part One *********** Buffy walked up to his apartment. She was nervous, even though it was her Angel, she still didn't know how to act around him. She had gone through a lot of changes in these past 13 years. Buffy was now a 30 year old women, not a 16 year old girl. She had already been married and divorced once, to Xander, and had given birth to a beautiful boy during that marriage. She had given birth to her son, Noah, at age 19, which would make him 11 years old now. Noah and her lived in a townhouse, just a little way out of Sunnydale. She loved Noah more than she could even tell you. She had wished she loved Xander the same way, but she couldn't. Buffy was too in love with Angel. The one who she gave her virginity to, the one who she loved the most in the world, more than herself most of the times. But that didn't matter. Buffy didn't know if Angel still loved her. She always believed that he did, but she just wasn't sure. A part of her had wished she had just stayed home today but another part was just to curious for it's own good. Buffy finally reached the big metal door that led to his apartment. She knocked on the door. *Ok this is it. I can either stay here and see him, and find out if he still loves me, or I can turn the other way and run as fast as I can.* Angel opened the door and there was Buffy, his Buffy. God did he miss her. "Buffy?" "Yeah, hey," In the distance they heard a scream, not knowing who it was they both took off after it. When they got there they were not prepared for what they saw, it was Xander's and Willow's bodies hanging from a tree. Willow was in her wedding dress and Xander was in his tux, they were suppose to get married next week, but it didn't look like it would happen. "Oh God," Buffy wispered. Angel walked up to the tree where they were hanging and on it, there was something written. "Buffy, come here." Angel commanded. Buffy did as she was told. When she got over there she saw it too. On the tree, written in blood was: "Till Death Do You Part, One Down Three To Go" Neither Angel nor Buffy knew what to think. All they could do was morn over the loss of some very close friends. ************ END PART ONE - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: G90210 Subject: BUFFYFIC: BUUFYFIC: I Need You Now (3/?) Date: 30 Mar 1998 18:26:07 EST TITLE: I Need You Now AUTHOR: mInDy (G90210@aol.com or LoveAVamp@aol.com) SUMMARY: This is set 13 years after Angel lost his soul. He Now has his soul back, and Buffy comes to visit him, and things don't turn out for the best. SPOILERS: Everything up till now, but mostly S/I. DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. Maybe a sock or two. ********** Part 3 Buffy's alarm clock went off at 7:00am that morning, pulling Buffy out of a very good dream. The radio was playing the song "Butterfly" by Mariah Carey. Buffy finally opened her eyes, to hit the dumb alarm clock so her and Angel could go back to sleep, when she noticed there was no Angel. Buffy's heart started to race, *Not again, I don't think I could handle Angelus now, not after what happened to Will and Xander, Oh God, please let him......* Buffy's thoughts were interrupted when she saw a note on her table next to her bed. It was sitting underneath her Mr. Gordo pig that she still had after all these years. She smiled knowing it was from Angel, and that he was ok. She picked up the not and read it. It read: Good Morning Love, Ahhhhh I shouldn't call you that, I sound like Spike!!!! Anyway I'm writing this to tell you that I'm downstairs, so you won't think that well you know what happened last time after we, well, anyways now that you're awake why don't you come downstairs, so I don't have to write anymore, I'm not good with writing letters. Love, Angel Buffy got Angel's message and got up, put her bathrobe on, and walked downstairs into the living room, then down to the basement. When she got down there Angel was laying on the couch/bed asleep. He looked so peaceful. She curled up write next to him, and after a few minutes fell asleep herself. **~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~* When Buffy woke up this time it was to the sound of her CD player going off playing her Grease soundtrack. Angel was listening to it. When he realized she was awake, he walked over to her and kissed her on the forehead. "Hey, I see you got my letter," Angel spoke first. "Yeah," was all Buffy could say, she was to busy looking at love in Angel's eyes. All of sudden, the song on the CD player had changed to Olivia Newton-John's song "Hopelessly Devoted to You". Angel looked up then back at Buffy and asked, "Can I have this dance?" Buffy was shocked at first, but then shook her head yes. Angel pulled her up into his arms, and swayed slowly to the music. They both were enjoying being and feeling so close until the phone rang, breaking the feeling. Buffy went to answer the phone. It was Giles. "Buffy, I hate to call and tell you this, but Cordila died last night." "What?" Buffy asked not beliving what she was hearing. "Cordila died last night, Buffy, I'm sorry." "What time did she die?" "Around midnight, why?" Buffy threw the phone down. Immeadatly Angel was at her side asking what was wrong. When Buffy finally stopped crying, she told Angel what happened. Then she screamed at him, "So you see, why we were making fucking love, Cordila was dying. I could've, no, I should've been there to save her. Not laying in bed getting fucked by you!!" Angel new she wasn't mad at him, she was mad that she couldn't have been there. Angel watched as Buffy curled up into a tight ball on the floor crying. Whoever was doing this to his slayer was going to pay, and they were going to pay dearly. ********** END PART 3 I LOVE FEEDBACK!!!!!!!!!!!! - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: G90210 Subject: BUFFYFIC: I Need You Now (2/?) Date: 30 Mar 1998 18:25:57 EST TITLE: I Need You Now AUTHOR: G90210@aol.com or LoveAVamp@aol.com SPOILERS: Up to S/I SUMMARY: Angel has his soul back, and it's 13 years since then. Buffy goes to visit Angel after all this time and things don't turn out the way she hoped. DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. Not even money. WARNING: May have some violence, lots of deaths, and suggests sexual contact. ********* PART TWO Angel walked Buffy to her new town house in silence after they called the police. When they got to Buffy's front door, Buffy turned around to face Angel. "Angel, listen, I stopped by your apartment to talks about alot of things, which I still wanna talk about, but....." "I know Buffy, I know. Are you gonna be ok tonight?" "Yeah I'll be fine, I just don't know how to tell Noah his dad's dead." "Who's Noah?" "My son, well mine and Xander's son. She when you lost your soul, I had no where else to run to, but him. I slowly started to fall in love with him...." "Yeah I get it, you stopped by to tell me about all this, and now you don't have husband anymore." "No, no, NO Angel. That's not why I went to your apartment. You see me and Xander got a divorce," Angel looked up at her to tell if she was lying, and he couldn't tell, he just could feel in his heart that it was the truth. Buffy started talking again which took Angel from his thoughts,"Angel I came by your apartment tonight to tell you that even after all you did, I still love you. And I was hoping you still loved me too." Angel couldn't believe what he was hearing. She still loved him even after what he did. What was wrong with her? Why was God being so nice to him after all that he had done to all those people? All these questions filled his head, and before he knew it he was crying. Buffy was just standing there, watching him, waiting for an answer. She got her answer all right, Angel was crying. She went over to him and held him. She stroked his back and neck, while he cried on her shoulder. "Let's get inside," Buffy whispered in Angel's ear. Angel followed her inside, after he was invited in of course. He sat down on the couch in the living room, Buffy sat next to him. Buffy couldn't help it. With him being so close to her, her body started to come alive in places she long forgot about since becoming a single mother. Thank God Noah was at his Grandma's. Angel looked at Buffy, he couldn't resist the urge to kiss her. He leaned over and kissed her lips lightly. Buffy responded immeaditly, pressing her lips hard on his. They both started to explore each other's body's since it had been so long since the two were together. After a few minutes, Angel looked up at Buffy and asked, "What about Noah?" "He's at his Grandmother's." Buffy stated simply kissing him hard on the lips. The two continued this for awhile downstairs, till they climbed up the stairs to Buffy's bedroom. As the two made love that night, nobody heard the scream of Cordelia Chase echoing through the town. And a note written near her: "For Better, For Worse: Only a few more to go." END PART TWO******** FEEDBACK PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: G90210 Subject: BUFFYFIC: I Need You Now (4/?) Date: 30 Mar 1998 18:57:46 EST TITLE: I Need You Now AUTHOR: mInDy (G90210@aol.com or LoveAVamp@aol.com) SUMMARY: This is set 13 years after Angel lost his soul. He has his soul back, and Buffy comes to visit him, and things don't turn out for the best. SPOILERS: Everything up till now, but mostly S/I. WARNING: May contain violence, lots of deaths, and may suggest sexual situations. DISCLAIMER: I own nothing!!! ******* Part 4 Buffy layed curled up on the floor for what seemed like hours, till the phone rang. Angel had to get up to answer it, since it looked like Buffy wouldn't. "Hello," Angel said politely. "Hello, is Buffy there," It was Buffy's mom on the other end. "Yes, hold on." "Buffy," Angel whispered in her ear. "What?" "Phone." "I don't wanna talk to anyone." "Come on Buff, it's your mom," Angel asked gently, while rubbing her back. "Ok, fine." Buffy said getting up, "Hello, Mom?" "Yeah honey, I'm calling to ask if it was ok with you, if I took Noah to the amusement park?" "Yeah mom, that would be great." "Ok honey, we better get going then ok?" "Ok, bye mom, I love you." "I love you, too, Buffy." Buffy hung up the phone, looking at Angel sitting next to her on the floor. "Hey, Angel, about what I yelled at you earlier, I didn't......." "I know Buffy, you were just upset, I understand," Angel interrupted her, then kissed her on the forehead. Buffy smiled at him, then looked up at the clock, then back at him and smiled again. "You know Angel, you still have about 5 hours until sunset while stuck with me." Angel smiled at her and asked, "What do you suppose we do until then?" "I dunno," Buffy answered simply, moving in closer to Angel's face, "what do you think?" "What I think? Hmmmm....how about.." Angel kissed her hard on the lips and pulled her down on the floor, "this?" "Sounds like a plan to me," Buffy smiled and kissed Angel back. At least the two had a little while together, with no pain, well no pain from anyone else but each other. END PART FOUR ************ FEEDBACK PLLLLEEEEAAASSSEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: GothGirl77 Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: DISCUSS: Date: 30 Mar 1998 19:44:16 EST In a message dated 98-03-29 23:59:15 EST, you write: << Ingrid, I'd LOVE the challenge...but unfortunetly I'm already in the middle of Three Lists, 9 Fanfics plus stuff on the side...do you have any idea how much e-mail a day you get from 3 Lists? It's HELL, Hehehe. >> You know how much mail you get from 3 lists? Try 4 lists! Plus I'm on the FK War loop and 8 newsgroups. The amount of messages I read each night is incredible. Why do I read so many. Cause it's fun!!!!! Nastassia - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: GothGirl77 Subject: BUFFYFIC: Until The Morning Light (1/1) Date: 30 Mar 1998 19:48:58 EST Title: Until The Morning Light (1/1) Author: Nastassia Email Addy: GothGirl77@aol.com Rating: PG Spoiler: Suprise and Innocence Feedback: Please please please! Distribution: Maybe if you ask nicely. Disclaimer: Buffy, Angel, and Joyce belong to Joss & Co. Only the story is mine. Summary: Buffy dreams of Angel and awakes in tears. Joyce wonders what is happening to her daughter. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hey all, this is the first fanfic I have ever sent to a list, so I am begging !BEGGING! for you guys to give me feedback. This is something I wrote today during study hall. I hope you like it. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Until The Morning Light (1/1) by Nastassia "I love you." Buffy awoke with a start from another dream where Angel held her again. Another dream that continued to haunt her.... No. No, the dreams were not what haunted Buffy. It was waking up. While she slept Buffy was able to see Angel as he really was-the gentle loving man she had fallen so easily in love with, not the sadistic evil bastard Angelus had made him into. No, Buffy did not hate the dreams. They were all she had left. Buffy closed her eyes as she recalled the dream she had awoken from. Without realizing it, Buffy started to sob again. It had been a dream about that night, the night Angel had made love to her for the first time. 'The only time,' Buffy thought, but did not say. The house was silent except for her sobs. Buffy remembered that night. Angel had been so gentle with her, so careful not to hurt her. The night had been like a dream. The nightmare had not started until the morning after. Joyce Summers stood outside the door to Buffy's room, listening to her daughter weep. It had been like this every night since her birthday. Something had happened, but Buffy refused to talk about it. Joyce's heart ached for her daughter. She wanted to do nothing but throw open the door and take Buffy in her arms and hold her until all the bad things went away. Yet Joyce stood still. She knew Buffy would refuse to tell her what was wrong. Buffy was stubborn as well as proud. She would suffer in silence before she would reveal her pain to anyone. Without ever saying a word Buffy's mother turned and walked back to her bedroom, where she knew she would listen to her child's cries until morning. ***** Buffy stood in front of the mirror in her bedroom, staring at her image glass without really seeing it. Instead she looked at the reflection of her window in the mirror. Buffy turned and gazed at the window and thought of all the times Angel had snuck into her bedroom to watch her sleep or kiss her goodnight or to just see her. The window looked so different in the daytime, with the golden rays streaming in. Buffy wondered idly what Angel would have looked like in the sunlight. Buffy shook herself out of her reverie and turned back to mirror. Nothing more than a slight redness of her eyes gave away what she had gone through last night, what she went through every night. She was finished dressing for school except for three things. Buffy fastened the clasp of the cross Angel had given her around her neck. She picked up Angel's leather jacket from the bed and put it on. Buffy inhaled the rich scent of leather and Angel. No matter how often she wore this jacket it still smelled like him. It was as close as Buffy could get to having Angel's arms around her. Buffy opened her jewelry box and removed the gold claddagh ring. With trembling hands Buffy placed the ring on her finger, the heart facing her. In her memory Buffy heard Angel say, "It means you belong to someone." "I still belong to someone, Angel," Buffy whispered, touching the ring softly and remembering how Angel had shown her the one he wore, "I will always belong to you, my Angel. I love you." Buffy exited her room quickly, before she could break down into tears again. She didn't see the pale specter appear before her window. A sad smile was on Angel's face. Bathed in the sunlight he was more beautiful than he was in the darkness. Angel touched his ring, a gesture identical to Buffy's. "I will always belong to you my beautiful warrior against evil. No matter what he says, know that I will never stop loving you." The soul of Angel faded away, and, though there was no wind that day, Buffy felt a light breeze blow past her, and she would later remember that the breeze seemed to be calling her name as it softly kissed her cheek. *The End* So what does everybody think? I have a few ideas for some longer stories so tell me if you want me to write them! ~Nastassia~ GothGirl77@aol.com I fed on a flower person once. I spent the next six hours watching my hand move..... - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: G90210 Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: Until The Morning Light (1/1) Date: 30 Mar 1998 19:58:47 EST It was very good, it was really sweet. What can I say, I miss my Angel! ~mInDy - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: taygeta@juno.com (Charity C Tran) Subject: Discussion: BUFFYFIC: Until The Morning Light (1/1) Date: 30 Mar 1998 18:32:20 -0800 I liked it, rather kind of sad, though. Buffy's a little too emotional, I think, but it basically works out. I mean, I don't necessarily think she's going to be crying ALL the time, I mean, now she's freaked out about Angelus. Just my thoughts. Taygeta 8~) (Taygeta@juno.com) Writer of "The Chronicles of the White Knight" Writer of "Capeside: the Hellmouth" Writer of "Beyond the Creek" _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: taygeta@juno.com (Charity C Tran) Subject: BUFFYFIC: Buffyfic: Chronicles of the White Knight 1/? Date: 30 Mar 1998 18:56:04 -0800 Name: Chronicles of the White Knight #1 Loving in the Shadows Author: Taygeta Address: taygeta@juno.com Feedback: Please send Spoiler: Not really, just a few references to the show and past episodes. My own little ideas, but not really anything I think we'll happen as such. If it does occur, I had nothing to do with it. Disclaimer: The characters portrayed in this story and any other references to Buffy the Vampire Slayer are the property of its creater Joss Whedon, and its owners Mutant Enemy productions, Kuzui Productions, Sandollar Productions, and 20th Century Fox. In other words, these characters do not belong to me, and I am just borrowing them. Description: The Chronicles is not really a multi-part story, but is a series of stories, some of which piece together and some of which don't. #1 is an intro to the series and it is basically revolves around Xander. Warnings: Not really, unless you don't like Xander and don't really want to read about Xander and Buffy. First paragraph, I know it's cheesy, but I don't mind anyone telling me so, I'm just warning. So basically the rating is: PG. *********** Chronicles of the White Knight #1 Loving In the Shadows By: Taygeta He is the white knight that is destined to battle Angelus, the demon of darkness. He secretly loves and protects his true love, the Slayer. He battles not with strength, nor does he battle with force. His battle is won through love, love for a Slayer in love with a demon. He stands in the shadows with his heart of gold, waiting and loving in hopes of a love that can be fought and won. He is Xander, the White Knight. Xander Harris stared at his reflection in the mirror in his bedroom and sighed pitifully. He couldn't help but wonder if something was wrong with him? What was it that she didn't see in him? What is it that made Buffy see love in a demon? He resented Angel, more than he liked to admit, but he did. He had despised him for so long that he often wondered how it was possible that he hated Angelus even more. He knew the answer, it all involved Buffy...it always involved Buffy. With Angel, Buffy had been happy and all Xander wanted to do was to make her happy, and he supposed that was why it hurt that she found happiness from outside of him. Yet, with Angelus, all Buffy faced was sorrow and pain and heartache that was so evident in her face and her manner that Xander felt it at a glance, but knew he was helpless to take it all away. Angel had been foe, but Buffy loved him and so Xander could only step away. Angelus, on the other hand, is foe, and he hurt Buffy and in hurting her, he hurt him. The phone rang loudly and Mrs. Harris yelled to her son that it was Cordelia and he yelled back that he'd call back later. Cordelia thought Xander with a sigh and a half smile. Never did he think that he would be dating Cordelia, never. Half of the time he wondered what she felt about him and the other half spent fearing for his life. Not that Cordy was all that bad for his health, it was just that he sometimes felt that he was cheating himself and cheating her in the process. So maybe he would never get Buffy, and maybe Cordelia was who he should be with, but everything was a huge gigantic maybe with Cordy. Yet, every time he saw Buffy, everything said yes, and Cordy...well, Cordy was a maybe, a possibility. He didn't know why he always contemplated this to himself. It was practically on a daily basis. He wouldn't see how Buffy could ever love him or ever try, he wasn't the big hero like Angel was to her, even though he fought for the sake of her for more times than she would ever know. He guessed that that was all he could do since he could only love in the shadows. ************ End of #1 _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: taygeta@juno.com (Charity C Tran) Subject: BUFFYFIC: Buffyfic: Chronicles of the White Knight (2/?) Date: 30 Mar 1998 19:11:11 -0800 Name: Chronicles of the White Knight #2 Author: Taygeta Address: taygeta@juno.com Feedback: Please send Using in anything: Ask me first. Spoiler: Not really, just a few references to the show and past episodes. My own little ideas, but not really anything I think we'll happen as such. If it does occur, I had nothing to do with it. Disclaimer: The characters portrayed in this story and any other references to Buffy the Vampire Slayer are the property of its creater Joss Whedon, and its owners Mutant Enemy productions, Kuzui Productions, Sandollar Productions, and 20th Century Fox. In other words, these characters do not belong to me, and I am just borrowing them. Description: The Chronicles is not really a multi-part story, but is a series of stories, some of which piece together and some of which don't. #2 involves a dream that Buffy has, her first encounter with the white knight. Warnings: Not really, unless you don't like Xander and don't really want to read about Xander and Buffy. So basically the rating is: PG. ************** Chronicles of the White Knight #2 Only In Dreams By: Taygeta Buffy fell into a deep, yet troubled sleep as her thoughts drifted of Angel and of his predecessor Angelus. She found herself in the arms of her beloved Angel and she sighed, feeling his embrace around her. All at once the affection drained from his grasp and she felt his hands swiftly moving, but before she could stop it, a hand had grabbed her neck. Her eyes widened as she painfully looked up at her assailant, and saw that it could be no one else but Angelus. "Hello, Lover, miss me?" Angelus said with a wicked grin as his grip grew tighter and tighter around her neck. She clenched her teeth and swallowed before she found enough strength and anger within her to kick him in the stomach and once he let go of her neck, she clipped him with her right fist. He toppled to the ground and Buffy, in her fighting stance, waited for him to stand up. Angelus slowly got up and as he rose from his fall, he was laughing and almost cackling. "Not now, Buffy, it's not going to happen now," said Angelus shaking his head with a crooked grin, and in the corner of Buffy's eye she saw a figure in white dash by. "If not now, when?" demanded Buffy, glaring at Angelus with such angered passion that she was breathing heavily. "Soon," said Angelus walking away, glancing at something white glinting in the distance, before he stuffed his hands into his black coat pockets. As Buffy continued to eye the back of his tall form, she heard him continue, "Very soon." Buffy ran after him and wanted to push him to the ground, but once she reached the figure in the black coat, he was gone and the darkness that had surrounded them with him. She found herself in engulfed in music, dimmed lights, and hushed voices and then realized she was in the Bronze. Across the way, she saw Willow and Xander talking with Oz and Cordelia at one of the various tables set around the dance floor. Then, she noticed that she was standing in the middle of the dance floor. She tried to walk, but for some odd reason, she couldn't move. The music had shifted from semi-slow to an even slower love song, and she smiled sheepishly hoping that no one would notice her and no one did. All eyes had fallen onto a figure that approached them. He was dressed in white and no matter how hard Buffy tried to see his face, she couldn't. At every angle, his face was shadowed from her view and then she realized this stranger in white was walking towards her. His hand gently placed itself on hers, and she gasped feeling almost a current of electricity running through their fingers. Even more surprising to Buffy, she felt her feet become released from the magic that had stuck them to the ground. Nervously, she placed her head on his shoulder and unbeknownst to herself, she sighed, feeling so at ease and so taken in by his silent charm. She finally broke the silence between them and whispered, "Who are you?" "The White Knight," he replied simply in a soft tone. "Why are _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] you here?" she asked looking up at him, but still she saw no face, only a shadow that covered it to almost entirely. "Buffy, I'm always here," he whispered back and despite the shadow on his face, she detected a warm smile, "I'll always be by your side." "If you've always been here, then why is this the first time I've seen you?" asked Buffy, slightly jokingly, but there was some truth to her tone. "Let's just say that I've watched you from afar," he said as the music began to fade. "So tell me White Knight, will I ever get to see what you look like?" said Buffy looking up at him, standing still once more when the music stopped. His softhearted smile warmed Buffy's lately saddened heart as he replied, "You'll see me someday, I hope, but it's not my decision to make. You can only discover who I am when you can look beyond all the shadows that surround me." "And how am I supposed to do that?" she asked although she realized that all those around her were looking at them. "By using your heart," he answered, and then to her surprise, gently kissed her with a kiss that made her pulse race. She looked at him for a second and smiled, realizing that the shadow that concealed his identity was beginning to slowly fade, but before she began to realize who it was that made her heart beat so wildly, she woke up. In a daze, she glanced at the clock beside her bed and realized that it was nearly six-thirty, and although she went about her usual morning routine, her mind still wondered who was this mysterious White Knight. Her thoughts still lingered of this figure in the shadows when she met Xander and Willow later that morning. "You know, guys, I had the strangest dream," said Buffy after their usual greetings, and both Willow and Xander noticed that she was smiling, really smiling, for the first time in weeks. "Really, Buffy?" questioned Willow with a inquiring smile, "Was it a nice dream?" "The beginning was fairly freaksome, but it turned out to be very nice," said Buffy, who although knew it was a dream, felt a tingle on her lips from the passion that had met her with his kiss. "See there was this guy..." Before she could continue, Xander cut in with, "Me, right, Buffy?" "No, not you, Xander," said Buffy with a laugh, thinking that such a romantic and mysterious guy couldn't possibly be Xander, "But you were in there for a little while. So were Willow, Oz, and Cordelia. Remember Cordelia, your girlfriend?" "Remember Cordelia?" said Xander with a chuckle, "Who can forget Cordelia?" "Enough already, Xander, I want to know Buffy's dream!" said Willow and she turned to Buffy and continued, "Well?" "As I was saying, before I was so rudely interrupted," said Buffy giving Xander a look, "There was this guy and he called himself the White Knight. I couldn't see his face because everything was so shadowed, but when he touched my hand, when we danced, and then when he kissed me in the end, it was like...wow." "Wow?" asked Willow who wondered why she couldn't have Dream kisses that were wows. "Wow," said Buffy nodding her head, but still feeling like that couldn't even describe it. "A wow kiss," said Willow with a sigh before she separated from them to go to her own class. Xander had become intensely silent, when he heard Buffy talk about the White Knight and he turned to ask her, "So, you have no idea who this White Knight is?" "No idea, whatsoever, but most likely he's probably just something my mind made up," said Buffy and when she realized that he had grown even more silent she said with a laugh, "Why, Xander? Do you think the White Knight's you?" Xander contemplated for a second and then said, "Let's see, to be the White Knight, I get to not only dance very close to you, I even get to kiss you, right?" "That's right, Xander," said Buffy nodding and in the distance she heard the bell ring. Xander glanced at Buffy and sighed while shaking his head, "Only in dreams, Buffy, only in dreams." Buffy paused and gave him a perplexed expression before she laughingly said, "Xander, it was _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] a dream." Xander smiled and gave a side-ways glance at Buffy, and before he walked away Buffy heard him say, "I know, Buffy, I know..." *************** End of #2 _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: taygeta@juno.com (Charity C Tran) Subject: BUFFYFIC: Buffyfic:Capeside: the Hellmouth (1/?) Date: 30 Mar 1998 19:10:56 -0800 Name: Capeside: the Hellmouth #1 The Collision of Two Worlds Author: Taygeta Address: taygeta@juno.com Feedback: Please send Uses in anything: Ask me first. Spoiler: Not really, considering that this is a crossover story. Has reference to "Killed by Death" at the end, but that's about it. I will mark those lines with * Description: A crossover with Buffy and Dawson's Creek, is a series, and not really a multi-part story, although each story usually connects to another. Disclaimer: The Buffy characters portrayed in this story and any other references to Buffy the Vampire Slayer are the property of its creater Joss Whedon, and its owners Mutant Enemy productions, Kuzui Productions, Sandollar Productions, and 20th Century Fox. The Dawson's Creek character's portrayed in this are the property of its creater Kevin Williamson, and its owners. In other words, these characters do not belong to me, and I am just borrowing them. Warning: A little fighting, but no references to bloodshed. To anyone that doesn't like DC, maybe you shouldn't read it, but please give it a try. ********** Capeside: The Hellmouth #1 The Collision of Two Worlds By: Taygeta *"He is dead, right?" Xander asked raising his eyebrows as he carefully helped the very weak Slayer walk, "I did hear something crack."* *"That would be his neck," Buffy said with a smile, despite how weak she felt with a 107-degree fever, "And I think neck breakage classifies him as dead."* Suddenly, a bright light flashed behind them, and was echoed by the howling of a cold wind, causing them to turn around. Buffy and Xander's eyes widened as they saw light radiating out of Death's body, and their heads turned to look at each other. Then, simultaneously, they said, "Run!" But it was too late; their bodies were immersed into the light and the light that radiated from the body continued to expand until it had swallowed the entire town of Sunnydale. The light wrapped and twisted until there was no Sunnydale to speak of. The Hellmouth reacted to this explosion, but it could not save itself without saving the town with it, and finally, it found a perfect home. Remote and quiet, just as Sunnydale had been, but just as they were about to transfer worlds, something went decidedly wrong. The effects of dimensional travel caused a collision of two worlds, resulting in the survival and even switched role-play for some, if not all, of the towns' residents, creating what we know as, Capeside: The Hellmouth. Buffy and Xander's bodies were crumpled beside a pier of a creek of some sort. Buffy's eyes opened reluctantly and she stood up quickly; recalling what had occurred minutes, really hours, ago. She was dazed and confused, but her fever was gone, as she touched her forehead and muttered, "Where am I?" She turned to see Xander beside her, his face was scratched, but other than that, he seemed all right, and began to stir. Groggily, he sat up, and saw Buffy sitting confused beside him and with a pained voice, he asked, "What's going on? What happened? Where are we, Buffy?" "I - I only wish I knew," said Buffy, turning to look at him, but she saw him topple, again, and she heard a weak groan. "Xander, are you alright?" "Yeah, j-just a little sore," said Xander touching his right cheek and winced at the pain it caused, "But I can walk." "Come on, I think I see someone lying over there," She said as she squinted trying to make out the slumped figure of a man in the pale moonlight. "Yeah, sure," said Xander standing up and paused for a moment, trying to regain his lost balance and with the help of Buffy was able to begin to walk. "Buffy, that looks a lot like Giles," said Xander, who reluctantly took his arm off of Buffy's shoulder, finding that he could walk better now. "It is Giles," said Buffy in a concerned voice as they walked towards the man who had propped himself against a tree. "Giles! Giles!" He looked up, was glad to see a familiar face, and said softly, "Buffy, Xander. Oh, thank God, you're both alright." "Giles, what ha _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] ppened here or better yet, what happened to you?" asked Xander, whose face winced when he saw the state of Giles' face and the tattered suit he wore. "I-I'm not too sure, I found myself waking up and my face was at the present state you see now," said Giles, his British accent and his words seemingly had no damage from his accident. "In other words, you woke up like that," said Buffy, who had mastered simple Giles language, but had yet to have the ability to translate major Giles. "But do you know what happen?" "From the knowledge I have at the moment, the killing of the creature you refer to as Death, caused a strange reaction in the Hellmouth. Resulting in the catastrophic cosmic collision of extremely unknown consequences, and the apparent disappearance of what we know as Sunnydale," said Giles, who winced as a cool wind stung the wounds on his face. "Sunnydale is gone?" asked Buffy, who couldn't believe that was possible. "But what about everyone and my mom and Willow and even, Cordelia, where are they?" "Sunnydale is not essentially gone, it still exists to some extent, but it has been integrated into this place we are in now. The people of Sunnydale are still here, but they are not the same people you knew before. Their lives have been integrated into the lives of those that already live here, therefore, we are complete strangers to them," said Giles, wishing that he didn't have to be the one to tell them that they had just lost the last 17 years they had known as their life. "No! No! I will not accept that, it can't be true! It just can't be, Giles," insisted Buffy, but when she saw the sympathetic and sad expression on his face, she knew it couldn't be anything, but true. "I-I don't get this, Giles! How is it that you, me, and Buffy are the only three that know about this whole ordeal?" asked Xander, who was just as frustrated as Buffy. "I was coming to you when the explosion happened and Xander, you and Buffy, were practically next to that Death creature when the light radiated from him. It seems that the closer you are to the creature, the more of yourself you remember, but those that are farther away from the initial impact, had more of their lives washed away. Those lives were further twisted with the lives of those who live here," Giles tried to explain, although his knowledge of what had actually happened was very limited. "At least, that's what I think, but it just might be that we were close enough to Buffy to regain our memories of our past lives. To tell you the truth, I am not really sure, but those are my initial beliefs as to what occurred." In the distance, they heard a familiar voice, "Pacey, look, there are some really injured people over there." "Cordy," said Xander in a soft voice, and he turned to Giles and Buffy with sad eyes. "She doesn't remember us, does she?" "I'm sorry, Xander, no," said Giles, who didn't really like her presence at times, knew that he'd miss her, but perhaps not as much as Xander might, but all the same, he would. "It probably wouldn't have lasted long, anyway," Xander muttered, kicking a rock as Cordelia and the boy that stood beside her, who she had called Pacey, walked towards them. "Hey, are you guys, alright?" asked Cordelia, her act and her ways were just the same, her voice showing some concern, but her air showed her insincerity. "Yeah...well, sort of. My name's Buffy, and that's Xander and he's, um, he's G-Giles. W-we got into an accident, a car accident, actually," Buffy began to lie, which was an art she had mastered over the years. "It was a couple of miles from here, and, uh, we couldn't find the hospital, so, um, we just sat here hoping someone would come." "Then, we better help them out, Cordy," said Pacey, who was tall and, Buffy quickly summed, an extreme hottie. "Yes, I guess, so," said Cordelia, who was strictly annoyed when she saw her boyfriend give Buffy a flirtatious smile. "Why don't you go and call the hospital and I'll just stay here and keep them company." "Alright," said Pacey, and h _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] e gave Cordelia a quick kiss, before he treaded up the walk and his figure disappeared on the road ahead. "So, what brings you to Capeside, besides the accident, that is. I'm guessing that you were on your way here," said Cordelia looking at Buffy with annoyed look still. "Yes, we were coming here to, uh...well, Xander and I are part of a national exchange student program," Buffy said quickly, and Xander gave her a look of surprise as well as Giles. "And, um, Giles here is part of that program too, but he's, uh, part of the world exchange teachers program. He's from England and is going to teach here for awhile." "Oh, that's nice," said Cordelia, who looked as if she couldn't care less about anything at all, "Hmm, I think I see Pacey and it looks like he has our friends with him." "F-friends? I thought he was going to call for help," said Xander, suspiciously, feeling that old Sunnydale sixth sense coming to him. "Well, I guess he met up with our friends first," said Cordelia with a smirk as she gave her boyfriend a kiss when he stood beside her. "Buffy, Xander, Giles, I'd like for you to meet my friends, and my dear friends, please meet...dinner." Cordelia turned around to face them, she no longer had that face she had prized not so long ago, she now had the deep grooves and the pale skin and the evil, sharp-toothed grin, of the creatures she used to abhor. "What do you expect with Capeside, "The New Hellmouth"?" muttered Xander aloud and he looked a Buffy. "Xander, get Giles out of here," said Buffy in her commanding voice, like she often did when it involved vampires. "Buffy, there are too many of them," insisted Xander, seeing about ten vampires surrounding them and more approaching. "There they are!" a voice shouted in the distance causing Xander, Buffy, and Giles to turn and see three people running towards them, and Xander heard Buffy gasped. Xander squinted and made out the group, two girls, one short, one tall, and the very familiar form of Angel. They all had stakes in hands, an individual cross on a chain hung on each of their necks, and looked fully prepared for a fight. Apparently, they were Capeside's closest answer to a slayer, and even more apparently, Angel was no longer a vampire. "Angel," said Buffy softly and Xander turned to see her surprised expression. "Buffy, you've got to remember, even though it's hard to believe, that he doesn't know who you are," said Xander with a sigh as he saw the three forms running towards them. "But he's not evil, anymore, Xander," said Buffy, as if the knowledge of that changed everything, although she knew in her heart it didn't. "I know he's not, Buffy, but he's still not the same Angel he was before," said Xander and he looked at Cordelia, who had stopped the "dinner" so that they could fight the wannabe Slayer Squad. "If you don't believe me, look at Cordy." "I understand, but it's not that, Xander. It's just that I accepted Angel as a vampire, and seeing that he's not, really gives me the wiggins," said Buffy, who couldn't really say to Xander, what it was she feeling right now, but Xander didn't need an explanation, he understood. "You guys, better get out of here," a girl with brown hair called to them, "It's dangerous." "I think we can handle it," said Xander, taking a two stakes from the strange, but pretty girl's hand. "We?" asked Buffy, raising her eyebrows at Xander. "Don't you mean, that I can handle it?" "I'll have you know, that I've fought plenty of vampire's in my time," said Xander, who was about to argue with Buffy, but Giles cut into their conversation. "Uh, pardon me, for interrupting, but I think that they can probably use some help," said Giles motioning over to a blonde and Angel who were fighting off the vampires, although, not too well. "Right," said Buffy, grabbing a stake from Xander's hand and patting the cross she always wore around her neck. "You do have the acquired capabilities in the usage of stakes, don't you?" asked the brunette that Xander had taken them from. _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] "What? Oh, do we know how to use stakes? I think we can handle it," said Xander as he followed Buffy into the fight. "Who are you, guys?" Angel said with heavy breathing as he punched a vampire in the face. Buffy gave a hard right sidekick into the stomach of a vampire, staked his heart with accuracy and power, and looked up at Angel and said, "We're their worst enemy." She saw Xander topple in the distance, although he had staked a vampire, and smiled before she continued with, "At least, I am." As more and more vampires got killed, Cordelia got frustrated, as did Pacey, who thought it was going to be an easy kill...of humans, not vampires. Pacey yelled to them, "Come on, we better get out here, it seems that Calvary has arrived." "What are you? Some super vampire fighter?" asked Angel after Buffy had killed most of them with out even a scratch on her. "Um, something like that, yeah. My name's Buffy, and you guys are...?" said Buffy, and then she looked at Angel and the girls beside him. "I'm Angel," said Angel, although unbeknownst to himself, he didn't need an introduction. "And I'm Joey," said the tall, brunette that had told them to run. "I guess, my initial reaction of making you go away was entirely wrong." "I'm Jen," said a short, blonde that stood comfortably beside Angel, who had his arm around her shoulder. "Are you two...?" Buffy suggested it, although she knew all too well that Jen and Angel had a relationship. "Uh, yeah," said Jen, blushing slightly, and then she saw Xander standing beside Buffy, and suggested, "What about you and him...?" Buffy and Xander glanced at each other and chuckled nervously as they looked away, shaking their heads and Jen looked apologetic. Xander explained, "No, Buffy and I, we're just really good friends. Anyway, I'm Xander, and the rumpled sack of potatoes in tweed is Giles." Giles gave Xander a murderous looked and said, "Nice to meet you." "Oh, you're torn up pretty bad," said Joey, her voice with definite concern. "The hospital is too far away from here, but we know the best next thing to a hospital." "What's that?" asked Xander, as he and Angel helped Giles up. "Willow's house, of course," said Jen with a smile, as if that was the most logical answer in the world. "Willow?" asked Buffy, Xander, and Giles at the same time. "Willow is a witch, but a good one, and she has all these potions and powders for medicine," explained Joey as they walked over a bridge and entered the neighborhoods of Capeside, and when the reached a normal, suburban house she continued, "That's her house, over there." "Willow! Willow!" Jen said, rapping on the front glass window, and a shadowy figure could be seen in the curtain-covered window, walking to open the door. "Jen, Joey, Angel," said Willow with a surprised expression, and then she saw the rumpled figure of Giles and a concerned look flashed on her face. "Come in, come in, hurry. Lay him on the table." Xander and Angel placed Giles on the kitchen table and walked away as Willow came towards him. Xander walked over to where Buffy was standing and whispered to her, "Definitely not the Willow we knew." "Definitely not," said Buffy, thinking that she never would have thought Willow as a witch, not even a good one, let alone a bad one. "Um, Willow, do you think he'll be alright?" "He's fine, I just need to put some herbs on his skin to stop any infection from happening," said Willow looking at her and then she frowned and continued, "Who are you? And who is he?" "I'm Buffy," said Buffy, feeling as if she must have said that same phrase for a million times that day. "And I'm Xander," said Xander feeling very strange that he was introducing himself to his lifelong, or as it was, ex-lifelong best friend. "Buffy," said Willow to herself, thinking the name was very familiar and then she remembered and pulled a book out of her huge bookcase. "You're the vampire slayer." "Vampire Slayer?" asked Angel, Joey, and Jen in unison as they looked at Buffy. " _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] I...uh..." Buffy said with a meek smile as she looked at Giles and Xander for help, but they looked just as helpless as she was. "That's right," said Willow opening the book she held in her hand and turning to a page and read aloud, "It is prophesized that a girl shall come, a Vampire Slayer, of unknown origin calling herself Buffy. She will come, come and save our world from the demons of this earth." "Are you the Vampire Slayer?" asked Joey brushing a wisp of brown hair from her face. "Uh, Giles?" asked Buffy looking at him carefully, and she saw him nod, "Okay, so I'm the Vampire Slayer." "Why didn't you come here sooner?" demanded Joey, angrily, glaring at Buffy before she shoved by her to sit on the couch beside Willow. "I-I don't understand. Why are you so angry at me?" asked Buffy looking at Joey, but when she didn't reply, she turned to Angel and Jen. "Last night, an unexpected incident occurred," Jen began to explain with a sigh as she gave a sympathetic glance at her friend. "Our friend was taken from us and turned into a vampire. He was Joey's best friend, and she's known him all her life." "Oh," said Buffy, and she looked at Giles and Xander, feeling that this was all too familiar, "What was his name?" "Dawson," said Joey, looking up suddenly, "Dawson Leery." _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Aglx Subject: BUFFYFIC: Vengeance (1/4) Date: 30 Mar 1998 23:17:47 EST Vengeance 1 Title: Vengeance (1/?) Author: Michelle E-mail: Aglx@aol.com Rating: PG-13 = violence and graphic descriptions (no sex) Summary: (you'll just have to read it) Spoilers: Everything up to Killed By Death Feedback: Please, good or bad, I need to know if I suck or not. I won't care if you tell me this story is horrible, I just want to know. This story is something that happens after Killed By Death. Probally a Third season type story. This story has some pretty graphic descriptions and some people may be upset by the story. There is a PG-13 rating on this story however, there is no sex or sexual situations. Just some Buffy like language and violence. This story will go on for a while, or until I come up with a way to end it. The characters, Buffy, Xander, Willow, etc. belong to Joss Whedon, The WB, Sandollar, etc. The ground was ice cold. Her body lay there, covered by what little remained of her clothing. A piercing pain engulfed her left eye as she attempted to wake. She found herself chained inside a metal cage. The chains were too strong for her weak body to break. A surge of immense pain filled her body as she made the slightest move. Gaping wounds were scattered across her body. The ground was covered in her blood. It didn't take a geinus to figure out she was dying. "Well, well, look who finally woke up?" Footsteps came from above her head. The sound was echoed a hundred times louder in her head. "Are well feeling okay?" A familiar woman's voice continued to speak but she couldn't pinpoint whose. Ignoring the pain, Buffy moved her head to face this woman. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. "Tongue-tied?" Drusilla stood like a redwood above Buffy's face. She looked down at her badly beaten body and laughed. Seeing the remains of the slayer was a real joy. After what Buffy had done, Drusilla thought that a slow, pain- filled death was the least she could do. The thought sent shivers up her spine. The pain that still remained in her dark heart was more than anything she had ever suffered. "Don't worry, you're not going to die. I'm not going to let you. You've got a lot of suffering ahead of you." Through her swollen eyes, Buffy could have sworn she saw a tear fall from Drusilla's eye. The tall figure left the slayer to freeze on the cold floor of the warehouse. "What did I do?" Buffy thought hard despite the pain it caused her. She couldn't remember anything. She attempted to break the chains the bound her, but she knew she couldn't succeed. Even at her full slayer strength, the chains were too strong. "Don't do that," a quiet voice came from her left. Buffy snapped her head to the side and then cried out in pain. Willow was chained to a beam across the room. Her face was cut and her clothes torn. She wasn't sure if she really was there. Buffy knew very well that her mind was in no condition to be clear. She tried to respond but she still couldn't speak. "It's okay, don't talk. Save your strength." Buffy tried to mouth the words, "What happened," but she couldn't understand her. "It must hurt to see your friend like that," a quiet voice came from behind. Xander walked up to the cage and looked down at Buffy. He could see the fear in her eyes as Buffy looked at her vampire friend. "Xander?" Buffy managed to get out. "Yeah, I think this vampire look makes me more attractive. Don't you? Oh, wait, that's right, you never found me attractive." Buffy's faced faded to sorrow as she saw the anger in his expression. "That's okay though. Cause now, I can have all the women I want. And eat them too!" Xander laughed as he walked over to Willow who remained chained to the beam. "Even you." Willow cried out for help but no one could save her. Xander sunk his teeth into her neck as a frightened Buffy could only watched. Willow sunk to the ground and Xander removed the chains that bound her. He slit open one of his wrists and tilting her head back, let the blood drizzle down her throat. He stopped and she fell into his arms. "Now how does it feel to see your friend like this?" Tears pooled up in Buffy's eyes and she cried herself to sleep. End Part 1 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Aglx Subject: BUFFYFIC: Vengeance (4/4) Date: 30 Mar 1998 23:18:08 EST Vengeance 4 Title: Vengeance (4/?) Author: Michelle E-mail: Aglx@aol.com Rating: PG-13 = violence and graphic descriptions (no sex) Summary: (you'll just have to read it) Spoilers: Everything up to Killed By Death Feedback: Please, good or bad, I need to know if I suck or not. I won't care if you tell me this story is horrible, I just want to know. This story is something that happens after Killed By Death. Probally a Third season type story. This story has some pretty graphic descriptions and some people may be upset by the story. There is a PG-13 rating on this story however, there is no sex or sexual situations. Just some Buffy like language and violence. This story will go on for a while, or until I come up with a way to end it. The characters, Buffy, Xander, Willow, etc. belong to Joss Whedon, The WB, Sandollar, etc. Drusilla offered her hand to Xander who eagerly finished off the meal. Drusilla wanted them both to be strong. "You two go get something to eat. I'm full. Bring something fresh back for our little ex-slayer here." Dru knew very well that she would be facing many problems now that the slayer was dead. A new one would be called. The slayer becoming a vampire would be something no one would expect. A vampire with that much experience and knowledge would prove very useful. Giles arrived at the warehouse. He paused outside for a moment hoping that his suspicions weren't true. Quietly entering through the front door, Giles carefully examined his surroundings. As he moved into the main room, he saw Buffy chained up to a beam. All that were left of her wounds were scars. He rushed to her side and tried to awaken her. He couldn't. "Well, well. If it isn't our favorite librarian." Willow quipped from behind him. Giles quickly got to his feet to face her but the shock of her appearance was frightening. "Willow?" "No, it's Xander!" Her new found life as a vampire gave her a whole new confidence. "Who did this to you?" "I did," Xander said from the shadows behind Giles. "Oh God, Xander!" "Now you're getting the hang of it." "What did you do to Buffy," He demanded. "They didn't do anything. I did," Drusilla came down the stairs to face Giles. He was trapped between three vampires and there was no slayer to save him. "Buffy did some bad things. Now, she's being punished." "How can you do this?" Giles looked for any compassion in their eyes but he knew he would find none. "What did you do to Buffy?" "I think I'll let her answer that for me." Giles quickly turned around to face Buffy who had broken her chains and now stood up as a vampire. "Oh Buffy, what have I done." "Nothing Giles. You haven't done anything. It's more of what *I'm* going to do." "Buffy, please, don't." "Giles, I tried that, as you can see, it doesn't work." Buffy backed Giles up against the cage that still remained in the center of the room. She grabbed him by the throat and threw him on top of it. Before he had a chance to protest, her teeth were in his neck. "What the hell is going on here?" "Angel!" Drusilla was shocked and stumbled backwards until she found a chair to sit in. "I leave for a few months and look what you did." He looked around the room to see what Drusilla had done. "Xander? Willow? Oh, Dru, I didn't think you had it in you." After finishing her meal, Buffy quickly turned around to face her once lover, Angel. "Buffy? Who...what...how?" "Do you like?" Dru questioned, searching for approval. End of Vengence Series. To be Contined in the Second Series: Lost & Found - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Aglx Subject: BUFFYFIC: Vengeance (3/4) Date: 30 Mar 1998 23:18:02 EST Vengeance 3 Title: Vengeance (3/?) Author: Michelle E-mail: Aglx@aol.com Rating: PG-13 = violence and graphic descriptions (no sex) Summary: (you'll just have to read it) Spoilers: Everything up to Killed By Death Feedback: Please, good or bad, I need to know if I suck or not. I won't care if you tell me this story is horrible, I just want to know. This story is something that happens after Killed By Death. Probally a Third season type story. This story has some pretty graphic descriptions and some people may be upset by the story. There is a PG-13 rating on this story however, there is no sex or sexual situations. Just some Buffy like language and violence. This story will go on for a while, or until I come up with a way to end it. The characters, Buffy, Xander, Willow, etc. belong to Joss Whedon, The WB, Sandollar, etc. "No. Angel is still alive. He left several months after he and Spike had a terrible fight. They both left with bad battle wounds and Angel had more important things to take care besides Spike." "That's okay though. His loss is our gain." Xander was happy that he was a vampire, whether he wanted to be or not. "How true," Drusilla added as she caressed Xander's face. Apparently, she had found a new love, someone who worshiped her more than Spike or Angel ever could. "Then how?" Buffy's voice trembled with fear. "Long story." Drusilla dropped her head for a brief moment while she recalled the events that brought her back to her full strength. "We have better things to do now. Willow, get her some clothes." Buffy looked down at the bloody pieces of cloth that barely covered her body. He searched every inch of Sunnydale but found nothing. Suspecting the worst, he went to the last place he ever wanted to go. Giles got back in his car and headed off towards the warehouse. After everything that had happened there, all the people who had caused him so much pain...he stopped. "I can't do this to myself. Buffy, Willow and Xander are in trouble and I have to try and save them. If that is possible." "Is she ready yet?" Xander cried out to Willow impatiently. "Yes." Buffy found herself chained to a beam, as Willow was only days ago. She couldn't stand on her own and Willow had to hold her up. Buffy knew what was to come and knew there was no way out. Drusilla entered the room and quietly walked over to Buffy. She leaned over and whispered into Buffy's ear. "You killed my love. Now, I will kill you. You will commit horrendous acts. Kill humans, feed off their life, and enjoy it! "Please, don't do this." Buffy made her last attempt of mercy. She knew it would do no good. Drusilla sank her teeth into Buffy's neck. A brief moment of de jus vu struck her before she realized she was really going to die this time. Buffy went limp in Willow's grasp. Drusilla took a small step back to admire the work. Killing a slayer was her greatest achievement and she wanted to enjoy it. Moments passed before she jolted her arm out and snapped Buffy's head backwards. Xander took Dru's other arm and cut a slit on her palm. Her blood dripped down Buffy's throat. Willow dropped Buffy to the ground and they all laughed as the lifeless slayer lay before them about to join them in their glory. End Part 3 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Aglx Subject: BUFFYFIC: Vengeance (2/4) Date: 30 Mar 1998 23:17:55 EST Vengeance 2 Title: Vengeance (2/?) Author: Michelle E-mail: Aglx@aol.com Rating: PG-13 = violence and graphic descriptions (no sex) Summary: (you'll just have to read it) Spoilers: Everything up to Killed By Death Feedback: Please, good or bad, I need to know if I suck or not. I won't care if you tell me this story is horrible, I just want to know. Disclaimer & Author's Notes: This story is something that happens after Killed By Death. Probally a Third season type story. This story has some pretty graphic descriptions and some people may be upset by the story. There is a PG-13 rating on this story however, there is no sex or sexual situations. Just some Buffy like language and violence. This story will go on for a while, or until I come up with a way to end it. The characters, Buffy, Xander, Willow, etc. belong to Joss Whedon, The WB, Sandollar, etc. "You will let me know if you hear anything? Okay, fine." Giles slammed the phone down. Buffy, Xander and Willow had been missing for over a week. "Damit. This is all my fault." He went to the back room and gathered several weapons. As he walked out of the library, he stopped and looked back at the empty room. "I'm so sorry Buffy." "Rise and Shine!" Xander cried out to Buffy who was healing but still in terrible shape. He lifted the top of the cage and stepped in. "Get up!" He kicked her in the side and she cried out in pain. "Oh, I'm sorry, did that hurt?" "That's enough," Drusilla said as she entered the main room followed by an anxious Willow. "She needs to be conscious to learn." "Huh. I always thought unconsciousness was a great learning experience." Drusilla smiled at his comment and then indicated for him to get her to sit up. "Get up!" He kicked her again, this time in the chest. "I can't," Buffy spoke faintly. "Oh, yeah, that's right. Poor little slayer is hurt." He undid the chains and saw the bloody wounds that they left on her wrists and ankles. Standing over her he grabbed both of her shoulders and pulled her up to lean against the bars. She screamed as her wounds sent pain surging through her body. "I bet that hurt," Xander laughed and Willow joined him. "Why are you doing this to me?" Buffy's feeling of innocence was clear but Drusilla knew the truth. "What did I do?" Buffy yelled hoarsely, her voice still sore. Xander exited the cage and closed the lid again. They all sat down on three chairs placed in front of Buffy. "What did I do?" Buffy cried out a final time. "You...you...you killed Spike!" Drusilla was furious and still disturbed by the events that had occurred. The fear in Buffy was obvious. She didn't know what to say or do. She searched through her mind to recall the situation, but nothing came to mind. Suddenly, flashes of the fight filled her mind. He was charging at her, she dropped to the ground and threw him against a wall with her feet. As he came down to the ground, she could hear his moaning. She rushed to his side and plunged a railroad spike into his chest. "What do you have to say for yourself, slayer?" Willow tried to keep up with the action. She had only been a vampire for a few days and was still getting used to it. Buffy had nothing to say to any of them. She just knew that she had to get out of the situation she was in. Still, there were many unanswered questions that plagued her thoughts. Where was Angel? How did Drusilla catch her? "How did you catch me?" Buffy finally asked, hoping Drusilla would answer. "Easy. My power has been restored to its full power. You weren't that hard to find." "That means...Angel is dead." End Part 2 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Anexsin Subject: BUFFYFIC: The Ties That Bind (8/10) Date: 31 Mar 1998 01:16:07 EST Title: The Ties That Bind (8/10) Author: Melinda Frango Email Addy: Anexsin@aol.com Rating: PG Spoiler: All episodes before Passion. Distribution: Ask first Feedback: Greatly appreciated. Disclaimer: Buffy and the gang belong to Joss Whedon, the WB, etc. Only the story is mine, and whatever characters never seen or mentioned on the show. Summary: Buffy and the gang get help from an unexpected source in restoring Angel's soul. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~* "You have a stake on you?" Caitlin asked Buffy. "Yeah," Buffy answered and fished a stake out of the sleeve of her jacket. Caitlin kneeled on the ground next to the unconscious vampire, and gently shook him. "Angel," she called out. When he began to stir she got the stake ready. Angel moaned softly, and brought his hand to the side of his head where Caitlin had kicked him. "Ow," he murmured. "It's not that bad. You'll be all better in a few hours, unless I have to stake you," Caitlin informed him. His opened his eyes slowly and looked directly into Caitlin's. "Caitlin," he whispered. "How..I...you. This is all a really bad dream." Caitlin chuckled. "Nope, not a dream. I'm really here." Caitlin helped him stand up dropping the stake in the process, while the others backed off a little to give them some room. "But, your dead. I..." he trailed off. "That's a really long story," Caitlin reiterated. "I don't understand, and I don't care," were his last words before he pulled her into a crushing embrace. "You did it? You restored my soul?" he asked after realization hit him. "Yes, with a alot of help from your friends," Caitlin answered. "Is it permanent this time?" "Yep, nothing and I mean nothing will ever take it away from you again." Suddenly the events of the past few weeks crept into his memory, and he chocked on a sob. "What have I done?" he asked guilt edging it's way into his voice. "Nothing. Listen to me it wasn't your fault. There was nothing you could do to prevent it," she replied firmly. He released her from the hug and wiped the tears from her cheeks. She hadn't even realized she was crying. "I make everyone cry," he whispered. "No they're happy tears. Really, really happy tears," she smiled at him. He turned away from Caitlin towards the rest of the group. They could see his dark brown eyes clouded over with self-hatred, guilt, and sorrow. He didn't know what to say them, and vice-versa. Angelus had made all there lives a living hell the past few weeks, and what he did was not something you forgive and forget. He felt it to be the best course of action, to walk away and out of their lives completely. Only to be seen to help fight some dark force that would come into town, or to warn of a possible danger to the Slayer's existence. He looked directly at Buffy and whispered almost inaudibly, "I'm sorry." Then he turned back around to Caitlin and spoke into her ear. "Will you meet me by the Bronze when your finished here? It's on the otherside of town, you can't miss it," he almost pleaded with her. Caitlin nodded agreeingly and watched as he picked up the stake she dropped earlier when he hugged her and walk out of the park. Buffy started in the same direction Angel had just left in, until Caitlin grabbed her arm and stopped her. "What are you doing?" Buffy asked angrily. "I want to see him." "Let him come to you, Buffy. He needs time to deal with everything that has happened," "But I love him," she admitted. "I know you do. It's all a matter of time." Buffy took a deep breath and nodded, the whole time looking forlornly in the direction Angel previously had left in. "We're finished here," Caitlin informed. "Thank you for all your help. You don't know how much this means to me, and to him. Can you all make it home alright?" "Yes, we'll be fine. Go help him," Giles assured. "Thank you." "If it's any consolation to Angel, tell him Xander doesn't hate him. Even after the window incident. He'll get a kick out of that one," Xander joked. "I'll tell him that," Caitlin chuckled. "Always the funny one of the group." They watched Caitlin go and Giles turned towards Buffy. "Are you ok?" he asked concerned. "Just peachy." she said ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* When Caitlin reached the exterior of the Bronze she saw Angel leaning up against a wall, waiting for her. "Hey," she greeted. "What are we doing here?" "I live right over here,"Angel answered. "I think we need to talk." " You're right." Angel nodded sightly and led Caitlin down an alley and through a doorway at the end. They went down a small stairway and stopped in front of another door while Angel fished a key out of his pocket and unlocked it. Angel ushered Caitlin in and then closed the door behind himself. "What do you think?" Angel asked wanting her approval. "It's so you," Caitlin smiled as she glanced around the apartment. "It serves its purpose," Angel chuckled slightly. Caitlin sat down on Angel's recliner and stared at him for a long moment before speaking. "I'm going first. Then you can ask your questions," Caitlin stated. "Alright, but I'm not promising you anything but listening." "That's all I ask." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* "Spike, something is wrong," Drusilla realized. "What is it love?" "She took my Angel away. I can feel the goodness within him," she whined. "The girl returned Angel's soul," Spike asked giddily. "Yes, he's gone Spike. My Angel left me again." Spike wheeled his chair over to where Drusilla was sitting on the cold ground of the warehouse, and helped her up. He sat her on his lap and softly stroked her hair with a wide grin plastered to his face. "It's alright pet. I'm here for you. We don't need him." he cooed softly in her ear. Drusilla slowly lifted her head from his chest, and Spike quickly wiped the smile from his face as fast as it had come. "Do you love me Spike?" she asked sadly. "You know I do," he answered honestly. "You won't leave me like my Angel did, will you?" "Never. I'll always be here for you," he stated firmly. Drusilla smiled at him and gently laid her head on his chest once again, and began humming a soft tune. Spike smiled widely once more when Dru wasn't looking. Now that Angelus was out of the picture Dru was all his, and only his. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* End part 8.............to be continued. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Angel's Lover" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Restoration Part Five of ????? Date: 31 Mar 1998 01:25:49 PST This is part five of a continuing story of mine... nothing big.. just = the tale of how Angelus is reversed back into Angel. I have no idea where it's = going.. hell, I barely know where it's been so my plan is basically to keep on = writing until it tells me it's finished. The characters of BtVS are not mine, = they belong to Joss and Mutant Enemy Productions and WB Productions... I am = making no money off of this, and no copyright infringement was intended. All = my stories are archived at my homepage, Heaven's Gates: http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Cafe/3863 , comments are always appreciate= d.. please direct them all to Lea at either lfox@continuum.org or angelslover@geocities.com . Thanks, and enjoy! _______________________ Restoration ~ Part Five School dragged that day; aside from lack of sleep, way boring classes, = and an unneeded training session through which Giles basically ignored = her, nightfall seemed so damn far away. Buffy sighed; she had made it back to her room without being discovered,= but less than an hour after she crawled into bed, her mom had been at = the door to wake her for school. A shower and make-up helped, but it was= hard to hide how tired she was. Now, heading home after an unusually = long day, she decided to take a nap until it became time to go to Angel's= . Thankfully, her house was empty; with a sigh she climbed the stairs, cra= wled under covers on her bed, and immediately fell asleep. The dreams of memory filled her mind as further images of the previous = night pierced her subconscious, drawing her back once more. ***************** A light drizzle was falling, making the graveyard more dank than usual. = She knew that Angel was there; though she couldn't see him her body was = well attuned to the feel of him. He was moving around behind her slowly,= keeping hidden behind the large gravestones. Quickly she raised her crossbow, spinning and firing into the direction = in which she could feel him. A soft grunt came as her reward and the vam= pire stepped out of the shadows. "Nice shot, Buffy," he grumbled as he pulled the shaft of the bolt from = his shoulder. "You should shoot blind more often." "Thanks anyway, Angel, but I've recently given up stepping blindly into = things." He put on a sarcastic pout. "Gee, I hope it wasn't something I did." She scowled. "I'm so way tired of this. I loved you once, but this can= 't go on. It ends here. Now." He snarled, "Then I hope you've said your prayers, slayer, because tonig= ht you die!" Buffy dropped the crossbow and reached for her stash of stakes. She spu= n quickly, dropping into her fighting stance as he leapt at her. His fist cut across her face, sending her spinning to the left, but as = she landed she flung out a leg and brought him to his knees. He grunted = in momentary pain before regaining his footing and jumping back into the = fight. "What's the matter, Buffy? You can do better than this. I'm disappoint= ed in ya!" She glared at him as she leapt into the air, twisting over his head to = land on the other side of him. She drove her fists quickly into his back= .. one!.. two!!.. knocking him forward. "Life's a bitch, Ange. Deal with it!" A sound from nearby caused Angel's head to turn; he grinned a wide, evil= smile. "When the going gets tough, the tough find something to eat! Din= ner time, slayer.. back in a flash!" Buffy, too, had heard the chattering conversation of the approaching gir= ls. Fear drove through her as Angel swiftly cleared the gravestones and = disappeared in the direction of the voices. "Damn!" she growled as she flung her bag onto her back and ran after him= . It was only seconds before she realized the voices had quieted. Now = it was muffled cries that reached her ears. She rounded one final graves= tone in time to see Angel pull his fangs out of the neck of one girl, and= sink them into the other girl that he held firmly in his right arm. She hurtled herself at him, wrapping her arm around his neck, forcing = him to stop feeding, but she was too late. The bodies of the lifeless = girls merely dropped to the ground with a sickening thud, and softly squi= shed to rest in the grass. Angel backed away from Buffy, running the back of his hand across his = mouth. "Mmmm.. 1982.. smooth texture, delicate aroma... a good year. = Not my favorite, but hey, beggars can't be choosers, right?" "You make me sick!" Her voice broke as she stared at the still bleeding= body of the girl she had failed to rescue. "You wound me, lover, you truly do. There was a time when I used to mak= e you scream." He paused as he put on a thoughtful look. "You know, com= e to think of it, the idea of my ever having anything to do with you make= s me sick, too. After all, you were nothing compared to Darla... and you= will never be anything compared to my Dru. You were just another notch = on my bedpost for me to laugh at when memory strikes." He grinned as pai= n flashed across her face. "Yeah, well, a lot more than the memory of me can strike when it comes = to you, lover!" She snarled, and as the rain grew heavier, pelting the = surrounding gravestones with a soft tapping, she bolted forward, striking= him across the face and in the chest before spinning and planting her = foot solidly into his stomach. Angel laughed as he hit the ground. "That's my girl! Now we can have = some real fun!" In the blink of an eye he had a hold of her, picking her up over his hea= d and sending him flying through the air into the solid form of a gravest= one. A soft groan filtered through her lips and for the briefest of mome= nts she closed her eyes. ***************** The tapping awoke her; Buffy at first believed the sound to be that of = the rain falling onto hard stone, but as she grew into consciousness she = realized someone was knocking on her door. Groggily she made her way to the door, opening it to find Willow and Xan= der smiling at her. "Hey, there, schitzophrenia girl! Did ya forget you= had friends today or what?" Xander pushed past her to flop back upon = her bed. Willow came in more slowly. "How come you didn't want to hang with us = today?" Buffy shrugged as she settled on the bed with her friends. "I didn't = get much sleep last night.. I kinda just wanted to come home to bed." Xander scowled, "What, you didn't get enough time in bed at the loft?" Buffy blinked and looked to Willow, "You told him about Angel?" The girl nodded, "He'd find out sooner or later. I just wanted to break= it to him gently." Buffy giggled, "And be there to comfort him in the wake of his disappoin= tment?" Willow blushed, "If comfort was needed, I could be there." The two girls grinned as Xander's chest puffed out with egotistical glee= . "Women, women everywhere..." Buffy finished on a laugh, "And not a one for you." "Touche, Buff." "Truth hurts, don't it, Xand?" "So how is old pointy tooth these days? Planning on taking out any more= teachers any time soon, cause you know I have a midterm next week, it = would be really helpful if..." Buffy scowled. "That's not funny, Xander. He's pretty wigged about the= whole thing." "As well he should be!" "Come on, Xand, it wasn't his fault. Angel and Angelus are two seperate= people. I learned that a long time ago." "So, what? We just forgive and forget?" Buffy sighed, "I don't think we can ever forget.. but we have it in all = of us to forgive." Xander met Buffy's eyes, "So you went crawling back into his coffin." She never blinked as she nodded, "You knew that if my Angel came back, = I would." "How could you after he killed Ms. Calendar?!" "We got over your behaviour when you became a hyena." "But I didn't kill anyone." "Excuse me, but if WE hadn't locked you up you would have eaten Principl= e Flutie along with the rest of your pack! I can't hold what Angelus sai= d and did over Angel. It wouldn't be fair." Xander rested a hand on Buffy's shoulder, his eyes for once bearing the = maturity he rarely showed. "What about Giles, Buff?" "He's okay with it.." she frowned, "Well.. kinda. All Giles wants for = us now is to go on with our lives. He will never forget what Angelus did= , and I doubt he'll ever forgive Angel for being host to those actions, = but he's not gonna stop me from seeing him." Xander climbed to his feet and walked to the door. "Buffy, I love you = and you know that I would do anything for you, but if that demon shows = his face around me anytime soon, I refuse to be anything less than rude." She sighed, "Have you ever been anything but?" He scowled, "Well, now I have a reason. Come on, Will. We don't want = to keep Buffy from her boyfriend. You know how testy those vampires can = get." Willow looked helplessly from Xander to Buffy and back again. "I.. ah..= . oh God." Buffy shook her head, "It's okay, Will, you go on. I'm supposed to be = going to Angel's anyway." "Are you sure? 'Cause I mean if you want I could stay." A sadness fill= ed Willow's eyes as she was forced to choose between her best friends. "Yeah.. Go on... dance.. party.. laugh.. live a normal teenage night." = She smiled weakly, "I'll catch you before class tomorrow." "Okay." Willow walked slowly out of the room, turning at the dor to smi= le at Buffy reassuringly. "Thank Angel for my fish. I called him Future= ." Buffy blinked, not understanding, but filing the comment away as somethi= ng to ask Angel about later. "Will do, Will. 'Night." As her bedroom door clicked shut behind her friends, Buffy lay back upon= her bed. The time was nearing for her to go to Angel's and relive, once= again, the events from the night before. With a sigh she scribbled out a note to her mom, climbed down the stairs= , and pinned the note to the fridge. Finally she stepped out her front door, and in the chill of the night = began her long walk across the darkened town. **************** End Part Five!!!! _____________________________ Angel's Lover (fondly known as Lea) "Love makes you do the wacky!" "When you kiss me I want to die." "I'm SO the net girl!" Defender of David Boreanaz... you know, the man with the fangs! - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: NightHunter Subject: BUFFYFIC: Re: Vengeance Date: 31 Mar 1998 06:36:29 -0800 Wow! this has to have been one of the best I've read lately I Can't wait for the next series. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: sah Subject: BUFFYFIC: ADMIN: List rules Date: 31 Mar 1998 16:16:23 -0500 Welcome! This list is for fiction related to "Buffy The Vampire Slayer," both the TV series and the movie. 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Jill Kirby (jtkirby@mcs.com) & sah (romana@mindspring.com) Listowners, Buffy the Vampire Slayer Fiction List buffyfic@xmission.com -- sah * romana@mindspring.com * romana@aol.com NatPack * BotCoS * Jungle Patrol * BBPGrrl:TGLIL * Bishop * BTVS Listowner Nat's B&B: http://free.prohosting.com/~romana/natpack/html My homepage: http://free.prohosting.com/~romana/index.html "In front of me, facing me and the bank of journalists, was the Senate Judiciary Committee: Fourteen white men in dark grey suits." Anita Hill - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Hope (35/?) Date: 31 Mar 1998 17:28:31 PST Title: Hope Author: Sara B. Sara114@hotmail.com Disclaimer: I don't own them. Part 35 “Go upstairs and get washed up. Their is a towel in the closet a the end of the hallway, and feel free to use anything we have in the bathroom,” Buffy said to Hope, as she shut the door behind her. Hope nodded wearily and trudged up the stairs. “Hope?” The beautiful girl turned around. “Yeah?” her parched voice said. Buffy did her best to smile. “A vampire is a demon. They kill, torture, and cause suffering to people. They have no conscious and no guilt. Killing one of them is a good thing, in a weird way. The more of them you kill, the safer the world is.” Hope took her words to heart. “I’ll remember that.” She said, and continued making her way up the stairs. Buffy walked into the downstairs bathroom. She cleaned up the cut she had on her forehead, and took off her clothes. Standing in front of the full length mirror that was hanging on the door, she eyed her appearance. “Yuck,” she said, noticing her mussed hair. Grabbing a brush out of a drawer, she ran it through her hair, trying to make it descent looking. “Why am I even doing this? I have a world to save.” Sighing, she pulled a tissue out of the box and wiped the black makeup off that had run down her face from her tears. “I really need waterproof mascara.” She pulled a pair of clean jeans from the laundry basket and put them on. She put on a small white shirt on and pulled her hair back into a low pony tail. After taking a final glance at herself, she walked to the kitchen. Walking over to the counter, she noticed the open phone book. Flipping to the right page, she found the number for the hospital and dialed. “Sunnydayle Hospital,” the male voice said. “Uh, hi. I need to speak with Rupert Giles. He should be there,” Buffy said. “Does he work here?” “Uh, no...he is a librarian. I mean, he is waiting there....at the hospital,” she stammered, “just page him or whatever you do. It’s really urgent,” Buffy said, feeling like an idiot. “Right. What was his name again?” “Giles. Uh, Rupert Giles.” “Okay, please hold.” Elevator music blared through the phone into her ear as she was put on hold. After three minutes of what seemed like an eternity, her Watcher’s familiar voice soothed her. “Hello?” Giles asked. “Giles! It’s Buffy. We’ve got big problems.” ***** Hope walked to the hall closet and pulled out a plush pink towel, then walked to the bathroom. Shutting the door behind her, she rested, leaning on it. Her body tingled, and she could smell the stench of dried blood. Looking down, she saw her stained jeans, remembering what she did to Marcus. Groaning, she peeled off her clothes and started a shower. She relaxed as the water hit her. The water turned a light pink color as she washed her body. Hope grabbed the nearest bottle of shampoo. “Mmm...peach. My favorite.” When she finally felt clean, she turned the water off, and stepped onto the mat that lay beside the tub. She dried herself off, and wiped the mist off on the foggy mirror. “I really need waterproof mascara,” she grumbled, and grabbed a tissue to wipe off her makeup that had run down her face. Running a comb through her blond hair, she left the bathroom. In Buffy’s room, Hope got dressed, putting on a pair of jeans and a white shirt that she pulled out of her bag. That’s when she looked at the clock and realized she hadn’t spoken or seen her parents in a long time. “Oh know! They are probably so freaked! I’m going to be grounded forever,” she said. Racing to the phone, she quickly dialed her number, fearing what her parents would say. “Hello?” “Mom! Oh, I’m so sorry I haven’t called you!” Hope rushed. “Its just that, well, there are things going on and I can’t explain them to you but I can’t come home because I have to save the world. OH! I ...I mean I have to uh, I have to, um...” she rambled, trying to think of an excuse. “It’s okay, honey. Calm down. I understand that you are busy with your new friends,” her mother, Gayle Callahan said. Hope was confused. “Who are you and what have you done with my mother?” she asked, and Gayle laughed. “I don’t get it. I was sure you and Frank would be wigged out with worry.” “Hope, dear, we know,” Gayle said. “You know what?” Hope questioned suspiciously. “We know about Mira and the necklace and the prophecy,” Frank Callahan’s voice said as he picked up the extension. “Wh..What?! I don’t understand!” Hope exclaimed, feeling queasy. “We know about what is going on right now. Why do you think we came to Sunnydale? Why do you think we gave you the necklace right before we moved? Because of your destiny to fight with Buffy,” Gayle said. Hope now felt like throwing up. “You know Buffy?” “Yes, we met today. I was the one who gave her a ride into Sunnydale. I know that this is a lot to take in all at once, but there is no time to explain. We can talk about it later. Right now you have a duty to perform. You must save Angelus.” Gayle said. “Your mother is right. Angelus needs you to give him his greatest wish,” Frank said. “What wish?” his step-daughter asked. “His wish to be able to human. To be with Buffy,” he told her. “Oh man. How do I do that?” “You will know what to do when the time comes,” Frank said. “How long have you known all of this?” Hope asked. “Since before your birth. That is why I named you ‘Hope’. You were to be the hope of the future. And you are,” Gayle explained. Hope was astonished. “Did my dad know about this before he died?” “Yes, he did. And Frank also new before I married him.” “This is all too much,” Hope said. “Don’t think about this right now. Think about what you have to do. And remember, you have the power within you,” Gayle said. “Right, right,” Hope said, dazed. “We love you, honey,” she said. “We know you will fulfill your destiny,” Frank said. “Bye Mom, Frank,” Hope said. “I love you.” She slowly placed the phone on the base. “Holy shit. This is too much.” ***** Hope walked down the stairs to inform Buffy of her newly found information. She found her lounging on the couch, sharpening a stake. “Hey,” she said, shyly, and put her hands into her pockets. Buffy looked up and sprung to her feet. She was about to speak but shut her mouth closed, eyeing Hope’s outfit to find it exactly like her own. Both girls stared at each other in bewilderment, shocked to find out that they both had on jeans, white shirts, and hair pulled back. “This is really weird,” Hope said, breaking their silence. Buffy took a deep breath. “Should you change, or should I?” she said, beginning to laugh. Both girls burst into giggles, laughing uncontrollably until their stomachs hurt. When they were able to control themselves, the happy atmosphere turned into a serious one. They shared their telephone conversations. “This is all too much,” Buffy said. “Strange. That is what I said,” Hope sighed. Buffy stared at her friend. “We have to win this fight. But how?” “I don’t know,” she said, leaning up against the wall. “I can’t believe they took your mother.” Buffy looked down, hiding her tears. Her stomach flipped upside down and her throat tightened. “If they hurt her, they will live to regret it. Actually, part of me thinks that Angel won’t do anything to her.” “Why do you think that?” Hope questioned. She shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. “Because he doesn’t want her. He wants me. And he wont let Spike hurt her because she is the bate to lure me in.” Buffy stared at Hope. Suddenly an idea floated into her mind. Buffy jumped up off the couch. “I have an idea!” She exclaimed, and pulled Hope up the stairs. She ran to her room. Hope followed her quickly, eager to find out what Buffy was up to. Buffy pulled out her desk chair and told Hope to sit in it. She stood behind her friend and they stared into the mirror. “Do you see what I see?” Buffy asked. “No,” Hope replied honestly. “With our blond hair, slender figures, light skin, we almost look incredibly alike,” she said. Hope examined her reflection against Buffy’s. “You know, your right,” she agreed. “But what does this have to do with anything?” Buffy grinned mischievously. “Just wait and you’ll find out.” Part 36 “Paging Mr. Giles. Mr. Rupert Giles. You have a telephone call,” a loud voice said over the intercom. Giles sprung to his feet and ran to the front desk. “I’m Rupert Giles,” he said quickly. The large, overweight man pointed to a phone. “Line 3.” Giles nodded and picked up the receiver. “Hello?” “Giles! It’s Buffy. We’ve got big problems.” Buffy explained what had happened, from the moment her and Hope left the hospital right up to this telephone call. “Oh....oh m..my. Sh-Sh-She rrripped it off?” Giles gulped, loosening the tie that had suddenly become extremely tight around his neck. “Yes, Giles. She ripped it off. I think Hope just fulfilled the fantasy of every American woman,” Buffy said. Giles felt largely uncomfortable, and changed the subject. The though of what Hope did to Marcus made him feel queasy. “S..so you say that she wasn’t in control of her body? “That’s what she told me. You should have seen her, Giles. She was raving mad. It was like someone else in Hope’s body.” Giles pondered this. “It may be a side effect of her transformation.” “Her transformation?” Buffy asked, confused. “Yes. If her slaying abilities are permanent, then she is going through a transformation, just like what you went through and what all the other slayers went through.” “Oh...okay. What if her abilities are temporary?” She asked. Giles took in a deep breath and was silent. “What is it? Is it bad?” He winced. Giles didn’t want to have to tell her this. He had hoped she wouldn’t ask, but since she did he couldn’t lie to her. “Yes, I’m afraid so. If her abilities are only temporary, then she might die when they leave her.” “What do you mean, she might die?!” Buffy exclaimed, feeling a little dizzy. The Watcher wiped the sweat from his brow. “A transformation takes a lot out of a person. Her body is going through some changes. If her abilities were to leave her, then her body might not be able to handle the immense stress that she would endure. The stress would kill her.” “Oh, no,” she whispered. Buffy tried to push the thought of Hope dying out of her mind. “If we are lucky, she won’t die. The transformation will be permanent, and she will be a slayer,” Giles said, trying to not make Buffy more upset than she already was. “But we can’t think about that right now. We need to think about how to rescue your mother.” Buffy nodded. “Your right. I’m sure by now she already knows all about who I am. How is she going to handle that? What if Angel kills her?” Buffy’s hands began to shake and her chin quivered. “What if Angel turns her into a vampire?! What if I never see my mother again?! What if I am forced to kill her if she is a vampire?!” She was starting to panic. Her mind was racing with horrible things Angel could do to Joyce. The thought of Angel hurting her mother made her sick. Buffy’s emotions were running wild. One moment she felt fine, the next she was in a frenzy. “Buffy, now is not the time to panic. You have to think clearly and rationally. Angel won’t kill your mother. I hate to say this, but right now she is the bait to lure you in.” When Buffy didn’t respond, he continued. “Listen, just try to relax. I will be there as soon as I can.” He said, and hung up the phone. < How are we ever going to do this? Hope is raging and Buffy is hysterical > He saw Xander who sat with his head resting in his hands. < Poor boy. He must be tired > Giles walked over to him. “Would you like me to take you home, Xander?” Giles asked. Xander looked at the old librarian, shaking his head. “No. I want to stay here.” Giles sighed. “Very well. I am going to Buffy’s house. Apparently she had a run in with Angel, and he has kidnapped her mother.” Xander stood up so quickly he almost knocked Giles over. “What? That bastard. I’m going with you.” “Xander, I don’t think--” Giles began, but stopped in mid sentence as Xander pushed him out of the way and out the doors of the lobby. Giles sighed again. “Teenagers,” he muttered, and followed the boy to the car. ***** A half an hour later, Giles walked up to Buffy’s front porch. He paused before knocking, feeling guilty for leaving Jenny, Willow, and Cordelia at the hospital. Xander walked up behind him. “What are you waiting for, G-man? Knock already,” Xander said. Giles glared at him with annoyance, and Xander shut his mouth. He knocked three times, and waited. The door opened, and Hope greeted them with a smile. “Hey guys,” she said. “Hey, Buffster,” Xander said, pushing his way in front of Giles. “Where’s Hope?” Someone poked him gently on the back and he turned around to face Buffy. “Hey Buffy.” He stopped, his eyes opening wide. He looked at the girl in front of him and again at the girl behind him. “WOAH! What is going on? Have I entered the Twilight Zone?” he asked, backing away. Buffy smiled at Hope. “Told you it would work.” Hope laughed. “I didn’t think they would buy it!” Xander and Giles, both incredibly confused, demanded an answer. “Who is who? And what is going on?” Buffy smiled. “I’m Buffy, and that’s Hope. How alike do we look?” Giles was amazed. “The resemblance is uncanny,” he said. “How did you do this?” “Let’s just say it was a fast hair cut and a quick dye job,” Buffy said. “I cut about two inches and lightened her hair, then I styled it just like I do mine. We dressed the same, so we now look alike.” “Except that I have to wear a pair of two inch black boots to make me taller,” Hope said, grinning. “Wow, two Buffy’s. This is my lucky day. Thank you God!” Xander exclaimed. Ignoring his rude comment, Buffy shut the front door. “Now, we have to get moving. I have stakes, holy water, and crosses,” she said, sitting on the couch. “Does everyone still have their stakes? Or did they fall off when we were hit?” She asked, referring to their car accident earlier. Giles and Xander nodded, while Hope re-strapped the stakes on her body. Both girls had tiny backpacks full of crosses and two small bottles of holy water. Buffy handed the two men each a large cross and a bottle of holy water. “Take these,” she ordered. “What is the plan?” Xander asked. “I’ll explain it on the way. Right now, we need to hurry before it is too late,” Buffy said, leading her three friends our of the house. “Hey Hope, I have a question,” Xander asked, hurrying down the steps of Buffy’s porch to catch up with the blond beauty. She turned to look at him. “What?” She asked. < He is so cute. No wonder why Cordelia likes him. She is so lucky > “Did you really rip off that guys ----” “XANDER!!!” Buffy and Giles scremed in usinson. He quickly snapped his jaw shut for the second time that evening. Hope leaned over and whispered in his ear. “Yes, but don’t worry...I only do it when I’m angry.” Grinning, she walked away, silently chucking to herself, while Xander stared at her in amazement. “That is one wild woman,” he said to himself, and followed them to the car. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Hope (36/?) Date: 31 Mar 1998 17:31:24 PST Title: Hope Author: Sara B. Sara114@hotmail.com Disclaimer: I don't own them. Part 36 “Paging Mr. Giles. Mr. Rupert Giles. You have a telephone call,” a loud voice said over the intercom. Giles sprung to his feet and ran to the front desk. “I’m Rupert Giles,” he said quickly. The large, overweight man pointed to a phone. “Line 3.” Giles nodded and picked up the receiver. “Hello?” “Giles! It’s Buffy. We’ve got big problems.” Buffy explained what had happened, from the moment her and Hope left the hospital right up to this telephone call. “Oh....oh m..my. Sh-Sh-She rrripped it off?” Giles gulped, loosening the tie that had suddenly become extremely tight around his neck. “Yes, Giles. She ripped it off. I think Hope just fulfilled the fantasy of every American woman,” Buffy said. Giles felt largely uncomfortable, and changed the subject. The though of what Hope did to Marcus made him feel queasy. “S..so you say that she wasn’t in control of her body? “That’s what she told me. You should have seen her, Giles. She was raving mad. It was like someone else in Hope’s body.” Giles pondered this. “It may be a side effect of her transformation.” “Her transformation?” Buffy asked, confused. “Yes. If her slaying abilities are permanent, then she is going through a transformation, just like what you went through and what all the other slayers went through.” “Oh...okay. What if her abilities are temporary?” She asked. Giles took in a deep breath and was silent. “What is it? Is it bad?” He winced. Giles didn’t want to have to tell her this. He had hoped she wouldn’t ask, but since she did he couldn’t lie to her. “Yes, I’m afraid so. If her abilities are only temporary, then she might die when they leave her.” “What do you mean, she might die?!” Buffy exclaimed, feeling a little dizzy. The Watcher wiped the sweat from his brow. “A transformation takes a lot out of a person. Her body is going through some changes. If her abilities were to leave her, then her body might not be able to handle the immense stress that she would endure. The stress would kill her.” “Oh, no,” she whispered. Buffy tried to push the thought of Hope dying out of her mind. “If we are lucky, she won’t die. The transformation will be permanent, and she will be a slayer,” Giles said, trying to not make Buffy more upset than she already was. “But we can’t think about that right now. We need to think about how to rescue your mother.” Buffy nodded. “Your right. I’m sure by now she already knows all about who I am. How is she going to handle that? What if Angel kills her?” Buffy’s hands began to shake and her chin quivered. “What if Angel turns her into a vampire?! What if I never see my mother again?! What if I am forced to kill her if she is a vampire?!” She was starting to panic. Her mind was racing with horrible things Angel could do to Joyce. The thought of Angel hurting her mother made her sick. Buffy’s emotions were running wild. One moment she felt fine, the next she was in a frenzy. “Buffy, now is not the time to panic. You have to think clearly and rationally. Angel won’t kill your mother. I hate to say this, but right now she is the bait to lure you in.” When Buffy didn’t respond, he continued. “Listen, just try to relax. I will be there as soon as I can.” He said, and hung up the phone. < How are we ever going to do this? Hope is raging and Buffy is hysterical > He saw Xander who sat with his head resting in his hands. < Poor boy. He must be tired > Giles walked over to him. “Would you like me to take you home, Xander?” Giles asked. Xander looked at the old librarian, shaking his head. “No. I want to stay here.” Giles sighed. “Very well. I am going to Buffy’s house. Apparently she had a run in with Angel, and he has kidnapped her mother.” Xander stood up so quickly he almost knocked Giles over. “What? That bastard. I’m going with you.” “Xander, I don’t think--” Giles began, but stopped in mid sentence as Xander pushed him out of the way and out the doors of the lobby. Giles sighed again. “Teenagers,” he muttered, and followed the boy to the car. ***** A half an hour later, Giles walked up to Buffy’s front porch. He paused before knocking, feeling guilty for leaving Jenny, Willow, and Cordelia at the hospital. Xander walked up behind him. “What are you waiting for, G-man? Knock already,” Xander said. Giles glared at him with annoyance, and Xander shut his mouth. He knocked three times, and waited. The door opened, and Hope greeted them with a smile. “Hey guys,” she said. “Hey, Buffster,” Xander said, pushing his way in front of Giles. “Where’s Hope?” Someone poked him gently on the back and he turned around to face Buffy. “Hey Buffy.” He stopped, his eyes opening wide. He looked at the girl in front of him and again at the girl behind him. “WOAH! What is going on? Have I entered the Twilight Zone?” he asked, backing away. Buffy smiled at Hope. “Told you it would work.” Hope laughed. “I didn’t think they would buy it!” Xander and Giles, both incredibly confused, demanded an answer. “Who is who? And what is going on?” Buffy smiled. “I’m Buffy, and that’s Hope. How alike do we look?” Giles was amazed. “The resemblance is uncanny,” he said. “How did you do this?” “Let’s just say it was a fast hair cut and a quick dye job,” Buffy said. “I cut about two inches and lightened her hair, then I styled it just like I do mine. We dressed the same, so we now look alike.” “Except that I have to wear a pair of two inch black boots to make me taller,” Hope said, grinning. “Wow, two Buffy’s. This is my lucky day. Thank you God!” Xander exclaimed. Ignoring his rude comment, Buffy shut the front door. “Now, we have to get moving. I have stakes, holy water, and crosses,” she said, sitting on the couch. “Does everyone still have their stakes? Or did they fall off when we were hit?” She asked, referring to their car accident earlier. Giles and Xander nodded, while Hope re-strapped the stakes on her body. Both girls had tiny backpacks full of crosses and two small bottles of holy water. Buffy handed the two men each a large cross and a bottle of holy water. “Take these,” she ordered. “What is the plan?” Xander asked. “I’ll explain it on the way. Right now, we need to hurry before it is too late,” Buffy said, leading her three friends our of the house. “Hey Hope, I have a question,” Xander asked, hurrying down the steps of Buffy’s porch to catch up with the blond beauty. She turned to look at him. “What?” She asked. < He is so cute. No wonder why Cordelia likes him. She is so lucky > “Did you really rip off that guys ----” “XANDER!!!” Buffy and Giles scremed in usinson. He quickly snapped his jaw shut for the second time that evening. Hope leaned over and whispered in his ear. “Yes, but don’t worry...I only do it when I’m angry.” Grinning, she walked away, silently chucking to herself, while Xander stared at her in amazement. “That is one wild woman,” he said to himself, and followed them to the car. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Hope (37/?) Date: 31 Mar 1998 17:38:30 PST Title: Hope Author: Sara B. Sara114@hotmail.com Disclaimer: I don't own them. Part 37 Angel walked into the Master’s old lair, and could feel his lingering presence. He examined his surroundings. Parts of old pews were strewn about, and old, dead, dried up bodies and body parts lay around the old church, which was now mostly a huge rock cave. A large wooden crucifix was mounted on the stone wall. Angel walked over to a grand, stone platform and wiped the dust off the lavish ornate chair that the Master had sat in. < His throne. My throne > Angel thought with a gallant smile. Tall cement columns stood around the lair, with white liturgical candles resting on their tops. He turned and walked to the pond where Buffy had almost drowned. The thick ledge that went all around the pond was slowly crumbling away with age, and the tall pillar still resided in it’s center. Candles lined the edge, and sat on the pillar. Angel sauntered over to the pool of blood that the Master hibernated in. He bent down, and swirled his finger in the warm liquid. Bringing his finger to his lips, he tasted the bitter sweet nectar. Slowly standing up, he watched Spike, Drusilla, and the woman enter the cavern with a large amount of minions behind them. “It’s a fixer upper,” Angel joked, as they inspected the underground chamber. “Out of all places, why did you want to come here?” Spike asked, kicking an old pew out of his way. “Because she died here once, and she doesn’t want to come back here,” Angel told him, while walking back over the throne. He sat down in the plush, velvet cushion and relaxed his body. “I thought you wanted to kill her,” Spike said. “If she isn’t going to come here, then how are you going to do that?” “I never said she wouldn’t. I said she doesn’t want to. She will be extremely uncomfortable and I will use that to my advantage,” Angel told him. Spike nodded. “I can’t say it’s the best plan, but I suppose it will due.” “You suppose? Do you question my decision?” Angel asked raising his eyebrow. Spike was about to retort with a sarcastic comment, but knew that he could no longer disrespect Angel. “No,” he answered roughly. “Good,” Angel said. “Now, I want this place cleaned up. Get rid of those old pews and bones. Sweep the dust away. Make sure this place is all tidy,” he commanded. The minions went to work, following his orders. Spike led Drusilla through a small passageway into another cave where she could rest. The Woman sauntered over to Angel, holding Joyce by the neck. “What shall I do with her?” She asked, baring her demonic face. “Chain her up,” Angel said. “Where?” Angel looked over by the wall with the crucifix. “Over there. Under the crucifix.” She nodded, and hauled a struggling Joyce to the wall. She put a chain on her wrists and her ankles. “Now don’t go anywhere,” she said, laughing. He watched her chain Joyce up. A small smirk formed on his red lips, as he relaxed in his plush throne. Angel was trying to prepare himself for near future battle between him and the Slayer. He was partially amused, thinking of her last fight with a Master. < It’s too bad it will end the same way for her...only this time Xander won’t be there to save her > The thought of killing Xander brought joy to him. The hated that the two men held for each other was intense. He chuckled, imagining the look that the poor fool will have on his face as he slowly got the life sucked out of him. The Woman, who was standing nearby, heard his small laugh. “Something funny?” she asked. He shook his head. “Nothing in particular,” he told her. The minions continued cleaning up the cavern. “HURRY UP,” Angel’s voice bellowed, and the vampires increased their speed immensely. “They are coming,” the Woman said, slowly sitting on his lap. She straddled his body in an very sexual way. She rubbed her hands down his bare chest. The cut that Drusilla made of the star still resided, and the Woman traced the outline of it with her finger. Angel nodded, ignoring her sexual advances. “Yes, I know.” She leaned in to kiss him, but he turned his head. “How do you feel?” she asked, putting his arms around her tiny waste. “Strong.” He answered. She put her finger on his lips. “Can I make you feel even better?” Angel rolled his eyes. “Not now,” he said harshly. “I’m not in the mood.” He pushed her off of him. “I need to prepare for her,” he said, and walked over to one of the columns. With a quick wave of his hand, the wicks of the candles sprouted a flame. “My power is almost complete.” Angel roamed to each column and did the same to each candle, lighting them with this power. Standing across the room from the pond, he waved his hand in front of him and the candles lit simultaneously. “Ahh, the power,” he said, feeling himself grow stronger by the minute. “Want to show me your power?” The Woman asked, and sat down in his chair. She spread her legs apart and cocked an eyebrow at him, silently begging him to come to her. “I told you I am not in the mood. And get the hell out of my chair,” Angel growled. She glared at him and stood up abruptly, leaving the cavern embarrassed and offended. Angel sighed. < She was always impatient > he thought, watching the woman walk through the passageway into a different cave. He looked again at Buffy’s mother. < Time for the truth to come out > he thought, strolling over to her. Her tired eyes glanced at the vampire who stood before her. “Hello, Joyce.” “What do you want with me?” She asked quietly. “Don’t worry. It’s not you I want. You’ll make it out of here alive.” He said, changing his face into his human form. “I don’t care about me, I care about my daughter. You tried to kill her. Why?” She asked, demanding an answer. “Because she is a threat to my existence,” he answered simply. Her questioning look caused him to explain himself. “You see, there is something you don’t know about your daughter.” He studied her face for a reaction, which she didn’t give. “It is time you knew the truth about Buffy. I will repeat to you what has been said many times before.” Taking a deep breath, he began. “In every generation, there is a chosen one. She alone, will stand against the vampires, the demons, and the forces of darkness. She is the slayer. Trained and guided by her watcher, her destiny is to basically fight and die.” Angel said, slowly pacing back and forth while he recited Giles’ words. Joyce’s eyes narrowed. “And your saying that Buffy is the Slayer?” “Well, yes. Buffy is the slayer. Unto each generation a slayer is born. One girl in all the world, the chosen one. One born with the strength and skill to hunt the vampires. All this would describe your seemingly normal daughter.” Joyce laughed. “And you expect me to believe this?” Angel took a step backward. “You mean you don’t? I would think that you would. I have an idea Joyce, that might help you put all of this into perspective,” he said, pulling an old pew over to him. He sat down on it, and stared at Joyce. “I want you to replay the last two years of your life, starting in Los Angeles.” She looked at him questioningly. “Okay.” “Buffy gets kicked out of Hemory High for setting the gym on fire. Why?” Angel shrugged. “Did you ever get a real reason for that?” Joyce stared into his cold eyes. “No.” “I didn’t think so. But, I’ll tell you why. That gym was full of vampires.” Angel said. Joyce’s shocked expression pleased him. “Vampires?” She asked, reluctant to believe his words. “Yes. Vampires. Surprised? Don’t be. I’m not finished. Now think about when you moved here. Buffy is out late *every* night. Sometimes, she--,” Angel gave a fake gasp, “--sneaks out! Why would Buffy do something like that? Because she goes hunting. She goes to kill vampires.” Joyce’s expression started to soften at the reality of his words. “And why, oh, why does a sixteen year old girl hang out religiously with an old, creepy librarian? If you think that answer is because he helps her with her homework, then you are very gullible, seeing that Buffy’s grades are less than stellar. Anyway, back to the question. That old creepy librarian just happens to be her Watcher. He trains her to fight. He tells her of prophecies. He helps her perform her duty as the Slayer.” Joyce shook her head in the disbelief she still tried to hold on to. “I don’t understand. If all of this is true, then why didn’t she tell me?” Angel snickered. “Think about it. If Buffy had come to you and said: ‘Mom, there is something very important to tell you. I am a Vampire Slayer. I go out and kill those pointy, toothy, bitey blood suckers that hang out in the dark. I have to go and risk my life now. See you at dawn.’” He smiled. “Would you have believed her? I don’t think so. You would have had her committed to an institution before she could say good-bye to you.” “So if she is a Slayer, and you are a vampire, then she has to slay you, and you want to kill her before she gets the chance,” Joyce said. “It’s so nice to see you understanding all of this,” Angel said. “So who are you? What is your name? Age?” Joyce questioned, oddly interested in his life. “My name is Angelus, but you can call me Angel. I am 242 years old. Born in Ireland. Anything else you want to know?” Joyce thought for a moment. “Actually, there is. If Buffy is a slayer, then why did she let you in our home? Why didn’t she kill you before?” She questioned, trying to find this so-called vampire in a lie that would prove he was feeding her a bunch of B.S. “Glad you asked that. Well you see, I was going through a phase. I was a good vampire, vowing never to feed off a person again. I became friends with Buffy, helping her out when she needed me. Eventually, in her vulnerability, she fell in love with me,” he said laughing. “Well, my phase has officially ended. Tonight, was the Rising of the Master, which would be me!” he said in mock enthusiasm. “I am the Master, and it is now time to kill you daughter. Which, I might ad, will be very enjoyable.” Joyce felt sick. The thought of all this being true was unbelievable. < I feel like I am Scully from the X-Files, doubting Mulder’s every word, except this time Mulder was a 242 year old Master Vampire. Vampires. Vampire are real, and my daughter, out of ALL people, was chosen to kill them. This is too much. Buffy doesn’t have the strength to kill anybody... > Joyce’s thoughts steered into the memories of Ted. She remembered watching Buffy beat up Ted so violently. Joyce had been shocked at her daughters strength and ability to fight off a man who was twice her size. She remembered that night at her school when that PCP gang...< PCP gang? > Joyce’s head pounded. < That wasn’t a PCP gang. Those were vampires. And that’s why Buffy went after them. Oh my god, how could I have been so blind to all of this? > She leaned up against the wall. < All the times I got angry with her for sneaking out and coming home late....all the times I called her irresponsible and careless...all the times I grounded her for her bad grades...she had the weight of the world on her shoulders > Guilt swarmed within her. < She was protecting my life, and the life of her friends. Oh God, my poor Buffy > Unexplained memories filled Joyce’s head. The time she went to pick up Buffy from the library, and found Mr. Giles with those books on Vampires and the Occult. The time she found the stake, holy water, and cross in Buffy’s desk drawer. < Now I know why she has those things > The night she caught Buffy sneaking in through her bedroom window. < Why didn’t she just tell me who she was? I would have understood..... > Joyce looked at Angel, who stared at her with an evil grin. < No, I wouldn’t have. Angel is right. I wouldn’t have believed her. > “Do you believe me now?” Angel asked, eager for her answer. Joyce glared at him. “If you even dare to hurt Buffy I’ll...” “You’ll what?” Angel asked, interrupting her. “You’ll kill me?” “Yes. I will kill you,” She told him. Angel laughed. “I’d like to see you try,” he said, and stood up, walking back to his throne. Joyce tugged at her chains, trying to escape. “You’ll never succeed,” Joyce yelled at him. He turned to face her. “We’ll see,” he said, and sat down on the plush cushion. The minions finished cleaning and stood, waiting for his next order. Angel waved his hand, dismissing them. < Ahh...nice and tidy. Just for my precious little Slayer. Won’t she appreciate it? > He looked at the pond. < Won’t she appreciate her death? > (End part 37) *I would like to thank Mark Safransky, BLS7877, and Daphne1784 for giving me the descriptions of what the Lair looked like* ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Hope (38/?) Date: 31 Mar 1998 17:44:28 PST Title: Hope Author: Sara B. Sara114@hotmail.com Disclaimer: I don't own them. Part 38 Giles pulled up in front of the large graveyard and parked the car. Hope looked wearily at the mostly new tombstones and ghostly feel of the old cemetery. “A graveyard?” She asked, cocking an eyebrow. “This is how we get to the Master’s lair. We have more than enough reason to suspect that Angel is there, assembling his army,” Buffy said. “So how do we get down there? I’m assuming it is underground, is it not?” She asked. “Yep, it’s underground. When the Master tried to open the portal between Hell and Earth, he got himself trapped down there in what used to be a church,” Buffy explained. Hope shuddered. “Great. Just another creep factor that I have to deal with.” “But that’s just one of the benefits of living on the Hellmouth,” Xander said, unbuckling his seat belt. “Where exactly is the Hellmouth?” Hope asked. “Right underneath the library,” Giles said, thinking back to that dreadful night last year. “But we’re not here to talk about that right now. Buffy, what is your plan?” “Well, me and Hope,” Buffy began. “Hope and I,” Giles corrected her. Buffy rolled her eyes with an annoyed glare. “Giles, we are here to save the world and you are correcting my grammar? What gives?” Giles blushed slightly. “O..oh..I guess you are right. Sorry.” “Anyway, Hope and *I* are going to go down there, save Angel, save my mom, and kill Spike and Dru. Any questions?” She asked, as she opened her car door to leave. Giles was skeptical. “This is incredibly risky,” he said. Buffy nodded. “You’re right. It is risky. Everything in my life is a risk. My being alive is a risk.” Hope spoke up. “If I can pull of being Buffy for even a few seconds, then it should work. I know that he will soon realize that I’m Hope, but if Buffy and I look as much alike right now as you say we do, then we should be able to pull this off.” “Do you want us to go in there with you?” Xander asked, hopeful that she would say yes. “No. It would be to dangerous,” Buffy said. “You ready, Hope?” “Yeah, as ready as I’ll ever be,” she said, grasping a hold of her necklace. Giles took in a deep breath. < I have to tell them this now, before it is too late > “Hope, there is something you should know about that necklace.” “What?” she asked. “I wasn’t going to tell you, but considering our present situation, I think it is necessary,” he said. He turned to face her. “That necklace may be what is giving you your power. It may also be what is keeping you alive.” Hope’s eyes grew wide in shock. “What? What do you mean, keeping me alive?” He tried to choose the right words to tell her this. “Your body is going through a transformation right now, giving you your ability to be a slayer. If your power was to be taken away, the stress level on your body might be too much for you to handle and it might kill you.” He looked down. “I’m sorry to have to tell you this under these circumstances, but you need to know that you must not take that necklace off, for any reason. Do not take it off. Remember that,” he warned her, his voice stern. Hope nodded, and grasped her necklace again. She opened her door and stepped outside, breathing in the night air. She looked at the cemetery and scrunched her nose up. < Graveyards. Ick > Before Buffy stepped outside, she turned to Giles. “In case I don’t make it...” “Don’t talk like that, Buffy,” Giles said quickly, cutting her off. She put her hand on his and squeezed gently.. “Just listen,” she whispered softly. “In case I don’t make it, make sure my mother and Hope are safe. And,” she took a deep breath, “make sure Angel dies. I don’t know what will happen in there tonight, but I need to say this. Giles, you have been the best Watcher that a Slayer could have. And I mean that with all of my heart,” A tear slide down his usually unemotional face. She looked at Xander, who was frantic with worry. “Xander, I love you and Willow so much. You are my best friends. I don’t know what I would do without you,” she held back her emerging tears. “Tell Will that, okay?” Xander shook his head. “No. I won’t tell her that. I won’t need to because you will make it out of there alive.” Buffy saw his tears and finally couldn’t hold hers back anymore. She leaned over and kissed Xander, then Giles. “I love you, guys,” she said, and got out of the car. She looked at Hope, wiping her tears from her eyes. Hope gave her a sympathetic smile. “Let’s go,” she said, and walked to Buffy, who led her to the crypt. Before they stepped inside, Buffy took a moment to speak with her friend. The Slayer looked into Hope’s eyes, trying figure out what she was feeling. “Hope, are you sure your okay with this? I mean, fighting Angel is a big thing and I...” Buffy’s voice trailed off not knowing what words to use. “I’ll be fine. If my mother was telling the truth, then this is my destiny. I was put on this earth to fight Angel,” she said, looking down the dark stairs of the crypt. “I can’t believe all of this is happening,” a small, half-hearted laugh emerged. “I had such a normal life.” Buffy looked down at the ground, feeling the exact same way. “It’s okay. I know how you feel.” < She knows how I feel? > Hope looked at her with a sudden boiling anger. “How can you possible know how I’m feeling?! I was born for one reason. Not to have a normal life, not to grow up and get married or have a job. I was born to save Angel. To help him. I don’t even know what to do! How do I save him? Do I kill him? What?!” Hope yelled furiously. “I don’t even know how to feel! I don’t know if I am upset or angry or perfectly okay. How am I expected to deal with all of this?!” Buffy listened to her Hope’s words with more of a familiarity that she knew. She took a step backwards, understanding her friends feelings but becoming angry and offended at her harsh tone. “How do you think I felt when I learned of my destiny? Huh? How do you think I felt?! I was put on this earth to be a slayer. I am in the exact same situation that you are in so don’t you dare think that you are the only one who doesn’t have a normal life. Don’t be that selfish to think that you are the only one who might not live to see tomorrow.” She snapped, trying to control her anger. Hope opened her mouth to speak, but shut it immediately, feeling ashamed at her behavior. She forgot about Buffy’s feelings. The blazing look in her eyes turned to a look of shame and regret. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I don’t know what came over me.” “It’s okay. I understand what you are going through. I wasn’t exactly kosher at the idea that I was the chosen one.” Buffy said. Hope ran her fingers through her blonde hair and rubbed the base of her sore neck. “I don’t know how to deal with this,” her chin quivered. “What if I die tonight?” She asked. Buffy gently pulled her friend closer and hugged her tightly. “You won’t die. I promise,” she said, wiping the tears from Hope’s eyes. “Do you want me to fight Angel?” Hope shook her head. “No. I can do it,” she said, then smiled faintly. “I just don’t know how believable I’ll be. I mean, can any one do the same strut that you do? You really have the hip action going on when you walk,” she joked. Buffy laughed. “Hip action?!” “Just ask Xander. I see him watch you walk away. You’ve got in going on!” Hope exclaimed with a giggle. Buffy laughed. “Come on, we have to go down there. We can’t put this off any longer,” Buffy said, trying to become serious again. Hope nodded. “Your right. Let’s go,” she said. They stared down into the black tomb, barely able to see a thing. “Uh, you can go first,” Hope said, slightly afraid of the unknown. “N..No, really. After you,” Buffy said, urging Hope to go in first. “I think we should get a flashlight,” Hope said, backing away from the darkness. “Yeah, we should. OH! That’s right, I put on in my bag,” Buffy said, opening her small backpack. She pulled out a flashlight. “Well, here we go.” The two girls slowly walked down the old stairs. A rotting stench filled the tunnel and got stronger as they neared the sewer. Buffy held the flashlight steadily in front of her, carefully avoiding the dead bodies and old bones of the innocent, unsuspecting people who walked or were lead down this passage. Finally, they reached the sewer. The murky water was only an inch deep as they trudged toward the lair. “This smell is awful,” Hope whispered, covering her nose with her hand. “And to think, I’ve been here before and willingly am going here again,” Buffy said. She too, covered her nose, blocking out the foul odor. She began to have flashbacks of her last visit here. Shuddering, she blocked the images out of her mind. “Ugghhhh,” Hope groaned in disgust, as she stepped over the body of a decaying cat. “I think I’m going to be sick.” “I know what you mean,” Buffy said. They reached the end of the sewer and came upon another staircase lit by small torches that lines the walls. “Here we go.” They carefully crept down the stairs, trying to be as quiet as possible. “How much farther,” Hope breathed. < I want this night to get over as soon as possible. This has got to be the most hellish day I’ve ever had > “We should be there soon,” Buffy said. They reached a small cave-like room, with three different passageways. “This way,” she whispered, and beckoned Hope to follow her through the middle one. Creeping down the small corridor, Buffy’s awareness of Angel grew intense. She could feel his evil presence fill her body and mind. They came to a tiny, round room with a small doorway. Buffy looked at Hope, with fear in her eyes. “We’re here.” Part 39 “We’re here,” Buffy breathed. Hope took a deep breath. “Let me go in first.” Buffy nodded. She peeked her head into the cavern and looked around. She saw her mother chained up beneath the crucifix, and Angel sitting in his throne. “He’s alone.” “Good. It will be easier that way,” Hope said. She looked at Buffy. “Be careful.” “You too,” Buffy said, and Hope stood up, and cautiously walked through the doorway. ***** “Do you think they are okay?” Xander asked Giles. The two men sat in the car, staring at the crypt. Giles nodded. “Y..yes. I..I’m sure they are f.fine.” “I think we should go down there,” Xander said. Giles looked at him. “Just in case, you know. Something might happen.” He stared at the Watcher with hopeful eyes. “Yes, I think you are right. We should go down there,” Giles said, and they got out of the car, running toward the crypt. “You go first,” Xander said, staring at the darkness. Giles rolled his eyes and walked down the old steps with Xander close behind. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Hope mistake Date: 31 Mar 1998 17:47:14 PST Oops! I accidentally sent part 39 right after 38 without putting it on a seperate post! Sorry! Sara B. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Hope (39/?) Date: 31 Mar 1998 17:48:44 PST Author: Sara B. Title: Hope Disclaimer: I don't own them. Part 39 “We’re here,” Buffy breathed. Hope took a deep breath. “Let me go in first.” Buffy nodded. She peeked her head into the cavern and looked around. She saw her mother chained up beneath the crucifix, and Angel sitting in his throne. “He’s alone.” “Good. It will be easier that way,” Hope said. She looked at Buffy. “Be careful.” “You too,” Buffy said, and Hope stood up, and cautiously walked through the doorway. ***** “Do you think they are okay?” Xander asked Giles. The two men sat in the car, staring at the crypt. Giles nodded. “Y..yes. I..I’m sure they are f.fine.” “I think we should go down there,” Xander said. Giles looked at him. “Just in case, you know. Something might happen.” He stared at the Watcher with hopeful eyes. “Yes, I think you are right. We should go down there,” Giles said, and they got out of the car, running toward the crypt. “You go first,” Xander said, staring at the darkness. Giles rolled his eyes and walked down the old steps with Xander close behind. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Hope (40/?) Date: 31 Mar 1998 18:15:35 PST T: Hope A: Sara B. Sara114@hotmail.com D: I don't own 'em! Part 40 Hope stepped through the small doorway into the Lair. Looking around the room, she couldn’t see Angel. “Hello? Any vampires in the house?” She called out. Joyce looked at her from under the crucifix. “Buffy! Get out of here! They will kill you!” She screamed, pulling hard on the chains, desperate to escape. “Tsk Tsk Tsk. Come on, Joyce. Don’t give away the ending,” a voice said, and Angel stepped out of the shadows. Hope’s heart thudded violently and her hands trembled. She took a deep breath, trying to maintain her cool composure. < Okay, Hope. Buffy could do this without spazing, and so can I > “Hello Angel,” she said, keeping the shakiness out of her voice. “Hello Buffy,” he said, leaning against a column. < He bought it! He thinks I’m Buffy! > “Your looking good,” she said. < Damn. He is hot. NO! Don’t think about that. Those are bad thoughts! > Hope thought, scolding herself. “Really? In these old things?” He said, referring to his black jeans and bare chest. “Really,” she replied. < And I am being honest > Hope walked farther into the cavern. She ran her hands along the stone wall. She walked over to the throne, forcing Angel to turn his back to the door. “I’m surprised you came alone. I thought that annoying Hope girl would be here with you.” < ANNOYING?! > “I’d rather do this alone. It’s easier that way.” “What? No Giles, Willow, Xander? This is a first,” Angel said. “Your not the only one who can change their ways,” Hope said casually. “Touché,” Angel said, walking closer to Hope. Hope ran her fingers through her hair and tugged at her earlobe. < The cue. Come on down, Buffy > “Mmm...you look tasty,” he said, surveying her appearance. “Good enough to eat.” Hope laughed. “So now you are unoriginal? You can’t come up with your own lines?” “If the line works, why not use it?” He said, shrugging. His eyes wandered down her body, examining her. “You look different.” < DIFFERENT?! Oh no. RELAX! Don’t let him know who you are! > “Can’t say the same about you,” she said. “The same old Angel. But then of course, you wouldn’t know if you changed, would you? Since vampires can’t see their reflections. Do you even remember what you look like? It’s been, what, 242 years?” She asked, sarcastically. “You think your funny?” He asked, angrily. Hope saw Buffy slip through the door silently. < Finally > “No, not really. Just stating the facts. I mean, you can’t see your reflection. You can’t wear a cross. You can’t eat normal, human things. Hell, you can’t even suntan. When _was_ the last time you saw the sun?” Angel growled loudly. “Oh, Angel, don’t get mad. Those are just small technicalities in the vampire world.” Hope watched Buffy tiptoe into the other passageway. < Whew > Angel looked behind him, just as Buffy disappeared. < Thank the Lord he didn’t see her. I hope she will be okay....> ***** Buffy crept down the passageway toward the other cavern. She could see the Spike and Drusilla sitting in an old pew. Her head was on his lap, and he was stroking her hair softly. < Truly amazing. Two demons who are cold blooded killers can show so much affection for each other > Buffy walked through the doorway, entering the cave. It looked a lot like the Master’s Lair, except smaller and not so extravagant. Spike looked up and growled. “What the hell are you doing here?” She smiled. “Just paying ya a visit.” “Shouldn’t you be with Angel? I figured he would have killed you by now,” Spike said, annoyed. Buffy rolled her eyes. “So quick to assume.” Spike suddenly wore an evil grin. “Have you been re-acquainted, yet?” “Huh?” Buffy asked, confused. Spike motioned for her to turn around. She did, and was stunned beyond belief. “Oh my God,” she whispered. “Hello, Slayer,” the familiar voice said. “Darla?!” Buffy’s mouth gaped open. She couldn’t believe her eyes. Darla was standing before her, alive and well. She wore the same Catholic school girl outfit that she wore the last time she saw her, right before Angel put a stake through her heart. Her head spun as she tried to keep in control. “You’re alive? How can you be alive? I watched you die,” Buffy asked, her eyes wide with shock. “Just a technicality,” Darla said with a laugh. “Angel killed you,” Buffy said, gritting her teeth. “Oh, but Drusilla brought me back,” she answered sweetly. Buffy looked at the sleeping vampire. Spike stood up and stood beside Darla. “Are you surprised?” he asked. “Gee, no. This doesn’t come as a shocker at all. I’m used to seeing vampires who I thought were dead roaming around,” Buffy snapped sarcastically. She stared at Darla, still shocked. “Why were you brought back?” “To rule with Angelus,” she said, nonchalantly. Darla held her hand out in front of her, inspecting her nails. Buffy stepped backward, trying to maintain her composure. “Wha...What?” “You heard me. I’m here to rule the earth beside Angel,” Darla smirked. “Y..you’re Angel’s true love?” Buffy asked, near tears. < I thought he loved me... > Spike roared with laughter. “True love? Who said anything about true love?” “I read the prophecy,” Buffy snapped. “It said that Angel’s true love will rule beside him.” “Haven’t you learned anything? But prophecies are tricky creatures. They don't tell you everything.” Spike said, gloating. Buffy inhaled sharply, her head pounded as the night the Master was set free.....Those had been his exact words..... *But prophecies are tricky creatures. They don't tell you everything.* *You tried. It was noble of you. You heard the prophecy that I was about to break free and you came to stop me. But prophecies are tricky creatures. They don't tell you everything. You're the one that sets me free! If you hadn't come, I couldn't go. Think about that!* *Oh God! The power!* *And by the way.....* *I like your dress.* The Slayer shuddered, the memories rushing back to her. She was here--in the Hellmouth--again. Facing a Master...hearing those words replay in her head. It made her sick to her stomach. She wanted to run, far away, so she didn’t have to face this---so she didn’t have to deal with this problem. “What do you mean by that?” Buffy asked, fighting her fear. “Angel’s true love is the same as his true nature. Angel lives for death, destruction, suffering, pain, killing. He wants to bring hell upon the world and it’s inhabitants. Angel’s true love isn’t a measly human, it’s evil. It’s everything that is the exact opposite of righteous and good. It’s the exact opposite of you. And who better to help him achieve that than Darla?” Spike asked, his voice raw and emotionless. “Angel may love you. But Angelus doesn’t.” Buffy’s head spun with dizziness as she grasped the wall for support. < Don’t let him do this to you. Keep your head clear > Buffy commanded herself. She glared at Spike and Darla, her eyes full of anger. A sinister smile formed on Darla’s red lips as she sauntered over to Buffy. “Eat you heart out, bitch,” she hissed. “Your precious boyfriend is gone. It’s only a matter of time before he kills you.” Her laugh rang out through the hollow cavern. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time.” “And I’ve been waiting for this,” Buffy growled, and gave Darla a roundhouse kick to the face. She stumbled back and pulled out a knife. Darla swung with the knife, but Buffy ducked the swing and and gave her a kick to the head, knocking the vampire to the ground. She scrambled to her feet, holding the knife up and ready. “What’s with you and weapons?” Buffy asked, dodging Darla’s swings. Darla swung with the knife, and Buffy caught it. The vampire pulled her around and slamed her into the wall, pushing the knife into her chest. Buffy pushed the blade up and away from her. Darla pulled down on it, flipping Buffy over onto her back. She bared down on her, and Buffy kicked Darla’s feet out from under her, causing her to fall on her face. They both scrambled to their feet. Buffy kicked the knife out of her hand. Darla tried two kicks, which Buffy easily blocked. She belted out a right hook to Darla’s face, hitting her right in the nose. She winced in pain, and hit Buffy in the stomach, and kicked her hard in the face. Buffy backed away from her and pulled out a stake from the small of her back without Darla noticing. The vampire lunged at Buffy, but she did a quick flip over her head and landed behind her. Buffy grabbed Darla around the neck and held the stake at her heart. “Say buh-bye,” she snarled, and plunged the stake in her heart. Darla screamed as she turned into a pile of dust. “One down, one......disappeared,” she said, turning to Spike’s vacant seat. Buffy frowned, wondering where he went. “Oh well.” Buffy was about to leave when she came across to vampires who blocked her exit. “Not now,” she grumbled, and with two quick moves she staked them both. Buffy looked behind her and noticed a large curtain. She walked over to it and looked behind it. A large opening lead to another passageway. “Bingo,” Buffy said, and walked down the small corridor to another cave. THANX: Thanks to everyone who has been patient with me thru "Hope". Sorry it has taken me so long to write and sorry it has been such a long story! Don't worry, I'm almost done writing it! ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Leslie S." Subject: BUFFYFIC: DISCUSS: FORMATTING GUIDELINES Date: 31 Mar 1998 20:40:11 PST I am sure that I as well as most of the list subscribers ignores the re-issuance of the list rules on its regular basis. But I wanted to point out that #7 is really important!!! 7. When posting stories to the list, please follow the following formatting guidelines --No story parts longer than 250 lines --No lines longer than 75 characters [this one especially!!!] --Turn off your "smart quotes"-- many readers receive these as garbage or weird symbols It is very hard to read a story with irregular line breaks, so much so that often times I will not finish a story. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE take a moment to check your format when sending stories to the list. Thank you! I'm getting off my soap box now! Leslie ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: LIPS000000 Subject: BUFFYFIC: unsubscribe buffyfic-digest Date: 31 Mar 1998 23:45:00 EST This is a multi-part message in MIME format. --part0_891405900_boundary Content-ID: <0_891405900@inet_out.mail.aol.com.1> Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII unsubscribe buffyfic-digest --part0_891405900_boundary Content-ID: <0_891405900@inet_out.mail.aol.com.2> Content-type: message/rfc822 Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Content-disposition: inline Return-path: Organization: AOL (http://www.aol.com) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit unsubscribe buffyfic-digest --part0_891405900_boundary-- - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: taygeta@juno.com (Charity C Tran) Subject: BUFFYFIC: Buffyfic:Capeside: the Hellmouth (2/?) Date: 31 Mar 1998 20:58:32 -0800 Name: Capeside: the Hellmouth #2 Loving and Losing Author: Taygeta Address: taygeta@juno.com Feedback: Please send Uses in anything: Ask me first. Spoiler: Not really, considering that this is a crossover story. May have references to past episodes up to killed by Death. Description: A crossover with Buffy and Dawson's Creek, is a series, and not really a multi-part story, although each story usually connects to another. Specific story is hard to explain so you must read. Disclaimer: The Buffy characters portrayed in this story and any other references to Buffy the Vampire Slayer are the property of its creater Joss Whedon, and its owners Mutant Enemy productions, Kuzui Productions, Sandollar Productions, and 20th Century Fox. The Dawson's Creek character's portrayed in this are the property of its creater Kevin Williamson, and its owners. In other words, these characters do not belong to me, and I am just borrowing them. Warning: Not really anything violent, I don't think. To anyone that doesn't like DC, maybe you shouldn't read it, but please give it a try. ************** Capeside: The Hellmouth #2 Loving and Losing By: Taygeta Pacey walked through the room, back and forth and back and forth, his brain was going a million times a minute. He was going to kill himself if the rest of his immortal life was going to require so much trouble. At first, all he had to do was worry about getting rid of Dawson's curse. He silently swore at Willow the Witch for using the Gypsy testaments to restore Dawson's soul. He had begun a death list ever since that incident and Willow was on the top of that very list and a close second was his latest enemy, Buffy, the Vampire Slayer! Cordelia blew on her long finger nails, trying to dry the black nail polish on them, and then yawned as she glanced over at a pacing Pacey and said, "Really, Pacey, you're giving me a headache. Can't you just stay in one place?" "How can you be so calm? This girl is amazing, she must be the one!" said Pacey exasperatingly as he eyed Cordelia with wide eyes. "Of course she's the one Pacey, what else could she be?" asked Cordelia with a sigh as she stood up from her relaxed position and walked over to Pacey. "Darling, rest your dear black heart, we can think about the Slayer girl later." With that, she gave Pacey a kiss, but before Pacey could return her affection, Grant Bodean walked in. "Pacey, Cordelia, oh, I mean Master and Mistress," said Grant walking in rapidly and so eagerly that Pacey and Cordelia wanted to gag. "Yes, Grant, what is it?" asked Pacey, giving Cordelia's pale hand a kiss, as he gave Grant an annoyed and bored look, "And it better be important!" "Well, it is, it is!" said Grant eagerly, "I think we've found a cure for the new vampire!" "You mean Dawson?" asked Pacey brushing Cordelia's hand aside quickly, much to her dislike. "Well, what happened?" "We were able to reverse the spell, Master," said Grant as a huge grin formed on his face. "At least, something's going right in the Hellmouth!" said Pacey with a loud sigh and continued, "Bring Dawson in." "Yes, Master," said Grant with a smile as he rushed to the back room of their hangout, an abandoned train station. "Pacey, darling, when are you going to get rid of that - ugh! - Grant?" asked Cordelia with a whining voice. "As soon as his services can be deemed unnecessary," said Pacey, rubbing his temples at the whining tone of his beloved. "Pacey, you wanted to see me?" asked Dawson walking in with a laugh, as blood dripped from his fangs. "I wanted to see you, yeah, but for Devil's sake, man, clean yourself up!" said Pacey throwing Dawson a handkerchief he wore in his lapel. Dawson wiped his chin clean and said, "Well, what do you want?" "I want you to go on a hunt with me, tonight," said Pacey with a slight smile, "I want to be sure that I can trust you." "Of course you can trust me, Pacey," said Dawson with a grin, sitting down beside him. "Hello, Dawson," said Cordelia with a sweet smile as she lay a kiss on his left cheek and Dawson kissed her ha _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] nd, much to Pacey's dislike. "Enough groping!" said Pacey, angrily pulling Cordelia's hand away from Dawson's lips, "Dawson, my man, glad to have you back." Dawson nodded and when he was out of lackey Grant's sight, he glanced at the bodies that he had been feeding on and felt sick and guilty. He didn't know how they could live this way, he didn't know why anyone would want to live this way, and it was just plain wrong and evil. Then he remembered they were wrong and they were evil, and he was one of them. He dreaded tonight, it meant killing and hurting innocent people and he didn't want to be apart of it. He didn't want to be the enemy, and he wished that they had just killed him right then and there, so that he wouldn't have suffered so much pain. He was going to escape before things took a decidedly bad turn. When nightfall approached, Dawson got ready to leave and hoped that no one would miss him until it was too late. He had only one place to go, his parents, who had been killed by Pacey and Cordelia, had left him the house in their will. He claimed it the night before, when he successfully freed himself from one of Grant's "Good-bye soul" inventions. He sneaked out of the abandoned warehouse that was the Vampire's Hangout, he ran on, and didn't look back for a second. As he approached his house, he saw a lone figure sleeping on the porch swing in front, and as he walked closer he realized who it was. He smiled softly, knelt down beside the sleeping figure, and touched her cheek gently, lifting a wisp of brown hair from her face. He felt her jump and he backed away, and hid behind a nearby wall. Joey's hand fell upon her cheek; the cold but tender touch still lingered on her skin. She shook off her initial apprehension and glanced around, realizing where she was. She hadn't meant to fall asleep, especially not at the old Leery house, but she had always felt safe there, even though he was gone. Not a minute went by in the day that Joey did not think of Dawson and not a minute went by after thinking of him that did she not recall her regret. Joey regretted not telling him how she felt and had always felt, and she hoped that he had known her heart when his soul died that night. Dawson winced as he saw her walk away, and the farther she walked away, the more pain his heartfelt. As he opened the door to his house, he looked back to see the figure walking farther and farther. He wanted so much to love her and so much to know she cared, or at least, had cared, but that was too much to ask. As the screen door squeaked to close behind him, he shook his head thinking that no one could love a vampire. Dawson, however, came to this conclusion without the knowledge of Buffy's past. A past that consisted of a forbidden love between vampire and slayer and a love that lingered on every time she saw the Angel that was not hers and had never been hers, an Angel that was Jen's. Buffy's mind consisted of Angel the next morning, as she leaned against a metal locker after Angel had dropped off her, Jen, Joey, and Xander at the high school. Although it was already after school, Buffy still had him on her mind. His manners, his expressions, his face, and even his laugh was exactly the same as the good Angel of her past, the Angel she had almost forgotten after she had lost him. "Earth to Buffy? Alternate Universe to Buffy?" said Xander jokingly, as he waved a hand in front of a space cadet Buffy and she snapped out of her thoughts. "Uh, yeah?" asked Buffy with wide eyes as she glanced at Xander who stood beside her. "Where did you go, to our old universe and back again?" asked Xander with a laugh, and Buffy smiled slightly thinking how true it was. "Something like that, yeah," said Buffy and she realized that she still had to put her books in her open locker. "So, how do you like, Capeside?" asked Xander as he and Buffy took route to the library, which looked exactly as it did in Sunnydale. "Capeside's proving to be decidedly lame," said Buffy with a sigh. "Aside from the fact that it's a Hellmouth and _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] we have a heck of a lot of vampires running the streets at night, you've got a good point," agreed Xander, who had yet to see anything "fun" in Capeside. "Well, Jen and Joey must know some place to go when we don't have to go on a hunt," said Buffy with a shrug, hoping that everyday was not going to be a slayer day. "If they're boring people, too, we can always ask Angel," suggested Xander, "Unless he's boring, too." "Uh, yeah, Angel," said Buffy with a trying smile, and something in her tone made Xander look at her for a moment. He hesitated in saying anything, but he had to know and so he asked her, "Y-you don't have a thing for this new Angel, do you?" "W-what? You're kidding, right? I mean, a thing? N-no way, of course not," rambled Buffy, and despite her denials, she couldn't even look at Xander and her eyes kept to the floor. They continued to walk towards the library, and the awkward silence continued to grow stronger between them. Xander knew that despite all of Buffy's efforts to mask her feelings, she was still in love - in love with a nonexistent Angel that she, now, saw in what was only a familiar form. He painfully began to realize that it was her blind love of Angel that she could never love him, a friend that would always be by her side, a friend that existed and loved her to no end. As Xander and Buffy had their tribulations, Jen and Angel were having theirs. Jen had asked Angel to pick her up after school and to take her to the beach where they could talk. Angel had a feeling that this "talk" was not going to be a happy one, but he did as she asked. Now, they were walking hand-in-hand along the beach, and both were silent not wanting the moment to ever end. "Um, so how's living arrangements with Xander and Giles?" asked Jen, awkwardly, trying to fill time with meaningless conversation. "Oh, it's alright," said Angel, but silently he wondered what he had been getting into when he had agreed to that, "What about Buffy at your house?" "Grandma's going a little crazy having such a long-term guest in the house, but I think she likes Buffy," said Jen with a sigh. Xander and Giles were staying at Angel's house for the time being, and living arrangements were just a little too crammed. Angel couldn't help but think about how he had suddenly became Xander's brother through a few strokes of a keyboard on Willow's part, but he brushed those worries out of his mind. As he looked at Jen, he wondered what it was that made her need to talk to him. "Speaking of my Grandma," said Jen with a somber expression, "Well, s-she says that I can't see you anymore, Angel. She thinks you're too old for me." "B-but Jen -" Angel began to argue, but Jen pressed her index finger to his lips before he could talk. "I love you, Angel, but right now, I can't see you," said Jen with a wistful smile, "I want to stop things before they get way out of hand, but we can still go out once in awhile, when it seems okay. When tensions between me and my grandmother calm down, maybe we can start seeing each other, but not now." "I understand, Jen, but I'm going to miss you," said Angel and he kissed her gently on the cheek, and said, "That isn't good-bye, that's just until we can see each other again." They lingered for a few moments and finally Angel let go of her hand and walked slowly away. A thousand thoughts, a million memories of the girl he had to walk away from, but he was determined that it wouldn't be for long. He loved Jen and nothing was going to change that, he just hoped that nothing was going to change her feelings for him. Everyone was having his or her loves and losses in romance, it seemed, and Giles was no exception when Buffy and Xander walked into the door. Just as soon as he was about to talk to them, someone came into the door. He recognized her instantly and would have recognized her even if she had been a mile away. Her black hair and her dark eyes, her tall form and her grace, all these aspects came rushing into his mind, and he heard his heart beating tenfold. "Excuse me, you must be the _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] new librarian, Giles," she said as she walked towards him with a smile, "Well, I know this is a strange favor, but I used to know the former librarian. Well, Niles and I were dating when he died and I wanted to have something of his." "Uh, what is this strange favor?" asked Giles nervously, and he was quite away at the widening eyes of Buffy and Xander despite their silent conflict. "Niles kept a journal at school and he keeps it in a locked drawer in his desk, I was wondering if you could give it to me?" she asked with a questioning smile. "Uh, y-yes, I-I think that would be alright, um, Ms.. Uh - " Giles said, making sure that her name was still the same as it had been before. "Ms. Calendar, but you can call me Jenny," said Ms. Calendar who extending her hand and shook hands with Giles. "Yes, Jenny, um, let me go get it," said Giles who quickly walked out of the room to his office. Ms. Calendar found a seat at the same table that Buffy and Xander were sitting at, and all was silent, until two students walked in. They were two very familiar students that made Buffy's and Xander's mouths drop, they were none other than Druscilla and Spike. "Hello, Dru, Spike," said Ms. Calendar greeting them as they walked in, and Buffy and Xander would have said something if they hadn't been so dumbfounded in their life. "What can I help you with?" Druscilla was still as pale and spooky looking as ever, but her hair was pulled into a high ponytail and she wore - a cheerleader's outfit. Spike, it seemed, had returned to his normal and possibly better strength because he was sporting a Capeside High football jersey. "We need books on the American Civil War," replied Druscilla, whose voice had lost its entire accent. "Books on the Civil War are -" answered Giles, but when he looked at who the request was from his mouth fell open and he gained enough composure to explain," Um, they're on the last shelf to the right." "Is that the journal?" asked Ms. Calendar glancing at the black-bound book that he had in his hand. "Yes, yes, it is," said Giles and he handed it to her. "Thank you, thank you very much. I'll see you around sometime," she replied before she left. "It's three-thirty, already?" asked Buffy standing up and grabbing her backpack. "Sorry, Giles, I promised Joey I'd help her out at the restaurant at four and it'll take me that long to get there." "Quite alright, we'll talk tomorrow morning," said Giles absently. "Then, that means I can go, too," said Xander and he and Buffy reached the library doors at the same time, both wanted to go the opposite directions. "See ya, Buffy," said Xander with quick raise of his hand and he walked away. Buffy walked swiftly out of the school, feeling a little guilty that she had just lied to Giles. She hadn't promised Joey that she was going to help her at four, but Buffy felt that she needed a little time alone. She knew that her comments were plaguing Xander very much. He had been distant and aloof, ever since she had lamely tried to deny that she didn't love Angel, the new Angel. Xander had lately become more than a pal, he was the only one her age that knew who she had been before and he was the only one to understand her, and she hoped that he hadn't been hurt by her false denials. She walked out and decided to take a stroll along the sands of the beautiful beaches of Capeside, one of the many things that Sunnydale had lacked. In the distance, on the pier, she saw Angel, in his familiar black jacket, and even from faraway he looked sad. Buffy decided she should see what was wrong and walked along the creaking boards of the pier towards Angel. "Hey," she said to him, trying unsuccessfully to sound cheerful. "Hi," said Angel with a sigh and a small smile as she sat down beside him. "What's up?" asked Buffy eyeing his depressed expression. "Oh, nothing much, except that Jen just broke up with me," said Angel in a nonchalant tone that made Buffy confused. "I thought that you and Jen were doing great," said Buffy as a salty wind blew her blonde hair into her face. _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] "We were and are, it's just that her grandmother doesn't approve of me, and I respect that. I mean, I wouldn't want to make anything harder for Jen, or anything like that, I love her, after all," said Angel seriously, and Buffy smiled despite his confession of love for Jen because she knew he meant it. Buffy had to admit, for awhile, she had been confused with the Angel of her past and the different Angel that sat beside her now. Her love for the past Angel never died, but it never began with the Angel by her. This Angel was different, his heart was destined for Jen and his friendship was destined for her, and nothing else. "It'll be alright, Angel, and before you know it, Jen will be yours again," said Buffy with a smile as he glanced at her and she gave him a friendly hug. "Hang in their tough guy, Jen will always be yours." "I hope you're right, Buffy," said Angel with a nod, and then he gave her a sly smile. "What about you and Xander, hmm?" Buffy paused and laughed softly and said, "What about me and Xander?" Angel ceased to ask anything at all, and they sat there, watching the sunset. Yet, Buffy couldn't help but think about Angel's question, what about her and Xander? In the distance, Xander looked on at Buffy and Angel. He saw how close-knit they were, he knew that Angel and Jen had broken up. It's just a matter of time now, thought Xander to himself. As the sun fell down and the beasts of the night began to stir, he walked away. *********** End of #2 _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: taygeta@juno.com (Charity C Tran) Subject: BUFFYFIC: Chronicles of the White Knight (3/?) Date: 31 Mar 1998 20:53:03 -0800 Name: The Chronicles of the White Knight #3 Understanding Willow Author: Taygeta Address: taygeta@juno.com Feedback: Please send Uses in anything: Ask me first. Spoiler: Not really, just a little bit of reference to the Willow and Oz relationship. Might have mentioned a past episode. Description: Basically Xander's thoughts about Willow and Oz Disclaimer: The Buffy characters portrayed in this story and any other references to Buffy the Vampire Slayer are the property of its creater Joss Whedon, and its owners Mutant Enemy productions, Kuzui Productions, Sandollar Productions, and 20th Century Fox. Warning: Not really, I guess a PG. **************** Chronicles of the White Knight #3 Understanding Willow By: Taygeta Buffy took a sip of soda from a can of diet coke as she sat at a table near the window that overlooked the promenade. She glanced across the promenade and spotted what Willow called Oz's cool hair. The shade of orange-red could be seen for quite a distance, and Buffy smiled and thought silently that it was cute how Willow and he were always hold hands. She glanced over at Xander, who was sitting at the same table, and found that he was looking at the very same couple. Her scrutinizing eyes peered at Xander's expression, and she silent counted to herself, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1... "Doesn't that just make you sick?" responded Xander waving his hand at the couple in a disgusted gesture. "Come on, Xander, they've been together for weeks!" said Buffy with a sigh, "It's not like your opinion counts in their relationship, so get over it!" "How can I if they keep rubbing their relationship in my face. I mean, every time I see them together it's all this touchy-feely stuff!" insisted Xander and Buffy rolled her eyes and put her soda can down, making a soft sound as the aluminum hit the table. "Right, Xander," said Buffy with an air of sarcasm, "And how do you justify you and Cordy's touch-feely stuff? Which I might add, is about ten time worse than what Oz and Willow do." "Hey, I resent that comment, Buffy because Cordy and I - " Xander paused a moment to contemplate, and feeling that Buffy's eyes were still on him, he chuckled nervously and glanced at her, "Never mind." "Yeah...that's what I thought," said Buffy with a smile, despite the fact that her acceptance of Cordelia had yet to begin. Xander didn't reply to Buffy's comment as he continued to stare at Oz and Willow. Xander contemplated that Willow looked happy, but he didn't believe she was because she was with Oz. What was Xander's opinion of Oz? Oz was just an orange-headed villain out to hurt his best friend. Once he reached to the thought of Willow being his best friend, he paused, unsure if that was what Willow was, nowadays. They were friends, Xander knew that for sure, but if they were BEST friends, was a whole other matter in its entirety. Things had been distant between them for quite awhile, Xander realized. Even before Cordelia and Oz had even entered the picture as romantic counterparts, their relationship had been readily changed. Did Buffy have anything to do with it, thought Xander for a moment and then he sighed realizing that she had, but not profoundly. Whatever had cause them to separate happened, and everything, well, it just made it worst than it had been before. He wanted very much to understand Willow. He would give anything to understand her, and try to make things back to the way it had been Yet, he knew that that way was gone and to return to it was impossible. He couldn't believe how much Willow had changed to become a Willow that he couldn't even understand. Still, had he ever understood her to begin with? It still shocked him to think that Willow had been in love with him, and he didn't think he'd ever get use to the idea, and now with Oz, he wouldn't have to. Oz, thought Xander, what a crazy guy, what does she see in him? Truthfully, he didn't really know what he had against Oz. The weird part was that if Oz was just one of the gang and had no romantic connection to Willow at all, he knew he woul _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] d be friends with him. But the point was he wasn't just one of the gang, he was Willow's...boyfriend. Sure, Oz being a werewolf didn't make Xander like him any more, but for some odd reason, it didn't make Xander like him, any less. It just gave him more to complain about, more that made some reasonable sense anyway. He supposed a lot of his resentment came form his thoughts that Oz made his friendship with Willow even more strained, even though deep down, he knew that that wasn't true. Oz was only a factor because he was making him a factor, and although Willow was chummy with Cordelia, now, Xander knew that Willow was making her a factor, too. It was as if they were divided sides trying not to be separated, but their efforts just made them even more so. He thought again about Willow's face and finally realized that she was happy...with Oz. It didn't matter whether he liked it or not, it wasn't his choice to make, as Buffy had told him once. He stepped away from his heart because Buffy was in love with Angel, but Oz and Willow were different, he wouldn't have to step away. All he had to do was be happy because Willow was, and maybe in doing that, he could finally start treating Willow for what she had always been, and what he had always taken for granted, a true friend. Then, maybe, just maybe, he could start understanding Willow. ************* End of #3 _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: taygeta@juno.com (Charity C Tran) Subject: DisscussionBUFFYFIC:Capeside: the Hellmouth (2/?) Date: 31 Mar 1998 21:16:46 -0800 Sorry if it looked kind of weird, my e-mail was doing some pretty weird things, but I'll send another, so disavow that version of "Capeside: the Hellmouth Loving and Losing". The new one is marked with Stars above the title. Thank you. Taygeta 8~) (Taygeta@juno.com) Writer of "The Chronicles of the White Knight" Writer of "Capeside: the Hellmouth" Writer of "Beyond the Creek" "Xander's lips met hers, softly and gently, and all Buffy could think about was that this was wow and a whole lot more." - from "Chronicles of the White Knight #5 In the Hands of Astarte _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: taygeta@juno.com (Charity C Tran) Subject: BUFFYFIC: Capeside: the Hellmouth (2/?) Date: 31 Mar 1998 21:16:31 -0800 **************************** Name: Capeside: the Hellmouth #2 Loving and Losing Author: Taygeta Address: taygeta@juno.com Feedback: Please send Uses in anything: Ask me first. Spoiler: Not really, considering that this is a crossover story. May have references to past episodes up to killed by Death. Description: A crossover with Buffy and Dawson's Creek, is a series, and not really a multi-part story, although each story usually connects to another. Specific story is hard to explain so you must read. Disclaimer: The Buffy characters portrayed in this story and any other references to Buffy the Vampire Slayer are the property of its creater Joss Whedon, and its owners Mutant Enemy productions, Kuzui Productions, Sandollar Productions, and 20th Century Fox. The Dawson's Creek character's portrayed in this are the property of its creater Kevin Williamson, and its owners. In other words, these characters do not belong to me, and I am just borrowing them. Warning: Not really anything violent, I don't think. To anyone that doesn't like DC, maybe you shouldn't read it, but please give it a try ******************* Capeside: The Hellmouth #2 Loving and Losing By: Taygeta Pacey walked through the room, back and forth and back and forth, his brain was going a million times a minute. He was going to kill himself if the rest of his immortal life was going to require so much trouble. At first, all he had to do was worry about getting rid of Dawson's curse. He silently swore at Willow the Witch for using the Gypsy testaments to restore Dawson's soul. He had begun a death list ever since that incident and Willow was on the top of that very list and a close second was his latest enemy, Buffy, the Vampire Slayer! Cordelia blew on her long finger nails, trying to dry the black nail polish on them, and then yawned as she glanced over at a pacing Pacey and said, "Really, Pacey, you're giving me a headache. Can't you just stay in one place?" "How can you be so calm? This girl is amazing, she must be the one!" said Pacey exasperatingly as he eyed Cordelia with wide eyes. "Of course she's the one Pacey, what else could she be?" asked Cordelia with a sigh as she stood up from her relaxed position and walked over to Pacey. "Darling, rest your dear black heart, we can think about the Slayer girl later." With that, she gave Pacey a kiss, but before Pacey could return her affection, Grant Bodean walked in. "Pacey, Cordelia, oh, I mean Master and Mistress," said Grant walking in rapidly and so eagerly that Pacey and Cordelia wanted to gag. "Yes, Grant, what is it?" asked Pacey, giving Cordelia's pale hand a kiss, as he gave Grant an annoyed and bored look, "And it better be important!" "Well, it is, it is!" said Grant eagerly, "I think we've found a cure for the new vampire!" "You mean Dawson?" asked Pacey brushing Cordelia's hand aside quickly, much to her dislike. "Well, what happened?" "We were able to reverse the spell, Master," said Grant as a huge grin formed on his face. "At least, something's going right in the Hellmouth!" said Pacey with a loud sigh and continued, "Bring Dawson in." "Yes, Master," said Grant with a smile as he rushed to the back room of their hangout, an abandoned train station. "Pacey, darling, when are you going to get rid of that - ugh! - Grant?" asked Cordelia with a whining voice. "As soon as his services can be deemed unnecessary," said Pacey, rubbing his temples at the whining tone of his beloved. "Pacey, you wanted to see me?" asked Dawson walking in with a laugh, as blood dripped from his fangs. "I wanted to see you, yeah, but for Devil's sake, man, clean yourself up!" said Pacey throwing Dawson a handkerchief he wore in his lapel. Dawson wiped his chin clean and said, "Well, what do you want?" "I want you to go on a hunt with me, tonight," said Pacey with a slight smile, "I want to be sure that I can trust you." "Of course you can trust me, Pacey," said Dawson with a grin, sitting down beside him. "Hello, Dawson," said Cordelia with a sweet smile as she lay a kiss on his left _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] cheek and Dawson kissed her hand, much to Pacey's dislike. "Enough groping!" said Pacey, angrily pulling Cordelia's hand away from Dawson's lips, "Dawson, my man, glad to have you back." Dawson nodded and when he was out of lackey Grant's sight, he glanced at the bodies that he had been feeding on and felt sick and guilty. He didn't know how they could live this way, he didn't know why anyone would want to live this way, and it was just plain wrong and evil. Then he remembered they were wrong and they were evil, and he was one of them. He dreaded tonight, it meant killing and hurting innocent people and he didn't want to be apart of it. He didn't want to be the enemy, and he wished that they had just killed him right then and there, so that he wouldn't have suffered so much pain. He was going to escape before things took a decidedly bad turn. When nightfall approached, Dawson got ready to leave and hoped that no one would miss him until it was too late. He had only one place to go, his parents, who had been killed by Pacey and Cordelia, had left him the house in their will. He claimed it the night before, when he successfully freed himself from one of Grant's "Good-bye soul" inventions. He sneaked out of the abandoned warehouse that was the Vampire's Hangout, he ran on, and didn't look back for a second. As he approached his house, he saw a lone figure sleeping on the porch swing in front, and as he walked closer he realized who it was. He smiled softly, knelt down beside the sleeping figure, and touched her cheek gently, lifting a wisp of brown hair from her face. He felt her jump and he backed away, and hid behind a nearby wall. Joey's hand fell upon her cheek; the cold but tender touch still lingered on her skin. She shook off her initial apprehension and glanced around, realizing where she was. She hadn't meant to fall asleep, especially not at the old Leery house, but she had always felt safe there, even though he was gone. Not a minute went by in the day that Joey did not think of Dawson and not a minute went by after thinking of him that did she not recall her regret. Joey regretted not telling him how she felt and had always felt, and she hoped that he had known her heart when his soul died that night. Dawson winced as he saw her walk away, and the farther she walked away, the more pain his heartfelt. As he opened the door to his house, he looked back to see the figure walking farther and farther. He wanted so much to love her and so much to know she cared, or at least, had cared, but that was too much to ask. As the screen door squeaked to close behind him, he shook his head thinking that no one could love a vampire. Dawson, however, came to this conclusion without the knowledge of Buffy's past. A past that consisted of a forbidden love between vampire and slayer and a love that lingered on every time she saw the Angel that was not hers and had never been hers, an Angel that was Jen's. Buffy's mind consisted of Angel the next morning, as she leaned against a metal locker after Angel had dropped off her, Jen, Joey, and Xander at the high school. Although it was already after school, Buffy still had him on her mind. His manners, his expressions, his face, and even his laugh was exactly the same as the good Angel of her past, the Angel she had almost forgotten after she had lost him. "Earth to Buffy? Alternate Universe to Buffy?" said Xander jokingly, as he waved a hand in front of a space cadet Buffy and she snapped out of her thoughts. "Uh, yeah?" asked Buffy with wide eyes as she glanced at Xander who stood beside her. "Where did you go, to our old universe and back again?" asked Xander with a laugh, and Buffy smiled slightly thinking how true it was. "Something like that, yeah," said Buffy and she realized that she still had to put her books in her open locker. "So, how do you like, Capeside?" asked Xander as he and Buffy took route to the library, which looked exactly as it did in Sunnydale. "Capeside's proving to be decidedly lame," said Buffy with a sigh. "Aside from the _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] fact that it's a Hellmouth and we have a heck of a lot of vampires running the streets at night, you've got a good point," agreed Xander, who had yet to see anything "fun" in Capeside. "Well, Jen and Joey must know some place to go when we don't have to go on a hunt," said Buffy with a shrug, hoping that everyday was not going to be a slayer day. "If they're boring people, too, we can always ask Angel," suggested Xander, "Unless he's boring, too." "Uh, yeah, Angel," said Buffy with a trying smile, and something in her tone made Xander look at her for a moment. He hesitated in saying anything, but he had to know and so he asked her, "Y-you don't have a thing for this new Angel, do you?" "W-what? You're kidding, right? I mean, a thing? N-no way, of course not," rambled Buffy, and despite her denials, she couldn't even look at Xander and her eyes kept to the floor. They continued to walk towards the library, and the awkward silence continued to grow stronger between them. Xander knew that despite all of Buffy's efforts to mask her feelings, she was still in love - in love with a nonexistent Angel that she, now, saw in what was only a familiar form. He painfully began to realize that it was her blind love of Angel that she could never love him, a friend that would always be by her side, a friend that existed and loved her to no end. As Xander and Buffy had their tribulations, Jen and Angel were having theirs. Jen had asked Angel to pick her up after school and to take her to the beach where they could talk. Angel had a feeling that this "talk" was not going to be a happy one, but he did as she asked. Now, they were walking hand-in-hand along the beach, and both were silent not wanting the moment to ever end. "Um, so how's living arrangements with Xander and Giles?" asked Jen, awkwardly, trying to fill time with meaningless conversation. "Oh, it's alright," said Angel, but silently he wondered what he had been getting into when he had agreed to that, "What about Buffy at your house?" "Grandma's going a little crazy having such a long-term guest in the house, but I think she likes Buffy," said Jen with a sigh. Xander and Giles were staying at Angel's house for the time being, and living arrangements were just a little too crammed. Angel couldn't help but think about how he had suddenly became Xander's brother through a few strokes of a keyboard on Willow's part, but he brushed those worries out of his mind. As he looked at Jen, he wondered what it was that made her need to talk to him. "Speaking of my Grandma," said Jen with a somber expression, "Well, s-she says that I can't see you anymore, Angel. She thinks you're too old for me." "B-but Jen -" Angel began to argue, but Jen pressed her index finger to his lips before he could talk. "I love you, Angel, but right now, I can't see you," said Jen with a wistful smile, "I want to stop things before they get way out of hand, but we can still go out once in awhile, when it seems okay. When tensions between me and my grandmother calm down, maybe we can start seeing each other, but not now." "I understand, Jen, but I'm going to miss you," said Angel and he kissed her gently on the cheek, and said, "That isn't good-bye, that's just until we can see each other again." They lingered for a few moments and finally Angel let go of her hand and walked slowly away. A thousand thoughts, a million memories of the girl he had to walk away from, but he was determined that it wouldn't be for long. He loved Jen and nothing was going to change that, he just hoped that nothing was going to change her feelings for him. Everyone was having his or her loves and losses in romance, it seemed, and Giles was no exception when Buffy and Xander walked into the door. Just as soon as he was about to talk to them, someone came into the door. He recognized her instantly and would have recognized her even if she had been a mile away. Her black hair and her dark eyes, her tall form and her grace, all these aspects came rushing into his mind, and he heard his heart beating tenfo _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] ld. "Excuse me, you must be the new librarian, Giles," she said as she walked towards him with a smile, "Well, I know this is a strange favor, but I used to know the former librarian. Well, Niles and I were dating when he died and I wanted to have something of his." "Uh, what is this strange favor?" asked Giles nervously, and he was quite away at the widening eyes of Buffy and Xander despite their silent conflict. "Niles kept a journal at school and he keeps it in a locked drawer in his desk, I was wondering if you could give it to me?" she asked with a questioning smile. "Uh, y-yes, I-I think that would be alright, um, Ms.. Uh - " Giles said, making sure that her name was still the same as it had been before. "Ms. Calendar, but you can call me Jenny," said Ms. Calendar who extending her hand and shook hands with Giles. "Yes, Jenny, um, let me go get it," said Giles who quickly walked out of the room to his office. Ms. Calendar found a seat at the same table that Buffy and Xander were sitting at, and all was silent, until two students walked in. They were two very familiar students that made Buffy's and Xander's mouths drop, they were none other than Druscilla and Spike. "Hello, Dru, Spike," said Ms. Calendar greeting them as they walked in, and Buffy and Xander would have said something if they hadn't been so dumbfounded in their life. "What can I help you with?" Druscilla was still as pale and spooky looking as ever, but her hair was pulled into a high ponytail and she wore - a cheerleader's outfit. Spike, it seemed, had returned to his normal and possibly better strength because he was sporting a Capeside High football jersey. "We need books on the American Civil War," replied Druscilla, whose voice had lost its entire accent. "Books on the Civil War are -" answered Giles, but when he looked at who the request was from his mouth fell open and he gained enough composure to explain," Um, they're on the last shelf to the right." "Is that the journal?" asked Ms. Calendar glancing at the black-bound book that he had in his hand. "Yes, yes, it is," said Giles and he handed it to her. "Thank you, thank you very much. I'll see you around sometime," she replied before she left. "It's three-thirty, already?" asked Buffy standing up and grabbing her backpack. "Sorry, Giles, I promised Joey I'd help her out at the restaurant at four and it'll take me that long to get there." "Quite alright, we'll talk tomorrow morning," said Giles absently. "Then, that means I can go, too," said Xander and he and Buffy reached the library doors at the same time, both wanted to go the opposite directions. "See ya, Buffy," said Xander with quick raise of his hand and he walked away. Buffy walked swiftly out of the school, feeling a little guilty that she had just lied to Giles. She hadn't promised Joey that she was going to help her at four, but Buffy felt that she needed a little time alone. She knew that her comments were plaguing Xander very much. He had been distant and aloof, ever since she had lamely tried to deny that she didn't love Angel, the new Angel. Xander had lately become more than a pal, he was the only one her age that knew who she had been before and he was the only one to understand her, and she hoped that he hadn't been hurt by her false denials. She walked out and decided to take a stroll along the sands of the beautiful beaches of Capeside, one of the many things that Sunnydale had lacked. In the distance, on the pier, she saw Angel, in his familiar black jacket, and even from faraway he looked sad. Buffy decided she should see what was wrong and walked along the creaking boards of the pier towards Angel. "Hey," she said to him, trying unsuccessfully to sound cheerful. "Hi," said Angel with a sigh and a small smile as she sat down beside him. "What's up?" asked Buffy eyeing his depressed expression. "Oh, nothing much, except that Jen just broke up with me," said Angel in a nonchalant tone that made Buffy confused. "I thought that you and Jen were doing great," said Buffy as a salty wind bl _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] ew her blonde hair into her face. "We were and are, it's just that her grandmother doesn't approve of me, and I respect that. I mean, I wouldn't want to make anything harder for Jen, or anything like that, I love her, after all," said Angel seriously, and Buffy smiled despite his confession of love for Jen because she knew he meant it. Buffy had to admit, for awhile, she had been confused with the Angel of her past and the different Angel that sat beside her now. Her love for the past Angel never died, but it never began with the Angel by her. This Angel was different, his heart was destined for Jen and his friendship was destined for her, and nothing else. "It'll be alright, Angel, and before you know it, Jen will be yours again," said Buffy with a smile as he glanced at her and she gave him a friendly hug. "Hang in their tough guy, Jen will always be yours." "I hope you're right, Buffy," said Angel with a nod, and then he gave her a sly smile. "What about you and Xander, hmm?" Buffy paused and laughed softly and said, "What about me and Xander?" Angel ceased to ask anything at all, and they sat there, watching the sunset. Yet, Buffy couldn't help but think about Angel's question, what about her and Xander? In the distance, Xander looked on at Buffy and Angel. He saw how close-knit they were, he knew that Angel and Jen had broken up. It's just a matter of time now, thought Xander to himself. As the sun fell down and the beasts of the night began to stir, he walked away. _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. 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