From: buffyfic-owner@xmission.com (buffyfic Digest) To: buffyfic-digest@xmission.com Subject: buffyfic Digest V1 #13 Reply-To: buffyfic@xmission.com Sender: buffyfic-owner@xmission.com Errors-To: buffyfic-owner@xmission.com Precedence: buffyfic Digest Tuesday, August 19 1997 Volume 01 : Number 013 In this issue: Re: BUFFYFIC: Buffy Summers, SuperSlayer 1/2 BUFFYFIC: Games (1/1) Re: BUFFYFIC: Games (1/1) BUFFYFIC: The Weapon: Part 8b BUFFYFIC: Nights Like These (1/10) BUFFYFIC: Beach Blanket Buffy Part 10 by JJ See the end of the digest for information on subscribing to the buffyfic or buffyfic-digest mailing lists and on how to retrieve back issues. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 17 Aug 1997 14:38:28 -0700 From: methosian@juno.com (Shari L Ramseur) Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: Buffy Summers, SuperSlayer 1/2 Hilarious, Cagey! Very well done! Willow: "How'd it go?" Xander: "On a scale of 1 to 10, it sucked." methosian@juno.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 18 Aug 1997 05:20:05 -0500 (CDT) From: smcculla@cswnet.com Subject: BUFFYFIC: Games (1/1) TITLE: Games (1/1) AUTHOR: Samantha McCullah EMAIL: smcculla@cswnet.com DISTRIBUTION: You like, put it up as long as I get my credit. RATING: PG CONTENT: Romance, Willow/Xander CLASSIFICATION: Story, Romance SUMMARY: Willow and Xander play a game. DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but the story. Joss own everything else. - --------------------------------------- Games (1/1) by: Samantha McCullah Xander was sprawled unceremoniously on Willow's floor, pulling an assortment of things from under her bed. They were supposed to be studying, but Xander had an annoying way of getting out of it everytime. "Xander, we really should finish this homework," she told him. He suddenly straightened up from under her bed, holding something in his hands. He turned to face her with a smile. "Hey, Will. Bet I can still beat you at this," Xander replied. Willow looked at his hands. He held the one game that she could never beat him at: Twister. _________________________ An hour later... Xander was doing a rather spectacular back bend under Willow, while she was in a position that looked rather painful. He reached to the pointer and managed to flick it. "Right hand blue," He proclaimed. Willow looked to the blue circles which were on the other side of Xander from where her hands currently were. The only way she could make it work and not look obscene, was to turn so that she was face down on top of him. As she turned Xander caught a faint scent of perfume. he thought. Willow reached for the pointer and gave it a good turn. "Right foot red," she smiled at him. Give him credit, Xander tried. Unfortunately, unlike Willow, he hadn't taken gymnastics for four years. He collapsed in a heap and took Willow with him. The two friends laughed until it hurt. "I win," Willow stated. They lay there, Willow on top of him, for several minutes while Xander took the time to actually look at his best friend. Her hair was longer than he remembered and a beautiful shade of auburn. She didn't wear her glasses anymore. he thought. "Will, when did you stop wearing glasses?" he asked out loud. "Two years ago, remember. I got contacts," she replied. That moment the realized they were in a position that could look suspicious, especially to Willow's father. Both of them pushed away from each other, Xander back against her bed, Willow back in her chair. Xander questioned himself. She was his best friend, and he had missed so much. But most of all he had missed the moment his feelings for her had changed. Suddenly he realized he needed a cold shower, and fast. "Will, I -," Xander began. "Xander, I-," Willow, in unison. She stopped and laughed,"You first." Xander stopped and considered what he was about to say. Then decided against it. She couldn't possibly feel the same way, could she? "Will, I ... think I need to go home." It sounded lame, he knew that, but he couldn't be in the same room with her, not without doing something. He stood up and asked, "What were you going to say?" "Oh, nothing," she replied, disappointed. As Xander left, she got out of the chair and laid down on the Twister mat. Willow closed her eyes and daydreamed. she thought. The end - --------------------------- Anyone want a sequel? Send comment, flames, constructive critisim to smcculla@cswnet.com Samantha McCullah *Diviant, Cousin, Ravenette, evil XeKnight, AGA, GASPer* "I don't recall my staff reporting discovering a decapitated corpse in the beer fridge." -LaCroix, "Forever Knight" ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 18 Aug 1997 19:22:36 -0700 From: methosian@juno.com (Shari L Ramseur) Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: Games (1/1) Very good beginning. Yes, I'd like a sequel, please. :) Willow: "How'd it go?" Xander: "On a scale of 1 to 10, it sucked." Willow: "Oh." methosian@juno.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 18 Aug 1997 23:30:20 -0400 From: koch@northnet.org Subject: BUFFYFIC: The Weapon: Part 8b Title: The Weapon Rating: R. Graphic descriptions of acts of violence. Summary: It is a dark time for the Rebellion... no wait, that's Star Wars. When we last left our heros, Xander had gone through a rather disturbing psychological experience, the Demon Lord Karakis munched on one of his lackeys, and the Team arrived at Karakis Central. Disclaimer: Buffy, Willow, Xander, and Angel are the property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and 20th Century Fox. The rest is mine. Touch it and I'll break yo' fingers. ***** "That," said Buffy, an edge of disappointment and sarcasm seeping into her tone, "is it?" Buffy took another look at Karakis' palace. It was big, she could give him that, but its design seemed all wrong. It was a large, stone, medieval-looking castle. That was it. No basalt towers of doom, no lakes of fire, no walls of bone and writhing flesh. Just a castle, like ones that could be found in Europe. To Buffy, it just seemed... wrong. "What were you expecting," Xander asked, "basalt towers of doom, a lake of fire, walls of bone and writhing flesh?" "Well..." she replied, "yeah!" "The castle's not Karakis', at least, not originally. It belonged to a mage who summoned Karakis and tried to bind him to his will. The mage wasn't very good though, and he botched the spell, accidentally bringing himself, and the entire castle, here. Karakis killed him, ate him, and took his pad." "Whoa... backtrack. *Ate* him?" "Yeah. Karakis has a bit of a fondness for human flesh." "Ick. No, strike that. Ick *squared*." "Uh guys," interjected Angel, who had remained silent throughout much of the trip, "Willow's gone." "What?!" shouted Buffy and Xander simultaneously, as the spun around to look at the spot where the hacker had stood. She was gone. "Where did she go?" shouted Buffy, as she frantically scanned the horizon. "I don't know." replied Angel. "You two were talking, I went off to scout the area, and when I came back, she was gone." "There!" shouted Xander, pointing out towards the sands. There, making its way determinedly towards Karakis' fortress, was a small red-headed figure that could only be Willow Rosenburg. ***** "Let them sit and chat," thought Willow, "I'll save Xander without 'em if I have to." Willow was continuing to march determinedly accross the sands when a hand clamped down on her shoulder. Spinning, Willow drew one of her Barettas with chilling speed, and rammed it into the face of her unknown assailant. Into the face of a sweaty and out of breath Buffy Summers. Willow sighed, rolled her eyes, and lowered the weapon. "Y'know," said Buffy, as Angel and Xander came running after her, "you're pretty quick. If I wasn't me, I probably never woulda caught up with you." "Well you better stay caught up with me," snapped Willow, "I'd like to have you at my back when I storm this place." "Whoa Will, slow down!" said Buffy, exasperated. "This 'Terminator' bit you've been doing has been fun and all, but we've gotta stop and think here. Barging right up to their front door is *not* a good thing!" "No time for stealth," responded Willow, "every second we waste is another second Xander suffers. And I'm not going to let him suffer Buffy. If I have to rip every monster in that place apart with my bare hands, I'm *going* to save him. Besides, I checked the place out from where we were. No other entrances or exits besides the main one. Direct frontal assault is the *only* way." "No way Will, there has *got* to be a--" "She's right." All eyes turned to Angel as he spoke. "The only way into our out of that place," said the vampire, "is through that iron gate." "How do you--" Angel cut Xander off. "I told you, I scouted around." Angel smirked. "I'm a vampire," he said, "I can *do* sneaky." "All right," said Buffy, sighing in defeat, "so it's crash n' bash. Now how do we get in there?" "Let me handle that." said Xander, grinning. "C'mon," said Willow, the agitation obvious in her voice as she began to march towards the castle once more, "lets go." ***** Several minutes later, they arrived at the gate. "Strange..." muttered Angel, "no guards on the perimeter..." "Ok Xander," said Buffy, "do your thing." "Before I do this," said the nomad, "everybody better make sure they're ready." Almost as if on cue, Angel's "game face" rippled into place, and he drew his saber. Willow checked the barettas at her hips one last time, and cocked her shotgun. Buffy quickly pulled her hair back into a ponytail, and unsheathed her katana. "We're ready Xander," said the Slayer, "do it." Lifting the sphere high above his head, Xander paused, as if he were looking up through the ebon clouds, perhaps expecting to see a spot of blue. Then his eyes and will hardened, and he allowed a single word to slip past his lips. "Merge." The sphere burst like a ruptured balloon, pouring down over Xander, almost instantly coating his entire body with its silvery essence. Almost instantly, the liquid hardened, taking on a new and definite shape. As suddenly as it began, it was done. "Xander," asked Buffy, hesitantly, "are you--" Buffy stopped mid-sentence as he turned to face her. His entire body was encased in an almost insect-like metal carapace. The light gleamed off of the razor-sharp blades which protruded from various locations about his body. He looked different. He looked powerful, imposing. In short, he looked ruthlessly deadly. "I'm fine." he said, his voice holding a new, almost metallic resonance to it. "Remember," Xander's fists began to glow green as he spoke, "once we're in there, no hesitation, no mercy, no quarter, no regret. Give anything in there a second of weakness, and it'll rip you into shreds. Now step back." Xander's hands were glowing with a brilliant green flame, and it continued to increase, in both size and luminescence. Soon, it was as if he held twin emerald suns within his clenched fists. The man inhaled deeply, and swung his arms forward, loosing a devastating blast. The fireball roared forth smashing through the gate, and exploding inside the courtyard of the castle, incinerating many of the soldiers that had lain in wait. With a silent command, Xander led the group as they charged inside. ***** Immediately they met with resistance. The hordes seemed to be pouring out of nowhere, as if they came straight from the abyssal pits of hell itself. But the four fought on. Xander leapt directly into the middle of the masses, his armored second skin making him virtually impervious to all harm they could inflict upon him. He fought with reckless abandon and relentless force, slashing and gashing his way through anything and everything that crossed his path. The symbiote, on occasion, seemed to act of its own accord, loosing a silver tendril to slash a throat or sever a head. Buffy and Angel were doing well also, fighting in tandem, their supernatural strength and speed propelling their blades through countless enemies. Even Willow was holding her own, as demon after demon was virtually blown apart when it ended up on the bad end of her shotgun. The girl fought on, as every blast soaked her in the blood and entrails of the unholy. The bloody carnage continued as the four slaughtered anything that came their way. Minutes, perhaps hours, passed as the battle raged on, and slowly, the numbers of the enemy dwindled. Soon only a handful of the force remained. As Xander tore one of the demons to shreds, his compatriots broke and ran. Willow caught two of them with consecutive blasts from her shotgun, but the rest escaped. Weary and blood-soaked, the four burst into the main hall of the castle. "Ok," said Xander his, his voice taking on an authoritative tone, "the dungeons are that way," he pointed to his right, "you three go get Xander." "What about you?" asked Angel, as he wiped off his blade. "I," said the metal-clad warrior, "have a score to settle." "But--" Buffy was silenced by Angel as Xander rushed off down the hall. "He has to do this," said the vampire, "he has to face his demons." Buffy nodded understandingly, and she, Angel, and Willow, rushed off towards the dungeon. ***** "Karakis," thought Xander, as he marched towards the Demon Lord's throne room, "here I come." ***** End part 8. We're coming up to the major showdown, and the end of "The Weapon" friends... tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock... and I ain't anywhere *near* the really good stuff yet *wicked grin*. - --Viashino-- ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 19 Aug 1997 22:26:35 -0400 (EDT) From: LadyRHood@aol.com Subject: BUFFYFIC: Nights Like These (1/10) Hi everybody..I posted this to the Buffy-beat list but I didn't want you guys to miss out :) This is the sequel to The Sighing Game..but it's not necessary to read that story to understand this one. TITLE: Nights Like These AUTHOR: Rebecca Carefoot EMAIL ADDRESS: Lady RHood@aol.com DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT: Keep my name on it and you can put it up wherever you want SPOILER WARNING: there are some spoilers for my story The Sighing Game since this is a sequel. Also I've sort of departed from canon..this is two weeks and two days after the Angel episode. Up until Angel it's canon...after Angel it departs although the Master IS dead and Colin has taken over. Confused? me too RATING:PG-13 (maybe R in parts 6 and 10) CONTENT WARNING:Buffy/Angel romance, a little cursing, kissing, VIOLENCE..and talk of sex. CLASSIFICATION:S/R SUMMARY:This is a sequel to my previous story The Sighing Game. You don't really have to read it to get this story. You just have to know that in it Buffy and Angel decided that their love was too strong to be ignored. Despite the difficulties, they would try to make it work...well this is the difficulties and the making it work part. If you want to read the Sighing Game you can e-mail me and I'll send it to you. (Or you can look it up at Anya's Fanfic site) DISCLAIMER:I don't own any of the characters from the buffyverse. Sometimes I steal them like I am doing now but I always return them as good as new. And I never make any money off them. (That would make me a pimp if I did wouldn't it?) They belong to the nice people at Fox, the WB and of course to Joss Wheadon. Also thanks to my fabulous beta reader: Dare the Great :) Part 1 ########## The vampire rushed toward Buffy, mouth agape, fangs glinting in the moonlight. As it leapt through the air it growled mencingly. It knocked Buffy to the ground and pulled her head to the side exposing her neck for a bite. Buffy calmly tucked her legs up and kicked with all her strength sending the vampire flying backwards. Before the vampire had time to react, Buffy was on top of him. She pulled a stake from the small sheath strapped inside her sleeve and plunged it into his heart. Then she dusted off her hands and turned towards Giles, who was watching from behind a large memorial statue. "That's four Giles. I think I've fulfilled my quota for the night" Buffy said picking up her bag of vampire slaying supplies. A girl should never leave home without a few stakes and some holy water. "Right," said Giles. "Why are you in such a hurry?" Buffy smiled into the darkness. She was meeting Angel tonight. She wanted to sing it from the rooftops, but the sleeping residents of Sunnydale would most likely not appreciate a midnight serenade. "I'm meeting someone at the Bronze," Buffy answered. "Oh, is this another one of your dates?" asked Giles. "Giles, I am not in the mood for another one of your..you are the Slayer, you can't have a life lectures." "I..I suppose not," Giles stuttered, wondering how she had known he was planning on giving her that lecture. Not that it ever did any good. "Besides, Angel knows all about me being the Slayer and he can take care of himself." She swung her purse full of vampire deterrents onto her shoulder and turned to walk away. Giles grabbed her arm and swung her around to face him. "Angel?" he asked. "You're dating Angel?" "Yeah, so?" Buffy asked belligerantly. "SO!So? He's vampire!" "Thanks for the newsflash, Giles. I can take care of myself too you know." "Buffy, you can't become personally involved with a vampire. It's against all the rules. What if he loses control? Will you be able to kill him?" Giles was beginning to work himself into a frenzy and Buffy was getting angrier by the second. "Giles, don't treat me like a little girl! I am in love. Do you even know what that feels like? Angel understands me and he loves me too." She jerked her arm out of his grasp. "I am going to meet him and there is nothing you can do to stop me." She walked away, refusing to look back. "She's sixteen," muttered Giles. "She doesn't even know what love is." "I do too," Buffy shouted resisting the urge to stick out her tongue. Giles sighed, sometimes that excellent Slayer hearing was a pain in the ass. Actually, sometimes the Slayer herself was a pain in the ass. Well there was nothing he could really do about it, besides give her another lecture tomorrow. Buffy was determined not to let an old party pooper like Giles ruin her night. The farther she got from the graveyard the more her spirits rose. She was going to see him tonight. Laughter bubbled up inside her, and the world seemed perfect. Once she got to the Bronze, Buffy waited anxiously for Angel. It had been two days since that magical night on the hill when they had decided that love couldn't be denied. Thinking of that night still sent shivers up and down her spine. She closed her eyes letting herself remember the moment, the kisses. Her blissful thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice. "Hey Buffy, asleep on your feet?" the voice asked. It was Xander. Suddenly Buffy was glad that Angel wasn't here yet. She still felt a little guilty when Xander saw her with Angel. She didn't want to hurt him, but sometimes he was such a moron. Willow was right there pining away for him and he was too dense to notice her. Why couldn't he see that he would never have Buffy? Why couldn't he see that she loved Angel more than she could even understand? She opened her eyes to look directly into Xander's face. "Not sleeping, I was just thinking." "About what?" Buffy considered telling him the truth but she wasn't that cruel. "About Willow..where is she?" "Ahh the Willster. Don't know. Haven't seen her since I tried to cheat off her in bio." Buffy slapped Xander lightly. "Bad Xander, bad. Did she let you?" "This is Willow we're talking about. She does not cheat, ever, not even for me." They both looked up as Willow approached. "Hi Will," Buffy greeted her friend. "We were just talking about you behind your back. Xander was saying the most terrible things." She smiled. "Yes, I was" Xander admitted solemnly. "I was practicing for my career as a tabloid reporter." "Your mother will be so proud" Willow said laughingly. "So are we going in?" Buffy shook her head. "You two go on ahead, I'm waiting for someone." "That someone wouldn't happen to be a particularly gorgeous vampire with a soul would he?" Willow asked teasingly. Buffy blushed a little, thankful for the dark lighting. "Maybe," she finally answered. "I mean yes I'm meeting Angel here, or I'm supposed to; he's a little late." "Maybe he stood you up," Xander suggested. Willow elbowed him hard in the ribs. "He just probably got caught up in something and forgot the time. Anyway Xander and I are going to go in now. Aren't we Xander?" Xander didn't answer, so Willow grabbed him by the arm and dragged him away. Buffy watched them enter the Bronze. It was starting to get a little chilly. She huddled deeper in her leather jacket and wished she was inside too. What if he _had_ stood her up? They hadn't talked since the night on the hill. What if he had changed his mind about the whole thing and he just didn't want to tell her? What if...she quashed the thoughts. Buffy, she ordered herself, have a little faith. The guy was a couple minutes late and she had him practically skipping town. Sometimes too much imagination could be curse. She stood alone in the streetlight with her doubts. They crowded her mind, until she wanted to scream. That would definitely not be a good idea. Her reputation as a total weirdo did not need new fodder. She decided to give it five more minutes and then go in. He could always find her there if he ever came. Five minutes came and went so she decided to go join her friends. As she turned towards the door, Angel appeared suddenly in front of her. She rushed to him,jumping into his arms. Their lips met in a passionate kiss. When they finally parted. Buffy pulled away from him. She was angry because he was late, she reminded herself. But just seeing his face was almost enough to send her flying into his arms again. "You were late" she said accusingly. "I know" he admitted. "Why?" she asked. "I had a little distraction to take care of. I was on my way over here when I was jumped by a couple of ugly monsters. So I had to take care of them." All Buffy's anger melted away in a rush of worry. "Are you hurt?" she asked. "Nothing permanent." "Don't give me that macho crap. Are you hurt and how badly, Mr. Cryptic Man?" She stared into his eyes. "I care about you, ok? Did you kill them?" "It's not bad really. They were pretty young and stupid. I killed them, it was messy though." "Show me." Angel sighed as he stripped off his jacket. Buffy examined the bite and scratch marks on his neck and arms. She kissed the nasty scratch on his neck and smiled mischeiviously up at him. "Does that make it all better?" "It's a start," he answered lifting her easily into the air until her eyes were level with his. She laughed as she wrapped her arms around his neck kissing his nose and mouth. "So what do you want to do?" she asked. "Dancing, or something else. Since you're injured and all." "How would you like to take a stroll in the park?" "Just as long as it's not a stroll in the graveyard, I'm up for it. I only have two stakes on me so I'd rather not do any more heavy-duty slaying tonight." Angel nodded, in approval for her carrying stakes. Or maybe just agreeing that any more slaying tonight would be a pain and a half. "I'm gonna go in and tell Willow and Xander that I'm outta here. You wanna come." "I don't think Xander would be too thrilled to see me." "Xander? Xander loves you." Angel did not look fooled. "Well ok, so maybe he doesn't love you. But he wouldn't try to stake you or anything." she amended. Angel still looked a little skeptical. "Never mind, you stay here." She ran inside and said her good-byes. Then came running back to where Angel stood. "So where are we walking?" she asked. "Right now we are walking along what is commonly know as a sidewalk" Angel answered. "Oh, wow. Why don't they teach us useful stuff like that in school instead of all that stupid biology? But where is this sidewalk taking us?" "You'll see." "Oh goodie, you've gone cryptic on me again. I thought we were passed that stage." Angel just smiled. Buffy couldn't help but smile back. Her insides felt all melty when he smiled at her. Angel reached out and took her hand. They walked slowly side by side staring at the stars and each other. Finally they reached a small lake glittering with moonlight, like a dark jewel. It sat hidden in a small glade, surrounded by trees and the fresh smell of green grass. "It's so beautiful," Buffy breathed, staring at the captured moonlight that lay on the lake's surface. "Like you," Angel said quietly. He stared at her face as intently as she stared at the lake. "It's my special place,' he explained. "That sounds stupid. It's where I come when things get too hard. When I need to be alone." He paused then slowly added. "When the temptation becomes too great." Buffy looked into his eyes. "The temptation to feed on a live human?" He nodded. "You have no idea how hard it is to control. If I ever let down my guard. If I ever give in and let myself feed on a live human. I'm afraid I'll never be able to control it again. The urges would become too strong. When I'm in a crowd, I can feel the heat...of the blood, the life around me." He glanced at Buffy trying to judge her reaction. Would she recoil in horror? "I'm telling you this because I need you to know. I know I'm a danger to you, and I need you to realize what you're getting into." Buffy smiled weakly but encouragingly. "It's better we talk about it. You feel so human, you look so human." Buffy shrugged. "It's easy to forget the vampire side of you." She nodded, trying to reassure herself. "It's better that we talk about it." But she wasan't sure she wanted to. It would be so easy to ignore his demon half. She looked up at his gorgeous face. The face of an Angel, it was too easy to forget that he was a vampire. "Does it disgust you to hear about the bloodlust?" Angel asked uncertainly. Buffy thought about it for a moment. "A little," she admitted. His face fell. She had hurt his feelings. Guilt filled her mind, but she had one more awful question she had to ask. She took a deep breath and asked. "Do you ever want to feed on me?" Angel looked away, staring at the water. He dropped his gaze to his hands and answered softly, refusing to meet her gaze. "Sometimes." It was not the answer Buffy had wanted to hear. Angel glanced at her, trying to judge her reaction. He must've seen some of her doubts in her face for he quickly added. "I can control it." "I know." Buffy answered. She softly stroked his face with the back of her hand. "I trust you." Angel trapped the hand in his own and kissed it lightly. "I love you." Buffy added softly. The light that blossomed in Angel's eyes was answer enough, he reached for her face and whispered into her ear. "I love you too." continues ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 19 Aug 1997 22:42:56 -0400 From: Jesse Jou Subject: BUFFYFIC: Beach Blanket Buffy Part 10 by JJ Hello everyone! This is my first post to the xmission fanfic list. I don't know how many of you are also on the BBETA list, but if you are, you probably already know this story. If you aren't, please email PRIVATELY and I will send you the previous parts, or if it's okay with the list moms and enough people ask, I will repost the previous parts here. I must warn you, if you don't know this story, this part will make little sense and I would recommend reading the other parts first. If you want to know what this story is about read the summary below. It's pretty self-explanatory. Any and all comments and feedback will Title: Beach Blanket Buffy Author: JJ email address: jjou@mail.med.cornell.edu Distribution: With permission of the author Spoiler Warning: The events for this take place after Prophecy Girl and references are made to events in the past season. Rating: PG Warnings: Violence Classification: TB Summary: There's trouble in store when Buffy and the gang visit the beach! Hey, watch out for that vampire! There's action! "Buffy! There he is!" "Quick, grab the jet ski!" Romance! "I didn't think I'd ever know what it was like to love a boy! A human boy!" Thrills! "Ms. Calendar, we are not in the south of France!" Chills! "It's kind of shaped like Elvis. Old Elvis." and lots of Rock 'N Roll!! "Auhuhuhuh...wipe out!" Can Buffy stop the vampires from ruining the End-of-Summer luau? Will Xander find happiness with a girl from a different area code? What mischief are Willow and Cordelia up to? And what's with the girl with the tiger's head? Yes, there's fun and merriment in store when the gang plays...Beach Blanket Buffy! Disclaimer: I don't own these characters except for the ones who haven't shown up on the show; Joss Whedon, the WB, and their associated production companies do. I'm also not making a red cent of any of this, so there's no point in suing me. Beach Blanket Buffy Part 10 The lifeguard had lived in a bungalow-type house only a few blocks off the beach, in a quiet residential neighborhood. When they got within a couple houses of the address, Buffy felt the nervous wiggins in her stomach. There were Undead nearby. Her suspicion was confirmed when she spotted five men lurking about the lifeguard's premises. Four of them were dressed like uniformed police offers, but there were no squad cars around and their leader appeared to be a short man in bermuda shorts and a Hawaiian print button-down. Buffy grabbed Xander and Marie and dragged them behind a row of cars about 40 yards away. "Gah! Check out Hawaii Five-O. He's dressed like Giles!" Buffy whispered, remembering the grotesque ensemble Giles had worn that first day on the beach. "So what do we do?" Xander asked, thirsty for action. Buffy shook her head. "This doesn't make sense. Here are five tough-looking vampires in a residential neighborhood chockfull of easy pickings. So why aren't they going wild on Grandma Moses over there?" She nodded towards a neighboring house with a little woman sitting on a porch swing. "They don't look like they're hunting. They look like they're searching for something. I thought the lifeguard was a random kill, but what if he wasn't? What if he was killed for guilty knowledge?" "Like the location of their hideout, perhaps?" Marie suggested ingenuously. "Good idea, Marie," Buffy complimented her. "Let's see if they'll lead us back to Crimson Sand HQ." - ---- One of the advantages of being young, beautiful, and rich is that your probability of finding a hairdresser in the LA area willing to make a house call is very high. Cordelia exploited this truism now to locate her mother's hairdresser, Mr. Wong of LA, a burly Chinese-American man of middle years known for his great sensitivity to hair-related issues. Even now he ran his hands sensually through Willow's abruptly shorn locks, as if massaging away their abuse. In a husky baritone, Mr. Wong had interjected "That bitch!" in appropriate places to indicate his sympathetic outrage as Cordelia explained the extenuating circumstances that had drawn him away from a cutthroat game of mah jong . "What can be done, Mr. Wong?" Cordelia finally asked, clutching Willow's hand despite the girl's repeated requests to be released. "No," Cordelia had argued, "In times of crisis, sisterhood demands solidarity!" Willow had only sighed helplessly. When Cordelia had found her, she had crushed Willow to her bosom and repeated over and over, "It's okay; it'll grow back!" In reality, Willow was only mildly traumatized by the loss of her hair; Marie's threat of real violence had been of greater concern. Looking at herself in the mirror now, she realized that Marie had left an appreciable length that hung just below her ear. Mr. Wong grew tired of Cordelia's haranguing and finally whispered to Willow, "That girl! She thinks the sun doesn't rise until she wakes up in the morning!" then asked with a paternal smile, "What would *you* like me to do?" Willow looked at the man's reflection in the mirror and smiled back. - ---- The vamps had given up waiting for whatever was supposed to happen at the lifeguard's house and began to patrol the boardwalk. Buffy and all followed closely behind, trying to blend into the evening crowd patronizing the restaurants and the fairway. Buffy grew more and more confused. These vampires had done nothing, despite the numerous opportunities for chaos that had presented themselves. Whatever they were looking for was clearly paramount in their minds. Marie lingered behind with Xander, holding his hand. Buffy had noticed the gesture and the rather oblivious expression on Xander's face. She wondered if he even realized he was holding hands with the other girl. She had also noticed the fawning expression on Marie's face. "Criminey, it's not just Willow; he ignores *any* girl who acts interested in him," Buffy thought, remembering his quixotic declaration of love just before the Hellmouth. "That boy has issues." The vampires headed down a flight of stone stairs leading from the promenade to the beach below. From their position on the walk, the kids could see the vampires disappear underneath a pier that stretched out onto the ocean. "Come on," Buffy said, authoritatively, as they followed the vampires onto the deserted beach. - ---- The tide had rolled in under the pier and Annette waited patiently for Frankie. He had told her that he was meeting some of the gang and then they would all go out for a night on the town. Annette didn't remember the last time Frankie had taken her out on the town, but tonight she had combed her hair special, and put on the bright red hairband with the big bow in the middle. As she waited for her boyfriend to pick her up, she heard a voice call out behind her. "Excuse me!" the new girl said. "You shouldn't be under here alone." The pretty blonde girl was with two other people. A cute boy and...something...Annette could quite make out the other girl out in the shadows, but her silhouette was curvy. They were all dressed very differently from Annette. They must be foreigners, Annette decided. "It's okay!" Annette said, speaking loudly and enunciating every syllable, "I'm waiting for my boyfriend!" - ---- Buffy was horrified. "Your boyfriend told you to wait for him under a dark pier?" The Gidget look-a-like nodded, smiling broadly. "Did he also tell you that you were hunting snipe?" Buffy couldn't resist throwing the last in, although from the girl's confused expression It was clear that she didn't understand that she was being teased. Badly in need of a visit from the clue fairy, Buffy decided, a contention supported by the aggressively retro outfit and vacant smile. Xander, who heretofore hadn't realized Marie was holding his hand, suddenly recognized the action when she began to crush it. He was about to ask her to let go when he noticed the tension in her jaw and the hardness in her eyes as she watched Buffy talk to the girl. "Okay," Buffy said, smiling warmly. "Let's get you away from here. I thought I saw some gang members come under here and I don't..." Suddenly the sand underneath them exploded as Frankie and the other four vampires burst through. Buffy threw up her hands to shield her face from the flying sand and felt herself being grabbed by one of the vampires. Behind her she could hear Xander and Marie's struggle with the other three. "Frankie!" Annette screamed. "What are you doing?! Why are Johnny, Moonpuppy, Digger, and Benny dressed like the fuzz?!" "Stay out of this, Annette!" Frankie barked, as the vampire attacking Buffy, Johnny, wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up the air, pinning her hands against her chest. He was strong and she couldn't find the leverage to break his grip. "Bring them here!" "But, Frankie," Annette pleaded, watching her friends Johnny "The Iceman" Spring, Will "Moonpuppy" Summer, Jack "Digger" Fall, and Benny "The Jet" Winter rough up her new friends, "They were being nice to me! What are you gonna do to them?!" Frankie backhanded her and Annette fell to the ground with a cry. "I told you to stay out of this!" Frankie turned towards his captives and stood akimbo as the four vampires brought the three teens forward. "Well, well," Frankie sneered, his Italian good looks masked by distorted vampire features. "The rakshasha will be pleased. Three more sacrifices for tomorrow's Rising, and one of them, the Emissary!" he gloated, indicating for Moonpuppy and Digger to bring the girl forward. He wagged a finger at her. "You should have chosen more skilled allies," he said, indicating Buffy and Xander. "They shouldn't have sent such a young one to warn the humans!" he taunted her. The other vampires laughed heartily. Marie, her eyes glowering, suddenly snapped her head forward and in the next instant, Frankie pulled his hand away with a howl. She had bitten off the wagging finger up to the second joint. Xander's eyes grew wide. What the hell?! The other vampires were startled by the terrible violence and Frankie staggered about, clutching his mutilated hand. "Kill her!" Frankie shouted through the pain. "Damn the rakshasha! Just kill her!" Meanwhile, Annette had stopped sobbing and looked at Frankie with eyes filled with acid petulance. "Franklin Delano DeCesario," she shouted, pulling herself off the ground, "Don't you *ever* hit me again! I'm not that kind of girl!" She rushed him and began to beat her fists against his back. Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall were confused by the domestic tableau long enough for Buffy to work her hands around the thumbs of the goon holding her. With a sharp crack, she snapped them back. Johnny released her immediately and she fell to the ground, simultaneously kicking her foot into the air and getting him in the groin as she hit the sand. The vampire bent forward and grimaced in soundless agony, as she quickly rolled away and stood up, pulling a stake out from the sleeve of her sweatshirt. She kicked him in the head and the vampire snapped back into an upright position , and with a decisive thrust, she dusted him. The other vampires, seeing their brother fall, set about the task of killing the other two kids. Xander struggled forcefully against his captor, Benny, avoiding the sharp teeth as they snapped at his throat, while the two vampires holding Marie began to drag her to the water's edge as the tide rolled further in under the pier. Meanwhile Annette was screaming "You jerk!" furiously and repeatedly as her unrelenting and merciless beating on Frankie continued. Buffy assessed the situation: Xander was in mortal danger as Benny slowly crushed the breath out of him, Moonpuppy and Digger were holding Marie's head underwater, and Annette was slapping Frankie. She ran over and swept the legs out from under "the Jet" and Xander stumbled back onto the sand. Benny popped back up, emitting a menacing growl. Remembering a move she had once seen on a female wrestling program, Buffy flipped into the air, landing with a foot on each of the vampire's shoulders, facing behind him. As the vampire watched, startled, she jumped into the air spinning 180 degrees in place and landed again on his shoulders, this time facing forward. In one seamless move, she stepped off and let her legs slide under Benny's arms as she rolled forward, flipping the vampire over with her. Xander rushed to help Marie and one of the fiends trying to drown her broke away and faced him. What was he going to do? He didn't have a stake. Then he noticed the piece of driftwood laying next to his foot. It wasn't pointed enough to pierce anything, but it was large enough and thick enough to use as a bat. He ducked down and grabbed it as the vampire swung at him, bringing the stick up and smashing it into the vampire's face. Moonpuppy was unphased. "Oh, boy," Xander swore under his breath, looking around as the vampire slowly walked towards him. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Buffy and Benny rolling around in the sand, trying to strangle each other. "Buffy!" he shouted running towards her, holding the stick in front of him. Moonpuppy started to run after him, but Buffy, who had managed to straddle Benny, saw what Xander was trying to do and reached out and grabbed an end as Xander came near. With a grunt, she broke Benny's stranglehold and crawled over him, her knee crushing his nose as she broke the stick in two with her free hand. Xander spun around with his end just as the vampire charged him. Moonpuppy's eyes grew wide with surprise as he impaled himself on the broken end. Buffy meanwhile took her half of the stick and finished off the vampire squirming underneath her. They both rushed over to Marie, but it was too late. Her body floated gently in the water, the long strands of her golden hair reaching out in all directions, as the vampire who killed her stepped forward and said triumphantly, "The Emissary is dead! Now the Rising is inevitable!" "I wouldn't be so sure about that, buddy," Buffy said threateningly, assuming a fighting stance. Suddenly, there was a rush in the water as Marie rose up and grabbed Digger from behind, but this was a Marie that neither Buffy nor Xander recognized. Her eyes glowed a brilliant blue as her wet hair hung limply around her face. Her fingers had become talons that sank deeply into the vampire's shoulders. She opened her mouth to reveal a row of gleaming razor-like teeth that tore into the vampire's neck as Digger's face contorted with terror. He screamed as she dragged him into the water and both Xander and Buffy gasped as they saw the long fishtail flip through the air behind her. Buffy looked away as Marie mauled the vampire and noticed Annette on the ground crying softly. Frankie had disappeared. When she turned back, Digger floated in the water, a rapidly decomposing corpse, and Marie dragged herself onto the sand. "Xander, please," the mermaid requested simply, her mouth wet with blood and pieces of rotting flesh, "Help me." - ---- end Part 10 ------------------------------ End of buffyfic Digest V1 #13 ***************************** To subscribe to buffyfic Digest, send the command: subscribe buffyfic-digest in the body of a message to "majordomo@xmission.com". 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