From: buffyfic-owner@xmission.com (buffyfic Digest) To: buffyfic-digest@xmission.com Subject: buffyfic Digest V1 #43 Reply-To: buffyfic@xmission.com Sender: buffyfic-owner@xmission.com Errors-To: buffyfic-owner@xmission.com Precedence: buffyfic Digest Tuesday, October 28 1997 Volume 01 : Number 043 In this issue: BUFFYFIC: Reflections: W.I.F. (04/?) by D.Spence BUFFYFIC: Pleasant Dreams Prologe&Pt1/? BUFFYFIC: ADMIN: List rules BUFFYFIC: BUFFYFIC Pleasant Dreams 2/? BUFFYFIC: BUFFYFIC Pleasant Dreams 3/? 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, 26 Oct 1997 20:02:10 -0500 (EST) From: dalton.spence@hwcn.org Subject: BUFFYFIC: Reflections: W.I.F. (04/?) by D.Spence I'M BAAACK!!! Sorry for the delay. Between my father going to the hospital, my parent's toilet breaking flooding half the apartment the same night requiring massive furniture moving and recarpeting, Canadian thanksgiving, a round with the flu and the impending teacher's strike, a move to Sunnydale is looking more attractive every day. Count this chapter as a small miracle. Hope you like it. * * * * * TITLE: Reflections: Warrior...Innocent...Fool AUTHOR: Dalton S. Spence EMAIL ADDRESS: DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT: This story cannot be sold or used for profit in any way. Copies of this story may be made for private use only or posted in fanfic archives for general distribution, but must include all disclaimers and copyright notices. SPOILER WARNING: Occurs after "Prophecy Girl" RATING: R - Restricted CONTENT WARNING: This story depicts scenes of violence and/or their aftermath, and a strong love relationship between two consenting adult women. If you are under 18 years of age or if this type of story is illegal in the state or country in which you live, please do not read it. If depictions of this nature disturb you, you may wish to read something other than this story. CLASSIFICATION: C - Crossover with Xena: Warrior Princess SUMMARY: When an evil goddess is accidently released from millennia of captivity, she uses her powers to torment the descendants of her enemies -- Buffy, Willow and Xander. Giles must use an ancient Greek artifact to summon the ancestors who defeated her before -- Xena, Gabrielle and Joxer. DISCLAIMER: Buffy, Giles, the Slayerettes and all other characters who have appeared in the series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Inc., Kuzui Enterprises, Sandollar Television, 20th Century Fox Television and the WB Network. Xena, Gabrielle, Joxer and all other characters who have appeared in the syndicated series "Xena: Warrior Princess," together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of MCA/Universal and Renaissance Pictures. No copyright infringement was intended in the writing of this fan fiction. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author. Reflections: Warrior...Innocent...Fool (a BtVS/X:WP crossover) by Dalton S. Spence Part 4/? *The Master's Lair, 1540 h PDT* //Well, if that place looked like a madman's treasure room, this one looks like a tomb,// Xena thought as she came to the top of the stairs. She turned to look at the cross guarding the entrance and shuddered in horror. //Or a torture chamber,// she amended mentally, remembering all too well her close encounter with this particular method of execution. Giles saw her expression and correctly (if incompletely) recognizing the reason for it, hastened to explain. "As bizarre as this must seem to you, that cross is recognized as a holy symbol by nearly a third of the people in the world today, and is successfully used to repel the forces of darkness. And before you ask, we do not worship death, but rather the triumph of faith over it. It reminds us of the teachings and the sacrifice made by a man who many believe to be the son of the one true God, and his resurrection on the third day after his execution on the cross." "What of our gods?" asked Joxer, who was deeply disturbed by this news. "Does anyone still worship them?" "Not publicly I'm afraid, although the stories of them and of your times are an integral part of our language and culture. Greece is traditionally considered the cradle of western civilization, and..." Noticing the glazed expression on the others faces, Giles quickly concluded, "Suffice it to say, while your world may be gone, it is *definitely* not forgotten. As to your gods, if they are still around they are keeping a very low profile." "With Callisto on the loose, you can bet that won't last long," Xena said grimly. "She's not the kind to fade discretely out of sight." "I don't care what you say," Gabrielle said as she gazed around the chamber, "there is no way you are going to get me to believe that this is a holy place. It feels ... evil!" "Good call," said a voice from the shadows. "This place is a desecrated temple, used for decades by the most evil of creatures as a headquarters for his schemes. The Master (as he called himself) enjoyed the irony of using a holy symbol to protect his treasures from his ambitious underlings, since only he was strong enough to even briefly resist its power." The speaker stepped into the light, and Gabrielle gasped in surprise (and pleasure). Before her was the most handsome man she had ever seen. //He *must* be one of the newer gods,// she thought, //because he's much too good looking to be mortal.// There was something about him that reminded her very strongly of Xena, something she found extremely attractive. Seeing that their hosts apparently knew this fellow and weren't afraid of him, she impulsively stepped forward and said, "Hi, I'm Gabrielle. And you are?" "Call me Angel," he replied with a smile, somewhat bemused at Gabrielle's boldness. Astutely noticing his beloved's less than enthusiastic reaction to his response, he added, "It's easy to see the origins of Buffy's beauty and courage." "Nice save," murmured Xander, unwillingly impressed by the vampire's quick thinking. Apparently Buffy thought so too, for with a slight nod and a smile she quietly went to the task of closing the door to the treasure room. "Not really," Willow commented wryly. "Buffy might have bought it, but I don't think Xena's too pleased." This analysis was borne out by the warrior princess' rigid stance and grim expression (both of which were mirrored, if less obviously, by Joxer). Turning abruptly to Giles, she asked, "Now that the social amenities are out of the way, where do we go from here?" Thinking quickly, Giles answered, "As you can see, fashions have changed substantially in the last three thousand years. If you went above as you are, you would attract all sorts of unwanted attention. Still, we can't stay here. It's only a matter of time before the Master's minions return here to attempt to salvage *something* from last night's defeat." "They can stay at my place," Angel offered. "It's not too far, I don't have any parents or nosy neighbors to worry about, and we don't have to go above ground to get there. It *is* a bit small, but it would make a good base of operations, at least to start with." "Excellent idea!" approved Giles, "I was about to suggest it myself. It's really the only practical solution." * * * * * Since no one disagreed they set out, and within half an hour arrived at Angel's basement apartment. The trip was uneventful, and Giles (in his role as host to the visitors) spent the time attempting to prepare them for their upcoming contact with the technology of the modern world. He tried very hard to keep the explanations as general and low tech as possible, concentrating on how things appeared and what they did. How successful he was remained problematical; while Gabrielle asked quite a few questions and seemed to understand most of the answers, both Xena and Joxer remained silent. Xena's only comment came after Giles explained electricity as tamed lightning; "No wonder Zeus retired!" As Angel had predicted, it was indeed a bit crowded with eight people standing around, but after a little jostling for position everyone found a comfortable position to sit or stand. There was a brief moment of silence, as everyone waited for someone else to continue the discussion. Surprisingly it was Joxer started the discussion. "What about clothes?" he asked. "We can't just sit around waiting for Callisto to come for us! Not that she wouldn't, but I'd rather that *we* choose the ground for that battle." Giles rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Either Angel or Xander might have something for you, and I think that some of Buffy's clothes will probably fit Gabrielle." Giles turned to Xena, and frowned slightly. "You, however, present a bit of a problem. The few ladies of my acquaintance are not quite so ..." "Large?" supplied Gabrielle helpfully. "I was going to use the term 'statuesque'," countered Giles, "but under the circumstances it seemed slightly less than diplomatic." As the meanings in the statement filtered through the translation spell, Xena started, then with a raised eyebrow and a small smile replied, "As your friend said earlier, good call." A bit more seriously she continued. "If it's a matter of finances, I did not come unprepared. I do hope that gold and silver still have *some* value." She unhooked a leather pouch from her belt, and poured out a small handful of coins. With a slight hesitation Giles carefully picked one of the coins from Xena's hand, and examined it as best he could in the dim light. "I've seen drawings and photographs of coins like this," he said with a tremble in his voice, "but I never dreamed I would ever see one in person, much less hold one. Outside of this room, there can't be more than a dozen like it left in the whole world." Reverently he gave it back to Xena. "That means it's worth a lot of money, right?" Xander asked. "A similar coin was sold in London five years ago for more than two million American dollars. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your point of view), because of their excellent condition nobody would ever believe these coins were anything except modern replicas, worth only a few hundred dollars for their metal content alone." Seeing the other's disappointment, he quickly added, "This actually works *for* us. The proceeds should be more than enough for our purposes, and we won't draw nearly the attention we would trying to dispose of a world class antiquity." Buffy spoke up. "Sounds like a trip to the mall is in order. My mom set aside some of her out-of-style clothes to be donated to charity. I'm sure I saw an oversize sweatshirt and jogging pants which Xena can wear while we're shopping." "I take it," said Xena, "this mall is some sort of public market?" Buffy nodded. "An indoor market, with dozens of self-contained shops under one roof. Including, I believe," she said looking pointedly at Giles, "a jeweler who buys precious metals." "Good," Xena said, ignoring the incredulous looks of the others, "A market is always the best place to get a feel for what's going on in a new town." //Plus I'll find out just how much freedom your friends are willing to give us,// she thought. While she was fairly certain she had aligned herself with the right side, there was something odd about this Angel person that she didn't entirely trust. "I hope you're not planning to leave me behind," said Gabrielle, "because I tell you right now it's not going to happen." "Double for me," added Joxer, "After all, we're a team, right? Why should you have all the fun?" About to object, Giles suddenly realized that it might be a good thing to have his guests' first exposure to the modern world in a controlled environment like a mall. "I'll agree on two conditions. First, each of you will be accompanied by your respective descendant at all times, who will act as your guide and advisor. Believe me, based on my brief experiences with this American institution, you will need all the help you can get." It seemed like as reasonable precaution to Xena, so she nodded, and the others followed suit. "And second, you must leave your largest weapons here. I'm afraid that not only would swords and a fighting staff draw unwanted attention, they are also quite illegal to carry in public." "Small weapons are permitted then?" Xena asked, reluctantly drawing her sword and laying it on the coffee table. "Actually, no," admitted Buffy, "but if you're discrete about hiding them, there shouldn't be a problem. I know I've never had any. Just try to look harmless." "No problem, I can do that." Noticing the skeptical looks directed her way, Xena blurted, "What?!? You don't believe me?" <-- to be continued --> - -- +-------------------------------------------------+ | Dalton S. Spence, B.Sc. | | Home Page: http://www.hwcn.org/~ag775/home.html | +-------------------------------------------------+ ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 26 Oct 97 01:57:29 -0600 From: "Kimela M Wilker" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Pleasant Dreams Prologe&Pt1/? Story: Pleasant Dreams Author: Kimela E-mail: Kimela@writeme.com (Comments and Suggestions are always welcome!) Distribution: Anya and Zandarah, others please ask. Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me, they are property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, etc... Author's note: The prologue of Pleasant Dreams takes place during the BTVS epidsode When She was Bad, Part One takes up the Thursday evening immediately following. The story was inspired by a question several friends noted: Why didn't the vampires kill Xander when they abducted the others from the library? Prologue The boy had fought hard-Adrious had to give him credit for that. What he had lacked in strength and skill, he had made up for with sheer determination. He had gone completely berserk when Ohna and a couple of her cronies had grabbed his little girlfriend, the auburn haired lass. If he hadn't been so outnumbered, he might actually have stood a chance against them. He had certainly given them a run for their money, nearly taking down one of the young fledglings before Adrious stepped in, knocking the boy out cold before he even knew the older vampire was present. It was almost a shame to kill him now-he might have become a formidable foe if given the chance. Fortunately, Adrious didn't have a conscience. He lifted the unconscious male and prepared to feast, ignoring the feeble protests of Ohna's captive. "No," the Anointed One stopped him. "But we don't need him!" Adrious objected. "He wasn't with the master when-" "He raised the slayer. Death is too good for him." Adrious reluctantly set the young male back on the floor. He watched curiously as the demon child placed a hand on the boy's chest and uttered some words that he could not comprehend. When finished with the ritual, the Anointed again acknowledged Adrious. "I want him to suffer first." Adrious could respect that. Besides, he could always feed later. He grinned as he picked up the older male captive and carried him from the ruins of the Sunnydale High Library. Part One Willow Rosenberg gazed longingly at the boy sleeping on her living room sofa. The video they had been watching had ended nearly an hour earlier, but she hadn't had the heart to wake him. She loved watching him sleep. He looked so peaceful, so innocent and vulnerable. For as long as she could remember, Willow had been in love with Xander Harris. She had long ago resigned herself to the fact that it would probably always be an unrequited love, but since that night in the park, she had renewed hope. Her pulse quickened as she recalled how close he had come to kissing her. She could still feel his breath on her lips and the soft touch of his hand on her cheek...If only that vampire hadn't chosen that exact moment to make his presence known! Xander had been so brave during that attack. He had been willing to sacrifice himself so that she could escape to safety. Fortunately, he had been able to hold the blood sucker off until Buffy Summers arrived on the scene to rescue him. While she was grateful that Buffy had been there to save them, it disappointed her that the Slayer once again became the focus of Xander's attention. It was, however, a small consolation that he didn't seem nearly as hung up on Buffy as he had been prior to the Slayer's absence during summer vacation. In fact, he had nearly renounced his friendship to the Slayer after she failed to prevent the assault in the library. Had that really been only two nights ago? Willow couldn't remember having ever been as scared as she had been when the vampires had ambushed her, Giles, and Xander that night. While Giles was good at instructing Buffy on defeating vampires and demons, he himself was no fighter. The Watcher had been knocked out could almost immediately. She hadn't fared much better. Three of the fiends had quickly captured and restrained her. Only Xander had put up much of a fight, but even he was no match for them. She still wasn't sure why the Anointed One had spared him, but the child had stopped one of the vampires from feeding on Xander's blood after they had finally subdued him. Even then, she wasn't sure that Xander was all right until it was all over. She remembered being taken to the old warehouse, being knocked out, and then waking up in Xander's arms... Willow's focus returned to Xander as he began to whimper and thrash in his sleep. Beads of sweat appeared on his suddenly pale face. She quickly moved to his side. "Xander?" she called gently, reaching out to cautiously shake him. He jerked away from her touch, as if she had hit him. "Xander?" Again she reached for him. Xander awoke with a gasp. He stared up at Willow, his eyes wide with fright. After a moment, a look of disorientation replaced the terror. "Willow?" Willow smiled down at him. "Welcome back to the land of the living. That must have been some dream you were having." She knelt down beside him, giving him a questioning look. Xander blinked. For a few seconds he appeared lost in thought, then he shook his head. "I...don't know. I can't remember." He ran his fingers through his dampened hair and took a deep breath, pulling himself together. He couldn't recall what the nightmares were about, but since they had started the night of the assault in the library, he had a pretty good guess as to what triggered them. "Are you okay?" Willow asked, obviously concerned. Xander's mouth formed a smile, but Willow noticed that the smile didn't reach his eyes. "Yeah...Sure...Great." He looked away, embarrassed by her scrutinizing stare. "Maybe I should...uh...be getting home. What time is it, anyway?" Willow glanced at her watch. "A little after midnight." Xander's mom would be at work by now. He would be going home to an empty house as usual. But, Willow reasoned, if he was having nightmares, maybe he shouldn't be alone. "Are you sure you don't want to stay here? I can get you a blanket." He sat up. "Nah. I'm okay. I just need to get home, take a shower, and get some sleep..." he trailed off as he gazed down at her worried face. He smiled again, fully this time. "Will, I'm okay," he assured her. "Really." On a whim, he reached out and caressed her cheek. He fought the sudden urge to lean forward and kiss her. He could imagine how that would go over. The last thing he wanted to do was jeopardize their friendship. God only knew what she would think if he just kissed her out of the blue...He let his hand linger for just a moment longer, then forced himself to stand up, afraid that he wouldn't be able to resist his impulse much longer. He didn't understand his feelings lately. This was Willow he was thinking about. She was practically a sister to him. And yet...he didn't let his mind complete the thought. Willow watched Xander as he turned to leave. She tensed as a sudden feeling of dread unexpectedly consumed her. All of her instincts told her that she should stop him, make him stay with her. She was sure that something horrible was going to happen to him. She resisted the feeling of panic-she was just being ridiculous. He only lives a few blocks away-nothing is going to happen to him, she tried to reassure herself. She rose to her feet and followed him to the door. It took all of her willpower not to grab him and beg him to stay. Xander turned as he reached the door. "Goodnight, Will," he spoke softly. He pushed open the door, but paused before stepping outside. "Pleasant dreams." And then he was gone. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 27 Oct 1997 12:56:24 -0600 From: sah Subject: BUFFYFIC: ADMIN: List rules 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. 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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) & sah (romana@mindspring.com) Listowners, Buffy the Vampire Slayer Fiction List buffyfic@xmission.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Oct 97 08:42:04 -0600 From: "Kimela M Wilker" Subject: BUFFYFIC: BUFFYFIC Pleasant Dreams 2/? Story: Pleasant Dreams Author: Kimela E-mail: Kimela@writeme.com (Comments and Suggestions are always welcome!) Distribution: Zandarah and Anya, others please ask. Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me, they are property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, etc... Pleasant Dreams Part Two "Earth to Willow," Buffy quarried. She had been trying to catch her friend's attention since she first spotted her from across the quad, but Willow had been in some sort of a daze. "Huh?" Willow snapped to attention. "Oh. Buffy." The Slayer caught a note of disappointment in her friend's tone. "Hello to you, too. Didn't you hear me calling you?" "Uh...no...sorry," Willow answered, distractedly. "Have you seen Xander?" "No. But then, it's only 8:10. That would make him early. Xander is not especially known for his earliness." One look at her friend's face told Buffy that something was wrong. "What's up?" "I'm sure it's nothing," Willow timidly replied. Buffy could tell that her friend was keeping something from her. "Okay, Willow. Spill." Willow sighed. "It's just that he fell asleep at my place last night and he had kind of a...a nightmare, I guess. Oh, this is stupid..." Buffy felt relieved. If that was all... "He had a nightmare, so now you're worried about him. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. You've got it bad, girl. Everyone has a bad dream now and than. Besides, after everything that we've been through, I'm amazed you're not both in therapy," Buffy quipped, hoping to cheer up her friend. Willow was unconvinced. She shook her head. "It's not just that. When he left, I got this feeling that something bad was going to happen to him. I can't explain it. I was scared to let him out of my sight...Like if he left, he might never come back." "Will, I'm sure he's okay. He'll be here. Just you wait." Willow nodded unhappily. With all her heart she wanted to believe the Slayer, but somehow she couldn't. She wouldn't be able to believe it until she saw him for herself. "Heather Gunderson?" "Here!" a petite blonde in the back of the room called out. "Alexander Harris?" No answer. "Alexander?" Mr. Cox repeated, not looking up from his attendance book. When there was still no reply, he put a little x in the `absent' box next to Xander's name. Willow contemplated the empty desk in front of hers. Xander was supposed to be in that chair. She turned to Buffy with a look of helplessness on her face. Buffy was already prepared to reassure her friend. "He overslept. He'll be here." She didn't sound nearly as sure of herself as she had before. Xander was usually late, true, but he also generally managed to be at his desk before roll call. She made a mental note to try to call him after class. Willow, on the other hand, had no intention of waiting until after class to check on him. No way was she going to sit through an hour of lecture while she worried. What if something was really wrong? She couldn't waste a whole hour before doing something about it. She made herself wait until Mr. Cox called her name for attendance. Then, she slipped quietly from the room, knowing full well that the teacher would never notice her absence. "Come on, pick up, pick up, pick up!" Willow pleaded with the phone. She had already let it ring 15 times, but she wasn't yet willing to give up. Her perseverance finally paid off. "Harris residence," Anna Harris answered. She sounded out of breath, as if she had run to get the phone. "Ms. Harris, it's Willow. Is Xander still there?" "Oh, good morning, Willow. I'm not sure-I just got in the door. Did he oversleep? What am I going to do with that boy? Hang on. Let me go get him." Willow closed her eyes and held her breath, waiting for Xander's mother to return. "Xan? You up?" she could hear Anna calling him in the background. "Xander?" Willow strained to hear if he replied. "Is he there?" a voice broke into Willow's concentration. She opened her eyes to see Buffy studying her. "His mom is checking." For each minute that passed, Willow's alarm increased. What could possibly be taking so long? Just when she thought she couldn't take the suspense any longer, she heard someone rapidly approaching the phone. Her heart raced in anticipation. To her shock, however, she heard the phone on the other end being slammed down and a dial tone sounded in her ear. She blinked. What was going on? She quickly dialed the Harris residence again. This time, all she got was the busy signal. "Noooo," she moaned. "Willow, what happened?" "I don't know. They hung up. Now it's busy. Buffy, what is going on?" "Come on. Let's go find out." Buffy grabbed the phone from Willow and hung it up. "We'll see if we can borrow the rustmobile from Giles." It was only ten minutes later that they arrived at the Harrises' house, but to Willow it felt like an eternity. To her horror, there were two police cars and an ambulance parked in the driveway. The front door was wide open, so they didn't bother with the formality of knocking. They could hear a commotion from within the basement, where Xander's room was located. "Xander?" Willow called, hurrying down the stairs, ahead of Buffy. Anna Harris met Willow at the bottom of the stairwell. Her eyes were red from crying. "Willow," she sobbed as she pulled the girl into a hug. Willow's heart lurched. Oh, God, he's dead, she thought irrationally. He can't be...he can't be... "What's happened?" Buffy asked, seeing the look of absolute resignation on her friend's face. "Is Xander okay?" "He's-they think he's having some...some sort of drug...drug induced seizure," Anna wept. "We can't snap him out of it." "Drugs?" Buffy sounded doubtful. "But Xander wouldn't..."she looked to Willow to confirm what she was sure she knew. "Of course he wouldn't," Willow agreed. She felt better now that she realized that he was alive. She pulled away from Anna and started toward Xander's room. Anna grabbed her arm. "No, don't. He's...they're trying to restrain him. When I tried to wake him he...it was like he was terrified of me...like I was trying to kill him." She looked powerlessly at Willow. "He was like a wild animal." Buffy and Willow exchanged glances. They had both immediately recalled the time Xander had been possessed by hyenas. Perhaps the problem hadn't been solved after all? But that was months ago, Willow reasoned. Surely he would have shown signs before now. Besides, while he was possessed by hyenas he certainly hadn't seemed afraid of anything. No, this was something else. At last, two disheveled police officers emerged from the bedroom. Both looked quite angry. One was nursing a swollen jaw. "We have the juvenile restrained. Since the substance is unknown, we are unable to sedate him. ETA is 4 minutes," he was speaking into his police radio. He walked past the three women and continued up the stairs. The second officer stopped. Willow glanced at his name tag. Office McCann. He glared at the two girls. "I don't suppose you two know what the boy was taking?" There was an accusatory tone to his voice. "Oh, Xander wouldn't-" Willow began to explain, but the officer cut her off. "Look, we're trying to help your friend. The sooner we know what he's taken, the sooner we'll know how to counteract it." "Look, officer..." Buffy started, ready to give him a piece of her mind. She trailed off as the paramedics emerged from the room with Xander strapped down on their gurney. He was battling the restraints as if he was fighting for his life. His eyes were wild with fear. It was clear that he had no comprehension of what was going on around him. "Let me go, you mother bloodsucker!" Xander growled. Willow leapt forward and reached for him. He screamed hoarsely at her touch. "Shhhh...Xander," she tried to soothe him with a calm voice. He relaxed slightly for a moment, but then tensed as she brushed the hair back from his forehead. She was amazed by how much heat radiated from his body. He had to be running an awfully high fever, which would account for whatever hallucinations he seemed to be having...She moved along side the stretcher until the paramedics loaded it into the ambulance. She tried to climb in after it, but Officer McCann stopped her. "I've got to ask you some more questions. You'll ride with me," Officer McCann informed her coldly. "You can see your friend at the hospital." Willow felt numb as she was led away from the ambulance. She didn't know if she could stand the wait. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Oct 97 08:46:42 -0600 From: "Kimela M Wilker" Subject: BUFFYFIC: BUFFYFIC Pleasant Dreams 3/? Story: Pleasant Dreams Author: Kimela E-mail: Kimela@writeme.com (Comments and Suggestions are always welcome!) Distribution: Zandarah and Anya, others please ask. Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me, they are property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, etc... Rated PG-13 for some violence Pleasant Dreams Part 3 He had laughed in the face of danger, and now Xander was hiding in a small, heavily shadowed cove. He know that he must be having another nightmare, but it seemed to him that he should have waken up hours ago. He remembered setting his alarm, but he must have slept through it. Perhaps he had forgotten to turn it on? Why hadn't his mom wakened him when she got home from work? Oh, God, he wanted to wake up. He had never really been afraid of the dark, but right then, he would have given anything to see the light of day. He had been having nightmares for the past couple of nights, but this was the worst one he had ever endured. He felt like he had faced just about everything that had ever scared him-vampires, snakes, Nazis, Cordelia, you name it, he had faced it. At first he had handled things pretty well. He had learned to face his fears last spring when everyone's nightmares had come to life. The longer this dream had continued, however, the worse it had gotten. He had passed his breaking point hours ago, and now was able only to huddle in his corner and pray that nothing else found him before he woke. He sat on the cold cave floor, his knees drawn to his chest and his back to the wall. He wrapped his arms around his chest partially to try to calm himself, and partly because he was freezing. Xander tensed as he heard something approaching. Please don't let it find me, his mind pleaded. He closed his eyes, not wanting to face whatever was coming. He didn't think he could take any more. "Xander?" a soft voice called. He knew that voice. Willow? She can't be here, he reasoned, because this is only a dream. It had to be a trick. He nearly jumped out of his skin as he felt a hand on his shoulder. He shrieked and leapt to his feet, nearly knocking Willow over. He couldn't believe his eyes. "Willow?" His voice was weak and shaky. "Xander," she acknowledged. Xander grabbed her into a hug. He had never been so glad to see anyone as he was to see her at that moment. "It's okay, Xander. You're okay." "Are you really here?" She hugged him back as a response. All at once, he felt stronger, as if she had passed some of her energy to him. After what seemed like hours, he released her from his embrace. He felt as though he was strong enough to handle anything. He wasn't alone anymore. "Come on. Let's get out of here." "Where are we?" "I don't know. I thought I was having a nightmare, but if you're here...How did you find me, anyway?" Willow smiled, but didn't answer. Instead, she took his hand and started to lead him from the cove. He noticed, for the first time, that her hand was cold. Considering how chilled he was, he figured that she must have been in the cave even longer than he had been. He wished that he had something to put around her to warm her up. Since he didn't, he pulled her close and put his arms around her. Her whole body was cold against his. "Geez, Will, and I thought I was freezing. We've got to get you warmed up." Xander nearly fell as Willow roughly shoved him away from her. "We don't have time," she said in explanation. "We've got to keep moving." Xander hesitated only a moment before following her out of his hiding place. Her reaction and her strength had thrown him for a loop, but he recovered quickly. "I think I came this way," she announced as she again took his hand and led him down a dark path. "I did get kind of turned around, though." "Me, too," he admitted. "I kind of lost track of where I was going when I was running from..." he trailed off, embarrassed that another stupid clown had frightened him. He had thought he had that fear conquered until everything that had ever scared him bombarded him all in one night. He wondered how much Willow had endured. She seemed to have held up pretty well, whatever had happened to her. He felt self-conscious about the fact that he had been in such a sorry state when she had found him. He quickened his pace so that he was walking in front of her, prepared to be her protector if needed. They walked for several minutes without speaking before Xander started to get unnerved by the quiet. "So, do you suppose Buffy's around here somewhere?" he asked, just to break the silence. He heard Willow sigh irritably behind him. He wondered absently if it was his talking that upset her, or if his mention of the Slayer had somehow annoyed her. They entered a larger cavern. "I mean, if she's here, we should try to find-" Without warning, Willow's hand jerked from his grasp. Xander whirled to face her and was caught completely off guard as she tackled him, knocking him to the floor. Immediately, she was upon him, pinning him helplessly to the floor. He stared up at her in disbelief as her features began to melt. Her auburn hair shriveled and crumbled to dust while her skin darkened and started to crack. At the same time, he could feel her fingernails extending into claws and cutting into his shoulders. As he witnessed her face dissolve into a hideous mass, he became frozen with horror. He made only a strangled gurgling noise in his throat as he tried to scream. "What's the matter, Xander?" the demon that had been Willow hissed, saliva dripping from her still forming jaws. She grinned down at him, her fangs thickening and elongating with every moment that passed. "Aren't I good enough company for you?" Xander struggled to free himself from the demon's grip. He pushed against her with all of his strength, and was appalled to feel his hands breaking through her bubbling flesh and sinking into a putty-like substance. He fought the hysteria that was trying to take hold of him as he grappled with the demon. It was no use, he couldn't fight her. He was going to die... She lowered her face until it was inches from his, paralyzing him with her icy stare. He flinched as she traced his jawbone with one of her sharp talons. "I could kill you right now," she informed him gleefully, deriving immense pleasure from his fear. He felt violently ill as she ran her tongue down his cheek. She laughed maniacally at his revulsion. "Yes, I could kill you, but that wouldn't be much fun, would it?" Xander's instincts told him that death would be the most merciful fate this demon would offer him, but he didn't want to die. He tried once again to fight his way out from beneath her. To his surprise, after only a moment she released him. She smirked at him as he scrambled to get out of her reach. "Better run, Xander," she teased. "I might have a change of heart." Now that he was momentarily free from her, Xander's fear turned to anger. He didn't like being a demon's plaything. He turned to face her again and was astonished to find himself alone. Had he imagined the whole thing? Was he going crazy? He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths, calming himself down. One thing remained clear in his mind. He had to get out of there. He had to wake up, or if, God forbid, he wasn't dreaming, he had to find the way out of the cave. There was no way he was going to permit himself to deteriorate back into the spineless coward that he had allowed himself to become. If he was going to die, it was going to be fighting, not cowering. With new resolve, Xander chose one of the path's leading out of the cavern, hoping that it would prove to be the way out. He walked for only a few minutes before he sensed that something was watching him. He tensed, preparing himself to fight whatever came his way. "Come out, you loser," he muttered. He'd be damned if he was going to let whatever was out there scare him. "Xan? You up?" a voice that sounded like his mother echoed through the passage. "Xander?" For a split second Xander felt intense relief. It was over. His mom was waking him up, in a moment his eyes would open and- The sound of the demon's maniacal laughter ruined his moment of ease. "Fool," she hissed in his ear. He spun to face her, and instantly found himself flat on his back, pinned once again beneath her. She grinned down at him. "Wake up, Xander," she jeered, using his mother's voice. "Come on, Xan." Xander became enraged. He started growling and clawing at the demon, trying to find some sort of weak spot so that he could hurt her. She grabbed his arms and pinned them back down, amused by his feeble efforts. "Hang in there, Xander, I'm going for help. I can't do this on my own," she teased. As abruptly as she had appeared, she retreated. For a few minutes, Xander lay still, not sure if it was worth the effort to keep moving. He was sure that she wasn't finished toying with him. She was probably waiting for him to start feeling safe again, then she would be back. This time, he was going to be ready for her. With new determination he stood up and scanned the cave floor for something that he could use for a weapon. The only thing that he could find was a large stone. He stooped to pick it up. When he rose to his feet he found himself surrounded by vampires. He looked them over apprehensively. "Five to one...I'd say that's pretty fair." He lunged at the first one, smashing the rock into it's face. It howled and pulled back, clutching it's jaw. The other four descended upon him. One of them grabbed his wrists and pried the rock from his grasp. A second quickly moved behind him, trying to wrap its arms around him. He borrowed a move from Buffy and smashed the vampire with the back of his head. It fell back against the cave wall and collapsed to the ground in a heap. "Like a charm..." His victory was short lived. The other three vampires were all over him, knocking him to the floor and kneeling on his outstretched limbs. He struggled against them, but the odds were not in his favor. He fought the best that he could, but it soon became apparent that they had him pretty much in their control. They bound him to some sort of a board, careful to keep his arms pinned to his sides and his legs immobile. "Go tell them we're on our way," one of his captors ordered the bloodsucker who had taken the blow to the jaw. "With pleasure," it responded and headed down the dark corridor, followed by a second vampire. The other three hovered over him, picking him up. He strained against his bonds, praying that he would get loose before they reached their destination. "Take it easy," one of them hissed in his ear. "We'll take good care of you..." He began to panic again as they started to carry him back toward the cavern where he had first fought the demon. He didn't want to face her again. "Let me go, you mother blood sucker!" He exerted every muscle in his body in a war against the ropes. Suddenly the demon was hovering over him again. He cried out as it grabbed his arm. It had resumed Willow's form. "Shhhh...Xander," she soothed in an amazingly convincing Willow voice. For an instant he actually found himself believing that it was Willow and he relaxed a little. She laughed at his foolishness and transformed back to its true appearance. Mortals could be so easy to manipulate... For several minutes he remained strapped to the board as they carried him deep into their lair. When at last they reached their destination, they set him down on a large stone table, but didn't untie him. He saw the vampires conversing with the demon for a few moments before all but one of them left the cove. The remaining fiend moved to his side. It sneered at him. "I need to give your blood a little test." Its grin widened as it started leaning toward his neck. He tried to bash it with his head, and succeeded in backing it away from his exposed neck. The bloodsucker scowled at him. "Fine, have it your way." It bent down, and sank its teeth into Xander's arm. Xander squirmed, but he was powerless to keep the vampire from sucking blood from his bound arm. The longer the vampire drank, the weaker he felt. After a few minutes, he began to lose consciousness, convinced that he would either never waken, or that he would wake up without his soul. He wondered briefly if Buffy would slay him. Then everything went blank. When he woke, he found that he had been untied from the board, but that his arms and legs had been chained to the stone table. The demon was staring intently into his face. She smiled darkly down at him. "Oh good, I was hoping you would wake up. It's a lot more fun to kill when you can get a reaction. So...Xander...How would you like to die?" She ran her talon across his chest. "Perhaps with a kiss?" He struggled as she lowered her face to his, covering his mouth with hers. His first reaction was revulsion, which quickly subsided to panic as she began to suck the air from his lungs. He couldn't breathe. His chest tightened. For a few minutes he felt as though his heart was going to explode, then all at once, he felt no pain. He was fading from reality. He felt as if he was floating. He could see himself lying strapped to the table with the demon standing over him. She stepped back and contemplated his still body. She smiled. "Such a fragile thing, human life," she mused. She placed her cold hands on his chest and sent a shock of electricity through him. All at once he was back in his body looking up at her. "That was good, but I don't think I'm ready to part with you just yet." She laughed as he gasped for air. "Welcome back, pet." She stroked his hair. "It's been a rough day, hasn't it...Why don't you get some rest and I'll be back to play with you later?" She ran her hand over his face, closing his eyes. Xander wanted to argue, wanted to make her let him go, but he was so weak that he could only comply by falling into a deep dark sleep. ------------------------------ End of buffyfic Digest V1 #43 ***************************** To subscribe to buffyfic Digest, send the command: subscribe buffyfic-digest in the body of a message to "majordomo@xmission.com". If you want to subscribe something other than the account the mail is coming from, such as a local redistribution list, then append that address to the "subscribe" command; for example, to subscribe "local-buffyfic": subscribe buffyfic-digest local-buffyfic@your.domain.net A non-digest (direct mail) version of this list is also available; to subscribe to that instead, replace all instances of "buffyfic-digest" in the commands above with "buffyfic". Back issues are available for anonymous FTP from ftp.xmission.com, in pub/lists/buffyfic/archive. These are organized by date.