From: owner-buffyfic@lists.xmission.com (Buffyfic-digest) To: buffyfic-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: Buffyfic-digest V2 #36 Reply-To: buffyfic@xmission.com Sender: owner-buffyfic@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-buffyfic@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk Buffyfic-digest Monday, February 16 1998 Volume 02 : Number 036 In this issue: BUFFYFIC: FW: Website Idea DISCUSS: Re: BUFFYFIC: Website Idea Re: DISCUSS: Re: BUFFYFIC: Website Idea DISCUSS: BUFFYFIC: Just Another Normal Conversation (1/1) Re: DISCUSS: Re: BUFFYFIC: Website Idea BUFFYFIC: "Ghost of a Chance" (1/?) by Ingrid BUFFYFIC: "Ghost of a Chance" (2/?) by Ingrid BUFFYFIC: "Ghost of a Chance" (3/?) by Ingrid BUFFYFIC: ATTN: Sins of the Mother proofreaders BUFFYFIC: "Ghost of a Chance" (4/?) by Ingrid Re: BUFFYFIC: "Ghost of a Chance" (4/?) by Ingrid Re: BUFFYFIC: "Ghost of a Chance" (4/?) by Ingrid BUFFYFIC: When Dreams Come True (1/1) BUFFYFIC: "Ghost of a Chance" (5/?) by Ingrid 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: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 12:52:28 -0600 From: The Gardner Family Subject: BUFFYFIC: FW: Website Idea Sapphire, I think that is a great idea. I am on the Lois and Clark fanfic = distribution list and they have an archive with over 600 fanfics on it. = If we started one we could have pretty many up soon!! I volunteer to = help, but I really can't take on that much work. :) They also have a = fanfic challenge going on where they give some hints and you try to = figure out the name and author of the fic. I don't know if that is what = you were talking about, but these are some cool things to try. :) Brad Gardner Gardners@htc.net - - ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 15:48:44 -0500 (EST) From: Betsy Vera Subject: DISCUSS: Re: BUFFYFIC: Website Idea On Thu, 12 Feb 1998, The Gardner Family wrote: > I think that is a great idea. I am on the Lois and Clark fanfic > distribution list and they have an archive with over 600 fanfics on it. > Brad Gardner How is this different from The Buffyfic Archive at http://www.freenet.hamilton.on.ca/~ag775/BUFFYFIC.HTM or The Slayer's Fanfic Archive at http://www.slayerfanfic.com/ or The Buffy Beta Archive at http://worstwitch.simplenet.com/Buffy/bbeta/index.htm (to name the three biggest Buffy fiction archives)? Betsy - bentley@umich.edu Bentley's Bedlam: http://bentley.simplenet.com Fanfic Resources: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~bentley "Mind Like A Steel Trap - Rusty And Illegal In 37 States" - - ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 15:14:31 -0600 (CST) From: Tina Subject: Re: DISCUSS: Re: BUFFYFIC: Website Idea On Thu, 12 Feb 1998, Betsy Vera wrote: > (to name the three biggest Buffy fiction archives)? And you so conveniently gave us the urls for them all! Many thanks, Betsy... Damn. I so don't want to wirk. Tina Ms. Calendar's Domain: http://www.enteract.com/~shedwyn/calendar *NatPack *SunS *Slayerette *Duchovnik Lurker *CoS *MCTP *AGA *Keeper of Ms. Calendar's Pendant *KotM of the CoJ *Broom Brigade Lurker "*Diana*?!?!?!?! Ancient Patron Goddess of I-*So*-Do-Not-Need-A-Man- - -For-_Anything_?" --Dianne - - ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 15:22:50 PST From: "Black Fire" Subject: DISCUSS: BUFFYFIC: Just Another Normal Conversation (1/1) >All done now. Oh, and before I forget feedback is gladly accepted. Thanks! The only reason I'm not in hysterics is because I'm sitting in a library. The Black Fire Blackfire42@hotmail.com ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - - ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Feb 98 19:08:17 PST From: "Sapphire" Subject: Re: DISCUSS: Re: BUFFYFIC: Website Idea > How is this different from No, I am not starting a major archive. I have my hands full with my X-Files archive. This one is just for fanfics that are written in response to any challenge given on either atbc or buffyfic. I also post the challenges that are out at the moment. Right now I only have challenges, no fanfics that answer them because it is too new. I just thougth it was a fun little project to do for Buffy, which is fast becoming as important as XF to me. I seem to be more inspired by Buffy as of late. Challenges can be a fun way to get ideas and fanfic flowing IF PEOPLE ANSWER THEM ;) ::hint hint:: I do my best work sometimes from challenge inspiration. I also plan to archive the round robin from the newsgroup there. Does that answer your question? BTW, I always ask permission before I archive. Sapphire - - ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Feb 1998 19:43:20 -0500 From: ingrid29@juno.com (Ingrid E Stanton) Subject: BUFFYFIC: "Ghost of a Chance" (1/?) by Ingrid DISCLAIMER: The marvelous characters mentioned from Buffy the Vampire Slayer are not mine. I borrow them without permission, and I’m not making any money on this! The wonderful people that *are not* suing me for this reason are The Warner Brothers Network, Kuzui, Sandollar, Joss Whedon, and Mutant Enemy. SUMMARY: Okay. When you read this part, you may say "what the heck is this? Another clone of the "Jenny Calendar retrieves Angel’s soul" plot, but it won’t be just that. And that’s a promise. There will be something that makes my story (yeah!) different! (So hang in there with my trite first part!) Umm… Oh yeah. This takes place in the normal BtVS universe, so everything that’s happened has happened. That’s about it. *** "Ghost of a Chance," by Ingrid E. Stanton Part One of ??? *** A storm raged outside the window, and Jenny jumped to hear a branch beat against it. She really shouldn’t be here, she thought to herself. Buffy and Rupert were probably right down the hall in the library, and she knew she was the last person they wanted to see. She felt wretched. Lower than scum. Her uncle was dead, and she’d broken a girl’s heart- and "killed" a vampire, the part of him that was human, anyway. She set the book on the desk when her arms began to give out. The volume was thick and heavy, and covered with dust. Evidence of how old it was… and how little it had been used since then. Gypsies didn’t like to use magic to accomplish their goals anymore. *Now they send third rate gypsies to guard vampires,* she thought, and watched them fail miserably. She sighed and tapped her computer. This is what they had given up their curses for: the comforts of modern life. How come she didn’t feel so comforted right now? A chill breeze that seemed to come from nowhere traveled up her spine, and she shivered. The page crackled as it turned, and nearly ripped. Her head was throbbing after having read so many pages, and she didn’t know how long this would take, or even if it could be accomplished at all. And there it was. As if by fate, she lighted upon some blurry writing about souls. This could work! The discovery almost made her forget how difficult this would be. She ran a hand through her tangled hair, and grabbed the book. Her muscles strained with the weight as she ran to the library. *** "Buffy!" The library door burst open and Miss Calendar came crashing through. She dropped something heavy onto the library counter and turned to Giles and Buffy who stared at her with alarm. She looked terrible. Her mascara had run, leaving a dark mark under her eyes, only adding to the bags already there. She was unusually pale, deathlike almost. Her hair rested about her in the strangest tangles, and her clothing was rumpled severely. "Jenny, why are you here? And what’s the matter with you?" At the sight of her, Giles was able to put aside any vindictive loyalty to Buffy quickly. He crossed the room and held her upper arms. "What have you been doing?" She took a few deep breaths, and Buffy looked on skeptically, but worriedly none the less. Miss Calendar forgot to answer Giles, immediately focusing on Buffy, who was seated at the main table, watching her back. "Listen Buffy, I’ve found what may be a way to restore Angel’s soul." "But you said…" "I know what I said. I was being a coward. Now I don’t know that this will work, but I have to try for the sake of what I’ve done to you. I’m not asking for a reconciliation. I just want to help." Buffy stepped down the stairs slowly, joining Giles and Jenny by the door. "What do we do?" "We need to get Angelus here," she answered breathlessly, "Then we can begin." The door flew open again, and Willow Rosenberg popped through. Giles raised his eyebrows. "What are you doing here?" She shrugged. "Forgot my Chemistry. Wanted to see what Miss Calendar was doing here looking like that." Giles rolled his eyes as Willow took her usual seat at the computer. Buffy looked at Giles and Miss Calendar. "I’ll go now," she said resolutely. Giles quickly objected. "Buffy, this is ridiculous. Miss Calendar hasn’t even told us about this spell, and I’m sure she doesn’t know how it works, or even if it works. We need to prepare first!" Buffy’s eyes narrowed coldly. "And while we *prepare* Angelus makes a midnight snack out of one of my classmates." She whipped her head around and marched outside, leaving Giles stunned and completely taken aback. Miss Calendar quickly got to work, squinting to read the text and memorize it. If she was right, they would have Angel back permanently. If she wasn’t, they would have one angry vampire on their hands, and not much could be done. She felt Giles stand behind her, reading over her shoulder. After a few moments of intense silence, he spoke. "You do know that this is one of the most dangerous and foolish things that you have ever done." She looked back at him. "When Angel is back, you can give me a lecture." She looked back at the book gravely and continued her pursuit. *** END, Part One Send comments, questions and stuff to me at Ingrid29@juno.com. "The one good thing about being wrong is the joy it brings to others." _____________________________________________________________________ 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] - - ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Feb 1998 19:24:58 -0500 From: ingrid29@juno.com (Ingrid E Stanton) Subject: BUFFYFIC: "Ghost of a Chance" (2/?) by Ingrid DISCLAIMER: The marvelous characters mentioned from Buffy the Vampire Slayer are not mine. I borrow them without permission, and I’m not making any money on this! The wonderful people that *are not* suing me for this reason are The Warner Brothers Network, Kuzui, Sandollar, Joss Whedon, and Mutant Enemy. SUMMARY: Here’s part two. We continue with Buffy after she’s left the library. Oh yeah. This takes place in the normal BtVS universe, so everything that’s happened has happened. You know the story: If you don’t get this, that’s ‘cause you haven’t read the other part. If you want to get this, just ask me for it. (Ingrid29@juno.com) *** "Ghost of a Chance," by Ingrid E. Stanton Part Two *** Buffy pressed against the sheets of rain that crashed down on her. Her clothes were soaked, but she wasn’t cold. She was simply numb. The water sprayed her face, nearly blinding her in the process, but didn’t need to see. She would sense him when he came. She laughed bitterly. She’d thought she’d eliminated any hope she might have had for getting him back, but as soon as Jenny’d mentioned the spell, she’d felt all the hope and pain rise up to the surface again. Something inside her broke loose and began to bleed afresh. Then the tears came. She’d thought they’d dried up permanently. She tried to concentrate on the statistics. There was probably about a two percent chance this would work, and he’d probably kill them all when it failed. She didn’t care. Then she felt it. The demon that was so particular to *him.* He had to be several meters in front of her. She turned back towards the library nonchalantly, and began to walk. He was following. Somehow, she knew he would. She kept walking, never once looking back to betray her knowledge of his whereabouts. She saw the library up ahead dimly. When she got there, she entered quickly, making sure the door was unlocked behind her. She walked resolutely around the corner and then took off, flying into the library. Giles and Miss Calendar whipped their heads towards the door instantaneously. "He’s here," she reported calmly. Giles looked towards the balcony. "Willow." The girl stepped out of the shadows and came to the center of the library, where Buffy noticed a large circle of blood. Willow entered the circle and stood in the middle. "Will! What are you doing?" She looked at Giles. "She can’t be a part of this-" "Buffy, we need a volunteer, and neither the slayer nor the watcher can participate in the circle. Come with me quickly, Buffy." Giles nodded towards the library office. "Jenny?" She looked grave and pale. "I’m ready." Leaving the book on the table, she took her place in a shadowy corner of the room. It didn’t take very long for Angel to make it to the library. He knew where to go, having spent so many hours there before he was changed. Like Buffy, he was soaked to the bone, but it didn’t seem to bother him either. When he saw Willow, he smiled. "Oh. It’s you. I don’t suppose you know where Buffy is." Willow stared at him silently. "Don’t worry though. I’m sure we can have more fun without her." He smiled, flashing a wide grin. "In fact, I believe it was Buffy who interrupted us last time." He moved closer, and Willow nearly shrunk away, but she forced herself to stand there, trembling within. He raised his eyebrows. "Aww… You scared? Don’t worry. I’ll make this quick and painless. Wait a minute. Who am I kidding?" He laughed and grabbed her hair. Suddenly, Jenny began to chant from the back. Angel looked up, thrown into defense mode. "What kind of trick is this?" He inhaled the scent of blood, and looked down instantly, to see the blood boiling at his feet. His eyes went wide in terror. "No you don’t, witch!" He yelled viciously at the corner of the room, where Jenny was still chanting. All the lights went out. Gold fireworks began to burst about the room, and the bubbling blood became a ring of fire. With all his strength, Angelus shoved Willow. She didn’t move, but he went flying out of the fire with a scream, and landed hard next to the door. In a moment he was scrambling to his feet, and he launched himself through the doors, never looking back. Willow screamed in agony as she felt the fire burn her hair and suffocate her. She opened her eyes for her final glimpse of the library. She looked down, expecting to see only smoke, but instead, she saw the flames leaping from her body, which was completely intact! The fire surrounded her, growing taller and taller, so that it was all she could see around her. Jenny’s chant died away with the roar of the flames, and a surging pain shot through her chest. She didn’t even make a sound. All went black. Jenny was chanting wildly now, unable to control the words that came from her mouth. Fire sprung from her hands, and all her anger was directed into the blaze at the center of the room. Something in the pit of her soul was driving the destruction. She felt strong, though she could not direct what she was channeling. Then, as quickly as it had come, the anger died away, and she was struggling to keep up and finish the spell. She forced the remaining words and felt the fire go out in a single puff. Smoke filled the room, and she choked hard, breathing the stuff through her mouth. Dizziness crept into her. Her brain was spinning, and she gave in, collapsing to the floor. **** END, PART TWO Comments? Questions? Write to me at Ingrid29@juno.com! "The one good thing about being wrong is the joy it brings to others." _____________________________________________________________________ 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] - - ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Feb 1998 23:25:45 -0500 From: ingrid29@juno.com (Ingrid E Stanton) Subject: BUFFYFIC: "Ghost of a Chance" (3/?) by Ingrid DISCLAIMER: The marvelous characters mentioned from Buffy the Vampire Slayer are not mine. I borrow them without permission, and I’m not making any money on this! The wonderful people that *are not* suing me for this reason are The Warner Brothers Network, Kuzui, Sandollar, Joss Whedon, and Mutant Enemy. SUMMARY: Part three continues in the library. This takes place in the normal BtVS universe, so everything that’s happened has happened. You know the story: If you don’t get this, that’s ‘cause you haven’t read the other parts. If you want to get this, just ask me for it. (Ingrid29@juno.com) *** "Ghost of a Chance" by Ingrid Part Three *** As the smoke began to dissipate, Buffy and Giles took off for the two bodies that lay in the library. Buffy rushed to Willow’s side, passing a resentful glance at an unconscious Miss Calendar. Buffy found a pulse. Willow was alive. She breathed a sigh of relief. "How is she," she asked coldly, referring to Jenny, whom Giles was holding loosely. "She’ll be fine." He waited. "Buffy, she tried, and I’m sure it was at great expense to herself. You can’t hold her accountable-" "It’s hard not to," she admitted, pulling Willow up into a chair. "She could have killed Willow," she stated flatly. "Buffy, Willow knew the risks. She volunteered." Buffy looked at Willow sadly. "You would, wouldn’t you?" Miss Calendar came around quickly after with a groan. She looked up at Giles anxiously. "Angel?" Giles shook his head and looked away. "Damn!" She buried her head in Giles shoulder and closed her eyes. Then she remembered. Buffy. She turned around and saw the slayer in the corner, watching her friend. "I’m sorry," she offered. Buffy ignored her, but Giles was quick to intercede. "You’ll have to forgive her, Jenny. Its just-" "It’s just I screwed her again," she cried. "Goodbye Rupert. I’m going home." She slipped from his arms and hobbled out of the room. Her shoulders sagged as she walked, and it took some effort to push the door open. "Buffy-" He was asking permission to follow her, Buffy realized. "Fine Giles. Go with her. She’s not fit to drive anyway." Giles hesitated a moment longer and looked at Willow. "If anything happens, call me," he cautioned her, and then ran out to follow Jenny. Buffy had no concept of time as she sat and watched Willow’s still form in the chair. She was studying a pattern on Willow’s jacket when the hacker awoke, as if from a long nap. He eyes opened slightly, and she had a puzzled look on her face. "Buffy?" Buffy looked at the girl with affection. "Yeah Will, Its me." "Buffy, did it work? Is Angel-" Buffy looked down. "No," she answered to the floor. Willow’s face fell. "Oh." She looked at Buffy compassionately. "I’m sorry." "That’s okay Will. You did your part. You could have died." "It would have been worth it." Buffy sniffled as she looked into Willow’s eyes. "Let’s get you home." She looked out the large window. "The rain’s stopped." Willow put an arm around Buffy’s shoulder, and together, they left the silent library behind them. *** END, PART THREE Please tell me what you think. I cannot live on posts alone! (Ingrid29@juno.com) "The one good thing about being wrong is the joy it brings to others." _____________________________________________________________________ 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] - - ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 15 Feb 1998 23:01:22 -0500 (EST) From: Robert Rhoades Subject: BUFFYFIC: ATTN: Sins of the Mother proofreaders This friday, my computer crashed and I can't access ANY on it for a while, and I must rely on the school's computer. So for those who were signed up to proofread my fan fiction, please reply to my new address and send a copy of Part Six so that I have and can post it soon, please. Thanx, - -Vapthorne - - ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 15 Feb 1998 23:14:31 -0500 From: ingrid29@juno.com (Ingrid E Stanton) Subject: BUFFYFIC: "Ghost of a Chance" (4/?) by Ingrid DISCLAIMER: The marvelous characters mentioned from Buffy the Vampire Slayer are not mine. I borrow them without permission, and I’m not making any money on this! The wonderful people that *are not* suing me for this reason are The Warner Brothers Network, Kuzui, Sandollar, Joss Whedon, and Mutant Enemy. SUMMARY: Part four continues the next day. This takes place in the normal BtVS universe, so everything that’s happened has happened. You know the story: If you don’t get this, that’s ‘cause you haven’t read the other parts. If you want to get this, just ask me for it. (Ingrid29@juno.com) *** "Ghost of a Chance" by Ingrid Part Four *** The alarm clock in Willow Rosenberg’s room had an obnoxious sound. Even more obnoxious when you had a migraine, and were trying to sleep it off, she added silently. She hit the clock hard, and dragged herself out of bed. Last night she’d told Buffy that, aside from being tired, she felt perfectly fine. That wasn’t, however, the exact truth. Her stomach was churning, and there was the splitting headache that she couldn’t seem to shake. Then there was the weirdness. She couldn’t explain it exactly, so she’d kept silent. Her feelings about everything had suddenly become amplified and conflicting. She’d begun to detest peanut butter sandwiches, her daily snack. She’d almost spit one out last night at the taste, and attributed it to her stomach trouble, but frankly, it just didn’t add up. She got dressed mechanically, picking up a black sweater she hadn’t worn for at least a year. Annoyed with the hair that she couldn’t seem to keep out of her face, she tied back some braids letting them rest on her shoulders. Buffy would be here soon to pick her up. After packing her bookbag, she headed downstairs quietly. Buffy wasn’t long. Willow opened the door casually, locking it behind her. "Hey Will. Feeling any better?" Willow shook her head. "Well, my head’s cleared up a little, but I still feel kind of screwy. Probably the after-effects of going through a ritual." She shrugged and continued on towards the school. Buffy followed. *** Giles was reading over Jenny’s shoulder again in the library. "I don’t understand! This should have worked," she exclaimed, pushing the book aside, and absently pacing back and forth on the main floor. Giles pulled the volume towards him, adjusting his spectacles mechanically. "Could there have been something you forgot?" "No. That’s just it! I didn’t forget a thing. I recited the entire spell, made the circle-" Willow and Buffy strode through the library doors in conversation. Buffy came to a dead halt as soon as she saw Miss Calendar. "Buffy." The teacher took a step in the direction of the door. "Wait." Buffy stood in front of her, blocking her way. "Listen. I’m sorry. I know you did all you could." "You have to know that-" "I know," she answered quickly. There was an awkward silence, and then Buffy looked up at Jenny. "Willow said she hasn’t been feeling too well. Is that normal?" Jenny’s forehead creased slightly. "No. There aren’t supposed to be any side effects for the bait." She looked at Willow. "Did anything happen in the circle that was…unusual?" Willow shrugged. "I closed my eyes. When I opened them, I was on fire. Then Angel pushed me-" Jenny perked up. "He what?" "He pushed me," Willow replied matter-of-factly. "What happened then?" "Well I didn’t move, which was pretty weird, and then he went flying backwards." "Willow, this is important. Did he get knocked out of the circle?" "Well, yeah. I saw him hit the wall." "*That’s* why it didn’t work!" Miss Calendar hit the desk and Giles jumped at the sound. He recovered quickly. "I don’t see what you’re talking about, Jenny." "From what I understand, the circle is the center of the channel. Without Angel’s body inside the fire, his soul had no place to go." "So where is it?" "He broke the circle to soon. This is all just speculation, but I imagine his soul didn’t ever get there." Buffy shuffled her feet, watching the floor. "How do we get him back?" Jenny sighed. "I don’t know if we can. Most spells can’t be repeated. I’ll have to read-" "Do it," Buffy commanded resolutely, heading out the door with Willow tagging along behind her. Jenny glanced at Rupert seriously and then marched over to where the book lay. It was going to be a long day. *** END, PART FOUR. Is anyone out there? Send comments to Ingrid29@juno.com "The one good thing about being wrong is the joy it brings to others." _____________________________________________________________________ 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] - - ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 16 Feb 1998 01:02:56 From: "E. D. Palmer" Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: "Ghost of a Chance" (4/?) by Ingrid A quick note to say that I love where this story is going and I can't wait to read more. You have me on the the edge of my seat. :) E ======================================================================= E. D. Palmer "Some mornings, it's just not w6bu@unb.ca worth chewing through the epalmer@nbnet.nb.ca leather straps." Emo Phillips www.geocities.com/Area51/Cavern/9627/ - - ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 16 Feb 1998 12:34:38 EST From: LMcint6188@aol.com Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: "Ghost of a Chance" (4/?) by Ingrid This story is kickin' ass! I also love where its heading, and I hope for more everytime I sign on! Lins - - ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 16 Feb 1998 13:27:30 EST From: Isis212@aol.com Subject: BUFFYFIC: When Dreams Come True (1/1) TITLE: When Dreams Come True AUTHOR: Aramat! EMAIL: Aramat330@aol.com SUMMARY: Angelus kills someone. DIST: My page (eventually). All others, ask please. DISC: These people don't belong to me. They belong to Joss Whedon and the WB. FEEDBACK: Yes, please. This story needs work. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When Dreams Come True She never figured out exactly what it was that woke her that night. All she knew that one minute she was lying in bed, sleeping peacefully for once, not plagued by the nightmares that haunted her. The next, she was fully awake, alerted by some disturbing presence. She sat up, looking around her room, searching for something, but not knowing exactly what it was. In the end, she figured she gave up to easily, didn't trust her instincts when they were warning her that something was wrong. When he finally made his presence known it was too late. She'd already laid back down, already started to drift once again into sleep, when he emerged from the shadows. "Willow, Willow, Willow," he whispered into her ear, startling her into wakefulness. "You, of all people, should know to trust your instincts." She started to open her mouth to scream but he laughed. "Scream all you want," he invited. "I rather like screams. Means I'm doing my job correctly. But I want you to know before you do, no one will hear you. We both know that." She closed her mouth with a snap, refusing to make this easy for him. That was, unfortunately, the only amount of courage she could summon for now. She was just too damn scared. "W-what do you want?" she asked softly, fear evident in her voice. "Why are you here?" He smiled, genuinely amused. "Willow, you know why I'm here," he said. He laid down beside her on the bed, arms cross behind his head, and stared up at the ceiling. "I figure it's time for Buffy to get her first present. And it's going to be you. Of course, you'll have to be dead for Buffy to really appreciate it, but hey, we all gotta go sometime." He turned to her, his eyes twinkling in merriment. "Want to know why I decided to start with you first? You see, I get a double dose of pleasure from killing you. Not only will your death affect Buffy, rather badly I might add, I also get a little payback at Angel. He liked you." Willow couldn't speak. She'd hoped that maybe he'd shown up to prove a point to Buffy. Show the Slayer that she couldn't always protect her friends. But now she knew he had more in mind. He was going to kill her, and there was nothing she could do to stop him. She sat up, trying to think of a way to escape. If he wanted her dead, he'd have to work for it. She got out of the bed and ran over to the close throwing it open. She grabbed clothes, tossing them out of the closet, hoping to find something, anything to use against him. When her search of the closet yielded no help, she went over to her desk. There she found a cross, which she wasted no time using, but he just smiled and knocked it from her hand. She pulled open drawer after drawer to no avail. She had nothing to stop him, nothing at all to keep him form killing her. But she was desperate. She wouldn't stop looking until she exhausted every possibilty. She had to find something. "Willow, you're not going anywhere," he said as he watched her search the room for something to use against him. He smiled when the best she could come up with was a pencil. Too bad it was the mechanical kind. "I've got the place surrounded. You're going to die, whether I do it or someone else." Bored, with her attempts to leave the room he got up and walked over to her. He grabbed by the arms and tossed her back on the bed. "But I want to be the one kill you," he said leaning over her. His mouth was just a breath away from her neck. "How else will I have my fun?" Willow kicked out, struggling with all her mite to fight him off her. But he just laughed at her attempts. She did manage to connect once, her nails raking his face, but her victory was short lived. Angelus pinned her arms to the bed, straddling her legs to keep her from kicking him. Willow stopped her struggles as she realized it was over. She'd fought and lost. Now she was going to die. She didn't want to die. "Please," she begged tears streaming down her face. "Don't kill me." He chuckled. "Begging, oh how nice." He cupped her cheek in his hand and leaned into her neck. "But begging is not going to stop me." And with that he sank his fangs into her neck. Willow cried out as his teeth pierced the skin of her neck. Tears streaming from her eyes, she instinctively struggled but she couldn't stop him. Slowly, he drained every ounce of blood from her body. As she laid there dying her last thoughts were on her friends. Buffy would be devastated and blame herself for her death. Xander would be comepletely lost without her. And Giles. Giles would also blame himself. But at least the three of them would have each other. She hoped they would be able to get through this, hoped they could pull together, just like they'd always done. She hoped Buffy would be able to stop him. Five minutes later, she thought of nothing at all as she silently slipped away. Angelus looked down at the lifeless body beneath him and frowned. It had been so much easier than he thought it would be and, to tell the truth, he was more than a little disappointed. But he wouldn't let it get him down. Killing Willow was just a means to an end. And the end was making Buffy his partner for an eternity. He got off the bed, arranging Willow's body underneath the covers. Taking one last look at her tearstained face, he smiled in amusement. "What do ya' know," he said as he turned and walked away. "Willows really do weep." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hopefully, now that I've finally given in to his demands, Angelus will stay out of my head. But something tells me it won't happen that way. Now everyone send me feedback. Let's not forget that I really think story needs work. Bye now! - - ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 16 Feb 1998 16:24:23 -0500 From: ingrid29@juno.com (Ingrid E Stanton) Subject: BUFFYFIC: "Ghost of a Chance" (5/?) by Ingrid DISCLAIMER: The marvelous characters mentioned from Buffy the Vampire Slayer are not mine. I borrow them without permission, and I’m not making any money on this! The wonderful people that *are not* suing me for this reason are The Warner Brothers Network, Kuzui, Sandollar, Joss Whedon, and Mutant Enemy. SUMMARY: Part five continues the same day. This takes place in the normal BtVS universe, so everything that’s happened has happened. You know the story: If you don’t get this, that’s ‘cause you haven’t read the other parts. If you want to get this, just ask me for it. (Ingrid29@juno.com) Angst Warning!!! Don’t ever say I didn’t warn you! *** "Ghost of a Chance" by Ingrid Part Five *** The day passed in a blur of logarithms and sentence structure. Buffy couldn’t concentrate. In the middle of class, all she could think about was how close they’d been. Hiding in Giles’ office wasn’t her style. She wanted to *do* something, even if it meant only more grasping at straws. She wanted to touch him. To hear his voice. To know that somewhere, if not here, he did exist. Anything was better that almost. Buffy was able to put thoughts of Angel aside with concern for Willow. Despite Miss Calendar’s assurances, the girl didn’t look normal. In Chemistry, Willow had screamed at Xander. Then she’d cried afterwards, apologizing with all her might. Buffy sighed. This wasn’t like the calm dependable Willow she’d grown used to. Something was wrong. As soon as the bell rang, Buffy had insisted on taking Willow to the library. They had to find out what was going on. *** Willow wandered down the hallway trying to take deep breaths and calm herself down. She didn’t understand what was happening inside her. It was almost as if she wasn’t in control of her actions. Something else was there. She felt unfamiliar feelings that weren’t hers, and carried an entire set of opinions and thoughts that she couldn’t recognize. Her problem had gotten progressively worse throughout the day with her outburst at Xander, and her loss of control later on in the day. Buffy held the door for her on the way into the library. Willow ducked inside, perching on the banister of the balcony. She looked around, shuffling her feet against the carpet anxiously. Buffy emerged from the office- nothing. The library was completely empty. *What the hell is Giles doing,* the hacker grumbled to herself. Then it happened. Something surged within her. Her chest was rising. She felt like she might explode with the force, and an ocean filled her ears. She couldn’t stop herself as she fell from her seat, landing in a heap on the floor. Then something popped in her head. She heard a voice. "Buffy-" It was Angel’s voice, unmistakably. Raising herself to her hands and knees, she looked around. "Angel?" Buffy immediately sprung to her feet, surveying the library with a fifth sense that only a slayer could aquire. "Where, Will?" Willow was confused. She’d heard his voice so clearly and distinctly. "Angel?" she called again, and waited. She felt him answer. His voice vibrated her insides, and shook her gently. "Willow?" Willow smiled, and answered back aloud. "I knew it was you. Where are you?" Buffy crouched down on the ground next to Willow. "Will, what’s going on? Why did you say Angel’s name?" The look she shot Buffy was filled with wonder and hope. "It’s Angel, Buffy. He’s here." She felt the voice respond "Buffy?" "Where?" Buffy asked, getting frustrated. "Willow, where is he?" "He’s here." Willow touched her chest and smiled again. Before, the feelings had disturbed her, made her upset, but now… She felt a rush of energy fill her, and branch out through her limbs and beyond. "I can hear him, Buffy!" Buffy dropped against the wall, the wind knocked out of her. "Oh my God Will- is he-" Willow was deep in thought, and didn’t answer. Buffy watched in amazement as Willow began to talk to herself- or Angel, that was. "Well, can’t you?" "What do you mean?" "Alright. See if you can focus." Then she looked up. "Buffy, come here." Buffy turned to look at Willow, puzzled. "Why?" "He wants to see you." "What? You mean he can see?" "His vision is becoming clearer." Buffy crawled up to Willow, and sat close, searching her eyes for a trace of another there. Willow smiled and brushed a piece of hair from her face shyly. Then she looked at Buffy. "He says you look beautiful in the sunlight." Buffy felt tears sting the backs of her eyes. The world was blurred for a few moments and she breathed deeply. When she finally looked back at Willow, she was smiling, and tears streamed down her cheeks, soaking her face. "What," Buffy ventured seriously. Willow sniffled, wiping the wetness from her eyes and laughing. "He just misses you so much, Buffy. I can feel everything he’s feeling." She whimpered and jerked to the side, fresh tears welling up again. "Oh," she choked in grief, her face wrinkling up hard, "I never…" "What Will," Buffy demanded, but Willow's eyes were focused on something beyond her. She twisted her head in understanding some foreign grief and choked on her own sobs. Buffy did all that was left to do, and waited. *** END, PART FIVE Comments? Questions? Write to me at Ingrid29@juno.com "The one good thing about being wrong is the joy it brings to others." _____________________________________________________________________ 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] - - ------------------------------ End of Buffyfic-digest V2 #36 ***************************** To subscribe to buffyfic or buffyfic-digest, send the command subscribe buffyfic-digest or subscribe buffyfic to majordomo@xmission.com. You will need to go through a confirmation process, and the listowners have to manually approve your subscription request, so it may take some time. Back issues of this digest can be found at: ftp://ftp.xmission.com/pub/lists/buffyfic/archive/ Dalton Spence has also provided an index of the buffyfic archive at: http://www.hwcn.org/~ag775/BUFFYFIC.HTM For help, contact Jill Kirby (jtkirby@mcs.com) or sah (romana@mindspring.com)