From: owner-buffyfic@lists.xmission.com (Buffyfic-digest) To: buffyfic-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: Buffyfic-digest V2 #76 Reply-To: buffyfic@xmission.com Sender: owner-buffyfic@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-buffyfic@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk Buffyfic-digest Wednesday, March 25 1998 Volume 02 : Number 076 In this issue: Re: BUFFYFIC: The Ties That Bind (3/?) BUFFYFIC: Re:Welcome to the Hellmouth, Scully BUFFYFIC: "Footsteps" Epilogue: "Going Home," by Ingrid Re: BUFFYFIC: "Footsteps" Epilogue: "Going Home," by Ingrid Re: BUFFYFIC: The Ties That Bind (3/?) BUFFYFIC: The Ties That Bind (4/?) BUFFYFIC: Hope (33/?) BUFFYFIC: Hope (34/?) 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: Tue, 24 Mar 1998 16:14:22 EST From: Anexsin Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: The Ties That Bind (3/?) I'm sorry if I messed up your idea. It sort of popped into my head, and I went with it. :) It's my way to deal with the whole Angel situation on the show. More parts will be coming out soon, and I only posted them a few days ago. Glad you liked it though. Melinda - - ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 24 Mar 1998 18:43:10 -0800 From: groovy@snowline.net (Rachel {vampireprincess}) Subject: BUFFYFIC: Re:Welcome to the Hellmouth, Scully Hey! Isn't it weird that you should write a fan fic about my two most favorite shows. Wow. Thank you sosososososososo much! It was really awesome too. good job! - -Rachel ++++++++++++++++++++++++ "Did Norman Bates have a motive? Did they ever figure out why Hannibal Lector liked to eat people? DON'T THINK SO!" - -Billy Loomis 'Scream' - ---scream-----------------------------------------------scream 2--- Buffy The Vampire Slayer: **BUFFYFIC List**Faithful Followers of Xander**Xanderite Keeper of: Xander's oh-so-yummy hyena stage, cute Buffy chasing, and Willow's ear lick...** - --vampire----------------------buffy----------------------vampire-- X-Files: WLDD**SPCDD**DDSB**GBLA**DDPOL**LODD**X-F Creative**^Friend^ Shipper MY DD WEBSITE:Obsessed with David Duchovny http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Lot/4440/ - ------------------------------the-truth---------------------------- If you believe, no proof is necessary. If you don't, no proof is sufficient. - - ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 24 Mar 1998 20:49:32 -0500 From: ingrid29@juno.com (Ingrid E Stanton) Subject: BUFFYFIC: "Footsteps" Epilogue: "Going Home," by Ingrid First things first... DISCLAIMER: The characters of Willow, Buffy, Spike, Drusilla and Angel(us) are the property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar Productions, and The Warner Brothers Network, and are used without permission. The author claims no rights to these characters. SUMMARY: The long awaited epilogue (I *am* being sarcastic). This one's a whole lot of action, and we get to see both Buffy and Angelus. If you don't get this, that's cause you haven't read the other parts. If you want to get this, write to me and request them. Send me some feedback. I need self-esteem boosters! =) May I add a thank you for all the feedback I've gotten. My mailbox exploded, making me extremely tense, thanks to this crazy week. Now I'm eating thinmints and drinking coffee...and bouncing off the walls! WARNING: I think I cursed in this part. Be warned. ********************* "Footsteps," by Ingrid Epilogue: "Going Home" ********************* A constant dripping echoing from the main floor stirred them both awake in bed. She shifted slightly, pulling the covers to her chin and pressing herself more firmly against her lover’s body. It didn’t help much. He was nearly as cold as she was. He pulled her to him in a vain attempt for warmth. It did seem to comfort her, though. She was the first to interrupt the still that had come over them. "We can leave tomorrow night." "But for where?" "I don’t know. Europe? It’s a little old." "Too many of us there," he agreed. Neither one of them mentioned Buffy. "I’ve always wanted to visit India," she revealed, smiling hopefully. "India. It’s warm there," he answered, sharing a shiver that passed through them as if they were one body. "Then it’s settled." There was nothing to worry about, he thought, and smiled as the image of Angelus turning to dust flashed before his eyes. She was safe. And soon they would be far off, leaving Sunnydale nothing more than a distant memory. They could put this time away in the attic and never look back. What was worth remembering? Angelus? The slayer? Drusilla... She seemed to understand almost telepathically. She caressed his jaw as she spoke. "Do you want to know what he told me?" He was taken aback with the situation. He wasn’t used to being the one in the dark. In fact, he couldn’t remember a time when he wasn’t leading Dru around by the hand. Willow lay above him now with some secret that gave her the advantage. He liked it. "Yes," he answered, trying to remember what Drusilla looked like, and only coming up with an image of a petite redhead. Her mouth opened in what might have been a sentence, but then she stopped and seemed to consider for a moment. She slowly lay back down beside him, pulled his arm around her waist, and began speaking to the ceiling in hushed tones. "The slayer killed her," she explained gently, "early on. It was only a few days after their arrival. Angelus didn’t see fit to come back until he was forced to." Spike nodded and tucked her head beneath his own, and they rested without moving for some time. "Why did you stake him," he asked eventually, running his fingers through her soft curls. "He insulted my dress." **** END Ingrid: Author of many long Buffyfics (and some short ones). "Return to Normalcy," "One Vampire's Headache...," "This Fleeting Hope," "Ghost of a Chance," "Tragic Sighs" and "Footsteps." _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] - - ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 24 Mar 1998 23:01:13 -0500 From: "Kirstin" Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: "Footsteps" Epilogue: "Going Home," by Ingrid please write more spike and willow stuff!!!!! i love it!!!!! this story was really great -- well written and enthralling. :) more! Kirstin -- kmo@acpub.duke.edu Keeper of Giles' Football Flag (GASPer) Keeper of Cordelia's everlasting position as "Victim of the Week" Member of the Buffy Crew - ---------- > From: Ingrid E Stanton > To: buffyfic@xmission.com > Subject: BUFFYFIC: "Footsteps" Epilogue: "Going Home," by Ingrid > Date: Tuesday, March 24, 1998 8:49 PM >=20 > First things first... > DISCLAIMER: The characters of Willow, Buffy,=20 > Spike, Drusilla and Angel(us) are the property=20 > of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar Productions,=20 > and The Warner Brothers Network, and are used without=20 > permission. The author claims no rights to these characters.=20 >=20 > SUMMARY: The long awaited epilogue (I *am* being=20 > sarcastic). This one's a whole lot of action, and we get=20 > to see both Buffy and Angelus. If you don't get this,=20 > that's cause you haven't read the other parts. If you=20 > want to get this, write to me and request them. Send=20 > me some feedback. I need self-esteem boosters! =3D)=20 >=20 > May I add a thank you for all the feedback I've gotten. > My mailbox exploded, making me extremely tense, > thanks to this crazy week. Now I'm eating thinmints > and drinking coffee...and bouncing off the walls! >=20 > WARNING: I think I cursed in this part. Be warned. >=20 > ********************* > "Footsteps," by Ingrid > Epilogue: "Going Home" > ********************* > =20 > A constant dripping echoing from the main floor=20 > stirred them both awake in bed. She shifted slightly,=20 > pulling the covers to her chin and pressing herself=20 > more firmly against her lover=92s body. It didn=92t help=20 > much. He was nearly as cold as she was.=20 > =20 > He pulled her to him in a vain attempt for warmth.=20 > It did seem to comfort her, though. > =20 > She was the first to interrupt the still that had come=20 > over them.=20 > =20 > "We can leave tomorrow night." > =20 > "But for where?" > =20 > "I don=92t know. Europe? It=92s a little old." > =20 > "Too many of us there," he agreed. Neither one of=20 > them mentioned Buffy. > =20 > "I=92ve always wanted to visit India," she revealed,=20 > smiling hopefully. > =20 > "India. It=92s warm there," he answered, sharing=20 > a shiver that passed through them as if they were=20 > one body.=20 > =20 > "Then it=92s settled." > =20 > There was nothing to worry about, he thought, and=20 > smiled as the image of Angelus turning to dust=20 > flashed before his eyes. She was safe.=20 > =20 > And soon they would be far off, leaving Sunnydale=20 > nothing more than a distant memory. They could put=20 > this time away in the attic and never look back. > What was worth remembering? Angelus? The slayer? > =20 > Drusilla... > =20 > She seemed to understand almost telepathically. She=20 > caressed his jaw as she spoke. > =20 > "Do you want to know what he told me?" > =20 > He was taken aback with the situation. He wasn=92t used=20 > to being the one in the dark. In fact, he couldn=92t remember=20 > a time when he wasn=92t leading Dru around by the hand. > Willow lay above him now with some secret that gave > her the advantage. > =20 > He liked it.=20 > =20 > "Yes," he answered, trying to remember what Drusilla=20 > looked like, and only coming up with an image of a petite=20 > redhead. =09 > =20 > Her mouth opened in what might have been a sentence,=20 > but then she stopped and seemed to consider for a moment.=20 > She slowly lay back down beside him, pulled his arm around=20 > her waist, and began speaking to the ceiling in hushed tones. > =20 > "The slayer killed her," she explained gently, "early on. It was=20 > only a few days after their arrival. Angelus didn=92t see fit to=20 > come back until he was forced to." > =20 > Spike nodded and tucked her head beneath his own, and they=20 > rested without moving for some time. > =20 > "Why did you stake him," he asked eventually, running his=20 > fingers through her soft curls.=20 > =20 > "He insulted my dress." >=20 > **** > END > Ingrid: Author of many long Buffyfics (and some short ones). "Return to > Normalcy," > "One Vampire's Headache...," "This Fleeting Hope," "Ghost of a Chance," > "Tragic > Sighs" and "Footsteps." >=20 > _____________________________________________________________________ > You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. > Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com > Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] >=20 >=20 > - - - ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 25 Mar 1998 00:23:42 EST From: Anexsin Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: The Ties That Bind (3/?) <> Please excuse this message. It was meant to be sent privately, I didn't realize I sent it to the list. Sorry 'bout that. :) Melinda - - ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 25 Mar 1998 01:41:19 EST From: Anexsin Subject: BUFFYFIC: The Ties That Bind (4/?) Title: The Ties That Bind (4/?) Author: Melinda Frango Email Addy: Anexsin@aol.com Rating: PG Spoiler: All episodes before Passion. Feedback: Greatly appreciated. Disclaimer: Buffy and the gang belong to Joss Whedon, the WB, etc. Only the story is mine, and whatever characters never seen or mentioned on the show. Summary: Buffy and the gang get help from an unexpected source in restoring Angel's soul. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Caitlin was deep in discussion with Giles and Jenny when the gang burst through the library doors. "Giles your not going to believe this," Buffy emitted loudly. The group stopped short when they saw the newcomer. "Buffy, I'm gald you're here. Please why don't you all sit down," Giles proposed. "There's some things you should hear." When the group was seated Giles cleared his throat softly. "This is Caitlin," he introduced. "Angel's sister." "Wow," Willow's eyes lit up. "You look just like him," Buffy's eyes began to well up with tears. "Wait a second," Xander interrupted, "I thought Angel killed his family." "Have some sympathy." Cordelia complained. "You must be Xander," Caitlin guessed. "How did you know that?" he asked astonished. "My brother describes you as ungrateful, oblivious to what's right in front of you, sarcastic, and annoying," Caitlin stated. "Am I right?" she asked the other occupants of the room. "Yep," they replied in unison. "Hey, I resent that!" Xander shouted. "As for the how did I know question. I know about all of you or what Angel told me," was Caitlin's explanation. " But Angel's dead," Buffy lowered her head sadly. "It seems that Angel and his sister have some sort of tie that binds his soul to hers. He can speak with her when she dreams," Giles explained. "I haven't seen Angel in over 200 years. So he never knew I was alive, but since for some odd reason our souls are connected, his can communicate with mine, subconsciously, he doesn't realize I can pick up on his thoughts. It's hard to explain," Caitlin mumbled. "Why are you here?" Cordelia spoke up. "I've come to restore Angel's soul permanently," Caitlin spoke matter-of- factly. "You can do that? When? How?" Buffy couldn't contain her excitement. Caitlin smiled. "Soon. The night of the full moon which is 3 days away. But it won't work unless all of you are willing to participate." "We'll come back to the ritual later," Giles jumped in before anymore questions could be asked, but Xander beat him to it. "You still didn't tell us why your not, well...." he stopped. "Dead," Caitlin supplied Xander nodded his head, "Not that I'd mind if you were. I'm sure you'd still look beautiful. Your not a vampire are you? Or a giant bug? Maybe a mummy? " Xander babbled. "Xander!" Buffy, Willow, and Cordelia scolded him. Xander shrank back in his chair when Cordelia shot him a glare that could burn through him. "No I'm completely human. Just immortal," Caitlin chuckled. "Maybe I should explain." For the next hour or so Caitlin told the group about the death of her family, her knowledge of magic, and her ambition to help her brother. "..... and ever since then I have wanted to find a cure to make him human again. Which has been in vain so far. Then I would be able to help Angel half that life that was taken from him and be able to avenge my family's death with the demon's." Caitlin finished. "You don't seem that caught up on revenge," Oz observed. "My family died without a cause. I just want to make sure their death doesn't go firgotten. I know that whereever they are now, they are happy and at peace. I don't want my anger to turn me into some physco killer who thinks about revenge day in and day otu. I know they wouldn't have wanted that. It just not a way to live your life," Caitlin explained. "I admire you for that," Giles complimented. "Thank you," Caitlin said. "You have so many of your brother's qualities it's remarkable," Giles smiled. "He's very special to me. He always stuck by me through thick and thin, and I intend to do the same," Cailitn said informed. "So do we," Buffy agreed. "So about this ritual." Buffy brought up once again. "A little anxious," Caitlin asked her with a wry smile. "Just a little," Buffy's smile brightened up her face. "The ritual requires a circle of people who share a common bond. All of you are friends and fight the forces of darkness together. That creates a bond between you all, the more people who share the same bond the stronger the pull." "The pull?" Jenny interrupted. "The bond is supposed to pull the soul called upon into this reality and guide it to it's rightful place," Caitlin explained. "That is quite intriguing. I would love to see the book you got this from." Giles directed towards Caitlin. Suddenly a large book encased in brown leather appeared in front of Giles. The group gasped. "Very convenient. May I keep this and read through it tonight?" Giles asked. "Sure, I know the ritual by heart, should something happen to the book," Caitlin assured him. "Thank you. We should all go home and get some rest. We'll reconvene tomorrow. It's saturday and Buffy you have training. Do you have someplace to stay?" Giles asked Caitlin. "She can stay with me," Buffy offered. "I mean if you want to." "Are you sure? I don't want to impose." "Positive," Buffy replied with certainty. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* End part 4......to be continued - - ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 25 Mar 1998 11:50:07 PST From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Hope (33/?) Author: Sara B. Sara114@hotmail.com Rating: Varies...will be posted at beginning of each part. Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, yada yada yada belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox.... I'm just borrowing them, (although I wish Angel was mine!) Everything else belongs to me! Author's note: This is your usual generic story. Angel is still good, so basically in my story surprise/innocence didn't happen. Willow and Oz are together, and Xander and Cordy are still hiding their secret utility closet rondevu's. This is going to be a long story, and will take some time so be patient with me. I'm not very good at story telling, so if this totally sucks and isn't read-worthy, just let me know.Oh yeah, and I want feedback, feedback, and more feedback. I don't care if it's good or bad, just tell me what you thought of it. Part 33 PG Buffy and Hope walked down the dark road, their faces illuminated by the bright street light that stood nearby. Buffy slowed down when they came to a quiet intersection. “Hope, I want to stop by my house first. I need to get a couple of things,” Buffy said, looking at her friend. “Sure. Where is it?” Hope asked. Buffy smiled. “I see you haven’t completely learned the streets of Sunnydale yet. Don’t worry, it won’t take long,” she said. “There isn’t a lot of town here. Like Xander told me when I first moved her, this is a one Starbucks town.” Hope busted up in laughter. “He is really funny.” Buffy raised her right eyebrow. “You think he’s funny?” Hope blushed slightly. “Well....I...” “It’s okay. He is a great guy.” Buffy said, as they turned left and walked toward her house. “Yeah, but Cordelia has her claws in him,” Hope said, pouting. Buffy was startled. “What?” “You mean, you didn’t know? It’s obvious how much those to want each other. They are always bickering and giving each other those animal lust looks.” “I...I never noticed before,” Buffy said. She noticed the frown on her friend’s face. “You like him, don’t you?” Hope’s frown slowly turned into a wry smile. “Yeah, I do.” “Then go for him!” encouraged Buffy. “Cordelia,” Hope reminded her. “Well if Xander hasn’t told me or Willow, then that means they are keeping it secret, and that means that it would be easier for you to get him to fall for you,” Buffy said. “He wouldn’t go for me,” Hope said. “How can you say that! You are beautiful, nice, sweet, not to mention strong. He would too go for you.” “You think so?” Hope asked reluctantly. “I know so,” Buffy assured her. “You know, he had a crush on me when I first moved here.” “Really? What happened?” Hope asked, eager to know all the details. Buffy giggled. “Well, nothing really.” “Nothing?! Why not?!” She shrugged. “I didn’t like him. He was just a friend. Besides, I was in love with Angel,” Buffy paused, wondering if those words were still true. < If he is the Master, can I still love him? > She shook her head to try to erase that thought. “Ah, Angel. He is extremely hot,” Hope said, grinning. Buffy nodded. “You got that right. I remember the first time I saw him. The first thing that popped into my mind was ‘Hello gorgeous!”.” “How did you guys meet?” Hope questioned. She smiled. “Well, a couple of nights after I had just moved here, Angel was following me around. I sensed the presence of a vampire, and I caught him off guard. I knocked him to the ground and put my foot at his neck. I remember his look of utter shock. At the time I was annoyed at him. I didn’t like him. He would give me these cryptic messages and then vanish. But, after a while, I began to fall in love with him.” “Wow. That is an unusual ‘How we met’ story,” commented Hope. “When did you find out he was a vampire?” Buffy grimaced. “Let’s just say his vampireness interrupted our first romantic moment. He was in my bedroom...” she paused when Hope gave her a mischievous look. “What?! He needed a place to stay!” She exclaimed with a laugh. “Three vampires had attacked me and he came to my rescue. Since they were lurking around my house, I let him stay the night.” “Stay the night?” Hope asked, raising her eyebrow. “On the floor! Geez, Hope, you have a dirty mind!” “Just a character flaw,” she giggled. “Anyway...he was in your room and????” “And we had our first kiss. It was one of the most exciting moments of my life. When our lips touched it was like electricity. Then, all of a sudden, he vamped out. It definitely wasn’t our best moment together.” Hope laughed. “I’ll be you were freaked!” “That I was. But, we worked it out. And everything is great...I hope.” “I have a feeling that what ever happens tonight, you two will be together again.” “Thanks, Hope. That means a lot.” “Anytime!” She said. They continued to walk and talk, sharing things about their lives, learning about each other. They were laughing about some of their embarrassing stories when Hope’s smile turned into a bitter frown. “Oh shit. Look over their,” Hope pointed. “Vampires are attacking that woman.” Buffy looked up to see two vampires grab a hold of a woman and groaned. “Oh wonderful. This is the last thing we need right now.” She pulled out a stake from the sheath of her jacket. Hope followed her lead and did the same, taking one that was strapped to the small of her back. The two girls causally strolled across Rovello Drive. Hope grimaced as she recognized one of the vampires, and Buffy came to a halt. She stared at the demons with a sickly expression. Her face turned to a ghostly pale. Buffy felt as if her heart was being ripped out of her chest. “Oh God. Angel. Angel has...my mother,” she choked. Her hand flew to her mouth, and her knees grew week. Tears sprung to her eyes and she trembled. “It happened.” ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - - ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 25 Mar 1998 11:58:05 PST From: "Sara Barton" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Hope (34/?) Author: Sara B. Sara114@hotmail.com Rating: Varies...will be posted at beginning of each part. Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its characters, yada yada yada belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, WB, and Fox.... I'm just borrowing them, (although I wish Angel was mine!) Everything else belongs to me! Author's note: This is your usual generic story. Angel is still good, so basically in my story surprise/innocence didn't happen. Willow and Oz are together, and Xander and Cordy are still hiding their secret utility closet rondevu's. This is going to be a long story, and will take some time so be patient with me. I'm not very good at story telling, so if this totally sucks and isn't read-worthy, just let me know.Oh yeah, and I want feedback, feedback, and more feedback. I don't care if it's good or bad, just tell me what you thought of it. Part 34 ****Warning: This part gets a bit gruesome and some readers might find it offensive or disturbing***** “That asshole!” Hope screamed. She stormed across the street, leaving Buffy standing alone. The vampires turned to look at her in surprise. “HEY YOU! LET HER GO!!!!!” Her voice pierced the dark sky. Angel and Spike shot their heads at the direction of the girls voice. Angel immediately recognized Hope and Buffy. “Oh, look Joyce. Your daughter and her little friend have come to join our party.” Joyce saw her daughter standing across the street. “BUFFY!!! RUN!!!” She screamed for her daughters safety. Buffy knew what she had to do. She did her best and pushed her heartbreaking feelings aside and ran behind Hope. “Let my her go!” Hope sneered. Buffy came up beside her friend. She looked into Angel’s eyes and saw the vast emptiness where his beautiful soul used to reside. Instead, a vicious, malignant evil filled it’s place. The sinister and black-hearted look in his eyes told Buffy everything she need to know. Angel was gone. “I said, LET HER GO!” Hope hissed again. Angel laughed at her. “What are you going to do about it?” “Buffy run! Get out of here!!” Joyce yelled at her daughter. Angel pushed her into two minions, who held her struggling body. He turned to look at the frightened woman. “The Slayer’s mother. Ah, what an oblivious creature.” “What the hell are you talking about?” Joyce snapped. “I still can’t believe that Buffy hasn’t told you her deepest, darkest secrets,” Angel said with a laugh. “Leave her alone. You don’t want her. You want me,” Buffy finally managed to say. The usual strong Slayer was reduced to putty in the presence of the now evil Angel. “You are absolutely right. I don’t want her. Spike does. He thinks she would make an excellent collaborator. The Slayer’s own mother against her. Tsk Tsk Tsk. What ever shall she do?” He said sarcastically. “Buffy, what is he talking about?!” Joyce questioned Buffy. “Don’t listen to him, Mom,” Buffy ordered her. “Oh, but I think she should listen. I think it’s high time that she knew who you really are.” “Don’t you dare,” Buffy said. “Oh, but I do dare. Joyce, let me explain something to you,” he paused. “You see, Buffy is somewhat of a...oh how do I put this...Vampire Slayer.” “THAT’S ENOUGH!” Buffy snarled, and attacked Angel. She let out a hard roundhouse kick to his face, followed by two swift punches to his face. He was fazed for only a moment, and Buffy used it to her advantage. She grabbed his hair and swung his body around, causing his head to collide with the tree. He grabbed her arm and swung her over his head, body slamming her. She stumbled to her feet. Angel grabbed her throat, and lifted her into the air, choking her. She clung to his fist, trying to pry it off her slender neck. Joyce watched in horror as Buffy’s body went limp. Angel dropped it to the ground. Joyce sobbed uncontrollably. “Oh, God, NO!” She cried, grief-stricken. A blue glow emerged from Hope’s chest, as her necklace began to shine brightly beneath the pale yellow light of the street lamp. Angel turned to look at her. “First you killed my aunt, then you killed my friend. You’re going down, you son of a bitch,” she shouted with sinister edge to her voice. Angel played it coolly, despite the uncomfortable feelings she caused him to have. “Don’t worry, she isn’t dead. She is just passed out. It isn’t time for her to die, but it is time for you to die.” Hope glared. “Give it your best shot.” Angel felt the hair raise on the back of his neck as the necklace glowed brighter. He felt the power shoot off of her like a bomb detonated in her body. Her eyes narrowed and her blood pumped through her veins like a freight train. He backed away. His power wasn’t complete, and he knew what this small girl was capable of. Her small, 5’3 frame didn’t fool him, or any of the other vampires. “Are you afraid of me?” Hope asked innocently. “Don’t worry. It won’t hurt much.” she said sweetly. “Stay away from me, bitch,” he snapped. She glared fiercely. For once in his life as a vampire, he actually felt fear. This was new him, especially now that he was the Master. “I’m not afraid of you. It’s just not time yet,” he said. “You already used that excuse,” she mused, inching toward him as he backed away from her. “Come on man!” Spike yelled at him. “What the hell are you waiting for?!” Angel shot his head at Spike. “Don’t underestimate her. You don’t know who she is.” “I don’t need to know who she is. She is a mortal. A girl. A human. Not to mention puny. Just get on with it.” Annoyance filled Spike’s voice he strolled over to Hope and stood behind her. Hope smiled. She turned around to face him. “Wanna bet?” “Sure,” he answered. “Let’s fight. I win, you die. You win, you die. Any questions?” “You are sure of yourself, aren’t you?” Hope stated, with newly found confidence. Spike laughed. “I should be asking you that.” With the tension building between Hope and Spike, no one noticed Buffy awaken. She slowly pulled herself to her feet. She no longer felt remorse or sadness. She was mad, she was angry, and most of all, she was ready to kill. Right now, Buffy was the Hellmouth’s greatest threat. “Are you going to fight, or just stand there all night?” Buffy asked causally, interrupting them. All heads turned to face The Slayer, who stood with a vengeance. With her head held high and her hands on her hips, she stood with poise and confidence. Angel looked at Buffy, then at Hope. < Shit. These two have power. I need to get out of here so I can get to full strength > He tried inching his way toward the car, but Buffy caught him. “Leaving so soon, lover boy?” She asked. Angrily, he tried to retort, but was interrupted. Marcus and David came barreling down the road. They drove up in the grass and almost hit the tree. “Learn how to drive,” David grumbled at Marcus as they got out of the van. Spike broke his concentration off of Hope to look at the young vampires. “What the hell took you so damn long?” he asked. “Sorry, Spike. We got caught in traffic,” Marcus lied. “Bull shit,” he said, noticing the dent in the front of the van. “Why is there a dent in my van?” he asked. Both vampires looked at anything but Spike, not wanting to get in trouble. Spike sighed. “If you don’t answer me in the next three seconds I am going to kill you.” “Marcus plowed into a car in the field,” David replied fearfully. Marcus have him a dirty look. “Thanks for telling him,” he said sarcastically. Buffy and Hope gave each other knowing looks, realizing these were the men who almost killed them. Without warning, Hope’s anger rose wildly out of control and she stormed over to them. She utterly lost her temper. Hope grabbed their necks and lifted them both high above the ground with remarkable strength. Marcus’s and David’s eyes enlarged at her action, as they dangled in the air. “Holy shit,” Spike said, amazed at her ability. He had never seen a human who wasn’t a slayer this strong. < Who is this girl? > “You almost killed my friends,” she snarled, a low growl erupting from her slender throat. All eyes were on her, as threw David into the tree. She squeezed hard on Marcus’s throat, and he laughed. “I don’t breathe,” he whispered. “But you can hurt,” she whispered back, bringing her fist up and colliding it with his nose. She heard the bones in his face crack and shatter as blood sprayed everywhere. He screamed in agony. Grabbing her stake, she plunged it into his stomach. Then, she did one of the unthinkable things. She put her hand down the front of his pants and reached for his manhood. In a split second, she ripped it from his body. His face twisted with the severe pain that plagued him. She dropped him onto the ground and wiped the blood off of her hands onto her jeans. Turning back to face her audience, she smiled. “He won’t be getting up any time soon,” Hope said. Shocked faces stared at her. David scrambled to get up and began to run down the street away from Buffy’s house in fear of his life. Hope laughed, watching him run away. “Any one else want to piss me off? How about you Spike?” Spike bolted with Angel at his heals. The two vampires pushed their ways into their cars and locked the doors, driving away as fast as they could with their minions close behind. Buffy inhaled a sharp breath and looked away from the withering, tortured body that laid at Hope’s feet. Hope looked down at him and immediately began to feel remorse. Tears sprung to her eyes and she threw her and over her mouth. Trembling, she stepped away from him. “What did I just do?” Buffy, still stunned, reached for Hope, and pulled her away from Marcus. “What did I do?” Hope repeated, crying. Buffy didn’t say anything. She kept picturing the look that resided in Hope’s crystal green eyes. It was a look of hatred, anger, and a lust for revenge. “It’s okay,” she whispered into her friend’s ear. Buffy picked up her stake and put it through Marcus’s heart, killing whatever life he had left and ending his suffering. “I...I...” Hope stammered. “I don’t know what came over me. It was like I wasn’t in control of my body.” Tears streamed down her face like a waterfall. “I can’t believe I did that. I’m not like that. I’m not a bad person! I don’t kill!” She cried. “Hope, he was a vampire. He has killed and hurt people. Don’t feel bad for what you did. It might have been a little gruesome, and a quick stake through the heart might have been more practical, but he almost killed us all tonight,” Buffy said, trying to comfort her friend. “A _little_ gruesome? Try gory...bloodly...offensively violent,” Hope said, slightly laughing despite the heinous chain of events that had occurred. “Buffy, I ripped it off.” Buffy smiled sympathetically. “Come on, we really need to call Giles and tell him everything. Angel has been transformed, and he has my mother,” she said, hiding her devastating feelings that were flooding back into her mind. < I guess pushing my feelings aside isn’t going to help > she thought. But, in defiance of those feelings, Buffy knew that she couldn’t let them get in the way of what she had to do. < Angel is the Master. And I now have to kill him. I have to kill Angel. I have to kill the man I am in love with > The two girls felt a tidal wave of emotion crash over them as they stood in the Summers’ now bloody lawn. Both were struggling to keep a hold of their sanity, which was very slowly threatening to slip away. Buffy and Hope’s connection was stronger than they knew. Physically, they stood, helping one another walk up the steps and through the door of Buffy’s home. Mentally, they grasped each other in an ever lasting hold. A bind that would remain strong, and would in time, would save their lives. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com - - ------------------------------ End of Buffyfic-digest V2 #76 ***************************** 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)