From: owner-buffyfic@lists.xmission.com (buffyfic-digest) To: buffyfic-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: buffyfic-digest V2 #190 Reply-To: $SENDER Sender: owner-buffyfic@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-buffyfic@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk buffyfic-digest Saturday, May 16 1998 Volume 02 : Number 190 In this issue: BUFFYFIC: Broken Bonds (Part 7) BUFFYFIC: Rendezvous with Midnight (1/1) BUFFYFIC: "Reunion" (17/?) by Ingrid BUFFYFIC: SORRY BUFFYFIC:PLEASE HELP! OT: Re: BUFFYFIC:PLEASE HELP! Re: OT: Re: BUFFYFIC:PLEASE HELP! Re: OT: Re: BUFFYFIC:PLEASE HELP! Re: BUFFYFIC:PLEASE HELP! BUFFYFIC: Change(1/1) BUFFYFIC: DISREGARD THE MESSAGES SORRY AND PLEASE HELP BUFFYFIC: Section 3, Article 1 (1/1) See the end of the digest for information on (un)subscribing to the buffyfic or buffyfic-digest mailing lists and on how to retrieve back issues. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 15 May 1998 20:13:22 -0400 From: uzenet@videotron.ca Subject: BUFFYFIC: Broken Bonds (Part 7) Title: Broken Bonds (Part 7) Author: Northlight e-mail: uzenet@videotron.ca Thanks: Leslie Summery: Giles dissapears and bad things start to happen. Disclaimer: They aren't mine. Willow dropped onto her bed with a weary sigh. She was exhausted. Dealing with an angry Buffy tended to take a lot out of a person. Not to mention that she had to entertain Xander while he was ill, face Tyler, worry about Giles, and try to figure out what was happening. 'And who could forget that history test on Monday.' Willow groaned and burrowed her head under her pillow. 'Having Buffy deal with vampires was much easier than this,' she thought, grinning slightly at the absurdity of longing for days where all they had to worry about were long toothed demons. "Ok, enough fun for today," Willow chided herself as she reluctantly pulled her head out from under the pillow. "Back to work for me." She moved towards her desk and dropped down in front of the computer. Willow absently nibbled at her lower lip as she went over what she had found out after Buffy had first told her of Giles' disappearance. Unfortunately, it wasn't much. Giles hadn't bought a plane ticket back to England, or anywhere else for that matter. There wasn't any record of him buying a train ticket, renting a car, or checking into a motel. Obviously, Giles still had to be somewhere in Sunnydale. Which led to the question of why he hadn't contacted Buffy. He had to know that the Slayer would be worried sick at his unexplained absence. Willow could think of two reasons for his lack of communication. Giles couldn't get to a phone, or he felt that he couldn't risk it. 'Or he could be-- No! I'm not thinking that! Good thoughts. Think good thoughts.' Pushing aside all unwelcome thoughts of the third possible explanation for Giles' failure to contact Buffy, Willow concentrated on the task before her. "Now lets see what I can find out about Tyler..." ****** Buffy growled as she restlessly paced across her room. She hated the waiting, the not knowing, the helplessness. Buffy had grown used to facing her problems head on. 'What use is it being the damned Slayer if I'm not doing anything!' she silently raged. But there wasn't anything that she could do, not now. Willow was searching for information, Angel was still held inside by the sun as was every other vampire, and Buffy didn't feel ready to face Tyler again. "What an idiot!" Buffy ground out, the thought of Tyler raising her temper once again. "He comes in, under suspicious circumstances too, and proceeds to tell me that I can't have my friends! What, suddenly my Slaying technique isn't good enough because I have people to support me?!" Buffy continued to pace through her room. The angry thuds of her footfalls were punctuated by growled mutterings. It was going to be a long day. ****** Giles shifted uncomfortably, feeling out of place in the jeans he wore. 'I miss my tweed...' he thought wistfully before drawing his mind back to the more important matters at hand. "Here you go, Rupert," Simon said solemnly, dropping several sheets of paper on the table before the Watcher. "It's as complete a list as possible on both sides of the split. I also tried to find out exactly what artifacts, magics and texts are within the hands of both groups." Giles nodded absently, already engrossed in the information held within papers he held. His mouth twisted unhappily at some of the names in the two neat columns. "Are you sure of these?" he asked the other man. Simon shrugged. "As sure as I can be." He understood Rupert's unwillingness to accept some of those placements. It was hard to believe that a long bond of tradition, knowledge, and purpose had been broken. Even though Simon had seen it coming, he too felt a pang of regret for what they had lost. A flicker of sadness passed through Giles' eyes at Simon's confirmation. Their eyes met for a moment, and a shared sense of loss passed between them. Then Giles' eyes dropped back to the papers. "Did you manage to find out who was sent to replace me as Watcher?" Simon grimaced. "Nathaniel Tyler." Giles' head jerked up and his eyes met Simon's once again. "Nathaniel?" he choked. "Not a good thing." End Part 7 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 May 1998 21:14:31 EDT From: Redfire98 Subject: BUFFYFIC: Rendezvous with Midnight (1/1) Title: Rendezvous with Midnight Author: Tamara! Email: Redfire98@aol.com Feedback: I'd appreciate it. Lots. Distribution: It's up on my page. If you want it, ask me first. Summary: During a confrontation with Angelus, Buffy learns something about herself and her enemy. Angelus learns a little something, too. Disclaimer: Characters from the show don't belong to me. They're Joss Whedon's. I'm just borrowing them so I can screw up their lives and mess with their heads. It gives me something to do. Note: This story is just another way for me to be angsty. Go along with it. Open your mind and say to yourself, it's just a story. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rendezvous with Midnight Darkness. It was all she saw, all she felt. All around her there was nothing but darkness. She walked down the street, oblivious to her surroundings, focusing only on the dark. She could sense him near, knew he was waiting for her. She knew it was dangerous, knew he had no qualms about taking her life. But somehow, she couldn't resist the darkness. She couldn't resist him. She stopped at the entrance to the apartment, her mind giving one last scream for her to leave. She was unarmed, her mind totally unfocused on destroying him. She was't ready to kill him, didn't think she'd ever be ready to truly defeat him. She knew that she should be running away, knew she should be trying to save her life. But some little part of her wanted to be there, some part of her needed the darkness that surrounded him. So, with total disregard for her life, she took that final step into the apartment, into his domain. He was sitting there waiting for her. She spotted him as soon as she stepped over the threshold. His eyes were focused intently on her, a slight smile graced his lips. As she walked toward him she wondered what the smile was for. She knew it wasn't because of past memories of this place, knew it wasn't because he cared about the time they'd spent in this room. No, the smile had to be there because he was certain she couldn't stay away from him. She would do anything to be with him. Even give up her life. He stood up suddenly and she halted her steps, not sure of what to do next. He held out a hand and, with only the slightest hesitation, she took it. He hauled her roughly to him, his arms crushing her against his chest. "Are you going to kill me?" she asked him casually, as if they were talking about the weather. It surprised her that she wasn't afraid to die. Angelus raised an eyebrow as he looked down at her. "Maybe," he answered with a shrug. "I haven't really decided yet. Why? In a hurry to die?" Buffy smiled. "No, just wanted to be up to date on things." "Glad I could oblige." He leaned down until his lips were just a breath above hers. "Why are you here?" That was one of many questions she couldn't answer. What was she doing there? She'd been asking herself that question all the way over here. Why couldn't she stay away from him? Why did she always come back, knowing that he could kill her, understanding that her weakness, her inabilty to destroy him, made him stronger? Why did she keep torturing herself? Why couldn't she reject the darkness? Why was she so entranced by him, the creature so intent on making her suffer? Those were questions she feared she would never know the answers to. They were too hard, too complex. She just didn't know how to answer them. Maybe there was no answer. Maybe it was all some big joke. She smiled, briefly, as she pictured the higher powers looking down upon them, entertained, as they silently manipulated their latest toys. Make the Slayer attracted to her enemy, she thought with a look at the ceiling. I hope you like the show we're giving you. She turned her attention back to the one holding her in his arms, looking deep into his eyes searching for answers, only to receive more questions. Looking into the depths of his eyes, eyes that held no emotion, no hint of feeling whatsoever, not anger, not hate, not love, she saw herself. In his eyes she saw what drew them together, she saw what forced them to back to each other, despite the hate. In his eyes she saw darkness. The same darkness she saw in herself. Pulling herself from her thoughts she focused on Angelus. He was still watching her, waiting patiently for her answer to his question. She had a feeling, though, that he already knew the answer. "Why am I here?" she repeated the question, finally ready to speak. "I'm here because I can't help but be here. We're connected. We can't fight it. We're drawn together and though we hate it, we go along with it because we have to." There was a light of understanding in his eyes and she knew that he was aware of what was between them. And he didn't like it anymore than she did. But what they wanted didn't matter. "I can't kill you," Buffy said with a sigh. She reached up and wrapped her arms around him. "At least not yet. I still love you. I don't want to, but I do. But eventually I'm going to work up the nerve to destroy you. I *will* destroy you." "And I'll destroy you," Angelus replied, his voice confident. Buffy nodded, knowing he was right. It was the only way they could go. When their fight was over, both Slayer and Vampire would be gone. Another Slayer would come and take her place, another Vampire would lead the clan. But Buffy and Angelus would be no longer. They knew it and accepted it. It startled her when his lips came down on hers, rough and demanding. It was something she hadn't expected to happen. But she didn't waste time being cautious. Pulling him closer to her, she opened up to him, letting him inside her mouth, inside her soul. As he deepened the kiss she once again felt the shadows that surrounded them. As Slayer and vampire kissed, as their mouths melded together, they connected. Good and evil disappeared, love and hate evaporated. There were only two people, their passion... And darkness. The End ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tamara, CtH Mistress ~ Aramat330@aol.com ~ UCS ~ Spikette ~ SGEB ~ SunS Worshipper ~ RABID ~ GASP Webpage: http://members.tripod.com/~Aramat1/index.html "We're like artists and this is how we screw ourselves." -Jane, "Daria" "I think -therefore I'm single." -Lizz Winstead ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 May 1998 23:28:37 -0400 From: ingrid29@juno.com (Ingrid E Stanton) Subject: BUFFYFIC: "Reunion" (17/?) by Ingrid DISCLAIMER: The characters of Angel, Buffy, Cordelia, Willow, Xander, Jenny, Giles & company 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: Later that night… WELCOME to my story. It takes place ten years into the future, but I’m not telling you what’s happened in advance. That’s happening through interludes. FEEDBACK: I love to get feedback, except when my mailbox explodes, which is often, but send it anyway! My address is Ingrid29@juno.com. REQUESTS FOR PARTS: If you don’t get this, that’s because you haven’t read the other parts. If you want to get this, ask me for them! ********* "Reunion," by Ingrid Part Seventeen: "Long Winter’s Nightmare" ********* It might have been something about that night that made dreams so clear and watery at the same time, or it might have been the moon, so hollow, the darkness caressing its insides. But whatever it was, the house was alive with it as if one body breathed; exhaled slowly. ~~~ There were faces again, writhing and groaning. They were her faces. She didn’t mean to go so close, but invisible fingers pulled her along and she slipped on the wet grass of the shore. The split second when she’d realized she was falling was a moment too late to do anything about it. Her flesh crawled, her body tensed. They were screaming as she plunged into the water and those heads continued to float, unable to move, covering the entire floor of the lake in shadow. It was dark, and deeper than it looked from the outside. Something green and slimy brushed her leg, and she darted forwards, looking for an opening at the surface. Something translucent began to appear at the bottom- Willow was there, her hair floating about and above her, foot stuck under a rock. She was pulling at it calmly, then more anxiously as she realized she was in trouble. She immediately took of to help her, ignoring her burning lungs and reaching towards the deep dark bottom. She stopped almost immediately as someone at the sandy floor lifted the rock easily. It didn’t take her very long to recognize Spike. Again she shot out to help, but again she stopped, as Willow smiled, approached, and wrapped her arms around him in one seductive motion. She looked on in horror as they shared a sensuous kiss. Her lungs burst. She woke up gasping for breath. ~~~~ He was running, he knew. That much he knew, and not much else. His legs were moving, his vision was blurry He was in a vacant city. The blue buildings towered above him, laughing; crumbling slowly. The lightning struck rock and slabs of the dark stuff fell from the sky, crashing around him. Cobblestone path. Stumbling, slowing. It was following. Faster. One unbalanced step wrenched his foot away, and his ankle snapped. He cracked inside and fell, face to the pavement again. The sky ripped in two, and began to bleed in buckets. In moments, he was soaked. He had always been soaked, and this is how it always started. It stopped. It had never started, and yet he was soaked. And then came the pain. He heard footsteps distantly, and in moments he saw the feet and looked up in time to notice the bleached hair and the bloody grin. Screeching pain devoured his insides, and he was leaving; rising. Somewhere along the line it had started to rain again, but quietly; mournfully, and he watched himself get up and smile, as he floated helplessly above. He watched his own figure retreat, the sound of his heels echoing fainter and fainter, until there was nothing else but the blue cobblestones, and the tall blue buildings. Laughing. He jerked awake, and couldn’t stop from shaking. *** END, part 17. _____________________________________________________________________ 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, 16 May 1998 08:38:04 EDT From: Jaclyn Amy Subject: BUFFYFIC: SORRY I'm sooo sorry to disrupt the list, but I think this is a really cool Buffy sounds sight that you should all know about. The Sounds of the Slayer Jaclyn ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 16 May 1998 08:40:11 EDT From: Jaclyn Amy Subject: BUFFYFIC:PLEASE HELP! Can someone who knows a lot about the internet please help me with a story I'm doing? I'm trying to put a link into my story so that the sound comes up as they open the mail. Thanks! - -Jaclyn Amy@aol.com ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 16 May 1998 08:52:04 -0400 (EDT) From: "Jeff Reid (SpaceMOO Admin)" Subject: OT: Re: BUFFYFIC:PLEASE HELP! On Sat, 16 May 1998, Jaclyn Amy wrote: > Can someone who knows a lot about the internet please help me with a story I'm > doing? I'm trying to put a link into my story so that the sound comes up as > they open the mail. Thanks! Sorry for the off-topic post: I wouldn't recommend that. I use Linux and it wouldn't work for me, or at least it would screw up the system. I'm sure it would do the same to other systems too. Is it even possible, though? ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 16 May 1998 09:15:43 EDT From: AlysFaire Subject: Re: OT: Re: BUFFYFIC:PLEASE HELP! In a message dated 98-05-16 08:54:01 EDT, jeff@vv.carleton.ca writes: << On Sat, 16 May 1998, Jaclyn Amy wrote: > Can someone who knows a lot about the internet please help me with a story I'm > doing? I'm trying to put a link into my story so that the sound comes up as > they open the mail. Thanks! Sorry for the off-topic post: I wouldn't recommend that. I use Linux and it wouldn't work for me, or at least it would screw up the system. I'm sure it would do the same to other systems too. Is it even possible, though?>> Hmm, not an expert by any means, but I agree with Jeff, I think it would mess things up. I've seen fic done (not Buffy) posted on a _webpage_ with sounds embedded, that you have to click on to get the wav. (Which was really cool, btw). :-) But I think you'd have to send it as an attached file in a list, wouldn't you? Alys ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 16 May 1998 09:37:19 -0400 From: nothoney@olg.com (slb) Subject: Re: OT: Re: BUFFYFIC:PLEASE HELP! At 09:15 AM 5/16/98 -0400, AlysFaire wrote: >I've seen fic done (not Buffy) posted on a _webpage_ with sounds >embedded, that you have to click on to get the wav. (Which was really cool, >btw). :-) But I think you'd have to send it as an attached file in a list, >wouldn't you? Yes, and that would be bad. In fact, I believe that's against the list rules. Sheryl NotHoney@olg.com Ravenette~Slayerette~Discoverer~BBFC "Our man Angel here likes to talk, but he's not much for action. All hat and no cat." Spike, BTVS Moo: A Fan Fiction Zine http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Cafe/3063 ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 16 May 1998 08:43:37 -0500 (CDT) From: Jill Kirby Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC:PLEASE HELP! At 08:40 AM 5/16/98 EDT, Jaclyn Amy wrote: >Can someone who knows a lot about the internet please help me with a story I'm >doing? I'm trying to put a link into my story so that the sound comes up as >they open the mail. Thanks! This would be a Bad Thing. The sound would come across as an attached file, and that's against the list rules. Jill Jill Kirby ~~ jtkirby@mcs.com ~~ www.geocities.com/SoHo/Lofts/4107 NatPack ~~ ABotCoS ~~ NP4 ~~ Dreamer/Minstrel That would be Methos. But, then, everything's Methos. Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 16 May 1998 09:43:39 EDT From: Jaclyn Amy Subject: BUFFYFIC: Change(1/1) TITLE: Change 1/1 AUTHOR: Jaclyn Amy@aol.com DISCLAIMER: I own none of the Buffy characters or the Buffy Sounds sight. SUMMARY: Buffy’s thoughts as she sees the library after the vamps trashed it in Becoming Part 1. RATING: PG-mild language SPOILERS: None. FEEDBACK: PLEASE! Do it privately to Jaclyn Amy@aol.com, not to the whole list. Thanks. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------ "This isn’t about you. This was never about you." No! No, not again! (I started running.) Please, let them be there, still practicing the ritual when I return. Let Xander make wise cracks, Cordelia make fun of them, Willow research some prophesy, Giles have his nose in a book, and Kendra guarding all of them. Don’t make them suffer for my mistakes. Don’t let them die because I was careless. Don’t take them away from me because I was selfish. //Bottom line is, even if you see them coming, you're not ready for the big moments. No one asks for their life to change, not really. But it does.// Change. One night, one decision, one careless mistake: all change your life so drastically. I never saw it coming. But I should have. I should have seen the dangers. I should have seen the consequenses. I should have known not to leave them alone. I should have remembered. Last time was a warning. Everything turned out fine. I saved the day after almost completely distroying it. I had another chance. This time was real. There are no second chances, no mercy, no hope. Angel, Angelus, whoever the hell he is right now-he’s won. He’s killed me. Maybe not physically, but emotionally I’m gone. Xander was right; I wanted to get my boyfriend back. Look where its got me. Giles, Cordelia, and Xander are gone. I’m not even sure if the vamps were the ones to take them. Willow is probably under the book case. And Kendra…" (I dove onto the floor.) //So, what are we, helpless? Puppets? Nah. The big moments are gonna come, you can't help that. It's what you do afterwards that counts. That's when you find out who you are.// Kendra! Oh God, Kendra! Damnit! I should be the one lying dead on the floor, not you. It’s not your fault. It’s not fair to you; you couldn’t have known. If life was fair though, I’d be dead and you’d be alive. One decision, one mistake. That’s all it took to kill Jenny, to kill her, to kill me. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from tonight, it’s that one moment can change your entire life. Or worse yet, it can change somebody else’s. I can’t look back on what I did and torture myself. I have to look forward, think about what to do next. No matter what I do, she’s dead. The only thing I can do now is to make sure this can’t happen again. I know I can’t control the big moments. I have to know how to react. I need to- "FREEZE!" //You’ll see what I mean.// The End ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 16 May 1998 09:45:47 EDT From: Jaclyn Amy Subject: BUFFYFIC: DISREGARD THE MESSAGES SORRY AND PLEASE HELP Please disregard the messages sorry and please help if you have not already read them. I have just reread the list rules, and they do not abide by them. Please do not read them. Thanks. - -Jaclyn ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 16 May 1998 12:53:51 -0400 From: uzenet@videotron.ca Subject: BUFFYFIC: Section 3, Article 1 (1/1) Title:Section 3, Article 1 Author: Northlight e-mail: uzenet@videotron.ca Thanks: Leslie Summery: Buffy tells her mother that she's the Slayer. Disclaimer: They aren't mine. "Mom?" whispered Buffy, crouching beside her mother. "Are you alright?" Joyce Summers looked at her daughter with wide, frantic eyes. She still looked terrified, Buffy noted. Not that big a shock, all considered. "Buffy?" Joyce gasped in return. Joyce looked so small, and so very lost. "What happened? What was that--- that thing?" Buffy winced slightly. Buffy wasn't prepared for this, but she suspected that she never would be. After all, how did one go about telling her mother that she was the Vampire Slayer? But Joyce deserved to know the truth. She deserved to finally have her answers. Buffy couldn't keep endangering her mother's life by keeping her secret any longer. A guilty look at the gash across her mother's face assured Buffy of her decision to tell her mother everything. Buffy cleared her throat nervously and moved to sit next to Joyce on the couch. "Mom," Buffy began uncertainly, "this is kind of hard, but I have something that I have to tell you." Joyce nodded reassuringly and then winced as her head began pounding with renewed strength. She felt horrible, not that she was about to tell Buffy that. She had waited and wondered long enough, and Joyce wasn't about to let the fact that she felt a step away from death stop her from hearing this. "Well... you see... I'mtheSlayer,Islayvampiresandotherthings," Buffy gasped out. 'There, that wasn't so hard.' Buffy's hurried confession was met by a blank look. "What was that, Buffy?" 'Damn!' Buffy took a deep breath and consciously slowed down. "I'm the Chosen One. That meaning I... well, I slay vampires and... things." Joyce blinked. Once. Twice. "I see." "You do!?" Joyce nodded. "If you didn't want to tell me then you didn't have to, Buffy. I'd rather that you didn't feel the need to lie to me." 'And damn again!' Buffy thought, slightly put out. She had finally revealed her secret to her mother, and she didn't believe her! 'Ok, fine. I can understand that. Slaying is a hard thing to accept.' Another deep breath and Buffy was ready to try again. "It's true, mom. I'm the Slayer. And that thing that attacked you," Buffy's hand blindly reached out towards her mother's, "was a demon. Not a drug addict, a demon. And I killed it." Joyce didn't know what to believe. Demons? Chosen One? Vampires? It seemed so unreal. But that would explain so many things... 'Wait a minute!' Joyce thought suddenly, 'my daughter fighting demons! My baby! She could be killed! Ohmygod!' Seeing the look of motherly terror filling Joyce's eyes, Buffy gathered that she had been believed. 'That's a relief! No more groundings or lectures!' "I won't allow this!" Joyce exclaimed, her hand clutching at Buffy's with a desperate strength. Buffy sighed. 'Great. From one problem to another.' She snickered softly as she thought of what Giles would do if she came in one day with a note from her mother stating that her Slaying activities would no longer be allowed. "Don't worry mom," Buffy said, now the one reassuring. "I can take care of myself. I've faced tons of vampires and demons and things, and I'm still here." 'Except for that one close call that she really doesn't need to hear about...' "Buffy..." "It's fine mom!" Buffy stated confidently. "See, look at this." Buffy pulled out a stake, and proceded to dazzle her mother with the moves that had been the destruction of more than a fair share of vampires. Joyce looked at Buffy with tearing eyes. "Oh Buffy!" she sobbed suddenly, the terrors and revelations of the night finally hitting her. Buffy moved towards her mother and wrapped her arms around her. She held Joyce in her arms until the woman fell to sleep. ***** Buffy woke up slowly, mildly confused. 'Something happened last night...' she thought trying to shake the memories free of her sleep clouded mind. 'Mom! She was attacked and I told her everything!' Buffy sighed in contentment. Life was good. Her mother was alright and no longer thought that she was a rebellious trouble maker. The Slayer rolled off the couch on which she had spent an uncomfortable night and padded towards the kitchen. She peeked into the room. Joyce was sitting at the table, the newspaper spread out before her as she munched on her toast. "Morning, mom," Buffy smiled as she came into the room. She quickly buttered her own piece of toast and dropped down at the other chair at the table. A quick glance towards her mother revealed that the gash from last night had been bandaged. Joyce caught her daughter's glance and raised a hand towards the bandage. "I suppose you must be wondering about this," she said much to Buffy's shock. "I dropped my mirror last night, and a piece of it nicked me as it flew by." "Mom?!" Buffy gasped. "I'm fine, Buffy," Joyce quickly reassured. Buffy shook her head, looking at Joyce with wide eyes. "Don't you remember?" "Remember what?" Joyce questioned. "What we talked about last night!" Buffy burst out. Joyce looked mildly surprised at Buffy's question and for a moment Buffy thought that her mother had just been joking. That hope was dashed a moment later. "Of course I do! Though I'm surprised that you brought it up again. And yes, you are still grounded. I warned you what would happen if you came in late again, Buffy-- Buffy?" Buffy pushed her chair back and stood up, looking queasy. "Um... yeah. Gotta go. Love you." With that Buffy sprinted from the room, leaving her mother staring after her in confusion. ******* "Giles!" Buffy cried out as she barreled into the library. "Buffy?" he replied from among the shelves. He emerged a moment later, his gaze curious. Taking in her disheveled appearance, the look in his eyes turned to concern, "are you alright?" Buffy nodded, "I'm fine, Giles. But my mom isn't. She's possessed or something! There must be some sort of demon that causes memory lapses, right? Right!?" "Calm down, Buffy!" Giles reprimanded, "what did your mother forget?" "I told her everything last night, and now she doesn't remember any of it!" "Oh." Giles said simply, a total lack of anything approaching worry in his tone. "Oh! Is that all you have to say?" Buffy demanded, her nerves fraying. "It's nothing to worry about, Buffy," Giles said calmly as he moved towards his office. He emerged a moment later, a book in his hand. "The reason is right here." Buffy looked at the book curiously, Giles calm manner soothing her panic. "What is that?" "This is the Slayer's Handbook." "And that explains what happened to my mom?" Giles nodded and flipped through the book. "Here we are," he murmured. "Section 3, Article 1." He scanned the page and motioned for Buffy to sit down. "This is something that was done to ensure that the Watcher and Slayer would receive no interference from the Slayer's parents. Parents who are capable of dealing with their daughter's destiny are told of it. That saves everybody from much trouble. But those parents who can not handle such a destiny for their child remain incapable of grasping the truth, even if it is spelled out to them in detail." Buffy gaped at Giles and then groaned, her head dropping down into her crossed arms on the table. "Great. Now I'm never going to be able to get out of being grounded." "It's for the best, Buffy." "Sure it is." End ------------------------------ End of buffyfic-digest V2 #190 ****************************** To subscribe to buffyfic or buffyfic-digest, send the command subscribe buffyfic-digest or subscribe buffy 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. To unsubscribe, send email to majordomo@xmission.com with unsubscribe buffyfic-digest or unsubscribe buffyfic in the body. 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)