From: owner-buffyfic@lists.xmission.com (buffyfic-digest) To: buffyfic-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: buffyfic-digest V2 #282 Reply-To: $SENDER Sender: owner-buffyfic@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-buffyfic@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk buffyfic-digest Wednesday, July 29 1998 Volume 02 : Number 282 In this issue: BUFFYFIC: Xander's Incredible Journey (2/?) BUFFYFIC: Kender Chaos (8/?) BUFFYFIC: "Starting Over" (4/13) 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: Wed, 29 Jul 1998 11:37:42 PDT From: "Cutter Kinseeker" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Xander's Incredible Journey (2/?) TITLE: "Xander's Incredible Journey" AUTHOR: Cutter Kinseeker E-MAIL: ckinseeker@hotmail.com AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is the second chapter of my first fanfic. Be gentle! FEEDBACK: Yes! Yes! Yes! Tell me what you think, but constructive criticism only please. No "it sucks" type messages. DISTRIBUTION: Ask me first. RATING: Mostly PG-13 for language and adult themes. A couple of parts will be R. DESCRIPTION: In the aftermath of "Becoming," Xander sets out after Buffy and winds up "becoming" in his own right. A council of war is held in the Sunnydale High library; Xander must face his deepest fears; a surprise guest makes an appearance. DISCLAIMER: I don't own jack. Correction--jack's probably the only thing I do own. The rest belongs to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and the Frog Network. SPOILERS: Everything up to "Becoming". S S P P O A I C L E E R Chapter Two From Humble Beginnings Xander's apprehension hung about him as a dark cloud, an almost physical presence, as he entered the library of Sunnydale High. He pressed past the swinging doors and tried to make his gait a natural one as his friends--and Giles--came into view at the large table which dominated the center of the lower level. Their eyes were upon him as his mouth curved upward in a smile that didn't touch his eyes. "Waiting for me? That's new," he quipped easily enough, being so used to hiding his feelings that his nervousness just appeared to be his usual self-consciousness. "So, guys, what's up? Or down, as the case may be?" His dark eyes scanned the table. There, on his left, was Willow, probably his best friend in the world, her hand tightly gripping that of her boyfriend, werewolf lead guitarist Oz. On his right, the impeccably British Rupert Giles, a man whose facial expression and walk made him seem as though he were continually slightly constipated. The only faces noticeably absent from the gathering were those of Xander's on-again, off-again girlfriend Cordelia Chase, and of course Buffy Summers, the Vampire Slayer. Xander's gaze was drawn to Giles as the older man gave a slight exhalation and rubbed the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "Xander, as stimulating as your brand of repartee is, I'm afraid we have more serious things to discuss. I was going to wait until you and Cordelia arrived before I began so that I wouldn't have to repeat myself..." He broke off, seeming to notice for the first time that Xander was alone. "Where is Cordelia, by the way?" "Oh, she's got some sort of cheerleading thing going on," Xander replied. "I'd be there with her--you know, for moral support--" Willow passed Oz a look that Xander didn't miss but chose not to say anything about, "--but she gets this whole 'jealous-girlfriend' routine when I hang around. Either that, or the whole 'embarrassed-girlfriend' routine. I get them mixed up." Giles sighed again. He really didn't need this, not right now, and Xander's flippancy was just making the situation harder on him. "Xander, sit down." The tone of command in Giles' voice brooked no room for argument, and the look in his eyes silenced the wisecrack in Xander's throat before it could break free. He placed himself at the opposite end of the table from Giles and tried to look dejected. Willow glanced sympathetically at her friend and smiled before she turned to Giles to ask him the question that had been on her mind for almost fifteen minutes. "Okay, Giles, why are we here?" Now this one Xander couldn't pass up. "Well, Willow," Xander started in, "you see, people have been asking that question since the beginning of time. Why are we here? What is our purpose in life? Are there any reasons at all? The simple version of the answer goes like this: When a boy and a girl like each other a lot, they want to express that affection..." Giles' face was turning a bright and interesting shade of red, and it looked as though he were about to suffer an attack of something or other. Willow and Oz were trying to suppress giggles and not doing a terribly good job at it. Xander's devil-may-care grin grew as he watched Giles' reaction. Any joke he could use to annoy the G-Man, he knew, was a truly successful one. His dark mood had started to lift; maybe today wouldn't be so bad after all. Finally, Giles decided that he had had enough. He brought down his palm on the hardwood table as hard as he could, which was quite hard considering that he spent most of his time either lifting stacks of books or sparring with a Slayer. The resultant loud crack made Willow jump slightly, Oz move instantly to comfort her, and Xander to close his mouth with an audible click as his teeth met. "I have had more than my fill of your foolishness for one day! Now be quiet and listen! This is serious!" Giles' color had begun to return to normal but his breathing was harsh and ragged as one who had been performing a heavy aerobic regimen. Xander was silent now, both from acute shame and from the knowledge that Giles never lost his cool like this unless it *was* serious. "Sorry, Giles," Xander said, real hurt and surprise in his voice now. "What's going on?" Xander's face was a mass of contradictions; he knew precisely what was going on, why they were all here today, but he kept telling himself that he was being paranoid, kept hoping against hope that he was wrong. Giles cleared his throat and began. "Buffy still has not returned to school, nor has she contacted me--nor, I assume, any of you." He paused to look at the assembled youths as they gravely shook their heads. "I spoke to Principal Snyder today, asking when Buffy was expected to return. According to him, she is not." "What?" asked Willow, more than a bit shocked and worried. "The principal informed me that he personally expelled Buffy the night of Angelus's attack. He found her here, in the library, looking around, called the police, and then simply expelled her." Giles face was a mask of indifference as he spoke, his crisp British accent striving to report the facts without emotion and only just succeeding. "But that means..." began Willow. "That she knew she wouldn't be coming back to school? Yes, indeed," Giles finished for her. "Why she would keep this vital fact from us, I don't know, but I have my suspicions. Possibly, she had already planned leaving Sunnydale after she, um, finished Angelus. More likely, she did not wish to burden us with her own problems, which I can suppose were weighing heavily upon her." "Wait, wait, wait," interrupted Xander. "Leave Sunnydale? What are you talking about, G-Man? She's the Slayer, remember? She can't leave Sunnydale. Can she?" "Well, um, the- the force which empowers the Slayers may have decided that her tenure in Sunnydale was at an end with the destruction--or reform--of Angelus and permitted her to leave. Or, possibly, Buffy is no longer the Slayer and she is no longer required to fight the forces of darkness. There are records of Slayers retiring after dealing with one last major threat, rather than dying in battle. With her responsibility over, she could have decided that it was time to start over someplace else." "Aren't we just grasping at straws here?" interrupted Oz's cool, slow voice. "I mean, how do we even know that she's gone anywhere? She could still be here in town, recovering from the fight. Isn't that what you said the other day? That she and Angel are someplace quiet, getting, uh... reacquainted?" Giles nodded. "That was the original theory. Now, however, I know differently. Since Willow was released from the hospital, I've been doing some digging, and what I've found does not inspire me to be hopeful. In addition, my own injuries and general state of confusion slowed the search and made me leave one important source until last: Mrs. Summers." "Buffy's mom," said Xander by way of stating the obvious. "Cool. If anyone can clear this up, she can." "Actually, no. Mrs. Summers was somewhat less than helpful." Giles frowned in memory of the confrontation between himself and the distraught Joyce Summers. "She was, in fact, rather close to hysteria. Apparently, Buffy revealed her secret identity to her mother, and they had some sort of argument. The details I managed to glean from her were sketchy at best, but from what I did get, Joyce... threw Buffy out of the house." "What?" asked Willow and Xander at the same time, startling Giles out of his "lecture mode." They both began to babble incoherently at the same time, leaving Oz in confusion and Giles at the focus of the cacophony. Even through the din, it was obvious that both were concerned, though Willow's tone was closer to panicky worry and Xander's was closer to moral outrage. The group fell into a shocked silence as the library doors opened noisily, as though someone who had been listening to them had decided to make a dramatic entrance. "Well, well, well," said the stranger, a small, oily-looking man dressed all in black as he removed his sunglasses and hat, "the infamous Slayerettes. So we meet at last. Too bad it's gotta be under these circumstances. I had hoped to sit down with a cappuccino or a foot-long and talk to you, but they don't allow them in here." He looked over at the English librarian and smiled crookedly. "Sorry 'bout the stuff I snitched from your fridge, Rupe, but a demon's gotta eat." At the word "demon" the gathered group reacted. Giles instantly headed for the weapons case in his office, while both Oz and Xander moved to place themselves between the man(?) in the rumpled fedora and their still-injured friend. Xander in particular cut a less-than-imposing figure with his jittery look and his good arm still in a cast. "Oh, stop it," reprimanded the stranger. "For one, none of you can do squat against me--I'm kind of immortal--and for another, I'm here to help you, so just sit down and calm down." His words had a reassuring effect on the friends, and Xander and Oz both visibly lowered their guard, Xander somewhat slower than the good-natured werewolf. Willow's tremors subsided gradually, and Giles made his way back to the table, though he kept hold of the bottle of holy water he had managed to grab. "Who the devil are you?" asked Giles cautiously. "Nice choice of words, G-Man," interjected Xander nervously. The stranger smiled. "That's why I like you, kid, a quip for every occasion." The man's dark eyes bored into Xander. *He knows*, Xander thought to himself in a panic, *he knows everything*. If anything, the stranger's smile became larger, more amused, as though the world were a joke and he were the only one to understand the punchline. "As for who I am... you can call me The Whistler." END CHAPTER TWO Cutter Kinseeker - -Chieftain of the Wolfriders - -Holder of New Moon, artifact sword - -Slayer of the dreaded beast Madcoil - -Keeper of Xander Harris' half-kept promise, "You're gonna die. And I'm gonna be there." "AYOOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHH!!!!" --Cutter Kinseeker "From famine to feast and back to famine again." --Skywise Visit the Holt of Cutter Kinseeker http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Chamber/2234/ ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1998 15:16:52 PDT From: "Black Fire" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Kender Chaos (8/?) Title: Kender Chaos Author: Black Fire Email:Blackfire42@hotmail.com Feedback: Yes, please. Rating: PG Spoilers: Buffy: Anything before WML1 Dragonlance: Chronicles and Legends Trilogies. Disclaimers: I own neither sets of characters and I can't afford to either. Summary: Tasslehoff Burrfoot and Fizban the Fabulous have found their way to Sunnydale. Kender Chaos Chapter 7 By the time the others arrived at Buffy's house, she was a wreck. Tasslehoff had gone through the entire house, looking and exploring and picking things up. Finally, after several hours of chasing the Kender around and fishing things out of his pockets, Buffy found a rope and tied him to a chair. This made Tas very unhappy and depressed. He sat in his chair looking dejected and sad and, even though Buffy told him that it was for his own good, it didn't help For how could a person from this world know that tying a Kender down was the worst form of torture one could inflict. So, by the time the others got to the house, Tas had cried himself to sleep in the chair and was looking rather pathetic. Even Cordelia took pity on him. Buffy gently woke the Kender and, after emphatically promising to be good, she untied him as well. That taken care of, they got down to business. The rest listened as Buffy told them of her dream. All except Tas, who was intensely studying something he had fished out of his pouches. Eventually, the others came to the conclusion that this had to be one of the weirdest dreams Buffy's ever had. "Oh," Buffy concluded, "the old man said something about Tas." The voicing of the Kender's name caused him to finally look up and pay attention. "Really?" he asked. "What did he say?" "He said, 'Tas knows,'" Buffy answered, looking at him. "I do?" Tas gasped, looking excited. Then he frowned, "I know what?" "That's what I wanna know," Buffy said. "But what could shorty here have to do with an old guy who throws fireballs at you?" Xander asked. "Hey! Who you calling 'shorty?'" Tas yelled, glaring at Xander. Then, as if some kind of realization had just hit him, he turned back to Buffy. "He threw a fireball at you?" "Yes, I already said that," Buffy sighed. "Did he have a long, white beard, brown robes and a worn out hat?" Tas asked rapidly. "Yes," Buffy stared at him. "And he looked kind of crazy one minute and serious the next." "WOW!" Tas exclaimed. "You saw Fizban?" Tas looked at her in awe. "You know this guy?" Angel asked. "Yes!" the Kender said, jumping up and down. "His name is Fizban the Fabulous. Well, his name isn't really Fizban, it's Paladine. But we Kenders are allowed to call him Fizban. He's a close, personal friend of mine. I was always helping him find his hat, which was usually on top of his head. And he was always trying to remember how the 'Fireball' spell worked." "Are you saying that this... Fizban is a wizard of sorts?" Giles asked. "Well..." Tas said, thinking of a way to explain it, "yes in a way. He's a very powerful wizard, when he gets his spells right and his aim isn't off. He's even more powerful than Raistlin and Raistlin went up against Queen Takhisis. But, then Fizban *is* really Paladine, so that wouldn't be surprising. Paladine being a god and all..." "A what?!?!" the rest exclaimed. "A god," Tas repeated. "You see, there's a whole bunch of gods when I come from. But the three big ones are Takhisis the five-headed dragon, who's Queen of Darkness, Gilean the scales, God of Neutrality and Paladine the platinum dragon, who's the god of good. And Paladine sometimes shows up as this old wizard named Fizban who, like I said, is a close personal friend of mine." "Dragon?" Buffy asked absently. "That's what I saw!" "You saw a dragon in your dream?" Tas asked, amazed. "Where did you see it? What color was it?" "I was standing on a hill," Buffy said, "overlooking a city in the trees..." "That would be Solace!!" Tas put in. "How wonderful." "Shh.." Buffy hissed. "There were two of them. Both sort of metallic in color. And they were gold." "Oh those are the good dragons," Tas explained. "Is that what you were so frightened of in your dream? That's really odd. They being good dragons and all. But, I guess that if you haven't seen a dragon before, they can be pretty frightening. Not that I would know, of course. Do you think that Fizban might be here? That he might have come to get me?" "If he *is* here," Giles frowned, "then I'm afraid we have a problem." "What kind of problem?" the Kender asked. "If Buffy's dream is correct," Giles said, darkening even more, "then your friend, Fizban is in the hands of some very dangerous people. And if really is what you say he is, then we may be in big trouble." * * * * * The Black Fire | "Don't worry, I'm not here to eat." Blackfire42@hotmail.com | -Angel (IG) http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Shadowlands/4203 "But if they all forget me I will be here anyway, like an artifact of some lost civilization" -Vlad Dracula _The Dracula Tape_ "I'll see you there, Jekyll." -Edward Hyde "Jekyll & Hyde" ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1998 18:43:13 EDT From: Subject: BUFFYFIC: "Starting Over" (4/13) "Starting Over" (4/13) Section 1 by Jaclyn Link TITLE: Starting Over E-MAIL: Angel75427@aol.com DISTRIBUTION: Ask me first, but I=92ll probably say yes. RATING: PG SPOILERS: None, but if you haven=92t seen Becoming, you might not want to= read this. SUMMARY: Buffy had left Sunnydale via bus after sending Angel to Hell. On= the=0Abus she met the next Watcher in line, Andrew, and decided to live = with him and=0Ahis Slayer, Shy. DISCLAIMER: Joss Wheden, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar Telivision, 20th Century= Fox,=0Athe WB, Kuzui Productions, etc. own all the character from the sh= ow Buffy the=0AVampire Slayer. FEEDBACK: Please send it to me. AUTHOR=92S NOTE: This story is in two sections. The second section will b= e a=0Asequel to this under the same name. Also, special thanks to AleXand= er=0A(rathom@primenet.com) for the use of his wonderful ep transcripts wh= ich can be=0Aaccessed at http://slayerfanfic.com/transcript.html. *** =09Later that night, Buffy decided to call the library and tell everyone = that=0Ashe was all right. As she dialed Giles=92s number, a nervousness c= rept over her.=0AWhat if he doesn=92t care that I left? she thought. No, = he cares about me.=0AStill, this is the right thing to do. =09Brrrrng. Brrrrng. "Sunnydale High School Library," Buffy heard a voice= say. =09"Can I please speak to Rupert Giles?" Buffy asked. =09"Buffy Summers," she heard, now sure Snyder was on the other end of th= e line. =09"Give the phone to me," she heard Giles say in the background. =09Snyder ignored him. "We=92ll find you, Summers. You can be sure about = that. =09"Put Giles on the line," she hissed. =09"Since you are now expelled, you have no reason to talk to him. Don=92= t call=0Aagain." =09"Let me talk to him, damnit-" He hung up. She decided to call his house and leave a message on the machine. =09"This is Rupert Giles," Giles=92s taped voice said. "Please leave your= name,=0Anumber, and message after the beep. Thank you." =09BEEP. "Hey, Giles. It=92s Buffy. I was just calling to tell you that I= =92m safe=0Aand have a place to stay. I=92m sorry I left, but I had to af= ter I sent Angel to=0AHell. I hope you can understand. Tell Willow thanks= for trying, and tell Mom=0Athat I love her. I=92ll talk to you soon." =09In a way, Buffy was glad she didn=92t have to talk to Giles directly. = She=0Awasn=92t ready to have a real conversation explaining everything. =09Suddenly she heard a shriek coming from Shy=92s room. Running in there= , she saw=0AShy against the wall with Drusilla holding her neck. "Look at= me," she heard=0ADru say. "Be in my eyes. Be in me." =09Buffy threw Drusilla off Shy into the wall. Drusilla angrily got up. "= You,"=0Ashe hissed, "you killed my Angel." =09"How did you get in?" =09"I was invited." An evil smile spread across her face. =09At the sound of this, Shy ran downstairs. Drusilla scratched Buffy acr= oss the=0Aface. Then, she hit her, knocking her to the floor. Buffy put h= er hand to her=0Acheek and looked at the blood that pored down. Jumping t= o her feet, Buffy=0Athrough a punch at Dru, which she blocked. Grabbing B= uffy=92s neck, she shoved=0Aher against the wall. Suddenly, Buffy was hit= with a vision. =09Suddenly a vampire came out from the stacks and attacked Xander from b= ehind.=0AThe main doors flew open, and Kendra spun around to defend as tw= o more=0Avampires walk in. Giles pointed to the steps and yelled at the g= irls as a=0Afourth vampire appeared from the stacks. =09Willow and Cordelia made for the stairs. Kendra punched two vamps. One= jumps=0Aover the mezzanine railing and lands on Giles' back, knocking hi= m into the=0Atable. Cordelia and Willow ran up the stairs and see Xander = elbow the vampire=0Aon his back, knocking the demon into a bookcase. Havi= ng punched down the one=0Avampire, Kendra grabbed the other and shoves he= r into the wall. The first one=0Agot up and rushed in to fight. Willow ra= n around behind the stacks to try to=0Aescape. Giles grabbed a vase from = the table and smashes it over his attacker's=0Ahead. Xander's assailant r= ushed him again, but Xander sidestepped him. He spun=0Aaround, grabbed Xa= nder and shoved him into a bookcase. The one down below=0Ahopped up onto = the table, ran across it and lept over the railing above.=0AWillow hid be= hind a bookcase. The vampire didn't stop and just pushed the case=0Aover = onto Willow. The vampire Kendra is fighting ducked her swing. Xander's=0A= opponent grabbed his arm, looped his own around it tightly and pulled dow= n,=0Abreaking it. Xander yelled out in pain. Kendra ducked a roundhouse k= ick from=0Aher enemy and blocked several swings. Xander grabbed his torme= nter's hair and=0Asmashes his head down on the railing. Below Giles ducke= d a swing and punches=0Athe vampire in the gut. Kendra lands two punches = in the face of her attacker.=0AGiles pounded his assailant on the back, b= ut he just roared and spun around=0Awith a punch to Giles' face, knocking= him out. Xander picked the dazed vampire=0Aup and shoved him into the ot= her one going at Cordelia, knocking him down. He=0Agrabbed his broken arm= and winced in pain. Cordelia screamed and ran out=0Athrough the stacks. = Xander watched Kendra's opponent punch her in the face,=0Abut Kendra duck= ed and backed into her and came up holding back the vampire's=0Ahead. She= plunged her stake into her heart, and she bursted into ashes. Xander=0Aw= inced again in pain. Willow lay prone under the fallen bookcase. Kendra= =0Alooked around for her next target. She saw the one going for Giles, an= d rushed=0Aover to pull him off. She shoveds him around to the floor. He = tries to get up,=0Abut she just punched him back down. He tried again, an= d she grabbed him and=0Athrew him through the window into Giles' office. = Just then another one tackled=0Aher from the side. A vampire punched Kend= ra, and she stumbled, but regained=0Aher footing. Up in the stacks the ot= her one came at Xander and punched him in=0Athe face, knocking him out. B= elow Kendra was hit by a roundhouse kick, and=0Afell. The library doors s= wung open, and Drusilla walked in. The vampire triesd=0Ato kick Kendra, b= ut she blocked it and swung out with her leg, tripping him,=0Aand got bac= k to her feet to face the other two, the one that came down from=0Aabove,= the other one now back out of Giles' office. The third one was up again= =0Aalso, and they close in on her, but before any more fighting ensued Dr= usilla=0Aclaps her hands. =09//Enough.// =09She bid Kendra come hither with her waving fingers. The other three ju= st=0Abacked off. Kendra faced Drusilla, ready to fight. Drusilla walked a= round her=0Aand goaded her on. Kendra kicked at her, but Drusilla blocked= her easily, as=0Awell as two follow-up swings. She punched Kendra and se= nt her spinning to the=0Afloor. Drusilla ducked a kick from Kendra and gr= abbed her by the arms. She=0Aswung her around and shoved her away. Kendra= came back at her again with a=0Akick to the gut, and Drusilla doubled ov= er for an instant. Kendra lunged at=0Aher, but Drusilla grabbed her by th= e throat and forced her back against the=0Acounter, gripping hard and cho= king her. =09//Look at me deary.// Her long fingernails pointed to her eyes. //Be i= n my=0Aeyes. Be in me.// =09Kendra swayed with Drusilla. Dru started to get her fingers ready and= =0Ascratched at =09Kendra=92s neck. Kendra fell to the floor. =09//Night, night.// Dru blew an imaginary kiss into the air. //Let=92s g= et what=0Awe came for, dears.// The vampires dragged Giles out of library= . =09Buffy was suddenly in the present, overcome with rage. Pushing away=0A= Drusilla=92s hand, she hit her to the ground. She then kicked her in the = stomach=0Aover and over. Picking her up, she rammed her into the wall and= hit her with=0Athe back of her hand. With all her strength, she then kno= cked her through the=0Awindow and watched as =09Drusilla=92s body fell to= the ground. Quickly, she=0Ascrambled up and gave Buffy the evil eye befo= re disappearing into the night. =09Remembering Andrew and Shy, she ran out of the room. From the top of t= he=0Abalcony, she saw Shy leaning over a lifeless looking body. *** End Part 4 "It hurts sometimes more than we can bear. If we could live without passi= on,=0Amaybe we=92d know some kind of peace. But we would be hallow. Empty= rooms,=0Ashuddered and dank. Without passion, we=92d be truly dead." -An= gel, Passion ------------------------------ End of buffyfic-digest V2 #282 ****************************** 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. 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