From: owner-buffyfic@lists.xmission.com (buffyfic-digest) To: buffyfic-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: buffyfic-digest V2 #395 Reply-To: $SENDER Sender: owner-buffyfic@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-buffyfic@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk buffyfic-digest Tuesday, December 15 1998 Volume 02 : Number 395 In this issue: BUFFYFIC: Twilight (14/15) BUFFYFIC: Sagesse 1/? BUFFYFIC: Twilight (15/15) 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: Mon, 14 Dec 1998 21:41:33 EST From: Titanic437@aol.com Subject: BUFFYFIC: Twilight (14/15) TITLE: Twilight AUTHOR: Shadows DISTRIBUTION: Must I beg? 'Cause I will. E-mail me at Titanic437@aol.com for permission. DISCLAIMER: *Sigh* they aren't mine. NOTE: The author has become organized, and soon all chapters of "Twilight" will be posted on the author's site, with has run away from it's old home and is lookig for a new place. Twilight (14/15) Xander growled and stepped nearer, and Cordelia shrieked. "Don't come near me!" she cried, pressing up against *Angel* of all people. She couldn't believe that her boyfriend, the one boyfriend she was actually beginning to have actual feelings for, had turned into a vampire. No way! But the proof was there, coming right for her. "Get away!" she shrieked again as Xander continued, steadfast towards her and Angel. Xander tore his attention from Angel to look at Cordelia with sad eyes. "I'm *not* going to hurt you," he said softly. Then he shifted his gaze back to Angel. "Let her go, and then we'll fight. It's me you want to get back at." "Yeah, I really want to get you back, I do," Angel mused. "But you see"-he tightened his hold on Cordelia, and she stiffened-"if I kill her in front of your eyes, imagine what it'll do to you." Angel looked down at Cordelia's neck and wished that he hadn't eaten a two (was it three?) teenage girls just a half hour ago, when he was on the prowl. But he could still kill Cordelia if he really, really wanted to. "It'll kill you too." Xander's eyes narrowed, but he kept his cool at an inhuman level. "I said, *let her go*." Angel looked up to the sky, as if deliberating whether or not he should follow Xander's order. Then he looked at Cordelia, then at Xander, and the back to his victim. Then he grinned. "No," he said simply, and then moved to sink his fangs into Cordelia's neck. Xander was top of him before he even had the chance to move a centimeter towards her neck. Together, the three of them fell, Cordelia screaming for help. Xander was vaguely aware of her, and moved quickly enough to wrench her away from Angel's grip and then to drag Angel to the other side of the fenced- in backyard. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -------------------------- Buffy & Co barely had time to round the corner when Cordelia ran around it first, slamming into Buffy full-force. The two teenage girls bounced off each other, and Cordelia was the one to recover first. "Ohmigod *Xander's a VAMPIRE*!" Cordelia screamed, grabbing on to Buffy and shaking her. "Cordelia, Cordelia . . ." Buffy said, trying to sooth the poor girl, but she would not calm down. "*Cordelia*!" Cordelia snapped out of it and looked, shivering, at Buffy. "We know!" Cordelia jaw dropped to the floor and her eyes grew twice their normal size. "WHAT? My boyfriend's a vampire and you *knew*? How come nobody told me? Am I not important? Do you know what kind of a shock this is? Ah, ah, ah . . ." Cordelia took some deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. The rest of the gang looked worried as Buffy tried to explain to Cordelia what exactly Xander's situation was. Cordelia listened with wide, dull eyes, and seemed like she was about to cry. "Where's Xander?" Willow asked after Cordelia had wiped away her tears and they had all calmed down. "He's"-sniff-"fighting Angel in the backyard." "*What*?" Buffy asked, incredulous. "Xander might *die* and you've been here whimpering to me about *you*? Have you not changed?" With that, Buffy brushed the Slayerette off and ran around the corner, hopefully soon enough to save her friend's hide. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- - ------------------------- Xander let out a yelp of pain as Angel grabbed him by his shirt and slammed him into the wall of the Chase house. The force of the hit sent a shudder through his spine, but it was quickly gone. Enraged, Xander kicked Angel hard in the chest, and the older vampire let go of the younger one, Xander sliding to the grass and crawling out of the way. Xander didn't even get to his feet before Angel tackled him and they began to roll around on the ground, getting the occasional kick or punch in. There were a lot of sharp, jagged rocks splayed around the yard to keep the intruders out and to prevent the family dog from running away (as though the mile-high ivy- climbed walls didn't), so Xander and Angel suffered several nasty scrapes on all parts of their bodies. *It could be worse*, Xander convinced himself as he ignored another blow to his stomach. *It could be wood*. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- - ------------------------ Idiot her-she had forgotten her stakes. Oh well, she was just going to have to beat him into a bloody pulp until he ran away. Buffy marched steadfastly towards the two men who were duking it out on the ground. Vampire or not, Xander was not a match for Angel, and she was. She was the Slayer, Angel a Vampire, and it was finally obvious to her as to what she should do. What she should've done so long, long time ago. With decisive strength, Buffy reached out and yanked Angel off of Xander, throwing him against the wall. Stunned, Angel slid down the wall, and Buffy was heading towards him when someone grabbed her roughly by the arm. ". . . the hell do you think you're doing?" Xander shouted at her, practically dragging her against him. Buffy gave him an astonished look and then proceeded to open her mouth and try to explain. "No, wait, I don't want to hear it! But I want *you* to hear *this*. This is *my* fight, and I'm going to fight it, dammit! You had about fifty million chances to kill Angel, and zip-zero-nada, you didn't. So now it's *my* turn, and *back off*." Buffy was going to argue with him, but the Slayer-Sense in the back of her mind told her not to push Xander's already strained limits. "Alright," she told him. "But-" Angel decided he was done waiting and that action needed to be taken. He slammed into Xander, completely ignoring the Slayer, and continued his interrupted fight. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- - ------------------------- He was losing and he knew it. That was possibly the only thing he knew. Xander was so engrossed in the fight that he was only vaguely aware that Buffy had left the two brawling vampires alone, but she and the others were still somewhere near. They were only fuzzy perceptions at the back of his mind, while whatever was left concentrated on the fistfight. It's not like he was losing on purpose, although it was very much his fault. The fact that Angel had 200+ years tucked under his belt and Xander had one night didn't really matter-Angel was up to full strength and he was not. He hadn't drunk the blood, he still had the aching, yet surfaced-healed wound, and while battling Angel he had to keep the demon inside quiet, because it was beating down his doors of willpower. The angrier he got, the more control the demon had over him, and Xander was angry. And scared, and even more angry. He could already see that Angel was going to win, and he lose. But he was not going to ask Buffy for help, and he would do anything he could to not lose, except . . . There was one way, one *sure* way for him to win, but Xander didn't want to do it. He was afraid that if he did it, he might not be able to *un*do it, and he would be lost forever. But he couldn't let Angel win, let Angel win and go and do some more evil stuff. So he would have to make a sacrifice . . . God, he never thought he'd actually be making a sacrifice for anything or anybody. He never seen himself as that kind of person. But, he had been through a lot of changes . . . ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- - ------------------------- They all knew that it was rude, sick, and disgusting to watch this fight, but they couldn't help it. Xander had been hinting for centuries that he was going to end Angel, but they had never truly believed it. Now that it was two vampires against each other in a definite fight-to-the-death, their eyes were glued to the scene, not one able to tear their gaze away. "He's going to die," Willow mumbled to herself, not even noticing that she and Cordelia, enemies to the last, were hugging each other in fear that the one thing they both loved might be gone soon. "He hasn't a chance." "I know," Cordelia mumbled back, her grip on Willow's arm tightening as Xander took a hard blow to the head. "I know." "I can't *believe* he won't let me help him," Buffy said with clenched jaws and fists. Her way of expressing her fear at the moment was through anger. "I swear, if he doesn't get better . . . I'm going to jump in there anyway. He can't expect me to just *sit* here. I have to-" her voice choked up and she couldn't finish her sentence. The three girls and the boy sat there, trying to find a way to get through this, when Angel tripped Xander and got on top of him. The older man grabbed a fist full of Xander's hair *my god he's going to rip his head off* Buffy thought and moved his arm back to yank . . . "NO!" Buffy screamed, completely disobeying Xander and running towards the two. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- - ------------------------- He was going to pull the bugger's head off, going to pull it off and watch everything turn to dust, when he received a well-aimed kick in the manly parts. With a grunt, Angel let go of Xander's head and rolled off to him. No sooner than in a second was he picked up by the folds of his jacket and throw over the backyard fence into the front yard. Having thrown him, Xander ran and took a flying leap over the fence, landing right before the crumpled heap of Angel. He grabbed his jacket again and threw him onto the top of the pointy, sharp, chain-link fence. Angel screamed in pain as his wrist was impaled by all the little bits of metal atop the fence. They were quickly out, thought, as Xander kicked his legs and sent him over the fence, Angel landing on his face in a pile of dog manure. Now he was picked up by his back, and flung back into the yard. His head rammed into an obstacle, and looked up to see his face dangerously close to a chip of oak. He quickly scrambled away, intent on trying to find a way to get away from this newly motivated creation of his. But it was futile. Someone grabbed him by the hair and yanked his head up, turning his head around in almost a full Exorcist twist, had he not moved his body also. Xander loomed over him, with a sparkling grin filled with sparkling fangs and the glow of the sheer kill in his eyes. "I knew I was going to be there when you died," he chuckled, tightening his grip on Angel's scalp. "I just didn't know I'd be the one to do it." With that said, he lifted Angel up off the floor by the hair. Closing his eyes, Angel moaned and prayed to whatever merciful God there was. But it was no use. Xander intended to finish what he had begun. With a grunt, Xander picked him up and threw him into the center of the oak tree. The large, spindling branches on the tree went right through Angel's body, impaling him to the oak. In the center of it, one large, thick branch stuck straight out of his heart, and Angel reachedo ut to touch it with one weakening hand. "Damn," he whispered incredulously before he turned into dust. . . . End of this chapter. The next one will be the last. ~Shadows~ . . . ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1998 19:43:39 PST From: "Charisma Summers" Subject: BUFFYFIC: Sagesse 1/? Title: Sagesse (Part 1/?) Author: Watcher Girl (Prue) E-mail: prue_m@hotmail.com Distribution: Just let me know first. Rating: R or TV MA but at the moment a very sensible G Spoiler: Jenny's alive, Cordy and Xander aren't going out, Angel has a soul, there is no Ethan yet. Probably just up to Prophecy Girl. Summary: Buffy loses it and realises that Giles is the only one who really knows her. Buffy/Giles shipping and Xander/Willow shipping. Oh, and Buffy is 17 so everything is legal. Feedback: Please. I need to know the quality of the stuff I write - If you hate it let me know and if you love it let me know that as well! Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters they belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy and Warner Brothers. I do however own this particularly sick and twisted version of how the BtVS characters could interact. Sometimes you think about life and think of how everything should be, but it never is. But that's life so you deal with it. When you're thin and gorgeous and have the most amazing blonde hair that shimmers when hit by the sun and you don't think you can deal with it you have a huge problem. Not that the problem is huge - just not in perspective. That is how Buffy feels - alone, misunderstood, mistreated, used, vulnerable and lost. She has friends, good friends, that look out for her and try their best to understand. But they never will. They couldn't possibly begin to comprehend. She lives with the constant threat, the danger, of being killed. How could *they* imagine. Their petty problems - how can missing a date with some dropkick footballer compare to dying. To being killed by your nemesis. Only your nemesis if they win isn't head cheerleader - your nemesis is the master of the world. As Buffy sat in the school cafeteria she dwelled on these thoughts. "Bad thoughts" she murmured out loud. "Huh?" replied Xander. It was obvious to everyone that Xander had the hots for Buffy. Buffy knew but chose to ignore. It didn't help that Xander had broken protocol and actually confessed his feelings for his friend. The newfound truth caused unease within the triangle. The triangle consisted of Xander, Buffy and Willow. The unease was caused by Willow having the hots for Xander and Xander having the hots for Buffy and Buffy having the hots...well it seemed no one. "What did you say Buf?" inquired Willow between spoonfuls of today's delightful green Jell-O dessert. "Uh, elsewhere to be - chatter in the caf later. Okay guys?" Buffy said hastily. Xander and Willow nodded in unison. "What do you suppose is up?" inquired Xander as soon as Buffy had disappeared. "Slayer stuff" said Willow matter-of-factly. Xander and Willow exchanged glances and nodded knowingly. Then they went back to their Jell-O. Buffy had to get away from the sickly sweetness of her friends. Their sugarcoated lives made her sick to the stomach. Whoop-de-do if Xander had unrequited love for Buffy. Oh, to be burdened with his troubles thought Buffy. Willow was no better, pining for Xander. How pathetic. Willow had two parents who loved each other, loved her, never fought and no embarrassing secrets to hide. The fool didn't realise she had everything Buffy wanted. Buffy didn't know it but soon she was running through the school halls. Running from what troubled her, running from the normality of everyone at Sunnydale High. Running from her life - or was it life in general she wanted release from. The slayer sprinted past empty classrooms, empty hallways, people with empty minds. She was almost out of the walls that confined her and into the warm, sunlit grounds that beckoned her when she slammed into Giles. Giles went flying back with the force of which Buffy knocked him. The slayer and the watcher were sprawled on the floor of the Sunnydale corridor. "Where are you going in such a hurry?" questioned Giles as soon as he caught his breath. "Like it matters" snapped Buffy and she sprang unto her feet like she had so many times before in training. From the floor where Giles lay he was getting frustrated with this new attitude of Buffy's. Ever since her experience with the master in his lair she had been acting strangely. Giles got up and grabbed Buffy's arm. "Listen, it does matter. I think we need to talk. I think that perhaps we should discuss some of your, ahem, *issues*" Giles said in a typically insensitive manner. Typically English. Giles led Buffy back to the library. Classes had begun but Buffy decided to blow them off. Who'd notice? Who'd care? The pair walked through the stacks and then sat down in Giles office. "Cute" quipped Buffy. "Excuse me?" said Giles defensively. "The 'Rupert Giles' header - very cute" replied Buffy - very coolly. "No need to be so patronizing. Listen Buffy - you need to work things out or..." "Or I won't be able to save the world. Yeah, I know." interrupted Buffy. "No, or you'll self destruct - this isn't healthy" Giles said with concern dripping form his words and despair scrawled all over his face. "Who cares if I self destruct? There'll be another slayer. You can watch over someone else. My mother would be sad but I'd really be doing her a favour. My father probably wouldn't notice I was gone until a month after the event. Sure Willow and Xander would be upset, they may even miss me, but they have each other. I'm replaceable therefore I'm destructible". "Do you really believe that?" asked Giles, almost sympathetically. "Sure - why not." replied Buffy non-chalantly. "Because it is so far from the truth it's not funny. That's why" replied Giles, searching Buffy's face for a response. Buffy held back the tears and all the other emotions that she didn't want to come flooding out of her. She just acted disinterested in the vain attempt to hide true feelings. Buffy just sort of grunted in answer to Giles last statement. He was so confused. He wanted to help, but he didn't know how. Being British didn't help things in the slightest. "I don't know what you're feeling, or what you're thinking. I couldn't possibly begin to understand and I'm certainly not that presumptuous. If you want to talk or just sit or if you want me to leave you the hell alone, I'll do whatever you want, but I can't read your mind so tell me how I can help you." Giles informed Buffy and then proceeded to pinch his nose. A sure sign of Giles' exasperation. Buffy absorbed everything Giles had just said. Her icy front had melted and she felt more vulnerable sitting in that uncomfortable chair in Giles' office than she had ever felt before. Buffy had lost control of herself and what started as a whimper soon turned into a total breakdown. Buffy sobbed uncontrollably and tears flooded from her eyes and down her face. Her face was completely tear stained and her eyes looked pained. Not from the crying but from the burdens she constantly carried. Giles was confused. He wanted a reaction from Buffy - this just wasn't the desired result. Giles got up from his leather seat and approached Buffy. He was standing approximately a foot from Buffy and was unsure as to what to do. He kneeled so that he and Buffy would be at eye level. He searched her eyes looking for answers. He retrieved a handkerchief from his blazer pocket. He wiped the tears from Buffy's face. This simple gesture only caused a further flood of tears. Buffy was emotionally tired. She just slumped in her chair and in the same movement her head rested on Giles' shoulder. He placed his hand on her head and gently stroked her hair. It surprised him how gentle it was. Buffy continued to sob and soon Giles' vest had a soaked spot from Buffy's tears. Buffy tried to pull herself together. She shifted uneasily away from Giles. She stared at the floor. Her eyes began to well up as she softly murmured "sorry" to Giles. The poor girl looked so lost and betrayed. Giles shushed her in attempt to reassure her. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I . . ." stammered Buffy. "Ssh, I'll hear none of it. I'm here. That's all that matters" Giles told her. Buffy looked at Giles and for the first time really saw him. He was no longer knowledge boy but something much more. She had never even thought of him as a friend before. Obviously he meant more to her than she had ever realised, or allowed herself to believe. He cared more for her than her supposed friends, Xander and Willow did. He knew how to get her to open up, to get over herself and most importantly to let her know she was needed. Did she want to be needed? Maybe. Did she want to be loved by someone, completely, without question, without doubt, without reason? No, she needed it - more than air to breathe she needed love to live. But who could give her the love she needed, the love she deserved. Then as suddenly as she had broken down she had the answer. Giles. Giles cared for her. Giles devoted his life to protecting her. She realised that she could tell Giles anything, she could trust Giles completely and they shared a bond that wouldn't, couldn't be broken. Together they made a whole - it just felt right. Buffy leaned into Giles and whispered in his ear "Thank You". Giles took Buffy by her hands and lifted her to her feet. As she stood before him Giles smiled sweetly. Still holding her he used his right hand to brush her golden hair behind her ears. Such a graceful movement, then he let his hand trail down the outline of her face. She savoured his touch - she hadn't longed for it yet she did. She felt loved, she felt wanted, she felt alive. She moved closer to Giles and placed her hands behind his back. She laid her head on Giles' shoulder and he could fell her breath on his nape. Giles was taken aback. He was delighted by her breath, her touch, her total being. He had never imagined Buffy in such a capacity. She was so young but so willing to learn, to "grow up". She was mature beyond her years and couldn't understand how that could be a blessing as well as a burden. He wanted to let her know how he felt - but that would only add to her problems, or so he thought. Giles placed his arms around Buffy's waist. She was so comforted by Giles gestures that she never wanted to leave him. They were both so content in being wrapped in each other's arms, neither wanted to move. Buffy placed her lips on his and gave a gentle kiss, then softly whispered "Thank You". Giles merely smiled that wry smile of his and nervously pushed his glasses closer to his eyes with his index finger. "Anytime" replied Giles, a little too friendly, a little too eager than he had anticipated. Buffy smiled sweetly and placed her hand on his face. She gazed into his amazing hazel eyes and unknowingly their lips were interlocked. Their passion surged from their souls and they were so complete in being together. Neither of them could imagine life without the other. Buffy tugged at the Windsor knot in Giles' tie. It slowly loosened. She then undid the first few buttons of his shirt. Giles stepped away. He looked as Buffy and he knew he loved her but that was no reason to take advantage of her. After all he was a gentleman. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1998 17:05:43 EST From: Titanic437@aol.com Subject: BUFFYFIC: Twilight (15/15) TITLE: Twilight AUTHOR: Shadows E-MAIL: Titanic437@aol.com DISTRIBUTION: Oh please oh please oh please oh PLEASE!!! E-mail me for permission! DISCLAIMER: I dun't own dem RATING: PG-13 for this chapter, definitely NOTE: I started this story with a sequel in mind . . . that's why some things aren't explained . . . can I have your opinion as to if I should . . . 'cause now I'm not so sure . . . Titanic437@aol.com Twilight - Chapter 15 Xander stood there, staring at the tree limb that had killed Angel, completely still. His boy and face were as rigid as stone, and cold, hard eyes like marble continued to glare at the limb. He was wounded so tight, in fact, that he began to shiver and shake with fury, and then just collapsed to the floor. Buffy, who had been standing there stock-still like an idiot, ran towards her friend. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him tight into a hug. She could feel the spreading wetness of his tears on the sleeve of her shoulders as she shed tears of her own. "God, Xander, I'm so sorry . . ." she whispered to him, the tone in her voice begging her to forgive him for the all the pain she had wrought. For all the pain *he* had wrought. For everything . . . The other Slayerette's caught up with them, Cordelia dropping to her knees besides her boyfriend and hugging him tight. "Oh Xander," she whispered, crying herself. "I can't believe . . . I can't believe . . ." she didn't try to go on, just rocked herself and Xander together, as he abandoned the comfort of Buffy's arms for her. As Willow got her turn and Oz came to say whatever he was gonna say, Buffy turned around to the oak tree *The oak'll win in the end* to the spot where Angel had died. She reached out to touch the limb, her fingers twining around the thick bark, tightening to that pieces flaked off and dug into her hand. Her eyes teared up, mourning for a lover and enemy lost. It had been unbearable to watcher Xander practically annihilate Angelus, but it needed to be done and never in the world could she have done it. It was inevitable . . . Angel's fate. "Hey." Buffy turned around, startled, at the sound of the voice and the hand on her shoulder. It was just Xander, standing there with the strangest expression on his face, one completely unreadable. His eyes were so deep now, so very deep . . . and his whole meaner was saddened by the weight- "Of being lost," Xander finished her thought. "I now. I don't think I'll ever lose this look." Buffy gave him a confused expression. How had she known what she was thinking. "Empathy, I think," Xander answered. "I think it's pretty common with vampires." Buffy let out a little half smile as a twinkle in Xander's eye appeared. "Where are the others?" she asked, suddenly realizing they were alone. "I asked . . . to be with you. To talk with you. So they went to the library, and Cordelia . . . I think she went with them or, or maybe upstairs. I'm not sure." "Oh," Buffy said. She must've been thinking for awhile now. How time flies by. She was going to say something else when Xander extended his hand. "Grab it," he told her. When she gave him a confused look again, he continued to hold out his hand. "*Grab* it. It'll be cool." "Um, ok." Buffy grabbed on to the hand-tightly-not knowing exactly what he was gonna do. Xander grinned, look up at the tree, and Buffy looked to where his gaze rested. And then, with a sudden whoosh of air, they were there. "I jumped," Xander enthused, his manner a bit light and teasing, and Buffy took amoment to catch her breath once they were in the higher levels of the oak tree. "I just found out I could do that . . . and I guess I wanted to show you." Buffy smiled weakly. "Yeah, that was something." Then a silence fell between them, uncomfortable and long. Xander looked up at the sky, which had changed from it's dark black to a beautiful deep blue, knowing that in seven minutes or so he would have to run for cover. "It's twilight," he whispered, thinking of the passage from Reginald's Watcher Diary. "The darkness after sunset." Buffy blinked back sentimental tears and joined her arm with Xander's. "Twilight is also the time before the sunrise," she told him, a tear escaping and sliding down her cheek. "A time to let go of the old, and new beginnings . . . and stuff, ya know?" Xander smiled at her little try at poetry, and reached out to wipe the tear from her face. He did it slowly, sensually, looking deep into Buffy's eyes all the while. He let his finger trace from her cheek down to her neck, where he traced it off to just the top of her breasts and then let go. "Just one kiss," he breathed, leaning in. Buffy didn't objected. She closed her eyes and felt the soft, satiny touch of Xander's lips on hers. His kiss . . . he was a wonderful kisser. She was enthralled, caught up in the sensuality of the kiss, and she kissed back harder, pressing her body against his. He wrapped his arm around her, leaning in, and for a moment they traded tongues. It was heaven. It felt like heaven to her. Nothing with Angel . . . expect perhaps the sex . . . had ever been this good. She didn't know that Xander was capable of making her feel this way. But oh, now that he was . . . it was heaven. Xander let go of the kiss and Buffy took a deep breath. She closed her eyes in contentment as Xander's mouth moved down her chin and by her ear. "Xander, don't . . . stop, please. I need this. I need this so much." She wrapped her arms around him, entwining her hands into his thick black curls. Her leg inched up his, utterly caught up in the moment . . . And then she felt the cool, cold fangs sliding into her neck, and fuzzy sensation created around the area that Xander had pierced. And icy shock ran through her entire body as he began to drink, and with all her might, Buffy tried to push him away. Kick him away. Anything. But she was frozen to the spot, unable to move as her fragile life was taken from her. Xander let go of her and watched her dried husk of a body fall to his feet and then continued to fall from the tree like the different layers of the branches were macabre stairs. His mouth was covered in blood, but that was not unusual to see on a vampire who had made their first kill. The lukewarm blood was slowly chilled as it was exposed to the air, and Xander's tongue darted out to lick the remains of the blood that was once so bittersweet, and now so crisp and fresh unlike anything he had ever tasted. But still . . . the blood of the Slayer wasn't really what it was hyped up to be. Xander dropped from the tree, landing gracefully on to legs. This alone thrilled him, beyond the fact that pure energy and power was now pumping through his veins. He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked up at the sky. It was lighter now, and twilight was fading. He would have to go inside soon. He could hear the whine of cop cars in the near distance. Some neighbor had heard the ruckus and reported it. Now he really had to move. As Xander walked away, he took a mental picture of Buffy's body, dried and dead. "Yes, Buffy, that's right," he whispered, reveling in all of it. "A time to let go of the old. A time for new beginnings." . . . The End. Feedback *wanted*! ~Shadows~ . . . ------------------------------ End of buffyfic-digest V2 #395 ****************************** 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)