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From: owner-arfic-l-digest@lists.xmission.com (arfic-l-digest) To: arfic-l-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: arfic-l-digest V1 #54 Reply-To: arfic-l-digest Sender: owner-arfic-l-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-arfic-l-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk arfic-l-digest Friday, November 2 2001 Volume 01 : Number 054 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 31 Oct 2001 05:00:05 -0500 From: "Psycho Babble" <amethystmaiden@hotmail.com> Subject: Re: (arfic-l) FIC: Le Jour des Morts, (3/?) Sorry bout that kids, it was meant to go to Sephy and probably just choked the server with the HTML. Sowwy. ~Kristin "What can I say? My inner child is a crack baby." -Spooks, Asylum "There is a fine line between 'hobby' and 'mental illness'." -Dave Barry _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp - - To unsubscribe to arfic-l, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe arfic-l" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Oct 2001 13:26:37 +0000 From: "Mandi Ohlin" <weird_web@hotmail.com> Subject: (arfic-l) FIC: "Sharp Edges" (3/?) Title: Sharp Edges Author: Mandi Ohlin Rating: PG (language) Part: 3 of ? Fandom: Witchblade(the TV series)/BtVS Category: Crossover/Action/Humor Archive permission: The Jagged Edge, after I get it done and revised. Summary: Sara Pezzini's latest murder case is a weird one... and her only lead is a bleached-blond vamp in search of a runaway. Timeline: After "The Gift"; post fifth-season BtVS. For Witchblade, after "Periculum." Pretty much deviates from continuity after that. (Now that season 6 of BtVS has aired, this sucker is officially AU.) Bryan Cornish is mine, and he will be important later. Disclaimer: "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and all related indicia belong to 20th Century Fox (although, IMO, Joss Whedon deserves the rights). "Witchblade" (the TV series) and all related indicia is property of Top Cow Productions and I think TNT has a hand in that cookie jar. No profit is being received from this piece of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended. Author's Note: Okay, I've been holding out... between FF.net and the Witchblade storyboard, I've completely forgotten to post parts to arfic-l as well. (Bad Mandi, no biscuit.) So in actuality, I'm really up to part eight in this story. However, I'm still not certain on a few things, and I would *love* some feedback - good or bad - for characterization and plot (especially to catch me if I contradict myself, since I still don't really know where this story is going). Future parts will be forthcoming much more frequently now that I'll remind myself to post here. :) Happy Halloween, all... Sharp Edges by Mandi Ohlin Part Three Every city in the world attracted demons. And every city had at least one hangout for them. Sunnydale had Willy's bar. Los Angeles had Caritas - although many insisted that the no-violence karaoke bar didn't really count. Manhattan had the Pit. The name didn't quite do the place justice; true, it wasn't quite as pristine as Caritas, but for a renovated sub-basement of one of the city's worst human clubs, it was a decent place. It was amazing what the addition of a bar, some a couple pool tables, some well-placed lighting and a sewer entrance with an airlock to eliminate the smell could do. The overall effect was of a dungeon renovated to serve as a sports bar. But even so, Benny was not concerned with the decor. He was having too lousy a day to care. Truth be told, good days were few and far between when you managed one of New York's busiest underground demons-only sports bars. Especially when your clients tended towards killing, maiming and destroying property when they were in good moods. And when you were a five-foot-five blue guy with horns, it wasn't like you could tell them where to stick it. Oh, the bouncers helped - T'las and T'rol, the titanic twins, could take out a whole posse of Fyarl demons without breaking a sweat. They were nearly eight feet tall and looked like they were made of granite. But even they couldn't prevent the violence from breaking out. His clientele at least had the sense not to take out their frustrations on the proprietor. If they did, they'd have to find a new place to drink. Besides, the fact that the place was funded by a nasty gang of Dinyaari was sufficient incentive for even the nastiest bastard to behave. Then again, even the best security had its flaws. "Look, you bloody poof," the vampire snarled, "I'm going to ask you one more time. Where - is - Rylos?" Rylos was the head of the Dinyaari gang, and the reason the Pit kept operating. This was looking like trouble. "Uh, hi, Spike, how you doing?" Benny managed to gasp out in spite of the fact that he was being lifted by the throat. "Haven't seen you here since the seventies. Kill any more Slayers?" Spike's grip tightened at that. Wrong choice of words. Benny turned his head as best he could to glare at T'rol and T'las, who were standing there watching the show. "You two gonna come and help me sometime this century?" The two titans shook their heads. Spike grinned ferally. "Tweedledum and Tweedledee owe me one. Now give me Rylos or I take it out of you." Benny glanced wildly around the room. The bartender was pretending they didn't exist, and the group of Anomovic demons in the corner booth were too absorbed in the Yankees game to notice anything short of the ceiling collapsing. No help there. "I can't!" Benny croaked, and Spike growled. "No, really!" He glared at the bouncers. "Ask them! They'll tell you!" "That's it," Spike snarled, his grip starting to tighten. Benny's eyes bulged. "He's dead!" That did it. The hands around his throat suddenly snapped open like a bear trap, dropping Benny to the floor. Spike stared at him, furious and stunned. "Dead? I talked to him yesterday!" "Yeah, well, that was yesterday," Benny gasped, rubbing his throat. "We found him last night out back - well, we think we did." Spike glanced over at the twin terrors. T'rol shrugged. "You know, a piece here, a piece there... that kind of thing." The blonde vampire stood there for a few seconds, not saying a word. Then he snatched up a stool and threw it against the wall. It smashed into the stone wall, splintering in several pieces. Benny squeaked in fright as Spike advanced on him. "I've been tracking someone for days when I get the tip from him," he said quietly. "I come all the way here from Sunnyhell, nearly get torched, come through the bloody sewers to get here - and you're telling me he's dead?" "No, please! I'll give you anything! I've got three hundred bucks on me! Cash! You can have it!" Spike seemed unfazed, yanking the little demon off the floor. Benny squeaked again and closed his eyes, but the end never came. He opened his eyes and abruptly realized why. Spike's lip curled in disgust. "Money'll do." Hands shaking, Benny reached into the pocket of his suit and pulled out a wallet. Spike snatched it away and dropped Benny to the floor again. "Two eighty-five. You said three hundred." The Yankees got two more points, and the Anomovics cheered. Benny groaned. "I'll let it slide," Spike grunted, gesturing at Benny's suit. "Looks like you're going to need the extra cash." He turned and strode out, nodding to the bouncers. Benny glared at T'rol and T'las, who were chuckling in spite of themselves. "Shut up and get me a clean pair of pants!" ***** Fifty-two... fifty-three... fifty-four... Dawn Summers counted out the pennies, knowing in spite of herself that it wasn't going to be enough. She'd managed to stretch out the money she'd stolen from the Magic Box's register for four days now, but it was finally running out. There was no way that she'd be able to spend another night at that motel, or anywhere else for that matter. She bit her lip, fighting back tears as the count only came to fifty-seven cents. Even with a discount, it wasn't enough to buy a lousy hot dog. A freckled hand slammed a quarter down beside her pennies. "Hey, Ellis. I got it." The vendor grinned at the young man standing beside Dawn. "Robin Hood. Wondering when you'd get here." "Shut up and make her a hot dog," her savior said agreeably, retrieving a dollar and some more change from his pockets. "Gimme one too while you're at it. The usual." "One ketchup and relish and one heartburn-in-a-bun to go," Ellis replied, hastening to make the order. As he slathered the hot dogs, Dawn took a good look at the guy who had bailed her out. He was a few years older than her, but not that much taller. If it came down to a fight, she could probably take him - even if it mostly involved hair-pulling. His reddish hair seemed to stick out at all angles, and if he had any more freckles she could have played connect-the-dots on his skin. Tall, dark, and handsome? Not really. But this was preferable. "Thanks," she said nervously, never taking her eyes off of him as she accepted her hot dog. "No problem." He took the heartburn-in-a-bun - it was impossible to see the hot dog beneath the toppings - and took a big bite. "I'm Bryan," he mentioned offhandedly through a mouthful of food. "Bryan Cornish." "Dawn." She kept it brief, taking a small bite of hers. Might as well make it last. "Um, I'm probably gonna screw up and creep you out, so I'll get it over with," he continued after swallowing. "I've seen you coming here a lot." Oh, great. Dawn tensed, preparing to run for it if she had to. Bryan barreled on hurriedly. "Not that I'm a stalker, I've just been taking this route when you have every day, and it was my route first, anyway," he added hastily. "And I just turned into a complete babbling idiot now." She gave him a strange look. There was something oddly familiar about him, but she couldn't place it. They were in a public place in broad daylight, and if he even looked at her funny she could always scream and run. "Uh-huh." Bryan looked sheepish. "Um, the reason I'm babbling is, you look like you're running from something." "*Everybody's* running from something," Dawn informed him matter-of-factly through a bite of hot dog. She couldn't suppress the flash of memories. Of her mother in the morgue. Of Doc, smiling sweetly as he cut her skin with a knife. Of Buffy falling from the tower, her golden hair streaming out behind her as she dropped into the bright distortion. It must have shown in her eyes, because Bryan practically flinched. "Listen, I'm not gonna feed you any lines." He reached into his pockets and handed her a card. It was a plain business card, for an uptown youth center. "Friend of mine runs this place uptown. No drugs, no violence, no questions. You need a place to sleep in between running, give her a call. Tell her Bryan sent you. If a guy answers, it's just Gabe, tell him the same thing. He helps out from time to time when he's not managing his store." Dawn's suspicions were starting to erode slightly. Maybe it was the fact that he was keeping enough distance between them, maybe it was because he didn't look like a bum in spite of the hair, maybe it was because he'd bought her the hot dog, maybe it was because he seemed to have diarrhea of the mouth, but he didn't seem like that much of a threat. That was it. He reminded her a lot of Xander - a not-as-cute, short, freckled version of Xander, but he acted the same way. Oh, God. Xander. Spike. Willow. Giles. Tara. Anya. She missed them so much. She even missed Anya. And that in itself was a bad sign. "I'll think about it." "You do that." He checked his watch, and the grin slid off his face. "Damn it, I'm late. See you later!" She watched as he hurried down the path, disappearing into the trees. Shaking her head, Dawn took one last look at the card before stuffing it into her pocket and walking away, nibbling at the hot dog as she did so. ***** Sara sighed as she reviewed the files on Travers for the fifth time. The man led an utterly boring and law-abiding life. There was nothing that could possibly serve as a motive for murder. Hell, even his medical history was above average; he was a vegetarian who would run ten miles every morning even at the age of ninety. As far as family was concerned, he had a cousin in London, but that was about it. Sara had no intention of placing a call to Quentin Travers only to have Dante stick her with the phone bill. She set the latest set of photos down and rubbed her eyes. The vision from the Witchblade had given her the impression of a single assailant at first, but it had shifted to become a swarm. But how could the neighbors not notice a thing? A tap on the doorframe startled her from her thoughts, and she looked up to see Jake. "Hey, Pez, get yourself a gas mask." He sighed. "We got another one." ***** tbc... - -- Mandi Ohlin (Mandolin) member of the SisterHood of Evil fanfic fanatic and nitpicker extraordinaire "THIS is the crack team that foils my every plan? I am deeply shamed." --Spike, "BtVS: Something Blue" http://www.weirdweb.net _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp - - To unsubscribe to arfic-l, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe arfic-l" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Oct 2001 08:42:55 EST From: Slayervick@aol.com Subject: Re: (arfic-l) Stone Cold Heart 1/1 wow..... wow... hmm... willow is scary! that was an excellent vignette. great characterisation, as always. thanks for tat wonderul little snippet! ~Victoria - - To unsubscribe to arfic-l, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe arfic-l" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 01 Nov 2001 09:32:51 -0500 From: "Michele Bumbarger" <mbumbarger@hotmail.com> Subject: (arfic-l) Beta Needed Fan fiction author currently seeking beta reader for a crossover over fan fiction story. This story is the sequel to "A Union of Souls" - an Angel/Buffy/New Series Tomorrow People crossover. Familiarity with the first story (and the vignettes in between) is helpful. Need a beta with a fast turn around time, willing to read approximately 20 parts. Author desperately wants this story posted in its entirety by the end of November, sooner if at all possible. Interested, please email me at mbumbarger@hotmail.com or angstqueen@hotmail.com ********************************************** Michele B. Archivist, Author & Webmistress Alternate Realities Fan Fiction Archive http://www.alternate-realities.net ********************************************** _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp - - To unsubscribe to arfic-l, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe arfic-l" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 3 Nov 2001 10:17:24 +1300 From: "Anne Olsen" <anneo@paradise.net.nz> Subject: (arfic-l) Where The Winds Blow (0/04) This is a multi-part message in MIME format. - ------=_NextPart_000_0063_01C16450.BB84FA20 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Where The Winds Blow (0/04) by Anne Olsen AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is the fourth story in the 'Tears in Heaven' universe. It can be = read on it's own but mention is made of events happening in the previous = story 'All That Glitters.' THANKS: First and foremost to Kristin, resident evil beta reader and co = conspirator for her comments and encouragement, and for making me get = this as right as it can be. One day I'll get the hang of all this fun = American slang, promise. Special thanks also to Caroline, for her = support and help on some of the more fun descriptive bits *winks.=20 Thanks also to Wendy and Michele for nagging. DEDICATION: Happy birthday, TPFICT. This story is being posted in celebration of the = list's 6th birthday. DISCLAIMER: The characters of Jade Weston, Megabyte Damon, Kevin Wilson, Lisa Davis, = Adam Newman and Ami Jackson belong to Roger Damon Price, Thames/Tetra = and ITV Television. So do General William Damon and Colonel Masters (who = appear in name only) Alex and Jamie MacDonald belong to me and should not be used without = permission. The evil beta takes no responsibility for the crazy Kiwi spellings in = this fic. RATING: PG Telepathy is indicated by [ ] SUMMARY: A day of R&R gets messy when Kevin stumbles onto a Tomorrow Person who = doesn't want to be found. Feedback to anneo@paradise.net.nz - ------=_NextPart_000_0063_01C16450.BB84FA20 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META content=3D"text/html; charset=3Diso-8859-1" = http-equiv=3DContent-Type> <META content=3D"MSHTML 5.00.2614.3500" name=3DGENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV> Where The Winds Blow (0/04) by Anne Olsen AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is the fourth story in the 'Tears in Heaven' universe. It can be = read on=20 it's own but mention is made of events happening in the previous story = 'All That=20 Glitters.' THANKS: First and foremost to Kristin, resident evil beta reader and co = conspirator=20 for her comments and encouragement, and for making me get this as right = as it=20 can be. One day I'll get the hang of all this fun American slang, = promise.=20 Special thanks also to Caroline, for her support and help on some of the = more=20 fun descriptive bits *winks. Thanks also to Wendy and Michele for nagging. DEDICATION: Happy birthday, TPFICT. This story is being posted in celebration of = the=20 list's 6th birthday. DISCLAIMER: The characters of Jade Weston, Megabyte Damon, Kevin Wilson, Lisa = Davis, Adam=20 Newman and Ami Jackson belong to Roger Damon Price, Thames/Tetra and ITV = Television. So do General William Damon and Colonel Masters (who appear = in name=20 only) Alex and Jamie MacDonald belong to me and should not be used without=20 permission. The evil beta takes no responsibility for the crazy Kiwi spellings in = this=20 fic. RATING: PG Telepathy is indicated by [ ] SUMMARY: A day of R&R gets messy when Kevin stumbles onto a Tomorrow = Person who=20 doesn't want to be found. Feedback to <A=20 href=3D"mailto:anneo@paradise.net.nz">anneo@paradise.net.nz</A></DIV>= </BODY></HTML> - ------=_NextPart_000_0063_01C16450.BB84FA20-- - - To unsubscribe to arfic-l, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe arfic-l" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 3 Nov 2001 16:11:15 +1300 From: "Anne Olsen" <anneo@paradise.net.nz> Subject: (arfic-l) Where The Winds Blow (1a/04) This is a multi-part message in MIME format. - ------=_NextPart_000_002F_01C16482.2A06CF60 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Where The Winds Blow (1a/04) by Anne Olsen Feedback to anneo@paradise.net.nz Disclaimers in Part 0 **** All the shadows blue, in the winter moon, The stars within the darkness, They remember you, and they sorrow too, With all the winds that blow. You were my soul and my silence, You were my hope, my lightness, You were the sword at my side. Through all the winds that blow. - - Duncan Sheik (The Winds that Blow) **** February 2000 Chapter One Jade snuggled back against Megabyte and sighed contentedly. She felt him = run his hand through her long blonde hair, and turned as she felt a = gentle telepathic touch in her mind. Blue eyes met her own, as Megabyte stared at her with a grin on his = face, a few strands of hair falling forward over one eye. He reached up = and brushed those strands off his face, not noticing them returning as = though with a mind of their own. "Are you okay with this?" he asked her = out loud. He gazed hungrily at her and she could tell he wanted the same = thing she did. "You have to ask, Megabyte?" she asked. "After everything we've been = through, you have to ask?" Of course she was okay with it. She'd been = waiting for this moment for years, for the moment when he finally wanted = her as much as she had always wanted him. She stood there for a moment, = just looking at him. The slightly longer hair suited him, she decided, = even if it didn't want to always behave. Behave. Like she wanted any = part of him to behave? As if in answer he leant down and cradled her face in his hands, drawing = her close, his lips searching out hers. She put one hand up to his face, = feeling the slight roughness of his skin under her fingers as she traced = the outline of his cheek. As she breathed deeply taking in the smell of = his aftershave, Jade felt her heart pump faster. She'd been waiting so = long. She closed her eyes, opening her mouth slightly as she waited in = breathless anticipation for the sensation of his lips against hers. "Comfy there, Jade?" Was that a touch of sarcasm she could hear in = Megabyte's voice? Jade frowned, her fantasy world suddenly dissolving = into reality.=20 As she opened her eyes she noticed Kevin watching her. He turned his = gaze away hurriedly, studying the squares on the picnic rug intently, = and Jade slammed her mental shields down. Had Kevin picked up on what = she had been thinking? Picturing herself and Megabyte acting out one of = her favourite romantic novels maybe hadn't been a particularly bright = idea after all.=20 She felt her cheeks grow warm as she remembered where she'd been so = rudely interupted. Okay she knew Kevin wouldn't pry, but when her = emotions ran high, her shields didn't tend to be as strong as they = should be. Then of course there was that small matter of Kevin's = empathic abilities. "Your arm is sticking into me, kid," complained Megabyte, shifting her = weight against him. "It's keeping me awake." Jade turned and glared at = him, annoyed with herself as much as with him. Her gaze lingered on him, = hunting for any sign that he had an inkling of what she'd been thinking = about, no correct that, dreaming about. She took in again those = twinkling blue eyes, the way his hair tended to fall forward. She = resisted the urge to lean over and push it back so she could see his = face more clearly but thought he probably wouldn't appreciate the action = or the thought behind it .Stop it, Jade, she thought. You're just going = to make yourself feel worse. "You mean we've come here to this lovely park and all you want to do is = lie back and sleep?" she asked, trying to keep the disappointment out of = her voice as she edged over closer to Kevin and the picnic basket. = Suddenly the snuggling of her daydream and the way she had been leaning = against him in reality, her head nestled against his chest had seemed = poles apart. True they both involved the physical contact with him she = enjoyed but somehow that sense of romance had been lost the moment he'd = opened his mouth.=20 "Well I didn't see you complaining until a couple of minutes ago did I?" = Megabyte moved around, shifting his back against the tree trying to find = a comfortable spot. Of course she hadn't been complaining, she'd been = too busy enjoying her daydream. But she was hardly going to tell him = that was she? Jade watched him for another moment, noticing the way the = muscles between his shoulder blades rippled and flexed, each wiggle = stretching his thin shirt taut. Her eyes travelled over and up a bit. = Nice abs she thought appreciatively and those legs... Jade might have = gone about them for quite some time had she not caught Megabyte glaring = at her again. Flashing him a sweet smile, she mentally sighed and put = her eyes elsewhere. Kevin grinned and took another swig of orange juice. "Can't you two just = sit back and enjoy the peace and quiet of this place?" He propped = himself back on his left elbow, holding the bright red plastic cup with = his free hand, examining the liquid inside as his grin seemed to grow = even broader. Jade reached out, trying to get a hint of what he was = thinking about, as the air around her seemed to rise a few degrees. He = looked directly at her, strengthening his shields as he fixed an = innocent look on his face. How much had he overheard? Or more = importantly how much how Megabyte overheard?=20 "Nope," replied Megabyte, as Jade watched him carefully for any telltale = hints that he'd picked up on any of the fun thoughts that had been going = through her mind. She mentally crossed her fingers. With the way her = shields were at the moment it would be a miracle if he hadn't. Instead = to her relief, he grinned back at the smaller British boy with one of = those lop sided grins she loved so much. "There's only so much peace and = quiet a guy can take. Hey I'm all for taking it easy, but after a while = you start to miss."=20 "Having withdrawal symptoms from your computer already?" interrupted = Kevin, a smirk on his face. She had to wonder if that smirk was directed = at Megabyte's last comment or at her. 'Stop trying to read too much into = it,' she chastised herself. Kevin wasn't like that, she was just feeling = guilty, that was all. And honestly, should she feel guilty for = entertaining romantic thoughts about someone who felt the same way about = her? Since she had been shot, Megabyte had been acting differently = towards her, but it had been mainly when they had been alone, and they = weren't alone often enough for her liking. If only he'd show those = feelings in public. Sometimes she wondered what the hell was wrong with = him. Was he deliberately trying to annoy her, or did it just come = naturally? She knew damn well the feelings she had for him were reciprocated = because when he had reached out to her telepathically when she'd lay = dying in his arms a few short weeks before, she had heard all the = thoughts running through his mind. Megabyte had been so worried about = losing her that he had dropped the pretence of not caring. He had = feelings for her. Megabyte Damon actually had feelings for her. Jade = still had to pinch herself to make herself believe it hadn't been a = dream. After she had recovered, Megabyte had back-pedalled, refusing to admit = that what she had picked up on was true. "Of course I was worried about = you, squirt. So was everyone else," was about as much as she could get = out of him. Still the odd time the other Tomorrow People weren't around, = she saw the way he looked at her, the little gestures he made towards = her. A couple of times he'd come so close to saying what she was longing = to hear, but they'd been interrupted by the arrival of one of the others = and he'd backed off again. "It wasn't my fault Jade didn't want me to bring my laptop was it? Now = that's my idea of a good vacation." Megabyte raised one eyebrow in = typical Megabyte fashion, and wiggled his back against the tree again. = Jade deliberately looked away, before her thoughts wandered the way they = had the last time he'd done that. She reached over and poured herself a = drink of juice, enjoying the feel of the cold liquid seeping through the = plastic cup. As she put her lips to the cup, she looked over at Megabyte = again, watching the way the ends of his mouth curved up as he shot a = grin her way.=20 Jade took a long sip of her drink, trying to focus on how cold it was, = on how the droplets of moisture clung to the side of the cup as she = wiped them away with her fingers. She'd heard stories about how guys = took cold showers, maybe a cold drink might work the same way. It had = to, or this was going to be a very long afternoon.=20 "Well I like it." Kevin's statement shook Jade out of her reverie. = "Besides I thought a day out doing 'normal stuff' might be what we all = needed after the last week or so. I needed to get out in the fresh air = after a day in that hospital bed and I thought you guys could do with = the break as well."=20 Kevin's idea had been a good one, she had to admit that. Poor guy, with = what he'd overheard he must be feeling like the proverbial gooseberry. = She stifled a laugh. Hope springs eternal. "You mean a break from psycho bad guys?" asked Megabyte, stretching his = legs out in front of him and yawning. "Yeah I've had enough of that for = a while. At least until the next one comes along." "I'd prefer not to think about the 'next one,' as you so nicely put it," = complained Jade. The last one had been enough to last her a lifetime = thank you. It had nearly cost her life to be more precise. She shivered, = the thought giving her the effect she'd been trying to desperately = achieve for the past few minutes. Nothing like the memory of a near = death experience to bring you down to earth again. She decided to try = and get the conversation onto a more positive track, as she noticed = Kevin had suddenly become silent as he became lost in his own thoughts, = a look of regret or sadness fleeting over his features. "Kevin's right. = It's lovely here, and what's more it's summer, not like at home." "Summer? Really? I hadn't noticed." Megabyte leaned back and closed his = eyes, shading his face against the sun with his hand. He looked so = peaceful sitting there in the half shade of the tree, stretching out = those long legs as though he hadn't a care in the world. It wasn't fair. = If only he would come out and show her how he felt she could be sitting = snuggled up close to him with his arms around her. She rolled her eyes. = Guys, sheesh. What was it with them and that sort of stuff anyway? Kevin grinned. "Don't waste your breath, Jade. Sit back and enjoy = yourself. That's what I'm planning on doing." Jade smiled at him, grateful for the support. Of course Kevin knew what = she was feeling. Even if he hadn't read her mind, he was a powerful = empath. No way could he miss picking up on the feelings she'd been = trying to hide for most of the time they'd been here. Hell, for most of = the time he'd known her if truth be known. By the time Kevin had = reappeared on the scene she'd been well and truly smitten by the = American. Jade glanced behind her, making sure Megabyte had drifted off to sleep, = and tried to get mind back on track. Back to what she'd been trying to = get up the nerve to talk about over the last few days. "Kevin, can I = talk to you about something?" She pulled at a few blades of grass to = hide her nervousness, marvelling not for the first time at how green = everything was in this country. The sky was so blue and clear too, she = thought idly as she watched the white clouds chase each other across the = sky. It was lovely and warm, but not too hot. In the distance she could = hear children yelling excitedly to each other as they splashed each = other in the river at the far end of the picnic area. Maybe she could = talk the boys into a swim before they left. A swim. She gazed over at = Megabyte again, realising that that one thought had successfully ruined = all her great intentions of keeping her mind on the task at hand. = Swimmers, or better yet a speedo. Grrr. She felt a large grin work = itself over her face, and hastily took another sip of the drink she'd = put down earlier. Count to ten, Jade, count to ten really slowly. ******* to be continued in next post........sorry guys, first time I tried this = it bounced for being too long. *crosses fingers - ------=_NextPart_000_002F_01C16482.2A06CF60 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META content=3D"text/html; charset=3Diso-8859-1" = http-equiv=3DContent-Type> <META content=3D"MSHTML 5.00.2614.3500" name=3DGENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV> Where The Winds Blow (1a/04) by Anne Olsen Feedback to <A=20 href=3D"mailto:anneo@paradise.net.nz">anneo@paradise.net.nz</A> Disclaimers in Part 0 **** All the shadows blue, in the winter moon, The stars within the darkness, They remember you, and they sorrow too, With all the winds that blow. You were my soul and my silence, You were my hope, my lightness, You were the sword at my side. Through all the winds that blow. - Duncan Sheik (The Winds that Blow) **** February 2000 Chapter One Jade snuggled back against Megabyte and sighed contentedly. She felt = him run=20 his hand through her long blonde hair, and turned as she felt a gentle=20 telepathic touch in her mind. Blue eyes met her own, as Megabyte stared at her with a grin on his = face, a=20 few strands of hair falling forward over one eye. He reached up and = brushed=20 those strands off his face, not noticing them returning as though with a = mind of=20 their own. "Are you okay with this?" he asked her out loud. He gazed = hungrily at=20 her and she could tell he wanted the same thing she did. "You have to ask, Megabyte?" she asked. "After everything we’ve = been through,=20 you have to ask?" Of course she was okay with it. She'd been waiting for = this=20 moment for years, for the moment when he finally wanted her as much as = she had=20 always wanted him. She stood there for a moment, just looking at him. = The=20 slightly longer hair suited him, she decided, even if it didn't want to = always=20 behave. Behave. Like she wanted any part of him to behave? As if in answer he leant down and cradled her face in his hands, = drawing her=20 close, his lips searching out hers. She put one hand up to his face, = feeling the=20 slight roughness of his skin under her fingers as she traced the outline = of his=20 cheek. As she breathed deeply taking in the smell of his aftershave, = Jade felt=20 her heart pump faster. She'd been waiting so long. She closed her eyes, opening her mouth slightly as she waited in = breathless=20 anticipation for the sensation of his lips against hers… "Comfy there, Jade?" Was that a touch of sarcasm she could hear in = Megabyte’s=20 voice? Jade frowned, her fantasy world suddenly dissolving into reality. = As she opened her eyes she noticed Kevin watching her. He turned his = gaze=20 away hurriedly, studying the squares on the picnic rug intently, and = Jade=20 slammed her mental shields down. Had Kevin picked up on what she had = been=20 thinking? Picturing herself and Megabyte acting out one of her favourite = romantic novels maybe hadn’t been a particularly bright idea after = all. She felt her cheeks grow warm as she remembered where she'd been so = rudely=20 interupted. Okay she knew Kevin wouldn’t pry, but when her = emotions ran high,=20 her shields didn’t tend to be as strong as they should be. Then of = course there=20 was that small matter of Kevin’s empathic abilities… "Your arm is sticking into me, kid," complained Megabyte, shifting = her weight=20 against him. "It’s keeping me awake." Jade turned and glared at = him, annoyed=20 with herself as much as with him. Her gaze lingered on him, hunting for = any sign=20 that he had an inkling of what she'd been thinking about, no correct = that,=20 dreaming about. She took in again those twinkling blue eyes, the way his = hair=20 tended to fall forward. She resisted the urge to lean over and push it = back so=20 she could see his face more clearly but thought he probably wouldn't = appreciate=20 the action or the thought behind it …Stop it, Jade, she thought. = You're just=20 going to make yourself feel worse. "You mean we’ve come here to this lovely park and all you want = to do is lie=20 back and sleep?" she asked, trying to keep the disappointment out of her = voice=20 as she edged over closer to Kevin and the picnic basket. Suddenly the = snuggling=20 of her daydream and the way she had been leaning against him in reality, = her=20 head nestled against his chest had seemed poles apart. True they both = involved=20 the physical contact with him she enjoyed but somehow that sense of = romance had=20 been lost the moment he'd opened his mouth. "Well I didn't see you complaining until a couple of minutes ago did = I?"=20 Megabyte moved around, shifting his back against the tree trying to find = a=20 comfortable spot. Of course she hadn't been complaining, she'd been too = busy=20 enjoying her daydream. But she was hardly going to tell him that was = she? Jade=20 watched him for another moment, noticing the way the muscles between his = shoulder blades rippled and flexed, each wiggle stretching his thin = shirt taut.=20 Her eyes travelled over and up a bit. Nice abs she thought = appreciatively and=20 those legs... Jade might have gone about them for quite some time had = she not=20 caught Megabyte glaring at her again. Flashing him a sweet smile, she = mentally=20 sighed and put her eyes elsewhere. Kevin grinned and took another swig of orange juice. "Can’t you = two just sit=20 back and enjoy the peace and quiet of this place?" He propped himself = back on=20 his left elbow, holding the bright red plastic cup with his free hand, = examining=20 the liquid inside as his grin seemed to grow even broader. Jade reached = out,=20 trying to get a hint of what he was thinking about, as the air around = her seemed=20 to rise a few degrees. He looked directly at her, strengthening his = shields as=20 he fixed an innocent look on his face. How much had he overheard? Or = more=20 importantly how much how Megabyte overheard? "Nope," replied Megabyte, as Jade watched him carefully for any = telltale=20 hints that he'd picked up on any of the fun thoughts that had been going = through=20 her mind. She mentally crossed her fingers. With the way her shields = were at the=20 moment it would be a miracle if he hadn't. Instead to her relief, he = grinned=20 back at the smaller British boy with one of those lop sided grins she = loved so=20 much. "There’s only so much peace and quiet a guy can take. Hey = I’m all for=20 taking it easy, but after a while you start to miss…" "Having withdrawal symptoms from your computer already?" interrupted = Kevin, a=20 smirk on his face. She had to wonder if that smirk was directed at = Megabyte's=20 last comment or at her. 'Stop trying to read too much into it,' she = chastised=20 herself. Kevin wasn't like that, she was just feeling guilty, that was = all. And=20 honestly, should she feel guilty for entertaining romantic thoughts = about=20 someone who felt the same way about her? Since she had been shot, = Megabyte had=20 been acting differently towards her, but it had been mainly when they = had been=20 alone, and they weren't alone often enough for her liking. If only he'd = show=20 those feelings in public. Sometimes she wondered what the hell was wrong = with=20 him. Was he deliberately trying to annoy her, or did it just come = naturally? She knew damn well the feelings she had for him were reciprocated = because=20 when he had reached out to her telepathically when she'd lay dying in = his arms a=20 few short weeks before, she had heard all the thoughts running through = his mind.=20 Megabyte had been so worried about losing her that he had dropped the = pretence=20 of not caring. He had feelings for her. Megabyte Damon actually had = feelings for=20 her. Jade still had to pinch herself to make herself believe it = hadn’t been a=20 dream. After she had recovered, Megabyte had back-pedalled, refusing to = admit that=20 what she had picked up on was true. "Of course I was worried about you, = squirt.=20 So was everyone else," was about as much as she could get out of him. = Still the=20 odd time the other Tomorrow People weren’t around, she saw the way = he looked at=20 her, the little gestures he made towards her. A couple of times he'd = come so=20 close to saying what she was longing to hear, but they'd been = interrupted by the=20 arrival of one of the others and he'd backed off again. "It wasn’t my fault Jade didn’t want me to bring my = laptop was it? Now that’s=20 my idea of a good vacation." Megabyte raised one eyebrow in typical = Megabyte=20 fashion, and wiggled his back against the tree again. Jade deliberately = looked=20 away, before her thoughts wandered the way they had the last time he'd = done=20 that. She reached over and poured herself a drink of juice, enjoying the = feel of=20 the cold liquid seeping through the plastic cup. As she put her lips to = the cup,=20 she looked over at Megabyte again, watching the way the ends of his = mouth curved=20 up as he shot a grin her way. Jade took a long sip of her drink, trying to focus on how cold it = was, on how=20 the droplets of moisture clung to the side of the cup as she wiped them = away=20 with her fingers. She'd heard stories about how guys took cold showers, = maybe a=20 cold drink might work the same way. It had to, or this was going to be a = very=20 long afternoon. "Well I like it." Kevin’s statement shook Jade out of her = reverie. "Besides I=20 thought a day out doing ‘normal stuff’ might be what we all = needed after the=20 last week or so. I needed to get out in the fresh air after a day in = that=20 hospital bed and I thought you guys could do with the break as well." = Kevin's idea had been a good one, she had to admit that. Poor guy, = with what=20 he'd overheard he must be feeling like the proverbial gooseberry. She = stifled a=20 laugh. Hope springs eternal. "You mean a break from psycho bad guys?" asked Megabyte, stretching = his legs=20 out in front of him and yawning. "Yeah I’ve had enough of that for = a while. At=20 least until the next one comes along." "I’d prefer not to think about the ‘next one,’ as = you so nicely put it,"=20 complained Jade. The last one had been enough to last her a lifetime = thank you.=20 It had nearly cost her life to be more precise. She shivered, the = thought giving=20 her the effect she'd been trying to desperately achieve for the past few = minutes. Nothing like the memory of a near death experience to bring you = down to=20 earth again. She decided to try and get the conversation onto a more = positive=20 track, as she noticed Kevin had suddenly become silent as he became lost = in his=20 own thoughts, a look of regret or sadness fleeting over his features. = "Kevin’s=20 right. It’s lovely here, and what’s more it’s summer, = not like at home." "Summer? Really? I hadn’t noticed." Megabyte leaned back and = closed his eyes,=20 shading his face against the sun with his hand. He looked so peaceful = sitting=20 there in the half shade of the tree, stretching out those long legs as = though he=20 hadn't a care in the world. It wasn't fair. If only he would come out = and show=20 her how he felt she could be sitting snuggled up close to him with his = arms=20 around her. She rolled her eyes. Guys, sheesh. What was it with them and = that=20 sort of stuff anyway? Kevin grinned. "Don’t waste your breath, Jade. Sit back and = enjoy yourself.=20 That’s what I’m planning on doing." Jade smiled at him, grateful for the support. Of course Kevin knew = what she=20 was feeling. Even if he hadn't read her mind, he was a powerful empath. = No way=20 could he miss picking up on the feelings she'd been trying to hide for = most of=20 the time they'd been here. Hell, for most of the time he'd known her if = truth be=20 known. By the time Kevin had reappeared on the scene she'd been well and = truly=20 smitten by the American. Jade glanced behind her, making sure Megabyte had drifted off to = sleep, and=20 tried to get mind back on track. Back to what she'd been trying to get = up the=20 nerve to talk about over the last few days. "Kevin, can I talk to you = about=20 something?" She pulled at a few blades of grass to hide her nervousness, = marvelling not for the first time at how green everything was in this = country.=20 The sky was so blue and clear too, she thought idly as she watched the = white=20 clouds chase each other across the sky. It was lovely and warm, but not = too hot.=20 In the distance she could hear children yelling excitedly to each other = as they=20 splashed each other in the river at the far end of the picnic area. = Maybe she=20 could talk the boys into a swim before they left. A swim. She gazed over = at=20 Megabyte again, realising that that one thought had successfully ruined = all her=20 great intentions of keeping her mind on the task at hand. Swimmers, or = better=20 yet a speedo. Grrr. She felt a large grin work itself over her face, and = hastily=20 took another sip of the drink she'd put down earlier. Count to ten, = Jade, count=20 to ten really slowly. ******* to be continued in next post........sorry guys, first time I tried = this it=20 bounced for being too long. *crosses = fingers</DIV></BODY></HTML> - ------=_NextPart_000_002F_01C16482.2A06CF60-- - - To unsubscribe to arfic-l, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe arfic-l" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------ End of arfic-l-digest V1 #54 **************************** - To unsubscribe to $LIST, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe $LIST" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message.