ftp.xmission.com/2014.06.ftp.xmission.com.tar/ftp.xmission.com/pub/lists/buffyfic/archive/buffyfic.9801

Internet Message Format | 1998-01-31 | 1MB

From: krissy <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: writing a slayer handbook
Date: 02 Jan 1998 02:01:03 -0800 (PST)

hi.. i'm krissy and i'm thinking of writing a
slayer's handbook... i have a rough gauge of what to
put in.. do you think i could get help on this?
krissy






_________________________________________________________
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From: RitaLance9 <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Part of That World 1/1 by Leila
Date: 02 Jan 1998 14:35:34 EST

TITLE: Part of That World
AUTHOR: Leila
EMAIL ADDY: [e-mail]
WEB SITE: http://www.geocities.com/hollywood/academy/6358
FEEDBACK: Yes, please.  All constructive criticisms are appreciated.
SPOILER WARNING: Requires general Buffy knowledge...no particular episode.
DISCLAIMER: Buffy and Co. belong to Joss, Mutant Enemy, and Fox.  Don't sue.
I'm 16. My mother still gives me lunch money.
DISTRIBUTION: I would love to have this posted somewhere, please just let me
know if you are going to put it up so that I can visit the site and gush ;-)
RATING: 100% Rated G, absolutely no bad parts...unless my proof readers
sneaked some in!
SUMMARY: It's pretty darn short! Saying anything would be too much.  Hope you
enjoy!



                                       Part of That World

To anyone who didn't know any better, Buffy Summers would seem like a normal
American teenage girl.  Buffy sat on her bed, wearing a large t-shirt and
baggy sweat pants. Positioned as she was, and having no makeup on her face,
Buffy looked almost two years younger than her sixteen years.  Perhaps this
retreat to her childhood was intentional. On this night, her CD player, which
usually played the music of such diverse, contemporary music groups as Sugar
Ray and Bush was now playing the soundtrack to her favorite movie, The Little
Mermaid.  Buffy closed her eyes and leaned back on the bed, as Ariel's sweet
voice filled her room.

"Up where they walk,
Up where they run,
Up where they stay all day in the sun.
Wanderin' free,
Wish I could be
Part of that world."

The song came to an end, but Buffy was so caught up that she failed to see the
figure perched on the roof outside of her second story window, listening to
the song as intently as she, disturbing the stillness only to wipe away a tear
from his eye.


Fini!  Told you that it was short!

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From: Bryce2000 <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: unsubscribe buffy
Date: 02 Jan 1998 16:14:50 EST

unsubscribe buffy

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From: Carriedel <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: Part of That World 1/1 by Leila
Date: 03 Jan 1998 11:20:34 EST

That was really good, you are right it was short, but still good.

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From: lisewilliams <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: Part of That World 1/1 by Leila
Date: 03 Jan 1998 14:05:46 -0800

Leila
Very sweet story!  I liked it.

Lise

PS: By the way, I've got a few questions to those who post to this list
regularly.  I'm a newbie here *g*, so I'm not so sure how this list
works.  Do you guys post anything (fitting into the guidelines of
course)..... can people archive this stuff if they ask the author, or is
it strictly to be archived somewhere else.... are you picky about who
posts.....etc.

Please don't flay me for posting this bit to the list itself.  I'm just
hoping to get some feedback from 'regulars', so to speak.  Don't drum me
out!


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From: Carriedel <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: New Comer
Date: 04 Jan 1998 11:22:16 EST

Hi!  I just subscribe to this and I am not really sure how it works.  I got
one fic in my mail already.  Is that how it works?  People just send it and it
goes to everyone on the list?  I would be most appreciative if someone would
fill me in if they get a chance.  Thank you!
Carrie

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From: John & Barbie <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: New Comer
Date: 03 Jan 1998 20:34:58 -0800

Carriedel wrote:
>
> Hi!  I just subscribe to this and I am not really sure how it works.  I got
> one fic in my mail already.  Is that how it works?  People just send it and it
> goes to everyone on the list?  I would be most appreciative if someone would
> fill me in if they get a chance.  Thank you!
> Carrie
>
> -Dear Carrie,

HI!, Welcome to the wonderful world of Fan Fic.

yep, get ready for a ton of Buffy Fic.  People write, post it, and it
gets sent to everyone on the list...that includes YOU!.   :+]

John P.


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From: "Katie Bischoff" <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Brutal Youth(1/6)
Date: 04 Jan 1998 13:28:43 PST

This story was not written by me, it was written by [e-mail].
If you have any comments about this story, send them to him.

Brutal Youth (1/6)

By [e-mail]

(c) Copyright May 1997

This document can be freely distributed with the condition that it is
not modified or sold in any way.  Some characters and elements of
this story are the property of 20th Century Fox Inc, used without
authorization.  The author receives no compensation from the
distribution of this work.




    'Beautiful teeth make beautiful people.'
    Xander read the words of the poster over and over again, trying to lose
himself in the reading. His knuckles were ghost white, and he couldn't
breathe. In the past three months he had battled vampires, been
possessed by a hyena, and fallen in love with a giant insect, but
nothing could compare with the sheer terror he was endearing at the
moment. He closed his eyes and hoped that soon this terrifying ordeal
would be over.
    "All done!" The dentist chirped. He snapped of the white latex gloves
and smiled. "Now, wasn't that easy?!"
    "Faw ou, maube." Xander muttered. The Novocain in his mouth numbed his
entire face. Truthfully he hadn't felt anything, but the whole idea of a
guy drilling your teeth didn't appeal to him much.
    "Oh, it just one filling. By the time the Novocain wears off you won't
feel anything. Now, all you have do is take better care of your teeth,
and you'll never have to do this again. Remember beautiful teeth
    (poor fool)
    make beautiful people."
    "Fat di ou all me?" Xander asked.
    "I didn't call you anything, Mr. Harris. Now if you'll excuse me, I
have other patients." The dentist stood up, obviously offended by
Xander's question, and walked out of the room.
    "Forry." Xander said sheepishly, but the dentist had already left. He
could have sworn he had heard the dentist say "poor fool". Oh well, he
figured. All he cared about now, was getting some Aspirin to dull the
headache he had just gotten.

                *****************
    Buffy felt her flesh crawl at she walked through the dark cavern. She
felt her palms sweat all over the wooden stake she was carrying. She
proceeded through the dark corridor, looking for her target. As she
ventured further, Buffy realized she was not where she had thought she
was. She was back in the high school library, the last place she
expected to be. She walked around the once familiar room, now a puzzling
labyrinth. Suddenly, there was a scurrying sound behind her.
    "Who's there?" Buffy called into the rows of books. "Giles?"
    "No, I'm afraid your Watcher will not be joining us today." The voice
that answered was a familiar one. It was that of the Master, lord of the
vampires. She had only heard his voice in her dreams, but still she knew
it well enough to fear it. "It's just you and me tonight, my dear."
    Buffy held up the stake and turned to face the Master. She soon saw
that the Master had grown to a towering height, standing above her and
laughing maniacally. "You poor girl!" he cackled. He extended one of his
giant hands and gripped Buffy raising her to meet his eye level.
    "We will meet, soon. Very, very soon." He dropped Buffy, watching her
scream has she fell into a black abyss.
    Buffy awoke in her bed clutching a stuffed bear. A thin layer of sweat
draped her young body. "I've gotta talk to Giles, or I'm never gonna
sleep again in my life." She muttered to herself. Buffy lay back in bed,
but sleep never claimed her that night.

                ***************************


    "Have a nice day at school, honey." Ms. Summers said smiling.
    "I'll be sure to tell you if anybody dies today." Buffy joked.
    "I wish you wouldn't say that." Buffy hopped out the car and watched
her mother drive away. She knew how rough the past few weeks had been on
her, moving to a new neighborhood, being a single mom and trying to
balance her career and her daughter. It hadn't been an easy trick, but
Buffy thought her mom was doing fine. It had nearly scared the life out
of her when her mother had almost become the latest victim of the
growing number of vampires in Sunnydale. At first slaying the Master
just seemed like her responsibility, but
now her desire to kill him was fueled by a personal vendetta.
    She walked to her locker, careful to ignore the stares of the other
students. Buffy knew that she had earned quite a reputation on campus,
but tried to pretend it didn't exist. Sometimes she wished she could
just be a "normal" teenager, but then she thought, "Where would the fun
be in THAT?"
    "Hey." Willow, one her few friends in Sunnydale popped up next to her,
matching her speedy pace. "Be sure to be extra nice to Xander today, he
had his first filling yesterday." She brushed her long reddish hair out
of her eyes.
    "Yowch!" Buffy commented as she opened her locker. 20-12-40...Damn, she
thought. If it were up to her she'd just tear the door off of the stupid
locker. "Never a pleasant experience."
    "Stopping by the library?" Willow asked.
    "Yeah, but if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to talk to Giles alone.
Personal stuff." She pulled her Geometry book out of her locker.
'Actually', she thought, 'I'm probably cutting Geometry', and put the
book back.
    "Oh. No problem. I'll tell Xander too."
    "Thanks." Buffy zipped up her backpack.
    "Umm," Willow said nervously. "Is it the nightmares again?"
    Buffy was about to ask her how she knew that, but then remembered what
had happened a few weeks ago. A comatose boy had accidentally unleashed
all of the citizens of Sunnydale's darkest nightmares into reality. Her,
Willow, Xander, and Giles, were apparently the only people in Sunnydale
who had any recollection of the ordeal after it ended. During the
horrific experience, the
four of them had been subject to each other's inner fears, including
Buffy's phobia of being turned into a vampire. "Well, since you asked,
yes. If anyone else asks, no."
    "Gotcha. No nightmares." Willow tried to smile, but could see that she
had accidentally hurt Buffy. The sound of the bell pierced through the
hallway.
        "Gotta go, remember to be nice to Xander."
    Buffy watched her scurry down the hall. She didn't mean to sound
hostile to Willow. She hadn't really had any friends when she first
started slaying, or at least any that knew her secret. 'Why do I always
hurt the people I care about?' she thought and drifted into the library.










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From: "Katie Bischoff" <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Brutal Youth(2/6)
Date: 04 Jan 1998 13:33:01 PST

This story was not written by me, it was written by [e-mail].
If you have any comments about this story, send them to him.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer:

Brutal Youth (2/6)

by Ian Stokes ([e-mail])

(c) Copyright May 1997

This document can be freely distributed with the condition that it is
not modified or sold in any way.  Some characters and elements of
this story are the property of 20th Century Fox, used without
authorization.  The author receives no compensation from the
distribution of this work.

    'He lied.' Xander realized. The Novocain had worn off almost twelve
hours ago, and the pain in his mouth had yet to subside as the dentist
had promised.  The throbbing had made it impossible to sleep, and the
noise outside of his room didn't help either.
    All night he kept hearing loud snippets of conversations
(where's the dog)
        (hungry now)
        (blood, oh my god, so much blood), but every time he looked out
the window or out the door the voices had vanished, and there was
nothing there. His stereo hadn't helped drain out the sound no matter
how loud he had cranked the music.
    Xander's eyes were completely bloodshot the next day in school, and be
it either the bottle of Advil he had downed or the lack of sleep, it was
definitely affecting his train of thought. He spent twenty minutes in
front of his locker trying to remember his combination. Later, he
realized it wasn't even his locker.
    Now he was sitting in his desk looking into his backpack trying to
remember
exactly what class he was in. Only a few more weeks 'till summer, he
told
himself. Then he
was spending a few weeks as far away from the Hellmouth as possible.
    "Hey, you." He heard someone say. He didn't even turn his head,
figuring this
was
another one of the voices. "Hello? Xander? It's me, Willow."
    He spun around and saw the face of his best friend. "Oh, Willow, thank
god! I
thought you were imaginary!"
    "Thanks." Willow said laughing. "That's the nicest thing you've ever
said to
me."
    (He's cute even when he's crazy)
    "What!?" Xander said, panicked. "What did you just say?"
    "Xander, you need to get a grip. What's wrong with you?" She looked
concerned.
    He blew out a long gust of air and ran his hands through his unusually
messy
black
hair. "Willow, I think I'm going crazy."
    "Well, you'd better go crazy later. Class is starting." Sure enough,
Mr.
Mallory had
just walked through the door. He was the new biology teacher, after the
last
one had been
decapitated by a giant praying mantis.
    Willow thought he was one of the nicest teachers in the school, after
Mr.
Giles, but
he wasn't really a teacher. Mr. Mallory was tall, with a thin goatee,
and a
aging sports
jacket he wore every day. Most male teachers just wore a shirt and tie,
but the
jacket and
bowtie gave Mr. Mallory the look of a college professor.
    Xander, realizing what class he was in, dove into his backpack and
pulled out
his
biology binder. "Greetings, class." Mr. Mallory boomed as he entered the
room.
    (Little maggots)
    Xander snorted loudly and caught the attention of just about the entire
class.
They
all looked at him oddly, especially Willow. "Sorry." He commented.
    'They didn't hear that?' he questioned. What was wrong with him?
    "Can I ask you what's so funny, Mr. Harris?" Mr. Mallory said in his
loud,
deep
voice.
    "Uh, I must have inhaled a bug or something." Nice....
    "I see." Mr. Mallory responded.
    (I'll kill you, Mr. Harris. I'll wring the life out of you from your
neck)
    Xander faced drained of all color. Once again, the students reacted as
if they
hadn't
heard what he had. Was it possible that it was people's thoughts he was
hearing? It seemed
unlikely, but in a place where reality was just a variable, it also
seemed
possible.
    "...a virus is, unlike many would believe, not a living thing." Mr.
Mallory
continued. "It is however, the simplest organism known. A virus like the
mumps
injects it's
DNA into a body cell, where it replicates itself and spreads throughout
the
body infecting
other cells. It is truly
    (a beautiful)
    a horrible thing."
    Mr. Mallory began to look in Xander's general direction, with a curious
expression
on is face. Xander sat quietly in his seat trying to avoid detection.
"Mr.
Burrows," he said.
    Xander turned to view the sleeping figure of Rusty Burrows, a junior
Xander
only
knew from his reputation as a complete junkie. Xander wouldn't have been
surprised if he
had OD'ed back there.
    "Mr. Burrows," Mr. Mallory said, louder then he had before. Rusty
slowly
returned to consciousness, and smiled.
    "Yeah?" He said in a gruff voice. The class chuckled slightly, but Mr.
Mallory
was
anything but amused.
    "Don't you think it would be beneficiary for you to stay awake during
class?"
The
teacher said harshly.
    "Good idea. I'll try to do that from now on." Rusty gave the teacher a
thumbs
up
and smiled again. Xander thought Mr. Mallory would just freak out on the
kid
right there,
but instead he looked rather calm.
    "Thank you."
    (Go ahead. Don't pay attention. You'll feel the fever soon. You all
will. All
of you
who took my daughter away from me. You'll all pay.)
    Oh my God, Xander thought. He's completely insane.




    "I don't get this, Gy." Buffy quipped. "You guys knew who I was, where
I was
going to be, what I was going to look like, but you have no idea about
anything
after
that?"
    Giles looked up from the book he had been paging through, and adjusted
his
glasses. "Um, well, yes. A large number of the books of prophecy were
lost to
the
Watchers during the Middle Ages, and sadly even more when the move to
the New
World
came."
    Buffy paced around the dimly light library that had become her "home
away from

home". She shuffled her feet anxiously. "Buffy," Giles asked, irritated.
"There
must be
some reason you came here."
    Without missing a beat Buffy quickly answered, "I had a dream I was
fighting
the
Master."
    Giles placed down the book and sighed. "I'm afraid that the time is
getting
closer
when you're going to have face the Master in combat. The nightmares are
only a
warning
system devised by the original Watchers to prepare the girls in their
sleep."
    "You guys are total jerks sometimes. Look at these bags, Giles." She
pointed
to
her eyes. "I haven't had a decent nights sleep in weeks. Every time I
face him
in my
dreams, I'm just, just..." Buffy fluttered for a moment. "I'm helpless."
    Giles put his hand over hers. "I can give you something that will help
you
sleep, if
you absolutely need it, but believe me, the dreams are making you
stronger."
    "I don't know, Giles. It's just so frustrating." The two were
interrupted, but
the
entering of Willow and Xander. Xander had a wide grin across and his
arms
outspread in a
victorious manner.
    "Have I got something for you guys!" Xander boomed. Willow quickly ran
ahead
of him, toward Buffy.
    "I'm sorry," She said softly. "I told him you wanted to be alone."
Buffy
quickly
raised her hand, trying to calm the exasperated girl down.
    "Welcome to Xander's Magic Happy Hour!" He said in a loud voice.
"Giles, my
man, I'd like you to think of a passage from one of your favorite
books."
    "I don't understand." The Watcher responded.
    (O brave new world that has such people in it)
    "O, brave new world that has such people in it." Xander commented.
    Willow looked at Giles anxiously, "Well, is he close?"
    "No, he is exactly right. How the devil did you know that?" The
librarian shut
the
book he had been paging through and looked at the tall boy.
    "The good news is....I have gained psychic powers." He dropped his
backpack on

the ground and took a bow.
    There was brief moment of silence, which Buffy chose to break. "This
must be a

joke."
    Xander laughed. "You wish. Oh, and before any speculation, wait till
you hear
how I got them."
    "Your dental work." Giles interrupted.
    "My dent....hey. How'd you know that?" He asked.
    "Buffy told me." He pointed his finger at her, and she nodded her head
smiling.
    Xander frowned and fell into a chair. "You take the fun out of
everything."
    "Actually, it's not a fairly odd phenomenon." Giles continued  "People
have
claimed to be able to pick up certain radio stations on metal plates in
their
head or braces.
It's never been, uh, proven scientifically, but I suppose it's feasible.
Reading thoughts is
new to me, though."
    "Time to hit the books?" Xander asked jokingly.
    "Time to hit the books." Giles sighed, and prepared to venture through
the
library
for information as he had done so often.
    "Well, I'm glad to see you boys are having such an easy time with this,
but
I'm
not." Buffy snapped. "You can tell what all of us are thinking right
now?"

    "Well, sort of. Oh , wait!" Xander held his hand to his head,
mockingly.
"Buffy, I
can't believe you. I don't even own a g-string!"
    "Ha, ha. Now seriously, Swami."
    "No, just fragments of thoughts. Which reminds me, the bad news is
coming. You

guys all know Mr. Mallory, the biology teacher?" Willow and Buffy
nodded.
"Yeah, well.
He's crazy. I mean, psycho killer crazy. I just sat through an entire
class
listening to him
plot the deaths of the entire class."
    "Are you serious?" Willow asked. "He's such a nice guy though."
    "I am dead serious. We've gotta check this guy out before he finally
snaps."
Xander snapped his fingers to correspond with the last word.
    "Xander, I really doubt it. You probably just mis....thought-read him."
Buffy
didn't
like to doubt her friends, but Xander was easily excited.
    "Fine, don't believe me! I'm telling you, right now Buffy, he's
planning
something.
He said he was getting revenge for what we did to his daughter, whatever
that
was. He
said 'we were all going to feel the fever'."
    Giles walked out from one of the aisles. "I talked to Mr. Mallory, and
I
thought he
was a very nice fellow."
    "I don't believe this!" Xander shouted. "Buffy says she thinks a dummy
is
alive and
you instantly assume she's right!"
    "But I was." Buffy interrupted.
    "Maybe Xander's right." Willow said softly, then instantly regretted it
as all
eyes
became focused on her. "I mean, the Hellmouth does weird things to
people
right?"
    "Willow's right. We should check it out." Buffy looked at her watch.
"Whoops,
if
I'm late for gym again, Ms. Morgan will wig out." She and Willow left
headed to
the exit.
    Xander stood still with his arms opened. "What do you mean WILLOW's
right? It
was my idea!"

    "Hey, pass that on over here." Rusty took a drag off the toke and
escaped into
a
alternate reality, one where his teachers weren't bugging him and his
parents
weren't
yelling at him. "This is good shit,"
    "I can't believe how stupid everyone is at this god damn school."
Madeline
snatched the joint out of his hand. She snorted and wiped the water from
her
eyes. "We
don't even have to leave school to trip face!"
    The basement was dank and empty, the perfect place to go when you
didn't want
to get caught. Rusty and Madeline needed to come down there every once
and a
while,
but recently they had been avoiding it.
    (If that stupid bitch hadn't gotten her ass kicked)
    Rusty puffed on the joint and drifted again. "Did you hear that?"
Madeline
asked
him.
    "I didn't hear anything." Rusty answered. "But I'm also pretty well
stoned."
    "I think it came from back there." She pointed to a dark corner of the
room.
    Rusty sighed and got up from the crate he had been sitting on. "Who's
there?"
he
shouted into the darkness.  He walked, although it looked more like
staggering,
into the
corner of the basement. He turned to Madeline. "See babe, it was
nothing."
    Suddenly he felt a sharp stinging sensation as a long hypodermic needle
entered the
back of his neck. "Uh, uh....," he stuttered. He saw Madeline, who was
more
confused
than scared at the situation.
    "Feel the fever." His assailant whispered into his ear, then in one
with
motion he
removed the needle. Rusty fell onto the floor clutching his neck.
Madeline ran
over to his
body, screaming. By the time she looked up, the figure in the shadows
was
already gone.

TO BE CONTINUED


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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Katie Bischoff" <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Brutal Youth(4/6)
Date: 04 Jan 1998 13:37:12 PST

This story was not written by me, it was written by [e-mail].
If you have any comments about this story, send them to him.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer:

Brutal Youth (4/5)

by Ian Stokes ([e-mail])

(c) Copyright May 1997

This document can be freely distributed with the condition that it is
not modified or sold in any way.  Some characters and elements of
this story are the property of 20th Century Fox, used without
authorization.  The author receives no compensation from the
distribution of this work.

Note: This story takes place between "Invisible Girl" and "Prophecy
Girl"



    The ambulance wheeled the two bodies away in a stretcher, blood seeping
through
the sheet covering the bodies. The orderlies wore thin paper masks, and
were
obviously
worried about catching whatever had killed the two students. Willow
glanced
around
nervously, afraid of all the commotion that had suddenly built up around
her.
After finding
Madeline, she was rushed into the nurses office and remained there. She
had
only seen
Buffy and Xander once, the two of them being pushed behind a yellow tape
barrier that
had been constructed at the end of the hallway.
     She knew that both Madeline and Rusty Burrows were both dead, and if
it
really
was a disease that had killed them, she would be most likely to get it
next. A
woman
wearing what looked like and orange gas mask over her face and mouth
kneeled
down in
front of her, and identified herself as a doctor.  "Winnifred," she
said.
    "Willow," The girl corrected.
    "Willow," The doctor continued. "How are you feeling?"
    "Fine!" Willow ignored the headache and nausea she felt. "Can I go
now?" She
asked, knowing that the doctor's answer would not be 'yes'. Willow stood
up,
and in
seconds fell on top of the doctor, sweat dripping down her brow.
"I.....don't
feel so good."
Willow said weakly.
    The doctor looked up at a man in the corner of the room wearing a full
yellow
body suit. "Let's get her to the hospital. Be sure to place a call into
the
CDC. I've never
seen anything like this." She handed the unconscious girl to the man and
he
carried her
out.
    The principal of the school, the doctor forgot his name, walked into
the
office. He
was a short balding man, with large protruding ears that reminded her of
a
character on
'Star Trek'. "I'm getting ready to send the students home."
    "Not yet, I'm afraid." The doctor sighed. "I've got to quarantine the
school
immediately, or risk spreading an isolated virus. Please keep them all
in their
homerooms
or something."
    The principal wiped at his brow. "I never should have taken this job."
He left
the
room promptly. As the doctor looked at pictures of the victim's bodies,
she
thought the
same thing.

    Xander and Buffy struggled their way through the crowd that had formed
in the
front of the school. Kids were straining for a glimpse of their dead
colleagues
as they
wheeled them to the ambulance. The two had finally managed to burst to
the
front of the
riot scene only to be pushed back by a rather burly man wearing a
surgical
mask. Buffy
noticed their were several of them trying to push students back into the
school.
    "What's going on?" Buffy asked the man.
    "Please just step back, Miss." He replied, as if he had said the line
hundreds
of
times already.
    "WILLOW!" Xander screamed. Willow was lying on a stretcher, an IV tube
protruding from her right arm. Willow waved back weakly and then dropped
her
head in
exhaustion.
    (I'm scared, Xander)
     His last glance of her came when the EMT's carried her into the
ambulance.
Xander burst from the guard, running to the ambulance. Another man
grabbed him,
trying
to hold him back. "Let go of me!"  Xander shouted. The man struck him
over the
back of
his neck, bringing him to his knees.
    Buffy bolted to the fallen Xander, and looked at the helmeted guard.
She swung

her arm back and punched the guard square in the face, shattering the
plastic
on his mask.
    (Oh my god), Xander heard the man think (I could be infected!)
    The suppressed crowd of students cheered at Buffy's accomplishment.
"You
bitch!" The guard wheezed as two other large figures dragged Xander and
Buffy
away.
    "I'm okay." Xander said to her, holding his hand on his neck. "What
happened
to
Willow?"
    "I have no idea what's going on, Xander." She spoke seriously. "But
it's
scaring
the shit out of me."

    Miss Calendar watched the nervous Giles fluster as he spoke, and loved
every
minute of it. She had been attracted to the tall British man since she
had
helped him cast a
demon out of the internet a few weeks ago. Giles had been one of the few
reasons she
continued her job at Sunnydale after two of her students were killed by
Moloch
the
Corrupter.
    (Now that's a lie. You just couldn't get a job anywhere else)
    "So, un, can you do it?" Giles finished. Miss Calendar realized she
hadn't
been
listening to the poor man and became embarrassed at the situation.
    "Do what?" The computer teacher asked.
    "Can you get me background information on one of the faculty members?"
Giles
said, frustrated.
    "Yeah, sure." She quipped. "Who?" Giles opened his mouth to speak, but
was
interrupted by Buffy and Xander, who stormed into the library.
    "Sometimes I hate this town!" Xander boomed. Buffy sped up and raced
toward
Giles.
    "Giles, we've gotta do something. There's something going on, the
governments
involved, and Xander thinks it might be a virus!" Buffy sentence was so
slurred, Giles had
trouble comprehending the girl.
    "Slow down, Buffy." Ms. Calendar said.
    "There isn't time to slow down, lady." Xander spoke passionately.
"There's
some
sort of virus running around the school. Willow's got it, and it must be
highly
contagious,
because even the guards are scared pissless of it......what are you
doing
here?" He turned
to the computer teacher.
    Giles took the opportunity to field the question. "I asked her to help
us find

background on Mr. Mallory. I, uh, think he may be involved somehow."
Upon
learning of
the task assigned to her, she turned to the computer mounted on the
library
table and
began clicking away on the keyboard.
    "They've quarantined everyone to homerooms, but we managed to get out.
Xander, is there a homeroom in Mr. Mallory's classroom?" Buffy asked her
friend. He
nodded, and she continued. "Then I'm going to check it out. You guys
stay
here." Buffy
started to walk away, but Xander stopped her.
    "No way, I'm coming." Xander clasped her elbow and looked into her
eyes.
"You're going to need someone who can help you get into that nutball's
mind.
And as of
now, I happen to be the resident psychic."
    Buffy tried to object, but couldn't. She knew how much Xander cared
about
Willow, and would do anything to help her. "All right."
    "You two need to be careful," Giles added. "This isn't some demon
you're
fighting, it's a real person. And Buffy, you may be the slayer, but
you're jut
as susceptible
to viruses as anyone else."
    (What's a slayer?) Miss Calendar thought. Xander glanced at her and saw
she
was
busily typing away.
    "Nice pep talk, coach." Buffy said and the two of them left the
library.

TO BE CONTINUED




______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Katie Bischoff" <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Brutal Youth(3/6)
Date: 04 Jan 1998 13:38:40 PST

This story was not written by me, it was written by [e-mail].
If you have any comments about this story, send them to him.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer:

Brutal Youth (3/6)

by Ian Stokes ([e-mail])

(c) Copyright May 1997

This document can be freely distributed with the condition that it is
not modified or sold in any way.  Some characters and elements of
this story are the property of 20th Century Fox, used without
authorization.  The author receives no compensation from the
distribution of this work.

Author's Note: This story takes place between "Invisible Girl" and
"Prophecy
Girl"



    "How about him?" Willow pointed at a short boy wearing a blue hat.
    Xander bit into his sandwich. "Um,......something about a math test."
He spoke

with his mouth full.
    "That's incredible!" Willow said.
    "How do we know you're right at all?" Buffy snapped. "He's probably
just
faking."
    (I'm special too, you know)
    "Whoah!" Xander shouted. "I just got a major fix on you! You, my dear
girl,"
He
pointed at Buffy, "Are 100 percent jealous of me. You thought you were
the one
with the
gift and now, you're not so special."
    "Xander," Buffy bit into a carrot stick. "I was thinking nothing of the
sort.
Slayer's
honor."
    "But," Xander said, dumbfounded. "I heard you think, 'I'm special
too'."
    "Maybe, my dear boy," She taunted. "Are not half as good at reading
minds as
you
think you are! Which leads me to believe you wrong about, Mr. Mallory."
    "Don't worry, Xander." Willow tried to comfort the boy. "It's a crowded
cafeteria.
It could have been anyone."
    (But it was me)
    "It was you?" Xander asked curiously.
    "No!" Willow barked. "Of course not! I gotta go." She got up and ran
away from

the table.
    Xander shook his head. "15 years I've known that girl, and I still
can't
figure her."
    "I can tell you what's bothering her. I've been chosen to slay
vampires, and
now
you can read minds. She just feels ignored."
    "It's times like this that I miss the good old days." Xander whined.
    "You mean before I moved here, right?" Buffy said angrily.
    "Uh-oh." Xander realized what he had just said and wished his newfound
gift
was
time travel rather than mind reading. "Buffy, I.....," He was
interrupted by
the entrance of
Giles, who immediately sat down at the table.
    "I think I know what's happening to Xander." He said. Xander and Buffy
sat
silently, listening. "Everybody emits brain waves when they think,
although all
of them are
such an odd frequency that no one can hear them."
    "So we're all walking radio stations, basically." Buffy offered her
insight.
"Man, my
analogies are good."
    "Anyway, as I was saying before I was, ahem, interrupted," Giles
continued.
"Now
certain brain waves can be transmitted, possibly. For example, if you
spend all
day with a
depressed person, you're bound to get depressed too."
    (Like I'm doing to all my friends)
    Xander heard Buffy's thought, but decided to remain silent.
    "Xander's metal filling has turned him into a giant brain wave
receptor, as it
should
happen. There are a few reported cases, but most of them get the object
removed, or,
ah....do something else."
    "Like what?" He asked.
    "Many of them joined circus side shows." After Giles said that, Buffy
began to

laugh so hard, she thought she felt a slight trickle of tears roll down
her
cheek.
    "You know, nobody laughs at your problems." Xander commented.
    "Didn't you hear? You don't have any problems." Buffy said, still
laughing.
"Most
circuses have dental plans."
    Even Giles emitted a slight chuckle at that. "Fine, I'll schedule an
appointment with
my dentist." Xander caved in to pressure. Besides reading minds had just
lost
it's appeal.

    (You can be so stupid sometimes, Willow)
    She would have kicked her self in the halls, had she not been wearing a
skirt.
She
had just made an idiot of herself in front of her friends. When she
realized
Xander could
read her thought, she flipped out. The last thing she wanted was for
Xander to
realize how
she really felt about him.
    She shuffled down the halls, not paying any real attention to the
direction
she was
walking in. There was a scraping sound at the door she had just walked
by, and
she
realized what door it was. The basement. The place where she had
witnessed her
worst
nightmare unfold in front of her eyes.
    "Help....me.....," she heard from behind the door. She fiddled with the
knob
and
pulled it opened. A figure lurched onto the floor, dripping blood all
over
Willow's shoes.
The face was barely recognizable as Madeline Rowchek, a girl Willow knew
only
be her
reputation as a major junkie. Her eyes were wide open and blood red, her
flesh
specked
with hemorrhages, as if their were a pulpy mass trapped under her skin.
Thick,
syrupy,
blood oozed from her mouth, ears, and eyes. "Feel....the...fever....,"
she
wheezed at
Willow.
    "Someone help me!" Willow shouted into the empty hall.


    (Somebody help me)
    Xander's carton of milk crashed onto the ground. "Willow's in trouble!"
He
said to
Buffy, a large puddle forming at his feet. The two sprung up from their
seats,
and ran out
of the cafeteria.

    "Good afternoon, Rupert." Giles spun around, with his fifth cup of
coffee of
the
day in his right hand, and saw the tall figure of James Mallory.
    "Same to you," Giles said, weakly smiling. He didn't wander much into
the
teacher's lounge, but Giles felt it was good to make interaction
occasionally
in order to
make sure people didn't suspect his true nature.
    "Rough day," Mallory reached over for the coffee pot "Seems like
everyday
there
are just more and more students. Although, I guess statistically, that
isn't
true."
    "Well," Giles replied. "I don't let it bother me."
    "Easy for you to say. Those little buggers are afraid to even go in the
library." He
took a long sip from his mug. "Whatever you're doing, you gotta tell
me."
    "Oh, the students aren't all bad here, I guess."
    "Hah!" Mallory laughed. "Sometimes, Rupert, I worry about the future
generation.
They're a bunch of smart-mouth empty headed slackers. I mean, the ones
that
aren't killing
each other."
    Giles gulped. He shuttered to think it, but what if Xander was right?
What if
there
was something mentally wrong with Mallory? "James, do you have any
children of
your
own?"
    The man looked down into his cup of coffee as if looking for answers.
He
looked
at Giles, and said meekly, "I have a daughter."
    At that point, a large woman Giles recognized as a German teacher,
barged into

the teachers lounge and shouted for someone to call an ambulance. Giles
ran for
the
phone, while Mallory slowly slipped away.

TO BE CONTINUED







______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: RitaLance9 <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Beta Readers Needed
Date: 06 Jan 1998 00:29:12 EST

Hi, I need beta readers for my latest project, a poem.  It's nothing of epic
proportions, but it's still longer than my last story (which I still may redo
and make longer)...so anyway, I'm looking for about 4 people to reader for me,
but if more volunteer, i wouldn't mind.

Toodles,
Lei :-)

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Silver Maiden <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: Beta Readers Needed
Date: 06 Jan 1998 17:08:29 -0500

RitaLance9 wrote:
>
> Hi, I need beta readers for my latest project, a poem.  It's nothing of epic
> proportions, but it's still longer than my last story (which I still may redo
> and make longer)...so anyway, I'm looking for about 4 people to reader for me,
> but if more volunteer, i wouldn't mind.
>
> Toodles,
> Lei :-)
>
> -

I'd love to!! Really!

Liz

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Kimela M Wilker"<[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Pleasant Dreams Pt 8/?
Date: 07 Jan 1998 15:46:37 -0600


     Title: Pleasant Dreams
     Author: Kimela
     Email: [e-mail]
     Rating:PG -- PG13
     Summary:  Why Xander's life was spared when the vampires abducted
     Willow and Giles from the Sunnydale Library (during the episode When
     She Was Bad)

     Feedback is highly appreciated!

     Since it has been a long time since they were posted...Parts
     Prologue-Seven are posted at http://www.geocities.com/~zandarah


     Pleasant Dreams Pt 8
          Willow didn't like Xander's complete withdrawal.  In her mind it
     was far worse than when he had started to fight with Giles and
     herself.  To her, it signified him giving up.  She didn't know how
     they were ever going to reach him in his catatonic state.  He needed
     more help than they could give him; unfortunately, she didn't think
     that doctors could even help him at this point.  Besides, they
     couldn't really go back to the hospital now-there were too many things
     that she would have to answer for-attacking hospital personnel,
     kidnapping a patient, theft of bedsheets...how was she ever going to
     explain this to her parents...or his mom?  She wondered if Anna had
     been alerted to Xander's departure and the part that she had played in
     it.  Would Ms. Harris ever forgive her?  Especially if Xander never
     recovered-NO!  She wouldn't even consider that possibility.  Giles
     would figure something out.  He just had to.

          Willow gazed down at Xander as he lay on the cot that Buffy had
     dragged from the nurse's office.  His eyes were wide open, but they
     showed no sign of life.

          "Do we know exactly when Mr. Harris began having
     these...eh...dreams?" Giles asked, looking at Willow thoughtfully.

          "Friday morning," Buffy answered before Willow even registered
     that the librarian had spoken to her.  "When he didn't show up at
     school-"

          "No," Willow cut in.  "He may have been having them before that.
     He had some sort of nightmare on Thursday night, when he was sleeping
     at my house.  I was able to wake him up from that one, though."

          "So they may not be connected?" Giles concluded.

          "Oh, they're connected, all right," a voice called from within
     the stacks.

          "Angel?" Buffy called, recognizing the voice immediately.  A
     moment later, the vampire appeared.  "What are you doing here?"  She
     quickly stood to greet him.

          Buffy's words were almost drowned out by Willow's eager query.
     "What do you know about  this?  How do we  fix it?"

          Angel glanced wearily at Buffy and she noticed a glimmer of pain
     in his eyes.  He nodded slightly as he passed by her and continued to
     move closer to Willow, who did not miss the silent exchange.   A sick
     feeling grew in the pit of her stomach as Angel drew nearer.

          Angel stopped, directly in front of Willow and he looked down at
     her, not quite meeting her eyes.  "I overheard a
     couple...acquaintances...talking about what happened," he started.
     "One of them-Adrious-said that the Anointed put a curse on the boy who
     saved the Slayer...on Xander."

          "What kind of a...uh...curse?" Giles asked.

          Angel glanced at the watcher and seemed to be about to answer
     when Willow interrupted with another question.  "How do we undo the
     curse?  What do I have to do?"

          "Basically he's been condemned to his own personal hell," Angel
     spoke quietly.  "It'll start with nightmares.  He'll be confronted by
     pretty much everything that has ever scared him...The nightmares will
     overlap into his reality.  Everything he sees will be distorted into
     something he fears.  Everything that touches him will cause pain.
     This skewed reality will eventually take over entirely."

          "We already know that much!" Willow cried, exasperated.  "What do
     we do to reverse it?"

           "I'm afraid I'm not finished..." Angel looked past Willow at
     Xander's prone form.  The boy's eyes were wide open, but there was no
     sign that he could see or hear anything.  It looked as though Xander
     was already several stages into the curse.  Angel took a deep breath,
     trying to figure out the best way to explain what was yet to come.

          "What are you not telling us?" Buffy asked, dreading the answer.

          "Xander will likely lose contact completely with reality.  He'll
     block out all sight and sound.  It's the victim's way of trying to
     stop the nightmares.  Unfortunately, that's exactly what the curse
     relies on..."

          Willow sat down on the edge of the cot, staring down at Xander's
     expressionless face.  She only half listened as Angel continued.

          "Once he is cut off completely from normal existence...he'll be
     pretty much trapped by his own terror.  The more he fights, the worse
     it'll get, the more damage it...causes.  It won't be just the people
     or things around him that become distorted, but every thought will
     create...problems."  He kept talking, but Willow no longer heard the
     words.

          "So, what can we do?" she finally broke in.

          "I asked a few...friends...and apparently there are three ways to
     break this curse," Angel replied.  He knelt down next to her and
     stared into her face.  "If we know exactly what the curse was, we
     might be able to find a counter curse to it.  That's a long shot,
     though.  Unless you know what exactly was said?"

          Willow shook her head.  She vaguely remembered the Anointed one
     standing over Xander that night at the library and saying some strange
     incantations, but she would never be able to remember what he said.
     "No.  I didn't pay attention to what he was saying.  Why didn't I-"

          "Will, it's not your fault," Buffy cut in before the hacker could
     start to feel guilty.  "You said there were three ways.  What's the
     next one?"

          "We have to find and kill the person who placed it and convince
     him to recant."

          "The Anointed one?"  Buffy sounded doubtful.  "That sounds great
     and all, but somehow I don't think it's going to work.  Could we just
     hunt him down and kill him?"

          Angel shook his head.  "No.  It wouldn't do any good, he has to
     revoke the curse willingly or it won't be broken."

          "Like that will happen.  What's the last one?"

          Angel took a deep breath.  Willow looked at him expectantly.  He
     couldn't look her in the eyes.  He rose to his feet and turned back to
     Buffy.  "The last one's no good. There's nothing-"

          "NO!" Willow roared, bolting to her feet.  "Take it back.  Tell
     me what it is and I'll do it.  Anything."

          "I wish it were that easy," Angel tried to explain.  "It's not
     something that you can do.  He's progressed too far.  The only other
     way is to convince him that what he is seeing is not reality.
     Unfortunately, he's already cut himself off from us.  We have no way
     to reach him..."

          Willow fingered the chain that still linked her to Xander.
     "Maybe we do," she murmured.  She looked over at Giles.  "I was in his
     dream once.  I'm not exactly sure how I did it, but maybe I can do it
     again?"

          "Will, I'm not sure that's a good idea," Buffy countered.  "I
     mean you could have really-"

          "We don't have a choice!" Willow responded, unwilling to waver in
     her resolve.  "I don't care what it costs.  I'll do it."

          "No.  I will," Buffy announced.  "I'm the more likely choice.  I
     can fight-"

          "I'm afraid not, Buffy," Angel stopped her.  "You can't kill
     anything."

          Buffy looked at the vampire confused.  "Of course I can, I do
     it-"

          Angel shook his head.  "If you damage anything, you're not really
     killing a demon.  You'll be...killing a part of his brain."

          The implication of Angel's words slowly sank in.  "Well," she
     spoke after considering a few moments,  "it should still be me.  I
     don't want to risk putting Willow in danger."

          "No.  It has to be me.  I'm his oldest friend.  He listens to me.
      He trusts me!"

          Buffy didn't want to admit it, but Willow had a point.  "What if
     we both go?"

          "Not a good idea," Angel countered.  "With two of you, there's a
     bigger chance of damage being inflicted."

          "So it's going to be me," Willow reiterated.  "All we have to
     figure out is how.  Giles?  Any ideas?"

          "You have no idea how you did it last time?" Buffy asked before
     the Watcher could respond.

          "All I did was...I fell asleep next to him."

          Buffy raised an eyebrow in surprise.  "Next to him?"

          "I was scared, I had to be close.  I had to know that his heart
     was beating..."

          "Willow, you said that you actually heard the Anointed one
     placing the curse?" Giles interrupted.

          "Yes.  I wasn't really paying attention to what he was
     saying...it was just gibberish, but I saw and heard the whole thing."

          "Buffy, you may not have been able to help Willow, anyway.  I
     think that maybe Willow was able to get into Xander's dream because
     she may be slightly affected by the curse."  Giles turned to Willow.
     "Have you been having any nightmares?"

          "Other than this one?" she returned quietly.  "No.  Not really.
     Just when I was with Xander."

          "I think that perhaps you were able to enter
     Xander's...dream...because you were present at the placement of the
     curse, and because of your...proximity to him when you fell asleep.
     Perhaps we can try to...recreate that situation."

          "I'll do it."  She turned to Angel.  "All I have to do is
     convince him that nothing is real, right?"

          Angel smiled faintly.  "Right."

          "And not damage anything..." Willow added.  She looked around at
     the others in the room.  "Is there something I could have...to help me
     sleep?"

          "I'll fix you some hot tea.  Buffy, perhaps you could go back to
     the nurse's office and see if you can find...anything?"

          Buffy nodded.  She and Angel slipped from the office, and headed
     off in search of sleep aides.

          "Willow, are you sure about this?" Giles asked, watching as the
     hacker carefully positioned herself on the cot next to Xander.  "It
     could be dangerous.  There's no telling what could happen...in there."

          "It's a chance I have to take," she replied.  "I'd never forgive
     myself if I didn't do something."

          Giles nodded.  "I'll get your tea.  I'll be right back."

          When Giles returned a couple minutes later with a cup of tea he
     found Willow fast asleep with her head on Xander's chest.  He
     retrieved the afghan that he had brought to use during his late night
     research sessions and covered them.  He gently stroked Willow's hair,
     placed a fatherly kiss on her cheek and whispered, "Pleasant dreams,
     Ms. Rosenberg."




-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: NuPhalanx <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: Pleasant Dreams Pt 8/?
Date: 07 Jan 1998 19:45:02 EST

HI!
 You're doing a good job with this story. I should have part 3 of All Alone
finished by the end of  January; so you are welcome to post it at your site.

cordially,

Mike Z.

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Dori <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Brutal Youth(3/6)
Date: 08 Jan 1998 18:49:27 -0500

This story was not written by me, it was written by [e-mail].
If you have any comments about this story, send them to him.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer:

Brutal Youth (3/6)

by Ian Stokes ([e-mail])

(c) Copyright May 1997

This document can be freely distributed with the condition that it is
not modified or sold in any way.  Some characters and elements of
this story are the property of 20th Century Fox, used without
authorization.  The author receives no compensation from the
distribution of this work.

Author's Note: This story takes place between "Invisible Girl" and
"Prophecy
Girl"



    "How about him?" Willow pointed at a short boy wearing a blue hat.
    Xander bit into his sandwich. "Um,......something about a math test."
He spoke

with his mouth full.
    "That's incredible!" Willow said.
    "How do we know you're right at all?" Buffy snapped. "He's probably
just
faking."
    (I'm special too, you know)
    "Whoah!" Xander shouted. "I just got a major fix on you! You, my dear
girl,"
He
pointed at Buffy, "Are 100 percent jealous of me. You thought you were
the one
with the
gift and now, you're not so special."
    "Xander," Buffy bit into a carrot stick. "I was thinking nothing of
the
sort.
Slayer's
honor."
    "But," Xander said, dumbfounded. "I heard you think, 'I'm special
too'."
    "Maybe, my dear boy," She taunted. "Are not half as good at reading
minds as
you
think you are! Which leads me to believe you wrong about, Mr. Mallory."
    "Don't worry, Xander." Willow tried to comfort the boy. "It's a crowded
cafeteria.
It could have been anyone."
    (But it was me)
    "It was you?" Xander asked curiously.
    "No!" Willow barked. "Of course not! I gotta go." She got up and ran
away from

the table.
    Xander shook his head. "15 years I've known that girl, and I still
can't
figure her."
    "I can tell you what's bothering her. I've been chosen to slay
vampires, and
now
you can read minds. She just feels ignored."
    "It's times like this that I miss the good old days." Xander whined.
    "You mean before I moved here, right?" Buffy said angrily.
    "Uh-oh." Xander realized what he had just said and wished his newfound
gift
was
time travel rather than mind reading. "Buffy, I.....," He was
interrupted by
the entrance of
Giles, who immediately sat down at the table.
    "I think I know what's happening to Xander." He said. Xander and Buffy
sat
silently, listening. "Everybody emits brain waves when they think,
although all
of them are
such an odd frequency that no one can hear them."
    "So we're all walking radio stations, basically." Buffy offered her
insight.
"Man, my
analogies are good."
    "Anyway, as I was saying before I was, ahem, interrupted," Giles
continued.
"Now
certain brain waves can be transmitted, possibly. For example, if you
spend all
day with a
depressed person, you're bound to get depressed too."
    (Like I'm doing to all my friends)
    Xander heard Buffy's thought, but decided to remain silent.
    "Xander's metal filling has turned him into a giant brain wave
receptor, as it
should
happen. There are a few reported cases, but most of them get the object
removed, or,
ah....do something else."
    "Like what?" He asked.
    "Many of them joined circus side shows." After Giles said that, Buffy
began to

laugh so hard, she thought she felt a slight trickle of tears roll down
her
cheek.
    "You know, nobody laughs at your problems." Xander commented.
    "Didn't you hear? You don't have any problems." Buffy said, still
laughing.
"Most
circuses have dental plans."
    Even Giles emitted a slight chuckle at that. "Fine, I'll schedule an
appointment with
my dentist." Xander caved in to pressure. Besides reading minds had just
lost
it's appeal.

    (You can be so stupid sometimes, Willow)
    She would have kicked her self in the halls, had she not been
wearing a
skirt.
She
had just made an idiot of herself in front of her friends. When she
realized
Xander could
read her thought, she flipped out. The last thing she wanted was for
Xander to
realize how
she really felt about him.
    She shuffled down the halls, not paying any real attention to the
direction
she was
walking in. There was a scraping sound at the door she had just walked
by, and
she
realized what door it was. The basement. The place where she had
witnessed her
worst
nightmare unfold in front of her eyes.
    "Help....me.....," she heard from behind the door. She fiddled with
the
knob
and
pulled it opened. A figure lurched onto the floor, dripping blood all
over
Willow's shoes.
The face was barely recognizable as Madeline Rowchek, a girl Willow knew
only
be her
reputation as a major junkie. Her eyes were wide open and blood red, her
flesh
specked
with hemorrhages, as if their were a pulpy mass trapped under her skin.
Thick,
syrupy,
blood oozed from her mouth, ears, and eyes. "Feel....the...fever....,"
she
wheezed at
Willow.
    "Someone help me!" Willow shouted into the empty hall.


    (Somebody help me)
    Xander's carton of milk crashed onto the ground. "Willow's in
trouble!"
He
said to
Buffy, a large puddle forming at his feet. The two sprung up from their
seats,
and ran out
of the cafeteria.

    "Good afternoon, Rupert." Giles spun around, with his fifth cup of
coffee of
the
day in his right hand, and saw the tall figure of James Mallory.
    "Same to you," Giles said, weakly smiling. He didn't wander much into
the
teacher's lounge, but Giles felt it was good to make interaction
occasionally
in order to
make sure people didn't suspect his true nature.
    "Rough day," Mallory reached over for the coffee pot "Seems like
everyday
there
are just more and more students. Although, I guess statistically, that
isn't
true."
    "Well," Giles replied. "I don't let it bother me."
    "Easy for you to say. Those little buggers are afraid to even go in the
library." He
took a long sip from his mug. "Whatever you're doing, you gotta tell
me."
    "Oh, the students aren't all bad here, I guess."
    "Hah!" Mallory laughed. "Sometimes, Rupert, I worry about the future
generation.
They're a bunch of smart-mouth empty headed slackers. I mean, the ones
that
aren't killing
each other."
    Giles gulped. He shuttered to think it, but what if Xander was right?
What if
there
was something mentally wrong with Mallory? "James, do you have any
children of
your
own?"
    The man looked down into his cup of coffee as if looking for answers.
He
looked
at Giles, and said meekly, "I have a daughter."
    At that point, a large woman Giles recognized as a German teacher,
barged into

the teachers lounge and shouted for someone to call an ambulance. Giles
ran for
the
phone, while Mallory slowly slipped away.

TO BE CONTINUED







______________________________________________________
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Dori <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Brutal Youth(4/6)
Date: 08 Jan 1998 18:49:26 -0500

This story was not written by me, it was written by [e-mail].
If you have any comments about this story, send them to him.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer:

Brutal Youth (4/5)

by Ian Stokes ([e-mail])

(c) Copyright May 1997

This document can be freely distributed with the condition that it is
not modified or sold in any way.  Some characters and elements of
this story are the property of 20th Century Fox, used without
authorization.  The author receives no compensation from the
distribution of this work.

Note: This story takes place between "Invisible Girl" and "Prophecy
Girl"



    The ambulance wheeled the two bodies away in a stretcher, blood seeping
through
the sheet covering the bodies. The orderlies wore thin paper masks, and
were
obviously
worried about catching whatever had killed the two students. Willow
glanced
around
nervously, afraid of all the commotion that had suddenly built up around
her.
After finding
Madeline, she was rushed into the nurses office and remained there. She
had
only seen
Buffy and Xander once, the two of them being pushed behind a yellow tape
barrier that
had been constructed at the end of the hallway.
     She knew that both Madeline and Rusty Burrows were both dead, and if
it
really
was a disease that had killed them, she would be most likely to get it
next. A
woman
wearing what looked like and orange gas mask over her face and mouth
kneeled
down in
front of her, and identified herself as a doctor.  "Winnifred," she
said.
    "Willow," The girl corrected.
    "Willow," The doctor continued. "How are you feeling?"
    "Fine!" Willow ignored the headache and nausea she felt. "Can I go
now?" She
asked, knowing that the doctor's answer would not be 'yes'. Willow stood
up,
and in
seconds fell on top of the doctor, sweat dripping down her brow.
"I.....don't
feel so good."
Willow said weakly.
    The doctor looked up at a man in the corner of the room wearing a full
yellow
body suit. "Let's get her to the hospital. Be sure to place a call into
the
CDC. I've never
seen anything like this." She handed the unconscious girl to the man and
he
carried her
out.
    The principal of the school, the doctor forgot his name, walked into
the
office. He
was a short balding man, with large protruding ears that reminded her of
a
character on
'Star Trek'. "I'm getting ready to send the students home."
    "Not yet, I'm afraid." The doctor sighed. "I've got to quarantine the
school
immediately, or risk spreading an isolated virus. Please keep them all
in their
homerooms
or something."
    The principal wiped at his brow. "I never should have taken this job."
He left
the
room promptly. As the doctor looked at pictures of the victim's bodies,
she
thought the
same thing.

    Xander and Buffy struggled their way through the crowd that had formed
in the
front of the school. Kids were straining for a glimpse of their dead
colleagues
as they
wheeled them to the ambulance. The two had finally managed to burst to
the
front of the
riot scene only to be pushed back by a rather burly man wearing a
surgical
mask. Buffy
noticed their were several of them trying to push students back into the
school.
    "What's going on?" Buffy asked the man.
    "Please just step back, Miss." He replied, as if he had said the line
hundreds
of
times already.
    "WILLOW!" Xander screamed. Willow was lying on a stretcher, an IV tube
protruding from her right arm. Willow waved back weakly and then dropped
her
head in
exhaustion.
    (I'm scared, Xander)
     His last glance of her came when the EMT's carried her into the
ambulance.
Xander burst from the guard, running to the ambulance. Another man
grabbed him,
trying
to hold him back. "Let go of me!"  Xander shouted. The man struck him
over the
back of
his neck, bringing him to his knees.
    Buffy bolted to the fallen Xander, and looked at the helmeted guard.
She swung

her arm back and punched the guard square in the face, shattering the
plastic
on his mask.
    (Oh my god), Xander heard the man think (I could be infected!)
    The suppressed crowd of students cheered at Buffy's accomplishment.
"You
bitch!" The guard wheezed as two other large figures dragged Xander and
Buffy
away.
    "I'm okay." Xander said to her, holding his hand on his neck. "What
happened
to
Willow?"
    "I have no idea what's going on, Xander." She spoke seriously. "But
it's
scaring
the shit out of me."

    Miss Calendar watched the nervous Giles fluster as he spoke, and loved
every
minute of it. She had been attracted to the tall British man since she
had
helped him cast a
demon out of the internet a few weeks ago. Giles had been one of the few
reasons she
continued her job at Sunnydale after two of her students were killed by
Moloch
the
Corrupter.
    (Now that's a lie. You just couldn't get a job anywhere else)
    "So, un, can you do it?" Giles finished. Miss Calendar realized she
hadn't
been
listening to the poor man and became embarrassed at the situation.
    "Do what?" The computer teacher asked.
    "Can you get me background information on one of the faculty members?"
Giles
said, frustrated.
    "Yeah, sure." She quipped. "Who?" Giles opened his mouth to speak, but
was
interrupted by Buffy and Xander, who stormed into the library.
    "Sometimes I hate this town!" Xander boomed. Buffy sped up and raced
toward
Giles.
    "Giles, we've gotta do something. There's something going on, the
governments
involved, and Xander thinks it might be a virus!" Buffy sentence was so
slurred, Giles had
trouble comprehending the girl.
    "Slow down, Buffy." Ms. Calendar said.
    "There isn't time to slow down, lady." Xander spoke passionately.
"There's
some
sort of virus running around the school. Willow's got it, and it must be
highly
contagious,
because even the guards are scared pissless of it......what are you
doing
here?" He turned
to the computer teacher.
    Giles took the opportunity to field the question. "I asked her to help
us find

background on Mr. Mallory. I, uh, think he may be involved somehow."
Upon
learning of
the task assigned to her, she turned to the computer mounted on the
library
table and
began clicking away on the keyboard.
    "They've quarantined everyone to homerooms, but we managed to get out.
Xander, is there a homeroom in Mr. Mallory's classroom?" Buffy asked her
friend. He
nodded, and she continued. "Then I'm going to check it out. You guys
stay
here." Buffy
started to walk away, but Xander stopped her.
    "No way, I'm coming." Xander clasped her elbow and looked into her
eyes.
"You're going to need someone who can help you get into that nutball's
mind.
And as of
now, I happen to be the resident psychic."
    Buffy tried to object, but couldn't. She knew how much Xander cared
about
Willow, and would do anything to help her. "All right."
    "You two need to be careful," Giles added. "This isn't some demon
you're
fighting, it's a real person. And Buffy, you may be the slayer, but
you're jut
as susceptible
to viruses as anyone else."
    (What's a slayer?) Miss Calendar thought. Xander glanced at her and
saw
she
was
busily typing away.
    "Nice pep talk, coach." Buffy said and the two of them left the
library.

TO BE CONTINUED




______________________________________________________
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Dori <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Brutal Youth(2/6)
Date: 08 Jan 1998 18:49:25 -0500

This story was not written by me, it was written by [e-mail].
If you have any comments about this story, send them to him.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer:

Brutal Youth (2/6)

by Ian Stokes ([e-mail])

(c) Copyright May 1997

This document can be freely distributed with the condition that it is
not modified or sold in any way.  Some characters and elements of
this story are the property of 20th Century Fox, used without
authorization.  The author receives no compensation from the
distribution of this work.

    'He lied.' Xander realized. The Novocain had worn off almost twelve
hours ago, and the pain in his mouth had yet to subside as the dentist
had promised.  The throbbing had made it impossible to sleep, and the
noise outside of his room didn't help either.
    All night he kept hearing loud snippets of conversations
(where's the dog)
        (hungry now)
        (blood, oh my god, so much blood), but every time he looked out
the window or out the door the voices had vanished, and there was
nothing there. His stereo hadn't helped drain out the sound no matter
how loud he had cranked the music.
    Xander's eyes were completely bloodshot the next day in school, and be
it either the bottle of Advil he had downed or the lack of sleep, it was
definitely affecting his train of thought. He spent twenty minutes in
front of his locker trying to remember his combination. Later, he
realized it wasn't even his locker.
    Now he was sitting in his desk looking into his backpack trying to
remember
exactly what class he was in. Only a few more weeks 'till summer, he
told
himself. Then he
was spending a few weeks as far away from the Hellmouth as possible.
    "Hey, you." He heard someone say. He didn't even turn his head,
figuring this
was
another one of the voices. "Hello? Xander? It's me, Willow."
    He spun around and saw the face of his best friend. "Oh, Willow, thank
god! I
thought you were imaginary!"
    "Thanks." Willow said laughing. "That's the nicest thing you've ever
said to
me."
    (He's cute even when he's crazy)
    "What!?" Xander said, panicked. "What did you just say?"
    "Xander, you need to get a grip. What's wrong with you?" She looked
concerned.
    He blew out a long gust of air and ran his hands through his unusually
messy
black
hair. "Willow, I think I'm going crazy."
    "Well, you'd better go crazy later. Class is starting." Sure enough,
Mr.
Mallory had
just walked through the door. He was the new biology teacher, after the
last
one had been
decapitated by a giant praying mantis.
    Willow thought he was one of the nicest teachers in the school, after
Mr.
Giles, but
he wasn't really a teacher. Mr. Mallory was tall, with a thin goatee,
and a
aging sports
jacket he wore every day. Most male teachers just wore a shirt and tie,
but the
jacket and
bowtie gave Mr. Mallory the look of a college professor.
    Xander, realizing what class he was in, dove into his backpack and
pulled out
his
biology binder. "Greetings, class." Mr. Mallory boomed as he entered the
room.
    (Little maggots)
    Xander snorted loudly and caught the attention of just about the
entire
class.
They
all looked at him oddly, especially Willow. "Sorry." He commented.
    'They didn't hear that?' he questioned. What was wrong with him?
    "Can I ask you what's so funny, Mr. Harris?" Mr. Mallory said in his
loud,
deep
voice.
    "Uh, I must have inhaled a bug or something." Nice....
    "I see." Mr. Mallory responded.
    (I'll kill you, Mr. Harris. I'll wring the life out of you from your
neck)
    Xander faced drained of all color. Once again, the students reacted as
if they
hadn't
heard what he had. Was it possible that it was people's thoughts he was
hearing? It seemed
unlikely, but in a place where reality was just a variable, it also
seemed
possible.
    "...a virus is, unlike many would believe, not a living thing." Mr.
Mallory
continued. "It is however, the simplest organism known. A virus like the
mumps
injects it's
DNA into a body cell, where it replicates itself and spreads throughout
the
body infecting
other cells. It is truly
    (a beautiful)
    a horrible thing."
    Mr. Mallory began to look in Xander's general direction, with a curious
expression
on is face. Xander sat quietly in his seat trying to avoid detection.
"Mr.
Burrows," he said.
    Xander turned to view the sleeping figure of Rusty Burrows, a junior
Xander
only
knew from his reputation as a complete junkie. Xander wouldn't have been
surprised if he
had OD'ed back there.
    "Mr. Burrows," Mr. Mallory said, louder then he had before. Rusty
slowly
returned to consciousness, and smiled.
    "Yeah?" He said in a gruff voice. The class chuckled slightly, but Mr.
Mallory
was
anything but amused.
    "Don't you think it would be beneficiary for you to stay awake during
class?"
The
teacher said harshly.
    "Good idea. I'll try to do that from now on." Rusty gave the teacher a
thumbs
up
and smiled again. Xander thought Mr. Mallory would just freak out on the
kid
right there,
but instead he looked rather calm.
    "Thank you."
    (Go ahead. Don't pay attention. You'll feel the fever soon. You all
will. All
of you
who took my daughter away from me. You'll all pay.)
    Oh my God, Xander thought. He's completely insane.




    "I don't get this, Gy." Buffy quipped. "You guys knew who I was, where
I was
going to be, what I was going to look like, but you have no idea about
anything
after
that?"
    Giles looked up from the book he had been paging through, and adjusted
his
glasses. "Um, well, yes. A large number of the books of prophecy were
lost to
the
Watchers during the Middle Ages, and sadly even more when the move to
the New
World
came."
    Buffy paced around the dimly light library that had become her "home
away from

home". She shuffled her feet anxiously. "Buffy," Giles asked, irritated.
"There
must be
some reason you came here."
    Without missing a beat Buffy quickly answered, "I had a dream I was
fighting
the
Master."
    Giles placed down the book and sighed. "I'm afraid that the time is
getting
closer
when you're going to have face the Master in combat. The nightmares are
only a
warning
system devised by the original Watchers to prepare the girls in their
sleep."
    "You guys are total jerks sometimes. Look at these bags, Giles." She
pointed
to
her eyes. "I haven't had a decent nights sleep in weeks. Every time I
face him
in my
dreams, I'm just, just..." Buffy fluttered for a moment. "I'm helpless."
    Giles put his hand over hers. "I can give you something that will help
you
sleep, if
you absolutely need it, but believe me, the dreams are making you
stronger."
    "I don't know, Giles. It's just so frustrating." The two were
interrupted, but
the
entering of Willow and Xander. Xander had a wide grin across and his
arms
outspread in a
victorious manner.
    "Have I got something for you guys!" Xander boomed. Willow quickly ran
ahead
of him, toward Buffy.
    "I'm sorry," She said softly. "I told him you wanted to be alone."
Buffy
quickly
raised her hand, trying to calm the exasperated girl down.
    "Welcome to Xander's Magic Happy Hour!" He said in a loud voice.
"Giles, my
man, I'd like you to think of a passage from one of your favorite
books."
    "I don't understand." The Watcher responded.
    (O brave new world that has such people in it)
    "O, brave new world that has such people in it." Xander commented.
    Willow looked at Giles anxiously, "Well, is he close?"
    "No, he is exactly right. How the devil did you know that?" The
librarian shut
the
book he had been paging through and looked at the tall boy.
    "The good news is....I have gained psychic powers." He dropped his
backpack on

the ground and took a bow.
    There was brief moment of silence, which Buffy chose to break. "This
must be a

joke."
    Xander laughed. "You wish. Oh, and before any speculation, wait till
you hear
how I got them."
    "Your dental work." Giles interrupted.
    "My dent....hey. How'd you know that?" He asked.
    "Buffy told me." He pointed his finger at her, and she nodded her head
smiling.
    Xander frowned and fell into a chair. "You take t
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Dori <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Brutal Youth(1/6)
Date: 08 Jan 1998 18:49:25 -0500

This story was not written by me, it was written by [e-mail].
If you have any comments about this story, send them to him.

Brutal Youth (1/6)

By [e-mail]

(c) Copyright May 1997

This document can be freely distributed with the condition that it is
not modified or sold in any way.  Some characters and elements of
this story are the property of 20th Century Fox Inc, used without
authorization.  The author receives no compensation from the
distribution of this work.




    'Beautiful teeth make beautiful people.'
    Xander read the words of the poster over and over again, trying to
lose
himself in the reading. His knuckles were ghost white, and he couldn't
breathe. In the past three months he had battled vampires, been
possessed by a hyena, and fallen in love with a giant insect, but
nothing could compare with the sheer terror he was endearing at the
moment. He closed his eyes and hoped that soon this terrifying ordeal
would be over.
    "All done!" The dentist chirped. He snapped of the white latex gloves
and smiled. "Now, wasn't that easy?!"
    "Faw ou, maube." Xander muttered. The Novocain in his mouth numbed his
entire face. Truthfully he hadn't felt anything, but the whole idea of a
guy drilling your teeth didn't appeal to him much.
    "Oh, it just one filling. By the time the Novocain wears off you won't
feel anything. Now, all you have do is take better care of your teeth,
and you'll never have to do this again. Remember beautiful teeth
    (poor fool)
    make beautiful people."
    "Fat di ou all me?" Xander asked.
    "I didn't call you anything, Mr. Harris. Now if you'll excuse me, I
have other patients." The dentist stood up, obviously offended by
Xander's question, and walked out of the room.
    "Forry." Xander said sheepishly, but the dentist had already left. He
could have sworn he had heard the dentist say "poor fool". Oh well, he
figured. All he cared about now, was getting some Aspirin to dull the
headache he had just gotten.

                *****************
    Buffy felt her flesh crawl at she walked through the dark cavern. She
felt her palms sweat all over the wooden stake she was carrying. She
proceeded through the dark corridor, looking for her target. As she
ventured further, Buffy realized she was not where she had thought she
was. She was back in the high school library, the last place she
expected to be. She walked around the once familiar room, now a puzzling
labyrinth. Suddenly, there was a scurrying sound behind her.
    "Who's there?" Buffy called into the rows of books. "Giles?"
    "No, I'm afraid your Watcher will not be joining us today." The voice
that answered was a familiar one. It was that of the Master, lord of the
vampires. She had only heard his voice in her dreams, but still she knew
it well enough to fear it. "It's just you and me tonight, my dear."
    Buffy held up the stake and turned to face the Master. She soon saw
that the Master had grown to a towering height, standing above her and
laughing maniacally. "You poor girl!" he cackled. He extended one of his
giant hands and gripped Buffy raising her to meet his eye level.
    "We will meet, soon. Very, very soon." He dropped Buffy, watching her
scream has she fell into a black abyss.
    Buffy awoke in her bed clutching a stuffed bear. A thin layer of sweat
draped her young body. "I've gotta talk to Giles, or I'm never gonna
sleep again in my life." She muttered to herself. Buffy lay back in bed,
but sleep never claimed her that night.

                ***************************


    "Have a nice day at school, honey." Ms. Summers said smiling.
    "I'll be sure to tell you if anybody dies today." Buffy joked.
    "I wish you wouldn't say that." Buffy hopped out the car and watched
her mother drive away. She knew how rough the past few weeks had been on
her, moving to a new neighborhood, being a single mom and trying to
balance her career and her daughter. It hadn't been an easy trick, but
Buffy thought her mom was doing fine. It had nearly scared the life out
of her when her mother had almost become the latest victim of the
growing number of vampires in Sunnydale. At first slaying the Master
just seemed like her responsibility, but
now her desire to kill him was fueled by a personal vendetta.
    She walked to her locker, careful to ignore the stares of the other
students. Buffy knew that she had earned quite a reputation on campus,
but tried to pretend it didn't exist. Sometimes she wished she could
just be a "normal" teenager, but then she thought, "Where would the fun
be in THAT?"
    "Hey." Willow, one her few friends in Sunnydale popped up next to her,
matching her speedy pace. "Be sure to be extra nice to Xander today, he
had his first filling yesterday." She brushed her long reddish hair out
of her eyes.
    "Yowch!" Buffy commented as she opened her locker. 20-12-40...Damn,
she
thought. If it were up to her she'd just tear the door off of the stupid
locker. "Never a pleasant experience."
    "Stopping by the library?" Willow asked.
    "Yeah, but if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to talk to Giles alone.
Personal stuff." She pulled her Geometry book out of her locker.
'Actually', she thought, 'I'm probably cutting Geometry', and put the
book back.
    "Oh. No problem. I'll tell Xander too."
    "Thanks." Buffy zipped up her backpack.
    "Umm," Willow said nervously. "Is it the nightmares again?"
    Buffy was about to ask her how she knew that, but then remembered what
had happened a few weeks ago. A comatose boy had accidentally unleashed
all of the citizens of Sunnydale's darkest nightmares into reality. Her,
Willow, Xander, and Giles, were apparently the only people in Sunnydale
who had any recollection of the ordeal after it ended. During the
horrific experience, the
four of them had been subject to each other's inner fears, including
Buffy's phobia of being turned into a vampire. "Well, since you asked,
yes. If anyone else asks, no."
    "Gotcha. No nightmares." Willow tried to smile, but could see that she
had accidentally hurt Buffy. The sound of the bell pierced through the
hallway.
        "Gotta go, remember to be nice to Xander."
    Buffy watched her scurry down the hall. She didn't mean to sound
hostile to Willow. She hadn't really had any friends when she first
started slaying, or at least any that knew her secret. 'Why do I always
hurt the people I care about?' she thought and drifted into the library.










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he fun out of
everything."
    "Actually, it's not a fairly odd phenomenon." Giles continued  "People
have
claimed to be able to pick up certain radio stations on metal plates in
their
head or braces.
It's never been, uh, proven scientifically, but I suppose it's feasible.
Reading thoughts is
new to me, though."
    "Time to hit the books?" Xander asked jokingly.
    "Time to hit the books." Giles sighed, and prepared to venture through
the
library
for information as he had done so often.
    "Well, I'm glad to see you boys are having such an easy time with
this,
but
I'm
not." Buffy snapped. "You can tell what all of us are thinking right
now?"

    "Well, sort of. Oh , wait!" Xander held his hand to his head,
mockingly.
"Buffy, I
can't believe you. I don't even own a g-string!"
    "Ha, ha. Now seriously, Swami."
    "No, just fragments of thoughts. Which reminds me, the bad news is
coming. You

guys all know Mr. Mallory, the biology teacher?" Willow and Buffy
nodded.
"Yeah, well.
He's crazy. I mean, psycho killer crazy. I just sat through an entire
class
listening to him
plot the deaths of the entire class."
    "Are you serious?" Willow asked. "He's such a nice guy though."
    "I am dead serious. We've gotta check this guy out before he finally
snaps."
Xander snapped his fingers to correspond with the last word.
    "Xander, I really doubt it. You probably just mis....thought-read
him."
Buffy
didn't
like to doubt her friends, but Xander was easily excited.
    "Fine, don't believe me! I'm telling you, right now Buffy, he's
planning
something.
He said he was getting revenge for what we did to his daughter, whatever
that
was. He
said 'we were all going to feel the fever'."
    Giles walked out from one of the aisles. "I talked to Mr. Mallory, and
I
thought he
was a very nice fellow."
    "I don't believe this!" Xander shouted. "Buffy says she thinks a dummy
is
alive and
you instantly assume she's right!"
    "But I was." Buffy interrupted.
    "Maybe Xander's right." Willow said softly, then instantly
regretted it
as all
eyes
became focused on her. "I mean, the Hellmouth does weird things to
people
right?"
    "Willow's right. We should check it out." Buffy looked at her watch.
"Whoops,
if
I'm late for gym again, Ms. Morgan will wig out." She and Willow left
headed to
the exit.
    Xander stood still with his arms opened. "What do you mean WILLOW's
right? It
was my idea!"

    "Hey, pass that on over here." Rusty took a drag off the toke and
escaped into
a
alternate reality, one where his teachers weren't bugging him and his
parents
weren't
yelling at him. "This is good shit,"
    "I can't believe how stupid everyone is at this god damn school."
Madeline
snatched the joint out of his hand. She snorted and wiped the water from
her
eyes. "We
don't even have to leave school to trip face!"
    The basement was dank and empty, the perfect place to go when you
didn't want
to get caught. Rusty and Madeline needed to come down there every once
and a
while,
but recently they had been avoiding it.
    (If that stupid bitch hadn't gotten her ass kicked)
    Rusty puffed on the joint and drifted again. "Did you hear that?"
Madeline
asked
him.
    "I didn't hear anything." Rusty answered. "But I'm also pretty well
stoned."
    "I think it came from back there." She pointed to a dark corner of the
room.
    Rusty sighed and got up from the crate he had been sitting on. "Who's
there?"
he
shouted into the darkness.  He walked, although it looked more like
staggering,
into the
corner of the basement. He turned to Madeline. "See babe, it was
nothing."
    Suddenly he felt a sharp stinging sensation as a long hypodermic needle
entered the
back of his neck. "Uh, uh....," he stuttered. He saw Madeline, who was
more
confused
than scared at the situation.
    "Feel the fever." His assailant whispered into his ear, then in one
with
motion he
removed the needle. Rusty fell onto the floor clutching his neck.
Madeline ran
over to his
body, screaming. By the time she looked up, the figure in the shadows
was
already gone.

TO BE CONTINUED


______________________________________________________
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-



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Dori <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Brutal Youth(1/6)
Date: 08 Jan 1998 18:49:25 -0500

This story was not written by me, it was written by [e-mail].
If you have any comments about this story, send them to him.

Brutal Youth (1/6)

By [e-mail]

(c) Copyright May 1997

This document can be freely distributed with the condition that it is
not modified or sold in any way.  Some characters and elements of
this story are the property of 20th Century Fox Inc, used without
authorization.  The author receives no compensation from the
distribution of this work.




    'Beautiful teeth make beautiful people.'
    Xander read the words of the poster over and over again, trying to
lose
himself in the reading. His knuckles were ghost white, and he couldn't
breathe. In the past three months he had battled vampires, been
possessed by a hyena, and fallen in love with a giant insect, but
nothing could compare with the sheer terror he was endearing at the
moment. He closed his eyes and hoped that soon this terrifying ordeal
would be over.
    "All done!" The dentist chirped. He snapped of the white latex gloves
and smiled. "Now, wasn't that easy?!"
    "Faw ou, maube." Xander muttered. The Novocain in his mouth numbed his
entire face. Truthfully he hadn't felt anything, but the whole idea of a
guy drilling your teeth didn't appeal to him much.
    "Oh, it just one filling. By the time the Novocain wears off you won't
feel anything. Now, all you have do is take better care of your teeth,
and you'll never have to do this again. Remember beautiful teeth
    (poor fool)
    make beautiful people."
    "Fat di ou all me?" Xander asked.
    "I didn't call you anything, Mr. Harris. Now if you'll excuse me, I
have other patients." The dentist stood up, obviously offended by
Xander's question, and walked out of the room.
    "Forry." Xander said sheepishly, but the dentist had already left. He
could have sworn he had heard the dentist say "poor fool". Oh well, he
figured. All he cared about now, was getting some Aspirin to dull the
headache he had just gotten.

                *****************
    Buffy felt her flesh crawl at she walked through the dark cavern. She
felt her palms sweat all over the wooden stake she was carrying. She
proceeded through the dark corridor, looking for her target. As she
ventured further, Buffy realized she was not where she had thought she
was. She was back in the high school library, the last place she
expected to be. She walked around the once familiar room, now a puzzling
labyrinth. Suddenly, there was a scurrying sound behind her.
    "Who's there?" Buffy called into the rows of books. "Giles?"
    "No, I'm afraid your Watcher will not be joining us today." The voice
that answered was a familiar one. It was that of the Master, lord of the
vampires. She had only heard his voice in her dreams, but still she knew
it well enough to fear it. "It's just you and me tonight, my dear."
    Buffy held up the stake and turned to face the Master. She soon saw
that the Master had grown to a towering height, standing above her and
laughing maniacally. "You poor girl!" he cackled. He extended one of his
giant hands and gripped Buffy raising her to meet his eye level.
    "We will meet, soon. Very, very soon." He dropped Buffy, watching her
scream has she fell into a black abyss.
    Buffy awoke in her bed clutching a stuffed bear. A thin layer of sweat
draped her young body. "I've gotta talk to Giles, or I'm never gonna
sleep again in my life." She muttered to herself. Buffy lay back in bed,
but sleep never claimed her that night.

                ***************************


    "Have a nice day at school, honey." Ms. Summers said smiling.
    "I'll be sure to tell you if anybody dies today." Buffy joked.
    "I wish you wouldn't say that." Buffy hopped out the car and watched
her mother drive away. She knew how rough the past few weeks had been on
her, moving to a new neighborhood, being a single mom and trying to
balance her career and her daughter. It hadn't been an easy trick, but
Buffy thought her mom was doing fine. It had nearly scared the life out
of her when her mother had almost become the latest victim of the
growing number of vampires in Sunnydale. At first slaying the Master
just seemed like her responsibility, but
now her desire to kill him was fueled by a personal vendetta.
    She walked to her locker, careful to ignore the stares of the other
students. Buffy knew that she had earned quite a reputation on campus,
but tried to pretend it didn't exist. Sometimes she wished she could
just be a "normal" teenager, but then she thought, "Where would the fun
be in THAT?"
    "Hey." Willow, one her few friends in Sunnydale popped up next to her,
matching her speedy pace. "Be sure to be extra nice to Xander today, he
had his first filling yesterday." She brushed her long reddish hair out
of her eyes.
    "Yowch!" Buffy commented as she opened her locker. 20-12-40...Damn,
she
thought. If it were up to her she'd just tear the door off of the stupid
locker. "Never a pleasant experience."
    "Stopping by the library?" Willow asked.
    "Yeah, but if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to talk to Giles alone.
Personal stuff." She pulled her Geometry book out of her locker.
'Actually', she thought, 'I'm probably cutting Geometry', and put the
book back.
    "Oh. No problem. I'll tell Xander too."
    "Thanks." Buffy zipped up her backpack.
    "Umm," Willow said nervously. "Is it the nightmares again?"
    Buffy was about to ask her how she knew that, but then remembered what
had happened a few weeks ago. A comatose boy had accidentally unleashed
all of the citizens of Sunnydale's darkest nightmares into reality. Her,
Willow, Xander, and Giles, were apparently the only people in Sunnydale
who had any recollection of the ordeal after it ended. During the
horrific experience, the
four of them had been subject to each other's inner fears, including
Buffy's phobia of being turned into a vampire. "Well, since you asked,
yes. If anyone else asks, no."
    "Gotcha. No nightmares." Willow tried to smile, but could see that she
had accidentally hurt Buffy. The sound of the bell pierced through the
hallway.
        "Gotta go, remember to be nice to Xander."
    Buffy watched her scurry down the hall. She didn't mean to sound
hostile to Willow. She hadn't really had any friends when she first
started slaying, or at least any that knew her secret. 'Why do I always
hurt the people I care about?' she thought and drifted into the library.










______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

-



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Dori <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Brutal Youth(1/6)
Date: 08 Jan 1998 18:49:25 -0500

This story was not written by me, it was written by [e-mail].
If you have any comments about this story, send them to him.

Brutal Youth (1/6)

By [e-mail]

(c) Copyright May 1997

This document can be freely distributed with the condition that it is
not modified or sold in any way.  Some characters and elements of
this story are the property of 20th Century Fox Inc, used without
authorization.  The author receives no compensation from the
distribution of this work.




    'Beautiful teeth make beautiful people.'
    Xander read the words of the poster over and over again, trying to
lose
himself in the reading. His knuckles were ghost white, and he couldn't
breathe. In the past three months he had battled vampires, been
possessed by a hyena, and fallen in love with a giant insect, but
nothing could compare with the sheer terror he was endearing at the
moment. He closed his eyes and hoped that soon this terrifying ordeal
would be over.
    "All done!" The dentist chirped. He snapped of the white latex gloves
and smiled. "Now, wasn't that easy?!"
    "Faw ou, maube." Xander muttered. The Novocain in his mouth numbed his
entire face. Truthfully he hadn't felt anything, but the whole idea of a
guy drilling your teeth didn't appeal to him much.
    "Oh, it just one filling. By the time the Novocain wears off you won't
feel anything. Now, all you have do is take better care of your teeth,
and you'll never have to do this again. Remember beautiful teeth
    (poor fool)
    make beautiful people."
    "Fat di ou all me?" Xander asked.
    "I didn't call you anything, Mr. Harris. Now if you'll excuse me, I
have other patients." The dentist stood up, obviously offended by
Xander's question, and walked out of the room.
    "Forry." Xander said sheepishly, but the dentist had already left. He
could have sworn he had heard the dentist say "poor fool". Oh well, he
figured. All he cared about now, was getting some Aspirin to dull the
headache he had just gotten.

                *****************
    Buffy felt her flesh crawl at she walked through the dark cavern. She
felt her palms sweat all over the wooden stake she was carrying. She
proceeded through the dark corridor, looking for her target. As she
ventured further, Buffy realized she was not where she had thought she
was. She was back in the high school library, the last place she
expected to be. She walked around the once familiar room, now a puzzling
labyrinth. Suddenly, there was a scurrying sound behind her.
    "Who's there?" Buffy called into the rows of books. "Giles?"
    "No, I'm afraid your Watcher will not be joining us today." The voice
that answered was a familiar one. It was that of the Master, lord of the
vampires. She had only heard his voice in her dreams, but still she knew
it well enough to fear it. "It's just you and me tonight, my dear."
    Buffy held up the stake and turned to face the Master. She soon saw
that the Master had grown to a towering height, standing above her and
laughing maniacally. "You poor girl!" he cackled. He extended one of his
giant hands and gripped Buffy raising her to meet his eye level.
    "We will meet, soon. Very, very soon." He dropped Buffy, watching her
scream has she fell into a black abyss.
    Buffy awoke in her bed clutching a stuffed bear. A thin layer of sweat
draped her young body. "I've gotta talk to Giles, or I'm never gonna
sleep again in my life." She muttered to herself. Buffy lay back in bed,
but sleep never claimed her that night.

                ***************************


    "Have a nice day at school, honey." Ms. Summers said smiling.
    "I'll be sure to tell you if anybody dies today." Buffy joked.
    "I wish you wouldn't say that." Buffy hopped out the car and watched
her mother drive away. She knew how rough the past few weeks had been on
her, moving to a new neighborhood, being a single mom and trying to
balance her career and her daughter. It hadn't been an easy trick, but
Buffy thought her mom was doing fine. It had nearly scared the life out
of her when her mother had almost become the latest victim of the
growing number of vampires in Sunnydale. At first slaying the Master
just seemed like her responsibility, but
now her desire to kill him was fueled by a personal vendetta.
    She walked to her locker, careful to ignore the stares of the other
students. Buffy knew that she had earned quite a reputation on campus,
but tried to pretend it didn't exist. Sometimes she wished she could
just be a "normal" teenager, but then she thought, "Where would the fun
be in THAT?"
    "Hey." Willow, one her few friends in Sunnydale popped up next to her,
matching her speedy pace. "Be sure to be extra nice to Xander today, he
had his first filling yesterday." She brushed her long reddish hair out
of her eyes.
    "Yowch!" Buffy commented as she opened her locker. 20-12-40...Damn,
she
thought. If it were up to her she'd just tear the door off of the stupid
locker. "Never a pleasant experience."
    "Stopping by the library?" Willow asked.
    "Yeah, but if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to talk to Giles alone.
Personal stuff." She pulled her Geometry book out of her locker.
'Actually', she thought, 'I'm probably cutting Geometry', and put the
book back.
    "Oh. No problem. I'll tell Xander too."
    "Thanks." Buffy zipped up her backpack.
    "Umm," Willow said nervously. "Is it the nightmares again?"
    Buffy was about to ask her how she knew that, but then remembered what
had happened a few weeks ago. A comatose boy had accidentally unleashed
all of the citizens of Sunnydale's darkest nightmares into reality. Her,
Willow, Xander, and Giles, were apparently the only people in Sunnydale
who had any recollection of the ordeal after it ended. During the
horrific experience, the
four of them had been subject to each other's inner fears, including
Buffy's phobia of being turned into a vampire. "Well, since you asked,
yes. If anyone else asks, no."
    "Gotcha. No nightmares." Willow tried to smile, but could see that she
had accidentally hurt Buffy. The sound of the bell pierced through the
hallway.
        "Gotta go, remember to be nice to Xander."
    Buffy watched her scurry down the hall. She didn't mean to sound
hostile to Willow. She hadn't really had any friends when she first
started slaying, or at least any that knew her secret. 'Why do I always
hurt the people I care about?' she thought and drifted into the library.










______________________________________________________
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-



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Elizabeth Ann Lewis <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: For The Future's Sake (1/1)
Date: 11 Jan 1998 00:39:28 -0800

This story is somewhat connected to another one I'm working on; it's
connected in the sense that, when I tried to work on *that* story, Giles
kept telling me that I really needed to write *this* one so *that* one
would make sense.  What*ever*, Giles.  <g>

Big group hug for the Sunnydale Slayers, the best insane asylum I've ever
been in.  'Specially Chris&Perri for (recite it with me now) sucking me
into this %@#!$ fandom to begin with (and Perri alone, for finding the
Frost quote), Dianne, for helping me keep track of our little cybercrazies,
and anyone whose name got used in the story.  <g>

Disclaimer:  The characters and concepts of Buffy the Vampire Slayer are
not mine.  (Duh.)  All legal and monetary rights belong to Joss Whedon,
Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, 20th Century Fox, The WB, and probably half a
dozen other
names-that-belong-on-legal-documents-but-that-I-don't-know-so-am-leaving-out.  S
uing me would not only be a waste of time and effort, but would make me
very, very sad.  <sniff>  <look pathetic>  <fail miserably>

Comments, praise, flames, chocolate, and tall, dark, undead angsty guys
(but I'll accept tall, not-so-dark, not-so-undead-but-still-somewhat-angsty
British guys, and even tall, dark, not-undead Xander-shaped guys in a
pinch) to [e-mail].  Please write me.  Please.  I'll pout if you
don't write.

~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~
For the Future's Sake
by Elizabeth Ann Lewis

"As my two eyes make one in sight
Only where love and need are one
And the work is play for mortal stakes
Is the deed ever truly done
For Heaven and the future's sakes"
Robert Frost, <Two Tramps in Mud Time>

"We are led to believe a lie
When we see *with*, not *through* the eye,
Which was born in a night, to perish in a night,
When the soul slept in beams of light."
William Blake, <Songs of Innocence>

    He was scared.  He didn't want to admit it.  Ten year old male
pride was too touchy to allow such a thing.  If Mum and Valentina weren't
scared, then he wouldn't be.

    Except that Mum was scared, no matter how many times she told
Father that she wasn't, that she was fine.  And Valentina... Valentina had
changed.

    Bertie left the little farmhouse that his family had moved into
less than a year ago to find his thinking space by the river.  He missed
London, missed it dreadfully.  In London after school let out he could take
the Underground to Tottingham Court and to the Museum, to wander among the
artifacts.  Here, he had no Museum, no library other than the little one by
the school -- and Father's, but Father wouldn't let him look.

    And he had no friends.  The people here were too scared.  They
didn't like or trust strangers.  Bad things happened here, in this little
town so very far north of London.  Even their accents were so different
that Bertie sometimes couldn't even understand what the teacher said.

    The sky overhead was grey, threatening rain in a desultory way.
Bertie settled down by the river under the shelter of a rowan tree, idly
listening to the yammering of the water.  It really sounded like human
voices, sometimes, something that the boy raised in a city desperately
needed.

    He was scared.

    He didn't know what was happening.  Katie had gone away, Miss Hull
said that morning, gone to God, intoned in pious but quite genuine
mourning.  She was the third child to have died since Bertie's father had
inexplicably left London and brought his family here.

    And they were a family, Bertie thought stubbornly.  Valentina
wasn't really his sister, but he loved her -- something he wouldn't admit
until... until... until they stuck bamboo shoots under his fingernails.
Until they used thumbscrews... whatever thumbscrews were.  Until they made
him eat turnips.  Bertie spent a few more pleasant moments imagining
horrible and hideous tortures that he, Rupert Giles, Flying Ace, would
withstand manfully while making witty comments, before his thoughts
inevitably returned to Cathy, to Chris, to Diana.  To the miners.  Even
Bertie had heard about how they had found the bodies of the miners.  The
tales had given him nightmares for weeks.  And Mr. Smith, the grocer.
Bertie had loved the market.  Mr. Smith had always seemed so happy
surrounded by people, and had always had a kind word for the new boy in a
town where most of the townspeople lived in the same homes that had been
occupied by their parents and grandparents and great-great-great-great
grandparents.

    And then one day the market was closed, and Mr. Smith no longer
lived where his ancestors had lived.  Instead, he joined them in the
churchyard, and sour-faced Miss Wynn had taken over the market.  She didn't
hand out treats to children the way Mr. Smith had, and he had heard the
women in the town mutter that she kept her thumb on the scale when weighing
the meat.  Bertie decided that he would have a market someday, but it would
be like Mr. Smith's, *not* like Miss Wynn's.  After he was a flying ace, of
course.

    Mum didn't like it here.  Bertie knew that.  Even if she told him
that she liked being away from the city, back in the country where *she*
had grown up, she didn't like it.  Late at night, when she thought he was
asleep, she and Father had argued.  Father said they had no choice, that
they had to stay.  Then he said something that Bertie was still trying to
puzzle out.  "Valentina is the Chosen One," and Bertie could hear the
weight of capitals in his voice.  "It is her destiny."

    "Her destiny?" His mother's voice had risen in anger.  "How many
times have you told me that? How can it be *destiny* for a girl that young
to--" His mother had cut herself off abruptly with a sound like a sob, and
Bertie could hear no more after that then the voices themselves, murmuring
low.

    Father didn't seem to be afraid, but Bertie really couldn't tell.
Father didn't have time for him, generally.  Sometimes, in London, Father
would teach him things.  Languages, mostly.  Sometimes Bertie would tell
him what he had seen in the Museum, and Father would tell him strange and
fascinating stories about this cross and that spear.  But from the day that
Father had abruptly announced that they were moving to Dunsbury-on-Trent,
he hadn't ever had time for Bertie.

    And Valentina was looking more and more weary.  Father told the
school board that she was delicate, weak, and so couldn't attend the public
school.  He'd tutor her at home, he promised, and proved to the school that
he was qualified to do so.  Bertie wondered sometimes why he had to go to
school where all he did was the sums he had learned two years before and
stumbled through baby books and stared out the window until the teacher
scolded him and made him write, "I will attend to the lesson" one hundred
times on the blackboard.

    And he knew Valentina wasn't weak.  She was strong.  Very strong.
In the London house, just before they'd left, she'd accidentally snapped a
knob off the door, just by tugging too hard on it.  Father's face had
looked so strange when she had done that.

    But she was tired all the time.  Sometimes, at night when he had
nightmares, Bertie crept into her room --just to see if she was scared too.
If she was, he'd comfort her.  She was six years older than he was, but she
was a girl.  But almost all the time, she wasn't there.  And once he'd seen
her come in, limping, looking so... so very tired.  Very, very tired.

    Bertie yawned as the rushing water below began to sound like a
lullaby.  His lower lip slid out in a pout that he had outgrown by the time
he was three.  He didn't like it here.  He wanted to go home.  Home, where
people and things to see, and his father wasn't always preoccupied and his
mother's eyes weren't dark with fear, and where Valentina had had time to
play with him every now and again.  Home...

    It was dark when he woke, dark and cold, the promise of rain having
become a drizzly reality.  His heavy sweater was soaked through, and he
shivered.  Disoriented by sleep and rain, for a moment he didn't know where
he was.  Stumbling to his feet, slipping, smearing mud on his school
trousers, he turned in a slow circle, trying to get his bearings.

    A figure moved in the shadows before him, a silhouette against the
faintest of moonlight.  Without knowing why, Bertie cringed back against
the tree that had sheltered him through his drift through dreamtime.  He
closed his eyes tightly and chanted silently that he was still asleep, that
this was just a nightmare, that he'd wake up and it would be light and he
would go home and get scolded for not coming home directly from school...

    "Bertie!" the shadow cried out, and Bertie recognized his mother's
voice.  Manfully biting back a sob of relief he stumbled forward.

    "Mum!  I'm here!"

    Clouds parted enough to let moonlight show him his mother's face,
drawn with worry.  No, more than that.  Terror.  "Bertie!"  She clutched
him to her, holding tightly in an embrace that Bertie would have normally
freed himself from, if he hadn't been so scared.  Then she took him by the
shoulders and shook him slightly.  "Rupert Edmund Giles," she scolded
fiercely.  "You *know* that you are to come straight home from school!
Come along," she said, glancing around nervously as Bertie began to try to
excuse himself, he needed to think, he hadn't *meant* to fall asleep.  "We
must go in...."

    For the rest of his life, Bertie never really clearly remembered
what happened next.  He could work out later that, logically, they had been
accosted on their way back to the farmhouse.  But the first warning that
Bertie had was when something warm and wet had splattered on his cheek.
His mother's tight clasp on his hand disappeared, as though the misty night
had just swallowed her up.

    And a monster that even his worst nightmares hadn't imagined stood
before him.

    Bertie could almost feel his toes growing like roots into the
ground.  Fear paralyzed him; he couldn't move.  He couldn't do anything but
stand and shake as a... THING tilted its head and grinned.  Eyes gleamed
with their own light through the fog, and the horribly distorted face was a
study in glee.  Without a word, it stepped forward and grabbed Bertie.

    With its attack, Bertie's paralysis abruptly was cured, and he
began struggling in the creature's grasp.  Crying out, flailing in its
grasp, Bertie kicked and struck out in blind desperation.  With a hoarse
laugh, the monster wrenched Bertie's head to one side and prepared to feed.

    Bertie tumbled suddenly to the ground, rolling back to curl next to
his mother.  She was up on her knees, a cut on her cheek seeping blood,
horror in her eyes.  She wrapped her arms around her son, but didn't take
her eyes off the battle before her.

    Valentina was holding a long branch, parrying the monster's
attempts to rush her.  Her face was set, determined, fierce in the low
light.  The monster had chosen his ambush site well; Bertie and his mother
were trapped on a promontory above the river.  As long as the path was
blocked, they couldn't go anywhere.

    "Coward," Valentina hissed, and Bertie felt his chest swell with
pride.  Valentina was a girl, but she sure didn't act like it sometimes.
"All you and yours ever do is attack children.  How about a real fight for
a change?"

    The monster laughed.  "A Slayer?  Oh, yes, that would be a good
challenge.  Your blood will be sweet and powerful.  I've been waiting for
you," he crooned, sounding like, like... Bertie tried to think.  Like
heroes in movies, he decided, when they got all mushy and kissy.  Somehow,
it sounded really sick coming from this monster to Valentina.  "Why did you
wait so long?  Why did I have to content myself with the blood of children
when you could have--"

    He cut himself off when Valentina rushed him suddenly, an
inarticulate cry breaking from her throat.  He dodged the branch, but not
the kick that sent him to the ground.  Rolling to avoid the branch that was
being brought straight down, like a medieval knight plunging a sword into
the ground, the monster gained his feet again, and he and Valentina circled
again.

    "Let them go," she ordered, casting a glance over her shoulder at
Bertie and his mother.  Suddenly more scared, Bertie crowded back against
his mother again.  She didn't seem like Valentina at that moment.  She
looked cold, and hard, and as dangerous as the creature that had attacked
him.

    "Oh, hardly, Slayer.  Why would I do a silly thing like that?  As
long as you keep worrying about them, they are a weapon for me."

    Bertie had no idea how long the fight went on.  It was silent after
that, except for grunts and growls that broke from the combatants.  Circle,
attack, dodge, break away, circle again.  There seemed no end to the
pattern.  The mist strengthened into rain, washing the battle before him
into a watercolor of blurring figures.

    Finally, Valentina broke out of it for a moment.  Breathing hard,
she glanced again over at Bertie and his mother.  Her eyes met theirs for
one moment.  Then she folded her lips tightly and she turned back to her
enemy.  And attacked.  With laughable ease, the creature ducked to one side
and grabbed her.

    This time, she didn't break away.  Howling in triumph, the creature
bent his head to her neck as he had to Bertie.  Valentina's voice was a
high, thin cry of pain.  The monster was silent -- until a sudden strange
cry seemed to coalesce from the air around him and he burst into dust.

    Valentina, released from his killing embrace, dropped to the ground.

    Bertie felt his mother shudder against him, then bury her face in
his hair and start crying.  ~Girls,~ he thought, disgusted.  Valentina won,
and Mum was crying.

    Valentina wasn't moving, though.  Bertie started wiggling, trying
to free himself from his mother's suffocating hold.  She wouldn't let him
go, merely held on and rocked him.  She held him while the rain cleared and
the moon gleamed across the path, while Bertie's father found them.  He
glanced at his wife and son, then knelt beside Valentina.  Slowly, he
touched her hand, then her cheek.  Then he passed his palm over her eyes,
bowing his head.
    And that was when Bertie understood.

*****

    They were leaving, going back to London.  Within the week, Father
said.  Bertie felt guilty.  He'd wanted to go home, had dreamed of it.

    But standing beside Valentina's grave, he wished that he'd never
wished of it.

    Bertie looked at his mother, surrounded by clucking townswomen.
She seemed remote from them, her face pale and drawn, ravaged by grief.
Even though Valentina hadn't been her daughter, Bertie knew that his mother
had loved her.

    Slowly, everyone left, everyone in the small town who had barely
known the Giles family and now would never know that Valentina had been the
only one standing between them and a monster that was killing them.  The
monster was dead, and they were safe.  But it had taken Valentina with him.

    Alone, Bertie stood where the gravestone would be, staring at the
mound of earth that had rattled with such dreadful finality against the
coffin.  He jumped when his father put his hand on his shoulder, clasping
tightly.  His father didn't say anything, just the hold on his shoulder,
the warmth of human touch.  Slowly, unsure of whether or not his father
would allow it, Bertie tilted his head until it rested against his father's
arm.

    They stood there for a long time.  Finally, Bertie sniffed and drew
his hand under his nose.  "Father... why?  What was that thing?  Why did he
kill Valentina?"

    Edmund Giles turned his son to face him.  His eyes were sharp,
piercing as they examined his son's face.  Then slowly, he sighed,
retreating several steps to a bench, pulling Bertie with him.  "I never
meant to tell you this so young," he said simply.

    And then, as plainly as he could, explained why Valentina had died.

THE END
~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~

Lizbet, High Priestess of the Cult of Joss
[e-mail] ~*~ [e-mail]
Co-List Mummy, Sunnydale Slayers: "Spank your inner moppet."
http://www.primenet.com/~lizbet/    ~~*~~



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Dori <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: DISCUSS:For The Future's Sake (1/1)
Date: 11 Jan 1998 12:59:27 -0500

>something he wouldn't admit
>until... until... until they stuck bamboo shoots under his fingernails.
>Until they used thumbscrews... whatever thumbscrews were.  Until they made
>him eat turnips.

Lizbet, I love this!  It's so... so... =ten=.

Oh, poor Giles!  All that responsibility, so soon.  Thank you, Lizbet, I
liked this a lot.

 Dori/[e-mail]
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
             "Dreams die hard, and we hold them in our hands long after
                they've turned to dust."              DRAGONHEART
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Lisa Rose <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Christmas Madness
Date: 11 Jan 1998 11:15:29 -0800

I'm Baaaaack!  Didja miss me?

Troubling song parodies filled my head as I
twiddled my thumbs over Christmas vacation.
Here is part of the madness:


I SAW MUMMY KISSING XANDER CLAUS

(To the tune of "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus")

I saw Mummy kissing Xander Claus
Outside her sarcophagus last night
She was tired of feeling cold
Being several centuries old
She thought that he might make her
Feel a little less like mold

I saw Mummy kissing Xander Claus
Draining him like some big battery
He should have known when they first clicked
She was a monster, not a chick
'Cause monsters sure dig Xander Claus!

(repeat melody)

I saw Mummy kissing Xander Claus
Just before she turned a gruesome sight
How she longed to take a whirl
Such a pre-Colombian pearl!
She hoped that he might make her
Feel like any other girl

I saw Mummy kissing Xander Claus
Flaunting Incan immortality
He should have known right from the start
She was a monster at her heart
'Cause monsters all love Xander Claus!

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Lisa Rose <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: more christmas madness
Date: 11 Jan 1998 11:38:12 -0800

As promised, lots of dark thoughts filled my
mind as I twiddled my thumbs over Solstice
vacation.  Here is yet another one:


STAKE ME EASY

(To the tune of "Take it Easy" by The Eagles)

Well I'm trompin' through the mud
Tryin' to score me some blood
Got a couple slayers on my mind
First one wants to thrill me
Second wants to kill me
Number one's my favorite kind

   Stake me easy, stake me easy
   Instead of gouging at my chest
   Touch light and please me
   Number two, cut me some slack
   Because I've got my nice soul back
   I sure don't need no heart attack
   Just stake me easy

Well I'm standin' at the center
Of Hellmouth, California
And it's such a grim sight I see
Number two, godsakes
With a ten-inch stake
Comin' by to take a stab at me

   Come on Kendra, be more tender
   Where the hell is number one?
   She's my defender
   If I die, you slaying thug
   Buff will beat you like a rug
   So drop that stick, give me hug
   Just stake me easy

Well I'm rollin' in the hay
With my gal of type-A, cause the
Strong ones really give me kicks
Love my slayer teenage
Who won't jab my ribcage
She's such a perfect mix

   Stake me easy, stake me easy
   Just run that wood across my chest
   And softly tease me
   On this point you gotta trust
   Poke me lightly if you must
   It's more fun than making dust
   Just stake me easy

Ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh
Oh, just stake me easy
Ya gotta stake me easy...

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Angel's Lover <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Time Heals All:  Section one of Part One of Hopefully Six,
Date: 11 Jan 1998 22:58:01 -0800

Okay all.. I've been posting this on my homepage, but I thought perhaps
a larger audience would prove helpful when I start my next fic next week
(after part six is written.. it's half way there.. so I'm gonna post the
first five and then post six when it's done).

As we all know, the characters of Buffy the Vampire Slayer are not mine,
they are created by Joss Whedon and owned by Mutant Enemy Productions,
et al.  I am quite obviously not making a cent off of my writing, I do
this purely for my own entertainment, and no copywrite infringement is
intended.

Please feel free to let me know what you think of my story, either once
part six is posted, or before, which ever you perfer.  I love
comments... and well intentioned criticism.   Write to Lea at:
[e-mail]   or    [e-mail]

Now.. on with the show..

_________________________

Time Heals All ~

                      By Lea

She sighed. Nothing seemed to be happening that night... just like
every night for the past few weeks. Giles was becoming concerned;
for Spike to remain this quiet for so long seemed to indicate that he
was up to something.  Angel couldn't offer them any explanation. The
vampires had hardly even come out to feed, and he was just as puzzled
as to why.

She leaned up against a gravestone and sighed. Two weeks of useless
patrol were starting to get to her; she needed time off. She made up
her mind right then to ask Giles for tomorrow night off. She wanted to
go to the Bronze, hang with Willow and Xander, spend some time
with Angel.

Angel. A soft smile crossed her face as she thought about the vampire
she had grown to care for more than even he knew. She wondered
what he was doing... she hadn't seen even him in three nights, which
after recent events was unusual.

"Buff."

Her heart leaped. She hadn't even sensed him coming. "Angel!" She
turned with a ready smile on her face.

He smiled back softly, "Desire springs from impossibility."

She blinked, "Say again?"

"Sorry. Just something I heard tonight. I was just thinking how utterly
appropriate it is to us."

She thought about it for a moment. "Yeah. I guess so."

He paused, "Do you have some time free?"

She looked around the graveyard, "Yeah.. it's pretty dead here." He
grinned and raised an eyebrow; Buffy blushed. "Not that dead's a bad
thing.. well, it is but not in your case.. I mean.." She sighed,
"Shutting up now."

Angel laughed lowly. "Would you like to come home with me?" he aked
after a moments hesitation. He hadn't intended upon inviting her into
his home, but his heart wanted her to see where he lived.

"Really?"

"Really."

She jumped down off the grave stone, "Let's go."

*************

Angel held his breath as she looked around quietly. The windows
were covered in dark, inpenetrable shades.

She looked at them thoughtfully. "Do you wake before sunset?"

He nodded, "I eat, get dressed, clean the place.. just stuff to pass the
time."

"Eat?" a sick curiosity overwhelmed her.

Slowly he took her hand and led her to the refridgerator. He opened
the door to reveal the pints of bagged blood, chilled, ready for his
consumption. Bottles of what could be taken for red wine lined the
lower shelves and the side pockets. Her eyes were irresistably drawn
to the half empty bag sitting on the top shelf. The missing blood had
been eaten by him.. he was a vampire... she shivered.. this was all too
real.

He sighed as he watched her try and cope with what he was showing
her. He waited expectantly as she looked up at him, only there was
concern in her eyes, not fear.

She reached out and caressed his too pale cheek, the cold of his skin
chilling her fingers. "You haven't eaten enough."

He looked at her in shock, "What?"

She gestured back to the fridge. "One half empty bag. Your skin is so
pale... and so much colder than normal."

He sat down heavily on his sofa and almost laughed aloud. Only
Buffy. "I wasn't really hungry tonight."

She shrugged and closed the fridge. "Just don't go anorexic on me,
okay?"

"You amaze me you know that?"

"Why?" she moved to sit beside him.

His fingers slowly caressed her throat, and she raised her head slightly
for him. His hand stroked under her jaw, to her collar bone, and back
up again.

"You hardly even blinked at the blood."

She smiled, "I know you need it."

"But it's different to see it... to know what it's for."

She shrugged, "You don't kill for your blood anymore, so I'm not
gonna wig about it, okay?"

"No fear?"

"Not of you."

Slowly he lowered his mouth to kiss her throat. His tongue darted out
to taste her, while his teeth grated lightly over her sensitive skin.
Her fingers stroked lightly through his hair; he pulled away and looked
into her eyes.

"Yes."

He blinked. "What?"

"I trust you." She settled down against his chest as she sighed. "When
you asked I told you I loved you but that I didn't know if I could trust
you."

Pain flickered in his eyes. "I remember."

"I was wrong. I do trust you."

"You shouldn't."

"I do."

"You should run while you can."

"Or what, you'll bite me?"

"Maybe."

"We all have to die sometime."

"Not necessarily."

"You'd bring me across?"

"I couldn't live without you."

"I love you."

He sighed, "We're both damned."

"Do you love me?"

He nodded, "I love you."

She smiled.

***********

Continued in Email Two

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Angel's Lover <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Time Heals All:  Section Two of Part One of Six
Date: 11 Jan 1998 23:02:22 -0800

Here's the conclusion to Part One.. Standard disclaimers apply, the
characters are not mine, they're Joss's and Mutant Enemies.. I'm making
not a cent and no copywright infringement was intended.  Send comments
to Lea at [e-mail] or [e-mail] .

_______________

Conclusion to Part One:

Buffy almost floated through the halls of Sunnydale high the next
morning; she never even heard as Willow called her name.

"Buffy... Buffy...Buffy!"

Finally Xander stepped out in front of her, "Whoa there little filly.
The
derby isn't being run for another, oh.. eight months."

Buffy stopped dead and looked at Xander blankly for a moment. "Hi,
Xander."

"Didn't you hear me, Buffy? I've been calling."

The slayer smiled at Willow, taking her arm and dragging her to the
side of the hallway. "We have got to talk, Will." Her eyes betrayed
her excitement, and Willow's own excitement grew to match.

"Angel?" she asked wit bright eyes.

Buffy nodded quickly.

"What about Angel?"

Both girls looked up to see Xander standing close, listening to them.
Willow looked to Buffy who shrugged. Just as she was about to
speak the bell rang.

"Class!" she said suddenly. "We have to go to class now before...
well.. before Principle Schnyder decides to make us wash the
windows or something."

They settled into their desks just as their teacher began talking.
English class, great, Cordelia would likely keep the teacher's attention
focussed on her. Willow passed Buffy a note.

"Well? What about Angel?!"

Buffy smiled as she scrawled out, "He took me to his place."

"Where is it? This is so kewl!"

"I know! It's a loft near the Bronze."

"Was there kissing?"

Buffy had to force herself not to giggle, "Major kissing!"

Willow sighed, "I'm so jealous." A pause and then a new note, "Was
there tongue?"

"Willow!" Buffy spoke aloud before clasping her hand across her
mouth.

"Buffy?"

The slayer looked up guiltily at her teacher, "Um.. sorry, Mrs. Datrie..
um.. Willow's book was .. um.. about to fall off her desk. I just spoke
to loud when I was trying to warn her." Lame, lame, lame! she
thought as the teacher's eyes turned to Willow's book blatently closed
in the middle of her desk.

Mrs. Datrie frowned at her as she continued her discussion.

Another note from Willow, "Well?"

Buffy laughed silently, "Live vicariously through someone else, Will!"

Willow giggled as she handed the note back. "But you're the only one
dating an experienced, older.. well, guy I guess."

Buffy sighed, "He's coming tonight. We're going to the Bronze.
Coming?"

"Wouldn't miss it."

**********

"So.. what time is dead boy gonna show?" Xander asked
offhandedly.

A cold hand encircled his neck from behind, "I've asked you not to
call me that."

Xander brushed him off, "Lose your sense of humor some time in the
last two and a half centuries, or were you just born this dull?"

Buffy moved to Angel's side, "You made it."

He nodded, "I'm sorry I'm late. I made a quick run of the cemetary
just to make sure everything is still quiet."

"Is it?"

He nodded, "Too quiet."

She sighed, "Want to dance?"

Again he nodded, affording her a small smile.

Xander scowled, "She's doing this to make me jealous, you know,
Will. She really has no feelings for the vampire."

Willow giggled, "Oh, of course not. That's why her tongue is busily
making it's way down his throat."

Xander groaned, "He's dead! It's just too sad when a girl willingly
chooses a dead guy over me!"

Willow burst out into laughter, "True, but you can take comfort in one
thing..."

"What's that?"

She sighed, "He's a really cute dead guy."

*********

Angel pulled away from the kiss and smiled into Buffy's eyes. She
sighed. How was it possible someone so alive could possibly be
dead.. or undead for that matter.

"Buff? What are you thinking?"

She shrugged, "Nothing major."

Slowly they moved back into the rythm of the music. Angel closed his
eyes while they danced, the feel of her body moving against his a
comfort greater than any other he had ever known.

Buffy suddenly giggled. Angel blinked. "What's so funny?"

"Can you imagine what people would say about us? `Tsk tsk, he's
241 and she's 16. He's robbing the cradle and she's robbing the
grave.'"

Angel winced, "Buffy.."

She giggled again, "Sorry."

"You're the only one who could find the humor in falling for a
vampire."

She grinned, "Must be your biting personality... it brings out my
darkside."

He rolled his eyes, "There must be too much smoke in here tonight.
You're weirder than normal." She smacked his chest and he smiled.
"Want to go for a walk?"

She nodded, "Good idea."

***********

"Okay so maybe this wasn't such a good idea."

Buffy and Angel watched from the shadows as Spike, Drusilla and
several other vampires as they gathered in a clearing behind the
school. Buffy sighed.

"So much for my night off." She frowned, "What are they doing?"

Angel's eyes narrowed, "They have one of Giles' books by the look
of it."

Buffy nodded, "Yeah, one stole it during that whole mess with Ford."

Angel visably flinched at the mention of Buffy's old friend's name, but
he said nothing on the topic. "It looks like they're conjuring
something,
but I don't know what."

A flash of lightning overhead; Buffy pulled out a stake. "What ever it
is, with Spike involved it can't be good. Let's go bag us some
vamps!"

"Buffy wait.. somethings...!" But the girl was already moving behind
the first vampire.. one swift stroke and the demon was dust.

Just as she moved to the next creature the lightning building overhead
crashed down in amidst the circle of vampires. What appeared to be
a shining portal appeared in the lightning's wake.

Buffy paused in her slayage and stared wide eyed at the portal; Spike
laughed loudly, "Witness the portal of Grosaak! Keeper of the Space
within Time! Slayer, enjoy your last few moments of life, for once I
pass through this door you will be no more!"

A vampire moved forward and grabbed Buffy from behind. Her
shock at the portal coupled with the surprise attack allowed the
demon the leverage it needed to pick her off her feet. Without
thinking it through her in the direction of the portal.

"No!" Spike hollared.

"Buffy!" Angel tore through the crowd of vampires but was too late.

With a soft cry she was dragged through the portal and disappeared
from view.

"Damn!" Angel shouted. He turned, "I'll be back for you, Spike!"

With that he turned back to the portal stepping unwaveringly through
the shimmering light into the darkness of the beyond.

***************

End Chapter One.

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Angel's Lover <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Time Heals All:  Section One of Part Two of Six
Date: 11 Jan 1998 23:14:55 -0800

Again the characters are not mine, they are Joss's and Mutant Enemy's...
I make no money from this, and no copywright infringement was intended.
Please send all comments to Lea at [e-mail] or
[e-mail] . OH!  BTW:  I'm fondly known among my friends
and readers as "Angst-Girl"... that comes directly into play with this
fic.. just a warning.. LOL

________________________

Time Heals All:  Part Two

His body slammed down onto hers with a heavy thud as the time
portal spit Angel back out onto the earth. With a flinch and a quick
look to be sure, he relaxed, thanking the powers that be that it was
still nightfall.

He glanced down to see Buffy laying beneath him, an eyebrow raised.
Angel almost blushed as he pulled himself away and helped her to her
feet.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

She grinned, "Not a prob." She looked around, "So.. where are we?"

Angel sighed, "You should be asking when are we."

"Say again?"

He shrugged, "This is Ireland..." he paused, "1756."

She blinked, "1756???? How do you know for sure?"

"I think Spike's coming back had something to do with me." He took her
hand and turned her so that they were overlooking a small town. He
pointed out a large house seperated from the others by large shrubs
and a row of trees. "That was my house.... before."

"Before?!"

He nodded, "See that fire on the eastern border of town?" She
nodded, "I'm there right now, "rescuing" Darla from the blaze."

She frowned, "How long before she... um....?"

"Three nights."

She blinked, "Wow... she really moves fast."

"Tell me about it."

Buffy shifted, "Angel, you know that I can stop her from changing
you... if you want me to."

The expression on his face never changed, but something flickered in
his eyes, a light Buffy had never before seen. She found herself
holding her breath while the vampire shrugged.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now we have to find
a way to get us home."

Buffy nodded, "What was the name Spike called the demon he.. um...
conjured?"

"Grosaahk. He's the keeper of time and space in an ancient religion."

"Which one?"

"Tarkan, an ancient celt religion. They died out about a hundred and
fifty years before you were born. Barely any evidence of their
existence has survived the passing years. Few even recall their
existence."

"But you know of them."

He nodded, "I.... knew several members."

"Where can we find them?"

Angel looked at her warily for a moment, "Buff... why don't we try
and find this century's watcher first? The Tarkan are not a.... pleasant
group."

Buffy scowled, no one she dealt with was ever pleasant, but she
nodded. Curiously she wondered if all watchers were as stiff as Giles.
She giggled, it might be fun to find out... perhaps a little black mail
for some future night off. She looked up at the sky and sobered.

"It's almost dawn."

Angel nodded, "I know."

"Do you have someplace you can... um.. sleep until night?"

Angel almost shuddered, it had been a long time since he had been
forced to go below ground. Damp, rotting walls, dripping moss and
cold dirt floors were not something he relished returning to. "There's
a..." he hesitated, "mauseleum just down the road in the graveyard.
No light gets in."

Buffy shrugged, "Okay, let's go."

His hand on her shoulder. "No. You're not going there."

She sighed, "If we're gonna be slaying vamps and whatevering time
demons then I need rest too." She paused, "Besides, I'd rather not be
alone right now, this is your time, your home. I'm kinda out of place
here."

"I don't want you to have to sleep there.. it's not..."

"Pleasant, so you've said. Too bad, I'm going anyways. So lead on,
MacDuff. Oh wait.. he was scottish wasn't he?"

Angel shook his head, "Fine. Whatever." One of these days that
stubborn pushy slayer was going to push her way straight to her
death. He sighed, and then his life would mean nothing once again.

****************

Buffy grimaced at the stale air that filled the crypt. She darted a
quick
glance at Angel and caught him grimacing as well. She laughed.

"What?" he asked suspiciously.

She smiled, "You're more human than you may think."

"Okay...." Angel raised an eyebrow but moved to the back of the
mauseleum. He laid down on the cold hard floor and crossed his
hands behind his head... he remembered this crypt well. The first
while after his change he had spend long days within its confines. That
was until Darla had returned for him and taught him of the demonic
pleasure he could receive from not just feeding on his victims, but
from toying with them and killing them. He was incredibly viscious,
heartless, soulless, and he relished the feeling of complete freedom his
new life had afforded him.

He glanced at Buffy, still standing in the center of the crypt. She was
probably thinking of all the horrors he had brought about as well. She
was most likely wondering how insane she could possibly be to have
fallen in love with a vampire. She caught his eye and smiled.

Angel sighed, things had changed a lot in the last hundred years, he
had changed. The evidence of the existence of his heart and soul was
plain, for everytime he looked at her his chest ached. He longed to
hold her close forever, but forever would not happen for her. One
day the inevitable would come about, Buffy would die and Angel
would be left alone, his heart in a million pieces, his soul slowly
whithering away, and his every shred of humanity returning to the
depths from which the Romani elders had pulled it.

"Buff, come lie down."

She looked at him warily for a moment before settling down upon the
ground, resting her head upon his chest. They both sighed and Angel
wrapped one of his arms around her shoulders.

He made up his mind, right there and then, that the day Buffy died,
the day her so very alive soul lay quiet and without light, that would
be the day Angel would watch his final sunrise. He would wait until
she was covered with the cold, dark earth, and then he would lay
upon her grave, waiting for the sun to come and carry his soul away
to join once again with that of his love. There would be no fear in his
heart, only sadness for a love lost, and a lifetime of secrecy forced
upon she who should have been allowed to be a child.

"What are you thinking, Angel?"

His arm tightened around her, "Nothing important." He sighed at the
lie. "Where will we start looking for the Watcher tomorrow?"

She grinned, "Where else?"

He shook his head, "The town library it is."

Finally they settled down into each others arms, closed their eyes, and
allowed the quiet sounds of a town awakening to lull them into a
deep, peaceful sleep.

************

Buffy awoke long before Angel, her head tucked into his shoulder,
wrapped firmly into his powerful arms. She listened quietly as his
heart beat slowly, smiling lightly at the so human sound of its steady
rythmn.

After a long while she gently untangled herself from his warm body,
and silently crossed the crypt. She had three nights with Angel before
they were forced to decide what to do about Darla. Should he
choose to stop Darla from bringing him across, hundreds, perhaps
thousands of lives would never know the pain his demon soul had
wrought. She sighed, but then Angel would have died hundreds of
years before she was born, and their love would never be. Did she
have the right to ask him to continue his suffering just so that she
could have a short period of happiness in his arms? And what of after
she died? She was not immortal, one day a vampire would get her, or
old age surely would and this time there would be no second chances.
Was it right for her to use him so badly, knowing that in a short time
she would be gone and he would be left once again to suffer new pain
alone? Did anyone have that right?

Across the crypt he shifted. "Sun's down," she said, as he slowly
rose. She frowned, "Direct me to the library. I'll try to find the
Watcher while you feed."

"Thank you."

She shrugged, "Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do." Her stomach
rumbled, "I have to find something to eat too."

"There's an apple grove on the road to town. You should be able to
get food there."

"Where are you going.... or do I want to know?"

He sighed, "I'll find a farm, take a pig... maybe a few chickens."

"Will you be okay without, uh... human blood?"

He smiled, "I'm fine. I've grown used to pigs blood."

She shrugged, "Okay... an hour long enough?"

"I'll be there."

They walked out of the crypt and went their seperate directions.
Angel hesitated and turned back for a moment, "Buff?"

She glanced back, "Yeah?"

"If you see Darla, run, okay? I don't quite know how to handle her
just yet."

Her eyes darkened with sudden regret, but she nodded. "Will do."
and they each went on their way.

**************

Continued in Section Two

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Angel's Lover <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Time Heals All:  Section Two of Part Two of Six.
Date: 11 Jan 1998 23:20:28 -0800

Standard Disclaimers apply... the characters are Joss's and Mutant Enemy
Productions... I make no money, and no copy wright infringement was
intended.  Please direct all comments to Lea at either
[e-mail] or [e-mail] .

__________________

Conclusion to Part Two


She walked, trying not to think of the actions Angel was taking to
prolong his existence. She sighed, it wasn't any different from eating
meat, she supposed, it was just drinking their blood instead of
cooking their flesh.

A shuffle of rocks; she turned. "Ready?"

Angel gave a small smile. "Ready."

Together they stepped forward, slowly climbing the stairs to the small
town library. They figured that if all the watchers were as diligent as
Giles, which according to Angel they were, this generation's watcher
would still be at work. Buffy stepped in front of Angel, wanting to
protect him in case he'd be recognized for what he was. She
knocked.

There came only silence for a moment, so again she raised her hand
to the door. Before she could knock, however, it opened inwards
and a middle aged men stared out at her.

"May I help you?"

Buffy didn't mix words. "Are you the Watcher?"

"Excuse me?!" He gave her a nervous glance.

"You may not believe this, but I'm a slayer, and I need your help."

The man blinked at her, his eyes widening as he took in the presence
of Angel. "A slayer that walks with the undead?"

"He's a friend. He's different."

Pause. "Enter, but try nothing."

As the two stepped forward, from the chill of the night into the
warmth of the flickering firelight, the watcher frowned at Angel. "You
seem familiar," he muttered.

Buffy nodded, "That's part of what we need to chat about."

"Including the explanation of how there could possibly be two slayers
in one period of time?" His eyebrows raised as he took in the tight
skirt, nearly sheer blouse, and high heels in which Buffy was clad. The
teen looked down and shrugged.

"Listen, we're from the future." The watcher's eyes opened widely,
and Buffy sighed. "Can we sit? This is gonna take a while."

Over the next several hours, Buffy and Angel explained to the
Watcher, William, to the best of their knowledge what had happened.
They spoke of Giles and their situation at home, running down the
stories of Spike, Drusilla, the Master and Annoited one, and finally
onto the story of Angel.

As their story drew to a conclusion, William frowned and stood. "I
must admit, I am baffled. I will have to..."

Buffy grinned, "Consult your books!"

Angel shook his head, but the Watcher smiled, "Then the future is not
so different from my time?"

The slayer had to giggle, "Some things never change."

William glanced up at Angel. "And how about yourself, Angelus?
Have you decided how to go about resolving your immediate
problems?"

The light of mirth died from Buffy's eyes as she waited silently for
Angel's answer.

The vampire shrugged, "I have a few days to decide."

William nodded, "A hard choice indeed." The soft look that passed
between the vampire and slayer did not go unnoticed. He raised an
eyebrow. "Indeed." With a sigh he began removing large books from
the shelves. "Onto the problem of Grosaahk."

Buffy looked at the intricate books and swallowed hard. "Uh... is
there any where I can go get snacks.. you think.. maybe.. perhaps...."
When both men merely frowned at her, Buffy sighed. She missed
Willow and Xander... a lot.

***************

Near the rising of the dawn, William finally called out for Buffy and
Angel. He had found the incantation and ingrediants necessary to call
Grosaahk into their presence.

Buffy slowly tapped her foot against the floor. "Well, when are we
gonna do this, Willy?"

The watcher twitched, "Could you not call me that? My name is
William."

Buffy rolled her eyes, "Geesh, chill pill, William. They really need to
put personality powder into your ooze when they're cooking up you
watchers. Talk about a need to relax."

He sighed, "I need time to gather what we need." He glanced at the
lightening sky and back at Angel. "For now the two of you need to
move below ground before the sun rises any higher. Shall we meet
back here just after sun down?"

The two nodded; Angel held his hand out to Buffy, and helped her to
her feet.

"Tonight it is."

Together slayer and vampire stepped out into the cold dawn, and
slowly their steps led them back to the dark mauseleum. There the
only warmth they received was in each others arms, but as Buffy
nestled down against Angel's comforting body, that was all the
warmth either of them needed.

End Chapter Two

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Angel's Lover <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Time Heals All:  Part Three of Six
Date: 11 Jan 1998 23:31:32 -0800

Standard Disclaimers apply.. the characters belong to Joss and Mutant
Enemy Productions.. I am not making money from this, and no copywright
infringement was intended.  Please direct all comments to Lea at either
[e-mail] or [e-mail] .  There's a little bit
of closeness in this that I really don't think rates over PG13...
especially not in this day and age.

________________________

Time Heals All:  Part Three

Buffy frowned in concern as Angel slashed out in his sleep. He cried
out softly before his body changed into his vampire form.

His hand involuntarily clenched on her shoulder, his long nails digging
into her tender flesh, drawing five cuts of blood out of her soft skin.
Biting her lip to keep from crying out herself, Buffy jumped back and
away from Angel's nightmare racked form.

"Angel," she spoke semi-loudly, her hand moving to her shoulder to
try and stop the trickles of blood from the rather deep nail bites.
"Angel!" She sighed and moved back to his side, her free hand
cupping his cheek. "Angel, wake up."

Very slowly his eyes opened, but his form did not revert back to
human. He blinked, "You're bleeding."

She nodded, "Just a couple of scratches."

"From me?" She nodded, "Damn! I'm sorry, Buffy, I never wanted to
hurt you."

She grinned, "I know. You were stuck in a nightmare, and when you
reached out for me, you just grabbed a little too tight. Nothing major."

She watched as his fingers dug into his palms, the smell of her blood
was beginning to get to him. Lord how he wanted just a tiny taste.. he
wouldn't hurt her... oh to just suck very gently on the tiny wounds....

Her heart stopped at the desperate longing she saw growing in his
eyes. With a shiver running down the length of her body she held out
to him her hand spotted with the blood of her wounds.

With a soft groan his tongue darted out and gently licked the red
liquid from her fingers. With a lack of self consciousness that
surprised them both, Buffy reached down and drew over her head the
fine fabric that made up her shirt. Angel hesitated as he gazed in
wonder at her, but she smiled lightly and lay a gentle kiss upon his
lips
before directing his mouth to her cuts. His cold lips met her stinging
flesh, and as he sucked very gently, her head dropped back against
the damp wall. His tongue lapped at her tender skin, then ever so
softly he pulled away, human once again.

Her eyes were slightly glazed as she gathered her shirt back to her
body. Angel rose to his feet and offered her his hand; she sighed.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, guilt clouding his face.

She smiled softly, "Don't be. Don't ever be sorry with me." she
paused, then reached up and kissed him, "This wasn't unwelcome."

He held her close for a long while, inwardly cursing himself for his
loss of control. His heart warmed with the knowledge that Buffy didn't
hold against him his darker nature, and with regret he stepped away.

"Sun's down. William will be waiting."

"Are you all right?"

His eyes flickered away but he nodded, "We'd better get going."

Buffy frowned at Angel's retreating back, wishing she could help calm
his turmoil, but now was not the time. With a sigh she followed him
out into the night.

************

Angel's eyes drew to the boiling cauldron of blood and then back to
William as the watcher slowly stirred it. Angel's nails dug into the
palms of his hand.

The watcher grimaced as he turned away, then he frowned lightly at
the tense expression on Angel's face. "Now you understand my
incredulty at the thought of a large group of vampires putting together
this spell."

"No duh!" Buffy herself was peering at Angel in concern. Due to their
rush, aside from the small amounts he had taken from her wounds,
Angel had not fed. "Angel, do you want to go.. uh..."

He shook his head, "I'm fine. Let's just get on with this."

She shrugged, "Is there anything we can do to help?"

"Just stand back and repeat after me the words I have given you."

And they did. Vampire and slayer alike watched closely the cards
William had given them, flawlessly repeating the strange words.
Though the sounds came to Buffy with difficulty, Angel slipped into
the ancient tongue seemingly without effort.

Buffy watched him in quiet surpirse as he revealed yet another aspect
of his unique personality. The ancient gaelic words were coming from
him as if the language were an old friend, reminding her again just how
different the two of them truly were.

As they spoke a dark cloud gathered in the room, a sound of thunder
rumbled throughout the library, shaking the foundation, sending books
tumbling in all directions.

As William finished the incantation and stained the floor with the
boiled blood, the clouds began to solidify into a horrendous figure.
Deep red skin covered this creature, horns twisted into grotesque
shapes, fur matting into solid lumps and so forth. It was the spitting
image of the very devil all good christians had been raised to fear.
Buffy swallowed hard and Angel moved to stand slightly in front of
her, his arms a welcome comfort to ward off the chill of horror.

"Why have you awakened me?!"

William stood straight, his horror overwhelmed by his sence of duty.
"We require your assistance in a matter of time."

"To when do you wish to travel."

Buffy spoke up, "1997... november 11, around 10pm."

Grosaahk frowned, "As you desire, however it will be on my terms.
Two nights you will remain in this time. If at the end of that period
your desire to leave remains, a portal will open in front of you. You
must step through within 60 seconds or the portal will close."

Buffy and Angel nodded, and William replied, "They understand,
Grosaahk. We are indebted to you for your service."

"Yeah, thanks." Buffy interjected.

The demon inclinded its head slightly, then as fast as they had
developed, the clouds dispersed, and Grosaahk was gone.

Buffy and Angel both sighed. Two nights meant they still had to
decide what to do about Darla. It would have been so much more
simple to go home right now and forget the entire thing, but they
couldn't... not now... perhaps not ever.

William smiled, "Well, there you are, children. Two nights from now
and you will be well on your way home."

Buffy glanced up at Angel, "Yeah, but we've got some unfinished
business we have to deal with first."

Angel looked at her and frowned, "Darla?"

She shrugged, "You have to decide what you're gonna do. You only
have until tomorrow night... and then we have to deal with Grosaahk
right after too."

He paused as he looked out the window, "There are a few hours until
dawn. Would you like to go to my house... see what's happening?"

Her eyes lit, "Sure... uh, that is as long as you and Darla aren't doing
anything that I don't particularily want to see!"

He grinned mischievously, "Well then maybe you should stay here."

She glared at him, "I'll kill her!"

He laughed, "Too late, I already did."

***************

The two silently peered into the window of the dimly lit house. Inside
Darla was feeding a laughing Angel grapes out of a bowl on the table.
On Angel's lap was a book of mythology; he believed he was
teaching an ignorant Darla of the ancient greek gods and goddesses
while they played Zeus and Aphrodite.

Buffy was hard pressed to keep from laughing at her companion as he
slowly shook his head in embarrasment. At her small sound of
smothered laughter he turned an glared at her.

"What are you laughing at?"

She giggled, "Lame much?"

"Oh and you could have done better I suppose."

"As long as you never ask me to play Aphrodite, we won't have to
find out, now will we?"

He sighed and took her hand, "Come on, goddess mine. The sun's
coming up. Darla'll be leaving soon too."

Buffy bowed as she giggled, "Your wish is my command, oh king of
the gods!"

"Shut up."

She laughed aloud as she followed his dark form down the empty
streets of the still sleeping town. Though on the outside she displayed
good natured mirth, inside Buffy was anything but happy. They only
had one night left to decide what to do. Come tomorrow's dawn
they'd be on their way home, and Angel would be a vampire once
more. Almost unnoticably her laughter was washed away, come
tomorrow's dawn would she be heading home alone? Without Angel?
Without her heart?

Very slowly her eyes filled with unshed tears; should he decide to slay
Darla, should Angel decide to stop his demonic birth, Buffy would not
argue. She would help Angel end the life he has suffered through for
hundreds of years, then go home and try to patch back together the
shattered pieces of her heart.

She quickened her pace, comforting herself in the circle of his arms as
they walked; for now they were together... tomorrow they would deal
with tomorrow.

End Part Three.

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Angel's Lover <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Time Heals All:  Part Four of Six (Section One)
Date: 11 Jan 1998 23:41:08 -0800

The standard disclaimers apply.. the characters belong to Joss and
Mutant Enemy.. I am not making any money on this, and no copy wright
infringement was intended.  Please direct all comments to Lea at either
[e-mail] or [e-mail] .

____________________

Time Heals All:  Part Four

Buffy awoke long before the nightfall, her nerves at the night to come
overwhelming her need to sleep. Would Angel choose death over
love or would he forsake his one chance at peace to be with her?

For the first time since they had arrived, Buffy walked through Angel's
town in the sunlight, seeing how quaint and beautiful his home had
been. Children were running between the tiny shops, chasing each
other, playing, laughing. Buffy smiled, thinking of a carefree Angel
doing the same.

How unfair it had been to take away that innocence. She wondered if
he liked children, if he liked baseball, football, shopping. There were
so many things she didn't know about him, and now may never find
out.

Sliding to the ground she sat comfortably in a patch of grass as she
thought. Her clothing drew odd looks, but for the most part no one
paid her any attention as she shivered in the cool air. That is until a
dark shadow drew over her.

Buffy looked up at the man next to her and gasped, "Angel!"

He looked down at her and smiled, "I haven't quite received my
wings yet, but perhaps someday, god willing."

Realization dawned. This was not her Angel, this was Angel before
Darla had infected him. His smile was bright and happy, no tinge of
sadness or guilt behind his eyes. She sighed, he was even more
gorgeous in daylight than she had ever imagined.

His eyebrows raised, and suddenly she realized she had been staring
at him. "Uh.. sorry... for a minute I thought you were somone else."

He sat down beside her, "Mistakes happen. I haven't seen you here
before."

She shrugged, "Just passing through."

"Unaccompanied?"

"My friend is sleeping. He's a bit of a night creature."

He laughed, "Yes. I have a friend who is the same. I have yet to see
her before the rise of the moon."

Buffy scowled, "Yeah, well, don't hold your breath."

"Excuse me?"

"Never mind. Listen... be careful of your friend of you see her toinght,
okay?"

"May I ask why?"

"No. Just watch your back. People aren't always what they seem."

Though it broke her heart to do so, Buffy couldn't just sit back and
watch while Angel destroyed his life. She had to warn him, even if it
meant such a cryptic message. She didn't know if she was praying for
him to listen to her warning or not, but she sent a silent message to
God that the right decision would be made.

"Are you what you seem?"

The question took her by surprise, and for a moment she stopped to
think. "I don't know."

He smiled. "Perhaps one day you'll discover the answer."

She shrugged, "Maybe."

"If you ever do, I'd like to know the answer."

Buffy smiled into the chocolate brown eyes with in which she had so
often lost herself; her heart melted. "You'll be the first person I
tell."

**********

By the time she reached the mauseleum, Angle was up and pacing its
confines. When he had awakened to find her gone, he had feared the
worst. This was not her time nor place.... where could she be? What
was she doing? Was she in danger? hurt? dead?

When the door scraped slowly open and the tiny blonde stepped
back into the darkness, he turned on her visciously.

"Where have you been?"

She blinked in surprise. "I couldn't sleep so I went into town to look
around."

His eyes softened, "I wish you would have told me. I was..." he
paused, "Worried."

"Don't be. I can take care of myself."

"I know, Buff, but..."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." she giggled, "You're sweet, ya know."

He smiled, "And you're going to be the death of me yet."

She grinned, "Gee, and I was working on being the life of you."

Unexpectedly, he reached out and gently caressed her cheek. "You
already are."

The two went suddenly serious as Buffy slipped into Angel's
embrace. Her head rested lightly against his chest, listening to the
rythm of his heart beat. They stood like that for long minutes, his head
resting a top hers, his arms holding her tightly to him. For the first
time in what seemed like endless days they refused to think about
Angel's decision, for now they were determined only to feel, both the
physical sensations of their intertwined bodies, and the sweet warmth
that spread through both their souls, beginning with their hearts.

Finally, as the sun slipped below the horizon, they let each other step
away. In two hours Angel would be a vampire... in five Grosaahk's
portal would be upon them. From this point on their feelings would
have to wait. They had a lot of very serious work to complete in a
very short period of time.

They walked out of the mauseleum and back into the town. The
shadows seemed longer that evening as the moon was hidden behind
dark clouds. The beautiful afternoon Buffy had enjoyed evaporated
into the bleakness of the evening. A deep chill over took her as they
walked and she couldn't stop herself from shivering. Her shiver didn't
go unnoticed as Angel slipped out of his jacket and wrapped it
around her shoulders.

"Thanks."

He smiled, "No problem."

They slowly passed by the library, neither surprised to find the
windows lit with the flickering flame of William's lamps. Just like any
dutiful watcher, William was hard at work upon some mystery or
another. The familiarity of the watcher's dedication touched Buffy as
she realized just how desperately she missed her friends. She missed
Willow's wacky thoughts, Xanders xany comments; she missed
Cordelia's self centered concerns, and Giles' endless meanderings. As
much as she hated to admit it, her slaying had brought her close to
many people, people she loved as much as family. There was some
good in everything, she supposed.

There's some good in everything, Angel thought as his eyes flickered
down to watch Buffy. She was deep in thought, about what he'd no
clue, but it didn't matter. He had considered his change to be a curse,
but his vampirism had allowed him to live long enough to know Buffy.
He had considered the Romani's spell to be a curse, but the return of
his soul had allowed him to experience the one thing he would forever
cherish: pure, innocent, and total love.

Together they sighed, coming to a stop behind the row of trees
shading Angel's old home. Through the window they could see Angel
and Darla relaxing in the parlor, Darla moved around behind him and
began her change. The time was near.

"We have about five minutes," Angel muttered lowly. "Darla liked to...
toy with her victims before she fed."

Buffy looked up at him as she pulled from her purse a sharpened
stake. "You never told me why she chose to bring you across," she
paused as she spun the stake in her hand. "Now would be a good
time."

He hesitated in his reply as he looked at her sadly, finally he touched
her shoulders lightly. "I never loved her, Buffy. As a man it was
facination... as a vampire it was...."

"Desire. Yeah, I get ya." She frowned, "Stay here... I'll be back as
soon as it's over.. so don't disappear."

He cast his eyes to the ground, "Buff... I may not have a choice. I
don't know how fast the change in time will get to me."

His comment stung like a slap in the face, and very suddenly tears
sprang to her eyes. Stepping forward Buffy pressed trembling lips
against Angel's, and a single tear slipped over her cheek to drip
between their sealed mouths. She sighed and steped back into the
shadows.

"I love you, Angel." she whispered softly before opening the door to
the house and disappearing inside.

"I love you, too," he whispered once she was gone.

************

Continued in Section Two.

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Angel's Lover <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Time Heals All:  Part Four (2/2) of Six
Date: 11 Jan 1998 23:46:54 -0800

Standard disclaimers apply.. the characters are Joss's and Mutant
Enemy's, I am not making a cent out of this and no copy wright
infringement was intended.  Please direct all comments to Lea at either
[e-mail] or [e-mail] .

______________________

Conclusion to Part Four

Silently she krept through the house; if she timed this well enough she
should come upon Darla before the vampire could sink her teeth into
Angel.

Slowly she became aware of Darla's breathy voice growing clearer.
Buffy scowled, that was one voice she perferred to forget.

"Trust me, darling... a night with me is a night that will last you
until the end of time."

Buffy's hand clasped tightly on her stake as she moved forward. She
rarely took pleasure in her job, but slaying Darla would be one
exception she was glad to make. Darla had caused her more pain
than anyone... aside from the Master... it was time Buffy had her
payback.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the room behind Darla... three
steps would take her into slaying range... three steps would take her
to her destiny.

One step.

Buffy held her breath... Darla was engrossed with Angel... she hadn't
heard the slayer's approach.

Two steps.

Her very silence would save Angel from a life of hell.. everything
counting on this moment.

Three steps.

She was a hairs breath from the blonde vampire.. all she had to do
was raise the stake... one forward motion and Darla would be
history.. again. But then so would be Buffy and Angel's love.

For a moment Buffy hesitated as a Willow-type thought came to
mind. If their love never existed once she changed time, would it
really be history? And if not.. how would one describe it?

Buffy hardened her heart to the sharp pain eminating from its core as
she brought her stake up to the level of Darla's heart. It was over.. it
was all over.

Buffy moved her arm down quickly, closing her eyes against the sight
of it's point sinking deeply into Darla's back and into her blackened
heart.

The stake met resistance as it slammed into solid flesh, and she
opened her eyes. Darla stood still before her, and Buffy swallowed
hard; one of Angel's hands was clasped around her wrist, the other
was holding the stake mere milimeters away from Darla's heart.
Quickly Angel pulled Buffy away from the other vampire.

Within moments they were outside the house, Angel pulling Buffy
away from the scene that would be his demise... and his birth.

"Angel, what are you doing?"

"I made my decision."

"What?!"

"I don't want to lose you, Buff. Living my life would mean nothing
without you."

Buffy breathed in a sigh at Angel's admission... she hadn't known.
How could she have? He had described her exact feelings.. her soul's
very cry... a tear came to her eye and she looked away.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

"Totally sure?"

"I'm sure."

"Completely sure, cause I still have time to..."

"Buffy! I'm sure!" He sighed. "If I didn't know better I'd say you
didn't want me to come back with you."

Buffy pulled his head down to her level and glared at him. "I'm glad
you're staying," she whispered before kissing him softly.

"We have to move away from here.... before she changes him."

Buffy nodded and the two of them moved into the cover of the trees.
Within moments came a sharp cry from the house. Buffy looked up at
Angel to see his eyes close with remembered pain. Slowly she put her
arms around him and they held each other quietly.

They stood holding each other for an endless amount of time.  Suddenly
the sound of a twig snapping brought them both back into the reality of
their situation. They looked up but saw nothing. Angel frowned.

"Stay here." he muttered, and he stepped silently into the shadows.

Buffy watched the place he disappeared for several minutes, hearing
no further sound coming from the woods.

"Angel?" she called finally after nearly five minutes had passed. There
came no reply. She steppted out after him, "Angel?"

Finally he stepped out of the darkest shadows of the trees, into the
little light offered by the still covered moon. Buffy breathed a sigh of
relief.

"Why didn't you answer me?" she scowled, "And we definately have
to do something about that walk of yours... and believe me you don't
want to hear Xander's suggestion!" Angel said nothing, he merely
stood before her staring at her coldly. Buffy frowned. "Ange?"
Suddenly she understood what was happening... and Angel smiled.

"Yes. I like that name. Angel.. from Angelus. I think I'll keep it."

Buffy stepped back suddenly. "Oh, no. I did NOT just name you!"

He smiled coldly, "Now you're a part of me. It's only right you be my
first meal... hmm.. if you're tasty enough" his eyes drew slowly over
her body and he licked his lips, shifting suddenly into his vampirical
form, "maybe you can even be my first child."

Knowing that she could never slay the man she loved, Buffy turned on
her heel to run, but the vampire proved to be too fast for her. Swiftly
he caught her arm and spun her around to face him.

"Sorry, love, but my place is this way."

Caught unable to defend herself and unable to escape, Buffy was left
only to allow herself to be dragged back to the now darkened
mansion. There she would face immenent death... or worse.

**********

End Chapter Four

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Angel's Lover <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Time Heals All:  Part Five of Six
Date: 11 Jan 1998 23:52:19 -0800

The standard disclaimers apply.. the characters belong to Joss and
Mutant Enemy Productions... I am not making a cent from this and no
copywright infringement was intended.  Please direct all comments to Lea
at either [e-mail] or [e-mail] .  BTW:  Please
don't kill me for the end of this chapter... there is one more chapter
in the works... this isn't the end people.. I swear! LOL!

____________________

Time Heals All.. Part Five

Angel had closely searched the area around where he and Buffy had
been standing, but he had seen nothing. He frowned; they had both
heard the twig snap... someone had been here. Shaking his head in
minor confusion, he headed back to where he had left Buffy.

She was not in the clearing where he had last seen her standing.
"Buff?" he called softly to no reply. "Buffy?" This time his voice was
louder, she wouldn't have left with out him... she wouldn't have
wandered off. Unless... perhaps another sound had come, he
rationalized... perhaps she was out doing the same he had been..
trying to keep them safe. If anybody could take care of themselves it
was Buffy. "Buffy!" His voice carried across the woods, reverberating
in the canyon not far away. Still no answer came.

His heart began to beat faster... something was very wrong. Stepping
out of the clearing he began to head back to the mauseleum, perhaps
she had lost herself in the woods and had to return to the only place
she really knew. He had to pass his house on the way to the
mauseleum; all the windows were dark... no movement within. Angel
sighed, his other self was out on the hunt by now, perparing to hurt
some innocent girl.. to drain her blood... to help her meet a painful
death, something which she did not deserve.

He sighed, wondering who his next victim would be... that first night
he had hurt many.

************

Buffy struggled desperately against her bonds, using her heightened
strength to test the limits of the ropes. She sighed, Angel had been
smart; the knot was unslipable, and the bonds were so tight the were
cutting off the circulation to her hands.

"Angelus?" she gritted her teeth against the name, refusing blatently to
call this demon Angel... this was not her Angel.

He stepped in from the next room, "Yes, my dear?"

She made her voice light.. feminine as she looked up at him with eyes
full of intentional pain. "My bonds are too tight.. they're cutting into
my wrists.. they hurt me."

The vampire smiled, "Do not concern yourself with such matters. In a
few moments you will feel no pain.. and soon after that the scars of
your mortal life will fade away."

She grimaced, "Thanks, but I happen to like the scars of my mortal
life. Scars are good.. they give you personality."

He shook his head, "Quiet now. I have no need to listen to your
prattling. You will become like me.. you have no choice."

"You know what? I hate this century.. the men are always making the
decisions for the women. We're not fragile flowers, we do have
brains, we can think for ourselves, and I think I do NOT want to be a
vampire."

"Women." He slowly pulled Buffy to her bound feet, moving around
behind her, caressing her shoulders, slowly moving her hair off of her
neck. "If you're so intelligent, why is it you do not understand I am
about to give you a gift. You will be immortal... all powerful... You
will reign by my side and together we will terrorize the world."

"I'll be a murdering demon." She shook her head, "Thanks, I think I'll
pass."

"I think you won't." His mouth moved to gently move over her throat,
his teeth just very slightly grazing her skin.

Buffy bucked back against him, trying to knock the demon off of his
feet to give her one last chance, but her bonds and his arms held her
firm, and all it served to do was make him laugh.

"You have such spirit.. it'll be such a pleasure to suck that spirit out
of
you."

"I'll die before I become one of you." she muttered grimly through her
teeth, finally realizing there was no way out.

"Yes. You will."

He drew back her head, using her hair as a lever, and sunk his teeth
deeply into her throat.

Buffy cried out in pain as the demon ripped deep holes into her neck,
sucking fiercely from her the blood she needed so desperatly. It took
only moments for her mind to become fuzzy with the lack of blood
and oxygen. Slowly, as tears came to her eyes, she wondered why
her last impression of her mortal world had to be of the man she
loved purposely ending her life. Why him? Why?

Her question was never answered however, as she sank nearly
unconscious to the floor. She could not move, could not think, could
not breath as Angel opened his wrist over her mouth. Brilliant red
droplets of his blood slipped between the lips she was too weak to
close. The thick liquid poured slowly down her throat, choking her as
it travelled, but she was too drained to even cough.

Within moments it was over... Buffy lay fading upon the floor of what
was once Angel's home. A final thought before she faded into
unconsciousness struck her suddenly, Spike won. She closed her
eyes, he may not have intended it this way, but in the end, Spike won.

Buffy faded away into the darkness of death.

****************

She had not been at the mauseleum.. she was not in the apple
orchard... she was not at the library. All Angel had succeeded in
doing was alarming William who had insisted upon coming with him
on his search.

Angel stood upon that hill they had first landed upon and looked out
over the sleeping town. No movement met his searching eyes until
finally, one point of light out of the darkness beckoned to him. His
heart stopped beating, and his breath caught in his throat.

"Buffy.. no..!"

With demonic speed Angel shifted from human to vampire, startling
William badly, and set out at a dead run for what used to be his
home. He had not been home that first night... the light shouldn't be
on.. he had not been there.

With desperation as he ran Angel pleaded with whatever force
existed to not let him be too late. The light could only mean one
thing... this century's Angel had brought a victim home with him... a
blip in time that Angel feared he understood too well. Buffy would
never slay him... not now that he had asked to live... she would die
first.

Angel cried out at the top of his lungs as he burst through the door, he
would not let her die, he could not!

As he paused to catch his breath, Angel did a quick survey of the
house. His hearing and sence of smell told him that the other vampire
was no longer in the building. He was probably out searching for
other victims.. one person's blood was not enough for a new vampire.
To gain full strength he had to drink from three or four humans.

A groan of pain drew his attention towards the parlor; the smell of
blood filled his nostrils and overwhelmed his sences. Another groan,
and then a shriek of agony.

Angel rushed over to the entrance to the parlor, stepping through into
the one lit room of the house. He swallowed hard, his eyes closing
momentarily at the vision that met him. Viscious pain washed through
him at the sight of Buffy laying on the floor, her throat ripped open,
still oozing slowly thick, red blood, her mouth and chin stained red
with the blood of another.

How long he stood there staring at her, his body filled with the white
hot agony he knew instinctively she was suffering, he did not know.
Too soon however the door to the house opened slowly. Angel did
not turn to greet the newcomer, his eyes never moved off of Buffy as
William came to stand beside him.

"Dear God," William muttered in shock.

"God had nothing to do with this."

"Who did this?"

"I did."

William looked at him in disbelief. "YOU?"

Angel shrugged, "I stopped her from killing Darla... I stopped her
from killing me.. all because I didn't want to live without her... my
greed.. it killed her... I killed her..."

William nodded as he understood, "Your other self did this?" The
vampire did not answer. William sighed, "Angel? She's not dead."

"I know."

"We can't let her change."

"I know."

"Do you want me too...?"

Angel's eyes filled with tears as he thought of the fear she must have
gone through as his teeth sank into her neck... he wondered what she
had last thought... he wondered how much of his Buffy was left in the
shell that was rapidly becoming a demon... could he do what he had
to? Could he kill her?

"Angel?"

"No. Leave us."

"Angel, you have to do this! You can't let.."

"Leave us."

"Angel..."

"I SAID LEAVE!" his voice was harsh and viscious as he turned to
face the Watcher. Finally, William nodded, and headed out of the
house, back to the library, a sanctuary from the horrors of the night.

Angel sighed as he allowed himself to fade from his demonic form
back to human. Slowly he made his way to Buffy's side, kneeling
down, drawing her body into his arms to tenderly cradle her head
against his chest.

"Buffy... I'm sorry."

With great effort she opened her eyes... the normally brilliant color of
her eyes was fading... fading into the yellow-green of a vampire, but
some of his Buffy still survived. She smiled.

"Angel.." she whispered almost to sofly for him to hear... her throat
gurgled with the flowing of air through its damaged passages. "Not
your fault. Don't ever be sorry with me." He held her more tightly to
him, words escaping him as grief began to cloud his mind. Her body
stiffened in his arms as another wave of agony washed over her; her
body was dying so that the demon could take it over. She reached up
weakly to caress his cheek. "Angel..." he leaned in more closely, his
ear mere centimeters from her mouth. "Kill me."

Angel jerked suddenly, his head shaking. "I could never hurt you,
Buffy."

She shook her head, "Not me anymore." Slowly he rocked her back
and forth, trying to comfort her as she groaned yet again. "My bag..."
He followed the trail of her eyes, and one of his hands snaked out to
bring her bag closer to her. He moved her hand so that it was inside
her bag, and watched as she searched for something within; finally she
nodded. As he helped draw her fingers out of the bag he realized
what she was holding onto. A wooden stake.

"Buffy... I... I..." his face crumbled as a single tear escaped his eye.
She smiled bravely.

"You can save me, Angel... don't let me turn... please."

He nodded as he laid her back upon the ground, his gaze never
leaving hers. The stake felt heavy in his hand as he slowly leaned
down to lay one final kiss upon Buffy's lips. She sighed deeply, "Love
you," and smiled up at him as he raised the stake over her.

He took deep breath after deep breath, his heart screaming at him not
to do this, his mind telling him he must. Her smile was the last
argument... he had to do this.. for her.. he couldn't let her suffer the
same fate as himself.

With one final breath he looked deeply into her eyes, "I love you,
Buffy Summers, from the beginning of time until the end." His arms
came down with a strength born of being a demon, driving the stake
deeply into the center of the heart of his beloved, severing her very
last hold on life.

In the seconds before she turned to dust, Buffy smiled into his eyes
one last time, whispering an almost inaudiable, "Thank you."

Then it was over, and Angel was left to sit in amongst the dust that
had once made up the body of his reason for living. In an almost
childlike fashion, Angel drew his knees up to his chest, wrapped his
arms around them, burried his head, and began to cry.

End Part Five

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: sah <[e-mail]> (by way of sah <[e-mail]>)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: ADMIN:  List rules
Date: 12 Jan 1998 09:18:38 -0500

My apologies for that *huge* digest that went out last night.  Obviously
that's ben sitting in the XMission servers for a month.  If people's
systems choked on it and you *didn't* get this, contact me and I'll see
what I can do about getting it to you.  There's also a copy of it on the
buffyfic archive site.  Check old copies of the digest for the URL.

--sah

*****

Welcome!  This list is for fiction related to "Buffy The Vampire
Slayer," both the TV series and the movie.  To ensure that we all get
to enjoy as much fiction as possible, please adhere to the following
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This ensures that anyone who doesn't like knowing about an episode
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 &
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[e-mail]


-



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Carriedel <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: Time Heals All:  Part Five of Six
Date: 12 Jan 1998 15:44:23 EST

I liked your fanfic a lot.  I must say I was a little upset by the fact that
Buffy becomes a vampire and then dies, but I guess it is different.  I am
anxiously awaiting part six

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Bryce2000 <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: unsubscribe buffy
Date: 12 Jan 1998 18:08:00 EST

unsubscribe buffy

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Kimela M Wilker"<[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Pleasant Dreams (9a/11?)
Date: 14 Jan 1998 07:56:01 -0600


     Title: Pleasant Dreams
     Author: Kimela
     Email: [e-mail]

     Rating: PG-13 for violence
     Spoilers: None -- takes place between "When She Was Bad" and "Some
     Assembly Required"
     Summary: An answer to the question Why didn't the vampires kill Xander
     when they abducted Willow & Giles from the library during the episode
     WSWB?

     This is a rough draft of Part Nine and any feedback for improvement is
     HIGHLY appreciated!

     Parts Prologue-eight are posted at
     http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/4079


     Pleasant Dreams Part Nine


          Xander stumbled along the corridor, unsure as to where he was or
     where he was going.  He had sat still long enough, though, and he had
     decided that he was going to find his way out--or die trying.  The
     fact
     that he couldn't see slowed him down, of course, but he wasn't going
     to let it stop him.  Not anymore.  He wasn't sure how much time he had
     wasted, sitting in the darkness feeling sorry for himself, but it had
     obviously been quite a while.  He didn't have any idea how or when it
     had happened, but at some point, the chain that linked him to
     Willow--*to the demon that was Willow*, he corrected--had been
     severed, and he was alone.

        He could hear water dripping, but could not tell exactly where it
     was coming from.  He didn't really care, except that no matter how far
     he walked, the source didn't sound like it was getting any closer.  Or
     any farther, for that matter.  In addition to the water, he could
     occasionally hear voices whispering near him, but he didn't listen to
     the words, and did his best to pretend that they weren't there.  If I
     don't acknowledge them, they'll leave me alone, his mind repeated.  It
     became his mantra.  And, for now anyway, it seemed to be working.  All
     he needed to do was keep his wits about him, and find his way out of
     the cave.

          He didn't even care, anymore, that he was blind.  He could learn
     to live with that.  The only thing that really bothered him was that
     his friends would not be waiting for him on the outside.  That hurt
     more than any pain he had ever felt in his entire life.
     Realistically, he knew that he could not have beaten the demon.  If
     Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, had succumbed to it, how could he have
     possibly vanquished it?  Still, he felt guilty that he alone had
     managed to escape its wrath.  He was unsure why it had spared him,
     time and again, unless it was because it simply enjoyed tormenting him
     more than it had the others.  He supposed that was probably the case,
     and it infuriated him to no end. He swore that the next time he
     encountered the demon, he was going to either kill it, or he was going
     to make sure that it killed him.  It didn't even really matter to him
     which way the battle went, just so long as there was only one
     survivor.

          "NO!" He heard a voice bellowing from a distance.  This voice
     made its way fully into his consciousness because of its familiarity.
     "Take it back!  Tell me what it is and I'll do it--anything!"
     *Willow.*

          Could it be?  Was she really alive, or was this just another
     trick?  If it was real, he couldn't take the chance of losing her.  He
     began running in the direction of her voice.  He kept one hand on the
     corridor wall, so that he could keep an idea of where he was going.
     Every few moments he would pause and listen for another clue to her
     whereabouts, but the only sound that greeted him was the constant
     drizzle of water.  "Willow!"

          He nearly missed the passage that branched off from the main
     corridor on the opposite wall from the one he used for support. He
     wouldn't have even realized that it existed had it not been for the
     heart-stopping wail that came from somewhere in its depths.  Xander
     turned toward his friend's cries and with arms extended began
     searching for the break in the wall.  His quest became more frantic as
     Willow's screams grew more piercing.  Oh, God, it was torturing
     her-maybe even killing her!  He had to hurry.  At last, he found the
     elusive hallway and ran at full speed toward the sound of his friend's
     agonized shrieking, not even considering for a second that his own
     life would be in danger, or that it could be a trap laid for him.

          After what felt like an eternity, the screams stopped echoing and
     the corridor became silent again.  No longer sure of her whereabouts,
     Xander skidded to a halt, and listened intently for any sign of life.
     "Willow?" he called.  He knew that he had to be close, but without her
     cries directing him, he wasn't sure how to proceed.  He wasn't even
     close enough to a wall to rely on it to give him a clue.  "Willow,
     where are you?"  For a moment, all he could hear was the sound of his
     rapidly beating heart, then to his relief, he heard her answer.

          "I'm here," Willow's soft voice replied.  She sounded very close.
     Perhaps only a few short yards away.  He shuffled forward, extending
     his arms again.

          "Where, Will?  I can't see you."

          "Down here...I'm hurt.  You've gotta help me, Xander."

          "I'm coming. Hang on, Will."  As he grew closer to the source of
     her voice, he dropped to his knees and began reaching through the
     darkness for her.  At last, he felt her cold hand grasp his.  He
     squeezed her hand and crawled up against her, putting his arms around
     her to warm her up.  To his horror, he could feel a sticky wetness
     where her other arm should have been.  Oh, God, what had happened to
     her?!  "Will!" he gasped.  "Oh, God, what--"

          "I'll be okay," she assured him, weakly.  "Just get me out of
     here."

          "I will...I promise."  He gathered her in his arms and picked her
     up.  She weighed a lot less than he expected her to, and the
     explanations that ran through his mind did nothing to ease his horror.
     She laid her head against his chest.  "I...I can't see, Will.  You're
     gonna have to tell me which way to go."

          "Buffy...She's...further down this way."

          "Oh, God, is she..."

          "It killed her.  She's dead."

          "We won't go that way, then," he attested, turning back the
     direction he had come from.

          "No," Willow insisted firmly.  "We have to go back.  Buffy
     brought her sword.  We need to get it.  It's our only chance."

          "We can't fight it, Will.  We'll just find an escape r--"

          "We have to.  It's the only way to get out.  Giles--"  She
     stopped talking as if whatever she had been about to say was too
     painful. Xander decided not to press her for an explanation.  He had
     the sinking feeling that he knew the gist of what she was going to
     say.  Giles was dead, too.

          "A sword, huh?"

          "Yeah.  She's not...not far.  Just turn around and go down that
     way."

          Xander took a deep breath and then followed Willow's
     instructions.

     He didn't like the idea of encountering Buffy's...corpse...but if it
     was the only way to save Willow, he'd do it.  He'd lost her before,
     and he wouldn't lose her again.  He couldn't believe he'd been so
     wrapped up in his own self-pity that he'd let her be taken...that he
     hadn't even noticed...how had she broken the chain without him
     noticing?  "Will...when did the chain--"

         "We're here," Willow cut him off, not letting him finish his
     question.  "The sword is right over there, next to...Buffy."  She
     turned her face into his chest and he could feel what must have been
     her tears soaking through his shirt.  He stroked her hair for a moment
     hoping to soothe her suffering.  After a few moments, he gently set
     her down.  He was glad that he wasn't able to see the broken body of
     the Slayer--it would only make him feel worse than he already did.  It
     was best not to dwell on the losses, but to focus on Willow's
     survival.  It was the only thing that was going to keep him going.



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Kimela M Wilker"<[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Pleasant Dreams (9b/11?)
Date: 14 Jan 1998 08:26:35 -0600


     itle: Pleasant Dreams
     Author: Kimela
     Email: [e-mail]

     Rating: PG-13 for violence
     Spoilers: None -- takes place between "When She Was Bad" and "Some
     Assembly Required"
     Summary: An answer to the question Why didn't the vampires kill Xander
     when they abducted Willow & Giles from the library during the episode
     WSWB?

     This is a rough draft of Part Nine and any feedback for improvement is
     HIGHLY appreciated!

     Parts Prologue-eight are posted at
     http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/4079


     Pleasant Dreams Part Nine (cont.)

     "Ok, Will, you're going to have to direct me to the sword."

     She turned him around and gave him a gentle push.  "Go that way
     about ten feet.  Then it'll be directly on your left."  He moved
     forward several paces, then knelt down, feeling along the floor for
     the weapon. "A little farther."

     Xander's foot struck something and he felt slightly sick as he
     realized it was most likely the Slayer's corpse.  He forced himself
     not to think about it and kept searching for the discarded sword.  At
     last, he felt the cold metal against his fingertips.  He snatched up
     the weapon and rose to his feet.

     "Xander, look out!" Willow bellowed suddenly.  "No!"

     Xander felt  something slicing  across his back and he was knocked to
     the ground.  Oh, God, the demon was there!  He scrambled to his feet
     and raised the sword.  "Willow, where is it?"

     "Right behind you!  Turn around!"

     He whirled around and swung the sword with all his might.  He felt the
     unmistakable pressure of the blade striking its target and heard the
     fiend's inhuman screech.  He swung the sword again, and again,
     relentlessly slashing at the beast, never giving it a chance to strike
     back.  He was half crazed with savage glee at this final
     confrontation.  It had killed his friends, hurt Willow badly, and had
     tormented him for days.  Now it was his turn.  He didn't stop his
     attack until he felt Willow's hand on his back, long after the beast's
     cries had ended.

     "It's over," Willow whispered into his ear.  He stood for a moment,
     panting as he tried to catch his breath.  Finally, he let the sword
     drop from his hand and he turned to embrace his best friend.  The
     adrenaline was gone, and now he was beginning to feel sick by his own
     actions. Sure, he was glad that he had killed the beast, but Jesus, he
     had totally lost control.  He needed her assurance that he was all
     right, that he wasn't an animal.  He felt Willow's arm wrap around him
     and he began to relax into the embrace.  At least it was over...

     Then Willow began laughing in his ear.  He jerked away, unnerved by
     her inappropriate giggle.  Something wasn't right.-her laughter...it
     was so...evil?  Oh, God, it wasn't Willow!  He had been tricked again?
      How could he have been so stupid?  What had he-

     "Oh, Xander, I really wish you could see this," the demon hissed,
     laughing at his folly.  All at once, his vision returned.  He could
     see the demon as it stood before him, grinning menacingly.  "Just
     remember, you're the one who did it," it taunted before turning and
     sauntering away.

     Xander stood frozen in place, unable to chase after the demon.  He was
     too shocked to react.  All he could think about was how he had lost
     control and had just killed something...someone...he was too horrified
     to check to see what...or who...Oh, God, oh, God, oh...

     He took a deep breath.  He had to know.  He slowly turned around
     and looked down.

     The first body he saw was that of Buffy.  She looked almost
     peaceful in death.  None of her beauty had been destroyed.  Only the
     odd position of her neck indicated that she was indeed not alive.

     The second body, however, was almost unrecognizable.  It was
     drenched with blood and had been pretty much mutilated...by him.  Yes,
     it was almost unrecognizable, and anyone else might not have been able
     to identify it, but Xander knew her immediately by the long auburn
     hair that was stained nearly black by the pool of blood that
     surrounded the corpse.

     "Nooooo!" he screamed.  He turned and began running away from the
     sight.  He made it only a few yards before he stumbled and fell to his
     hands and knees, silently retching until there was nothing left in him
     to vomit.  When he was done being sick, he stumbled to his feet and
     continued to run away from the mangled body of his best friend.  He
     was only dimly aware of the tears that streamed down his face.  He
     didn't stop running until he reached the main corridor.   He had no
     idea which way to turn.  He didn't remember which direction he had
     come from.  All he could think of was Willow's mutilated carcass-the
     image of her that would forever be etched in his mind.  He would never
     again see her smiling face or hear her beautiful laughter.  And it was
     all his fault.

     He had killed her.  He had lost control, had stupidly trusted the
     demon again.  He wanted to die.  "Please, just kill me now," he begged
     no one in particular.

     He fingered the broken manacle that still hung from his wrist.  It
     hadn't done its job-it was supposed to keep them together. *Oh,
     please, God, let this just be a nightmare, let me wake up and still
     have my Willow beside me.*   He slumped against the wall and let
     himself sink to the ground, ignoring the puddle of water that quickly
     soaked through his pants.  It didn't matter.  Nothing mattered.



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Elizabeth Ann Lewis <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Out of the Shadows 0/6
Date: 14 Jan 1998 17:56:12 -0800

Out of the Shadows -- Author's Notes

Having finally decided that I'm doomed to verbosity, I'll pull all the
authorish comments out into their own part.  Delete at will!  <g>

For those of you still reading:  This is the response to a challenge on the
SunS list:  to write a first season episode from the point of view of a
character other than Buffy.  Others that have been written <plug plug plug>
are "The Stranger," by Perri Smith ('Angel' from Willow's point of view),
"Mad Moon in Scorpio," by Christina Kamnikar ('I Robot, You Jane' from Ms.
Calendar's point of view), and "Shadow of an Apocalypse," by Christina
Kamnikar ('Prophesy Girl,' again from Ms. Calendar's POV).

Being something of an overachiever, I did four episodes:  Welcome to the
Hellmouth, The Harvest, Teacher's Pet, and Never Kill a Boy on the First
Date.  And I chose the most close-mouthed character of all:  Angel.
However, as I soon learned (to my chagrin), Angel is quite capable of
babbling a blue streak when he's so inclined.  (You should have heard him
in my head during the Bronze scene in NKAB. <sigh>)

What you see here is the result of (ye gods and little fishes) six months
of on-again, off-again effort.  Angel has two more stories (at least) to
tell me, and he *will* if he doesn't want to fit into an ashtray.  <glares
at Angel>  <realizes she glaring at a fictional character> <doesn't care
and keeps glaring>

Credit, disclaimers, and blamage:  The title and lyrics used in the story
are from Sarah McLachlin's first album "Touch."  Since Angel seems to like
Sarah McLachlin, the other two stories I'm working on also come from this
album.  And since Sarah McL doesn't seem to do any songs but downers...
well, you can guess. (No, neither of them are Building a Mystery.)

Some (OK, most) dialogue in this story was taken directly from the four
episodes I used.  "Welcome to the Hellmouth" and "The Harvest" were written
by Joss Whedon (oh holy be his evil name), "Teacher's Pet" was written by
David Greenwalt, and "Never Kill a Boy on the First Date" was written by
Rob Des Hotel & Dean Batali.  Any dialogue you recognize is theirs.  Oh,
and to answer a question often asked of me:  No, there was no scene with
Willow and Buffy alone in the Bronze at the end of Teacher's Pet.  That
one's mine.  <VBG>

Rated PG-13 for language that we've seen on the show, but only when it gets
a TVPG - L rating.  <g>  (And it's over in the first sentence, even.)

Angel, Buffy, et al are the brainchildren and property of Joss Whedon (oh
holy, etc, etc), Mutant Enemy, Sandollar, 20th Century Fox and the WB.  Any
similarity between them and this story is... well, quite intended.  I'm
making no money, don't sue.

This one gets blamed on Chris and Perri (as usual) for dragging me into
this fandom in the first place and then creating this challenge.
DIEDIEDIE... um, I mean, I love you guys!  <VBG>  Thanks as always to the
Sunnydale Slayers, Those-Who-Fight-The-.Sig-Jihad, the
Best-BetaReaders-Money-Can-Buy-If-I-Had-Any-Money-To-Pay-Them.  Especially
my co-list Mom, Dianne, who *eventually* gets her betaing done.  <g>
Thanks to Marlys for coming out of the blue (Bruin Blue <g>) to give me
some *great* comments.  And thanks to everyone who mournfully wrote asking
if this was going to *ever* be posted.  This vamp's for you.

Praise, comments, flames, chocolate and cute angsty vampires to
[e-mail]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COMING ATTRACTIONS!

Coming soon to a Buffyfic list near you!

Ill Met By Moonlight, by Perri Smith:  There's a full moon out tonight in
Sunnydale, but no one's in the mood for romance.  When a specter from
Angel's past appears he is forced to help her contain an evil attacking
Sunnydale -- if they don't kill each other first.

A Truth Worse Than Lies, by Dianne DeSha:  "Some lies are necessary.
Sometimes the truth is worse."  When Edith is told by a dark stranger at
her window that her destiny is to be the Slayer, she has no idea that the
stranger himself is one of the ones she must fight, and that she will lose
everything in the struggle, her family, her friends, her sanity... and her
soul.

High Priestess Lizbet of the Cult of Joss ~*~ [e-mail]
Co-List Mummy, Sunnydale Slayers: "Spank your inner moppet."
http://www.primenet.com/~lizbet/    ~~*~~



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Elizabeth Ann Lewis <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Out of the Shadows 1/6
Date: 14 Jan 1998 17:57:20 -0800

Out Of The Shadows  (1/6)
by Elizabeth Ann Lewis
[e-mail]

Part One-Welcome to the Hellmouth & The Harvest/"I'm a friend."

***Crouching down inside a deep ravine
***Those angry cries pass quickly by, can't be seen
***So many ways spent hiding in so many undone plans
***Forgetting what it's like to fight when no one understands...

    Getting knocked on your ass is, at the very least, a memorable
introduction.

    Of course, until that moment, I had no idea what I was getting
into.  Call it intuition, call it a sixth sense, call it the vampire
self-preservation instinct, but I *knew* when the Slayer arrived in town.
The Chosen One, the one girl in all the world with the strength and skill
to kill vampires.  To kill me.  Under normal circumstances, she -- and her
predecessors -- were creatures that my kind avoided like the plague.

    Except that I wasn't my kind.  My situation was, to say the least,
unusual.  The Rromany had certainly chosen their punishment well.  Killing
me outright would have been merciful and much too easy.

    Sometimes I wondered if the Catholic God of my childhood was
possessed of an extremely eccentric sense of humor.  The night I met the
Slayer, I was convinced of it.

    It went against every ingrained instinct to help her.  Reclaiming
my soul did not cast out the demon within me.  The cartoons of a devil and
an angel hovering over an indecisive head were pathetically true in my
case.  The devil urged me to kill her, to stop her from her bounden duty.
My namesake plaintively reminded me that I had to help her.

    It wasn't hard to figure out who she was, if you knew what to look
for.  She was young, fit, new in town.  It almost was a cliche.  I found
her house easily, watched her bounce down the front steps of the porch with
an anxious mother calling warnings and blessings into the night air.  She
headed towards the local hang-out for teenagers; I followed.

    She turned down a dark alley.  I hurried my steps -- and found
nothing.  An empty passageway.  Cautiously, I moved forward, alert.  There
were boxes and bags littering the sides of the alley; if she was going to
ambush me, then it would be from there.

    My first clue into the mind of Buffy Summers was when the tips of
her remarkably sharp boots landed between my shoulderblades.

    Talk about head over heels.  I executed a involuntary somersault in
the grimy alley, head ringing and pride smarting.  Before I could recover,
her foot was planted on my chest.  ~Not bad,~ was my grudging estimation.
"Is there a problem, ma'am?" I said, trying to look innocent.

    Too bad I couldn't see my reflection in the mirror; I obviously
needed to practice that expression.  "Yeah, there's a problem.  Why are you
following me?" she demanded.

    The boots that gave her at least two inches of height were solid.
She could do quite a bit of damage with those alone.  Innocent obviously
not working, I went for direct.  Well, as direct as I intended to get.  "I
know what you're thinking, but don't worry.  I don't bite."

    She unplanted the boot from my chest -- if I had need of oxygen I
would have been in serious danger of suffocating.  Rising gingerly, waiting
for any sign that her temper was going to send me back to my ignomous
position at her feet, I surveyed her quickly.  "The truth is, I thought
you'd be taller, bigger muscles and all that."  Regaining full height meant
stretching the neck that had borne the brunt of her original attack, and I
rubbed at the spot ruefully.  "You're pretty spry, though."

    She had backed off maybe two steps, eyes hard and anxious in the
dim light, hands raised in an elementary fighting position.  "What do you
want?" she asked flatly.

    "Same thing you do."  It was more than a little humiliating to be
taken down that easily, even by the Slayer.  She was good.  Then again, she
*had* killed Lothos, and he hadn't been an easy target, if my memory
served...

    Exasperated, she dropped her hands.  "Fine.  What do I want?"

    Now we were getting somewhere.  Leaning closer, I whispered, "To
kill 'em.  To kill 'em all."

    And immediately blinked, confused at her sarcasm a moment later.
"Sorry, that's incorrect, but you do get this lovely watch and a year's
supply of Turtle Wax.  What I *want*," she continued when I was still
trying to unravel her allusion to game shows, "is to be left alone!"

    "You really think that's an option anymore?" I demanded,
incredulous.  What, a Slayer who didn't want to fight vampires?  What was
this?  "You're standing at the Mouth of Hell.  And it's about to open."  I
pulled out the case from my jacket and flipped it to her.  "Don't turn your
back on this.  You're got to be ready."

    She caught it easily.  Obviously, her reflexes were just fine.  My
aching neck had already figured that out.  "What for?" she asked
suspiciously.

    For disaster.  For the Master's rising.  For the end of the world.

    However, it wasn't my job to give her *all* her information.  I was
going against deep-seated instincts to tell her anything, and between
annoyance and humor, I decided to tell her as little as possible.  "For the
Harvest."

    It did my wounded pride good to see her so obviously confused.
"Who are you?" she asked, still clutching the unopened box.

    Long story, and definitely a place we didn't want to go.  "Let's
just say... I'm a friend."  I started walking away, turning my back to her.
Maybe a bad move... but she obviously had no idea what I really was.

    "Yeah?  Well, maybe I don't want a friend," she said defiantly.

    She walked right into it.  I turned back and grinned at her.  That
expression I didn't have to practice.  "I didn't say I was yours."

    I didn't hang around to see if she opened the box.  She would.
Curiosity would make her.  And the cross that rested within would protect
her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COMING ATTRACTIONS!

Coming soon to a Buffyfic list near you!

Ill Met By Moonlight, by Perri Smith:  There's a full moon out tonight in
Sunnydale, but no one's in the mood for romance.  When a specter from
Angel's past appears he is forced to help her contain an evil attacking
Sunnydale -- if they don't kill each other first.

A Truth Worse Than Lies, by Dianne DeSha:  "Some lies are necessary.
Sometimes the truth is worse."  When Edith is told by a dark stranger at
her window that her destiny is to be the Slayer, she has no idea that the
stranger himself is one of the ones she must fight, and that she will lose
everything in the struggle, her family, her friends, her sanity... and her
soul.

High Priestess Lizbet of the Cult of Joss ~*~ [e-mail]
Co-List Mummy, Sunnydale Slayers: "Spank your inner moppet."
http://www.primenet.com/~lizbet/    ~~*~~



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Elizabeth Ann Lewis <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Out of the Shadows 2/6
Date: 14 Jan 1998 17:58:02 -0800

Out Of The Shadows  (2/6)
by Elizabeth Ann Lewis
[e-mail]

***Close call there in the shadows
***There's a fear in the dark
***There is no one out there...

    The voice was like a hand brushed up my spine; I stopped cold in
the dark, hearing it.  It had roused me from my first death-sleep, had
laughed with me in and out of too many European nights where the blood that
flowed was wine to our greedy appetites...

    Even as one part of my mind froze in shock, another part mocked me.
~What did you expect?~ the devil in my brain sneered.  ~It's the time of
the Harvest, and where else would Darla be but at her Master's side? ~

    She was hunting in the Bronze, and had found her meal, a
dark-haired boy who followed her to his doom.  She was leading him to the
mausoleum, to the Master.  Not wanting her to see me, I faded back into the
shadows.

    It was blinding, that much emotion.  The tangle of it, the sheer
weight of anger piled on guilt piled on memories of rapture and abandon.
Darla had made me what I was, and if it hadn't been for a chance encounter
with a dark-eyed gypsy girl I would have likely been leading a snack down
to the Master at her side.

    ~You've interfered enough, haven't you? ~  The devil in my brain
definitely had a problem keeping his mouth shut.  ~You've warned the
Slayer.  That's more than even *your* overachieving conscience could
expect.  It's finished. ~

    But if it was finished, why was I back in that mausoleum just
before dawn?

    She would go after her friend.  I was, of course, basing this
assumption on five minutes of conversation, where the opening gambit had
been a boot to the head rather than, "What's your sign?"  Yet as the
daylight strengthened and I was forced to withdraw farther and farther into
the shelter of the charnel house to save my undead bones, I didn't doubt my
instincts.

    But, damnit, did she have to take so long?

    It was early afternoon before I heard the hinges on the door to the
mausoleum moan slightly in opening.  Sunlight glinted off of blond hair as
she poked her head in, looked around.  She crossed immediately to the
ironwork doors that were the entryway to the underground passages that
sheltered the undead in Sunnydale.

    Around her neck was the cross.

    It was quite gratifying to be proved right.  While she stood
examining the chain and lock on the gate, I moved from my sheltered spot.
Indirect sunlight was uncomfortable, but not necessarily fatal, at least
not for a few moments.

    Without turning, flinching, or flickering an eyelash, she said, "I
don't suppose you have a key on you."

    "They really don't like me dropping in on them," I drawled.  She'd
taken her time, so could I.

    Facing me, she put her hands on her hips, aggressive in every inch
of her body language.  "Why's that?"

    I shrugged.  "They really don't like me."

    "How could that possibly be?" -- proving that her own sarcastic
drawl was fully in place.

    It was something of a disorientation to have a picture in your mind
of what something -- or someone -- was, and to have that picture completely
contradicted.  Before meeting her, if I had imagined the Slayer, it would
have been almost a Joan of Arc figure, the Chosen One, dedicated to finding
and fighting vampires.  But this girl... wasn't so easily labeled.

    To cover my confusion, I kept mouthing off.  "I thought you'd
figure out this entryway sooner or later... actually, I was kind of hoping
it would be a *little* sooner."

    "Sorry you had to wait," she said dryly.  And then sighed.  "OK, if
you're going to like be popping up with this cryptic wise man act all the
time, can I at least know your name?"

    There were a lot of ancient societies that believed the name was
the key to the soul.  Know a person's name, their true name, and you
controlled that person.

    Which doesn't explain why I didn't hesitate a moment.

    "Pretty name," she said, shrugging it off.  In the next heartbeat,
she was turning to consider the doors again.

    ~Stop her.~  Devil or angel?  That time, I really couldn't say.
"Don't... go down there."  I reached out, almost touched her.  And stopped
myself.  Physical contact, the casual intimacy... I couldn't remember the
last time I had lain hand on human flesh.  I felt my palm tingle briefly,
as though yearning for the texture of skin over bone, and resisted.  "You
shouldn't be putting yourself at risk.  Tonight is the Harvest.  Unless you
can prevent it, the Master walks."

    "If this Harvest is such a suck-fest--" ~Lovely.  She puns
dreadfully. ~ "--why don't you stop it?"

    The idea made me laugh, a laugh needed to dislodge the near-miss
she had just landed.  A vampire, fighting his own kind to stop the rising
of the Master.  I'd be dead in a minute, and despite everything, I did love
my immortal life.  "Because I'm afraid," I told her, honest -- although I
doubt she believed me.

    Her eyes were level, unafraid, even a moment before she turned and
kicked the gates open, shattering the lock with one blow.

    Shaking my head at her foolishness, I warned her once more, already
guessing it was futile, "They'll be waiting for you."

    Startlingly, she turned, stepped closer to me.  "I've got a friend
down there," she said simply, "or at least, a potential friend.  You do
know what it's like to have a friend," she added, sarcasm dripping.

***All those feelings pain and anger flood back one by one
***They must be just around the bend they always come

    She was indeed the Slayer.  That blow shattered me.  For a moment
all I could do was close my eyes, knowing my friends would be there with me
in the brief darkness, laughing faces overlaid with the memory of their
deaths at my hands.  Oh yes, I knew what it was like to have a friend.

    And I knew what it was like to kill one.  More than one.  Dozens.

    I forced my eyes open and looked at her.  Puzzlement, impatience...
pity?  All warred in her expression.  "That wasn't supposed to be a
stumper," she said softly.

    My voice wouldn't work for a moment.  When it did, it echoed oddly
in my own ears, without the mockery that had lived in it for longer than
even I could remember.  "When you reach the tunnels, head east, towards the
school."  Tonight was the night of the Harvest, tonight the Slayer had to
face the Vessel and stop the Master from rising.  But today a girl had to
save her friend.  "That's where you're likely to find them."

    "Aren't you going to wish me luck?" she asked, a little wistfully.
But the raw space she had carved in my soul didn't allow me to release the
words.

    Not until I knew she was out of my hearing did I murmur, "Good luck."

***At night as I lay sleeping they come to me in herds
***Their lies remain the dreams the same its only fading words

    ~Hunger.  Thirst.  A woman's laugh.  A woman's scream.  The desire
to kill, to destroy, for no other reason than... I could.~

    I awoke from my day's rest violently.  The memories taunted me,
reminded me of a time when all I knew were certainties.  Two times.  The
young Irish boy had no idea what true evil was; the vampire Angelus had no
idea what true goodness was.  One lived in a world of white, and one lived
in a world of black.

    What, then, for myself, who lived in shades of grey?

    I threw back the covers and stood up, annoyed with myself for my
thoughts.  What good did it do to remember the past?  It was over, done.
My mother and father had died by my hand.  I remembered that.  Nothing I
could do would change the past.

    All I could do would be to try to change the future.  Outside my
covered windows, the sun was sinking in a blaze of orange.  In a few hours,
the Vessel would drain the victims needed to bring the Master to the
surface.  Hell on Earth.

    I pulled one of the bags of blood from my refrigerator -- salvaged
from the blood bank that would have disposed of them because their due date
was past.  Stale blood was hardly the most appetizing of meals, but it had
the nourishment I needed.  And I made myself face a cold possibility:  What
if the Slayer failed?  What if she had died in her reckless venture
underground earlier today?  What if she had survived, but couldn't stop the
Vessel, couldn't keep the Master from rising?

    If she failed... then I would be the only one who had a prayer of
stopping the demons from destroying the world.  Fighting my own kind
violated a deep-seated instinct.  To turn on your own kind... if you killed
your own, where could you look for comfort, for companionship... for love?
But then, it was no secret that I had broken from the Master decades before
his imprisonment, that I refused to kill, that I lived above ground.
Regardless, I would have to fight.  I would have to fight them, to protect
myself, to...

    To save the mortal world, the world where my kind did not belong.

********

    As it turns out, I was totally unnecessary.

    She had, in fact, survived her descent into the bowels of
Sunnydale.  And she fought the Vessel, and won.  I watched vampires fleeing
into the night, terrified of one slim young girl.  Humor rose up in me, and
pride.  "She did it," I told the warm California night.  "I'll  be damned."

    I watched her leave the nightclub wearily, flanked by her friends.
She had one arm comfortingly around a girl with long hair that looked dark
in the shadows, and a teenaged boy hovered closely behind her.  An older
man, her Watcher no doubt, walked beside them, remote but still a part of
the group.

    As I was not a part, I took it upon myself to fade back into the night.

END PART ONE

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COMING ATTRACTIONS!

Coming soon to a Buffyfic list near you!

Ill Met By Moonlight, by Perri Smith:  There's a full moon out tonight in
Sunnydale, but no one's in the mood for romance.  When a specter from
Angel's past appears he is forced to help her contain an evil attacking
Sunnydale -- if they don't kill each other first.

A Truth Worse Than Lies, by Dianne DeSha:  "Some lies are necessary.
Sometimes the truth is worse."  When Edith is told by a dark stranger at
her window that her destiny is to be the Slayer, she has no idea that the
stranger himself is one of the ones she must fight, and that she will lose
everything in the struggle, her family, her friends, her sanity... and her
soul.

High Priestess Lizbet of the Cult of Joss ~*~ [e-mail]
Co-List Mummy, Sunnydale Slayers: "Spank your inner moppet."
http://www.primenet.com/~lizbet/    ~~*~~



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Elizabeth Ann Lewis <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Out Of The Shadows 3/6
Date: 14 Jan 1998 18:02:14 -0800

Out Of The Shadows  (3/6)
by Elizabeth Ann Lewis
[e-mail]

Part Two -- Teacher's Pet/"It looks better on you..."

***No one calls, there in the shadows
***There's no end to the dark
***There's no one out there
***No one but me....

    There are more than a few disadvantages to being a celebrity.  My
name, my face, my history were well known to the vampires who clustered
around the newly-awakened Master.  Angelus, the one fated to sit at his
right hand, who had once combed a town to find every blond-haired girl of a
decent age to sate the Master's appetite for delicacies.  Every single one.
For some, they thought they could appease the Master, rouse him from his
fury at the failure of the Harvest, by bringing him a prize.

    For others, they wanted the challenge of fighting a vampire
legendary among his own kind for his cruelty.  Unfortunately, what they got
was me.

    I hadn't been expecting the latest visitor.  Frankly, given Karl's
unstable nature, I didn't think he could keep himself out of the sunlight
this long.  The guy did have a tendency to go to extremes...

    The first indication I had of his arrival was a blow to the back of
the head.  ~This is happening entirely too much lately,~ I groused as I
picked myself up from the grass of the park, ready to turn and fight the
latest arrival in Sunnydale who wanted to take on the legend.

    I didn't know who it was until the blades he had replaced his hand
with dug into my arm, gouging away skin and blood.  I stumbled back,
holding my arm, staring into his maddened eyes.  "Angelus..." he growled in
evident satisfaction, moonlight gleaming on the claw wet with my own blood.
"The Master will forgive me if I bring you to him.  He will forgive..."

    "You have to learn to find forgiveness in yourself," I gasped.
Karl swung again; apparently he wasn't a fan of pop psychology.  Damn, why
didn't the fact I knew I couldn't die of injuries lessen the pain any?  I
couldn't fight him, the agony blunted my thinking and the blood loss
weakened me.  But I'd be damned -- not that I wasn't already, but as the
cliche goes -- if I would turn and run.

    "Angelus," he slavered again.  Talking had never been his strong
point.  Neither had agility.

    "Come on," I urged him.  "Come and get me."  He ran, I dodged, he
brained himself on the tree behind where I had just been, and I got the
hell out of there.

    When I reached my lair, I bandaged the cuts and drank some blood,
to replace what I had lost.  By the following sunset, the wounds would
still be ugly, angry, but no longer as agonizing.  Which was good, because
I couldn't hole up and indulge myself.  I had to find the Slayer, and warn
her.

***The hours pass so slowly the life's slipping out of me
***No way's the right way is there a way out for me
***My life's slipping out...

    It wasn't hard to find her.  Sunset came and went, and by early
evening I was at the Bronze.  She was there with the boy and girl who had
followed her into Hell the night of the Harvest.  The boy had his arms
around both of them possessively, a predatory male claiming territory.  She
looked like a teenage girl, nothing more, laughing with her friends.  With
her... boyfriend?

    Then she saw me.  I knew the moment it happened; it was like a
switch had been thrown.  She pulled away from the boy, not only physically,
but mentally.  She was the Slayer.  The laughing girl had no place there.

    She crossed the small space that separated us, from her friends'
world to mine, to ours.  Sarcasm being as much her weapon as sharp, pointy
stakes, she greeted me with, "Well, look who's here."

    I wasn't going to get drawn into her banter.  I was going to tell
her what she needed to know, and get out.  Short, simple, uncomplicated.
"Hi."

    Somehow, I don't think 'simple' was a word Buffy Summers knew.
"I'd say it's nice to see you, but then we both know that's a big fib."

    "I won't be long."  ~I won't.  Tell her, and leave.  Just tell her.~

    "No," she said consideringly, wrapping her bare arms around
herself, "you'll just give me a cryptic warning about some exciting new
catastrophe and then disappear into the night, right?"

    "You're cold."  Well, she was shivering, what was I supposed to say?

    "You can take it," she shot back, obviously thinking I was
complaining about her manner.  I wasn't.  Let her be sarcastic and
withdrawn.  I could deal with her better like that then I could with the
girl who had looked at me with pity in her eyes and asked me about friends.

    But I didn't like seeing her shivering, even if she couldn't manage
to wear enough clothes to cover herself.  "I mean, you look cold."  Without
thinking, I took off my jacket.  I hardly needed it.  She didn't protest as
I swung it around her shoulders, putting her arms in the sleeves.  It
dwarfed her, made her look fragile and child-like.

    "It's a little big on me," she pointed out, shifting it over her
body.  Then she looked up and caught sight of the cuts on my arm, and
concern shadowed her eyes.  Damn.  "What happened?"

    ~Well, you see, it was like this:  I was worrying too much about
too many things, and thinking about the women in my life, the one who made
me and the one who is most likely going to kill me as soon as she finds out
what I really am and...~  "I didn't pay attention."

    An eyebrow quirked.  "To somebody with a big fork?"

    ~Get to the point.~  "He's coming."

    "The fork guy?" she asked, obvious enjoying the appellation she had
given him.

    "Don't let him corner you," I kept going, refusing to be
distracted.  "Don't give him a moment's mercy.  He'll rip your throat out."

    Her eyes blinked, and opened wide.  "OK, I'll give you improved
marks for that one.  Ripping the throat out, it's a strong visual, it's not
cryptic."

    Ridiculously, I wanted to laugh.  I wanted to use the wit that had
lain dormant since I had cut myself off from contact of any kind, mortal or
vampire.  I wanted... too much.  "I have to go."  Without waiting for her
to respond, I turned and left her.

    Behind me, I heard her sigh.  "Sweet dreams to you, too."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COMING ATTRACTIONS!

Coming soon to a Buffyfic list near you!

Ill Met By Moonlight, by Perri Smith:  There's a full moon out tonight in
Sunnydale, but no one's in the mood for romance.  When a specter from
Angel's past appears he is forced to help her contain an evil attacking
Sunnydale -- if they don't kill each other first.

A Truth Worse Than Lies, by Dianne DeSha:  "Some lies are necessary.
Sometimes the truth is worse."  When Edith is told by a dark stranger at
her window that her destiny is to be the Slayer, she has no idea that the
stranger himself is one of the ones she must fight, and that she will lose
everything in the struggle, her family, her friends, her sanity... and her
soul.

High Priestess Lizbet of the Cult of Joss ~*~ [e-mail]
Co-List Mummy, Sunnydale Slayers: "Spank your inner moppet."
http://www.primenet.com/~lizbet/    ~~*~~



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Elizabeth Ann Lewis <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Out of the Shadows 4/6
Date: 14 Jan 1998 18:04:19 -0800

Out of the Shadows  (4/6)
by Elizabeth Ann Lewis
[e-mail]

    I kept an eye on Karl for the next few days -- from a safe
distance, of course.  Vampires heal quickly, but I had no desire to be
target practice for Karl's knives any time soon... well, never again,
actually.  So I was tracking Karl, the Slayer was tracking Karl, the police
were tracking the madman who tore up the body of a homeless person in the
park -- Karl.  It was getting crowded out there at night.

    I was across the street from the park that Karl had made his
hunting ground, but was close enough to hear the commotion when the police
stumbled on a fight between a vampire and the Slayer.  From my vantage
point, I could see Karl haul himself over the chain link fence and zero in
on his next meal -- a woman walking home alone.

    Before he could get close enough to take a bite, she turned around
and fixed him with a glare that had him backing off rapidly.  I could
almost hear the whimpers as he made for every vampire's favorite hiding
place -- the sewers.  I didn't blame him.  *Something* about the woman was
sending mental alarms ringing the likes of which I'd never felt before --
not even when a Slayer kicked me in the head and said hi.

    Retreat being the better part of valor, I headed home.  But not
before I caught sight of the Slayer staring after the woman who had
frightened Karl.  In the dim light her face was perplexed, thoughtful --
and determined.  I sighed.  If the girl made it to the next full moon I was
going to be surprised.

    I found her at the Bronze two nights later, curled up at the coffee
bar with the doe-like girl who had been with her the night of the Harvest.
With her hair curling loosely around her shoulders, a monster-sized cup
cradled in her hands, jacket engulfing her slender body, she looked fragile
and delicate.

    Of course, I knew first-hand just how false that impression was.

    "Where's Xander?" the other girl asked.

    The Slayer shrugged.  "Don't know.  I think he's kinda...."

    "Embarrassed?"

    "Embarrassed, humiliated, suffering the torments of the terminally
stupid... stop me when you hear something you don't like."

    "Nope.  You can keep going.  But it wasn't really his fault, right?
She -- the bug lady -- she fooled him with the pheromones."

    Grinning, the Slayer patted her friend's hand.  "Of course, Will,
it was all pheromones."

    Relieved, the dark-haired girl smiled.  "It was cool how you used
the Fork Guy to track Xander down.  And who knew white picket fences would
come in handy?"

    "A Slayer uses whatever comes to hand," said Slayer said in
sonorous, faintly British tones, ruined by a giggle.

    "It's just... Buffy, is Xander ever going to pay attention to me?
I mean, I'm never going to be as beautiful as Miss French--"

    "Willow, given that the real Miss French is ninety and the fake
Miss French was a bug, I'd say you'd win that beauty contest."

    Willow sighed and picked up Buffy's coffee cup.  Buffy immediately
took it out of her hands with a firm, "No.  Will, you know what coffee does
to you."

    Willow plopped her chin onto her folded arms.  "It's just... I've
never felt like this about any other boy.  Ever.  And he still sees me as
the kid he palled around with when we were seven."

    "It could be worse."

    For such a tiny creature, Willow had a surprisingly deep and
melancholy sigh.  "I suppose.  Buffy... um, have you ever been in love?"

    Thus appealed to, Buffy thought for a moment.  "I guess.  I mean,
there was this guy in LA.  I really thought that we would... but it went
poof."

    "Poof as in...," Willow pantomimed a staking action.

    "Nah.  Poof as in, 'This is too weird, I'm leaving.'  Have to give
him credit, he really tried.  But..."  Buffy shrugged again.

    "No one else?" Willow tried.

    Buffy wrinkled her nose and tilted her pond-sized mug, staring into
the depths.  "Nope."

    "Not even Angel?"

    The mug slapped onto the counter with a sharp click that echoed the
crack of my spine snapping into place.  "What?" Buffy and I said together.

    "Angel.  You know, you said that this guy warned you about the
Harvest and Fork Guy, and gave you that cross--"

    "I know who Cryptic Guy is, Will.  I just don't know why you're
lumping him into the dating pool."

    "I don't know.  I just thought... well, the way you looked when you
talked about him...."

    "No.  No, no, no.  N-O.  Nada.  Zilch interest in him that way.
He's cute, but annoying.  I don't think about him that way.  Actually, I
try really hard not to think about him at all."

    Had the girl ever heard the term, "protesteth too much"?  Her face
was flushed and she wasn't meeting Willow's eyes.  Considering that too
damn many of my waking thoughts had centered on her since I'd met her,
there was a certain amount of satisfaction that she'd been thinking of me
too.  Immature, perhaps, but then I never claimed to be mature.

    Willow turned, cranning her neck as though looking for someone --
Xander, probably.  Her eyes widened when she caught sight of me.  Drat.
Then, unexpectedly, she gave me a bright, blinding grin and turned back to
Buffy.  "I'll, uh, be right back.  I wanna see if Xander, um, couldn't find
us in the crowd.  You know."

    "Will, it's not *that* crowded--"  But Willow was already gone,
giving me a conspiratorial look as she passed.  Buffy picked up her mug
again, staring off into space.

    Far be it for me to not take advantage of the situation Willow had
set up for me.  Without really thinking about it, I approached Buffy.  When
she sensed someone beside her she turned -- and her eyes nearly popped out
of her head.  Somehow, seeing her as a girl, just a girl, made dealing with
her easier.  "I heard a rumor that there was one less vampire around,
making a nuisance of himself."  ~Why am I talking to her?  Why am I doing
this?  She doesn't need to see me, and the more she does the more likely
that she will realize exactly what I am.  *Leave her alone.*~

     "There is," she confirmed.  "I guess I should thank you for the tip."
     I couldn't help it.  Helplessly, I smiled, fighting not to laugh.
Her grudging gratitude was too funny.  "The pleasure's mine."

     "Of course," she said casually and with all the delicacy of
swatting flies with a sledgehammer, "it would make things easier if I knew
how to get in touch with you."

     Since that came under the heading of "cold day in hell," I shrugged
it off.  "I'll be around," I offered.

     "Or who you were...," she half-whispered.

     I couldn't answer her.  For both our sakes.  I needed to keep my
secret from her.  And... I didn't want her to look at me and see an enemy.
Easier to turn and walk away.

    Except that the farthest I walked was to her other side.  Oh, well.
I never claimed to have much self-control, either.

    Buffy sighed, evidently giving up on me answering.  "Anyway, you
can have your jacket back."

    Reaching forward, I touched the collar lightly, careful to not
touch her.  "It looks better on you."

    I backed away, fading into the crowd.  Glancing back, her
expression was dazed.  Score one for the vampires.  If you can't beat them,
confuse them.

    But the worst thing was, it really did look better on her.

***Rising up, the night is done and now the bright lights come
***Held back in my pitied world where everything's undone

     Luckily for both of us, the next couple of weeks remained quiet.  I
kept an eye out, both for her and on her.  She was in the Bronze more
nights than not, with the two that were her closest companions.
Eavesdropping, I learned that the auburn-haired girl was Willow and the boy
was Xander.  Willow was  quietly pining for Xander, and the boy was
actively pining for Buffy.  The tangles of wants and needs and  desires
didn't seem to damage the honest bond of friendship between the three of
them, born of secrets  kept and danger faced.

     Ironic, that a secret bound them, while a secret isolated me.  I
was restless, in a way that I hadn't been in years.  The first few years
after the Rrom had restored my soul had been the worst, torn with the task
of reconciling the past and the present, and trying desperately to
comprehend what the future could be.

     This wasn't the same.  This was more a sense of change; the
proverbial calm before the storm.  Something was going to happen -- I just
didn't know what.

     Then I found out what.  The Order of Aurelius.  Which could mean
only one thing:  that the prophesied coming of the Anointed One was at hand.

END PART TWO

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COMING ATTRACTIONS!

Coming soon to a Buffyfic list near you!

Ill Met By Moonlight, by Perri Smith:  There's a full moon out tonight in
Sunnydale, but no one's in the mood for romance.  When a specter from
Angel's past appears he is forced to help her contain an evil attacking
Sunnydale -- if they don't kill each other first.

A Truth Worse Than Lies, by Dianne DeSha:  "Some lies are necessary.
Sometimes the truth is worse."  When Edith is told by a dark stranger at
her window that her destiny is to be the Slayer, she has no idea that the
stranger himself is one of the ones she must fight, and that she will lose
everything in the struggle, her family, her friends, her sanity... and her
soul.

High Priestess Lizbet of the Cult of Joss ~*~ [e-mail]
Co-List Mummy, Sunnydale Slayers: "Spank your inner moppet."
http://www.primenet.com/~lizbet/    ~~*~~



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Elizabeth Ann Lewis <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Out of the Shadows 5/6
Date: 14 Jan 1998 18:08:19 -0800

Out of the Shadows  (5/6)
by Elizabeth Ann Lewis
[e-mail]

Part Three - Never Kill a Boy on the First Date/"She is the strangest girl..."

     The Master's followers were waiting for the Anointed One the way
Christians wait for the Second Coming.  Buffy had to prevent the Master and
the Anointed One from coming together, whatever it took.  So I went looking
for Buffy.  And found her -- in the Bronze.

     When all of this was over, I really was going to have to have a
talk with her about being so predictable.

     Buffy  was standing alone by the stairs, shimmering gold from head
to foot.  For a moment I paused, just looking at her.  I don't know why she
confused me so completely.  Every time I thought I understood her, she
surprised me.

    Before, I'd approached her to help the Slayer.  This time, I wanted
to help...

     "Buffy."

     She straightened from her relaxed stance, going alert.  "Angel."

     "I was hoping I'd find you here."  ~Too much.  For both our sakes. ~

     The first trace of a tentative smile touched her face.  "You were?"

     "There's serious stuff happening tonight.  You need to be out there..."

     She flinched back, very slightly.  The warmth in her eyes faded to
ash, blighted by anger and... pain?  "No, not you, too."

     I caught her arm as she tried to move past me.  "What do you know?"

     She glared at me, the sarcasm that had underlain each one of our
exchanges sharpened by an unreasonable fury.  "Prophesy, Anointed One,
yadda, yadda, yadda."  That easily, she dismissed something that could
destroy her -- and her world.

     Her anger sparked mine.  Anger that my help was useless, anger that
she was ignoring what I was telling her, anger that she was putting herself
in danger by ignoring me, anger that... who knew?  "So you know.  Fine.  I
just thought I'd warn you."

     "Warn me?" she asked incredulously.  "You see that guy over there
at the bar?"  Blinking at the non sequiter, I watched as she circled around
me to face the counter.  "He came here to be with me."

     There was a wealth of emotion in her voice in the simple statement.
Pride, joy, even a strange sort of wonder.  "You're here on a date?"

     She turned back to me, turning on me, actually.  "Yes!  Why is that
such a shock to everyone?"

     Hell if I knew.  All I knew was that I'd never really thought of
her in that light.  The Slayer, the Chosen One... who was a
sixteen-year-old girl who danced with her friends and went out on dates.

     The blond kid she had pointed out returned, handed her a plate.
"Here you go."

     Buffy accepted the plate, smiling, dreamy-eyed in his presence.
Then she looked up, realized I was still there, and that her *date* was
staring at me.  "Oh.  Um, Owen, this is Angel.  Angel, this is Owen."
Anyone with one ounce of sensitivity could pick up on her extreme
reluctance to introduce us.  Owen seemed oblivious.  Buffy put her chin up
and her arm around the kid's waist.  "Owen's my date."

     I forced out one normal syllable.  "Hey."

     "Hey!" he returned cheerfully -- or at least as cheerful as he
seemed to get.  My mother would have called him a cold fish.  She would
have washed out my mouth with lye soap if she had heard the name I wanted
to call him.  "So.  Um.  Where do you know Buffy from?"

     Gritting my teeth so as to not tell him the truth -- or worse, show
him -- I answered, "Work."

     Massive confusion showed on his face.  Turning to Buffy, he asked
blankly, "You work?"

     Luckily for Owen's depleting brain cells, Willow and Xander
appeared at that moment, out of breath and anxious.  Obviously, they knew
what was up tonight.  Buffy didn't keep secrets from those she trusted.
Willow called out her name, fear and agitation and hope shading the one
word.

     Owen just blinked.  "Look at this.  You show up everywhere."  He
frowned, puzzled.  "Interesting."

     Beside Willow, Xander glared at Owen.  "You don't know the half of
it."  Then his eyes whipped to me, glaring equally.  "What's he doing here?"

     As the teenagers of the modern world might say, 'duh!'  "My guess
it's the same thing you're doing here."

     "Uh, excuse me, what are any of you doing here?" Buffy demanded,
clearly wanting any and all interruptions *gone*.

     Deciding to disregard jealous displays to get to the point, Xander
turned back to Buffy.  "Look, we gotta get to, uh..."  His breath whooshed
out from the elbow in the ribs Willow gave him.  "Uhh,  we thought it'd be
fun if, uh... we made this a double date!"  Playing their impromptu excuse
to the hilt, the two teenagers put their arms around each other.

     Buffy, was, apparently, refusing to see the point.  "I didn't know
you guys were seeing each other."

     Willow grinned nervously, intent on trying to get Buffy away from
Owen, while obviously enjoying her beloved's arms around her.  "Oh, yeah,
well, we knew it would happen eventually, so we figured, hey!  Why fight
it?"  ~Good point.  Why fight it, Xander?  Having jealous fits over Buffy
isn't getting you anywhere... and look who's talking,~ I thought in disgust.

     Owen, meanwhile, was still caught in the starting gate of this
conversation.  "And you guys are thinking double?"

     "'Cause of," Xander tittered out a high, nervous laugh, "the fun!"

     Exerting himself massively in an attempt to understand, Owen turned
back to me.  "And you're here because of work?"

     Watching Owen try to force his brain to full capacity was amusing,
but we really didn't have the time right now.  Luckily, Xander and Willow
were making an attempt to get through the thick stone Buffy called a skull.

     "Hey," Xander said in the tone of making a great revelation, "maybe
we should all go somewhere together."

     Buffy wasn't buying it.  "Gee, that's so nice of you to ask, but
Owen and I were, well, sort of --" she put her hand on his chest in a
teenage version of Tag:  Tag, you're my date.  "Owen and I."

     Gotta give Xander points for persistence.  "Y'know what'd be cool?
The Sunnydale Funeral Home!"

     "I've always wanted to go there!" Willow said forcefully, making
any normal person think she was demented, while pinning Buffy with a laser
glance.

     Buffy frowned, confused... but beginning to understand.  "The...
funeral home?" she asked weakly.

     It made a certain kind of lunatic sense.  The Anointed One would
rise from the ashes of the Five -- whoever those five were.  But in this
modern world, the recent dead were neatly tucked away, awaiting burial.

     "Actually, that sounds kinda cool!" Owen said with the most
enthusiasm he had shown yet.  He hadn't even reacted to Buffy's arm around
him with as much eagerness.  "Do you think we could all sneak in?"

     ~Buffy, what *are* you doing with this guy?  If you wanted to avoid
your fate, why date someone who is so bloody *macabre*!~

    Xander didn't seem to find anything strange about Owen's desire to
go to the mortuary, but then, he was understandably distracted.  Besides,
he'd been hanging around a Slayer.  "We saw some guys in there before.
They seemed to be," he directed his words to Buffy, "having fun!"

     "Bite me!" Buffy hissed in disgust under her breath, finally
comprehending what was going on.  Then, almost guiltily, she looked up at
me.

    And all I could think was, ~Don't *even* tempt me...~

     Buffy sighed and gave in to the inevitable.  "Um, Owen, I gotta go."

     Owen frowned, confused.  ~I bet his teachers get sick of that
look...~  "I thought we were going to the funeral home."

     "No, you can't," Buffy said instantly, the Slayer defending the
people around her.  Then the girl had to try to get away, to act natural so
no one would question what was going on.  "I'll tell you what.  I'll be
back in a little while."

     "Buffy...." Finally seeming to comprehend that there were simply
too many people in this conversation, Owen led Buffy a few feet away.  Not
far enough, however, that I couldn't eavesdrop if I tried.  And, to be
honest, I couldn't *not* try.   "What's the deal?  Do you wanna bail on me?"

     "No!" Buffy denied instantly.  "No, no, uh...  Do you remember when
you said I was like two different people?  Well, one of them has to go."
She clutched his hands, desperate to make him understand.  "But the other
one is having a really, really good time, and will come back, I promise."

     It was like the first time I met her, a blow to the head that
rearranged all my perceptions of the girl who was the Slayer.  What had it
done to a girl to suddenly have her life, her choice, her freedom taken
away, against her will?

     Possibly the same thing it had done to a vampire who had had his
soul forcibly returned to him:  fury, anguish -- and the knowledge that not
only was going back to the innocence of ignorance impossible, you couldn't
even really want to.  No way to go back, agony to go forward --  but time
moves inexorably ahead, days and nights following in their accustomed paths.

     Safe in his blessed obliviousness, Owen just nodded his head and
watched her go.  Before she had gone three steps, Buffy whirled around and
went back to him.  Standing on her toes, she took his face in her hands and
kissed him.

     The rush of hot fury that flooded me was startling.  It wasn't the
bloodlust that I fought every night.  It was... jealousy?

     No.  Ridiculous.  I was only a couple of months away from my two
hundred and forty-first birthday, and I was jealous of a sixteen year old
boy?

     She hurried out of the Bronze, her friends right behind her.
Owen shook his head, dazed.  "She's the strangest girl!"  Then he blinked.
"Hey, who says I can't go to the funeral home, too?  I mean, it's not like
she's got special permission..."

     The synapses in his brain having completed that particular circuit,
Owen turned to leave.  I didn't move to stop him, although I probably
should have.

     Instead, I followed too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COMING ATTRACTIONS!

Coming soon to a Buffyfic list near you!

Ill Met By Moonlight, by Perri Smith:  There's a full moon out tonight in
Sunnydale, but no one's in the mood for romance.  When a specter from
Angel's past appears he is forced to help her contain an evil attacking
Sunnydale -- if they don't kill each other first.

A Truth Worse Than Lies, by Dianne DeSha:  "Some lies are necessary.
Sometimes the truth is worse."  When Edith is told by a dark stranger at
her window that her destiny is to be the Slayer, she has no idea that the
stranger himself is one of the ones she must fight, and that she will lose
everything in the struggle, her family, her friends, her sanity... and her
soul.

High Priestess Lizbet of the Cult of Joss ~*~ [e-mail]
Co-List Mummy, Sunnydale Slayers: "Spank your inner moppet."
http://www.primenet.com/~lizbet/    ~~*~~



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Elizabeth Ann Lewis <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Out of the Shadows 6/6
Date: 14 Jan 1998 18:13:48 -0800

Out of the Shadows  (6/6)

***A cold wind blows right through me, I'm made a hollow shell

    From the shadows of the trees, I watched Owen follow the others
into the funeral home.  The idiot was going to get himself killed, playing
with things he didn't understand.  But the others... they knew what Buffy
was, what she did, and followed fearlessly where she led.

    I moved to follow them into the mortuary, planning to -- what?
Tell them to get out?  Ridicule them for their foolish belief that they
were any match for the creatures who wanted nothing more than to take over
the world that they considered their own?  Help?  But I ducked back when I
saw that two vampires were already there.  In the last hundred years, I had
avoided direct confrontation with other vampires as much as possible.  I
had avoided any kind of contact with others, mortal and immortal, human and
demon.  And now... it hurt to have something -- some*one* to worry about
again.

    Willow's high-pitched scream echoed from inside the building -- the
vampires had just found their prey. Moving fast, she and Xander slammed the
ironwork doors on the two members of the order of Aurelius, locking them
outside. But the metal doors were too flimsy -- they wouldn't hold the
vampires out for long.

    I couldn't tell where Buffy was.  Was she fighting the Anointed
One?  Was she hurt?  Was she dead?

    Just for a moment, I closed my eyes.  I'd killed my own kind before
-- more than a hundred years ago. More recently, but only when I'd been
attacked. To turn on my own kind to protect the Slayer and her mortal
friends...

***There's nothing left

    The groan of rending metal was almost human in the still night.
The doors were giving like a child's gingerbread house, splintered in
hunger.

    I had no choice.  I really never had.

    The pines around me had shed branches all over the grassy lawn.  As
quickly as I could, I gathered a few sticks.  The two greedily tearing
their way into the home sensed my approach and turned on me, snarling.
Their faces were distended into the mask of an enraged vampire, eyes
gleaming with the hunger to destroy.  So was mine.

    "Angelus," one of them said with great satisfaction.  "So you emerge."

    "This one won't help us," his companion said, contempt dripping.
"He's gone soft. He won't kill."

    "Oh, I'll kill," I assured them.  Spinning on one foot, I kicked
the first of the members of the Order in the face, sending him flying back
into the shattered door.  His body finished the job of destruction he and
his compatriot has started, and he fetched up against a wall filled with
remains of mortals past.

    His friend was not to be taken by surprise so easily.  It was a
messy fight, made more so by the silence in which we both conducted
ourselves.  No taunts, no insults, just the basic rule of live and die.

    I lived.

***Just ash remains

    The first vampire collected himself just as I was rising from the
pile of dust that was his fellow's body.  The expression on his face was a
feral pleasure, for the fight, for the chance to kill and avenge.  "What do
you hope to gain, Angelus, by destroying us?  By helping *her*?  You are
not one of them, not from the moment that your maker fed you and brought
you the demon that we all share.  *You are one of us.*"

    I couldn't answer him.  So I threw a punch.  And kept fighting with
blind rage, unable to say what I was fighting for.

***Enrich the soil

    I don't know how long I sat one the ground, staring at the twin
piles of dust.  What was I?

***No soul no soul...

    I didn't know anymore.  All I knew was what I wasn't.

    I heard Willow's voice before the others, high and chattering
brightly, strung so tense it nearly broke like crystal.  Rising slowly, I
returned to the shelter of the trees.  Xander and Willow were supporting
Owen, who drunkenly wended his way along the path.  Rather abruptly, he sat
down beneath a tree.

    "Buffy."  The quiet British voice of Buffy's Watcher had me turning
my head back to the entrance of the funeral home.  "Are you... going to be
all right?"

    Buffy stood just below him on the steps, her gaze on the moon.
"Yeah.  I'll be okay.  I guess."  Her hair was slipping from the clip that
had kept it from her face, and most of her makeup had been worn away.

    Briefly, her Watcher put his hand on her shoulder.  When she
neither shrugged it off nor acknowledged his support, the man sighed and
walked to his car.  Buffy leaned her arms on the railing of the steps and
kept looking up, at the moon and stars.

    "Buffy?"

    "Yes, Will?"  Her voice was low.  Not flat.  Just weary.  "I
thought you guys were taking Owen home."

    "Yeah.  Well, he, um, sorta lost the ability to walk."  Willow
gestured a bit helplessly to where Owen was communing with the ground,
Xander hovering unwillingly over him.  "Buffy?"

    Buffy turned to look into her friend's face, and found a smile.  I
could see from my vantage point just how much effort it took.  "Hey.
There've been worse first dates in the history of the world, right?  You
know what they say:  never kiss a boy on the first date.  Oh, wait, or was
that 'kill'?  I never can remember."  Her voice suddenly sharpening with
pain, Buffy pushed away from the rail and began walking away -- towards me.

    Willow chased after her.  "I'm sorry," the other girl apologized.

    Buffy stopped and turned back.  "It's not your fault.  It's just...
I only wanted to go on a date.  I never asked for any of this.  I just
wanted a normal life."  Her breath hitched slightly.  "I'm never going to
be able to have it, am I?  Never."

    There wasn't grief in her voice, not really, and resignation is too
absolute a term.  She just knew that what she said was true.  There wasn't
ever going to be a chance to settle, to just be.  Never a chance to not be
constantly torn by conflicting forces.

    And she faced it by giving a weary smile to her friend and heading
for home.  Alone.

***Close call there in the shadows
***There's an end to the dark
***Cause there's someone out there
***Someone like me...

    And, God help me, I loved her for it.

END PART THREE

Epilogue -- Angel/"I'd better go."

The hours pass so slowly the life's slipping out of me
No way's the right way.

    In the Bronze.  Again.  It was the best place for me to be able to
see her without her seeing me.  In the crowd, I was just another figure,
blending into the mob of teenagers without anyone giving me a second glance.

    There was a party going on, celebrating the irradiation of
cockroaches from one small stretch of space.  The little bugs skittered
over the floor, dashing for dark corners.  Those who weren't fast enough
were caught and exchanged for drinks.

    No matter how many of them they killed, there would always be more.
The lowly cockroach had been on Earth since my kind had come -- and we
would likely be sharing it for millennia to come.  Not exactly the
companions that I would chose for eternity, myself.

    She looked distant, dreaming, still in the middle of chaos.  Her
thoughts were obviously not peaceful.  She was the Slayer, how could they
be?  But daydreams carried her far away from where I stood, watching her.
Even Willow's obvious attempts at distraction didn't work.

    I had to stay away from her.  I knew that.  It didn't stop me from
wanting to be near her, to touch her... God, to just hold her.  I hungered
for it -- which was the best reason for why I couldn't have what I wanted.

    I couldn't be with her.  But I could watch.

    I saw her rise from the table, offer a weary smile to her friends,
and gather her coat to leave.  Silently, I slipped out behind her.  Just to
watch.

    Just to watch over her.

***Is there a way out for me?
***There must be a way out for me...

THE END

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COMING ATTRACTIONS!

Coming soon to a Buffyfic list near you!

Ill Met By Moonlight, by Perri Smith:  There's a full moon out tonight in
Sunnydale, but no one's in the mood for romance.  When a specter from
Angel's past appears he is forced to help her contain an evil attacking
Sunnydale -- if they don't kill each other first.

A Truth Worse Than Lies, by Dianne DeSha:  "Some lies are necessary.
Sometimes the truth is worse."  When Edith is told by a dark stranger at
her window that her destiny is to be the Slayer, she has no idea that the
stranger himself is one of the ones she must fight, and that she will lose
everything in the struggle, her family, her friends, her sanity... and her
soul.

High Priestess Lizbet of the Cult of Joss ~*~ [e-mail]
Co-List Mummy, Sunnydale Slayers: "Spank your inner moppet."
http://www.primenet.com/~lizbet/    ~~*~~



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "L.D. Steele" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: Out of the Shadows 0/6
Date: 14 Jan 1998 22:59:46

At 05:56 PM 1/14/98 -0800, you wrote:
>Out of the Shadows -- Author's Notes
>
>Having finally decided that I'm doomed to verbosity, I'll pull all the
>authorish comments out into their own part.  Delete at will!  <g>
>
>For those of you still reading:  This is the response to a challenge on the
>SunS list:  to write a first season episode from the point of view of a
>character other than Buffy.  Others that have been written <plug plug plug>
>are "The Stranger," by Perri Smith ('Angel' from Willow's point of view),
>"Mad Moon in Scorpio," by Christina Kamnikar ('I Robot, You Jane' from Ms.
>Calendar's point of view), and "Shadow of an Apocalypse," by Christina
>Kamnikar ('Prophesy Girl,' again from Ms. Calendar's POV).
>
>Being something of an overachiever, I did four episodes:  Welcome to the
>Hellmouth, The Harvest, Teacher's Pet, and Never Kill a Boy on the First
>Date.  And I chose the most close-mouthed character of all:  Angel.
>However, as I soon learned (to my chagrin), Angel is quite capable of
>babbling a blue streak when he's so inclined.  (You should have heard him
>in my head during the Bronze scene in NKAB. <sigh>)
>

Lizbet!

So... Can I use it for the zine? Pretty please. I actually started
organizing my computer tonight and was thinking about
sending another message to the list.

I just didn't want to do a zine with just 3 eps, but now... you've
done 4 more all by yourself.

(gotta read them tomorrow -- going to bed in five minutes, my
neck is killing me after about 7 hours in front of computer).

Do you think anyone else will post more stories for the
challenge? Should I contemplate doing one myself??

Questions.

Night.

Dawn
L.D. Steele
[e-mail]
"Very funny, Scotty. Now beam down my clothes."


-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Elizabeth Ann Lewis <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: Out of the Shadows 0/6
Date: 14 Jan 1998 23:12:40 -0800

At 10:59 PM -0800 1/14/98, L.D. Steele wrote:
>Lizbet!
>So... Can I use it for the zine? Pretty please. I actually started
>organizing my computer tonight and was thinking about
>sending another message to the list.

Ack!  I meant to ask you if it was OK to post it to a list!

Obviously, you're not too mad... <g>

Yes, yes, WANT it in a 'zine!  Want!

>I just didn't want to do a zine with just 3 eps, but now... you've
>done 4 more all by yourself.

<sigh>  I'm sick, I need help...

>Do you think anyone else will post more stories for the
>challenge? Should I contemplate doing one myself??

Possibly although I wouldn't count on it, and yes.  <g>

High Priestess Lizbet of the Cult of Joss ~*~ [e-mail]
Co-List Mummy, Sunnydale Slayers: "Spank your inner moppet."
http://www.primenet.com/~lizbet/    ~~*~~



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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Elizabeth Ann Lewis <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: Out of the Shadows 0/6
Date: 14 Jan 1998 23:14:43 -0800

Thus proving that Checking-Headers-is-a-GOOD-Thing.

Sorry, folks.  :(

High Priestess Lizbet of the Cult of Joss ~*~ [e-mail]
Co-List Mummy, Sunnydale Slayers: "Spank your inner moppet."
http://www.primenet.com/~lizbet/    ~~*~~



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "L.D. Steele" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: Out of the Shadows 0/6
Date: 15 Jan 1998 10:43:04

On Wed, 14 Jan 1998 23:14:43 -0800,[e-mail] wrote...
>Thus proving that Checking-Headers-is-a-GOOD-Thing.
>Sorry, folks.  :(
>High Priestess Lizbet of the Cult of Joss ~*~ [e-mail]

My fault. :( First day on the list. Never happen again (after apology).
Very sorry. I plead tiredness. (#$%@@!!!)
Dawn (making this as deletable as possible)





-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Angel's Lover <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Time Heals All:  Part Six:  Conclusion
Date: 16 Jan 1998 01:33:43 -0800

The standard disclaimers apply.  The characters belong to Joss and
Mutant Enemy Productions, et al.  I make no money off of this and no
copywright infringement was intended.  Please direct all comments to Lea
at either [e-mail] or [e-mail] .

______________________


Time Heals All:  Part Six:  Conclusion

    For how long he sat there Angel did not know.  It was only as a low
wind seemed to be gathering within the walls of the house that he raised
his head.  Shimmering lights filled the room as the wind picked up
speed.  Quickly Angel glanced down, but nothing of what had once been
Buffy remained.
    The portal through time began to form out of the glimmering lights and
suddenly Angel began to wonder what exactly he would tell Willow,
Xander, Giles, and oh, God... her mom.  How could he explain to Joyce
Summers about Buffy's death?  He loved her, yet he killed her to save
her would not go over well with Joyce.  How could he explain vampires,
and time travel when she has remained blissfully ignorant of her
daughter's secret life for so long?
    The portal was at last fully open, yet still Angel hesitated before
stepping through.  An idea began to form in his mind, and suddenly Angel
stood.
    "Grosaahk!" he called, loudly.  "Grosaahk!!!  I need your help!"
    The demon's face appeared in the center of the portal. "Why have you
summoned me?"
    "I need to change the destination of this portal.  I need to go back in
time not forward."
    "What is your purpose in this time?"
    Angel frowned, "We accidentally changed time.. I have to change it back
to what it should be."
    The demon nodded, "I know of the change... I felt it happen."
    "Will you help me?"
    "On one condition."
    "Which is?"
    "Once you change time, you can no longer exist.  You will have no place
in any period of time.  This I cannot allow."
    "Then I offer you my life."  Angel spoke without hesitation.  He would
willingly die to save Buffy.
    Grosaahk nodded.  "Then it is done.  Pass through the portal."
    Angel mentioned no thanks, he said not another word as he stepped into
the shimmering lights of the passage through time.  He closed his eyes
briefly, and when he reopened them he was still in the parlor of his
house, but so were Buffy and his other self.
    Angel smiled grimly as Angelus turned to face him.  Buffy fell to the
floor as the vampire released her from his hold.
    "Excuse me, but you've interupted my meal." Angelus scowled.
    Angel shifted into his vampirical form and moved forward.  "Don't you
just hate uninvited dinner guests?"
    The vampires lept at each other, teeth bared and as Buffy worked
frantically against her bonds she watched in wonder.  She inched her way
towards the table, upon which sat a glass case.  She kicked out at the
table and was rewarded with the glass shattering upon the floor.  With a
small grunt of triumph she began working her bonds over a sharp piece of
glass.  Her eyes flicked back to the battle of Angels before her.
    Angelus struck out at Angel, catching him across the face, sending him
hurtling backwards.  Angel smiled as he climbed to his feet.
    "Is that the best you can do?  And I thought I was better than that."
he leaped forward, kicking Angelus across the jaw, picking him up and
pounding his fists into the other's stomach.
    Buffy raised her eyebrows in mild surprise over Angel's anger with
himself.  Her wrists finally came free, and she moved to work on her
ankle bonds.
    Angelus landed a solid blow against Angel's chest, and he landed next
to Buffy.
    "You all right?" he gasped, climbing back to his feet.
    "I'm okay.  Another minute though and I may as well have been a little
baggy in your fridge."
    He growled, "I know!" and threw himself back into the battle.
    The fight was over before Buffy could join in.  Angel pinned Angelus to
the floor, a broken table leg raised over his chest.
    "Angel!" Buffy gasped in horror.
    Angelus smiled, "You wouldn't kill me.  You couldn't."
    Angel scowled down into Angelus's eyes.  "Try me."
    Shoving his knees up, Angelus knocked Angel to the floor, and leapt out
the window.  He took off at a dead run for the woods.
    As they watched him run, Buffy suddenly giggled.  Angel looked over at
her with a raised eyebrow.  "What?"
    She giggled again, "I never knew you were such a scaredy cat!"
    Angel looked Buffy up and down, taking in her tattered clothing, lack
of make up, dirt caked skin, and massively disheveled hair.  He smiled,
"He must have caught a look at you like that.  Hell... even I'm
terrified."
    Buffy's jaw dropped in shock and as Angel laughed she struck his arm.
"Jerk."
    Angel sobered.  "Buff.. I have to tell you something."
    She frowned, "What?"
    "I'm not your Angel."
    Buffy glanced at the broken window and back to Angel.  "What?!"
    Angel shook his head.  "No.. no.. I'm.. well.. I guess I'm from the
future."
    "I'm confused."
    He sighed, "Tell me about it.  That Angel killed you... I came back to
save you.. Your Angel will be here in a few minutes."
    She blinked.  "Whoa."
    He nodded, "Pretty overwhelming."
    She nodded, "Yeah.  Who'd have ever thought I'd have THREE of you
fighting for me?!"
    Angel rolled his eyes, and they laughed together.  He sighed.  "I
should go."
    "Where?  It's almost sunrise."
    "I know.  Don't worry."  He pulled her into his embrace.  "I love you,
Buffy."
    He slowly lowered his lips to hers, drinking in one last taste of her
before turning to the door.
    "He's coming now.  I'll watch you leave when the portal comes."
    Before she could speak he slipped out of the door and into the shadows
of the night.
    "Good bye," she whispered softly, and sat down to wait for her Angel.

****************

    He sat upon the hill for long minutes, watching as Angel rushed into
the house followed closely by William.  Through the window he say Angel
pull Buffy fiercely into his arms, rejoicing in her safety.  He sighed.
    Not long after the portal opened and Buffy and Angel slipped through,
leaving William to walk back to the library once the shimmering lights
disappeared once and for all.
    Angel was left to hold up his end of the deal he had made with
Grosaahk.  The sky grew pale as the morning sun began to rise, yet still
he sat, making no move to gain cover.  The first rays of light began to
deshadow the earth, and Angel smiled.
    He felt no fear as he sat watching the birth of a new day.  The sun,
the green trees, multicolored flowers, and the sights of a bright world
took his breath away.  He had long ago forgotten such wonders of every
day life, but they were only the second most beautiful things in the
world to him.
    Buffy's radiant smile filled his mind, and peace filled his heart.  It
was her beauty that comforted him in the moment the sun came to full
brilliance.
    In the end he felt no pain.

**************

    They arrived back in their time just outside of the Bronze.  Grosaahk
had miscalculated; it was closer to midnight rather than ten, and Willow
and Xander had long since returned home.
    Angel turned to walk Buffy back to her house.  Together they sneaked
through the window of her bedroom, yet not a word had passed between
them since their return.
    Buffy slipped into nightclothes while she was in the bathroom washing
the dirt and grime off of her skin and out of her hair in a hot shower.
Hair still damp she returned to find Angel laying on her bed, his eyes
closed.
    "We should call Giles." she said quietly.
    Angel smiled, "We should."
    Buffy laid down next to him.  "We should tell him what happened."
    He wrapped his arms around her, "You're right.  We should."
    Buffy smiled as he kissed her softly, sighing in resignation.  "Or we
could wait for morning."
    "Mmhmm," he murmered.
    "A few more hours won't matter."
    "Nope."
    They both smiled as she snuggled into the warmth of his body.  She
closed her eyes slowly as she listened to the strength of his heart
beat.
    Angel pulled the warm blankets over them, and held her lovingly as at
last she slept in peace.

**************

THE END!

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: sah <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: Out of the Shadows 0/6
Date: 16 Jan 1998 08:49:19 -0500

At 10:43 AM 1/15/98, L. D. Steele wrote:
>My fault. :( First day on the list. Never happen again (after apology).
>Very sorry. I plead tiredness. (#$%@@!!!)
>Dawn (making this as deletable as possible)

Actually, discussion on this list is fine, even this sort of thing.  If you
want to comment on someone's story, feel free to do so.  Put DISCUSS: in
the subject line, that's all.  :-)

---sah

sah * [e-mail] * [e-mail]
NatPack * Jungle Patrol * Bishop * Bossy the Lost Dwarf * BTVS Listowner
Nat's B&B (moving shortly):   http://members.aol.com/romana/natpage_stuff/
"There are billion-dollar fashion and diet and physical-fitness industries
out there.  They have a huge investment in making sure women hate their
bodies."         --Camryn Manheim

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "L.D. Steele" <[e-mail]>
Subject: DISCUSS: Re: BUFFYFIC: Out of the Shadows 0/6
Date: 16 Jan 1998 10:41:48

On Fri, 16 Jan 1998 08:49:19 -0500,[e-mail] wrote...
>At 10:43 AM 1/15/98, L. D. Steele wrote:
>>My fault. :( First day on the list. Never happen again (after apology).
>>Very sorry. I plead tiredness. (#$%@@!!!)
>>Dawn (making this as deletable as possible)
>
>Actually, discussion on this list is fine, even this sort of thing.  If
you>want to comment on someone's story, feel free to do so.  Put DISCUSS:
in>the subject line, that's all.  :-)
>---sah

Yeah. Joined the list the day this story came out. Read
the rules the day <after> I made my apology post.

Enjoyed Lizbet's mini-stories very much. :) Angel is very
much a closed-mouth character, and a appreciated her thwacking
him enough so he'd tell the stories from his viewpoint.

Of course any 2nd season story written from his viewpoint
would have a <lot> more scenes! Don't you love contract
characters? <g>

As you can probably tell, I'm pulling together a small zine
with stories that fall into the Chaos' challenge of an
Alternate viewpoint.

This isn't an add or anything just an explanation. I'm mostly
doing it as a "thank you" present to the authors so they can
see their works in print and make up a extras for whoever
wants them (SunS group?). They (and I) will be at MediaWest (YES!
Just got confirmation from my boss that we could probably work
out my taking off a few days around then...).

Dawn
[e-mail]





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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Guttilla <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: SORRY OT:BBEAT
Date: 16 Jan 1998 19:25:39 -0600

Hi I'm sorry for the off topic but this is the only place I can ask.
Does anyone know how to subscribe to the BBeta list. I luv fan fiction
and I heard about this during a chat.

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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Ingrid E Stanton)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Return To Normalcy (1/?)
Date: 16 Jan 1998 21:59:46 EST

****
Hello Everyone. Let me know if I'm the only one, but that kiss
at the end of "Ted" between Ms. Calendar and our pal Giles
had me wondering...Are they back on track? This takes place
just before Buffy almost walks in on their kiss and then
follows from there. This is either part one of two, or of three. I
haven't yet decided. The standard disclaimers apply: The
characters of Buffy Sommers, Rupert Giles, Ms. Calendar &
company are the property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy,
Sandollar Productions, and The Warner Brothers Network,
and are used without permission. The author claims no rights
to these characters. This is my first fanfic, guys, so be gentle.
****
"Return to Normalcy," Part One
****

"IÆm so sorry, Rupert."

"ItÆs quite all right, Jenny. IÆll be fine."

Rupert Giles crossed the room to lean on the library counter for
support. His side ached a little, but like he told Miss. Calendar,
It would be fine. He smiled as a thought popped into his head.

JennyÆs questioning look from across the room told him she
had seen it.

"I guess this makes us even," he voiced the thought aloud. He
felt Miss Calendar approaching. She was slow to answer, but
smiled as she did.

"No," she answered slyly, standing directly in front of him, "but
this does." She rose up to meet his mouth. Their first kissà
sort of. TheyÆd kissed before, for a brief moment before the bell
rang and several hundred students had come pouring in to the
halls, an unwelcome audience. TheyÆd never touched since
then.

Now she was gently parting his lips with her own. He held her
face, not really trusting his own senses. HeÆd thought it was
over. He felt her hands settle on his  back. It surprised him
now how much heÆs missed her! She wasàlovely. Her lips
were warm and soft, and her silk skin felt marvelous to touch.
Never in all the years heÆd resigned himself to be simply the
watcher, and nothing else, did he ever imagine that life could
be so good, so-

normal.

Jenny Calendar slid her hands up his back, resting them there
and continuing their kiss. Finally. She couldnÆt question it, hide
it or deny it any longer. It didnÆt matter that he was the watcher,
or that their lives were constantly in danger-

She loved him.

Loved his stuffy English mannerisms, his sweet and charming
personality, but above all, his strength and dedication. All that
responsibility on one person- alone. With no one to share it
with. Until now. He must have been so lonelyà

They gently broke from their kiss. She liked to watch the
delighted surprise in his eyes as soon as he opened them and
looked back at her. Such honesty and loyalty all at once could
she see in the crystal blue. He reminded her of Buffy that way.
They both had it. There was a remarkable genuineness about
them- they pretended nothing.

At last she spoke, unable to wipe the smile from her face.
"Rupert, I know it never worked out on Saturday, butà" Her eyes
shone.

Of course. Here came the objection. Rupert smiled shyly, "but
Jenny, IÆm not sure that itÆs such a good idea so soon after- I
mean arenÆt you- What I mean isà" He sheepishly smiled and
put his glasses back on.

"Trust me, Rupert. I want this." She kissed him again gently,
proving her point, at the same time making it harder to resist.
 "What are you doing tonight?"

"Well, I told Buffy she could have the night off, butà"

"Perfect," Jenny said quickly, "IÆll be there at eight-thirty." Before
Rupert could interject, she kissed him fully on the lips.

Her kiss drove all extraneous thought from GilesÆ mind. Finally,
at some point, (Giles had no idea when,) she pulled away.

"IÆve got a class," she apologized, touching his face. Her touch
was electric. It mesmerized him, sending little shivers all along
his spine. She gave him a sweet smile. Then one last kiss, and
she was gone. He was dumbfounded, still holding his cheek
where she had touched him. Was everything about her truly as
perfect as he saw her? Surely she must be perfect. He loved her,
he thought, in a moment of realization. HeÆd hurt her, and sheÆd
forgiven him. And he would spend as long as it took to make it up
to her. He suddenly wished it were nighttime already.
*******************************************************************

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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: LnCAGCRulz <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Finals 1/?
Date: 17 Jan 1998 00:08:38 EST

IÆm *always* just going to write something short.  ItÆs just a little
idea, I tell myself.  There isnÆt much to talk about.  Yeah, IÆm *always*
going to write something short, and it *never* ends up short.  Fear not,
this isnÆt going to be another War And Peace fic, itÆs just not going to
be the exceptionally short piece I was originally hoping for.  You guys
will cope, right?  : )

For those of you who are looking for a sumary of what to expect at a
glance, you arenÆt alone.  Here yaÆ go.

TITLE:  Finals
AUTHOR:  Jo
DATE:  1/16/97
PLACEMENT:  I guess you could say there isnÆt oneà  I assume everything
     weÆve seen has happened and everything we havenÆtà hasnÆt.
SPOILERS:  Non existant.  Generally speaking, all you need to know is the
     basic Buffy idea to get this one.
RAITING:  Good ole PG.  : )
SUMMARY:  Finals week at school.  Basically a little story.  Not
     complicated, not deap, not very much of anything except a way to
    wind down for me.
FEEDBACK:  Greatly appreciated û this is my first Buffy fic.  Also, keep
     in mind that youÆre dealing with someone who is not æall that old.Æ
     I donÆt have the BEST vocab.  Let it go.  : )
CONTACT:  If you would like to include this fic in any anything, thatÆs
     great and very much appreciated.  All I ask is that you contact me
     ([e-mail]) before doing so.
NOTES:  I donÆt own the characters, their past, their location, theirà
     anything.  All I take credit for are the words used and the story
     expressed.  Everything else goes to higher powers than meà a lot of
     rich guys who IÆm not going to mess with.  : )  No coppyright
     infringment is intended.  NO ONE will make money off of this û not me
     or anyone else.  Anyone who gets the idea, I suggest you get rid of
     your idea.
SLIGHT EXPLINATION:  Many of the basic facts used surounding the finals
     week come from my school.  Small homework asignments, notes,
     handouts, etc. may be used.  I may even decide to add in a little scene
     that took place here.  Also, there are some people who end up in
     BuffyÆs situation.  Believe me.  I know.  ; )

Before we go on, remember that if you have any comments for me alone please
be sure to e-mail them to me at [e-mail]

Now, without futher aduà

FINALS
By Jo

"Okay, classà"  Everyone mumbledà the teacher had talked.  During social
hour, even.  The very last few minutes before a weekend.  NO ONE cared to
hear what a teacher had to say at this time on Friday.  "Yes, you have to
take one."  A few more grumbles.  Some stupid assignment that no one would
do, most concluded.  "The schedule for next week û finals week."  And with
that the class erupted in boos and hisses.

"Ehhhhhhà.." Xander shuddered, "Finals week.  If that isnÆt the scariest
time of year then my name isnÆt Alexander Bob Hope Harris."

"Oh, like it matters to you.  You could study all you have from these
classes and STILL not have a clue what was going on.  Waità youÆre name
isnÆt Alexander Bob Hope Harris!"  The last words came with a hint of
sincerityà it wasnÆt!  They both knew that his middle name wasà

"It was a joke, Will.  I mean, we know my middle name isà"

"Salà.." both teenagers began.

BRRRING!!!!!!!!!!!

Buffy was gone with the ring of the bell, missing XanderÆs middle name.
She didnÆt care.  Finals.  Her last chance.  `Buffy, if you do well on
these finals you can leave your room againà I expect you to do well on
these finals, Buffyà You have to go goodà  All classes must be passedà
Everythingà  Or else no BronzeàÆ  Her own thoughts mingled with BuffyÆs
motherÆs words.  Suddenly she had arrived in the library û some sick
habit, she decided.  But maybe it wasnÆt that bad of a place for what she
needed.  NaÆ, she could definitely do better at home.

Right behind Buffy were Willow and Xander, not trying to hard to catch up.
"Buff, are you okay?  You kindaÆà" Xander began.

"àLeft.  Yeah, fine.  I just have to go home.  But first my locker.  Get
my books.  Right.  I hope theyÆre still in there.  If they arenÆt IÆllà"
And she was gone again, mumbling to herself all the way.

Just as the door was closing behind the girl, Giles stepped out from
behind shelves of books.  "Ah, doneà Why canÆt they just book the books
back?!  Ignorantà"  The librarianÆs mumbles stopped when he noticed the
two remaining students in his library.  "Not you, of courseà I meanà
WhereÆs Buffy?"

"IÆm pretty sure you werenÆt saying anything about BuffyÆs locationà."
Willow gave Giles a curious look.  All she received was a quiet glare.

Resisting the urge to glare at them both just because, he decided to
attempt to be slightly helpful.  "Oh, she was just here.  Gone now,
though."

"So I see."  Giles was still glaring, this time at both of them.

"Yeah.  Well, she was mumbling something aboutà. Books.  I donÆt know
why."  Xander just remembered hearing the word and giving up on her
completely.

"DoesnÆt she know the grave danger sheÆs in at this very moment?!?"  The
Watcher knew that that always got their attention.

Both Xander and Willow sighed at the same time, much to the surprise of
Giles.  They looked at each other, deciding which should speak first, when
Willow spoke up, afraid to miss her chance.  "If we were to ask you sheÆs
*always* in grave danger!!  What is it now?"

Xander couldnÆt fight the urge.  Already several lines had passed without
a hint of sarcasm.  "Lemme guess!  Huge flying tomatoes headed toward the
earth!  The Australians have gone horribly bad, out to do away with all
who are planing on eating any sugar-rich foods in the next month!!  Huge
wallabies hoping to conquer the world as we know it by forcing us all to
drink caffeine-rich drinks until we go insane!!  The people at the lava
lamp factories whoà"  Glares all around.

"I was thinking that it may just beà"  Willow couldnÆt help but to add a
dramatic pause.  "àfinals," she ended with an ominous tone.

"Ha!  Like Buffy has to worry about finals!  She goes to class sometimesà
most of the time even!  SheÆll easily come out of all of æem with a D!!"
More glares towards Xander.  He was quickly getting sick of their little
staring game.

Willow suddenly became thoughtful.  She seemed to do that a lot.  "I think
her mom said something about brining up her grades.  SheÆll finally be
allowed to leave her room.  Poor Buffy.  She has to slay, sheÆs groundedà
and now she has finals to study for.  She can forget about a personal
life.  ThatÆs just too much for one person to handle."

"ItÆs her calling!  This is what she was born to do!!  It doesnÆt matter
if sheÆs busy!  This is what she has to do!!  A personal life isnÆt that
important when the world is at risk!"  For whatever reason, Giles felt
that WillowÆs little speech was directed toward him.  He felt as though
it was his fault that she was forced to work so hard.

"ItÆs not your faultà and it is her callingà itÆs justà. DonÆt you EVER
feel sorry for her?"

It was Giles turn to become thoughtful.  He did, but heÆd never admit it.
That my ruin her.  She had to learn that slaying was something she had
to do, not something that she would do if she had time.  Maybe he was a
little too harsh at times, but it was good for her.

Xander, also thinking about Buffy (although in a slightly different way),
decided to help out a little.  "Well, Buffy canÆt really be here, I guessà
Is there something that Will and I can do?  I mean, if thereÆs some
horrible event pending maybe we could help?  Something?"

"I donÆt believe thereÆs anything out of the ordinaryà  Besides, you guys
have finals to study for too.  Just if you talk to her remind her that she
should patrol if possible?"  WillowÆs words must have really gotten to
himà  He actually made BuffyÆs patrol seem like an option.  "Well, I
guessà make sure she knows itÆs more than just an optionà"  That was a
little better.

With those words Giles gathered up his things and walked out the library
door, leaving the two teens alone.

~`~`~`~`~`~`~
End Part One

(Part Two will come later tonight.... no long-term waiting.  : )

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: LnCAGCRulz <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Finals 2/?
Date: 17 Jan 1998 01:07:31 EST

FINALS -- Part 2
By Jo

As Buffy walked home she studied the schedule that had been handed to her
by whatÆs-his-name who sits in front of her.

|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|            EXAM-WEEK SCHEDULE            |
|                                    |
|    Exams will be held on January 14, 15, and 16 during regular    |
|    school hours.  Students who wish to be checked out must    |
|    be picked up, in person, by a parent.                |
|                                    |
|    The schedule is as follows.                    |
|                                    |
|    WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14                    |
|        7:40 - 8:34    Regular 0 Period Classtime        |
|        8:40 - 10:40    Period 1 Exam                |
|        10:46 - 12:46    Period 2 Exam                |
|        1:02 - 3:40    Regular Period 4 Classtime        |
|            1:02 - 1:32    A Lunch            |
|            1:38 - 2:08    B Lunch            |
|            2:14 - 2:44    C Lunch            |
|                                    |
|    THURSDAY, JANUARY 15                    |
|        6:34 - 8:34    0 Period Exam                |
|        8:40 - 10:40    Period 4 Exam                |
|        10:46 - 12:46    Period 6 Exam                |
|        1:02 - 3:40    Regular Period 5 Classtime        |
|            1:02 - 1:32    A Lunch            |
|            1:38 - 2:08    B Lunch            |
|            2:14 - 2:44    C Lunch            |
|                                    |
|    FRIDAY, JANUARY 16                        |
|        7:40 - 8:34    Regular 0 Period Classtime        |
|        8:40 - 10:40    Period 5 Exam                |
|        10:46 - 12:46    Period 7 Exam                |
|        1:02 - 2:44    Regular Period 4 Classtime        |
|            1:02 - 1:32    A Lunch            |
|            1:38 - 2:08    B Lunch            |
|            2:14 - 2:44    C Lunch            |
|        2:44 - 3:40    Semester 2 Walk Through        |
|            2:46 - 2:50    Period 1            |
|            2:56 - 3:00    Period 3            |
|            3:06 - 3:10    Period 4            |
|            3:16 - 3:20    Period 5            |
|            3:26 - 3:30    Period 6            |
|            3:36 - 3:40    Period 7            |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Buffy sighed.  "Could this get any more complicated?" she mumbled to
herself.  "At least I donÆt have a zero period classà and sixth period
wonÆt have a finalà  ItÆs Friday.  I have five days to study for my two
hardest tests."  She paused, took a breath, and continued a few more
steps.  "IÆm talking to myselfà I canÆt believe IÆm talking to myself."
Her mumbling continued until she noticed people were staring.  She ran
home in silence.

``````````

RINGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Buffy sat reading over her biology notes.  She couldnÆt read them as good
as sheÆd like, but she tried.  "RNA is a form of DNAà"

RRRRRRRRRINGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Darwin studdied finches and felt the finches where different all overà"
Her eyes jumped over the paperà something was distracting her.

RRRRRRRRRRRRINGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Uh, hi Buffy itÆsà."

- "WILLOW!  Sorry!  How long has that been ringing?"
- "Oh, this time four times.  IÆve gotten the answering machine three
  times, though."
- "The light isnÆt flashing."
- "Yeah, I just hung up."
- "Oh.  I see.  Sorry æbout that."
- "ItÆs alright.  What were you doing that you were so busy with?
- "Studying.  I guess I figgured mom would get ità"
- "Your mom is in San Francisco for the night."
- "Oh yeah."
- "YouÆve been working to hard?"
- "I have toà I really should go.  Is there a reason you called?"
- "Well, if you really want to get rid of me *that* muchà"  Willow let out
  a small giggle.
- "No, itÆs just that IÆm studyingà"
- "Ah, well, I was supposed to make sure you tried to slay tonight.  Giles
  told me to tell you if I talked to youà went into a while thing about
  how you have to save the world.  It wasà"

Willow continued talking but Buffy had stopped listening.  Looking down
at her notes she decided that it might be better to read them in order.

|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|                                    |
| ======================================= |
|                                    |
| Bio Review for Final                            |
|                                    |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

- "What?  ThatÆs horrible grammar, yaÆ knowà."
- "Huh?  Oh!!  Sorryà I was reading my notes."
- "Well, stop."
- "K."
- "I really think you need a breakà."
- "K."

|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|                                    |
| Osmosis û low concentration to high (water moves because        |
|     smaller than starch) (needs membrane)                |
|                                    |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

- "Why am I thinking you arenÆt listening to me?"
- "Because."
- "BUFFY!"
- "Yeah?  Oh.  Sorry again."
- "IÆm sure you are.  Leave.  Xander and I will meet you at the Bronze in
  fifteen minutes.  Be there."
- "Alright."
- "Buffy?"
- "Really.  IÆll be there."

With that she hung up the phone.  "That gives me time to review a little
moreà.

|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|                                    |
| Diffusion û high concentration to low                |
| Sodium Potassium Pump û coupled-channel protein pump        |
| Organ transplants may not take because of marker proteins on    |
|   cells                                    |
|                                    |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

RINGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- "Hello?"
- "NOW!"

And with that Willow was gone.  Picking herself off the floor, Buffy
finally took into consideration what she was wearing û old jeans and an
even older sweatshirt.  "Angel could be thereà" she said to herself.  Out
of the closet came a short red dress.

Glancing at the clock she remarked to the face in the mirror, "Oh, good
time!  Thirteen minutes!"  And then she was out the door.

~`~`~`~`~`~`~
End Part 2
(Part 3... Soon...)

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Perri Smith)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Ill Met By Moonlight, Part 1 of 19
Date: 17 Jan 1998 00:44:55 -0600 (CST)

Everyone you recognize is property of Mutant Enemy, etc. Sasha Lakatos
(pronounced La-ka-tosh, accent on the second syllable) and Gary Kriston are
mine, and so's the story. This is set in second season, sometime between
'The Dark Age' and 'What's My Line.'

With deepest thanks to Chris, who listened to me rant and helped work out
Night 2; Catherine, for the *priceless* image of Giles as Yoda that gave me
some giggles when I badly needed them; my other beta readers Dianne and
Lizbet, for plot hole pointing and ego boo beyond the call of duty; Tina
for listening to me whine; and Valerie, who critiqued the Gypsy stuff.

Comments/compliments/flames accepted/enjoyed/ignored at [e-mail].

Started: April 25, 1997 (almsot eight months before spoilers started
appearing for Surprise and Innocence, just to keep the record straight; Ave
Joss the Tormenter, Blessed be His name)
First Posted: January 16, 1998



Ill Met by Moonlight
by Perri Smith
Copyright 1998

"Companion to our demons
They will dance and we will play
With chairs, candles and clothes
Making darkness into day."
        -- Sarah McLachlan, 'Fumbling Towards Ecstasy'


Prologue

Clouds skittered across the night sky above the camp.

Candles flickered at the points of a pentagram, in counterpoint to the
leaping flames of the bonfire, which gleamed off the trailers and tents
circled around it. Someone clapped another counterpoint with cupped hands,
beating deeply and rhythmically, and shadows danced and flickered in the
light, tall and short, young and old. They clustered around a figure of
medium height, whose voice rose, chanting, into the silence of the night,
in a language far older than the speaker.

"Earth and water, air and fire
Moon's enchantment, wind's desire
Lend thy power to my will
Stars to hold thee by my skill"

The chanter extended her hand, palm downward, towards the fire at her feet.
Her voice rose, her robes flapping around her as the wind picked up,
seemingly in response to her words. She tossed something into the fire with
her other hand, and the flames leapt again to engulf the small object.

"Mortal deeds cast mortal fall
Soul shapes form at moonlight's call
What you are so shall you be
As I will, so mote it be!"

Her voice rose to a shout on the last word, and the wind stopped abruptly,
the candles flickering and dying. The pentagram disappeared. Only the
bonfire still burned; the rest of the camp was motionless.

And nothing happened.

The robed figure lowered her hands and shook her head. "Damn it, I *told*
you," she informed the old woman standing perfectly still beside her, as
she pulled the robe off over her head to reveal prosaic blue jeans and
T-shirt. "I *told* you this mumbo-jumbo wouldn't work. Can we get back to
reality now?"

"You must wait," the old woman said calmly, showing no signs of
disappointment. Her chin was high and her eyes triumphant, the firelight
turning her face into a mass of wrinkles and shadows. "You must wait, and
then you will see."

******

Miles away, the clouds drifted further, and the full moon suddenly shone,
bright and clear, through the window of a huge house, onto the face of a
sleeping man. He shifted in his sleep and murmured, rolling closer to his
wife and trying to get the light out of his eyes.

He failed.

Then he began to change.

He rose with a howl, teeth flashing in a face neither man nor beast,
newly-formed claws tearing at the sheets that bound him. His bones shifted
and changed, and he howled again in pain-racked pleasure.

Beside him, his wife twisted, then suddenly woke, staring up into the eyes
of a nightmare. The beast that had once worn her husband's face seemed to
leer down at her for a long moment.

Then he leapt.

Perri <[e-mail]>      I *am* the Buffy Evangalist!
NatPacker-*-Horsechick-*-Pezhead-*-Cohenhead-*-DDEB2-*-AGA-*-SunS-*-CoJ
"You borrow my neurons WITHOUT asking, mind you, and then you get them all
gooky with Dru-stuff.  See if I let you borrow anything of mine again."
-- Lizbet



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Perri Smith)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Ill Met By Moonlight, Part 2 of 19
Date: 17 Jan 1998 00:47:56 -0600 (CST)

See disclaimers in part 1. Comments/compliments/flames
accepted/enjoyed/ignored at [e-mail]


Ill Met By Moonlight (2/19)
By Perri Smith
Copyright 1998

Chapter 1

Angel was restless tonight.

It might have been the full moon, calling to his blood. It might have been
the influence of the Hellmouth, stirring the demon that hovered beneath his
soul. Or it might have just been plain old cabin fever.

Whatever it was, it drove Angel out of his room to roam the streets of
Sunnydale when the sun had barely sunk below the horizon. Hands shoved deep
in his pockets, he rambled with no particular purpose in mind, not looking
for trouble, but not particularly avoiding it. He wouldn't mind a good
fight at the moment -- anything to shake this damn restlessness.

He wasn't particularly surprised to look up and find himself at The Bronze,
the warehouse-turned-club that catered to the teenage population of
Sunnydale. He wound up here a lot, for reasons he didn't like to examine
too closely, or too often. Most of them revolved around a young, blonde
Slayer....

He could go inside; Buffy might be there with her friends. She'd look up at
him and her face would light up, and he'd let her talk him into a dance.
Maybe it would be one of the good nights, the nights they could convince
themselves there was a future for them. The nights they could forget that
he was a vampire, and she was the Slayer, and some things were never meant
to be.

No, he wouldn't go in tonight, not in this mood. Angel walked determinedly
past the club, shoving his hands a little deeper into his jacket. He wanted
darkness tonight, not lights and music. He wanted to be alone.

The sound of shuffling, running footsteps on the sidewalk behind him
brought him swinging around, ready for a fight.

"Who's there?" he demanded harshly. There was no answer for a long moment.

Then the staggering form of a woman emerged from the shadows of the club.
She paused for a moment as she saw Angel, then arrowed towards him with
single-minded determination. She was limping heavily, her left leg almost
useless beneath her.

Angel braced himself automatically, unsure what to expect. The woman wasn't
much of a threat, not injured as she was, but there was something about her
that set his teeth on edge, fangs and all.  Something familiar about her
movements, about the heavy tangle of hair that hid her face....

"Who are you?" he demanded roughly.

She finally looked at him, giving him his first glimpse of her face. Round,
with strong cheekbones and huge dark eyes that widened abruptly as she
seemed to focus on him. "My God," she breathed with blank shock. "You *are*
real."

Her balance faltered again; Angel caught the sharp, sweet scent of the
blood that soaked her jeans and coat, and felt the demon stir. "Tell me who
you are," he demanded again, as the demon rose.

She took another step towards him, her eyes locked on his, filled with
pain, and hatred, and stubborn defiance. "You should know," she forced out
on short, painful breaths, "Angelus."

Dark eyes... Restlessness abruptly crystallized, memories nearly a century
old slamming into him. A dark night, a fire, a dark-haired girl with eyes
very like this one. The pleasure of feeding....

And the agony.

"Damn you!" The demon howled and awoke, and his face shifted to reflect it,
a snarl rising from his throat. "Get away from me!"

She didn't even flinch. "Angelus," she repeated, swaying in place before
him. And as her balance failed completely, she forced two more words past
her lips. "Help me."

Her body crumpled towards the pavement, and Angel damn near let her fall.
But at the last second, something forced him into motion, made him catch
her at shoulders and knees. She was heavy and limp in his arms, and he went
to one knee to keep from dropping her, her head rolling back against him.

He fought the compulsion, fought to release her and leave her in the
streets to fend for herself, dredging up strength of will and hatred he'd
forgotten he possessed.

But his actions were bound by what she was, and he had no choice. With a
low, vicious curse, he hefted the woman into his arms and stood back up,
heading instinctively towards the one place he knew would be safe.

*****

"Ideally, as the Slayer, you should be able to sense the forces of darkness
as they approach you, not with your eyes or your ears, but with your very
being, with the part of your soul that makes you the Slayer.... Are you
listening to me?"

Buffy examined her fingernails more closely, making sure the dark polish
hadn't chipped. She had sooo many better things to do than hang out at the
library for a late-night training session. But Principle Snyder was making
it harder and harder to work during the day, and Giles was getting antsy
about practice time. So here it was, 9pm on a school night, and she was
sitting in the school library, listening to Giles lecture.

"Yes, Giles," she sighed heavily. "'With my very being, with the part of my
soul, yada, yada, yada.' Why don't I just pick up a crystal ball and try to
find Elvis's ghost? Come *on*, Giles, it's bad enough I have to hunt
monsters, I don't want them moshing in my head 24-7. We've had this
discussion before."

"Apparently you weren't *listening* before. As usual." Giles adjusted his
glasses and stared down at her. "Believe it or not, this is actually more
important than the state of your manicure, Buffy. You were given certain
powers as the Slayer and you must learn to use them. If you'd bother to do
so, we could possibly even put an end to the traps you seem so fond of
walking into."

Buffy looked up at him, outraged and hurt at the low blow. "That goes just
way past harsh, Giles! It's not like any of those were actually my fault!
Well, not *completely* my fault," she admitted, slightly less stridently.

"That is not the point," Giles informed her sternly, crossing his arms over
his chest. "When you became the Chosen One, you were given gifts to help
you Slay and to help you survive. By refusing to develop and use those
gifts -- outside of the more martial arts, to which you have taken with
frightening ease -- you are crippling both your abilities as a Slayer and
your life expectancy. Can I make myself any more clear than that?"

Buffy slouched down in her hard-backed library chair and pouted for a
moment, then admitted, "No, I think that pretty much spells it out in
flaming neon." She sighed heavily and rolled her head back against the
chair, then confessed the real problem. "I just really don't like the idea
of all this mental stuff. I mean, I like my brain just the way it is --
although I might kind of like a little more in the way of study-type
retention. I don't want to go messing around with it."

Giles looked sympathetic, which didn't stop him from saying, "Your mind was
'messed with', as you put it, when you were Chosen, when you were born."

"All right, all right!" Buffy surrendered with upraised hands, although she
didn't budge from her slouch. "I give up! Victory is yours, Oh Great and
Mighty Watcher. What do I have to do?"

Buffy had to give him some credit; Giles rarely gloated. Instead, he nodded
firmly and readjusted his jacket. "Right, then. Sit up straight, shoulders
back and make yourself comfortable."

"Contradiction," Buffy informed him, although she did improve her posture.
"It is impossible to be comfortable in one of these chairs; this is a
school library."

Giles was not deterred. "Do the best you can. Now, close your eyes and
relax. Then, begin letting your mind wander -- that shouldn't be too hard
for you." Buffy opened one eye to glare at him, and he looked vaguely
apologetic. "Sorry."

She made a face at him and closed the eye again, making a mental note to
keep him away from Xander for a while. They were bad influences on each
other. "Okay, what now?"

"Allow your mind to drift, as if you were daydreaming. Let your thoughts
flow naturally, freely." Giles's voice was taking on a hypnotic rhythm;
Buffy found herself obediently relaxing beneath it.

Images flickered through her mind, at first quickly, then gradually
slowing. Worries about her history homework, unique ideas for taking
Cordelia down after their latest go-round, plans for the weekend with
Willow and Xander. Wondering where the heck Angel had gotten to lately.
Rehearsing her excuse for tonight's late-night training session. Thinking
of her dad. Giles. Mom's late nights at the gallery. Angel.

"Now," she dimly heard Giles say, "begin to turn your thoughts outward
rather than inward. Let  them flow around you, touching everything."

Buffy frowned slightly, but tried to obey. Nothing. She concentrated
harder, remembering how it had felt when she'd tracked the Master that
night. The knowledge had been effortless and certain, showing her the way
with an invisible hand. She felt the breath go in and out of her lungs,
felt Giles hovering across the table, felt the hand brush against her
mind....

And her eyes snapped open, her feet slamming to the floor and her gasp of
surprise echoing off the walls. Giles was in front of her in a moment, his
hands clasping her shoulders to steady her. "What is it?" he demanded
anxiously. "What did you sense?"

Buffy just couldn't help it; she grinned cheekily and informed him, "A
disturbance in the Force, Obi Wan. Someone's coming."

Giles's eyes went wide and he jumped back to his feet, automatically making
a beeline for the weapons cabinet. "Where? When? A vampire? How far away is
it?"

Buffy watched her Watcher with a kind of half-weary, half-resigned
amusement as he fumbled through his keys for the proper set, the key ring
clattering in synch with his unsteady hands. "You can pass on the weapons
thing, Giles."

He turned back to her, clutching a stake in either hand. "Oh, really?" he
asked with a sharp edge. "You can sense their intentions so clearly?"

Buffy shrugged with one shoulder. "No, but I can make a *really* good
guess." Weirdly enough, she could, but decided not to think too hard about
it.

Giles just looked confused. Then the door to the library banged open, and
Angel stood there, carrying something limp and heavy. A body. A body that
was bleeding all over the library floor, which meant trouble. Big shock
there.

Angel looked at Buffy, his face tense and unreadable. "I need your help."



Perri <[e-mail]>      I *am* the Buffy Evangalist!
NatPacker-*-Horsechick-*-Pezhead-*-Cohenhead-*-DDEB2-*-AGA-*-SunS-*-CoJ
"You borrow my neurons WITHOUT asking, mind you, and then you get them all
gooky with Dru-stuff.  See if I let you borrow anything of mine again."
-- Lizbet



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Isis212 <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Truth (1/1)
Date: 17 Jan 1998 11:36:03 EST

TITLE:  Truth
AUTHOR:  Aramat
RATING:  PG
SUMMARY:  Buffy and Angel converse.
DIST.:  Just tell me where first
FEEDBACK:  Please do.  It will make me happy.  I need to be happy.
DISC.:  I don't own BtVS.  Joss Whedon and the WB do.


Truth


"Can we talk?"

Angel looked up from the book he was reading and turned to Buffy.
She was sitting on the other end of the bed watching him intently.  The
way she'd been watching him ever since she let herself into his apartment
an hour ago.

"It took you long enough," he said to her putting the book aside.  "I've
been waiting for the last hour for you to speak up."

Buffy smiled faintly.  "I had to work up the courage to bring it up," she said
sheepishly.  "I'm still not sure I wanna talk about it, but watching you read
is driving me insane.  You're reminding me of Giles."

Angel smiled at the comment and watched Buffy for a moment.  It was
obvious she was uncomfortable about something, he'd sensed it the
minute she'd walked in the door.  But he hadn't pushed her into talking
about it.  He'd learned that Buffy would say whatever was on her mind
eventually, if you knew the right way to wait her out.  It didn't hurt that he
had plenty of time for that.

"Are we talking deep heart-to-heart?" he asked his eyes serious despite
the joking question.

Buffy shrugged.  "I'm not sure," she answered truthfully.  "I have a few
question that need to be answered."

Angel caught the demand in her request.  Buffy may have said she needed
to know but Angel knew she meant "tell me or die."  For a moment he wasn't
prepared for her questions, he wasn't sure if he could answer them.  But
when he noticed the pleading look in her eyes, he figured his best bet
was to provide answers.

Angel stretched out in bed and regarded Buffy warily.  "Go ahead," he
prompted as casually as he could.  "Ask away."

Buffy smiled and laid down beside him, looking up at the ceiling.  "How
close are we?"

Angel was confused by the question.  He hadn't expected it.  "What do
you mean?"

"How close do you think we are?" Buffy asked once again.  When she
noticed Angel still wasn't comprehending she sighed.  "When we're sitting
here, in your place, passing time to keep from pouncing on each other do
you think we have a pretty open relationship?  Do we tell each other
everything?  Do we keep secrets?  You know, are we close?"

Angel turned to look at her.  "Do we tell each other everything?" he asked,
mainly to himself.  "Do you tell me everything?"

Buffy nodded.  "I tell you everything," she replied.  "But I know you don't
tell me everything."  There was something sad about that, Buffy realized,
for not the first time.

Angel nodded, knowing it was true.  "Do you think we're close?"

Buffy sighed,  slightly amused at how he'd, once again, avoided answering
her questions by asking her for answers.

"Angel, I wanted to know what you thought," she chided him slightly.
"But, to answer, even though you keep alot of things from me, mostly
things about your past, I think we're close, not as close as we could be,
but close enough.  You're about as forthcoming as I am about day to day
things.  There are even some things I didn't want to know that you've told
me anyway."  She turned to him and smiled finished, for now, answering
his questions.  It was his turn.  "Now, tell me what you think."

Angel was quiet for a moment as he thought about her question.  It was
true that he kept a lot from Buffy.  She'd been good about it but there were
times when he knew she wanted him to tell her the truth.  It wasn't that
he didn't trust her.  He trusted her more than he trusted anybody, including
himself.  And that was why he couldn't tell her everything.

It was pretty foolish, he thought, to keep trying to keep a little piece of
himself seperate from Buffy.  He'd tried for so long to stay to himself, keep
himself away from any emotional attachment.  And then he'd met Buffy and
all his years of seclusion disappeared.  And now he was involved with, hell,
in love with, Buffy despite everything he'd done to stop it.

Whenever they were together he wondered why she stayed with him.  He
got a lot more out of their relationship than she did.  Any other woman
would have given up on him long ago.  But not Buffy.  She came back, day
after day, bringing sunshine into his life and all she got in return was him
and all his many problems.

And now she wanted to know his take on their relationship.  He wondered
if she wanted the truth.

"You want to know my honest opinion about our relationship?" he asked
her, once again wary.

Buffy nodded.  "That's the point of all this," she told him.  "I want, for
once,
to know what you're thinking.  Even if I don't like what you have to say."

Angel sighed.  As reluctant as he was to talk he knew Buffy couldn't take
much more.  As much as she'd given him she had a right to know how he
felt.  She had a right to know what he felt.  So gathering every ounce of
courage he had he decided now was the time to let Buffy know how he felt.

"I don't think we're as close as we could be," he told her comepletely
honest with her for the first time.  "And the majority of that problem is
my fault.  The other part is who we are.  I don't think it's wise for us to
get that close.  It's really not wise for you to get that close.

"I care about you, more than I wanted to, more than I should, but there's
nothing I can do about that.  The only thing I can do is keep you as safe
as possible.  And if that means holding back and in the process sabotaging
our relationship, then that's what I have to do.  As much as it hurts you, as
much I hate doing it."

Angel finished his speech and turned to Buffy, trying to gauge her reaction.
She was staring at the ceiling thinking about what he'd said.  As he
watched her he wondered how much this was affecting her.  For the first
time, he'd been completely honest with her, told her that their
relationship was doomed from the beginning.  His words had hindered their
chances of being more than what they were.  As he thought about it he felt
a little sad.  Even though he'd known from the start their relationship
would never go anywhere, he'd always allowed himself to hope that, maybe,
they'd work things out.  There was a possibilty they could.  But he couldn't
see it.

Buffy noticed Angel's thoughtful silence.  She turned to find him watching
her.  Pleased at his concern for her, she smiled.

"Stop frowning," she ordered softly.  "I wanted you to be honest and
you were."

"But how do you feel abouut what I had to say?"

Buffy's lips curved sadly at that.  "Angel, I may be young but I'm not naive.
I know we're doomed to failure.  That's life on the Hellmouth," she said
only half joking.  "It just hurts to hear it.  And, just once, I wish life
would be nice to me."

Angel heard the sadness in Buffy's voice, faint though it was, and wished he
could have made her happy.  It was just another in a long list of things he
couldn't do.

"How many times have you asked yourself why you couldn't find some
nice normal guy to fall in love with?" Angel asked her after a moment.

Buffy laughed.  "I don't know, but if I did, I'd probably freak out.  Nothing
is normal where I'm concerned.  It'd be weird if it was."  She smiled up
at him.  "How many times have you asked yourself what you were thinking
falling madly in love with me?"  She narrowed her eyes.  "You are madly in
love with me, right?"

Angel nodded smiling in amusement.  "Madly in love," he agreed happily.
"Totally, completely, insanely in love with you.  And I ask myself that at
least ten times a day.  Only answer I can come up with is that I really am
insane."

Buffy smiled.  "You do it well," she said, laughing when he hit her
with a pillow.  Buffy quickly grabbed another pillow and retaliated.

Twenty minutes and four torn pillows later Angel and Buffy sat in the middle
of the floor surrounded by white feathers.  Buffy moved to sit in Angel's lap,
tickling his face with a feather.

"You know, I don't think I can just be your friend," Angel said, upset that it
was true.  "And I know I can't stay away.  I've tried."

Buffy looked up into his eyes and smiled, somewhat sadly, at what she
saw there.  "I can't just be your friend either.  And I won't let you stay
away."

"So what are we going to do?"

Buffy leaned forward and pressed her lips to his.  "I don't know," she said
honestly.  "I guess we just take what we can get."


The End

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Dianne la Mercenaire" <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: "A Truth Worse Than Lies" -- 0/12
Date: 17 Jan 1998 13:19:04 -5000

*BuffyFic Rating/Warning: R for quite a bit of violence throughout*

"A Truth Worse Than Lies" -- 0/12
   by Dianne T. DeSha (a.k.a. la Mercenaire)
      <[e-mail]>

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Part The Ought:
In Which the Gentle Reader is Acquainted with a wide Variety of
Disclaimers, a Dedication, many Thanks, Warnings, et cetera.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
<g>

From almost the minute she first appeared, Dru's been trying to get me
to tell her (back)story-- how she (how _anyone_!) could have ended up
a "disassociative psychotic demon of the night who pouts at dead
birds." So here, finally, after making up (and watching!) an "All- Dru
Channel" and following many suggestions dropped in the general SunS
list discussion of Our Favorite Undead Psychotic, is my attempt at an
answer.

This little piece is completely historical, so, although it features a
Slayer (two, actually), it's not OFSlayer, nor any of the current
mortal types. Be warned: I wouldn't even know where to begin to get
the vocabulary or usage right for these time periods, so I didn't try.
Consider them 'translated' from the original, if you like. This was
written after "What's My Line?" aired, and before whatever Joss's Evil
Brain may have come up with since-- I wouldn't even blaspheme by
attempting to predict it.... (Well, not _here_... <g>)

Many thanks for historical research bits from Betsy, and deep
gratitude for beta-reading from Celli, Abby, Dawn, Maureen (who
raised very good questions and insisted upon _more_ Dru-torture...
which not only began to wig even _me_, but caused a major revision
that nearly _doubled_ the length of the thing :-ppp), and Boo (who
made me laugh myself sick as she ranted, raged, and ripped Angel a new
one ;).

The award for "But I don't _want_ to look it up! <lazy whine> Don't
you *know*???" Patience, Above And Beyond The Call, goes to ListMummy
Lizbet, who kindly refrained from killing me as I pestered her for
help with geography, language, history, customs, and everything else I
could think of but didn't want to look up myself. (Sample email: "Me
again! O.k., I've got Dru, et al., running about in Camden Town in
1795 and I need to lose a child overnight. Is there forest nearby?" :)

This one is dedicated to all my fellow maniacs on the SunS list who
help greatly in keeping me, if not precisely "sane," then something of
a cooler shade of mad. :-)

WARNING: I've been told this story has a high wig factor and is not
for the faint of heart. It's not a happy story (although there is some
comic relief in part 10), and we all know pretty much how it ends.
Also Angel-droolers in particular should probably have a piece of
nice, sweet, Angel-as-a-modern,-re-souled,-nice-guy restorative fic
on-hand for reading afterwards, because, let's face it-- he wasn't
exaggerating to Buffy in "Lie To Me": at this point in his un-life, he
was a real bastard. :(

These are not my characters, they belong to TPTB, and I make no
claim on them. Most of the ideas are Joss's anyway, I just went and
tweaked them around into a story. I intend no infringement and you're
wasting your time and money to try to sue me, guys... believe it!

With muttered curses and profane reverence to Joss, Whose Sandbox This
Is, who-- after I had my plot established and my story nearly
finished-- decided to make Dru chatty in WML2... resulting in the need
to suddenly go back and add "some kid named Anne and an uncle".
<Dianne bows, thptpttt-ing loudly :-p>

Dianne la Mercenaire...   -*-   <[e-mail]>
"Angel, you scum-sucking rat-bastard, if you're the one behind all
 this, I swear I'll come through the TV to rip your evil demon bastard
 heart out." --Boo, as she beta-read the first version <proud beam>

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Dianne la Mercenaire" <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: "A Truth Worse Than Lies" -- 1/12
Date: 17 Jan 1998 13:21:14 -5000

"A Truth Worse Than Lies" -- 1/12
   by Dianne T. DeSha (a.k.a. la Mercenaire)
      <[e-mail]>


  "For a hundred years I offered ugly death to everyone I met,
    and I did it with a song in my heart."
            -- Angel, "Angel"

Prologue...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Late April 1795,
A small, deserted fishing village just outside Marseilles
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Marie-Jeanette de Shayes angrily brushed at her dirt-dulled, raven-
black hair with one hand, trying to free it from where the sweat of
battle had plastered it to her face. She saw the blood as her hand
pulled away. A split lip, nothing more, but the last thing she wanted
to be wearing while attempting to destroy an unexpected gathering of
_les vampires_ was the reek of blood.

Kicking absently at the pile of ash that had seconds before been her
foe, Marie-Jeanette tucked her peasant skirts up higher, reached for
the worn leather bag in which she kept her stakes, and moved quietly
towards the next fisherman's hut. She was _l'Assassin_, the one girl
in all the world chosen to fight the evil creatures that walked at
night. It was a duty she had made her life-- avoiding suitors, and
making only a token effort at her nominal trade as a weaver's
assistant.

Keeping to the shadows, every sense primed, she moved to the edge of
the low, crumbling wall. Luckily for her, she was much better at this
endless hunt, her true vocation, than at the weaving. Louisa had come
to utterly despair of her success as a proper young woman in the
daylight world, but for nearly five years Marie-Jeanette had walked
the night successfully, beating back the seemingly endless tide of
_les demons_, Louisa at her side.

Marie-Jeanette knew that old Louisa had been _la Veilleuse_, mentor
and friend, to two _Assassins_ before her. After all, one mistake was
all it took; no one can fight endless death forever and win. The life
of _l'Assassin_ was hard and short, but without their efforts, evil
would overcome the entire world. And so she fought on, as they all
had, generation after generation.

Louisa never spoke of them-- the other two-- save in the course of her
lessons. The pain of their loss was still too great for her. But now
it was Louisa herself that Marie-Jeanette most worried for as she
crossed a small hen yard, feeling terribly exposed in the moonlight.
One of the fiends had taken _la Veilleuse_ to hold as bait for her,
and the only thing calming the pounding of her heart was the knowledge
that they would have to keep Louisa safe if they planned to offer any
sort of a bargain.

Coming around the side of a large weather-worn chicken coop she
spotted yet another victim, tossed bonelessly against a rubbish heap.
Muttering curses under her breath and keeping a careful watch in all
directions, Marie-Jeanette knelt down to feel the young man's neck. It
was already ice-cold, and the two puncture wounds at his throat told
the story she knew too well. With a sigh for one more loss, she turned
away....

She never had time to see his face as he came at her. Never had time
to react as a preternaturally strong hand grasped her arm and pulled
her off balance. Never had time to scream as the corpse beneath her
reared up, sank its fangs in her neck, and drained her life away.

~~~~~~~~~

The vampire who had killed her-- tall, dark, and handsome, despite his
pale skin and contorted features-- threw his head back and howled his
triumph at the waning moon. A simple trick, to play upon her
preconceptions and her sympathies, he gloated as he felt her blood
thrilling through him like a liquid fire. It hadn't been so hard at
all, no matter that Darla had called him a fool for going after such a
prize while still so young....

Tossing the lifeless body of the Slayer towards the far side of the
rubbish heap, where it landed against the long-cold corpse of her
Watcher, Angelus headed off to track down his maker.

After all, he had some serious bragging rights to exercise now.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Comments, flames, praise, and chocolate always appreciated!
Dianne la Mercenaire...   -*-   <[e-mail]>
}:o * Merc Forever * HorseChick of the Apocalypse* SunS List Mom
Dianne la Mercenaire...   -*-   <[e-mail]>
"I have mental health?" --Lizbet <g>
"I'm being brutalized by fictional characters. This sucks." --Perri
"...pretty much sucked large dead bunnies through a twisty straw..." --Mo
"I refuse to comment on the grounds that my Evil Twin will incriminate me." --Lynn
"My hat does *not* have horns on it! Valkyrie butterflies do *not* have horns!" --Kiki

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Dianne la Mercenaire" <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: "A Truth Worse Than Lies" -- 2/12
Date: 17 Jan 1998 13:21:44 -5000

"A Truth Worse Than Lies" -- 2/12
   by Dianne T. DeSha (a.k.a. la Mercenaire)
      <[e-mail]>


   "Some lies are necessary.... Sometimes the truth is worse.
    You live long enough, you find that out."
            -- Angel, "Lie To Me"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A few weeks later,
Camden Town, North London
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Dru! Dru!"

The young woman's voice echoed between the bricks of the close-set
houses. "Drusilla, you little demon, come back! It's much too
dark...."

Edith Shepherd held the hem of her second-best dress out of the mud
and tried not to completely ruin her shoes. Ducking her way between
the lines of clothing still hanging from the day's wash, then dodging
sideways behind an apple crate, she neatly seized her wayward niece by
the collar of her little frock. "*There* you are!" She crouched down
so that she could be nearly eye-level with her reluctant charge. "What
has gotten into you? Your mother would have my hide if I let you get
lost in the streets. Now run inside and have your supper!"

With a smart push she propelled the child back towards the warm, safe
light of home. Edith, however, remained outside as the last wisps of
blood-red sunset faded from the sky above-- the odd restlessness of
the past few weeks straying even more now from uneasy dreams into
waking thought.

She walked aimlessly through the little plot of garden she had
claimed as her own, here behind the row of houses, not needing even to
see the plants to know how they fared. People who lived in the
neighborhood were always amazed by the flowers Edith grew with
seemingly no effort. She seemed to do nothing more than walk amongst
them daily and they grew as if for a magical princess out of
hearthside legend.

Many of the other flower sellers on the streets asked for her secrets,
but she could never say. They brought her a peace-- a means to soothe
her spirit when the world threatened to overwhelm her-- but she had no
words to explain the way in which she could _feel_ her garden, as
though it were a part of her very soul. Walking like this through it
every day she could almost experience the growth herself, the very
life of it beneath her skin....

"Edith!"

She came out of her reverie, a blinding smile brightening the slight
flush on her face. "Billy!"

He met her at the gate in the little garden wall she'd erected to keep
out the local strays. Edith flung herself into his arms and he spun
around, holding her tight and laughing loudly. "What a welcome!"

"I haven't seen you for days," she said sliding down until her feet
once again reached the ground. There was the slightest edge of hurt in
her voice.

Billy smiled, arms still around her. "I was here only yesterday
morning, love!"

"But I missed you!" Nevertheless she let him steal a quick kiss, his
fingers tangled in the midnight-black sweep of her hair-- such a
contrast to his own pale curls.

"I missed you too, sweetheart. But look, I brought over a friend of
mine." He gestured towards a another young man standing silently to
one side just as Edith felt a shiver rush up her spine. She shook
herself slightly-- a goose walking over her grave, that's all. Such a
silly thing.

The man was handsome, pale and dark, with such an intense look in
those eyes....

"Angelus, I'd like you to meet Edith, my Princess," he turned back to
steal another kiss as she blushed and tried to protest. "Princess,
this is Angelus."

She finally turned to meet that gaze. Angelus smiled, and she felt her
hesitation melt away.

Billy continued, "He grew up in a monastery over in Ireland. Clever
with books, and all. Works as a merchant's clerk now. Busy all day
scribbling away in the dark, yes?" He finished with a friendly clap to
the shoulder.

"Angelus," she smiled. "That's a pretty name."

"It's Latin," he returned the smile. The brogue was surprisingly
faint, but it was there. "It means 'Angel'."

"That's what you get for growing up with the monks, my boy," Billy
offered by way of condolence. "But he's a regular chap now, love. We
met up at the Old Black Bird a while back and I thought it was time he
got to meet my Princess." He kept one arm protectively about her
shoulders.

She ducked her head again shyly. "Billy, I'm not...."

But he stopped her with one finger to her lips. "You are to me, love."
For a moment their eyes locked and the rest of the world ceased to
matter.

A minute later Angelus' eye caught Edith's and she pulled away,
embarrassed. Billy just laughed.

"You're to be married?" Angelus asked.

"At the end of the month. Congratulate me, old chap!" He took one of
Edith's hands in each of his and swung them out at the sides. "I'll
work at the livery stable, Edith will sell her flowers...." He dropped
her hands and turned to Angelus with genuine pride in his eyes.
"Aren't they beautiful?"

Angelus made some murmur of agreement as Billy continued,
wrapping his arms around Edith from behind. "We'll live here in the
house, away from my worthless brothers, raise a mess of little ones
with big blue eyes like my Princess'," by now he was almost whispering
in her ear, "And grow old and respectable-- arm-in-arm until the very
day they come to take us to the old churchyard."

Edith's eyes had closed and she had a dreamy, wistful look on her
face. "Together, Billy?"

"Forever, my sweet," he promised, dropping a kiss on her cheek
before pulling away.

As if on cue, a woman's voice came loudly from the house, "Edith!
Supper!"

"...But not now!" Billy turned to Angelus with a laugh. "Come on,
Angelus, if I appear for one more meal this week her mother will think
I've moved in already!"

"But Billy...!"

"No, love. I'll be back tomorrow. Promise! And I'll have a present."

A smile lit her face as she batted her eyes in an overt display of
coyness. "A present? What?"

Billy laughed again. "A surprise, my sweet! Tomorrow!" He moved
away, holding her fingers with just the tips of his. "Now say
goodnight to Angelus."

She looked at the handsome, quiet young man and offered another
shy smile. "Goodnight, Angelus."

"Goodnight, Edith."

"Edith! _Supper!_" The voice was closer, louder, and more impatient
this time.

"Go, Edith," Billy repeated, giving her the same encouraging push to
the shoulders she had given her niece.

When she turned back for a last look from the doorway, Billy was only
a pale, retreating shadow in the night, and Angelus was already gone.

~~~~~~~~~

The scratching noise at her second-story shutters woke her shortly
after she'd fallen asleep. Confused and still bleary, she crawled out
of bed, wrapping a blanket around her shoulders against the night
chill.

It wasn't so much the cold air hitting her face as she opened the
shutters that brought her fully awake as the sight of Angelus' face
not three feet from her own.

She fell back a step as a small, choked cry escaped her. He was
standing on a protruding joint where the roof of the first story met
the wall of the second, fingertips dug tightly into the roughness of
the old brickwork. That realization allowed Edith to breathe again--
for a moment he had given the eerie impression of floating upon the
air itself.

"Shhhh!" he warned, speaking quickly. "Don't worry, it's nothing
improper. I just need to speak to you alone. Let me explain,
_please_?"

The pleading in those deep brown eyes killed the scream before it
reached her throat. She studied him for another moment, then swallowed
and nodded slightly.

Angelus wasted no time. "I'm here about the dreams-- the
nightmares." As her eyes went wide he continued, "You've been
having them, haven't you? Dreams of blood and death and monsters who
stalk the night?"

She hadn't told anyone, not even Billy.... Edith finally managed to
find her voice. "How could you know that?"

"Because I know what they mean."

The shock on her face turned almost to horror. "Who are you?"

Angelus smiled reassuringly. "No, this is about who _you_ are. You are
the Slayer.

"And I am your Watcher."


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Comments, flames, praise, and chocolate always appreciated!
Dianne la Mercenaire...   -*-   <[e-mail]>
}:o * Merc Forever * HorseChick of the Apocalypse* SunS List Mom
Dianne la Mercenaire...   -*-   <[e-mail]>
"I have mental health?" --Lizbet <g>
"I'm being brutalized by fictional characters. This sucks." --Perri
"...pretty much sucked large dead bunnies through a twisty straw..." --Mo
"I refuse to comment on the grounds that my Evil Twin will incriminate me." --Lynn
"My hat does *not* have horns on it! Valkyrie butterflies do *not* have horns!" --Kiki

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Dianne la Mercenaire" <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: "A Truth Worse Than Lies" -- 3/12
Date: 17 Jan 1998 13:22:33 -5000

"A Truth Worse Than Lies" -- 3/12
   by Dianne T. DeSha (a.k.a. la Mercenaire)
      <[e-mail]>


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The tale he'd told her, while perched decorously-- if bizarrely-- on
her second-story windowsill, echoed in her ears like the rantings of a
madman. One girl, chosen from all the world to single-handedly battle
with vicious fiends from Hell? The man belonged in Bedlam!

But he knew about the dreams. And he spoke calmly and
determinedly, with no light of madness in those penetrating eyes.

He never even tried to enter her room, and left after speaking his
piece, after warning her about the dangers to come-- and the
destruction and death only she could prevent.

By the time she remembered to turn back and ask him how he'd
managed the ascent to the roof, he was already gone.

She sat at the window, wrapped in her blanket, until the first
sunlight burned away the terrors that appeared every time she closed
her eyes. For the first time in weeks Edith passed the entire night
without visitation by the demons who haunted her dreams.

Now they haunted the waking world as well.

~~~~~~~~~

By the time the sun was again high in the brilliant blue sky, Angelus'
entire visit-- his wild, ridiculous story-- all seemed like a dream
itself.

Hellish demons might well stalk the countryside lanes in the dead of
night for all she knew, but the thought that she could stop them was
nonsense. Angelus had been drunk. Or desperately confused.

Edith put thoughts of Angelus resolutely out of her head and spent the
day working in her garden and minding Dru as she played with her
friends.

Little Paul was the neighbors' child. Too young to be tolerated by the
other boys on the street, he was always to be found with Anne and
Dru-- who, truth be told, were usually to be found with each other. He
regularly attempted to play the protective older brother to the two
girls, even though they were all of an age. For their part Anne and
Dru generally allowed little Paul his charade, within limits, with a
knowing and amused tolerance that seemed almost too old for them.
Edith had to admit, though, it was almost impossible not to find the
boy's puppy-like loyalty endearing.

Anne, on the other hand... Anne was something of a trial for Edith. As
the daughter of her late father's brother, the child should by rights
be dearer to her than little Dru, who was not even blood.... But no
sense she told herself could make things so for Edith.

The child was a nuisance, spoiled rotten, to put it plainly, and many
of the adults in the neighborhood were quite plain in their opinions.
It wasn't really the girl's fault-- her father had married late in
life to a woman much younger, who had never quite recovered from
Anne's birth. She died of a lingering fever before the child's second
year, leaving her with a father who was attentive in mind, but absent
in body.

Edith's uncle-- for he was, though she rarely thought of him so-- was
senior groom at the Wynn family mansion on Queen's Coach Road. He was
very proud of his position there and had always spent most of his time
at the house-- even after he had brought home the new lady's maid one
day to marry and set him up with a home of his own.

She could still remember how lonely and out-of-place Anne's mother had
always seemed, alone in the tiny house only a few streets away. And,
after Anne was born she was so sick... and then she was gone. For a
while Uncle Edward had taken a serious interest in his daughter, but
his attention had eventually waned and he once again spent more and
more time at the great house. Word was that he was now courting the
cook there, a rumor that seemed borne out by the child's current
recitation....

"...And the ladies there, they eat custard every day, and they dine on
honeyed cakes every single night."

Dru and little Paul were as attentive an audience as any storyteller
could want, eyes open wide as Anne described the wonders of the Wynn
larder. "And next week, after Lady Wynn's birthday party," Anne paused
with a childishly effective attempt at dramatic suspense, "Daddy's
promised to bring me a brandied pear of my very own to eat!"

The other children gasped in innocent awe, to them the rubies and gold
of the fabled Indies could not have been more impressive. Edith
quietly sighed and pulled a stubborn weed with more force. The man
might just spend a little time with the poor child! It would mean far
more to her then the presents he brought home whenever he thought  to
visit. For all he paid a neighbor woman to come in and clean and cook
for Anne, the child spent more time at her friends' tables than at her
own. The other children adored her stories and never seemed to mind
her habitual thoughtlessness. And for all her spoiled and pouting
ways, the mothers generally felt too sorry for her to turn her away.

Edith was startled from her thoughts by the cold, wet nose of another
of Uncle Edward's guilty presents. "Anne!" she called out in
annoyance. "Come and get the puppy out of the garden!"

Sure enough, Anne dined with little Paul and his family that night,
from the garden Edith could hear the child's continuing chatter and
marveled at the patience of little Paul's mother, who managed a
restrained politeness as the girl loudly compared every morsel on her
plate against her father's tales of feasts at the great house.

The child would never learn the value of silence, Edith thought. Yet
once the meal had begun in earnest and even Anne had quieted, Edith
suddenly realized the value of noise. In the silence of the darkening
garden, Angelus' madness of the night before began to creep once more
into her thoughts.

She found herself perversely welcoming the distraction of her
mother's loud, irate call, "Edith! Where's my big black mixing bowl?"

"You let me loan it to Catherine, mother," she called back just as
loudly, refusing to be embarrassed into running inside over something
so stupid and not caring who heard.

"That was yesterday!"

"I'll go fetch it in the morning, mother!"

Mutters from the direction of the kitchen and a cessation of the
shouting volley let Edith know she'd won. She allowed herself a smug
smile and hummed a little tune under her breath as she watched the
last rays of sunlight quit the sky.

When Billy arrived Edith was more relieved than she expected to see he
was alone. She wrapped her arms around him  tight-- as much for that
as for the present he brought-- a blackbird in a little wicker cage.

"Something to sing for you in your garden all day, love. To remind you
of me. Every time you hear his little song you'll remember just how
much I love you, my sweet."

It was perfect-- Billy knew her so well. If she couldn't have these
warm, strong arms wrapped around her every minute, at least she had a
token to remind her of their safe haven. And no madness offered to her
as some bizarre destiny by his mad monkish friend could ever change
that.

~~~~~~~~~

The next morning they found Catherine.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Comments, flames, praise, and chocolate always appreciated!
Dianne la Mercenaire...   -*-   <[e-mail]>
}:o * Merc Forever * HorseChick of the Apocalypse* SunS List Mom

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Dianne la Mercenaire" <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: "A Truth Worse Than Lies" -- 4/12
Date: 17 Jan 1998 13:23:11 -5000

"A Truth Worse Than Lies" -- 4/12
   by Dianne T. DeSha (a.k.a. la Mercenaire)
      <[e-mail]>


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She'd been dragged from her bed and her throat torn open, her blood
spattering her shift and matted into her long, fair hair, where it had
fallen across the wound.

Edith, arriving for her mother's bowl, felt a chill of horror wash
over her. She and Catherine had been friends since they were Dru's
age.... Who could possibly have done such a thing?

At that thought both the nightmares that were keeping her up more and
more often nights and Angelus' hideous picture of her supposed destiny
came rushing in upon her. Neighbors offered words of comfort at what
they assumed was grief for a friend, but Edith didn't even hear them,
stumbling back home in recoil at the pain of her own thoughts.

She spent most of the day doting upon her niece, desperate for
thoughts of life and joy and daylight-- something, anything to drown
out the images in her mind.

Still, when Angelus appeared at Billy's side after work that evening,
Edith felt a definite sense of relief.

She was sitting on the garden wall, plaiting Drusilla's hair. The
child on her lap begged remorselessly for one more song. And another.
And another. So she was still there singing when Billy and Angelus
arrived.

     "Hasten, hasten, run and catch,
      The lamb is caught in the blackberry patch...."

She caught a stray lock of the child's raven-black hair, brushed it
smooth with her fingers, and worked it neatly back into the plait she
was making.

     "Do you hasten, hasten well,
      The new spring foal is lost in the dell...."

Drusilla interrupted her with a shrieked "Uncle Billy!" and was
scrambling down to the ground before she'd finished the words, the
half-finished braid tumbling loose about her shoulders.

"Drusilla!" He seized her by the waist and swung her around through
the air, squealing in delight. Pulling her close and holding her in
front of him at eye level, he adopted an almost comical frown and
lectured her with mock-severity, "Now, I'm not your uncle yet. So stop
calling me that, or Edith's mother will think I've gone and done
something very, very naughty with your aunt Edith here!" The lecturing
scowl at the niece turned into an open leer at the aunt.

"Billy! Not in front of Dru!'

He just laughed. "Ah, Princess! Dru here," he tossed the child up into
the air one more time before setting her gently on the ground, "She's
too little to know what I'm saying." He turned to his friend. "And
Angelus is old enough to know perfectly well-- even after all that
time with the monks, no, Angelus?"

As the two exchanged schoolboy snickers, Edith found herself turning
away, pulling the child protectively into her lap once more. The
mention of Angelus' origins brought back the horror of this morning
and the insanity of two nights past.

Billy noted the change in her at once and was at her side. "Princess,
I'm sorry. I'm being rude and...." He gently turned her chin so that
she faced him again. "Forgive me?"

They just looked at each other for a moment, then Edith smiled a
little and Billy followed. "There we go! That's how I like to see my
love-- all smiles." Billy turned to his companion. "Angelus! have a
seat." He indicated the garden wall beside him. "We can play at being
old married men with families sitting out of a summer evening."

He pointedly ignored Edith's playful elbow in his side and laughed as
Dru, hearing the sounds of her friends' approach, blithely disrupted
the little tableaux by sliding out of Edith's arms and tearing around
the corner of the house-- her half-braided hair swinging wildly.
Angelus smiled and took the proffered seat.

"So, have you got a girl you're planning to marry someday yourself,
Angelus?" Edith asked, trying to draw him out.

He laughed, "No. Nothing but quickly passing fancies, I'm afraid."

"Angelus here is still a wild roving lad, Edith," Billy protested.

"No, surely not," Edith corrected, eyeing the subject of their
discussion critically. "How many years do you have, Angelus?"

"Enough to think I've missed something by always hurrying on so
quickly." His look caught her eye just a second over-long. "It's not a
mistake I intend to make again."

His smile for a second seemed too cold for the sentiment, but a
moment later Drusilla appeared, eyes wide in childish distress, and
Edith was able to shake off her morbid feeling.

"Aunt Edith! Uncle Billy! The kitten...." her voice was overcome by
tears.

Billy dropped to one knee in front of her, "What's happened to the
kitten, Dru?"

She looked at him with a stricken expression as it all came out in a
rush: "The puppy chased it and it got up on the fence and I can't get
it and it's _crying_!"

Scooping her up in his arms, he turned to the other two with a hidden,
conspiratorial grin. "I think I can handle this. Be back in a minute."
Formally addressing the little girl he carried, he assured her,
"You've come to the very finest, m'lady. Billy Brown, heroic knight,
at your service-- rescue of wayward kittens a specialty!"

As his voice faded with distance, Edith found herself looking at the
hands clasped in her lap. Before she could find words, Angelus broke
the silence.

"The child is your niece?"

Much as she needed to speak to him on more disquieting subjects, she
could not regret the reprieve. "No, not really. She's my best friend
Beth's little girl. Beth and I grew up only two houses apart and used
to pretend we were sisters, because neither of us had a real one."

She smiled a little and managed to look up. "Now Drusilla knows that I
won't scold her for getting mud on her dress or for speaking out of
turn, so I'm her favorite aunt." The intense gaze that met hers caused
her to look down again. "It's just me and my mother in the house here
since father died... it's so quiet sometimes...."

"So you have no brothers? No sisters?"

She looked up in surprise this time. "No. I was the only child my
parents ever had."

The confusion on her face deepened as he nodded in satisfaction. "Yes,
that is always the way with the Slayer."

Without conscious movement Edith was on her feet, looking first in the
direction Billy had left, and then down at Angelus where he still sat
on the low wall. "What you've said isn't true. It _can't_ be!"

He looked up at her with a slightly bemused smile. "Why not?"

But the look on his face only made her angry. "I cannot fight
demons!"

"Yes, you can."

"You're mad!"

"You *must*." His eyes seemed to bore right into her.

"Why?" she demanded.

"Because no one else can."

Edith looked and looked but could find nothing but sincerity in his
eyes. "This is why you've been having the dreams, because the last
Slayer died in France two weeks ago and you are the next. The one girl
in all the world who can battle the forces of darkness and _win_."

Without warning he raised one hand, as if to strike her across the
face....

...and with an even faster reflex motion of her arm she stopped it.

Immediately cradling that forearm in the other hand, she stared at him
wide eyed. "That _hurt_!" And it had. That had been no feint. Angelus
had swung hard, obviously intending to really strike her.

"But you stopped it." And that was also true. She would swear that she
hadn't even had time to see him move... and yet she'd stopped it
without effort.... But it was still madness, no?

Edith looked again after Billy. What was keeping him? With relief she
heard his voice again, coming closer.

"You can't tell him, Edith." She started visibly. "Billy. You can't
tell him or tomorrow morning you may find him laid out on the ground
just like Catherine."

She looked at him in utter horror as Billy and Drusilla came nearer.
"Not a word, Edith," he repeated with no trace of humor in his face.
"*Please*. I promise, you'll regret it if you do."

And she had no time to respond.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Comments, flames, praise, and chocolate always appreciated!
Dianne la Mercenaire...   -*-   <[e-mail]>
}:o * Merc Forever * HorseChick of the Apocalypse* SunS List Mom

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Dianne la Mercenaire" <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: "A Truth Worse Than Lies" -- 5/12
Date: 17 Jan 1998 13:23:54 -5000

"A Truth Worse Than Lies" -- 5/12
   by Dianne T. DeSha (a.k.a. la Mercenaire)
      <[e-mail]>


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Late that night when every shutter was closed and every honest man
sound abed, Edith rose, dressed herself in her warmest dress and
cloak, and crept downstairs to meet him. As he took her arm and guided
her quickly into the unknown darkness her shivering was not from the
cold.

"Catherine was buried today?" The soft whisper almost in her ear made
her start.

"Yes, of course. At St. John's, just down the way." She pointed and
felt him alter course slightly to follow. "Why?"

"Tonight you must begin your training." Edith felt a piece of wood
pressed into her hand as they walked. Raising it slightly before her
in the low moonlight, she could see that it was a rough-hewn stake.

Arriving at the churchyard, he steered her towards the new grave, only
slacking pace as they came within view of it. With a gallant sweep he
dusted off and offered her a seat on one of the older tombstones, but
she refused it with a shudder, preferring to face the darkness on her
feet. With a shrug he seated himself instead and settled in as if to
wait.

"Why are we here? What are we doing?" Edith demanded, fear giving
strength to her irritation.

"You are the Slayer. You are the only one who can stop the
vampires."

"Like the one who killed Catherine?" she asked, only the slightest
quaver in her voice.

"Yes, like that one," he responded softly, his face hidden by shadow.

"But should we not warn people?" she demanded, beginning to pace up
and down, "Should we not tell them to allow no stranger in their house
after nightfall? To stay within in safety?" She was becoming more
agitated as she paced, punctuating her words with unconscious motions
of the stake.

Gingerly Angelus caught at her arm and deliberately took back the
stake, causing a slight blush to rise in her face. "We would do
nothing but panic them to tell them of this. Staying within is no
guarantee of safety-- think on Catherine. Was she like to wander
abroad in her shift at night?"

"No, no, of course not!" Edith insisted, confusion evident on her
face. "She... she must have been charmed into opening the door...."

Angelus laughed aloud at that, a sound eerily out of place in the
darkened graveyard. "Charmed? Was she blind _and_ stupid then?"
Meeting Edith's shocked gaze he calmed himself quickly. "Edith," he
continued in a serious tone. "The first thing you must learn as a
Slayer is to know your enemy. Much of what you have heard whispered by
frightened people in the dark is nonsense." He laid one hand
protectively on her arm and smiled reassuringly at her. "That is why I
am here. After all, how can you fight what you don't understand?"

She hesitated for a full minute in silence, then laid her hand over
his. "And you will be with me?"

"Always," he promised. "Always."

Edith managed a weak smile in response and settled next to him on the
tombstone. "So they have no power to charm?"

Angelus reached one arm around her and settled her in against him.
"Once you have seen one, you will understand. Even creatures of the
Devil do not have such power as to hide their true natures. They are
demons, and have the manners and faces of demons. You would have to be
mad to be charmed by these beasts."

"And they've no need of invitation?"

"No. That much power Satan has given them-- that they may walk
where they will. That is why there must be a Slayer, that they not
stand unopposed."

Edith sat silent for a few moments, trying to order her thoughts. But
even with Angelus there at her side, the silence soon became
overwhelming. "So," she smiled at him, "If I am to know the demons by
their faces, am I to know the angels as well?"

Before he could answer the ground at their feet exploded.

Edith tried to scream, but could find no voice. She felt a jolt from
behind and found herself stumbling forward, off-balance, toward the
ghastly figure in white that was struggling upwards from the earth.
She recognized the figure in the dirt-covered shift as Catherine-- it
was her form, her hair. But the _face_....

Belatedly Edith found the power to scream. At the same instant she
felt Angelus at her back, blocking her retreat, forcing the stake once
again into her hand and ordering into her ear, "Stake her. Anywhere!
Just stake her quickly!"

Instinctively following the command, Edith swung at the staggering,
monstrous corpse of her friend, slashing at the flailing arms that
reached vaguely for her and finally managing to drive the stake hard
through the center of its chest.

But still it kept coming. Growling and screeching like the unearthly
demon it was, yet twisting and crying out like the young woman she'd
known, Edith watched it take the death blow... and continue its
stumbling, uncoordinated advance.

"Again!" Angelus shouted, "You must do it again!"

A strength she couldn't explain rose within Edith then, giving her the
power to reach forward and pull the stake free of Catherine's corpse.
With the same strength of will she ignored the blood pouring from the
wound, ignored the shrieks of pain and rage the monster made, and
plunged the stake in again... and again... and ag....

And with a sudden puff of ash in the moonlight, it was gone.

Edith stood for a moment, staring stupidly at the empty space before
her... before collapsing in on herself like a rag doll.

Angelus caught her before she hit the ground and held her. She clung
to him, shaking like one fevered, wracked with uncontrollable sobs. He
stroked her hair gently for long moments as she struggled to regain
her composure.

Finally she was still, arms wrapped tight about him, her words just a
breath in his ear. "I can't do it, Angelus, I can't. Find someone
else."

Still holding her he pulled away far enough to see her face. "But you
did it, Edith. And there is no one else who can."

Placing a kiss on her forehead he turned and started back, letting her
lean heavily upon his shoulder as he walked her back to her door.

~~~~~~~~~

She sat awake for hours after he left, wrapped once again in her
blanket. Sitting on the bed with her back against the wall and her
knees drawn up tight against her, she stared unseeing and unfocused at
the shutters that were all that stood between her body and the horrors
of the night her mind could not escape.

She was still there when the cry was raised just before dawn.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Comments, flames, praise, and chocolate always appreciated!
Dianne la Mercenaire...   -*-   <[e-mail]>
}:o * Merc Forever * HorseChick of the Apocalypse* SunS List Mom

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Dianne la Mercenaire" <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: "A Truth Worse Than Lies" -- 6/12
Date: 17 Jan 1998 13:24:34 -5000

"A Truth Worse Than Lies" -- 6/12
   by Dianne T. DeSha (a.k.a. la Mercenaire)
      <[e-mail]>


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Drusilla's friend little Paul was the last child of the bakers who
lived next door. Fully ten years younger than his siblings, he had
always been his aging mother's pride and joy.

So when his mother found his tiny, bloody little corpse just a few
steps from the back door her screams woke most of the neighborhood.

~~~~~~~~~

Edith spent most of the day at Beth's house, holding Drusilla close
and singing her own mother's songs over and over to the child. Billy
stopped by several times to see her, becoming more and more worried.
True it was a tragedy, a horror. But none of that explained how
exhausted Edith looked, nor why the child's death had caused her to
withdraw into herself so. It was hard even to tell how much of little
Drusilla's fearful expression reflected the understanding that her
playmate would not return, and how much was a reaction to Edith's
shaking hands and voice.

After speaking with an equally worried Beth, Billy was finally forced
to attribute her behavior to concern for Dru-- after all, she doted on
that child so. But Beth had no intention of letting Dru out of the
house where a mad stray could attack her, and she had nothing that a
bloody-minded villain like the one who had attacked Catherine two
nights before could want. For all some of the older people were
starting to mutter nonsense about demons, the child was as safe as any
in this world, and, after some effort, he and Beth finally convinced
Edith to return home and to bed.

~~~~~~~~~

She was still desperately asleep when Angelus appeared at her
window that night.

So drugged with sleep was she that she had opened the window to
him before she was even consciously awake. But one look at the long
sliver of wood in his hand and she rebelled. "No! No, Angelus! Not a
child! Not little Paul! I *can't*!"

With a scowl he hissed at her, "Hush, you fool! Do you want the
entire neighborhood to wake?" Pausing for a breath he regained a bit
of his calm demeanor. "Do you want the demon to hear our plans?"

"Then come in from the bloody window and close the shutters!" she
snapped back, unable to recapture her usual demure composure.

Startled slightly for a moment by her show of temper, Angelus then
smiled and proceeded to follow her command. "That's the spirit you
need, Edith. *That's* the resolve of a Slayer!'

~~~~~~~~~

Edith managed it quickly and with as little conscious thought as
possible. The feelings of inner strength and courage that had
surprised her over the last few days were accompanied by such a
crushing feeling of coldness, of disconnection-- as though she were
not even within her own body when these things happened to her... when
she forced herself to do these terrible things.

It was at her insistence that they dug up Paul's tiny coffin, catching
the demon within him still unawakened. Edith paused, arm upraised, to
look at the little corpse. Even with the horrible wound in his throat
and the waxy pallor robbing his face of any appearance of life....
Still.... She looked at the stake in her hand, so very _big_ in
contrast to the childish chest below it....

And then the eyes opened. The face deformed, and her impulse to
strike was pure reflex.

Mercifully the first blow tore such a hole, it only took one strike to
shatter the horror into dust.

Edith did not cry this time, did not collapse. Much to her own
detached surprise, she merely gathered her cloak from where Angelus
had laid it over a tombstone for her earlier and turned back towards
home without a word.

"Edith, wait!"

With the same lack of concern she turned to wait for Angelus. Before
he could speak, she found herself speaking aloud, in an almost
dreamlike voice: "Drusilla."

"Pardon?" Angelus looked confused.

"Drusilla played with him from the day they could both walk by
themselves, you know." She smiled faintly at the memory. "Before they
had nine years between them he had already asked little Dru to wed him
at church door someday." She gave a weak little laugh. "In answer, she
pushed him so hard he landed on his bum in the gutter...."

"Edith...," Angelus pulled the cloak closed about her and sat her on
the broken edge of a crypt.

She allowed him to, indifferent, as she kept up her monologue, "Did
you ever dream of the children you would someday have, Angelus?
Holding them, singing to them, laying them safely in their bed at
night?"

"Edith, don't."

But she gave no indication of having heard him. "I have. I've dreamed
of singing my mother's songs to them as I do for Drusilla." The wan
smile returned and her eyes became even more distant. "It's as though
I can see them already. And they're like her-- pure and innocent and
untouched by the world. Like little Dru."

"Edith...."

"Don't you think Drusilla is a beautiful name...?"

"The real Drusilla was a mad Roman empress who fell on her back
for every man in the palace, including her own brother, Caligula!"

Within a heartbeat Angelus was on his own back on the ground,
looking up at a horrified, yet very much aware Slayer looming over
him. "That is _terrible_! What could even make you say such a thing?"

Dusting himself off, Angelus rose warily. "It's true, Edith." She
shook her head in repulsed denial. "It's one of those things I learned
from the monks. The Romans were all mad-- worse than old King George."

He reached out quickly and caught her hands in his before she could
pull away. "Edith, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said such a thing." He
appealed with sorrowful eyes. "Forgive me? It's still a beautiful
name."

She finally pulled away from him, but slowly. "I want to go home now."

He walked her home, but before they reached her door he stopped her in
the street and pressed yet another stake into her hand. "Keep this
with you night and day, Edith."

"Day?" she repeated in confusion.

Angelus pulled her to the darker shadow cast by a shopfront and
dropped his voice even lower. "Vampires are creatures of the night,
Edith, but they are not bound by it. They are free to walk abroad by
day as well, as long as they take care to keep to the shadows."

"But vampires are burned by the sun...!"

"No, Edith. They are merely inconvenienced by it. By day it is harder
to hide their ferocious faces and horrible deeds." He shook his head
sadly. "But you cannot count on the daylight to save you. Keep this
with you always."

This time when he pressed the stake into her hand, her fingers curled
around it.

But a bare moment later she was shaking her head and trying to hand it
back, as though the danger it was meant to defeat could be as easily
pushed away. "No, I cannot do this night _and_ day." She took a step
backwards. "Soon Billy and I will be married. We'll have children and
neighbors and... I _can't_!"

Angelus' face reflected what looked like genuine pity. "Edith, you
have no choice."

"But...."

"That is precisely why the Slayer does not have a family, does not
have children. She has-- *you* have-- a greater responsibility. Only
you can defeat these creatures. And if something were to distract you,
pull you away from the path you were meant to walk, all of mankind
would be doomed."

"No!"

"Edith, you _can't_ marry Billy...."

"But if I could only explain to him...."

"Not unless you want to see his throat torn out before your eyes!"
Edith fell back, wide-eyed, before the fury in his tone. With a
visible effort, Angelus regained his composure. "You don't understand,
Edith. They can read the very thoughts in your head."

He paused for a moment to watch that thought settle in her mind, in
her stricken expression. "You have thwarted this one twice within a
handful of nights. It will be angry. It will want to hurt you, kill
you. And if you are too well-protected, it will go after those you
love."

He took her chin in his hand and spoke reassuringly, "Go to sleep.
Keep the stake with you always and do not think on them-- your mother,
Billy, Drusilla-- none of them." He smiled encouragingly in response
to her stupefied expression. "Think not on them for a few days and
they will be safe, I promise."

And with a swift kiss to her forehead he was gone.

~~~~~~~~~

Wrapped in her blanket Edith sat up by the window this time,
determined not to sleep and to enlist the aid of the ice-cold air
outside if necessary to keep herself alert and in control of her
thoughts.

Ruthlessly she forced those thoughts, time and again, _away_ from....
No.

_To_ her new duty as the Slayer, cursed to fight these creatures
forever, at the price of the family she had always wanted. The family
she had planned with Billy....

No.

_To_ the horrors of this past night, driving the stake brutally
through the chest of a child. No, a _demon_ in the form of a child,
who'd burst into shapeless dust-- along with her dreams of a future,
of a child like him, like Drusilla....

No!

In another moment she caught herself deliberately thinking of
Angelus in pure anger. That realization frightened her so that she was
able to manage several whole moments of detached mental calm....

But within the space of a score of minutes her exhausted body had
failed her and she lay slumped, head against the shutters, lost in
restless dreams....


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Comments, flames, praise, and chocolate always appreciated!
Dianne la Mercenaire...   -*-   <[e-mail]>
}:o * Merc Forever * HorseChick of the Apocalypse* SunS List Mom

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Dianne la Mercenaire" <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: "A Truth Worse Than Lies" -- 7/12
Date: 17 Jan 1998 13:30:11 -5000

"A Truth Worse Than Lies" -- 7/12
   by Dianne T. DeSha (a.k.a. la Mercenaire)
      <[e-mail]>


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning Edith woke with a small cut on her cheek from
where the stake, still clutched in her hand, had pressed against her
face. The blanket about her was twisted so tight from her restive
night that she had awoken from dreams of being buried alive. She
wasn't sure what had interrupted her slumber, but it was already late
morning and she felt none the more rested for her sleep.

It was as she stumbled her way to her feet and began to recall the
night before that she realized with a shock of horror that she'd
dreamed-- nightmares of fact and myth, blood and death, and.... She'd
dreamed of them. _All_ of them.

Gasping out a shuddering, choked sound she lunged to her feet,
twisting herself free of the cloak she was wrapped in. She had to find
them, warn them, protect them....

But there were no new cries of grief or horror to be heard. Her mother
greeted her with a smile and assured her that no new horrors had been
visited upon any in the night.

Yet somehow, Edith couldn't stop shivering.

Billy stopped by on his way to work, fretting over her pale cheeks and
shadowed eyes, but she managed to reassure him and send him on his way
quickly.

Too quickly, perhaps, to judge by the last look he gave her. A weary
sigh escaped her. She hadn't meant to hurt his feelings, but merely
having him around now made her fear for his safety. Angelus'
revelation of the night before still shook her badly-- she had thought
daylight would protect her from the red-rimmed eyes and terrible grasp
of demons. Now she knew it would not.

In how much else was she confused? She still could hear Angelus'
warning from that first night in the churchyard: "How can you fight
what you don't understand?" He was right. As much as she wanted to
bury all of her terrible new knowledge away, she knew that it would
rise again to attack her, as had little Paul....

She shuddered as she reached for her cloak and walked out to the
garden, the stake grasped tightly in her hand. This demon had created
a monster out of a little child, what else was it capable of? The only
way to protect those she loved was to become this Slayer that Angelus
spoke of, always on the alert for danger, striking instantly to
protect....

The puppy's growl made her look up, and the sight before her drained
all thoughts from her mind. Anne stood at the gate huddled close to
Dru, her mouth and fingers sticky and red with blood, reaching out....

"*NO*!" The sound echoed in her ears as Edith found herself bearing
down upon the children at full speed, stake clutched in her upraised
hand.

The sound of Drusilla's piercing scream and the look of utter terror
on Anne's upraised face brought Edith back to her senses just before
she could drive the point of the stake into little Anne's chest.
Stunned at her own actions, Edith watched paralyzed as the puppy ran
to fetch the half-eaten pomegranate the girls had let fall. Dazed, she
watched the red fruit roll like a child's ball along the paving stones
as she sank to the ground.

Pomegranate juice. Sticky and red and not blood. Not demons.
*Children....*

When the full realization of what she had almost done hit her, Edith
was unable to think at all.

When she regained her senses she was sitting in a heap upon the
ground, propped up only by the fencepost. Anne was crying loudly and
Dru was silent, staring at her with the widest eyes Edith had ever
seen, her pale skin so white she looked like the very life had run out
of her.

Then people were all around-- her mother, little Paul's mother, Beth,
the housekeeper Anne's father hired, strangers from the street-- all
gathered around in a milling, dizzying confusion. As from a great
distance she felt her mother's hand on her arm, on her forehead. She
heard Anne sobbing out the story through her tears, all the way back
to the pomegranate Dru had been given by her Uncle Billy's friend the
evening before, the one she'd saved all night to share with Dru this
morning....

For her part, Edith could not stop shaking. Nor could she make a sound
in her own defense.... What defense? She'd almost killed an innocent
child because she had thought it a hell-born demon. What defense could
there be for such a thing?

Those assembled seemed of a like mind. The muttered whispers and
sidelong glances said as much. Even Beth looked at her askance, then
would not meet her eye.

"Dru." The word finally managed to pass her lips as she realized that
she had heard nothing from her little 'niece'. Trying to peer amongst
the forest of legs that separated them she could see nothing. An
overwhelming fear dragged her to her feet.

She was there, in Beth's arms, being carried to safety, away from her
mad 'aunt'. Her face was so still and pale.

Finally the crowd dispersed. Anne was taken swiftly back to her
house, her tears slowly subsiding, and her father was sent for. The
adults moved away to rejoin their usual lives, muttering and casting
sideways glances back at her. Looking at them Edith saw revulsion in
the few pairs of eyes that would meet hers, and wordlessly she
stumbled back into the house on her mother's arm.

~~~~~~~~~

Just after dusk Billy brought word that little Dru was gone.

Apparently she'd run away. Weeping, Beth told those who gathered at
the house that the child had not recovered from the morning's terror.
First little Paul, now this; she had been withdrawn and silent all
day. Beth had tried to get her to eat, but she would not. Finally,
Drusilla had simply vanished from the back porch as night fell.

Little Anne had no idea where her playmate might have gone, vowing
that they had always stayed close in the neighborhood. Given the
recent deaths of little Paul and Catherine, no one was willing to just
hope Drusilla would calm down and find her own way home by dawn. Billy
gathered a few of the young men (although Angelus was nowhere to be
found) and joined the small group of parents that had gathered to
search. Little Anne was left behind over her protests, but her puppy
tagged along. As Billy pointed out to one of the mocking older men, it
might be too young to be of much use, but it had at least known the
child well.

Edith insisted on joining the search party, ignoring the raised
eyebrows it caused.

They asked through the streets, finding a vague trail of people who
had noticed the child's pale, frightened expression, but there was
little consensus. Some said she had seemed to be following someone
through the crowds, but others swore she was alone. Still others
admitted that, in the busy streets and shifting shadows of evening,
they could not have been sure.

The trail, such as it was, led finally all the way to Hyde Park, a
giant expanse of green in the middle of the city, with trees, ponds,
and countless places for a child to become lost. Or worse. And, as
night fell, black as death itself.

Nonetheless they wandered the park for almost an hour, stumbling by
the light of lanterns and calling her name. Despite Billy's concern
for her health and safety, Edith refused to return home, her own guilt
driving her on well past her normal endurance.

Had she not scared the children so badly this morning, Dru never would
have run away. Had she accepted her calling earlier, had she worked
harder with Angelus, she might have already found and destroyed the
vampire who was causing such destruction. Had she not been who she
was, all who came in contact with her-- even this child she loved as
if she were blood-- might not be in mortal danger.

Billy was careful to keep close to her as they searched, but every so
often in the growing darkness they were parted by a stand of trees or
the edge of a pond.

Thus Edith was alone when she found Drusilla.

The edge of the circle of light cast by her lantern on the ground
barely brushed the child's ankle, but with the slightest motion of her
wrist Edith covered the child with light. The shock of finding what
she'd searched for for so long froze her in place long enough to take
in the limp way the little body slumped against a tree, the unnatural
way the head lolled back.

The torn flesh and cold, congealed blood at her throat.

The scream that came from Edith's own throat had no words; no
words could possibly convey such suffering and desolation of the
heart. The lantern fell from her numb fingers and she stumbled blindly
back along the path she'd taken, uncaring of the roots that tripped
her and the stones that turned under her feet, until she collapsed in
Billy's arms.

As the others gathered around, drawn by the sound, she managed to sob
out what she had seen. Leaning heavily on Billy and trying not to hear
Beth's wailing cries, she managed to lead the group back to the body.

But it was gone.

Lying against the tree, near her own abandoned lantern, lay a torn and
bloodied corpse indeed. But the victim death had found there was not a
human child. Anne's puppy lay in the clearing, small head against the
tree and throat viciously torn out, the blood still dripping slowly
from its neck.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Comments, flames, praise, and chocolate always appreciated!
Dianne la Mercenaire...   -*-   <[e-mail]>
}:o * Merc Forever * HorseChick of the Apocalypse* SunS List Mom

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Dianne la Mercenaire" <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: "A Truth Worse Than Lies" -- 8/12
Date: 17 Jan 1998 13:31:00 -5000

"A Truth Worse Than Lies" -- 8/12
   by Dianne T. DeSha (a.k.a. la Mercenaire)
      <[e-mail]>


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Curfew was by that time fast descending, and it was long past time to
leave the darkened streets to the villains-- human and demon-- that
haunted them after nightfall. Reluctantly the search was called off
until dawn. Billy carried Edith most of the way to her home, trying to
shield her with his arms from the mistrustful stares, the uneasy
sidelong glances of the others who muttered that her own guilt had
unhinged her mind.

And he wondered if they were right.

That night Edith slept the deep and dreamless sleep of utter collapse,
her mother sharing the bed and Billy sleeping upright in a chair
across the room. With first light he was gone to resume the search,
but Edith continued to sleep until a commotion in the street below
brought her awake.

When she met her mother coming up the stairs, Edith could see the
tears in her eyes.

~~~~~~~~~

When Billy arrived at Uncle Edward's house to find Edith covered in
blood, for a moment he felt a deathly fear that, in her grief, she had
done herself harm. Thus he actually felt a sort of sick relief when he
realized that the gore came not from her, but from the twisted body of
the child in her arms.

     "Hasten, hasten, run and tell,
      The new spring foal is lost in the dell...."

His heart broke to see her like this, cradling Anne's small body, eyes
closed to hold back the vision of violent death. Rocking back and
forth, singing softly....

The decently covered forms of Uncle Edward and the housekeeper
lay silent in the corner, but the neighbors could do nothing for Anne.
Even Edith's mother had thrown up her hands, unable to wrest the
child's body from her own daughter's surprisingly strong grip.

Billy walked forward hesitantly, unsure how to approach her. She had
been so withdrawn, so haggard recently-- disinclined to talk to him.
The last he'd seen her she was almost mad with grief and worry over
Drusilla's disappearance. She had nearly attacked the children the
morning before. He had worried she might have been struck by some sort
of brain fever, but this...?

Reaching her he laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, only to wince as
she flinched away. "Edith? Love, they have to take her now."

Edith responded with a horrible, heartrending whimper that made him
think of the mewl of an injured kitten.

Instantly he found himself at her side, arms wrapped tight around both
her and her burden. "Princess, I'm sorry. I'm *so* sorry."

Tears began to run down her cheeks then, falling unheeded on bloody
clothes and cold, torn, bloody flesh. And Billy held her, rocked her
in his arms, as one of the neighbor women took little Anne away.

~~~~~~~~~

For the rest of the day Edith sat in the garden, stone-still and
wrapped like an invalid in an afghan that seemed to dwarf her. Her
mother offered her food, which sat beside her uneaten, and comfort,
which fell on deaf ears. Meanwhile the rumors and speculation spread.

No one had come up with a sane, natural explanation for the deaths of
her Uncle's family. With nothing to counter them, speculations about
demons and monsters of every description were spreading wildly. Almost
as well speculated upon was Edith Shepherd's role in the recent
tragedies. After all, the victims were all people known to her, and
she had acted as one possessed after the Taylor child's death-- a
story that had no doubt already grown with each telling.

The kinder gossips argued that she was merely cursed, or haunted-- a
victim as much as any of the others. But more vocal members of the
community suggested, sometimes quite strongly, that she must have
consorted with demons, willfully bringing down this horror on them
all.

Or even that she was a demon herself.

The search continued, half-heartedly, into the early evening, but few
held out hope any longer. Drusilla's parents were inconsolable; while
Edith simply sat, her vacant eyes staring out at nothing.

When Angelus called just after dusk, Edith's mother had already
brought her inside and put her to bed like a sick child.  Hearing him
at the door, Edith simply feigned exhausted sleep until he left.

She utterly refused to think what he had wanted of her.

~~~~~~~~~

It was well after nightfall when the cry was raised.

Only at her mother's excited call did Edith reluctantly rise from the
bed, wrap herself in a shawl, and make her way to the front door. The
sight that met her eyes felt as though it had stopped her heart
completely.

Dru. Wrapped in her father's arms. Alive. Whole.

Stumbling forward with a moan, Edith reached out to touch the
child's cheek as the crowd passed, but she was pushed aside. She
didn't care; never had she thought to find such ecstasy in being
proved mad after all.

Standing in the street in bare feet and her shift, shawl trailing
behind her and all modesty forgotten, Edith watched wide-eyed and
dazed with joy as people came up, offered their prayers and
congratulations, and joined in the triumphant procession to the Taylor
house.

Then little Drusilla's eyes met hers over her father's shoulder as
they all disappeared into the gloom. It was just for the space of a
breath and no more before the darkness took them all, but it was
enough to make Edith's heart clutch in her chest. She felt as though
she'd been struck, drenched in cold water; every nerve in her body
burned in sudden pain.

And then it was gone. She tried to shake it off, the lasting urge to
go after them, to scream, to warn... to hold her, to touch her warm
face, hear her breath... to fight, to kill, to destr....

When Billy came up behind her she nearly struck him down out of
pure reflex. Catching herself only at the last second, she stood
there, shaking uncontrollably, until he scooped her up and carried her
inside.

As though from a distance she heard her mother's murmured
reassurances as she was put back to bed-- She is chilled but not
harmed, even after all this time. It's a miracle, Edith!-- and she
made herself believe it. She fought down her own bizarre reaction,
forced herself to ignore it. After all she would have sworn before God
himself that she had seen the child dead in the park the night before.
Obviously-- Praise Heaven!-- her own senses could not be trusted.

With a rush she tried to sit up; she *had* to see Dru. The certainty
burned inside her like the cold night air through her lungs. She must
go now, she must be sure....

Both Billy and her mother had to hold her until she calmed, and she
finally only quieted when her mother reminded her how much she would
disturb the child in her current state. There would be plenty of time
tomorrow, she murmured. Plenty of time....

The sudden slam of a window shutter woke Edith up in the dead of
night, her pulse racing and every sense alert as it had not been since
this living nightmare began. She climbed quietly out of bed, careful
not to disturb her mother, and was reaching silently past Billy for
her cloak before she even realized what she was doing. And even then
she didn't stop.

All she needed was to be sure. She had to see for herself, or she
would know no peace at all. She need not even enter the house....

She was halfway to Beth's house before the cold in her feet told her
she had forgotten even slippers in her hurry to leave. She dismissed
the thought, hurrying on, unable to even begin to explain the sudden
dread in her soul.

The lamps were lit at Beth's house, still. Given the horrors the
family had been through, she could not blame them. It would be easy to
simply peer through the glass....

She noticed the streaks upon the glass first, the thin trails of
blood on the inside, as though left by small fingers.... With a
strength she didn't even question Edith had wrenched open the door,
and stopped short at the sight of Dru before her, blood spattered on
her little hands and across her small white shift.

Drusilla was standing there alone in the front room, amidst over-
turned furniture and wide smears of blood upon the floor, obviously in
shock, her eyes wide and horrified.

"Aunt Edith!" She cried desperately as the spell seemed to break and
she rushed forward into the young woman's arms. Instinctively, Edith
reached down for the child, swinging her up and crushing her
protectively against her chest as she looked for signs of Beth or her
husband. "Aunt Edith! Monster....," any further words were lost as the
girl buried her face in Edith's hair, her young body wracked with
sobs.

She didn't dare set the child down again. Clutching her tighter with
one arm, Edith stooped down long enough to break a leg off the nearest
chair with the other hand. Then she moved towards the back kitchen.

One look was enough to tell her it was too late. The blood spattered
everywhere obviously came from the gaping wounds across Beth and Tom's
throats. Their bodies lay like limp and broken dolls in the midst of
broken dishes and upset stools. They had obviously put up the best
fight they could.

Stepping backwards quickly, so as to spare Drusilla the sight of her
parents' end, she thanked God that at least the child had somehow been
saved. How in all this destruction she had managed....

The pain at her neck was so unexpected that it took a second to
register. But before she could be sure what she was feeling, Edith had
already pulled the child away and thrown her to the floor-- a reflex
action that would have horrified her, had not the sight of little
Drusilla's _face_ horrified her more.

No.

Drusilla was alive. Spared by some miracle from God. She was _not_
this tiny monster-faced demon. Not this horrible caricature of the
child Edith so loved.

Not a beast who could have torn her own parents' throats out.

"Aunt Edith?" The demon child before her lisped through bloodied
fangs, the confusion in her voice obvious, even through the unholy
mask she now wore. "Aunt Edith?"

Edith felt her heart breaking, _felt_ the fragile tissue rip in a
searing pain that threatened to overwhelm her completely.

And as Drusilla ran forward again, arms outstretched, Edith embraced
her hard one last time-- with a loving arm... and a stake that
transformed her tiny body into a burst of ash.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Comments, flames, praise, and chocolate always appreciated!
Dianne la Mercenaire...   -*-   <[e-mail]>
}:o * Merc Forever * HorseChick of the Apocalypse* SunS List Mom

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Dianne la Mercenaire" <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: "A Truth Worse Than Lies" -- 9/12
Date: 17 Jan 1998 13:31:46 -5000

"A Truth Worse Than Lies" -- 9/12
   by Dianne T. DeSha (a.k.a. la Mercenaire)
      <[e-mail]>


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

With the coldness that had overtaken her when she felt her heart's
blood drain away, Edith broke off strong slivers of wood for Beth and
her husband as well. But even after many, many attempts there was no
ash, only more cold, congealed blood and torn flesh. Finally she left
them as they were, no longer caring, and stumbled back to her house.

When Billy met her at the door, Edith threw her arms around his neck
and sobbed openly, pressed tight against him, for nearly an hour.

~~~~~~~~~

In the silence that followed he continued to hold her tight, mumbling
phrases of love in her ear. Suddenly, as though in response to
something he had said, she pulled away.

"Marry me, Billy."

Her manner was wild and her face haunted, nonetheless a smile of
relief lit his face at this sign of hope, of life from her. In his
arms, at least, she would be safe from these demons who haunted her
nights, from wandering the streets in her shift at all hours,
unconscious. "You know I will, love. We'll put it off another week or
so, let you recover your strength...."

"No, Billy. Marry me _now_."

He stared at her, startled as much by the intensity in her gaze as by
the request. "But, Princess! It's the middle of the night. And we've
already planned...."

She laid the fingers of one hand lightly over his mouth and looked
soul-deep into his eyes. "Am I still your Princess?"

"Always, love. Always." He met her gaze, catching some of her
urgency, without understanding it.

She smiled the smile that always made his heart feel like it was going
to swell out of his chest. "Then marry me _now_, Billy."

He ducked his head slightly to look into her eyes. "Do you feel all
right?"

The adoring smile slowly lit her too-pale face. "I do now, Billy."

"And you're sure this is what you want, love?"

The smile deepened and she pulled him forward the slightest bit until
their lips met. "I love you, Billy. I _need_ you."

He carefully tucked a stray strand of her hair back into place, a grin
like the sun on his face. "Whatever makes you happy, Princess."

She rested her forehead against his. "_You_ make me happy, Billy."
Then she straightened up and took a deep, steadying breath. Edith knew
she had to tell him. She had to tell Billy what had been happening,
the destiny that had been thrown upon her, the terrible nights she had
spent with....

Like a vision conjured from her own thoughts, Angelus appeared
from the shadows by the foot of the stairs.

She gasped in shock and sudden fear, their eyes meeting for an instant
over Billy's shoulder. Then he was gone. She shuddered and turned away
as Billy looked about, confused.

"You _must not_ tell him," the words hissed in her ear as she felt a
cold shiver run down the back of her neck. "Trust me: If you speak a
word out of turn, he will die as well." She could hear the words as
clearly as when Angelus had spoken them... when he had.... She
suddenly couldn't remember when she'd actually heard them, and she
started as a shutter slammed again in the rising wind.

"Princess, are you all right?" Billy's worried tone grounded her,
bringing her back to her senses. "You've gone all pale. You're still
too weak...."

"No," she said, her eyes locked with his. And even she wasn't sure
exactly what she meant by it at that moment. "_No._"

Billy, uncertain, but solicitous of her wishes, accepted it as an
answer to his own question. "All right then, love. Let's go."

"No, Billy, I need to talk to you."

"What?"

"Now, Billy." She insisted. "There's something I must tell you before
we're wed."

He looked at her, loving and confused and just slightly worried, and
nodded. "All right, Princess." He brushed the side of her face with a
finger. "Talk to me, love."

Edith felt the horrible shiver run down her spine again. "Not here.
Alone. Outside. In the garden."

He sighed, so obviously trying to hide his growing frustration for her
sake, "All right then, but first let's wake your mother so she won't
find us gone and worry."

She followed him docilely up the stairs, only just beginning to
wonder on why they'd heard nothing from her at all through all this
when....

Edith watched Billy drop to her mother's side, trying to sit her up,
to listen for her breath. But no, there was no use... Edith could see
that at once. She had already been dead long enough for the blood that
had poured from her throat to have seeped down into the cracks in the
floor, for the stains on her shift to have begun to dry....

She told him then. Sitting there on her bedroom floor, next to the
cool lifeless body of the woman who had birthed and raised her, Edith
told him everything. Calmly and with great precision, she told him the
entire tale.

To her amazement he didn't interrupt or contradict or try to drag her
straight to Bedlam. He just silently held her, tighter and tighter as
her voice began to break, until by the end she thought he might crush
her with his love.

Only what seemed like a long, long time later, once she had finally
managed to cry herself out once again, did he let go of her. The eyes
she found looking into hers from only inches away were full of pain
and fury and danger-- but not for her.

"I'm going to get the priest, love."

She started to object, but he stopped her with one finger to her lips.
"I'm going to get the priest for your mother here, and to keep the
demons away. And if you still want, he can marry us here as well,
Princess." The utter determination gave his normally sweet eyes almost
a wild look. "Nothing is going to keep us apart, princess. Not demons,
not curses, not death. *Nothing*." He took a deep breath to steady
himself, fighting the growing rage he could not hide. "And certainly
not bloody _Angelus_! If I find him...."

"No! Billy, don't...."

"Love...!"

"Please, Billy? Don't leave me." She watched his resolve melt before
her pleading eyes.

He sighed deeply. "All right, love. I won't. But I'm still going to
get the priest now." He shook his head slightly to forestall her
objection. "I'll only be a moment, and then I'll never leave you
again."

"Never, Billy?"

"*Never*, Princess. I promise." And with a quick kiss he was gone.

~~~~~~~~~

Edith sat there for... she wasn't sure. One moment it seemed no more
than the space from one heartbeat to the next, and the next she knew
that she had been sitting so since the birth of Eve and would still be
sitting there when Judgment Day rained down upon them all.

The warnings of Angelus whispered once again through her mind, but she
forced her thoughts away. She would _not_ think of him. Billy and she
would be wed this night and her life would once more be what she knew,
what she had always dreamed of. And the sound of his voice in her head
would go away. The demons were dead, all of them. Even the one who
wore the shape of her dearest Drusilla. They were gone. The horror was
past. _Past_.

And she was _not_ responsible. It was _not_ her fault. She had not
asked for this destiny and these deaths were _not_ upon her head.
Billy was here for her. He would hold her and protect her. And the
misfortune and suffering that seemed to follow Angelus with the
tenacity of a starving wolf could never, ever touch her again.

With a sudden start she realized that she was cold, shivering.
Wrapping her cloak around herself, she stumbled to her feet. Where was
Billy? How long had he been gone?

As she gazed once more upon her mother's face the simple truth
slowly, slowly dawned upon her battered mind. Through all her
confusion, her emotions, her exhaustion, her willful denial came the
memories: Of casting the child demon easily from her, of the violent
destruction throughout Beth's household, of the others-- Catherine,
Little Paul, Anne, Uncle Edward and the housekeeper, Drusilla herself.
Her mother before her.

It wasn't over. The one who had started this all, the one who had
killed them all, the one whose shadow she had never so much as
glimpsed, was still out there. Out there with....

She was already down the stairs before her mind finished making the
connection. Dragging open a front door that suddenly seemed to be made
of heaviest oak, she stepped out and....

No.

_No_. Not Billy. *No*.

The night was shattered by the horrible, mind-rending sound of a woman
screaming... screaming.... A horrible sound that stopped only when she
herself gasped for breath.

She was holding the crumpled form in her arms, trying to close the
pale, torn flesh of his throat with her hand, refusing to see the
cold, fixed stare of those beloved brown eyes.

The sound of running feet and horrified exclamations made her look up
in time to see the priest, robes flying and bulk shifting uneasily to
such speed, making his way across the street towards her.

Struggling to her feet she tried to reach out to him, her hands and
shift covered in blood.... Only to have him stop short and draw back.
Looking at her with undisguised horror through the dim light he
crossed himself and pleaded with her in a loud, shaking voice. "My
child! What have you done?"

Any words she had dried up in her throat. She was alone. They were all
gone--any who could help, any who could understand, any who would
believe the mad tale that was all she had to tell....

The sense of being outside herself, as though she were in a dream,
increased. She watched the circling, growing crowd begin to mutter
louder, fear and horror turning to outrage and anger. New shouts and
cries suddenly were raised from the direction of Beth's house. And
through the weird, flickering light of lamps and torches, Edith could
see herself just standing there, her outstretched arms stained with
Billy's blood.

This was not real, it had no touch of reality to it at all. This was
truly the torment of a soul consigned to hell. Our Father, Who art in
Heaven... send me aid. Send to me an angel....

Angelus.

She found herself pushing her way easily through the crowd, running
blindly. Angelus could help. Angelus could explain. He was the only
one who could understand. He was the source of this madness that had
torn her life apart and could save her or destroy her with a single
word. He was the only one left....

There was no way to know where in all this devastation he was, but her
instincts ordered her to run and her feet obeyed without question. She
found herself in the little churchyard, the churchyard where too many
lay dead because of her, dead because of this madness that had
descended upon her with the arrival of Angelus. Following the same
undefined instincts she kept moving towards the place where the newest
graves were dug, where Anne and little Paul were laid.

Was this sense of his presence, her ability to track him because he
was her Watcher? Less than an hour before she had prayed never to see
his face again. Now he was her only hope, her only chance....

Her reaction to seeing his crumpled form was surprisingly restrained.
Perhaps, at some level, she had already known. Moving forward slowly,
she felt only a spreading sense of numbness, of indifferent calm.
There was a certain relief in the sudden awareness that she had no one
to lose, no one to fear for. No one more to destroy.

Kneeling gently at his side, she leaned over him, brushing the dark
hair from his face and noting the familiar stain of blood at his
throat without surprise.

Leaning down closer, she laid a single kiss on his cold forehead.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Comments, flames, praise, and chocolate always appreciated!
Dianne la Mercenaire...   -*-   <[e-mail]>
}:o * Merc Forever * HorseChick of the Apocalypse* SunS List Mom

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Dianne la Mercenaire" <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: "A Truth Worse Than Lies" -- 10/12
Date: 17 Jan 1998 13:33:54 -5000

"A Truth Worse Than Lies" -- 10/12
   by Dianne T. DeSha (a.k.a. la Mercenaire)
      <[e-mail]>


   "Angel? You mean Angelus. I've read about him--
    He is a monster."
            -- Kendra, "What's My Line?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A week later,
The Convent of the Holy Cross, just outside Kent
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Betrayed by a lover, was she?"

Sister Elizabeth Ann allowed her gaze to slip to the pale, withdrawn
figure sitting apart on a bench at one end of the garden.

"So, did he bed her and leave her, or just run off after some bigger
dowry?"

"Sister Maureen!"

"Well?" the more outspoken of the nuns replied, with no trace of
defensiveness or shame in her tone. "I'm only trying to understand!'

"Oh, certainly!" her companion replied, with no sense of sincerity in
hers. "You're the one back from an entire spring on the road. I
thought you'd have had your fill of the wild, wicked world by now?"

"Never!"

Sister Elizabeth Ann frowned. "Well it's certainly your turn to be
telling tales, and not mine then!"

"Later," Sister Maureen insisted. "Where did she come from?"

With little show of resistance, the younger nun gave in, "She arrived
on foot just before dusk one evening last week wearing nothing but her
shift, stumbling and bloody-footed and half-dead. With her hair and
eyes so wild anyone seeing her on the road must have thought her a
restless spirit... or a lunatic." At the sound of a door closing
somewhere nearby the sister caught herself and frowned at her
companion. "It is not proper to be gossiping so about the poor
creature!"

"So, she's a runaway?" her questioner continued without concern.
"What's her name?"

The second sister sighed and acceded to the inevitable. "She calls
herself 'Drusilla', but will give no family, nor meet your eye when
she says it."

"Ah. She is hiding then." Sister Maureen looked thoughtful. "From her
family?"

"From someone!" her companion agreed emphatically. At the other
sister's inquiring look, she elaborated, "I helped Mother and Sister
Abigail care for her that first night." She looked about and lowered
her voice, "Not all of the blood was on her feet! While Sister Abigail
was binding those cuts, I helped her out of her shift. When I tried to
wash it later, I found dried blood under the mud and road-dirt. So
much blood the shift was completely ruined. Yet there was not a mark
upon her."

Sister Maureen's eyes had widened in unabashed regard. "Really? A
murderess then?"

"Sister Maureen!"

The first nun dismissed her companion's outrage with a gesture. "You
thought the same, no?"

"No!"

"No?"

"Well...." Sister Elizabeth Ann trailed off, recovering with a
righteous sniff when she caught her confidant's smug grin, "She might
well have been the one harmed!"

"You said there was no mark upon her."

"She might have been innocently caught with another's blood upon her.
Perhaps her lovers fought a bloody duel for her hand. When one fell,
protesting always his love for her, she cradled his bleeding face in
her hands and...."

"You've found another romance buried in the library!" Sister Maureen
nearly shouted in annoyance. "I want to see it!"

"Have not!"

"I'll tell!"

"*Shhhh!*"

Silent glares took the place of speech for a moment as the birds
called softly to each other across the convent garden.

"Something _is_ odd about her," Sister Elizabeth Ann insisted.
"When she arrived she could not, or would not, speak at all. Even now,
when she's recovered as much as she's like to, she will not give her
true name or family. She speaks only when she must, and always has
such a desperate sadness about her." The young nun dropped her already
low voice further. "She was in confession for nearly an hour yesterday
with Father Joshua, and the Father looked terribly pale when he
emerged. Then he went and spent the next hour on his _own_ knees in
the chapel!"

Sister Maureen's eyes were wide. "What could she have done?"

Sister Elizabeth Ann shook her head. "I do not know, but...," she
paused meaningfully, "She's given herself the name of a notorious
Roman whore... a depraved woman whose unspeakable crimes nearly
destroyed an entire empire!"

"No!"

"Yes!" she insisted. "I heard Father Joshua tell Mother Superior so
myself! And he's insisted that she take vows immediately-- _tonight_!"

Sister Maureen studied the pale, distant figure for a long moment,
then shook her head. "It does not seem she could be so evil."

" 'The devil may charm and deceive'...."

"No," the first sister countered, shaking her head. "I think you had
the right of it before. She looks so dazed as to barely lift her own
hand! I cannot think her capable of such sins. There is something
else...."

After a moment, Sister Elizabeth offered another piece of news: "An
older man came this way two days past looking for an 'Edith Shepherd'.
He seemed a kind man, a scholarly sort, and genuinely concerned to
find this young woman he sought, but although he professed to have
urgent business with her-- claiming indeed that her life was in peril
should he not speak to her soon-- he did not know so much as the color
of her hair." The young nun shook her head. "It was passing strange
indeed. I _did_ think he might mean...."

She caught Sister Maureen looking at her oddly and shrugged, "But I
could not ask more without revealing her, which would surely make _us_
a fine sanctuary, no?" With obvious reluctance, her companion was
forced to agree. "Besides," Sister Elizabeth Ann continued, "She is to
take her vows at Vespers tonight, after which her past will well and
truly be behind her. So it makes little difference any more."


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Comments, flames, praise, and chocolate always appreciated!
Dianne la Mercenaire...   -*-   <[e-mail]>
}:o * Merc Forever * HorseChick of the Apocalypse* SunS List Mom

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Dianne la Mercenaire" <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: "A Truth Worse Than Lies" -- 11/12
Date: 17 Jan 1998 13:34:47 -5000

"A Truth Worse Than Lies" -- 11/12
   by Dianne T. DeSha (a.k.a. la Mercenaire)
      <[e-mail]>


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Mother Superior of the Convent of the Holy Cross hurried along the
portico as the wind rose and icy rain began to fall. The convent's
newest sister following silently, wraithlike behind her.

"Saint Dymphna is a humbling example of a woman who never lost
her faith, even after she was forced to flee far from her home. I'm
certain that Father Joshua made an appropriate choice for you." Mother
Superior glanced sideways, tactfully keeping to herself any further
speculation about what connection the Father had made between this
pale young woman and a martyred Irish princess hunted down by a mad
father and known as a patroness of those possessed....

"Mother! Mother!"

Mother Superior looked up as one of the sisters approached her at a
wholly undignified pace, red hair coming loose about her face in the
rising wind. "What is it, Sister Maureen?"

The Sister paused only a second to catch her breath. "There's a young
man at the front gate...."

"At _this_ hour?"

"He's injured, Mother, or sick. He's collapsed against the door and
can't be woken. Sister Elizabeth Ann is in front with him, and she
says his skin is much too cold, and he's like to die if you don't let
him in...."

"Enough!" Mother Superior sighed, cutting off the stream of words.
"Sister Maureen," she admonished sternly, "Pray do not forget that you
are no longer in the world, and attempt to conduct yourself in a more
humble and seemly fashion."

The censured Sister almost let escape a sigh. "Yes, Mother."

Satisfied for the moment, Mother Superior turned to her newest
charge. "Sister Dymphna, welcome to our convent. You are free of
whatever demons have haunted you; the past you fled from is no more.
Go with God, my child. And sleep now, for tomorrow you will begin your
life anew." Then, with a bustle of skirt and veil, she was gone,
headed in the direction of the front gate.

The new Sister Dymphna returned to her cell, Mother Superior's
words, like an absolution, echoing and re-echoing in her head. It was
true. The past was behind her and a quiet, safe life in this holy
place lay ahead.

Stepping carefully into the plainly-furnished cell she had been
allotted, she moved at once to raise the flame on the small table
lamp, while the wind began to shriek through the corridors behind her
like the very souls of the damned.

Folding her cloak neatly, she began to shiver slightly in her new
habit, a bride at last-- if never to the man she loved, then to God.
Turning around she froze, one hand still outstretched towards the
bedcovers.

"Billy?"

He lay there on her bed, eyes closed, as if in slumber-- pale and
perfect, and still as death. Moving as though in a dream, she knelt on
the bed and laid one hand along his pale, cold cheek-- above a throat
no longer marked by wound or gore.

"_Billy_?" She smiled faintly to herself. He was more handsome than
she remembered, for all that his skin felt like ice and there was no
quiver of breath about him. When his eyes opened, she could feel her
heart sing. "Billy!" she moaned, collapsing into his arms, "You're
alive!"

"More alive than ever, my love," he assured her as she buried her face
in his shoulder.

"Then it wasn't true? It wasn't real?"

"I missed you, love," he whispered, holding her closer, "I woke up and
you were gone...."

With a burst of rain and wind and noise the door was forced open,
causing her to jolt upright in fright. But in an instant she saw
Angelus' form filling the low doorway, and she felt almost sick with
relief. It really _wasn't_ true. She hadn't destroyed them all. Here
they were, alive and safe and....

"Little Dru?" she asked, turning back to Billy, hope and a wondering
fear beginning to brighten her fragile features.

"No," Angelus said, still hovering in the shadowed doorway, his voice
low and tinged with something that could have been sorrow, "You killed
her, remember?"

"No! I...." She stopped, confused. But if it was all a nightmare,
unreal? The memory of holding the writhing little body to her and
driving the stake home flared in her mind. "But I... I...."

"You abandoned your calling," Angelus continued, and the hint of
sorrow was replaced by a stern, lecturing tone. "You left too soon.
You left _us_."

Her head was spinning. It made no sense. Were the horrors she had
lived with real then, and her loved ones dead? But Billy was here and
alive. She had left because there was no one left....

"You had no need to fear that crowd, you know," Angelus assured her
reproachfully as he moved slowly forward. "Once they saw their
neighbors beside them begin to fall, gashes of scarlet upon their
throats in the flickering light-- the crowd vanished like a puff of
dust...."

He finally stepped forward into the light. And his face was the face
of Hell.

Great splashes of crimson blood decorated him from chin to waist, and
his eyes shone with a fiendish excitement from behind the twisted,
distorted features of a demon. She had not the breath to scream, nor
the strength to tear her eyes from the vision of perdition before her.

"But I fetched your dear boy for you. After you'd left him all alone."

Swatting the small wood cross from above her door the way one
might dislodge a mosquito and sending it flying across the room, he
took another step towards her. The face that was both his and not his
broke into a gruesome grin. "So, what now, 'Drusilla'?"

She simply stared, as powerless to move as a newborn hare faced
with a ravening wolf.

"Or do I call you 'Dymphna' now? Or just '*Sister*'?"

Jarringly, he was both familiar and terrible-- both a vision from the
Devil's dreams and the friend that Billy had shown off his Princess
to...

"Billy!" she breathed, her voice barely a whisper. "Billy, help," but
this time the words made no sound at all.

"It's all right, Princess," he soothed, hands moving up to her
shoulders and urging her softly forward. "Now we will never die,
love," he lisped behind her, the words sounding strange out of his
mouth, "We will be together forever."

Angelus was moving closer with the slow stalk of the sure predator. "I
have found you, Slayer. And now you will know what it means to be
damned."

At the last second, she turned back. And when she found Billy's eyes
in the smiling face of a demon, she began to scream, and could not
stop.

Not until the physical power to do so was drained away with her
heart's blood.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Comments, flames, praise, and chocolate always appreciated!
Dianne la Mercenaire...   -*-   <[e-mail]>
}:o * Merc Forever * HorseChick of the Apocalypse* SunS List Mom

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Dianne la Mercenaire" <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: "A Truth Worse Than Lies" -- 12/12
Date: 17 Jan 1998 13:35:45 -5000

"A Truth Worse Than Lies" -- 12/12
   by Dianne T. DeSha (a.k.a. la Mercenaire)
      <[e-mail]>


   "Do you know what I found works real good with Slayers?
    Killing them."
            -- Spike, "School Hard"

Epilogue...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mid-June 1817, Paris
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Drusilla, love. I'm home!' The blond vampire called out as he turned
to close the door of the apartment.

Before the words were out, he felt strong arms wrapped around his
waist from behind. Laughing, he tossed the branding iron he carried
into the corner and turned around.

"Billy," the pale young woman who held him purred, an enticing
smile on her own nightmarish face.

" 'Spike', love." He paused long enough to kiss her once on the lips.
"If you can be my sweet Drusilla, then I can be your adoring Spike."

"Spike," she purred agreeably.

"Yes, pet?"

"Have you found her?"

He sighed, kissed her lightly on the forehead, then pulled away to sit
on the edge of the bed. "Not yet, poodle." He looked up at her where
she hung over his shoulder. "Are you _sure_...."

"She's _here_," Drusilla insisted, moving away, hands moving to her
temples as she winced in pain. "I can _feel_ her!"

He was back at her side in a heartbeat, trying to take her hands from
her head and her thoughts from the Slayer. "I know, love. I know. I'm
sorry." He gathered her close. "And I'll find her, I promise. I'll
find her and kill her and make all the pain go away."

She smiled up at him, eyes wide through the pain. "Promise, Spike?"

"_Promise_, Princess."

~~~~~~~~~

Later, when she lay peaceful in his arms, he watched her sleeping the
long summer day away. Angelus had been an arrogant fool, boasting to
anyone who would hear that he had personally ended the line of the
Slayers, parading Dru around like an exotic curiosity, winning high
marks with the Master for his skill and initiative.

He and Drusilla had followed along in the orbit of his star, sheltered
and tended to like royalty. Angelus-- the crown prince in the master's
court-- had taught him everything he needed to know about his new
existence, guided him, watched over him like an indulgent father. And
life, or the lack of it, had truly been good.

Until the nightmares began.

Dru would wake up in the middle of the day, screaming, her head
filled with images of sun and stakes and ash. The visions began to
follow her into the waking world, and the pain with which they filled
her head became unbearable.

It did not take long for word to reach the Master that a new Slayer
had replaced the old and that his followers were again dying left and
right by her hand. Following Dru's desperate, pain-filled pleas, he
had taken her and left, determined to find and dispose of this new
Slayer.

Now he was less sure. Three weeks in Paris already and he had yet to
find, let alone kill the Slayer. Dru's visions were only getting
worse, becoming more disjointed and confused, the pain they brought
intensifying.

It was time to get out. To put some space between her and that bloody
girl whose very existence was driving her mad. They would leave, as
soon as she awoke tonight, and get as far away as they had to give her
some peace. They would tour the capitals of Europe. Hell, they were
immortal, unstoppable! They could go anywhere and everywhere-- see the
Americas, or China, or Australia-- half the globe away....

He gently kissed her sleeping forehead, so far untroubled by the
nightmares that were certain to return. Being turned had never brought
Dru the peace it should; she had always had a certain fragility to
her, a certain air that made others avoid her with uneasy sideways
stares. But he would always be there to protect her, to make things
right for her.

Yes, tonight they would leave. With distance perhaps Drusilla could
learn to read her visions, _use_ them.

And the next time... the next time they crossed paths with a Slayer,
he would hand his Princess her head on a silver _plate_.



<finis>

~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*n.b: Saint Dymphna was forced to flee from her position as an Irish
princess when her father decided the teenager would make the best
substitute for her recently-dead mother in bed. She fled to Germany,
where her father finally found her and killed her in a fit of rage.
Her areas of patronage include sleepwalking, insanity, loss of
parents, martyrs, mental illness, possessed people, princesses, and
runaways.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Comments, flames, praise, and chocolate always appreciated!
Dianne la Mercenaire...   -*-   <[e-mail]>
}:o * Merc Forever * HorseChick of the Apocalypse* SunS List Mom

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Ingrid E Stanton)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: "Return to Normalcy" (2/3)
Date: 17 Jan 1998 13:38:38 EST

*******
Hello again. Here's part two, hot off the press. Hope you
enjoy it. Oh! There's quite a bit of mush-mush in this, so
if you don't like that sort of thing, don't read it. What a
concept! Anyway, this takes off where we left off, with Giles
waiting for Ms. Calendar to come over. The standard
disclaimers apply: The characters of Buffy Sommers,
Rupert Giles, Ms. Calendar & company are the property
of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar Productions,
and The Warner Brothers Network, and are used without
permission. The author claims no rights to these characters.
This is my first fanfic, guys, so be gentle.
*******

Giles paced around the room in his flat, wondering what
he could do to make his place look any better. He couldnÆt
clean, because nothing was messy. HeÆd bought a bottle
of champagne. It and two glasses sat on a ledge between
the kitchen and the sitting room, inviting a taste. It was
warm inside, and candles along the mantle gave the room
an old-fashioned and intimate feel to it.

The doorbell snapped him from his silent reverie-
It couldnÆt be-
But it was. Eight-thirty. This was it. Giles took a deep breath
and then opened the door. He tried not to gasp.

Miss Calendar felt his gaze sweep over her, and watched
the astonishment and appreciation in his eyes. SheÆd picked
out the little black dress in somewhat of a stupor. SheÆd pulled
her dark hair from her face into a bun. Casually, (she hoped
it looked casual) she brushed a few errant strands from her
face. Sensing that Giles wasnÆt going to do it anytime soon,
Jenny shut the door behind them.

At this point, Giles wasnÆt sure if he remembered his own name.
Jenny hid a snicker at his paralysis, thinking about a deer in
front of car headlights. She delivered him from the burden of
making the first move.

"Ahhà Finally," she remarked coyly, touching his shoulders,
"The man behind the tweed." Giles gave her an awkward smile,
looking down at his cotton shirt and tie.

"Would you like some champagne, Jenny?"

"Sure, why not," she answered, following him to the couch.
He poured some out for the both of them, and they began to
relax, both taking tiny sips at a time.

"So why is Buffy getting the day off today?"

"Oh, Buffy," he answered distractedly. "She went to see Angel."

"Wow. Even the slayer needs a little downtime, huh?"

"I suppose so," he answered somewhat grudgingly.

She took another sip. "And what about the watcher?"

He looked up at her in surprise. Little mind games-
She always tricked him into seeing things her way.
Not that he minded it so muchà

When he looked up, she was crawling towards him
from her curled up position like a cat. Snuggling up
beside him, she lay her head on his heart being careful
to stay away from his wound.

"I suppose youÆre right." He looked down at her.

"IÆve missed you," she answered, glancing back up at him, "You canÆt be
gotten rid of so easily. Know that?"

"IÆd never really thought aboutà"

"What you were doing to me?"

He blushed, "Wellà"

"Maybe youÆve had a greater effect on me than youÆve
realized." She smiled. He couldnÆt help returning it with a
smile of his own.

Giles shook his head. "No. That canÆt be. I know how it
feels. If anything, you're the one who's had an effect on me."

She looked - well, intrigued, and paused to look into his eyes,
probing, searching.

"Really?"

"Yes." His face suddenly became serious. She was
slightly surprised when he took the initiative, drawing
her into a long, exquisitely sweet kiss.

They kissed again. Sweet, soft kisses. Giles kissed
her cheeks and nose and forehead and neck. She
nudged him. He left from kissing her shoulder to see
what she wanted.

"LetÆs go." She nodded towards what she assumed to
be the bedroom.

He looked back at her distractedly, and she wondered,
just for a second, if he was planning on calling this whole
thing off. She breathed a sigh of relief when he pulled at her
hand and walked with her to the bedroom.

********
Part three should be coming soon...hopefully!


-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Ingrid E Stanton)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: "Return to Normalcy" (3/3)
Date: 17 Jan 1998 15:46:45 EST

****
This part is pretty short (just a little epilogue of sorts). It takes
place the morning after part 2. Hope you enjoy it. Feel free to
send any comments to [e-mail]. I'd love to hear
from you. The fiction here is quality stuff! I guess while I'm
at it, I should thank president Harding for my title,
brought on by an overdose of history, I'm afraid. The standard
disclaimers apply: The characters of Buffy Sommers, Rupert
Giles, Ms. Calendar & company are the property of Joss
Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar Productions, and The
Warner Brothers Network, and are used without permission.
The author claims no rights to these characters. This is my
first fanfic, guys, so be gentle.

****
"Return to Normalcy," Part Three
****


Giles was lulled to consciousness by the bright sunshine
pouring through the window. They always had beautiful
weather here he thought. Beautiful weather on the hell mouth.
How ironic.

He his train of thought came to an abrupt halt when he felt
movement against his skin. He looked down and gulped.

Jenny-

He watched as she nuzzled him, shifting her position and
resting her head on his shoulder. All he could see was the dark
hair covering her face, but she was there, solid and warm
against him.

How long had it been sinceà

Since "Ripper?" Had it really been that long?

HeÆd been lonely for so long. HeÆd resigned himself to being a
watcher, not realizing what he might be missing.

Who he might be missing.

He touched JennyÆs back to reassure him. This was okay, he
thought. Not a breach of protocol, really, and he was sure Buffy
wouldnÆt have objectedà

But more than this relief was those wonderful feelings inside
him. Deep care for the woman lying next to him. Deep care and
love?

Miss. Calendar awoke slowly, awoken by a gentle touch on her
back. She lifted her heavy eyelids to see Rupert watching over
her.

A slow smile spread across her face.

"Good Morning England."
****

Whadaya think? Please, please send some feedback. I cannot live on posts
alone.

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Perri Smith)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Ill Met By Moonlight, Part 3 of 19
Date: 18 Jan 1998 00:09:46 -0600 (CST)

Forgot to note in the first part  -- this story is rated PG-13 for
violence, a few gory scenes, and some cursing. Nothing too strong.

See disclaimer in part one. Compliments accepted/enjoyed/ignored at
[e-mail].

*****

Ill Met By Moonlight (3/19)
by Perri Smith
Copyright 1998

Part 2

Buffy fought down the instinctive leap her heart had taken when she'd
realized how close Angel was, the rush of emotion the sight of his face
brought. It suddenly seemed much longer than three days since she'd seen
him.

Then she blinked in surprise for a long moment, her eyes going from Angel's
face to the woman he held, her limp body cradled in his arms, a tangle of
dark blonde hair obscuring her face. A flash of unreasonable jealousy
almost blinded her, until she registered how Angel was carrying the woman.

He didn't embrace her like a lover, or even a friend. Instead, his arms
were tense, holding the woman slightly away from his body, as if she was a
sack of something that he didn't want to be touching, much less hauling
around.

"Bring her in, Angel," Buffy half-invited, half-ordered, jumping forward
and pulling her blue overshirt off as she went. Most of the blood seemed to
be coming from the woman's left leg; Buffy wrapped her shirt around the
most obvious gashes and applied pressure as Angel came the rest of the way
into the room. "Giles, your office?"

Giles was still in the blinking stage of shock. "Oh, yes, of course," he
stammered, Buffy's demand bringing him back to reality. "This way, Angel."

Angel nodded shortly and followed Giles into his small back office. Without
a second's thought, Giles swept the litter of books from the cot he'd
installed sometime after the mummy incident, spread out a blanket, and
motioned Angel towards it. "Put her down here and we'll see what we can do.
Why didn't you take her to a hospital?"

"I didn't feel like explaining the bite marks," Angel replied shortly, all
but dropping the woman to the cot, letting her head fall carelessly and
stepping back fast. In fact, he almost went back out the door in his haste
to get away from her.

Buffy didn't have too much time to wonder about that, though; she was too
busy helping Giles check the woman over. A bad gash on her calf, bleeding,
but not spurting, so probably not an artery. A few smaller gashes on her
arms and other leg, and... yeah, those were bite marks.

"Bite marks?" she repeated out loud, looking over her shoulder at Angel.
"What did she get into?"

"I don't know, and I don't want to know," Angel answered flatly. "I had to
help her, and I did. That's as far into this as I'm getting."

"Buffy, put pressure on the largest wound and hold it," Giles demanded. She
obeyed automatically, replacing his hands with her own. Part of a Watcher's
training was learning to patch up his Slayer, a thought Buffy usually tried
not to dwell on, but was grateful for now. It could be really hard to take
people with fang marks, demon bites, and other kinds of ickies to a
hospital; the explanations got pretty awkward.

"Angel, get the first aid kit from the bottom left drawer of my desk,"
Giles continued, his hands moving quickly and competently over the woman.

Angel took a long moment, but finally obeyed Giles, locating the huge first
aid kit and handing it to the Watcher, who took it without looking up.
Angel retreated back to the doorway and hovered, as if he wanted to leave,
but was being held there. Buffy watched him in fascination until Giles
shoved a thick pad of bandaging into her hand and she was forced to put her
mind back on business.

*****

It took them almost an hour to get the bleeding stopped and the woman's
various wounds bandaged. But finally, Giles turned his back while Buffy
stripped off the bloody remains of the woman's clothing, covered her with a
second blanket, and left the office.

"She should recover well enough," Giles was telling Angel as she closed the
door behind her; the vampire had retreated to the main room a little
earlier, and didn't look as if he particularly cared.  "I suspect she'll be
unconscious for quite some time, though; she seems to have lost a great
deal of blood."

The last was said with an apparently involuntary look towards Angel, who
immediately took a step back, holding his hands up in front of him. "I
don't do that anymore," he said flatly. "You know that. And if I did, she
is absolutely the *last* person I'd have for dinner."

"Want to let us in on the secret?" Buffy lifted her eyebrows at the vampire
when he looked confused. "Who *is* she, Angel? And why bring someone you
obviously don't like here?"

Angel glared towards Giles's office. "I brought her here because I didn't
have any choice. And I don't know her name."

"But you do know her," Giles persisted, crossing his arms over his chest
and calmly staring the vampire down. He wouldn't have been able to do that
few months before, Buffy thought absently. How things changed.

Angel finally nodded. "Yeah. I know her."

After another long pause, Buffy prompted, "And she is...?"

Angel remained stubbornly silent, and Buffy rolled her eyes. "Look, I know
how much you hate to give straight answers, Angel, but I'd really
appreciate at least a hint or something here. Come on," she batted her
eyelashes up at him in a parody of a flirt, "just one little hint? Or am I
going to have to hurt you?"

Angel's mouth twitched in something that might have been a smile, then he
finally answered, "She's Romani."

Giles perked up. "Romani?"

Angel nodded. "Yeah."

"As in, ah...?"

"Yeah."

Buffy groaned mentally in frustration. Angel was back to being cryptic and
monosyllabic; she'd though they'd gotten past this routine. It was going to
be like pulling teeth to find out what the heck was going on. "Okay, so
she's a Romanian and you brought her here," she recapped as cheerfully as
possible. "Why?"

"Romani, and because she told me too."

"Since when do you do what anyone tells you to?" It was an automatic,
teasing question; Buffy wasn't prepared for Angel's violent response.

"Because I didn't have a choice!" he exploded, his arm lashing out to knock
a pile of books off the front counter. They fell to the floor with a crash
and Buffy jumped, shocked. She'd *never* seen Angel lose control before.
Ever. And God knew she'd given him enough provocation. "The damn geas
wouldn't let me leave her there, which is what I should have done!"

Buffy was more confused than ever, but Giles had that, 'Oh, of *course*'
look on his face that was always so annoying. He hadn't even blinked at
Angel's outburst. "Ah," he said slowly, "that would explain it. A
descendent, then?"

Angel got himself back under control with a visible effort, every muscle in
his body tight, and started pacing, his hands deep in his pockets and his
shoulders hunched. "She must be."

"Then why would she come looking for you, given your, ah, hostility towards
her Clan?"

A shrug, and a humorless half-laugh. "Ask her. I don't really care."

"You must have some--"

"Hang on, time out." Buffy stepped between the two, interrupting Giles.
"It's not that I'm sorry you two are like, bonding over this, but I'd
really love to know what 'this' is. What's a, whatdyacallit, gaysh?" she
asked Giles, knowing better than to try to get an answer out of Angel, who
had stalked away and was leaning against a bookcase, radiating total
disinterest.

Giles took off his glasses and started polishing them on the tail of his
sweater vest. "A geas, in this particular circumstance, is a sort of
magical compulsion, laid by a sorcerer or the like. The victim of the geas
can be commanded by the one who cast it."

Romani. Sorcerer. Victim.... Buffy looked at Angel with wide eyes. "She's a
Gypsy? One of *those* Gypsies? The ones who cursed you with your soul?"

Almost as soon as she said the words, she realized they lacked a certain
amount of tact, but Angel didn't seem to notice. "Not one of the elders,
just one of their descendants. The curse carried down, damn them." He said
'curse' as if the word tasted bad, and glared again towards Giles' office.

"Oo-kay." Buffy took a few prudent steps backwards. The demon fighting for
control of Angel wasn't very far beneath the surface tonight. "So, she gets
in some kind of trouble, a fight with something, and comes to you for...
help? Protection? Fill in the blank?"

"I would guess all of the above," Giles filled in obligingly, replacing his
glasses.

"So those were bite marks," Buffy concluded. "But not a vampire's."

"No, not a vampire," Giles agreed. "From the look of her wounds, she was
either attacked by a very large animal or some sort of demon." He stared
off into the distance, still absently fidgeting with his glasses. "The
tooth pattern looked oddly familiar; I'm sure I remember...."

His voice trailed off and Buffy rolled her eyes as he headed for a
bookcase. Research Man had just taken over Giles's brain; he'd be useless
for the rest of the night, conversation-wise, anyway.

Instead of trying to talk to Giles anymore, she carefully approached Angel,
who'd been conspicuously silent for the last part of the conversation. He'd
stopped pacing, and was staring deliberately at the spine of a book,
although Buffy was pretty sure he didn't even see it.

"Angel?"

She thought he was going to ignore her -- his face was hard, blanker than
she'd ever seen it -- but he finally responded. "Yeah?"

Buffy swallowed hard, and laid a hand on the sleeve of his jacket,
half-expecting him to shake it off. He didn't, but his muscles were hard
and tense under her touch. "You could probably go home... or wherever it is
you go at night," she told him quietly. "Giles and I can take care of...
um, her."

He shook his head. "No. Whatever she fought with might try to track her down."

Buffy looked at him sideways. "I'm the Slayer, remember? I can probably
manage to protect one person from a big dog. She'll be safe here."

"I could care less about her," Angel said through gritted teeth. "If I'd
been thinking, I never would have brought her here. And I'm sure as hell
not going to leave you here against whatever might have followed us."

A rush of warm pleasure flooded her veins. She fought to keep it out of her
voice, but suspected she wasn't having much luck. "So, it wouldn't do any
good to tell you I don't need any protection?"

His lips twitched in what might have been a smile. "No."

"Oh well." She sighed heavily, as if handed a great burden she would carry
bravely. "I guess we'll just have to put up with each other for a while,
then. But don't worry, somehow we'll get through it."

That did the job. Angel rolled his eyes, then reluctantly cracked the
crooked half-smile that always made Buffy's heart skip a beat. "It'll be
torture," he agreed, pulling her into his arms and resting his cheek on top
of her head, "but we'll survive."

Buffy grinned against his jacket and put her arms around his waist, holding
him. He was still tense, wired, and Buffy tightened her hold, offering what
comfort she could and vowing all kinds of ugly revenge against the Gypsy
stranger if she was here to hurt Angel.

Perri <[e-mail]>      I *am* the Buffy Evangalist!
NatPacker-*-Horsechick-*-Pezhead-*-Cohenhead-*-DDEB2-*-AGA-*-SunS-*-CoJ
"You borrow my neurons WITHOUT asking, mind you, and then you get them all
gooky with Dru-stuff.  See if I let you borrow anything of mine again."
-- Lizbet



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Perri Smith)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Ill Met By Moonlight, Part 4 of 19
Date: 18 Jan 1998 00:11:51 -0600 (CST)

See disclaimer in part one. Compliments accepted/enjoyed/ignored at
[e-mail].

*****

Ill Met By Moonlight (4/19)
by Perri Smith
Copyright 1998

Chapter 3

They jumped apart at the crash of someone hitting the library doors at top
speed, as two panting teenagers raced into the room. "Buffy! Giles!" Xander
shouted, before realizing Buffy was standing about six feet away. He
skidded to a halt, and Willow almost ran him over from behind before she,
too, realized they were stopping and stopped.

Buffy might have laughed if they didn't both look so panicked, and if
Willow didn't look faintly green. "What is it?" she demanded, leaving Angel
to go to her friends. "What's going on?"

Come to think of it, Xander looked pretty green, as well. But he seemed to
be ignoring it in favor of looking past her at Angel. "Does he have an
actual reason for being here?"

"Yes, he does," Buffy answered before Angel could say anything, hoping to
head off the macho contest before it could get started.  Old habits died
hard, and the two of them in the same room was just *asking* for trouble.
"What's the sitch? You two look like..."

"Like we just saw something really disgusting?" Xander filled in for her.
"Well, that would be because we did. What was left of it, anyway."

"Left of it?" Buffy asked carefully, *really* sure she wasn't going to like
the answer. "Are we, um, talking bodies here? And, um, plural or singular?"

"It was kinda hard to tell," Xander said, heavy sarcasm almost covering up
the sick terror in his eyes. "We couldn't get close enough to count the
parts."

"Xander," Willow objected faintly.

Xander looked down at her face, which had turned a lovely shade of
chartreuse, and winced. "Sorry, Will. Look, sit down already, will you?" He
helped Willow to one of the seats around the main table, the one Buffy had
abandoned at Angel's abrupt arrival, and turned back to Buffy as she
brought over a cup of water for Willow.

"What happened?" Buffy asked again as Willow gratefully sipped at the
water. "Where was it and what did you see?"

"A few blocks outside the Bronze," Willow answered between sips. "Oh,
Buffy, it was really awful. As bad as... as bad as that morning."

Buffy laid a hand on the redhead's shoulder. Finding the blood-soaked
bodies of their classmates in the A/V room at the school had really messed
with Willow's mind. If this, whatever it was, was going to bring those
memories back, Buffy had every intention of stopping it fast.

"Breathe, Will," she said gently. "Xander, you tell me. In chronological
order and words of three syllables or less."

"Right." He swallowed hard and sat on the edge of the table by Willow.
Buffy sensed Angel still standing behind her, lending silent support as
Xander took a deep breath. "Okay. We were at the Bronze, and it was getting
late, so we were going to leave. We started for the door, and that's when
someone started screaming."

"Screaming?" Giles reappeared from the stacks with a book in his hand,
drawn by one of the magic words. 'Corpse', 'vampire', and 'dead' had the
same effect. Buffy shushed him with a gesture, not taking her eyes off
Xander.

"We went to find out what was going on -- just in case it was, um,
Slayer-type stuff." Buffy nodded encouragingly and he stumbled on. "Um,
there was a girl outside, um, I think she's in history with us, and she was
standing outside the Bronze -- over on the side, where the fire escape is
-- screaming. And, um, on the ground there was, um...."

He stumbled to a halt, swallowing hard again, and Willow shivered. Buffy
stole a quick glance at Giles, who looked as disturbed as she felt. Willow
and Xander weren't exactly unused to seeing the remains of what vampires
and other assorted bad guys left behind. For them to be this grossed out
meant something really bad.

Angel leaned forward, bracing his hands on the table. "Take it slow," he
advised Xander. "One step at a time. What was the first thing you saw?"

Angel's matter-of-fact tone seemed to have a steadying effect on Xander,
oddly enough. "The blood," he said quietly. "All over the place. And a
body. It looked like..." He shuddered once, hard. "It looked like that pig
after we... the hyenas got done with it. Only bigger."

Buffy raised her eyebrows; this was the first she'd heard of any of
Xander's memories of his animal possession coming back. But it would
explain why he was reacting so majorly to this. "An animal attack, then? A
pack of dogs, maybe?"

Angel shook his head at the same time that Giles said, "No, there would
have been much more noise, more confusion. A pack in a feeding frenzy is
not exactly quiet, as you know." Xander winced and Giles gave him an
apologetic look.

"What then?" Buffy mused, leaning her hip against the table. "Demon?
*Really* sloppy vampire?"

"I don't know," Giles said slowly. "But I'm going to take a wild leap of
logic and guess that it's related to whatever attacked our, ah, guest."

Buffy blinked. "Oh. Yeah, that would make sense, wouldn't it?"

Angel nodded. "I found her near the Bronze. She must have gotten away from
whatever this is, and it found a new victim."

"Guest?" Xander asked, distracted at last. "We have a guest?"

"To be precise, Angel has a guest," Giles clarified, coming over to the
table. Angel glared at him, but didn't otherwise argue the point. "One with
injuries which would seem to match what you've described. Buffy, I think
you'll have to take a closer look at the, ah, scene."

He didn't sound happy about it, but then, Buffy wasn't real thrilled at the
prospect either. "Right," she sighed, straightening. "You guys stay here
and watch her." She gestured towards Giles's office and the woman. "I'll go
check out the scene at the Bronze."

She started for the door, and Angel caught her arm. He looked from her to
Giles' office, obviously torn between protecting her and his conviction
that the whatever it was would follow the Gypsy back to the library.

"Angel, you stay here and guard the others, okay?" He looked like he would
argue, but Buffy didn't let him, or either of the other two males, get a
word in. "I'm going to the Bronze. See you guys in a few."

*****

The Bronze was surrounded by people -- a few police officers, an ambulance,
and several small knots of onlookers, drawn to the scene of disaster like
moths to a flame. Buffy wrinkled her nose in their general direction, then
did her best to look like one of them, squirming through the crowds to get
a decent look at the center of activity.

"Color me so surprised. Wherever there's a disgusting body, you're bound to
show up."

Buffy groaned mentally and closed her eyes, then turned to face Cordelia.
"Good to see you, too, Cordelia," she said with a tight, completely
insincere smile. The two of them understood each other perfectly. "I don't
suppose you saw what happened, or have anything useful to tell me?"

Cordelia's snide look changed to genuine disturbance; she bit her lip and
determinedly did not look towards the crowd. "No, and believe me, I'm
grateful I got left out of this one. It sounds like more... parts are
involved, and I really don't want to go there again."

"Then you might want to get out of here," Buffy told her. She started
shoving again, then paused. "Cordelia."

"What?"

"Go straight home, and don't go out at night for a while. I have a feeling
this isn't the last body we're going to see."

She didn't wait for Cordelia's reaction, but methodically pushed her way to
the front of the crowd. The medics were working in a large pool of blood to
deal with the body -- or what was left of it. Buffy swallowed hard, but
forced herself to get as close as she could.

Curly, dark blond hair, matted with blood and other things Buffy didn't
want to think about. What had once been nice party clothes, now torn into
rags. Skin ripped and torn beneath them, showing muscle and even bare white
bones in places. Neck marked not with the neat holes of a vampire, but
nearly ripped apart.

And that long, tangled blond hair, surrounding a face that simply wasn't
there anymore.

The medics finished moving the body into a heavy black bag and zipped it
up, and Buffy allowed herself to turn away as the crowd dispersed. Cordelia
herded her group of hangers-on back into the club, casually remarking on
how out of it the scene was; gratefully, Buffy saw most of the rest of the
teenage crowd follow Cordy's lead and leave. The Goth and gore crowds still
hung around, but they could be avoided, and normally were.

Buffy worked her way carefully around the small knot of uniformed cops and
the detectives who had shown up at the same time the body left, hoping no
one would notice one more teenager hanging around. Angel said the Gypsy
woman had come running out of the alley, which was right behind where the
body had been laying.

She went into the alley cautiously, not feeling any safer for the four
dozen police officers a few feet away. Nothing jumped out of the shadows at
her, nothing came down from the sky, and she relaxed a bit, getting down to
business.

Not that there was much to get down to. The alley looked like... well, an
alley. Garbage cans, a couple of boxes dissolving in puddles from last
night's rain, the sloppy pile of the boards and planks that always seem to
show up in alleys for no apparent reason... Her eyes narrowed suddenly, and
she knelt next to a two-by-four that lay several feet away from the rest of
the wood.

Bloody fingerprints all over the bottom and at the top... a tuft of coarse,
dark gray hair, caught on the rough-cut end. No, fur, she corrected
herself, pulling it free. Fur with a patch of skin and some blood still
attached. Either the Gypsy girl or the dead one had fought back.

"Hey!" She jumped, nearly falling over, as the harsh voice spoke behind
her. A high-beam flashlight caught her in the face as she turned, barely
able to make out the form of the cop holding it.

"Don't you kids ever pay attention?" he demanded irritably. "This is a
crime scene, you little ghoul. Find somewhere else to play."

Buffy fisted her hand around the fur casually. "Sorry, officer," she
apologized. "I thought I saw, um, a cat. In here. Alone."

"Yeah, right." He made a disgusted noise and gestured with the flashlight.
"Go. Now."

She smiled innocently. "Going, officer. Now."

Edging past him, she attempted an innocent walk, but still felt his stare
on her as she headed out of the alley and back towards the school. Funny,
though; if she didn't know better, she'd swear she felt more than one set
of eyes.

Perri <[e-mail]>      I *am* the Buffy Evangalist!
NatPacker-*-Horsechick-*-Pezhead-*-Cohenhead-*-DDEB2-*-AGA-*-SunS-*-CoJ
"You borrow my neurons WITHOUT asking, mind you, and then you get them all
gooky with Dru-stuff.  See if I let you borrow anything of mine again."
-- Lizbet



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Perri Smith)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Ill Met By Moonlight, Part 5 of 19
Date: 18 Jan 1998 00:12:38 -0600 (CST)

See disclaimer in part one. Compliments accepted/enjoyed/ignored at
[e-mail].

*****

Ill Met By Moonlight (5/19)
by Perri Smith
Copyright 1998

Part 4

When she returned to the library, Angel was pacing tensely back and forth
near the front doors. He stopped as soon as she came in, relief spreading
over his face. "What took so long?" he demanded, taking her arm and
inspecting her.

"Sorry, Dad," she said archly, "I had to wait for the crowds to die down
before I could get anything done. Not that I got much anyway; the police
were like, everywhere. For once."

"What did you find?" Giles asked, looking up from a stack of books. Willow
and Xander were nowhere to be seen. "Were there any signs of, well, things
that shouldn't have been there?"

"This is Sunnydale," Buffy told him. "Name three things that aren't
supposed to be here. I did find this."

She pulled the tuft of fur out of her pocket and held it out to Giles, who
left his chair to come see. He took it and headed straight to the
magnifying glass for a closer look, fussing with his glasses as he went.

"You didn't see anything else?" Angel persisted, looking all cute and worried.

Buffy resisted the urge to pat him on the head and assured him, "Nothing
scary, nothing furry, just a corpse and Cordelia. Which is actually kind of
scary combination, if you think about it."

He rolled his eyes in automatic agreement and lightened up a little,
letting his hand slide down her arm to take her hand. She squeezed his and
grinned up at him. It was good to have him around, even if the
circumstances were bad, as usual.

"Where are Will and Xander?" she thought to ask. "You didn't let them go
home alone, did you?"

"Willow's mother came to get them; Xander told her Willow was sick. Which
she was." His grip tightened on her hand again, but his voice was
matter-of-fact as he asked, "How bad was it?"

"Pretty bad," she admitted, suppressing a shudder. "Right down there with
harvested organs and body parts in the dumpster. Major ick factor."

"I would imagine so," Giles said from the other side of the room, still
staring intently through the magnifying glass. "Buffy, where did you locate
this, ah, fur?"

Buffy wandered over to his side. Angel followed closely, looking over her
shoulder as she looked over Giles's. "It was stuck on a hunk of wood, in
the alley. There was blood on the other end, fingerprints. I figure someone
got a few good hits in before they got, um, main coursed."

Angel winced at her choice of words, but Giles didn't seem to notice. "It's
some sort of animal fur, which matches with the teeth marks and the bite
radius. In fact, at this point, I'd say we're looking for a... Well, a
large....  Enormous, really...."

Buffy lost patience with the stuttering. "Giles, spit it out."

He took off his glasses and cleaned them, the way he did when he was about
to say something no one wanted to hear. "I'd... say it was rather a large,
well, wolf."

Buffy looked at him. "Large as in Cujo?"

Giles shook his head. "Large as in a lion."

"No. Large as in a human."

Buffy and Giles all turned quickly at the voice behind them, Buffy making a
few rude mental comments about being sneaked up on. Angel didn't even
flinch.

The young Gypsy woman stood in the doorway of Giles's office, leaning
heavily against the doorjamb and swaying slightly in place. Her round,
high-cheeked face was drawn with pain and exhaustion, her skin pale beneath
its tan, but she seemed determined to stay upright, and her dark brown,
vaguely almond-shaped eyes rested on Angel with fear and something just
short of open disgust. Buffy's hackles rose immediately.

Giles spent another moment blinking, which he was doing a lot tonight, then
went back across the room to lend the woman an arm. "You should not be up,"
he informed her severely. "You're quite badly injured."

She didn't move. "I had noticed that. Where am I?"

"Safe," Buffy answered promptly, stepping between Angel and the woman.
"Angel brought you to us."

"Now *that's* reassuring," the woman muttered, saccharine sweet, with
another glare towards Angel.

He returned it full measure. "You don't want me to help, don't collapse at
my feet and tell me to. Next time, I'll leave you there."

"Believe me, I would've preferred that, given any other choice," she
informed him. "You are *not* my idea of a prince in shining armor."

"That's a relief."

"More like a toad. With fangs."

"Um, guys?" Buffy found herself standing between the two combatants. "Can
we save the scintillating repartee for later? I'd kind of like to know
what's going on *before* you two kill each other. Who are you?" she asked
the woman.

"Alexandra Lakatos," the woman answered, after a last glare at Angel. "Call
me Sasha."

"Cool, we have a name. Names are good. I'm Buffy and this is Giles, and I,
um, think you know Angel."

"We've never been formally introduced." Sasha flashed a toothy, insincere
smile Angel's way. "But yes, I know him."

"Let's skip the formal part," Angel told her. "What are you doing here, and
what do the Romani want from me this time?"

She gave an exaggerated wince. "Almost a hundred years, and you still can't
pronounce Romani. Accent on the *first* syllable, damn it."

"Sorry."

"You should be."

"Drop dead."

"Oh, you *wish*."

"I hate to interrupt this love fest...." Buffy jumped back in the middle
when both parties looked ready to go for each other's throats. Sasha seemed
to have forgotten all about her wounds, leaning forward with her eyes
glittering and hard. Angel's jaw was so tight it looked painful, his fists
clenched. Giles, the coward, was staying as far out of the line of fire as
he could while half-supporting Sasha.

Buffy looked back and forth between them, baffled. What the hell *was*
this; not even Xander could get Angel this mad. "I'm sensing some hostility
here," she said as calmly as possible. "What is *with* you two? Besides the
obvious, I mean."

"He's a vampire," Sasha snarled, at the same time Angel growled, "She's Rom."

"Of course, that clears it right up, thanks." Buffy breathed out hard and
glared at *both* of them. "A frustrated Slayer is a cranky Slayer," she
informed them icily, "and if I don't get some answers, I'm going to get
*really* cranky. You don't want that," she told Sasha, "and you *really*
don't want that," to Angel.

Neither of them looked particularly impressed. Then Sasha finally processed
the threat and its lead-in, and looked wide-eyed at Buffy. "Waitaminute.
You're the *Slayer*?"

Buffy thought back, realized what she'd said, and sighed. "I should take
out an ad in the yearbook, and save time. Yeah, I'm the Slayer."

Sasha studied her up and down, then turned painfully to Giles. "Which would
make you her Watcher, correct?"

Giles nodded, looking unhappy about yet another blowing of their collective
secret identity, but resigned to it. "Correct."

"In other words," Sasha said slowly, "a vampire took a Gypsy to a Slayer
and a Watcher for help against a werewolf?" When the other three nodded
more-or-less as one, she started chuckling, holding her ribs in pain. "I
think that breaks most of the laws of magic. And all of the laws of
Nature."

Giles rolled his eyes to the ceiling, and Angel made a sound that was
something between a snort and a reluctant chuckle, looking away.

Buffy groaned and sat down on the center table. "I'm missing some major
mystical in-jokes here again, aren't I?" She shook her head, then looked
up. "How do you know about Slayers?"

Sasha shrugged, and looked like she regretted it; pain flashed across her
face. "I didn't *know* anything, just stories my grandmother tells. A
couple of Slayers have been Rom, according to her; I figured she'd been
reading too much Bram Stoker. Joy, she's proven right again."

"We've established you're a fount of knowledge on Slayers," Angel got the
conversation back on track icily. "What do you know about werewolves?"

Sasha flinched, her mocking grin falling away. "Too much," she answered, so
quietly Buffy almost couldn't make out the words.

"Then... Then it *isn't* a normal wolf... a normal creature?" Giles
stuttered slightly, his eyes lighting up with his usual reaction to
anything new and exciting. Never mind that his definition of exciting
tended to be everyone else's definition of 'Ew'. "You're certain of that?"

"Reasonably," Sasha answered dryly, rubbing the bandage on her arm. "He...
*It* followed me here from down the coast, last night and most of today.
Not normal behavior for a wolf, as far as I know." She shrugged, and winced
again as the movement pulled at various wounds. "I thought I'd ditched it,
but I turned around in that alley and...." She rubbed the bandage again,
struggling for control of her face. Buffy couldn't blame her; the thought
of facing the creature that had killed that girl was enough to give *Buffy*
the wig.

"You fought it?" Buffy asked, trying to ignore the hostility radiating from
Angel. It wasn't easy. "With that two-by-four?"

Sasha nodded tiredly, her balance looking shakier by the second. "Yeah. I
knocked it silly for a second, then ran before it could get back up. "

"Way to go," Angel informed the Gypsy harshly. "When it missed you, it
killed another girl instead."

Sasha's face went paler, if possible, and staggered against Giles, who
somehow managed to hold her up. "Oh, Christ," she swore softly, squeezing
her eyes shut. "Oh damn, not another one. Oh Christ....." Giles patted her
shoulder awkwardly, but she didn't seem to notice he was there.

"Nice job," Buffy informed Angel, not sure who she as more annoyed with.
"Way to pick on the walking wounded. Want to go beat up some orphans now?"

He didn't look the slightest bit guilty. "Ask the 'walking wounded' why the
werewolf's after her," he said coldly. "Ask her what it wants."

Buffy stared at him for a second, irritation fighting with curiosity and
suspicion, then transferred her stare to Sasha. "What *does* it want?" she
asked.

She might have imagined Sasha's hesitation, before she answered bitterly,
"It wants to kill. It wants blood, and it doesn't care whose it gets."

It was as good an answer as any. But Sasha wasn't meeting anyone's eyes,
and Angel looked as coldly disbelieving as Buffy felt. There was more to
this....

Perri <[e-mail]>      I *am* the Buffy Evangalist!
NatPacker-*-Horsechick-*-Pezhead-*-Cohenhead-*-DDEB2-*-AGA-*-SunS-*-CoJ
"You borrow my neurons WITHOUT asking, mind you, and then you get them all
gooky with Dru-stuff.  See if I let you borrow anything of mine again."
-- Lizbet



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: John & Barbie <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: unsubscribe Buffy
Date: 18 Jan 1998 11:40:04 -0800

Please unsubscribe Buffy fic

Thankyou



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Ingrid E Stanton)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: "One Vampire's Headache..." (1/?)
Date: 18 Jan 1998 16:47:01 EST

OK. First things firstà
DISCLAIMER: The characters of Buffy Sommers,
Spike, Drusilla, Angel(us) & company are the property
of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar Productions,
and The Warner Brothers Network, and are used without
permission. The author claims no rights to these characters.

*SuMmArY, iNtRoDuCtIoN, & WhAtEvEr ElSe YoU wAnT tO cAlL iT...*
This is going to be a long story. ThatÆs if I ever get to finish
it. Free time is highly underrated. Placing King Lear aside for
the moment, IÆve written the first part of this story, at least. I
place this after "Bad Eggs," and obviously before whatever
Joss has in store for us with this steamy-looking episode
coming up. IÆm sure this story wonÆt jive at all with that, so
allow me my alternate reality, sÆil vous plait! Basically,
without giving too much away, this is a story regarding a
romance respite for Angel & Buffy, Drusilla craziness, Spike
weakness & annoyance, and various other vampire legend. IÆve
set this up in an episode format, so first weÆll hear from the
villains, and then from the "good guys."

And now, without further boring commentary, on with the story!!!


*****
"One VampireÆs Headache..."  Part the Firstà
*****

Spike woke up feeling faint. He was tucked into the covers of an
unfamiliar bed. What kind of covers were these? He felt
restrained by themà Had someone captured him? Impossible.
What would anyone want with a vampire? Was he dead? This
didnÆt look like the traditional concept of hell. Then where the
bloody blazes AM I, he screamed silently, railing against the
oppressive covers.
    He didnÆt move. What were these made of? Iron? As
hard as he pushed, he couldnÆt move an inch. Out of sheer
frustration, he let out a child-like cry. Seconds later, he heard
footsteps approaching. A familiar dark-haired woman watched
him with delighted surprise. Instead of the usual white baby-doll
frills, the vampire wore high boots, a short skirt, and a tank top,
all black. Her long hair was piled on top of her head in a loose
flipped bun, tiny wisps framing her face. Her already large eyes
grew wider as she saw him struggle against the sheets.

"Dru! What am I doing here? WhatÆs going on?"

She touched his head gently. "Calm yourself, moppet. YouÆre very weak,
and you shouldnÆt be movinÆ about."

"What happened, Dru?"

"You mean you donÆt remember?"

"I remember the ritual for you and Angelus, and then I remember that
bloody slayer cominÆ in and wreckinÆ it all up."

"The building collapsed on you, love. I got you out from under the
organ."

"That Damned Slayer! She has to ruin all our fun."

"But she didnÆt, Spike."

"What do ya mean, Princess?"

"IÆm strong again, Spike, see?"

With a single hand, the slight girl lifted Spike several feet into the
air. She held him there for a moment, smiling straight into his eyes. He
only stared back in astonishment, his mind reeling to absorb the events
that had transpired while he lay in unconsciousness. She gave a delighted
giggle as she lowered Spike back down to the bed.

"Have something to eat, my pet." She threw him a terrified looking
teenage boy with bonds restraining his hands, feet and mouth. "WeÆre
going to get that Slayer, and Angelus too, Spike."

Spike barely felt the hunger, but being in somewhat of a stupor, his face
automatically changed, and he weakly sunk his teeth into the innocentÆs
neck.
****

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Andrew Weitzman" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: "A Truth Worse Than Lies" -- 12/12
Date: 19 Jan 1998 06:03:07 -0500



----------
> From: Dianne la Mercenaire <[e-mail]>
> Yes, tonight they would leave. With distance perhaps Drusilla could
> learn to read her visions, _use_ them.
>
> And the next time... the next time they crossed paths with a Slayer,
> he would hand his Princess her head on a silver _plate_.
>


   [shudder]  A finely crafted tragedy you have here, Dianne.  There's
poetry--dark poetry, of course--in the way the Angelus of this story
destroyed the Slayer that era.  I also loved the manner in which you
explained the deep love Spike and Drusilla had for each other, despite
their demonic natures.  The cause of Dru's madness was a particularly nice
touch.

   BTW--I thought you captured the tone of the period very well.  The
dialogue of the nuns of the convent seemed quite true to life; they
appeared to me like curious crows perched along a stone wall.

_______
Andrew Weitzman  [e-mail]
Beware the Fluffy Threat(tm)! Get the truth at
http://www.devilbunnies.org/
"Oh, good.  The feeble-banter portion of the fight" The Master. "Buffy the
Vampire Slayer"



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Andrew Weitzman" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: "Return to Normalcy" (3/3)
Date: 19 Jan 1998 05:24:18 -0500



----------
> From: Ingrid E Stanton <[e-mail]>
>
> But more than this relief was those wonderful feelings inside
> him. Deep care for the woman lying next to him. Deep care and
> love?
>
> Miss. Calendar awoke slowly, awoken by a gentle touch on her
> back. She lifted her heavy eyelids to see Rupert watching over
> her.
>
> A slow smile spread across her face.
>
> "Good Morning England."
> ****
>
> Whadaya think? Please, please send some feedback. I cannot live on posts
> alone.

    [grin]  I liked it.  A lot.  Good pacing and a strong sense of
character.  Vignettes likes this are among my favorite forms of fanfic; it
allows fans to experience the "in-between" moments not covered by the
series.

_______
Andrew Weitzman  [e-mail]
Beware the Fluffy Threat(tm)! Get the truth at
http://www.devilbunnies.org/
"Oh, good.  The feeble-banter portion of the fight" The Master. "Buffy the
Vampire Slayer"





-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Ingrid E Stanton)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: "One Vampire's Headache," (2/?)
Date: 18 Jan 1998 19:25:15 EST

First things firstà
DISCLAIMER: The characters of Buffy Sommers,
Angel, Giles, Spike, Drusilla, & company are the property
of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar Productions,
and The Warner Brothers Network, and are used without
permission. The author claims no rights to these characters.

Ok. Already told you this would be a long story. Again, this
is an alternate reality, since we're seeing a new ep.
tomorow that won't jive with this story. Since this is the
second part, and I'm doing this in episode format (but not
a script) we'll be getting Angel and Buffy (humorous)
fluff, so, you know the story. If you're a non-fluff person,
move out now. If not, enjoy!

And now, without further adieu, on with the story!!!

*****
"One VampireÆs Headache..." Part the Secondà
*****

Buffy kissed at AngelÆs face and neck, finally settling
in his arms, resting her head where his heart might be. She
felt him gently stroke her hair, and she closed her eyes in
contentment. It was only 7:00, and sheÆd told her mom sheÆd
be at the bronze until ten. That was three hours to kill, and she
was perfectly happy spending every minute in his arms.
    The room was a bit grey, and dull, surely, and it was
more than a little cold, but Angel solved that problem easily. As
much as she *loved* her room, it was nice not being grounded
anymore.

Angel gently pulled away from her and spoke. "So, how did you
get out of your life sentence?"

Buffy laughed as a memory popped into her head. "My mom
came into my room and found me studying," she reported,
dripping sarcasm.

"Seriously."

BuffyÆs face scrunched up in annoyance. "Seriously!?! I *am*
being serious. I was studying for math," she pleaded earnestly,
raising her voice.

He raised his eyebrows in disbelief.

"Ok, Ok, I was daydreaming with the book open. But I *could*
have been studying."

"Right."

She smiled. "Right." She kissed him. He paused for a
moment.

"What about Giles?"

"What about him"

"Buffy, you didnÆt tell him-"

"That I was studying?"

"Oh, Buffy!"

"Well I didnÆt say *what* I was studying!"

"Buffy!" He scolded her half-heartedly.

"What," she whined helplessly.

He smiled. "I love you." And kissed her.

*******
END, PART 2. Did anyone catch SMG on SNL?
Very funny "Buffy"/"Seinfeld" crossover.


-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Isis212 <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: A Talk Between Friends (1/1)
Date: 18 Jan 1998 19:27:30 EST

Hello Everybody!

Okay, this little story is based on my certainty that Willow and Angel could
be great friends.  That is, if Angel was allowed to interact with the other
characters on BtVS.  Since his owners haven't given him permission to do
so, I have.


TITLE:  A Talk Between Friends
AUTHOR:  Aramat!
DISTRIBUTION:  Ask me, please.
SUMMARY:  Willow needs some reassuring and Angel's there to provide.
RATING:  G
FEEDBACK:  Feedback makes me happy.  I need to be happy.
DISCLAIMER:  I don't own Willow or any BtVS character.  Joss Whedon
                       and the WB do.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Talk Between Friends

Willow sat at a corner table in the Bronze sipping a cola and waiting for
Buffy.  She felt strange, sitting there all alone, while the other teens in
the club danced, talked, had fun.  Watching, she felt a pang of envy.  She
should be out there right now, laughing, dancing with Xander.  Being a
normal teenager.  But she wasn't.  Instead she was sitting, waiting for
the Slayer.  Briefly, she wished things were back to the way they were,
before Buffy had come to Sunnydale.

"Wishing things were normal?"

The question, coming from a deep and very familiar voice, pulled Willow
from her thoughts.  She smiled as she looked across the table and saw
Angel sitting there.

"You guessed it," she answered.  Her smile of welcome faded and a guilty
look replaced it.  Had she just wished Buffy had never come to town?

Angel recognized the look on her face.  It was similar to the look he saw
on Buffy's whenever she thought about skipping patrol to do some teenage
thing.  The same look she got when she wished the world would save itself
for once.

"No need to feel guilty," Angel said to Willow, trying his best to reassure
her.  "You have every right to wish things were different."

Willow smiled, thankful to have someone to talk to.  As much as she
wanted to, she didn't feel as though she could just come out and tell Buffy
that sometimes she wished the Slayer would go away.  Hurting Buffy wasn't
something she was keen on doing.  Besides, Buffy had enough problems
of her own.  Taking on Willow's would be a little too much for the Slayer to
handle.

Deciding to put all negative thoughts behind her, she turned back to Angel
and changed the subject.

"So, are you looking for Buffy?" she asked her companion.

Angel smiled at the question.  "You may find this hard to believe, but my
whole existance does not revolve around Buffy," he told her.  The teasing
glint in his eyes took all the sting out of the words.  "Besides, I've already
seen her.  She's out hunting.  I had no idea she was going to be here."

If Buffy hadn't told Angel where she was going Willow figured things had
gotten pretty intense between the two.  Willow was positive Angel had beat
a very hasty retreat as soon as Buffy had given him the chance.

"Why aren't you following her?" Willow asked, a knowing smile on her lips.

Angel laughed.  It was a sound, Willow realized suddenly, that she'd never
heard before.

"I had to promise not to play Slayer protector in order to get out of her
room with my clothes still on," Angel answered.  He noticed Willow's
surprised look and frowned.  "What?"

Willow just looked at him.  "I just realized I've never heard you laugh
before," she told him, feeling more than a little silly.  "It's...nice."

Angel smiled at the compliment.  "It surprised me the first time, too," he
admitted.  "But, Buffy has a way of making me laugh."

Willow nodded, in perfect agreement.  She was always surprised at
how Buffy always managed to be sunny.  When she was around it was
hard not to be cheerful.

They sat in comfortable silence for a while and Willow found herself
thinking about Angel's life.   She thought what he was like before he
became a vampire and immediately after he'd regained his soul.  She
thought about his life now.  She wondered about his relationship with
Buffy.  The part she hinted at but never really expanded on.  She
wondered if he ever wished things were different.

When she looked up she found Angel watching her, his brown eyes
staring deep into her soul.

"You need to talk."  It wasn't a question.

She nodded.  He was right.  She needed to talk.  She just didn't know
where to start.

Sensing her nervousness, Angel spoke once again.  "How about we talk
about what was on your mind when I walked up," he suggested, figuring if
he steered her toward the right topic she'd open up.

He had figured right.

"I was sitting here, watching everyone having fun.  Watching everyone be
so normal.  And I realized that I'm not normal," she told him.  "I used to be
one of those people.  I used to be ignorant to everything that went on in
Sunnydale.  I liked being ignorant.  Ignorance was good."  She stopped,
smiling as her words registered.  "But now I know everything.  And
sometimes I wish I was in the dark again.

"I remember, before Buffy came, how perfect I found things.  I wasn't the
most popular person, I didn't have many friends.  But I had Xander and that
was all needed.  I was happy with my life.  And then Buffy came,
everything changed and I had a new friend.  And then, in the space of
one night, I became part of her world.  I became one of the priviledged.
It was nice.  I had finally realized how empty my life had been before
and knowing Buffy made me happy."  She smiled briefly and turned to
look at the crowd.  "But sometimes, when I'm sitting here, waiting for
Buffy to come back from patrol, worrying about whether or not she'll be
alive at the end of the night, I wish...I wish things were different.  I don't
really want her to go away, I just wish she was your average teenage girl."

Angel watched her as she looked wistfully at the crowd of teenagers.
She turned back to him and attempted to smile.

"Have you ever wished things were different?" she asked softly.  She'd
always been curious about Angel, about what he thought about, about
the things he did when he wasn't around Buffy.  She finally felt confident
enough to ask.

Angel took a sip of his drink as he pondered the question.

"Have I ever wished things were different?  All the time," he answered
honestly.  "Whenever I sit around my apartment all day waiting for the sun
to set.  Whenever I think about all the things I've done.  Whenever I get
hungry, but not for food.  Whenever I look at Buffy, I wish things were
different."

Willow nodded as she considered his words.  She was glad to know
she wasn't the only one who had such thoughts.  She looked at Angel,
noticed the pain in his eyes, and sighed.  Seeing things from his side
made her problems seem so insignificant.  But she couldn't help how
she felt.  She just wanted to be reassured that she wasn't the only one
who felt that way.

"Here's another one," she said focusing her attention back on Angel.
"Would you change anything about your life now?"

Angel shook his head.  "No, I wouldn't," he answered with a smile.  "If I
wasn't who I am, I wouldn't be here now.  And Hellmouth and all, there's
no place else I'd rather be."

"Because of Buffy?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

But Angel surprised her.  "Not just because of Buffy, although she's
the main reason, but because of all of you," he replied.  "It's been a
while since I've had friends."

Willow felt tears in her eyes at his words.  "That's sweet," she said
smiling up at him.  "I always knew you were sweet."

Angel seemed a little embarrassed by the praise.  "It's not sweet, it's
the truth," he stated simply.  "So, don't feel guilty about wishing things
were different.  When you think about all you have, would you change
anything?"

Willow was quiet as she thought about the question.  She thought
about Buffy and how she'd accepted her when they'd first met.  She
thought about how Buffy had always managed to be the very best friend,
taking time to listen and to just be there when Willow needed her.  She
thought about all the fun times she, Buffy, and Xander had together, even
when fighting demons.  But most of all, she thought about the two extra
friends she'd made when she'd met Buffy.  They'd become so much a
part of her life that she wasn't really sure what she'd do without them.  As
Angel had said, Hellmouth and all, she wouldn't change a thing.

"You're right, things are fine the way they are," she said in answer to
Angel's question.  Then she smiled.  "Well, maybe I'd change one thing,"
she added, thinking of Xander's crush on the Slayer.

Angel chuckled.  "It's too bad we can't make blind 16 year old boys see,"
he told her.  Willow laughed at the thought.

So caught up in their conversation, Angel and Willow didn't notice Buffy
until she spoke.

"If you two get any cosier, the gossips of Sunnydale High will be talking
about how Willow stole Buffy's sexy, if slightly older boyfriend," Buffy said
as she slipped into the seat next to Angel.  "And let me tell ya' Will, I'll
fight
dirty for my vampire."

Willow smiled and greeted her friend.  "How dirty?" she asked curious.

"I'll pull out the weapons Giles doesn't think I know how to use," she told
her friend jokingly.  "So, what are you two up to?  Bonding?"

Angel looked up at Buffy, a sexy smile, the one he reserved especially for
her, on his face.  Willow was, once again, struck by envy.  She wished
someone would look at her like that.

"Just making plans for a midnight rendezvous."

Buffy glared at him.  "You cheat, I slay.  Remember that," she told him
seriously.  She turned back to Will and smiled.  "I come bearing good
news."

Hearing this Willow perked up.  "Good news?" she asked hopefully.
"Is it Xander good news?"

Buffy nodded.  "Definitely Xander good news.  He's outside and he wants
quality time with his favorite gal."

Willow couldn't help the feeling of excitement and anticipation that
coursed through her.  Maybe Xander was getting a clue after all.

"Well gotta go, guys," Willow said as she got up from her seat.  She
turned, started to walk away only to turn back.  She gave Angel a smile.
"Thanks for the talk." That said she turned and walked to the doors.

Buffy watched until Willow was safe with Xander before turning back to
Angel.

"That must have been some talk," she said casually.

"Not really," he replied, shaking his head.  "Just helping out a friend."

Buffy smiled.  "You were worried about me," she said happiness and
amusement in her eyes.

Angel only nodded in reply.  Then he stood up and took Buffy's hand in his.
"Come on.  We've got Slayerettes to watch over," he told her as he led her
out of the Bronze.

When they stepped outside they immediately spotted Xander and Willow
holding hands and laughing as they strolled down the street.  Buffy couldn't
help the smile that lit her face at the sight.

"I've been worried about her lately," Buffy said softly as she leaned against
Angel's shoulder.  "I hope your talk helped."

Angel wrapped an arm around her.  "I hope it does, too," he whispered.
He looked down at Buffy.  He had a feeling Willow wasn't the only one who
needed a talk.  "So, how about we go to my place and you can tell me
what's on your mind."

Buffy nodded her acceptance and they walked away leaving Willow and
Xander to spend some much needed time together.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Okay, you're done reading.  Now I need reassuring.  Someone please tell
that just because fictional characters have started speaking to me, that
does not mean I'm going crazy.  If no one can give me that reassurance
then forget I ever wrote this little paragraph.  No need in everyone thinking
I'm insane.  Oh, I hope you enjoyed the story.

Aramat!

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Donald Jones" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: writing a slayer handbook
Date: 18 Jan 1998 13:16:02 -0800


-----Original Message-----


>hi.. i'm krissy and i'm thinking of writing a
>slayer's handbook... i have a rough gauge of what to
>put in.. do you think i could get help on this?
>krissy

Hey, Krissy!!! That sounds like a great idea. Count me in if you need
pointers. Or else, keep me updated!!!!
Love always,
Bev


-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Perri Smith)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Ill Met By Moonlight, Part 6 of 19
Date: 18 Jan 1998 22:31:18 -0600 (CST)

See disclaimer in part one. Compliments accepted/enjoyed/ignored at
[e-mail].

*****

Ill Met By Moonlight (6/19)
by Perri Smith
Copyright 1998

Part 5

"So did she tell you anything else?"

Buffy shrugged, picking another piece of crust off her sandwich and
crumbling it in her fingers. It joined the small mountain of crumbs forming
on her lunch bag. "Nothing," she answered Xander. "But I didn't exactly get
the chance to ask. She very conveniently practically passed out right in
front of Giles's office. We got her back on the cot and foom, she was out
cold. She was still asleep when I left; Giles said to just leave her there
for the night."

Willow munched thoughtfully on her apple. She seemed to have recovered from
the night before; at least, she wasn't looking vaguely sick anymore. "Wow.
A werewolf. That's a new one, even for us."

"I could have lived without it," Buffy said, making a face and lowering her
voice, in deference to the crowd of lunch time students surrounding the
Slayerettes in the lounge. Fortunately, most of them were paying more
attention to the soap opera playing on the television in the corner than
any of their classmates. "But what's really weird is how she and Angel were
fighting."

She shook her head, still confused and deeply not happy. "Can we say hatred
at first sight? I've never seen anyone loathe anyone else that fast. Unless
Cordelia was involved."

"How about that?" Xander muttered into his sandwich. "Can't imagine anyone
not liking our friendly neighborhood vampire."

Buffy gave him a glare; he straightened in his chair and attempted to look
inoffensive, and Willow suppressed a giggle. "So Angel was really upset,
huh?" she asked, trying to draw fire from Xander.

 Buffy let her get away with it, this time. "He was beyond upset, all the
way to homicidal. He wouldn't even say anything else to me, just muttered
something about never trusting a Gypsy and started stalking around the
stacks. This chick is really messing with his mind. "

"I'm liking her more all the time," Xander cracked.

This time, Buffy ignored him, cleaning up the remains of her half-eaten
lunch and getting up from the table. "I have to go to the library and check
on Gypsy chick; Giles had a teacher's meeting and he doesn't want her alone
for too long. Will, can you cover for me if I'm late to fourth period?"

"Sure," Willow nodded. "It's computer class, anyway; Ms. Calendar will
understand."

"Yeah, she'll understand, but she'll still flunk me," Buffy grimaced.
"Catch you guys later."

******

She was dreaming. She knew she was dreaming, because none of this could
possibly be for real. But the wolf circling her in the dark alley looked
pretty damn for real. She took a swing at it with the board she'd
scavenged, her breath tearing at her lungs with the effort, and felt
splinters rip into her palm. The wolf danced back, then forward, lashing
out with one paw. She tried to stumble back, but felt the claw tear through
her jeans and into her leg. She bit back a scream and swung again and the
wolf, gloating over its strike, didn't move fast enough this time. The
board connected with a hollow 'thump' and the wolf yelped, stumbling back
against the wall.

She dropped the board and ran for the entrance to the alley, thinking of
nothing but escape. She'd almost made it when something loomed out of the
shadows in front of her. She looked up -- and found the wolf looking back
at her from dark eyes, a demon's face and a smile full of fangs.

It was her own strangled scream that finally woke her.

Sasha lay still, muscles still locked in the helpless paralysis of her
dream, blinking at the unfamiliar surroundings. It had to have been a
nightmare -- but she was lying on some kind of cot in a small office, not
too different from one of the teaching assistant's offices at USC. There
were books everywhere, a tweed jacket thrown over a chair, and a teenaged
blonde looking at her with wary, suspicious eyes.

"Welcome back to the land of the living," the blonde said with a quick,
almost-sincere smile. "I was starting to wonder if you were ever going to
wake up."

"Wha--?" Sasha stared at the blonde in utter confusion. It had been a
dream, it had to have been. Then she tried to move again and muscles
responded -- with pain. Tearing, burning pain that radiated up her leg and
arm, almost obliterating the more minor protests of muscles that ached as
if they'd been beaten with baseball bats. It was touching the bandages on
her arm that brought reality home.

Kriston. Driving frantically in a random direction, praying her desperate
instincts were correct. The alley. Eyes gleaming in the darkness. Pain and
the impact of wood against flesh. Running to safety and finding only
something new to fear. The library, and the Englishman with the gentle
hands, and the blonde with the attitude.

And him. Angelus. Real.

"Oh, Christ, I was really praying I was going to wake up from this one,"
Sasha groaned, squeezing her eyes shut.

No such luck; when she opened them again, everything was the same, except
that the blonde -- Buffy, she remembered vaguely -- was kneeling beside the
cot now. "I know what you mean," the girl (she had to be at least six or
seven years younger than Sasha) said, with real, if reluctant, sympathy in
her green eyes. "I've had weeks like that. Actually, I've pretty much had
the last two years like that. How are you feeling?"

"Like I got attacked by a werewolf," Sasha said irritably, rubbing her arm
and shoving her hair out of her face. "My soul for some Tylenol. Or
codeine."

"I guess we can handle the Tylenol." A quick rummage through the desk
produced painkillers; Sasha swallowed four with a glass of water and a sigh
of relief.

Buffy settled herself backwards into Giles' desk chair, resting her arms
and chin along on the chairback. "You need clothes," she observed
critically. "There's some in here." She passed over a gym bag with the word
'Sunnydale' emblazoned on the side in gold; Sasha reached, and winced when
sore ribs protested. "I can't guarantee the fit, but anything's better than
what you've got on."

Sasha blinked blearily down at herself, willing her vision to focus, and
realized she was only wearing a torn, still-bloody T-shirt and a blanket,
which stopped her from taking offense at Buffy's
just-this-side-of-insulting comment. "You could be right," she admitted.
"And I don't think your principal would be happy to find a half-dressed
woman in his librarian's office. I am in a high school library, right? I
wasn't hallucinating that part?"

Buffy winced. "Snyder'd lose it. Majorly. And yeah, this is Sunnydale High
School."

"Figured," Sasha shrugged, rummaging through the gym bag and holding a pair
of sweat pants at arms length. "Not yours."

"Nah, you're too tall," Buffy confirmed. "I stole them from my mom's
closet; I don't think she'll notice for a few days. You're not going to be
posing for the cover of Vogue, but you won't be a *total* fashion
casualty."

"Oh, good, because that would just ruin my whole day." Sasha rolled her
eyes, then stood very carefully. Not carefully enough -- the room danced
and swirled, graying out around the edges. "Wow," she said faintly, her
eyes closed. "Spots. This is fun."

"Need some help?" Buffy asked from a few inches away.

"No. No, I'm fine." To prove it, she opened her eyes and began to carefully
pull the sweat pants on over the heavy bandages on her left leg. "You guys
did a pretty good job patching me up. Thanks."

"You're welcome," Buffy said noncommittally. As Sasha pulled the sweatpants
carefully up, she watched the girl settle herself back in the chair with
casualness so perfect it had to be a put-on. Her eyes never left Sasha, as
if expecting an attack at any second.

Which Sasha was going to pass on, until she had a better handle on the
situation. But before she admitted anything to this crew, she had a couple
of burning questions, like what kind of a Slayer was hanging around with a
vampire, particularly a bastard like Angelus? And what kind of Watcher
would allow it? Either this situation was beyond weird -- or there was
something very wrong. Well, something *else* very wrong.

Oddly enough, she didn't doubt the girl was the Slayer. There was a sense
-- Sasha refused to use the word aura -- about Buffy that was different
from anything she'd ever seen. And for no reason at all (that Sasha was
going to admit, anyway) that sense meant Slayer. Which brought the topic
back around to vampires....

"So where'd Fang Face get to, anyway?" she asked, venom edging her voice at
the very thought of Angelus. He hadn't looked much like a demon, last
night, but she knew better than to trust a pretty face. Monsters could hide
within.... "Back to his coffin for the day?"

Buffy's eyes narrowed. "*Angel*", she emphasized the name pointedly, "had
to leave before sunrise. He'll be back tonight."

"Lovely." Sasha pulled the sweatshirt painfully over her head, working the
sleeve down past the bandage.

When she looked back up, Buffy was still looking annoyed. "What is with you
and Angel anyway, and don't just give me the Gypsy/vampire thing. There's
got to be more to it. I mean, it's not like you were the one who actually
cursed him. Were you?" The steely glint in her eyes promised mayhem and
chaos if Sasha answered yes.

Sasha got herself into a slightly better defensive position, back to the
wall and well away from the Slayer, before she answered. "Do I look over a
hundred? I don't think so. And the 'Gypsy/vampire thing' pretty much does
cover it. I'm Romani -- well, half Romani and kind of lapsed. He's a
vampire. We hate each other on general principles; bad blood between our
little groups goes back to the beginning of *time*, according to my
great-grandmother.  All he has to do to get me mad is exist, apparently."

She eyed Buffy suspiciously. "I'm surprised the same wonderful relationship
doesn't exist between the two of you. Actually, I think I'd be
flabbergasted if I had the energy to spare."

Buffy looked away first. "It's... kind of a long story," she said, her
guard dropping for the first time, if only a little. Sore subject; Sasha
made a mental note.

The teenager recovered quickly.  "I want to know about the bad blood thing.
Why do you hate each other so much? I mean, besides the fact that you guys
like playing God with Angel's life?"

"What's with this 'Angel' crap? His *life* consisted of killing people,"
Sasha shot back automatically.  "Killing members of my clan to be precise,
which qualifies him as one hell of a lot closer to the devil side of the
scales. Whatever he got, he had coming to him, and a damn sight more! "

Sasha met the girl's glare, challenging her to deny that one. Buffy looked
more than ready to give it a shot, but a cool voice intervened from the
doorway.

"Be that as it may," said the Brit from the night before, coming into the
library with a tray full of food, "The enmity between vampires and the
Romani goes back considerably before any of Angel's encounters with them.
'The beginning of time' is not actually so far off."

"Giles, right?" Sasha double-checked, fairly sure she was right. He
definitely belonged to the office; tweed pants, sweater vest, tie, glasses,
cup of tea held firmly in hand, vaguely abstracted air that didn't hide the
keen intelligence in his eyes. But it helped to be sure of who all the
players were, although the complication of a Slayer and all it entailed
hadn't been on her agenda when she'd set out after Angelus. Of course, none
of this had been what she'd planned.

"Yes," Giles answered, deliberately leaning between Sasha and Buffy to put
the food on his desk, which broke the staredown. "I'm glad to see you're
feeling better; there are some... rather pressing concerns to be dealt
with."

"Which we can't deal with until tonight, so let's get back to the Gypsy
thing," Buffy inserted firmly, clearly unwilling to let go of the topic.

Giles looked at her with a bit of exasperation and a great deal of
affection. Sasha just shrugged. "He's probably better qualified to tell it
than I am," she said, reaching for the food in an attempt to remove herself
from the conversation. "Like I said, all I know is what my grandmother told
me, and I wasn't really paying all that much attention."

"You and Buffy should get along splendidly, then," Giles said pointedly.
Buffy rolled her eyes at what was obviously a long-standing argument. "At
any rate, the legends and histories I've read -- not from the Romani point
of view, you understand, as they have written very little -- suggest that,
when the demons left our world, the human they fed on to create the
vampires was part of a clan of Romani.

"The members of the clan that remained human," he continued in full lecture
mode, taking off his glasses to polish them, "swore revenge for the
corruption of their families, and have, since that day, devoted themselves
to keeping knowledge of the vampires and how to fight them alive. Needless
to say, this did not please the vampires."

Sasha snorted at the understatement. "Is that how it happened?" she asked,
interested in spite of herself. "I just get the 'creatures of evil, they
must be destroyed' version from my grandmother. Nothing specific."

"Don't ask him for specifics," Buffy said with a roll of the eyes. "You'll
never get him to stop."

Sasha nearly grinned at the girl. "I'll remember that."

"Actually, I believe specifics would be better supplied at this moment by
Miss Lakatos," Giles said, ignoring Buffy as much as possible. Both Sasha
and Buffy blinked at him and he clarified, "The werewolf."

"Oh." Sasha swallowed. How much to admit... and how much help could she get
without telling it all? Dammit, how the hell had she gotten into this? Do
one lousy favor for family..... "Right. The werewolf. Yeah."

"Yeah, why's he after you?" Buffy asked, leaning forward against her chair.
Her eyes were far older than sixteen as they probed Sasha's face.

"I... don't know," Sasha lied, avoiding the much-too-knowing eyes as well
as she could. "I was just... in the wrong place at the wrong time." The
truth, at least, if not exactly the truth it sounded like. Her law
professors would be proud.

"You and half the people in Sunnydale." Everyone turned as two more
teenagers appeared at the door of Giles's office. The dark-haired boy in
the lead looked as if panicked was his natural state; the doe-eyed redhead
behind him just looked pale.

"Xander? Willow?" Buffy stood quickly, meeting the two before they could
come any farther in. "What's wrong? Demon in the cafeteria? Snyder's been
taken over by pod people and is being nice? What?"

No one smiled at the attempted joke. "We've got a problem," the boy,
Xander, said seriously.

"We were watching the news in the lounge," Willow broke in, her words
tripping over each other in her hurry. "Principal Snyder had just come
through so we were watching news-type stuff instead of Cordelia's soap
opera, and there was this story about how they found another, um...." She
stopped and swallowed hard. "Another dead girl. A few blocks from the
Bronze."

Sasha's ears roared, and the room spun dizzily. Dimly, she heard Buffy
demanding, "Was it the same as the other body? I mean, was it...?"

"Was it an extra from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre?" Xander completed
sarcastically. "I'm gonna say that's a big yes. And here's the fun part."
He looked in Sasha's direction, and she looked away, sickly certain of what
he was going to say. "It was another blonde, and the picture they showed
looked a lot like, well...."

He gestured at Sasha, and all eyes followed the motion. Sasha shrank back,
futilely looking for a place to hide. Dammit, this wasn't how it was
supposed to go....

"Two in one night," Buffy said flatly.

"Almost three," Giles agreed, his voice cold. "And somehow, I doubt it will
end there."

"Just why the hell does this werewolf want you so badly, Sasha Lakatos?"
Buffy demanded. "And why will he kill anyone who even looks like you to get
it?"

Sasha tried to think of a lie, any lie. But she was abruptly too tired to
care. "Because I made him," she sighed finally, her head sinking to her
chin so she wouldn't have to look at them. "He's a werewolf because of me."


Perri <[e-mail]>      I *am* the Buffy Evangalist!
NatPacker-*-Horsechick-*-Pezhead-*-Cohenhead-*-DDEB2-*-AGA-*-SunS-*-CoJ
"You borrow my neurons WITHOUT asking, mind you, and then you get them all
gooky with Dru-stuff.  See if I let you borrow anything of mine again."
-- Lizbet



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Perri Smith)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Ill Met By Moonlight, Part 7 of 19
Date: 18 Jan 1998 22:32:20 -0600 (CST)

See disclaimer in part one. Compliments accepted/enjoyed/ignored at
[e-mail].

******

Ill Met By Moonlight (7/19)
by Perri Smith
Copyright 1998

Part 6

"So, this is bad, right?" Xander paced back and forth across the front of
the library, too restless to sit still. Buffy resisted the urge to slam him
into a chair, mostly because it would have upset Willow, typing away on the
computer in search of fun information about all things furry and dangerous.
"But, last night was the full moon, so he won't be back for a month.
Right?"

"Not necessarily," Giles sighed, leaning back and rubbing his eyes under
his glasses. "The werewolf mythos is not as straightforward as the movies
would have you believe. Cases of lycanthropy can actually be anything from
panic over large dogs, to simple hallucinations and insanity, to cults
wearing wolf skins when taking victims. There are very few recorded cases
of an actual transformation from man to wolf, and those are.... Well, the
accounts are unreliable, at best. I'm assuming this is one of the latter
cases?"

"Oh, yeah," Sasha answered. She was slumped in her chair, her eyes closed
and her face lined with pain, all of it deserved, Buffy figured. "He's real
enough."

"But the full moon thing?" Buffy asked. "That's right, isn't it?"

Sasha shook her head. "The tradition behind the curse I used is one that
counts the full moon as lasting three days instead of just one. That means
the wolf gets two more nights on the loose."

"Oh. Well. That's great." Buffy shoved out of her chair and joined Xander
in pacing. It wasn't helpful, but it was better than trying to sit still
when every instinct was screaming that she *do* something. "Bad enough
Sunnydale is an all-you-can-eat buffet for vampires, now it's also a game
preserve for a werewolf with a grudge. Thanks a lot, Sasha."

Sasha didn't answer, just sank lower in her chair.

The library was closed for this little after-school discussion -- not that
anyone would have been in there anyway. Most of the students at Sunnydale
High didn't even seem to be aware the library existed, except for the ones
forced inside by reports and assignments, and even most of those preferred
to use the public library across town. There was just something about a
library sitting on top of a Hellmouth that didn't lend itself to good study
habits.

Which was convenient at the moment, when the Slayerettes needed to force
information out of a Gypsy witch. The lunch time bell has forced them to
leave earlier, but nothing was going to get in the way now.

"If we could stay on the topic," Giles intervened before blood could be
spilled. "Miss Lakatos, who is this werewolf? And why did you curse him,
for heaven's sake?"

"Because she's an idiot?" Buffy offered sweetly.

"Buffy," Giles warned.

"No, she's right," Sasha said in a low voice, still without looking up. "I
am an idiot."

She sighed, letting her head roll back against the chair. "His name is Gary
Kriston. He's pretty rich, one of the people who owns Santa Rosa,
California, and he gets off on making other people's lives miserable. My
clan came through the town a few months ago and stayed on, telling some
fortunes, doing some farm and stablework in the area, that kind of thing.
Kriston figured they were bad for business, and decided to get rid of them.
Mostly to prove he could, I guess; he's that kind of fun guy."

She rubbed her eyes, leaning forward to rest her elbows on the table, which
was covered with books and various weapons, as usual. "It started out small
-- some harassment in town, a few bogus citations and fines on the trucks,
some vandalism at the camp. Then, last month, he had the cops arrest my
cousin Greg for committing some burglaries in town."

"That's what police traditionally do to burglars," Xander informed her.

Sasha lifted her head enough to direct a baleful glare at him. "Yeah, but
false arrest isn't generally an accepted form of behavior," she said
acidly. "Greg was in camp all night, but no one's going to believe the word
of 'Gypsy vagrants' over a pillar of the community. Greg got railroaded at
his arraignment; he's still in jail. So my grandmother -- my
great-grandmother, really -- finally called me."

"You weren't with the clan?" Giles asked, leaning forward towards her. "Why
not?"

"I live in L.A."

"Reading palms? Crystal balls? Psychic Hotline?" Buffy's voice got sweeter
and more sarcastic.

Sasha smiled sharply. "School of Law, University of Southern California."

"Oh." So much for that line of attack. Buffy withdrew and regrouped. Lawyer
jokes, maybe?

"That's... not precisely usual for a member of a Romani clan," Giles
pointed out carefully.

"I'm only half-Rom." Sasha had resumed an intense study of the top of the
table. "My dad left the clan when he married my mother, to help work my
grandfather's stables. I was raised gadji, outsider, except for when the
clan came through town some years." She sighed heavily. "When my
grandmother called me back, I figured she wanted legal help to spring my
cousin, no problem. Instead, she tells me I'm chov-hani and she wants me to
cast a curse."

"Chov-hani?" Willow asked, looking up from her computer at the possibility
of acquiring new knowledge. "What's that?"

"The Romani equivalent of a witch," Giles answered before Sasha could.
"Although it's actually closer to the Spanish curandera -- a spellcaster, a
healer, a fortune teller. Usually the powers are passed down through a
family or clan."

"Pretty close," Sasha agreed slowly, eyeing Giles suspiciously. Buffy
wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of asking where he'd picked that
up. "I get it through my great-grandmother, she says, and her grandmother
before her."

"Anyway, she just kept going after me to take care of Kriston," Sasha
continued. "To get him out of our hair so Greg could get out and they could
move on. The local law types weren't doing anything to help, since Kriston
paid their salaries, so I finally just gave in. I figured I'd prove to her
this magic stuff didn't work and she'd get off my back and make the rest of
the clan help me with the damn legal stuff, which they didn't want to do
because... just because. So, someone got a lock of his hair, and I... I
cursed him." She lifted her hands in a helpless gesture with the last
words.

"Great, sic a werewolf on the world," Xander said sarcastically. "Way to go."

Sasha buried her head in her arms, which muffled her voice, but did nothing
to hide the bitter regret. "I didn't think it'd *work*, damn it! It wasn't
supposed to *work*!"

"Well, what did you believe was going to happen?" Giles asked evenly,
unmoved by the Gypsy's apparent remorse. "Did you believe you could play
with powers such as these and simply be ignored?"

"Yes," Sasha said incredulously, lifting her head to look at him. "That's
exactly what I thought. No one said anything about these 'powers' being
real, that was *not* in the fine print."

"This is not a court or a boardroom," Giles said, his voice rising
slightly. "This is a very real bargain made with a very dark power, a
bargain that became possible because you acted out of ignorance and anger.
You should not have been meddling with magic you did not understand!"

Willow winced and opened her mouth, probably to point out the little
incident in Giles's youth, but Buffy caught her eye and cut her off with a
shake of her head. Willow bit her lip and quieted.

Sasha just looked up at Giles. "How was I supposed to know there were
powers there to be messed with?" she asked tiredly. "How?"

"Your great-grandmother seems to have informed you of a great deal," Giles
answered, each word bitten off. "You knew what you were about."

"But I didn't know it was real!" Sasha exploded, shoving her chair back
from the table and shoving herself to her feet. "All my life, everyone
tells me magic's not real, it's impossible -- books, my parents, teachers,
everyone! The only person who ever said different was Grandmother, and she
spent her time babbling on about spells and cursed vampires and stories out
of a children's fairy book! Why should I have believed my superstitious,
Old Country great-grandmother over everyone else who'd told me my whole
life not to?"

She leaned across to Giles, practically in his face. "Who the hell would
*you* have believed?"

He didn't answer, but he did look away. Sasha's face twisted in pain as she
realized she was putting weight on her injured leg, and she fell back into
her seat, resting her elbows on the table so she could press the heels of
her hands against her eyes. Buffy, Xander and Willow exchanged looks, none
of them having a clue what to say.

"How did you find out it was real?" Buffy asked, for lack of anything
better. Her words echoed oddly in the tense air of the room.

Sasha didn't look up. Her voice was flat, expressionless. "When they found
his wife's body the next morning."

"Oh." Buffy swallowed.

"I've tried for the last month to figure a way out of this. Then the full
moon came and I ran out of options. So I confronted Kriston, tried to stop
him and...." Sasha gestured at the bandages. "It didn't work."

Buffy nodded. "So, you came looking for Angel?"

"Angelus, yeah." Sasha shrugged without looking up. "It seemed logical at
the time -- fight fire with fangs, or something along those lines. And if
the legends about the werewolves were true... I had to take the chance that
the legends about Angelus were also true, and that I could make him help."

"How did you find him?" Willow asked curiously. "I mean, it's not usually
that easy to find even a human person in one night, much less a, um,
vampire kind of person."

Sasha shrugged again. "I'm not sure. I wasn't even looking for him when I
got in the car. I just drove and the car steered itself in this direction.
By the time I hit Sunnydale, I knew what I was looking for and then...
Well, there he was."

Giles nodded thoughtfully. "The geas your ancestors laid on Angel -- it
seems somewhat logical that it would also provide a means of locating him
when he is to be called upon; a built-in homing signal, if you will."

"Well, I could live without it," Sasha mumbled, sinking lower in her chair
until her chin rested on her chest. "I didn't sign on for a vampire in my
head when I took this case."

"Tell me about it," Buffy sighed with reluctant sympathy.

"Look, all of this is really fascinating," Xander spoke up from where he'd
sprawled in the chair next to Willow. Giles, reminded of his presence, gave
him a Look. He took his feet off the table, but kept talking. "But it
doesn't really help deal with our little animal control problem. How are we
supposed to fight this thing?"

"Silver bullets," Willow read off her computer screen. "Well, silver of any
kind will kill them. There's all kinds of cures here, but I don't think any
of them will work too well. I don't think we could get opium and I'm not
even sure what wormwood *is*."

Buffy blinked at her bud. "Willow, where the heck are you? Www.werewolf.org?"

"No, that's an online service," Willow answered seriously. "This is
www.lyncanthrope.org. Lycanthrope means werewolf."

"Among other things," Giles corrected absently, crossing the room to read
over Willow's shoulder. Buffy and Xander imitated him; Sasha didn't move
from her huddle at the table.

"Reproach the werewolf verbally. Address the werewolf three times with a
Christian name. Hit the werewolf on the head three times with a knife. Milk
and whey for three days. Purge the colon and encourage.... Ew." Buffy made
a face. "You're right, none of this is really practical. Well, maybe the
first ones. I guess."

"Looks like the silver bullet is it," Xander shrugged, straightening up.
"Yo, Giles, got anything from like, this century in that armory of yours?
Anything that involves gunpowder?"

"Well, I might be able to improvise--" Giles started.

"No." Sasha cut him off.

"What?" Buffy turned to her with upraised eyebrows.

"No," Sasha repeated, finally looking up. Her face was still miserable, but
determined. "We can't kill him."

"Excuse me?" Buffy stalked back towards the Gypsy. "You're not exactly in a
position to start dictating terms. You made that thing, you brought it here
for us to deal with. So we're going to deal, any way we have to."

"No!" Sasha slammed her hands down on the table. "He was an officious,
overbearing bastard -- annoying, but not a killing offense. *I* turned him
into a monster, his crimes are on *my* head. He doesn't deserve to die for
*my* mistake!"

"You've got a better idea?" Buffy asked, her voice under careful control.
It was hard to be snide when she was feeling a niggling of respect, and it
didn't help that she could almost understand. She could still see Jesse's
face.... "Better than killing him before he manages to kill you or someone
else, that is?"

Sasha seemed to slowly collapse as anger drained away. "No," she admitted
hollowly. "I haven't got a clue."

"Then you'd better come up with one."

Willow and Giles flinched and Xander jumped and swore as Angel appeared
from the shadows of the stacks. Sasha lurched back to her feet, groping for
one of the stakes on the table, as Angel continued grimly,  "Because it's
sundown, the moon is up, and your wolf is going to be back on the hunt."

Perri <[e-mail]>      I *am* the Buffy Evangalist!
NatPacker-*-Horsechick-*-Pezhead-*-Cohenhead-*-DDEB2-*-AGA-*-SunS-*-CoJ
"You borrow my neurons WITHOUT asking, mind you, and then you get them all
gooky with Dru-stuff.  See if I let you borrow anything of mine again."
-- Lizbet



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Perri Smith)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Ill Met By Moonlight, Part 8 of 19
Date: 18 Jan 1998 22:33:35 -0600 (CST)

See disclaimer in part one. Compliments accepted/enjoyed/ignored at
[e-mail].

******

Ill Met By Moonlight (8/19)
by Perri Smith
Copyright 1998

Part 7

"He's not my wolf," the Gypsy said between her teeth, the stake still
clutched in her hand and aimed in the general direction of Angel's heart.
"And stop sneaking up on me if you want to live!"

"What are you going to do, curse me?" Angel snarled. "Haven't you done
enough damage already?"

"Not *even*," she snarled back, "but give me the chance and I'll make up
for it."

The urge to simply snatch the stake out of her hand, doing whatever damage
was necessary in the process, was incredibly strong. It would be so easy,
she still couldn't even stand up straight.... He settled for taking a
threatening step forward, and had the pleasure of seeing the Gypsy take a
step back. "Here's your chance," he said dangerously, feeling the demon
stir . "Try it."

Her face hardened, fear beaten back by anger and disgust. She took the step
forward again, tightening her grip on the stake, and he smiled in
anticipation--

-- and a slim form forced its way between them, wrenching the stake from
the Gypsy's hand with a single deft move. "That's *enough*," Buffy said
with a pretty good snarl of her own. "Sasha, back off!"

The Gypsy didn't move; Buffy swung on her. "I said, back off," she
repeated, her voice quiet and lethal. The Gypsy stood her ground for
another long moment, and Angel waited for the attack, hoped for it. But she
finally backed down, retaking her seat and crossing her arms over her
chest, all without taking her eyes off Angel.

"And you." Buffy turned on Angel, forcing him a step back. He growled, low
in his throat, but her only reaction was to narrow her eyes even further.
"If you can't help, then leave. We have enough problems without you two
trying to kill each other!"

"Ten bucks on the witch," Xander muttered a little too loudly. Three glares
intersected on him; he shrank down in his seat out of range. Willow
continued to stare at them, wide-eyed and not a little afraid, and Angel
suddenly realized his face had lost its grip on humanity -- the vampire had
taken over.

The realization was enough to break through his red haze of anger. He saw
the determination and well-hidden fear in Buffy's angry eyes, the way
Giles' hand was poised near another stake, and abruptly turned his back,
walking towards the bookcases on the other side of the room as he struggled
for control. It came, but not easily.

Sasha broke the screaming silence first. "Okay. Fine." she said, biting off
each word. "Kriston comes first."

"Angel?" He could feel Buffy's eyes boring into his back and gritted his
teeth, but finally nodded, once. "Good. Sheesh. This is like being a
kindergarten teacher, without the lousy paycheck."

Only someone who knew Buffy as well as Angel did could have heard the
slight tremble in her voice; he mentally cursed himself for losing it in
front of her and the others. The last thing he wanted in this life was to
make Buffy afraid of him....

"Giles, what *are* our options besides the silver bullet thing?" Buffy
continued, her voice strengthening as they got back to business. Angel
turned enough to watch her as she settled back at the table, across from
the Gypsy. "*Are* there any cures?"

Giles stuttered and shoved his glasses up, apparently caught by the abrupt
change in atmosphere. "W-well, there is one alternative which should work,
all mysticism aside. Since we have the chov-hani who cast the curse, the
simplest thing would be for her to simply break it. Withdraw the spell and
return Kriston to normal."

"I already tried that," the Gypsy informed him sullenly. "Three times. It
didn't work."

"It didn't?" Giles polished his glasses, stalling for another answer. "Ah,
well, then we are presented with a problem. I'm afraid I shall have to--"

"--do more research," Buffy finished the sentence with him. "And while you
research, we've got a crazy man wandering around in the body of a wolf,
killing blondes. Not a good scene."

"We have to take the werewolf out of action," Angel said tightly. "Whatever
we do with him, he can't be left loose." He walked close enough to the
table to lean one hand on the back of Buffy's chair. She tensed and looked
up at him; he offered her an apologetic look, trying to ignore the
hostility radiating from the woman beside her that set his teeth on edge.

Buffy studied him for a second, then smiled wryly. Apology accepted, trust
more or less restored. If only everything were as easy.

"No, no, of course not," Giles agreed with Angel, replacing his glasses. "I
suppose we could attempt to capture him..."

"No!" Angel objected. Everyone stared at him again, but it was a look of
confusion instead of  fear. He could live with that. "You can't capture
something like this, you can't play games with it. All it knows is killing,
and it will kill anything that gets in its way. If you go after it, it'll
try to kill you."

He said the last directly to Buffy; her forehead creased in puzzled worry.
"Angel, I've taken on killer demons before. I can take this one down."

"Or you can be its next meal," Angel said flatly. He touched her hair,
lifting a lock of it. "He likes young blondes, remember?"

Buffy shuddered slightly and he hated himself, but she had to realize how
dangerous this was. If anything happened to her....

Her shudder faded quickly, and was replaced by a thoughtful expression.
Angel watched her with narrowed eyes; he knew that look. It looked like he
hadn't scared her enough; she was about to have an idea, and he was willing
to bet large amounts of money he was going to hate it.

"Yeah, he does like blondes," she said slowly, looking at the Gypsy with
that same thoughtful expression. "Which might work in our favor...."

*****

"This is a really stupid plan," someone said for the fourteenth time. It
didn't really matter who, at this point; everyone had been repeating it for
the last hour.

"It might be a stupid idea, but it might also work," Buffy repeated to the
speaker -- probably Xander -- as she had been doing for the last hour.
"*And* it might be our best chance of taking Furface down. If we can keep
him distracted until the moon sets, we can buy enough time for Giles and
Willow to come up with a cure without anyone else dying."

"Except you?" Sasha asked harshly. She was limping along using Xander as a
crutch, which did not thrill Xander, but was better than letting Angel
carry her.

Angel walked on Buffy's other side, as far from Sasha as they could get
him, and incidentally in the perfect position to protect the Slayer if
anything jumped out of the shadows. Buffy didn't think it was an accident,
but was willing to let him pull the guy thing, as long as it kept him from
going mental again. They'd left Willow back at the library to help Giles;
aside from a token protest, she hadn't complained.

"If you get killed playing bait," Sasha continued, her teeth gritted
against what had to be pretty serious pain, "the rest of us don't have a
chance in hell of beating Kriston."

"You thought you and Angel could do this alone when you headed up here,"
Buffy shrugged, trying not to show the cold fingers that had raced up her
spine at the mention of 'death'. She'd been there, done that, and didn't
look forward to trying it again. But she couldn't think of anything else.

"That was before I knew a Slayer was available -- albeit not a very
*bright* one."

"Watch it," Angel growled. "This is *your* mess, remember; you're not
winning any intelligence awards here."

Sasha's eyes flashed, but Buffy bared her teeth at her in warning and she
subsided, as they continued their slow shuffle towards the Bronze and
Sasha's car.

"But it *is* a stupid plan," Angel commented after another minute.

Buffy almost growled at him. "Look, it's not like I'm doing this alone,
okay? All I have to do is get his attention and lead him someplace where we
can ambush him. If we can knock him cold like Sasha did, or even just get
him away from the city, we win, for tonight anyway. And that'll give Giles
and Willow time to think of something for tomorrow night. I hope. Sasha,
you can give us some magical backup, right?"

This was the part she was unsure of; even after being attacked by magic a
few times, the concept was still weird. But Sasha nodded. "I guess so.
Giles dug some spells out while you were messing with your hair and they
sound... right. If this chov-hani stuff is for real, I might be able to
pull something off."

"Great confidence here," Buffy muttered. "And I think you've already proven
how real this 'chov-hani stuff' is. So let's get it done, okay?"

Sasha had stopped herself and Xander by the side of a battered Ford sedan,
abandoned two blocks from the Bronze; as she fumbled with her keys, she and
the other two members of the wolfhunting party reluctantly nodded
agreement. "Good," Buffy said. "Sasha, you and Xander head for the ambush
spot; Angel and I will go play bait around the library."

"What makes you think he'll head there?" Sasha asked, her head inside the
back door as she dug through a duffel bag laying there.

"You were bleeding all over the place last night; he's have to be a pretty
poor excuse for a wolf not to track you there," Buffy said, trying to sound
confident and mentally crossing her fingers.  "Besides, the library sits on
top of a magic sinkhole; I'm betting he'll get pulled to it like every
other supernatural beastie in the universe."

"Just be careful," Xander warned, opening the passenger door. He looked
resigned, but deeply unhappy.

Buffy forced a smile for his benefit. "Hey, it's me."

"That's what I'm worried about."

Buffy pretended not to hear his mutter, but turned and started back towards
the library; Sasha's voice stopped her. "Buffy." Buffy turned again and
waited as the Rom limped over to her. "Take this."

It was a knife, sharp and gleaming real silver in the dim moonlight. Buffy
looked at it, then gave Sasha a questioning look. The Gypsy's face was
grim. "My grandmother gave it to me. If it comes down to it -- kill him
before he can kill you. I won't trade your life for my mistake either."

Buffy closed her fist around the hilt and nodded her agreement. The Gypsy
returned the nod, then got in the car and started the engine. Buffy watched
them until they were out of sight, then turned to Angel. "Ready to go
fishing?" she asked cheerfully.

His look was answer enough. She sighed and started walking back towards the
library, Sasha's knife held closely and comfortingly in her grasp. She
didn't bother to look back at Angel; he'd gone stealth, slipping invisibly
into the shadows behind her. But she knew he was there, and it was almost
enough to keep her from being afraid.

Almost.

She'd never seen Angel like he'd been in the library. He got annoyed
sometimes (usually at Xander, and it was usually kind of entertaining), and
God knew he could get intense, but she'd never seen him lose it like that,
not to the point of being literally ready to rip someone's throat out. Not
when he'd faced Darla, not against Spike, not even against Buffy herself.
For a few minutes, he'd been Angelus and he'd scared the living hell out of
her.

Then he'd gotten it under control, so abruptly it had left her blinking,
and a few minutes later, he'd been Angel again. The outburst had scared him
as much as it had scared her, she thought, but what if it happened again?
Could she stop him from killing Sasha? How far would she go to stop him?

Something rustled next to her and she whirled before realizing it had only
been a gust of wind. *Mind on business*, she ordered herself harshly,
forcing herself to pay attention the world around her. The conflict between
Sasha and Angel was just going to have to wait.

The city was pretty quiet; the two murders were enough to make even
Sunnydale residents, able to ignore the ickiest of events, nervous about
being out at night. Buffy kept her eyes and ears open, and even tried for
the sixth-sense thingie Giles was so hot on. Unfortunately, it wasn't
choosing to work tonight.

"Maybe we should just call a dog catcher," she said under her breath,
trying to look like an innocent victim. Her hair bounced around her face in
unaccustomed curls, distracting her. She shoved it back from her eyes with
her free hand and curled the other tighter around the knife. Something that
felt like engraving dug into her palm, but she carefully didn't look. She
didn't really want to know what they said.

By the time she and her silent escort finished their meandering, 'come and
get me' route back to the library, Buffy's nerves were permanently stuck on
'high'. Nothing had lunged out of the shadows yet, nothing had leapt from
any alleys or from behind any trees, and she was beginning to get scared
for entirely different reasons. What if she'd guessed wrong? What if the
wolf had decided to stick with success and keep hunting at the Bronze. What
if it had already found another victim, another classmate to munch....

From the darkness ahead of her came a low, throbbing growl. Buffy froze.
"Angel?" she called carefully. "That's you, right?"

The growl deepened, got louder, moved forward. In the shadows beneath the
stone rails by the front steps of the school, something moved. Something
big.

"Here we go," Buffy whispered, to herself or Angel, she wasn't quite sure.
One hand on the knife, the other reaching for her backpack and the crossbow
she'd stashed in it, she moved carefully forward.

The shadows moved with blinding speed, lunging towards her. Stuck with the
backpack still half-on, half-off, Buffy caught only a glimpse of burning
yellow eyes as Angel shouted behind her.

Then the werewolf was on her.

Perri <[e-mail]>      I *am* the Buffy Evangalist!
NatPacker-*-Horsechick-*-Pezhead-*-Cohenhead-*-DDEB2-*-AGA-*-SunS-*-CoJ
"You borrow my neurons WITHOUT asking, mind you, and then you get them all
gooky with Dru-stuff.  See if I let you borrow anything of mine again."
-- Lizbet



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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: sah <[e-mail]> (by way of sah <[e-mail]>)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: ADMIN:  List rules
Date: 19 Jan 1998 07:02:46 -0500

Welcome!  This list is for fiction related to "Buffy The Vampire
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Ingrid E Stanton)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: "One Vampire's Headache..." (3/?)
Date: 19 Jan 1998 12:50:44 EST

OK. First things firstà
DISCLAIMER: The characters of Buffy Sommers,
Xander Harris, Willow Rosenberg, Rupert Giles, Angel etc.
are the property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar
Productions, and The Warner Brothers Network, and are
used without permission. The author claims no rights to
these characters.


This is a peice of what I think will be a long, long story. If you're
missing any parts ever, mail me, and I'll send you whatever
you need. As always, commentary is greatly appreciated.
Also, any ideas you have about where this story is going
('cause I don't know!!!!) would be helpful. This scene is a
 typical Buffy/Xander/Willow/Giles discussion. Enjoy!

Onward!

*****
"One VampireÆs Headacheà" Part the Thirdà
*****

Xander and Willow ambled into the library, searching for
some sign of life. All looked still, but Xander knew Giles
had to be around here somewhere. In fact, Xander thought,
he probably never left.

"Got it!" Giles hurried out of his office, not speaking to anyone
in particular. "The day of Weakness."

"Huh?" Willow looked at Giles and then at Xander.

Xander stared back at her vacantly. Suddenly, he mocked a
revelation. "OH! *The Day of Weakness* Of course! Sometimes,
I can be such an idiot. YouÆll have to forgive me."

Willow elbowed Xander and Giles looked up in confusion.

"Oh! You two."

"Great to see you too, Giles," Xander shot back automatically.

"Have you seen Buffy?"

"Yeah, actually."

"Buffy was making up and Algebra quiz. She said sheÆd be here
after she finished," Willow explained.

"Oh. That must have been the one she was studying for last
night," came GilesÆ matter-of-fact reply.

Willow nodded much to quickly. "Right," she squeaked out.

Giles looked up from his book and scrutinized her expression.
Then he shrugged and went back to his reading.

Xander broke the silence and sat down at their usual table.
 "So, plan on telling us about this weakness thing?"

"Yes. Well. I canÆt quite translate this last passage, but it
appears that something of great import is about to happen
in the hell mouth.

"WhatÆs new about that?"

"Wellà Apparently, BuffyÆs skills are required tomorrowà
during the day."

"Huh?" Both willow and Xander looked up at that, and stared
at Giles, wondering if he was feeling well.

"The Day of Weakness is a period of time when the demons
inside vampires are repressed. In fact, they all but disappear."

"Butàthis is a good thing, right?" Willow watched the book
earnestly.

"Well, it means most of them probably wonÆt be very hungry on
this day, but it also means that should they feel like it, they can
come out in the sun without turning to dust. It also means that
during the night, the demon comes back twice as strong."

"So what if one of them feels like a snack?"

"Exactly. Particular vampires may target their umà meals in the
daytime. ThatÆs why IÆm afraid BuffyÆs going to have to take a sick
day from school."

"Did somebody say æsick day,Æ" Buffy asked perkily, plopping down
in the seat across from Xander.

"Yes," Giles answered, watching her throw her books on the table.
"ItÆs the Day of Weakness tomorrow, Buffy."

"Oh. The thingie where vamps get to go out for breakfast?"

"To put it simply. You have quite an advantage, Buffy. In addition to
not feeling the hunger, the vampires also become very weak,
because the demon is what gives them their power. In fact, they
become slightly weaker than regular humans."

BuffyÆs eyes met with WillowÆs. They were both thinking the
same thing. *Angel.*

"Now Buffy, it will be harder to detect vampires during the day,
without the strength of their demons. In fact, the weakness is so
severe that they canÆt even change their faces. YouÆll have to hone
your senses."

"Listen to Yoda, Buffy."

She rolled her eyes. "Kay. So I canÆt feel their demons. How the
heck can I tell theyÆre vamps?"

"Well, mostly because theyÆre not in school. And they may come
towards the school looking for people to feed on."

"Ok. That narrows it down. IÆll get my stakes; you bring the holy
water."

"Oh, and Buffy- DonÆt get close enough to the school where
principal Snyder can see you."

"DonÆt worry. I wouldnÆt think of it."

*******
End, part 3. Mail comments to [e-mail]. Thanks!

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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Kimela M Wilker"<[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Pleasant Dreams (10/?) by Kimela
Date: 19 Jan 1998 13:04:53 -0600


     Title: Pleasant Dreams
     Author: Kimela
     Email: [e-mail]

     Rating: PG-13 for violence
     Spoilers: None -- takes place between "When She Was Bad" and "Some
     Assembly Required"
     Summary: An answer to the question Why didn't the vampires kill Xander
     when they abducted Willow & Giles from the library during the episode
     WSWB?

     This is a rough draft of Part Ten and any feedback for improvement is
     HIGHLY appreciated!

     Parts Prologue-nine are posted at
     http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/4079

     Pleasant Dreams part 10


     Willow woke to the sound of dripping and feel of water soaking into
     her clothing.  The only light present was dim and flickered
     continually, creating a strobelight-like effect.  She slowly sat up,
     trying to adjust to the abnormal conditions.  As she glanced around to
     gain her bearings, she spotted Xander.  He was leaning against the
     wall of the narrow chamber facing toward her.  Either he didn't notice
     or he didn't care, that he was sitting in a pool of water.  Willow
     wasn't sure which option was worse.  If he didn't notice, than he was
     even more out of it than she would be able to deal with.  If he didn't
     care...

     "Xander?" Willow called tentatively, not entirely sure that she really
     wanted to catch his attention. What if he still thought she was a
     demon?  What if he tried to attack her, like before?  What made her
     think that he would actually trust her?

     Apparently, he was totally out of it.  His face was void of expression
     and he stared unseeingly at the wall beyond her.  She cautiously eased
     toward him, ready to draw back at the first sign of trouble.  He
     didn't even flinch as she reached out and gently brushed the damp hair
     out of his face.  His lips were moving slightly, but no sound emerged.

     "Xander?" Her voice rising, panic unsettling her.  She shook him
     firmly, and cried out as he suddenly seemed to come awake, grabbing
     her wrist with a vice-like grip and staring at her, his eyes enflamed
     with fury.  Oh, God, he was going to attack...

     But he didn't.  He stared at her, a confused expression creeping
     across his face.  He blinked, staring at her, disbelieving.  "Willow?"
     he spoke in a choked voice.  He glanced down at her wrist, and seemed
     to be relieved that there was still a chain attached to it, linking
     them together.  "But..."  He suddenly lunged forward, throwing his
     arms around her.  "Oh, God, Will."

     Willow could feel him shaking against her, and was astonished to
     realize that he was crying.  She couldn't remember the last time he
     had cried in front of her-it hadn't happened since they were little,
     anyway.  "Xander, it's okay.  I'm here...You're okay.  Hey-"

     "You...you were dead, Will," he sobbed.  "I thought...I thought I
     killed you.  It was my fault...I killed you..." Never had he ever been
     through so much turmoil-not even when he had been forced to stake
     Jesse.  Though he had grieved then, it was nothing compared to the
     pain of having unwittingly butchered Willow.  He was relieved that it
     had only been a nightmare-*but it seemed so real*!  He felt like he
     was going crazy-he didn't know anymore what was real...was this real?
     *Oh, God, please don't let this be fake!  Don't make me lose her
     again!* He  hugged her tighter, as if he was afraid to let go.

     Slightly overwhelmed by Xander's unusual outburst of emotion, Willow
     wasn't quite sure how to comfort him.  She started by returning his
     embrace, holding his trembling body against hers.  "Hey, it's okay, it
     wasn't real-I'm right here, I'm all right."  She stroked his back and
     rocked him gently, as if he were a child.

     If Xander could have gotten any closer to Willow, he would have.  He
     needed to feel the warmth of her, needed to feel her breath against
     his skin.  Even the faint scent of her amplified in his mind, etching
     itself into his memory-anything to replace the horrible image of her
     mutilated body.  He slowly relaxed, eventually pulling back enough
     that he could look at her.  Even then, he didn't completely relinquish
     his hold on her-he wasn't ready for that.  He studied every single
     contour of her face.  Before the...nightmare...he would have sworn
     that he knew every detail of her appearance, but now it was like he
     was looking at a whole new person.  He was captivated by the graceful
     slope of her pert little nose, the depth of her big doe eyes.  She was
     the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.  He was stunned by this
     realization.  His Willow...his best friend...how had he possibly
     missed her beauty?  When had she started wearing her hair like that?
     And just when did she blossom into this stunning creature?

     Sensing that Xander was feeling a bit stronger, Willow decided that it
     was time to approach the subject of his predicament.  The sooner she
     was able to convince him that nothing he was seeing was real, the
     sooner he would wake up.  Her mind searched for the words she could
     use to explain to him, so that he would understand and believe her.
     She needed him to trust her completely.  In this highly vulnerable
     state, he might just be willing to accept things he normally wouldn't.
      On the other hand, after what he'd been through, he might be unlikely
     to trust anyone.  What if when she told him that nothing he saw was
     real he figured that she was toying with him and decided that she was
     evil...what if, what if, what if...let's just get this over with!

     "Xander?" she asked softly, trying to gage his willingness to listen.
     She stared deep into his dark eyes and was astonished to note that he
     was already staring into hers.  For a moment she thought she saw a
     glimmer of...was that *love*?  No, probably just wishful thinking.  He
     was just glad to see her.  Nothing more.  "Xander, I need you to
     really listen to me.  Do you trust me?"

     *Do I trust you?  Willow, why would you ever have to ask me that.
     Willow would know that I trust her*...Probably because he shouldn't
     trust her, he realized abruptly.  The demon had certainly used her
     enough to get to him.  Somehow the demon had sensed that she was his
     weak spot, and could easily be used to get to him.  He suddenly felt
     very alone.

     Willow could tell that Xander was slipping away from her again,
     returning to his hell.  She'd already blown it, and she hadn't even
     started yet.  She had to do something, and fast, before she lost him
     entirely.  She grasped his chin firmly, forcing him to keep looking at
     her.  "Please, just hear me out..."  How do you convince someone that
     he can't trust his own senses?  Then again, he already seemed to be
     having trouble with deciding what was real...hadn't he said something
     about killing her?  Maybe she could use that as an example..."You
     thought you killed me, right?"  The look of utter devastation that
     appeared on his face gave her confirmation.  She hated being the cause
     of his pain.  "But I'm here, and I'm okay, right?" she quickly added,
     hoping to keep him focused on the plus side.

     "Right," he acknowledged tersely.  He wanted more than anything to
     believe that the woman before him was Willow.  She had to be-the
     alternative was too horrible to consider.

     "That's because it wasn't real.  It didn't happen...it was like a dr-a
     nightmare!  You're still having it.  Nothing here is true."

     "Nothing..."   he sounded doubtful.  "Nothing?"

     "Right.  Those vampires we fought earlier...those were hospital
     workers."

     Xander's brow furrowed as he considered the idea she was presenting.
     "Hospital workers...and they looked like vampires, why?"

     "Because they were vampires," Willow's voice called from behind him.
     But that was impossible-she was sitting right in front of him!  He
     jerked away from the Willow beside him and turned to look for the
     source of the voice.  "Get away from him!  Leave him alone, or I'll
     kill you," the second Willow threatened, stepping from the shadows a
     few yards down the corridor, limping severely.  She wielded  a long
     bloodstained sword, but it was waving erratically in her trembling
     hand.  "Xander, get back-it's a trap!  She's not what you think she
     is!"

     Xander stared at the second Willow with bewilderment.  She looked like
     she had been through absolute hell.  Her hair was mussed, her clothing
     hung in bloodstained tatters, and she looked as though sleep had not
     visited her for weeks.  His heart went out to her...she had obviously
     suffered, and she was clearly terrified.  But...if that was Willow,
     then who...what was he chained to?  And just what was it that he had
     killed?  He gazed back at the original Willow, wary of her.

     Things were clearly not going to go as well as Willow had hoped.  She
     could see that Xander was definitely leaning toward believing
     her...double.   And why wouldn't he?  She was certainly convincing.
     Not only did she look the part, but she looked particularly
     vulnerable-of course he would choose her.  It was in his nature to
     protect anyone in danger.  While that was something she greatly
     admired about him, this time it was going to work against her.  "Don't
     listen to her," she discouraged him.  "That's not me-not Willow.
     She's preying on your sympathies."

     "Don't listen to her-she's just trying to confuse you," Willow's
     double countered as she hobbled closer, wincing with every step.  She
     regarded Willow with an icy glare before returning her attention to
     Xander.  "You have to get away from her-she's just holding you here
     until her fiends arrive."

     Willow's heart lurched as she watched Xander grapple with his
     confusion.  He looked so lost and defenseless she just wanted to cry
     for him.  She wished she knew what to do to reassure him, but she
     couldn't think of a single thing that she could say that would prove
     to him that he could trust her.

     Xander glanced down at the chain that connected him to Willow, then
     back at Willow, unsure of what his next move should be.  On one hand,
     only moments ago he had been fairly certain that this was Willow, and
     she really hadn't done anything to indicate otherwise.  On the other,
     now there was a second being who claimed to be Willow.  She was hurt,
     scared, and seemed genuinely concerned for his well being.  So which
     one, if either, was the real Willow?  What if he chose the wrong one?
     "Willow, I-" he started, still looking at the one he was chained to.
     He paused, and turned toward the other one.  She had reached him and
     was watching him, wide-eyed.  *I don't know what to do!*





-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Anexsin <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Dance with an Angel (1/1)
Date: 19 Jan 1998 17:48:53 EST

"Dance with an Angel" (1/1) by Melinda
********

      Buffy Summers was peacefully asleep in her bed when a slight
breeze danced through her window stirring her from her sleep. She
awoke slowly and sat up in bed only to realize she had that familiar
tingly feeling she only got when he was near.

 "Angel?" she asked quietly.

 He stepped out of the shadows with a grin on his face. "Hi." he answered.

     Seeing him brought a smile to her face that brightened his world.
She couldn't stop the delightful shivers that ran up & down her spine
that his presence invoked.

"What are you doing here so late?" Buffy asked curiously.

"I just wanted to see you." he answered shyly.

"Really! No prophecies of inpending doom." she joked but was surprised
 by his  answer.
Usually he only wanted to see her when trouble was brewing.

"Not that I know of. Actually I have something for you."

"Like a gift?" she asked her grin becoming wider.

"I guess you could say that. I wanted to get you something special for
your  birthday, but I didn't know what to get so..."

"Wait." she cut him off. "How did you know it's my birthday and it's not
until tomorrow." Buffy asked.

Angel gave her that cryptic smile she loved to hate. "I told you I lurk."
 he answered matter-of-factly.

She smiled "How could I forget. So why didn't you wait until tomorrow
night when it actually is my birthday?" she asked.

           He moved to sit beside her on the bed. He looked into her eyes
and couldn't resist the urge to kiss her. He leaned foward and gently
pressed his lips to hers. At first she was surprised by his actions, but
soon got caught up in a flurry of emotions and tenderly kissed him back.
After a long moment she pulled back breathless. When she opened her
eyes she found him starring back at her with those beautiful brown eyes
that could see into her soul. She stroked the side of his face gently and
leaned foward until their foreheads touched.

"According to that clock over there, it is tomorrow." he answered her
long forgotten question slyly.

       She glanced away from him to the clock on the wall that read
1:15 a.m. She realized he knew exactly what he was doing. When
she returned her gaze to him she cupped the side of his face, smiled,
and brought her face closer to his.

"Does that mean I get my present now?" she asked.

He gave her one of his rare beautiful smiles and answered. "As I
was saying before I was rudely interrupted."

She giggled softly. "Sorry, you may proceed now." she said happily with
a sweeping gesture of her hand.

"Thank you. Now as I was saying, I wanted to be the first to say
Happy Birthday and give you your gift from me."

"Oooh, show me, show me." she begged bouncing on the bed like
a little girl.

Angel smiled obviously amused at her. He got up and turned on the
radio. A soft
song played from the speakers.

-I love you, please say
-You love me too, these three words
-They could change our lives forever
-And I promise you that we will always be together
-Till the end of time

He walked back over to the bed, took her hands in his and spoke
softly. "May I have this dance?" he asked.

    Buffy was stunned, who would've thought he was such a romantic.
She got up from the bed and he led her to an open area in the middle
of the room. Angel pulled Buffy into his embrace and began rocking
gently to the music.

-I must be crazy now
-Maybe I dream too much
-But when I think of you
-I long to feel your touch.

       Buffy melted into Angel's arms resting her head gently on
his strong chest and wrapped her arms around his neck. He gently
rested his hands on her delicate back and held her close to him. Her
smell and warmth filled his senses.

"Thank you." Buffy broke the silence.

"For what?" Angel asked confused.

"For this, it's the best gift I could receive." she responded.

"I really didn't know what to get you, but I wanted it to be special." he
replied truthfully.

"Your enough." she answered cuddling closer to him.

      Her loving words struck a cord deep in his heart. He knew he
could never let anything ever happen to her. He'd protect her when he
could, be there when she needed him, and although it's hard, to love
her despite their complications. He leaned his cheek on the top of her
head and whispered,
"Happy Birthday Buffy." he finished and continued to rock her to the music.

-I love you
-I will be your light
-Shining bright
-Shining through your eyes
-My baby


                                                                   The End

* Hope you liked. I know it was pretty sappy, but Buffy and Angel
are my favorite couple. This is my first fic so if you liked please
let me know. I enjoyed wrtitng it.*

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Angela Mach)
Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: Dance with an Angel (1/1)
Date: 19 Jan 1998 17:47:47 +0000

This was so sweet!!! I loved it!!! Angel/Buffy are my favorite couple!!
That's one of the main reasons I watch Buffy... Also, Willow/Xander would
be my second fav couple if they were together....
Angela Machåco-pres of Subjects of Buffonia Fan Clubå
"Who's Ted?"-killer
"Oh I'm sorry my bad. I thought you were someone else."- Cici
"Bitch, just hang up the phone and *69 his ass"- Maureen
*****Scream 2******

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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Perri Smith)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Ill Met BY Moonlight, Part 9 of 19
Date: 19 Jan 1998 22:35:06 -0600 (CST)

No spoilers but can I just say thank goodness I got this finished before
the two-parter aired! :P

See standard disclaimer in part 1. Comments.compliments/flames
accepted/enjoyed/ignored at [e-mail]

Ill Met By Moonlight (9/19)
Bu Perri Smith
Copyright 1998

Part 8

Angel wasn't going to get there in time. Buffy registered that in the calm,
cold Slayer portion of her mind that always flipped on when things got
mortally dangerous. That same part of her mind had her twisting to duck the
wolf's vicious attack, meeting it with a savage sidekick instead of her
unprotected body.

The animal's own momentum ran it into her kick, hitting her like a truck.
Buffy staggered back, tripping to the ground as the wolf gasped like a
human with its breath knocked out, and fell hard to the concrete. But what
would have seriously injured a human didn't do much more than shake the
werewolf; in only a moment, it had regained its feet.  Buffy found herself
staring straight into yellow eyes, which gleamed with hunger, and anger,
and a feral intelligence that was scarier than the other two combined.

It was looking forward to killing her, Buffy realized, and anything else it
ran into.  And the closest meals were her, Angel -- and Giles and Willow,
in the open and unguarded library.

Her face hardened; she hoped the wolf could see the killer reflected in her
eyes. But if it did, it ignored it, gathering its gray and black
hindquarters beneath it and lunging again for Buffy's throat. She rolled
out of the way, shaking loose of her backpack, and lashed out with her
knife, feeling it connect with flesh. There was an unexpected flash of
bright light and the wolf howled and struck out; Buffy barely dodged sharp
claws and rolled to her feet as Angel appeared beside her.

"Run!" he shouted, shoving her out of the way as the wolf turned on them
both.  Angel swung Buffy's backpack at its head, connecting with a loud
crack and buying an instant of time that neither of them wasted.  Before
the wolf tore the pack away from its face, they were running down the
street towards the park a block away from the school.

"Keep him after you," Angel ordered, his voice choppy with the rhythm of
his running. "Take the long way through the park and I'll meet you in the
woods on the north side."

Buffy nodded, conserving her breath, and Angel grabbed her hand, then
dropped it and ducked off in the park, heading for the bike path that was
the quickest way through. Buffy circled around toward the playground,
hearing claws clicking on the pavement behind her, echoing a low, growling
pant. She'd run like this once before, through this same stretch of park,
luring a pack of hyenas into a trap. It had worked then....

She sensed the wolf lunging for her before it hit and somehow ducked out of
the way. It was too close; she *felt* hot breath on her neck as the wolf
went past, and spun to face it, dropping into fighting stance with the
knife held before her. Wolf and Slayer froze facing each other again, as it
seemed to sink in to whatever mind the wolf had left that this prey wasn't
going to give in as easily as the two dead girls had.

The wolf paced back and forth on the path ahead of her -- the path she had
to follow to get to where Angel was waiting. Its legs moved oddly, as if
there were joints where there shouldn't be, its coat twitched as if
separate from its body, and it never took its burning stare off Buffy.
Horribly, all she could remember when she met that gaze was the hyena,
looking at her with Xander's eyes.

"Come on," she goaded, trying not to let her voice shake, shifting the
knife and letting the streetlight reflect from the blade. "Scared of a
little thing like this? Or me?" The wolf tensed, growling again deep in its
throat. It was bigger than she was, and blood stained the fur around its
muzzle. From last night, she wondered distantly, or had it already found a
victim tonight?

"Come on, Wolfman," she taunted again. "Take on someone who can fight back.
Let's go."

The wolf stopped its pacing and a human leer twisted its animal muzzle.
Buffy took the chance and jumped forward, rolling over and past it in a
vault that would have made Kerri Strug proud. The wolf snarled and struck
out and the back of her jacket ripped, but then she was back on her feet
and running again. It howled once in frustration, and followed.

"Angel!" She screamed his name as soon as the woods came in sight, feeling
her breath burn in her lungs. The wolf panted behind her, breath coming hot
and heavy. She stumbled once, nearly fell, keeping her balance through
sheer force of will. But it cost her a second's grace, and the wolf took
advantage. Something ripped at her jeans and she felt blood running down
her calf. But she didn't stop running.

Then she was in the trees, the wolf close behind. She stumbled again,
grabbing a tree for balance, and the wolf lunged for her.

A heavy tree branch, swung with all the strength of an enraged vampire,
slammed into its chest, sending it flying backwards with a startled yelp.
Angel came out of the shadows to stand between the wolf and Buffy, his game
face on and the demon shining from his eyes.

"Get out of here," he told Buffy over his shoulder, his voice a snarl.
"I'll meet you in the hills."

"God, be careful!" she panted, clutching at a cramp in her side that
threatened to double her over.

"Go," he snarled, and she went, stumbling through the undergrowth towards
the foothills that surrounded Sunnydale, whispering a jumbled, incoherent
prayer as she went.

*God, please keep him safe. If you've never watched over him before,
*please* do it now.*

Behind her, a wolf howled.

*****

"I really hate this."

Sasha didn't bother to look at Xander, pacing around the car as he had been
since they'd parked at the ambush. "I figured that out the first five times
you said it, Xander. If it's any comfort, I'm not thrilled with this
myself."

"Oh great, thanks, maybe they'll put that on our tombstones."

Sasha shook her head and put her hands flat on the hood of her car,
boosting herself into a more secure position. Her leg was hurting too much
to stand on or she would probably have been pacing just like Xander. As it
was, she had to settle for drumming her fingers against the car, in a
rhythm that was annoying Xander as much as his constant chatter was
annoying her.

"What's taking so long?" he demanded now, his hands shoved deep into his
pockets as he glared at the woods a hundred yards away. "They should have
been here by now, if they found it."

"It's only been twenty minutes." Sasha's voice wasn't as reassuring as she
would have liked, thanks to the cold fist in the pit of her stomach. It
felt too long, too dangerous. The wolf could have found another victim, or
could have settled for the Slayer, if she hadn't been fast enough, if
Angelus hadn't....

"*God*, I hate depending on him."

She hadn't meant to say it out loud, didn't realize she had until Xander
swung around to face her. "Angel, you mean."

"Yes, Angelus. What the hell is up with you people, trusting a monster like
him like this? And the Slayer...." Sasha gestured widely, completely
baffled and not happy about it. "She's supposed to kill vampires, not hang
with them!"

"It's been pointed out," Xander shrugged, settling down on the hood next to
her. His attempt at stillness probably wouldn't last long, but Sasha
intended to enjoy it while it lasted. "Mostly by me, but Buffy's not big on
listening, you know? She did try once, right after we found about the fang
thing, but it kind of turned into a stink."

"Oh, really?" She lifted her eyebrows, waiting for him to continue, but he
looked away uncomfortably instead.

"It's  a long story," was his only comment. "And.. he kinda has come
through for us -- a *couple* of times. We could have handled the
situations, though," he added hastily.

"I'll bet," Sasha snorted. Angelus as a good guy -- and Hell would be
freezing over shortly.

"You really hate him."

It wasn't a question; Sasha shook her head, her face set, and stared
straight ahead. "Yeah, I really hate him."

"Why?" Her head snapped towards him and he put his hands up in a 'peace'
gesture. His face was a study, torn between what looked like total
agreement and reluctant loyalty. "I know he killed someone in your clan and
all, but that was, like, years ago. I'm not in Angel's fan club, but he's
not the same guy who attacked your clan. He's had lots of chances to kill
us and he hasn't."

"The best you can say about him is that he hasn't killed you?" Sasha arched
her eyebrows at him again, refusing to hear anything else he said. Her
instincts, her guts, her *blood* said Angelus was not to be trusted, no
matter what he'd conned these kids into believing. "Doesn't sound like
there's been much of a change at all."

His eyes were disturbed as he started to say something else, but whatever
it was interrupted when a piercing howl echoed through the trees, not more
than half a mile away. Sasha's hands clenched instinctively, her mouth
going dry, and she wished desperately for the knife she'd given Buffy. All
she said out loud, though, was, "They're coming."

Xander was already on his feet next to the car, eyes wide, but face
determined. From the ground beside the car, he'd snagged the quarterstaff
he'd talked out of Giles on the understanding that it was to be used only
as a last defense.

Sasha stood armed only with the magic her grandmother swore she had. She
fought the soul-deep surety that it wouldn't be enough.

They stood back to back, waiting, not sure which direction the hunt would
come from. The long dead grass around them moved with each slight gust of
wind, every shift and rustle making Sasha and Xander jump. The full moon
cast just enough light to make the shadows dance, lending their own air of
surreality to the scene.

"This is just like 'I Was a Teenage Werewolf'," Xander babbled in a nervous
whisper. "You know, when they're chasing Wolfboy through the fields with
the posse on his tail after he killed the gymnast and the father is still
trying to convince everyone it couldn't be his kid, and you can hear the
dogs going crazy, and you just know one of the deputies is going to buy it
--"

"Xander," Sasha said as evenly as she could through gritted teeth. "Shut up."

He shut, but the energy he'd been working off verbally found another
outlet, setting his body into vibration mode. She pretended not to hear his
teeth chatter as the sound of a fight came closer, as long as he kept
ignoring the sound of her teeth doing the same.

An unexpected grin touched her lips. Damned if he wasn't right, though; it
*was* just like the movie....

A tall, dark figure burst through the trees a hundred feet away, running
with inhuman speed. The huge, loping form behind it kept pace, inches from
Angelus's back. Xander shouted something and Angelus looked up, then
changed directions, heading straight for them. Another shout, and Buffy
emerged from a closer patch of woods, her pale hair glowing in the
moonlight as she raced to meet the wolf and vampire.

"Stay behind the car, Xander," Sasha ordered, without looking to see if the
kid obeyed, knowing he probably wouldn't. She couldn't worry about that now
-- the wolf had heard her voice and stopped in mid-step, its face and eyes
locked on her. Then it raced forward again, easily outstripping Angelus and
heading directly for its true prey.

Her big mistake, she realized later, was in meeting its eyes. They caught
her, trapping her with the wolf's malice and her own terror. She forgot to
move, forgot to breathe, forgot everything but the wolf as it slowed, then
deliberately stalked toward her. She stumbled back one step, ran into the
car, and couldn't go any further. Her mind reached frantically for the
spells Giles had taught her, for the power her grandmother insisted she
had, but there was nothing there, nothing but the fear.

"Sasha, do something!" Buffy's voice; she was still too far away, but the
shout was enough to shake the wolf's hold loose. Sasha grabbed it, held
onto it, and one of the rituals filtered back through through her haze. She
caught it, and shouted it aloud with the desperate, futile hope that it
would work. The words echoed through the night and the wolf stopped dead in
its tracks--

And sneered, as nothing happened. Sasha sobbed out loud in hopeless terror,
falling back against the car in a last, hopeless attempt to escape... There
was cold calculation in the wolf's expression; it was drawing it out,
enjoying the anticipation....

"Sasha, look out!" The wolf went for her, but there was suddenly something
in the way. Xander swung the quarterstaff with all of his might, and caught
the wolf on the side of the head. But he didn't have Buffy and Angelus's
strength; the wolf stumbled, then shook off the blow and lifted one huge
paw to bat Xander aside as casually as if it was brushing off a fly.
Xander's head hit the ground with a sickening thunk, and he lay still.

"No, damn you!" The scream came from three throats, but it was Sasha who
continued to shout. Another spell, not words Giles had taught her, but
words she'd known all along, hidden away somewhere with the Gypsy. They
tore past her paralyzed throat, demanding to be heard and obeyed.

And fire leapt from her hands.

The flames blazed high into the wolf's face as it went for Sasha, singing
flesh and setting fur on fire. The wolf screamed -- there was no other word
for it -- and fell back, rolling frantically on the ground. The flames were
persistent, and burned long past the time they should have gone out.

The wolf staggered back to its feet, alternately growling and howling with
pure, pain-racked hatred. But as it regained sight and thought, it found
itself surrounded by a pissed-off vampire, a bloody-faced and bloody-minded
Slayer, and a Gypsy whose hands burned with flames that lit the hills
around them with an unearthly glare.

They dared it wordlessly, but the werewolf had had enough for one night.
Turning, it raced into the hills, away from the three that had hurt it.

Buffy knelt next to Xander instantly, Angelus beside her, checking the boy
over. Sasha was only dimly aware of them calling Xander's name, of the kid
rolling over with a groan of pain and an irritable, "What hit me?" All she
could do was stare at her still-flaming hands, and shake.

Perri <[e-mail]>      I *am* the Buffy Evangalist!
NatPacker-*-Horsechick-*-Pezhead-*-Cohenhead-*-DDEB2-*-AGA-*-SunS-*-CoJ
"You borrow my neurons WITHOUT asking, mind you, and then you get them all
gooky with Dru-stuff.  See if I let you borrow anything of mine again."
-- Lizbet



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Perri Smith)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Ill Met By Moonlight, Part 10 of 19
Date: 19 Jan 1998 22:36:55 -0600 (CST)

See standard disclaimer in part 1. Comments.compliments/flames
accepted/enjoyed/ignored at [e-mail]

Ill Met By Moonlight (10/19)
Bu Perri Smith
Copyright 1998

Part 9

"Xander!" Willow's eyes went wide as the hunters walked back into the
library. They made a pretty wigworthy sight, Buffy admitted. She was
covered with grass and dirt, her jeans ripped and stained with blood. Angel
didn't look much better, and Xander already had a good-sized lump coming up
on his forehead, combined with the torn windbreaker and bloody arm. He was
walking alone -- just barely, but he'd refused to let Buffy or, God forbid,
Angel help him.

Sasha was the least messed-up, but was pale as a ghost, walking behind the
others like she was in a dream and not really registering anything around
her. She hadn't spoken since Buffy had bullied her close enough to reality
to say the words to make her hands stop burning; she didn't even seem to
notice that Angel was walking within a few feet of her.

Willow rushed to Xander's side, and he, suddenly playing the wounded hero
for all he was worth, let her put her arm around his waist, leading him to
the table so he could sit down. Cordelia stared at him from her seat on the
other side of the table, the compact case she'd been using to admire
herself dangling, forgotten, from one hand. "What happened to you?" she
demanded snidely. "Did Buffy finally get tired of the drooling and beat you
up?"

Xander didn't bother to look at her. "Buffy doesn't beat up on us humans,
but I'm thinking about asking her to make an exception in your case."

Cordelia made a face at him, but no comeback; she might actually be a
little worried. Giles had gone for the seriously-depleted first aid kit as
soon as they'd walked in, and brought it over to Xander now, after asking
Buffy, "You're all right?"

"Hunky-dory," she shrugged, although her leg was starting to hurt as the
adrenaline wore off. "Take care of Xander."

"I'm fine," Xander protested. Everyone up to and including Willow rolled
their eyes at his ridiculous protest; he shut up and let Giles start
cleaning up his forehead. Angel helped Buffy sit on the table, kneeling at
her feet to start peeling her jeans away from the claw marks.

"At least they hit you in the head, Xander" Cordelia commented, watching
both processes with interest. Was that a little concern lurking behind the
above-it-all expression? "It's not like that can do any further damage."

Xander opened his mouth to say something that would be possibly devastating
and certainly rude; Giles spoke before he could. "Cordelia, please go get
some paper towels and water from the lavatory. We're going to need them."

"When did I become a nurse?" she muttered in annoyance, but obeyed, letting
the doors swing shut behind her with a flourish as she Made An Exit.

Buffy watched her go, mildly baffled. "What's Cordy doing here, anyway?"

Giles concentrated on the claw marks on Xander's biceps, which looked
painful, but not too serious. Willow hovered over both of them, trying to
be helpful and mostly just blocking Giles's light. "She arrived a few
minutes after the four of you left; something about bodies at the Bronze
and deciding this was the safest place to be. She was actually quite useful
for a short while, doing research."

Buffy's eyebrows went up. "Wow. Cordelia being useful. Concept."

"Indeed." Xander jumped and yelped as Giles did something painful; Giles
waited for him to settle back down, then kept inspecting. "These were
claws, not teeth?" he asked.

"I'm not going to ask how you can tell the difference," Buffy said,
wrinkling her nose, "but yeah, it was claws. If he didn't bite us, then
we're not, like, gonna start growing fur at the next full moon or anything,
right?"

"I shouldn't think so. Traditionally, it is the bite that is contagious,
and I'm not sure if even that would apply in this situation, as we're
dealing with a curse rather than a true case of lycanthropy."

"Sasha?" Buffy turned to the Gypsy, who was standing next to the library
counter as if she just didn't feel up to the effort of moving. "Sasha?"
Buffy repeated, trying to get her attention.

Sasha blinked. "What? Oh, claws." She frowned, almost focusing, her voice
still not-quite-there. "I don't think this is contagious -- it's my curse,
so I decide who turns were, and I don't think I'd like Xander with that
much fur."

"Thank you, I think," Xander told her, obviously unsure whether or not he'd
just been insulted. Sasha didn't appear to hear; she'd drifted off back
into her own little world, walking vaguely past the Slayerettes into
Giles's office.

Giles watched her with a baffled expression. "Is she, ah....?"

Buffy shook her head. "She didn't get hurt, I think she just freaked
herself. Giles... her *hands* were on fire."

Giles's eyebrows went up. "Ah. Interesting. Then the spells did work."

"Not the first one," Angel contributed. He'd had to use scissors to cut the
leg of Buffy's jeans; they finally pulled loose from the blood and she
hissed at the sting. "Sorry," he apologized, folding the material out of
way before he stood and hugged her shoulders carefully, pressing his lips
to the top of her head. The pain faded miraculously away at the unusual
public display of affection, even when he knelt again to probe gently at
the gashes on her leg. Buffy looked down and grimaced. She and Sasha
matched now. Faboo.

"She tried something when the wolf first went for her, but it didn't work
," Angel continued as he worked. "She couldn't do anything until Xander got
knocked cold--"

"--I was not out cold!" Xander protested instantly. "I just.. needed a
second. To get my balance."

"Right." Angel obviously wasn't buying it for a second, which was okay,
since no one else was either. Xander slouched down again, muttering under
his breath, as Angel and Buffy continued to fill the other two in on their
'adventure'. Cordelia reappeared before they were finished, bearing a
double handful of wet paper towels, held carefully away from her clothing.
Willow helped Angel clean Buffy up, while Cordelia took over handing things
to Dr. Giles.

"Do you think the werewolf will come back tonight?" Willow asked,
concentrating intently on cutting tape to precisely the correct length. "I
mean, you hurt it pretty bad, right?"

"Oh, yeah," Buffy confirmed, wincing; school paper towels weren't exactly
gentle on the skin. "He headed for the hills, literally; we won't hear any
more from him tonight. I hope."

"Just in case, I'll going to go out later and keep an eye on things," Angel
volunteered, starting to tape the neat bandage in place. He was tense
still, carefully not looking anywhere near Giles's office, where Sasha was
still hiding.

"I'll go with you," Buffy told him, hopping down off the table. Pain shot
instantly through her leg and she winced. Angel's arm was there to lower
her down into a chair. "Or maybe not," she admitted.

"I can handle it," he told her with a wry half-grin, that turned angry
again. "As long as the witch in there doesn't decide to tag along."

Speaking of whom... Buffy looked through the open doorway of the office,
seeing Sasha sitting on the edge of the cot, completely still. There were
bloodstains on her clothes from Xander and Buffy, but no blood in her face.
Her eyes were someplace far away and not particularly pleasant.

Giles followed Buffy's gaze, and his brows furrowed. "She looks, ah, rather
upset," he stated the obvious.

"Thank you, Counselor Troi," Buffy said, rolling her eyes. "And she should.
She almost got Xander killed tonight." Xander opened his mouth to object;
Buffy glared at him and he shut up. "Not to mention the rest of us."

"Be that as it may," Giles said, "it sounds as if she came through in time.
And we will need her full assistance tomorrow night, if we are to face the
werewolf again. Perhaps someone should go talk to her."

He looked around for a volunteer; Buffy lifted her hands fast. "Not me.
I've had just about all I can take of Gypsies tonight."

Xander echoed the sentiment, Willow looked panicked at the very thought,
Angel's face went extremely blank and Cordelia looked up with an expert 'as
*if*' look. Giles sighed, took a last dab at Xander's forehead, and handed
the towel he was using to Willow.  "Fine. I'll do it. It's not as if I
haven't had the practice lately." He headed for his office, muttering
something under his breath about 'dealing with overly-talented teenagers
and their crises" as he went.

Buffy watched him go with a grin. Then Cordelia suddenly blinked and sat up
straight. "Werewolf? There's a werewolf? When did that happen?"

Angel chuckled slightly, Willow and Buffy rolled their eyes at each other,
and Xander gave a disgusted snort, before they started filling Cordelia in
on the gory details. Again.

*****

Sasha stared down at her hands, spread out in the air in front of her, and
moved them slightly. Back and forth, up and down, tilting them and turning
them. They were her hands, real enough; she could feel them move, touch the
skin and feel the sensation. But they didn't look like her hands anymore.

They weren't the same hands that clutched a pencil to get down every word
the torts professor said. Not the same hands that typed briefs and term
papers and looked up Supreme Court decisions. Not the same hands that had
groomed her grandfather's horses and done the dishes in the sink and gotten
cut up on her car's engine changing the oil.

These hands belonged to someone who could call fire from out of thin air,
who could cast a curse and see the results in the eyes of a man-sized wolf.
Who could cause five deaths, and nearly one more, without getting even a
smear of someone else's blood on her fingertips.

She closed her eyes and pressed her fists to them until colors rose and
danced before her vision, not wanting to see any more. Not wanting to
wonder who those hands belonged to, if they weren't hers.

"Miss Lakatos?" It took a second for the cautious voice to penetrate
through her daze; she fought it, not wanting to deal with anything close to
reality. Reality was a little too much to handle right now.

"Miss Lakatos." He wasn't going away. She blinked and slowly focused; it
took a huge effort to lift her head enough to meet Giles's eyes. His face
was gentle and quite nervous, as if he was dealing with a very large bomb
that could go off at any second. Sasha didn't blame him; she felt close to
exploding.

"How's Xander?" Her voice sounded odd, and she forced a sickly smile.

"Oh, he'll.. He'll be fine," Giles stuttered. "How are you?"

She shrugged. "Oh... fine. My hands lit on fire, I've been attacked by a
horror movie twice in two days, five people are dead because of me and I
almost raised the count to six. I'm doing just dandy."

"Ah." Giles nodded wisely. "I, ah, have been wanting to apologize to you,
actually. I... was rather harsh this afternoon, when you told us of your...
situation. I.. should not have been."

"Yes, you should have. You were right. I was stupid." She stared straight
ahead, sightless. "Those girls are dead because I was stupid. Kriston's
wife is dead. Two of my clan.... Did I tell you he came after me, that
first night? Two of my clan died trying to keep him out of camp. That's why
I ran. I ran away and I brought him here... so he could kill those girls,
and try to kill Xander."

Her eyes were dry and burning as she raised her hands again, as if
displaying them. "Blood and fire. That's all these are good for anymore,
blood and fire."

"That's enough." Giles's voice was a whipcrack, cutting through the haze of
self-pity and self-disgust. She blinked up at him with surprise, the world
clearing a little. "You made a mistake, true enough, but sitting in here
feeling sorry for yourself is not going to help correct it. The powers you
used to create this monster can also be used to fight it, and that is what
you must do."

His eyes softened slightly, his voice gentling a bit. "I understand that
you are tired, and injured, and frightened. But you are not alone. We chose
to help you -- Xander chose to help you -- knowing full well the possible
consequences."

"I didn't mean to do this, Giles." Sasha sounded like a little girl, even
to her own ears, and the Watcher's face softened even further.

"I understand. Believe me, I do understand. I..." He broke off, then seemed
to come to a decision. "When I was very near your age, I... made much the
same mistake you did. I meddled carelessly with very dark powers and called
a demon to life. That demon, that mistake, cost me the life of one of my
closest friends and, not too long ago, nearly cost me Buffy's life, and
that of someone I... care very deeply for."

Sasha bit her lip, both scared and strangely comforted by Giles's
admission. "The demon.. did you beat it? Did you fix your mistake?"

"To be truthful, Willow and Angel did the fixing; I was... in rather the
same state you are right now, and not of much use, I'm afraid." He caught
her eyes, very serious. "You can do better that I managed -- you already
have. Helping Buffy and the other two face the werewolf, after the harm he
already caused you, took a great deal of courage. I have every faith that
you will find the courage to continue, and help us correct this mistake
once and for all."

He believed every word he was saying and Sasha bit her lip nearly hard
enough to draw blood, fighting the urge to simply bury her face in the
rough tweed of his jacket and sob her heart out. "What... What do I do?"
she asked instead.

He smiled at her with approval. "The first thing you do is sleep." She
started to protest automatically, but he stopped her with an upraised hand.
"You are still recovering from serious injuries, not to mention emotional
trauma, and also cast rather a powerful spell tonight. You need to rest or
you will be of no use to us tomorrow. Go to sleep."

"All right," she sighed heavily, stretching out on the cot. A wave of
sleepiness instantly rose over her. "I'll sleep. But I'm not happy about
it."

Giles nodded again and stood, clearing his throat and straightening his
jacket. "Good. Sleep well."

"Giles?" She stopped him before he could reach the door, something he'd
said percolating through the haze of exhaustion. "Angelus fought the demon
you raised?"

"Yes, he did," Giles confirmed expressionlessly. "At considerable risk to
himself."

Sasha thought about that, then nodded and burrowed her face into the
pillow. After a long moment, she heard Giles turn out the light and close
the door carefully behind him.

In the darkness, her hand crept under the pillow, touching the smooth wood
of the stake she'd taken from Buffy's stash. No matter what they said, or
what games he was playing, he was still a vampire. Still Angelus.

Her hand fisted around the stake, she slept.


Perri <[e-mail]>      I *am* the Buffy Evangalist!
NatPacker-*-Horsechick-*-Pezhead-*-Cohenhead-*-DDEB2-*-AGA-*-SunS-*-CoJ
"You borrow my neurons WITHOUT asking, mind you, and then you get them all
gooky with Dru-stuff.  See if I let you borrow anything of mine again."
-- Lizbet



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Perri Smith)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Ill Met By Moonlight, part 11 of 19
Date: 19 Jan 1998 22:37:47 -0600 (CST)

See standard disclaimer in part 1. Comments.compliments/flames
accepted/enjoyed/ignored at [e-mail]

Ill Met By Moonlight (11/19)
Bu Perri Smith
Copyright 1998

Part 10

Angel listened with half an ear as Willow and Xander tried to explain about
werewolves and Gypsy curses to Cordelia. The rest of his attention was on
checking Buffy's wound again and determinedly not watching Giles talk to
the Gypsy in his office.

He checked the tape on the bandage one last time to make sure it would hold
and stood. "Finished. You're sure you're okay?" he asked Buffy, reaching
out to smooth her hair away from her face.

She laid her cheek against his palm and smiled up at him. "I'm fine,
especially with you to take such good care of me."

"Well, you can return the favor sometime," he told her, smiling back. But
his eyes were drawn from hers back to the small office across the room, and
his smile faded, dull anger taking its place.

Buffy followed his gaze, and her face sobered as well. "Angel...." she
started hesitantly. "Before, when you first got here....."

"I'm sorry, Buffy," he cut her off quickly. He didn't want to think about
what he'd almost done, what he'd let her see. "I don't know what happened.
One second, I was coming to warn you, the next..." He shook his head once,
violently, and walked away from her, getting as far from the office as
possible.

He'd expected Buffy to follow and he was right. "What *did* happen?" she
asked carefully. "For a minute there, I thought you were really going
to.... Why is she making you so crazed? I've never seen *anyone* who could
make you lose it like this."

He shook his head, not quite daring to look at her. "I told you, I don't
know. It's like... Every time I see her, I have to fight myself to keep
from--" He broke off, not wanting to say it out loud, and started over.
"We're enemies. We always have been, we always will be. But I can keep it
under control."

"You have to control it, Angel," Buffy said seriously, putting her hands on
his arms and forcing her to meet his eyes. "Whatever it is that's making
the two of you go postal, you can't let it."

"We'll get rid of the werewolf," Angel promised her. "With or without the
witch."

"That's not what I'm worried about!" Her hands tightened on his arms. "I
don't want to lose you, and I'm afraid... You almost lost it tonight, and
I'm afraid if you really do lose it -- you won't come back."

Her eyes were wide, simultaneously old and incredibly young. He put him
arms around her and pulled her close, trying to comfort her. "You're not
going to lose me," he said intensely. "I promise. I'm not going to let the
Rom take anything else from me."

She didn't answer, but her arms crept around his waist and held on tightly.

"Ahem." They moved a little ways apart when Giles cleared his voice a few
feet away; Angel hadn't even heard him come back out into the library. The
Watcher couldn't quite look at them, but said uncomfortably, "Sorry to
intrude, but I could use your assistance with our research, Angel."

"Right." Angel hugged Buffy quickly, then dropped his arms. She took his
hand and they trailed behind Giles back to the main table, where Xander and
Willow had either finished explaining to Cordelia or given up, and were
buried back in books and the computer, respectively.

"Have you come up with anything yet?" Buffy asked them, sitting on the
table. Angel pulled up a chair next to her and Giles seated himself.

"Not a great deal," he admitted. "While there are many cures for mystical
lycanthropy listed, few of them are considered very reliable, and it's
possible none of them will work on a curse victim at all."

"But shouldn't they work?" Willow asked hesitantly. "I mean, a werewolf is
a werewolf, right?"

"Not precisely." Giles took off his glasses, looking tired. "Curses are a
tricky business; everything depends on the terms set down in the original
spell and the intent of the caster. Theoretically, Sasha herself should be
able to break the curse, but she has already stated she cannot."

"Assuming she knew what she was doing when she tried," Angel pointed out,
hearing the edginess in his own voice at the very mention of Sasha's name.
"She's not exactly reliable."

Giles frowned. "An excellent point. I shall have to quiz Sasha as to her
means and methods when she awakes. It may still be possible.... At any
rate," he recovered before wandering off into another theoretical haze,
"that still leaves us the problem of locating and confining the werewolf
before he can do further damage to the population. Buffy, you said it was
injured tonight."

"Barbecued," Buffy confirmed cheerfully. "And that thing about the silver
was right on the mark, Will; the knife Sasha loaned me definitely did some
damage."

Willow grinned and Giles frowned. "Knife?"

At his gesture, Buffy handed the small knife over to Giles. "I think
there's something weird with it; it, like, flashed when I used it on Big
And Hairy."

Giles examined the knife, muttering under his breath as he read the
engravings -- some kind of warding spell, from what Angel could make out --
and tested the blade. "Yes, quite. This would appear to do the job. Spelled
or enchanted or some such, I would guess."

"So we know how to hurt it," Xander summarized. "But do we know how to hurt
it enough? I mean, that thing is huge, and it's mean. If we shoot it, I
think we're just gonna make it mad."

"Poorly phrased, but not entirely inaccurate, I'm afraid," Giles agreed. "A
regular wolf would be rather formidable; one of this size and apparent
intelligence is, ah, rather more so."

"So don't deal with the wolf," Cordelia spoke up for the first time,
inspecting her manicure.

Everyone turned to look incredulously at her. "Well, see, there's a little
problem with that," Xander informed her sarcastically. "If we don't deal
with Wolfman, he starts using Sunnydale as a restaurant again, and that
would be Bad."

Cordelia looked up from her perfect nails long enough to give Xander a
disgusted and very superior look. "Hello, genius, I know that. But he's
only a wolf at night, right? So go after him during the day, when he's,
like, a guy. Buffy can take a guy."

Angel opened his mouth to tell Cordelia why she was wrong -- and it stayed
open. Beside him, Buffy blinked slowly, and Giles stared at Cordelia as if
she'd grown another head. Willow had frozen in the middle of typing to do
the same.

"I'll be damned," Angel said slowly. Trust Cordelia to come at things from
her own weird angle. "She's right."

Buffy nodded, still apparently in shock. "All we have to do is figure out
where this guy, Kriston, is holing up during the day, and we can take him
down then. No fuss, no muss."

"Well, it's not quite that easy," Giles said cautiously. "We will still
need to discover a way to confine him when he reverts to wolf form but,
yes, that would simplify the actual capture. An excellent suggestion,
Cordelia."

He only stumbled a little over the compliment, and Cordelia smiled proudly.
"No problem. *Someone* has to keep things simple around here."

"And simple is what you do best," Xander replied, apparently out of reflex
since he was still looking shellshocked.

Cordelia glared at him and stood up. "Now that I've solved your problem for
you, I don't have to hang around with you losers anymore," she sneered,
picking up her purse. "Have fun playing dog catcher."

"I already used that line," Buffy muttered as Cordelia left in a huff --
which, Angel had to admit, she did well. Buffy continued to make faces at
Cordelia's back until she was out of sight, then turned back to the others.
"So, how do we find this guy during the day?"

"We could check the hotels," Willow volunteered, already typing away. "Most
of them are computerized and I can check that way."

"We can call the rest of them," Xander added. "The desk clerks won't know
we're hunting this guy; they'll tell us if he's registered if we make up a
good enough story."

"Wow, we have a plan," Buffy grinned. "Concept. I'll help you with the
calls, Xander."

"And I will do more research on removing curses." Giles started sorting
books again. "That seems to be our best hope. Angel, will you assist me?"

Angel nodded his agreement, although it wasn't exactly his favorite topic,
and picked up the nearest stack of books. Buffy had slipped off the table
and gone to stare over Willow's shoulder.

"I'll print out the names of the hotels and their phone numbers," the
redhead was saying. "It'll just take me a minute to bring up the listings."

"Or we can do it the old fashioned way and use a phone book," Buffy pointed out.

Willow smiled and blushed slightly. "Well, yeah, we could do that."

"I think every book in existence is out here *except* the Yellow Pages,"
Buffy continued, surveying the table. "Giles, is there one in your office?"

"I believe there is," Giles answered absently, nose already buried in a
book. "I'll get it."

The other four waited. When Giles showed no signs of actually moving, Angel
shook his head. "I'll get it."

Buffy caught his arm as he started to move away. "Are you sure? I mean,
Sasha's in there and you guys... You do tend to wig more when you're in the
same room."

Angel tried a reassuring smile. "It's okay, I think I can handle it for ten
seconds." He had to try, at least; he was not going to let the Gypsy have
any more control over his actions then he had to.

Buffy might have understood, or maybe she just trusted him. Whichever it
was, she let him go and went back to helping Xander kibitz Willow's
hackerdom. Angel listened with amusement as he crossed the library, but the
amusement faded as he had to force himself to actually open the door to
Giles's office.

It was dark inside; the Gypsy was a shadowed, unmoving heap in the middle
of the cot on the wall opposite the door. Her breathing was steady and
Angel went inside, forcing the muscles that had tensed as soon as he'd seen
the Gypsy to move as quietly as possible. He sorted through the stacks on
Giles's desk, grateful for the night vision that made the lack of light an
annoyance rather than a problem, and located the Yellow pages on one of the
shelves above the desk. Getting it down was a problem, but he managed to
work it loose, and turned back towards the door.

"No! Bastard!"

Only his preternatural reflexes let him turn in time, as the Gypsy, her
eyes open and wild, lunged across the room at him, stake in hand and aimed
for his heart.

Perri <[e-mail]>      I *am* the Buffy Evangalist!
NatPacker-*-Horsechick-*-Pezhead-*-Cohenhead-*-DDEB2-*-AGA-*-SunS-*-CoJ
"You borrow my neurons WITHOUT asking, mind you, and then you get them all
gooky with Dru-stuff.  See if I let you borrow anything of mine again."
-- Lizbet



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From: [e-mail] (Ingrid E Stanton)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: DISCUSS: "One Vampire's Headache..."
Date: 20 Jan 1998 17:52:53 EST

Okay guys...this is me, the author. It's been a really bad week so far,
and it doesn't look like things are getting better anytime soon. I
promise I'll finish the story eventually,  but for now, bear with me, and
store parts 1-3 in your brains till then. Thanx!
-Ingrid

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From: [e-mail] (Ingrid E Stanton)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: DISCUSS: Ill Met BY Moonlight, Part 9 of 19
Date: 20 Jan 1998 17:52:52 EST

Really like this story. The Romanai/Angel feud is great stuff, especially
given the latest episode's treatment of it. Good writing throughout. Ugh-
I can *see* that big hairy werewolf!
-Ingrid

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From: sah <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Request for missing digests
Date: 20 Jan 1998 18:45:46 -0500 (EST)

If anyone has any BUFFYFIC digests from November and December could you
please contact me (offlist, please)?  I have some of them (47, 60, 61, 65,
67, 68, 69) but would like the rest between number 43 and 79.  XMission
wasn't archiving during that time.

Come to think of it, if you have any regular BUFFY digests from that
period, I'd appreciate receiving those as well.  We're missing volume 1,
number 401 to volume 1, number 517 for that.

Thanks,
--sah


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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Perri Smith <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: DISCUSS: Ill Met BY Moonlight, Part 9 of 19
Date: 20 Jan 1998 18:30:08 -0600 (CST)

On Tue, 20 Jan 1998, Ingrid E Stanton wrote:

> Really like this story. The Romanai/Angel feud is great stuff, especially
> given the latest episode's treatment of it. Good writing throughout. Ugh-
> I can *see* that big hairy werewolf!

So can I still. <*shudder*> Got some goood nightmares while writing this
story!

<looks up at first sentance> Oh. To write makes our speaking English
dreadful.:P

Perri

Perri <[e-mail]>      I *am* the Buffy Evangalist!
NatPacker-*-Horsechick-*-Pezhead-*-Cohenhead-*-DDEB2-*-AGA-*-SunS-*-CoJ
"Don't you love how all the years of higher education and the effortless
verbal acuity we all share just shines through in every scintillating
syllable of our common dialogue?"
"Bite me." -- Dianne and Lizbet


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From: Tina <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Mental Wanderings
Date: 20 Jan 1998 19:43:22 -0600 (CST)


Yep, this is my "Jenny's *not* a bad guy!  She's not, she's not, she's
not!" fic.  Yep, I'm adamant.  She's too cool to be evil (unlike Dru,
who's incredibly cool *because* she's evil).

There's a strong language warning on this.

I'm liking feedback.  It's a good thing.  Any and all would be
appreciated.

Mental Wanderings
Tina Cooling
copyright 1998

They all belong to Joss (who is evil), blah, blah, blah...

Great.  Uncle Creepy didn't think I was being a good little Rom, so he'd
decided to pay me a visit.  Hell.  I can never seem to get far enough away
for them.  That's what I get for being born Gyspy.  In my next incarnation
I'm going to be a fucking polar bear.  If I have to hear one more rant
about my great Gypsy heritage, blah, blah, blah, I'm going to scream.

I hate this.  Rupert's gotten more and more curious lately.  Where's your
family, Jenny?  Where are you from, Jenny?  It's hard to resist that
pleading look in his eyes, but what am I supposed say?  I don't know where
I'm from because we didn't even stay a year?  You can't meet my family
because they're busy fleecing unsuspecting gadje?  Yeah, I'm Rom; my
name's actually Janna, stop calling me fucking Jenny?  By the way, I was
sent here to make sure that what's turned out to be a pretty nice guy
suffers for the rest of eternity?  I'm sure he'd love that.

I'm glad my paper ID holds up.  Of course, my family's had more than a few
years of forging credentials.  Just a few more months of hacking and I'll
be able to pull off a whole new identity.  That would mean leaving Rupert,
though, and I don't know if I could do that.  Leaving Rupert, leaving
Willow--Gods, she's just starting to bloom--I don't know if I can.

Goddamn it. I grew up with all the stories of Angelus.  Angelus the
monster who killed your beloved ancestress.  Beloved *and* stupid.  What
did the girl think, going out with a gadje in the middle of the night in
vampire-infested areas?  Angelus the slaughterer of your
great-great-grandparents.  Well, I'm sorry, but that's what you get for
giving some dumb seventeen year old the key to the wards.  None of this
would have happened if not for that.  Angelus and Darla, the slaughterers
of a tribe.

I was ready.  I'd heard all the stories; I knew everything about Angelus
that the elders did.  I didn't like it, but it was a chance to get away.
They never send the happy ones to do their dirty work.  They send ones
like me out--the discontented ones, women and men who long to get away
from the stultifying aura of tradition.  They send us out to do a task
that binds us closer.

I never expected a vampire to be so...human. Angel...  Well, he isn't
Angelus; he can't make up for the deaths.  They weren't his crimes.  An
innocent is suffering, and I'm the one who has to hurt him.

I've always loved how expressive Rupert's face is.  I don't think I could
handle seeing him look at me in disgust.  It nearly killed me the last
time I hurt him.

I might be able to find a way out.  Goddess, I want to get away.  Before
it's too late.

The only thing Uncle forgot to remind me of is that I'm in line for clan
elder.  I don't think I could ever forget.






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From: Elizabeth Ann Lewis <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Hard Choices (1/1)
Date: 20 Jan 1998 18:21:36 -0800

There should be a law against assault by fictional characters.  Jenny
attacked me today and demanded that I write this.  Thankfully, she went off
and told Tina the "Surprise" stuff (which is in "Mental Wanderings").

This takes place about a week after The Dark Age; however, it contains
spoilers for Surprise.  Read at own peril!

All characters belong to Joss, etc, who just may knock this little fic out
of the water in 1 hour and 45 minutes (yes, I'm counting... this surprises
anyone?)

One bleepable phrase, over with in the first sentance.

Dedicated, as always, to the SunS.  <g>

Comments, praise, chocolate and cute angsty undead guys to [e-mail]
--------------
Hard Choices
by Elizabeth Ann Lewis
[e-mail]

The son of a bitch saved me.  Now what am I supposed to do?

I curled up on the window seat, a cup of tea in my hand, staring out into
the night.  These middle of the night brooding sessions had gotten very
familiar in the past week.  OK, middle of the night brooding and panicking
sessions.  Sometimes I'd wake up screaming from nightmares where I was
locked in my own body, unable to control it as I worked hideous atrocities
on those around me... and waking, knowing it had been true, was worse.
Goddess, I'll never forget the look in Rupert's eyes.  In his apartment
when the devil that had taken hold revealed itself.  In the shop, when he
pushed Buffy aside and offered himself instead.

And at school the next day, demon-free and in control again, when I
flinched back from his touch.

Sighing, I leaned my forehead against the glass, the vapors rising from my
cup, fogging the window and tickling my nose.  I'd always been a coffee
girl, double-espresso-hold-the-foam.  But the Earl Grey was a sensory link
to Rupert.  I couldn't -- *couldn't* -- let him get close, but I could sip
his tea.  And how pathetic did that make me?

I'm not good at being powerless.  Understatement of the decade.  And I've
never been more helpless in my life than I had been with that demon inside
of me -- except for right now, with it gone.  There was no way to fight, no
way to escape.  My body, my life, my *being* had been taken over.

I guess that's what it feels like to become a vampire.  But their souls
don't remain, to look with horror on what their bodies were doing.  They
wing free, released with the body's death.

Except in one case.

The tea grew cold in my hand; I hadn't wanted to drink it, I only wanted to
smell it.  Firmly, I repressed a childish urge to pout.  It wasn't fair.
Surely this one thing should be straightforward and simple.  Angelus was a
vampire, a demon who had destroyed with mad glee.  Restoring his soul to
make him suffer was the perfect punishment.  The demon would never consent
to stop killing, but the soul could anguish with every life lost.

I pounded the heel of my hand against the windowpane.  Who would have
thought that Angelus -- Angel -- would have the strength of mind and will
to control the demon within him?  He certainly did it better than I had.  I
would have killed Rupert and I lo...  the flash of pain made me back away
from that thought.

And not only did Angel manage to not commit evil, he actually did active
good.  He'd saved Buffy's life more times than I knew of -- and he'd saved
mine.

If he knew who I really was, he would have let the demon take me.

The first time I saw him, I had no clue who he was.  So much for Gypsy
intuition, huh?  Some people are tone-deaf, I'm magick-deaf.  But sometime
after the Master had died and we left the library, I asked Rupert who was
the dark-haired boy who hovered so protectively over Buffy.

"His name is Angel," Rupert began -- and I felt myself go cold.  "He's a
vampire," Rupert continued, but I didn't hear, couldn't believe that a
vampire had fought his own kind to protect the Slayer.  I had told Rupert
the literal truth when I said I wasn't a witch, I didn't have that kind of
power.  I couldn't even sense a vampire.

Oh, Goddess, Rupert.  If he ever found out -- if he knew who and what I
was, what I'd been sent to do...  He'd feel betrayed, and rightly so.  He'd
struggled to explain to me what vampires were, what the Slayer was.  And
aside from being floored that Willow's bouncy friend Buffy was the Slayer,
he didn't have to tell me a thing.  Faking shock and disbelief and slowly
dawning understanding... Goddess, I *hate* lying!  Deviousness is highly
respected among my clan, but maybe I'd been among gorgios too long.

Or maybe I loved him too much.  Look, that hardly hurt at all. Only cut out
one small section of my heart.  I loved him, but part of me flinched back
from the pain that being near him had brought -- Eyghon.  And part of me
flinched back from the thought of those eyes looking at me with so much
anger and disgust for the lying little Gypsy girl.

How could I stay true?  To my clan, to Rupert, to Buffy and Angel, to
myself?  Everywhere I turned there were choices, swords ready to cut me.
Angel was supposed to suffer.  I'd never doubted the fairness of that.  But
every time he looked at Buffy, his soul shone from his eyes.  To make him
suffer was to make Buffy suffer, and she certainly didn't deserve it.  And
Rupert -- and me.  Yet to betray my very *people* -- and the memory of all
the ravaged dead Angelus had left in his path... how could I turn my back
on them?

Oh, look.  A sunrise.  Again.  Even when they heralded nights of broken
sleep and horrific dreams, I cherished them.  They were proof that I was
human, mortal -- myself.

Even if the person I was didn't want to make the choices that she must.

High Priestess Lizbet of the Cult of Joss ~*~ [e-mail]
Co-List Mummy, Sunnydale Slayers: "Spank your inner moppet."
http://www.primenet.com/~lizbet/    ~~*~~
                      "To read- to guess.
To guess- perchance to thud: ay, there's the rub!" -- The Bard (after Tina)



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From: [e-mail] (Perri Smith)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Ill Met By Moonlight, Part 12
Date: 20 Jan 1998 23:08:31 -0600 (CST)

I would like to reclaim custody of my brain from Joss, please. Or at least
the fic-writing part. :P

See standard disclaimer in part 1. Comments.compliments/flames
accepted/enjoyed/ignored at [e-mail]

Ill Met By Moonlight (12/19)
Bu Perri Smith
Copyright 1998

Part 11


"No, damn you!" The scream came from three throats, but she continued to
shout, pulling words from deep within her. She held out her hands and they
burst into flame -- and kept burning, spreading not to the wolf, but up her
arms towards her body, towards her face. She screamed again as the heat
tore at her skin and the wolf laughed, advancing on the boy who lay still
on the ground beside her.

"Stop him!" she screamed to the Slayer who stood a few feet away, but the
girl only shrugged.

"That's your job," she said easily. "Your problem. Your fault."

"No!" The flames had spread to her entire body now; through their light,
she watched helplessly as the wolf bent over the boy, unable to move. The
wolf looked up and it was Angelus grinning at her, his face a fright mask,
his eyes as yellow as the wolf's.

"Too late, chov-hani," he growled, and his fangs shone white in the
flickering light as the flames rose to devour her....

"No!" Sasha bolted upright, her own scream echoing in her ears. There was
darkness all around her, an unfamiliar room, and a few feet away, an
all-too-familiar face. "Bastard!"

There was a stake already in her hand as she lunged across the room,
nothing in her mind except killing the thing that had killed Xander. Even
as she came at him, his face twisted and changed, the demon breaking
through the human charade. He met her charge with a backhanded blow with
the heavy object her held in his hand; she almost ducked and the object
caught her on the shoulder and knocked her to one side.

She barely felt the impact when she hit the floor, but came back on her
feet instantly, swinging the stake in a deadly arc towards Angelus's chest.
She'd surprised him, and she saw the stake rip into his side with grim
pleasure that was dimmed only by the fact that she'd missed.

He snarled as the blood began to flow and grabbed her wrist in an iron
grip, forcing the stake to drop from suddenly numb fingers. Slowly, he
forced her down to her knees, his face contorted with rage. She saw his
fangs coming towards her, as they had gone after Xander, and her own anger
boiled even higher. Ignoring the pain in her wrist, she pulled backwards
with all her weight, throwing the vampire off balance, and tore her hand
free, grabbing the stake back up from the floor. She wouldn't miss this
time, she saw with satisfaction, and slammed the wood down towards
Angelus's unprotected heart.

"What the hell?" The shout was Sasha's only warning, before a heavy body
slammed into hers, knocking her back from Angelus to the floor. She
screamed and fought her captor, but his arms were in an unbreakable band
around her chest.

Through the haze of rage and frustration, she was dimly aware of a girl's
voice shouting and of the lights suddenly coming on. They were blindingly
bright, disorienting her and she struggled harder against the arms that
held her prisoner.

"Knock it off!" a boy's voice gritted, close to her ear. "He may be a pain
in the neck, but he's our pain in the neck and you don't get to shishkabob
him! Or me!"

She froze. No, he was dead. She'd seen him die, she'd seen Angelus kill....
No, it had been the wolf, and the fire had burned.... No, Buffy had.....

Her vision slowly returned. With it came memory, and sanity, and realization.

*****

They hadn't been expecting trouble, and the scream from Giles's office
caught them all off guard. Buffy recovered first, jumping from her chair so
fast she knocked it over, but Xander was closer and somehow beat her to the
office, throwing open the door.

"What the--?" Buffy had just enough time to register the image of Sasha,
crouched over an off-balance Angel with a stake descending towards his
heart, before Xander plunged through the doorway, slamming into the Gypsy
with a tackle that would have gotten him instantly recruited for the
Sunnydale High football team if a coach had been around to see it.

The stake clattered to the ground as they fell backwards into the shadows
and Angel lunged forward, game face on and pissed. Buffy hit the light
switch in the same motion that she ran forward, nearly tripped over the
phone book he'd gone in to get, and put herself between Angel and the pair
on the floor without a second thought.

"Angel, no!" she shouted, grabbing his shirt with both hands. He snarled
down at her as if he didn't even recognize her, his face twisted with a
blind fury she'd never seen before.  The Slayer in the back of her mind
screamed in warning, but she hung on grimly. His shirt was wet, soaked with
blood, and she ignored that, too. She had to stop him.

"Angel, listen to me, you can't do this!" He was almost a foot taller than
she was; she couldn't really shake him, but she gave it her best shot,
meeting his eyes fearlessly. "Angel, knock it off! Angel!"

There was a muffled grunt behind her and Buffy took her eyes off Angel just
long enough to check on Xander. Sasha was still fighting him, her eyes wide
open, wild and unseeing, as she fought to break free; Xander held her
grimly in place with his arms locked around her chest and shoulders.

Maybe the sight of them was what got through to Angel, or maybe he'd
finally registered Buffy's presence. Whatever it was, he stopped trying to
get past her at Sasha, and something human returned to his eyes. Buffy
wasn't about to let him go, though; the demon still twisted his face.

"What the hell happened?" she demanded at the top of her lungs.

The force of the yell, combined with Xander's shouts, finally seemed to
break through whatever was going on in Sasha's head; she stopped so
suddenly Xander almost let go out of surprise. Sasha was still on the
floor,  but she wasn't fighting him anymore; her eyes were wide with fear
and confusion, her face nearly blank from shock. Considering how close
she'd just come to killing Angel, Buffy had absolutely no sympathy.

"I didn't..." Sasha stammered weakly. "I thought... He was...." She
couldn't get out anything else; her body crumbled against Xander, her words
disappearing into choked sobs. Xander could barely hold her up as she
collapsed.

Buffy turned away from the Gypsy, obviously no longer a threat, with
disgust, looking back up at Angel. His game face was still on, but sanity
had come back to his expression. "Angel, what happened?" she asked, forcing
her voice to stay steady and firm.

He shook his head, his body so tense it nearly vibrated beneath his hands,
his eyes still glaring holes through Sasha. With no warning, he tore free
from Buffy's hands and nearly ran out the door past Giles and Willow.

Buffy watched him go, torn between dealing with the weeping Sasha and
racing after her boyfriend. Willow took the decision out of her hands,
moving forward to kneel on the floor beside Sasha and Xander, hesitantly
touching the Gypsy's shoulders. "We'll take care of her," she said over her
shoulder. "Go take care of Angel."

"Thanks, Will," Buffy breathed, before turning and running out of the
library after Angel.

She caught up to him halfway down the block from the school, and grabbed
his jacket, pulling him around to face her. He swung so fast he almost
knocked her down; she took a step back but didn't let him go.

"Get away from me," he snarled. "Just get away."

She stood her ground. "No! Not until you tell me what happened in there!
What did she do to you?"

He leaned over her, so close she could see herself reflected in his eyes.
His yellow, enraged eyes, so far from the soft, deep brown eyes she
knew.... "How do you know I didn't go after her?"

He wasn't going to intimidate her. She set her jaw and informed him,
"Because I know you better than that." That backed *him* up a pace; she
pressed her advantage. "Why did she go after you?"

"I don't know," he said finally, turning away again, but not walking off.
Buffy took that as a good sign, even if he wouldn't look at her. "One
second she was asleep, then she came at me with a stake. And I almost
killed her for it."

Ah. That would be why he was wigging. "She came after you, and you *didn't*
kill her," she pointed out, keeping her voice as reasonable as possible.
"In fact, when I came in, it looked more like you were on the losing end."
He didn't turn around, didn't answer. She tried desperate tactics. "You
know, you're going to have to thank Xander for saving your skin. And he's
going to rub it in, as often as possible."

She'd been hoping for a laugh, but not really expecting one, and she didn't
get it. But his shoulders did relax just a little, which gave her the nerve
to take his jacket again and move back in front of him. He was Angel,
again, at least; the demon had retreated, leaving his face human once more.

"She didn't hurt you?" Buffy asked carefully, touching his bloody, ripped
T-shirt.

He shook his head, shrugging the injury off and still refusing to meet her
eyes. "I'll be fine. She caught me by surprise, or...." His voice broke
off, his eyes darkening. "I can feel it happening, every time I'm around
that witch," he said, low and intense. "It's like the demon is just waiting
below the surface, ready to go for her throat. Or anyone else who happens
to be around."

"That won't happen," Buffy told him fiercely. "You won't let it!"

"How do you know?" He looked at her for the first time, his eyes dark with
unreadable emotion. There'd been a time when she hadn't been able to see
anything in those eyes; now she could see everything, and didn't know what
half of it was. "The Rom made me what I am; they gave me my soul again. And
every time Sasha Lakatos comes near me, I can feel them taking it back."

He laughed hollowly, humorlessly, his hands deep in his pockets and his
face turned towards the sky and the full moon. "They should have just
killed me a hundred years ago, instead of drawing it out with this damned
curse."

"Was it a curse, Angel?" Buffy asked, sounding very young even to herself.
"Would you change it?

He closed his eyes, his head falling forward as if he was too tired to hold
it up anymore, and sighed. "I don't know. I don't know much of anything
anymore."

She nodded, understanding that all too well. "I know what you mean."

"Yeah." They stood like that, together, but not touching, for what seemed
like forever. Finally, Angel took another of those deep breaths he didn't
really need, and straightened. "I'd better get going, make sure that damn
wolf isn't going to come back tonight."

Buffy nodded. "It's late enough that he won't find many meals wandering
around. Be careful?"

He almost smiled down at her. "I will. Keep an eye on the witch. She's
dangerous."

Buffy lifted her chin. "So am I."

That got the laugh out of him she'd wanted earlier, the soft, blessedly
normal chuckle. "Yeah, you are." His hand caressed her cheek like a
whisper, then he started down the street.

Buffy looked after him until he was gone, then headed back inside the
school. It was a bad night to be outside alone, even for the Slayer.

The library was considerably more quiet than it had been when she'd left
it; Giles was slumped at the table, his glasses on the table in front of
him so he could rub his eyes. He looked... tired.

"Giles?"

He looked up at her soft question, and attempted to straighten up in his
chair, without much success. "Buffy. How is Angel?"

"Lousy." Buffy slumped into the chair opposite her Watcher. "Her?" she
asked shortly, with a gesture towards the office.

Giles sighed. "'Lousy' would seem to cover it. Willow is still attempting
to calm her. Buffy, she was... not entirely sane for a few moments."

"Not guilty by reason of insanity? I don't care, Giles." Buffy's eyes were
hard and cold. "All I care about is getting rid of this damn wolf so we can
get rid of her, before Angel does something he'll regret."

She looked towards the office, barely able to hear Willow's voice saying
something soothing and comforting to the Gypsy who'd just tried to kill the
only *good* thing that Slaying had given her.

"Or before I do," she finished grimly.

Perri <[e-mail]>      I *am* the Buffy Evangalist!
NatPacker-*-Horsechick-*-Pezhead-*-Cohenhead-*-DDEB2-*-AGA-*-SunS-*-CoJ
"You borrow my neurons WITHOUT asking, mind you, and then you get them all
gooky with Dru-stuff.  See if I let you borrow anything of mine again."
-- Lizbet



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Perri Smith)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Ill Met By Moonlight, Part 13
Date: 20 Jan 1998 23:10:08 -0600 (CST)

See standard disclaimer in part 1. Comments.compliments/flames
accepted/enjoyed/ignored at [e-mail]

Ill Met By Moonlight (13/19)
By Perri Smith
Copyright 1998

Part 12

Sasha woke up exhausted, disoriented and in pain. As usual. As she shoved
herself to something resembling a sitting position on the cot, she tried to
keep her mind as blank as possible, putting off the inevitable moment when
memory would return. But her wrist objected to being used as a lever and
she made the mistake of looking at it. The sight of the swollen, angry
bruises brought it all back, in vivid detail.

"Oh my god." She fell backwards on the bed, pulled the pillow over her head
and gave serious thought to just staying there until the end of time. But
no; Giles would eventually want his office back, and it was only four weeks
until finals. She was going to have to get up and face the music. Or the
vampire, as the case might be.

"Um... Sasha?"

She considered staying in hiding, then gave it up and shoved the pillow off
of her face so she could look at Willow, who hovered hesitantly in the
doorway. "Hi."

"Hi," the teenager responded with a quick, if tentative, smile. She didn't
seem inclined to come any further into the room, though, and Sasha sighed
heavily as she sat up, swinging her legs over the side of the cot and
dropping her face into her hands.

"You can come closer," she said without lifting her head. "I'm unarmed."

Willow laughed unconvincingly and came the rest of the way through the
doorway. "Oh, I... wasn't worried," she lied badly. "Not really. You
kinda.. weren't yourself last night. Um..." Her voice took on an edge of
worry. "How much do you remember about, um...?"

"Almost skewering Fang Boy? Entirely too much, thanks." Sasha rubbed her
face, ignoring the protests of her wrist, then forced herself to look up,
pretty sure what she'd see. She was right; Willow hovered a good two feet
away, her open face an interesting combination of worry, nervousness and
determined cheer. "How's Xander?"

"Oh, he's fine. He's bragging to anyone who'll listen about the three
muggers he beat off. Pretty much no one believes him, even with the lump on
his head." The worry part of Willow's expression got stronger when she got
a good look as Sasha's wrist, swollen to twice its normal size,
fingerprints very clearly marked in black and blue.  "Oh, no. Did Angel do
that?"

Sasha shrugged. "Considering I was trying to kill him at the time, he might
actually have been justified. And if you ever repeat that, I'll deny it."

Willow grinned conspiratorially, looking much happier. "Your secret dies
with me."

Sasha chuckled slightly, surprising herself, and started the process of
hauling herself to a vertical position. She was still in sweats and T-shirt
she'd worn the day before, but someone (probably Willow) had taken off her
shoes and socks. After a few minutes of groaning and complaining as her
sore muscles and still-painful leg protested any and all movement, she made
it to her feet.

"Are you hungry?" Willow asked. "'Cause Giles always has tea and I think
there's some bagels somewhere."

"No, thanks, I'm fine," Sasha answered, putting her hands at the small of
her back and attempting to stretch with no real success. "Well, I'm not
fine," she amended on another groan, "but I'm not hungry."

"Still, you should eat," Willow said seriously, rummaging in a bag on
Giles' desk and producing a bagel. "Giles says you need to eat after you do
magic stuff or you could get really sick and... um.... "

Sasha raised her eyebrows as Willow's sentence trailed off, hearing the
unspoken 'crazy' that ended it. "And what? Never mind," she waved off the
stumbling attempts at cover. "Give me the bagel, I'll eat."

Willow handed it over, looking relieved. "So, did you lose the toss?" Sasha
said around a mouthful of bagel, which did taste awfully good, she admitted
to herself. Maybe she was a little hungry....

"Huh?"

"Babysitting detail," Sasha clarified, gesturing at herself with the bagel.
"Can't see anyone volunteering to hang around a lunatic."

"Well, I did," Willow blinked. "Um, volunteered, I mean, not lost the toss.
And you're not a lunatic. I don't think." She stopped, visibly backtracked
and recovered. "I mean, this is my free, so I was looking up hotel
registries on the computer."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah." Willow's face lit up. "See, we thought that maybe we could find the
wolf when he's being human, and try to fight him that way, instead of
waiting for the fur and the fangs and stuff."

It was Sasha's turn to blink. "Oh. What a concept."  A pretty good one,
too; it hadn't worked when Sasha had tried it, but she'd made the mistake
of appealing to Kriston's sanity. She knew better, now. "Who had that flash
of insight?"

"Cordelia." Willow looked faintly embarrassed. "You remember, she was here
last night."

Sasha frowned and searched her memory, coming up with the faint image of a
stand-offish brunette, but no details. "Whatever. I'm trying to block last
night out."

"I, um, can understand that." Willow left the office to go back to her
computer, and Sasha trailed behind at her gestured invitation, snagging
another bagel as she went. "Anyway, we haven't been able to find him yet;
Buffy thinks he might be using a fake name, so we're looking for anything
that sounds right. You know, like wolf or something."

"It's an approach." Sasha settled herself painfully into one of the hard
chairs, munching bagel and watching Willow work. The redhead's face was
serious and intent as she typed away quickly and supercompetently. Then she
stopped, looked up at Sasha, hesitated, then looked back down at the
keyboard, only to look up again a few seconds later.

Sasha watched the performance with wry amusement the first three times, but
had to comment after the fourth. "Something on your mind, Willow?"

"No!" Willow denied instantly, then amended, "Well, something. Sasha....
why did you try to hurt Angel? I mean, the stake and the fight and all...."

Sasha sighed again, and rubbed her eyes. "I went postal," she explained
simply. "I was having a bitch of a nightmare, and I woke up to find one of
the principal figures standing two feet away. The Romani instincts just
sort of took over and..." Great; Willow's inability to finish a sentence
was apparently contagious.

Willow looked as if she understood, or was at least trying to. Sasha
distinctly remembered seeing a similar expression on the redhead's face the
night before. Which reminded her.... "I meant to thank you, by the way."

"For what?"

"For keeping me from losing what was left of my mind last night. That...
can't have been easy. So, thank you."

"Oh, it's okay," Willow smiled shyly. "Buffy can get kind of overly
sometimes, too, so I get lots of practice."

Sasha found herself chuckling again; she liked this kid. "I can imagine."

"But you know," Willow continued, her smile fading, "Angel's really not a
bad guy."

"So people keep telling me." Sasha slouched further down in her chair and
closed her eyes. "Forgive me if I have a hard time believing that. I know a
little too much about him."

"No, you don't." Sasha looked up sharply and Willow gulped, but pushed
determinedly on. "You know about Angelus, about what he was *before* that
curse thing your clan did. That's not Angel, not anymore. The curse made
him different, made him a person again. A *good* person."

"What are you, his fan club president?" It came out harsher than she'd
intended, but Willow, though shaken, was undeterred.

"No, but he saved my life at least once, and Buffy's a couple of times. He
staked Darla, the one who made him a vampire, to keep her from killing
Buffy." The teenager was leaning forward past her computer now, her eyes
intent. "Even Xander admits Angel's a good guy -- well, he would if he
wasn't in the habit of hating him, and that's what you're in," she
concluded. "A habit. You've gotten so used to hating Angelus that you're
not looking at Angel and that's not fair!"

Her voice had risen to close to a shout; she seemed to realize it and
stopped abruptly, sinking back into her chair as Sasha stared at her with
open-mouthed shock.

"It's... It's a little more complicated than that," Sasha finally managed
to say.

Willow nodded, biting her lip, once more the timid teenager. "I know; Giles
says that curse thing is probably why you guys are always at each other's
throats -- well, that and 'cause of the Gypsy/vampire thing. He says you're
kind of programmed to fight. But couldn't you... change your programming,
maybe?"

Willow's eyes were far too big, far too pleading; Sasha looked away
uncomfortably. Her worldview had been shifted too many times in the last
few days, the last few weeks and she didn't know if she was up to dealing
with yet another change. But Willow looked so unhappy....

"I.... Maybe," Sasha finally mumbled. "I can't make any promises, but... maybe."

Willow still looked faintly unhappy, but nodded anyway. To Sasha's
everlasting gratitude, the computer beeped before Willow could extract any
more concessions. The girl was dangerous. "What's up?" Sasha asked, the
better to distract her.

Willow typed away, back in computer geek mode. "Oh, I've got the computer
set to search the police and newspaper databases and flag unexplained
stuff, like bodies and things. Looks like they just found another one."

Sasha swallowed hard, then got up to look over Willow's shoulder.
"Another... wolf one?"

Willow blinked. "Oh, no, just a body. Well, not *just* a body, but not one
that had been, um, eaten or anything. You know, normal. The police report
just says they found a man in his car, with, um, a broken neck and no
identification. They haven't figured out who he is yet."

"Ah. Normal." Sasha nodded wisely, mentally shuddering. "Get a lot of those?"

"Not really." Willow made a face. "We get lots of bodies, but most of them
are kind of not normal. Sunnydale's like that."

"I gathered." Willow downloaded the police report anyway, and then went to
the coroner's office to get the preliminary autopsy report. Idly, Sasha
catalogued the number of laws the hacker was breaking, but mostly she just
watched the little, innocent looking girl matter-of-factly deal with murder
scenes and cross-reference them to vampires. It almost gave Sasha more to
think about than Willow's impassioned defense of Angelus.

Almost.

The bell rang as Willow finished, and she got up, collecting her books and
starting to hang up the modem. "Can you leave it hooked up?" Sasha asked
quickly, taking over Willow's chair. "I want to check my e-mail, see if
anything important is happening back in reality."

Willow looked startled. "You can use a computer?"

Sasha winced. "Yes, I can use a computer. In some circles I'm actually
considered a reasonably competent human being, hard as that is to believe."

"No!" Willow protested hurriedly. "I mean, I believe it! It's just that
everyone else is scared of computers except Ms. Calendar. You can use it."

"Thanks." Sasha took over the keyboard and waited patiently for Willow to
leave. Willow dawdled, sending several hesitant looks towards her computer
and a not a few concerned ones towards Sasha.

The latter rolled her eyes. "Willow, I'll be fine and so will your baby. Go."

"Okay," Willow said finally, unconvinced. She sent several looks back over
her shoulder before actually leaving the library.

Sasha waited until she was sure the teenager was gone, then starting typing
as quickly as she could. There was no telling when Giles would be back, and
she had a feeling he'd have a lot to say about her plans if he figured them
out. Sasha didn't want to hear common sense; she'd made her decision
sometime in the last ten minutes and had no intention of letting anyone
talk her out of it.

It took only a moment to call up the police report on the murder victim and
discover that his clothes had been taken as well as his wallet, but not his
car. Sasha stared at the report, then nodded and, following her hunch, ran
the car's license plate through the California DMV, using a backdoor one of
her law school buddies had discovered while clerking the summer before. A
name came back in minutes and she cross-referenced it against the hotel
records Willow had left on the desktop.

It took less than thirty seconds to find the match.

Before she could lose her nerve, she got up and went to the phone on the
main desk, dialing in the number of the hotel. "Room 664," she told the
desk clerk, and waited, her heart pounding sickly.

"Yeah?"

It was no surprise to hear his voice when he answered; somehow, she'd known
what she was doing all along. It might have been the lack of shock that
kept her voice study as she said, "Kriston. This is Alexandra Lakatos."


Perri <[e-mail]>      I *am* the Buffy Evangalist!
NatPacker-*-Horsechick-*-Pezhead-*-Cohenhead-*-DDEB2-*-AGA-*-SunS-*-CoJ
"You borrow my neurons WITHOUT asking, mind you, and then you get them all
gooky with Dru-stuff.  See if I let you borrow anything of mine again."
-- Lizbet



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Perri Smith)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Ill MEt By Moonlight, Part 14
Date: 20 Jan 1998 23:11:29 -0600 (CST)

See standard disclaimer in part 1. Comments.compliments/flames
accepted/enjoyed/ignored at [e-mail]

Ill Met By Moonlight (14/19)
By Perri Smith
Copyright 1998

Part 13

When Buffy and the other two Slayerettes finally made it to the library at
four-thirty, Giles was pacing around the main table, carrying two books and
attempting to read a third, while making stops to reference a fourth. His
hair was rumpled and his tie had disappeared somewhere between fifth period
and now.

"There you are at last," he said as they came in, slamming the book he was
reading shut and hustling over to them. "Where the devil *have* you been?"

Buffy made a face; Xander had won the bet as to what the first words out of
Giles's mouth would be. "I cut class yesterday to keep an eye on Gypsy
Chick and Snyder busted me for it today. Not only did he make me spend my
seventh period free in his office listening to one of his 'juvenile
delinquent' speeches, he also gave me detention."

"Well, couldn't you avoid it, or 'cut' again, or something?" Giles fussed.

"No chance." Buffy wrinkled her nose. "Coach Galway was running D-hall. He
thinks we should have to run 100 laps if we're just a little tardy."

"And I was waiting for her in the computer lab," Willow volunteered, "so I
could use, um, Ms. Calendar's on-line account to talk to some of her
friends about werewolves."

Giles perked up when Ms. Calendar's name was mentioned, started to ask
something, then closed his mouth and looked depressed again. Willow and
Buffy traded looks. They were going to have to do something about that
situation pretty soon, Buffy resolved quietly, dropping her backpack to the
table and sitting on the tabletop next to it. As soon as there was more
than two consecutive days without a crisis.

Giles was only distracted for a moment though. "And you?" he asked Xander,
already sounding resigned.

Xander looked innocent, or at least tried to. "Cheerleading practice. I
found  a perfect seat under the bleachers. Hey, everyone else was busy!" he
defended himself at the girls' expressions.

Giles sighed heavily, trying to take off his glasses before realizing his
hands were full of books. "Not to interfere in your extracurricular
activities," he said impatiently, with glares at Buffy and Xander, both of
whom looked away guiltily, "But we do have the slight problem of a
werewolf. Willow, were Jen--, ah, Ms. Calendar's friends of any
assistance?"

"Well I didn't exactly get to stay on-line very long," Willow said
unhappily. "But lots of them were at work, so I can check my mail and see
if anyone's answered."

"Do that," Giles agreed, tapping Buffy on the shoulder pointedly. She
rolled her eyes, but slipped off the table, taking a chair instead. Willow
sat next to her, booting up the computer. The modem started making its
funny noises a minute later. "Now, where has Sasha gotten to?"

"She should be back in your office," Buffy  shrugged, slouching a little
further down. Sasha was about the *last* person she wanted to deal with.
"Or did she finally come out of hiding?"

Giles froze, blinking. "I had thought," he said, very deliberately, "that
she had gone somewhere with the three of you. She's not in the office; in
fact, I haven't actually seen her since I left for the teachers meeting
right after school."

The Slayerettes traded glances and Buffy straightened in her chair. "Where
could she have gone?" she asked slowly. "It's not like there are a thousand
things to do and see in Sunnydale."

"Um, guys," Willow spoke up, frowning at her computer. "I think I might
know where she is."

"What?" Buffy leaned over to look at the screen. "What do you have?"

"An e-mail from Sasha," Willow said seriously. "Guys...." She looked up
unhappily. "She went to find the wolf -- Kriston -- by herself."

*****

As she stood in the doorway of the empty warehouse, studying its shadowed
depths to find her 'appointment', all Sasha Lakatos was think was what a
stupid idea this was.

She knew it was stupid. There was absolutely no doubt in her mind
whatsoever that this was stupid, and probably suicidal. Unfortunately, she
hadn't been able to think of any alternatives in the last four hours;
nothing that didn't involve taking three teenagers into a dangerous, bloody
fight that wasn't their own. Xander had already been hurt in this; she was
damned if anyone else would pay for her screw-up.

"Kriston!" she called, praying her voice wouldn't crack, and took a few
steps into the warehouse. The water beat against the pier out in back, and
she took some amount of comfort, however illusory, in the sound of the
steady waves.

The next sound was less than comforting. "I'm here," an all-too-human voice
answered. "Come and find me."

Sasha's lips tightened. I'm not here to play games," she yelled in the
direction of Kriston's voice. The sixth sense she'd finally started
allowing herself to pay attention to told her he was about a hundred feet
away; finding him wouldn't be a problem if he kept playing hide and seek.

He didn't. Kriston stepped out from the shadows of a pile of crate, ahead
of her and to the left, the dim twilight from the dirty windows barely
touching him.

Not for the first time, Sasha looked at Kriston, and wondered how such a...
well, *twit* could have wreaked such havoc in her life. He was a few inches
shorter than her own five-ten, with thinning brown hair that was normally
styled to within an inch of its life, pale blue eyes, a thin body getting
thick at the waist (which fact he tried to hide, unsuccessfully, with
tailored suits), and a smile that normally attempted to be charming and/or
seductive and generally came off smarmy as hell.

Not now, though. Now, his hair fell in his face, almost hiding his eyes,
and his lips twisted in a smirk that couldn't be described as anything but
evil. The suit pants and white dress shirt he wore fit badly, made for
someone taller and broader -- like the dead man in the car. And his
eyes.... They were still blue, but something shone unpleasantly in their
depths.

Sasha had seen those eyes before, glowing yellow from the face of a wolf
about to kill her.

She didn't let Kriston see her swallow, kept her knees from shaking with a
force of will. She put her chin up and walked forward, further into the
warehouse.

Kriston watched her come, his eyes raking over her as if he was considering
picking her up in a bar. But a date for dinner took on entirely new
meanings.... "I didn't think you'd have the nerve to show up," he said,
smirk still in place. "You're much better at running than fighting. And no
bodyguard? What happened to the little rugrats you had protecting you?"

Sasha's jaw clenched; Kriston noticed and his smirk widened. Sasha
deliberately relaxed, but the damage was done, and she cursed her
all-too-easily pressed guilt buttons.

"I found a sitter," she returned as casually as possible. "This is between
you and me."

Kriston shrugged. "I didn't bring them into it, remember?"

"I remember."

"So, why did you call this little meeting?" Kriston asked, lounging back
against the stack of boxes as if he was in his own office and she'd come to
apply for a loan. She'd chosen the warehouse as neutral ground, abandoned
and far enough from the center of town that no one would interfere. Kriston
seemed to be making himself right at home. "Seems kind of dumb, going after
me face-to-face."

"Don't get too cocky. You're human until moonrise." If anything, his smirk
grew. Sasha tried to ignore it, as well as the screaming alarm in the back
of her mind. "I'm here to offer you a deal."

"Oh yeah?" He had the nerve to look surprised. "What have you got that I
want? That would keep me from killing you right here?"

"The power to keep you alive," she answered, with no humor whatsoever. "Do
you know who those 'rugrats' helping me chase you were?"

"Let me guess." He tapped his chin and stared off into space, pretending to
think. "The captain of the local cheerleading squad and her football
captain boyfriend? No, he looked more like track star."

"What he looks like, is a vampire. One who's killed more bastards like you
than even you can dream of." For the first time, Kriston was caught by
surprise, and for the first time, Sasha allowed a smirk of her own to break
loose. "And the girl is the Slayer; she's the one who kills bastards like
him. And since you've been eating her classmates, she wants a crack at you
in the worst way."

Kriston shook his head slowly. "Nice try, but I don't scare that easily.
Vampires don't exist."

Sasha's smile widened. "Neither do werewolves."

She let sink in for a minute, then continued, "They want you dead, and you
can't take both of them. The only reason they let you live last night is
because I stopped them from killing you."

"More fool you. How is the boy I used for target practice? Didn't kill him,
did I?"

 "No." Sasha's eyes narrowed as she fought back the desire to rip his
throat out with her bare hands. "And I won't make the mistake of giving you
another chance to try."

Kriston had recovered, although fear had added its touch to the gleam in
his eyes. "And my other option, if I believe this fairy tale?"

"I break the curse," she answered simply.

He stared at her for a long second. Then a something rumbled low in his
throat. Sasha braced herself, but the sound that came out wasn't a growl.
It was a chuckle, that built and grew until she swore she could hear it
echoing in her head.

Kriston threw his head back, enjoying himself enormously. "And you expect
me to go along with that?" he forced out through his laughter. "Give up
this -- this *power*, when you threaten me with a high school kid and a
so-called vampire? Get real!"

His laughter died slightly, but he still chuckled as he walked closer to
her. No, he *stalked* closer. "I have power now," he said quietly, catching
and holding Sasha's gaze with a strength of will she'd never seen in him
before. "I hold life and death in my hands. No one can stand against me, no
one can hurt me, no one can stop me. And you gave that power to me."

He smiled, reaching out a hand to touch her hair. "You gave it to me. Thank
you." And as she shuddered under his touch, his smile grew and widened --
and began changing. "Now," he said calmly, his voice shifting  from human
to not-human and back, "it's time to finish the hunt. And to make sure you
can never take it back."

Sasha's eyes flicked over his shoulder to the windows. With a sinking
heart, she realized she'd cut it too close. They sky was dark, broken only
by the light of the full moon.


Perri <[e-mail]>      I *am* the Buffy Evangalist!
NatPacker-*-Horsechick-*-Pezhead-*-Cohenhead-*-DDEB2-*-AGA-*-SunS-*-CoJ
"You borrow my neurons WITHOUT asking, mind you, and then you get them all
gooky with Dru-stuff.  See if I let you borrow anything of mine again."
-- Lizbet



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Angel's Lover <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Slay or Be Slain 1/1  MASSIVE SURPRISE INNOCENCE SPOILERS
Date: 21 Jan 1998 00:59:37 -0800

MASSIVE SURPRISE and INNOCENCE SPOILERS!!!!  DO NOT READ IF YOU DO NOT
WANT TO BE TOTALLY SPOILED!!!  FAIR WARNING!!!!!

Well.. this is my attempt to pull together all my negative emotions from
the last few nights! LOL!  The characters don't belong to me.. they're
the property of Joss and Mutant Enemy, et al.  I'm not making any money,
and no copy wright infringement was intended.  Please forgive the
spelling errors, it's late and I don't feel like proofreading right
now.  Please direct all comments to Lea at either [e-mail] or
[e-mail] .  Thanks.. and happy slaying!



    Slay or Be Slain ~ By Lea


    Her heart ached painfully pretty much 24/7 these days.  How all of this
could have happened she really didn't know.  One minute she was happily
in love, offering herself to the man who owned her heart.  Slowly she
twisted the claddagh ring on her finger; she still couldn't bring
herself to permanently take it off.  The next minute the evil part of
him that he once was rose again, destroying every shred of love she had
left for him.
    Buffy sighed.  It wasn't fair.  One moment of total happiness and
serenity had cancelled Angel's soul, and in the process destroyed his
humanity.  What's worse.. she had lost a good friend and aly at the same
time.
    Her eyes tracked the progress of Jenni Calendar as the computer teacher
by day, meddling gypsy by night crossed the halls.  She looked very
lonely, especially when she caught sight of Giles across the way.  Giles
took one look at Jenni, turned on his heel, and disappeared back into
the library.  Jenni's head dropped, and she continued on to her class.
    Buffy's rage towards Ms. Calendar was slowly fading away, at least
that's what she liked to tell herself.  She wondered if perhaps she
should talk to Giles about laying off Ms. Calendar.. after all, she was
probably his one and only chance at a decent romance.  However, a line
from an old Margaret Laurence book came to mind:  "There's no
forgiveness in this bloody world.  None at all."
    She hardened her expression; Jenni was no longer her friend, if, in
looking back, she ever could be considered anything of the sort.  She
had been a part of what had happened to Angel, she refused to help
reinstate the curse, and that wasn't easily forgiven.  Buffy headed out
the door towards home.  Nothing was right these days, even Willow and
Xander were at odds over something Willow wouldn't say.
    Buffy found herself wishing that dark would fall.  Angel... Angelus was
out there, and the only chance she had of stopping his bloody murders
was to catch him on the hunt.  She doubted Drusilla would be with him...
she rarely if ever hunted her own food.  But Angel...
    The numbers of drained bodies had been increasing of late.. viscious
bloody killings for which Buffy knew Angelus was responsible.  He was
the most brutal, cruel of all vampires, where only weeks previously he
had been the one exception to the demonic rule of evil.
    Her mother had gone away on a business trip for a few days... which was
a good thing.  After Angel's attempt on Willow's life, the slayer feared
that he would go after those closest to herself.  He was on a mission to
destroy her, just as he had destroyed Drusilla so many years
previously.  Buffy sighed; he was close to winning, she was slowly
losing her grip on her sanity.  She hadn't slept in weeks, the
nightmares kept coming every time she closed her eyes.  Each night she
slew Angel, having no choice... it was her duty.  Now she had to put her
mind at rest and do what the dreams foreshadowed.
    Tonight was the night.  It had to be.  This reign of terror could go on
no longer.
    She sat on her kitchen counter, slowly building herself up to do what
she must.  Her mind ran over all that he said to her the last few times
she had seen him.
    "You know what the hardest part was, huh?  Pretending that I loved
you.  If I'd known how easily you'd give it up, I wouldn't have
bothered."
    She clenched her fists.
    "The hands represent friendship, the crown represents loyalty, and the
heart... well... you know.  Wear it with the heart pointing towards you,
it means you belong to somebody.  Like this."
    Her resolve faded.
    "You've got a lot to learn about men, kiddo.  Well, I guess you proved
that last night."
    She gritted her teeth.
    "I'll be back... I will."
    Her heart broke.
    "I love ya, too!  Oh, I'll call ya!"
    She grasped the stake in a death grip.
    "I love you.. I try not to, but I can't stop."
    The stake clattered to the floor, and she drew her knees up to her
chest, choking sobs wracking her body.  How could she slay him, when in
the end she still loved him with every breath she took?
    Time had passed swiftly as she sat contemplating her fate and that of
Angel.  Dark had fallen, and the time would come for her to go out on
the hunt.
    The door to her kitchen slid open, and she glanced up in surprise.
Angel stood before her with the body of a small, teenaged girl lying
limp in his arms.  He slowly licked the sticky blood from his fingers,
and then licked his lips.
    "Mmmm, juicy!" His fangs shone in the faint light eminating from the
streets.  He dropped the girl to the floor.  "Mrs. Summers?!  Can Buffy
come out to play?!"  His cruel voice echoed through the house.
    "She's not here, so don't bother trying to use her to scare me."
Buffy's gaze darkened as she glared at him.
    He smiled, "That just makes it all the more interesting... my love."
His gaze travelled the length of her body, his tongue darted out once
more to whet his parted lips.  "Are you coming to play, little girl?
Play with the big boys?"  He grinned and darted back out the door, down
the streets towards the graveyard.
    Buffy sighed as she slid off the counter, and slowly stepped out the
door.  Her cross and stakes were held firmly to her body.
    Yes.  Tonight would be the night.

    The End!

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Dawn" <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: BuffyFIC: The Layers Inside
Date: 21 Jan 1998 14:12:46

TITLE:
TYPE:
TIME:
DISCLAIMER: None of the characters are mine, nobody is (or would) pay me



I feel <really> foolish doing this. Haven't seen Surprise/Innocence, or
even Bad Eggs yet, but... argh! I think this is my first real piece of
Buffy fanfic. I couldn't go to bed until this was written down. Weird, eh?

Apologies for errors.
Apologies for oder of events getting mixed up.
etc.

Don't know if I should post this to the buffyfic list. Any comments,
corrections or suggestions would be appreciated.

************
The Layers Inside
By: Dawn Steele ([e-mail])

I never thought it would happen like this.

She looked so beautiful. Her hair was like fine silk between my fingers,
and her skin was smooth and soft. I could feel little imperfections in the
skin, and the warmth of it was a lure almost impossible to resist.

~ the blood had rushed through her veins, and i could smell it. ~

All I could think of now was how foolish I'd been; how foolish we'd both
been. At least she could blame it on her youth, now barely seventeen, but
that same excuse could not be applied to me. Still my time as a human being
was scant years abover hers, and half my time on this earth had been as a
malicious beast. Should I count my time since the Gypsies curse... or
rather gift? Time spent brooding on the memories trapped in this body,
years full of regret and sorrow and pain.

~ but now the world was different and i saw her eyes dim as i spoke. ~

I remember what Drusilla had been like before I turned her into the mad
demon she is now. She had been soft, a bit flightly at times, and used to
charming the young men around her fingers. In too many ways, she hadn't
changed at all. I remember going over all my memories again and again and
again for <years>, trying to figure out if the pictures I had were what
<really> happened or if the demon was only remembering its side of the
story.

~ the rush of ground beneath my feet, and the presence of a familiar door.
~

That was the worst part. Trying to figure out if the reason I had been so
successful as a vampire had come from personality traits within myself. And
I had been successful. I had loved being a vampire with <big> reputation.
Loved the acts that created that reputation with a passion. The killing and
feeding had always meant something more than the next meal.
I . . .

~ a fall of black hair that delights me, and the glimmer in spike's eyes is
so delightful. ~

I killed four humans in the first years after the Gypsies ... curse. The
first three as both a test of my control and a punishment to myself.
Killing others to make sure that I would be dammed to Hell for my actions.
So very, very stupid. The last had been... I had tried to break up a fight
between a man and wife. By the time I ended it, his body was in pieces. She
never lived to make it to the hospital, and I couldn't forget that their
blood tasted equally as wonderful.

~ the books in the library were familiar. i knew just where to go. ~

So I brooded, and I remembered, and I avoided other vampires as much as I
could. Still, I overheard them speaking and I knew that the rumours
abounded. It only made me withdraw even more. Too afraid of the Hell I felt
I deserved to die, and too ashamed to truly live.

~ the feel of warm blood was in my mouth. i was going to take my time with
this one. ~

Buffy was not the first Slayer I had met, but she... So unlike the women
I'd grown up with, and so unlike the seemingly endless barrage of dead
women in my memories. Young, vibrant and alive; even when she complained
about her school or her life, it was like I was connected to the world
again.

~ i felt like howling at the moon. victorious. ~

I remember the care in which she took care of me after the fire in the
church. Changing my bandages, and picking up blood for me. The feel of her
in my arms as I chased away her worries. Her lips, her arms, her warmth,
her... strength. I had felt so free because of that strength.

~ i recognized them all. the fool had known all about them. i would use
that. ~

She had suprised me with her gift. It wasn't a quick tumble in the hay. It
had meant more than that. She had trusted me, loved me... despite knowing
who and what I was, and what I had done in the past. There was so much
blood in my past, and in the end, very little blood on the bedsheets. Her
trust had meant so much to me. For a moment, I had been so <happy>.

~ i taunted her with what i would do. it was only a matter of time until
they would all be dead at my feet. ~

All that was over now. My fears and hopes and ridiculous dreams. They had
taken it away from me and left... this in its place. This wasn't like the
last time I had died. I was still here, watching, listening, feeling....

~ i felt the fool squirm inside me. perhaps i would tell her he was there
before i killed her. ~

This was worse.






----- Forwarded Message Ends Here -----





-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Dawn" <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: discuss: The Layers Inside (oops!)
Date: 21 Jan 1998 14:15:14

I think my email program might've sent the story. I tried to cancel when
the program started to send it spontaneously but I'm not sure if it worked.
:(

Dawn
ps. Obviously, I'm gonna send it later today when it's ready.





-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Dawn" <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: The Layers Inside (final version - please discard other one)
Date: 21 Jan 1998 14:28:30

TITLE:        The Layers Inside
TYPE:         Angst. :)
SUMMARY:      Angelus/Angel in the midst of Surprise/Innocence
TIME:         Set during Surprise/Innocence
DISCLAIMER:   They all belong to Joss & Co. Not me. :(
DISTRIBUTION: The SunS page & Anya. All others please ask.

ps. Not my first fanfic, but my first realy Buffy fanfic. Any comments
would be appreciated.

************
The Layers Inside
By: Dawn Steele ([e-mail])

I never thought it would happen like this.

She looked so beautiful. Her hair was like fine silk between my fingers,
and her skin was smooth and soft. I could feel the tiny imperfections in
the skin, and the warmth of it was a lure almost impossible to resist.

~ the blood had rushed through her veins, and i could smell it. ~

All I could think of now was how foolish I'd been; how foolish we'd both
been. At least she could blame it on her youth, now barely seventeen, but
that same excuse could not be applied to me. Still my time as a human being
was scant years above hers, and half my time on this earth had been as a
malicious beast. Should I count my time since the Gypsies curse... or
rather gift? Time spent brooding on the memories trapped in this body,
years full of regret and sorrow and pain.

~ but now the world was different and i saw her eyes dim as i spoke. ~

I remember what Drusilla had been like before I turned her into the mad
demon she is now. She had been soft, a bit flightly at times, and used to
charming the young men around her fingers. In too many ways, she hadn't
changed at all. I remember going over all my memories again and again and
again for <years>, trying to figure out if the pictures I had were what
<really> happened or if the demon was only remembering its side of the
story.

~the rush of ground beneath my feet, and the presence of a familiar door.~

That was the worst part. Trying to figure out if the reason I had been so
successful as a vampire had come from personality traits within myself. And
I <had> been successful. I had loved being a vampire with <big> reputation.
Loved the acts that created that reputation with a passion. The killing and
feeding had always meant something more to me than the next meal. I . . .

~ a fall of black hair that delights me, and the glimmer in spike's eyes is
so delightful. ~

I killed four humans in the first years after the Gypsies ... curse. The
first three as both a test of my control and a punishment to myself.
Killing others to make sure that I would be dammed to Hell for my actions.
So very, very stupid. The last had been... I had tried to break up a fight
between a man and wife. By the time I ended it, his body was in pieces. She
never lived to make it to the hospital, and I couldn't forget that their
blood tasted equally as wonderful.

~ the books in the library were familiar. i knew just where to go. ~

So I brooded, and I remembered, and I avoided other vampires as much as I
could. Still, I overheard them speaking and I knew that the rumours
abounded. It only made me withdraw even more. Too afraid of the Hell I felt
I deserved to die, and too ashamed to truly live.

~ the feel of warm blood was in my mouth. i was going to take my time with
this one. ~

Buffy was not the first Slayer I had met, but she... So unlike the women
I'd grown up with, and so unlike the seemingly endless barrage of dead
women in my memories. Young, vibrant and alive; even when she complained
about her school or her life, it was like I was connected to the world
again.

~ i felt like howling at the moon. victorious. ~

I remember the care in which she took care of me after Spike joined me to
Drusilla in the church with a knife, and stole my energy to feed hers.
Buffy changing my bandages, and picking up blood for me. The feel of her in
my arms as I chased away her worries. Her lips, her arms, her warmth,
her... strength. I had felt so free because of that strength.

~ i recognized them all. the fool had known all about them. i would use
that. ~

She had suprised me with her gift. It wasn't a quick tumble in the hay. It
had meant more than that. She had trusted me, loved me... despite knowing
who and what I was, and what I had done in the past. There was so much
blood in my past, and in the end, very little blood on the bedsheets. Her
trust had meant so much to me. For a moment, I had been so <happy>.

~ i taunted her with what i would do. it was only a matter of time until
they would all be dead at my feet. ~

All that was over now. My fears and hopes and ridiculous dreams. They had
taken it away from me and left... this in its place. This wasn't like the
last time I had died. I was still here, watching, listening, feeling....

~ i felt the fool squirm inside me. perhaps i would tell her he was there
before i killed her. ~

This was worse.






----- Forwarded Message Ends Here -----





-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Eliz <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: A Talk Between Friends (1/1)
Date: 21 Jan 1998 21:16:42

Hey, loved the story!  I have always loved the scenes with Angel and Willow
together and they make very interesting friends.  You did a great job!

Eliz


=======================================================================
Eliz Palmer                            Child:"I'm tired of walking
[e-mail]                              in circles."
[e-mail]                    Therapist:"Shut up or I'll nail
www.geocities.com/Area51/Cavern/9627/    your other foot to the floor."

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Dawn <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: My Heart Will Go On [1/1] by Dawn Murrell
Date: 21 Jan 1998 17:21:55 -0800

Title: My Heart Will Go On 1/1
Author: Dawn Murrell
Distribution Statement: Anya, my site*, anyone else ask.
Spoiler Warning: Takes place right after Innocence.
Rating: PG, just to be safe.
Content Warning: Kissing, some angst, allusions to sex.
Classification: Romance, definitely.
Summary: Buffy has a dream.
Disclaimer: Buffy and Angel belong to Joss Whedon, 20th Century Fox,
Mutant Enemy, Kuzui Enterprises, you get my point. I=92m only borrowing
the characters, I=92ll give them back. Although I might confiscate Angel
because Joss is mistreating him:-). Also, "My Heart Will Go On" belongs
to Celine Dion.
Feedback: Adored!
Author=92s Notes: Okay, I=92m pulling myself out of my funk for a little
while to write this story. I can=92t stop crying whenever I watch
Innocence, and I=92ve been listening to nothing but Toni Braxton=92s
"Un-Break My Heart" all day(funny how appropriate it is now). But, since
I=92ve already written a story based on that song, I decided to use Celin=
e
Dion=92s recent hit, "My Heart Will Go On" from the AWESOME motion pictur=
e
Titanic.
*yes, you read correctly, I have a site. It=92s at
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Academy/9592/index.html

My Heart Will Go On 1/1
by Dawn Murrell

"Every night in my dreams
I see you, I feel you,
That is how I know you go on

Far across the distance
And spaces between us
You have come to show you go on

Near, far, wherever you are
I believe that the heart does go on
Once more you open the door
And you're here in my heart
And my heart will go on and on

Love can touch us one time
And last for a lifetime
And never let go till we're one

Love was when I loved you
One true time I hold to
In my life we'll always go on

Near, far, wherever you are
I believe that the heart does go on
Once more you open the door
And you're here in my heart
And my heart will go on and on

There is some love that will not go away

You're here, there's nothing I fear,
And I know that my heart will go on
We'll stay forever this way
You are safe in my heart
And my heart will go on and on"

------Celine Dion, "My Heart Will Go On"

 Buffy walked into her bedroom, relieved that she could finally let the
tears fall without having to answer to her mother. That she did, as she
walked over to her bed and sat down. She looked down at her hand, not
for the first time during this whole ordeal, and at the ring he had
given her a mere two nights ago. Funny, how what seemed like years was
only a couple of days. She twisted the ring, still with the heart facing
her, around her finger. She couldn=92t bring herself to take it off for
good, even after all of those things Angelus did to her. He had taunted
her with her feelings for Angel, toying with her emotions by saying how
awful that night had been. It had been so wonderful, the whispered
words, the soft caresses, the loving kisses, and he had to go and make
her feel awful about it. She knew in her heart that Angel hadn=92t done
those things to her, said those awful things. It had been the demon
masquerading as Angel, a demon hiding behind those beautiful eyes that
could see so easily into her soul. Angel, her Angel, was dead, gone to
everybody but her. Angel would live forever in her heart. And her
dreams=85

"Angel! I=92m so glad to see you. Are you alright?" Buffy said to Angel,
running through the rain and into his arms. He pulled her under a tree,
where she wouldn=92t get as wet.
"Yeah, I=92m good. Are you? I mean, I haven=92t been all that nice to you
the past two days." Angel said, ashamed as he remembered the words, the
terrible things he had said to her.
"Angel, you=92ve never been anything but wonderful to me. It=92s not your
fault the demon took over." The next thing she said was barely audible.
"It=92s mine." She whispered, looking down at the ground. Angel lifted he=
r
chin with his finger.
"No it=92s not, Buffy." He said comfortingly. She looked up at him, her
tear-filled eyes looking into his loving ones.
"No? I=92m the one who pushed it. You were the one who said that maybe we
shouldn=92t=85" She looked away, not wanting Angel to feel any worse than=
 he
already was by seeing her cry. Angel moved so that he was again looking
her in the eye.
"Buffy, neither one of us could have known what would happen. It=92s not
the kind of thing Giles can find in his books. And I don=92t know about
you, but I wouldn=92t trade that night for anything in the world! It was
the most incredible night of my entire life!" He said passionately.
"Really?" She replied meekly. She knew he meant it, but she had to ask.
He pulled her into his embrace and kissed her gently.
"Really." He assured her lovingly. Then he realized that he needed to
tell her. "Buffy, there=92s something I have to ask of you."
"What?" Buffy said suspiciously, not liking his tone of voice. There was
only one thing she could think of that he would ask of her in that tone.
Apparently she knew him well.
"I need you to kill the demon." That one statement made her more angry
than she had ever felt.
"No! Angel, I won=92t kill you!" Angel took her hands in his.
"Buffy, it=92s not me anymore. I=92m already dead. That demon will kill y=
ou,
all of your friends and family, and all of Sunnydale if you don=92t stop
him! I *need* you do this for me." Angel was begging her now. Buffy=92s
face softened.
"Angel, killing the demon will be killing the only chance we have of
bringing you back. You can=92t ask me to do that." She looked so tiny in
arms, so young and vulnerable. Yet he knew that underneath that facade,
she was a strong and stubborn young woman. She wouldn=92t give up on this=
,
not tonight.
"Okay, I=92ll let you go for now. But Buffy, he=92ll kill a lot of people=
,
and you might not realize it, but he=92s doing the same thing to you as h=
e
did to Drusilla. He=92s killing you on the inside, I can see it in your
eyes. Don=92t let him hurt you any further."
"I won=92t. Not as long as I have you here, even if it is only in my
dreams. And for now, you are only in my dreams, but Angel, I=92m not goin=
g
to give up on the possibility of cursing you again, or finding some
other way to restore your soul, that might, possibly, allow us to be
together." Angel knew she didn=92t mean in the same room, or even just
being able to kiss. He knew how wonderful she could be, and he would
give anything to be able to feel her in his arms again. And he liked to
imagine that she felt the same way. One look into her eyes told him it
was true. He pulled her close to him and kissed her, savoring the taste
of her. They stood there, under the tree, kissing, until Angel noticed
that Buffy was shivering.
"Maybe you should go. You=92re soaking wet, and you must be freezing
cold." He said, although his heart wasn=92t in his words. Her eyes said
that she didn=92t care, as long as she could be with him for a few more
precious moments. "Besides, you need to wake up soon. You have school in
the morning."
"Right. School. Yeah. I probably should wake up now." Buffy said,
wishing she could stay in this dream world, forever holding him in her
arms. Tears threatened to fall as she spoke. "I never want to wake up."
"I don=92t want you to, either, but you have to." Angel=92s voice broke a=
s
he talked.
"Why can=92t we just stay this way forever? What would be so bad about
that?" Buffy asked rhetorically. She knew the answer. Angel knew she
knew it. He hugged her tightly, then pulled away just enough to kiss her
deeply, the first kiss they had shared since that night.
"I love you, Angel."
"I love you too, Buffy." Buffy watched as he faded away, faded into the
rain. She felt a lone tear fall down her cheek as, once again, the same
rain that brought them together tore them apart.
                                                   *********************

 Buffy woke and realized that she had fallen asleep in her clothes. She
looked over at her clock and saw that she had only about 15 minutes to
get ready for school. She took one last glance at her ring, then got up,
not really ready to start the day, but having no choice in the matter.
She would return to him, that night, in her dreams. Meanwhile, she
would spend every waking moment trying to find a way for them to be
together in this world, the world that had so cruelly denied them their
love. Buffy was still sad, but she could go on, would go on, with the
knowledge that Angel was still very alive in her heart.
_________________________________________________________________________=
____

                                                                    The
End
You like?

Dawn Murrell



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Perri Smith)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Ill Met By Moonlight, part 15 of 19
Date: 21 Jan 1998 22:36:10 -0600 (CST)

See standard disclaimer in part 1. Comments.compliments/flames
accepted/enjoyed/ignored at [e-mail]

Ill Met By Moonlight (15/19)
By Perri Smith
Copyright 1998

Part 14

"How could she be this stupid?" Buffy stalked back and forth across the
library floor. She'd stopped yelling several minutes ago, and was down to
muttering insults occasionally interspersed with near-shrieks of incoherent
fury. She wasn't sure if she was more angry or worried and decided to
settle for angry as the simpler emotion. "How could she possibly be dumb
enough to try and take that damn werewolf on alone?"

Xander, who normally would have been the one doing the pacing, was instead
over by Willow's side, prudently staying out of the line of fire. Giles was
hunched over a stack of books, reading frantically.

Willow was reading Sasha's e-mail message for the fourteenth time, as if it
would give them some clue as to where to find the Gypsy. "I don't know,"
she said miserably. "She didn't say anything when I was in here this
afternoon. I don't know how she even figured out where the werewolf *was*!"

Buffy stopped and reversed, striding over to Willow, who shrank back a
little. Buffy felt slightly guilty, but didn't have time to deal with it.
"If *she* found this Kriston guy, so can you," she informed Willow. "Think!
What did you tell her this afternoon?"

"Just about looking in the hotels and trying to find him when he's human,
that's all we talked about! Well, that and..." Her voice trailed off and
her cheeks turned faintly pink.

"What?" Buffy demanded.

"I kinda yelled at her a little about Angel," Willow admitted in a tiny voice.

Xander blinked at her. "*You* yelled at someone? Wow, the world really is
coming to an end."

Willow's blush deepened and Buffy resisted the temptation to smack Xander,
mostly since he was too far away. "Anything else, Will, anything that could
tell us where she found him, where she went to meet him? Anything?"

Willow thought. "No, noth--" Her voice abruptly broke off, her head
shooting up. "Wait! Something got flagged from the police computers,
another body outside of town! Sasha was there when I got the police
reports!"

"Well, what did they say?" Buffy pressed.

Willow was already bringing the files up. "Um, a man found in his car, with
a broken neck, and no identification. Um, no clothes either."

"No clothes?" Giles looked up suddenly, pulled back to reality. "He had no
clothing on?"

"That's what it says," Willow confirmed.

"A name?" Giles leaned over the table, books forgotten. "What name was the
car registered in?"

"Someone named Wilson, from out of town," Buffy read over Willow's
shoulder. "Why, Giles? What's so big about a dead streaker?"

"A werewolf's clothing is destroyed in the transformation from man to
animal," Giles explained simply and grimly. "He needed to obtain another
set, preferably without blood. And I'm willing to bet a gentleman using
that name and identification checked into a hotel in Sunnydale."

Willow confirmed that a moment later, following it with, "Uh-oh, bad news."

"What now?" Buffy groaned.

"The police did the same thing Sasha did. They broke into the hotel room,
but no one was there. There's an APB out."

"So now the whole world is looking for him. Goodie." Buffy sighed in
frustration, returning to pacing. "Well, now we know how, but not *why*.
She can't think she could take him down alone, even if he *is* human. Which
he's not going to be for much longer. How could she be so stupid?"

"It runs in the family." Angel came out of the entrance from the stacks; it
was a sign of the tension in the room that not even Xander reacted to his
appearing act. "What's she done now?"

"Gone out to hold peace talks with giant-size predators," Buffy informed
him. "She sent Willow an e-mail to tell us what she'd done, but didn't
bother to tell us where they were meeting, so we can't find her and save
her butt!"

"Finding her won't be a problem," Angel answered grimly. Before Buffy could
make him clarify, he had come down the stairs to Giles, avoiding the last
of the daylight coming through the windows. "Have you found a way to break
the curse yet?"

Giles shoved his glasses up his nose. "None that I'm certain of, except the
obvious -- Sasha herself should be able to break the curse. I have no idea
why she failed."

"She failed because she did not believe she could succeed."

*This* time, everyone jumped and spun (except Xander, who got tangled up in
his chair and fell instead) towards the door of the library, where the new
voice had come from. An *really* old woman, gray-haired and bent from age,
stood in the doorway. Her brown eyes were nearly lost in a mass of
wrinkles, but they were intelligent and strong as they met Buffy's. So
strong that it took Buffy a long moment to realize the old woman wasn't
alone, but flanked by two large men, one with dark hair and eyes who looked
a lot more like Buffy thought a Gypsy should, the other a dark blond.

"Who the hell are you?" Buffy demanded, automatically putting herself
between the intruders and her friends. Behind her, she heard something low
and nasty come from Angel's throat, but couldn't spare any attention to
look back at him. The two guys with the woman did it for her, open hatred
and disgust in their eyes.

Buffy moved a little more between them. "Answer me!"

"I am Iraina Lakatos," the old woman said, with a glare at her two escorts
that had them backing off slightly. Buffy took the moment's reprieve to aim
a similar look at Angel, with only slightly less effect.  "I have come in
search of my great-granddaughter," the old woman continued, her accent
bending the words oddly. "And I believe one stands here who can help us
find her. Before it is too late for finding to do any good."

*****

Kriston had probably, going by her past track record, expected Sasha to
either freeze in terror or start screaming. His smile, as his half-human,
half-animal hands reached for her, newly-grown claws gleaming, suggested he
was ready to enjoy it when she did.

He got a rude shock when Sasha neither froze nor screamed, but brought her
hand up from her pocket and slashed at him with the silver knife she'd
hidden there. The knife flashed blindingly, almost scaring Sasha into
dropping it as a jolt of *something* ran back up the blade to her fingers.
Kriston's howl of rage and pain as blood flowed from the gash on his chest
echoed off the warehouse and he lashed out with one paw. Sasha tried to
duck, but wasn't fast enough.

She was  knocked to the ground hard enough to knock her breath out, but
kept her hold on the knife, scrambling to her knees. She couldn't get any
further up; her head was spinning, the room fading in and out around her.
Her injured leg had stopped throbbing and was now simply not there; Sasha
knew that was bad, but was grateful for it now.

"You think I'm stupid?" she spat, trying to buy a little time. "I know how
to kill a werewolf; next time I won't miss your damn heart!"

A few feet away, Kriston was doubled over, nearly on his knees as well.
"No next time, you Gypsy bitch." His voice was almost unintelligible as he
forced it through a wolf's throat and mouth, but his movements were
unthinkably fast. He lashed out at Sasha again, and the knife flew from her
hand, spinning out into the shadows.

He followed the strike with another, but Sasha scrambled backwards out of
the way, and it tore past the air by her legs. Her groping right hand,
nearly numb from the werewolf's blow, found a heavy length of something
round and cold. She grabbed the piping and brought it around with all of
her strength; it slammed into Kriston's head, and it was his turn to eat
concrete.

It should have bought her a few seconds, like the blow from the 2X4 had in
the alley, what seemed like ages before. But the wolf seemed to be getting
used to being hit in the head; before Sasha could even get back to her
feet, the werewolf was back up, and facing her, one paw slashing out again.
She ducked that one, but the other came too quickly and she couldn't turn
in time. The pipe went spinning from her hands; he heard it clatter not far
away, but couldn't look.

The wolf held all her attention.

Gray and black fur sprouted from the remains of its clothing, ripped and
torn where the body had changed and the cloth had failed to follow suit.
Its face had lost all trace of humanity; a wolf's muzzle held sharp teeth,
bared in pain and anger, and its eyes had turned yellow-gold, shining in
the dim light of the moon like twisted beacons. Those eyes locked on Sasha
-- and that was when she froze.

"Now I'm going to make it slow." Sasha could barely make out the words, but
she didn't need to; those eyes told her all she needed to know. She tried
to think, to plan, but nothing seemed possible. Nothing but dying.

Kriston seemed to know it; his canines showed in a feral smile. "I'll
listen to you beg before I rip your throat out, chov-hani."

He sneered the last word, making it an insult, and that insult burned
through Sasha's terror as no amount of threatening could have. Anger
flared, cold fire flooding her body. Pain went away, taking fear and
uncertainty with it.

'Chov-hani', he'd called her -- it was time and past she lived up to the title.

"Burn in hell, Wolfman," she said through her teeth, forcing herself to her
feet with a strength she didn't recognize, but wasn't going to refuse. "And
here's a little something to light the way."

She held up her hands and shouted aloud, and fire lit the warehouse.

*****

"How much further?" Buffy panted, running beside Angel and trying to keep
up with the brutal pace he was setting.

"Not much farther," he answered shortly, and Buffy reflected for the
thousandth time how annoying it was that he never got out of breath. "Looks
like we're heading for the docks."

"Oh, good, a nice, safe, out-of-the-way place for a fight to the death,"
Buffy mumbled sarcastically. "Good thinking, Sasha."

"It has yet to be proved that she *was* thinking," Gregor Lakatos -- the
tall blond Gypsy -- pointed out, keeping pace with the other two easily.
"My baby cuz isn't exactly at her best anywhere but on a horse and behind a
stack of legal tomes."

"Then maybe you should keep a better eye on your 'baby cuz'," Angel told
him without looking at him. "And all of us could avoid stupid situations
like this."

"Watch it, Angelus," Greg warned dangerously, his hand hovering near his
jacket pocket, "or I'll give you an entirely different stupid situation to
worry about, involving me and a stake."

"Looks like dumb isn't the only hereditary thing," Buffy grumbled. "Can you
two try not to kill each other until we find Sasha and the wolf, if that
wouldn't be too much trouble?"

The two men glared at each other, but fell silent, giving Buffy a chance to
catch her breath again and silently swear to get even with whatever deity,
good, bad or otherwise, had come up with the damn Gypsy/vampire death feud.
Sasha's grandmother had stayed behind with the Slayerettes and the other
Gypsy to get what they needed to break the curse, but Greg had refused to
be left behind, and he and Angel hadn't stopped growling threats at each
other since.

But the fighting didn't interfere with their speed, at least, and Angel
seemed to know exactly where he was going. Looked like Sasha's vampire
homing signal worked both ways. They broke out of the streets on to the
docks, and Buffy slowed. "Where, Angel?" she demanded, breathing heavily.

Angel stopped and looked around, his eyes intent. "Over there," he finally
gestured. "The warehouse."

"Which warehouse?" Buffy demanded. A second later, fire erupted through the
roof of one of the old buildings, sending a wave of heat they could feel
even from 100 yards away. "Oh. That warehouse."

"Sasha's in there! Move!" Greg shoved his way past them at a dead run and
they followed close on his heels.

Perri <[e-mail]>      I *am* the Buffy Evangalist!
NatPacker-*-Horsechick-*-Pezhead-*-Cohenhead-*-DDEB2-*-AGA-*-SunS-*-CoJ
"You borrow my neurons WITHOUT asking, mind you, and then you get them all
gooky with Dru-stuff.  See if I let you borrow anything of mine again."
-- Lizbet



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Perri Smith)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Ill Met By Moonlight, PArt 16 of 19
Date: 21 Jan 1998 22:36:32 -0600 (CST)

See standard disclaimer in part 1. Comments.compliments/flames
accepted/enjoyed/ignored at [e-mail]

Ill Met By Moonlight (16/19)
By Perri Smith
Copyright 1998

Part 15

Kriston stumbled back from the flames surrounding Sasha's body with a
curse, falling to his knees with an anguished howl. Sasha pressed forward,
her corona of flames burning higher and brighter as she channeled a month's
worth of fear and guilt into them. All around her, crates and boxes burst
into flame, but she barely noticed. Kriston twisted and screamed, and
finally rose again -- on four feet instead of two.

The wolf's fangs dripped as it snarled at her, singed and blacked fur
covering its face. She pushed even closer, holding out her arms, her palms
spread wide. "Not so easy to go after me now, is it?" she asked with
saccharine sweet rage. "Not so easy to kill someone who can fight back? Not
so big and brave now -- now I know what *you're* afraid of!" The flames
flared still higher, still hotter and she gave herself one short moment to
savor the power, the heady sensation of not being afraid.

But it was a moment too long.

Taunted beyond whatever thought it had left, the werewolf suddenly sprang
forward. Heedless of the flames that set fire to its fur and charred its
skin, it hit Sasha with its full weight. Caught totally off-guard, she fell
backwards to the floor.  Her head cracked against the pavement, almost
drowning out the pain of ribs that gave under the wolf's weight on her
chest.

The flames flickered and died. As the spots faded from her eyes, Sasha
struggled for breath and looked up -- and found the wolf's mouth a few
inches from her face, its eyes gleaming a mad gold as it waited for her to
be aware. To understand that it was about to kill her.

But she wasn't going down that easily. She struggled, slamming her fists
into the wolf's ribs; he didn't seem to notice, except that his mad doggy
grin widened. His mouth opened, his fangs descending towards her neck --

-- and she doubled up her legs and kicked with all her strength, planting
her feet firmly in its unprotected belly once, then twice. She heard ribs
crack -- not her own, this time -- as its breath rushed out in a stench of
blood and filth and it collapsed on her. With the strength of panic, she
wriggled out from underneath, but couldn't find her balance, or her knife.
The pipe lay several feet away; she lunged for it in desperation and her
fingertips brushed the cold metal.

Then claws sank into her leg and she screamed, rolling over and hitting out
blindly. Her leg came free, but the massive paws came down on her arms, the
weight of the wolf's body once more on her chest. She couldn't move,
couldn't breathe, couldn't even scream again. The world started going dark,
and she had a moment to be grateful that she wouldn't be conscious when she
died.

******

Angel somehow passed Greg on the way to the warehouse; he was the first to
smash his way through the side door, Buffy only a few steps behind. The
warehouse was full of smoke, fire spreading from the middle of the huge
main room. Silhouetted in front of the flames was the form of a huge wolf,
crouched over a human body lying all too still.

"Sasha!" Greg screamed from behind Buffy. She looked frantically for a
weapon, but Angel moved faster. In an eyeblink, with speed no mortal could
match, he was across the warehouse, tackling the wolf and using the weight
of his own body to force it off of Sasha. They fell to the floor beyond
her,  in a  snarling, vicious heap.

"Angel!" It was Buffy's turn to scream. A length of pipe lay a few feet
from Sasha's body; she ran forward to snatch it up, and positioned herself
as close to Angel as she dared, waiting for a chance to strike.

It wasn't coming. Both vampire and werewolf moved too quickly, wrestling
around on the floor, perilously close to the flames that would kill Angel
even faster than the werewolf. Angel somehow kept the wolf's teeth away
from his throat, and the wolf used its claws instead, trying to rake them
down Angel's sides and legs. Angel held on grimly, and somehow rolled again
so that the werewolf was on top.

The second he did, Buffy hauled off with the pipe and landed a home run in
the werewolf's rib cage, right on the ugly, still-bleeding gash over his
heart.

Knocked to the side, the wolf raised its head in a howl of anguished rage,
which gave Buffy the perfect target for her next swing. At the same time,
Angel kicked it in the ribs again and again, and finally got loose,
scrambling unsteadily to his feet. His game face was on, his eyes hard and
terrifying, as he grabbed a hunk of burning timber from the pile closest to
him.

The wolf managed to stand as well, head held low and body huddled around
its injuries. But its face, when it lifted its head, was still ugly,
promising revenge for its pain. It wasn't going to run this time, and Buffy
braced herself, sensing Angel leaning forward as if looking forward to the
fight.

The wolf lunged, not for Angel but for Buffy, teeth bared to catch her
throat, much faster than she'd expected. Angel shouted and shoved her out
of the way; she twisted with the push and got off another awkward swing
with the pipe, which glanced off one of the wolf's hind legs. It landed
awkwardly and turned immediately to try again. Angel faced it, knees bent
and arms outstretched, daring the wolf to take its best shot. The wolf
snarled back and gathered itself again, more than ready to try.

As it leapt for Angel, Sasha and Buffy shouted together and a silver blur
cut through the air in front of Buffy, terminating in the wolf's throat. It
gagged and fell forward, landing in an awkward heap, and Greg moved closer,
another knife ready in his hand.

Buffy looked up at him, more than a little shocked. "Circus act?"

Greg shook his head and grinned without looking away from the wolf, which
was hacking and choking around the knife in its throat. "I've seen 'The
Magnificent Seven' 43 times. It was throwing knives or a six-shooter, and a
Gypsy carrying a gun just looks *bad*."

Buffy grimaced. "You should trying hauling around stakes.... Look out!" It
was her turn to shove Greg out of the way as Angel shouted a warning, and
the wolf somehow found strength enough to lunge for them again. But it
didn't try to attack this time; it just wanted out.

It ran for the closest door, and Buffy yelled, "Don't let it get loose!"

"No kidding!" Greg shouted back. Angel somehow beat the stumbling wolf to
the door and batted it back with his improvised club. The wolf barely
seemed to notice the blow, or the fact that its fur was on fire in three or
four places now. It turned wildly, looking for another way out, but Buffy
came at it from one side, brandishing her pipe; Greg came from the other,
silver knife still in a throwing grip, gleaming dully even through the haze
of smoke.

The wolf backed away from them all, growling low in its throat. Its eyes
were hunted now, and as its glare focused on Greg, Buffy suddenly
remembered all of those warnings about trapped animals. "Watch it!"

Her warning was a second too late. Greg stumbled back, knife raised in what
suddenly seemed a pitiful defense against 200 pounds of desperate predator,
as the wolf went for his throat --

-- and bounced back as if it had suddenly hit a brick wall, as Sasha's
voice shouted a stream of liquid, unintelligible words across the
warehouse. The wolf scrabbled in place on the floor, as if trying to claw
through walls that weren't there. At least, Buffy couldn't see them.

"Don't worry." Buffy turned slowly to stare at Sasha, who was teetering
unsteadily near the pile of burning crates that had apparently started the
mess. Even through the eye-tearing smoke, Sasha looked like hell, her jeans
clawed to ribbons and her face pale as death. But that same face was also
calm and very certain.

Wordlessly, Greg crossed the warehouse to offer Sasha a shoulder to lean
on, and she accepted it with obvious gratitude.  "He's warded now," the
chov-hani continued, reaching up with one bloody hand to shove tangled
blonde hair out of her eyes. "Shields that he can't break through. They'll
hold him until we're finished with him."

Oh." Buffy looked back at the werewolf, who certainly didn't *look* like he
going anywhere, clawing and biting frantically at invisible bars. "Cool. I
don't suppose you can do anything about the fire, before the Sunnydale Fire
Department shows up? They'll get kind of suspicious if they find me in the
middle of *another* burning building."

Sasha raised an eyebrow, somehow managing to look amused even when the hell
had been kicked out of her. "You do this often?" Without waiting for an
answer, she lifted one hand and said something as unintelligible as before,
but more familiar; Buffy recognized the words that had stopped the fire on
Sasha's hands the night before.. Instantly, the flames flickered and
lowered, before dying away altogether.

In the sudden silence, vampire, Slayer and Gypsies blinked at each other,
not sure what to say or do next.  Then Sasha suddenly focused, looking up
at Greg as if seeing him for the first time. "Greg? What the hell are you
doing here? I thought you were in jail?"

Greg grinned again; it seemed to be his permanent expression. "I got out.
Just in time, too; I can't leave you alone for five minutes."

"Bite me, cuz," she responded without heat, as the door to the warehouse
flew open and Slayerettes and Gypsies spilled through. "Grandmother? Van?
What in all holy hells are you doing here? I told you *I'd* take care of
this!"

"Well, you're sure doing a helluva job, Cuz!" the dark man whose name Buffy
had never bother to get shouted back. "If Grandmother hadn't been able to
track you....!"

"Looks like it's explanation time," Buffy sighed, as Giles rushed forward
burbling about breaking curses, Xander and Willow rushed forward to make
sure Buffy was all right, and Sasha and her cousins started hollering at
each other in yet another foreign language. "Gee, I love this part."

Angel put his hands on her shoulders from behind and she leaned back
against him. "Could be worse," he said quietly, just before the onslaught
hit. "At least we've still got the Rom outnumbered."

Buffy shoved her elbow into his ribs.


Perri <[e-mail]>      I *am* the Buffy Evangalist!
NatPacker-*-Horsechick-*-Pezhead-*-Cohenhead-*-DDEB2-*-AGA-*-SunS-*-CoJ
"You borrow my neurons WITHOUT asking, mind you, and then you get them all
gooky with Dru-stuff.  See if I let you borrow anything of mine again."
-- Lizbet



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Perri Smith)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Ill Met By Moonlight, Part 17 of 19
Date: 21 Jan 1998 22:36:52 -0600 (CST)

See standard disclaimer in part 1. Comments.compliments/flames
accepted/enjoyed/ignored at [e-mail]

Ill Met By Moonlight (17/19)
By Perri Smith
Copyright 1998


Part 16

".... it seemed like a good idea at the time," Sasha finished helplessly,
spreading her hands. Giles 'tutted' at her for moving and she pulled them
back into his reach so he could finish inspecting the various cuts and
bruises she'd accumulated this time. "I didn't want anyone else to get
hurt," she continued, looking guiltily at Xander, "and I thought Kriston's
sense of self-preservation might kick in if I pointed out exactly what he
was up against."

"And when it didn't?" Buffy demanded, leaning forward on the crate she'd
commandeered for a seat. "Did you have a plan for getting away?"

"Yes," Sash shot back. "You. I expected the cavalry to jump him from behind
while I was distracting him from the front, which it did, but I had
expected it sometime *before* moonrise. What the hell took you so long to
get that damn e-mail, anyway?"

"Ever heard of paper?"

"And let Giles find it and have all of you show up too early, which would
have totally defeated the purpose of coming alone? I don't *think* so!"

"Yeah, why start thinking now?" Sasha turned to glare at Greg, who returned
an identical glare that Van echoed. Giles, perhaps sensing imminent
bloodshed, stood, putting himself between the three.

"You appear to be in rather better shape than I'd expected," he told her,
"but I would recommend a trip to the emergency room as soon as possible.
I'm not precisely equipped to deal with cracked ribs, and you have
several."

Sasha winced and touched her left side. "Tell me something I *don't* know.
Did you know you can hear your own bones breaking?"

Xander got in with the two male Gypsies on the shared expressions of
disgust this time. "No, but thank you for sharing," he grimaced.

"You're welcome," Sasha smiled sweetly, deranged sense of humor apparently
not at all affected by broken bones.

Buffy rolled her eyes at them collectively.  "Before anyone goes anywhere,
we have this little matter of a werewolf to deal with?" she reminded
everyone, gesturing at the wolf. It was crouching several feet away from
where everyone had gathered, staring at them with steady, hate-filled eyes.
Buffy shuddered and looked away.

"Oh, right." Sasha followed her eyes and made a face. "That. Giles, did I
hear you babbling something about a way to break the curse before, or was
that just a pain-induced hallucination?"

Giles looked as if he didn't quite know how to answer that; Sasha's
grandmother, who had been staying quietly out to the edge of the
conversation until now, answered for him. "We have," she answered simply.

Everyone else waited. "Aaand?" Buffy finally prompted. She was getting
*really* tired of having to yank information out of people.

The old woman shrugged with one shoulder, as if the answer should be
obvious. "Sasha must negate the curse she laid. Then all will return to
normal."

"Oh, yeah, that's helpful," Sasha groaned, closing her eyes. "Details,
Grandmother, details. No more spellcasting without *full* disclosure, damn
it! And didn't we try this 'nullfying' thing before? Like, three times?"

Iraina Lakatos sat on her overturned crate like a queen on her throne, chin
high and eyes calm. "You tried, yes, but did not believe. Now, you believe.
So all will be well."

Buffy looked at the old woman, then back at Sasha. "Does she always talk
like a fortune cookie?"

"Yes," the Lakatos cousins answered in unison. Their grandmother gave them
a disdainful look, but said nothing.

Buffy shook her head, bemused. "I'm starting to see how you got into all of
this trouble to begin with. It really *is* hereditary."

Sasha snorted, then winced when it hurt her ribs. "You should see what we
get into at the family reunions...."

"Been there, done that," Angel said under his breath, earning himself the
united attention of the entire Lakatos clan.

"What's *he* doing here, anyway?" Van asked irritably, fingering something
under his jacket that looked suspiciously like a stake.

"He's helping," Sasha snapped before Buffy had the chance, earning her
shocked looks from the Slayerettes. Angel's face was unreadable. "And he
saved my butt, so just chill!"

But he's..." Van protested.

Sasha cut him off. "I know who he is... Who he *was*. But curses...
sometimes don't work out like we plan, okay?" She said the last with a
pointed look towards her grandmother, who pursed her lips, then nodded
acknowledgment of the point.

Van aimed another dark look at Angel, but sat back. Greg looked still
looked hostile, but also interested, and his smile hadn't budged. He
imitated Van, sitting back to wait.

Sasha nodded in satisfaction and returned her attention to her grandmother
and Giles. "So, we're in Peter Pan land now, huh? If I believe, I can fly?
Do I have to think happy thoughts, too?"

For all the sarcasm in Sasha's voice, it trembled slightly, and Buffy
realized the older girl was scared to death. Giles apparently did, too,
since Buffy saw him bite back at least three cutting responses.

"No, I don't believe happy thoughts are required," he finally said with
forced patience. "But certainly belief is. All the magical ability in the
world will do you very little good if you don't believe in your ability to
use it. Magic is fussy that way."

"Wait a minute," Buffy jumped into the conversation. "If she couldn't break
the curse because she didn't believe, how come she could cast it in the
first place?"

"Well, ah... Excellent question," Giles admitted. "Sasha? Mrs....
er...ah..." He fumbled for somethign to call Sasha's grandmother.

"Rani Lakatos will do," she inclined her head and Giles looked relieved.

Sasha just looked guilty, carefully looking anywhere but at her
grandmother. "Well, I was... kind of really trying to prove it wasn't real.
I guess I might have... tried a little too hard. Kinda put my heart into it
and all that."

Rani Lakatos shook her head. "You should have had more faith in me, Sasha."

Sasha looked at her incredulously. "Oh, and this mess is supposed to make
me happy and trusting of magic? Yeah, right."

"I did not intend for this," Her grandmother snapped, losing her cool for
the first time. The resemblance between her and her great-grandchildren was
suddenly very marked. "I *never* intended this!"

"Then why did it happen?" Sasha snapped back. "Why did you let me turn a
werewolf loose?"

"It doesn't matter who intended what," Greg intervened before their
grandmother could answer. "Let's get it fixed and worry about blame later."

"Quite." Giles rushed to keep the conversation on track. "From what your
grandmother has told me, Sasha, we have come up with a ritual which
*should* work to reverse the binding. But it will have to be you who casts
it, I'm afraid."

Sasha nodded once, her lips tight, and stood with help from her cousins.
They hovered near her as she asked, "What do I do?"

*****

The warehouse was dark as night, lit only by the faint flicker of candles,
set in a pentagram around a snarling, fighting figure the struggled against
thin air. Three Gypsies watched, arranged in a circle around the chov-hani,
their hands clapping a pattern that matched Sasha's words, echoing off the
walls of the warehouse. Sasha's voice rose, quickened, and she shouted out
the last words of the spell in triumph.

And nothing happened.

"Damn it!" Sasha yelled. The candles they had lit in a pentacle around the
wolf had flickered only in the breeze from the open doors; there had been
nothing like the rush of power, of wind and fire she'd felt the night she'd
cast the curse. And if she'd needed further proof that it hadn't worked,
there was the werewolf, still crouched in the middle of the pentacle,
watching her with an expression that combined hatred and smug amusement at
her expense.

"Bite me," she muttered in the wolf's general direction, before spinning on
Giles and her grandmother. "Okay, so what the hell went wrong? I did the
ritual, god knows I believed it would work, so why didn't it work?"

Giles stammered and shoved his glasses up and even her grandmother looked
disturbed. Everyone else looked varying degrees of resigned and confused.

They'd cleared out the center of the warehouse around the wolf, giving
Sasha room to work and the others room to stay out of her way. Willow and
Xander were well out range near the door, Xander standing protectively in
front of Willow. Buffy and Angelus stood equally protectively in front of
him; Xander's face seemed torn between gratitude and resentment.

As far away from both the wolf and the vampire as they could get, Van and
Greg formed an honor guard around their grandmother. Everyone had learned
to be leery of werewolves and Romani magic; they were keeping their
distance.

"Maybe you can't break it," Xander suggested tentatively, after a long
moment of tense silence. "Maybe we'll have to... um...."

*Kill it. Kill him.* They all heard the unspoken part of his sentence;
Sasha looked at him, then away, not wanting to accept it. There had to be a
way... Kriston was a lunatic, but she couldn't kill him. She couldn't put
more blood on her hands....

A hand touched her shoulder; Giles looked at her sympathetically. "It...may
be the only way, Sasha. He cannot be allowed to wander free, and you cannot
ward him forever.".

"There *has* to be something else," Sasha said, almost pleading. "Something
we missed, something that went wrong. Please, we can't give up yet!"

Giles sighed, taking off his glasses to polish them. "I'm afraid I've
rather run out of ideas."

"You really ought to think about how to get out of curses before you start
tossing them around," Angelus commented sarcastically. "How the hell has
your clan survived this long?"

Van, Greg and Iraina Lakatos turned on Angelus in unison. "By disposing of
trouble when we find it," Van gritted from between clenched teeth. "Maybe
we should just forget about curses and get rid of *you*!"

"That's been tried," Angelus smiled, meeting the Rom's joined hostility
without flinching, his face hard. Buffy looked between him and the Rom,
then her face also tightened and she slipped into fighting stance,
obviously prepared to defend him. Behind her, Xander looked spooked, but
also braced himself for a fight. The warehouse suddenly looked like the
last fight scene in West Side Story.

Sasha watched it all with one detached part of her mind; the rest was busy
twisting over what Angelus had just said, putting logic together with
instinct together with belief... and the puzzle locked into place in her
mind.

"Stop it!" Sasha's voice cut through the tense air like a knife. The
combatants, having totally forgotten all about little things like a
werewolf and a witch in their bone-deep urge to kill each other, jumped and
faced her. She didn't even roll her eyes at them, thinking fast and
frantically. "I know what went wrong; I know why it didn't work. And I know
how to fix it."

She turned to her grandmother and Giles. "When we cast the curse that first
night, it was with the whole clan there, watching and helping. Could that
be why this didn't work? I didn't have the kind of... support to draw from
that I had when I laid the curse, so I wasn't strong enough to break the
curse." She ran back over the convoluted sentence in her mind, decided that
no, it didn't make sense but no, she didn't care.

Giles and her grandmother apparently didn't care either; Giles had the
abstracted expression that suggested he was researching in his mind, and
her grandmother nodded thoughtfully. "I could be true," she said finally.
"But we do not have the clan to draw on now, and no time to bring them
here, and neither of your cousins has the power to draw from...."

"Yeah, I know," Sasha nodded, leaning forward in her intensity. "But there
might be another option.

Giles and Iraina followed her look... to Angelus and Buffy, watching them
suspiciously. Their suspicion deepened as they became the focus of the
three looks, but Giles nodded slowly, revelation dawning on his face. "Of
course," he breathed. "Natural opposites, the power flow.... But Sasha --
can you control it?"

Sasha shrugged. "I apparently channeled an entire clan; hopefully, I can
handle these two. With a little help."

Angelus suddenly got it. "Oh, no," he said firmly, backing up. "No *way* am
I going to get involved in another Gypsy curse. Find some other idiot!"

Sasha smiled sweetly at him. "Sorry, Angelus, you're the only qualified
idiot around."

"No. Way." His voice held absolutely no room for argument.

Van started to say something; Sasha cut him off with a look that surprised
even her and he subsided, looking startled and oddly respectful. Sasha took
a deep breath, and willed her voice to stay under control as she walked
over to Angelus.

The closer she got, the more her instincts hammered at her to run or fight,
to do *anything* against the vampire. She shoved them back; this was too
important. "Angelu-- *Angel*. I can't make you - either of you," she
amended with a glance at Buffy "-- do this. I can't order you into the
circle, and I understand every reason you don't want to go. But I'm asking
you."

She met his eyes and held them. "Please, Angel. I made a mistake, and I'm
*asking* you... Help me fix it."

He met her eyes evenly, if unwillingly, his jaw so tight she could see a
muscle jump along it. Sasha held her breath, praying for a trust that went
against everything both of them knew. But, finally, he closed his eyes and
nodded once. "All right."

Buffy, who had watched the confrontation silently, echoed the nod, taking
Angel's hand. "I'm in, too. What do we have to do?"

Perri <[e-mail]>      I *am* the Buffy Evangalist!
NatPacker-*-Horsechick-*-Pezhead-*-Cohenhead-*-DDEB2-*-AGA-*-SunS-*-CoJ
"You borrow my neurons WITHOUT asking, mind you, and then you get them all
gooky with Dru-stuff.  See if I let you borrow anything of mine again."
-- Lizbet



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Ingrid E Stanton)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: "This Fleeting Hope" (1/1)
Date: 21 Jan 1998 23:53:01 EST

"This Fleeting Hope"
by Ingrid

I have to say it again: Ack! "Surprise" depressed me a whole
lot, and I'm not talking solely about the Angel thing. The whole
thing (even monday) seemed very fatalistic. Don't get me wrong-
It was well done, but I'm glad these kind of episodes are kept to
a minimum. I couldn't watch if they weren't. This is just a little
vignette I wrote a long, long time ago dealing with BuffyÆs hopes
for Angel.  It contains mostly angst and a little romance.  I place
this story just before "Ted," so it's pretty moldy. Just thought it
might get some spirits up.

DISCLAIMER: The characters of Buffy Summers, Angel, Rupert
Giles, & company are the property of Joss Whedon, Mutant
Enemy, and The Warner Brothers Network, and are used
without permission. The author claims no rights to these
characters.

***
"The natural flights of the human mind are not from pleasure to
pleasure, but from hope to hope."
Samuel Johnson , The Rambler

***
Buffy Summers walked down the street towards her house
completely absorbed in her own thoughts. She didnÆt notice
the beautiful red streaks across the sky as the sun blazed in its
 final glory before sinking below the horizon.

Just as an idea was about to take shape in her mind, she
almost ran straight into someone wearing black.

Angel.

"I thought weÆd moved past the stage in our relationship where
we need to mysteriously smack into each other in the middle
of the sidewalk."

He only smiled back at her, and she couldnÆt help the corners of
 her mouth from turning up in response. But she was concerned,
too. Angel didnÆt seem to know how to rest.

"What are you doing out of bed? You need time to recover from
that ritual. I thought we agreed on a week." After what Spike and
Drusilla had put him through, a month wouldnÆt be time enough,
but she felt lucky when Angel had agreed on a week. Now he was
out here, probably hunting vampires just looking to get into trouble.

"Buffy, I had to tell you-."

"That somethingÆs up? DonÆt worry. I know Spike and Dru are still
alive. Giles read about it in one of his books. WeÆre doing
advanced crossbow work tomorrow. Hey, listen- Can you do me
a favor? Please come with good news next time- or better yet, no
news. I like no news. Now come on." She pulled at his arm.

"Where are we going?"

"IÆm taking you home, and I wonÆt take no for an answer." They
walked slowly there, Buffy leading, and Angel trailing behind her,
finally getting to his place as darkness took hold of the sky. Buffy
walked in and looked around.

"Geez, no wonder you canÆt sleep! ItÆs so cold in here!" She
shivered.

He closed the door. "Are you cold?" He crossed the room towards
her.

"ArenÆt you?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Maybe just a little," he replied wryly, taking her into his arms.

She drew her own arms up around his neck. "Oh. I forgot. You donÆt
get cold."

He smiled.

She watched his features light up in that instant, and couldnÆt seem
to get over that angelic face. There was something sunny and
captivating about his smile; some hidden hope showing through
that gloomy  mask he continuously put on for the world.

Hope for what exactly?

A life beyond blood and demons and not being able to see himself
in the mirror? A day when he might again see the sun? She felt pain
 for him, and tried to smile.

Poor Angel.

She touched his face.

He closed his eyes as her gentle hand passed over his cheek.

Again.

His eyes were closed, but he still wore that little smile, affected
by her touch. He leaned into the slight pressure of her fingers like
a cat leans in to be petted. How dark had his years been to make
this such a heavenly encounter?

The only sun that remained for him he found in her blonde hair.
Every hope rested in the love they shared. It would be so easy to
hurt him, but she vowed she never would.

There was still hope-

Somehow-

She looked at him again. He looked back at her questioningly.

Somehow he was-

Innocent. Young. Childlike almostà

She stood on her toes and pressed her lips to his. They were soft.
Warm. She felt him rest his arms around her waist.

Buffy relaxed in his arms. Kissing him felt good, but something
elseà

It felt right.

He was tender and completely gentleà

like an angel.

She ran her fingers through the hair at the back of his neck.
Eventually, Angel pulled away, still watching her mysteriously, as
if he could see her from behind himself. She never knew what to
make of his expressions. Cryptic-guy was right.

"Are you okay, Angel?" She touched his face.

"IÆll be fine. DonÆt worry about me."

"Impossibility." She smiled.

He smiled back timidly. She kissed him shortly, and ever so gently,
and began to step away into the darkness of the night. Then she
turned around.

"No going out tonight, okay? You promise?"

He held up his right hand in mock earnestness. She smiled again.
 "Goodnight, Angel"

"Goodnight, Buffy."

***
I know this is silly, but I haven't had time to write anything new!
Send comments, compliments, AND flames (if you must) to
[e-mail].



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Isis212 <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Final Farewell  (1/1)
Date: 22 Jan 1998 14:19:10 EST

Hey everybody!

I have pulled myself from the hell (read: flu) I've been living in for the
past week
to send this out.  I wrote this way before the cryfest we so fondly call S/I.
But
as I was rewatching the tape today (tears are still a-flowin') I figured maybe
my
little story could relate.  If you want it to.  It's set in the future so
maybe it
doesn't relate but, hey, who cares.  It's sad, it's short.  Be warned.


TITLE:  Final Farewell
AUTHOR:  Aramat!
EMAIL:  [e-mail]
DIST:  Ask and you shall recieve.
SUMMARY:  Buffy decides it's time to move on.
RATING:  G
FEEDBACK:  Flood my mailbox with it.  I beg you.
DISC:  I don't own Buffy or her friends.  Joss Whedon and the WB do.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Final Farewell

Buffy stared at the calendar, tears forming in her eyes as she focused
on the big red X marking another day.  She'd started the ritual the night
Angel had left.  A year later she was still doing it.  Only this time, it was
different.  This time was the last.  The final mark on the calendar also
marked her final goodbye.  After a year of hoping, wishing, and praying.
A year of sadness, anger, and lonliness.  A year without the man she
loved.  She was finally letting him go.

It was, by far, the hardest thing she'd ever done.  She'd spent the last three
years in love with Angel.  She knew there would never be another for her.
She knew she would never love anyone as much as she loved him.  A large
part of her heart was his and she, quite honestly, wanted him to keep it.
He was her soulmate.  He just wasn't her destiny.  It had taken a year,
but she'd finally accepted it.

She'd thought long and hard about her decision.  She'd lost a huge part
of herself when he'd left.  It had taken so long for her to get used to what
little she had left.  But when she had, she'd realized that the little part of
her soul, that small corner of her heart that remained, needed to be loved.
She needed to be cared for.  She needed to move on.  It wasn't going to be
easy, but she needed to do it.  For her.  Because if she didn't she was
going to waste away until one day she'd feel nothing.  Not happiness, not
sadness, not anger, not love.  And if she couldn't feel she couldn't live.
She needed to live, if only to fulfill Angel's request.

But it was more than that.  The past year she'd felt dead.  She hadn't liked
it.  She wanted to wake up every morning and not cry.  She wanted to hang
out with Willow and Xander and actually have fun, not just go through the
motions.  She wanted to be her old self again.  She wanted to live.

One last time, she looked at her calendar, tracing her fingers lightly over
the last X she'd marked.  She let the tears flow as she took the calendar
down, holding it against her as she wept.  When her tears subsided she
stood up and walked over to the trash can.  Dropping it in, she gave the
symbol of her pain, sadness, and lonliness one last look.

"Goodbye," she whispered softly, wiping tears from her eyes.

And then she walked away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Get well wishes will be greatly appreciated.  And somebody please tell me
stop the madness.  Watching that S/I over and over is only going to make
me cry.  And crying is not going to help my cold.  Depression does not a well
person make.  Okay, I'm leaving now before I affect you all.

Aramat! -who says excuse the rambling.  My cold medication just kicked in.

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Thornnwlf <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC:"Night of the Wolf, 3/?"
Date: 22 Jan 1998 18:10:19 EST

Before y'all look at me and say, "Plagarist!" I'd changed my name and
resubscribed to the list. I was [e-mail]...This name came from the
story I'm writing for y'all now.
I've finally gotten around to getting back to my story of the Slayer and her
buddies after a *huge* inspiration hit from "Surpise" and "Innocence". WOW!!
Majorly awesome eps! They've been in my head since Monday.
But without further adieu, the continuation of "Night of the Wolf"

Achtung!- The only characters that belong to me are Gabby Angel and Todd
Malone. Everyone else belongs to Joss Whedon, his company, and his brilliant
brain!

Setting: few days after the "Halloween" episode

  Buffy, Xander, and Willow walked into the library after Giles. They'd found
him at home and told him what was going on. Buffy looked especially worried,
and they all knew it was because of Angel.
  She was thinking of Angel while sitting on one of the tables, her feet
absently kicking back and forth. She knew he'd be okay, but a small voice kept
saying he might not be. Buffy didn't know the guy with the zombies, but he was
obviously someone dangerous. And Gabby? Buffy barely knew the girl, and the
fact that she and Angel had some connection from the past bothered her. What
was Gabby? How did she know Angel?
  Buffy's musings were interrupted by Giles bringing out a big leather-bound
book, marked with a large red tooling of a wolf on its cover. Upon closer
inspection, the wolf's image seemed to be entangled with thorny vines. Giles
pushed his glasses up and laid the book on the table next to Buffy.
  "What's that?" Willow asked, coming forward for a look at the tome.
  "A book I was given years ago, a very rare book." Giles replied. He sniffed
a bit and opened the book. "It's a prophecy and a journal about a person named
the Protector."
  "That guy with the zombies had called Gabby 'The Protector' before we ran
off," Xander put in. "Any connections?"
  Giles nodded. He flipped a few pages into the book to reveal what looked
like a family tree. "If what you've told me is correct, this is your friend
right here." Giles pointed to one name, Gabrielle Angel, born 1860. There were
no other names after hers.
  "Whoa, wait a sec here. This can't be her." Xander commented, crossing his
arms over his chest. "Gabby's our age, she can't possibly have been born over
a century ago."
  "Maybe her family named her after this woman in the book." Willow guessed.
She turned to Giles. "But you said this book was rare."
  Giles nodded again. "This is the only copy."
  The three teens stood in silence. Buffy finally broke it with a question.
  "So who is the Protector?"
  "The Protector is the sworn guardian of the Slayer. He or she is born the
Protector and says as such until death." Giles started. "They are a bloodline
of werewolves who were saved centuries ago by a Slayer. They pledged their
children would protect the Slayers and their descendants till the Slayer faced
no threat."
  "So Gabby's a...werewolf?" Willow said more than asked. She shuddered a bit
and Giles continued.
  "The last Protector was named Gabrielle Angel. She was only seventeen when
the burden fell to her." He flipped through the book some more, nudging his
glasses back up his nose. "All it says in here is that she failed."
  Buffy swallowed an eerie feeling. Failed. "So that means..."
  "Yes." Giles replied. "She'd let a Slayer get killed. Two, actually."
  The teenagers looked at each other. "Spike," was all Xander said. They
looked back to Giles.
  "Yes, and as the prophecy went, the Protector was not allowed to pass on the
burden to another Protector if he or she had failed. So that would explain why
your friend is here now." Giles closed the book and looked at Buffy.
  "It would explain how Gabby and Angel know each other." Willow said quietly.
"They must have fought a few times in the past."



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Jim Heverling" <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Silent Night -all
Date: 22 Jan 1998 20:22:47 -0500

Title: Silent Night

Summary: A mysterious guy is after Buffy and Angel=20
won't stop until he finds him. (this is my first completed fanfic so if y=
ou
don't like it i understand)

Note: this story is kind of short

Disclaimer: Buffy, Xander, Willow, Giles, and Angel  belong to Joss Whedo=
n
and not to me.

rating: G

              SILENT NIGHT...

Buffy walked into her house, dropped her things on the table, and ran up =
to
her room. She picked up her phone and dialed Angel's number.=20
"Hello?", Angel's voice picked up.
"How did I know you'd be home?", Buffy asked.=20
"Very funny. So what do you want?"
"Meet me here at sunset", she requested.
"OK. Any reason why?", Angel asked.
"No. Just be here."
Buffy hung up.

        "Now what should I wear?", she thought.
Buffy rummaged through her closet frustrated. By the time she was done, s=
he
had only an hour to kill. Buffy sat on the couch and channel surfed until
her thumb hurt. All of a sudden, someone rang the doorbell. Buffy glanced
at her watch.
"Right on time", she said quietly.
    =20
         She fixed her hair as she walked to the door. When she opened th=
e
door she said, "Hi=85".
No one was there.
Just before she closed the door someone grabbed her by the back of the
throat and dragged her into the kitchen. He threw her over his head onto
the island in the middle of the kitchen, knocking over a basket of fruit.
She was knocked unconscious.=20

          As he searched the drawers for a knife, Angel walked in puzzled
to see Buffy lying on the counter. He saw the mysterious man run quickly
out the door. Angel looked outside but the man was nowhere to be seen.

         He remembered Buffy and carried her up to her room.
"What is that smell?", Angel thought.
Candles were scattered evenly throughout the room.
"Did Buffy start collecting candles or what?"
He set Buffy on her bed. He pulled a chair up next to her and held her
hand.=20
"Looks like this place is ready for a seance", he thought as he looked
around.

         Angel thought about the incident in the kitchen.
"Who was that guy? Why did he want to kill Buffy? He's not a vampire."
Just then, Buffy squeezed his hand. He leaned closer,
"Buffy, are you ok?"
"Huh? Oh yea. Fine. Except for this agonizing pain in my back I'm just
peachy."
"Do you want ice?", Angel asked.
"Please?"
Buffy leaned forward and moaned loudly. Angel pushed her back.
"Better not try that again. I'll be back", Angel said.

        Angel fulfilled his task as ice boy and returned to Buffy's room.
"Here it is", he said to an empty room.
"Buffy?"
Angel felt a cold draft brush by him. Then he realized the window was ope=
n.
He saw someone running outside but he was too far away to know if he was
the killer.
____________________
        He grabbed his jacket, threw the ice in the sink, turned off the
lights, and ran out the door. Might as well be on the safe side since he
didn't know when Mrs. Summers would be home.

        Outside, Angel ran left and carefully searched the area. Nothing.
He made a sharp right and heard a scream nearby. He ran toward it and saw=
 a
shadow run past bushes and into a business complex. At this hour the
building would be practically empty. A perfect setting for a good game of
hide and seek.

      Angel ran inside and walked through the revolving doors. Acting
casually, he walked to the elevators and pushed the up button. The elevat=
or
opened and Angel pressed 2 saying,
"Next floor please."

      The elevator opened to the second floor. He looked left and right b=
ut
saw no one.
"Two down. Two to go."
Angel entered the elevator again for the third floor. As the elevator
reached the next floor, he smelled something familiar. Blood. He ran left
when the doors opened. He ran in to a small office and a thought popped
into his mind as he opened the door.=20
"What do I do when I find this guy?"
He walked into the room. Nothing appeared to be in the room, but Angel kn=
ew
better. The closet. He slowly  made his way to the closet. He opened the
door and the man automatically sprung out. He kicked Angel in the stomach
and headed for the door. Angel ran and slammed the door on his fingers.
"Ya picked the wrong girl for you victim, pal."
Angel swung his fist back and punched him in the jaw.
"That should keep you out of the way for a while", Angel said looking at
the unconscious man on the floor.

                 Angel ran to the closet and saw Buffy laying on the floo=
r.
"You ok?", Angel asked.
"Yea. He cut my hand but my back feels a little better."
Angel put his arms out for Buffy to lean on. Buffy got up very slowly.
"How 'bout we go to back to your house and try that ice thing again?", he
suggested smiling.
"Sure but ahh=85what about him?"
"What about him? They'll find him. Eventually.
"Whatever. Let's go."

              They walked home and Angel got the ice finally. He brought
the ice up to her room.
"Thanks. Could you get me something?", Buffy asked.
"Sure. What?", Angel answered.
"Open that drawer over there", she said pointing across the room.
"Top drawer on the right."
He opened the drawer.
"That's it."

           Angel pilled out a big box wrapped beautifully.
He walked back reading the tag,
TO: ANGEL
FROM: BUFFY
When he reached the bed he pulled out a small box from his jacket and
handed it to her.
"And I thought you forgot", Buffy said.
"I can't make it too easy for you now can I?", Angel replied.
"Happy Anniversary", she said.
"Happy Anniversary", he replied.

           The next day in the library, Buffy saw Giles sitting at a tabl=
e
reading with Willow and Xander looking over his shoulder.
"What's goin on?", Buffy asked puzzled.
"Last night some psychotic guy escaped from the nut house. The doctors sa=
id
he had been there for at least 2 years. They said he used to talk about a
movie he saw once. A killer went around killing people by cutting their
voiceboxs out. I guess he was inspired," Xander explained.
"He killed three people like that. The police found him dead at the
Schuykill
 Mall ", Willow said.
"Weird", Buffy replied.

Send all comments to me, Catie, at [e-mail]




-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Ingrid E Stanton)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: DISCUSS: Buffyfic
Date: 22 Jan 1998 21:33:29 EST

This is ingrid. Question: Did everybody get digest #92? For some reason,
I didn't get it. People keep sending me comments on the story I posted,
so you guys all must have gotten it. What's going on here? I feel so
deprived without my Buffyfic! Write to me if you got #92, please, and
send it to me.
--Ingrid Elizabeth
<[e-mail]>

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Perri Smith)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Ill MEt By Moonlight, Part 18 of 19
Date: 22 Jan 1998 21:00:16 -0600 (CST)

See standard disclaimer in part 1. Comments.compliments/flames
accepted/enjoyed/ignored at [e-mail]

Ill Met By Moonlight (18/19)
By Perri Smith
Copyright 1998

Part 17

Sasha positioned them on instinct, listening to the force that nudged her
from inside with knowledge she'd never acquired. Herself on the point of
the pentacle, Angel to one side, Buffy to the other, facing each other.
After a short conversation with herself, she asked Giles to take one of the
bottom points. The other point took more thought. Finally, she looked at
the two teenagers still keeping their distance. "Willow? I need you to
stand next to Giles."

Willow blinked and Xander immediately protested, "No way. If you need
someone, I'll do it."

Sasha grinned at him in spite of herself; he was awfully cute when he was
protective. Willow evidently felt the same way, judging from her bright
smile up at him. But there wasn't time to tease him. "It has to be Willow,
Xander. My grandmother can't handle this kind of spell anymore, and you and
Greg and Van are pretty much null power, as far as I can tell; you wouldn't
do me any good. Willow should be able to help Giles ground us. I don't
think there'll be any danger."

"Don't think?"

She couldn't quite meet his suspicious eyes. "It's not like I've done this
before."

"It's okay, Xander," Willow said quietly, touching his arm. "I'll be fine."
She crossed the warehouse floor and calmly took her place next to Giles.
Her brave front was only slightly shaken by how hard her hands were
trembling.

Sasha looked at them, arranged around the wolf, who had long since given up
fighting and now crouched in the center eyeing them balefully, waiting for
any chance, any break. She wasn't about to give him one.

She took a deep breath, and took her place at the point of the pentacle. A
quick gesture, and the candles that marked the points suddenly flared up,
drawing a quick, hastily smothered gasp from Willow.

"Will?" Buffy asked, worried. Angel and Giles were also watching Willow
with concern, and Xander looked as if he was just barely restraining
himself from yanking her out.

Willow shook her head and forced a smile. "I'm fine. Let's go."

Sasha nodded. "All right. Here we go." As she closed her eyes, she sensed
Greg gesturing to the other two guys, heard them spread out to surround the
circle, ready to interfere the second anything went wrong. She smiled to
herself, buoyed by their presence.

Her breathing steadied, slowed. As if from far away, she heard her
grandmother clap once, twice, three times. The three guys picked up the
rhythm and Sasha's breathing took on the pattern. She started the first
words of the ritual Giles and her grandmother had cobbled together, a
patchwork of Latin, Magyar and Romani verses.

The candles flared again, higher; she saw the flames without having to open
her eyes. With the unseen light came touches she couldn't feel -- Angel on
one side of her, dark and light fighting for dominance, with light somehow
keeping control. She took the power he had to offer, good or bad, and used
it. From the other side came pure light -- Buffy, the Slayer, with all the
power of the Chosen One. Further away were Giles and Willow, without the
fierce aura of the other two, but with steady strength of their own, ready
to be leaned on.

The pattern of the words speeded up and Sasha followed it. One deep breath
between verses -- then she pulled the magic to her.

Vampire met Slayer met Watcher met Gypsy and the world exploded. Sasha's
head flared with light and dark, with sounds and thoughts and images that
were not her own. An Irish boy gazed into the eyes of a blond woman and
made a choice that was no choice at all. A blonde girl watched helplessly
as an older man faced a demon, then cried holding his body. A young man
called a demon to him, then could only watch as it destroyed what he loved.
A redheaded girl opened a door and a body tumbled out of it, face pale in
death and neck still dripping blood. A Gypsy girl stood before a bonfire
and called down a curse....

It flowed over her, around her, and she struggled to keep it from carrying
her away. It fought her at every turn, fought itself as she tried force
powers never meant to even touch to join. She brought them under control,
wrestling them into tangible shape and form through sheer willpower and the
strength of her voice. The magic was close enough to touch -- she could
feel it falling into place....

Then another surge of power jumped into the assault, bringing with it
malice and hatred and the longing to hurt, to kill. The werewolf took his
last chance, and Sasha felt it rip the control from her hands, as the
powers ripped themselves apart, and started to take her with them. The
candles flared out wildly, catching the floor beneath them on fire, but she
was too busy to worry about it. From far away, she heard one of the others
cry out, and grabbed frantically for them, trying to hold on. But even as
she caught them, they were torn away. Then the wolf came for her, and,
trapped in the whirlwind of power, she had nowhere to run.

*Can't even do this right,* she thought wildly, with some distant part of
her brain, the part that wasn't clinging desperately to herself. *I'm so
sorry....*

She felt herself tearing into a thousand pieces, and screamed....

*NO!* Something caught her, pulled her back with a painful, jarring rush,
binding her so closely she couldn't be torn away. Angel's anger and will,
channeled by the curse that had bound them since before her birth, ripped
through the chaos, and she took it like a lifeline, weaving her own fear
and determination into it.

Offered instead of forced, their powers merged, and reached out.

Buffy joined them effortlessly, a bond of another kind drawing her to
Angel. Her stubbornness and courage added their power, and it was almost
too much; it nearly slipped away again as the world flared white. The wolf
howled and battered at them again, trying to force its way through.

Then Giles and Willow were suddenly there, taking what Sasha didn't need
and channeling it safely away, adding calm and trust, wisdom and innocence
to the spell. Control returned and with it consciousness and Sasha realized
she was still chanting, although the words had long since stopped being
those of the ritual. She wasn't worried; for the first time, she knew
exactly what she was doing.

The magic rose, tamed but not broken, and Sasha told it what she wanted.
And, dancing wildly in the flames around them, it obeyed.

*****

*God, I *hate* Gypsies!* When Angel's thoughts were his own again, that was
the one that kept swimming to the surface. *And I really, *really* hate
magic.*

His head was spinning, his eyes weren't quite working properly, and he had
a headache. He would have been quite happy to stand just where he was, eyes
closed, mind mostly refusing to function, except that someone moaned from a
few feet away. *Buffy,* his sluggish mind realized. His body was faster;
his eyes snapped open as he lunged across the pentacle, catching Buffy as
she sank bonelessly to her knees.

She was pale and limp in his arms; he held her up with what strength he had
left, which wasn't much. Her eyes opened slightly as he smoothed her hair
away from her face. Amazingly, she smiled up at him, and whispered, "Did we
do it?"

"I'm... not sure," he answered honestly, and looked away from her long
enough to find out.

Sasha was right where he'd left her, and in even worse shape than Buffy.
Her cousins were the only thing holding her off the floor; her eyes were
shut, her head falling forward as if she didn't have the strength to hold
it up. Across from her, Willow and Giles were in better shape; Giles was
sitting down, head between his knees, and Willow was clinging to Xander,
but still on her feet. Xander didn't look as if he was going to let go any
time soon.

And in the middle of the pentagram sprawled a human form dressed in nothing
more than the ragged remain of pants and shirt, both nearly unrecognizable
as such. He looked like nothing, just an ordinary man; then he lifted his
head, and Angel saw the wolf still in them.

"Damn you!" he hissed, pulling himself to all fours. "Damn you!" His voice
rose to a howl, but it was a human sound, not lupine. "I had it! Power,
glory, death in my hands! And you stole it away!"

Angel surprised the hell out of himself by smiling wryly. "The Romani
giveth and the Romani taketh away."

"Blessed be the name of the Romani," Buffy finished with him, struggling to
sit up and echoing his twisted grin.

"Only if you can pronounce it, and now you've got *her* saying it wrong,"
Sasha groaned, but with an edge of humor sneaking through the disgust. Greg
and Xander were both snickering, and if their stifled laughter verged on
the edge of hysteria, Angel wasn't going to hold it against them. He was,
in fact, giving serious thought to joining them. Buffy had already given
in, her helpless giggles shaking her body.

Kriston's expression contorted still further at their amusement at his
expense, and he made it to his feet, staggering, his face deformed with a
mask of hatred. "Go ahead, laugh!" he told them, sneering. "You took away
my power, but I'm still here. And if you thought your life was hard before,
you Gypsy bitch," he told Rani Lakatosh, standing as regally as a queen
behind her great-grandchildren, "then wait until you see what I'll do to
you now."

"You can no longer hurt us," the old woman informed him calmly, and Angel
suddenly remembered another old woman, standing before him saying those
same words, as the agony of awareness raged through him. For a moment, he
almost felt sorry for Kriston.

A very *short* moment, as Kriston took another step forward. "Oh, I can
hurt you," he promised, low and threatening. "I'll make you bleed, I'll see
your clan die. Starting with her!"

Angel knew his warning was too late, even as he shouted it. With Buffy's
weight on his arms, he couldn't move fast enough to do anything else, as
Kriston abruptly lunged for Sasha, his eyes completely insane. Her cousins
were too surprised to protect her, Sasha too tired to even flinch -- she
was easy prey as the madman's outstretched hands went for her throat--

--and came back to clutch at his own as he fell in a gasping, writhing heap
to the floor a few inches from Sasha's knees. Her cousins recovered at
last, jumping in front of Sasha to grab Kriston's arms, immobilizing him.
Suddenly forced to support herself, Sasha nearly took a nosedive, until
Rani Lakatos knelt and caught her.

Sasha leaned against her , looking at the struggling, spitting, choking
Kriston. "Do you think I'm *stupid*, Kriston?" she asked, with the
tonelessness of someone who was too exhausted to spend effort on emotion.
"Do you think I don't know what you are now?"

He stared at her with helpless fury, panting , and twisted against his
captors. Greg and Van held on grimly.

Sasha shook her head, letting it fall back against her grandmother's
shoulder.  The old woman tightened her arms protectively around her. "When
I lifted the curse, I also laid a geas, your Royal Wolfness," Sasha
continued. "And if you ever again try to hurt someone, if you even *think*
about killing, whatever you've imagined will turn back on you threefold.
Every bit of pain, every drop of blood, will be visited on you three times
over."

She opened her eyes, and fixed them on him, and even Angel flinched back a
little from the look in them. "And if you ever touch my clan again," she
promised, "if you come near anyone here tonight, I will not screw around
anymore. I will kill you."

Kriston met her eyes defiantly, but there was fear in them now. He looked
around at the others, and Angel let the demon look out of his face,
snarling for emphasis. Kriston's face blanched with terror and Angel smiled
in satisfaction, then pulled Buffy closer as the former werewolf collapsed
in a quivering heap. He wasn't a threat anymore; it was over.

"So, what are we going to do with him?" he heard Willow ask from behind
him. "I mean, he's not a wolf anymore, but he's still a bad guy. We can't
just let him go."

Surprisingly, it was Xander who answered. "Dump him back at that hotel he
was registered in and the cops will get him. They still want him for
killing that guy outside town; they'll pick him up, haul him to the loony
bin if he tells the truth, and to jail if he lies. Either way, problem
solved."

Angel decided he hadn't been giving the kid enough credit for deviousness,
not to mention ruthlessness. Judging from Buffy's wide eyes as she stared
over Angel's shoulder at her friend, she hadn't either.

Sasha laughed hollowly, and gestured at her cousins. "You heard him, guys;
make yourselves useful."

"No problem," Greg said, pulling Kriston to his feet with Van's help and
somehow managing to bow at the same time. "At your service, Rani
Chov-hani."

"Die, Gregor." Sasha sighed heavily and rolled her eyes at their back as
they dragged Kriston out. "Do one lousy favor for family...." she muttered
under her breath and Angel laughed.



Perri <[e-mail]>      I *am* the Buffy Evangalist!
NatPacker-*-Horsechick-*-Pezhead-*-Cohenhead-*-DDEB2-*-AGA-*-SunS-*-CoJ
"GOD, it's going to be so weird.  "Oh, look, David's cute... arrrrgh!
Hate Angelus, hate Angelus!!!"  Lust/hate relationships are *so*
difficult..."  -- Lizbet



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Perri Smith)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Ill MEt By Moonlight, part 19 of 19
Date: 22 Jan 1998 21:01:22 -0600 (CST)

See standard disclaimer in part 1. Comments.compliments/flames
accepted/enjoyed/ignored at [e-mail]

Ill Met By Moonlight (19/19)
By Perri Smith
Copyright 1998

Epilogue

Buffy nearly fell asleep sitting up.

Not a big surprise; they'd been out until nearly 2 a.m. cleaning up the
warehouse as well as they could and getting rid of the last of the spell
pentacle. Most of the Romani contingent had headed for parts unknown --
Greg had said something cryptic about a Winnebago -- leaving the
Slayerettes to escort each other back to the library since almost everyone
involved in the spell was still too weak to walk alone. All of them were
going to be completely useless at school tomorrow... today.

"It was really weird," Xander was saying now, gesturing from his seat at
the table. Everyone else was gathered there, slumped in any position that
didn't require movement or effort. Only Angel was still up, prowling
restlessly around the room. But the aftermath from the spell had one good
effect; he and Sasha were too tired to fight.

"One second, all of you were just, like, standing there and Sasha was doing
the chant thing." Buffy considered doing damage to Xander, who had entirely
too much hyper energy to suit her. He kept talking gesturing wildly with
his hands, and she concluded it would be too much work. "Then Werewolf Dude
suddenly just stood up and started howling. I figured he was going to go
for us, then everyone froze, and the candles went crazy and set the floor
on fire. But Sasha just kept going and then.. poof. No more fire, no more
werewolf. It was *majorly* weird. I can't believe you guys don't remember
any of it!"

"Well, I remember some of it," Willow protested from the seat next to him.
She looked tired, but the color was already starting to come back to her
cheeks. "I remember these bright lights and I remember seeing stuff, but I
don't remember what it was."

"You don't want to," Sasha told her soberly, leaning against the other side
of the table. "Trust me, I'd rather forget. And not just because of the
damn headache." She rubbed irritably at her forehead. "My grandmother calls
it backlash from handling all of that wild energy. I call it the migraine
from hell."

Buffy winced sympathetically, her own head not much happier. "Do you think
the cops have found Kriston yet?"

"If not, they will in the morning," Sasha shrugged. "The way the guys left
him, he's not going anywhere." Thinking back to Kriston's mostly-naked,
nearly-catatonic state, Buffy had to agree. "And I'm betting when they
check into Kriston's bank accounts in Santa Rosa, they'll find all kinds of
other interesting things to charge him with. Like those burglaries he set
Greg up with." Sasha's smile was grim. "Maybe there is some justice."

"All of you did an excellent job," Giles concluded, with an approving pat
to Buffy's shoulder and another to Sasha's. The Gypsy looked startled, then
gratified.

"I.. couldn't have done it without you guys," she stuttered slightly.
"Thanks for everything."

"Well, you're welcome," Buffy informed her cheerfully, feeling much more
charitable towards her now that all of the dangerous parts were over. "If
it's all the same to you, though, I'd rather not do this again. Like,
ever."

"You and me both," Sasha sighed, returning her smile.

"Ah, somewhat along those lines," Giles interrupted the moment of mutual
accord, "I have, ah, something of a gift for you, Sasha." He fumbled around
behind the main desk, and pulled out a small, leather bound book, holding
it out towards Sasha. She walked over to take it and the others -- except
Angel -- trailed behind, curious.

"What's this?" Sasha asked, opening the book; looking over her shoulder,
Buffy saw that they were only blank pages.

"Not you usual style of book, Giles," she commented dubiously. "Unless you
freed another demon or something. Long story," she added at Sasha's curious
look.

Giles spared only a quick Look at Buffy, before returning his very serious
attention to Sasha. "It's what's called a Book of Shadows; at least, it
could be. Many witches keep them -- a record of information gathered,
spells cast, lessons learned, that sort of thing. I... thought you might
find it useful."

Sasha bit her lip and looked down, then flipped through the book, stopping
at the first page, which had something in Giles' handwriting that looked
like poetry. Her brow wrinkled, then she read,

"Eight words does this Rede fulfill:
An ye harm none, do as ye will.
And ever mind the Rule of Three:
What ye send out, comes back to thee.
Follow this with mind and heart,
And merry ye meet, and merry ye part."

She looked back up at Giles. "What does that mean?"

"It's part the Wiccan Rede, the rules many witches live by -- the, ah,
'white' witches, that is." He looked faintly embarrassed. "I thought.... It
might provide a... well, something of a guide...."

"To keep me from repeating my mistakes?" Sasha finished wryly, then sighed.
"I know, Romani aren't big on ethics towards outsiders. I can't... I  have
to be more careful."

She looked back down at the book, tracing a finger over the text, copied in
Giles's firm handwriting. "'An' ye harm none, do as ye will.' Well, I guess
there are worse rules for life than that."

Giles smiled, openly relieved, and Sasha grinned wryly up at him. "What,
you thought I was a total idiot? I try not to make the same fatal mistake
more than two or three times."

"I never thought you an idiot at all," Giles assured her. "In fact..." He
trailed off, obviously trying to figure out how to phrase something. "The
curse you cast, a month ago... Your grandmother was telling me about the
ritual, earlier, but she was uncertain of her translation. Can you tell me
what it was you cast?"

Sasha bit her lip, then reluctantly recited:

"Earth and water, air and fire
Moon's enchantment, wind's desire
Lend thy power to my will
Stars to hold thee by my skill"

"Mortal deeds cast mortal fall
Soul shapes form at moonlight's call
What you are so shall you be
As I will, so mote it be."

There was silence when she finished, then Xander raised his hand. "How come
it rhymes in English?"

Sasha gave him a Look, but smiled slightly. "It didn't rhyme in Romani,
Xander. The translation is the result of a month with way too much time on
my hands and only one thing on my mind."

"But you're sure of it," Giles persisted. "The second half, in particular?"

"Yeah," Sasha shrugged. "Believe me, I've had a lot of time to replay it."
She didn't add the 'in my nightmares', but Buffy heard it anyway.

Giles nodded. "Then I believe I can set your guilt at rest, at least a bit.
Your grandmother was telling the truth when she said she hadn't intended
for the curse to create a werewolf. The curse's purpose was to give outer
form to the victim's inner self -- to turn him into what he already was, in
his soul."

"'Soul shapes form'," Sasha repeated, slowly. She looked as if she wanted
to believe Giles, but couldn't quite get far enough past the guilt to let
herself. "'What you are, so shall you be...' He became a killer because he
already was one?"

Giles nodded. "A bit simplistic, but yes." He leaned forward, as if he
could make Sasha believe him by sheer proximity. "You did not create a
murderer, Sasha; at worst, you only gave him the ability. He could not have
become the werewolf -- he could not have become evil, if the evil had not
already been within him."

Sasha stared at him, then, slowly, she nodded. "That doesn't make me any
less responsible for what he did with what I gave him," she said quietly.

"No," Giles agreed, just as quietly. "But neither does it leave the blood
on your hands alone.  And someday, perhaps, it will help you forgive
yourself."

She almost smiled and he returned it, laying a hand on her shoulder as he
would one of the Slayerettes. Buffy looked away, suddenly uncomfortable.
Then Giles cleared his throat, and lifted his hand to shove nervously at
his glasses. "And, of course," he continued, in his professional Watcher
tone, "should you require any help in your studies, any assistance your
clan can not provide..."

"I'll know who to come to." Sasha carefully tucked her book into the crook
of her arm. "I'd better get my stuff together; Greg and Van will bring the
transportation around any minute, and if I'm not waiting they'll give me
grief."

"I'll help," Buffy volunteered, trailing after the Gypsy with one last look
at Angel, still keeping his distance, and another look at Giles. He kept
doing things to surprise her....

Sasha hadn't had that much stuff to begin with, and even less now; it only
took a few minutes to gather the clothes that weren't torn, bloody and
otherwise ruined and shove them into Sasha's duffel bag. They worked in
peaceful silence until the duffel was closed.

Then Buffy finally asked, quietly, "It was pretty close, wasn't it."

Sasha's hands paused for a moment; then, deliberately, she fastened the
straps of the bag. "Yeah. It was real close. I almost lost the spell; it
would have killed me for sure; I'm not sure what it would have done to the
rest of you." She sighed and shook her head. "It was real damn close."

Buffy swallowed hard. "Let's definitely not do it again."

"Yeah." Sasha slung the bag over her shoulder and turned towards the door
-- to find Angel standing there, still and quiet, his face impassive. Sasha
stopped dead, and Buffy held her breath. Anything could happen here.....

****

Sasha faced Angel, meeting his eyes steadily. The Gypsy instincts, the old
hatred, called for attention and attack, but it was a little easier to
ignore them now. A little.

"I guess I have to thank you, too," she said instead, "Since you saved my
life and all." The words were grudging, out of habit or pride, she wasn't
sure which. But they were sincere enough, in their own way.

Angel shook his head, still with no expression. "Call it... paying off an
old debt. We're even. Unless you decide to start jerking me around with
that damn geas again. Then all bets are off."

Sasha blinked at him, utterly confused, and realized he didn't know. He
didn't realize.... "There is no more geas, Angel. Not anymore. You broke
it."

That finally cracked his shell. "What?" Buffy echoed his startled question
only half a beat behind.

"You broke it," Sasha repeated, starting to see the humor in the situation.
It wasn't every day you could catch both a vampire and a Slayer
flat-footed. "Apparently you weren't listening to the terms of the curse."

"I was kind of distracted at the time," Angel said irritably. "What terms?"

Sasha grinned sardonically. "The geas could be broken in two ways -- your
death, or when you atoned for your crime by saving the life of one of the
elders or their chov-hani descendants, at risk of your own. I'm the last in
that line, and you most definitely saved my skin, and almost got toasted in
the process." She gestured widely. "Poof. No more geas."

"I didn't have a choice about saving you," Angel protested. "The geas--"

"-- was to serve, not to save," Sasha completed his sentence, crossing her
arms and looking down at him with her eyebrows raised. "Giles, Grandmother
and I double-checked the terms of the contract.. um, curse, while we were
cleaning up to be sure. You could have stood back, let the werewolf kill
me, but instead, you saved me -- so the geas was broken."

She sighed, folding her arms tightly around herself. "Your soul is entirely
yours again, for what it's worth. No vampires keeping you on a leash, no
Gypsies yanking your chain. Which is how it's supposed to be, I guess.
Responsibility. What a concept." She stared off into space for another
second, reflecting on her own new-found responsibilities, then looked back
at Angel, dredging up something closer to her usual sarcasm. "Try not to
screw up again, huh?"

He didn't react to the sarcasm; in fact, he didn't say anything for a long,
long minute, until Giles poked his head into the office. "Sasha? Your
grandmother is here. She and your cousins are apparently ready to leave."

Sasha tightened her grip on her duffel and on reality. "It's about damn
time. You'd think they parked back in Santa Rosa." She lifted one
disdainful eyebrow at Angel. "If Fang Boy here will get out of my way, I'll
get out of your hair."

"Anything to make you leave," Angel returned, standing aside. She had to
stop herself from smiling; it was much easier to fight with a vampire than
talk to one.

Her grandmother was waiting in the library, looking over Willow's shoulder
as the teenager explained something about the computer, all traces of
exhaustion gone with the joy of demonstrating her favorite toy. Her
grandmother was nodding thoughtfully, and Sasha made a mental bet with
herself on how long it would take to be asked advice on buying computers.
How they were going to run power to it from the Winnebago, she had no idea,
but that was Greg and Van's problem.

But, "A useful machine," was all her grandmother said when she looked up.
"I believe I will like them. Are you ready, Sasha?"

"Yes, ma'am," Sasha answered, moving as far away from Angel as possible.
Truces were all well and good, but she still didn't like him, and the
feeling was certainly still mutual.

"Where are you going to go now?" Giles asked

"Back to law school," Sasha shrugged. "I've got finals coming up. Then... I
guess I'll go back to my Clan for a while, if they'll accept me. There
aren't many chov-hani left, apparently; I've got magic to learn, vampires
to kill, that kind of thing. You understand," she finished with a sideways
look at Angel. He rolled his eyes, but didn't look exactly upset.

Buffy grinned. "If you need any tips on that part, come look for me."

"I will. See you around, Will, Xander." The two Slayerettes said their
goodbyes, Willow with a bright smile, Xander with a pseudo-macho
half-salute, and Sasha debated hugging Giles just to see if he'd blush, but
settled for a handshake.

When she turned back to her grandmother, she found her standing in front of
Angel, staring calmly up at him. Angel's jaw was locked again, but he was
standing his ground, returning her look evenly.

"I was only a very small child when you came to our camp, Angelus," her
grandmother finally said, her accent heavier from fatigue or memories. "But
the girl you killed was my eldest sister, and I remember her death well."

Angel flinched, but only said, "I remember it, too. Believe me, I remember."

"And regret it. I see it in your eyes." Her grandmother nodded, as if a
question had been answered, and walked a step closer to Angel, fearlessly.
"It was not our intention to gift that night, Angelus, but to punish. If
you also learned, as it seems you have, then we did better than we knew.
Perhaps... perhaps there has been payment enough."

She stepped back, and looked him up and down. "I thank you for my
great-granddaughter's life, Angel. And I wish you good fortune -- you and
the Slayer. Your debt to those who are Clan Lakatos is paid."

Without waiting for an answer, she turned and left, head high and spine
straight, never looking back. Sasha shook her head, and sighed heavily.
"And I'm supposed to follow that act.  I was wrong; there *is* no justice."

She started for the door in her grandmother's wake, but she stop and did
look back. "Angel? For what it's worth -- thank you."

Angel's jaw worked with some emotion Sasha couldn't quite interpret. "For
what it's worth," he answered finally, "you're welcome."

Gypsy and vampire stood in the silence of an uneasy truce; then Sasha
Lakatos turned and left, the library doors swinging shut behind her.


Finis

Perri <[e-mail]>      I *am* the Buffy Evangalist!
NatPacker-*-Horsechick-*-Pezhead-*-Cohenhead-*-DDEB2-*-AGA-*-SunS-*-CoJ
"GOD, it's going to be so weird.  "Oh, look, David's cute... arrrrgh!
Hate Angelus, hate Angelus!!!"  Lust/hate relationships are *so*
difficult..."  -- Lizbet



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Lady RHood <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Dust (1/1) by:Rebecca Carefoot
Date: 22 Jan 1998 23:12:54 EST

TITLE: Dust
AUTHOR:Rebecca Carefoot
E-MAIL: [e-mail]
RATING: G/PG
FEEDBACK: the more the merrier.
CONTENT: Angel/Buffy romance.
SPOILERS: Innocence
SUMMARY: This was inspired by the scene in Innocence where Buffy has a dream
of Angel in the sunlight.  Which leads me to believe that Angel's soul is
still out there.  Trying to help.  This assumes Angel's soul is nearby..and it
is his thoughts.
DISCLAIMER:  I don't own Angel or Buffy or the events of Innocence. Joss
Whedon and the WB do.

Dust
by:Rebecca Carefoot

Here I am.

Not sure where here is exactly.

Not really sure of much.  Except that the pain is gone and I am separate.  I
am as I was before the curse.  Out of body.  Just me.  My soul.  Floating.

The touch of her skin against mine wasn't what did it.  The brush of her lips
against mine.  The salty sweat that covered her body, the feel of her hands on
me, the soft moans.  None of that was what did it.

Because as much as I enjoyed the sex.  That wasn't what made me happy.   Her
body naked and vulnerable in my arms; it wasn't what broke the curse.  Ok, so
it was part of it.  But the physical wasn't what made this happen.  It was
what the act symbolized.  Because as I held her naked body in my arms, and I
felt her move under me, I knew that she did love me.

I knew how much trust she had in me.  For the Slayer to make herself utterly
vulnerable to a vampire.  Well that takes faith.  It takes friendship.  It
takes loyalty.   And most of all it takes love.

Do you have any idea how long it's been since anyone has trusted me that way?
Trusted me in a way that I don't even trust myself.  Loved me in a way that I
cannot love myself.  Well, the real truth is no one has ever loved me that
way.

And the two of us, with nothing between our naked bodies.  Well that's when I
really and truly understood that I don't have to be alone anymore.  That she
loves me, as deeply as I love her.  And that's when I felt for the first time
in eighty years, completely happy.

And she fell asleep next to me when the two of us had spent our passion.  Her
tiny body curled next to mine.  Her head resting against my shoulder.  To see
her so peaceful.  So beautiful.  It broke my heart, but it filled me with
happiness at the same time.  And I fell asleep too.  Secure.  Content.

Until the pain started.  Until I felt myself being sucked away.  I could have
gone gentle I suppose.  But I'm stubborn, always have been.  And knowing what
would happen if I lost was enough to make me fight it.

I tried to get away from her, to put some distance between her and the demon.
But the pain just kept getting worse.  Until I couldn't stand, I couldn't
move.  All I could do was gasp her name.  And that was the only thing that
helped me hold out as long as I did.  Because the pain was unbearable.  I was
being torn, ripped, shredded, mangled.

And then I felt my grip slip and I was floating.  No more pain, no more body.
No more Angel.

Only I'm still here.  I can see it all as it happens.  And I stand by and
watch as the demon that speaks with my voice berates her.  I stand by and
watch as the demon that sees with my eyes, tries to bring her as much pain as
he can before he kills her.  And I cry, though I have no tears.

I cry because I am stuck here.  Floating. And there is nothing I can do.  I
want to reach out and touch her.  Gently kiss her and tell her it will be all
right.  But it is not all right.  It can never be all right ever again.
Because that trust.  That love that she had for me.  I can see it dying as I
watch her.  I can see her cutting herself away from it.  Because she knows
what she has to do.

I know too.  And I understand.  And I cheer her on silently.  But a part of me
dies when I see the hate in her eyes.  The hate that slowly replces the love
under Angelus' onslaught.

Selfish me, to wish that I could return to her.  Selfish.  For a part of me
hopes she can't kill him.

But that's crazy.  And I know it.  So I watch and wait.  As her eyes grow
colder.  As the mental knife that Angelus weilds twists deeper into her heart.

I see everything.  And I can do nothing.

I take it back.  I can do one thing.  I can continue to love her.  With all of
me.  And I stand by. A ridiculous gaurdian that can do nothing but watch.  And
love.  And dare I say hope?

I cannot help it.  I still hope for a miracle.  I pray that somehow I will be
able to return to her.  But this is me being selfish again.  After what the
demon has done, how can we ever be together?

Things can never be the same again.  And even if by some miracle I were able
to regain my body, I know we can never be together again.  Not the way we
were. I don't think that she can forgive me.  I know I cannot forgive myself.
I don't think she could trust me.  I don't think she can love me.  And if her
love for me dies.  I die.  Forever.  No more floating soul.  No more waiting
and watching.  Just dust and ashes.  That's all I'm worth without her.

She still wears the ring.  Although she sometimes takes it off now.  Longer
and longer each time.  She is getting stronger, and I know that soon she will
be able to take the final step and put that stake through his...my...chest.
Then everything will disappear.  And it will be a relief.

But I will miss her.  I try to tell her sometimes...that I still love her.
That I'm sorry.  I don't know if she hears me.  I like to think sometimes that
she does.  I like to think that when I talk to her at night, she listens.
That somehow my thoughts gain access to her dreams.  I hope she understands.

It wasn't her fault.  It was mine.  All she did was make me happy.  All she
did was give me what I wanted..love.  All she did was have the courage to care
for me.  And she made me happier than I have ever been in my life.  Selfish
me.  Because I wouldn't trade it.  Even though I see what came of it all.

And for a moment I was no longer lonly.  Too bad it had to end up this way.
Too bad there isn't some way to kill the demon and reinstate me as sole < heh,
soul > owner of my body.  But it's useless to torment myself with
possibilities that do not exist.  I see the pain in her eyes and I know it has
to end.  And it can only end one way.  Selfish me.  Because I will regret
dying.  I will regret the fact that this time I will not even be able to
watch.  I will lose her.

But the better part of me.  The part that loves her more than myself.  That
part welcomes the end.  An end to her pain and mine.  And all that will be
left of our love will be dust and memories.  Selfish me, to hope that she
holds on to the memories when I am dust.

So I'm waiting.  Floating.  Holding onto her.  Clinging to the love she still
has for me.  Watching that love slowly fade.  Until finally...the end.  Dust.

I wonder how long this will last.  And I float.

the end

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: NuPhalanx <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: Pleasant Dreams (10/?) by Kimela
Date: 23 Jan 1998 00:30:48 EST

Hello!
 This is going quite well! I find it to be an original idea. Will he trust
himself and listen to Willow? Or will he let his fears take over?

cordially,

Mike Z.

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Angel's Lover <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Slayer be Slain (minor spoilers for surprise and innocence)
Date: 23 Jan 1998 01:10:22 -0800

Okay, for those of you who read Slay or be Slain, I thank you and wish
to tell you that these two stories are in no way connected.  This one's
title, tho lame and done god knows how many times, just came to me out
of the last one so here it is.  As for disclaimers, standard ones apply,
the characters belong to Joss and Mutant Enemy... no money comes my way,
and no copywright infringement was intended.  Plot?  Um.. not really..
just a show down between Buffy and Angel.  I apologize for the language
they use (no swearing.. just insults) but I was in that frame of mind.
Please forward all comments to Lea at either [e-mail] or
[e-mail] .  Thanks!

____________________



    Slayer Be Slain

    She ducked behind a gravestone, silently trying to move behind him
before Angelus had the chance to notice her.  Her ex-boyfriend was
busily sipping the blood from the neck of some poor, unfortunate soul.
Buffy could tell even from this distance that there was no chance to
save this victim, but the moment she had been waiting for had arrived.
This was her ultimate chance to kill Angelus once and for all.
    The body of the now drained teenager dropped to the damp earth with a
sickly thud, and Angel drew the back of his hand across his mouth. He
grinned in the darkness.
    "Do you really think that gravestone can hide you, Buffy?  I know
you're there... I can smell ya!"
    She stood to her feet as he turned to face her.  She scowled, "Could
you be any yuckier?"
    "Just wait until I sink my teeth into your soft neck, lover.  You will
find greater pleasure in my feeding than you did in my arms."
    She sighed, "Apparently, so."
    "Is this where it is to be, Buffy?  In the graveyard?  Where no one but
the dead can hear your screams?"
    She shrugged, "At least you'll be among friends."  She reached into her
bag.  "Ashes to ashes, Angel," and pulled forth a stake, "Dust to dust."
    With a growl he leaped forward, his arms outstretched for her neck.
She ducked to the ground, her fist striking upwards, connecting with his
solar plexus.  He gave a loud grunt and fell to the ground.
    She gave a sarcastic pout, "Awww.. did the big bad vampire fall down go
boom?"
    He smiled up at her and licked his fangs, "Why don't you come down here
and I'll give you something to remember me by."
    She scowled, "So over that minor detail!"
    He snarled and lunged upwards, catching Buffy by the shoulder and
sending her reeling into a solid gravestone.  Pain shot through her, but
she shoved it aside and stood.
    "Stick with me, baby, and you'll see stars!" He leapt at her again, his
fists connecting with her stomach, spinning and allowing his foot to cut
across her jaw.
    She counteracted easily, bringing him to his knees with a short cut to
the legs, landing a highly motivated punch upon his nose.  The vampire
was flipped head over heels to land spread eagled upon his back.  In
seconds she was upon him, knees straddling his waist as she reached for
her stake.
    He smiled, coldly.  "Gee... this seems familiar."  A lightening quick
movement had him twisting their bodies so that Buffy was trapped beneath
him.  His grinned widened.  "Yep, something's definately coming back to
me now."
    "Yeah, well, keep it where it is."  Buffy clawed her nails across his
face and neck, causing him to pull back in momentary pain.  She grinned
suddenly, "Hey, lover, remember this?!" Her knee came up solidly between
his legs, causing the vampire to howl in agony.  He rolled off of her
and curled into a ball.
    Buffy leapt to her feet, but too soon Angel had recovered.  As she bent
to recover her stake, his arms wrapped around her, one encircling her
neck, choking off her breath, the other encircling her waist, drawing
her firmly against him.  Buffy was solidly pinned by the great strength
of Angel's arms; she felt his hot breath against her neck.
    His teeth grated against the tender flesh of her throat, and Buffy knew
instinctively that she was going to die.  The fight ebbed out of her
bones, and for the first time in weeks she allowed herself to feel the
heartache that she had been surpressing.  Perhaps death wouldn't be so
bad, she thought to herself, there would be no pain, no hurt, and best
of all, no memories.  She closed her eyes and groaned deeply as Angel's
teeth sank into her neck.  Her awareness of his feeding didn't last
long, however, as all sensation slowly began to fade from her mind.  As
her blood poured into his mouth, her life poured forth from her, and
death over took her body.
    A long period of darkness followed... how long she did not know.
Confusion swept over her as faded images of her life ebbed closer to her
reality and then away once more.  There was no pain.. no hurt, only
overwhelming joy and the irresistable urge to feed.  Soon she opened her
eyes.
    Angel stood above her; she was in a dark building hidden deeply away
from the sunlight.  Spike and Drusilla stood nearby.  Drusilla moved
slowly to her side, and lowered her lips to Buffy's forehead.
    "Welcome," she whispered, "I've always wanted a sister!"  She giggled
wildly, spun in a slow circle, and then moved back to sit across Spike's
lap.
    Angel held out his hand to Buffy, pulling her gently to her feet,
enfolding her into his arms.   He smiled down at her.
    "Was it as good for you as it was for me?"
    Slowly she ran her tongue across her newly sharpened teeth, reveling in
the feel of the new contours of her body.  She grinned up into the eyes
of the demon she would eternally "love".  She pulled him into a deep
kiss before backing away, spinning in a circle of delight.  She laughed
aloud; a long, cruel sound as she rejoiced in her new life.
    "Better, my love... oh so much better!"  She pulled him back to her and
together they danced slowly across the warehouse floor.  Playfully she
nipped his ear before whispering, "Now, show me the stars!"

    The End!

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Angel's Lover <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: The Lesson
Date: 23 Jan 1998 02:04:47 -0800

Okay.. y'all are going to have to forgive me this one.. It was late, I
was tired, and only just got around to seeing those pics of Anthony from
the Rocky Horror Show.... with those pics in mind.. I couldn't shake
this scene from my mind.. so this is what I ended up with.  Now there is
no offence intended towards Anthony.. I'm sure he did an excellent job
with Frankie, this is just meant for comic relief.  Standard disclaimers
apply.. the characters are Joss's and Mutant Enemy's... no money comes
my way, and no copywright infringement was intended.  The Lion King
belongs to Disney, Emma belongs to Jane Austen and Emma Thompson, and
The Rocky Horror Picture Show belongs to who it belongs to.. Okay..
please forward all comments to Lea at either [e-mail] or
[e-mail] .  Thanks... and please remember.. I am insane!

_____________________

    The Lesson

    "Giles, you need to loosen up!"  Buffy Summers sighed in frustration as
once again the Brittish librarian frowned at her plans to hang at the
Bronze with Willow and Xander.  "I've said it before and I'll say it
again, I love you dearly... in a slayer/watcher sort of way, but
Giles... you need a life in a massive way."
    Giles frowned at the teenager before him.  "I'll have you know, young
lady, that I do indeed have a life... in keeping you out of trouble."
    "Yeah, but Giles, that's not the kind of life I mean.  You need to get
down, go dancing, drinking... just let go of higher reason for a night."
    He nodded, "Undoubtedly the very night all hell breaks loose and you
get killed."
    She rolled her eyes, "Morbid much?"
    He sighed, "Buffy, you know as well as I that when one lives upon the
hellmouth relaxation is not a fathomable concept.  I urge you to take
this lesson to heart, my dear.  You spend far too much time partaking in
recreational events rather than improving upon your slaying skills.  In
every generation there is a chosen one..."
    "She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons and the forces
of darkness... yeah yeah yeah.. I get it already."
    Xander pulled her away and Giles watched in curiosity as Buffy, Willow
and Xander conversed in whispers.  Buffy finally nodded and grinned.
    "Okay, Giles, I'll make you a deal."
    He frowned, immediately suspicious.  "What kind of... deal, persay?"
    "You perform a routine in the teacher talent show that's coming up, and
I'll double my practice time."
    He blinked, "Excuse me?"
    Xander butt in, "The teach's are putting on a show for the students.
They do this every year in a thinly veiled attempt to make us believe
they're not totally uncool."
    "What would I have to do?"
    "Well," Willow began, "You have to choose a scene out of a popular
movie and act it out on stage."
    His eyes lightened, "Any movie?"
    Xander wagged his finger at him, "Uh uh.  No Shakespeare, or.. or.. or
any other literary person... type... thingy.  You have to choose a
meaningless flick."
    Buffy nodded, "If I'm gonna kill whatever is left of my already non
existant social life, it had better be worth it."
    Giles sat for a moment, running the pros and cons through his
analytical mind.  He'd been trying to get Buffy to up her practice
schedule for over a year... this chance couldn't be passed up.  A slow
smile spread across his face.  Perhaps he could even use this to teach
these cocky teenagers a lesson.  Finally he nodded.
    "Fine.  You have yourselves a deal."
    The teens stared at him in shock for a moment, then cheered.  Xander
clapped Giles on the back.  "Giles, my man, for the first time in my
high school career, I'm looking forward to the freak show!"
    Giles scowled and ushered the kids out of the library.  "Now go home.
Buffy, you're on patrol tonight."
    She nodded, "Yeah yeah, sacred duty, I'm there."
    The door swung shut, and Giles was left alone.  He strode over to his
desk and began scanning the pages of the phone book.  His fingers came
to rest upon the phone number of an Adult clothing store.  He smiled.

******************

    Two nights later Buffy was wandering the streets of Sunnydale after
having spent several hours at the cemetary.  It was late, but as she
passed the highschool loud music caught her attention.  She couldn't
quite place the song, for though it was familiar, she couldn't hear the
lyrics.
    A shadow danced in front of the library window.  Her eyes widened.
What Giles was up to she had no clue, but she could have sworn he was
wearing.... nah... she must just be tired... really.... really....
really tired.  Exhausted even... delusional... perhaps she was already
chained up in an asylum and this was just a drug induced nightmare.
Yeah.. that was it.
    Blinking furiously, Buffy turned on her heel and bolted for home.

******************

    The day had finally come for the performance.  Xander, Buffy and Willow
secured front row seats.. not that that had been much of a feat... the
rest of the students dragged slowly into the auditorium.  They sat down
and eagerly awaited Giles's turn.
    The first scene was by their english teacher; it was a clip from the
recently released Austin movie, Emma.  They sighed.
    Xander whispered to Buffy, "What do you think he'll do?  Something lame
probably."
    Willow nodded, "Way lame."
    Buffy only shrugged, unwilling to admit to what she had seen a week
earlier.
    Xander blinked as two more teachers stepped on stage; he almost snorted
with laughter.  "Tell me they're not doing the Lion King?" The music
began and he groaned, "The Lion King??!!!"
    A half an hour passed, then principal Schneider came on stage.  As he
began his version of Hamlet's solilique all the students groaned.
    "Does this breathe lameness or is it just me?"  Buffy sighed.
    Willow nodded, "Breathing it most definately is."
    Finally Giles was announced.  Buffy, Willow and Xander straightened
with excitement as a platform began lowering from the roof of the
stage.  A tapping foot could be heard beating in time with the slowly
starting music.  At long last the platform hit the stage and Giles
stepped out.
    Buffy and Willow's jaws hit the ground in shock, and Xander blinked so
rapidly his head began to spin.  As the rest of the student body roared
in laughter, Buffy groaned.
    "I'm gonna owe him every free moment of the rest of my life!" She said
lowly before the absolute shock of Giles's performance drew her
attention back to the stage.
    Giles was dressed in black leather.  The top had leather straps, one
that slid down over his bare shoulder.  The feminine garb cut straight,
so very low across his body that the top of his chest was completely
exposed.  The leather "shirt" ran into a black leather skirt, cut so
short that the leather underwear he was sporting became visable once in
a while.  Cutting lower, his legs were covered in black fish net
stockings, and as he danced his black high heeled shoes clicked on the
stage.
    He sang loud and in perfect synch with the music of the cult song.
"I'm just a sweet transvestite, from transexual, transylvania.. ha ha.
I'm just a sweet transvestite," he winked at Buffy, "From transexual,"
he wiggled and writhed to the beat, "Transylvania!"
    At long last his performance ended.  The rest of the student body
hooted and hollared, cheering in appreciation for the comedic
intervention in an otherwise lamefull show.
    Silently, with no expression beyond shock upon their faces, Buffy,
Xander and Willow, soon joined by an equally shocked Cordelia and Oz,
made their way back to the library.  There Giles was back in his normal
tweed suit, the make up he had been sporting completely gone from his
image.
    As they all kind of collapsed into the seats of the library, Giles
walked over and placed his hand on Buffy's shoulder.
    "Yes, well then... shall we meet tonight?  Say six o'clock?"
    For the first time in her life, Buffy remained completely speechless.
All she could do was nod, and mourn the now complete death of her social
life.

    The End!

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: CalliScrlt <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Possible Spoiler/Oz's Intro (1/1) by Amys Moiriarti
Date: 23 Jan 1998 02:22:56 EST

Title: Oz's Intro
Author:  Amys Moiriarti
Email:  [e-mail]  (all comments and replies are welcome!  I'd love
to hear everything!)
Rating:  PG/PG-13
Feedback:  As afore mentioned, I'd love some!
Content:  Oz's view of the world.
Disclaimer:  I don't own any of the characters mentioned in this story.  They
are all the property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and the WB network.  No
copyright infringement is intended.

Hi, ya'll.  This is my first fanfic on this list, a little tribute to my man
Oz.  Now, if all of you guys haven't heard the Oz rumors going on, this story
accepts it to be true (I have to wait for 'Phases' to be completely sure.)
Anyway, here goes nothing!
*****************************************************************************
     The night was warm, but not surprisingly so, because Southern California
nights are warmer than others.  But tonight wasnÆt like other nights.  Tonight
was a night for people to be wary, to stay indoors and catch up on their
reading.  But for some, it was a night to go out.  These are the true
creatures of the night, those that feel in their blood the howl of the wolves
and the growl of sinister forcesà and go to join them.
     You wouldnÆt know it to see him, but the boy out walking on a night like
this was one such creature.  The only true clue to this is the pale complexion
of his skin, a beacon in the darkness.  He was of just below average height,
weight, and build, and his over-abundance of hair looked a bit like it was
trying to make up for that.  It was afore mentioned that this particular night
was one for sinister forces, but the boy wasnÆt scared.  In fact, he was
fairly confident in the fact that he was invincible, which he didnÆt really
mean to be.  His manner just suggested it so firmly that it convinced everyone
around, even himself, of his inner strength.  And woe to the person that tried
anything.  He was dressed in typical Generation Xer fashion; wide-leg jeans, a
flannel, and an old Led Zeppelin T-shirt from times long ago.  He was proud of
that T-shirt.  HeÆd gotten it at a thrift store, from a guy that maintained it
was worn by Jerry Garcia.  Of course, Oz didnÆt believe a  word of it, but it
was cool to tell your friends that if you sniffed really hard, you could still
smell the pot.
     Yes, that really is this particular boyÆs name.  Oz.  Short for Oswald.
But of course, no one ever called him that.  He had annoyingly clever people
who called him æOzzy!Æ and then proceeded to sing bad eighties songs at him,
and there were even people who called him æLee Harvey.Æ  When he didnÆt laugh,
they would elbow him and ask him if he had gotten the joke.  Usually to which
he would reply æNo.Æ  Then theyÆd try to explain, get frustrated, and wander
off.  It was a good method for getting rid of people, to act like a brick
wall.  Plus, being thought of as a druggie by people helped rationalize in
their minds his reasons for playing in a band and not ægettingÆ anything they
said.  But despite all his faults, he still had friends.  They just called him
Oz, or, on occasion, Oz man.  He didnÆt know where they got the man part from,
but it was, on the whole, not a bad name, so he let it slide.
     Humming æA Momentary Lapse of ReasonÆ by Pink Floyd, he walked across the
park jogging trail, unused at night by joggers, mostly because all of them had
disappeared.  In any normal circumstance, Oz would have noticed the two
shadows that followed him, but as IÆve mentioned before, this was no ordinary
night.  Especially not for Oz.  He had seen her again.

     Her.  Her name was Willow Rosenberg, and Oz thought that she was the most
beautiful, wonderful person he had ever met.  It was strange, he thought, that
he had fallen so hard for a girl, but nonetheless, it had happened.  He
remembered the first night he had ever seen her perfectly.  It was the night
of his bandÆs first gig at the local club, the Bronze.
*****
     Oz had been tired that night, mostly from fending off idiotic girls.  You
see, Oz knew he wasnÆt as handsome as the bandÆs lead singer, Devon. But most
girls thought that Devon was out of their league, so why not try for the lead
guitarist?  He practically had to fight them off with a stick, which was
always difficult, since he was in actuality, rather shy and soft spoken.
Whereas DevonÆs dance card was full, Oz didnÆt even have a concept of what one
was.  The only two dates he had ever agreed to had gone egregiously wrong, and
had both ended up with him suffering bodily injury.  On the three others he
was æset upÆ for, he had been cornered with DevonÆs left-overs, which meant
frightening nymphettes who couldnÆt stop both applying makeup and trying to
apply it onto you through mouth contact.  That would have been a plus, if he
had been Devon, but it seemed justà well, Odd to him to try to make it with
someone you didnÆt even know.
     So he had sworn off women for the time being.  Devon, who was, despite
his terrible taste in clothes that made him look like a Bono impersonator, his
terrible taste in girls who bought makeup by the pound, and his refusal to
sing to any of the metal songs Oz had written, his best friend, thought it was
the strangest thing on Earth, but Oz just laughed it off.  Truth be told, he
was waiting for Ms. Right.  The perfect girl.  "She canÆt wear too much
makeup, she wonÆt be obsessed with the band, she wonÆt shriek when she talksà"
Devon had just raised an eyebrow at him.  "Oz, lower your standards, man.
There are plenty of girls that are out thereà and -Willing-, if you know what
I mean."  He had nodded.  Oz never expected Devon to understand things like
that.  He was about as deep as a puddle after light rainfall.  What he had
often asked himself was if there was a girl out there who was honest, and
kind, and sweet, and pretty, and smartà and who wouldnÆt mind having a
boyfriend who played in a band and wore black nail polish.
     It was cultural exchange day, and everyone at the Bronze was laughing,
dancing, and having a good old time.  It was just reaching the end of their
first set, when Oz sawà her.  All the other girls had dressed up in little
slinky outfits, and were ambling about the room with blank looks on their
faces, but àher.  The girl had dressed up in a big, furry parka, and was
holding a harpoon.  Oz had almost burst out laughing right in the middle of
one of their songs that was about some guy or another who was dying.  Some
girl, not interested in how she would look, had come as an Eskimo, of all
things! All through the next two songs, he watched her.  She was alone,
apparently, and he could tell she was lonely by the way she kept glancing
around.  But when she looked towards the stage, Oz saw just how pretty she
was, even engulfed in the huge Eskimo outfit.  And talk about a display of
originality.  Right then and there, he made up his mind.  He would go talk to
her.  Just as soon as the song was over.  Before Devon had even finished
crooning the last note, he had unstrapped his guitar and was walking down the
steps.  Unfortunately, he was blind-sided by some makeup caked groupie, and
just for a moment, heÆd thought heÆd lost track of her.  But no, there she
was.  He took a deep breath, put out his hand--  And she ran off with some
other girl.  If heÆd only had five more seconds.  If Devon had only been
faster with his stupid vocalizing.  Fate can be cruel sometimes.
*****
    It would have been grossly inaccurate to describe Oz as æhaving a crushÆ.
From day one, some inner voice told him that it wasnÆt just a crush.  No, this
was an Obsession, bordering on insanity.  Soon, he found himself looking
around whenever he had nothing else to do, to see if she were somewhere
nearby.  But the most incredibly disturbing thing about it was that he
couldnÆt find out who she was.  He always seemed to just miss her, catch her
running off somewhere, and he couldnÆt very well go up to the school registrar
and say, "Hello, IÆve almost become a full-fledged stalker, do you think you
could give me a list of all the red-haired girls in the school?"  Even Devon,
in his infinite wisdom, hadnÆt known.  Oz really didnÆt mind that.  If Devon
had known who she was, he probably would already have rated her on his
romantic scale and written her name down in his little black book, which was
something Oz couldnÆt even bear to think of.
    But things were not the same as they once were.  Oz had even taken a
bullet for Willow, which, truthfully, he had deemed very well worth the cast.
Besides, a lead guitarist needs a few good scars.  He talked to her whenever
he had a chance.  He made sure not to follow her around like a puppy, but he
tried to appear as a friend.  And Willow seemed to like him.
     The shadows following Oz seemed to get closer, but he still was very
unaware of them.  Right now, he was thinking about Xander.  Xander Harris, his
foil, if you will.  Taller, darker haired, and much louder was HarrisÆ thing.
Oz hated him with a fiery passion.  Mostly because he and Willow had been
friends since practically birth.  Every time Oz got three seconds with Willow,
around the corner came charging Xander.  Oz really wanted to hit him
sometimes, and usually had to fight to control himself.
    But now, the short, average Generation Xer was fast becoming aware of two
extra sets of footsteps behind him.  He speeded up slightly.  They matched.
He went even faster.  They matched.  Oz swore under his breath, planted one
foot down firmly in the dirt and wheeled around.

     The two vampires, one male, one female, hissed at him through open jaws.
They hesitated for a moment, as they watched Oz stand there.

    Oz Man looked up at the bright, full moon, and turned his eyes back onto
the vampires.  "Boy, did you guys pick the wrong day."

To the casual observer, it would be too dark to see much of anything.  But to
anyone would maybe just happened to witness anything, the boy who seemed
unassuming and non-aggressive seemed to both grow in stature and maybe, just
maybeà get a little bit hairier.

The female vampire took a step back.
*****

Screams shook the trees for a mile around, and the Unsinkable Buffy Summers
heard them.  She looked up from the vampire she had just slain (who was,
incidentally, also following the two attacking Oz, butà slow and steady
doesnÆt always win the race) and pulled another stake from her bag.  Jogging
along the old trail, she ran head-on into a female vampire, sprayed with drops
of blood.

Buffy, or, as she was commonly known in the vampiric world, the Vampire
Slayer, never bothered asking questions, and immediately drove the wooden
stake home.  The demon exploded in a flash of ashes, which was really quite
pretty in the moonlight.  Jogging further down the trail, she tried to
pinpoint the attack, and discovered to her surprise, that there wasnÆt much of
anything happening there.  Wait.  Over thereà A body lay haphazardly out of
some bushes.  Buffy adjusted her bag and her Baby Tee, boots moving almost
noiselessly over the ground.  It was a male vampire, ripped open in what
appeared to be several different places.  The blood gurgled out, spreading
over the dirt in a crimson stain.  Half out of revulsion, and half out of
pity, Buffy Summers drove the stake intoàwhere itÆs heart should have been,
sending the dying (well, you know what I mean) vampire out of itÆs misery.

Suddenly, the park seemed much too quiet.  The crickets were even hushed, and
the air was completely still.  Holding the wooden stake ready, Buffy turned in
a full circle.  She couldnÆt see anything thereà yet she knew that it wasnÆt
the lady vamp that had slashed her latest kill to oblivion.  Backing out of
the clearing, Buffy Summers made her way home.  Maybe she could trick whatever
it was into attacking her.
*****
Silence.  Nothing moved in the clearing, save the fresh blood still seeping
into the ground.

A few minutes passed.

Soundlessly, Oz hopped down from the tree, frowning.  He wondered who the girl
was, and I donÆt mean that in a good way.  While Buffy stumbled home, Oz could
see quite clearly in the dark, and once again, he swore.

HeÆd never get the blood out of his shirt.

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Connie)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Descent Into Madness
Date: 23 Jan 1998 11:12:28 -0800

Title: Descent Into Madness [1/1]
Author: Connie Somerville Kotkin
E-mail: [e-mail]

Disclaimer: Buffy, Angel, Willow, Jenny, and all other mentioned
characters, except for Angelica,  belong to Joss, Mutant Enemy and the WB

Rating: PG-13

Distribution: Anyone who wants it, just let me know.
Feedback: Please. I love getting e-mail.

Spoilers: Innocence/Surprises

Summary: Buffy/Angel romance (kind of) and lots of Angst. This takes place
a couple of months after the episodes.
Author's Note: This is my way of dealing with these two episodes. I have
never cried as much as I did watching 'Surprises'. So to clear my mind for
my Calculus final yesterday (which I did so-so on) I wrote this. I wish for
a good end to all of this with the old Angel back, (even though I think the
bad Angel is cool) and Buffy and Angel a couple once more. I have to write
out the worse case scenario for how this could all end to make myself feel
better though. So here is my version of how bad things can be. Tell me if
you want me to write more, I have a sequel in mind but I need to work on
"Changes."




                  Descent Into Madness




        Open that door
        The time remaining is drawn in
        Open your eyes
        Look straight ahead
        Give me one last kiss
        Before you walk out

        Truly
        The wind
        Breaks off, the way
        My heart is held back
        Our paths split off
        Fate decided by the stars
        The one you chose
        The white route
        The looming future
        Don't get lost

        The sea stretches
        The wind blows
        It's a bit cold
        But you run away

        You are the one
        Do not forget
        Who I love the most
        Even though it is hard
        I see from here
        The desert sunrise


        She stood, looking down on the blood and ash that covered her. She
dropped her stake and fell on the ground, tears falling unnoticed from her
eyes. She touched the pile in front of her and collapsed next to it, she
could not do this again. It was too many, and she was nearing her last
straw.

        She was afraid, very afraid. His plan was working. She could feel
herself losing control, feel the sanity leaving her body. All of her
friends and loved ones she was forced to kill were bringing her closer and
closer to the edge. Anything else would push her over and then he would
have what he wanted.

        She expected it to happen soon. Every day, she waited for him to do
the one thing that would make her lose herself. Every moment, she was
waiting for him to come and claim her as his. If he did, she knew she would
do anything to make the agony end and to be with him again. Anything. Even
give herself up.

         She heard footsteps approach and jumped up. She saw her friends
come near, those that were left.

        "Buffy, are you all right?" the concerned voice of Jenny asked.

        She shook her head. "I - I can't do this anymore Jenny. I can't
take it. I should have killed him when I had the chance!" she yelled as she
threw herself into Jenny's arms.

        "I am so sorry Buffy. If I had known this was going to happen I
would have thought of something to prevent it." Jenny cried as she looked
at the spot where Buffy had laid. They were silent a moment while Jenny
tried to pull herself together. She had to be strong for them all,
especially for Buffy. "We have to get away before the others come. We can't
afford to let Angel see you like this. Willow, come on, let's take her to
your house."

        Willow walked over, and together they helped Buffy up and took her
to the car. Jenny took one last look at the place where Giles had died and
closed the car door behind Buffy.

*********

        After putting Buffy to sleep on her bed, Willow closed the door to
her room and went to speak with Jenny.

        "How are you taking this Willow? I know it has not been real easy
on you either."

        "I don't know how I feel. I am just numb inside, that is the only
way I can deal with all of this." She looked around her. "How did this
happen? Why did it happen?"

        "My people wanted vengeance for the deaths Angelus caused, so they
gave him the curse. But from what I have been able to gather, it was not
the way it should have been. Something went wrong, though I have not been
able to find out what." She paced the room in frustration. "And yet from
what Giles said, this is not the Angelus of old. Something has changed and
I think he still cares for Buffy and that is why he is doing the things he
has done."

        "You mean he has killed everyone close to her out of his love for
her? I can't  believe that."

        "But it is so true," a laughing voice intruded. Willow and Jenny
jumped and turned to look at him. "I love Buffy, so you know, I really
can't live without her and I don't intend to," he laughed.

        "What are you doing here?" Willow screamed.

        "Never let a vampire into your house Willow, you never know when
they might turn on you. As to why I am here, I am here to finish the job
and take what belongs to me. You two are the only ones she has left since
she killed all the other ones. Once I get rid of you there will be no one
left, and Buffy and I can live happily ever after." He stepped closer to
them his game face in place. "Shall we begin then?"

****************

        Open that window
        The time of yours
        Is beginning
        Close your eyes
        I wanted you to
        One last night kiss
        Remember it

************

        She stirred on the bed. She could feel him near and knew what was
to come. She opened her eyes and saw Jenny's lifeless body spread
throughout the room. She felt the madness bubbling within her as she got
out of the blood soaked bed and walked on the parts of her friend between
the bed to the door.

        She knew what she would see when she if she opened the door. She
had a choice now, a distant part of her brain could acknowledge. She could
leave and die intact by her won hand, or she could open the door and face
what was to come. She looked at the wall over the bed. He had left a
message for her: I love you Buffy,and there is still one more present for
you. She knew that she did not have a choice, she had already lost a lot of
who she had been. She knew that soon, Buffy Summers, Vampire Slayer, would
no longer exist. She opened the door.

        He was standing there, staring at the door and he smiled when he
saw her. "Hello Buffy, how are you feeling? Did you like my present?"

        She stared at him. He was holding a bloody Willow in his hands. She
looked in her pain fogged eyes and saw the hope that came into her eyes
when she saw her. Willow thought she could help her, thought that she was
still the Buffy she had first met. The one who risked everything to save a
potential friend. She thought that she could kill Angel for her when she
could not do it for Cordelia, Oz, Giles, Xander, and even her own mother.
That was the last straw, the dam broke and all of the things that she had
held inside of her since her 17th birthday broke free. It overwhelmed her
and the madness she had held at bay for months griped her and she laughed.

        She saw the fear that entered Willow's eyes and laughed harder. "I
can't help you Willow, I never could. I am sorry but that is the way it is.
How can I hope to help you when I can't help myself? When I don't want to
help myself. From the moment I met Angel, I was lost."

        "I am sorry Willow, it looks like your friend does not want to help
you." He threw her on the floor and walked towards the still laughing
Buffy. "Well my dear it seems like you are ready for the next step. What do
you say, do you want to play with me?" He grabbed her face and stared into
her eyes.

        She nodded her head as he smiled at her and lowered his teeth to
her neck.

        The last thought that Buffy Summers had before she left was that
she never had a chance. She should have taken the first opportunity to kill
Angel that she had. But she knew that she now knew that her first meeting
with Angel had led up to this. As the last of her humanity vanished she
smiled. At least she would get to be with her Angel soon, and nothing would
ever part them again.

*****************

        Buffy Summers died that day, but Angelica was born. Her first act
as a vampire was to take the life of one Willow Rosenburg. Willow meet
death in shock over what had happened to her friend. She was glad she was
dying though, for she feared to see what would happen to the world with a
mad Slayer turned Vampire in it.

******************

        Truly
        The sky
        Falls down, the way
        My heart cries
        Our paths separate
        Fate decided by the stars
        The one I chose
        The blue route
        The looming future
        Don't forget it

        The morning starts
        The people move
        It's a bit scary
        But you walk away

        I am the one
        Do not forget
        Who you love the most
        Even though it hurts
        I see from here
        The desert sunrise

The song is the translated version of 'Route Venus' written by Naoko Takeuchi.


 The end of Descent Into Madness















-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Ingrid E Stanton)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: "One Vampire's Headache..." (4/?)  by Ingrid
Date: 23 Jan 1998 17:24:40 EST

OK. First things firstà
DISCLAIMER: The characters of Buffy Sommers,
Angel, Xander, Willow, Cordy & company are the property
of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar Productions,
and The Warner Brothers Network, and are used without
permission. The author claims no rights to these characters.

Okay. This story takes place in an alternate Buffy universe. I
donÆt even want to talk about TuesdayÆs episode, so IÆm choosing
to ignore it. IÆll continue just as IÆve left off. This should be a nice
respite people who sighed and went back to the computer after
they saw the show on Monday/Tuesday. How icky.
If you donÆt get this, thatÆs 'cause you havenÆt read the other parts.
 If you want to get this, ask me for them. As always, comments
are truly welcome. Oh, and having been up until five in the
morning last night (this morning!?!) completing an analysis of
King Lear, I may be a little Zonked out, so pardon any errors or
lapses in logic! Enjoy!

*******
"One VampireÆs Headacheà" Part the Fourth
*******

    The wooden door was a whitish-beige, and rather
discreet. The building was concrete and quiet and plain. Nothing
was decorative, but nothing was messy. It was just a non-descript
building in a non-descript area that just happened to be home to
BuffyÆs favorite vampire.
    Buffy knocked on the door hastily. Hanging around
outside AngelÆs apartment made her nervous. Almost every
time sheÆd been here, theyÆd been closing this same door
against monsters. Not tomorrow, though. Tomorrow was the day
of weakness. Buffy smiled. Did he know?
    HeÆd said he wanted to see her in the light, and now he
could. It was more than a miracle. After a few moments, the door
creaked open, and she was confronted with a very sleepy-looking
Angel. His hair was disheveled, and he was rubbing his eyes as
he let the door open just a crack, careful not to let the sunlight touch
him. Buffy slipped inside.

"Hey."

"Hi. What are you doing here so early?"

"Huh?" Buffy looked at her watch: three-fifteen.

"I sleep during the day, remember? It may be afternoon for
you, but for me, itÆs the middle of the night."

"Oh. Sorry."

"ItÆs okay. Just pardon my appearance."

She kissed him gently. "Nothing *to* pardon," she murmured
close to his ear. Then her face straightened. "Angel?"

"hmm?"

"Have youàuhàbeen feeling strange lately?"

"What do you mean, Buffy?"

"What I mean is, does the demon seem weaker?"

"Now that you mention it, yes. IÆve been searching for an
explanation for it."

"Hey. I guess there are some things left that Giles has to
teach you."

"What did you find out?"

"Tomorrow is the day of weakness, or whatever that means.
Do you know about it?"

"What? The day of weakness? But there hasnÆt been one
for over three-hundred years."

"So youÆre  saying this isnÆt an annual thing?"

"No. Not at all. It has to do with planetary orbits and the position
of the cosmos. In fact, the day of weakness is such a rare
phenomenon that most vampires have never heard of it."

"How did you hear about it?"

"Well, IÆm just old enough to have learned about it through the
mortals that lived through the last day of weakness."

"But youÆve never experienced it?"

"Buffy, IÆm only 242."

She couldnÆt stifle a grin, but forced a serious expression when
she had recovered.

"So. How much do you know?"

"Next to nothing. IÆve heard that the demon becomes weak and we
lose most of our strength as a result. The demon should be easier
for my soul to handle. Most vampires wonÆt want to feed. I was told
theyÆd feel a bit sick to their stomachs, actually."

"Did you know that you can see the sun?"

"What?"

****************
End, Part 4. "If you find it silly, just keep your mouth shut."
ûSarah the nerd.
Send any comments, compliments, and flames (if you must)
to [e-mail].

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Ingrid E Stanton)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: DISCUSS: Dust (1/1) by Rebecca Carefoot
Date: 23 Jan 1998 20:12:20 EST

(Sniffle) Geez! You must be a glutton for punishment! More angst?
Okay...I'll admit it it: your fic was beautiful...and sad! The floating
soul thing was a great idea, but if I read any more angst, I'm gonna be
*very* depressed. Heck! I am depressed!
-Ingrid

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Lady RHood <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: DISCUSS: Dust (1/1) by Rebecca Carefoot
Date: 23 Jan 1998 23:03:36 EST

In a message dated 98-01-23 20:14:26 EST, you write:

<< (Sniffle) Geez! You must be a glutton for punishment! More angst?
 Okay...I'll admit it it: your fic was beautiful...and sad! The floating
 soul thing was a great idea, but if I read any more angst, I'm gonna be
 *very* depressed. Heck! I am depressed! >>


truth is... I started out writing the story to be a hopeful vignette.  To show
that Angel was still out there.  But it sort of turned out completely
differently from I thought...much sadder than I planned.
Maybe I will try again.

Rebecca

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Daughter of the Devil, Part 1 of ?
Date: 24 Jan 1998 09:19:56 -0500

TITLE: Daughter of the Devil, Part 1 of ?
AUTHOR: Joseph W Brogan
E-Mail: [e-mail]
WEBPAGE: http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Dimension/5477
FEEDBACK: Please!  (Why would I post this if I didn't want feedback? ^_^)
RATING: ?  Nothing really bad, I don't think.
CONTENT: Action/Adventure (not an "inner thought" or angst fic; this is
an adventure).
SUMMARY: A mysterious woman rescues some vampires from Buffy.
SETTING: Soon after "Innocence"
DISCLAIMER:  Joss Whedon owns the Buffy people, not me.

NOTE:  The "big old hairy mole" from The Movie is used in this story.
(Joss has not said that that part had changed from the movie, so I used
it.)


Buffy Summers came out of the movie chuckling.  She'd been rather leery
about seeing Mouse Hunt, but it had been the choice of the others.  Most
of the other movies were just too heavy for the gang right now, reeling
as they were from the recent events that had happened to them; their
comrade Angel had rejoined his vampiric companions; their trusted friend
Jenny Calendar had been revealed as an agent of the Kalderash people that
had cursed Angel in the first place.

Willow and Oz had suggested the movie in the first place, as a way for
the group to relax.  Oz had even given everyone a ride in his van,
although Giles had driven himself to the theater.  (He really was a great
guy, Oz,  Buffy thought.  Willow's lucky to have him.)  She made sure not
to think of Angel; that memory was still painful.  Giles currently wasn't
speaking to Miss Calendar; Buffy knew in her heart that Miss Calendar had
been on Angel's side...but that didn't change that she (or at least her
people) had been responsible for what had happened.

At least Xander and Cordelia had been relatively unscathed...although,
why did they get only a small popcorn?  Sheesh, they'd gotten up to get
refilled at least twice, and the line was apparently hellishly long,
(although it didn't appear to be quite that long from her vantage point.)

Buffy suddenly heard a scream from outside.  She ran out of a side exit
and stood on a loading dock.  Below, five people were being herded by
four gun-wielding individuals.  (Oh, great.  Time to be Super-Buffy,
Protector Of The Innocent, Buffy thought.  Why can't I just see a movie
in peace?)  "Okay, drop it!" she yelled.

Below, one of the gunmen, a rather thin person dressed in a black suit,
looked up.  "Well, I believe we are having here a personage that might be
satisfactory for our purposes, boys." the gunman said in an accent
straight out of a Mafia film (a really bad one, she mentally added).
"Let us be adding this female to our current takeout order, my guys."

 Buffy crouched in a fighting stance, and then realized what the Mafiosi
had said.

T A K E O U T.  (Oh great, she thought.  It's stakin' time!)  She leaped
over the dock railing as the men shot at her.  She landed in front of the
Mafiosi and kicked his gun out of his hand.  The others backed away as a
dark-skinned individual took the hostages over to a corner away from
Buffy.

"Oh ho!  I am believing that this is the Slayer that Don Angelus is so
hot to suck, guys.  Let us be...OOF!"  The other vampires leaped at Buffy
as soon as the word "Slayer" was mentioned.  (Idiots.)  Buffy immediately
took out two stakes and stabbed them into the chests of the two vamps.
The vampires slid off of the stakes and turned into dust clouds with a
muffled screaming sound.  "Oh no.  I am not happening to believe..."
Buffy immediately somersaulted at him, landing with her stake at his
heart.  "Hey! Your buddy's dust if you don't let those humans go!"

The other vampire dropped his gun and kicked it away from him, as the
humans overpowered him and ran out of the alley.  The Mafiosi vampire
struggled with Buffy's stake at his heart and one of her headbands in his
mouth.  " `Don Angelus?'  Geez, you vampires take these stupid
stereotypes really seriously, don't you?"  Buffy was about to plunge the
stake in when she heard a female voice above her.

"Let him go, girl."  The speaker was on an apartment balcony above Buffy.
 "What?!"  Buffy exclaimed.  The speaker stuck out its arm.  Blue
lightning flashed from it, electrocuting Buffy's stake hand.  Buffy
screamed and let the vampire go.  "I am thanking you profusely, Miss
Thunder Bolt."  "You can thank me by leaving. NOW!"  The vampire ran out
of the alley with its companion.  The speaker leaped down to the ground.
"So, this is the Slayer." the woman said.  "Yeah, don't remind me.  And
you?"  The woman stepped into the light.  She had brown hair, rather tan
(but still light) skin, and was wearing a white dress.  "Well, I can't
tell you that now."  Buffy reached into her purse and drew out a hand
crossbow, firing it at the woman.  The bolt flew toward the woman...and
bounced right off her chest.  "Oh!  Um...`Ouch'."  Buffy stared in
disbelief, and the woman snorted.  "I really expected more from a Slayer.
Oh well."  The woman turned to go, and then turned back.  "Oh! I've got
something you should see."  She drew down her dress just enough to
uncover a large blemish.  One that Buffy recognized quite well. `The
Mark'.  The woman laughed and left the alley.

Buffy reentered the theater and saw Xander, Cordelia, and Giles heading
for Giles' car.  "Where've you been, Buffy?" Cordelia said.  "Willow and
Oz went home alone, so Giles'll be driving us."  Buffy sighed.  "It's a
long story involving more of the usual happy Hellmouth hijinks."  "Oh,
really?" Giles said.  "Yes, Giles.  I guess we'll be taking a detour
somewhere."  Giles exited the parking lot and headed away from their
houses...and to the library.  It was going to be a LONG night.



===============================================================
A Message from the Grand Nagus AKA Latinum Racer and Shadam
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Dimension/5477/

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Ingrid E Stanton)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: "One Vampire's Headache..." (5/?) by Ingrid
Date: 24 Jan 1998 16:10:12 EST

Let me get this over withà
IÆm changing my disclaimer. Why? Dunno. IÆm bored. I
lovingly borrow the  characters from "Buffy the Vampire
Slayer," and do not intend to keep them. ItÆs not my show.
In fact, the characters arenÆt even mine! (Can you believe
it?) But anyway, they belong to the WB, Joss "donÆt you
just hate me" Whedon, Sandollar Productions &
("grrr, argh!") Mutant Enemy.

SUMMARY: LetÆs seeà This is part 5, right? Just crawling
along, isnÆt it? Well anyway, in this one, weÆll be treated to
the continuation of the conversation between Angel and
Buffy. Okay. This story takes place in an alternate Buffy
universe. IÆm currently in shock, so consider me unaware
of the Surprise/Innocence yucky *thing* they called an
episode. If you donÆt get this, thatÆs cause you havenÆt
read the other parts. If you want to get this, ask me for
them. If you donÆtàwellàI donÆt need *you* either!!! Please
send me mail. I love to talk. You can comment on my stories,
or ask me about my theories regarding AngelÆs return to
goodness. (Forgive my sentences. IÆm still very sleepy- heh!
The worst part is that now I have to read "Passage to India."
No rest for the weary, I suppose.) And I love to chat about the
episodes, so write to me at [e-mail].

I am so long windedà

***
"One VampireÆs Headacheà" Part the Fifth
***

"The weight of this sad time we must obey,
Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say.
The oldest hath borne most; we that are young
Shall never see so much nor live so long."
--King Lear
***

"Did you know that you can see the sun?"

"What?"

"You can see the sun Angel! The sun canÆt kill vampires
on the Day of Weakness!"

Angel smiled queasily.

Buffy immediately recognized his hesitation. "WhatÆs wrong?"

"Nothing."

Her voice became deeper; more serious. "Uh uh, mister.
YouÆre not clamming up on me again. I thought you said you
wanted to be able to see me in the sun"

"I do."

"Then *what?*"

"Buffy, I havenÆt been in the sun for more than two-hundred
years! I canÆt justà"

"YouÆre afraid?"

He stood there almost without reaction for a second. "What
if I canÆt? We donÆt know that itÆs true. Anything written is just
mythology Buffy. How it actually works out is another thing.
Remember when you killed the master? You were supposed
to die. How do I know that I can go outside?"

"Oh yeah." She looked at her feet. Then turned away."

"Buffy?"

She didnÆt react.

"Buffy!" He grabbed her arm and spun her around gently.
 "Buffy." She was close to tears. He pulled her towards him,
and she didnÆt resist.

"I could have killed you, Angel," she whispered into his chest.

"ItÆs okay Buffy."

"I just- I just wanted it so badlyà"

"I know. But we donÆt know yet. WeÆll have to test it out."

"What?" She pulled away a little, confused.

"Come here tomorrow. In the morning. If you see any vampires
outside, you know itÆs true."

"But Giles said that I wonÆt be able to sense them as well."

"If youÆve ever used fashion to figure out who was a vampire,
youÆll use it now."

"Right. The power of suburban living." She looked at the door.

"You have to go." It was more of a statement than a question.

"Yeah. Giles said I need to get back to the library to prepare."
She kissed him and began backing towards the door. "IÆll
see you tomorrow morning."

"IÆll be here."

*****
END OF PART FIVE. Are you still alive?
"If you find it silly, just keep your mouth shut." ûSarah the nerd.

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Amy Clayborn)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Fw: My Heart Will Go On 1/1
Date: 26 Jan 1998 06:38:03 PST



Title: My Heart Will Go On
Author: Sapphire
E-mail: [e-mail]
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Angel and Buffy belong to Joss Whedon and Mutunt Enemy, I am =
just borrowing
them for a bit. I promise to return them unharmed ;) The song 'My Heart =
Will Go On' is from the
movie and Titanic, and is sang by Celine Dion, and I don't own that eithe=
r ;)
Distribution.: okay to archive anywhere, just leave my name and e-mail =
with it

This is my first Buffy fanfic, although I have been writing X-Files fanfi=
c under different names
for a couple of years. Feedback would be very much appreciated. This is =
basically a slayerangst
piece. Hope that you like it.


My Heart Will Go On.
by Sapphire


That song pays on the radio 5,000 times a day, and I am pretty
sure that I have heard it every time since that day. You know,
we saw that movie together, Angel and I. It was our one attempt
at an actual normal date. It was nice to get out of that cemetery
for once.

Gee, that's a sentence you don't hear very often, I bet.
Such is my life.

After he walked me home and we talked and he told me some
stories that he had heard about the Titanic when it happened.

Yes, it is much weird to have your boyfriend telling you
'Where I was when' stories about something that happened
almost ninety years ago. But it was nice anyway.

When I watched that movie I thought that Angel's death
was about the least of my worries, seeing that he is
immortal and all. I mean, we put ourselves in danger so
much, I...I don't know, maybe I just never let the actual
possibility sink in.

 I was so wrong.

What he is, what happened, its worse than death, and it is all
my fault. I feel like I am in hell. I look at his face, hear his
voice, see his body, and they all belong to the guy I love.

Then I look in his eyes.

That is when I know that my Angel is really gone. They are cold,
calculating, loathing.

Pure evil.

I almost wish he *were* dead. It would be easier to take than
listening to the same voice that said 'I love you' to me say
such ugly things now. Part of me wants to die when I hear it.
The other part of me is raging that fate, God, gypsies,
whatever, could use something as beautiful as what we shared to
turn him into the monster that he is now. How could I have been
so stupid? What was I thinking? How could I have known what would
happen? I keep asking myself these questions over and over,
like a bad song that I can't get out of my head. He tried to warn
me that it might not be a good idea, but Buffy the Raging Hormone
wouldn't listen to him. I just loved him so much...no, I *love*
him so much. Present tense. I am in love with someone who doesn't
exist anymore. The soul I love is gone and the demon has taken
its place again. Most girls have to worry about STD's and babies
when they have sex the first time. Me, I turn my boyfriend back
into a blood-sucking vamp fiend after one time.

It doesn't feel like it now, but I know that the song is true.
I will go on, my heart will go on. I will always love the Angel
I knew, but if I don't find a way to get him back, I will have to
do it. I will have to kill him. I will want to die if that
happens, but my heart will go on. But, it won't ever forget.
I will never forget what he had. And I know that wherever
*my* Angel is, he would want me to kill Angelus, and go on.
I will go on, and he will go on...in me. Becuase I keep him
here in my heart, and my heart will go on.

The end.


Short and sweet, and right to the ansgt ;) Please let me know what you =

thought!




-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Amy Clayborn)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: My Heart Will Go On 1/1
Date: 25 Jan 1998 10:20:23 PST

Title: My Heart Will Go On
Author: Sapphire
E-mail: [e-mail]
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Angel and Buffy belong to Joss Whedon and Mutunt Enemy, I am =
just borrowing
them for a bit. I promise to return them unharmed ;) The song 'My Heart =
Will Go On' is from the
movie and Titanic, and is sang by Celine Dion, and I don't own that eithe=
r ;)
Distribution.: okay to archive anywhere, just leave my name and e-mail =
with it

This is my first Buffy fanfic, although I have been writing X-Files fanfi=
c under different names
for a couple of years. Feedback would be very much appreciated. This is =
basically a slayerangst
piece. Hope that you like it.


My Heart Will Go On.
by Sapphire


That song pays on the radio 5,000 times a day, and I am pretty
sure that I have heard it every time since that day. You know,
we saw that movie together, Angel and I. It was our one attempt
at an actual normal date. It was nice to get out of that cemetery
for once.

Gee, that is a sentence you don't hear very often, I bet.
Such is my life.

After he walked me home and we talked and he told me some
stories that he had heard about the Titanic when it happened.

Yes, it is much weird to have your boyfriend telling you
'Where I was when' stories about something that happened
almost ninety years ago. But it was nice anyway.

When I watched that movie I thought that Angel's death
was about the least of my worries, seeing that he is
immortal and all. I mean, we put ourselves in danger so
much, I...I don't know, maybe I just never let the actual
possibility sink in.

 I was so wrong.

What he is, what happened, its worse than death, and it is all
my fault. I feel like I am in hell. I look at his face, hear his
voice, see his body, and they all belong to the man I love.

Then I look in his eyes.

That is when I know that my Angel is really gone. They are cold,
calculating, loathing.

Pure evil.

I almost wish he *were* dead. It would be easier to take than
listening to the same voice that said 'I love you' to me say
such ugly things now. Part of me wants to die when I hear it.
The other part of me is raging that fate, God, gypsies,
whatever, could use something as beautiful as what we shared to
turn him into the monster that he is now. How could I have been
so stupid? What was I thinking? How could I have known what would
happen? I keep asking myself these questions over and over,
like a bad song that I can't get out of my head. He tried to warn
me that it might not be a good idea, but Buffy the Raging Hormone
wouldn't listen to him. I just loved him so much...no, I *love*
him so much. Present tense. I am in love with someone who doesn't
exist anymore. The soul I love is gone and the demon has taken
its place again. Most girls have to worry about STD's and babies
when they have sex the first time. Me, I turn my boyfriend back
into a blood-sucking vamp fiend after one time.

It doesn't feel like it now, but I know that the song is true.
I will go on, my heart will go on. I will always love the Angel
I knew, but if I don't find a way to get him back, I will have to
do it. I will have to kill him. I will want to die if that
happens, but my heart will go on. But, it won't ever forget.
I will never forget what he had. And I know that wherever
*my* Angel is, he would want me to kill Angelus, and go on.
I will go on, and he will go on...in me. Becuase I keep him
here in my heart, and my heart will go on.

The end.


Short and sweet, and right to the ansgt ;) Please let me know what you =

thought!



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Ingrid E Stanton)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: "One Vampire's Headache..." (6/?) By Ingrid
Date: 26 Jan 1998 15:45:33 EST

Let me get this over withà
I lovingly borrow the  characters from "Buffy the Vampire
Slayer," and do not intend to keep them. ItÆs not my show.
In fact, the characters arenÆt even mine! (Can you believe
it?) But anyway, they belong to the WB, Joss "donÆt you
just hate me" Whedon, Sandollar Productions &
("grrr, argh!") Mutant Enemy.

SUMMARY: Part 6, where we return to the beloved Spike and
Dru very briefly. Alternate Buffy universe and all that (blah blah
blah). If you donÆt get this, thatÆs cause you havenÆt read
the other parts. If you want to get this, ask me for them.
If you donÆtà wellàI donÆt need *you* either!!! Please
send me mail at [e-mail] again, IÆve been
up at all hours of the night, so forgive me- I know not what
I write.

Voila!

***
"One VampireÆs Headacheà" Part the Sixth
***

"Love? IÆm not feelinÆ too well," Spike called from the
bed. His head felt heavier than lead, and the worst
part was that he had one hell of a headache.

Dru drifted into the room listlessly, lowering her wilted
form on the bed fairly gracefully next to Spike. "IÆm not
either, Spike? WhatÆs wrong? Did the curse wear off?"

Spike screamed from the top of his lungs. "Bacchus!!"

There was only silence. "*Bacchus!*"

He was about to call the vampire again, but figured that
he and Dru wouldnÆt be a match for a strong vampire.
He neednÆt have called twice anyway. Bacchus, a large
burly dark-haired vamp practically crawled into the room.

"Forgive me, Spike. I can hardly stand."

"What is the meaning of this? Katherine? Geoffrey?"

"They have fallen. Katherine sleeps in a chair and
Geoffrey is nearly dead."

Spike turned in surprise as Dru began to shake violently.
A low hum became louder and louder until she was
screeching and nearly weeping at the same time. "*ItÆs a
bad day,*" she roared, "A VERY VERY BAD DAY!!!" She
flew to the other end of the room, just barely able to snatch
at one of her dolls before they both fell to the ground. She
clutched at the doll, which had fallen a few feet from her.

"WhatÆs that, Molly?" She turned to Spike, rolling her head
against the cement floor. "Molly says itÆs the Day of
Weakness, Spike."

"And we canÆt have a party today," she whined, beginning
to sulk. Her face became dark with thought. Instantly, her
features brightened. "àso weÆll just have to go outside
and play!" She pushed herself up on her knees.
***
END, PART 6. Whaddaya think? Send comments to [e-mail]
Where are my digests? I'm writing this in hopes that I'll get one
sometime soon!

_____________________________________________________________________
You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail.
Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com
Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]


-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: LMcint6188 <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: "One Vampire's Headache..." (6/?) By Ingrid
Date: 26 Jan 1998 19:25:40 EST

Wow, it is coming out great....... keep it coming... I long for more!
LINS

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Vapthorne <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Buffy-Fic: Sins of the Mother 1/9
Date: 26 Jan 1998 21:25:58 -0500

Title: Sins of the Mother (1 of 9)

Author: Vapthorne

E-Mail: [e-mail]

Distribution: I would love to have this work distributed, but please ask first.

Spoilers: A little from "School Daze", "Angel", and "Bad Eggs".

Rating: I think PG for right now.


Disclaimer: Joyce Summers, and any other characters from Buffy the Vampire

Slayer are the creation and property of Joss Weldon, I do not own them.

However the characters: Rebecca Casey, Dalton Plague, Cecil Kane, Thaos, and

the Necromancer, etc. are my creations and you got ask me to use them.


Feedback: Please..


Summary: While Buffy is busy 'studying' with Giles and the other. Her mother

looks back to when she was Buffy's age and recalls some interesting memories.


Author's Note: I had some trouble digging up any background information on

Joyce Summers, like her maiden name and so forth. So, most of what I using I

made up. If there is any information from the show that I did not discover

conflicts with the basics, I am using let me know so I can change.


Sins of the Mother: Chapter One



    Joyce Summers wondered what is becoming of her only child. Ever since that

accident back in Los Angeles where the school gym burned down, her daughter,

Buffy, has been a different girl. She is always late coming home, she being

increasingly irresponsible and she's letting her grades fall behind.

Suddenly, the ringing sound of the telephone interrupted Joyce's thought.


    "Hello." Joyce picked up the receiver.


    "Hey, Mom, it's me Buffy." Her voice traveled over, "Listen, Me, Willow,

and Xander are going to be studying all night with Giles in the library."


    "Buffy, it's late enough as it is."


    "I know, but we got this important test tomorrow, and I need to get a good

grade in order to pass Biology."


    "All right, but I want to see that test paper."


    "You will, Mom. I love you, bye."


    The dial tone was the only thing heard when Joyce slowly hanged up the

telephone. Her concern for her daughter now increased. Buffy has been doing

all this late night studying, and her grades still showed no improvement. In

addition, she's been studying with that librarian Giles.


When Joyce went to pick up her daughter at school one time she noticed

several books with subjects ranging from Ancient Demons to Black Magick

lying around on the table. Giles told Joyce that they were merely a simple

hobby of his and it had nothing to do with her daughter. Nevertheless, that

did not shake Joyce's concern. Shortly after that time, she forgot the next

couple of hours. She came to her senses in the school basement and people

told her that there was a gas leak.


Now, Joyce's mind started to recall several odd occurrences that happened

when she moved to Sunnydale. That parent teacher night when those groups of

thugs attacked the school. Their faces were most peculiar. Principal Snyder

said that they were one some drug, but she recognized those faces before.

They were Vampires, a crossbreed of humans and demons. Joyce can remember

the face of any vampire when they seek to drink blood, for it was a face she

seen one too many times. She knew she shouldn't had left Buffy go off to

fight them that night. Joyce was lucky she came to her daughter's aide

before it was too late.


The previous incident that occurred last year had hit closer to home. A

catholic schoolgirl named Darla came over saying she was here to help Buffy

with her history. She didn't suspect that Darla was a vampire at the time so

she invited her into her home. When Joyce realized that Darla was a demon,

it was too late because the vampire had attacked her and began to feed.  She

counted her blessings that her daughter, Buffy, wasn't attacked by that

vampire. When Buffy came home, it must have scarred Darla. When she called

911, she thought that her mother accidentally stabbed herself with a meat

fork. Joyce knew she doesn't own but she accepted that story for Buffy's

sake, and did the best she can do not to let anyone know what really happened.


"The last thing I want my daughter to learn that demons and goblins really

exist, that truth would be too much to bare." Joyce thought to herself as

she sat back recalling the time when she was Buffy's age she learns that

such beings from dark mythologies was out there. The memory of her

encounters with some of them were still fresh in her mind, no matter how

hard she tried to move on to forget.







Vapthorne

----------


********-my minions-**********

* NU-RPG: <color><param>ffff,0000,0000</param>Jasper </color>and
<color><param>0000,0000,ffff</param>Aria    </color>*

* CardeaRPG: <color><param>ffff,0000,ffff</param>Mercury
</color>*

******************************

<color><param>ffff,0000,ffff</param>

</color>------------------------------------------------------------------------

Keeper of Buffy's First day in Sunnydale and her vampire form Nightmares

Proud Keeper of Ethan's broken statue of Janus (all I need is super glue)



<underline>Giles</underline>: The good guys are valiant and true. The bad
guys

   are always distinguishable by their pointy horns and black hats.

   We always manage to defeat them. Nobody ever dies and we all

   live happily ever after.

<underline>Buffy</underline>: Lair!



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Vapthorne <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Buffy Fic: Sins of the Mother 2/9
Date: 26 Jan 1998 21:28:35 -0500

Title: Sins of the Mother (2 of 9)

Author: Vapthorne

E-Mail: [e-mail]

Distribution: I would love to have this work distributed, but please ask first.

Spoilers: None

Rating: I think PG-13 for right now.


Disclaimer: Joyce Summers (aka Joy Matthews), and any other character from

Buffy the Vampire Slayer are the creation and property of Joss Whedon. I do

not own them. However the characters: Rebecca Casey, Dalton Plague, Cecil

Kane, Thaos, and the Necromancer, etc.  are my creations and you got ask me to use

them.


Summary: While Buffy is busy 'studying' with Giles and the other. Her mother

looks back to when she was Buffy's age and recalls some interesting memories.


Author's Note about Joyce Summers: I had some trouble digging up any

background information on Joyce Summers, like her maiden name and so forth.

So, most of what I using I made up. For instance, I decided to use Matthews

as her maiden name, because I don't think the show mentioned it yet (at

least I have not heard it). If there is any information from the show that I

didn't discover conflicts with the basics, I'm using let me know so I can

change.


Help Wanted: I loved the feedback I received so far, in order to make Sins

of the Mother a success I would like to have some people willing to act as

proofreaders for my upcoming chapters. If interested, let me know. Enjoy :)


Sins of the Mother: Chapter Two




    Joyce Summers now recalled when she was around Buffy's age. She was

seventeen at the time and she lived in the small town of Silver Heights.

Which is outside of L.A. on the other side of the hellmount, Sunnydale?

Joyce had gone by her maiden name, Joy Matthews, when she attended her

senior year of high school.


    Joy made several attempts in the past ten minutes trying to open her

locker. She cursed quietly to herself as she tried to match the numbers.

Surprisingly, Joyce looked a lot like her daughter, Buffy, when she was that

this age. The stubborn locker finally opened and Joy was able to retrieve

her books. She grabbed her book for Chemistry and proceeded to head for her

nest class.


    "Hey Joy." Rebecca Casey, an Asian girl with long hair sported in a

ponytail, welcome Joy as she took her seat. Rebecca and Joy had been best

friends since the beginning of time.


    "Hey Rebecca." Joy exchanged her greetings, "Are we still going to the

Aphrodite tonight?"


    "Plans haven't changed."


    "Groovy."


    "Miss Matthews and Miss Casey, does your conversation hold more over my

class?" The chemistry teacher scolded the two teens. "Now class, please open

to page 192 for today's lesson."


    Later on that day...


    Joy and Rebecca had met at the Aphrodite as planned. The Aphrodite was a

local club where teenagers would hang out. The establishment was like the

Bronze, but in lighter colors. The hottest bands would come in and play and

this place served as the only hot spot in Silver Height.


    "What will you two hip chicks have?" The waiter asked Rebecca and Joy.


    "I'll have a Coca-Cola." Joy ordered.


    "Make mine a diet." Rebecca replied.


    The waiter wrote down their orders and proceeded to get their sodas.

Abruptly, a voice spooked the girls from behind. "Boo!"


    The two teens jumped and turned around and saw a tall man with light brown

hair and wire-frame glasses. "Dalton!" They slapped him hard on the chest

for that brief moment of fright.


    "What was that for?" He asked.


    "Take a wild guess." Joy retorted.


    Dalton took a seat right next the two girls. He always found himself

hanging out with them two. Why not, Joy was his friend, and Rebecca was his

girlfriend. "So what's new?"


    "We have no idea." Joy answered.


    "Did you hear about the recent murders?" Dalton asked.


    "No we didn't." Rebecca became more curious by the second. "What happened."


    "Several young woman have been brutally murdered. It looked like something

out of a horror movie." Dalton explained. "One young girl had bite marks on

her neck and her blood was drained."


    "Hrm." Joy thought, "That sounds familiar. Shit, I can't remember what

they're called."


    "What's what called?" Rebecca asked.


    "Those monster, you know, the one with the fangs, they sleep in coffins,

bat-like and they drink blood." Joy described.


    "Zombies?" Dalton guessed.


    "No not zombies." Joy said.


    "Claudia Ericson?" Rebecca announced.


    "That's a close guess." Joy joked.


    "No." She replied, "Claudia is here at The Aphrodite." They all turned to

her directed.


    In every generation, there is a chosen one. She is destined to the spoiled,

snobby, and shallow one. In Joy's generation that was Claudia, who was your

typical popular rich girl that was an awful mixture of Marsha Brady and

Cordelia Chase. She saw the others staring at her and decided to give them a

piece if your mind.


    "What are you losers looking at?" The redhead demurred.


    "What the matter, Claudia, no one ever gave you the evil eye before?" Joy

snickered.


    "You think you're so funny don't you, Joy?" She retorted and she then

turned to Rebecca who quietly laughing to herself. "And I don't know why we

let you in here, after what you did to Pearl Harbor."


    "My family came from Singapore."  Rebecca informed Claudia.


    "So?" Claudia wondered.


    "The Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor." Dalton said.


    "You're point?" Claudia asked.


    Joy took a gasp at Claudia's stupidity and decided to go back to her

original topic. "Vampires." She said, "That's what they're called."


    "You people are strange..." Claudia decided that she done enough

socializing with them, her friends would arrive shortly and she didn't want

them to see this.


      The waiter returned and delivered the girls their cokes. He noticed the

addition at the table and asked Dalton what he wanted.


     "I'll have a coffee with cream and sugar." Dalton asked.


    "Right away sir." The waiter acknowledged his order.


    "Anyway, Vampires?" He questions.


    "Yeah, vampires. Those monsters that drink blood." Joy explained.


    "You think a 'vampire' killed that girl." Rebecca asked.


    "Of course not. Vampires are not real. They're creates that only exist in

horror stories, under your bed, and on Halloween."  Joy comforted, "The ones

you see on Halloween night don't go for blood, they go for candy. Don't get

scared."


    "You're the one who knows about this stuff." Dalton commented. "I'm

surprised you don't get the spooked about it."


    "I only read a few books on the subject." She told them.


    The waiter brought the coffee to Dalton and he moved on to the other

customers that keep on coming in. The three briefly continued their casual

conversation on demon before they moved on to other topic. In the heavy

crowd of the Aphrodite, a cloaked figure from a dark corner watched the

three closely. The figure charcoal emerald wrap blacked his facial features

completely.


    Shortly after the Aphrodite closed, Joy Matthews found herself walking home

in the dark night. Rebecca and Dalton lived on the other side of town so

they took separate paths. Joy started to get worried about walking home by

herself this late at night. Those stories about the murders and the

conversation on vampires were more than enough to make anyone scared. She

thought it would be best to walk where there is light. It wasn't sunlight,

it was streetlight, but Joy prayed it would work. At least, it proved to be

a good idea.


    However, Joy was wrong, because the next thing she knew, a tall man

attacked her when they were near the park. The man grabbed her by the neck

and she tried to pull his hands away from her, but she wasn't strong enough.

In the midst of the struggle, Joy got a good look at the guy's face, and she

realized she was in trouble. The face was not that of a human, it was pale

and slightly demonic, as if the guy was on drugs or something. The thugs

smiled at the sight of his victim revealing his fangs.


    It was that split-second that Joy knew that this was no mortal. It was a

vampire, like the one she mentioned. Perhaps this vampire was the exact one

who killed that girl a few days ago. The vampire slowly inched toward her

neck to taste blood. She had difficulty breathing let alone screaming for

help. She knew she was going to die.


    Nevertheless, she was not ready to die just yet. Taking the only action

possible, she stamped on the demon's foot. The demon shrieked in pain and a

forced to let go his meal. Joy then did the next logical thing, she ran away

for that things as fast as she can. The bloodsucker pursued and with in the

trees he managed to grab her left foot, which caused her to fall. She

quickly found that the monster was on top of her. Unable to break free, Joy

took a quick look around the environment and she found a small tree branch

that must of broken off a tree. The branch had a very shape edge, which was

perfect. She knew that a wooden stake in the heart was a popular way to kill

a vampire.


    The branch was the closet thing to a branch so she grabbed the branch and

punctured the vampire's heart. In the brief moment that vampire stood still,

Joy pushed him out the way and got some distance. The reanimated corpse

petrified into a brown dirt-like state and then combusted into dust. Joy

stood in shock as she pieced together what happened. This was the first time

she seen a vampire, and the turning to dust was something very new.


    The wind picked up to blow the dust away. It traveled a several yards in

the air until some of the vampire leftovers collected on the boots of the

same cloaked figure that was watching Joy at the Aphrodite earlier this night.





Vapthorne

----------


********-my minions-**********

* NU-RPG: <color><param>ffff,0000,0000</param>Jasper </color>and
<color><param>0000,0000,ffff</param>Aria    </color>*

* CardeaRPG: <color><param>ffff,0000,ffff</param>Mercury
</color>*

******************************

<color><param>ffff,0000,ffff</param>

</color>------------------------------------------------------------------------

Keeper of Buffy's First day in Sunnydale and her vampire form Nightmares

Proud Keeper of Ethan's broken statue of Janus (all I need is super glue)



<underline>Giles</underline>: The good guys are valiant and true. The bad
guys

   are always distinguishable by their pointy horns and black hats.

   We always manage to defeat them. Nobody ever dies and we all

   live happily ever after.

<underline>Buffy</underline>: Lair!



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Ingrid E Stanton)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: DISCUSS: Dust
Date: 26 Jan 1998 23:15:11 EST

Rebecca-
Try something happy! I just read "All I See" off the net, and it was
excellent! Tomorrow will provide a strong dose of depression, I fear!
-Ingrid

_____________________________________________________________________
You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail.
Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com
Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]


-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Ingrid E Stanton)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: "One Vampire's Headache..." (7/?) by Ingrid
Date: 26 Jan 1998 23:15:11 EST

DISCLAIMER:
IÆm borrowing characters from "Buffy the Vampire
Slayer," & claim no rights to them whatsoever.
They belong to the WB, Joss Whedon,
Sandollar Productions & Mutant Enemy.

SUMMARY: Part 7, the morning after the conversation in part 5.
Alternate Buffy universe. If you donÆt get this, thatÆs cause you
havenÆt read the other parts. If you want to get this, send me
mail at [e-mail].
I should warn youà IÆm becoming a nocturnal creature, and
can no longer function when writing. Remember that I am not
responsible for the fact that my story makes absolutely *no*
sense whatsoever, soà

Read at your own riskà

Egads! This is so unexpectedly angsty! You'll like this one!

***
"One VampireÆs Headacheà" Part the Seventh
***

"Come, letÆs away to prison.
We two alone will sing like birds in the cage."
--King Lear
***

Buffy strode through the damp grass at dawn, heading
directly for Sunnydale highàor the first vampire that
happened to get in her way. This part was easy, Buffy
thought, looking around at the vacant buildings.

*The only people crazy enough to be out here at this
time of day are vampires and the slayer, and luckily, the
only other slayer I know lives on another continent.*

Buffy enjoyed the cool air on her skin, and the sheer
anticipation of everything around her. The very grass
seemed straining at its roots. Someone else was
waiting too, she remembered, walking more purposefully.

It didnÆt take her long to find what she was looking for.
A distinctly 70Æs chick was making her way across the
football field. The disco pants told all, Buffy thought with
a curve of her lips. Oh how they tried. They just didnÆt
realize that 20 years for humans were a lot different
than 20 years for them.

"Grrooovy!" Buffy shouted across the lawn.

The girl whipped around instantaneously. She was fairly
young, with long frizzy dark hair.

"Love the outfit, girlfriend. Too bad thereÆs not a disco
ball around when you need one."

"The slayer?" Her voice was quiet. It was *weird.*
She almost seemed feeble.

"ThatÆs right. Hours of operation are 9 to midnight. Please
call again."

The vampire turned and attempted to run. Her run quickly
became a jog, and Buffy easily caught up with her, plunging
a steak through her heart. Buffy breathed a sigh of
excitement as the vampire dissolved into nothing more than
dust. This meantà

Buffy had to restrain herself from skipping the rest of the way
to AngelÆs place. She gave up her calm walk and took off at
full speed. She finally reached his door, out of breath and
bursting with happiness.

"Angel!" She rapped hard at the heavy door.

Angel answered slowly once again. She kept forgetting:
bedtime. When the door at last rolled open to reveal Angel
standing there, Buffy lost all the control sheÆd been trying for.

"Angel!" She flew into his arms.

He barely had time to react and she was kissing his face
and neck exuberantly. She took a few short breaths before
exploding in conversation.

"Angel," she panted, "ItÆs true! ItÆs true! I just killed a vamp
and she turned to dust outside in the sunlight, and geez, Angel,
she was dressed in these absolutely horrible seventies clothes,
and she was so weak that she actually tried to run, and she
couldnÆt! Have you ever heard of anything like that? She couldnÆt
even run. It was weird. But youÆre- Oh my God, Angel, are you
okay?"

He released a gentle slow breath. "IÆm just a little tired, Buffy."
It took her a few minutes to register, and then her eyes flew open.

"You breathed!"

He stared at her for a moment, not registering what sheÆd
just said. Then it got through. He took a deep breath and
felt the sensation of oxygen passing in and out of his lungs,
restoring him; filling him. "I breathed," he repeated gently, gazing
intently into her eyes. He kissed her passionately, enjoying the
sensation of simply needing air, breaking away, and returning
to her lips to double the intensity. It had been so long.
HeÆd barely remembered how good it felt.

Angel, I killed a vamp! YouÆve got to come outside now! We
canÆt waste another second!

She looked back up at him to convince him of her point, but
his eyes were focused on something beyond her.

"What is it, Angel?" Her voice was concerned

"Look," he said simply, turning her gently by the shoulders.
Her searching gaze dropped to the mirror, where she saw
herself standing thereà with Angel behind her.

*My God.*

*He was in the mirror.*

Buffy clapped a hand to her mouth and felt her heart rise
in her chest. She began to feel a wetness at the corners
of her eyes and she turned back to him.

"Oh *Angel*"

She was not prepared for it. Streaming tears escaped
down AngelÆs pale cheeks. She clamped him to her as hard
as she could, waiting for the surge of emotions to quell. They
didnÆt, but she regained as much of her composure as possible,
wiping hard at the tracks on her face.

"Angel," she choked. He grabbed her hand. "LetÆs go outside."

***
Didja like? I spend my precious, precious time with this. =|  Please give
me some input! ([e-mail]). =)
"Why does my stupid *life* have to get in the way of my stories?"
--Ingrid

_____________________________________________________________________
You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail.
Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com
Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]


-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Tannim Umoren <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: Ill MEt By Moonlight, part 19 of 19
Date: 25 Jan 1998 15:35:31 -0600

This was a very good fic.  I really like the way you brought in the Romani.
That's an angle very few have ever done before until "Innocence" that is.
Your character Sasha was excellently done.  She seems to be very like buffy
in the aspect that at first she doesn't want the responsibility of being
chov-hani but then reluctantly accepts it and does her duty. I only had one
question about this fic and that is that both Angel and Sash acted like
they were under a spell in their instant dislike.  I mean centuries of
hatred doesn't mean that they will just instantly want to kill one another
like that.  It was as if they could smell the difference on each other and
reacted.  I hope this weird behavior is really explained in some future
fic.  All in all I really wanted to say how much I liked this fic and I am
looking foward to more from ya!





Now if you'll excuse me,

    I need to go back to the....

        ...all concealing lurker-type shadows :-)



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Angel's Lover <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Slayer Be Slain Part Two of Three (Minor spoilers for Surprise and Innocence)
Date: 27 Jan 1998 00:58:40 -0800

Well, I'm back with another part to this story.  I got a few emails
asking for Slayer be Slain to be continued so I decided to write two
more parts.  This is part two, part three will be out wednesday or
thursday.  Deals with after surprise and innocence so there are spoilers
involved, but nothing really direct.  The standard disclaimers apply...
characters are not mine, they're joss's and mutant enemy's, I get no
money for this, and no copywright infringement was intended.  Please
forward all comments to Lea at [e-mail] or
[e-mail] .  BTW:  Yes I know they talk like Spike and
Dru... sorry.. I couldn't help myself! Thanks!

______________________


    Slayer be Slain ~ Part Two

    Her undeath was nothing similar to what her life had been.
Buffy rejoiced in the freedom vampirism brought to her.  Her days were
spent relaxing in the arms of Angelus, her nights were spent drinking
freely from those unfortunate enough to cross her path.  Undeath was
wonderful.
    Together she and Angel lay under the warm blankets of their antique
bed.  Deep red draperies surounded them, adding a tinge of mystique to
their room in addition to the more contemporary articles Angel had
brought with him from his old loft.  On Drusilla's order
they were given their own wing of the massive warehouse that the
vampires occupied.  Spike was only too pleased to comply to this request
as with Angelus wrapped up with Buffy, he would pose no threat to
Spike's relationship with Drusilla.
    It was nearing time for them to rise; the sun was slowly sinking in the
sky, yet still they lay in comfort.
    Angel raised a goblet of thick red blood to Buffy's lips.  "Drink, my
love," he murmered softly.
    Slowly her tongue inched out of her mouth, dipping delicately into the
still warm liquid.  For a moment she savoured the flavor,
before smiling.  "Fresh," she whispered, "Young."
    He nodded, "A child, bled especially for us."
    She took a long, slow sip of the precious blood, allowing the liquid to
fill her mouth and coat her throat as she swallowed gently.  She took
one more sip before handing Angel back the goblet.  Her eyes urged him,
too, to drink his fill.  A small trickle of the blood
dribbled slowly over Buffy's chin, and Angel smiled.
    His hand slid carefully into her hair as he drew her towards himself.
His tongue slid out to softly lick from her skin the blood
she had spilt.  His mouth moved slowly to her neck, his tongue moving
in lazy circles over her tender flesh.  Gently he nibbled on her throat,
sending slightly painful but not unwelcome sensations throughout her
body.
    At long last he straightened once more, leaning back upon the pillows,
bringing the goblet to his own lips.  He drank deeply of the innocent
blood within, smiling softly as Buffy turned to watch.
    "Would you like more?"  he queried, willing only to share with her; any
other creature could go without, but Buffy he would keep happy for
eternity.
    She shook her head, "I can wait for tonight's hunt.  You drink, love."
she smiled wickedly, "A child's blood strengthen's you greatly."
    His laugh was honest, for though what she was saying was true, her
hidden meaning came as a welcome promise for later that night.
For now he swallowed the last of his drink and licked his lips.
    "Where do you want to hunt tonight, Buffy?  Any place... special?"  His
eyes glinted in humor; he knew that her heart was just
as black as his own.  Her pleasure in the hunt at first took him by
surprise, but now it only strengthened the bond that they shared.  They
were two halves of the same whole:  as pure as the day when human, as
dark as the night now that they were whole vampires.
    She nodded as she climbed astride him, her hands resting on his
powerful shoulders.  Excitement shone behind her eyes, "I want to visit
her, Angel.  Please, can I?"
    He smiled softly, "To feed?"
    She shook her head, "To play!"
    He nodded his assent, and she wrapped her arms around him, kissing him
with inhuman strength and demonic passion.
    Tonight would be more fun than he had had in a hundred years.  Tonight
Buffy would truly come into her element of evil, and then no force
beyond death would ever be able to seperate them.
    He gathered her into his arms and lifted her out of the bed, gently
placing her on her feet after bestowing her with a final loving kiss
upon her forehead.
    "Then it's settled.  Once we dress we will go above and pay Willow a
short visit before our hunt."
    Buffy giggled in anticipation, her joy shining through her eyes in a
way which he had never seen.

*****************

    They stood outside Willow's bedroom, waiting for the girl to return to
her computer.  Angel slipped behind the treeline, allowing Buffy her
fun.  With a delicious grin, she tapped lightly upon the
glass pane.
    "Will!" she called, quietly.  "Hey, Willow! Let me in!"
    The red headed teenager turned quickly, and her jaw dropped at
the sight of her best friend outside.  "Buffy!" She hurried over and
opened the door.  "Where have you been?  Giles has been in maxie wig,
and your mother..." she shook her head, "Where were you?"
    Buffy remained outside, unable to cross the threshold.  She shrugged,
"I needed to book for a while.  After the whole thing with Ange... well,
I just couldn't hang in this wiggy hellmouth any more."
    Willow nodded, "That's what I told Giles, but he's been so freaked
since you bolted.  He thought Angel got you or something.  You really
should have called."
    Buffy smiled coldly, "Angel and I have... worked things out.  He's
gonna lay off me and vice versa."
    "Wow.  How did you work that out?"
    "Let's just say I can see his side."
    Finally Willow seemed to realize that Buffy was not coming inside.  She
frowned, "Buffy, why aren't you coming in?"
    "Invite me, Will."
    She blinked, "Why?"
    "Just invite me in."
    Willow smiled nervously.  "Maybe you should go see your mom."
    Buffy smiled, "Oh, believe me, I will.. but first just invite
me in for a sec, Will.. we haven't seen each other in a few days, you
gotta dish me in on what's going on."  When the other girl didn't
answer Buffy frowned.  "Come on.  Invite me inside."
    "Oh."  Willow stepped backwards.  "Oh, no."
    "Oh, yes."
    Willow stumbled backwards towards her telephone, barely taking her eyes
off of her "friend" as she dialed Giles's number. Buffy turned and
called over her shoulder, "She doesn't want to play, love."
    Angel appeared behind her.  "Would you like me to bring her out for
you?"  Slowly he stepped across the threshold and back outside
again, "Once invited...."
    She shook her head, "No.  I can have my fun from out here."
She stood in the open doorway, "Willow... you can't stay inside
forever."  Swiftly she shifted into her vampirical form.  She pouted
sarcastically, "Don't you want to be my friend?"
    The teenager was rapidly talking on the phone, barely making sense as
she tried to explain to Giles what was happening.  Her eyes fixated on
Angel as he continued to enter and exit her room at will.
"I can't close the door, Angel's there!"  There was a pause, "But I
already did, months ago!  He still can!" Another pause.  "Okay, I
will..... NO!  Don't!  They'll get you before you can get from the
car to the house.... I'll be okay."  Finally she hung up the phone,
and turned to dig through her belongings.  She came up with two
crosses and a Star of David.  Holding all three out to ward off the
vampires, Willow slammed shut the glass door and taped the religious
artifacts to the glass, the door handle, and the floor in front of the
opening.  She pulled the shades closed.
    Willow lay down upon her bed, clutching a larged stuffed bear close as
she listened to her "friends" prowl around outside, calling
her name, tapping on the window, uttering vile threats, slowly driving
her out of her mind.
    Hours past when finally blessed silence filled her room.  At
long last Willow turned on her damp pillow and fell asleep.

    End Part Two!

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Donald Jones" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: The Lesson
Date: 26 Jan 1998 17:10:15 -0800

That was soooooo great!!!!! You don't even know. I was rolling on the floor
laughing soooooooooooo hard!!!!!!!
Love always,
Bev
-----Original Message-----


>Okay.. y'all are going to have to forgive me this one.. It was late, I
>was tired, and only just got around to seeing those pics of Anthony from
>the Rocky Horror Show.... with those pics in mind.. I couldn't shake
>this scene from my mind.. so this is what I ended up with.  Now there is
>no offence intended towards Anthony.. I'm sure he did an excellent job
>with Frankie, this is just meant for comic relief.  Standard disclaimers
>apply.. the characters are Joss's and Mutant Enemy's... no money comes
>my way, and no copywright infringement was intended.  The Lion King
>belongs to Disney, Emma belongs to Jane Austen and Emma Thompson, and
>The Rocky Horror Picture Show belongs to who it belongs to.. Okay..
>please forward all comments to Lea at either [e-mail] or
>[e-mail] .  Thanks... and please remember.. I am insane!
>
>_____________________
>
> The Lesson
>
> "Giles, you need to loosen up!"  Buffy Summers sighed in frustration as
>once again the Brittish librarian frowned at her plans to hang at the
>Bronze with Willow and Xander.  "I've said it before and I'll say it
>again, I love you dearly... in a slayer/watcher sort of way, but
>Giles... you need a life in a massive way."
> Giles frowned at the teenager before him.  "I'll have you know, young
>lady, that I do indeed have a life... in keeping you out of trouble."
> "Yeah, but Giles, that's not the kind of life I mean.  You need to get
>down, go dancing, drinking... just let go of higher reason for a night."
> He nodded, "Undoubtedly the very night all hell breaks loose and you
>get killed."
> She rolled her eyes, "Morbid much?"
> He sighed, "Buffy, you know as well as I that when one lives upon the
>hellmouth relaxation is not a fathomable concept.  I urge you to take
>this lesson to heart, my dear.  You spend far too much time partaking in
>recreational events rather than improving upon your slaying skills.  In
>every generation there is a chosen one..."
> "She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons and the forces
>of darkness... yeah yeah yeah.. I get it already."
> Xander pulled her away and Giles watched in curiosity as Buffy, Willow
>and Xander conversed in whispers.  Buffy finally nodded and grinned.
> "Okay, Giles, I'll make you a deal."
> He frowned, immediately suspicious.  "What kind of... deal, persay?"
> "You perform a routine in the teacher talent show that's coming up, and
>I'll double my practice time."
> He blinked, "Excuse me?"
> Xander butt in, "The teach's are putting on a show for the students.
>They do this every year in a thinly veiled attempt to make us believe
>they're not totally uncool."
> "What would I have to do?"
> "Well," Willow began, "You have to choose a scene out of a popular
>movie and act it out on stage."
> His eyes lightened, "Any movie?"
> Xander wagged his finger at him, "Uh uh.  No Shakespeare, or.. or.. or
>any other literary person... type... thingy.  You have to choose a
>meaningless flick."
> Buffy nodded, "If I'm gonna kill whatever is left of my already non
>existant social life, it had better be worth it."
> Giles sat for a moment, running the pros and cons through his
>analytical mind.  He'd been trying to get Buffy to up her practice
>schedule for over a year... this chance couldn't be passed up.  A slow
>smile spread across his face.  Perhaps he could even use this to teach
>these cocky teenagers a lesson.  Finally he nodded.
> "Fine.  You have yourselves a deal."
> The teens stared at him in shock for a moment, then cheered.  Xander
>clapped Giles on the back.  "Giles, my man, for the first time in my
>high school career, I'm looking forward to the freak show!"
> Giles scowled and ushered the kids out of the library.  "Now go home.
>Buffy, you're on patrol tonight."
> She nodded, "Yeah yeah, sacred duty, I'm there."
> The door swung shut, and Giles was left alone.  He strode over to his
>desk and began scanning the pages of the phone book.  His fingers came
>to rest upon the phone number of an Adult clothing store.  He smiled.
>
>******************
>
> Two nights later Buffy was wandering the streets of Sunnydale after
>having spent several hours at the cemetary.  It was late, but as she
>passed the highschool loud music caught her attention.  She couldn't
>quite place the song, for though it was familiar, she couldn't hear the
>lyrics.
> A shadow danced in front of the library window.  Her eyes widened.
>What Giles was up to she had no clue, but she could have sworn he was
>wearing.... nah... she must just be tired... really.... really....
>really tired.  Exhausted even... delusional... perhaps she was already
>chained up in an asylum and this was just a drug induced nightmare.
>Yeah.. that was it.
> Blinking furiously, Buffy turned on her heel and bolted for home.
>
>******************
>
> The day had finally come for the performance.  Xander, Buffy and Willow
>secured front row seats.. not that that had been much of a feat... the
>rest of the students dragged slowly into the auditorium.  They sat down
>and eagerly awaited Giles's turn.
> The first scene was by their english teacher; it was a clip from the
>recently released Austin movie, Emma.  They sighed.
> Xander whispered to Buffy, "What do you think he'll do?  Something lame
>probably."
> Willow nodded, "Way lame."
> Buffy only shrugged, unwilling to admit to what she had seen a week
>earlier.
> Xander blinked as two more teachers stepped on stage; he almost snorted
>with laughter.  "Tell me they're not doing the Lion King?" The music
>began and he groaned, "The Lion King??!!!"
> A half an hour passed, then principal Schneider came on stage.  As he
>began his version of Hamlet's solilique all the students groaned.
> "Does this breathe lameness or is it just me?"  Buffy sighed.
> Willow nodded, "Breathing it most definately is."
> Finally Giles was announced.  Buffy, Willow and Xander straightened
>with excitement as a platform began lowering from the roof of the
>stage.  A tapping foot could be heard beating in time with the slowly
>starting music.  At long last the platform hit the stage and Giles
>stepped out.
> Buffy and Willow's jaws hit the ground in shock, and Xander blinked so
>rapidly his head began to spin.  As the rest of the student body roared
>in laughter, Buffy groaned.
> "I'm gonna owe him every free moment of the rest of my life!" She said
>lowly before the absolute shock of Giles's performance drew her
>attention back to the stage.
> Giles was dressed in black leather.  The top had leather straps, one
>that slid down over his bare shoulder.  The feminine garb cut straight,
>so very low across his body that the top of his chest was completely
>exposed.  The leather "shirt" ran into a black leather skirt, cut so
>short that the leather underwear he was sporting became visable once in
>a while.  Cutting lower, his legs were covered in black fish net
>stockings, and as he danced his black high heeled shoes clicked on the
>stage.
> He sang loud and in perfect synch with the music of the cult song.
>"I'm just a sweet transvestite, from transexual, transylvania.. ha ha.
>I'm just a sweet transvestite," he winked at Buffy, "From transexual,"
>he wiggled and writhed to the beat, "Transylvania!"
> At long last his performance ended.  The rest of the student body
>hooted and hollared, cheering in appreciation for the comedic
>intervention in an otherwise lamefull show.
> Silently, with no expression beyond shock upon their faces, Buffy,
>Xander and Willow, soon joined by an equally shocked Cordelia and Oz,
>made their way back to the library.  There Giles was back in his normal
>tweed suit, the make up he had been sporting completely gone from his
>image.
> As they all kind of collapsed into the seats of the library, Giles
>walked over and placed his hand on Buffy's shoulder.
> "Yes, well then... shall we meet tonight?  Say six o'clock?"
> For the first time in her life, Buffy remained completely speechless.
>All she could do was nod, and mourn the now complete death of her social
>life.
>
> The End!
>
>-
>


-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: sah <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: ADMIN:  List rules
Date: 27 Jan 1998 15:01:23 -0500 (EST)

Welcome!  This list is for fiction related to "Buffy The Vampire
Slayer," both the TV series and the movie.  To ensure that we all get
to enjoy as much fiction as possible, please adhere to the following
guidelines, and please save them for future reference.

1. Fiction should have Buffy characters in it and clearly be related
to Buffy.  Crossovers are great, and expected, but general
vampire/monster stories that aren't in the Buffy universe and don't
use Buffy characters belong somewhere else.

2. Discussion of posted fiction is permitted onlist.  Please put
"DISCUSS" in your subject line.  Requests for missing story parts
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Discussion that is not related directly to the fiction should go over
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follow common netiquette guidelines and use PG-13 language.

3. No advertising of <any> items or services, Buffy related or not,
and no posting of non-story items such as .gifs, sound files, etc..
No attached files of <any> kind-- if your mailer makes your fiction
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     **Mark the post as a "spoiler" in the subject header.
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This ensures that anyone who doesn't like knowing about an episode
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them a chance to see "spoiler" in the header.

Spoiler warnings are not necessary after the start of the episode's
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If you have a question about something's suitability for posting, feel
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[e-mail]

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Ingrid E Stanton)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: "One Vampire's Headache..." (8/?) by Ingrid
Date: 27 Jan 1998 16:28:48 -0500

DISCLAIMER:
I claim no rights to the characters mentioned from "Buffy
the Vampire Slayer." They are used w/o permission. They
belong to the WB, Joss Whedon, Sandollar Productions
& Mutant Enemy.

SUMMARY: Part 8, A bit of Spike/ Dru stuff.
Alternate Buffy universe. If you donÆt get this,
thatÆs cause you havenÆt read the other parts. If you want to
get this, send me mail at [e-mail].
Would you believe IÆm getting a cramp in my shoulder from
pointing and clicking? Talk about a workout! I *should* be
reading Doctor Faustus right now, but *noooo* I had to write
a *stooory!* Why am I griping? ItÆs not your fault. Oh donÆt mind
me- the ravings of a lunatic, I assure you.

Let the madness begin!

***
"One VampireÆs Headacheà" Part the Eighth
***

"Wait a minute, Dru!" Spike tugged at her shirt and continued to whine as
she pulled out a set of rusty keys. "I canÆt crawl as fast as you can,
love!"

She turned slightly, touching his face with a shaky hand. "ItÆs aright.
IÆm trying to open the door!"

She struggled for a few more moments with the key, finally sinking in a
pile on the floor and screeching like a banshee. "Spike! I c-canÆt open
the door!"

"ThatÆs aright, love. Hand daddy the keys." He reached for her hand and
took the key from her.

"I feel so ill. I canÆt go on!" She sobbed into the stone wall.

"Yes you can, Dru. There," he answered simply, managing to push open the
door with what strength he had left. He took her hand, and they began to
crawl together up the stairs.

The light hit them like an electric jolt. An intense red swelled behind
SpikeÆs eyes and he could hear Drusilla moaning behind him. Being both
blind and weak for the moment, he searched for Drusilla with his hands.
When at last he felt something there, he wrapped his arm around her waist
in comfort. He felt her relax against him, and remembered how nice it
felt just to bask in the warmth of the sun.

His stomach turned once again and his vision began to clear. He saw that
Drusilla was getting her bearings beside him, craning her neck in all
directions to observe the world around her. He never realized how
different the place might look in the daytime. If he hadnÆt known it, he
wouldnÆt have believed he was still in Sunnydale. The place was aptly
named, he decided. Everything seemed to glow around him.

Well, they had to get up sometime. Spike tested his legs. Weak, but he
thought he could manage. Slowly but surely, he struggled to a standing
position, and took DruÆs hand. She rose easily with his help and stood
beside him. Now. If they could only find a few meals, they might be able
to have quite a feast tonight-

Spike felt a wave of dizziness sweep over him. He held onto Dru until it
passed.

"Spike?"

"Just a little spell, Dru. DidnÆt know I was going to be so bloody weak
to-day." He waited. "There. ThatÆs better," he tried to reassure her, but
confusion was gradually creeping up on him.

***
END, PART 8. Stay tuned for Part 9, which will include the continuation
of the scene with Buffy and Angel!
"One good thing about being wrong is the joy it brings to others" ûThe
Lion
MAIL COMMENTS TO: [e-mail]. I cannot live on posts alone!

_____________________________________________________________________
You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail.
Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com
Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]


-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Ingrid E Stanton)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: DISCUSS: "My Heart Will Go On," by Sapphire
Date: 27 Jan 1998 16:36:08 -0500

Sapphire-
Nice story. Depressing, but nice. *Love* the idea that Angel remembers
the actual Titanic. What a great idea!
-Ingrid

_____________________________________________________________________
You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail.
Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com
Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]


-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Vapthorne <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: BBETA/Buffy-Fic: Sins of the Mother (3/9) Rated PG-14
Date: 27 Jan 1998 18:59:58 -0500

Title: Sins of the Mother (3 of 9)

Author: Vapthorne=20

E-Mail: [e-mail]

Distribution: I would love to have this work distributed, but please ask=
 first.

Spoilers: None

Rating: I think PG-13 for right now.


Disclaimer: Joyce Summers (aka Joy Matthews), and any other character from=
=20

Buffy the Vampire Slayer are the creation and property of Joss Whedon. I do=
=20

not own them. However the characters: Rebecca Casey, Dalton Plague, Cecil=20

Kane, Thaos, and the Necromancer, etc.  are my creations and you got ask me=
 to use=20

them.


Summary: While Buffy is busy 'studying' with Giles and the other. Her mother=
=20

looks back to when she was Buffy's age and recalls some interesting=
 memories.


PS: One hour until the next Buffy show.... enjoy :)


Sins of the Mother: Chapter Three


=20

"A vampire?" Rebecca puzzled at Joy's last night confrontation with that

thing and had difficulty swallowing the story as the two walked down the

school hallways. "Are you sure it was a vampire?"


"Yes. I'm positive it was a vampire that attacked me." If Joy were the one

who listened to the story and not experienced it, she to would had trouble

believing the story. Regardless, Joy knew what she had seen and she was=20

convinced that the creature wasn't human.


"Have you seen a vampire before. I mean you're the one who said that they

only exist under the bed." Rebecca teased.

=20

"So you're saying I'm crazy?"


"No, I'm just saying that the person who attacked you couldn't be vampire.

They don't exist."

=20

"All right, then explain these three things, one, why did he had a face so

distorted, two, what were the reason behind his fangs, and three, when I

stabbed him in the heart, why did he turn to dust?"


Rebecca came up the logic conclusions for all three of Joy's points.

"Conclusions, one, he must have been on drugs, two, he apparently never been

to the dentist, and three." She founded her being dumbfounded and unable to

come up with an answer. "Vampires don't turn to dust."

=20

"Joy, you're my friend, and I don't think you're crazy. But, you have to

admit, what you saw wasn't a demon or goblin or anything. You problaly just

had too much to drink last night."

=20

"All I drank was Coke. Caffeine doesn't make people hallucinate." Joy=20

was beginning to doubt what she was saying.  Joy had always had a

strong sense of what's 'real' and what's 'not real'. This sense remained as=
=20

solid as stone

until things got turned upside down and what's not real suddenly became=20

real. She realized what

she'd always considered to be reality might not be reality at all.

=20


"Maybe Rebecca was right; maybe the guy who attacked me wasn't a vampire,

but a messed up human." She thought. Rebecca's first two answers to Joy's=20

observations seemed with in reason. However, it was phenomenon where a=20

person turned to

dust confused Joy. "Rebecca, failed to logically explain that part. However,

what's worse, I can't come up with a reasonable explanation myself. I never=
=20

heard anything that said they turn to dust."


"Joy, you just seen one too many horror films." Rebecca teased. "Well, can't=
=20

talk about Dracula now. We got to get to class." Rebecca and Joy went their=
=20

seperate paths. She no longer had anytime to think about these subjects; she=
=20

had more subjects to worry about right now.


Those subjects included Chemistry, Biology, American History, and

Algebra. Like everyone else in her school, she had to attend classes.=20


Joy's passion for her classes was one thing that didn't exist, and she

produced grades that reflected that. Only on certain days when Joy managed=
=20

to stay

awake, were the times when she was most productive. Solely, the only class

on her roster that she enjoyed was her fifth period art class.

=20

The study of art was the only thing that Joy seemed to enjoy. She didn't

know what it was about it. Was it the visual aspect of the artwork? Not to

Joy Matthews, the mythology and mysticism that went into some of the ancient

works of art was what mesmerized her. The way ancient civilization captured

their beliefs, their superstitions, and even their gods, into statues,

sculptures, paintings, and vases were all too inspiring.

=20

Conceivably, it could Joy's devotion to mythological art that sparked her

lore towards mythology itself. In order fully admire a work of art, she felt

she should study the legendary nature behind it. Often when she wasn't in

the Aphrodite at night, she would read some of her books on Greek, Egyptian,

Aztec, Pagan, and Medieval myths and legend. She never took any of the

stories seriously, that was, until last night.


Later after school=85.

=20

=20

Joy walked into her home and head straight for her room to put her books=20

away. She then went down to the living room to watch her favorite soap opera=
=20

on the TV. She became television glue for the next hour until her mother=20

told to get her homework done. She returned to her room and opened her=20

alegbra book. "Damn pathagerim therom." She quietky struggled with her=20

homework, "When am I ever going to need math anyway?" It took her a while,=
=20

but she finally finished her homework.


"Joyce!" Her mother yelled, "Get down here and eat."


Joy closed her book and she walked to the kitchen. Her mother had made her=
=20

special meatloaf. Like Buffy, Joy was with out siblings.=20

Her father was a manager at the local grocery store, and her mother played

the role of the happy homemaker. Joy imagined that her parents were once

happy, but if any romantic spark remained, it was hard to see. She couldn't

help feel that her parents' sadness was her fault, a common deduction made

by all children.


=20

A few hours past sunset, Joy finished eating and had free time to remember=
=20

the vampire incident last night. She went under her bed to pull a small box.=
=20

She kept her

controversial books on demon lore and such in the sealed box. She locked it

so she wouldn't fear her parents coming across it by accident. She had dozen

or so books on the subject ranging from monsters to magic. Most of the

novels were paperbacks written in the same century, with one or two that

seemed very ancient and ranking in importance.


She pulled out one of the books on vampire, titled 'Doctrine of the

Nosferatu' and she began flipping through the pages. In the past, she had=
 only

read the first few chapters dealing with the basics. Now, she forced herself

to understand the whole. With the chance that vampires could be real, Joy

needed the next couple of hours to learn more about them. Knowledge, dark

knowledge, flowed into the young girl's mind. Through the short passage of

time, she learned many things. One, when vampires are punctured in the heart

they turn to dust. Joy had finally proven her theory. Now all she needed to

do is to find out any other information.

=20

Several interesting observations heeded the inquiring teenage. The common

information were that silver holy water, sunlight all can harmed them. One

chapter talked about a chosen one, known as the Slayer. In every generation,

one girl is supposed to be trained by their guardian, the Watcher, to stand

up against the forces of darkness. 'Can this be true. A Vampire Slayer?' Joy

had a bit of difficulty trying to believe. 'If this slayer existed, where

was she last night. Better yet, where was she the night that other girl was

killed.'

=20

Joy suddenly paused and realized that vampires can create more vampires by

letting the victim to drink their blood. It could be possible that the girl

who was first killed can be well one her way to enter the order of the

undead. If that's true, then she would be popping out of her grave anything.

'This could be my chance to prove that vampires exist.' It became Joy's

instinctive action to go to the graveyard and find the girl before she

raised from the dead. <<OMIT Wait,> Joy stopped and realized that she needed=
=20

to know who was it that was killed. In order to find out, she picked up the=
=20

phone to

call Dalton, since he knew about the killing.

=20

"Hello." A voice responded after a few rings.


"Hello, Mr. Plague, this is Joy. Is Dalton home?" She asked.

=20

"In a minute." The father told, in a few moments Dalton's voice was on the

receiver.

=20

"Hello?"

=20

"Hey, Dalton. It's me, Joy."

=20

"How's it going, Joy."

=20

"Fine. Listen, do you know who that girl was?"

=20

"Huh? What girl?" From the sound of Dalton's voice, he sounded confused.

=20

"The girl that got killed. The one with the bite marks by a possible=
 vampire."

=20

"I don't know for sure. But, it was in yesterday's paper. Rebecca told me

what happened, you're still not thinking that you saw a real vampire."

=20

"I'm was past thinking. I'm convinced." Joy said in a sure tone, "Talk to

you tomorrow." She hung up the telephone before Dalton could say goodbye.

=20

Now Joy needed to find yesterday's paper. She knew that her

father always read the paper, and if he remembered to pay the kid down the=
=20

block,

they might still have a subscription. She had  to ask her father were was.

=20

"I threw it out yesterday, Joyce." Her father sat in his chair smoking a

cigarette and reading today's newspaper. "You can check the trash can if you

want."

=20

Digging through the trash? That sounded gross to Joy, but in order

to prove her theory she had no choice. Luckily, the garbage hadn't buried=20

the paper too

deep. When she recovered yesterday's edition the front-page, this became

covered by the food waste and other trash. The sight repulsed her as she

discarded that page. The article she was searching for wasn't the cover

story, so Joy took the remaining paper and went back to her room. As she

quickly scanned the articles, she discovered that the girl's name was

Pauline Einstein. Now, Joy knows what tombstone to look for tonight.

=20

It was now time to make the necessary preparations for her outing.

It was a bit chilly out tonight ,  so Joy decided to wear her favorite blue=
=20

sweater.

Underneath the fabric she place a small holy cross that her mother has given

to her as a Christmas present on her neck. This would surely provide some=20

protection against the supernatural elements she was sure to face. Without

any silver or holy water, the battle bound girl grabbed what she thought

would serve as a good substitute, garlic.

=20

She thrown the newspaper back in the trash, but she removed the article

with Pauline and kept it in her room. Joy told her parents that she was

going to Rebecca's house as she slipped out the back door. She was ready for

the hunt, with the exception of a weapon, a wooden stake. She had other to

use, and praying a tree branch will fortunately wait for her when she

arrives is senseless. Luck would have to come in another form, and it did.

The next-door neighbor had placed an old broomstick out side of the

driveway. The girl gazed at the broom with awe and discovery. Joy seized the

useless stick and slammed the middle section against her knee, thus breaking

into two pieces with a sharp tip at each end. She finally had the wooden

stake. She was ready.

=20

The dead remained sleeping peacefully in their graves when Joy

arrived. She

had spent the next hour waiting for Pauline to wake up. Will she wake up?

Did the vampire give her his blood? Why am I here, this is crazy? All these=
=20

questions passed through the mind of Joyce Matthews. It

finally dawned on her that she was wasting her time here. She decided she=20

should go

home. First, she took one quick glance at the grave of Pauline Einstein to

pay her respect.

=20

"Poor girl." Joy turned and started to head home. "It must be terrible to

be killed off by a vampire."

=20

Suddenly a faint rumble in the ground was followed by the sound of a female

voice. "You wanna find out?"

=20

Joy circled around and looked into the eyes of Pauline. Apparently,

the murdered teenager had been turned into a vamp. Joy's expression of fear=
=20

and=20

shock died out in a second. Her preparations gave her the upper hand.

=20

"Back off." Joy commanded as she reached for the garlic in her purse, "I

have garlic and I know how to use it."

=20

Pauline laughed and approached the living teen. The garlic had

produced neither effect nor fear from the vampire, and that paralyzed Joy=20

with fear.

Pauline grabbed her arm with one hand and removed the garlic. To prove, for

once and all, that garlic doesn't hurt them. The demon took a bite. Within a

minute, she found herself spitting the garlic out of her mouth. Vampires

maybe immune to garlic, but that doesn't mean that they like the taste.

=20

Joy knew with almost certainty what the vampire was going to taste

next. 'Fat chance.' She hadn't fallen victim last night and she certainly

wasn't going to let it happen this night. She grabbed the vampire's arm,

moved behind her, and twisted the arm in painful position. Pauline wasn't as

strong as the previous vamp; their strength must grow in time. Joy was not

one who was going to let Pauline grow strong.


When a person becomes a vampire they lose their soul and the demon takes

over. With the two girls locked in a combat position, Joy pitied Pauline.

The girl lost her soul forever; she didn't want to be turn into a vampire.

One human can willingly ask to forfeit their soul. The only humane thing to

do was to slay the vampire and let poor Pauline rest in peace.

=20

The demon was stubborn when it smacked Joy with an elbow. She was quickly

knocked to the ground. Pauline grabbed Joy's hair and banged her head on the

dirt several times. Retaliation was meet when Joy kicked the vampire hard in

the face. She quickly searched for the wooden stake she made from the

broomstick.

=20

"What you looking for now?" Pauline snickered.


"Your ticket to the ash tray." Joy took a blind stab at the vampire. The=20

next thing she saw was the dust of the

vampire, Pauline Einstein. She won in her second night of vampire hunting.

Joy stood up, pushed her hair away from her face, and stood in a brief

second of disbelief. "So vampires are real."


"They certainly are." A dark voice echoed for behind, The cloaked

figure, outfitted in leather plated armor and celtic style garment, that

was spying on her the night before stepped out the shadow.

=20

Joy turned around and gasped, then she asked the obvious as she tried to

look into his shadowcasted face, "Who are you?"

=20

"I am known as the Necromancer." The wizard spoke with a soft, yet sinister=
=20

Romanian accent. "You're skill is majestic."


"What skill! Try survial instincts?" She asked.


"A survial instinct would have told you to stay home little one."


"Just who are you?"

=20

"I've been watching since last night." The Necromancer had been honest with

her.

=20

"It's nice that you're being honest." She said, "Tell me, why are you here."

=20

"The Undead sings. I can hear their song. Forces of darkness are

still in our

midst."

=20

In a normal world, this man would seem crazy. However, Joy no longer

lived in a normal world. Fear kept her from approaching the cloaked=
 stranger,

but her unanswered question<<S> wanted her to confront him. "What do you=
 know?"

She then received the spark of realization from her readings, "Wait a

minute=85 You think I'm the 'Slayer'."


"I am no Watcher, and the Slayer is far. But, I will tell you this,

Joy Matthews, our paths are star-crossed and we shall meet again." The

mysterious man called the Necromancer, walked into the darkness from which

he came.




Vapthorne

----------


********-my minions-**********

* NU-RPG: <color><param>ffff,0000,0000</param>Jasper </color>and
<color><param>0000,0000,ffff</param>Aria    </color>*

* CardeaRPG: <color><param>ffff,0000,ffff</param>Mercury       =20
</color>*

******************************

<color><param>ffff,0000,ffff</param>

</color>--------------------------------------------------------------------=
----

Keeper of Buffy's First day in Sunnydale and her vampire form Nightmares=20

Proud Keeper of Ethan's broken statue of Janus (all I need is super glue)=20



<underline>Giles</underline>: The good guys are valiant and true. The bad
guys=20

   are always distinguishable by their pointy horns and black hats.=20

   We always manage to defeat them. Nobody ever dies and we all=20

   live happily ever after.

<underline>Buffy</underline>: Lair!



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Vapthorne <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: BuffyFIC: Sins of the Mother 4/9 Rated PG
Date: 27 Jan 1998 22:26:17 -0500

Title: Sins of the Mother (4 of 9)

Author: Vapthorne=20

E-Mail: [e-mail]

Distribution: I would love to have this work distributed, but please ask=
 first.

Spoilers: None

Rating: I think PG-13 for right now.


Disclaimer: Joyce Summers (aka Joy Matthews), and any other character from=
=20

Buffy the Vampire Slayer are the creation and property of Joss Weldon. I do=
=20

not own them. However the characters: Rebecca Casey, Dalton Plague, Cecil=20

Kane, Thaos, and the Necromancer are my creations and you got ask me to use=
=20

them.


Summary: While Buffy is busy 'studying' with Giles and the other. Her mother=
=20

looks back to when she was Buffy's age and recalls some interesting=
 memories.


Sins of the Mother: Chapter Four



    Joy found it harder to keep her mind focused on her schoolwork. She=20

couldn't shake the chill deep down her soul, the chill from last night's=20

encounter with the mysterious prophet. She thought the Necromancer sealed=20

her fate with his words, a fate that she wanted no part of. Her disturbed=20

concentration took its toll when she forgot to bring her homework to Algebra=
=20

class. She spent all that time doing the assignments before she went to the=
=20

graveyard. Her performance got even worse in Gym class. Several students=20

found them fleeing for their life, as she randomly thrown the basketball at=
=20

a very high velocity. Her Gym teacher never knew that a basketball could=20

travel that fast. Her emotional state was just as gloomy as the stormy=
 weather.


     Joy found herself on the path towards nervous breakdown. Rebecca and=20

Dalton needed to aid their friend in this mental crisis.


    "Hey Joy." Rebecca sat down next to her. Dalton followed carrying a tray=20

covered with 'cafeteria meat'.


    "Hi guys." Joy gave no sign of emotion.


    "Hey, I've heard you flipped out in gym." Dalton commented with mild=20

excitement, "You nearly smashed Claudia in the face."


    "I know." Joy moaned. "I feel just terrible."


    "You're telling me." Dalton replied. "With a little more speed and aim, you=
=20

would have nailed her."


    "Dalton, she does not need this." Rebecca scorned. "What happened?"


    "I went to the graveyard last night to see if that girl Pauline turned into=
=20

a vampire." Joy explained.


    "You still don't believe that nonsense." Rebecca said concernedly.


    "You think vampires are fake." The young girl showed her bump that the=20

vampire gave her. "Explain this."


    "You banged your head." The skeptical one told Joy.


    "No!" She explained. "Pauline banged my head."


    "Okay." Dalton attempted to piece this together. "A vampire banged your=20

head, and you go mental?"=20


    "It's not the vampire that creeping me out." The troubled teen told them.=
=20

"It was this guy."


    "You meet a guy!" Rebecca became excited. "What's he like? Is he cute?"


    "He's scary. Veeeeeeeeery scary. He's your evil wizard type."


    "A wizard? You're delusions are getting quite interesting." Rebecca teased.=
=20

"Tell me, are any Inca mummies making appearances?"


    "You think I'm still crazy?"


    "How dare you!" The doomed voice of Claudia peered from behind. Miss=20

Popular was not pleased back in gym class. "I could have been maimed,=20

killed, or worse, had a broken nose. You know the prom is coming in the next=
=20

month. Just because you can't get a date for the dance, doesn't give you the=
=20

right to ruin it for those with looks."


    "A little more speed and aim." Was Dalton's only thought.


    Rebecca whispered something in Joy's ear. Nevertheless, Joy's attention was=
=20

turned elsewhere. Something within the cafeteria was disturbing her, even=20

scaring her. She suddenly jumped from her seat. "He's here!" she shouted=20

before she ran off.


    The other three turned and wondered what Joy was up to.


    "Who are you! Why are you stalking me! I don't care if the undead can sing.=
=20

Leave me alone! Now!" The entire cafeteria was now watching Joy when she=20

grabbed and shouted at one of the faculty members. The guy was wearing a=20

green hooded slicker, which to Joy, resembled the Necromancer's cloak.


    Joy suddenly realized her fault, and she released the captive faculty=20

member. "Sorry, I thought you were someone else." She blushed in shame and=
=20

tried to straighten out the wrinkles produced from her grip. "Nice slicker."



    Now, Joy Matthews found herself sitting in Principal Rayer's office. The=20

principal at Silver Heights High could easily make Principal Snyder look=20

like a pushover. He doesn't tolerate bad school, and he certainly wasn't=20

pleased with Joy at the moment.


    "Could you explain how a calculus teacher can be considered a mortal=20

threat?" Rayer scolded.


    "I thought he was someone else." Joy knew she could tell her 'vampire'=20

story to him. If her friends refused to believe her, he certainly won't.=20

Moreover, he would consider her crazy.


    "Just what has been with you, lately?" The principal lectured. "I've heard=
=20

in your gym class you made your classmates play any interesting form of=20

dodgeball."


    "It was a accident."=20


    "An accident that shouldn't have happened. Listen, Miss Matthews, I don't=
=20

what's your problem is."


    "I've been dealing with=85 issues." She tried the best she could not to let=
=20

Rayer on about the vampires.


    "It's drugs=85 isn't it?"


    "What?"


    "I know that's the 'thing' for you kids now-a-days. You went to Woodstock,=
=20

decided to try it, and now your high."


    "I am not high."


    "Than what is it?"


    "My=85 issues."


    "Well do us a favor." Rayer demanded. "When you come into school, leave=20

your 'issues' at the front and pick them up when class is over."


*****


    The Necromancer sat in a dark, candle lit tent. He froze in mediation,=20

listening closely to the songs. Born with the ability to heed the voices of=
=20

the deceased, this unholy prophet bared the mark of their words. He became=
=20

just as troubled with the presence of the young woman, Joy Matthews. He knew=
=20

that girl would somehow spell doom to him, the dead voices told him.


    "Oh, great Necromancer." A figure entered the tent and bowed in respect.


    "I've been feeling disturbed." The Necromancer spoke.


    "Does it, my master."


    "The dead speaks. They tell me that the woman, Joy Matthews, is linked,=20

somehow, with the next slayer. Her interference must end, or all our efforts=
=20

will be lost."=20


    "What should we do to her?"


    "Anything, as long as she's out of the way. I'm the chosen one, the=20

Necromancer. I have a duty to perform, she mustn't interfere."



Vapthorne

----------


********-my minions-**********

* NU-RPG: <color><param>ffff,0000,0000</param>Jasper </color>and
<color><param>0000,0000,ffff</param>Aria    </color>*

* CardeaRPG: <color><param>ffff,0000,ffff</param>Mercury       =20
</color>*

******************************

<color><param>ffff,0000,ffff</param>

</color>--------------------------------------------------------------------=
----

Keeper of Buffy's First day in Sunnydale and her vampire form Nightmares=20

Proud Keeper of Ethan's broken statue of Janus (all I need is super glue)=20



<underline>Giles</underline>: The good guys are valiant and true. The bad
guys=20

   are always distinguishable by their pointy horns and black hats.=20

   We always manage to defeat them. Nobody ever dies and we all=20

   live happily ever after.

<underline>Buffy</underline>: Lair!



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Jim Heverling" <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Angel: Tragedy's Name
Date: 28 Jan 1998 20:10:07 -0500

This story was written by one of my friend's and I am sending it in for
her. If you have any comments please send them c/o [e-mail]

Rating: Pg: V
Disclaimer: None of the characters in this story belong to me they belong
to Joss Whedon
Summary: Angel is going to kill everyone Buffy knows unless someone stops
him

Buffy the Vampire Slayer- Angel: Tragedy's Name


Buffy sat down on her bed. She heard a strange noise and then she heard t=
he
sound again. She walked about three feet away and turned on her light. A
blue ooze seeped from under her bed. It is rose and took shape. Buffy
immediately recognized the figure as the Judge. Just then her mom came in.

    With one deadly look the Judge vaporized Joyce before Buffy's eyes. Then
he aimed his arm at Buffy's throat.

    Buffy looked behind her. She could sense a vampire. Sure enough there wa=
s
Angel. He jumped down from Buffy's window. But instead of helping her, he
grabbed Buffy's arms and held them behind her back. Out of the corner of
her eye Buffy could see Dru standing in the window, laughing wildly.

    Just as the Judge was about to disintegrate her, Spike burst through the
door with a giant gun. He blew the Judge to pieces then aimed it Angel an=
d
Dru. Drusilla and Angel could take a hint and flew the scene.

    Then Spike turned his attention to Buffy.=20
"You want Angel and I want Dru but that's never gonna happen as long as
their together. So I was thinking maybe we would join forces. Ya know, we
could make them mad by pretending to like each other. So then maybe they'=
ll
come back. Of course you might not be interested in Angel anymore but I
guess that's not really a good case. So what do you say Slayer? You with
me?

    The question echoed in her mind. Then she could feel someone shaking her.
She=20
heard her mother's voice.
"Wow", Joyce commented, "I didn't think you'd ever get up. Come on your
late for
 school. What were you dreaming about anyway?"

"Oh=85 I uh=85 I forget", Buffy replied.
"If you don't want to tell me all you have to do is say so", Joyce said.
"I really don't remember", Buffy insisted.

    When she got school the first bell had already rung. By her third period
class,=20
Giles had already told her to meet him in the library after the last clas=
s.
=20
       When school was finally over, Buffy headed for the library. She met
Willow, Xander, and Cordelia there.
"Where ya been Buffy?", Xander asked.
"Around", Buffy replied.
"Where's Giles?"
"He had to go to a meeting but he'll be back soon", Will answered.=20
"So you going to the Bronze?"
"I don't know", Buffy said
"What about you Xander?", Cordelia cut in.
 "Yea", he considered.
"I don't think so", Cordy reminded.
"What makes you think your opinion matters?!", Willow blurted. "You can't
tell him what to do!"
"Whoa. Will", Xander corrected. "She's right. I've got other plans."
"Like what?" Willow asked.
"Like, little-miss-computer-freak, me and Xander have been going out for =
so
long. What do you think about that?"
"Cordelia!", Xander reprimanded.=20
"Xander, is it true?", Willow questioned.
"What my word doesn't count?", Cordelia retorted.
"Yes", Xander finally answered.
"Told you, freak", Cordelia snapped.
"Watch you tongue Cordelia cause I don't see you as much importance. Real=
ly
you're just a snob and I don't think anyone would really care if you
weren't around. Catch my drift?", Buffy defended.

    By that time Willow was gone. Buffy and Xander chased after her passing
Giles.
"We'll be back", Buffy said.

    Willow ran past her parents into her room shutting and locking the door
behind her.
"Hey Will", Buffy asked."Are you okay?"
"Leave me alone", Willow replied.
"Come on Willow", Xander reasoned. "You weren't supposed to find out this
way."
"Or at all", Willow assumed. "Just go=85please."

    Xander and Buffy left. Buffy went home and Xander went to find Cordelia.
When Xander found her they decided to go to the Bronze after all. There,
they met Buffy.
"It think we should check on Willow", Xander suggested.
"Okay", Cordelia and Buffy agreed.
=09
    When they got there all the lights were out. They opened the door and
walked in.
"Hello, Buffy=85Xander, Cordelia", Angel greeted from behind the door.
"If you hurt her I'll=85", Xander threatened.
"You'll what? Kill me? I think not", Angel retorted.

    Buffy looked around but Willow was nowhere to be found.=20
"Where is she?"
"Let's just say that Spike and Dru have a new vampire to boss around", he
answered.
"Your lying", Cordelia assumed.
"Am I? Maybe=85maybe not", Angel replied then left.
"Spike and Drusilla", Xander thought out loud. "The warehouse. Come on,
Buffy. We have to try."
"I totally agree but first we have to stop by the library=85for supplies.=
"

    When they go to the library they told Giles about everything and of
course, he felt it his duty to tag along. The four of them worked their w=
ay
across town to the warehouse.
Meanwhile back at her house, Jenny was really feeling guilty about Angel.
She began searching through books. One by one she threw them aside. Then
she remembered something.

    She rushed to the library. No one was there so the Watcher Diaries were
completely unguarded. Sure enough she found it=85 the curse put on Angel
years and years ago.

    After researching, she learned enough and  made a few changes so that
after he was good there's be absolutely no way to bring back Angelus back
to us again and that he got one wish. She was almost positive he'd use it
to make everyone forget about this whole Angelus thing. She also knew thi=
s
would get her on everyone's good side again.

    Sure he killed one of her people and sure he deserved to pay but Buffy's
innocent and besides it seems Angel's paid enough.

    She knew it would take time but once she started there was no turning
back. Immediately she got to work, but she was unaware of the battle abou=
t
to take place.
Outside of the warehouse, the gang was gathering their strength.
"Okay, we need a plan", Buffy said.
"I agree", Cordelia said. "So fearless leader what is it?"
"I don't know", Xander replied. 'Why don't we just storm in?"
"That doesn't sound like much of a plan to me", Giles commented.
"But it works=85I guess", Buffy decided.

    They opened the door. Drusilla, Spike, Angel and Willow unharmed except
caged looked on. Angel put on his game face and began the brutal fight. H=
e
closed in on Xander and flipped him. Then Angel kicked Buffy in the face
and elbowed Giles in the stomach. He pushed Cordelia as hard as he could
then continued his attack on Xander.

    The others began to recover. That's when Dru decided to cut in, keeping
the three of them busy as Angel began to feast on Xander and Spike watche=
d
more than amused.

    Dru pushed Giles to the ground then she grabbed Cordelia and prepared to
snack. However, Buffy flipped over her and pulled Dru away. Then she met
her face with a powerful roundhouse which knocked Dru into some stacked
wooden crates and kept her out of the way for a while.

    Buffy looked over at Xander, but it was too late. He was dead. Then, she
looked behind her to see Giles stake Drusilla.=20
"Dru!", Angel and Spike shouted simultaneously.=20

    Angel was really mad now. He ran at Giles punching him in the stomach.
Angel brought Giles back to the ground and began to bite him. Of course t=
he
Slayer jumped in right away. She pulled Angel off Giles, but before she
could do anything Angel pushed her into Cordelia knocking them into the
same stack of crates as Dru. Then he continued to feed on Giles. By the
time Buffy got to her feet Giles too was dead.

    Then Angel closed in on Buffy. Suddenly he picked up the stake on the
ground and used it to stab Cordelia as if she were a vampire.

    Now it was one-on-one, Buffy and Angel. They began to struggle. Spike an=
d
Willow watched on anxiously waiting for the outcome. Spike rooting for
Angel and Willow rooting for Buffy. As Spike guessed Angel got the
upperhand, he sank his pearly whites into her neck. At that moment Jenny
finished her project=85

    Angel collapsed as well as Buffy.=20
"Uh-oh", Spike said as he decided now was a good time to leave.

    Minutes after he did Angel awoke and he looked around. He saw Xander,
Cordelia, and Giles bodies and Drusilla's ashes. Then he saw Willow caged.
He rushed to free her.
"Are you okay?", he asked.
"Angel?", Willow said not sure if he was Angel or Angelus.
"Yea. It's me. What happened?", he replied.
"Look around"
Angel looked around. That's when he saw Buffy. Blood pouring from her nec=
k.
"Buffy", he screamed as he hurried to check on her.=20
"What have I done?", he asked her when he realized Buffy was dead.
"You didn't do anything", Willow comforted. "It was Angelus."
"I guess I should explain this to her mom", Angel assumed.
"Come on", Willow urged tugging on his arm.

    They knocked several times on Buffy's door. Finally Joyce answered.
"Can I help you?"
"I'm Angel, Buffy's b=85friend. Look. I have some bad news=85", Angel beg=
an. He
was going to tell her the truth but Willow interrupted.
"Buffy, Mr. Giles, Cordelia, and Xander got into a horrible accident",
Willow lied.
"But they're okay, right?, Joyce questioned concerned.
"I'm afraid not. Actually they are all=85well um=85 dead", Willow calmed =
her
down.


    As Angel walked Willow home they ran into Ms.Calender.
"Hi", she greeted.
"Jenny I've got some very bad news. All the others, Xander, Cordelia,
Buffy, and Giles, are dead", Angel said.
"What? That's=85bad", Jenny commented.

    Then she remembered something.=20
"Angel if you had one wish what would it be?"
"Well I'd wish that everyone would be alive and Buffy and I could be more
than friends again."

    When he was done a bright light flashed. Angel sat up in his bed.
"It was all a dream!", he muttered to himself. Then he realized something.
He was "Angel" again. He looked at the clock. It was 7:00pm and the sun w=
as
to set. He got dressed and raced to the library where he found everyone. =
He
walked in and Buffy pulled out a stake.
"Wait", Jenny called out. "Don't. This isn't Angelus anymore."
=09
Buffy lowered her stake.
"What?"=20
Everyone in the room was shocked except Willow and Jenny. They were the
only two besides Angel who remembered.
"It's true", Willow said.=20

    Then Angel explained the whole story to them and they went to the Bronze
to celebrate. Back at the warehouse, Spike and Drusilla, who didn't
remember a thing, plotted for the next time they and Buffy would meet.
However they weren't aware Angel was once again on Buffy's side.

    When Buffy got home her mom, who also didn't remember anything was waiti=
ng
for her.
"Where have you been", she asked.
'The Bronze", Buffy replied.
"That's what I figured. It's almost pointless for me to ask anymore", Joy=
ce
commented. "Good night"
"Good night, Mom", Buffy replied.
=09
=09
Please send all comments c/o [e-mail]

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Ingrid E Stanton)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: "One Vampire's Headache..." (9/?) by Ingrid
Date: 28 Jan 1998 23:19:36 -0500

DISCLAIMER:
I claim no rights to the characters mentioned from "Buffy
the Vampire Slayer." They are used w/o permission. They
belong to the WB, Joss Whedon, Sandollar Productions
& Mutant Enemy.

SUMMARY: Part 9, more Buffy/Angel angst. But good
angst. Not evil Joss angst! (Alternate Buffy universe.)
 If you donÆt get this, thatÆs cause you havenÆt read
the other parts. If you want to get this, send me mail at
[e-mail].
    Hey! Quoting King Lear paid off! I got an "A" on
my analysis! ThatÆs cause for  writing another part of my
story, and procrastinating with work.

This one was written to music from William ShakespeareÆs
Romeo & Juliet- gorgeous strings!
(Forgive me for any errors. I sort of threw this together at
the last minute.)

Here goes!

***
"One VampireÆs Headacheà" Part the Ninth
***

"I am silver and exact. I have no preconceptions
Whatever I see I swallow immediately
Just as it is, unmisted by love or dislike
I am not cruel, only truthful-
The eye of a little god, four-cornered
Most of the time I meditate on the opposite wall.
It is pink, with speckles. I have looked at it so long
I think it is a part of my heart. But it flickers,
Faces and darkness separate us over and over.
--From "Mirror," by Sylvia Plath

***
"Come on, Angel," Buffy prodded, turning the doorknob
and stepping into the golden light beyond.

Angel clung to the shadows. "Buffy, Ià"

She watched him with pain in her heart, willing her soul to
reach out to his. Instead, she settled for his hand.

He looked down at their hands, a line of shadow sharply
dividing them. Then he looked into her eyes.

"Trust me, Angel."

That did it. He stepped forward to let her pull him into the
light. Instantly, the world was blazing, and his body coursed
with energy. He felt his soul expand as he let warm bath of
life soak into him. He closed his eyes momentarily, adjusting
to the brilliance of the world around him while Buffy held his
arm, offering support. When he opened his eyes, everything
was still there, the sky still gleaming with promise.

He turned to Buffy. Her hair was alive with the sun, her face
turned up to him with a pretty smile. He couldnÆt stop the
tears again, but this time, he was smiling all the while at her.
She nuzzled up against him, in tears herself. He felt her shake,
not realizing for a moment that they were both shivering despite
the heat of the sun. She pulled away from him, attempting to
wade through the waves of emotion that crashed over her with
every passing second. Then she looked up at him seriously,
drained, but happy.

"Angel. I love you."

And the impossible came back. "I love you too."

He pulled her to him and kissed her hard. She met his passion
equally, loving him back. They were both breathless when they
broke apart- breathless, and dizzy and in love.

They both laughed, still kissing each other when their lungs
allowed. Angel recovered his breathing and found Buffy
staring at him. She touched his face, studying the angelic
features, made truly angelic by heavenÆs light.

"What?"

Her voice was serious, trapped in reverie "Forget me. You never
told me how *you* look in the daytime.

He smiled gently. "CouldnÆt remember," and touched her face,
mirroring her actions.

They kissed again, softly, deeply. Suddenly, Angel felt something
burst inside of him. The sunlight seemed to permeate his body
completely, and he was swimming in a sea of red. His stomach
churned hard as a battle raged inside him, and he collapsed to
the ground.

"Angel!"

***
"A quote goes here. What are you looking at me for!?!"
ûSarah the nerd.
Didja like? TELL ME!!! ([e-mail])

_____________________________________________________________________
You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail.
Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com
Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]


-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Holly L. Benton" <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: DISCUSS: Beta readers wanted
Date: 28 Jan 1998 21:42:12 -0800

Hi all,
I need two or three brave souls willing to volunteer to read my story
and offer constructive criticicm, opinions, spot errors, etc. Please
e-mail me if you have the time and are interested.
Thanks!
Holly

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Ingrid E Stanton)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: DISCUSS: Slayer be Slain
Date: 29 Jan 1998 01:27:48 -0500

Discuss: Slayer be Slain, by Lea

< Spike was only too pleased to comply to this request
as with Angelus wrapped up with Buffy, he would pose no threat to
Spike's relationship with Drusilla. >

<"Would you like more?"  he queried, willing only to share with her; any
other creature could go without, but Buffy he would keep happy for
eternity.>

< "Buffy, why aren't you coming in?"
    "Invite me, Will."
    She blinked, "Why?"
    "Just invite me in.">

Hmm... good writing, great integration of many aspects of the show.
Another side of love between angel and buffy. Hey- whatever works. In
some ways, I like it better than what's going on right now!
-Ingrid

_____________________________________________________________________
You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail.
Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com
Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]


-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Trey Cash <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: BETA please
Date: 29 Jan 1998 01:41:03 EST

Okay this is a first for me. I'm working on a piece and all and i could really
use someone to BETA what I got and maybe act as a soundboard and idea bouncer.
Please?

Alex

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Angel's Lover <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Slayer Be Slain ~ Part Three ~ Conclusion
Date: 29 Jan 1998 02:28:01 -0800

Okay.. here's the end of it.. minor spoilers for surprise and
innocence.  Oh, before any comments, I know Buffy's being kinda weak in
this, but I'm going with the idea that new vampires are often like
children, sensual, evil, yet still having to come into their full
strength; this kinda works in with the protection of the sire/ lover
thing.  I'll think about this segment some more.. I have to hand it in
at school next week anyway, so if I fix it perhaps I'll post again.
Anyway.. standard disclaimers.. the characters aren't mind they're
joss's and mutant enemey's.. I get no money for this and no copy wright
infrigement was intended.  Please forward all comments to Lea at either
[e-mail] or [e-mail] .  Thanks!

________________________



    Slayer Be Slain ~ Part Three ~ Conclusion

    Buffy leapt onto the bed, crawling in a circle before settling into a
comfortable place in the mattress.  Stretching out with ease,
she savoured the feel of the cool sheets against her skin, still warm
from her exertions of the night.  She purred softly with content as
Angel lay beside her, slowly stroking her back, her soft skin covered
only by light silk.
    "Did you have fun tonight, love?" he queried softly, his
fingers playing lightly over the strap of her slip.
    "Mmm," she murmered, arching gracefully into his gentle caress.  "Can
we play again tomorrow?  With the watcher and that gypsy?"
    Angel sighed lightly as he lathered her shoulders with tiny biting
kisses.  "Playing with a child is one thing, Buffy... but the watcher?"
    Slowly she turned over, allowing the weight of his hand to
settle upon her stomach before she arched up.  Her teeth bit into the
soft skin of his cheek, her tongue easing the abrasion as she kissed
him lightly.  "Don't you want the watcher's heart, Angel?  How many
years has it been since you last sank your teeth into such a tender
treat?"  Again, she bit him gently.
    He weakened as she drew the tip of her tongue slowly over his throat
and softly nibbled on his adam's apple.  "Too many years to count."  His
voice was a low rumble.
    Her voice turned bitter, "And how much would you like to drain the
blood from the gypsy wench?"
    He grumbled low in his throat, "Her blood would go far in soothing me."
    Her lips gently brushed across his, pulling back so that only
her breath touched his skin, burning him slightly as she left him
longing for the slight contact.  Softly she whispered, "Tomorrow's
hunt would please me."  Her fingers trailed teasingly down his chest,
"Greatly."
    A smile slowly spread across his features, promised pleasure warming
his cold body.  Gently, he stroked the side of her face, a low growl
building in his chest.  "Tell me, how do I deny you, love?"
    Her tongue slowly whet her lips as she smiled, and replied simply, "You
don't."
    Angel sank his fingers deep into her hair, drawing her hard against him
for a searing kiss.  Finally he sighed in resignation.
"I can't.  You win, Buffy.  When we awaken, we go to the library and
feast."

***********************

    The day was not wasted.  While the vampires slept, Giles,
Willow, Xander, Cordelia, Oz, and even Ms. Calendar prepared for the
immenent arrival of their one time friends.  Phone calls were made,
stakes were whittled, crosses prepared, and water blessed while the
humans waited tensely for night to fall.
    Giles had worked all night and day on a plan, a plan Ms.
Calendar was only to happy to help him put into motion.  By the time
the vampires arrived, everything would be in place.
    Tonight, Giles had to defeat his prodigy.

***********************

    They awoke early, Buffy's excitement too much to contain.  They passed
the several remaining hours of daylight in their room, preparing
themselves for the night to come.
    Angel had a subserviant vampire bring them a bottle of blood,
a treat to help them pass the time.  He poured the dark liquid into
two wine glasses, and offered one to Buffy.
    She settled into the corner of their sofa, curling her legs underneath
her as she sipped on the sweet drink.  Angel came to sit beside her, his
expression concerned as she remained tense.  Moving slightly, he pulled
her down gently so that her head rested in his
lap.  Slowly, he began to caress her back, easing the knots and
tension from her body in soft, sensuous strokes.
    "What's wrong?" he asked as she finally began to relax beneath his
hands.
    She shrugged, "Nervous, I guess."
    He nodded, smiling down at her reassuringly.  "They have no slayer,
love, and you know as well as I their strengths and weaknesses.
Besides, they are mere mortals.  Only you ever kept them alive this
long."  His fingers trailed slowly from her back to her side, his
strokes growing softer as she began to shiver lightly.
    Buffy giggled, "My bad."
    Angel moved his free hand and dipped a finger into her glass; slowly he
brought his finger to her mouth, tracing her lips softly, leaving a
trail of blood she was helpless to ignore.  The tip of her tongue darted
out, pulling the remaints of the treat into her mouth.
    A knock came at their door.  Dark had fallen and the others
were leaving for the hunt.  Buffy and Angel looked at each other and
smiled; it was time for them to go on a hunt of their own.  Both
vampires knocked back the remaining blood before rising to their feet.
    Angel delicately wrapped Buffy's coat around her shoulders, slowly
lacing her boots for her.  Finally, all was prepared, and they moved
from the safety of their home into the mortal world.

***************************

    The lights in the library burned brightly as the vampires slowly
prowled through the underbrush below the windows.  Silently they peeked
inside, raising their eyebrows as it seemed all their friends were
gathered, waiting for them.
    Angel lay his hand upon Buffy's back as he directed her towards the
school doors. "We dine well tonight," he whispered softly.
    "Only the watcher interests me.  The others are just a bonus."
    "And the gypsy?"
    "Yours to do with as you please.  Afterwards we share in the heart of
the watcher."
    He smiled coldly, holding the door open for her.  Together they shifted
into their vampirical forms, never hesitating as they turned towards the
library.
    They stepped through the swinging doors of the library to find the
tables now vacated.  Both vampires frowned.  The lights suddenly
were extinguished, the doors slamming shut, bolted from the outside
by Willow, who with her friends stood peering in through the window.
Long candles were lit in every corner, on every table, and on either
side of the door.  Their flickering light illuminated the crosses now
sealing the windows and doors against the vampires escape.  Buffy and
Angel found themselves surrounded not by their friends, but by ancient,
whithered strangers.
    Each person held before them a crucifix, a stake, and a vile of holy
water which hung by a chain around their necks.  They were reading from
scrolls ancient words that made no sense in the vampires minds.  Looking
around in sudden concern, both vampires caught sight of Giles
and Ms. Calendar, illuminated by candle light on the second story of
the library.  Angel stepped forward.
    "What have you done, Watcher, beyond give us more bodies from which to
feed?"
    Giles shook his head, "No, Angelus.  You will not drink from these
people.  They are the elders of the gypsy tribe, Calderosh.  I believe
you are already familiar with their abilities."
    "Impossible!"
    Ms. Calendar shook her head.  "No.  They came at my request.  A tribe
will not abandon one of its daughters."
    The gypsies continued chanting lowly, and a slow pain began spreading
through both of the vampires bodies.  Buffy looked at Angel uncertainly
as she suddenly doubled over in agony.  "Angel!" she cried out, dropping
to the floor.
    He growled fiercely, fighting his own pain to gather her into
his arms.  He glared up at Giles as he held her, helpless to stop the
workings of the curse.  "I won't forget this, Watcher!"
    Without warning, both Buffy and Angel shifted into their human forms,
and as the gypsies voices strengthened, they both slowly lost
consciousness.  Even then Angel's body draped over Buffy's, sheltering
her from the curious eyes of the on lookers.  It was almost as though
even in unconsciousness he was driven to protect her from the dangers
of the mortal world.
    Giles sighed sadly.  "I'm counting on that, my friends."
    Hours later, when the candles burned low in their holders, and neither
vampire had moved from their unconscious states, the gypsies voices
finally came to a rest.
    The oldest gypsy, an ancient woman, turned to face Giles and
Ms. Calendar.  "It is done, Janna.  Their souls are restored."
    Ms. Calendar nodded, "Thank you, grandmother."
    Slowly the tired elders filed out of the library, at last allowing
Xander, Willow, Cordelia and Oz back inside.  All four looked
to the still silent forms of their friends uncertainly, and then back
to Giles.
    He nodded, "Right, then.  Oz, if you would be so kind as to
bring around the van, I propose we return Buffy and Angel to Angel's
loft before the rise of the sun."
    Willow swallowed, the remaints of fear still playing over her
features.  "Will they... I mean are they...?"
    Giles sighed, "When they awaken they will be as we knew them before...
well, before." His eyes settled on the slayer and his expression
darkened.  "For the most part."
    As they moved to gather their friends, they found it difficult
to seperate their forms.  Angel's and Buffy's fingers were intertwined
so tightly that nothing the watcher or the kids could do could pull
them apart.  Giving up finally, the carried the vampires to the van,
together.  Gently their unconscious forms were lain out, side by side.
    The worlds of Buffy and Angel had changed greatly in the last
few weeks, and when the vampires awakened their worlds would change
once again.  This time, however, they would have each other to see
themselves through the guilt and the pain of their demonic lives.
    Somehow they would find some semblance of happiness in their existence,
after all, they were immortal.  Eternity was theirs for the taking.

    The END!!!!

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Daphne1784 <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: DISCUSS: Beta readers wanted
Date: 29 Jan 1998 06:55:39 EST

I would love to read your story!!

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Kimela M Wilker"<[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Barbie Incident (3/5) by Kimela
Date: 29 Jan 1998 07:51:44 -0600


     Title: The Barbie Incident
     Author: Kimela
     Email: [e-mail]
     Disclaimer: Xander and Willow do not belong to me, I am just borrowing
     them and will return them intact.
     Rating: PG (PG-13 maybe)
     Description:  Xander recalls the "Barbie Incident" (for which he &
     Willow "Broke up" when they were 5-yrs-old.)

     The first 2 parts can be found at
     http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/4079

     Reminder: Because it has been a long time since I last posted a
     section of this story, I realized I should probably note that Xander &
     Willow (in this section of the story, anyway) are only 5 years old...

     Barbie Incident Part Three: Of Dreams and Dolls

     When we got back to Willow's house, she immediately placed her doll in
     the spot where she always put her most coveted toys...on top of the
     monitor for her Commodore64.  For a few minutes, she seemed intent on
     just sitting and staring at the doll with an odd sort of fascination.
     I didn't understand it...it was just a stupid old doll, and it was
     ugly at that.  But it did seem to please Willow, so I did my best to
     fake enthusiasm when she asked what I thought of her choice.

     "It's really..." there was an elongated pause as my mind frantically
     searched for words that might pass as a compliment.  All I could think
     of was the old woman in the shop yelling about curses and mothers and
     warnings.  I finally blurted the first non-judgmental thing that came
     to mind, "...happy!"  Willow looked at me, confused.  I swallowed
     hard, trying to think up an explanation.  "I mean it gives me a happy
     just to know that you're so...happy...with the...happy doll," I
     stammered.

     Willow grinned widely, apparently accepting my ranting.  "Thanks,
     Xander!"

     I was relieved when she dropped the subject of her doll and led me
     back downstairs to the kitchen, where Mrs. Rosenberg was busy
     preparing the popcorn.  I always loved watching the way the tinfoil on
     the Jiffypop pan got bigger and bigger, as if it were going to
     explode, sending little popcorn bits throughout the room.  I always
     wondered if you let it cook just a little bit longer than the
     directions said to if it really would blow up, but my mom never let me
     find out.  Somehow, I didn't think that Mrs. Rosenberg would, either,
     so I didn't bother to ask.  Instead, I waited until she pulled the
     foil open with tongs and dumped the popcorn into a big bowl.

     "Did you guys decide what you wanted to watch?" she asked as she
     poured melted butter over the puffy white kernels.  Normally, I would
     have found it hard to resist reaching in to snag a handful, but right
     then, my heart just wasn't in it.  I didn't know why I was still
     dwelling on the old woman's drivel, but for some reason, I just
     couldn't get it out of my mind.

     "How `bout The Wizard of Oz?" Willow suggested, gazing at me for
     approval.  Great...a movie with a wicked old witch...it was usually
     one of my favorites, but I really wasn't in the mood for it.  I
     couldn't think of a good alternate, though, so I forced myself to
     smile and nod.

     "Why don't you go ask your dad if he would set it up for you.  I'm not
     so good with that gizmo yet."

     "Oh, I know how to do it," Willow announced expertly.  They had only
     recently acquired a VCR, but she had already mastered the thing.  "All
     you do is you put the tape in and--"

     "That's great, honey.  Go get your dad to help.  Alexander, you stay
     here and help me with this popcorn, huh?"  Willow frowned slightly,
     but turned and headed for the family room, where her father was
     watching the tail end of the game.  As soon as she was out of the
     room, Mrs. Rosenberg turned to me.

     "How are you doing?" she asked, looking concerned.  I watched as she
     started sprinkling salt on the popcorn.

     "I'm okay," I assured her.  "Just kind of tired."

     "Good," she smiled warmly as she picked up the bowl and turned toward
     me.  I started to smile back when I realized that she was still
     pouring seasoning into the bowl.  For a moment I stood, transfixed as
     I watched her shake more and more salt onto the already coated
     popcorn.  I briefly wondered if she realized what she was doing, but
     before I got a chance to remind her, I caught sight of her face.  The
     smile was gone and she was staring at me with a wild look.  "Why
     didn't you listen to me, boy?" she croaked in a raspy voice.

     I blinked.  That hadn't really happened...had it?  Mrs. Rosenberg
     never sounded like that.  I had to be imagining things.  "What?"

     She stepped closer still staring at me insanely as she continued to
     dump more seasoning into the bowl.   "I told you not to let your
     little friend take that doll, but you wouldn't listen to me, would
     you?" she spat, her voice sounding exactly like the old woman from the
     shop.  "Now you'll be sorry!  You'll watch as she takes over and
     you'll be helpless to stop her!"

     I kept backing away, but I was so nervous that I tripped over my own
     feet and fell, hitting my head on the corner of one of the kitchen
     chairs as I went down.  I could see Mrs. Rosenberg's shoes as she
     shuffled toward me.  "Alexander?" I heard her call, as if from a
     distance.  "Alexander, are you okay?"  And then she was kneeling over
     me, a worried expression on her face.  "Can you sit up?"  Her voice
     was back to normal and there was nothing about her that would indicate
     that moments ago she had been spouting out psychotic warnings about
     her daughter's doll.  Maybe I truly had imagined the whole thing?

     As I slowly sat up a wave of nausea washed over me.  Mrs. Rosenberg
     lifted me from the floor and set me on the edge of the counter.  I
     winced as she gently explored the bump that was already rising on the
     back of my head.  "That's quite a bump you've got there.  Let's get
     some ice on that.  Want to tell me what happened?"

     "I'm okay," I replied, dodging the question.

     She smoothed the hair out of my face and smiled at me.  "Why don't you
     go on in and sit down.  I'll bring you some ice for that lump."  She
     helped me down from the counter and ushered me out of the kitchen.

     I headed to the family room, still feeling a little woozy from my
     fall.  From the corner of my eye, I thought I saw something moving,
     but when I turned to look, nothing was there.  Maybe I was going
     crazy?  One thing I was sure of, I wasn't going to sleep that night.
     The stupid old woman and her insane warning about that dumb doll were
     going to give me nightmares.

     I was wrong about not sleeping.  Somehow, I managed to fall asleep
     before the movie was even half over.  I woke briefly as Mr. Rosenberg
     lifted me to carry me up to bed, but was asleep again before we even
     reached Willow's room.  As I suspected, my dreams were plagued with
     images of the old woman.

     At first, she only appeared in the corner of my vision.  No matter how
     I turned, I could never see her fully.   As the dream progressed,
     however, she slowly began to take over entirely, filling my mind with
     images of her chasing me, grabbing at me.

     "You have to listen to me, boy," she called, almost pleading with me.

     "Leave me alone!" I cried, still running away through the darkness.
     She suddenly appeared in front of me and I couldn't stop myself from
     crashing into her.

     "You'll have to destroy her, boy, before she takes over!" she screamed
     at me, jolting me awake again.  I glanced over at Willow's Commodore
     and was astonished to find that the doll was not there.

     I bolted upright and started scanning the room for the missing toy.
     It was poised on Willow's nightstand, looming over her and glowing a
     ghostly green.  I blinked, hoping that I was still dreaming and that
     when I opened my eyes the doll would be normal.  It was still there,
     and it was still glowing eerily.  It may have been my imagination, but
     I could swear that it was grinning at me, taunting me.

     I lunged across Willow, and grabbed the doll.  I'm not sure what I had
     been intending to do, but whatever it was, it didn't happen.  As my
     hand closed around the doll, I could hear a faint sizzle and felt the
     flesh on my palm start to burn.  I threw the doll away from me as hard
     and as fast as I could, not bothering to watch where it landed.

     I bit my lip to keep myself from crying out and clutched at my burnt
     hand.  My mind raced, figuring out what my next move should be.
     Whenever I got burnt at home, mom would always make me hold ice on the
     injury, so I figured that I should probably do that this time, too.
     Not wanting to explain the wound-I would only sound crazy-I slipped
     quietly from the bed, careful not to wake Willow.  I hurried
     downstairs to the kitchen, pushed a chair over to the refrigerator,
     and climbed up so that I could reach the ice bin in the freezer.  As I
     reached to grab for the ice, I actually looked at the wound for the
     first time.

     My hand wasn't just red where I had touched the doll; it was glowing,
     as if it were on fire.  I stifled the scream that formed in my throat.
      It was strange, because it looked as though my hand should hurt
     tremendously, but save for a slight burning sensation, I hardly felt
     it at all.  What had the doll done to me?  And what if it was doing
     the same thing to Willow?  Why hadn't I stuck around at least long
     enough to make sure the doll was gone...I had to get back upstairs!

     Forgetting about the ice, I dashed up the stairs and into Willow's
     bedroom.  To my horror, the doll was again looming over my friend and
     they were both glowing.  It had grown larger somehow, and was now
     nearly the same size as Willow-who looked a lot smaller than I
     remembered her to be.  The doll's arms were raised toward the ceiling
     and a faint blue lightning bolt seemed to jump from one plastic hand
     to the other...actually, the hands didn't even look plastic.  Nor did
     the face, I realized as I cautiously moved to get a better look.  It
     looked more like a human being than a toy.  Its lips were moving as if
     it were chanting...it was probably casting some sort of spell to take
     over Willow!  The old woman was right-I had to stop it!

     As I lunged forward to try to knock the "doll" away from my sleeping
     friend, I caught sight of my glowing hand and had second thoughts.  I
     decided that I should probably try a different tactic.  I grabbed a
     book from Willow's desk and lobbed it at the iridescent being.  The
     book never reached its mark.  Instead, the doll seemed to sense what
     was coming and at the last moment whirled to block the attack.  A bolt
     of the blue lightning struck the book and blasted it right back at me,
     nailing me in the head before I even saw it coming.

     The blow must have dazed me because the next thing I knew, the now
     child-sized doll was standing over me, its eyes blazing with fury.
     Its hand lashed out and gripped me by the neck, squeezing with
     impossible strength.  I tried to cry out, but no sound could escape.
     I couldn't breathe.  "Stay out of my way, child, or I will kill you,"
     it threatened.  "I can't have you breaking my concentration.  You're
     fortunate I don't have my full strength yet or I'd do it now...I may
     need you yet."  It released its hold and I gasped for air.

     For a few moments I was unable to move, terrified into a stupor.  Then
     I realized that the doll was once again going after Willow.  I leapt
     up and chased after it.  As I suspected it was once again hovering
     over Willow, chanting.

     "You can't have her," I bellowed as I tackled it, bringing us both
     crashing to the floor on the other side of the bed.  A furious cry
     emitted from the doll as it lashed out at me, striking me across the
     face.  I yelped and tried to roll away from it only to find myself
     pinned on my back with the doll glaring down at me.  It no longer even
     resembled a child's toy.  Its face was twisted in a grimace that was
     pure evil.

     "I warned you, boy," it growled as it reached up and grabbed the
     pillow from the top of the bed, pulling the blanket down with it,
     covering us.  Before I even figured out what was happening, the pillow
     was thrust over my face and the doll bore down on it with its full
     strength.  I couldn't breathe!  I flailed my arms and tried to push
     the thing off of me, but with each passing moment I felt myself
     getting weaker and weaker.

     Then all at once I felt the weight lifted from me.  The bedspread and
     pillow were tossed aside and I found myself staring up into the
     worried face of Mrs. Rosenberg.  I gulped in the air, filling my
     lungs.  Mrs. Rosenberg lifted me up and sat down on the edge of the
     bed, pulling me into her lap.  "Its okay, honey," she whispered.  "It
     was only a dream, sweetie..."

     A dream?  Didn't you see the--I glanced back at the floor and was
     stunned to see the doll back in its original form.  It was just a
     harmless little piece of plastic.  I blinked back the tears that were
     trying to form.  It had to have happened!  It was all so real!

     "What happened?" I heard Willow ask in a frightened voice.

     "Don't worry, honey.  Alexander had a nightmare and fell out of bed.
     That's all.  Go back to sleep."  For the next several minutes Mrs.
     Rosenberg just sat and held me, comforting me.  When she felt that I
     was calmed down enough, she set me back down on the bed and pulled the
     sheet up to my chin.  She kissed me lightly on the forehead.  "Now go
     back to sleep, honey."  She ruffled my hair and smiled down at me
     warily.

     As soon as her mother left the room, Willow rolled toward me and
     looked me over appraisingly.  "Are you all right?"

     "I'm fine..."  No, I wasn't.  I could have sworn that it had happened.
      I could still feel the hands clutching my throat and the burning in
     my hand.  It couldn't have been a dream..."Just fine."

     She grinned.  "So, are you tired?" she asked.

     I was, but I didn't think I'd ever get back to sleep...not with that
     doll in the room.  "No."

     "Good, want to play a game or something?"

     "Sure," I replied.  At least it would keep my mind off of...things.  I
     swung my legs out of bed and planted them on the floor.  As I stood up
     I again caught sight of the doll.  It looked harmless enough now, but
     it still made me nervous.  I forced myself to look away.  "So what do
     you want to play?"

     "Monopoly?" she suggested.  Perfect, that would keep us up for hours.
     I nodded.  I watched as she padded to the door and peeked out to make
     sure the coast was clear.  She waved for me to follow and disappeared
     into the hallway.

     I started to follow, but then I saw something move from the corner of
     my eye.  I whirled to stare at the doll.  I could have sworn that it
     had moved a few inches.  Perhaps it was my imagination...perhaps not.
     I wasn't going to take the chance.  I reached down and picked it up.
     "Stupid doll," I muttered as I shoved it into Willow's toy chest.  I
     closed the chest and latched it shut.  "Get out of that one."  That
     accomplished I immediately felt infinitely better.  Mission
     accomplished; disaster averted.

     Looking back I should have realized that it couldn't be that easy.



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "The Mistress" <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: BuffyFic: Beta request
Date: 29 Jan 1998 10:32:54 EST

Hey. I've got a story, a sequel to one I posted on Slayerfanfic.com, and
I need someone to Beta read the first section. It's entitled Prom Night
In (or From, whichever sounds better) Hell.  (Though, technically
there's not much of a prom)

Karras

______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Isis212 <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Watching  (1/1)
Date: 29 Jan 1998 10:37:15 EST

TITLE:  Watching-  but then the characters started talking (darn them!).
            Ruined the whole darn concept.  IOW, need new name.  Help!
AUTHOR:  Aramat-  that's me!
EMAIL:  [e-mail]
RATING:  G-  Cinderella kissed Prince Charming longer
SUMMARY:  Angel takes a moment to observe Buffy, the regular girl.
DIST:  Ask and you shall recieve.  After I edit.
FEEDBACK:  Yes please!  It makes me happy.
DISC:  I don't own BtVS or it's delightful characters.  That guy Joss
          and some guys called the WB do.

Note:  This takes place before S/I.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Angel watched Buffy from the shadows.  She was on the dance floor,
dancing and laughing with Willow and Xander.  Even though he knew
she was expecting him he was reluctant to intrude on her time with her
friends.

His eyes moved to the redhead and he smiled.  She stood slightly off
to the side watching, an amused smile on her face, as Xander executed
his unique style of dancing on the floor.  She was a good friend to Buffy.
And to him.  They hadn't had much contact but he knew he could consider
her a friend.

Next his gaze fell on Xander.  He couldn't stop the chuckle that escaped
him as he watched the boy coax a very reluctant Willow to dance.  Although
he hated to admit it, he was glad Xander was there for Buffy.

Once again, he fastened his eyes on Buffy.  Looking at her now,
surrounded by her friends, he could almost believe she was the normal
teenager she wanted to be.  He was glad she still had moments that made
her forget, however briefly, about her real life.  He was glad that she was
happy.  It was what she deserved.

He waited a few minutes more before stepping out of the shadows.
Almost immediately Buffy looked his way.  When her eyes met his,
she smiled.  He couldn't but smile in return.  She turned to Willow,
said something that caused the girl to smile, and then worked her way
over to him.

"Hi," she said when she'd reached him.  "I've been waiting for you.  I was
starting to worry."

Angel was touched by her concern for him.  "You were having so much
fun I didn't want to disturb you."

Annoyance flashed in her eyes, and Angel smiled.  She grabbed his
hand and dragged him into the crowd.

"Don't you know by now that I'm never completely happy unless I'm
with you?," she asked as they danced.  "You're important to me.  You
make me happy."

He smiled.  He'd never realized she felt that way.  It was good to hear.

He wrapped his arms around her holding her close as they swayed to
the music.  Leaning down he whispered in her ear, "Never?"

She laughed and nodded.  "Never," she answered, smiling.  "My circle's
not complete without you."

Angel lifted her chin so that her eyes met his.  He leaned down and
pressed a light kiss to her lips.

"I'm glad I make you happy," he said softly.  "You make me happy too."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, should I ditch the talking part?  They weren't supposed to talk!  I
didn't want them speaking, but noooo.  Buffy had to go over and start a
conversation.  And then Angel, being so unable to resist her charm,
decided he wanted to talk too.  They wanted to do more but I put my
foot down (and my pen) and said no way!  This is my story and no one
talks unless I want them to.  So, I ask again, should I ditch the talking
part?

Aramat!-  Yes, I am crazy!  But I'm not insane.

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Tannim Umoren <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: Slayer Be Slain ~ Part Three ~ Conclusion
Date: 29 Jan 1998 11:33:00 -0600

This was great!  I loved the way you had Buffy as a vampire!  I loved how
they tormented willow.  The fact that Buffy was weak was a good Idea as
well.  I mean if a new vampire is just as strong as a 500 yr old vampire
that just doesn't seem right.  Any way I am looking forward to more stories
from this buffyverse.  I would especially like to see Buffy's visit to
Willow from Will's point of view.  Anyway very good fic.  Keep up the good
work!





Now if you'll excuse me,

    I need to go back to the....

        ...all concealing lurker-type shadows :-)



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Penny Horwitz <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Life's A Journey, Not A Destination: Prologue
Date: 29 Jan 1998 11:52:51 -0600

Title: Life's a Journey, not a Destination
By: Pen Horwitz [[e-mail]]
Series title: Unknown as yet... [Yes there will be at least two more on
the way]
Genre: Horror/Suspense
Historian's notes: This takes place ten years after BtVS. All the events
in first season, and the events up to Surprise occurred in this
alternate timeline.
Disclaimer: Buffy, Willow, Angel, Xander, Giles, and the rest of the
Sunnydale gang aren't mine. They belong to Joss and the nice people at
Mutant Enemy. I'm not making any money off this so please don't sue. And
please don't repost this without asking me first.
Distribution: Anya has dibs on this
Feedback: Yes, please!
Spoilers: Possible for all episodes up to Act 3 of Surprise.
Summery: It is 2008, ten years after the death of Buffy Summers, and a
new Slayer has been called. Who she is remains a mystery that Rupert
Giles and Willow Rosenberg must solve before it is too late

Prologue

Willow Harris sat staring at the candle. It was hard to believe that
even after ten years one of the best friends she had ever was gone. She
missed Buffy fiercely at times, and had become involved with the
Watchers as a sort of remembrance of her friend. The ringing telephone
snapped her back to reality. She picked up the receiver and cradled it
to her ear. "Harris residence."

"Oh thank God, Willow, I've been trying to reach you forever."

The cultured British voice was one she'd recognize to her dying day.
"Giles?"

"Willow, Kendra's dead." Giles' voice quivered with rage. "Bloody
bastards. They cut her down like an animal."

Willow's mind was racing. "Has the next Slayer been called?"

Her question snapped her old mentor and friend out of his fury. "We
don't know who she is, Willow. All the signs point to a re-emergence of
the danger of the Hellmouth, and that the Slayer is here, but I have no
idea where." A note of defeat snuck into Giles' voice as he spoke.
"Willow, I'm not sure if I'm up to this anymore. I'm getting too old,
plus there's Brigid to deal with."

Willow smiled at the thought of the sprite-like child Giles had become
guardian of. "How is she? She's sixteen now, right?"

"Oh, yes." Giles' tone shifted from defeated to besieged. "And I thought
being a Watcher to a sixteen year old girl was bad. That sweet little
six year old who was the apple of my cousin's eye has become an unholy
terror worse than vampires."

Willow was sympathetic. She and Xander didn't have any kids yet, but she
had seen it in her own family enough to understand. "No more nightmares
though?" she asked.

Giles went silent for a moment. "Her's or mine?" He sighed, and Willow
remembered how painful it was for him to talk about it. Of all of them,
Giles felt the most responsible for what had happened. It had been his
family Buffy had died trying to save from Spike and Drucilla. Of his
cousin Abbey's family, only Brigid Giles survived that night. Willow had
been lucky, she hadn't seen Buffy being brought out of the warehouse
with third degree burns over her entire body, cradling a small
frightened child in her arms.

"Both." She said, her voice brimming with compassion.

"Brigid hasn't had nightmares for 6 years. Mine, on the other-hand,
never end. I can't do this alone, Willow. I can't train another girl to
go to her death. I need your help."

Willow took a deep breath. Her first assignment as a Watcher. She knew
this would come someday, and she hoped Xander would understand. "I'll be
there. Can you make arrangements?"

     ___________

Giles spoke with Willow on little things for a while longer, playing
catch up, complaining that Xander's last novel portrayed him as overly
stuffy, talking about his worries of what the new Slayer might face.
What he didn't tell his young friend, was he had been reading through
both the Watcher diaries and the Slayer prophecies, and they were much
more dire than he had imagined. He knew that Drucilla anchoring herself
to the essence of the Hellmouth would have lasting repercussions, but
nothing like what the books were saying. At last he bid Willow farewell
and sat back down at his desk. The Pagamon Codex lay open before him.
The most detailed Slayer prophecies pointed to a young woman unlike any
other Slayer before her. They had tested all the other Chosen, and none
of them seemed to be the one they were searching for. He looked at the
clock, 10:00 PM. He glared at the time piece as it mocked him. He hadn't
slept since the news of Kendra's death had reached him over twenty four
hours ago. He needed to sleep. Rupert dragged himself from his work,
knowing it would still be there when he woke. He entered sleep as soon
as his head hit his pillow. And with sleep came the nightmares which
played out his failure before his eyes.

     _________________


"Buffy, you cannot go!" Giles yelled at her as she picked up the
crossbow from the library weapons closet.

"Damn it, Giles. It's my fault Abby and Brigid were taken. I should have
killed Drucilla in the Sunset Club when I had the chance." Cold fury
painted her face with shadows and she pointed to the box that had just
arrived. "For all we know Abby's dead, and you said that the last ritual
to seal Drucilla to the Hellmouth needs innocent blood, so at least
Brigid should still be alive." The Slayer hoisted the bag of  supplies
onto her shoulder and made for the door.

Giles raced after her. "I'm coming with you." Before she could protest
he forged ahead. "I've been trained in self defense, and I've slain
vampires before. Buffy, Brigid is the only blood family I have left in
this world. If something happened to her, or to you and I could have
prevented it..." He shook his head. "I'd never forgive myself."

"All right, Giles." Buffy laid a hand on her Watcher's shoulder. "Let's
go get your family back."

It hadn't been hard for Buffy to track the vampires down. And when they
arrived they found themselves staring down at a nightmarish perversion
of a royal court. Abby was there, no longer the beautiful vibrant woman
that Rupert had grown up with. Now a demon stalking her own child,
grinning maliciously as the tiny girl sobbed in heartrending fear and
struggled to free herself from her bonds. Reigning over the whole scene
was Drucilla, with Spike at her side, looking every inch the Demon
Queen.

The rest was a blur as Giles watched the events from outside himself. He
saw one of the ceremonial candles fall into the ornate drapery
surrounding Drucilla's throne, and then consume Drucilla herself. He
remembered Buffy pushing him through the door, and diving back into the
inferno to save Brigid. And then the end came as Buffy stumbled out of
the blaze, burned and battered, arms wrapped around the unconscious
child. He reached out weeping, knowing he couldn't change anything.

"NO!" Giles woke from the dream, and sobbed as the dispair he had locked
away since Buffy's death returned.

End Prologue


--
======================================================
|Penny Horwitz [[e-mail]]
|Owner and CEO of the Incubus Club
|Suave Sister Temptress
|SISTAH Penny Dreadful of the FAMILY
|Thrawl of the Muses Angel and
Marcus
|
======================================================
"That's it. I'm tired of this Mr. Nice Guy crap. She's going to know
fear. She's going to know pain, and _then_ I'm going to kill her!"-Angel
"Life's a Journey, Not A Destination"



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Michelle" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: DISCUSS: Watching  (1/1)
Date: 29 Jan 1998 11:53:31 -0600

This was a great story! Nice to enjoy a simpler time when Angel and Buffy
still loved each other. We never knew when we had it so good. The talking is
just fine, completely appropriate for the ending. Leave it just as it is.
:-)

Michelle
[e-mail]




-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Kimela M Wilker"<[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: BuffyFic: Beta request
Date: 29 Jan 1998 10:30:13 -0600



Hi, I would love to be a beta reader for you, and would have sent this to you
directly, but your email was not posted anywhere in your note.

Since I am posting to the entire list with this reply, I would just like to take
a moment to invite you all to visit a great Fanfiction site that a friend of
mine started.  It is devoted to the Slayerettes and is located at
http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/4079  and it is run by Zak Zandarah.  I
know she does not belong to any of the mailing lists, so if you have a
Slayerette story (one that focuses on Xander, Willow, or Cordy) that you would
like to post on her site, you can email her at [e-mail], or visit
her site and you can send her stories from there.

Kimela
[e-mail]


______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Author:  <[e-mail] > at smtpgate


Hey. I've got a story, a sequel to one I posted on Slayerfanfic.com, and
I need someone to Beta read the first section. It's entitled Prom Night
In (or From, whichever sounds better) Hell.  (Though, technically
there's not much of a prom)

Karras

______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

-





-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Ingrid E Stanton)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: DISUSS: Slayer Be Slain
Date: 29 Jan 1998 16:03:48 -0500

Marvelous work. Great illustration of the bond between Angel and Buffy.
My only complaint is the abrupt ending. I wanted to know what happened
afterwards!
-Ingrid

_____________________________________________________________________
You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail.
Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com
Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]


-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Dream  (1/1)
Date: 29 Jan 1998 16:28:09 EST

Hi gang!

I know it's been a week since S/I but I just remembered this story.  I wrote
it a couple of weeks before the big two part ep and since it kinda fits I
thought I'd post it.  Now, keep in mind that I wrote this  *before*  S/I.
I had no idea what was going to happen.  I wrote this because I wanted
to satisfy my curiousity.  I'll let you guess what I was curious about.
Anyway, read on and enjoy.


TITLE:  Dream
AUTHOR:  Aramat!
EMAIL:  [e-mail]
DIST:  Ask and you shall recieve.  After I edit.
RATING:  PG - to be safe.
SPOILERS:  just a brief reference to PG.
FEEDBACK:  Pretty please?  With sugar on top?  And a cherry?  Maybe
                     some nuts?  Oh, and can't forget the whipped cream!
DISC:  I don't own these wonderful people.  They are the property of Joss
          Whedon and the WB.  I just use them because I can not make up
          characters of my own.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dream

Buffy scanned the cemetery, searching for the vampire she knew was
there.  He was close, she could sense him.  There was an energy that
radiated from him, a power she could feel deep inside her.  He was strong,
very strong.  The fight would not be easy.

She focused all her attention on him, blocking out every sound, every
sight that would distract her attention from him.  There was silence as
she concentrated solely on him.  She could feel his presence surrounding
her.  For a moment she was overwhelmed.  She had never felt this way
before during a hunt.  She had complete confidence in her abilities to
destroy the undead.  The only time she had ever felt fear this great was
during her fight against the Master.  But somehow this feeling of dread
was even stronger than that.  For the first time she truly doubted her
ability.  How could she fight someone so strong?

But she had to fight.  Somehow she had to find the power inside herself
to defeat this predator.  She stopped, closing her eyes, and focused on
him.  All she allowed her mind to dwell on was destroying him.  She
heard a whisper of sound and she turned to her foe.

She gasped, surprised, when she saw Angel emerge from the shadows.
When, finally, her heart stopped racing uncontrollably she stepped
forward to greet him.  But the words of welcome died on her lips.

There was something different about him.  She knew it as sure as she
knew the sun would rise in the morning.  As she and Angel stood there
watching each other, she knew soething had changed.  None of the
things she usually associated with Angel, safety, security, love, none
of those things were present.  It their place was something darker,
something dangerous.

Her other indication that things were not right was the look in his eyes.
She wasn't quite sure it was hate, but she knew for a fact it wasn't love.
The look in his eyes was impassive, but behind the indifference there was
something predatory.  It scared her.

Buffy took a step back and Angel smiled at her obvious distress.  But
when Buffy looked up she realized smile was too nice a word for the
expression on his face.  It was more a baring of fangs, his lips curled
in enjoyment of her fear.  It was then that Buffy realized exactly what
was going on.

She reached for the stake in the sleeve of her jacket, holding it her
hand taking comfort in it's presence.  Holding the thick wooden stick
in her hand she felt slightly reassured that if something happened she
would be ready.  She looked back up at Angel, who was watching her
intently.  She wanted to speak, to find out what had gone wrong, but
she couldn't find the words.  Watching him watch her, the eyes, the face
that she'd spent so much time dreaming about, she felt some of her
resistance fade away.  But not all.

As he walked toward her, each step slow and graceful, she found that
words weren't the only thing that had abandoned her.  Watching him
warily, she found that all her instincts had left her.  All she could do was
stand there as he walked casually to her, his eyes darkening with some
unidentifiable emotion.  Her mind went blank, her body went numb.
Everything she'd ever learned as the Slayer fled.  She was now a regular
girl, helpless and scared.  She knew what was coming.

She closed her eyes and awaited the inevitable, wishing he would be
swift in his killing of her.  But he didn't.  His next moves surprised her.

Angel reached her and he lifted a hand to touch her cheek.  Buffy, not
expectiing the contact, closed her eyes and leaned into his hand, absently
rubbing her cheek against his palm.  She felt Angel take her face in his
hands, sensed him lean down close to her.  When his lips met hers she
gasped at the familiar sensation and Angel took full advantage.  As he
deepened the kiss, Buffy wrapped her arms aorund him pulling him close
to her, losing herself in his warmth.  His hands slid down her body before
wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her into him.  They stood
there together, lost in each others arms, their passion rising to a higher
level.

Buffy was so caught up in the sensations she'd forgotten that she was
supposed to fear this vampire.  So lost, she never questioned as his
questing mouth journeyed seductively to her throat, never noticed his
face shift, never noticed his fangs extend.  It was only when his teeth
pierced her smooth flesh, sinking deep into her neck that she find the
strength to fight back.

As Angel fed lesuirely from her, she gripped the once forgotten stake
and, with every ounce of strength she had left, plunged it through his
back and into his heart.  And as he dissolved into a cloud of dust she
fell to the ground beside him, unconcious.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Buffy awoke from the nightmare slowly.  She sat up in bed and was
assaulted by images of she and Angel staring into each others eyes,
she and Angel wrapped in a passionate embrace, Angel plunging his
fangs into her neck, her ramming a stake into his heart.  She felt tears
well in her eyes as she recalled Angel's death and her body beside his
ashes.  But she refused to cry.  Laying back down, she closed her eyes,
willing sleep back to her.  After moments of trying, sleep finally rose to
claim her and, as she felt herself drift away, she whispered to the
darkness that it was just a dream.


The End
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hope you liked it!  And this time they didn't speak. (Few will get this joke.)

Aramat!

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: DISCUSS:Dream  (1/1)
Date: 29 Jan 1998 19:38:48 EST

In a message dated 98-01-29 17:24:11 EST, [e-mail] writes:

<< Hope you liked it!  And this time they didn't speak. (Few will get this
joke.)

 Aramat! >>

I got it!!
Very well writen... I liked it alot!
Lins

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "The Mistress" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: BuffyFic: Beta request
Date: 29 Jan 1998 21:03:24 EST



Heck, I'll just send Part One to the list. :)

Expect it soon.

Karras
[e-mail]


______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Ingrid E Stanton)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: "One Vampire's Headache..." (10/?) by Ingrid
Date: 29 Jan 1998 21:23:32 -0500

DISCLAIMER:
I claim no rights to the characters mentioned from "Buffy
the Vampire Slayer, " including Drusilla and Spike.
They are used w/o permission, and rightfully belong
to the WB, Joss Whedon, Sandollar Productions
& Mutant Enemy.

SUMMARY: Part 10, more Spike Drusilla stuff.
(Alternate Buffy universe.) If you donÆt get this,
thatÆs cause you havenÆt read the other parts. If
you want to get this, send me mail at
[e-mail].

WARNING: A bit twisted. DonÆt read if you canÆt
stand the mention of blood. - heh heh! I made a joke!

Proceedà

***
"One VampireÆs Headacheà" Part the Tenth
***

Spike walked on, ever so slowly. Something was hovering over
him, clouding his brain, and hindering his sharp mind. Drusilla
began to sing to a doll, slowing the lullaby to half time, dragging
out the verse, and twisting the syllables with her faint voice:

"Rock-a-bye b-a-by on the tree t-o-p
When the wind bl-o-ws the cradle will r-o-ckà"

The melody curled itself through SpikeÆs mind, becoming more
and more muddled as she sang.

"When the bow bre-a-ks, the cradle will f-a-llà"

He was dizzy, and his skin was itching.

"And down will come b-a-by, cradle and a-ll!" Dru dropped her doll
suddenly.

"Spike?"

"What is it, love?"

"I don't feel good. I can't think like this! Where's my dolly?"

Spike bent down and picked up the porcelin statuette. He handed it to
her, watching her tuck it into her dress.

Her long tresses blew carlessly about her as she pressed forwards. After
a long silence, she seized his arm.

"Sit. I need to sit. Here," she commanded, pulling him to the edge of the
grass. He looked on as she dropped her head on his shoulder. He had
intended to stay awake, but found himself slowly drifting off after her.
*Just a little nap,* he thought as he closed his eyes...

***
"If you think I know where IÆm going with this story, youÆre sadly
mistaken!"
-Ingrid
(Next part will be Buffy/Angel)
Write to me at [e-mail].

_____________________________________________________________________
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Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]


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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Ingrid E Stanton)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: "One Vampire's Headache..." (11/?) by Ingrid
Date: 29 Jan 1998 23:17:08 -0500

Here we go again...

DISCLAIMER: Characters from "Buffy the
Vampire Slayer" are not mine, and I am
borrowing them without permission.

SUMMARY: Continues where part 9 left off
with Buffy and Angel. Library discussion
ensues. Have fun, kiddies!

Voila...

***
"One Vampire's Headache..."  Parth the Eleventh
***

"Angel!" Buffy flung herself to the ground where he lay,
quickly turning his body over. She sighed with relief when
she felt his warm breath on her hand.

"Angel." He moved his head ever so slightly. What was
that? It felt as if he was being ripped apart from the inside.
But he *was* still breathing, and the sun still shone with
almost blinding intensity. He was still there, alive, beneath it.

"Buffy."

"Angel, are you okay?"

"I donÆt know. I feel so weak."

"Can you get up?"

"I think so." She helped him up as best she could, letting his
arm rest on her shoulder for support.

"Come on. WeÆre going to see Giles."

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Buffy and Angel snuck into the library as quietly as possible,
considering their situation. Giles looked up in surprise as
soon as they entered.

"Buffy?"

"Giles, get those books out or something, æcause weÆre in
trouble."

"Oh! So it is accurate that vampires can withstand the sunlight.
Today *is* the Day of Weakness. I was sure that my calculations
were precise. IÆll have to tell Jenny-"

"Giles!"

"Oh! Sorry! What happened?"

"We were outside. Angel collapsed on the lawn-"

Angel filled in. "It was like something was reacting inside
me. And then I couldnÆt breathe-"

"You couldnÆt what?"

"Oh," said Buffy, "thereÆs the breathing thingie."

"And the mirror," Angel added.

"YouÆre saying that Angel breathes, and you saw him in
the mirror? This is unprecedented. The book said vampires
could survive in the daylight, but nothing to the extent of what
youÆre experiencing."

A girlsÆ voice interrupted him from the door. "Maybe thatÆs
because thereÆs never been a vampire with a soul before."
Willow waddled up the stairs to meet the group on the balcony.

"Willow could be right," Giles said to Angel. "The demon is
supposed to become  weak to the point of imperceptibility."
Giles paced. "Now in normal vampires, if youÆll pardon the
expression, this makes them weak because there is nothing
else that keeps them alive. Ifà if we are to believe that AngelÆs
soul is constantly battling the demon inside him, however, then
The Day of Weakness could give his soul the advantage it
needsà"

Willow perked up. "I know this one. To defeat the demon?"

"Quite possibly, yes."

Buffy and Angel looked at one another and clasped hands. Giles
had trouble deciding who looked more surprisedà or anxious.
Buffy was swinging her feet in her chair repeatedly, and Angel
was tapping the desk with one finger.

He looked up at Giles. "So how can we find out?"

"Well, let me seeà ThereÆs the obvious. Can you feel the
demon? Do you have the urge to feed?"

He answered without hesitation. "No. But I felt the same way
*before* I collapsed."

"Well, thereÆs always tonightà"

"What happens tonight," Angel asked, as ignorant as the rest
of them for once.

"Tonight, the demon within becomes twice as strong. Should
yours still exist, weÆll know."

"Yeah, and youÆll also be killed. How do I know that I can
control the demon when itÆs so strong?"

"WeÆll have to make that assumption," declared Giles a bit
nervously.

"Besides Angel, what if you arenÆt a vampire anymore? It wonÆt
be safe out there for you," Buffy added.

He laughed sarcastically. "I never thought IÆd hear you say
that one."

"What if," Willow began, and they all turned to look at her.
"What if we lock him up or something?"

Angel looked at her.

"No offense," she shrunk back.

"No. ThatÆs not a bad idea, Willow," defended Giles. This
time, both Buffy and Angel looked at Giles as if he were
insane. "Before sundown, we can put him in that cage over
there. ItÆs been reinforced since the old demon broke it
down. The only thing we need now are some crosses and
a packet of blood."

"I can take care of that," answered Willow, smiling sweetly.

All eyes were on her in an instant.

She looked back incredulously. "What!? CanÆt a girl be
able to get a packet of blood without being a blood sucking
demon?"

"Never mind," answered Buffy, "I wonÆt *even* ask."

"hmph!" Willow turned up her chin and left.

Buffy squeezed Angel's hand hard, and Giles stepped into
the musty vault.

****
Well I know it's not Shakespeare, but let me know what you think!
([e-mail])

_____________________________________________________________________
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-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: starstorm <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: The First Loss (1/?)
Date: 29 Jan 1998 23:49:28 +0000

    =20
  Ah, my very first buffy fic. In it I get to play with all kinds of fun
questions, like how did the first vampires happen and the first slayers.
Seeing as how there are rituals involving vampires translated from the
Sumerian, it wouldn't be unprecedented to believe that vampires have been
around at least as long. The Sumerians were an anceint people who invented
the earliest system of writing, cuneiform, and a huge number of advances in
military, sceintific, and political fields. They were first city based
culture. In my opinion it would take a city to host a vampire.=20
  That being said this story takes place after Phases. Angel is still being
not at all nice, etc.=20
  The flashback-like scenes happen a very long time ago, in a period about
fifteen hundred years before the invention of the cuneiform system of
writing gives any idea of the cultural structure. Everything that happens
has a loose base in myth and archeology. But I really tried. Really.  =20
  Some of the violence is a bit nasty, though I try to avoid tastelessly
graphic things. Just to be on the safe side, consider your limits.=20
  The charcters and concepts you recognize belong to Joss and Co. I make no
money off them, nor would I attempt to do so. Other characters and ideas
are taken partly from Sumerian myth, partly from my fertile imagination.=20
  This fic is incomplete at present. Do send feedback, it would delight me.=
=20
  =20




   Glossary of Sumerian Words=20

       Arrata =3D a city tentatively placed in the Black Sea region. A
possible homeland of the Sumerians, who started to establish themselves in
Mesopotamia sometime after 4500 BCE
       En =3D high priest
       Ensi =3D A king by right of consortship to Inanna
       Inanna =3D Major Sumerian Goddess of love and war, Queen of the
Heavens, believed to confer the right of rulership
       Mashkim =3D lit. demons, spirits that are less than Gods, but
powerful. They may be good or evil.=20
       Nanna =3D the moon God, father of Inanna and Ute
       Sangasha =3D lit. priest, administrator=20
       Ute =3D the sun God, Inanna's brother
       Ziggurat =3D step pyramid, commonly used as a temple



       Sunnydale, California 1998


     The Slayer was hunting. She did it with increasing trepidation since
her birthday. Since the day Angel had=85 changed. Become a soulless monster.
One day she would be out on patrol, and she would meet him.
      And if she let him go again to kill again=85 her lover=85
      But if she killed him=85 her lover=85
      Her only hope was a cure, a curse like the one that had given him
back his soul to begin with. It was a hope that seemed to fade a little
more each day.  And a part of her prayed they would never, never meet. At
least not tonight.
      And for tonight, her wish was granted.=20
      The vamp that came at her was tall, and dark. There was something
oddly foreign about his features, even for a vamp, but she couldn't place
it. What surprised her were the tattoos that curled their way across his
face. They rippled as he changed from a normal human visage to the demon=
 mask.
       He made a strange guttural noise as he lunged at her. His strength
was astonishing. The master might have rivaled him. Might.
       A hand reached for her throat, she avoided it by a finger's length.
She kicked at him, but he barely flinched.=20
       For the first time in a very long while the slayer was afraid. She
thrust her stake forward, but he moved, catching it in the middle of his
chest. No heart.
       "Not yet, girl," he whispered. "But soon." Then he turned and fled
into the shadows.
       Definitely a moment to talk to Giles.=20
=20

       Arrata, On the Black Sea  (approximately 4500 BCE)=20

     The reeds that had covered the roof of the dark little room at the top
of the ziggurat had been pulled aside. The sky was moonless tonight, but
strewn with stars shining like jewels. Incense drifted out as if to greet
those stars.=20
     The priest nodded to his acolyte and accepted the knife. It was an
exquisite piece of artistry, made of incredibly rare black sky metal. It
was decorated to match the tattoos that twisted around his face. But the
fancy whorls and patterns didn't interest him. It held an edge much better
than common copper. Sharp enough to sever a head. Or open a heart.
     "Don't do this, Apsu. If you do this nothing will ever be the same,"
his captive whispered hoarsely. She was well and truly caught, bound to the
offering table with thick ropes. Not that she could have fought anymore,
not after the torturers had finished. But her gray eyes were still clear,
and her voice had once commanded armies.
     "Silence!" he hissed, not daring to meet her eyes.
     "You think they will make you immortal? Is that what you think?" she
spat. "They're jealous, Apsu. Of us, of humanity. They'll lie, promise you
anything, promise you everything--" His palm cracked across her face. Her
weakened body couldn't bear the stress and she slipped into unconsciousness.
     "The bright stars are aligned, En Apsu. It's time," his acolyte
whispered, chewing nervously on his lip.
     "Do we do right, Sangasha?" Apsu suddenly asked.
     "We must, En. If she lives the army will rally around her, and we are
as good as dead."=20
     "Of course=85 you're quite right." He nodded, finally closing off any
other paths in his mind. He was Apsu, High Priest and Royal Prince of the
great Sumerian people. He deserved to be immortal. Even if it meant killing
his Queen. His mother.
    He screamed the words of the ritual into the cold sky. "I call you
Mashkim! Demon kin! Children of the vanished dark! Screaming hoards of the
salt sea, I will feed your hunger. Mashkim who dwell in darkness I offer
you blood." The sky seemed to wrench out of its alignment into an unnatural
disjointed mess. The stars winked and sputtered, as if they would go out.
    "I offer you blood, Mashkim! The blood of the Dragon Queen of Arrata.
The still beating heart of Tiamat!"=20
    With an agonized scream he plunged his black knife into his mother's
chest and ripped out her heart. Hot blood spurted on his face. The stars
winked a final time.
    He realized he was still screaming. His mother's body arched, as if it
could overcome death.=20
  =20
    Her eyes opened.

    Yellow, inhuman eyes.

    She smiled.=20

   A wide, wide smile, full of very white, pointed teeth.      =20

   "So,  Apsu, my son. You want to be immortal?" she hissed. He didn't stop
screaming for a very long time.  Neither of them noticed when the young
acolyte escaped into the city.=20
     =20
***

   A dark haired, gray-eyed young woman yawned heavily as she pulled the
state robe off the throne and over her head. An elderly man in an
intricately woven loincloth watched her nervously as she took her seat. =20
   "Princess Ninurta, I'm sorry to wake you, but you said--" he began. She
cut him off with a wave of her hand.
   "I know what I said, Enki. This man has news of my mother, you say?" her
voice was rich, if rough with sleep.=20
   "He does. But, Princess, he claims to be a Sangasha under the
stewardship of your Lord Brother.   Anything he says could be--"=20
   "Anywhere from misleading to an outright trap. You needn't tell me what
I already know. I'm not the Dragon Queen, but I'm not a fool, Enki." She
glanced briefly at the polished copper mirror. Her hair was as close to
order as was possible under the circumstances.=20
   In many ways she was a living Goddess to her people, and bitter
experience had taught her that they did not want to see her as anything
less than perfect.=20
   "Princess, if what he says is true, " the man paled and looked down at
his feet, "if it's true, you may well be the Dragon Queen."
   "No=85 come on man, this is mother we're speaking of." She shook her head
in rapid denial.
   "You're probably right. But I think you'd best speak with this man all
the same, Princess," he whispered. She nodded tightly.
   "Of course. Have them bring him in."=20
   "Princess=85 little Nin, I=85 that is, I--" Suddenly he found he couldn't
continue, though she made no move to interrupt him. Greatly daring he laid
a hand on royal blood as if she were still the little girl he'd watched
play in the garden.
   "Mother's alive, Uncle Ki. She has to be." She tightened her fingers
over his hand for a long moment. Then she smoothed her face into the serene
image of a living deity and he left to order the young priest into her
presence. =20
   In the brief moment she was alone no one heard her whisper to herself.
"I'll find her. Whatever has happened, however long it takes. I do so=
 swear."


starstorm <[e-mail]>  =20



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: starstorm <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: The First Loss (2/?)
Date: 29 Jan 1998 23:49:37 +0000


Comments and disclaimers in part 1. Feedback is nice please.=20



Glossary of Sumerian Words=20

       Arrata =3D a city tentatively placed in the Black Sea region. A
possible homeland of the Sumerians, who started to establish themselves in
Mesopotamia sometime after 4500 BCE
       En =3D high priest
       Ensi =3D A king by right of consortship to Inanna
       Inanna =3D Major Sumerian Goddess of love and war, Queen of the
Heavens, believed to confer the right of rulership
       Mashkim =3D lit. demons, spirits that are less than Gods, but
powerful. They may be good or evil.=20
       Nanna =3D the moon God, father of Inanna and Ute
       Sangasha =3D lit. priest, administrator=20
       Ute =3D the sun God, Inanna's brother
       Ziggurat =3D step pyramid, commonly used as a temple




Sunnydale, California 1998=20

   =20
    Giles blinked as he looked up from his book. =20
    "Hello? Is there anyone here?" the voice called again.
    "Yes, yes, I'm coming," he cried back and pulled himself out of his
seat and down the stairs.=20
A young woman smiled quizzically up at him. She was quite lovely, he noted,
in his detached fashion. Smooth, dark hair pulled off a pale, oval face.
Clear gray eyes.
    "Are you," she glanced down at a print out, "Mister Giles? The=
 librarian?"
    "Yes, I am," he replied, not sure what to say.
    "I'm new here. My name is Nina Tiamasdotter. Nin, actually. These are
my classes." She handed him the printout and smiled expectantly.
    "Can I help you, Miss Tiamasdotter?" he began, glancing at the paper.
"Oh, of course, you'll want books." He resisted the urge to hit himself and
began to collect the necessary texts.
    "Yes, thank you. I've heard you have quite an amazing collection here
in Sunnydale." She smiled again, and he noticed how sharp and white her
teeth were. Daylight, no vampires, he reminded himself as he adjusted his
glasses.=20
    Not that there weren't worse things then vampires, quite happy in the
daylight, thank you, his mind babbled.
    "We're quite proud of ourselves. Not many of the students take
advantage of our resources--"
    "Hey, G-man!" Xander Harris called as he barreled through the door
followed by Buffy and Willow. Giles breathed an inward sigh of relief.
    "Hello, Xander. Buffy, Willow."=20
    "I see at least some of your students value what's available," Nin's
voice bubbled with supressed amusement.=20
    Xander's eyes widened as they settled on her.=20
    "Hi, I mean hello!" He gave his most charming smile. "You must be new
here. I'm Xander Harris, semi-official greeter. Permit me to greet you.
Maybe if you have time after third period I'll show you our fine prison, er
school?"
    She grinned and took his offered hand. "Nina Tiamasdotter. Nin, if you
please."
    "And I'm Willow Rosenberg." The red haired girl received an equally
bright smile from Nin. "Xander, Cordelia wanted to see you after third
period. Remember Cordelia?"   Xander blushed and looked down at his feet.
    "It's as well. I seem to have a class then. Any of you have honors
chemistry?" Nin glanced around.
    "I do," Willow couldn't resist smiling back. "Here, I'll show you where
it is."  She led Nin out of the room.
    "Weird," Buffy muttered as the door closed.
    "What's weird?" Giles pounced on the suggestion.
    "That girl. There is something way weird about her." She shuddered
slightly.
    "Weird in what way, Buffy?" Xander recovered from his momentary
embarrassment. "She's no vamp, obviously. Maybe she's a succubus?" he
asked, hopefully.
    "What? Xander!" Buffy groaned. "Don't you think you're expressing these
adolescent hormones of yours a bit much of late?"
    "Xander is right about one thing, Buffy. It entirely possibly that Miss
Tiamasdotter is not who she appears to be,  but unless we have something
specific to go on=85" He shrugged.
    "Yeah, whatever," Buffy muttered gloomily.=20
    "In the meantime we have another problem, one most definitely related
to vampires," Giles continued.
    "Oh, joy and laughter," Xander said, from a seat on the circulation=
 desk.
    "My sentiments exactly. Is it about last night's critter, Giles?" Buffy
looked at librarian slash watcher expectantly.
    "I'd say so. Do you know anything about the legend of Tiamat?" he asked.
    "Um, how many guesses do I get?" she replied.
    "Tiamat is an extremely old deity, Sumerian in origin, but adopted by
the later Akkadians and Assyro-Babylonians. She was allegedly a deity of
extreme chaos who was defeated along with her consort- son Apsu and carved
into four pieces by her children to form the world."
     "Eekk. Nice little myth they have there." Xander whistled.
     "But what's it got to do with vamps?" Buffy added, practically.
     "Well, that's the interesting part. According to certain watcher
sources, Tiamat was no Goddess at all, but one of the last warrior Queens
of a city known as Arrata. She was sacrificed by her son, Apsu, to the
Mashkim in order to gain immortality."
     "Excuse me, but what precisely might Mashkim be?" Buffy asked.
     "Sumerian term for demons, actually a bit broader than our
understanding of the word, as these forces could be benevolent. But the
upshot is as she was sacrificed the more malevolent group of Mashkim
entered her body and she rose." He opened the volume he had been looking
at, a hideous illustration of a vampire seemed to hiss from the pages.
     "You mean she became a vamp?"
     "The very first such creature, in fact. About 6500 years ago."  He
gave an abstracted smile. "It's really all very interesting. But the
salient part is the marking on the vampire that escaped you the other
night. Those tattoos have been recorded as belonging to Apsu, himself."
     "So he got his immortality."
     "If you can call it that, yes. But if Apsu is walking in Sunnydale
then Tiamat may rise again." He shuddered dramatically.
     "What do you mean rise? This is vamp we're talking about?" Buffy
leaned on her elbows and looked at her watcher expectantly.
     "Tiamat is no ordinary vampire. She is the first=85 most vampires are
possessed by one demon, if the legends are true she contained thousands.
They give her power beyond imagination."
     "So stakey time, then?" Xander asked from his corner.
     "I wish it were that simple. Not long after her creation Tiamat was
attacked by four extremely powerful people. Her daughter Ninurta, later
known as the Goddess Ninhursag, who was the first slayer to be chosen,
Ninurta's consort, a priest by the name of Anu, and a man of learning Enki,
the first watcher, and another priest whose name is not recorded."=20
     "Obviously they failed."=20
     "Not entirely. They did, in fact, slice Tiamat into four pieces,
however=85"


Arrata, 4500 BCE


     The priest finished his story and fell to his face before the Princess.
     "And you advocated this? Don't protest your innocence, Sangasha, I'm
not a fool!" She resisted the urge to push herself off her throne and do
him damage.
     "Do you believe this story, Princess?" Enki asked quietly.
     "I do. I'm not sure why, perhaps a God has whispered it to me?" She
murmured. As long as she sat on this throne she was the Goddess, and as
such she could not grieve.=20
     "What shall we do?"=20
     "I will sleep tonight in the ziggurat of the Goddess Inanna. Perhaps
the Queen of Heaven will speak to her earthly incarnation." She nodded to
herself, glad to have a plan.
     "Is that wise, Princess? One of the ziggurats has already been
compromised," he cautioned.
     "The ziggurat of the Mashkim, you mean? Not the same at all. And if I
cannot sleep safely in my own temple what good am I?" Her gray eyes clouded
as they met her counselor's black.=20
     "May I at least send your consort to you?"
     "Anu? Yes send, for him. We shall avenge this as we can." Her pale
hand tightened into a fist.
     "And then?"
     "Then will be the time for weeping=85"

***     =20
    =20
     Ninurta dreamed that night, as she lay in Anu's arms. She dreamed of
human-like creatures that stole the blood and life of the living. Creatures
possessed by the most vicious of Mashkim.=20
      She dreamed of killing the monsters and watching them turn to dust.
And Ninurta knew it was her duty to protect her people.
     To slay the vampires=85 because it was already too late to prevent thei=
r
spread.
     She woke up screaming.
     "Nin?" Anu murmured as he woke, "Hush, love, I'm here. Nothing to hurt
you beneath the light of Ute, the sun."
     "I love you, Anu, no matter what happens, remember that, please. I
love you." He wrapped his broad, strong arms around her and she wept into
his shoulder.
     "And I love you, Nin. I always have. We'll face whatever comes
together." He promised.
     "May it be so."
     They helped each other dress in armor and strap on weapons. Enki had
studied the old lore, and suggested that wood might be most effective.
     During the night Tiamat and Apsu had descended on Arrata like a
plague. The dead lay in the alleys. Newly made vampires hid in cellars and
dark warehouses. The three of them followed Apsu's former acolyte to the
ziggurat at the center of the carnage. The light had made the vampires in
the temple itself torpid and weak.=20
     But Tiamat was far from weak.
     "Hello, little daughter," the thing that had destroyed Ninurta's
mother smiled as it spoke.
     "My mother is dead!"  She screamed as she slashed at the creature with
a wooden blade.
     "Are you so sure of that? Maybe I'm not. Or maybe there is some magic
you can use to restore me. After all, you are Inanna on Earth, you should
have great power!" Tiamat taunted.
     "Don't listen to her, Nin. You have no choice!" Anu gave a great
battle cry as his blade tore through Tiamat's body while she was distracted
with Ninurta.
     Enki sought out all the power in his old body and swung.=20
     The acolyte took his blow.
      And with a scream terrible to hear, Ninurta finished her mother off.
But the body did not change to dust like the others had. It rose into the
air spinning, bathing the dark little room in a sickly glow.
     Faster and faster until piece by piece Tiamat vanished.
     "The mouth of the Abyss! The mouth of hell is open!" Apsu cried in
glee as he fled the carnage.
     "My bastard brother is getting away," Ninurta called. "Come on!"
     But they were surrounded by several newly born vampires and Apsu
escaped.=20
     Ninurta kneeled down in her mother's demon blood and used it to paint
the pattern for vengeance on her face.
     "Nin?" Anu kneeled beside her and Enki looked on worriedly.
     "She's gone. I'm not even sure she's dead and Apsu said something
about mouths of hell. I have to find him," she told them, with a determined
calm.
     "Princess, your people need you. With the damage done and the
remaining vampires, Arrata is wide open to invasion. I believe we may well
have to flee." Enki's voice held a deep exhaustion.
     "You can't know that!" Anu cried.=20
     "Whatever happens, we need leadership, Princess," Enki continued.
     "Anu rules here," she stated calmly. Anu looked on in shock.
     "What? He can't!" Enki gasped.    =20
     "Why not?" she demanded.
     "Well for one, he's a man. How can he be Inanna come to Earth?"
     "He's the best choice. He rules as the Ensi, by right of consortship.
Witness for me, Enki," she begged her counselor.
     "Anu rules the Sumerians as our Ensi. I will tell the court, if any
are left," he whispered.
     "Don't I get say in this?" Anu asked.
     "No, I'm afraid not." Ninurta smiled softly.
     "If we do flee, you can find us in the land between the rivers. In
Mesopotamia,"  Anu said.
     "I'll be there," she promised.
     "Come soon," he called after her retreating back.

   Sunnydale, California 1998
=20
     "She never came, did she?" Buffy asked.
     "There are no records of it if she did. The duty of the slayer,
however, was passed on. Some believe she died."=20
     "If she didn't she'd be awfully wrinkly," Xander added.
     "The other theory suggests that she was given a form of immortality in
order to complete her mission. Only when Apsu and Tiamat are dead or free
can she ever have rest and reunion with her beloved Anu."=20
     "So if that's true, would she be following Apsu? And what does it have
to do with the mouth of hell?" Buffy demanded.
     "It is possibly that what fuels the hell mouth and its demon is
nothing less then the monster Tiamat."
     "So if Tiamat is destroyed, then?"
     "The hellmouth will eventually dissipate. Though I'd imagine it would
take a few decades to finish releasing all the energy stored here. It has
been collecting power for a very long time."
     "So is this Ninurta still around somewhere?"=20
     "It's possible. I doubt she'd announce herself if she were, of
course." He sighed and pressed his forehead into his hands. "We'll see."
     "And Buffy," he added, "Apsu is incredibly old and equally dangerous.
You and everyone close to you should be well on guard."
     =20

starstorm <[e-mail]>



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Gale Weathers (Rachel))
Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: DISCUSS: Beta readers wanted
Date: 29 Jan 1998 21:05:41 -0800

>Hi all,
>I need two or three brave souls willing to volunteer to read my story
>and offer constructive criticicm, opinions, spot errors, etc. Please
>e-mail me if you have the time and are interested.
>Thanks!
>Holly

Hey!
I'm brand new and I'd love to help ya out!  Send it my way!
-Rachel

"Listen to them...the children of the night...what sweet music they make"
- Dracula, Bram Stoker's Dracula
----------------------------vampire---------------------------------
"Did Norman Bates have a motive?  Did they ever figure out why Hannibal
Lector like to eat people?  DON'T THINK SO!"
-Billy Loomis 'Scream'
---scream-----------------------------------------------scream 2----

"It can't rain all the time, the sky won't fall forever. And even
though the night is long, your tears won't fall forever" -The Crow

X-F:
WLDD**SPCDD**DDSB**SDDL**GBLA**DDPOL**LODD**Teenage Davidites**
**The X-Files Fan Fiction List**X-F Creative** ^Friend^ Shipper
MY DD WEBSITE:Obsessed with David Duchovny
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Lot/4440/
XXXXXXXXXXXXTXHXEXXTXRXUXTXHXXIXSXXOXUXTXXTXHXEXRXEXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
If you believe, no proof is necessary.
If you don't, no proof is sufficient.



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: starstorm <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: The First Loss (3/?)
Date: 30 Jan 1998 10:12:14 +0000


  Comments and disclaimers in part 1. Feedback is nice please.   =20




   "So, you're new here," Willow said, immediately feeling extremely
intelligent.
   "Yeah. It's been a while since I spent any serious time in the states=85 =
I
miss it." Nin smiled softly.
   "Oh? You travel? That's really cool." She looked at the slender girl
with renewed respect.
   "Do you think so? Well, it's been a ride anyway." Nin shrugged and
looked away.
   "Ah, here we are, the wonders of the chemistry room, you have a few
minutes before class. Anywhere else I can show you?"
   "Can you tell me, is it really as bad as they say?" Nin glanced at
Willow speculatively.
   "What do you mean?" Willow stuttered.
   "You know, highest per capita instances of gang related violence and PCP
use in the country. Last principal got eaten?" Nin continued.
   "Well, it's not that bad. We can take care of ourselves=85  Hey, look it'=
s
my- Oz!" Willow frantically waved the senior over to them.
   "Your Oz, huh?" Nin grinned widely and leaned back against the wall.
   "Yes, well, he is my friend who is a boy=85 except, well, he=85" Willow w=
as
saved from further speech by Oz's approach.=20
   "Hi Will! Who's your--" He stopped as he got a good look at Nin, whose
smile turned predatory.
   "Oz, this is Nin. She's new here. Nin, this is Oz." Willow was ignored.
   "You," Oz stated bitterly.
   "Surprised?" She stretched against the wall like a lean cat.
   "What do you want here?" he demanded.
   "Since when do I owe you an accounting?" she asked calmly.
   "Since you lied, Dear Aunt Nin. Since you ran right over everything
without considering who got hurt. Did you even bother to tell them what you
are?" he backed her into the wall.
   "Truth is so subjective, Oz. How much have you told them about your
recent=85 changes?"  She sniffed delicately at the air surrounding him.
   "Umm=85 guys, classes are like starting, so now would be a good time to,
you know, finish arguing about whatever you're arguing about." Willow broke
in, looking nervously from one to the other. Her suspicious gaze finally
settled on Nin, who ignored it utterly and strode into the classroom.
    "Will. We're going to have to talk," Oz caught her arm gently.
    "Yeah=85 library, after school?" She asked. He nodded. Willow was not at
all sure what could upset the unflappable Oz. And she wasn't at all sure
she wanted to know.=20
**   =20

    In their dark warehouse three vampires sat around a table. All of them
were extremely nervous, though they couldn't have said why.
   "Angel? Spike? Did you hear that?" Druscilla raised her head into a
listening pose.
   "Hear what, baby?" Spike asked from his chair.
   "The Hellmouth=85 it's laughing. Is it laughing at me?" she whispered.
   "If the Hellmouth is stirring it should be a good thing. For us anyway,"
Angel muttered.
   "Maybe. But there's something else=85 someone's coming. Someone made of
light. Maybe she's already here," she whispered.
   "Maybe it's time to move on, Baby. The twisted streets of Europe
beckon," Spike said. He drummed his fingers unconsciously against his thigh.
   "So follow the call, Spike. If you're not man enough to stay, just as
the plot begins to thicken," Angel taunted.
   "I want to stay, Spike. Let's stay with Angel!" Druscilla clapped her
hands, suddenly happy. She flung her arms around the dark haired vampire.
   "The lady seems to agree with me, Spike." Angel smirked.
   "Um, excuse me, um, there's someone here," A vampire flunky tentatively
peeked his head into the room. With a sudden yelp, he was shoved out of the
doorway and on to the floor.
   A dark, tattooed vampire entered the room. "Who is master here?" he=
 hissed.
   "Who the hell are you?" Spike demanded.
   "I am Apsu. My lady is rising," he said.
   "Tiamat!" Druscilla smiled. "Tiamat is laughing and laughing=85 She is so
pretty. All over dragon scales." She smiled, patting her own smooth skin.
   "What do you want from us?" Angel asked, leaning over the table.
   "You rule here?" Apsu demanded.
   "We do," Spike said.
   "There is a complication. A warrior of light has come to interrupt
Tiamat's resurrection. She must be stopped."
   "And you expect us to do the stopping? We already have slayer problems,
we don't need more." Spike turned away.
   "No. She has power beyond your comprehension. All I want you to do is
capture someone close to her." Apsu pulled up a seat at the table.
   "Who?" Druscilla asked. She twisted her hair around her fingers.
   "She was involved with a mortal in this area about fifteen years ago. He
is not currently available, but his son is. A boy by the name of Oz."=20
   "No," Spike said. "We're not your flunkies, even if you are who you say
you are. Capture this boy yourself."
   "As for this warrior of light, we'll deal with her as we see fit," Angel
added.
   "You'll all regret this." Apsu rose and left the room.
   "Goodbye, Mister Snake tattoo man. Good luck raising the Goddess,"
Druscilla called after him. Then she got up and danced with Angel, because
Spike couldn't dance in his horrid chair.   =20
   When dusk came Angel decided he was hunting warriors tonight.    =20


**
 (That night)

   Nin hummed to herself as she made her way to the place she'd rented. For
better or for worse, everything would be over soon. She almost didn't
notice a slight tingling in her senses.
  "Come out, come out, little vampire," she muttered under her breath.
"Mama doesn't have all day."
  He appeared before her with a smooth human face, and a smoother smile. He
was dark and beautiful. Real lady-killer. Hah.
  "Hi, you look lost," he said kindly.
  "Do I?" She smiled showing her teeth. "I suppose you'd like to escort me
home?"
  He smiled nervously.
  "Or maybe you'd rather suck my blood?" She arched her neck invitingly.
"Go ahead, demon. If it pleases you so."
  She stood perfectly still as teeth sunk into her neck. Counted to three.
  Like clockwork, he collapsed howling at her feet.=20
  "Poor little Angelus," she whispered. "My blood is a bit strong for
demons=85 but really, I guess you'd be better of without one, anyway. =20
  "Be happy, Angel. I wish I could be."  She turned and walked slowly home,
to her cold bed.  =20
  After a while he sat up and looked in the direction she had gone. Then a
realization struck him and he hurried off into the night.


starstorm <[e-mail]>


-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Andrea Halm <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: BUFFYFIC: The First Loss (3/?)
Date: 30 Jan 1998 09:33:30 -0600

good story, keep it coming!  I loved how she is stronger than even
Angel, it taught him a lesson....

I liked it a lot!

> -----Original Message-----
> From:    starstorm [SMTP:[e-mail]]
> Sent:    Friday, January 30, 1998 4:12 AM
> To:    [e-mail]
> Subject:    BUFFYFIC: The First Loss (3/?)
>=20
>=20
>   Comments and disclaimers in part 1. Feedback is nice please.   =20
>=20
>=20
>=20
>=20
>    "So, you're new here," Willow said, immediately feeling extremely
> intelligent.
>    "Yeah. It's been a while since I spent any serious time in the
> states=85 I
> miss it." Nin smiled softly.
>    "Oh? You travel? That's really cool." She looked at the slender
> girl
> with renewed respect.
>    "Do you think so? Well, it's been a ride anyway." Nin shrugged and
> looked away.
>    "Ah, here we are, the wonders of the chemistry room, you have a =
few
> minutes before class. Anywhere else I can show you?"
>    "Can you tell me, is it really as bad as they say?" Nin glanced at
> Willow speculatively.
>    "What do you mean?" Willow stuttered.
>    "You know, highest per capita instances of gang related violence
> and PCP
> use in the country. Last principal got eaten?" Nin continued.
>    "Well, it's not that bad. We can take care of ourselves=85  Hey, =
look
> it's
> my- Oz!" Willow frantically waved the senior over to them.
>    "Your Oz, huh?" Nin grinned widely and leaned back against the
> wall.
>    "Yes, well, he is my friend who is a boy=85 except, well, he=85" =
Willow
> was
> saved from further speech by Oz's approach.=20
>    "Hi Will! Who's your--" He stopped as he got a good look at Nin,
> whose
> smile turned predatory.
>    "Oz, this is Nin. She's new here. Nin, this is Oz." Willow was
> ignored.
>    "You," Oz stated bitterly.
>    "Surprised?" She stretched against the wall like a lean cat.
>    "What do you want here?" he demanded.
>    "Since when do I owe you an accounting?" she asked calmly.
>    "Since you lied, Dear Aunt Nin. Since you ran right over =
everything
> without considering who got hurt. Did you even bother to tell them
> what you
> are?" he backed her into the wall.
>    "Truth is so subjective, Oz. How much have you told them about =
your
> recent=85 changes?"  She sniffed delicately at the air surrounding =
him.
>    "Umm=85 guys, classes are like starting, so now would be a good =
time
> to,
> you know, finish arguing about whatever you're arguing about." Willow
> broke
> in, looking nervously from one to the other. Her suspicious gaze
> finally
> settled on Nin, who ignored it utterly and strode into the classroom.
>     "Will. We're going to have to talk," Oz caught her arm gently.
>     "Yeah=85 library, after school?" She asked. He nodded. Willow was
> not at
> all sure what could upset the unflappable Oz. And she wasn't at all
> sure
> she wanted to know.=20
> **   =20
>=20
>     In their dark warehouse three vampires sat around a table. All of
> them
> were extremely nervous, though they couldn't have said why.
>    "Angel? Spike? Did you hear that?" Druscilla raised her head into =
a
> listening pose.
>    "Hear what, baby?" Spike asked from his chair.
>    "The Hellmouth=85 it's laughing. Is it laughing at me?" she
> whispered.
>    "If the Hellmouth is stirring it should be a good thing. For us
> anyway,"
> Angel muttered.
>    "Maybe. But there's something else=85 someone's coming. Someone =
made
> of
> light. Maybe she's already here," she whispered.
>    "Maybe it's time to move on, Baby. The twisted streets of Europe
> beckon," Spike said. He drummed his fingers unconsciously against his
> thigh.
>    "So follow the call, Spike. If you're not man enough to stay, just
> as
> the plot begins to thicken," Angel taunted.
>    "I want to stay, Spike. Let's stay with Angel!" Druscilla clapped
> her
> hands, suddenly happy. She flung her arms around the dark haired
> vampire.
>    "The lady seems to agree with me, Spike." Angel smirked.
>    "Um, excuse me, um, there's someone here," A vampire flunky
> tentatively
> peeked his head into the room. With a sudden yelp, he was shoved out
> of the
> doorway and on to the floor.
>    A dark, tattooed vampire entered the room. "Who is master here?" =
he
> hissed.
>    "Who the hell are you?" Spike demanded.
>    "I am Apsu. My lady is rising," he said.
>    "Tiamat!" Druscilla smiled. "Tiamat is laughing and laughing=85 =
She
> is so
> pretty. All over dragon scales." She smiled, patting her own smooth
> skin.
>    "What do you want from us?" Angel asked, leaning over the table.
>    "You rule here?" Apsu demanded.
>    "We do," Spike said.
>    "There is a complication. A warrior of light has come to interrupt
> Tiamat's resurrection. She must be stopped."
>    "And you expect us to do the stopping? We already have slayer
> problems,
> we don't need more." Spike turned away.
>    "No. She has power beyond your comprehension. All I want you to do
> is
> capture someone close to her." Apsu pulled up a seat at the table.
>    "Who?" Druscilla asked. She twisted her hair around her fingers.
>    "She was involved with a mortal in this area about fifteen years
> ago. He
> is not currently available, but his son is. A boy by the name of Oz." =

>    "No," Spike said. "We're not your flunkies, even if you are who =
you
> say
> you are. Capture this boy yourself."
>    "As for this warrior of light, we'll deal with her as we see fit,"
> Angel
> added.
>    "You'll all regret this." Apsu rose and left the room.
>    "Goodbye, Mister Snake tattoo man. Good luck raising the Goddess,"
> Druscilla called after him. Then she got up and danced with Angel,
> because
> Spike couldn't dance in his horrid chair.   =20
>    When dusk came Angel decided he was hunting warriors tonight.    =20
>=20
>=20
> **
>  (That night)
>=20
>    Nin hummed to herself as she made her way to the place she'd
> rented. For
> better or for worse, everything would be over soon. She almost didn't
> notice a slight tingling in her senses.
>   "Come out, come out, little vampire," she muttered under her =
breath.
> "Mama doesn't have all day."
>   He appeared before her with a smooth human face, and a smoother
> smile. He
> was dark and beautiful. Real lady-killer. Hah.
>   "Hi, you look lost," he said kindly.
>   "Do I?" She smiled showing her teeth. "I suppose you'd like to
> escort me
> home?"
>   He smiled nervously.
>   "Or maybe you'd rather suck my blood?" She arched her neck
> invitingly.
> "Go ahead, demon. If it pleases you so."
>   She stood perfectly still as teeth sunk into her neck. Counted to
> three.
>   Like clockwork, he collapsed howling at her feet.=20
>   "Poor little Angelus," she whispered. "My blood is a bit strong for
> demons=85 but really, I guess you'd be better of without one, anyway. =
=20
>   "Be happy, Angel. I wish I could be."  She turned and walked slowly
> home,
> to her cold bed.  =20
>   After a while he sat up and looked in the direction she had gone.
> Then a
> realization struck him and he hurried off into the night.
>=20
>=20
> starstorm <[e-mail]>
>=20
>=20
> -

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: starstorm <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: The First Loss (4/?)
Date: 30 Jan 1998 15:41:51 +0000


  Comments and disclaimers in part 1. Feedback is nice please. Pretty=
 please.



  "Well, my parents started having problems when I was about three. And my
dad got involved with Nina or Nin, or whatever she calls herself." Oz told
Willow.
  "Wait a minute wouldn't she sort have been two or three then, also?"
Willow asked.
  "You'd think that, wouldn't you? More weird stuff. Whatever=85" he=
 shrugged.
  "So you hated her for being you know, the other woman?" Willow asked.
Then she blushed and looked down at her shoes.
  "No. Maybe I was too little, but I didn't hate her. Hell, mom didn't hate
her! She's just, I dunno, a fascinating person."  He frowned.
  "So what happened?"  Willow lay her head on Oz's shoulder. He gave a
startled smile and then relaxed.
  "She used to have all these old books. Sort of like Giles. She'd read to
me, horrible, eerie stuff, the kind every kid adores.  One day she dropped
me off at day care and went out to do whatever she does. When we got home,
we found my dad," he shuddered and Willow's arms tightened around him.
  "Was he--?" she whispered.
  "He was alive. Barely. Someone had opened up his insides. They wrote out,
'This is a warning, Ninurta.' In his blood, on our wall." He suddenly
slammed a fist into the wall.
  "Oz?" Willow whispered.
  "And then she just put me on the ground and called an ambulance. I went
to mom's house. The next day she was gone, books and all. Just like that.
Gone," he said with an exquisite calm.
  "Oz? Maybe she thought that way no on else would get hurt or something."
  "Yeah. I know. But she was like my Aunt Nin=85 you know she was just there=
.
I used to write her letters, but of course Dad didn't know where to send
them."  He smiled down at Willow and stroked her hair. "Sometimes I really
love you."
  "Oh yeah, and the other times?" she teased.
  "Then too." He smiled. "You wanna, you know look up stuff?"
  "Sounds good."
   They went through old tomes until it started to get dark.=20


  "I could walk you home?" Oz offered, reluctant to end the afternoon.
  "Yeah, that would be nice." She smiled shyly and took his arm.
   They walked outside the school for a while. Something rustled in the
bushes. Willow frowned.
  "Did you hear that?" she asked.
  "What?" he replied. A bird cawed with a deep croaking sound. The bushes
rustled again.
  "That," she cried.
  "Oh, that."=20
  The vampire had popped out in front of them before they had a chance to
blink. It was a strange creature, odd featured and a face twisted by
tattoos. They both recognized it from Giles' research.
   "Apsu! O'my God. Oz, I'm such an idiot. Nin=85 Ninurta. The Ninurta!"
Willow gasped.
   "Not now! Run!" He grabbed her arm and took his own advice.
   "Really, how far do you expect to get?" The vampire laughed. Suddenly it
was in front of them. "Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you."
   Oz backed away, carefully keeping himself between Apsu and Willow.
   "What do you want?" he whispered.
   "Isn't it obvious? Bait." Apsu howled and ran at them again.
   "Really? I wouldn't." Three heads turned to meet Angel's determined face.=
=20
   "What are you doing? I don't need your help!" Apsu said.
   "Someone else does," the handsome vampire replied.
   Angel shrugged and pulled a wicked looking pistol out of his pocket and
fired. Repeatedly.   The he calmly put a stake through the ancient
vampire's heart.
   "Angel?" Willow squeaked. "Are you, I mean why did you?"
   He looked up, his face twisted into its demon mask. "I didn't do this
for you. You could all die in agony and I wouldn't care."
   "Okay," Oz drawled.
   "Just so you know. You're still dead next time we meet." The vampire
turned and slipped into the shadows.
   "Well," Oz glanced down at the dust that was left of Apsu. "Home would
be a good thing. We could go."
   "It's a plan. My place is closer, we'll call Giles." They nodded at each
other, and then proceeded to run as fast as they could.

**=20

   Nin was curled up in bed when she heard the pounding on her door. After
a brief moment she slipped up and pulled the pistol out from under her
pillow.=20
  "Whoever this is, it had better be good," she muttered. She checked the
peephole.=20
  Then she slumped down against the wall.
  "I have to talk to you!" Angel called from the other side of the door.
  "Don't you people ever give up? I mean ever?" she replied.
  "Look, I don't expect you to let me in. Just hear me out."
  "Talk." Not that she believed a word he might say. But then again her
blood could have some fairly strange effects on a vampire.
  "Apsu tried to attack your former lover's son tonight. He would have
succeeded," Angel drawled sarcastically.
  "That bastard is dead. Just wait until I catch him." Nin pounded her
forehead into her knees.
  "He's already dead, Ninurta. I killed him," he deadpanned.
  "What? And I'm supposed to believe you because?" she let her voice trail
off.
  "It's true. You can ask the boy or Willow for verification in the
morning. I'm not exactly their best buddy anymore, they'd have no reason to
lie." His voice sounded tired.
  "Assuming it's all true=85 why? To what possible end, vampire?" She caught
the note of frustration in her own tone, but decided to ignore it.
  "I don't know." Her frustration was returned full measure. "Your blood,
it burns inside me. Something is happening, I-- I don't know."
  "You did this for me?" she asked, incredulously.
  "Because of who you are. Because whatever Tiamat is, her rising will mean
more than the death of the human race, won't it?" He leaned on her door, as
if exhausted.
  "I have come to believe so, Angel. Now go. We'll talk again tomorrow."
She promised.
  When the feeling of the vampire faded down the hall she tried to get back
to sleep. After an hour of tossing she pulled out a dusty book and began to
read. Whatever was happening to Angel could well be important, in more ways
than one.=20
             =20
**

  "There's something wrong, Spike." Druscilla shifted in her seat.
  "What is it, baby?" he asked soothingly.
  "The Hellmouth isn't happy anymore. Something very bad has happened.
Someone has been very naughty." She put her head in her hands and shivered.
  "What should we do, baby? And where is Angel?" He glanced around annoyed
at the prolonged absence of the older vampire. Couldn't trust that bastard
anymore.
  "Angel=85 he feels strange inside. He is afraid of something. Spike, what
if the Hellmouth doesn't love us? What if it hates us as much as it hates
humans?" She stood up suddenly and lay her head in his lap.
  "Why would that happen, Dru?"=20
  "I don't know. Something bad has happened and I don't know anything
anymore. Except that Angel is afraid and maybe he's right to feel that
way." She rubbed her head against him frantically, like a cat hungry for
warmth.=20
  But there was no warmth in Spike's cold, dead body. None at all. =20


starstorm <[e-mail]>


-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: starstorm <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: BUFFYFIC: The First Loss (3/?)
Date: 30 Jan 1998 15:44:46 +0000

At 09:33 AM 1/30/98 -0600, you wrote:
>good story, keep it coming!  I loved how she is stronger than even
>Angel, it taught him a lesson....
>
>I liked it a lot!
>

  Thank you kindly for responding. And yes, I'd say Angel learned his
lesson... mama always said to be careful what you eat, it may disagree with
you.
  Thanks again.

-- Lucy


-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Jim Heverling" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: DISCUSS: Beta readers wanted
Date: 30 Jan 1998 18:34:29 -0500

I wouldn't mind reading some stories. Actually  I think it would fun. Let
me know.  [e-mail]
-catie

----------
> From: Gale Weathers (Rachel) <[e-mail]>
> To: [e-mail]
> Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: DISCUSS: Beta readers wanted
> Date: Friday, January 30, 1998 12:05 AM
>
> >Hi all,
> >I need two or three brave souls willing to volunteer to read my story
> >and offer constructive criticicm, opinions, spot errors, etc. Please
> >e-mail me if you have the time and are interested.
> >Thanks!
> >Holly
>
> Hey!
> I'm brand new and I'd love to help ya out!  Send it my way!
> -Rachel
>
> "Listen to them...the children of the night...what sweet music they make"
> - Dracula, Bram Stoker's Dracula
> ----------------------------vampire---------------------------------
> "Did Norman Bates have a motive?  Did they ever figure out why Hannibal
> Lector like to eat people?  DON'T THINK SO!"
> -Billy Loomis 'Scream'
> ---scream-----------------------------------------------scream 2----
>
> "It can't rain all the time, the sky won't fall forever. And even
> though the night is long, your tears won't fall forever" -The Crow
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
> X-F:
> WLDD**SPCDD**DDSB**SDDL**GBLA**DDPOL**LODD**Teenage Davidites**
> **The X-Files Fan Fiction List**X-F Creative** ^Friend^ Shipper
> MY DD WEBSITE:Obsessed with David Duchovny
> http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Lot/4440/
> XXXXXXXXXXXXTXHXEXXTXRXUXTXHXXIXSXXOXUXTXXTXHXEXRXEXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
> If you believe, no proof is necessary.
> If you don't, no proof is sufficient.
>
>
>
> -
>

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: TSalloum <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: DISCUSS: Beta readers wanted
Date: 30 Jan 1998 17:48:10 -0600

I would love to read your story (and the other stuff too)...let me know

> > From: Gale Weathers (Rachel) <[e-mail]>
> > To: [e-mail]
> > Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: DISCUSS: Beta readers wanted
> > Date: Friday, January 30, 1998 12:05 AM
> >
> > >Hi all,
> > >I need two or three brave souls willing to volunteer to read my story
> > >and offer constructive criticicm, opinions, spot errors, etc. Please
> > >e-mail me if you have the time and are interested.
> > >Thanks!
> > >Holly
> >

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Jill Kirby <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Admin: Beta-reading requests
Date: 30 Jan 1998 19:52:50 -0600 (CST)

If you're responding to someone's request for beta-readers, please make sure
you do the replying through private mail.

Thank you.

Jill
Jill Kirby ~~  [e-mail] ~~ www.geocities.com/SoHo/Lofts/4107
              NatPack ~~ ABotCoS ~~ NP4 ~~ Dreamer/Minstrel
                   Isn't it nice to know that we can warp reality to
                              suit our own means at any time?
                                                       --kg


-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "The Mistress" <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Prom Night From Hell - Synopsis Help
Date: 30 Jan 1998 20:53:08 EST

"Prom Night From Hell"

a synopsis by EA Karras

Ok, this is a possible fanfic sequel to Nightmare At THe Hellmout, which
has been sent to some of you and is posted on my website.  It takes
place about 1 and a half years after NatH, and a while after "Phases".
Mender has returned from a sort of "slayer sabbatical" at the Watcher's
HQ.  He's changed quite a bit, in some bad ways some good ways.  He's a
lot less um...punch happy when it comes to Giles.  On the other hand,
he's going quite, quite mad.  See, being the Dream Slayer, he's prone to
nightmares.  And of later, they've been very bad, and quite graphic.  As
for Buffy, she's dealing badly with the Angel/soul crisis.  Oz is trying
to deal with his Lycanthropy.

Angel and Dru want to kidnap Mender,  and turn him into a vampire. Spike
disagrees with this, stating that he doesn't want to risk creating more
"mad" vamps.   Angel kidnaps Jack anyway, and well...begins the course
of vamping him.

That's all I've got so far, any ideas?  Or opinions? Also a better
title, might be good. Thanks.

send them to [e-mail]



______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Vapthorne <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Sins of the Mother (5/9) PG-13 by: Vapthorne
Date: 30 Jan 1998 21:48:20 -0500

Title: Sins of the Mother (5 of 9)

Author: Vapthorne=20

E-Mail: [e-mail]

Distribution: I would love to have this work distributed, but please ask=
 first.

Spoilers: Minor spoiler from Ted, Surprise, and Innocence.

Rating: I think PG-13 for right now.


Disclaimer: Joyce Summers (aka Joy Matthews), and any other character from=
=20

Buffy the Vampire Slayer are the creation and property of Joss Weldon. I do=
=20

not own them. However the characters: Rebecca Casey, Dalton Plague, Cecil=20

Kane, Thaos, and the Necromancer are my creations and you got ask me to use=
=20

them.


Summary: While Buffy is busy 'studying' with Giles and the other. Her mother=
=20

looks back to when she was Buffy's age and recalls some interesting=
 memories.


Feedback: I want it, badly! I need to know how I'm doing, Enjoy :)


Sins of the Mother: Chapter Five



    "Why are we here in the sewer." A blonde hippie girl whined, "It's such a=
=20

drag."


    "We have orders." A pale being, with long white hair, replied.


    "Why can't we finish them and go home."


    "The sun is still out you moron." He said. "Remember, Flower, vampires must=
=20

never stay in the sun."


    "Why did the Necromancer send two of us?" Flower asked.


    "This girl, our target, had killed two vampires all ready. The Necromancer=
=20

doesn't want to take any chances. Which makes me wonder why he called you.=
=20

You certainly can't fight."


    "Hey.. wait a min=85"


    "Shhh=85" The pale vampire demanded. "Listen."


*****


    "I told you what's been going." Joy explained to Rebecca as they walked=20

down the sidewalk.


    "You mean this macromanner guy?" She replied.


    "It's Necromancer. And, I can't shake this dark feeling that's been=20

clouding over me."


    "I been trying to tell you. You simply made him up. He doesn't exist.=20

Anyway, what did Rayer do?"


    "He wants me to do 'volunteer' work with the school.  I just don=85" Joy=20

stopped. "Wait a minute=85 Did you hear something."


    "What is it now?" Rebecca griped.

    =20

    "I have this feeling that we're being followed."


    "Listen, Joy, you're my friend but I must say that you're starting to freak=
=20

me out." Rebecca started to head off. "Maybe, you should calm down. Spend=20

some time alone. Talk to me when your sane again." Rebecca walked towards a=
=20

different direction and Joy was alone.


    Joy made it home and spent the next few hours sitting in her room. She=20

tried to grasp whatever reality was left. Ever since the night when that=20

first vampire attacked her, things got more confusing by the minute. No one=
=20

would believe her story, not even her friends, and it created a sense of=20

alienation between her and everyone.=20


Just around sunset, her mother called her down for a favor to ask. They were=
=20

out of milk and Joy had to get to the general store before it closed. By the=
=20

time she made it to the store and purchased the milk, the night sky had=20

already appeared. Joy became worried because she knew that this was when the=
=20

vampire came out. She began walking with her eye behind her shoulder. She=20

swiftly turned behind her and stepped backwards. She cautiously moved back=
=20

slowly until her body contacted someone else's. She turned and saw a middle=
=20

aged man.


"Excuse me." The man spoke in a monotone dialect. "You need to watch where=
=20

you're going."


"I was watching." Joy didn't know what to think of this guy. He didn't seem=
=20

like he was playing with a full deck of cards.


"Beg to differ. You'd need to watch your mouth. I don't stand for that kind=
=20

of malarkey."


"Listen! I don't care what you stand for." Joy bellowed, "I'm having a bad=
=20

day and enough weirdoes as it is. I don't need some creep like you in my=20

life. Just get out of my face."


The stranger walked away disgusted at Joy's attitude. She continued on her=
=20

way and hoped she never see that strange man ever again. As she walked down=
=20

the street, she heard someone following.


"Look you creep, just leave me alone!" Joy turned and thought it was that=20

strange man, but it wasn't. "Oh, I'm sorry. I thought I you were someone=
 else."


"I am." Said the young blonde girl dressed in a tie-dyed shirt. "Are you=
 okay."


"Yeah. Just a bit edgy."=20


"You should mellow out man." She suggested. "My name is Flower."


"Nice to meet you." Joy didn't give a full friendly expression.


"Ever been to Woodstock?" Flower asked.


"No I haven't." Joy answered.


"I have." Flower said, "That's where I met him."


"Who?"


"A guy named Spike. He did this groovy thing to me. He made me what I am=20

today."


Joy didn't even what to know what this Spike character did.


"He made me a vampire." Flower snickered, and Joy became frozen shortly.=20

Then she stepped backwards and bumped into someone.


"Hello beautiful." A pale faced vampire said.


Joy knew she was in trouble now. The pale vampire placed her in a headlock.=
=20

Joy struggled to break free but wasn't able to, the vampire was just too=20

strong. This encounter was different from the other two. Before, she was=20

just a random victim at the wrong place and the wrong time. Now, these=20

vampires had it in for her, they wanted her to die, and she couldn't stop=20

them. She had no tree branch or broomstick that could save her. The vampire=
=20

pressed Joy against a car and held her neck steady so it can be bitten.=20


Just as the vampire was ready to sink his teeth, some force replied him. Joy=
=20

looked up and saw a young man, a little older than Joy's, holding a wooden=
=20

stake. The cross erected holy energy which can deliver pain to any unholy=20

demon. The demon quickly feel to the ground.


"You all right?" The man asked.


"Yeah, I guess so." Joy breathed with relief. Then she quickly jumped, "Look=
=20

out!"


Flower sneaked up from behind and slashed the guy across the arm with a=20

knife. The man dropped the cross as she started to bleed. Joy punched the=20

hippie vampire in the mouth. Next she grabbed the cross and shoved it in the=
=20

demon face, causing her to halt any attack. Joy suddenly found herself=20

restrained by the pale vampire that took her by surprise. The pale vampire=
=20

started to choke Joy until she started to see black. Before the young girl=
=20

lost complete consciousness heard her savior's voice chanting a small=20

phrase. She couldn't understand what it was, but she guessed it was Latin.=
=20

Swiftly, the vampires found their heads' spinning as they fled the street.=
=20


Joy regained her vision and saw that there were no vampires. Joy thought=20

that a miracle have saved them from certain doom.


"What happened?" Joy asked.


"I used a spell. That phrase you heard can turn the undead." The man=
 explained.


"Turn the undead?" Joy had no idea what he meant."


"It means to send them to their origin. Where ever they came from." The man=
=20

confirmed. "Listen, it isn't safe here. Come to my place, it's not far. I'm=
=20

sure we can answer each others questions."


"I like to really, but my parents said never to go with strangers."


"I saved you life, that entitles me to your attention=85 oww." The man's=20

bleeding started to hurt even more. Joy supported him by the shoulder to=20

help him keep his balance. She decided to go with the young man, so he could=
=20

do something about that cut.


*****

    "Cecil, you're hurt." A young girl opened the door to saw Joy carrying the=
=20

man and helped them inside. They were inside a small apartment, which was=20

only a block where the attack took place. The young girl was about Joy's age=
=20

with short black. The girl went into another room.


    "It's only a light cut." Cecil said.=20


    The girl returned with a first aid kit and started to treat the wound. She=
=20

noticed Joy and asked who she was.


    "Name's Joy." She introduced.


    "Name's Cecil Kane, and this is a friend of mine." Cecil said as he=20

gestured toward his friend.


    "Name's Jana. What's your story?"


    "I was attacked by vampires. Cecil came to my aid. By the way, Cecil, can I=
=20

ask, what you were going there?" Joy asked.


    "I live nearby, like I said." Cecil explained, "It natural to be in the=20

neighborhood."


    "Sorry. I'm being rude." She apologized.


    "You have any idea why they would attack you?" Jana asked.


    "No, I'm just a kid." She explained, "The only thing I've done was=85 well,=
 I=20

did kill two vamps two days ago if that counts. What's been really bugging=
=20

is now I have this necromancer following me."


    "The Necromancer!" So, there is one out there." Cecil bolted up and=20

shrieked in pain for the antibiotic Jana was placing on the cut.


    "Careful!" She shouted.


    "You know about this guy?" Joy asked.


    "Yes, there is this story." Cecil got in comfortable position and began to=
=20

explain to Joy. "Long ago, around the forth century in Europe, there was=20

this group of druids that practiced black magic and done evil things. On=20

day, the elder discovered a way to communicate with the undead. This=20

practice called necromancy. However, unholy demons disguised themselves as=
=20

spirits of the tribe deceased loved one, and the elder became influenced by=
=20

the demons. The demons twisted his sanity and poured his mind with dark=20

thoughts. He became the Necromancer, servant of the demons of hell.=20

Listening to the songs of the damned caused the elder to lead unholy=20

crusades. This continued for countless generations as the Necromancer would=
=20

pass his skills and curse down his family line."


    "And the Necromancer that's been following me is a descendent of this elder=
=20

you told me about."


    "The druid clan that practice necromancy from the elder died out. It's hard=
=20

to say if the one you're referring to is from the elder's line or someone=20

who stole the druid's knowledge. Either was, he is a dangerous man."


    "Why does he want with me?"=20


    "We don't know, he could have reason to fear you." Cecil said. "He might of=
=20

sent those vamps after you. A necromancer can command a legion of undead=20

creatures."


    "He controls all the vampires in Silver Heights?" Joy asked.


    "That would explain the rise of vampire attacks. They don't attack in=20

frequency unless they have a leader. That's why I'm here, to find out what's=
=20

causing the rise. Now that you mentioned the Necromancer I think I found the=
=20

explanation."=20


    "Okay, then why do you two know so much?" Joy asked.


    "We practice magick ourselves." Jana explained. "I'm a gypsy=85"


    "Let's just say I'm a magic user who's been searching for evil creatures=20

like the Necromancer." Cecil intervened.


    "Are you two=85" Joy wondered if they had some sort of romantic=
 relationship.


    "No, we are not." Jana and Cecil answered.


    "Listen, it's late and I need to get home. My parents are going to kill me=
=20

soon." Joy grabbed her things and headed for the door.


    "Take these." Cecil handed Joy a wooden cross and a silver curving-blade=20

dagger. "It's more than likely that the vampires will continue assaults=20

against you Joy."


    "Thank you."


    "I think I better come with you." Jana said as she grabbed her jacket to=20

escort Joy home.


*****

Outside, on the other side of Silver Heights=85


    "You failed me." Necromancer was not pleased to see the two vampires he=20

sent bowing down in shame.


    "It wasn't our fault." The pale vampire said. "A man interfered and turned=
=20

us."


    "It was a bummer." Flower added.


    "Silence!" The Necromancer shouted, "The voices don't pity failure. With=20

the human, Joy Matthews, still alive she still can hinder our goals. The=20

voices have foreseen it. Nothing must prevent the wakening of the shadow=20

walker." The dark druid gestured towards a small rock, beating like a=20

poisoned heart, embedded in the ground.


    "Don't worry my lord. Tomorrow is another night." The pale vampire=
 snickered.


    "It won't be if you fail me again." The Necromancer stared into the night=
=20

sky, "The girl is probably mocking us right now."


*****

    "What are you think about?" Jana asked Joy as she walked down the street.


    "He's mocking me." Joy said.


    "Who?"


    "The Necromancer, he's still out there, waiting, watching. I can feel it."


    "Oh, how did you get caught up in this message."


    "I was attacked by a vampire two nights ago. I had to defend myself, I was=
=20

just at the wrong place at the wrong time." Joy explained.


    "Really, you just seemed more knowledgeable than most girls our age on the=
=20

subject of demons." The gypsy wondered.


    "I like to study ancient art. In order to know what the people put into=20

their work, I done background study on popular mythology. That's how I know=
=20

about mythology. Plus, I've read and watch enough movies."


    "Vampires from a movie are different from the real ones."


    "I realize that, while we're on the subject. What's your stake in this. Are=
=20

you too after the Necromancer?"


    "No, my people are after someone else."


    "Who?"


    "It's a long story. A long time ago, a vampire named Angeles killed one of=
=20

the most beloved maiden of our tribe. So to punish him we put a curse on=
 him."


    "What did you do."


    "My ancestors gave him back his soul. That way he'll feel the torment for=
=20

the sins he committed. With a guilt trip he can't attack people like other=
=20

vampires."


    "Then why are you still after him?"


    "My people want to make sure he still suffers for what he's done." Jana=20

explained.=20


    "Don't you think that's a bit harsh?"


    "I don't know what to think, I never met this Angeles. But, I know vampires=
=20

are evil. Nothing can change that. My people just make to sure that he still=
=20

suffers like the way he hurt my people."


    "I see."


    "That's what demon's do. They hurt people. They have no reason, no emotion.=
=20

That's what my elders taught me. All I been told is to search for him. With=
=20

all the vampire activity I figured he might be here, that's how I met=
 Cecil."


    "Well this is my house. It was nice talking to you." Joy headed to her=20

front steps.


    "You too, Joy."=20


    "Listen, I just wanted to thank you and Cecil." She thanked.


     "Why?"


    "For believing my story. No one else would believe me, not even my friends.=
=20

Oh and I hope you find this Angeles character."


    Joy walked into her front door only to receive a harsh welcome from her=20

parents.=20


    "Where were you, young lady!" Her father shouted.


    "I went to the store to get milk. Like you said." Joy defended.


    "And it took you this long!" Her mother started. "You realize what time it=
=20

is?"


    "I lost track of time." Replied the teen.


    "You lost track. I don't know what your problem is Joyce Matthews, you're=
=20

becoming more irresponsible, you're grades are a joke, and now you giving an=
=20

attitude." Father said.


    "What's going on with you today, anyway." Mother asked.


    "I've been=85" She was about to tell them about the vampire incidents, but=
=20

her judgement prevented her. The last thing she wanted was her parents to=20

think she was crazy. "I've been having issues, lately. You wouldn't=20

understand."


    "Understand what?" Her parents continued with their scolding tone.


    "You wouldn't understand that there are vampires running around." Joy=20

blasted it out without thinking. She knew she was in for it now.


    "That's it young lady!" Father had blown his top. "If you're not going to=
=20

tell us the truth, fine. But, don't go making up fantasy stories that no one=
=20

believes."


    "But=85" Joy panicked.


    "Just go to your room, Joy!" Mother commanded, "Consider yourself=
 grounded."


    Without the energy to fight, reasons, or oppose her parents, she went to=20

her room. As she pulled out the cross and the dagger from her purse, she=20

knew her problems just got worse.




Vapthorne

----------

NuRPG: Jasper and Aria

Cardea: Mercury


Author of "Sins of the Mother" -BtVS Fanfic

<color><param>ffff,0000,ffff</param>

</color>Keeper of the following:

Buffy's first day in Sunnydale

Buffy's Vampire form (from Nightmares)

Ethan's broken statue of Janus


*****

"Only in a mad world, are the mad sane." -Akira Kurosawa

-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Ingrid E Stanton)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: "One Vampire's Headache..." (12/?) by Ingrid
Date: 31 Jan 1998 00:08:17 -0500

DISCLAIMER: (Characters) TheyÆre not mine. I donÆt own æem.
TheyÆre borrowed from J.W., ME, SP, and WB.

SUMMARY: Angel & Buffy angsty romance, Giles and Willow
make an appearance. (This is an Alternate Buffyverse, one
without S/I, thank you very much! If you don't get this, then
that's b/c you haven't read the other parts. If you want to get
it, ask me for them. You can mail me at [e-mail].

Hot off the pressà

***
"One VampireÆs Headacheà" Part the Twelfth
***

Buffy clung to AngelÆs arm, processing towards the metal bars that
would separate them once again. She felt Angel pulling away from
her, and for a moment, she greedily refused to let go. The
anticipation was all to evident in his glance, but something about
his face promised her that whatever happened, they would
manage somehow. She released him. He stepped in the cage as
Willow came hurrying in.

"Here it is!" She handed Angel the blood and stepped quickly
away from the cage, as if it were cursed.

Giles shut the door, securing it tightly. Angel watched Buffy
imploringly, expressing all his hopes through the containment
of the cell. She gulped and said a prayer under her breath.
Little did she know he was doing the same.

"Sundown!" Willow called from the door. They waited silently. If
AngelÆs body still contained the demon, he would need to eat.

Buffy watched Angel place the packet on a stool, and sit down on the
floor in the corner. Tension reigned, and no one spoke for a long time.
Buffy swallowed hard, forcing her heart back down where it belonged.

Giles finally broke the silence. "Angel."

Angel looked up in response.

"We need to know if you want to feed. Does the blood tempt you?"

He stared at it hard from across the room. "No, I donÆt think so."

"Try to change."

Angel thought about the warm blood in the packet, forcing
himself to want it. He watched the dark liquid under the plastic,
imagining the thick liquid sliding down his throat. But it did
nothing for him. He *didnÆt* want it.

He looked at Giles.

"I canÆt."

Buffy shot Giles a hopeful glance, but he persisted.

"Taste the blood."

Reluctantly, Angel stood and picked up the blood, watching Buffy
all the while. Self consciously, he pulled the plastic apart and
dropped a bit into his mouth. Nothing changed, except now, he had
a rather salty taste in his mouth, and the idea that he was drinking
human blood seemed sicker to him than ever.

"Ugh!" He dropped the packet to the floor, blood spattering
everywhere. He glanced at Giles. "Sorry."

"ThatÆs alright. WeÆll clean it up later. Come to the bars, Angel."
He pulled a large cross from his suit pocket. Buffy crossed over to
him.

"Let me do it."

Giles looked at her gravely, and handed her the cross. She palmed
the cool silver, carefully approaching Angel, who now stood at the
door. Ever so slowly, she brought it closer to him. They both held
their breath. She pressed the it to his open collar, leaving it there
for a few moments. Her eyes were locked with his. God, she had
to pay attention. She could be hurting him.

Gently, she pulled the relic and her hand away. AngelÆs skin was
smooth and soft beneath it. She let out a painful breath as if she
had been punched. Her fingers caressed the spot on his neck,
and his hand joined hers, to confirm what she had already revealed.
His fingers curled around hers and he closed his eyes as if the
moment were too intense to bear.

Trying not to disturb them, Giles pulled the bolt from the door. He
and Willow made a hasty exit.

Buffy almost refused to let go of his hands through the cage,
though he was only trying to get around the door. He finally made
it around, rushing towards her, enveloping her now crumbling
form.

"Angel," she cried into his shirt. He lifted her face, saw her eyes
wide and bright and shining with fresh tears.

His wounded eyes were like stars, burning even brighter back at
her. And she was to heal him.

They came together slowly, nuzzling one another, their lips
touching lightly. Their kiss grew, and she wrapped her arms
around him hard. Emotions poured forth between them, and
tears were shared on wet cheeks.

Passion overflowed, consuming any other considerations. She
was kissing his throat, tasting the salt of his skin. She felt more
than heard his sigh. But now he was trembling again.

"Angel, what is it?"

He smiled self-consciously, and he didnÆt meet her eyes.
"I think IÆm hungry."

Her eyes went wide in shock. "But you didnÆt want the
blood- You said so!"

He laughed, placing his hands on her shoulders and looking into
her eyes. "For food, Buffy."

A rush of air escaped her lungs, and the sudden tension that
had sprung up in her body released itself in an instant. "Oh,"
she smiled shyly, laughing nervously. "Well I think we have
something around hereà" She rummaged through the little
refrigerator in GilesÆ office, and emerged triumphant, with a
chicken salad in tow.

"Hold on a second," she requested, "IÆll get you something to
drink."

After a few minutes, she returned carrying a couple cans of
soda. "Not the most romantic first meal that springs to mind,
but weÆve never been to conventional, right?" She smiled, and
sat down across from him at the library table.

"I havenÆt exactly done this for a while- In mean, eaten anything
solid."

"Okay, thenà help." She pulled her chair next to his, and moved
her food across the table.

He grinned at her. "Somehow I donÆt think weÆre gonna get any
eating done."

The corners of her mouth went up in response. "Hey," she kidded
softly, "I resent that! I can be very businesslike inàumàhelping
you eat." She nodded in satisfaction with herself and opened the
package.
***
END, PART TWELVE. Howyalike? Send comments to
[e-mail], but I must warn you that I refuse to listen to
anything that says this isn't depressing enough. I'm depressing
enough in real life- a real cynic. This is my happy-angst world,
dammit, and I need to think happy thoughts or I'll go crazy!.

_____________________________________________________________________
You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail.
Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com
Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]


-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Ingrid E Stanton)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: "One Vampire's Headache..." (13/?) by Ingrid
Date: 31 Jan 1998 16:22:29 -0500

DISCLAIMER:
I claim no rights to the characters mentioned from "Buffy
the Vampire Slayer." They are used w/o permission. They
belong to the WB, Joss Whedon, Sandollar Productions
& Mutant Enemy.

SUMMARY: Part 13, Buffy/Angel romance/angst.
 Alternate Buffy universe. If you donÆt get this,
thatÆs cause you havenÆt read the other parts. If you
want to get this, send me mail at [e-mail].
If you donÆt, you canÆt play in my sandbox anymore!

On with the show!

***
"One VampireÆs Headacheà" Part the Thirteenth
***

"Must not all things at the last
be swallowed up in death?" ûPlato
***

Buffy and Angel were locked in an embrace, their food all but
forgotten on the table. She sighed in pleasure when he kissed
a sensitive spot behind her ear. Then she remembered the salad.
"Mmm!" She pulled away.

"What," he asked, puzzled.

"The food, remember?"

"Oh yeah, the food." He kissed her again on the lips, and she
returned his kiss slowly. Before her mind completely shut down,
she forced some self-control. Pushing him away gently, she
straightened up in her chair and pulled it under the table.

"As much as IÆm enjoying this, you have to eat." She smiled and
handed him a fork. He poked around at the chicken on his plate,
and finally chose a small piece to taste. Buffy concentrated on his
lips as they closed around the fork.

"Remember to chew," she giggled helplessly.

He did, but *so* slowly. He almost choked, but then swallowed
resolutely. She grabbed the cup.

"Here, have some of this."

He took it uncertainly and tipped it up to his mouth.

And almost spit it back up.

"What the heck is this?"

"Soda. Oh! ThatÆs right! YouÆve never had soda before. Kinda
fizzy, huh?"

"Yeah." He raised his eyebrows and took another sip. "This is going
to take a bit of getting used to."

"Yeah," she answered with a grin, "But we  have all the time in the
world, donÆt we?"

He paused from eating and swallowed hard. "Buffy, be careful."

Something foreboding rose in her chest. She fought it down hard. "Hey,"
she chided, touching his forehead with her own, "you too."
***
END, PART 13.

_____________________________________________________________________
You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail.
Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com
Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]


-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Kimela M Wilker"<[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Smthng Sordid...(1/?)
Date: 31 Jan 1998 15:39:23 -0600


     Title: Something Sordid This Way Comes
     Author: By Zak Zandarah
     Email: [e-mail]
     Disclaimer: Buffy & Co do not belong to me, I am just borrowing them
     and will return them intact.
     Placement: This story was started a long time back, and thus would
     best be placed somewhere during the 1st season...possibly between
     Nightmares and Out of Sight, Out of Mind.
     Spoilers: None

     Hi, I'm forwarding this story to the list for a friend who would
     really like some feedback on it...All comments should go directly to
     Zak at [e-mail].  Thanks!

     Something Sordid This Way Comes
     Part One: Sunnydale High Library 4:15pm

     Xander Harris was pretending to read his American History textbook. In
     order to be allowed to stay in the Sunnydale High Library, he had to
     maintain the illusion of concentrating on his schoolwork. Under normal
     circumstances, a library was not his type of hangout, but in this
     particular one he could observe Buffy Summers doing her Slayer
     training with her Watcher, Rupert Giles. He watched her with awed
     fascination as she deftly beat on the heavily padded librarian. He was
     captivated by her grace, her dexterity, and her...THWACK! Xander
     cringed as Buffy knocked Giles to the floor with a swift blow to his
     momentarily unguarded legs.

     "That's quite enough for today," the Watcher panted as he raised his
     arms in defeat. Xander grinned at the older man's obvious discomfort.
     "Perhaps you'd best go home and finish up on your homework. You have a
     busy night ahead of you."

     "So what is tonight?" Xander quarried. "Vampires? Demons? Werewolves
     perhaps?"

     Buffy rolled her eyes. "Graveyard duty. Giles seems to think that
     there's going to be some sort of major activity going on," she
     explained as she pulled Giles to his feet. "Sort of like the major
     activity I've been witnessing for the past three nights," she added
     sarcastically.

     Giles blushed. "Well, the translation isn't exactly clear on when
     the-" Giles cut his words short as he heard the sound of the library
     door being opened. He turned to make sure that his rationalization
     would not be witnessed by some unsuspecting student who had
     accidentally wandered into the library. He wasn't surprised to see
     Willow Rosenberg, but he was surprised by her demeanor.

     "Stephanie Queen is here in Sunnydale!" Willow announced eagerly as
     she hurried in.

     "Awesome!" Xander exclaimed, a vacant expression on his face.

     "Really? Where?" inquired Buffy excitedly.

     "At the mall!" Willow gushed.

     "And Stephanie Queen is...?" Xander prompted. Buffy and Willow
     regarded him with amazement.

     "Only the greatest horror writer in the world," Willow clarified.
     "She's signing books at Bartel's!"

     "Oooh! I have to get my copy of Desolation and-" Buffy stopped as she
     noticed Giles tense up. She sighed. "And take it with me to read while
     I tend the graveyard."

     Willow looked confused for a moment before she realized that Buffy was
     officially on duty. "Oh! I can take yours with me when I go get my
     copy of Winston's Lot signed," she offered.

     Buffy smiled weakly. It wasn't as much fun as going to see the author
     in person, but she supposed it would have to do. "Sounds peachy." She
     turned to Giles. "So...Is that it?"

     Giles stared at her blankly. She raised her eyebrows, and nodded
     toward the door. "Oh, um, yes. That will be all. Call me if you need
     me." He watched as the teenagers gathered their belongings and headed
     out of the library, Buffy in the lead as usual.

     "So, Buff," Xander called, hurrying to catch up to her. "Need some
     help at the stakeout?"

     Buffy shook her head. "Nah. I've got it covered. You should go with
     Willow. See how the other half lives..."

     Giles smiled as the door shut behind the three. He sank down into the
     nearest chair and took a moment to relax and recover from the
     afternoon training. After a few minutes, he pulled a manuscript from
     the pile of untranslated documents and began his nightly research. A
     Watcher's work was never done.




-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Kimela M Wilker"<[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Smthng Sordid (2/?)
Date: 31 Jan 1998 15:44:44 -0600


     Title: Something Sordid This Way Comes Author: By Zak Zandarah
     Email: [e-mail]
     Disclaimer: Buffy & Co do not belong to me, I am just borrowing them
     and will return them intact.
     Placement: This story was started a long time back, and thus would
     best be placed somewhere during the 1st season...possibly between
     Nightmares and Out of Sight, Out of Mind.
     Spoilers: None

     Hi, I'm forwarding this story to the list for a friend who would
     really like some feedback on it...All comments should go directly to
     Zak at [e-mail].  Thanks!

     Something Sordid...
     Part Two: Sunnydale Mall 8:58pm



     "I can't believe we stood in line for two hours and still didn't get
     to see her," Willow griped, feeling disappointed. She swatted Xander's
     hand as he reached for one of her french fries. He gave her a wounded
     look and she relented, pushing the fries toward him. She really wasn't
     hungry, anyway. "I don't think I've ever seen such a crowd at the mall
     before."

     Xander shrugged. "I tend to avoid the place, myself," he admitted.
     "But, hey, what better place to indulge in fine dining!" He grinned as
     Willow rolled her eyes. He snagged the last of her fries and gulped
     down them down with the rest of his coke. Glancing around he noticed
     several employees staring at them. "We'd better go. Looks like they're
     trying to close things up."

     Willow nodded. She quickly gathered the trash from their table and
     headed toward the exit. Xander rose to follow her and noticed that she
     had left her purse behind. He picked it up and hurried after her. They
     ignored the glares of several mall employees as they made their way
     outside. Xander heard the door being locked behind them. "So, do you
     want to go to the Bronze or something? It's a little early to call it
     a night."

     "Xander, we have school tomorrow." She laughed at his vacant look.
     "You know, that building where we go every morning?"

     "And your point is?"

     "You are hopeless."

     "So do you want to go?"

     "Sure. Why not?"

     They chatted incessantly as they walked the three blocks to the local
     hotspot. When they reached the club, Xander pulled out his wallet,
     preparing to pay the cover charge. He abruptly realized that he was
     still carrying Willow's purse. "Oh! Here. You left this."

     Willow stared at the purse blankly. "No I didn't. That's not mine."

     "But I thought...OOPS! Guess I'd better take it back. You can wait
     here, if you want."

     "Nah. I'll go with you. It's a nice night for a walk, anyway." They
     turned and headed back toward the mall.

     They were still a block away from the mall when they heard someone
     screaming. Instinctually, Willow reached out and grabbed Xander's arm.
     They exchanged worried glances. "Stay here, I'll go see what's
     happening," Xander instructed. Willow had no intention of letting him
     endanger himself alone. She opted to chase after him as he ran
     the last of the way. When they arrived at the mall parking lot a few
     moments later, they were dismayed to see a trio of vampires attempting
     to corner a terrified woman. (What better place to indulge in fine
     dining?) She had thus far managed to evade them, but was running out
     of places to go.

     "We've got to go get Buffy!" Xander decided, trying to keep himself
     calm.

     "There's no time, we've got to do something!"

     Willow was right. By the time they got to the graveyard, found the
     Slayer, and returned, the woman would be dead (or undead) for sure.
     Xander quickly scanned the pavement for anything that could be used
     for a stake. There was nothing. Then he remembered the cross that he
     had kept in his school bag for just this sort of occasion. When you
     hang with the Slayer, you never know when one might come in handy.
     "Quick. I'll stall them. Go find something to stake them with!"

     Before Willow could stop him, Xander broke away from her and dashed
     into the fray, pulling something from his bag as he went. "Xander!"
     Willow's mind raced. Where was she going to find stakes? She had to
     hurry! She glanced around the lot...Stakes, stakes, stakes...Trees!
     She could break off a few branches. That would work. She raced toward
     the decorative tree line near the mall entrance, silently praying that
     she would make it in time.

     ***

     It was quite possibly the most insane moment of the woman's life. She
     had imagined such things happening...Hell, she had even written a book
     about such occurrences. She hadn't, however, ever believed that it
     could happen. Yet, here she was, facing three vampires. Okay, maybe
     they were just gang members dressed up to really freak people out. If
     that was the case, they certainly were succeeding. She silently cursed
     her agent for sending her to Sunnydale.

     She had somehow managed to keep out of reach for a few minutes, it was
     only a matter of time before she became their victim. If only she had
     taken that self-defense course...Not that it would have helped. She
     had managed to land a few blows on one of the fiends, but it hadn't
     seemed to phase the man...vampire...whatever it was. And now, as a
     result of her futile defense moves, she was going to die.

     Suddenly, a young man barreled through the line of attackers and
     whirled to face them, pushing her behind him. "Go!" he yelled over his
     shoulder at her. She stood, frozen in place, stunned by this sudden
     turn of events. Who was this kid? He couldn't have been more than 16
     or 17...and just what was that he was holding them off with? Hell, was
     that really a crucifix?

     One of the assailants lunged at the boy, who expertly dodged and swung
     his holy symbol at the fiend. The woman cringed as she heard the
     sounds of sizzling flesh and the vampire's wail. A second vampire
     attacked the young male, knocking the crucifix from his grasp. The
     teen dove for the ground, trying to regain possession of the cross.
     She watched in horrified fascination as the fiend grabbed him and
     lifted him from the ground. The boy kicked and flailed his arms,
     fighting the vampire's hold on him. In response, the fiend hoisted him
     higher, then hurled him effortlessly to the hard pavement.. The boy
     cried out in pain as he hit the ground. She could see from the way
     that his arm was bent beneath him, that several bones had likely been
     broken. Fortunately, he seemed determined not to give up the fight. He
     grabbed the crucifix with his good hand and rolled to his feet.

     The woman felt something grabbing her from behind, pinning her arms to
     her sides. She abruptly realized that she hadn't paid attention to
     what the third vampire was doing. She screamed as she felt the sharp
     sting of its teeth piercing the skin of her neck. Oh, God, she was
     going to die. She tried to kick at her assailant, but the blows did
     not faze it. Her vision began to blur, and she could feel herself
     growing weaker by the moment. So this was what it was like to die. Or
     maybe she would become a vampire? Wasn't that how it worked? Get bit
     by a vampire, become a vampire...no that was werewolves...got to get
     your creatures from Hell straight, she chided herself absently.

     "NO!" the woman heard a distant female voice bellow. Suddenly, the
     vampire released her...no, it vanished! In its place there was a wide
     eyed auburn haired girl, who was holding what looked like a tree
     branch in her upraised arm. The girl grabbed her as she started to
     fall. "Here, lie down. It'll be okay," the same distant voice called
     to her.  She felt herself being slowly lowered to the pavement.

     "Willow, look out!" the boy's voice echoed in Stephanie's head. As if
     through a haze, she saw one of the vampires grab the girl (Willow, the
     woman presumed) and pull her away. Everything seemed to be happening
     in slow motion as the boy appeared a moment later, wedging himself
     between Willow and the fiend. "Willow, go! Get her out of here!" He
     swung his crucifix at his assailant, connecting with its head. The
     vampire howled with anger and grabbed at the teen's injured arm. The
     boy cried out as the vampire twisted his arm. The cross dropped from
     his grasp as he swung wildly at the fiend.

     The second vampire reentered the fray, grabbing Willow and tossing her
     effortlessly to the ground. In the moments before the fiend was upon
     her, she called out the words, "Sander catch!" and threw a tree branch
     toward the boy. He caught the branch with his good hand and rammed it
     into the vampire's chest. The fiend disappeared in a cloud of dust.
     For a moment the boy stood frozen, as if amazed by his own actions.
     Then, he realized that Willow was still in trouble. The final vampire
     had her pinned to the ground and was lowering its fangs toward her
     exposed neck.

     With a roar of fury, the young man tackled the vampire, rolling it off
     of Willow. The girl scrambled after the battling duo, a stake in hand.
     She plunged the stick into the vampire's back, turning the fiend to
     dust. For a moment, she and the boy stared at each other, their eyes
     still wide with anticipation. "Are you okay?" Willow asked him.

     "Nothing that won't heal," he replied, groaning as he rose to his
     feet. He clutched his broken arm to his chest and limped over to where
     The woman was still lying in a daze. "I think we'd better get some
     help for her, though. I think she...lost a bit of blood."

     Willow knelt down next to the woman and gazed down at her. The girl's
     eyes widened with surprise as recognition occurred. "Oh my god...It's
     Stephanie Queen!"



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Kimela M Wilker"<[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: smthng sordid (3/?)
Date: 31 Jan 1998 15:48:39 -0600


     Title: Something Sordid This Way Comes Author: By Zak Zandarah
     Email: [e-mail]
     Disclaimer: Buffy & Co do not belong to me, I am just borrowing them
     and will return them intact.
     Placement: This story was started a long time back, and thus would
     best be placed somewhere during the 1st season...possibly between
     Nightmares and Out of Sight, Out of Mind.
     Spoilers: None

     Hi, I'm forwarding this story to the list for a friend who would
     really like some feedback on it...All comments should go directly to
     Zak at [e-mail].  Thanks!

     Something Sordid This Way Comes
     Part Three: 7:48am Enroute to Sunnydale High



     Buffy was so not in a good mood. She was exhausted and was really
     dragging her feet as she walked to school.  She was dreading sitting
     through dull class after dull class. It had been yet another really
     long, uneventful night at the graveyard, and she could really use some
     sort of action. She wished that whatever had Giles so worried would
     just happen so that she could have a night off to relax, or better
     yet, to spend with Angel...

     She brightened a bit at the thought of her 240-something boyfriend.
     Since she was doomed to spend another night patrolling, perhaps she
     would get Willow or Xander (make that Willow) to ask Angel to meet
     her. At least with him keeping her company the night wouldn't seem so
     long. That was a plan. All she had to do now was locate Willow and ask
     her to track down the vampire.

     Finding Willow turned out to be absolutely no trouble whatsoever.
     Buffy was still a few blocks away from the school when a black Stealth
     with tinted windows pulled up beside her. As the car rolled to a stop,
     she tensed not knowing quite what to expect. She couldn't feel any
     undead in the area and it was broad daylight, but that didn't rule out
     all kinds of danger. She backed away from the car as the window
     started to roll down. To her surprise, the passenger was none other
     than her hacker friend.

     "Buffy!" Willow called.

     "Willow? What're you doing in that...?"

     "Isn't this neat! You are never gonna believe what happened! Hang on,
     I'll walk with you." The car door opened and Willow stepped out,
     wearing a stunning black dress. Buffy was sure Willow had never worn
     it before-it wasn't the sort of outfit that the hacker usually picked
     out. No, this was something that she would have bought. "Thanks again!
     I'll see you tonight!" Willow called to the driver of the car as she
     closed the door.

     "Be sure to tell Xander I'll pick him up around five to get him ready.
     Do you want to come with us or should I send a car for you?" Buffy
     couldn't place it, but the woman's voice sounded familiar.

     "I'll just go with you. Five o'clock sounds great!" Willow waved as
     the Stealth pulled away from the curb. She turned to Buffy, who had a
     stupefied look on her face. "Oh, Buffy, it was so cool! You are never
     gonna believe who that was!"

     "What's going on? Who was that?"

     "It's Stephanie Queen! She is so cool, Buffy. She's taking Xander and
     I-oh! She said I could invite you, too! If you need a dress, she
     brought me several, I think they'd fit you, too-"

     "Whoa!" Buffy cut off the excited hacker. "That was Stephanie Queen?
     How did you meet her, and why is she taking you and Xander...where is
     she taking you and Xander?"

     "She's taking us to dinner to thank us for saving her from the
     vampires. We're going fancy and everything! She said I could invite
     you-did I already tell you that?"

     "Hold up...you saved her from *vampires*?"

     "Last night! You should have been!" Willow quickly recounted the
     events of the previous night, giving Buffy sketchy details at best.
     The hacker was still so excited that she wasn't being terribly
     coherent.

     "You could have gotten yourselves hurt...or killed. Why didn't you
     just come get me? I'm the Slayer, remember."

     "There wasn't time, Buffy. They would have killed her! Besides, I
     think we handled ourselves pretty well."

     "Yeah well...Just don't do it again. I don't want to lose you guys."
     As they approached the school, Buffy could see that something out of
     the ordinary was definitely up. There was a huge crowd of students
     gathered, surrounding someone that she couldn't see. "We better see
     what's up." She pushed her way through the crowd, trying to see who
     was causing the commotion. As she neared the center of the crowd she
     could hear a familiar voice recounting a wild tale of a "gang" fight,
     obviously embellishing on the role he had played in the events. She
     rolled her eyes, realizing who was behind the mass of people. Xander.
     Well, at least he wasn't telling them what *really* happened. She
     broke through the last of the mob and came face to face with her best
     male friend. Actually, she came face to...monster white cast? His
     right arm was completely encased in plaster, from hand to shoulder.
     She blinked. Willow hadn't mentioned this complication. She gasped,
     drawing his attention to her. "Xander! What on earth-"

     "Buffy! Hey, did you hear?" He rose to his feet and turned from her
     momentarily. "Duty calls," he announced. "Catch you all later." The
     crowd quickly dispersed as Buffy started to lead him away. "So, Buff.
     What d'ya think? Pretty cool, huh?"

     Buffy whirled to face him. "Are you completely nuts?! You got hurt! I
     don't want you ever doing anything like that..."

     Xander held up his good hand to stop her. "Hey, everything turned out
     okay. We dusted a few..." he glanced around to make sure that nobody
     else could hear him, "...vampires. We saved a lady from certain death.
     We came, we saw, we slayed. And, hey, we're getting good chow out of
     this. Did Willow tell you that-"

     "That I'm invited to dinner with you guys? She did mention that, yes."

     "Wear the red strappy one."

     "Huh?"

     "Willow was going offer you one of the dresses Ms. Queen gave her. You
     would look awesome in the red strap-"

     "I get the point. I don't know if this is such a great idea. I mean,
     she's a writer, she could really...expose us."

     Xander raised his eyebrows. "Oooh, a love scene. That could be-" Buffy
     socked him in the chest, shutting him up. "Oh, you mean the slayage."

     "Just be careful what you say around her. I don't want to give her any
     brilliant ideas of writing a novel about Sunnydale. More specifically,
     I don't want her giving the 'alternative' residents of Sunnydale any
     creative ideas."

     Xander nodded, becoming serious...well, as serious as Xander ever got.
     "I see your point. But we can still get dinner, right? I mean she
     wouldn't write about that, right?"

     "Do you ever not think about food?" She sighed and shook her head,
     exasperated. "I guess we could do the dinner thing, just be careful
     what you tell her."

     "You mean I shouldn't have mentioned that one of my best friends slays
     vampires for a living?"

     Buffy's eyes went wide with horror until she caught sight of the wide
     mischievous grin on Xander's face and realized that he was just
     teasing her. "Jerk," she uttered under her breath.

     "Speaking of jerks...Principal Snyder! Good morning!" Xander
     cheerfully called to the principal who was heading straight for them.

     "Shouldn't you two hooligans be in class right about now?" the snide
     principal asked dryly as the warning bell rung. They didn't need to be
     prompted twice. Without another word, they hurried into the building
     and to their respective classes.



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Kimela M Wilker"<[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: smthng sordid (4a/?)
Date: 31 Jan 1998 15:55:16 -0600


     Title: Something Sordid This Way Comes Author: By Zak Zandarah
     Email: [e-mail]
     Disclaimer: Buffy & Co do not belong to me, I am just borrowing them
     and will return them intact.
     Placement: This story was started a long time back, and thus would
     best be placed somewhere during the 1st season...possibly between
     Nightmares and Out of Sight, Out of Mind.
     Spoilers: None

     Hi, I'm forwarding this story to the list for a friend who would
     really like some feedback on it...All comments should go directly to
     Zak at [e-mail].  Thanks!

     Something Sordid This Way Comes
     Part 46:30 pm Sunnydale Banquet Hall



     Willow couldn't help but stare at Xander as he struggled with his
     steak. It must have been pretty difficult for him to eat using only
     one hand, especially since it wasn't his dominant hand. But that
     wasn't the reason that she was staring. She'd always been attracted to
     him, but seeing him wearing a tux--a tux that had been specially
     fitted for him that afternoon--made her heart race. Not even the
     enormous white cast detracted from his appearance. If anything, it
     endeared him to her all the more. It was almost absurd, actually. Here
     she was sitting at a banquet at the finest restaurant in Sunnydale.
     She was sitting at a table with one of the world's most renowned
     writers--the honored guest of the banquet, no less--and she couldn't
     keep her mind off of Xander...a fact that seemed to be totally missed
     by the male slayerette. Why, oh why, did he have to be so blind when
     it came to her?

     "So, Ms....uh...Queen is it?" Giles asked, breaking Willow out of her
     daze.

     "Please, call me Stephanie," the author replied.

     "What kind of books is it that you write?"

     Stephanie raised her eyebrows with surprise. "I'm a horror
     novelist...I thought Willow told me that you were a librarian...?"
     Hardly a month ever went by without at least one of her books being on
     the National Bestseller List...what kind of rock had this guy been
     hiding under? Actually, it was kind of refreshing to find someone who
     didn't recognize her. She didn't have to live up to any expectations.
     And he was a rather handsome man...

     Giles flushed slightly and suddenly seemed preoccupied with his
     rarebit. "I'm sorry...I'm afraid I'm not too familiar with
     contemporary American works..."

     Stephanie smiled at him reassuringly. To help diffuse his discomfort
     she quickly changed the subject. "I'm so glad that you guys were able
     to accompany me tonight. To be honest, I was kind of dreading this
     banquet."

     It was Giles's turn to be surprised. "Really?"

     "Oh, Lord, yes. My agent keeps setting up stuff like this to promote
     my books, and I always have to answer the same questions over and
     over..." She sighed. "It's not so bad when I have the answers, but
     lately, I've been in kind of a rut. I have absolutely no idea what the
     next book will be. That's not an answer that makes my agent very
     happy."

     "I'm sorry to hear that..."

     "Me, too." Stephanie turned to Willow and Xander. "I'm sorry your
     friend Buffy couldn't join us this evening. What did you say she was
     doing?"

     Willow and Xander exchanged glances. Buffy was still stuck on
     Graveyard Duty, but they couldn't tell Stephanie that. "She had to
     stay home and study for a major test for a class that she takes, that
     we're not in," Willow explained nervously as she absently reached over
     and began cutting Xander's food for him.

     Stephanie felt as though the girl was hiding something, but decided
     not to pursue it. "I'm not keeping you guys from your studies am I?"

     "No," Xander replied, almost too quickly. "No book avoiding going on
     here."

     Stephanie smiled slightly, amused.

     "I have to write a computer program..." Willow admitted. When she
     caught the look that Xander shot her, she quickly added, "I can do
     that in the morning, though." He was probably trying to extend the
     evening as long as he could so that he wouldn't have to go home to his
     empty house. She couldn't blame him...she was glad that her parents
     were still happily married and were usually home when she got there.
     "Oh, and don't you have that math test tomorrow, Xander? Do you want
     me to help you tomorrow morning?"

     "Tomorrow morning?" Xander began mentally calculating.
     "Thursday...Nope gotta be in the gym." Willow raised her eyebrows
     questioningly. "What? The cheerleaders are trying out their new
     routine...gotta be there to give my support!"

     Willow rolled her eyes and shook her head, smiling slightly. *I'm in
     love with a walking hormone, she thought fleetingly.*

     Stephanie watched as Willow cut a few more bites for Xander before
     returning to her own dinner. They were such a sweet couple...and they
     certainly were intriguing. On the surface they seemed normal enough,
     but they had handled themselves expertly against the gang that had
     assaulted her the night before--as if they were used to that sort of
     thing. She still wasn't entirely sure exactly what happened, her
     recollection of the events were hazy at best. What she remembered
     didn't really make any sense, so she figured that it was mostly her
     mind playing tricks on her. Not that her skewed memories wouldn't make
     for a decent story...unfortunately she'd already written a novel about
     a town plagued with Vampires...On the other hand, Willow and Xander
     would make interesting characters for her new novel...ordinary High
     School Students by day, demon hunters by night? What if she...

     "Ms. Queen!" a voice broke into her thoughts. The writer glanced up to
     see a pretty young woman approaching. She looked vaguely familiar, but
     Stephanie couldn't place her. "What are you doing sitting with these
     lo--with Willow and Xander?"

     "Hi, Cordelia!" Willow greeted the advancing girl.

     "Cordelia, just the person I wanted to see while I'm dinning with the
     Queen of Horror--the Princess of Quease," Xander quipped. Cordelia
     regarded Xander with a glare, but Stephanie noticed the faint look of
     surprise and then interest as the girl really looked at him. He did
     look rather sharp in his tuxedo.

     Cordelia...that name sounded familiar to Stephanie. It took a moment
     but then the name came to her. Cordelia Chase, Julianne Chase's
     daughter. "Miss Chase, how good to see you again."

     "Thank you. I just wanted to come and invite you to join us at our
     table." So you don't have to sit with these losers, the look in her
     eyes seemed to add.

     Stephanie smiled at her. "Oh, thank you, Cordelia, but we're fine
     right here. Perhaps you'd care to join us?"

     Cordelia considered for a moment. "Well, I guess that would be okay.
     Mom's trying to work out the details for her next book release with
     her agent...Anything would be better than listening to that." Cordelia
     looked at Xander expectantly.

     It took a moment for Xander to realize that she was waiting for
     something from him. "What?"

     "A chair," she prompted. When he only returned a blank stare, she
     explained, "It is polite for a man to get a chair for a woman." He
     rolled his eyes slightly, but rose to his feet and grabbed an extra
     chair from the nearest table.

     Willow cringed as she watched Xander struggle to maneuver it
     one-handed over to the table. Cordelia certainly could have moved it
     easier...and she didn't even thank him for the chair before she sat
     down. Or after.

     "So, Ms. Queen, what is your next novel going to be about?" Cordelia
     queried.

     "Funny you should mention that, I was just thinking--"

     "Good evening ladies and gentlemen!" the banquet announcer cut
     Stephanie short. "I'd like to welcome you all tonight to honor
     Sunnydale's most famous former resident, Stephanie Queen!"

     "You used to live here?" Willow nearly choked on her dinner roll. That
     would certainly explain how she became the Queen of Horror...

     "For the first seven years of my life," the author replied,
     nonchalantly. "I don't really remember much of it, though."

     "Perhaps we can persuade our guest of honor to come up and say a few
     words?" the announcer suggested.

     "Well, here goes," Stephanie sighed, rising from her seat. She forced
     herself to smile grandly and waved to her admirers as she made her way
     up to the podium. Her mind was racing. If she could just have a few
     minutes to get her book idea straight in her mind, she would be able
     to answer that inevitable question. Well, at least she had a vague
     idea, anyway. She'd work out the details later.

     "I'm sorry, Miss, you can't go in there," Xander heard the banquet
     maitre de arguing with someone.

     "Look, my friends are in there. I'm an invited guest of Ms. Queen!" a
     familiar voice disputed.

     "Of course you are, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave right
     now."

     "I just need to--"

     "I'm sorry, that just won't be possible. If you don't leave right now
     I will have to call security."

     Xander glanced at the other members of his party, but they were all
     focused on Stephanie as she began her speech and hadn't noticed
     Buffy's arrival. It would be up to him to go rescue the poor maitre de
     before he angered the slayer. He quietly slipped from the table and
     headed for the arguing pair, trying not to disturb any of the audience
     members.

     "Buffy!" he called as he neared the door. He cringed as he got a good
     look at her. She was sopping wet, and was splattered with mud. It was
     no wonder that the maitre de was giving her such a hard time. He
     quickly regained his composure and nonchalantly greeted her as if
     everything was normal. "So glad you could make it."

     The maitre de turned and regarded Xander with an appraising glance. He
     immediately recognized the boy as one of Ms. Queen's personal guests
     and realized that he had just made a major mistake. "I'm truly sorry.
     Go right on in, Miss." He quickly retreated, allowing Buffy entrance.

     "I should think so..." the slayer muttered indignantly. It was obvious
     that she was not having a good night.

     "What's going on?" Xander asked concerned by her appearance. "What
     happened? Are you okay?"

     She blushed slightly. "I'm fine. Let's just say that someone decided
     to water the graveyard lawn...but that's not why I'm here. I think we
     may have something bigger to worry about. I need to talk to Giles."
     She brushed past him and headed to the table where the watcher was
     finishing his dinner and listening to Stephanie's speech.

     "Buffy! What happened?" Willow gasped as she caught sight of the
     bedraggled slayer. Cordelia glanced momentarily to see what had
     excited the hacker, but quickly returned her attention to Stephanie's
     speech.

     "Don't worry, she's okay," Xander assured his best friend as he moved
     to stand behind her.

     Buffy squatted down next to Giles.

     "We have a problem," Buffy announced.

     "Are you all right?" Giles asked, his voice filled with concern.

     "I'm fine--for now, but have you heard of a guy called Gorlock?"

     "Gorlock!" the watcher exclaimed. "I didn't know he was still
     around...good, God, Buffy, he didn't--"

     "No, not yet, but apparently someone in this town has pissed him off."

     "Someone?"

     "I'm betting me. Apparently someone staked his favorite lackeys, and
     he's avowed revenge."

     "Would someone mind filling me in on who this Garlic guy is?" Xander
     cut in.

     "Gorlock," Giles corrected. "He's an infamous sorcerer that is known
     for being...well, particularly..."

     "Eccentric," Buffy finished. "He's been known to...play games with his
     victims before killing them."

     "What, like Twister?" Xander suggested. He was met with glares from
     each of the others at the table. "Forget I said that..."

     "I take it from your appearance that the...uh...games have begun?"
     Giles asked, ignoring Xander.

     "Either that or I've had the worst streak of luck known to man," Buffy
     answered solemnly.

     "Not that I'm doubting you, but just how did you come to find out that
     Gorlock was behind this?"

     "Angel," Willow and Xander guessed at the same time. Buffy's vampiric
     boyfriend somehow had the knack at showing up with pertinent
     information at just the right moments...though no one knew exactly how
     he always seemed to obtain the news. Xander secretly--well, actually
     not quite secretly--thought that it was because the vampire hadn't
     completely renounced his evil tendencies and still had...connections.
     Once a vampire, always a vampire.

     Buffy nodded. "Angel told me that some acquaintances informed him that
     Gorlock had sent his henchmen here to retrieve something, but that
     they were killed. Now he's supposedly coming to Sunnydale to get
     revenge on the person who did it. I'm thinking he's probably already
     here."



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Kimela M Wilker"<[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: smthng sordid (4b/?)
Date: 31 Jan 1998 15:58:50 -0600


     Title: Something Sordid This Way Comes Author: By Zak Zandarah
     Email: [e-mail]
     Disclaimer: Buffy & Co do not belong to me, I am just borrowing them
     and will return them intact.
     Placement: This story was started a long time back, and thus would
     best be placed somewhere during the 1st season...possibly between
     Nightmares and Out of Sight, Out of Mind.
     Spoilers: None

     Hi, I'm forwarding this story to the list for a friend who would
     really like some feedback on it...All comments should go directly to
     Zak at [e-mail].  Thanks!

     Something Sordid This Way Comes
     Part 4 (continued)

     "...my next book!" Stephanie's voice broke into Willow's thoughts.

     The room suddenly filled with applause and Xander became abruptly
     aware that most of the banquet's attendees were staring at him. He
     glanced up at Stephanie, who was still at the podium. She smiled and
     gestured for him to join her. "Willow, Xander, come on up here!"

     Willow glanced nervously up at Xander, who returned her gaze. "I guess
     we should...?" Willow suggested. Xander nodded and extended his good
     hand to her to help her to her feet. Together they made their way
     toward the waiting speaker.

     Buffy cringed as she watched Willow and Xander take their place next
     to Stephanie Queen, who gave each of them a brief hug before turning
     back to the audience. She wasn't sure what kind of story that
     Stephanie had just told about the slayerettes, but she had the sinking
     feeling that their 15 minutes of fame would bring a lot of attention
     to their extra-curricular activities. She caught a few audience
     members watching her curiously. She abruptly remembered that she
     wasn't looking terribly presentable. "I'm going to...go clean up a
     bit," she informed Giles. "Meet me back at the library as soon as this
     is over, okay? We gotta talk..."

     "I'll give you a ride," Giles offered, getting up. He turned to
     Cordelia. "Please give my apologies to Ms. Queen," he requested before
     turning to hurry after Buffy.

     Willow felt very uncomfortable with everyone watching her. She did her
     best to stand in Xander's shadow. She was so tense that she couldn't
     even hear the words that Stephanie was saying about her to the crowd.
     She knew that the woman was recounting their act of heroism, and it
     made her self-conscious knowing that everyone would be talking about
     it for a long time to come. She preferred to remain low-key. At one
     point during Stephanie's spiel about them, Willow caught Xander gazing
     at her with a faintly worried expression. Anyone else looking at him
     probably wouldn't have caught it, but she knew him so well that she
     could sense that something had disturbed him. She'd have to ask him
     later what was bothering him. She wished that she could relax and pay
     attention, but just the thought of so many people looking at her made
     her mind race.

     As she peeked out into the audience one particular man in the back of
     the room caught her attention. She wasn't sure what about him made him
     stand out--he looked normal enough. But for some reason, his presence
     bothered her. Maybe it was the faint smile that was on his face as he
     stared at them. From the corner of her eye, she noticed that Xander
     was watching the same man. She gently pulled on his sleeve to get his
     attention. When he turned his attention to her, she gave him a
     questioning look and jerked her head toward the man. Xander shook
     his head slightly and gave a barely noticeable shrug. They both turned
     to look back their watcher and were astonished to find his seat had
     been vacated.

     Xander abruptly turned toward the room's exit while Willow scanned the
     crowd for the man, but neither spotted him. How had he possibly gotten
     out of the room so quickly? Each of the slayerettes made a mental note
     to mention the man to Buffy as soon as they returned to their seats.

     "Thank you all for coming! And thanks so much for your graciousness
     and generosity..." Stephanie was wrapping up her speech. "I look
     forward to meeting each of you on a more personal basis during my
     stay!" The audience's applause was thunderous as Stephanie gave a
     short wave and turned to face Xander and Willow. "Now let's get
     out of here," she mouthed. The slayerettes were only too happy to
     comply.

     "Where'd Buffy and Giles go?" Willow asked Cordelia as they reached
     the table.

     "Buffy said something about cleaning up then going to the library,"
     Cordelia replied. "Giles wanted me to apologize for him ditching you,"
     she continued. "Kind of rude if you ask me..."

     Xander looked as though he wanted to reply, but Willow cut him off.
     "It was probably very important. Maybe we should go help them?"

     "You want to go to the library now?" Stephanie sounded surprised. "I
     was hoping that you two would be able to join me for the post banquet
     party."

     "I'm going," Cordelia piped in. "Mom said that there'll be a dance and
     everything. Oh--there she is; I've got to go."

     "I'd be really disappointed if you didn't make it," Stephanie
     continued, regarding Cordelia's departure with a slight nod. She
     really wanted a chance to spend a little more time with the potential
     characters for her novel.

     "Well, I suppose we could..." Willow started.

     "For a little while," Xander finished for her.

     Stephanie smiled at them warmly. "You two are such a perfect couple!
     How long have you been together?"

     Xander raised his eyebrows and glanced at Willow in surprise. She
     returned his gaze.

     "Oh! We're not...together," Willow answered, returning her attention
     to Stephanie.

     "Nah, Will's just my best bud," Xander continued, giving the hacker a
     one-armed hug and regarding her with a bright smile.

     The faint spark of disappointment that glimmered in the girl's eyes
     told Stephanie all she needed to know. And the boy was
     oblivious...typical. "I see..." She made a mental note to make just a
     few character adjustments as she ushered the teens out to her car.

     *From the shadows the man watched them. The two teens and the author.
     The writer's introduction of the pair had given him the perfect idea.
     This was going to be too much fun...*



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Kimela M Wilker"<[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: smthng sordid (5/?)
Date: 31 Jan 1998 16:06:39 -0600


     Title: Something Sordid This Way Comes Author: By Zak Zandarah
     Email: [e-mail]
     Disclaimer: Buffy & Co do not belong to me, I am just borrowing them
     and will return them intact.
     Placement: This story was started a long time back, and thus would
     best be placed somewhere during the 1st season...possibly between
     Nightmares and Out of Sight, Out of Mind.
     Spoilers: None

     Hi, I'm forwarding this story to the list for a friend who would
     really like some feedback on it...All comments should go directly to
     Zak at [e-mail].  Thanks!

     This is the part that Zak is having the most trouble with--so she'd
     like me to say that any feedback that anyone can give her is highly
     appreciated!

     Something Sordid This Way Comes
     Part 5: Sunnydale High 7:57 am

     The slayer was in an extremely foul mood.  Absolutely nothing was
     going her way, and the day had only just begun.  She understood that
     Gorlock was notorious for playing with his victims before going after
     them directly, but she couldn't wait until he got bored and confronted
     her.  She was going to make him pay for the havoc he was wreaking on
     her.

     It had started the night before in the graveyard.  The sprinklers had
     inexplicably gone off while she and Angel were...busy.  As if getting
     drenched wasn't bad enough, no sooner had she turned to run for cover,
     she had slipped and landed face first in the mud.  Angel had actually
     laughed at her as she struggled to get up-only to wind up losing her
     balance and flopping back into the slime.  And falling into the open
     grave...?  She didn't even want to go there.

     This morning hadn't gone much better.  Actually in some ways it had
     been worse.  First, she'd slept right through her alarm clock and had
     to really rush to get ready for school.  Then she'd broken not just
     one, but two of her nails while she was scrambling to fix breakfast.
     And she'd nearly choked on that damned bagel (which was covered in
     some not-so-fresh cream cheese.)  As if that hadn't been bad enough,
     while she'd showered the water had totally been cut off, leaving her
     with her hair still soapy.  If it hadn't been for all the bottled
     water her mom always kept in the fridge...well, it would not have been
     pretty.  Actually, come to think of it, it still wasn't pretty.  On
     top of everything else, she was having the worst hair day known to
     man.  Not even a hat could hide the horrible frizzy mass that was her
     hair...

     Now, what she really needed was some major cheering up...and she knew
     just the people who could do it.  She scanned the crowd outside the
     school in search of her best friends.  Willow was nowhere to be seen,
     and she might not have spotted Xander if it hadn't been for the giant
     cast...it kind of made him stick out.  She nearly did miss him,
     though, because he was doing something...well...non-Xanderish.  He was
     bent over a notebook and scribbling furiously.  He was so absorbed in
     his work that didn't even look up as she approached.  "Xander?" she
     called, trying to catch his attention.  She gazed at him
     appraisingly...something was different about him.  His outfit, she
     realized abruptly.  While he was never known for having great taste in
     clothes, this morning he was even worse than usual.  He had opted for
     a flannel shirt and overalls.  "Good, morning, Farmer Ted," she
     greeted, tapping him on the shoulder.

     He looked up at her and smiled shyly.  "Oh, hey, Buffy," he greeted in
     a very low-key way.

     "Morning," she returned, slightly confused by his demeanor.  He
     certainly was acting strangely...for Xander anyway.  "Are you feeling
     okay?"

     "I'm feeling okay, I guess...I just have to finish this before 1st
     period...I should have been doing it last night, but then Stephanie
     convinced us to go to the dance and then I didn't have time and-"

     "Hey, you don't have to explain to me...since when do you get so
     worked up about homework?"  She immediately regretted the question
     because she could see his face flush with embarrassment.  She quickly
     changed the subject.  "So, where's your partner in crime?"  She
     noticed a spark light in his eyes and a faint smile play at the corner
     of his lips.  Now that was kind of interesting...she wondered briefly
     if he had finally realized that Willow and he were meant for each
     other, but then his answer brought her back to reality.

     "She's in the gym," he replied, sighing.  "Guys gymnastics has a
     special practice this morning..."

     Buffy grinned, amused by her image of Willow checking out the guys.
     Surely he was joking..."Will?"  Xander looked at her expectantly.  So,
     he wasn't kidding.  "Well, good for her!  Work it, girl!"

     "Yeah," he admitted, shaking his head laughingly.  "You know Xan, she
     has the hormones of a...a...well, I don't know what she has the
     hormones of, but something that has a lot of hormones."

     Whoa, that was certainly not a normal Xander quip-that was more of a
     Willow...had he just called her Xan?  It was probably just her
     imagination playing tricks on her..."Yeah, that's her all right,"
     Buffy muttered sarcastically.  "Well, let's go get her, I could use
     some cheering up today."

     "Problems with Angel?" Xander asked as he rose to his feet, grabbed
     his books, and started to follow her toward the gym.  He sounded
     concerned rather than hopeful.

     "No," Buffy replied, surprised by his assumption.  "Not at all.  Angel
     and I are great!"

     "Did he kiss you?"  There was not a trace of jealousy in his voice,
     only fascinated curiosity.

     Buffy sighed and shook her head.  "No, not last night...but that's
     entirely beside the point!  This has absolutely nothing to do with
     Angel!"  As they stalked toward the gym, Buffy found herself pouring
     out all her frustrations, amazed at how easy it was to talk to him.
     Of course, they'd always gotten along great and everything, but he
     seemed...different.  Closer, somehow.  And it was great that he wasn't
     bothered by Angel anymore-that was definitely a welcome surprise.

     A second surprise awaited her as they entered the gym.  Willow, who
     had been sitting in the bleachers, spotted them and called out an
     enthusiastic greeting.  "Guys!" she called, leaping from her seat and
     casually gliding toward them.  Upon reaching them, she flung one arm
     around each of them and started leading them back toward the
     bleachers.  "Buff, you just gotta watch the guy on the rings," she
     announced.  "He's got beauty; he's got grace.  And he's got the
     greatest set of..." she paused as Xander started cringing.  She
     quickly amended what she was going to say.  "...Muscles."

     "Will!" Buffy gaped, amused by this previously unseen side of her
     normally reserved friend.

     "What?" Xander asked, glancing at her.

     Buffy regarded him with a bemused nod, her attention still focused on
     the oddly behaving hacker.  Even her normally subdued attire had been
     replaced with a fairly loud outfit-a bright green oversized button
     down with little alien ships or something on it.  The shirt was one
     that was more befitting of...Xander.  She glanced back at her male
     friend and realized that his clothing reflected the sort of outfit
     that Willow usually wore.  Suddenly everything made sense.  "Okay, you
     got me," she laughed.  "Very funny, you two.  Thanks...I really needed
     this to make me feel better today..."

     "Hey, Rosenberg!" a loud voice cut her off.  "Did you finish that
     program for Computer yet?"

     "Hey, Larry," Xander greeted, turning to face the approaching football
     jock.  "Not quite...I kinda got sidetracked last night."

     "But you're almost done, right?" Larry quizzed.

     "Well, yeah."

     "Cool, so can I copy?"

     "I don't know if copying is such a great idea, but I can help you with
     it, if you'd like..."

     Buffy watched in awe as the football jock escorted Xander away from
     the bleachers.  She was sure that she was going crazy.  Why on Earth
     had Larry gone to Xander for computer help...and why had he called the
     male slayerette Rosenberg?  Had Willow and Xander somehow managed to
     get Larry in on the joke?  That just didn't seem likely.  What was
     going on?  "Um...Will?" she asked, tugging on Willow's sleeve.

     Willow's brow furrowed as she gazed at the slayer.  "Are you feeling
     okay, Buff?  I mean, I know Will and I are really close and all,
     but..."

     "You and Will...are close?"

     "Well, duh!  Only since forever.  You know that."

     "You and Will...?"

     Willow held up her hand as if she held a CB radio and made a slight
     squelching noise.  "Houston, we have a problem."  She grinned at Buffy
     and shook her head slightly.  "I'm thinkin' you need a long rest..."
     She sighed.  "C'mon, Buff, it's me!  Your best bud, Xandra!  Do you
     want to tell me what is going on, or am I gonna have to drag it out of
     you?"

     Buffy had no idea where to even start, and she didn't think she was
     going to be able to talk to Willow....Xandra?  about it.  What she
     needed was some expert advise.  It was time to go find Giles.



-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: starstorm <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: The First Loss (5/?)
Date: 31 Jan 1998 19:18:17 +0000


 Comments and disclaimers in part 1. Feedback is nice, please. Pretty
please. With a cherry on top.






   Nin looked up as the banging on her door started again.
   "What is it this time?" she demanded when she saw Angel's face on the
other side of the door.
   "Nin, I-- please, could I come in?" The raw panic in his voice almost
shocked her.
   "Angelus, I--" she began. Oh, bugger, what was he going to do to her
anyway? She opened the latch. "Come in, man. What--"
   He made a noise of absolute frustration and then bent down and kissed
her. When she got over her shock she noted it was rather a nice kiss.=20
   Then he released her just as suddenly. "I don't know what's wrong with
me," he whispered.=20
   "You seemed to have at worked out pretty well when you were with Buffy,"
she pointed out.=20
   "That was different. I was different!" He pulled away and turned to the
door, then stopped.
   "Angelus, you may have noticed this, but vampires can have emotions."
She smiled sadly.
   "Not me. I never did, except for that mess with the curse. But this
isn't that. I feel the same inside, but I want, I need something." He threw
up his hands in frustration.
   "If that's the case, I'm here. You can't really hurt me, you know. And
it's been a while for me, I've been lonely." She growled kittenishly. At
that he returned her smile.
   "Yeah, I sort of figured. About the not hurting part, anyway." He sighed
heavily. "So now what?"
   "Have a seat. Or fix yourself some coffee. I'll go slip into something a
little bit more=85 interesting," she offered.
   "So what does all this make us?" he muttered.
   "Friends, of course. What else is there to be?" she called from her
bedroom.
   "You sound like Darla. The vampire who made me."
   "I'm not sure that's a compliment, but I'll take it as one." He could
hear the wide gin in her voice. It tightened something inside him. He began
to understand what Spike felt for Dru.
    "You do that," he told her.
     "So what do you think?" She stepped back into the room in a cute
little white number. It made her look like the cross between a Victoria's
Secrets model and something much less benign.
     He couldn't think of a single thing to say, so he reached down and
kissed her again until speech became unnecessary.       =20
    If she hadn't done this in a while, he'd hate to think what she might
have been like when she was fully in practice.

***
(early morning)

   "God, how could I have missed it?" Buffy looked about ready to hit
herself. "I knew there was something way off kilter there the moment I met
her."
   "Don't blame yourself, Buffy, none of us thought of her either. For one
thing she certainly doesn't seem the type." Giles paused meditatively. "For
one thing, she's awfully small."
   "Hey!" Buffy cried.
   "My dad's ex-girlfriend was a vampire slayer sixty-five centuries ago.
Wow, something you don't learn every day." Oz shook his head.
   "And what about this thing with Angel?" Xander asked. "I mean first he
wants us as dead as dead can be and then he goes and saves Willow and Oz
from tattoo guy. What's wrong with this picture?"
   "Well it's not that odd if he had some kind of encounter with Ninurta.
She has an extremely odd reputation and a penchant for a very eclectic set
of friends," Giles said.
   "English please?" Xander asked.
   "If anyone can be said to straddle the line between good and evil
without ever coming too close to one side it is Ninurta. Her allies include
some of the most vicious creatures known to man as well as things much more
benevolent." Giles attempted to explain.
   "Apsu did say we were bait? Maybe for Ninurta. I mean I think she cares
about Oz," Willow said.
   "Maybe." Oz shrugged.
   "And Angel saved you because he's her friend?" Xander demanded.=20
   All of them looked up in sudden startlement as the ground shook for a
brief instant.=20
   "Oh dear. An earthquake could be a sign of imminent activity in the
Hellmouth."
   "So, G-man, what do we do about this?" asked Xander.
   "I'd say the time has come to find Ninurta and hope she tells us what
she knows,"  Giles replied.
   "Ah, my turn to help!" Willow called.   It wasn't long before they had
an address wrested from the computer banks.

**
   Nin stirred, becoming vaguely aware of a warm body pressed up against=
 hers.
   "Anu?" she murmured sleepily. No, no that wasn't right. Long ago. Gavin,
then? Yes, the timing seemed better for that.
   A sudden picture flashed into her mind.=20
  <<A five-year-old child held tightly in her arms.=20
     An odd too familiar scent in her lover's house.=20
    A pool of blood and carnage, Gavin lying in the middle.=20
    A hundred years ago he would have died before help arrived.
    A message in Gavin's blood. For her.>>
   Nin woke up screaming.=20
   "Hey, hey calm down, Nin. It's okay." A soft voice intruded into her
nightmare. She shifted her way through the time displacement.
   "Angel?" she whispered. The darkly handsome vampire wrapped his arms
around her. "I'm sorry, I thought I thought I was in another time."
   "Been there, Nin. Price of immortality." He shrugged.
   Suddenly the ground began to shake for a long moment. It stopped without
any serious damage done. But they had definitely felt it.
  "What the?" Angel began.=20
  "Hellmouth=85" The two exchanged glances.
  "Now what?" Angel asked.
  "Don't worry, I have a plan. But it's too soon to implement it." She
dropped back onto the pillows and gave her most sultry smile.
  "So we have time?" His voice roughened.=20
  "I'd say so, yes=85" Her lips were a promise. One she intended to keep.
  =20
  **

   Buffy led the slayerettes to Ninurta's door with a mild feeling of
trepidation. Whatever Nin was, she was a definite wild card in the Slayer's
world. Buffy took a deep breath, rang the bell and waited.
   She was surprised by the sound of giggling coming from the other side.
She tapped her finger nervously against her thigh, waiting.
   "Coming!" Nin called from inside. A moment later she appeared, clad in a
loose robe. She had that artfully tousled look that took a normal person
hours to achieve, but Buffy had the feeling it was natural. Of course, all
that was superceded by the ready nine-millimeter that dangled from Nin's=
 hand.
   "Hello Buffy, isn't it? And all of you=85 wow. To what do I owe this
visit?" Nin ran a hand through her hair, somehow making it even more artful.
   "Are you in fact Ninurta of Arrata, also known as Ninhursag, AKA. The
first vampire slayer?" Buffy asked, somehow managing to ignore the
nine-millimeter.
   "Funny you should ask that," Nin began. Someone called to her from the
bedroom.
   "Nin, is something wrong?"=20
   Buffy gasped at the achingly familiar voice. Angel stepped out of the
bedroom, looking almost as adorably tousled as Nin. The young Slayer shook
her head in exhausted disbelief.
   "Angel?" she whispered.
   "Hello Buffy. Brought the whole gang, I see. Awfully thoughtful of you
to offer more targets." He smiled widely. "Is that why you take them
everywhere you go?"
   She just stared for a long moment.
   "You saved Willow and Oz from Apsu=85" she said when she found a voice.
   "Whatever=85." He shrugged. "I'm sure I'll regret it before too long. Nin=
,
call me when you need me, love. Thanks for everything."=20
   He slid out the door without another word. The dimly lit hall swallowed
him quickly.
   "The sun?" Buffy asked the empty air.
   "Don't worry, this building has sewer access. He'll be fine and trying
to eliminate your friends again soon enough." Nin grinned cheerily. "May I
ask to what I owe this interruption of what had begun as an extremely
pleasant diversion?"=20
   "Yes, well," Giles cut in before Buffy could speak. "Lady Ninurta, we
believe you may have some information pertaining to the current
difficulties with the Hellmouth. Could you possibly lend us your assistance
in this matter?"
   "I did say you could call me Nin, yes? And as for the Hellmouth, I have
a fairly good idea of how to handle the situation." She gave them a pleased
smile and shut the door in their faces.  =20


starstorm <[e-mail]>


-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: starstorm <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: The First Loss (5/?)
Date: 31 Jan 1998 19:18:17 +0000


 Comments and disclaimers in part 1. Feedback is nice, please. Pretty
please. With a cherry on top.






   Nin looked up as the banging on her door started again.
   "What is it this time?" she demanded when she saw Angel's face on the
other side of the door.
   "Nin, I-- please, could I come in?" The raw panic in his voice almost
shocked her.
   "Angelus, I--" she began. Oh, bugger, what was he going to do to her
anyway? She opened the latch. "Come in, man. What--"
   He made a noise of absolute frustration and then bent down and kissed
her. When she got over her shock she noted it was rather a nice kiss.=20
   Then he released her just as suddenly. "I don't know what's wrong with
me," he whispered.=20
   "You seemed to have at worked out pretty well when you were with Buffy,"
she pointed out.=20
   "That was different. I was different!" He pulled away and turned to the
door, then stopped.
   "Angelus, you may have noticed this, but vampires can have emotions."
She smiled sadly.
   "Not me. I never did, except for that mess with the curse. But this
isn't that. I feel the same inside, but I want, I need something." He threw
up his hands in frustration.
   "If that's the case, I'm here. You can't really hurt me, you know. And
it's been a while for me, I've been lonely." She growled kittenishly. At
that he returned her smile.
   "Yeah, I sort of figured. About the not hurting part, anyway." He sighed
heavily. "So now what?"
   "Have a seat. Or fix yourself some coffee. I'll go slip into something a
little bit more=85 interesting," she offered.
   "So what does all this make us?" he muttered.
   "Friends, of course. What else is there to be?" she called from her
bedroom.
   "You sound like Darla. The vampire who made me."
   "I'm not sure that's a compliment, but I'll take it as one." He could
hear the wide gin in her voice. It tightened something inside him. He began
to understand what Spike felt for Dru.
    "You do that," he told her.
     "So what do you think?" She stepped back into the room in a cute
little white number. It made her look like the cross between a Victoria's
Secrets model and something much less benign.
     He couldn't think of a single thing to say, so he reached down and
kissed her again until speech became unnecessary.       =20
    If she hadn't done this in a while, he'd hate to think what she might
have been like when she was fully in practice.

***
(early morning)

   "God, how could I have missed it?" Buffy looked about ready to hit
herself. "I knew there was something way off kilter there the moment I met
her."
   "Don't blame yourself, Buffy, none of us thought of her either. For one
thing she certainly doesn't seem the type." Giles paused meditatively. "For
one thing, she's awfully small."
   "Hey!" Buffy cried.
   "My dad's ex-girlfriend was a vampire slayer sixty-five centuries ago.
Wow, something you don't learn every day." Oz shook his head.
   "And what about this thing with Angel?" Xander asked. "I mean first he
wants us as dead as dead can be and then he goes and saves Willow and Oz
from tattoo guy. What's wrong with this picture?"
   "Well it's not that odd if he had some kind of encounter with Ninurta.
She has an extremely odd reputation and a penchant for a very eclectic set
of friends," Giles said.
   "English please?" Xander asked.
   "If anyone can be said to straddle the line between good and evil
without ever coming too close to one side it is Ninurta. Her allies include
some of the most vicious creatures known to man as well as things much more
benevolent." Giles attempted to explain.
   "Apsu did say we were bait? Maybe for Ninurta. I mean I think she cares
about Oz," Willow said.
   "Maybe." Oz shrugged.
   "And Angel saved you because he's her friend?" Xander demanded.=20
   All of them looked up in sudden startlement as the ground shook for a
brief instant.=20
   "Oh dear. An earthquake could be a sign of imminent activity in the
Hellmouth."
   "So, G-man, what do we do about this?" asked Xander.
   "I'd say the time has come to find Ninurta and hope she tells us what
she knows,"  Giles replied.
   "Ah, my turn to help!" Willow called.   It wasn't long before they had
an address wrested from the computer banks.

**
   Nin stirred, becoming vaguely aware of a warm body pressed up against=
 hers.
   "Anu?" she murmured sleepily. No, no that wasn't right. Long ago. Gavin,
then? Yes, the timing seemed better for that.
   A sudden picture flashed into her mind.=20
  <<A five-year-old child held tightly in her arms.=20
     An odd too familiar scent in her lover's house.=20
    A pool of blood and carnage, Gavin lying in the middle.=20
    A hundred years ago he would have died before help arrived.
    A message in Gavin's blood. For her.>>
   Nin woke up screaming.=20
   "Hey, hey calm down, Nin. It's okay." A soft voice intruded into her
nightmare. She shifted her way through the time displacement.
   "Angel?" she whispered. The darkly handsome vampire wrapped his arms
around her. "I'm sorry, I thought I thought I was in another time."
   "Been there, Nin. Price of immortality." He shrugged.
   Suddenly the ground began to shake for a long moment. It stopped without
any serious damage done. But they had definitely felt it.
  "What the?" Angel began.=20
  "Hellmouth=85" The two exchanged glances.
  "Now what?" Angel asked.
  "Don't worry, I have a plan. But it's too soon to implement it." She
dropped back onto the pillows and gave her most sultry smile.
  "So we have time?" His voice roughened.=20
  "I'd say so, yes=85" Her lips were a promise. One she intended to keep.
  =20
  **

   Buffy led the slayerettes to Ninurta's door with a mild feeling of
trepidation. Whatever Nin was, she was a definite wild card in the Slayer's
world. Buffy took a deep breath, rang the bell and waited.
   She was surprised by the sound of giggling coming from the other side.
She tapped her finger nervously against her thigh, waiting.
   "Coming!" Nin called from inside. A moment later she appeared, clad in a
loose robe. She had that artfully tousled look that took a normal person
hours to achieve, but Buffy had the feeling it was natural. Of course, all
that was superceded by the ready nine-millimeter that dangled from Nin's=
 hand.
   "Hello Buffy, isn't it? And all of you=85 wow. To what do I owe this
visit?" Nin ran a hand through her hair, somehow making it even more artful.
   "Are you in fact Ninurta of Arrata, also known as Ninhursag, AKA. The
first vampire slayer?" Buffy asked, somehow managing to ignore the
nine-millimeter.
   "Funny you should ask that," Nin began. Someone called to her from the
bedroom.
   "Nin, is something wrong?"=20
   Buffy gasped at the achingly familiar voice. Angel stepped out of the
bedroom, looking almost as adorably tousled as Nin. The young Slayer shook
her head in exhausted disbelief.
   "Angel?" she whispered.
   "Hello Buffy. Brought the whole gang, I see. Awfully thoughtful of you
to offer more targets." He smiled widely. "Is that why you take them
everywhere you go?"
   She just stared for a long moment.
   "You saved Willow and Oz from Apsu=85" she said when she found a voice.
   "Whatever=85." He shrugged. "I'm sure I'll regret it before too long. Nin=
,
call me when you need me, love. Thanks for everything."=20
   He slid out the door without another word. The dimly lit hall swallowed
him quickly.
   "The sun?" Buffy asked the empty air.
   "Don't worry, this building has sewer access. He'll be fine and trying
to eliminate your friends again soon enough." Nin grinned cheerily. "May I
ask to what I owe this interruption of what had begun as an extremely
pleasant diversion?"=20
   "Yes, well," Giles cut in before Buffy could speak. "Lady Ninurta, we
believe you may have some information pertaining to the current
difficulties with the Hellmouth. Could you possibly lend us your assistance
in this matter?"
   "I did say you could call me Nin, yes? And as for the Hellmouth, I have
a fairly good idea of how to handle the situation." She gave them a pleased
smile and shut the door in their faces.  =20


starstorm <[e-mail]>


-



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Eliz <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: Final Farewell  (1/1)
Date: 31 Jan 1998 21:13:00

Just a quick word to say that I loved the story.  S/I was such a crazy
episode, if Angel had been in front of me, I would have staked him myself,
no matter how I felt about him before.

Great story.

Eliz


=======================================================================
Eliz Palmer                              "Some mornings, it's just not
[e-mail]                                  worth chewing through the
[e-mail]                      leather straps." Emo Phillips
www.geocities.com/Area51/Cavern/9627/

-