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buffyfic Digest         Monday, July 28 1997         Volume 01 : Number 005



In this issue:

    BUFFYFIC: "Synchronicity" (4/11)
    BUFFYFIC: "Synchronicity" (5/11)
    BUFFYFIC: The Weapon:  Part VI/?
    BUFFYFIC: The Weapon:  Part VI/?
    BUFFYFIC: "Synchronicity" (6a/11)

See the end of the digest for information on subscribing to the buffyfic
or buffyfic-digest mailing lists and on how to retrieve back issues.

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

Date: Fri, 25 Jul 1997 11:45:05 -0400
From: [e-mail]
Subject: BUFFYFIC: "Synchronicity" (4/11)

Hope this one will get through okay.  See Introduction for warnings,
etc.  I don't own these characters (with the exception of Crater, I
suppose), and no copyright infringements are intended.  Please send any
comments or requests for parts ("Ewww, parts") to:
[e-mail].

                       Synchronicity, Part 4
                       By Katherine Gilbert

  "So, this is your high school, huh?" Sydney asked, turning
around to look at the deserted hallway.
  "Uh, yeah," Willow said, leading her to the computer lab.
  "You've got a key?" Sydney questioned.
  "Yeah, Miss Calender--our computer teacher--lets us borrow
copies if we say we need the lab for projects," Willow informed
her, opening the door to allow them in.
  "That seems trusting," Sydney commented, as Willow turned on
the light and led her to one of the computers.
  "Well, I think she also has a thing for Giles," Willow smiled
back at her, "so she tends to help him out by proxy."
  "I can see how she would," Sydney said, sitting down at one of
the computers with Willow.
  "Help us out?" Willow asked.
  "Uh, no, have a thing for Giles," Sydney responded.
  Willow leaned a little closer to her.  "What's it like--travelling
around with a man for years?" she asked her confidentially.
  "With Oliver?" Sydney replied.  "It's . . . uh . . . eventful."
  Willow raised her eyebrows at her and smiled.
  "No--no, I didn't mean that," Sydney went on, flustered.  "I meant
running from the Committee's eventful."
  Willow was still smiling at her.  "You like him, don't you?"
  "Who?" Sydney asked.
  Willow rolled her eyes.  "Oliver!"
  "Oh, uh, no, Oliver's just a . . . a friend," she said, looking
away.
  "And nothing else?" Willow's eyebrows were still raised.
  "N-no," Sydney responded, still avoiding eye contact.
  Willow knew she had stumbled across something, and her desire for
pleasant romantic gossip drove her to press further.  "Is he that much
older than you?" she asked.
  "About ten years or so," Sydney shrugged.
  "That's not that big a difference," Willow suggested.
  "It's not that," Sydney said, looking at her hands.  "That's just
the physical age difference."  She looked rather sad.  "We're just
really different people."
  "He does seem kind of frightening at times," Willow agreed, "but
you really seem to trust him."
  Sydney had looked up at her.  "He's not scary, really. . . I mean,
I thought he was at first, too, but he's not, . . . though I don't
think I'd want to get on his bad side," she shrugged.
  Willow looked at her deeply.  "You really care about him, don't you?"
  Sydney looked away again.  "He's my protector," she said.
  Willow smiled and shook her head.  "That's *not* all there is to it."
She laughed slightly.  "I mean, Giles is Buffy's protector, in a way,
but he doesn't look at her the way that Oliver looks at you."
  Sydney sighed; she didn't know why she should trust this girl,
except that she reminded her a bit of herself at 16.  Also, she
couldn't see how baring her soul to Willow could ever get back to
Oliver.  "I'm . . . I'm attracted to Oliver," she said softly, "but
we're," she sighed again, "we're just too *different* to work
romantically.  I mean, he was an agent for years, and I'm a
computer hacker."  She looked back up at Willow.  "They don't mesh
well in that sense--not for us, at least."
  Willow looked a little disappointed.  She preferred to see happy
endings to her stories.  "So, no hearts and flowers, huh?"
  Sydney shook her head and smiled sadly.  "No."
  Willow thought for a second.  "Did you ever tell him about your
feelings?"
  Sydney blushed and remembered.  "Uh, yeah, we did have a sort of
conversation once."
  "And?" Willow asked.
  Sydney shrugged.  "It led us to where we are," she smiled.
  Willow smiled back.  "At least you still seem pretty close," she
observed.
  "Yeah," Sydney responded, looking down.  "Thank God."  She thought
for a second and looked back up at her.  "What about you and Xander?"
  Willow looked a bit taken aback.  "Did you find out about that
when you went in our heads this morning?" she asked, worriedly.
  Sydney smiled.  "No, I didn't need to get in your subconscious to
see that."
  "I'm that obvious?" Willow asked sheepishly.
  "Uh, well," Sydney responded; then, she nodded.  "Kind of."
  Willow blushed slightly.
  "So, is he a boyfriend?" Sydney asked.
  "No, no, just a friend," Willow answered quickly, looking away.
  "How long have you known him?" Sydney continued.
  "My whole life," Willow admitted.
  "And you've never dated?" Sydney pressed.
  "Well, when we were 5, we did," Willow looked back at her, "but
we broke up."
  Sydney smiled.  "And there hasn't been much of anyone since," she
stated.
  "Well, there was this guy--Malcolm," Willow told her, "but he turned
out to be a demon who'd taken on robot form."
  Sydney laughed.  "I know how you feel.  The one guy I actually went
out with in the last 10 years was really a serial killer."
  "Ooh, nasty," Willow agreed.  "So, if you didn't date, before you
started running from the Committee, what did you do?"
  "Played around on the computer, mostly," Sydney smiled.
  "I know the feeling," Willow smiled back.  "I mean, I get out a bit
more now that Buffy's come along, but . . ."
  Sydney smiled.  "You're close friends with her, aren't you?"
  Willow smiled more deeply.  "The best," she agreed.
  "So, it's Xander and Buffy," Sydney nodded.
  "And Giles," Willow threw in.  "I mean, not in quite the same way;
he doesn't hang out at The Bronze--our local nightclub," she clarified,
"but he's a friend, too. . . Y'know, sometimes, I think I spend more
time in the library than I do at home."
  Sydney looked evaluatingly at her.  "You care about him, don't you?"
  "Giles is . . .," Willow started, trying to put her feelings into
words.  "Giles is . . . comforting.  I mean, he can be really--I don't
know--petulant at times," she smiled, "but he teaches me a lot. . .
Sometimes, it almost seems like he's training *me* as well as Buffy--
not about killing vampires," she clarified quickly, "but about--how
do I explain this? . . . analyzing things from a more supernatural
point of view--about not letting perceived ideas of reality cloud
my view of what's really happening."
  "So, he's sort of a father figure?" Sydney asked.
  "No, it's not paternal, really," Willow thought, "kind of more like
a really close uncle or cousin . . . or older brother," she shrugged.
  "Or childhood friend," Sydney supplied.
  "Yeah," Willow smiled.  "Only my childhood would probably have
coincided with his graduate work."
  Sydney smiled and nodded.  "You feel safe around him."
  Willow nodded, smiling.  "So, now that you know all about me, what
about your friendships?" she asked.
  "You've already gotten more out of me about Oliver than almost anyone
else," Sydney looked at her.
  "Yeah, but what about Duncan and Sam?" Willow pressed.
  Sydney looked away.  "Sam and I were separated for 17 years," she
said softly.  "I--I thought she was dead."
  "That's terrible," Willow looked saddened.  "How did you find each
other again?"
  "That's kind of a long story," Sydney stated.  She sighed and then
looked up and told her about it.
  "So, what's happened between you since?" Willow asked quietly, when
Sydney had finished.  "Or am I getting too gigantically nosy?"
  Sydney smiled up at her.  "No," she said.  "We've been getting closer,"
she began, looking down again.  "I mean, it was kind of hard."  She
looked back up at Willow.  "We'd lived half our lives apart, been through
some horrible things without each other.  It took awhile to get to know
each other again, but we're learning; we're close," she smiled.
  "And Duncan?" Willow asked.
  "*My* childhood friend?" Sydney replied.  She thought about it.  "It
was actually the Committee that brought us together again, in a weird
way; once they started endangering me, he tried to protect me.  Before
that, we were still close, but we'd kind of lost touch--if that makes
any sense."  She shook her head.
  Willow smiled.  "A lot," she agreed.  "Xander and I have actually
gotten a *lot* closer, since Buffy, and the weird things she ends up
slaying, came to town.  So, do you like him?"
  "You're a real matchmaker, aren't you?" Sydney commented.
  "I just like to see happy relationships," Willow smiled. "Maybe to
make up fo the fact that I don't have one," she nodded.
  Sydney smiled back.  "Actually, Duncan's in love with Sam."
  "Well, Xander's really obsessed with Buffy," Willow responded, "but,
in my infinite lack of wisdom, that hasn't stopped me."
  "Is that what he thinks?" Sydney thought to herself.  She could
tell from watching Xander with Willow that there was more to his
feelings than that, but she decided to keep it to herself.  How long
it might take Xander to realize his feelings for Willow would have
to be seen--if he ever did.  It was better not to get the girl's
hopes up.
  "I'm not in love with Duncan," Sydney said verbally.  "I mean,
I care about him--deeply--, but I don't have any problems with his
relationship with Sam."  Sydney thought for a minute.  "Weren't we
supposed to be looking up some things about James Crater on the
computer?"
  "Oh, right," Willow agreed.  "I guess that was the reason we were
here."  She turned back to the machine and turned it on.  "Let's see
what Mr. Crater has lying in his past," she said, starting to hack
into various confidential systems.
  Sydney laughed softly.  "Me at sixteen," she thought, smiling.
"The resemblance is uncanny."
[End of Part 4]

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

Date: Fri, 25 Jul 1997 11:45:53 -0400
From: [e-mail]
Subject: BUFFYFIC: "Synchronicity" (5/11)

See Introduction for warnings, etc.  No infringements of
copyright are intended with the following.  Please send
comments or requests to:  [e-mail].

                     Synchronicity, Part 5
                     By Katherine Gilbert

  "Have you cleaned this place recently?" Oliver asked, looking
around the Sunnydale High library.
  Giles looked up from the stack of papers he was sorting through
at the circulation desk.  "My library is spotless," he stated.
  Oliver walked over to a nearby shelf of books and blew on them
softly.  A small cloud of dust flew up.  He looked back at Giles,
raising an eyebrow.
  "Ah, those are books," he stated, resuming sorting, "they need
to be a bit dusty."
  Oliver continued taking in the room.  "Where did you go to school?"
he asked.
  "Oxford," Giles responded, not looking up.
  "Mmm," Oliver nodded, looking over a shelf of books.
  "And you?" Giles asked him, looking up.
  Oliver turned back to face him.  "Cambridge," he smiled.
  "I'm hardly surprised," Giles cocked an eyebrow at him before
resuming his sorting.
  Oliver continued smiling.  Giles was easy to bait, and Oliver was
rather enjoying it, but he decided that he really should get down to
business.  "Those are the former librarians' papers you have there?"
he asked.
  "Yes," Giles confirmed, not looking up.  "They go back through
several librarians, though, so I'm having a little trouble . . ."
He paused.  "That is, I'm not quite sure which are Crater's."
  "Where did you find them?" Oliver asked.
  "In the box I threw the contents of my new desk into when I arrived
here," Giles answered.
  "I'll help you sort them," Oliver said, descending the small flight
of stairs from the stacks onto the main floor.
  "No, thank you.  I'll manage," Giles replied.
  Oliver sighed.  "You might not know some of the clues if you come
across them," he contended.
  Giles looked up at him, annoyed.
  "Do you know what a `lamplighter' or `wetwork' is?" Oliver pressed.
"Would you know the Committee symbol if you saw it?"  He looked down
at the table near him.  "I'm sure you're very good at your job--at
both of your jobs, but you don't know the background to look for, here."
He focused on Giles again.
  Giles looked back, displeased, but he relented.  "Very well."  He
brought the papers over to the table where Oliver was, gave him half,
and sat down.
  Oliver sat across from him, and the two men read through papers
silently for several minutes.  Then, however, Oliver got bored with
the silence.  "How long have you been training Buffy?" he asked,
still reading papers.
  "Several months," Giles answered.
  "She seems a very--active girl," Oliver observed.
  Giles smiled slightly, still examining the papers.  "Yes," he agreed.
  "Does she ever take your orders?" Oliver asked.
  Giles looked up at him.  "I don't give her orders; I'm not a drill
instructor."
  Oliver looked up, disbelievingly.
  "I give her advice, at times," Giles supplied.
  "Does she ever take it?" Oliver asked.
  "Rarely," Giles replied, returning his attention to the papers.
  Oliver smiled.  "I know what you mean," he agreed, scanning the
papers again.
  "She does very well, though," Giles asserted.
  "Blind luck," Oliver murmured.
  "No, skill, actually, I think," Giles looked up again.  "She's very
talented, really."
  "I suppose I was thinking of my own charge," Oliver said, reading
through a page.  "Though she is very talented, too."  He nodded slightly.
  "Sydney is quite attractive, as well," Giles said, looking into the
distance.
  Oliver looked up at him.  "As is Buffy," he noted.
  Giles refocused on him, staring very hard.  "She's *16 years old*,"
he stressed, looking warningly at Oliver.
  "I wasn't planning on asking her to the senior prom," Oliver said.
Giles continued to glare.  "Or anywhere else," he clarified.  "Children
do *not* spark my desires."
  Giles nodded, deciding that Oliver meant what he said, and looked
back at the papers.
  "You're very protective of her, aren't you?" Oliver noted.
  Giles looked back up at him.  "That's my job."
  "No, it's more than that," Oliver observed.
  "As it is with you and Sydney?" Giles asked.
  Oliver looked more deeply at him.  "I must remember," he told
himself, "not to underestimate this man."
  "Sydney is a . . . friend," Oliver said, finally.
  "Nothing more?" Giles questioned, raising an eyebrow.
  "No," Oliver said, looking away.
  "Never let emotions interfere with duty?" Giles asked.
  Oliver laughed slightly in spite of himself and looked back up.
"If I believed that--if I'd carried out my duty--I'd have murdered
Sydney two years ago."
  Giles looked horrified.
  "Well, as you can see, I didn't," Oliver noted, "but those were my
last orders from the Committee."
  "I can see why you made them your last," Giles commented.
  "Yes," Oliver smiled.
  Giles looked at him more deeply.  "How did you ever end up working
for the Committee, anyway?" he asked.
  Oliver's smile faded.  "Family commitments."  He looked away.  "It
runs in families--father-to-son, mostly, but sometimes father-to-daughter;
that's how Sydney and Samantha got involved with it."
  "No hopes of escape, hmm?" Giles asked.
  Oliver looked up.  "Except by running or death?  No."
  Giles smiled and leaned back in his chair.  "I rather know what you
mean."  He twiddled a pen in his hands.  "My father and grandmother
were both Watchers as well.  I was told, from an early age, that I had
no real choice in the matter."
  Oliver smiled slightly.  "Perhaps we have more in common than I thought."
  Giles nodded slightly.  "Perhaps."
  "Do you ever want to escape?" Oliver asked.
  "I did when I was younger."  Giles ran a hand through his hair.  "I
thought, for many years, as well, that I might never be called on to
take up my duty."
  Oliver looked more deeply at him.  "Why was that?"
  "Well, the previous Watcher--Merrick--was doing very well for several
decades," Giles told him.
  "What happened then?" Oliver asked.
  "Um, he died," Giles said, sitting up again.
  "How?" Oliver asked.
  "It doesn't matter, really--danger of the job," Giles said, avoiding
eye contact.  He knew about Merrick's sacrifice to save Buffy, but he
had never mentioned it to her.  He certainly wasn't going to tell the
whole story to a stranger, however much they might have in common.
  Oliver backed off the subject.  He noted, however, that Watchers
seemed, like Committee operatives, to be in a hereditary line of work
which frequently had a deadly outcome.
  Both men resumed looking through the papers.
  After a minute, Oliver looked back up.  "You said that you wanted
to escape when you were younger?"
  "Yes," Giles said, still reading.
  "What changed your mind?" Oliver inquired.
  Giles continued looking at the page.  "Buffy," he said softly.
  "You care about her that much?" Oliver asked.
  "It's my duty to protect her," Giles noted, switching pages.
  "That's not all, though, is it?" Oliver pressed.
  Giles sighed and looked up.  "Buffy is a . . . a fascinating
creature," he smiled.  "She has a destiny which it would be abusive
to ask a full-grown, emotionally-mature adult to take on, yet she
handles it with amazing ease. . . I can't always claim to understand
her, but it is the adults' duty in this world to look after the welfare
of the children--to protect them."  He twisted the ring on his pinkie,
as he spoke.  "My duty is to train her, to prepare her, to make the
hellish destiny she must face every day easier--to explain the unpleasant
and, frequently, unbelievable truths of life to her, so she is prepared
to face any danger which may come her way."  He laughed slightly.  "It's
not much different than any parent's job, really; I just don't have to
live with her."
  "You see her as a daughter, don't you?" Oliver asked.
  "In a sense," Giles agreed.  "As a maddening, confusing, and wholly
uncontrollable . . . and, yet, a brilliant, attractive, and wonderfully
*vibrant* child, yes."  He smiled.  "Although I'm not sure I can take
any credit for her successes."  He cocked his head.  "I just try to keep
her from reeking too much havoc--or, rather, I make sure she only reeks
it in the proper places."
  Oliver smiled.  "Do you care as much about other children?"
  Giles stopped smiling.  "No," he said and resumed reading the papers
in front of him.
  Oliver laughed softly.  "And Willow and Xander?" he asked.
  Giles looked back up, smiling.  "Oh, Willow is a lovely girl.  She'll
make quite a beautiful woman, someday."  He nodded.
  "Another daughter?" Oliver inquired.
  "No," Giles replied, "more of a young friend--a sister, perhaps--
although one who is about a quarter century younger than myself."  He
nodded rapidly, looking up at Oliver, before looking at the papers
again.
  Oliver smiled again.  "And Xander?"
  Giles looked back up.  "Xander is . . .," he stopped himself from
saying "annoying."  "Xander is well intentioned and sometimes quite
kind."
  "And other times?" Oliver questioned.
  "Other times, he is a 16-year-old boy," Giles returned.  "I hate
testosterone."  He looked down and switched pages again.
  Oliver laughed softly.
  Giles looked back up again.  "And you--what about Sydney?"
  "What about her?" Oliver asked, expressionlessly.
  "Sydney isn't a child," Giles continued.  "Is she really only a friend?"
  Oliver sighed.  "Sydney may be in her thirties physically, but in her
soul . . ."  He paused, smiling slightly.  "From what I've seen of her,
Willow is far more worldly and sophisticated than Sydney."  He looked
down at the table, his smile faded.  "Sydney's an innocent.  No amount
of fear or flight or . . . torture can take that from her."
  Giles nodded but said, "So your answer to my question is . . .?"
  Oliver looked up at him.  "If you hadn't noticed, I'm not an innocent.
Any relationship I could have with Sydney, then, beyond friendship or
my protecting her, could only end with my hurting her.  There are
darknesses inside me which she will never have and could never fully
understand . . ., and I don't care to try to initiate her to them."
  Giles nodded sadly, and they both returned to their work.
  After a few more minutes, however, Giles looked up again and said,
"What about Samantha and Duncan?  What's your relationship with them
like?"
  Oliver smiled and looked up.  He was beginning to wonder if they
would ever get any work done.  "Well, Samantha has stopped trying to
kill me," he commented.
  Giles raised an eyebrow.
  "It's a long story," Oliver assured him.  "We've learned to trust
each other over the last two years, and, since we've travelled together
a few times, we understand each other a bit more, as well.  I'm not
sure if we'll ever be particularly close, however."  He shook his head.
"And Duncan . . .," he pondered.  "Duncan has, fortunately, long ago
forgiven me for the circumstances we met under."
  "Which were?" Giles asked.
  "He thought I'd tortured Sydney," Oliver said.
  Giles looked horrified.  "You hadn't, I hope."
  Oliver smiled slightly.  "No."  He stopped smiling.  "She had been
tortured but not by me."  He nodded.  "Duncan's a good man.  He's not
the best person to have in a firefight, admittedly, but he's intelligent,
trustworthy, and kind.  Also," he went on, "he would do almost anything
it took to protect Sydney or Samantha."
  "It doesn't sound like too bad a life you have, given your company,"
Giles noted.
  "If you have to be on the run constantly, they're a good group of
companions to have," Oliver agreed.
  Both men looked at each other, smiled briefly, and went back to their
research.
[End of Part 5]

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

Date: Sun, 27 Jul 1997 23:07:55 -0400
From: [e-mail]
Subject: BUFFYFIC: The Weapon:  Part VI/?

Title:  The Weapon
Rating:  PG
Summarry:  Xander's gone, replaced by a future version of himself.
Willow's gone Rambo, determined to save Xander or die trying.  Buffy,
Angel, Willow, and SuperXander have gone to purgatory to save Xander.
Disclaimer:  Buffy, Xander, Willow, and Angel do not belong to me.  If they
did, I would be a much richer man.  Everything else here is mine tho', so
steal it and get yo' @$$ whupped.  Whoo-ah!

*****

Purgatory.

It's the place between here and there, between life and death, between
heaven and hell.  It's a never ending wasteland of jagged mountains,
shifting black sands, and burning skies.  What little plant life there is
almost, if not more, dangerous than the demons, monsters, madmen, and lost
souls that infest its landscape.  In short, it's a crappy place to live,
and a damn awful place to visit.  There are, however, a few rituals that
allow one to cross over, come from our world to this god forsaken place.
No sane being would ever use them without a *very* good reason.

The continually howling winds seemed to stop still for a moment, as a
glowing ring of fire blasted into existence.  Apparently, someone had a
very good reason.  Pray for them.

*****

The portal spit Buffy Summers out, and she struck the sandy ground with a
thud.

"Well," she said, as she spit out a mouthful of sand, "that was pleasant."
"Yeah," said Angel, as he dragged himself up off the ground, "almost as
much fun as being put through a blender."
"Have I mentioned," said Xander, as he dusted himself off, "how much I
*hate* interdimensional travel?"
"C'mon," said Willow, as she cocked he shotgun, "We've got to get going."
"Whooooa there cowgirl!" said Xander.  "I'm the expert on Purgatory.  I
lived here for ten years remember?  Give me minute to get my bearings
before you go marching off.  With the Sphere's help, I *should* be able to
locate Karakis' castle."
Willow gave him a half-irritated half-worried look.  "All right," she said,
exasperated, "just hurry ok?!"  Xander nodded, and began scouting around
the perimeter of the area, holding the sphere out in front of him.  He
concentrated on Karakis, and let the Sphere do the work.  Soon, he felt the
Sphere start tugging away from him.  He opened his eyes, and saw that the
Weapon was glowing green.
"This way." said Xander, gesturing towards the East.  Soon the group began
walking, Xander taking point, Willow just behind him, Buffy and Angel
taking up the rear.

As Buffy looked over at Angel, she noticed that he was wincing, and his
entire body looked tense, tight.

"Hey," she said, as she nudged him with her elbow, "what's wrong?"  Angel
responded with a quick upwards jerk of his head.  Buffy looked up, and
could barely make out a red sun, burning high above them through the ebon
clouds and swirling sand.
"Oh!" she said, "are you ok?"
"It's... it's not normal sunlight," replied Angel, "I mean, it's not from
earth's sun.  This place... it's tainted with evil.  The sun here doesn't
burn, it just... stings."
"Well, I guess we should be thankful for small blessings."
"I'm not sure how much of a blessing it is.  Something's wrong here.  This
place is supposed to be the void, the abyss... but something's tainted it.
Changed it from a nothing to a something.  An *evil* something."

Buffy and Angel's conversation was cut short by Xander, who stopped short.
"Shh!" he whispered, tersely, "Something's here!"

The whole group paused, standing motionless quiet.  Time passed around
them.  Finally, Buffy broke the silence.

"Must've been nothing," she said, "c'mon lets--" before she could finish
her sentence, a white tentacle shot out of the sand, wrapped itself around
Buffy, and dragged her underground, screaming.  Angel leapt for her tried
to grab her hand, but failed.  The Slayer was gone.

*****

End Part VI

*****

Thus was it written.  Now back, and be sated, unwieldy fiends!

That's my simple way of saying, I wrote part 6, so you can stop bugging me
about it now :-)

- --Viashino--

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

Date: Sun, 27 Jul 1997 23:07:55 -0400
From: [e-mail]
Subject: BUFFYFIC: The Weapon:  Part VI/?

Title:  The Weapon
Rating:  PG
Summarry:  Xander's gone, replaced by a future version of himself.
Willow's gone Rambo, determined to save Xander or die trying.  Buffy,
Angel, Willow, and SuperXander have gone to purgatory to save Xander.
Disclaimer:  Buffy, Xander, Willow, and Angel do not belong to me.  If they
did, I would be a much richer man.  Everything else here is mine tho', so
steal it and get yo' @$$ whupped.  Whoo-ah!

*****

Purgatory.

It's the place between here and there, between life and death, between
heaven and hell.  It's a never ending wasteland of jagged mountains,
shifting black sands, and burning skies.  What little plant life there is
almost, if not more, dangerous than the demons, monsters, madmen, and lost
souls that infest its landscape.  In short, it's a crappy place to live,
and a damn awful place to visit.  There are, however, a few rituals that
allow one to cross over, come from our world to this god forsaken place.
No sane being would ever use them without a *very* good reason.

The continually howling winds seemed to stop still for a moment, as a
glowing ring of fire blasted into existence.  Apparently, someone had a
very good reason.  Pray for them.

*****

The portal spit Buffy Summers out, and she struck the sandy ground with a
thud.

"Well," she said, as she spit out a mouthful of sand, "that was pleasant."
"Yeah," said Angel, as he dragged himself up off the ground, "almost as
much fun as being put through a blender."
"Have I mentioned," said Xander, as he dusted himself off, "how much I
*hate* interdimensional travel?"
"C'mon," said Willow, as she cocked he shotgun, "We've got to get going."
"Whooooa there cowgirl!" said Xander.  "I'm the expert on Purgatory.  I
lived here for ten years remember?  Give me minute to get my bearings
before you go marching off.  With the Sphere's help, I *should* be able to
locate Karakis' castle."
Willow gave him a half-irritated half-worried look.  "All right," she said,
exasperated, "just hurry ok?!"  Xander nodded, and began scouting around
the perimeter of the area, holding the sphere out in front of him.  He
concentrated on Karakis, and let the Sphere do the work.  Soon, he felt the
Sphere start tugging away from him.  He opened his eyes, and saw that the
Weapon was glowing green.
"This way." said Xander, gesturing towards the East.  Soon the group began
walking, Xander taking point, Willow just behind him, Buffy and Angel
taking up the rear.

As Buffy looked over at Angel, she noticed that he was wincing, and his
entire body looked tense, tight.

"Hey," she said, as she nudged him with her elbow, "what's wrong?"  Angel
responded with a quick upwards jerk of his head.  Buffy looked up, and
could barely make out a red sun, burning high above them through the ebon
clouds and swirling sand.
"Oh!" she said, "are you ok?"
"It's... it's not normal sunlight," replied Angel, "I mean, it's not from
earth's sun.  This place... it's tainted with evil.  The sun here doesn't
burn, it just... stings."
"Well, I guess we should be thankful for small blessings."
"I'm not sure how much of a blessing it is.  Something's wrong here.  This
place is supposed to be the void, the abyss... but something's tainted it.
Changed it from a nothing to a something.  An *evil* something."

Buffy and Angel's conversation was cut short by Xander, who stopped short.
"Shh!" he whispered, tersely, "Something's here!"

The whole group paused, standing motionless quiet.  Time passed around
them.  Finally, Buffy broke the silence.

"Must've been nothing," she said, "c'mon lets--" before she could finish
her sentence, a white tentacle shot out of the sand, wrapped itself around
Buffy, and dragged her underground, screaming.  Angel leapt for her tried
to grab her hand, but failed.  The Slayer was gone.

*****

End Part VI

*****

Thus was it written.  Now back, and be sated, unwieldy fiends!

That's my simple way of saying, I wrote part 6, so you can stop bugging me
about it now :-)

- --Viashino--

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

Date: Mon, 28 Jul 1997 10:34:49 -0400
From: [e-mail]
Subject: BUFFYFIC: "Synchronicity" (6a/11)

See Introduction for warnings, etc.  No infringement of any sort
is intended with the following.  Please (please? please?) send any
comments or requests to: [e-mail].

                     Synchronicity, Part 6a
                      By Katherine Gilbert

  "So, how did you become the Slayer, anyway?" Samantha asked,
as she walked along the road with Buffy.
  "Just lucky, I guess," Buffy answered.
  "No, I mean, how did you come to have the job?" Samantha continued.
  "Well, there was this old guy, talk of a big, hairy mole on my
shoulder, and a cute slaying demonstration in a graveyard at night,"
Buffy replied.
  Sam looked at her.  "What?"
  "It's kind of a long story," Buffy shook her head.  "It's some
big destiny, `you-are-the-chosen-one' type thing, though."
  "Do you like it?" Samantha questioned.
  "Well, it wasn't really my first career choice," Buffy told her,
"but I've kind of gotten used to it."
  "You really hate it," Sam observed.
  Buffy laughed.  "Pretty much," Buffy agreed.  "I mean, why can't I
be a normal high schooler?  Why can't my big concerns be pimples,
popularity, and avoiding lecherous gym coaches, instead of vampires,
demons, and the perils of mystical convergence?"
  Sam looked back ahead and smiled slightly.  "Enforced responsibility
stinks, doesn't it?"
  "Tell me about it," Buffy nodded.  Then, she looked at her.  "What
do you know about this?" she asked.
  "I know what it's like to have your innocence stolen from you," Sam
said softly.
  "How?" Buffy asked.
  Sam sighed.  "When I was 12, the Committee kidnapped me and my father.
They told us that Sydney and my mother were dead."  She shook her head
and looked at the ground.  "I shut down," she said quietly.  "I couldn't
handle it."
  "God, who could?" Buffy pointed out.
  "Well, you have," Sam answered, looking up at her.
  "Oh, please," Buffy retorted.  "I still have my family.  Okay, they
thought I was nuts for a while," she shrugged, "but I had them.  I
wasn't in a strange environment--well, I saw some sides to it I hadn't
before, but it was still the same place."  She took a breath.  "Look,
the point I'm trying to make--even if I'm not doing a very good job
of it--is that, yeah, my life changed, but the people and places were
the same.  I mean, you were just swept away with a bunch of Commando
creeps, right?"
  Sam smiled.  "I do remember thinking that I'd never seen so many men
in suits before in my life."
  "Precisely," Buffy smiled.
  Sam looked at her.  "You didn't have *all* the same people around,
though, after your destiny took hold, did you?"
  "Well, no," Buffy admitted.  "Most of my friends were . . . well,
before I became the Slayer, my life was pretty . . . superficial.  I
mean, my biggest concerns were whether I was doing the right, cool
things and labelling and keeping away from the geeks."  She shuddered.
"I wasn't exactly deep.  Anyway, those friends, when I started hunting
vampires, ran away like . . . like they'd just found themselves in the
middle of a Sears polyester sale."  She shook her head.
  "So, you really didn't have anyone around except for your freaked-out
parents?" Sam pressed.
  "No--no," Buffy answered.  "There was my Watcher . . ."
  "Giles?" Sam inquired.
  Buffy looked at her and then broke eye contact, staring at the ground.
"No, someone else."
  Sam looked at her evaluatingly.
  "There was a new friend I made, though, too," Buffy went on to avoid
explaining, "Pike."
  "Pike?" Sam asked.  "Like the fish?"
  Buffy laughed softly and looked at her.  "He was a good guy."
  "What happened to him?" Sam questioned.
  "Well, he had a life to live, and I had high school to attend."
Buffy smiled sadly at her.  "They didn't exactly mesh."
  "So, he left?" Sam asked.
  "He went off to do some supernatural research or something," Buffy
responded.  "I think watching vampires die really influenced him."  She
looked ahead and smiled.  "I still get a card from him every once in a
while.  He uses a fake name on them to get them past my mom; she blames
him for `leading me astray'."
  Sam looked deeply at her for a minute.  "I think you came through it
all better than I did."
  Buffy looked back at her.  "Look, you can't blame yourself.  You never
asked for it . . ., and you seem to have come out of it okay."
  Sam gave her a hard stare.
  "Or not," Buffy said timidly.
  Sam looked at the ground in front of her.  "There's just a lot I'm
still working through."
  Buffy gave a half smile and nodded.  "I know the feeling," she agreed,
looking back at the road.
  They walked quietly for a few minutes.
  "So, if Giles isn't your first Watcher," Sam said finally, "how'd you
end up with him?"
  "He was waiting for me when I got to Sunnydale," Buffy told her.
  "You get a new Watcher whenever you move?" Sam looked at her.
  Buffy shook her head, avoiding eye contact.  "I hope not," she replied
quietly.
  "What?" Sam wondered.
  Buffy looked up at her briefly.  "Never mind."
  "So, what's Giles like?" Sam asked.
  "I don't know," Buffy replied.  She thought about it.  "He's
knowledgeable. . . He tries to look out for me."  She sighed.  "He can
be kind of a pain, though.  I mean, he makes dating *hell*."
  Sam looked at her.  "He does?"
  "Well, I guess the job does, really," Buffy conceded.  "He's just
usually the one who tells me I need to be somewhere to slay something."
She laughed softly.  "Kind of hard to have a social life, when you've
got to be constantly telling your date, `Uh, honey, I can't see you
tonight; I have to go slay the undead.'"
  Sam laughed.  "I guess most men wouldn't understand."
  "No, most don't," Buffy agreed.
  Sam thought she had heard something in Buffy's tone and looked at
her.  "Are there some who do?" she asked.
  Buffy sighed.  "Well, there is this one guy--Angel," she admitted,
"but we can't really be together."  She looked sad.
  "Why not?" Sam pressed.
  Buffy looked at her.  "Because he's 240 years old, and he's a
vampire."
  Sam looked a little surprised.  "I guess that would make it difficult,"
she agreed.  She thought for a minute, looking away.  "What does Giles
think of this?" she asked, looking back at her.
  Buffy smiled sadly, looking away.  "He's been really good about it,
actually.  He's never gotten angry or anything."  She shook her head.
"There's not much anyone can do about it, though."
  "So, do you blame him for your destiny?" Sam asked.
  Buffy looked at her, remembering Giles' earlier words to Oliver, when
she was holding a stake on the newcomer.  "No, I don't, really. . . I
think I did, when I first came here, but . . ."  She trailed off.  "He's
been good to me, really.  He doesn't usually push me as hard as I push
myself."  She laughed a little.  "He's certainly understood better than
my parents did.  He's pretty cool," she nodded.
  Sam looked deeply at her.  "Do you ever talk to him about your feelings
- --your fears?"
  "Nah, not usually," Buffy replied.  She thought for a minute, looking
off into the distance.  "Sometimes, I wonder if we're both so frightened
of getting the other killed--I mean, of the other getting killed," she
corrected herself quickly, "that we're afraid to talk too deeply to
each other."  She realized, suddenly, that she had just told Sam a lot
more than she had ever meant to.  "So, what about you?" she changed the
subject.  "If you were separated from your sister so early, how'd
you ever find her again?"
  "Luck," Sam replied, "--a little courage."
  "How long were you apart?" Buffy continued.
  "17 years," Sam told her.
  "Yikes!" Buffy sympathized.  "So, how do you two get along now?"
  "Pretty well," Sam said, "but it took a while for us to rebuild
a friendship--especially since we were just kids when they split us
up."
  "I'll bet," Buffy agreed.  She thought for a second and looked at
Sam.  "What about Duncan?  You were separated from him, too, right?
How'd you two renew your friendship?"
  Sam smiled.  "Like it had never been broken," she said.  She
looked at Buffy.  "Duncan and I picked up again pretty quickly."
  Buffy grinned.  "So, you two are a couple?" she asked.
  Sam smiled and looked away.  "Kind of."
  "Cool," Buffy responded.  Then, she thought about frisking
Duncan earlier; she was a little jealous.
  They were silent for another few minutes, before Buffy spoke
again.  "What about Oliver?  What's he like?"
  Sam thought for a minute.  "Oliver . . . Oliver is an ex-Committee
man."
  "You don't like him," Buffy observed.
  "He can be trusted," Sam returned.
  "But it's kind of a hard-won trust," Buffy noted.
  "Yeah," Sam agreed.
  Buffy thought for a second, remembering Oliver's reaction to seeing
Sydney the night before.  "So, what's his relationship with Sydney
like?"
  Sam looked at her cautiously.  "They're friends."
  "That's all?" Buffy asked.
  Sam smiled.  "That's all he'll let them be."
  Buffy frowned.  "Too bad."
  Sam looked forward again and pondered.  "It's probably for the
best."
[End of Part 6a; 6b is next :)]

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

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