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buffyfic Digest       Thursday, August 14 1997       Volume 01 : Number 011



In this issue:

    BUFFYFIC: Reflections: W.I.F. (01/?) by D.Spence
    BUFFYFIC: Reflections: W.I.F. (00/?) by D.Spence
    BUFFYFIC: Hold On (1/1)
    BUFFYFIC: The Weapon:  Part VIIIa

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: Mon, 11 Aug 1997 17:34:45 -0400 (EDT)
From: [e-mail]
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Reflections: W.I.F. (01/?) by D.Spence

TITLE: Reflections: Warrior...Innocent...Fool
AUTHOR: Dalton S. Spence
EMAIL ADDRESS: <[e-mail]>
DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT: This story cannot be sold or used for profit
    in any way. Copies of this story may be made for private use
    only or posted in fanfic archives for general distribution, but
    must include all disclaimers and copyright notices.
SPOILER WARNING: Occurs after "Prophecy Girl"
RATING: R - Restricted
CONTENT WARNING: This story depicts scenes of violence and/or their
    aftermath, and a strong love relationship between two consenting
    adult women. If you are under 18 years of age or if this type of
    story is illegal in the state or country in which you live,
    please do not read it. If depictions of this nature disturb you,
    you may wish to read something other than this story.
CLASSIFICATION: C - Crossover with Xena: Warrior Princess
SUMMARY: When an evil goddess is accidently released from millennia
    of captivity, she uses her powers to torment the descendants of
    her enemies -- Buffy, Willow and Xander. Giles must use an
    ancient Greek artifact to summon the ancestors who defeated her
    before -- Xena, Gabrielle and Joxer.
DISCLAIMER: Buffy, Giles, the Slayerettes and all other characters
    who have appeared in the series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"
    together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole
    copyright property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Inc., Kuzui
    Enterprises, Sandollar Television, 20th Century Fox Television
    and the WB Network. Xena, Gabrielle, Joxer and all other
    characters who have appeared in the syndicated series "Xena:
    Warrior Princess," together with the names, titles and backstory
    are the sole copyright property of MCA/Universal and Renaissance
    Pictures. No copyright infringement was intended in the writing
    of this fan fiction. All other characters, the story idea and
    the story itself are the sole property of the author.

                Reflections: Warrior...Innocent...Fool
                       (a BtVS/X:WP crossover)
             by Dalton S. Spence <[e-mail]>
                               Part 1/?

*The Master's Lair, 13:00h PST*

Fortunately, there was no need to wait for sunset to get Angel's
help. Using his apartment's underground access, he was waiting for
the others when they arrived.

"What a lovely way to spend a Saturday afternoon, deep in the bowels
of subterranean Sunnydale," grumbled Xander as he re-entered the one
place he'd hoped never to see again. He was by no means alone in his
revulsion; both Buffy and Angel looked very uncomfortable with the
memories this place evoked. Willow and Giles didn't like the place
either, but for different reasons; Willow because of her natural
fastidiousness, and Giles because of embarrassment at not deducing
its location before last night.

"So where is it?" Xander asked, impatient to get this over with.
When Angel didn't respond immediately, he looked around the chamber
until his eyes came to rest on an unusual object. "Don't tell me,
let me guess," he said, smiling. "The entrance is underneath that
cross, and you need our help to open it."

//I've *got* to stop underestimating this guy!// thought Angel as he
allowed his surprise to show. "How did you figure it out?"

"Super Villains 101: `In your own headquarters, the greatest danger
is *NOT* from your enemies, but from ambitious underlings. Thus
protect your treasures primarily from them.' After all, any super
villain worth his black hat *never* believes that the heros can find
find his secret headquarters, or if they do that they won't be
destroyed immediately." Noting the amazed expressions on his
companions faces, Xander smugly added, "Having the best comic book
collection in the tri-state area *does* have its advantages."

"Apparently," Giles comment dryly. "Did that inestimable literary
source happen to mention how the Master opened it?"

Xander seemed a bit stumped by this, so Angel decided to help him
out. "Force of will, basically. That cross is an old heirloom of
his. In the old days, he would grab it and hold it tightly to show
that by facing your fear and conquering it, it could no longer harm
you." He grimaced at the memory. "Of course, he saved this bit of
wisdom for his innermost circle, not wanting the others to get out
of line. Using a symbol of holiness to safeguard his unholy relics
would have appealed to his sense of irony."

Buffy stepped up to the cross, examined the base for a moment, then
said, "I think I got it." She gripped the cross with both hands, and
using her Slayer strength twisted it to the left. As she quickly
stepped away, a three foot section of the floor at the base rose up
and slid back, revealing a carved stone staircase the led down into a
lightless chamber.

"That's it?" asked Willow, sounding a little disappointed. "No
cryptic riddles, no hidden booby traps? Just turn the cross and
you're in? Seems ... too easy."

"Not really," explained Giles as he took a lantern out of the bag he
carried and lit it. "That cross took the strength of a vampire (or a
Slayer) to turn it, and not many vampires would try. As for booby
traps, the powers contained in the things down there are dangerous
enough to be their own protections." Giles turned to the assembled
group and said in the most serious tones, "Everybody remember this:
*DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING* until we know exactly what we're dealing
with. I left a message for a friend of mine in Chicago asking advice
about how to deal with heavily cursed objects, but until I hear from
him, we are just going to catalogue what's down there then seal the
place as tightly as we can. Treat everything you see, no matter how
lovely it looks, as if it were covered in the most virulent poison
imaginable."

Angel nodded at this. "Even the Master treated these things with the
utmost respect, which with him meant he considered them at least a
dangerous as he was. I'll stay up here to guard your backs against
unwelcome company." He could see that Xander wanted to make some
sort of comment, but to his credit he refrained.

Buffy led the way, with Giles following, then Xander and Willow. As
Giles shone the lantern around the chamber, the others gasped in
amazement. Surronding them was an indescribable conglomeration of
treasures and apparent junk. "Wow!" exclaimed Xander, for once truly
impressed. "It looks like the world's biggest garage sale."

"Only if we're talking about Satan's garage," said Giles, shivering.

Buffy also shuddered."I've never been so wigged in my life. You can
feel the evil coming off this stuff in waves!"

Giles nodded. "I haven't felt like this since that friend I told you
about took me on a tour of his special vault. I'm sure Jack would
recognize some of these things from his manifest."

"Huh?" said Willow.

"I'll explain later. Right now we have to identify as many of these
items as possible."

And so they did. Over the next two hours a routine was established;
Buffy took the lead, shining the lantern on each item in turn, Giles
identified the item, and Willow took notes. This left Xander with
nothing to do. At first it was interesting enough, with Giles
describing the history of each piece in great detail. But as time
wore on his descriptions became shorter and shorter, until they
weren't much more than a name, a date, and a country of origin.
Contrary to his original fears, the bulk of the Master's collection
constituted of metaphysical hand grenades as opposed to the nukes
he'd been expecting. Yes, there were some truly terrifying artifacts
discovered, but most were merely disgusting and of only moderate
power, their main utility being that a technological society had no
defenses in place against them.

Eventually, after Willow had marked down the fifteenth `Hand of
Glory', Xander decided he'd had enough. "Listen guys, you obviously
don't need me here. I'll go back and keep Angel company."

"You're sure yo know the way back?" Giles asked. "You don't want to
get lost down here."

"Straight down this aisle to the back wall, then left until I hit
the stairs. Simple."

"All right then," agreed Giles reluctantly, "but remember..."

"I know, I know, *DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING!* Don't worry, I'll be
careful. Turning into a frog would really hurt my social life."

"*WHAT* social life?" teased Willow as her friend began to walk
away.

He turned around quickly, and clasping his hands over his heart
he cried out dramatically, "Et tu, Willow? Then die, Xander!"

Unfortunately, he continued to walk backward while saying this, and
began to stumble on some unseen gravel in his path. His hands
flailed out for a moment as he tried to regain his balance, so that
for a brief moment before he fell the tip of one finger touched the
hand of an ancient statue that Giles had been unable to identify. A
butterfly could not have made a lighter contact.

But it was enough.

As the girls giggled at Xander sitting forlorn on the floor, a
load crack startled them to silence. Stone flakes began to fall from
the statue's hand, revealing a human hand beneath. The whole statue
began to shake, and an explosion of stone fragments showered the
group. When the dust cleared, where a stone figure had been only a
moment before stood a beautiful woman warrior wearing abbreviated
armor and a savage expression of joy on her face. "*I'M FREE!!!*"
rose a triumphant shout that shook the cave, "*AFTER THREE THOUSAND
YEARS, I'M FINALLY FREE!*" There was a brilliant flash of light, and
she was gone, leaving behind only the fading echos of maniacal
laughter to mark her passage.

"Oh dear," said Giles with characteristic british understatement, "I
don't like the look of this at all." He looked at Buffy, and was
alarmed to see her looking as pale and shocked as she had been two
nights ago, when she had learned of the Codex prophecy of her death.
Her expression was mirrored on the faces of her friends. "Buffy," he
asked gently, "I have the oddest feeling I may be the only one here
who doesn't know what's going on. Would you care to enlighten me?"

Buffy took a deep breath to calm herself. "When I was little, I had
this great aunt -- she really was great, in both senses of the word
- -- who was the black sheep of my family long before I took that job.
She was an archeologist in a time when the profession was considered
unladylike. Maybe you've heard of her -- Janice Covington?"

"I think so," Giles said, remembering some late night conversations
with his former boss at the British Museum while cataloging newly
arrived exhibits. "Wasn't she involved with the Xena Scrolls scandal
in the 1940's? It was long before my time, of course, but my first
supervisor was particularly interested in stories of academic fraud.
Apparently, with the aid of another woman she tried to vindicate her
father's wild theories by presenting the Royal Society with scrolls
proportedly dating from the time of Hercules describing the heroic
adventures of two women in Ancient Greece. The hoax was exposed when
they refused to divulge exactly where they supposedly discovered
them." Noticing Buffy's annoyed expression, he added, "Of course, I
only have one side of the story. I take it her version was somewhat
different?"

Buffy nodded. "I'm probably the only one she trusted with the whole
story, and I'm ashamed to admit that as I grew older I stopped
believing her. I thought the tales she told me about Gabrielle and
Xena were just bedtime stories, meant to entertain. That was before
I knew anything about vampires and slayers and hellmouths and
prophecies. Now I realize she was probably telling the truth."

"Which was?" prompted Giles, who then changed his mind. "Never mind,
unless it relates to the woman we saw. Was she ... Xena?"

"I doubt it. There were many referances to her as a dark haired
beauty. Her companion Gabrielle was called a `small bright flame
which burned fiercely to light her friend's way to redemption.'"

Willow spoke up. "I think we can agree there was nothing small about
that woman -- *DON'T SAY IT, XANDER!* -- though she could be said to
`burn fiercely.'"

"That only leaves Callisto, self made goddess and Xena's mortal
enemy. She fits the description perfectly. If I'm right, we are in
*MONDO* trouble."

"How so?" inquired an increasingly worried Giles.

"According to legend, Callisto is completely and utterly mad."
                      <-- to be continued -->
- --
          +-------------------------------------------------+
          | Dalton S. Spence, B.Sc. <[e-mail]>|
          | Home Page: http://www.hwcn.org/~ag775/home.html |
          +-------------------------------------------------+

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

Date: Mon, 11 Aug 1997 17:34:42 -0400 (EDT)
From: [e-mail]
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Reflections: W.I.F. (00/?) by D.Spence

TITLE: Reflections: Warrior...Innocent...Fool
AUTHOR: Dalton S. Spence
EMAIL ADDRESS: <[e-mail]>
DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT: This story cannot be sold or used for profit
    in any way. Copies of this story may be made for private use only
    or posted in fanfic archives for general distribution, but must
    include all disclaimers and copyright notices.
SPOILER WARNING: Occurs after "Prophecy Girl"
RATING: R - Restricted
CONTENT WARNING: This story depicts scenes of violence and/or their
    aftermath, and a strong love relationship between two consenting
    adult women. If you are under 18 years of age or if this type of
    story is illegal in the state or country in which you live, please
    do not read it. If depictions of this nature disturb you, you may
    wish to read something other than this story.
CLASSIFICATION: C - Crossover with Xena: Warrior Princess
SUMMARY: When an evil goddess is accidently released from millennia of
    captivity, she uses her powers to torment the descendants of her
    enemies -- Buffy, Willow and Xander. Giles must use an ancient
    Greek artifact to summon the ancestors who defeated her before --
    Xena, Gabrielle and Joxer.
DISCLAIMER: Buffy, Giles, the Slayerettes and all other characters who
    have appeared in the series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" together
    with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright
    property of Joss Wheadon, Mutant Enemy, Inc., Kuzui Enterprises,
    Sandollar Television, 20th Century Fox Television and the Warner
    Brothers Television Network. Xena, Gabrielle, Joxer and all other
    characters who have appeared in the syndicated series "Xena:
    Warrior Princess," together with the names, titles and backstory
    are the sole copyright property of MCA/Universal and Renaissance
    Pictures. No copyright infringement was intended in the writing of
    this fan fiction. All other characters, the story idea and the
    story itself are the sole property of the author.

                Reflections: Warrior...Innocent...Fool
                       (a BtVS/X:WP crossover)
             by Dalton S. Spence <[e-mail]>
                               PROLOGUE

*The morning after...*

Principal Snyder looked on in dismay as a team of workers tried to
clear the wreckage from what had once been one of the finest high
school libraries in California (due mainly to an unnamed benefactor
who kept mysteriously donating rare and valuable works). //Thank *GOD*
this school year is almost over! I really don't think I can take much
more of this.// he thought, mentally subtracting the cost of the
repairs from the already shaky school budget. "I don't suppose you
could tell me just what happened here?" he asked the nervous librarian
who stood beside him.

"I sincerely wish I could," replied Giles, imagining the little
dictator's expression if he learned exactly what had transpired last
night. "I came in this morning and found it like this." Which was true
... after the dance, he had sent Buffy and Angel back to remove and
hide the Master's skeleton, and hadn't returned until this morning. "I
suppose there was some strange geological phenomena last night that
was connected to the earthquake earlier this week." This was also
true; the Master and the Hellmouth were responsible for both. "Look on
the bright side. Although there was some structural damage, none of
the books were harmed. I think we were quite lucky, considering how
irreplacable some them are."

The harrassed principal glared at him. "YOU don't have to justify the
expense before the board of trustees."

Giles looked at him, puzzled. "Surely, the insurance ..."

"*DON'T TALK TO ME ABOUT INSURANCE!*" Snyder took a deep breath,
trying to calm down. "After the year this school has just had, what
insurance company do you thing would be crazy enough to cover us? Oh,
they couldn't cancel our policy outright, but they could, and did,
demand we either renegotiate the terms so that we had the absolute
*minimum* coverage required by law, or pay a hefty increase in
premiums. Why do you think I keep telling everybody not to sue us for
every little accident? Our liability coverage is pitiful, and natural
disasters or `Acts of God' aren't covered at all!"

//What about *un*natural disasters or 'Acts of Satan'?// Giles almost
added, but wisely kept silent. Right now he was wondering if he could
get the Watchers group to insure the books they sent him.

"Which reminds me..." Snyder added, pulling a piece of paper out of
his pocket and handing it to Giles, "this is official notification
that the employees group life policy will no longer cover death by
unexplained exsanguination, animal attacks or murder by students. Have
a nice day." As he wandered back to his office, he wondered if this
might be a good time to take up his twin brother's standing
invitation. //His `place' in New York might be cold, damp, and a bit
noisy, but at least it would be peaceful -- and *safe*. I could use
the sound of rattling pipes about now,// he thought nostalgically.

"I suppose this means I'll have be easy on you during practice,"
chirped a cheerful voice behind him. "I wouldn't want to put my
favorite Watcher in the charity ward." Giles turned to see Buffy, who
was looking much too chipper for someone who had literally `come back
from the dead' the night before. Before he could respond, her
expression suddenly became serious. "Giles, we have to talk. Angel
thought of something important last night that we have to take care of
right away."

Giles, intrigued (and a bit disturbed), led the way to his office,
only to find Xander and Willow already waiting for them there. "So,
what seems to be the problem? I trust you managed to dispose of the
Master's remains without trouble?"

"We put the bones in a box, and hid them underneath the altar at St.
Timothy's. Angel figures they should be safe on holy ground until we
can figure out a more permanent solution."

"Like the man said, what's the problem?" interrupted an annoyed
Xander. He'd been planning on sleeping in today, and was in the middle
of the best dream he'd had in months when Buffy had called insisting
on this meeting. "The good guys won, the bad guys lost, Apocalypse was
averted. Surely we get some down time now, right?"

Buffy shrugged. "Apparently not. Angel says the Master collected a
number of very powerful magical artifacts to use after he rose, to
make the job of conquering the world that much easier. In the wrong
hands, they could cause almost as much trouble as an open Hellmouth
would."

"I see," said Giles, "so he thinks we should get them before the
Annointed One and his friends do?" Buffy nodded. "Right then. I trust
Angel knows where to look for these items?"

"The Master's lair. He wasn't a very trusting, so they are probably
hidden within the boundary of the Hellmouth seal, in a secret chamber
underneath the main cavern." She reached into her purse and gave a
folded sheet of paper from it to Giles. "This is a list of all the
Master's souvenirs, at least those Angel could remember. The ones he
actually saw in the Master's possession are underlined, the others he
heard about either second or third hand. He said he'd meet us at the
entrance tonight."

Giles briefly scanned the list, shuddering in horror at the few names
he recognized. "You would think that opening the gates of Hell would
be enough for any villain, but this ... defies description. If he had
actually used *half* these things ... let's just say that a vacation
on the other side of the Hellmouth would start to look very
attractive." He turned to the others and said, "I don't think we can
afford to wait until sunset."

                         *   *   *   *   *

*Greece, the "Age of Heros"*

The battle was over, and the mad goddess Callisto had finally been
defeated. It had taken the combined efforts of several other gods to
lay the trap that Xena had planned so carefully, and that Gabrielle
had so courageously baited, but it was Joxer's last second foolish
bravery that had allowed them to shut the trap with nobody getting
killed. Xena laughed, remembering the look of disbelieving fury on
Callisto's face in that split second before the spell of the gods had
turned her to stone, when she realized exactly *WHO* was responsible
for her downfall.

"Joxer, a real hero! I saw it, and I still can't believe it," muttered
Gabrielle as she bound his wounded arm. Apparently she wasn't the only
one. For once, Joxer had a perfectly legitimate heroic deed to boast
about, but instead he was remaining sullen and silent. It was as if he
was angry about something. Suddenly he got up, and walked quickly out
of the door of the cave. //What's his problem?// she wondered, then
quickly forgot about it as she tried to put into words the amazing
adventure that had happened today.

Xena could have told her if she had asked. Instead, she followed Joxer
outside into a moonlit clearing, only to see him stop, turn and listen
to some unseen speaker. She stayed hidden at the edge of the clearing,
silently listening to the one-sided conversation.

Joxer shook his head violently. "NO!" he said emphatically, then as if
remembering his manners, quickly added, "Thank you very much for the
offer. It's tempting, I will admit that. But if I can't have her love
without magic, I'd rather not have it at all. It wouldn't be -- real
- -- you see, and I'd be taking something that rightfully belonged to
someone else. ... No, I'm not being noble. I just want her to be
happy. Isn't that what love's about?" Suddenly his head jerked as if
he'd been ... kissed? ... on the cheek, and the corners of his mouth
turned up in a bashful smile as he waved goodbye to the invisible
presence. Xena knew he was probably blushing, but in the moonlight who
could tell. She was surprised when he said, "You can come out now,
Xena."

"How did you know I was there?" she asked him as she stepped into the
clearing.

"I didn't," he admitted. "I was just playing the odds. It was a toss
up whether you or Gabrielle would have witnessed that, and I was
feeling lucky tonight."

Xena smiled at his feeble joke. "I take that was Aphrodite?" When he
nodded, she continued. "I can play the odds too. With all that talk of
love it was either her or her son ... and we both know Cupid's arrow
isn't bent that way!"

"Give his fashion sense, one could be forgiven for wondering," said a
third unexpected voice, one that Xena recognized immediately. She
stiffened, then forced herself to relax as turned to face Ares.

"I suppose I should thank you for your help in destroying Callisto,"
she admitted grudgingly.

"What, you think the few drops of Hinds blood you mixed with the
Medusa venom actually *killed* her? Sadly, the effect will only be
temporary, and it's all *HIS* fault!" he replied, pointing at Joxer.

"*TEMPORARY?!?*" Xena yelled, striding angrily up to the God of War.
"Just how temporary is it, and has Joxer to do with it?"

"Oh, a couple of thousand years or so, and he bled on her." Noticing
their confusion, Ares explained. "When Joxer knocked Gabrielle out of
the path of your chakram, he was cut by the unpoisoned side you'd used
to hold it. A couple of drops of his blood spun around to the poisoned
side, contaminating and diluting the spell. Now it has an escape
clause; should any of his descendants ever touch her again, the spell
will be broken."

Joxer swallowed nervously, then bravely faced the Olympian. "The
answer's simple then. I just won't have children."

Ares laughed at this. "A noble sacrifice I'm sure, but one that's not
only unnecessary but dangerous. The spell will break anyway after
enough time has passed, and the only one who has a chance of
reinstating it is one of your blood. So you see, damned if you do,
more damned if you don't."

Joxer looked only moderately relieved at this. "Let me get this
straight. Thousands of years from now, a descendant of mine has to
find Callisto, wake her up and put her back to sleep again? Have I
missed anything important?"

Unnoticed, Gabrielle had arrived in the clearing just in time to hear
Joxer's summation. //Wow, a real live god-given prophecy!// she
thought, //What a great story this will make.// Like the others, she
waited beathlessly for the answer.

"No, basically that's it." admitted Ares.

"Well, all I can say is he had better have friends like mine, or he
won't stand a chance in Hades, even *with* my blood in him."

Ares smile turned mysterious. "Don't worry, he will. In fact, *his*
friends will be directly descended from yours." With that stunning
pronouncement, the God of War vanished as quickly as he came.
- --
          +-------------------------------------------------+
          | Dalton S. Spence, B.Sc. <[e-mail]>|
          | Home Page: http://www.hwcn.org/~ag775/home.html |
          +-------------------------------------------------+

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

Date: Wed, 13 Aug 1997 19:53:25 -0700
From: [e-mail] (Elizabeth Ann Lewis)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Hold On (1/1)

Yes, the author's notes are always too long.  Writers by nature can't shut
up, right? <g>

Comments, disclaimers, and blamage:  This one's Perri's fault.  She's the
one who first mentioned that Sarah McLachlan's Possession was the perfect
Buffy/Angel song.  Of course, Buffy and Angel decided halfway through
writing this story that *they*, personally, wanted Hold On instead this
time around (both songs on Sarah's Fumbling Towards Ecstasy album, and if
any of you don't have it, GO GET IT!)  Who am I to argue with a vampire and
a vampire slayer?

Buffy and Angel belong, of course, to Joss, Mutant Enemy, 20th Century Fox,
etc, etc.  I'm not using them for profit, please don't sue.

Molto grazie to the SunS for cooing.  Thankfully, I didn't send anyone into
insulin shock with this story.  <g>  Take that as a fair warning.  Thanks
to Perri and Kiki for dragging me into this &%$#@! fandom to begin with!
<grrr, arugh>

Comments, praise, flames, chocolate, and tall, dark, undead angsty guys to
[e-mail]
- -~*-~*-~*-~*-~*-~*-~*-~*-~*-~*-~*-~*-~*-~*-~*-~*~-
Hold On
by Elizabeth Ann Lewis

*       Hold on,
*       Hold on to yourself,
*       For this is gonna hurt like hell.

        The wind stirred a small pile of dust.  It shimmered, faintly
otherworldly in the moonlight.  Then, drifting lazily along the ground, it
thinned into a shadow and disappeared.
        Buffy slid down the rough brick wall of the alley.  That had been
just too close.  She hadn't been expecting a second one.  To have
encountered two in one night... it meant things she didn't want to think
about.  It would have frightened her if she had the strength to be
frightened.  Right now, all she could do was watch the blood run out from
the gash on her upper arm, black in the moonlight, and wish like a child
for her mother.  For Giles to find her and patch her up while lecturing her
on her duty as a Slayer to protect herself.  For Willow to fuss and Xander
to vow to go out and avenge her.  For help that she wasn't going to get.
        The vampires were getting smarter.  This one had carried a knife.
        Slowly, Buffy got to her feet, pushing herself up the wall like a
climber rappelling up a cliff.  It took every ounce of her strength and
will to do it.  On her feet, swaying, she knew her first step away from the
support behind her would have her on the ground again.  Closing her eyes,
she felt the blood seep down her arm, soaking her blouse, and waited for
her strength to fail her.

********

*       Hold on,
*       Hold on to yourself.
*       You know that only time will tell.

        Angel really didn't know what had driven him out that night.  He'd
been holed up in his apartment except for necessary forays into the outside
world.  He was avoiding the Bronze, knowing that his self-control was
unlikely to hold if he tortured himself by seeing her.
        So what was he doing in this stinking alley instead of home waiting
for the sun to rise and set and rise again?
        He caught the scent of blood before he heard her faint moan.  Buffy
lay in a boneless sprawl, curled on the concrete, her lashes fluttering on
sheet-white cheeks, stubbornly clinging to a tattered shred of
consciousness.  Her eyes opened once as Angel knelt beside her and gathered
her body up in his arms.  "Oh, good," she murmured with a vague smile.
        Without another word she dropped into a dead faint.

********

        She was warm and cozy when she woke up, tucked into a bed with a
down comforter over her.  The vague memory of a burning pain in her arm was
replaced with the gentle throb that lingered there now.  Opening her eyes,
she blinked for a minute, trying to get her bearings.
        It was a large room, white cinderblock walls, black furniture.
Buffy supposed that it should look fairly bare, but here and there,
scattered, were things that caught the light and the eye, striking against
the starkness of the room.
        Not very good at sitting still, Buffy threw back the covers and
swung her feet to the floor.  She nearly ended up on her face when she
stood up, and it took a few moments for her head to stop bouncing around
the room and return to its accustomed perch on her neck.
        There was an arm around her shoulders, a hand at her elbow, keeping
her on her feet when she couldn't have managed it herself.  Already knowing
where she was, she looked up into Angel's worried eyes.

*       What is it in me that refuses to believe
*       This isn't easier than the real thing?

        "Easy.  Lie down again."
        Buffy shook her head.  "No, I'm fine.  Um... I'll sit down,
though."  With his help, she made it to a deep chair and sank down
gratefully.  Her fingers brushed a bandage on her upper arm, and she
realized she was wearing one of his shirts.  "Thanks."
        Angel shrugged slightly.  "It's nothing.  You lost a lot of blood.
I would have taken you to the hospital, but--"
        ~But then we'd have a lot of 'splaining to do,~ Buffy filled in
silently.  "Good move."
        "Do you want me to call anyone?"
        "Giles," she whispered.  Swallowing, she tried to put more strength
in her voice.  "Call Giles, tell him I'm okay.  With any luck, my mom
hasn't figured out that I snuck out of my room.  I don't want to worry
her."

*       My love,
*       You know that you're my best friend.
*       You know I'd do anything for you.

        She fed Angel the library's phone number, then closed her eyes and
drifted, listening to the short, one-sided conversation, smiling a little
as she imagined Giles' half.  When she opened her eyes again, Angel was
crouched beside her chair, his gaze dark and intense.  His lashes dropped,
shielding his eyes almost immediately, but she knew she had seen more than
he wanted her to.
        "No."  She put her hand out to touch him.  He evaded her before she
could do much more than brush his hair with the tips of her fingers.
        Rising, he started to turn away.  "Rest.  I'll take you home before
the sun rises."
        "Angel?"  Her voice stopped him in his tracks.  "Don't go.  Please."

*       My love,
*       Let nothing come between us.
*       My love for you is strong and true.

        He couldn't face her, couldn't touch her.  Couldn't leave her.
"I'm not going anywhere," he told her softly.
        "I was so scared tonight."  Defenses crumbled by worry, pain and
fear, she couldn't stop herself.  "I saw the knife a split second before it
cut me.  And I had one crystal-clear moment when I thought, 'I'm going to
die.'  Just that.  There wasn't any life passing before my eyes, just
*knowing* it was over."
        "But it wasn't.  You're alive."
        Buffy swallowed, nodded.  "Yeah.   And *now* I'm getting the whole
flashing life bit."  She waited, but Angel didn't move, didn't turn back to
her.  "I guess... I guess I realized a lot of things.  What's important.
Angel... look at me."
        "I can't."  The words sounded torn out of him.
        "I'm in love with you."  Then she took a deep breath, knowing the
phrase was cowardly.  "I love you."

*       Am I in heaven here or am I...
*       At the crossroads I am standing.

        "Don't do this."
        Buffy felt her heart twist inside her at the starkness of his
voice.  "I can't help it.  It's *done*.  I know it's dumb, I know we can't
be together, but I can't stop it.  And I don't want to.  I--"
        She didn't realize she was crying until Angel finally broke.
Turning back around, he knelt by her chair, pulling her close.  Her arms
wrapped around his neck, his nearly cracked her ribs with the force of his
grip.  She rested her head on his shoulder, and his face was buried in her
hair.

*       So now you're sleeping peaceful.
*       I lie awake and pray
*       That you'll be strong tomorrow, and we'll
*       See another day, and we will praise it,
*       And love the light that brings a smile
*       Across your face.

        They stayed that way, clinging to each other, drawing strength from
a bond that was destroying them.  Finally, Angel pulled back slightly.
"It's almost dawn.  I'll take you home."
        Buffy nodded, let him help her to her feet.  When she wavered, he
picked her up again.  She turned her face into his shoulder and closed her
eyes, sighing.
        A few minutes later, he set her on her feet on her front porch.
Brushing a wisp of hair out of her eyes, he asked, "Are you going to be
able to make it up to your room okay?  I'd take you up, but..."
        Remembering her bitter words that barred him from her house, Buffy
started to invite him in again.  But reality intruded.  Sighing, she said,
"Yeah.  Although I'm going to suddenly become very sick and stay home today
to rest."  Her mouth crooked into a smile and she took a step back to her
door.

*       Oh God, if you're out there,
*       Won't you hear me?
*       I know that we've never talked before.
*       Oh God, the man I love is leaving.
*       Won't you take him
*       When he comes to your door?

        "Good.  Buffy, I...."
        The smile remained, but turned sad and much older than any smile a
girl her age should have.  "I know."
        "I love you."  She deserved the words.  They'd have nothing else
out of this.  They might as well take the scraps they could get.
        And he needed to say them.  Something was coming... and he'd be
truly damned if he let her go without know how he felt.  He could match her
courage to tell the truth.
        After a moment, she nodded, tears in her eyes shining in the waning
moonlight but clinging stubbornly, refusing to fall.  Without taking her
gaze from his, she stepped back over the threshold she had denied him.

*       Hold on,
*       Hold on to yourself,
*       For this is gonna hurt like hell.

THE END

High Priestess Lizbet of the Cult of Joss  -~*~- {{>AGA<}}
[e-mail] ~*~ [e-mail]
SunS List Co-Mummy:  "If the Apocalypse comes, beep me."
Keeper of Joss's Evil Brain
http://www.primenet.com/~lizbet/

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

Date: Thu, 14 Aug 1997 23:54:23 -0400
From: [e-mail]
Subject: BUFFYFIC: The Weapon:  Part VIIIa

Title:  The Weapon
Rating:  R.  Detailed descriptions of acts of violence.
Summary:  Xander disappeared into a shimmering portal, to be replaced by an
older version of himself from another dimension.  This older version wields
a powerful weapon that is desired by the Demon Lord Karakis.  Buffy, Angel,
Willow, and Xander have gone to Purgatory (where young Xander was taken and
where older Xander comes from) to rescue Xander.  After a battle to the
death with one of Karakis' Demon Hounds, the group took time to rest before
heading off to attack Karakis' home...
Disclaimer:  Buffy, Willow, Xander, and Angel are the property of Joss
Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and 20th Century Fox.  The rest is mine.  Touch it
and I'll break yo' fingers.
*****

Dark.  Dark and wet.  Those were the only sensations young Alexander
Harris' weakened and overloaded mind could process, the darkness and the
wetness that sent a horrible chill up his spine.  Was it mere minutes he
had been here, or weeks?  He couldn't fathom that.  Was he hanging from the
wall, or chained to the floor?  He didn't know.  What was the light like....

He didn't remember.  And it was then that it happened.  A flash... a burst
of sharp bright whiteness... a light!  Yes, that's what it was!  And
suddenly, he wasn't where he was.  This place was new... there was still
the darkness, but there was dryness, not wetness.  And there was life.
Whose voice was that...

"Xander?"

Xander jerked away at the voice, at the feeling of the hand on his
shoulder.  Spinning he saw... Buffy?

"Buffy?" he half whispered, reaching out, wanting to touch her, to know she
was real... then his vision exploded, shattered and burst into light again.
 As if nothing had changed he was returned, immersed and buried again in
the darkness... the wetness...

"NO!" screamed Xander, thrashing against the bonds that held him, "NO!
BUFFY COME BACK!!  COME BAAAAACK!!"

Thrashing and screaming, the boy fought against his bonds, and against the
darkness that threatened to consume him whole.
*****

Marak grinned as he watched the child whip and thrash, screaming his
pathetic little mortal lungs out as he tried to break the bonds that held
him.  Marak chuckled at the simplicity of the mortal's mind.  There were no
bonds.  The boy lay on a simple sandy floor, inside a simple white circle.
But the circle was so much more than that.  The circle was one of the most
powerful and insidious forms of torture that any mind, mortal or otherwise,
had ever devised.  With the proper invocations, it became a endless pit of
despair.  It took the fears, the desperation, the hatred, that sat within
the mind of the victim, and amplified it, made it, at least for the
entrapped, real.  And as the victim fell further and further into their
fears, the spell grew stronger and stronger, until, finally, the victim
became trapped within his own mind.  It was a thing of beauty, of
perfection.  Which was why Marak was slightly disturbed by its current use.
 Why was such an excellent tool of darkness being wasted on this mere
stripling of a boy?

"Do you doubt me Marak?"

Marak turned quickly and faced the being that entered the chamber.  It was
a massive and horribly muscled creature, of vaguely humanoid form.  Very
little covered its leathery ebon skin, as it wore little more than a
loincloth, large, furred boots, and a long, flowing, red cape.  Each of its
fingers ended in a long, jagged, talon.  Its face was a thing of
nightmares, with glowing red eyes, and a grin which revealed rows of sharp,
thirsty, fangs.  Rows of bony spikes covered its head where hair should've
been.  And from the sides of that head, protruded two large, thick,
twisted, stark white horns.  Two demon attendants stood at its side.

"Never Lord Karakis," said Marak as he kneeled before his master, "I could
never doubt you."

Karakis kneeled in front of his servant and looked into his eyes.  Then he
smiled.

"You lie." he said, in a voice dark and powerful... yet soft, seductive.
"No Lord Karakis I--"
"Your thoughts betray you," continued Karakis, "you are loyal, but not
loyal enough."

With that Karakis' arm shot out, his hand locking a vise-like grip onto
Marak's wrist.  Marak screamed in agony as the bones began to break.

"And you will be punished."  Suddenly, Karakis tightened his grip on
Marak's arm, then twisted violently, and pulled.  With a sickening snapping
of bone and tearing of flesh, Marak's forearm separated from the rest of
his limb, spraying blood, bone chips, and other bodily fluids as Karakis
pulled it away.

"Take him away," said Karakis to one of his attendants, "see that his wound
is dealt with, and that he is kept alive.  He's learned not to doubt me."

The attendant grabbed Marak's unconscious form and dragged him out of the
chamber, while the other attendant simply stood and watched.  Munching on
the severed limb, Karakis turned to gaze at Xander, thrashing about and
screaming within the circle.

Karakis turned to the remaining attendant.  "Have him brought to my throne
room," said the Demon Lord, as he tore another chunk of flesh off with his
teeth, "make sure he is clapped in our heaviest irons.  And prepare the
hordes.  We're expecting company."

The attendant bowed tersely, and rushed off to begin its work.

"Soon, Alexander," said the Demon Lord, tossing what was left of the arm
away, "soon."
*****

"Xander!" shouted Buffy, as the man dropped to his knees, clutching his
head.  Slowly, dizzily, he returned to his feet.
"Are you okay?" asked the Slayer.
"I'm... ugh.. fine," responded Xander, as he shook the cobwebs from his
head, "just as soul slip."
"A what?" she asked.
"A soul slip." he repeated.  "Sometimes, when two versions of the same
person are in the same time and plane, their souls, since they're the same
soul, at the core, form sort of a link, and slip from one body to the
other.  It's brief usually, and always painful."
"So... that was *our* Xander just a second ago?"
"Yeah, and I was in his body.  When I was inside him, I saw a stone
ceiling, and I could feel sand under me.  There was nothing physically
holding me down... so I have to assume he's being held mystically."
"Oh good," quipped the Slayer, "more black magic to deal with."
"Hey!" shouted Willow, who was far ahead of the rest of the group, "I've
found the end of the tunnel!"

The two quickly picked up their pace rushing to catch up with Willow and
Angel.  Soon they saw the spot of light at the end of the tunnel.  The
rushed even faster, wanting to reach it as soon as possible.  When they
came to the mouth of the cave, there stood Angel and Willow, gazing
outward.  The two followed the other's gazes, and saw what they were
looking at.  Xander inhaled sharply.

"Well," he said, "there it is.  Karakis central."
*****

I know, I know, I'm evil for breaking it here, but my brain needs a rest.
Part 8b will be out either later tonight or early tomorrow!

FEEDBACK ME SEYMOUR!

- --Viashino the Hungry--

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

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