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buffyfic Digest       Saturday, August 30 1997       Volume 01 : Number 018



In this issue:

    BUFFYFIC: Buffygirl's Town
    BUFFYFIC: Withdrawal  (plus Slayer Fanfic Archive)
    BUFFYFIC: Sealed with a Kiss  4/11
    BUFFYFIC: Sealed with a Kiss 4b/11
    BUFFYFIC: Sealed with a Kiss 3B/11
    BUFFYFIC: Sealed with a Kiss 3c/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: Thu, 28 Aug 1997 19:56:49 -0700
From: Lisa Rose <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Buffygirl's Town

BUFFYGIRL'S TOWN

(To the tune of the "Gilligan's Island" theme song)

Come hear a tale of a clueless town
A burg that hasn't learned
Where kids die nearly every night
And no one seems concerned

One girl is an unsung hero there
Her Watcher sharp but shy
They save the whole world every week
And no one bats an eye
And no one bats an eye

The vampires started getting rough
The girl was barely trained
If not for the courage of her fearless squad
The whole town would be drained
The whole town would be drained

Their school's atop a gaping mouth
Of Hell, so don't look down!
With Buffygirl, her Watcher too,
The Xanderman, Willow dear,
The Pagan Gal,
Cordelia and Angelman
Here in Buffygirl's Town!

Now this is the tale of the Slayerettes
Resigned to their thankless task
Snubbed by the snobs to do a job
For which they didn't ask

The Slayer and her Watcher too
Will risk their lives sans fear
To keep the streets swept free of creeps
For Homecoming this year

No guns, just stakes and crossbow bolts
Medieval weaponry
Like the Spanish Inquisition
It's primitive as can be

So join us at the Bronze my friends
You're sure to get a date
Just hope that Buffy stakes it quick
Before it is too late!


(lyrics copyright 1997 by Lisa Rose)

(The above song will soon be on the Little Buffy Site,
in the "Traditional Songs" section.  Please visit it at
http://www.wco.com/~cybrpaws/lilbuffy.html)

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

Date: Fri, 29 Aug 1997 19:37:48 -0400
From: Anya <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Withdrawal  (plus Slayer Fanfic Archive)

Hi All!

This is an answer to the "Where is the missing Fanfic archive" Question.
Done nicely in the form of a story, to compensate for being off topic.

If you don't have time to read it, well..here's the short version:  The
Slayer's Fanfic Archive (http://SlayerFanfic.alz.com) is down for server
upgrades.  Biohaz assures me he'll have it up Monday, but since (for me)
that's Labor Day....I have my doubts.  I think Tuesday.

Toodles!
- -Anya

************************************************************************
Withdrawal
by Anya
[e-mail]

"Owwww!"  Willow sat flat on her rump, one hand pressing against her
ringing head.   One moment, she'd been walking sedately to the library,
the next, she was flying backwards and smacking into a wall as the
library door swung wide and straight into her.

"WILLOW!!!"  Buffy's voice sang out. "Just the hacker I need to see!"
The Slayer ignored the fact her friend was unceremoniously dumped on the
floor, her books scattered across the floor, as a result of her violent
flight out of the library.

Experimentally Willow held her hand out, fingers splayed and tried to
count them.  Coming up with five, she figured she would survive.
"No, no..I'm okay, Buffy!  Really, a mild concussion is all."

Buffy blinked twice, her train of thought disrupted by Willow's
unusually caustic comments.  "What happened to you?"

Willow sighed, and pulled herself to her feet, absently dusting off her
backside.  "Nothing.  What's wrong?  The hellmouth again?  Angel gone
ballistic?  Witches, demons, comatose little boys?"

"No worse!"  Buffy's voice sounded so deadly earnest, that Willow
instinctively let herself sink into æResearch Girl' mode.

Her books hastily shoved back into her bag, she turned to face the
Slayer.  "Okay, so...what do you need me to do?  Is Giles in there,
æcause I can help him..."

"No, no!"  Buffy shook her head, blonde curls flapping side to side.
"Giles can't SOLVE this one, it's out of HIS league."   Buffy latched
onto Willow's arm, and guided her to the library.  "This needs
your...superior skills."

"Hacking, you mean."  Willow said dryly, somewhat amazed that Giles
wasn't the one dragging her to and chaining her down at the computer.

"Umm..yes."

Shaking off Buffy's virtual leash, Willow circled round the table,
dumping her bag into a free chair, and booted-up the computer.  "Okay,
where is Giles?  I'll need references and stuff to coordinate a search
with."

Buffy waved negligently towards the back of the library.  "He's in the
stacks...don't worry, we don't need him."

"I thought this was an emergency?"

"It IS!"  Buffy promised vehemently.  She began pacing, arms behind her
back and hands clasped.  "This really is a problem, and unless I know
WHY it's happening, I don't know what do to!"  She paused, turning to
look absently at the sky-light, her eyes narrowed, and mouth pursed.  "I
don't understand it at all, how can anything go æpoof' like this?"

"Like what?"  Willow asked, logging the computer onto the net,
judiciously using Giles password for access.  It meant there were no
restrictions to access that she'd have to evade using her own.

"The Archive is gone."  Buffy made it sound like the Apocalypse.

Willow blinked, looked at the screen and blinked again.  "The what is
gone?"  Buffy hadn't said archive..she hadn't.  For an ARCHIVE she'd
gone flying into a concrete wall?  Nah.

"The Slayer's Fanfic Archive is ....domain not found or some such!"
Buffy reiterated.  "I submitted the story, the one we wrote."

"You wrote."  Willow corrected absently, recalling the drooling piece of
fiction from Buffy's best dreams.  If THAT story had been reality, Buffy
would have died from lack of oxygen to the brain sucking Angel's face
that much.

"Whatever.  And I've been checking up on the updates and all..which have
been really pathetic lately, the archivist, I think is slacking off..."

"She's a busy girl!" Willow said incredulously.  "She does school, work
and family!  Plus her own writing, and the converting of text to HTML
isn't exactly the world's fastest thing..."

"Whatever...so today, I tried to login and it wasn't there!"

Willow carefully leaned forward, closed down the computer, and hit the
power buttons with a rather curt abrupt motion.  "You bashed me into a
wall because a fanfic site is missing?"

"Yeah..you've gotta get me into it..."

"You nearly concussed me for a slobbering story of sucking faces?"
Willow carefully pushed her chair back, and turned to face the flustered
Slayer.

"Umm.....no, I didn't mean to..I mean, I didn't know you were behind
that door..."

"You consider THIS a calamity?"  The tiny hacker's voice rose
incredulously.

Buffy's shoulders slumped.  In a very tiny, defeated voice she breathed
her confession. "Yes."

Willow slumped back into the chair, eyes closed for a moment, and
silently counted to ten.  "The archive is closed for server upgrades."

"Uhhh.."

"New pieces of computer stuff are being put on the computer."  Willow
explained in layman terms.  "It should make the server faster...but it
won't be online ætill Monday, September 1 at the earliest!  Anya had a
note up on the site for it, but I imagine a lot of people may have
missed it.  She didn't have a lot of warning herself before it
happened."

"Uhhh..."

"So you just have to wait."

"Nooooo!"  Buffy's wait resounded through the room, pulling Giles from
the bowels he hid in.

"What's wrong?"  He asked, practically running to the Slayer.

"Withdrawal."  Willow said succintly, standing up and pulling her bag
into her arms.  "She'll be fine after she gets her fix, but it's the
denial of it that's hurting her."   Absently, the redhead pushed the
chair in.  "I'm going home to take a couple tylenols.  I have this
headache for SOME reason."

Giles starred at Willow flabergasted, and then to the moaning Buffy.  He
looked up and watched as Willow pulled the library door open.  "Wait!"
He shouted.  "What is she addicted to?"

"Fanfic."  And the door closed.

                            The End!! :)

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

Date: Thu, 28 Aug 1997 20:39:00 -0400
From: Anya <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Sealed with a Kiss  4/11

Sealed with a Kiss  4/11
by Anya
[e-mail]

The characters of Buffy, Willow, Xander, Giles and Ms. Calendar
belong to Warner Bros, Joss Whedon and Co. No infringement is
intended

Part 4

Sunnydale High was virtually deserted. Students streamed out of
the school like there was no tomorrow as soon as classes dismissed,
most to prepare for their nightly escapades at the Bronze. Some to
go to their after-school jobs, and very few to do their homework
and prepare for the next day.

At 4:30 in the afternoon, Willow could easily walk down the empty
corridors, hearing each of her soft footfalls. Shoulders straight,
arms full and eyes bright, she wandered in the general direction of
her locker. She wasn't tired anymore, or particularly nervous, but
every time she thought of 'the Seal' ... well, it worried her.

"I can't put my finger on it," she mused softly. "But something is
just not right." Absently entering her combination, she swung the
locker door open. The contents of her locker was orderly. She had
purchased three of those plastic 'shelves' that fit into the lockers,
giving her four neat rows for her books. And each row had one half
days classes books and materials stored on it.

Depositing this afternoons set of books onto the second shelf down,
Willow thoughtfully pulled the silver chain bearing the blue topaz
off the otherwise barren coat hook. After meeting with Ms.
Calendar, earlier in the afternoon, Willow had placed it in the
locker for safekeeping. Now, resting it in the palm of her hand, she
studied the rich blue stone, admiring it's clarity. Her mother had
once owned a ring with a blue topaz in it. A sweet sixteen present
from her mother, Willow's grandmother. It was to have been
Willow's one day, but the stone had fallen out of the setting, and
Mrs. Rosenberg had never replaced it.

Willow had attempted to return this pendant to it's rightful owner,
Ms. Calendar, and thank the techno pagan for lending it to her. So,
she had tucked it away into the front pocket of her burgundy jumper
before leaving for the school. After her afternoon classes, and
during her spare, Willow had gone in search of Ms. Calendar.

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

Ms. Calendar had been supervising a grade nine class when Willow
poked her head into the doorway. Seeing that the lovely computer
teacher was busy, and not wishing to interrupt, Willow was about to
leave. But, Ms. Calendar had caught sight of her and, with a flick of
her wrist, indicated for Willow to come in.

Quietly stepping into the room, and hovering near Ms. Calendar's
desk, as unobtrusive as she could be, Willow fished the topaz out of
her pocket. Ms. Calendar was working her way across the room,
pausing to comment over a students shoulder. Finally, walking up
to Willow, Ms. Calendar allowed the younger woman a cheerful
smile.

"Willow!" She exclaimed, "The pendant must have worked, you
look so much better!" For all Ms. Calendar's enthusiasm in finding
that her research had proved useful, her voice never raised enough
to move beyond the two of them.

Willow gave her trademark smile, head quirked to one side. "I must
have looked really bad to get all this attention!" She laughed.

Ms. Calendar's smile widened. "Everyone's saying the same things,
huh?" At Willow's nod, Samantha Calendar patted the girl's
shoulder. "It's just their way of showing they care."

"I suppose so." Willow paused, extending out the hand holding the
pendent. "Ms. Calendar? I wanted to return this to you, Xander said
you lent it."

Ms. Calendar looked at the pendent for a long moment, not
touching it. Raising her eyes to meet Willows, she shook her head
softly. "No, Willow. It's been prepared for use, and I rather doubt
that one night without the nightmares will disrupt them from
happening." Her hand closed around Willow's, forcing Willow's
fingers to curl up around the stone. "Just you keep that until we've
fixed the Seal."

Willow must have shown her surprise, since the teacher ruefully
smiled and nodded, twisting away briefly to scan her students.
Giles, or Buffy, must have broken down an confessed their
multitude of sins...like omitting Ms. Calendar from their last
meeting. "Either that," she giggled silently, "Or they invented a
really good story!"

Waiting until Ms. Calendar was able to return, Willow fidgeted, her
slender fingers pulling lightly up and down the sides of the blue
topaz. Mind wandering, as she caressed the stone, another pendent
appeared in the recesses of her mind.

It was a golden...locket? Laying on top of a cold stone table, the
locket glittered appealingly. Oval in shape, and thick...it seemed to
have a mark on it resembling three petals of a flower that were
interconnected and balanced. And the engraved mark seemed to
glow, standing out brilliantly from the rest of the locket.

Abruptly, Willow lost the image as Ms. Calendar touched her arm.
Peering down at the suddenly distant girl, the teacher had a look of
concern on her face. "Willow? Are you..."

"I'm alright, just got caught up in some thoughts!" Willow smiled.
Reaching up, with her empty hand, she pulled her hair back over
her shoulders. "Are you sure you don't want this back just yet?" She
asked, indicating to the pendent.

Ms. Calendar emphatically shook her head, waving a finger beneath
Willow's nose. "No! And you listen to me, young lady. That pendent
is to be beside your bed each and every time you go to sleep!
Understood!"

"Yes'm." Ducking her head down, Willow faked a quick bob. Ms.
Calendar laughed.

Turning to leave, Willow paused, her hand resting on the
doorframe. "Uh, Ms. Calendar?" Almost hesitant to ask this
question, she froze.

One of the computer teachers dark eyebrows rose. "Yes, Willow?"

Strangely, as Willow looked at her, a memory from her nightmares
stirred. Ms. Calendar was layered over with another image of Ms.
Calendar, although, the second image gave the impression of lying
down...not standing. Blood poured from a deep gash on her head,
her eyes were closed. The image alone panicked Willow, but it was
the *feelings* that went with it..despair, anxiety, and fear.

Eyes shooting really wide, the image separated from reality as Ms.
Calendar suddenly moved forward. Her hands were reaching out to
steady the suddenly weak-kneed Willow.

Willow closed her eyes for a second, screwing up her courage.
"What will you have to do with the Seal? How will you know what
to do?"

Ms. Calendar frowned. The child had nearly fainted just a moment
ago, and now wanted to discuss the arcane workings of the Seal?
Something else was happening here.

Thinking fast, Ms. Calendar slowly replied. "The Seal, in my mind
should be much like a Ward. It's keeping negative energy and
powers out, like a Ward would. So, I'm going at this on the basis of
Wards, and Warding." Pausing, she gently squeezed Willow's arm.
"Everything will be fine, Willow. Don't worry."

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

Shutting her locker door, Willow leaned her head against the cold
metal. How could she not worry? Every time she turned around, a
picture from her nightmares rose up to overlap her sight. Perhaps it
was the aftereffects of sleep deprivation, or just bad indigestion, but
it was unnerving just the same.

Pushing away from the locker, she headed for the main doors. Ms.
Calendar had determined Willow's plans for this evening. Tonight's
goal was: learn everything she could about Wards. Willow, unlike
Buffy or even Xander, went into nothing blind anymore. That
lesson had been well learned.

Sunnydale Public Library didn't have the occult resources that Giles
did, but Willow felt the need to be secretive. If Giles knew she was
looking up Wards and wardings, he'd probably want to know why.
It would be difficult to put the impressions and sensations of the
nightmares into words, but even more difficult to have them
dismissed as just paranoia.

Stepping into the warm late afternoon air, Willow sat down on the
step. Buffy and Xander were meeting her here. Idly and
contentedly, she stared at the cloud formations overhead. In one she
imagined a dragon, the other, a unicorn...and the last looked like
Fluffy, her pet miniature poodle.

"Fluffy! Oh no!" Willow quickly looked at her watch. The library
was only open to seven on week nights, but her parents wouldn't be
home for another hour and a half! In the meantime, poor sweet
Fluffy was locked up in the laundry room, probably going nuts!

The dog was used to being locked in during school hours, but
Willow usually was home by 5pm, to let her out and take her
around the block. Expecting that patient animal to wait another
hour was unreasonably unfair. Willow sighed, "I guess I'll just have
to let the library slide."

Xander suddenly plopped right down beside her. "Hey bud'o'buds!
What's happening?" He smiled cheerfully, all was very well in
Xander's world. "I was just at the gym, talking to Coach Walker."
He smirked as he spoke.

Willow arched an eyebrow. "Oh? Taking up an interest in team
sports?" At Xander's widening grin, Willow mentally listed the
weeks gym schedule. Monday nights, the gym was closed.
Tuesdays, and Thursdays were Cheerleading practice.....
"Cheerleaders! You ogled and drooled over all the cheerleaders!"

Xander's eyes glazed over in memory. "I wouldn't say drooled.
Contemplated their form, grace and beauty. Admired their skill,
prowess and..."

"Lusted?" Willow offered helpfully.

"Do you have to take the dim view of everything?" Xander said
with a lofty sniff.

"Xander. Can you consciously remember the last hour. In detail?
Like from the moment the bell rang to now?"

He paused, his eyes darting away. "Uh." He paused for a long
moment. "I was at the gym?"

"The practice started at quarter two. What did you do for the half
hour before?"

He groped mentally again.

"See. You ogled."

"Who ogled what?" Buffy stepped down to stand two stairs below
them. Angel's leather jacket was swung around her shoulders, and
her bookbag was negligently held in her hands.

- ------------------------Continued in Part 4b/11-------------------------

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

Date: Thu, 28 Aug 1997 20:38:55 -0400
From: Anya <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Sealed with a Kiss 4b/11

Sealed with a Kiss   - Part 4b/11
by Anya
[e-mail]

"Who ogled what?" Buffy stepped down to stand two stairs below
them. Angel's leather jacket was swung around her shoulders, and
her bookbag was negligently held in her hands.

"Xander ogled the cheerleaders." Willow snitched cheerfully.
Xander's head ducked down in shame.

"Again?!?!" Buffy stared at the boy reproachfully. "One of these
days each and every one of those girls is going to boot you! And I'm
not going to stop them!"

Xander gave them both the sad puppy-dog expression he had
practiced so long. "Awww..come on! I'm just doing what any
normal male 16 year old does."

"Ogling." The two girls said in unison, and then giggled. Buffy and
Willow exchanged grins with one another and high-fived.

Xander's eyes narrowed shrewdly, "Hey! That's not fair! You're
ganging up on me!" He raised his chin and assumed a tragic air.
Standing up, he began to slowly walk away, shoulders slumped, and
head hanging dejectedly. "That's alright, I understand..." He said
with a tragic air.

Buffy and Willow nodded at one another once, before inhaling
sharply and breaking into a song with a loudly rendered..."Nobody
loves me...everybody hates me..think I'll go eat worms..."

Racing, the two caught up to their wounded comrade. Each taking a
side of him, they both looped their arms into his. They kept right on
singing.. "Big fat juicy ones....teeny eeny squirming ones...".

"Stop! Stop! AAARGH! My eardrums..I'm going deaf!" Xander
howled, faking absolute agony. "Willow! You know better than to
sing! Bird's fall out of the sky dead when you do that!"

"XANDER!"

"Hey, I'm not the one the church choir leader begged to 'just mouth
the words'!" He said, as he extracted his arm from Buffy and waved
a finger under Willow's nose.

Buffy laughed, "No way!"

"You promised never to mention that!" Willow protested with a
gasp. She slugged him in the arm.

"I did?! When?"

"When we were seven." Willow patted his arm with her free hand.
"You owe me, now! And it just so happens, I need a little favour."
She smiled sweetly at him. "And if you do this for me, I'll not only
forgive your indiscretion, but I'll write up a draft of your English
assignment for you."

She knew she had his full attention by the way he stiffened.
"Really?"

"Really."

"Ok. Whaddaya want?"

"I'm going to the public library." She paused seeing both Buffy and
Xander's surprised faces. "For the microfiche and periodicals." She
lied quickly. "But, Fluffy needs let out! Could you do that for me?
Please?"

Xander paled suddenly, "Oh, uh..well, um." He looked at Buffy
pleadingly. She had seen that dog attack him before, surely she'd
spare him that torture again. "Maybe Buffy would be better to..."

Buffy smirked and spoke loudly, "No can do, my friend. I've got to
meet Mom at the Gallery."

"Oh." Xander's voice reflected his dismay, clearly.

"Please Xander!" Willow pleaded, using the tone of voice that
implied all that her friendship meant to him. It was pure emotional
blackmail, she knew but... "If she doesn't get out, I'll feel so bad,
and then I won't be able to sleep and..."

Xander gave in. "Alright! ALRIGHT! I'll do it." Was this how a
prisoner felt before the firing squad?

Willow gave him a quick hug, before turning to Buffy. "Walk with
you as far as the library?" Buffy nodded her agreement.

As they came to the intersection they would part at, Willow tapped
Xander on the arm again. "Oh, and hey. I'm still missing 1 picture
from that album. No clue about it's whereabouts, huh?"

Xander cast a frantic look between Willow, and then Buffy. "No!"
he said, voice strangled. "But I'm sure it'll turn up!"

Willow smiled knowingly, "Oh, I'm sure it will too!" She paused
before adding as she and Buffy moved away. "Oh, and after you let
Fluffy out, can you give her a quick walk around the block?"

Xander's moan echoed.

The two girls smiled at one another. They waited for a moment,
before Buffy spoke, loud enough for Xander to still hear. "Willow?
What picture with me in a swimsuit was Xander talking about?"

*******************End Part Four************************

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

Date: Thu, 28 Aug 1997 20:39:18 -0400
From: Anya <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Sealed with a Kiss 3B/11

Sealed With a Kiss     - Part 3b/11
by Anya
[e-mail]


Removing the seat cushion, Xander sat down on her wooden desk
chair, wincing at the feel of is wet clothing pressed so close to his
drying skin. It wasn't easy to see in the dark for something as small
as a pen. Notepaper was easy to find on Willow's desk. She kept a
block of it to the right of her computer. Squinting he looked on top
of the desk for a pencil can or something. Instead, his eyes fell on a
series of framed pictures. Lifting one down, he turned so that the
light from outside fell onto the frame. It was a picture of him and
Willow, taken perhaps a year ago.

Setting it back, he looked at another one. Buffy and himself. A third
had Buffy and Willow. And a last one with Willow, himself and
Jesse. Jesse and Willow had been good friends, he remembered.
How had she felt when Jesse had died? What had it done to her?
Xander had never thought to ask, or to share his own grief.

"Xander?" She called out suddenly, he jumped up, opening his
mouth to reply but realized she was still sleeping.

"No! Don't! He'll..." She came awake with a jerk and a sob. It took
her a few moments to compose herself, taking deep measured
breaths she calmed herself down, only to give a startled cry seeing
Xander suddenly stand in front of her.

Taking a deep breath, she forcibly straightened out her mind.
"Xander? What's wrong ? Is Buffy...?"

Xander squatted down beside her, "No. Buffy's fine. I was just
about to write you a note." He could see her confusion, it was
reflected in her eyes. "Look." He pointed to the side of the bed with
the Blue Topaz. "That will stop the nightmares, or at least Ms.
Calendar said it would."

"I'm not having nightmares."

Xander nodded agreeably, "Of course not. Consider this a
preventive measure. Apparently a lot of people are suffering from
regular, repetitive and just plain ugly nightmares. So, we thought
we'd do something to protect ourselves."

Willow looked at him suspiciously, "Oh." She paused for a
moment. "Xander? Why are you wet?"

_________________________________


Buffy yawned widely, her hand only covering her mouth as her jaw
shut closed. The teacher fortunately had her back to Buffy, so she
didn't see it. Rolling her neck, Buffy was satisfied to hear the
audible crack and the relief it inherently brought. Head tilted, she
had a clear view of the empty table Xander and Willow normally
sat at. Neither had shown up this morning for school.

Buffy hoped Xander had been able to get that stone in, and more
importantly, had done so without being caught. The rumor mill
hadn't said anything about seeing Xander in Willow's neighborhood
at night, but then again, the rumor mill wasn't much interested in
Willow's or Xander's extra-curricular activities. "Thank God," she
muttered softly.

She could just _imagine_ the conversations if people had paid
attention. Willow going out with a demon, oh yes, that would go
over well. Speculation on if she had 'done IT' would have run
rampant for weeks. Or Xander and the She-Mantis. And what
would be said of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer lusting after Angel, the
Vampire. No, far better that the mishaps of their social life stayed
between the three of them. *Errr...four'n a half. Giles knows just as
much, and Ms. Calendar is getting close."

The bell rang, freeing Buffy from her class. Swiftly navigating
through the school halls, she found her way to the library. It secretly
amused her that they could use the room deemed most public so
freely for their clandestine purposes. Other than Willow, very few
students even KNEW the library was there. Giles had speculated
that it was a side-effect of the Hellmouth's'' close proximity to the
building, right below in fact.

Pushing the door open, Buffy wandered in eyes scanning the room
for her Watcher. Not seeing him in the library proper, she sauntered
back to his office, pausing occasionally to nudge a book back in it's
shelf, or to run a finger along a case and admire the dust. Buffy had
deserted Giles and Angel shortly after her discovery of the "human"
book. She could wait for the final results of their inquiry into the
unknown.

Giles was still sitting at his desk. His glasses were off and resting
on top of an opened book. The man himself was leaning back into
the chair, head flung back, eyes closed. Buffy felt a pang of guilt,
while she had gone home and to bed, she was willing to bet Giles
had spent the entire night here, researching for HER. She tended to
underappreciated everything Giles did for her, Buffy admitted to
herself. And that would have to end.

Knocking once on the door, she quietly walked into the room. "Did
you and Angel find much last night?" She asked, dropping her book
bag onto the rumpled cot still folded out.

Giles straightened up, reclaiming his glasses and pushing them up
on the bridge of his nose. "Yes. Actually, we did garner some
information about the Seal." He shut the opened book directly in
front of him, and swivelled the chair around to face Buffy. "I would
rather wait for everyone to be together before discussing the
materials, but..."

Buffy waved a hand, "No, no. That's cool. If it isn't anything urgent,
I can wait." She flashed him a sunshiny smile. "Besides, neither
Willow or Xander showed up this morning."

Giles raised an eyebrow. "Indeed?"

"Uh huh. I figure if Willow managed to sleep okay, and she's been
really bad for the last week like her Mom said, her Mom probably
let her sleep herself out." Buffy commented, taking the seat she had
occupied last night.

"As for Xander.." she began.

"Xander is standing right behind of you, Oh Fearless Leader!"
Intoned the chipper male Slayerette. He grinned wildly at Buffy,
signaling a thumbs-up. "And yes, Fearless Leader, Willow received
the pendent, and slept like a baby. After she finished grilling me,
that is."

Buffy smirked. "Got caught, huh?"

Xander tossed her a dirty look, quickly changing into a grin. "Yeah,
well, she woke up from a nightmare that she didn't have, and saw
me. I just stayed behind to write her a note, but, she decided to play
twenty questions." His grin widened. "I did get to flip through one
of her newer photograph albums. She had this picture of you and
her at that pool party. Nice swimsuit, Buffy." Judiciously, he didn't
mention that he had swiped the picture after Willow had dozed off.

"Do you think Willow will be in class this afternoon?" asked Buffy,
craning her neck to see around Xander and look at the clock. The
lunch hour had 40 minutes left.

Xander shrugged. "Don't know. If she's not here yet, I rather doubt
it."

"Why don't we move this into the commons?" suggested Giles,
already moving past the two teenagers, a small pile of books in his
arms.

Xander turned on heel, following the librarian out, jauntily
swinging his knapsack onto his shoulder. Ambling along behind, he
spotted the doors of the library opening, and Willow's tiny figure
slipping in.

"Willow!" Buffy cried out, sweeping past Xander and Giles to hug
her friend. "You look so much better! Did you get enough sleep?
That clown didn't keep you from going back to sleep, did he?"

"Clown?" Xander protested. "Clown?!? I'm not a clown! I HATE
clowns!".

Willow smiled brightly, hugging Buffy back, before moving on to
hug Xander. "Thanks, you two, for caring! I slept wonderfully last
night after Xander... left? Or didn't leave? I don't know." She
paused, mentally trying to sort images out. "Anyway, yeah, I slept
fine, and woke up around eleven, this morning. Mom gave me a
note."

Xander grinned evilly, "You do realize your perfect attendance has
been totally shot down the drain."

Willow blushed, pushing her hair back behind her ear. "Well. No. I
just talked to Ms. Hillis. She asked me what I thought of today's
class...so, she doesn't know I wasn't there. Besides, my grade score
average is still up, so missing a morning or two won't do any harm."

Xander turned around suddenly, fussing with his backpack to avoid
any further discussion on marks. Still looking and stirring about the
contents of his bookbag, he blindly stumbled to the central table.

Miraculously, the table had been cleared of all paper that had so
obscured it yesterday. Giles resumed his seat at the table, bestowing
on Willow a welcoming smile, and a nod towards her own fixed
place at the computer. With a happy little smile, Willow resumed
her seat.

Buffy sat easily to Giles' right. Xander, taking the chair beside her,
and opposite Willow. Both teens were scrutinizing the young
hacker rather closely. All the effects of not sleeping for a week
hadn't been cured in one good night of sleep, she was still a little
pale, but the bags under her eyes had faded for the most part, and
her energy was up.

"Alright. Now, with you all here, I'll tell you what Angel and I
determined." Giles began, spreading a few sheets with his
handwriting on it out in an organized pattern.

Buffy raised a slim blond eyebrow. "Shouldn't we wait for Ms.
Calendar?"

She could have sworn Giles' cheeks blushed redly. He cleared his
throat loudly, looking up at the upper floor and at some distant
point on the shelving. "Yes, well, umm. Ms. Calendar is looking up
something for me. A 4th century demon. Zaebos."

Willow looked at him puzzled, pressing a few keys she looked at
him again with even more confused. "Umm. Giles? According to
this database you had me construct...there is no 4th century Zaebos.
There's a Demon Lord Zaebos, but he's confined in the rings of
Hell..."

Giles feigned surprise. "Oh. Really? Well, I..um, that is... Fancy
that."

Buffy snickered, but displayed an innocent expression when Giles
looked at her.

"Hey, " Xander spoke up. "I'm getting confused here. So, Ms.
Calendar is in the club, or is conditionally in the club, or is a guest
speaker to the club? Y'know, membership pass cards might come in
handy, we could keep who's who straight."

"I...well, it doesn't matter." Giles again cleared his throat, pushing
his glasses higher up on his nose. "For a recap on last night, for
Willow's benefit, we discovered that the Hellmouth is warded by a
mystical seal." He pulled a pen out of his shirt pocket, tapping it
lightly on one of the pages as he began lecturing.

- -------------------Continued in Part 3C/11-----------------------------

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

Date: Thu, 28 Aug 1997 20:39:09 -0400
From: Anya <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Sealed with a Kiss 3c/11

Sealed With a Kiss     - Part 3c/11
by Anya
[e-mail]

"I...well, it doesn't matter." Giles again cleared his throat, pushing
his glasses higher up on his nose. "For a recap on last night, for
Willow's benefit, we discovered that the Hellmouth is warded by a
mystical seal." He pulled a pen out of his shirt pocket, tapping it
lightly on one of the pages as he began lecturing.

"The Seal was constructed roughly at the same time that the Old
Ones were cast out. Legends state that it was established by a
higher power, who appointed a Guardian to the Seal."

"The Guardian is, I'm afraid, for the most part an unknown. The
only Guardian I have recorded is one, uh...ah yes, Galenna. The
name strikes me as funny, as this area was inhabited primarily by
native people, and this Galenna is clearly a Gaelic name, but I
digress. Galenna was Guardian to the Seal in..." He reached for
another paper, bringing it closer. "The sixth century. The incident
recording her as Guardian was the rising insurrection of a hidden
Demon Lord. The Demon Lord attempted to take possession of the
Seal, and Galenna fought him off. Interestingly, the Demon Lord
used the Bubonic Plague to weaken humanity and facilitate his own
conquest."

"Used? As in, it happened at the same time as, or he sicced it on
people?" Xander asked.

Giles looked up from his reading, " I really don't know, Xander. I
believe the second, but a natural occurrence of the plague is always
possible."

"Oh."

"So...what else, Giles?" Buffy prodded. The Watcher turned his
gaze to her.

"The Seal's Guardian is to protect the seal from anyone taking
control of it, or breaking it from this side of reality. If the Seal
were
violated or broken, the Hellmouth could be opened permanently."

"But the Hellmouth DID open, when the Master was freed, didn't
it?" asked Willow, her attention focused exclusively on Giles. For
some reason, everything he was saying seemed to be especially
important for her to remember. And when he had said 'Galenna', she
had automatically wanted to say, "But she's not the Guardian
anymore." Where were these thoughts coming from?

"Yes. The Seal works in cycles. The Master's inhabitation and
imprisonment was a direct result of the Seal's activity. It prevented
the Master from releasing the Hellmouth some seventy years ago.
However, at specific astrological convergences, such as the night
that Buffy faced the Master, the Seal is weakened to the point the
Hellmouth temporarily cycles open. If the Master had destroyed the
Seal, the Hellmouth could become a fixed portal."

"The Seal, as I said, needs the protection of the Guardian. It can
only be damaged on this side. It would take vast occult powers,
united, for the Old Ones to break the Seal, but remarkably little on
this side."

Buffy stopped Giles, her brow furrowed in concentration. "So, what
you're saying is that the Seal isn't being protected right now? 'Cause,
if it was being protected, and this Guardian was doing her, or his,
job we wouldn't be having all these problems?"

Giles frowned slightly, "I'm not saying that, precisely. I, and Angel,
do believe, however, that something is attempting to take up the
Master's cause. I also believe that this new interloper is smarter, and
instead of trying to remove the Slayer has chosen to attempt the
removal of the Guardian. By doing so, it can easily take the Seal."

Xander nodded, "Alright. So, we're up against...what? A demon?
Demon Lord? Another Master Vampire? Or one of a thousand
different garden varieties of unlimited evil?"

Willow shot him an amused glance before turning back to Giles and
Buffy. "What are we going to do?" She asked the question quietly.

Buffy looked at Giles for a long quiet moment. "I think, the best
course of action would be to have a look at this Seal, and find the
Guardian." She waited for Giles' approving nod. "I also think we
should know means and measures to assuming temporary
protection of the Seal."

Giles' frowned again at that, pulling out a slim black book. "I
considered that this morning. The Seal's Guardian is special. It
seems a understanding of how to manipulate and direct power is
required to keep the Seal safe. Again, my resources on the
Guardian's are limited. I just don't have enough information. I need
more details to come to any accurate conclusions."

"What do you think they mean by 'power', " Willow thoughtfully
interjected for the groups consideration. In her minds eyes, she
could see columns of radiance streaming all around. Touching, and
tangible. Did directing mean moving energy, or...

Giles shook his head, "I'm not certain. The Seal is a mystical
construct, most likely it's magical energy. I'm afraid I can only offer
speculations though."

"I think we should have invited Ms. Calendar to this one." Xander
shook his head ruefully. "She's the one who knows all the magic-
stuff, isn't she?"

Buffy winced. They were going to have a lot of fast talking to do
before Ms. Calendar would let the "why she wasn't invited" topic
drop. " Yeah. Hey, Giles, I think you should talk to her about all
this."

Giles' wince was even more pronounced. He could already hear the
lecture he was going to get.

Willow ignored them, instead accessing the city's security files
again. The Hellmouth was beneath the school, somewhere near the
library. So the easiest access route to it was.... Finding it, she sent
a
copy of it to the printer. Looking up, she interrupted Buffy's
squabble with Giles on who should tell who what.

"Maybe we should figure out what we're going to do? Like a plan?"
They looked at her as if there was another head sprouting obscenely
out of her shoulders. "I mean. I've got the quickest route in,
but...what do we do when we get there? And who's going in? And
when?"

Buffy looked at Xander out of the corner of her eyes. Yup. Their
Willow was back. "Okay, good point Willow. Can this trip wait
until tomorrow? I mean, if we go Friday at least then we won't have
school to deal with later."

Everyone there nodded their agreement. Giles seemed to consider it
for a moment before he nodded curtly.

"Okay. So. Who's going in? Me, obviously, and I think Giles should
come, for research purposes." She smirked at her Watcher. All his
repeated 'I don't knows..' encouraged her to drag him down with
her. *I hope he's not claustrophobic? Naah..with that tiny office,
how could he be.*

"I'm in." Xander stretched lazily. He cast his eyes to Willow, who
had leaned over to fetch the printout from the printer tray.

"Me too." She said quickly. She didn't know why, but she felt that
she needed to go. If all those horrible nightmares, watching
everyone dying, or being chewed on, or..., she shuddered just
thinking about it ... were coming from the Hellmouth, she wanted it
stopped. And she wanted to SEE it stopped.

Buffy seemed inclined to argue the last, but a warning look from
Giles shut her up. "Right, well, then how about, tentatively, we
assume Ms. Calendar will deal with the Seal, we'll find the bad guy,
and then we all come home?"

The warning bell for the end of the lunch hour sounded. Xander
stood up. "Sounds good to me." He cocked an eyebrow at Willow,
indicating with a thrust of his chin that she should get up, and go to
class. Even if she'd been out of it yesterday, he could bet her
homework was still done. And after his sacrifices of last night, he
deserves some answers.

Slowly, Willow stood up. Buffy was still talking earnestly to Giles,
convincing him to deal with Ms. Calendar. Moving away from
Buffy, and closer to Xander, she dropped her voice. "Oh, hey. I was
wondering. Did you look at my photo albums last night?"

Xander stifled a cough. "Me? Um..yeah, I flipped through a couple.
Uh. Why?"

She smiled sweetly at the criminal. "Oh, a picture or two seems to
have fallen out, and I was just wondering if you knew where they
fell to?" *like, in your pocket?* she amended silently.

The sounds of his protests echoed down the corridor.

*********************End Part Three*********************

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

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