ftp.xmission.com/2014.06.ftp.xmission.com.tar/ftp.xmission.com/pub/lists/buffyfic/archive/v01.n027

Internet Message Format | 1997-09-03 | 49KB

From: [e-mail] (buffyfic Digest)
To: [e-mail]
Subject: buffyfic Digest V1 #27
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Sender: [e-mail]
Errors-To: [e-mail]
Precedence:


buffyfic Digest      Thursday, September 4 1997      Volume 01 : Number 027



In this issue:

    BUFFYFIC:  A Fresh Start (2/?)
    BUFFYFIC:  A Fresh Start (3/?)
    BUFFYFIC:  A Fresh Start (4/?)
    BUFFYFIC: Summer Vacation -- Xander (1/3)

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: Wed, 03 Sep 1997 23:36:08 -0500
From: "Matthew Wahoske" <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC:  A Fresh Start (2/?)

TITLE: A Fresh Start (2/?)
AUTHOR: Matthew J. Wahoske
EMAIL: [e-mail]
DISTRIBUTION: Anya only. Any one else ask first.
RATING: PG - some mild language.
SYNOPSIS:  Buffy's not quite herself after being resurrected.
After almost staking Angel at the Spring Fling, the rest of the
night passes in a blur.  Now it's the Monday of finals week, and
after taking the history final, Buffy accidently attacks Xander
and learns of her exploits at the dance.  She goes off to get
help from Giles (now located in the computer lab), with Xander
following behind.
SPOILERS:  "Angel" and "Prophecy Girl", in particular.  The
whole first season, in general.
DISCLAIMER: Joss Whedon's fertile mind, Mutant Enemy, 20th
Century Fox, and Warner Bros. own these characters, not me.  I
also want to acknowledge whoever first used the name "Nikki" to
refer to Ms. Calendar.  Unfortunately, I don't know who this
person is. Please let me know.

In the Sunnydale High computer lab, a tired Rupert Giles was
poring over one of the many books of occult lore which had been
moved from the library, while Ms. Nikki Calendar and Willow
Rosenberg were engrossed in research on the internet.  After a
while, Giles looked up from his book and glanced at Willow.
"She remembered nothing about what happened at the dance?"

"Not as far as I could tell.  We studied for at least three or
four hours, and she never mentioned the dance once.  I figured
that she didn't want to talk about it, so I didn't bring it up."

"Buffy studying is proof enough that something is wrong," Giles
remarked.  "Not talking about social activities is a veritable
sign of the apocalypse.  However, I've no idea what to do.  I
couldn't find anything about the effects of resurrection in my
Watcher journals.  I doubt it's ever happened to a Slayer
before.  There has to be something in these books."

Giles returned to the dusty volumes, anxiously searching for any
clue that could help him assess the condition of the girl that
he had pledged his life to protect.  *She's been through so much
in the past year.  So much death, so much grief.  And when she
needed me the most, I could do nothing but watch the prophecy
she feared come true.  I will not allow anything more to happen
to her.*

Giles's anguished thoughts were interrupted by an angry voice.
"All right people, what is going on here?"  Everyone turned to
look at Buffy, who had just entered the room.  She stared at
Giles.  "I heard that remark about my studying ability.  Of
course, I can hear practically everything within a half-mile
from here, which, I must say, is pretty distracting.  In
addition, I suddenly despise and loathe Angel, who I apparently
almost staked at the dance.  Unfortunately, he got away."  Buffy
looked at Willow.  "Thanks for telling me last night, Will,"
Buffy said sarcastically.  "By the way, I just nearly strangled
Xander for touching my shoulder."

"Is he alright?"  Willow jumped up from the computer, full of
concern.

"As much as can be expected after such a traumatic experience.
Nothing that a few chocolate bars couldn't fix, however," said
Xander as he staggered into the lab, panting. "You've gotta
learn to slow down, Buff.  This junk-food riddled body isn't
built for that kind of exertion."  Willow, relieved, guided
Xander to a chair next to her.

"Will someone answer my question?"  Buffy picked up one of the
books littering Giles's table.  "Doesn't one of these all-
knowing prophecy books cover this situation?  Oh, wait a minute.
They probably expected me to stay dead and are now disappointed
that I managed to evade their sayings of doom."  She returned
the book to the table with a loud thump.

Giles took off his glasses and nervously started to wipe them
with his handkerchief.  "I'm afraid, Buffy, that we've been
unable to find any information on why you've, um, changed."

"Well, I hope you're able to find out before tonight, because
I've got to study for the biology test tomorrow, and I don't
need any distractions."  Buffy turned her attention to Willow,
her anger quickly subsiding as she spoke to her best friend.  "I
assume you'll help me again, right?  I can't thank you enough
for giving me a private history lesson last night, especially
since you had your computer final today."

Willow was surprised at how quickly Buffy's mood had changed.
"Hey, that's what friends are for.  Besides, computer knowledge
just comes easily to me.  I hate to say this, Ms. Calendar, but
your test was pretty simple for a final exam."  Willow smiled
softly at the teacher, who looked up from her computer.

"Perhaps if I hadn't spent the last two nights with Rupert, I
would have been able to come up with harder questions."  Ms.
Calendar stared at Giles with a mischievous look.

Buffy, Xander, and Willow glanced first at Ms. Calendar and then
at Giles, who did his best to avoid their astonished faces.
Xander was the first to recover from the shock.  "Way to go,
Giles!  I knew something was up between you two, but I didn't
think it was this far up."  He went over to the librarian and
spoke softly.  "If you ever need some advice on how to handle
women, know that I'm always available to tell you what not to
do."

"Thank you for your offer, Mr. Harris, but I'm afraid you and
your friends are gravely mistaken in your assumptions of what
happened during the night.  Ms. Calendar and I were simply
taking care of some unfinished business involving the Master's
skeleton".   Giles glared at Ms. Calendar, annoyed at her
indiscretion.

"I hope you got rid of that bastard once and for all, " Buffy
said with unaccustomed vehemence.  "'Cause I don't want to have
to fight Mr. Fruit-Punch Mouth again.  Not that it would take
much time to get rid of a loser who couldn't even take over a
high school.  It's just that I've been there and done that.
Besides, being reborn is an overrated experience - one I don't
care to repeat."  She shuddered at the thought of reliving that
horrible night.

"I'm sure the Master will pose no threat to you in the future,"
Giles stated with authority.  *I hope.*  "Unfortunately, we have
run into a few problems in finding the correct ritual to
properly dispose of his remains.  As a result, we've had to find
a safe hiding place for his bones."

"Typical.  And where would that be, pray tell?" Buffy said
wearily.

Once again, Giles removed his glasses and cleaned them - more
vigorously this time.  "Well, first we placed them, um, in the
boot of my car."

"The what?"  Buffy was now thoroughly exasperated.

Giles sighed.  *When would these children learn to understand
English?*  "The trunk."  Buffy started to open her mouth but was
stopped by Giles' hand.  "Now before you start to complain, let
me explain what happened."  Buffy sat down, knowing that Giles
was about to embark on a lengthy discourse.

"After your attack on Angel, you seemed to fall into a trance.
We told Principal Snyder that your behavior was due to some
medication you were taking and hurriedly took you home.  After
making sure that you were safe, and telling your mother you were
exhausted from the excitement of the dance, Ms. Calendar and I
returned to the library to clean up.  We had just started to
clear away the rubble when, once again, we were graced with the
presence of our beloved Principal.  Fortunately, I had already
placed the Master's corpse in my office, out of sight.  It took
all my skills of persuasion to calm Snyder down and convince him
that the condition of the room was a surprise to us as well.
After I advanced a theory that the library was demolished by
disgruntled students who couldn't obtain dates to the dance, he
went off to report the damage to the police.  We knew that we
had to remove the bones from the building before they came.
Since we were in a hurry, we put the skeleton in the first safe
place we found, which happened to be my car.  Obviously, we
couldn't keep the bones in the car indefinitely.  Someone had to
keep watch over them, especially at night, when the danger of
having them stolen is greater.  I finally thought of Angel.  If
the skeleton was kept at his apartment, he could guard it all
night long.  So Ms. Calendar helped me take the bones to him
last night, where they could stay until we could think of a
better solution."

Buffy shot up from her chair and raced towards Giles, incensed.
"You gave the Master's remains to Angel - one of his former
servants?  How could you trust one of them?  Are you that
stupid?"

"Have you forgotten that Angel, unlike other vampires, has a
human soul and has helped us many times in the past, saving all
our lives?"  Giles protested.  "Have you forgotten that you
yourself once stayed your hand and let him live because of your
love for him?"

Buffy thought of the night when her mother had been bitten by
Darla, and she had gone to the Bronze in a rage to kill Angel,
whom she had mistakenly blamed for the wound.  Angel had given
her the chance to eliminate him, but she had refused.  "That was
a moment of weakness," Buffy exclaimed.  "I allowed myself to be
taken in by his charm and good looks.  That won't work now, now
that I've been renewed and truly become the Slayer.  The demon
inside Angel will eventually overthrow his human soul, and when
it does, the consequences will be terrible.  I will not allow
that to happen.  He must be destroyed!"

By now, Buffy was in a frenzy, barely able to contain her anger.

Willow and Xander cautiously approached her, ready to restrain
her if necessary.  *If it's possible to stop her with her new
powers,* thought Willow.  Even Giles gazed with fear at the
depth of the Slayer's wrath.

Ms. Calendar, who had been uncharacteristically quiet during the
preceding activity, suddenly broke her silence.  "People, I hate
to disturb a good tirade, but I've just received a new message
from our cryptic informer, Brother Luca."  The lab was still.
"I think I can explain what's going on."

End of part 2

Feedback requested!

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

Date: Wed, 03 Sep 1997 23:37:53 -0500
From: "Matthew Wahoske" <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC:  A Fresh Start (3/?)

Part 3

TITLE: A Fresh Start (3/?)
AUTHOR: Matthew J. Wahoske
EMAIL: [e-mail]
DISTRIBUTION: Anya only.  All others ask permission.
RATING: PG - some mild language.
SYNOPSIS:  Buffy's not quite herself after being resurrected.
After almost staking Angel at the Spring Fling, the rest of the
night passes in a blur.  Now it's the Monday of finals week, and
after taking the history final, Buffy accidently attacks Xander
and learns of her exploits at the dance.  She goes off to get
help from Giles (now located in the computer lab), with Xander
following behind.  In the lab, she learns that Giles and Ms.
Calendar have given the Master's skeleton to Angel for safe
keeping.  She is incensed at this, and is about to explode when
Ms. Calendar informs the others that Brother Luca has
reappeared, allowing her to explain what's going on.
SPOILERS:  "The Pack", "Angel", and "Prophecy Girl" in
particular.  The whole first season, in general.
DISCLAIMER: Joss Whedon's fertile mind, Mutant Enemy, 20th
Century Fox, and Warner Bros. own these characters, not me.

Giles walked over to Ms. Calendar's computer terminal.  "Brother
Luca has reappeared?"  Ms. Calendar nodded.  "He's writing from
a different address now, though."

Xander raised his hand in confusion.  "Excuse me, as the
perpetually clueless member of the group, I'd like to ask: who
is this Brother Luca?"

"He's a monk who often writes words of warning to the occult
newsgroups I read,"  Ms. Calendar explained.  "Saturday morning
he sent one final message about the Anointed One, then
disappeared from the net.  He must have emerged from wherever he
was hiding, after he realized that the world was no longer in
imminent danger.  I just received this e-mail from him:  'A new
Slayer rises in the form of the old; the power of two comes
together in one.'"  Ms. Calendar came to a swift conclusion.
"It appears Buffy now has the supernatural gifts of two Slayers
within her."

Once again, silence fell over the lab, as the group took some
time to grasp the implications of the statement.  Suddenly,
Giles slammed his fist on the desk in front of him.  "Of course!
Why didn't I see this before?"  he said in frustration.  "'One
Slayer dies, the next is called.'  When Buffy died, she was
called as the next Slayer and resurrected, since she was the
only possible choice close enough to defeat the Master in time.
Being called twice, however, has given her a double portion of
the Slayer's power.  This must have increased not only her
strength, but also her hearing ability, her sensitivity to a
vampire's presence, and her connection to the role of the
Slayer, which explains her changed attitude towards Angel."
*And her vastly enlarged ego.*

Xander was now even more confused.  "Wait a minute.  If Buffy
was called again to be the Slayer, why didn't she revive until
after I performed CPR on her?"

Giles began to improvise an answer that made some sense of the
situation.  "The next Slayer could not be called until Buffy had
truly died.  Perhaps she also had to be out of danger before
being reborn.  Your moving her from the pool and attempting to
revive her brought her out of danger into a position of
relative safety."

Buffy had remained silent, lost in thought, while the others
were discussing her changed nature.  The realization of what had
happened to her gave her a new perspective on the events of the
last two days.  It was evident that the mixture of personalities
caused by the addition of the spirit of another Slayer
threatened to unhinge her mind.  The sudden mood swings and
confusion she had experienced only this morning confirmed this
diagnosis.   She resolved to end the conflict once and for all.
The dominant personality of the new Slayer took over.  The old
Buffy was gone for good.

"Guys, you don't have to talk about me in the third person like
I'm not here," Buffy said, annoyed.  She fixed her steely gaze
on her Watcher.  "So, Giles, now you have two Slayers to watch
for the price of one.  You must be overjoyed.  I think I should
expect you to double your usefulness to me.  You can start by
telling me if this condition is permanent, or whether I will
return to my overly sweet and naive former self."  She already
knew the answer.

Giles avoided direct contact with Buffy's eyes as he gave his
reply.  "There is no way to revoke the calling of a Slayer.
I'm afraid, Buffy, that you'll simply have to get used to your
new persona, as will the rest of us."

"Buffy'll be all right, won't she?" Willow asked Giles.  He
hesitated to answer, so she turned to Buffy.  "I mean, you have
been acting pretty weird lately."

Buffy laughed.  "Don't worry, Will.  It may take a
while to get used to the new me, but I'm still Buffy, just a new
and improved version."

Willow wasn't so sure about that.  From what she had seen, this
'new version' of her friend didn't seem as caring or trustworthy
as the person who came to ask her for help so many months ago.
In fact, Willow was unsure whether the new Slayer would even be
her friend now if the old Slayer hadn't been.

"Well, now that that's been settled, I'm heading home for a
while."  Buffy started to leave the lab, then looked straight at
Xander, lovingly.  "Xander, meet you around 7 at Willow's house
to study, OK?"  He slowly nodded his head.  "Great."  Right
before she reached the door, Buffy turned around and stared hard
at Giles.  "Oh, I almost forgot.  Giles, if you don't get that
skeleton away from Angel by tomorrow, I'll simply have to do it
myself, and you wouldn't want that, would you?  Things might get
a little - messy,"  Buffy said with a disturbing grin.  "See you
later!"  She left the room in a hurry.

After a while, Giles sighed and shook his head.  "It appears
that I will have an even more trying time now with Buffy than
before.  I'd better ring Angel and tell him what has transpired.
Ms. Calendar, it's possible that I may need your assistance
again tonight, if Angel and I decide to move the Master's
skeleton once again.  Will you be available?"

"Are you sure you'll need me with Angel around?" asked Ms.
Calendar.

"I would appreciate your presence.  You've been an invaluable
help recently."  Giles nervously leafed through a large book.

"Very well then, at what time will the distinguished Watcher
require my services?" Ms. Calendar said facetiously.

"Sometime soon after dark, I imagine - 10:00 PM, perhaps?"

"I'll be there."  A knowing smile formed on Ms. Calendar's face.

"Thank you," Giles replied with a small smile of his own.

"Is there something we should do?"  Willow asked Giles,
indicating her and Xander.

"I think for the moment you should merely do what you have
already planned - study with Buffy tonight.  Watch her
carefully, and notify me if anything unusual occurs."

Giles watched as Xander and Willow left the computer lab.  He
hoped that Buffy's new temperament didn't damage the friendship
of the three young students.  *I fear she will need their help
even more in the future.*

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

Later that night, Xander arrived at Willow's house an hour
early, as they had decided.  He sniffed the air as he entered
the house.  "I hope your mother has created some
confectionery delights for us to munch on."

"Don't worry, Xander.  There's a new batch of chocolate chip
cookies with your name on them waiting in the kitchen."  The
words had barely left Willow's mouth when Xander dashed by her
in search of the desired food.

After a thoroughly enjoyable meal of cookies and milk, the two
lifelong friends retired to Willow's room to discuss the problem
that faced them.

"I don't see why you're so worried about Buffy, Will.  She's
been through worse things before.  Heck, she died, remember?
She's bound to be a bit wacky for a while.  I mean, sure she did
get a bit wigged when Giles mentioned Angel, but that's not
necessarily a bad thing.  Now that she knows what happened to
her, I'm sure she'll settle down into a semblance of normalcy."
Xander emphasized his point by flopping down hard on Willow's
bed.

"I'm not so sure, Xander.  Giles said she has a new personality
now, and I don't know if I like her new look.  She didn't even
acknowledge me when she left the school this afternoon.  You,
however, received a royal invitation to come over to MY house."
Willow slumped on the floor, looking hurt and tired.

Xander, meanwhile, put his hands behind his hand and leaned back
on the bed, pleased.  "That proves she's coming to her senses -
dumping Angel, and starting to notice me.  The old Harris charm
might take a while to work, but when it does - well, let's just
say the ladies leave satisfied."

Willow now was even more upset.  "You'd better watch out,
Xander.  She may be interested in you now, but who knows for how
long?  She just turned you down a few days ago, remember?  How
long before that happens again?"

Xander sat up from the bed and looked at Willow with a grin.
"Will, if I didn't know better, I'd say you were jealous of
Buffy."

Willow avoided Xander's gaze.  "I'm not jealous, just concerned
about you.  I don't like to see you get hurt all the time."

Xander accepted Willow's denial with a nod, but he really did
know better.  Willow had a major crush on him.  He had known
ever since that awful day when he had been possessed by a hyena
and done terrible things to Willow and Buffy, not to mention
Herbert, the pig.  He didn't eat any pork for weeks.  Luckily,
neither Willow nor Buffy knew he remembered his actions.  Ever
since, he'd tried to douse Willow's fire by continually
mentioning his love for Buffy, but it hadn't worked.  Then, when
Buffy had turned him down, he thought that Willow would be there
for him, but she had turned him down as well.  It was then that
he discovered just how deeply Willow felt for him.
*Unfortunately, I just don't feel that way towards her.  I wish
she'd get the hint, and find somebody else to care about.  I
don't like to see HER hurt.*

Willow became more depressed.  "I'm tired, Xander.  Tired of
fighting for our lives, seeing our friends getting killed, and
accepting it as something normal.  At least Buffy was always
there to help and listen to me.  But now, even she's gone.  At
least, the Buffy that I knew as a friend is gone."   Willow
turned to Xander with teary eyes.  "I wish she had never come
here, Xander.  We could have had a normal life, with normal high
school problems and experiences.  Now we're all screwed up for
ever."  Willow burst into tears.

Xander quickly got off the bed and pulled Willow's sobbing body
close to him.  "Willow, Willow.  Pull yourself together.  Things
will be all right.  I don't like all the death and destruction
we've seen this year either, but we can't just close our eyes
and dream it away.  We have to face it, and part of that is
dealing with Buffy.  She hasn't changed that much, Will.  She's
still friends with us.  And if you ever need someone to talk to,
you know I'm always here - your oldest friend."  He looked
straight into her eyes, and saw the fear and apprehension in
them.  He hugged her closer.  "Now come on, Will.  Buffy'll be
here soon.  Don't forget, we have a test to study for."

Willow slowly stopped crying and moved away from Xander.  "I
guess I'll be OK.  You're right, I'll just have to deal with
living a life where witnessing death is a daily activity.  But
it's hard, Xander.  It's hard."  She stood up and looked in the
mirror.  "I look like a mess.  Would you mind waiting downstairs
while I straighten myself out?"

"No problem.  See you in a bit."   Xander left the bedroom and
went down to the living room.

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

Buffy emerged from the door of her house.  "Bye, mom!  I'll be
back by 11:00!"  It was a gorgeous evening in June.  A soft
breeze whirled through the trees.  The slowly sinking sun shone
a golden haze on the earth.  In a hour or so, the stars would
start to appear, little twinkles of light in the sky.

Buffy started to walk the mile and a half to Willow's house.
*Normal teenagers would think of love and romance on a night
like this.  Instead, I have to worry about biology and vampires
- - especially that creep, Angel.  I still can't believe Giles
trusts him.  He's obviously playing us all for fools.  At least
I see that now.  It makes me sick to think how much time I
wasted, pining over that bloodsucker.  I should have listened to
Xander all along.*

Xander.  Suddenly that name made her body tingle like Angel's
used to.  *How could I have ignored him all this time?  Xander
always was the one that really cared for me.  How many times did
he leave little hints about his feelings for me that I ignored
and rejected?  I guess I was worried about hurting Willow's
feelings too much if I went out with Xander.  That, and the fact
that Angel seemed to have some sort of spell over me.*

*Oh, well.  All that is behind me.  I realize now that Xander is
the only one I could be with.  I mean, he risked his life for me
and saved my own.  What greater love is there than that?  Willow
will just have to find somebody else to worship from afar.
Xander has been taken.*

Buffy skipped merrily down the sidewalk, all other thoughts
driven from her mind.  She grinned.  *Xander is going to have a
good time tonight.*

End of part 3

Feedback requested!

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

Date: Wed, 03 Sep 1997 23:39:25 -0500
From: "Matthew Wahoske" <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC:  A Fresh Start (4/?)

TITLE: A Fresh Start (4/?)
AUTHOR: Matthew J. Wahoske
EMAIL: [e-mail]
DISTRIBUTION: Anya only.  All others ask permission.
RATING: PG.
SYNOPSIS:  Buffy's not quite herself after being resurrected.
After almost staking Angel at the Spring Fling, the rest of the
night passes in a blur.  Now it's the Monday of finals week, and
Buffy goes off to get help from Giles (now located in the
computer lab), with Xander following behind.  In the lab, she
learns that Giles and Ms. Calendar have given the Master's
skeleton to Angel for safe keeping.  She is incensed at this,
when Ms. Calendar tells the others that Brother Luca has sent a
new prophecy that details how Buffy now has the powers of two
slayers.  The old Buffy is gone forever, replaced by a new
persona.  Willow is apprehensive about this, while Xander tries
to reassure her.  Buffy heads off to Willow's to study and also
to meet her new love, Xander.
SPOILERS:  "The Pack", "Angel", and "Prophecy Girl" in
particular.  The whole first season, in general.
DISCLAIMER: Joss Whedon's fertile mind, Mutant Enemy, 20th
Century Fox, and Warner Bros. own these characters, not me.


Xander was still waiting for Willow to emerge from her room when
the doorbell rang.  "I'll get it, Will.  It's probably Buffy,"
Xander shouted up the stairs.

He opened the door.  Buffy had a quirky smile on her face.
"Hello, Xander.  You know, I've been thinking about you all
afternoon," she said, flirtatiously.  "I must say, you're
looking mighty fine."  She came into the room, keeping her eyes
on Xander.

*I didn't know my usual mix and match outfit had such an effect
upon her.*  "You're looking pretty good yourself, Buff."  That
she did, in her tank top and patented shorter than short skirt.
"Glad to see you're feeling better now."

"Xander, I feel better than I've ever felt before.  Know why?
Because I've finally found someone who really cares about me,
makes me completely happy, and isn't an undead monster."  Buffy
looked up, put her arms around Xander, and gave him a long
passionate kiss.  Xander didn't know what to think, but he
wasn't about to do anything that might stop Buffy's display of
emotion.  He embraced Buffy and held her tightly.

It was at this moment that Willow came into the room.  She
stared incredulously at the scene unfolding before her.  A tear
started to roll down her cheek.  *No, Willow Rosenberg, you will
not let Buffy see you cry and give her that satisfaction.
Instead, you will simply confront her with dignity and
civility.*  "You move pretty quickly when you want something,
don't you, Buffy?"  Xander and Buffy quickly separated as they
noticed Willow's presence.

Buffy regained her composure.  "Yeah, Will.  I don't believe in
wasting my time by being too scared to express my feelings.  You
know my philosophy:  Seize the moment, remember?  Maybe you
should have followed it."

*Maybe I should have.*  Willow decided, there and then, to quit
hiding her love for Xander.  *It's gotten me nowhere and led to
this.*  "Well, Buffy, maybe there's still time to do just that."

She looked at Xander with an ultimate expression of love and
sadness.  "Xander, there's something you should know."

*Oh, boy,* thought Xander.  *Here it comes.  Just what I was
hoping I wouldn't have to face.*

"Xander, I love you.  I've loved you for as long as I can
remember.  I know I should have told you this long ago, but I
was so worried that you wouldn't take me seriously and consider
it a joke that I kept my thoughts hidden from you."  Willow
started to walk slowly towards Xander.  "But I can't hide them
any longer.  I need to know what you think, who you really
love."  She now stood directly in front of him, her eyes fixed
on his.  "So, Xander, who's your choice?  Me or Buffy?"

*God, how can I answer her without hurting her?  I can't.  How
do I explain that I don't love her the way I love Buffy?*
Xander agonized over the decision.  *I guess the only fair thing
to do is tell her the truth.*  He sighed and looked meaningfully
at Buffy.  She understood and left the room, going into the
kitchen.  "Willow, you know that I'm your best friend, and I
wouldn't ever do anything to hurt you, but I'm afraid I just
don't love you the same way that you love me - the way that I
love Buffy.  I can't explain it - I just know that when I feel
complete when she's around."

He leaned closer to Willow.  "I can't say I particularly like
the way Buffy's been acting recently, but I also know that I'll
always stick by her - whatever happens.  I guess that's what
love's all about.  I'm sorry that I can't give you what you
deserve - someone who will love you without a thought for
himself, living only for you."

Willow looked deeply into Xander's eyes, tears starting to flow
down her cheeks.  "Xander, I'm not sure that someone even
exists."

Xander held her as he did just an hour before in her bedroom,
giving her a caring hug.  "And I'm sure that there is such a
person.  There has to be for someone as special as you.  I
only wish for your sake that I was that person."  The embrace
lasted for only a moment, but for Willow it seemed like an
eternity had passed, and her dreams had gone with it.

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

The biology test was finally over.  For Xander and Buffy, it had
not gone well.  Last night hadn't provided much in the way of
needed information.  After an awkward, unproductive hour of
studying, the group had decided to call it a night.

Willow hadn't felt much like studying anyway, especially when
most of the benefit would go to Xander and Buffy, neither of
whom were high on her best friend list at the moment.  True,
Buffy had belatedly expressed sympathy for Willow's plight, but
that hadn't really changed matters any.  Willow had performed
fairly well on the test - not up to her usual standards, but
good enough to easily secure at worst an A-.

As Xander and Buffy moved off to the computer lab in a daze,
Willow stayed behind.  *Who needs me around anymore?  I'm sure
Ms. Summers and her clueless companion won't even notice I'm
missing.  Even Giles has Ms. Calendar to hack the computer
system for him now.  I might as well face the facts; I can't be
of use to anyone around here.*  Willow moved slowly down the
corridor, heading for the exit.  *At least, I won't have to
worry about facing any more monsters.  I can return to being the
typical unsuspecting high school student.*  As much as she
wanted it to, the thought failed to cheer her up.

- ----------------------------------------------------------------
Xander and Buffy burst through the door of the lab.  Giles was
alone, studying another of his seemingly endless supply of
ancient texts.  "Hey Giles," Buffy beckoned, "do you have any
new doom and gloom prophecies that will make us forget the
strange alien world of biology?"

"I take it that the exam did not proceed as well as you hoped?"
Giles looked at the pair with a searching look.  "Didn't Willow
provide you two with sufficient information to at least appear
to have some knowledge of the required subject?"  The mention of
Willow gave Xander a guilty feeling, something Giles easily
noticed.  "Where is she anyway?  I was hoping she could look up
a particularly interesting reference to the Anointed One that I
found overnight."

Buffy spoke up.  "Well, you see, Giles, Willow has sort of been
avoiding us this morning, probably because Xander and I have
decided to become a couple."  She beamed at Xander and held him
close.  Xander weakly smiled back.  "After she gets over it, I
imagine she'll return to the group.  If not, it's her loss.  If
she doesn't want to be involved in saving the world anymore,
that's just too bad."

Giles was amazed to hear Buffy speak so casually about Willow's
absence.  *The change in Buffy's persona must be more pronounced
than I thought.*  "I hope you're right.  I'd hate to lose her
researching ability."  *And her pleasant smile.*  "Is there
anything else you need?  I'm afraid I don't have any 'doom and
gloom' prophecies to deliver."  Giles started to return to his
reading.

"As a matter of fact, Giles, there is."  Buffy now spoke with
authority and sternly faced her Watcher.  "There's the little
matter of the Master's skeleton.  I assume you retrieved it from
our so-called vampire friend, Angel?  If not, you'd better
explain why and fast.  After that test, I don't have much
patience left."

Giles sighed and looked up at the Slayer.  "Don't worry, Buffy.
I've dealt with the matter.  The Master's skeleton is now a
prominent part of my home furnishing.  I wouldn't bother about
Angel, either.  He's likely to keep some distance from you now
after what happened at the dance."  Giles looked back at his
book.  *There's not much chance of that happening.  Even after I
urged him to leave, he refused and promised to secretly watch
over my house at night.  I'd better try to keep Buffy unaware,
however, if it's possible.*

Buffy seemed satisfied and motioned to Xander to leave.  "You're
right, Giles.  I won't worry.  I doubt he'll still be around to
bother us - after tonight."  Flashing a quick smile, she left
with Xander in tow.

Giles only caught a glimpse of them as they left.  *I suppose
I'll have to worry for you, then.*

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

Xander rushed to catch up with Buffy as she left the school.
"Hey, Buff.  What did you mean back there?  Are you going after
Angel tonight?  'Cause if you are, I'd like to go with you."
*Mostly to make sure Buffy doesn't get into too much trouble
without anyone there to help.*  "You know, Angel's reputation
says he's pretty tough to take down."

Buffy stopped and laughed.  "And I suppose I'm a pushover.
Remember, dear, I have the powers of two Slayers now.  I think I
can handle one lousy vampire, even if he is the most annoying
creature on earth.  I don't think I'll need your help.  I love
you, Xander, but you'd only get in the way.  I wouldn't want to
see you get hurt."  She started on her way again.

"You sure about this?  Don't forget, couples who slay together
stay together,"  Xander persisted.

Once again, Buffy stopped.  This time she looked angrily at
Xander.  "Listen, darling, you'd better do what I say.  I'm the
Slayer, not you, and if I don't want you around to bother me,
you'd best not be there, or else you might regret it,
understand?"  She smiled.  "Besides, I need you to be there for
me after the slaying, so I can - relax."  She snuggled close to
Xander.

As they walked down the street together, Xander was deep in
thought.  *Willow was right.  This new Buffy is a nut case.  I
can't leave her, though.  Who knows what will happen tonight if
she goes out in this condition?  I'd better follow her at a
discreet distance.*

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

The dark, cloudy night perfectly suited Willow's mood.  She
needed to walk off the feelings of depression she felt, so after
the late supper provided by her family, she had decided to go
outside.  Although she knew the danger that the streets of
Sunnydale presented to the unwary at night, Willow reasoned that
after closing the Hellmouth and killing their leader, any
vampires left wouldn't dare come out for at least a few weeks.
That hadn't stopped her from bringing along a stake and some
holy water, just in case.

She felt herself drawn to the cemetery, specifically to the
mausoleum that had been the start of her association with the
undead.  She needed to close this chapter of her life by facing
her fears, before she could forget everything that involved
Buffy and the havoc that had entered her previously mundane
existence.

As she approached the forbidding tomb, she was too preoccupied
to notice the slight movement that followed her own.  She never
saw the vampire until it was already upon her.


End of part 4.

Feedback requested!

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

Date: Thu, 4 Sep 1997 07:53:37 -0700
From: [e-mail] (Elizabeth Ann Lewis)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Summer Vacation -- Xander (1/3)

What I Did On My Summer Vacation... Xander
by Elizabeth Ann Lewis
Disclaimers:  See Author's Notes
[e-mail]

        Xander was bored.  Truly, deeply, sincerely bored.  Video games
lost their interest after the first week or so.  Trying to convince his
parents that he really needed a car of his own killed a few days.  Hitting
the blockbusters was a way to spend afternoons a couple times a week.  He'd
done the part time job bit over spring break, working in Buffy's mother's
gallery, and really didn't want to do that again.
        Why was it that he never remembered how boring summer was when he
was in school?
        That was when he had his Truly Brilliant Idea:  Camping trip.  A
week out in the wilderness, man against nature.  Well, men against nature.
He didn't want to go alone.  So he called up Wendell and Pete and Josh and
told them of his Truly Brilliant Idea.  Since they were as bored as he was,
they went for it.
        Planning took care of a week.  They needed tents, backpacks, hiking
shoes, food, insect repellent.... His mother asked him if he was planning
the Normandy Invasion.  A phone call from Willow barely stirred the edge of
his interest.  The Trip was all.
        Xander's mom drove the four boys to a popular camp site in the
nearby Santa Trista mountains.  "I'll be here on Friday to pick you up,
right?" she asked anxiously.
        "Sure, Mom," Xander said, hefting his backpack.
        "Be careful!  Watch out for snakes!  And scorpions!  A scorpion
sting could kill you!"
        "Actually, Mrs. Harris, out of ten species of scorpions that live
in the Southwest, only one kind is of any danger to humans, and that only
to children and the elderly--"
        Xander slapped a hand over Wendell's mouth.  "We'll be careful,
Mom.  Promise.  Bye now."
        Finally, the only thing that remained of parental worry and fussing
was a dust cloud in the distance.  The four boys looked at each other.
"Okay, now what?" Pete asked.
        "Um... we start walking, right?  I mean, there are a lot of trails
around here," Josh turned in a slow circle.  The sun was beating down on
them intensely, and the wind was blowing grit into their eyes.
        "Well, we can't just stand here," Xander said finally.  At random,
he picked a trail.  "Okay, we're going that way."
        Slowly, the four boys shouldered their packs and set off into the
vast reaches of uncharted wilderness.
********
        "Why did we decide to do this, again?" Josh panted.  "Hold on, I've
got to stop."
        "Come on," Xander urged, bouncing from one foot to the other.  The
diffuse light under the trees was cool, and they walked on a cushion of
pine needles.  "Think of it:  Making it in the great outdoors, meeting
Nature on her own terms.  We're strong!  We're proud!"
        "I'm getting a blister!" Pete whined.
        "Hey, you were the one who wanted to go fishing, right?"
        "We've been walking for three hours.  Can't we make camp?" Josh
asked, sagging against an equally tired looking pine.
        "What, now you want to wuss out on me?" Xander asked.
        Josh and Xander started to go toe-to-toe.  Wendell intervened.
"Hey!  Let's walk another hour, okay?  If we hit a stream before then,
we'll stop.  We'll need more water by tomorrow anyway.  If we don't hit a
stream, we'll camp there, and go looking for water in the morning."
        Josh looked like he badly wanted to take a swing, but shrugged and
said, "Okay."
        "Fine by me," Xander said, reeling his chin back in.
        Luckily for Xander's chin, Josh's temper and Pete's blisters, they
found a beautiful clear stream in less than fifteen minutes.  A small
clearing sat near the bank, and the four boys set up camp for the duration.
There was a rock formation a half-mile away for climbing, the stream for
fishing and swimming, and the woods to wander in.  The perfect campsite.
        Tempers restored, the boys stripped down to their shorts and had a
noisy water fight before pulling out their packed rations.  "Tomorrow,
fresh fish!" Pete bragged.
        "Yeah, yeah, I'll believe it when I see it," Xander dead-panned.
Pete threw pine needles at him.
        They carefully cleared ground for a fire, circling it with rocks,
gathering kindling.  "Guess all those years as boy scouts paid off, huh?"
asked Wendell.
        "Remember Troop Leader Bently?" Josh snickered.
        "Yeah.  How did he become a troop leader?  His knot was a little
less than half-hitched.  His piece of wood was half-whittled.  His merit
badge had a few demerits.  His--"
        "We get the point, Xander," Wendell cut him off.  "At least he
taught us the rudiments of cooking on the trail."  Wendell tossed Xander
the pot and a can of beans.  "And, if I remember correctly, you were his
prize student."
        "Oh, man," Xander muttered.  "One tuna casserole, and I'm the King
of Home Ec for life..."
        Exhausted, the guys crashed early, arraigning their sleeping bags
around the banked fire.  Xander woke only once during the night, to hear
Wendell muttering in his sleep, "Get them off me!  Get them off me!"
        ~Man, he's remembering the spiders,~ Xander thought with a little
shudder.  It hadn't taken him, Buffy, Willow and Giles long to figure out
that only the people present in Billy's hospital room when the little
dreamweaver woke up remembered the nightmares that had come true.  Which
was a vast comfort to Xander, but weird now, since he knew exactly what
Wendell was dreaming about.
        "Just hope the dream doesn't come true," Xander murmured sleepily,
dropping easily back asleep.
********
        "*That's* your big catch?" Josh hooted with laughter.  In the
slanting, setting sun, the string of three goldfish-sized fish that Pete
held up glimmered with tiny sparks of silver.  "Oh, yeah, I can see that
you're going to feed us.  Wow, you think we'll be able to eat all that?"
        "Josh, you're being a butt-head," Xander said mildly.  "Shut up."
        Pete looked at his catch.  "I think we scared away all the fish
when we went swimming.  Or maybe it was that I didn't start until noon.
Aren't you supposed to fish in the morning?"
        Wendell clapped Pete on the shoulder.  "So get up early tomorrow
and fish before we disturb the fishes."
        Pete's troubled face cleared.  "Yeah.  Good idea."
        Josh pulled out a radio and popped in the demo tape for a band that
played in the Bronze, and rock floated through the pine trees.  Twilight
slid into full dark, but none of the boys was as tired as they had been the
day before.
        "You know what we need?" Wendell asked, tossing another stick on
the fire.
        "Marshmallows?" Josh asked.
        "Yeah, marshmallows.  And chocolate and graham crackers.  'Smores!"
Pete enthused.
        Xander groaned and turned over onto his stomach, staring into the
fire.  "Torture me, why don't you?  Here we are, camping, and not a 'smore
in sight."
        Silence reigned for a few moments, until Wendell said in a dark and
spooky voice, "Then how about ghost stories?"
        Pete sat up.  "Cool!  Yeah!"
        "Who starts?" Josh asked.
        "We'll tell one every night," Wendell improvised.  "And whoever's
is the scariest, wins.  And since I thought up this contest, I'll go
first."
        The other boys settled back down, drowsing in the firelight, and
waited to be scared.
        "Okay, so there was this guy and girl.  And they went out to a
quiet hill to make out.  And while they were there, they heard this report
on the radio that this guy had escaped from the Correctional Facility, and
that everyone should be inside tonight, because--"
        "Aw, man, I know this one," Josh groaned.
        "Shut up," Wendell told him calmly.  "Let me tell it.  Anyway, this
guy was really scary.  He apparently had Hannibal Lecter as a role model.
He had a particular fondness for eyeballs.  In his trial, he said they were
the tenderest part of the human body.  When he was in jail, the other
inmates were really freaked by the fact that he was a cannibal, and one of
them cut off his hand and pretended to eat it.  So ever since then, this
guy had worn a hook on his arm.  And he sharpens it regularly, to a
gleaming silver point.  And he used it to tear the guy who cut his hand off
to pieces.
        "So this guy and girl hear about this guy on the radio, and she
wants to book.  Especially since the guard there was found in pieces --
with his eyeballs missing.  The guy was just getting lucky, so he tries to
talk her out of it.  'What? Like he's going to come all this way and bother
us? Yeah, right.'  She's really scared.  'I think we should go now.'"
        The three other boys snickered softly at Wendell's sudden,
trembling falsetto for the girl's voice, but settled quickly back into
listening mode, caught by the story and Wendell's storyteller's cadence.
        "But she keeps thinking that she hears something, sees something.
A shadow.  A footstep.  She's really wigging out now.  Finally, the guy
gave up, and started the engine.  The car wouldn't move for a second -- it
was like they were caught on something.  He started getting freaked and
floored it, and after a moment, they shot out of there.  He drives her
home, and she's shaking too hard to get out of the car, so he gets out and
goes around to her side to let her out."
        Wendell paused dramatically.  "And there was a bloody hook on the
door handle, sharpened to a gleaming silver point."
        "WHOOOOOOO!"
        "Arrrrrgh!" Pete screamed, and dived under his sleeping bag.  A few
minutes later he came back out, sheepishly grinning at his friends who were
howling with laughter.  "It was an owl.  I knew that."
        "I'm going tomorrow," Josh stated.
        "If you think you can top that one," Wendell told him.
        "Yeah, I've got a good one my dad told me.  No prob.  No, wait, I
wanna go last."
        "I'll tell one tomorrow night," Pete volunteered.
        "Fine by me," Wendell shrugged.  "You're still not going to be able
to top mine."
        "Will to," Josh taunted.
        "Will not."
        "Will to!"
        "Will not!"
        "Boys!" Xander shouted.  "Can we please pretend we're not eight
years old?"
        A few minutes later, all four of them settled down to sleep.  This
time, Xander didn't wake to hear if Wendell had any nightmares about
spiders.
        He did wake up when Pete rose just before dawn to try for a better
catch.  Yawning, he untangled himself from his sleeping bag and went to
take care of certain morning necessities.  Still sleepy, he decided to head
back to bed when the scent of freshly-cut wood accosted him.
        Confused, he looked around.  They hadn't cut any wood for their
fires.  There was more than enough deadfall, and they wouldn't be able to
dry out enough live wood in the time they were there to make it worth the
effort.
        After a moment, he saw which tree was releasing the scent.  On the
dark bark, he could see deep, deep gouges, the wounds showing white and
clean.  Freshly made.
        And they looked like they had been made by a hook, sharpened to a
gleaming silver point.
- -~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~
Continued in Part 2...

High Priestess Lizbet of the Cult of Joss -~*~- {{>AGA<}}
[e-mail] ~*~ [e-mail] ~*~ Keeper of Joss's Evil Brain
SunS List Co-Mummy:  "If the Apocalypse comes, beep me." ~*~
"God made relativity and God made marijuana and the two are not entirely
unrelated." -- Boo   ~*~  http://www.primenet.com/~lizbet/

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

End of buffyfic Digest V1 #27
*****************************

To subscribe to buffyfic Digest, send the command:

    subscribe buffyfic-digest

in the body of a message to "[e-mail]".  If you want to
subscribe something other than the account the mail is coming from, such
as a local redistribution list, then append that address to the
"subscribe" command; for example, to subscribe "local-buffyfic":

    subscribe buffyfic-digest [e-mail]

A non-digest (direct mail) version of this list is also available; to
subscribe to that instead, replace all instances of "buffyfic-digest"
in the commands above with "buffyfic".

Back issues are available for anonymous FTP from ftp.xmission.com, in
pub/lists/buffyfic/archive.  These are organized by date.