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buffyfic Digest       Friday, September 19 1997       Volume 01 : Number 033



In this issue:

    BUFFYFIC: Gone 3:  The God of Nine Walls Part 12/14 by JJ
    BUFFYFIC: Secret World of Willow (04/?) by D.Spence
    BUFFYFIC: MiB: Hellmouth (03/?) by D.Spence
    BUFFYFIC: Gone 3: The God of Nine Walls 13/14 by JJ

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, 18 Sep 1997 21:48:29 -0400
From: Jesse Jou <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Gone 3:  The God of Nine Walls Part 12/14 by JJ

This part will either be an enormous misstep or pull the entire story
together.  I'm not sure which.  You decide.  Thanks to everyone who've been
providing feedback.  It's meant a lot and been very helpful.

I warn you that this part has scenes of graphic violence in it.

JJ

Title:  Gone 3:  The God of Nine Walls
Author:  JJ
email address: [e-mail]
Distribution:  With permission of the author
Spoiler Warning:  No spoilers for any real episode
Rating:  PG-13/R for violence
Warnings:  Mild language.  Violence.
Classification: UTB
Summary:   Both Anya's Gone... and my Gone II can be found on the Slayer's
Fanfic Archive.  I would recommend reading the previous stories, but all
you really need to know is that Willow was turned into a quasivampiric
killer by the Anointed One and had to leave Sunnydale after her death was
faked.  Buffy and Xander grieved, finding out their friend was lost to them
forever.
Disclaimer:  I don't own these characters except for the ones who haven't
shown up on the show; Joss Whedon, the WB, and their associated production
companies do.  Our Lady of Demonic Assassinations is the invention of my
evil twin sister, Lisa Rose.  I'm also not making a red cent of any of
this, so there's no point in suing me.

Part 12

Every ten yards a small bulb threw off weak light that illuminated the
tunnels below Sunnydale.  Neither Hecate nor Angel needed the light to see,
each driven by acute supernatural senses and a preternatural speed, yet
they seemed to rush from light to light, the darkness between the tiny
beacons almost suffocating them.

"You don't like me, do you?" Hecate asked, Angel leading in front.

"No," he answered, not bothering to look at her.

She watched the back of his head carefully, then whined exaggeratedly, "Are
we there yet?"

"Almost."

She reached out and stopped him, forcing him to face her.  "Wait up."

"What?" he demanded impatiently.

She reached behind her neck and unfastened the clasp of her necklace.
Reverently she lifted it around his neck and fixed it.  He lifted the
pendant suspiciously.  "What's this?"

"Consider it a gift from your goddess to her champion," she offered, her
tone slightly embarrassed.

He was puzzled.  "Should I thank you?"

She smiled enigmatically.  "Probably not.  Lead on, MacDuff."

He shrugged and continued down the passageway.
- ---
A few tunnels over, Willow kept Xander close to her.  He had stumbled twice
until his eyes adjusted to the darkness.  He remembered the last time he
had been down here.  They had been running from the vampires, up into the
school, to the boiler room... He stopped himself, shaking away memory to
focus on the task at hand.  He could feel Willow's hand tighten around his
as they went deeper into the earth.  She seemed visibly disturbed, her eyes
darting around anxiously.  Then he remembered that the last time she had
been down in these tunnels, it had cost her her humanity.  They had lost 18
years.

They reached a junction of several tunnels, each heading off into a
different direction.   Steel piping was strewn around the ground,
apparently surplus materials abandoned there by a work crew.  The ceiling
at this juncture was higher than in the tunnel they had just left, and a
bright bulb hanging from it lit the area.  Willow released his hand as she
considered the directions.  Then they heard it.  The tinkling bells.
Xander tensed, but he saw Willow's body relax into a fighter's stance, as
she carefully tried to localize the sound down each of the dark tunnels.

"What is that?" he whispered.

"Shh," she warned him.  "He's coming."

Suddenly there was a blur of motion behind them, racing from one tunnel
into another.  Xander started, while Willow wheeled around, fists at the
ready.  She slowly began to walk over to the tunnel that the sound had
disappeared down.  Xander trailed behind her, picking up a length of pipe
as a weapon.  As Willow peered down the dark tunnel, Xander felt a
qualitative shift in the light from above.  It was getting darker.  He
slowly looked up.  A shadow fell towards him.  He screamed.
- ---
They emerged into the Master's throne room, in the sunken church above the
Hellmouth.  In the center of the room was a circle defined carefully by lit
candles.  In the center of the circle was a body, staked out and
spreadeagled, naked and mutilated.  The overweight body was slit open from
the bottom of the sternum to the top of the crotch, its intestines spilling
out on the ground.  A bloody knife lay on the ground beside him.  His face
was missing.

Hecate stepped gingerly to the body and carefully read the fall of the
intestines on the ground.  "Scapino's work," she told Angel, who looked at
the murky pool from which he had dragged Buffy's still body many years ago,
on the night she killed the Master.  There was something floating on its
surface; he reached down and lifted it out.

"I found his face," he said quietly, handing the bloody artifact to the
goddess, who gently set it back on the corpse.

"No vampires around," she observed.

"The Anointed One is dead,"  he explained.  "They would have sought
protection from a stronger master elsewhere."

She nodded at the sensible suggestion.  "That's not all.  Our little psycho
was doing a little augury while feeding his master."  She pointed at the
spilled guts.  "This is still fresh.  He knows Willow and Xander are down
here.  I'm assuming he's gone after them."

Angel fidgeted with the necklace around his neck, which had begun to feel
strangely warm.  Suddenly his acute hearing detected muffled struggling
nearby.  He followed it to a small alcove, poorly lit, where he could make
out the outline of a human being.  He reached for it, but it pulled away
violently, agitatedly.

"It's okay," he said soothingly, "We're hear to help you."

The man relaxed and let Angel slowly pull him into the light.  It was a
young man with dark hair and a goatee, squinting as he emerged from the
darkness.  Angel undid the gag.  "What's your name?"

"Chris,"  the young man mumbled, his face stained with dried tears as Angel
undid the rope around his ankles and wrist.

"Thank god you're here.  She's crazy.  I heard her kill Dr. Abercrombie.
Oh god,"  Chris  moaned, catching sight of the professor's remains in the
circle, then staggering over to the pool and vomiting into it.

"Her?"  Hecate wondered out loud.
- ---
Xander screamed as Willow tackled the Prince of the Autopsy in midair.
Both hit the ground and rolled to their feet assuming combatant's
positions.  "You must be Scapino.  You're smaller than I thought you would
be,"  Willow observed coldly, assessing the short, brightly dressed clown
with the jingling bells as they circled around each other.  "Muscles and
all that.  You're pretty spry."

Xander's first reaction at the sight of the two was, "Clown.  Must run."
But he swallowed that childhood fear and backed up against one of the
tunnel entrances, clutching the pipe in his hand tightly.

The Prince reached into the pouch by his side and drew out a silver
scalpel, swiping it like a switchblade at Willow, who leapt back then took
the opening to kick the demon in the chest.  He recovered quickly and
attacked her again, but Willow grabbed him by the wrist and twisted his arm
behind his back.  With a grunt, she lifted Scapino into the air and slammed
him into the ground, planting her foot into his shoulder as she gave the
arm another twist.  Scapino dropped the scalpel, which landed with a clink
against the concrete floor.  The clown's leg swept out suddenly and knocked
Willow off her footing.  She fell onto her back, but popped back up.   The
two fighters leapt at each in a blur of punches and kicks.  Xander watched
the fight, amazed by the lethal grace in their battle.  Every move the
Prince made, Willow countered with deadly precision.  Willow's blows were
likewise parried with accuracy.  They were too evenly matched at first.
Suddenly the Prince landed a roundhouse kick to the side of Willow's head,
staggering her briefly.  He followed with a powerful punch to the stomach
that winded the girl, then kneed her to the head as she fell forward,
knocking her unconscious.

Xander watched as the demon picked up his scalpel, pulling Willow's head up
by her hair.

*If it looks like I'm losing, you run.*  "Like hell," he thought rushing
forward and smashing the pipe against the small demon's back.  Scapino
dropped Willow and turned towards him, giggling loudly and inhumanly.

Xander froze.  He knew that sound.  Vaguely, the memory of a phone call
from Joyce Summers returned to him.  Buffy's home.  Then that chilling
sound and silence.  "Is it you?" he asked in bewilderment, holding up the
bent pipe between them.

The porcelain facemask was unmoved, its distorted smirk taunting him, as
the Prince of the Autopsy strode towards him raising its scalpel in the
air.  "Is it you?!" Xander repeated, his voice insistent.

"Let's find out."

Willow's hand grabbed the raised wrist from behind, twisting it again
around Scapino's back.  She heard a crunch as, this time, she dislocated
the clown's arm.  With her other hand, she stuck two fingers into the
eyeholes of the mask, locking onto it and yanking upwards.  There was the
tearing of fabric as the jester's cap fell off his head.  Dark blonde hair
long unwashed and uncut fell down.  Xander's eyes grew wide.

The Prince of the Autopsy was a woman.  And her name had been Buffy Summers.

And the scream that came out of her mouth was monstrous.
- ---
The soft earth shifted beneath their feet.  Hecate looked down.  She could
feel the God of Nine Walls, burrowing his way to freedom.  Her throat tight
with panic, she turned to Chris, "I'm going to send you back to the
surface.  Get out of town.  Go to Cortona, Italy, and find a Brother Luca
at the Monastery of Our Lady of Demonic Assassinations.  I'd send you there
now, but I can't spare the power.  Tell him what you saw and what happened
here."

"I don't understand,"  Chris murmured, wiping the spittle from his mouth.

"Remember," Hecate said, staring him forcefully in the eyes.  She drew a
quick circle in the air which exploded into a bright wall of light.  She
shoved him through it and the wall disappeared.

Angel had felt the rumbling under the earth as well.  The necklace he wore
began to burn him;  he yelped loudly, reaching to yank it off, but the
goddess stopped him, dragging him into the circle where Dr. Abercrombie's
body still remained.  She crossed her forearms and raised her hands to the
level of her face, closing her eyes and chanting under her breath.  She
began to give off a soft white glow that grew wider and brighter,
illuminating the chamber they were in.  It was moonlight.  The ground below
them began to rumble visibly now, but the glow spread out further, out of
the church and into the electrical tunnels, like a wave of light flooding
the vasculature of the undercity.
- ---
Willow held what had once been Buffy tightly as the demon struggled against
her.  Both Willow and Xander had felt the minor trembles rumble beneath
them and looked at each other with shared fear.  Scapino made deep guttural
sounds of triumph as the rumbling grew louder.  Suddenly, they felt the
first wave of white light hit them, its calming influence alleviating their
growing dis-ease.  The Prince of the Autopsy howled in anger, using its
good arm and the moment of distraction to elbow Willow in the stomach and
break free.

Xander rushed to help her, but Scapino stopped him, reaching into its pouch
and taking out a small wax doll.  Willow watched in horror as the thing
brought the doll up to Buffy's lips and took a bite out of the figurine's
midsection.  Xander howled in pain and crumpled to the ground, the front of
his shirt beginning to stain with blood.  Buffy-Scapino spat out the chunk
of wax and threw the doll on the ground, then ran off into the tunnels,
clutching its useless arm.

"Xander!"  Willow screamed.
- ---
Hecate lowered her hands, her face scrunched in discomfort.

"Are you alright?"  Angel asked, ignoring the intense burning on his chest
from the necklace.

She nodded, bending down to pick up the bloody knife beside the body.
"That should hold him temporarily.  And now, bat boy, the reason why you're
here."

"I don't understand," he said, trying to back out of the circle, but
finding that he couldn't.

"Near the beginning," she said, lifting the knife. "The Old Ones trapped
the God of Nine Walls by sacrificing their children to him.  And you, Child
of the Old Ones, are going to be the one that ends this for good."
- ---
Chris blinked suddenly  and realized he was back in the parking lot of City
Hall.  There was a fierce wind that tore across his face and whistled
violently in his ears.  Squinting he looked up and saw the dark clouds
above rolling angrily through the sky.  But where was the moon?
- ----
End Part 12

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

Date: Fri, 19 Sep 1997 18:48:54 -0400 (EDT)
From: [e-mail]
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Secret World of Willow (04/?) by D.Spence

There is a bit of teen angst here. I decided to let Willow vent a
little. Of all the characters on the show, I've always admired her
the most (which is why I chose her as the star of this story).

                         *   *   *   *   *

TITLE: The Secret World of Willow Rosenberg
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: PG13
CONTENT WARNING: This story depicts scenes of violence and/or their
    aftermath. If depictions of this nature disturb you, you may
    wish to read something other than this story.
CLASSIFICATION: C - Crossover with "The Secret World of Alex Mack"
SUMMARY: The new girl at Sunnydale has a weird secret all her own -
    one that Willow will soon share.
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 Warner Brothers Television Network. Alex Mack, her
    family, Danielle Atron and all other characters who have
    appeared in the series "The Secret World of Alex Mack" together
    with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright
    property of Viacom International, MTV Networks, Nickelodeon
    Television Network, Nickelodeon Productions, Hallmark
    Entertainment, and Lynch Entertainment. 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. I'm too broke to be sued,
    anyway. (But if anybody thinks my literary skill presents that
    much a risk, feel free to *HIRE* me!)

                         *   *   *   *   *

                The Secret World of Willow Rosenberg
                      (a BtVS/SWAM crossover)
            by Dalton S. Spence <[e-mail]>

         "I guess I'm not so ordinary anymore." - Alex Mack

*Part 4*

Alex moved to the window. "First rule: ALWAYS check for witnesses."
She'd done this so many times that she had closed the blinds and
turned away before her brain registered the sight of a dark figure
leaning against a lamppost watching her house.

Waving Willow into silence, Alex zapped the light switch to darken
the room, then peered through the blinds at the intruder. The sky
was still light enough out so that the streetlamp was not yet lit,
but the sun had definitely set while they had been talking, and the
figure below was further obsured by the overhanging branches of a
nearby tree. Suddenly the streetlight came on, and Alex could see
him clearly for the first time. "Wow," she gasped in delight, "that
guy *HAS* to be a vampire! Nothing mortal could look that good."

Intrigued, Willow joined her at the window. She smiled in relief as
he apparently sensed their observation and sketched a brief salute.
"You're right, but don't worry, he's on our side," she informed
Alex, "His name is Angel, and he's a ... friend of Buffy. She
probably sent him over to keep an eye on us."

Alex was skeptical. "A `friend', huh? And just how does a vampire
become a `friend' of a Slayer? From what Mr. Giles said, I thought
they were all evil incarnate."

Willow was a bit startled to hear the librarian referred to so
formally, then a bit more so when she realized that *she* hadn't
done so in a very long time. //The old Willow wouldn't have dreamed
of speaking to or of a staff member by just his last name. I guess
fighting the forces of darkness leaves little room for formality.//
Remembering Alex's question, she answered, "Well, most of them are.
He used to be, but about eighty years ago he killed a gypsy girl,
and her clan cursed him with the return of his soul. Since then,
he's been one of the good guys."

"And now he helps Buffy `to repay society for his sins' I suppose,"
Alex sighed.

"Well, there *is* that," Willow admitted, "but these days I think
it's mostly Buffy."

"Does he have a master who's constantly trying to bring him back to
the fold?"

"The Master ... oh, you mean the one who brought him across. That
would have been Darla. He dusted her when she tried to kill Buffy."

"Eww, way harsh!" Alex grimaced.

Willow looked at Alex, feeling a sudden sympathy with Giles and his
dealings with Buffy. "Harsh is the way life *is* on the Hellmouth,"
she said seriously, "This isn't some TV show you can turn off and
write fanfic about to change the ending. Friends, people I've known
my entire life are *DEAD* because of vampires, and they won't be
coming back -- and if they did, they'd just be demons in disguise,
and Buffy would have to drive a stake through their hearts. You
*HAVE* to understand this is real, or it could kill you too."

//Wow, she's not only as smart as Annie, she sounds like her too.//
As Alex looked into Willow's haunted eyes, she felt a little ashamed
at her dismissal of this situation as merely a different kind of
weirdness. For the first time since she had moved to Sunnydale, she
was *GLAD* Ray and the others had stayed behind in Paradise Valley,
and that her sister was on the other side of the country. At least
in Paradise Valley, the enemy was human, and the danger was hers
alone. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"Nobody does, except for us. Oh, they know people have died or
disappeared, but no one else understands how or why. I've had to go
to their funerals, watch their families grieve, and remain silent.
That's the hardest part sometimes. Knowing, and not being able to
explain."

Playing for time to think of something to say, Alex used her TK to
turn on the lights and bring the computer box to the floor. "I wish
I could say `I can imagine' but I can't. Not yet, anyway. At least
you have your friends, so you aren't totally alone."

"Yeah," she said bitterly, "my friends. A guy I'm totally hung up on
who sees me as just his `best bud', the beautiful blond superheroine
that he has the hots for, and a forty-something librarian whose idea
of a hot time is a cup of tea and a good book, preferably an ancient
tome in a forgotten language containing apocalyptic prophecies. They
mean well, and they've put their lives on the line for me on more
than one occasion, but sometimes I think they only want me for my
brain." She idly opened the box, and reaching inside lifted out the
carefully packed monitor with her hands and placed it down on a
clear space on a nearby table.

"I'm sure that's not true," protested Alex, remembering the times
Annie had made the same complaint.

Willow sighed. "I know that. Really, I do! I guess I'm just a little
scared, and needed to vent a bit. I'm fine now." To prove it, she
lifted the CPU out of the box with her TK, quickly stripped off the
wrapping from it and the monitor (exposing the wire-mesh shielding
encasing both components), set the CPU on the floor beside the table
and connected the monitor cable to it.

"Trust me on this," said Alex, quite impressed with the skill her
protege had just shown, "once I've trained you to control and use
your powers, your brain is the last thing they'll think about." Not
about to be out done, she telekinetically extracted the keyboard and
the mouse (which were also shielded with special surge-protected
connectors), and placed them on the table in front of the monitor.

With a slight giggle, Willow commented wryly, "Now, isn't *THAT* a
comforting thought." She connected the keyboard and mouse, then
pulled out the modem and power cables and the powerbar and made the
final connections (manually; she didn't want to take any chances)
including the grounding connections for the shielding.

"You know what I mean," protested Alex, glad her new friend seemed
in a better mood. She watched in amused awe as Willow booted up the
machine and gave it a thorough checkout, familiarizing herself with
the available utilities. When she pulled what looked like a small
address book out of her purse, Alex asked, "What's that?"

"Oh," she responded blithely, "it's just my list of ISP accounts,
with connect numbers and user ids."

"Accounts?" Alex was impressed. "You mean you have more than one?"

"Of course. There's my school account (that's the one I use in Ms.
Calendar's class), my home account (where I get my personal e-mail
and surf the public websites), my list-admin account (I manage the
`Beyond the Beyond' fanfic mailing list, newsgroup and FTP archive),
and my Slayerette account."

"Your *WHAT* account?!?" Alex asked, laughing.

"My Slayerette account. It's a superuser account on the Board of
Education mainframe that Giles helped me set up. I telnet from there
to other systems with bogus IDs when I need to do a little hacking
for Buffy. Don't worry, I never change anything (only snoop a bit),
and I stay well away from military or federal government systems;
they've gotten really paranoid about security these days. I don't
use it much; most of the stuff we need can be found on open websites
or by anonymous FTP." Seeing Alex's relief, she cautioned, "However,
police department e-mail is *NOT* public information."

"Are you sure you won't be caught?"

"Pretty sure. I'm using the easy way in."

"The easy way? What's that?"

"Remember that cop I told you about? The one who seemed to know what
was going on?" Alex nodded. "I memorized his name plate and badge
number. Ten-to-one they are his user-id and password. Unless he got
clever and changed it, of course."

Sgt. R.D. Hutton of the Sunnydale Police Department (Badge #0640)
might have been clever about police work, but not apparently about
computers. Not only hadn't he changed his password, but he never
deleted his read e-mail until he had to either. The subject lines
were (to say the least) enlightening.

    SD #1164 - Exsanguination Attack Protocols
    Re: Who do they think they're kidding?
    I think I saw one
    Status Report: The Bronze incident
    SD #1165 - Departmental Policy on Night Attacks
    SD #1166 - Special Protective Gear Authorized for Night Patrols
    Yeah, but what if they aren't Christian?
    Volunteers wanted for Special Night Tactical Unit
    Who ya gonna call ... S.N.T.U.
    Where's Nick Knight when you really need him?
    SD #1167 - Special Weapons Authorized for Night Patrols
    Where do I get silver bullets?
    Hey, Lone Ranger, you made a miSTAKE!
    SD #1168 - Patrol Update for Sunnydale High School Area

"Well," said Alex, "I guess that answers our question."

"They know," Willow confirmed as she logged off the officer's
account. "At least about vampires."

"That's a good thing, right?"

"At least for them. Maybe not so good for us."

"Why not? They *are* on our side, right?" Even though Alex hadn't
actually decided yet whether or not to join the team, she certainly
considered them to be the good guys. Willow was about to reply when
they were interrupted by the sound of a car pulling in the driveway.
Alex looked at the clock. "That's probably Mom now. She has farther
to come, but usually gets home fir..."

Again they were interrupted, but this time by the sound of a woman's
scream from outside. Both girls stared at each other in horror for a
second, then bolted down the stairs.

                         *   *   *   *   *

ON THE SEASON OPENER: Guess what! Buffy is human after all. Cool!

- --
          +-------------------------------------------------+
          | Dalton S. Spence, B.Sc. <[e-mail]>|
          | Home Page: http://www.hwcn.org/~ag775/home.html |
          +-------------------------------------------------+

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

Date: Fri, 19 Sep 1997 18:48:52 -0400 (EDT)
From: [e-mail]
Subject: BUFFYFIC: MiB: Hellmouth (03/?) by D.Spence

TITLE: MiB: The Hellmouth Incident
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" and IMMEDIATELY after
    the movie "Men in Black"
RATING: PG13
CONTENT WARNING: This story depicts scenes of violence and/or their
    aftermath. If depictions of this nature disturb you, you may
    wish to read something other than this story.
CLASSIFICATION: C - Crossover with "Men in Black"
SUMMARY: Reports of the possible presence of an unregistered time-
    space anomaly bring Jay and Elle to Sunnydale, California where
    they discover there are things even MiBs find hard to believe.
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. Jay, Elle, Zed and
    all other characters who have appeared in the motion picture
    "Men in Black" together with the names, titles and backstory are
    the sole copyright property of Columbia Pictures, Amblin
    Entertainment, MacDonald/Parkes Productions, and Malibu Comics.
    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.

                    MiB: The Hellmouth Incident
                  a "BtVS/Men in Black" crossover
            by Dalton S. Spence <[e-mail]>

*Part 3*

Angel's analysis of the situation would have been flawless ... *IF*
he had been talking about the Master. While the Anointed One was
just as evil and nearly as powerful as the Master had been, he was
still only ten years old. And when a ten year old boy finds a secret
this big, he just has to tell *someone* about it. Fortunately, he
didn't have to worry about being believed; his inner circle would
never *officially* doubt him, and would follow his orders even if
they seemed crazy. Also, Colin was a devoted fan of the X-Files (to
the extent that he had demanded that his new lair have cable), and
fully expected that `the government' would show up soon to cover-up
the incident. This could be a *MAJOR* problem.

"Maybe we'll get lucky, and they will eliminate the Slayer and her
friends for us," commented one of Colin's inner circle minions after
he had described the night's happenings, "or at least put us under
their protection as a possible resource."

With a sigh Colin got up from his `throne' (which his minions had
salvaged at great risk from the Master's lair) and stepped to the
edge of the raised dias from which he addressed the others. He
grabbed the offending wag by his throat and lifted him off his feet.
"Do you really enjoy pain so much that you would risk spending the
rest of your miserable existance in a secret lab being experimented
on like an animal? Not that your fate matters that much to me,
except you would probably bring the same fate down on all of us."

He released his victim to fall on the floor, and turned to the
others. "*MAKE NO MISTAKE!* If the conspiracy exists (and given the
existence of aliens among us it probably does), the mortals who run
it will have no more conscience than we do. We must expect that they
would without hesitation nuke this town to preserve their secret,
and explain it away as a terrorist act. For purely pragmatic reasons
this would probably be a last resort, but they could easily send a
covert ops team down here with flamethrowers to burn us out. What we
need is leverage; hard evidence that they could not deny which we
could use to expose them if they tried to destroy us."

Colin returned to the center of the dias and, standing on the seat
of the throne, spread his arms dramatically and declared, "*LET IT
BE KNOWN* that those who go out to hunt are to watch for mortals who
*ARE NOT HUMAN!* Who move wrong -- who smell wrong -- who *TASTE*
wrong. And *WHEN* such a non-human mortal is found, bring it to me
*ALIVE!* Confiscate any unusual artifacts it possesses and take them
to a safe place to be studied. Any objections?" Seeing no one was
going to be brave (or foolish) enough to oppose him, he lowered his
hands and ordered, "Get on with it!"

                         *   *   *   *   *

Since the Master's defeat, many of the vampires in Sunnydale had
decided to seek safer hunting grounds, far from the threat of the
Slayer. Thus it took only minutes for those remaining to recieve
Colin's orders, and attempt to carry them out. While usually they
hunted alone, tonight they went out in teams of three; one to act as
lookout for the Slayer or their special prey, the other two to
abduct the prey safely and bring it home.

The unfortunate who had suffered Colin's wrath led one of the first
teams out, determined to make up for his humiliation by being the
one who brought an alien back. "But where to start?" he muttered to
himself as he led the others out of the sewers. "Where does one find
a non-human mortal?"

"I think I know sir," answered one of his companions timidly. "I've
seen one like the Anointed One described, who moves, smells and
sounds wrong. I didn't taste him though -- I was on that special
project you sent me on for the Master, and you told me to keep a low
profile at all costs."

"Where is he?" asked the leader, "For that matter, *WHO* is he?"
When the subordinate whispered the name, the leader's eyebrows rose,
and he smiled evilly. "The Anointed One will be pleased. Very
pleased indeed."

                         *   *   *   *   *

//That guy just *HAS* to be a vampire,// thought Elle as she gauged
the newcomer as a possible threat, //Nobody mortal could look that
good.// Maybe her former career as a coroner had desensitized her to
the natural repugnance people usually feel around the dead, maybe it
was part of the creature's natural glamour, or maybe she had just
been without a date in far too long; whatever the reason, she found
this `Angel' enormously attractive. //Now I know how Natalie Lambert
felt when she first met Nick Knight.//

"Really, Angel," Giles said with mild irritation, "there was no need
for such a dramatic entrance. Don't you ever knock?"

"What, and miss out on this fascinating conversation? It's not often
I get to meet people who deal with things stranger than me." Turning
to Jay he said, "I think I should warn you bullets may wreck my
shirt but won't do me any lasting harm."

"Who said this thing shoots bullets? I think a three foot hole in
your chest would be more than an inconvenience."

Buffy shared an exasperated look with Elle. "Testosterone poisoning
is a terrible thing, isn't it?"

Elle shook her sadly. "True, but what can one do? The cure is worse
than the disease ... at least for our purposes. I'm assuming of
course he *is* a friend of yours."

With a small smile Buffy answered, "Yes, he is a ... friend."

//Darn!// thought Elle, correctly interpreting the smile, //Why do
blondes always have more fun.//

Only practice kept Jay's jaw from dropping. "But I thought ... isn't
he ... I mean, aren't you supposed to ..."

"Angel's different," explained Buffy patiently, "he was cursed with
the return of his soul."

"And that's a curse?" Jay asked, surprised.

Angel answered him. "It is if you've done the things I did for over
a century. I truly was a monster in every sense. About eighty years
ago I killed a gypsy girl and her family took exception, devising
for me the most fiendish punishment they could imagine. I haven't
killed a living soul since then. In fact, I've been helping Buffy to
`repay society for my sins' as it were."

//Oh god, not just a vampire,// thought Elle, //but an *angsty*
vampire who can quote the show. I'm doomed!// "Did I ever mention I
used to be a coroner?" she blurted out.

Buffy scowled at her. "Don't go there!" she warned.

Angel sighed and looked at Jay. "Estrogen poisoning is a terrible
thing, isn't it?"

Jay smiled. "True, but what can you do?"

"Amusing as this witty repartee is," Giles interrupted, "shouldn't
we get back to business? I agree with Angel; the vampires around
here are dangerous enough without adding futuristic weapons to their
arsenal of destructive capabilities. Mrs. Edelson, do you happen to
know of any other ... extraterrestrial immigrants in the area?"

"Only one," she admitted, ignoring the warning looks from the MiBs,
"Most of us who end up in California gravitate to Los Angeles in
order to blend in. Unfortunately, he may be a problem."

Jay grimaced. //This is definitely something I did *NOT* want to
hear right now.//  "How come?"

"He has acquired a human family he won't want to leave behind."

"What?!?" said Buffy, echoing the unvoiced astonishment of the other
terrestrials in the room.

"Really Buffy, I'm surprised at you!" admonished Mrs. Edelson, "You
of all people should know love can cross the most unbelievable of
boundries. Lorik was an auxilary attache to the Baltan delegation in
New York from one of their smaller colony worlds who, as is their
custom, became a nominal member of the royal family for the duration
of his service. That's where we met. He resigned from active duty
about eighteen years ago when his homeworld was destroyed in the
war, then fell in love with and married a young human widow who was
pregnant with her late husband's child. They moved here, and have
lived here ever since. Of course, both his wife and daughter know
what he is, but the service was satisfied with giving them both
psycho-inhibitor treatments so they couldn't say anything, even
accidently."

"Oh boy," said Jay anxiously, "we had better tell him right away
anyway. You know how the Baltans get when their royalty is harmed. I
imagine even ex-royalty would be important to them."

"It's worse than you know," she explained grimly, "The Baltans are
still very embarrassed that humans were needed to retrieve the third
galaxy, and they will be looking to save face any way that they can.
Lorik is still officially a reserve officer, and because he was
attached to the prince's personal staff, he is legally a part of the
prince's body. Even though the prince is now dead, any crime against
Lorik could be considered an act of war."

As Jay reached for his cell phone it suddenly rang *VERY* loudly,
causing everyone to jump a bit. "Oh oh," he muttered before he
flipped it open. "Jay here. ... DAMN! I was afraid of this. How long
ago? Five minutes? Jeez, they work fast. ... Yes sir, we do have a
lead. I was just about to call you. ... She *WHAT?* ... I see. No,
I'm afraid she's not delusional; apparently the article was true
after all. If you just give me the address ... she's on her way
HERE? But why?"

Jay's eyes widened as he heard the answer. Looking at Giles and
Buffy, he said, "Sir, we have already made contact. That is where we
got our information. If you just give me the release phrase so she
can talk to them ... Eew, that's twisted!" There was a screech of
tires in the parking lot, and the sound of car doors slamming. "I
think that's her now. I'll call back." He snapped the phone shut and
put it in his pocket.

"Okay, I'll bite," said Buffy. "Who's here? And how does she know
about me?" Her question was quickly answered by the sound of running
feet in the hall, and the library doors slammed open to reveal ...

                         *   *   *   *   *

AUTHOR'S NOTE: So, did I give you enough hints this time? Did you
believe them? Do you have any idea what I'm talking about? Do you
care? Will my next sentence also be a question? Will I ever stop?

(Okay, I read the the Discussion List quotables. So sue me! [Wait!
I was just kidding! Please! Nnnnooooooo.... ] ;-)=

- --
          +-------------------------------------------------+
          | Dalton S. Spence, B.Sc. <[e-mail]>|
          | Home Page: http://www.hwcn.org/~ag775/home.html |
          +-------------------------------------------------+

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

Date: Fri, 19 Sep 1997 20:53:00 -0400
From: Jesse Jou <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Gone 3: The God of Nine Walls 13/14 by JJ

Okay next to the last part, then an epilogue, then I'm done.

I'm kinda experimenting with timing in this part.  You'll see what I mean.
Please let me know if you think it works or not.  And before people tell me
that they were confused by the ending, it's gonna be explained in Part 14.

Thanks again for all the feedback to those who've been providing it.  I
said that this part would show J Northcott's influence, but now that I read
it I see it doesn't.  It'll be in the epilogue.

Thanks!

JJ

Title:  Gone 3:  The God of Nine Walls
Author:  JJ
email address: [e-mail]
Distribution:  With permission of the author
Spoiler Warning:  No spoilers for any real episode
Rating:  PG-13/R for violence
Warnings:  Mild language.  Violence.
Classification: UTB
Summary:   Both Anya's Gone... and my Gone II can be found on the Slayer's
Fanfic Archive.  I would recommend reading the previous stories, but all
you really need to know is that Willow was turned into a quasivampiric
killer by the Anointed One and had to leave Sunnydale after her death was
faked.  Buffy and Xander grieved, finding out their friend was lost to them
forever.
Disclaimer:  I don't own these characters except for the ones who haven't
shown up on the show; Joss Whedon, the WB, and their associated production
companies do.  Our Lady of Demonic Assassinations is the invention of my
evil twin sister, Lisa Rose.  I'm also not making a red cent of any of
this, so there's no point in suing me.

Part 13
Xander could hear Willow calling him, his mind in a fugue of pain.  His
stomach felt strangely wet, then he realized that he was bleeding.
Profusely.  He could feel Willow pressing something against his stomach, an
action that made him wince.  He felt Willow's hands caress his face,
leaving a trail of his own blood across his cheek and forehead, then felt
her lips gently touch his.  He groaned softly.

Buffy's home.  Joyce Summers' voice rang in his head.  Then Scapino's giggling.

They were moving now.  Willow picked him up.  Held him.  Like Cordelia.
Running down the tunnels.

Then memory.

Eight years ago.  "Hurry! Hurry!"  Buffy screamed, holding open the access
door that led into the school's boiler room.  Xander helped Cordelia move
quickly as best he could, leaning on her shoulder and hobbling towards the
light of the doorway.  Each step grated the broken bone of his leg against
itself, earning him a grunt of pain.  Angel had already carried Giles
through the door, the Watcher's back broken by the vampires, but Cordelia
didn't have Angel's strength and she and Xander had fallen behind.

"Leave me!" he said, trying to push away from her, but her grip only tightened.

"Not a chance!" she shot back, focusing her attention on getting the two of
them to safety.  In the darkness behind them they could hear the vampires
rapidly gaining.

"Goddamn it!"  Xander swore, grabbing the side of the narrow tunnel for
support, pushing off it to hurry the two friends down the corridor.

"Hurry!"  Buffy screamed again, straining to hold the door open.  Angel
came up behind her; he had set Giles on the ground.  "Hold it open," she
said, running back into the tunnel after the stragglers.

One of the vampires grabbed the back of Cordelia's blouse, yanking her
around, but was surprised when she shoved her fist into its nose.  Xander
fell forward and landed with painful thud;  he felt a clawed hand wrap
around the ankle of injured leg and start to pull.  Despite the pain,
Xander kicked at the vampire with his good leg, futilely.  He could hear
Cordelia's screams as she struggled with the three vampires that were
attacking her.  He reached for the leg of one them , trying to pull it off
her.  "Leave her alone!"  he shouted.

Eighteen years ago, Xander's heart stopped, seeing Angel cradling her
still, wet form in his arms.  "She's dead," the vampire said, after a while.

Eight years ago.  The vampire that was attacking him began to crawl on top
of him, its wet mouth revealing yellowed, glistening fangs.

"Ki-ya!" A scream in the air earned the vampires' attention as Buffy leapt
to the rescue.  She grabbed the vampire off of Xander and with a loud
crack, twisted its head and broke its neck.  It wasn't dead, but the damage
would incapacitate it.  She followed by sweeping the legs out from under
one of the vampires tearing at Cordelia, followed by two quick kicks to the
fallen vampire's kneecaps that smashed them into pieces.

Eighteen years ago, Xander said, "But there's still a chance.  CPR?"

Eight years ago, faced with only two opponents, Cordelia managed to head
butt one of them as she tried to pull away from the other.  "There're more
of them coming!"  she screamed to Buffy.

Eighteen years ago, Xander exploded with relief as the girl's heart started
again, her mouth spitting out the water she had swallowed.

Eight years ago, Buffy grabbed the vampire Cordelia had head butted from
behind and shoved her fingers into its nostrils ripping up and out so that
she practically tore the cartilage off its face.  No more stakes, no more
crosses, no more holy water.  No weapons.  All of it had gone to
frustrating the Anointed One's ritual.

Eighteen years ago, Xander heard her say, "No, I feel different, stronger."

Eight years ago, she had called them together in the library that last
time.  "Guys, the Anointed One is going to try to open Hellmouth.  I need
your help to stop it."

"I can't find Willow.  I tried,"  Angel apologized to the group, looking
especially at Xander.

"Then we'll just have to do without her help,"  Buffy sighed.

Eighteen years ago, Xander heard her say, "No, I feel different, stronger."

Eight years ago, Buffy pulled the last vampire off Cordelia and smashed its
face into a pulp, dropping it on the ground with its other wounded
bretheren.  She shoved Cordelia towards the door and picked up Xander like
a small child.

They ran through the door into the boiler room, the undead coming after
them.  Angel slammed the door shut.  Buffy returned Xander to Cordelia's
care.  Giles on the ground groaned.  There was a moment of pristine
silence, the only sound being the roar of the furnace beside them.  Then
the banging on the other side began.

"Buffy!"  Angel shouted, placing his shoulder against the door, pushing
against the intruders.  Buffy ran beside him and added her strength to his.

"What are we going to do?"  Cordelia asked, the strength in her voice
mitigated by the terror in her eyes.

"This door won't hold them for long," Buffy said, feeling the thick metal
already beginning to buckle against the hands of the darkness.  "We're
gonna have to make a run for it."

"One of us has to stay,"  Angel whispered to her, indicating the door.
"They're too injured to get away if the vampires break through.  Get Giles
and go."

Buffy looked at him intensely, then said loudly, "You get Giles, then get
out.  I'm the Slayer, I'll hold them here."

"We all stay,"  Xander added, impulsively, having overheard Angel's comment..

Buffy gave him a look that was a mixture of incredulance and thankfulness.
But it disappeared when she felt a sharp kick against the door she was
holding close.  It would not hold for much longer.  "Guys, get out!" she
yelled.  No one moved.

"For God's sake, please!"  she cried, looking at Angel for support.  He
didn't move him from his spot at the door.  "You can't punch me out and I
can't punch you out, because then there's no one to carry Giles." she told
him quietly. "Sometimes there are no choices."

She turned to Cordelia.  "Please."  There was another sharp kick against
the door, the hinges began to groan.  As if an unspoken understanding
passed between the two women, Cordelia nodded silently, and quickly began
to help Xander towards the stairs up to the school, but he pulled violently
against her.

"No," he said, angry tears rolling down his cheek, but Cordelia only leaned
over and whispered softly and quickly into his ear.  He didn't remember
what she said to him that night, but yielded to her, looking back at Buffy
while gently sobbing, "No."

They waited upstairs for what seemed like an eternity for Angel to come up
with Giles.  Angel would look at neither of them as they hurried down the
school hall towards the exit.

They were just outside the gates when Angel stopped and set Giles down.
"I'm going back for her," he declared, but it was too late, because the
school exploded in a bright fireball.

Eighteen years ago, Xander heard her say, "No, I feel different, stronger."
- ---
Cordelia wept in the hospital waiting room.  The sound broke Xander's heart
and he wanted very much to join her.  He watched Angel standing at the
window, staring blankly out at nothing.  Xander had to be strong for what
needed to be done now.  He dialed the number carefully.  It rang only twice.

"Hello?" the woman's voice on the other end said.

"Mrs. Summers?  It's Xander,"  he said, already feeling the lump forming in
his throat.

"Xander, do you know what time it is?"  she said, mildly annoyed.

"I know," he answered, then paused to collect himself, "Mrs. Summers,
there's been an accident."

"I know," the woman said.  "Buffy just came home.  She looks like a mess."

"What?"

"Buffy's home," the woman said, then there was a high-pitched giggle and
the line went dead.
- ---
They rushed from the hospital to the Summers' residence, but found the door
wide open.  Joyce  Summers was dead on the floor, strangled with the phone
cord.  There was no sign of Buffy.
- ---
"Xander?"  Willow said, shaking him gently.

HIs eyes slowly opened, blinded by the morning light.  His mouth felt dry.
He smiled lazily at the beautiful woman looking down at him.  "Chris?" he
mumbled to the smiling young man behind her.

"Hi, Dr. Harris," Chris said.

He looked around carefully.  They were surrounded by forest and chirping
birds.  "What happened?  Did we stop the God?"

Willow nodded, "It's over."
- ---
End Part 13

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

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