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buffyfic Digest       Tuesday, October 28 1997       Volume 01 : Number 043



In this issue:

    BUFFYFIC: Reflections: W.I.F. (04/?) by D.Spence
    BUFFYFIC: Pleasant Dreams Prologe&Pt1/?
    BUFFYFIC: ADMIN:  List rules
    BUFFYFIC: BUFFYFIC Pleasant Dreams 2/?
    BUFFYFIC: BUFFYFIC Pleasant Dreams 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: Sun, 26 Oct 1997 20:02:10 -0500 (EST)
From: [e-mail]
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Reflections: W.I.F. (04/?) by D.Spence

I'M BAAACK!!! Sorry for the delay. Between my father going to the
hospital, my parent's toilet breaking flooding half the apartment
the same night requiring massive furniture moving and recarpeting,
Canadian thanksgiving, a round with the flu and the impending
teacher's strike, a move to Sunnydale is looking more attractive
every day. Count this chapter as a small miracle. Hope you like it.

                         *   *   *   *   *

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

               Reflections: Warrior...Innocent...Fool
                      (a BtVS/X:WP crossover)
            by Dalton S. Spence <[e-mail]>
                              Part 4/?

*The Master's Lair, 1540 h PDT*

//Well, if that place looked like a madman's treasure room, this one
looks like a tomb,// Xena thought as she came to the top of the
stairs. She turned to look at the cross guarding the entrance and
shuddered in horror. //Or a torture chamber,// she amended mentally,
remembering all too well her close encounter with this particular
method of execution.

Giles saw her expression and correctly (if incompletely) recognizing
the reason for it, hastened to explain. "As bizarre as this must
seem to you, that cross is recognized as a holy symbol by nearly a
third of the people in the world today, and is successfully used to
repel the forces of darkness. And before you ask, we do not worship
death, but rather the triumph of faith over it. It reminds us of the
teachings and the sacrifice made by a man who many believe to be the
son of the one true God, and his resurrection on the third day after
his execution on the cross."

"What of our gods?" asked Joxer, who was deeply disturbed by this
news. "Does anyone still worship them?"

"Not publicly I'm afraid, although the stories of them and of your
times are an integral part of our language and culture. Greece is
traditionally considered the cradle of western civilization, and..."
Noticing the glazed expression on the others faces, Giles quickly
concluded, "Suffice it to say, while your world may be gone, it is
*definitely* not forgotten. As to your gods, if they are still
around they are keeping a very low profile."

"With Callisto on the loose, you can bet that won't last long," Xena
said grimly. "She's not the kind to fade discretely out of sight."

"I don't care what you say," Gabrielle said as she gazed around the
chamber, "there is no way you are going to get me to believe that
this is a holy place. It feels ... evil!"

"Good call," said a voice from the shadows. "This place is a
desecrated temple, used for decades by the most evil of creatures as
a headquarters for his schemes. The Master (as he called himself)
enjoyed the irony of using a holy symbol to protect his treasures
from his ambitious underlings, since only he was strong enough to
even briefly resist its power."

The speaker stepped into the light, and Gabrielle gasped in surprise
(and pleasure). Before her was the most handsome man she had ever
seen. //He *must* be one of the newer gods,// she thought, //because
he's much too good looking to be mortal.// There was something about
him that reminded her very strongly of Xena, something she found
extremely attractive. Seeing that their hosts apparently knew this
fellow and weren't afraid of him, she impulsively stepped forward
and said, "Hi, I'm Gabrielle. And you are?"

"Call me Angel," he replied with a smile, somewhat bemused at
Gabrielle's boldness. Astutely noticing his beloved's less than
enthusiastic reaction to his response, he added, "It's easy to see
the origins of Buffy's beauty and courage."

"Nice save," murmured Xander, unwillingly impressed by the vampire's
quick thinking. Apparently Buffy thought so too, for with a slight
nod and a smile she quietly went to the task of closing the door to
the treasure room.

"Not really," Willow commented wryly. "Buffy might have bought it,
but I don't think Xena's too pleased."

This analysis was borne out by the warrior princess' rigid stance
and grim expression (both of which were mirrored, if less obviously,
by Joxer). Turning abruptly to Giles, she asked, "Now that the
social amenities are out of the way, where do we go from here?"

Thinking quickly, Giles answered, "As you can see, fashions have
changed substantially in the last three thousand years. If you went
above as you are, you would attract all sorts of unwanted attention.
Still, we can't stay here. It's only a matter of time before the
Master's minions return here to attempt to salvage *something* from
last night's defeat."

"They can stay at my place," Angel offered. "It's not too far, I
don't have any parents or nosy neighbors to worry about, and we
don't have to go above ground to get there. It *is* a bit small, but
it would make a good base of operations, at least to start with."

"Excellent idea!" approved Giles, "I was about to suggest it myself.
It's really the only practical solution."

                         *   *   *   *   *

Since no one disagreed they set out, and within half an hour arrived
at Angel's basement apartment. The trip was uneventful, and Giles
(in his role as host to the visitors) spent the time attempting to
prepare them for their upcoming contact with the technology of the
modern world. He tried very hard to keep the explanations as general
and low tech as possible, concentrating on how things appeared and
what they did. How successful he was remained problematical; while
Gabrielle asked quite a few questions and seemed to understand most
of the answers, both Xena and Joxer remained silent. Xena's only
comment came after Giles explained electricity as tamed lightning;
"No wonder Zeus retired!"

As Angel had predicted, it was indeed a bit crowded with eight
people standing around, but after a little jostling for position
everyone found a comfortable position to sit or stand. There was a
brief moment of silence, as everyone waited for someone else to
continue the discussion.

Surprisingly it was Joxer started the discussion. "What about
clothes?" he asked. "We can't just sit around waiting for Callisto
to come for us! Not that she wouldn't, but I'd rather that *we*
choose the ground for that battle."

Giles rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Either Angel or Xander might
have something for you, and I think that some of Buffy's clothes
will probably fit Gabrielle." Giles turned to Xena, and frowned
slightly. "You, however, present a bit of a problem. The few ladies
of my acquaintance are not quite so ..."

"Large?" supplied Gabrielle helpfully.

"I was going to use the term 'statuesque'," countered Giles, "but
under the circumstances it seemed slightly less than diplomatic."

As the meanings in the statement filtered through the translation
spell, Xena started, then with a raised eyebrow and a small smile
replied, "As your friend said earlier, good call." A bit more
seriously she continued. "If it's a matter of finances, I did not
come unprepared. I do hope that gold and silver still have *some*
value." She unhooked a leather pouch from her belt, and poured out a
small handful of coins.

With a slight hesitation Giles carefully picked one of the coins
from Xena's hand, and examined it as best he could in the dim light.
"I've seen drawings and photographs of coins like this," he said
with a tremble in his voice, "but I never dreamed I would ever see
one in person, much less hold one. Outside of this room, there can't
be more than a dozen like it left in the whole world." Reverently he
gave it back to Xena.

"That means it's worth a lot of money, right?" Xander asked.

"A similar coin was sold in London five years ago for more than two
million American dollars. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on
your point of view), because of their excellent condition nobody
would ever believe these coins were anything except modern replicas,
worth only a few hundred dollars for their metal content alone."
Seeing the other's disappointment, he quickly added, "This actually
works *for* us. The proceeds should be more than enough for our
purposes, and we won't draw nearly the attention we would trying to
dispose of a world class antiquity."

Buffy spoke up. "Sounds like a trip to the mall is in order. My mom
set aside some of her out-of-style clothes to be donated to charity.
I'm sure I saw an oversize sweatshirt and jogging pants which Xena
can wear while we're shopping."

"I take it," said Xena, "this mall is some sort of public market?"

Buffy nodded. "An indoor market, with dozens of self-contained shops
under one roof. Including, I believe," she said looking pointedly at
Giles, "a jeweler who buys precious metals."

"Good," Xena said, ignoring the incredulous looks of the others, "A
market is always the best place to get a feel for what's going on in
a new town." //Plus I'll find out just how much freedom your friends
are willing to give us,// she thought. While she was fairly certain
she had aligned herself with the right side, there was something odd
about this Angel person that she didn't entirely trust.

"I hope you're not planning to leave me behind," said Gabrielle,
"because I tell you right now it's not going to happen."

"Double for me," added Joxer, "After all, we're a team, right? Why
should you have all the fun?"

About to object, Giles suddenly realized that it might be a good
thing to have his guests' first exposure to the modern world in a
controlled environment like a mall. "I'll agree on two conditions.
First, each of you will be accompanied by your respective descendant
at all times, who will act as your guide and advisor. Believe me,
based on my brief experiences with this American institution, you
will need all the help you can get." It seemed like as reasonable
precaution to Xena, so she nodded, and the others followed suit.
"And second, you must leave your largest weapons here. I'm afraid
that not only would swords and a fighting staff draw unwanted
attention, they are also quite illegal to carry in public."

"Small weapons are permitted then?" Xena asked, reluctantly drawing
her sword and laying it on the coffee table.

"Actually, no," admitted Buffy, "but if you're discrete about hiding
them, there shouldn't be a problem. I know I've never had any. Just
try to look harmless."

"No problem, I can do that." Noticing the skeptical looks directed
her way, Xena blurted, "What?!? You don't believe me?"

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

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

Date: Sun, 26 Oct 97 01:57:29 -0600
From: "Kimela M Wilker"<[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Pleasant Dreams Prologe&Pt1/?

     Story: Pleasant Dreams
     Author: Kimela
     E-mail: [e-mail] (Comments and Suggestions are always
             welcome!)
     Distribution: Anya and Zandarah, others please ask.

     Disclaimer:  These characters do not belong to me, they are property
     of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, etc...

     Author's note:  The prologue of Pleasant Dreams takes place during the
     BTVS epidsode When She was Bad, Part One takes up the Thursday evening
     immediately following.  The story was inspired by a question several
     friends noted:  Why didn't the vampires kill Xander when they abducted
     the others from the library?


     Prologue


          The boy had fought hard-Adrious had to give him credit for that.
     What he had lacked in strength and skill, he had made up for with
     sheer determination.  He had gone completely berserk when Ohna and a
     couple of her cronies had grabbed his little girlfriend, the auburn
     haired lass.  If he hadn't been so outnumbered, he might actually have
     stood a chance against them.  He had certainly given them a run for
     their money, nearly taking down one of the young fledglings before
     Adrious stepped in, knocking the boy out cold before he even knew the
     older vampire was present.  It was almost a shame to kill him now-he
     might have become a formidable foe if given the chance.  Fortunately,
     Adrious didn't have a conscience.  He lifted the unconscious male and
     prepared to feast, ignoring the feeble protests of Ohna's captive.
          "No," the Anointed One stopped him.
          "But we don't need him!" Adrious objected.  "He wasn't with the
     master when-"
          "He raised the slayer.  Death is too good for him."  Adrious
     reluctantly set the young male back on the floor.  He watched
     curiously as the demon child placed a hand on the boy's chest and
     uttered some words that he could not comprehend.  When finished with
     the ritual, the Anointed again acknowledged Adrious.  "I want him to
     suffer first."
          Adrious could respect that.  Besides, he could always feed later.
      He grinned as he picked up the older male captive and carried him
     from the ruins of the Sunnydale High Library.


     Part One

          Willow Rosenberg gazed longingly at the boy sleeping on her
     living room sofa.  The video they had been watching had ended nearly
     an hour earlier, but she hadn't had the heart to wake him.  She loved
     watching him sleep.  He looked so peaceful, so innocent and
     vulnerable.
          For as long as she could remember, Willow had been in love with
     Xander Harris.  She had long ago resigned herself to the fact that it
     would probably always be an unrequited love, but since that night in
     the park, she had renewed hope.  Her pulse quickened as she recalled
     how close he had come to kissing her.  She could still feel his breath
     on her lips and the soft touch of his hand on her cheek...If only that
     vampire hadn't chosen that exact moment to make his presence known!
     Xander had been so brave during that attack.  He had been willing to
     sacrifice himself so that she could escape to safety.  Fortunately, he
     had been able to hold the blood sucker off until Buffy Summers arrived
     on the scene to rescue him.  While she was grateful that Buffy had
     been there to save them, it disappointed her that the Slayer once
     again became the focus of Xander's attention.  It was, however, a
     small consolation that he didn't seem nearly as hung up on Buffy as he
     had been prior to the Slayer's absence during summer vacation.  In
     fact, he had nearly renounced his friendship to the Slayer after she
     failed to prevent the assault in the library.  Had that really been
     only two nights ago?
          Willow couldn't remember having ever been as scared as she had
     been when the vampires had ambushed her, Giles, and Xander that night.
      While Giles was good at instructing Buffy on defeating vampires and
     demons, he himself was no fighter.  The Watcher had been knocked out
     could almost immediately.  She hadn't fared much better.  Three of the
     fiends had quickly captured and restrained her.  Only Xander had put
     up much of a fight, but even he was no match for them.  She still
     wasn't sure why the Anointed One had spared him, but the child had
     stopped one of the vampires from feeding on Xander's blood after they
     had finally subdued him.  Even then, she wasn't sure that Xander was
     all right until it was all over.  She remembered being taken to the
     old warehouse, being knocked out, and then waking up in Xander's
     arms...
          Willow's focus returned to Xander as he began to whimper and
     thrash in his sleep.  Beads of sweat appeared on his suddenly pale
     face.  She quickly moved to his side.  "Xander?" she called gently,
     reaching out to cautiously shake him.  He jerked away from her touch,
     as if she had hit him.  "Xander?"  Again she reached for him.
          Xander awoke with a gasp.  He stared up at Willow, his eyes wide
     with fright.  After a moment, a look of disorientation replaced the
     terror.  "Willow?"
          Willow smiled down at him.  "Welcome back to the land of the
     living.  That must have been some dream you were having."  She knelt
     down beside him, giving him a questioning look.
          Xander blinked.  For a few seconds he appeared lost in thought,
     then he shook his head.  "I...don't know.  I can't remember."  He ran
     his fingers through his dampened hair and took a deep breath, pulling
     himself together.  He couldn't recall what the nightmares were about,
     but since they had started the night of the assault in the library, he
     had a pretty good guess as to what triggered them.
          "Are you okay?" Willow asked, obviously concerned.
          Xander's mouth formed a smile, but Willow noticed that the smile
     didn't reach his eyes.  "Yeah...Sure...Great."  He looked away,
     embarrassed by her scrutinizing stare.  "Maybe I should...uh...be
     getting home.  What time is it, anyway?"
          Willow glanced at her watch.  "A little after midnight."
     Xander's mom would be at work by now.  He would be going home to an
     empty house as usual.  But, Willow reasoned, if he was having
     nightmares, maybe he shouldn't be alone.  "Are you sure you don't want
     to stay here?  I can get you a blanket."
          He sat up.  "Nah.  I'm okay.  I just need to get home, take a
     shower, and get some sleep..." he trailed off as he gazed down at her
     worried face.  He smiled again, fully this time.  "Will, I'm okay," he
     assured her.  "Really."  On a whim, he reached out and caressed her
     cheek.  He fought the sudden urge to lean forward and kiss her.  He
     could imagine how that would go over.  The last thing he wanted to do
     was jeopardize their friendship.  God only knew what she would think
     if he just kissed her out of the blue...He let his hand linger for
     just a moment longer, then forced himself to stand up, afraid that he
     wouldn't be able to resist his impulse much longer.  He didn't
     understand his feelings lately.  This was Willow he was thinking
     about.  She was practically a sister to him.  And yet...he didn't let
     his mind complete the thought.
          Willow watched Xander as he turned to leave.  She tensed as a
     sudden feeling of dread unexpectedly consumed her.  All of her
     instincts told her that she should stop him, make him stay with her.
     She was sure that something horrible was going to happen to him.  She
     resisted the feeling of panic-she was just being ridiculous.  He only
     lives a few blocks away-nothing is going to happen to him, she tried
     to reassure herself.  She rose to her feet and followed him to the
     door.  It took all of her willpower not to grab him and beg him to
     stay.
          Xander turned as he reached the door.  "Goodnight, Will," he
     spoke softly.  He pushed open the door, but paused before stepping
     outside.  "Pleasant dreams."
          And then he was gone.



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

Date: Mon, 27 Oct 1997 12:56:24 -0600
From: sah <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: ADMIN:  List rules

Welcome!  This list is for fiction related to "Buffy The Vampire
Slayer," both the TV series and the movie.  To ensure that we all get
to enjoy as much fiction as possible, please adhere to the following
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This ensures that anyone who doesn't like knowing about an episode
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[e-mail]

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

Date: Tue, 28 Oct 97 08:42:04 -0600
From: "Kimela M Wilker"<[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: BUFFYFIC Pleasant Dreams 2/?

     Story: Pleasant Dreams
     Author: Kimela
     E-mail: [e-mail] (Comments and Suggestions are always
     welcome!)
     Distribution: Zandarah and Anya, others please ask.

     Disclaimer:  These characters do not belong to me, they are property
     of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, etc...


     Pleasant Dreams Part Two

          "Earth to Willow," Buffy quarried.  She had been trying to catch
     her friend's attention since she first spotted her from across the
     quad, but Willow had been in some sort of a daze.
          "Huh?" Willow snapped to attention.  "Oh.  Buffy."  The Slayer
     caught a note of disappointment in her friend's tone.
          "Hello to you, too.  Didn't you hear me calling you?"
          "Uh...no...sorry," Willow answered, distractedly.  "Have you seen
     Xander?"
          "No.  But then, it's only 8:10.  That would make him early.
     Xander is not especially known for his earliness."  One look at her
     friend's face told Buffy that something was wrong.  "What's up?"
          "I'm sure it's nothing," Willow timidly replied.
          Buffy could tell that her friend was keeping something from her.
     "Okay, Willow.  Spill."
          Willow sighed.  "It's just that he fell asleep at my place last
     night and he had kind of a...a nightmare, I guess.  Oh, this is
     stupid..."
          Buffy felt relieved.  If that was all... "He had a nightmare, so
     now you're worried about him.  I've said it before, and I'll say it
     again.  You've got it bad, girl.  Everyone has a bad dream now and
     than.  Besides, after everything that we've been through, I'm amazed
     you're not both in therapy," Buffy quipped, hoping to cheer up her
     friend.
          Willow was unconvinced.  She shook her head.  "It's not just
     that.  When he left, I got this feeling that something bad was going
     to happen to him.  I can't explain it.  I was scared to let him out of
     my sight...Like if he left, he might never come back."
          "Will, I'm sure he's okay.  He'll be here.  Just you wait."
          Willow nodded unhappily.  With all her heart she wanted to
     believe the Slayer, but somehow she couldn't.  She wouldn't be able to
     believe it until she saw him for herself.

          "Heather Gunderson?"
          "Here!" a petite blonde in the back of the room called out.
          "Alexander Harris?"
          No answer.
          "Alexander?" Mr. Cox repeated, not looking up from his attendance
     book.  When there was still no reply, he put a little x in the
     `absent' box next to Xander's name.
          Willow contemplated the empty desk in front of hers.  Xander was
     supposed to be in that chair.  She turned to Buffy with a look of
     helplessness on her face.
          Buffy was already prepared to reassure her friend.  "He
     overslept.  He'll be here."  She didn't sound nearly as sure of
     herself as she had before.  Xander was usually late, true, but he also
     generally managed to be at his desk before roll call.  She made a
     mental note to try to call him after class.
          Willow, on the other hand, had no intention of waiting until
     after class to check on him.  No way was she going to sit through an
     hour of lecture while she worried.  What if something was really
     wrong?  She couldn't waste a whole hour before doing something about
     it.  She made herself wait until Mr. Cox called her name for
     attendance.  Then, she slipped quietly from the room, knowing full
     well that the teacher would never notice her absence.

          "Come on, pick up, pick up, pick up!" Willow pleaded with the
     phone.  She had already let it ring 15 times, but she wasn't yet
     willing to give up.  Her perseverance finally paid off.
          "Harris residence," Anna Harris answered.  She sounded out of
     breath, as if she had run to get the phone.
          "Ms. Harris, it's Willow.  Is Xander still there?"
          "Oh, good morning, Willow.  I'm not sure-I just got in the door.
     Did he oversleep?  What am I going to do with that boy?  Hang on.  Let
     me go get him."
          Willow closed her eyes and held her breath, waiting for Xander's
     mother to return.  "Xan?  You up?" she could hear Anna calling him in
     the background.  "Xander?"  Willow strained to hear if he replied.
          "Is he there?" a voice broke into Willow's concentration.  She
     opened her eyes to see Buffy studying her.
          "His mom is checking."  For each minute that passed, Willow's
     alarm increased.  What could possibly be taking so long?   Just when
     she thought she couldn't take the suspense any longer, she heard
     someone rapidly approaching the phone.  Her heart raced in
     anticipation.  To her shock, however, she heard the phone on the other
     end being slammed down and a dial tone sounded in her ear.  She
     blinked.  What was going on?  She quickly dialed the Harris residence
     again.  This time, all she got was the busy signal.  "Noooo," she
     moaned.
          "Willow, what happened?"
          "I don't know.  They hung up.  Now it's busy.  Buffy, what is
     going on?"
          "Come on.  Let's go find out."  Buffy grabbed the phone from
     Willow and hung it up.  "We'll see if we can borrow the rustmobile
     from Giles."

          It was only ten minutes later that they arrived at the Harrises'
     house, but to Willow it felt like an eternity.  To her horror, there
     were two police cars and an ambulance parked in the driveway.  The
     front door was wide open, so they didn't bother with the formality of
     knocking.  They could hear a commotion from within the basement, where
     Xander's room was located.
          "Xander?" Willow called, hurrying down the stairs, ahead of
     Buffy.
          Anna Harris met Willow at the bottom of the stairwell.  Her eyes
     were red from crying.  "Willow," she sobbed as she pulled the girl
     into a hug.
          Willow's heart lurched.  Oh, God, he's dead, she thought
     irrationally.  He can't be...he can't be...
          "What's happened?" Buffy asked, seeing the look of absolute
     resignation on her friend's face.  "Is Xander okay?"
          "He's-they think he's having some...some sort of drug...drug
     induced seizure," Anna wept.  "We can't snap him out of it."
          "Drugs?" Buffy sounded doubtful.  "But Xander wouldn't..."she
     looked to Willow to confirm what she was sure she knew.
          "Of course he wouldn't," Willow agreed.  She felt better now that
     she realized that he was alive.  She pulled away from Anna and started
     toward Xander's room.
          Anna grabbed her arm.  "No, don't.  He's...they're trying to
     restrain him.  When I tried to wake him he...it was like he was
     terrified of me...like I was trying to kill him."  She looked
     powerlessly at Willow.  "He was like a wild animal."
          Buffy and Willow exchanged glances.  They had both immediately
     recalled the time Xander had been possessed by hyenas.  Perhaps the
     problem hadn't been solved after all?  But that was months ago, Willow
     reasoned.  Surely he would have shown signs before now.  Besides,
     while he was possessed by hyenas he certainly hadn't seemed afraid of
     anything.  No, this was something else.
          At last, two disheveled police officers emerged from the bedroom.
      Both looked quite angry.  One was nursing a swollen jaw.  "We have
     the juvenile restrained. Since the substance is unknown, we are unable
     to sedate him.  ETA is 4 minutes," he was speaking into his police
     radio.  He walked past the three women and continued up the stairs.
     The second officer stopped.  Willow glanced at his name tag.  Office
     McCann.  He glared at the two girls.
          "I don't suppose you two know what the boy was taking?"  There
     was an accusatory tone to his voice.
          "Oh, Xander wouldn't-" Willow began to explain, but the officer
     cut her off.
          "Look, we're trying to help your friend.  The sooner we know what
     he's taken, the sooner we'll know how to counteract it."
          "Look, officer..." Buffy started, ready to give him a piece of
     her mind.  She trailed off as the paramedics emerged from the room
     with Xander strapped down on their gurney.  He was battling the
     restraints as if he was fighting for his life.  His eyes were wild
     with fear.  It was clear that he had no comprehension of what was
     going on around him.
          "Let me go, you mother bloodsucker!" Xander growled.
          Willow leapt forward and reached for him.  He screamed hoarsely
     at her touch.
          "Shhhh...Xander," she tried to soothe him with a calm voice.  He
     relaxed slightly for a moment, but then tensed as she brushed the hair
     back from his forehead.  She was amazed by how much heat radiated from
     his body.  He had to be running an awfully high fever, which would
     account for whatever hallucinations he seemed to be having...She moved
     along side the stretcher until the paramedics loaded it into the
     ambulance.  She tried to climb in after it, but Officer McCann stopped
     her.
          "I've got to ask you some more questions.  You'll ride with me,"
     Officer McCann informed her coldly.  "You can see your friend at the
     hospital."
          Willow felt numb as she was led away from the ambulance.  She
     didn't know if she could stand the wait.

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

Date: Tue, 28 Oct 97 08:46:42 -0600
From: "Kimela M Wilker"<[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: BUFFYFIC Pleasant Dreams 3/?

     Story: Pleasant Dreams
     Author: Kimela
     E-mail: [e-mail] (Comments and Suggestions are always
     welcome!)
     Distribution: Zandarah and Anya, others please ask.

     Disclaimer:  These characters do not belong to me, they are property
     of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, etc...

     Rated PG-13 for some violence


     Pleasant Dreams Part 3

          He had laughed in the face of danger, and now Xander was hiding
     in a small, heavily shadowed cove.  He know that he must be having
     another nightmare, but it seemed to him that he should have waken up
     hours ago.  He remembered setting his alarm, but he must have slept
     through it.  Perhaps he had forgotten to turn it on?  Why hadn't his
     mom wakened him when she got home from work?  Oh, God, he wanted to
     wake up.  He had never really been afraid of the dark, but right then,
     he would have given anything to see the light of day.  He had been
     having nightmares for the past couple of nights, but this was the
     worst one he had ever endured.  He felt like he had faced just about
     everything that had ever scared him-vampires, snakes, Nazis, Cordelia,
     you name it, he had faced it.
          At first he had handled things pretty well.  He had learned to
     face his fears last spring when everyone's nightmares had come to
     life.  The longer this dream had continued, however, the worse it had
     gotten.  He had passed his breaking point hours ago, and now was able
     only to huddle in his corner and pray that nothing else found him
     before he woke.  He sat on the cold cave floor, his knees drawn to his
     chest and his back to the wall.  He wrapped his arms around his chest
     partially to try to calm himself, and partly because he was freezing.
          Xander tensed as he heard something approaching.  Please don't
     let it find me, his mind pleaded.  He closed his eyes, not wanting to
     face whatever was coming.  He didn't think he could take any more.
          "Xander?" a soft voice called.
          He knew that voice.  Willow?  She can't be here, he reasoned,
     because this is only a dream.  It had to be a trick.  He nearly jumped
     out of his skin as he felt a hand on his shoulder.  He shrieked and
     leapt to his feet, nearly knocking Willow over.  He couldn't believe
     his eyes.  "Willow?"  His voice was weak and shaky.
          "Xander," she acknowledged.  Xander grabbed her into a hug.  He
     had never been so glad to see anyone as he was to see her at that
     moment.  "It's okay, Xander.  You're okay."
          "Are you really here?"  She hugged him back as a response.  All
     at once, he felt stronger, as if she had passed some of her energy to
     him.  After what seemed like hours, he released her from his embrace.
     He felt as though he was strong enough to handle anything.  He wasn't
     alone anymore.  "Come on.  Let's get out of here."
          "Where are we?"
          "I don't know.  I thought I was having a nightmare, but if you're
     here...How did you find me, anyway?"  Willow smiled, but didn't
     answer.  Instead, she took his hand and started to lead him from the
     cove.  He noticed, for the first time, that her hand was cold.
     Considering how chilled he was, he figured that she must have been in
     the cave even longer than he had been.  He wished that he had
     something to put around her to warm her up.  Since he didn't, he
     pulled her close and put his arms around her.  Her whole body was cold
     against his.  "Geez, Will, and I thought I was freezing.  We've got to
     get you warmed up."
          Xander nearly fell as Willow roughly shoved him away from her.
     "We don't have time," she said in explanation.  "We've got to keep
     moving."  Xander hesitated only a moment before following her out of
     his hiding place.  Her reaction and her strength had thrown him for a
     loop, but he recovered quickly.  "I think I came this way," she
     announced as she again took his hand and led him down a dark path.  "I
     did get kind of turned around, though."
          "Me, too," he admitted.  "I kind of lost track of where I was
     going when I was running from..." he trailed off, embarrassed that
     another stupid clown had frightened him.  He had thought he had that
     fear conquered until everything that had ever scared him bombarded him
     all in one night.  He wondered how much Willow had endured.  She
     seemed to have held up pretty well, whatever had happened to her.  He
     felt self-conscious about the fact that he had been in such a sorry
     state when she had found him.  He quickened his pace so that he was
     walking in front of her, prepared to be her protector if needed.
          They walked for several minutes without speaking before Xander
     started to get unnerved by the quiet.  "So, do you suppose Buffy's
     around here somewhere?" he asked, just to break the silence.  He heard
     Willow sigh irritably behind him.  He wondered absently if it was his
     talking that upset her, or if his mention of the Slayer had somehow
     annoyed her.  They entered a larger cavern.  "I mean, if she's here,
     we should try to find-"
          Without warning, Willow's hand jerked from his grasp.  Xander
     whirled to face her and was caught completely off guard as she tackled
     him, knocking him to the floor.  Immediately, she was upon him,
     pinning him helplessly to the floor.  He stared up at her in disbelief
     as her features began to melt.  Her auburn hair shriveled and crumbled
     to dust while her skin darkened and started to crack.  At the same
     time, he could feel her fingernails extending into claws and cutting
     into his shoulders.  As he witnessed her face dissolve into a hideous
     mass, he became frozen with horror.  He made only a strangled gurgling
     noise in his throat as he tried to scream.
          "What's the matter, Xander?" the demon that had been Willow
     hissed, saliva dripping from her still forming jaws.  She grinned down
     at him, her fangs thickening and elongating with every moment that
     passed.  "Aren't I good enough company for you?"
          Xander struggled to free himself from the demon's grip.  He
     pushed against her with all of his strength, and was appalled to feel
     his hands breaking through her bubbling flesh and sinking into a
     putty-like substance.  He fought the hysteria that was trying to take
     hold of him as he grappled with the demon.  It was no use, he couldn't
     fight her.  He was going to die...
          She lowered her face until it was inches from his, paralyzing him
     with her icy stare.  He flinched as she traced his jawbone with one of
     her sharp talons.  "I could kill you right now," she informed him
     gleefully, deriving immense pleasure from his fear.  He felt violently
     ill as she ran her tongue down his cheek.  She laughed maniacally at
     his revulsion.  "Yes, I could kill you, but that wouldn't be much fun,
     would it?"
          Xander's instincts told him that death would be the most merciful
     fate this demon would offer him, but he didn't want to die.  He tried
     once again to fight his way out from beneath her.  To his surprise,
     after only a moment she released him.  She smirked at him as he
     scrambled to get out of her reach.  "Better run, Xander," she teased.
     "I might have a change of heart."
          Now that he was momentarily free from her, Xander's fear turned
     to anger.  He didn't like being a demon's plaything.  He turned to
     face her again and was astonished to find himself alone.  Had he
     imagined the whole thing?  Was he going crazy?  He closed his eyes and
     took several deep breaths, calming himself down.  One thing remained
     clear in his mind.  He had to get out of there.  He had to wake up, or
     if, God forbid, he wasn't dreaming, he had to find the way out of the
     cave.  There was no way he was going to permit himself to deteriorate
     back into the spineless coward that he had allowed himself to become.
     If he was going to die, it was going to be fighting, not cowering.
          With new resolve, Xander chose one of the path's leading out of
     the cavern, hoping that it would prove to be the way out.  He walked
     for only a few minutes before he sensed that something was watching
     him.  He tensed, preparing himself to fight whatever came his way.
     "Come out, you loser," he muttered.  He'd be damned if he was going to
     let whatever was out there scare him.
          "Xan?  You up?" a voice that sounded like his mother echoed
     through the passage.  "Xander?"
          For a split second Xander felt intense relief.  It was over.  His
     mom was waking him up, in a moment his eyes would open and-
          The sound of the demon's maniacal laughter ruined his moment of
     ease.  "Fool," she hissed in his ear.  He spun to face her, and
     instantly found himself flat on his back, pinned once again beneath
     her.   She grinned down at him.  "Wake up, Xander," she jeered, using
     his mother's voice.  "Come on, Xan."
          Xander became enraged.  He started growling and clawing at the
     demon, trying to find some sort of weak spot so that he could hurt
     her.  She grabbed his arms and pinned them back down, amused by his
     feeble efforts.  "Hang in there, Xander, I'm going for help.  I can't
     do this on my own," she teased.  As abruptly as she had appeared, she
     retreated.
          For a few minutes, Xander lay still, not sure if it was worth the
     effort to keep moving.  He was sure that she wasn't finished toying
     with him.  She was probably waiting for him to start feeling safe
     again, then she would be back.  This time, he was going to be ready
     for her.  With new determination he stood up and scanned the cave
     floor for something that he could use for a weapon.  The only thing
     that he could find was a large stone.  He stooped to pick it up.  When
     he rose to his feet he found himself surrounded by vampires.  He
     looked them over apprehensively.  "Five to one...I'd say that's pretty
     fair."  He lunged at the first one, smashing the rock into it's face.
     It howled and pulled back, clutching it's jaw.  The other four
     descended upon him.
          One of them grabbed his wrists and pried the rock from his grasp.
      A second quickly moved behind him, trying to wrap its arms around
     him.  He borrowed a move from Buffy and smashed the vampire with the
     back of his head.  It fell back against the cave wall and collapsed to
     the ground in a heap.  "Like a charm..."  His victory was short lived.
      The other three vampires were all over him, knocking him to the floor
     and kneeling on his outstretched limbs.  He struggled against them,
     but the odds were not in his favor.  He fought the best that he could,
     but it soon became apparent that they had him pretty much in their
     control.  They bound him to some sort of a board, careful to keep his
     arms pinned to his sides and his legs immobile.
          "Go tell them we're on our way," one of his captors ordered the
     bloodsucker who had taken the blow to the jaw.
          "With pleasure," it responded and headed down the dark corridor,
     followed by a second vampire.
          The other three hovered over him, picking him up.  He strained
     against his bonds, praying that he would get loose before they reached
     their destination.  "Take it easy," one of them hissed in his ear.
     "We'll take good care of you..."
          He began to panic again as they started to carry him back toward
     the cavern where he had first fought the demon.  He didn't want to
     face her again.  "Let me go, you mother blood sucker!"  He exerted
     every muscle in his body in a war against the ropes.
          Suddenly the demon was hovering over him again.  He cried out as
     it grabbed his arm.  It had resumed Willow's form.  "Shhhh...Xander,"
     she soothed in an amazingly convincing Willow voice.  For an instant
     he actually found himself believing that it was Willow and he relaxed
     a little.  She laughed at his foolishness and transformed back to its
     true appearance.  Mortals could be so easy to manipulate...
          For several minutes he remained strapped to the board as they
     carried him deep into their lair.  When at last they reached their
     destination, they set him down on a large stone table, but didn't
     untie him.  He saw the vampires conversing with the demon for a few
     moments before all but one of them left the cove.  The remaining fiend
     moved to his side.  It sneered at him.  "I need to give your blood a
     little test."  Its grin widened as it started leaning toward his neck.
      He tried to bash it with his head, and succeeded in backing it away
     from his exposed neck.  The bloodsucker scowled at him.  "Fine, have
     it your way."  It bent down, and sank its teeth into Xander's arm.
          Xander squirmed, but he was powerless to keep the vampire from
     sucking blood from his bound arm.  The longer the vampire drank, the
     weaker he felt.  After a few minutes, he began to lose consciousness,
     convinced that he would either never waken, or that he would wake up
     without his soul.  He wondered briefly if Buffy would slay him.  Then
     everything went blank.
          When he woke, he found that he had been untied from the board,
     but that his arms and legs had been chained to the stone table.  The
     demon was staring intently into his face.  She smiled darkly down at
     him.  "Oh good, I was hoping you would wake up.  It's a lot more fun
     to kill when you can get a reaction.  So...Xander...How would you like
     to die?"  She ran her talon across his chest.  "Perhaps with a kiss?"
     He struggled as she lowered her face to his, covering his mouth with
     hers.  His first reaction was revulsion, which quickly subsided to
     panic as she began to suck the air from his lungs.  He couldn't
     breathe.  His chest tightened.  For a few minutes he felt as though
     his heart was going to explode, then all at once, he felt no pain.  He
     was fading from reality.  He felt as if he was floating.  He could see
     himself lying strapped to the table with the demon standing over him.
     She stepped back and contemplated his still body.  She smiled.  "Such
     a fragile thing, human life," she mused.  She placed her cold hands on
     his chest and sent a shock of electricity through him.  All at once he
     was back in his body looking up at her.  "That was good, but I don't
     think I'm ready to part with you just yet."  She laughed as he gasped
     for air.  "Welcome back, pet."  She stroked his hair.  "It's been a
     rough day, hasn't it...Why don't you get some rest and I'll be back to
     play with you later?"  She ran her hand over his face, closing his
     eyes.
          Xander wanted to argue, wanted to make her let him go, but he was
     so weak that he could only comply by falling into a deep dark sleep.

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

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