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From: owner-buffyfic@lists.xmission.com (Buffyfic-digest)
To: buffyfic-digest@lists.xmission.com
Subject: Buffyfic-digest V2 #23
Reply-To: buffyfic@xmission.com
Sender: owner-buffyfic@lists.xmission.com
Errors-To: owner-buffyfic@lists.xmission.com
Precedence: bulk
Buffyfic-digest Sunday, February 1 1998 Volume 02 : Number 023
In this issue:
BUFFYFIC: smthng sordid (4b/?)
BUFFYFIC: smthng sordid (5/?)
BUFFYFIC: The First Loss (5/?)
BUFFYFIC: The First Loss (5/?)
Re: BUFFYFIC: Final Farewell (1/1)
BUFFYFIC: "One Vampire's Headache..." (14/?) by Ingrid
BUFFYFIC: I Will Survive 1/3
See the end of the digest for information on subscribing to the buffyfic
or buffyfic-digest mailing lists and on how to retrieve back issues.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, 31 Jan 98 15:58:50 -0600
From: "Kimela M Wilker"<kwilker@allina.com>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: smthng sordid (4b/?)
Title: Something Sordid This Way Comes Author: By Zak Zandarah
Email: zandarah@geocities.com
Disclaimer: Buffy & Co do not belong to me, I am just borrowing them
and will return them intact.
Placement: This story was started a long time back, and thus would
best be placed somewhere during the 1st season...possibly between
Nightmares and Out of Sight, Out of Mind.
Spoilers: None
Hi, I'm forwarding this story to the list for a friend who would
really like some feedback on it...All comments should go directly to
Zak at zandarah@geocities.com. Thanks!
Something Sordid This Way Comes
Part 4 (continued)
"...my next book!" Stephanie's voice broke into Willow's thoughts.
The room suddenly filled with applause and Xander became abruptly
aware that most of the banquet's attendees were staring at him. He
glanced up at Stephanie, who was still at the podium. She smiled and
gestured for him to join her. "Willow, Xander, come on up here!"
Willow glanced nervously up at Xander, who returned her gaze. "I guess
we should...?" Willow suggested. Xander nodded and extended his good
hand to her to help her to her feet. Together they made their way
toward the waiting speaker.
Buffy cringed as she watched Willow and Xander take their place next
to Stephanie Queen, who gave each of them a brief hug before turning
back to the audience. She wasn't sure what kind of story that
Stephanie had just told about the slayerettes, but she had the sinking
feeling that their 15 minutes of fame would bring a lot of attention
to their extra-curricular activities. She caught a few audience
members watching her curiously. She abruptly remembered that she
wasn't looking terribly presentable. "I'm going to...go clean up a
bit," she informed Giles. "Meet me back at the library as soon as this
is over, okay? We gotta talk..."
"I'll give you a ride," Giles offered, getting up. He turned to
Cordelia. "Please give my apologies to Ms. Queen," he requested before
turning to hurry after Buffy.
Willow felt very uncomfortable with everyone watching her. She did her
best to stand in Xander's shadow. She was so tense that she couldn't
even hear the words that Stephanie was saying about her to the crowd.
She knew that the woman was recounting their act of heroism, and it
made her self-conscious knowing that everyone would be talking about
it for a long time to come. She preferred to remain low-key. At one
point during Stephanie's spiel about them, Willow caught Xander gazing
at her with a faintly worried expression. Anyone else looking at him
probably wouldn't have caught it, but she knew him so well that she
could sense that something had disturbed him. She'd have to ask him
later what was bothering him. She wished that she could relax and pay
attention, but just the thought of so many people looking at her made
her mind race.
As she peeked out into the audience one particular man in the back of
the room caught her attention. She wasn't sure what about him made him
stand out--he looked normal enough. But for some reason, his presence
bothered her. Maybe it was the faint smile that was on his face as he
stared at them. From the corner of her eye, she noticed that Xander
was watching the same man. She gently pulled on his sleeve to get his
attention. When he turned his attention to her, she gave him a
questioning look and jerked her head toward the man. Xander shook
his head slightly and gave a barely noticeable shrug. They both turned
to look back their watcher and were astonished to find his seat had
been vacated.
Xander abruptly turned toward the room's exit while Willow scanned the
crowd for the man, but neither spotted him. How had he possibly gotten
out of the room so quickly? Each of the slayerettes made a mental note
to mention the man to Buffy as soon as they returned to their seats.
"Thank you all for coming! And thanks so much for your graciousness
and generosity..." Stephanie was wrapping up her speech. "I look
forward to meeting each of you on a more personal basis during my
stay!" The audience's applause was thunderous as Stephanie gave a
short wave and turned to face Xander and Willow. "Now let's get
out of here," she mouthed. The slayerettes were only too happy to
comply.
"Where'd Buffy and Giles go?" Willow asked Cordelia as they reached
the table.
"Buffy said something about cleaning up then going to the library,"
Cordelia replied. "Giles wanted me to apologize for him ditching you,"
she continued. "Kind of rude if you ask me..."
Xander looked as though he wanted to reply, but Willow cut him off.
"It was probably very important. Maybe we should go help them?"
"You want to go to the library now?" Stephanie sounded surprised. "I
was hoping that you two would be able to join me for the post banquet
party."
"I'm going," Cordelia piped in. "Mom said that there'll be a dance and
everything. Oh--there she is; I've got to go."
"I'd be really disappointed if you didn't make it," Stephanie
continued, regarding Cordelia's departure with a slight nod. She
really wanted a chance to spend a little more time with the potential
characters for her novel.
"Well, I suppose we could..." Willow started.
"For a little while," Xander finished for her.
Stephanie smiled at them warmly. "You two are such a perfect couple!
How long have you been together?"
Xander raised his eyebrows and glanced at Willow in surprise. She
returned his gaze.
"Oh! We're not...together," Willow answered, returning her attention
to Stephanie.
"Nah, Will's just my best bud," Xander continued, giving the hacker a
one-armed hug and regarding her with a bright smile.
The faint spark of disappointment that glimmered in the girl's eyes
told Stephanie all she needed to know. And the boy was
oblivious...typical. "I see..." She made a mental note to make just a
few character adjustments as she ushered the teens out to her car.
*From the shadows the man watched them. The two teens and the author.
The writer's introduction of the pair had given him the perfect idea.
This was going to be too much fun...*
- -
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 31 Jan 98 16:06:39 -0600
From: "Kimela M Wilker"<kwilker@allina.com>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: smthng sordid (5/?)
Title: Something Sordid This Way Comes Author: By Zak Zandarah
Email: zandarah@geocities.com
Disclaimer: Buffy & Co do not belong to me, I am just borrowing them
and will return them intact.
Placement: This story was started a long time back, and thus would
best be placed somewhere during the 1st season...possibly between
Nightmares and Out of Sight, Out of Mind.
Spoilers: None
Hi, I'm forwarding this story to the list for a friend who would
really like some feedback on it...All comments should go directly to
Zak at zandarah@geocities.com. Thanks!
This is the part that Zak is having the most trouble with--so she'd
like me to say that any feedback that anyone can give her is highly
appreciated!
Something Sordid This Way Comes
Part 5: Sunnydale High 7:57 am
The slayer was in an extremely foul mood. Absolutely nothing was
going her way, and the day had only just begun. She understood that
Gorlock was notorious for playing with his victims before going after
them directly, but she couldn't wait until he got bored and confronted
her. She was going to make him pay for the havoc he was wreaking on
her.
It had started the night before in the graveyard. The sprinklers had
inexplicably gone off while she and Angel were...busy. As if getting
drenched wasn't bad enough, no sooner had she turned to run for cover,
she had slipped and landed face first in the mud. Angel had actually
laughed at her as she struggled to get up-only to wind up losing her
balance and flopping back into the slime. And falling into the open
grave...? She didn't even want to go there.
This morning hadn't gone much better. Actually in some ways it had
been worse. First, she'd slept right through her alarm clock and had
to really rush to get ready for school. Then she'd broken not just
one, but two of her nails while she was scrambling to fix breakfast.
And she'd nearly choked on that damned bagel (which was covered in
some not-so-fresh cream cheese.) As if that hadn't been bad enough,
while she'd showered the water had totally been cut off, leaving her
with her hair still soapy. If it hadn't been for all the bottled
water her mom always kept in the fridge...well, it would not have been
pretty. Actually, come to think of it, it still wasn't pretty. On
top of everything else, she was having the worst hair day known to
man. Not even a hat could hide the horrible frizzy mass that was her
hair...
Now, what she really needed was some major cheering up...and she knew
just the people who could do it. She scanned the crowd outside the
school in search of her best friends. Willow was nowhere to be seen,
and she might not have spotted Xander if it hadn't been for the giant
cast...it kind of made him stick out. She nearly did miss him,
though, because he was doing something...well...non-Xanderish. He was
bent over a notebook and scribbling furiously. He was so absorbed in
his work that didn't even look up as she approached. "Xander?" she
called, trying to catch his attention. She gazed at him
appraisingly...something was different about him. His outfit, she
realized abruptly. While he was never known for having great taste in
clothes, this morning he was even worse than usual. He had opted for
a flannel shirt and overalls. "Good, morning, Farmer Ted," she
greeted, tapping him on the shoulder.
He looked up at her and smiled shyly. "Oh, hey, Buffy," he greeted in
a very low-key way.
"Morning," she returned, slightly confused by his demeanor. He
certainly was acting strangely...for Xander anyway. "Are you feeling
okay?"
"I'm feeling okay, I guess...I just have to finish this before 1st
period...I should have been doing it last night, but then Stephanie
convinced us to go to the dance and then I didn't have time and-"
"Hey, you don't have to explain to me...since when do you get so
worked up about homework?" She immediately regretted the question
because she could see his face flush with embarrassment. She quickly
changed the subject. "So, where's your partner in crime?" She
noticed a spark light in his eyes and a faint smile play at the corner
of his lips. Now that was kind of interesting...she wondered briefly
if he had finally realized that Willow and he were meant for each
other, but then his answer brought her back to reality.
"She's in the gym," he replied, sighing. "Guys gymnastics has a
special practice this morning..."
Buffy grinned, amused by her image of Willow checking out the guys.
Surely he was joking..."Will?" Xander looked at her expectantly. So,
he wasn't kidding. "Well, good for her! Work it, girl!"
"Yeah," he admitted, shaking his head laughingly. "You know Xan, she
has the hormones of a...a...well, I don't know what she has the
hormones of, but something that has a lot of hormones."
Whoa, that was certainly not a normal Xander quip-that was more of a
Willow...had he just called her Xan? It was probably just her
imagination playing tricks on her..."Yeah, that's her all right,"
Buffy muttered sarcastically. "Well, let's go get her, I could use
some cheering up today."
"Problems with Angel?" Xander asked as he rose to his feet, grabbed
his books, and started to follow her toward the gym. He sounded
concerned rather than hopeful.
"No," Buffy replied, surprised by his assumption. "Not at all. Angel
and I are great!"
"Did he kiss you?" There was not a trace of jealousy in his voice,
only fascinated curiosity.
Buffy sighed and shook her head. "No, not last night...but that's
entirely beside the point! This has absolutely nothing to do with
Angel!" As they stalked toward the gym, Buffy found herself pouring
out all her frustrations, amazed at how easy it was to talk to him.
Of course, they'd always gotten along great and everything, but he
seemed...different. Closer, somehow. And it was great that he wasn't
bothered by Angel anymore-that was definitely a welcome surprise.
A second surprise awaited her as they entered the gym. Willow, who
had been sitting in the bleachers, spotted them and called out an
enthusiastic greeting. "Guys!" she called, leaping from her seat and
casually gliding toward them. Upon reaching them, she flung one arm
around each of them and started leading them back toward the
bleachers. "Buff, you just gotta watch the guy on the rings," she
announced. "He's got beauty; he's got grace. And he's got the
greatest set of..." she paused as Xander started cringing. She
quickly amended what she was going to say. "...Muscles."
"Will!" Buffy gaped, amused by this previously unseen side of her
normally reserved friend.
"What?" Xander asked, glancing at her.
Buffy regarded him with a bemused nod, her attention still focused on
the oddly behaving hacker. Even her normally subdued attire had been
replaced with a fairly loud outfit-a bright green oversized button
down with little alien ships or something on it. The shirt was one
that was more befitting of...Xander. She glanced back at her male
friend and realized that his clothing reflected the sort of outfit
that Willow usually wore. Suddenly everything made sense. "Okay, you
got me," she laughed. "Very funny, you two. Thanks...I really needed
this to make me feel better today..."
"Hey, Rosenberg!" a loud voice cut her off. "Did you finish that
program for Computer yet?"
"Hey, Larry," Xander greeted, turning to face the approaching football
jock. "Not quite...I kinda got sidetracked last night."
"But you're almost done, right?" Larry quizzed.
"Well, yeah."
"Cool, so can I copy?"
"I don't know if copying is such a great idea, but I can help you with
it, if you'd like..."
Buffy watched in awe as the football jock escorted Xander away from
the bleachers. She was sure that she was going crazy. Why on Earth
had Larry gone to Xander for computer help...and why had he called the
male slayerette Rosenberg? Had Willow and Xander somehow managed to
get Larry in on the joke? That just didn't seem likely. What was
going on? "Um...Will?" she asked, tugging on Willow's sleeve.
Willow's brow furrowed as she gazed at the slayer. "Are you feeling
okay, Buff? I mean, I know Will and I are really close and all,
but..."
"You and Will...are close?"
"Well, duh! Only since forever. You know that."
"You and Will...?"
Willow held up her hand as if she held a CB radio and made a slight
squelching noise. "Houston, we have a problem." She grinned at Buffy
and shook her head slightly. "I'm thinkin' you need a long rest..."
She sighed. "C'mon, Buff, it's me! Your best bud, Xandra! Do you
want to tell me what is going on, or am I gonna have to drag it out of
you?"
Buffy had no idea where to even start, and she didn't think she was
going to be able to talk to Willow....Xandra? about it. What she
needed was some expert advise. It was time to go find Giles.
- -
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 31 Jan 1998 19:18:17 +0000
From: starstorm <bf18489@binghamton.edu>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: The First Loss (5/?)
Comments and disclaimers in part 1. Feedback is nice, please. Pretty
please. With a cherry on top.
Nin looked up as the banging on her door started again.
"What is it this time?" she demanded when she saw Angel's face on the
other side of the door.
"Nin, I-- please, could I come in?" The raw panic in his voice almost
shocked her.
"Angelus, I--" she began. Oh, bugger, what was he going to do to her
anyway? She opened the latch. "Come in, man. What--"
He made a noise of absolute frustration and then bent down and kissed
her. When she got over her shock she noted it was rather a nice kiss.=20
Then he released her just as suddenly. "I don't know what's wrong with
me," he whispered.=20
"You seemed to have at worked out pretty well when you were with Buffy,"
she pointed out.=20
"That was different. I was different!" He pulled away and turned to the
door, then stopped.
"Angelus, you may have noticed this, but vampires can have emotions."
She smiled sadly.
"Not me. I never did, except for that mess with the curse. But this
isn't that. I feel the same inside, but I want, I need something." He threw
up his hands in frustration.
"If that's the case, I'm here. You can't really hurt me, you know. And
it's been a while for me, I've been lonely." She growled kittenishly. At
that he returned her smile.
"Yeah, I sort of figured. About the not hurting part, anyway." He sighed
heavily. "So now what?"
"Have a seat. Or fix yourself some coffee. I'll go slip into something a
little bit more=85 interesting," she offered.
"So what does all this make us?" he muttered.
"Friends, of course. What else is there to be?" she called from her
bedroom.
"You sound like Darla. The vampire who made me."
"I'm not sure that's a compliment, but I'll take it as one." He could
hear the wide gin in her voice. It tightened something inside him. He began
to understand what Spike felt for Dru.
"You do that," he told her.
"So what do you think?" She stepped back into the room in a cute
little white number. It made her look like the cross between a Victoria's
Secrets model and something much less benign.
He couldn't think of a single thing to say, so he reached down and
kissed her again until speech became unnecessary. =20
If she hadn't done this in a while, he'd hate to think what she might
have been like when she was fully in practice.
***
(early morning)
"God, how could I have missed it?" Buffy looked about ready to hit
herself. "I knew there was something way off kilter there the moment I met
her."
"Don't blame yourself, Buffy, none of us thought of her either. For one
thing she certainly doesn't seem the type." Giles paused meditatively. "For
one thing, she's awfully small."
"Hey!" Buffy cried.
"My dad's ex-girlfriend was a vampire slayer sixty-five centuries ago.
Wow, something you don't learn every day." Oz shook his head.
"And what about this thing with Angel?" Xander asked. "I mean first he
wants us as dead as dead can be and then he goes and saves Willow and Oz
from tattoo guy. What's wrong with this picture?"
"Well it's not that odd if he had some kind of encounter with Ninurta.
She has an extremely odd reputation and a penchant for a very eclectic set
of friends," Giles said.
"English please?" Xander asked.
"If anyone can be said to straddle the line between good and evil
without ever coming too close to one side it is Ninurta. Her allies include
some of the most vicious creatures known to man as well as things much more
benevolent." Giles attempted to explain.
"Apsu did say we were bait? Maybe for Ninurta. I mean I think she cares
about Oz," Willow said.
"Maybe." Oz shrugged.
"And Angel saved you because he's her friend?" Xander demanded.=20
All of them looked up in sudden startlement as the ground shook for a
brief instant.=20
"Oh dear. An earthquake could be a sign of imminent activity in the
Hellmouth."
"So, G-man, what do we do about this?" asked Xander.
"I'd say the time has come to find Ninurta and hope she tells us what
she knows," Giles replied.
"Ah, my turn to help!" Willow called. It wasn't long before they had
an address wrested from the computer banks.
**
Nin stirred, becoming vaguely aware of a warm body pressed up against=
hers.
"Anu?" she murmured sleepily. No, no that wasn't right. Long ago. Gavin,
then? Yes, the timing seemed better for that.
A sudden picture flashed into her mind.=20
<<A five-year-old child held tightly in her arms.=20
An odd too familiar scent in her lover's house.=20
A pool of blood and carnage, Gavin lying in the middle.=20
A hundred years ago he would have died before help arrived.
A message in Gavin's blood. For her.>>
Nin woke up screaming.=20
"Hey, hey calm down, Nin. It's okay." A soft voice intruded into her
nightmare. She shifted her way through the time displacement.
"Angel?" she whispered. The darkly handsome vampire wrapped his arms
around her. "I'm sorry, I thought I thought I was in another time."
"Been there, Nin. Price of immortality." He shrugged.
Suddenly the ground began to shake for a long moment. It stopped without
any serious damage done. But they had definitely felt it.
"What the?" Angel began.=20
"Hellmouth=85" The two exchanged glances.
"Now what?" Angel asked.
"Don't worry, I have a plan. But it's too soon to implement it." She
dropped back onto the pillows and gave her most sultry smile.
"So we have time?" His voice roughened.=20
"I'd say so, yes=85" Her lips were a promise. One she intended to keep.
=20
**
Buffy led the slayerettes to Ninurta's door with a mild feeling of
trepidation. Whatever Nin was, she was a definite wild card in the Slayer's
world. Buffy took a deep breath, rang the bell and waited.
She was surprised by the sound of giggling coming from the other side.
She tapped her finger nervously against her thigh, waiting.
"Coming!" Nin called from inside. A moment later she appeared, clad in a
loose robe. She had that artfully tousled look that took a normal person
hours to achieve, but Buffy had the feeling it was natural. Of course, all
that was superceded by the ready nine-millimeter that dangled from Nin's=
hand.
"Hello Buffy, isn't it? And all of you=85 wow. To what do I owe this
visit?" Nin ran a hand through her hair, somehow making it even more artful.
"Are you in fact Ninurta of Arrata, also known as Ninhursag, AKA. The
first vampire slayer?" Buffy asked, somehow managing to ignore the
nine-millimeter.
"Funny you should ask that," Nin began. Someone called to her from the
bedroom.
"Nin, is something wrong?"=20
Buffy gasped at the achingly familiar voice. Angel stepped out of the
bedroom, looking almost as adorably tousled as Nin. The young Slayer shook
her head in exhausted disbelief.
"Angel?" she whispered.
"Hello Buffy. Brought the whole gang, I see. Awfully thoughtful of you
to offer more targets." He smiled widely. "Is that why you take them
everywhere you go?"
She just stared for a long moment.
"You saved Willow and Oz from Apsu=85" she said when she found a voice.
"Whatever=85." He shrugged. "I'm sure I'll regret it before too long. Nin=
,
call me when you need me, love. Thanks for everything."=20
He slid out the door without another word. The dimly lit hall swallowed
him quickly.
"The sun?" Buffy asked the empty air.
"Don't worry, this building has sewer access. He'll be fine and trying
to eliminate your friends again soon enough." Nin grinned cheerily. "May I
ask to what I owe this interruption of what had begun as an extremely
pleasant diversion?"=20
"Yes, well," Giles cut in before Buffy could speak. "Lady Ninurta, we
believe you may have some information pertaining to the current
difficulties with the Hellmouth. Could you possibly lend us your assistance
in this matter?"
"I did say you could call me Nin, yes? And as for the Hellmouth, I have
a fairly good idea of how to handle the situation." She gave them a pleased
smile and shut the door in their faces. =20
starstorm <bf18489@binghamton.edu>
- -
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 31 Jan 1998 19:18:17 +0000
From: starstorm <bf18489@binghamton.edu>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: The First Loss (5/?)
Comments and disclaimers in part 1. Feedback is nice, please. Pretty
please. With a cherry on top.
Nin looked up as the banging on her door started again.
"What is it this time?" she demanded when she saw Angel's face on the
other side of the door.
"Nin, I-- please, could I come in?" The raw panic in his voice almost
shocked her.
"Angelus, I--" she began. Oh, bugger, what was he going to do to her
anyway? She opened the latch. "Come in, man. What--"
He made a noise of absolute frustration and then bent down and kissed
her. When she got over her shock she noted it was rather a nice kiss.=20
Then he released her just as suddenly. "I don't know what's wrong with
me," he whispered.=20
"You seemed to have at worked out pretty well when you were with Buffy,"
she pointed out.=20
"That was different. I was different!" He pulled away and turned to the
door, then stopped.
"Angelus, you may have noticed this, but vampires can have emotions."
She smiled sadly.
"Not me. I never did, except for that mess with the curse. But this
isn't that. I feel the same inside, but I want, I need something." He threw
up his hands in frustration.
"If that's the case, I'm here. You can't really hurt me, you know. And
it's been a while for me, I've been lonely." She growled kittenishly. At
that he returned her smile.
"Yeah, I sort of figured. About the not hurting part, anyway." He sighed
heavily. "So now what?"
"Have a seat. Or fix yourself some coffee. I'll go slip into something a
little bit more=85 interesting," she offered.
"So what does all this make us?" he muttered.
"Friends, of course. What else is there to be?" she called from her
bedroom.
"You sound like Darla. The vampire who made me."
"I'm not sure that's a compliment, but I'll take it as one." He could
hear the wide gin in her voice. It tightened something inside him. He began
to understand what Spike felt for Dru.
"You do that," he told her.
"So what do you think?" She stepped back into the room in a cute
little white number. It made her look like the cross between a Victoria's
Secrets model and something much less benign.
He couldn't think of a single thing to say, so he reached down and
kissed her again until speech became unnecessary. =20
If she hadn't done this in a while, he'd hate to think what she might
have been like when she was fully in practice.
***
(early morning)
"God, how could I have missed it?" Buffy looked about ready to hit
herself. "I knew there was something way off kilter there the moment I met
her."
"Don't blame yourself, Buffy, none of us thought of her either. For one
thing she certainly doesn't seem the type." Giles paused meditatively. "For
one thing, she's awfully small."
"Hey!" Buffy cried.
"My dad's ex-girlfriend was a vampire slayer sixty-five centuries ago.
Wow, something you don't learn every day." Oz shook his head.
"And what about this thing with Angel?" Xander asked. "I mean first he
wants us as dead as dead can be and then he goes and saves Willow and Oz
from tattoo guy. What's wrong with this picture?"
"Well it's not that odd if he had some kind of encounter with Ninurta.
She has an extremely odd reputation and a penchant for a very eclectic set
of friends," Giles said.
"English please?" Xander asked.
"If anyone can be said to straddle the line between good and evil
without ever coming too close to one side it is Ninurta. Her allies include
some of the most vicious creatures known to man as well as things much more
benevolent." Giles attempted to explain.
"Apsu did say we were bait? Maybe for Ninurta. I mean I think she cares
about Oz," Willow said.
"Maybe." Oz shrugged.
"And Angel saved you because he's her friend?" Xander demanded.=20
All of them looked up in sudden startlement as the ground shook for a
brief instant.=20
"Oh dear. An earthquake could be a sign of imminent activity in the
Hellmouth."
"So, G-man, what do we do about this?" asked Xander.
"I'd say the time has come to find Ninurta and hope she tells us what
she knows," Giles replied.
"Ah, my turn to help!" Willow called. It wasn't long before they had
an address wrested from the computer banks.
**
Nin stirred, becoming vaguely aware of a warm body pressed up against=
hers.
"Anu?" she murmured sleepily. No, no that wasn't right. Long ago. Gavin,
then? Yes, the timing seemed better for that.
A sudden picture flashed into her mind.=20
<<A five-year-old child held tightly in her arms.=20
An odd too familiar scent in her lover's house.=20
A pool of blood and carnage, Gavin lying in the middle.=20
A hundred years ago he would have died before help arrived.
A message in Gavin's blood. For her.>>
Nin woke up screaming.=20
"Hey, hey calm down, Nin. It's okay." A soft voice intruded into her
nightmare. She shifted her way through the time displacement.
"Angel?" she whispered. The darkly handsome vampire wrapped his arms
around her. "I'm sorry, I thought I thought I was in another time."
"Been there, Nin. Price of immortality." He shrugged.
Suddenly the ground began to shake for a long moment. It stopped without
any serious damage done. But they had definitely felt it.
"What the?" Angel began.=20
"Hellmouth=85" The two exchanged glances.
"Now what?" Angel asked.
"Don't worry, I have a plan. But it's too soon to implement it." She
dropped back onto the pillows and gave her most sultry smile.
"So we have time?" His voice roughened.=20
"I'd say so, yes=85" Her lips were a promise. One she intended to keep.
=20
**
Buffy led the slayerettes to Ninurta's door with a mild feeling of
trepidation. Whatever Nin was, she was a definite wild card in the Slayer's
world. Buffy took a deep breath, rang the bell and waited.
She was surprised by the sound of giggling coming from the other side.
She tapped her finger nervously against her thigh, waiting.
"Coming!" Nin called from inside. A moment later she appeared, clad in a
loose robe. She had that artfully tousled look that took a normal person
hours to achieve, but Buffy had the feeling it was natural. Of course, all
that was superceded by the ready nine-millimeter that dangled from Nin's=
hand.
"Hello Buffy, isn't it? And all of you=85 wow. To what do I owe this
visit?" Nin ran a hand through her hair, somehow making it even more artful.
"Are you in fact Ninurta of Arrata, also known as Ninhursag, AKA. The
first vampire slayer?" Buffy asked, somehow managing to ignore the
nine-millimeter.
"Funny you should ask that," Nin began. Someone called to her from the
bedroom.
"Nin, is something wrong?"=20
Buffy gasped at the achingly familiar voice. Angel stepped out of the
bedroom, looking almost as adorably tousled as Nin. The young Slayer shook
her head in exhausted disbelief.
"Angel?" she whispered.
"Hello Buffy. Brought the whole gang, I see. Awfully thoughtful of you
to offer more targets." He smiled widely. "Is that why you take them
everywhere you go?"
She just stared for a long moment.
"You saved Willow and Oz from Apsu=85" she said when she found a voice.
"Whatever=85." He shrugged. "I'm sure I'll regret it before too long. Nin=
,
call me when you need me, love. Thanks for everything."=20
He slid out the door without another word. The dimly lit hall swallowed
him quickly.
"The sun?" Buffy asked the empty air.
"Don't worry, this building has sewer access. He'll be fine and trying
to eliminate your friends again soon enough." Nin grinned cheerily. "May I
ask to what I owe this interruption of what had begun as an extremely
pleasant diversion?"=20
"Yes, well," Giles cut in before Buffy could speak. "Lady Ninurta, we
believe you may have some information pertaining to the current
difficulties with the Hellmouth. Could you possibly lend us your assistance
in this matter?"
"I did say you could call me Nin, yes? And as for the Hellmouth, I have
a fairly good idea of how to handle the situation." She gave them a pleased
smile and shut the door in their faces. =20
starstorm <bf18489@binghamton.edu>
- -
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 31 Jan 1998 21:13:00
From: Eliz <epalmer@nbnet.nb.ca>
Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: Final Farewell (1/1)
Just a quick word to say that I loved the story. S/I was such a crazy
episode, if Angel had been in front of me, I would have staked him myself,
no matter how I felt about him before.
Great story.
Eliz
=======================================================================
Eliz Palmer "Some mornings, it's just not
w6bu@unb.ca worth chewing through the
epalmer@nbnet.nb.ca leather straps." Emo Phillips
www.geocities.com/Area51/Cavern/9627/
- -
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 1 Feb 1998 00:11:52 -0500
From: ingrid29@juno.com (Ingrid E Stanton)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: "One Vampire's Headache..." (14/?) by Ingrid
First things Firstà
DISCLAIMER: To my great despair, I donÆt own Buffy or any of
her friends. They belong to an evil coalition known as the Joss/WB
compact. Just donÆt sue me, okay guys?
SUMMARY: We resume where we left off, with Buffy and Angel
in the library, but now they have some uninvited guestsà If you
donÆt get this, thatÆs æcause you havenÆt read the other parts. If you
want to get this, mail me (Ingrid29@juno.com) and ask me for them.
If you donÆtàwell I donÆt need *you* either. Here it is! Enjoy!
WARNING: IÆm not great with rating things, but this probably
deserves a PG-13 for violence.
Let the games beginà
***
"One VampireÆs Headacheà" (14/?) by Ingrid
***
"Even if I knew that tomorrow
the world would go to pieces,
I would still plant my apple tree."
- --Martin Luther
***
Buffy ran her hand along his jaw, closing her eyes
and simply feeling the bones underneath the skin.
When she opened her eyes again, she saw that now
his were closed as he leaned into her touch.
Buffy heard and felt a loud crash as Drusilla and Spike
broke through the library window.
Buffy and Angel stood and backed away from where
they had landed.
Spike stood up first. "Oh drats! Did we come at a bad
time?"
Drusilla rose to her feet brushing the glass fragments
from her hair and clothes. A little laugh escaped her throat.
"ItÆs never a bad time to play, silly!" She kissed his cheek.
A crimson liquid dripped from her hairline. She touched the
blood, smearing it across her face. "Sp-ii-ke! Now IÆm all
dirty!"
"Sorry love, but weÆve got bigger fish to fry."
"Angel?" She watched him acutely. He was trying to bluff
and he had no idea if it was working. "WhatÆs wrong with
you Angel?" She turned to Spike. "I canÆt feel him there."
"Pity. Then I guess it wonÆt matter if we kill him!" Spike
whipped a stake from his jacket and looked at Drusilla.
"You take the slayer, baby. Angel is reserved for me." His
eyes bored holes into Angel, even as the demon
consumed his face with a growl.
Buffy swallowed hard. Angel. What would they do when
they found out he wasnÆt a vampire? He had to get out of
here, let him get out of here, she prayed, grabbing two stakes
from her bag and tossing one to Angel. How could he even
begin to equal SpikeÆs strength with the doubly strong demon
multiplying the power in each blow.
Drusilla wasted little time, hopping down from the balcony
easily. She quickly latched on to Buffy, who was struggling
hard against her. She felt Drusilla strain towards her neck
and planted a swift kick to the vampireÆs stomach.
Momentarily dazed, Drusilla flew backwards and hit the rail.
Buffy turned around to see Angel attempting to hold off Spike
who was clearly the stronger despite his injuries. Before she
could get her bearings, Drusilla was on her again, tearing at
the flesh of her shoulders. Drusilla was stronger than sheÆd
ever been, and Buffy was having trouble fending her off.
"Aaaaarrrrggghhh!" Buffy heard AngelÆs scream and whipped
around to see the stake in his shoulder, red blood flowing
from the wound. Spike was grinning as he yanked the steak
from AngelÆs body, and re-aimed for the heart.
The horrific bloody scene, and AngelÆs gasping for breath
sent Buffy into an irrational rage. She pinned Drusilla to the
floor with the strength of the fire that burned in her heart, and
viciously impaled the body of the young vampiress on the steak.
She could hear the beginnings of a shrill scream as Drusilla
disintegrated before her. Bloody and acting solely on base
instinct, she ripped Spike from AngelÆs motionless body.
Spike grew livid with anger when he saw the pile of dust Buffy
had transformed his love into. Blind fury drove them to viciously
rip at one anotherÆs skin, taking whatever advantage there was
to have from sheer pain. There was no longer good or bad. They
fought like two animals, clawing and beating one another with
rage in their hearts. She could hear the sound of the blood
pumping through her, and her head throbbed with urgency. She
proved the stronger, finally plunging the splintered wood through
SpikeÆs chest. She collapsed and hit her head on the floor. Now
her head felt like a balloon, swelling to extremes. She crawled to
where Angel lay, touched his neck. She felt a faint pulse, but at
last, there was nothing she could do. She collapsed beside him,
hand on his heart.
***
END, PART 14. Heyàmaybe this should have been part thirteen. Oh well. IÆm
not superstitious anyway. (Comments to Ingrid29@juno.com).
_____________________________________________________________________
You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail.
Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com
Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]
- -
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 1 Feb 1998 06:34:40 EST
From: TreyCash@aol.com
Subject: BUFFYFIC: I Will Survive 1/3
Title: I Will Survive 1/3
By: Alex Queirolo
Genre: Typical Buffy/ Angst
Spoilers: Surprises & Innocence
Distribution:Anya's and mine. Eventually. Mine is:
http://members.aol.com/treycash/ff3.html
Feedback: Yes, please!
Summary: Buffy deals with the fact that Angel plans to destroy her mind before
he kills her.
***
I WILL SURVIVE
----------------------
BY: Alex Queirolo
***
AUTHOR's NOTE: This takes place after "Phases" but relates to "Suprise" and
"Innocence". It steps outside of the time-stream after that in a desperate
attempt to save itelf from getting "Jossed" by the next upcoming episode. God
save us all.
ADDITIONAL NOTES: The Joshua I make reference to is of the Watchers' Society.
He was in my previous piece "Where Do the Children Play" and has a more active
part as a Guardian in another that I am working on. His job is to ensure that
time and life don't mess with the Slayer too badly and to make sure that some
punches go her way. He has the ability to alter time and change the past and
future.
DISCLAIMER: Time to jump on the band-wagon. All the great characters seen on
BUFFY belong to Joss "Da Man" Whedon. Any you've never seen on the show belong
to me. I wouldn't dream of infringing on Joss.
***
"Oh, you're a hard one
but I know that you've got your reasons
these things that are pleasing
can hurt you somehow"
She felt the calm of sleep sweep over her, comforting, gentle and then it fell
around her like a warm blanket. Hands out-stretched and welcoming, she
grasped at it and pulled it to her, tucking it under her chin as if it could
protect her.
"Buffy."
She turned into her bed, pressing her face against her pillow, not caring if
it suffocated her. She moaned slightly in pain from soreness in her ribs
caused by being hit by one of the vampires she had killed earlier in the
night. The pain was an irritating reminder of the waking world so she tried
to block it out. She could deal with it later.
"Buffy."
Dreams. Images. She didn't want them. She didn't care if they warned her that
she had only twenty-four hours to save the world. Let it save itself. She was
so tired. So very tired. She wanted the black velvet of dreamless sleep to
overtake her and hold her like she were a small child.
"Buffy."
Something brushed gently over her cheek and she stirred unwillingly, her body
wanting to believe but her mind screaming for her to remain still and embrace
the exhaustion that ran rampant in her. Without meaning to, she moved a hand
to cover the one that brushed at her face like the caress of a lover.
"Buffy, open your eyes."
She moaned and tried to curl into a ball, ignoring the sensations and warning
sirens going off in her head. She wanted to sleep, to rest..surely that wasn't
too much to ask for. It was so little, so very little. One night's peace. A
hand on her stomache, on the soreness of her bruised ribs prevented her from
curling into herself.
Without opening her eyes she murmured, "If you're gonna kill me, why don't you
just do it." The voices in her head began to scream at her, telling her to
take it more seriously, insisting that he just might take her up on it. Right
now she didn't care.
"And ruin my fun, not likely." He moved a hand behind her back and brought her
up and forward so that she had little option but to open her eyes and face
him. As soon as her weary blue eyes opened and she regarded him with a gaze
that showed little more than exhaustion, he smiled. "Saw you dust Jerod
tonight. Impressive. Nice spin kick."
"Thanks. I'll remember to use it on you," Buffy Summers replied dryly as she
stared at him. He was so handsome, so beautiful and so evil. She wondered idly
how she could have missed it back at his apartment the night..well..the night
after all hell had broken loose in the time it took for her to give herself to
him body and soul.
He ignored her comment,"You oughta protect your ribs better though..you're
getting sloppy. You're gonna have one helluva bruise in the morning."
"Your concern makes my heart flutter. What do you want? To torture me? Haven't
you done enough?" Buffy asked wearily. This was so odd, just talking to him in
calm tones as if they were old friends instead of bitter enemies. In truth
however, she doubted that she had the energy to yell and scream and demand
answers.
He grinned and his eyes glittered as he leaned forward and stroked her cheek.
A flash of warmth ripped through her body but was quickly numbed by her
brain's insistence that it was just another game, another way to hurt her. He
knew what his touch did to her and he knew that she couldn't control it. She
still loved him with every bit of her heart and soul and he was well aware of
it. Another way to hurt her. "I've just begun, Buffy." Then he laughed, "I
just don't want you dying on me 'fore I've had my fun. It's important you
know."
"Go to hell," she replied mildly and without real animosity. She was too tired
to muster the hatred the was beginning to boil in her soul.
In a flash of an eye, he reached forward and grabbing her shoulder roughly
pulled him to her. She stared up at him without fear, knowing that he wasn't
through with her and not really caring. Then he turned her head towards his
and kissed her savagely on the mouth. Breaking away, he laughed, "You are a
sweet child. No, Buffy, I'm already in hell and it's a wonderful place. I
think you'll love it. You all will." And with that, he kissed her again and
jumped up from the bed and strode like a cocky cowboy back over to her window.
He put one leg out and then turned to her, "Oh..one more thing." He reached
into his jacket and pulled out a white and green piece of clothing. "Got a
present for you." He laughed and then tossed it over to her. "Love ya babe."
She caught it and looked down at it. When she looked up again, he was gone.
She unfolded the cloth and gazed at it. As she did, she felt her eyes flood
with tears which was quickly followed by a shudder ripping it's way through
her body. Terror overwhelmed her as she realized that she was holding one of
Willow's tee-shirts. Barely able to breathe, she reached over and picked up
the phone.
"I hope you got your things together
I hope you are quite prepared to die
Looks like we're in for nasty weather."
"Good morning, good morning, good morning," Xander Harris chirped as he all
but skipped through the library with a large grin on his face. He jumped up on
the check-out counter and turned to look at the other three occupants of the
room. Frowning slightly he said, "Okay..not a good morning?"
"No, I'm afraid not," Rupert Giles said softly. "We've got a problem."
"Like that's new, I mean..hey...where's Buffy?" Xander asked, his eyes
widening as he glanced from his best friend Willow Rosenberg to his girlfriend
Cordelia Chase. Nope, the Slayer was most positively not in attendance. Only
it wasn't a positive thing. Nope, nope.
"She's in there," Giles said, pointing towards his office. "I'm afraid she
didn't sleep very well last night."
"She got a visit from Angel." Willow explained, not looking all that well
herself. In fact, she looked kinda scared.
"And it involved clothing. But not in a good way." Cordelia added somberly.
She acutually seemed upset too. This couldn't be good.
"Did..did he hurt her?" Xander asked in alarm. He knew what his mind was
thinking but he couldn't put it into words.
Giles understood though and he quickly shook his head,"Angel brought Buffy one
of Willow's shirts."
"He was in my room last night,"Willow said quietly, a small shiver working
it's way up her spine. "He left it a mess even though what he took was from
the clean clothes pile on my bed. He wanted me to know he'd been there."
"And he wanted Buffy to know that he could go there," Giles said. "I'm uh,
already looking into ways to uninvite a vampire but it's a tricky matter that
involves ultimate ownership and such. It's a great deal more difficult to
uninvite a vampire than it is to.."
"Right, gotcha..bad...Giles, what do we do? I mean, we got to protect them."
Xander exclaimed as he moved over to do a quick examination of Willow despite
the fact that she hadn't come into contact with Angel.
"I watch him," Buffy murmured, stepping into the doorway between Giles' office
and the library. She rubbed sleep from her eyes.
"Buffy, you can't watch him around the clock. You may be super-chick, but
you're not a god," Cordelia said.
Buffy smiled weakly," No, I guess not..a god would have taken care of business
and dealt with him by now." She looked down at her shoes and chuckled without
humor, "I can't and you guys are paying the price for it."
"It's okay, Buffy..we can deal.." Willow said quickly.
Buffy cut her off just as quickly, "Can you? Will, he was in your room, going
through your things. I don't know how far he's willing to go..how long he's
gonna play before.." she shook her head and found that she was unable to
finish the sentence.
For a moment no one dared to move or speak. Nothing anyone said would have
made a difference. They all knew the score and it wasn't pretty.
Finally Giles spoke, his voice heavy and full of unchecked emotion, "You four
had best get to class. I'll see what I can come up with." They all nodded and
began to move towards the door, Buffy only in the lead because she'd been
closest to the door. Just before she left, Giles caught Willow's arm and
whispered, "Watch her. She's not well."
"I know." Willow replied sadly. She wanted to reassure him that it would all
be okay. Everything always turned out for the best but one look at Buffy made
all the confidence seep away.
"All the vampires walking through the valley
move west down Ventura Boulevard
All the Bad boys are standing in the shadows
and the good girls are home with broken hearts"
"I wish I knew what to do," Xander said softly, his eyes never leaving her.
The lights in the physiology room were off, a movie about something too weird
to think about playing on a white projection screen. She had her head in her
arms, sleep once again claiming her.
"She's the Slayer, she'll be alright." Cordelia replied, the words a lot more
certain than she really was. But she needed that. She could tell that Xander
was freaking out. Not like he didn't have reason but just the same.
Xander turned to her,"That's cold."
"Why are you jumping on me?" she hissed, a flash of irritation moving through
her. "I wasn't trying to make light of it."
"Look, she needs our help right now.."
"I know that. All I'm saying is that she's survived before. She's a fighter,
right? She'll be okay. I think the last thing she needs is all of us stopping
our lives for her. I know.."
"Oh don't even say that you wouldn't. You love it when the world stops for
you," Xander retorted. He shook his head. "You know, I don't get you..."
"And I don't get you..." she whispered back at him. She wanted to yell but in
a full class that wouldn't be a good idea. So strike that. "She's the
Slayer..she's a survivor but everytime there's trouble, she's suddenly poor
little Buffy who needs big bad Xander to rescue her." Wow, she thought, that
really sounds bad. She took a deep breath and then reached out and grabbed his
arm, "Look..Xander..don't get me wrong..although I hate admitting it, I care
about her too. I mean, she's like a friend and I'm worried too but we've got
to give her credit for what she has been able to do. And we can't stop our
lives because hers is in crisis. She's the Slayer..her live is always in
crisis. We do what we can..we're the back-up team. It's her fight. We're there
if she needs us."
He stared at her for a long moment and then sighed, "Cordy, I'm not sure that
even she can deal with this. I mean..."
Before he could finish the sentence, the reasonable calm of the room was
pierced by a loud scream. From Buffy.
Both Xander and Cordelia jerked around causing him to fall off of his chair.
He hit the floor with both feet and was at her side within seconds. "Buffy.."
She reached up from the floor and grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled
him down to her, "He's gonna kill us all."
"Lean on Me
When you're not strong
and I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on, for it won't be long
Til I'm gonna need
Somebody to Lean on"
"Hey, what happened?" Willow asked as she practically ran up to Cordelia in
the courtyard. The taller girl was sitting on a bench, sipping a diet pepsi
and watching her boyfriend converse in a hushed tone with a frightened and
animated Slayer who didn't look well at all. Xander was trying to calm her but
failing miserably.
"Buffy freaked out in physio. Complete panic attack." Cordelia murmured
without turning to look at Willow. "How was French 4?"
Willow gave Cordelia an irritated look, "Is she alright?"
"I guess..Xander told me it wasn't my place so I'm here and he's there," she
replied with a trace of bitterness.
"Right," Willow said softly, not really wanting to deal with this problem too.
It was like Xander trusted Cordy only half of the time and that was crazy and
problematic. Not something any of them really needed. "I'm gonna go..see..if I
can help." She gave Cordelia a quick smile and them moved quickly across the
grass to where Xander was now gripping Buffy's shoulders in an effort to calm
and quiet her.
"Sure..I'm sure Xander won't snap at you," Cordelia muttered. Then she laughed
bitterly, "I can't believe this..here I am letting him get the best of me.
Like I'm some puppy that needs to be told when I can come in and go out.
Whatever." She stood up and shaking her head indignantly decided to go to the
library and see if maybe she could help out there. She really did want to help
Buffy but playing by Xander's rules were really beginning to irk her.
"What happened?" Willow asked, touching Buffy's arm as she approached the
pair. "Are you okay?"
Buffy looked up at her wild-eyed, "I don't know..I think I'm losing it, Will.
I keep freaking out, but when he shows up in front of me..I'm perfectly calm.
What's wrong with me?" Tears formed in her eyes.
Willow looked at Xander and they both realized that they had no answer for her
question so she simply moved forward and pulled her friend into a hug.
"If there's a load you have to bear
that you can't carry
I'm right up the road
I'll share your load
if You just call me
call me..call me"
Within an hour, word of her panic attack in physio was all over school. And as
Willow and Xander walked her down the hallway towards the library, each
hovering by her side protectively, people watched and whispered and Willow
heard the words "drugs" and "psychotic" mentioned more than once. She clasped
Buffy's hand and looked at Xander who wore a matching expression of worry. If
the Slayer was indeed having an emotional breakdown, they were all screwed.
"Giles." Willow called out as they stepped into the library. From the table in
the center of the room, both Oz and Cordelia glanced upwards from books. Oz
smiled at her in greeting.
"About time you guys showed up," Cordelia said.
"Sorry, we had a friend to take care of," Xander replied as he led a still
dazed Buffy to a seat.
"Not now, guys." Willow said authortively. "We need answers, not fighting. You
guys are gonna have to put aside whatever stupid immature things you two are
bickering about today and concentrate on figuring out how to keep Angel out of
mine and Buffy's houses."
"She's right and I'm glad you're here," Giles said as he exited his office. He
knelt down beside Buffy. "How are you feeling?"
She smiled down at him weakly "Tired. Like I didn't just take a nap." She
chuckled but it sounded more like a sob, "I had a dream. Suprise of the year,
huh? Buffy has a bad dream..wow..concept."
"Why don't you tell me..er..us about it," Giles suggested as he handed
Cordelia a book. She had proven to be suprisingly good at research. She was
quick and thorough and had a good eye for catching small detail that might
escape someone else...like Xander. She accepted it wordlessly and then looked
at Xander as if to say, "see I am trying to help Buffy. I do care."
"It was just scary, Giles." Buffy replied, looking down at her hands. She took
a deep breath. "We fought..Angel and I...for what seemed like forever..neither
of us making any ground. Then you guys arrived and he started laughing and he
said...he said that the entertainment had arrived and that I oughta sit back
and I enjoy it." She swallowed hard but refused to make eye contact with
anyone, "Then he hit me and I fell down and I couldn't get up. All I could do
was watch as...watch..." she shook her head.
Giles closed his eyes to focus himself. Her dream scared him but he didn't
want her to know that. "It was only a dream. A nightmare. We're all here. All
of us. It's okay."
Buffy looked up and nodded but her eyes remained clouded with fear and her lip
continued to tremble.
"You look in her eyes
the music begins to play
hopeless romance
here we go again"
She felt his hand slide against the cool skin of her neck and instinctively
she moved against it, prompting him onwards. He continued to kiss her, leaving
a trail of fire up her neck and across her face. She moaned and wrapped an arm
around him. Then he pulled away.
"This is wrong," Xander said shaking his head. "I can't believe we're.."
"No..please, let me guess...you're shocked that we could be making out while
Buffy's freaking out." Cordelia groaned. "Why am I not suprised? Look, if you
don't want to do this..that's one thing but stop hiding behind Buffy. This
isn't about her." Then she laughed, "Or is it?"
"What?" Xander exclaimed. Shaking his head in indignation he said, "Yeah, it
is about her but not in the way you think."
"Oh? Then tell me why it is that everytime we're together, it's only minutes
before Buffy is either brought into the conversation or thinking of her
stops you from kissing me. I mean what is it with her? Why are you always
obsessing?"
"She's my friend..I'm sorry you don't get that..maybe it's as foreign of a
concept to you as doing your own laundry but the fact is that I owe her my
life.."
"And I do also, Xander. And I'll fight for her. I can't believe I'm saying
that but it's true. The point you're oh so conviently missing though is that
right now there is nothing we can do for her. She and Willow are together at
her house. Buffy can protect the both of them. Why can't this be our time?
Unless the truth is that you'd rather be with her."
"No," Xander said firmly. "I want to be with you. God help me but it's true.
I'm just..I'm worried..about her..about all of us." He looked up at her. "You
want the truth?"
"It'd be nice."
"I'm scared. Before it wasn't close to us..it was something we knew and fought
and we could defeat and go home and party. This is Angel and either way we
lose. If he kills one of us..that destroys us. If Buffy kills him, we're just
as screwed because I don't think she can recover from it. Either way, all we
are now is stuck in a holding pattern and it's driving her crazy and.."
"And it's pulling us all apart. I know." Cordelia replied, settling against
his chest on the couch. They were in his house. His parents were out of town
for a couple of days..something about a large family reunion. In any case
Xander wasn't with them..he was with her. He sighed loudly and wrapped his
arms around her tightly, almost afraid to let go.
"Rolling and burning
blinded by thirst
they didn't see the stop sign
took a turn for the worst"
Willow glanced over at the bed and wasn't all that suprised to discover that
her friend had dozed off, the trig book perched cautiously on her hip.
Leaning over, she took it off of Buffy and closed it. They'd been studying or
at least attempting to for hours. It hadn't gone so well. Buffy was jumpy and
easily distracted, her mind a million places at once.
But always on Angel.
Everytime the Slayer would daze off, Willow would see her turning the ring on
her finger as if it could make it all better. She would turn it and gaze up at
the window with hope shining in her eyes. A moment later they would go dull
and she would refocus herself on the trig. Or attempt to. It wasn't long
before she would fade again.
Twice she had pulled herself together enough to say, "I need to get a grip. I
can't keep letting him do this to me." But she couldn't stop him. He had her
heart and he had no plans of relinquishing it. They had thrown caution to the
wind and become lovers and it had come back to haunt her as he had become
Angelus once again..the demon intent on conquering her.
And yet he'd been unable to break her.
Willow had gone with Buffy on her sweep of the graveyard, against the Slayer's
strong protests. She'd watched Buffy dispatch three burly vampires with her
usual strength and style. And the irony of it all was that it was only then,
while fighting the undead, that her mind stubbornly refused to settle on
Angel.
She had created a sort of separation between Angel and the rest of the
vampires even though she knew that he was the same as any of them. He was the
one she couldn't defeat. And they both knew it. He held the upper hand and she
knew it but she refused to allow it to interfere with what had to be done. If
anything, she used it to fuel her hatred towards the other vampires.
It was acutually a comfort watching her go postal on one of them. It showed
that she wasn't letting herself go soft and that she was still the Slayer even
if she as Buffy was an emotional mess.
Willow took off her shoes and socks and moved to sit in the chair next to
Buffy's bed. She knew that she should sleep in the bed but for some reason,
she felt a protective need to watch the window for any sign of the demon that
could very possibly destroy them all. Whispering softly she said, "Sleep
well, Buffy. We'll get through this."
- -
------------------------------
End of Buffyfic-digest V2 #23
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