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Buffyfic-digest      Thursday, February 12 1998      Volume 02 : Number 035



In this issue:

       BUFFYFIC:The Price of Vengeance  08/08
       BUFFYFIC:The Price of Vengeance  06/08
       Re: BUFFYFIC: DISCUSS:  HMTTN (4/4):Epilogue: Don't Leave Me Now (1/1)
       BUFFYFIC: A Way Out 1/1 by Dawn Murrell
       BUFFYFIC: Just Another Normal Conversation  (1/1)

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: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 22:22:19 -0600 (CST)
From: [e-mail] (by way of [e-mail]) (by way of [e-mail])
Subject: BUFFYFIC:The Price of Vengeance  08/08

    The Price of Vengeance  07/07
           by
         Liz Muller






  What Giles wanted to know just now, was why someone was driving a spike
through the center of his forehead. He groaned and opened his eyes. The
light was dim, and his vision blurry, he shifted his head slightly and
regretted it immediately when his stomach clenched as a wave of nausea washed
over him. He managed to roll to his side as he vomited, the spasms sending
shooting pains through his already aching head.

  "Take it easy, Giles." a quiet voice said, as strong hands supported
him through the last of his retching. When he was through, he managed to
lift his head enough to see Angel kneeling next to him.

  Giles struggled weakly to sit up, terribly confused. He was sure Angel
had left town some days earlier. What was he doing here, and where was
here anyway? As he waited for his head to stop spinning, Giles tried to
remember what happened.

  He could vaguely recollect driving somewhere with..."Angel, where are
Buffy, Jenny and Willow?" he asked faintly. "I'm here Giles," came Willow's
strained voice from the side. As Giles turned carefully, to look in her
direction, Angel spoke. "I don't know, only you and Willow were put in
here with me."

  Giles was having difficulty seeing, his vision still blurry, but he saw
Willow propped up against the wall near him. He noticed she seemed to be
cradling her left arm in her lap. He went to rub his forehead, but hissed
in pain as his hands encountered a sizable lump on his forehead. He also
realized he'd lost his glasses.

  "Are you all right, Willow?" he asked concerned. As he waited for her to
reply, he rummaged around his pockets, hoping he'd brought his spares with
him. To his great relief, his fingers touched them as she spoke.

  "I think I broke my arm, Giles," she said softly. "It's a clean break, so
she should be fine." Angel said. Giles looked back at Angel and could see
that he doubted his own words. Quickly slipping his glasses on, he tried to
move closer to Willow, but his vision swam once again.

  "Easy, Giles, easy. You took a nasty whack in the head, you can't push
yourself," Angel said firmly as he held Giles down. "Where are we?" he asked
again. His memory was beginning to return, and with it a sense of urgency.
Apparently that urgency got through to Angel, because he frowned.

  "As near as I can figure, we're somewhere near the Hellmouth itself. I
couldn't really see too much but I think this is a dead end passage. If I'm
right, there's only one more room down here a store room or something, empty,
I think." Angel replied. "Why?" he added, puzzled.

  Giles' mind raced furiously as he listened. Frantic, he wracked his brain
for every scrap of demonic law he'd ever heard. Suddenly his eye's widened
and he struggled to get up as he said, "We've got to get out of here and
find Buffy and Jenny now!" Surpressed panic colored his voice.

  Confused, Angel steadied him as he got to his feet. "What is going on,
Giles, you have to tell me." Angel was almost pleading as he looked at
Giles. Giles swallowed and lowered his eyes. "Er, yes...well." he stuttered.

  He caught sight of Willow, sitting there very pale, with an encouraging
look on her face. Giles took a deep breath and turned back to Angel.

  "A madman is trying to set Zenothos and Angelus loose upon the world.
He's using Buffy and Jenny as....hosts. I believe demons intend to enter
the children, before they are born. Once that happens, there is only
one way to destroy them," he finished grimly. From the look on his
face, Angel knew what he meant.

  Angel's face lost all expression. He had no words that could convey the
weight of his guilt just then. All he could think about was Buffy, and the
hell his love had put her though. His heart ached with the pain he had
caused her. He felt Giles' hand on his arm, and looked into eyes almost as
haunted as his own.

  Jenny. Giles had said Buffy and Jenny. More guilt rose within him as he
realized exactly what that meant. He had done this to all of them. Somehow
he had to make this right. He saw Giles relax slightly when he saw that in
his eyes.

  A thought struck him. "Those were Rom, Giles. The men who brought me here
are Rom. That doesn't make any sense. Why would Rom summon a demon, let
alone do something like this?"

  Giles let his arm drop. He really hadn't wanted to mention this just yet.

  "The madman's name is Sacha, he's Jenny's brother. And he's hated her since
they were little. Its so sad," Willow said. Giles and Angel just stared at
her. "Well, it is!" she said defensively.

  "No...no, you're right, Willow. It *is* sad. But right now, we have to
find them and stop the ritual." Giles moved over to the door and stared at
it. He tried the handle, fruitlessly. Angel came up next to him and watched.
"I can't believe the clan is letting him get away with this. This goes
against everything they believe," he said softly.

  Giles sank down and leaned back against the wall. "I'm afraid it more
complicated then that," he said wearily. The door was solid. They'd just
have to wait till someone came for them.

  Angel dropped down next to him and waited. Giles let his head fall back,
and he closed his eyes. He tried to ignore the pain that hammered in his
head.

  "Imre, the clan chief...is Jenny and Sacha's father," he said finaly.
"Jenny is the elder, as such, she is his heir. Or was, that ended when
Angelus was freed. With Sacha as heir, I doubt Imre has long to live,"
Giles said bleakly. He went on, "It was Sacha who made possible Angelus'
escape. He prepared Jenny to oversee the curse; he just didn't tell her
what would happen if the curse was broken."

  They sat in a stunned silence. It was such an ugly story. "How can he
possibly believe the Rom will stand for this? " Angel asked after a moment.
Giles smiled bitterly. "Ah, but you see..." he said softly "Sacha is mad.
It must have been child's play for Zenothos to convince him this would
work. After all, he had a demon lord on his side."

  None of them cared to talk after that.Tthe silence grew oppressive as
time went on. Then, faintly, they could hear footsteps coming their way.
Looks of relief mixed with alarm crossed their faces. At least now, the
waiting was over.

  The footsteps drew closer then stopped. The sound of keys jingling
came next. The door swung open and four men stepped inside.  They said
nothing, just motioned them to get up. Giles and Angel rose, then helped
Willow up. Two of the men left, and they were prodded to follow. The
remaining two men fell in step behind them.

   They looked around as they walked. "It appears you were right." Giles
whispered to Angel.  Giles almost plowed into the man in front of him,
as he stopped. Turning around, he cuffed Giles across the face. Stars
exploded in his head as the man told him to be silent. Angel wordlessly
grabbed Giles' arm as he swayed. Willow watched wide-eyed as the man glared
for a moment more, then turned and began to move.

  Shortly, they stopped before another door. It was opened, and they were
pushed through. It slammed shut behind them, as they stood and gaped.

  What they saw, belonged in a gothic horror story, not modern Sunnydale.
They were in a large, cavernous room, light by torches in sconces spaced
regularly around the room. The flickering light cast an eerie glow on
the scene before them.

  Buffy and Jenny lay on what appeared to be altars, placed in the center of
the room, surrounded by a large circle, drawn on the tile floor. Arcane and
esoteric symbols covered the space between the circle and the alter, leaving
only the middle space free to walk on. Between the two tables, stood a
figure dressed in white robes, his back to the door.  A brazier cast a
sullen red glow to the room.

  Smoke from the torches combined with what appeared to be incense burning
on the coals, swirled and shifted heightening the already oppressive
atmosphere.  The man turned and faced them. He bore a strong resemblance
to Jenny, and had the same black hair, but his eyes...

  Giles shuddered as he looked away. His eyes were gleaming black pools
of hatred. "Welcome, do come in. Now that you've arrived, we can begin.
My Master grows impatient."  With that, he turned away. Giles caught a
glimpse of a book, resting on a plain wooden stand.

  "We've got to get to them," Angel whispered as he headed for the circle.
"No!" Giles shouted as he realized, too late what Angel intended to do.
He watched, horrified, as Angel attempted to enter the circle.

  There was a blinding flash of light, then a solid thump. When his eyes
cleared enough, Giles looked around and saw Angel slumped against the wall.
Sacha laughed as Giles and Willow hurried to his side. Giles sighed in
relief as he felt the strong pulse under his fingers. Angel was just
unconscious.

  Giles sank down and Willow joined him. Their eyes were drawn to the circle
as Sacha began to chant.


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

  Jenny and Buffy locked eyes as Sacha began to chant. Jenny immediately
recognized the words. While searching for a spell to help Angel, she'd
stumbled over this one. She realized their only chance was the fact that he
had to replenish the incense in the brazier.  If it went out, the spell
would fail, but the demons would be trapped between worlds. It would be up
to her to send them back.

  Jenny hoped Buffy would see the warning in her eyes and wait for a signal.
Her eyes drifted to the braizer. There hadn't been a sound from behind her
since the burst of light. She desperately wanted to look at Rupert, but
didn't dare. Sacha must believe her to still be unconscious.

  As the melodious chant continued, the smoke from the brazier began to
thin. She signaled Buffy with her eyes and saw a nod. She tensed. Sacha
turned and reached into his robe. As he did, Buffy came up off the altar and
rammed into him. They fell to the floor. As Jenny got up, Buffy landed a
solid shot to his jaw.

  As Buffy got to her feet, Jenny could feel a tension beginning to build.
She recognized the feel of it.


  Angelus.


  Buffy grabbed the wooden bookstand and snapped it across her knee. She
always liked to have a stake handy, just in case. She fell into a defensive
posture, watching Sacha. It took her a moment to realize he wasn't looking
at her, but off to the side. Whatever he saw seemed to make him happy, so
she risked a short glance behind her.

  She froze. Angel stood behind her. He appeared sort of hazy, as if he
wasn't really there. Involuntarily, she looked towards the door. She saw
Angel right away, then registered a very battered looking Giles and Willow
sitting nearby.

  Her head snapped back and she watched his slow, evil grin form. Angelus.
Her rage erupted. Because of *Him* people she cared about were hurt, almost
killed. Not to mention the pain he had inflicted on her. She took a step
towards him, and stopped, shocked, as he laughed.

  "Buffy, that's so funny. While this form isn't my favorite, it has some
advantages. You can't touch me."  His ringing laugh mocked her and she
swung the stake at him. She stumbled as it passed right through him.

  As she regained her balance, he drawled, " You can't touch me, but I can
definitelyy touch you." He stepped forward, then recoiled as Jenny moved
between them. "She can't touch you, but I can." Her voice a warning.

  Angelus stepped back slightly. "You failed before, what makes you think
this time will be any different?"  Jenny felt the rage inside change to
hate. This being was responsible for so much pain, so much evil. She
channeled the hate, used it to prepare.

  Closing her eyes, she began to chant softly. Immediately, Angelus roared.
He stumbled back and fell to his knees as a wind sprang up. The wind picked
up, stirring up dust and chalk. The torches began to snap and gutter in the
breeze, filling the room with dark smoke.

  The wind fanned the coals in the brazier, and they roared to life, flames
springing up. As Jenny continued, Angelus began to glow, and he seemed to
shrink in on himself a bit.

  Suddenly the glow intesified to the point where they could no longer look.
Then the wind died.  Jenny's voice was the only sound, harsh with exhaustion.
As the last word was spoken, there was a soundless pop, and a burst of light.
A silent force knocked them to the ground. The last thing Jenny remembered
was a scream that it seemed to have an echo...

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

  A vague sound reached her here, where ever *here* was.

She liked it here. It was safe. She was here, by herself,
and she was safe....

  The sound was familiar. She loved that sound so she listened harder. It
was a voice, talking to her. That was nice, she thought. Then the voice s
topped.

  Suddenly, she didn't like it here anymore. She strained to hear any
little sound, and was rewarded with a faint noise. Slowly, the noise
resolved into voices.

  Then she heard it, that voice. He sounds so sad, she thought. As she
followed the voice, she began to feel discomfort, then pain. She faltered,
but the voice pulled her forward.

  "....I just wish she'd wake up." Giles said worriedly. "She will, when
it's time. She's strong, Watcher, and she loves you. She'll wake up soon.
Trust me." She wanted to laugh, but she couldn't seem to do anything.

  She was lying on something soft, covered by warmth. She slowly realized
she was in a bed, covered by a blanket. She finally got her eyes open a
crack, and saw Giles and her father standing near the door.

  Giles had a large bandage across his forehead, and he looked exhausted.
Slowly, she licked her dry lips, and tried to speak. "Giles." she called,
her voice very tired.

  As soon as she spoke, he moved and was at her side looking down, relief
on his face. " Hi...welcome back. You gave me quite a scare," he said
quietly. She nodded slightly and tried to clear her throat.

  Giles reached over and picked up a glass of water, which he carefully
held to her lips. Gratefully, she sipped, enjoying the coolness as she
swallowed.

 "How's buffy?" She asked, her voice stronger. Giles smiled faintly. "She's
been through a lot, but I think she'll be ok. She and Angel have been
talking, I think they'll both be ok. They went to take Willow to the
hospital."

 He frowned at that. At Jenny's worried look, he continued. "She'll be fine.
Her arm was broken in the crash." He felt responsible, he had been driving,
after all.

  "Giles," Jenny said. With a start, he realized he was 'zoning'. He saw the
compassion in her eyes. She knew exactly how he felt.

  He went on. "Buffy said she doesn't think she's pregnant any longer...what
about you?" Slowly she answered, "I'm...not sure. I feel...lighter somehow,
but I'd like to test it," she finished. "Yes, Buffy said much the same thing,"
he told her.

  Giles looked at her, guilt and pain in his eyes. He started to speak when
she silenced him with a finger laid across his lips.

  "Don't say anything, Giles, just don't. I need time to think through
everything thats happened. There's one thing I'm sure of though...I love you,
I won't lose you, not now." She paused and stared at him, tears in her eyes.

  "Unless..." here voice trailed off and she dropped her eyes. "Unless what?"
He asked nervously. "Unless you've changed your mind." she said softly.

  He tilted her face up and looked deep into her eyes. "Never. I love you
Jenny, and you'll never lose me." He leaned over and tentatively brushed his
lips across hers. She leaned into him, kissing back a little harder.

  After a moment, they heard a cough, and they parted, smiling at each other.
Finaly Jenny turned and looked at her father. He had a pleased expression
on his face.

  She arched an eyebrow at him. Imre broke into laughter. Sighing, Jenny
shook her head. Growing serious, she asked, "What about Sacha?"

  Imre sobered. He had hoped she wouldn't ask. "He...lives. He has no mind
left, but he lives." He paused, then continued,

  "His life is yours, as you asked."

  Jenny looked at her father, then at Giles. They both looked tense. She
nodded her head.

  "What would you suggest?" she asked. She had promised, after all. They
exchanged a glance. "His death would serve no purpose. Let him live out his
life, let him live," Giles said quietly.

  She nodded once. She couldn't hate Sacha anymore, she didn't feel anything
for him anymore, except a vague regret over what he had become.

  Suddenly tired, she lay back on the bed. Giles leaned over and pulled the
blanket up, making sure she was well covered.

  "You should get some more sleep, you're exhausted. I'll stay as long as
you want," he said, as he brushed some hair from her forehead. She nodded
and smiled. "I love you, Rupert." She said as she closed her eyes. She felt
a feather touch of lips on her forehead.


  "I love you too, Jenny." She smiled again as she drifted off to sleep.





end story
[e-mail]


- -

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

Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 22:22:17 -0600 (CST)
From: [e-mail] (by way of [e-mail]) (by way of [e-mail])
Subject: BUFFYFIC:The Price of Vengeance  06/08

       The Price of Vengeance  06/08
             by
           Liz Muller







  It was with a renewed feeling of determination that Jenny awoke. She
felt calm and refreshed. With a huge grin, she realized why. She had fallen
asleep on the couch, in Giles' arms. His presence had banished the nightmares
of Eygon that had plagued her, and his love had soothed her soul as she
slept.

  Her head was pillowed on his chest, and his arms were securely wrapped
around her. She sighed and snuggled deeper into him. She thought about
what they had talked about last night, and she smiled again. In spite of
everything that had happened, Rupert loved her.  Her heart ached with the
thought of the pain she had caused him.

  She lifted her head slightly, so she could watch him as he slept. She knew
he carried his own guilt inside; she could see it in his face, even as he
slept. She sighed. As much as she would like to let him sleep, they had work
to do. The sooner they finished dealing with this mess, the sooner they
could work things out between them. She carefully freed herself from his
embrace and slipped into the kitchen to start coffee.


  With a groan, Giles woke. He rubbed at his neck, trying to ease the
crick in it as he opened his eyes. For a moment he stared around, confused,
then he smelled coffee. Then his face broke into a smile. He was at Jenny's.
He looked towards the kitchen, just as Jenny emerged, carrying two cups
of coffee.

  Seeing he was awake, she grinned at him. He grinned back, as she settled
next to him, handing him a cup. Taking a large sip, he studied her closely.
For the first time in weeks, she looked rested, he thought. "You look like
you slept well," he said. "You make a wonderful pillow, Rupert, thank you.
Yes I slept great, no nightmares." She smiled again. For a few moments,
all they did was enjoy their coffee, savoring the peace they shared.

  All too soon, Jenny could see Giles begin to frown. She knew what was on
his mind. As nice as this was, they had problems to deal with. At least now,
she wasn't alone. She knew that Giles would be there.


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

Sacha snarled as he threw the report down on the desk before him. Viciously,
he tore open an ornate box on his desk, and grabbed a cigarette. He drew the
harsh smoke of the unfiltered cigarette deep into his lungs, and held it.
He closed his eyes feeling the burning in his chest, as his lungs cried
out in protest. He opened his eyes, and slowly exhaled, his eyes glinting
slightly in the smoky gloom.

  He stared absently at the report, his mind turned inward. it confirmed
what he already knew. That meddling Watcher had attempted to interfere with
his Master's plans. He had failed, this time. He must not get a second
chance. Sacha began to smile evilly.

  The Slayer and his bitch of a sister had one last duty to perform, then
his Master would be free to walk the Earth. And he, Sacha, would take his
rightful place as leader of his people. He picked up the phone and hit
speed dial. He knew just the men to assure there were no more problems.


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


Jenny and Rupert spent the entire weekend in the library pouring over the
books in Giles collection. Giles was on his third reading of the
Dotherian when he heard Jenny sigh deeply.  He looked up as she shoved
the book she'd been reading away in disgust. Wearily, she pinched the
bridge of her nose, then she looked at him.

  He saw resignation in her eyes. "Rupert, we've been through these books,
over and over, there's nothing here," she said finally. He'd been trying to
ignore the very same thought himself. Placing the book on the table, he
went to her. Laying his hand on her shoulder, he said quietly. "We will find
a solution, Jenny." After a moment, she nodded. "I know, Giles. I know."
Each wondered secretly if it would be in time.

  Breaking the pall of gloom, Jenny stood up. "Let's get something to eat,
Rupert, I'm hungry."  As he nodded and leaned down to pick up her jacket,
which had slipped to the floor, Jenny felt an arm snake around her waist.
A hand clamped over her mouth muffling the scream that had just started
to emerge.

  Before Giles could do more then lift his head slightly, more hands roughly
grabbed him by the neck and threw him to the floor. The crack of his skull
hitting the floor exploded through the room, as a figure in black pinned
Giles to the floor. Stunned by the impact, held immobile by the weight of
his attacker and the hand the grasped his throat tightly, he could only
watch as the man raised a shimmering blade in the air and prepared to strike.

  Jenny screamed and struggled against her attacker, but she was no match
for his strength. She saw the blade rise and pause as the assassin chose his
spot. Crying now, she watched, in horror, as the knife began to descend.

  For no apparent reason, the knife tumbled harmlessly to the ground. The
assassin shuddered once, then fell over, partialy covering Giles. She heard
her attacker curse softly, then release her. She reacted immediately,
driving her heel into his foot, the turning around and ramming her knee
into his groin. She didn't even wait to see him hit the ground, before she
was next to Giles.

  Roughly she pushed the body away, frantic to check on Giles. He lay
looking up at her, panting for breath. Worriedly, she caressed his cheek.
'Rupert are you all right?" she asked frantically. After a moment, he
replied. "Ah yes, you?" He asked simply. She simply nodded.

  For a long moment they did nothing, then she remembered the second
assassin. She could here him wheezing and moaning in pain.

  Glancing at him, she saw he was in no condition to do anything. Cautiously,
she turned over the body of Giles' attacker. Her eyes fastened on the neat
hole in his chest, just over his heart.

  "Watcher, you of all people should know that no place is safe. You must
never let your guard down like that again," said a deep voice from behind.
Jenny's head snapped around, and her eyes widened, as she spotted Imre
standing near the door.

  "Imre, I ah.." Giles voice trailed off as Imre walked over, slipping
a small pistol into his pocket. Giles was surprised by the grimness of his
expression. Jenny was still unable to speak, shocked beyond words that he
was here.

  Imre had stopped near the knife, which he nudged with his foot. If it
were possible, his expression grew grimmer. He seemed to age a hundred years
as he stood staring down at the weapon.

  Giles looked to Jenny, and blinked when he noticed the same grim
expression on her face. As Giles slowly sat up, he spoke. "Judging by the
look on your face, I gather things just got worst." Jenny and Imre
exchanged an amused glance, then Imre spoke.

  "Ah, Watcher. You have a gift for understatement. Yes, things have gotten
worse. Much more so than you realize."  He extended a hand to help Giles up.
Giles rose a bit unsteadily and wavered slightly as he stood. Jenny slid a
supportive arm around his waist and he gave her a quick smile. She tightened
her hold briefly then lead him to a chair, so he could rest.

  "Would you care to explain that, Papa, or are we going to have to guess?"
Jenny said tightly. Imre raised his eyes heavenward, as if seeking
patience. He strode over to the second assassin, who had managed to crawl
to his knees. Bending over, he wrapped one hand around the man's arm and
dragged him to his feet.


  "This one will provide answers to some of your questions, then I will
finish," he said. Imre shoved the man down into a chair. Giles watched
as Imre spoke softly to the man, in what he assumed to be Rom. He was
mesmerized by the changing colors of the man's face. By the time Imre
had finished speaking, the man was a strange, pasty white and was visibly
shaking. Jerkily nodding his head, the man began to speak in a low, heavily
accented voice.

  "We were sent to kill you, Watcher. We were told that no harm was to come
to your companion, but the you must die." The man paused, and eyed Giles
nervously. His eyes shifted to Jenny, then jumped away as if burned. He
was sweating hard, and seemed to get more terrified every second.

  "We were told you had betrayed our people, and brought great evil down
on us. We were lied to, Watcher, you must believe me!" he exclaimed as he
slid from the chair, and onto his knees before a stunned Giles. "We didn't
know that you protected the Slayer, and were fighting a terrible evil on
our behalf." The man's terrified eyes fastened on Giles.

  "Tell them who sent you," Imre's implacable voice demanded. The man
hesitated a moment too long, because Imre thundered, "Tell them!"
"Sacha, Sacha ordered the death of the Watcher," the man yelped.

  Jenny had listened quietly as her father had very clearly, and in
great detail told her attacker just what his fate would be if he lied.
His terror was understandable. Imre's temper was slow to rise, but when
it did...

  The assassins were Rom, but why would they want to kill Giles? When he
had said her brother's name, she felt the world spin. Not even Sacha
could be that stupid.

  Slowly Jenny shook her head. "No...I don't believe you. Sacha is many
things, but this!"  "Its true, I swear! the order came from him," he wailed.

  Jenny's face had gone grim. Giles looked stunned. For a moment, the only
sound was the labored breathing of the terrified assassin. Then Imre spoke,

  "So Giles, what shall we do with him?" Imre asked,
pointing to the frightened man. Giles looked slowly up and at Imre.

  "What do you mean?" he asked softly, confused. Surprisingly, Jenny
answered, "Because he failed to kill you, you get to decide if he lives
or dies...it is tradition," she said flatly.

  Giles was horrified. Involuntarily, he looked down. The man had stopped
shaking, and knelt there, looking resigned. He opened his mouth and tried to
speak, but nothing happened. On his second try, Giles was able to get the
words out. "Lives....he lives." For a second it looked as though the man
would cry, then he sprang up and ran out the door.

  Giles stared after him, dumbfounded.

  Jenny meanwhile had been silently fuming. How dare her father force Giles
to make such a choice! Hot words rose to her lips, but she bit them back.
Through sheer will, she forced herself to be silent. If nothing else, this
whole nightmare taught her restraint. She moved to Giles, who sat staring
blankly at the door. She reached down and wrapped her arms around him
silently lending him her support.

  Imre grimly watched. They would need each other in the days to come,
he knew. It pleased him to see how much they cared for each other.

  Imre sat down and cleared his throat. Startled, they looked at him.
 "Jani, you had better sit down." Imre said heavily as he addressed his
daughter for the first time. Jenny felt her knees weaken. He had used her
name! Something must be terribly, terribly wrong for him to break with the
family and actually speak to her.

  She pulled a chair next to Giles and sat down. She reached out and took
his hand and threaded her fingers through his. Then she looked at her father
Imre gazed back.

  "Watcher, Jani...what I have to say makes me deeply ashamed. All this
trouble, all this pain. Yours, and the Slayer's...It is my fault. No,
hear me out." he said as Jenny started to object. Father and daughter glared
at each other for a moment, then Jenny dropped her eyes.

  Imre gazed at her a moment more, then spoke softly,


  "Sacha did indeed order your death, Watcher. As hard as it is for you to
accept, Jani, it is the truth. It makes sense, if you know his reasons...
And to my eternal shame, I found out." Jenny moved as if to go to him,
but he got up.

  "Sacha was always different, he always wanted more then he should have.
From the time he was small, he craved power. As second born, he had great
prestige, but very little real power. So he sought it out. Over time, he
he became a great scholar, always searching for knowledge, for it holds a
kind of power. He used what he learned to his advantage, and by the time
Jani was sent here, he was in a position to hurt her. Deliberately he left
things out, so she would fail."

  For a long moment, Imre was silent.

  "I could accept that, if it had been mere jealousy, but it is more than
that, so much more."

  Imre stared blankly ahead as he continued,

  "Sacha is insane, he has to be ... To wrest leadership of the Clan from
me, he made a pact with a demon lord...He would rule in my place, in
exchange, Angelus had to be freed... and a way provided for both demons to
assume human shape. You, Watcher, were a threat to those plans, so you had
to be killed." Jenny looked like she was going to be sick. Giles didn't
look much better.

  "Even now, Sacha gathers his forces; he does have followers, to take the
Slayer and Jani. To assure that no harm can come to the children."  Imre
ended abruptly. His shame overwhelmed him and he covered his face with his
hands.

  In the dead silence that followed, Jenny began to laugh. It was low at
first, almost a surprised giggle. Her hands flew up to cover her mouth,
shocked. The giggle quickly grew into hysterical laughter. Between peals of
laughter she managed to force out some words.

 "You mean...all this pain, all this death....is because Sacha is jealous
of me?"

  As if a switch was thrown, the laughter stopped. Beseechingly, she
looked at her father. "All this, because of me?"  Brokenly, the old man
nodded.

 Jenny began to shiver as if she was cold. She could feel her hold on
reality begin to slip, as she started the slid into despair.

 "No." Giles quiet voice cut through her despair like a knife.

 "Jenny listen to me, " he said urgently as he gripped her arms and turned
her to face him.

  The anguish in her eyes was unbearable, but he faced it without flinching,
knowing what he was going to say was the truth.

  "I will not allow you to hold yourself to blame for what your brother did.
You know demons can twist people, change them into whatever serves their
needs. You know that," he said forcefully. He waited a moment, to see if his
words were sinking in...they were.

  "The blame for this rests with Sacha; no one else. When he chose to go to
a demon for help, he was lost. Don't allow him to win, Jenny," he said
urgently.

  Imre watched in admiration as the Watcher talked Jani back from the
edge. "The Watcher is right, Jani. The blame for this is Sacha's and mine,
not yours. I am clan leader, I should have foreseen this and prevented it,"
he said sadly.

  Giles watched Jenny for a few moments more. the pain was still there,
and he knew bleakly that it always would be, but he could see she had
accepted his words. He breathed a sigh of relief. His relief was short
lived, however.

  "I will always bear some blame for this, you won't convince me otherwise,
Rupert, so don't even try." she said as he drew breath to argue. "But I can
live with it, I have to."  She said bleakly.

  "There is one thing I want though," she said coldly.

  "What is that, Jani?" Imre said cautiously. He didn't think he'd ever
heard a voice as cold as hers was just now.

  She turned her eyes to her Father, and he recoiled from the hate he saw
there.

  "When it's time, I want his life." Her tone left no doubt what she planned.

  "Jani.." "Jenny!" two voices crashed together.

  "I want his life. to do with as I wish. It is my right," she said coldly.

  "It is your right." Imre acknowledged." But, you will make me a promise
first." She looked coldly at him and nodded. "Before you do anything to him,
you will consult the Watcher, and the Slayer...they also have a claim
against him." Imre's voice brooked no argument. Weighing his words, Jenny
finally nodded. She only had to listen, she didn't have to do what they said.


  Father and daughter stared at each other for a moment. Jenny dropped her
eyes, then swayed. Giles steadied her, not quite sure how to deal with all
this...The cold anger inside of Jenny, shocked and worried him.

  In a more normal voice, Jenny spoke. " We have to get to Willow's...If
Sacha is as insane as it appears he is, the girls aren't safe."

  Giles blinked. For a moment he had entirely forgotten Buffy. "Yes, you're
right, we should go there immediately."  As he looked around, he saw the
body. "Oh...we have to do something about him.. he said.

  ""I will take care of him, after all, I did shoot him." Imre said
evenly. "Yes, quite right," Giles murmured. "You two go, get the others.
You must find somewhere safe, quickly. I have some other matters to deal
with, then we can try to find a solution to this mess," Imre said.

  Giles walked to Jenny and put an arm around her waist. For a moment, she
stiffened, then she sighed, and relaxed against him. Her arm moved to his
waist, and together they went to get Buffy and Willow.


end part 6
[e-mail]


- -

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

Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 16:45:37 -0600
From: Tannim Umoren <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: DISCUSS:  HMTTN (4/4):Epilogue: Don't Leave Me Now (1/1)

Wow o wow!  Man you had this story straight on!  How do we know you really
don't write for the show and this is just an alias!??  Anyway you picked up
where phases left off perfectly.  You had Cordelia and the X-man down
almost perfectly.  I only had a few problems with it.  One is that we did
not see any of Cordy's "friends"  insult the X-man.  Two is wouldn't the
girls, OZ, and Giles have been slightly more mad at him in the end.  But
aside from that I thought this was d bomb!  Besides the fact that you
pretty much predicted the valentine ep this could have been the V-day ep.
Keep it up.  :-}





Now if you'll excuse me,

    I need to go back to the....

        ...all concealing lurker-type shadows :-)



- -

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

Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 17:35:26 -0800
From: Dawn <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: A Way Out 1/1 by Dawn Murrell

Title: A Way Out 1/1
Author: Dawn Murrell
Distribution Statement: My site, Anya, anyone else ask.
Spoiler Warning: Up to Innocence, I don=92t think there is anything more
than that.
Rating: PG
Content Warning: Main character death, some angst.
Summary: Buffy figures out how to stop Angelus.
Disclaimer: I=92m only borrowing the characters. Buffy, Willow, Xander,
Giles, Oz, Angel, Cordelia, Ms. Calendar, Joyce, Harmony, and Hank all
belong to Joss Whedon, God Of The Universe.

A Way Out 1/1
by Dawn Murrell

 Buffy sat on her bed, writing a letter. She couldn=92t say this in
person; her friends would stop her for sure. She couldn=92t bear this pai=
n
any longer. Harmony, Cordelia=92s friend, had been killed two nights ago.
She hadn=92t known Harmony, but she was one of Cordelia=92s best friends.
Buffy knew Angelus had done it; Harmony had paid her a visit earlier
this evening. He was making her suffer, making her watch as he drove her
friends crazy before he killed them all, making her hurt more. He was
hurting her more than anyone had ever hurt her before.

 But not anymore. Buffy had found a way out. She knew he wouldn=92t kill
her until she went crazy, and that she couldn=92t possibly kill him, so
she was taking matters into her own hands. She glanced at the knife that
lay less than a foot away from her on the bed. She was scared (who
wouldn=92t be?), but she knew what she had to do. She knew how to stop
this from going any further. She put the letter in an envelope, sealed
it, writing her friends=92 names on it, and put it next to the envelope
with her parents=92 names written on it. She glanced at the claddagh ring
on her hand as she picked up the knife, and watched as the knife pierced
the soft skin of first one wrist, then the other. As the warm blood
oozed over her hands and arms, she was surprised that she felt no pain,
only release; soon she would be with her love again, and her friends and
family would be safe. That was all she had ever wanted.

"I=92m coming, Angel." She whispered before passing out, falling into a
dreamless, endless sleep.

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

Dear Mom and Dad,

I know you both are probably wondering why I did this, and
I=92m sorry that I can=92t go into the details. All I can tell you is
that I had to do this. I wish I could tell you why I had to do it,
but I can=92t because I care about you too much. I hope you can
go on with your lives, and please know I love you both, even if
neither of you even knew who I really was. This isn=92t because of
either of you, so please don=92t blame yourselves.  Neither of you
will ever know what my real life was like, and try to understand
that I can=92t tell you, and know that I will always love you both.

Your Daughter,
Buffy Summers

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

Dear Giles, Xander, Willow,
Cordelia, Ms. Calendar, and Oz,

 I thought that you would all want to know why I did
this.  Some of you may have already figured it out. When
I saw how Cordelia was affected by Harmony=92s death, I
realized something. I realized that Angel wasn=92t going to
stop going after you guys until either you guys or me was
dead. His whole purpose, after he was changed the second
time, was to drive me crazy. Some of you may think he
succeeded, as I have now killed myself, but I hope you can
see that I did it to save your lives. With me dead, your deaths
will be prevented, because Angelus knows he cannot hurt me
when I am no longer in this existence, that=92s why he hadn=92t
killed me yet. You all know I could never kill him, and that this
was the only way out. I hope you all can go on with your lives,
and I wish you all the best of luck in years to come. I believe
that I am with Angel now, and we will be happy in our
non-existence. Please understand that it=92s better this way. I
love you all.

Your friend,
BuffySummers
_________________________________________________________________________=
_______

end story

Dawn
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Academy/9592/index.html



- -

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

Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 15:21:55 EST
From: [e-mail]
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Just Another Normal Conversation  (1/1)

TITLE:  Just Another Normal Conversation
AUTHOR:  Aramat!
RATING:  PG
SUMMARY:  Buffy, Willow and Xander are sitting in Slayer Central having a
nice little chat.
DIST:  My page.  Anywhere else, ask first.
DISC:  BtVS characters don't belong to me.  They're Joss Whedon's and the
WB's.  I'm just borrowing them.  I'll return 'em when I'm done, but you have
to
promise not to sue me.  Okay?

Note:  This story is a happy story.  That mean's that "Innocence" episode
didn't happen.  Come up with your own happy ending for "Surprise".  Just
remember that Oz is a werewolf, Xander and Cordy are officially a couple
and Buffy and Angel are still Buffy and Angel.  Only minus the angst.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


"I'd have to stick with vampires."

"You would. Out of loyalty. But you have to admit, werewolves do have
their good traits."

"I say you're both screwy. Human's the way to go."

Buffy, Xander and Willow were huddled together at the library waiting on
Giles to start Buffy's training session. Things had been pretty slow in
Sunnydale lately, so, for once, they didn't have to spend their Friday
night getting the dish on the demon of the week or the next big vampire
uprising. Today they'd have a regular Friday night out. Just three
friends, their dates, and a major movie marathon at the Slayer's. Things
were looking pretty good.

Right now, they were involved in a discussion of nothing. Buffy and
Willow were debating the finer points of dating preternatural beings,
while Xander continued his campaign against anything that wasn't human.

Buffy looked at Xander, a teasing glint in her eye, "Human? Since when
did Cordy become part of the human crowd?"

"Yeah, I thought we'd lumped her in with the demons," Willow said with a
smile.

"Ha ha," Xander said dryly. "Cordy's definitely human. You two are the
strange ones."

The two girls exchanged smiles. "Maybe," Buffy admitted. "But I like to
think of us as unique."

"Right," Willow agreed. "Not strange in any way. But I still think
werewolves are better."

Buffy shook her head. "Still I say vamps. I mean, come on, they're
sensual creatures. A big plus in the love department. Not to mention all
those years of experience." She smiled as she thought of that one. "And
let me tall ya', experience is a very good thing."

Willow smiled at the happy expression Buffy's face. Xander groaned.

"I still can't believe you slept with dead boy," he said, shuddering as
he thought of Buffy and Angel together, that way.

"Well I can," Will said. "I mean, when you look at the situation, it was
kinda bound to happen. But we weren't talking about Buffy's personal
activities. We were discussing how much better werewolves are compared
to vampires. I'm sticking with my guy."

"You date whatever species you want, Will. And you're right, werewolves
do have good points. They're only hairy animals three days out of the
month. Vampires are demons every day," Buffy conceded with a smile.
"Look at it this way, you're still doing better than Xander here. You'd
have to go way out to beat his bug thing."

Xander groaned and got up from the table. "She didn't look like a bug
when I met her. How was I supposed to know she was a bug?"

"Her big bulging eyes?" Willow suggested.

Buffy smiled. "Her interest in you?"

Willow laughed and, soon, Buffy joined her. Xander stood there watching
his two best friends diss him to his face. It was sad. And he didn't
have to take it. Gathering his books, he walked toward the library
doors.

"Where ya' going, Xandman?" Buffy asked in between giggles.

"He's meeting Cordy in the janitor's room this week," Willow answered,
struggling to contain her laughter. It didn't work. "Snyder found out
about their secret trysts in the utility closet."

Xander looked back, giving both girls looks of disgust. "Why I hang with
you two is beyond me."

Buffy stopped laughing and smiled at him. "It's just another example of
your excellent woman radar."

Willow nodded, although she couldn't quite stop laughing. "Yep, it homes
in on unusual women. Next minute, Xander's there ready to pledge undying
devotion. As long as he gets to keep his head."

Buffy broke into another round of laughter at Willow's statement and
even Xander had to smile.

"If I didn't know you two loved me, I'd be really hurt right now,"
Xander said with mock sadness.

Buffy smiled. "Okay, we'll stop now. Wouldn't want to bruise that
fragile male ego. We might unknowingly drive you into the loving arms of
a succubi."

"Thus adding another unusual woman to your already impressive record,"
Willow said, this time keeping a lid on her chuckles. Just barely.

Buffy started to laugh again but a look from Xander stopped her. "Go
'head, Xand, We're done."

"Promise?" he asked, doubt clouding his voice.

"Promise," Buffy and Willow said in unison.

"Tell Queen B that the party starts at seven," Buffy reminded her
friend. "And Oz'll be there so no hairy dog jokes."

Willow nodded. "Angel will be there, too. You make one dead boy crack
and we give him permission to drain you."

Xander sighed dramatically. "First you talk about me, to my face, I
might add, then you take all the fun out of my evening. Maybe you don't
love me." He started to walk out the doors when he remembered something.
"Cordy's nickname is Queen C."

Willow exchanged a secret smile with Buffy before nodded to her friend.
"Right. Queen C. That's what we meant." When the door shut behind Xander
the two girls broke out into a chorus of giggles. That was how Giles
found them two minutes later when he walked into the room.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

All done now.  Oh, and before I forget feedback is gladly accepted.  Thanks!

Aramat!

- -

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

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