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Buffyfic-digest        Saturday, March 21 1998        Volume 02 : Number 065



In this issue:

       BUFFYFIC: Re: Buffyfic-digest V2 #64
       Re: BUFFYFIC: All Alone in the Night Part 5/5
       BUFFYFIC: Tomorrow Mourning 1/9
       BUFFYFIC: Tomorrow Mourning 0/9
       BUFFYFIC: Tomorrow Mourning 2/9
       BUFFYFIC: Tomorrow Mourning 3/9
       BUFFYFIC: Tomorrow Mourning 4/9
       BUFFYFIC: Tomorrow Mourning 5/9
       BUFFYFIC: Tomorrow Mourning 6/9
       BUFFYFIC: Tomorrow Mourning 7/9

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, 21 Mar 1998 17:50:39 EST
From: Klutz454 <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Re: Buffyfic-digest V2 #64

unsubscribe

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

Date: Sat, 21 Mar 1998 20:06:05 EST
From: GothGirl77 <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: All Alone in the Night Part 5/5

Hi, I'm kinda new to the list. Can you send me parts 1-4?

~Nastassia~

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

Date: Sat, 21 Mar 1998 19:58:51 -0800 (PST)
From: "Jeff R. Harris" <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Tomorrow Mourning 1/9

TITLE: Tomorrow Mourning  1/9
AUTHOR: Jeff Harris
EMAIL ADDRESS: caliban@wizards,com
DISTRIBUTION: Please ask first
FEEDBACK: If you want to.
SPOILER: None really. Takes place before Lie to Me.
RATING PG-13
SUMMARY:  A mysterious man comes to Sunnydale with a warning for Giles
and Angel.
CONTENT WARNING: Violence. I tried to keep to the tone of the show
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters. All characters belong to
Joss Whedon and the WB. No copywrite infringement is intended.
NOTE: I started writing this right after Halloween aired and so I figure
its off in it's own little buffyverse

Monday

He found himself outside of the back entrance of the bronze, the local
club/Teen hangout. As he stared at the building he had conflicting
emotions.
(There is no good reason to go in there.)  The man thought.
(Sure they will probably be in there, but seeing them is not part of the
plan. But its been so long since I saw them smile, heard them laugh. What
could a few minutes hurt?)
His inner debate was cut short as a hard won instinct kicked in. He
quickly turned around and found that a slender man with blond hair was
coming up behind him. He looked around, there was no one about, except
the two of them. He looked at the other man and sighed.
"Sure, why not?" He said to the other man. "What night in Sunnydale would
be complete without being attacked by a vampire."
The blond was taken back for a moment by the matter of fact way that his
prey had disclosed that he knew what he faced. Dispensing with the
illusion of humanity, the vampire assumed his true form and snarled at
its intended victim.
The man stared back at the vampire, with a slightly annoyed look on his face.
"Can we get on with this? I've got a busy night ahead of me."
Again the vampire was surprised by the lack of concern. Usually when
confronted by his true nature a human would panic and try to flee, which
of course he loved. But this one was treating him like he was simply a
waste of time.
No matter) thought the vampire as he leapt at the man.  (His blood will
still be nourishing.)
As soon as the vampire moved the man did a quick sidstep and pushed his
right palm into the creature's side. There was very little effort in the
push, but the vampire felt an intense pain at the point of contact. The
momentum of his jump combined with the push sent him to the ground. As he
got back to his feet the vampire realized that the pain was so great that
it that to come from some holy relic. Even before the vampire was fully
on his feet again the human kicked him in the back of the knee and than
moved around and followed through with as open hand strike to the face
with his right hand. The searing pain came again as the vampire fell. The
man was upon him instantly, holding the vampire's throat with his right
hand, and a stake in his left. The vampire struggled but it was no good.
The pain from the holy object was too much, the man too determined and
strong. The man stared for a moment into the vampire's eyes with a look
of intense hatred, then plunged the stake into the vampire's chest. The
vampire had a look on its face that said ' how is this possible', and
then it turned to dust. The man remained kneeling on the ground for full
minutes, staring at the spot that the vampire had occupied, before he got
up and slipped the stake back under his coat, and slipped something else
in his right hand back up his sleeve.
_____________________________________________________________

Once inside the Bronze the man knew that he had made a mistake. He was
completely out of place. This was a place where young people came to
enjoy their youth. Where for most of them the greatest concerns of life
were passing the math test Friday morning and getting a date for Friday
night. Here he was, A man in his early thirties, whose life had been
rough enough to make him look even older, dressed in dark clothes with a
dark over coat and a bread and hair that were already going gray. He had
no business being here, and if the wrong person spotted him than his
whole plan could collapse. He had just made up his mind to leave when he
caught sight of them. They were sitting together as always. As much as he
knew that he needed to go, he found that he couldn't make his legs work,
and he could almost hear the beating of his heart. He found himself
straining to hear what they were saying, even thought he was too far away
for it to do any good.
______________________________________________________

Buffy, Xander, and Willow were sitting at their usual table. Buffy laid
her head on the book in front of her. A frustrated sigh escaped her lips.
"Why is it so important that I know the barter customs of the ancient
Babylonians?" She asked.
"In this town you mean? " Countered Xander. "You could conceivably meet one."
"Thank you for that oh so cheerful thought, But this seriously does not
rock my thunderdome"
"Can't we just get beyond thunderdome?" Xander smirked.
"Oh yuck. How long have you been waiting to use that one?" asked Willow.
"Two months and 3 days." Was his reply.
Buffy gave Xander a look of mild disgust. " What? Do you stay up at night
dreaming up one-liners?"
Xander feigned a hurt look. " You mean that's not normal?"
______________________________________________________

"Excuse me can I get you something?"
The man's attention was drawn away from the three teenagers and to a
young woman standing near him. It took him a moment to realize that she
was a waitress.
"Yeah, sure a Pepsi" he said looking for an open table.
"No problem."
As she left he saw an open table and went to it. He was glad that it was
far enough away from the three that they probably wouldn't notice him,
but he could still watch them.
"Here you go." the Waitress said handing him his drink. As he paid her
she gave him an inquisitive look. " Do I know you? you look familiar."
"Well I use to live here, but that was when I was much younger." he replied.
"Well my name is Amy. Just call me if you need anything else." She said
with a smile. "Are you sure I don't know you?"
"Pretty sure."
"Well could you at least tell me your name?" She said smiling.
"I'm Alex." he said, trying to smile.
"Well Alex, If you need anything let me know."
It was after she left that Alex realized that she was probably flirting
with him.
(To bad I don't know how to respond anymore.)
___________________________________________________________

"I give." Stated Buffy. "My homework has officially defeated me."
"Well its only Monday. the quiz isn't until Wednesday." Willow said
trying to sound reassuring.
"Yeah. If you can defeat ancient prophecy, you can handle Ms. Conner's
history class." Added Xander.
" I'm so glad that you two have such great faith in my ability, but I'd
rather face the Master again than have to face the quiz."
"It can't be that bad." Said familiar voice.
"Angel." Said Buffy.
It never failed to amaze Willow that whenever Angel showed up that Buffy
said his name like it was a revelation. the very same thing never failed
to annoy Xander.
"Well that's easy for you to say." Said Xander, "You were probably in
Ancient Babylon." He immediately regretted how accusatory the comment
sounded.
"Just a little before my time." Was Angel's reply. his tone told Xander
that his regret was well founded.
______________________________________________________

Alex saw Angel join the three teens at the table. He felt almost
overwhelming urge to go over to the table, but choked it down.
(No. first I find the Watcher. Then I deal with the Vampire.)
______________________________________________________


End of part 1


- -

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

Date: Sat, 21 Mar 1998 20:03:42 -0800 (PST)
From: "Jeff R. Harris" <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Tomorrow Mourning 0/9

Just wanted to let folks know a couple of things before I post my first
story to the list. I started work on this story right after the first
airing of Halloween. I almost had it done by the time What's my line came
on the first time, but I lost my job and that sort of put the story on
the back burner. Since then I got a new job and decided to finnish the
story. Originally this was going to be the first of a trilogy and that is
how I finished it, but I'm unsure If I am actually going to do the other
two stories now. I have a lot of other ideas I'd like to explore. Please
let me know what you think.

Jeff Harris

- -

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

Date: Sat, 21 Mar 1998 20:07:41 -0800 (PST)
From: "Jeff R. Harris" <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Tomorrow Mourning 2/9

TITLE: Tomorrow Mourning  2/9
AUTHOR: Jeff Harris
EMAIL ADDRESS: caliban@wizards,com
DISTRIBUTION: Please ask first
FEEDBACK: If you want to.
SPOILER: None really. Takes place before Lie to Me.
RATING PG-13
SUMMARY:  A mysterious man comes to Sunnydale with a warning for Giles
and Angel.
CONTENT WARNING: Violence. I tried to keep to the tone of the show
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters. All characters belong to
Joss Whedon and the WB. No copywrite infringement is intended.
NOTE: I started writing this right after Halloween aired and so I figure
its off in it's own little buffyverse

Rupert Giles was amazed at how well his evening was going. When Jenny
Calendar had suggested that they spend the evening at his house watching
a video, he had felt slightly apprehensive. Partly due to the fact that
he had no idea what movie she had planned on them watching and of course
due to the fact that he was still incredibly awkward in intimate
situations with her.
Fortunately for him, all his fears were unfounded. The movie she had
chosen was "The Mark of Zorro" with Tyrone Powers. How she had found out
that it was one of his favorite movies he had no idea. He felt
surprisingly at ease sitting on his couch next to Jenny, watching Don
Diego dispatch Captain Esteban.
So of course he found it annoying when he heard a knock art the door.
"I wonder who that could be?" he mused aloud
"Unless you have expanded your social circle recently it's probably the
kids, which of course would mean the end of our quite evening." Jenny
responded.
Giles nodded as he got up to go to the door. If Buffy and her friends
were at his door it meant there was a problem, some new supernatural
threat that needed to be overcome. That was why he was surprised to find
not a teenager on his porch, but a man in his thirties.
For his part Alex just looked for a moment at the other man, lost in
contemplation.
"Hello, can I help you? " The surprised watcher asked the stranger.
" I hope so." Was the answer.
Alex reached into his coat and pulled out an envelope and handed it to Giles.
"You need to read this letter and then meet me tomorrow night in the
school library."
With that Alex turned to leave.
Wait a minute," Called an incensed Giles "What do you mean by 'read this
and meet me tomorrow', and then just walk off? I think you had better
explain yourself."
Alex turned back towards Giles. "Trust me, nothing I have to say is going
to make any sense until you've read that letter and had time to think
about it."
"But what..." Started Giles.
"Look, I have a lot to get done and not a lot of time to do it. Just read
the damn letter and meet me tomorrow, Alone!"
With that the now agitated Alex stormed off, leaving a very perplexed
Giles standing on his porch watching the stranger leave.
"Who was that Rupert?" Asked jenny, coming into the foyer from he living
room.
"I don't know. A strange man who has left me a cryptic note."
"So nothing really unusual for Sunnydale."
"I wish I could share you level of amusement, but there was something
about him. He seemed almost familiar, although I'm sure I would have
remembered him is we had met before."
"Well why don't you come back to the living room and read me the letter."
"I'm not sure. he implied that I shouldn't involve anyone else. I thing I
should read the letter myself and then decide whether or not to share it."
Jenny seemed a little let down by that.
"All right, if you think that is best. But at least wait until after the
movie is over."
"Very well." he agreed.
Later, after Jenny had left for the evening, Giles sat down at his dinner
table and opened the envelope. after finishing the letter he just sat,
his face having drained of much of its color.
(This can't be possible.)  He thought.
_____________________________________________

Angel entered his apartment feeling the same melancholy he felt ever time
he saw Buffy. As much as he wanted to be with her he knew that it was a
bad idea. He was a vampire and she was the slayer. No matter how many
times he went over it he could find no way to make it work out without
inviting tragedy. But at the same time he couldn't stay away from her. He
knew that the pressure was building and something was bound to burst,
especially when you threw Xander into the mix.
Xander had made no secret about how he felt about Buffy. It bothered
Angel every time he saw them together, since tragedy was not a forgone
conclusion if they had a relationship. Of course that would require Buffy
actually noticing Xander, which hadn't really happened yet, at least not
on a conscious level. On a subconscious level was another question
entirely. After all it was Xander who had saved her in the Master's lair.
Angle knew that as long as this situation lasted there would be friction
between Xander and himself, not that he felt particularly threatened by
Xander, at least not physically.
He went to the fridge, hoping that feeding would help to dull the edge in
his mind.
"Funny, I figured you would have noticed me by now." Said a strange voice.
Angel turned quickly to see a man standing in the corner of his apartment
in the shadows. He silently chided himself for being so wrapped up in his
problems that he didn't notice the intruder. He quickly closed the
distance between them and grabbed the stranger by the throat and lifted
him off the floor.
"Who the hell are you?" the vampire demanded.
Alex grabbed Angel's wrist with his right hand. Angel felt pain lance out
from his wrist causing him to loosen his grip on the intruder. Alex hit
Angel square on the nose with an open palm strike with his right hand
while sweeping his left foot causing the vampire to lose his balance.
Angle fell and was momentarily disorientated by the force of the blow and
the pain caused by what ever was in his opponent's hand. He looked up and
saw that the human was just standing there, apparently waiting for him to
get up.
"I wish you hadn't done that." Alex said calmly, as Angel got back to his
feet, his handsome human features replaced by the demonic visage of his
vampire self.
Angel took up a fighting stance. "I'll make you wish you'd never been born."
Angel punched at the human. He was surprised that instead of blocking the
blow or trying to dodge away, the man stepped forward and hit Angel in
the shoulder, robbing the punch of any real power. He than followed threw
by grabbing Angel's wrist with his right hand and yanking. The
combination of the sudden pull and the pain caused by whatever it was he
had in his palm caused Angel to fall for a second time.
"I already wish I'd never been born. "Alex said.
Angel looked up at Alex. He realized that this guy was good, maybe even
better than he was. Alex reached into his overcoat. Angel was sure he was
going for a stake, but instead he pulled out an envelope. He threw it
down to the prone vampire.
"Open the letter and read it. If you want to learn more after that, meet
me at the school library tomorrow night. And please don't let anyone
except Giles know about this."
With that Alex turned and started to leave the apartment.
"What makes you think I'm going to let you leave?" Asked Angel, getting
up again.
"Because you can't stop me." Was the answer Alex gave while putting on a
pair of dark glasses. "I know you too well."
Alex threw something into the air. Suddenly the room was filled with a
blinding light. Angel's eyes, use to centuries of darkness, were unready
for the brightness. By the time he had recovered his sight the stranger
was gone.
Angel was furious that a mortal could overcome him so easily. He grabbed
the envelope and tore it open. After reading the letter he was no less
agitated, but the emotion had switched from rage to uncertainty and just
a little fear.
(This can't be happening.) He thought, looking at the letter again.  (Who
the hell is this guy?)
____________________________________________________


- -

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

Date: Sat, 21 Mar 1998 20:11:30 -0800 (PST)
From: "Jeff R. Harris" <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Tomorrow Mourning 3/9

TITLE: Tomorrow Mourning  3/9
AUTHOR: Jeff Harris
EMAIL ADDRESS: caliban@wizards,com
DISTRIBUTION: Please ask first
FEEDBACK: If you want to.
SPOILER: None really. Takes place before Lie to Me.
RATING PG-13
SUMMARY:  A mysterious man comes to Sunnydale with a warning for Giles
and Angel.
CONTENT WARNING: Violence. I tried to keep to the tone of the show
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters. All characters belong to
Joss Whedon and the WB. No copywrite infringement is intended.
NOTE: I started writing this right after Halloween aired and so I figure
its off in it's own little buffyverse

Tuesday

The following day was mostly a haze for Giles. The letter and its
mysterious deliveryman weighted heavily on his mind. Even by the
standards one got use to living on top of a Hellmouth, the contents of
the letter were inconceivable. By all rights such a letter should not
exist, much less be tucked into his coat pocket. The entrance of Buffy
and her friends broke his contemplation of the impossible. He had
completely lost track of time. School had ended for the day and Buffy had
arrived for their daily training session. While pleased that she was
being responsible, he needed to get her out of the library.
"Well here I am, ready to sacrifice my free time for the betterment of
humanity." She said
"Ah yes." He replied thinking quickly. "..And I assume your homework is
done?" He knew it was weak, but this sort of improvisation was never his
strong suit.
"Homework?" She asked.
"Yes, I assume you are caught up." He said, hoping to keep her off balance.
"Well not exactly..." She began.
"Really? Well as important as your continual training is, you do need to
keep your grades up as well."
"Wait a minute." Chimed in Xander. "Your telling us that Buffy's GPA is
as important as keeping the world safe from the legions of the Damned?"
"Yeah, isn't that a little disproportionate?" added Willow.
"I'm not saying that they have equal gravity. I'm simply saying that
since Buffy had been so diligent in her training that I don't see the
harm in taking a break to attend to her studies." the Watcher said,
hoping he was not behaving totally out of character.
"A night off? Your serious?" Buffy asked, not sure she could believe what
she was hearing.
"Yes, this once. But I do expect you to be prompt tomorrow."
"Sure, okay." The Slayer said, deciding not to question him, just in case
he changed his mind. "Come on guys, lets hit the books instead of the bags."
As soon as they left Giles let out a sigh of relief. now all he had to do
was not lose his mind until the strange man showed up.
_____________________________________________________

Shortly after sunset Giles became aware that he was not alone.
"Hello? He called out.
"Hi." Said Angel, stepping out from the shadows.
"Angel, what are you doing here?" Inquired Giles.
"I got a very bizarre invitation to meet here tonight."
"You too?"
"Yeah, and He said I couldn't tell anyone but you."
"Did he give you anything?" Asked Giles.
"Uh huh. A letter, and a sound beating."
"A beating? he fought you?
"I wouldn't call it a fight. For it to be a fight I would have had to get
a shot in. How about you?"
Just a letter in my case." the Watcher paused for a moment. "Did he
strike you as somehow familiar, like you had met him before, but you
couldn't tell where?"
The vampire thought about it for a moment.
"Now that you mention it he did, but that's not an uncommon sensation for
someone my age."
Before the two of them could continue, the doors to the library opened
and the source of their speculation walked through. He walked straight up
to the two.
"I'm glad you both decided to show up." Was his greeting.
"What the hell is going on? Angel snarled, taking a step towards him. He
then paused, remembering his last encounter with this man. "Where did you
get that letter you gave me?"
"What exactly did the letter say?"
"You know damn well what it said." The vampire countered.
"Actually I don't. It was given to me sealed." Alex said flatly.
This took both vampire and watcher by surprise.
"Given by whom?" asked Giles.
"You first." Alex said. "What did you letter say?"
Giles took a seat and pulled the letter out of his coat.
"It says that I am to listen to what you tell me. It than goes on to give
details on an incident from my youth that I've never told anyone about.
Its in my handwriting and has my signature."
"How about you?" Alex asked the Vampire.
"The same. It told me to listen to you, and told of something that
happened before I became a vampire. my writing, my signature . Now you,
who gave them to you?"
"You did. Both of you."
"But how is that possible?" Asked Giles "We've never met you before. And
I for one would remember writing such a letter."
"You don't remember writing them because you haven't done it yet."
Angel let out a grunt of frustration.
     "Would you start making sense. Who in the hell are you?" He said.
Both Angel and Alex stared in each other's eyes for a moment.
"That's both very simple and very complicated. My name is Alexander Harris."
Both Angel and Giles were struck silent for several moments staring into
his face before Giles finally found his voice again.
"Xander?"
"Please Giles, I haven't gone by that name for years. It's Alex now."
Angel took a seat next to Giles. Now that he knew what to look for it
became clear, but the differences were glaring. He was about early to mid
thirties now. His face was fuller, not with fat, but in the way that
comes with bulking up from working out. The same was true of his build.
His beard removed the boyish quality from his face. But most of all was
his expression and body language. The Xander he knew always seemed so
animated, even when he was standing still. This man's body language
suggested more of a coiled spring, not moving but gave the impression
that it could at any moment. His eyes were the most telling of all.
Xander's eyes were bright and full of life, this man's seemed dead, like
they had seen more pain then they knew what to do with.
"How is this possible?" Asked Giles.
"Have you ever heard of Teferi?" Alex responded.
"No. Should I have? " Was the watchers answer.
"He was an African witch-doctor about 300 years ago. He claimed to have
discovered the secret of as he put it 'time walking'. And as you can see
he was right."
"So you discovered his secret and used it to come back in time." Angel
stated. "But why?"
Alex paused and took a seat himself. After taking several deep breaths he
looked at the other tow.
"I'm here to try to avert a tragedy."  He took another breath and let it
out slowly before continuing. "Unless we find and destroy Spike by
Sunday, Buffy and Willow will die."

End of Part 3

- -

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

Date: Sat, 21 Mar 1998 20:14:49 -0800 (PST)
From: "Jeff R. Harris" <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Tomorrow Mourning 4/9

TITLE: Tomorrow Mourning  4/9
AUTHOR: Jeff Harris
EMAIL ADDRESS: caliban@wizards,com
DISTRIBUTION: Please ask first
FEEDBACK: If you want to.
SPOILER: None really. Takes place before Lie to Me.
RATING PG-13
SUMMARY:  A mysterious man comes to Sunnydale with a warning for Giles
and Angel.
CONTENT WARNING: Violence. I tried to keep to the tone of the show
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters. All characters belong to
Joss Whedon and the WB. No copywrite infringement is intended.
NOTE: I started writing this right after Halloween aired and so I figure
its off in it's own little buffyverse

Giles felt as though he had been physically struck. his greatest fear was
that Buffy or one of her friends would die. now he was being told that
his fear was on the verge of coming true.
He saw that Angel was no better. He was sure that his demonic visage was
just barely being held back.
"Spike kills Buffy and Willow?" Angel asked.
"I wish it was that simple." Alex returned, a pained look coming over his
face. "But Spike is, as you later put it, 'an abomination even to other
vampires'. He wasn't satisfied with just killing them." Alex had to stop
talking, the look of emotional torment on his face was overwhelming.
"What?" Giles asked, trying to be gentle but at the same time needing to
know. "What did...will Spike do?"
Alex looked at Giles with an expression that made the watcher want to cry
out in sympathy.
"He turned them into vampires."
Giles had to get up and turn his back on Alex. This was too much.
(Not just my greatest fear, but Buffy's as well.)
Angel finally lost it. his full vampiric nature coming to the surface.
"I'll kill him." He raged. "I'll find the bastard and I'll make him
regret ever meeting Drusilla."
"I sure the hell hope so." Said Alex.
Giles turned back toward Alex, feeling as though he would burst into
tears at any moment.
"Did...Did we slay them?" he asked, not really wanting to know the answer.
"Not we Giles. Me. You were in the hospital and Angel was out of commission."
"Out of commission?"  Asked Angel  "How?"
"As you explained it to me, when a vampire takes a lot of damage it goes
into a kind of hibernation to heal. At least that's would you said happened."
Angel nodded in agreement to that statement. "And only you were left?"
The vampire inquired.
"I was roughed up a bit, but that's all. Spike didn't consider me a
threat so he left me alone."
"And you went after them? Buffy and Willow?" Giles asked.
"I had too. They were on a rampage. Each one killed their own parents.
Then they killed Ms. Calendar, Principal Synder, and God knows how many
students here. They damn near killed me twice."
Giles wanted to ask more questions, but stopped himself. Reliving the
memoirs was obviously taking a toll on Alex. He was sitting with his face
buried in his hands.
The silence in the room was more than Angel could take. "So what do you
want us to do?" He asked.
Alex looked up at the two. He, like Giles looked like he might burst into
tears at any time. "I want Giles to keep an eye on the girls while you
and I look for Spike. If we don't find him by Saturday, then we think up
some excuse to keep them under wraps until we do."
"Couldn't we tell them who you are and why you're here?" Angel asked.
"We discussed that before I came here."
"We?" Inquired Giles.
"The three of us. you don't think I deciphered the ritual do you? You and
Angel are the ones who sent me back here. We figured that Buffy and
Willow's reactions might not be the ones we want. Remember how Buffy
acted the last time we told her she was destined to die. So we decided
against it. besides can you imagine my reaction to meeting myself?"
"Ah, yes I see your point." Said the Watcher. "Well I suppose I can make
up some nonsense involving prophecies and alignment of stars that I can
use to cover whatever we decide to do.
"Great, so when do we get started?" Asked Angel.
"Tonight, right now." Said Alex. "I don't want to give that bastard
another second."
_____________________________________________________________

Giles sat alone in the library after Alex and Angel had left. There was
so much to think about. Alex had disturbed him, not just because of his
news, or the fact that he was a future version of Xander. No, how the man
acted was also unsettling. his behavior had suggested that he was
suffering from some psychological problem, most likely post-traumatic
stress. It hurt for him to think that such a bright and vibrant boy like
Xander would turn into that dark and pain filled man. he had to wonder
what he was like in the future. If the events to come had remade Xander
so much, what had the effects on him been. Alex had mentioned that one of
Buffy and Willow's victims had been... would be Jenny. That meant that he
was going to lose the three most important women in his life.
(No, it doesn't)  he thought. (It means it could happen, but I know about
it now. I can fight it, and I will.)
He got up and went to the phone in his office.
(Dear God I hope this works.)  He thought as he dialed.
"Hello?" Said Ms. Calendar on the other end.
"Jenny. Oh good, I caught you at home."
"Hello Rupert. I hope that this call means you've decided to share the
contents of that letter with me."
"Yes.. the letter.. Well it is connected. The letter.. well it relates to
some odd prophecies, and I need your help.
"Now that sounds promising. what do you need?"
"I need for you to search of signs of significant supernatural occurences
outside of Sunnydale." He said.
"Outside of Sunnydale?" she asked. "That sounds odd.
"Yes I know. But never the less that is what we need to look for."
"All right Rupert, I'll look. Why don't you come by my office tomorrow
and we can look over the results."
"Yes, I'll be there."
"Good. It's a date then. bye now."
"As Giles hung up he felt hopeful.
(I think I can pull this off. Hopefully Angel and Alex can pull off their
part.)
_________________________________________________

End of part 4

- -

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

Date: Sat, 21 Mar 1998 20:17:01 -0800 (PST)
From: "Jeff R. Harris" <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Tomorrow Mourning 5/9

TITLE: Tomorrow Mourning  5/9
AUTHOR: Jeff Harris
EMAIL ADDRESS: caliban@wizards,com
DISTRIBUTION: Please ask first
FEEDBACK: If you want to.
SPOILER: None really. Takes place before Lie to Me.
RATING PG-13
SUMMARY:  A mysterious man comes to Sunnydale with a warning for Giles
and Angel.
CONTENT WARNING: Violence. I tried to keep to the tone of the show
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters. All characters belong to
Joss Whedon and the WB. No copywrite infringement is intended.
NOTE: I started writing this right after Halloween aired and so I figure
its off in it's own little buffyverse

Angel supposed that it could be worse. He and Alex were surrounded by a
group of four vampires. finding vampires was not surprising, in fact it
was what the both of them had wanted.  But four was a little much. Alex
seemed unconcerned with their situation.
"Remember last night?" He asked Angel while he put on a pair of dark glasses
Getting his point Angel closed his eyes. Even though tightly shut lids
Angel could see the bright light. Angel had to wonder what Alex used, it
had a hiss like a flare. When he opened his eyes, he saw that the other
vampires were blinded, just as he had been the night before. Being
nocturnal creatures the brightness of the light had been too much for
their eyes to handle. but they would recover quickly. Alex wasted no time
staking one of them right away.
"Take out that one." He told Angel, indicating another vampire. "Than
grab one of the others. Two should be enough
Although staking another vampire was not something he generally liked to
do, Angel complied. After that he grabbed and easily overpowered one of
the remaining two. Alex had managed to knock down the last one and was
now standing over the fallen vampire.
"All right you undead bastard!" Alex yelled at the helpless vampire. "I
have questions, and you'd better damn well have answers!"
(I can't believe that Xander is going to turn into this guy.) Thought
Angel (I would never have believed he could be like this.)
"Where the hell is Spike?" Demanded Alex, pressing his right palm into
the vampire's forehead, smoke coming out from underneath.
"I can't tell you what I don't know!" Screamed the agonized vampire.
"Liar!" Bellowed Alex. "Tell me where he is!"
"He can't " Called Angel's captive. "Spike doesn't hang with us. He's
been condemned for slaying the Anointed One. No one has seen him in weeks."
Alex got up and advanced on the second vampire, leaving his victim on the
ground, writhing in pain.
"Are you telling me there are two factions of vampires in town?" Alex
asked, his voice barely under control due to his rage.
"Y-yes." said the vampire.
A stake suddenly slipped into Alex's hand from his sleeve. Without
warning he plunged it into the vampire's chest.
"Then I guess we won't need you." He said as the vampire turned to dust.
Angel was dumb struck. He had seen vampires be less vicious than Alex had.
Alex went over to the last of the vampires. He didn't say anything, he
just plunged the stake into it. Angel felt a chill go up his spine when
Alex turned his gaze on him. Alex walked towards him and then past him.
"Come on, we have a few more hours before sunrise. Maybe we can find a
bloodsucker who knows something useful." Alex said as he passed.
Angel followed him, not sure what to think.
____________________________________________________

End of part 5

- -

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

Date: Sat, 21 Mar 1998 20:20:03 -0800 (PST)
From: "Jeff R. Harris" <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Tomorrow Mourning 6/9

TITLE: Tomorrow Mourning  6/9
AUTHOR: Jeff Harris
EMAIL ADDRESS: caliban@wizards,com
DISTRIBUTION: Please ask first
FEEDBACK: If you want to.
SPOILER: None really. Takes place before Lie to Me.
RATING PG-13
SUMMARY:  A mysterious man comes to Sunnydale with a warning for Giles
and Angel.
CONTENT WARNING: Violence. I tried to keep to the tone of the show
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters. All characters belong to
Joss Whedon and the WB. No copywrite infringement is intended.
NOTE: I started writing this right after Halloween aired and so I figure
its off in it's own little buffyverse
Wednesday

Giles set about preparing for Buffy to arrive for training. He hoped that
his story had enough of a plausible ring for the youngsters to believe
it. Buffy and Willow's lives and Xander's sanity depended on it.
Thinking of Xander brought up a feeling of unease in Giles. When he had
gotten into his office this morning there was a message from Angel on his
voice mail. The point of the message was simple; Alex's behavior worried
Angel. That just reinforced Giles belief that Alex suffered from
post-traumatic stress, or some other condition brought on by having to
slay Buffy and Willow. To Giles that meant that Xander was in as much
danger as the girls. Well maybe not as much, but very close.
Buffy and her friends arrived on time. Xander and Willow both said hello
and took seats at the main table in the library. Buffy walked right up to
the watcher.
"Well Giles here I am. Homework all done." Said Buffy, teasingly
"Good. well then, now that we've exercised your mind, lets see how you
muscles have done." Giles said, donning the pads he had to wear during
these workouts.
"Don't you mind getting beat up all the time Giles?" Asked Willow. "I
mean those pads never seem to do that much good."
"Actually you get use to it after a while." Giles replied.
"Just as long as you don't begin to like it." Joke Xander.
Giles looked straight at Xander.
"You know Xander, you could always do this for me." Chided Giles.
"Me?" Xander asked, looking very much like a deer trapped in a car's
headlights.
" Yes you. It might be good for you in fact, considering that you seem to
be constantly putting yourself in harms way. " Giles said, in a matter of
fact manner.
Both Buffy and Willow looked at Xander expectantly. Xander suddenly felt
as if the room temperature had gone up several degrees.
"You're kidding, right?" He asked.
Giles gave Xander a small smile. "Yes I am, and the look on your face was
worth it."
Both Buffy and Willow laughed. Xander joined in, more out of relief than
anything else.
_____________________________________________________________

After 30 minutes and several bruises, Giles ended the practice session.
"Well not that we've got that over with there are other matters we must
discuss." Giles stated as he took off the protective pads.
"What now? Some earth shaking new prophecy?" Joked Buffy as she took a
seat next to Willow.
"Actually yes." Giles said as he put the pads away.
" I was joking Giles. Said Buffy.
"Well unfortunately I'm not." Giles said as he took a seat next to
Xander. "The Codex contains a prophecy that indicates something happening
in the next few days, somewhere away from the Hellmouth."
"Away from here?" Asked Willow. "That seems strange. I mean doesn't the
Hellmouth attract supernatural forces?"
"Normally, yes. But this seems to be the exception that proves the rule.
I had Ms. Calendar check about on her computer. it seems that in the last
few weeks, there has been a rash of disappearances  in the Los Angeles area."
"LA!" Buffy said. "You mean we have to go to Los Angeles?" She asked,
excited about the prospect of going back to her former home.
"Going to Los Angeles does seem to be the best way to find out what is
going on and stop it. "I've already got Ms. Calendar working on getting
it cleared as some sort of field trip to a science lad of some sort. That
should cover you all being absent to both the school and you parents."
"All of us. So you want Willow and I to go too?" Asked Xander.
"Of course I do Xander." Said the watcher. "After all, you're the one
Always saying that you're a team. It would be foolish to break up a
winning formula."
"Right." Said Xander, with a smile beaming on his face.
"Sure." Added Willow. "When do we leave?"
"Based on my calculations we should leave no later than this Sunday
morning." Giles said, Pleased that all three were buying into the story,
but feeling guilty for lying to them all the same.
"That doesn't give us much time to get ready." Said Buffy.
"No it doesn't." Agreed Giles "So tonight you all should tell your
parents about it. Hopefully Ms. Calendar will have permissions slips
ready for tomorrow. We should be prepared to spend about a week there."
"A Week? That long? Asked Willow.
"The Prophecy doesn't give any indication as to how long this will take.
But I feel that a week should be sufficient."
"Cool." Said Willow.
"All right then, we go tell out folks that we are off on a week long
science class in LA. Sounds weird but I think I can sell it." Said Buffy
as she got up out of her chair.
Xander and Willow got up and went to follow her out of the library.
"Oh by the way Xander, can you stay for a moment longer?" Asked Giles.
"There is something that I would like to talk to you about in private."
"Private?" Xander felt the room temperature jump up again
Both Buffy and Willow looked from Xander to Giles.
"Is there some secret you two are keeping from us." The slayer asked with
a teasing tone.
"Nothing exceedingly interesting." Said the watcher. "Let us just say
its, how would you put it? Guy stuff."
"Guy stuff?" All three teenagers said in unison.
"Yes, guy stuff. Now off with the two of you." Giles said, indicating the
door.
"All right, but no beating on drums, okay?" teased Buffy.
"I can assure you that the bonds of civilization shall not be slipped."
The two Giles turned and left, giggling quietly to each other. That left
Giles and a conspicuously nervous Xander by themselves.
"Please, have a seat." Invited the watcher.
Xander complied. The two stared at each other for a second.
"So what is it you want to talk about?" Asked Xander, hoping that he
would not find the subject too embarrassing.
"Well this is not an easy subject to broach" Giles said, trying to gather
his thoughts. He really hadn't thought about what he wanted to say. It
was simply that his meeting Xander's future self had made the watcher
want to spend a few minutes with the young man. He wanted to somehow get
a handle on how he felt out the whole strange situation. In the seconds
that he paused he realized what it was that they had to talk about. After
all, it was the root of all of Alex's motivation.
"I want to talk to you about you relationship with Buffy."
"Y-You want to talk about w-what?" Said Xander as he felt his throat go
completely dry.
"I know that this is a most uncomfortable subject, but never the less it
is one, that as Buffy's watcher, I'm afraid I have to broach."
"Do you plan on having this talk with Angel?" Xander asked, hoping to
deflect the conversation away from himself.
"Actually it is a subject we have discussed in the past, and undoubtedly
will discuss in the future as well. However it is not Angel I wish to
discuss, this is about you."
(So much for deflection.) Thought Xander.
"Well?" Asked the watcher.
"Well what?" countered Xander. "She's my friend."
"Xander, I'm sure that is what you think I want to hear, but right now
I'm far more interested in the truth." Giles said as gently as he could.
Xander started feeling like a trapped animal.
"What do you want me to say? That I love Buffy? Okay, yeah I do. Do I
expect anything to come from that? Hell no. I know that she is completely
stuck on Angel. Happy now?"
Giles was surprised by the bluntness with which Xander had stated his
feelings and by the resentment in his voice when he mentioned Angel.
"I see. So why do you continue to keep her company? It must be
uncomfortable for you. Especially when ever Angel is around?"
" I don't know. Maybe I just like what little attention she shows me.
Maybe I'm a masochist. Maybe I want to keep an eye on her because I don't
trust Angel."
Giles considered that for a moment.
"Maybe you secretly hope that if you stay around she will change her mind
about you." He said finally.
Xander was stopped short by that comment. He looked down at the table for
a moment, feeling like all the oxygen had been ripped out of his lungs.
"A guy can hope, can't he?" He said finally.
"Yes, I suppose you can hope."
Giles looked at Xander. Here was a sincere, brave young man caught in one
of the situations that can make the teenage years of life so painful and
trying. Add to that the burden of having to deal with the Hellmouth, and
you had a truly heartbreaking situation. Additionally knowing of the
boy's potential future made Giles' heart go out to him.
"Xander, I wish I had something useful to say. Something to make what you
are feeling easier. Unfortunately nothing comes to mind."
"Yeah, well thanks man. At least the thought is there."
"I know that if really doesn't help much, but for what it is worth, I at
least, do appreciate you. Your dedication to your friends. Your bravery
in the face of danger and your unwillingness to let the things you go
through sour you towards life. I find you a quite remarkable young man,
and an admirable one as well."
"Thank you Giles" Xander said. "Look I don't mean to be rude or anything,
but can I leave? This had been a little harsh."
"Of course, and Xander I want you to know that anytime you want to talk I
am here."
I'll remember that." Xander said as he got up. "Bye."
"Good bye."

End of Part 6

- -

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

Date: Sat, 21 Mar 1998 20:23:46 -0800 (PST)
From: "Jeff R. Harris" <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Tomorrow Mourning 7/9

TITLE: Tomorrow Mourning  7/9
AUTHOR: Jeff Harris
EMAIL ADDRESS: caliban@wizards,com
DISTRIBUTION: Please ask first
FEEDBACK: If you want to.
SPOILER: None really. Takes place before Lie to Me.
RATING PG-13
SUMMARY:  A mysterious man comes to Sunnydale with a warning for Giles
and Angel.
CONTENT WARNING: Violence. I tried to keep to the tone of the show
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters. All characters belong to
Joss Whedon and the WB. No copywrite infringement is intended.
NOTE: I started writing this right after Halloween aired and so I figure
its off in it's own little buffyverse

After Xander had left Giles went to his office. To his surprise he found
Alex seated behind his desk.
"Oh hello. How long have you been there?" Giles asked.
"I snuck in while Buffy was practicing." Alex answered.
"I see. So you heard my conversation with your younger self."
"Yeah, I did. It was nice. But I don't remember us having that
conversation. So I assume my being here prompted it?"
"Well yes in a way." Giles answered. "I mean you must admit that your
being here does bring some questions to mind."
"Questions like 'is he going mad' you mean?"
"Well I' Giles started.
"Don't worry about it Giles. Its not like I haven't asked myself that
question a thousand times."
"And what answer have you come up with?" Giles inquired.
"That the thing that is worst than going insane, is knowing that you're
going insane and not being able to stop it."
"So you do feel that you have a problem?" Giles probed.
"Well let's see. I've had to drive stakes through the woman I love and
both my best friends. That kind of thing can weigh on a guy."
"Both Ah yes. I'm sorry, I'd forgotten about Jesse."
"Yeah, I wish I could." Said Alex. "Every time I think about him I can
only see the vampire that he became, not the guy that he was before. It's
the same with Buffy and Willow. Every time I start to remember something
we did together, some happy memory, I suddenly get sucked into a bad
memory. Its even worst at night."
"Nightmares." Giles said.
"Sometimes," Agreed Alex. "But the worst are actually dreams of them
alive. I can't have a good memory of them awake, but for some reason they
come to me in my sleep. I see them alive and happy, the way things used
to be. Them I wake up and remember how things turned out."
"Dear God that must be horrible." Said Giles.
"You don't know the half of it." Said Alex bitterly. "You'veyour future
self that is says I'm like a soldier who has forgotten how not to fight.
My whole life has become about destroying monsters and demons. Even when
the next slayer showed up I couldn't stop. I can't seem to get past it. I
can't relate to regular people anymore. Hell I can't even relate to my
own son."
 "You have a son?"
 "Yeah, we actually named him Jesse. In hindsight that was probably a
mistake. Of course considering how my life has gone, getting involved
with his mother was a mistake too."
"His mother?" Asked Giles.
"Cordelia."
"Oh. I think I would rather not know the rest." Said Giles quickly
changing the subject. "I assume that this conversation is not the reason
for your visit?"
"No, I wanted to let you know what Angel and I learned last night."
That watcher took a seat across from Alex.
"Yes, go ahead. Said Giles.
"Apparently Spike killed the Anointed One. That caused the vampires to
split into two factions. Those that follow Spike and those that want to
stake him." Alex said.
"A vampire civil war." Said Giles. "Shouldn't that work in our favor?"
" Well yes and no. We couldn't find any of Spike's followers. According
to the vamps we questioned no one has seen them in a few weeks." Alex said.
"He's gone to ground, so to speak. Which would indicate that he is
planning something." Giles said
"And I think that gives us an advantage in that we know he is going to
make a move on Sunday. If we somehow let his enemies know that, we might
be able to get them to do our job for us." Alex stated.
`"Yes, that might work. You know the details of his plan, just let them
slip during an interrogation and see what happens. " Giles said excitedly.
"Good plan with just one flaw." Alex said flatly. "Spike drew Buffy and
Willow in by capturing me and using me as bait to lure them to the same
warehouse that the Anointed One tried to resurrect the Master in. When
you all leave town it will immediately change everything."
"Oh, I see. But still its a place to start." Said Giles hopefully.
"Yes I suppose it is." Agreed Alex.
____________________________________________________

Saturday

Angel looked across the table at Alex. They were in a diner in the
downtown area of Sunnydale. Alex was finishing up his dinner. This was
the first time that the two of them had done anything other than hunt for
vampires. Angle felt uncomfortable, he still didn't know what to think
about Alex.
"Not big on dinner conversation, are you?" Asked Alex.
"I don't go out to eat all that often." Responded Angel.
"No, you don't." Alex agreed. "But you usually have something to say. At
least in the future you do.
The statement made Angel curious. "Do we spend a lot of time together in
the future.
"Oh yeah. You and Giles are the only two friends I have."
"Friends? Xander and I can barely stand each other." Angel said.
"Sure, but that's due to how we felt about Buffy. After I After she and
Willow died we had something in common. Shared grief."
"Not much to build a relationship off of."
"No. But we were all we had. You, Giles, and me. Of course his grief
wasn't the same as ours. He always felt like they were his children."
Not comfortable with the direction of the conversation Angel decided to
change the subject.
"So what is that thing you use on the other vampires? It sure hurts more
than a cross."
Alex smiled slightly, one of the few signs of positive emotion that Angel
had seen from the man. He palmed the object out of his sleeve. Somehow it
adhered to his palm.
"It's called the Amulet of Quaz. It's an artifact that was designed to
banish demons. It wasn't a huge leap to figure out that it would have an
effect on vampires." Alex said.
"I'll say it has an effect." Angel said, remembering his one encounter
with it.
Alex's smile faded as he looked outside. He looked back at angel intently.
"We've got company." He said.
"What?"
"Across the street. A vampire on top of the building watching us. He's
not very good at the stealth thing.
Angel casually looked out the window and saw the vampire that Alex was
talking about.
You're right, he sucks at hiding. How should we handle it?"

The vampire was getting bored. The guys he was suppose to be watching
were just sitting around the diner talking.
(Why did I draw this lousy assignment?) He thought while looking at the moon.
Looking down at the diner again he noticed that one of the guys had gone
to the counter and was paying the bill.
(Great. They're leaving. Maybe they'll finally do something interesting.)
He noticed that the other one had gone to the back of the diner, towards
the rest rooms. He didn't think anything of that at first, but then the
thought his him a couple of minutes later.
"Wait a second, the one in the can is the vampire. What the hell does he
need with a restroom?" He said out loud.
"You just now noticed that?" asked a voice behind him.
A hand grabbed his shoulder and forcefully spun him around.  He found
himself face to face with Angel. He tried to get away, but Angel's grip
was too strong.
"There are two ways this can go." Angel said. "You can answer my
questions now, or we can wait for my partner to get here and he can drag
them out of you painfully. And trust me, you don't want him to do that."
"You can't scare me." The vampire said trying to sound defiant, but only
managing pathetic.
"Maybe I can't, but he can." Angle said.
"He can what?" Asked Alex as he climbed to the top of the roof.
"Our new friend here was about to spill his guts, weren't you?" Angel
said, giving his captive a good shake.
Alex could have sworn that if vampires were capable of sweating that this
one would be drenched already.
"I can't. If I do Spike will kill me." Said the vampire.
The mention of Spike was all that was necessary to set Alex off.  "Well
I'll kill you if you don't! And trust me, I can make it a hell of a lot
more painful! He screamed as he closed the distance between himself and
the vampire.
Angel figured that stories of Alex's exploits in the last few days must
have gotten around, because the vampire folded like the proverbial house
of cards.

Giles was pleased at the progress of his little lie. He had the
youngsters and Ms. Calendar all set to leave for LA in the morning, with
both the school and their parents convinced it was legitimate. With any
luck by the time they got back Spike would be no more and Alex will have
returned to whatever future awaits him. In the meantime he had convinced
Alex's younger self to help him gather up supplies from the library to
take on the trip, even if he knew it was really to keep up the appearance
of this being a legitimate trip.
"So Buffy is really excited about this trip?" He asked Xander.
"Yeah, she can't wait to show Willow and I all her favorite places from
when she was growing up." Xander answered as he packed a box with the
stakes he had been making.
"Well I suppose we can find time for that. I just hope that she remembers
that we are going to be there on a very serious purpose."
"I'm sure that you'll keep us all on the straight and narrow." Xander
said with a smile.
"Yes, of course." Agreed the watcher.
(It's sad.) Thought Giles. (I have never seen Alex smile with that kind
of open joy. If such a significant change can happen in Xander I would
hate to see how I turned out.)
"Earth to Giles." Teased Xander. "Hello?"
"Sorry, lost in thought. Terrible habit."
"Just don't wig out while driving, okay?"
"I promise." Said the watcher.
The sound of the library doors opening caught both of their attention.
They both looked to see Angel running into the library.
"Giles, there's a problem. Where are Buffy and Willow?" the vampire
blurted out.
"What, no 'Hi guys, going somewhere?'" teased Xander.
Angel glared at Xander in a way that made the teenager feel like he would
be safer trying
To hand feed a great white shark.
"What problem?" Asked the concerned watcher.
"Alex and I caught on of Spike's minions. He knows about you trip so he
moved his plans up to tonight. Now where is Buffy?"
"Oh my God." Muttered Giles as his face paled.
Xander looked from Angel to Giles and back again, not liking the fact
that something was going on and that he didn't know what it was.
"Buffy got a message from her mom to meet her at the art gallery. Willow
went along to keep her company. Now what's up with Spike and who the hell
is Alex?"
"We'll explain on the way." Said Angel as he grabbed both Xander's arm
and the box of stakes and started for the door.

End of Part 7

- -

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

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