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buffyfic-digest        Saturday, August 1 1998        Volume 02 : Number 286



In this issue:

       BUFFYFIC: Repercussions (16/17)
       BUFFYFIC: site addy
       BUFFYFIC: Moment Of Truth (1/1)
       BUFFYFIC: For When Darkness Falls (2/2)

See the end of the digest for information on (un)subscribing to the buffyfic
or buffyfic-digest mailing lists and on how to retrieve back issues.

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

Date: Sat, 01 Aug 1998 15:10:11 PDT
From: "Andrea Newbery" <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Repercussions (16/17)

Title: Repercussion, 16/17
Author: Andrea
E-mail: [e-mail]
Disclaimers: The characters are the property of Joss Whedon, Mutant
Enemy, the WB, etc. They are not mine.
Distribution: Sure, just tell me where
Feedback: Please. Good, bad, whatever.
Summary: Well, Xander found Angel and Buffy knows what Xander is doing.
Thanks: To Rachel and Jenn.



Angel's Apartment
9:30 p.m.
August 21, 1998


Running desperately through the deserted streets, Buffy prayed that she
would get there in time, that she would be able to stop Xander before he
got hurt. Her pulse quickened at the thought of losing both Angel and
Xander because of her mistakes. But while she worried about stopping
Xander from going to Hell her heart was singing at the thought of going
there herself.  She could feel hope running through her again as she
realized she may have a chance to undo what she had done to Angel.

Turning onto his street she quickened her pace, afraid suddenly that she
was too late, that the moments she wasted feeling hope would come back
to haunt her. Pulling the door to the building open she flew inside,
taking only two leaps to reach the bottom of the stairs. She stopped,
her hand on Angel's doorknob, visions of the last time she had been here
swarming through her mind, the cruel words spoken in his voice.
Shrugging them off, reminding herself that it hadn't been Angel she
quickly went through the door.

She stopped just inside the room, the look on Cordelia's face as she sat
on the edge of a circle drawn on the floor telling her that her fear had
been justified. Her eyes drifted to Whistler who was sitting with his
feet on Angel's desk. His expression causing her fear to settle like a
rock in her stomach, his whole demeanor letting her know that he was in
charge. Her eyes swung towards the bathroom, her last hope fading as she
prayed that Xander was inside. Seeing that the door was open she turned
back to Cordelia, furious that the brunette  had let her stand outside
this apartment and try to destroy Xander without saying anything to her
of his plan. "You let him go? What were you thinking?"

Cordelia stared at her, climbing to her feet, the worry on her face
disappearing as she let her anger show. "Me!? What was I thinking?"
Pausing Cordelia took a deep breath and balled her hands in fists. "I
was thinking that Xander was heartbroken over what happened to you. He
felt responsible because he's a good person. But we both know that it
isn't his fault. He didn't sleep with Angel, he didn't stand by while
Angel killed people, killed Ms. Calendar. All he did was try to make you
do what you should have done months before. And now Xander's risking his
life to make everything better for you. So don't look at me. If you had
taken one second to talk to him instead of condemning him you would have
known." Cordelia stopped, her breath ragged, tears streaming down her
cheeks.

Buffy stood there, letting Cordelia's words burn through her. Ignoring
the sudden churning in her stomach and the pain that filled her as she
realized that she once again had failed a friend who needed her, once
more had put her emotions ahead of who she was. The guilt fighting with
her instinctive desire to protect herself she opened her mouth to defend
herself against Cordelia's words. But looking into Cordelia's face she
understood that they were all true. Dropping her eyes she moved towards
Whistler. Glaring down at him, angry to see this demon once again
invading the home of someone she loved. "How did it work? Can I go in
after him?"

"No. I've got him. Don't worry." Whistler leaned back in the chair,
slowly crossing his legs. He stared at her, his expression relaxed.

"Got him?" Buffy leaned closer to Whistler, wanting to intimidate him,
but Whistler's expression didn't change, he just sat there looking
confident and untroubled. She was only inches away from his face, her
jaw clenched and the pulse in her neck throbbing at his cavalier
attitude. Whistler remained unruffled, watching her as if she were
nothing more than a minor irritation.

Cordelia answered, her voice shaky, "Xander's connected to Whistler,
some spell or something. Whistler can help him if Xander gets into
trouble."

Buffy glanced at Cordelia, digesting her words then turned back to
Whistler, "And he's okay? You can feel that?"

"He's fine." Whistler spoke shortly, "He should be back soon, he's
closer now."

Buffy hesitated, shocked at his response, not knowing what that meant
for Angel, swallowing she spoke, "And Angel? Is...is Angel with him?"
She closed her eyes, terrified of the answer.  She tried not to hope,
tried not to want it so badly. She could feel the goosebumps rising
along her arms, the fear that held her heart and caused it to pound so
loudly in her ears. She watched Whistler barely able to breath, fully
aware that his answer held her future

"Xander wouldn't come back without him." Cordelia spoke with a resigned
certainty, her face ravaged by fear.

Buffy stared at Cordelia, taking in her words and the terror in her
eyes. She felt a chill run down her spine at the finality in Cordelia's
voice. She understood then, how much pain Xander had felt. She waited
for the rush of anger to follow, but it was gone. Swept away as she
realized how much he was willing to sacrifice for her. How much he was
always willing to sacrifice for her. She opened her mouth to tell
Cordelia that she understood and that she was sorry when the door flew
open and Willow ran in followed by a very out of breath Giles.

Buffy watched helplessly as Willow took in Angel's apartment, the
hopeful expression in the redhead's eyes disappearing as she stared at
Cordelia's face. Willow's fair skin became even paler as she stumbled
over to the couch and collapsed into it. Struggling to hide her fear
Willow spoke softly, her eyes never leaving Cordelia's face, "When?
How?"

"Three hours ago." Cordelia's voice broke as she spoke. Buffy watched as
Cordelia stared at Willow for a moment and then the brunette slowly
walked over and sat down on the couch beside her. Willow stiffened, then
relaxed, taking Cordelia's offered hand and holding it tightly.  Buffy
took a deep breath, glad they could comfort each other. Turning away
from the two girls on the couch Buffy led Giles over to where Whistler
sat.

"Giles, Whistler. Whistler, Giles." Buffy made the introductions, her
voice tense. "Whistler has played a big role in tonight's mistake. He
helped Xander go to Hell."

"Well, if you hadn't run away..." Whistler left the words hanging in the
air.

Buffy swallowed, a fresh wave of guilt crashing in on her as she
realized Angel had suffered in Hell longer than he had to. Cursing
herself once more for her inability to get anything right she
straightened her shoulders, unable to waste any more time punishing
herself. "I know. So, can I go in now? I can bring them both back."

Whistler shuddered, his face suddenly concentrating on something she
couldn't see. She looked to Giles for advice, her heart pounding, but he
looked just as confused as she felt. At Willow's gasp Buffy swung
around, to see Willow pointing at the circle. Buffy watched it, seeing
the air change texture, become thick and wavy. Her pulse raced as she
walked closer to it, ready to defend the occupants of the room.

"Xander." The name whispered from Cordelia's lips. Buffy quickly looked
at her then turned her full attention to the shimmering air.

"Is that...?" Buffy whispered, her stomach knotted. "Is that Hell?"

"Yup." Whistler jumped up from his chair and strolled over to join the
rest of the group by the circle.

Cordelia stared straight into the circle, her voice breaking as she
spoke to Buffy, "If he doesn't have Angel...Buffy you'd better not make
things worse for him. He did this for you. For you and for Willow."

Buffy glanced at her, her eyes filled with tears. She nodded in
agreement, her eyes coming back to the shimmering portal that was
opening, her mind struggling with the thought that Angel could come
back, that he didn't have to spend eternity in Hell. Swallowing she
reached out and grabbed Willow's shaking hand. They were all frozen
watching, waiting.

A hand appeared through the air, suspended by nothing. Cordelia gasped
as Buffy dropped Willow's hand and took up a defensive stance in front
of the arm. Slowly the arm waved around the room, a shoulder following
it. A leg stepped out of the waving air, followed quickly by the rest of
Xander's body. Cordelia sunk to the floor, sobbing in relief, Willow
slipped down beside her, supporting her. Buffy waited, trying to be
happy that Xander himself was safe, telling herself that they knew the
way into Hell now, and she could rescue Angel herself. She moved forward
to help him up, to tell him it was all right as Xander stuck his arm
back through the portal and pulled another arm back with him.  She stood
there, frozen, silently watching as Xander pulled Angel the rest of the
way through and collapsed with him onto the floor.

'Her life. Xander had brought back her life' The words ran as if they
were a song through her head, no thoughts of the horror that was behind
them or what might lie ahead. All she knew was that he was back.
Standing there she stared mesmerized at Angel, at the face she thought
she had condemned forever, her heart pounding at the chance she had
gotten back.

Xander slowly separated himself from Angel, looking up at the occupants
of the room. He winked at Cordelia, his eyes shining. Seeing Willow next
to her, his expression froze, became wary, his eyes swinging around the
room until they came to rest on Buffy. Nodding towards Angel he smiled
carefully at her. She nodded back, tears streaming down her face. Her
mouth formed a silent thank you as she crawled over to where Angel lay,
face down on the floor. She knew it wasn't enough, he deserved an
apology and so much more, but she needed Angel right now. Wrapping her
arms around him she lay her head on his back, the tears falling in full
force onto his back.

She could feel Xander watching her as she hugged the unmoving vampire,
felt when Xander moved away from them and got slowly to his feet and
walked over to Cordelia. Turning her head slightly Buffy watched from
Angel's shoulder as Cordelia threw her arms around Xander's neck and
held him as if she would never let go again. Cordelia's sobs were
muffled until she pulled her head from Xander's neck only to join her
lips with his as if she needed more proof that he was really back with
her. Buffy watched Xander's shoulders relax as he kissed his girlfriend
and took strength from her. Buffy held her breath as she saw Willow
moving closer to the pair. She tensed as Xander took in Willow's
approach his body freezing as Buffy silently begged fate to make it okay
between the two of them. They stared at each other, not saying anything
until Willow smiled, her eyes filling with relief. He held out his arm
and Willow joined their embrace. The three of them crying openly. Buffy
let out her breath, turning her attention back to the man underneath
her, to the hardness of his body and the pain she knew he felt. Willow,
Xander and Cordelia would be fine, she could worry about Angel now.

She felt Angel stiffen beneath her as Giles cleared his throat. Running
her hands softly along Angel's back she murmured words of love to him,
wanting to protect him from any more pain. She listened as Giles spoke
quietly to Whistler, his voice unsure "It is Angel? He has a soul?"

"Yes." Xander answered for Whistler, his voice soft.  Buffy watched
amazed as Xander untangled himself from Cordelia and Willow to defend
Angel. She leaned against Angel's shoulder enjoying the feel of him
against her as Xander turned to Whistler, his voice strong.  "He's
Angel."

Whistler grinned at him, nodding his head, "You did good kid." Speaking
to the entire group he motioned towards the door, "We should leave them.
My man Angel's not gonna be able to handle seeing all of you."

Buffy nodded at his words. She wanted to be alone with Angel, needed to
be alone with him. She had to convince him that things would be okay,
that they still had each other.

Xander nodded, still hanging onto both Willow and Cordelia as if they
might disappear. Looking to Giles he spoke softly, "He really couldn't
handle you Giles. The guy's beating himself up way too much as is."

Buffy almost gasped at his words, this was Xander, defending Angel, to
Giles. She looked up into Willow's eyes which were mirroring the shock
in hers.  Both breaking contact to stare, stunned at Xander.

Xander smiled at Willow, his voice unsure, "What? Spend some time with a
guy in Hell and you're gonna bond." The redhead flashed him a quick
Willow-grin in response. Buffy watched the tears of relief filling his
eyes until he dropped his head onto Cordelia's shoulder.

Giles looked for a long moment at his Slayer and the vampire who were
huddled together, unmoving on the floor. She kept her eyes down as her
Watcher looked at them, knowing the pain he must be feeling, but unable
to help him. She loved both of them, but leaving Angel wouldn't lessen
Giles' pain. She looked up as he slowly turned and walked from the room,
his gait unsteady, Whistler following close behind him. Willow followed
them, allowing herself one quick look back at the pair on the floor, her
eyes filled with tears. Meeting Buffy's eyes the Hacker smiled at her
before slipping out of the door.

She held Angel tightly, feeling the silent sobs that racked his body as
Cordelia and Xander walked towards the door. Cordelia smiled brightly at
Xander as he grabbed the handle to pull the door shut, "You did it."

Looking back Xander met Buffy's eyes, smiling sadly, "It's not finished
yet." Staring down at Angel's shaking body for a moment before looking
back at Buffy again.

She smiled through her tears, gratitude for what he had given her
overwhelming her, "It's okay Xander. I've got him now."

He nodded slowly at her, and taking one last glance at Angel he turned
back to his girlfriend and pulled the door shut behind him. Buffy took a
deep breath as she listened to their footsteps heading up the stairs.
Turning back to the vampire wrapped in her arm she leaned down and
kissed the tattoo on his back. Letting her tears fall freely she wrapped
her arms tightly around him and closed her eyes.


______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

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

Date: Sat, 01 Aug 1998 16:00:04 PDT
From: "Sara B." <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: site addy

Can anyone *please* give me the addy to Aeja Kim's BtVS fan fiction
site?  I need this addy!!

Thanx,
Sara
[e-mail]
http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Studio/8502/mainbuffy.html

______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

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

Date: Sat, 1 Aug 1998 21:49:34 EDT
From: <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Moment Of Truth (1/1)

Title:  Moment of Truth (1/1)
Author: Nastassia
Email Addy: [e-mail]
Rating: PG-13
Spoiler: Not really, before What's My Line
Feedback: Please please please!
Distribution: Maybe if you ask nicely.
Disclaimer: Buffy and Spike belong to Joss. The song "Iris" belongs to the Goo
Goo Dolls. I'll give them back once I'm done playing.
Summary: Nope, I'm not giving this one away. You'll just have to read it.


I'm such a _huge_ Buffy/Spike 'shipper, and I came up with the premise for
this story while listening to "Iris" in the car. Oh and this isn't part of my
series.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Moment of Truth (1/1)
by Nastassia
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


I don't really know what drew me to the Bronze that night. It wasn't hunger or
the desire to kill. I don't know what it was, but it pulled me towards the
club like a beacon in the night.

I pushed open the door to the club and paused in the doorway. My eyes scanned
the dance floor, and that's when I saw her, a vision in white. The Slayer. The
woman who haunted my every thought.

She didn't even notice as I walked towards her. "Slayer," I breathed.

She whirled around, suddenly prepared to attack. "What do you want?" she
asked.

I smiled as I heard the first strains of music from a slow song echo through
the Bronze. "Only a dance," I said, offering her my hand.

Suspicion clouded her features for a moment as she, no doubt, engaged in an
inner debate with herself. "Okay," she said, softly. I was shocked that the
mighty Slayer seemed almost shy. I was until I realized I felt the same way.

I slid my arms around her waist as the first lines of the song were heard.


        And I'd give up forever to touch you
        Cause I know that you feel me somehow
        You're the closest thing to heaven that I'll ever be
        And I don't want to go home right now


I allowed myself to indulge our closeness for the first time. It seems as
though everytime we would fight I would wind up with her body pressed against
mine, her heart racing, making me think of other ways I wanted to make her
heart race.

Now we were closer than we had ever been. I could feel her heartbeat through
the thin fabric of her dress. She buried her face in my neck, and I shivered
as I felt her warm breath.


        And all I can taste is this moment
        And all I can breathe is your life
        Cause sooner or later it's over
        I just don't want to miss you tonight


I must be losing my mind. 'She's the bloody Slayer, Spike!' I told myself, but
it was no use. 'I need her. I want her.'

'God, I think I'm in love with her.'

One of my hands left her hip as I gave into the urge to thread my fingers into
her golden hair. It was like silk on my fingertips.

She pulled away from me abrubtly. "What do you want, Spike?" she whispered,
"Really?"

"Only you, Slayer," I purred, pulling her closer. "Only you."


        And I don't want the world to see me
        Cause I don't think that they'd understand
        When everything's made to be broken
        I just want you to know who I am


She smiled coyly. "Is that all?"

"I want you, Slayer."

She smiled again and ran her fingers over my face, tracing the lines of my
cheekbones and running her fingers through my hair. Her lips touched mine, and
a feeling of pure electricity flowed through both of us at that touch.

Hours seemed to pass as we remained locked in that embrace. The world could
have burned to the ground and I wouldn't have given a damn. All I knew was her
lips against mine, her tongue seeking mine, her body so close......


        And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming
        Or the moment of truth in your lies
        When everything seems like the movies
        Yeah you bleed just to know your alive


We drew apart, regretful that this moment had to end. I took her hand and
pressed my lips to her palm, closing my eyes in an effort to find the strength
for the words I needed to say. "Buffy," I whispered, "I-"

"I know, William."


        And I don't want the world to see me
        Cause I don't think that they'd understand
        When everything's made to be broken
        I just want you to know who I am


I opened my eyes, and it took me a moment to recover from the shock of where I
was. I was in the warehouse, not the Bronze, and Drusilla was sleeping next to
me. It had been a dream. Just a dream.

But as I turned away from Drusilla I swear I could hear the last words of that
song....


        I just want you to know who I am


*END*
Send questions, comment, flaming stakes, or Buffy/Spike fanfic (better than
any other prize!) to me at [e-mail]

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

Date: Sun, 02 Aug 1998 00:49:31 -0300
From: Elizabeth Palmer <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: For When Darkness Falls (2/2)

Title: For When Darkness Falls (2/2)
Author: D.L. Powers
Email: [e-mail]
Feedback: Yes, please.  I'll pass them on to the author who is too shy to
post this herself.  <eg>
Rating: PG
Spoilers: This story was written a long time ago, before we knew Angel's
past.  Please take that into account.
Disclaimers:  I own the character of Devon any other characters not found
on Buffy: TVS.  All others belong to our leader, Joss and the WB.
Summary:  A new Sunnydale student has ties to Angel and gives a whole new
look on one way his past might have played out.


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

"But I thought that vampire's couldn't...you know, procreate...in the
normal sense of the word, anyway."  They were all sitting in the boiler
room, to avoid being discovered by the janitor, and waited for the sun
to set.  But, in the meantime, there was plenty of time for
explanations.  Buffy wasn't going to let this one go unexplained.

"They...we can't.  I was human once."

"But, wasn't that, like, a few hundred years ago?"  She turned to Devon.
"My you've aged well, haven't you?"

"I guess I really take after my papa," she leaned back with a smirk
across her face.  "It seems we both have a little secret to share.  I'll
tell you mine, if you tell me yours."

"Angella!"  Angel snapped instinctively at her sauciness.  "That's
enough."  His outburst, caused Buffy to look at him in a new light.
She'd never pictured him as a father before.  She had to hide her smile
at that thought.

"No, father, it's not nearly enough.  Why didn't you ever tell me?"
Angel looked at her, wanting to give her some simple, comforting
explanation, but the words were lost to him.  "When you left, the family
was gone.  I had nothing left.  I looked for you, for months.  And I
started to get close to finding you, but not nearly close enough...well,
I had no idea you had become a vampire.  It didn't even occur to me, I
had never believed in fairy tales."

"But, what confuses me," Buffy intervened, wondering as she did, if it
was a mistake, "is that you are not a vampire, I saw you outside today.
How can you still be around, and...younger than me?"

"The simple explanation to that is I'm not a vampire.  The not so simple
explanation is that I'm immortal.  This could take some time to
explain."  She stopped, and looked at Angel, her expression changing
from cold and accusing to soft and forgiving.  "My life is no simpler
than yours.  I have to fight to keep my life, and every time I go to a
new place, friends are always difficult to make, and keep."  She went
over to him and tried to lean against his shoulder, but he firmly held
her away from him.  She stalked back over to the boiler.  "You killed
me," she lashed out, wanting to hurt him again.  "You know.  It was you,
when I was searching the world for you, you responded by killing me.  I
was thirteen years old!"  He stared at her, his expression not
changing.  He shook his head slowly.  "You can deny it if you want, but
it's the truth."

Buffy was starting to feel like she was in the way, and began to back up
towards the door, hoping to leave unnoticed.  Angel saw her and opened
his mouth to speak.  "No," she held up a hand.  "No, I don't want to get
in the middle of family matters.  You just work this out, and uh...you
know where to find me when you do, okay?  Okay.  It was nice meeting you
Dev- uh, Ang...uh, well anyway, I'll see you in homeroom tomorrow, I
think.  Okay, I'm going now."  She practically dove out the door,
leaving Angel alone with his daughter.

When he turned back, she was leaning her forehead against the wall.  He
waited for a moment, and when she didn't move, he coughed into his hand,
trying to catch her attention.  She laughed.  He frowned.

Turning, she spoke bitterly to him.  "How can you be so human?  You were
never so human when you really were human.  I've never met a vampire
like you before.  The few that I have met, were not concerned with
innocent lives, and the consequences of their actions.  They were
certainly not concerned with being polite to strangers."  The last
comment bit deep, and Angel winced.

"It's part of my curse.  I feel the complete loss of the lives I have
taken.  I can see each and every one of my victim's faces.  I have to
live with this pain and guilt.  There's nothing I can do about it." He
looked down, to avoid her eyes.  "So I help the slayer when I can.  As
often as I can."  Devon hesitated, but only for a moment.  She went over
to him, and put her arms around him.  He let her, but was unsure what to
do with his own hands.  He wasn't really sure what he was
doing.  "Angella," he pulled her away so she could see his face.  "I
don't know who you've been talking to, or what you think you remember,
but I didn't kill you.  It wasn't me."

Sighing, she looked up at him.  "It was in July.  There was a full moon,
that was one of my last mortal sights.  I had heard you were in Rome, so
I went there.  I made so many contacts, I could have started my own mob.
If I'd known how."

"But, you were a...just a little girl.  How did you manage to...and what
happened to your mother?"

She chuckled at his sudden interest.  "I left London the year she
married the Duke of Strathmore, more than ten years after you left, I
think.  He wanted me dead, at least, that's what he told mother.  I ran
away, with her blessing, and prompting even.  I had to cut my hair and
dress like a boy, but it got me odd little jobs and I made enough money
to get to Rome.  You must have heard that someone was looking for you.
It must have worried you that someone had been able to track you through
three countries and in almost two years.  Two vampires, I didn't know
they were vampires at the time, found me.  They said you had sent them.
They killed me, ripped my throat out and gorged on my blood.  Not a
pleasant way to die."  She paused, her eyebrows coming together in a
frown, as she remembered.  "But when I woke up, I was whole and
unbruised from my experience.  A woman had discovered me, and took care
of me.  She was someone like me, and she taught me to survive, and how
to use my skills to keep one step ahead of the male population.  I
stopped looking for you, and got on with my life."

There she stopped and studied his face to gauge his reaction.  He didn't
seem to react at all, not moving, not looking at her.  She wondered if
he would ever move again.  He didn't even blink, and he wasn't
breathing, she hadn't noticed until that moment.

"Angelus?"  He didn't move.  "Father?"  Nothing.  She began to see what
he was saying, by not saying anything.  "I didn't tell you this to make
you guilty.  I wasn't even looking for you.  It's just
coincidence that we ended up in the same town at the same time.  I
thought you didn't want me to find you.  I'll leave, and...I'll just
leave.  Okay?  I'll leave."  He still wasn't moving.  She let go
of his hand and walked away.

Devon got a full three blocks from the school before she realized how
disappointed she was.  Even though she had gone more than two centuries
without seeing him, having him directly reject her was worse than not
knowing.  She sat down on the ground where she stood and let her sorrow
and self pity wash over her.  She was too engrossed in her thoughts to
notice that someone was watching her.  The sensation of meeting another
immortal didn't break through her concentration until it was almost too
late.  She saw the blade flashing in the early moon light, and managed
to roll out of the way before it sliced her head off.  It whistled above
her head by only centimeters.

Collecting herself was easy, as she tapped into her training and
instincts.  Her own sword was produced from a hidden sheath down the
back of her coat.  But as she danced around, vying for the best position
with the stranger, she began to lose interest in wanting to win.

"I don't know who you are, and I don't really care.  However, I'm going
to have to disappoint you if you were interested in a nice long sparring
match.  I'm not in the mood."  With these words, she dropped her sword
at her feet, and waited.  The stranger stared at her for a moment, and
then smiled.

"Well, it's just like Christmas for me tonight, isn't it?"  He stepped
toward her and brought his broadsword up.  Devon closed her eyes.  The
blade whistled through the air again, and Devon braced herself for the
impact.  She could almost picture it, in slow motion, but when the
searing pain she expected didn't come, she opened her eyes.  Angel was
tackling the stranger and holding him pinned to the ground.  He pried
the sword out of his hand and tossed it far, then clasped onto his neck
with an iron tight grip.

"Angel!"  Devon ran over to him and tugged on his arm.  "Stop it!"
Angel turned his face toward her, and she jumped back.  His face was
distorted, angry and feral.  Vampiric.  His teeth protruded into
alarmingly sharp points, and they wanted blood.  He snarled and turned
back to the stranger.   Without warning, he lunged for the neck, and the
surprised man let out a garbled scream.

Angel stood and brought the man with him.  "Run away."  He growled.

They watched as he scrambled away from Angel and only paused to collect
his sword, and then he was gone.

"Angella," his face was still grotesque, and Devon kept her distance. "I
won't hurt you."

"I don't think you could, but thank you for the thought."

"Angella, don't run away from me," as he spoke, his face returned to a
normal smooth human expression, and except for the blood on his lips, he
looked perfectly normal.  She took another step away from him.  "Okay, I
deserve that."  He turned and started to walk away.  He spoke over his
shoulder.  "You don't have to leave town, I will."

Devon stood there, alone, in the dark.




"Angel," Buffy tried to follow him, but he kept being in another spot
when she got to him.  "Angel, what are you doing?"  He stuffed another
handful of things into the bag.  "Where are you going?"

"Anywhere but here.  I just have to go, I can't explain."

"Does this have to do with Devon?  Are you leaving because of her?"
Angel stopped what he was doing, and threw the porcelain figurine of an
angel, that was in his hand at the time, into the corner with great
force, and looked darkly at Buffy.  The shattering sound precipitated
silence.

"I think you better go," he said softly after the staring match got
boring.

"Okay, fine.  I'll go.  I think you're making a mistake, but if that's
the way you want to be, fine.  I'll see you in the next life time."  She
spun around and stalked back to the door.  Angel started to say
something, but Buffy had already yanked the door open.  Devon stood
there.  "I was just leaving," Buffy said, and slipped out, glancing once
more at Angel before she was out of sight.




Buffy sat on her bed, and listened to Willow prattle on about what she
had discovered about the new girl from the school database.  It was
somewhat interesting, but incredibly lacking in information.  "Uh,
Willow, I don't think I need all the details about how you got into the
system.  Plausible denyability and all that."

"Oh," Willow turned and stuffed all the blank forms back into the
folder.  "Buffy, is there some reason you asked me to get this infor--
oh my there's a man standing at your window."  Buffy frowned and looked.
One strategic swipe, and the curtains were swept aside, revealing a very
sorry looking Angel.

"Well, aren't we suffering from severe mood swings.  What happened now?"
Angel's face was enough to break the heart of any man of steel. A squeak
came from Willow's side of the room.  When Buffy looked over, she was
looking extremely sad.  "Willow, what's wrong?"

"I don't know," she sniffed.  "But he just looks like a little beagle
puppy that someone kicked."

"Angel," Buffy turned back to him, and saw where Willow's emotion was
coming from.  "What happened?"  Her voice cracked a little.  "Tell me
before I start crying."

"She's gone."  There was no emotion in his voice, it was all in his
eyes.  "She came to tell me that it wasn't fair for me to have to leave.
Her papers were overdue anyway, so it won't be hard for her to pack up
and go.  She left."  Buffy opened her mouth to tell him he was an idiot
to let her go, but Willow squeaked again, and glanced quickly away when
they looked at her.

"But...but," Willow stuttered, trying to find the right words, "but why
can't you both stay here?  True, you've been estranged for two hundred
years, but that's no reason you can't work thing out." Angel looked at
Buffy, expecting assistance.

"Hey, don't look at me," she shrank back slightly.  "She has a point."
"Besides," she continued, "take it from me, I know what's it's like to
not have a father around.  And why exactly didn't you think of that, Mr.
'I've been around long enough to know better'?"

"You're ganging up on me."

"And you're a little old to be pouting over this.  Go get her before the
bus leaves."





Devon tapped her fingers together nervously, waiting for the bus to
arrive.  It was ten minutes late already.  She paced the length of the
building, kicking rocks as she went.  Glancing at her watch, the bus
finally pulled up.  Sighing in relief, she reached for her suitcase and
started over to the doors, but there was suddenly a line where once
there had been no one around.  Scowling, she trudged to the end of it.
It took forever, but eventually, she made it to the door.  The bus
driver looked at her suspiciously as she put one foot up on the step.

"Sorry, we don't got no more seats, little lady.  Try the next bus,
okay?  It'll be along shortly."  He closed the door, barely giving her
enough time to get her foot out.  Without further explanation, the bus
started away, leaving Devon standing there alone.

But the bus moved away to reveal Angel standing on the other side,
directly across from where Devon stood.  Surprised, she let go of the
suitcase.

"What do you...  Did you...do that?"  She pointed to the vanishing bus.

"I don't want you to go Angella."  She didn't move, or betray any
emotion on her face.  Even when he came closer and pushed the wayward
hair out of her eyes.  "Please don't leave."  Devon couldn't hold it
back any longer.  Her face crumpled and her tears gushed down her
cheeks.  He pulled her forward into his arms, and comforted her.  Like a
father should.

The end.
***********************

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

End of buffyfic-digest V2 #286
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