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buffyfic-digest       Thursday, October 15 1998       Volume 02 : Number 354



In this issue:

       BUFFYFIC: Full Disclosure (3b/3) by tj thwaites
       BUFFYFIC: Legacy of the Burgunds (0/?)
       BUFFYFIC: The Soul of Good & Evil (4/?)

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: Wed, 14 Oct 1998 19:02:50 -0600
From: [e-mail] (tj thwaites)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Full Disclosure (3b/3) by tj thwaites

 [This is *not* happening!] the rational, logical part of her mind kept
insisting, [Vampires do not exist. Those men could not have turned to dust.
*I* must have been hallucinating. I'm having a breakdown, that's the only
explanation that makes sense.]

     "Mom, I know this is hard," Buffy said, sitting on the couch between
her mother and Willow, "But it's the truth. And I know how you're feeling,
I didn't believe it at first either. Please, Mom. You have to listen to
us."

     "What is going on?" Joyce whispered.

     "Vampires are real, Mom," Buffy stated, "And it's my destiny to fight
them. There's nothing you can change. You're just gonna have to accept it."

     "Well I *don't* accept it!" Joyce blurted, "There has to be another
explanation! This is *not* possible!"

     "Giles, help," Buffy sighed, "You do the whole explanation thing
better than me."

     "I'm afraid Buffy is essentially correct, Mrs. Summers," Giles said
quietly when Joyce looked at him, "Vampires are definitely all too real.
And Buffy is the only one capable of fighting them effectively."

     Joyce looked away from Giles. She couldn't accept the sad agreement
she saw in Buffy's eyes. Joyce looked past her daughter to the other girl
on the end of the couch. Willow looked back at Joyce's pale face and nodded
confirmation. Joyce's eyes flicked to the corner Angel had ensconced
himself in. He just looked back, his face blank. Then he nodded as well.

     "Maybe you should start at the beginning Giles," Buffy suggested,
"Give her the whole deep background thing."

     Giles cleared his throat nervously as Joyce turned to face him.

     "Yes, I suppose that's best," he sighed, then looked Joyce directly in
the eye, "This world is far older than anyone knows. Contrary to popular
mythology, it did not begin as a paradise. For untold aeons demons walked
the Earth. They made it their home, their Hell. But as time progressed,
they lost their purchase on this reality. The way was made for mortal
animals, for Man. All that remains of the old ones are vestiges, certain
magics, certain creatures..."

     "And vampires," Buffy added.

     Joyce looked from one face to another, still not wanting to believe
this. But her resistance was beginning to fade. They all seemed so sure, so
serious, despite the unbelievability of the subject matter.

     "Yes," Giles continued after sparing Buffy a reproving glance for
interrupting him, "The books tell that the last demon to leave this reality
fed off a human, mixed their blood. He became a human form possessed,
infected by the demon's soul. He bit another, and another, and so they walk
the Earth, feeding. Killing some, mixing their blood with others to make
more of their kind. Waiting for the animals to die out, and the old ones to
return."

     "But what does any of that have to do with Buffy?" Joyce asked.

     "I'm the Slayer," Buffy replied, as if that explained everything.

     "The 'Slayer'?" Joyce questioned.

     "Into each generation a Slayer is born," Giles answered, ignoring
Buffy rolling her eyes at his lecturing tone, "One girl in all the world, a
Chosen One, one born with the skill and the strength to hunt the vampires,
to stop the spread of their evil and protect the world."

     "I don't believe this!" Joyce shouted, jumping up and starting to
pace, "This *can't* be happening!"

     "Mom!" Buffy exclaimed, getting up to stand in front of her mother.
She was beginning to get desperate, wanting to make her mother see past her
denial, "It's the truth. You *saw* those vamps outside turn to dust when I
staked them. And those other ones earlier outside the Gallery when Angel
rescued you. It's all real. You have to understand it."

     "I don't know *what* I saw," Joyce retorted, her mind still clinging
to the idea that this was all some sort of horrible nightmare, "Or think I
saw. This is impossible."

     Buffy looked at Giles and Willow, at a loss. This was much harder than
she'd anticipated. Her mother was refusing to accept something that was
staring her in the face.

     [Staring her in the face?] Buffy thought suddenly, turning to Angel.

     "Angel, come here."

     Angel was at her side immediately. He looked into her eyes and took a
step back. He couldn't believe she was thinking what he thought she was
thinking. Her face hardened.

     "That is not a good idea right now, Buffy," he warned, "Your Mom's
already been through a lot tonight. Don't you think she's had enough
shocks?"

     "Angel," Buffy commanded, "Game face. Now."

     Angel sighed and looked down. He thought Buffy was pushing too hard
and too fast, but Joyce's continued refusal to believe what they were
telling her had reached a point where he accepted that it would take
something this drastic to make her see the truth. He allowed the demon to
surface, his face transforming to reveal the vampire, and raised his head
to look straight at Joyce.

     Joyce's hand flew to her mouth to try and hold back the shriek that
threatened to escape when Angel looked at her. Her eyes widened as she
forced herself to take a long look at the pronounced brow ridges, the
glowing yellow eyes, and the fangs visible through his parted lips. Giles
immediately stepped up to her side to catch her in case she fainted. He
shot a glare at Buffy, telling her wordlessly that he thought she was being
too abrupt. Joyce continued staring at the horrible visage where a handsome
young man had been standing just seconds before.

     "Buffy," Angel said quietly, rolling up his sleeve, "Your cross."

     Buffy blinked at him. She looked back at her mother's pallid face and
sighed. This was going a bit father than she'd expect to have to, but Angel
had a point. If her Mom still wasn't accepting everything, going whole hog
would be necessary. She reached up and undid the clasp of the chain around
her neck. She held out the cross. Angel nodded to her and, with a grimace,
Buffy pressed the cross against his bare arm.

     In the dead silence, the faint sizzle that started the moment the
cross touched Angel's flesh sounded very loud. Buffy pulled the cross away
quickly when a wisp of smoke began rising from Angel's arm. Angel held his
arm out, the cross shaped burn clearly visible. Giles slipped his arm
around Joyce's waist as her knees buckled. He helped her the few steps to
the couch and sat her down.

     "Oh my God," Joyce whispered, her denial finally crumbling.

     Buffy hurried to her mother's side, taking Joyce trembling hand in her own.

     "Mom," she whispered, "I'm sorry about that, but I had to make you see
that we're telling you the truth. I know this has all come at you pretty
fast. And it's a big shock. But we'll deal. God, I've wanted to tell you
this for so long, I just didn't want to put you in danger. I hated keeping
this quiet, knowing you didn't understand why I was always in so much
trouble because of what I am. And I didn't want to worry about me. I can
take care of myself."

     "Oh, Buffy," Joyce breathed, gathering her daughter into a hug, "I'll
always worry about you, you're my daughter. I know you can take care of
yourself, but a mother worries. It just is."

     Willow watched the pair on the couch for several seconds before
turning to Giles and Angel.

     "I think the worst is over," she said quietly so as not to interrupt
Buffy and her Mom, "Maybe this is the point where we should leave?"

     "You may be right, Willow," Giles acknowledged.

     "Wait," Joyce said as they turned toward the door, "There's still
something I want to know."

     Everyone looked at her expectantly. Angel began to feel uncomfortable
when her gaze settled on him.

     "If you're a vampire," Joyce asked, her voice a little unsteady, "Does
that mean you drink blood? Feed on people?"

     "I used to," Angel replied, cutting off Buffy as she opened her mouth,
"But not for a long time."

     "Angel's a special case," Buffy added.

     "He has a soul," Willow confirmed.

     "What?" Joyce said, confused.

     "I'll explain," Angel sighed, motioning for Willow and Buffy to let
him speak, "When you become a vampire, the demon gets your body. But not
your soul, that's gone. After I turned, I.... wreaked havoc for a long
time. No guilt. No remorse. Then, I fed on a Gypsy girl. Her people reacted
by punishing me with the worst thing they could come up with. They cursed
me. Brought back my soul. You can't begin to imagine what it's like to have
done the things I've done and still care. I haven't fed off a living human
since that day."

     "Now he helps us out with the Slayage," Buffy added, "He brings us
information on what the local undead are up to so I can stop it."

     "Us?" Joyce asked.

     "Well," Buffy spoke slowly, she knew this part would be hard for her
mother, "Giles is my Watcher. He researches prophecies, demons, what vamps
might in the neighbourhood and what there weaknesses are. And he teaches me
how to fight. Well, more like acts as a live punching bag while I practice.
I try not to hurt him. Much."

     Giles cheeks coloured slightly. He knew Buffy usually held back when
they sparred, but this was the first time she'd actually admitted it.

     "And Willow?" Joyce asked.

     "She stumbled on to the truth about me," Buffy said, "And refused to
stumble back out of it."

     "Buffy saved my life," Willow added, "So now I help out with the
research and stuff. I can usually dig up stuff on the Net we can use.
Almost as much as what Giles has in those books of his. Xander and Cordy
help out, too. I like to call us the Slayerettes."

     "Do your parents know?" Joyce wondered, "Am I the only one who didn't?"

     "Oh no," Willow replied, her expression stricken, "You won't tell
them, will you? Please don't tell them. I don't want them to worry. I'm
careful, and I try to stay out of the actual Slaying."

     Joyce looked at Giles. His expression was certainly revealing. She
could see the concern on his face. He worried about the children's
involvement, she could tell. And when he exchanged a speaking look with
Buffy, she realized he worried about her daughter as well.

     "All right," Joyce acquiesced, "But it's getting late. You should
probably be getting home, Willow. Will you be okay, or should I drive you?"

     "I can walk her home," Angel offered, his eyes finding Buffy's.

     "I'll be safe with Angel," Willow said, catching Buffy's nod and grin.

     "Mr. Giles," Joyce added, "Would you mind staying? I'd like to speak
with some more about all this."

     Again, Joyce noticed the silent exchange between the librarian and her
daughter. From the corner of her eye, she saw Buffy's barely perceptible
nod before her daughter got up to escort the others to the door. Giles
returned to the chair and prepared himself for the barrage of questions he
was sure Joyce was about to ask.

     "You were pretty good with my crossbow, Willow," Buffy said as she
opened the front door, "Have you been practicing without telling me?"

     Willow looked down and shuffled her feet nervously.

     "Yes," she confessed, "After what happened the night of the Spring
Fling, I asked Giles to teach me how to use a crossbow. I had to work on
him for a while before he agreed, but he has been teaching me."

     "Why, Will?" Buffy asked, curious.

     "I can't fight like you can, Buffy," Willow replied, "So I thought I'd
better learn how to use something with a little more range. Just in case.
And I wanted to be able to do *something* if you ever needed backup
sometime. It came in handy tonight, didn't it?"

     "Will, you are the best," Buffy asserted, drawing her friend into a
hug, "But you be careful. I don't want anything to happen to you, so no
independent safaris, okay?"

     "Okay," Willow assured her friend, "Besides, dust doesn't make a very
noteworthy trophy. Hard to hang of the wall."

     Buffy chuckled and playfully swatted Willow on the arm. She gave Angel
a hug and closed the door behind them.

     Buffy stuck her head back into the living room to find her mother and
her Watcher deeply involved in their discussion. Buffy wasn't sure she
wanted to know what they were talking about, but she hoped Giles would be
careful about what he said. Her mother may have come around and accepted
the whole Slayer deal, but some of the gang's past experiences should
probably not be revealed right now. Her Mom needed more time to let it all
sink in before that happened.

     "I'm gonna go to bed now," Buffy said, interrupting them, "Or do you
want me stay down here and talk some more?"

     "You go on up, Buffy," Joyce told her, "I'm sure we'll be having a lot
of talks about everything over the next few days. And I think I need a
little time to really take this all in. I won't keep Mr. Giles too long,
honey."

     "Okay, Mom," Buffy replied, "Night Mom, Giles."

     Giles smiled slightly as he watched his Slayer head up the stairs
before turning his attention back to Joyce. He would make every effort to
help Mrs. Summers cope with the knowledge that had been revealed tonight.
He could almost sense the same strength he so admired in Buffy in her
mother as well. It may take a little time, and there would undoubtably be
difficulties, but he was sure Joyce would eventually be accepting of her
daughter's destiny.

     THE END


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

Noel:"Disappointment doesn't kill."
Abby:"Right. Rejection kills. Disappointment only maims."
          -- "The Truth About Cats and Dogs"

An optimist sees the glass half full
A pessimist sees the glass half empty
And a realist understands that soon he's going to have to wash the glass

In a world of shit you hold your nose and swim.

Don't worry about the bullet with your name on it, worry about the one
addressed "to whom it may concern".


     @-}-}--          tj thwaites          @-}-}--
     @-}-}--       [e-mail]      @-}-}--
     @-}-}--  Box 2890, Banff, AB, T0L 0C0 @-}-}--

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

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

Date: Thu, 15 Oct 1998 16:32:55 -0700 (PDT)
From: Black Fire <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Legacy of the Burgunds (0/?)

Title: Legacy of the Burgunds
Author: Black Fire
Email: [e-mail]
Spoilers: Up through at least Faith, Hope and Trick.  I need to see
what happens with the next few episodes.
Disclaimers: I don't own any of the Buffy characters and I can't
afford to.  (Though, I wish I could, a least afford to.)  Any other
characters (I haven't even given them names yet, how lame) are mine.
Please do not use them without asking.
Summary: This story is heavilly based in Germanic/Norse mythology,
particularly, on the Saga of the Volsungs.  Two of the greatest
legends of the past have returned, bringing who-knows-what with them.


Legacy of the Burgunds

Prologue - At the Well of Memory

    The night in Sunnydale was unusually quiet.  The midnight air draped
the town like a soft blanket.  And somewhere, deep in the woods, the
only sound that could be heard for miles was the soft sound of singing.
    In a clearing, beyond a grove of bushes, a large circle had been
formed.  Inside the circle, a robed and hooded figure knelt before a
stone alter.  A pot of incense smoked at the back end of the circle to
the rhythm of the figure's ancient chants, as it sang into a drinking
horn.
    The casual observer, standing outside the circle, would have seen
just this and nothing more.  However, this was not what the figure in
the circle saw.
    To enter the circle, would have been to enter another dimension, of
sorts.  The harrow, and everything else within the circle, hung
suspended in the center of a threefold sphere of red light.  Where the
ground should have been, each sphere passed through a ring of archaic
characters, which also glowed red.  Above the figure's head, an object
spun so fast that its design was impossible to distinguish.
    As the figure continued to sing, the ground reappeared.  Only now,
instead of bushes, a single giant tree grew out of an even larger
stone well.  The tree and well, though awesome in size, seemed to
dwell at the edge of the sphere, neither intruding upon the figure's
working space, nor reaching beyond borders of the shield.
    As the chanting ended, the horn became a miniaturized version of the
tree and well.  The winds within the sphere stilled, causing the
single earthly source of light, the flame of a large blue candle, to
stand perfectly straight.  The figure sat in silence, staring into the
waters of the well.  It then drew the cup to its lips and drained the
horn of its contents.
    From behind closed eyes, the figure was suddenly bombarded by a
barrage of images; a burning mountain, a funeral pyre.  A large man
being stabbed in the back and a pair of eyes filled with hatred.
There were, also, scenes of men and women meeting in different time
periods and dying tragically.
    And, all the while, a choir of howling wolves and shrieking ravens
attacked the ears.  They seemed to be accusing the person of
something, but it was too loud and incomprehensible.
    Then... all was silent.  The images dissolved into a single vision of
a dark alleyway where two other figures, a man and a woman, stood
facing each other.  Without warning, the two charged each other and
the world exploded.
    "NO!!" the figure screamed, eyes snapping open.
    Quickly, the figure finished the ritual and then dissolved the
shields.  Gathering up all it's tools, the hooded figure rushed out of
the woods and back into town.

*   *   *   *   *

    A few miles away, a girl, who should have been used to bad dreams by
now, shot up out of bed.  She had seen nothing of what the other had
seen, save the an explosion of apocalyptic proportions.
    Knowing instantly what to do, she reached for the phone and pushed
the first number on the speed dial.  The phone on the other end didn't
even finish ringing once when it was picked up.
    "Yes?" a British voice asked on the other end of the line.
    "It's me, Giles," the girl said.  "I'm on my way to your place.
You're not going to like this."
    "What is it?" Giles asked.
    "I don't know yet," the girl answered, "but it's not going to be
pretty."
    The girl hung up the phone as her mother walked into the room.
    "Buffy?" Joyce asked.  "I heard you scream."
    "I have to go to work," Buffy said as she pulled on the first pieces
of clothing she grabbed.
    "Well... be careful... I guess," Joyce said, nervously.
    "I will, Mom," Buffy said as she hurried out of the room and down the
stairs.  "Bye."
    Buffy was at an almost full sprint by the time she got to the end of
the block, and she didn't stop until she reached Giles's apartment.

*   *   *   *   *

==

The Black Fire          | Vote for me in the Site Fights!!
[e-mail] | http://www.thesitefights.com/sarina/cavern1.htm
         http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Shadowlands/4203
"But if they all forget me I will be here anyway, like an artifact
     of some lost civilization" -Vlad Dracula _The Dracula Tape_
          "Don't worry.  I'm not here to eat."  -- Angel (IG)
_________________________________________________________
DO YOU YAHOO!?
Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com

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

Date: Fri, 16 Oct 1998 00:07:36 EDT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: BUFFYFIC: The Soul of Good & Evil (4/?)

Title: The Soul of Good & Evil (4/?)
Author: Michelle
E-mail: [e-mail]
Rating: PG-13 -- Violence, bank robbery.
Author's Notes: This story follows directly after my two others,
"Vengeance," and "Lost & Found." I rewrote the third part with a
completely different plot (the story that this is an alternate for is,
"Deadly Instincts." Basically, everyone is a vampire, with a
soul except Drusilla.  Buffy, Willow, Xander, Angel, Giles, Joyce,
everybody.  http://members.aol.com/aglx/fanfic.html
Spoilers: Plot has nothing to do with real series except for characters
that are used.
Feedback: I know there are people on this list. Too bad no one bothers
to send feedback. If you would, I'd appreciate it.  I send it to you!

* * * * *

"Where are we going?"

"I have to make a few stops. Willow won't be here until sunset
tomorrow, right?" Buffy asked, looking over at Xander.

"Right."

They were driving in a beautiful cherry red convertible with the
top up.  Buffy refused to drive anything less, especially those old
fashioned cars with spray painted windows vampires were so found
of using to block the sun. She just figured it was much easier to
just drive during the night and sleep during the day.

"So what stops do we have to make?" Xander asked, trying to start
up a conversation and kill the painful silence.

"Assuming I get out of this alive, I never want to see this town
again." Buffy took her gaze off the road one more time to look at
Xander with such great pain filling her eyes.  "I need to clean out
my bank account and tie up a few loose ends."

"Okay."

They drove a for a few more minutes before pulling into a bank
parking lot.

"You wanna come in, or wait here?"  Buffy turned off the engine
and turned to Xander and asked.

"I'll wait here. Keep an eye out."

"For what? Oh wait. Excuse to get out of coming in. Clever." Xander
just smiled as Buffy slid out of the driver seat and locked the doors
on her way out.

He watched her as she strode up to the doors with such confidence.
< How does she do it? How could she just stay here all this time and
not let everything that has happened get to her? >

~ ~ ~ ~

Buffy stood in line behind about eight other people, growing more
impatient by the second.  She looked around to check the scene.
Two tellers were working the late night shift. By straining her senses,
she could tell the manager was staying late and working in his office
down the hall.  She could hear him talking on the phone to someone,
but she felt uncomfortable listening to his conversation. < Just because
I have these senses doesn't mean I have to use them. > She reasoned
with herself.

"Next," the teller closest to the far wall called. A man started
towards her and just then, Buffy noticed three more men dressed
completely in black enter the bank. Even though they hid it, she knew
they had several weapons on them.

< Great. > Buffy thought. < Just what I need. The banks gonna get robbed,
and somehow I just had to be here tonight. >  The teller gave worried
glances to her co-worker, who immediately reached for the alarm button.

"Don't you even think about touching that. I swear I'll blow your head
off!"   The man whipped out an automatic weapon that would carry out
his threat quite nicely.

< Cocky. Too bad for him I had to be here. I'm the queen of cocky. >

"Everyone down now!" the man shouted. He raised the gun and the three
by the doors slowly approached. Obviously figuring they weren't going
to get caught, they stupidly forgot to wear masks.

Everyone in the bank dropped to the ground except the two tellers and
Buffy.

"What's the matter with your ears? Didn't you hear me? Ground now!"
The man kept his weapon pointed at the teller but indicated the floor
with his free hand.

"Hmmm. Let me think about that one. Uh, no!" Buffy said with a
faint smile.

The man turned the weapon on her and pointed it at her forehead. He
held it with a shaky hand while Buffy calmly refused to move. She
held her ground and her smile. These guys weren't going to get out
of here with a cent.  The only way they were getting out was hand
cuffed in the back of a black and white with the lights flashing
furiously above them.

"Come on. You're not going to shoot anyone." Buffy knocked his gun
away from her with her supernatural strength and he almost lost his grip
on it.

"You're crazy, bitch. I'll shoot you and everyone else in here if
I have to." He regained his hold on the weapon and raised it yet
again to her head.

"Fine! Go ahead. Shoot 'em all. Take you gun and put a bullet into
everyone here. See if I care."

"You better get down and kiss the carpet, lady. Or I'll blow you to bits."

Buffy knew that with his weapon, he could kill her, but she wasn't about
to let him in on that little secret. She watched as the people around her
stared, their fear silently screaming at her to save them.  They couldn't
care less who she was, they just knew that she was the only one there
that stood between them and their deaths.

"Like I said before. No." Her method of choice was risky and something
that would be found in the movies, but it was the only chance she had
to save all the innocent people in the bank, along with herself.

"Boys. Get the money. If they try anything, kill them. Do you _hear_
me?"

They all announced their agreement with powerful voices and they
moved to the tellers and instructed them to the back where the vault
was. They knew the money in the drawers had alarm buttons and they
weren't about to voluntarily call the police to their little party.

"Fine!"  The robber dropped his automatic weapon and reached for a
handgun at the back of his belt.  He reached down, grabbed a woman
from the floor and pulled her up. Holding her tightly against his body
with one arm and the gun sharply against her temple, he hoped to seem
threatening enough for Buffy to do what he said.  "You back off. Or she
dies!"

"Think about it this way. For everyone in here that you kill, that's just
how many more family members, and friends that are going to be sitting
in that court room, while you stand on trial for multiple murders. Facing
a life sentence in jail with no chance for parole or if you really lucky, the
death penalty. They'll stare at you with their empty eyes.  Their souls
destroyed. Their lives taken away and it's all because of you. You and
the psychotic thoughts that persuaded you to go out, get a gun and come
in  here to rob a bank. And hey, why you were at it, you decided to kill
a few people just for the hell of it!"

With her hands on her hips, and her eyes boring into his, she made
herself seem as intimidating as possible.

"Shut-up!"

"Why? Because you know every word that's coming from my mouth is
true?" Buffy took a few steps closer to him.   By this time the
manager emerged from his office at the direction of one of the
robbers. He was the only one with the key and combination to the
vault.

"Damit, lady. Just shut-up!" He moved the gun slightly away from
the woman's face as if he planned to use it on Buffy.

"Go ahead. Kill her. Put a bullet into her and then watch as she
takes her last breath. As her heart beats one last time. Watch as
her eyes plead with yours for any possible chance of her survival.
When she knows, everything is over with and you took it all away."
Buffy stopped.  The words she was saying were all too close to her
own previous lifestyles. But she stayed calm and concentrated on
keeping the maniac with the gun from hurting anyone.

"So why don't you let the lady go, and put the gun to good use...on
me. That's who you really wanna kill, isn't it?"

"Damn right." He threw the woman to the ground and she silently
mouthed the words, "Thank you."

"Go ahead. Take that gun in your hands, raise it, load it, and
fire right here," Buffy said pointing to a spot on the center of
her forehead. She was taking a gamble. By the way the man was
holding he gun and the amount of shaking he was doing, she hoped
that he couldn't hit a target, regardless of its difficulty.

The man fired. The bullet lodged itself in her left leg.

The bullet hit her with immense force but she didn't even wince.
Buffy glanced down at the wound, which she could feel was quickly
healing despite the horrifying burning she felt racing through her
body. "Not even close," she said with a laugh. "Maybe it will
help if I move a bit closer." Her approach threw him off balance
for a second. He definitely wasn't anticipating her survival at
this point.  Breathing heavily, he tightened his arm, as if it would
help him hit her more directly.

Stupidly, he took the gun and fired again. This time, he hit her
directly in the stomach. Right where the her wound from the stake
was still healing. Buffy doubled over and moaned. < He had to miss
and shoot me there! > Her body encouraged her to stop and nurse her
wounds but she refused to give in.  Standing straight again, she
broke out into a hysterical laugh as he watched her, horrified.

"Close, but not really." Buffy moved towards him at a determined
pace, ignoring the pain each step caused. His three accomplices
only stood behind the counter with bags of money, unsure of what
to do. "I try to help you out. I even move within five feet of
you and yet you couldn't hit me if your three buddies helped you."

Buffy was finally within inches of him. She had pushed the gun out
of his hand and was now safely holding it in her own. He didn't
know what to do.  He just stood there, frozen. "On your knees,"
she ordered in a voice too low for her gender. She was disgusted
with this man and if it wasn't for the audience she had, she would
have revealed her true self and killed him right then and there.

The man complied and dropped to his knees. Buffy smiled and stepped
back a bit.  Before he had a chance to try anything, she knocked
him out cold with a solid kick to the face.

"You kiss the ground," she hissed before turning her attention to
the three other robbers behind the counter.  Without thinking, they
dropped the money and their weapons and raised their hands high
into the air.  "Is everyone okay?"

Silent nods came from all the people in the bank.  Just then, the
sound of sirens came flooding into the streets. Lights of blue and
red and white flashed through the clouded windows.

"The cops are here. They'll take care of everything. Take those
weapons away from them." The two tellers grabbed the guns and
placed them on a desk out of the three's reach.

"Miss?" A young woman asked from the floor.

"Hmm?" Buffy was distracted. There were cops everywhere and she
would be ash-tray sized if the cops questioned her. The last thing she
needed was to spend the night in a jail and have the police find out
she was a member of the walking dead.

"Who or what are you?"

"You don't want to know," Buffy said with such sickening honesty.

"Whoever you are, thank you. You saved all our lives," one of the
tellers said while holding a hand over her rapidly beating heart.

"Is there a way out the back?" Buffy asked the manager who had
finally come out of his office.

"Yes, this way. But the police?"

"I don't have time. I have to go. Please don't stop me."

"You saved all our lives. Letting you go would be the least I could
do."

"Thank you. Once I'm gone, someone go out and tell the police you're
okay." With that, Buffy hopped over the counter and followed
the man to the back door. Luckily the cops hadn't moved to the back
yet and she had time to sneak out.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Well, if you read it, I'd appreciate some feedback. Even if you hated it.
I'll take anything, even flames!

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

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