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buffyfic-digest       Tuesday, November 10 1998       Volume 02 : Number 365



In this issue:

       BUFFYFIC: Aftermath (1/1) by tj thwaites
       BUFFYFIC: The Soul of Good & Evil (5/?)

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Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1998 00:26:35 -0700
From: [e-mail] (tj thwaites)
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Aftermath (1/1) by tj thwaites

Title: Aftermath
Author: tj thwaites
E-mail: [e-mail]
Archive: mailing list archives for now, I may revise this after the new ep airs.
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Band Candy (sort of, this is idle speculation based on the previews)
Summary: Just a silly thought I had about what might happen between
teen-influenced Joyce and the returned Ripper.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, Joss does. I'm just taking a
quick dip in his pool.


     Aftermath
     by tj thwaites
     (aka the dyslexic ferret)


     "I just want to check and make sure my Mom is back to normal," Buffy
told Faith as the two Slayers turned the corner onto Revello Drive, "Then
we can see if we can find out where Giles disappeared to."

     "Sure thing, Bee," Faith replied, ignoring the annoyed look from
Buffy, "But I gotta tell you, Willow really surprised me with that
counterspell. I didn't know she was that powerful a witch."

     "She surprised me, too," Buffy said, "I knew she'd been studying
witchcraft, but I hadn't known she'd gotten that good, either. I'm glad
she's on our side."

     When the Slayers arrived at the Summers residence, Faith immediately
headed for the kitchen. She had a major case of the munchies after today's
events. Buffy headed upstairs to look for her mother after the main floor
proved deserted.

     Buffy silently pushed open the door to her mother's room to peek
inside. The first thing she saw was the clothes scattered over the floor.
She ignored them; the spell had just been broken and her mother obviously
hadn't had much time to come back to herself, let alone clean up the
teenager-style mess.

     Buffy stepped fully into the room when she saw the lump under the
covers, relieved that her mother was home and not still out somewhere
wandering around. Buffy quietly approached the bed, intent merely on making
sure her mother was sleeping peacefully. Her hand flew to her mouth to
suppress the outcry that threatened when saw that her mother was not alone.
The light from the moon and the streetlights clearly illuminating the faces
of the bed's two occupants.

     Buffy stared at the faces in shock. She turned and darted from the
room, a part of her mind amazed that she still had the ability to remember
to not slam the door (and possibly awaken the bed's occupants). But the
larger part kept replaying those few seconds when she'd seen the peaceful
serenity on the sleeping faces of her mother and her Watcher. And the tiny
smile on her mother's lips.

     [Whoa!] Buffy thought, leaning against the hallway wall for support,
[Tomorrow morning is going to be *so* bizarre.]

     Buffy's head snapped up and she stared at her mother's bedroom door,
surprised by her own reaction. She wasn't upset about the situation she'd
stumbled across, quite the opposite in fact. She hoped that when morning
did roll around, what had obviously taken place between Giles and her
mother didn't cause too many problems.

     When Buffy returned downstairs to the kitchen, she found Faith busy
attacking a huge bowl of ice cream. She grabbed a bowl of her own from the
cupboard and began serving herself some cookies and cream goodness.

     "Hey," Faith said, amused, "I guess the need to find and watch over
the Watcher is no match for frozen treats, huh?"

     "No need to go looking anywhere," Buffy replied, "I know exactly where
Giles is."

     The spoon halted halfway to Faith's mouth. Her eyebrows rose in question.

     "So," Faith finally asked after Buffy finished filling her bowl,
"Where is he?"

     "Upstairs," Buffy replied with an impish grin, "He and my Mom are
doing an amazing imitation of a pair of spoons in a drawer."

     Faith's spoonful of ice cream clattered to the table.

     "Are you serious?" Faith blurted, then continued when Buffy nodded,
"And you're not wigged?"

     "Actually," Buffy answered, "I'm kinda hoping that there's more to it
than the mondo-impulsiveness of that damned spell. Maybe something good can
come from it."

     Faith watched in fascination as Buffy turned her attention to the bowl
of ice cream in front of her and dug in. Faith picked up her own spoon
again, shaking her head. One thing for sure, Sunnydale was never boring.
Living here was like living in the middle of a soap opera of the weirdest
kind.

     =====

     Three weeks later

     Buffy led Giles into the living room. This had to stop. Now. The past
three weeks had been way too stessful with both her mother and Watcher
walking on eggshells where Buffy was concerned and totally avoiding each
other. Buffy couldn't help but flash back to the source of the problem.
Once again, she was going to have to be the adult and force the adults to
face the childishness of their behaviour.

     Buffy shook her head with a snort when Giles froze in his tracks. She
grabbed his arm and virtually dragged him over to the couch where her
mother sat twisting a tea towel nervously.

     "Giles," Buffy commanded, "Sit down."

     Buffy put her hands on her hips in exasperation when Giles sat at the
opposite end of the couch, refusing to even look at Joyce. Enough was
enough. These two were going to settle this, one way or the other.

     "All right," Buffy began, "The two of you have been dancing around the
issue for three weeks now and it's time to stop. I'm going to go out on
patrol, but you are going to talk. You have to face each other and what
happened between you that night. Decide whether it was a mistake or not,
and what you're going to do now. When I get home, I expect you two to have
reached a conclusion you both can accept."

     "Decide whether or *not* it was a mistake?" Joyce asked, surprised by
Buffy's wording.

     "Well," Buffy said, feeling her face starting to heat, "When I looked
in on you that night and found you together, the looks on your faces (even
asleep) seemed...well...happy."

     Giles and Joyce finally looked at each other at this revelation. They
both coloured slightly and looked away.

     "I checked out the spell," Buffy continued, "And I think Xander had
the best paraphrase: 'They all seemed totally wasted, but without the
slurred speech or falling down parts'. That spell turned off your impulse
control and eliminated your inhibitions, like being drunk. So maybe what
happened that night wasn't a mistake if you don't want it to be. I'm not
suggesting running off to Vegas or anything, but you guys *need* to talk
about it and decide if it was a momentary whim or because of something
deeper. I'm leaving now. Me Slay, you talk."

     Buffy turned and rushed out of the house, her face burning. She
couldn't believe she'd just said all that. She headed toward the park. A
little undead activity was what she needed to get her mind off everything
for a few hours.

     =====

     The lights were still on when Buffy returned home two hours later,
dusty and sweaty, but much calmer. She paused at the front door a moment,
wondering if Giles and her mother had worked things out or if they'd bailed
on the whole process as soon as she was out of the house. She took a deep
breath and went inside, her mouth opening to call out that she was home.

     All the breath rushed out of her body and her bottom jaw just hung
open. Giles and her mother were curled up on the couch, asleep. On the TV,
Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks were getting in the elevator at the top of the
Empire State building.

     [Sleepless In Seattle?] Buffy thought, amazed, [Mom actually got him
to watch a 'chick flick' with her? I guess I was right, they do 'have
feelings' for each other.]

     Buffy stood silently for several seconds pondering that possibility.
Something she once said to Jenny Calender popped into her head:

     "I don't want him to be lonely. I don't want anyone to."

     At the time, Buffy hadn't really thought about it, but that applied to
her mother as well. And as wigsome as the thought of her mother and Giles
getting together was at first glance, Buffy surprised herself by admitting
that they did look good together. And there was no big secret to keep since
the Slayer gig was already out in the open with them. Buffy sighed and a
smile crept onto her face.

     They looked cute cuddled together like that.

     Buffy silently crossed over to the couch and picked the Afghan off the
back. She unfolded it and gently drew it across her mother's supine form.
She removed Giles' glasses, careful not to wake him, and set them on the
end table. She turned off the TV and the VCR and headed for the stairs. But
she paused at the bottom step to gaze fondly at her Watcher.

     [If this gets serious, Giles,] she told him silently, [I hope you
don't expect me to call you 'Dad'.]

     Buffy climbed the stairs to her room grinning. Teasing Giles was about
to get very interesting.

     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: Tue, 10 Nov 1998 13:07:02 EST
From: [e-mail]
Subject: BUFFYFIC: The Soul of Good & Evil (5/?)

Title: The Soul of Good & Evil (5/?)
Author: Michelle
E-mail: [e-mail]
Rating: PG-13 (for this part...there's really nothing but a bit of blood)
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 and Spike.  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!

* * * *

"Are you going to tell me what happened?"

"Nope," Buffy said bluntly. The slightest trace of a smile was
hung on her lips, but she did her best to cover it.

"So, what did you do to get yourself shot?!"  Buffy was lying
down on the coffee table of her living room while Xander attempted
to clear her wounds.

"Why do you automatically assume I was to blame?"

"Because you've got two bullets in you. Now hold still or this
is *really* going to hurt."

Buffy rested an arm across her face and tried to remain calm. But
the bullet that just reopened her stomach wound was terribly
painful.

"Okay, hold on."  Just as Xander was about to take out the bullet
from Buffy's leg, the doorbell rang. "You, stay here. I'll get that."

"Just be careful who you invite in, okay?"

Xander ignored her and went to the door. To his surprise, he found
his beautiful red-headed love standing on the front porch.

"Willow! Come in. You said you weren't going to be here until
tomorrow night."

"I caught an early flight." She stepped through the doors and the
sight of Buffy lying on the coffee table with blood all over her
wasn't exactly the welcome she was expecting. "Buffy! What happened?"

"Willow, hi. Oh, this? It's nothing. Maniac with a gun plus attempted
robery and murder equals Buffy getting shot." Buffy attempted a smile
but it didn't come out a such. "Uh, Xander. Are you going to finish,
or do you plan on leaving me like this?"

"Sorry." Xander walked over and picked up a pair of tweezers. "Here
we go." The look in his eye was more frightening to Buffy than the
thought of living with these hunks of metal in her.  Willow
instinctively grabbed Buffy's hand at an attempt to comfort her
friend.

"Hey! What are you doing, digging them out with your bare hands?"
Buffy lifted her head to catch Xander's eye but he avoided it.

"No, I would never do that. Just sit tight, I have one more left."

After Xander removed the bullets, Buffy's skin quickly rebuilt
itself.

"Much better," Buffy said standing on her own two feet. "Now, Willow,
I assume Xander's filled you in on my current situation?"

"Yeah," she said a meak Willow voice.

"Well, I'm not exactly sure what's going on.  Spike really is our
only hope in this one." The doorbell rang again, interupting Buffy
yet again.  "I'll get it."

"Spike," Buffy said, shocked to see him standing on her doorstep.

"Hello luv."

"Didn't I tell you not to call me that? Too many freaky memories of
Drusilla..." Buffy made a sickly face and then pointed Spike in the
direction of the living room.

"Right, I'll remember that."

"Sure you will," Buffy said sarcastically before following him into
the living room where Willow and Xander were seated.  "Guys, you
know Spike."

"Oh, yeah. We've met," Xander said, eyeing Spike but offering no
means of a truce between the two.

Spike indicated Xander's presence with the tilt of his head.  He
was still holding a grudge for that whole dungeon experience at
the villa.

"You two want to call of the wars. We're on the same side this
time and if you can't work together, I'll do this on my own."

"I just want Dru back. If it means getting along with him,
alright."

"Xander?" Buffy asked, sternly glaring at him.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll get along with blondy here if I have to. But
once this is all over, it's back to immortal enemies. Deal?"

"Damn right," Spike said turning away from the group and finding a
chair. At the sight of the blood all over the floor and coffee
table, he looked to Buffy for an answer.

"Got shot. All better now."  He seemed satisfied with that and she
moved to the couch. "Now, from what I've figured out, Drusilla's
power keeps growing. I don't quite know how, but it does.  Whatever
she used to restore herself to full power is still at work and we've
got to stop her before she does kill Angel."

"Without killing her," Spike promptly added.

"Yeah, without killing anyone." Buffy knew that Spike would only help
as long as she promised not to kill Dru. So she did, but that didn't
change the fact that she was planning it, no matter what. "Spike, do
you have any idea what she used to get her power back?"

"Uh, yeah. But, I don't think it will be of any help."

"Why?"

"Her powers were restored by the Devil himself."

Everyone fell silent for a brief moment. Buffy was the only one to
look at Spike for confirmation.

"How?"

"She promised your rising to the dark side to him. If she was granted
full strength, she would capture you, and re-awaken you to a new life
in return.  That's what Angel and her were plotting when I came to
you."

"They why is her strength still growing?"

"That I can't tell you, pet. I only know what happened before you sent
me to Vienna and after I restored all your souls.

"Well then, lets go find Drusilla and hopefully she'll lead us to
Angel." Buffy stood and reached for her jacket on the back of Spike's
chair.

"Hopefully," Willow repeated with less confidence.

"Soon as the sun goes down tonight, we move.  Willow, Xander, you
two can stay in the spare bedroom. Spike..."

"I'll take the couch."

* * * * *
- -Michelle

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

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