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buffyfic-digest       Saturday, January 2 1999       Volume 02 : Number 404



In this issue:

       BUFFYFIC: "Flies to Honey" sequel to "The Necromancer" (03/16)
       BUFFYFIC: Can't Hide the Past (1b/?)
       BUFFYFIC: Can't Hide the Past (2c/?)

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, 02 Jan 1999 00:06:00 -0800
From: "J. Jericho Born" <[e-mail]>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: "Flies to Honey" sequel to "The Necromancer" (03/16)

TITLE: "Flies to Honey" (Part 03/16)
AUTHOR: J. Jericho Born
E-MAIL: [e-mail]
FEEDBACK: Please let me know what you think of my fanfic with some feedback.
DISTRIBUTION: The author reserves rights on this story. Please do not
distribute without expressed permission.
RATING: PG-13  Contains violence.
SPOILERS: Spoilers to previous fanfic. If you would like to read the preceding
story you can download it at < http://www.sirius.com/~traction/buffy >.
DESCRIPTION: The sequel to "The Necromancer". Abel is now unconcious, but
attracting vampires like flies to honey. Buffy is caught between protecting
her enemy and helping her friend Willow find her beloved Oz. Meanwhile, Willow
gets deeper into magic and the occult in order to find a way to restore Oz to
human form.
DISCLAIMER: The writer of this unauthorized fan fiction is not affiliated with
any of the parties involved in the making of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The
characters are the property of Joss Whedon and whomever else the lawyers may
deem fit, they are used without permission. Technically that is not legal, but
I'm not anticipating any law suits. This work, the plot line, and the
characters introduced that are not already featured on Buffy the Vampire
Slayer are the work of Joshua Jericho Born, Copyright 1998.

==============

Scene 2

A slightly glazed over Buffy patrolled a chilly Sunnydale night with stake in
hand. The graveyard was such a lonely place this time in the evening. The odd
vampire that popped up every now and again wouldn't be very much company, well
not for long anyway. She came upon two such vampires, snooping and clawing
around the crypt that Abel had been stashed in.

Stealthily, Buffy snuck up behind the two vampires with ease. It was kind of
amusing the way they were drawn to the mausoleum without knowing what they
were looking for. One rattled the iron gate on the crypt. He gestured and
grunted to the other one to help him pry it open. It was time for the Slayer
to make her move.

"Didn't you read the sign? No loitering after seven p.m.," sarcastically
quipped Buffy. The two turned and snarled simultaneously. To her surprise one
actually spoke before the melee ensued.

"We want to know what's in there," demanded an ugly vampire.

"Oh, of course. That's where they keep the Beanie Babies. Which one's your
favorite?" replied Buffy.

The two vampires looked at each other in mutual disbelief then pounced.
Unfortunately for them, one of them pounced right into Buffy's awaiting stake
and dissolved into ashes. The other one managed to get a claw at Buffy's other
arm, ripping a chunk of her jacket off.

"Do you know how much this jacket cost me?" questioned an annoyed Slayer. She
attacked the remaining vampire with a fierce kick to the stomach. Winded, the
vampire couldn't return blows. Buffy followed with a backhand to the head.
With her victim on the ground she plunged her stake into his chest.

This vampire didn't turn to ashes so quickly, however. Surprised, Buffy soon
caught a glimpse of a flailing foot followed by a close up view of the neatly
trimmed graveyard grass. The resilient vampire jumped onto Buffy, taking care
to place his knee painfully into her back. Countering his grappling maneuver,
she managed to roll over and put her opponent in a prone position.

This time Buffy made sure to hold the stake in place as she thrust the new
weapon into the vampire's chest. A brief struggle later, she was sitting on a
pile of ashes instead of a kicking and growling vampire.

"You and your new and improved vampires," Buffy yelled toward the crypt,
getting up as she talked. Abel had a way of being annoying even when
unconscious.

==============

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

Date: Sat, 2 Jan 1999 03:26:14 EST
From: [e-mail]
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Can't Hide the Past (1b/?)

TITLE: Can't Hide the Past
*
AUTHOR: Shadows
*
DISTRIBUTION: Will ya do me a favor and agree to post this somewhere on your
own little archive? Just ask me first. E-mail me at [e-mail]
*
DESCRIPTION: Ok, as I sit down to write this fic, "Amends" is the last episode
that I have seen. I will be following the show from only up to there. Then my
mind will have it's own play.

 Story: 15 years after my own little season three finale, the Scooby Gang
finds themselves thrown together after something *very* strange happens to all
of them.

 Chapter 2: Stupid Xander screw up things for the Scooby Gang, in a majorly
weird way.
*
DISCLAIMER: Ok, I have some stuff to say as to what is not mine and what *is*
mine.

 Rupert Giles: Don't own him. You know who he belongs to. You know who he is.
*
*
*
Can't Hide the Past
Chapter 2
Part A (Cause stupid AOL won't let me post the whole darn thing in one e-
mail!!!)



    After the vampire scare, Xander had been afraid to go, much let the children
out. He had gathered the whole family in the living room, and then spoke
secretly to Cordelia while Julie and Josh had tried to listen it. Then, Xander
had proposed that they stay in the house for the rest of they day, since it
was the safest place that he could think of.

    "Brain-trust, Xander," Cordelia had told him gently, in her own version of
gently. At least she had become slightly more caring over the years. "It's
daylight outside. The vampires can't possibly get us." She then had waited
quietly as Xander once again steered Julie and Josh back to the couch where
their older stepbrother was waiting patiently and their younger half-sister
was busy painting herself and the couch with her lollipop. "Besides, it's the
21st. Almost Christmas. We've got presents to buy and things to do. We just
can't drop it because you're afraid vampires are going to magically appear in
the sunlight. I promise, we'll be home a good hour before sunset, and pick up
Nicholas from his violin lesson. And Julie and Josh from their soccer game.
And Annie from Natalie's house."

    Xander had given her a wary look, but then gave in. They had breakfast, drove
the kids to their respected places, and then took the subway to Fifth Avenue,
right to the place where Cordelia had ended her torture yesterday.

    "Ooh, look at that dress!" Cordelia squealed for the fiftieth time that
morning, tugging on Xander's arm, since his hands were full of packages and
bags. Amazing that such young children could think of so many things that they
wanted for Christmas.

    "Buy me that for Christmas?' Cordelia sighed, walking up to the window. She
touched the glass lovingly as she imagine that she was touching the ice blue,
slinky, sleeveless dress that was hanging on a display mannequin just inside.
"Ooh, will you Xander?" She turned towards him, her eyes begging. It almost
wanted to make him break out in laughter, although he knew that it would be
rude. Women. Definitely the weaker of the sexes.

    "Sure, honey," he told her sincerely, coming up and with his free hand,
caressing her right arm. She smiled warmly at him, liking his touch and the
little PDA. "But that would mean we either a) return most of the kid's
presents or b) narrow down your lists of 'All I Want For Christmas', because
it's definitely just not teeth."

    Cordelia laughed, and then gave his a quick pop kiss on the mouth, and then
walked down the street ahead of him, swinging her hips the way he liked it. "I
guess we'll have to get rid of those toys I wanted . . ." she said a bit
wistfully.

    "Hey, wait, I thought those were on my list!" Xander said jokingly, coming up
behind her. He grabbed her in a hug, and soon they were surrounded by a little
circle of packages and very close to each others faces. The other New Yorkers
around them wasted no time in passing by them quickly, or stopping to stare at
the two people so obviously in love.

    "Xander, you are such . . . aurggh," she teased, reaching up to grab the
collar of his jacket. She tugged playfully on it and then set to buttoning the
top button. She was close enough to feel his heart increase in it's rate of
beating. Men. Definitely the weaker sex. "Such a complete idiot!"

    "I'm not a complete idiot," Xander protested, watching his wife do her little
wife-y thing. "I have a few missing parts."

    Cordelia laughed again. "I know." That made Xander laugh along, though he was
interrupted when Cordelia leaned in for another kiss, one that lasted a bit
longer than the first.

    When she pulled away, Xander whispered, "People are staring."

    "You're eyes were open?" she admonished.

    "I like looking at you, even when we kiss. I can't take my eyes off of you."

    {Oh, how romantic}. She was melting. Cordelia whirled out of his embrace,
something very hard to do on Fifth Street, 5 days away from Christmas. She
smiled, her dimples showing, and held out her hand. Xander grasped hold of
hers, running his fingers over her knuckles and over the wedding ring, the one
identical to the one he wore on his own ring finger. They huddled close,
because of the cold and the crowd and something more, and they continued
walking.

    That was when Xander ran into the wall.

***

    "Shit!" Xander swore loudly as he felt his noise connect with the wall. He
closed his eyes and grasped his nose, trying to see if he had broken anything
or if blood was coming out. When the hell was there a wall in the middle of
Fifth Street's sidewalk?

    As the pain subsided, Xander opened his eyes to find out where the wall had
sprung from. Then he noticed that he wasn't on Fifth Street anymore.

    "Shi . . ." he started, but ended up trailing off. His eyes roamed up the
wall, and as he stepped back, his eyes continued to rove over the double
doors. "Where the . . ."

    Then he turned around, and saw a sight he'd thought he'd never, *ever* see.

    "Holy hell," he murmured, as he looked into the very frightened face of his
younger self.

***

    After Willow had begun to urgently read through the book, Buffy and Giles had
come up behind Xander, asking what had happened. Xander had gotten flushed and
said that he might had made a boo-boo. Giles, more than a little upset, yanked
the book out of Willow's hands and set to deciphering what the heck Xander had
done.

    A few seconds later, Buffy had whispered urgently to the other three, "Hey,
who's that?"

    They all stared at the stranger who had appeared out of nowhere, and then
Xander had gotten the oddest feeling. He found himself walking, his feet like
lead, to where the stranger was. Imagine his shock and surprise when the
stranger turned around, and he found himself lookig into an extremely
familiar, but quite different, face.

    "Xander, what did you do *now*?" came the exasperated female voices from
across the room.

    The two Xander's turned to look at the girls, the same exact things on their
minds.



///***\\\ End of Part B. I know it's a bit short, but . . . ///***\\\
Me need feedback. Me want feedback. Pwease . . .
~Shadows~

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

Date: Sat, 2 Jan 1999 16:11:17 EST
From: [e-mail]
Subject: BUFFYFIC: Can't Hide the Past (2c/?)

The author is sorry that she screwed up majorly. Ignore that last 1b thing.
That was supposed to be 2b. I'm so disorganized. It was like, 3:00 in the
morning or something. Forgive me?
*
TITLE: Can't Hide the Past
*
AUTHOR: Shadows
*
DISTRIBUTION: Will ya do me a favor and agree to post this somewhere on your
own little archive? Just ask me first. E-mail me at [e-mail]
*
DESCRIPTION: Ok, as I sit down to write this fic, "Amends" is the last episode
that I have seen. I will be following the show from only up to there. Then my
mind will have it's own play.

 Story: 15 years after my own little season three finale, the Scooby Gang
finds themselves thrown together after something *very* strange happens to all
of them.

 Chapter 2: Stupid Xander screws up things for the Scooby Gang, in a majorly
weird way.
*
DISCLAIMER: Ok, I have some stuff to say as to what is not mine and what *is*
mine.

 Rupert Giles: Don't own him. You know who he belongs to. You know who he is.
*
*
*
Can't Hide the Past
Chapter 2
Part C (Cause stupid AOL won't let me post the whole darn thing in one e-
mail!!!)



    After Faith's surprise entrance ("Afraid of the competition, eh?") she had
jumped onto the leather couch and practically melted in with her surroundings.
Dressed in matching black leather, she was also wearing tons of silver
jewelry, and she showed lots of skin. Even after her twenties, Faith could
still pull the Goth thing off and look totally gorgeous. Of course, Buffy knew
how she kept in shape.

    Buffy had sat down in the loveseat directly across from the couch, after
coming back with more cocoa for herself and Faith. Faith didn't seem a bit
cold; you worked a lot in the rain, being a Slayer, and your body grew
stronger and more immune with every passing night. Buffy, though, was chilled
by the subject matter at hand.

    "Prophecy?" she had asked, her voice barely audible.

    "Um, yeah," Faith had said. Then she had yawned, something she clearly wasn't
planning on doing, because she clapped a hand over her mouth in surprise. "My
Watcher-my last Watcher, anyway-told me something disturbing before I, ah, got
rid of her. She was really into the book-learning thing-such a turn-off-but
the women did have something useful to say."

    "Like what?" Buffy had urged, wanting to get everything over with. The last
time she and Faith had ever spoken, or seen each other, was not under good
terms. In fact, the terms were as far from good and they could get. Faith,
though, was not acting openly hostile, much like Buffy remembered her to be.
Always.

    Faith had inhaled deeply. God, this cocoa smelled good. Not like the instant
coffee she had so grown tired of when she was on the road, and she was on the
road a lot. {The story of my life}. "Like-"

    She was interrupted by the faint, childish wail of "Mother!" that came from
upstairs. Faith looked at Buffy, raising her eyebrows. "I better go check on
her," Buffy had said, getting up. Faith, although she had to personal contact
with Buffy, knew every little intimate detail about her life. Entertainment
Weekly and People would make a stalker proud. So, as Buffy raced up the marble
steps, Faith understood.

    In a way. She, herself, had never been able to experience the joys of living
in a house she actually owned, much less one this big. Or falling asleep in a
bed that didn't change every week or so, next to a man who also didn't change
every week or so, or to a man at all. And having a daughter . . . it must be a
female thing, because even though Faith hated to admit it, she ached for the
children she could never have. {Buffy, that bitch . . .} she had thought,
clenching her fists in fury. She practically shook with long-repressed anger.
{I can't believe I'm talking to her. I can't believe I'm sitting on her couch.
I can't believe I've stooped to getting help from that traitorous runaway}.

***

    Upstairs, Buffy had pushed the door open to her daughter's bedroom and stood
in the shadows of the doorway. Elisabeth Sarah was sitting up in bed, her face
not so sleepy anymore, and nervously clutching the bedspread. Buffy strode
across the living room and plopped down next to Es.

    "Another nightmare, sweetheart?" she had asked her, afraid of the answer that
she would get. She put a comforting arm around her daughter and drew her into
her lap. Elisabeth Sarah snuggled closer to her mother and rested her head on
her chest. Buffy rested hers on her daughter's head, wrapping her arms tight
around the little bundle of love.

    "Yes," Elisabeth Sarah had said in a small voice, afraid of admitting the
truth. She buried her face in her mother's t-shirt.

    Jonah knew nothing of Elisabeth Sarah's "nightmares." Once Buffy had found
out, she had been vaguely frightened that it would develop into a running
theme, that sooner or later these prophetic dreams of her daughter's would
lead to the conclusion that Es was a Slayer. The discovery that Es was turning
out to be a very meek little girly-girl strayed far from that conclusion, and
since Buffy was still alive (and as she had just found out, so was Faith), it
seemed highly unlikely that Elisabeth Sarah was going to be a Slayer.

    Still, Es' clairvoyance bordered very much on the paranormal and strange.
Come to think of it, it was just plain paranormal and strange. She did not
want Jonah involved in any of those happenings. She did not want Jonah to
become a "Slayerette" of sorts. Consequences would be too severe.

    "Do you want to talk about it?" Buffy had whispered, and she felt Elisabeth
Sarah relax in her arms.

    "I'd like to," Es had murmured, pulling her face out of her Mom's t-shirt and
sitting far back enough so that she could look her mother in the face. "It was
weird.

    I was lying in my bed, and then I was in another bed, another nursery. And
there was this pretty lady looking down at me, and she asked my name. I said I
wasn't suppose to talk to strangers . . . I'm not, Mommy. Daddy told me so. So
I didn't. And then I woke up . . . I don't know who's the pretty lady. Do you
know?"

    Buffy had paused to think carefully, to put on a show for Es, but inside she
had been bubbling with happiness. This didn't sound like one of Es' prophetic
dreams; just something very regular. For all they knew, the lady Es dreamed of
could have been anyone: ranging from a character made up from Es' subconscious
to a lady of the supermarket that said something vaguely of interest to Es and
it stayed in her mind.

    Just a regular kid.

    Buffy sighed.

    "I think I saw the lady at the supermarket," Buffy had told her gently, and
Es had closed her eyes and smiled. Buffy wasn't the only one relieved that
this wasn't some vision of portent. Back when the earthquake happened . . . Es
couldn't sleep for nights before. All those terrible visions, and when she was
awake too.

    She remembered three years ago, sitting at the lunch table, feeding Es some
leftover pizza from last night, and the toddler was happily gnawing on the
crust, ingesting more saliva than bread. Buffy was heating up some slices for
herself in the microoven, when Es suddenly started to cry. Buffy rushed to her
side, reached out for her daughter's hand, and asked what was wrong. In
between sobs, Es choked out the words "Mr. Harlen! Mr. Harlen! Oh Mommy, don't
let him go!"

    Mr. Harlen was a man somewhere in his early 60's who had offered to fix a
leak in the Daly house. Jonah had agreed, a contrast to his usual "I'm a man,
I can do it" behavior, because he would be staying at work late. Jonah had
ended up coming home early and gone to bed, but that was besides the point.
Mr. Harlen had been up there went the earth began to shake. Buffy had gone
outside and crawled up the tree besides the house, trying to rescue him. He
had fallen off the roof, but Buffy was there just in time to grab his hand.
She had a good grip . . . but then the tree had fallen over. She buckled
herself in the right position to land without breaking any important bone,
slightly awkward because she was holding on to Mr. Harlen. And then, she had
let go, and the last thing she had heard from him when he was alive was his
screams as the tree collapsed over him.

    Es could be eerily accurate.

    "I'm tired, Mommy," Elisabeth Sarah had said, yawning. She pulled away from
her Mommy and crawled over to her pillow, diving under the covers. "Tuck me
in," she giggled childishly.

    Buffy had laughed and shifted her position so that now she was beside Es. She
kissed her daughter on the forehead and pulled the covers up to her chin,
careful to keep Es' hands over the covers. Then she had picked up Mr. Gordo
and a stuff monkey called Ms. Jumbles and place them on alternate sides of her
daughter. Es had smiled contently.

    "Night-night, Mommy," she had whispered, her eyelids already heavy with
sleeps.

    "Sweet dreams," Buffy repeated from earlier that night. And as she stood up
to leave the room, she realized that she really meant it. For everyone's sake.

***

    Now Buffy stood in front of the couch, watching the deep, even breaths of
Faith. Fallen right asleep while Buffy had gone upstairs to check on her
daughter. Buffy wondered for a moment if it was all a trick. Faith had always
seemed to be on the road, even before Buffy had left Sunnydale again, and she
might have just wanted a place to stay for the night.

    But no, Faith would have come right out and demanded it. She wouldn't have
lied about a prophecy to get in.

    Would she? Buffy didn't know. She didn't know anything anymore . . . and that
lack of knowledge really bothered her.

    She heard a padded behind her on the carpet, and then heavy breathing. She
smiled, and turned around, dropping to her knees.

    "Hey Giles," she said affectionately, grabbing Giles in a big bear hug.

    The golden retriever panted happily, and licked Buffy's face with his large,
rough, red tongue. "Ew, doggy kisses," Buffy laughed, rubbing the top of
Giles' shaggy blond head. Then she closed her eyes and kissed the dog on her
nose. "You know just how to cheer me up, Giles."

    She could've sworn the dog grinned. But instead, Giles opened his mouth to
bark, but Buffy grabbed his snout and pointed over to Faith.

    "Sleeping," she told the dog, who had grown to know the meaning after the
nights she had trained to be quiet around Es, who as a baby started to cry in
fear whenever Giles barked at her. "Ssh."

    The dog looked back at Buffy, nodding his head sagely. The gesture was so
human that Buffy smiled again. This dog had been around people for too long.

    Sometimes he reminded her of the real thing.

    "I'm not asleep," came the voice of Faith. Buffy turned around again, and saw
Faith lifting her head off the leather couch. "You named the dog after your
Watcher?" she said groggily, a faint smile on her face.

    Buffy blushed. "Uh . . . yes," she admitted, feeling a bit foolish. She put
one arm around her dogs back and began to carefully run her hand over. Giles
lay down, enjoying the feeling, and put his head on his front paws. He looked
straight at Faith with that knowledgeable expression, blinking his big brown
eyes.

    "I named a beagle after Xander once," Faith said, drifting off to nappy land
again. She allowed herself a yawn. "It was a stupid dog. Damned horny, too."

    Buffy giggled. "Sounds like the Xander I remember."

    Faith didn't answer, because she was already snowing. Buffy cast a glance at
her dog and raised an eyebrow. "Think we should do the same?"

    Giles snuffed heavily through his nose. His ear flicked back and Buffy took
that s a sign of his distress.

    "Sorry Giles, reports of ancient prophecies are to be held off tomorrow due
to sleepage," she told the dog. "Now how 'bout you and me snoozing a bit
ourselves?"

    Giles snorted and quickly rose up to his feet, tail wagging and tug hanging
out of his mind. "That a yes?" Buffy asked, rising up to her feet, grabbing
the arm of the couch to steady herself.

    "Mommy?"

    Buffy whirled around, nerves taught-jeez, what the hell else was gonna
present itself tonight?-when she realized it was only Es, standing at the
stairs, holding the railing with one tiny hand. The large, lavender nightie
seemed awfully big on her, and she seemed like the whisp of a ghost. She was
so pale . . . she hadn't gone out much, lately.

    "What is it, Es?" Buffy asked for the fiftieth time that night, as Es climbed
down the remaining steps and down into the living room, lost in the carpet.
She walked over to where her Mom was and stood before her, her bottom lip
jutting out just slightly.

    "Can I sleep with Giles tonight?" Es asked, looking at the dog. Giles, happy
as ever to see her, quickly bounded up to her and licked her hand. Es allowed
herself a tiny smile on her perfectly full lips.

    "You'll have to ask Giles," Buffy said. "And it seems to me like he totally
agrees with you."

    Giles yipped softly, and nodded his head emphatically. Es smiled and patted
her dog around the folds of his neck. Then she looked past Buffy, to the
strange woman who was splayed out on the couch, snoring softly. "Mommy, who's
that?"

    Buffy turned to meet her gaze, and then swallowed the lump in her throat. How
was she gonna explain Faith to Es? How was she gonna explain Faith to *Jonah*.
{Think, Buffy, think. A mind is a terrible thing to waste}. "She's a friend of
Mommy's. She's sleeping over here . . . because she needs a place to stay for
the night." She took Es' hand. "Maybe when she wakes up, you can talk and play
with her." Yeah right. Buffy did not want any of Faith's "personality" to rub
off on her daughter.

    "Oh," Es said, letting her gaze drift over to the coffee table. She seemed
slightly worried.

    "Es?" Buffy asked, prodding gently. "Is that the lady you had a dream about?"

    "No," Es said quickly and flatly. Buffy was relieved, until Es let go of
Buffy's hand and pointed at a picture frame on the coffee table. "*That's* the
lady from my dream."

    Buffy looked to where she was pointing, and quickly drew in her breath. It
was a picture of her, taken outside the old house in Sunnydale. Her mother had
taken the photo, a month or so before graduation. The graduation Buffy had
never showed up for.

    "Um . . ." Buffy was at a total loss for words. What did *this* mean?



////****\\\\ End of Part C ////****\\\\
Flattering feedback is great! Constructive criticism is better! 'Nough said.
~Shadows~

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

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