From: buffyfic-owner@xmission.com (buffyfic Digest) To: buffyfic-digest@xmission.com Subject: buffyfic Digest V1 #27 Reply-To: buffyfic@xmission.com Sender: buffyfic-owner@xmission.com Errors-To: buffyfic-owner@xmission.com Precedence: buffyfic Digest Thursday, September 4 1997 Volume 01 : Number 027 In this issue: BUFFYFIC: A Fresh Start (2/?) BUFFYFIC: A Fresh Start (3/?) BUFFYFIC: A Fresh Start (4/?) BUFFYFIC: Summer Vacation -- Xander (1/3) See the end of the digest for information on subscribing to the buffyfic or buffyfic-digest mailing lists and on how to retrieve back issues. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 03 Sep 1997 23:36:08 -0500 From: "Matthew Wahoske" Subject: BUFFYFIC: A Fresh Start (2/?) TITLE: A Fresh Start (2/?) AUTHOR: Matthew J. Wahoske EMAIL: mattw@adi.net DISTRIBUTION: Anya only. Any one else ask first. RATING: PG - some mild language. SYNOPSIS: Buffy's not quite herself after being resurrected. After almost staking Angel at the Spring Fling, the rest of the night passes in a blur. Now it's the Monday of finals week, and after taking the history final, Buffy accidently attacks Xander and learns of her exploits at the dance. She goes off to get help from Giles (now located in the computer lab), with Xander following behind. SPOILERS: "Angel" and "Prophecy Girl", in particular. The whole first season, in general. DISCLAIMER: Joss Whedon's fertile mind, Mutant Enemy, 20th Century Fox, and Warner Bros. own these characters, not me. I also want to acknowledge whoever first used the name "Nikki" to refer to Ms. Calendar. Unfortunately, I don't know who this person is. Please let me know. In the Sunnydale High computer lab, a tired Rupert Giles was poring over one of the many books of occult lore which had been moved from the library, while Ms. Nikki Calendar and Willow Rosenberg were engrossed in research on the internet. After a while, Giles looked up from his book and glanced at Willow. "She remembered nothing about what happened at the dance?" "Not as far as I could tell. We studied for at least three or four hours, and she never mentioned the dance once. I figured that she didn't want to talk about it, so I didn't bring it up." "Buffy studying is proof enough that something is wrong," Giles remarked. "Not talking about social activities is a veritable sign of the apocalypse. However, I've no idea what to do. I couldn't find anything about the effects of resurrection in my Watcher journals. I doubt it's ever happened to a Slayer before. There has to be something in these books." Giles returned to the dusty volumes, anxiously searching for any clue that could help him assess the condition of the girl that he had pledged his life to protect. *She's been through so much in the past year. So much death, so much grief. And when she needed me the most, I could do nothing but watch the prophecy she feared come true. I will not allow anything more to happen to her.* Giles's anguished thoughts were interrupted by an angry voice. "All right people, what is going on here?" Everyone turned to look at Buffy, who had just entered the room. She stared at Giles. "I heard that remark about my studying ability. Of course, I can hear practically everything within a half-mile from here, which, I must say, is pretty distracting. In addition, I suddenly despise and loathe Angel, who I apparently almost staked at the dance. Unfortunately, he got away." Buffy looked at Willow. "Thanks for telling me last night, Will," Buffy said sarcastically. "By the way, I just nearly strangled Xander for touching my shoulder." "Is he alright?" Willow jumped up from the computer, full of concern. "As much as can be expected after such a traumatic experience. Nothing that a few chocolate bars couldn't fix, however," said Xander as he staggered into the lab, panting. "You've gotta learn to slow down, Buff. This junk-food riddled body isn't built for that kind of exertion." Willow, relieved, guided Xander to a chair next to her. "Will someone answer my question?" Buffy picked up one of the books littering Giles's table. "Doesn't one of these all- knowing prophecy books cover this situation? Oh, wait a minute. They probably expected me to stay dead and are now disappointed that I managed to evade their sayings of doom." She returned the book to the table with a loud thump. Giles took off his glasses and nervously started to wipe them with his handkerchief. "I'm afraid, Buffy, that we've been unable to find any information on why you've, um, changed." "Well, I hope you're able to find out before tonight, because I've got to study for the biology test tomorrow, and I don't need any distractions." Buffy turned her attention to Willow, her anger quickly subsiding as she spoke to her best friend. "I assume you'll help me again, right? I can't thank you enough for giving me a private history lesson last night, especially since you had your computer final today." Willow was surprised at how quickly Buffy's mood had changed. "Hey, that's what friends are for. Besides, computer knowledge just comes easily to me. I hate to say this, Ms. Calendar, but your test was pretty simple for a final exam." Willow smiled softly at the teacher, who looked up from her computer. "Perhaps if I hadn't spent the last two nights with Rupert, I would have been able to come up with harder questions." Ms. Calendar stared at Giles with a mischievous look. Buffy, Xander, and Willow glanced first at Ms. Calendar and then at Giles, who did his best to avoid their astonished faces. Xander was the first to recover from the shock. "Way to go, Giles! I knew something was up between you two, but I didn't think it was this far up." He went over to the librarian and spoke softly. "If you ever need some advice on how to handle women, know that I'm always available to tell you what not to do." "Thank you for your offer, Mr. Harris, but I'm afraid you and your friends are gravely mistaken in your assumptions of what happened during the night. Ms. Calendar and I were simply taking care of some unfinished business involving the Master's skeleton". Giles glared at Ms. Calendar, annoyed at her indiscretion. "I hope you got rid of that bastard once and for all, " Buffy said with unaccustomed vehemence. "'Cause I don't want to have to fight Mr. Fruit-Punch Mouth again. Not that it would take much time to get rid of a loser who couldn't even take over a high school. It's just that I've been there and done that. Besides, being reborn is an overrated experience - one I don't care to repeat." She shuddered at the thought of reliving that horrible night. "I'm sure the Master will pose no threat to you in the future," Giles stated with authority. *I hope.* "Unfortunately, we have run into a few problems in finding the correct ritual to properly dispose of his remains. As a result, we've had to find a safe hiding place for his bones." "Typical. And where would that be, pray tell?" Buffy said wearily. Once again, Giles removed his glasses and cleaned them - more vigorously this time. "Well, first we placed them, um, in the boot of my car." "The what?" Buffy was now thoroughly exasperated. Giles sighed. *When would these children learn to understand English?* "The trunk." Buffy started to open her mouth but was stopped by Giles' hand. "Now before you start to complain, let me explain what happened." Buffy sat down, knowing that Giles was about to embark on a lengthy discourse. "After your attack on Angel, you seemed to fall into a trance. We told Principal Snyder that your behavior was due to some medication you were taking and hurriedly took you home. After making sure that you were safe, and telling your mother you were exhausted from the excitement of the dance, Ms. Calendar and I returned to the library to clean up. We had just started to clear away the rubble when, once again, we were graced with the presence of our beloved Principal. Fortunately, I had already placed the Master's corpse in my office, out of sight. It took all my skills of persuasion to calm Snyder down and convince him that the condition of the room was a surprise to us as well. After I advanced a theory that the library was demolished by disgruntled students who couldn't obtain dates to the dance, he went off to report the damage to the police. We knew that we had to remove the bones from the building before they came. Since we were in a hurry, we put the skeleton in the first safe place we found, which happened to be my car. Obviously, we couldn't keep the bones in the car indefinitely. Someone had to keep watch over them, especially at night, when the danger of having them stolen is greater. I finally thought of Angel. If the skeleton was kept at his apartment, he could guard it all night long. So Ms. Calendar helped me take the bones to him last night, where they could stay until we could think of a better solution." Buffy shot up from her chair and raced towards Giles, incensed. "You gave the Master's remains to Angel - one of his former servants? How could you trust one of them? Are you that stupid?" "Have you forgotten that Angel, unlike other vampires, has a human soul and has helped us many times in the past, saving all our lives?" Giles protested. "Have you forgotten that you yourself once stayed your hand and let him live because of your love for him?" Buffy thought of the night when her mother had been bitten by Darla, and she had gone to the Bronze in a rage to kill Angel, whom she had mistakenly blamed for the wound. Angel had given her the chance to eliminate him, but she had refused. "That was a moment of weakness," Buffy exclaimed. "I allowed myself to be taken in by his charm and good looks. That won't work now, now that I've been renewed and truly become the Slayer. The demon inside Angel will eventually overthrow his human soul, and when it does, the consequences will be terrible. I will not allow that to happen. He must be destroyed!" By now, Buffy was in a frenzy, barely able to contain her anger. Willow and Xander cautiously approached her, ready to restrain her if necessary. *If it's possible to stop her with her new powers,* thought Willow. Even Giles gazed with fear at the depth of the Slayer's wrath. Ms. Calendar, who had been uncharacteristically quiet during the preceding activity, suddenly broke her silence. "People, I hate to disturb a good tirade, but I've just received a new message from our cryptic informer, Brother Luca." The lab was still. "I think I can explain what's going on." End of part 2 Feedback requested! ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 03 Sep 1997 23:37:53 -0500 From: "Matthew Wahoske" Subject: BUFFYFIC: A Fresh Start (3/?) Part 3 TITLE: A Fresh Start (3/?) AUTHOR: Matthew J. Wahoske EMAIL: mattw@adi.net DISTRIBUTION: Anya only. All others ask permission. RATING: PG - some mild language. SYNOPSIS: Buffy's not quite herself after being resurrected. After almost staking Angel at the Spring Fling, the rest of the night passes in a blur. Now it's the Monday of finals week, and after taking the history final, Buffy accidently attacks Xander and learns of her exploits at the dance. She goes off to get help from Giles (now located in the computer lab), with Xander following behind. In the lab, she learns that Giles and Ms. Calendar have given the Master's skeleton to Angel for safe keeping. She is incensed at this, and is about to explode when Ms. Calendar informs the others that Brother Luca has reappeared, allowing her to explain what's going on. SPOILERS: "The Pack", "Angel", and "Prophecy Girl" in particular. The whole first season, in general. DISCLAIMER: Joss Whedon's fertile mind, Mutant Enemy, 20th Century Fox, and Warner Bros. own these characters, not me. Giles walked over to Ms. Calendar's computer terminal. "Brother Luca has reappeared?" Ms. Calendar nodded. "He's writing from a different address now, though." Xander raised his hand in confusion. "Excuse me, as the perpetually clueless member of the group, I'd like to ask: who is this Brother Luca?" "He's a monk who often writes words of warning to the occult newsgroups I read," Ms. Calendar explained. "Saturday morning he sent one final message about the Anointed One, then disappeared from the net. He must have emerged from wherever he was hiding, after he realized that the world was no longer in imminent danger. I just received this e-mail from him: 'A new Slayer rises in the form of the old; the power of two comes together in one.'" Ms. Calendar came to a swift conclusion. "It appears Buffy now has the supernatural gifts of two Slayers within her." Once again, silence fell over the lab, as the group took some time to grasp the implications of the statement. Suddenly, Giles slammed his fist on the desk in front of him. "Of course! Why didn't I see this before?" he said in frustration. "'One Slayer dies, the next is called.' When Buffy died, she was called as the next Slayer and resurrected, since she was the only possible choice close enough to defeat the Master in time. Being called twice, however, has given her a double portion of the Slayer's power. This must have increased not only her strength, but also her hearing ability, her sensitivity to a vampire's presence, and her connection to the role of the Slayer, which explains her changed attitude towards Angel." *And her vastly enlarged ego.* Xander was now even more confused. "Wait a minute. If Buffy was called again to be the Slayer, why didn't she revive until after I performed CPR on her?" Giles began to improvise an answer that made some sense of the situation. "The next Slayer could not be called until Buffy had truly died. Perhaps she also had to be out of danger before being reborn. Your moving her from the pool and attempting to revive her brought her out of danger into a position of relative safety." Buffy had remained silent, lost in thought, while the others were discussing her changed nature. The realization of what had happened to her gave her a new perspective on the events of the last two days. It was evident that the mixture of personalities caused by the addition of the spirit of another Slayer threatened to unhinge her mind. The sudden mood swings and confusion she had experienced only this morning confirmed this diagnosis. She resolved to end the conflict once and for all. The dominant personality of the new Slayer took over. The old Buffy was gone for good. "Guys, you don't have to talk about me in the third person like I'm not here," Buffy said, annoyed. She fixed her steely gaze on her Watcher. "So, Giles, now you have two Slayers to watch for the price of one. You must be overjoyed. I think I should expect you to double your usefulness to me. You can start by telling me if this condition is permanent, or whether I will return to my overly sweet and naive former self." She already knew the answer. Giles avoided direct contact with Buffy's eyes as he gave his reply. "There is no way to revoke the calling of a Slayer. I'm afraid, Buffy, that you'll simply have to get used to your new persona, as will the rest of us." "Buffy'll be all right, won't she?" Willow asked Giles. He hesitated to answer, so she turned to Buffy. "I mean, you have been acting pretty weird lately." Buffy laughed. "Don't worry, Will. It may take a while to get used to the new me, but I'm still Buffy, just a new and improved version." Willow wasn't so sure about that. From what she had seen, this 'new version' of her friend didn't seem as caring or trustworthy as the person who came to ask her for help so many months ago. In fact, Willow was unsure whether the new Slayer would even be her friend now if the old Slayer hadn't been. "Well, now that that's been settled, I'm heading home for a while." Buffy started to leave the lab, then looked straight at Xander, lovingly. "Xander, meet you around 7 at Willow's house to study, OK?" He slowly nodded his head. "Great." Right before she reached the door, Buffy turned around and stared hard at Giles. "Oh, I almost forgot. Giles, if you don't get that skeleton away from Angel by tomorrow, I'll simply have to do it myself, and you wouldn't want that, would you? Things might get a little - messy," Buffy said with a disturbing grin. "See you later!" She left the room in a hurry. After a while, Giles sighed and shook his head. "It appears that I will have an even more trying time now with Buffy than before. I'd better ring Angel and tell him what has transpired. Ms. Calendar, it's possible that I may need your assistance again tonight, if Angel and I decide to move the Master's skeleton once again. Will you be available?" "Are you sure you'll need me with Angel around?" asked Ms. Calendar. "I would appreciate your presence. You've been an invaluable help recently." Giles nervously leafed through a large book. "Very well then, at what time will the distinguished Watcher require my services?" Ms. Calendar said facetiously. "Sometime soon after dark, I imagine - 10:00 PM, perhaps?" "I'll be there." A knowing smile formed on Ms. Calendar's face. "Thank you," Giles replied with a small smile of his own. "Is there something we should do?" Willow asked Giles, indicating her and Xander. "I think for the moment you should merely do what you have already planned - study with Buffy tonight. Watch her carefully, and notify me if anything unusual occurs." Giles watched as Xander and Willow left the computer lab. He hoped that Buffy's new temperament didn't damage the friendship of the three young students. *I fear she will need their help even more in the future.* - ---------------------------------------------------------------- Later that night, Xander arrived at Willow's house an hour early, as they had decided. He sniffed the air as he entered the house. "I hope your mother has created some confectionery delights for us to munch on." "Don't worry, Xander. There's a new batch of chocolate chip cookies with your name on them waiting in the kitchen." The words had barely left Willow's mouth when Xander dashed by her in search of the desired food. After a thoroughly enjoyable meal of cookies and milk, the two lifelong friends retired to Willow's room to discuss the problem that faced them. "I don't see why you're so worried about Buffy, Will. She's been through worse things before. Heck, she died, remember? She's bound to be a bit wacky for a while. I mean, sure she did get a bit wigged when Giles mentioned Angel, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Now that she knows what happened to her, I'm sure she'll settle down into a semblance of normalcy." Xander emphasized his point by flopping down hard on Willow's bed. "I'm not so sure, Xander. Giles said she has a new personality now, and I don't know if I like her new look. She didn't even acknowledge me when she left the school this afternoon. You, however, received a royal invitation to come over to MY house." Willow slumped on the floor, looking hurt and tired. Xander, meanwhile, put his hands behind his hand and leaned back on the bed, pleased. "That proves she's coming to her senses - dumping Angel, and starting to notice me. The old Harris charm might take a while to work, but when it does - well, let's just say the ladies leave satisfied." Willow now was even more upset. "You'd better watch out, Xander. She may be interested in you now, but who knows for how long? She just turned you down a few days ago, remember? How long before that happens again?" Xander sat up from the bed and looked at Willow with a grin. "Will, if I didn't know better, I'd say you were jealous of Buffy." Willow avoided Xander's gaze. "I'm not jealous, just concerned about you. I don't like to see you get hurt all the time." Xander accepted Willow's denial with a nod, but he really did know better. Willow had a major crush on him. He had known ever since that awful day when he had been possessed by a hyena and done terrible things to Willow and Buffy, not to mention Herbert, the pig. He didn't eat any pork for weeks. Luckily, neither Willow nor Buffy knew he remembered his actions. Ever since, he'd tried to douse Willow's fire by continually mentioning his love for Buffy, but it hadn't worked. Then, when Buffy had turned him down, he thought that Willow would be there for him, but she had turned him down as well. It was then that he discovered just how deeply Willow felt for him. *Unfortunately, I just don't feel that way towards her. I wish she'd get the hint, and find somebody else to care about. I don't like to see HER hurt.* Willow became more depressed. "I'm tired, Xander. Tired of fighting for our lives, seeing our friends getting killed, and accepting it as something normal. At least Buffy was always there to help and listen to me. But now, even she's gone. At least, the Buffy that I knew as a friend is gone." Willow turned to Xander with teary eyes. "I wish she had never come here, Xander. We could have had a normal life, with normal high school problems and experiences. Now we're all screwed up for ever." Willow burst into tears. Xander quickly got off the bed and pulled Willow's sobbing body close to him. "Willow, Willow. Pull yourself together. Things will be all right. I don't like all the death and destruction we've seen this year either, but we can't just close our eyes and dream it away. We have to face it, and part of that is dealing with Buffy. She hasn't changed that much, Will. She's still friends with us. And if you ever need someone to talk to, you know I'm always here - your oldest friend." He looked straight into her eyes, and saw the fear and apprehension in them. He hugged her closer. "Now come on, Will. Buffy'll be here soon. Don't forget, we have a test to study for." Willow slowly stopped crying and moved away from Xander. "I guess I'll be OK. You're right, I'll just have to deal with living a life where witnessing death is a daily activity. But it's hard, Xander. It's hard." She stood up and looked in the mirror. "I look like a mess. Would you mind waiting downstairs while I straighten myself out?" "No problem. See you in a bit." Xander left the bedroom and went down to the living room. - ---------------------------------------------------------------- Buffy emerged from the door of her house. "Bye, mom! I'll be back by 11:00!" It was a gorgeous evening in June. A soft breeze whirled through the trees. The slowly sinking sun shone a golden haze on the earth. In a hour or so, the stars would start to appear, little twinkles of light in the sky. Buffy started to walk the mile and a half to Willow's house. *Normal teenagers would think of love and romance on a night like this. Instead, I have to worry about biology and vampires - - especially that creep, Angel. I still can't believe Giles trusts him. He's obviously playing us all for fools. At least I see that now. It makes me sick to think how much time I wasted, pining over that bloodsucker. I should have listened to Xander all along.* Xander. Suddenly that name made her body tingle like Angel's used to. *How could I have ignored him all this time? Xander always was the one that really cared for me. How many times did he leave little hints about his feelings for me that I ignored and rejected? I guess I was worried about hurting Willow's feelings too much if I went out with Xander. That, and the fact that Angel seemed to have some sort of spell over me.* *Oh, well. All that is behind me. I realize now that Xander is the only one I could be with. I mean, he risked his life for me and saved my own. What greater love is there than that? Willow will just have to find somebody else to worship from afar. Xander has been taken.* Buffy skipped merrily down the sidewalk, all other thoughts driven from her mind. She grinned. *Xander is going to have a good time tonight.* End of part 3 Feedback requested! ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 03 Sep 1997 23:39:25 -0500 From: "Matthew Wahoske" Subject: BUFFYFIC: A Fresh Start (4/?) TITLE: A Fresh Start (4/?) AUTHOR: Matthew J. Wahoske EMAIL: mattw@adi.net DISTRIBUTION: Anya only. All others ask permission. RATING: PG. SYNOPSIS: Buffy's not quite herself after being resurrected. After almost staking Angel at the Spring Fling, the rest of the night passes in a blur. Now it's the Monday of finals week, and Buffy goes off to get help from Giles (now located in the computer lab), with Xander following behind. In the lab, she learns that Giles and Ms. Calendar have given the Master's skeleton to Angel for safe keeping. She is incensed at this, when Ms. Calendar tells the others that Brother Luca has sent a new prophecy that details how Buffy now has the powers of two slayers. The old Buffy is gone forever, replaced by a new persona. Willow is apprehensive about this, while Xander tries to reassure her. Buffy heads off to Willow's to study and also to meet her new love, Xander. SPOILERS: "The Pack", "Angel", and "Prophecy Girl" in particular. The whole first season, in general. DISCLAIMER: Joss Whedon's fertile mind, Mutant Enemy, 20th Century Fox, and Warner Bros. own these characters, not me. Xander was still waiting for Willow to emerge from her room when the doorbell rang. "I'll get it, Will. It's probably Buffy," Xander shouted up the stairs. He opened the door. Buffy had a quirky smile on her face. "Hello, Xander. You know, I've been thinking about you all afternoon," she said, flirtatiously. "I must say, you're looking mighty fine." She came into the room, keeping her eyes on Xander. *I didn't know my usual mix and match outfit had such an effect upon her.* "You're looking pretty good yourself, Buff." That she did, in her tank top and patented shorter than short skirt. "Glad to see you're feeling better now." "Xander, I feel better than I've ever felt before. Know why? Because I've finally found someone who really cares about me, makes me completely happy, and isn't an undead monster." Buffy looked up, put her arms around Xander, and gave him a long passionate kiss. Xander didn't know what to think, but he wasn't about to do anything that might stop Buffy's display of emotion. He embraced Buffy and held her tightly. It was at this moment that Willow came into the room. She stared incredulously at the scene unfolding before her. A tear started to roll down her cheek. *No, Willow Rosenberg, you will not let Buffy see you cry and give her that satisfaction. Instead, you will simply confront her with dignity and civility.* "You move pretty quickly when you want something, don't you, Buffy?" Xander and Buffy quickly separated as they noticed Willow's presence. Buffy regained her composure. "Yeah, Will. I don't believe in wasting my time by being too scared to express my feelings. You know my philosophy: Seize the moment, remember? Maybe you should have followed it." *Maybe I should have.* Willow decided, there and then, to quit hiding her love for Xander. *It's gotten me nowhere and led to this.* "Well, Buffy, maybe there's still time to do just that." She looked at Xander with an ultimate expression of love and sadness. "Xander, there's something you should know." *Oh, boy,* thought Xander. *Here it comes. Just what I was hoping I wouldn't have to face.* "Xander, I love you. I've loved you for as long as I can remember. I know I should have told you this long ago, but I was so worried that you wouldn't take me seriously and consider it a joke that I kept my thoughts hidden from you." Willow started to walk slowly towards Xander. "But I can't hide them any longer. I need to know what you think, who you really love." She now stood directly in front of him, her eyes fixed on his. "So, Xander, who's your choice? Me or Buffy?" *God, how can I answer her without hurting her? I can't. How do I explain that I don't love her the way I love Buffy?* Xander agonized over the decision. *I guess the only fair thing to do is tell her the truth.* He sighed and looked meaningfully at Buffy. She understood and left the room, going into the kitchen. "Willow, you know that I'm your best friend, and I wouldn't ever do anything to hurt you, but I'm afraid I just don't love you the same way that you love me - the way that I love Buffy. I can't explain it - I just know that when I feel complete when she's around." He leaned closer to Willow. "I can't say I particularly like the way Buffy's been acting recently, but I also know that I'll always stick by her - whatever happens. I guess that's what love's all about. I'm sorry that I can't give you what you deserve - someone who will love you without a thought for himself, living only for you." Willow looked deeply into Xander's eyes, tears starting to flow down her cheeks. "Xander, I'm not sure that someone even exists." Xander held her as he did just an hour before in her bedroom, giving her a caring hug. "And I'm sure that there is such a person. There has to be for someone as special as you. I only wish for your sake that I was that person." The embrace lasted for only a moment, but for Willow it seemed like an eternity had passed, and her dreams had gone with it. - ---------------------------------------------------------------- The biology test was finally over. For Xander and Buffy, it had not gone well. Last night hadn't provided much in the way of needed information. After an awkward, unproductive hour of studying, the group had decided to call it a night. Willow hadn't felt much like studying anyway, especially when most of the benefit would go to Xander and Buffy, neither of whom were high on her best friend list at the moment. True, Buffy had belatedly expressed sympathy for Willow's plight, but that hadn't really changed matters any. Willow had performed fairly well on the test - not up to her usual standards, but good enough to easily secure at worst an A-. As Xander and Buffy moved off to the computer lab in a daze, Willow stayed behind. *Who needs me around anymore? I'm sure Ms. Summers and her clueless companion won't even notice I'm missing. Even Giles has Ms. Calendar to hack the computer system for him now. I might as well face the facts; I can't be of use to anyone around here.* Willow moved slowly down the corridor, heading for the exit. *At least, I won't have to worry about facing any more monsters. I can return to being the typical unsuspecting high school student.* As much as she wanted it to, the thought failed to cheer her up. - ---------------------------------------------------------------- Xander and Buffy burst through the door of the lab. Giles was alone, studying another of his seemingly endless supply of ancient texts. "Hey Giles," Buffy beckoned, "do you have any new doom and gloom prophecies that will make us forget the strange alien world of biology?" "I take it that the exam did not proceed as well as you hoped?" Giles looked at the pair with a searching look. "Didn't Willow provide you two with sufficient information to at least appear to have some knowledge of the required subject?" The mention of Willow gave Xander a guilty feeling, something Giles easily noticed. "Where is she anyway? I was hoping she could look up a particularly interesting reference to the Anointed One that I found overnight." Buffy spoke up. "Well, you see, Giles, Willow has sort of been avoiding us this morning, probably because Xander and I have decided to become a couple." She beamed at Xander and held him close. Xander weakly smiled back. "After she gets over it, I imagine she'll return to the group. If not, it's her loss. If she doesn't want to be involved in saving the world anymore, that's just too bad." Giles was amazed to hear Buffy speak so casually about Willow's absence. *The change in Buffy's persona must be more pronounced than I thought.* "I hope you're right. I'd hate to lose her researching ability." *And her pleasant smile.* "Is there anything else you need? I'm afraid I don't have any 'doom and gloom' prophecies to deliver." Giles started to return to his reading. "As a matter of fact, Giles, there is." Buffy now spoke with authority and sternly faced her Watcher. "There's the little matter of the Master's skeleton. I assume you retrieved it from our so-called vampire friend, Angel? If not, you'd better explain why and fast. After that test, I don't have much patience left." Giles sighed and looked up at the Slayer. "Don't worry, Buffy. I've dealt with the matter. The Master's skeleton is now a prominent part of my home furnishing. I wouldn't bother about Angel, either. He's likely to keep some distance from you now after what happened at the dance." Giles looked back at his book. *There's not much chance of that happening. Even after I urged him to leave, he refused and promised to secretly watch over my house at night. I'd better try to keep Buffy unaware, however, if it's possible.* Buffy seemed satisfied and motioned to Xander to leave. "You're right, Giles. I won't worry. I doubt he'll still be around to bother us - after tonight." Flashing a quick smile, she left with Xander in tow. Giles only caught a glimpse of them as they left. *I suppose I'll have to worry for you, then.* - ---------------------------------------------------------------- Xander rushed to catch up with Buffy as she left the school. "Hey, Buff. What did you mean back there? Are you going after Angel tonight? 'Cause if you are, I'd like to go with you." *Mostly to make sure Buffy doesn't get into too much trouble without anyone there to help.* "You know, Angel's reputation says he's pretty tough to take down." Buffy stopped and laughed. "And I suppose I'm a pushover. Remember, dear, I have the powers of two Slayers now. I think I can handle one lousy vampire, even if he is the most annoying creature on earth. I don't think I'll need your help. I love you, Xander, but you'd only get in the way. I wouldn't want to see you get hurt." She started on her way again. "You sure about this? Don't forget, couples who slay together stay together," Xander persisted. Once again, Buffy stopped. This time she looked angrily at Xander. "Listen, darling, you'd better do what I say. I'm the Slayer, not you, and if I don't want you around to bother me, you'd best not be there, or else you might regret it, understand?" She smiled. "Besides, I need you to be there for me after the slaying, so I can - relax." She snuggled close to Xander. As they walked down the street together, Xander was deep in thought. *Willow was right. This new Buffy is a nut case. I can't leave her, though. Who knows what will happen tonight if she goes out in this condition? I'd better follow her at a discreet distance.* - ---------------------------------------------------------------- The dark, cloudy night perfectly suited Willow's mood. She needed to walk off the feelings of depression she felt, so after the late supper provided by her family, she had decided to go outside. Although she knew the danger that the streets of Sunnydale presented to the unwary at night, Willow reasoned that after closing the Hellmouth and killing their leader, any vampires left wouldn't dare come out for at least a few weeks. That hadn't stopped her from bringing along a stake and some holy water, just in case. She felt herself drawn to the cemetery, specifically to the mausoleum that had been the start of her association with the undead. She needed to close this chapter of her life by facing her fears, before she could forget everything that involved Buffy and the havoc that had entered her previously mundane existence. As she approached the forbidding tomb, she was too preoccupied to notice the slight movement that followed her own. She never saw the vampire until it was already upon her. End of part 4. Feedback requested! ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 4 Sep 1997 07:53:37 -0700 From: lizbet@primenet.com (Elizabeth Ann Lewis) Subject: BUFFYFIC: Summer Vacation -- Xander (1/3) What I Did On My Summer Vacation... Xander by Elizabeth Ann Lewis Disclaimers: See Author's Notes lizbet@primenet.com Xander was bored. Truly, deeply, sincerely bored. Video games lost their interest after the first week or so. Trying to convince his parents that he really needed a car of his own killed a few days. Hitting the blockbusters was a way to spend afternoons a couple times a week. He'd done the part time job bit over spring break, working in Buffy's mother's gallery, and really didn't want to do that again. Why was it that he never remembered how boring summer was when he was in school? That was when he had his Truly Brilliant Idea: Camping trip. A week out in the wilderness, man against nature. Well, men against nature. He didn't want to go alone. So he called up Wendell and Pete and Josh and told them of his Truly Brilliant Idea. Since they were as bored as he was, they went for it. Planning took care of a week. They needed tents, backpacks, hiking shoes, food, insect repellent.... His mother asked him if he was planning the Normandy Invasion. A phone call from Willow barely stirred the edge of his interest. The Trip was all. Xander's mom drove the four boys to a popular camp site in the nearby Santa Trista mountains. "I'll be here on Friday to pick you up, right?" she asked anxiously. "Sure, Mom," Xander said, hefting his backpack. "Be careful! Watch out for snakes! And scorpions! A scorpion sting could kill you!" "Actually, Mrs. Harris, out of ten species of scorpions that live in the Southwest, only one kind is of any danger to humans, and that only to children and the elderly--" Xander slapped a hand over Wendell's mouth. "We'll be careful, Mom. Promise. Bye now." Finally, the only thing that remained of parental worry and fussing was a dust cloud in the distance. The four boys looked at each other. "Okay, now what?" Pete asked. "Um... we start walking, right? I mean, there are a lot of trails around here," Josh turned in a slow circle. The sun was beating down on them intensely, and the wind was blowing grit into their eyes. "Well, we can't just stand here," Xander said finally. At random, he picked a trail. "Okay, we're going that way." Slowly, the four boys shouldered their packs and set off into the vast reaches of uncharted wilderness. ******** "Why did we decide to do this, again?" Josh panted. "Hold on, I've got to stop." "Come on," Xander urged, bouncing from one foot to the other. The diffuse light under the trees was cool, and they walked on a cushion of pine needles. "Think of it: Making it in the great outdoors, meeting Nature on her own terms. We're strong! We're proud!" "I'm getting a blister!" Pete whined. "Hey, you were the one who wanted to go fishing, right?" "We've been walking for three hours. Can't we make camp?" Josh asked, sagging against an equally tired looking pine. "What, now you want to wuss out on me?" Xander asked. Josh and Xander started to go toe-to-toe. Wendell intervened. "Hey! Let's walk another hour, okay? If we hit a stream before then, we'll stop. We'll need more water by tomorrow anyway. If we don't hit a stream, we'll camp there, and go looking for water in the morning." Josh looked like he badly wanted to take a swing, but shrugged and said, "Okay." "Fine by me," Xander said, reeling his chin back in. Luckily for Xander's chin, Josh's temper and Pete's blisters, they found a beautiful clear stream in less than fifteen minutes. A small clearing sat near the bank, and the four boys set up camp for the duration. There was a rock formation a half-mile away for climbing, the stream for fishing and swimming, and the woods to wander in. The perfect campsite. Tempers restored, the boys stripped down to their shorts and had a noisy water fight before pulling out their packed rations. "Tomorrow, fresh fish!" Pete bragged. "Yeah, yeah, I'll believe it when I see it," Xander dead-panned. Pete threw pine needles at him. They carefully cleared ground for a fire, circling it with rocks, gathering kindling. "Guess all those years as boy scouts paid off, huh?" asked Wendell. "Remember Troop Leader Bently?" Josh snickered. "Yeah. How did he become a troop leader? His knot was a little less than half-hitched. His piece of wood was half-whittled. His merit badge had a few demerits. His--" "We get the point, Xander," Wendell cut him off. "At least he taught us the rudiments of cooking on the trail." Wendell tossed Xander the pot and a can of beans. "And, if I remember correctly, you were his prize student." "Oh, man," Xander muttered. "One tuna casserole, and I'm the King of Home Ec for life..." Exhausted, the guys crashed early, arraigning their sleeping bags around the banked fire. Xander woke only once during the night, to hear Wendell muttering in his sleep, "Get them off me! Get them off me!" ~Man, he's remembering the spiders,~ Xander thought with a little shudder. It hadn't taken him, Buffy, Willow and Giles long to figure out that only the people present in Billy's hospital room when the little dreamweaver woke up remembered the nightmares that had come true. Which was a vast comfort to Xander, but weird now, since he knew exactly what Wendell was dreaming about. "Just hope the dream doesn't come true," Xander murmured sleepily, dropping easily back asleep. ******** "*That's* your big catch?" Josh hooted with laughter. In the slanting, setting sun, the string of three goldfish-sized fish that Pete held up glimmered with tiny sparks of silver. "Oh, yeah, I can see that you're going to feed us. Wow, you think we'll be able to eat all that?" "Josh, you're being a butt-head," Xander said mildly. "Shut up." Pete looked at his catch. "I think we scared away all the fish when we went swimming. Or maybe it was that I didn't start until noon. Aren't you supposed to fish in the morning?" Wendell clapped Pete on the shoulder. "So get up early tomorrow and fish before we disturb the fishes." Pete's troubled face cleared. "Yeah. Good idea." Josh pulled out a radio and popped in the demo tape for a band that played in the Bronze, and rock floated through the pine trees. Twilight slid into full dark, but none of the boys was as tired as they had been the day before. "You know what we need?" Wendell asked, tossing another stick on the fire. "Marshmallows?" Josh asked. "Yeah, marshmallows. And chocolate and graham crackers. 'Smores!" Pete enthused. Xander groaned and turned over onto his stomach, staring into the fire. "Torture me, why don't you? Here we are, camping, and not a 'smore in sight." Silence reigned for a few moments, until Wendell said in a dark and spooky voice, "Then how about ghost stories?" Pete sat up. "Cool! Yeah!" "Who starts?" Josh asked. "We'll tell one every night," Wendell improvised. "And whoever's is the scariest, wins. And since I thought up this contest, I'll go first." The other boys settled back down, drowsing in the firelight, and waited to be scared. "Okay, so there was this guy and girl. And they went out to a quiet hill to make out. And while they were there, they heard this report on the radio that this guy had escaped from the Correctional Facility, and that everyone should be inside tonight, because--" "Aw, man, I know this one," Josh groaned. "Shut up," Wendell told him calmly. "Let me tell it. Anyway, this guy was really scary. He apparently had Hannibal Lecter as a role model. He had a particular fondness for eyeballs. In his trial, he said they were the tenderest part of the human body. When he was in jail, the other inmates were really freaked by the fact that he was a cannibal, and one of them cut off his hand and pretended to eat it. So ever since then, this guy had worn a hook on his arm. And he sharpens it regularly, to a gleaming silver point. And he used it to tear the guy who cut his hand off to pieces. "So this guy and girl hear about this guy on the radio, and she wants to book. Especially since the guard there was found in pieces -- with his eyeballs missing. The guy was just getting lucky, so he tries to talk her out of it. 'What? Like he's going to come all this way and bother us? Yeah, right.' She's really scared. 'I think we should go now.'" The three other boys snickered softly at Wendell's sudden, trembling falsetto for the girl's voice, but settled quickly back into listening mode, caught by the story and Wendell's storyteller's cadence. "But she keeps thinking that she hears something, sees something. A shadow. A footstep. She's really wigging out now. Finally, the guy gave up, and started the engine. The car wouldn't move for a second -- it was like they were caught on something. He started getting freaked and floored it, and after a moment, they shot out of there. He drives her home, and she's shaking too hard to get out of the car, so he gets out and goes around to her side to let her out." Wendell paused dramatically. "And there was a bloody hook on the door handle, sharpened to a gleaming silver point." "WHOOOOOOO!" "Arrrrrgh!" Pete screamed, and dived under his sleeping bag. A few minutes later he came back out, sheepishly grinning at his friends who were howling with laughter. "It was an owl. I knew that." "I'm going tomorrow," Josh stated. "If you think you can top that one," Wendell told him. "Yeah, I've got a good one my dad told me. No prob. No, wait, I wanna go last." "I'll tell one tomorrow night," Pete volunteered. "Fine by me," Wendell shrugged. "You're still not going to be able to top mine." "Will to," Josh taunted. "Will not." "Will to!" "Will not!" "Boys!" Xander shouted. "Can we please pretend we're not eight years old?" A few minutes later, all four of them settled down to sleep. This time, Xander didn't wake to hear if Wendell had any nightmares about spiders. He did wake up when Pete rose just before dawn to try for a better catch. Yawning, he untangled himself from his sleeping bag and went to take care of certain morning necessities. Still sleepy, he decided to head back to bed when the scent of freshly-cut wood accosted him. Confused, he looked around. They hadn't cut any wood for their fires. There was more than enough deadfall, and they wouldn't be able to dry out enough live wood in the time they were there to make it worth the effort. After a moment, he saw which tree was releasing the scent. On the dark bark, he could see deep, deep gouges, the wounds showing white and clean. Freshly made. And they looked like they had been made by a hook, sharpened to a gleaming silver point. - -~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~-~*~ Continued in Part 2... High Priestess Lizbet of the Cult of Joss -~*~- {{>AGA<}} lizbet@primenet.com ~*~ Lizbetann@aol.com ~*~ Keeper of Joss's Evil Brain SunS List Co-Mummy: "If the Apocalypse comes, beep me." ~*~ "God made relativity and God made marijuana and the two are not entirely unrelated." -- Boo ~*~ http://www.primenet.com/~lizbet/ ------------------------------ End of buffyfic Digest V1 #27 ***************************** To subscribe to buffyfic Digest, send the command: subscribe buffyfic-digest in the body of a message to "majordomo@xmission.com". 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