From: buffyfic-owner@xmission.com (buffyfic Digest) To: buffyfic-digest@xmission.com Subject: buffyfic Digest V1 #31 Reply-To: buffyfic@xmission.com Sender: buffyfic-owner@xmission.com Errors-To: buffyfic-owner@xmission.com Precedence: buffyfic Digest Saturday, September 13 1997 Volume 01 : Number 031 In this issue: BUFFYFIC: Epidemic "Buffy Withdrawal Syndrome" Update BUFFYFIC: Gone 3: The God of Nine Walls 8/? by JJ BUFFYFIC: DISCLAIMER: Gone 3: The God of Nine Walls Part 8/? by JJ BUFFYFIC: Gone 3: The God of Nine Walls 9/? by JJ BUFFYFIC: A Fresh Start (5/5) 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, 10 Sep 1997 13:50:14 -0700 From: Lisa Rose Subject: BUFFYFIC: Epidemic "Buffy Withdrawal Syndrome" Update In anticipation of "B-Day" on September 15th, the list of symptoms for the dreaded "Buffy Withdrawal Syndrome" has been reformatted and greatly expanded. Check it out (if you're not afraid of the truth about yourself) at: http://www.wco.com/~cybrpaws/bws.html I've included the latest symptoms below to whet your already insatiable appetite. Lisa - ------------------------ How can you tell if your interest in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" is a healthy recreational diversion, or a full-blown, life-impairing addiction? Read the following list of symptoms that physicians now feel are associated with this relatively new illness known as "Buffy Withdrawal Syndrome" (BWS). Do you experience any of these symptoms between seasons, maybe even between *episodes* of Buffy? Known Symptoms of Buffy Withdrawal Syndrome: The time from 9pm to 10pm on weeknights other than Monday seems empty and utterly pointless. You feel agitated and depressed attempting to watch other programs. You buy Bufforette gum at the store, hoping it will stop the cravings, but it only reminds you of the real thing. You gain weight. You begin making excuses for reasons to go into the TV room where your Buffy tapes are, (you "forgot something," you "have to make a phone call," etc...). Your friends' faces tell you they no longer believe you. You say you can quit watching anytime you want to. You just never happen to want to. You go to Buffaholics Anonymous meetings and annoy people by saying that unlike everyone else at the meeting, you don't have a problem. You've replaced all of your old friends, who annoyed you by criticizing your endless talk of Buffy, with new Buffy friends who understand completely. You go to dark, creepy parts of town late at night (after visiting the cash machine), hoping to buy tapes of missed Buffy episodes, rare promos, and bootleg blooper reels. When the cops bust you during copyright enforcement sweeps, you always try to tell them you are just a "fan." They reply, "Yeah junkie, whatever you say" and take you to your usual cell. Joss's lawyer has a special file folder just for you. Joss and the cast were once flattered by your attention. Now they are terrified of you and the "offerings" you leave on their porches. You ceremoniously erase all of your Buffy tapes to prove to your family that you're "drying out." But secret copies are hidden in the garage, the spice cupboard, and buried in the backyard... There is nothing quite so eupohric as a new Buffy episode, certainly not sex (which you vaguely remember having before your Buffy fandom). But the thrill only lasts a few hours. Soon the restlessness returns and you find yourself online, trying to persuade people to talk Buffy to you. Shows that come before and after Buffy, as well as commercials during Buffy, cause you to scream that WB is cutting your fix with baby powder to lower its potency and make an extra buck. You are able to support your own habit for fresh Buffy tapes and merchandise by selling duplicates of things you already have to new viewers at highly inflated prices. You seek help from your local priest for your obsession. But he ends up getting hooked on the show too, because of its glorification of crosses and holy water. Your parents (or spouse) remove the TV and VCR from your home to "do you a favor." But it only drives you to break into your neighbor's homes on Monday nights to watch Buffy on their TV's and VCR's. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 10 Sep 1997 22:27:34 -0400 From: Jesse Jou Subject: BUFFYFIC: Gone 3: The God of Nine Walls 8/? by JJ Part 8 "Dr. Harris?" Rosita asked, tapping lightly on the door, "Are you in there?" She swore she could hear the rustling of paper in the office. She knocked again, but still uncertain, she used her master key to unlock the door. Empty. The rustling she had heard was a breeze from the open window running across his desktop. Alex Harris left his computer on at all times and she saw the "new mail" window on his screen saver. She walked over to the computer and opened his mail reader. New mail from argyles. Clicking on the message, she called up a lengthy response describing Aurelius' treatise on the God of Nine Walls. "Oh, no you don't!" she chided the screen, deleting the message. She picked up the phone and called the Rosenberg residence. Gilda Rosenberg answered. "You were right; he couldn't leave well enough alone," Rosita said. "Rupert Giles sent him a message, but I deleted it." "Good. If he finds out too much, he'll want to stay and fight. I know him," Gilda agreed. "Do you see the poppet?" Rosita looked around the room for the wax figurine Hecate had brought. "No," Rosita said. "Damn," Gilda swore. "Let's hope he has it, then. I don't like the idea of it floating around somewhere." "I'll keep looking for it," Rosita agreed. "Bye." She hung up the phone and exited the room, giving it a perfunctory scan. When the door closed, a brightly colored head stuck itself through the window, a raucous and high-pitched giggle on its lips. Scapino's frozen expression was one of contented joy as he held up the strange wax figure to the fading evening light. - --- Xander hadn't meant to lose his temper with her, but she had looked so innocent in her pretty dress...so beautiful. He had to understand why she had lied to him and what was going on. He flinched as she gently touched his ravaged cheek with the iodine. "Would you hold still?" Willow admonished, trying gingerly to dress the cuts. "Sorry," he apologized. "They aren't deep enough that you'll need stitches," Willow said, still shaken by the violence she had unleashed on him. "So what's the deal?" he asked. She sighed, then continued her ministrations. "The Old Ones apparently weren't the *Oldest* Ones. There were things here before them that frightened them. Things that they tried to control or to bind. Before they left this world, they created the Hellmouth not only as a way for them to return someday, but also as a ward against something particularly nasty that they trapped underneath it." "The God of Nine Walls," Xander offered. Willow was surprised, then realized, "Hecate told you, didn't she?" "Not much. Just his name." She shrugged. "Anyway, if the Master had succeeded in opening the Hellmouth 18 years ago, it would have sealed the God within his prison permanently, but Buffy stopped the Master and it's taken almost two decades, but the God below is getting antsy." "So if this guy gets out?" Xander wondered. Willow regarded him seriously. "The Norse believed that the world was made up of the coils of a serpent wrapped around itself, swallowing its own tail. Imagine what would happen if that serpent decided to constrict, suddenly and very tightly." "No more world?" Xander suggested. She nodded. "It gets worse." "Fun." "Someone's sacrificing to the God. The girl who died last night was one; I'm assuming the police commissioner this afternoon is another. Also, The Anointed One is also dead. I felt it." "How can you be sure?" "I don't know," Willow said, shaking her head uncertainly, "According to legend, the Old Ones tricked the God to go under the earth with a sacrifice of the faces of lesser demons who occupied positions of power or authority. Whoever's killing for him now knows to go after people with power, or people who represent something larger than themselves. Melissa Jackson was the Slayer--there's a whole bunch of stuff tied up into that. The police commissioner was Law. The Anointed One, Evil. The God of Nine Walls only needs a few more totemic deaths to power his release." "So how do we stop him?" "We don't," she said, warningly, covering the cuts on his face with a gauze bandage. "I didn't tell you about this because I didn't want you involved." Xander grimaced. "Well, I'm involved now. No way I'm going to let you face this thing alone." "Xander, this is not some nice pack of vampires out to cause mischief by unleashing a couple of scaly, but ultimately harmless demons. You can't kill this thing with a stake. And anyway, I'm not alone," Willow said. "Hecate's here. Damn. I wish you hadn't given her the necklace back." "You know what it is? Why did you give it to me in the first place?" "I know what it is, but I didn't know how to make it work. I thought you could find out, being my inside guy in Easterman Anthro/Archaeology," she said, with a playful smile. "What's the deal with that woman, anyway?" Xander asked. "She threatened me." "Hecate is a goddess," she said, catching Xander's skeptical glance. "It's true. She's got her finger in several supernatural and metaphysical pies: crossroads, magic, the moon, ghosts...that sort of thing. But her mortal form can't hold the power she channels. So she needs tools; the necklace contains a large portion of her power. When we found out about the God's rising, we had a *disagreement* about how to handle it. I stole the necklace in order to keep her from doing something stupid." "But she's got it back now," Xander mused. "So you think she's planning on going one-on-one with him?" Willow shook her head, "No, her sense of self-preservation is too strong. I think she's going to try to make him go back to sleep, or try to stop whoever's trying to raise him." "What were you going to do with the necklace?" Xander asked, curious that Willow disagreed with such a prudent strategy. "I was going to nuke him," she said simply. - --- The moon was full that night The goddess Hecate walked towards the Bronze. It would have been easier to have simply created a door and travelled through, but she was uncertain about where she was going and teleportational magick was tricky if you were uncertain of your destination. She had heard of the Bronze. It was a California safe house; those who shed blood within its walls invariably met an unfortunate fate. Whatever, she thought. She would negotiate what she came for and continue on her mission. About halfway there, she became aware of the footsteps and tinkling bells behind her. When she stopped, the soft tread stopped. When she started, they began again. It was clear the one following her was not looking to force a confrontation. As she walked, she began to form the spell in her head, shifting her hands slowly through the air to draw the appropriate sigils. If what was following her was magickal, it would be stopped by what she was leaving in her wake. Suddenly there was a bright flash and an inarticulate grunt behind her as her stalker set off the "landmine" she had dropped. She spun around and came upon a short little clown in a colorful costume, bedazzled by the flash. His head was hidden by a porcelain mask and a three-pointed jester's cap, from which dangled small tinkling bells. "You aren't strong enough to take me," she said, her finger igniting the air as she drew her glyph between them. Scapino, recognizing that he had bitten off more than he could chew, bowed gracefully, then flipped away, quickly out of sight. "Freak," she muttered, continuing her walk. The psycho-clown had been a surprise; she thought they all lived in Bangor, Maine. She heard the loud music and knew she was near the Bronze. - --- Bob Abercrombie and Chris struggled to lift the manhole cover from the entrance to the electrical tunnels. Both were dressed in dark clothes. "I don't know about this," Abercrombie said, looking up at the imposing shadow of City Hall. The face of the town clock looked sternly down at him. "Listen, Dr. Abercrombie," Chris said impatiently, "You're the one who insisted on coming along with me." "I just didn't want you to get in trouble," Abercrombie argued. "Maybe we should go? After the murder, I'm sure the police are patrolling the area." "Then we better hurry up," Chris said excitedly climbing down the ladder. When Abercrombie hesitated, he added, "Don't you want lead authorship on the paper?" Abercrombie blushed, as the boy descended quickly into the darkness. Then with a sigh and a final glance around, Abercrombie turned his flashlight on and followed.. - --- End Part 8 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 10 Sep 1997 22:30:43 -0400 From: Jesse Jou Subject: BUFFYFIC: DISCLAIMER: Gone 3: The God of Nine Walls Part 8/? by JJ Sorry, I forgot to include this information with my part. All feedback is appreciated. JJ Title: Gone 3: The God of Nine Walls Author: JJ email address: jjou@mail.med.cornell.edu Distribution: With permission of the author Spoiler Warning: No spoilers for any real episode Rating: PG-13 Warnings: Mild language. Classification: UTB Summary: Both Anya's Gone... and my Gone II can be found on the Slayer's Fanfic Archive. I would recommend reading the previous stories, but all you really need to know is that Willow was turned into a quasivampiric killer by the Anointed One and had to leave Sunnydale after her death was faked. Buffy and Xander grieved, finding out their friend was lost to them forever. Disclaimer: I don't own these characters except for the ones who haven't shown up on the show; Joss Whedon, the WB, and their associated production companies do. Our Lady of Demonic Assassinations is the invention of my evil twin sister, Lisa Rose. I'm also not making a red cent of any of this, so there's no point in suing me. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 12 Sep 1997 19:05:10 -0400 From: Jesse Jou Subject: BUFFYFIC: Gone 3: The God of Nine Walls 9/? by JJ Next part. Again, some strong violence, I warn you. Feedback is always welcomed. JJ Title: Gone 3: The God of Nine Walls Author: JJ email address: jjou@mail.med.cornell.edu Distribution: With permission of the author Spoiler Warning: No spoilers for any real episode Rating: PG-13, R for violence Warnings: Mild language, violence and the death of a character Classification: UTB Summary: Both Anya's Gone... and my Gone II can be found on the Slayer's Fanfic Archive. I would recommend reading the previous stories, but all you really need to know is that Willow was turned into a quasivampiric killer by the Anointed One and had to leave Sunnydale after her death was faked. Buffy and Xander grieved, finding out their friend was lost to them forever. Disclaimer: I don't own these characters except for the ones who haven't shown up on the show; Joss Whedon, the WB, and their associated production companies do. Our Lady of Demonic Assassinations is the invention of my evil twin sister, Lisa Rose. I'm also not making a red cent of any of this, so there's no point in suing me. Part 9 From the balcony, Angel surveyed the crowd that filled the Bronze. In 18 years it had changed little. Still run down, still filthy, but oddly comforting. The patronage was different, but still infused with the joy of youth and innocence, yet tainted by something desperate and lost. Something was coming. Angel could sense it, and the thrashing bodies below throbbed with the energy of a last burst of life before the end. Three girls had already hit on him, practically opening their veins, but he had gently deflected the attention. He needed the noise of humanity; he didn't need its companionship. He had heard of the Anointed One's death, and it had reminded him of Buffy. At least the bastard who destroyed her was dead. He tried to quell the pain of memory by returning to places that recalled happier times. They had been at the Bronze 12 years ago, when she was 22. She told him that night that she was ready, he remembered, recalling the smell and taste of her and her ecstatic pleasure that first time. A gentle tap on the shoulder startled him. He tensed, turning around, wondering how someone had snuck up on him. It was another woman, eying him with a clarity as if she could see his thoughts. "Are you Angle?" she asked. "No," he answered, tersely, turning back towards his view, but the woman didn't leave, instead taking the spot next to him. "This place is pretty neat," she said, scrutinizing the crowd. "I'm trying to find a vampire named Angle. Have you seen him? Are you hunting?" Surprised by her frankness, he looked at her, "Who are you?" She smiled, "I'm your goddess." He smirked. "That's a new one." She ignored him, continuing blithely, "Well, I shouldn't say I'm just yours. I'm many people's goddess and I'm a goddess of many things, but I'm not the only one. Are you sure you haven't met a vampire named Angle? He's supposedly very cute, but I'm really a bad judge of those sorts of things." Angel was becoming very annoyed with the woman. "I've heard of a vampire named Angel," he said. "That's kind of girly," she answered, her brow creasing in concern. "Is he gay? Are you sure it isn't 'Angle'?" Angel turned abruptly towards her, "Why the hell are you looking for Angle..." He stopped himself, "Angel." Suddenly she wasn't there anymore, just a bottomless expanse of night and moonlight. He blinked. The woman was back, smiling at him secretively. "Who are you?" he asked again. "I told you. I'm *your* goddess. You must be Angel," she said. - --- Xander and Willow walked quickly from his car to the Bronze. "So let me get this straight," Xander repeated, "You were going to try to destroy something older than the planet?" Willow nodded as they approached the bouncer. "It's all well and good if Hecate stops him from rising, but he'll still be there. Under the earth, waiting for his next turn at bat. The line has to be drawn here and now. Somehow, the Hellmouth isn't holding him back anymore. The world is changing too quickly for us to take the chance that whoever's alive next time can stop him." "There's no guarantee that we can stop..." Xander began, but Willow shushed him as they came within earshot of the bouncer. The two of them handed $10 each to the burly man at the door, who eyed the 34 year old man and his 16 year old "date" with some suspicion. As they walked into the club, Willow felt keenly nostalgic. Eighteen years and the damn place still looked the same. She was nervous about seeing Angel. He also fell into the category of things she hadn't seen in 18 years, and the memory of the bittersweet kiss that had ended their association in Paris made her feel strangely warm. She turned to Xander, "Okay, here's the deal with the Bronze," she said, quickly, "Whatever you do, don't spill anyone's blood; so long as you don't do that it should protect you." "Willow, I think you remember all the people who've been killed in here. How can you say that the Bronze can protect us?" Xander asked, as the throng pushed the two of them closer together. "And where are their killers?" she replied. Xander thought about it. "I see your point," he concurred, perplexed by the passively-aggressive defenses of the club. A passing teenage girl in a short, short dress grabbed his butt and licked her lips as she headed towards the bar. "Mmm mmm, gotta get me some of that," she purred, glancing back at him as she walked away. His eyes trailed after her. "Hey, Daddy Harris," Willow chided, turning his bandaged face towards her. "Focus. We're trying to prevent the meeting of the Beast from Sunnydale and Greece's Greatest Evil, remember?" "Where were girls like that when I was sixteen?" he complained, something of the horny adolescent emerging in his voice. "Biting the heads off of virgins," Willow observed, dragging him towards the center of the room. She told him to keep an eye out for Angel, as she extended her senses, looking that slight glow that distinguished the living from the unliving. She finally caught it. Up on the balcony. But it was too late. Angel and Hecate had met, and they were both looking down at her. Without breaking eye contact, she touched Xander and pointed up at them. - --- It was Willow. Angel looked again. Yes, definitely Willow, who was looking at him now, disapprovingly. "Well, look who's here," Hecate sighed, waving for the trepidatious pair on the dance floor to join them. Willow and Xander slowly made their way to the staircase. "What's she doing here?" Angel asked, recovering his composure. Hecate didn't answer as Willow and Xander approached. The four people stared at each other silently. "Angel," the professor said. "Willow," the goddess said. "Xander," the vampire said. "Hecate," Willow said. There was another lengthy, uncomfortable silence. Willow finally spoke, "Angel, it's nice to see you." Angel nodded, a small smile on his lips as his body visibly relaxed. "No warm hellos?" Hecate asked, fingering the pendant hanging around her neck. Willow's eyes narrowed, as the corner of mouth began to twitch. "I suppose you think you're very clever, Crone?" she asked. "'Crone,' is it?" Hecate said, amused. "I am very clever. I haven't survived over two millenia by being stupid, little girl. I would keep that in mind if you intend to survive the next few days." Willow nodded, her eyes cynically brittle. "Then I guess we do things your way?" "I don't understand why *you're* mad," the goddess said testily. "You stole from me, remember? It's lucky I got this back before your foolishness lost the battle." "And if we lose the war?" Willow retorted. "It's not like any of us are getting any younger, and the God below will only get stronger unless we destroy him now." "Sometimes you can't destroy the darkness, you just chase it away until the candle burns out," Hecate explained, but Willow was unconvinced. "We could open the Hellmouth?" Hecate suggested, without acrimony. "That would stop him. Do you think that's an option?" Xander intervened, "Um. Should we be fighting? I assume we're all on the same side here." Hecate's eyes broke away from Willow's. She favored him with a brilliant smile. "Of course, Alexander." She turned back to Willow, "Will you help me?" "Since I'm here, I guess I might as well," Willow said, mildly annoyed. Hecate grinned. "You know I'm right." "Could someone please explain what's going?" Angel asked. Hecate nodded. "I think it's time we laid all the cards out. There's god-stoppin' that needs a'doin'." - ---- Mayor Snyder walked to his car. It was a little after 10 pm and he knew his wife would have gone to bed by now. It was getting harder and harder to talk to her; it had been hard enough as a principal's wife, but she had been very reluctant to be a mayor's wife. She had vaguely talked about other couples' divorces recently, but he had pretended not to understand what she meant. He did love her, but he loved his work too, and if it came to choice, he was unsure what he would do. He got into his car, then smiled. He would get her flowers on the way home tonight. If she was asleep, he'd wake her up. Suddenly he heard a loud thud on the roof of the car, as if something heavy fell on top of it. He was startled by the sound, which was followed by the gentle tinkling of bells. He looked around desperately, trying to identify the thing that was crawling across his roof, screaming as a face suddenly appeared in his front windshield. No, not a face. A porcelain mask, frozen in a gruesome rictus of a smile. The Prince of the Autopsy drew his gloved fist up and brought it down on the glass, shattering it into the car. Snyder's hands flew up to protect his face, but Scapino's hand grabbed the back of his head, dragging him forward and impaling the Mayor's throat on the broken glass of the windshield. As the Mayor gurgled on the blood that seeped onto the dashboard, he reached up and grabbed the jester's cap on Scapino's head, trying to force the demon away but instead pulling off a tiny bell at the tip. Finally, he stopped struggling as his life bled away. Mayor Snyder was dead. The Prince of the Autopsy giggled, pulling out his scalpel and getting to work. - ---- End Part 9 ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 13 Sep 1997 17:47:12 -0500 From: "Matthew Wahoske" Subject: BUFFYFIC: A Fresh Start (5/5) TITLE: A Fresh Start (5/5) AUTHOR: Matthew J. Wahoske EMAIL: mattw@adi.net DISTRIBUTION: Anya only. All others ask permission. RATING: PG-13. Some violence. Character killed. 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. After she sees Buffy kissing Xander, Willow tells Xander of her love for him. Things don't go well, however, and by the end of the next day Willow is depressed and wandering the cemetery while Buffy is out hunting for Angel. SPOILERS: "The Pack", "Angel", "Nightmares", 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. Buffy walked quickly through the deserted streets of Sunnydale, armed with a full complement of stakes and a sense of purpose - to get rid of Angel once and for all. She knew exactly where he was; the sixth sense that had developed since her resurrection easily pinpointed his location. *Once this task is completed, I can finally rest for a while - at least until the next exam in the morning.* A rustle in the hedge alongside the sidewalk caught Buffy's attention. *Will he never learn?* She stopped and crept up alongside it. Suddenly she reached through to the other side and caught hold of something, pulling it back through the hedge. A startled Xander plopped on the cement in front of her. "Xander, you must be the worst spy in existence. I've known you were following me ever since I left my house. I put up with it for a while, but now I'm about to go to work. Please - go away. I'll meet you afterwards." Xander decided to at least attempt a protest. "But, Buff, won't you need me around for moral support? I can cheer from the sidelines." It was a lame idea, and he knew it. But he was worried that Buffy was too confident with her newfound strength. Someone should be there to help her, even if it wasn't really much help at all. "Yeah, sure. Then I can help keep you from getting killed when the vampires home in on your position." Buffy started to walk away, but Xander kept up with her. They soon reached the entrance to the cemetery. "Xander, I don't want you around when I'm out slaying. I care too much about you. Now are you going to leave, or will I have to force you?" Xander stood his ground. "Buffy, I care about you the same way. I'm not going to leave you alone." Suddenly, a scream rang out from the cemetery. Buffy quickly turned to Xander. "Sorry about this, but I don't have time to argue." Buffy hit Xander on the jaw with a devastating blow from her right hand. He fell to the ground with a thud. *I'm getting pretty good at that,* thought Buffy as she quickly placed Xander behind some shrubs and ran into the darkness. - ---------------------------------------------------------------- As she approached the mausoleum where the scream emanated from, Buffy saw a figure bending over a still female form. Was it - yes, it was Willow! *Typical. Just as clueless as Xander. Haven't they learned to stay inside in this town when it's dark?* The figure was familiar as well. "Angel! Get away from her, and prepare to die!" She rushed at him, with a stake in one hand and holy water in another. Angel barely had time to dodge her attack. "Buffy, it's not what you think. I must have scared her. She turned around, screamed, and slipped on the rocks." Again, he avoided a stake by inches. "A likely story. I don't trust your good deeds anymore, Angel, even if they are genuine, for now. You're a time bomb waiting to go off. Sooner or later, you'll return to your true nature - a merciless demon whose only reason for existence is to kill the living. I can't afford to take a chance and wait until that happens." Having paused to deliver her speech, Buffy now redoubled her efforts, throwing the full jar of holy water into Angel's face. He writhed in agony, clawing at his eyes as if to gouge them out. Words came torturously to Angel as he struggled to fend off Buffy's repeated blows. He couldn't bring himself to strike back, even though his continued existence was in danger. *She seems to be enjoying this!* "What have I done to deserve this? I've never knowingly hurt you. I couldn't hurt you. I love you." Angel's ernest plea did little to dissuade Buffy. "Sure you love me. You love me so much that Xander had to force you to come help me when I was dying. Oh, yes, he told me all about it!" Quicker and quicker came Buffy's furious attack. Angel was now bowed and bent, with bones broken all over his frame. The relentless onslaught caused Willow to stir. With a groan, she slowly sat upright and strained to see the battle that had aroused her. She could barely make out Buffy raising a stake and thrusting it down onto - Angel?! She screamed. "Buffy, no!!" It was too late. The stake had pierced Angel's heart. "I will always love you," he gasped. The next moment, his body turned to ashes, which scurried away in the wind. Willow was stunned. It took her a while to regain her voice. "Buffy - you killed Angel, after all he did for us?" Buffy knelt down by Willow and made sure she was all right. "Believe me, Willow, if I hadn't killed him, you'd have been sorry sooner or later." Willow pushed herself away from Buffy. "I can't believe that. He helped us defeat the Master. He had a human soul. He loved you, and you repay him by killing him? Have you lost all emotion and feeling, Buffy? Don't you care for anyone anymore?" Buffy stood alone, the night pressing around her, her face hard and passionless. "Sometimes its dangerous to care too much for someone, Will. Every time I met Angel, I could feel the demon within him was getting stronger. I ignored it because of my feelings for him. After my death, I put my duties as the Slayer ahead of everything else. The extra power I had received would go to waste if I did otherwise. I had to kill him, Will, or he would have killed us one day. It's that simple." Willow's head had cleared by now. She gingerly stood up, still not willing to totally believe Buffy's version of events. Angel had done too much for them to be dismissed so easily. In addition, there was another topic that came between them, one that Willow knew she had to bring up. "What's the simple story about Xander, Buffy? You knew I loved him, yet you went after him without any hesitation. You don't seem to be worrying about caring too much for him." Buffy sighed. *Xander again? I thought I explained that to you last night.* "I must admit I have a weakness for him. I can understand why you love him as well. He might act foolish most of the time, but underneath you know he would follow you to the ends of the earth, into whatever problem you might get into." Willow slowly nodded her head. "He saved my life, Will, and put his own in danger. That alone would deserve my gratitude, but he deserves so much more. I have no regret for revealing my true feelings towards him, even though I know that you were hurt by it. He's the one I'm fighting evil for, Will; the person who keeps what little sanity I have intact. I won't allow anything to happen to him anymore. I have to make sure that I don't need his help again." Willow didn't say a word. It was obvious that nothing she did or said would make Buffy give up Xander. She resigned herself to her fate. *I guess it's time to get on with my life and find someone else to love. Lord knows how long that will take.* Buffy stared at Willow. "I won't blame you if you decide to stop hanging out with me from now on, Will. It's up to you. I'll be out here every night whether you're with me or not." Buffy walked away towards the entrance to the cemetery. "Now, I'd better wake Xander." Willow followed after her. "Wake Xander? Don't tell me he could sleep while you killed Angel." *Yes, killed him.* Willow would never forget that. "No, quite the opposite. I'm afraid I had to hit him in order to prevent him from following after me." Buffy pulled Xander's inert frame out of the shrubs and started to revive him. Willow immediately knelt by Xander's side, but a look from Buffy caused her to shrink further away. Xander slowly came around. "Buffy? Something must have hit me." He paused, trying to collect his jumbled thoughts. "Wait a minute, you hit me! What in the hell did you do that for? My face will be scarred for life." He knew Buffy had only hit him because she felt it was necessary to protect him, but that didn't mean he had to enjoy it. He turned to his side and noticed someone else looking at him from a distance. "Willow? What are you doing here? Hey, that reminds me. Angel. What happened to him?" He noticed Willow cringe. Buffy cradled Xander in her arms. "You won't have to worry about him any more. He is no longer among the living - or the undead." Xander stared at Buffy. "You staked him? Just like that? Do you do that to all your ex-boyfriends? I'd better stay on your good side, just in case." Buffy held him tighter. Xander had never cared for Angel, but he was slightly upset that he was gone. *Angel did help us, after all.* He noticed Willow walking away. *On the whole, though, I'm more worried about Willow. She seems really out of things.* "Hey Willow! Don't you want us to see you back home?" Willow shook her head. "That's OK, Xander. I don't want to disturb you while you're busy." She kept on walking into the darkness. "Will she be all right, walking home by herself?" Xander started to get up to follow her but found himself unable to stand just yet. "Don't worry, Xander, I can't feel any other demons or vampires around. She'll be fine. You, on the other hand, are going to require some special treatment which only I can give you." Buffy gave Xander a tender kiss on his neck. "That's only the sample. When we get back to your place, I'll give you the full remedy." Part of Xander felt guilty for abandoning Willow, but the rest quickly gave in to the thought of spending some quality time with Buffy. *Hey, if I could like Buffy when she was a vampire, I can put up with her when she's a little psycho. I'll have to make sure I talk to Willow sometime tomorrow, though.* Buffy helped Xander to his feet and pointed him in the direction of his house. The couple stayed close together as they walked away from the cemetery. - ---------------------------------------------------------------- Friday afternoon had finally come. No more exams! It was the end of the school year and the start of the freedom of summer. Buffy and Xander had somehow survived the last few days of tests without Willow's help. She had withdrawn into a shell, even refusing to talk to Xander when he had approached her two days ago. One final visit was necessary before the school year could be declared officially over. Buffy and Xander had to say goodbye to Giles, even though they both knew that they would probably see him many times over the vacation. As they entered the computer lab, they were surprised to see, along with Giles and Ms. Calendar, the one person they had thought wouldn't return to the group - Willow. "Giles said he needed my help. I couldn't turn him down," Willow said in answer to their unasked question, not looking directly at them. "Yes, I don't know what I'd do without Willow to help me with my research. It just wouldn't be the same." Giles looked pointedly at Buffy. "I suppose you have come to say farewell. Let me remind you, Buffy, that the forces of evil do not take a summer vacation. I expect you to meet me at my house on Monday morning to continue your training. Just because you have twice the power now doesn't mean you have twice the technique." Buffy was annoyed. *He's been on me ever since I told him about Angel.* "I'm not stupid, Giles. I know the Anointed One is still here, and he's bound to rally the vampires that are left around him. Hopefully, it will take some time for him to do that." "It's unfortunate that you destroyed the one person who might have been able to give us some inside information on what the Anointed One was up to." Giles's anger subsided. "However, I don't want to revisit that argument. Just take care, and stay alert." "You have a good summer yourself, Giles." Buffy turned to Ms. Calendar. "Take good care of him when we aren't around." Buffy whispered in her ear. "Maybe you could help him with his dress sense." Ms. Calendar nodded, giving Buffy a conspiratorial look. "By summer's end, he'll be the height of fashion." Buffy didn't share her opinion. *Fighting the Master again would be easier than trying to change Giles into a fashion model.* As was her custom, Buffy made one last comment before she left. "Oh, and Giles, try to find a way to get rid of the Master's skeleton soon. I don't feel like keeping watch outside your house all night long. I doubt Ms. Calendar would like that very much." With a smile, Buffy started to leave, making a quick glance towards Willow. "See you, Will." There was no reply. Buffy shrugged and left the room followed shortly afterwards by Xander. Xander had tried to engage Willow in a discussion, but she had ignored him. *Obviously it's going to take some time before she forgives me, if ever. I'll keep trying, though. Maybe one day we can return to being friends.* As Buffy and Xander left the school, and started to go down the front steps, hand in hand, Xander reflected on all the changes that had taken place in the past week. *Buffy loves me, Willow hates me, Angel's gone, along with the Master, and school is finished for the summer. It's a fresh start, and I'm not sure it's for the better.* From the school, Willow watched her two former friends walk into the hazy sunlight of a summer afternoon. With a sigh, she turned away from the window, went back to the computer, and returned to her work. The End. Well, that's it. Let me know what you think! Feedback desired. Since this is a beta version, any suggestions on grammar etc. are appreciated. ------------------------------ End of buffyfic Digest V1 #31 ***************************** To subscribe to buffyfic Digest, send the command: subscribe buffyfic-digest in the body of a message to "majordomo@xmission.com". If you want to subscribe something other than the account the mail is coming from, such as a local redistribution list, then append that address to the "subscribe" command; for example, to subscribe "local-buffyfic": subscribe buffyfic-digest local-buffyfic@your.domain.net A non-digest (direct mail) version of this list is also available; to subscribe to that instead, replace all instances of "buffyfic-digest" in the commands above with "buffyfic". Back issues are available for anonymous FTP from ftp.xmission.com, in pub/lists/buffyfic/archive. These are organized by date.