From: owner-buffyfic@lists.xmission.com (buffyfic-digest) To: buffyfic-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: buffyfic-digest V2 #217 Reply-To: $SENDER Sender: owner-buffyfic@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-buffyfic@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk buffyfic-digest Wednesday, June 3 1998 Volume 02 : Number 217 In this issue: Re: BUFFYFIC: How to Reforge A Broken Blade (part 5/?) BUFFYFIC: Dreams of Nothing BUFFYFIC: Just a Few Insignificant Others BUFFYFIC: How to Reforge A Broken Blade (part 8/8) BUFFYFIC: Unravelling the Depths (1/7) BUFFYFIC: Unravelling the Depths (2/7) See the end of the digest for information on (un)subscribing to the buffyfic or buffyfic-digest mailing lists and on how to retrieve back issues. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 03 Jun 1998 01:06:11 -0400 From: "R. Smith" Subject: Re: BUFFYFIC: How to Reforge A Broken Blade (part 5/?) Hrmph..... accidentally posted Part six with the Part five label. Hope everybody caught it before they autodeleted it. - -R ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 03 Jun 1998 01:41:32 EDT From: annanara@juno.com (Annanara a.k.a Anna) Subject: BUFFYFIC: Dreams of Nothing TITLE: Dreams of Nothing AUTHOR: Annanara DISTRIBUTION: Serendipity's wonderful archive "The Labyrinth", Willfic archive, and Anya's Slayer's Fanfic Archive, anyone else, please ask. DISCLAIMER: I don't own Buffy & Co., though Joss Whedon does and is doing a wonderful job! (Don't you agree? :) SETTING: This is set maybe a few days after the season fnale. Xander stood in the middle of nowhere. He was surrounded by nothing but white mist and a blanket of black in the distance. Other than himself, nothing else seemed to exist. I'm dreaming, he thought. I have to be, even in Sunnydale nothing is this...vacant. "Xander," a voice called out behind him. He turned to find Buffy standing before him, her eyes dark and emotionless. "Buffy!! Boy am I glad to see you!" Xander exclaimed. He was so happy to see her, he didn't notice that she never smiled at him. "What are you doing here? Where did you go? What happened to you and Angel? Giles is going nuts!" He waited for Buffy to reply, but she just stood there silently. "Buffy?" He tried to walk toward her, but whenever he took a step forward it seemed like nothing happened. It was like he was walking on a treadmill. He couldn't tell if he was really moving at all. The lack of landmarks didn't help in judging distances either. He started running to her, but the result was the same. He was always out of reach of her. He kept running and running until he had to stop to catch his breath. When he did, Buffy suddenly turned to her side as the mist churned from being disturbed. Out of the mist Angel, sporting a part human, part demon face, came walking out. She smiled up at Angel and hugged him. Turning to Xander one last time, she said, "I love Angel," before walking into the mist with him. "Buffy, wait!!" Xander lept at her, but it was not good, they were gone. "Buffy...." "Xander," a new voice said behind him. He spun around quickly to find himself facing Cordelia. "Cordy? Cordy, Buffy was just here and she was with Angel! We have to find her!" Xander moved towards Cordelia and got nearly within reach before he was mysteriously stopped again. He ran, jumped, sprinted, everything he could think of to get nearer, but it was no use. "Buffy did this, Buffy did that. Buffy, Buffy, Buffy. What about me?" Cordelia asked, her voice as cold as ice. When he realized that Cordelia wasn't commenting on his antics, he became worried. "Cordelia?" He paused, his heart sinking. "You...you know I like you, right?" "I can't say ‘I love you.'" Cordelia stated and turned, walking into the mist that whispered her name in a chant. Xander lunged at her in one last desperate attempt to keep her from leaving, but as with all the others, it was useless. I'm useless, he thought mournfully. I'm losing them all. He fell to the ground, hugging his knees and rocking. I must be dreaming, I have to be dreaming...I can't be losing them...but I am...I'm lossing them all. Everyone but... "Xander." He stopped his rocking and hid his face, closing his eyes tightly. Not her too, please god, not her too, Xander silently pleaded. Have mercy. Anyone but her... "Xander," the voice repeated. I won't turn around. Maybe she'll just...I don't want to face her... His thoughts were in confusion. He hoped she'd go away, but he didn't want her to leave him. On the other hand, he didn't want to hear the words she'd have to say to him. "Xander," the familiar voice said again, it's tone cold and distant. Xander shook his head. He hazarded a glance from his hiding spot and saw Willow standing before him. "Willow..." he sighed sadly. This time, he could see the total lack of emotion on her face, the emptiness in her eyes. He wanted to look away, but found himself standing instead. Her dull eyes watched him as he stood. He tried to mentally brace himself against what she would have to say. I can take it, he thought stoically, knowing that, in the end, he wouldn't be able to. A shifting in the mist caught his attention again and he watched as a part werewolf, part human Oz walked out of the mist. He walked up to Willow, pulling her into a hug. She smiled up at him, her whole face lighting up, her eyes filled with contentment and joy. Xander tried to look away, but couldn't. Words could never describe the pain he felt in his heart upon seeing them together like this. It was worse than anything she could ever have said. He stood up taller as Willow turned her attention back to him. Her eyes became dull again. He wanted so much to cover his ears, but he couldn't move. He was wrong. There was something even worse that she could say to him. He heard her words, each one seemed to echo in his ears, "I...love...Oz...." Without saying anything more, the love of his life turned and walked with Oz into the mist. As they did, he heard Oz clearly whisper to her, "You have the sweetest smile...." He felt his heart shatter into a million pieces. He bolted after her and felt his fingers briefly touch her silky soft hair before they vanished into the mist. His Willow was gone. The Willow he found he loved was taken away by...by... "By someone who appreciated her more than me," he cried softly. He stared into the vast nothingness and cried out Willow's name as the existence surrounding him went dark. - ----------------- Annanara Keeper of Willow's Box of Raisins Keeper of Giles' Skip "That went well. I think." --Giles, SAR _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 03 Jun 1998 01:41:32 EDT From: annanara@juno.com (Annanara a.k.a Anna) Subject: BUFFYFIC: Just a Few Insignificant Others TITLE: Just a Few Insignificant Others AUTHOR: Annanara DISTRIBUTION: Serendipity's archive, the Slayer Fanfic Archive, anyone else who wants it, please ask. DISCLAIMER: Joss Whedon owns Buffy and all the wierd and wacky residents of Sunnydale. I just like to borrow them every once in a while and make my own fun ;-) "...so, then, I handed her over to Devon, ‘cause you know, he's the lead singer and all. I figured he could be rude enough to her to get her to go away. Boy was I right! But now, I'll never have to do that again." Oz paused, his arms wrapped around Willow, who was playfully sitting on his lap in the library. "And that, is how I got rid of my first groupie. Though, I won't say it beats out some of Cordy's horror dates." "Yah...well...well at least I have better taste then some girls," Cordelia huffed. Xander smirked and she hit him on the arm before cuddling closer to him. "So, what about the rest of you? Any dangerous, past boyfriends I should worry about Will?" Oz asked, grinning. The Slayer and her original Slayerettes burst out laughing. Oz and Cordelia shared a confused look and just watched as the trio tried to control their hysteria. "What's so funny?!" Cordelia demanded. Oz nodded in silent agreement with Cordelia, though he didn't like the fact he was agreeing with Cordelia at all. "It's just...hehehe...the three of us beat everyone out...especially Xander," Buffy stuttered, trying to keep from laughing. Xander turned a little redder. "Yah, well, go ahead and tell Oz about your wonderful guy..er..demon, Moloch, Willow," Xander said, trying to not-so-subtly change the subject over to the group's resident hacker. "Tell him how he's the not the - -first- supernatural guy you've gone for." "Yeah, I think I'd like to hear this," Oz said, smiling at Willow. She just blushed and settled herself in Oz's lap. "Well, it all began when Ms. Calendar had the computer class scan books into the computer. Giles was against it, as always." Willow's rolled her eyes, showing exactly how she felt about Giles' lack of forward advancement into the technological era. "After hours, I started scanning some of Giles' occult books for easier reference. Well, one of those happened to contain a demon by the name of Moloch. When I scanned the book, it released him into the Internet." Willow paused, sighing. "He contacted me and pretended to be a real guy...uh...over the Internet. He seemed great too...," she said sadly. She smiled though when she felt Oz hold her tighter. "Anyways, he wanted me to join him, I wouldn't, we got into a big fight, yadda, yadda, yadda, and Buffy saved the day." Oz pulled Willow in close and kissed her cheek. "You didn't exactly have a good start to the dating thing, huh?" he whispered softly into her ear. She nodded and gave Oz some smoochies of her own. Xander, suddenly sickened at the love-fest before him, turned to Buffy. "And what about you missy?" "Me? Come on, Xander, you know the -only- supernatural date I've -ever- had was with Angel," Buffy said, grinning. "So, I'm not as bad as Willow. She's had two supernatural dates." She smiled at Oz, "No offense." "None taken," Oz said, grinning before turning back to face Willow. Xander rolled his eyes. "So, Buffy's had Dead Boy, Willow's had I'm an Internet demon Moloch, and Wolf Boy Oz..." "And what about you, Xander?" Cordelia asked, grinning. "Ugh...only a few, nothing worth mentioning..." Xander stammered. "Nothing worth mentioning?!" Willow and Buffy exclaimed together. "Oh, come -on- Xander," Willow exclaimed, "what about Ms. French? You remember, the virgi...er...very big She-Mantis who was out to get you?" "Ms. French? You mean, as in that biology teacher we had last year?" Cordelia asked, amazed. "No way...." "Oh, yes way," Buffy giggled. "In a big way too...but of course, she only wanted him for his body...which he wasn't willing to give up as she would have decapitated him like an Immortal from that Highlander series...only without the swords." "So, instead, we had to rescue Xander from a little too much love," Willow said grinning. She raised an eyebrow and smiled. "No, I take that back. Ampata the Inca Mummy Girl would have to be the one who wanted a bit too much lovin', wouldn't you say Buffy?" Buffy nodded, enjoying the look of Xander turning an amazing shade of red. "I guess you could say she loved him so much she would have sucked the life out of him. But, in a pleasant, non-neck, non-vampire way, of course." Xander groaned and hid his head in his hands. This is embarrassing, he silently moaned. Willow laughed. "Hey, Xander, you're the one that brought it up!" "Don't remind me...," he moaned. Cordelia smiled and grabbed Xander's arm. "Come on Don Juan, time for some quality time together. And maybe you can tell me a bit more about these wonderful girls you seem to chose as girlfriends..." Buffy, Willow, and Oz laughed as Xander kept chanting over and over, "They meant nothing to me...really..." - --------------------------- Feedback is always appreciated! :-) Annanara Keeper of Willow's Box of Raisins Keeper of Giles' Skip "That went well. I think." --Giles, SAR _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 03 Jun 1998 02:08:48 -0400 From: "R. Smith" Subject: BUFFYFIC: How to Reforge A Broken Blade (part 8/8) SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT=20 This story contains extensive references to any and all episodes up to and including Becoming II. BE WARNED: if you haven=92t seen those episodes, READ NO FURTHER!=20 (actually this part is almost spoiler free, but better safe than sorry) THIS=20 SPACE=20 IS=20 FOR=20 YOUR PROTECTION See part one for disclaimers and notes. Comments or requests for previous parts to conor@dnaco.net PLEASE DO NOT=20 DISTRIBUTE WITHOUT TALKING TO ME FIRST! Buffy pulled up in front of the house in her new car. She=92d gone to the self-storage place first, and had=20 found this new Saturn inside. On the driver=92s seat was a=20 brief note. Buffy, This will get you wherever you want to go. It=92s in=20 your name, so don=92t worry about it too much, just get in it=20 and go. There=92s a briefcase in the trunk. It has some=20 traveling cash in it so you don=92t have to use your card. Try to keep yourself together and remember what I said=20 about friends. Remember me, Rick So here she was in front of his ex-wife=92s house, trying=20 to figure out what to say to his son. She grabbed a bundle from the passenger seat,=20 walked up to the door, and rang the bell. A young man answered the door, so obviously Rick=92s=20 son that Buffy nearly broke into tears at the sight of him. *So young,* she thought, *Too young for this kind of=20 responsibility. How do I tell him this?* =20 =93Are you Ricky?=94 she asked. =93Yeah...=94 he said slowly, =93=94What can I do for you?=94 =93I=92m a friend of you Dad=92s.=94 she replied, =93I have some=20 things for you. Can I come in? =93He=92s dead isn=92t he?=94 Ricky asked, suddenly looking=20 like the little boy she=92d expected. =93Can I come in for a little bit?=94 she asked, =93I=92ve got=20 some stuff to tell you about one of the bravest men I=92ve ever=20 met.=94 ********** Epilogue She=92d stayed at Rick=92s son=92s house a lot longer than=20 she=92d planned.=20 He=92d had a lot of questions, about how his father=20 died, and what it was all about. He=92d proven to be a _very_=20 mature thirteen year old. He didn=92t break even when Buffy=20 told him the details of Rick=92s death. He just nodded, and=20 said it was pretty much what he expected. He told he he=92d started remembering stuff about the=20 night the demons had attacked the house, and that he could=20 remember his Dad fighting like a wild man to protect them.=20 He said he=92d somehow known that when his father died, it=20 would be that way, and that he was glad he=92d died well. After a long talk, he=92d thanked her for coming to=20 him, gravely accepted the packages she had for him, and,=20 when she asked if he knew what he was going to do, had=20 replied, =93Think about it a while.=94 She=92d driven away with the feeling that he=92d be=20 fighting demons before the year was out. She could see the=20 father=92s sense of duty in the son, and felt that he wouldn=92t=20 let his father down. She didn=92t think she=92d conveyed the fact=20 that his father would have understood if he=92d refused. In=20 the end, she wished him luck and went on her way. She pulled into a motel somewhere west of=20 Indianapolis. She signed in under her fake id=92s name and=20 paid in cash. Her room was small, and had last been furnished in=20 the fifties, but it had a bed and a bath, and that was all she=20 really needed tonight. She tossed her bag onto the bed, then pulled her=20 sword out of it=92s scabbard and sat on the end of the bed, just=20 looking at it for the first time since Rick had died. It was the reforged one. She=92d given a lot of thought=20 to which one to keep and which one to give to Rick=92s son,=20 and in the end had decided that this one suited her better. She was still a little raw inside, and maybe she=20 always would be, but she felt pretty much back to normal. She=92d gone to Dayton, and even with everything that=20 had happened there, she=92d healed. And she=92d finally made a=20 decision about what she was going to do from here. She leaned over the bed and picked up the phone,=20 dialing the number she=92d longed to dial for weeks, but only=20 now feeling ready to handle the repercussions. The phone on the other end rang and a familiar=20 voice answered, =93Hello?=94 =93Willow,=94 Buffy began, =93It=92s me.=94 =93Buffy?=94 Willow exclaimed, hyperventilating, =93Buffy!=20 Oz, it=92s Buffy. Calling on the phone from another phone to=20 talk to me on the phone. I need to sit down now.=94 =93Calm down, Will,=94 Buffy said, =93I=92m on my way=20 home.=94 She knew that going home would be hard.=20 Everything had been left pretty much up in the air.=20 She didn=92t even have a place to stay when she got there. But she knew that whatever else happened, she was=20 the Slayer -- no matter where she lived. And she also knew=20 that even the Slayer needed friends, and hers were in=20 Sunnydale. They were hurt and worried on her account, but=20 they were still her friends and she=92d do what she had to do=20 to make amends. *Well, Rick,* she thought with a smile, *I guess you=20 finally got me to listen to you.* She turned her attention back to her friend. =93What have I been doing all this time?=94 she replied=20 to the babbling voice on the other end of the phone,=20 =93Healing, mostly.=94 end ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 02 Jun 1998 23:13:22 From: LDS Subject: BUFFYFIC: Unravelling the Depths (1/7) Title: Unravelling the Depths (1/7) Author: Dawn Steele e-mail: steele@lillonet.org Summary: Giles' POV in Nightmares (1st season spoilers) Feedback: Yes please. Good or bad. ;-) Distribution: SunS page Disclaimers: Not mine! Dialogue recognized is from Nightmares, and written by someone else who did a good job and got paid for it. Anything you don't recognize is mine. Random babbling explanation: Written in response to the SunS Chaos POV challenge (http://www.enteract.com/~perridox/SunS/). Previously published in the "An Alternate Viewpoint" fanzine (see http://members.tripod.com/~natmerc/avzine.html) which is currently out of print, but will probably do a second run in September. Ok? And yes -- I a Giles fan. Unravelling the Depths By Dawn Steele (steele@lillonet.org) Part 1/7 It started small enough: small, multi-legged and numerous. Buffy had informed me of the "spider" incident during the break between morning classes. I must confess that I did not think much of the matter. A fluctuation in Hellmouth energies, a curse cast by someone with more talent than sense, or at most a minor mischief demon. The boy, fortunately enough, had not been harmed or bitten by the poisonous spiders, and I merely put it on my long list of items to research. The air-conditioned back room holds many of my own private volumes, and at first it was... enjoyable. No students asking me inane questions about how to replace lost school texts, no loud noises, no one to annoy me, or interrupt my "hunt" for mystical truths. Time slipped by, and... I remember turning left towards the exit. Time for a spot of tea, and a brief look through the LA morning paper before I continued. Except the door wasn't there. Ahead of me was another set of shelves. Puzzled, I looked through their contents in order to orient myself. I knew the volumes -- they were familiar, but... I couldn't remember where they were located in relation to the door. Annoyed now, I started walking briskly through the bookshelves. Instead of reaching the far wall, I found a walkway, and another unit of shelves laid out neatly in front of me. The lights had somehow dimmed, and I could not see more than a short distance ahead. I started walking faster. Everytime I thought I was finally reaching a wall, or caught sight of a door, another set of bookshelves would appear in front of me. I... I do not know how long I was there. How long I was "lost", although it seemed to go on forever. It was such a ridiculous situation. The room was not large, and I should have been able to find my way easily. Except I... I couldn't. Buffy saved me. She never knew it, and I would be the last one to inform her that she had rescued her Watcher yet . After all -- it was supposed to be the other way around. In all my time growing up, in all my research, no one had ever bothered to point out that did not always correspond to reality. The deep silence that had surrounded me was broken by the familiar sound of her voice. I could identify it with surety; her voice a beacon within the maze of books and musty air... leading me outside. She had entered the library and was talking to Willow and Xander. With their voices as a guide, I turned the right way and found the door immediately in front of me. I rushed out, glad to see the sun shining through the ridiculous skylight positioned above the library. Americans, and their love for sunlight. Just then I did not care how much it was damaging the books -- all I cared about was that it was there, I was out of that blasted back room, and Buffy was looking up at me from the lower level. "Hey, Giles. Wakey, wakey." Buffy stepped forward, still looking up at me. "I was... in the stacks... lost." I turned back to the storage area, still puzzled and a bit bewildered. Already the memory of it was fading. Surely I couldn't have been lost? That would have been ridiculous. Deep in thought, it took a moment for Xander's next words to penetrate. "Did you find any theories about spiders coming out of books? Big... hairy... crawley..." A pause and more noises below. Some sort of slapping sound, perhaps. I turned to look down at the main level. "It's funny if you're me!" Xander's face was a mixture of glee and false apologies. He must have been teasing Willow again. "I couldn't find anything, uh... particularly illuminating. Um... I think you'd best have a chat with Wendell himself." The boy should be able to add details that would help narrow down the search. Give reasons as to why he had been singled out. "Okay," Buffy replied. "If he can still talk." They left me, and I turned towards the back room. I still needed to find that volume on minor curses. Later -- I would find it later. The incident, although surely a figment of my imagination, had been disquieting. It was past time for tea, and I also needed to finish up some paperwork. I went downstairs, and looked into my office. Books were everywhere, and the sunlight never seemed to penetrate this far into the library. Whatever had happened, it had happened, could wait until I had tea. Right now I felt a sudden need for the company of other human beings instead of books. (end of Part 1/7) steele@lillonet.org "I wouldn't be caught dead with a necrophiliac." ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 02 Jun 1998 23:30:35 From: LDS Subject: BUFFYFIC: Unravelling the Depths (2/7) Title: Unravelling the Depths (2/7) Author: Dawn Steele e-mail: steele@lillonet.org Summary: Giles' POV in Nightmares (1st season spoilers) Feedback: Yes please. Good or bad. ;-) Distribution: SunS page Disclaimers: Not mine! Dialogue recognized is from Nightmares, and written by someone else who did a good job and got paid for it. Anything you don't recognize is mine. Random babbling explanation: Written in response to the SunS Chaos POV challenge (http://www.enteract.com/~perridox/SunS/). Previously published in the "An Alternate Viewpoint" fanzine (see http://members.tripod.com/~natmerc/avzine.html) which is currently out of print, but will probably do a second run in September. Ok? Unravelling the Depths By Dawn Steele (steele@lillonet.org) Part 2/7 I heard about the girl being beaten while I was talking to the Mathematics instructor in the teacher's lounge. Normally an interesting man, he was being particularly ghoulish at describing the details of the girl's injuries; expounding upon them at great length. As one who has seen more than his fair share of death and mutilations, I was not amused, and cut short the conversation as soon as I gathered the pertinent details. It did not seem to be connected to the spider attack earlier, and was likely an unfortunate example of random violence; perhaps revenge from a discarded boyfriend, or a jealous schoolmate. Unfortunate, but not tied to the mystical influence of the Hellmouth. Buffy insisted on "checking it out", however, and I drove her over to the hospital during the school lunch hour. We stopped at the flower shop, and I picked up a small flower pot of yellow carnations. Live flowers instead of cut ones that would wither and die in a few days. I have always hated cut flowers. "Xander said that Chuck said she was pretty beaten up." Buffy paused, checking the plaque of room numbers on the wall to orient herself. "She was unconscious when the ambulance took her to the hospital during second period." "Do you know the girl?" I hoped not. "Just to say ‘hi' to," Buffy said. "Laura's nice enough. Nobody saw who attacked her?" "I was rather hoping that Laura did." The last few days had been so quiet, so "normal". A pleasant change from our "usual", and it was still possible it would be an uneventful day. We came up to Laura's room, and Buffy stepped forward ahead of me through the doorway. Laura was lying in the hospital bed, pink bed sheets tucked about her and an IV tube attached to her left arm. A white hospital nightgown with small blue dots made her face look pale, and drawn. Laura must have heard us enter, because she turned towards us. I realized that the Mathematics instructor had been accurate in his accounting. Her face, particularly the left side, was covered in bruises, and she had a large bandage covering what was likely a bad cut positioned right beside her right eye. Seeing her there... it reminded me of all the times I worried about finding Buffy in such a state after a night of hunting vampires, although Buffy's natural resilience and quick healing made most minor injuries... well -- minor. Laura, on the other hand, had no supernatural protection against injury. Her eyes, when I looked into them, were dark, and... scared. "Hey, Laura." Buffy's voice was gentle, and non threatening. Just a fellow school-mate accompanying a teacher to represent the best wishes of the school. "Hi." "Hope we're not intruding..." I belatedly remembered the flowers I was holding, and handed them over to Buffy for her to place on the end table. "That's okay... I don't want to be left alone." Although now facing us, Laura did not move much in the hospital bed. Clearly her injuries were painful. Where was her family? Surely they had been notified? Why she been left alone? "You understand that we're anxious this... this doesn't happen again." Awkwardly, I pushed my hands into my pants pockets so I wouldn't have to figure out what to do with them. It was a bad situation. I hated awkward conversations like these. Buffy, on the other hand, seemed more at ease, and more willing to force Laura to remember what had to be horrible memories. In this case, as in so many others, I let Buffy take the lead. "Can you tell us what happened?" Laura's eyes flickered, looking away from us. "I was in the basement." She was now peering directly into Buffy's eyes. A touch of embarassment at the revelation of broken school rules touched fer face. "I went down for a smoke... There was someone there." "Someone you knew?" Laura shook her head. "I've never seen like it." Buffy turned to me briefly, eyes full of questions. Had it been a vampire? It had been full daylight, and there was no place for it to hide when the ambulance crew and the police had gone down into the basement. But if not a vampire, and not a human, where had the creature gone? "It?" A single word, but Buffy was asking Laura so much.... I leaned down towards the hospital bed. Intent now; this was clearly something we investigate. "Can you describe it?" She tried. I saw her start and stop a few times. It must have been both frightening and frustrating. No doubt the police had already questioned her thoroughly, and now members of her own school were demanding answers. Answers we to have -- but ones we were not likely to get while she was in such a state. I might have gone forward, and insisted, but.... "Hey! That's okay. Don't worry about it." Buffy ending the questioning before Laura even got a chance to speak. Perhaps she was right. We wouldn't be able to get information out of her right now. She was too scared; it was too recent. "Yes. You... you just rest now." It was time to retreat: time for research. Buffy picked up her jacket. "You know that...." A nurse came into the room from the door behind me. Her presence an indication that our allotted "visitor's time" was apparently up. "Hi, Laura." Buffy, ignoring the interruption, continued on. "If you remember anything, you can tell us. Even if it may seem weird." The nurse spoke again, her voice intruding on the connection Buffy had established with Laura. "She needs her rest now." With the nurse now keeping Laura company, we turned to leave, and my thoughts were already on the search ahead of me. Whatever "It" was, we had no description, no details except that it had been able to beat a young healthy girl into unconsciousness with ease. There were far too many possibilities.... "Lucky 19." Laura's voice caused both of us to stop and turn back. "I'm sorry?" I took a step back until I was right behind Buffy. This could be important. "It's what he said... right before... He said 'Lucky 19'." Laura's voice was soft, embarrassed almost. "That's weird, right?" "Yes. Yes, it is." Not only was it strange, but it bore no relation to my tentative assignment of a malignant demon's presence in the school. Perhaps I would look into the Numerology sections first? "Feel better." Buffy turned again to leave. Looking at Laura lying there in the hospital bed, I felt helpless. There was nothing I could do for her. Tracking down this monster, whatever it may be, would not help her heal any faster, but it might prevent another student from being hurt or killed. "Take care." An inane statement, but what you say to someone in that condition? We hurried out into the hallway, and Buffy quickly tracked down Laura's attending physician. He seemed in a hurry. A tall, bald man in his forties, he strode through the hospital corridors, open clipboard in hand, and we were forced to lag behind him. "Doctor? Is she going to be all right?" I hoped she would be. Hoped this was one attack that would not leave a fatal or disabling legacy. "You family?" "Friends," Buffy answered. She was striding just behind him, almost clipping his heels, although the doctor's bulk dwarfed hers. "She'll recover. She's got a couple of shattered bones, a little internal bleeding -- she got off pretty easy." "Easy?" Buffy's voice showcased her incredulity. I remembered Laura's face back there in the hospital room, and the careful way she stayed still so that she would not hurt any more than necessary... I agreed with Buffy. The scared look in Laura's eyes... "Have you looked up the word lately?" "Well -- the first one's still in a coma." The doctor stopped in front of an observation window, and Buffy moved to look through it. A boy lay in a private room inside, his face turned away from us. He appeared to be asleep. "First what?" Buffy demanded. "First victim." The doctor pointed towards the young man lying completely still beyond the glass window. "They found him a week ago. Exact same M.O. as the girl except only he's in worst shape. If he doesn't wake up soon..." His voice deepened and grew rougher. "Somebody's got to stop this guy." "Somebody will." Buffy echoed my own thoughts. Whoever, or whatever, this monster was, we would track it down and stop it. Parting ways with Laura's doctor, I hurried Buffy back towards the parking area. The lunch hour was quickly passing. She needed to be back in school, and I needed to get back to my library. Time moved inevitably on, and we still had no idea what was truly happening. 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