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buffyfic-digest       Monday, September 21 1998       Volume 02 : Number 328



In this issue:

       BUFFYFIC: The Invasion (3/?)
       BUFFYFIC: The Talk, (1/1)

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Date: Mon, 21 Sep 1998 16:27:18 -0400
From: NightHunter <LJEFFERS@Highland.Net>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: The Invasion (3/?)

Sorry it took so long hope to get part 4 up
a lot quicker.

The Invasion (3/?)

Buffy and Xander arrived at the library to see Willow crawling under a
large piece of machinery.

Buffy walks over to it and gives it a kick.  Which causes it to tremble. 
Willow crawls out from under the machine as quick as she can.

"Slayer, the device is ready to test." Said Willow

"Then show me this other world." Commanded Buffy

Willow moves over to the machine and starts to type commands into the 
keyboard.  In just a mater of seconds the machine starts to rumble.  
The lights all over town begin to flash as the machine draws more and 
more power.  Then a bright beam of light surges from the machince 
hitting the wall, then, it starts to widen.  Then in a flash the gateway 
is opened.

"There you have it using science and magic the first interdiminisonal 
portal." Stated Willow

Buffy turns grabs one of her vampire menions and throws him in the
portal.  
In a flash he's gone, a second later he can be seen on the machines
viewing 
globe.  It shows him standing outside of Buffy's house.

"You've done good Willow." said Buffy puting her arm around Willow "But,
if 
anything goes wrong, then, well I'll think of something."

Buffy turned to Spike "Get everone ready.  We have a new world to
conquer"

A few hours later the largest army of demons, vampires, werewolves, and
other 
creatures of evil stand at the ready. They are about to march through
the 
portal at the command of the Slayer.  They would feed good on this new
world.

"Slayer!" called Willow "We have a small problem!"

Buffy reached over grabed Willow around the neck lifting her off the
ground. 
"Problem! what kind of problem!"

"UH! <Cough> Please! <Cough> Slayer!" Cried Willow causing Buffy to
remember 
that she was the only one who knew how the machine worked.  So, she
released 
her hold causing Willow to fall to the ground.

"It's just that only five people can pass through the portal.  I have to
create 
another one on the other side.  Then, we can open the portal all way. 
Then, 
that will allow the army to pass through." Said Willow

"Very well!  You will accompany me to build your machine along with
Xander, Spike
and Luke." Said Buffy

The five enter the portal and find themselves transported to another
Earth.  The 
vampire that Buffy had sent through eairler awaited her.

Later as Buffy entered the school.  With Xander, and her minions she was
approached 
by principal Synder.

"So, there you are you little trouble-maker." Said Synder grabing
Buffy's arm. "Your
coming with me.  We'll just see wha..."

Before he could finsh his sentence Buffy ramed her hand through his
chest.  It came 
out the other side holding his heart. "NO ONE TOUCHES ME!" Said Buffy
dropping his
heart to the ground.

Buffy then walked away leaving the dead body of Synder laying on the
floor.  She
continued toward the library to a meeting with her other self.

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

Date: Mon, 21 Sep 1998 19:59:02 PDT
From: "Andrea Newbery" <anewbery@hotmail.com>
Subject: BUFFYFIC: The Talk, (1/1)

Title: The Talk
Author: Andrea
e-mail: anewbery@hotmail.com
disclaimer: None of these characters are mine. They are the property of 
Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, the WB, etc...
Rating: PG
Summary: Willow talks to Joyce about Buffy.
Spoilers: Everything up to and including B2
Feedback: Good, bad, anything. 



Willow walked slowly down the almost deserted street as the afternoon 
faded away.  Her eyes lingered on the few children who played, their 
voices muted. She watched them, wondering why they were so quiet; if 
they could feel the change in the air as clearly as she could.  If they 
had some innocent sense that things were not okay in Sunnydale, that 
their only line of defense had gone missing. Closing her eyes she 
thanked whatever force was out there for the peace that had hovered over 
the town for the last few weeks. If things didn't remain that way she 
wasn't sure what they would do. None of them were prepared to fight. 
Especially Giles, who was still recovering, the physical injuries 
healing much faster than the emotional ones. 

She thought back to his confession, the stiff words barely containing 
his pain as he confessed to the trick he had fallen prey to. Her words 
of understanding meant so little to him, his horror at betraying his 
Slayer and his duty and his love all but consuming him. He had barely 
spoken for two weeks after his confession except to make suggestions of 
places to look for Buffy. And every time one of the teens had to tell 
him about another dead-end, she watched the pain that tortured him 
increase.

This morning he had come into the library later than usual, his face 
even more drawn, and had gone immediately into his office, not once 
looking at any of them.  She had followed him in, determined to break 
through his shell, terrified that if she couldn't then she would lose 
him too. She had let Buffy hide her pain over Angel, had been content to 
believe that Buffy could handle it, up until Buffy ran away, and she 
realized how much pain her friend had been hiding. Willow took a deep 
breath before straightening her shoulders as she walked into his office. 
He had looked up at her as she entered, his face raw with pain. As one 
tear fell down his cheek he told her that he had been to see Buffy's 
mother. She had called him late the night before, sobbing to him about 
Buffy running away and then confessing that she thought Buffy had lost 
her mind. Giles looked at Willow, his face suddenly old, as he told her 
that Buffy had confessed to her mother that she was a Slayer. Whatever 
else had happened on that night they might never know, but they had this 
new piece of the puzzle. Giles shook his head as he related going to 
Buffy's house, trying to explain to her mother that Buffy told the 
truth. He had wanted to console her, to reassure her that Buffy was more 
than capable of taking care of herself. Staring at Willow, their roles 
reversed as his eyes begged her for help. Holding his head in his hands 
he told her of Buffy's mother's anger. That she wavered between thinking 
he was a pervert who had taken advantage of her insane daughter and 
believing him and cursing him for letting her daughter face death every 
night. 

Willow watched helplessly as he searched frantically through his drawers 
for his diaries. Thumbing through them he read passages aloud to Willow, 
words recreating battles that Buffy had won, demons she had destroyed. 
Wondering if this is what he should share with Buffy's mother, these 
triumphs of the Slayer. Willow had sat there, her mind racing with the 
best words to use, words that could explain to Buffy's mom that she 
would probably lose her daughter very young. That Buffy would most 
likely die a violent death at the hands of a demon. Listening with one 
ear to the clinical words the Watcher had written and remembering with 
her heart the horror and fear she had felt when she first understood who 
Buffy was and what the Slayer stood against, Willow had softly cleared 
her throat, pausing Giles. Holding her hand out to him she offered to 
take the burden. To tell Buffy's mom of the truth in Giles words, and 
was rewarded by the look of relief in Giles eyes.

And now she stood on Buffy's street, staring up into Buffy's bedroom 
window, wishing that the Slayer was home. Taking a deep breath she 
slowly walked closer to the house, her imagination playing tricks on 
her, making the house seem horribly lonely sitting there surrounded by 
other houses. She almost felt the sorrow that encased it as it waited 
for the Slayer to return. With only the slightest unsteadiness to remind 
her of her injuries she walked up the steps and knocked on the door. 

And waited, praying that there would be no answer, that she could avoid 
it for one more day. Then, angry with herself for her cowardice she 
knocked louder before stepping back to wait. Listening carefully for any 
sound she stiffened as footsteps walked cautiously to the door.  Her 
breathing shallow now, she cautioned herself to remain calm. She had to 
get through to Buffy's mother, had to make her mother understand. She 
ignored the crazy hope that lived in her heart, telling her if she could 
make things right, Buffy would come home. Closing her eyes, she 
concentrated on removing her nervousness from her face, then stared 
calmly at the door as she waited for it to open. 

Buffy's mother pulled back the door slowly, her face a mixture of hope 
and dread. Seeing Willow standing there she opened the door further, the 
hope on her face returning to pain. Willow slipped inside quietly, 
feeling like a traitor to come in her house as Buffy's friend only to 
confront her with the Slayer. They stood uncomfortably inside the door, 
each waiting for the other to make the first move. Finally Buffy's 
mother offered her a drink and they moved towards the living room.  
Willow sat down on the edge of the sofa as Buffy's mother brought the 
drinks in, her throat suddenly dry. She waited as Buffy's mother sat 
down in a chair and looked at her, only her eyes betraying her 
nervousness. 

Clearing her throat Willow began to speak, "Ms. Summers..."

"Joyce." 

"Joyce...I...I..." Willow choked at the last minute, unable to bring 
herself to destroy Buffy's mother's peace of mind forever. She 
hesitated, trying to think of a way to make it better without telling 
her anything else. Opening her mouth to tell lies the truth spilled out. 
"She is the Slayer."

Joyce sat there staring at her, no anger on her face, in fact, there was 
no emotion at all. She slowly took a sip of her ice tea, the only clue 
of her inner struggle was the clink of the ice cubes against the glass 
as her hand shook.  Speaking slowly, her voice barely calm, "Why? Why 
are you doing this? My daughter is missing! Isn't that enough? She's 
gone and she thinks there are vampires. My daughter needs help and you 
should be ashamed that you are taking any part of this...this lie."

 Willow forced herself to look at Ms. Summer's as she spoke, telling 
herself that it was to late to chicken out now. Her voice was timid as 
she responded. "She was telling the truth, so was Giles. She's the 
chosen one and I'm so sorry."

The older woman sat frozen, her hand still holding the glass of iced 
tea. She didn't move a muscle for an eternity, her face betraying 
nothing as she stared at the plate of drinks and cookies that sat in 
front of her. Then suddenly she threw the glass she had been holding, 
shattering it against the far wall in the room. Turning to Willow she 
glared at her, like she would like nothing better than to throw her 
against the same wall. Standing up she paced around the room, her eyes 
never leaving Willow's face, her hands clenched at her sides. Turning 
she spat the words at Willow, "My daughter is missing, maybe even 
d..dead. And you want me to live in the same fantasy world you all seem 
to be living in? You need help. All of you." Her breath coming in short 
gasps she spun around and pointed to a picture of a much younger Buffy 
on the wall. "See? That's my daughter. And that will be my daughter 
again, as soon as I find her and get her away from you people."

Willow forced herself to lean forward in her chair, fighting her 
instinctive desire to avoid this confrontation. "Joy...Mrs. Summers, I'm 
not lying.  Buffy told you the truth, so did Giles. It's not a fantasy 
world, it's real." Struggling to keep her voice calm she continued, 
"Buffy protects the world against vampires. And whatever else comes 
along."

Mrs. Summers shook her head, her anger growing again. Slamming her hands 
down on the table she leaned across to speak directly into Willow's 
face. "Vampires don't exist."

Closing her eyes, Willow willed her stomach to calm down. She stared 
into Mrs. Summers' face, trying to portray more confidence then she 
felt, "Don't you remember parent-teacher night?  How the members of the 
gang all had something wrong with their faces? Remember how Buffy 
handled it?"

Mrs. Summers hesitated for a moment, her angry expression clouded with 
confusion. Then she took a shaky breath before speaking in a calmer 
voice to Willow. "I don't blame you. That Mr. Giles probably confused 
you too. That was just a gang. On drugs or something." She walked closer 
to Willow, her expression full of pity. "Vampires aren't real Willow.  I 
met the gang leader Buffy was fighting at the school. On the night Buffy 
left. There was nothing wrong with his face. He looked just like you or 
me."

Willow slid back in her chair, trying to make sense of Buffy's mother's 
words.  She could feel her stomach churning with confusion. "Spike...was 
here? In your house? She invited him in?"

Joyce looked nervous, as if the tone in Willows voice frightened her. 
"Yes. He sat in the chair you're sitting in. He knew the person that 
killed the girl...at school."

Willow looked at her, suddenly angrier than she had ever been. How blind 
could one person be, how oblivious to the horror that surrounded them? 
She pushed herself forward on the chair, and spoke in a low voice. "And 
that seems reasonable to you? Your daughter invited a killer into your 
house and that seems okay? But no vampires, right? Cause that would be 
crazy." Willow paused, suddenly aware that her voice was rising with 
every word she spoke. Taking a deep breath she lowered her voice and 
continued. "Your daughter brings home a man who tried to kill her and 
you think that the idea of vampires is crazy?" Willow held her head in 
her hands trying to get a grip on the anger that was burning in her 
throat.

Joyce stared at Willow for a moment, her hands dangling limply at her 
sides. She backed slowly away from Willow as if she could avoid her 
words. Shaking her head she denied them, not answering Willow's 
question. 

Willow stood up quickly, ignoring the way the room swam around her eyes 
and the nausea that gripped her stomach. "I know it's hard. It was hard 
for me too. When I first found out I thought I was trapped in a 
nightmare. But it's real, all of it, everything Giles told you. The 
demons exist Mrs. Summers."

Walking slowly over to the couch Joyce collapsed onto it, all her anger 
dissipated. "You want me to believe in a world where my daughter is a 
vampire Slayer. In a world where my daughter fights monsters." Her voice 
was thick with emotion as she spoke, "In a world where I can't protect 
her?"

"In a world where she can protect herself." Willow spoke carefully, 
praying that her words were true. "Better than the rest of us." 

"How can she? She's so tiny. She couldn't fight someone like Spike." 
Joyce paused then, her face frightened. "But she did. I saw her..."
 
Willow felt the first tears slip from her eyes at the pain in Buffy's 
mom's face as her words faded away. She held the older woman's gaze, 
refusing to let Joyce turn away from her. Willow felt as Joyce gave in, 
as she let the unimaginable become reality. Willow recognized the fear 
that came from realizing that every monster you ever feared was real. 
The boogeyman existed and for Mrs. Summers it was worse, because not 
only did she have to accept that monsters existed, but also that her 
daughter fought them. Willow reached out and grabbed Joyce's hand, her 
voice soft. "You saw her?" 

The older woman spoke softly, as if she hadn't heard Willow's words, her 
voice surprisingly steady. "My daughter fights vampires. She risks her 
life every night to keep the rest of the world safe? But vampires aren't 
real! It's not real, none of this."

Willow listened to her words, understanding that Joyce was doing what 
she had done almost two years ago, to try and make the horror real. She 
leaned forward, her face full of compassion as she waited for Mrs. 
Summers to accept the truth. Waited to answer the questions that she 
could answer, the ones that had some explanations, the where and the 
when. The why and how could never be answered, they just had to be 
accepted.

Her voice breaking Joyce continued, "But it is real. Vampires exist. I 
saw her kill one. I saw him turn to dust on my front porch." She stared 
at Willow with an almost child-like expression, "Do you know I haven't 
swept the front porch since? I rarely ever go out that door. I knew then 
that it wasn't possible, what she did. It shouldn't be. How can it be?"

Willow spoke quietly then, remembering Buffy's strength. "It just is. 
She's not as fragile as she looks. She has more strength than other 
people. Once, when someone was trying to kill my boyfriend, she took his 
gun and bent it." Willow stopped as she took in Joyce's look of horror. 
"It's okay, he wasn't trying to shoot Buffy."

"Guns?" Mrs. Summers' voice was panicked. "You use guns to fight? This 
sounds more like gangs than the vampire's you would have me believing 
in."

"No. Oz...my boyfriend, he's a werewolf. And the guy, he was a poacher. 
And he wanted to kill Oz...even though Oz is only a werewolf three 
nights a month." Willow broke off as she saw the disbelief mixed with 
terror on Mrs. Summers face. "Buffy doesn't use guns. She uses wooden 
stakes, holy water, sometimes a crossbow, but never a gun. It wouldn't 
kill a vampire anyway."

"And Spike...he is a vampire?" Mrs. Summers spoke cautiously, as if she 
wasn't sure she wanted the answer.

"Yes."
 
Mrs. Summers shook her head, "That was a vampire? Any more vampires that 
I've met?"

Taking a deep breath Willow figured it was all or nothing. "Angel. Angel 
was...is a vampire."

Joyce didn't say anything in response to Willow's words. She just sat 
there, looking at her hands. Finally looking up with tears sliding 
slowly down her face. "So, my daughter not only kills 
these...these...vampires, she also sleeps with them? This doesn't make 
any sense."

"She doesn't sleep with _vampires_, she _slept_ with _Angel_. Because 
she loved him. " Willow leaned forward, her face begging Mrs. Summers to 
believe her. "Angel's not evil, he had a soul. Most vampires don't, but 
he was cursed with one a long time ago. He, he helped us, helped Buffy. 
He loved her more than anything and she loved him. But...when they slept 
together, the curse was broken and he became evil again. That's why he 
tormented her and why she had to kill him. But I recursed him, so maybe 
she didn't have to."

"How can I believe this? It's all like some horror story, not my 
daughter's life. Buffy was in love with a vampire who turned bad after 
she had sex with him. It's almost laughable, or it would be if I wasn't 
starting to believe that this is the truth. Willow, is this really my 
daughter's life?" Joyce's eyes were pleading with her to take the words 
back, to say something pretty and let her go back to denying what she 
saw.

"Yes." Willow knew her words were shattering years of deception. Lies 
that Buffy had told and Joyce had let herself believe. She felt so 
guilty for destroying the lies, but she couldn't help thinking that it 
would be easier for Buffy to do her duty if she didn't have to hide the 
truth from her mother. 

She set her shoulders, ignoring the little voice in her head that was 
telling her Buffy may never come back. "But she does what she has to, 
all of the time. You should be proud of her, she's fought tons of demons 
and saved the world from being sucked into Hell. Her life isn't fair, 
but she did it anyway. And when she left, it was because the price may 
have been too high."

Joyce stared at Willow for a moment, her face guilty. "I told her never 
to come back. She said she had to save the world, and I told her if she 
left..."

Willow shook her head, refuting Joyce's words. "She knew you loved her. 
She just lost too much I think." Willow hesitated before speaking again, 
not knowing if the other option would give Mrs. Summers the same hope it 
gave her. "Or maybe, maybe the curse worked. Maybe Angel has his soul 
again. Maybe she left with him."

"Will he hurt her again?" Joyce looked dazed as she spoke. 

"No." Willow smiled a little as she remembered how much the vampire had 
loved her friend. "If it worked, if he has his soul, then he would 
rather die than hurt her. He's saved her many times, saved all of us."

"Saved her? I thought you said she could take care of herself?" Joyce’s 
voice was rising again, her fear coming to the surface. 

"She can, but sometimes it's good to have back-up.” Willow said softly, 
flashes of all the close calls Buffy had running through her mind. “Did 
Giles tell you?"

"That my baby would die young?" Joyce's voice was devoid of emotion. "He 
told me that Slayers throughout history had not lived long lives."

Willow swallowed, knowing how hard it was for her to accept that Buffy 
might not win forever, she couldn't imagine accepting that about your 
child. "Buffy's different though. She's won battles no one thought she 
would. And we help her, and if Angel is back, he'll help her. We aren't 
going to believe that she won't live forever."

"You want this vampire back? Angel?" Joyce questioned her.

"I want Buffy to live. And I want her to be happy. With him she has a 
better chance for both." Willow stared directly into Joyce's eyes as she 
spoke.

"But you don't know if your curse worked?"

"No. On the night, that night, Angel had kidnapped Giles and was going 
to wake a demon that would have opened a vortex into Hell. Buffy stopped 
it, but we don't know if she did it because Angel got his soul back or 
because she killed him. If I did the curse in time, he wouldn't have  
before he woke the demon or if she killed him before he could do it." 

"She left a note. All it said was that she had hurt too many people." 
Joyce spoke softly.

Willow sucked in a breath and then nodded her head. "That could mean 
either one. She felt so guilty about what happened to Angel, and what 
happened to everyone else because she couldn't kill him."

The older woman's eyes clouded with tears. She spoke in a whisper, her 
voice barely audible. "My poor baby. Do you think she'll come back?"

Willow stared at her, wondering how to answer her or even if there was 
an answer. "I need to believe she will. We need her here, and I think 
she needs us. If...if Angel is dead, she needs time to mourn him. And 
if not, well, she'll come back when he's ready. We're looking for her 
though. Every day we look."

Joyce sat back against the couch, her eyes shut tightly. Willow watched 
her, knowing that she had faced all the truths she could for that day. 
Walking slowly over to her bag she pulled out the first of Giles'  
Watcher diaries. Setting it softly on the table she turned to leave. 

Mrs. Summers voice caught her as she reached the front door. "Will you 
come back tomorrow? Will you come and tell me who my daughter is?"

Willow turned back and nodding her head she answered the woman. "Of 
course. We can all come. Xander, Giles, all of us."  Willow slowly broke 
eye contact with Buffy's mother and slipped out of the door.

She stopped once she felt the door shut behind her, feeling all the 
emotions she had been holding back hit her. Her legs trembling she 
continued holding the door for support. She could feel the dizziness 
swarming around her head and the panic that wanted to overtake her. 
Closing her eyes she reminded herself of the nightmares she had already 
lived through. Why should telling Buffy's mother be any big deal at all? 
Taking deep breaths she walked down the steps and away from Buffy's 
house. She headed down the street, her feet taking her back to the 
library. To tell Giles that she had done it. That she had explained the 
horror to one more person. Taken peace of mind from one more life. She 
spoke to Buffy as she walked, sending out her message, the same one she 
sent out every night. Please come home Buffy, we love you.


fin 

 


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