Catching up. Whoo! Such good stuff. Lots and lots of great stuff, everybody!

Latest chapter of V!Giles (as seen here) up at my website

[link]

connie, I completely misread your post and thought that there was a new installment and went and read it and now, though I enjoy the story, am all angry and wanting.

I'm writing, I promise I am. Pain, angst, blood, suffering, really.

see?

Joyce watched Xander up on the wall and frowned. There was something in his eyes that worried her. Through all the adventures of life in Sunnydale, Xander had never lost the spark of humor. It may have been overlaid with pain or stress or weariness, but it had been there, if only in the awareness that it was not the appropriate time for whatever quip he'd just thought up.

That was gone now. All that was in his eyes was pain and loss. The optimism that had survived vampires and betrayals and whatever private griefs haunted him from his pre-Buffy life had finally gone under to one too many losses.

Sister Agnes was watching as well. "I didn't know they were to be married."

"Neither did I. I don't think anyone did. He was probably waiting till after we finished with Glory to ask her. I'm worried about him. He's just started having things work out for him, and now this."

"But Anya lives."

"Yes, but--she's changed. She was so wanting a normal life, she talked of children and growing old with him. Now . . ."

Sister Agnes nodded. "If she'd died, he could mourn her. Instead he'll see her and wonder if things can ever be the same."

Willow stood nearby, wringing her hands. "I don't want to take down the shield," she whispered. "I know what he's going to do. How do I stop him?"

"Can you mess up the rifle somehow?" Joyce asked.

"I don't know enough about how guns work, all I can think to do is make it blow up, and that would hurt him. What do I do?" She suddenly gasped and went to her knees. The air around the convent glowed white for half a second, then faded. "Oh, oh . . . ow . . ."

Sister Agnes helped her up. "Nina, what was that?"

"Counter . . . spell, those monks--they're trying to bring down the shield." She cried out as the shield flared again

Xander saw this from the wall. "Willow! Willow, take it down! I can stop them!" Spike poked at the air above the wall and muttered curses.

Willow let Sister Agnes hold her up as she gasped. "Nina, this is hurting you. Bring it down before they rip it from you."

"But Xander--"

"Must do as he will. You can do nothing for him if you let them injure you."

She hesitated, then nodded. "Disperse," she said, waving her hand. "It's down."

Spike, still poking the air, felt his hand slip through. "We're on." He slipped into his fangs and grinned.

Xander stared at him a moment, then out at the soldiers. The monks had staggered back, holding their heads, but their leader spoke urgently to General Gregor, who straightened triumphantly. Xander took a deep breath, then let it out. "Yipee ki-yay," he said, and nodded at Spike. Spike nodded back.

Xander flipped the selector switch to full auto and jumped to his feet. He sprayed the full clip at the feet of the soldiers, not caring too dreadfully much if he got a little close. With a howl of delight, Spike vaulted over the wall. The screams soon followed.

Oh.

Ow.

Wonderful, connie!

Victor, I loved the latest installment of your story, and loved the way you re-introduced Oz and Connor. I'm going to have to go back and re-read this thing from the beginning.

Sunday100 drabble...

Played Out (G, AU from BtVS S3 "Bad Girls")

"Buffy, you're not concentrating."

She stopped punching the heavy bag. Her hands fell to her side, and she turned, panting and glaring at him. "Well, thanks for that astute assesment, Wes. I'll see if I can concentrate better with you nagging. And hovering. You were hovering."

He discreetly rolled his eyes. "Sometimes I don't think you take the job of a Watcher seriously."

Her eyes hardened. "I take it plenty seriously."

Wesley surreptitiously watched her, minutely adjusting his glasses and making a note in his journal. Some days he didn't know how Giles put up with her for three years.

For the Sunday100 drabble....

This is really just a distillation of my earlier fic "Redux," but since the challenge was AU, I decided to see if it could be edited down to a drabble. The result:

[Spoilery for Angel S4 through "Salvage" and Buffy S7 through "Lies My Parents Told Me"; AU after that.]

The Convert

She came to Sunnydale, fresh from fighting Angelus. She told them she defeated him, some monk re-souled him, and everything was cool.

"That green guy who works with Angel can see the future, or something. He said I should come here, that you?re facing big evil. So...whatever you need, I'm your girl."

Buffy replied hesitantly, "That could be what we need. Nothing else has worked...." She looked at Faith. "Yes."

Faith extended her hand. "Okay?"

Buffy took it. "Okay."

Faith pulled Buffy to her with preternatural speed. Ridges distorted her face as she tore into Buffy's jugular vein.

Sweet, victor!

My drabble: Our Gift

She knows that look. That serene, resolute, dead inside look.

"Dawnie … I have to …"

Dawn pulls back as Buffy leans in, refuses to listen.

"NO!"

She scans her older sister's face, looking for the right things to say.

They don't exist.

"I was made from you, Buffy. I'm Summers blood."

She kicks off, backwards, flinging herself out of reach, trying not to memorise the pain on her sister's face. She squeezes her eyes shut, remembering … focusing on the real memories, the ones since her creation, of her mother, and love and friends.

"Death is our gift …"

Boy, ita, I wish it woulda happened that way.