Wow, deb. You have a way of making powerful moments even more powerful.

Thanks, sj. After all, he did say he wanted to see how it ended....

One final elements drabble, for all of them.

Elemental

It only took a moment to die.

From inhale to exhale, the briefest moment in history - it went like this:

First, the sound of air whistling, surprise, cold steel embedded in the soft toughness of the human heart.

Next, the slow icy burn of the bullet, so small, so infinite in its hurt; the froth of water boiling up in dying lungs.

Finally, the sorry dance of gravity, falling into death, earth to earth.

It takes longer to tell than to feel, to end, to cease to be.

Inhale, exhale, a look of surprise. She never heard Willow screaming.

Just a couple perverts sitting around talking(and getting meta)Maybe I oughta stay out of my stash on weeknights... [link] Should this be in Enablers? Not even close to Buffyverse...And my plural wife demonstrates her tremendous mastery of the drabble form, as always.

Erika, that is hysterical.

I'm glad it's not just me. My favorite part's about the Xmas tree...I'm so meshugge.I thought about having them get together, but comparing notes is funny...and Samantha never gets to keep her clothes on.

comparing notes is funny...and Samantha never gets to keep her clothes on.

Yes, it is funny. Very, very funny, and easy to picture when you write it. But keeping the clothes on is, in Munch's eyes, not a real impediment (S3).

No. That's why he wishes he met Sam first.He just doesn't get a lot to say on his new job...except possibly too much to the hair department...I should let that go but it really is a shande

So I seem to be writing a Charmed/Angel crossover.

Tortured pretty boys are fun to write, even if you do have to throw them into another dimension and bend time to get them to hook up. Sadly, they just seem to want to yap at each other so far...

OK, two bits, one normal V!Giles, and the other a twisted bit that is Jilli's fault, because she told me to do it. First, V!Giles.

Willie hurried off to get the whiskey, a job that seemed to take a long time. When he glanced down the bar, Angel smiled back pleasantly. Well, pleasantly if you were Angelus, that is. Angel folded his hands on the bartop, giving every air of a man in absolutely no hurry to be anywhere else.

Slowly, Willie came back down, holding a bottle. He filled a glass and set it before Angel.

"Thank you, Willie." He took a sip, then looked at the barkeep expectantly. Willie made a show of putting the whiskey bottle away. "And the rest of my order?"

"I don't want--"

"If you say you don't want any trouble, I'll smash every piece of furniture in here. Where is Spike? That's all I want. Where can I find him?"

Angel knew that, even with the chip, Spike was not someone you wanted to get on the wrong side of. But surely terror like Willie's was new. Didn't matter, Willie's terror of Angel was there first.

Finally Willie sighed and nodded. "East side of town, a housing development that didn't make it. He's holed up there."

"Thank you." Angel drained the whiskey, dropped a bill on the bar and stood to go.

"What are you going to do?" Willie asked nervously.

Angel smiled again and enjoyed Willie's flinch. "I thought it was time for a family reunion. You won't let him know, will you? I want it to be a surprise."

Willie shook his head quickly, and Angel took the back door out.

He debated his approach as he drove across town. Maybe Spike was holed up in the dilapidated buildings nursing his helplessness in solitary exile. And maybe he'd found some kind of community, allies who might help he reclaim his beloved car. If Spike was out there drunk and depressed and alone, Angel could sneak up on him and smack him sillier before Spike knew he was there. But if he wasn't alone . . .

Angel parked his car a quarter mile out and walked into the abandoned development. The air stank of all kinds of demons and of recent traffic. He crept through the backyards of the half- built lots, keeping every sense alert for possible trouble. There was a vampire wandering around with something approaching a sense of purpose, but the music playing on his headphones had to be distracting him from his guard duty. Angel shook his head. Mr. Music better hope Spike didn't come out and find him slacking off. Angelus had demonstrated many ways of punishing minions who fell down on the job.