FIC; The Sunnydale Grinch(1/2)

[Jim_D_Means@xxxxxxxxxxx]

I only have one request at this time. Do not reply to the end of this part. I will post Part two in a few minutes, so you'll get the complete story all at once. 'Kay? 

Well, here's my latest little stocking stuffer. Enjoy.

Kirayoshi

Disclaimers;
The Sunnydale gang belongs as always to Joss Whedon. The Grinch was created by a wonderful human being named Theodore Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss. Dr. Greene and Nurse Brackett are the creations of Shyfox.

Author's note;
I'm back, Shyfox! This story takes place in Shyfox's Sappho's Spell series, between "Unexpected Surprises"(Oz's return) and "Christmas In Your Heart"(the Christmas story, duh). This is my Christmas story for you this year.

Feedback; jingle my bells at Jim_D_Means@xxxxxxxxxxx.

Rating; a very mild PG. If you didn't know that Sappho's Spell centers around two women in a long term loving relationship, with a physical aspect(ie, sex), then where were you?

The song at the beginning of this story is available on the CD "A Very Special Christmas Volume III".

Summary; 
All the Scoobs down in Sunnydale like Christmas a lot, 
but an old friend of Giles' arrives, who does not...

========
THE SUNNYDALE GRINCH
Written by Kirayoshi
========

"Comes the time for Christmas,
And I feel that I should ask,
If this is being merry
Tell me how long must it last.
I wish a one-horse open sleigh
Would come and carry me away,
And I've been waiting here all day
And still one hasn't come my way.

Forgive me if I'm not seeming reverent,
But I'm hoping for a miracle to hold me, wash me,
Save me from my righteous doubt,
As I stand here helpless and everybody sings;
If it's Chanukah or Kwanzaa,
Solstice, Harvest, or December the Twenty-fifth,
Peace on Earth to everyone,
And abundance to everyone you're with!"

--Blues Traveler
"Christmas"


Sunnydale General Hospital
4:30 pm, December 23, 1999

Molly Brubaker sat by her mother, dejectedly kicking the leg of her chair, looking down the same corridor she had been looking down for the last two weeks. Doctors and nurses passed her without noticing, except for one nurse who gave her some coloring books and some crayons to pass the time while waiting for Dr. Greene to tell them whether they could see her father. Nurse Bracket, that was her name. She was nice. 

Molly hated her. She hated everyone here.

She hated being here. She hated waiting outside of her father's hospital room. She hated being in her father's room, watching her daddy lying unconscious, his head bandaged, his arm in a cast, all those machines beeping and flashing around him. She hated that her father needed those machines to live. She hated that she had to wait here with her mother instead of being outside playing, the way children were supposed to be doing during the school's holiday break.

And above else, she hated that it was two days before Christmas.

Her mother was too busy dealing with her father's hospitalization, talking with doctors, filling out forms, and waiting, always waiting, to put up the Christmas Tree, to buy any presents, to do anything for the holidays. She knew that Christmas wasn't coming for her this year, that she wasn't getting any gifts, that she would be waiting here, in the hospital waiting room for her father to get better. Which he wouldn't. She overheard the doctors whispering when they thought she was sleeping beside her mother. She heard one say that Mr. Brubaker would very likely not pull out of his coma. That the construction accident had left him too damaged to recover fully, if at all.

So, instead of getting gifts and giving gifts, instead of singing carols and watching Charlie Brown, this year, she would be losing her father.

She hated Christmas.

"Molly, hello," Nurse Brackett nudged her quietly, her voice calm and soothing as she tried to console the child. "I thought that you would like to know that there is a Christmas party in the children's ward, if you would like to attend. There will be games and prizes, and Santa will be there."

Molly looked up, glancing briefly at the nurse, and then to her mother. "Go, honey," her mother said gently. Molly looked at her mother, who was valiantly hiding her sadness and fear from her daughter, and then reluctantly followed Nurse Brackett to the party.

As promised, many children were present, playing pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey, Simon Says, Blind Man's Bluff, Charades, all laughing, all happy. Molly just allowed the merriment to wash over her, remaining undisturbed in her anger.

"Ho, ho, ho!" a booming voice broke through her reverie. Molly spun on her heel, to be greeted by a large man in a red fur suit. The beard looked genuine, she gave him credit for that. Spirit gum, not a clip on. Santa took Molly by the hand, asking, "Have you been a good girl for Christmas?"

"Yeah," she muttered in response.

"Well then," the Santa announced happily. "I have a gift for you." He rummaged through his bag, and withdrew a small gaudily wrapped package. Handing the box to Molly with a flourish, Santa said, "This is something special, just for you."

Molly dejectedly unwrapped the package, and lifted the lid of the small box. She gazed at the translucent blue gemstone within, it's color seeming to draw her eyes into its surface.

"That is a special stone, my child," Santa said warmly. "It's a wishing stone. Hold onto it tightly and make a wish."

Molly looked around to thank the strange man, but he had vanished quickly. She looked at the blue stone, thinking of her wish.

She had considered wishing for her father to get well, but she knew that would never happen. There was no such thing as magic, or wishes, that much was stolen from her when a crane hook slammed into her father's head. She remembered sadly when the news came of her father's hospitalization. She had been watching "How the Grinch Stole Christmas", when the phone call came, with the terrible news.

She could only think of the Grinch as she held the blue stone.

And like the Grinch before her, she got a wonderful, awful idea.

"I wish the Grinch really would steal Christmas!" she whispered intently, funneling all her frustration into a simple, angry wish.

No one else noticed that the Christmas party had simply ceased. The foyer was empty, the doctors and nurses that had been entertaining the children were simply not there anymore. The Christmas tree, the garlands, the lights, they were simply gone, as though they had never existed. It was as though the party never was. 

And from a distance, a Santa laughed. Not with a familiar "Ho ho ho", but a sinister laugh. Mocking, malevelent, triumphant.

========

Buffy Summers hadn't planned on buying Oz a Christmas gift that year. She was still put out with him for leaving Willow, and angrier for his returning.

But two things happened. One, she realized that if he hadn't left Sunnydale in the first place, she and Willow might not have gotten together.

And two, while passing a sheet music shop at the Sunnydale Mall, Buffy noticed a book of guitar chords for songs from the latest REM album, something she knew that Oz would like.

Deciding to be mature, Buffy plunked down the money for the guitar book, and with this new treasure, she left to meet Giles and Xander. It was two days before Christmas, and she had finally finished the last of her gift shopping. Her bag had grown heavy with assorted presents, half of which were for Willow and the baby she was carrying.

But as she headed out for the food court, she passed by the jewelery store one last time. She tried to avert her eyes, but she couldn't avoid looking in longing at the one-carat diamond solitare in the display case. So simple, so elegant, so beautiful. So much like Willow. 

She had purchased a Chanukah gift for Willow from that same jewelry shop two weeks ago, a charm bracelet. The bracelet contained three seperate charms; a witches hat, for the spell that brought Willow and Buffy together in the first place; a rocking horse, for the baby that resulted from the spell; and a heart, for the love that Buffy had always felt for her beloved Wiccan. As she selected the charms, she asked, half-jokingly, what the price was for the diamond ring. The clerk's answer nearly caused Buffy to jump out of her skin. Way too steep, even if she handn't blown most of her savings on gifts for Willow and the others already. 

She had fantasized about asking her beloved Willow to marry her. She had the speech prepared, the time picked out, all she needed was the ring. And it would be a long time before she ever could afford a ring, especially one that Willow deserved. Now, she postponed her plans to pop the question. Without a ring, it didn't feel right.

Buffy shook off these sad thoughts, reminded herself that Christmas was coming, and headed back to the food court. She saw Xander and Giles, chatting in front of the Wacko Taco, Xander gulping down a thirty-two ounce cup of Coca-Cola. "I'm telling you, Giles," Xander announced happily, "Mr. Magoo was the best Scrooge ever, and I'll take you on anytime, anywhere to defend him!"

"Philistine," Giles puffed amusedly. "The definitive Ebenezer Scrooge was still Alastair Sim."

"In your dreams, buddy." At this point Buffy had gotten close enough to participate in the conversation, and Xander took her by the arm. "Settle this for us, Buff. Best Scrooge ever; Mr. Magoo or Alastair Sim?"

Buffy looked at both expectant faces, thinking for a second. "Actually," she answered, "I saw one a few years ago with George C Scott that I liked. I know Willow's big on the Muppets version with Michael Caine."

Xander threw his hands up in defeat, while Giles mused. "I don't think I ever saw either of those. But George C. Scott is a fine actor. Perhaps you may have this production on video?"

"I think Mom has a copy," Buffy offered. "Maybe tonight."

"Uh, before we do that," Xander offered, "ya guys mind if I bring a vid with me to your place?" He produced a video from his shopping bag. "An early Christmas gift for Willow," he showed Buffy the tape. On the video cover, Charlie Brown stood proudly next to his scraggly little tree, while Snoopy slept on top of his decorated dog house.

Buffy smiled as she recalled last year, when Willow described a holiday tradition that she and Xander shared every year; they would sneak out and watch "A Charlie Brown Christmas" together, and Xander would do his version of the Snoopy dance. "Hey, It wouldn't be Christmas without this gem," Xander proclaimed.

"Good call, Xander," Buffy nodded as she returned the video to her friend. "Willow's gonna love it." Xander reached to take the video from Buffy's hand, when a green flash suddenly appeared between them. Before Buffy could blink, the video was gone. Xander looked around, and asked Buffy, "What was that?"

"What was what?" Buffy asked. "And what happened to the tape?"

"I dunno," Xander said quickly. He looked into his shopping bag, and gasped. "Hoo boy! The gifts I bought you guys are gone!"

Buffy suddenly noticed that her shopping bag had grown lighter. "Hey, so are my gifts!" Giles glanced inside his bag, and his eyes widened. "As are mine, along with the mulling spices I had bought at the gourmet shop. I thought I'd prepare some hot mulled cider and popcorn." 

Buffy glanced around, and located the music store. She rushed back to the store, and tried to flag down the clerk. "Excuse me, ma'am," she asked the clerk, "Did I leave here with a copy of the REM; New Adventures in Hi-Fi songbook?"

The clerk looked at Buffy, appraising her with a critical eye. "I don't recall seeing you here, miss. If you're trying to shoplift here, I'd suggest that you leave now."

"No, ma'am, I have a receipt." Buffy fished through her pockets but couldn't find the slip of paper. "At least I had a receipt," she grinned sheepishly. "No, you were here, it was just ten minutes ago. I had bought the songbook for a Chistmas gift for a friend--"

"Look, missy," the clerk answered, not even trying to hide her irritation, "if you're not here to purchase anything, I suggest you leave."

"Fine," Buffy muttered angrily, "Merry Christmas to you too!"

"Yeah, whatever," the clerk said absently.

As Buffy left the music store in a huff, she looked around the mall, and stopped suddenly. She started to notice something strange. The garish decorations that had covered every available inch of space on the walls were gone. The green garlands, the strands of lights, the holiday displays, all were missing. She made her way back to the food court, where she had noticed the mall Santa Claus holding court on the center of the floor. The Santa, his throne, the line of children waiting to talk to Santa, all were gone. As though they had never been there.

She glanced around her, and located Giles and Xander, and rushed up to them. "Guys, guys," she said hurriedly, "something's wrong here."

"Yes, Buffy, we noticed," Giles answered. "The holiday displays are missing. Even the background music has changed." Buffy listened, and sure enough, the music had changed. From Vince Giuraldi's jazz piano version of "O Tannembaum" to Hootie and the Blowfish. "Xander and I just spoke to mall security," Giles answered, "and the guard looked at us as though he didn't know what we were talking about."

"Okay, this is getting Hellmouthy," Buffy said. "You guys see anyone make off with the decorations?"

Xander hesitated, but Buffy glared at him, forcing the young man to confess his observations. "I thought I saw someone grab a wreath from the display at the Hallmark store. But it was so fast, I thought I was seeing things. Especially since--"

"Since what, Xander?" Giles insisted.

"Since the figure taking the wreath was green and furry," he half-whispered. "Buffy, he looked like the Grinch."

Buffy looked at Xander oddly. "The Grinch, Xander?" she asked. "As in Dr. Seuss?"

"Cuddly as a cactus, charming as an eel, that's the guy!" 

"Hmm," Giles answered. "Not much to go on, but it's a start. Perhaps a demon is using this Grinch character as a template for his activities. But why would he affect people's minds like this?"

"I say we get back home," Buffy suggested, slipping into full-Slayer mode, "get Willow in on it, and do the research thing. I wanna get this over with quick, so we can get back to doing Christmas." 

The three friends left the mall, and prepared to once again face the unknown.

========

As Giles drove them home, Buffy and Xander looked outside of the car window, observing the streets and houses around them. Most of the houses by Buffy's home were decorated with strings of lights, plastic nativity figures, cardboard reindeer and other symbols of the season. None of them remained. They weren't stolen or vandalized, they simply didn't exist.

As Giles pulled into Joyce's driveway, Buffy and Xander jumped out of the car, and bounded into the house. They were startled by the bare walls and tabletops. Before, when Buffy and Willow had moved in with Joyce, Buffy had prepared to make the holiday season extra-special for Willow. The two of them had decked the halls to the nines, the centerpieces of their efforts being a large Christmas tree crammed with ornaments and lights, and a menorah prominently displayed in the window. Now, there was nothing. No tree, no menorah, no gifts, no evidence at all of any holidays.

Oz was rummaging through the living room, searching. Buffy asked the young werewolf, "What's happening, Oz?"

"The Christmas stuff's missing," Oz answered. "I'm checking around to see what else is gone. Willow's upstairs, your mom's in the kitchen."

Buffy headed for the kitchen, to see her mother peering into the cabinets. As Joyce turned to her daughter, Buffy could see worry etching lines in her face.

"Mom," Buffy started, "you know what the day after tomorrow is, right?"

"Christmas, honey," Joyce answered, causing Buffy to sigh with relief; at least someone remembered that it was Christmas. "But something's happened. All of the decorations and gifts have disappeared."

"Yeah, I know, it's happening around town as near as I can figure. Only most people don't even seem to know that it's Christmas."

"I sent Oz and Willow around the house to do a quick inventory," Joyce continued. "So far in the kitchen, we've lost the turkey, the cranberry sauce, all the food for Christmas dinner. And check this out," she added, pulling a box of microwave popcorn out of the cupboard. "I bought this for tonight, and the box had a winter scene on the front, sort of a holiday promotional. But now, same box, but no holiday images."

"Weird. Looks like Sunnydale's got its own Grinch on its hands," Buffy commented. Before Joyce could respond to Buffy's observation, a terrifying scream echoed through the house from upstairs.

"Willow!" Buffy shouted, and bounded up the stairs, three at a time. "Willow! You okay?" She ran into the bedroom that they shared, only to see Willow sitting on the bed, fear and despair playing on her face. She tried to turn away from Buffy, but Buffy gently sat next to her on the bed, and coaxed Willow to face her. "Willow?" she asked, concern tinting her features.

Willow looked at her beloved, tear tracks clearly visible on her face, her bright green eyes shot with red from crying. "Buffy, I--I," she stammered, desperately trying to get the words out. "I lost it. It's gone."

Buffy's heart stopped in her chest. She looked again at her beloved's terrified features, and heard again her words in her head, and came to one terrible conclusion. 

Somehow, Willow had suffered a miscarriage.

TBC (as if you didn't know!)

"It is written, 'he who makes the best egg salad shall rule over heaven and earth.'
Don't ask me why egg salad. I've got enough aggrivation."
--Woody Allen
"What's Up Tiger Lily?"



Download NeoPlanet at http://www.neoplanet.com