Snippet: 'Cos I've Not Posted For Awhile

["buffythebushkangaroo" <buffythebushkangaroo@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

... But then, nobody notices...

--


"There's no records of her on the computer, Professor. Well, apart 
from the usual stuff... you know, school attendance records, passport 
application, and all that. Her grades are well above average but 
nothing abnormal, except..." Jubilee frowned.
"What is it, Jubilee?" Charles Xavier gave her a quizical look. He 
was good at them.
"Seems to be a whole boatload of strange activity in the area, 
Professor. The local newspaper reads like a supermarket rag. Demons, 
strange lights, destruction of property..."
"Certainly sounds like we need to pay her a visit," The Professor 
agreed. "Willow Rosenberg..." he muttered. "What mutant powers do you 
have..."

*

"We're about to come in for a landing, Ms. Monroe," the small 
Japanese woman informed her. "Time to buckle up!"
"Already Yukio? I thought we weren't due to arrive for at least 
another hour." The White-haired, dark skinned woman stretched back in 
her conformable chair and massaged her aching neck. "At least the 
weather's behaving itself!"
Yukio laughed. "The weather always behaves itself when you're 
around," she teased.
"Comin' in fer a landing, darlin's!" The pilot called back through 
the open cockpit door. The plane dropped groundwards at high speed, 
slowing only at the last possible moment before landing smoothly.
"Well, here we are. Sunnydale!"
"Where the hell'd you learn how to fly, Logan, Disneyland?" screamed 
the white-haired woman.
Wolverine unbuckled and shrugged. "Wha's the matter, darlin', can't 
you keep up?"
"Always!" Storm glared back, her eyes glowing white. "Always!"
Logan grinned. "Anyway, don't blame me for the landing. I got yer 
skinny ass down in one piece, didn't I? We hit something."
"We did?" Yukio's eyes widened.
"Yeah. Some sort of energy field. Its kinda makin' my skin tingle." 
Wolverine stared into space. "Seems ter be comin' from over 
thataway." He gestured with his hand, and an Adamantium claw extended 
out further still with a 'snik'.
Storm nodded. "Let's go!"

*

The attack came without warning, three of them. But that was just 
fine 'n' dandy as far as Logan was concerned. He'd smelled them 
coming from a few blocks away. The vampires tore into him with 
preternatural strength and Logan simply laughed as he rolled with the 
blows.
"Yer gotta do better than that!" He cried as his claws rent strips 
of flesh from the lead vampire. "I've got mutant healin' power," he 
butted another vampire, driving its nose into its brain and leaving 
it howling with pain on the floor. "An adamantium skeleton," he kneed 
the last vampire in the crotch and revelled in the flush of 
adrenalin. "And claws that can cut through steel!" The lead vampire, 
bleeding from a multitude of flesh wounds, staggered backwards. Logan 
closed in from the kill.
"They seemed like Morlocks," Storm suggested when the massacre came 
to an end.
Wolverine shook his head. "These weren't mutants," he 
muttered. "Muties don't turn into dust when you slash 'em ter bits."
"Then what were they, Wolverine?" Yukio asked as she stepped from 
behind Storm.
Logan pulled a cigar from a pocket and slipped it into his 
mouth. "Goddam vampires," he muttered.

*

Willow turned the TV off in disgust as Senator Kelly rambled on 
about the rights of Man. 
"Chauvenist prig," she summed up accurately as Buffy sauntered into 
the room.
Buffy came over and gave her a hug. "Hey you," she 
greeted. "Special occassion!"
"It is?" Willow frowned. It wasn't anyone's birthday that she knew 
of.
Buffy nodded. "One hundred days without intentional magic use!" she 
yayed. Dawn peered around the doorway, and then came in with a small 
cake.
The cake was pitiful. It was really a muffin with a single candle 
in it, but the thought meant everything to Willow.
"Oh, you guys!"
Buffy tousled Willow's hair, and then on impulse leaned over and 
kissed her cheek. Willow gave her a slightly puzzled look as Buffy 
stood up and backed off. Dawn didn't notice anything.
"Right!" Buffy said, a little too quickly. "I'm off on patrol!"
Willow stared after her. "'Bye..."

*

What had she been thinking? What...
"The Slayer!" She stopped dead, right in the centre of the 
graveyard. Even subconsciously her feet had brought her here.
She turned. "Spike, I'm really not in the mood."
"Who cares?" Spike grabbed her arms and pulled her close. Despite 
herself, Buffy leaned into his caress and kissed him. She felt... 
degraded.
*snik*
"What is it Logan?" Voices from behind her caused Buffy to break out 
of the embrace and back off.
"I smell vampire..." A man burst out and charged Spike with 
incredible speed. No, not a man, Buffy realised. Shiny claws extended 
beyond his fingers. Demon!

*

End Snippet.