Re: FF: Stuck In Overdrive (7/9)

[Jennifer DuBoe <jend1205@xxxxxxxxx>]

Both parts were great. Wonderful job. Thank you. Jen
Jamie <jamie@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
TITLE: Stuck In Overdrive (6/9)
AUTHOR: Jamie (jamie@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx)
DISCLAIMER: All characters belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. I don't
own anything. The idea of the 'feeders' is from Terry Brooks' Word & Void series, adapted.
SUMMARY: A few months on from the events of 'Stuck In The Feedback Loop', Willow grieves Buffy's death. Xander has turned to other methods to cope, and Giles is at a loss as to what to do. The arrival of Billy, a boy who's comatose state allows for nightmares to become reality complicates matters further.
SPOILERS: Unless you haven't seen season one...
DISTRIBUTION: E-mail me.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Again, sorry for this taking a while. This is just a short chapter, a kind of bridge between Chapter 6 and Chapter 8. This deals with bringing characters to where they are in chapter 8, and the strengthening of the bond between our heroines. As I said, it's small, but pointful. Also Janna gets her come-uppance for what happened to Xander. Later.

CHAPTER 7

Reiver?s Music.







Buffy and Willow sat as close to the fire as they could stand. Countless Feeders surrounded them now, and they wanted all the protection they could get.

"My death," Buffy began. "Was not your fault." Willow shook her head.

"I could have saved you, if only I?d have walked away that first night. You?d still be alive." Willow said sorrowfully, her head bowed. Around them, the feeders edged closer, feeling the wave of depression and sadness coming from the young red-haired girl. They wanted it, they wanted to taste her suffering and rejoice in its power.

"Willow, listen to me!" Buffy said, raising her voice slightly. "Nothing you could have done would have prevented it from happening. Did it occur to you that maybe it was just my time? Or were you thinking too much about yourself, and too much about how much suffering you were in that you forgot that. This is killing you, you have to stop blaming everything that goes wrong on what you do. I?ve learned a lot in my life, and you know what the second biggest, most valuable lesson is? Shit Happens. You know, you can?t protect everything. Sometimes you just have to let go. Sometimes?." Buffy?s voice cracked, and her eyes glistened with unspilt tears, threatening to brim over at any second. "?sometimes have to move on." Willow listened in shocked silence. All the things Buffy was saying were true, and yet she didn?t want them to be. Somewhere inside her, throughout these long months, the countless visits to the cemetery every night, she had always had hope that Buffy would come back. But if she wanted this nightmare to end, if she wanted to get out of this place, then she had to leave that hope behind and begin living her life again, without her love. Without Buffy.

She couldn?t do that.

"No?" she croaked. Buffy looked up at her, tears running from her cheek. "I can?t do that."

"Willow you have to. You?" Buffy trailed off and began sobbing. The Feeders edged closer and closer. Willow suddenly snapped out of it and noticed the golden eyes crawling steadily towards them. She reached towards the fire and grabbed a burning log, then swung it at the dark shapes. They fell over each other trying to escape, but some were unsuccessful. The light reached their ethereal skin and burned it, dashing it to dust underneath its luminescence, and just setting some aflame. The creatures shrieked as the light blew them apart, the wind scattering the ashes. The rest of the creatures shrank back and Willow darted around the fire, waving the torch and scattering the creatures around Buffy. She dropped the torch then, and fell to her knees, grabbing the girl?s shoulders. When the blonde looked up, she leant forward and kissed her firmly, and with all the passion she felt for her. It lasted for long seconds before it broke apart.

"I?ll never leave you."

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

Giles stood in mute horror, still holding Billy. He couldn?t believe the scene that had unfolded before his eyes, couldn?t believe what had happened. Couldn?t believe this revelation, of who?what Jenny really was. And Xander?He glanced over at him and saw the boy was lying on his back, still breathing, but raggedly and with a gurgling sound. His lungs had probably been punctured.

"Jenny?I?" He started, but the demon broke him off, screaming insanely.

"Jenny doesn?t live here anymore, sorry!" She shouted, almost laughing. She struck him as a terrible version of a clown, with her surreal features and sing-song voice. "I am Janna."

"I don?t really care who you are," Came a voice from behind the demon. Janna turned around and found herself staring at an aging man, dressed in a business suit but holding a long, ornately decorated dagger. She knew that dagger. And she was afraid.

"Father," Giles breathed. He whipped around as a strong breeze began to blow through the clearing, a very strong breeze. Lightning crackled, and forked from the sky to a point in the air by the altar. The joining lightning created a circle of electricity, which widened and lengthened inwards. Inside it a swirling vortex of cloud and electricity raged.

"Go son," His father shouted, not taking his eyes off Janna. "Stop this at its very beginning. Change the past and save our future. Go!"

I do not envy you in this. You have very difficult choices to make. Both of you. If the time comes and you hesitate, even a little, then all will be lost. Remember that.

Giles ran forwards towards the maelstrom without hesitation, still carrying Billy.

Follow your instinct.

He entered the vortex.

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

Xander lay on the ground, his vision dizzy and his hearing muffled. He felt detached from everything, from watching the scene unfolding before him, from the pain in the five points on his chest where he had been impaled on Miss Calendar?s claws. He felt tired, so very tired. Maybe, finally, it was time to rest.

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

Anthony watched as the boy gave up, and fell limply to the floor, the life draining out of him. He closed his eyes briefly as he felt the soul leave the body and pass on. Too many had suffered. Too many had died over this.

"It ends now Janna." He said sternly, steeling himself for the confrontation that was about to occur.

"No!" The creature shouted angrily. "It will never be over. Whether or not your little game turns in your favour or not, there will always be more pain in their lives, more suffering. There will always be apocalypses to avert, deaths to grieve, and friendships to be broken." Janna smiled evilly as she looked over at Xander?s corpse. "After all, that?s what life?s all about really, isn?t it?"

Anthony grunted as he flung the knife. The demon didn?t stand a chance, her reactions were too slow and it sliced through the front of her ribcage like butter, embedding itself in her dark and twisted heart. Her lifeblood flowed from the wound and she fell to her knees, clutching the knife and wrenching it out with a laugh.

"Heh, would you look at that." The demon said, taking on Jenny Calendar?s voice rather than her own. She fell forward and flung her arms out to steady itself on the hard forest floor. She coughed violently and blood dripped from her mouth. She lifted her head and locked eyes with him. "Remember what I said, phantom. I may die, but there will always be more?always more?always?" The demon?s eyes rolled up in its head and it fell to the side. Anthony Giles knelt down and picked up the knife, then wiped it on Janna?s jacket. He moved a few paces to the altar, where an ornately carved wooden box lay on the stone top. The phantom placed the dagger inside the linen shroud and wrapped it, before walking into the swirling vortex and disappearing into the cloud and the light.







End Chapter 7.


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



I feel so cheap calling it a chapter.





Jamie
jamie@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"So go ahead and label me an asshole cuz I can accept responsibility for what I've done, but not for who I am." - NOFX, 'Don't Call Me White'
http://www.buffywillow.com

Glory: Funny. 'Cause I look around at this world you're so eager to be a part of ... and all I see is six billion lunatics looking for the fastest ride out. Who's not crazy? Look around. Everyone's drinking, smoking, shooting up ... shooting each other, or just plain screwing their brains out 'cause they don't want 'em anymore. *I'm* crazy? Honey, I'm the original one-eyed chicklet in the kingdom of the blind. 'Cause at least I admit the world makes me nuts. 

Xander: Yeah, I'm gonna have to go with deadboy on this one. 
Angel: Could you not call me that? 


"It's a good fight, Buffy, and I want in."
"I kinda love you."
Buffy and Willow, 'Choices'

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