TITLE: The Tunnel Just Got Longer
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Totally absorbed in conversation, the Scooby Gang patrolled one of
Sunnydale‘s twelve cemeteries.
It had been a slow night so far. The only ’fledgling’ they’d
encountered had been a baby bird that Xander had put back into the
nest it had fallen out of. It was near midnight, but the long
shadows and darkness around them were something that they were used
to.
Chattering among themselves, they were totally unprepared when the
demon jumped out at them from it’s hiding place in the bushes, and
they froze like deer caught in the headlights.
‘Great‘, thought Buffy, as she began to fight the demon with all her
might. ‘Here we are all loaded for vampires and something else
shows up!’
Her fellow ’slayerettes’ leaped into action, as well. Or at least as
much as possible. Stakes and water pistols filled with holy water
were tossed aside as everyone tried to regroup and figure out what
to do.
Willow looked around for a weapon.
Anya tried to talk it to death.
And Xander just tried to keep from being knocked to the ground as he
did his best to help Buffy. As it turned out, he was tossed into
some bushes, instead.
Buffy found herself half expecting Spike to come charging into the
fray at any moment, to rescue them, or at least to rescue her and
Willow. If Xander wanted help he’d have to bark up a different
tree.
But the Slayer would have to save the day on her own because Spike
couldn’t come to the rescue on this particular night. She had sent
him on an errand with Tara, to the Magic Box. With Glory a constant
threat, none of the gang went anywhere alone after dark.
Irritated that she had picked this particular night to reduce their
numbers on patrol, and even more irked that she couldn’t blame it on
Spike, she fought even harder.
She landed a kick to the beasts’ midsection and as it doubled over
in pain she chopped it hard on the back of its’ thick neck and
stunned it. It dropped to the ground in a heap of slimy, ooey gooey
stuff. (Buffy’s thoughts, not the authors’) With a grimace of
distaste, she finished it off.
Xander, meanwhile, had problems of his own. As the first demon had
knocked him backwards into the bushes, a second one popped it’s head
out right beside his and for a moment they both stared at each
other.
It was even uglier than the first one, if that were possible. Its’
color was baby shit green and something in a shade that didn’t match
was dripping from its’ snout.
"Yuck!" Xander yelled, and swung at it with all of his strength, but
missed, creating a whoosh of air which in turn caused the things’
odor to envelop him making his eyes water.
Anya, who was still screaming obscenities at the first demon in it’s
own tongue, finally shut up long enough to realize that it was dead
and Buffy was staring at her.
Buffy looked pointedly in the direction of the second battle which
Anya had been having too much fun to even notice, and the ex-demon
nearly ran over her to get to Xander’s side.
Willow ran up to Buffy and brandished her trashcan lid which had
been all she could find lying around on short notice.
When she saw that her friend had already dispatched one threat, she
looked over to where Xander and Anya were putting on some kind of a
crazy comedic show in the bushes.
Anya was screeching in the demon’s face and Xander was trying to hit
it but both the combatants’ arms were tangled up in the bushes,
which, it seems, were full of thorns.
Buffy calmly took the trashcan lid from Willow, walked to the scene
of the ’battle’, pushed Anya aside, and brought the heavy lid down
on the demon’s head with all of her strength.
Too much strength, as it turned out. The demon’s scull squashed and
blobs and bits of brains and goo flew in all directions, but mostly
in Xander’s face.
Willow came running in concern and was knocked aside by Anya, who
was back-peddling away from the mess that was her boyfriend.
When she herself beheld the sight that was Xander Harris, Willow
stood her ground, having seen much in her years as a Scooby, but she
couldn’t suppress the gagging sounds, much to the distress of
Xander.
"Sorry Xand" she mumbled in apology.
Xander struggled for a minute, the bushes tearing at his clothing
some more, and finally broke free of the branches and began wiping
at his face, trying not to gag as Willow had.
Then he noticed that his friends were all still staring at him. At
first he thought it was just the goo on his face, and then he felt a
draft.
Following the directions of the stares he discovered a particularly
large gaping hole in his jeans. The entire crotch had been torn out
and had taken most of his underwear along with.
He turned several shades of red as everyone but Anya averted their
eyes, as he attempted to cover himself with his hands.
Anya stepped up and stood in front of him, turning to Buffy and
Willow. "What are you all looking at? It’s just Xander’s penis. I
see that every day. It’s no big deal!"
Xander shot her a look. "Thanks a lot, Anya!"
She glanced at Willow. "But, on second thought, you just look at
something else, Missy!"
Willow rolled her eyes. "Fine by me!"
Buffy tried not to giggle but the tension from the fight needed an
outlet and this was just too funny. She clapped a hand over her
mouth and turned away from Xander, trying not to hurt his feelings,
her shoulders shaking with mirth.
Xander, using Anya as a shield, examined himself for scratches in
important places.
Anya peered down at him. "Well? Are you ok? Are we good for sex
later?" Her voice could have been heard in Los Angles. She reached
downward. "Here, let me see it!"
"Anya! Please!" Xander backed them both away for a little private
talk.
Willow stood grinning as Buffy sank to the ground and lay there,
tears streaming from her eyes. She hadn’t seen her friend this
happy in a long time.
Then she noticed that Buffy had stopped laughing and was crying
softly.
Willow dropped down beside her and tentatively patted her on the
shoulder. "Buffy……are you ok? What is it?"
Buffy sat up, wiping at her eyes and nose. Somehow, during the
emotional outburst her troubled thoughts had snuck in and took
advantage. She hated it when that happened.
"I’m alright, Wil." She got to her feet and Willow rose with her.
She managed a smile. "Really, it’s nothing, maybe just a little
‘post Riley’ syndrome. It’s no big."
Buffy knew exactly what was troubling her, but wasn’t sure that
Willow was ready to hear it. It was still too knew, and too big,
and……oh hell……no time like the present.
She looked at her friend. "Wil….there’s something I need to tell
you……a bunch of things, actually."
Willow had guessed as much. "Is he bigger than a bread box?" She
grinned.
"Oh I’d say so." About coffin sized, actually, she thought.
"Bigger than Dawn being the ‘Key’?" Willow whispered.
Buffy glanced furtively about her. "Shh! Careful where you say
that!"
Willow looked abashed. "I’m sorry, I didn’t think. Big bonk on the
head for me. But there’s no one around but us, Buffy, so it’s
ok……what is it that you need to tell me?"
The tiny blonde looked at Willow, and made up her mind. "We can’t
talk here, not now. I’m not ready to share this with anyone but
you." She looked worried, biting at her lip.
"And one other person knows, and that’s too many for ‘my’ piece of
mind. I just hope ‘he’ keeps his trap shut until I figure this all
out. And with my luck, that will take about nine million years.
Which is OK for ‘him‘, cause he’ll probably still be around, but
‘I’ll’ be long gone…"
Willow tapped her on the shoulder. "Buffy, you’re kind of……
babbling!"
Buffy turned and grabbed the red haired witch by the shoulders.
"Willow, meet me at my house tonight in about an hour." She
realized how hard she was gripping her friend and released her.
Willow rubbed one of her shoulders.
"But Buffy it’s after midnight and as much as I wanna hear this,
whatever it is, I’ve got classes tomorrow, and a ’lot’ of homework
that still needs doing." She had her colored pens all laid out at
the dorm awaiting her return.
"Blow it off. You won’t regret it. This is big, Wil. In fact, I
need to tell everyone, at least a part of it, just for safety’s
sake, but I have to tell you all of it."
She grabbed Willow’s arm. "Please, Wil, forget about meeting me,
just come home with me now, before I lose my nerve!"
Willow glanced at Xander and Anya, who were walking in their
direction. Concern for her friend out weighed her duty to her
studies, as it had many times before.
"Sure. Don’t worry! Whatever it is it won’t seem so big when you
share it with me." She smiled.
Buffy smiled back. ‘Ignorance is such bliss‘, she said to herself.
"Great! We can call Tara and explain where you are from my house.
She and Spike should have finished at the Box long before now. I
don’t want her to worry."
As Anya and Xander came to join them she spoke in more normal tones.
"Let’s walk these two home in case there are more things going
‘bump’ in the night, and then you can come on over and help me with
that study thing."
Willow nodded vigorously.
Xander looked sideways at Buffy as they walked out of the cemetery.
She looked nervous.
Something was definitely up. He looked down at Anya’s hand, which
was covering his exposed anatomy as they walked, and grinned.
The Scoobys exited the silent graveyard.
AUTHOR: Barb (Once Bitten Spike) Stewart
PART: 1 of 4
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing, including my house. This was written
out
of my love for the series, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, and my fondness
for
a certain bleached blonde vampire. So sue me for copyright
violation, and
you’ll get only blood. But please don’t, as I am saving that for
Spike.
DISTRIBUTION: Yours for telling me where.
RATING: Maybe PG, for some language, and sexual innuendo.
SPOILERS: All the way up to and including ‘I Was Made To Love You’,
and beyond. My storyline is going to go a bit differently than
Joss’
though.
PAIRING: Spike is really trying hard to make it B/S. Some others
are having serious doubts.
FEEDBACK: Stake me good and proper. Just kidding, don’t hurt
me!!!!! Unless this story really gags you, and then I’ll break
my typing fingers. There’s only two of them, anyway. So there.
Just don’t rate me on this disclaimer, cause I’m using
some of the previous one. Lazy and pressed for time!
SUMMARY and NOTES: This is a sequel to a previous story, ‘Light At
The End Of A Very Long Tunnel‘. It goes pretty much from where that
left off.
DEDICATION: To everyone who sent me their kind praise on the last
story. Your words made it possible for me to share this one with
you, as well. I hope you like it, as I have ideas for it to
continue.
Now, on with the episode