posted on 28-Sep-2001 5:58:55 PM by Sugarplum7
Undone

Authors: Maria (IcePrincess2100) and Katie (Sugarplum7)
Email Maria: roswelldreamerchick2100⊕yahoo.com
Email Katie: Sugarplmfarie7⊕yahoo.com
Category: AU, Crossover: BUFFY/ANGEL/ROSWELL
Disclaimer: We do not own anything having to do with Roswell, Buffy, or Angel, nor do we have any affiliation with the shows. The characters belong to the people that created them. No copyright infringement intended. Some dialogue from the shows will be used.
Rating: PG-13 and R for language in a few parts
SPOILERS: Everything on every show up to their respective season finales!
Couples: CC Mainly M/L. We promise to have Buffy and Angel together by the end.
Feedback: Please leave us feedback. We love it. It lets us know what you think, and what you may want to see. You can send it via email or leave it on the board.
Summary: This is a post departure fic, and picks up where all the season finales left off. The three groups are linked to each other because of their past and the friends they made in the present. Angel’s role may seem small now, but he will become more important as the story progresses.

You can also find this story at Jen's site, Tales of Roswell. Look for it under Crossovers, of course. It will be under Maria and Katie:
[url]http://talesofroswell.fws1.com/page1.htm
*bounce*

The link to the Repost Board: viewthread?forum=repost-fan-fiction&id=358

Author’s note:
Alrighty we are gonna try to incorporate everyone into this as much as we can. Also Maria here is a huge Isabel fan so she will play a big role in this fic. Now this is our first fic we have ever posted so tell us what you think! Look for it under either Maria (IcePrincess2100) or Katie (Sugarplum7). Both of us are dreamers, so we insure all the readers that this will have a happy ending for all those involved, especially Buffy and Angel, and Max and Liz. Wow, do we have a thing for star-crossed lovers or what?!

I posted this part on the old board a few days ago, but I thought it would be a good idea to get it on this board as well. I hope that y’all like it if you haven‘t read it yet. Happy reading.

Part 19

Buffy stood in the dark room alone mesmerized. She did not know where she was, but this place was neither hell, nor heaven. She is on another plane of existence. She was stuck here in this dark room that went on in every direction for eternity, with nowhere to go and no idea where to head. The only thing that she was able to do here was contact a person through their dreams, and that could only be done a certain number of times in a period of a few days. Even if she used up the to enter a person’s dream she was still able to see what occurred in the person’s subconscious.

She was looking around and trying to find something to do other than just sit around and look at a persons dream. She wanted more. She wanted her life back. Sure she did not have the world’s greatest life, but it was her life. She was walking around this black nothingness when a dream sphere popped in front of her. She was about to push it aside and leave it, when something amazing happened. The moment that her hand touched the surface emotions of love, loss, and protection overwhelmed her. She knew right away whose dream she was holding in her hands-- Angel’s.

She tried to ignore it, deny it, but there was no running from the fact that she wanted to know what he was dreaming about. Against her better judgment she held the sphere in a stronger grip, and the emotions of his dream washed over her senses. There were no words that could come close to explaining the feelings that overwhelmed her senses. They crashed over her body like waves on the beach, and exploded in her mind. She saw everything he thought about, and felt all the emotions that coursed through his veins. Now, she was desperate to get back to him. Tears were gradually making their way down her face as she thought about all that he had done for her. For the world. She was pulled out of her thoughts by a light tap on her shoulder and a soothing voice.

“It’ll be alright,” he said in a sympathetic voice.

“No but . . . I . . . it’s just not fair,” she said crying. “Why did he have to do that? Why did he have to go through all that pain? It’s so deep, he is so hurt. And I couldn’t have made it any easier on him. I mean with Riley and everything . . . and . . . I just wasn’t always that nice to him. I should have been allowed to remember. He shouldn’t have made that decision without me. He was always thinking about how something would affect me. He always wanted to protect me. Everything that he did was for my benefit. I didn’t mean to be . . . it’s just that I was so . . . hurt. God, why can’t we be happy? Alex, you are here to guide me, help me, but everything that we did isn‘t working. We’re running out of time. What if . . . what if I never get back to him or Dawn. What will happen? Things must be going haywire in Sunnydale. What do I do? How can I get back . . . so others can be safe?” She looked to the young man through her tears with a desperate expression on her face.

“I don’t know. That is the only answer that I can give you for most of your questions. I am not the all-knowing messenger, I am more like your own personal protector, guidance guy. I think someday though you two will be happy. And as for him not involving you in the decision he made, I don’t know about that either. What I do know is when you love you someone so much you just do what needs to be done. You don’t question your happiness at the time. The important thing is keeping the other safe. And that’s what he did. He loved you enough to let you go even though he knew what he was giving up. He needed to be sure that you were protected and the only way to do that was to be the one who could protect you. I bet you if he had to do it again he would.”

“I know he would! And that’s what makes me so angry! I should have gotten a say in this! I can take care of myself. He and I deserve to be happy. It shouldn’t be like this. Why is it that every time it seems like things between us are good it all gets shot to hell?! He shouldn’t have made the decision without telling me first.”

“Buffy you shouldn’t be mad at him. If he told you would you have let him make it, would you have been strong enough to give up that day, and all those that would have followed it? Would you have been able to give up the truest form of happiness that you have ever experienced?”

“Of course I wouldn’t have let him do it! I would have found another way. There had to have been another way,“ she cried. This was tearing her apart. Things were never easy for her.

“You didn’t answer the big question. Would you have been able to do what he did? If the roles were switched would you have been able to do what he did?”

“I . . . I don’t know,“ she sobbed. How was she supposed to know the answer to that?

“That is my point. You don’t know what you would have done unless you are put in that place, but you were in that place, and you made a similar decision. You gave up your life and all its possibilities so someone else could be happy. You gave up your life and all the happiness that you could have experienced because you wanted to protect someone. You are more like him than you even realized,” he said enlightening her.

“Okay, I did do that, but Alex do you realize the amount of pain he went through?” she asked sharply “I did what I did for Dawn, my sister. The love I feel for her is extremely different than what I feel for Angel. Don’t you see? I felt it. I felt what he went through. I felt his heart break. I don’t think I could have survived all that on my own. I should have been able to be there for him. I should have remembered. I told him I would never forget, but I did. The way he felt after the day was turned back and I. . . .” She choked down a sob and continued. “To me it was like a normal day. It was right where we left off. But for him, he knew what he gave up, and I know how much pain it caused him to know that just moments before time shifted he was holding me in arms kissing me. I was so cold to him. God I hurt him so much! I just . . . I don’t know. I want to hold him right now. I need to get back to him. I need to tell him I know and that I love him and he doesn’t have to be alone anymore. He needs to know I’m sorry. God! I should have remembered.”

“Buffy, it isn’t your fault. He knew you weren’t going to remember,” Alex said soothingly. He was trying to calm her down. She was so emotional right now, and that wasn’t good for her. She couldn’t give up hope.

“Yeah but it doesn’t make it hurt any less.” She said softly “Do you know how frustrating it is to love someone so much and to know that they’re the one for you. Your soul mate, the love of your life, the perfect person for you. And it’s like finally things are perfect and you think it’ll last forever but somehow it all gets ripped away. And for what? For the safety of the world? Sometimes I wish that this was just a dream. That I am a normal girl, and my biggest problem is school. And my biggest fear is breaking a nail, not the hellmouth opening and swallowing the world.” She thought of that so many times. ‘Things would be so much easier if she was a normal girl.’

“You know that is not true. If you were a normal girl you wouldn’t have met your friends, or Angel for that matter. He does what he does because he cares. He has a heart, and I’m not talking about an organ that beats in a chest and pumps blood through a body. He was saving your life and the world. He wouldn’t be able to protect as a human and you know that.”

“I know.”

“You two will be happy together one day. You’re soul mates and soul mates always work it out,” Alex said smiling at her.

She smiled back at him and replied, “Thank you Alex. I hope you’re right.” She gave him a hug. They sat down in the void that they have been in for the last couple days.

“I‘m always right,” he said as he followed her in sitting down on the hard, cold ground.

“Alex?” Buffy said tentatively.

“Yeah.”

“Have you ever been in love?”

He smiled, “Once.”

“Really. Well she was a lucky girl to be loved by you.” Buffy said smiling at him.

“Thanks.”

“What’s her name? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“No it’s alright. Her name is Isabel.”

“Isabel?” She said in recognition “The one that--“

“Yes,” he cut her off. “The one who can help bring you back.”

“Do you miss her?”

“Like crazy.” He smiled sadly “But she never felt the same way about me. I know she loved me but I also know I wasn’t the one for her.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s better this way.”

She sighed “I wish you could come back with me. I don’t want to leave you here. You have been a great friend to have. If it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t know what to do. I would have probably gone crazy just sitting in this . . . void,” she said gesturing to the landscape that surrounded them. “I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too. We both know I can’t go back but I’ll always be there if you need me. Besides, I won‘t be here forever. I am you protector guy, remember?”

“Yeah, your the protector of a protector. Nice job you got going on. This is a great place for an office. Why couldn‘t you be located in Hawaii or something? At least then I could be somewhere nice,” she said.

“I’ll have you know that I am only here because you are here. This is not the other way around. As soon as you get out of this black nothing I will be out of here too. I will be in another plane of the world that you will be in. I will be there for you. You just won’t be able to see me.”

“I just don’t want you to be alone,” she whispered with tears forming in her eyes. Alex had been good to her and she hated the thought of him being all alone anywhere.

He pulled her into a hug and spoke softly “It’s okay. I won’t be alone. This is the way things are supposed to be. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.” He pulled back and looked into her eyes. “Feel better?”

“I don’t know. Not really. I still don’t want to leave you here but I want to be near Angel, and I tell him I heard him and that I love him too. I just want to take away the pain that he is feeling. I just hope our friends can figure all this out in time.”

“They will. I know it,” Alex said quietly.

“Alex?”

“Hmmm.”

“You know what?” She asked still leaning against his chest.

“What?”

“I feel bad for Liz and Maria.”

“Why?” he asked. There were so many people that she had to feel bad for, but Liz and Maria were at the top of her list for some reason.

“Because they had to lose you, they are just going to miss having you as the great friend that you are. It’s just . . . now that I met you I don’t want to leave you.”

“It’s okay. You won’t ever really leave. I’ll always be with you. Even if you can’t see me.”

TBC. . .

Author’s Note:

Let us know what you thought. How many of you want Alex to come back? If enough of you speak up we might think of something to get this kind-hearted hero back. I will be back shortly with the next part.

Luv ya,
Katie
*angel*


[ edited 25time(s), last at 19-Jun-2002 3:08:12 PM ]
posted on 28-Sep-2001 6:09:30 PM by Sugarplum7
Author’s note:

I know it has been a little while since we have visited with the Roswell gang. Okay a long while, a very long while. Just so you can get a little refresher of what happened last I am posting part 17 again. This way you don’t have to go rooting through the Repost find it. If you don’t need the refresher you can just skip on down to the next post. Where part 20a is awaiting you. Enjoy you guys.*smile*


Part 17

Roswell, New Mexico

Max watched from across the street as Liz got out of the strangers car. After what she told him earlier he had to see her. ‘She said that I already lost her? And who is this guy? Why is she getting out of his car? What is she doing? This guy could be dangerous.’ He thought and quickly crossed the street to catch up with her. Before he could say anything she was already talking.

“What are you doing here Max?” She said while her back was facing him. She could feel him, even though she couldn’t see him.

“How did you know it was me?”

“Please. I always know when it’s you. Now what you brings you here at. . .“ she looks to her watch “4:30 in the morning.”

“I couldn’t sleep. I needed to see you.”

“Well now you have, so goodnight. I really need to get to bed.”

“Wait! Who was that?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” She replied stiffly still facing away from him.

“Liz. Please? What happened?”

“Look it’s nothing I can’t handle. I’ll tell you later but right now I want to go to bed. Come by with Isabel at nine okay? Please.” She wanted to get him away. Things were already complicated, and he just made things worse by trying to make things better. ‘Doesn’t he get that I need to be alone? To try to get some control over my life that is spiraling out of control.’

“No it’s not okay tell me what happened. Why were you with him?” He demanded. Through his tone you could tell that he was not leaving until he got an answer.

“I need time to think about all this please just go.”

“No,” he stated.

She was starting to get angry. She didn’t feel like talking about it now. “Max. Go home!”

“No! Not until you tell me what is going on.”

“Damn it Max! What is it that you want me to tell you? Huh?” She was gesturing wildly with her hands and continued. “How the hell do expect me feel now? I am just told that I was your wife on another planet who happened to be killed by your second wife. The same bitch who killed my best friend. You slept with her! Yeah, sure she is not pregnant. Is that supposed to make me happy?! Do you want a parade? Just because she is not pregnant does not change the fact that you slept with her. God! First you tell me that you slept with her, then you tell me that you still love me, followed by you have always loved me, that your purpose in life was to love me, and then seconds later say that you have to find and save your son. You never once said I love you! You only implied it. Days later I find out that I was sent to Earth from an alien planet, and now I have a destiny! I can’t handle all this! Is time too much to ask for? Is sleep too much to ask for? I just want to gather my thoughts and maybe sleep? Do you know how long it has been since I had a full night of sleep? I can’t even remember when. Is sleep too much to ask for? Well of course it is. I’m Liz Parker. Nothing is ever nice and easy for me. Now I get to go around killing vampires for the rest of my life. Yeah lots of fun in that let me tell you. Very thrilling. At least they clean up after themselves. That will be helpful. It is just dust. No blood. No gore. Very easy. Oh! So that is the break that I get? They clean up after themselves. That is a nice one.” She continues venting her issues, going off on tangents and coming back to the source of her problems.

Max had no idea what she was talking about. ‘Vampires? Huh?’ He didn’t know what to think. “What are you talking about?”

She didn’t answer him. She was too busy in her own world. She didn’t even hear his question. She continued on her rant, spitting things out about destiny, super powers, and vampires turning to dust.

He walked up to her and tried to calm her down. He was heading towards her thinking, ‘If she stops gesturing I can get her to talk to me and not at me. If I let her know that I’m here then she’ll calm down.’

She barely noticed what was happening until it was all over. Max came up behind her. He placed his hand on her shoulder, applying some force, hoping that this would snap her out of this rant that she was in, letting her know that he was here for her.

Liz wasn’t thinking about what was happening now. She was still thinking about what had happened in the cemetery that night. Liz grabbed his arm and flipped him over. She didn’t know what she was doing to him until it was already over. He landed on his back with a thud.

Liz looked to where Max was lying unmoving on the ground. She was horrified. ‘Oh God Max! What did I do? Oh my God did I hurt him? Did I do that? Oh God! I didn’t mean to.’ Thoughts were racing through her mind. She ran to his side in seconds whispering, “Oh God,” repeatedly. She bent down and he stirred then looked up at her.

“What the hell?” he said. ‘Did she just do that? How though?’

“Max!” she said with tears in her eyes. “I-I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to. God I didn’t mean to I swear. I‘m sorry. I am so sorry. I don‘t know what happened. I really . . . I . . . I am so sorry. Are you okay? Did I hurt you? God! I am so stupid. I don‘t know what happened.” She said between sobs. The tears fell freely down her face now as Max looked into her eyes.

He looked up to her eyes which were overflowing with tears, and his heart melted. He was confused as to how she was able to do what she did, but she was crying right now, and she needed him. His questions could wait. He pulled her into his lap and wrapped his arms around her. She buried her head in the crook of his neck and he stroked her hair while whispering in her ear. “Shhh it’s okay. I know you didn’t mean to. It’s fine. I‘m fine. Nothing is wrong. See? You didn’t hurt me. ”

“No it’s not fine. I could have hurt you.”

“Liz you didn’t hurt me. I’m fine.” He assured her.

“I know that, but what about next time? I didn’t even mean to flip you. It was just . . . a reaction.”

“Liz?”

“Yeah,” she said. She was still sniffling.

“How did you do that?”

She pulled back and looked into his eyes. She could get lost in his eyes if she let herself. ‘Now is not the time for that,’ she told herself and looked away. “Lets go upstairs,” she said and stood while reaching her hand down to Max. He took it, and they silently made their way up the ladder to Liz’s balcony. They sat down on opposite sides of her lawn chair and Liz started.

“When I went for that walk some guy came up to me and was telling me I had a destiny. That I was the new slayer. I alone could fight the vampires. I didn’t believe him. I mean, how absurd is that? Vampires? So he was telling me I needed to go with him and . . . I don’t know. I did. I felt like it was safe that this was supposed to happen. Now when I think about it, it was probably a really dumb thing to do. Leaving with some strange British guy in the dead of night. He brought me to a cemetery and that’s when it happened. There was a vampire coming towards me and I have no idea how I knew how to fight it but I did. It was strange I was so much stronger than I was yesterday. And then I knew. I knew he wasn’t lying to me. He gave me this paper, and he told me to go there. That he would help me. He didn’t say who he was but. . .” she let her words hang in the air. Nothing was said for a few minutes. Until finally Max spoke.

“Are you okay? I mean your not hurt or anything?”

“I’m not hurt, but I’m not okay. I-I. God I could have hurt you tonight. I didn’t mean to do it but it was like instinct kicked in and the next thing I knew you weren’t standing anymore. You were on the ground at my feet.”

“But I’m okay. Don’t worry about.”

“I have to worry about it. What if I do it someone else? I could hurt someone without even meaning to. What if I shake someone’s hand and I break it? What if I hug someone and I break their ribs? What if someone does what you did just now, and I flip them, but they aren’t as luck as you? What if I break their arm? I can’t . . . I don’t want to hurt anyone. I feel like I’m a danger to everyone. Like I will break them by touching them. I-I . . . I hate this. I hate not having any control over anything. I . . . I just want a normal life for once. I want my greatest fear to be a bad grade or . . . or something that isn’t I could lose my friends to an elite FBI unit, or evil aliens coming to take over the planet. When things finally calm down to our normal something like this happens. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life hunting vampires and demons. This is too much . . . This is too soon . . . Too fast.” She started to cry again, and Max pulled her closer to him. He laid back on the lawn chair with her in his arms and let her cry. Soon they both fell asleep.

The first thing Liz was aware of when she woke up was she pressed against something. Someone. She struggled to sit up but his arms were keeping her in place. Max opened his eyes when he felt her stir and smiled at her.

“Good morning,” she said smiling.

“Hey.”

“So about last night. Listen I’m sorry I didn’t mean to cry all over you.”

“No. Don’t apologize it’s okay. I understand.”

“So. . .” she said after a long pause. After everything that happened she was unsure about what to say.

“You okay?” he questioned her.

“I think so.” She said leaning back into him.

“You sure?”

She smiled. “Yea I’m much better. Thank you for last night. I’m sorry if I yelled at you I was just--”

“Hey it’s okay. I know.” He assured her.

“Okay”

“So do you want to go find this guy?”

“I think I should.”

“Okay then. Today at the meeting we’ll tell everyone. We should call everyone and let them know that we have to meet earlier.”

“Sounds like a plan then. Do you want me to call them?”

“No. I want you to get in bed and sleep. I’ll let you know when they start arriving.” Max left as soon as he was sure that Liz was fine. He went back to tell Isabel what has changed. He called Maria to tell her that they needed to meet earlier, that there was a new development. She offered to call Michael and the others, and he accepted. ’I don’t want to have to wake Michael up this early.’

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

The group was waiting in the Crashdown for the last member to arrive. Max and Liz decided that it was best if the meeting was moved to an earlier time in light of the newest development.

“Okay, I’m here what was the big news that made you all wake me up so early. The meeting was supposed to be at 11:00,” Michael said the anger evident on his face.

“Lets go to my room. I don’t want anyone else to overhear to what I have to say.” Liz said leading everyone from the café and up to her room in the apartment above. They slowly followed her out of the Crashdown and quietly filed up the stairs to enter her room.

“Well, now that everyone is here I have a big announcement to make,” Liz said taking the command of the meeting. “Last night when I was walking home something happened. Someone came up to me and told me something. Remember what Serena said to us last night, specifically the part about Corrine being something that is called a slayer here on earth? This guy that I met told me that well, I . . . uh . . . I am the slayer. I have a destiny. That destiny is to stop the vampires. I know I sound crazy, but I fought one last night. I killed it, or slayed it. I know that the guy was right.”

“You think that you’re a what?!” Maria exclaimed. Liz was saying that vampires exist and that she is destined to fight them, and stop them. They were all thinking that, but Maria was the first to vocalize it. “How do you know that this guy is for real? I mean this guy could have had you kill a dummy or puppet or shapeshifting alien or something.”

“I know it was a vampire. He turned into dust when I staked him through the heart. What kind of a dummy puppet thing does that? I know this sounds crazy. I sound crazy, but I really need you to believe me. I am scared myself, but there is proof. I am so much stronger now. I kicked this vampire and he flew through the air. Another thing happened, but I don’t want to say it. Let’s just say someone got a first hand example. If I didn’t get this strength from my new duty as the slayer then where do you think that I got it? Please I need your help right now, but you have to believe me first.” Liz was practically begging them to understand. This was hard and it would be easier if she had them with her, helping her, believing in her.

“Do you really expect us to believe that you so much stronger. I mean, look at you. You can’t be stronger than Maria.” Michael exclaimed. ‘Sure aliens are out there but vampires that sounds rather farfetched.

“Do you guys want to see a demonstration of my strength? Will that get you to believe me?” Liz asked the group. A plan was beginning to form in her mind.

They all nodded, wanting to see what Liz had planned. This was going to be interesting. Liz did not look any stronger than Maria. If she really has this strength as proof of her new destiny then they will see what she has planned.

”Here,” Liz said motioning to the bathroom door. “Lock this from the outside. Please Iz?” Liz asked Isabel.

“Sure.” Isabel said walking over to the door, locking it with her powers.

“Maria, I want you to try to open the door. Kyle, I want you to do the same when Maria is done. That way we can compare my results to both of yours.”

“Liz this is crazy!” Michael exclaimed. ‘There is no way that Liz is stronger than Kyle. He is the sports star at school. There is no way that Liz can open the locked door without a key. We are wasting time humoring her,’ Michael thought. This was more than he was used to. She was trying to open the door with strength, not any special alien power. “There is no way that you can break that door open by twisting the knob.”

“Michael, just humor me please. This won’t take long. Go ahead Maria.”

Maria went to the bathroom door trying to twist the knob with no result. She knew that she couldn’t break the lock, and there was no way that Liz could do it. She was just as strong as Liz. ‘What happened to Liz, my best friend?’ Maria thought. ‘This whole idea that she has going on is just too weird and crazy for her. We are talking about the ever logical Liz Parker. Here is the most level headed girl that I have ever met, and now she is talking about vampires being real. Not only that but she is destined to fight them. She even says that she killed one last night! This is too much too soon. We still have this whole Corrine-is-Buffy-and-Liz’s-cousin-from-a-past-life-and-now-they-have-to-save-her-from-death situation to deal with.’ Maria turned to face the rest of the group and walked to stand beside Michael. “Kyle. Your next.”

“Liz you know that I can’t break the lock of the door, and no offense, but you don’t look that much stronger than you were before.” Kyle said. He slowly made his way to the door. Her expression begging him to just try. She needed to prove to the others as well as herself that what happened last night did happen. She was stronger. Something happened to her and this slayer concept is the only logical explanation.

Kyle did the same as Maria, trying to break the lock to gain access to the bathroom. When he gave up he turned to the rest of the group and walked to stand next to Isabel. “Okay Liz, now what? Maria and I both tried to open the door, and it is still locked.”

“Thanks guys . . . for humoring me.” Liz said. She walked to the door. Her small hand covered the door knob to the bathroom. She took a deep breath and turned to face the group. “Are you all ready?” The only reply that she got were nods from Isabel and Maria. Kyle and Michael looked on skeptically, while Max and Serena looked on, believing all of what Liz claimed to be true. Max had his reasons to.

Serena looked on just believed Liz. ‘What does she have to gain out of lying? Nothing, so this has to be true. There is no way that Liz would lie about something this big,’ she thought.

She turned to face the door knob and thought, ‘I hope that they can fix this with their powers. I’d have a really hard time explaining this to my parents.’ She gripped the knob and tried to turn it. ‘There goes doing this slowly,’ She quickly turned the knob. The group did not actually see her break the lock, but there was no mistaking the sound that they heard. The sound of metal snapping and the lock breaking.

They were speechless. Liz actually broke the lock on the door.

Liz pushed the door open to the bathroom and released her grip on the knob. It quickly fell off the door and landed on the hard tile floor of the bathroom. “Oops,” she said while bending down to retrieve the door knob. “Max, can you fix it?” Liz asked, looking at Max. Her hand was outstretched, holding the knob out to Max. Her expression was that of an innocent child after accidentally breaking something. “Michael? Did you want to look at the knob and examine it, or can Max fix it before my parents come in and wonder how I broke the knob off of my bathroom door?”

“Uh . . . you just . . yeah . . . go ahead and fix the knob.” Michael said. He just found out that she was the family that he has searched for. She is his little sister. ‘I’m supposed to protect her. How can I do that when she has this destiny to fight a vampires? Sure she is stronger, but she is still human. She can still die. Now that she is destined to fight she is just in more danger. Do I just let her go and fight these creatures alone? No, I am still her older brother, and I am not letting her do this alone.’

“Yeah, real articulate space boy.” Maria shot back at Michael. “Liz, how did you do that? I mean, wow! You’re like supergirl. That was cool!”

“I don’t know how I did it, I just did. I don’t know where that strength came from, but I know that it has to do with being this new slayer. The guy said that I needed to train and there was a person that will be able to help me. I need to go there. I have so many questions that need to be answered, and this seems to be the only way to get them. I also need to learn control. When Max came by last night I flipped him. I could have really hurt him. I didn’t know what happened, but I don’t want that to happen again. I wanted to tell you all because we agreed that there wouldn’t be any more secrets between us. I was planning on leaving today. I only wish that I didn’t have to leave you guys now when there is so much that needs to be done.”

“I am not letting you go alone. You may be strong, but I am not letting you go off and maybe get yourself killed. I just found out that you are my sister. You are not leaving without me. You can go, but you can plan on me being wherever you are going.”

“God Michael. Don’t you think you are a little overprotective? I think that she can take care of herself. I mean she is stronger than Kyle.” Isabel said trying to see if Michael even thought about what he said.

“Michael is right, Liz is strong, but we don’t really know what she is getting into. I don’t want the group to be separated again. Look at what happened this year. We all broke apart, and fought amongst ourselves. We just started to get things back together. I for one don’t want everything to fall apart again. We need to stay together,” Max said.

“They’re right. I am not letting you go off alone to God knows where and find some answers chica. I’m gonna be right there with you. I want to be there when you start to really kick ass, and this might be hard. You will definitely need a gal pal with you.”

“That goes for me too. I mean Liz we just started all this bonding, and I am not letting you two girls go and have a great time without me,” Isabel chimed in, walking over to where Liz and Maria were standing.

“You all know that I am not a big fan of being a part of this club, but I am not about to be left behind while you all go off and solve the newest problem, and watch Liz do whatever she does this summer. I am there. This will definitely not be a boring summer,” Kyle said.

“Serena, are you coming too?” Liz asked the quiet girl in the corner. She noticed that Serena was quiet through the entire meeting.

“You are asking me? I didn’t know that I was now a part of this . . . group.”

“Of course you are a part of this group. You gave us so many answers to our questions, and you are from our past. You are now one of the whole gang,” Isabel answered.

“Well, if that is the case I am definitely coming. I just found you all, and I am not about to let you all leave me behind.”

“’Kay then. Now that we know who is coming with, what happens next?” Maria asked.

“Max? Do you have a plan?” Isabel asked her brother.

“I do,” Kyle said. ‘Just because Max is the so-called leader of the group does not mean that he is the only one who can think, and get an idea,’ Kyle thought to himself. “We can tell our parents that we are going on a road trip for the summer.”

“That might work, but do you think that they will let us go? I mean we are a group of teenagers,” Liz said. “Kyle, what if your dad came along? That might be leverage that we can use to get them to let us go. If he goes then the trip will be supervised. He is the only adult that knows what’s really going on, and we will tell him what is really going on anyway.”

“That is a great idea Liz.” Kyle replied. “I mean I think he would feel left out if we didn’t take him. Where are we going anyway?”

“I didn’t tell you guys?” Liz got the piece of paper out of her pocket. “Well, this says that I have to find a Rupert Giles in Sunnydale, California. Don’t worry it has a few addresses, so we won’t have to knock on all the houses and everything. I don’t know why it has so many though. There are three. I mean I doubt that he lives in three. . .” Liz trailed off when Isabel met her gaze. “Iz, is there something wrong? Was it something I said?”

“Yeah, did you say that we were going to Sunnydale?” She just smiled. Liz has been calling her Iz lately. That just shows that they are getting closer. They are finally all becoming friends.

“Yeah I did. Why?”

“Remember those dreams that I had with that girl Buffy, the Earth version of Corrine? Well, she said that I had to find this guy, Angel. She told me that he would be in Sunnydale. I guess that I forgot to tell you. I am so sorry guys I didn’t mean to keep it a secret. I just forgot.”

“Iz, I know that you didn’t mean to keep it a secret,” Liz said. “I guess that we have another reason to go. Now we can try to find this Angel guy while we are there.”

“Kyle? Do you think that you could get your dad here? We should explain everything to him. He has no idea what has been going on,” Max said.

“Yeah, Liz is it okay if I use your phone?”

“Sure, here,” she said tossing him the phone. She turned to face everyone else. “Well, we have an idea of what we will be doing, but what about the destination. We can’t just say that we’re going to California for no reason. Shouldn’t we have a reason for going on this road trip? Any ideas?” Liz asked the group of people that have congregated in her room. Serena was the first to speak up.

“What if we said that we want to go to like Disneyland and do the touristy thing that they have in L.A.? There is also all those stores that I know I would love to shop in. We will be close by anyways, and I’m sure that your parents will want some sort of souvenirs.”

“Girl that is a great idea. We can go to Sunnydale and stop at Disneyland and go shopping in Los Angeles. I love how your mind works.” Maria said.

“Guys,” Kyle said to the group after just getting off the phone. “I told my dad the basics and he said that he would be able to come with us. He is also on his way to get the details of what we have planned. Since we have the plan, all that is left is to put it into action. When are you all going to tell your parents, and when did you want to leave?”

Everyone turned to face Liz since she was the main reason that they decided to go. “I wanted to leave as soon as possible, but I think that it would be too soon to leave tonight, and our parents will definitely want us to leave in the morning and not at night. What time tomorrow morning would be the best?”

They all turned to face Max.

“I think that five would be the best time to meet. The earliest that we can leave in the morning without making the parent suspicious would be around then. We probably won’t be on the road until six because of packing the cars and goodbyes and everything.”

“That sounds good.” Isabel said. She wanted to hurry and get to Sunnydale as soon as Liz did, but they were right. there was no way that her parents were going to let her leave tonight.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~


The next morning around 6:00

As soon as they filled the former sheriff in on the details of their trip they all went in their separate directions to tell their parents and prepare for the trip that they would be embarking on in the morning. They decided that they would all meet at the Crashdown and share an early breakfast with their parents before they left. They breakfast was not a quiet one. Everyone was talking to one another. The Parkers and Evanses talked over their mixed feelings about letting their children go on the trip, whereas Amy and Jim discussed their feelings about being separated over the summer. Amy did want Jim to stay in Roswell, but believed that it would be safer for everyone if he accompanied them on the trip.

"Serena?" Liz quietly asked. She didn’t want her parents to overhear this conversation.

"Yeah."

"I was wondering if my parents knew about the uhm . . . I wanted to know if they know that I am well, sent from another planet," Liz finally choked out.

"No they don’t. You were planted through in vitro fertilization. They were chosen because their gene make up is similar to yours. That way you would look like their daughter. If you looked too different they would have suspected something. As far as they know you are their daughter that they tried so hard to conceive."

"Thanks. I thought that they were lying to me after all this time. Is what happened to me similar to what happened to Corrine? I mean was she planted and conceived similarly?"

"Yes We wanted you three to go through the same thing in order to protect your safety. Corrine and you were lucky, whereas Noelle was not. I only wish that I knew what happened to her."

"It’s okay. We’ll find her. I’m sure that she is alright."

"Guys it is almost six. We should get the cars packed up so we can leave soon," Kyle said, breaking up the conversations that were taking place.

"Yeah, um . . . who is going in which car?" Serena asked.

"Well, Michael can come with me, and you can too if you want." Maria replied.

"Liz you can come in the Jeep with me and Max," Isabel said facing Liz, "but you might have to put your bags in Kyle’s car."

"Oh, okay. Thanks." Liz said as she and Max were leaving to get Liz’s bags.

"Yeah, Isabel brought like five bags with her. We might even have to put hers in Maria’s car, maybe even in Kyle’s car." Max said.

"I did not!"

"Really."

"Yes, really. It wasn’t five. It was four." Isabel said correcting Max as he went up the stairs following Liz.

"Oooo, like that is such a big difference." Michael said.

”Well would you like me to go pack another bag? ‘Cause I’m sure I could and then you can see how much of a difference it really is” Isabel replied sarcastically

“No we don’t any more luggage.” He said while hauling Maria’s things out to the car. Everyone followed him out carrying bags. “Geez Maria how much did you pack?” he asked shoving her things into her trunk.

“Well you just never know what you are going to need. So I just packed it all. Isn’t that right Iz?” she asked.

Smiling and shaking her head in conformation “Definitely right.”

“You have too much stuff. There isn’t going to be enough room. You’re going to have to go repack this.” Michael said impatiently when he couldn’t fit her bags in.

“Ha like hell space boy! Do you realize how long it took me to pick out what to bring? I mean this is like the final draft. I went through those bags three times and eliminated two other bags so just be happy I didn’t show up here with six bags! So you better just make it fit Guerin,” she smiled sweetly at him which only added to his annoyance.

While that discussion was going on Liz and Max were bringing Liz’s bags downstairs.

"God! Liz you are just as bad as those two!" Michael exclaimed nodding his head towards Maria and Isabel when he saw her bags. She had one suitcase, a duffle bag, another shoulder bag, and a backpack. "What did you bring with you? Your entire room?!"

"Michael, Liz did not bring that much. She has the same amount that Isabel and I brought." Maria said, coming to Liz’s defense. “And she can’t leave anything behind. I helped her pack, and she even had to sacrifice a pair of sandals that match an outfit that she has. So, you are so not going to tell her to leave anything behind.”

“Maria we have limited space here. You guys packed like you won’t ever come home again!”

"Well, there are so many bags that we might need another car. I could bring mine if you guys want. I mean I think that we should. We will be coming back with more than we have now." Serena offered to the group. This would give more room.

"That’s great. For a moment I thought there wouldn’t be enough room in the cars for us to get in," Kyle said.

"So, who wants to come in the car with me?" Serena asked.

"I’ll go." Isabel replied before Kyle got a chance. She knew he would want to go with Serena but she had a few things she needed to ask her still that she wasn’t able to earlier. Besides Serena had a nice spacious car, this will definitely be a comfortable trip. She thought to herself. “We can always switch things around later when we’re on the road if that’s okay?” she asked knowing Kyle would definitely take the opportunity to go with Serena.

"I still think that you girls brought too much stuff with you. I mean I only brought one bag, and you guys brought four each. How much do you actually plan on using?" Michael said.

"All of it!" Maria, Liz, and Isabel said in unison ending the discussion about how many bags the girls brought.

After everything was packed in all the cars they all said their goodbyes. Some were tearful. There were pats on shoulders, hugs, kisses, and smiles. Soon they were all in their respected cars. The last car to be filled was the Jeep. Liz’s parents were having a hard time letting go.

"I’ll be fine. I have Maria and Kyle. Michael is acting like an overprotective brother almost. I think that is because of Maria." She knew that it was because he became overprotective when he heard that she was his sister in their other life. "I also have Isabel she will never stand for anything to happen to her friends. She is always looking out for everyone. And I have Max to watch out for me. He would never let anything happen to anyone. I promise that it will be fine. I’ll call you guys every night that I can. Okay." Liz said giving her parents a little more reassurance. "I love you mom," she said giving Nancy Parker a hug and a kiss. "I love you daddy."

"Be careful," Jeff Parker said to Max as Liz walked over to the Jeep. Max nodded in response and hurried over to help Liz in.

The cars pulled out into the streets and headed out of Roswell. Max led the way, followed by Serena and Isabel, then Michael and Maria, and lastly Kyle and Jim. The Evanses, Parkers, and Amy DeLuca stood and watched as they disappeared in the distance.

"Let’s go inside. I don’t know why we are so worried. It’s not like they’re going off to fight vampires." Amy said. She was given questioning looks by the four other parents. "Sorry, I rented From Dusk Till Dawn last night." she replied.

They all shared a laugh as they entered the Crashdown.

TBC. . .

"Yesterday is History
Tomorrow is Mystery
Today is a Gift
That's why it's called The Present"
Enjoy today for all that it is worth.


"Love can’t always be perfect. Love is just love."
But there is a chance for it to be perfect.
And even if love isn’t perfect . . . It is wonderful.
<\/div>

posted on 28-Sep-2001 6:19:55 PM by Sugarplum7
Author’s Note:

Hi peoples! I know I just said something earlier, but this has to do with this part in particular. Do you remember a long while ago when we asked you for your ideas for songs that we were using in this story? Well, we were a little disappointed that we only got one suggestion. One. It’s okay. We know it is hard to think of songs that are relevant to what we have going on in the story line. We just wanted to know if anyone knew of a song that we could use. Like I said there was only one response to this question.

Hi Amanda! ::waves hysterically:: We got your suggestion, and this is dedicated to you. Thanks. Sorry that we kinda fooled with your mind. We didn’t mean to. It is just that there weren’t a lot of people who got part 19 through email, and it just made sense to post it, ya know?

So, we have a song in this part, and here is the disclaimer: We do not own the lyrics or the music to the song that we have used. The song Isobel was written by D. Armstrong and R. Armstrong.

Do you remember that I also said that part 20 was giving us problems? I wasn’t lying. We have part of it done, and are not totally pleased with it. We keep taking things and dissecting them, changing everything around, and then everything just ends up even more screwed up than before. What Ria and I did was split part 20 into two. This way we can at least keep working on 20b and you get to read 20a. Please let us know what you think of this part. We didn’t know if what happens in this part should happen yet. You will see what I mean. It is hard to miss, and I’m sure that you will have some strong feelings about it. Please tell us what you think, but remember. We are Very Sensitive. You may not mean to do it intentionally, but you might inadvertently hurt our feelings.

With that I leave you to part 20a.

Luv ya sweeties,
Katie
*kisses**blush*



Part 20a

Somewhere between Roswell and Sunnydale

Isabel and Serena had talked about trivial things like the weather, shopping, new hairstyles and bunches of other stuff before the silence befell them. They were riding now listening to music neither knowing what to say. Isabel had questions she wanted to ask Serena but wasn’t sure how to start. And Serena wanted to talk to Isabel about what she had told them earlier but didn’t want to push the matter on Isabel.

Isabel was silently thinking when a song came on the radio. It was Dido’s Isobel. She had heard the song before and like most people she thought it was cool to have a song with her name in it. And she remembered how she would be having a casual conversation with someone at school and they would sing the first line of the chorus to her or something like that. Man did that get old quick. Someone was always singing that to her. She remembered this one time when Alex called her up and starting belting it out for no good reason. He said he thought it would be a cool way to say hello to her. ‘Alex. God I miss you,’ she thought and smiled at the memory but now listening to the words she thought about how ironic it was that this song seemed so fitting to her. She turned it up and leaned back into her seat listening to the words.

I thought it was funny when you missed the train
When I rang you at home they said you’d left yesterday
I thought it was strange how your car was found
By the tree in Ennis where we used to hang around
Dear Isobel, I hope you’re well and what you’ve done is right
Oh it’s been such hell I wish you well I hope your safe tonight
It’s been a long day coming and long will it last
When it’s last day leaving, and I’m helping it pass
By loving you more

And who he would become, all the things he’d of done
Would he have loved you and not let you down
And would he be stronger than his father
Don’t punish yourself, leave it well alone

Dear Isobel, I hope you’re well and what you’ve done is right
Oh it’s been such hell I wish you well I hope your safe tonight
It’s been a long day coming and long will it last
When it’s last day leaving, and I’m helping it pass
By loving you more.


As she heard the words in her head she thought of a million ways that he lyrics really did fit her. Okay well maybe not a million but the song has a sad mood to it and that was how Isabel felt. She couldn’t get past the fact that Alex died because of her. If it wasn’t for my being an alien then Alex wouldn’t be dead right now. No he would be happy and alive. And adding that to the fact she felt as though all their deaths on the previous planet were also her fault.

Serena sensed Isabel’s discomfort and spoke breaking the silence. “You okay?”

“Hmmm? Oh yeah I’m fine thanks,” she responded quietly. Her head was downcast and her eyes were fixated to the leather interior.

“You sure?” Serena proceeded to try to find out what was wrong. She knew the expression that was painted all over her face. She knew that there was something wrong, and she was not going to let this slide without trying to get her to talk. The one problem was that she didn’t want to push too hard. If she did it might cause Isabel to close herself off, and if that happened there was no way that she could get her to talk.

“Yeah,” she smiled at Serena, hoping that the smile would be enough to end the upcoming interrogation.

“Okay.”

Silence once again filled the air until Isabel finally decided to talk to Serena “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“Okay well It’s just lately things have been crazy for me. I mean really crazy and I . . . I was just wondering how it was back home? Like what was my mother like? And how did betray my brother? I mean I know you said I was involved with Kivar and I sacrificed myself in order to save Corrine, but that still doesn’t lead to me betraying Max or Zan . . . whatever,” she shrugged. It was quite confusing on the references to them. They were different, but they were the same at the same time.

“Isabel you weren’t a horrible person back then. You made a mistake. We all made mistakes.”

“I know but how come my mistakes get people killed?”

“Isabel?”

“Look I don’t know, it’s just . . . I trusted Tess, and look what she did to Alex. I trusted Kivar and Ava, and they ended up killing my family on Antar. And Nicholas said I betrayed my family . . . My brother. So I was just wondering how that came to be?”

“That may be true, but you weren’t the only one who trusted them. Listen, the reason the skins were telling you that is because they knew of your affair with Kivar. Zan had refused to let you see him, and well . . . you were upset. Who wouldn’t be? He was giving you orders, which wasn’t fair. So you continued to see him anyway. Then you ended it and he was really really pissed Isabel. He made sure everyone knew of you affair and he wanted you back. He wanted you on his side, to rule with you. He was obsessed about you and wanted to get Zan and Hailey out of the way so you two could rule together. Zan was really mad at you at first for going behind his back. He had specifically told you not to see him but you did. So he felt betrayed by you. Eventually he got over it but the time you spent with Kivar gave him an upper hand. He got the information he needed out of you.”

“Oh,” Isabel said. “It isn’t going to happen again. We will find Corrine and Noelle and we will get Max’s son back and then I am going to make that bastard pay.”

“Are you tired?”

“No. Why?”

“Because you said ‘Max’s son’. Don’t you remember that there can’t be a son,” Serena said with a slight smile, remembering what had occurred the night before.

“Oh, yeah,” Isabel laughed. “I forgot about that. The way that you explained it was hilarious. And so was the comment Kyle made. I still can’t believe that she pretended to be pregnant. She conned everyone.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll get even. I promise. No one hurts my cousins or Hail- Liz without paying for it,” It was hard for her to not regress into their past lives. They were so real for her. It would be the hardest to not call Liz, Hailey. They were the best of friends on Antar, and here, on Earth, they just met. It Liz they were barely above acquaintances, but for her they were more. She remembered all the important things that happened to them in the past. She remembered all the pain that they went through. ‘They are lucky that they don’t have all, and that they don’t remember their memories,’ she thought.

“Sounds good to me,” Isabel said, causing Serena to smile at Isabel, resulting in taking her eyes away from the road for a second.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

The silence that befell the jeep proved to be more unbearable and uncomfortable then the silence that covered Serena and Isabel. Liz knew that she and Max had matters to discuss, but the matters were very problematic. How was she supposed to bring up all of this as a part of regular conversation? There was no way that she could make light of this serious conversation.

“Max?” Liz asked

“Hmmm?” He answered, unable to get any real words past the lump the size of an apple in his throat.

“I guess the big thing is . . . well, why did you do what you did? I just . . . never thought that you could be as malicious or as spiteful as you were,” Liz said stumbling over the words as they spilled from her lips. She looked at him, wondering what his reaction would be to the her statement.

“Huh? I was . . . when?” Max asked looking at her. His shocked expression boldly showing his true feelings about what she had just said.

“You don’t think that you were . . . After everything that you did . . . to everyone . . . You don’t think it was malicious? Max the way you acted was uncharacteristic for you to say the least.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Max you were . . . you gave orders, Max. You acted like what we thought didn’t matter. I never thought that you would order us around like . . . like we were under you . . . less important to you.” Liz stopped talking, letting her words, which were heavy with emotion, hang between them. “You really don’t think they were cruel, do you?”

“I . . . uh . . . I-it’s not that I don’t think they weren’t . . . it’s just that I don’t . . . remember.”

“How can you not remember?! I . . . you . . .” Liz responded, flustered. How was she supposed to respond to that? “Max you ordered Isabel around. She told me that you wouldn’t allow her to go away to college. You threatened her! You! You yelled at me for trying to find out what happened to Alex. You even stopped believing in me. Do you remember that!” Liz yelled furiously.

“I remember that. I’m sorry that I hurt you. I never . . . I never wanted to hurt you. I never want to hurt you.”

“I know that Max, but that doesn’t mean that it won’t happen. I never wanted to hurt you. I never thought that we would lose each other like we did for that short while. It was just . . . I don’t want to lose you again. I keep thinking back to everything that Serena said . . . about our past. I don’t want that to happen, but I don’t know if I will ever be able to get over everything that you did. You became this whole different person. You stopped became something darker. I want the Max that I fell in love with back, but I don’t know if he can come back, or if he is lost forever.”

“Liz, I’m--”

“Sorry. I know. That is all that you can seem to say about this. Everything that I say brings out the same response. Even though I know that I should despise you for all that you have done . . . I can’t. I look at you and I can’t help but feel ashamed of those thoughts. I don’t want this to end like it did in the past. I don’t want that to happen to us. I don’t want to lose you like Hailey lost Zan. I-I . . .” She took a deep breath before she continued. ‘Everything has just turned itself upside down . . . again. Does that mean that everything is right-side up now? I would think so. If everything that happened last year flipped my world upside down then everything would be upside down, but then this slayer thing flipped the upside down world that is my life upside down again, making it two inversions. So if that is right then My world would be right side up now. Right? Okay Liz. Stop talking to yourself about inverted realities. You were on the verge of a breakthrough for your relationship with Max. This is nice I am talking to myself like I am another person. He will really love that,’ she thought. The last part holding the sarcasm that she felt.

“Liz?” Max asked. She was just going to tell him something when she became lost in thought. He was worried about her. He was worried that this slayer destiny was too much too soon for her.

“Yeah, I know. I’m just trying to find the perfect words. It’s just . . . I just can’t do it Max I won’t be able to live if something happens to you. I just know that it would tear me apart. It was so hard knowing that I made future you disappear. I know it wasn‘t you, but it was a version of you. Everything that Serena said put everything in a new light. I just feel like I have been selfish for . . . everything that I have done, everything that I have put you through. I have just done so much to everyone. I‘ve hurt everyone. I screwed up everything. No one was supposed to know. I promised that I wouldn‘t tell, and what did I do? I betrayed him. I told you . . . everyone because I was weak,” she confessed, putting her head in her hands. Everything was fine until future Max came and told her to save the world. After his visit everything went to hell.

“Liz, stop. You are not responsible. You haven’t been selfish. You of all people should know that everything that you did was not for you. You were selfless. What you did, why you did it . . . it wasn’t for you. It was never for you. I have been the selfish one. I hurt everyone that mattered to me-- Iz, Michael, Maria . . . you,“ He said solemnly. He wanted to try and help Liz. She didn’t deserve to feel this way. Guilt was one of the feelings that he never wanted her to experience, especially at his own hand.

“No, Max. I am just as responsible. I caused you to go to . . . to . . . Tess.” She was barely able to finish her statement. “If it wasn’t for me the whole thing with her wouldn’t have happened. I should’ve done something different. I could’ve handled it better.”

“Liz, no. If you did something different how do you know that it would have ended any better. It could be worse. If you did something different it could be worse. Not everything could have changed for the better.”

“I guess that you’re right, but I still think that it could be better. If I did it better Alex might not be . . . he might be with us on this trip.”

“Things could have been worse. He could be just one of many who died. You don’t know how anything could have changed if you handled it differently.

“The thing is I just I don’t think I could take it if I hurt you like that again. I can’t do that again.”

“I know what you mean . . . about the whole past thing. I don‘t want to live without you. I don‘t know how to live, to really live . . . without you. But nothing is going to happen to either one of us-- to any of us. We’ll find happiness. I know it’s going to take some time but we will. I swear to you I’m going to spend the rest of my life making you happy. That is a promise that I will keep.”

“I know that, but you broke my heart. Do you know how hard that was?” Liz said asking him. She wanted to get him to know why this was so hard for her.

“I know, and I am sorry. I don’t know what to do. I guess the only thing that matters right now is . . . do you trust me?” He held his breath, waiting for her reply. There was so much happening right now. They had to save Corrine, or Buffy. Find out what was the next step for Liz and her newfound destiny. He could get through all of it as long as he had her trust, her strength, and her faith in him.

Liz didn’t know what to say. Here he was, sitting next to her, pouring his insecurities over her, and she was sitting dumbstruck. He just asked a big question. Trust. Does she trust him? Of course she trusts him, but the level of trust that she has is the issue that is being debated. How much trust does she have in him, how much faith does she have in their love?

“Max, I do trust you, but I am still afraid. I’m afraid in the pain that we will cause each other. . . . I haven’t lost my faith in us either, but . . . I just need time . . . I don’t know how long it will take, but I just need it. I trust you though. Don’t ever doubt that,” she said. ‘I don’t trust myself. How do I know that I won’t hurt him again.’

“I’ll give you whatever you want Liz. If time is what you want, what you need, I’ll give it to you. . . . I can wait. We can take as long as you need. So, did we just make up?” he asked shyly. He didn’t want to be presumptuous, but he needed her back.

“I think so. There is still a lot that we have to get through, but I am sure that we can. I just know that we will because I can’t be without you,” Liz said letting her words carry through the space of the jeep, hovering in the air.

“And I can’t be without you. So, you forgive me?”

“It was a mistake. A BIG mistake, but we all make them. I can forgive, but I don’t think I will ever forget. That memory is going to be etched in my mind. I will never get it out, but I can forgive you. My mind is telling me not to, telling me that I should never let you in because I need to protect myself from you. But my heart is screaming at me to just get over it. I made my own promises that I need to keep, and that is why my heart won the battle.”

“So I guess that I should be thanking your heart then?” he said joking around with her.

“Yes you should. After all, I have a very benevolent heart. Max?”

“Yeah,” he replied seriously. He could hear the shifting mood in her voice, causing him to listen carefully to everything that she would say next.

“We’ll be together . . . no matter what. Right?”

“Forever.”

She leaned over and took his hand into hers “I love you. Did you know that?” she asked interlacing their fingers.

Max took his eyes off the road for a second and smiled over at her “I love you too,” he said, bringing her hand to his lips.

“Max,” she grinned. The feel of his warm, wonderfully soft lips on her hand were something she missed. “Keep your eyes on the road babe. We don’t need to end up in the hospital again,” she said playfully, recalling the day the cut class and Max ended up at the hospital after he crashed the jeep.

“Babe?” He questioned raising his eyebrows. “Since when did you start talking like Maria?” he teased.

“Oh shut up and drive . . . babe,” she said smiling playfully, while tracing the lines of his palm and the bones of his fingers, making lazy circles over his hand with her fingers.

“You know that I love your smile,” he said, looking away from the road once more.

“Not as much as I love yours, especially since yours is more rare,” Liz said causing Max to smile one of his endearing smiles that make her knees buckle and her breathing to stop in her throat. Only Max had the power to do this to her with a smile. There wasn’t anyone else with this much power over her emotions.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Maria and Michael were bickering as usual. This time their fight was over what to listen to.

“Ugh Michael come on! Put it baaaaack,” Maria whined. She knew that this was the way to give her the upper hand.

“No way am I listening to that garbage,” he said loudly, protesting her request.

“Oh, I’m sorry but we are in MY car, and I when we are I get to pick what we listen to.”

“Maria,” he said sternly.

“Come on please please please,” she said unbuckling her safety belt and leaning over to him, nuzzling his neck with her nose.

“Fine.” He grumbled as she squealed happily while she turned on the music again. “The things I do for you . . .”

She smiled and responded “Oh yeah I must be one lucky girl huh spaceboy? I bet all the girls are jealous. My boyfriend lets me listen to N*sync in MY car. I bet that’ll definitely make ‘em green with envy I am so lucky! Yey me!” she said sarcastically

She was expecting one of his smartass remarks but when one didn’t come whizzing past she turned off the CD player and turned to face him. Growing serious she asked, “Michael what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, turn the music on.”

“Awwww sweetie,” She wrapped her arms around his neck as best as she could, still allowing him to see the road.

“I . . . have . . . the . . . best . . . boyfriend . . . in . . . the . . . world,” she said between kisses “I know I was just joking before, but you are the best, really.”

“I love you,” he said his bad mood quickly diminishing. She always seemed to make him feel better.

“Well, you better.” She smiled at him “I love you too.”

He fell silent after that and she was still concerned. Something told her it wasn’t her making fun of how great of a boyfriend he was that had had him so upset. In fact she highly doubted that was the reason at all.

“Honey?”

“Yeah?”

“What’s up? What’s wrong? And don’t you dare say ‘nothing’. I know that there is something wrong. I want to know. Tell Maria everything, and you‘ll feel better believe me.”

“It’s just this thing with Liz, ya know. I mean it’s so weird. She’s my sister and it’s like I don’t even know her. It just . . . doesn’t seem fair. Isabel and Max grew up together and they have this closeness, this bond, and Liz and I were never able to form that.” He spoke what he felt about this whole situation for the first time, and for Michael that was a large step. After finally allowing Maria to see who he was, what made him the man that he has become, he was able to speak more freely with her.

“You will though. I know how much Liz has always wanted a sibling and she’s lucky she got you. How about when we stop you, Liz, and I can switch cars? That way you and Liz can talk and stuff. Besides I think it’s time me and my girlfriend had another chat.”

“Right. Oh and you’re right about Liz being lucky I’m her brother.”

“Oh am I?”

“Yeah, ‘cause it looks like you and Liz will get to be real sisters,” he leaned over quickly and kissed her then went back to driving. “I love you,” was what he whispered in her ear before bringing his attention back to driving. Leaning over, he turned her pop music back on.

Maria sat still in her seat speechless. The music blaring from her speakers faded away as she stared at the road through the windshield. ‘Was that? Did he just? Whoa. Did Michael just? Was that? Am I? What am I . . . supposed to do?’ Mr. Stonewall Guerin practically just proposed. Well, okay he didn’t propose, but that was one hell of an insinuation. He just said he wanted to marry her someday. A huge smile lit her face and she sang along with the music. One day I am going to be Mrs. Spaceboy?’

Author’s Note:

So what did you think? Let us know, but please be gentle. Good bye for now my lovlies. We’ll have 20b up as soon as we can.

Hugies and Kisses to all of you,
Katie
*kisses**blush*

PS. Does anyone read these notes? Should I keep writing them?





"Yesterday is History
Tomorrow is Mystery
Today is a Gift
That's why it's called The Present"
Enjoy today for all that it is worth.


"Love can’t always be perfect. Love is just love."
But there is a chance for it to be perfect.
And even if love isn’t perfect . . . It is wonderful.
<\/div>


Edited by - Sugarplum7 on 09/29/2001 18:32:27
posted on 15-Oct-2001 12:56:58 PM by Sugarplum7
Hi you guys,

I don't know if you saw Maria's little note above, but part 20 was hers, and she has been really busy. I just want to say that I am soooooo amazed by you ria! I know that 20b will be great. After that you can have a breather becasue I have a few parts written already. I haven't been keeping up at all. We really need to have another planning session. Dont you think so?

Well, I don't want to tease you, but after reading Amanda's note I thought that I would tell you something about the upcoming parts. One thing is that they will get together in 21. So keep checking for the updates. I have one more, but I don't know if I should tell. Should I?

Hannah, I feel the same way. I am a finding a slight ick factor in the love interests they are using. Are they forgetting the way that Angel would just not lookt twice at cordy when Buffy was there. Are they forgetting about the how Buffy and Angel are the love of each other's lives? Did they forget 'I will never forget'? I am writing for an escape into my my bubble world of denial, so this is just a promise that they will get together. Just a question, but is anyone picking up on the small hint that we are leaving about Angel? This secret thing is harder than it seems.

Luv ya,
Katie
*angel*

[ edited 1 time(s), last at 15-Oct-2001 1:02:52 PM ]
posted on 17-Oct-2001 7:41:48 PM by Sugarplum7
Hi peoples!

Okay. I hate to say this to you, but there will not be a part 20b. *sad* I know that we told you there would be one, but it was just too problematic. It wasn't really crucial to the plot, so we decided to cut it and move on to part 21. Are you mad at us? I hope you aren't, but it was just causing too many problems.

Are you ready? I wanted to post something today after the episode of Buffy on Tuesday, and the Angel epi on Monday. They are meeting each other you guys!! I know nothing will happen that we can see bacause they are saying no crossovers, but a girl can hope.

BTW. Like I said I was starting a new fic. I don't know if any of you saw it, but I am not getting the amount of feedback that I would like, and I wanted to let you know that it is up, and I would love it if you would read it and leave me some feedback because all of you are so wonderful, and I would love it if you would open the door to the other reality that I have going on. The name of the fic is 'Only For You'. It is a Max and Liz fic, AU. There are no aliens, and It is slightly based on the movie 'Return to Me'. I hope to see you there.

Luv ya,
Katie
*angel*

In honor of Angel's call to Buffy, I unveil part 21. ::opens curtain::

Part 21

Sunnydale, California

It was quiet throughout the Summers’ home. After all the researching that has been done over the last couple of days has made them exhausted. At the dinning table Giles, Anya, and Xander fell asleep hunched over the books that they were researching. Dawn was asleep in Buffy’s bed, hoping that another repeat of the dream that she had a few days before would happen again. The last few times that she has slept resulted in no dreams. Gunn and Fred were asleep on the couch. They haven’t slept since they arrived in Sunnydale. The sleep deprivation was too much for their bodies to handle and they were forced to sleep. Wesley and Willow were at the computer trying to find any leads on the internet, sleeping as well. The only people that were up tonight were Angel, Cordelia, Spike and Faith. Spike was out on patrol with Faith, and Cordelia and Angel were searching through various texts hoping to find any relevant information.

"Angel, why don’t you get some sleep? You have been searching through books since we got here, and only stopped for sleep a couple times, and that was no more than three hours at best," Cordelia said with a growing concern that Angel is taking this harder than he lets others believe.

"I can’t sleep. I have to keep searching. The answer has to be somewhere. I know that prophecy is about Buffy. I can’t explain how I know it. It is just this feeling. The answer is so close." After remembering everything that they had shared that day he was human was too much for him. He needed to bring Buffy back, to tell her that he loves her. That he is on his way to gaining humanity. That they will be together as soon as he can stop the apocalypse that is coming.

"It’s not your fault. Your not the reason that she died," Cordelia said, trying to ease his pain. "I know that this must be hard for you, but you’re not to blame."

"I wasn’t there, Cordy. I wasn’t there to help her. I didn’t even have the chance to try to save her. The day is gone and she is still dead. It was almost worthless. She wasn’t supposed to die. Not yet . . . "

Cordelia was confused by his last statement. ‘What did that mean? What is he talking about? A day? Oh! The day.’

"So . . . what else do we have to search through?" he asked, changing the subject.

"I am sure that you will search better after you have had some sleep. This is insane. It has been days and you have slept like a total of eight hours. You have to get more sleep than that."

"Look who’s talking. You have slept about the same amount that I have."

"Okay, okay. I give. We will stay up and research together," Cordelia said knowing that anything that she said will not get Angel to stop working and get some sleep.

"So how many books do we have left to go through?" Angel asked. He knew that they have gone through most of Giles’ library and had no luck finding any information.

"I don’t know. A few. Not a lot. We have looked through so many, and had no luck getting any info an the web. This is starting to look. . ." Cordelia trailed off. She did not want to finish that thought it was too depressing to believe.

"Hopeless." Angel said finishing her thought. ‘This can’t be hopeless. I know that Buffy can be brought back. I just have to find it.’

"Yeah. I hate to have to say it, or even think that this is useless, but nothing is working. We have worked for days trying to get answers, connections, or translations, and we have gotten nothing so far," Cordelia said.

"I can’t believe that. If I do then it means that she is . . . she is . . . God I can’t even say it. She can’t be. . ." He trailed off. He knew that if he said everything would be more real. ‘If I say it then everything will be more real. I will never hold he in my arms again . . . never feel her hand grasp mine . . . never see her eyes look into mine . . . never see her smile . . . never feel her sleeping next to me . . . never see the peaceful expression of her face while she dreams . . . never hear the sweet sound of her voice . . . never feel the caress of her skin . . . never feel her lips . . . never get to say I love you.’

The next few minutes were spent in silence. Cordelia didn’t know what to say. ‘What do you say to someone that has just lost the love of their life? Angel has been around for over two hundred years and only been in love once.’

"Angel, I-I don’t know what to say, what to do. I mean this is hard, but we’re at the end of the line. We have nothing else that can be done."

"I know, but I have to believe," Angel said.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"Are you guys ready to get going again? I mean we’ve been waiting at this guys apartment for like an hour. I think it is safe to say that he is not here or coming back anytime soon." Michael said. He was getting impatient. They have been in Sunnydale all night and this was the second place that they have checked. "We waited here and at that store for hours and that guy was not even there. The store was not even opened."

"Yeah, lets go. We still have one more place on this list that we can check," Liz said. ‘I hope that he is there. I am starting to think that this was useless. "After we check we can try to find that Angel guy that Isabel was told to find."

They walked back to the cars and waited for Max to lead them to the next address.

"Liz, don’t worry. He will be there. I know that you need your answers, but you just have to wait a few more minutes," Max said. He knew that Liz was anxious to get to this Rupert Giles, and every time that they couldn’t find him was extremely disappointing to Liz.

"Yeah, but I feel like as soon as I find him everything will be different. I don’t know if I want that to happen. Things might change for the worse."

"Yeah, but they might also change for the better. You never know what will happen. You have to believe that this will work out for the best. You deserve the to be happy. You deserve the best."

Liz couldn’t say anything. She was too lost in her own thoughts. ’What Max said is true. I have to believe that this is going to work out for the best. This whole trip has to make things better, not worse. I don’t think I can take it if things get worse.’

"Liz?" Max said quietly as he placed his hand over hers. "We’re here. Are you ready to go?"

"Hmm . . . oh, yeah. I’m ready. Max? Can you come with me? I don’t think I can take it if he is not there. I really need you there if he isn’t and if he is."

"Sure."

He quickly got out of the jeep and went to help Liz. She took his hand as she got out of the jeep. They turned to face the others, letting them know that they will see if he is there. If he is there they will come and get them. Liz looked to the house and then to the walkway that led to the front door.

"It’s now or never," Liz said as she turned to face the house. Max gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, letting her know that he is there for her. They began to make their way across the street to the house.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"We have to stop thinking like this," Cordelia said. "We will find the answer, and we will get Buffy back. She came back once before, and she can do it again. I am sure of it. Angel? Angel?"

"Hmm, did you say something?"

"Yeah, but it doesn’t ma--AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

Cordelia’s sentence was cut off by the painful vision that was over taking her senses. Angel, now alert, was able to catch Cordelia before she fell on the hard kitchen floor.


A young girl with dark hair and eyes sitting on a park bench at night.
"Elizabeth Parker."
"You have a destiny. You are the chosen one. You are the slayer."


The girl killing a vampire at a cemetery.


The girl with her friends eating breakfast.


A sign reading ‘Welcome to Sunnydale’

"Cordy, are you okay? Do you want anything?" Angel said with worry. He knew how much these visions affected her.

"Yeah and no. Yeah I’m fine, and no I don’t need anything. I saw a girl her name was Elizabeth Parker. We have to help her. I know that is what we are supposed to do. Why else would the powers give me her name in the vision? And . . . ugh that awful taste. God it tasted like . . . oh . . . I guess a chocolate cupcake with hot sauce. Ick. I don’t think that that taste will ever get out of my mouth." She was lying. She was not fine. These visions were hurting more and more. Each time she received one it felt like a construction worker was using a jackhammer on her head, causing smashing, searing pain between her eyes and beneath her temples. At least this time it wasn’t as bad as others. The pain involved was considerably less.

"Okay, Cordy, focus please. We can help her, but where is she? Did you see anything else in your vision?" Angel asked. She seemed lost in thought sorting through them after they left her mouth.

"Yeah. I saw a lot in my vision. The most important is that she is the--" Cordelia was cut off by the doorbell.

"I’ll get it," Angel said. "You calm down and organize your thoughts."

He walked to the door, noticing that the doorbell awoke most of the people that were sleeping. He opened the door to reveal two teenagers. "Hi, can I help you."

"Yeah, uhm I was . . . well, I was looking for a Rupert Giles."

Cordelia was growing rather impatient. She needed to tell Angel what she saw. She walked to the front door, hoping that Angel was finished answering it. "OHMYGOD! IT’S YOU!" Cordelia screamed.

"Excuse me?" Liz said. She was a little confused about what had just happened. She looked at Max and he looked just as confused as Liz.

"It’s you. You . . . you . . . you’re . . . It’s her . . . she’s her," Cordelia said to Angel. He soon figured out what she was talking about.

"Cordy what are you talking about? You’re making. . . ." He trailed off, realizing what Cordelia was saying. ’This is the girl from her vision. This is Elizabeth Parker. Why did she want to talk to Giles?’ Angel thought.

"I’m who?" Liz asked. ‘This is getting really confusing. Who is this and who does she think I am?’

"Sorry. Let me start over again. I’m Cordelia, and I know who you are. You are Elizabeth Parker, and we are supposed to help you," she said gesturing towards Angel and herself, "and our friends they will help too."

Liz turned to face Max. Her expression revealed that she was slightly afraid. Who wouldn’t be? She just came to a stranger’s house, and now some strange person knew who she was, knew her name. Max, fearing for her safety went into protector mode.

"How do you know who she is?" Max asked.

"I know more than just her name. I also know that she is the next slayer."

"How do you know that?" Liz asked.

"That is a long story, and I can tell you, but I think that your friends are getting a little impatient. Tell them to come in with you."

"And Giles is here, you can see him when you want. I think that he is still sleeping though," Angel said.

Cordelia opened the door for Max and Liz to enter, and waved the rest of the group over. They left the cars reluctantly. As soon as Max and Liz went inside they knew that they had to enter the house.

"What is going on in here? It looks like the bookcase exploded," Kyle said as they entered the living room.

"That can be explained also. First introductions are in order," Cordelia said. Everyone was in the living room wondering what was going on. "You go first, and then we will go."

"I’m Max. This is Isabel, my sister, and that is Michael, Maria, Kyle. He is Kyle‘s dad, Jim Valenti," Max said pointing to Jim, "that is Serena, and-"

"And I am Liz, the reason that we are here right now." Liz thought that it would be best if she introduced herself. The others just waved to show who responded to which name, but Liz was the main reason for this trip.

"I’m Cordelia. That is Anya and Xander. Winifred, or Fred for short, and Gunn. They are the sitting on the couch. That is Willow and Dawn, and over there you have Wesley and Giles. Lastly, he is Angel." She introduced everyone motioning to where they were standing.

At the last introduction Isabel and Liz were shocked. "Did you say his name was Angel?" Liz asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"We are looking for you." Isabel stated.

"I thought that you were looking for Giles?" he asked.

"We are. This is turning out to be really weird," Liz said.

"This is getting confusing, so why don’t we get some things straight before we go on? Is that okay?" Cordelia asked. Everyone in the room nodded in affirmation.

"Okay. Everybody." Cordelia said "This is Liz, and she is the next slayer. I know this because I got a vision. Now the reason you are here is. . ."

"I was told to come to Sunnydale and find a Rupert Giles. I was told that he was the only one that ‘they’ thought could to help me. He said that I was running out of time and that I needed to come here so he could teach me and train me, but I am still confused on everything. He told me not to tell anyone, but I had to tell my friends for reasons that I can‘t explain to you all," Liz said. "I don’t really know what the slayer is, or who this guy was, or who this they was that he referred to."

"I can answer a few of those questions now for you," Giles said. "As you already know you are the slayer. When one slayer dies another is called to her destiny. Now, unto every generation a slayer is born. One girl in all the world, a chosen one. She alone is born with the strength and skill to hunt the vampires and stop the spread of their evil. You are now the next slayer. The slayer does more than just stop vampires. She must also protect against demons."

"Oooh Giles. It has been a while since you made that speech." Xander said stating the truth. ‘When was the last time that speech was made?’

"Demons?" Liz asked. ‘There are demons too?!’

"Yes, there are. And we usually have plenty around here," Anya said to the group of newcomers. "I used to be one."

"Well, that certainly makes life interesting," Kyle said. "Why don’t we leave that until a later discussion?"

"Uhm . . . okay . . . Why did you say that there are usually plenty around here?" Liz asked.

"Well, Sunnydale is located over a hellmouth, to put it simply it is a place where all the monsters like to come and party, We know its exact location from experience. It is located beneath the library of our old high school. Don‘t bother asking to visit. It was kinda burnt down from an explosion. That is another story for another time." Xander said. "Oh, and the ‘they’ that you mentioned is the council. They are a group of old people that like to think that they know what the slayer does."

"Yeah we don’t like them. They are inconsiderate mean old people," Anya said.

"Yeah, and they fired Giles. He was a good watcher. Just because he cared for Buffy and failed that stupid test because of her birthday. You didn’t deserve that Giles," Willow piped in.

"Okay, then what do I do, and what is a watcher?" Liz asked. ‘Why would they send me to train under a person that was fired by them?’

"The watcher guides the slayer, he trains her, prepares her," Wesley said.

"You are really in luck that they didn’t send you to Wesley," Xander replied.

"What are you talking about. I was not that bad a watcher."

"Really? The way I remember it you had lost all control. No one listened to you, or took any of your advice. Not to mention what happened to Faith. Even Buffy declared mutiny. Face it Wesley. You were not the best watcher, but who cares the council is worthless. They don’t have anyone to work for them. Buffy quit the council and Faith was rebelling," Xander said.

"I suppose you are right, I did quit the council," He replied.

"Hello, new people over here are going into information overload," Kyle announced.

"Oh, sorry. We are not used to new people yet. If you haven’t guessed we are pretty a pretty exclusive group," Dawn replied.

"Well, it looks like we already have something in common," Maria mumbled. Isabel heard her though and gave her a small nudge.

"That’s okay, but maybe you could explain that all to us later because all that I understood was the council is bad," Kyle said.

"Yeah, don’t worry. If Liz is the next slayer you will be here, and we can fill you in on the history and stuff," Willow replied.

"Oh believe me. She is the next slayer. She definitely has the strength," Michael said, remembering Liz breaking the lock and the door knob.

"And I can say that she has the skill. You do mean something along the lines of instinct and reflexes, right?" Max asked. He wanted to be sure about what happened.

"Yes. The slayer is born with certain skills, instincts, reflexes, although some are more open to them."

"Oh, is this like Star Wars and the Force. Like is it all around us guiding us and only slayers can listen, and even then some are able to hear better?" Kyle asked.

"Great just what we need, another Xander," Cordelia said.

"Well, uhm . . . I guess," Giles replied.

"Yeah it is exactly like that. Forgive Giles he doesn’t get out much. He is more of a read the book type of person than a see the movie person." Willow said.

"So to recap what you learned Liz is the slayer. She fights all the bads that come out at night to party on the hellmouth that Sunnydale is located above. Vampires are the main category, but there are other demons, crazed hunting dogs and what not," Xander said.

"Oh, okay," Liz replied.

"Yeah, I think we get the idea." ‘I thought aliens walking among us was crazy. They are talking about demons and vampires and a hellmouth.’ Maria thought.

"Now, Liz being the slayer explains why y’all were looking for Giles, but not Angel," Gunn said.

"I should be the one to explain that," Isabel said. "To start off with I had these dreams, weird dreams. A girl came to me and said that her name was Buffy. She said that I needed to save her from death, and to find Angel. She said that we were the only ones that could save her. The weird part of it was that there was no landscape, just darkness."

"OhmyGod," Dawn said. "That reminds me of that weird dream that I had. The one where she was in this black void."

"That’s it! That’s how everything connects! I understand everything!" Liz exclaimed. Liz’s scientific mind had all the evidence gathered, connected, and in order.

"Care to share with the rest of the class?" Xander asked.

"Yeah chica ‘cause I’m still in the land of huh?!?"

"Yeah I will, but it will take a while and I need to talk with my friends and make sure it is okay with them."

They all nodded, knowing that she wanted to know if it was okay to tell these new people their secret.

"Okay, You all don’t know what is going on?" Liz asked the group of people that have congregated in the living room. They all nodded their reply. No one was connecting the clues that they were given. "Okay first off, I need to make sure of some things. Dawn, you’re Buffy’s sister, right?"

"Yeah, I am."

"I know you will think this is crazy, but are you by any chance a key?"

Everyone was taken aback except for those who came from Roswell.

"Yeah, but how do you know that. No one knew that but us."

"I’ll explain shortly, but first I need to know one more detail. Buffy was the slayer that died, which brought about my calling?"

"Yea, where are you going with this?" Xander asked.

"Okay then. My theory might be right. Now guys let me tell you this is going to be long."

"Wait, if it is going to be long then you won’t want to say it twice. We should wait for Spike and Faith," Angel said.

"Who are they?" Maria asked. She remembered them mentioning a Faith earlier, but not a Spike.

"Faith is the slayer, and Spike is well, Spike is a vampire, but he can’t bite. He has this chip in his brain that delivers a huge headache if he hurts a human," Xander explained.

"If this Faith is a slayer then how is Liz a slayer? I thought that you said that there was only one," Maria said.

"That is a long story. I can only tell you the short cliffs notes version since Faith and Spike will be back soon," Willow said. "Okay about five years ago Buffy died, but she was resuscitated by Xander. It was a good thing he knew CPR. But in that brief time that Buffy was dead the next slayer was called."

"And that was Faith," Kyle asked.

"No, the next slayer was Kendra. When Kendra died Faith was called," Xander supplied.

"Oh," Isabel said.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

While the small explanation and the introductions were going on in the living room Faith and Spike made their way to front of the house.

"It has been a really slow night. I didn’t get to do anything but walk around. At least it is over. I could really use a nap," Faith said while she opened the front door to the Summers’ house.

"Hey guys. We. . ." She trailed off when she noticed the eight new people sitting in the living room. "Who are they?"

"Faith, Spike meet our new friends. This is Max, Liz, Michael, Maria, Isabel, Kyle, and Jim," Willow said. "They have come here because Liz is the next slayer, and was told to find Giles."

"Oh, just what we need, more scoobies," Faith said.

"More what?" Michael said.

"Never mind," Faith replied.

"So this is everyone?" Liz asked. She was anxious to explain what was happening.

"Yea, now you were going to explain everything?" Cordelia asked.

"Yes, now let me tell you this is going to sound really crazy, but you have to believe me. We can prove what we say. Don’t ask anything until I am finished because I don’t want to lose my train of thought. Okay. . . ."

TBC. . .



[ edited 1 time(s), last at 21-Oct-2001 9:19:59 PM ]
posted on 19-Oct-2001 2:58:42 AM by Sugarplum7
Where did everyone go? This is making me kinda sad. *sad* We thought that there would be more feedback then this. What happened to everyone?

Hi Annie! I'm glad that you liked the part. We'll get the next part up as soon as we get more feedback. Hopefilly we get more feedback.

BTW. I liked that line too. I'm glad that I wrote it. At least another person found it funny.

Luvies,
Katie (who is wondering where have all our readers gone?)
posted on 20-Oct-2001 7:27:38 PM by Sugarplum7
Hi Amanda,

Posting the next chapter. . .hmmmm. It is all done and ready to go up. It just depends on the feedback that ria and I get. The sooner we get more the sooner it goes up. So, it is all up to the readers.

I am glad that you liked it.

Luv ya,
Katie
*angel*
posted on 21-Oct-2001 9:16:30 PM by Sugarplum7
Hi everyone,

Hannah~ I thought that that little part was going to be confusing, and I forgot to edit that part. I just wanted it to be a little of Cordy's loopiness and forgetfulness. And I totally forgot to go back and redo some of the convo. Thanks for catching that. I am going to edit it right now.

Keep the feedback coming. Ria and I are loving it. You people are the greatest.

Luv ya all,
Katie
*angel*

PS. I am thinking about having an update on Tuesday, What do you think? Tuesday? Should I wait till Wednesday? Should I update Monday? Decisions, decisions. Maybe you can influence my decision.

[ edited 1 time(s), last at 21-Oct-2001 9:23:33 PM ]
posted on 22-Oct-2001 5:52:04 PM by Sugarplum7
Hola,

How are you guys doing? I just wanted to let you know that I am going to be posting Part 22 today. It is a thank you to all of those who left feedback, and those who left two messages, namely Amanda.

Think of it as a present to all of you. 'Angel' is on tonight, and we will most likely be left crossover less. I still am not adjusting well to that because of the way they ended 'Buffy' last Tuesday. Also I am going to be in a not happy mood because I think it is the Kendra eppie on fx tonight. I love that eppie. How about you guys? I swear, I must be a masochist to go through this pain of wanting Buffy and Angel together.

Another hello to all the new readers out there. Glad that you like it Jenn and Annie. You guys don't know how much it means to us that you read all of that to get caught up.

Luv ya,
Katie
*angel*

PS. Watch for the part in a few hours. I have stuff to do, but I will be back to post it.
posted on 22-Oct-2001 8:53:33 PM by Sugarplum7
Hi everyone,

Here is the next part, as promised. Enjoy!

Undone
Part 22

“First I want to tell you all what Serena told us about our past lives. I know that is a little odd, but it is very important to the explanation. This is related to the events that have taken place the past few years. I will explain from the past to the present. The biggest shock will be that this involves well, I don’t know any other way to say it other than just coming out and saying it. Okay here goes nothing. This life that I am talking about is on another planet.” Liz began to retell the tale of their past after the gasps and questions quieted down. She retold the same story that was told to her a few nights ago. She told of Kivar’s plot. She told of their deaths. She told then who was who. She told of the plan Kivar still had. She told of their situation. “Are there any questions so far?”

“Yeah, I do. I had a dream about most of those people. I thought it was just a weird dream, was it a memory?” Dawn asked.

“Yes it was,” Serena answered. “I bet that you were really stressed out the time that you got the dream. What happens is that when stress becomes to high our brain for some reason unlocks the section of our mind that holds the memories of what happened to you, all of us. It was a side effect of the cloning or duplication of the essences, and trying to erase the memories of the past. We were unable to completely erase the memories. We were able to make the memories fade and hide them in our minds. We really wanted to erase all the pain that you all experienced in the past. We wanted you to be happier.”

“Thank you Serena. Well, that explains the old past. We can stop here or we can continue with the explanation on the new past. What do you want to do?” Liz asked the whole group.

“I really want to know where you are going with this Liz,” Jim said.

“Me too, I mean I am really interested in where you are headed with this.” Maria was always amazed by the way that Liz’s mind worked. She was always able to do things so quickly.

Everyone felt the same. They were intrigued by what Liz was saying.

“I promise you that this all has a point. I needed to let them know what was going on. I am not finished yet, but this does have a point. I need you to trust me. Please.”

“I trust you Liz, please continue. We can stop when you want to,” Max said. He wanted to be sure that she was fine. ‘She has been through so much these past few days. The least that I can do is vocalize my trust.’

“Thank you. Now I will explain one thing further. I have just told you that Buffy, Dawn and I came from another planet, and that we are aliens, but our genetic make-up is entirely human, including our cells. Max, Michael, Isabel, and Serena are hybrids. Everything about them is human, except their cells. Something that they, we, have because we were engineered and sent from another planet are powers. These powers that we posses are all things that the human brain is capable of after years of evolution and specialization. Dawn, Buffy, and I have the powers, but they were blocked until we reached our mental peak.“

“What?“ Xander asked.

“What she means is that the human brain is capable of powers, like telekinesis, and the reason that Buffy and Dawn don’t have powers right now is because there was a block that was placed on them until they reach the highest point of intelligence, which for humans is around twenty-five.” Willow explained. She still got blank looks from most of the people around the room.

“I was confused until I thought about it this way,” Kyle said. “So we have Liz, Buffy, and Dawn. They were created but were designed hundreds of years in the future. They are like X-Men. They are what we will become after years and years of evolution. Because the alien people didn’t want them to draw attention to themselves, the made sure that they couldn’t use their powers until they were old enough to understand what was happening to them.”

“Oh, I get it. Thanks,” Xander said.

“Oooh you have powers, can I see,” Anya said.

“Yeah, we will show you what I mean later. The next thing that I want to tell you is the main connection that I made. Serena said that we were sent in the hopes that we could stop history from repeating itself. History is catching up to us, although it is moving slower and slightly different, but it is happening again. The biggest similarity is Buffy giving her life to save Dawn.

“We all came together as a group last year because of a tragic accident that happened one day. It was one of the best and worst days of my life. Maria and I were working in the Crashdown, that is a restaurant that my parents own, and there was a fight. Somewhere along the way a gun was taken out and fired. I was shot and dying. This is the point when everything changed for me. I could feel everything fading away. Everyone sounded distant. I knew that I was dying, and then the next thing I noticed was some one was bringing me back. Max saved my life. He healed my wound. Eventually he told me what he was, why he did what he did.

“That is one connection to what happened in the past. I was killed, but in this life Max was able to save me. As time went on our group grew. The next to join were Maria and Alex, and lastly Tess. Tess is Avaria from the past. She came an was trying to convince Max that they belonged together. When she came to Roswell everything was turned upside-down. Nasedo and Tess were the source of all our problems at the time. . .” Liz continued to tell the story of what happened the first year that they went through. She relived the pain that she went through, the heartache she experienced. “. . . After Max escaped Pierce, we had to take back our lives. We went up against the most elite unit in the FBI. In the final showdown against Pierce Kyle was shot. Luckily Max was able to save him. So the next step was to save Nasedo, and they did. Together, Max, Isabel, Tess, and Michael were able to save him. Nothing would have prepared me for the next thing that happened. Even though I knew it would happen I was not able to believe that it was true. I’ll cut the suspense and tell you all. They contacted home. They used the communication orbs and were able to hear a message from Max and Isabel’s mother. She told them that . . . she told them that. . .” Liz tried to stop the tears that she knew were coming. This was one of the worst moments of her life. This was when she learned of Max’s destiny. She took a deep breath and continued.

Max knew that this had to be hard for Liz. ‘She is remembering all the things that I did wrong. All the things that I did to hurt her. She is remembering the Destiny that was planned, but was not true.’

“She told them that they had lived before. That they died on their planet in a war that has enslaved its inhabitants. Even though they were killed their essence was cloned and mixed with human DNA. The reason for the use of human DNA was so they will be recreated into humans. She said that Max was the leader, the King, of their people, and he was sent with his young bride, as well as his sister who was betrothed to his second in command. The enemies that were on Antar are also on Earth. The enemies can only be recognized by the evil within. She wanted them to learn enough here on Earth so that they could use their skills, knowledge, and leadership to combat the enemy. She wanted them to do all that so they can go back to Antar and free their people. What we didn’t know at the time was that she only told us half of the past. She told us the most recent past, not the more distant past.

“That was the moment I learned about the ‘Destiny’ Tess was constantly talking about. Max even trusted the information that she gave, and he was right to. It was his mother, and he didn’t know that she was lying. He knew that they had to stay together as a unit. The hardest thing that I learned that day, was that it was them and not us. I knew that he needed to go and follow his destiny so I left him. I walked away. . .”

Liz looked at Max, remembering the exact words that he said. ‘It’s the four of us now.’ Those words echoed through her mind from that day on. It was a constant reminder that they didn’t belong together. It was, until Serena came and turned everything upside down. Liz remembered all the pain that she experienced that day. She remembered the look in Max’s face when she began to leave the pod chamber. His eyes, begging her to stay, telling her she was all that mattered stay. The safety she felt when she was in his arms. The love evident in his powerful gaze. The kiss they shared, filled with love and pain and a final good bye. The sound of his voice telling her she meant everything to him. Him calling her, telling her to wait. Walking away from him, and hoping that he wouldn’t follow her, but praying that he would. It was too much to handle.

Everyone in the room was able to notice that there was something that was going on between Liz and Max. They knew that this was really hard for her to say.

Liz looked away from Max and to the rest of the group. “I’m sorry, I . . . I have to take a break . . . I’m really sorry,” Liz said to the group. She turned and ran up the stairs she needed to get away. She entered the first room that she saw. ’This must be Buffy and Dawn’s mom’s room. I hope they don’t mind me in here,’ she thought.

Downstairs people were silent. They did not want to plan anything until they had all the information. No one wanted to pressure Liz because this was obviously hard on her.

“I should go see if she’s all right,” Max said.

“No Max, it’s okay. This might be a girl to girl moment,” Maria said. “I’ll go see if she’s alright.”

Maria left to see if there was anything that she could do to help her best friend.

“You and Liz were together huh?” Willow asked Max. She was trying to see if what they thought was true

“Yeah, things are . . . uhm . . . well, complicated,” he responded.

“Sounds like two people that I know,” Willow replied. ‘They have a relationship that reminds me of Buffy and Angel,’ she thought. ‘I wonder if Angel sees it too?’

“Really?” Isabel asked.

“Yeah, don’t you think so Angel,” Cordelia said.

“Yes, I know what you mean.”

“Guys, Liz won’t talk to me. She says that I can’t understand and she refuses to leave the room.”

“Let me see if I can get her to come out,” Max volunteered. He didn’t wait for anyone to respond. He was headed up the stairs in search of Liz before he finished his statement.

“Max I don’t want to talk,” Liz said through the closed door. “And don’t ask how I know it is you. I just do. And think about it. Maria was just here. If she couldn’t get in you would be the next in line. I was thinking that Michael would be next because his is my brother, but I knew that you wouldn’t let him come before you. Plus I always know when it’s you.”

“Liz? At least open the door. Please. We can talk about whatever is bothering you. We can talk as long as you open the door. All you have to do is let me in,” He said, his voice begging her to let him in.

“No Max. Don’t you get it? I can’t let you in, and I’m not sure I am ready to let anyone in.”

Max was taken aback by her last admission. He thought that they were slowly getting closer together. He thought that they were coming close to getting their relationship back. What was he supposed to do about her latest admission. Literally she was talking about letting him into the room, but he was not dense enough to not pick up on the metaphor. She was not ready to let him fully into her heart. How could he blame her. He broke her heart. How was he supposed to feel about her fear to let anyone into her heart. ’Have I hurt her that much?’ He slowly turned away. He turned back, opening his mouth once more. He wanted to say something, but he didn’t know what. He quietly made his way down the hall and descended the staircase.

“I couldn’t get through to her either Maria. I tried, but she said that she wasn’t ready to let anyone in,” Max explained to the group.

“I’ll try next,” Michael said. ‘If Maria and Max couldn’t get through to her maybe I can. I am her brother.’

“No Michael, That won’t do anything but get her more upset. I don’t know how I know, but I do. I just know that you will make her more upset then she is now,” Dawn said.

“Well? What do we do? We can’t just wait here for Liz to get over this herself. I know that she needs time, but this is too much I am really worried about her,” Maria said.

“Maria? Let me see if I can help,” Angel said.

“Why do you think you can help? You just met her,” Michael replied.

“We have . . . a lot in common,” Angel stated. It was true. There was no mistaking that if anyone could get through to Liz it would be him. He of all the people in this room was able to understand what she was going through; maybe even more than she did.

“You do?” Kyle asked. He was not about to let a strange man talk to his sister because he thought they had a lot in common.

“You bet they do. Your Max and Liz are like our Buffy and Angel. They have this whole star-crossed lover vibe going on,” Cordelia said. “If anyone understands what is going on it is him. Believe me. Out of everyone in this room he is the one who will get through to her the best.”

“Is it okay with you two?” He asked Michael and Max.

“Yeah.” They both responded.

Angel slowly made his way towards the stairs and up to the Joyce’s bedroom. ’I think this is where she is. It has to be, all the other doors are open,’ he thought.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

“So, what do we do now that Liz has shut herself out? There has to be something that can be done other than just sitting around here waiting,” Michael said.

“I for one would like to know what you meant when you said that Angel and Liz were similar,” Jim said calmly. He was quiet through most of the discussion, but now his curiosity got the better of him.

“I don’t think Angel would mind if we gave them the basics, would he?” Cordelia asked.

“I don’t think he would,” Gunn replied.

“Okay then. Willow? Would you start the explaining. I think you would be the best.” Cordelia asked.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

He knocked on the door.

“Liz? It’s Angel. I think you should let me in. I really think that we should talk.”

“I don’t want to talk right now,” she replied.

“Then can you let me in and listen to what I have to say. I think it will make you understand how much we have in common. Will you let me in just to listen to me? I won’t leave. If you don’t let me in I will just talk through the door.”

Liz opened the door slowly, letting him in. She did not want to argue, and she new that what he said was not a threat, but a promise.

TBC. . .

So, what did you think of that part? I hope you liked it. Please leave us a little note. We love to hear what you think. I am thinking of posting the next part next Monday. What do you think? Do you want it earlier? If so let us know. Ah, the power of feedback. It is food for the writer’s soul.

Luv ya tons,
Katie
*angel*

posted on 23-Oct-2001 1:56:38 AM by Sugarplum7
Hi Annie,

We are still open to suggestions for songs that we could use. I would love to hear what you see as a good song. So just let the sugestions slip off your tongue. If all this feedback keeps coming I might post sooner. I'll have to talk it over with Ria, of course.

Talk to you later.

Luv ya tons,
Katie
*angel*
posted on 25-Oct-2001 8:26:44 PM by Sugarplum7
Hi everybody,

Surprise! Here ya go. Thanks for the great feedback. Ria and I are loving it. Please keep it coming and just maybe you will see what is happening next on Monday.

Are you excited? I know I am. *bounce*

Luv ya,
Katie
*angel*

Undone
Part 23

“I’m really sorry about what happened down there. You prob-”

“It is not a problem. You don’t have to apologize. Everyone knows that it must have been hard for you because of what happened between you and Max,” Angel said.

“I know, but I still feel bad. I was explaining everything to you all, and then. . .” Liz trailed off.

“It’s okay. I know what you’re going through, if not I know more about what you are going through than you do.”

“Really? We just met, and you think you know so much. I highly doubt that.”

“I am sure of it.”

“Care to prove it?” Liz said arching an eyebrow, challenging him to prove his last statement.

“Sure. This is going to take a while, do you have time. Hopefully the others are explaining what I am telling you now. That way I won’t have to say this twice.” Angel did not need to hope. Maria was very adamant about finding out what they were all talking about, so Willow and Cordelia were telling the rest of them the tale of poetic love between Buffy and Angel.

“I have the time. I still need to calm down, and I would love to hear about why you think we have so much in common.”

“Okay. The first thing that I need to ask of you is don’t get scared. I promise that I won’t hurt you.” He needed to make sure that he had her trust. She still didn’t know the whole truth about him and his nonhuman status.

“Okay. I promise.”

“I am a vampire. I was turned into a vampire in 1753 and went by the name Angelus. I killed my family, their friends, their friend’s children. For a hundred years I offered ugly death to everyone I met, and I did it with a song in my heart.”

“What changed?”

“Buffy said the exact same thing when I told her this.”

“Really?” Liz asked.

“Yeah. What happened was I fed on a girl about your age, beautiful, dumb as a post.” That last comment made Liz giggle. She knew that she shouldn’t but she couldn’t help it. The way he said it changed the mood of the entire story.

“You think that was funny?” he asked lightly laughing that she found this humorous.

“Well, not the serious stuff, but the way you looked and the way you described her . . . I just couldn’t help it. You said that she was as dumb as a post! I mean, you are explaining this serious matter and then you put in this comment that was just . . . funny. Sorry. I just couldn’t help it.”

“It’s okay. You’ve been through a lot, and you deserve to laugh. But now that you’ve got that out of your system, may I continue?”

“Yes you may, but I’m not making any promises that I won’t laugh again if you make another comment like that.”

“Okay, where was I?”

“Dumb as a post, remember? Is your old age catching up to you?”

“I remember, and no my age is not catching up to me,” Angel said. He smiled at her last comment. She was taking this very seriously, but she was still able to have a sense of humor. “Now, she was about your age, beautiful, dumb as a post,” he said looking at Liz seeing the way he made her smile by repeating that. “She was a favorite among her clan.”

“A clan?”

“Yeah, and you seem to be asking the same questions Buffy did.”

“It must be some sort of bond that we have as cousins in the past life, or it could be that ’slayer instinct’ that Giles was talking about. Who knows? Please continue.” He had captured her with the story of his past, and she wanted to know more.

“They were Rumany, gypsies. The elders conjured the perfect punishment for me. They restored my soul.“

“Why? I mean that doesn’t sound like a the sort of things that you usually hear about being cursed with. When you say curse I think of boils and pestilence, not a soul. I know this doesn‘t have a lot to do with everything, but what year are we in now?”

“I was cursed by the gypsies in 1898. The reason for the curse is when you are turned into a vampire the demon takes your body, but not your soul. That’s gone. You live without a conscience, without remorse. It is an easy way to live. You don’t care about others. I hope that you never have to experience what I’ve gone through. To do the things that I’ve done, and to care. I haven’t fed on a living human being since that day.”

“So they cursed you with a soul because they wanted you to suffer. They wanted vengeance? Why vengeance and not justice?”

“All I can think of is that this is how it was meant to be. If they did something else then I might not have met Buffy, or any of you. But I am not finished with my story just yet. We still have years to cover. After they cursed me I came here, to the United States. I lived scrounging for food, barely surviving. Then, one day, my life changed. I met up with a demon. His name is whistler. He is not your regular demon. He, like me, was cursed. He came to me and offered hope. A hope for a better life. He showed me Buffy. I watched her when she was called, and I followed her to Sunnydale. I tried to just help her, and stay as far away as I could, but I couldn’t help feeling what I felt for her for her.”

“You love her. That has to be hard. I mean you have this whole vampire in love with a slayer thing going on. Does . . . did . . . she love you? Is it does or did?”

“I don’t think tense matters right now, but it gets even more complicated. She did love me.”

“I am so sorry that you have to go through this. You don’t deserve it.”

“I have to object to that, and you will find out why. Buffy and I started dating, I guess that’s what you could call it, about four years ago. The problem was that my curse was placed on me so I would suffer. If I ever experienced happiness, even if it was only for a moment, I would lose the soul I was cursed with.”

“Oh God, I am so sorry. You don’t have to tell me what happened next. Let me guess. You and Buffy made love, giving you your one moment of happiness, and. . .”

“Ending the curse.” They said together.

“But if the curse is gone why are you not evil and like going grrrrr. If you were a regular vampire you would be like feeding on everyone in the room. You don’t have a chip like Spike do you?”

“No, I don’t. I was cursed again, but not until after some pretty big things happened. When I was evil I really was evil. I killed a lot a people, toyed with people, and the biggest event, trying to pull Earth into hell.”

“You tried to pull the world into hell! When you said evil you weren’t kidding. But what about the curse? Why didn’t they just do it earlier? Like right after you reverted back to Angelus.”

“The actual curse disappeared. It wasn’t until Jenny Calender found a way to recreate the curse that there was a curse. She was going to tell everyone. I didn’t want that to happen so I destroyed the computer, and the papers. She must have saved it to a disk as back-up that I didn‘t know about. Before she was able to tell anyone I killed her.

“When the demon Acathla was discovered I thought it was my chance to end the world by sucking it into hell. I tried to do it on my own, but I was unsuccessful. I captured Giles and tortured him until I got the information I needed. I opened the portal, and awoke Acathla. Buffy was there to try and stop me, but she was late. We were fighting, and then. . .”

“They restored your soul.”

“Yes, but it wasn’t in time. You see, the only way to open the portal, was my blood, and the only way to close it was my blood, but when it is closed I am sent to hell as well.”

“No,” Liz gasped.

“Yeah, you guessed it. I returned back to Angel after being cursed again, and when it happened I didn’t remember a thing. All that I knew was what I felt. At the time I felt that I haven’t seen Buffy in months. I felt total confusion. I didn’t know where I was. She must not have known that they were going to try to curse me because she was not expecting that to happen. I took her in my arms and held her. I was so lost I didn’t know what was going on, but I could feel that something was wrong with her. I tried to get her to tell me, but she told me not to worry about it. She kissed me lightly, but it was full of emotion. It felt like she was saying good-bye for the last time. She said the three words that I felt. I love you. I told her the same, and then she told me to close my eyes and I did, without argument. I trusted her with all my heart. She kissed me once more. That was when my life took a huge turn. She plunged a sword through my body.”

Liz gasped at that last comment. Her eyes filling with tears, and sobs threatening to wrack through her body. ’How could she do that? I don’t think I will ever be that strong. I don’t know if I could have, would have, done the same if it was Max and I instead of Buffy and Angel,’ Liz thought.

“I reached out to her, trying to touch her one last time, but was unable to. She was too far away. I called out to her one last time before I was pulled into hell.”

After hearing what happened to him brought Liz to the point of sobbing. Liz couldn’t believe or imagine the pain that he must have gone through, is going through. She threw her arms around his neck, and pulled him into a hug. She told him how sorry she was that he had to go through that. ‘Why has he had to go through so much? He paid for what he did already, and yet he still has to suffer.’

“Is that all that you had to tell me? Because you don’t have to go on if you don’t want to.”

“No, that is not everything. Do you want to hear the rest?” He asked. For some reason he felt that he was saying this for her benefit as much as his.

“Sure, if you don’t mind.” This story of his past was not one that she thought was boring. This was rather interesting and amazing. His life was filled with so many feelings and emotions. It was full of color, not the boring black and white that some people lived in.

He nodded. “I spent hundreds of years down in hell. I know what you are thinking, and yes the reason is because time passes faster there. I found my way back from hell, and I found Buffy. We decided that it was best if we kept my presence secret because the rest of the group would not be so joyous about my arrival. That didn’t last long. They found out, and when Buffy’s mom did she eventually came to me, and she told me that Buffy’s life was changing, growing, and that soon a choice would have to be made. Either Buffy or I would have to make that choice. I made it. Her mom was right. Buffy is . . . was human, and I’m . . . not. She deserved someone better than me, someone who could love her, take her into the light of day. Someone who could give her a future. I broke up with her. That was one of the hardest things that I ever did. I can still see the expression of pain on her face. I couldn’t stay in Sunnydale, that would’ve been too hard, too much to deal with. So, I decided that I would leave after the mayor‘s ascension, assuming that I would survive.”

“Ascension?”

“Yeah. The mayor of Sunnydale, Mayor Wilkins, turned into a demon, a full demon. He did this at the graduation two years ago. I fought, and so did everybody else. We were able to defeat him, but blew up the school in the process. After the battle I left Sunnydale to try and stop evil in Los Angeles.”

“That’s appropriate.”

“What?”

“You. Angel, in a city called the angels.”

“Oh, yeah.”

They shared a laugh. After all that was said and the seriousness of the subject matter this was a nice relief.

“Is that all that you wanted to say. I am not trying to pry, but I really enjoyed listening to you. It gave me . . . perspective.”

“Well, I’m glad that you think that my life is so much worse than yours.”

“No. That is not it. It made me see that we do have some things in common, like you said. Was there anything else that you wanted to say? I know that I like to vent and talk about things that happen to me. I always feel better when I talk to someone.”

“Actually there is one thing that I want to tell you, but I need for you to know that this has never happened, and I have never told anyone this before.” For some reason he felt he could trust Liz.

“I’m not sure I understand the whole this never happened thing, but I promise not to tell.”

“Okay, last year at Thanksgiving, or was it two years ago, it doesn’t matter. I came to Sunnydale to try to save Buffy from evil spirits. I never told Buffy that I came I stayed in the shadows and skulked. I did run into Willow and Xander, I told them not to tell Buffy that I was there, but one of them let it slip. She was coming to L.A. to visit her father, and decided that she would stop by to tell me not to see her again. She said that just because she doesn’t see me . . . she feels me. I understand what she meant. I feel the same way about her. I came up with the plan because given enough time we will be able to . . . forget.”

“I know exactly what you mean. I felt the same way with Max. I thought that if I stayed away from him my feelings would change, but the didn’t. I’m not saying it was like that cliche absence make the heart grow fonder, but I still felt what I felt. It wasn’t as bad when he was there, when I saw him all the time, but it never went away. Now everything seems to have been thrown in the air and I am waiting for it all to fall.”

“I understand, and I don’t see why you should feel like you have to do this on your own. You have your friends, a brother you just realized that you have, and Max. He is clearly trying to give you time and space, but he needs you. I can tell that he misses you even though you are there. He feels the way that you felt.”

“I know.”

“Now, back to the story. When she was there I was attacked by a demon, and together we tracked it. Along the way we split up. I stayed below ground, and Buffy went up into the day, a place that I can’t go. I was heading back when the demon attacked me again. In the fight some of the demon’s blood mixed with mine and restored my humanity. To try to see what happened Doyle showed me how to gain access to the oracles.”

“Uh, sorry to interrupt, but who is Doyle?”

“Sorry, he was half demon, and half human. He received visions, and that was how we were able to help people. He died last year, but before he did he passed his gift, the visions, to Cordy.”

“Okay.”

“The oracles said that I was human, and that this was not a trick. I went to find Buffy and we talked things over. We thought that it would be best if we went back to doing what we were doing, but we didn’t follow that plan. The demon was not dead, and Doyle had a vision to prove it. I decided that I would go kill it and leave Buffy. She was sleeping when Doyle arrived. He wanted me to wake her, to bring her, but I couldn’t do it. She was so peaceful sleeping. So, Doyle and I went to go slay the demon. I was no match for him as a human. I would have died if Buffy didn’t come. I figured out how to slay it, only because I finally understood what the book of Kelsor meant. To slay the beast one must bring darkness to a thousand eyes.“

“How many eyes did it have? I doubt that there were a thousand.“

“You’re right. There were only two, but that was a type of a metaphor. The eyes were a reference to the jewel in its forehead.“

“Of course, the jewel is multifaceted. So the book was talking about it like it was the eye of an insect, like a fly.” Liz’s scientific mind was going over the facts, and she solved the riddle that was in the book.

“Yes, I told Buffy how to slay the Morha demon, and she killed it. The demon was gone, but he said that the end of days had begun, and that for every one that falls ten shall rise. I wanted to know if what he said was true so I went back to the oracles. I told them that I wanted them to take my life back. I was unable to protect Buffy or anyone as a man. They told me of the only way that could be taken. I agreed. They turned back time. They took back the day. The last thing about that day that I remember is holding Buffy close to me, hearing her whisper in my ear --I will never forget-- over and over again while she cried. The day I spent with Buffy when I was human is gone. It never happened. I am the only one who has a memory of that day, and now you are another.”

“You gave up all the happiness that you could have had with her because you love her?” Liz was touched by the amount of love that he had for Buffy. “We have more in common then you know, but I have to explain what I mean to the whole group. I promise you that I will never tell anyone.” Liz promised. This would be a hard promise to keep, but she knew that she had to do it. He has kept it inside of him for such a long time, and he chose her to be the first that he revealed this to.

“So are you ready to go back down the stairs?” Angel asked.

“Yeah, are you really in such a rush to get rid of me?”

“I am not trying to get rid of you, but we’ve been up here a while, and I think that your overprotective brother Michael will try to kill me if I don’t get you back downstairs.”

Liz smiled and laughed at his last comment. “Don’t worry about Michael. He is just . . . Michael. I can handle him. I am the slayer after all. I think he is a little intimidated by my strength.”

“I bet he is.” Angel smiled at her last comment.

“You know, you should smile more,” Liz said.

“I think you should take your own advice.”

They left the room and headed downstairs so Liz could finish the explanation that she began earlier.

TBC . . .

Author’s note:
Angel’s beginning explanation of his past was basically what he said in the episode ‘Angel.’ There are some differences, but it is mostly what he tells Buffy. This is to say that we don’t have any affiliation with the writer(s) of that episode, and that we are simply borrowing what was said by Angel.

posted on 29-Oct-2001 5:10:06 PM by Sugarplum7
Undone
Part 24


When Liz and Angel reached the landing of the stairs they were met with concerned stares.

“Liz? Are you okay?” Michael asked.

“Yeah Michael. I’m fine. Why do you ask? Did you think he would try to kill me or something?”

“Well . . . I . . . uh . . . I. . .”

“Nice one spaceboy. We were just worried because you wouldn’t leave the room. You wouldn’t even let me in.”

“I know Ria, but I needed some time, space. You would want me to talk about what I was feeling, and I didn’t want to talk.”

“Okay, you’re right there, but what about Angel?” Maria asked.

“You obviously let him in. You were up there for a while,” Isabel stated calmly.

“He talked to me. I listened. For once in a long time I was the one listening.”

“As long as you’re okay now that is fine with me,” Max said.

After hearing Angel’s past, Liz couldn’t help but feel that she was taking too long to get things in order. She needed Max, but she needed time to get over things. He slept with Tess, sure there was no baby, but that doesn’t change that he slept with her. ‘Now he said that he never fell out of love with me. That means that when he slept with her he was in love with me. How is that supposed to make me feel better? Okay Liz this is the big question: Can you forgive Max for what he did? You can’t just pretend that it didn’t happen. It did happen, and you have to get past it, or there is no hope for you.’ She thought over her answer to the question in seconds. There was only one real answer. ‘Yes. I can forgive him for what he did. I love him. Isn’t love all that matters because that is what it all comes down to-- love. I am angry at him for what he did, what he said in the past, but it is past. There is nothing that we can do about it now. I am relieved that he is here now, with me. Now that he is here we have something that is just as great as a future. We have the present. That is a gift that I am glad that I still have the pleasure of having. A present, and a future with Max. Now all I have to do is admit that I need him just as much as I need air. It all comes down to me, and I’m doing this for me, and not just for him.’

Liz ran to Max. She didn’t care what other’s thought. This was what she needed right now. She needed Max. She needed his love, his strength, and most of all she just needed him. He enveloped her in his strong arms. “I am sorry. I didn’t mean what I said earlier. I . . . I just . . . I was hurt, and I didn’t know . . . I am so sorry Max.”

“What do you have to be sorry for? I am the one who made the mistake. I should be apologizing to you.” He pulled back so he could look into her eyes. “Sometimes I don’t think I deserve you. I don’t think I deserve to be near you.”

“I hope that you are kidding because I don’t think I could stand to be without you. I hurt you just as much. I think the reason I am afraid is . . . I don’t think I could take it if I hurt you, or if . . . if I am responsible for your pain. I never wanted to hurt you. I never want to hurt you. I love you, with all my heart, it-it’s just that . . . you broke my heart and I broke yours. I am still trying to get over it, hurting you . . . I need you though.”

“We will do whatever you want to do Liz. I love you.” He brought her back into the embrace. They were like that for a few minutes, forgetting where they were, and that there were other people there. They were brought out of their reverie by Kyle’s cough to get their attention. They soon responded and reluctantly broke out of the hug.

“You are okay now,” Anya said, “because you left here like . . . well, like you were going to fall apart.”

“I’m fine now, thank you for asking.”

“Its okay. We know that this is hard for you. It’s a hard time for me too,” Dawn said. “You just learned that you were an alien, and that you are the slayer. You have a right to be emotional.”

Liz smiled warmly at Dawn. She looked around the room.

“Yeah, Liz? Are you ready to continue the explanation that you started?” Willow asked.

“Sure, sorry about-”

“That is not a problem. You don’t have to apologize. We, uh . . . had a break to get to know one another more. It has been a long time since I have met new people. It is hard to find nice people when you are stuck in a cave because people think you are personal slave labor. I could still be there if time travel was possible. That would be really confusing, but quantum physics says that is impossible. If there were two of everyone running around. . . I was babbling again. Sorry,” Fred replied, cutting off Liz’s apology. Fred’s last statement left Liz speechless for a few seconds. It left all of the Roswellians in shock that Fred would just think of something like that out of nowhere. Luckily, Liz’s recovery time was rather quick.

“Thank you all for being so understanding. I am almost done telling you about what happened to us, but I think that someone else could explain what happened the past year.”

“I can do it for you chica.”

“We will all help piece together what happened the past year, but I think that there is one area that I think you should let everyone know about. You were the only one who . . . I guess you could say met him,” Isabel said.

“I’ll start off,” Maria volunteered. “This last year was not easy for us. There must have been some civil war bug that came and spread its evil through us because we spent a lot of time fighting one another. The action really began when Liz came back to Roswell after the summer. She started working at Congresswoman Whitaker‘s . . . .” Maria continued talking about what happened to them. She was getting into the story and was doing a good job explaining what happened. There was no need for anyone to take over the explanation. No one wanted to interrupt Maria when she was on one of her big talking kicks. She went all the way up to the point of Serena coming to find them and informing them of their past. “So when Liz was on her walk that strange guy came and told her that she was this vampire slayer. She killed one, and then was told to come find Giles, and that is how we met all you wonderful people. Any questions?”

“Yeah, it is more of a clarification. There’s more than one type of alien. You have you guys, then there is the Buffy type, the skins, the shapeshifter guy, the Gandarium, and is that Brody . . . Larek guy an alien too?” Cordelia asked.

“Yes there are other types of aliens, but we don’t really consider Brody to be an alien. He is more like. . .” Isabel began to explain but she trailed off. She couldn’t think of the words to finish her statement.

“He is like one end of a walkie talkie. On one end is Larek, on another planet, and on this end is Brody. Larek talks through Brody to tell us stuff. Does that clear things up? I try to think of it that way so it is not too confusing,” Kyle said. It took him awhile to get everything straightened out, and he knew that it was a hard thing to get a grasp of.

“I like this guy,“ Anya said. “He explains this stuff so that we will understand it.“

“What was the thing that Isabel wanted you to explain?” Fred asked Liz.

“Now that is a long story, and I think we could use a break for this explanation. I thought that we could show you the powers that we have,” Liz said.

“Do you have powers Liz?” Willow asked. She caught that Liz said ‘we’, remembering that Buffy, Dawn, and Liz weren’t supposed to get their powers until they reached twenty-five.

“Yeah, but the reason is because I was shot and Max healed me. Serena said that it . . . awoke my alien side. Since it was awoken, it started to fight the block, and since then the block has been slowly deteriorating, chipping away the wall” Liz explained. “I have only used my power once, and I really don’t know how to do this. I didn’t even do it alone. I had to have Iz help me out. I haven’t trained or anything because we thought it was Isabel and not me. We didn’t know that I had powers until a few days ago,” Liz explained. “Why don’t we start on the simple ones and then move on to the more complex? Why don’t each of you alter the molecular structure of something?” Max and Michael nodded, while Serena and Isabel went to get something to alter.

“They are going to what?” Xander asked.

“Xander, you should have paid more attention in chemistry,” Willow said. “They are going to move around the molecules that make up things. It looks like Isabel and Serena are going to do something with liquids.”

“Oh!” he replied.

“Are you ready?” Kyle asked.

“Yeah, lets see some mutant powers,” Xander said.

Serena took a glass of water and changed it into ice in seconds. Isabel took a glass of grape juice and spilled it on her nice slacks. After a few gasps she waved her hand over the stain and made it disappear. Michael, wanting to have fun with this part of the explanation poured a glass of water over Liz’s hair.

“Michael, why did you do that?” She screamed.

“I have some big brother bugging time that I have to make up for. Relax.”

He went over to her, and dried he hair and smiled. The rest of the room thought that it was rather funny. They were amazed at the abilities that these new friends possessed. Max was the last to show another type of reconfiguration. He went up to Cordelia and asked her if she would let him change her hair color. She nodded and with a few strokes of his hand he changed her hair from brown to red. The exact shade of red as Willow’s hair.

“Now that was neat, but would you mind changing it back?” she asked him nicely.

“No problem.”

“So is that something that all of you can do?” Faith asked.

“Yeah, it is, but Liz needs to learn how,” Serena said.

“What other tricks have you got up your sleeves?” Gunn asked.

“Well, Isabel can’t really do the power that only she possesses,” Maria said.

“Why?” Faith asked.

“I dreamwalk people. I am able to walk into a person’s subconscious and become a bystander in the dream.”

“I can . . . Well, don‘t be afraid, but I can read people‘s thoughts, and control their actions. I have trained enough to know how to block thoughts, and I have to be in a certain proximity to the person I will control.”

“Wow, that is a cool power. Your power is like Professor X,” Xander said.

“Do you read those all day?” Spike said.

“So did you want a demonstration of my abilities?”

“Yeah,” Dawn said.

“So who’s going to he the brave volunteer?”

“I will do it,” Liz said.

“Okay, I’ll just control you for a sec. I don’t want to invade your thoughts. Is that okay. This way you keep your privacy, but lose your free will for a while.”

Liz nodded. She relaxed her body and surrendered to Serena’s power. Liz slowly walked over to Kyle. What she did next was amusing for everyone. She picked him up and walked to the couch. It was soon vacated, and she threw him down with more force than she wanted to. He caused the couch to fall on its back, making him roll off and hit the floor. The room was filled with laughter.

“Nice one Serena,” Kyle said, rubbing his back.

“Ooooh!” Anya exclaimed. “Make Xander do that funny dance! Make him do the Macarena!”
posted on 29-Oct-2001 5:15:45 PM by Sugarplum7
Undone
Part 24 (con'd)


Everyone turned to face Xander, smiling as they anticipated what Serena was going to do. This was going to be hilarious.

“Wait a sec Serena.” Isabel said. She had an idea that would make this even better. She turned on the stereo, using her powers to shift the current CD that was placed inside.
Isabel thought that she would set the mood for this little experiment that they were setting into motion. With a small movement of her finger the song began blasting through the house, emanating from every room, giving them the surround sound that made them chuckle when they thought about how funny this was going to be.

As the music made its way through the house the girls couldn’t help but move to the music, lightly moving their bodies to the music. It was contagious. Soon they were all smiling and laughing remembering when this was the most popular thing in the world. They still remembered every move to do, and that made them laugh.

Serena swayed to the music as she began to focus on Xander.

“Nooo!” Xander said as he lost temporary control of his body. ’Not again. I had enough of this sort of stuff that Halloween.’ He was able to know what he was doing, but he couldn’t do anything to get control of his body. She began to make Xander dance the Macarena. She was even able to control his features, giving him the expression of a dancer that is over-exaggerating their expressions, making everyone roll with laughter.

I am not trying to seduce you

Soon all the girls were having a blast. They decided that Xander was humiliated enough. They joined Xander in his dance.

“This is soo fun. Michael come on and join us,” Maria said. Seeing Michael do the Macarena was something that she wanted to see.

“Sorry, Maria. I don’t know this dance,” Michael replied hoping that not knowing the dance was a good excuse, and It wasn’t a lie, he didn’t.

Maria didn’t let that dissuade her. “Hey Serena!” she called. “Michael doesn’t know the dance. Can you help him out?”

“Sure, no problem,” Serena said over the loud music.

The look of absolute terror replaced his once smiling face. ’She wouldn’t dare!’ It was too late. Michael joined in the fun of the dancing occurring in the center of the living room. He looked just as joyous as Xander and the girls.

“Hey Serena? How many can you control?” Liz asked, whispering in her ear just loud enough so the others wouldn‘t hear. A really funny idea jumped into her mind.

“It all depends on how difficult the actions are, but in your case I can say the rest of them,” Serena whispered back.

“When I say so do it.”

When I dance they call me Macarena
And the boys they say Que soy buena
They all want me
They can’t have me
So they all come and dance beside me
Move with me
Chant with me
And if you’re good I’ll take you home with me


Liz danced her way over to Dawn. “Do you have a camera?” she asked.

Dawn knew exactly what Liz wanted to do, motioning to follow her they went to get the camera. Dawn took the video camera and loaded it, while Liz took the Polaroid and the camera that she brought to take pictures on this vacation. They went back to the room to see that all the guys were too busy laughing at Michael and Xander to see Liz come up with this well thought out plan. She turned on the camera and yelled out to Serena.

“NOW!”

The guys were stunned to say the least. What was ‘now‘? They had their answer in a matter of seconds. Everyone in the room was dancing. Everyone from Giles to Gunn, from Faith to Fred, from Kyle to Max were moving along to the rhythm of the song, laughing and having an fabulous time. This looked like the first time they all actually had a fun in a long while.

They went around the room taking pictures of this event. How many times would they get the chance to see these guys doing the Macarena?

I don’t want him
Can’t stand him
He was no good so I
ha ha, ha ha
Now come on,
What was I supposed to do?
He was out of town and his two friends were so fine


Dawn set the camera on the tripod, making sure that all were visible. She joined in on all the fun happening her house. Liz wasn’t done yet. She wanted to get pictures of everyone. This was the first time that they did anything that wasn’t alien related. Okay in a way it was, but this was different. She made sure to get a shot of all the guys swaying there hips right before they jumped to face another direction.

I am not trying to seduce you

They were halfway through the song, so Liz decided that she had enough pictures, if you think that two rolls and eight Polaroids were enough. Of course that is not enough when you think about it. You can never have enough photos of guys dancing the Macarena, but Liz decided that this would do. She put the cameras around her neck and began dancing with the rest of the group.

Come and find me my name is Macarena
Always at the parties callin chicas que son buenas
Come join me dance with me
And all you fellas chant along with me


Before they knew it the song was over. All the girls tumbled over with laughter. Tears falling out of their eyes because this was the funniest thing that they had seen. The guys on the other hand looked completely shocked they didn’t know what to do.

“That was so much fun. You guys should have seen the way you looked,” Isabel finally said. It took her awhile to finally catch her breath.

“They can! We taped it,” Liz said to Isabel, “and the Polaroid pictures should be developed soon. You can see the shots that I took.”

Once they calmed down after looking at the pictures they sat back down in their seats in the living room.

“That is a great power,“ Dawn told Serena.

“Yeah, as long as you never use it on me again,“ All the guys said at once, causing the girls to start laughing all over again. They spent a few hours just calming down. There was no way that they could have a conversation so soon after all the laughing that was going on. They talked over small things. The polite banter that they skipped when they first met one another.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

“Okay, what can you two do?” Dawn asked Max and Michael. She resumed her mission to find out the others’ powers. “I know already that you can heal the really big, close to death wounds, but is that it?” she asked Max.

“No, I can also do this,” Max said extending his hand and putting up his shield.

“And I release energy blasts. Max, you ready?”

“Yeah, but keep it low, we are indoors.”

Michael shot a small blast towards Max’s shield. The group of people were entranced by the show that was going on in the living room.

“Whoa now that is cool,” Dawn said.

“Yeah, I guess,” Max said retracting his shield. “But I think that what Liz did was the best.”

“What did you do?” Dawn asked excitedly.

“Dawn, you act like you don’t know, Maria said it in the explanation.” Liz explained.

“Can you show me? I know what you said, but I want to see it. You were able to get in Max’s head, can you try mine?” She asked pleading.

“I can try, but I don’t know if I will be able to.”

“I believe in you. I bet you are stronger than you think. I just want you to try. Please?”

“Okay, I’ll try. Isabel, can you come with me. I still need your help,” Liz said. She couldn’t resist Dawn. She was asking, begging like this was her birthday and she wanted to open her presents.

“Sure Liz.”

“We’ll try to keep this short I know that you want to get on with the explanation,” Liz said while walking up the stairs back to Joyce’s room.

“Are you ready Liz? Just do what you did before, but this time concentrate on Dawn and not Max.”

Liz nodded her agreement. They walked to the bed and laid down. ‘If we’re comfortable this might happen faster,’ Liz thought. They closed their eyes, clasped hands, and opened a connection.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

“What am I supposed to do?” Dawn asked. Liz was trying to do this for her, and she wanted to make this as easy as possible.

“Well, you could try to calm down and relax. That might make it easier for them to get into your mind,” Maria said.

“Yeah, we know that this is too exciting for you to try to sleep now, but relaxing might be the best thing that you can do,” Max added.

“Okay. I’m gonna try to relax.” Dawn took a seat on the couch. She rested her head on Xander’s shoulder, using it as a pillow. She kept her eyes open. This was just too exhilarating to keep them closed.

Every one stood watching Dawn. They wanted to know the moment that Liz and Isabel were able to get into her mind.

“What do you think they are trying to . . . do . . . up . . . stairs,” Xander asked. He trailed off when Liz appeared a few feet in front of him.

Cordelia heard him trail off and looked in the direction he was staring at. “OhmyGod!” Cordelia exclaimed when she saw Liz standing there.

Everyone turned to face her. They were taken off guard. Liz was standing next to her. They could all see her.

“Whoa. I thought you said that she could only get into a person’s mind?” Willow asked. “If we can all see her this is more like astral projection. That is cool.”

The Liz standing in the living room was just standing there smiling. She was happy that she was able to get her power to work. She did not try to talk. She only listened to the conversation that was going on.

“Liz? Can you hear and understand what we are saying?” Willow asked Liz.

Liz tried to speak. She opened her mouth, but no audible sounds could be heard. She brought her hands to her throat and closed her mouth.

“You can’t speak in this form?” Anya asked.

Liz shook her head frantically. Why was it that she couldn’t speak when she did this?

“That is okay. I have a feeling that since your powers have just started developing they are still weak. After some practicing you should be able to have more control over your power, and learn to talk in this form,” Serena said to this Liz projection.

“Yeah Liz. Don’t worry about this too much,” Michael said. He came up to her, bringing his arm around her shoulders, but instead of touching her his arm passed through her.

“Yeah, and with the speaking we can try to see if there is any way to make this form solidify. That way it is not like you are a ghost. Although being like this might be useful at times. We should try to gain control of the various ways you can manifest yourself,” Serena said.

Liz nodded.

“Now that we have seen this, why don’t you and Isabel come downstairs. You should probably finish the explanation. I don’t want you to get too tired,” Max said with concern.

With that statement Liz disappeared.

“You were right Max. That power was cool,” Dawn said. ‘I can’t wait until I get my power. I wonder what it will be?’

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

“Liz? You did that? You gave up your happiness so others could live, so the world wouldn’t end?” Fred asked.

“Now that is an act of selflessness if I ever heard one,” Gunn said.

“Yeah, you did . . . how were you . . . I mean . . . that is just.” After hearing about the whole Future Max story Dawn was unable to form a coherent thought.

Liz looked around the room. She looked at all the faces around her. Her gaze stayed on Angel. He looked at her and understood the comment that she told him before. She was right. They did have more in common than he thought. They both gave up their own happiness so others could live, could survive, could be safe.

“You’d be surprised at what you can do when the people that matter most to you have their lives on the line,” she said, her gaze went to Dawn and back to Angel. She looked at everyone and began again. “If you haven’t noticed certain things are happening again. They are out of order from the past, and we have been able to change the outcome. But . . . Tess is not here anymore, and she has the granolith. She went back to Antar, back to Kivar. Without her the world ended, and it could again. I can’t explain it, but I feel like we have to find a way to get Buffy back. If we can get her out of this limbo that she is in and get her back that is another thing that will be different from what happened here, and what happened on Antar. I feel like the more that this is different the better off we’ll be,” Liz stated.

“We have been trying to decode this prophecy. Part of it was in English, and from that we knew that we had to find this princess,” Wesley began.

“Yeah, and it is taking forever,” Dawn said. “At least we found this princess that it talked about. We know now that it is Isabel that they were talking about.”

“Yes, but there is still so little to go on. The rest of the book was in the symbols,” Giles said.

“Symbols? Book? Did you say the prophecy was in a book?” Serena asked.

“Yeah, what’s so big about it?” Xander asked.

“May I see it. If it is what I think it is we might be able to have a fighting chance.”

Spike picked up the book and gave it to her.

“What is so important? What does it say?” he asked.

“This is it!” Serena exclaimed.

Isabel took the book away from Serena and gasped. “Guys. These symbols are the same as the ones from the book.”

“What are you guys talkin’ about?” Faith asked.

“These symbols are the Antarian language,” Michael said.

“Great! So you can read it and tell us what it means?” Anya asked.

“No, we don’t know how to read it. Do you Serena?” Max asked. He wished that he was able to read it. Everything would be easier if he could.

“No. I can’t either,” she replied sadly, wishing that she was able to. “But this is it. The prophecy. This tells us what we have to do. It has the directions on how to bring Corrine, sorry Buffy back. We just need to get it deciphered.”

“I know where it can be deciphered,” Liz announced flatly.

“So do I,” Michael said.

“I do too,” Maria said in a monotone, uncharacteristic for her bubbly personality.

“Hello?! People dying of suspense here,” Xander said. It looked like everyone who came from Roswell knew where the book could be deciphered.

“Las Cruces,” Liz said barely above a whisper.

“Where? We couldn’t hear you Liz,” Willow said.

“The book can be deciphered at Las Cruces. Alex went there when Tess mindwarped him. Remember? I told you that earlier. He went there to decipher the book and was able to. I don’t know how, or what to do, but I am sure that that is the place to go,” Maria explained.

TBC. . .

Well you guys, that was the last part that we have finished writing. The next part that is completed is 27, and I am hoping to get 25 finished on Monday. I hope you guys don't mind the wait. I will try to get it done as soon as I can, and Maria is working on 26.

Talk to you soon!

Luv ya tons,
Katie
*angel*
posted on 1-Nov-2001 2:40:36 PM by Sugarplum7
Hi Everyone,

I am trying my best to keep up with everything that I have put on my plate. I will try to get 25 up on Monday. I just want to keep you posted. I love the feedback that you are leaving. You are all wonderful. I'm glad that you liked the last part. Be seeing you.

Luv ya tons,
Katie
*angel*

[ edited 1 time(s), last at 1-Nov-2001 2:42:17 PM ]
posted on 2-Nov-2001 4:44:18 PM by Sugarplum7
Hi Amanda,

I don't know if I can get it up today. I will try. If not you will get to read it when you come back. I promise that it will be here waiting for you. Be strong girlie. I know you can go a few days without an Undone fix. I believe in you.

Luv ya tons sweetie,
Katie
*angel*
posted on 5-Nov-2001 8:39:54 PM by Sugarplum7
Hi everyone,

Sorry this is so late, but I just wasn’t satisfied with it, and Maria didn’t get back to me to tell me what she thought. I hope she doesn’t mine me posting without her ‘okay'. I just want to let you know that it is kinda ‘blegh’. It’s a transition and they usually are not that interesting. I hope you forgive the ‘blehg-ness’ (look at that. I’m creating words. lol). I'm also sorry that it is short. Do you forgive me? Well, here it is.

Enjoy!

Luv ya,
Katie
*angel*

PS. Thanks for the bump Snowdove30


Undone

Part 25


Everyone was quiet after hearing the newest piece of news. They were so close to getting all the answers that they needed. All that they needed to do was to go back to New Mexico and decode this newest book. What secrets will be revealed once the book is decoded? The last time someone decoded the Antarian language resulted in his own demise. What will await them on the other side of this bridge? Who will be the ones to cross it?

“So, Las Cruces huh?” Fred said, trying to break the thick tension in the room. “I heard they have a great computer. I wouldn’t really know about it now though, spending years in a different dimension can take a person out of the loop. Also living in a cave is not something that will improve knowledge about current events, and I did both of those, so I don’t really know if I my knowledge on the subject is obsolete or not. I mean, I didn’t even know if tacos were still around. Are there any tacos in New Mexico?”

She was trying to lighten the mood and get the others to start talking. She didn’t mean to go off on tangents, but it was hard for her not too. She was still suffering from a weird case of jetlag. It wasn’t really jetlag, but it was the closest term that could be used to describe the way she felt. Being back on Earth required some time to decompress, and she didn’t have that luxury, for before she even stepped into the hotel another adventure was beginning.

“Yeah, Fred. There are tacos in New Mexico,” Liz said, answering the question nicely. “Anyone have ideas on how we should approach this?”

“I don’t have any ideas on what to do, but at least we don’t have any mindwarping alien primadonnas trying to kill us. Right? If this Tess gerbil,” Anya said, using the word Maria used to describe Tess in her explanation, “was around then there might be complications, but she is off on another planet making those around her miserable. The way it seems her being gone is a good.” That was true, but there was a feeling in Liz‘s stomach that Tess was not going to stay gone. Yes they did need to go to Las Cruces to find out what is in the pages of the book, but also Tess was not there to throw a wrench in the works and possibly kill those who opposed her, which was a comfort to those in the room.

“Are there any volunteers that want to go decode the book? I think either Maria, Michael or I should go at least. We were there to find what was decoded last time. If we even have a chance of them remembering us, one of us should go at least,” Liz said opening the conversation to see who should take this newest lead that they got.

“You can’t go, chica. That’s for sure. They need to train you in all the fighting thingies,” Maria said. “I’ll go with whoever else.”

“I think that I should come too,” Serena said. She was the only one who new the most about their heritage. She was also very interested in seeing what there was to see at Las Cruces. If they had a computer that was able to decipher a language that was lost to her, she would be there to see it and enjoy it.

“I don’t know if I will be of much help, but I was a pretty good hacker in the past if I do say so myself.” Willow said taking pride in her past achievements concerning hacking into systems.

“And I don’t think that you will need me here since you have Giles, so I am going to join you on this trip.” Wesley didn’t think he would be much help here in Sunnydale, especially since Giles was here, and he wasn’t very successful when he was training Faith. There really wasn’t that great a need to have two former watchers. Liz looked like the complete opposite of Faith, making Liz’s training look much easier and more controllable.

“I would like to go as well. Plus there are tacos, so I won’t be having problems finding something to eat. I have missed them so much since I was, well, you know.” Fred blushed slightly after being so forward with her wishes.

“There isn’t much that I could do here for the training, so I’m in,” Kyle said stepping forward. “Dad? You coming or staying?”

“I’ll go with you guys. I think that I will be of the most help in this group,” Jim said. There was much to be done, but a bulk of the work appeared to be for the group heading to Las Cruces. Those in Sunnydale were going to be keeping the evil that emanates from the Hellmouth at bay, as well as training Liz in her alien and more earthly powers. He like Kyle did not have any experience in controlling alien powers, nor did they want to stay and become a punching bag for Liz.

“I’m coming too. I don’t want Serena to be the only one there that could allow some sort of protection while you are there. Two aliens will be better than one.” Isabel wasn’t sure what she was doing.

Here she was, volunteering to go to one of the last places Alex was at. This was where he was kept captive, a prisoner, and no one knew that he was. No one knew that they should have tried to get him out of the reality he was facing, a reality that was slowly ushering in the collapse of the world that they knew.

“Anyone else want to go too?” Max asked, wondering if Isabel was the last to join the group.

“I’ll go.” Cordelia said as she walked up to join the group heading to New Mexico. “There isn’t much that I can do here to help. There is nothing else to research here. We already know where to go to decipher the language, and, no offense Liz, but being a slayers punching bag is more Xander’s department.”

“Hey!” Xander said, resenting her last statement. “I am not a punching bag. I prefer thinking about it as a stationary sparing buddy.”

“It is still the same thing. You end up getting hit around and are unable to fight back,” Cordelia threw out, knowing that she was right. Xander may be able to fight, but there was no way that he would be any match for a slayer. Most vampires aren’t even a challenge for their strength and skill.

“I guess that is it. We need to make sure that we are always up to date with all news,” Michael said as he stepped behind Maria and draped a protective arm around her shoulder.

“Michael and I will stay and strengthen Liz’s powers. They look like they are strengthening already. Angel, Giles and the others will help us here with other forms of training and research if necessary.” Max said voicing what they had planned to happen over the next few days.

“So, what are we going to be looking for? This book looks like it is full of information,” Maria said as she leafed through the pages. This book was different from the other one that was deciphered. This book was larger in size and shape. The pages were of paper and not metal. This looked more earthly than alien. That made sense though. If they were sending them to Earth to blend in why give them something that would make them stick out and be noticed.

“It would be better to decode the entire book, but pay close attention to anything that would have to do with the prophecy and anything that would have to do with bringing Buffy back,” Max said looking to all those heading to Las Cruces.

“And look for names. They might be keywords to set off some explanation about the past and tell us if my theory is right,” Liz said.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

“Okay Maria. Calm down. I know you are getting results easily, but you have to breathe between sentences or else I won’t be able to make any sense out of what you are saying . . . That‘s better.”

Liz was having one of her daily chats with Maria since they left to go to Las Cruces. They were having a lot of luck getting the desired results, making everyone pleased and in a better mood. After getting some information about how things were going on the other front Liz walked up the stairs to Dawn’s room. They have gotten closer over the past few days.

“I just got off the phone with Maria,” she said after tapping on the door jam of the opened door. “It looks like they are really successful in the decoding.”

“That is great. I can’t wait until we can get Buffy back. I know that she would love to meet you. She might even have some slayer pointers to give you from the Buffy handbook to slaying,” Dawn said smiling at Liz.

“I think I could use a copy. Angel is wiping the floor with my butt. I don’t think I have fallen down so much in my life. Not to mention all the ducking that I am doing when I fight Faith. Does she know how good her kicks are?” Liz said walking in and sitting next to Dawn on the bed.

“I don’t think Buffy published it yet, but we might be able to find a notebook somewhere,” Dawn said continuing to play along.

“LIZ!” Spike said from downstairs, stopping their conversation.

“It looks like it is round three of your training,” Dawn said as they both looked at the door. “What does Spike do? He can’t fight you because of that chip.”

“He’s calling for our . . . I guess you could say road test. I am going out on patrol and he’s going to make sure I don’t go in over my head. I’ll see you in the morning.” Liz got up from her seat on Dawn’s bed and walked down the stairs, picking up her jacket from the coat rack next to the door.

They took a few steps out the door before Liz stopped abruptly and turned back around to face the front door, where Max stood with a stake in hand. “I think you will need this,” he said as she walked toward him with a smile on her face that mirrored his, making Spike gag in the background.

“God, don’t you two ever stop,” he muttered under his breath.

“Yes, I will.” Liz took the stake from his hand. “Thank you,” she said, giving him a quick kiss before turning around to start her patrol with Spike.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Max sat looking at some of the texts Giles had on the past prophecies that they had averted. He may not look like he was worried out of his mind, but his thoughts never strayed from Liz. The quiet drumming of his fingers against the soft pages of the book went unnoticed by those around him as they watched a movie on the TV. The dialogue spreading throughout the room drowned the drumming out.

TBC. . .

posted on 8-Nov-2001 1:48:52 PM by Sugarplum7
Hi Everyone,

Thanks for all the feedback. I haven't been able to get in touch with Ria. Now she is a really busy girl. I am trying to see how she is coming on the part, or whether she needs me to write the part. I will try to get it to you on Monday.


Hannah- I did hear your idae and I am contemplating it. I don't know if it iwll work with our plan. You see, we have this whole thing planned out until the end. I am thinking about if it will conflict with anything. I will let you know as soon as I can see. I really like the idea. It is a nice way to live in denial. This little A/B world that I live in can't be good for my health. Look at what they are doing to them in reality. I must be in denial because I am just thinking about watching the s2 and maybe parts of s3 for the rest of my life.

Thank you all for leaving us a little message to push us on. You all are the greatest. Annie, Jenn, thanks for always reasuring me about my posts (RPG, Undone, and Only For You). That reminds me I need to get going on ch.4.

Luv ya tons sweeties,
Katie

*angel*
posted on 12-Nov-2001 6:43:54 PM by Sugarplum7
Hi Everyone!

It is Monday! and you all know what that means. I wish that this part had a A/B scene, but there was no way that I could put on in because I know that the A/B shippers are in a dark place right now. I am there with you guys. I am living in my own fantasy world. I really want to get a name for the A/B shippers. Anyone else think so? Does anyone have any ideas? (Hannah I told you this before. Do you have any ideas yet?) Enjoy the part! I hope you like it.

Luv ya tons babes,
Katie

*angel*

Undone

Part 26


“How can you do this?” Maria questioned Willow after see her spend hours on end staring at the computer screen as the symbols in the book were transformed from the symbols of the Antarian language to words, sentences, and phrases.

“I haven’t done this in a long time,” Willow replied as Maria sat down next to her. “Oh! Those just came out. That’s the newest bit of information. This looks like it is the history and past. That is all the stuff that Serena and Liz told us before. They gave us the Cliff’s notes version. This is the detailed, long winded, Charles Dickens version.”

“This book was packed full of information. It had the prophecy and now the past history, and not to mention the information that it had about the Granolith. Is the history the last chunk of deciphering left?” Maria asked. She was glad that they were almost done. She wanted to go back to see her friends. She missed Michael more than she would let others believe, and more than she would let herself believe.

“Coffee break!” Cordelia exclaimed as she came into the room with a tray full of Starbucks emblazoned cups. Soon people to get their order surrounded her. “So, how is the decoding going?” she asked, coming up behind Willow and Maria, bringing them what they ordered.

“We are almost done. The pages are really getting decoded faster, and the translations is almost completely printed out and sorted through,” Willow said while she continued looking at the computer screen as the translation kept moving on the screen. “I’d say we would be done with everything in about a day or two.”

“Are these the new pages,” Kyle asked as he joined the group by the monitor. There was not a lot to do now because everything was winding down to a close. Everything was extremely hectic the first couple days. Willow was just enjoying being back in this element. She said that this was the first time in a long time that she has been around a computer doing anything.

“Yup. Those are the new pages. Get them to Serena so she can find the right section that they can go with. Like I told Maria they are history, but they kinda mention the prophecy. It looks like Liz’s theory might be right,” Willow said, spinning her chair around to face Kyle.

“That sounds like our Liz,” Kyle said taking the papers out of Maria’s hand. “Have you talked to them today?”

“Not yet. Liz said that she was going to be busy today. She said that the Czech training would last from the midmorning to noon. Then she was going to take a break for a few hours, and start a sparring session in the afternoon, followed by a meditation/tai chi thing with Angel, and patrol in the evening. Besides, there isn’t much to tell her about today. I would call in the morning but they are keeping her so busy I think that sleep is what she really needs.”

“How do they do it? I mean Buffy would have these training sessions too, but Liz has them along with the other stuff. I would be so burnt out by the end of the day. There is no way that I would be out all night stopping all the things that go bump in the night,” Cordelia said as she pulled up a chair to sit with them.

“I don’t know. Just thinking about what she has to do in her day makes me tired,” Maria said.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

“LIZ!”

“I GOT IT, ANGEL!”

“No! DUCK!”

Liz learned that Angel never lied when it came to things like this. She swiftly kicked the vamp she was fighting in the chest and dropped to the floor. She rolled out of the way and rose to her feet to see Angel dust a vamp with a crossbow, and the vampire she was fighting lunge toward her present position.

“I don’t think so,” Liz said as she broke off a branch from the nearby tree to plunge it deep into the vampire’s heart. “Where’s, where’s Faith? She was right here, and then. . .”

“And then we were attacked,” Angel said dusting himself off while he looked around to see where Faith was.

“We have to find her. There were four, and we only dusted two.”

There was a loud crash, making them turn their heads to the commotion. Apparently Faith was kicking some vampire’s ass, or the vampires were kicking hers.

“Let’s,” Angel said, then noticing that Liz had already went. “Go? Hey Liz!” Angel started to run after her as they made their way through Weatherly Park to find Faith.

They ran up to see Faith leaning against a brick wall, waiting for their arrival. “Took you long enough.”

“Yeah, sorry. Was that a lot? I haven’t been here that long, but I never remember being ambushed by four vampires. Is that normal for Sunnydale?” Liz asked her two patrol companions.

“As a total? Not necessarily. All at once? It might mean something.” Faith said, standing and walking to Angel and Liz.

“So what does that mean? There is a new all-powerful evil lurking in the shadows of Sunnydale and we have to stop it?” Liz asked.

“Pretty much, or else. . .”

“The world will end.” Liz finished Angel’s statement. “That seems to be the story of my life. Go out and make things better, then something comes that might destroy the world and we have to find a way to stop it.”

“Let’s get going.” Faith said walking back towards the Summers’ home.

“Yeah. The sun is going to be rising soon, and I don’t want you to get caught outside.”

~ * ~ *~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

“Hey guys! Look at this,” Jim said as he brought everyone to the table he and Serena were sitting at. “This was in the wrong pile. Remember that the prophecy translation was cut short by the history explanation and it just left the words up in the air, well this is it. There was a tie between the two sections, and the history had to be explained for this next part.”

“What is it?” Fred asked as she came up behind them.

“This looks like the way to get Buffy out of uh oh,”

“Uh oh! What uh oh? We are running out of time and you are saying ‘uh oh’. I’m sorry Kyle, but you will have to tell us here,” Maria said as she came up behind him to look at the paper he was holding. “There’s no ‘uh oh’ look it says right there that to get the chosen one out all you have to do is oh god that’s not good.”

“Hey guys! This is not some movie where we need to build up a long dramatic pause for suspense. This isn’t ‘Meet Joe Black’! Give us the info here.” Cordelia said after waiting in silence as they read over the page once and again to see if they were reading it correctly.

“Oh God that isn’t good either,” Maria said as she read further down the page.

“Maria. I think we would all appreciate some information, so if you would please stop with the ‘oh God’ and ‘uh oh’ and tell us what is in there,” Wesley said as he stepped forward.

“Let me see that,” Cordelia said as she took the paper to see what this whole commotion was about. They all could see as her eyes scanned over the page and stopped as they reached the one phrase. “Oh. Not good.”

“Keep reading,” Maria said when she saw Cordelia stop reading when she saw that she stopped. “The rest is about ten lines down.”

“Ten lines down, ten lines down,” Cordelia repeated in a whisper. “That is bad.”

“Okay Cordelia you were the one that said that this isn’t some movie, so tell us what is going on. This dramatic pause takes the cake,” Isabel said.

“Okay, okay. Sorry. It’s just this is not good. The first uh oh was because we are running out of time. We have a window of about a week to ten days to get this done with the best results. Add another week and there could be complications. We might not be able to get her out,” Cordelia said as she gave Isabel the paper.

“And the ‘Oh God’. Why was that said?” Fred asked.

“We need that Granilith,” Jim said. “We need the Granilith to get her back and we don’t have it. It is back on Antar.”

“Oh God,” the rest of the room said who didn’t know that that was the final bit of information.

“So we have to find a way to get the Granilith back on Earth to even have a chance at getting her back, and then we need to do it in that small window of time for it to work without any complications,” Kyle stated, verbalizing all the groups thoughts at the moment.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

“Liz! Do you want something for. . .” Michael said as he came into Buffy’s room.

“Shhhh!” Dawn said as she came to the doorway. “She was up all last night on patrol. And she still needs to do whatever you and Max do with her to strengthen her alien powers. Give her this time to sleep.”

“Okay. You don’t mind her sleeping here do you?” Michael asked wondering. If something happened to Liz he didn’t know how he would feel about someone else sleeping in her bed, especially since this was a replacement for Buffy’s old position as the slayer.

“No. It’s fine. I mean, Buffy is coming back, and it is not like she is really dead. She will be back. I know it.”

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

“Wait! What is this?” Kyle asked.

“What is what?” Jim asked as he walked up to his son.

“That.”

“Hmmm.”

“Mind sharing with the class?” Maria asked.

“The book is almost done with the deciphering!” Willow called. She was off in her own world right now because she was back in her old element. She was enjoying this time she had with the computer since she hasn’t had time to do anything about this in a long time.

“Yeah. This page is part of the prophecy stuff too, but this has some weird stuff about two and two. Whatever that means,” Kyle said to everyone in the room.

“Two and two?” Serena asked. That did not sound the least bit familiar to her, and she thought that she knew about most of the things that were in the prophecy, but this thing with two and two was disconcerting. ‘Two and two? what does that mean. I have never been told about two and two before. That wasn’t even something that happened in the past. Why would it be important now?’

TBC. . .

[ edited 1 time(s), last at 12-Nov-2001 6:44:56 PM ]
posted on 13-Nov-2001 2:33:25 PM by Sugarplum7
Hi to our lovely readers,

I am so glad that you liked that part. I thought that the "Meet Joe Black" line was funny too, Jenn. I remember watching that movie and there were dramatic pauses up the wazoo. Now, a few of you are asking about 'two and two' I just want to let you know that I can't tell you what it is. I am just really sorry that this is going to have to stay a secret for now.

Remember that I told you all that I had part 27 and 28a and 28b already written? Well, If you keep up this wonderful feedback I will have part 27 up on Wed. or Thurs. Hey maybe even today if you really beg. I don't know if I will beable to watch BtVS without crying uncontrollably.

If you want the part let me know. The more notes you leave the more likely the update. You can even leave multiple notes if you really want the update.

The question is how bad do you want the next parts?

I love what you say. I'll be hearing from you all soon, I hope.

Hugs and kisses,
Katie

*angel*
posted on 13-Nov-2001 6:32:14 PM by Sugarplum7
Here is 27. I hope you like it. I still haven't edited anything yet so there might be some errors. Let me and Ria know that you think.

Luv you all,
Katie
*angel*

Part 27

It was fairly quiet in the Summers’ house. Half the group was gone. There were so many things that needed to get done before they were able to actually put a plan together on how they were going to get Buffy out of the plane of existence that she is in. Even though that was at the forefront of everyone’s mind there were other things that had to be taken care of. One of those things was Liz’s training. She needed to be trained in the ways of the slayer and she needed to work on strengthening her powers. Serena believed that since each of them had several powers Liz probably had several as well.

Liz was tired by the end of the day. She had spent the entire day working on either her body or her mind. ‘Being a slayer and having other superpowers was not a walk in the park. More like running a several marathons one right after another.’

“Liz, you okay? You look . . . well . . . do you want the truth?” Gunn asked. He was watching what she was doing all day, and just watching made him tired. ‘Her life is not going to be easy, but after hearing about what she did in the past I wonder if things were ever easy.’

“Yeah, let me have it. You did hit me earlier today, so I doubt that the truth will hurt as much,” Liz replied. You could hear her fatigue through her voice, but you couldn’t see it in her eyes. She looked almost content.

“I said I was sorry about that. I thought that you saw it coming.”

“Saw it coming?! You were behind me, and I was already fighting Faith, while Giles was timing me. If I saw you coming I wouldn’t have gotten hit. At least he decided that using the blindfold was jumping the gun.”

“Yeah, but still. You need to be prepared--”

“For things like that to happen. You guys might not always be there to back me up, and just because I am new to all this doesn’t mean that the vamps and whatever will take it easy on me. I know. You have all said that to me over and over again. I don’t blame you either. It didn’t hurt that much afterward anyway. So don’t worry. I’ll try to be ready next time.”

“Kay then. And you don’t look that bad. You just sound bad. Just really tired, that sort of thing. Why don’t you take a break and rest on the couch a bit? You still have to go patrolling tonight. You might as well get some rest.”

“Thanks Gunn. Are you patrolling too?” Liz asked. He was really nice to her, everyone was, even Spike in his own way.

“Nah, I am taking tonight off. I haven’t slept well in days. Since you came, I might finally have a goodnight’s rest.”

“Wow. I feel so honored to be taking your place in the big world of scary monsters,” Liz said with mock enthusiasm.

“Shut up and get some rest.” Gunn said teasing her, throwing the pillow next to him at her face.

He exited the living room and went to the kitchen to see what the others were doing. He did have a lot to do today, but not as much as the others. He felt that he was lucky to get stuck with the easier job. He just had to train her. The others have to travel to another state, and try to decipher an Alien language. ‘Not my idea of fun. I’ll take fighting vamps over a staring at a computer screen for hours on end any day.’

As he left the room a familiar figure stood at the entryway to the living room. Max just stood there looking at Liz. He knew that she wasn’t asleep yet. He stood there and watched as her breathing evened out. ‘She looks so peaceful. She must have been really tired. It took a short amount of time before she fell asleep.’ He slowly made his way into the living room, and picked up the blanket that was draped across the back of the chair. He slowly walked over to her and covered her. Walking back to the chair, he sat and watched. He watched her sleep. He watched her breathe. He watched as a small smile appeared on her lips. He just love being able to do this, to see her. Moments like these almost disappeared from his life not too long ago. He was easily manipulated then, and he was not going to let that happen again.

They stayed like that for a few hours: Liz sleeping and Max watching. Even though he was getting tired he didn’t want to go to sleep. He was barely able to notice that the sun was setting. He slowly got up and went over to Liz. He gently placed his hand on her back and rubbed small circles against her, trying to wake her up without jolting her awake.

“Liz? Liz,” he whispered softly, gently. “Liz, it is time to get up. You have to get ready. You are going out to fight tonight.”

“Hmmmm?” She asked. She smiled and yawned. “This is how she wanted to wake up every time. Waking up was not that bad when Max’s soft, sweet voice was floating to her ears. “Oh yeah, how long was I asleep?”

“Not long. Five hours at the most. Are you ready? Faith should be coming soon.”

“Yeah, I just need to get my shoes on.” Liz replied. She yawned once more.

“You are yawning a lot. Are you still tired?” He asked. He was concerned about her, maybe too concerned.

“Max I’m fine. You worry about me too much. Like I said before I am a big girl. I can tie my own shoes and everything. Now I even have superhuman strength and sometimes reflexes,” she added that last part remembering that they weren’t always there, especially when Gunn was punching. “Not to mention the alien abilities. After all that practicing today I can turn everything into an apple. It is the turning things back that is the problem. At least there are a lot of apples to practice shooting at when I start using the crossbow in a few days. Don’t worry, no William Tell for me. That is just too scary a thought, but if a certain blond haired gerbil was around I would not mind making her a guinea pig. I doubt that Maria would mind, not to mention Iz.” Liz smiled at the last thought. Having Tess at her mercy with an apple on her head while she was aiming with a crossbow loaded with a small arrow would be quite fun. Maybe the others would like to take a shot, after some practice with a target of course.

“Liz, are you ready to go?” Angel asked from the doorway.

“Yeah, we were just talking. Are you coming, or is it just me and Faith?”

“I’m coming. Spike wanted a night off, and I just want to be there in case you need back-up and Faith has her hands tied.”

“Great! I am so glad that you are coming. Not that I don’t like Faith, it’s just that . . . we are too different to get things to work out well. I like that you’re coming. This way we can talk about things a bit more. You don’t mind do you?”

“No I don’t mind. Go get your shoes on, and I’ll wait outside with Faith.”

“Okay.” Liz turned around and went to get her shoes. When she found them she put them on quickly. She was in a rush to get going. This was going to be better than she thought. When it was just her and Faith she was expecting a very boring evening. Now that Angel was coming this would prove to be more exciting than boring. ‘He is a really nice guy, demon guy, but a nice guy, no wonder Buffy loved him so much. If I didn’t feel the way that I feel for Max I would have fallen all over myself. He is a tall, dark-haired, mystery man, and he was from Ireland in the eighteenth century. I guess that could be considered exotic. Huh, he is right up my alley, but he is no contest for Max. There is something about Max. I don’t know what it is, but it calls me, beckons me to him.’

“Goodnight Max,” Liz said. She wrapped her arms around him and held on to him. Something about this just felt right. Being in Max’s arms was a feeling that she would never get enough of. He held her close and kissed the top of her head. She looked into his expressive eyes and smiled. They agreed that they she needed time to get over everything that he did, and everything that she did to him. They decided that the best course of action was to take it slow. She needed him in her life, but she still needed time to sort through everything. After the time they spent traveling she was able to explain how she felt about everything that happened. Taking things slow was the decision that they made together. She brought their foreheads together and nuzzled his nose lightly, and gave him a light kiss on his lips. The short contact was laced with electricity, tingling her lips and charging the rest of her body.

“Be careful,” he said looking deep into her eyes.

“I promise, see you in the morning.” She hugged him close before leaving the embrace reluctantly.

Together they walked to the front door hand in hand. He was adamant that he didn’t want her to go out there to fight. He always wanted to protect her from the unknown; unfortunately, she was destined to fight the unknown, as a result, he would have to let her go every night, so she could go out deeper into the heart of darkness. ’Sure the heart is a little town that looks like an average suburb, but this place is nothing but a heart of darkness. This little town was placed at the mouth of hell, and there was no way to get away.’ Max thought as he walked with her to the door.

“Don’t stay waiting up for me Max. I know you worry about me and everyone else, but you have to get some rest. Promise me you will relax a little. I mean it. I don’t want to come back and find out that you and Michael were practicing.”

“I promise to relax; I can’t, however, promise that I will not wait up for you. Just be careful, and don’t be afraid to ask for help. I know that you like to do things on your own, but this might be a little too much for you.”

“It is not too much. I can do it. I went up against Angel and Faith and Gunn. I was able to hold my own, of course fighting two at a time proved to be a challenge, but there will be three of us out there at once. I will be fine. Angel is there, and so is Faith. I am well protected, even if they don’t have . . . higher evolved human mental capabilities. I am also stronger, remember? I flipped you over my head like you were a pillow.” Liz smiled. He knew she was teasing him.

“Just be careful. I love you.”

“I love you too. I’ll be back as soon as we’re done patrolling. I’ll take a short nap, then you and Michael can be the alien trainer nazis again.” She gave him another quick kiss before running down the front steps.

She ran up to Angel and then they were off. He could hear her laughter echoing through the street. He couldn’t help the feeling of jealousy that spread through his body. He felt that he was losing Liz to Angel. She now had a new part to her life that he was not a part of, but Angel was.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

“Are we done yet Michael?” Liz asked “I was up all night fighting demons, a lot I might add, and I only got a few hours of sleep. I can’t give enough concentration to this. Fighting is easier. Now I know why you liked to do that more than think. My brain is sleeping, but my body isn’t. Please let me have a break. I still have more training to do in the back room of the Magic Box. They want me to do some new type of exercise drill thing. Can I please take a nap?” Liz was begging him with a small whine apparent. She gave him a pouty look with sad eyes. She new that he couldn’t say no when she did that.

“Okay. Fine. Go on and take a nap, but you have to promise to meet Giles. You have practice, then you are joining Faith and Angel at eleven. They’re coming by to pick you up.” He yelled to her retreating form.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

“You want me to beat up someone who is wearing that?” Liz asked Giles. ‘How is someone in that suit supposed to fight back?’

“Well, yes. This is more of a way to increase your strength. Yesterday we practiced skill and stamina, and now this exercise is to work on your strength.”

“So who is going in the suit?” Liz asked. This looks like fun. There seemed to be enough padding on the suit for her not to cause any injury or harm to the person.

Giles looked over at Xander.

“Nooooo way Giles! I am not the dummy for this one. I was stuck in that suit more than enough times when the Buffster was around. I am taking a vacation for a while. I am no longer the slayer punching bag. So you can go find another guy,” Xander said adamantly. He meant it. There was no way that he was getting in that suit so Liz can punch him like a human punching bag.

“I’ll do it Liz,” Max said.

“Okay, so he gets in and I just go and fight him with all I’ve got?”

“Yeah, that’s all. Sounds easy don’t it,” Xander said exiting the room.

“Well, uhm . . . Now that you know what to do I will go make sure that Anya isn’t pressuring the customers,” Giles said. He turned and left the room heading out to the shop out front.

As soon as Max got in the suit Liz didn’t know what to do. This is Max. How was she supposed to fight against him like he was an enemy? She slowly started fighting, but soon her punches and kicks flew on their own volition. Soon she was giving all of her strength and concentration on fighting she forgot that Max was the one that was in the suit. Each and punch was absorbed mostly by the suit, but they still hurt. Liz must really be able to inflict a lot of damage on the recipient.

“Liz?”

“Yeah Max. Was there something that you wanted to say?” Liz asked. She stopped fighting so they could talk. His call brought her back to reality.

“Yeah. I was just wondering if everything was going okay for you.”

“Of course things are going fine. Things are weird, but I just really like what is happening. I don’t think that this was what I would think that my life would turn out to be, but I am glad the way that things turned out. When I think about all of this I am glad that things turned out the way that it did. If I didn’t turn out to be the slayer then I wouldn’t have met up with everyone else. I wouldn’t have met Anya, Giles, and Xander, or Spike, Dawn, and Willow. Then there is Fred, Gunn, Wesley, and Cordelia. Not to mention Angel. I wouldn’t have met him. He is just really nice.”

The mention of Angel caused a reaction in Max. He felt rage and jealousy coursing through his veins. He knew that Angel loved Buffy, but that was not the reason for the pang to attack him. He was jealous that Angel shared this part of her life. Angel was the one that she trusted. Angel was the one that she let in.

“So . . . you like this part of your life? Y-you like being the slayer?” he asked.

“Yes I do. Why do you ask?”

“It’s just that. . .”

“Just what Max? You didn’t think that I would like this. Why wouldn’t I? All the time that I have been with you guys I have been this type of damsel in distress. Now I have strength and skill that allows me to have enough strength to not be helpless and you think that I wouldn’t like it. Do you really want me to always be needing you? You want me to be helpless don’t you?”

“No, that’s not it. I just wanted you to not get too invested in this. When Buffy gets back I just wanted to make sure that you know that you can’t stay here.”

“So you think that I am getting to invested in this.”

“Well, yeah. I didn’t want you to think that you can stay here and fight the evil. I just wanted you to know that I don’t want you to fight after Buffy is back. There are three slayers, and you don’t have to fight. There are more than enough people here to fight.”

“Max that is not the point. I am supposed to fight. I will do what has to be done. You know that. I will go back when the time comes, but there are new things that I have to do. Sure my dream was to go to Harvard, but now that I am the slayer I feel that things will just be better if I am here to help. There is nothing wrong with UC Sunnydale. I can always go there. I can take classes there and still be able to help Buffy. Faith won’t stay here. She and Buffy don’t get along at all.”

“No Liz.”

“No Liz what? Don’t care! Don’t fight! Max think about this for a second. I am the slayer. That is MY destiny. Just because yours turned out to be a fraud doesn’t mean that mine is. You can’t order me around. This is the United States not Antar. Women may have been subservient there, but we are not there, and secondly I am not going to just let you order me around.”

“Liz! I am just doing this for your benefit.”

“My benefit!?! Ordering me around is for my benefit? The last time I checked I still had control over my life, not you. This is my life, and I will do what I want. What I want is to help people, keep them safe, and fight evil,” She yelled. His last statement caused anger to seethe in her body, making coherent thought hard. All that she could do was to lash out at him. Liz stormed out of the backroom, coming close to breaking everything and anything that was in her path.

“Liz is there anything wrong?” Xander asked. She looked totally pissed off. He didn’t know what to do. What do you do or say to a person who could snap you in two like you were a small twig?

“Yeah! I am going out. Do you have any objections?” She asked, her attitude apparent.

“No. Just take this with you.” He tossed her a stake. “It’s late and I am sure there are some vamps loose. Do you want any company? I can go with you. Ask the others. I am great to have on patrol. Sure I don’t fight a lot, but I am there cheering you on from the sidelines.”

His last statement brought a smile to her face. “Yeah, come on. I would like someone to talk to, and you can watch my back. Anya? Let Angel, Spike, and Faith know that I went out early. Come on Xander.”

Together they left the Magic Box and headed out to the streets of Sunnydale. Max was able to get out of the suit and run into the shop in enough time to see Liz and Xander’s retreating forms.

“What happened? She looked like she was going to explode with anger. I thought she might use that new power that she just learned. Xander had to go with her and try to calm her down. I thought that she was going to destroy everything. Just because of all the training that you and Michael have been doing with her she is a lot stronger, and now she has that destructo power like Michael’s. Things might just blow up.”

“What happened was that I just pissed her off. We just started working on getting things back together and I screwed up.”

“Things will work out alright,” Giles said, trying to console Max.

“I hope you’re right,” he said to Giles, “because I don’t know what I’d do without her.” The last part of that statement was barely above a whisper.

They went about cleaning and getting ready to close. The only sound that could be heard was the scuffling of their shoes on the floor as they moved around from place to place and the broom sweeping up the dirt into a nice pile so it could be disposed of.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

“Alright Liz. You are really gettin the hang of this slayage stuff. That was like what the fifth vamp that you dusted. That is a lot.”

“Thanks. I don’t know why, but I feel more . . . I don’t know . . . like myself out here. Like I don’t have to worry about being rejected.”

“You know what? I think I know what your saying. But it has been a while and we have to head back to headquarters, so if you wanted to talk about what happened back there at the shop with Max now is the time.”

“Yeah. I’m really sorry about that. I didn’t mean to snap at you or anything. It’s just . . . you caught me at a bad time. I don’t know what happened. I was sparring and then we stopped to talk. Then he was saying these things that just . . . he just got me so angry. I didn’t mean to go all defensive on him or anything, but I couldn’t help what happened. I just. . .” She trailed off and Xander picked up where she left off.

“Snapped? I know what you mean. That happens to everyone Liz. You just have to find out why that happened and then find a way to solve the problem. Once you solve the stuff that made you react the way you did you can go find out how to get past it.”

“But I don’t know what it was. How can I fix something when I don’t know what needs fixing?” She asked Xander. She was still so angry that it was clouding her judgment.

“Why don’t you tell Xander all about it and we can figure out what to do from there? Let’s start with what you were talking about and then go on from there.”

“Sure. Like I said we were doing that whole strength exercise thing, when we stopped and started talking. . .” She trailed off when her mind figured out what the problem was. “I know what it was. Xander! This was such a good idea. I am so glad that you came with me.” She gave him a hug to express her thanks.

“Your welcome. Helping you with your problems is pretty easy, you know that. You solve them on your own. Would you mind filling me in on what the problem was?”

“Oh! Sure. Well, I figured out the reason I had that outburst. Max wants me to stop being the slayer when Buffy is back. I know that he wanted to protect me from everything. He just wants to make sure that I’m safe and all that, but he doesn’t understand that I need this. I was sent back only because I was the Queen. I need something else that defines me. I was nothing then, but now I’m something. I don’t want to be the person that is always taken hostage because I am weak. I don’t think that he knows that I was so insecure about everything that happened. I never told him that I wanted another reason for my being here.”

“I see what you mean. Isabel and Dawn are the key, Buffy is a protector, Michael and Max are the leader guys, and Serena is the Intelligence agent. You feel like there needs to be another reason for your existence.”

“Yeah, don’t get me wrong. I love Max, but I need more than just being his soul mate. That makes me sound so selfish.”

“No, It’s not selfish. It’s just natural to want to be something on your own, and not a possession that is someone else’s.”

They finished patrolling the area in Weatherly Park and made it back to the house. They were walking up the walkway when Liz felt something in the corner of her mind. She turned towards Xander quickly.

“It’s Max!”

TBC. . .

posted on 27-Nov-2001 7:30:13 PM by Sugarplum7
Part 28a

“It’s Max? What’s Max?” he asked. She was fine as they were walking towards the house, but as soon as they got to the walkway in front her mood shifted dramatically, she almost seemed . . . afraid. Xander didn’t know what happened.

She turned towards the house again and ran to the door. ‘They have to be here dawn was soon approaching, and Angel and Spike needed to be out of the light in a few hours. They were supposed to be here by now. They have to be here. He has to be here!‘

“Liz! Wait a sec! What is going on!” Xander called out to her as she ran to the front door screaming, calling for someone to answer. Using her powers she opened the lock on the door and barreled into the living room.

“Michael! Angel!” She called for someone to answer her frantic screams.

“Hey Liz what’s up?” Michael said seriously. Something was wrong with his little sister, and he needed to find out what.

“It’s Max is he here?”

“No, he is still at the shop with Giles and Anya.”

“Oh God oh God oh God oh God oh God oh God oh God oh God oh God!”

“Liz calm down. Tell me what is going on. What is wrong with Max?”

“I don’t know Michael. I don’t know. I was there. Then we got in this huge fight, and I ran out. I left with Xander before everyone came to pick me up for patrol. Something is wrong. I just know it.”

“No one else is here other than Dawn.”

“Yeah Liz. No one has checked in yet,” Dawn said.

“Let’s go. The last place that they could have been together was the shop, and there is not a great track record with that place and evil,” Xander said.

“Do you think Angel would mind if we borrowed his car?” Liz asked as they walked out of the house.

“I don’t think so. Get in,” Michael said.

They were soon on their way to the shop. Michael didn’t know what was going on, or how Liz knew that there was something wrong with Max. He would just have to ask her about that later.

They got to the shop in record time and what they weren’t expecting was seeing their friends in a fight with a huge hairy demon or monster.

“Max!” Liz screamed. She ran towards the demon and delivered a strong kick. “Is everyone okay?”

“Yeah, I was able to hold the demon off for a while, and then everyone came. I think Faith was hurt, but everyone is okay.”

“Angel? Giles? How do we kill this thing? It is so strong. Whatever it is that we do nothing seems to matter. I don’t even think my kick caused any pain,” Liz asked. She was yelling it over the crying hiss of the demon. “Michael try a blast. See if that wounds it. I would try, but yours is much stronger.”

“Okay, but this thing moves so fast. I don’t think I can get a clear shot.”

“Fine, hold off on the blast. Spike! Get Giles and Anya out of here. Faith? You should go too. I don’t want you getting hurt any worse than you are now. Don’t argue with me. Xander, get her out of here.” Liz said. She was taking charge of this situation. “Angel? Are you okay?”

He was busy going head to head with this thing. He tried to respond, but was a little to busy at the moment.

“Yeah Liz, both of us are fine. Faith and Spike were the ones who went up against this thing as soon as we got here.”

“Okay I have and idea. I need to get this thing outside. I-I don’t like being in here. I feel we are at a disadvantage. When we get it out side we will try to surround it, and then I want you to try and hit it Michael.”

“Sure. That sounds easy enough. I’m ready,” Michael said.

“So am I,” Gunn said.

“Yeah, lets hurry up though. I can’t keep this up for long,” Angel said.

“Max are you ready?” Liz asked.

“Yeah. How are you planning to get this thing outside?”

“I can handle it. Don’t worry,” Liz said giving him a small smile.

She ran back to the demon after she took out the stake that she had in her pocket. She diverted the demon’s offensive attack and plunged the stake into its body. The demon wailed in pain.

“Hey ugly! I’m over here. You want some pay back?” Liz said. She saw the demon pick up its body and lunge for her. She out maneuvered it, and came back with another comment. “Oh, too slow. If you want me you’ll have to move faster than that. Or do you want the consolation prize? Come on! You want me? Come and get me!” Liz flew out of the store with that thing fast at her heels.

“Wow. She really got him chasing after her. I guess it is her and not you Max. She even has that thing wanting her?” Michael said. That was what he was thinking and he said it. Even if this was an inopportune moment.

“Yeah Michael, but this is not the time. Let’s go. We have to stop it,” Max said running out of the small shop. ‘Liz. I hope you know what you are doing.’

They ran down the street following the sound of the inhuman wails. Soon they caught up with Liz.

“Thanks for joining me. Took you long enough. What did you guys do stop to get something to eat?” Liz asked while avoiding another one of the demon’s attacks.

“Sorry. We just new that you could hold up on your own so we stopped of at a fast food restaurant, and a blood bank. We made great time didn’t we?” Michael stated sarcastically.

“Ha . . .” she avoided a punch, “ha, very . . .” she kicked the demon, forcing him into a wall. “Funny,” she finished as she stepped back.

“What is the plan now?” Angel asked.

“Now, you two keep this thing occupied while Michael, and I get ready to blast this thing.”

“Oh, that’s nice. Thanks for giving me the honor of keeping this thing busy,” Angel said.

“Your welcome,” Liz replied smiling brightly at him. She knew that he was joking, and it didn’t really matter because she knew that he could handle this thing on his own for a few seconds.

“Max, I want you to make sure to try and keep your shield up to trap this thing from running in the other direction. Angel will try to keep him busy, but it might run, and we can’t allow it to gat away and harm any other people.”

Max nodded his reply.

“Ready Michael?”

“Yeah, are you ready?”

“On three,” Liz stated.

“Okay. Do this just like we practiced. Ready.” Michael said as he stretched out his arm in front of him. Liz followed suit with her more graceful preparation. They noticed that Michael was able to begin his attack by centering his power with his one hand Liz had to center hers between her two hands.

She stood ready to begin the attack.

“One . . .” they said together.

She brought her palms together, closed her eyes and bowed her head. If someone were to see her right now they would think that she was in prayer. But to those that have seen her use this power before they would know that she was getting ready to release a blast that rivaled Michael’s. She slowly brought her hands apart to reveal a ball of violet light, swirling with its energy.

“Two . . .”

She shifted position, bringing her right arm in front of her body and the energy ball to left side of her body. It grew more in strength than in size as she stayed in this position.

“Three.”

She brought her arms from the side of her body to the front, pushing the blast away from her. The blast to exploded from her hands, hurling towards the demon with amazing force. Together Michael and Liz released two powerful blasts hitting the demon on opposite sides, thus knocking the demon down to the ground. There was a bellowing cry that echoed the alley where the fight was being held. A blast of blindingly bright light forced them to look away, but when the light dissipated the demon was no longer there. He had disappeared.

“That seemed to work. Great plan Liz,” Angel said.

“Yeah, thanks. At least it disappeared. That would have been a hassle to get rid of if it. Do you think it’s dead or just not here?” Liz asked. She was still trying to make sure that the town was no longer at risk.

“I think you two killed it. It was strong, but with your powers combined at that strength I don’t thing it would survive,” Angel said.

“Michael, how are you?” Liz asked.

“I’m okay. That was intense. You really did a great job. I’m glad that you knew what to do.”

Liz smiled and blushed at his last comment. “Max, you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. How did you know what to do?” Max was amazed at how well she handled everything. He was finally understanding why she wanted to stay as the slayer. It was something that gave her a feeling that she was doing something to help others.

“I don’t know. I just knew that this . . . thing was really strong and nothing that we used affected it. I just guessed that since the stake hardly hurt it using our powers would be the only thing that we could do to stop it. I’m just glad that it worked. If it didn’t I don’t know what we could have done.”

“You even talked like Buffy and a little like Faith when you were goading that thing,” Angel said recalling what she did. She definitely had the slayer’s attitude during times of crises.

“Liz, how did you know that Max was in trouble?” Michael asked.

“What?” Max asked. Liz knew that he was in trouble. How is that possible she was neither near him nor the shop?

“Can I explain that tomorrow I am just really. . .” Liz’s sentence went unfinished. She exerted too much of her energy when she fought the demon, causing her body to force itself to rest.

“Liz!” Max yelled. He ran to her side to catch her before she fell to hit the hard ground.

“Is she okay?” Michael asked as he went to see what was happening. He saw that Max was checking her to see if she had any wounds that could have caused her to lose consciousness.

“Yeah. She’s fine. I think she just did too much. She has hardly been getting any sleep. We have been training her in her powers and as a slayer. She probably used a lot of energy fighting just now. Lets get her back, and we need to see if the others are okay.”

They slowly made their way back to get the cars. Xander must have taken Angel’s car when they left because the only one there was the Jeep. They got in and made their way back to the Summers’ home. When they got there they were met by the concerned faces of their friends. Dawn was the first to speak up. She saw Liz’s body getting carried out of the jeep as they made their way to the front door.

“Liz! Is she okay, Max?” Her mind was racing with possible reasons for her condition, and the worst one that kept entering her thoughts was that another one of them was gone. ‘This can’t be happening. Not again! Not so soon!’

“Yeah, she is just tired. She and Michael had to use their energy blasts to stop that demon.”

They all slowly made their way back into the house. Max brought Liz up the stairs and let her sleep in the master bedroom. He tenderly laid her on the bed, making sure that he didn’t wake her. He gently moved a strand of her hair out of her face and cupped her cheek. He looked down at her lovingly one more time before he headed towards the door. “I love you Liz. I’m sorry,” he whispered before he turned to leave the room. He knew that she didn’t hear him, but he had to say it, even if she was sleeping. He came down the stairs to find everyone looking at books, even Michael.

“What are you guys doing?”

“That demon was just really strong, and we want to find out what type of demon it was. If we learn more about it we can find out if there are others, and whether there are easier ways to kill it,” Dawn said.

“What time are the others supposed to get here tomorrow?” Anya asked.

“I don’t know. Liz was the one who talked to Maria. She just told me that the decoded the book and there was a lot of stuff in it. Most of it has nothing to do with the prophecy,” Max replied.

“But does it have information on how to get Buffy back?” Dawn asked.

“Yes. There is information that explains the prophecy in more detail.”

“I don’t know about you, but I want to find out what demon that was. I am a slayer, and I was barely able to hurt that thing,” Faith said.

They all returned to searching the texts for any and all information on the demon that attacked them tonight. There were so many questions that needed to be answered, and this was the only way that they might be able to get any information.

TBC . . .

posted on 27-Nov-2001 7:30:57 PM by Sugarplum7
A small note:
The song lyrics are italicized and bold faced. Maria is singing the italicized, He is singing the bold, and together they sing the bold italicized lyrics.

Part 28b

“Alex?” Buffy whined. She was bored, and who wouldn’t be? There was nothing to do in this limbo that she was trapped in. You could go walking for miles on end and still be in the same place.

“Yes,” he replied.

“Why is it that now, when I am able to enter someone’s dream, they are not dreaming? Can’t they just not dream anything when I can’t enter? Is that too much to ask for?” She was still discontented that when Angel needed her she wasn’t there for him.

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe it is because they don’t know that they can only dream when it fits your schedule? How would they know Buffy? Did you send out a memo? Post it on the web?” He said, joking with her. She knew that the last comment wasn’t serious.

“Ha ha, very funny. You’re supposed to be helping me here, not berating me for my selfish attitude. Besides it is not my fault that there is nothing to do here. Can’t they transport a magazine or something? Do they want me to be insane when I get out of here?”

“I am helping you. I am the one that is keeping you sane while you are in here. And, no, they don’t want you to go stir crazy. They just want to be sure that you will appreciate all the things that you took for granted when you were living.”

Buffy did not have a reply ready for that one, and Alex new it. Every time they got into this argument he would bring that up, and every time she wouldn’t have an answer. ‘She is going to think of something to counter that remark,’ Alex thought to himself hoping that that is what will happen. ‘Maybe she will be out of here before that happens?’

“I heard that,” Buffy mumbled.

“Huh?” he questioned, pretending that he had no idea that what she was talking about.

“Don’t play dumb with me Mr. Alex Whitman protecting guardian guide. You know very well that I can hear you when you think about me when we are in here. You told me that when you responded to my thoughts when I first arrived here. You said that because you were sent for me I could hear you and you could hear me while we are in this . . . this . . . dark . . . black nothingness . . . plane . . . thingy. I know what you thought, and you are right. I‘ll think of something soon.”

“Look! Someone’s dreaming,” he said. He had to try and change the subject. There was no way that he was going to get into another argument about the way that he thought. This was just the distraction that Buffy needed right now. Something that would keep her away from the mind reading subject.

“Who do you think it is? It looks like Liz’s to me. I’m not sure. You were the one that talked to her before,” Buffy said. She didn’t enter Liz’s dream before. They felt that she would take everything that they had to say better if it came from him opposed to her.

“Yeah, you’re right. This is Liz’s”

“Alright! Score one for Buffy! So what did you want to do? Is there anything that we need to tell her right now? They are already doing what they can, and I don’t want to scare her right away. Dawn totally freaked when I came to her. Isabel was a little better, but I can never tell them everything that I need to.”

“Liz was actually good. She sustained the dream long enough for me to tell her what she needed to know at the time. It doesn’t matter though. It looks like she wants you to see the dream,” Alex pointed to the sphere that was floating around Buffy. It wasn’t begging her look and see what was happening. It was more like Liz was giving permission to see what was happening. It lightly floated around her, grazing her shoulder and brushing against her arm, floating a few feet away from her face, making sure not to enter her personal space.

“You don’t think she would mind? I wouldn’t want some stranger to just open up my dream and watch it like it was HBO. I know that I wouldn‘t want someone invading my mind like it was a movie to watch.”

“I don’t think she’ll mind. Plus, you are not some complete stranger. She knows who you are, and who you were,” Alex replied. Her respect of Liz’s feelings and privacy was thoughtful to say the least. Looking into dreams were all that you could do here, and Buffy still only looked into the ones of those that she knew, those that came to her, or those that she needed to.

Slowly Buffy opened the dream sphere and watched as Liz’s dream expanded. This dream was familiar to Buffy, but she had never seen anything like this before. The landscape held no familiarity for her, neither did the party that was happening in the dream.


“That is weird,” Buffy said vocalizing what she felt when she watched the scene unfold.

“What?”

“It’s just . . . I don’t know . . . I feel like this has happened before. Nothing like deja vu, this is weaker. I can’t explain it. This is not like I know it, but more like I feel like I felt it.”

“Okay. What did you just said? Never mind. I’ll just try and think it over later. Let the dream play out a little more, and then you can enter and talk to her a little,” Alex said.

* * *

Liz walked around the building as she made her way through the crowd of complete strangers. She proceeded down her path, crossing the dance floor and making her way to the band. She smiled once the song began, and Maria’s unmistakable voice serenaded the group of party goers. Another voice was with her. A voice that Liz has never heard before, but together they sang. They stood in the limelight as it shone down on them, singing as the rest danced to the harmonies. Liz wished that she could see him, but whenever she tried to look someone got in her way, obstructing her view.

In a place that won’t let us feel
In a life where nothing seems real
I have found you
I have found you


In a world that’s moving too fast
In a world where nothing can last
I will hold you
I will hold you


Our lives will change when tomorrow comes
Tonight our hearts drown the distant drums
And we have musical alright, tearing the night

A song played on a solo saxophone
A crazy sound
A lonely sound
I cry that tells us love goes on and on
Played on a solo saxophone
It’s telling me to hold you tight and dance like it’s the last night of the world


On the other side of the Earth
There’s a place where life still has worth
I will take you

I’ll go with you
You won’t believe all the things you’ll see
I know ‘cause you’ll see them all with me

If we’re together that’s when we’ll hear it again

A song played on a solo saxophone
A crazy sound
A lonely sound
A cry that tell us love goes on and on
Played on a solo saxophone
It’s telling me to hold you tight and dance like it’s the last night of the world


Dreams were all I ever knew
Dreams you won’t need when I through
Anywhere we may be
I will stay with you

A song

So stay with me and hold me tight
And dance like it’s the last night of the world


As they finished the last verse the band began their instrumental solos, giving her a chance to dance with Michael, who was waiting on the side of the stage, giving her a moment to do what she loved. Liz was lightly tapped on her shoulder by a waiting Max. As they danced the entire world surrounding them disappeared as Liz focused all her attention on Max. She didn’t notice or care about the crowd that was slowly dispersing and leaving the room.

“I want to show you something,” Max whispered in her ear softly, sending shivers down her spine. He lovingly caressed her hand with his as he leaded her out of the room and into a hallway with doors on each side. The hallway appeared to go on forever, and the doors paralleled each other.

“Wait here,” he said letting go of her hand. “Count to twenty and then come follow me.”

Liz nodded, smiling because of intrigue. “What are you planning Max Evans?”

“You’ll see,” he replied entering one of the doors.

Liz counted to twenty, and proceeded to follow Max. She opened the door and proceeded to enter the room. It was incredibly silent as Liz made her way through the darkened room of this mysterious building. ‘Where did everyone go?‘ she thought as she crossed the unfamiliar territory. ‘Michael and Maria disappeared, and then Max leaves me to find him in this dark maze of a building.’

Looking around for anything that would prove to connect her to this place, Liz spotted a small sliver of light emanating from a room two floors above her. She proceeded to walk through the room that appeared to be a lobby of some kind. Every so often a sound broke through the silence. A car could be heard faintly, passing by the building from the street just outside.

‘Where am I? What am I doing here?’ Liz thought as she continued on her way to find where this light was coming from. ‘And what is this light? Where is it coming from?’

The only sound that could be heard was the sound of her footfalls echoing, bouncing off the walls, making Liz feel completely and utterly . . . alone. She was alone in this massive building. All her friends had disappeared and left her to find her way in this new place.

“Max!” she called out to him, her voice reverberating through the room. “Max, where are you?“ she whispered to herself. Cautiously she moved up the towards the elevator, warily she walked up to the closed double doors. She had no idea why she was going to this room, but there was a feeling, a pull, telling her that she needed to get there to discover what was in this lighted room. She rationalized her decision to go to this room by repeating to herself that Max was most likely in the room.

Suddenly there was another set of echoing steps. Liz stopped a few feet short of the elevator. “Max? Is that you?” she called out to the new person.

“Liz! Babe! Come on. Are you ready? You have to go.”

Liz was startled by the sudden voice of Maria. Spinning around to find where Maria’s voice was coming from, Liz scanned her surroundings.

“Maria? Where are you? I can’t see you anywhere.” Liz shouted, making her voice carry through the vast space.

“You’re gonna need this,” Maria said tossing Liz a set of keys.

Liz tried to catch them, but by the time she located their place they fell to the hard, cold, polished floor. She bent down to pick them up. ‘Keys? What would I need keys for? What is it that Maria was talking about?’

“Maria? What are these. . .” Liz stopped mid-sentence when she realized that Maria was no longer there anymore. Holding on to the keys, Liz continued to move towards the elevator.

* * *

“Are you ready to go in? Now is as good a time as any,” Alex waited for her to change the dream to ready Liz for her entrance, but Buffy didn’t even move. “I’ll go in then,” Alex said as he moved toward the dream.

“No! You can’t go in this time. She needs this to play out,” Buffy exclaimed. “Alex you can’t go in.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Just trust me. I just feel like she has to see this play out. She needs to see where this is going,” Buffy said to an already confused Alex. For some odd reason she knew that Liz needed to see this dream come to a finish.

* * *

Liz pressed the button to open the elevator doors. They swung open to reveal that someone was waiting for her to get here, to get to the elevator. His strong back facing her.

“Max? Is that you?” She needed to make sure. She felt that it was him, but she needed visual confirmation.

“Liz,” he said his eyes filling with tears.

“Max what’s wrong? What’s happening?”

Max offered her his hand. She placed her hand in his as he pulled her into the elevator. The doors closed as soon as she entered.

“Dovete andare avanti,“ He said to her as if that was part of his common vocabulary

“What?“ she asked. The doors to the elevator opened seconds later, and the light was just down the hall. Liz turned to face the light, but turned back to Max. ’This doesn’t make any sense. The doors were closed for a few seconds. I didn’t even feel the elevator move.’ “Are you coming with me?“

“Dovete andare avanti.” He said and pointed to the light emanating from the doorway.

“Max I don’t understand. What do you mean?“ She looked to the room once more and when she looked back to Max he was no longer there. He was gone. She stepped out of the elevator and proceeded to walk towards the door. ’What is going on? First Maria vanishes and now Max does the same. Why are they all leaving me?’ Liz thought. Total silence enveloped her as she made her way to the room. The hall seemed to be infinitely long. As she approached the door symbols began to make their appearance on the wall known because of the faint glow emanating from the room. ‘What is the point of all this? What is in that room? Why does this room pull me towards it?’

“Come on Liz. We need to get going.”

“Michael?” Liz said as she turned around. She heard his voice come from behind her, and there he was standing behind her. “What’s going on?” Liz asked. This was turning out too weird, even for her. Maria came out of nowhere asking her if she was ready because she had to go somewhere. Max was waiting for her in the elevator and said something in another language. He also leaves her alone in this building. And now Michael does the same appearing trick that Maria did.

“Come on. We’re running out of time,” He said grabbing her arm gently, pulling her away from the direction that she was headed, pulling her away from the room.

“No, I can’t go now. I have--”

Liz was cut off suddenly when Michael’s body fell towards her. She grabbed him and pulled him to her. Her hands pressed into his back. It was then that she felt something. She pulled her hand from under his body and brought it into the light. Blood. Her hand was covered in Michael’s fresh blood, dripping down her arm, pooling around her, saturating her pants.

“Michael?!” Liz cried into the darkness. “Michael hold on. Everything will be fine,” she said through sobs. Tears rained down her face, traveling over her cheeks and down her jawline to drip to his face.

“How’s your life going now bitch? Your time will come.”

“Tess?!”

There was a bright flash and then feathers fell from the ceiling, yellow feathers. She heard the echoing of Max’s voice around her: “Dovete andare avanti.“

“Max?” Liz asked with emotion, her voice catching in her throat. Liz listened for a reply but found none. All that remained was the quiet music that returned. The lyrics echoing through the building, The melodies gently rousing Liz to her feet. She continued to proceed to the door.

Dreams were all I ever knew
Dreams you won’t need when I through
Anywhere we may be
I will stay with you

A song

So stay with me and hold me tight
And dance like it’s the last night of the world


The song ended in a climax of sound, as Liz put her hand on the handle of the knob. The door opened with yet another bright, blinding flash of light, followed by a loud crashing explosion, from the opposite direction. An explosion which over took all her senses.

* * *

Liz was jolted from her dream. She was back in the room, and no longer in the dark building.

“NOOOOO!!!” Liz screamed, panting after her dream.

Michael was outside the room when he suddenly heard Liz scream for him from the room. He just finished checking on her, making sure that she was okay. She had a hard night, and he was still adjusting to the role of older brother, trying not to be the overprotective older brother. He barreled through the door as soon as her heard her shriek. He never wanted to hear her sound that distressed, but here she was screaming, screaming for him to help her. Her scream was . . . panicked.

“I’m here,” he said trying to calm her down. He smoothed her hair down, relaxing her frantic mood into light distress. “Shhh . . . calm down . . . it’s okay now . . . I’m here now. Shhh. It‘s alright . . . I‘m here . . . Nothing is gonna happen,” he whispered into her ear.

There was something wrong and he knew it. Liz was not one to get frantic. Even in the worst times of her life she was worried, never frantic. He needed to know what was wrong with her, but he wanted her to feel like everything was alright. He took a moment so she could focus and center her thoughts.

“Are you okay now?” he asked looking into her eyes which were red with tears. “You want to talk about what happened?”

Liz nodded, sniffling.

“You want to tell me now? We can wait awhile . . . you know . . . you can just take this time to relax.”

Liz nodded again. Michael relaxed and sat on the bed, pressing his back against the headboard, and Liz followed suit. She sat down and relaxed next to Michael, resting her head on his shoulder. He stroked her arm lightly, giving her the much needed comfort.

“It’s okay now. Everything’s fine. I’m here now. Nothing bad will happen I promise. Shhhh. It’s okay now.” He continued repeating the same phrases over and over again. He gently rocked her in his arms, still soothing her frantic behavior into a more relaxed one. “Do you want to talk about what happened?”

She shook her head.

“Do you want me to stay until you calm down some more?”

“Mmmmhhhmmmm,“ she replied, nodding.

“Okay.”

They stayed in the same position on the bed just waiting for Liz to get back to her usual self. Michael knew that she did not want to talk about the dream that obviously bothered her, but out of everyone that was here in Sunnydale he was the best person to get her to understand that she needed to talk about what happened. He had his own demons that had to be faced after a terrifying dream.

“Liz,” he whispered to her.

“Yeah Michael.”

“I think you should talk about your dream. It might help. Believe me.”

There was silence as Liz pondered the idea. She didn’t know how Michael would react to the idea that she dreamt about him getting killed by Tess, and a building exploding.

“It was just really weird, but it felt so real. It didn’t feel like a dream. Nothing made sense. I felt like I was in my own wonderland or . . . something.” She didn’t know what she could say to him. Everything was weird. It didn’t seem that much of it made sense. Nothing in the dream made enough sense to talk to anyone about. Symbols on the wall, yellow feathers, they were just a part of a strange dream. There was no need to talk about that. All Michael needed to know was the part that caused her intense reaction.

“What frightened you?”

“Well . . . uh . . . It was . . . Tess . . . She was back and she was there. She killed you Michael. She killed you and there was nothing I could do. I . . . you were there one second, and the next you fell into my arms. I have all these new abilities . . . and . . . I . . . I couldn’t do anything, Michael. She said that my time will come. My time for what? And then the building blew up! Michael . . .” Liz said becoming more distressed.

“It’s okay. It wasn’t real. It was all a dream.”

“I know, but . . . It just felt like it wasn’t. It felt . . . real.”

TBC . . .

The song that was used was “Last Night of the World” from Miss Saigon. How many have seen that musical?


Hi you guys,

Did you like it? So, who is confused? I know that there are questions on the whole two and two thing, but I can’t tell you right now. I promise that you will find out. Other than two and two are there any questions that I might be able to answer?

Luv ya,
Katie *angel*


[ edited 1 time(s), last at 29-Nov-2001 4:44:19 PM ]
posted on 10-Dec-2001 11:50:00 AM by Sugarplum7
Hello Everyone,

This is going to be a short note because I have to get off to class soon. I know that it has been a week since the last part, but I have been sooo busy. I haven't had any time to type what I have up on the comp. I am already behind on Christmas shopping, and I have finals the end of this week and the beginning of next, so I don't know when I can tell you all to look for the next part. I am sooooo sorry that I haven't came out with the long awaited conversation between Buffy and Angel. I know a lot of you are looking forward to it. I promise that I will get the part out as soon as the craziness of finals ebbs.

Luv ya,
Katie (Who has no way to tell you all how sorry she is. Please don't hate me.)
*angel*
posted on 24-Dec-2001 8:53:38 PM by Sugarplum7
Hi everyone!

I just thought that I would actually stop by and leave you what I have written for Part 29. I had a few of my friends as well as Ria read it over and tell me what they thought. They said that it was great, but I still think that it is crap. I don’t know what is wrong, but I don’t think that I can write well lately. I hit a road block in this part, so I cut it off. I will continue this part as soon as I can. I hope that it isn’t too cliffhangerish before Christmas. I don’t know what it is about Buffy and Angel that makes it soooo hard to write. I think that it is just that I can’t write couple things. If you can imagine it I get all tongue tied and can’t explain what I want in words so everything comes out as . . . well, it comes out as nothing good. That is what happened here. I got tongue tied and couldn’t think of how to write so it came out as blegh. Sorry. I know that you were all waiting for a nice Eternal Believer part, and I didn’t want to upset.

Please let us know what you thought of this. And I am sorry that I couldn’t post the entire part today. Think of this as a little Christmas present to all of those that celebrate Christmas. And to those readers out there that don’t celebrate Christmas, happy holidays!

Love you all,
Katie

*angel*

An All Too Brief Moment

Part 29


“What did you do that for?” Alex asked clearly upset by Buffy’s last action. “That was one thing that we could have really used. We need to see what they have so far, and what they are doing next. Liz was the only one that would know some information and would be able hold the dream. Isabel struggled and Dawn was so freaked that she woke up. I doubt that Liz is going to be sleeping anytime soon. She just saw Michael get killed and was in a building when it blew up. I am sure that she is just dying to get back to dream land.” He continued pacing, his arms waving around him emphasizing the grave situation that she just put them in.

“Alex,” she said trying to get his attention. He did not hear her. “ALEX!” she shouted be heard over his loud statements. “You have to stop the pacing. You’re creating a trench like we are going to war. This isn’t World War II. It was just a dream.”

“That’s my point. It was just a dream. Why couldn’t you just go in? If it was just a dream then it shouldn’t have been a big deal.” He stopped his pacing to stand in front of her, waiting for her to respond to his last statement.

“It was a slayer’s dream.”

“And the importance of that is?”

“Sometimes I would get these prophetic dreams. The dream that Liz just had seemed like one of them.”

“If it is we are in trouble. I don’t like the way that that dream ended. It was a little too Armageddon for my taste,” Alex said.

“You and me both,” Buffy mumbled.

“That still doesn’t change things. We are running out of time to get you out of here. You have to get into their dreams when you can. There are only a few days left in the time window.” Alex reiterated the importance of time. He was not sure how much time they have to get everything together.

“Yeah, but even if they do find out what had to be done they will need that granolith thingy, and that isn’t even on Earth. That Tess person has it and took it back to Antar.” Things were never easy when it came to saving the world. There always had to be something that complicated everything. Some sort of missing piece to the puzzle put a wrench in the works. Now it was the Granolith.

“Liz isn’t the last and final hope that we have. There is always Angel. I know that he would be able to hold the dream, and he would be able to let us know what is going on.”

“Yeah, but you do know that the chances are of him going to sleep and staying asleep for a long enough time to dream? They are not that great.” Alex said trying to enlighten her on the chances of her entering his dreams.

“Are you saying that I should put money on your skills of statistics? If I remember correctly, your last excursion led you to lose all of your money in like ten seconds. I am sure you are a great person to trust statistics guru.” Buffy was teasing to lighten the mood. Things have been and are going to be getting really intense in the coming days.

“Is that how we are playing? Bringing up all the mess-ups that we made in the past is not going to be the best way to get on my good side.”

“Are you saying that I am not already on your good side?” Buffy asked when she made a sad pouty face with her lips in a pout and her sad eyes looking up at him.

“What is it with you girls? Is there a How-To-Make-Alex-Whitman-Cave book out there that I am not aware of? It has to be out there because you, Liz, Maria, and Iz all know that I can’t say no to that face.”

“No, it just seems to work on most guys, and I took a chance.”

“You are doing a lot of that lately. Do you really think that Angel will be falling asleep?”

“I don’t really know that he will,” Buffy said as she told Alex the truth. She didn’t know that he would be dreaming. He hasn’t really had any real dreams the entire time she was here. He was only dreaming that once. That one time was her chance to talk to him, and she wasn’t able to. She just had to believe that he would. “I know that it is a long shot. I know that you know it is a long shot. It is just that I have this feeling like he will.”

“A feeling?!” Alex asked in surprise. “The future of you and our friends, not to mention the possible end of the world hangs in the balance, and you are basing everything on a simple feeling that you have. This is great! Everything hangs in the balance and you are betting this all on a feeling.”

“No Alex! I am not betting this all on a feeling. I am betting on Angel,” Buffy said with conviction. There was no mistaking the amount of trust that she had in Angel. She knew that he would come through for her.

“Do you really have that much faith in him?” Alex asked, obviously amazed that she believed in him as much as she was.

“That and more,” she said her voice filled with assurance. She knew that he would not let her down. “I have placed my life in his hands before, and I know that he won’t let me down. I just know it.”

A calm silence covered them as they just sat and waited. They waited for something to happen, whether it is Angel’s dream orb or another’s. Buffy knew how much Alex worried about this. What she didn’t understand was why he was taking this so seriously, more seriously than she was. It was her life that was on the line. She was the one who should be worrying about the way the search for information was going. He was sent to help her, guide her, but it always seemed like there was something else going on that she was unaware of. She was right. There was a very logical reason for Alex’s behavior.

“Buffy. Look,” Alex said as he roused her from her daydream. A dream orb was forming, its light dimly shinning, adding a glow to the dismal surroundings.

“It’s Angel.” Buffy smiled as she continued to look at it in all its brilliance. The orb slowly moved to her, its light growing as it came closer to her. “I told you,” she said simply as she let the orb circle her.

“Yes you did. I guess it is not a good idea to listen to my statistical advice.”

“I am going to hold you to that last statement.”

“Look at him. I thought that you were antsy. What are you two going to do when you come back? It looks like you two are going to be worse than Max and Liz when she was getting the flashes for the fist time,” Alex said joking about how the orb circled her.

Buffy did not say anything. She simply looked over to Alex, the smirk evident on his face and the glare apparent on hers. He attention soon shifted back to Angel, his dream orb touched her skin lightly. The warmth and love emanating from the orb soaked into her, making her sharply inhale.

“Are you okay?” Alex asked, seeing how she was being affected by the presence of Angel’s dream.

Buffy nodded, incapable of forming actual words.

“Are you going to enter the dream?”

She nodded again.

“Now might be a nice time,” he said looking to her, his eyes slightly probing her to see what she was doing.

Buffy looked back to him slightly annoyed at his sarcasm. She knew that he was joking with her and tried to be angry. Once she looked at the smile on his face she lost her resolve, laughing with him in the way that she was acting.

“Well . . . open the thing and enter it. You’ve been wanting to do that for days . . . and days . . . and days.”

“I get the point, Alex! I just . . . what if?” Buffy stretched out her hand to touch the smooth surface of the manifestation of Angel’s dream in this strange, dark place.

“Buffy. I get why you are . . . afraid. You just have to get over it. He loves you Buffy.” Alex walked closer to her, lightly rubbing her back.

Buffy knew why she suddenly had this feeling of fear flow through her, and Alex did too. He wouldn’t let her think like that. The thought of never going back and being with her family, her friends, and her love kept swimming through her thoughts. If she talked with Angel this once she wouldn’t be able to go though her existence without him. If she entered the dream would she be able to leave?

Alex slowly took the dream orb away from her and expanded it, readying it for her entrance. “Buffy, it’s time.” He looked back to her as she brought up her hand to change the scenery to the usual black void. She hesitated, making Alex respond to her wariness by saying, “It will be okay. I promise.”

She smiled at him and took a deep breath, calming her nerves and giving herself the strength to be able to eventually leave him. She felt the familiar warm feeling as she stepped through the membrane of the orb and entering the dream.

Buffy looked around the vast darkness, trying to find Angel in the surrounding area. She stood there waiting for something to happen. This was something that never happened before.

“Buffy?” Angel asked quietly when he saw her. She had her back facing him from a few feet away. There was no way that Angel was going to let this opportunity pass him up. He quickly walked up to her and placed his hand upon her shoulder. He slowly turned her around to look at her.

Buffy felt a warm hand lightly cover her shoulder, turning her around. She didn’t fight it. She slowly turned around to face Angel. She still looked down at the ground. If she looked upon his face leaving him would be the hardest thing that she would have to do. She felt gentle fingers lightly caress the soft skin of her face as they moved to under her chin, lifting her gaze from the floor to his face.

Angel expected to see her green eyes looking back at him filled with love and joy, but he encountered the opposite. Her eyes were closed as tears threatened to seep through. Tears. She was saddened and hurt, making him wonder what was wrong. Something happened to her making her sad. That was something that he never wanted to happen to her. He never wanted to see her hurt or in pain. He softly brushed the tears that fell from her eyes off her cheeks.

The feeling of his gentle touch on her face was unbelievable. She never thought that she would feel his warm touch on her skin ever again. Her mind was racing, but the only thought running through her mind was a single word: Angel. Her body was screaming to be with him and never leave him. She never wanted to leave his side.

What was he going to say? How was he going to tell her what he did? There was so much that he wanted to say, but he knew this was a dream and the moment that they made would be fleeting.

“Buffy,” he said as his last attempt to get her to open her eyes so he could look into them and see her. “Buffy,” he repeated once more.

She felt his voice cover her and give her a feeling of safety. Just by being with her he gave her strength. She felt a strength that she has never felt in a long time flow through her. She opened her eyes and stared lovingly at him. She needed to talk to him.

“Angel. I’m sorry. I am so sorry. It is all my fault. If I only . . . I’m sorry.”

Those few words that she said hit angel like a ton of bricks. What did she have to be sorry for? If anyone had to be sorry it was him. He was the one that made the mistakes, not her. “No. You don’t have anything to feel sorry for.”

“Yes,” she nodded vehemently, “I do. I forgot. I told you that I wouldn’t and I did. None of this would have happened if I did. All this time you spent remembering what we had, and I didn’t. I told you I would and I didn’t. I just-“ He cut her off by putting his index finger to her lips.

“It’s okay. That is how it was supposed to be. It wasn’t your fault.” He suddenly thought of something. “How did you know what happened? When did you remember?”

“It was you,” she said simply. “I saw your daydream. From where I am I can sometimes able to enter dreams, but I can look into them. I saw you remembering. I saw it as you saw it. I felt what you felt when you went through that. I’m sorry that you had to go through that because of me.”

“No. No, Buffy. I did it to protect you. I would do it again if I had to,” Angel said as he brought his hands to her cheeks cupping them gently as he relayed the deep amount of love that he truly felt for her.

“You won’t have to. I don’t ever want you going through that again. We’ll find another way if we get to that point again. But I don’t want you to ever do that again.” Buffy looked into his eyes, conveying the care and love that she felt. “We’ll go through it together. Promise me that you won’t do anything like that again. You have to promise me that you won’t make a decision that concerns me without me.” She paused and tightly griped his hand, showing the urgency for his answer. She waited for his answer, but then there was none she spoke again. “Promise me!” she begged this time.

Angel did not know how to answer her plea. He never wanted to hurt her. The one thing that he wanted most was to keep her safe. He never wanted anything to harm her, especially when he would be able to save her from it. He knew it from the first moment that he saw her. He knew that he wanted to keep her safe when he first saw her sitting on the front steps of her school. When he saw her sitting there he wanted more than anything to protect her from the harsh, cold realities of the world.

“Buffy . . . I can’t,” he finally said to her. When he saw the way her eyes lowered in pain from his rejection. “I want to, but I can’t promise that I won’t—“

“No, Angel! You have been making decisions like that for me for too long! I am a big girl now. I take care of myself and Dawn. I don’t need you to take care of me!”

“Whether you want me to or not I will. I can’t not take care of you. It isn’t a choice that I have. I make those decisions because I love you, and I can’t stop myself from protecting you. It is a second nature to me, Buffy.”

“Angel, we can’t keep doing this. I am just asking one thing. Angel, please . . . please.” Buffy begged once more. It was something that she was not used to, but she would do it if she had to.

“Buffy,” he replied, but was promptly cut off by Buffy’s objection.

“Please Angel. Please.”

Angel looked into her amazing green eyes and responded the only way that he knew how. He looked into his heart, listening to it. He did not like to make promises when there was a chance that he would have to break it, but there did not look like he could convince her. Buffy’s mind was made up and there was no use trying to dissuade her.

“Angel, please tell me that you won’t make any decisions that concern me without me,” Buffy said once more to Angel.

“I promise,” he said clearly and softly.

Buffy threw her arms around him, excited that he agreed to her promise and she couldn’t bear not being close to him for just the small moment that they had until she was out. He brought his hands to her head, combing his fingers through her tresses. This was something that he missed. It has been so long since he had the chance to be this close to her. There were things that Buffy needed to ask before the dream ended, but she couldn’t stop herself from just enjoying being this close to him. She basked in the feeling of having Angel’s arms wrapped around her, holding onto her tightly. It didn’t matter that they were surrounded by nothing but darkness. They were with each other, making everything bright.

He looked down into her face that was nestled into his chest. He lightly lifted it up so he could look into her eyes. He hesitantly brought his lips to her soft waiting mouth. They kissed each other with all the love and warmth that they felt for one another. All that they could do was feel. Being with one another, kissing one another, is the greatest feeling that they could ever think of.

“I love you,” Angel said, breaking this kiss for a moment, resting his forehead against hers.

“I love you,” Buffy replied once before beginning this kiss again.

TBC. . .

posted on 27-Dec-2001 5:33:49 AM by Sugarplum7
Hi Hannah!

It's not over. Then next part is them too. I just need to find the time. Work is keeping me away from the comp. I also have this sudden urge to use like my discount and blow all my money. That can't be good. I will post it as soon as I finish writing it.

Luv ya,
Katie
*angel*
posted on 22-Apr-2002 12:25:34 AM by Sugarplum7
Hi everyone!

Sorry about the latest absence. I kinda lost all inspiration to write this fic, and as a result nothing was written. I am so sorry about that.

Well, this note is just to see if anyone is still interested in reading this. Do any of you still want Ria and me to continue with this fic?

I am working on Part 30 which will be posted for the people that are still willing to stick with us.

I promise to be back with Part 30 as soon as it is done.

Hugs,
Katie
*angel*

PS. Special thanks to Angeleyes for actually wanting us to continue with this. Thanks so much for the bumps. Special hugs for you because you wanted the next part and made it known.


[ edited 1 time(s), last at 22-Apr-2002 12:27:23 AM ]
posted on 17-Jun-2002 4:34:14 AM by Sugarplum7
Hi Everyone!

We are back! I don’t know how often the updates will happen because Maria is really busy with other things, and I have a couple of other fics that I am working to update, but I am telling you that we will try to not have any seven month long hiatuses unless it is completely necessary.

LiLeVeE~ Glad you like thi little fic of ours.

angeleyes~ Thanks for sticking with us

Windsor~ Thank you for your kind words. They were so sweet.

Tanky~ Your words were so nice. Thanks for the compliments.

We just want to thank those of you that are still sticking with us (if any of you are still sticking with us). Thanks for everything. Without further ado I am going to introduce you all to the newest part of Undone. It is complete with some Buffy and Angel moments for those of us Eternal Believers that are still out there.

I felt really bad about the lack of updates so I am going to post this now. I apologize for any type-os and sentences that might not make sense. I am just a little sleepy at the moment. Finally, Part Thirty of Undone is up and running.

Hugs,
Katie
*angel*

PS. I hope you all enjoy it.






Undone
Part 30




If this house were filled with normal inhabitants they would all be sleeping peacefully in their beds. However the Summers’ house was filled with people that knew the truth of the evil in the world, and the forces of evil that lurked in the night. Now they had a new task at hand, a task that they needed to give their total attention to.

The big question that needed answering was what was that new monster or demon that they faced this evening. It was something that was unable to be found in any of the texts. Almost all the books in Giles’ vast library were being searched through. They lay all over the house. Each room had nearly ten books spread across the floor or on tables and other pieces of furniture, either opened or closed. Everyone seemed to be on edge. The situation resembled one of hopelessness. To those that were searching for the prophecy earlier that week this search seemed reminiscent. They didn’t know what exactly they were looking for. They didn’t know the name of the assailant, they didn’t know the history of the monster, and they did not have a prophetic dream from either slayer, at least not one that they were notified of.

“Any luck?” Anya said sleepily from her seat on the couch. She closed the book lying in her lap after she went from cover to cover, scouring the pages for a picture or description of the thing that attacked them earlier. Looking up to the chair on the other side of the table a slightly annoyed Xander clapped his book shut. This was the fifth book that he had gone through and still there was no mention of the demon thing that practically killed his friends and fiancé.

“There isn’t any mention of that creature from the black lagoon in any of the books! What is going on with this? First that prophecy wasn’t in any of the books and now that thing isn’t in any of the books.” Xander tossed his book onto the quickly growing pile of books in the “already read” category.

“I don’t know, but it is puzzling.”

“Hey Giles! You need to update your subscription to the complete alphabet of monsters, demons, and the supernatural encyclopedia because it looks like you have an outdated library. This is the second time in a short while where nothing could be found.”

Giles walked into the living room, with glasses in hand, wiping the lenses with his handkerchief. “Xander, it isn’t my library. I’ll have you know that there isn’t any mention of our demon on the, the Internet. Fred and Gunn have been scouring the net for anything, but have had no luck.” He placed his glasses back on his nose as he picked up another book to look through. “I happen to have a very current library on these subjects,” He said quietly.


~*~



“Have you found anything yet?” Max asked Gunn as he walked back into the dining room.

“No, but there are so many websites that can be searched. I don’t know how many there are to go through, but we are only just starting.”

“So in other words the search could be endless since we have practically nothing to go on,” Faith said from her seat at the table. She didn’t like the fact that they didn’t know if there were any other of these things out there. She definitely was never one to enjoy sitting around. “This is ridiculous. I feel like we aren’t doing anything. There might be other things like that out there.” She slapped her book closed, showing how restless she was getting. “We should be out there trying to find out if there are any more of these things out there.”

“A lot of good we would be. You should have seen the beating Angel and Liz gave that thing. It acted like it didn’t even feel any of it. We are pretty much useless. Michael and Liz seemed to be the only ones that were able to kill it,” Gunn said slightly defeated.

“Where is Michael?” Max asked after looking around the room, seeing that Michael wasn’t where he was a minute ago. Everyone responded with the same expression. No one knew where he was.

Max placed his book on the table as he walked up the staircase. He looked in all the rooms trying to find Michael, but he wasn’t anywhere to be seen. He looked in to each room as he passed it. When he crossed Dawn’s room he saw her hunched over a book as she read from her desk. Angel was on her bed with a book in his lap. He was propped up against the wall. Even he was sleeping.

“It’s okay.” Max heard from his spot in the hallway. He knew that voice. There is no way that it could be mistaken, even if it did hold a rare tone of gentleness. “It wasn’t real. It was all a dream.” He walked to the door that separated him from Michael and Liz.

“I know, but . . . It just felt like it wasn’t. It felt . . . real.” Max’s heart almost stopped beating when he heard her voice. It was strained and full of fear. A cold hand gripped his heart as he waited for her to continue. The pain that was caused by the dream was evident in her voice. The last time he heard her sound like that was the night he said good-bye. The last night he thought he would be on Earth.

“Liz, there are a lot of dreams that feel real.”

“I know, Michael. It is just that this one felt different. This one felt like . . . I don’t know. It just felt like it was more real than the ones that feel real. I must sound crazy. I feel like I am starting to make as much sense as Maria.” Liz laughed as she started to listen to what she was saying.

Max smiled as well from his position on the opposite side of the door.

“Are you afraid that what was in the dream would happen?”

Liz paused before answering. There was this drawn out silence where Max could picture her in his mind. Her expression was the same expression that she always made when she was deep in thought. He could tell that she was really contemplating it.

She felt that this dream was different. She felt that it was more real than any other dream that she had experienced before. Could that be why she was arguing on the reality of the dream?

“Maybe. I don’t know. It might be.”

“Liz you have had tons of dreams before and none of them have ever come true. I don’t think that this is that much different. Just because it felt real isn’t a solid indicator that it is going to happen.”

“THAT’S IT!!!” Max heard someone shout from downstairs. Followed by a loud bang that was most likely the large book that fell to the floor with force before they stood in an exited frenzy. This was excellent news; however, Max couldn’t help but feel like the timing was off. Liz was upset about something and the down time would have been something she deserved.

Suddenly all the doors opened where someone occupied the room within. Michael and Liz stood in the doorway, ready to sprint down the stairs. It looked like someone may have solved the mystery.

~*~



Buffy slowly pried herself out of Angel’s most comfortable embrace. She felt so safe encompassed in his arms. They were a band of security that kept her blanketed in serenity. She would have willingly stayed locked in his arms while he kissed her until she was breathless, but she entered his dream for a reason. She was running out of time in many ways, and before she had to leave she needed information. She needed to know where they were on piecing together the pieces of the puzzle.

“Angel,” she said, still breathing heavily. “I need to know something. I need to know what is going on. I need to know where you all are on putting everything together.” She looked up into his eyes, still in his arms.

“They are decoding the book. Its translation into English should be almost finished or finished. They are coming back to Sunnydale in a couple days. And just because you are gone doesn’t mean that the demons and all that haven’t stopped attacking. This unknown demon attacked at the Magic Box earlier. It was weird.”

“Weird? How was it weird?” Buffy said in a panicked tone. Things were even harder to take now that she had no ability to do anything. She couldn’t help with research, not that she enjoyed the research part, and she couldn’t help fight when she was needed.

“There was no way to fight it. It didn’t matter how much physical force was used. Nothing hurt this thing. Faith was giving it the beating of a lifetime and it was almost that it didn’t affect that thing. It just kept on coming.”

“Did you use any weapons?”

“Liz shoved a stake into its body, but it cried like it was a splinter. It barely weakened it.”

Buffy smiled. Liz was definitely getting the slayer instinct. There are many weapons that can be used in the slayer’s arsenal, but there was something comforting about a stake. It was handy and rather effective in most situations. And it wasn’t large or hard to handle.

He continually moved his hands over her back, enjoying the feel of her beneath his fingertips. He was taking comfort in just having her here, a feeling he rarely got to experience over the past years. A feeling that he thought was lost when Willow visited him with that distressing news that felt like it was years ago.

His deep brown eyes held hers as they swept over every inch of her. There was so much that each wanted to say. There was so much that each wanted to explain, but they were at a loss for words. Neither knew how to explain the feeling, the thoughts, the emotions flowing between them. All they could do was experience them.

Suddenly Buffy felt it. She felt the energy in the dream begin to waver, signaling the end of the time they had together. She needed to get out of his dream or else she would end up getting stuck in there forever. If that happened there wouldn’t be any use for the translation.

The smile slipped from her face as her mood turned solemn. She didn’t know how long it would be until she would feel Angel’s arms around her again. No matter how much she hated it, she needed to admit that this was good-bye for an unknown period of time, but hopefully it wouldn’t be a final good-bye. Her eyes took on a glassy quality as fresh tears threatened to slip from her eyes.

“Buffy?” Angel asked as he saw her mood shift.

She jumped up, her arms suddenly wrapped around his neck. Her lips descended on his as she committed every sensation, every sound, everything to memory. “I have to go.” She said against his lips, tears threatening to slip between her lids. She slowly slid back to the ground trailing her hands down his face and chest. The smooth fabric of his shirt beneath her hands and fingers also becoming a memory.

Angel understood as soon as he felt the words she said on his lips. He too was straining to remember everything that happened between them. He would have to live for the time when she would be back in his arms, whether it be in a dream or the real Buffy that he held in his arms.

Moving his hands on her slender back as she slipped from his arms like water through his fingers. Before she was out of reach he cupped her cheek, feeling the smooth skin of her face beneath his fingers. He traced his fingers over the planes of her face before he moved his thumb over her lips, which were swollen from kisses. Taking advantage of the placement of his hand she softly placed a kiss on his palm.

“Good-bye,” she said as a tear slid down her cheek.

“For now.” He said as he wiped the tear and all evidence of its existence from her perfect face. She smiled as she remembered another time when he said those same words in the same gentle tone. He moved forward closing the gap between them and placed a kiss on her forehead. The same way he always did.

They remained touching as long as they could. As their fingers slipped from each other’s, Angel saw the way she slowly faded into the black world of the dream. Again, he was alone.

“For now,” he heard Buffy whisper as he slowly ascended through the levels of sleep with her beautiful voice echoing in his mind. When he closed his eyes and concentrated he could see her, almost feel her warm body clinging to him.


~*~



“THAT’S IT!” Angel heard someone shout as he came out of the dream. He hoped that it was true. Someone had to have found something by now.

He followed Dawn out of the room as she bolted through the doorway like a bullet train. His vision was drawn to a picture on her desk, one of Buffy, Joyce, and Dawn. He picked it up and touched the glass of the frame over Buffy’s face. “We’ll be together again. I promise.” He said, vowing to her.

Little did all the inhabitants of the house know that they would soon be put to an ultimate test. They didn’t know that there were three under that roof who had something that exploited their weaknesses. If the wrong people found out it would be their undoing. The group that was so easily formed would be undone.


~*~ ~*~ ~*~



“You know, just because you keep reading it over and over doesn’t make it mean any more sense,” Cordelia said to Serena from their seats on the plane.

“I know, but this doesn’t seem the least bit familiar. I don’t remember anything about this “two and two”! I don’t know what it means.”

“Take a break,” Maria said, entering the conversation that was happening next to her. “Things might seem more clear after you take a step away from what happened.”

“I can’t! I know that you all are thinking about it. I have read it a thousand times, but I have a feeling that you are thinking about it too. It wasn’t good news,” Serena said as she threw her pillow against the seat in front of her.

“Hey!” Kyle exclaimed as his headrest moved and a pillow tumbled over the top to hit his head. He turned and kneeled on his seat. “Some of us are trying to sleep.”

“Sorry,” the three girls said.

“Leave it to prophecies to be vague. For once I’d like to see one where it was clear, vivid, and cut and dry. They are so gray! Two and two! What two? Which two? And those dead guys think they are so smart, foretelling the future. Yeah right! I could foretell the future if I was that vague,” Cordy said remembering all the prophecies that she had heard over the years.

“It would help if we knew who or what the two are.”

Wesley was silently listening to what the girls were discussing. He, too, was reading over the prophecy and trying to discover the true meaning. One step was done. They did have the translation, but it didn’t reveal much. He would normally go through other sources to try to cross-reference what he found, but in this case there didn’t seem to be any other sources he could use.

“Would any of you like another blanket? Something to drink?” The flight attendant asked. All shook their heads in the negative. They were busy trying to figure out what was meant by the ominous words in the prophecy.

“It seems to me like this two isn’t a two. It looks like the two is more than that.”

“What?”

“Okay. Okay, just bear with me here. What if . . . what if the two is just like a pair? Could there be more than two twos? Never mind. It is just another silly idea of mine,” Maria said shaking her head and leaning back in her seat.

They all grew quiet and started thinking about what she said. They were all thinking that the two mentioned were different twos. That did make a lot of sense to them.

“No, Maria, I think you might be on to something, but we still don’t know what is going on. We don’t know when the events stated will occur or who the two are that have to go through the event,” Serena said.

“I am guessing that the two halves of a whole are Isabel and Dawn,” Kyle said as he turned around again. “Remember Serena said that together they make a whole key.”

“Who are the two of light?” Isabel asked.

“That is still unclear, but I think that the two of night might be Angel and Buffy.”

“That does make sense Cordy. They do have the being together at night thing going on. You know with him being a vampire,” Willow said.

“Which two are the “two and two shall win the fight”?” Jim asked as he turned to Wesley.

“I thought that they could be Liz and Buffy, but I thought that Faith might be one of the second two, but there isn’t anyone,” Wesley responded.

“Do you think that the first two could be Buffy and Angel again? Then the second two could be Faith and Liz? Two and two. You can’t say that they aren’t strong enough to win “the fight”.” Once again Willow said something that helped them think.

“Wait!” Kyle shouted loud enough to be heard by his friends and father.

“Oooooooh,” Maria said as the whole situation dawned on her. “You’re right Kyle.”

“What are you two thinking about?” Jim said as he turned to his son.

“Well, something that we had crammed down our throats all this year by Tess was the whole thing about destiny and “The Royal Four”,” she said that with false bravado. “It was thought that they were pairs, Max and Tess, Michael and Isabel. They were supposed to be together so they could defeat their enemies, but we just found out that it was false and Liz and Max and Michael and Isabel were the original four, and it wasn’t really four, Buffy and Dawn and Serena were also there. So it was seven and not four, but the two and two could be like Liz and Max and if you are right about Angel and Buffy being all soul-matey those years ago it could be them. Then again it could also be Liz and Buffy and Isabel and Dawn. And if it is a Royal thing then Liz and Max, and Michael and Isabel.”

“And I thought I was bad,” Cordelia said under her breath, commenting on the random thoughts passing between Maria’s lips. Was anyone understanding her?

“The options are endless,” Willow said sinking deeper into her seat.

She was right. There seemed to be too many combinations and permutations of the more important members of the group. And that was only the beginning. Just because they felt that their roles were less important didn’t make them any less of a player in the game. The options seemed to be endless, but one thing slipped their minds throughout this conversation. They seemed to forget about the threat of Wolfram and Hart, and the game that was still being played in Los Angeles while they were off figuring out the newest information.

“Can you please go through that again? And keep it a little slower for those of us that are just starting to understand the alien mythology part in our world.” Cordelia was trying to get more information to try and get some sort of understanding about it all.

“It looks like there are too many options for us to accurately figure out who the four are. If that is even the right way of looking at it,” Wesley said slowly and quietly completely ignoring Cordelia’s request for a recap.

“Oh, so we are basically still where we were before this whole conversation started,” Jim said, sending everyone back into their depressed state.



~*~ ~*~ ~*~



Thuds and bangs rang throughout the house as everyone ran into the room. Did someone find something? Did something happen? Has someone figured out the information that they needed to get things done, to get things finished? What was it?

“What did you find?” Michael asked as he looked from face to face. No one had any idea what was found. “Who found something?” He said, his voice taking on an angry tone.

Liz gently touched his shoulder, trying to calm him down. He looked like he was going to lose all control on his powers and blow up every piece of glass in the house.

One face was grinning while others were confused. Xander knew something the others did not know. Anya, growing impatient at Xander’s silence, slapped his arm. “What did you find?” she asked.

“Come on. Don’t tell me that no one else thought of it? If anyone would know about the latest nasty it would be him,” Xander said.

“Hey, some of us are from out of town. Mind filling us in?”

“Willie.”

“What?” Liz asked. Were they talking about a person? A place? Was this the odd name of the demon, monster thing that she faced?

“What or who is Willie, and how is that going to help us?” Max said as he finally pulled his gaze from Liz. Something was going on with her and he wanted to know what it was. The only problem was that she was not in the mood to tell him. Why? She could talk to Michael about it. Why not him?



TBC . . .



So? I doubt the wait was worth it, but did you like it?

Side note: For those of you that read “A Father’s Legacy,” that is the next fic on my update list.





[ edited 2 time(s), last at 19-Jun-2002 3:06:45 PM ]
posted on 19-Jun-2002 3:05:02 PM by Sugarplum7
Hi Everyone,

I guess that I only hav two readers. Well, it is a little disappointing. Don't worry you two. I am pretty sure that we will keep this going even if there are only two other people reading it.

Thanks Evelynn and Veronica. It gives me warm fuzzies that you stuck with us.

Hugs,
Katie
*angel*




[ edited 1 time(s), last at 19-Jun-2002 3:10:18 PM ]