Note: A while back, I proposed an idea to the list
concerning a round robin - the chain writing of a story.
Someone writes a part and hands it off to the next one to
take over, going where they will with the story. Six
people responded. The only rule was that supernatural
powers not be used to reverse anything that a writer made
happen earlier. What you are about to read is pretty much
as each author wrote it, with no changes other than
grammar or spelling. We hope you enjoy reading it as much
as we enjoyed writing it!
Title: A Midsummer Night's Happening or To Tell The Truth
Author(s): memarkw, MeB, AngelBev, Starr, Stephanie (aka
lurking_angel), GemTombs, and Peter Dickenson
Summary: Faith is back in town with a shocking secret
concerning Willow.
Spoiler: Takes place during season 6, although the only
spoiler concerns a cheerleader and a trophy from season
one.
Disclaimer: With the exception of the story idea, the
characters and locations belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant
Inc, WB, Fox, and any others I may be forgetting. We gain
no profit what-so-ever!
-----------------------------------------
Chapter One - Ponderings
Buffy laid down on her bed and let out a sigh. Who
knew that flipping burgers would be so much tougher than
slaying? The grease and the smell lingered much worse than
the dust from the vamps.
She rolled over and started going through the mail.
Electric bill, gas bill, disconnect notice, ad, doctor
bill, Faith, TV Guide, phone bill...Faith?
She put her fingernail under the flap and tore it
open. She unfolded the single sheet of paper and started
reading...
Hey B,
I won't blame you if you toss this out without reading
it. I could go on about what life is like here and how I
have changed and how is everyone in SunnyD, but I will cut
to the chase. I am getting out in a few days-
Buffy looked at the date on the note. It was written
just two days ago. Postmarked yesterday. She kept reading.
-and I need a place to go. I don't really have a home,
but SD is the closest that I do have. Angel has said that
he wants me to come work with him, but I just can't
imagine working everyday with Cordelia... No, I feel like
I owe something to SD and you. I guess what I am asking
is, can I come and work with you? If you say no, I won't
come. I'll understand. I'm still me. I'm still the same
person I was when I left. A part of me has changed, but
the only way to explain it to you is for you to see it
yourself. I truly am sorry for everything. Not everything,
not for getting to know you and the family, but for all
the wrong that I did. So, please, let me know something.
Faith
She wanted to come back here? Why? What good could it
do? Angel had said that Faith was really repentant, that
she deserved a chance to prove it. Buffy hadn't expected
this, though.
She couldn't worry about it right now. She had
slaying to do. She got off the bed and undressed. Heading
for the shower, her mind kept going back to the letter.
When she was clean and dressed again, she talked to Dawn,
without mentioning the letter, and headed out on patrol.
How much longer was this going to last? She was a
slayer. The oldest acting slayer as far as she knew. That
wasn't true. Technically, she wasn't THE slayer. Faith was
THE slayer. Buffy was just a substitute. A damned good one
if she said so herself. Still, when was her life going to
be normal?
She turned around and tossed a stake through the dead
heart of the vampire that was trying to sneak up on her.
Should she write Faith back and say not to come? Sunnydale
didn't need two slayers. Well, they might if the one in
town wasn't as good as she was, or if she didn't have her
friends to help. She just didn't get it. With so much
going on in the world, 9/11, the war, why did the
Sunnydale universe seem to revolve around her?
Most of these people didn't even know who she was or
what she was doing all these nights. She looked at the old
couple who lived across the street from her. They sat on
the porch as she passed and waved at her. Who would have
known that a screened-in porch counted as being in the
house? She remembered when Angel had tried to go to the
front door of that house to ask if they'd seen Dawn. He'd
been shocked to find he couldn't get to the front door,
that the screen porch door was THE door.
She waved back. As long as they stayed on their
porch, she didn't have to worry about them. It was like
they were just there for their nightly show.
As Buffy turned the corner, she reached over and
pulled a Ghilernt demon out of the shadows and snapped
it's neck. As it melted into oblivion, she thought back to
when she and Faith had patrolled together, before Faith
lost it. It had been fun. Back then, she felt like there
was a purpose to what she was doing. Would she feel that
way again if she had someone to share it with? Someone who
really understood what it was to be a slayer?
Damn Giles! He should never have left. Why should she
have to make these decisions? She was a college
girl...well, should be a college girl, but she couldn't
even do that because of slaying and the Double Meat
Palace. If only Giles was here...
She made her way past the halfway point of her
normal route. She noticed some movement in the shadows
behind the Bronze and went to investigate. Stake in hand,
she surprised the source of the movement.
"Buffy! God, don't do that! You scared the crap
out of me."
"Xander? What are you doing back here? Are you
nuts?"
"I lost my wallet. I think I left it on a table
earlier, but they haven't seen it. I'm hoping it just got
tossed out, that no one took it."
"Xander? Come on...It's gone. Count your losses
and move on." It felt good to make a joke.
"Oh, there aren't really any losses. I haven't
cashed my check yet, so there's no money in it. All that's
really in it is my license and some pictures of you guys.
I just hate to lose it. I've had it forever...sentimental
attachment I guess. Anyway,
what's up? You seem a little distracted."
"I do? Yeah, I guess I am. I got a letter from
Faith today. Duck."
Xander quickly touched the ground. As Buffy
withdrew the stake from the undead thing that was no
longer there, he stood back up. "What did the big
bad bitch have to say?"
"Be nice now... She asked me if she could come
back here."
"Won't she be like forty or something?"
"No. She's getting out this week for some reason. Who
knows? Wouldn't surprise me if the council had something
to do with it. I just don't know what to do about it. I
mean it's a free country."
"Yeah, but this town is yours. It wouldn't be a
free town if it wasn't for the Slayer. I say tell her no.
Not just no, but hell no. Let her go to Dead Boy."
"Xander, be NICE! It's not easy. I don't think we
would have made it through the Ascension if it hadn't been
for Faith. Angel did say that Faith wanted to pay for
what she had done."
"Well, it's your choice. I just hope she doesn't
expect to hop back into my bed. Anya would go all
vengeance demony in a heartbeat if that happened."
"BACK into your bed?"
"Never mind. There's Anya, I gotta go. You done?
We can give you a ride home."
"No. I need to think. I'll see you guys tomorrow."
She turned and walked away. If her closest friends
didn't want Faith back, what was she going to do? She had
to think about them. Making her way home, she dropped two
more creatures. It never dawned on her that she was
killing creatures of the night. It had just become second
nature to her. When she started this job...no, this
duty...she had felt some sort of disgust, or remorse for
the people that these things use to be, but now there was
nothing. What a world this had become. If someone had
told her then, years ago, that she would have had sex with
two vampires by 22, and killed hundreds or thousands
more, she would have laughed in their face and made fun of
their clothes.
"My, how the world has changed," she thought to
herself. She let herself into the house, careful not to
wake Dawn up. She showered again and put on her
nightshirt. She walked past Dawn's room, not noticing
that there was no sound of snoring. The phone started
ringing, and she hurried to answer it.
"Hello?"
"Buff-Buffy! They t-t-took her! They came in and
grab-grabbed her!"
"Tara? Calm down. Talk to me, honey. What happened?
Are you talking about Willow? I thought you were watching
your parent's house this weekend. Who took her?"
"I don't kn-know. She st-st-stopped by to talk about
... things, and we wound up staying up late and
watch-watching Craig Kilborne, and then she suddenly sat
up and said Dawn's name. That's when someone kicked open
the bedroom door and pointed guns at us. At us. I
c-c-couldn't move B-b-buffy. Oh gods, what am I going to
do?"
"Tara? Stay right there. I'm going to send Xander
over there to get you. He's closer than I am. I'll meet
you at his place."
She started getting dressed again. Someone took
Willow? Someone would pay then. Wait! What had she said
about Dawn?
Dawn! She wasn't snoring!
"Dawn!" Buffy yelled and sprinted towards her
sister's room. She threw open the door and knew that her
sister wasn't there. The bed sheets were on the floor,
and the curtain was hanging askew. The window was open.
There had been some sort of struggle. Oh yeah, someone was
going to pay. She ran out the front door of her
house, knowing in her heart that it was going to be OK
and that, again, someone was going to pay.
#
concerning a round robin - the chain writing of a story.
Someone writes a part and hands it off to the next one to
take over, going where they will with the story. Six
people responded. The only rule was that supernatural
powers not be used to reverse anything that a writer made
happen earlier. What you are about to read is pretty much
as each author wrote it, with no changes other than
grammar or spelling. We hope you enjoy reading it as much
as we enjoyed writing it!
Title: A Midsummer Night's Happening or To Tell The Truth
Author(s): memarkw, MeB, AngelBev, Starr, Stephanie (aka
lurking_angel), GemTombs, and Peter Dickenson
Summary: Faith is back in town with a shocking secret
concerning Willow.
Spoiler: Takes place during season 6, although the only
spoiler concerns a cheerleader and a trophy from season
one.
Disclaimer: With the exception of the story idea, the
characters and locations belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant
Inc, WB, Fox, and any others I may be forgetting. We gain
no profit what-so-ever!
-----------------------------------------
Chapter One - Ponderings
Buffy laid down on her bed and let out a sigh. Who
knew that flipping burgers would be so much tougher than
slaying? The grease and the smell lingered much worse than
the dust from the vamps.
She rolled over and started going through the mail.
Electric bill, gas bill, disconnect notice, ad, doctor
bill, Faith, TV Guide, phone bill...Faith?
She put her fingernail under the flap and tore it
open. She unfolded the single sheet of paper and started
reading...
Hey B,
I won't blame you if you toss this out without reading
it. I could go on about what life is like here and how I
have changed and how is everyone in SunnyD, but I will cut
to the chase. I am getting out in a few days-
Buffy looked at the date on the note. It was written
just two days ago. Postmarked yesterday. She kept reading.
-and I need a place to go. I don't really have a home,
but SD is the closest that I do have. Angel has said that
he wants me to come work with him, but I just can't
imagine working everyday with Cordelia... No, I feel like
I owe something to SD and you. I guess what I am asking
is, can I come and work with you? If you say no, I won't
come. I'll understand. I'm still me. I'm still the same
person I was when I left. A part of me has changed, but
the only way to explain it to you is for you to see it
yourself. I truly am sorry for everything. Not everything,
not for getting to know you and the family, but for all
the wrong that I did. So, please, let me know something.
Faith
She wanted to come back here? Why? What good could it
do? Angel had said that Faith was really repentant, that
she deserved a chance to prove it. Buffy hadn't expected
this, though.
She couldn't worry about it right now. She had
slaying to do. She got off the bed and undressed. Heading
for the shower, her mind kept going back to the letter.
When she was clean and dressed again, she talked to Dawn,
without mentioning the letter, and headed out on patrol.
How much longer was this going to last? She was a
slayer. The oldest acting slayer as far as she knew. That
wasn't true. Technically, she wasn't THE slayer. Faith was
THE slayer. Buffy was just a substitute. A damned good one
if she said so herself. Still, when was her life going to
be normal?
She turned around and tossed a stake through the dead
heart of the vampire that was trying to sneak up on her.
Should she write Faith back and say not to come? Sunnydale
didn't need two slayers. Well, they might if the one in
town wasn't as good as she was, or if she didn't have her
friends to help. She just didn't get it. With so much
going on in the world, 9/11, the war, why did the
Sunnydale universe seem to revolve around her?
Most of these people didn't even know who she was or
what she was doing all these nights. She looked at the old
couple who lived across the street from her. They sat on
the porch as she passed and waved at her. Who would have
known that a screened-in porch counted as being in the
house? She remembered when Angel had tried to go to the
front door of that house to ask if they'd seen Dawn. He'd
been shocked to find he couldn't get to the front door,
that the screen porch door was THE door.
She waved back. As long as they stayed on their
porch, she didn't have to worry about them. It was like
they were just there for their nightly show.
As Buffy turned the corner, she reached over and
pulled a Ghilernt demon out of the shadows and snapped
it's neck. As it melted into oblivion, she thought back to
when she and Faith had patrolled together, before Faith
lost it. It had been fun. Back then, she felt like there
was a purpose to what she was doing. Would she feel that
way again if she had someone to share it with? Someone who
really understood what it was to be a slayer?
Damn Giles! He should never have left. Why should she
have to make these decisions? She was a college
girl...well, should be a college girl, but she couldn't
even do that because of slaying and the Double Meat
Palace. If only Giles was here...
She made her way past the halfway point of her
normal route. She noticed some movement in the shadows
behind the Bronze and went to investigate. Stake in hand,
she surprised the source of the movement.
"Buffy! God, don't do that! You scared the crap
out of me."
"Xander? What are you doing back here? Are you
nuts?"
"I lost my wallet. I think I left it on a table
earlier, but they haven't seen it. I'm hoping it just got
tossed out, that no one took it."
"Xander? Come on...It's gone. Count your losses
and move on." It felt good to make a joke.
"Oh, there aren't really any losses. I haven't
cashed my check yet, so there's no money in it. All that's
really in it is my license and some pictures of you guys.
I just hate to lose it. I've had it forever...sentimental
attachment I guess. Anyway,
what's up? You seem a little distracted."
"I do? Yeah, I guess I am. I got a letter from
Faith today. Duck."
Xander quickly touched the ground. As Buffy
withdrew the stake from the undead thing that was no
longer there, he stood back up. "What did the big
bad bitch have to say?"
"Be nice now... She asked me if she could come
back here."
"Won't she be like forty or something?"
"No. She's getting out this week for some reason. Who
knows? Wouldn't surprise me if the council had something
to do with it. I just don't know what to do about it. I
mean it's a free country."
"Yeah, but this town is yours. It wouldn't be a
free town if it wasn't for the Slayer. I say tell her no.
Not just no, but hell no. Let her go to Dead Boy."
"Xander, be NICE! It's not easy. I don't think we
would have made it through the Ascension if it hadn't been
for Faith. Angel did say that Faith wanted to pay for
what she had done."
"Well, it's your choice. I just hope she doesn't
expect to hop back into my bed. Anya would go all
vengeance demony in a heartbeat if that happened."
"BACK into your bed?"
"Never mind. There's Anya, I gotta go. You done?
We can give you a ride home."
"No. I need to think. I'll see you guys tomorrow."
She turned and walked away. If her closest friends
didn't want Faith back, what was she going to do? She had
to think about them. Making her way home, she dropped two
more creatures. It never dawned on her that she was
killing creatures of the night. It had just become second
nature to her. When she started this job...no, this
duty...she had felt some sort of disgust, or remorse for
the people that these things use to be, but now there was
nothing. What a world this had become. If someone had
told her then, years ago, that she would have had sex with
two vampires by 22, and killed hundreds or thousands
more, she would have laughed in their face and made fun of
their clothes.
"My, how the world has changed," she thought to
herself. She let herself into the house, careful not to
wake Dawn up. She showered again and put on her
nightshirt. She walked past Dawn's room, not noticing
that there was no sound of snoring. The phone started
ringing, and she hurried to answer it.
"Hello?"
"Buff-Buffy! They t-t-took her! They came in and
grab-grabbed her!"
"Tara? Calm down. Talk to me, honey. What happened?
Are you talking about Willow? I thought you were watching
your parent's house this weekend. Who took her?"
"I don't kn-know. She st-st-stopped by to talk about
... things, and we wound up staying up late and
watch-watching Craig Kilborne, and then she suddenly sat
up and said Dawn's name. That's when someone kicked open
the bedroom door and pointed guns at us. At us. I
c-c-couldn't move B-b-buffy. Oh gods, what am I going to
do?"
"Tara? Stay right there. I'm going to send Xander
over there to get you. He's closer than I am. I'll meet
you at his place."
She started getting dressed again. Someone took
Willow? Someone would pay then. Wait! What had she said
about Dawn?
Dawn! She wasn't snoring!
"Dawn!" Buffy yelled and sprinted towards her
sister's room. She threw open the door and knew that her
sister wasn't there. The bed sheets were on the floor,
and the curtain was hanging askew. The window was open.
There had been some sort of struggle. Oh yeah, someone was
going to pay. She ran out the front door of her
house, knowing in her heart that it was going to be OK
and that, again, someone was going to pay.
#