Author's Note: I wrote this, including the disclaimer rant, more than a
year ago, and never posted it, for a very good reason which I of course now
forget. I would like to mention that I don't really believe all men are
bastards, but I'm leaving the rant intact, because that was how I was
feeling at the time. I apologize for the length of time this story is
taking to reach its conclusion- hopefully there are still people out there
who still care, at this late date, what that conclusion will be. At least
I'm back in story mode again, so provided life leaves me the hell alone for
a little while, more should follow.
Title: Lost and Found
Author: Kat
Distribution: Well, obviously, no one likes it enough to review, except my few faithful friends, so I seriously doubt anyone would want it anyway. But, in case you do...you can't have it. Ha! See how you like that, oh non- reviewing people! (And I'm not at all bitter.)
Feedback: Ok, you know what? Fine. Don't review. I don't care anymore. I've begged, I've pleaded, I honestly don't think there's anything else I can do to convince you, so...whatever. Your call.
Summary: Much research is done, and Riley is an evil fiend, but we all already knew that.
FYI: This story is true to previous events. Other than that, not only does it not stay remotely true to the story line, it is part of my ongoing 'Corrections' series; meant to remedy Joss's mistakes! Starts around the time of The Yoko Factor on Buffy, and Sanctuary on Angel, just before Buffy gets back from LA.
Disclaimer: Not mine. Joss created them. And then he messed with their lives and separated soul-mates and tortured them and hurt them and we hate him for what he's done to our beloved characters... And this is where I usually say I'm done ranting for now, but guess what, I'm not this time. I'm not done ranting. Because not only has Joss separated soul-mates, he has done so on two occasions by killing one of them. Which two occasions? My ships. The only two ships which have been ended by death, and they are my two. Screw you, Joss, you evil maniacal sonofabitch! Screw you for not firing the EBMOD (Season 6's big bad, Marti, who truly is an evil bitch- monster of death). "Life sucks and then you die" is a really crappy message for a television show, people! And finally, to the audience, a little advice- All men are bastards, especially Joss, and this is why you should date girls. But not Marti, cause she's not really a girl, she's an EBMOD. So there! ::folds arms emphatically and puts on resolve-face::
Dedication: For Stephanie, who will never give up on B/A. And who deserves a great correction fic to clear up a mistake even I, non-Riley-hater that I am, thought was way out of character. Buffy Soooo would not have chosen Riley over Angel. Even if she was mad at him. And thus this fic was born.
*******************************************************************
Angel's head snapped up. "Something WHAT?!?!?!"
Tara cringed away from the scowling vampire, into her beloved's protective embrace. "I-I-I t-think so. There r-really isn't a-a-any other e- explanation. Her aura's f-flickering, and I've never e-e-even h-heard of that happening e-except in a f-fairy t-t-tale. I-it's not supposed to be p- p-possible." Oh, that confounded stutter! Every time she was upset or afraid, she seemed to lose her ability to form a coherent sentence, making her sound like a complete idiot. And the last thing she wanted to sound like was an idiot with a vampire glaring down at her. Even if Willow did think he was safe. She was glad of Willow's support as the redhead squeezed her shoulder sympathetically.
Willow was again at a loss for what to do. She kept getting distracted by an overwhelming urge to glare back at Angel for daring to glare at her Tara. And the fact that her best friend was lying comatose on her bed didn't help matters. Finally, after maybe the longest 30 seconds of her life, Angel went back to worrying over Buffy, Tara's rigid form relaxed a bit in her arms, and Willow's poor overloaded mind was able to grasp a thought. "Giles!"
Both other conscious occupants of the room looked at her quizzically. Clarification was in order. "We need to call Giles. Do research. Because, when we don't know what to do, research is what must be done." She nodded to emphasize her statement, proud of herself for finding a solution. Whenever something happened that they couldn't handle, calling Giles was always a good first step. Angel grunted assent and Tara got up to get the phone, handing it to Willow as she got to her feet as well. Willow hit the 'Emergency 2' button and waited impatiently for Giles to answer.
Giles wondered sleepily why a phone was ringing in the middle of his tour. He always made sure to tell all visitors to the British Museum of Occult Artifacts to turn off all cell phones and beepers before he started his tours. It was really most distracting. He had only just begun to explain the roll of Martin the Conqueror in the quelling of the Esoch rebellion in the fifth century. The Esoch were a particularly canny breed of demon, and without Martin's brilliant strategies, the rebellion would have been a success. As it was, use of the Esoch as mercenary warriors had to be discontinued. "Oh, why doesn't someone answer the bloody phone?!" *BEEP*
"Giles? It's Willow. Are you awake? I know it's early, but as soon as you get this, call me back, ok? Something's wrong with Buffy." Giles jolted completely out of his dream with a start and reached for his glasses, fumbling for a pair of pants with the other hand.
Once more Angel growled at the door. But this time it wasn't a key in the lock. This time it was a frantic pounding. "Willow? Buffy? It's Giles. Willow?" Angel sighed, reluctantly letting go of Buffy's hand and going to open the door. An extremely harried looking Watcher stood on the other side. He had obviously dressed in a great hurry; his shirt was unevenly buttoned and his socks didn't match. Which, for Giles, was very disheveled indeed. He wasn't even wearing a tie. He blinked in surprise at the identity of the doorkeeper. "Angel? What are you doing here?" Angel opened his mouth to answer, but another voice called his name.
"Angel?" Buffy's voice was hoarse. Angel was instantly back by her side. Her hand groped for his and he grasped it gently, lifting it to his lips to kiss it. "I'm here, Buffy." Her eyes blinked once, twice, focused on him. And her lips curved into a weak smile. "You're really here. I thought I was delirious. But you're really here."
Willow brewed her lover a stimulant tea, lost in less than pleasant thoughts. Her Tara was usually so brave and strong; anything that terrified her so much was not something Willow really wanted to know more about. On the other hand, something horrible had obviously happened to Buffy. And whatever, or whomever, was responsible for it would pay. Unless Angel beat her to it, Willow herself would make sure of that. She returned with mug in hand to Tara's bed, where her beloved sat huddled in blankets, obviously lost in less than pleasant thoughts of her own.
"Wanna tell me what's happening up there?" she asked, mustering a smile and tapping Tara's temple. The blonde shook her head. "Not really. Bad memories. Nothing that has to do with Buffy. N-not that I'm not worrying about Buffy too..." Willow hastened to reassure her, kissing her lightly to stop her fretting. "Shh, love, I know you're trying to figure out a way to help Buffy. You're allowed to be distracted by other things. I know sometimes we run into Scooby-related stuff that gives me a wiggins too. If something triggered bad memories, that's not your fault. It's not like anyone expects you to come up with a solution all on your own. We're just lucky to have someone as talented as you who can tell us what's wrong in the first place." Tara ducked her head, hiding in her hair. "I'm not. Talented, I mean. All I did was..." "Something none of the rest of can do," Willow finished for her. "Sure sounds like a talent to me. Not to mention, I happen to know of some other hidden talents of yours that I don't think the others necessarily have to know about. But I find them very beneficial." This coaxed a smile from her girlfriend. Willow grinned back; no disease was more contagious than Tara's sweet smile, she thought, and no picture more beautiful.
Giles crossed the room quickly to take the side of the bed unoccupied by Angel, fretting quietly over his slayer's weakness and pallor. His worry deepened as Angel explained quickly what had happened since he arrived. Buffy frowned at Tara's diagnosis. "Are you sure? I mean, I did have a wicked fight with a demon last night, but are you sure I'm not just tired or something? Ok, so I don't generally pass out when I'm tired, but I feel fine now, really..." She attempted to demonstrate this by getting up, and fell abruptly back into Angel's arms. Giles and Angel exchanged deeply troubled glances over the limp girl who was the center of both their lives. Angel could see Giles' inner struggle written plainly on his face- stay and watch over the young woman he loved more than a daughter, as his heart dictated, or dive headfirst into a healthy pile of books, which his intellect and sensibility both insisted he must do if he wanted to help her. Angel made the decision for him. "Go. I'll call you if anything changes." Angel glanced at the window, through which light now shone brightly. "It's not like I'm going anywhere anytime soon. If I can't go out and find what did this to her, at least I can make sure nothing hurts her again." Giles recognized the fury and determination on the vampire's face. They had never been close, and relations between them had been rather strained since Angel's return from Hell, but they were united in their concern for Buffy, and Giles knew there was no better guardian for his Slayer. He nodded mutely and headed out the door.
Title: Lost and Found
Author: Kat
Distribution: Well, obviously, no one likes it enough to review, except my few faithful friends, so I seriously doubt anyone would want it anyway. But, in case you do...you can't have it. Ha! See how you like that, oh non- reviewing people! (And I'm not at all bitter.)
Feedback: Ok, you know what? Fine. Don't review. I don't care anymore. I've begged, I've pleaded, I honestly don't think there's anything else I can do to convince you, so...whatever. Your call.
Summary: Much research is done, and Riley is an evil fiend, but we all already knew that.
FYI: This story is true to previous events. Other than that, not only does it not stay remotely true to the story line, it is part of my ongoing 'Corrections' series; meant to remedy Joss's mistakes! Starts around the time of The Yoko Factor on Buffy, and Sanctuary on Angel, just before Buffy gets back from LA.
Disclaimer: Not mine. Joss created them. And then he messed with their lives and separated soul-mates and tortured them and hurt them and we hate him for what he's done to our beloved characters... And this is where I usually say I'm done ranting for now, but guess what, I'm not this time. I'm not done ranting. Because not only has Joss separated soul-mates, he has done so on two occasions by killing one of them. Which two occasions? My ships. The only two ships which have been ended by death, and they are my two. Screw you, Joss, you evil maniacal sonofabitch! Screw you for not firing the EBMOD (Season 6's big bad, Marti, who truly is an evil bitch- monster of death). "Life sucks and then you die" is a really crappy message for a television show, people! And finally, to the audience, a little advice- All men are bastards, especially Joss, and this is why you should date girls. But not Marti, cause she's not really a girl, she's an EBMOD. So there! ::folds arms emphatically and puts on resolve-face::
Dedication: For Stephanie, who will never give up on B/A. And who deserves a great correction fic to clear up a mistake even I, non-Riley-hater that I am, thought was way out of character. Buffy Soooo would not have chosen Riley over Angel. Even if she was mad at him. And thus this fic was born.
*******************************************************************
Angel's head snapped up. "Something WHAT?!?!?!"
Tara cringed away from the scowling vampire, into her beloved's protective embrace. "I-I-I t-think so. There r-really isn't a-a-any other e- explanation. Her aura's f-flickering, and I've never e-e-even h-heard of that happening e-except in a f-fairy t-t-tale. I-it's not supposed to be p- p-possible." Oh, that confounded stutter! Every time she was upset or afraid, she seemed to lose her ability to form a coherent sentence, making her sound like a complete idiot. And the last thing she wanted to sound like was an idiot with a vampire glaring down at her. Even if Willow did think he was safe. She was glad of Willow's support as the redhead squeezed her shoulder sympathetically.
Willow was again at a loss for what to do. She kept getting distracted by an overwhelming urge to glare back at Angel for daring to glare at her Tara. And the fact that her best friend was lying comatose on her bed didn't help matters. Finally, after maybe the longest 30 seconds of her life, Angel went back to worrying over Buffy, Tara's rigid form relaxed a bit in her arms, and Willow's poor overloaded mind was able to grasp a thought. "Giles!"
Both other conscious occupants of the room looked at her quizzically. Clarification was in order. "We need to call Giles. Do research. Because, when we don't know what to do, research is what must be done." She nodded to emphasize her statement, proud of herself for finding a solution. Whenever something happened that they couldn't handle, calling Giles was always a good first step. Angel grunted assent and Tara got up to get the phone, handing it to Willow as she got to her feet as well. Willow hit the 'Emergency 2' button and waited impatiently for Giles to answer.
Giles wondered sleepily why a phone was ringing in the middle of his tour. He always made sure to tell all visitors to the British Museum of Occult Artifacts to turn off all cell phones and beepers before he started his tours. It was really most distracting. He had only just begun to explain the roll of Martin the Conqueror in the quelling of the Esoch rebellion in the fifth century. The Esoch were a particularly canny breed of demon, and without Martin's brilliant strategies, the rebellion would have been a success. As it was, use of the Esoch as mercenary warriors had to be discontinued. "Oh, why doesn't someone answer the bloody phone?!" *BEEP*
"Giles? It's Willow. Are you awake? I know it's early, but as soon as you get this, call me back, ok? Something's wrong with Buffy." Giles jolted completely out of his dream with a start and reached for his glasses, fumbling for a pair of pants with the other hand.
Once more Angel growled at the door. But this time it wasn't a key in the lock. This time it was a frantic pounding. "Willow? Buffy? It's Giles. Willow?" Angel sighed, reluctantly letting go of Buffy's hand and going to open the door. An extremely harried looking Watcher stood on the other side. He had obviously dressed in a great hurry; his shirt was unevenly buttoned and his socks didn't match. Which, for Giles, was very disheveled indeed. He wasn't even wearing a tie. He blinked in surprise at the identity of the doorkeeper. "Angel? What are you doing here?" Angel opened his mouth to answer, but another voice called his name.
"Angel?" Buffy's voice was hoarse. Angel was instantly back by her side. Her hand groped for his and he grasped it gently, lifting it to his lips to kiss it. "I'm here, Buffy." Her eyes blinked once, twice, focused on him. And her lips curved into a weak smile. "You're really here. I thought I was delirious. But you're really here."
Willow brewed her lover a stimulant tea, lost in less than pleasant thoughts. Her Tara was usually so brave and strong; anything that terrified her so much was not something Willow really wanted to know more about. On the other hand, something horrible had obviously happened to Buffy. And whatever, or whomever, was responsible for it would pay. Unless Angel beat her to it, Willow herself would make sure of that. She returned with mug in hand to Tara's bed, where her beloved sat huddled in blankets, obviously lost in less than pleasant thoughts of her own.
"Wanna tell me what's happening up there?" she asked, mustering a smile and tapping Tara's temple. The blonde shook her head. "Not really. Bad memories. Nothing that has to do with Buffy. N-not that I'm not worrying about Buffy too..." Willow hastened to reassure her, kissing her lightly to stop her fretting. "Shh, love, I know you're trying to figure out a way to help Buffy. You're allowed to be distracted by other things. I know sometimes we run into Scooby-related stuff that gives me a wiggins too. If something triggered bad memories, that's not your fault. It's not like anyone expects you to come up with a solution all on your own. We're just lucky to have someone as talented as you who can tell us what's wrong in the first place." Tara ducked her head, hiding in her hair. "I'm not. Talented, I mean. All I did was..." "Something none of the rest of can do," Willow finished for her. "Sure sounds like a talent to me. Not to mention, I happen to know of some other hidden talents of yours that I don't think the others necessarily have to know about. But I find them very beneficial." This coaxed a smile from her girlfriend. Willow grinned back; no disease was more contagious than Tara's sweet smile, she thought, and no picture more beautiful.
Giles crossed the room quickly to take the side of the bed unoccupied by Angel, fretting quietly over his slayer's weakness and pallor. His worry deepened as Angel explained quickly what had happened since he arrived. Buffy frowned at Tara's diagnosis. "Are you sure? I mean, I did have a wicked fight with a demon last night, but are you sure I'm not just tired or something? Ok, so I don't generally pass out when I'm tired, but I feel fine now, really..." She attempted to demonstrate this by getting up, and fell abruptly back into Angel's arms. Giles and Angel exchanged deeply troubled glances over the limp girl who was the center of both their lives. Angel could see Giles' inner struggle written plainly on his face- stay and watch over the young woman he loved more than a daughter, as his heart dictated, or dive headfirst into a healthy pile of books, which his intellect and sensibility both insisted he must do if he wanted to help her. Angel made the decision for him. "Go. I'll call you if anything changes." Angel glanced at the window, through which light now shone brightly. "It's not like I'm going anywhere anytime soon. If I can't go out and find what did this to her, at least I can make sure nothing hurts her again." Giles recognized the fury and determination on the vampire's face. They had never been close, and relations between them had been rather strained since Angel's return from Hell, but they were united in their concern for Buffy, and Giles knew there was no better guardian for his Slayer. He nodded mutely and headed out the door.
