From: "Michael Matott" Subject: TPFICT: The Fallen Ones 15/19 Date: 06 Aug 2000 17:45:35 PDT Hey, this part is short and doesn't even need a preface warning or disclaimer. :-) ------------------- Chapter 15 “You know,” Willow said from the upper stacks, “this would be easier if you told me what I was looking for. Not that reading about Ankoura the Souless isn’t interesting or anything.” “Just keep at it, Willow,” Giles called up from his desk. “You’re doing a good job.” “But nobody answered my question,” Willow looked from Giles to Buffy to Cordelia. “Don’t look at me,” Cordelia was filing her nails at the table across from Buffy. “I’m just waiting here for Xander.” “Yeah, what’s up with this ‘guy’s night out’?” Willow asked. “I don’t know,” Buffy replied, setting an automatic umbrella on the table. “I guess they’re doing guy stuff, whatever that is.” “Yeah, while I hope they drop by soon,” Willow muttered, “it’s too quiet around here.” Willow felt her ears pop as a rush of air exploded around her. Blue light made spots in her vision. She thought she saw something taking shape directly in front of her. Cory and Xander appeared in mid-air about three feet directly above one of the library tables. Four pairs of astonished eyes focused on them, then gravity took over and the two young men dropped from the sky onto the table. The wooden table groaned under the shock. Buffy was first on the scene, vaulting from her chair and kneeling next to Cory and Xander. “What happened? What was that?” Buffy asked Cory. “Oh yeah, there was one thing I ... forgot... to mention,” Cory said as the brown spots in his eyes merged into one spot. The strain of teleportation had him on the edge of unconsciousness. Xander on the other hand was beginning to regain consciousness. He leaned up slightly, looked around, and asked, “Hey, how’d I wind up here?” Then he looked down on himself, “And what happened to my shirt?” ---------------- ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Michael Matott" Subject: TPFICT: PG-13:The Fallen Ones 16/19 Date: 14 Aug 2000 21:39:08 GMT Warning: This story is set in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer universe and is therefore a bit rougher than the usual TP episode. All parts with violent or objectionable content will be marked with a warning, as per list rules. This part is fairly tame, but figured better safe than sorry. Next part is the big fight scene. Definitely a warning. ---------------------------- Chapter 16 “Man, I hate that,” Cory groaned, sipping a glass of water someone had fetched him. “What was that?” Buffy asked. “You guys just appeared out of nowhere.” “Teleportation,” Giles supplied. “Quite intriguing. I’ve only heard a few records of it. A few in ancient Egypt. Some in Macedonia. A few in Tibet. But nothing reported or verified in the last fifty years.” “Well, here’s one for the record books, then,” Xander piped, his shredded shirt hanging loosely on him. “It’s not something I like to do,” Cory said. “Freaks me out. The other Tomorrow People don’t mind it. Actually, they think it’s a lot of fun. Me, I like my molecules where they are.” “I take it you’re not a big fan of the Star Trek episode where the guy got turned inside out by the teleporter?” Xander quipped. Cory didn’t bother with a reply. “If it ichs you out so much, there must have been a pretty good reason for you to do it,” Buffy deduced. “What happened?” “Your theory was right, Giles. Michael ambushed us,” Cory said pointedly. “He wanted me to join him. He said it was what he needed for the final transformation. To make me a vampire.” “This is good,” Giles came around from his desk. “Am I missing something here?” Cordelia asked. “How is this good? His cousin’s an evil vampire.” “Half-vampire,” Willow piped in. “The transformation isn’t complete yet,” Giles answered. “That means there’s still time to save him and prevent ...” Giles stopped speaking, his glance falling briefly on Willow then moving quickly on. “Prevent what?” Willow asked. “Why’d you stop, Giles?” “Um..er.. to prevent..uh..,” Giles stammered. “The end of the world,” Buffy strained to think of a more likely reason. “Again.” “This kid could do that?” Xander asked. “And we just left him?” “It’s not like we had much choice,” Cory replied. “It was that or have me be turned by him and turn you into my... um, never mind.” “Your what?” Xander asked. “Let’s get back to the real problem,” Cordelia said. “I’ve got an appointment to get my hair done tomorrow. Is this end of the world thing going to happen anytime soon? I want to know if I should go all out or just get a cute little trim.” “Yes, well, I suppose Buffy may have been a bit overly dramatic,” Giles said, frustration in his tone. “It may not be the end of the world, but if the power behind Michael is not stopped Sunnydale will become a very unpleasant place to live.” “Oh, and it’s *so* cheery now,” Cordelia sniffed. “Listen gang, it’s been a long night,” Buffy stood. “Cordelia, maybe you should take Xander home so he can rest?” “Yeah, great,” Xander said, “and I can’t wait to explain to my parents why my shirt looks like this. Oh, who am I kidding? My dad’ll slap me on the back and say ‘Good job, son.’ and my mother will just complain about how much shirts cost.” “Come on, hon,” Cordelia grabbed hold of his arm. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I need to get home and study. Eew. I’ve been hanging around Willow too long, I think.” Willow said nothing but her eyes narrowed. Cory felt a wave of anger bubble up quickly and then die down. Cordelia and Xander left the library arm in arm. Cory felt a twinge of jealousy shiver through him. He buried it in the back of his mind. “I’ll take you home, Willow,” Buffy offered, “but I need to talk with Giles for a minute, okay?” “Sure,” Willow said, “I’ll just get my things from my locker and come back.” As soon as Willow was out the swinging doors Buffy’s face dropped its calm mask. Concern and determination played across her features. “Okay,” she said. “Giles’ theory was right, you said? So it is this Lilith?” “Yeah,” Cory answered. “Michael said she came to him as a disembodied voice. Promised him power in return for him finding a way to bring her across.” “Why did he need you to come to him?” Buffy asked. “I don’t know,” Cory shook his head. “He said he needed it for the final transformation to be complete.” “Perhaps he needs to feed on a willing person?” Giles proposed, taking off his glasses and rubbing his brow. “If it was just feeding on anyone he could’ve taken any poor slob off the street by now.” “All right,” Buffy summed up, “we know he hasn’t been turned all the way. That means there’s some hope of getting him back. And if we can do that, break his bond to this Lilith then there’s no more problem.” “I’m afraid it’s not as easy as that,” Giles turned away tapping his glasses before settling them back on. “If we remove one mate for Lilith, she’ll simply try to find another one. We need a more permanent solution.” “Well, if you can come up with one, let me know,” Buffy mused. “In the meantime I’ve got an idea. But it’s not one either of you is going to like.” “How do you know?” Giles asked. “Because I hate it,” Buffy answered. “What’s the plan?” a modest voice from behind them asked. “How do we stop Lilith?” All three of them turned. “Willow?” Buffy whispered. “Guess I was quicker than normal,” Willow said, looking almost guilty. “I heard what you were saying. I remember Lilith from stories my mom used to tell. She didn’t use them to scare me. She used them with psychology jargon to explain patriarchy and gender perception to me. Gotta love a feminist psychologist. Turning a demon into a psychological sign. But if you want to stop Lilith, the real Lilith, you’re going to need some bait. And I’m your best candidate.” Buffy looked at Cory, then Giles. The Englishman took his glasses off again and wiped his brow with a handkerchief. “Let’s hear your plan, Buffy,” Giles said. ------------------ ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Michael Matott" Subject: TPFICT: PG-13:The Fallen Ones 17/19 Date: 22 Aug 2000 04:08:44 GMT Warning: This story is set in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Universe and as such is a bit rougher than the usual TP episode. If you're not allowed to watch Buffy, you probably shouldn't be reading this story. All parts with content that might be objectionable are prefaced with a warning and a rating as per list guidelines. This is the big fight scene. Chapter 17 It should have been a dark, stormy night. That’s the way it’s supposed to happen in movies and TV shows, Cory thought. But the night was California crisp. Fairly clean. The smog zone being a bit further north. The storm from earlier had been blown further inland, but Buffy still had her umbrella hooked around her arm. The stars twinkled brightly in the heavens. The moon cut the horizon with its waxing crescent. Willow scratched at the pavement of the school parking lot with a piece of chalk. She’d drawn something that looked almost like the moon. A crescent shape with the tips just a foot from making a perfect circle. “I think it’s basically set,” she said. “Maybe I should check the book again?” “No,” Giles assured. “It’s fine. We can’t risk moving you now.” “Why should they come here?” Cory asked. “Because we’ve got the two people they want right here,” Buffy’s eyes swept the sky, “Willow, and you.” “Cheery thought,” Cory replied. “Is there a way to draw them out?” “Maybe,” Buffy said. “Every time we’ve come across them you’ve been using your telepathy. Maybe it acts like a beacon. Maybe it’ll draw them here.” “So, you want me to just broadcast out and pull them in?” “Something like that,” Buffy suggested. “And we’ll be ready for them.” “I don’t know,” Cory’s voice wavered. “This sounds almost as shaky as the rest of the plan.” “At least we have one,” Buffy replied. “Now, let’s get to work.” Cory shut his eyes to cut off any distractions. He reached out with his mind, not trying to read anyone’s thoughts. Just reaching out with his existence, straining to stretch his presence across the whole city. To reach his cousin. To reach a presence that wanted him, needed him so she could return to the world. Cory didn’t know how he could explain this feeling to a non-psi. When he broke out it was like he’d finally gotten the full use of his senses. Until then, he may as well have been blind. He almost felt sorry for non-psis. The world feels empty and alone without telepathy. Cory could reach out and touch every mind in this city. He could feel his awareness spreading out. It was almost as if there was no limit to how far he could spread himself. There was no thinning or diffusion of his perception this time, because he wasn’t focusing his ability on anyone or anything. He was simply existing. He wasn’t ‘reaching out’ with his powers. He was allowing something he’d kept contained free. His mind allowed to expand, unbound from his body. Cory felt something cold. From somewhere in the city they’d noticed him. Michael and Lilith had sensed him. They would come, Cory knew that with certainty. “They’re on their way,” Cory said, grabbing a stake from Giles. “How much time have we got?” Buffy asked, sweeping the sky again. “I can’t be sure,” Cory replied. “Not long.” “Hang in there, Willow,” Giles said. “This will all be over soon.” A chilling laughter came from behind Giles, Buffy, and Cory. A woman’s laughter. “Wil?” Buffy asked looking over her shoulder. Willow stood in the center of the circle. There was no wind, but her hair was swirling around her face as if a cyclone was centered around her. “Wil?” Buffy repeated in a shocked whisper. “How nice of you to give me just what I was looking for,” a deep voice emerged from Willow. Her eyes flashed red as she spoke. “They’re here!” Cory screamed as he felt dark presences popping up all around him. “Giles,” Buffy shouted, “the circle!” Giles bent down quickly with chalk in hand and closed the circle. Lilith, within Willow, screamed as a blue dome of light sprang into being around her. “This would be the part were the heavy guitar music starts playing, right?” Cory smirked, edging backwards towards Buffy as about a dozen vampires came into sight on the school grounds. “You watch too much television,” Buffy responded, launching into a somersault, stake in hand. “I don’t even own a television,” Cory muttered as he slowly edged towards two of the vampires. One was wearing red flannel of all things. The other was in a black leather jacket. Giles had brought a cross out from his satchel and was brandishing it at a vampire while tossing a bottle of holy water at another one. Buffy did a forward flip about ten feet from three vampires, landed on her feet two arm-lengths from the vamps, spun forward with a drop kick and side-swiped the vamp on her right with the stake. While the one in front of her was launched backwards from the kick and the one on the right was staggering from the slice, she rotated her hips and brought the stake forward into a punch. It hit the vamp on the left, square in the chest, a cloud of dust falling about the stake. Without missing a beat, Buffy did a reverse spin, the stake an extension of her arm, and plunged it into the vampire she’d just sliced. More black dust filled the air. The vampire that had been in the center looked unsteadily at Buffy. “What?” Buffy said lightly, “All tired out?” Buffy came in with an inside crescent kick to the vampire’s head. She felt its jaw snap. The vampire was bent over towards her. She brought her stake down onto the rise of his back. He too exploded into nothing but dust. The vampires rushed Cory. He punched the one wearing flannel in the face. It grunted, but didn’t move. Cory shot a side-kick at the other one. It dodged, but Cory’s foot grazed its side. The vamp in the leather jacket landed a punch in Cory’s abdomen. Cory felt the air pushed out of his lungs. He gasped for breath and felt that pulse behind his eyes again. He stared at the vampire and felt the energy released like a slingshot. The vampire was hurled backwards about four feet. It fell on the ground. While the other vampire was startled Cory swung inward with the stake, bracing his mind for the anticipated backlash. The badly dressed vampire screamed briefly then fell to dust around Cory. Cory threw the stake at the other vampire, somehow guiding the stake with that energy pulsing behind his eyes. The stake flew straight through the vampire. The vampire looked briefly at the hole torn in its body, then disintegrated. Cory tugged at the stake with his mind and it came back to him. “Neat trick you’ve got there, cuz,” a voice snarled from the air above him. “Want to try it on me?” Michael stood above Cory’s head, supported somehow by the air. “Great,” Cory muttered under his breath. Buffy’s plan looked as if it was turning into a deathtrap. Across from Cory, Giles landed a strong uppercut against a vampire. The librarian brought a stake up into the monster’s gut. That meant half the vampires were taken care of. Two more were advancing on Giles. Cory was being left alone, presumably due to Michael’s presence, That meant that four vampires were rushing Buffy at once. ‘Four against one,’ Buffy thought, ‘No prob. I’ve fought more before. Nothing to it. Just don’t die, Buff.’ She took a deep breath and dived at the vamps, rolling forward into a roll. She did a complete rollover onto her back, braced her arms above her shoulders against the pavement and let her cocked legs loose against the abdomen of one of the vamps. He went flying five feet. Using the momentum from her own thrust, Buffy pushed off with her hands and righted herself into a fighting stance. Buffy squared off against two of the vampires. The third had gotten out of her line of sight. She fended off blows from the other two while trying to figure out where the third had slipped away to. ‘Maybe he’s run off?’ Buffy thought, then felt a fist crash down on the back of her neck, hard. ‘Or not,’ she thought as she was knocked to the ground. Her stake was knocked out of her hand. “Ulp.” “Doesn’t look good for your friend,” Michael murmured. “does it?” “Buffy!” Cory shouted and started running to her. Michael landed in front of him and blocked the way. He grabbed Cory in a bear-hug. Cory felt the crushing strength from his cousin. There was no way for him to break loose. Giles was busy with the other two vampires. There was nothing he could do for Buffy either. She was on her own. Buffy tried to get up but one vampire had her by the legs and the other was holding down her right arm. She struggled to raise it, but wasn’t getting anywhere. The third vampire stood above her and licked his lips. Buffy tried to swallow down the taste of fear in her mouth. It didn’t work. She scrambled with her left hand for a weapon of any sort. Her hand closed around the shaft of her umbrella. Inspiration hit and she raised the umbrella and pointed it at the vampire above her. He laughed. The point of the umbrella was half a foot short of its mark. Buffy depressed the trigger on the automatic umbrella. The spring release shot the point of the umbrella into the vamps’ chest, cutting the laughter off. “Things are looking up,” Cory said. “Want to go for a trip, cuz?” Realization dawned on Michael for the second time that evening. He tried to let go but the blue nimbus of highly charged electrons already surrounded the two of them. In an instant they were gone from the scene of battle, leaving Giles and Buffy to fend for themselves. The Lilith inside Willow continued to scream furiously. It was the last sound Cory heard as they ‘ported out. They rematerialized about a hundred feet in the air. “Welcome to the Western Pacific, cuz,” Cory said, “where it’s an hour before sunset.” Michael didn’t say a word. He writhed in Cory’s arms trying to break free. They continued falling. If they dropped too close, Cory planned on ‘porting them back up. He came in at the altitude he did to minimize the chance of something blocking the sun. Now he just needed to hold on and hope that this worked. “You need to fight, Michael,” Cory insisted. “I know this isn’t who you are. We’ve trapped her, Michael. And I’ve moved you over 2,000 miles from her. The sun should drive her power out of you, but only if you’ll let go. Let go, Michael!” Michael’s only reply was to scream. The ground continued to rush up at them. --------- ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Vivian Arney Subject: TPFICT: ANYBODY HERE? Date: 24 Aug 2000 15:46:01 -0700 (PDT) HELLO? Is anybody out there? haven't gotten any posts for a while. What's doin'? Tia's Pals' Press c/o Vivian Arney P.O. Box 4187 Austin, Tx 78765-4187 We've been selling Fanfiction, memorabilia and books for 13 years. SASE for more info. _______________________________________________________ Say Bye to Slow Internet! http://www.home.com/xinbox/signup.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: J2rider@aol.com Subject: Re: TPFICT: ANYBODY HERE? Date: 24 Aug 2000 19:07:42 EDT I haven't either from either TP DIS or FIC. What is it just slow or is something wrong with my email? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Jeffl1965@aol.com Subject: Re: TPFICT: ANYBODY HERE? Date: 25 Aug 2000 03:26:43 EDT In a message dated 8/24/00 5:51:07 PM Central Daylight Time, TIA-PALS@excite.com writes: > Subj: TPFICT: ANYBODY HERE? > Date: 8/24/00 5:51:07 PM Central Daylight Time > From: TIA-PALS@excite.com (Vivian Arney) > Sender: owner-tpfict@lists.xmission.com > Reply-to: tpfict@lists.xmission.com > To: tpfict@lists.xmission.com, tpdis@lists.xmission.com > > HELLO? Is anybody out there? > > haven't gotten any posts for a while. What's doin'? > > > Tia's Pals' Press > c/o Vivian Arney > P.O. Box 4187 > Austin, Tx 78765-4187 > We've been selling Fanfiction, memorabilia and books > for 13 years. SASE for more info. > > > > > > There was a post just a few days ago,unless u missed it. Most of the writers are in the High School/College age,and dont have access to a PC unless they are in school,so until they get back into the swing of things, you wont see many posts I'm affraid.:( ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Michael Matott" Subject: Re: TPFICT: ANYBODY HERE? Date: 25 Aug 2000 12:43:36 GMT I sent out another part of my story on Sunday and received it in my inbox with no problem. Otherwise there hasn't been much traffic on TPFICT, but there rarely is. As far as TPDIS, haven't seen much either, but I'm still getting posts. Maybe it's your mailer? ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Michael Matott" Subject: TPFICT: PG-13:The Fallen Ones 18/19 Date: 26 Aug 2000 21:57:07 GMT Warning: This story is set in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Universe and as such is a bit rougher than the usual TP episode. If you're not allowed to watch Buffy, you probably shouldn't be reading this story. All parts with content that might be objectionable are prefaced with a warning and a rating as per list guidelines. This basically wraps it up, minus an itty bitty prologue I'm going to post following this. Enjoy! Chapter 18 Giles heard something in his hand pop as his thumb was wrenched outward. Shock overrode the pain. He brought his other fist crashing into the vampire’s face. It reeled momentarily. Enough time for Giles to plant a stake firmly in its chest. Buffy, in the meantime, was disposing of the remaining two vampires. When Cory teleported out, it was enough of a shock that the vamps’ attention was drawn away from Buffy. She was on her feet before the light had faded. Now the two vampires were being subjected to alternate kicks and punches. Buffy backhanded one vampire, kicked the other’s legs out from under him, and rolled to the side to pick up her fallen stake. “Good night, bloodsuckers,” Buffy practically snarled, moving with furious speed between her assailants. With an uncanny fluidity, the stake found first one mark, then the other. Buffy wielded the stake like a fine sword. Dust fell around her on both sides. “Giles,” Buffy ran to the Englishman’s side. He was on his knees, clutching his injured hand to his chest while the other was extended with a crucifix holding off the final vampire. “Are you all right?” “It’s only a dislocated thumb,” Giles said, through gritted teeth. “Hurts like bloody hell, but I’ll live. Not quite up to fighting form though.” “Leave it to me,” Buffy stood, brushed off her pants and advanced on the vampire. It lasted half a minute at most. Giles lowered his arm and breathed a deep sigh. “Now, about Willow...” Giles said. “Release me, putrid fleshbags,” the voice within Willow screamed. “I’ll make you wish for death. I will be made whole again. Nothing can stop me.” “Well, it looks like this circle can,” Buffy smirked. “We’ll just wait here, ‘kay?” “You would sacrifice your friend just to hold me?” “Oh, we don’t need to hold you for long,” Buffy pointed to the East. “The sun will be rising in about two hours. You have two choices. Release Willow now and maybe you can find a way to escape. Or wait for the sunrise and lose all of your power.” “We know your weakness,” Giles stood and approached the circle. “Why would you approach Michael in darkness only? You share the same weakness that your descendants do. You can’t abide sunlight.” “Then your friend dies with me,” Lilith threatened. “Don’t think so,” Buffy said. “See, the circle and the incantation we did prevents you from fully bonding to her. Plus, you needed Michael for, um, that whole Biblical knowledge thing. And we took Michael out of the picture. So you can’t cross over into the physical world. You’ve lost, Lilith. Give it up.” “NO!” the shriek didn’t come out of Willow’s mouth. It came from the air itself. The blue dome of light flared brightly. Willow slumped to the ground. “Giles, now,” Buffy pulled a clay figurine from Giles’ satchel. Giles pulled Willow’s slumped body out of the circle, breaking it. Buffy placed the clay figurine, a woman with clawed hands, on the edge of the circle where Giles had pulled Willow across. “Interrum vitae novum, interrum igneous apnostis,” Giles intoned. The sound of Lilith wailing rose to a shriek as the air within the circle turned red and seemed to be sucked into the figurine. Outside the circle, nothing stirred. As suddenly as it began, the shriek ended and the blue light of the protective sphere faded. The clay figurine looked darker and the face seemed mauled now with tear drops. The drops on the clay had not been there before. The face had changed in features, too. It seemed softer somehow. More like a mother. That scared Buffy more than if it had been the face of a monster. Willow stirred in Giles’ arms. “Did it work?” she murmured, opening her eyes to look at the two of them. “Looks like,” Buffy smiled. “Scratch one demon mother. How about you?” “My throat hurts,” Willow said, “but otherwise I think I’m okay. I don’t really remember too much.” “Well, now all that remains is to see if Cory succeeded in getting his cousin far enough away,” Giles remarked. Buffy gathered up their equipment while Willow recovered. Willow was standing when a blue light blossomed outward from the center of the parking lot. Cory held an unconscious Michael in his arms. Michael’s features appeared human. “Did it work?” Buffy asked. “I think so,” Cory replied. “He screamed for a while, then his face just sort of melted back to normal. I felt something like a thread in his mind snap. I think it may have been the connection he had to Lilith. After that was gone, he felt like the old Michael.” “Then, I think it’s about time we called it a night,” Giles sighed. “Would one of you mind getting me to the hospital?” “What happened?” Cory asked. “Is Lilith gone? Willow, are you okay?” “Everything’s cool,” Buffy said. “She’s bound to the statue. Everything went according to plan.” “I’m fine,” Willow replied. “A little on the confused side. Kind of tired. Kind of hungry. A bit sea-sicky too.” “Giles?” “Just got a bit careless,” he replied. “Just need to get my thumb popped back into place.” “I can get Giles to the hospital the quickest,” Cory offered. “I take it you’ll take Willow home, Buffy?” “Natch.” “Then I guess we’ll see you tomorrow,” Cory put an arm around Giles as if to support him. “Now wait a minute,” Giles stammered, “I’d much rather take a car then...” His words were cut off as Cory enveloped the three of them in his teleportation field. Buffy grabbed Giles’ supplies and brought them back to the school. Willow waited for her in the parking lot. “You know,” Willow piped up, “how are we going to get home? You don’t have a car.” “Oh right,” Buffy said. “I forgot. Guess we hoof it.” “You know, we really could use a car,” Willow observed. “Think we should invite Cordelia next time?” Buffy asked sarcastically. “She’s got a car.” “Are you feeling all right?” Willow asked looking sideways at her friend. “Never mind. I’m just kidding.” Buffy and Willow headed off, chatting about their day as if the night’s events hadn’t happened. Very little fazed either of them any more. This was pretty much a typical night in Sunnydale. ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Michael Matott" Subject: TPFICT: The Fallen Ones 19/19 (epilogue) Date: 26 Aug 2000 21:57:54 GMT Epilogue “So how long does Giles have to wear that dorky bandage?” Cordelia asked in the cafeteria. “About three weeks,” Buffy said. “He says it looks worse than it is. But you know him. He’d say that if there was a gaping hole through his abdomen.” “And Michael?” Cordelia asked Cory. “He’s fine. They said it seemed as if he hadn’t eaten in four days,” Cory said. “It was probably more like two weeks. Lilith must have been doing something to sustain him. He doesn’t remember feeding on anyone.” “Well that’s good at least,” Willow brushed her hair off of her eyes. “Why’d he want to turn you?” Buffy asked, spooning ketchup onto a french fry. “He said he needed family blood for the final transformation,” Cory said. “He was planning on going after his brother, Sam, but I conveniently followed him here.” “What was he doing in Sunnydale anyway?” Xander asked. “Not soaking up the rays, I’d bet.” “Recruiting an army,” Cory replied. “Guess where the vampire capital of the world is?” “Glad I moved here,” Buffy said. “So what are you going to do now that you’ve found your cousin?” Willow asked. “I might stick around for a little bit,” Cory said, flashing a smile. “I kind of like it here. It’s lively. I hear there’s a cool roller-rink in town.” “Ooh, I’ve got to get to class,” Buffy said, grabbing her bookbag. “Eep, me too,” Willow said, grabbing her tray. “Um, people, don’t we all have the same class bell?” Xander asked, getting slowly to his feet. “Xander, why don’t you talk to Cory,” Cordelia said, getting up with the others. “Well, that wasn’t too obvious now was it?” Xander mused. “You’re talking to a mind-reader,” Cory said. “I knew this was coming.” “Really?” “No,” Cory flashed a smile, “but I thought it’d make you feel better.” “Oh,” Xander looked down at his hands, then back at Cory. “Well..uh..see, I don’t really.. that is, I’m not ... uh..” “Xander,” Cory held up a hand, “it’s cool. I understand. I hope this doesn’t make you uncomfortable.” “Wha...? No. No,” Xander said. “I’m okay.” There was a bit of an awkward pause. Cory stood up to go. Xander got up with him and gave him a light punch on the shoulder. “Hey,” Xander said, a thought occurring to him, “Do you like football?” “Yeah,” Cory was confused, “why?” “Got a friend I want to introduce you to,” Xander said. “You might like him. He’s captain of the team.” “Cute?” “I’m not that good a judge,” Xander replied. “Available?” “Definitely.” “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship,” Cory threw an arm around Xander, hitting him on the back as they left the cafeteria. “Isn’t that from a movie or something?” “Something like that,” Cory laughed. He thought it would be nice to spend some time in Sunnydale. After all, nothing worse could happen. Could it? END ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Michael Matott" Subject: TPFICT: The Fallen Ones: Author's Endnote Date: 26 Aug 2000 22:11:25 GMT Okay, now that it's finally over and done with, I wanted to drop a quick note to offer some details and explanations to people. A first question that may occur to some people is why the story is set in the second season of Buffy? The answer is - that's when I started it! Yes, this story has taken two years to write and get proofread. I worked very hard on this story, trying to match the tone of the Buffy chracters. As the story developed it would've been harder and harder to incorporate 'current' Buffy continuity into the story, so I just kept it fixed where I had it. Hopefully, it worked. Another question is why weren't there any other TP involved except for a (mostly) original character? The answer to that is that the initial concept didn't actually have a TP character. I had a psychic with the ability to telepathically make suggestions. It quickly and easily evolved into making a TP character with morals not quite as scrupulous as Adam's. :-) I never planned to write this for the list. Never planned to write it down in the first place. Sometimes I get ideas for what I think would be a cool episode for a show. That's what this was. The Lost Boys got tossed in later when I nixed the idea of a new series TP and Lost Boys cross. Seemed a natural fit. Why create a cousin for Michael when I could have just used his younger brother Sam? The answer to that is that Cory *was* Sam in the initial treatment. I nixed that idea because I figured people wouldn't like some of the characteristics I gave him (juvenile delinquent, gay) even if I had reasons to do so (and I did. I can justify my choices based on The Lost Boys movie). Some of the other treatments of this story actually included incorporating the original Lost Boys from Peter Pan into the story with a very different version of Peter Pan from the friendly, playful one that is so often portrayed. Some day I may actually write my TP-Peter Pan crossover. I know, it sounds ridiculous but I have some cute ideas for Jade and Megabyte in a story with the Pan. All right. Enough posts from me in one day. I hope you enjoyed the story. Huge round of thanks to my two beta-readers, especially Michele who made suggestions that made immense improvements in the pacing and the dialogue. PLEASE, please, send me feedback. I put a lot of heart into this and want to know what people think. Thanks! Mike -who promises he is working on his serial when not talking about himself in third person ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com