The Return of Drusilla

"I wonder if Angel is home," asked Buffy (Zeno) as she gently pushed open the door to the mansion. "Angel?" she called.

"I'll wait here," remarked Faith (Alanna), "Give you two alone time."

The candles flickered. The fire burned merrily in the hearth.

"I don't see him," added Buffy, "But the candles are going. Angel?"

She passed by the sofa to the door of the inner chamber. Angel sometimes sat there reading.

She heard a giggle. A decidedly female giggle...

Buffy returned to the main room.

"Faith," she began "He's not..."

The vampire moved fast. He leaped across the room swinging a mighty sword.

-----

"You okay?" asked Faith as she rushed into the room.

Buffy held her side where she was struck by the sword. She waved off the other slayer. The vampire lay on the floor in the corner of the room. He was dressed in western gear much like the Gorch Brothers.

"You've gotten blood over my new home."

The voice came from the balcony. It was Drusilla (Patience). She pouted at Buffy.

"Drusilla," declared Buffy as she looked up, "I should have known."

"Who is she?" asked Faith, "The one that killed Kendra?"

"Spike's ex," replied Buffy.

"Oh," said Faith. And she said no more.

"Where are you keeping him?" demanded Drusilla, "Hiding him from me..."

"In my basement where he is safe," replied Buffy. She suddenly blushed. That came out wrong.

Reg (RegY) smirked. "She's with me now," he said proudly. "She likes to ride. She wants a cowboy."
The vampire got up, a little scarred, but feeling spiffy again, "You forgot to take my head off, Slayer."

Drusilla squealed and clapped her hands.

"Something about someone's head?" answered Faith, "I have a scythe for that"

Buffy looked at Faith, "You hold off Tex, I'll see to Drusilla."

"Good plan," replied Faith, as Buffy sprinted to the stairs.

Reg looked at Faith "Us again, huh?" They had fought before.

"Seems like it," answered Faith "...but this time I got my toy." She hefted her scythe.

-----

"Why did you come back Drusilla?" asked Buffy

"You're hiding him from me," sulked Drusilla, "We can't be happy again."

"I promised Spike you could get away," replied Buffy, "If he helped me against Angelus." It was only in May. It was five years passed. It was a life time ago.

Drusilla lowered her head a bit and moaned, "We'll never be a family."

Spider

A Crimslaw demon.

Basically, it was a massive spider. Anyanka had summoned them to avenge a young woman humiliate by a dozen or so frat boys at one of their parties. In tears, the girl had screamed, "Just once I wish you could all feel what it's like to have your hearts ripped out!"

Be careful what you wish for.

The demons had escaped. While Xander and Buffy hunted one in the woods near town, it was the witch Merissa Frost, the slayer Faith Lehane (Patience) and Willow Rosenberg (Bellarata), a vampire with a soul, to track down and kill a second one that had slipped away deep into in the sewers of Sunnydale.

----

Merissa Frost approached the doors of the school, rather glad for the Christmas break. She'd been on her way to the Hellmouth, but something warned her to bring her newly acquired magic axe. She hesitated momentarily suddenly getting a bad feeling. Turning back, she ran for the tunnels.

Meanwhile. below the earth, Vampire Willow stood watching the large spider blocking the sewer pipe.

"Hmm, isn't this interesting," she remarked.

The Crimslaw demon (Pepper) considered the two legged creature before her. It sensed that it was 'undead' and so without a beating heart upon which to feast. The vampire also did not attack at once. If not food, nor a threat, the demon was unsure how to respond. Maybe a little nip...

-----

The vampire and the witch struck the demon repeatedly with axe and sword.

The Crimslaw was not easily bested however and it nipped and jumped again and again at one threat, then the other, gradually wearing them down.

But before it could win over the witch, Merissa's weapon began to glow. The light both hurt and confused the spider.

The axe fell and the wound was deep. The spider almost went mad with the pain.

Suddenly it felt a tingle and the wound began to close. A goblin (Kaezin) , the same one that had been causing all sorts of chaos in town, had healed the demon which it's arcane knowledge.

-----

The spider hissed.

Merissa gasped and attacked.

Her axe spinning and chipping away at the unholy monster. The axe began to glow with power and with a mighty strike Merissa brought the blade down upon the beast.

The spider reeled back, stunned and dazed, bleeding for a piercing wound.

Merissa Frost sighed, wiped her own bloodied lip and went back on the offensive.

The spider demon fled back into the dark, damp sewer.

-----

In the tight confines of the tunnel, the Scoobies were pressed from two directions. The goblin approached from the direction of the Bronze. The spider demon closed in from the direction of the school.

The goblin swung his fist injuring Faith.

The spider sprang onto the group biting at Merissa, its fangs dripping with poison. She countered with a quick healing spell.

The demon turned. Willow stabbed with her ice sword but the weapon missed it's mark striking Merissa with a freezing wound.

Faith attacked the larger of the two demons and with a series of powerful blows, she struck the spider behind the neck breaking it's spine.

Willow summoned witch lightning and directed it at the goblin as it clawed it's way through the crowd of Scoobies. The beast again provided resilient to the blast. It's hands began to glow radiantly and it struck Willow, taking her to the ground.

The gray goblin then turned it's attention on Faith, clawing with fury. Faith countered using her mind to focus the lineage of the Slayers into her strike. But the small beast forced his attack and knocked her unconscious against the concrete pipe.

"oh my, you die, time to fly!" And with that the goblin scampered off down the tunnel.

-----

[ooc - Congratulations to the Goblin, Kaezin Freng, the last man...er, demon standing in our two-team elimination in-character roleplay. And thanks to Bella for the group picture!]

Slayage

The Dark Templar (Kaezin) attacks Faith (Alanna) for betraying the Mayor of Sunnydale. Buffy (Zeno) , Faith (W1cked) and Xander (Soara) rally to her side.

Buffy (Verlie) and Buffy (Zeno) looking for an Angel.

The last thing the vampire ever saw: Slayers on patrol. Faith (Patience) and Buffy (Verlie)

"Hey," said Willow with a shy giggle, "You're like me..... only, uh evil...." (Bella and Pepper)

Goblin

Previously in Sunnydale SL...

-----

"Did you see that?" asked Buffy with a frown. From where they stood in by the road, Buffy thought she saw a gray shape race behind the houses. It was too big to be a dog...

"Nope," answered Faith.

Suddenly there was a huge crash from Buffy's house.

"Did you hear that? from the house...." Buffy was off and running through the front door. She bolted through the house to the source of the sounds.

A skinny gray goblin clambered about the kitchen. It flung things from the cupboards and counter tops. Boxes of food spilled across the floor. The coffee maker crashed against the oven. Dishes broke against the wall.

"Hey!!" she yelled, "Scat!!BEAT IT!!"

The creature grabbed more items. Pots and pans tumbled to the ground. Joyce's favorite platter landed on the floor and broke in two.

"What happened?" Faith asked as she entered the room. "Whoa!"

The little gray beast rushed from the kitchen between the slayers and through the dining room leaving a path of destruction in it's wake.

"There!" cried Buffy.

"That is not a fricken' monkey," called Faith, "It's a menace! We goin' after it?"

"He trashed the house!!" raged Buffy, "I'm gonna kill him!!"

They could hear the voice of the goblin as it disappeared behind the high school.

"Too late, too late he he he...."

-----

Buffy picked up another small rock and threw it at the little beast. The goblin had led the slayers on a merry chase out to the frat house before doubling back. It moved with a blur and the rock sailed through a window on the school gym.

"Smashy crashy. someone breaky breaky," chattered the goblin.

"Evil monkey," cursed Faith.

The creature stopped and sniffed the air. "Oooooo...smell cats." and off it ran towards the Wiccan Academy.

Buffy fumed. "Get back here!" she shouted.

The slayers sprinted down the street. As they approached the old house that the Witches of Sunnydale called home, they saw the goblin hovering near the black cat sleeping by the steps of the Covenstead.

"It's okay pretty kitty," murmured the creature, "Iz friend. Sleepy sleepy."

The cat hardly stirred in the presence of the goblin. It had seen it all and was clearly not impressed.

"Hey! I wouldn't do that if I were you," warned Buffy.

"Find you own snack," grumbled the goblin, "I'm hungry."

Buffy grabbed a shovel from next to the house and walked slowly towards the creature.

"Hey goblin, goblin," she whispered.

The goblin hissed.

-----

It was quick. It was small and it proved to be an illusive target even for Faith and Buffy. The goblin's claws were strong and it seemed to have to power to quickly recover from any strike the slayers managed to land.

The creature fled into the Wiccan Academy.

Buffy rushed up the steps in pursuit. She slammed open the door and came to a halt, stunned by the vision before her.

"Willow!!" started Buffy.

"Buffy! that thing..."

"You're small!!"

Willow was still Willow, but now she looked like a child of about eight years old.

"yeah... I figured that part," answered Willow, "Remember that potion Amy left? The one who was a rat? Well, that thing you were chasing spilt it outta my hand. I think I must have swallowed some."

Buffy shook her head. She couldn't process what she saw.

"Buffy? say something!"

Buffy found her voice. "Wha...? you like drank potion...?"

Willow frowned. "I... I didn't mean to." she said with a pout.

"From here? Without knowing what it does?" Buffy had seen some of the potions that the Coven brewed here at the Wicca Academy. Foul smelling with questionable ingredients.

"Run run run...time for fun!" the creature sang as it fled from room to room.

"I was just smelling it to make sure it was the right one," explained Willow, "then that thing came in so fast, I was like 'WHOAH' and it was like 'Weesh', and the potion was like 'Sploosh'"

Buffy had no time to question Willow any further. The nasty little beast rushed into the room. Buffy swung her shovel. The goblin clawed at her madly.

"Knock knock boom," it said and lightning arced from the creature's hands.

Buffy saw a flash of white that faded to black. As she lost consciousness, she heard the goblin chatter, "Nasty shovel.."


-----

Buffy groaned as she shook herself out of her daze. She pushed her self up from the floor, the smell of ozone still in the air. "Where did it go?" she mumbled to herself.

In the distance she could here Willow call out, "Buffy help!"

Buffy held her head as she staggered out the door and down the steps.

Across the field in front of the hospital, she saw the goblin scampering after the small Willow.

"Yummy," it said, "Come back with my lunch."

"Went after the little cutey," Faith said with a harsh laugh.

"Stay back Willow," warned Buffy.

Willow panted, "Ghee, I may be small... but I still got my magic"

And indeed she had. Bolts of blue lightning crackled across the park from Willow's tiny finger tips striking the grey goblin.

"Ouch," it squealed, "Me know that trick. he he he"

The goblin waved his stick-like fingers and lightning shot back towards Willow.

"Watch out Willow!!" cried Buffy.

Willow shrugged off the attack."Good magic has no effect. He reflects it. Gonna have to try something different."

"Roasty, toasty," mocked the goblin.

Willow raised her arms and began to chant, "Hear me, Osiris. Keeper of Darkness... I command you, give me strength."

Instinctively, Buffy headed for cover. Once Willow started calling up ancient gods, things tended to get messy.

Where Angels Normally Fear to Tread

She was tired.

Buffy slipped on a pair of clean jeans and tossed her traveling clothes into the pile for laundry.

It was nice to get away for a few days, she thought. But for some reason the bus trip from L.A. had seemed longer this time. It might have something to do with Sunnydale being unstuck in time.

Time.

She looked at the clock. It was too early for patrol. She pulled on a fresh t-shirt and prepared to make her way downstairs. Maybe a little snack would help.

All at once, there was a great flash and a rushing sound of air displaced.

The light in the room was suddenly of a better quality and there was a sharpness to everything. Even the colors of the wallpaper seemed fresh and vibrant. The atmosphere itself felt vitalized as if she could fill her lungs for the first time. Her tiredness simply melted away.

Buffy turned and there standing in her bedroom was an angel... not Angel.... but rather an angel. The snow wing variety.

"Your destiny has only just begun, Buffy Summers!" declared the being. His voice echoed with a clarity that thrilled the blood, a quality of gentleness that dispelled doubt.

Terrific, thought Buffy, but just once I'd like 'Destiny' to knock and use the door.

Faith and Doubt

The broken ground crunched beneath her sandals as Buffy made her way to Angel's Mansion.

It had been over a week since the gang had confronted Ethan Rayne. Over a week since she had learned that one of the "Dark Cloaks" that Ethan served looked like Willow.

She wasn't sure she understood all of Ethan's cryptic riddles but it seemed as though these Dark Cloaks were playing both sides - good and evil - against one another. She wasn't sure what that all entailed, but she was sure about one thing: the human race was caught in the middle.

Buffy pushed door of the mansion and it swung open with a creaking sound. She could smell the warm, welcoming scent of a fire burning in the hearth.

She had planned to lay low, stay quite and wait until she had more information before she would act, but certain thoughts kept nagging at her.

Was this Dark Cloak really Willow? Had she turned dark again? Was this a new Willow? Or was it something that took her form perhaps just to engender these very doubts?

Buffy passed the kitchen, crossed the living room and entered the inner sitting room.

So now she was here in Angel's Mansion. She had come to meet the one person that more and more she found herself placing her trust.

"Hello Faith," she said.

There were many things Not Dead in Sunnydale. Irony, it seems, was one of them.

Hallowe'en Ball

Friday, October 30 our Hallowe'en Week Festivities came to a climax with the 2009 Hallowe'en Ball at the Bronze.

With Sunnydale DJ Isabelle Torok spinning the hot tunes, the fun and dancing got underway.

Even the evil floating pumpkins got in the act, drifting into the Bronze, causing grief and mayhem all in good fun. These pumpkins had been attacking the good folk of Sunnydale all week.

Everyone came in costume and Hallowe'en themed party dress. Vampires, witches, elves ... and one very real animal!

This event concluded a week of roleplay and pumpkin hunting. Prizes were awarded to players who found the black pumpkins hidden throughout Sunnydale.