Subj: Fear (Buffy/DS Crossover) Ch.1
Date: 8/13/99 6:55:22 AM Central Daylight Time
From: Matthew Griffin

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER/DARK SHADOWS
Fear

CHAPTER ONE

Buffy Summers, Xander Harris, and Willow Rosenberg sat around a dingy table in the dimly lit, smoky atmosphere of their favorite-- and their only-- hangout, the Bronze.

Xander coughed, gagging. “Geez, what’s with all the smoke tonight? I’m dyin’ here!”

Buffy laughed, ran her fingers through her long blonde hair, and was reaching for her sandwich when suddenly her green eyes grew large under her long
lashes. “Oh, my God!”

Willow and Xander jumped from their seats, Xander’s stool clattering loudly to the ground, drawing glares and frowns from the people around him.

“Buffy, what is it?” Willow exclaimed, her fiery red hair flying.

“Just look at the size of that roach!” Buffy explained. Willow and Xander let out sighs of relief as Buffy quickly pulled the toothpick out of her club sandwich and threw it like a dart, skewering the insect.

Willow grimaced. “The bugs are getting pretty bad around here, aren’t they?”

Xander nodded agreement. “I think the annual fumigation party is in order!”

They all sat back down to eat.

“Y’know,” Xander said in between mouthfuls, “I never really realized how much I love those wacky demons! Things have been so boring around here lately. I mean, geez, can’t we at least get a jolly old gnome or something?”

“The heat must keep ‘em in,” Willow said.

“Yeah, that and the blazing sun, y’know,” Buffy added. “Hey, Wil, where’s Oz?”

The mention of Oz’s name made Willow’s face bright as a smile spread across it. “He’s coming soon, the band was practicing tonight.”

“So,” Xander said, “who wants to place bets on today’s hair color? I’m gonna have to go with black.”

Buffy pondered for a moment. “I’m thinking blonde today.”

Willow shook her head. “No, no, today’s definitely an orange day.”

As Oz quickly made his way through the throng of people, Willow smiled at the sight of his spiked orange hair. “See, told ya.”

Oz came and kissed Willow on the forehead. “Hey,” he said.

“Hey!” she said back, beaming, and then turned to Buffy and Xander. “We match!”

Xander slapped his hands on the table. “So, what’s the agenda for tonight, amigos?”

“Eat, dance, fun?” Buffy smiled.

“Sounds good to...” Xander trailed off as he saw Cordelia Chase walking towards them, her long brown hair falling over her bare shoulders. “Well, well,” she said, “if it isn’t the four... the four...”

“Why is that?” Willow asked, genuinely concerned.

“There’s never four. Just three! Stooges, Musketeers, Blind Mice-”

“Tenors,” Xander added.

“Exactly! Why just three?”

“As I was saying, before I was so rudely interrupted for absolutely no reason at all, I decided to give you all another chance before I go up to L.A,” Cordelia
said irritably.

“Actually, that’s not what you were saying,” Oz stated simply.

“I still can’t believe you got in,” Xander quipped.

“Well, I did and you know it,” Cordelia retorted. “And, I hear they’re taking applications at the University of Morons, Xander. You’re a shoe-in!”

“Oh, well, isn’t that very-”

Buffy shoved her arms in between them. “Guys, guys, c’mon, truce! Please?”

Xander scowled. “Fine.”

Buffy glared at Cordelia.

“All right,” she pouted.

Buffy smiled. “Good! Now shake hands.”

Xander and Cordelia slowly, grudgingly clasped palms.

Xander pulled another stool over to their table and

Cordelia sat down.

“Thanks,” she said glumly.

“Uh-huh,” Xander said, staring at the floor.

Willow perked her head up. “Ice cream!” she exclaimed.

Buffy turned to her, laughing. “Huh?”

“Let’s go get ice cream! I don’t feel like sitting here anymore, and I think the smoke is gonna give me an asthma attack. The ice cream shop isn’t far away,
and wouldn’t it be nice to take a walk through the fresh night air?”

“Nothing like toxic smog to burn that second hand smoke right out of your lungs!” Xander joked. “Though... I could go for some choco-chip cookie dough right about now. Mmmmmm, coooookie dough....”

“That settles it,” Buffy said, standing up. “Let’s go!”

* * * * *

Julia Hoffman awoke with a start. Something was wrong, she knew it. She could feel it in her gut. Barnabas, she thought. She pulled the curtains back from the window beside her bed and sighed with relief when only moonlight spilled through onto the sheets. She swung her legs over the edge of her bed and quickly got dressed, frowning at how foolish this was. She was not an illogical woman; Julia thought things out. As a doctor, she knew going on a stupid hunch could cost a human life. But it could also save one... She shook her head, clearing her thoughts, as she pushed open the large, finished, dark wooden door of Collinwood and walked hurriedly toward the Old House.

* * * * *

Buffy, Willow, Xander, Oz, and Cordelia all walked down the dirty streets of Sunnydale. It wasn’t a whole lot cleaner outside than it was inside the Bronze, but at least it wasn't quite so stuffy. Xander ran a hand through his short dark hair, then shoved both hands in the pockets of his corduroy shorts. “So, going to L.A., huh?” He turned to Cordelia and raised his brown eyebrows, revealing just a little glimmer of sadness and vulnerability in his dark eyes that he quickly hid once he realized it was there.

“Yep. Two months ‘till I’m out of this hellhole forever,” she replied, but Xander could tell that she wasn’t quite as overjoyed as she seemed.

Quickly trying to cover up the fact that he might actually care, he transformed his face into one of humor and jokingly said, “Hey, not many people can say
that literally!”

“Yeah,” Willow said. “We should be proud to live on the Hellmouth!”

“Highest population of undead, demons, and zombies in the United States,” Buffy smiled.

Xander put on his best Transylvanian accent. “I never drink... vine!”

“Uh, guys,” Oz said, interrupting their laughter, “I hate to be the downer here, but is anyone else... glowing?”

Cordelia stared down at her arm, which was surrounded by an opalescent blue light, and shrieked, “Oh, my God, my skin!”

“Cordy, chill!” Buffy commanded. “It’s not your skin. It’s... around us, somehow.”

The blue aura grew larger until it was all around them. Slowly, sparkles like tiny silver stars appeared in the blue haze, swirling around them until their eyes could not pierce the silver-laced blue maelstrom that raged around them, the wind suddenly strong, whipping at their hair and clothes. Buffy pushed hair out from in front of her face and turned to Willow, shouting over the wind. “Wil! You’re magic-girl, you have any idea what’s going on?!”

Willow shook her head and yelled back, “I have no idea!”

And then, quicker than the blink of an eye, the blue and silver vortex was gone, the wind replaced by cold, damp, musty air, and they found themselves standing in a dark, chilly room filled with cobwebs, large stone walls-- and a dark wooden coffin atop a stone pedestal in the center. Oz knit his eyebrows together in puzzlement. “Hmm. That was... odd.”