You Choose part 70.  Last poll's results were:  Ethan asks Willow out on a fancy date!

"I had no idea Ethan Rayne had such a large family," Buffy lamented.  She was at Brad's house with Willow and Dawn, finalizing plans for the large engagement party that weekend.  "It's a good thing there is so much to do on this dinner cruise, since I'll hardly know anyone."

"Isn't that the point?" Willow asked.  "You get to know Brad's family and they get to know you?"

Buffy snorted.  "I know enough.  Dawn is the one that doesn't know what she's getting into.  She's not just marrying Brad, she's marrying that entire family."

"Guess you won't have that problem with Giles," Willow said softly.  "That's kinda sad, actually."

Buffy nodded.  "From what he's said, I wouldn't have liked his father too much.  He sounded an awful lot like Travers, only without the evil, 'I want to end the world,' streak.  But his mother... she sounded nice."

( Continued Inside The Cut )

Poll #1225388
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

What scene do you want next?

Fic:  Yaquina Bay chapter 6/6.  This story is now complete.

(It's a little bit longer of a chapter, but I wanted to do that instead of breaking it into two smaller chapters.)

By:  LadyForASH

Rating: FRM

All notes and disclaimers can be found in chapter 1.

Chapter 6

Tonight I am thankful for:

*  BBQ pizza!
*  Saturday I start my vacation.
*  X Files DVDs
*  I've had some wonderful responses to Yaquina Bay, and it's almost finished!  I should have it completed and posted before Saturday. 
*  Every week I average a few more votes on You Choose.  Yay!
*  Lynn is working tonight, so I have the place to myself. It's nice and peaceful, and muchly needed with my stressful week.
*  All of YOU.

Fic:  Yaquina Bay chapter 5/?

By:  LadyForASH

Rating:  Overall FRM, but this part is FRT

All notes and disclaimers can be found in chapter 1

Thank you to everyone that has left me such nice and wonderful comments.  Your feedback feeds my muse!  :)


Chapter 5

Last night I wrote a chapter for You Choose.  It was CRAP!  So I deleted it.  I wasn't feeling that well and it was really forced. Thank goodness my beta goddess, wide_rider, stopped me.  She was kind.  "It's mediocre, but you can do better."  No, my friends, it was CRAP!

But tonight, I give you Chapter 69 of You Choose!  Re-written and better.

The last poll result was darn near unanimous.  The poll result was:  Giles stays noncommittal and urges Buffy to stay out of it and just leave the choice to Willow.

Giles couldn’t help looking towards the cockpit and thinking of Ethan. Buffy didn’t miss the look and she bit her lip.  “You really want Ethan to… to win? After everything? After all this time?”

“Buffy, it isn’t about winning or losing.  It’s not a game,” he told her, though not unkindly.  “Do I trust Ethan?  No.  I don’t.  But what we need to do is trust in Willow.  It’s her decision.  It’s her heart.”

Buffy flushed, chagrined, and nodded.  He was right. 

“We’ll support Willow no matter who she chooses.”  Giles cupped her face lightly in his fingers and smiled.  Buffy couldn’t help but return his smile. 

“Giles?”  Willow interrupted their seemingly important discussion.  “What happened in there?”

( Giles answers Willow, and more... )

Poll #1222373
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

Ethan is getting tired of waiting around for Willow. What does he do?

Fic:  Yaquina Bay chapter 4/?

Rated FRM

Notes and disclaimers can be found in chapter 1

Chapter 4

I've been having problems with Semagic today. My first post, the formatting was completely wonky.  So I'm trying this again.

Maybe it is because I started off with this awesome quote I found?

There are no secrets to success.  It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failures.

Colin Powell

Now I can't remember what I wrote. 

I know I complained about my new Giles/Anya story, Yaquina Bay.  Last night while I was trying to fall asleep, I wrote the entire next chapter in my head.  Now I can't remember any of it.  Shoot!  Also?  I think it's a pretty good story, but it's obvious there are way more Buffy/Giles fans out there. 

I don't have another day off from work until I leave for vacation on the nineteenth.  It's going to be a long week.  I'm very excited for the trip, however.  Montana, Deadwood, Sturgis... mom said the hotel in Deadwood, where we will be staying for three days, has wireless.  So I'm bringing my laptop for sure.  I can journal about the trip and post pictures.  I'm not sure I'll be able to do any writing though.  We'll see.  I'll go into You Choose withdrawls if I don't!

Okay, the tie was finally broken so here is chapter 68 of You Choose.  Last time you voted for:  the plane has mechanical difficulties.  I hope this works for you all.  I may have 'fudged' the mechanical difficulty part a little.  :)

This part rated FRT.

Giles ran his fingers through Buffy’s hair and then moved lower to gently rub circles on her stomach.  They had cleaned themselves up and were getting ready to leave the office and return to the other room with their friends.  “How are you feeling?”

Buffy chuckled.  “Mini Giles and I are doing fine, thanks.”

His lips quirked into a smile at the nickname.  “No nausea or headaches?”

“No, not yet.  But it’s probably still early.”  Buffy loved it when he touched her stomach like this.  He was going to make such a wonderful father.  “Are we still going to be able to… you know… have sex when I’m as huge as a house?”

Giles moved to unlock the door but paused to smile at her.  “We should probably confer with a doctor to be certain, but I don’t see why not.  We might have to, er, explore new positions.”

Buffy grinned.  “Hey, research! That’s just up your alley!”

Giles giggled and leaned down to kiss her once again.  When their lips parted Buffy sighed and rubbed her nose against his.  “I love when you giggle.”

“I don’t giggle!” Giles admonished her.  “I have quite a manly laugh.” 

( Continued in here... )

Poll #1220768
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

Where does this discussion go?

Lynn and I were sitting in the living room eating dinner, watching some tv, when we heard this SNAP!  Lynn looks at me and sighs.  "I think Baby just opened the screen door."

Yup.  I walk over and the screen is open, and Baby is nonchalantly walking on the patio towards the grass.  She'll just go lay down in the dirt.  I guess I'll just let her out there until it starts to get dark.

Silly kitty.

I've been productive on my two days off this week.  Yesterday I stayed in and wrote.  I finished two new chapters for Yaquina Bay, and another installment of You Choose, all of which were posted.

Today I spent the day with Ripper.  I rode out to Roseburg.  It's a little over an hour drive on the Interstate.  It was great on the way there.  I went in my short sleeves and leather vest, only this time I used sun screen.  I have a nice tan now instead of second degree burns.  Ha Ha.  On the way back, the wind was blowing something fierce.  It was actually hurting my neck!  So I pulled into a rest area near Cottage Grove, parked the bike, grabbed a Sprite, and sat down at a picnic table near Ripper so I could keep an eye on him while I hydrated and rested my neck.  Not only was my neck hurting, but my shoe laces had become untied in the wind!  I wanted to get a bottled water, but the water was two bucks and the Sprite only a buck.  When the hell did water get so expensive?  I remember when it was like fifty cents for a soda pop, and water was from the fountain.  Anyways, while I was sitting there, another biker pulled up and parked next to Ripper.  It was a guy in I'd say his early to mid fifties.  He too rode a Harley.  I think it was a Heritage, but I'm not that great at identifying all of them yet.  Anyways, he got off the bike and asked me if the other was mine.  I said yes.  He asked, "How are you liking this wind?"  I chuckled and said my neck hurt a bit.  He sat across from me at the picnic table and said, "It's brutal, man.  Look at my chaps?"  They were all unsnapped around his ankles.  "And it keeps pushing me all over the place."  I smiled and said, "Yeah, but it's still a good ride."  He smiled and agreed.  We talked about gas too.  He couldn't believe it cost almost $18 for him to fill his tank that morning.  Gas is bad when it costs that much in a motorcycle, he said.

Then a trucker ambled over and admired our bikes.  He started in on this big story about how his wife said they had to get Harleys, but his kids wanted Hondas. What kind of Honda?  A Honda Goldwing like the neighbors.  He told his kids there are no comparisons between the two.  Each is in a class all it's own.  Me and the biker just looked at each other.  I think we both would have rolled our eyes if we could have gotten away with it.  The trucker kept on and on and we just nodded until we got up and left.  The trucker guy was sort of strange, but the other biker was cool.

I would never randomly get into a conversation in a rest area if I was driving a car or Bubba.  It's moments such as that one that make me smile and grateful for Ripper.

Now I'm all sweaty and hot though.  It's time for a bath and then dinner.

But first, I must have some Ripper pictures from my drive today, right?

( Ripper and Baby pictures behind cut )

Bath time!