The captive Spike, bored nearly beyond belief because of being chained up in the middle of Giles' living room, stirred impatiently and glanced at the Watcher, who was reciting words from a book.
"Let your tongue be... deceit... no, that isn't right." Giles held the book closer to his face.
"Hey, now, what are you about?" Spike asked suspiciously.
"I'm attempting to perform a truth spell on you." Giles continued, "Let no truth... no, untruths... be spoken."
Listening to this hesitant rendition, Spike objected, "I won't have you doing mojo on me if you can't read properly. You might turn me into a stink beetle."
Distracted, Giles began to recite the wrong words. "Into a stink beetle, change him."
Pop! In Spike's place on the living room carpet lay a black beetle.
Giles squinted down at it. "Oh, my, that wasn't supposed to happen." He knelt and attempted to grab the beetle, but his failing eyesight made him miss. At that moment, the door bounced open and Willow, Xander, and Buffy bounded in.
"Hey, Giles," Buffy chirped. "What's going on?"
"I'm afraid rather a lot. You see,--"
With Giles' attention turned away from it, the SpikeBeetle made a run for cover. Willow spotted it scampering near her foot, shrieked, and promptly crushed the little creature.
Crack! Giles started and stared. "Willow! Do you realize what you've just done?"
"Um, killed a really ugly beetle and got bug juice on the bottom of my shoe?"
"That beetle was Spike! I accidentally changed him into one while performing a spell."
"Are you sure he's... dead?" Willow stared at the black mark on the carpet.
"What do YOU think?" Xander said sarcastically.
"Dead as dead can be," Buffy decided. "It's probably easier that way, so don't feel bad, Willow. You saved us all some trouble."
Willow looked uncertain but conceded, "I guess you're right."
She was kneeling in an attempt to clean up what remained of Spike's body when a low laugh arose around them, seeming to come from every corner of the room at once. It was unmistakeably Spike's laugh, despite the fact that he had just been killed in beetle form. "You can't win, Scoobies. You may have struck me down for now but I'll just become more powerful than you can
possibly imagine."
Everyone looked around nervously and for a long moment no one spoke. Finally, philosopically, Xander piped up. "Well, we already knew he was a Star Wars fan."
"Let your tongue be... deceit... no, that isn't right." Giles held the book closer to his face.
"Hey, now, what are you about?" Spike asked suspiciously.
"I'm attempting to perform a truth spell on you." Giles continued, "Let no truth... no, untruths... be spoken."
Listening to this hesitant rendition, Spike objected, "I won't have you doing mojo on me if you can't read properly. You might turn me into a stink beetle."
Distracted, Giles began to recite the wrong words. "Into a stink beetle, change him."
Pop! In Spike's place on the living room carpet lay a black beetle.
Giles squinted down at it. "Oh, my, that wasn't supposed to happen." He knelt and attempted to grab the beetle, but his failing eyesight made him miss. At that moment, the door bounced open and Willow, Xander, and Buffy bounded in.
"Hey, Giles," Buffy chirped. "What's going on?"
"I'm afraid rather a lot. You see,--"
With Giles' attention turned away from it, the SpikeBeetle made a run for cover. Willow spotted it scampering near her foot, shrieked, and promptly crushed the little creature.
Crack! Giles started and stared. "Willow! Do you realize what you've just done?"
"Um, killed a really ugly beetle and got bug juice on the bottom of my shoe?"
"That beetle was Spike! I accidentally changed him into one while performing a spell."
"Are you sure he's... dead?" Willow stared at the black mark on the carpet.
"What do YOU think?" Xander said sarcastically.
"Dead as dead can be," Buffy decided. "It's probably easier that way, so don't feel bad, Willow. You saved us all some trouble."
Willow looked uncertain but conceded, "I guess you're right."
She was kneeling in an attempt to clean up what remained of Spike's body when a low laugh arose around them, seeming to come from every corner of the room at once. It was unmistakeably Spike's laugh, despite the fact that he had just been killed in beetle form. "You can't win, Scoobies. You may have struck me down for now but I'll just become more powerful than you can
possibly imagine."
Everyone looked around nervously and for a long moment no one spoke. Finally, philosopically, Xander piped up. "Well, we already knew he was a Star Wars fan."