Author's Note: Bolded text is the demon talking after Ms. Calendar is possessed.
Chapter 11: The Dark Age
Loud, thumping dance music blared from a portable stereo, drowning out the outside world as Buffy and Paige went through their step-aerobics routine. Giles attempted to read a book as he held both of his hands over his ears, trying to block out the music. He brought one hand down to take a sip of tea.
"Must we have such noise during your calisthenics?" Giles shouted over the music.
"It's not noise, it's music," Buffy shouted.
Giles shook his head. "I know music. Music has notes. This is noise."
"We're aerobicizing," Paige said. "We must have the beat."
"Wonderful. You two work on your muscle tone while my brains dribble out my ears," Giles said as the song ended, and the sisters finished their exercise routine. "Ah. Very good. The rest is silence."
The next morning Buffy, Dawn and Paige sat with Willow playing 'Anywhere but here'.
"I'm on a beach. Not an American beach - one of those island beaches where the water is way too blue. It's just before sunset, I'm lying on a towel and Gavin Rossdale is massaging my feet," Buffy said.
"That's good. Uh, I'm in Florence, Italy. I've rented a scooter which is parked outside. I'm in a little restaurant having ziti and there's no more tables so they have to seat this guy with me and it's John Cusack," Willow said.
"Very impressive. An eye for detail," Paige said.
"'Cause, with the ziti," Willow said excited as Xander joined them.
"What are you guys up to?" Xander asked.
"Just having a quick game of 'Anywhere but here', Dawn said.
"Amy Yip at the waterslide park," Xander said without thinking.
Paige pouted. "You would rather be with Amy Yip than me?"
Xander quickly backpedaled as he was glared at by his girlfriend. "Paige Summers at the Waterslide Park?" he suggested.
Paige smiled. "Better," she said as they started toward the door where they saw Giles lecturing a student.
"You think Giles ever played 'Anywhere but here' in school?" Willow asked.
Xander shook his head. "Giles lived for school. He's still bitter there were only twelve grades."
"He probably sat in math class thinking, 'There should be more math! This could be mathier,'" Buffy said.
"You don't think he ever got restless when he was little?" Dawn asked.
Buffy looked to her baby sister and shook her head. "Are you kidding? His diapers were tweed," she said as they fell in step with Giles.
"Ah. There you two are," Giles said.
"Morning. Say, is that tweed?" Paige said as Buffy stifled a giggle.
"What? Oh. Well, yes. Now, tonight is a very important –" Giles started.
"You know, Giles, I realize the Henry Higgins bit may have been the mod look for your generation, but a lot has happened since then. Like the 20th Century, for example," Buffy said looking at his outfit.
"As an educator, it behooves me to set myself apart from you students by my mode of dress and demeanor," Giles said.
"Is it stuffy in here, or is it just you?" Dawn asked.
"Laugh all you five want, but the problem with this culture is its disregard for decorum, which I believe has led to the current pursuit of feel-good nihilism," Giles said.
"What have I been saying for years?" Xander asked.
"That you'll die a virgin? Oh. The nihilism thing. Sorry. Missed the funny there," Willow said as they enter the building.
Paige kissed Xander on the cheek. "One day when were both ready."
Xander smiled. "I know."
"So, what's on tap tonight that's so important? Uprising? Prophesied ritual? Preordained death-fest?" Buffy asked.
"Ah, the old standards," Xander said.
"A transport vehicle is delivering a supply of blood to the hospital," Giles said.
"Aha. Vampire meals-on-wheels," Dawn said.
Giles shook his head. "Well, hopefully not," he said as he looked toward Buffy and Paige. "We should meet in front of the hospital at 8:30 sharp. I'll bring the weaponry."
"And we'll bring the party mix," Paige said.
"Just don't be late," Giles said giving the elder Summers sisters a stern look.
"Giles, have we ever let you down?" Buffy asked.
"Do you want me to answer that, or shall I just glare?" Giles asked.
"Morning, England," Jenny said as she walked towards them. The Scoobies could see how Giles brightened at her approach.
"Hello, Ms. ... Jenny," Giles said.
"Feel the passion," Willow whispered.
"Willow—" Jenny started.
Willow coughed. "Coughing, not speaking."
"—Dawn, we're still on for tomorrow?" Jenny asked as Willow and Dawn nodded.
"What's tomorrow?" Xander asked.
"I'm reviewing some computer basics with a couple of students who have fallen behind. Willow and Dawn are helping for extra credit," Jenny said.
"Hah! Those poor schlubs. Having to give up their Saturday—" Xander said.
"Nine a.m. okay with you, Xander?" Jenny asked as Xander's face falls.
"You've got a bit of schlub on your shoe, there," Paige said teasingly to her boyfriend.
"Cordelia is going to meet us," Jenny said.
"Hey, gang, did you hear that? A bonus day of class, plus Cordelia! A little rectal surgery and it would be the best day ever!" Xander said.
"Walk me to class?" Jenny said to Giles.
"Pleasure," Giles said.
"Nice coat," Jenny replied.
"Tweed, you know," Giles said as the bell rang and he and Jenny head down the hall which began to empty as students entered their classrooms.
Buffy smiled. "Look at them."
"A twosome of cuteness," Xander said.
"Can't you just imagine them getting together?" Willow asked as they watched Giles and Jenny fondly for a beat. Then, as the image sinks in: they shudder.
That evening Buffy and Paige waited at the hospital loading dock as Buffy checked her watch as she noted it was three minutes after nine. They look around, concerned. No Giles.
"'Don't be late.' Sheesh,'" Buffy said as she and Paige moved over to a payphone. She dropped in a quarter and dialed but received only a busy signal for her trouble. She looked at Paige and then back at the payphone. "Giles, why is your phone busy when you're supposed to be here?" She punched 0 to dial the operator. "Operator, can you check a line for me ..." Just then headlights wash across their faces as a medical transport van pulled to a stop at the loading dock. "Never mind. Sorry." She hung up and then she and Paige moved back into the shadows.
The driver got out as a couple of interns, in hospital scrubs walked towards him. One of the interns signs the clipboard the driver holds out for him as the other intern hefted the large ice chest out of the van. Once his clipboard is signed the driver got back into his van and drove off as Buffy and Paige watched the interns head for the hospital back door.
"All's well that ends with cute E.R. doctors I always say," Buffy said.
"Buffy wait," Paige said, knowing something was up. "Since when do doctors take deliveries?"
Buffy knew Paige was right as they watched the interns move past the back door and pick up their pace, heading down the side of the building. She Buffy vaulted off the wall closing the gap between her and the interns.
One of the "Interns" rips off his stethoscope and pulls a blood bag out of the ice chest the other one carries as they walked toward a muscle car parked nearby. The driver of the car stepped out as Paige orbed out and back in, in front of the interns as a shadowy figure leaped on one of the vampires. Buffy ran, pulling out a stake, and leaped into the air, coming down on the shadowy figure's back, about to sink the stake, when he turned and she saw it was Angel. She barely managed to hold back just in time. "Angel!" said Buffy.
"Buffy! Look out!" Angel said looking behind her.
"Buffy!" Paige called out as Buffy orbed just as a vampire was about to ram his shoulder into her. The vampire then turned on Angel who hit the vampire hard as Buffy orbed back in standing next to Paige.
The second vampire dove for Buffy and Paige and Buffy staked him fast as he exploded into dust. The first vampire came at Angel who used the vampire's velocity to whip him around and send him flying toward Buffy and Paige. "Incoming!" Angel called out as the driver got back in his car and drove off.
Paige held out her hand, which held a stake. "Stake!" she called out as the stake orbed out and into the vampire's chest as he exploded into dust. "How did you know about this?" Buffy asked Angel.
"It's delivery day. Everybody knows about this." Angel said. "They only ruined one bag."
"Can you make sure the hospital gets the rest?" Paige asked as Angel nodded. "We're worried about Giles. He was supposed to meet us here."
"Maybe he's late," Angel said.
"Giles? Who counts tardiness as the eighth deadly sin?" Buffy said.
"Right. Go," Angel said as Paige took Buffy's hand and orbed them outside Giles' apartment. They could hear Giles' muffled voice coming through the door as they glanced at each other.
"Are you certain she didn't leave a forwarding number? I've been on the phone for hours, this is a matter of life and –"
Buffy knocked on the door and they waited a few seconds before Giles opened the door a crack and stared out at the sisters. They see that he's unshaven, in shirtsleeves, looking a good deal rumpled. "Buffy, Paige. It's late, are you two all right?" Giles asked.
"We were going to ask you the same thing," Buffy said.
Giles nodded. "Yes, fine. I'm afraid I'm rather busy. I'll see you Monday at school –" he said as he tried to shut the door, as Buffy's hand shot out keeping it from closing as she applied Slayer strength.
"Giles, did you forget about the hospital? Vampires? Bags of blood in handy carry out packets?" Paige asked.
"Oh. Are you two all right? Were either of you hurt?" Giles asked.
"No. I mean, my feelings a little. What's wrong?" Buffy said.
Giles shook his head. "Nothing. Nothing's wrong, I'm in the middle of an extremely important matter and I'm sorry but I'm just going to have to say good night now," he said as he forced the door closed and they heard him lock it. The sisters then heard him walk away from the door before his muffled voice carried to them again.
"Are you still there? Yes, any number, a relative, anything ..."
Paige and Buffy stared at the door for a long moment and they Paige took Buffy's hand and they orbed out.
The next morning Jenny, Willow, Xander and Cordelia move down the hall of Sunnydale High towards the computer classroom. "This is not right. School on a Saturday? That throws off my internal clock," Cordelia said.
"When are we going to have to use computers in real life, anyway?" Xander asked.
"Let's see, there's home, school, work, games—" Jenny replied.
Xander shook his head. "Computers are on the way out. I think paper is about to make a big comeback."
Willow smiled. "And the abacus."
"Yeah. You don't see enough abaci," said Xander as Jenny unlocked the classroom door and ushered them in.
Jenny moved to her desk while the kids move toward the computers. "All right, the first thing we want to do is..." she said before she saw Buffy, Paige and Dawn at the door. "...Paige…"
"Huh? Did I fall asleep already?" Xander asked as he turned to see Paige.
"Dawn you're a little late," Jenny said.
"Sorry," Dawn replied.
"Ahhh. You miss your friends," Willow said to Buffy and Paige.
"Sit here, Paige. De-militarize the zone between me and Cordelia." Xander said to his girlfriend with a smile.
"And de-lice him while you're at it," Cordelia said, sarcastically.
"Actually Paige and I wanted to talk to you for a second," Buffy said to Jenny.
Jenny frowned. "Is something wrong?"
"Is it some crisis that requires instant action—very far from here?" Xander asked.
Paige shrugged. "We're not sure …"
"Think, dammit! Paige, Buffy, don't make me beg," Xander said.
"Well, it's Giles," Buffy said.
Xander smiled. "A loved one, good ..."
"He's all right, isn't he?" Willow asked, concerned.
"We don't know. He didn't show up last night when he was supposed to, and then we went by his place and he was acting ... well, very Anti-Giles," Paige replied.
"You went by his place? He has a place?" Willow said as every looked at her. "Of course he has a ... I just never think of him living anywhere outside the library. So there was weirdness?"
"He wouldn't let us in. He looked terrible. And Paige and I think he might have been ... uh, we think he was drinking," Buffy said.
"He was home alone drinking?" Jenny asked.
"But ... tea, right?" asked Willow.
Dawn shook her head. "From what Buffy and Paige told me last night after they got home, I don't think it was tea, Will."
"Yup. I knew this would happen. Nobody can be wound as straight and narrow as Giles without a dark side erupting. My Uncle Rory was the stodgiest taxidermist you ever met - by day - by night it was booze and whores and fur flying... were there any whores?" Xander said.
"Xander," Willow and Paige said.
"He was alone," Buffy replied.
Xander nodded. "Give it time."
"None of you have noticed anything different about him lately?" Buffy asked.
Willow shook her head. "No."
"Not really." Jenny said.
"Haven't seen anything weird?" Dawn asked.
Xander shook his head. "No."
"He was perfectly normal yesterday when I saw him talking to the police," Cordelia said as everyone turned and looked at her.
"And you waited until now to tell us because ...?" Paige asked.
"I didn't think it was important," Cordelia replied.
"We understand. It wasn't about you," Xander said.
"What were the police talking to him about?" Jenny asked.
Cordelia thought for a moment. "Don't tell me, I know this one ... something about a ... homicide."
"I'm calling him right now," Buffy said as she exited the classroom followed by Paige. They walked straight across the hall and into the library, heading for Giles' office. When suddenly they heard a noise from in the stacks. They turned in that direction and started searching the stacks for the mysterious noise. They moved in and out of the shadows and peered down one row after another. Suddenly something moved behind them, and they turn to see nothing there.
They pin themselves against a bookcase and move to the end of that row of shelves, and checked another row. Again, nothing. They turned and looked through a rack and saw someone staring back at them from the other side.
Buffy jumped back, startled. Paige orbed out and back in just as startled as her sister, they realize the bookcase is coming down on top of them as Paige grabbed Buffy and orbed them out of the way. They watched as the suspect scrambled away from them. Buffy leapt over the downed bookcase and grabbed him, spinning him around. They recognize him as Ethan Rayne, the guy that had sold them the dresses. "We know you, you ran that costume shop," said Buffy.
"I'm pleased you both remember," Ethan said.
"You sold us those dresses for Halloween and nearly got us all killed," said Paige.
"But you both looked great," said Ethan.
Buffy sent a right hook into his jaw knocking him back.
"So now we're all even?" Ethan asked as he worked his jaw back and forth.
"We'll let you know when we're even," said Paige.
"I'm going to ask you once again and then I'm pretty much going straight to the pummeling: what are you doing here?" asked Buffy.
"Snooping around," said Ethan.
"Honesty," said Buffy. "Nice touch."
"It's one of my virtues," said Ethan. "Not really."
"I got a great idea ..." said Buffy as she grabbed him, "...why don't we just call the police and have you arrested for breaking and entering and get back to our fun Saturday.:
"Yes, the police. They'll have so many questions—they'll really need Rupert to answer them all," said Ethan.
"You know Giles?" asked Paige.
Ethan nodded. "We go back. Way back. You wouldn't happen to know where he is, would you?"
Moments later after Ethan as filled Buffy and Paige in a little on the Mark of Eyghon. Paige moved into the office and dialed Giles' number.
"Hello?"
"Giles, it's Paige," said Paige.
"Paige. Unless this is an emergency, I'll see you in school on Monday –"
"What's the Mark of Eyghon?" asked Paige. "Giles?"
"Cat got his tongue?" asked Ethan who was held by Buffy.
"Buffy and I are in your office with someone who claims to be an old friend of yours: Ethan Rayne," said Paige.
"He's there with the two of you?" asked Giles. "Paige, listen to me. You and Buffy are in great danger with Ethan there. I want you to put down the phone and orb yourself and Buffy out of the library as quickly as possible."
"We're not going anywhere until you start giving us some answers –" said Paige as someone crashed through the window in Giles' office. The man heads for Ethan who puts Buffy between himself and the man.
"Paige! Buffy!"
Buffy roundhouse kicks the man. It doesn't have much effect on him as he turned his wrath on her. She 'lets' the man back her towards the book cage—actually setting him up.
While Paige is watching Buffy, Ethan jumped the front desk and made a run for the library doors as Xander, Cordelia, Willow, Dawn and Jenny entered.
"Ethan!" said Paige as Ethan orbed out and back in beside her. "Don't go anywhere. I can do that all day."
The man lunged at Buffy, she ducks under his big arms and boots him into the cage, slamming and locking the cage door on him.
The man paces in the cage, looking very dead and scary. Dawn watched him from a safe distance as she pointed her wand at him.
"I'm not getting close enough to feel his pulse, but I've gotta say he looks pretty dead," said Willow.
"Except for the walking around and attacking Buffy and Paige part," said Xander.
Ethan nodded. "He's dead," he said. "Sorry, Philip. Really I am."
"You know him?" asked Buffy.
Ethan sighed. "Knew him."
"Hey, you don't speak until we tell you to speak," said Cordelia.
"Uh, Cordelia, Buffy did tell him to speak," said Dawn as Giles rushed in.
"Is everyone all right?" asked Giles.
"We're okay," said Jenny.
Xander nodded. "Dead guy there interrupted our tutorial," he said. "Been meaning to thank you for that."
Philip made a terrible sound in his throat as Xander took a giant step back.
Giles studied Philip. "It ... can't be," he said.
"Oh yes it can. Hello, Ripper," said Ethan.
Giles frowned as he spun and faced Ethan. "I thought I told you to leave town."
Ethan nodded. "You did. I didn't. Shop's lease is paid through the end of the month."
Cordelia turned to Xander. "Why'd he call him Ripper?"
Giles grabbed Ethan, roughly. "You should have left when I told you!"
"Oh," said Cordelia.
"You've put these people in danger," said Giles. "These are people I care about."
Again Cordelia turns to Xander. "Wow, even me?" she asked as Xander gave her quick shake of his head:
"If you care so much about them why didn't you leave town," said Ethan. "I know you've been having the dreams, I have, we both know what's coming."
Giles glared at Ethan, then lets him go as Paige and Buffy moved to stand next to him.
"What dreams, what's going on?" asked Buffy.
"I ..." said Giles.
"Tell her, Ripper," said Ethan.
Buffy and Paige looked from Ethan to Giles. "Giles?" Paige said as Philip suddenly kicked open the cage door. He hurled Jenny into a wall and she hit her head as she fell to the ground, unconscious.
"Jenny!" shouted Giles.
Ethan looked truly frightened of Philip and ran for the door. "Nooo!"
Dawn, Willow and Cordelia scramble out of the way as Buffy and Paige punches and kicks Philip. Xander slides a book cart behind Philip as the sisters stomp Philip into it. He goes over the book cart and lands on the floor. He starts to get up as Buffy and Paige moved in for further carnage, but Philip's body began to shake as he collapsed on the floor and liquefied.
"That's something you don't see every day," said Willow.
"Oh my god! I'll be in therapy till I'm thirty!" said Cordelia as the liquid moved across the floor.
Giles kneels down and cradles the unconscious Jenny in his arms, who finally starts to come to. "Jenny?"
"Ow ..." said Jenny as she held her head.
"Careful, careful. Can you stand?" asked Giles.
Jenny nodded. "I think so," she said as Giles helped her to her feet.
"This is what happens when you have school on Saturday," said Cordelia.
"Here, lean on me," said Giles as Jenny put her arms around him. "It'll be all right ..."
"Promise?" asked Jenny.
Giles nodded. "I promise."
"I believe you," said Jenny.
Giles moved Jenny to the table and sat her down. He then got her a wash cloth and gave it to her as she held it to her head. "How's your head?" he asked.
"Throbbing," said Jenny as Paige and Buffy moved near Giles.
Giles looked towards the sisters, uncomfortable, tense. "Giles, what's going on?" asked Buffy.
"It's ... complicated, Buffy … Paige, and frankly it's private," said Giles.
"We don't care from private, we care from dead guys attacking us, we care from you Lost Weekending in your apartment," said Paige.
"I wasn't ... I just had to work out a solution," said Giles.
"Solution is good. Why don't we share? What's the mark of Eyghon?" said Buffy as Jenny moaned a little
"This is not either of yours battle, and as your watcher, I'm telling you both in no uncertain terms: stay out of it. I've got to get Jenny home," said Giles.
"Home," said Jenny. "That sounds so good right now."
Giles took Jenny's arm and walked her out the door.
"We have work to do. Dawn … Willow, I want you two to find out anything and everything you can about the Mark of Eyghon," said Buffy.
"So what Giles just said about staying out of it –"
"Thrill, as Paige and I ignore it completely," said Buffy.
"And technically, he's Buffy's watcher, not mine," said Paige. "I'm a witch not the Slayer. Besides he needs our help and he's going to get it."
"We can try the net, but the Mark of Eyghon sounds like a Giles and his books kind of deal," said Dawn.
Buffy nodded. "So we hit the books," she said as she and Paige, followed Willow and Dawn.
"Xander, how do you feel about rifling through Giles' personal files, see if you can shed some light," said Paige.
"I feel pretty good about it. Does that make me a sociopath?" asked Xander.
Cordelia moved next to Buffy and Paige, impatient. "What?" asked Buffy.
"What about me? I care about Giles," said Cordelia.
"Work with Xander," said Buffy who got a glare from Paige.
"Well, when I say 'care', I mean –" said Cordelia.
"Fine, work with Buffy," said Paige. "I'll work with Xander."
Later Dawn plowed through an stack of Giles' books on the long table. She suddenly hit one of the books rather hard. "Ah! Aha! It's not Egyptian it's Etruscan, mistaken for Egyptian by the design pattern but any fool can see it pre-dates their iconology ..." she said as she showed Buffy and Paige a drawing of the Mark of Eyghon. "Look at this: the Mark Of Eyghon, worn by his initiates. 'Eyghon, also called the Sleepwalker, can only exist in this reality by possessing an unconscious host. Temporary possession imbues the host with a euphoric feeling of power.'"
"What about not temporary?" asked Buffy.
"'Unless the proper rituals are observed, the possession is permanent, and Eyghon will be born from within the host,'" said Dawn.
"I'm guessing, 'Eew,'" said Cordelia.
Willow looked at the book that Dawn held. "Hey, listen," she said. "'Once called, Eyghon can also take possession of the dead, but its demonic energy soon disintegrates the host and it must jump to the nearest dead or unconscious person to continue living.'"
"I still don't understand what this has to do with Giles," said Paige.
"I don't understand either," added Buffy.
"Well, I don't know about Giles," said Dawn, "but ancient sects used to induce possession for bacchanals and orgies."
"Okay, 'Giles' and 'orgies' in the same sentence. Coulda lived without that," said Xander.
"Wait a minute. The dead guy. He's all puddly now," said Buffy.
"So the demon is gone. There was no one dead to jump into. I mean, we're all not dead, right?" said Cordelia.
"No one dead..." said Paige as she looked at Xander, who picked up her train of thought.
"But someone unconscious," added Xander as they walked into Giles office and started pouring through his files.
Buffy tried to call Giles and found there was no answer. She tried the operator next. "Thank you, operator," she said as she slammed the phone down. "No answer at Ms. Calendar's and Giles' line is out of order. Paige and I are orbing over there."
At Giles apartment Giles and Jenny are talking. "Jenny, I am attracted to you ..." said Giles.
Jenny smiled. "Good."
"But this isn't the right time," said Giles.
"There's never been a better time," said Jenny as she put her arms around him and they kissed before he pulls back from her.
"No, it's not right, I'd be taking advantage," said Giles.
Jenny smiled a particularly pleasant smile. "God, you don't change, do you."
"Uh ...?" said Giles.
"'It's not right, wouldn't be proper ...'" said Jenny. And then her voice changed—merged actually, with a deep man's voice. "... people might get hurt."
Giles tried to take a step back, alarmed. But Jenny's hand holds his arm like iron. "What's ...?
"You're like a woman, Ripper, you cry at every funeral. You never had the strength for me, you don't deserve me. But guess what, you've got me—UNDER YOUR SKIN!" said Jenny as she pulled him close.
Giles tries to resist but she's suddenly very strong. She kisses him hard on the mouth. And when she pulled away from him, he sees patches of her skin where the demon Eyghon has begun to break through. Putrid flesh, sores, devil's skin. Ridges on her forehead. Not a pretty girl.
"Was it good for you?" asked Jenny as she grabbed him and rammed his head into a wall. She held him up to her face. "You never had the stomach. But that's okay, I'm about to rip it out." She hurled Giles into a wall.
Just then Paige and Buffy orbed in as Jenny turned and hissed at them. The sisters took a moment to absorb the hideousness of what they were seeing, and then they sent Jenny sprawling backwards with a kick to the midsection. They move and stand in front of Giles, blocking Jenny's way to him.
"Back off. Just stay back," said Buffy as Jenny looked at the sisters and then at Giles.
Jenny laughed. "Three down, two to go! Be seeing you," she said as she dove through a window.
The sisters turn and knelt down next to Giles, who is badly injured. They notice that blood ran down his forehead, and that his arm is useless. "Are you all right?" asked Paige.
"Jenny ... Oh, God ..." said Giles.
"Giles, how do we stop this thing?" asked Buffy.
"God, what have I done?" stammered Giles.
"Talk to us! Giles, you're scaring us," said Paige.
Giles looked at the sisters. "I'm sorry ..."
"Don't be sorry! Be Giles!" said Buffy. "Come on, we fight monsters. They show up, they scare us, we beat them up, and they leave. This isn't any different."
"It is different," said Giles.
"Because you don't know how to stop it," said Paige.
Giles shook his head. "Because I created it. I was twenty-one ..." he said as Buffy and Paige helped him to the couch as Buffy bandages his arm. "Studying history at Oxford and of course the occult by night. I hated it. The boring grind of school, the pressure of my 'destiny'. So I dropped out. I went to London, fell in with the worst crowd that would have me. We practiced magicks. Small stuff, for pleasure or gain. And then Ethan and I discovered something a little bigger."
"Eyghon," said Buffy and Paige.
Giles nodded. "Yes. We put one of us into a deep sleep and the others would summon him. It was an extraordinary high. God, we were fools."
"You couldn't control it," said Buffy.
"One of us, Randall, he lost control. Eyghon took him whole. We tried to exorcise the demon from Randall, but it killed him. We killed him," said Giles.
"God ..." said Buffy.
"Goddess …" said Paige.
Giles sighed. "We thought we were free of the demon after that. But it's back. And one by one it will kill us all."
"Three down, two to go," said Buffy as Giles nodded.
"Then it's going after Ethan. I better beat it there," said Buffy.
"We better," said Paige.
"Paige I need you here. Giles is barely mobile and I need you to watch him if the demon comes back," said Buffy as Paige nodded.
"Buffy, I don't know how to stop it without ... without killing Jenny," said Giles.
"We got the guys working on it. I'll try to contain her till we can figure something," said Buffy as she started for the door.
"Buffy!" Giles and Paige said as she stopped.
"I'm sorry," said Giles.
"I know," said Buffy.
"Be, careful," said Paige.
"I will," said Buffy as she headed out the door.
At the Costume Shop, Buffy entered to find the place spooky with dress mannequins breaking up the space, looking like so many dead people. "Ethan ..." she called out as she cautiously moved further in. She heard a noise and spun around. Nothing. Or did something move behind one of the mannequins? "I'm not here to hurt you ... I'm sorry to say. Giles told me everything. It's coming for you. We've got to stop it."
Ethan appeared behind her. "And you came to protect me. I'm touched," he said as Buffy spun around.
"Don't worry, it's nothing personal: to protect Giles I have to protect you," said Buffy.
"How does Ripper inspire such goodness?" asked Ethan.
"Because he's Giles," said Buffy.
"And I'm not," said Ethan. "Still, lucky me.
"Lucky you," said Buffy.
Ethan smiled. "Well, we can't run. Eyghon will find us. This mark might as well be a homing beacon."
"That's all right. I'm not big on running anyway," said Buffy.
"Aren't we manly," said Ethan.
"One of us is," said Buffy. "You're gonna hide till it's over."
"Excellent plan," said Ethan.
"Is there a way in through the back?" asked Buffy.
"There's a door, but it's locked. I think it's solid," said Ethan.
"Well, we can set you up back there. Come on," said Buffy.
Ethan shook his head. "Oh, no ..." he said as he gestured for Buffy to go first as she moved toward the book. He stepped behind her and brought up sharply a board he had picked up and cracked her on the head with it hard as she fell to the ground. He smiled as he stared down at her. "...ladies first."
Sometime later Buffy is regaining consciousness as she finds that she has been bound to a long, narrow table.
"Wakey, wakey. You don't want to miss the fun," said Ethan.
"What fun?" asked Buffy.
Ethan smiled. "Your initiation."
"You know what? I'm not real interested in joining your club," said Buffy.
"Too late. I already voted you in. I hope you appreciate this is nothing personal, Buffy. I actually kind of like you. It's just ..." said Ethan as he grabbed a large, ominous-looking needle off a tray and dipped it in ink. "I like myself more. You know, if you look at it karmically, this is very big for your soul: you're taking my place with the demon, giving so that others may live."
"I'm going to kill you," said Buffy. "Will that blow the whole karma thing?"
Ethan pulled Buffy's hair away, revealing the back of her neck. "Now, you might feel a slight sting at first. But that'll go away once the searing pain kicks in." He began drawing the tattoo onto the back of Buffy's neck as she grimaced and grit her teeth. "You can go ahead and scream."
Om the library Dawn and Willow are absorbed in books. "We have to figure out how to kill this thing. And we have to do it fast," said Willow as she took a sip of tea.
"Hot lava," offered Xander.
"That's for a heretic," said Dawn.
Xander nodded. "Oh, yeah. Okay, bury a potato. No, that's for warts," he said as he looked at the cover of the book. "Who writes these things?"
"Duhh. I've got the solution, right here," said Cordelia as she pointed to her book. "To kill a demon, cut its head off."
"Great work, Cor," said Xander.
"You could have done it—not really," said Cordelia.
"Yeah, we'll just find Ms. Calendar and then we'll decapitate her," said Xander. "She can be the first headless computer teacher, think anyone'll notice?"
"You know what you need, Xander—besides a year's supply of acne cream—a brain," said Cordelia.
Xander smiled. "That's it, twelve years of you, I'm snapping. I don't care you're a girl, I'm throwing down," he said as he got into a fighting stance. "Come on."
"I've seen you fight, don't think I can't take you," said Cordelia.
"Give it your best shot!" said Xander.
Willow slammed a huge book down on the table in front of them getting their attention. "Heyyy! We don't have time for this. Our friends are in trouble. Now we have to put our heads together and get them out of it. And if you two aren't with me and Dawn a hundred and ten percent then get the hell out of our library!" she said as Dawn stood up and pointed at the door, dramatically.
Xander and Cordelia hung their heads, chastened. "We're sorry," said Cordelia.
"We'll be good," said Xander.
"We've done the research, we've got to think how to use it," said Dawn.
"Okay, what if we find another dead body for the demon to jump into?" asked Xander.
"Yeah. At the cemetery," said Cordelia.
"That won't kill the demon; it'll just give it a change of scenery," said Willow.
"But," said Dawn as a smile crept over her face, "I think I know how to get rid of it." She turned and ran out the door as Xander, Willow and Cordelia started to follow.
"She's good," said Xander.
At the Costume Shop Ethan wiped the back of Buffy's neck with a cloth as he completed the tattoo. "Perhaps I missed my calling as an artist," he said.
"Listen to me, Ethan. This is a BAD IDEA. You're dealing with something very dangerous," said Buffy.
Ethan smiled. "But this'll throw Eyghon off my scent."
"I'm not talking about Eyghon," said Buffy as Ethan reached towards the tray and grabbed a bottle of acid. She looked alarmed that he was going to use it on her as she struggled with her bonds.
"Gosh, you are spunky. Relax, I'm done with you. It's my turn now ..." said Ethan as he smiled at Buffy. He then poured the acid on his own tattoo as he grimaced and moaned as the acid at the tattoo on his arm.
Buffy searched around with her fingers and found a nail protruding slightly from the inside edge of the table. She began to dig her fingernail into the wood, trying to jar the nail loose.
In Giles apartment he sat next to Paige as a series of visions hit him. "Giles?" asked Paige, concerned.
"Ethan ... Oh, no ..." said Giles as he looked at Paige. "He put the tattoo on Buffy. He's going to switch placed with her and make Eyghon go after her instead of him."
Paige frowned as she grabbed Giles and orbed out.
At the Costume shop Buffy has the nail out and is using it to cut the rope that binds her wrists as Ethan wrapped a bandage around his arm. "I hate to mutilate and run but ..." he said as the door opened and he saw Jenny standing in the door.
Jenny stepped inside as the door shut behind her as she moved toward Ethan. "It is your time," she said as Ethan stood frozen. She gets nose-to-nose with him and then jerked her head and stared right at Buffy. She leaped at Buffy who cuts through the rope and rolled off the table as she landed on it.
Buffy rocked onto her back and UPENDS the table by KICKING IT with her still-bound feet as Jenny fell away.
Buffy ripped the rope off her ankles and stood to face Jenny, with the table between them. Jenny picked up the table and used it to push Buffy back, pinning her against the wall as she strained to escape. She's trapped.
"Eyghon!" shouted Giles as he and Paige orbed in. "Take me."
Jenny heaved the table aside as it crashed and splintered near Ethan, who crouched in a corner.
"Paige, get Buffy out of her!" said Giles.
"Buffy," said Paige as Buffy orbed next to her as Jenny went for Giles.
"No!" said Buffy as she tried to move between Giles and Jenny.
Jenny raises her hand and touched her finger to Buffy's face as she sent a surge of energy into Buffy throwing her across the room. Paige orbed out and back in next to Buffy as Jenny tossed Giles to the ground and straddled him. "I've been waiting a long time to do this," said Jenny.
Suddenly Angel tackled Jenny off Giles and he began to strangle the life out of her.
Giles stood and started toward Jenny as Dawn stopped him. "He's killing her," he said.
"Trust me," said Dawn. "This is going to work ..."
Jenny clawed at Angel's hands as she gasped for breath. She looked up at Angel as their eyes locked. Then she howled out in pain as Angel was thrown of her. She rolled away coughing, the demon no longer in her.
"Did we kill it?" asked Cordelia as Angel cried out and his eyes glowed.
"It's in Angel!" said Buffy.
"This is going to work," said Dawn as they watched Angel's face morph between the Eyghon, his vampire visage, and his human one.
Finally, the demon screamed out and faded away as Angel fell to the ground. Buffy and Dawn rush over to him as Ethan took the opportunity to sneak out.
Giles recovered, struggled to his feet. He goes over to Jenny and took her in his arms. "Jenny ...?"
"Rupert," said Jenny.
"It's okay," said Giles. "I've got you."
Buffy and Dawn help Angel to his feet as Paige moved over towards Xander.
"You knew that if the demon was in danger it would jump into the nearest dead guy," said Buffy as she looked at her baby sister, who nodded and even smiled.
"I put it in danger," said Angel.
"And it jumped," said Willow as she moved over beside them.
"But I've had a demon inside me for a couple hundred years just waiting for a good fight," said Angel.
"Winner and still champion," said Buffy.
"Uh, I think that Ethan guy disappeared," said Xander as he held Paige close to him.
"Darn," said Paige. "I really wanted to hit him till he bled."
"Well, at least it's over," said Cordelia.
Giles helped Jenny to the door. It's not over for him.
The next day at Sunnydale High the Scoobies walk along the hall.
"The worst thing is, I was saving up for some very important shoes. Now I gotta blow mine, Paige and Dawn's allowance getting this stupid tattoo removed. I just hope mom doesn't see it first," said Buffy.
"Putting the demon into Angel was pretty brill, Dawn," said Xander.
Dawn sighed. "I wasn't sure it would work."
Buffy smiled. "But it did."
"Like a charm," said Xander.
"Maybe you should consider a career as a Watcher," said Buffy.
Dawn shook her head. "Oh no, I don't think I could take the stress. Looking after you guys is enough."
"And the dental plan is crap," said Xander.
"I don't know how Giles does it," added Willow.
"I don't think he has a choice," said Buffy as they looked over at Giles who hurried to enter the building.
Inside Giles moved towards Jenny. "Jenny. Jenny –" he said.
"Rupert. Hi," said Jenny.
"I tried to call you last night. See how you were," said Giles.
Jenny nodded. "Yeah, I left the phone off the hook. I seem to need a lot of sleep lately."
"But you're alright?" Giles asked. "Is there something you need?"
Jenny shook her head. "I'm fine. I mean, I'm not 'running around, wind in my hair, the hills are alive with the Sound of Music' fine, but I'm coping."
"I would like to help," offered Giles.
Jenny sighed. "I know."
"Perhaps we could talk some time. Have dinner, or a drink—when you're feeling stronger," said Giles.
"Sure. Some time," said Jenny as Giles moved to put his hand on her arm. She flinched, jerking subtly away as he put his arm down. "Yeah, some time ... I better get to class."
"Of course," said Giles as Jenny walked away. He felt rather that saw Buffy and Paige step up beside him.
"How is she?" asked Buffy.
"The hills are not alive," said Giles.
"I'm sorry to hear that ... I think ..." said Buffy.
"I don't imagine she'll ever really forgive me. Maybe she shouldn't," said Giles.
"Maybe you should," offered Paige.
Giles sighed. "I never wanted either of you to see that side of me."
"I'm not gonna lie," said Buffy. "It was scary. We're both used to you being, you know, The Grown-up. And then we find out that you're a person."
Giles nodded. "Most grown-ups are."
"Who would've thought?" said Buffy.
"Some of them are even very short-sighted, foolish people," said Giles.
"So after all this time it turns out we do have something in common. Which, apart from being a little weird ... is kind of okay," said Paige. "I think we're supposed to be training, right?"
Giles nodded. "Uh, yes. Need to concentrate on flexibility."
Buffy held up a CD. "I got the perfect music," she said as Giles eyed the CD.
"Go on, you know you want to say it," said Buffy and Paige.
"That isn't music, it's just meaningless sounds," said Giles.
"There," said Buffy. "Feel better?"
Giles nodded, "Yes, thank you," he said as they headed for the library. "The Bay City Rollers, now that's music."
"Oh, goddess …" said Paige.