So instead of being at the career fair with Xander and Willow looking at my chosen career path of a 'Forensic Scientist' I am currently walking through a cememtry with my sister and watcher who have been butting heads all afternoon.
I smirked as I watched as Giles tries to keep pace with Buffy who was walking at a brisk pace still hurt from the conversation we had before where Giles called us out on being sloppy "Buffy. Please. Slow down" Giles begs as he tries to keep up with Buffy instead of dawdling behind with me.
Buffy turns to Giles with a slight sneer which shocked me "Get with the program, Giles. We have work to do, remember?" Giles looks at Buffy equally as surprised "You're behaving in a terrible immature manner-" Buffy whirls around furiously and cuts Giles off.
"Bingo. You know why? I am immature! I'm a teen! I've yet to mature!" She all but growls at the older man as I grimaced at the aggressiveness in her voice "I was simply offering a little constructive criticism-" Buffy laughed upset at Giles' unhelpful words.
"You were harsh, you act like I picked this gig but I'm the picked. Too bad if I want a normal job" I frowned at my twins words being a slayer must be getting to her more than I thought "What you and Nikki have is more than a… gig. It's a sacred duty" Giles replied as he looked between Buffy and I as we stood arguing while the dead lay beneath us.
Buffy gives him a 'been there, heard that' look as Giles scrambles trying to calm her "Which shouldn't prevent you from eventually procuring a more… mundane form of employment if you like. Such as I have"
Buffy gasps at Giles like he didn't understand her predicament "It's one thing being a Watcher and a librarian. They go together like chicken and… another chicken. Two chickens. Or something" Buffy says before seeing the look on Giles' face "Chickens?" I whisper to myself giving Buffy a weird look.
"You know what I'm saying you can spend all your time with a bunch of books and no one blinks but what can I do? Carve stakes for a nursery?" Buffy asks Giles with her hands on her hips as Giles blinks at her obviously realizing that Slaying and a normal job didn't go hand in hand.
"Point taken. I suppose I've never really thought about-" Giles begins but then stops himself deep in thought "Tell me. Have you ever considered law enforcement?" Giles offers looking proud of himself until Buffy gasps and pushed her way past our confused looking Watcher.
I smirk and patted Giles on the shoulder as I walked forward to follow Buffy "Good one Giles" I told him laughing as I followed my sister through the cemetery as she stomped through it like an angry bull.
As we get to the mausoleum we patrolled yesterday Buffy pulls open the heavy iron door and enters with me and Giles following her, I clicks on the flashlight I had been carrying and guided the beam through the dusty room.
Buffy leads us to the open vault door "May I?" Giles asks us politely and smiles when we both look at each other and nod "Be my guest" I say holding out the flashlight I was using and moved to stand behind when he took it and shone it into the empty vault.
"It's a reliquary, used to house items of religious significance. Most commonly, a finger or some other body part from a saint" Giles says as Buffy and I peek into the vault over his shoulders "Note to self: Religion, freaky" I mutter to Buffy as she nods in return.
Giles turns and shines the wall with the flashlight beam which now falls across letters carved in the granite above the doorway Du Lac. "Du Lac… Oh dear" Giles gasps to himslef as I quickly turn and look at him wide eyed "I hate when you say that".
"Josephus du Lac is buried here" Giles tells us like we knew what he was talking about "Was he a saint?" Buffy asked Giles as I looked on interested "Hardly. He belonged to a sect of priests who were excommunicated by the Vatican at the turn of the century" Giles explained to us as he cleaned his glasses.
I turned to Buffy "Hmm excommunicated and sent to Sunnydale. Must have been big with the sinning" I said aloud with a smirk and she smiled back knowing I was referring to myself also "Remember the book that was stolen from the library by a vampire a few weeks back? It was written by DuLac and his cohorts -"
Giles stops himself short looking very frustrated "Damn it. In all the excitement, I let it slip my mind" Buffy looks at Giles equally as confused as I was "I'm guessing it wasn't a Taste of the Vatican Cookbook"
Giles shook his head seriously "The book is said to contain rituals and spells that reap unspeakable evil. However, it was written in archaic Latin - so nobody but the sect members could read it."
"Then everything's cool. The sect is gone. Worm food like old Du Lac, right?" Buffy mutters to Giles who looks troubled "I don't like it, Girls. First the book is taken from the library. Now vampires steal something from Du Lac's tomb…"
I sighed and ran a hand through my hair and griming when I found a cobweb "You think they've figured out how to read the book?" Giles looks at me silently before huffing frustrated "I don't know. But something's coming and I guarantee, whatever it is - it's not good".
Giles moves off purposefully, Buffy stays with me and I sigh "It never is" I mumble feeling very tired and annoyed why could vampires and every evil being just take a couple of months from doing evil and murderous things just so I could get more than 4 hours sleep.
Buffy, Willow, and Xander and I sit around the table in the library "So Giles is sure that the vampire who stole his book is connected to the one you slayed last night? Or is it slew?" Willow asks us before concerning herself on the right pronunciation of a word.
"Both are correct" Giles tells her as he emerges from the stacks with a yellowed periodical "And yes. I'm sure" Giles sets the magazine down in front of us. It's a National Geographic, circa 1921 "Du Lac was both a theologian and a mathematician. This article describes an invention of his, which he called the du Lac Cross"
"Why go to all the trouble of inventing something and then give a weak name like that? I'd have gone with Cross-o-matic! or "The Amazing Mr. Cross!" Xander stops talking when he realizes he is getting the stare again.
Giles indicates a yellowing photo of the stolen crucifix "The cross was more than a symbol. It was also used to understand certain mystical texts to decipher hidden meanings and so forth" I sat back in my seat and looked at Giles "You're saying these vampires went to all that trouble for your basic decoder ring?"
Giles looks at me for a minute with a blank stare then smiles widely "Actually, I guess I am" I nodded in understanding "According to this, du Lac destroyed every one of the crosses - except the one buried with him" Willow told us her eyes still on the magazine.
"Why destroy his own work?" Buffy asks aloud deep in thought "I suppose he feared what might happen if the cross fell into the wrong hands" Giles guessed and I grimaced "A fear we'll soon get to experience for ourselves, up close and personal"
"Unless we preempt their plans" Giles says looking at me and cleaning his glasses "How?" Willow asks when she's finished reading about the cross "By learning what was in the book before they do" Giles looks at us with a grim look on his face "Which means we can expect to be here late tonight"
Willow cheered as Xander, Buffy and I sighed "Goody! Research party!" We all looked at Willow weirdly as she cheered "Will, you need a life in the worst way" Xander told Willow making her smile drop "Speaking of… I have to bail. I promise I'll be back bright and early, perky and ready to slay" Buffy says getting up quickly and gives me a meaningful look not that I understood what she was trying to tell me.
Giles looks at her, perplexed "This is a matter of some urgency, Buffy" Buffy looks at Giles and nods "I know. But you have to admit, I lack in the book area. You guys are the brains. I'd just be around for moral support-"
Xander looks at Buffy and stands "That's not true, Buffy. You totally contribute. You go for snacks" Buffy looks at me desperately and I nodded suddenly remembering what was so important and where she was going "She should go. I'm here you know also The Slayer"
Giles looks and me and nods fervently "Yes, yes you're right. Both slayers aren't needed for uh research" I smile at Buffy and nod my head to the door "Go ahead Buff" she smiles at me and pulls on her coat.
"But - Ho Ho's are a vital part of my cognitive process" Xander whines and sits back down almost pouting which was not an attractive sight "Sorry, Xand. I have something I really need to do tonight-" Buffy leans down behind my chair hugging me tight and whispering "Thank you"
Nodding I push her off me gently and give her a genuine smile "It better be worth it" I tell her grabbing a book and diving into research.