TITLE: Late
AUTHOR: clarrie
DISCLAIMER: Obviously don't own Giles, Wesley, Buffy, Anya and the Scooby gang. Alice Boston and others are mine, most of the info about watchers and the watchers council was made up by me and is based on my interpretation of it as an institution.
All witchy stuff made up by me and bares little resemblance to say, Wicca or any of the other old faiths.
Lines taken from 'The Angel and the jerk' by Billy Joe Armstrong and Penelope Housten.
RATING: about a 12 or PG13, younger readers may be grossed out by the suggestion that old people may, possibly, once, have had sex.
SPOILERS: mild up to mid season 3, but as if faith and the mayor had not existed and Anya and Xander had got together earlier. Does include Wesley character though.
At the time of story Oz had ginger hair.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Americans, kindly note that I used the word (ick pah) 'soccer' instead of football. So don't say I never do anything for you.


'So are you going to Alice's party?'
The Slayerettes sat around the main table in the library, technically studying biology. In that they had their biology books open whilst they talked.
'It could be fun.' Willow smiled cheerfully. 'She's party people.'
'I thought, maybe… 'Cos, you know… If Will wants to go and …Free beer.' Oz put his arm around Willow. 'That's always good right?'
Buffy laughed, 'Yeah, it sounds like fun.'
'Oh will you look at yourselves?' Cordelia stared open mouthed at them. 'I mean freak-boy I can understand. But you three…' She turned to Willow. 'Your boyfriend is in a band, are you going to throw that away? Because if you're seen at her Royal dorkiness's party that's just going to be cancelled out.'
Willow smiled and hugged Oz. 'I think I'm willing to take the risk.'
'Can we take it that you're not going to be there then?' Xander threw a pencil into the air and caught it between the palms of his hands. 'Or were you just getting through your daily venom discharge?'
Cordelia scowled at Xander. 'As far as I'm concerned, any party that let's you in isn't worth thinking about.'
'Ooh yeah, don't want to go to all that strain for nothing.'
'Oh, very witty, what are you going to do for an encore freak-boy? Blow spit bubbles at me?' 'And once again I am defenceless against your razor sharp wit.'
'Don't even bother,' Cordelia picked up her books. 'Just don't expect me to go to your old lady loser party Ok?'
They watched as Cordelia stormed from the library.
'Unexpected.' Oz began to toy with a pencil. 'And yet… Not wholly out of character.'


'Gosh, you're early.' Alice stood in the doorway and pushed the hair out of her face. 'Hardly anyone else is here.'
'We thought- 'Cos you said seven, and Giles gave us a ride.' Giles sneezed loudly as if in recognition of his name.
'Oh, what am I thinking… Come in, come in.' Alice began to affect a pseudo French accent. 'Welcome to un neuvo latte du Boston. All the mod cons, bathroom over there- Kitchen over there- Coats in the bedroom and as an optional extra, Wesley in the front room.' Wesley smiled weakly from his position, perched on the edge of the sofa, and waved.
'Make yourselves at home.' Alice grinned. 'I've got a keg in the kitchen, tins in the bath and spirits on the sideboard. I, um, well I was making fondue but the candle blew out and I didn't notice, so it's, um, it's just a big bowl of cheese.'
Oz paused. 'Cheese type?'
'Yellow.'
'Lead us to it.' Xander and Oz were motioned towards the token display of solid refreshments.
'How about you three? I, I have some orange juice somewhere if you aren't drinking.'
'We're good.' Willow smiled. 'Wow, this, this is a cool apartment.'
'Yeah, Do you have to pay for this yourself?' Buffy met Gile's scowl. 'What? She doesn't work, I'm curious.'
'I don't think he's frowning at you dear.' Alice emerged from the kitchen wiping her hands. 'The, um, the Watchers council pays a wage to unemployed Watchers- and they handle housing and suchlike.' She gave Giles a pat on the head as she passed him by. 'Which Squirrel dear, isn't the biggest fan of.'
Giles frowned. 'It's the system I don't approve of.
' Oz and Xander returned laden with cheese and crackers. 'Go G-man. Power to the people.'
Giles frowned again. 'Every watcher has to send back a percentage of their wages to fund the-the clerical staff, and the administration staff, and people who can't keep from having their houses blown up…'
Alice grinned.
'And-and I just don't think it's necessary. Most Watchers can't afford the time to take highly paid jobs and it's not as if the Watchers council itself is short of money.'
'Well they do own a little property.'
'Hmmph! Scotland.'
'Oh you exaggerate, Wales at most'
Giles blew his nose pointedly.
' British people, cheese and a sulking librarian.' Xander put his arm around Buffy's shoulder and offered her a cracker. 'Can this party get any better?'


'-EXACTLY LIKE YOU ARE TODAY. YOU MUST HAVE THOUGHT TURIN RESTORED…'
'Well this doesn't suck!'
'-YOU KNOW I LOVE TO BE IGNORED…'
'What?' Buffy strained to hear Xander above the music.
'I said this doesn't suck.'
Buffy nodded. 'It's in the bathroom I think.'
'No, I said… Don't worry it wasn't important.' He tried to spot Giles among the heaving throng that was attempting to fit in a space designed for half the amount of people currently occupying it. 'I think Giles wants you to do a quick patrol. Just in case.' Xander used the tried and tested technique of those who wish to yell discretely. That is, he yelled, but he made a face that suggested whispering.
'Just in case what?'
'I don't know. He got dragged to the limbo room.'
'There's a limbo room?' Willow giggled.
'It's the kitchen, but with a pole.' Xander paused, 'Do you want me to patrol with you?' He looked longingly towards the kitchen.
'If you're sure you're not doing it just because you feel you have to.'
'No-Sure, I mean, I can see Giles limbo any day, right?'
Buffy laughed. 'Go. Go watch - I'm not taking no for an answer Xander.' She watched as he disappeared into the crowd. 'Although a little bit of a protest might have been nice.'


'-THAT'S GONNA MEET ME EYE TO EYE. I MUST BE BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN OR ELSE YOU'VE GONE COMPLETELY SHY.
AM I A HEAVY POLTERGEIST?..'
A womanly scream echoed from the bathroom. Buffy reached instinctively inside her jacket for a stake before she saw Wesley struggling through the bathroom door against the pull of four recognisably human arms. Finally breaking free, the inertia caused him to hit the wall running.
'Wesley?'
With as much dignity as he could muster Wesley stood upright. ' I-I- they were- and then- strange friends?'
'Very strange friends.' Agreed Buffy. 'Giles said I should do a patrol. You want to come with?'
Wesley nodded silently darting terrified glances towards the bathroom door. 'God yes.'


'Where did Alice want us to stop?'
'The off- licence.'
'The off what?'
'The liquor store.' Wesley paused and listened. 'Did you hear something?'
Buffy listened silently. 'Cat?'
'Too high.'
Another scream split the night. Buffy turned in the direction from which it came. 'Bronze. Come on.'


'Oh God, Oh God.'
'What is it?' Buffy gripped the screaming girl by the shoulders.
'In there… It's, Oh God.'
'Wesley, come on.' Buffy burst through the doors of the club and stood in a ready pose.
'What, what is it?' Wesley brandished a stake above his head.
'Gone?'
There was a cry from the bar. Not human this time but a demonic cackle of malevolent joy. A grey streak sped across the room leaving no trace.
'Repercussus.'
'Guh?' Buffy armed her crossbow and searched for something to point it at.
'A mirror demon, it's using the mirrors to transport itself around the club.'
'Using mirrors for evil? Oh that really sucks. That is so low.' She surveyed the club and saw only the usual scared Friday night revellers. 'What do we do?'
'W-we have to bring it out into the open.' Wesley stuttered. 'We have to- have to shut off it's ingress and egress points.'
'And in English?'
'Smash all the mirrors.'
Buffy lined up the crossbow with the centre of the mirror on the opposite wall. 'Oh well, Bye-bye allowance.'
The mirror shattered into splinters of glass and metal. 'Wesley, you want to get those mirrors by the bar?'
'Excuse me Miss,' Wesley pushed by the Waitress and wrapped a bar cloth around his hand. Buffy sent another two wall mirrors crashing to the ground, the grey streak crossed the dance-floor again.
'Miss, you might want to stand back.' Wesley brought his fist crashing down onto the bar mirror… And watched as it bounced off unharmed. 'Do you have a-a bottle or something I could - and perhaps a painkiller.'
The Repercussus raced from mirror to mirror as Buffy used crossbow and fists. Cornered behind the bar the Reppercussus began to shriek as, between them, Wesley and Buffy smashed every mirror in the row.
'What on earth has been…'
'No!' Wesley cried out as a flash of reflection gleamed from the half opened ladies room door. The shrieking flash of grey streaked across the dance-floor and into the bathrooms.
'Wesley! In there! Now!'
'But-but-but…'
'I'm way over here. Keep it busy, I'm not going anywhere.'
Wesley clambered across the room clutching a stake to his chest, upon reaching the door he paused. 'Buffy I-I-…'
An all too human scream came from the Ladies room.
'Just get it!'
Wesley closed his eyes and held his crucifix in front of him. 'BEGONE THOU FOUL DEMON FROM THE DARK REACHES - WITH THIS SYMBOL I DIVEST THEE OF THOU SANCTUARY!'
'Wow, you killed it.'
Wesley opened his eyes to see Cordelia standing open mouthed next to a broken mirror and a slime covered demon with a shard of mirror glass embedded in it's chest. He stared at the stake he had thrown which lay redundant at the demon's side.
'I, um, I killed it?' Wesley cleared his throat. 'Yes-yes, of course. A-a Watcher cannot simply hide behind his books, dispensing advice like- like a…'
'You killed it?' Buffy peered over Wesley's shoulder at the recently deceased demon. 'Have you thought about slaying as a career Cordelia?''
'I-I-I, that is…'
'Wesley saved me. Oh God. You saved me!' Cordelia gripped Wesley by the lapel. 'That demon could have … Urgh. Shudders much?'
'Yeah.' Buffy stared at Cordelia, Wesley and the demon on the floor. 'Shudders.'


'He-hello?' Giles blinked as the morning sunlight seared through the curtains. He grabbed the telephone receiver and pulled himself up into a sitting position. 'Sunnydale 555432'.
He pulled a tissue from his sleeve and wiped his nose. 'Calm down. Are you sure? And you don't know… Of course.'
He wiped his glasses and perched them on the bridge of his nose. 'And you're absolutely sure? Well it could be any number of… Don't panic. It's probably just… Oh.'
Giles replaced the receiver and rubbed his eyes wearily. 'May God have mercy on us all.'


Anya stirred in her sleep, the blanket wound tightly around the muscles in her wrist as she tossed and turned.
She opened her eyes and stared out into the darkness. She could sense him near. The pressure around her temples threatened to implode her skull. She grimaced in pain and anger.
'Him.' She hissed under her breath. 'Him.'


'And the people in the floor above us came down a-and I think they were going to complain but they didn't complain and then they said to come up so we all went up and then the people above them came down and -and…'
'Will, breathe.'
'So that's how come we were on the roof.' Willow grinned breathlessly. 'It was so cool.'
'You'll have to excuse Willow.' Xander put his arm around Willow's shoulder and raised his eyebrow knowledgeably. 'She's just not as used to cutting loose.' He cleared his throat. 'As I am'
Buffy smiled. 'So it wasn't you I heard shouting 'Turn him into a rat!' to Alice, when the police arrived then?'
'I just don't understand it…' Wesley rounded the corner of the bookshelf, a dust covered manuscript in his hands.
'Well there was this girl Amy and she…' Xander's voice trailed off as Willow shot him with a glare.
'The Repercussus, I-I-I, they don't usually 'fly solo' as it were. They're largely followers of other, stronger demons.' He closed the book. 'I don't know why we haven't noticed one, it, um, ha-ha, reflects badly on us.'
'Oh God that is so funny.' Cordelia shadowed Wesley along the shelves. 'That's like that British wit yeah? You know 'cause I saw this show on PBS and it was, well this guy had a… I don't really remember it but it was British.'
'Wesley?' Buffy grinned. 'Have you seen Giles anywhere today?'
'I-I-I-I, have I…' Wesley blinked. 'Pardon?'
'Giles. About yay high,' Buffy paused, 'British.'
'Mr Giles? He, um, he… Oh. Here he is.'
'Morning G-man. Busy night?' Xander gestured to the librarian's rumpled clothing and uncombed hair.
'What?' Giles stared distractedly. 'I've been visiting the doctor. Do you not have lessons again?'
'Kay.' Buffy frowned, puzzled at the Watcher's uncharacteristic sharpness. 'Cranky much?'
Willow stood. 'I think someone is a little hung over still.' She gathered her books in her arms. 'And wants us to leave him in peace.' She pulled Xander towards the door.
'Hey is it our fault if Giles forgot that beer and Nyquil cocktails are best left to frat boys on a budget?'
'Come on Xander,' Willow smiled. 'We'll get you a cookie.'


'Word up Wes.' Xander slumped at the main table and broke open a bar of chocolate.
'Yes, um, yes.'
'So how's Mr Happy?'
'Mr, um, happy? Oh, Mr Giles is assisting Miss Boston in a comparison of our Watchers journals.'
Willow nodded and placed her books on the table. 'To see how you both reacted when you were getting to know Buffy.'
'Who knows Buffy?' Buffy peered over Willow's shoulder. 'What about Buffy? I'm Buffy I have a right to know.' She paused. 'Catching flies there Wes?'
'They're comparing you to Giles?' Cordelia whined. 'Oh that is so unfair, because when Giles came here Buffy was all 'Sacred duty yada, yada, yada.' And by the time you came she was all P.O'd at the Watchers council.' She turned to Buffy. 'You know, 'cause of your birthday, you remember that? When they did that test? Remember?' Cordelia paused momentarily. 'Wow, your birthdays always really suck. Did you ever notice that?'
Buffy blinked.
'Well they do…'
'Cordy.' Xander looked up from his snack. 'I think I just heard a farmhouse land on your car. 'What?'
'Only, do you want to go tell the midgets you're actually alive or shall I?'
'Oh you are so weird it's not even funny any more.'
'You mean I've lost your respect?' Xander gasped sarcastically. 'Oh no!'
Cordelia stuck out her tongue and turned away, striding off into the shelves to fetch a book
Wesley cleared his throat.
'Can't you just feel the love in this room Wesley?' Buffy grinned at the bashful watcher. 'You had something to add?'
'Mr, um, Mr Giles left you a note.' He produced an envelope from his jacket pocket. 'It, um, I think perhaps he wished you to help him with a spell.'
'Me?' Buffy frowned. 'Not Willow?'
Wesley shrugged. 'He said to give the note to any of you.'
'Even Xander?'
'Yeah? Even … HEY!' Xander took the note and slit the envelope open with his finger. He looked over the two sheets of paper contained. 'Goodbye cruel wor…Joke!' He shielded the note to his chest as Willow smacked him with a folder. 'Joke Will! OK.' He spread the contents of the envelope before him on the table. 'Yada, yada yada - As I will be assisting Alice in her researches today I have asked Mr Whyndam-Price to pass on this -blah, blah, blah - spell for an old friend- rhubarb, rhubarb- enclosed list. Giles wants us to get something from everyone on this list, garbage, hair anything. It just has to be something they've owned.'
'Ooh!' Cordelia appeared suddenly behind Xander and snatched the list from his hand. 'Pregnancy list! That is what this is right? A pregnancy list - because when Tiffany Kaufman - oops, um, you didn't hear that from me- right?'
'Tiffany Kaufman? I-I thought she went to France, 'cause she said - oh.' Willow put her hand to her mouth. 'Oh, I gave her a beret!'
'Ha!' Xander snatched back the note. 'That, is where you are wrong gutter-brain because this is just … Because there's this spell and…Oh my God it is.'
Cordelia snatched back the list in triumph. 'I hate to say I told you so but, no wait I don't.' She crowed. 'So who is it? Is it Buffy? I bet it's Buffy. I'm telling you all that brooding - true happiness stuff is just a…Hi Buffy!'
Buffy stood at the table. 'So anything world-shaking happen in the ten seconds I was in the bathroom?'
'Well Cordelia just called you a slut.' Willow trilled happily. 'Well she did…Kinda. Which you're not…Are you?'
'Um, no?'
'Oh.' Willow sighed. 'Good.'
'Spell for an old friend.' Xander stood as a look of realisation dawned on his face. 'Alice.' He called, 'You want to come out here?'