THE ENCHANTED BEACHBALL OF FUR
DAY TWO
Buffy, Willow, Xander and Anya were out patrolling. Tara had come to the realization, several weeks ago, that she was not cut out for the slash and bash side of patrolling. Her gifts were much more useful at the researching end. The group counted on her to locate whatever spell or spells would be most effective in defeating their adversaries. She and Giles would round up the necessary components and she and Willow would perform the spell or spells. Occasionally, they'd allow Dawn to watch, but Buffy forbade her to participate in any way. Dawn was not permitted to speak or to handle any ingredients.
They were having a relatively quiet night-two vampires and one Vemus demon, so far, when an animal suddenly jumped out from the bushes. It almost resembled a dog. It walked on all fours and it was covered in white fur so thick that it gave the beast the look of a giant cotton ball. Its back was about three feet high, and it had two heads which both seemed disproportionately small for its enormous body. Each head had two large, brown eyes, a pug nose and a small mouth with a short, wide tongue. The white fur on each head curled down, almost like bangs, and covered part of its eyes. It curled its lips back at Willow and made a noise that almost passed for a growl, but sounded more like a sigh. It cocked both heads and stared at her, and Willow burst out laughing.
"Look at it! It's so cute!" she said, reaching out to pet one of its heads.
"Willow, no!" Buffy shouted, "We have no idea what this thing is."
"Sure, we do," Anya interjected, "It's a pet."
"Huh?" Buffy and Xander said in unison.
"Look, there's a collar around each neck," she explained, "And one of them has a tag attached."
Willow stopped petting the thing's heads and felt the collars. "These collars are too tight," she said sympathetically, "Don't pet owners realize that they have a responsibility to not be cruel to their pets?"
"Willow . . ." Buffy interrupted.
"Oh, yeah, right," and she took hold of the tag in order to read it.
"Hi! My name is Ulog. If I am lost, please return me to my worried owner," was all that the tag had on it.
"Aww, are you lost boy(s) . . . or girl(s)?" Willow asked the beast, looking from one pitiable face to the other.
Suddenly, it turned and galloped away. The gang tried to chase it, but the animal was too fast, and they soon gave up.
"So, what kind of demon has a pet 'Ulog?'" Xander asked.
"'Ulog' is its name, not its species," Willow replied, trailing off as she realized that was a moot point.
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As usual, while the others patrolled, Tara was studying in the university library. She suddenly got a severe case of the heebie jeebies, and the hair rose on the back of her neck. She whipped around and saw Spike coming up behind her. She inhaled sharply, then said, "You shouldn't sneak up on a person like that."
"I want to ask you an important question," he said.
"What?" she stammered, trying unsuccessfully to hide how nervous he made her.
"How did you and Willow get together?"
"Why are you asking me that? You shouldn't be asking me that." She was getting angry.
"Look," he said, "Do you think there aren't homosexual vampires? Not me, mind you, but still, we're quite a liberal lot. I just want . . ." *For God's sake, don't beg* he told himself, *don't get all sappy and give away your true motivations. * "Just answer the question."
Tara looked into his eyes. She was shocked to see not the monster who terrified her, but a desperate man trying to learn the secret of getting a girl to fall for him. Her pity for him made her decide to open up to him and tell him the truth. She was so used to keeping her relationship with Willow a secret from everyone, except the Scooby Gang, who accepted it as long as they didn't have to think about the two of them being intimate, that she found herself almost eager to talk about it with someone who truly wanted to hear about it.
"Well," she began, "I liked Willow right away." A wave of shyness washed over her and she looked away for a moment. But concentrating on Willow gave her the courage to continue. "It took Willow a little longer."
"So, what finally convinced her?" Spike asked.
Tara paused for a moment. "I think it was when Oz came back," she said thoughtfully. "I guess her seeing him again, well she realized, um, at least that was when she told me . . ." she trailed off.
"That she loves you?" Spike tentatively finished for her.
"Yeah," she said, and she blushed from her head to her toes. Spike seemed to drift off in thoughts so she said quickly, "I have to go now."
He made eye contact with her and said, "Thank you," and then Tara left. Spike came to a disturbing conclusion, and went to see someone else.
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"Riley Finn," he told Medina, who was a non-violent demon who happened to be a computer whiz. He then proceeded to give her as much information as he could, which wasn't a lot, regarding Riley's departure with the secret military organization called "The Initiative."
Medina searched the internet using several different search engines, but had no luck. When Spike produced a good-sized wad of cash, she said she knew of some other ways to locate people through the internet, and she resumed typing.
While she searched through backdoors and hidden links, using various secret passcodes she had uncovered over the past few years, Spike paced about her office, chain-smoking. After what seemed like an eternity, she said, "Found him," and Spike rushed over to look at her computer screen.
"So, Captain Cardboard is deep in the jungles of . . . Kansas?!" Spike said incredulously. "Kansas? Are you sure?" he asked.
"Hey, don't bite the messenger," Medina answered. She printed the information for Spike.
As he left for Kansas, he said under his breath, "This had better be worth it."
DAY TWO
Buffy, Willow, Xander and Anya were out patrolling. Tara had come to the realization, several weeks ago, that she was not cut out for the slash and bash side of patrolling. Her gifts were much more useful at the researching end. The group counted on her to locate whatever spell or spells would be most effective in defeating their adversaries. She and Giles would round up the necessary components and she and Willow would perform the spell or spells. Occasionally, they'd allow Dawn to watch, but Buffy forbade her to participate in any way. Dawn was not permitted to speak or to handle any ingredients.
They were having a relatively quiet night-two vampires and one Vemus demon, so far, when an animal suddenly jumped out from the bushes. It almost resembled a dog. It walked on all fours and it was covered in white fur so thick that it gave the beast the look of a giant cotton ball. Its back was about three feet high, and it had two heads which both seemed disproportionately small for its enormous body. Each head had two large, brown eyes, a pug nose and a small mouth with a short, wide tongue. The white fur on each head curled down, almost like bangs, and covered part of its eyes. It curled its lips back at Willow and made a noise that almost passed for a growl, but sounded more like a sigh. It cocked both heads and stared at her, and Willow burst out laughing.
"Look at it! It's so cute!" she said, reaching out to pet one of its heads.
"Willow, no!" Buffy shouted, "We have no idea what this thing is."
"Sure, we do," Anya interjected, "It's a pet."
"Huh?" Buffy and Xander said in unison.
"Look, there's a collar around each neck," she explained, "And one of them has a tag attached."
Willow stopped petting the thing's heads and felt the collars. "These collars are too tight," she said sympathetically, "Don't pet owners realize that they have a responsibility to not be cruel to their pets?"
"Willow . . ." Buffy interrupted.
"Oh, yeah, right," and she took hold of the tag in order to read it.
"Hi! My name is Ulog. If I am lost, please return me to my worried owner," was all that the tag had on it.
"Aww, are you lost boy(s) . . . or girl(s)?" Willow asked the beast, looking from one pitiable face to the other.
Suddenly, it turned and galloped away. The gang tried to chase it, but the animal was too fast, and they soon gave up.
"So, what kind of demon has a pet 'Ulog?'" Xander asked.
"'Ulog' is its name, not its species," Willow replied, trailing off as she realized that was a moot point.
----------------------------------------------------------------
As usual, while the others patrolled, Tara was studying in the university library. She suddenly got a severe case of the heebie jeebies, and the hair rose on the back of her neck. She whipped around and saw Spike coming up behind her. She inhaled sharply, then said, "You shouldn't sneak up on a person like that."
"I want to ask you an important question," he said.
"What?" she stammered, trying unsuccessfully to hide how nervous he made her.
"How did you and Willow get together?"
"Why are you asking me that? You shouldn't be asking me that." She was getting angry.
"Look," he said, "Do you think there aren't homosexual vampires? Not me, mind you, but still, we're quite a liberal lot. I just want . . ." *For God's sake, don't beg* he told himself, *don't get all sappy and give away your true motivations. * "Just answer the question."
Tara looked into his eyes. She was shocked to see not the monster who terrified her, but a desperate man trying to learn the secret of getting a girl to fall for him. Her pity for him made her decide to open up to him and tell him the truth. She was so used to keeping her relationship with Willow a secret from everyone, except the Scooby Gang, who accepted it as long as they didn't have to think about the two of them being intimate, that she found herself almost eager to talk about it with someone who truly wanted to hear about it.
"Well," she began, "I liked Willow right away." A wave of shyness washed over her and she looked away for a moment. But concentrating on Willow gave her the courage to continue. "It took Willow a little longer."
"So, what finally convinced her?" Spike asked.
Tara paused for a moment. "I think it was when Oz came back," she said thoughtfully. "I guess her seeing him again, well she realized, um, at least that was when she told me . . ." she trailed off.
"That she loves you?" Spike tentatively finished for her.
"Yeah," she said, and she blushed from her head to her toes. Spike seemed to drift off in thoughts so she said quickly, "I have to go now."
He made eye contact with her and said, "Thank you," and then Tara left. Spike came to a disturbing conclusion, and went to see someone else.
---------------------------------------------------------------
"Riley Finn," he told Medina, who was a non-violent demon who happened to be a computer whiz. He then proceeded to give her as much information as he could, which wasn't a lot, regarding Riley's departure with the secret military organization called "The Initiative."
Medina searched the internet using several different search engines, but had no luck. When Spike produced a good-sized wad of cash, she said she knew of some other ways to locate people through the internet, and she resumed typing.
While she searched through backdoors and hidden links, using various secret passcodes she had uncovered over the past few years, Spike paced about her office, chain-smoking. After what seemed like an eternity, she said, "Found him," and Spike rushed over to look at her computer screen.
"So, Captain Cardboard is deep in the jungles of . . . Kansas?!" Spike said incredulously. "Kansas? Are you sure?" he asked.
"Hey, don't bite the messenger," Medina answered. She printed the information for Spike.
As he left for Kansas, he said under his breath, "This had better be worth it."