*
"I love the sun." Buffy smiled as the warmth spread across her bedroom. She jumped out of bed, and threw open the window. There was a soft breeze, just enough to make her hair dance around her face. She breathed in deeply, and smiled again. "Good morning, sun."
"Good morning yourself." came a giggly voice from her door. Buffy turned around, and saw her mother, still clad in her blue flannel pajamas.
"Mommy!" Buffy cried happily. She ran over and gave Joyce a good morning hug. "Did you sleep well?"
"Wonderfully, Buffy." Joyce embraced her daughter. "I thought we could go out for breakfast. You know the place."
"Of course!" Buffy exclaimed. "Can we go right away?"
"As soon as we're dressed." Joyce smiled, and tapped Buffy on the nose before retreating to her own bedroom. Buffy walked over to her closet, and opened it to find all of her favorite outfits clean and ironed. After a few seconds of deliberation, she chose a pair of light khakis and a white shirt. She went downstairs to find
oyce dressed similarly.
"Ready to go?" Joyce asked, extending her arm.
"Always." Buffy linked her arm through her mother's, and they walked out the door. Together.
*
"Expandum!" Willow cried exasperatedly, daring the book to stay closed. A small puff of smoke raised from the cover, but the book remained dormant. "Damnit!"
"Give it a rest, Will." Xander spoke up from his perch on the arm of Giles' couch. "It's getting smoke-y in here."
"Sorry." Willow replied sheepishly. "I'm just getting a little impatient."
"No need for that." Giles strode into the room, a cup of tea in hand. "I just talked to Wesley, and he had quite a bit of information."
"Do tell." Xander mocked Giles' accent, receiving a harsh glare in return.
"Apparently, upon acceptance into the Council, Wesley was trained by one of the Watchers that compiled the Forbidden Texts." Giles explained. "Upon Wesley's transfer to America, his trainer told him of the book, and how to open it."
"Well?" Willow jumped in. Giles put up his hand to silence her.
"Evidently, it's not sealed by magic at all." he revealed. "Rather, it's a puzzle contrived by the three Watcher's that made it."
"Great." Xander threw up his hands. "Brain work in the middle of July. Thank you, Council Guys."
"Really, Xander," Giles shook his head. "Are you really going to complain about somethig of this importance?"
"Plus, I'm Brain-Girl, right?" Willow chirped up more positively. "So, what's the puzzle?"
"Wesley told me that in order to discover the secret of the book, you had to..." Giles paused.
"What?" Xander asked impatiently. Giles sighed.
"Well, it sounds rather absurd, but you must sleep with it under your pillow." he explained. Willow giggled.
"So the Book Fairy can come in the middle of the night, and give you a nickle?" she joked.
"Well," Giles hesitated. "Precisely."
"No way." Xander stood up. "The freaking Watcher's Council came up with the Book Fairy? To protect a forbidden book of danger? Ask me why I don't feel a hundred percent safe right now."
"I'm sure there's more to it than that, but we've got to start somewhere." Giles replied. "Willow, I suppose it should be you that sleeps with the book tonight."
"Her? She's like the Princess and The Pea." Xander pointed out.
"He's right, Giles." Willow nodded. "You should do it."
"Alright, fine then." Giles said. A glance at his watch told him that it was near midnight already. "I'll see you two first thing in the morning, then."
"G'night." Willow gathered her things. She and xander headed for the door.
"Hey, G-Man?" Xander paused. Giles looked up.
"What?" he asked.
"Sweet dreams."
*
"I love the sun." Buffy smiled as the warmth spread across her bedroom. She jumped out of bed, and threw open the window. There was a soft breeze, just enough to make her hair dance around her face. She breathed in deeply, and smiled again. "Good morning, sun."
"Good morning yourself." came a giggly voice from her door. Buffy turned around, and saw her mother, still clad in her blue flannel pajamas.
"Mommy!" Buffy cried happily. She ran over and gave Joyce a good morning hug. "Did you sleep well?"
"Wonderfully, Buffy." Joyce embraced her daughter. "I thought we could go out for breakfast. You know the place."
"Of course!" Buffy exclaimed. "Can we go right away?"
"As soon as we're dressed." Joyce smiled, and tapped Buffy on the nose before retreating to her own bedroom. Buffy walked over to her closet, and opened it to find all of her favorite outfits clean and ironed. After a few seconds of deliberation, she chose a pair of light khakis and a white shirt. She went downstairs to find
oyce dressed similarly.
"Ready to go?" Joyce asked, extending her arm.
"Always." Buffy linked her arm through her mother's, and they walked out the door. Together.
*
"Expandum!" Willow cried exasperatedly, daring the book to stay closed. A small puff of smoke raised from the cover, but the book remained dormant. "Damnit!"
"Give it a rest, Will." Xander spoke up from his perch on the arm of Giles' couch. "It's getting smoke-y in here."
"Sorry." Willow replied sheepishly. "I'm just getting a little impatient."
"No need for that." Giles strode into the room, a cup of tea in hand. "I just talked to Wesley, and he had quite a bit of information."
"Do tell." Xander mocked Giles' accent, receiving a harsh glare in return.
"Apparently, upon acceptance into the Council, Wesley was trained by one of the Watchers that compiled the Forbidden Texts." Giles explained. "Upon Wesley's transfer to America, his trainer told him of the book, and how to open it."
"Well?" Willow jumped in. Giles put up his hand to silence her.
"Evidently, it's not sealed by magic at all." he revealed. "Rather, it's a puzzle contrived by the three Watcher's that made it."
"Great." Xander threw up his hands. "Brain work in the middle of July. Thank you, Council Guys."
"Really, Xander," Giles shook his head. "Are you really going to complain about somethig of this importance?"
"Plus, I'm Brain-Girl, right?" Willow chirped up more positively. "So, what's the puzzle?"
"Wesley told me that in order to discover the secret of the book, you had to..." Giles paused.
"What?" Xander asked impatiently. Giles sighed.
"Well, it sounds rather absurd, but you must sleep with it under your pillow." he explained. Willow giggled.
"So the Book Fairy can come in the middle of the night, and give you a nickle?" she joked.
"Well," Giles hesitated. "Precisely."
"No way." Xander stood up. "The freaking Watcher's Council came up with the Book Fairy? To protect a forbidden book of danger? Ask me why I don't feel a hundred percent safe right now."
"I'm sure there's more to it than that, but we've got to start somewhere." Giles replied. "Willow, I suppose it should be you that sleeps with the book tonight."
"Her? She's like the Princess and The Pea." Xander pointed out.
"He's right, Giles." Willow nodded. "You should do it."
"Alright, fine then." Giles said. A glance at his watch told him that it was near midnight already. "I'll see you two first thing in the morning, then."
"G'night." Willow gathered her things. She and xander headed for the door.
"Hey, G-Man?" Xander paused. Giles looked up.
"What?" he asked.
"Sweet dreams."
*