Giles sat at a library table, his feet propped on another chair in a rare display of wild and reckless abandon.
Well, for Giles, anyway.
The door banged open and a familiar voice rang through the rooms. "Hey Giles!" He smiled a bit, putting his newspaper down just as Buffy walked through the doorway. "Whoa, Giles without a tie. Is that legal?" she joked, cocking her head. He raised an eyebrow and regarded her silently for a moment.
"Um. Right. No making fun of LibraryMan. Sorry, forgot," Buffy said, abashed. She produced a book from her bag and held it out to him, head down in mock repentance. "Forgive me, sir. I got your…um…research material for you." Suddenly Giles became much more animated, leaping from his seat and grabbing the book from her hand.
"Where on earth did you find this?"
"I have my sources. …Most of them undead, but I don't want to hear any complaining."
Giles scoured the cover of the book for a moment, his eyes gleaming with booklust experienced only by the truly geeky. Buffy raised her eyebrows.
"Any particular reason why you had me searching all over the state for this particular Harry Potter book? Does the kid lose his magical powers? Or…does it contain powerful spells? Or does it have a killer twist ending?"
"This is a first-edition UK hardcover, Buffy. There aren't a lot of them in California."
"Oh. And…so…in future years this book will be a priceless piece of history?"
Giles smirked as he sifted gently through the pages. "Alas, no. The publishers'll make more. But I have a connection on eBay that'll give me $200 for this book and then I can get others. With real magic in them."
Buffy snorted and threw her backpack down on the table. "Rupert Giles, financial wizard." Giles gave her a condescending glance before he returned to his book. The door to the library slammed again and the two simultaneously looked up.
"G'morning, Wesley," Buffy exhaled, picking up her backpack in an unsubtle attempt to make an escape. Giles quickly picked up his newspaper and buried himself in the obituary section.
"Good morning, Buffy. How was patrol last night?" Wesley asked pompously, checking his watch to make sure he was on time.
"Lousy. I've never been so bored in my life. Not a single demon."
"Not something to complain about."
"Right, sorry. Had lots of fun roaming around a cemetery until 2 in the morning. The place was, pardon the pun, dead."
Giles granted himself a small smile at the other Watcher's expense. "Be that as it may, Buffy, a completely demon-free night isn't exactly wonderful news. Keep your eyes open for anything unusual."
"Unusual? In Sunnydale? Perish the thought, Buff!" Xander walked through the library doors. "And here I thought we lived in perfect Smalltown USA, where lawns are impeccably manicured and housewives wear pearls and everyone drives sensible American-made sedans and--" he began, but Giles raised his hand in protest.
"No sarcasm before nine o'clock, please."
"Sir yes sir."
***
It was a beautiful spring day. Much too beautiful to waste on things like homeroom, according to Oz. Which was exactly why he was washing his van in the bright sunlight of the late morning. With the radio blaring on the porch steps, he didn't hear a car screech to a halt next to his house.
"Hello. Are you Daniel Osborne?"
He jumped as a voice sounded suddenly in his ear. Oz turned around and came nose to chin with a strange girl. "Y-yeah, that's me. Oz," he said uncertainly. The girl paused a moment before breaking into a wide smile.
"Oh thank heavens, I thought Laura had gotten us lost again. Horrible driving skills," the girl laughed, waving a hand to her car and the others sitting inside it. Oz grinned, relieved, and waved to the two girls still in the car. He had thought for a moment that something…unusual was going to happen.
The girl standing in front of reached out a manicured hand and shook Oz's. "I'm Lisa. So good to meet you, bet you're wondering why the hell we're bothering you, eh?" Oz, a bit confused by the events, nodded his head dazedly. Lisa laughed again. "We're Cecelia Song. Um…the band. The managers at the Bronze said you'd help us find some connections…?"
Oz gaped a bit. "You're Cecelia Song? Like, the Cecelia Song? No way!" He gazed in a stupor at the girl, taking in all of her--from her sleek updo to the bottoms of her strappy little sandals.
"Way."
"Whoa. You're playing in Sunnydale?"
"For the weekend. Needed to get away from city life for a while. You know."
Oz nodded his head enthusiastically. "Well, it's certainly an honor. You guys rock. You're, like, an inspiration to local bands everywhere."
Lisa grinned and nodded, gazing at Oz's van and inside it. She spied his guitar. "D'you play too?"
Oz nodded sheepishly. "Yeah, actually, I'm in a band too. Um…local. We're not so good."
"What's your name? Maybe we've heard of you."
"Um…'Dingoes Ate My Baby.' I know it's stupid and I told the other guys that, but--"
"You're part of Dingoes Ate My Baby? Awesome! We heard your demo, and you guys have such raw talent!"
Oz stared at the girl, flabbergasted. "Really?"
"Yeah, really! Hey, Laura! Gina! He's from Dingoes!" The two other girls vaulted out of the convertible and raced over to Oz and Lisa. "Yeah, he's Oz," she told the other two importantly. The two other girls eyed Oz with obvious admiration.
"Heard your CD. You guys are wicked cool."
"Yeah, seriously. Powerful emotions."
Oz was beginning to feel a little dizzy. "Which one's Laura and which one's Gina?" he asked stupidly. The three girls chuckled. "Laura," the girl on the far right introduced herself, shaking Oz's hand. He gave her a quick appraising glance. Curly red hair (and lots of it--whoa) and dark red lipstick…with a Union Jack t-shirt and leather pants. Definite style, Oz mused, flushing a bit as he realized Laura was smirking at his unsubtle gaze. "And Gina," the other girl smiled, shaking Oz's hand and blatantly running her index finger across his wrist. WHOA. Blonde hair and green eyes (a very nice combo) with a teal ribbed sweater and faded jeans…Oz grinned.
I'm standing in my driveway with Cecelia Song. No freaking way this is real.
"Laura, Lisa and Gina. Cecelia Song. And to think I actually contemplated homeroom today," Oz laughed, running a hand through his hair. The girls grinned.
"So, know anyone who'll help us set up tomorrow night? Those bastards at the Bronze said they only paid for band members and no coterie. And our amps are so heavy," Laura frowned, twining a curl around her fingers. Oz raised an eyebrow at the word coterie. These girls had been around--he wondered how many Sunnydale High girls knew french phrases. Wonder how many girls know France, actually. Well, except Willow…Oz suddenly felt a pang of guilt as he inconveniently remembered his significant other.
"Uh…yeah, well, I could get my guys together and we could help. If you want," Oz said uncertainly. Lisa nodded her head enthusiastically, and Laura said "Oh, that'd be wonderful. We could…pay you guys or something. Give you a private show," she grinned as Lisa and Gina burst into giggles. Oz laughed. "No, that's fine. We'll do it for free, I'm sure. The guys will sh---um. They'll be really excited when I tell them who's playing."
Gina grinned. "Sounds great. We'll be sure to give you guys our autographs." She and Lisa began walking back to their car. "I'm driving!" Gina shouted.
"If you give us yours," Laura added, flashing Oz a wide smile. Oz nodded and Laura began to walk away. She stopped suddenly and turned around. "You said you were going to school late?"
Oz gulped and nodded.
"Want a ride? We could use the publicity," she said nonchalantly. Oz glanced at the sponge and bucket on the driveway, and then back at Laura, who began to tap her foot in a display of mock impatience.
"Yeah, sure. I can introduce you to my friends."
Laura grinned again. "Well good. Come on!" she said, grabbing Oz's hand and dragging him to the car. She vaulted into the backseat and Oz scrambled behind her. Lisa and Gina were both clapping and cheering, and as Gina screeched out of the parking spot, Oz couldn't help a feeling of exhilaration as the wind flowed through his hair.
***
"Nuh uh."
"Yuh huh!"
"Nuh uh!"
"Yuh huh!"
"Nuh uh!"
"Yuh huh!"
"Children, please," Giles murmured as he sifted through the turned-in books pile. Xander and Buffy were glaring at each other, at a standoff on opposite sides of the library table. None of the other Watchers have stories like these at the conventions… Giles thought idly.
"He started it," Buffy growled.
"Did not," Xander snarled.
"Did too!"
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
Giles slowly and calmly put down his book and walked over to the library counter. He opened a drawer and rummaged through it as Xander and Buffy continued their debate ("DID NOT!" "DID TOO!"). He suddenly smiled and closed the drawer. He walked over to the two students and tore off a piece of packaging tape and attached it firmly to Buffy's mouth mid-too. Buffy sat up, her eyes wide in astonishment as she hesitantly touched the strip covering her mouth. Xander began to snicker and Giles walked slowly to his side of the table and repeated the process. Xander glared up at the librarian and let out a string of angry noises, all of which were mercifully muffled by the packing strip. Wesley watched the entire scene in wordless astonishment.
"Now that we've calmed down, perhaps you two may settle this peacefully," Giles began, taking a seat between the two silent charges. "Buffy, Xander didn't mean to insult the integrity of 'the Powerpuff Girls.' Did you, Xander?" Xander grumbled a bit. "Of course not. And Xander, Buffy didn't really mean to say that your comic book collection was a waste of money and grey matter. Did you, Buffy?" Buffy just glared at the Watcher. "Right. And now I think both of you should shake hands and make up." Buffy and Xander both glared at Giles, and then at each other. "Well, go on! I have to get work done and I can't spend all day babysitting you two!" the man declared, losing his temper a bit.
Buffy and Xander, still staring daggers at each other, reached across the table and shook hands. "Right. Good. Now we can just take that tape off--" he began, reaching for the tape on Xander's face. Xander backed away, his hands up in protest. "Oh, now what?" Xander rummaged around in his backpack and produced a pen and notebook and began scribbling something on a sheet of paper.
"…'No, don't rip it off, it'll hurt'? Oh, don't be such a baby, Xander." Giles reached for Xander's face again, but Xander jumped out of his chair and ran to the other side of the table, standing behind Buffy's chair. Buffy looked a little apprehensive herself.
Giles sighed. "Fine. Look, I'll take it off with a trick I learned from an old watcher in London. It won't hurt."
Xander and Buffy visibly relaxed, and Giles advanced on them calmly. "All right. Now, for this to work…um…both of you hold hands." Buffy and Xander clasped hands firmly. "Right. And now…raise the other above your head. Like a yogi." The two did as told and Giles grinned faintly. Wesley ventured from his secluded spot in the reference section to watch the process. "And…now close your eyes as I say a quick incantation and then the tape'll be off!"
Buffy and Xander closed their eyes obediently. Giles held back a small laugh. "Right, um…draco…dormiens…nunquam titillandus!" Giles said, and then he gave the tape on their mouths a quick tug.
The simultaneous shrieks of Buffy and Xander echoed through the rows of books in the library. Wesley had not only dropped his book but had actually started laughing, clutching his side as he grasped the corner of a table for support. Giles simply grinned and threw the two used strips of tape into a dustbin.
"Holy crap, Giles, I thought you said that wouldn't hurt!" Buffy exclaimed.
"Um…right. Must've gotten the incantation wrong. It's been years, after all," Giles said, wiping his glasses with his handkerchief. Buffy glared at Wesley, who had resorted to the support of a chair and was still laughing hysterically.
Xander, his eyes unusually bright, was rubbing his mouth tentatively. A moment after, he finally spoke.
"Aw, man, it took off my cool goatee!"
The occupants of the library stared at him. Xander stared back defensively. "What? I could grow a goatee!"
Buffy raised an eyebrow and spoke. "What, you mean those two little hairs on your chin? Was that your cool goatee, Xander?"
Xander glared at the Slayer. "Hey Buffy, I think I liked you better when you had tape on your mouth."
The library doors slammed open and everyone looked up to see the newcomers.
"…Hey, Oz," Buffy said hesitantly, gazing at his familiar face, and incredulously at the three girls walking a step behind him. Oz was grinning from ear to ear.
"Hey, guys, I want you to meet some people. This is Gina and Lisa and Laura," he said, pointing to each girl respectively, "and they're playing at the Bronze tomorrow night." The usual crew stood stock-still, trying to comprehend this unusual turn of events. Giles snapped out of his stupor first, which didn't surprise anyone.
"Very nice to meet you all," he said, smiling at the girls and shaking their hands. He took them in quickly, from Gina's gum-chomping to Laura's smirk to Lisa's bored stare to…Laura's…smirk…
Giles quickly returned to his position at the table and picked up a book. Buffy nodded to the girls and smiled graciously. "So, playing at the Bronze Saturday, huh? Oz is in a band too, you know--"
"Yeah."
"Dingoes Ate My Baby."
"We've heard them."
The three girls fired back their answers at rapid speed, smiling innocently. Buffy and the others were slightly taken aback. All, that is, except for Oz, who didn't seem to find anything amiss.
"So what's the name of your band? Vice Girls?" Xander asked suddenly, eyeing Lisa's short skirt interestedly. Lisa raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, clever. You must be the brains of this operation," she said icily.
"No, actually, we're Cecelia Song," Gina broke in, glaring at Lisa. Lisa stared back at Gina, her usual slightly-sardonic expression settling on her face.
"Cecelia Song? I've heard of them," Xander said, a hint of surprise in his tone.
"Oh, well, seems we've arrived then. Break out the champagne, girls, we're a smash," Lisa muttered. Laura subtly ground a stiletto heel into Lisa's foot.
"Ow!"
"Stop being frigid. He's interested."
"He's idiotic."
"He's standing a foot away from you," Xander said quietly, facing Lisa. She had the decency to blush.
"Um, sorry. Didn't mean it. I'm sure you have excellent taste in music and everything."
"Well, obviously, since I listen to you guys."
Lisa stared at the boy, unable to believe he had actually succeeded in paying her a compliment. She suddenly smiled. "Hey, thanks. For that you get a free pass to tomorrow night's show." Xander grinned.
Everyone's attention was suddenly diverted as Wesley fell down the stairs. Xander and Buffy both snickered as he righted himself quickly and dusted off his suit.
"Wesley Wendham-Price," he said, striding forward, his hand outstretched. He shook hands with all three girls before he turned to Laura, smiling a bit. Laura raised an unsure eyebrow--the boy was…off, somehow. He glanced at her union jack shirt and spoke.
"Your shirt is quite…patriotic. Are you a fellow countryman?" he asked, his accent very thick. Laura snickered.
"What, you mean you're from England? Never would have guessed," she grinned. "And no, I'm just a rebellious 'bloody colonial'."
"Oh," he said, shamefaced, and he cleared his throat. Laura laughed.
"What, just because I'm an American, I'm not worthy of conversation?" she grinned evilly. "Bet I know more about the Rolling Stones than you, brit boy." Giles' head snapped up from his book and he gazed at the redhead with appreciation from behind the library counter.
"What sort of band do you girls have?" he asked suddenly, surprising everyone, including himself. The three girls exchanged glances.
"Well, let me put it this way. You like the Backstreet Boys?" Gina asked.
"No."
"John Tesh?"
"Certainly not." Giles looked revolted.
"Britney Spears?"
"Who?"
"You'll like us, then," Gina grinned. "We like to think we transcend genre."
"Who plays…what instrument?" Wesley asked uncertainly. He was still puzzling over the "moving rocks" Laura had mentioned earlier.
"Gina's on the drums and Laura's vocals. And I play the guitar," Lisa said proudly. Oz gazed at Lisa with profound respect.
"Oz plays the guitar too," Buffy piped up, unwilling to let the strangers monopolize the entire conversation. Lisa looked at Oz with interest. "Which sort do you play? Bass, rhythm or lead?" she asked.
"Bass," Oz replied.
"Cool. Hey, you should play with us. How about it, a Dingo-Cecelia crossbreed?" she asked, smiling.
"I'm thinking a 'hell yeah' is in order," Oz said contemplatively. "What do you play?"
"Rhythm."
"Cool."
"Well, good to meet you all. I'm afraid we've got to run, but hey, you all have free passes to the show for being so nice to us," Gina said decisively. "And tell everyone you know to show up, as I'm holding you all personally responsible if no one comes to our show."
Gina and Lisa smiled and waved to the group as they began to walk out. Lisa winked covertly at Xander, who blushed and suddenly became very interested in the etchings on the library table. Laura was a half-step behind them, but she stopped suddenly at the counter in front of Giles. She picked up a book and ran a finger down its spine, propping her elbows on the counter and lowering her voice. "Saw your reaction to my Stones reference. Is Sir Giles a closet rocker?" she smiled softly. "You don't have to answer. Mind if I borrow this?" she asked, holding the book to her chest protectively.
"Well, I don't--" Giles began bewilderedly.
"Good," Laura smiled. "You'll just have to come and find me to get it back." She then walked briskly out of the library just as Cordelia walked in.
"Hey everyone except Xander, what's new?" she asked. No one quite knew how to answer her.
***
Laura thumbed through the book as Lisa drove swiftly away from Sunnydale High. Gina leaned back over the front seat and looked on with interest.
"Whatcha doing?" she asked innocently.
"Reading. You wouldn't be interested," Laura replied tersely, not looking up from her book. Lisa snickered.
"Oh. Whatcha reading?" Gina asked, unfazed by the covert insult.
Laura held up her book so Gina could see the engraving on the spine.
"The…odd…oddi…Odyssey!" Gina finished triumphantly. Lisa glanced at Laura in rearview mirror and raised an eyebrow. "Very nice choice. Our first big cameo," she grinned. Laura grinned too, continuing to rifle through the pages.
"Saw you talking to the old man, Laura. Looking very cozy with the old man," Gina smirked, examining her nails.
"His name is Giles," Laura said, glaring at Gina for a moment.
"I don't get you, Laura. You always go for the half-dead ones," Lisa admonished. Laura scowled at her.
"Pardon me for disagreeing, but I do believe Giles has more vitality about him than your sexy love kitten Xander."
Lisa frowned as she slowed the car at a stoplight. "You know I did my level best to drive him away. Much too innocent for my tastes."
"Oh, but you'd have such fun corrupting him!"
Gina stopped examining her nails suddenly. "How long are we going to be here?"
"Sunday morning," Lisa replied.
"What are we going to do tonight?" Gina asked.
"Well, I don't know. What do you want to do tonight?" Lisa asked good-humoredly.
Gina flashed the other two girls a wicked grin. "Play," she said, cocking her head slightly.
"What are we going to do now?" Lisa asked. Laura looked up from her book.
"Go back to the hotel," she said, a slow smile spreading across her face, "and order room service." Lisa and Gina both began to laugh.
"Good call. I could use a bite," Lisa said.
"And then after that?" Laura asked as the stoplight turned green.
"We play!" Gina shrieked, clapping her hands excitedly. Laura and Lisa both burst into laughter as the car zoomed down the street.