~Oz~
I can count the number of times in my life that I've been scared-- truly
terrified-- on both hands. Which seems like a lot, I suppose, unless it was
to someone I've lived my life with.
This was one of those times.
We weren't in any immediate danger. I couldn't even describe what kind of
future danger we were facing. I only knew that we were facing it. It was a
faceless, unnamed terror looming over us, waiting for our blood to spill. I
paused from flipping through my book-- the book that I wasn't really reading
but should have been-- to hug Willow a little bit closer to me. She adjusted
in my arms quickly, as though she had been waiting for me to do that; to
offer a comfort that we both needed.
The whole situation was surreal. Which, don't get me wrong, is usually
something that I like. I'm sort of surreal myself sometimes. But there was
darkness now. Darkness attached to the day and night, making the laughter
and friendship seem out of place.
Although... What better time for it?
Cordelia and Xander came back inside and were quiet for a while, sitting
down. After a while, she leaned forward and picked up a book and silently
stroked the thick pages of it. Her eyes glittered with tears. Soon she
stopped, though, and looked up at Giles curiously. "These feel more like
leather than pages. Even the crusty pages of most of your old books."
He nodded without even looking up. "They are. Leather, that is."
"Really?" Her hand continued feeling the page. "It's so soft. What kind?"
Finally he glanced at her, and I saw him fight to keep the corners of his
mouth from curving up. "The Pudendum Scrolls pages were made from one
hundred different types of virgin species genitalia. In some creatures'
society it was considered a great honor to sacrifice your own flesh to
compose--"
The book thudding heavily back onto the table interrupted him. Cordelia's
eyes were slits, her mouth tight as she stared at Giles. Her lip curled up
in disgust. "I.... Hate you."
Willow laughed beside me and tried to disguise the sound as a cough, which
didn't work. Buffy snickered and even Xander turned his head away from her
to grin. Giles's eyes glimmered merrily before calmly turning back to his
reading.
Cordelia stood and began walking into the back. "I have to wash my hands
now."
* * * * * *
The night grew longer. And with it, our impatience grew. I was having
trouble concealing my worry. Which I guess can be considered a pretty big
thing, since I usually have no trouble concealing any of my emotions.
Except for my love of Willow, of course.
As her name flew into my mind, I looked up at her. Her hair was flowing
freely past her shoulders. Silky and auburn, like it was when I first saw
her, I had the sudden urge to reach out and slip my fingers through it. An
urge I squelched right away. I tried to berate myself about the appropriate
time for public displays of affection or adoration-- probably not during
'we're about to die' time-- but it was useless. She was too pretty.
Finally, with a sigh, I allowed myself to lean over and kiss her gently, near
her mouth. She glanced at me in surprise and I saw the beautiful pink blush
fill her cheeks.
Heaven help me. I'm nearly thirty and still feel like a teenaged werewolf
when I look at her.
She started toward me for what I hoped to be a firmer kiss directly *on* the
mouth this time, when Giles' sharp intake of breath caused us to look up. He
took off his glasses and stared at the page in front of him.
Buffy pulled out of her comfortable position leaning against him and studied
his face. "What is it, Giles?"
He waved his hand impatiently at her, still reading and after a moment looked
up, replacing his glasses. "I think I know what's going to happen."
There was silence for what seemed like the longest second in history and
finally Xander said, "Well, who's going to ask?" He gave a nervous grin.
"What's going to happen?" Buffy asked quietly.
"The hand of good," he read aloud slowly, "shall fight the army of demons for
the Power of the Old Ones." He paused for a moment looking at each of us
anxiously. "There are two kinds of of each power," he explained. "One is
the ultimate good, the oldest of old, created to balance the dark side. One
is the ultimate evil. I assume that who ever prevails in the fight will be
filled with the power of the side they fight for."
"When?" Angel asked as Giles trailed off.
"Well, from what Cordelia saw in her vision and what it says here, I think we
can safely say... Tomorrow night." His eyes landed on each of us before he
looked down. He seemed to want to go on but remained silent.
"What about the spell Cordelia saw us performing?" Willow spoke up.
"Yes, that may help." Giles cleared his throat. "Cordelia, why don't you go
over the specifics again with Willow and myself and we'll see what spell we
can drum up for the coming..." He sighed. "For tomorrow."
Cordelia spread her hands out apologetically. "I wish I could tell you more.
Circle of candles, crescent moon, bowl of water in the middle. Headache
that went away for a few hours and then returned when I wasn't looking." She
paused, her next words shaky. "Blood. Fear. Pain."
Suddenly, Willow smiled so openly and brightly that we all turned to her in
surprise. Giles nodded toward her expectantly. "Yes?"
"Well, it's just..." her voice was excited, and a little astonished. "Why
didn't you tell me about this before?"
"I-I'm sorry," Giles got out, looking like he wanted to slap his forehead.
"I've had other... I'm sorry."
"No, it's okay," Willow said hurriedly, waving away his apology, "It's just
that that spell is a simple protection ritual. It's kind of like the spell
we performed with Buffy during freshmen year of college only instead of
imbibing her with our individual spirits-- which, as we learned later that
night can be dangerous-- we'd be lending her, and whoever else was fighting,
our strength. It's dangerous in it's own right, very as a matter of fact; it
can kill. But done right, I think it could work. It doesn't ensure
protection of the fighter, but..."
"But it could help me a lot," Buffy finished. She stopped, running a hand
nervously through her hair. "Is it just dangerous to me or to all of you? I
don't want you guys putting yourself in the line of..."
"You don't really have a choice," Giles interrupted, his voice a deadly calm.
"Not with me, either," Angel spoke up, rubbing her knee.
Xander looked amused. "And you think you're going to try to leave me out of
it?"
"Or me?" Willow added.
"I'm in," I shrugged. "I like a good party as well as anyone here."
Finally Cordelia sighed heavily. "Well, I've already touched demon poop and
demon genitalia, I might as well lend you my strength. It's less yicky, at
least."
Buffy's eyes shined. "Thank you guys."
Angel kissed the top of her head. "Thank us when we win."
I can count the number of times in my life that I've been scared-- truly
terrified-- on both hands. Which seems like a lot, I suppose, unless it was
to someone I've lived my life with.
This was one of those times.
We weren't in any immediate danger. I couldn't even describe what kind of
future danger we were facing. I only knew that we were facing it. It was a
faceless, unnamed terror looming over us, waiting for our blood to spill. I
paused from flipping through my book-- the book that I wasn't really reading
but should have been-- to hug Willow a little bit closer to me. She adjusted
in my arms quickly, as though she had been waiting for me to do that; to
offer a comfort that we both needed.
The whole situation was surreal. Which, don't get me wrong, is usually
something that I like. I'm sort of surreal myself sometimes. But there was
darkness now. Darkness attached to the day and night, making the laughter
and friendship seem out of place.
Although... What better time for it?
Cordelia and Xander came back inside and were quiet for a while, sitting
down. After a while, she leaned forward and picked up a book and silently
stroked the thick pages of it. Her eyes glittered with tears. Soon she
stopped, though, and looked up at Giles curiously. "These feel more like
leather than pages. Even the crusty pages of most of your old books."
He nodded without even looking up. "They are. Leather, that is."
"Really?" Her hand continued feeling the page. "It's so soft. What kind?"
Finally he glanced at her, and I saw him fight to keep the corners of his
mouth from curving up. "The Pudendum Scrolls pages were made from one
hundred different types of virgin species genitalia. In some creatures'
society it was considered a great honor to sacrifice your own flesh to
compose--"
The book thudding heavily back onto the table interrupted him. Cordelia's
eyes were slits, her mouth tight as she stared at Giles. Her lip curled up
in disgust. "I.... Hate you."
Willow laughed beside me and tried to disguise the sound as a cough, which
didn't work. Buffy snickered and even Xander turned his head away from her
to grin. Giles's eyes glimmered merrily before calmly turning back to his
reading.
Cordelia stood and began walking into the back. "I have to wash my hands
now."
* * * * * *
The night grew longer. And with it, our impatience grew. I was having
trouble concealing my worry. Which I guess can be considered a pretty big
thing, since I usually have no trouble concealing any of my emotions.
Except for my love of Willow, of course.
As her name flew into my mind, I looked up at her. Her hair was flowing
freely past her shoulders. Silky and auburn, like it was when I first saw
her, I had the sudden urge to reach out and slip my fingers through it. An
urge I squelched right away. I tried to berate myself about the appropriate
time for public displays of affection or adoration-- probably not during
'we're about to die' time-- but it was useless. She was too pretty.
Finally, with a sigh, I allowed myself to lean over and kiss her gently, near
her mouth. She glanced at me in surprise and I saw the beautiful pink blush
fill her cheeks.
Heaven help me. I'm nearly thirty and still feel like a teenaged werewolf
when I look at her.
She started toward me for what I hoped to be a firmer kiss directly *on* the
mouth this time, when Giles' sharp intake of breath caused us to look up. He
took off his glasses and stared at the page in front of him.
Buffy pulled out of her comfortable position leaning against him and studied
his face. "What is it, Giles?"
He waved his hand impatiently at her, still reading and after a moment looked
up, replacing his glasses. "I think I know what's going to happen."
There was silence for what seemed like the longest second in history and
finally Xander said, "Well, who's going to ask?" He gave a nervous grin.
"What's going to happen?" Buffy asked quietly.
"The hand of good," he read aloud slowly, "shall fight the army of demons for
the Power of the Old Ones." He paused for a moment looking at each of us
anxiously. "There are two kinds of of each power," he explained. "One is
the ultimate good, the oldest of old, created to balance the dark side. One
is the ultimate evil. I assume that who ever prevails in the fight will be
filled with the power of the side they fight for."
"When?" Angel asked as Giles trailed off.
"Well, from what Cordelia saw in her vision and what it says here, I think we
can safely say... Tomorrow night." His eyes landed on each of us before he
looked down. He seemed to want to go on but remained silent.
"What about the spell Cordelia saw us performing?" Willow spoke up.
"Yes, that may help." Giles cleared his throat. "Cordelia, why don't you go
over the specifics again with Willow and myself and we'll see what spell we
can drum up for the coming..." He sighed. "For tomorrow."
Cordelia spread her hands out apologetically. "I wish I could tell you more.
Circle of candles, crescent moon, bowl of water in the middle. Headache
that went away for a few hours and then returned when I wasn't looking." She
paused, her next words shaky. "Blood. Fear. Pain."
Suddenly, Willow smiled so openly and brightly that we all turned to her in
surprise. Giles nodded toward her expectantly. "Yes?"
"Well, it's just..." her voice was excited, and a little astonished. "Why
didn't you tell me about this before?"
"I-I'm sorry," Giles got out, looking like he wanted to slap his forehead.
"I've had other... I'm sorry."
"No, it's okay," Willow said hurriedly, waving away his apology, "It's just
that that spell is a simple protection ritual. It's kind of like the spell
we performed with Buffy during freshmen year of college only instead of
imbibing her with our individual spirits-- which, as we learned later that
night can be dangerous-- we'd be lending her, and whoever else was fighting,
our strength. It's dangerous in it's own right, very as a matter of fact; it
can kill. But done right, I think it could work. It doesn't ensure
protection of the fighter, but..."
"But it could help me a lot," Buffy finished. She stopped, running a hand
nervously through her hair. "Is it just dangerous to me or to all of you? I
don't want you guys putting yourself in the line of..."
"You don't really have a choice," Giles interrupted, his voice a deadly calm.
"Not with me, either," Angel spoke up, rubbing her knee.
Xander looked amused. "And you think you're going to try to leave me out of
it?"
"Or me?" Willow added.
"I'm in," I shrugged. "I like a good party as well as anyone here."
Finally Cordelia sighed heavily. "Well, I've already touched demon poop and
demon genitalia, I might as well lend you my strength. It's less yicky, at
least."
Buffy's eyes shined. "Thank you guys."
Angel kissed the top of her head. "Thank us when we win."