Part 8
"Anya, please do stop hovering!" Giles was elbow deep in reference books at the study table. Anya had been poking around for the last half-hour, sometimes flipping through a book and other times rubbing at some imaginary dust. Currently she was perched behind the Watcher, reading over his shoulder.
"Am I bothering you?"
Giles removed his glasses and leaned back in his chair. He rubbed his face with both hands. "This is very difficult." He sighed. "I'm looking for obscure references relating to calendar dates and astronomical alignments." He closed his book with another sigh. "And I'm not finding anything."
"Well you know." Anya moved to sit beside him. "It's hardly unusual for us to have demons and strange disturbances around here. The last time we had to save the world it was just Willow having a bad skin day."
"Anya. Haven't you heard anything through the, er, demon pipeline?"
She shook her head. "No, but they're unhappy with me. I'm under my quota." She laced her fingers together and sat them on the table. "Actually, I've only granted one wish all summer, and that one didn't go well."
"How so?"
"Well, every time a girl starts in about how mad she is because her boyfriend did something awful, I kind of." Anya paused and looked around, embarrassed. "I kind of start talking about myself. and Xander. then the whole wedding disaster comes up." She broke off and looked up at Giles. "Finally, this girl wished that I would just shut up."
Giles tried to choke back his laughter. "I can't honestly say I haven't had the same desire from time to time!" At her hurt look, he stifled his chuckles. "So tell me, did you curse yourself?"
"I had to!" Giles burst out laughing this time. Anya continued, "Then I teleported to D'Hoffryn, because he's the only one who could undo the curse. Normally," she clarified "I could undo my own, but since it was on me it got a bit. sticky."
"How did you.?"
"Actually I couldn't tell him since, you know, I couldn't talk. I tried pointing at my mouth and stamping my feet. I even tried drawing it, but he didn't understand."
"But."
"It turns out that he knew what had happened all along. We're monitored you know, like e-mail at work. He was just messing with me."
After Giles finished laughing, he replaced his glasses and leaned toward her. "Anya, in all seriousness, have you considered giving up your. calling?"
A sad look crossed her face. "I can't." She shook her head slowly. "Only D'Hoffryn can break the contract once I've accepted his offer."
"Have you asked him to let you out?" She looked at him and silently nodded her head. "I see."
The bell on the door rang, announcing the arrival of Buffy and William. Anya rose uncomfortably and retreated to the sanctuary of her counter. Giles glanced at her quizzically before turning his attention to the others. He stood. "William, I'm glad you could make it."
Since the vampire's return the two men had developed a very friendly relationship. They often played chess and engaged in philosophical conversations that Buffy had difficulty following. Who knew that Spike was smart? He had certainly done his best to conceal it with his bluster and bravado and big bad persona. His new soul seemed to counteract his need to misrepresent himself. The changes in him were fascinating, and Buffy kept discovering new aspects of his personality. Giles and William were in deep discussion already. Buffy was shaken from her musings when she heard Giles mention patrolling.
"Who's patrolling?"
"I've asked William here to check out the area by the river tonight. It seems that quite a few of the, um, the bodies have surfaced there. It's certainly suspicious."
"Well I can patrol!"
William fixed her with a gaze. "Didn't you say you had a shift tonight?"
She waved off the thought. "I'll just call in."
"Buffy," Giles interjected. "I really don't think you need to change your plans."
"Nonsense. If there is patrolling to do, I'm your girl. Besides, we only come across a possible apocalypse, what, maybe once or twice a year. I'm in." She strode over to the phone and punched in the number for the Doublemeat Palace.
William turned to Giles. "Tell me again about some of these portents. I'm only aware of the increased demon activity."
"Just recently there have been a few reports of." Giles removed his glasses and lowered his voice. "A dragon, of some sort."
"WHAT?" Buffy yelled.
"Or perhaps a Pterodactyl." He turned in her direction.
"You can't fire me! All I did was call in sick."
Giles blushed and replaced his glasses. "I see Buffy was addressing a separate issue."
"A dragon you say?" William furrowed his brow. "I can't say I've ever encountered one. Have you checked with Anya?"
"Not yet. We talked today, but got a little. sidetracked."
Buffy slammed down the phone.
"Hey!" Anya objected.
Buffy ignored her and strode unhappily over to Giles. "They fired me!"
"So I gathered"
"They said I called in sick too much."
"Two to three times per week could be construed as excessive."
"How do they know that I'm not really sick? I mean, do you think they routinely fire sick people? There should be a law about that!"
"Buffy." William interrupted her tirade. "You aren't sick."
"They don't know that." She turned to Giles. "So, tell me what you've got."
"As I was saying, there have been a few reports of a large flying creature, possibly a dragon."
"There are no such things as dragons." Anya called from the counter. She stepped from behind it and joined the group. "Dragons were made up in fairy tales. Now, there are a number of demons that have similarities. There's the Ghora."
"Bloody hell." William grimaced.
"You've had experience with a Ghora?" Giles inquired.
"Nasty things. Three heads. Lots of sharp teeth. Had one take a nip out of my side."
"When was this?" Buffy wanted to know.
William shook off the question. "Nothing to be concerned about. Was just helping a friend."
"It wouldn't be a Ghora." Anya continued. "They don't fly. Besides I think the last one died out about four-hundred years ago."
"Well the one that took a taste of me was doing a nice impression of being alive."
Buffy turned to William. "I say we go out and search around. Standing around talking about what it might be isn't going to get us far." She looked at Giles. "Keep checking the books and I'll let you know if we find anything. Oh, and will you call Dawn and let her know what's going on. She has some homework to do that should keep her busy."
"Fine." Giles nodded, already seating himself.
With that, Buffy and William picked up their weapons and left the shop.
"Anya, please do stop hovering!" Giles was elbow deep in reference books at the study table. Anya had been poking around for the last half-hour, sometimes flipping through a book and other times rubbing at some imaginary dust. Currently she was perched behind the Watcher, reading over his shoulder.
"Am I bothering you?"
Giles removed his glasses and leaned back in his chair. He rubbed his face with both hands. "This is very difficult." He sighed. "I'm looking for obscure references relating to calendar dates and astronomical alignments." He closed his book with another sigh. "And I'm not finding anything."
"Well you know." Anya moved to sit beside him. "It's hardly unusual for us to have demons and strange disturbances around here. The last time we had to save the world it was just Willow having a bad skin day."
"Anya. Haven't you heard anything through the, er, demon pipeline?"
She shook her head. "No, but they're unhappy with me. I'm under my quota." She laced her fingers together and sat them on the table. "Actually, I've only granted one wish all summer, and that one didn't go well."
"How so?"
"Well, every time a girl starts in about how mad she is because her boyfriend did something awful, I kind of." Anya paused and looked around, embarrassed. "I kind of start talking about myself. and Xander. then the whole wedding disaster comes up." She broke off and looked up at Giles. "Finally, this girl wished that I would just shut up."
Giles tried to choke back his laughter. "I can't honestly say I haven't had the same desire from time to time!" At her hurt look, he stifled his chuckles. "So tell me, did you curse yourself?"
"I had to!" Giles burst out laughing this time. Anya continued, "Then I teleported to D'Hoffryn, because he's the only one who could undo the curse. Normally," she clarified "I could undo my own, but since it was on me it got a bit. sticky."
"How did you.?"
"Actually I couldn't tell him since, you know, I couldn't talk. I tried pointing at my mouth and stamping my feet. I even tried drawing it, but he didn't understand."
"But."
"It turns out that he knew what had happened all along. We're monitored you know, like e-mail at work. He was just messing with me."
After Giles finished laughing, he replaced his glasses and leaned toward her. "Anya, in all seriousness, have you considered giving up your. calling?"
A sad look crossed her face. "I can't." She shook her head slowly. "Only D'Hoffryn can break the contract once I've accepted his offer."
"Have you asked him to let you out?" She looked at him and silently nodded her head. "I see."
The bell on the door rang, announcing the arrival of Buffy and William. Anya rose uncomfortably and retreated to the sanctuary of her counter. Giles glanced at her quizzically before turning his attention to the others. He stood. "William, I'm glad you could make it."
Since the vampire's return the two men had developed a very friendly relationship. They often played chess and engaged in philosophical conversations that Buffy had difficulty following. Who knew that Spike was smart? He had certainly done his best to conceal it with his bluster and bravado and big bad persona. His new soul seemed to counteract his need to misrepresent himself. The changes in him were fascinating, and Buffy kept discovering new aspects of his personality. Giles and William were in deep discussion already. Buffy was shaken from her musings when she heard Giles mention patrolling.
"Who's patrolling?"
"I've asked William here to check out the area by the river tonight. It seems that quite a few of the, um, the bodies have surfaced there. It's certainly suspicious."
"Well I can patrol!"
William fixed her with a gaze. "Didn't you say you had a shift tonight?"
She waved off the thought. "I'll just call in."
"Buffy," Giles interjected. "I really don't think you need to change your plans."
"Nonsense. If there is patrolling to do, I'm your girl. Besides, we only come across a possible apocalypse, what, maybe once or twice a year. I'm in." She strode over to the phone and punched in the number for the Doublemeat Palace.
William turned to Giles. "Tell me again about some of these portents. I'm only aware of the increased demon activity."
"Just recently there have been a few reports of." Giles removed his glasses and lowered his voice. "A dragon, of some sort."
"WHAT?" Buffy yelled.
"Or perhaps a Pterodactyl." He turned in her direction.
"You can't fire me! All I did was call in sick."
Giles blushed and replaced his glasses. "I see Buffy was addressing a separate issue."
"A dragon you say?" William furrowed his brow. "I can't say I've ever encountered one. Have you checked with Anya?"
"Not yet. We talked today, but got a little. sidetracked."
Buffy slammed down the phone.
"Hey!" Anya objected.
Buffy ignored her and strode unhappily over to Giles. "They fired me!"
"So I gathered"
"They said I called in sick too much."
"Two to three times per week could be construed as excessive."
"How do they know that I'm not really sick? I mean, do you think they routinely fire sick people? There should be a law about that!"
"Buffy." William interrupted her tirade. "You aren't sick."
"They don't know that." She turned to Giles. "So, tell me what you've got."
"As I was saying, there have been a few reports of a large flying creature, possibly a dragon."
"There are no such things as dragons." Anya called from the counter. She stepped from behind it and joined the group. "Dragons were made up in fairy tales. Now, there are a number of demons that have similarities. There's the Ghora."
"Bloody hell." William grimaced.
"You've had experience with a Ghora?" Giles inquired.
"Nasty things. Three heads. Lots of sharp teeth. Had one take a nip out of my side."
"When was this?" Buffy wanted to know.
William shook off the question. "Nothing to be concerned about. Was just helping a friend."
"It wouldn't be a Ghora." Anya continued. "They don't fly. Besides I think the last one died out about four-hundred years ago."
"Well the one that took a taste of me was doing a nice impression of being alive."
Buffy turned to William. "I say we go out and search around. Standing around talking about what it might be isn't going to get us far." She looked at Giles. "Keep checking the books and I'll let you know if we find anything. Oh, and will you call Dawn and let her know what's going on. She has some homework to do that should keep her busy."
"Fine." Giles nodded, already seating himself.
With that, Buffy and William picked up their weapons and left the shop.