~
"I hate these things." Giles grumbled as Jenny Calendar, the new computer teacher, sat with him as they logged on.
"Deal with it." She said, moving the mouse in an indecipherable way (to Giles, at least). She had a lot of impertinence, for a colleague. He had expected her to be somewhat more...pleasant, Giles noted with a barely concealed scowl. Although, she did smell quite nice...
"Now what was it that you wanted me to look up for you?" She asked, turning towards the British snob (in her opinion, anyway).
"What? Um, oh, yes...well, I am perfectly capable of searching on my own, thank you."
"I never said you weren't capable, Rupert. I just wasn't sure if you knew how to navigate around these sites...what with you lack of computer knowledge. You didn't even know how to sign in." She said, trying to hide the frustration in her voice. This man finds an insult in *everything *
"I'm fine, thank you. Good bye, then." Jenny threw her hands up.
"That's about enough! I'm sick of you condescending my every move!"
"Bloody hell..." Giles said, borrowing a phrase from Spike. He just wanted to check his sources for possible upcoming supernatural...er, troubles. Of course, he couldn't very well hace miss Calendar in the room when he did that...
"There you go again. What with your British-isms, acting as though I'm some freak American who is trying to destroy the world. Either that or you think I'm extremely air headed. But I'm not, Rupert. I have my Master's in technology. Now I don't know about you, but I think that's pretty damn impressive."
"Yes, quite impressive. But my problem with you isn't about your lack of intelligence, which by the way was never the case, or even with you at all. It has more to do with the fact that computers are slowing taking the place of something that I feel are much more important than bloody computers and technology."
"And what, pray tell, would that be?" Giles grabbed a hardcover from off of his desk and slammed it down in front of her.
"Books!" To this, Jenny couldn't even try to contain a laugh.
"And you're the one who's calling me condescending."
"I'm sorry, Rupert. It's just...books? Could you be a little more predictable? You know, for the last two years more e-mail was sent than regular mail." Jenny stated, feeling proud of herself.
"Oh..." Giles said, not sure how to respond.
"More digitized information went across phone lines than conversation."
"That is a fact I regard with genuine horror." Giles replied, looking straight into her eyes.
"I'll bet it is. Look, can i just ask you...what bothers you so much about computers? Are you against the expansion of information or something? Or do you just hate things that..."
"The smell." Giles said softly, cutting Jenny off.
"Computers don't smell, Rupert."
"I know! Smell is the most powerful trigger to the memory there is. A certain flower or a, a whiff of smoke can bring up experiences... long forgotten. Books smell. Musty and, and, and, and rich. The knowledge gained from a computer, is, uh, it... it has no, no texture, no, no context. It's, it's there and then it's gone. If it's to last, then, then the getting of knowledge should be, uh, tangible, it should be, um... smelly."
Jenny stared at him for a moment, intrigue resting in her eyes, before breaking her gaze and laughing.
"Well, you're certainly an old-fashioned boy, aren't you?"
"I-I, I don't dangle a corkscrew from my ear." He replied with a hint of a smile.
"That's not where I hang it." Giles' eyes widened and Jenny laughed, patting his shoulder, "See ya later, Rupert. I'll leave you to your research." She walked out leaving Giles to stare after her, filled with puzzlement, but also slight, slight captivation.
~
Pulling her lips away from Jesse's, Dawn felt her hearing perk up. Something was bustling around in bushes next to where they were standing.
"What was that?" She asked sharply. Jesse cocked his head to the side and heard the sound as well.
"I'm not sure...rabbit, maybe?" Dawn laughed, thinking of Anya. She hadn't thought about Anya since she had gotten back. In a strange sort of way, she missed her.
"Well, considering we're in Sunnydale, I better be safe." Dawn whispered, taking out a stake from her pant leg.
"Can you use that thing?" She glared at Jesse, who had seen her stake vamps many times before, "Just checking."
Suddenly, as though Dawn was clairvoyant, the vampire pounced out from behind the bushes. Followed by another. And another. And another.
"Uh, oh." Dawn said. She turned to Jesse, "Run!"
"I can't leave you here!" He yelled back. Dawn threw a clean roundhouse to keep off two of the vamps who were coming at her from the front and a backhanded punch to the other one who was trailing on her back.
"Don't be an idiot! I can handle these guys, you can't." Dawn yelled as she struggled with the fist vamp to emerge, but eventually staked. Jesse grabbed the stake and rammed it into the one that was still reeling from Dawn's punch.
"At least these guys as newbies," He said, helping Dawn to her feet, "cuz even I can take 'em." They ganged up on the third one, who threw Jesse to the ground without a seconds warning. He grabbed Dawn and held her arms, about to lean to towards her neck when Dawn felt him being yanked off of her.
"I don't think so, pal." Buffy said, punching him rapidly in his stomach. She pinned him down, digging her shoe onto his neck.
"The day..." He choked.
"What's that, junior?" She asked, lifting the pressure just enough so he could talk.
"The day...of...reckoning...is...near. Nearer...than...they...thought...it...would...be. You'll burn...Slayer. But...not...before...they...will. Or...he...will." He sputtered out. She slammed the stake into his heart.
"Cryptic much?" She whispered. Dawn and Jesse ran to her side.
"What did he say?" Dawn asked. Buffy looked at her.
"Nothing. Just your regular, "I-hate-you-Slayer" last words gibberish." She lied, standing up, "I should go...you guys probably have "stuff" to do." Buffy said, walking briskly away. She needed to find Giles, * fast *.
~
"Oh, Buffy. Vampires always have apocalyptic threats and mumblings before they're staked. It's usually just rubbish." Giles explained, squinting at the computer. Now was it the little "x" at the top of the screen that Miss Calendar had clicked to save?
"I wouldn't click that." Buffy warned, watching the direction of the cursor, "But, that's just the point Giles. It's * usually * just rubbish. But that means sometimes it isn't. Also, if he had just said "The day of reckoning is near. You'll burn, Slayer." I'd be with you, but, Giles, it seemed like he had actual substance behind it. With the "Nearer than you thought." and the "not before they will." stuff." She had deliberately left out the "Or he will." part, because that would open up a definite can of worms." Buffy sighed in frustration and hit "Ctrl + S" and then closed out.
"Oh, thank you." He took in a deep breath and cleaned his glasses, "If it means that much to you, I'll do some research...I didn't find anything a few hours ago, but I'll check again...maybe consult my books. I'll run it by Spike, see what he can find..."
"I can do that." Buffy chirped, sitting upright at the mention of Spike.
"Oh?"
"Yeah, sure. No need for you to overwork yourself." Buffy said, hoping her voice sounded dismissive. Giles nodded as though he hadn't noticed the obvious underlying feelings in her voice.
"Alright, you go ahead."
"See ya." She no less than bolted out of the room, leaving Giles to stare after her, his face betraying his concern.
~
"But Energizer has the bunny!" Buffy said, crossing her arms. Spike laughed and shook his head.
"All the same, pet, Duracell does last longer."
"And you know this how?"
"Got bored once. Decided to test them out. Energizer lasted an even 3 hours, whereas Duracell lasted 3 hours and 12 minutes. Small difference, yes, but longer none the less."
"But it's a pink bunny."
"You're right, that would impact it greatly." He replied with an eyeroll.
"You never know." Spike smirked at this and stretched out his legs onto his end of the couch they were both sitting on, inside his apartment.
"So, as pivotal as this conversation has been...why'd you really come here?" Buffy sighed.
"Vampire who said some wonky things when I was about to stake him. "Day of Reckoning" and all that."
"Right. Cuz that never happens." Buffy glared playfully at him.
"That's what Giles said."
"He had a point, then." Buffy stood up and walked around, before planting herself and lightly fingering the television and then the lamp on the coffee table next to it.
"But at the same time, this vamp seemed like he had insider info."
"You probably shouldn't have staked him, then." Spike said, motioning to the cigarette in his mouth for permission.
"Ew." Buffy said, shaking her head vehemently. Spike rolled his eyes and placed it back in the pack, "Anyway, he said that the day, the apocalypse, I mean, would come even sooner than "they" thought, whoever "they" are..." Buffy trailed off, noticing the expression upon Spike's face, which showed that he knew something and was either extremely pissed off about it or pretty damn scared.
"What?" She asked, moving closer to him. He snapped up, the glaze over his blue eyes breaking.
"I gotta go..." He said, standing.
"Déjà vu all over again." Buffy said, half-teasingly at his mannerisms.
"I have to do research," He explained, "See if I can find out anything."
"But you have an idea of what it might be?"
"Yes." But I'll never tell you, even if I do get answers.
"Good."
~
Spike rushed into the library.
"Ah, Spike, there you..." Spike rushed by him in his frenzy. He needed to find The Book. Running up the stairs to where he and Buffy had had their first "moment" he scoured the shelves until he finally came across The Book, which was the Sumerian version, in which Giles wrote the English translation. He flipped through the pages until he found The Choosers, all of which was translated.
Except for the spell.
"GILES!" he yelled, rushing down the stairs and slamming The Book onto one of the desks.
"What is it?" Giles ran over and looked down, "The Choosers. You think The Choosers are what's going to cause the apocalypse?"
"No, but they know what will. I need the spell that'll get me a meeting with 'em, do you have the English version yet?"
"There isn't an English version." Spike mentally kicked himself. He should've remembered that. Giles wouldn't order that version for another 4 or 5 years.
"Right then, could you translate it for me?"
"The Choosers are, um, usually not too keen on being bothered, I, I would hardly suggest you, um, call upon their, their, ah, services."
"Can you translate it or not?" Spike asked gruffly, ignoring Giles warnings.
"It would take a few days, ah, weeks, possibly. I'm held down by enough work as is."
"DAMMIT!" Spike cried out in frustration, sitting down.
"You could always recite it as it's written. I'm sure both work."
"Can't read Sumerian, mate. Even if I could read it, I doubt I could pronounce it properly and all that." Spike said, not lifting his head from his hands. Leaning back and sighing, he cast a look to the Watcher, "A few weeks, then?"
"Um, Well, certainly, I'll do my best. I'll double check it on that idiot box, just to, uh, to be sure I got the spell exactly right."
"Couldn't you just look it up to start with?"
"And compromise my principles, are you mad?" Giles replied, incredulous that Spike would even consider making such a suggestion. Spike rolled his eyes and stood up.
"Talk to ya later, Watcher."
"Oh, yes, good bye." Giles said, still shaking his head in amazement. Go to a computer before a book? Not bloody likely.
~
"Umm...alright, uh...oh! 'Why does Andrew get to get up? If he gets up, we'll all get up! IT'LL BE ANARCHY!'" Xander finished with a crescendo.
"The Breakfast Club." Willow answered flippantly, feigning a yawn.
"Damn you. Your turn, evil movie genius."
"Oh, right... 'Chaos is great. Chaos is what killed the dinosaurs, darling.'" Willow said.
"Heathers. And I thought that was in the 90's."
"'89."
"Ah." Buffy walked over to the lunch table and smiled cheerfully.
"Hey Buffy!" Willow said as she sat down.
"Hey guys, how's it goin'?"
"We're playing 80's Guess The Quote." Xander offered.
"Huh?"
"Using classic, and some not-so-classic, movies from the 80's, we say quotes and you have to try to guess which one it's from." Willow explained, "Xander stinks at it."
"I do not!"
"Please! For one you said 'I don't believe it. They forgot my F-U-C-K-I-N-G birthday!' And anyone, anyone whose ever claimed to be a fan of movies knows which one that's from."
"Okay, so I was reaching." Buffy looked confused.
"Which one * is * it from?" Her two friends stared in disbelief, first at one another and then at each other.
"I think I heard her say that." Xander quipped.
"Pretty in Pink. Molly Ringwald?" Willow answered, nudging Xander.
"Oh! Yeah, see...I've never seen that."
"Well, then. I think we've got our next movie night movie! What do ya say, Buff? Will you join us this time? Me and Wills here have really missed ya." Buffy snuck a quick look to Willow.
"I'm sure you have." Willow blushed, which, as always, went unnoticed by Xander, who was scowling at the figure that was walking towards them.
"Cordy alert." He said with disgust, as she stopped by their table.
"Hi there, losers." She said, looking down on them.
"Cordelia, why do you even bother?" Buffy asked, glaring at the brunette.
"Bother what?"
"Do I need to spell it out for you?" Buffy replied, raising herself up onto her hands, "If you hate us so much, why do you even bother talking to us?"
"I like to be reminded of how much better I am than you." Buffy almost gagged.
"Nice goal."
"I think so. Besides, it's also a little 'Thank you.' For that one time you helped me, sorta. Even though it was your creepy gang that did it to me in the first place."
"So that's why you talk to us? Because you think we really care if we're associated with you."
"Hey," Cordelia said, putting her hands on her hips, "can I help it if most people do?"
"Most people are sheeps."
"That's from a movie, too." Xander pointed out, quietly to Willow.
"Heathers, again, I think." She replied.
"I can hear Christian Slater saying that."
"Heathers it is."
"And look, just because I ditched you after I got to see who you really are doesn't give you the right to be bitter. In fact, I have the right to be bitter because you stole away my best friend!" Cordelia said, almost ready to pinch Buffy.
"First of all, * I * ditched * you *, not the other way around, alright sweetie? Second of all, I did not steal Dawn! She left because she came to her senses. You're a bitch and she got sick of the whole popular game."
"Her name is Briney!" Suddenly, a handsome jock came up from behind her. He gave a quick nod and leering stare to Buffy, before leading Cordelia away, without her saying another word to Buffy.
"Well, that was anticlimactic." Xander said, after a moment's silence. Buffy sat back down and frowned.
" 'If you put a piece of coal up his ass, in two weeks it would be a diamond.'" Buffy burst out suddenly. Xander and Willow looked at each other and said in unison...
"Ferris Bueller's Day Off."
"Worth a shot." Buffy said, a smile creeping on her face.
~
Jenny Calendar snuck into Giles' office, in the feeble search of a pen.
What she found was the most cluttered desk known to man.
"Well, well. Mr. Giles isn't perfect after all." She said, a smile teasing her lips. She began to dig through his papers, when suddenly, the phone rang. Jumping back like she had been committing some awful crime, she put her hand to her chest, breathing deep. The phone continued to blare. In a knee-jerk reaction, she picked it up.
"Hello? Rupert Giles' office." She quickly amended.
"Is Rupert there?" The brusque, British voice replied demandingly.
"I'm sorry, he's on a lunch break, can I take a message?"
"Yes, tell him the Council is expecting his call with the updates on the Slayer's status." Council? Slayer? Jenny knew those words well...
"Do you mean the Council of Watchers?" She asked, slightly breathless.
"Of course that's what I mean. Now just give him the message. Tell him Quentin Travers is expecting a call. Good day." She heard him hang up his end, but she stood there with the phone glued to her ear.
This was totally new and unexpected.
~
A/N: Hey guys. Alright...so I just realized that there are these things called Beta Readers, one of which I desperately need. If any of you guys know how to go about getting one (or would be willing to be mine, which would be GREATLY appreciated) email me at EvilRabbit02@hotmail.com. Thanks bunches!
"I hate these things." Giles grumbled as Jenny Calendar, the new computer teacher, sat with him as they logged on.
"Deal with it." She said, moving the mouse in an indecipherable way (to Giles, at least). She had a lot of impertinence, for a colleague. He had expected her to be somewhat more...pleasant, Giles noted with a barely concealed scowl. Although, she did smell quite nice...
"Now what was it that you wanted me to look up for you?" She asked, turning towards the British snob (in her opinion, anyway).
"What? Um, oh, yes...well, I am perfectly capable of searching on my own, thank you."
"I never said you weren't capable, Rupert. I just wasn't sure if you knew how to navigate around these sites...what with you lack of computer knowledge. You didn't even know how to sign in." She said, trying to hide the frustration in her voice. This man finds an insult in *everything *
"I'm fine, thank you. Good bye, then." Jenny threw her hands up.
"That's about enough! I'm sick of you condescending my every move!"
"Bloody hell..." Giles said, borrowing a phrase from Spike. He just wanted to check his sources for possible upcoming supernatural...er, troubles. Of course, he couldn't very well hace miss Calendar in the room when he did that...
"There you go again. What with your British-isms, acting as though I'm some freak American who is trying to destroy the world. Either that or you think I'm extremely air headed. But I'm not, Rupert. I have my Master's in technology. Now I don't know about you, but I think that's pretty damn impressive."
"Yes, quite impressive. But my problem with you isn't about your lack of intelligence, which by the way was never the case, or even with you at all. It has more to do with the fact that computers are slowing taking the place of something that I feel are much more important than bloody computers and technology."
"And what, pray tell, would that be?" Giles grabbed a hardcover from off of his desk and slammed it down in front of her.
"Books!" To this, Jenny couldn't even try to contain a laugh.
"And you're the one who's calling me condescending."
"I'm sorry, Rupert. It's just...books? Could you be a little more predictable? You know, for the last two years more e-mail was sent than regular mail." Jenny stated, feeling proud of herself.
"Oh..." Giles said, not sure how to respond.
"More digitized information went across phone lines than conversation."
"That is a fact I regard with genuine horror." Giles replied, looking straight into her eyes.
"I'll bet it is. Look, can i just ask you...what bothers you so much about computers? Are you against the expansion of information or something? Or do you just hate things that..."
"The smell." Giles said softly, cutting Jenny off.
"Computers don't smell, Rupert."
"I know! Smell is the most powerful trigger to the memory there is. A certain flower or a, a whiff of smoke can bring up experiences... long forgotten. Books smell. Musty and, and, and, and rich. The knowledge gained from a computer, is, uh, it... it has no, no texture, no, no context. It's, it's there and then it's gone. If it's to last, then, then the getting of knowledge should be, uh, tangible, it should be, um... smelly."
Jenny stared at him for a moment, intrigue resting in her eyes, before breaking her gaze and laughing.
"Well, you're certainly an old-fashioned boy, aren't you?"
"I-I, I don't dangle a corkscrew from my ear." He replied with a hint of a smile.
"That's not where I hang it." Giles' eyes widened and Jenny laughed, patting his shoulder, "See ya later, Rupert. I'll leave you to your research." She walked out leaving Giles to stare after her, filled with puzzlement, but also slight, slight captivation.
~
Pulling her lips away from Jesse's, Dawn felt her hearing perk up. Something was bustling around in bushes next to where they were standing.
"What was that?" She asked sharply. Jesse cocked his head to the side and heard the sound as well.
"I'm not sure...rabbit, maybe?" Dawn laughed, thinking of Anya. She hadn't thought about Anya since she had gotten back. In a strange sort of way, she missed her.
"Well, considering we're in Sunnydale, I better be safe." Dawn whispered, taking out a stake from her pant leg.
"Can you use that thing?" She glared at Jesse, who had seen her stake vamps many times before, "Just checking."
Suddenly, as though Dawn was clairvoyant, the vampire pounced out from behind the bushes. Followed by another. And another. And another.
"Uh, oh." Dawn said. She turned to Jesse, "Run!"
"I can't leave you here!" He yelled back. Dawn threw a clean roundhouse to keep off two of the vamps who were coming at her from the front and a backhanded punch to the other one who was trailing on her back.
"Don't be an idiot! I can handle these guys, you can't." Dawn yelled as she struggled with the fist vamp to emerge, but eventually staked. Jesse grabbed the stake and rammed it into the one that was still reeling from Dawn's punch.
"At least these guys as newbies," He said, helping Dawn to her feet, "cuz even I can take 'em." They ganged up on the third one, who threw Jesse to the ground without a seconds warning. He grabbed Dawn and held her arms, about to lean to towards her neck when Dawn felt him being yanked off of her.
"I don't think so, pal." Buffy said, punching him rapidly in his stomach. She pinned him down, digging her shoe onto his neck.
"The day..." He choked.
"What's that, junior?" She asked, lifting the pressure just enough so he could talk.
"The day...of...reckoning...is...near. Nearer...than...they...thought...it...would...be. You'll burn...Slayer. But...not...before...they...will. Or...he...will." He sputtered out. She slammed the stake into his heart.
"Cryptic much?" She whispered. Dawn and Jesse ran to her side.
"What did he say?" Dawn asked. Buffy looked at her.
"Nothing. Just your regular, "I-hate-you-Slayer" last words gibberish." She lied, standing up, "I should go...you guys probably have "stuff" to do." Buffy said, walking briskly away. She needed to find Giles, * fast *.
~
"Oh, Buffy. Vampires always have apocalyptic threats and mumblings before they're staked. It's usually just rubbish." Giles explained, squinting at the computer. Now was it the little "x" at the top of the screen that Miss Calendar had clicked to save?
"I wouldn't click that." Buffy warned, watching the direction of the cursor, "But, that's just the point Giles. It's * usually * just rubbish. But that means sometimes it isn't. Also, if he had just said "The day of reckoning is near. You'll burn, Slayer." I'd be with you, but, Giles, it seemed like he had actual substance behind it. With the "Nearer than you thought." and the "not before they will." stuff." She had deliberately left out the "Or he will." part, because that would open up a definite can of worms." Buffy sighed in frustration and hit "Ctrl + S" and then closed out.
"Oh, thank you." He took in a deep breath and cleaned his glasses, "If it means that much to you, I'll do some research...I didn't find anything a few hours ago, but I'll check again...maybe consult my books. I'll run it by Spike, see what he can find..."
"I can do that." Buffy chirped, sitting upright at the mention of Spike.
"Oh?"
"Yeah, sure. No need for you to overwork yourself." Buffy said, hoping her voice sounded dismissive. Giles nodded as though he hadn't noticed the obvious underlying feelings in her voice.
"Alright, you go ahead."
"See ya." She no less than bolted out of the room, leaving Giles to stare after her, his face betraying his concern.
~
"But Energizer has the bunny!" Buffy said, crossing her arms. Spike laughed and shook his head.
"All the same, pet, Duracell does last longer."
"And you know this how?"
"Got bored once. Decided to test them out. Energizer lasted an even 3 hours, whereas Duracell lasted 3 hours and 12 minutes. Small difference, yes, but longer none the less."
"But it's a pink bunny."
"You're right, that would impact it greatly." He replied with an eyeroll.
"You never know." Spike smirked at this and stretched out his legs onto his end of the couch they were both sitting on, inside his apartment.
"So, as pivotal as this conversation has been...why'd you really come here?" Buffy sighed.
"Vampire who said some wonky things when I was about to stake him. "Day of Reckoning" and all that."
"Right. Cuz that never happens." Buffy glared playfully at him.
"That's what Giles said."
"He had a point, then." Buffy stood up and walked around, before planting herself and lightly fingering the television and then the lamp on the coffee table next to it.
"But at the same time, this vamp seemed like he had insider info."
"You probably shouldn't have staked him, then." Spike said, motioning to the cigarette in his mouth for permission.
"Ew." Buffy said, shaking her head vehemently. Spike rolled his eyes and placed it back in the pack, "Anyway, he said that the day, the apocalypse, I mean, would come even sooner than "they" thought, whoever "they" are..." Buffy trailed off, noticing the expression upon Spike's face, which showed that he knew something and was either extremely pissed off about it or pretty damn scared.
"What?" She asked, moving closer to him. He snapped up, the glaze over his blue eyes breaking.
"I gotta go..." He said, standing.
"Déjà vu all over again." Buffy said, half-teasingly at his mannerisms.
"I have to do research," He explained, "See if I can find out anything."
"But you have an idea of what it might be?"
"Yes." But I'll never tell you, even if I do get answers.
"Good."
~
Spike rushed into the library.
"Ah, Spike, there you..." Spike rushed by him in his frenzy. He needed to find The Book. Running up the stairs to where he and Buffy had had their first "moment" he scoured the shelves until he finally came across The Book, which was the Sumerian version, in which Giles wrote the English translation. He flipped through the pages until he found The Choosers, all of which was translated.
Except for the spell.
"GILES!" he yelled, rushing down the stairs and slamming The Book onto one of the desks.
"What is it?" Giles ran over and looked down, "The Choosers. You think The Choosers are what's going to cause the apocalypse?"
"No, but they know what will. I need the spell that'll get me a meeting with 'em, do you have the English version yet?"
"There isn't an English version." Spike mentally kicked himself. He should've remembered that. Giles wouldn't order that version for another 4 or 5 years.
"Right then, could you translate it for me?"
"The Choosers are, um, usually not too keen on being bothered, I, I would hardly suggest you, um, call upon their, their, ah, services."
"Can you translate it or not?" Spike asked gruffly, ignoring Giles warnings.
"It would take a few days, ah, weeks, possibly. I'm held down by enough work as is."
"DAMMIT!" Spike cried out in frustration, sitting down.
"You could always recite it as it's written. I'm sure both work."
"Can't read Sumerian, mate. Even if I could read it, I doubt I could pronounce it properly and all that." Spike said, not lifting his head from his hands. Leaning back and sighing, he cast a look to the Watcher, "A few weeks, then?"
"Um, Well, certainly, I'll do my best. I'll double check it on that idiot box, just to, uh, to be sure I got the spell exactly right."
"Couldn't you just look it up to start with?"
"And compromise my principles, are you mad?" Giles replied, incredulous that Spike would even consider making such a suggestion. Spike rolled his eyes and stood up.
"Talk to ya later, Watcher."
"Oh, yes, good bye." Giles said, still shaking his head in amazement. Go to a computer before a book? Not bloody likely.
~
"Umm...alright, uh...oh! 'Why does Andrew get to get up? If he gets up, we'll all get up! IT'LL BE ANARCHY!'" Xander finished with a crescendo.
"The Breakfast Club." Willow answered flippantly, feigning a yawn.
"Damn you. Your turn, evil movie genius."
"Oh, right... 'Chaos is great. Chaos is what killed the dinosaurs, darling.'" Willow said.
"Heathers. And I thought that was in the 90's."
"'89."
"Ah." Buffy walked over to the lunch table and smiled cheerfully.
"Hey Buffy!" Willow said as she sat down.
"Hey guys, how's it goin'?"
"We're playing 80's Guess The Quote." Xander offered.
"Huh?"
"Using classic, and some not-so-classic, movies from the 80's, we say quotes and you have to try to guess which one it's from." Willow explained, "Xander stinks at it."
"I do not!"
"Please! For one you said 'I don't believe it. They forgot my F-U-C-K-I-N-G birthday!' And anyone, anyone whose ever claimed to be a fan of movies knows which one that's from."
"Okay, so I was reaching." Buffy looked confused.
"Which one * is * it from?" Her two friends stared in disbelief, first at one another and then at each other.
"I think I heard her say that." Xander quipped.
"Pretty in Pink. Molly Ringwald?" Willow answered, nudging Xander.
"Oh! Yeah, see...I've never seen that."
"Well, then. I think we've got our next movie night movie! What do ya say, Buff? Will you join us this time? Me and Wills here have really missed ya." Buffy snuck a quick look to Willow.
"I'm sure you have." Willow blushed, which, as always, went unnoticed by Xander, who was scowling at the figure that was walking towards them.
"Cordy alert." He said with disgust, as she stopped by their table.
"Hi there, losers." She said, looking down on them.
"Cordelia, why do you even bother?" Buffy asked, glaring at the brunette.
"Bother what?"
"Do I need to spell it out for you?" Buffy replied, raising herself up onto her hands, "If you hate us so much, why do you even bother talking to us?"
"I like to be reminded of how much better I am than you." Buffy almost gagged.
"Nice goal."
"I think so. Besides, it's also a little 'Thank you.' For that one time you helped me, sorta. Even though it was your creepy gang that did it to me in the first place."
"So that's why you talk to us? Because you think we really care if we're associated with you."
"Hey," Cordelia said, putting her hands on her hips, "can I help it if most people do?"
"Most people are sheeps."
"That's from a movie, too." Xander pointed out, quietly to Willow.
"Heathers, again, I think." She replied.
"I can hear Christian Slater saying that."
"Heathers it is."
"And look, just because I ditched you after I got to see who you really are doesn't give you the right to be bitter. In fact, I have the right to be bitter because you stole away my best friend!" Cordelia said, almost ready to pinch Buffy.
"First of all, * I * ditched * you *, not the other way around, alright sweetie? Second of all, I did not steal Dawn! She left because she came to her senses. You're a bitch and she got sick of the whole popular game."
"Her name is Briney!" Suddenly, a handsome jock came up from behind her. He gave a quick nod and leering stare to Buffy, before leading Cordelia away, without her saying another word to Buffy.
"Well, that was anticlimactic." Xander said, after a moment's silence. Buffy sat back down and frowned.
" 'If you put a piece of coal up his ass, in two weeks it would be a diamond.'" Buffy burst out suddenly. Xander and Willow looked at each other and said in unison...
"Ferris Bueller's Day Off."
"Worth a shot." Buffy said, a smile creeping on her face.
~
Jenny Calendar snuck into Giles' office, in the feeble search of a pen.
What she found was the most cluttered desk known to man.
"Well, well. Mr. Giles isn't perfect after all." She said, a smile teasing her lips. She began to dig through his papers, when suddenly, the phone rang. Jumping back like she had been committing some awful crime, she put her hand to her chest, breathing deep. The phone continued to blare. In a knee-jerk reaction, she picked it up.
"Hello? Rupert Giles' office." She quickly amended.
"Is Rupert there?" The brusque, British voice replied demandingly.
"I'm sorry, he's on a lunch break, can I take a message?"
"Yes, tell him the Council is expecting his call with the updates on the Slayer's status." Council? Slayer? Jenny knew those words well...
"Do you mean the Council of Watchers?" She asked, slightly breathless.
"Of course that's what I mean. Now just give him the message. Tell him Quentin Travers is expecting a call. Good day." She heard him hang up his end, but she stood there with the phone glued to her ear.
This was totally new and unexpected.
~
A/N: Hey guys. Alright...so I just realized that there are these things called Beta Readers, one of which I desperately need. If any of you guys know how to go about getting one (or would be willing to be mine, which would be GREATLY appreciated) email me at EvilRabbit02@hotmail.com. Thanks bunches!
