"We got him!" Giles, Buffy and Anya turned towards the door to see Willow
and Tara bursting in, breath ragged and faces holding grins. The red-head
looked at the groups solemn faces. "What? You guys didn't hear me? He went
all 'poof'." Buffy smiled a bit but Giles shook his head. "I'm very proud
of you girls, but you have only bought us time." Willow and Tara looked
confused. Giles quickly explained that Gugsrak could not be killed, only
held back for a while, that he would not stop until he killed Buffy.
"What? That's impossible. Every demon has a clause!" Willow exclaimed. Giles shook his head disappointedly. "I'm sorry Willow..." He looked down at the book. "Wait, there seems to be something written on the page in ink." Giles blew some dust off the page. "I can't read it, it's very old." He squinted at the yellowed paper. "Here Giles, let me see it," Willow said as she reached down for the book. Giles handed it to her. "Revelo." A golden dust seemed to appear on the page and then Willow smiled. "Here you go." She returned the book back to Giles.
Giles looked bewildered for a moment then turned back to the entry. It says "He pays no attention after a time is passed. One must wait. Patience is a virtue." Buffy looked at him, confused. "What?" Giles studied the words. "I believe he, or she, means that Gugsrak gets bored easily. That after a while he will go back to sleep, leave his target alone." Buffy brightened. "That great! How long will it take? Does it say?" Giles looked down and shook his head. "I'm sorry but it doesn't."
"Give it about six months. Gusrak never sticks with anything longer than that. He's so lazy. In fact I remember once, in Peru---" "Anya!" Buffy interrupted the 1,000 year old demon. Anya looked up from her reminisce. "What?" "You know Gugsrak?" Anya shrugged. "I wouldn't say I know him personally, I know him through a couple friends." Giles opened and closed his mouth in shock. She had known about him the whole time and said nothing???
Buffy, thankfully, carried on the conversation ."So you can tell us about him can't you?" "Well I suppose..." Anya started but Buffy interrupted again. "Great. So you say six months? I just have to stay away from Gugsrak for six months? Then everything will be fine? But what if he goes after other people? Maybe I should try and fight him..." Anya gave an exasperated sigh.
"Giles was right about one thing Buffy, you can't fight Gugsrak. He kills everything he is set to kill. Number two, I said about *about* six months. Sometimes he gets a spell and takes longer. Or shorter. It's hard to say. And another thing, he won't go after any of your friends. He's only out to get you. Of course he'll kill anyone who stands directly in his way but that surely won't be me, or Xander for that matter." She stopped talking, as if thinking on this point.
"So Anya, you're saying that Buffy should disappear for a while, however long it is deemed necessary, and when Gugsrak has lost interest he'll go away on his own? And he won't hurt anyone else," Giles summed up. Anya nodded. "That's anyone who stands physically in his way. Like trying to protect her."
"Yeah, he was very...mean...even though he was going slow, and..." Tara stopped talking, her face reddening. "Tara's right," Willow recovered for her girlfriend, "If he wasn't going in slow motion Tara and I would be toast, or witch flavored jelly, right now." Buffy wrinkled her nose at the visual. "Thanks Will, needed to hear that." Willow laughed in apology. "Sorry."
"I've got a store to run, I just heard the bell," Anya stated as she turned to leave. "You all should think about getting Buffy very far away from Gugsrak. Come to think of it Buffy should be getting out of state. Maybe then Gugsrak won't be able to smell her." Before the others could question her Anya hurried out the door back into the shop.
Buffy looked at Giles. "Out of state?" Giles shrugged as he rubbed his forehead. "If that's what needs to be done then that's what will happen. But there's no way you're going alone. I'll have to accompany you." Buffy protested. "Giles you can't! Who's going to watch after Dawn? I can't bring her, it's too dangerous!" Giles began to put away the medical supplies. "I'm sure Xander and Anya will be happy to. Or even Tara and Willow." Tara and Willow nodded.
Buffy looked unconvinced. "Giles, I couldn't let you just come, what if Gugsrak finds me? He'll kill you Giles." Giles didn't look afraid. "That's how it has to be. No one else can come with you. Xander has his job, he can't just disappear for months at a time. Anya won't do it, she's too in love with the Magic Box. Willow and Tara have school." "I could drop out, it would be ok..." Willow said in a helpful tone. "No, I couldn't let you do that Willow," Buffy said to her friend. Tara tried not to look relieved. She didn't want Willow to leave her.
"There's no one else Buffy. I'm going to have to go with you." Buffy tried to think of someone else. Anyone. No one came to mind. She cursed inwardly. She couldn't let Giles go with her. She couldn't risk his getting hurt. If she lost Giles, it wouldn't be worth hiding. No, she decided as Giles helped her stand, if it came down to it she would forfeit her life for his. She had done it once hadn't she? Things were always easier the second time around.
"What? That's impossible. Every demon has a clause!" Willow exclaimed. Giles shook his head disappointedly. "I'm sorry Willow..." He looked down at the book. "Wait, there seems to be something written on the page in ink." Giles blew some dust off the page. "I can't read it, it's very old." He squinted at the yellowed paper. "Here Giles, let me see it," Willow said as she reached down for the book. Giles handed it to her. "Revelo." A golden dust seemed to appear on the page and then Willow smiled. "Here you go." She returned the book back to Giles.
Giles looked bewildered for a moment then turned back to the entry. It says "He pays no attention after a time is passed. One must wait. Patience is a virtue." Buffy looked at him, confused. "What?" Giles studied the words. "I believe he, or she, means that Gugsrak gets bored easily. That after a while he will go back to sleep, leave his target alone." Buffy brightened. "That great! How long will it take? Does it say?" Giles looked down and shook his head. "I'm sorry but it doesn't."
"Give it about six months. Gusrak never sticks with anything longer than that. He's so lazy. In fact I remember once, in Peru---" "Anya!" Buffy interrupted the 1,000 year old demon. Anya looked up from her reminisce. "What?" "You know Gugsrak?" Anya shrugged. "I wouldn't say I know him personally, I know him through a couple friends." Giles opened and closed his mouth in shock. She had known about him the whole time and said nothing???
Buffy, thankfully, carried on the conversation ."So you can tell us about him can't you?" "Well I suppose..." Anya started but Buffy interrupted again. "Great. So you say six months? I just have to stay away from Gugsrak for six months? Then everything will be fine? But what if he goes after other people? Maybe I should try and fight him..." Anya gave an exasperated sigh.
"Giles was right about one thing Buffy, you can't fight Gugsrak. He kills everything he is set to kill. Number two, I said about *about* six months. Sometimes he gets a spell and takes longer. Or shorter. It's hard to say. And another thing, he won't go after any of your friends. He's only out to get you. Of course he'll kill anyone who stands directly in his way but that surely won't be me, or Xander for that matter." She stopped talking, as if thinking on this point.
"So Anya, you're saying that Buffy should disappear for a while, however long it is deemed necessary, and when Gugsrak has lost interest he'll go away on his own? And he won't hurt anyone else," Giles summed up. Anya nodded. "That's anyone who stands physically in his way. Like trying to protect her."
"Yeah, he was very...mean...even though he was going slow, and..." Tara stopped talking, her face reddening. "Tara's right," Willow recovered for her girlfriend, "If he wasn't going in slow motion Tara and I would be toast, or witch flavored jelly, right now." Buffy wrinkled her nose at the visual. "Thanks Will, needed to hear that." Willow laughed in apology. "Sorry."
"I've got a store to run, I just heard the bell," Anya stated as she turned to leave. "You all should think about getting Buffy very far away from Gugsrak. Come to think of it Buffy should be getting out of state. Maybe then Gugsrak won't be able to smell her." Before the others could question her Anya hurried out the door back into the shop.
Buffy looked at Giles. "Out of state?" Giles shrugged as he rubbed his forehead. "If that's what needs to be done then that's what will happen. But there's no way you're going alone. I'll have to accompany you." Buffy protested. "Giles you can't! Who's going to watch after Dawn? I can't bring her, it's too dangerous!" Giles began to put away the medical supplies. "I'm sure Xander and Anya will be happy to. Or even Tara and Willow." Tara and Willow nodded.
Buffy looked unconvinced. "Giles, I couldn't let you just come, what if Gugsrak finds me? He'll kill you Giles." Giles didn't look afraid. "That's how it has to be. No one else can come with you. Xander has his job, he can't just disappear for months at a time. Anya won't do it, she's too in love with the Magic Box. Willow and Tara have school." "I could drop out, it would be ok..." Willow said in a helpful tone. "No, I couldn't let you do that Willow," Buffy said to her friend. Tara tried not to look relieved. She didn't want Willow to leave her.
"There's no one else Buffy. I'm going to have to go with you." Buffy tried to think of someone else. Anyone. No one came to mind. She cursed inwardly. She couldn't let Giles go with her. She couldn't risk his getting hurt. If she lost Giles, it wouldn't be worth hiding. No, she decided as Giles helped her stand, if it came down to it she would forfeit her life for his. She had done it once hadn't she? Things were always easier the second time around.
