Part 2

Giles looked up with a smile as his slayer came into the magic shop.

"Buffy, how was your patrol?"

"Fruitful with a side of productive. Found something new and interesting."

"Really, enlighten us."

"Well, I was taking a shortcut home from checking out the boonies and when I cut through a cornfield, I found a crop sign."

"How unusual."

"So, looks like now on top of vampires and demons, we've got little green men running around. You think they're going to pull an 'invasion of the body snatchers?'"

"Xander, do shut up."

"What?"

"So Giles, are we really thinking aliens here?"

"Well, this is new. But you know, crop signs are thought to have been formed by some types of demons as markings or as part of certain rituals. We can't be for certain that we're actually dealing with 'little green men', as Xander put it."

Angel nodded, "Giles is right. There are many kinds of demons that make those types of designs for various reasons. That's what most of the crop signs in the seventies were."

"I could do a spell to see if there's been any mystical activity been going on around the field."

"Well, that's a start. I think this calls for research."

The group began to disassemble and make their way to the book shelves, when Buffy spoke, "There...there's something else. When I was going to check out this shack thing, I saw something move out of the corner of my eye. When I turned to see if there was something there, it had disappeared into the woods. It was fast Giles, even faster than a vampire, and it barely made a noise."

Giles took his glasses off and began to clean them as he usually did when he was thinking and then perched them back on his nose.

"Well, Buffy, there are many types of otherworldly beasts that are much quicker than vampires."

Angel nodded in agreement, "There are a few, but Giles, they wouldn't be in this area. I think this deserves some caution and another visit out to that cornfield."

"Yes. Angel, Buffy, why don't you take Xander and Willow and go cast this spell and see if you can find any more evidence as to what this new creature is."

"Ten-four big papa. Will, you got the goods?"

"You're awfully excited Xander."

"Hey, I've been waiting to meet Spock and the rest of the Trekkies my whole life. Who's to say they haven't crash landed in Sunnydale?"

"I think the lack of a ship voids the whole "crash landing" aspect of your theory. But, I could be wrong. Maybe they've got their cloaking device turned on."

"Willow, no need to get sarcastic."

"I wasn't being sarcastic. I was merely pointing out the flaws in your theory."

"Right. Whatever. Let's just get out there and see what's going on. I don't like the thought of little green men with bulging eyes running around out there without me knowing a thing about them."

Buffy was getting edgy and she wanted to figure out what the what was. The hot air hit here like a wall as they stepped out into the night once again, headed towards the cornfield.

"Hey, do you think that they could have already started snatching bodies? What if you guys aren't really Buffy and Angel and Willow. What if you're alien pod people!"

Buffy hit Xander in the back of the head and kept walking.

"OW! My theory has just been proven wrong because alien pod people aren't mean and they don't hit people. They're simply here for the purpose of taking over the world and using our resources. Or was it to kill us all? I don't remember."

"Shut up," his three companions all said at once.

"Okay okay. Geesh! After years of being the one out of the loop, I have all the information on the alien fiends and nobody wants my opinion. Okay, that's just fine."

The rest of the trip to the field was spent in silence. After half an hour of walking, they reached the field and Buffy led them to the first circle.

"Here it is. Willow, you can set up here I guess. Xander, you stay with Will while me and Angel go have a look around the woods. We'll be back in a few. Yell if you need us."

"If you guys find any giant pod shaped things, burn them."

"Alien barbeque. Gotta love Sunnydale."

Angel and Buffy headed back towards the woods. Willow set up her materials and began the spell.

"Goddess of the Earth, I call upon thee. Show me the path. Let spells be shown, and secrets told," she poured a bag of red sand into the small pot and it started to burn.

After a moment or two, the flame went out and nothing happened.

"What was that? Did it work?"

"This wasn't caused by a ritual or a spell. I did it right. The circle should have glowed red if it was made by any type of magic."

"So we're dealing with aliens?"

"You said it, not me. But it's that or really talented nerds."

Back in the woods, Angel and Buffy were having about the same luck with their search for evidence.

"You know I'm starting to wonder if I saw anything at all. Maybe I just had a bad case of the heebees and I thought I saw something."

"Well, if we don't come across something in a few minutes, we'll head back to the field and get Willow and Xander and go do some more research on whatever this might be."

Angel heard a quiet rustling and motioned for Buffy to stop.

"What?"

"I heard something. Let's split up."

Buffy nodded and they went different directions, walking in a circle and meeting back up where they had split up.

"See anything?"

"No."

Angel listened closely and heard the noise again. He looked up into the trees and saw something falling towards him. He tried to move, but was too late. Buffy rolled out of the way and watched as something that looked like a giant lizard fell on top of her boyfriend.

"Angel!"

He fought to get from underneath it, but it was holding him down. He rolled it and started to punch it, but it pushed him off and scurried away. Buffy ran to his side.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. But we've either got a new demon in town, or we're dealing with something totally out of this world, literally."

"You know its not bad enough that we have to deal with vampires and demons, but now stupid things from other planets start invading our town. You know Giles never said that the Hellmouth's "mystical energy" would draw aliens to it. I want my job description changed. It should go "One girl in all the world to stand against the vampires, demons, forces of darkness, and occasionally when the world is invaded, ALIENS!" Isn't there some type of complaint I can file with the council?"

"Buffy?"

"What?"

"You're rambling."

"Oh, sorry. What are we doing to do now? Do we want to go after Mr. big Godzilla man?"

"I think we better go find Xander and Willow before that thing decides to attack them."

"I like your plan better. It doesn't involve me having to kick anything."