Chapter 6
**The next day, at Giles' house**
Willow, Xander, Buffy, and Giles all sat around the small, book-covered table in Giles apartment. Anya and another girl, Willow's friend Tara, were sitting on the couch in the same room.
Giles stood up from where he was sitting and reached for his glasses. He wiped them off and placed them back on his nose-something he did quite a lot, especially when he was anxious about something, or ready to get very serious. The whole gang knew what this meant, too.
"Ahem..ah..I called this meeting because as we all know, I assume," he glanced in Tara's direction, and Willow gave him a reassuring nod, "That Buffy has been noticing something odd on her patrols?" He glanced quizzically at Buffy.
"Yes, Giles," she responded, "Every time I go out I feel like there's something following me, and this has been happening for weeks now. I don't know who or what it is, and I can never find it when I try, but it feels like something bad. At least, it usually does." She glanced at Willow, and Willow gave her a small smile. Buffy had told her that sometimes she could've sworn the feelings that she had were the one's she got when Angel was there, but he wasn't, was he?
"Well," Giles took over, "I think your senses have been very accurate Buffy."
"Gee, Thanks." Buffy grumbled. When are they not? Sometimes I wish they weren't, though, like when I get that.Angel.feeling.
Giles continued with what he was saying, and there was now a look of anxiousness on his face. "I.um.have received some information about a new group of demons. They appear to have been making their way up to Sunnydale."
Before he could continue, Willow jumped in. "What kind of demons are they. What do they want?"
"Yes." looking a little annoyed."I was just getting to that. We.I.have not been able to find any real information on these demons. They are not a kind of demon that anyone knows or has heard of, and no useful information has been found on them yet."
"That's just great! An anonymous gang of demons, that no one has a clue about, and they're headed right to good old Sunnydale." Xander made one of his infamous remarks, dripping with sarcasm.
"Maybe Anya knows something, being that she's a demon," Willow said. She was still adjusting to Anya, and Anya being with Xander. Willow found Anya kind of annoying and rude.
"I'm not a demon anymore!" Anya looked indignant.
During the whole conversation, Buffy appeared to be off in another world. Giles answered all the questions he could about the demons-where they were from, what do they look like, etc.
Then suddenly Buffy snapped back into reality, and she asked the question that Giles was silently praying no one would think of. "Giles, where did you get this information?"
The room became momentarily silent. Giles wiped off his glasses again before answering Buffy's question. "Well.I.talked to Wesley. He called me to share information."
"Oh," was all the response that Buffy could manage. Thinking of Wesley made her think of L.A., and that made her think of Angel.she had heard that Angel had started his own "business", and Wesley, Cordelia, and like three or four other people were working with him, or maybe for him.she wasn't really sure.
"Well," Giles began, "Perhaps we could get started with some, um, research."
"Good plan Giles. Tara and I can check the internet." Willow piped up, trying to draw the focus off of her now very quiet and depressed looking friend.
"Yeah, and Anya and I can look in some old books or something," Xander volunteered.
Anya turned to her boyfriend, and said not-so quietly, "Xander, why do we have to do something? It's not like the demons are after us! Why can't we just go home.I don't even like."
"An, shh.we can "research" in the other room. By ourselves." Xander was trying to suavely emphasize the by-themselves part, so maybe his less than tactful girlfriend would get the picture.
"Oh. Okay, I like research."
Buffy realized that she was the only one who hadn't volunteered to do something, but she didn't want to stay and research. She needed to get out.to get some fresh air. She decided that she needed to patrol. "And I'll go carry out my slayer duties. I'm not very good at research anyways." she told the group, hoping Giles would just let her go. Thankfully he already had his nose buried in a bunch of books on his desk. Good. Now I can go and think some more about my ex-boyfriend who I just can't seem to get away from. I wish that I just didn't care so much. Maybe then it would be easier. Now all I have to do are hear the words "L.A." or "Wesley", or even "soulmate" and "Cordelia", and I can't get him out of my head. It hurts so much. And he acts like he doesn't even care. It must not hurt him. Maybe he doesn't even think about me anymore.maybe he's moved on.maybe.
Buffy tried to stop the tears that she could feel forming. Not again, not now. Just when she was starting to think maybe she could move on with her life.
****
**The next day, at Giles' house**
Willow, Xander, Buffy, and Giles all sat around the small, book-covered table in Giles apartment. Anya and another girl, Willow's friend Tara, were sitting on the couch in the same room.
Giles stood up from where he was sitting and reached for his glasses. He wiped them off and placed them back on his nose-something he did quite a lot, especially when he was anxious about something, or ready to get very serious. The whole gang knew what this meant, too.
"Ahem..ah..I called this meeting because as we all know, I assume," he glanced in Tara's direction, and Willow gave him a reassuring nod, "That Buffy has been noticing something odd on her patrols?" He glanced quizzically at Buffy.
"Yes, Giles," she responded, "Every time I go out I feel like there's something following me, and this has been happening for weeks now. I don't know who or what it is, and I can never find it when I try, but it feels like something bad. At least, it usually does." She glanced at Willow, and Willow gave her a small smile. Buffy had told her that sometimes she could've sworn the feelings that she had were the one's she got when Angel was there, but he wasn't, was he?
"Well," Giles took over, "I think your senses have been very accurate Buffy."
"Gee, Thanks." Buffy grumbled. When are they not? Sometimes I wish they weren't, though, like when I get that.Angel.feeling.
Giles continued with what he was saying, and there was now a look of anxiousness on his face. "I.um.have received some information about a new group of demons. They appear to have been making their way up to Sunnydale."
Before he could continue, Willow jumped in. "What kind of demons are they. What do they want?"
"Yes." looking a little annoyed."I was just getting to that. We.I.have not been able to find any real information on these demons. They are not a kind of demon that anyone knows or has heard of, and no useful information has been found on them yet."
"That's just great! An anonymous gang of demons, that no one has a clue about, and they're headed right to good old Sunnydale." Xander made one of his infamous remarks, dripping with sarcasm.
"Maybe Anya knows something, being that she's a demon," Willow said. She was still adjusting to Anya, and Anya being with Xander. Willow found Anya kind of annoying and rude.
"I'm not a demon anymore!" Anya looked indignant.
During the whole conversation, Buffy appeared to be off in another world. Giles answered all the questions he could about the demons-where they were from, what do they look like, etc.
Then suddenly Buffy snapped back into reality, and she asked the question that Giles was silently praying no one would think of. "Giles, where did you get this information?"
The room became momentarily silent. Giles wiped off his glasses again before answering Buffy's question. "Well.I.talked to Wesley. He called me to share information."
"Oh," was all the response that Buffy could manage. Thinking of Wesley made her think of L.A., and that made her think of Angel.she had heard that Angel had started his own "business", and Wesley, Cordelia, and like three or four other people were working with him, or maybe for him.she wasn't really sure.
"Well," Giles began, "Perhaps we could get started with some, um, research."
"Good plan Giles. Tara and I can check the internet." Willow piped up, trying to draw the focus off of her now very quiet and depressed looking friend.
"Yeah, and Anya and I can look in some old books or something," Xander volunteered.
Anya turned to her boyfriend, and said not-so quietly, "Xander, why do we have to do something? It's not like the demons are after us! Why can't we just go home.I don't even like."
"An, shh.we can "research" in the other room. By ourselves." Xander was trying to suavely emphasize the by-themselves part, so maybe his less than tactful girlfriend would get the picture.
"Oh. Okay, I like research."
Buffy realized that she was the only one who hadn't volunteered to do something, but she didn't want to stay and research. She needed to get out.to get some fresh air. She decided that she needed to patrol. "And I'll go carry out my slayer duties. I'm not very good at research anyways." she told the group, hoping Giles would just let her go. Thankfully he already had his nose buried in a bunch of books on his desk. Good. Now I can go and think some more about my ex-boyfriend who I just can't seem to get away from. I wish that I just didn't care so much. Maybe then it would be easier. Now all I have to do are hear the words "L.A." or "Wesley", or even "soulmate" and "Cordelia", and I can't get him out of my head. It hurts so much. And he acts like he doesn't even care. It must not hurt him. Maybe he doesn't even think about me anymore.maybe he's moved on.maybe.
Buffy tried to stop the tears that she could feel forming. Not again, not now. Just when she was starting to think maybe she could move on with her life.
****