Title: Mated Pairs 1/2

Author: Appomattoxco

Rated: R for violence

Pairing: Anya/Giles

Summary: Sequel to "Only on the Hellmouth" Anya skips class and it's not the day off she was hoping for.

A/N beta'd by the wonderful Jane Davitt. This is a departure both from canon and the sort of things I usually write so feedback of all kinds would be cherished.

Anya peeked into the library; it looked like she wasn't the only one skipping class this period. Buffy and her friends were there already; she knew they'd all have to be introduced someday but her history teacher was enough to deal with today. Stupid woman thought the black plague was started by flea infested rats. Everyone knew that it was started when a woman wished her cheating husband would become a vermin covered hare or maybe she wished his hair was vermin covered? Either way, Mrs. Coats had no idea what she was talking about.

"What are you doing going in there?"

Anya's hand froze on the door, "I was going in to get a book, Mr. Snyder." Great, she thought. Speaking of unpleasant rodents…

"Who are you anyway? Another friend of the Summers girl?"

"I'm a transfer student and I've changed my mind about that book."

"Good. You're better off staying away from those people, not that I care what happens to you." He was frowning unattractively and seemed unhappy with the idea that she even existed.

"Oh, I'm going to be doing a lot of reading in the future. It's what school is for, right? I'm just not in the mood today," Anya said, with a bright, false smile. Then she put on a puzzled frown. "What's that mark on your forehead?" Snyder looked doubtful but rubbed a hand over his bald head anyway. "I'd wash it if I were you, it's not coming off." She must have been convincing because he hurried off, muttering about a meeting with somebody and rubbing his forehead.

Anya managed to make it out of the school itself and to the mall without incident. Her mood was greatly improved after the purchase of a lacy red bra and matching tap pants. The yeasty smell of the soft pretzels called her name and she gave in. It wasn't in the main food court but at the other side of the Sunnydale Mall. When she sat at a bench to eat, a young mother pulled up beside her with a small human in a very flimsy looking stroller. The poor thing had pictures of hopping yellow bunnies all over her top but was too young to understand their revolting twitchiness and was happily chewing her toes.

"Oh Emily,where did your shoe go?" The baby's sock was in her lap but the shoe was missing.

The woman didn't seem to expect her child to answer, so, in spite of her macabre taste in clothes, she appeared sane. Anya tried to reassure her. "Her toes are very tiny and pink; it's not at all off putting to see her put them in her mouth and as she's not really buying anything I don't think the 'no shoes no service' applies." The woman smiled and nodded but left in a hurry, presumably to look for, or replace, the missing shoes.

A little while later Anya was regretting the salty snack and the large diet cola she had drunk because of it. Public restrooms were disgusting but she urgently needed to pee. The walk down to the end of the long, dimly lit hall between the Radio Shack and toy store seemed like it took forever. The mother and child she'd seen earlier were a few paces ahead of her, so she sped up, not wanting to have to wait if only one stall had paper. The few weeks in high school had taught her something. She had worried needlessly as the baby just needed to be changed. When Anya washed her hands the baby was smiling widely and wearing pink teddy bears.

The mother and child left and when Anya joined them in the hall the hairs on the back of her neck prickled. She heard a strange sound but before she could place it there was the loud rumble of a hand cart rolling over the floor above. She found herself in as much of a hurry to leave as she was to get to the restroom in the first place but forced herself not to run. If nothing was there it would look silly; and more importantly if something or someone were there it might encourage a chase. She tried to walk confidently, on guard for anything that might come from the center of the mall or the doors on either side of the hall marked 'employees only'.

The danger came from above; two frog-like creatures who dropped from the ceiling with a sticky plop. They would have been laughable if one hadn't quickly taken a long dagger and slit the throat of the woman in front of her. Before Anya could get to it, the other demon bent down and his hideous jaw unhinged, allowing him to bite Emily's head off.

Anya turned and ran for the door to the toy store but the employee entrance was locked or stuck. If she tried to make it across the hall to the Radio Shack the demon would catch her for sure. She grabbed the fire extinguisher off the wall and sprayed it in the face of the nearest demon just as it looked up from its meal. The Radio Shack door pushed open. Gasping for breath, she stumbled over a box and got up again, not daring to look back for shoe she'd lost.

888

"Anya, dear Lord are you hurt?" Anya had been standing in the hall as Giles and Buffy had left the library Anya seemed dazed: one of her shoes was missing and she was shaking like a leaf.

"I was at the mall." Anya said, in a very small voice that alarmed Giles even more, as he led her back into the library.

"Was it a gang?" Buffy asked, unaware that Anya knew about the existence of vampires and was once a demon herself.

"No just two Glogo demons, probably a mated pair." Anya looked down at her feet, "I lost my shoe, just like Emily. … I used the fire extinguisher on the one that ate her; I don't think that killed it though. That's the last thing I remember, I'm not sure how I got here. Giles, I thought I'd never see you again." Then Anya pulled his head down to hers and kissed him like a lover reunited, sure and uncertain all at once. Giles returned her kiss and deepened it without thought of where they were or who might see them.

"Look, you've scarred me enough recently with this sort of thing."

Buffy's embarrassed voice brought Giles to his senses and he broke the kiss. Anya sighed and kept her arms around him, her ear pressed to his chest as if to gain comfort from the sound of his heartbeat.

"Isn't she a student? I realize there's been some kind of trauma but Snyder won't care and you could lose your job."

"Buffy, see if you can catch up with the others and get them back here; especially Faith. We have a problem on our hands." He tried to sound as in control as he could with his arms still full of trembling girl.