author: Lucinda
rating: pg/pg13
main character: Buffy, with appearances by all Scoobies.
there are no pairings central to this fic, although there may be slight glimpses of Xander/Anya and Willow/Oz.
disclaimer: If you recognize them, they are not mine. Anyone from BtVS or A:tS is the creation of Joss Whedon.
distribution: notes response to Jinni's Poetry Quote challenge, week #11. Set in season 4, after Halloween, before Wild at heart.
Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe
"Beware the Jaberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"
-- Lewis Caroll, Jabberwocky
* * * *
Leaning against the bar at Willie's Alibi, Buffy looked at the nervous little man, wondering how on earth he managed to run a bar for demons when he was this easy to intimidate. "So, what's got all the vamps in hiding instead of out where I can find them?"
"I... you got to understand, that while I've... maybe heard a few things, sometimes people just do their own thing, you know?" Willie's hand was almost spastically polishing the dull wood.
Smiling just a little, she pulled herself onto one of the barstools, subtly glancing around the club as she did. Many of the patrons could have been human, but she didn't quite think so. The ones that were clearly not human weren't anything that she recognized. "So, share the rumors. I just... I hate being out of the loop. And I'm going to stay here and make everybody nervous until you do."
For a moment, his eyes looked panicky, but then he seemed to calm himself, shuffling just a bit farther away. "Apparently, there's something coming. Some sort of demon. All I've heard is a name, and a lot of the demons and vamps who learn about the bigger picture have been acting... funny about this thing. No idea what it looks like, what it does, or why so many people are getting weird."
Buffy reached out, catching his wrist. "I want a name."
"Jaberwock." Willie tugged at his wrist, trying to pull away from her, with no effect. "I don't know what it is, but that's the name I've heard. Supposedly, it's coming here, maybe here already. That's all."
He really didn't seem like he was hiding more information about this... Jabber-walk thingie, so Buffy let go. If there was something else that he might know, she could always come back later. "Thanks. I'll see you later."
Walking back to Giles's new store the Magic Box, Buffy sighed. So, a lot of demons were laying low because of this new arrival. Was this the next thing wanting to try to take over? Some even bigger bad? Giles should be able to figure something out. With a tiny delay to stake a minion trying to bite a girl outside the Bronze, Buffy kept turning the possibilities over in her mind.
"Hey Giles. Willie said there was something on it's way or maybe here... Lots of the underground types are sort of acting wiggy." Buffy smiled, looking at the way he had everything arranged. The front had candles and stones and books as well as the weird bits and pieces and thingies that people used for magic. Giles seemed so happy with this store... Of course, she did think that she recalled him saying something about wanting to be a grocer when he was a kid?
"Something on it's way..." He sighed, sipping at his tea. "By some chance did you get a name for this something?"
Buffy shrugged, leaning against a wall. "He called it a jabby... no, that's not it. umm... a Jaberwock. Whatever that is."
"Sounds almost familiar." Oz made a little shrug, glancing up from his guitar.
Willow nodded, smiling at her boyfriend. "Yeah, it does, doesn't it? But I can't quite place it either."
Giles made this sort of funny noise that sounded like 'hhhrrrmmmm', almost like a little engine trying to turn over. "Why don't you check on the computer while I look in some of the Watcher's Chronicles. I think I know where I've seen the name before..."
"What name? What are you looking for?" Anya's voice preceded her into the room. Giles had decided to let her help him with the store, although Buffy couldn't quite figure out why. Maybe just because she wouldn't freak about the weapons or the occasional attacking monster?
"Jaberwock." The word came from Oz, who didn't even look up from his guitar strings.
Anya took a deep breath and sort of stepped backwards into the wall, all the while turning paler as her eyes grew wide and wild. Whispered words emerged from her lips. "A Jaberwock? Here? Oh no…"
She spun around, looking at Buffy, her expression unexpectedly pleading. "You have to kill it. It's…. huge, and hideous. All…. Giant ears and big yellow teeth… revolting. And it's got quite the nasty temper."
"All I'm getting online is references to works by Lewis Caroll." Willow's apologetic words leeched some of the tension from the room.
Buffy blinked, thinking that she recognized the name. "Lewis Caroll? Isn't that the guy who wrote Alice in Wonderland?"
"Indeed. He was also a Watcher." Giles had this faintly satisfied look, and a thick book held in his hand. "The Council thought that he was… rather eccentric, and instead of some sort of low profile occupation, such as a teacher or a librarian, he became a rather flamboyant writer. There was also… well, I suppose that doesn't matter now. He's one of the few sources of information on the… or perhaps a Jaberwock, I'm a bit unclear about that."
"It's big, it's evil, and we need to have Buffy cut off it's head." Anya shuddered, half glaring at Giles. "What more do you need to know?"
"How about where to find it?" Buffy looked at Anya. "How am I supposed to go kill something if I don't know where it is?"
"They like forests, and trees. Take a sharp sword, go to the woods, and when a big, hideous beast comes up to you, KILL IT!!" Anya's voice sounded almost reasonable, until the final, screamed words.
That level of fear and insistence was entirely unlike Anya. Buffy felt a bit uneasy, wondering what sort of horrible monstrosity could get her that worked up. "Okayyyy… Let me get a sword then."
A short time later, Buffy found herself walking in the woods, armed with this nifty looking sword and a stake. Why was she looking for some huge, scary monster again? Oh, right, sacred calling, grand destiny, the whole Slayer thing. It just would have been nice to have more of a description to go by than 'huge, hideous, big ears and yellow teeth. With a nasty temper' to go by. After all, that could describe those red-necked vampires that had shown up for Trick's SlayerFest.
She heard a strange, crunching noise. Slowly, Buffy moved towards the noise, wondering if this was the mysterious Jaberwock. Her hand clenched the sword, the wire wrapped around the hilt leaving an impression in her palm. She peeked around a tree, and froze, astonished at the sight.
It was huge, almost as tall as her shoulder and as long as her mom's car. Dirty claws emerged from all four feet, and there were huge yellow teeth. The ears added almost three more feet to the things height. Red eyes as large as her fist gleamed in it's narrow head. As Buffy watched, the thing bit off another chunk of the sapling tree, and began to chew.
It was a giant white rabbit.
Buffy tried to hold in her giggles, her mind echoing with the Elmer Fudd singing 'Kill the wabbit, kill the wabbit…' to that opera song. All she needed was a spear and magic helmet. Anya had been freaked out over a giant bunny?
It was actually one of the easiest kills of her entire history of slaying. Just walk up behind it, and chop! Off with it's head. Buffy laughed the whole way back to the Magic Box.
End Kill the Jaberwock.
rating: pg/pg13
main character: Buffy, with appearances by all Scoobies.
there are no pairings central to this fic, although there may be slight glimpses of Xander/Anya and Willow/Oz.
disclaimer: If you recognize them, they are not mine. Anyone from BtVS or A:tS is the creation of Joss Whedon.
distribution: notes response to Jinni's Poetry Quote challenge, week #11. Set in season 4, after Halloween, before Wild at heart.
Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe
"Beware the Jaberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"
-- Lewis Caroll, Jabberwocky
* * * *
Leaning against the bar at Willie's Alibi, Buffy looked at the nervous little man, wondering how on earth he managed to run a bar for demons when he was this easy to intimidate. "So, what's got all the vamps in hiding instead of out where I can find them?"
"I... you got to understand, that while I've... maybe heard a few things, sometimes people just do their own thing, you know?" Willie's hand was almost spastically polishing the dull wood.
Smiling just a little, she pulled herself onto one of the barstools, subtly glancing around the club as she did. Many of the patrons could have been human, but she didn't quite think so. The ones that were clearly not human weren't anything that she recognized. "So, share the rumors. I just... I hate being out of the loop. And I'm going to stay here and make everybody nervous until you do."
For a moment, his eyes looked panicky, but then he seemed to calm himself, shuffling just a bit farther away. "Apparently, there's something coming. Some sort of demon. All I've heard is a name, and a lot of the demons and vamps who learn about the bigger picture have been acting... funny about this thing. No idea what it looks like, what it does, or why so many people are getting weird."
Buffy reached out, catching his wrist. "I want a name."
"Jaberwock." Willie tugged at his wrist, trying to pull away from her, with no effect. "I don't know what it is, but that's the name I've heard. Supposedly, it's coming here, maybe here already. That's all."
He really didn't seem like he was hiding more information about this... Jabber-walk thingie, so Buffy let go. If there was something else that he might know, she could always come back later. "Thanks. I'll see you later."
Walking back to Giles's new store the Magic Box, Buffy sighed. So, a lot of demons were laying low because of this new arrival. Was this the next thing wanting to try to take over? Some even bigger bad? Giles should be able to figure something out. With a tiny delay to stake a minion trying to bite a girl outside the Bronze, Buffy kept turning the possibilities over in her mind.
"Hey Giles. Willie said there was something on it's way or maybe here... Lots of the underground types are sort of acting wiggy." Buffy smiled, looking at the way he had everything arranged. The front had candles and stones and books as well as the weird bits and pieces and thingies that people used for magic. Giles seemed so happy with this store... Of course, she did think that she recalled him saying something about wanting to be a grocer when he was a kid?
"Something on it's way..." He sighed, sipping at his tea. "By some chance did you get a name for this something?"
Buffy shrugged, leaning against a wall. "He called it a jabby... no, that's not it. umm... a Jaberwock. Whatever that is."
"Sounds almost familiar." Oz made a little shrug, glancing up from his guitar.
Willow nodded, smiling at her boyfriend. "Yeah, it does, doesn't it? But I can't quite place it either."
Giles made this sort of funny noise that sounded like 'hhhrrrmmmm', almost like a little engine trying to turn over. "Why don't you check on the computer while I look in some of the Watcher's Chronicles. I think I know where I've seen the name before..."
"What name? What are you looking for?" Anya's voice preceded her into the room. Giles had decided to let her help him with the store, although Buffy couldn't quite figure out why. Maybe just because she wouldn't freak about the weapons or the occasional attacking monster?
"Jaberwock." The word came from Oz, who didn't even look up from his guitar strings.
Anya took a deep breath and sort of stepped backwards into the wall, all the while turning paler as her eyes grew wide and wild. Whispered words emerged from her lips. "A Jaberwock? Here? Oh no…"
She spun around, looking at Buffy, her expression unexpectedly pleading. "You have to kill it. It's…. huge, and hideous. All…. Giant ears and big yellow teeth… revolting. And it's got quite the nasty temper."
"All I'm getting online is references to works by Lewis Caroll." Willow's apologetic words leeched some of the tension from the room.
Buffy blinked, thinking that she recognized the name. "Lewis Caroll? Isn't that the guy who wrote Alice in Wonderland?"
"Indeed. He was also a Watcher." Giles had this faintly satisfied look, and a thick book held in his hand. "The Council thought that he was… rather eccentric, and instead of some sort of low profile occupation, such as a teacher or a librarian, he became a rather flamboyant writer. There was also… well, I suppose that doesn't matter now. He's one of the few sources of information on the… or perhaps a Jaberwock, I'm a bit unclear about that."
"It's big, it's evil, and we need to have Buffy cut off it's head." Anya shuddered, half glaring at Giles. "What more do you need to know?"
"How about where to find it?" Buffy looked at Anya. "How am I supposed to go kill something if I don't know where it is?"
"They like forests, and trees. Take a sharp sword, go to the woods, and when a big, hideous beast comes up to you, KILL IT!!" Anya's voice sounded almost reasonable, until the final, screamed words.
That level of fear and insistence was entirely unlike Anya. Buffy felt a bit uneasy, wondering what sort of horrible monstrosity could get her that worked up. "Okayyyy… Let me get a sword then."
A short time later, Buffy found herself walking in the woods, armed with this nifty looking sword and a stake. Why was she looking for some huge, scary monster again? Oh, right, sacred calling, grand destiny, the whole Slayer thing. It just would have been nice to have more of a description to go by than 'huge, hideous, big ears and yellow teeth. With a nasty temper' to go by. After all, that could describe those red-necked vampires that had shown up for Trick's SlayerFest.
She heard a strange, crunching noise. Slowly, Buffy moved towards the noise, wondering if this was the mysterious Jaberwock. Her hand clenched the sword, the wire wrapped around the hilt leaving an impression in her palm. She peeked around a tree, and froze, astonished at the sight.
It was huge, almost as tall as her shoulder and as long as her mom's car. Dirty claws emerged from all four feet, and there were huge yellow teeth. The ears added almost three more feet to the things height. Red eyes as large as her fist gleamed in it's narrow head. As Buffy watched, the thing bit off another chunk of the sapling tree, and began to chew.
It was a giant white rabbit.
Buffy tried to hold in her giggles, her mind echoing with the Elmer Fudd singing 'Kill the wabbit, kill the wabbit…' to that opera song. All she needed was a spear and magic helmet. Anya had been freaked out over a giant bunny?
It was actually one of the easiest kills of her entire history of slaying. Just walk up behind it, and chop! Off with it's head. Buffy laughed the whole way back to the Magic Box.
End Kill the Jaberwock.