"The watcher's name is Rupert Giles, he's a librarian at Sunnydale High School," Spike told Buffy as he wove through traffic and pulled into the school's parking lot.
"Does he know we're coming?" Buffy asked.
Spike pulled into a parking space and stopped the car, pocketing the keys and unlocking the doors. "Now why would we tell the old man we're coming? I promise, it'll be much more fun this way. Hey, he might even have a heart attack," Spike joked as he exited the car, pulling his duster over his head and running towards the school entrance to avoid getting burnt by the harmful rays of the sun.
"Sadist," Buffy mumbled, running to catch up with Spike. He may be strange but she wouldn't have it any other way.
"Mr. Giles," Buffy called, looking around the Sunnydale High library. The main office had told her and Spike that Rupert Giles was in the library. However, it appeared the room was abandoned. "Is anyone in here?" Buffy asked to the near empty room. Her only answer was silence.
"I guess he's not here. Maybe he's out to lunch or-" Spike began, only to be cut off by Buffy's call of warning. The vampire turned quickly and came face to face with an angry looking man aiming a stake directly at his heart. Spike punched his assailant in the face, sending him falling to the floor. Buffy ran over to the man sprawled out on the ground, about to send a kick to his stomach when Spike called for her to halt.
"What's wrong?" Buffy asked.
"It's Mr. Giles," Spike replied, kneeling down next to the man on the floor. Buffy stayed standing.
"Are you Rupert Giles?" She asked.
"Depends who's asking," The watcher replied defiantly.
"I think that's a yes love," Spike said. The Vampire reached out a hand for Mr. Giles to take. The watcher looked at Spike skeptically before taking his hand and allowing himself to be pulled to his feet.
"I think we got off on the wrong foot Giles," Spike began. "My name is Spike. And this lovely lady," Spike indicated Buffy, "Is Buffy Anne Summer's, slayer extraordinaire."
"Oh, Miss Summers," Giles began, stuttering slightly, a light blush of embarrassment on his cheeks.
"Buffy," The Slayer corrected, amused by the Englishman's politeness, especially after he had attempted to stake Spike.
"Yes, of course, Buffy. I'm so sorry. I assumed that Spike was a vampire. I didn't realize that he was a friend of yours. What a terrible mistake. I apologize and-"
"Actually," Buffy began slowly, unsure of how to explain her relationship with Spike to Giles.
"I am a vampire," Spike said.
"But he's good," Buffy piped in, at Giles worried look.
"Hey," Spike protested. Buffy rolled her eyes.
"Let me get this straight, you are the Slayer, and Spike is what? Your stand-in watcher?" Giles asked.
"Kind of. My first watcher, Merrick died last year. I met Spike and he's been training me. Then, about a week ago we…" Buffy hesitated.
"We fell in love and have been dating for about a week," Spike said, picking up from where Buffy left off. Buffy smiled shyly at Spike and the Vampire took her hand reassuringly.
Giles took his glasses of and removed a white handkerchief from the breast pocket of his jacket. "Oh my," He murmured.
"Strange, I know," Buffy said.
Giles didn't respond. He just repeated the same phrase once more. "Oh my."
After explaining to Giles more about the unusual circumstances that had brought Buffy and Spike together the trio began discussing how to fight Malcah.
"I have extensive knowledge of many prophecies, and I have close ties to the Watcher'sCouncil. I assume if they knew that a vampire as powerful as Malcah was going to rise they would notify me," Giles said.
"I understand that you doubt our credibility in the research area. It's just that…Spike knows that Malcah's coming and maybe she's not, but we say she is, and if we're not prepared, well then the world is in huge trouble and it's better if we are prepared and the world's not in trouble than if we aren't and it is so maybe we should-"
Spike put a hand up to end Buffy's rambling.
"Giles, I understand your hesitation. But any demon with a sense of direction can feel this thing coming. I promise you that when Malcah arises Buffy will start to feel it too. And when she does…we need to be ready."
"You're right," Giles muttered, taking off his glasses and putting them up to the light, examining the lenses. "Can you two be here at 8 o'clock or so tonight?"
"Of course," Buffy answered quickly.
"Excellent, it will be a chance for to introduce you to the students who help me keep the demon population at bay. I think you'll find them smart, efficient…and, for high school students, remarkably mature."
"Willow, let go," A young boy wined as he entered the library next to a red-haired girl who clutched a thin packet of papers in her hand.
"I will not let go," The redhead, Willow, insisted. "This is your term paper and you asked me to edit it."
"Yes, I asked you to edit it, I didn't ask you to demolish my self esteem by causing my paper to bleed red ink from your editing," Xander complained.
"I used green ink," Willow pointed out innocently, grinning mischievously when Xander narrowed his eyes at her.
"Whatever. The point is-"
"Ahh, Willow and Xander. I'm glad you're here. I'd like you to meet Buffy Summers and Spike" Giles paused, unsure of Spike's last name. However, Willow and Xander didn't seem to care. The pair looked, for the first time towards Spike and Buffy, who sat at the rectangular table in the center of the library, looking at the duo with interest.
"Hey," Buffy said with a wave. "I'm Buffy."
"Hi" Xander replied, thoroughly confused at why Giles was bringing friends to their after school meetings, usually saved for discussion matters of the demonic persuasion.
"Giles, didn't we have things to discuss this afternoon?" Willow asked pointedly "You said you wanted to meet Xander and I here after the football game."
"I know. You see, Willow, these two people are not just friends. This young woman, Buffy, is the vampire slayer. And, her friend Spike is a vampire who has been filling in as her watcher," Giles explained.
Willow and Xander each took seats around the table and waited for further explanation.
"Spike and I live in LA. Spike has felt this great power was about to rise in Sunnydale. A vampire named Malcah who years ago was imprisoned inside the hellmouth is going to seek vengeance on the human race after she awakens from years of an enchanted slumber," Buffy explained.
"Wait. I know this one. She needs the kiss of her handsome demon lover," Xander said. Giles looked less than amused. However, Buffy let out a small giggled, causing Xander's chest to swell with pride.
"I'd say we should begin research. Willow, you and Buffy can start looking through the watcher's diaries in my office. Spike and Xander, you two can look through the demonology books, see if they make reference to this vampires' powers," Giles said. There was a moment of pause before everyone shuffled to his or her feet and headed off in separate directions.
"We should really get started reading these," Willow said, staring regretfully at the large stack of watcher's diaries that were piled in Giles office.
"Yeah. We really should," The slayer agreed. Both picked up a diary from Giles' desk and sat on the floor. "Besides, it's not like we have anything else to do."
Buffy and Willow locked eyes and in seconds the watcher's diaries lay forgotten as they moved closer together and began gossiping.
"Spike seems so sweet," Willow said.
"Oh, he is. It's hard to remember that he's a vampire sometimes."
"It's so obvious that he loves you. Just from seeing the way he looked at you while we were sitting around the table I could tell he cared for you," Willow assured the Slayer.
Buffy smiled in obvious pleasure. "What about you? Any boys in your life?"
Willow giggled and the two girls leaned closer together, gossiping some more.
"Listen to them," Xander muttered, flipping through the pages of a musty book on demonology. "Probably in Giles office gossiping while we're stuck in here reading book in Latin."
Spike leaned over Xander's book. "Um…that's English."
Xander blushed as he mumbled an excuse to cover his embarrassment, "Not like it would make much of a difference." Spike shook his head and was about to go back to research when he heard part of Buffy and Willow's conversation. So, Buffy thought he was sweet. Spike grinned slightly when he knew that no one was looking. His grin turned to a frown when he imagined Buffy's look of disappointment if she found out he had missed an opportunity to help someone out.
"Not good at writing?" Spike asked casually.
"Terrible at it. Willow edited my paper and I realized how much work I have to do. My paper is due tomorrow, we have a demon to fight, and I have no date for homecoming."
"The demon part…well, with the Slayer and I working with you the redhead and the watcher I wouldn't worry about it. As far as the date goes, I can probably figure something out. And as for the English paper, give it to me and we'll talk about it," Spike said. Xander looked at the vampire, searching his face for any signs of mocking; when he found none he handed the paper to Spike.
The Vampire read the paper over three times before he acknowledged the fact that Xander had been leaning over his shoulder the entire time. "You can sit down. I won't finish with the paper any faster because I can feel your breath on my neck." Spike turned to look at Xander who had sat back down in his seat. "Though it did tingle…in a good way," He whispered, voice breathy. Xander's eyes widened and his chair tipped backwards, spilling the raven-haired boy onto the floor.
"Is everything all right?" Giles asked, rushing out from behind the library stacks, a thick book clutched in his hands, his glasses perched on his nose. Xander waved Giles back into the stacks, ignoring the sounds of Spike's deep chuckle.
"Okay. You've had your fun. Now give me my paper back," Xander demanded.
"Calm down, I was just playing with you," Spike said, his chuckle's stopped and he turned serious. "The paper's not bad. Your grammar needs a little work, but that's easy to fix. You need more passion in your writing. This paper doesn't move me. It doesn't make me want to learn more. It doesn't-"
"It's about Julius Caesar, of course you don't want to learn more," Xander said sarcastically.
"You should. I mean it's easy to be passionate about Romeo and Juliet, or want Portia to find a suitor. What's hard is to truly understand the drama of Julius Caesar and become passionate about that too," Spike said.
"It has nothing to do with my life! How am I supposed to be passionate about that?" Xander asked angrily.
"Maybe that's something that you need to figure out," Spike answered. He shook his head in disgust before picking up the book he had been looking through and heading towards Giles office where he could still hear Buffy and Willow giggling and gossiping.
Xander looked down at the paper clutched in his hands. "That my friend, is a man with issues," He said to himself. Then Xander sat down to write.