Summary: Certain books have found their way to Sunnydale, pre-Buffy.

Disclaimer: I dun' own nuttin'!

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Pre-Fic Comments:

I lied. (I'm bad like that.) We're not quite into the buglady yet.

Has anyone actually listened to any of these songs, or am I just fluffing the fic with song markers?

* * *

"Looks like we've just gotten a few dozen more Slayer-ettes," Jesse said.

Buffy gave him a weirded look.

"Jesse, they're *vampires* and *werewolves,*" Buffy pointed out. "They're the enemy."

"Buffy, they've still got their souls. They're fully cognizant of who they are," Xander said. "Demons and demon vampires don't have souls. It's still open season on them."

"Be vewwy vewwy quiet," Jesse joked.

"I'm Swaying Wampires!," Xander continued.

Willow laughed at this, happy for a break in the seriousness.

>

>

Giles looked around. "Well, um, the worst seems to have passed and Buffy still has to do her normal patrols."

The short bleach blonde gave him an imploring look. "Giles! C'mon! Can't I have the night off?"

Xander laughed as he watched the Watcher and the Slayer absently leave the dance club. "Sounds like she's asking her mum for the car keys for the night."

"Yeah," Willow agreed. "Coke?"

* * *

The next day found Giles and the four teenagers at the hospital come lunchtime, sitting on the steps outside. Xander still had his glove with the metal plates on his right hand.

"I knew they wouldn't come," Giles morosely said. "Why would they?"

"Point," Willow said. "Chip?"

"Thanks," Xander said, taking one from the newspaper. "They can still go out in public during the day. It's the pale and unpulsating I'm worried about."

Jesse looked puzzled at this. He took a piece of fish from Willow, who took one of his sandwiches in retaliation. "Why? I mean, they /have/ to come, or... I don't know."

"They could feel like they have to act as society expects them to act," Willow said. The others gave her a look. "What? Mum, psychologist, remember?"

"I still say we should have slayed them," Buffy said. "Much easier that way."

"Buffy, Buffy," Xander sighed. "We really must educate you in the ways of your typical American. Americus Commonus, a rather subintelligent species with rare examples of shining brilliance."

He gestured around, indicating all of the small group.

"Okay, gotcha," Buffy said.

"Besides, most of them would be World of Darkness vamps," Jesse said. "They don't stake."

Giles blinked. "They don't?"

"Nope."

The five sat in silence at that.

"How does one slay them, then?"

"Sunlight, fire, beheading," Jesse said. "Crosses are no good either."

"Hey, Buffy, done that biology assignment yet?," Willow asked.

Buffy grimaced. "Anything but bugs. Mr Gregory is a nice guy, though."

Giles suddenly remembered something. "Xander, could I have a word with you alone?"

"Sure thing," the teenager agreed amiably. "I need to ask you something anyway."

Giles got up, wandering off a bit with Xander following. Jesse, Willow and Buffy began fig--er, redistributing Xander's fish and chips.

"Xander, I don't believe you're doing a wise thing," Giles began. "The path you've chosen could--"

"I don't care," Xander cut him off. "How would we have beaten that Final Rite last night if I hadn't? What would you have done? Some Wicca thing, lots of stinky herbs, hoping some higher deity will graciously do as you ask, hoping someone won't kick your spell components into a pile of salt and blood?"

The Watcher mentally gave Xander a point for that. "Be that as it may, you're opening the door to--"

"You're the last person to lecture me on that, Mr Eyghon Summoner," Xander snapped. He didn't take this kind of crap from his parents, he sure wasn't going to take it from someone who should have understood where he was coming from. "I don't summon anything. All of my power is drawn from myself, or from power floating around the air."

Giles looked relieved at this. "That's what I was worried about, Xander, and it is a relief to hear that you've taken care of that... possibility. Now, what did you want to ask me about?"

Xander pulled the glove off. The line of flexible black metal had a purple sheen to it.

"I need you to inscribe the control and interface rune to connect to this," he said. "It's too complex for Jesse, and you're the only person I trust to do it right."

* * *

"Oh, it's like no problem," Buffy said. "There I am, graveyard, hanging around looking tasty, and this vampire in plaid flares and a neon green jacket comes up to me..."

"What'd he say?," Willow asked. The redhead was determined to keep patrolling with Buffy, if she had this much fun.

"Where'd you go shopping? The bargain bin?"

"I don't get it," Jesse said.

"Ne-ver mind," Buffy said. "So, where is there to go at night besides the Bronze?"

"For those who have cars, L.A.," Jesse grinned. "And then there's the famous stay at home option."

"The fun never stops," Buffy groaned.

Jesse looked up at where Giles was talking to Xander.

"Hey, if we sneak off now, we could skip school this afternoon and go play at the arcade," he suggested.

The three quietly picked up the fish and chips and snuck away to pound the crap out of some digital badness.

* * *

The next day, they found they had a new teacher for biology. A seriously hot female teacher.

"Where'd she come from?," Jesse wondered. "Do you think I have a chance?"

"There's something wrong about her," Xander said. Buffy nodded.

"What's with the hat, Xander?," Willow asked. "You don't normally like hats. But if you do now that's okay."

"Tell you later," Xander said.

"Where'd Mr Gregory go?," Buffy said. "He was a good guy."

"Maybe--"

Willow was cut off as the new teacher came into the room to start teaching.

"My name is Natalie French, and I will be substituting for Dr. Gregory," she announced.

"Do you know when he's coming back?," Buffy asked.

"No, I don't, um, Buffy. They just call and tell me where they want me," Ms French sighed.

"I can tell you where I want you," Jesse muttered.

"Excuse me... Jesse?," the teacher asked.

Jesse blushed and went quiet. Ms French picked up a plastic container with a green ugly bug in it, displaying it to the class.

"The praying mantis is a fascinating creature," Ms French began. "Forced to live alone. Who can tell me why? Buffy?"

"Because it's so ugly," Xander said to Willow, who nodded in agreement.

"Well, the words bug ugly kinda sprung to mind," Buffy smirked.

"There is nothing ugly about these unique creatures. The reason they live alone is because they're cannibals!"

And so the lesson continued.

* * *

Post-Fic Comments:

Okay, so I lied in the pre-fic comments. (I'm bad like that.) We're into the buglady now. (Not like like into. That would be sick.)