I dedicate this chapter to my first reviewer for this story, 'cursedgirl'!

Chapter 5

"So what's this demon?" William asked as he pointed to a picture in one of the research books. Giles leaned from where he was sitting cross-legged on the floor and looked at it.

"Well, Wesl – William, that, I believe, is a Wakattu demon. They avoid humans when possible but when they feel threatened, they will release an acidic substance through their mouths that can shoot up to three metres." Giles answered.

"So they are demons with deadly vomit." Dawn stated.

"Yes, basically." Giles looked back at the book he was reading but continued talking "They are quite solitary creatures – they don't travel in packs or families, but are very dedicated and will accept any helping hand." Giles looked up back at him, "So you don't have that demon in your – previous – world?"

William looked at the picture again. "Well, not like this but something similar" He said while looking at it in different angles, "It was pink instead of dark purple with shorter, more rounded horns and blue polished nails… but that could just be Bob."

"Oh." Giles said. "Interesting." Then he returned back to his book before he could imagine what that looked like, and much more. A short silence passed before Cordelia spoke up.

"Was it passion pink, or bubbly pink?" she asked. "Because bubbly would just be so adorable."

"Not when it's throwing up on you." Dawn told her.

Cordelia stuck out her tongue and the subject was forgotten. "Well, this is boring, and I don't understand half of this stuff anyway." She said as she stood up. Then her face brightened. "Hey, my cake's still on the table! No one's eaten it yet, so I'll just serve that up for us. Great!"

Panic showed on everyone's face except William's as they watched Cordelia's retreating back enter the kitchen.

"Oh, dear. I would've hoped she'd forgotten." Giles said as he took off his glasses and went to vigorously wipe them.

"Oh no, I can't go through this again. Last time, the docs had me stay overnight. Can I please hide upstairs, Giles?" Dawn pleaded.

"Is that what you were doing upstairs in my house – where you had no business to be, young lady – while we were all at the mercy of Cordelia's food tasting?"

"…Um, the toilet was broken?" She said innocently, knowing that she was found out.

"Indeed." said Giles skeptically.

"I can try to do a spell!" Willow piped up suddenly after being quiet for some time. "Maybe there's something I can do to make it more… edible." She said with a sigh.

"Magically enhanced cake." Dawn thought aloud. "There's always a first time."

"You've been quiet for some time, William. What are you thinking?" Giles asked him. William was still gazing at the door Cordelia went through and sturned his head when he heard Giles question.

"I don't know what you're complaining about. I kind of like her cooking."

"Really?"

"Yes, really." He said with humour. "They're very… nostalgic."

"I kind of feel sorry about where you grew up." Dawn said, giving him pitying eyes and patting him on the shoulder.

"I'm serious." William said with a smile. "The cookies I ate were absolutely delicious. I'm surprised you don't feel the same way."

Giles looked at him in disbelief. "You might be the only person in this entire universe who can say that." Then he leaned in closer, "Are you sure you're not even at least part demon?"

"One hundred percent human, Giles." William declared.

"Ok-"

"Except for my grandfather." Wesley added, "But we're not blood-related."

"What-"

"Here I am!" Cordelia came confidently back into the living room holding a plate of cut pieces of cake. She surveyed around the room but finding nowhere else to put it, placed it on top of an open book on the table – Giles' open book.

"Cordelia" Giles said as he took the book and placed it on his lap. He shot her scolding glares but she easily ignored him. She sat back down among them and looked around.

"Well, aren't any of you going to have one?" She asked. William immediately took one and ate the whole thing before taking another one, this time eating it in bite size. It was then Giles noticed something.

"Cordelia – you managed to cut the cake!"

"Yeah, I put hot water on it and it softened right up." She said happily.

Giles looked surprised. "You had time to boil water?"

"No, I just used what was there."

"Hot water...?" Giles was confused but then realized what she was referring to "Cordelia! You doused it in my tea?"

"Yeah. I figured since you like drinking tea so much, you'll just love my tea-flavoured chocolate cake!" Cordelia picked one up and gave it to Giles. "Here, have one."

Giles eyed it warily in his fingers as if it were a foreign object.

"Try it, Giles. It's really good." William said as he helped himself to a third serving.

Giles scowled at him and looked back at the cake. Gulping his last prayers, he slowly moved it towards his mouth, and the death clock ticked ever gently to await the mortality of…

"Ooh, what's this?" Cordelia said as she became distracted by a picture in a book.

When Cordelia wasn't looking, Giles immediately gave Willow eye motions to the cake in his hand and some head movements, and Willow did frantic hand waving and head shaking. William was intrigued; they were having a whole conversation using body language and it went something like this:

"Willow, spell!"

"What? I don't know any!"

"Think of something, quick. I love ducks better" (William wasn't sure about that last one)

"Giles, I can't!"

"I trust you, Willow. Money, money, she won't be distracted long!"

"OK – just – milk/tv(?)!"

There was a little 'poof' and Cordelia suddenly looked back up but by that time the magic cloud was already gone. The suspicious two smiled awkwardly and Cordelia visibly eyed the cake that was still in Giles' hand, raising her left eyebrow as if saying, "Well, what are you waiting for?"

Giles raised it up in mock salute and with a look back at Willow, popped the whole thing into his mouth. He chewed, and chewed, and chewed some more, then he swallowed.

They looked at him expectantly and Giles' looked back. Then he turned to Cordelia and said with a choke, "That was quite lovely, Cordelia."

"Knew it!" she said with a big smile and then completely forgot about it in the space of the next few seconds.

Willow was still giving him worried looks but he silently assured her that he was fine and they went back to researching.

The rest of the team came back a few minutes later and they all helped with the research, except for Spike who just sat there doing nothing.

"Oh dear." Giles said suddenly after a long moment of silent reading.

"What is it, Giles? Is it just kicking in? Do you need to go to the hospital?" Willow asked him worriedly and Cordelia gave her a glare.

"What – no. No, it's about the amulet." He said. They all listened closely to what he had to say, "It seems that it's not as perfect as we initially presumed. According to this" he said while pointing to a passage in the book on his lap, "The amulet will only work during times of the wounded moon and the naked… gypsies." Giles wore a puzzled expression.

"What in the buggering hell does that mean?" Spike said.

"Happy hour, one to three a.m. during a full moon." William stated.

They all looked at him and he shrugged, but they saw his face going red.

"Naked gypsies… so, that's happy hour?" Xander asked.

"How does 'the wounded moon' fit into this?" Giles also asked.

"Well. It doesn't mean the moon literally. Where I came from, the 'naked gypsies' is actually a night club that's opens during nights of the full moon and from one to three a.m. they have this big event where they get this big flat stick and" William stopped suddenly and succeeded in turning even redder.

"Anyway, well." Giles cut in, "This does turn out to be quite a problem as we can only use it at certain times. We can still use it, but we now need other means also if we are to defeat this army." Then, realising something, he said "It's a good thing you found William when you did, Spike."

Spike was staring at his shoes the whole time Giles spoke that they thought he wasn't listening but then his barely audible voice came. "Yeah." He said softly.

Nothing was said for a few seconds and then Giles closed his book. "Well" he said as he stood up "It's quite late and I think that's all the research we can do for tonight. I think it's time you all went home. We'll think of something tomorrow when we can think straight."

The others agreed and slowly, one by one, they all stood up and stretched.

"Um, William" Giles said, "would you like to stay with me? I can set you up in the guest room."

"Well" William said. He twiddled with his fingers before he said "I thought I would go with Spike."

"Uh, are you sure, mate?" Spike asked, not believing what he heard "I kind of live in a crypt."

"I don't mind." William said. Then thinking it would help, said "I was a Goth once."

"Are you sure? I mean, it's not as comfortable as stayin' in a real bed in Giles'-"

"Don't you like me?" William asked suddenly.

"Well, we have to go." Buffy said hurriedly, waving goodbye and dragging Dawn along.

"I'm outta here." Faith following behind.

"So long!" Xander said as he rushed to the door.

"Uh, goodnight." Willow said, trailing after Xander.

"Well, bye" Cordelia said, and closed the door.

The two stared at each other and Giles coughed. "Um, I'll just put these in the kitchen." And went off with the plate of cakes.

William dropped his gaze and stared at his hands. "Do you hate me?"

He was close to tears and swore at himself for sounding so vulnerable but suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Spike. He was wearing a soft expression that he never saw him wear before and couldn't help thinking that he should show it more often.

"Course I don't hate you." Spike said gently. Then he looked away and shouted to the direction of the kitchen "Giles, we're going! Don't forget to lock up, old man." He turned around cockily and headed to the door and opened it. He turned back to William who still hadn't moved.

"You coming?" He asked.

William smiled the widest he did that day and followed Spike all the way home.