Title: A Sarcophagus in Sunnydale (Chapter 8)
Author: thecrystalkey
Summary: A newspaper article has sent Jack and Daniel to Sunnydale. What will they find? Primarily from the POV of Jack O'Neill but focuses on the Buffy characters.
Spoilers: Season 2 Buffy up to 'What's my line?', no real spoilers for SG-1 (early seasons).

Disclaimer: All characters copyright MGM or Joss Whedon/Twentieth Century Fox/Mutant Enemy. Only the plot is mine. This is a non-profit fan story not intended to infringe the rights of MGM, Showtime, Gekko or Double Secret productions. Nor those of Joss Whedon, Twentieth Century Fox, or Mutant Enemy. Besides I have no money, sueing me would be a waste of time. :)

"We still need a driver," Buffy was saying as Daniel and Jack walked into the Library at lunch that day.

"What are you two doing here?" Buffy asked. She sounded surprised rather than hostile.

"We have an appointment with Mr. Giles," Daniel announced with a straight face. Jack smirked.

"Cordelia," Giles said suddenly.

"Where?" Xander asked with a start, looking around.

"Not…I meant, she could drive. She's the only one of you that has her license," Giles said.

"You sure there isn't anyone else?" Xander asked a little desperately. "I'll have to drive it off the base anyway. I could drive or…What about Ms. Calendar?"

Buffy reached over and smacked the young man lightly on the back of the head.

"You don't have a license and you know why not Ms. Calendar," Buffy said.

"Just for that, you get to be the one to ask her," Willow said to Xander.

He groaned and got up, heading for the door. Jack actually considered heading out after him. He really wanted to get the kid alone and ask some questions.

Starting with when did he get military training and what happened on Halloween that he ended up with the base layout and access codes in his head.

The group had the crossbow Jack recognized from last night and a couple of swords out on the table. Willow was once again reloading the projectile weapon. Buffy was sharpening a sword.

Giles was sitting at the computer, book open at the one hand, pad and pencil at the other. He was apparently still trying to translate the Goa'uld on the side of the sarcophagus. Jack nearly took pity on him and had Daniel do it. Nearly.

It wouldn't do to give away all their secrets. If these kids did manage to steal it, he doubted they'd care if he and Daniel never came back as long as the sarcophagus didn't. In which case, they really didn't need to know that this had to do with aliens rather than the Hellmouth.

"So, during class today I found out I can get into the Museum security grid," Willow announced as she put the crossbow down.

"Excellent," Giles said. Then he realized what he'd said. "Well, not excellent, in that, we really shouldn't…That is to say, w-we should really tell them about that hole in their system. Just as soon as-" he trailed off.

"We're done breaking in?" Buffy suggested sweetly.

"Right. That," the librarian agreed.

"When is this going to happen?" Jack asked.

"Well, assuming Cordelia agrees to be getaway driver," Buffy said.

"And she has a date on Tuesday," Willow interjected.

"And I have a date on Wednesday," Buffy continued. "We'll have to do it Monday or Thursday. I vote Monday."

"Me, too," Willow said.

"Me, three," Xander said from the doors.

"Do you even know what you were just agreeing with?" Giles asked.

"Well, no. But anything Willow's in favour of…What did I just agree to?"

"We're pulling the heist tonight," Buffy informed him. "Will Cordy drive?"

"Pulling the heist, I love that," the young man said.

"Xander," Willow said.

"Yeah, yeah, she'll drive," Xander said irritably. "I had to convince her it was to stop the world from ending before her date, but she said she'd do it."

"We only just decided to do it tonight while you were gone," Willow said, sounding put out.

"Well, call me psychic, I guess," he announced.

"Xander," Buffy said plaintively.

"Please," the young man said. "She has a date on Tuesday, you have one on Wednesday, so those nights are out. Doing it Thursday would be just stupid, or an act of desperation. So it had to be tonight."

They were all just looking at him.

"What?" he asked irritably. "I can plan things with the best of them. Just cause I'm usually too lazy to bother…Anyway, I told her 9:00pm. She can drive me to the base. We'll meet up so she can take the wheel and we hit the Museum around 11."

"I go home, pretend to go to bed, sneak out and meet you there," Buffy said.

"I'll be on the computer from here," Willow said.

"I sneak around the buildings and rig the garbage cans," Xander said.

"We'll call when we're ready for you to do your thing," Buffy said to Willow.

"And then we get in, get out, and get on with our lives," Xander concluded.

Jack could Daniel was impressed in spite of himself. Jack himself had already moved on to thinking it was too bad he couldn't hire these kids for the SGC.

He'd bet the Goa'uld would be more afraid of them than SG-1 in no time. He wondered if Harris at least might not consider joining up when he was finished high school.

"What are we supposed to do?" Jack asked.

"Wait here and pretend like you don't know what's going on," Buffy ordered.

"I know what's going on," a familiarly snide voice announced.

"Principal Snyder," Willow squeaked.

"How's life treatin' ya?" Xander asked.

"You're still in it, aren't you?" the unpleasant little man asked. Xander held up his hands and took a step back.

"What is it that you think is going on?" Buffy asked in a painfully chirpy voice.

"What's going on, Summers, is that you and Harris and Rosenberg here are trying to cut class. Math class. In which you have a test. That started, oh, five minutes ago."

Various noises of dismay from the kids were followed by them clearing the room in no time flat.

Jack noticed the weapons had all disappeared with the kids. It was just as well this school didn't have metal detectors as a number of other high schools did.

"And who are you?" Snyder asked.

"Uh, Dr. Daniel Jackson," the archaeologist introduced himself. "And my colleague Jack O'Neill."

"That's nice for you," the principal said. "Why are you here? This is a high school."

"No," Jack muttered sarcastically under his breath. Daniel elbowed him.

"Actually we're speak to…uh, Mr. Giles. He has some texts in his private collection, on Ancient Egypt, that he's agreed to let me have a look at."

"He couldn't do this on his own time?" Snyder asked, shooting Giles a sideways look.

"Actually, that's my fault," Jack said. "We're only in town for a limited amount of time. Business, you understand, and this was the only time we had available. Mr. Giles kindly agreed to take some time out of his lunch break to meet with us."

"Right," Snyder said. He turned away from the two visitors.

"I actually came to talk to you about the damage incurred last night," Snyder said to the librarian.

"W-What about it?" Giles said nervously.

"You weren't here when it happened, were you?" the little man asked suspiciously.

"O-Of course not, whatever might have given you that idea?" the librarian asked.

"The police said there were lights on when they first arrived but that they suddenly went out just as they got into the building," Snyder said.

"Oh. W-Well, it was probably the h-hooligans that, um, that trashed the place. Needed light to destroy by, o-or something," Giles offered in explanation.

"You stick to that story," Snyder said, "But one day, she'll do something really stupid and you won't be there to shield her from the consequences."

"She who?" Giles asked.

"Summers, that's who," Snyder said. "I'll be keeping an eye on you," he said threateningly, "and everyone else in her little group."

"You do that," Giles said softly. "Good day, Principal Snyder."

"I will," Snyder said somewhat childishly. "Good day to you."

And then he was gone. When they were sure he was out of hearing range, Giles slammed his fist into the counter.

"Insufferable little man," Giles said angrily. "One of these days he's going to say something completely unforgivable and then I am going to deck him." Then he looked embarrassed. "Don't tell Buffy I said that, will you? She'll just…worry."

Definitely paternal, Jack thought. He and Daniel agreed not to tell anyone.

"So why did that Spike guy ask about Buffy's mom last night?" Jack asked. Giles started laughing.

"Actually," the man said, "That's a rather funny story…"

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