Buffy, Willow, Anya, and Angel were all standing around watching the ground
breaking ceremony for the new cultural center. Buffy and Willow were on
Thanksgiving break and had nothing better to do.
*Well, I have SOMEONE better to do.* Buffy thought as she eyed Angel. He noticed and took her hand. Anya had been talking and Buffy hadn't been listening.
"Look at him. Have you ever seen anything so masculine?" Anya asked.
"You mean Guerrero or his wife?" Buffy asked.
"I think she means.." Willow gestured to Xander who was holding a shovel, waiting to start digging.
"Oh. Very manly. Not at all Village People. So much sexier than the outfit from his last job."
"Oh, I miss the free hot dogs on sticks."
"I'm imagining having sex with him right now." Anya said.
"Aren't we all?" Angel muttered under his breath. He was only here because Buffy had insisted that they come for Xander's sake. Angel wanted to stay home with his girlfriend and do some things that were probably illegal in 49 out of the 50 states. He looked down at her in her burgundy tank top that was missing the lower part of the back, a brown suede skirt, and the cowboy hat she had on. She looked sexy to him.
"Angel?" Buffy asked.
"Huh?"
"You've got lusty eye. I promised when we get home that you can do anything you want with me."
"Like I said before, are you sure it's anything I want to do to you?"
"I'm the slayer. Bring it on."
Angel chuckled, took her hat off, out it on him, and pulled her to him by her waist. They stood there watching the ceremony continue.
"And that's why it's appropriate that the ground-breaking for the UC Sunnydale Cultural Partnership Center is taking place so soon before Thanksgiving. Because that's what the melting pot is about.. Contributions from all cultures, making our culture stronger.." Gerhardt said.
"What a load of horse hooey!" Willow said.
"We have a counterpoint?" Buffy asked.
"Yeah. Thanksgiving isn't about blending of 2 cultures. It's about one culture wiping out another. And then they make animated specials about the part where, with the maize and the big, big belt buckles. They don't show you the next scene, where all the bison die and Squanto takes a musket ball in the stomach."
"Ok. Now, for some of that, you were channeling your mother?"
"Well, yeah, sort of. That's why she doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving or Columbus Day.. You know, the destruction of the indigenous peoples. I know it sounds a little overwrought, but really, she's.. She's right."
"Yeah. I guess I never really thought about it that way. With mom at aunt Darlene's this year, I'm not getting a Thanksgiving. Maybe it's just as well."
"Well, I think that's a shame. I love a ritual sacrifice." Anya said.
"It's not really a one of those."
"To commemorate a past event, you kill and eat an animal. It's a ritual sacrifice, with pie."
"..And thus, a symbolic beginning." Gerhardt said as she walked over with a golden shovel and stuck it in the ground.
"What's she doing? Xander said he was going to dig. I want to see Xander dig." Anya said.
"That's part's just ceremonial." Angel said.
"Well, it bites. She's not rippling at all. Oh. Look, there he goes. Look at him." Anya sighed as she stared at Xander starting to dig.
"Very.." Angel started.
"Diggy." Willow finished.
"Soon he'll be sweating. I'm imagining having sex with him again." Anya said.
"Imaginary Xander is quite the machine." Buffy said. "Hey, I'll be right back. Mother Nature has it out for me today."
Angel chuckled and released her. Buffy went off to one of the buildings and went in. Just as Angel turned back, Xander fell through the ground.
"While they were pulling Xander out, I heard a couple of the professors talking about it. They were they excited. It's the old Sunnydale Mission, which everyone thought was lost." Angel said. He and Buffy were curled up on the couch in front of a roaring fire in the big fireplace. A blanket was spread out on the floor and it had half eaten food and an empty bottle of wine laying on it.
"Huh?" Buffy asked.
"Are you ok? You seem kind of.. Out of it."
"Hmm? Oh. No, fine. I'm sorry. A lost mission. I mean, a hairbrush I can understand. And by the way, I will find that and get that back to Willow. But how do you lose a mission?"
"Huge earthquake in 1812. Everyone just assumed the mission was leveled. Instead, they built right over it. It's like what happened in the thirties with that church the master was in. Doesn't it make you wonder what else is there, like, right under our feet?"
"Mostly, I've just found sewers full of demons."
"Oh, right." Buffy sighed heavily and stared into the fire. Angel could tell something was bothering her. "Buffy, are you sure you're ok? Something's bothering you."
Suddenly, Buffy shot up out of his arms and faced him. "You know what? We should have our own Thanksgiving. I can cook the meal, just like my mom does, have all the guys over. It'll be great."
"Buffy, earlier you agreed with Willow about Thanksgiving. It's a sham. It's all about death. Isn't that what you guys said?"
"It is a sham, but it's a sham with yams. It's a yam sham."
"You're not gonna joke-rhyme your way out of this one."
"I know.. But I want it. It's like professor Walsh was saying about sense memory. I smell a roasting turkey, and I'm 8 years old. I liked having that to look forward to. Everything's different now."
"Well, I suppose there could be slight yams."
"I mean, we could definitely use a little comfort food. I bet Giles doesn't have any plans. And Xander always tries to avoid all of his family gatherings. And since Willow's mom doesn't believe in all the Thanksgiving stuff, she's not going to be doing anything."
"Pilgrims aside, isn't that the whole point of thanksgiving? Everybody has a place to go?"
"You know what? Count me in. I've never really had a Thanksgiving.. Unless you count that one time Darla and I got a whole bunch of Indians and we.."
"Skip it. I don't wanna hear that."
"Sorry."
"So, you're in?"
"I'm in."
"And it's not just the wine talking?"
"Nope. But can you say the same thing?"
"I don't know. If I were you, I'd take full advantage of me. Right. Now." Buffy straddled Angel and started to undo his pants. He didn't complain as her hand grasped his chest as his already unbuttoned shirt was thrown from his body. She didn't complain either as her clothes rapidly disappeared. Angel laid her gently down onto the blanket and covered her completely as they made love over and over again.
"Pretty darn scary. It more like a riot than a Ralph's. I thought I was going to have to use slayer moves on this one woman who was completely hoarding the pumpkin pie filling." Buffy said. She, Angel, and Giles were all in the little kitchen working on the food for Thanksgiving dinner. They had been to a murder scene earlier in the day and told Giles about it when Buffy and Angel had come in from going to the store.
"And at some point, you are going to tell me about the murder?" Giles asked.
"Oh, right. The knife was some sort of Indian artifact. Chumash, I think. That's all we got. Right?" Buffy asked Angel. He nodded.
"Oh, Chumash Indians. They were indigenous to this whole area."
"That's interesting."
"Then, of course, the murder weapon might have just been a convenient choice."
"Uh-uh. There was a big ol' scissors lying right there. That knife was picked for a reason. Do you even own a turkey pan?"
"Tell me again why we're not doing this at your house."
"Giles, if you would like to get by in American society, then you are going to have to follow our traditions. You're the patriarch. You have to host the festivities, or it's all meaningless."
"And this is in no way an elaborate scheme to stick me with the cleanup?"
"How about that ceremonial knife, huh? Pretty juicy piece of clueage, don't you think?"
Angel chuckled at Buffy. She gave him a look that dared him to continue laughing at her.
"Yes, all right, I'll look into the Chumash connection and see if there's any ritual significance to the ear removal." Giles said.
"Thank you." Buffy paused and almost stared off into space.
"Are you all right sweetie?" Angel asked.
"Yeah. Uh.. I still need to pick up a few things, so I'll check in. And keep your hands off the food." She said to Giles.
"Oh, I'll try and restrain myself from eating uncooked potatoes and cranberries." Giles said.
Twenty minutes later, Buffy and Angel were standing inside a church where they were supposed to meet this preacher friend of Giles. The guy was no where to be found so they decided to try outside.
"Father Gabriel? Father Gabriel? Are you out here?" Buffy and Angel turned and saw an Indian in the middle of slicing the throat of the priest he's hung. "God."
"Buffy." Angel said.
"Sorry." Buffy ran the rest of the way to the Indian and punched him in the stomach. She then redirected him a few feet away. He got up to a defensive crouch, in a fighting stance. Angel stood facing him from the side.
"You can't stop me." The Indian guy said.
"You're very wrong about that." Buffy replied.
He rushed her again, but she sidestepped him and redirected him forward, where Angel slammed his head into a conveniently low hung bell. He landed a few feet back, got up and tried to slice Buffy with his knife. She dodged back again. He tried to punch her and she dodged, making him hit an ornamental stand. Before Buffy knew what had happened, the Indian was on top of her trying to push a knife in her throat.
"I am vengeance. I am my people's cry. They call for Hus, for the avenging spirit to carve out justice." The Indian guy said.
"They tell you to start an ear collection?" Buffy kicked high, which threw him off. She rolled over, punching him, then slammed his knife arm into a tree but he didn't let go. He punched her, but she kicked the legs out from under him. Angel grabbed him and the guy was stuck holding his knife to his throat.
"You slaughtered my people. Now you kill their spirit. This is a great day for you." Indian guy said.
Angel shoved him away and he got up. Then he turned into a group of bats and they flew off. Buffy and Angel ducked as the bats flew at their heads, swatting with their arms and hands. As soon as the bats were gone, the two were running for Giles' apartment.
*Well, I have SOMEONE better to do.* Buffy thought as she eyed Angel. He noticed and took her hand. Anya had been talking and Buffy hadn't been listening.
"Look at him. Have you ever seen anything so masculine?" Anya asked.
"You mean Guerrero or his wife?" Buffy asked.
"I think she means.." Willow gestured to Xander who was holding a shovel, waiting to start digging.
"Oh. Very manly. Not at all Village People. So much sexier than the outfit from his last job."
"Oh, I miss the free hot dogs on sticks."
"I'm imagining having sex with him right now." Anya said.
"Aren't we all?" Angel muttered under his breath. He was only here because Buffy had insisted that they come for Xander's sake. Angel wanted to stay home with his girlfriend and do some things that were probably illegal in 49 out of the 50 states. He looked down at her in her burgundy tank top that was missing the lower part of the back, a brown suede skirt, and the cowboy hat she had on. She looked sexy to him.
"Angel?" Buffy asked.
"Huh?"
"You've got lusty eye. I promised when we get home that you can do anything you want with me."
"Like I said before, are you sure it's anything I want to do to you?"
"I'm the slayer. Bring it on."
Angel chuckled, took her hat off, out it on him, and pulled her to him by her waist. They stood there watching the ceremony continue.
"And that's why it's appropriate that the ground-breaking for the UC Sunnydale Cultural Partnership Center is taking place so soon before Thanksgiving. Because that's what the melting pot is about.. Contributions from all cultures, making our culture stronger.." Gerhardt said.
"What a load of horse hooey!" Willow said.
"We have a counterpoint?" Buffy asked.
"Yeah. Thanksgiving isn't about blending of 2 cultures. It's about one culture wiping out another. And then they make animated specials about the part where, with the maize and the big, big belt buckles. They don't show you the next scene, where all the bison die and Squanto takes a musket ball in the stomach."
"Ok. Now, for some of that, you were channeling your mother?"
"Well, yeah, sort of. That's why she doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving or Columbus Day.. You know, the destruction of the indigenous peoples. I know it sounds a little overwrought, but really, she's.. She's right."
"Yeah. I guess I never really thought about it that way. With mom at aunt Darlene's this year, I'm not getting a Thanksgiving. Maybe it's just as well."
"Well, I think that's a shame. I love a ritual sacrifice." Anya said.
"It's not really a one of those."
"To commemorate a past event, you kill and eat an animal. It's a ritual sacrifice, with pie."
"..And thus, a symbolic beginning." Gerhardt said as she walked over with a golden shovel and stuck it in the ground.
"What's she doing? Xander said he was going to dig. I want to see Xander dig." Anya said.
"That's part's just ceremonial." Angel said.
"Well, it bites. She's not rippling at all. Oh. Look, there he goes. Look at him." Anya sighed as she stared at Xander starting to dig.
"Very.." Angel started.
"Diggy." Willow finished.
"Soon he'll be sweating. I'm imagining having sex with him again." Anya said.
"Imaginary Xander is quite the machine." Buffy said. "Hey, I'll be right back. Mother Nature has it out for me today."
Angel chuckled and released her. Buffy went off to one of the buildings and went in. Just as Angel turned back, Xander fell through the ground.
"While they were pulling Xander out, I heard a couple of the professors talking about it. They were they excited. It's the old Sunnydale Mission, which everyone thought was lost." Angel said. He and Buffy were curled up on the couch in front of a roaring fire in the big fireplace. A blanket was spread out on the floor and it had half eaten food and an empty bottle of wine laying on it.
"Huh?" Buffy asked.
"Are you ok? You seem kind of.. Out of it."
"Hmm? Oh. No, fine. I'm sorry. A lost mission. I mean, a hairbrush I can understand. And by the way, I will find that and get that back to Willow. But how do you lose a mission?"
"Huge earthquake in 1812. Everyone just assumed the mission was leveled. Instead, they built right over it. It's like what happened in the thirties with that church the master was in. Doesn't it make you wonder what else is there, like, right under our feet?"
"Mostly, I've just found sewers full of demons."
"Oh, right." Buffy sighed heavily and stared into the fire. Angel could tell something was bothering her. "Buffy, are you sure you're ok? Something's bothering you."
Suddenly, Buffy shot up out of his arms and faced him. "You know what? We should have our own Thanksgiving. I can cook the meal, just like my mom does, have all the guys over. It'll be great."
"Buffy, earlier you agreed with Willow about Thanksgiving. It's a sham. It's all about death. Isn't that what you guys said?"
"It is a sham, but it's a sham with yams. It's a yam sham."
"You're not gonna joke-rhyme your way out of this one."
"I know.. But I want it. It's like professor Walsh was saying about sense memory. I smell a roasting turkey, and I'm 8 years old. I liked having that to look forward to. Everything's different now."
"Well, I suppose there could be slight yams."
"I mean, we could definitely use a little comfort food. I bet Giles doesn't have any plans. And Xander always tries to avoid all of his family gatherings. And since Willow's mom doesn't believe in all the Thanksgiving stuff, she's not going to be doing anything."
"Pilgrims aside, isn't that the whole point of thanksgiving? Everybody has a place to go?"
"You know what? Count me in. I've never really had a Thanksgiving.. Unless you count that one time Darla and I got a whole bunch of Indians and we.."
"Skip it. I don't wanna hear that."
"Sorry."
"So, you're in?"
"I'm in."
"And it's not just the wine talking?"
"Nope. But can you say the same thing?"
"I don't know. If I were you, I'd take full advantage of me. Right. Now." Buffy straddled Angel and started to undo his pants. He didn't complain as her hand grasped his chest as his already unbuttoned shirt was thrown from his body. She didn't complain either as her clothes rapidly disappeared. Angel laid her gently down onto the blanket and covered her completely as they made love over and over again.
"Pretty darn scary. It more like a riot than a Ralph's. I thought I was going to have to use slayer moves on this one woman who was completely hoarding the pumpkin pie filling." Buffy said. She, Angel, and Giles were all in the little kitchen working on the food for Thanksgiving dinner. They had been to a murder scene earlier in the day and told Giles about it when Buffy and Angel had come in from going to the store.
"And at some point, you are going to tell me about the murder?" Giles asked.
"Oh, right. The knife was some sort of Indian artifact. Chumash, I think. That's all we got. Right?" Buffy asked Angel. He nodded.
"Oh, Chumash Indians. They were indigenous to this whole area."
"That's interesting."
"Then, of course, the murder weapon might have just been a convenient choice."
"Uh-uh. There was a big ol' scissors lying right there. That knife was picked for a reason. Do you even own a turkey pan?"
"Tell me again why we're not doing this at your house."
"Giles, if you would like to get by in American society, then you are going to have to follow our traditions. You're the patriarch. You have to host the festivities, or it's all meaningless."
"And this is in no way an elaborate scheme to stick me with the cleanup?"
"How about that ceremonial knife, huh? Pretty juicy piece of clueage, don't you think?"
Angel chuckled at Buffy. She gave him a look that dared him to continue laughing at her.
"Yes, all right, I'll look into the Chumash connection and see if there's any ritual significance to the ear removal." Giles said.
"Thank you." Buffy paused and almost stared off into space.
"Are you all right sweetie?" Angel asked.
"Yeah. Uh.. I still need to pick up a few things, so I'll check in. And keep your hands off the food." She said to Giles.
"Oh, I'll try and restrain myself from eating uncooked potatoes and cranberries." Giles said.
Twenty minutes later, Buffy and Angel were standing inside a church where they were supposed to meet this preacher friend of Giles. The guy was no where to be found so they decided to try outside.
"Father Gabriel? Father Gabriel? Are you out here?" Buffy and Angel turned and saw an Indian in the middle of slicing the throat of the priest he's hung. "God."
"Buffy." Angel said.
"Sorry." Buffy ran the rest of the way to the Indian and punched him in the stomach. She then redirected him a few feet away. He got up to a defensive crouch, in a fighting stance. Angel stood facing him from the side.
"You can't stop me." The Indian guy said.
"You're very wrong about that." Buffy replied.
He rushed her again, but she sidestepped him and redirected him forward, where Angel slammed his head into a conveniently low hung bell. He landed a few feet back, got up and tried to slice Buffy with his knife. She dodged back again. He tried to punch her and she dodged, making him hit an ornamental stand. Before Buffy knew what had happened, the Indian was on top of her trying to push a knife in her throat.
"I am vengeance. I am my people's cry. They call for Hus, for the avenging spirit to carve out justice." The Indian guy said.
"They tell you to start an ear collection?" Buffy kicked high, which threw him off. She rolled over, punching him, then slammed his knife arm into a tree but he didn't let go. He punched her, but she kicked the legs out from under him. Angel grabbed him and the guy was stuck holding his knife to his throat.
"You slaughtered my people. Now you kill their spirit. This is a great day for you." Indian guy said.
Angel shoved him away and he got up. Then he turned into a group of bats and they flew off. Buffy and Angel ducked as the bats flew at their heads, swatting with their arms and hands. As soon as the bats were gone, the two were running for Giles' apartment.