A/N: I own nothing of the Whedonverse nor any fairytales and I am not profiting from this work.
Chapter 4
Previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer
the 'out' for all CHAOS contractor agreements require the client to attain something impossible.
My Slayery-ness is overriding my vampirey-ness
Demon goes in. Soul goes out.
Once back at the Watcher's flat Willow and Oz decided to go and get something to eat and Giles suggested they should regroup before discussing anything further.
"Oz seems pretty up on the trademark stoicism." Buffy mused as she put Giles on the coffee table. "You know concerning your current bookyness."
"Eh, yes, my 'bookyness' would be quite the…" He was cut off by the door opening.
"Hey G-man I haven't heard from the apocalypse front in a while and you...are a book. You're a book. And Buffy's here...and not a book." Xander's eyes were wide as he looked at his high school chum. "Do you see that he's a book?"
"Yeah Xander. He's a book." Buffy smiled at her friend.
"So you see that he's a book. Well that's good. No, not good. Why are you a book?" Xander picked Giles up and was looking him over as he spiraled. "How did you get turned into a book? Am I gonna turn into book? What evil thing is turning people into books?"
"Xander sit down and do shut up. You're giving me a cluster headache." Buffy plucked her Watcher out of her friend's hands and set him back down before sitting down next to a flummoxed and gaping Xander Harris.
"Xander?" His head swiveled to face her like a creepy dummy. "We need you to be calm. Can you be calm for right now?" He nodded like a bobblehead. "Good. There's a curse." She put up her hand to stem any questions. "I need to break it on my own and Giles isn't the only one...afflicted." Xander shifted to let her know he wanted to hear more but wouldn't interrupt. "Some dark forces have decided to temporarily make Giles a book and turn me."
When nothing seemed to be coming out to finish that sentence Xander nodded as though trying to coach her through a testimony. "Turn you into a…?"
Buffy stood and walked toward the heavily curtained window. When she turned she was in Game Face. Xander stood hastily from the couch and nearly tripped trying to get away. "You're a vampire. Buffy's a vampire. The Slayer's a vampire!"
"Xander stop." Buffy approached while simultaneously suppressing the demon so he would stop screaming.
"Stay away from me! I need a weapon. Some kind of weapon. Giles! You're a watcher where are your weapons?"
"Xander...you're hurting my feelings."
Xander's lip curled up. "Feelings? You don't have feelings. You're a vampire. You...you're probably the one who turned Giles into a book." He cast about and settled on a lamp as his weapon of choice. "You're going to turn me into a book. Or drain me. Or turn me into a book and then drain me or drain me and then turn me into a book. Some kind of Necronomicon."
"Xander, now you're making me angry." Buffy's lip trembled as she looked for cover.
"What are you gonna do Hulk out on me too?" He stepped back a little, lamp at the fore.
"No," Buffy located her throw on the back of the couch. "I'm going to leave." She ran past one of her best friends, who flinched away from her, and made a beeline for the front door.
"Buffy!" Giles called from his impotent position on the coffee table. "You can't go out! It's daylight!" Xander sank to the ground and leaned against the side of the couch. "This is all your fault you know! If Buffy dusts it will be on the shoulders of one of the people she trusts most in the world." Xander Harris could only rub his hand across his eyes and think about how Sunnydale had taken another one of his friends.