TITLE: The Eight Day
AUTHOR: Rainie
EMAIL: [email protected]
DISCLAIMER: Joss, not I.
DISTRIBUTION: Please ask first
CATEGORY: B/S/other
RATING: PG
PART: 1/8
The Eighth Day
Day One
High noon.
The library was quiet this time of the day. Just the way Giles liked it to be, especially while breeding over diverse books. Actually, by now every spot available was covered with notes, newspaper clippings and chronicles.
And he, the watcher, totally lost it - research mode, finest kind.
Nothing really got his attention like research.
So even when the muffled voices of his slayer and friends brought nothing but a solemn frown to his face.
Subconsciously he knew the three of them were heading for the library, however, right now he didn't feel like putting up with their juvenile quarrels.
"Eh, yes," he heard Willow say. "Actually why not?"
Hesitantly he looked up, when the redhead didn't continue.
She was biting fingernails, he realized, looking for such thing as an adequate example.
"Well, I guess," she smiled at him, when she met his look. "Eh yeah, I guess, Xander could just as well..."
Buffy's eyes were about to pop out, so this definitely must have been a poor example.
"Pardon me???" she choked in fake sympathy.
A fact Xander seemed to have missed.
"Yeah - some holy water, couple of crosses..."Although all irritated at first he quickly got the hang of it. "Can't be all that difficult, can it." Every word seemed to make him gain several centimeters in high.
Giles chuckled quietly, returning to his books.
Then it was Willow's thoughtful voice which nearly made him choke.
"There hasn't been a male slayer for centuries, isn't that somehow discriminating..."
He had a quick look at his slayer and apparently seemed to stare right at a matching expression.
Quickly as not to laugh out aloud he lowered his eyes.
Xander, however, oblivious to his surrounding, continued the rundown.
"...battle cry, stake in the heart, maybe an curse..." He scratched. "Did I miss anything?"
The boy shot a questioning look at Buffy.
"No," She hardly managed a straight face. "Just the contusions, bruises, broken bones, ruined fingernails..."
Under her dark gaze, his John Wayne imitation fell apart.
"Oh, c'mon, Buff," he tried his best puppy dog look. "Don't ya go sensitive on me."
"...eh, well, right, because of this slayermatter..." Willow hurried to come to his assistance.
Her two friends looked at her expectantly.
"...eh yes, slayermatter..." she stumbled.
Giles decided to put a end to this.
"May I interrupt your discussion?" He asked, pronouncing the word discussion.
Their goofy smiles said it all. Quietly the slayerettes made their ways across the library.
"Damn," Xander grinned in a sudden fit of laughter. "You realize, g-man, I've been that close!"
With this he firmly pressed his thumb against his index finger.
The girls couldn't help but giggle.
"So what is it Giles?" Buffy was the first to regain her voice.
"Eh, w-w-well," the librarian cleared his throat. "I wouldn't want to eh trouble you..."
A sweet and irritated and most uncertain smile appeared on his face.
"Too late," the slayer teased. "Done that already!" Eyes sparkling she returned his smile.
Her friends remained silent, having learned over the years not to interfere their little watcher-slayer-talks.
"Eh, Buffy," Giles leaned back eyeing his beloved slayer carefully. "If y-y-you happen to see Angel, c-c-could you, I mean if you see him..." Blast it, how was he to know about their current dating status.
"Could I do what?" She inquired sweetly, knowing exactly what he was up to.
Giles took a deep purposeful breath.
"The Messenger - ask him about the Messenger."
There, it was out, she didn't even as much as questioning him on his behalf, which was good.
"Yes, sure.," The petite blonde shrugged. "That's all?"
He gave her a quick nod.
"What's a Messenger?" Xander inquired bluntly.
The watcher sighed. Well, here we go again, he thought.
"I-I-I'm not quite sure." He tried. "He is said to be a mediator."
He pleaded to the powers there be to make them accept his explanation.
"Oh no, not the Hellmouth again!" Willow squeaked, staring at him in disbelief.
Her friends moaned equally enthusiastic.
"Eh, well that's the eh problem," Giles tried to distract. "According to the reports the Messenger is eh - good...?"
God, these are most complicated interactions, so how comes I end up bringing it down to good and bad???
Xander didn't seem to mind.
"Sounds like a profiled personality." The teen smirked.
Yeah right, go ahead, rub it in!
"Well yes," he managed, "Up to 187 years ago he definitive was eh good."
He cringed, having to use the banal expression again.
"And after that?" Buffy questioned innocently.
The watcher took an other deep breath.
"Well," he smiled, a wry look on his face, "There are no further notes, that why I thought Angel might be..."
Still busy thinking about a nice way to bring it to her, Xander cut him off in his usual blunt attitude.
"Sounds like he's having a sicky," he joked. "What's a 2 century time out to a demonic lackey?"
This boy is just so weird.
But before he got a chance to verbalize his concern, Willow jumped in for her friend.
"No," she came back to business, "Messengers are said to be extremely seriously about their duty."
Giles was frankly surprised.
"You actually heard of...?" he stared at her goggle-eyed.
Wow, he figured, this kid's just so smart.
Willow, although unable to read his mind, blushed.
"Well, eh, strictly speaking I read it in an eh well flyer..." Now it was up to her to stumble. "...the Online Occultism Circles I joined - you know..."By now her face would match the color of her hair.
Giles, being a nice watcher, decided to let her of the hook.
"Then you will assist me." He informed her genuinely.
She instantly shot him a huge smile.
Her friends however...
"Nice paraphrase, slavedri..." Xander leered, but shut up in an instant, when two pair of angry eyes drill into him.
"Got it, got it." His hands came up in mock defense, the grin never leaving his face.
Good boy, there you go. Giles thought, loud however.
"Eh, Buffy, I'd appreciate you to..."
His slayer stood to attention.
"Angel - yessir!"
***
more to come, someday... hopefully