FF - A Wiccan Gets the Wiggins 9

[badbard]

9

We ended up spending the morning breaking into Giles'
apartment. Buffy stood by on lookout duty as I
fiddled with the lock, dangling rat entrails over it
as I chanted opening incantations. I'd asked her to
bash in the door but the ex-Slayer had simply looked
at me like I was crazy. Then she'd asked me if her
manicure meant nothing to me. As I had to admit the
sparkly black nail polish went really well with her
catwoman-esque 'breaking and entering' bodysuit I'd
ended up casting crime the ol' wiccan way.

Buffy gestured towards the rat entrails I was poking
tediously through the lock.

"I hope that's nobody we know."

"Amy's safe running circles in her wheel," I huffed.

"Tell me why we're doing this again," suggested Buffy,
"when we could be watching Xena re-runs."

"Giles has been actin' real weird," I reminded her,
"plus I need to do some serious research and the
school library is er..."

"...combusted," grinned Buffy, starting on a
cheerleading routine. "Book me outta there! So
what're we doing research on anyway? Why Willow would
rather read about dates than go on them?"

"Wha?!" I spun around to glare at my best friend as
she studiously studied her reflection in her polished
black boots. "What's that supposed to mean?" To my
surprise Buffy blushed. Cleared her throat. Blushed
again.

"I just meant we could be er elsewhere," she mumbled,
peeking up at me through silky blond strands. "Doing
other stuff. Stuff I dreamed about last night."

"Oh!" I gasped as realisation began sinking in. Buffy
meant me and...and her. On a date. As a couple.
Warm bubbly feelings flooded right through me. Willow
and Buffy. Buffy and Willow. Together just like I'd
always wanted.

That was when Oz arrived on the scene with Xander in
tow. The warm feelings rushed away to be replaced
with something resembling anger, mixed in with a whole
lotta confusion. Why couldn't Buffy have wanted this
when she was the Slayer? Why couldn't she have made
her moves on me before Oz became my main squeeze? My
only squeeze? Before Oz had been my wonderful first?
More importantly, why was she doing this now? What
was changing?

Xander issued Buffy with a look that was a dash of
curiosity, a dash of suspicion, a dash of anxiety and
mostly just a typical heaping of lust.

"Hello...Buffy," he came up with, holding out his hand
cautiously in handshake formation. "Feeling better
toslay...uh today. Feel better today?"

"Sure," said the Slayer, rolling her eyes at him as
she favoured him with a friendly little push that sent
him reeling back onto his butt. Nobody looked more
surprised than Buffy. "Wow!" she chuckled, helping
him to his feet, "looks like I ate my cereal this
morning."

"What cereal would that be?" asked Xander doubtfully,
still trying to test her out. "Kellog's Special Slay?
Cornstakes? Vampire Bits? Nutraslain?"

"Huh?" said Buffy. When I realised she hadn't said
'Willow Bits' I gave a sigh of relief.

"Willow," said Oz. My sigh turned into gasps for air.


"Yes?" I squeaked.

"Hello," said Oz.

"Hello," I squeaked.

"How are you," said Oz, coming up behind me to wrap
strong arms about my waist. Glancing over my shoulder
I saw both his adorable lip stubble and Buffy's
less-than-adorable murderous rage. "I missed you,"
added Oz, lipping at the side of my neck. Buffy
turned her back.

"Gotta break into Giles' place," I explained
hurriedly, moving out of Oz's familiar embrace, "find
out what's up with him." Oz turned me around gently
to gaze into my eyes.

"I'd rather find out what's up with you."

"What if G-man is home?" interrupted Xander. "What if
his security system involves his half-asleep self
coming out with a shotgun? No glasses, shoot first
and tell the police implausible stories later. We
better knock and find out." Before I could break away
from Oz to stop him, Xander did just that. Even
worse, Giles himself answered the door.

"Good morning all," he greeted us, sipping at a cup of
tea. "About time you got here. How are you, Buffy?"
he asked more pointedly, lifting his glasses in order
to get a better look at his Slayer, which was freaky
in itself.

"Fine, Mr Giles," answered Buffy, rubbing her head a
little. "Why is everybody asking me that? It's the
holidays! I graduated! I survived high school! I'm
friggintastic!"

"Good, good," said Giles calmly, sipping at his tea
with a smug little smile. "Do come in. I have some
experiments I wish to conduct. You'll all be a great
help, I'm sure. Yes, even Mr Harris, astonishingly
enough." We all trooped inside and stood around
Gile's sagging bookcase. Oz's warm breath coated my
neck. Buffy took deep calming breaths. Xander
sulked. I took the opportunity to dump the rat
entrails out the window. Than I skulked around the
bookcase, searching for a particular volume on
weaponry. Giles was otherwise occupied, serving tea
to a nervous Buffy whilst looking much too pleased
with himself.

"Let's play a word association game," I heard him
suggest. "I'll say a word than everyone says the
first word that comes into their head."

"Well I'm bored already," grumbled Xander, subsiding
as Gile's cold glare lit into him.

"Nothing reveals the subconscious like the immediate
instinctive reaction," the Watcher explained. "We
should grasp this opportunity to learn more of
ourselves and each other. It could save somebody's
life." His eyes rested on his Slayer. I shivered
behind the stack.

Oz rubbed my back as I slipped a moldy volume handily
entitled 'A Condensed History on the Creation of
Animated Weapons' beneath his baggy sweatshirt. Then
we too took our places around Giles' coffee aka tea
table.

"Night," began this enigmatic incarnation of our
librarian.

"Day," Oz suggested.

"Nighthawk," grinned Xander. "Otherwise known as the
original boy wonder!"

"Slower internet connectivity," I decided. Giles
shook his head at me. Obviously I wasn't very good at
this game.

"Hunting," said Buffy. She shrugged when we all
looked at her. "Hey, that's what night's for. Your
prey comes out to play but they can't see ya comin'."
Giles poured more tea.

"Heart," he ground out omionously.

"Tasty," muttered Oz without thinking.

"Gross!" cried Xander though I doubt that was in
response to the original word.

"Buffy," I whispered. I couldn't help it. Her name
did strange things to my heart; made it beat
erratically, made me ache and pulse.

"Willow," she whispered back and only then did I
become aware that the three guys were giving us looks.
Oz, a thoughtful one. Xander, a lop-sided leer.
Giles, a speculative scheming shifting of the eyes
from his Slayer to me and back again.

"Love," said the librarian but nobody answered.

TBC



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