Reveal
by DawnBTVS
Chapter 2
[reviews]
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Mutant Enemy, Fox, Joss, etc.
Rating: PG or PG-13
Time Frame: Early Season 2 around Some Assembly Required
A/N: Will likely turn more angsty and I'll try and stay somewhat in-canon but don't hold me to that, please.
~~~BTVS~~~ (The next day...)
"Duck!" shouted Willow, staring with wide eyes at Buffy who instinctively ducked seconds after the command. Buffy rose to her feet, keeping her eyes on her opponent who was now staring at the redhead with narrow eyes.
"Uh, Will, I think I can handle training with Giles. If I have any troubles, I'll be sure to ask for your advice though," Buffy commented. Willow quickly turned her head back to the pencil scribbling upon paper, hand pressed on the textbook to her right. Buffy raised her quarterstaff and held it out at arms length, waiting for Giles to deliver another blow.
"I'm glad to see," Giles grunted, swinging the staff low only for Buffy to leap over the object, swinging her own staff, which Giles dodged, "that you kept up with your training over the summer," Giles continued, stepping back from a swing, and lifting his staff to defend himself from Buffy's charging onslaught, "and I'm very proud of you."
Buffy smiled, her staff clashing against Giles' staff as he pressed himself against the door of his office. "Do I get a fortune cookie?" Buffy asked. Giles grimaced, trying to keep Buffy from making contact while trying to figure out her question.
"We-well..."
"Would I still get it if I told you that I kinda didn't train and instead refocused my energy towards vanquishing on the rack skirts and tops?"
Giles rolled his eyes as Buffy suddenly swept Giles off his feet with a well placed sweep, catching the back of his knees. He let out a strangled grunt of surprise and landed hard on his tailbone, staff rolling away, and his back pressed against his office door. Willow glanced over, concerned. "Is he okay?"
"I think so." Buffy pressed her staff against Giles' leg, earning a glare from the watcher. She just smiled back sunnily. "Yup. He can still labor over musty old texts. No harm done," Buffy remarked, leaning her staff against the table as she took a seat next to Willow, peering over the redhead's hand at the textbook splayed open.
"I appreciate the sensitivity from you both concerning my condition. Here I was thinking you lost the idea of compassion towards the wounded elders," Giles said dryly, rising to his feet as he pressed a hand against his lower back and let out a soft groan. Neither girl bothered to give notice though, Buffy now engrossed with the homework she was completing with Willow's help... although Willow kept scowling when she felt a blonde head snake over her shoulder to get a glimpse at her work.
Willow yanked her homework away again and gave a slight huff as a pouting Buffy pulled back. "Buffy, you'll never learn if you just copy off me."
"Sure I can. Many people copy off others and do perfectly fine..."
"Like Xander?" Willow smirked, seeing Buffy's response die on her lips. Buffy sighed, grumbling under her breath as she bent back over her own homework, scribbling for a couple minutes, then scrutinizing before huffing and scribbling over what she had written. Giles walked towards the table, watching them.
"Gah. This is all wrong and stubbornly hard to understand," whined Buffy, pushing the homework away before glancing up at Giles. "You." Giles arched an eyebrow at Buffy's simple command aimed at him. "Help? I'm floundering like a dead puffer fish," stated Buffy, lifting her piece of paper up for Giles' inspection. The paper looked more like an English assignment than a Science assignment, with words scribbled all over in no connecting manner and with arrows pointing every which way. Giles sighed as Buffy turned to look at Willow who was still hunched over, seemingly working on her problems with ease. "If somebody else woulda helped me, we could be eating ice cream right this minute."
Willow looked at Buffy and shook her head. "Uh-uh. Trying to win me over with bribery won't work." Willow turned her head back to her work, as Buffy pouted and looked back up at Giles who was holding the piece of paper like it would explode at any moment.
"Erm, Buffy as much as I like to consider myself a pinnacle of knowledge in almost any subject... biology really wasn't my forte."
Buffy grabbed the piece of paper out of his hand. "You coulda just said no."
"Of course," Giles sighed. "So, did patrol go well? You didn't encounter anything new?" Giles asked, earning a stare from Buffy. Even Willow lifted her head to look at him.
"Usually he only sounds that hopeful around Ms. Calendar," Willow remarked, flashing a smile at Buffy who grinned back. Both turned their attention back to Giles who wore an expression of terror and embarrassment.
"Are you really that excited to have a new monster? I mean, did we not just avert the apocalypse last year?"
"Uh, w-well it has been rather slow, wouldn't you say? I'm not wishing an influx or anything of the nature but I-I have to admit, the prospect of research has become rather... tedious," admitted Giles, looking uncomfortable at doing so. Buffy stifled a snicker and tried her best to look empathetic.
Willow shook her head, returning to her homework. "You mean, you're running out of reasons to look over your books?" Willow asked, her voice light but still displaying a bit of surprise.
"Not necessarily, it's just that Buffy is the Slayer. I expect her to keep me informed if anything should arise."
Buffy shook her head. "Nothing arose. Really, nothing and Willow can attest as my sole witness of the lack of dirt undisturbed by the undead in an untimely fashion." Buffy nudged Willow with her elbow and grinned, pleased at her attempt at alliteration. Willow just shook her head though the smirk was not unnoticed.
"Well, I guess that's um, encouraging to hear. Best to keep yourself on your toes though. Always something odd going on in Sunnydale..." Giles trailed.
Buffy rolled her eyes. "I'll make sure to entice some demons for your diary, Giles. With any luck, they could inflict physical harm on me and threaten to blow the world up."
"No inflicting!" warned Willow, spinning in her chair, and glaring at Buffy. Buffy shrank back a little at the sudden alarm.
"No inflicting," agreed Buffy, glancing at Giles in confusion. Willow didn't normally react that adamantly about her in relation to Slaying although Willow had been rather tense since the patrol last night. Willow stared at Giles then stared at Buffy before grabbing her homework and textbook, sliding them into her book bag.
"I'll call you tonight, Buffy," stated Willow, stepping past the blonde, skirting around Giles, and swiftly walking out of the library. Buffy watched Willow disappear and frowned.
"Is something... going on?"
Buffy shrugged her shoulders. "Wish I knew, Giles."