Lilac Wine (Part 4)
Jennifer
Part Four: Buffy
Professor Walsh's office does not provide me with any stellar information, let alone the vision of Riley that I had hoped it would. I had called Forrest from her office and informed him but he seemed to already know. I could have found that strange but knowing Riley and his involvement in that "highly classified" government mission thingy that he can't tell me about, I decide to take nothing involving him at face value.
I make my way to Giles. I'm not sure if he'll be able to help since we haven't yet figured out if there is demon activity involved or if Riley is even in trouble for that matter. But my gut... my gut is telling me something is wrong.
Giles is at his breaking point when I arrive. Several weeks of Spike as a houseguest is proving too much for his pompy British nerves. I find it amusing actually in an ironic sort of way. A dismissed watcher and his impotent vamp houseguest.
Giles greets me with as much enthusiasm as he can manage while looking up briefly, from, yep, you guessed it, a book. "How are you?" He asks removing his glasses and wiping them with a handkerchief.
"I'm not sure." I tell him honestly. "We could have a problem."
"Oh yes?" His brow raises in anticipation. "What sort of problem? Renegade vampire? Flesh
eating demons?"
I eye him worriedly. "You said that with a little too much, oomph. And what is a renegade vampire anyway?"
"I don't know exactly." He smiles as he returns his glasses to their proper position. "So what is it?"
"Missing persons actually?"
"Oh really? Who is missing?"
"A friend."
"Have you talked to Willow? Perhaps she can pull something up on her computer gadget like a missing persons report or something."
"Well he hasn't been missing that long."
"He?" I hear Spike perk up from his prone position on the sofa.
"Quiet," I tell him.
"Well then how do you know there's a problem?" Giles asks skeptically.
"Well, it's just that he's not the type to not show up-"
"You got stood up?" Spike peaks over the back of the couch and scoffs at me. "Oh come on
Slayer. Just because a lad doesn't show doesn't mean,"
With razor sharp speed and aim, I whip Giles book at Spike's head, which he barely avoids by ducking. He crashes to floor cursing. "Bloody hell! Can't even joke around..."
I turn to Giles. Guessing he senses my anxiety, he puts his game face on. "I'm not entirely sure what we can do about this Buffy. But you will have to tell me the boy's name."
"Riley Finn."
"That moron. You're looking for that idiot?" Spike is on his feet now and he's giggling like a schoolgirl. "Him? The walking public service announcement!" He's almost hysterical now and I look around me for another book.
"Spike please," Giles interrupts Spike's uproarious laughter and turns to me. "Buffy, when did you last see him?"
"Yesterday morning."
"What about anyone else? His housemates. Friends."
"His friend and housemate saw him leave last night. I think that's the last of him."
"And you're worried because?"
"Because he didn't show up for our date last night. He didn't go to his room last night, and he didn't show up for his regularly scheduled office hours on campus this morning. I went to his house; no one has seen him. Giles, this isn't me we're talking about. This is a guy who wouldn't be late for his morning pee. This is a guy who could be barfing up a lung and still show up for work."
"All right. All right. Why don't we put word out? Don't alarm anyone, just casually ask people who would know him if they've seen him."
I nod. Good start of a plan.
"And I'll see what I can find among the staff. He's a Psychology TA?"
I nod again.
"All right then. You go and I'll get started here. I'll call Willow and Xander and we'll meet here in two hours and see what we have."
"Roger," I say and then salute him in mock praise. Leave it up to Giles to calm me. A little...
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