DISCLAIMER!!!! Buffy, Giles, Xander, Willow, and all the characters, from "Buffy theVampire Slayer" aren't mine. They belong to Joss and Mutant Enemy. I'm jealous, but what can I do? All other characters, and the story itself are the sole property of ME, and my imagination. Please send all comments on the story to ME! Thank you and come again!
Buffy Summers was exhausted. She had stayed out till 4am the night b efore and had slayed 5 vampires. Now that school was finished for the day, all she wanted to do was go home and crawl into bed. Instead she was dragging herself in the direction of the Sunnydale High library. Rupert Giles, her Watcher, would be interes ted in how the night had gone.
"Hey Buffy!" Xander Harris shouted. His hands were so full of books that he could barely see over them. Buffy was so shocked by the sight of Xander carrying any books, that she almost dropped her bag.
"Doing a little light reading Xander?" the Slayer asked, trying not to laugh outloud.
"Oh my God! You're so funny! How does one girl get to be so funny?" Xander said over the books, his eyes showing that he was not amused.
"Practice! You need some help?"
"What makes you think I need help? Is it the fact that I'm carrying the Library of Congress in my arms?"
"What are you doing with all these books anyways?" Buffy asked as she began to take some of the books from her friend's arms. "You're not studying are you?"
"And the jokes just keep on coming." With his face finally visible, Xander gave Buffy a pained look. "Giles is using me as a pack mule. You'd be amazed at how many books he can fit in that go-cart that he drives. This is the third trip I've made so far."
"Well look on the bright side, you will always be able to find a job in the French Legion. I hear they're always looking for good pack mules."
Xander pushed the library door open and held it as Buffy passed. "Well, aren't you just the regular joke machine today?"
Buffy just shrugged as she entered the library. She saw Giles going through one of the rather large stacks of books on the table in the center of the library. His glasses were slowly making their way toward the end of his noes, and his eyes were going back and forth like a happy dog's tail. He looked over at them as they entered. "Oh, hello Buffy," he said as he put the book he had been looking at.
"Hi Giles," she said as she and Xander put the books down on the overcrowded table. "What's with all the books?"
"Oh haven't you heard? Giles joined The Really Old and Obscure Occult Book of the Month Club." Xander said as he threw himself into a chair. "Get 4000 books for just 1 penny!"
Giles looked at Xander with a slight frown, the turned back to Buffy. "Oh these are just the rest of my books from London. It took me awhile to get around having them sent over."
The Slayer looked at the table full of books. It was an imposing sight. "So these are all of them?"
"Um, no. There are still a few boxes at my home." Giles had looked down at the floor for a moment. "I couldn't fit any more into my car," he mumbled softly.
If Buffy didn't know better, she would have thought he was embarrassed. She just didn't know whether or not it was because of how many books he had or because of his car.
"So how did last night go?" Giles asked, switching the topic rather smoothly.
Buffy took a seat across the table from Xander, but with the books stacked in between them they could bearly see each other. Buffy knew that Xander was had caught the swift change of topic and was surprised that he hadn't commented on it. "Dusted 5 vamps, broke a nail, and almost broke my neck on a tripping on a open grave. You know, the usual."
"5 vampires!" Xander exclaimed. "Buffy, I said it before and I'll say it again 'You da man!'"
Buffy smiled at Xander. One thing about Xander, no matter how tired I am, he can always make me smile she thought.
"Were you injured?" Giles asked
"No. Well except for the broken nail, and I got that when I tripped on the open grave."
A worried look crossed Giles face. "A vampire rose last night?"
Buffy shook her head. "That's what I thought at first, but the gravestone said that the body had been there for like 4 years."
The worried look turned into a thoughtful one. "4 years? Well that is definitely too long for a vampire to stay in the grave. Was there anything unusual about that particular grave?"
"Other then the fact that the ground looked like someone had been drilling for oil?" she said sarcastically. Buffy thought back for a moment. "Well... there were a lot of feathers scattered around"
The thoughtful look now turned into something that that Buffy couldn't identify. "Feathers?"
Giles began to pace. Both Buffy and Xander watched in confusion for a moment. "What's up G-man?" Xander asked.
Giles stopped pacing. That unidentifiable look was still on his face. "I'm not sure at the moment, but I think I should go and take a look at this grave."
Just then Willow Rosenburg came into the library. "Hey what's with all the books?" she said as she saw the stacks of books on the table. Then she saw the looks on the faces of her friends. "What's going on?"
"Giles wants to go and look at a grave." Xander told his best friend.
"Yay! Field trip!" the redheaded girl said.
Giles, that look still in place, walked to his office and got his coat. "Um, Buffy, do you think you could find this grave again?"
Buffy stood up and picked up her bag. "Sure." She looked at the Watcher closely. "What's going on Giles?"
The worried look returned to his face. "Whatever it is, it's most likely not good."
The foursome left the library. Their destination: the Sunnydale Cemetery.
Prologue