#AND the fact that hes been around since the beginning of sunnydale... like the kids are revolting against tradition and conservatism hell

[bloodlessmarriage]

just rewatched graduation day and omg i love the mayor as a villain because of how human he is compared to other antagonists, he is evil but that is not ALL that he is. he still retains parts of his humanity, like his genuine care for faith, his politeness, humour, and his dislike of germs, all these traits make him a much more real villain. he is more than just a monster. the mayor is the evil that no one can see, hidden behind a guise of friendliness and charm, the evil that lives within those corrupted by power and greed, the evil that is enabled by institutions (i.e. education, law enforcement, capitalism) and unquestioned by the population, his biggest power lies within his humanness. the mayor is manipulative, hiding his true nature and intentions behind good manners, which is true for so many evil men in real life, they are not so easily distinguished as bad, unlike some other villains in the show who are uncomplex (*cough cough* the master, adam) and that fits in with a big theme of s3 which is the fight against oppressive systems hidden in plain sight,,, in the season premiere buffy literally leads an underground worker's uprising wielding a hammer and sickle like cmon, so the big bad of the season being a corrupt bureaucrat that seems pretty normal at first makes so much sense, its about the hidden evil, its about institutions restricting and harming adolescent lives. which makes the finale episode so juicy, because the youth collaborate and take up arms to overthrow an evil oppressive government, the big fight scene is about solidarity and unity of teenagers revolting against tyrants,,,,,

like YEAH maybe it IS possible to start a revolution and change our fates in this corrupt system if the youth unite to fight the evil TOGETHER,,,,,, i could talk about season 3 and the institutional antagonists for AGES, but in conclusion the mayor is one of the best villains because of his humanity, his closeness to real life, the mayor is scary because of his power and status in human world,,, and like truly theres nothing more terrifying than a politician

(dont even get me started on the mayor as a symbol for white supremacy)

[sorryforbeingcrazy]

Buffy and Spike deserved more...talking.

I´ve been marinating this in my brain for a couple of days, so here I go.

I really liked the relationship between Buffy and Spike. And I´m not only focusing on the “romance” part, but in general. I loved their transition from enemies to allies to....friends? I just enjoyed how when it came to serious threats, they always looked  and relied on one another for help.

That´s why one of the things that disappointed me the most about the last season was the fact that they never really talked about how wrong they did to each other on season 6.

Season 6 is a very very dark season, for all of the characters: Willow´s addiction to magic and the effects it has on Tara, Xander´s fears that end up leaving Anya on the altar, Giles feeling that he is useless...But who really takes the trophy home in this one, is Buffy. I don´t even know how to start.

From the moment she is brought back to life, she suffers. We were expecting her comeback to be a happy moment, filled with tears of joy, laughter and hugs. Instead, she wakes up in her grave, has to dig herself out and then she walks around a Sunnydale on fire and full of demons. Can you imagine the shock? Only the crawling up from the grave should be enough to send someone to therapy for the rest of their lives. The mere thought of waking up in a coffin, six-feet undergroundnd makes me anxious...But let´s keep going.

She is back. She is traumatized and shocked beyond belief and at home with Dawn (after reliving everything that happened before she died). She is quiet, trying to process everything while Dawn is constantly talking to her about how things are and asking if she is ok. Her hands still wrecked from the diggin. And suddenly, she is face to face with Spike. (This is a sidenote related to the actors. I cannot give enough credit to James Marsters portrayal of Spike in general. But in this scene...man, 12/10, flawless). He looks at her in disbelief. And despite the fact that he was happier than ever that she was alive again, he does not try to touch her or approach her, and the moment he sees her hands he acknowledges what she has been through. So he just tell her that they are going to take care of her, and sends Dawn away to fetch stuff to clean her wounds. And they are alone in the living room. He does not overwhelm her with questions or hugs or anything. He just stares at her, giving her time to put her thoughts in order.

It may look like a trivial scene but I´m not kidding when I tell you that, for me, this is the most important scene of the whole season. And it is because it defines how the dynamic between Buffy and Spike, and Buffy and her friends is going to be.

When Spike is holding her wounded hands, letting her ask questions, just staring at each other, there´s silence. Peace. Calm. It´s the first moment since she is back that she is at ease. But the moment her friends burst through the door, is chaos. Noise, questions, worry, light, people...And this is why this scene is so important. During the rest of the season, the reason why Buffy goes away looking for Spike is because she wants that peace and quiet. She wants the calmness she gets around him, when she does not have to worry about being fine and happy in front of her friends. She can take her mask off when she is in front of Spike. That´s why she tells him that she was in a good place. That´s why he turns into her confident.

And for sometime, it works. Whenever she feels like she can´t take it anymore she goes to spend sometime with Spike. The problem is that her life gets harder and harder: financial problems, Giles leaves, Willow´s addiction, her relationship with Dawn. Her struggle becomes unbearable to the point were Spike is the only safe constant in her life. The only person she can rely on. And of course, mixing this with Spike´s feelings and their “tension”, their relationship turns physical. Very physical. And here is when Buffy starts using, quite wrongly, Spike.

The first time could be a slip, but not the rest. She may not have been aware at the beginning, but deep inside she knew what she was doing. She knew that Spike had strong feelings for her. She knew that he would never deny her and even if he did (that he actually does a couple of times) he wouldn´t last long. So she takes advantage of him and his feelings.

Someone, blind as a fucking bat, could say “Spike wasn´t minding it. He was enjoying the sex with Buffy. It´s what he wanted.” Fuck, no. He spents the whole season wanting to talk to her about their relationship. To discuss what is going on between them. If you are in it just for the sex, you don´t care to ask questions. You just don´t care. You just take what you came for and then you leave. The way Buffy does. And this bothers him. It bothers him that the moment they are finished she runs away. It hurts him. More than once he calls her out by the fact that whenever they are not “in bed”, she is constantly yelling at him and insulting him and his feelings, and yet, she always comes back to him.

Now, for those who think that Spike was fine with this I want you to imagine for a second, that you are in his shoes. As a human being, and not caring about genders. Imagine you loved someone, beyond reason (i´m not even going to throw in the fact that he saw her die even though i could). And because you care about this person, you spent time with them because they are in a bad place mentally. And that person enjoys your company. And starts spending more time with you. And one day, you kiss. Once. Twice. Then, you sleep together. Once. Twice. And god knows how many more times. You could think “If they like to spend time with me, tell me things they do not to their friends, kiss me and even sleep with me, they must feel something, right?” It´s a fair assumption. But instead, this person is constantly telling you how disgusted they feel with themselves for being with you physically, to the point were they keep what you have in absolute secret from their friends, and they run from you everytime you sleep together.

Fucking. Imagine.

Evil or not. Souless or not. That fucks you up my friends.

What leads us to the horrifying events of Seeing Red. You won´t see me coming any close to justify what Spike tries to do to Buffy. There´s no excuse in the world that clears you from that one. But I do see where it comes from. And it´s not just because Spike is evil. That´s a lame excuse of an argument. That scene, is the representation of Spike hitting rock bottom. He wants what he had with Buffy back. Even if it was only physical, it was at least something. And so, he is desperate...and well....we all know what happens. I swear to you, that scene creeped me out so fucking much.

That´s why it angers me how they did not approach these subjects on season 7. They both did terrible things to each other. They should have talked about it in depth. And even though I´m quite satisfied how they ended up acknowledging each other in ways any of the other characters do, I cannot hide my displeasure about that missing conversation. They needed more closure for what happened on season 6.

Good lord. This really turned out long.

Anyway, thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.

[buffyversefanfiction]

Slayer of Slayers

Warnings:I do not own, nor do I claim to own any of the copyright or characters within the Buffyverse which includes but not limited to the television shows Buffy and Angel, as well as the Darkhorse comics series’ continuation.

15+ Strong to moderate violence, Graphic to mild descriptions of gore, and torture, sexually charged scenes, sexual innuendos, mild to strong language, and practices of witchcraft.

M/M, F/F, M/F, GEN, OTHER +

PART SEVEN LINK HERE

Part Eight - Vampire Island

Theo Frey’s life had well and truly been a series of impossible events, his birth being miraculous conception between slayer and vampire, one of whom should never be able to produce any form of life, his birth then followed by being abandoned in the past and forced to grow up in the past, only to witness the death of his adoptive parents at the hands of Drusilla, which was then followed by Theo becoming a vampire slayer, falling in love with vamp Tobias, and becoming known as the slayer of slayers. And if that was not enough impossibilities within his life, he then witnessed his love Tobias’ death at the hands of old one Illyria, only to then die himself after being shot by former watcher Rupert Giles that saw him coming back to life as the world’s first vampire to have turned without a siring. Theo’s world had continued to crash around him, repeatedly, but for once his latest surprise was one he was happy about, that being declared a king of vampires following his survival after being staked, and now he was on a mission to earn that title, by finding this infamous vampire island, home to the first-ever Hellmouth, and the only place in the world that would solidify his claim as king amongst vampires, making him the most dangerous creature on the planet as the prophecies foretold and the only thing standing in his way, was his mother, Buffy the vampire slayer…

Buffy Summers had been out of the slaying game for what felt like forever but, it had only been over a year since she disappeared to the middle of nowhere, and as she returned, following the revelation of Theo, she found herself patrolling, hunting, and researching, 24/7, as she struggled to deal with her son’s hatred towards her and his many evil deeds, which she blamed herself for. The last time she saw her son she called his bluff about being ready to kill her, luckily things went Buffy’s way, and he couldn’t kill her in the end, but still to see her child so distraught, so broken, almost broke the once preppy and feisty blonde-haired vampire slayer. However, the fact he could not bring himself to kill her gave Buffy some hope that there was something still there deep within him that she could reach and after hearing news of his plans to take out Drusilla, those hopes grew, only to be dashed after learning her son had become something of a king among vampires. Buffy and Willow had been deep in the books within Willow’s San Francisco apartment for days, as they sought out to learn all they could about Theo’s prophecy as the first vampire not to be sired by another, as they learned the unnerving news that mother would either kill a son or be killed by a son, before going on to learn about a prophecy going back many centuries which detailed a self-sired vampire reigning king of an island, vampire island, and how his blood would open the world’s first Hellmouth, as they began to realize the importance of his birth, and why he was born, with Buffy beginning to fear that not only could her son not be saved but she may have to be the one to stop him. And before long Buffy and Willow hired a boat, enlisted the help of fellow vampire slayer Faith Lehane, and Illyria, and took to the sea with ancient books, maps, and spells directly linked to this mystical island of vampires, as they hoped to find the island, and to get there and destroy the Hellmouth before Theo had a chance of opening it, claiming his undead throne, and unleashing hell unto the world. “This child of yours sure knows how to cause trouble I bet you're missing the good old days when you only had to try to keep me in line.” Faith joked with Buffy as they stood to the port of the big yacht-like boat that they had rented, both slayers looking out towards the sea. “Well, I would not go as far as saying I’m nostalgic about rogue Faith and Sunnydale High, but things were much simpler back then for sure.” Buffy laughed, appreciating Faith’s humor during a difficult time for her. “Speak for yourself B, I do not want to sound all savior-like and everything, but we are going to get through to him Buffy without having to kill him.” Faith responded as she remained determined about her believes over Theo being redeemable. “If we were certain about that, I’d have got Angel on this mission instead of his super smurf sidekick and you’d have had his witch frenemy join us,” Buffy confessed to the fellow slayer, a slayer she had once become enemies with but had over time rebuilt their friendship. “I’m the slayer no matter what, and deep down you are the same…if I have to choose between the world or my son I’ll choose the world, Angel will choose his son, I guess that makes him the better parent and me the better, killer.” “It will not come down to that Buffy, I did not come on this mission to kill your kid and neither did you, we will stop him without killing him, and then you will ground his ass for at least a decade or two and we’ll go get some drinks.” Faith told Buffy, knowing Buffy was right but also knowing she did not want to admit it to her. “Being a slayer has cost me so much, forced me to sacrifice so much, and although I hate that more than anything if it comes down to it, I will continue to make those sacrifices because that is what a slayer does,” Buffy said in a defeated sigh, knowing that this quest to find the island of vampires could end with her killing her own son.

Later that very same night Theo stood at the front of a large shipment containing ship looking at the nearby island, with blood on his mouth, the blood coming from the human passengers of the boat that he and his group of vampires fed on while hiding out in the darkest places of the ship, choosing to keep the captain alive so he could sail the boat while they hid from daylight, but chaining him to the wheel so he dared not escape. Theo couldn’t believe his eyes as he stared at the island from a distance, a hauntingly beautiful island, almost completely in darkness if it was not for the night’s moon in the sky, reflecting light off the water, he could not believe that this lost island was the home to the world’s first Hellmouth nor could he believe that this island would be his kingdom, his way to a throne he never knew even existed. As the boat sailed closer towards the island, his vampire companions appeared from out of the blind spots, with glee in their eyes, knowing they had found the only true home for their kind, completely oblivious to the fact that their king was beginning to question the path he had chosen so quickly after facing off with his nemesis Drusilla. Theo had wanted many things in his life, he wanted love which he found with Lucien Knight and then later the vampire Tobias, he wanted companionship which he once had with his bewitching best friend Ruby Moon, and he wanted a family to replace the one he lost, but he had never dreamt of being a king among monsters nor did he dream of one day becoming one of those monsters but fate had dealt their cards and Theo had no choice but to either accept or deny his destiny. Losing Tobias had awakened emotions within the vampire that he thought was long gone, human emotions, grief, sadness, and loss, and somehow through reunions with old friends, meeting his biological family, and turning against his mentor Drusilla, somewhere through all that he had felt a part of his old self slipping back through, a part he had hoped he killed a long time ago and apart if he wanted to become king, he would have to kill now. Theo’s only mission in life had been to avenge his parents and with an army, and more undead soldiers to add to that army, after opening the Hellmouth and claiming his undead kingdom, he knew with certainty he would achieve that goal, for even Drusilla herself could not outrun an entire army instructed to hunt her down at all costs, and if it meant ending the world, well that was just a sacrifice the slayer of slayers was willing to make. But as his minions anchored the boat Theo was shocked to suddenly see Sineya, the first slayer, appear standing within the sandy shores of the beach, staring right at him, as if she was staring right into his soul, and perhaps she was, as Theo suddenly felt a rush of guilt hit him hard, like a ton of bricks, causing him to gasp for a moment before like she had appeared, Sineya disappeared into the night’s air within a blink of the eyes. “We’re here boss!” One of his minions announced to him. “Time to go as far as we can before looking for coverage from the sun, then when night falls again we will get you to your throne.” “Yes,” Theo replied, as he then mumbled to himself, unimpressed by the island’s restrictions. “What kind of island meant for vampires has no way of blocking out the sun anyway?”

Buffy, Faith, Willow, and Illyria were not too far behind as the sun began to rise in the sky, the two slayers, witch, and goddess, drew closer to the infamous island of vampires, an island that Illyria herself had conquered many millenniums ago, back when bloodsuckers were nothing more than pets to her, messy pets whom she’d easily put down if they pestered her. All those years ago Illyria never really sense the true power of this island, thinking of it as nothing more than a home to bloodsuckers, but now as she grew closer to the island of vampires she began to sense its power more and more, a sense of untapped potential, the same sense she got from the slayer of slayers which only served as further evidence to the goddess that Theo Frey was indeed linked to the place, just like the prophecy foretold. As she stood behind the boat’s wheel, Willow Rosenberg, standing next to her, the two women seeing the island in their sight, Illyria knew that Willow too could feel the untapped power radiating from the island of the undead. “I know we’re going to win because we always do but what’s the odds, we win without having to kill Buffy’s son?” Willow asked Illyria, fearing her answer, but knowing Illyria would be honest about their odds. “The son of the slayer has survived far longer than I expected him to when we first met however, in this fight I believe in order to win, he must die, and I’m not one for losing,” Illyria answered honestly with a rare sign of reluctance which showed a sense of empathy towards the situation, a feeling which was rather new for the blue haired goddess. Before long Buffy, Willow, Illyria, and Faith had anchored the boats and were now on the sandy shores of the island, ready to face whatever awaited them on this prophesized island for vampire kind, but before they traveled further into the island, Buffy noticed another boat heading towards the island’s direction, instantly knowing it wasn’t Theo’s, as something in her gut told her that Angel was on that boat. “So, about not telling Angel about the mission…” Faith began to say to Buffy. “You decided to go against that I guess.” Buffy interrupted her fellow slayer, infuriated by her actions but understanding them at the same time. And so, Buffy waited for Angel’s ship to anchor itself near the island before deciding to get on the boat, going under the deck where Angel and Spike were hiding out from the sunlight, having had the help of Rupert Giles to sail the boat, and Xander Harris, because well he was Spike’s roommate, and one of Buffy’s best friends. “I told you she wouldn’t be happy with us tagging along on this one,” Spike said to Angel as the two vampires sat at a table within the kitchen room on the boat as Buffy walked in, the windows completely blacked out by carboard to protect the vampires from the sunlight. “Well, it’s a good thing I don’t give a damn about what she wants.” Angel snapped at Spike while standing up to face Buffy, furious with the slayer for once again going behind his back regarding their son. “I was just trying to save you the pain if things go bad out there!” Buffy told Angel. “Theo’s about to bring about another apocalypse and if I don’t make it in time to save him then I will have to stop him.” “I will not let you hurt our son Buffy!” Angel argued with the slayer, furious to learn that she was prepared to kill her own child. “I don’t care if he does bring about the apocalypse, there’s always some apocalypse and we always defeat it, but I will not lose him again…I will not let you take him away from me again!” “Do you think I want to kill my son? No, but he’s not leaving us much choice, and once again it falls on me to choose between someone I love and the rest of the world, you have no idea what that is like so don’t you dare stand there and judge me!” Buffy shouted at the brooding vampire, as Spike sat there having no choice but to watch the two bickerings with each other awkwardly. “I have lost people too Buffy, you’re not the only one who has had to make sacrifices, but I refuse to let you go in there ready to kill

him if you need to. What happened to the girl ready to risk the world for her sister? Why does Dawn mean more to you than your own son?” Angel continued to argue with the slayer furiously. “Dawn was an innocent, she did nothing wrong and has continued to do nothing wrong, Theo was a cold-blooded killer long before he became a vampire-like his father, Dawn never chose her fate, she fought against it like we all did but Theo is willingly choosing this and if we do not stop before he opens that Hellmouth then we have to throw his ass in there,” Buffy replied, equally as furious as Angel, not liking the position she had found herself in, willing to do anything to make this not true, but ready to accept whatever fate may fall upon her son, as she once again had to choose to be a chosen one over all else. Buffy knew she had the sun to her advantage, and she could use it along with Illyria, Giles, Willow, Xander, and Faith, to get trekking through the vampire island, and get a head start on Angel and Spike, hoping however the big battle went down that she could spare Angel the pain of seeing their son’s death even if she could not spare herself the same pain, but with only a matter of hours to go, and no clue where they were going on this island, the chances of this getting messy seemed unavoidable.

Theo, of course, was one step ahead of the others, as he and his gang of vampires sought refuge from the sunlight within one of the islands’ caves, but instead of sleeping like his minions, Theo stayed up plotting, marking out what he could see of the island and patrolling the cave for any signs of them being ambushed, knowing the champions of this world would no doubt find their way here sooner or later, however, it was when the slayer of slayers went deeper into the caves that he once again saw Sineya appear in front of his eyes. Sineya, was no stranger to Theo, for the two had met before, a very long time ago, but her presence was still a shock considering the first-ever vampire slayer was killed long before his time, and many others, but as he saw her for the second time since arriving on the vampire island, he could not help but want to know the reason behind her presence. “Do you remember me?” Theo asked the primeval slayer, who nodded in agreement before he continued to ask. “Why are you here?” “The dirt beneath you is the same dirt I once stood on, do you not recognize a place you have been before? Much has changed but it still feels the same.” Sineya replied telepathically, her voice piercing Theo’s mind without the slayer so much as moving her lips. “No…the prophecies say this is vampire island, not slayer island.” Theo denied her claims almost instantly. “As long as there are vampires there are slayers…once only one slayer but now an army.” Sineya continued to telepathically speak, accessing Theo’s mind with ease. “We did not choose this path, but you did…now you must decide if you are vampire or slayer.” “I think I made that choice long before I actually became a vampire, how are you even here?” Theo responded coldly, not knowing that the primeval slayer could sense the uncertainty within his very soul. “You already are where you are looking to be but is it where you want to be?” Sineya informed him with her cryptic words, once again choosing to speak telepathically instead of out loud. “You can do what you came here to do but the question is, do you want to do it?” Suddenly, the first slayer once again vanished within the blink of the eye, but this time Theo noticed the caveman writings in front of him, within the depths of the cave, and as he began to decrypt what the pictures meant, he realized that through that very wall, was where the Hellmouth was located, he had somehow found it instinctively without even knowing, and that’s what Sineya was pointing out to him, forcing his hand to make his choice, but as ruthless, and evil, as Theo Frey could be, was he really ready to end the world just to claim an undead kingdom?

[ifeveristoday]

i  need to be writing instead of reading comic books

but after I post this it’s back to the grind

Spoilers for Willow #4: “The subtext is rapidly becoming text” (actually there isn’t a chapter name for this issue. Purposeful? Read on)

In the many, many years since Buffy has been off the year, and tbh during its run, a lot has been written about the metaphors the show used to stand in for real life terrors. My opinion is that when they did it correctly, it was subtle and fit the story - and when it wasn’t...it really, really wasn’t. Anvils of foreshadowing, if you will.

One of the takes was that the vampires represented homosexuality/queerness - which I don’t agree with, because that aligned gayness with something bad or immoral, and when the vampires weren’t shown to have grey nuances, they were complete monsters with no redeeming qualities whatsoever.

However the show definitely played around with Otherness in regards to Buffy and the Scoobies in varying degrees: the feeling that you’re the only one/no one will understand/you exist on the fringes from mainstream society, and chosen family because the people who are supposed to care for you don’t and can’t understand.

It’s about identity and finding out who you are and what you do with that knowledge.

Identities and queerness is something that the Willow miniseries has baked in from the very first issue. Willow is lost and trying to figure out who she is - not just as Xander and Buffy’s best friend, Rose’s ex, dutiful daughter and excellent student and survivor of trauma. She is trying to figure out where she fits in post Hellmouth and losing Xander (who is a huge part of her life and as we see in this issue, the one person who made her feel like she belonged pre-meeting Buffy.)

She even divides her life like this: Pre Buffy and After She Went to Hell and Back. The dangling thread metaphor is a lovely way to sum up Willow’s feelings - she continually references not feeling comfortable in her skin, and being  a little undone, of being an Other in Sunnydale. This could refer to both her sexuality and not fitting in with Sunnydale’s typical ‘ignore it and it will go away’ vibes/and also high school is just difficult for different kids. Her circle is really two people at the beginning - Xander and Rose. When she meets Buffy, it expands to include Buffy, Giles and Ms. Calendar (I’m sure Willow knew Ms. Calendar before, but it was in a strictly teacher/student way and not Ms. Calendar knows the big picture and is almost a friend way). 

And for a while - that’s enough for Willow. 

But then Xander is taken away. He’s her anchor, moreso than Rose was. And even though Jordie didn’t write the Willow comics, it’s a really lovely thing to see Willow and Xander’s platonic bond as the emotional core of the series repeated in her miniseries. Romantic relationships often take precedence over platonic relationships (especially those between men and women) so it’s refreshing that the Boom!verse acknowledges how important Willow and Xander are to each other. They love each other and the loss of that love unravels Willow. She’s suddenly that dangling thread again. As much as she cares for Buffy, and Giles, and the new Scooby gang, Xander is her person.

Without him, everything else doesn’t seem to fit right - so when she settles into Abhainn, it all clicks. Suddenly she’s in a place where everyone else is like her - the comic uses the witch identity as a nod to Willow’s interests, but really, it’s also not subtle shorthand for Willow has found a queer community. The word ‘witch’ comes up a lot in this issue but it might as well be LESBIAN in bright flashing lights.

It’s a self sustaining commune, where it seems to be a primarily plant based lifestyle, with cozy sweaters and women of all races and ethnicities and flowing dresses and undercuts and mason jars and it might as well have a flannel emporium and home improvement store, you know?

The way Willow talks about witches and how it saved her life - I felt also applied to when one realizes their sexuality. She doesn’t have to pretend or feel like an Other in Abhainn, she’s accepted as she is because everyone else is like her.

Except...the whole secret town hidden from the majority and everyone believes the same thing and dismisses the outside world kind of sounds less like a utopia and more like a cult. (Call your best friend, you’re in a cult)

And the cult leader is the charismatic, older Aelara, who praises Willow constantly and tells her how special she is, how necessary she is to Abhainn. Willow may even have a little bit of a crush on her.

It’s only when a mysterious blonde bursts into Willow’s room that her life changes again. This girl has a completely different take on Abhainn, and the fear in her eyes gets through Willow’s rose-tinted glasses. Because Willow’s had these doubts too, but didn’t feel she could do anything, because so much about Abhainn feels right.

Who is she? (*cough* Tara? We shall know soon enough.)

Like the other blonde in Willow’s life, she’s inspired to take action and to figure out what Abhainn’s secret is and they meet in the woods to leave - where they’re met with a pack of wolves.

Willow’s power has increased over the span of the comics and she manages to stop the wolves in their tracks. Only to be met with Aelara who is no longer channeling Stevie Nicks but a hooded, scary figure. She tells them they can’t leave.

It’s a really great place to end on for the penultimate issue because there is a real sense of danger - we know Willow does make it back to Sunnydale, but the how and why will be explained, hopefully in the last issue.

This maybe Tara character has promise - she asserts herself in front of Willow’s doubts, has a family that doesn’t know where she is, implying they would care that she’s been missing. And the fact that Willow just trusts her at her word and does the scary thing to meet in the forest at night shows the glimpse of the Willow post Buffy - a girl who does question the status quo, who does fight for what she believes in, even if it’s hard and terrifying.

Another excellent issue.

[authorgirl1111]

A/N Couple of things.

1. Spike has a soul. If I do continue details of how he got it and why will be revealed.

2. I know Spike doesn't show up until School Hard. But for reasons, this story starts 1 week before school starts. Before 2x01.

Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy the Vampire Slayer and affiliated works.

***

Welcome to Sunnydale (Home Sweet Home)

Oops, Aisling thought when she drove over the ‘Welcome to Sunnydale’ sign.  Beside her her bleach blond adoptive father chuckled softly. Instead of staying to survey the damage done to the sign, she made a turn and drove down until she found the street she needed.

To be honest, the absolute last place she wanted to be was in another town that had a Hellmouth, (Cleveland had been a mess and a half) but this Hellmouth also had The Slayer, and if she had to choose between a Hellmouth with the slayer and one without- well it wasn’t exactly a hard decision. Though if it hadn’t been for the fact that a Hellmouth could supposedly help her father heal, she wouldn’t have even entertained the notion.

She stopped at the building she had been searching for, an apartment building a few blocks away from the school. For a moment she stayed still her hands clasping the steering wheel.

Then a pale cool hand reached out and held hers.

She turned to face the man, bleached blonde hair and blue eyes and covered neck to feet in black. She took a deep breath at his concern. "We're here." She said, he voice held a light irish accent, undoing her seatbelt.

Her father shook his head. “Wait here.” He said.

She wanted to argue and leave with him but he levelled her with a stare that had her backing down. When he was sure that she was going to do as he said he undid his seatbelt, opened the car door and left leaving him behind.

She locked the door behind him and waited. The moment her father had left she let out a breath she hadn’t realized that she had been holding since they left Prague.

She should never have suggested going to Prague. France would have been better, or Rome, or Ireland (where she had chosen to go every other year), literally any other place but Prague.

Every summer they travelled for summer vacation. Every year they switched on who got to decide where they vacationed. Her dad had been reminiscing about Prague and Aisling had figured that it would be nice to see, so that’s what she had suggested.

Aisling shook her head Idiot.

She leaned her head against the steering wheel. She would have given anything to take back that summer, to suggest any other place.

Someone knocked on the door and she turned to see Spike waving at her to come out. She took another deep breath and unlocked the door and stepped out of the cool September air. Together they walked to the back of the car and opened the truck.

Aisling reached out and pulled out two suitcases while Spike pulled out another. Aisling sighed as she watched him struggle.

“I can make multiple trips, it’s fine.”

Her dad stared at her before ruffling her hair and kissing her forehead and instead reached into the backseat and pulled out a backpack. Aisling rolled her eyes, the backpack contained most of his food.

“Want you to eat when we get inside,” Aisling said. “You haven’t eaten since yesterday.”

He rolled his eyes. “I’m fine, Bit”

“So you say,” Aisling said then she switched tactics. “Still… I don’t want that to expire, so please. Eat.”

Dad sighed. “Point.”

Aisling smiled at the win, then it slipped when she looked at the suitcase her father had been unable to lift before she turned and walked with her Dad toward the landlord.

The landlord was not human, though the exact species of the demon was completely lost on her. He smiled down at her and she smiled back, but she could tell that both her father and the landlord could tell that she was forcing it.

“She’s tired.” Dad covered. “Bit’s been up since dawn.”

The landlord wisely did not mention that Aisling was carrying more than her father was. He walked them over to the main entrance and walked them through the passcode needed to enter. Then with a glance at the young human girl he explained that if they were bringing human company, there was a second code they had to enter, that worked as a kind of warning system so the demons living there could hide out of sight.

“Course, the girl here doesn’t count, since she’s living here. I take it she’s used to demons?”

“She is,” Aisling said tired of the landlord talking to her father like she wasn’t capable of understanding speech. “Living with a vampire will do that.”

“Have to say, I’ve seen a fair number of humans and demons living here together, but a human and a vampire living together is new.”

Dad wrapped an arm around Aisling. “She’s my daughter, found her when she was just a wee young thing.”

“I was 7.” Aisling cut in. “He found me when I was 7.”

“And how old are you now?” Landlord asked finally turning his attention to her.

“Turned sixteen this June.”

Landlord whistled. “Almost a lady.”

She wanted to gag at the almost patronizing tone the Landlord adopted. Her father must have sensed her ire because he quickly changed the subject.

“Will the other tenants mind?” Her father asked referring to Aisling bringing friends over.

The Landlord shook his head. “Nah, a good number of demons have kids that are human or human passing, and they like bringing human friends over. We just ask that you and your... daughter give us a heads up.”

Aisling nodded, though she had no interest in bringing friends over. “Thank you.” She said anyway.

The Landlord walked the two of them to the elevator, pressed the button and it led them up to the fifth floor.

“Have to say, Spike, when vampires do rent an apartment here, they tend to take the basement; fewer chances of sun exposure. Yet you specifically asked for an apartment with east-facing windows." The Landlord said as he led them through the building.

Aisling's father, Spike, shrugged. “Aisling likes watching the sunrise.”

“I also like not having my dad burst into flames,” Aisling said.

Her dad rolled his eyes. “I’ll be fine.”

“Uh-huh,” Aisling said rolling her eyes. “You always say that.”

Dad smiled. “And It’s always true.”

Not always. Not that Aisling was going to out her father’s injuries to a stranger.

“Here’s your room.” The Landlord said as he unlocked the door. “Rents due at the beginning of every month, though if you need more time we can work something out.”

“Thank you,” Spike said, Aisling nodded along.

The Landlord handed Spike the key before leaving. He closed the door with a soft click.

Fortunately, the apartment already had furniture. So they didn’t have to worry about sleeping on the floor, especially considering they had sold their last house and everything in it to afford to come there.

Aisling placed her bags on the floor and turned to stare at her father, who looked ready to keel over.

Aisling hurried forward and steadied him before leading him to the couch and gently pushed him onto it; then she removed his coat before she did so. Gently she took the backpack from him pulled out a thermos, opened it and handed it to him.

The smell of blood nearly undid him- even if it was two days old and nearly expired-, Aisling could tell he was holding himself together just enough that he wouldn’t vamp out as he guzzled down the thermos of blood.

Once he was done he put the thermos down, his mouth now blood red. He licked his lips and stared down at her.

“You don’t have to hide when you feed,” Aisling said. “I’ve seen you vamp out before, I’m not scared.”

“It’s not you Bit,” Spike said. “You know I have less control when I vamp out.”

She did, she also knew that Spike had the best control out of any vampire she knew. “Are you still hungry?”

Spike hesitated and Aisling pulled out another thermos and handed it to him. “Drink, I’m gonna go get the rest of the stuff.”

“Ash-“

“It’ll be fine,” Aisling said with a smile as she rummaged through the pockets of Spike’s leather duster to find the keys. “Have a little faith in me, will ya?” she said clasping the keys in her hand and hurrying out of the room before Spike could argue.

***

For as much as Aisling tried to hide, Spike always knew when she was scared, or worried, or in pain. Her heartbeat tended to always give her away, and if not her heartbeat then he tended to be able to smell the fear, or pain that would radiate off her in waves.

The last time Aisling had been near a Hellmouth had been when she was 12, they’d stayed there for six months before they’d packed up and left.

At least this one had The Slayer which would mean that there was some level of protection. It was the only reason he’d agreed to come to Sunnydale in the first place, and even then he’d raised concerns, but Aisling had been adamant, arguing that Spike’s job depended on him being in top physical health.

When Spike had still declined arguing that they would find another way to make money, that it wasn't the first time that they had landed on hard times. Aisling had brought up Her. Arguing that now that he was weak, she would likely know and would be heading straight for them. At least if they left for Sunnydale, they had the added protection of the Slayer, and with any luck it would detour Her, from making her way over.

He hated it. Hated that even after 8 years She was still a threat.

Spike was not the type to run. Every time She had come he'd been able to get her out of town, but now that he was weakened he had been forced to leave Los Vegas and come to the HellMouth in the hopes that the Slayer was somewhat competent (Though the fact that she'd survived the Master and Lothos suggested that she was), and able to deal with a vampire's whose mental abilities was on par with Lothos.

It helped to know that he had personally seen to Aisling's training, that he had taught her every conceivable way to kill vampires and demons. Trained her in techniques that would hopefully protect her from mental attacks. Training that saved her life multiple times, that saved his own life in Prague.

It also helped that the Master was dead, and the leader of the Order of Aurelius was some child fledge that had only been a vampire for a few months.

It helped that they were living close to the active Slayer. For however long that Slayer had left she would at least make sure that as many vampires and demons as possible died and stayed dead.

Still living so close to a Hell Mouth, while making him stronger, was very dangerous to the young human girl living with him, and he didn’t know if the Hellmouth would ever truly revive him to full strength.

He heard the sound of someone turning the doorknob and turned his head just as Aisling walked through carrying two more suitcases.

“Before you head back out.” Spike started stalling her. “Choose a room?”

Aisling paused and stepped forward and headed to the first door that was right beside the living room. She opened the door and looked inside it. It was small but not cramped there was still a bed from the previous owners, though it was completely stripped of sheets. A small dresser and a closet off to the right.

The east wall had a large window that gave her a perfect view of the town Skyline and would allow her to see the sun as it rose.

Despite its very deadly effect on her father, she always found the sight of the dawn to be beautiful. With a sigh, she turned and walked down the mini hallway and opened the second door and entered what was so obviously the master bedroom. Around twice the size of the other room with a walk-in closet, that Aisling was tempted to suggest to Spike that he convert it into his bedroom, so he didn’t risk waking up every morning burning to death. Oddly enough the window here was a lot smaller and had blinds already up.

“I’ll take the other one,” Aisling said.

“Are you sure?” Spike asked.

Aisling smiled. “I don’t need a lot of room.” She said.

“Neither do I Ash.”

Aisling shrugged. “The other room has bigger windows,” Ash said. “You're less likely to fry here. Also, the walk-in closet could be better for you… if you want to convert it into a smaller bedroom so your even less likely to fry during the day.”

“Ha, bloody ha,” Spike said dryly.

Ash rolled her eyes. “There are a few extra bags in the car, I’m going to go get them.” She said turning to walk away.

“Aisling.” Aisling paused and turned around.

Spike hugged her. “I love you alright? Please don’t ever forget that.”

Aisling smiled a little to herself. “Never have.”

Aisling sat down on the floor after she had brought in the last of the luggage. Her arms hurting Spike poked his head out of the room that Aisling had claimed as her own and knelt by her side. “Time for bed little one.” He said a hand on her shoulder. “You can finish unpacking tomorrow.”

Aisling stared at him for a long moment. “Can I just sleep here?” She asked. “ ‘m too tired to move.”

“Aisling.”

“Worth a shot.” Aisling yawned before she stood. “Don’t forget to put the curtains up before daybreak, I so do not want to wake up with a pile of ash as my father.”

Spike rolled his eyes. “I won’t.”

“Good,” Aisling said before she stood up and walked to her room. “Night, Dad.” She said before she closed the door.

Once she closed the door she sighed and rummaged through her suitcase to find a white lacy short-sleeved nightgown. Slowly she peeled off her day clothes and slipped her nightgown over her head.

She sat on the bed, that Spike had made up for her, for a moment just taking in her new room and sighed. “Home Sweet Home.” She said softly before she lay down and pulled the covers up to her chin.

Within moments she was asleep.

Outside the door, Spike looked around his apartment and sighed. “Home sweet home” He echoed.

***

A/N if you want more please review. Knowing that people like it gives me one more reason to update.

[mtvswatches]

Wynonna Earp 1x02 Keep the Home Fires Burning

Spoilers disclaimer (please read before sending messages or writing comments.)

Stray thoughts

1) Buffy and Veronica would be so proud of her punning abilities…

2) Well, this guy blew up his own cover rather stupidly…

3) Her quick-tempered nature is going to get her in trouble, isn’t it?

She did exactly the opposite of what Dolls asked her to do. But if this town is anything like Sunnydale – which considering how adamant they were about saying that Wynonna’s uncle died of a heart attack or something even though he’d been FUCKING BEHEADED – they will probably ascribe these shenanigans to a PCP gang, right?  

4) Is this like the Revenant Boss? The Master? Big Bad?

I’m sure I’ll find out soon enough.

5) I’m guessing there will be some sort of connection between this guy (I can’t remember if they mentioned his name already?) and Wynonna, given their conversation at the bar, the fact that he protected her and Waverly, and the fact that they’re both pariahs in their respective communities. Can we talk about the revenant community? Is that PC?

6) Yep, the revenants mentioned “the boss”.

7) “We know who you are and who you rode alongside of.” Is this because he crawled out of the well after Wynonna? Or did he hitch a ride with someone or something else we haven’t seen yet?

8) More backstory, thank you, show, I need it.

DOLLS: The Black Badge was a top-secret branch of the Marshalls founded in the 1900s by Roosevelt…

WYNONNA: Eleanor?

DOLLS: Teddy – to eradicate the paranormal forces suddenly blossoming on North American soil…

WYNONNA: Do you have a flamethrower? 'Cause a flamethrower is at least fun.

DOLLS: …working with your grandfather actually, Edwin Earp, to handle things up here.

WYNONNA: Hmm yeah. A one-year wonder. Family legend has it Eddie was only the heir for like 11 months, but came real close to sending all 77 of Wyatt's kills back to Hell.

So, if I got this right, when each heir turns 27, all the revenants killed by the prior heir come back to Earth, so that means they have to kill all of those plus the ones who hadn’t been killed by the previous heir, right? A ton of revenants, basically.

9) Yep. That’s Sunnydale.

10) This Boss Man doesn’t look like the one before…

So…

At least I now know that the cool revenant’s name is Hank. 

11) Okay…

BOSS: And the Earps?

HANK: It is just a matter of time before they figure out who I really am and what I did to their great-great-granddaddy.

A few things about their convo. Hank is clearly an outcast. He’s not respected among the revenants because of his connection to the Earps and because he’s not a revenant - he seems to be something else, and he won’t be accepted by the Earps if they learn what he did to their family. I always find this type of characters incredibly interesting, the ones who walk the grey moral line and who will typically do whatever is more beneficial for themselves in order to survive. It’s always interesting to see their inner struggles with morality and good/evil, and I wonder if Hank will be one of these characters. And who does he want revenge against?

12) This doesn’t feel random…

So, Waverly used to have an “imaginary friend” when she was a kid. Could this mean that her friend wasn’t really imaginary and she has some sort of psychic or supernatural powers?

13) I like Gus 100% more, bless you.

14) Now, this was totally unexpected but super cool!

So, Revenants can’t touch the gun without getting demon epilepsy or something. And I really, really like the way the show gets rid of the bodies – they literally burn down to hell.

15) This lady was totally flirting with Waverly, but what are her intentions?

In the words of Anya Jenkins…

16) I can’t disagree with him, though…

Raise your hand if you love him since Instant Star...

17) I hope she is right, in the long term…

WAVERLY: I got a good feeling about you. And I'm an excellent judge of character.

HANK: Sweetheart you really aren't.

18) She’s also a dork. I’m liking her more and more.

WYNONNA: Regular guns can slow the revheads down, but they will always come back for more until they meet Peacemaker, which only I can handle…

19) Bossman is not playing around…

BOSS: Malcolm kills her uncle, lures the heir back home, and now this? How many times do I got to tell you idiots? Peacemaker can't be touched by revenant hand.

LEVI: But-but we-we just thought…

BOSS: Don't! Ever! Think! I do the thinking for all of us.

20) So they want to hire a “professional” to create a distraction, but the problem is, the payment needs to be human blood… Is the shadowy guy from the beginning of the episode the “professional”? Will this show only ever give me more questions?

21) Hank looks so awkward wearing a hoody. And I’m gonna go ahead and say it. He kind of reminds me of Spike.

22) So, I think “shadow assassins” are like a special type of revenant? Levi mentions that they can only be activated by a blood sacrifice. I’m guessing this Killer Miller is the shadow guy we saw at the beginning of the episode.

23) Ooh, more scoop on Hank!

LEVI: You were Wyatt Earp's right hand; what would he say if he knew you were joining forces with every man he ever put down?

So, this revenant is disgusted by Hank helping… the revenants? Huh?

24) Okay, so the girls’ mom is not dead but just a deadbeat mom. I’m sure we’ll see her again. And I’m sure there was a reason for her leaving.

25) I didn’t really think he was going to do the blood sacrifice thing. And I didn’t believe he was human either? But I guess I was wrong…

And yeah, his reaction? Don’t tell me you don’t see the similarities…!

26) I kind of thought that the Shadow would end up going after all the revenants listed on Waverly’s notebook instead of going after Waverly… And btw, I guess she really wasn’t a good judge of character after all? Like, Hank didn’t even hesitate to throw that notebook into the hole in order to save himself, he didn’t care that he was going to send the shadow after the wrong target.

27) I knew it.

BOBO: Perfect time to make a hole - for our friend Waverly.

YOUNG WAVERLY: Will this really - make them happy?

BOBO:This will guarantee you all get what you deserve.

WAVERLY: Bobo. The name of my imaginary friend when I was growing up: Bobo! And I'm starting to think that he wasn't so imaginary.

Do you think Bobo could be Boss? Same initial letters… And I guess she didn’t have supernatural powers, after all, she was just tricked by a revenant.

28) I really love Waverly’s attitude. She doesn’t have any powers so far, but that doesn’t stop her from getting ready to fight back…

29) Well, that was easy… Cool. But disappointingly easy.

I mean, he was kind of scary, but in the end, he wasn’t really a threat? Unless he can’t be really killed off and he’ll come back every time someone does a blood sacrifice?

30) You really need to be a badass in order to be threatening while wearing plaid flannel PJ bottoms and furry sleepers…

Remind you of anyone?

31) “You’re just a girl” I mean, the references must be intentional, right?

32) That was cool, Waverly!

33) What is he doing, though? And what is he?

WAVERLY: Yeah, well, most of my stolen stuff was returned, OK? And he's just one of those crazy Wyatt fans. No, he's definitely one of the good guys.

WYNONNA: Everything in my body tells me he's one of the bad boys. My entire body.

34) Yep, Hank will do whatever he has to in order to survive…

At least for now, anyway.

35) Why is his back burning like embers?

36) And what exactly is their plan? What is “the dig”?

BOSS: I swear to you, our salvation lies not in thieving Peacemaker, or defeating the heir, - but in the dig! We stick to the plan! We stay on course. We let the Seven deal with the heir while the rest of us work, as we've been working for 15 years, towards one common goal: freedom! 

He got a little William Wallace there, didn’t he?

37) So, this is what Henry’s revenge is all about…

BOSS: I'm a man of my word, Henry. I can give her to you. The woman that changed you.

HANK: Well then, Bobo, we are officially in business.

And yes, Bobo was Boss. Manipulating a little girl? That’s really low, even for a revenant.

38) I’m getting very invested in this story, really. I have to thank you for suggesting I should watch this show! I really love the pacing in the episodes I’ve seen so far. It’s really hard not to comment on every scene because it seems all of them are relevant to the plot, there are no filler scenes, you know? And I really hope the episodes continue to be arc-driven instead of the “monster-of-the-week” type. I can’t wait to see the rest!

39) Hope you enjoyed my recap, and, as usual, if you’ve got this far, thank you for reading! If you enjoy my recaps and my blog, please consider supporting it on ko-fi.Thanks!

[marigoldbaker]

imperfections (56/?)

read it on ao3!

iiiiii don’t know how to add a footnote w/o making it Extremely spoilery. love u all. writing this fic is such a trip and i am so glad to have an audience for this scooby family nonsense, esp. as it gets closer and closer to being finished

“That was some nice stuff you said to Buffy,” said Jen as they walked to the car.

Faith’s stomach flipped over. “Yeah,” she said uncertainly. “Yeah, it was—she means a lot to me, y’know?”

“I’ve noticed,” said Jen, and maybe it was just wishful thinking on Faith’s part, but there was an almost purposeful lightness to her tone. Like she knew Faith was holding shit back. “I’m really glad you two have hit it off.”

Faith bit the bullet. “I might ask her out,” she said. “Like, on a date. To prom, maybe. I don’t know. Haven’t really thought it through all that much.” She was doing her best not to look at Jen, continuing to talk so that she wouldn’t have to hear what Jen had to say to that. “I mean, she’s still gettin’ over Angel, she says she wants to take things slow, but if she’s not going with Angel she might as well go with me—”

“Faith?”

“I’m into girls,” Faith blurted out, refusing to look at Jen. “Which you should probably know, ‘cause B’s gonna be coming round sometimes, maybe. I don’t know. But that’s why she means a lot to me and we haven’t just hit it off in a friendly way—”

“Breathe,” said Jen, tugging on Faith’s leather jacket until Faith stopped walking. When Faith finally mustered the courage to look over at Jen, she saw that Jen was looking at her the same way that Jen always looked at her, and the relief at that realization was dizzying. But then Jen spoke again. “You’re not the only one who’s had crushes on girls.”

“Don’t try and tell me that every straight girl feels this kinda thing—” Faith began, outraged.

“Operating on some faulty intel there, kid,” said Jen, a broad smile beginning. “Whoever said I was a straight girl?”

Faith stared. Then she said, “You suck face with Giles in the kitchen on a daily basis.”

“You kids really need a crash course on bisexuality,” said Jen, who was now grinning fit to burst.

Faith didn’t really know what to say to that. Slowly, she managed, “So all that time you’ve been giving me looks every time me and Buffy talk—”

“I know the signs,” said Jen, knocking Faith’s shoulder. “You were making the same face I did around Marian Hall back in college, and somehow you managed to be even more obvious about it than me.”

“I was so not obvious!” Faith objected, indignant. “B didn’t catch a thing, and Giles didn’t either—”

“I love the kid, but Buffy probably wouldn’t have figured your crush out if you waved a sign saying DATE ME,” said Jen matter-of-factly. “And Rupert spent the better part of last year trying to figure out whether or not I liked him, most of that time while we were actively dating.”

Faith snickered. “Fair point,” she said, and reached down, quietly gripping the hem of Jen’s sleeve as they started to walk again. Her heart was pounding. “So I kinda just came out to you, huh?”

“Kinda, yeah,” Jen agreed, her voice softening. “I’m very proud of you.”

Faith made a gagging noise to try and hide her dumb grin.

Willow apparently still hadn’t reconciled with her mom, who had somehow forgotten the stake-burning but remembered that Willow had run away after being grounded. Joyce was still trying to talk Mrs. Rosenberg through that one, but for the time being, Willow was staying in the Calendar-Giles attic/guest room, which was A-okay in her book.

Ms. Calendar made Willow some hot chocolate again, this time with half-melty marshmallows and a dollop of whipped cream. “Does your mom tuck you in?” she asked, crossing the room to sit down on Willow’s bed (no, the guest room bed, Willow reminded herself). “If I recall correctly, you’re the kind of kid who really appreciates that.”

“You could tuck me in again,” said Willow. Ms. Calendar had done that a couple of times over the summer, back when things were a total mess and Willow stayed in Ms. Calendar’s bedroom pretty much every other night.

Ms. Calendar stood up, then bent down again, tucking the covers more snugly around Willow from the waist down. “You can just leave your mug on the nightstand when you’re done,” she said, leaning around Willow to fluff up one of the pillows. She smelled like a mixture of old books and floral perfume. “And get some sleep, okay? Don’t do that thing you do where you nap for two hours and get up to read books from Rupert’s study.”

“Giles has a study?” Willow grinned. “This is a nice house.”

“Yeah, I like it too.” Ms. Calendar gave Willow a little kiss on the cheek. Willow thought she felt a waxy smudge of lipstick, and kind of liked the thought of it lingering. “Night, Willow.”

“Goodnight, Ms. Calendar,” said Willow with a yawn.

Ms. Calendar wavered. Then she said, “You know, if you wanted, you could call me Jenny outside of school. You’re not just my student, Willow.”

Willow felt a kind of rush and had to blink really fast to hide potential tears. “Um, yeah,” she sad, swallowing hard. “Maybe. But, but maybe not yet?” The thought of Ms. Calendar as Jenny felt weird and informal, especially since Giles was the only one who called her that. Faith called her Jen, but that was a name that Willow personally thought didn’t really fit Ms. Calendar. “I like Ms. Calendar,” she clarified. “It used to feel kinda formal, but now it feels…”

Even though Willow wasn’t quite sure how to finish her sentence, Ms. Calendar smiled slightly, like she got it anyway. “Yeah,” she said. “That name didn’t really mean a lot to me until I came to Sunnydale, but now…”

She squeezed Willow’s shoulder, then leaned down again, enfolding her in a soft, floral-perfume hug. Willow closed her eyes, smiling.

Giles was still sitting in the kitchen by the time Jenny came down from putting the children to bed. Upon seeing her, he stood, feeling a sense of profound sadness and exhaustion. “Moment’s come, hasn’t it?” he said quietly.

“Come here,” said Jenny.

Giles obliged, stepping into her arms and closing his eyes. “You are so remarkably resilient tonight,” he murmured.

“Yeah, well, next apocalypse it’s my turn to freak out,” Jenny informed him, turning her head to rest her cheek on his chest. “Listen—this is gonna be hard, I know. But it’s the right thing to do for all involved.”

“They’re going to come here in person, you know,” said Giles quietly. “They’re going to demand to speak to Buffy, and I don’t know what they might convince her to do—”

“In a few days she’s turning eighteen,” Jenny replied simply.

“I was twenty-one when I raised Eyghon,” said Giles.

Jenny pulled away, looking up at him with a resigned, loving expression. “Rupert Giles,” she said, “idiot of my heart, you are gonna have to let that girl make her own choices. There’s only so much a parent can do to protect his kid, and after you make this call, you will have done everything you can.”

One word in particular stood out to Giles. “Parent?”

Jenny’s smile fluttered; she looked suddenly nervous. “Was that—I mean, was I off base?”

“Quite the opposite, I think,” said Giles unsteadily. “It’s simply that I worry my attachments mean I have failed her as a Watcher.”

“We have already established,” said Jenny firmly, “that the system you were raised in is bullshit. I know it is going to be so hard to let go of all that stuff, but holding onto it only hurts you.”

There was a level of understanding in her eyes that went well beyond her knowledge of the Council alone. “Jenny,” said Giles quietly, “you came to Sunnydale to carry out a mission of vengeance.”

“Yeah,” said Jenny, and gave him a wobbly, crooked smile. “Yeah. Because my family told me that that was all I would ever be good for.”

Something twisted in Giles’s chest. Not once had he thought about what might have brought Jenny here—in part, he supposed, because he knew it must have been painful for her. “You’re good for—” he began.

“I’m not a witch, remember?” said Jenny, who seemed to be doing her best to keep her smile steady. It wasn’t really working. “I came from a long line of seers and witches and warlocks and people in tune with the earth, and I was never, ever that. So they sent me off to watch Angelus, because that was the only way I would ever be of use, and…” She trailed off, raising her hands to his face. “I know,” she said. “I know for a fact that you’re making the right choice, Rupert, because you’re making the same one I did a year ago. I don’t regret a single thing I did last year, not one, because it led me to a home and a family and one of the best hot librarians I know.”

Giles stared at her, eyes wet, and then he kissed her, and…how, he thought, was he this lucky? Watchers lived a painful, lonely life; nearly everyone they dared to love ended up dead, and here was beautiful, compassionate, resilient Jenny, changing the rules because she could. “I love you ceaselessly,” he said clumsily as they broke apart, then kissed her again, an awkward kiss that was more of a collision than anything. Both of them were a bit too emotional for finesse. “Unendingly.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” said Jenny with a nervous laugh.

“You know I would never do that to you again,” Giles persisted.

Her expression didn’t change, but Giles felt Jenny press herself closer against him. “Yeah,” she said. “Ditto.”

“The promise thing or the flowery-love thing?”

“Don’t make me say it,” said Jenny, giving him a small, watery smile.

Giles kissed her one last time. Then, with no small amount of reluctance, he let go of her, stepping back and picking up the phone. Eyes locked on Jenny’s, he dialed the extension, waiting for Travers to pick up.

“Hello?”

“Travers, it’s Giles,” said Giles, and Jenny took two steps forward, winding her arms around his waist. Grounding him.

Faith was hanging around the general area of Buffy’s locker, looking somewhat tense. Even after the emotional mess of the night before, Buffy’s heart did a funny little flip thing upon seeing her, and she couldn’t hide her smile. “Hi,” she said bashfully, stepping up to Faith.

“Yeah, B, I got some bad news,” said Faith shortly. “You were gonna find it out when you got to the library, but Jen said I should run and tell you beforehand.”

Buffy felt the crush-related jitters fade, replaced by some more general jitters that she didn’t really like. “What’s going on?”

“So, uh, Giles and Jen tried to call the Council yesterday night,” said Faith, falling into step with Buffy as they headed towards the library. “Didn’t really go over well.”

“How did it not go over well?” Buffy asked, pushing the door open with her shoulder. Then she stopped.

“Ms. Summers?” said an old guy in a tweed suit, flanked by a whole bunch of other business-formal people that Buffy didn’t know. “My name is Quentin Travers, and I am the head of the Watchers’ Council. I believe you and I need to talk.”

[xnxadultstore]

Adult Coloring Books for Men

I used to be attempting to determine an excellent reward for my dad who’s beginning to have indicators of Alzheimer’s for  Christmas and remembered that since he was a child, he beloved to design and paint giant mannequin airplanes… so why not coloring books for males? But in fact, he most likely wasn’t going to benefit from the flowery, tangled kind that I like so I began my search for Coloring Books for Grownup Guys.

Men’s Coloring Books for All Occasions

Intricate Ink Animals in Detail Volume three by Tim Jeffs

Son of a Mother Trucker

A Manly Adult Coloring Book: Dad Life: Clean Dad Swears & Old Coot-isms: A Unique & Funny Antistress Coloring Gift for Men

Click to Order Amazon US, UK or Canada

One of the most well-liked books for males in our coloring group proper now could be the most recent one from Kerby Rosanes World inside Worlds.

World Within Worlds

I personally personal this pretty e-book and the largest downside is deciding which cool image to paint first. Paper high quality is nice too.

Click to Order Amazon US, UK or Canada

Dad & Me Coloring Book

I obtained a replica of this lovely e-book and was very impressed with each the illustrations, the standard however principally with the distinctive concept of the softer aspect of fatherhood being present and celebrated all through the e-book. The pages are perforated and TOP sure so it’s great for lefties in addition to those that need to show their creations after you shade them in.

Click to Order Amazon US, UK or Canada

The Men’s Coloring Book by Nathaniel Wake

Nathaniel says it’s a Manly Mans Adult Coloring Book with Cyborg Women, Military Machines, Futuristic Battles, Western Armory, Fish Illustrations and Cars… nonetheless I completely beloved this e-book so that you might need to struggle your feminine vital different for among the illustrations on this e-book.

 Click to Order Amazon US, UK or Canada 

Mythomorphia: An Extreme Coloring and Search Challenge by Kerby Rosanes

Click to Order on Amazon:  US     UK     Canada    or   Book Depository

Animorphia

An wonderful coloring e-book for adults that includes the super-detailed animal pictures from artist Kerby Rosanes. Known for his common Sketchy Stories weblog, Kerby works in intricately detailed black and white line to create creatures, characters, patterns, and tiny components to type compositions of mind-boggling complexity. Bring your creativity to finish the breath-taking drawings and discover hidden treasures and creatures scattered all through its pages

Order on Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Canada  ~  Book Depository

Imagimorphia Coloring Book by Kerby Rosanes

Fans of grownup coloring books are invited to enter the extraordinary world of Kerby Rosanes, the illustrator behind the Sketchy Stories weblog and Animorphia, the worldwide phenomenon and New York Times bestseller. In Imagimorphia, animals, and objects morph and explode into astounding element. Bring every intricate picture to life with shade and discover the objects hidden all through the e-book.

Printed on high quality paper, Imagimorphia is a unusual coloring and search e-book for followers of grownup coloring books like no different.

Dad Life – A Manly Adult Coloring Book

Color in humorous issues that EVERYONE’s Dad says to them.

 Click to Order Amazon US, UK or Canada 

ColorArt Coloring Book – Real Men Color

This e-book is spiral sure eight half x 11 pages with over 100 pictures to paint in.

Click to Order Amazon US, UK or Canada

The Art of the Cigar: Vintage Labels Coloring Book

Based on the attractive lithographs of cigar field labels from years passed by. Each of the 40 gorgeous labels is pre-1920 with elegant designs that wrap you within the nostalgia of an age when life was less complicated and folks knew easy methods to benefit from the second. The pages on this e-book are one-sided professionally printed by Vintage Pen Press.

Click to Order Amazon US, UK or Canada 

Oldtimer Grayscale Adult Coloring Book for Men

This e-book contains 43 Oldtimer Images of Vintage Rustic Cars, Trucks, Tractors, Tools, Motorcycles and different Things for Men to Color. Creator Timothy Parks has his pictures printed on eight half x 11 paper printed solely on one aspect. He has penned a couple of different coloring books with related themes however this one has the most effective opinions.

Click to Order Amazon US, UK or Canada

Die Hard Coloring Book

If you reside in a home the place Die Hard IS a Christmas film custom, then this coloring e-book is for you. All your favourite scenes and quotes are on this official Die Hard coloring and exercise e-book. This coloring e-book from Harper Design is superb high quality. I obtained a pattern of it from the writer and it’s Coloring Book Addict accepted!

Hans Gruber and his posse crash the Christmas social gathering at Nakatomi and take the tower hostage;John McClane’s limo trip with Argyle;The tension-filled crawl via the constructing vents;John’s morbid message supply to Hans (written on the corpse of one in every of Hans’ males);The well-known bloody footprints;And in fact, John leaping off the Nakatomi tower.

The Book of Beasts

A buddy of mine in Scotland (Kemberlee) ordered this e-book within the UK and he or she couldn’t cease gushing about how fabulous it was. It’s obtained a hardcover with fabulous paper and wonderful illustrations of Dragons of all kinds. Filled with legendary monsters from around the globe, The Book of Beasts will take younger readers on an epic coloring quest via historical lands and lore. As they fill within the pages, kids will encounter creatures from Aboriginal, African, Mesoamerican, Greek, Roman, Indian, Norse, Chinese, and Japanese tales. On the again of every web page, children will discover background on the beasts within the e-book.

Click to ORDER Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon Canada ~ Book Depository

Full Metal Coloring – A Book of Down Range Reflection

Along with the pages to paint, you’ll discover some historic background of the firearms and weapons on every of the pages which had been written by a aggressive shooter and veteran who can be the artist. I’ve a replica of this e-book from the artist and have gifted it to the gun fanatic in my life. Its unique artwork on respectable paper. As at all times use a sheet between your pages to keep away from bleed-through and stress marks.

Click to Order Amazon US

Bennett Klein’s model is very detailed tattoo inked line artwork. 

Colour my Sketchbook – DRAGONS by Bennett Klein

The coloured in dragons on this cowl had been executed by members of his Facebook web page linked right here.

Click to order Amazon US      Amazon UK       Amazon Canada      Book Depository

This is simply one of many Bennett Klein Books, discover the remainder right here. 

Tattoo Art Coloring Books for Men

The Tattoo Art of Freddy Negrete

I obtained this e-book from the writer and was fairly happy with the number of pictures contained inside. There is so much to select from however most do have a Hispanic, Chicano, Mexican taste to them. There are a lot of the Virgin Mary in addition to Sugar Skulls which make sense culturally. There’s even a sugar cranium Virgin Mary to paint in. As a colorist, most weren’t tremendous detailed so when you choose that kind of coloring e-book this one most likely received’t be your cup of tea, however when you like so as to add your personal patterning or are studying and working towards shading and contouring this e-book is ideal.

Click to Order Amazon US UK or Canada

Kitchen Overlord’s Colorable Compendium of Geek History: An Adult Coloring Book and Companion to the Illustrated Geek Cookbook

I haven’t seen this one in particular person, however its on my record and from the opinions, it seems enjoyable. “The creators of Kitchen Overlord’s Illustrated Geek Cookbook invite you to paint together with 120 years of geek historical past!

Start with H.G. Wells Time Machine in 1885 and produce the black and white pages to life because the world grows geekier with each decade.

See Cthulhu rise in 1928, shade Captain America in 1941, depart the Shire for Mordor in 1954, boldly go on a 5 12 months mission beginning in 1966, lastly be taught what “inconceivable” means in 1973, struggle Zuul and Gozer in 1984, assist the Scooby gang shield Sunnydale in 1997, turn into a Big Damn Hero in 2002, and assist Ichabod Crane turn into a contemporary man in 2012.

You recover from 50 enjoyable illustrations representing your favourite books, comics, motion pictures, TV, and video games – organized chronologically so you possibly can see how geekdom has developed over greater than a century.” Click to order AMAZON US AMAZON UK AMAZON CANADA BOOK DEPOSITORY

Guys have a tendency to like Science Fiction so most of the books on my nerds and geeks web page would possibly work for the boys in your record too!

Military Coloring Books for Men

The very first thing to do is work out hobbies and issues that the person in your life is into.. my dad loves airplanes and was within the USAF in order that was my first search. I discovered these two: Airplanes of the Second World War and Jet Fighters. Both are Dover Coloring Books so the worth level is correct, underneath $5.

If you want freebies take a look at the free coloring web page and e-book excepts from Dover too.

Other Military Coloring Books for Men embody:

Many of those navy books additionally work in case your man is a historical past buff.

American Muscle Cars Coloring Books for Men

Expertly rendered illustrations of quick, flashy, and highly effective sports activities vehicles, amongst them the 1962 Ford Thunderbird, 1964 Corvette Stingray, 1968 Chevy Impala SS427, 1969 Camaro Z-28, 1970 Ford Torino Fastback, 1971 Mustang Boss 351, 1974 Firebird Trans-Am, and 37 others. For coloring e-book lovers and “muscle car” followers. Click right here to Order American Muscle Cars Coloring Book There’s additionally Classic Cars of the 50’s Coloring Book Luxury Cars Coloring Book Sports Cars Coloring Book & History of Trucks

Motorcycles Coloring Book – This assortment chronicles over 100 years of bike historical past with illustrations of 45 precisely detailed fashions, together with Gottlieb Daimler Motor Bicycle (1885), 1913 Royal Enfield, 1947 Indian “Chief,” 1966 BSA A65 Lightning, and the Honda ES21 Future Motorcycle Concept Prototype.

Dover Books has an excellent number of History Coloring Books

Looking for an excellent historic coloring e-book? Dover may also help you add shade to among the most exceptional occasions in historical past! From dinosaurs, the Old West, the Civil War, Native Americans, the house race, American presidents and first women to classic cars and trains, castles and cathedrals, well-known explorers and inventors, historic structure like Famous Buildings of Frank Lloyd Wright and landmarks. Black historical past coloring books function genuine illustrations in regards to the Underground Railroad, the Amistad, Barack Obama, and extra. Each version gives fantastically detailed illustrations and fact-filled captions.

Click right here to see the complete choice.

The Bicycle Coloring Book

This e-book blew me away once I began seeing coloured in photos from it. It is full of cityscapes and countryside illustrations that function a motorbike and a cat. It’s like nothing you’ve ever seen earlier than. The paper is fabulous artwork high quality and the illustrations are one-sided with a middle fold-out part for a big poster-sized creation. On the dealing with aspect of the web page is an illustration of the identical cat you see in every image (generally you must hunt to seek out him) however what’s actually cool in regards to the cat is that once you flip the pages he animates. This will for certain convey you again to your faculty days once you used to make flipbooks. If you’re a bicycle fanatic or the person in your life is, you possibly can’t go fallacious with this coloring e-book. It’s eight.2 x zero.eight x 10.eight inches and has 144 pages.

Click to order Amazon US Amazon     UK Amazon    Amazon Canada    Book Depository

100 Animals by Jade Summer

An Adult Coloring Book with Lions, Elephants, Owls, Horses, Dogs, Cats and extra. 100 pictures printed on one aspect of the web page.

Click to Order Amazon US, UK & Canada

Ill-Gotten Brain Coloring Books by Chris Guest

I wished so as to add a few books from a brand new illustrator that I do know guys will love. Thanks to one in every of my coloring group, Shawn B. for the heads up about his enjoyable books! Meet Chris Guest aka IllGottenBrain. He has 2 books out, Beyond the Fairytale Forest and Monsters Eat Everything that you’re certain to get pleasure from.

His books remind me of Steve Squidoodle’s illustrations too.. enjoyable and funky, verify his work out right here.

Walking Dead Coloring Book

This e-book is completed in a graphic novel model so LOTS of black and background particulars so it’s alongside the strains of a grayscale coloring e-book. The illustrations are from the Walking Dead graphic novels and it’s very detailed. We are hoping they arrive out with one other that follows the TV present a bit extra but when you recognize a Walking Dead addict, this may be an ideal reward.

Click to order Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon Canada ~ Book Depository

Steampunk Devices

Dudes like to tinker with devices so this Steampunk Devices can be an excellent alternative for the artsy man in your purchasing record.

Click to order Amazon US   Amazon UK   Amazon Canada   Book Depository

We discover heaps extra Steampunk and Science Fiction choices for guys right here.

Intricate Ink – Animals in Detail

After seeing colorings from this e-book on Instagram I bought it on Amazon. It’s a greyscale e-book that makes your colorings actually come to life. It’s a hardbound e-book that opens on the prime so nice for left-handed colorists too.

Click to Purchase Amazon US

Lost Ocean by Johanna Basford

Although Johanna Basford is understood for her fairly flowers and delicate leaves, guys can fall just a little in love along with her illustrations in her third Inky e-book, “Lost Ocean”

Visit coral reefs and barnacle-studded shipwrecks, uncover intricate shells and pirate treasure. Secret Garden and Enchanted Forest followers and newcomers alike will welcome this artistic journey into an inky new world.

Click right here to order Lost Ocean Amazon US  Amazon Canada  Amazon UK  Book Depository

Bugs & Creepy Crawling Coloring Books for Men

Maybe your grown guys nonetheless have that little boy in them that loves spiders and snakes… There are some decisions for them too. Check out this Complicated Spiders Coloring Book… This distinctive coloring e-book is eight inches broad x 9 inches excessive, it has 25 completely different illustrations of intricately adorned spiders; every illustration is printed within the e-book twice, one on a black background and the identical illustration on a white background with mild grey strains. Lots of spider and bug e-book right here too.

Fantasy and Dragon Coloring Books For Men

Amazon has dozens of Fantasy & Dragon coloring books that guys would possibly like right here.

Funny Coloring Books

Coloring for Grown-Ups: The Adult Activity Book

Electile Disfunction – The Story of the 2016 Presidential Election Coloring Book

Click to Order Amazon US

You can see extra Political Coloring Books right here.

Unicorns Are Jerks: a coloring e-book exposing the chilly, exhausting, sparkly reality

Coloring for Grown-ups – Holiday Fun Book

There are extra right here of the extra “R” rated variations as nicely.

See a big itemizing of our favourite humorous naughty & horny coloring books right here.

Steve MacDonald’s Cityscapes e-book “Fantastic Cities“ will even attraction to the fellows our there with a e-book the place no flowers or fairies are anyplace to be seen. Steve McDonald applies his distinctive photo-based strategy to create lovely, detailed line drawings of wonderful buildings and different constructions from around the globe in Fantastic Structures and his third e-book contains less complicated designs in Fantastic Collections,

Comic Book and Graphic Novel Coloring Books

DC Comics Coloring Book

Featuring iconic paintings by famend comedian artists, DC Comics Coloring Book contains gorgeous line artwork of beloved characters corresponding to Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. Click to Order on Amazon

Wonder Woman Coloring Book

This graphic novel options basic illustrations from among the most well-known Wonder Woman artists of all time, together with George Pérez, Jim Lee, Brian Bolland, Amanda Conner, Ross Andru, H.G. Peter, Cliff Chiang, and Phil Jimenez printed on each side of the web page.  Click to Order the Wonder Woman Coloring Book

Coloring DC Batman Hush Volume 1

This grownup coloring e-book options chapters from one of many biggest graphic novels of all-time, BATMAN: HUSH. Illustrated by Jim Lee, identified for his intricate strains and distinctive element, this story is ideal for coloring. Click to Order this totally illustrated Batman graphic novel right here

Civil War – All your favourite Avengers battle on this graphic novel coloring e-book

120 pages of all-out costumed warfare, that includes Steve McNiven’s exquisitely rendered paintings simply ready for you so as to add the colour! Captain America and Iron Man are the feuding Avengers main the 2 sides of heroes that battle it out over the rights and wrongs of Superhuman Registration. Click to order Civil War

Color Your Own Age of Ultron

Color in your favourite Marvel Heros and Sinister Bad guys on this graphic novel. Difficulty ranges from simple to superior so there’s something for each graphic novel fan.

Click to Order Age of Ultron Here.

Color Deadpool Graphic Novel

This e-book contains covers from New Mutants 98, old-fashioned Pool, New Pool, the Daniel Way years, and Deadpool vs; Thanos, carnage, zombies, Cable, and Spider-Man. Click to order Deadpool

Assassins Creed Coloring Book

Click to Order Assasins Creed Coloring Book

Guys which are into Science Fiction and Fantasy can discover a big number of SciFi Coloring Books right here.

Steve Squidoodle has a implausible following on Facebook which is the place I found him. Like Bennett Klein, he’s at all times gifting away freebies on his fan web page. Learn extra about Steve Turner the illustrator right here. 

Squidoodle’s Book of Fancy Letters – Click to Order

All 26 letters of the alphabet, on single aspect pages with doodles objects to paint in. Taken from the intricate hand-drawn pen drawings of Steve Turner a.ok.a Squidoodle. Each letter is detailed and ornate, with doodled objects starting with that letter.

Each letter sits centrally on the web page, away from the backbone – you possibly can minimize the letters out, shade them and provides them as presents to household or mates. All the pages inside this e-book are taken from the hand-drawn illustrations by Steve Squidoodle Turner. He rigorously chosen objects to be contained in every letter – making it enjoyable for children and adults alike. The A incorporates an astronaut, an apple, an aeroplane, an anchor…. The B incorporates a bee, Big Ben, a beetle, balloons…. you get the concept!!

Squidoodle’s Book of Fancy Letters: An Adult Coloring Book – Click to Order

A Day on the Beach by Squidoodle – Steve Turner

The Natural Atlas by Squidoodle – Steve Turner

Creative Insults for Foul-Mouthed Beasts – A UK Sweary Coloring Book by Squidoodle – Steve Turner

I STRONGLY advocate downloading the Hobby Lobby & Michaels App to your smartphone. That manner you at all times have the coupons with you. Being the clumsy particular person I’m.. I ALWAY neglect the coupons at house or within the different automotive or the opposite purse.. you get me.. proper? You can usually discover artwork provides there for a very good worth with the coupon however most frequently I purchase books and provides on Amazon.

AMAZON PRIME – If you aren’t a member it’s best to look into it. You get free 2-day transport daily at Amazon with Amazon Prime. You can attempt it for free proper now.

The Amazon Prime membership program gives different particular advantages for simply $99 per 12 months. Members can immediately watch over 40,000 motion pictures and TV episodes and borrow 1000’s of books from the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library.

Have the boys in your record loved coloring books I haven’t listed right here? Please let me know within the feedback beneath or on one in every of my social media accounts.

The post Adult Coloring Books for Men appeared first on XNX Adult Store.

[marigoldbaker]

very really married (4/?)

read it on ao3!

and now we begin to intersect with the canon timeline!!! dumb supernatural shenanigans abound.

The first day of school might not have gone as abysmally as it did had Giles not attempted to re-box the computer again while Jenny was asleep. He’d meant it as a Pointed Gesture regarding an argument they’d had the previous night, one about him not having a desk of his own (his words), and how he could get a desk of his own if he wanted one so badly (her words), and how he did have a desk, it was the desk her computer was on, and she shouldn’t be taking up his desk with her computer that he had never seen her use, and then this had transitioned into an argument about how if he didn’t sleep on the couch all the time, maybe he’d be seeing her use the computer more than he did, and Are You Trying to Seduce Me, Jenny, and NO I AM NOT, and then she’d brought out all the neon plates for dinner just to spite him.

Regardless. The point was that Giles attempted to re-box the computer, Jenny woke up, and they had a screaming argument at two in the morning about boundaries that led to neither of them getting any sleep for the first day of school. This did, however, have the unexpected benefit of both of them being too tired to argue in the morning, and that was definitely a plus.

But then Jenny started demanding to sleep in his office during her free period.

“Absolutely not,” said Giles, “I am going to be getting no sleep for this entire day, and it is wholly unfair that you expect privileges I cannot have.”

“Rupert,” said Jenny. “This is your fault. We are both exhausted because you tried to steal my computer.”

“Stealing,” said Giles with more dignity than he probably deserved, “implies that I re-boxed your computer with intent to utilize its monetary value. I didn’t. I was attempting to utilize my desk.”

“It’s not your desk if it’s not in your room—”

“It is my desk and it is my room, Jenny—”

“You haven’t slept in our bed since we got here!”

“Please stop calling it our bed, it’s disturbing,” said Giles, who was beginning to wonder if day drinking on a high school campus would be worth potentially losing his job over. As Jenny opened her mouth, “Yes, I know, we’re married, but that still doesn’t mean—”

“What it doesn’t mean,” said Jenny, “is that you can justify trying to remove my stuff from where I put it, without asking—”

The library doors swung open. “Let me just handle this,” said Giles.

“Cool!” said Jenny cheerfully, shoved him out of the office, and locked the door.

It took Giles a moment to realize what she had done. “Jenny?” he called, saw her beginning to settle herself for a nap in his office chair, and began to bang on the door. “JENNY CALENDAR,” he shouted, “I SWEAR ON SEVEN GENERATIONS OF GILESES THAT YOU WILL NOT GET A WINK OF SLEEP, AND IF THAT MEANS I HAVE TO KEEP YOU UP BY YELLING FOR A FULL FREE PERIOD—”

“Um,” said a voice. “Should I come back later?”

Giles turned. A small girl with gently curling blonde hair was looking at him with a vaguely unnerved expression. “No,” he said, by this point quite resigned to the fact that having a wife like Jenny apparently meant making himself look like a complete idiot to everyone in the vicinity. “I’m Mr. Giles. The librarian. New.” It was quite difficult to form words when he was this tired, but he was doing his best.

Behind him, the lock clicked open, and Jenny peered out. “Oh my god, there’s someone here,” she said, sounding utterly amused. “How much of your yelling did she catch?”

“Go take a nap in the bloody office,” said Giles thinly.

“Done,” said Jenny, and stood on tiptoe to kiss him on the cheek, then stepped back into the office.

Giles tried not to blush. It didn’t work.

“O-kay,” said the girl. “Anyway, I’m new—”

Giles’s heart sank. “Miss Summers,” he said. The universe really did seem to have it out for him at this point. “Apologies for the display,” he added uncomfortably. “My wife was attempting to take a nap in my office, but that’s—against school rules, I think, so I told her no.”

“And then she went ahead and did it anyway?” said Miss Summers. Her mouth twitched.

“You know what?” said Giles. “Let me just—get you what you need.” He hurried behind the counter, and as he bent down, felt a bit solidly better upon seeing the Vampyr book. This, at least, would go sensibly and according to plan. She was a Slayer who had already had a Watcher, a Slayer who already knew her destiny; she, at least, knew the ropes. Lifting the book, he placed it down on the table with a heavy thud.

To his utter surprise, Miss Summers blanched, taking an almost involuntary step back from the checkout desk. “That’s not what I’m looking for,” she said, slow and uneasy.

Giles blinked, surprised and a bit exhausted. “Are you quite sure?” he said.

“Way sure,” said Miss Summers, which certainly wasn’t grammatically correct.

God, Giles missed England. “My mistake,” he said tiredly, turning to put the book away. As he finished placing it back on one of the lower shelves, he turned back, asking, “So, what is it you said—”

But Miss Summers had vanished, the library doors swinging shut behind her, and Giles was left with the distinct impression that absolutely nothing in his life was going to go the way he needed it to.

When Miss Summers returned, it was thankfully after Jenny had finally departed to teach class. Giles wasn’t sure what he would have done had his Slayer again witnessed his disaster of a fake marriage and perhaps put two and two together. He wanted to be an authority figure to this girl, someone she would respect and value and not unexpectedly leave the library around, and he couldn’t possibly do that if she knew he had gotten drunk married in Las Vegas. It was true that Giles hadn’t been around teenagers in a while, but he did know enough about them to know that they would undoubtedly find that sort of thing mercilessly funny.

“Okay,” she said, bursting into the library, “what’s the sitch?”

“I’m sorry?” said Giles, confused.

“The dead guy,” said Miss Summers, and then things proceeded to get even more complicated.

Giles left school intending to seek Miss Summers out at the Bronze as soon as possible; he’d heard her talking to someone else about it in passing. Unfortunately for his plans, Jenny was waiting outside the library when class finally wrapped, and he then remembered that they would be driving home together—not only that, but she had finally let him drive her. God, she did pick the worst of days to be magnanimous.“Let’s leave,” she said upon seeing him. “I have so much to complain to you about. That’s your husbandly requirement for the day: you have to listen to me complain about the idiot freshman who stuck gum between the keys of his computer, who does that? Not even you, and you’re a total Luddite. Germophobic Luddite, but still—”

“As usual, your presence is a breath of fresh air,” said Giles resignedly, extending his arm. Jenny, unbothered, took it, tucking her hand into the crook of his elbow. “Unfortunately, I have—pressing business of my own. I’ll have to drive you home and then head downtown.”

Jenny looked dubious. “You know they found a dead guy in a gym locker today, right?” she said. “This isn’t a good town to have after-dark business in.”

“Be that as it may—”

Jenny’s hand tightened around his arm. “I’m just saying,” she said. “I don’t think—oh, hi, Willow!”

A small, plaid-wearing girl with long red hair blinked shyly up at the both of them. Her face rang a bell with Giles, who realized that this was the same girl who had stopped in to read a few books during his lunch break. She had been so sweetly enthused at his extensive collection that he hadn’t been able to tell her the library was closed. “Ms. Calendar!” she said, sounding surprised. “And—Mr. Giles!”

“We were just on our way out,” said Jenny, giving Willow a warm smile. “Hey—amazing work in class today. I was blown away.”

“Thanks,” said Willow, blushing and beaming. Then, “Are you two the married couple on staff? Not that it’s any of my business,” she added hastily, “but people were talking about a really fighty couple on staff, and you two are looking all cuddly right there, and oh my gosh why am I still talking?”

“Yeah, that’s us,” said Jenny. “Old world austerity meets new world charm.”

“Thank you, Jenny,” said Giles. “That’s exactly what I needed at the end of the day. Being called austere by my own wife.”

“He’s very dramatic,” said Jenny to Willow, who giggled. “Listen, Willow, he’s talking about going out at night—is that something people usually do in Sunnydale?”

To Giles’s surprise, Willow’s small smile flickered. “The cool people, I guess,” she said, scuffing her sneakers against the linoleum. “I mean, Xander and I try it sometimes, but it’s mostly just—dark. And creepy. Plus my mom set a curfew after that one girl in my Biology class turned up dead last year.”

Jenny gave Giles a very pointed look. “See?” she said. “Willow’s a smart cookie. If you’re not gonna listen to me, at least listen to her.”

“This feels awfully like emotional blackmail,” said Giles. “Willow, it’s lovely to see you again, I hope you’ll stop by the library, I need to take my wife home before she interrogates the entire population in an attempt to—” He stopped, startled, as it finally clicked. “Keep me safe,” he said, his voice softening.

“Took you long enough,” said Jenny, rolling her eyes. “Come on.” Tugging on his arm, she led him past a giggling Willow. “Bye, Willow!” she called over her shoulder.

“Bye, Ms. Calendar!” Willow called back. “You guys are a super cute couple!” She then turned the approximate color of her hair and hid her face behind her open locker door.

“She’s a sweet kid,” said Jenny affectionately. “A little shy, but I really think she’s something special.”

“She’s in your computer class?” said Giles, carefully managing to open the door for Jenny without tugging his arm away from her hand. “She was in the library today.”

“Shockingly, Rupert, computers and books can coexist!” said Jenny, laughing.

“Yes, quite,” said Giles, who was still a bit stuck on the concept of Jenny trying to protect him. “Listen, Jenny—I do completely agree with you with regard to the dangers that surround going out at night, but the fact remains that I do have—business—to attend to.”

“Any chance that I’m gonna get to find out what that business is?” Jenny asked lightly.

“Perhaps not tonight, but—” Giles stopped himself. He hadn’t meant for there to be a but. “Perhaps not tonight,” he said again.

To her credit, Jenny seemed to take this in stride. “Okay,” she said. “Honestly, I have some stuff to get done at home anyway. Just try to get home before eleven, all right? It’d be nice not to worry.”

“You’d worry?”

“Maybe a little,” said Jenny, fumbling. “For Willow’s sake, at least. She seems to like you.”

“Oh, of course,” said Giles, grinning. “For Willow’s sake.”

“…shut up.”

He dropped her at their house, and she watched him drive off from the porch. She was impossibly stubborn, foolishly enamored with technological progress, but…he found himself thinking about her, at home, warm on the couch, working on whatever it was she was working on. Not at all domestic, he was sure. Probably unpacking the belongings of hers that he’d hidden in the closet just so she’d shut up about them, or perhaps rearranging the kitchen cupboards again so that her things were in easy reach and his things were all shoved into corner cabinets.

Making trouble. He liked that, and it was frustrating to like it. Giles continued to drive, weaving through what felt like endlessly labyrinthine suburbs until he finally reached the Bronze. By this point, it was nearly sunset, and he was finding himself wishing he’d stayed at home a bit longer to at least have dinner with Jenny—argumentative, certainly, but somehow much livelier a prospect than this overly loud dance club. Reluctantly, he exited the car, following a gaggle of students inside.

This place actually seemed rather like something Jenny would like. Weaving through dancing teenagers (teenagers, really, in a bar?), Giles decided that the best thing to do in this case would be to find a higher vantage point. Perhaps he might be able to make out Miss Summers from above the ground.

Part of him was beginning to wish he had brought Jenny. This entire endeavor felt rather pointless, and she might have made it…a bit more lively. They’d be arguing about something or other right about now, had she come along. Maybe she’d want him to dance, and he obviously wouldn’t, and she would persist, with that bright, playful, utterly beautiful smile—

Giles nearly walked into one of the large beams supporting the upper level. Flustered, he hurried up the stairs.

Miss Summers was not visible. No one in this bloody bar looked even slightly familiar to Giles, and he was becoming so impatient to leave it that he wasn’t really looking all that hard anyway. He’d talk to her at school, he decided, there really wasn’t any point in—

“So, you like to party with the students, huh?” came a familiarly perky voice, and Giles, already frustrated enough as it was,turned to face Buffy Summers herself. “Aren’t you a married man?”

“Believe you me, I would much rather be at home with my wife,” said Giles, startled by the truth to his words. “As exasperating as Jenny can be, she certainly isn’t as—as tiresome as this meaningless sound.”

“Gosh, I bet she swoons when you tell her stuff like that,” said Buffy, straight-faced with the air of one delivering a punch line.

“This is a perfect breeding ground for vampire activity,” Giles informed her, attempting to steer the subject solidly away from Jenny. “It's dark, it's crowded...” He trailed off, still frustrated beyond measure. “Besides, I knew you were likely to show up, and I have to make you understand—”

“That the Harvest is coming,” Buffy finished with exasperation. “I know, your friend told me.”

Giles blinked. This wasn’t in the handbook. “What did you say?”

“The Harvest,” said Buffy dismissively. “That mean something to you? 'Cause I'm drawing a blank.”

“I'm not sure,” said Giles, frowning. “W-who told you this?”

“This... guy,” said Buffy, turning a little pink. “Dark, gorgeous in an annoying sort of way. I figured you two were buds.”

“No,” said Giles slowly. The phrase rang a few bells, and none of them were good ones. “The Harvest. Did he say anything else?”

“Something about the Mouth of Hell,” said Buffy, then added for clarity’s sake, “I really didn't like him!” and turned away, looking down at the dancing crowd as the band’s song ended.

“I must research this further,” mumbled Giles to himself. Looking up at Buffy, her back to him, he felt a rush of irritation as he added, “Which I cannot do if the one and only Vampire Slayer is hell-bent on refusing to slay vampires!”

“Hey!” Buffy whirled, glaring. “It’s not like I’m never gonna slay a vampire again! I just don’t feel like getting all extracurricular about it. And I don’t see you out there fighting any!”

“We have discussed this,” said Giles, attempting to keep his voice level and professional, “it is not my—”

“Not your job, yeah, I figured,” said Buffy, rolling her eyes. “So is your job just telling me how to do mine?”

“Will you be ready?” Giles countered. “There's so much you don't know about them, about your own powers.” Pointedly, and because he felt like reminding her that he did have a job, he added, “A vampire appears to be completely normal until the feed is upon them. Only then do they reveal their true demonic visage.”

Buffy was not appropriately impressed. “You’re like a textbook with arms,” she scoffed. “I know this!”

“The point,” said Giles thinly, “is that you should be able to tell if a vampire is in this building. Immediately. Without looking, without thinking.”

“I mean,” said Buffy, looking somewhat pouty, “I could do that. If I wanted to.”

“Fine,” said Giles. “Excellent. Do it right now. Tell me if there’s a vampire here.” As Miss Summers turned her attention back to the crowd, he continued, “Reach out with your mind, utilize all your senses, and hone—”

“There’s one!” said Buffy.

“What?”

“That one,” said Buffy, pointing to a fellow below them in a garish shirt that Ethan would wear unapologetically. “Talking to that girl.”

“You don’t know—” Giles began, indignant.

“Oh, please!” Buffy was clearly affronted at his doubt. “Look at his shirt, he’s got the sleeves rolled up—just deal with that outfit for a moment.”

“It’s dated?” Giles asked tentatively. Lord, he felt old.

“It’s carbon dated,” Buffy informed him. “It’s 1996, who wears a jacket like that? No one but a guy living underground for ten years would think that that’s a good look.”

This was also not in the handbook. “But you didn’t—hone,” Giles managed weakly.

The fellow moved, revealing the lady who had had his attention. A girl, really, though Giles couldn’t quite make her out—

“Oh, no,” said Buffy, her face paling.

The spotlights caught the girl’s long red hair, and Giles remembered. “Isn’t that—”

“Willow,” said Buffy.

“What’s she doing?”

“Seizing the moment,” said Buffy, sounding all but furious with herself, and hurried past Giles, after Willow.

Giles knew that he should be counting this as a victory. It certainly wasn’t the way that he’d wanted Buffy to resume her duties, but if Willow’s peril provided the Slayer with an incentive, the Council would count that as a win. However, the thought of this careless, carefree girl tasked with saving the life of an innocent made him shudder, and he hoped that she lived up to her reputation. All Council reports had painted her as a talented, if rather insolent, young girl, one who had survived longer than most Slayer and even faced a master vampire. Still a bit nervous, he followed Buffy down the stairs, hoping against hope that she would round the corner with a nervous Willow in tow.

He was instead met with only Buffy. Willow, he assumed, must have remained at the bar. “That was quite quick,” he said, surprised and pleased. “Well done. I-I must be off to, to check in with my wife, and then—the library—”

“I lost them,” said Buffy shortly.

Giles reeled. “You lost them?” he echoed. “Well—we should—go find them, yes?”

“I’ll deal with it,” said Buffy, giving him a hard, tired look that didn’t look quite right on a girl that young. “I can handle one vampire.”

Jenny was sitting in the living room when he arrived. “Ten-thirty,” she said, and got up, tugging his overcoat from his shoulders to hang it on the nearby coat tree. “So you didn’t get dead and stuffed into a locker?”

“One dies, Jenny, one does not get dead,” said Giles, but found himself feeling surprisingly less upset. The genuine antipathy he had faced from Buffy made his arguments with Jenny seem much less bloodthirsty. “And I unfortunately am only stopping in to let you know I’m all right. I have some research to conduct at the library.”

“Oh,” said Jenny. Then, “I-I can help.”

This took Giles quite by surprise. “I’m sorry?”

“I haven’t been doing a lot,” said Jenny a little awkwardly. “You know, first day and all—I thought maybe you’d like a little company. It can’t be fun to be—”

“What, a textbook with arms?” said Giles stiffly.

Jenny snorted. “Did someone call you that?”

“…no,” Giles mumbled, trying to make it sound convincing.

Jenny was still giggling. “It’s okay,” she said. “If you need some alone time to recover after an emotional blow like that—”

Giles didn’t particularly like the idea of involving Jenny in Watcher business. Divulging Council secrets within the first official day of his sacred calling really wouldn’t do. “I might, yes,” he said, smiling a bit. “Thank you for being understanding about it.”

“Don’t stay out too long,” said Jenny, grinning. “I’m gonna try and make a pot roast.”

“Please don’t, the kitchen cannot take that stress,” said Giles, grinning back as he picked up his overcoat. “I’ll do my best to be back by—shall we say one?”

Jenny bit her lip, and her smile wavered. “If you die like that dead guy, I really will kill you,” she said.

“You’re not going to attempt to dissuade me from staying late?”

“We had that whole big argument already today,” said Jenny, waving a hand. “I’m trying to limit us to maybe two a day, and I want to be able to yell at you about coming home late, so I’m banking my frustration for the moment.”

“That’s terrifying,” Giles told her.

“I know,” said Jenny happily.

“Psychological warfare, in my opinion.”

“Which could make a case for me being a bit smarter than you think?” Jenny batted her lashes.

“Oh, please, it’s never been up for dispute that you’re dizzyingly intelligent,” scoffed Giles as he exited. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw a small, surprised smile on Jenny’s face.

Researching was not lighthearted in the slightest. Researching actually led to Giles missing the days when a fake marriage and an incompatible partner were the worst of his troubles. His books described the Harvest as a preordained massacre, one in which the vampires rose up to create hell on earth and murder a terrifying number of people while doing it. Paging through book after book, he continued to find the exact same thing: that the Harvest would be soon, and that it would be a bloody, gory mess.

When he was quite sure that there was nothing else he could find, at least not today, he drove home, stumbling somewhat exhaustedly up the steps. The living room light was off, and he realized with a small, sad twist that Jenny must have already gone to bed. Flipping it on, he hung up his overcoat, then headed into the bedroom, intending to grab a set of pajamas from the dresser.

Jenny was asleep, curled up under some extremely comfortable-looking blankets, and after a night like this Giles honestly couldn’t remember why he wasn’t sleeping in a perfectly cozy, perfectly lovely bed. Pride, perhaps, but that didn’t really seem worth it when he was this tired and wrung-out. He changed gracelessly, then lay down next to her, getting under the covers.

Jenny stirred, then smiled, then moved a bit closer, resting her cheek on his shoulder. It wasn’t quite cuddling, but it was…nice. Particularly after the day he’d had. “You got back by one?” she asked sleepily.

“Twelve-fifteen,” said Giles.

“Mm,” said Jenny, and rolled back away from him, settling into her portion of the blankets. “Long day, huh?”

“The longest,” said Giles, and closed his eyes. Buffy Summers and the Harvest and their mystery informant were all rattling about in his mind, but lying in his bed was comforting and familiar—and lying next to Jenny, much the same. He liked being tired enough not to worry about what that might mean.

The next day was when things really started getting out of hand.

“Okay,” said Buffy, entering the library with both Willow and a dark-haired boy (the latter wearing a shirt that even Giles knew was truly horrible), “we’re gonna need to brief them on vampires.”

Giles stared. “You can’t be serious,” he said. “This is—these are incredibly secret matters, and you’ve just brought them in here to—”

“They almost got killed, Giles!” said Buffy indignantly. “It’s not like I’m just picking people at random to tell that vampires exist! That’s pretty much a one-way ticket to a mental institution—” She stopped, here, pressing her lips together, then continued, “—and you should know that I wouldn’t risk something like that. So. Just—do your whole big speech or whatever.”

“I’m still not sold on any of this,” said the boy uncomfortably.

“Yeah, well, I say we hear them out,” said Willow, her voice small and wobbly. “If they know anything about what might have happened to Jesse…”

The boy’s face clouded. “Okay,” he said, and pulled out a chair for Willow to sit. “Talk to us.”

Giles still wasn’t entirely convinced that he wanted to talk to a boy he had barely met about well-guarded Council secrets that he hadn’t even told his wife, but the pointed look from Buffy and the shaken look in Willow’s eyes made it clear that avoidance wasn’t an option at this juncture. “Well,” he said, ascending the library steps to idly stop the now-spinning globe on the stack level. “The world is—is older than you know—”

“Rupert!” Jenny rushed in, looking absolutely furious. “Jesse McNally didn’t show up to school today!”

Giles closed his eyes, hoping against hope that Jenny would be gone when he opened them. When he did, however, she just looked even more annoyed with him, arms crossed and chin jutting out. “And this has to do with me how?” he asked; perhaps she might take the hint and leave.

Jenny didn’t. “I was saying don’t go out last night,” she said, “I was telling you that it would be a bad idea—”

“I’m sorry, do I look like I mysteriously disappeared?” said Giles thinly. “No? Shocking.”

“—and you just go ahead with your little Bronzing escapade?” Jenny finished.

Giles stared. “How did you know I was at the Bronze?”

“That’s not important,” said Jenny. From behind her, Buffy winced a little. “My point is that Jesse McNally was last seen at the Bronze, and there’s already been one murder this week, and I am so not showing up at the morgue to collect your corpse when you lie to me about what you’re doing!”

“I said I had business!” Belatedly, Giles realized that they had an audience. “And—I’m working a study group right now, you are being horribly unprofessional—”

“I’m your wife,” said Jenny. “I get to be unprofessional.”

“Don’t play the wife card,” said Giles, hurrying down the stairs to steer her out of the library. “And don’t just come charging in here, Jenny, I am teaching.”

“Teaching what?” Jenny scoffed.

Irritated, and hoping to catch her off guard, Giles kissed her on the cheek. Jenny, without even a moment’s hesitation, turned her head, pressing a quick kiss to his mouth before pulling back. “Don’t try and beat me at my own game, honey,” she said matter-of-factly. Tugging herself free, she turned and left, adding over her shoulder, “Keeping you safe should not be so much work, Rupert, and I expect to know what you were doing at the Bronze!”

The door swung shut. Giles, who hadn’t missed Buffy’s telling wince, turned on her. “You told her?”

“I thought she knew!” Buffy said indignantly. “We ran into each other in the halls, she said she was sorry for how awful she was yesterday, I said it was fine, she was obviously tired, and with you keeping late nights at the Bronze—”

“Oh, lord,” Giles muttered. He had no idea how Jenny would take the concept of him sneaking out to a bar and not telling her why—a bar that teenagers frequented, no less. He really would have to explain…something…to her. Somehow.

“How come she doesn’t know you’re a Watcher?” There was a strange note to Buffy’s voice—almost overly light.

“To protect her,” said Giles simply. That was the sort of thing one said about one’s wife, wasn’t it? “It’s a bit tense between us as of late, but…she wouldn’t understand.”

Buffy was now looking at him with a different expression, one that was no longer outright animosity…almost sympathy, and with a dash of quiet respect mixed in. “Yeah,” she said. “Kinda feels like that when I’m talking to my mom.”

Giles then felt a strange sadness, looking at Buffy. The idea of sending this hard, hurting girl into battle wasn’t quite as easily imagined as the half-conceived idea of his future Slayer. “Well,” he said. “I’d best resume my, my explanations, then, shouldn’t I?”

“Yeah,” said Buffy, and managed a tired smile.

“See, I feel like there’s this whole layer of information I’m missing,” said the boy, waving a hand between Giles and Buffy, “like what’s a Watcher? And is he seriously married to the hottest teacher on campus?”

“That’s my wife, yes,” said Giles shortly, feeling an irrational irritation, “and I would thank you to remember that she is much more than just a pretty face.” He cleared his throat. “The world is older than you know…”

And as such, Willow and the somewhat frustrating Xander were sent off to classes, Buffy set off to rescue Jesse McNally, and Giles was left to begin his own search for more information on the Harvest, which transitioned rather quickly into trying to figure out how, exactly, he was going to get his nighttime activities past Jenny without arousing suspicion. Framing it as business clearly wouldn’t work anymore, not when she already knew about the Bronze and how strange it was. She might believe his proclivity for research, but—

Wait.

Inspiration struck Giles, and he jumped up, all but running out of the library, across the hall, and towards Jenny’s classroom. He managed to skid to a dignified stop so as to walk inside in a more professional manner, but based on the small smirk on Jenny’s face, she’d heard the sound of hurried footsteps. “Jenny,” he began.

“Mr. Giles, we’re on the clock,” said Jenny, smiling innocently. “Let’s keep it professional.”

“For the love of god,” said Giles. “Would you please speak with me outside?”

“I don’t know,” said Jenny, wavering theatrically. Behind her, Willow was watching them both with amused interest. “I’ve got some pretty hardcore teacher stuff going on here.”

“I’m playing my—my husband card,” said Giles. “Please speak with me outside.”

Jenny rolled her eyes, but followed Giles out into the hallway, shutting the door behind them. “I’m assuming this is an apology?”

“Sort of,” said Giles. “Jenny…I wasn’t entirely honest about why I came to Sunnydale.”

“Oh?”

“I’m…conducting some research for a book I’m writing,” said Giles, struggling to make himself sound convincing. It was much easier to continue a lie of omission than come up with a completely new one. “About paranormal occurrences. I heard that the Bronze was a particularly shady place, a-and I was conducting some…research.”

“And you didn’t tell me this because?”

“I thought you’d think it was…silly?”

To his surprise, Jenny looked a little abashed. “Oh,” she said. “Um. I don’t, I don’t think that, Rupert. I actually think it’s kinda…nice.” She cleared her throat, flushing, then added, “Stupid, too, but that’s just because you’re putting yourself in danger.”

“Oh,” said Giles, who hadn’t had anyone worried about him (was that what this was?) since—well, he honestly didn’t know if anyone ever had been. Watchers were expected to lay down their lives for the cause; anyone and everyone who knew him had always known that he was signing himself up for a messy, painful death. It was strangely lovely to have someone in his life who didn’t. “You’re…very sweet to worry.”

He was expecting Jenny to deny it, but instead she smiled a little awkwardly and nodded. “I can understand if you’d like to be alone for your creepy research, but can you maybe pick safer places?” she asked tentatively. “Like, I don’t know, not the Bronze?”

“Not the Bronze,” Giles agreed wholeheartedly. “That place really is terrible. I have no intention of going there in the near future.”

“You know, I told Jenny I wouldn’t go to the Bronze,” said Giles exhaustedly, lightly touching the place where Darla’s nails had scratched his face. “Said it directly to her. I’m fairly certain she thinks I’m at that cemetery she suggested.”

“Don’t vampires rise in cemeteries?” asked Buffy a little skeptically.

“Oddly enough, the one she picked happened to be, um, sacred ground,” said Giles with a small frown. “Nothing supernatural there in the slightest. I’m sure it was just random, but…it’s still quite sweet of her to try and be of help.”

“Well, I’m feeling pretty okay,” said Willow decisively, sitting down on the edge of the empty stage. “We stopped the Harvest, saved Sunnydale…that feels pretty nice.”

“To say the least,” said Giles. “To be quite honest, I’d really just like to go home.”

“You and me both,” said Buffy, and gave him a small smile.