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"Not a problem," she replied curtly, casting a disgusted glance at the striped pajamas under her peacoat and sinking into a chair, eager to hide her disheveled state from the Watcher. "But, I must say, couldn't you just do it yourself?"
All Jenny got was a cocked eyebrow from her steady. She laughed airily, then gestured at the computer with a toss of her hand. "I *do* suppose, after all," Miss Calendar cracked, "that pressing the link to REMOVE ACTIVE SPELL was extremely tough for you."
Shocked and startled, Giles plopped into the chair in front of his own computer and scanned the Techno-Pagans Web site for the first time completely. Sure enough, under the list of spells to be downloaded, there was a tiny link to a mechanism of removal for any magick currently pending. "Oh my," he murmured, thoroughly embarrassed. "Ah, um, usually that's, well ..."
"That's what you have Willow around for?" Jenny asked playfully. She slowly started to sneak up behind him.
"Actually, yes." As he turned around to apologize for inconveniencing her, Jenny pulled Giles into a long kiss. His hands began to brush the hem of her top when a melee burst through the main doors.
"I cannot BELIEVE we" -- Buffy turned an about-face as she led the gang into their sanctuary. "Uh-oh, guys, quality time alert." Willow, Xander, and Cordelia sidestepped the scene directly in pace with their fearless leader.
"Come back!" Jenny cried, thoroughly embarrassed. "Um, we're sorry! We'll be good!" Giving a knowing wink to her bookish crush, the lovely Pagan straightened her sleeping clothes and took a seat further away from Giles. Tentatively, the teenagers reentered the library, each having trouble taking turns in the mass recollection of their too-interesting evening.
"MAN, Charisma was a babe," Xander sighed, reveling in his memories. "Kind of like you, Cordy, only not a vicious bitca snob-dork."
"Well," she sparred, "Nick was total salty goodness. Kind of like ... Scott Wolf! NOT you." Satisfied with her one-up, she smirked exultantly. "And he gave me his number," she added happily, squealing as she removed a small piece of paper from her breast pocket. "As an apology thing for messing up my shoes," Cordelia finished, dusting off her Steve Maddens for the billionth time since the library fight.
"We were not present, thank GOD, for the drool-fest," Buffy gossiped, "but we did get to see everyone *else". We even got to meet the guy who, uh, created us or something. And ANGEL's actor! Drusilla's girl has a major thing for him." The last sentence brought a massive 'ew'-face to the Slayer's adorable countenance.
"Oh, I thought so too!" Willow cried, eager to share. "When he was helping Sarah up after she arrived, she got *so* jealous!" Witnessing Buffy's aghast expression, she cracked. "I mean, uh, that can't be good. Seeing as how she's evil." It wasn't helping. "Or, y'know, plays someone evil ... on TV." There was an uncomfortable pause as Buffy considered the implications of her boyfriend's double making time with her enemy's dead ringer. "SO! Uh, Xander," Willow blurted, eager to change the subject. "What was Giles' guy like?"
"Actually," Giles answered, trying to break into the conversation, "Mr. Head is quite enjoyable to converse with. He has an excellent grasp of the scientific principles that surrounded the whole episode, and was a great help in finding a cure for the spell. I should like to speak with him more again sometime."
"Yeah, the next night we get bored and decide to swap realities, you're there," Xander muttered, still trying to convince himself that Cordelia was really her sexy actress double.
"Hey, you guys could totally get down talking about books," Buffy said sarcastically, wrinkling her nose. "Maybe take in a few episodes of Star Trek." She made a faint gagging noise.
"Don't knock Star Trek," Willow whispered to her friend, giving the Slayer a slight nudge. "The Next Generation is very good."
"Mr. HEAD?" was all Cordelia could say about the situation. "I'm sure, despite his name problems, that he had a much nicer personality than *Buffy's* little player-girl. Talk about spoiled rotten!"
"And you would know," Xander qualified dryly.
The May Queen slapped her unrequited-love-thang lightly on the arm. "Shut up! She really was kind of annoying."
"Yes, but she can Slay vampires." Xander cast a disbelieving eye at Cordelia. "Can YOU?"
"That was *all* my moves, really," Buffy bragged. "Total Slayage, courtesy of yours truly. Like I told Angel when he was picking on her ... hey, where IS Angel?"
Silence fell over the library as everyone scanned the room. There was no sign of him. Each of the "Scooby Gang" looked at each other in turn. No one seemed to have any idea.
"Out getting some fresh blood?"
In unison ... "XAN-DER!"
"Joss, there's gotta be some way you can make sure this never happens again," Sarah moaned. "I may have to spill to TV Guide what's *really* in store for the show."
"Think of what a good cover story that would make!" Aly said. "The truth about television: Buffy speaks out." Seeing the questioning faces of her fellow actors, she backed down. "But then, of course, no one can ever know about it."
"Exactly," Joss concluded. "No disclosures, no messy press intrusions, no problems."
"But can we still read fanfic?" Charisma asked. "There's this amazing new one ... I just read Part One. It starts with Aly getting attacked by a vampire" --
"Can we please have NO MORE of that? EVER?" Hannigan squealed. "It's never happened to you, you shouldn't talk." Charisma was silenced.
"James, you're sure you're okay?" Juliet asked, putting her arm around her fellow villain's shoulder comfortingly. "Everything's fine?"
"I'll pull through." He smiled weakly at her. "Just a good night's rest and I'll be okay."
"So all's well that ends well, right, Joss?" Nick asked hopefully. "As in, no more vampires?"
"That depends, Nicholas," the evil genius replied in his best Vincent Price voice. "Do you believe? Bwa-ha-ha-ha!"
"Count me out of the Slayer's club," Sarah said wrinkling her nose Buffy- style. "It's so taxing on the hair." She shook her head adamantly as they walked in a group down to the all-night diner on the corner. "No such thing as vampires. We get out of Dark Creek, no more bloodsucking for-EVER."
Then, out of the late-night shadows, a hand tapped her on the shoulder ominously. At the side of the cluster of actors, Sarah slowly turned around.
In front of her was a HUGE vampire! He bared his fangs with a low and murderous growl and lunged at her!!! Sarah's screams attracted all her surrounding co-workers as she was quickly made ---
A fool out of. "Boo," Angel said throatily, picking himself up off the horrified Gellar. "Never stop believing."
"You ANIMAL!" she shrieked. Out of view, Joss gave Angel a little high-five and whispered conspiratorially.
"Great work, man. Dinner's on me, then you're back for good." The
mutiltalented Buffy god smiled at his creation. "Besides, dawn's in an hour
or so. You have a Slayer to tend to."