"The library? And just what are you expecting to find, Buffy? A book called Five Ways to Know if you're in an Alternate Dimension?"
Buffy turned to regard him standing next to her outside the library doors.
"Actually, I bet Giles would have a book like that."
"Yeah, in our world. What makes you think he'll even be in this one? If there are no Slayers, there are no Watchers."
"No, but there will still be librarians," she said, unperturbed. "Unless we're in 'Illiterate World’. Hey, you could be president if we are!"
He scowled at her. Ignoring his scowl, Buffy leaned against the wall, a small smile playing on her face.
"Besides, this will be a good test. If we are in a world with demons, then Giles will know about them."
"What makes you so sure?"
"I just am, okay?" she said impatiently, hating the thought that there was a Giles that wouldn't be able to help her. No, she was sure if he was here, he'd help.
He watched her silently for a moment, before turning back to the library doors. "Well, come on then, no sense waiting out here in the hallway. In you pop," he said, placing a hand on her back to push her through the doors.
She jerked her shoulder from his grasp. "Hey, no touching, got it?"
He held his hands in the air, adopting a faux-wounded look. "Oh, and here I thought we were best friends now, what with me looking after you when you got all teary."
Her jaw clenched. "We're stuck here together, in circumstances that are…" she paused, frowning as his hand moved once again to cover his beating heart, a twinkling look on his face, "unusual. But don't get any ideas. I trust you because I have to but it's not exactly--"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he dismissed her with a wave of his hand. "I got it, don't worry."
He turned to look through the window into the library; his eyes almost wounded. It was true they were here together and for better or worse, it was this way until they figured out what was happening to them. They'd have to rely on each other. But she'd be damned if she'd forgotten that back home Spike would still be only a begrudging ally. So she ignored the suspiciously unhappy look on his face and settled back on her plan. Giles was the knowledge man in their world. If he was here he'd be her best bet for help, she was sure of it. So taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open.
The relief she felt when she spotted Rupert Giles was indescribable. A smile broke out over her face as she restrained the urge to run right up to him and hug him till he burst.
The sound of the doors swinging shut behind them drew Giles’ attention away from the books he was stacking up on the check-in desk. He turned to them with a welcoming smile... that immediately froze on his face.
"William," he started, drawing a disgruntled cough from Spike beside her, before turning his incredulous gaze to her. "And Miss Summers."
Buffy's smile dimmed a little. "Uh, hi Giles."
Giles blinked at that, his eyes flicking between her and Spike. "Well, this is most... unusual to find you both here. Together," he finished, the faux smile remaining.
Buffy exchanged a glance with Spike. He shrugged, appearing at a loss just like she. She swallowed, trying to figure out where to begin. "Uh, yeah. Well, you know, we were wondering if you could maybe help us with a problem we were having."
"Well, certainly," he replied, looking no less puzzled, but at least the Joker-perma-smile was gone. "This is a problem you and William share? Together?"
"Most definitely," she said firmly.
"Right, then," Giles said, placing the books on the counter and slowly approaching them, his hands in his pockets. "So how can I help you both?"
"Well it's, uh, a bit complicated," she started, at a loss for how to continue. "You see, we were just wondering if, uh…"
"We were looking for a book," Spike interrupted. "And we thought you could maybe help us with that."
"Yes! A book, that's what we were looking for," she seized.
"What kind of book were you looking for?"
"What kind of book were we looking for?" she mumbled, trying to think. "Well, a book on, um..."
"Interdimensional travel," Spike blurted. She threw a wide-eyed look his way. He just shrugged at her. She had never wanted to hit him so much as she did at that moment.
She laughed nervously, turning back to Giles. "He's such a kidder."
"Yes," Giles said unsurely, a wary expression on his face.
"What we were actually looking for was a book on, uh--"
"Vampires," Spike blurted, and she froze.
"Vampires?" Giles asked skeptically.
"It's for a project," she said hurriedly.
"Yeah, we're researching the influence of vampires in pornographic literature," Spike smirked.
Buffy immediately blushed beetroot, her eyes widening in horror.
"All right, you two. What exactly is going on here?"
"Nothing, Mr. Giles. Really," she said hurriedly. "We're only looking for a book. Spike's just being," she paused, glaring at Spike out of the corner of her eyes, "difficult."
"I see. Well, if you are interested in vampires I suggest you check the fiction section. Last row on the back wall," he said, sparing a glare for Spike before returning to the check-in desk.
Buffy's hand flew out, hitting Spike on the arm.
'What?' he mouthed to her, and received only a death-glare in return.
Fiction section. Oh God, Giles didn't know.
Unless... it might be a cover. Yeah, that's it. Giles might be covering because he didn't want to blurt out to civilians the truth about the supernatural. Although, she remembered coming into the library the first time she met him, and he wasn't exactly big on concealing it back then.
She started forward after Giles. "Mr. Giles, I'm sorry. We're really not trying to be difficult. I was just wondering if you had any non-fiction books about, uh, vampires?"
"Non-fiction?" he queried with a frown.
A pained smile on her face, she nodded.
"Well, I'm afraid not, Miss Summers. Vampires exist entirely in the realm of fiction. Now, if you were looking for some non-fiction works on the presence of vampire myths, I'm sure you could find some in the municipal library downtown. We merely have school related non-fiction books here."
Buffy felt the world shifting under her feet.
Oh God, he really doesn't know. Oh God, we're without a Giles.
"Are you sure?" she tried in desperation. "Not even one little--"
"Buffy!" Willow called, barreling through the library doors with Xander hot on her heels. Buffy turned around to face them as they both came to a screeching halt when they saw her still in the company of Spike.
God, what is with all the outrage at me being with Spike? Is he a soulless vampire here too?
"Buffy, what are you doing? We were worried, you just took off!" Willow said, concern colouring her voice.
"With him," Xander added, casting a glare at Spike who was more than happy to return it.
"I'm okay, you guys," she said, observing the two carefully.
"So, what are you doing with this creep?"
Spike sighed. "Oh, big shocker there - the whelp is still a dick."
"William!" Giles admonished. "Watch your language."
If she could have taken a picture of Spike's face at that very moment, she would blow it up, have it printed onto the wall of her living room and never need to watch TV again. Xander also seemed to enjoy it, his snigger prompting Spike to stand up straighter.
"Right, enough pissing about," Spike started.
Buffy made a grab for his arm, but he side-stepped her. "Spike!" she hissed at him, but he ignored her.
"Okay, does anyone in this room know what a Kalator demon is?" he asked loudly.
"Spike!" she warned, edgily observing the reactions of her Scooby doppelgangers.
"Anybody?" he asked again. "Raise your hand if you do."
Buffy let out a half-deranged burst of laughter, drawing the attention of her doppelganger friends. "He's really funny, isn't he? Just a laugh," the plastic smile she wore started to drop inch by inch with each incredulous look she received, "riot."
"All right, what on earth is going on?" Giles demanded, removing his glasses. Not a good sign, in any dimension. "Why are you all out of class? Why are you all in here asking ridiculous questions and most importantly, why am I receiving friendly visits from my nephew and the girl he describes as - with all due respect, Miss Summers - 'the Anti-Christ'?"
Spike pointed at Xander in confusion. "He's your nephew?"
Buffy turned to Spike in outrage. "You called me what?"
"I didn't call you anything!" Spike said, turning to Giles, panic leaking onto his face. "It was the whelp, right? He called her... I mean, cause I'm not your... I can't be... right?" he asked, hope and desperation making his voice crack.
"Really, William, what is the matter with you?" Giles snapped, his patience clearly wearing as thin as his hairline.
"I could give you a list," Xander spat.
"Just wait a minute! Can we get this clear before the jibes start up again?" Spike cried at Xander, before turning to Giles. "Who, exactly, is your nephew?"
"You are, you berk!" Giles replied in exasperation.
Bug-eyed, Buffy turned to Giles. "Spike is your nephew? This Spike? The Spike in front of me?"
Puzzled, Willow turned to Xander. "Is this some kind of role-play they're doing?"
"Wait - what!? I'm your... what!?" Spike sputtered, nearly choking on his newly acquired breath.
"I have had just about enough of this," Giles snapped, throwing the last book onto the desk. He turned to the clock that hung above the heads of all the confused teenagers in the room and noting the time, continued with a sigh, "It's nearly the end of the day and in addition to acting like an insane idiot, you are clearly not going to bother going to class. I'm taking you home."
"You're taking me home?" Spike repeated with wide, incredulous eyes.
"Yes, I am taking you home!"
"Wait, you can't!" Buffy cried, her panic immediately setting in from the thought of separating from Spike. A thought she was sure would cause her great pain at a later stage.
"Why not? What is going on with you?" Xander said. "You're confused or something, Buff. I think you really hurt yourself earlier."
"You don't understand; I have to be with Spike!" she said, taking in everyone’s expressions: Giles’ demanding, her friends' confused, Spike's incredulous and not a little bit terrified, and all the while desperately trying to not panic.
"Mr Giles, Buffy fell and hit her head earlier. Could we maybe have permission to take her home?" Willow asked cautiously, taking Buffy's hand in hers. "You've hurt yourself, Buffy, I'm worried about you."
"I haven't hurt myself, I'm just--"
"Acting like a crazy person," Xander supplied.
"It would appear she's not alone in that," Giles sighed, glancing at Spike's gaping fish mouth. "Miss Rosenberg, I think you and Mr Harris should return to the classes I know you should be in right now, and I will accompany these two to their homes."
"I'm not going anywhere with you, old man!" Spike cried, only to be yanked forward by Giles.
"I think you'll find you are, my boy," Giles replied coolly.
While this was all going on, Buffy was trying to hold off a panic attack. She was almost positive this was all a very bad dream and she would wake up any minute now.
Any minute now. Any minute...
"Miss Summers, if you're quite ready," Giles began, indicating with a tilt of his chin that she follow him and Spike out of the library. Buffy tried to silently plead with Willow and Xander, only to receive a nervous smile from the former and a frown from the latter.
"You'll be okay, Buffy. You just need to rest at home," Willow assured her.
"At home," she said breathlessly, locking eyes with Spike whose arm was in the grasp of Giles. Spike's eyes were, if it was possible, even wider than hers. It would be a pretty funny sight, if she wasn't a hop, skip and a jump away from a full-blown panic attack.
"I'll call you later tonight, okay?"
"But--"
"But nothing, Miss Summers! Now, come along," Giles said sternly, dragging Spike through the library doors.
She trudged forward in what felt like slow motion, resigned to her fate. She could only hope that Spike would have some sort of plan, because she was on auto-pilot. As she followed Giles out of the library, his arm around a struggling Spike, there were a few thoughts jumbling around her head that were causing her abject fear. Giles was not a walking supernatural textbook. Willow and Xander had never heard of a Slayer. Spike was Giles's nephew. And strangely, the thing causing her the most worry at that very moment, the thought of being dragged away from the only person who didn't think she was flying over the cuckoo's nest.
Please, Spike, have some kind of plan.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Okay, so here's chapter 4. Once again beta-d by the beautiful fantabulous Behind Blue Eyes *kisses hon* This chapter feels like the first that's a little fun, which is what I'm aiming for with this story. Of course, you may all read this and think 'sheayh, this ain't no fun, honey'. I don't know why I'm imagining you all talking like Jada Pinkett, but I am for some weird reason. Anyway, I guess if you don't like this chapter you may not like the rest of the story lol. Cause while I think there's chapters I have written that are more fun than this, it's gonna be in this vein.
Chapter End Notes:
TBC