Xander walked into the library, and he discovered that Buffy and Giles were
in a deep discussion. He could always tell it was deep just by the stern
expression on Giles face alone. But that stern look was always accompanied
by Giles occasionally taking off his glasses and using them as a pointer.
He was waving them at Buffy now.
"You fought four of them last night and you didn't bother to tell me about
it until just now?" Giles looked perturbed by this. "That's four
v-vampires in one night, Buffy."
"If it makes you feel any better, I fought them two at a time." Buffy let
out a sigh. "And I had to tell you just now...because this is the first
time I've seen you...just now."
"You couldn't have stopped by here last night, or called me at home?"
"What is the big deal? Why can't you just be happy that I took our four
vampires who won't be around to bother any one any more. And I didn't even
break a nail." She turned her hands towards her so that she could display
proudly her nails to Giles. "See? These nails would make Cordelia proud."
Giles stared.
Xander came over to them and he stood beside Giles, also to examine the
nails. "You know what they say about Slayer nails, don't you?" He
continued before anyone could stop him. "'These nails were-a made for
scratchin', and scratchin's what I'll do. These nails were-a made for
scratchin', and I'm-a gonna scratch all over you.'"
Giles and Buffy looked at him with raised eyebrows and humorless
expressions.
"Hey, everybody likes Sinatra," Xander told them.
Buffy frowned. "Frank sang a song about nails?"
"Okay, forget the nails. It's not important anyway." Xander looked from
one to the other. "Have either of you seen Willow yet?"
Buffy shook her head.
Giles pushed his glasses up onto his nose. "I had expected her to arrive
with either one of you, but I have not seen Willow either." He regarded
both Buffy and Xander. "Is there something going on that I should know
about?"
"Well, it's just that Willow--" Buffy began.
But Xander cut her off. "--Is just fine. I did call her this morning to
check in on her. She told me that dear old Mom and Dad are off on another
trip so she was running late." He looked at Buffy meaningfully. "That's
all there is to it."
Buffy returned the look, but it was mixed with concern.
"Well...th-that's good, then," Giles said, as he turned to go into his
office. "I would like to look into the books today. Too many vampires are
showing up and...and I would like to know why their numbers are increasing."
Xander began to follow him. "Wait up, G-Man. I have to ask you something."
He waved at Buffy. "We'll see you later, Slayer Girl. You've got just a
few minutes before class."
"Well, so do you," Buffy retorted.
"Yeah...but I want to get kicked out of school. You don't."
Buffy frowned. "Oh...Right." She looked at him with concern because she
had the strangest feeling that he was up to something. She just didn't know
what. But she would have to find out later. She turned and left the
library.
Giles turned to regard Xander. "What is it that you wanted to ask me?"
Xander took a deep breath. "I just want you to give me some kind of
assurance."
"Do you have a specific assurance in mind, or a general one, Xander?"
"Well, we fight a lot of vampires and demons..." He paused as he saw Giles
facial expression. Then he corrected himself. "Okay...Buffy fights a lot
of vampires and demons. My point is when we come across an object of power
that could be deadly..." He snapped his fingers. "Like that book that
Willow scanned! What was that?"
"The Book of Moloch, the Corruptor?" Giles inquired.
Xander nodded his head. "That's the one! What happens to that book now?"
"And why do you want to know?"
He shrugged. "Oh, you know...Willow was very distraught about it, and I
told her that I'd look into it...To make sure that it would never be a
problem again." Xander paused. "Whatever became of that book?"
Giles paused before he gave his answer. "That book is in my home. I plan
on shipping it to the Watcher's Council tomorrow morning." He gave a wry
smile. "Tell Willow not to worry. The Council will know what to do with
that book."
Xander smiled back. When he left the library, he didn't plan on going to
first class. He had another plan in mind, but first, he had to find Willow.
-----
Willow was purposefully late for school. It was the only way she could
think of that would prevent her from running into either Buffy or Xander.
But she was wrong. A minute after the bell rang and with the halls empty,
she stopped in her tracks as she saw Xander leaning up against the lockers
right next to her locker.
She wanted to turn back but she couldn't bring herself to move. Especially
since Xanders dark eyes were looking right at her. Trying to still her fast
beating heart, she forced herself to move. She went to her locker and began
to fumble with the lock.
"Hi, Xander," she mumbled, not looking at him.
"Hi, Willow," he responded, not taking his eyes off her.
Willow missed the combination and tried again.
Xander continued to watch her. "Do you need help with that?"
"N-no...I'm fine, thank y-you." Willow was starting to panic. She could
not keep anything from Xander, especially if he began to question her. But
with a sigh of relief, she managed to open the locker and her eyes
immediately saw the envelope that wasn't there yesterday. She quickly
grabbed it as she took out a book with it. She held the envelope on the
side of the book that wasn't facing Xander, but she looked at him out of the
corner of her eye.
Xander noticed the look. "Willow, what are you trying to hide from me?" He
was asking her what was bothering her.
Willow, however, thought that he had seen the envelope. "N-nothing, Xander!
It's just my history book!"
She closed the locker and tried to walk away.
But he gently grabbed her arm, stopped her, and put himself in front of her.
He looked into her face. "Willow. I'm your friend. I've known you a
long time and I can see in your eyes that there is something wrong." He
looked into her eyes. "Talk to me, Will. I just want to help you."
She shook her head. "You can't help me." It came out as a whisper.
"What's wrong?"
She couldn't tell him the truth that she wanted to about the disc she had
found in her locker yesterday. So she told him a different truth. "You
really want to know what's wrong, Xander?"
He nodded.
Willow hesitated. "I'm in love with you...but you're not in love with
me...That's what's wrong."
She brushed past him and hurried to her class while Xander stared after her
with a bewildered look on his face.
-----
Willow was only a few minutes late to her class, and it was a class that she
usually shared with Xander. It never even occurred to her until later that
he didn't show up after her. She apologized for being late, took her seat
and as the class continued, she opened the envelope to see what was in it.
It was just a note that read...
AUDITORIUM! 5TH PERIOD!
She crumpled the note and shoved it into a pocket in her skirt. She would
throw it out later. Her heart began to race again as she wondered who
wanted to meet her in the school auditorium during 5th period. She realized
that she was going to actually have to skip a class.
Her eyes went to the desk next to hers as the class continued. Xander
hadn't arrived and she suddenly became afraid. Moloch's followers might
have taken him to make sure she did as she was told.
She closed her eyes as a tear rolled down her cheek. When she opened them
again, Xanders desk was still empty.
