It was good weather to plot. The fog had rolled in as the sun had set, and by now the fog had grown so thick that even the vampires were having trouble seeing. With the streets quiet, Buffy Summers and her associates had retired to the Bronze to make their preparations for the next morning. "All right. Xander, you're the go-to guy on this. You sure you're up to it?" Buffy looked at Xander expectantly. "You know it," Xander replied. "I'll be ready." "Willow, I want you standing by as soon as you're able." "I can't miss that English Lit study session, but after that, I'll be good to go," Willow said. "Tara, Anya, follow their lead at all times, understand?" "No," Anya said, annoyed by this whole conversation. "Just do what Xander tells you." "Why?" "Because if you don't, I'll snap your limbs off. Tara--" "I'll do what Xander tells me," Tara said hurriedly. "But, um, you sort of didn't explain what this is all about." "I didn't? Oh. Okay. Well, it's--" "It's almost ten o'clock!" Willow said suddenly. "What?! Then we gotta get to the--guys, we have to go. Xander, can you fill them in?" "Sure. Go do what you have to do." Buffy and Willow sprinted away, their minds obviously on a mission. "All right, what's Miss Bossypants so...bossy about?" Anya asked, thwarted by lack of an adjective. "I guess we haven't had the chance to fill you two in on the history here," Xander said. "Tomorrow's May 5. And two years ago...Giles lost someone. "Her name was Jenny."
The tape reading POLICE LINE--DO NOT CROSS had been cut away. Powder was scattered in spots all over the room. On the table, he could still see the parchment. He couldn't see the drawing, not from this angle, but that was no problem, was it? All he had to do was close his eyes and there it was. Jenny. Charcoal on paper. All you need to create a work of real horror. High marks on this one, Angelus. Well done. Beats nailing a puppy to the door all to hell. He still had the baseball bat slung over his shoulder. He took it down...and then, before he quite knew what he was doing, he brought it around, smashing a lamp to fragments. He was about to bring it down on the table when he stopped. What was the point? Wouldn't bring her back. Disgusted, he hurled the bat away. He lay down on his couch. He couldn't go upstairs, couldn't lay in that bed where Jenny had lain dead for who knew how long. He couldn't. He'd call the furniture people in the morning, have them cart the thing away, give it to the Goodwill, it didn't matter. Nothing mattered. With all the lights on, he closed his eyes and prayed for sleep. His body ached. His soul ached. All he wanted now was a few hours' peace. But as he stared at that picture behind his eyes, he knew it wouldn't come.
"Poor Giles," Tara breathed. "That must have been horrible." "But it was two years ago," Anya said. "I mean, hasn't he gotten over it by now?" Xander was about to make a sharp comment, but Tara spoke instead. "You say that a lot," she said softly. "You were a vengeance demon, right? All those women you served. Why didn't they just get over it?" Anya opened her mouth to reply and stopped. Her brow wrinkled in confusion. Xander gave Tara a grin. "Anyway...last year, we were all going through a tough time. Giles lost his Watcher gig, Faith went all screwy, and the Mayor was planning the Ascension." "I remember this part!" Anya said brightly. "Yeah, well, you don't remember the next bit. It was right after we had to trade the Box of...I don't remember what it was called. It was a big-ass box full of these huge spiders. Anyway, we had to trade it for Willow..."
"Giles?" Willow knocked gently on Giles' door. He had not been present at school that morning; he'd left word with Wesley that he was doing research and was not to be disturbed. "Giles?" She tried the door; it was open. "It's me. I brought a lunch..." She rustled the bag, which held a chicken parmesan sub. "Kind of a thanks-for-getting-me-out-of-the- evil-mastermind's-clutches gift..." There was a thick, sour odor in the air. She saw Giles' foot extending from the couch. As she crossed over, the odor grew thicker. "Giles?" He lay on the couch, an open bottle of Scotch on his chest, the last of it seeping into his shirt. "Oh, no," she murmured. "Giles? Are you okay?" "Jenny," the librarian moaned. "No, I'm--" "Jenny...wham I gonna do?" He opened his eyes and peered at her blearily. "Wham I gonna do, Jenny?" Willow stared at him, completely shocked. "I'm gonna lose 'em," he continued. "Jus' like I los' you." "Giles, I--" "Rupert. Y'allus useta call me Rupert." Willow felt the hot sting of tears as she looked into his eyes. He looked so terribly lost, so completely alone. "Rupert," she whispered. "Lie down." "'Kay." He did so. She lifted the blanket from the back of the couch and draped it over him. "Just...just get some rest. It'll be better when you wake up." "But you'll still be dead," Giles slurred. "Yes," Willow said. "But...but you're not, Rupert." Giles seemed to accept this. He closed his eyes. "Sleep well," she said, and kissed his forehead. Then she winced and stuck out her tongue. "How'd you get Scotch all the way up there?"
"The next day, he acted like nothing had happened. Like he'd just been researching all day. Anyway, tomorrow is J-Day." "J-Day?" Anya asked. "Jenny Day," Tara replied. "Suck-up," Anya muttered. "And our mission, should we choose to accept it, is to spend the entire day keeping Giles occupied. Games of chance, road trips, needlepoint, lawn darts. Even research if we have to. Whatever we do, we gotta keep his mind occupied." "Thought about a ball of yarn?" Anya asked. "You know, An, the whole witty quip thing? Not appreciating it tonight." Xander glared at her. "Jenny Calendar was a friend of mine. She's the only teacher I ever had who actually made sure I learned something in her class." "Ah. Miracle worker." "Really not appreciating the wit tonight." "So what do we do now?" Tara asked, leaping in before the argument could escalate. "Now we get ready to party," Xander replied.
Giles slowly opened his eyes and immediately questioned the wisdom of doing so. Buffy was crouching by the side of his bed, smiling at him. "Morning!" she said, high perkiness in her voice. "Good morning," Giles said cautiously. "How are you?" "Oh, fine. Fine. How are you?" she asked, laying a hand gently on his forearm. "Fine." A horrible thought occurred to him and he peeked under the sheets. Still wearing his pajamas. Oh, thank God. "Buffy, much as I would like to come up with a sarcastic remark to rebuke you with, I'm not awake enough, so I'll simply ask what you're doing in my bedroom." "What, a Slayer can't visit her Watcher?" "Not this bloody early." "Come on," Buffy said. "Get dressed." "What for? Is something wrong?" "Wrong? No. There's nothing wrong today. Nothing at all. We just thought--" "'We?'" "--that since things have quieted down and the Adam situation is taken care of, we should celebrate. Spend the day together." "Ah. ...the whole day?" "Get dressed."
He took his time, shaving and dressing. He figured the more time he spent doing this, the less chance anyone would be downstairs when he was done. When he was dressed, he paused at the top of the stairs and listened. Nothing. He walked down the stairs cautiously. Still nothing. He relaxed a little as he walked into his living room. Everything looked the way he'd left it last night. Excellent. He turned towards the kitchen for a nice, soothing-- "SURPRISE!!!!" --group of adolescents leaping out from behind a counter terrifying him. "Bloody--" He cut himself off and caught his breath. "Are you all mad? What's going on?" There were streamers over the counter. And balloons. And they were all wearing party hats. It was worse than he'd feared. "I told you!" Buffy said, coming out of the kitchen holding a porcelain cup. "We're celebrating! We're having a Giles Appreciation Day." She handed him the cup. "Darjeeling, two sugars, lots of cream. Just the way you like it." Giles' regular was Earl Grey, one sugar, hold the cream. He took a sip of the too-sweet concoction. "Mmm," he mmmed unconvincingly. "Yes, just the...uh...yes. So. Why exactly are we celebrating?" "We're celebrating the magic that is Giles," Xander said. "That's all. No dark, hidden reasoning behind it." "None at all!" Tara added. "We've got games and snacks and movies and all sorts of stuff!" "Plus, we don't want you to think about--" Anya was cut off as Buffy slapped a hand over her mouth. "--your property values," Buffy finished hurriedly. "I see," Giles said. "And I don't suppose I have any choice in this, do I?" "Nope," Tara replied, coming out of the kitchen with one of the pointy hats. "This is for you." "Thank you, no. Dare I ask what sort of activities you have planned?" "Well, the games and stuff don't start until this afternoon," Buffy said. "I've got to get to Psych, and Willow's going to be in a study session for a while, so Xander and the gals will be squiring you around town." "..Ah," Giles said lightly, as he tried to mentally calculate how fast he would have to run to escape the three of them.
"So," Giles said as they walked down Main Street, "what's our first stop?" "I'm thinkin' a few British-type movies for after the games," Xander said. "We pooled our cash to rent a DVD player." "That's really not necessary," Giles murmured. "Sure it is!" Tara said. "Only the best on Giles Appreciation Day!" Giles glanced back at his three companions; whenever they noticed he was looking at them, Xander and Tara put on huge, wide smiles. Anya simply stared back at him, which was disconcerting, since she was still wearing the party hat. He shrugged and allowed them to lead him into the video store. "So..." Xander rubbed his hands as they approached the DVD section. "Brit flicks. Howzabout Notting Hill?" "Xander, I'm British, not a woman. There are distinctions." He peered at the titles. "Why exactly would somebody want to be John Malkovich?" "It's a mystery." Anya picked up a disc. "Here we go. The Limey. Sounds like you all over." "An..." "Is that Terence Stamp?" Giles studied the disc. "Huh. Actually, I've heard good things about this..." "Good." Anya smacked Xander in the shoulder. "See? I'm helping!" "Great. Tell you what, go help in that section, willya?" "Actually..." She took Xander by the hand. "Let's go into that section behind the swinging doors where we found the naked tapes." "I have no idea what she's talking about!" Xander cried before Anya pulled him away. Giles was left alone with Tara, who smiled at him uneasily. "Hi!" she chirped. "Hello. So...anything you'd recommend?" "I d-don't see too many movies." "Neither do I, actually. You'd think I would, I've certainly got the time..." "Do you want to go out to one instead? We could do that. And we could get dinner afterwards!" "Tara?" "What?" "I know." "Know what?" "I know what today is." She looked at him, her smile trying desperately to escape. "Of course. It's Tuesday." "No, I mean...I know what happened today. I remember." He smiled sadly. "As if I could forget...anyway, you don't need to worry. I'm not going to spend the entire day moping." She looked at the floor...then surprised him by reaching out and taking his hand. "Of course not," she said. "Not on Giles Appreciation Day." He managed a small smile before gently reclaiming his hand. "So," he said. "what else..."
Willow sniffed the bowl of dip and longed for a taste of it. "It's not fair," she said as Buffy puttered around Giles' kitchen, cooking various snacks. "It smells so good..." "Have a bit. God won't mind." "Can't. My dad'll smell the pork on my breath." The front door opened and Riley walked in, carrying two cases of soda. "Hey there. Got the pop," he said. "'Pop?' Since when is it called 'pop?'," Buffy replied. "Okay, Willow, check the wings..." "It's a Midwestern thing. You wouldn't understand. Mmmm." Riley put down the cans and savored the smells of the kitchen. "Is this your mom's BLT dip?" "The snack treat of song and fable," Willow commented. "Please eat it all and get it away from me." "So how's he doing?" Riley asked. "He seemed okay this morning. He's out with the others, staying nice and distracted." "If he's being led around by Xander, I'm not surprised." "Watch it," Willow said. "Come here. I need your tallness. We wanna get all of Giles' liquor out of the house before he gets back, and I think he keeps most of it on the top shelf in here..." "Always assuming Spike left him any," Buffy murmured. Riley opened the cabinet Willow indicated and looked inside. "A couple of bottles. So...he doesn't have a problem or anything, does he?" "No, no," Buffy replied. "He just tends to drink when he gets maudlin." "And today is his High Maudlin Day," Willow added. "Gotcha. Um...it is okay that I'm gonna be here, right? I mean, I didn't know the lady in question..." "Well, neither did Tara or Anya, and they..." Willow considered that. "Hmmmm." "We can't uninvite Anya, Will," Buffy said, reading the silence. "It was worth a shot."
"An..." Lips traveling across the back of his neck. "We really ought to check on Giles." "Maybe he'd like one of these tapes." "...ouch." "What?" "Just killed the mood." "What, just like that?" "Hey, you mentioned Giles and porno in the same breath. You have no one to blame but yourself." "Uh...guys?" Xander and Anya turned. Tara was peeking over the swinging doors of the adult section. "I need a little help here." As they stepped out, they saw that Tara was swaying under the weight of a DVD player and several discs. "Whoa! Lemme..." Xander grabbed the player. "Why isn't Giles helping you with that?" "He said he was going outside for some fresh air." "...oh, crap." "What?" "I'm sure he's just out there pouting or something," Anya said. "All right, all right. Let's just go check." The three of them headed for the front doors and looked around. The area surrounding the video store was entirely Giles-free.
Willow and Riley stared at the Oriental marinade chicken wings, the pan slowly cooling on top of the stove. "Guys," Buffy said as she folded napkins. "I could use a little help here." "Uh-huh," Riley said. "Be right there," Willow added. "Guys..." She turned to look at them. "Stop staring at the wings! We'll eat when Giles gets back!" "But they smell so good," Willow moaned. "And these I can eat!" "Just come help me fold napkins, all right?" As she spoke, the phone rang. Buffy grabbed it immediately. "Giles residence." Long pause. "What?" Longer pause. "No, he's not here. Wait...are you telling me he lost you?" Beat. "No, I...the adult section? What's that got to do with...Anya, give the phone back to Xander! Xander? Find. Him. No, we'll wait here." Longest pause yet. "He's the only Englishman in town! How hard can he be to find?"
Giles watched with no small amount of satisfaction as the arguing trio of Xander, Anya and Tara ran past the window of Willy's Alibi Room. Willy's was just the sort of miserable dive that Rupert Giles would not be seen in under any circumstances...which made it the perfect place for him to hide. "This again," he said to Willy, offering the empty whiskey glass. "Sure thing," Willy said pleasantly. He was enjoying having one of the Scoobs in his bar and not being pumped for information. Giles looked around the abandoned bar. "Willy, if it's this slow during the day, why do you bother to open?" he asked. "Oh, well, you never know when your clientele will pop up. Especially now that I put in that sewer entrance." "What d'you need a sewer entrance for?" "Well, that way..." "Oi!" An all-too-familiar voice rang out from somewhere beneath them. "Shades pulled?" "Jussasec." Willy removed a remote control from under the bar and hit a button. Heavy shades lowered themselves over the windows. "All clear." At the end of the bar, a trap door opened, and Spike clambered out. "These late mornings, mate, I'll tell ya," he said. "Give us a mug of...ah, surprise me." "The fruitbat's fresh." "That'll do." Spike took a seat at the bar and only then noticed he was not alone. "Rupert, me old china." "Spike," Giles said coldly. "An' what brings you into this den of scum an' villainy?" "Felt like a drink." "Uh huh." Spike accepted a mug of blood from Willy and slurped it eagerly. "Not out of character at all, then, for the fine, upstanding champion of librarians everywhere to be knocking back goofy juice this early in the afternoon?" "Mind your bloody business," Giles said as he finished his shot. Spike considered for a moment. "Ohhhhh," he said. "I remember now. Very good with a date, I am. Two years ago, right? Two years ago that Angelus did a number on you." Giles set his glass down very slowly. "Go ahead," he said. "Go ahead an' what?" "Make a joke. Honestly. I want to see the look on your face." "You wound me, Rupert. Don't mind if I call you Rupert, do you?" Spike smirked. "Oh, relax. Not like you can lay any of that at my door anyway. But I must say, that beating you gave poofy-boy is a memory I treasure." Giles slapped a couple of bills on the bar and stood. "Good day to you both," he said, turning stiffly and walking towards the door. "You have a nice day, Rupert!" Spike called after him. Giles paused. Then he reached out to one of the windows and yanked at the shade. It came away easily, letting a bright shaft of sunlight into the bar. Spike howled in pain, fire erupting across the right side of his face. He leapt over the bar and dunked his face in the sink. Giles kept walking, a cruel grin on his face. "Some people can't take a joke," Willy commented. "Shut up and fix that bloody shade!"
"You're the one who was keeping an eye on him!" "He's a grown man! He doesn't need to have an eye kept on him!" "Well, apparently not!" "You're the one who dragged your boyfriend into the skinflick section-" "Oh, he didn't need to be dragged-" "Stifle!" Xander shouted. They were on Rubel Road, having checked every store on Main. "All right. Here's what we're gonna do. Anya, you're going to come back to Giles' place with me. Tara, I want you to keep looking for Giles. I'm gonna send Buffy to help you as soon as we get back." "What?" Tara asked, shocked. "Why do I have to keep looking?" "Because this friggin' DVD player is getting heavy, and I don't trust Anya not to chuck the thing in the bushes." "Hey!" "All right," Tara said. "I'll keep looking, but I don't know where else there is to look." "There's the Galleria..." Anya suggested. "Giles wouldn't be caught dead in the Galleria," Xander said. "Not in a million years."
Giles blinked as he looked at the Galleria's directory. He didn't think it was possible for so many shoe stores to be assembled in the same place. It had to violate physics in some way. He sighed and started walking towards the first store on the list. It wasn't that he didn't want to spend the day with the others...well, no, that was what it was. He wanted to be alone today. Somehow, being around people today seemed...wrong. It felt intrusive. Well, anyway, he'd go home tonight and try and be pleasant and apologize for abandoning them...they'd understand. Right now, he just wanted some peace and quiet.
"What I don't understand is why he would ditch us in the first place," Xander said as he set the DVD player down. "Well...we might have oversold the happiness thing," Buffy said. "I don't know. So you checked all the bookstores?" "All the bookstores, the coffee shops, the magick shop, everything." "We even looked in that lingerie store," Anya said. "Why would Giles be in a lingerie store?" Willow asked. "Why wouldn't he be in a lingerie store?" "You just pre-killed the mood, An." "How about..." Buffy didn't like to consider the next possibility. "Were there any bars in that area?" "Just Willy's," Xander said. "But come on, Giles has higher standards than that."
Giles stepped into House O' Shoes and immediately regretted it. Punishingly loud music filled the air as the clerk chatted with a group of his friends, all of whom wore the suburban white boy version of gangsta fashion. The clerk noticed Giles and scrambled to turn the music down. "Sorry," he called out. "Help you?" "Just looking," Giles replied as he walked towards the men's section. He did need shoes. It wasn't as though he were just avoiding everybody. He needed a new pair of shoes. Perfectly acceptable explanation for running away from his friends. He picked up a Rockport and examined it. Hefty price tag for a man without a job... "Over here, sweetie!" Giles looked up as a tiny girl, no more than four years old, scampered down the opposite aisle. She had long dark hair, as did her mother. They perused the children's sneakers as the girl chattered. The dark hair almost reminded him of Jenny. He sighed and turned back to the selection. There was no reason for him to be thinking about this anyway. Jenny was dead. It had been two years. It wasn't as though he walked around all the time tearing his hair and rending his clothes in grief...he'd accepted it, he'd moved on. He'd even started seeing Olivia whenever he could. But today was the day. That was different. His reverie was interrupted by a gunshot. And screams.
As she walked into Willy's Alibi Room, Willy was throwing a box into a trap door. "All right, that's all the bactine they had!" he called out. "What about my change?" "What about your tab?" "All right, all right...cheers, mate..." Willy slammed the trap door and looked up at Buffy. "Geez, it's just my day for you folks, isn't it?" "I think that answers my question," Buffy said. "Was Giles here?" "About a..." He trailed off as Riley walked in. "Hey, hold it! What's that psycho doing here?" "Me?" Riley asked. "Whaddaya think you're doin', bringing him here? Last time he was here, he tried to kill my customers!" "The sooner you tell me what I need to know, the sooner he'll be gone," Buffy said. "Which way'd he go?" "Towards Perry Street. Now beat it! And tell Giles he owes me for a new shade!" "Um...I'm sorry about that whole display," Riley said sheepishly. "I was undergoing heavy withdrawal from a steroid cocktail." "Oh, well, that makes it better. Out!" Buffy gently pulled Riley towards the door. "What's on Perry?" Riley asked. "The Galleria," Buffy replied. "And if Giles went there of his own free will, he must be in a foul mood."
The girl was crying, her mother holding her tight. There were screams from up front. Giles craned his neck around the cases to see what was going on... "I bet you thought you was a smart li'l muhfuh, didn'tcha, Cam?" At the front of the store, another bunch of kids-white boy gangsters-were standing over the body of a boy Giles could only assume was Cam. The boy was openly sobbing as blood drained out of his shoulder. "Tellin' my moms I had a gun an' shit!" "You're crazy, Duncan!" one of the other kids yelled. "Damn right!" Duncan replied. "You gots to be crazy to roll with the SD Crew! And you call me D-Con, beeotch!" Another boy, this one also holding a pistol, was warding off the mall security guards who had surrounded the front of the store. A third was walking towards them. Gang activity. He couldn't believe it. After seeing it used as an excuse for every kind of supernatural shenanigans, he had finally encountered actual gang activity. Quickly, he ducked behind the end of the case of shoes. White Boy Gangsta walked past him, attracted by the muffled cries of the little girl. "Look at this shit," he heard the kid say. "Yo, baby, got any money?" "Please don't hurt us," the woman said, choking back her own sobs. "Don't make me hurtchoo, bitch!" Giles rolled his eyes. Where did these imbeciles get guns in the first place? He got a look; the kid already had the hammer cocked back. Trigger-happy. Crouching, he came around. "Purse. Wallet. Give up the earrings too. Don't make me pop a cap in yo' monkey ass." "You said a bad word!" the little girl yelled. "Stop it!" "Honey, don't-" "Who you think you're talkin' to, you little-" The gun lowered to the little girl's face. Giles found himself moving forward. He leapt across the main aisle, grabbed the kid's gun hand, and raised it above his head before the kid could fire. "Damn, boy, don't be shootin'-" The erstwhile D- Con goggled to see his White Boy Gangsta compatriot being dragged out of sight by Giles. He heard two loud cracks. "T-Dog," D-Con said. "Check this shit out." "Can't, D," T-Dog replied. "I gotta watch the mall cops." As D-Con watched, Giles-holding the gun- emerged from the aisles. He took dead aim at D-Con. "I broke your friend's nose," he said simply. "You gots a death wish or somethin', G?" D-Con asked. Giles smiled and kept coming. "I'm going to have to ask you to put your gun down. And your other friend." He looked at the other WBGs. "What's the matter? Didn't their parents have any weapons they could steal?" "I...yo, you know who you're messin' with?" "I can guess. Are you a deluded suburban child of privilege who believes that speaking like that Snoop Doggy Dogg person after half a bottle of Nyquil makes him tough?" D-Con pulled back the hammer. "Are you a dimwit who thinks he can earn respect with a gun? Good Lord, hoodlums have gone downhill since the good old days. I'd bet you've never even been in a fight." "I'll kill you!" "No. You won't. You see, you may have shot that boy, but he'll recover. You'll spend some time in juvenile hall, probably more in therapy. But if you kill me, you'll go away, Duncan. Far away." D-Con's hands were shaking. "You asked just now if I have a death wish. And..." He laughed. "You know, I suppose I do. Today, I do. "Do you?" D-Con looked into Giles' eyes. Whatever was there made the boy slowly lower the gun to the ground. "Excellent decision," Giles murmured. As the mall cops swarmed into the store, he sat down on the floor, and fought the urge to faint.
Riley's ID was good through the end of the week; it got he and Buffy past the cops. They found Giles on a bench near House O' Shoes, drinking a cup of tea. "Giles?" Buffy asked. "Are you okay?" "Um...yes. After a fashion." He looked down at his feet. "They gave me shoes for free." "What the hell happened?" "Well, there was a bit of a hostage crisis. These children, they had guns, and..." He shook his head. "I was ready to let that young man shoot me." He took a deep swallow, finishing off the rest of the tea. "God, I miss her," he murmured. "I thought...I really thought I was over it." "Giles...come on, you weren't just going to stand there and let yourself get shot...were you?" "I suppose not," he sighed. "But...do you know what I do on this day? I think. I think of all the ways I could have changed things. If I'd forgiven her earlier. If I'd gone to pick her up at the school. There's so many ifs." "Jenny wouldn't want to see you like this, Giles." "I suppose not," Giles murmured. "God, I hate this day." "Mister?" Giles looked down. The little girl was standing next to him. "My mommy wanted to thank you, but she's getting ballium from the doctor people." "Valium, dear." "C'n I give you a hug?" "Er-" Before he could protest, the little girl had hopped up on the bench next to him and threw her arms around his neck, squeezing tightly. "Thank you!" she said, releasing him and hopping back down. "You're welcome," Giles said. "Er...wait! What's your name?" "Jenny!" the girl yelled over her shoulder as she ran back to her mother. The three of them blinked. Giles considered the situation for a moment. Then he smiled. "Well!" he said, standing up. "The others are probably waiting for us, correct?" "Absolutely," Riley said. "If we hurry, maybe some of the wings will be left." "It's good to see you feeling better, Gi-" Buffy stopped. "Whaddaya mean maybe some of the wings will be left?"
The four of them were in various states of worrying. Willow was pacing. Tara was fretting. Anya was checking her nails. Xander was eating. When the door opened, they each nearly jumped. "Evening," Giles said as he walked in, Buffy and Riley right behind. "Giles!" Willow caught him in a flying hug tackle, nearly toppling him. "Are you all right?" Tara asked. "About time," Anya added. "Where the hell have you been?!" Xander said around a mouthful of chips. "I can't believe you bailed on us! That's cold, man. That's iceworld." "Yes, I'm, uh, sorry about that. I just needed a little time alone." "Uh huh," Xander replied. "Smell his breath! He's probably wasted!" "Shush," Willow said, guiding Giles to the couch. "Well, we did have a bunch of games ready..." "But we saw the report on the news," Tara added. "We figured you were physical-activitied out." "I am a bit tired, yes. And hungry." "Take a seat. We've got almost all the wings for you." "Almost all?" Buffy asked as Willow walked into the kitchen. "We eat when we're worried."
"Okay!" Xander said as they settled in around the TV. "Took some doing, but I finally got this thing to show pictures and sound. What first?" "Er...The Limey." "You got it." Xander stuffed the disc into the player and hit Play. After a moment, the movie started. The first thing they heard was an urgent whisper with no image: "Tell me...tell me about Jenny." Anya blushed, remembering that this was her pick. "Uh...Giles-" "Don't worry about it," Giles said. "It doesn't bother me. It's...it's a very common name."
All of this is copyright Joss Whedon, except the stuff that isn't.