![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
I'm posting this unbeta'd here because I'm waffling about what to do next. I've done part 3 three different ways and I can't find one I'm thrilled with. I'm hoping some feedback will let me know what bunny I should chase.
Aren’t You Grateful it’s Not a Bunny?
Part 1
“Maybe if you used this ritual and sought a spirit guide? It’s a new moon tomorrow Breaker's Woods will be a good place for it. “ Anya suggested to Giles pointed out the page she was reading. It was in a book of ancient Native American ritual research having gone far a field in search of way to defeat the First.
“Didn’t Dawn tell me about Buffy already doing that when Glory showed up?” Andrew asked
Anya glared at Andrew and said “It’s not the same beside it’s real life not a stupid T.V. show the same thing can work more than once...”Anya stopped before completing the sentence suddenly thinking that perhaps their ratings were down. The Idea that her life just might be canceled didn’t seem funny at all.
It was well over between them but Xander could still recognize the look of panic in Anya’s eyes. It wasn’t like he didn’t many chances to see it after all. “He only meant it didn’t do much good then.”
“Yes. Yes it did Xan.” Buffy said solemnly then tried to lighten the mood. “I guess I’ll need to find an extra sleeping bag. It looks like Giles and I will be doing some camping.”
“I don’t think it would be wise. That kind of altered consciousness would leave you much too vulnerable to the first.” Giles rubbed the back of his neck and thought a moment “Perhaps with Willow’s assistance I could?”
Willow was already shaking her head and beginning to protest when Anya interrupted. ”I’ll do it. For the love of Pete why doesn’t anyone around here remember I can do a little magic?”
“This takes an extremely focused and mature mind. Perhaps we can find an alterative. The B…”
“And people say I have no manners. Do I need to remind you that it’s not nice to make a lady recount her age Giles?” The other women in the room shot Anya a look but her flirting passed right over Giles and Xander’s heads like a flying monkey.
“It works for me. I get to miss out on the not so fun cryptic campfire tale and you and Anya get to do the hokey pokey.” Buffy blushed brightly and in spite of her earlier distress Willow was biting her tongue to keep from laughing.
***
The pair made it to the appointed place with out incident. Well, without killing each other anyway. Giles had a lot to say about Anya’s skills as a driver after the coin toss ended their long argument over who would get behind the wheel. Anya did her share of grumbling over how much Giles had packed for the overnight trip.
They chanted and made the proscribed offerings Anya was to simply serve as an anchor on this plain while Giles sought a guide for advice on how to defeat the First. The minute their hands touched he knew they should have practice some meditation together. Anya definitely kept her focus and there would be no question that she keep him anchored but she had far more power of her own than he had anticipated.
It all might still have work out fine but at the exact moment the guide beckoned him an old english sheepdog came bounding out from behind some underbrush knocked over the small alter and stole the bone they had placed there as an offering. It was a large dog but remarkably fast. When they finally gave up the chase Giles was limping and Anya was gasping for breath.
“Look over there it’s not a complete loss. Maybe we don’t even need the old bone we still have the guide.”
Giles turned his light to left and saw the animal sitting there. Giles could sense the magic from it but it was definitely corporeal. “Anya, that’s not a bloody spirit guide! It’s not a spirit anything thing, you made a flesh and blood leopard!”
“Me, I didn’t do this it’s all your fault mister I!am!theWatcher!Here!” Anya punctuated each closely strung word with a poke to Giles chest.
Giles began to fantasize; if he took that small elegant hand in his and kissed her palm perhaps sucked that pink tip finger. Good Lord he thought, the woman was driving him insane and didn’t notice she just kept on.
“If you had just listened to me and spent the last couple of hours giving me orgasms this wouldn’t have happened. No you had to prepare for a vision quest the traditional stuffy Watcher way.”
“I fail to see how ‘shagging you senseless’ would have helped in this situation. If you had applied yourself to the meditation… and why on earth did you that particular term? Who did you think you were speaking to Spike?”
“Rupert, are you jealous? It was only that one time and we were drunk. That was all your fault too it was your alcohol so you really can’t blame either of us.”
“Why would I be jealous of Spike? Of course you’ve had drunken sex with him everybody’s done it.” Giles was shockingly angry at himself for leaving last year in a way he hadn’t been when Buffy told him much the same thing. Now he was jealous. It was just stress it had to be, this wasn’t the time or place to let his heart thaw. So he only allowed his irritation to Anya show.
“Giles was it the summer after Glory? Don’t be embarrassed Spike’s very good even when he’s inebriated and grief can make people act out of character.” Anya patted Giles hand and tried act reassuring. Privately she mused regretfully that if the pair ever had drunken gay sex it would never have been taped.
She’d rarely seen Giles this upset over something that didn’t involve someone’s death. Before this Anya had admired him for his cool head in a crisis. Of course there had been that incident with the bunnies… Anya shuttered it was time they both refocused. “Giles I really do think it not going to eat us. She wants us to follow her.” pointing to the pacing leopard.
AYG…Part 2 Raining, Cats & Dogs
Giles looked on as Anya crouched down and was cooing to the big cat as if it were his Aunt Gem’s old tabby.
“What is it baby do want us to follow you?”
He was just about to protest that this was powerful being from another plain and not Lassie when the leopard nodded and headed deeper into the woods. It became obvious that Anya was right and the cat was leading them somewhere, more than once the cat stopped whenever Giles’s sore ankle made him lag behind.
“Do you think that where ever we’re being led will help us defeat the First Giles?”
“That was the purpose of the summoning but the ritual’s outcome was far different than expected. For all I know your ‘Baby’ just wants to go for a moonlit stroll.”
“Maybe she only wants to get her bone back from that dog. I caught a glimpse of him though the trees before. We’re almost on the edge of country club now aren’t we? ”
“You could be right about the bone. It’s possible that she can’t leave this plain without her offering. You’re wrong about the country club it’s is the opposite direction and even if it weren’t there’s no way we’ve gotten that far from camp.”
“Hey! Where’d she go? She was right in front of us before. Here kitty, kitty here baby.” Giles was just about to say something about the term “kitty” when it began to pour down rain. Anya took grabbed his empty hand and shouted at him to hurry. He had no choice but to follow as Anya led him out of the wood and onto the green of golf course. Several yards to their left was a large building the leopard could be seem silhouetted against one of the white columns of the long porch. “Quick let’s head for Tara over there not the person who’s dead. I mean the Greek revival building facing the facing this lovely golf course.”
“You’re never going to let me hear the end of this are you?”
“No is there any reason I should? Less talking more running we’re getting soaked.”
“Are you telling me that I talk too much?” Suddenly Giles slipped on the wet grass and pulled Anya down with him.
“Everyone knows you have a tendency to lec…” Somehow Anya ended up sprawled on top of Giles. His body was so warm in contrast to the cold rain and his jaw was so set she couldn’t help herself. They had the same thought at the same time the kiss they shared was wild and tender all at the same time. Time and place did that strange expand and contract thing that happens when you focus very intently on just one subject. Then lightening hit very near by.
“God this is wonderful, insane. We need to head for some shelter.” Anya echoed Giles practically word for word and punctuated the sentences with a last quick kiss as they scrabbled to their feet and headed for the columned porch.
“Well at least we don’t need to worry about our appearance.” Anya said when they reached the door. It was hanging wide open and the house was obviously abandoned. She squeezed some of the water out of her hair and tried to brush the damp grass off Giles back anyway. Then she flipped light switch not really expecting them to come on and was surprised when they did.
“Yes or whether they take pets or not.” He said because lying in front of the cold hearth was the sheepdog chewing away at the bone. The house looked just as much like the set of Gone with the Wind on the inside except for the dust coating everything. The house was close enough to the Hellmouth that this bothered Giles.
“Something’s wrong here Giles. Why haven’t vampires moved in or demons looted this place yet? You could make a lot of money selling that chandler to a decorator or a gourmet zafp demon.”
“I was thinking much the same thing. Be on guard but we have been led here after all and we haven’t seen any evidence that the guide means us any harm.”
Anya looked scandalized she was scratching behind the big cat’s silky ear and said to it “He’ s just got to be extra stuffy now that there aren’t many Watchers left he didn’t mean to be insulting of course Giles loves Baby too. Don’t you Giles?”
What I love is the way your hands feel on me Giles thought. What I have to do is focus on the mission and not on how much I want to kiss you again. “Extra stuffy I can’t believe you’d call me that after we were rolling around on the lawn in the rain. You’re the one who was taking inventory of damn house!”
“You said you agreed with m me. I’m not greed-y?” Her words started off angry and became a soft question at the end.
“I did not call you greedy. You called me stuffy.” Looking at Anya whose lip was quivering Giles voice became tender “Anya?”
“Don’t look at me l-like that I’m not going to cry, I’m just cold.” She half lied.
“I’m sorry d…” He cut off the endearment and rubbed his temple either to fend off a headache or to clear away the emotion on his face. “It doesn’t look like the leopard wants to go anywhere right now I’ll just build a fire so we can get warm. That’s if I can’t get the dust mop to move.” The dog in question stopped gnawing on the bone and rolled over to invite a tummy rub. “You can’t possibly be greedy if you were you, you would have already pointed out that mop here has the worlds most expensive chew toy.” Giles said petting the dog.
“It wasn’t cheep but I did get a pretty good deal on ebay. Giles look. Is that who I think it is?”
Above the mantle so prominent that Giles couldn’t believe he missed it was a portrait of someone very familiar. “I can’t believe I missed seeing that. Richard Wilkins, this must explain why the place has remained untouched so long.”
“That guy has always scared me. Do you still think we should be here Giles?”
“Don’t you?” He asked
Anya felt a wave of reassurance when she rubbed Baby’s ear. “Yes I do. For now I think we should stay right where we are but I wouldn’t have a problem with us getting clore together once the fire got going. What’d say?”
“I say that it won’t take me very long at all to get the fire started and get you warm again.”
Aren’t You Grateful it’s Not a Bunny?
Part 1
“Maybe if you used this ritual and sought a spirit guide? It’s a new moon tomorrow Breaker's Woods will be a good place for it. “ Anya suggested to Giles pointed out the page she was reading. It was in a book of ancient Native American ritual research having gone far a field in search of way to defeat the First.
“Didn’t Dawn tell me about Buffy already doing that when Glory showed up?” Andrew asked
Anya glared at Andrew and said “It’s not the same beside it’s real life not a stupid T.V. show the same thing can work more than once...”Anya stopped before completing the sentence suddenly thinking that perhaps their ratings were down. The Idea that her life just might be canceled didn’t seem funny at all.
It was well over between them but Xander could still recognize the look of panic in Anya’s eyes. It wasn’t like he didn’t many chances to see it after all. “He only meant it didn’t do much good then.”
“Yes. Yes it did Xan.” Buffy said solemnly then tried to lighten the mood. “I guess I’ll need to find an extra sleeping bag. It looks like Giles and I will be doing some camping.”
“I don’t think it would be wise. That kind of altered consciousness would leave you much too vulnerable to the first.” Giles rubbed the back of his neck and thought a moment “Perhaps with Willow’s assistance I could?”
Willow was already shaking her head and beginning to protest when Anya interrupted. ”I’ll do it. For the love of Pete why doesn’t anyone around here remember I can do a little magic?”
“This takes an extremely focused and mature mind. Perhaps we can find an alterative. The B…”
“And people say I have no manners. Do I need to remind you that it’s not nice to make a lady recount her age Giles?” The other women in the room shot Anya a look but her flirting passed right over Giles and Xander’s heads like a flying monkey.
“It works for me. I get to miss out on the not so fun cryptic campfire tale and you and Anya get to do the hokey pokey.” Buffy blushed brightly and in spite of her earlier distress Willow was biting her tongue to keep from laughing.
***
The pair made it to the appointed place with out incident. Well, without killing each other anyway. Giles had a lot to say about Anya’s skills as a driver after the coin toss ended their long argument over who would get behind the wheel. Anya did her share of grumbling over how much Giles had packed for the overnight trip.
They chanted and made the proscribed offerings Anya was to simply serve as an anchor on this plain while Giles sought a guide for advice on how to defeat the First. The minute their hands touched he knew they should have practice some meditation together. Anya definitely kept her focus and there would be no question that she keep him anchored but she had far more power of her own than he had anticipated.
It all might still have work out fine but at the exact moment the guide beckoned him an old english sheepdog came bounding out from behind some underbrush knocked over the small alter and stole the bone they had placed there as an offering. It was a large dog but remarkably fast. When they finally gave up the chase Giles was limping and Anya was gasping for breath.
“Look over there it’s not a complete loss. Maybe we don’t even need the old bone we still have the guide.”
Giles turned his light to left and saw the animal sitting there. Giles could sense the magic from it but it was definitely corporeal. “Anya, that’s not a bloody spirit guide! It’s not a spirit anything thing, you made a flesh and blood leopard!”
“Me, I didn’t do this it’s all your fault mister I!am!theWatcher!Here!” Anya punctuated each closely strung word with a poke to Giles chest.
Giles began to fantasize; if he took that small elegant hand in his and kissed her palm perhaps sucked that pink tip finger. Good Lord he thought, the woman was driving him insane and didn’t notice she just kept on.
“If you had just listened to me and spent the last couple of hours giving me orgasms this wouldn’t have happened. No you had to prepare for a vision quest the traditional stuffy Watcher way.”
“I fail to see how ‘shagging you senseless’ would have helped in this situation. If you had applied yourself to the meditation… and why on earth did you that particular term? Who did you think you were speaking to Spike?”
“Rupert, are you jealous? It was only that one time and we were drunk. That was all your fault too it was your alcohol so you really can’t blame either of us.”
“Why would I be jealous of Spike? Of course you’ve had drunken sex with him everybody’s done it.” Giles was shockingly angry at himself for leaving last year in a way he hadn’t been when Buffy told him much the same thing. Now he was jealous. It was just stress it had to be, this wasn’t the time or place to let his heart thaw. So he only allowed his irritation to Anya show.
“Giles was it the summer after Glory? Don’t be embarrassed Spike’s very good even when he’s inebriated and grief can make people act out of character.” Anya patted Giles hand and tried act reassuring. Privately she mused regretfully that if the pair ever had drunken gay sex it would never have been taped.
She’d rarely seen Giles this upset over something that didn’t involve someone’s death. Before this Anya had admired him for his cool head in a crisis. Of course there had been that incident with the bunnies… Anya shuttered it was time they both refocused. “Giles I really do think it not going to eat us. She wants us to follow her.” pointing to the pacing leopard.
AYG…Part 2 Raining, Cats & Dogs
Giles looked on as Anya crouched down and was cooing to the big cat as if it were his Aunt Gem’s old tabby.
“What is it baby do want us to follow you?”
He was just about to protest that this was powerful being from another plain and not Lassie when the leopard nodded and headed deeper into the woods. It became obvious that Anya was right and the cat was leading them somewhere, more than once the cat stopped whenever Giles’s sore ankle made him lag behind.
“Do you think that where ever we’re being led will help us defeat the First Giles?”
“That was the purpose of the summoning but the ritual’s outcome was far different than expected. For all I know your ‘Baby’ just wants to go for a moonlit stroll.”
“Maybe she only wants to get her bone back from that dog. I caught a glimpse of him though the trees before. We’re almost on the edge of country club now aren’t we? ”
“You could be right about the bone. It’s possible that she can’t leave this plain without her offering. You’re wrong about the country club it’s is the opposite direction and even if it weren’t there’s no way we’ve gotten that far from camp.”
“Hey! Where’d she go? She was right in front of us before. Here kitty, kitty here baby.” Giles was just about to say something about the term “kitty” when it began to pour down rain. Anya took grabbed his empty hand and shouted at him to hurry. He had no choice but to follow as Anya led him out of the wood and onto the green of golf course. Several yards to their left was a large building the leopard could be seem silhouetted against one of the white columns of the long porch. “Quick let’s head for Tara over there not the person who’s dead. I mean the Greek revival building facing the facing this lovely golf course.”
“You’re never going to let me hear the end of this are you?”
“No is there any reason I should? Less talking more running we’re getting soaked.”
“Are you telling me that I talk too much?” Suddenly Giles slipped on the wet grass and pulled Anya down with him.
“Everyone knows you have a tendency to lec…” Somehow Anya ended up sprawled on top of Giles. His body was so warm in contrast to the cold rain and his jaw was so set she couldn’t help herself. They had the same thought at the same time the kiss they shared was wild and tender all at the same time. Time and place did that strange expand and contract thing that happens when you focus very intently on just one subject. Then lightening hit very near by.
“God this is wonderful, insane. We need to head for some shelter.” Anya echoed Giles practically word for word and punctuated the sentences with a last quick kiss as they scrabbled to their feet and headed for the columned porch.
“Well at least we don’t need to worry about our appearance.” Anya said when they reached the door. It was hanging wide open and the house was obviously abandoned. She squeezed some of the water out of her hair and tried to brush the damp grass off Giles back anyway. Then she flipped light switch not really expecting them to come on and was surprised when they did.
“Yes or whether they take pets or not.” He said because lying in front of the cold hearth was the sheepdog chewing away at the bone. The house looked just as much like the set of Gone with the Wind on the inside except for the dust coating everything. The house was close enough to the Hellmouth that this bothered Giles.
“Something’s wrong here Giles. Why haven’t vampires moved in or demons looted this place yet? You could make a lot of money selling that chandler to a decorator or a gourmet zafp demon.”
“I was thinking much the same thing. Be on guard but we have been led here after all and we haven’t seen any evidence that the guide means us any harm.”
Anya looked scandalized she was scratching behind the big cat’s silky ear and said to it “He’ s just got to be extra stuffy now that there aren’t many Watchers left he didn’t mean to be insulting of course Giles loves Baby too. Don’t you Giles?”
What I love is the way your hands feel on me Giles thought. What I have to do is focus on the mission and not on how much I want to kiss you again. “Extra stuffy I can’t believe you’d call me that after we were rolling around on the lawn in the rain. You’re the one who was taking inventory of damn house!”
“You said you agreed with m me. I’m not greed-y?” Her words started off angry and became a soft question at the end.
“I did not call you greedy. You called me stuffy.” Looking at Anya whose lip was quivering Giles voice became tender “Anya?”
“Don’t look at me l-like that I’m not going to cry, I’m just cold.” She half lied.
“I’m sorry d…” He cut off the endearment and rubbed his temple either to fend off a headache or to clear away the emotion on his face. “It doesn’t look like the leopard wants to go anywhere right now I’ll just build a fire so we can get warm. That’s if I can’t get the dust mop to move.” The dog in question stopped gnawing on the bone and rolled over to invite a tummy rub. “You can’t possibly be greedy if you were you, you would have already pointed out that mop here has the worlds most expensive chew toy.” Giles said petting the dog.
“It wasn’t cheep but I did get a pretty good deal on ebay. Giles look. Is that who I think it is?”
Above the mantle so prominent that Giles couldn’t believe he missed it was a portrait of someone very familiar. “I can’t believe I missed seeing that. Richard Wilkins, this must explain why the place has remained untouched so long.”
“That guy has always scared me. Do you still think we should be here Giles?”
“Don’t you?” He asked
Anya felt a wave of reassurance when she rubbed Baby’s ear. “Yes I do. For now I think we should stay right where we are but I wouldn’t have a problem with us getting clore together once the fire got going. What’d say?”
“I say that it won’t take me very long at all to get the fire started and get you warm again.”
