vamp nurd, TheWhiz, tkheaven, TareBearRS, singgirl - Sorry I haven’t been able to stop by earlier, but thanks for continuing to read (and the harassment!)
As I said a few days ago, work and the constraints of RL have conspired to stop me writing much this week, so here’s what I’ve got. This is just Part 1 of Act 5. I’m not sure whether there’ll be 1 or 2 parts still to come – which won’t be for a while yet (see reasons above.) Hope you like it.
Title: WtVS: Pilot Episode: Hellmouth High
Author: Mike of the Nancy Tribe
Feedback: Yes please.
Rating: PG 13 maybe.
Disclaimer: The characters belong to Joss Whedon and ME. I’ve taken liberties with them. So sue me.
Distribution: I don’t mind, but ask first, okay?
Pairings: Willow & Tara. Buffy & Cordelia (sorry about that!)
Spoiler Warning: Not really since it’s AU.
Summary: Just a small part of Act 5. Giles arrives at Buffy’s house. So do the vampires.
WtVS: Pilot Episode: HELLMOUTH HIGH
ACT 5, PART 1EXT. SUNNYDALE - NIGHT
The Watcher was being watched as Giles’ car rolled into Revello Drive just before eleven thirty, and he began looking for the Summers name on the mailboxes.
Two dark figures lurked behind trees, while three more crouched in bushes lining the street. Giles pulled up right between them, and switched off the engine. From the passenger seat he picked up a double-headed throwing axe, tucking it under his jacket as he left the car.
“Now?” whispered a voice from one of those in the bushes.
“Wait,” hissed a female voice in reply.
They saw the axe glinting as Giles walked up the path, and knocked on the front door. Yellow light spilled out as Buffy opened it, and they all ducked their heads.
“Now?” said the first voice again, a little more eager.
“Shut up you moron!” said Darla. “If you want to be dusted, I’ll do it right now!”
“But I’m cramping up here,” whined the skinny vampire next to her. They all wore their human faces at the moment, but Darla morphed into ridges and fangs to snarl at him.
“Then cramp! We want all of them, so we wait for them to come out. The little blonde one is mine. And if her pal the high school princess is there too, even better. No one slaps me around and lives to be a cheerleader. I’ll string their eyes on a chain for a bracelet!”
The skinny vampire grunted loudly as he tried to change positions. Darla morphed back to human and gave him a sweet smile through clenched teeth. “Dwayne, if you make another sound, I swear you’ll join your buddy Xander and walk like a jockey for a month!”
Dwayne swallowed the whimper that so wanted to leak out.
“Good boy,” said Darla, patting him on the head. “Maybe I’ll throw you a bone later. Now keep watching!”
*
“Hi Giles!” said Willow brightly as Buffy brought him into the living room.
“Hey Mr. Giles,” added Tara. “Sorry for um, getting you out so late.”
The girls were back on the couch, scrunched up close together, both clutching half-full cups of coffee, and dipping into a bowl of chips on the low table in front of them. Tara was plucking absently at the hem of the hideously-coloured sort of poncho top that she’d been loaned. Somehow, she got the idea that Buffy had never tried to go unnoticed in her life. The colours made her eyes ache.
Willow was back in her sweater, but grateful for the t-shirt she was now wearing underneath. She was even more grateful for the hand lotion that Tara had lovingly and teasingly massaged into her breasts not fifteen minutes ago. The ripples from
that little experience were still bouncing through her. And Tara knew it, going by the cute sidelong glances she kept giving her. Although they may have had something to do with the fact that Willow had grabbed the bottle and returned the favour.
Of course, it didn’t help Willow’s composure right now that, while Tara held her coffee cup in her left hand, her right hand was covertly exploring under Willow’s sweater, tracing little circles with her fingers on the redhead’s back, and occasionally dipping down below the waistband of her jeans.
Oh, she’s so gonna pay for this! thought Willow, trying hard to suppress another shudder.
“Willow, Tara,” said Giles in greeting. “Well, you both look considerably better than I was expecting after Buffy’s rather uh, graphic description of what you’ve been up to tonight.”
The girls looked at each other wide-eyed, then accusingly at Buffy.
“In the tunnels, he means!” she answered quickly. “Y’know, all the rough and tumble with the Lost Boys. ‘Course, if there’s anything
else I should know about….care to share?”
“N-no! Nothing!” said Willow. “Nothing at all.
Gyaaaah!”
At that moment, with a look of total innocence, Tara chose to run her knuckles down the whole length of Willow’s spine. It was like she’d been zapped by lightning, and most of her remaining coffee ended up in her lap.
Buffy sniggered, while Giles’ face filled with concern. “Willow! Are, are you all right? I-i-is there pain?”
No, but there’s gonna be! she thought, thinking up delicious punishments for the girl on her left. “Oh, oh, no! No, I-I-I was just thinking back, y’know. All those, those vampires. Brrr! The, the teeth and, and the claws and how they uh, how they nearly got us. It, it just gave me a, a major wiggins, y’know, remembering.” She shot a sideways glare at Tara.
“Ah, yes, yes of course, I um, imagine it would,” said Giles, who had caught Tara’s butter-failing-to-melt-in-mouth look, and started to wonder just when her right arm had become invisible.
Buffy saw an opportunity for distraction, and took it. “Er, hey Giles,” she said with a grin. “I gotta say, for a librarian you’re packin’ mighty big wood there.” She dipped an eye towards his belt.
His mouth opened and closed a couple of times before he realised the wooden handle of his throwing axe was bulging out of his jacket. “Oh. Ah. W-w-w-yes it’s, it’s ah, not bad, is it?” He whipped it out and placed it on the table with a heavy
thunk. “Um, eighteenth century I believe. Triple-folded Toledo steel with, with a bronze inlay. Looks marvellous on the wall.”
“Impressive chopper Giles,” said Willow, dabbing at her wet lap with the sleeve of her sweater. “Uh, I mean….”
“Shiny,” said Tara, who now had both hands free to cradle her coffee.
“Wow,” said Buffy, hefting the axe. “Lizzie Borden coulda taken out the whole town with
this baby.” She swished it around a few times before Giles relieved her of it, and put it back on the table.
“Er, yes,” he said. “After tonight’s events, I thought it best to ah, come prepared. Buffy was quite right to call me. Our foes might well be seeking revenge for their losses. And, and with the Harvest tomorrow, they’ll want to um, clear the path, as it were. We must all be very cautious. Which is why I’ve brought some additional supplies.”
With that, he started tipping out the contents of his pockets, both jacket and pants. A couple of small crucifixes on chains fell onto the table, followed by some slightly larger wooden crosses, a handful of slender stakes, a half-eaten packet of Rolos, three phials of holy water, a handkerchief, a bunch of keys, two dollars and forty five cents, some more stakes, a comb, an American Express card, and even a string of garlic cloves.
“What?” he said, off their amused looks. “I-I-I didn’t have time to stop at the library. It’s all I had at home.”
“Wow,” said Buffy again. “You’re like the bottom of my purse. Got any chapstick in there?”
“Ha ha. Now, help yourselves to what you could find useful.”
“First dibs on the AmEx!” said Buffy, lunging for it. Giles got there first, and batted her hand away. “Party pooper,” she muttered.
“Okay, stakes and holy water for me,” said Willow. “How about you, baby?”
“Same for me, and one of these crosses, I think,” said Tara, gathering them up.
“Ooh,” said Buffy, taking one of the little crucifixes. “Ankle bracelet?”
“Only if you think it likely a vampire will bite your foot,” said Giles. “Does nobody want the garlic?”
“Well, I haven’t really got time to cook,” said Buffy, brushing tweed lint off the little cloves. “And, well, odorific much? Ecch!”
“Oh no,” said Tara, “it’s, it’s really good for warding off vampires and other evil spirits. Allium Sativum, it’s called. Their, their senses are heightened, you know, when people become vamps. I-I-I think they might be allergic to the smell. Although anything stinky
might do.”
“Hey, big knowledge woman,” said Willow, impressed. “You been researchin’ on your own?”
“Oh, just a little. You know, on the net.”
“Very good Tara,” said Giles. “You should know that I also have been continuing my studies. For example, I’ve found that the Harvest is a very ancient ritual indeed. It’s been around for….well, as, as long as there have been vampires, probably. The, the power channelled through whoever is the Vessel may well have been responsible for creating some of the most potent vampires of the past millennia.”
“Yikes,” said Buffy. “Good thing we’ve got a superhero in the house, huh?” Willow just shook her head at that, while Tara beamed.
“But….I need help,” Giles continued. “I’ve managed to acquire an extremely rare volume, the Codex Noxonicum. Much of it appears to be a rather uh, dark and twisted polemic on the nature of power. But a section is concerned with the mythology of the undead, and is said to give clues as to the exact timing and nature of the Harvest. About half is written in ancient Sumerian.”
“Let me guess,” said Buffy. “There aren’t any ancient Sumers around who can read it.”
Giles started polishing his glasses to hide his mild irritation. “As it happens,
I can read Sumerian. It’s the other half that’s the problem. It’s in code. I need you all to come to the school library tomorrow, as early as you can make it. I’ll let you in through the side entrance. With, with Willow’s outstanding academic prowess, and Tara’s expertise on the computer, we stand a good chance of breaking the code.”
“Um, I might be able to uh, set up an algorithmic translation matrix,” said Tara. “But, y’know, it, it depends on the subset differentials.”
“Ooh, is it a substitution code?” asked Willow, getting animated. “Bifid? Trifid? Oh, oh, railfence! I
love railfence ciphers! They’re so
sneaky!”
“Huh?” said Buffy. “What’s the -? And the -? I repeat,
huh?”
Giles, with a beatific smile, offered her a Rolo. There was tweed lint on those, too.
“Okay, hold on,” said Buffy. “You’ve got the Brainiac twins here. What do you need
me for?”
“Buffy, despite appearances to the contrary, I happen to know you have a very fine mind. If you could apply it to something other than, than comic references and innuendo for a while, I’m sure you could be of great help to us.”
“Well….okay. But I may not be
too early. Gotta catch up with Cordelia first. She’s still a bit pissed at me for blowin’ her off tonight. Some minor ass-kissage still needed there.”
“Right then,” said Giles. “And lest any of you think you might miss out on lunch, let it be known that tea will be provided, as well as scones, jam tarts and cake.”
“Mmm, British snack food,” said Buffy with a grimace. “Be still my arteries.”
“If I was lacking in tact, right about now I would be mentioning pots, kettles, and the colour black.” Giles glanced at his watch. “Come on ladies, I’d better be getting you two home. It’s not far off midnight. Tara? How ah, how is your ankle feeling now?”
Tara stood and flexed her left leg. “Much better now, thanks Mr. Giles. A good night’s sleep and I guess I’ll be good as new.”
“Bandage not too tight?” asked Willow. “You know, you can still lean on me….if you want.”
“I’ll be okay sweetie….but thanks.” She smiled at the redhead, who rose from the couch and followed her lead in stuffing the stakes and other goodies into various jeans pockets. Buffy had taken a crucifix, one of the larger crosses, and a couple of stakes. All the rest – including the garlic – Giles shovelled back into his own pockets.
Willow and Tara thanked Buffy profusely on the way to the front door. “No problemo,” she replied. “Hey, that’s what I’m here for. Helper to the heroes, that’s me. I’ll see you guys tomorrow. Still can’t
believe I’m gonna be in a library on a Saturday! Dontcha just
know they’ll never let me back in the mall again! And I can hear all those shiny shoes calling me now!”
*
They were halfway down the path when Buffy closed the door behind them.
And a few steps further when Darla blocked their way.
“Hello girls,” she purred. “It’s early yet. Why don’t you stay and party with us?”
They looked around and saw that four other vampires had emerged from the shadows to surround them.
“Oh boy,” said Willow. “I don’t think their kind of party includes funny hats and streamers. Stay close to me, baby.” Tara moved to stand back to back with Willow, while Giles raised his axe and faced Darla.
“I see you’ve upgraded,” she said. “Suit up boys! The Watcher’s got his big weapon out. Let’s show him ours.”
The game faces went on, and they rushed at the three.
Instead of swinging the axe, Giles pulled out his cross and forced Darla back towards the garden fence. The Slayer instincts kicked in and Willow hurled herself at the two closest to Tara, running between them and flattening both with a fist to the face. The vamp called Dwayne was hanging back, leaving the last to leap at Tara. Stake in hand, she dodged a kick aimed at her head and thrust the spike at him. But she missed, and the vampire knocked her to the ground. His hand went to her throat, but Willow was on him in an instant, ripping him away and sending him spinning closer to the house.
She helped Tara up as two more circled them. “Okay baby?” Tara just nodded, a bit breathless.
Nearer the street, Giles was rolling on the ground tangled up with Darla, his cross and axe scattered across the lawn.
“Heads up guys, it’s raining blonde girl!” The shout came from Buffy, who had climbed out of a bedroom window, slid down the porch roof, and landed feet first on the back of the vampire that Willow had hurled away from Tara.
“Nice footwork, Buf –“ Willow started to yell, but was cut off as a fist came towards her. She blocked, spun, and gave the vamp a backhand punch that propelled him straight onto Tara’s waiting stake.
“See? Teamwork!” grinned Tara through the dust. Willow smiled back, then yelled “Watch out!” as Dwayne finally entered the fray, grabbing Tara from behind. But the Slayer couldn’t come to her rescue this time, as the vampire under Buffy threw her off and came straight for Willow, catching her in the face with a high roundhouse kick.
Tara was on the grass with Dwayne straddling her. “Uh, any chance you could die quickly?” he said. “’Cos I really I don’t wanna be here. I’m more your ‘quick, silent kill’ kinda guy. And I’ve got a helluva charley horse right now.”
“S-sorry about that,” said Tara, struggling to free a hand. “And, and sorry about
this!” So saying, she managed to reach the little glass phial of holy water in her front jeans pocket, and smashed it into the side of his face.
He screamed and fell off her, his skin smoking. “Oh, that’s a bitch!” he moaned.
“No no,
this is a bitch!” said Buffy, leaping in to stake him. “Just call me the Vampinator!”
Willow meanwhile had her hands full. “Okay, okay,” she was saying to the bulky vampire dancing around her, avoiding every punch she could throw. “So you’ve got more moves than me. I’m sorta new at this, y’know?” He caught her with a spinning kick to the jaw, then danced back out of reach. “Ow!” said Willow, though the blow hadn’t really fazed her. “Now you’re just trying to make me
look bad! What have I got to - ?
Oh my god! The frogs! The frogs! They’re all over me! Get them off! Get them off!”The vampire just stared in confusion as Willow began hopping up and down, brushing frantically at her clothes. Which was all the time needed for Tara to creep up behind him and take his head off with Giles’ discarded axe. The force of her blow was enough to spin her round and send her to the deck again as the dust settled on her.
“Was, was that move in the Slayer Handbook?” she coughed. “The frogs, I mean.”
“Just a little improv,” said Willow, smiling back at her. “He was tricksy, that one. Nice axing, though.”
“My first.” She took Willow’s hand and rose to her feet, then hugged the redhead. “Score another one for the team.”
Willow hugged her back. “Hey, you know what?” she said mischievously. “That’s the first guy to lose his head over me!”
“And h-he’d better be the last,” said Tara, giving her a mock scowl. “You’re all mine.”
“Always,” said Willow.
“Hate to interrupt the snugglefest,” yelled Buffy, “but…incoming!” She ran by them at speed, closely followed by another vamp, who went flying when Willow stuck out her foot.
“Oops!” said the Slayer. “Did you hurt yourself? Hey, we can help you with that.”
The vamp rolled over and looked up, shrieking as an axe and a stake came down on him together.
Buffy meanwhile ran on, seeing Darla overcome Giles at last by bashing his head against a tree, and craning her jaws towards his throat. “Hey, airhead!” she cried. “Time to taste defeat!” Her shoe connected with Darla’s chin, rocking her head back.
“De feet, geddit? Boy, even
bad puns are wasted on you, aren’t they?”
“I’ve been waiting for you, girl,” Darla hissed as she stood. “Where’s your friend, the bitch with the dark hair? I want her too.”
“Oh no,” said Buffy. “She’s mine. You couldn’t handle her, trust me. Didn’t that last ass-kicking convince you?”
“Need any help here?” asked Willow as she and Tara ran up. “Looks like Slayer business to me.”
“Nah,” said Buffy. “You just hang back there with your honey, Will. This is between me and the platinum blonde. I reckon I can take her.”
“Stupid little girl,” spat Darla. “I’ve been killing your kind for four centuries. You’re no match for me.”
“Oh, I’ve got moves,” said Buffy, bouncing on her feet and putting up her fists. “Apart from the Vulcan death grip, I’m top of my class in a spiffy new martial art that’ll just knock your socks off.”
“What’s that?” said Darla, circling her.
“Boxercise!” With that, she threw a right and a left that bloodied Darla’s nose, and swung her knee in hard at the vampire’s hip. Darla staggered back, and tripped over the legs of Giles, who had regained consciousness.
“Buffy, catch!” he called, throwing her the string of garlic cloves. Buffy leapt on the fallen girl, mashing the garlic into her mouth. She howled and retched, spitting it out as she crawled away, then ran into the night, yelling curses as she went.
“Hey, do you kiss the Master with that mouth?” Buffy yelled after her.
“Well,” said Giles as Willow and Tara helped him up. “That was….invigorating. I, I could have done without the knocking-out though. Hope that doesn’t become a trend.” He shook his head and took a deep breath. “Ah, much better. Anyone seen my glasses?”
Buffy retrieved them from the foot of the tree and handed them to him. Just then a window slid open in the house next door, and the head of an elderly woman poked out.
“Hey, you kids wanna keep it down?” she called. “Why can’t you hold your shindig in the
back yard like everyone else?”
“Sorry Mrs. Blomberger!” said Buffy. “We’re being quiet now.”
“Damn kids runnin’ wild at all hours. Don’t know what the hell the world is….” Her muttering voice faded out as she shut the window again.
Behind Giles, Willow was fussing round Tara, checking her out for fresh cuts and bruises. “Will, I’m okay,” said the witch. “The ankle aches a bit, but I’m okay. But….how about you? You took a good few kicks. Anything fuzzy or, or loose up there?” She stroked the long hair back behind Willow’s ears.
“Nah, Slayer heads are hard, or so I’m finding out. Probably got a big fat layer of rubber round the squishy bits.” Willow’s smile faded a bit as she looked into Tara’s eyes. “I, I still think it’s too dangerous for you to be around me, but….we do make a good team, don’t we?”
“The bestest,” said Tara, putting her arms around the redhead. “Um, apart from me falling down a lot. But I’ll work on that. I’m, I’m gonna try to be the best partner a Slayer ever had. For as long as you want me around, that is.”
“How does forever sound?”
“I can live with that.”
They kissed, oblivious to the fact that Buffy was watching them with a wide grin, while Giles was trying hard not to watch them at all.
“Ahem,” he said, clearing his throat. “Ladies, this is ah, hardly the time or, or, or the place.”
The two girls broke apart, failing miserably in their attempt to look innocent.
Willow’s mouth had a hard time working properly, as well. “Oh, oh, I-I-I was just, that is, w-we were um, I-I was just checking….uh, I-I was just checking….to see if Tara had lost a tooth! Yeah, ‘cos, ‘cos she got smacked a few times and, and that might’ve, y’know….” Her voice trailed away and she looked glum.
“Checking with your tongue, huh?” sniggered Buffy.
“Willow,” said Giles with a sigh. “I am neither blind, deaf nor profoundly stupid. From the moment you two ran into the library hand in hand, I knew there was a um, connection between you. What it has become is none of my business, except where it conflicts with your duty as the Slayer.”
He walked over to them, and placed a hand on each shoulder. “And from what I’ve seen so far,” he said with a gentle smile, “I have nothing to fear. Together, you’re stronger than one alone could ever be. I’m, I’m proud of you both. And you too, Buffy,” he said, turning. “You don’t have to be a part of this, but I’m grateful for your help. You’re a very brave young woman.”
“Oh, those vamps are just wussies,” she said with a shrug. “Coulda taken ‘em when I was in diapers. Now come on, you’d better get these two kissy-faces home. Big day tomorrow, huh? And my mom’ll be back soon.”
“Ah yes, yes of course,” said Giles. “Big day tomorrow. Quite possibly the biggest. See you at the library, then? Now, lock the door behind you and, and don’t let anyone in tonight….apart from your mother, that is. And wear your crucifix at all times. I think things will be quiet for the rest of the night, but best not to take chances, hmm?”
Buffy waved them goodbye and went back into the house.
Giles let Willow and Tara into the back seat of his car, and climbed in behind the wheel. “Well,” he said, “you two certainly acquitted yourselves well tonight. Another bloody nose for the Master, hmm?”
“Mmm? Mmmm!” said both voices behind him. He looked in the rear view mirror, to see the two girls, arms around each other, already locked in another passionate kiss.
“Now stop that!” he said. “Just because you know I know about you two doesn’t mean that, that I want to see it all the time! I
am still British, you know!”
Staying lip-locked, they slid down the seat and out of his view. Smacking noises and little groans rose over the sound of the engine.
“I
can still hear that!” he said.
“Mmmf, Giles?” said Willow’s muffled voice. “Just shut up and drive.”
------------------------------
END OF ACT 5, PART 1
--------------------------------
Always.........
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Well that was a nice way to get prepared 4 the Harvest!! They all make a kick ass team, well except 4 Giles getting knocked out but thats supposed to happen! 
Its hilarious how Willow can never find anything to say and just comes up w/ the craziest things! 
I liked how he unfurled his stiff upper lip to tell our girls they were strong together though. Lovely!