__A Disney Sequel__
By Greyangel
Every inch of his body ached as he pounded forward, knowing that he was tiring with every step. It had been awhile since he had been able to keep up with his Slayer, but this was just ridiculous. He forced himself to move faster, knowing that he had some serious chest pains ahead of him when they finally stopped. The small demon was fast, but still, not fast enough – they were gaining on it. It was bipedal, but short and very strangely shaped with shimmering green scales down its back. He only managed to catch an odd flicker of green light every now and then, and could see the outline of the figure in the dark as they passed the occasional streetlight.
He cursed at his misfortune – Buffy, who was still a few meters in front of him, had asked to look at his glasses during their patrol, and he, albeit curiously, handed them over. She had made some excuse about having to get Dawn reading glasses, and he hadn't had the chance to get them back before a woman had screamed and alerted them to the demon. The chase had ensued, and they were nearing several apartment blocks.
“Buffy!” He called, noticing that he had closed on her a little. “It's going around the back.”
Buffy looked over her shoulder and called out: “You go in the front, I'll go around the back! We'll meet in the middle.”
He nodded, side stepping the alleyway and locating the front door. After a few moments he found it to be unlocked. Wondering why, he cast the thought out of his head and tumbled inside, locating the stairs and climbing them quickly.
On the floor above, he looked around for a few moments before a scream sounded, followed by Buffy's voice.
“Giles!”
He bolted down the corridor and kicked open the door with a flourish, leaping inside, ready to fight.
Instead of a little green demon, he was greeted by a chorus of male and female voices - all yelling merrily in unison - met with party poppers and streamers flying.
He blinked, looked around with a puzzled expression, did a double take at the large cake on the desk, and then blinked again. “Wh-wh…” He paused, meeting the smiling faces of his friends and loved ones. He smiled back, embarrassed and still trying to catch his breath. “Wh-What is all this?”
“Birthday-ness!” Willow announced, grinning wildly.
“Birthday?”
“As in yours,” Buffy added, entering the room via a door in the back. She had a big smile on her face. “Surprise.”
His smile deepened. “I…well, I…how did you--?”
“Come on, G-Man. You've known us for how long and you still think we don't know your birthday?” Xander piped up.
Giles considered his young friend for a moment and smiled. “I… thankyou.”
“Actually, it was Dawn's idea.” Buffy insisted. Then paused, and looked around. “Speaking of which --”
“I'm here!” A small, green figure came clomping into the room. “Next time, Anya wears the stupid suit.”
Anya scowled and opened her mouth to retort, but was restrained by Xander. After a moment, Giles stifled a laugh as he caught a glimpse of Dawn's costume. It seemed it wasn't really a demon he was chasing after all.
Xander raised a hand. “Ooh, ooh! Decoy was my idea.”
“Yeah, thanks a lot.” Dawn grumbled, peeling the suit off. “Stupid green shoes. Puff the magic dragon my a--”
“Dawn.” Buffy warned.
The teen rolled her eyes. “The sequins were itchy. And I was lucky I could run at all in those stupid shoes.”
Giles was still taking in the decorations. “I'm assuming this is Xander's place, yes?”
“Yes. The light fittings are lovely, don't you think?” Anya insisted.
While Giles observed the ceiling, Dawn managed to rid herself of the rest of the ridiculous dragon costume. Grabbing a soda from the party table, she made her way over to the group. “So, Giles. Exactly how old are you?”
“Dawn!” Buffy growled.
Giles half-smiled. “Think… slightly older than George Clooney,” he replied. “And better looking.”
Dawn smiled, slightly embarrassed, and noticed the silly grin on her sister's face.
After an awkward silence, Xander made his way over to a cabinet nearby and turned on some music. The group split up, and while Anya, Dawn and Willow started dancing, Buffy returned Giles glasses with a brief apology before making her way over to talk to Xander about his new music system. Giles replaced his glasses and moved to the party table, observing the beautifully decorated cake. After a few moments, Tara joined him.
“It's beautiful, isn't it?”
Giles jumped at the sound of her voice, which registered a smile. “Sorry.”
He smiled back and removed his glasses. “Y-yes, it is. And it's… not--”
“It – and the decorations – are one hundred percent natural. No magic involved.”
This put him at ease, at least for the moment. He wasn't incredibly comfortable with birthday parties – especially ones that revolved around him. Still, something inside him was warmed by the fact that they'd remembered, and they'd gone to the trouble to set up such an event. He replaced his glasses.
“She's okay with the magic,” she continued. “For now, at least, she's holding off on the constant spells.”
After a few moments, they were joined by Buffy.
“Hows the birthday boy… man – g-guy. How are you?” She blushed slightly and inclined her head towards her Watcher.
He greeted her with a gentle smile, but didn't notice Tara slide away to join Willow and the other girls.
“Uh, this--” He took off his glasses and waved them around the room. “This is all a… a--”
“I'm guessing the word you're looking for is 'surprise'?” She offered.
He let a smile creep to the side of his face. “Yes… and a wonderful one at that.”
“I'm glad you like. Dawn was so set on having it all perfect. I figured, what with your British-ness and all you wouldn't be one for surprise parties, but she was just so excited.” Buffy looked over to where her sister was dancing. After being lost in a wave of nostalgia at the two surprise parties she had experienced, she looked back to Giles, who appeared to be lost in a similar trance.
She waited for a moment before looking down to the large, beautifully decorated cake. “I was cake girl.”
Giles shook himself from his reverie and cast a glance down to the cake. “It's absolutely beautiful. I thought it was professionally done, actually.”
She blushed. “Who knew the Slayer part of me came with a degree in cake decoration, huh?”
“That would probably be the Buffy part. There seems to be no limit to what you can do.” He replied, then gently said: “But I always knew that.”
The tense silence between the two of them was cut firmly when the door swung open, and a raw English voice came through along with a platinum-haired wonder bearing brown paper bags. “I got your stuff.”
Several faces turned his way. He hesitated, looking around. “Party for someone?”
“Not really,” Anya said flatly, approaching him. “Did you get it?”
He handed over the paper bags. “Furad powder, Sorbis root and real newt eyes – not them cheap bug eyes Watcher boy's got floating around The Box.”
Anya examined each product separately, and once she was done – with many of the room's occupants still staring in her general direction – she looked up at him and nodded. “Thank you. Please leave now.”
“Hey! We had a deal.”
She rolled her eyes. “Right. It's in the fridge.”
With a sly grin, he moved over to fridge and pulled it open, lifting out two cases of what was clearly blood.
“Blood?” Xander exclaimed. “You put blood in my fridge?!”
Anya lifted her brow. “It wouldn't have stayed cold otherwise.” She complained.
“Yes but… blood?!”
“Can we forget about the blood for a minute, please?” Buffy asked, gently. “Because I would like to have cake soon.”
“Spike, what are you doing here?” Xander asked, still upset about the blood incident.
He lifted his hands in defence. “Demon lady just wanted some cheap stuff, is all. I got it for her; she got me some top quality blood. Just a little trade negotiation.”
“Top quality? Do I even want to know what that means?” Xander asked his girlfriend.
She opened her mouth to explain, but was cut off by Dawn. “Hello!? People – party, Giles birthday, presents -- remember?”
Spike grinned. “Your day then, Watcher? Celebrating a good century of upper class celibacy?”
Giles glared. Buffy did the same, and after a few moments the song changed over.
Suddenly Willow jumped up and approached them. “Oh! Presents! We have presents!”
Giles smiled, slightly alarmed. He hadn't received a birthday present since…
Memories of his seventh birthday flooded his memory. The small model fighter plane his mother had gone to so much trouble to find for him, and that had brought him so much joy…lay smashed on the floor, accompanied by the loud, angered voice of his father…
“Earth to Giles.”
He blinked and looked down to see Dawn standing in front of him, flourishing a small, brightly decorated box.
She handed it to him, smiling. “Open it!”
“That's pretty much the point of the wrapping, isn't it?” Anya offered.
Dawn glared briefly at her before turning back to Giles and eagerly watching him carefully unwrap the small parcel.
The paper had been pulled away to reveal a small, white box – square, and made of cardboard. He paused before unhooking the lid and lifting it, peering inside. A green glow emerged from the opening, drawing light from a blinding white sphere at the bottom of the box.
Dawn had a concerned look on her face. “Uh… I didn't put that in there.”
The light began to expand, rapidly.
“Get back!” Giles cried, dropping the box immediately.
Willow and Tara both lifted their hands and chanted, together, summoning a shield of energy to encase the glowing green threat. The golden shield of magical light held only for a brief moment before splinters of the green energy breached it.
Willow cursed and backed up a little more, ready to try another shield, but the green energy exploded in a wave of hot, white light and they all fell to the ground as the white turned suddenly to black.
* * *
Giles blinked, and looked around as his eyes slowly adjusted to sunlight. After a short while, he managed to make the outline of a forest, and a sense of dread passed over him. He looked down immediately, relieved all at once to find himself attired in a pair of dark brown leather pants, and no the green tights he'd expected.
He stepped forward, feeling the clatter of metal at his waist. Finding a sword in the scabbard that was a part of his belt, he smiled to himself. “Alright, Ethan. Come riding up on your bloody white horse now.”
“Ow.”
He wheeled around, drawing the sword swiftly from its scabbard. Rolling his eyes, he slid it back in its place.
Xander shuffled through the long grass, holding his head. “Ooh, my head. Giles? Where are we?”
“Take a wild guess.” Giles uttered, taking in the area.
Looking around, Xander finally realised where he was. “Oh, God. Not again. I don't think my manhood could handle those stupid green--”
“Xander.” Giles cut him off. “You're wearing normal pants. We're not in Sherwood Forest, not this time. Just another one of Ethan's little playgrounds.”
“Oh, thank you God.” Xander exclaimed.
Giles gave him a confused look.
Xander shrugged. “Not about the playground thing.” He clamped his hands down on his pants, incredibly grateful that they weren't skin-tight and forest green. “So, we're – where are we, exactly?”
“I don't know, yet.” Giles informed him, still looking around. “But, wherever we are, I can promise you Ethan is responsible for it.”
“That guy needs a good ass-kicking.”
“Oh, I've tried that. Believe me.” Giles replied, as the whinny of a horse caught his attention.
A stunning black horse came trotting elegantly into the glade they were standing in, carrying on its back a beautifully polished saddle bearing a golden crest with a dancing lion engraved into it.
Giles narrowed his eyes for a moment, and then reached up to his shoulder where he found a cape had been fastened around his neck. The golden broach used to fasten the cape bore the same symbol that decorated the saddle. He smiled slightly. “Ethan, you're losing your edge.”
“So are you, it would seem.”
Drawing his sword in a flash, Giles turned quickly. He found himself faced against several men, all on horseback.
Xander moved closer to Giles, searching himself for a weapon. After a few moments he found a dagger strapped to his waist and drew it.
“So, Phillip. In the woods again? You're beggin for it this time.” The man who addressed them was short, and bull-necked, riding a shabby horse that smelled far better than the man it carried.
Xander shot Giles a questioning look.
He lowered his voice and whispered. “Wandering thieves would be my guess.”
“Talking to y'self now. Not the best place to be wandering round, being a Prince and all, with the woods so full of outlaws.”
Xander's brow lifted. “I'm a prince? Hey, cool --”
“Xander.” Giles cut him off, indicating the crest on his shoulder.
Slumping his shoulders, Xander sighed. “Damn it! Why do I always have to be the stupid sidekick? The merry man. The prince's…”
“Squire?” One of the thieves offered.
“Did I ask you?” Xander lifted his brow, eyeing the outlaw.
“I get it now.” Another figure caught up with the outlaws from behind. Also on horseback, he was wearing a large grin and his white hair was far from subtle in their current surroundings.
“Spike!” Xander cried.
“Well if it isn't Watcher and his boy. Tell me now, we in one of your poncy friends spells again?”
Giles nodded. “It would seem Ethan has been reading.”
“Spike, will you get down off that horse and help us, here.” Xander demanded. “We know Giles is the Prince and I'm his squire. You're an outlaw, which would mean that Anya is…”
They both looked at him, inquiringly.
“I really have no idea where Anya is.” He concluded.
Giles looked back to the vampire on horseback. Or, if the rules of the last fantasy world Ethan had thrown them into were anything to go by, he wasn't a vampire anymore. At least, not for now.
“They're talking crazy.” One of the outlaws piped up, before turning to Spike. “Boss, you know what they're yabbering about?”
Spike paused, then grinned. “I'm… boss… well, yes, I do. But that's unimportant. I say we take their money and their goods, and be off.”
Giles glared as some of the outlaws closed in on them. “You'll pay for this, Spike.”
“Yeah, why don't we strip 'em and tie em up with the others – Prince'd make a good slave.”
“Slave?” Giles brow lowered.
“Strip?” Xander was far from pleased.
“Others?” Still on horseback, Spike looked over his shoulder.
Not too far behind them was a group of dirty, scratched and bruised girls – all younger than sixteen, by the looks of them. They were all tied by thick rope to two long bars of wood, balanced along their shoulders on both sides.
He noticed a pair of blue eyes light up as he caught their gaze, and a struggle ensued – several of the men moved to contain the slave, but Spike leapt from his horse. “Wait! Back off, y'stupid git!” He moved between the approaching outlaw and the girls, anger in his eyes.
“Come on, boss.” He reached out and grabbed one of the young girl's arms. “This 'uns feisty for it.”
Spike thrashed him across the side of the face, sending the chubby man sprawling. He winced and shook his hand furiously. “Bloody argh! That hurt!”
A generally confused feeling passed through the other outlaws, along with mumbles of insanity. Quietly, they kept their hands close to their weapons. Spike noticed, and cast a glance to the girls.
“Right then,” Spike said, casting a glance towards Giles and Xander. Giles looked to the young women, understood instantly, and took a firm grip of his sword. With a slight nod to Spike, he readied himself. “I say we dump the slaves – they're probably just holding us back anyways.”
The familiar hiss of swords being unsheathed caught his ears as the half dozen outlaws closed in.
Spike shrugged. “I'll take that as a no, then.”
After a second of silence, he wheeled around and took a firm hold of both wooden bars, launching them upward and away from the girls. Several of them fell, but no longer felt the burden of the logs on their shoulders.
While Giles and Xander faced off with the outlaws, he drew his sword and did his best to detach as many ropes as he could.
Once he finished, he turned around and found the girl he was looking for, picking her up, noticing the blood on her legs. He carried her out of the foray into the trees, and laid her down as gently as he could manage. “I'll be back in a minute, little bit.”
He returned immediately to the fight – three of the outlaws had been knocked unconscious, but the other three were proving a chore. Xander had acquired a sword off one of the unconscious men, and was using it as best he could to defend himself.
Spike noted immediately that Giles had intentionally knocked the men unconscious, rather than kill them. Some had a gash here or there, but they were, for the most part, unharmed. After several tiring moments of parrying and dodging, Spike managed to strike a blow against his opponent.
“Yeah!”
The filthy, toothless outlaw held his arm for a moment before taking another swing, almost decapitating his platinum-haired opponent, who was lucky to have ducked in time.
“Bugger,” Spike cursed.
In a flash of royal blue, his opponent was lying in his own blood on the ground. Spike blinked, then noticed the glade had flooded with men on foot and horseback, all adorned in royal blue capes and uniforms.
“The freakin' cavalry.” He almost laughed aloud.
Giles lifted his brow as the uniformed men took care of the remaining outlaws. After a moment to enjoy the sight, Spike darted back into the trees where he'd left his little niblet, and knelt, realising that she was unconscious now. Feeling a panic unlike any he'd known, he lifted her up as quickly as he could.
One of the fighters in blue turned to Giles, and he noticed that he, too, bore the crest that he saw upon the saddle of the black horse. “The royal seal.” He whispered to himself.
“My Prince.” The man said in a deep, emotional voice. “We heard of the party of outlaws and were sent out immediately to ensure your safety. Forgive the trespass, but we were on orders from the King.”
Unsure of what the huge man was talking about, Giles looked down, wishing all at once that he had some glasses to clean. “Uh, well… trespass?”
“Yes, my lord. I did try to honour your wishes not to be disturbed, but the King is the King, and I must be loyal to the crown.” He explained.
“Crown shmown, we need help here.” Spike cried out. “This girl is hurt.”
“Dawn?” Xander's brow lifted and an expression of worry passed over his features.
With a worried expression, Giles moved towards Spike. “Is she alright?”
Spike looked down at the girl in his arms. “She's scratched up – think she was just scared, and fainted or some bit.”
The huge man drew his sword instantly, and pointed it at Spike. “William,” the royal guard hissed. He looked over to a member of his guard and indicated that he take the injured girl off the white-haired outlaw. The guard did so, and Spike held very still, as he still had a sword centimetres away from his nose. “This is a new step for you, Will. Since when did you start caring about little girls?”
“Uh, you know this man?” Giles asked, a puzzled expression on his face.
“Of course, my lord. His band of outlaws have preyed upon the castle village numerous times in the last few years -- you sent me after him yourself once, don't you remember?”
“I… well, I --”
“He got knocked out,” Xander piped up. “Again. He's got a lump, well, more like a bruise really. Doesn't remember much. We just, uh, found ourselves being attacked by these outlaws, and they knocked him out and we had to fight them --”
“You have a marvellous grasp of the obvious, Squire Ronald.” The large man noticed the outlaw's sword in the young man's hands. “And considering the fact that is against our law for training squires to bear regal weapons--”
Xander dropped the sword and folded his arms. “Not bearing anything over here. No bearing whatsoever.”
The guard tried hard not to crack a smile. “As long as you keep my Prince alive, boy, you can carry the royal sceptre for all I care.”
Some of the other guards laughed aloud, and Xander blushed slightly.
“While that's all good and dandy, I'd very much like to move now.” Spike drawled.
The guard lifted an eyebrow. “Ah, yes, William.”
Spike lifted his brow. “You said that part. So it's a William then, is it? Better than Little John.”
He became confused, but the tip of his sword didn't so much as quiver. He kept his muscular body perfectly still, ready in case Spike made any move whatsoever to disarm him, or threaten the Prince's safety.
“So what's your name then, blue?” Spike asked, eyeing the sword carefully.
“I'm the Captain of the Royal Guard. You need no name from me,” he replied smoothly.
He looked to the Giles, who seemed more and more uncomfortable by the minute. “The girl has been taken back to the palace, my lord. And I believe it would be best if we did the same.”
“And what of the outlaw, Captain?” one of the other guards asked.
The Captain raised an eyebrow. “Arrest him. Place him in the dungeon.”
“Uh, that won't be necessary.” Giles piped up quickly. Spike shot him a 'you'd better get me out of this' look, which he promptly ignored. “This man helped us and did so to save the life of that girl. I suggest he be placed under guard, and taken to her – he will know how to care for her, should she need it.”
One of the other guards became angry. “But, Sire--”
“Those are my orders,” Giles said, more firmly this time.
The Captain waited for his men to lead the outlaw away and gently touched Giles' arm, indicating that he wished to speak privately.
Giles moved aside with the large man and nervously listened.
“I understand that you like to give all men second chances, Sire, but he is a known thief. I will trust your judgement, but please know that I cannot and will not let that man run around the castle unattended.”
“I understand, Captain. Which is why you will be the one to guard him,” Giles insisted, making things up as he went along.
The Captain looked bemused, then satisfied, and nodded before walking after his guards. Xander moved to Giles' side as they took up the rear of the group.
“You're starting to like this too much,” Xander insisted.
Giles scowled. “Don't be ridiculous.”
“I saw you, Giles. You were all commanding and royal and uppity.”
A glare followed the scowl. “I have to play the part Xander, or we wont get through the story. Remember, we have to play this story out to its final conclusion.”
“We have to figure out what story we're in first. And I'm hoping it's not some Cinderella story.”
“I seriously doubt there were any outlaws in Cinderella,” Giles replied as they walked along at a steady pace, fast enough to keep up with the Guard but slow enough so that none would hear their unusual conversation.
Xander complained to himself as he walked. “Forests and archery contests and tights and outlaws… what the hell was wrong with Aristocats?”
Giles glared.
“And what was up with you sending Spike in with Dawn?” Xander inquired.
Giles looked up ahead to see if he could catch a glimpse of the would-be-outlaw anywhere. “I don't want her to wake up in a fairytale castle surrounded by complete strangers. With Spike there, she feels safe.” He sighed. “Don't ask me why, but she does.”
“And what about the girls?”
Giles felt uneasy. “Perhaps they're wherever the Captain is taking us.”
“Or they're marching through the forest wearing funny caps and singing hi-ho.”
“Either way,” Giles continued, “we need to find out where we are, and where Ethan is. I intend to get a good ass-kicking in before I go home.”
Xander raised his brow, but didn't reply.
Giles cast his eyes up ahead again and caught a flash of sunlight off Spike's platinum head. He eyed the Captain's blue-caped back for a moment and looked around himself. The forest was unfamiliar, but still lush and green, as if it had lived off a thousand years of rain.
He thought for a moment about their last fairytale encounter, and remembered how it ended. Restraining a smile, he silently wondered to himself where the girls may have been – Tara, Anya, Willow and Buffy were all missing. And suddenly the realisation of a greater problem crossed his mind. That he was the Prince was now clear, but for him to be Prince, there would have to be a King.
And it had been a long time since he had seen his father.
* * *
Willow sat, a worried expression on her face, surrounded by netting and cloth that was decorated in hues of orange and red. After a few moments curled up with her arms around her knees, she felt it again – the desperate need to rush into the evening light and warn somebody about… something… she wasn't sure what.
Tara placed a hand on her girlfriend's shoulder. Wearing a similar garb, only decorated in forest shades of green, Tara found herself drawn, as her girlfriend was, to leave the house and find… somebody. They had to warn somebody about something dark that was coming – but none of them could remember what, exactly.
“Stupid blue dress.” Anya's cursing came out of nowhere, as they'd spent nearly half an hour in baffled, tense silence.
Willow shot her an angry look. “I think the last thing we need to be worrying about right now is our clothes.”
“You can say that. You got the attractive orange-coloured clothing. My dress is sky-blue! It's ugly! And you won't let me talk about Xander, so what am I supposed to talk about?”
“You could try shutting u—”
“Willow, Anya – please, just…” Tara cut her girlfriend off in an attempt to stall the argument she knew was coming from the moment she woke up in this strange world. She looked to Anya. “I know that you -- we all want to go find them - but we don't know where we are, where they are, or how we got here. The safest option is to stay here and wait for them to find us.”
“But… Xander may be in trouble. We should—”
“We should try.” Willow finished for her.
Tara thought for a moment, and then bowed her head in resignation.
“There is somebody we're supposed to warn about … something. We all feel it, so it must be important. This cabin and these,” she looked down at her brightly coloured dress. “These clothes – it's like something out of a fairytale. Do you think maybe…?”
“That this is all caused by that good looking but extremely evil English man that Giles knew, the one that sent us into storybook land and put Xander in those really, really tight green tights with the huge …”
“Ethan – his name is Ethan.” Willow interrupted before Anya could get out any disturbing references to Xander's genitalia.
“Ethan … is that the one you told me about, the sorcerer that Giles knew?” Tara inquired.
Willow confirmed with a nod, moving to the window and looking out into the forest. Suddenly, all the pieces fit – and she knew where they were. “If I remember my Disney correctly, we should have some wands.”
“You mean these?” Anya held up three long sticks. “I thought they were chopsticks.”
Willow took one, and passed another to her girlfriend. With a flick of her wrist, she touched the wand to her shoulders and felt a sudden blast of wind. With a few sparkles still falling to the floor, she shook her pixie-like wings and smiled.
“Wings?” Tara asked, wide-eyed.
“Oh!” Willow looked panicked. “No, not my bad – it's a part of the fairytale!”
Tara thought for a moment before accepting this to be true, casting away her immediate disappointment, and attempting the feat herself. To her surprise, she too was soon bearing wings.
Anya watched them with an unsure look on her face.
“Come on, if it's a part of the fairytale then we have to do it to get home.” Willow rolled her eyes at Anya's reluctance.
The ex-demon seemed almost shy for the first time in her life.
Tara touched her shoulder. “Anya, what is it?”
“I don't like flying.”
“As in, planes?” She asked.
Anya shook her head. “As in nothing – planes, helicopters, pixie dust…”
Tara exchanged a confused look with her girlfriend, who shrugged.
“I don't even like watching things fly.” She continued. “Because you know they're just going to fall out of the sky and hit the ground and have their internal organs squashed to half the size of—”
“Anya!” Willow shouted. “We get it – flying equals bad.”
“It's probably best that we remain inconspicuous anyway, if we run into anybody.” Tara noted, using her wand to make her wings vanish once again.
Willow pulled a frustrated face and did the same. “Fine. But if we're going to get Buffy out of the tower and find the guys, we need to go now.”
“How do you know Buffy is in a tower?” Tara wondered aloud as they made their way to the door.
Willow found a pocket in her colourful gown and shoved her wand into it. “A half dozen Disney movie marathons spent in my parent's living room with Xander when we were in the second grade. I swear, I had to hide that damned Bambi tape whenever he came over.”
“We're in Bambi? Oh god!” Anya jumped up onto the nearest table.
“What's wrong now?” Willow asked, impatiently.
Tara stifled a laugh. “Um, Bambi's friend… the bunny rabbit.”
“We're not in Bambi,” Willow growled.
Anya was holding her hair back, as she had to bend slightly to keep from brushing her head against the thatching of the ceiling. “You're sure?”
“We're not in Bambi!” She repeated, before throwing her hands into the air angrily. “And who the hell is afraid of a cartoon rabbit?”
“His name is Thumper! How is that not scary?” The demon cried.
Tara moved close to the table. “Anya, we're not in Bambi. There is no Thumper. Promise.”
Anya looked down at the kinder witch.
Tara gave her a slight smile. “So get down, and let's go save your boyfriend.”
Lowering herself off the table, Anya eyed Willow warily before the redhead turned and stormed out the door, followed by her hesitant girlfriend and the still slightly shaking Anya.
* * *
Giles moved up the stone stairs slowly, following the Captain to what he could only assume was his part of the castle. The doors slid open to reveal a huge chamber, brightly lit and decorated with paintings that looked like something out of a Disney castle – oddly shaped crests and shields.
“Sire, you may want to change into your regal attire before meeting with the King.”
“I… I won't be staying long.” Giles replied, quickly. “My Squire and I wish to hunt again later.”
“Hunt?”
Bad guess, Giles thought. “Uh, I mean… we wish to continue our previous activity.”
The captain raised his brow. “With all due respect, my lord, in your current condition you would not be wise to leave. In your current condition, and with an ordered meeting with the King…you'd be near insane if you decided to go now.”
“Then I guess I'm insane,” he replied, moving to the nearby set of drawers and searching them for a clean shirt.
“You always were a stubborn one.”
Giles straightened immediately at the sound of that voice. He wheeled around with a dark look on his face, and without flinching, ordered the captain to leave them.
The captain lifted his brow. “Leave…” he looked around the room. “But, my lord, there is no one here but us.”
Giles was shocked at his response, and then looked to Ethan, who merely smiled.
Closing his eyes for a moment in frustration and anger, Giles waved his hand. “I am tired, Captain. Forgive me. I will meet the King at the arranged time.”
Still concerned, the Captain bowed slightly and turned to leave. Once he was gone Giles stripped his shirt and moved to put on the other one. “So, old friend.”
Ethan watched with a grin as Giles pulled his new shirt on. “Come on, Ripper. You can't tell me you're not having fun.”
“Really? I'm not having fun. I'm having a desperate urge to kick your seemingly invisible ass into bloody Bambi!”
The smile didn't fade. “Funny you should choose Bambi.”
Giles paused, his eyes narrowing. “We can't be in—”
“No, you're not.” Ethan cut him off. “But a few girls were just discussing Bambi and the frightening potential of a rabbit. Three young girls: two witches and an ex-demon. I wonder who they could be…”
The ex-Watcher moved forward menacingly. “If you hurt them I will rip your head off and shove it up your--”
“Come now, that's not suitable behaviour for a Prince. Soon to be a King, what with your late betrothal and all.”
Without giving his nemesis a response, Giles thought carefully over the information Ethan had given him so far, but still could not piece it all together.
“You'll figure out it soon. At least, I hope you will. It's not as much fun when you can't figure it out, and progress on to the next level. That way, we don't get to the fun part.” He shifted, as if he'd heard something. “Oh, that'll be for you. Better get changed.”
“What'll be for me?”
There were two loud knocks at the door. Giles lifted his brow and looked over to the doorway, then looked back to where Ethan had been standing. He was gone.
After a few moments of thinking, he moved to the door and pulled it open. The Captain stood behind the heavy wood, a blank look on his face. “The King calls, my lord… but, you're not even changed.” He seemed alarmed, then dismayed.
Giles looked down and wheeled around quickly. “Give me a moment.”
He moved to the drawers and found what seemed to be his pants… only to find each and every pair was a pair of tights. “On second thoughts.”
The Captain felt the door swing open. He lifted his brow after noticing that the Prince was still in his regular pants.
“I'd rather not keep the King waiting.”
From behind the Captain, Xander restrained a smile. The discovery that all male formal wear consisted of a tunic and tights was one he had made a few minutes ago, also.
Giles stepped into the hallway and waved an arm, indicating that the captain should lead them. With a bemused expression, the Captain showed them the way.
Xander leaned in so only Giles would hear him. “Still nothing on the girls?”
Shaking his head, Giles cast a weary glance to the Captain. “Nothing yet – I had a visit from Ethan, who seems to be only visible to me at present.”
“Damn. I hate it when they do that,” Xander quipped, checking he'd remembered to bring his belt dagger with him.
Giles had grown used to the sheath that hung awkwardly at his belt – it was almost as if he'd known the feeling before. Perhaps Ethan was getting better with his fairytale alternate realities – Giles felt like he was Prince Phillip. He had odd memories here and there, feelings and emotions that could only be likened to that of a Prince or royalty of some kind. And the startling, vivid yet obscure memory of a beautiful woman in a glade…
He shook himself from his reverie as they reached the throne room. Preparing himself for an emotional onslaught, he watched as the two huge doors were pulled slowly open. He approached the throne with his head down, and it wasn't until he was half way there that he realised it was empty. Confused, his eyes narrowed. His temporarily perfect vision wasn't lying to him – the closer he got, the more clearly he could see the velvet cushions that outlined the empty throne.
Heaving a sigh of mixed emotions he wheeled around to find himself face-to-face with a tall, dark haired man. His ponytail hung behind him loosely, and the clothing he wore was snug to his body.
It took Giles a few moments to realise that this man was the spitting image of Wesley. He blinked, shook his head, and looked again.
“Something wrong?”
Xander noticed it too. “Uh, no… his memory is kinda shot.”
“Shot?”
“I've forgotten a few things,” Giles covered for his friend's mistake. “Including your name, unfortunately.”
He smiled. “My Prince, this is hardly the time for this, but I will indulge your imagination. I am Rothar, the royal adviser. The King can't see you – he is still speaking with King Arthur.”
“About?”
“Your engagement to his daughter, sir.” Rothar seemed both astounded and amused at the same time, if that were possible. “As I said, it's a fine time to go and lose your memory.”
“Did they have sarcasm in Disney movies?” Xander asked.
Rothar seemed confused, but simply shrugged before bowing and leaving them. The Captain, also, had left them temporarily.
“Okay, why is it that he doesn't know who we are, but we know who he is?” Xander asked now that they were finally alone.
“Wesley? I would assume that whatever magic Ethan has used to transport us here also allowed him to scan our minds. All of the people we see here are ones we've seen before.”
“Like in Robin Hood – when Prince John was Adam?”
Giles nodded. “It's likely. They are merely images of the people we know – it isnt' really Wesley.”
“I'll count that as a good thing.” Xander insisted.
“Very well, we just need to find a way out of here. I have the distinct feeling that I'm supposed to be somewhere…”
“Like in cabin in a forest?”
“Yes, how did you know?” Giles was confused.
Xander lifted his brow. “Because I think I know which fairytale we're in.”
“How do you kn-- wait, I don't want to know – let's just go.” With a hand on the hilt of his sword, Giles headed for the door… something drove him forward, and he knew where to go and what to do.
It seemed that Ethan had grown impatient last time, when they each had to figure out their role in the fairytale. This time he had planted a sixth sense in each of them that urged them forward into their role in the story…
It wasn't until he was on horseback, pounding across the drawbridge, that Giles knew exactly what lay ahead of him. He would be caught, he would be taken to the dungeon and the girls would come… that is, if Ethan kept to the storyline.
But then, Ethan was never a great follower of rules.
* * *
The forest was dark and the trees melted into each other in the night, creating the perfect ghostly setting for what was about to happen. That was, if Ethan was keeping to the storyline, in which case this would all be predictable. The only problem being that Ethan never kept to anything, and was very rarely predictable. They hadn't been gone too long, and they'd kept their horses at a walking pace, as Xander hadn't ridden before.
Still dressed as a Squire, Xander followed not far behind Giles, bearing their one and only torch. Before they left the castle, Xander had gathered a few items he felt would come in handy while he'd waited for Giles to retrieve the horses, since a Prince had a better chance of successfully taking two horses from the stable without a valid reason than a simple Squire.
There were several characters in this alternate dimensional story-world that weren't in the original tale… or, the Disney version, at least. Giles had explained, once Xander had complained about the deviation from the original story, that Ethan rarely cared about doing things by the book. He needed to find a way to distract them, so he created a castle full of people that were never spoken of or seen in any movie. He needed to create characters like the leader of the outlaws, William, the slave girl, and the Squire, Roland, so all of the people he'd taken from Xander's apartment would have a role in the story.
Receiving a “that sucks” exclamation from his riding companion, Giles smiled and continued on, wondering to himself about his explanation and why Ethan would go to so much trouble just to terrorize his life the way he had over the last four or five years.
He noticed Xander fidgeting in a pocket on his horse's saddle and enquired as to why.
“Oh, just some things I picked up from the castle on the way out. A few… souvenirs.”
There was a distinct rustle in the bushes behind them, and Giles slowly drew his sword as they slowly turned their horses around. He eyed the darkness behind them carefully. And finally sheathed his sword with a sigh. “What are you doing here?”
“Following you, I'd wager.” Spike emerged from the dark, Dawn clinging to his arm and shaking ever so slightly.
Giles leaned forward on his horse. “You shouldn't be here.”
“I'll second that.”
Giles and Xander both turned their horses again, finding the faint outline of a cabin up ahead, and the figure of a man in the nearby shadows.
“Ethan, this is between you and me.” Giles dismounted, moving towards his old adversary.
“Oh, no, Ripper. That takes all the fun out of it.” Ethan backed up slightly.
Spike moved up beside Giles. “Look you great bloody twat, you are going to get us out of this sodding story or I will personally tear you a new—!”
“Spike!” Giles warned, indicating Dawn's presence.
“Smile.” Spike finished.
Dawn moved forward, quietly, standing beside Xander's horse.
“Unrest among the happy campers, then?” Ethan smiled. He looked past the two advancing men to the young girl that stood between the two castle horses. “Alright then. You can leave this story. You and the girl.”
Spike's brow lifted. He looked to Dawn, who nodded ever so slightly, then back to Ethan.
Ethan smirked and waved a hand, saying a quick incantation in Latin. He paused. “Tall but scrawny. You'd look good in green.” Ethan lifted his brow as both Dawn and Spike vanished suddenly from sight.
Giles grabbed his old friend's collar and reefed him off his feet. “Where did you send them?”
“Oh, they'll love it. Plenty of sunshine. Plenty of fresh air.”
Furious, Giles dropped him.
Catching his breath, Ethan muttered: “Plenty of pirates.”
Giles drew his sword and advanced again, only to find himself met by dozens of armoured ghouls and demons.
“So you're Maleficent, then,” Xander observed.
Giles shot him a puzzled look.
“Evil witch lady,” Xander filled him in, and then observed Ethan. “Well I guess that's kind of fitting.”
Ethan ignored the insult, and indicated silently for his men to advance.
Giles and Xander both fought until they were overwhelmed. Now bound by chains and ropes, they were pulled to their feet by armoured men and brought over to Ethan.
“Now,” he said. “The fun begins.”
* * *
“Nimbus, tielle.”
Willow shot forward in a burst of speed, followed by Tara and Anya.
“I don't like this – using real magic in a world like this. It may affect the elements.” Tara said softly.
“We can't fly,” Willow explained. “And we need to move quickly. The Nimble Spell is the only other way to move as fast.”
Anya dashed ahead again.
“What makes you think they're at the cabin?” Tara asked, curious.
Willow darted after the other two girls. “It's the next part of the story. I just hope we're not too late…”
“Too late for what?” Anya asked.
They all stopped dead as they came to the cabin. It was dark inside, still. They moved to the window and Willow used her wand to illuminate the room inside.
It was empty.
Willow look confused and slightly worried as she thought over what to do next.
Tara looked around, feeling all at once helpless. “Where to now?”
“The dungeon.” Willow replied immediately. “But we have no idea where that is.”
“And I'm not getting any startling urges to rush off, this time,” Anya sighed.
“Maybe he doesn't want us to find him,” Tara suggested.
Willow pressed her lips together as she struggled with what to do next. “We have to find the tower.”
“But you just said—”
“Not the dungeon – the tower. The one that Buffy is in.”
Anya looked baffled. “Is this the one where she's got really, really long hair and some guy has to climb up it?”
Willow rolled her eyes as she moved past the other two women, looking in each direction. “The problem is; where do we start looking?”
“Um…” Anya said gently, gaining their attention. She pointed to the forest floor, a few feet away. “I think I may know where…”
* * *
Xander groaned as he rolled his shoulders.
Giles looked around the small, stone cell they had been imprisoned in. It was cold, and the shackles that bound their hands and feet were too tight.
“Don't worry, Big-G, we'll be out of here in no time. There are three good fairies on their way.”
“Oh, I wouldn't bet on that…” Ethan slid through the now-open doorway. Two huge guards stood either side of the wooden panels, large spears in their chunky hands. “You see,” he continued, “there are three good fairies wandering around in the woods, without a clue as to where this dungeon is. Or where they are, for that matter.”
“But, they'll know. Like we knew.” Xander looked over at Giles, who shook his head gently.
“You see, my boy, Ripper here knows that the only reason you knew what to do was because I placed those impulses in your mind. Without those impulses, you'd still be at square one.”
Xander realised where Ethan was heading…
Ethan smirked. “Nobody knows you're here. The Slayer is asleep, not likely to wake up any time soon. And the other three most powerful allies you have are lost in the woods somewhere, like little girls.”
The door flew open with a deafening boom and Ethan was sent flying across the room, engulfed in a ball of orange energy. Tara moved forward, floating across the ground, surrounded by a powerful orange light. “Not that little.”
Willow ran over to Giles and Xander, using her wand to remove the chains. They pulled themselves to their feet, and Giles noticed the two slumped bodies of the guards in the hallway – still breathing, but unconscious.
They heard a thud, and looked over to where Ethan lay, sprawled on the ground, with an angry ex demon over him, kicking him in the ribs. “That!” she cried. “Is for chaining up my boyfriend. That!” she kicked him again. “Is for the stupid fairy wings. And this!” She booted him in the head. “Is for giving me the blue dress!”
Xander grinned, and Giles felt vaguely satisfied at the sight of Ethan's bleeding nose.
Willow gained their attention. “We have to find Buffy – she's trapped in the ancient tower, it's just through the woods.”
“We saw it,” Tara clarified. “It's pretty huge.”
Giles nodded. “We should go… but, how did you find us?”
“Trail of breadcrumbs.” Anya answered, moving over to where the others were, leaving Ethan to moan and roll around in pain.
Xander had a satisfied look on his face. “Knew it would work. All hail plan B.”
“Excuse me?” Giles was confused.
“Well I figured Ethan probably wouldn't play by the rules, so I grabbed a loaf of bread when I was getting the torch. Made sure the girls could find us, just in case.” He explained.
Giles was bemused. “Trail of breadcrumbs? Wrong fairytale, Xander.”
“It worked didn't it?” He grinned.
Smiling in response, Giles led them out the door, past the guards and down the hallway. They all stopped abruptly when Willow, who had taken the lead, came to a halt and wheeled around to face Giles. “What about Ethan?”
Giles lifted his brow. He'd almost completely forgotten. How could he have been so stupid? He raced back to the dungeon room to find it empty. With a frustrated sigh, he turned to leave.
“So you found your fairies. That's all well and good, Ripper.” He heard Ethan's voice, but it wasn't nearby. It was more ethereal, as if coming from the air itself. The others also heard it. “But you see, the more people you gather along the way, the more they will slow you down.”
Giles was puzzled for a moment before shaking off the feeling that someone had just walked across his grave. Willow cast Ethan's cryptic message from her mind and focused on Giles once again. “I'm pretty sure the three of us have to do this part.” She said, indicating that Tara and Anya should join her. They each held out their wands, pressing the ends together, and then pointed them towards Giles. In a flash of blinding light he was carrying a sturdy, strong shield and a glimmering sword.
Xander lifted his brow. “Can I be next?”
Willow waved her wand and did the same for Xander as they had a moment ago for Giles.
“That wasn't in the story.” Tara suggested gently.
“Hey, if Ethan isn't going to play by the rules, why should we?”
Giles nodded, a serious look on his face, and indicated that they should get moving.
Once at the bottom of the stairs, they were forced to fight off a handful of armoured guards. After several moments of contemplating the after-effects, they each decided it was worth the risk and the wands were put into play, knocking each of the guards into a deep sleep.
“Hey, weren't we supposed to put the whole town to sleep?” Willow asked, after a moment.
“Oh, yeah.” Xander confirmed.
Anya shrugged. “What's a few days sleep? They'll be fine.”
“We have more important things to worry about. Like finding the tower, finding Buffy…” Tara trailed off as she noticed what was going on up ahead of them. The forest was morphing and tearing itself into a vast jungle of thorny vines. “Finding a way through that…”
They all followed her gaze to the huge mass of thorns that they had yet to pass.
Anya whimpered. “I hate this part.”
“Well, we could fly over it.” Willow suggested. Waving her wand in the air and sending a glittering explosion across her back. Once the shimmering had faded, it was clear that her wings had returned.
Tara did the same after a few short moments, and Anya moved closer to her boyfriend. “Why don't we wait here while you two go and get Buffy?”
“Or better yet, why don't you stop being such a baby and get your goddam wings?” Willow was getting frustrated again. “We can't carry Giles and Xander, just the two of us. We need your help.”
Anya sighed. “I… I'm sorry I just can't.”
“Tuber miotee.” Willow whispered, pointing her wand at the ground near Anya's feet.
A small, fluffy, white bunny popped out of nowhere.
Anya didn't notice.
“Um… Ahn.” Xander mentioned gently. “You might want to move.”
“Why?” She followed Xander's gaze down.
“Arggh! Wings! WINGS!” She cried, waving her wand furiously in the air. After a few moments she was floating above the ground with the rabbit far below her. “Dear god, get rid of it, get rid of it!”
“You're flying, Ahn!” Xander exclaimed.
“I don't care if I'm spontaneously combusting, just get rid of it!” She exclaimed.
With a second wave of her wand, the bunny disappeared.
Anya floated down, catching her breath. “Well… hey, this flying thing isn't so bad…”
Willow rolled her eyes.
“Tell me about it.”
Giles brow lowered at the sound of Dawn's voice, and they turned to find her floating a few meters behind them, wearing a small green dress. Behind her, a pair of wings far longer than the ones the three women had were buzzing furiously, keeping her off the ground.
She looked like the epitome of the cartoon fairy.
“You're alright.” Giles moved forward. “Oh, thank god. We had no idea where Ethan had sent you and-- where's Spike?”
He heard a whimper from not far away. On a rocky outcrop several feet from where he and Dawn were standing sat the platinum-haired Spike, dressed from head to toe in a green garb that consisted of a rough-edged tunic and tights with brown boots. He sat hunched over, with his head in his hands.
Dawn had a sympathetic expression on her face. “He didn't really take to the role.”
“Of?” Giles asked, curious and confused.
Xander restrained himself from laughing out loud, as did Willow. Tara held back her huge grin, while Anya and Giles remained unsure of what was going on.
“So you're…?” Anya asked.
“Duh… Tinkerbell.” Dawn replied.
“Which would make him…”
Giles tried not to laugh.
“Sodding shut up the lot of you!” Spike yelled. “I didn't laugh when I saw Squire boy and Prince-poofter over here, did I?”
“Actually, yeah, you did.” Xander clarified.
“Okay, maybe I did. But I still haven't said anything about Rainbow bloody Brite over there and her colour kiddies.”
“Hey!” Willow exclaimed, and then paused. “Why am I defending this dress?”
Anya shrugged. “At least it's not blue.”
“Alright, everyone.” Giles silenced the group. “At least we know where everybody is now.”
“Not everyone.” Spike piped up.
Dawn nodded. “Buffy.”
Giles drew a deep breath. “She's up there.” He pointed to the tower that stood beyond the mass of thorny vines.
Spike looked up at the huge tower, then down at what lay in front of it. “So how are we going to get through that?”
“We fly over it,” Willow offered, indicating her wings. “Dawn can obviously fly, and I'm assuming you can if you've got enough--” she stifled a laugh. “Fairy dust.”
“I'm grounded.” Spike replied, still a little pissed off.
“How come?” Tara asked, a little disappointed.
He exchanged looks with Dawn, who shrugged. “We still haven't figured out that part yet.”
“Aww, maybe he's just not thinking happy thoughts.” Xander joked.
Spike glared. “Five minutes alone with you and a pitchfork will give me all the happy thoughts I bloody well need.”
“Or a really bad headache.” Xander corrected with a smug grin.
“Worth it.” Spike grinned back.
“Enough!” Willow cried. “If you guys don't want to do this the easy-easy way, we'll just have to settle for the regular easy way.”
She wheeled around and waved her wand in the air. “Separate!”
Torn between the original magic that held them in place and the new, powerful magic now forced upon them, the vines battled with themselves to stay, but eventually pulled apart, forming a pathway.
The ground rumbled, and each of them struggled to maintain their footing.
“What was that?” Xander cried.
“This alternate universe lives on the magic instilled in these wands and fairy magic. The more real magic we use, the more unstable this world will become,” Tara explained as they staggered down the pathway, trying to keep upright while the ground continued to shake. The women all took to the air, while the three men hurried as fast as they could down the path Willow had made for them.
In a flash of hot, red light, the four fairies went spiralling to the ground, their falls only broken by each other.
Rushing over to help them to their feet, Spike, Xander and Giles looked up in awe at the huge body that rose from the ground directly in front of the tower. It was a dragon, or at least, it looked like one. Giles was unsure of how real it really was.
“Oh, trust me Ripper. It's quite real.” Ethan's voice rang out again, again not present, but more from the air above.
A burst of flame rained down upon them, and Giles dove in front of the others, lifting his shield up to block the flames.
“Willow!” Xander cried over the dragon's roar. “Do the thing with the sword!”
“What?” She cried back.
After a few moments, another blast of fire was unleashed, and was again blocked successfully by Giles. Xander moved ahead and mimicked Giles action with his own shield, providing a large space of cover for the four women behind them.
“The thing!” He cried out again. “The sword – send the sword.”
Willow thought for a moment. “Oh! Giles, get ready to throw your sword!”
Giles kept his defence up while spinning his sword around in his other hand.
“Okay! Throw it.”
After another burst of fire had ceased, Giles leapt to his feet and launched his sword. It flew directly toward the Dragon, but was cast aside by a long, powerful claw. Giles ducked down again, narrowly escaping being torched. “Brilliant, Willow. Perhaps we should give him our shields as well.”
“Oh, what are we going to do?!” Dawn cried.
“I'm working on it! I'm working on it!” Willow exclaimed, and then looked to Xander for some kind of support.
“Maybe you need to say that thing.”
“What thing?” Willow asked.
“You know,” he said, “that thing that the fairy says before the Prince throws the sword and kills the dragon.”
“Oh!” Willow remembered what he was talking about. “Oh, okay. I can do that.”
She turned to Giles, pulling Xander's sword off him and handing it to the Watcher. “Let's try this again.”
Giles prepared himself to throw the second sword.
“Okay… what was it.” Willow whispered to herself, lifting her wand to the sword. “Uh, honoured sword… no…”
“Hurry up, Willow.” Giles warned, feeling the burn on his arm from the fire that still continuously struck the shields.
“Valiant sword? Fly s-strong and true… something… evil die and good …”
“There's an opening… I have to throw it!” Giles exclaimed, getting read to stand.
Once the fire subsided, he leapt to his feet once again and launched the sword.
“Fly swift and --- hit it this time!!!” Willow screamed out.
The sword struck true, directly in the centre of the dragon's chest. After a moment, the huge creature's eyes rolled back into its head and it slowly began to collapse. They all stood and watched the dragon's demise, as it melted away into the soil it came from.
“That worked.” Xander said after a moment of silence.
Giles smiled slightly. “Hit it this time… I'll have to remember that one.”
Willow shrugged.
“Um, hate to spoil the shock, people, but we have a Slayer to save,” Spike piped up.
Pulling themselves away from the sight before them, they made their way into the tower and began to scale the huge staircase to the top.
Once they finally emerged through the huge stone doorway of the highest room, they found her, sleeping peacefully in a long velvet and silken bed. Giles stepped forward, and several of the others moved after him, but Spike held out an arm to restrain them.
“What?” Dawn said.
“This isn't our business, bit. It's theirs.” He said gently.
Giles moved to the bedside and smiled softly at her beautiful face, so peaceful. He almost hated to wake her up, to send her back to the living hell she faced in Sunnydale. But he knew he couldn't bear that hell without her there… and so he felt almost selfish in kneeling beside her and leaning closer, tracing a finger down her delicate cheekbone.
He remembered their last kiss, trapped between the story world and their own, and remembered how it felt to have her all to himself just for that moment. To know that she was kissing him back.
He closed his eyes and brushed her lips with his, ever so gently, drawing her into the softest of kisses.
After a moment she stirred, and he pulled away. She blinked and her brow lifted.
“Whoa,” she said gently, shivering ever so slightly. After a moment she shook herself and looked around. “What happened? Where am I… party…?” She looked up, and caught the spark of amusement in his eyes, as well as the slight hint of sadness. “Giles!”
He nodded and helped her sit up. She looked down at her dress. “Uh, medieval much. Where am I… and why is Spike dressed as Peter Pan?”
Spike blushed.
“Long story,” Giles insisted. “But you, Sleeping Beauty, have to get back to the castle. We have a story to finish.”
“Sleeping… story…” she considered for a moment before she realised what was going on. “Ethan?”
He nodded. “Ethan.”
“That guy needs to spend some serious bonding time with a jail cell,” She commented, pulling herself up off the bed.
“Preferably one occupied by a large Felon named Bubba,” Xander added.
Dawn looked confused and went to ask why, but felt Tara's hand on her shoulder and changed her mind.
Buffy's eyes narrowed at the sight of her friends. She turned to Willow, Tara and Anya. “Okay, you three I get 'cause, hey, saw the movie, but you,” she looked over to Dawn, who was slightly red, but nowhere near as red as Spike. “This is not a good look for you.” Buffy noted, pointing to the skimpy green dress.
“Totally not my fault.” Dawn insisted. “That Ethan guy sent Spike and me into another story – we didn't pick where we were gonna go or who we were gonna be.”
Buffy nodded towards Spike with an amused expression. “I should hope not.”
He glared.
“We should go.” Willow motioned towards the stairs.
The others all quietly agreed and started to make their way down the staircase. Giles moved to follow, but the Slayer caught his arm. He looked back at her for a moment, and held behind, waiting for the others to disappear from the doorway.
“Giles, I… thank you.”
“For what?” He replied, suddenly becoming strangely nervous.
She looked behind her at the regal bed. “For waking me up, for coming after me. For being you. For…” she suddenly felt very silly. “All of the above.”
He smiled in return. “Buffy, I will always come after you.”
“I knew this whole 'Watcher' deal would come in handy some day,” she joked.
After an intense moment, he brushed a strand of hair away from her face. “So did I.”
“Uh, guys. Not to spoil the moment, but to finish this story, we kind of need the hero and the damsel in distress,” Xander called from the doorway.
They paused, both intensely wishing he hadn't come back right at that moment.
“Yeah,” Buffy said gently, prying her eyes away from her Watcher's. “Right. Cool. Coming.”
She pulled herself away from the moment they'd shared and followed her friends down the stairs. Giles paused, alone briefly before he followed his Slayer down.
* * *
Pushing open the doorway that led out of the tower, one by one they found themselves back in Xander's apartment. Confused, they each exchanged looks before a general feeling of relief passed over them.
Their clothes had returned to normal, and the room was still decorated. Xander noted that the CD they'd left on was still playing the same song.
“Inter-dimensional travelling is often timeless, so we've probably only been gone for thirty seconds or so.” Anya suggested.
Dawn checked her back for wings, while Spike looked intensely relieved to be free of his Never-Land attire. Buffy smiled and looked around at her friends, until her eyes rested on Giles. He looked… disappointed.
The group dispersed. Willow took her girlfriend home to get some rest, Spike headed to his crypt and Xander and Anya kept Dawn entertained with a board game in the next room.
Buffy made her way over to Giles, who sat on Xander's couch, staring blankly into the wall.
“You all right?” She sat beside him.
“I think after being set upon by outlaws in a strange forest, being told I'm a Prince, being held in a dungeon, navigating a thorn jungle and fighting a dragon I'm pretty much worn for today.”
She grinned. “All in a days work.”
He cocked his head and closed his eyes, feeling his glasses on the bridge of his nose slide slightly. They were back, and his eyesight had returned to the way it was.
“When we got back you looked…” she tried to find the right word. “Disappointed.”
He observed her for a moment before sighing softly. “There was a King in the alternate universe. My father… or, at least, I hoped he'd be. But I never found out.”
“And you wish you'd gone to see him?”
“I did. He wasn't there… I never found out if he was my father or just the King from the fable.” Giles shook his head. “It's silly.”
“No,” Buffy placed a hand on his knee. “It's really, really not.”
He looked at her sideways for a moment, wondering what she was thinking.
“I keep wondering where Ethan is, why he keeps doing things like this.” Buffy leaned back into the couch. “And I always seemed to come to the conclusion that he's either very bored or very stupid.”
“Or maybe both.”
“Or maybe both.” She agreed.
He smiled slightly. It had been a while since they'd just sat together, and just talked. Not for any reason, not because the world was ending or some demon was going to kill them all. Because he was her Watcher, and she was his Slayer -- and in that very same sense, they belonged to each other, and they always would.
Something told him she was thinking the same thing at that moment.
She exchanged glances with him, and leaned forward again. “Do you realise that makes three times you've kissed me to save my life or to get us home.”
“Twice.” He corrected.
“Twice?”
Giles nodded. “The second time wasn't really…”
She remembered their last kiss, in between dimensions. “Oh, right. Okay, twice.”
He listened to the hum of the music Xander had left on and leaned into the couch, laying his arm along the back
After a pause she grinned. “They have any rules about that kind of thing in the Slayer handbook?”
Giles shrugged. “I never really read it.”
“There's a book that you haven't read?” She said playfully, acting amazed.
He scowled and poked her in the side. She laughed, and then looked into the next room where she could see the back of Dawn's chair. They were still engrossed in the game, by the looks of things.
After a moment, she leaned back into the couch, her shoulder pressing against his chest. “So, we survived the Disney sequel.”
Smiling, he moved his arm down around her and squeezed her shoulder. “That we did.”
“You think Ethan will do it again?”
He shrugged. “We can only hope not.”
“What do you think the next one will be?” She asked with a slight smile.
“Anything but Peter Pan -- I don't think I could handle Spike in green tights ever again.”
She laughed aloud. “You either, huh?”
After a long pause she rested her head against his shoulder. “It doesn't really matter where we end up. Long as you're there.”
He looked down at her with a bemused expression. “Was that a very subtle way of giving me a compliment?”
“Did it work?”
Looking back up he squeezed her shoulder again. “I think so.”
She yawned. “You'd think after all that sleep, I wouldn't really be that tired.”
He cocked his head. “Well, it has been a long day, one way or another.”
“For you, maybe. For me it was party, wake up, home. I got the good end of the deal.”
As she quietly drifted off into the first few stages of sleep, he whispered: “No… I did.”
“Next time,” she mumbled from a state of semi-consciousness. “When you kiss me again… can you make sure I'm awake for it?”
He grinned. “So… not now then.”
Her eyes opened and she smiled.
“Now is good…”
* * *