__Mated Pairs__
By Appomattoxco



Anya peeked into the library; it looked like she wasn't the only one skipping class this period. Buffy and her friends were there already; she knew they'd all have to be introduced someday but her history teacher was enough to deal with today. Stupid woman thought the black plague was started by flea infested rats. Everyone knew that it was started when a woman wished her cheating husband would become a vermin covered hare or maybe she wished his hair was vermin covered? Either way, Mrs. Coats had no idea what she was talking about.

"What are you doing going in there?"

Anya's hand froze on the door, "I was going in to get a book, Mr. Snyder." Great, she thought. Speaking of unpleasant rodents…

"Who are you anyway? Another friend of the Summers girl?"

"I'm a transfer student and I've changed my mind about that book."

"Good. You're better off staying away from those people, not that I care what happens to you." He was frowning unattractively and seemed unhappy with the idea that she even existed.

"Oh, I'm going to be doing a lot of reading in the future. It's what school is for, right? I'm just not in the mood today," Anya said, with a bright, false smile. Then she put on a puzzled frown. "What's that mark on your forehead?" Snyder looked doubtful but rubbed a hand over his bald head anyway. "I'd wash it if I were you, it's not coming off." She must have been convincing because he hurried off, muttering about a meeting with somebody and rubbing his forehead.

Anya managed to make it out of the school itself and to the mall without incident. Her mood was greatly improved after the purchase of a lacy red bra and matching tap pants. The yeasty smell of the soft pretzels called her name and she gave in. It wasn't in the main food court but at the other side of the Sunnydale Mall. When she sat at a bench to eat, a young mother pulled up beside her with a small human in a very flimsy looking stroller. The poor thing had pictures of hopping yellow bunnies all over her top but was too young to understand their revolting twitchiness and was happily chewing her toes.

"Oh Emily, where did your shoe go?" The baby's sock was in her lap but the shoe was missing.

The woman didn't seem to expect her child to answer, so, in spite of her macabre taste in clothes, she appeared sane. Anya tried to reassure her. "Her toes are very tiny and pink; it's not at all off putting to see her put them in her mouth and as she's not really buying anything I don't think the `no shoes no service' applies." The woman smiled and nodded but left in a hurry, presumably to look for, or replace, the missing shoes.

A little while later Anya was regretting the salty snack and the large diet cola she had drunk because of it. Public restrooms were disgusting but she urgently needed to pee. The walk down to the end of the long, dimly lit hall between the Radio Shack and toy store seemed like it took forever. The mother and child she'd seen earlier were a few paces ahead of her, so she sped up, not wanting to have to wait if only one stall had paper. The few weeks in high school had taught her something. She had worried needlessly as the baby just needed to be changed. When Anya washed her hands the baby was smiling widely and wearing pink teddy bears.

The mother and child left and when Anya joined them in the hall the hairs on the back of her neck prickled. She heard a strange sound but before she could place it there was the loud rumble of a hand cart rolling over the floor above. She found herself in as much of a hurry to leave as she was to get to the restroom in the first place but forced herself not to run. If nothing was there it would look silly; and more importantly if something or someone were there it might encourage a chase. She tried to walk confidently, on guard for anything that might come from the center of the mall or the doors on either side of the hall marked `employees only'.

The danger came from above; two frog-like creatures who dropped from the ceiling with a sticky plop. They would have been laughable if one hadn't quickly taken a long dagger and slit the throat of the woman in front of her. Before Anya could get to it, the other demon bent down and his hideous jaw unhinged, allowing him to bite Emily's head off.

Anya turned and ran for the door to the toy store but the employee entrance was locked or stuck. If she tried to make it across the hall to the Radio Shack the demon would catch her for sure. She grabbed the fire extinguisher off the wall and sprayed it in the face of the nearest demon just as it looked up from its meal. The Radio Shack door pushed open. Gasping for breath, she stumbled over a box and got up again, not daring to look back for shoe she'd lost.

* * * * *

"Anya, dear Lord are you hurt?" Anya had been standing in the hall as Giles and Buffy had left the library Anya seemed dazed: one of her shoes was missing and she was shaking like a leaf.

"I was at the mall." Anya said, in a very small voice that alarmed Giles even more, as he led her back into the library.

"Was it a gang?" Buffy asked, unaware that Anya knew about the existence of vampires and was once a demon herself. "No just two Glogo demons, probably a mated pair." Anya looked down at her feet, "I lost my shoe, just like Emily. … I used the fire extinguisher on the one that ate her; I don't think that killed it though. That's the last thing I remember, I'm not sure how I got here. Giles, I thought I'd never see you again." Then Anya pulled his head down to hers and kissed him like a lover reunited, sure and uncertain all at once. Giles returned her kiss and deepened it without thought of where they were or who might see them.

"Look, you've scarred me enough recently with this sort of thing."

Buffy's embarrassed voice brought Giles to his senses and he broke the kiss. Anya sighed and kept her arms around him, her ear pressed to his chest as if to gain comfort from the sound of his heartbeat.

"Isn't she a student? I realize there's been some kind of trauma but Snyder won't care and you could lose your job."

"Buffy, see if you can catch up with the others and get them back here; especially Faith. We have a problem on our hands." He tried to sound as in control as he could with his arms still full of trembling girl. Giles rubbed at the ache starting between his eyes. Buffy had brought Faith and the others back to the library. He had just finished introducing Anya and giving an edited version of his involvement with her. While Oz seemed typically unfazed, Buffy, Willow and Xander appeared convinced that he had lost his mind. Xander in particular kept looking at Anya as if he were sure that she would transform any minute and strike him down. It didn't escape his notice that now that he was no longer holding Anya, Buffy had place herself between them and that Faith casually kept close to Xander. "Buffy, your concerns about appearances are valid but we have a more urgent matter to attend to than my personal life."

Anya took over and told her story ending with "Decide whether or not to slay me later; Glogo demons only eat young when they are in their mating cycle and I for one, like pink-toed little humans better than sticky-toed frog things with teeth."

"Glogos are frogs with teeth!" Willow said, gripping Oz's hand tightly and turning pale. "Buffy, Giles is an adult; if he wants to hold demon orgies again I say he should go for it." Willow's laugh at her own joke was a little thin. "The important thing is to slay those Glogos."

"Right," Buffy patted Willow on the back comfortingly. "So what's the plan? Stake out the mall? I'm not liking the idea of waiting around for them to attack another baby in order to slay these things."

"I don't see what choice we got, B. If mama demon is craving babies, like they say, it makes our job easy; we stake out the hunting grounds and get them before they get their next snack. It should be a snap," Faith said.

Giles disagreed. "Glogos are fast. I don't think you two could get to the female and her mate before the baby was dead."

"Maybe a decoy would work? One of us could hold a doll," Buffy asked giving Faith an inquiring look.

"Yeah, I'd look real convincing as a mommy." Faith rolled her eyes at the thought.

"I don't know about that." Xander spoke up "She looks a little Inca-ish to me. What do you think Willow? …Just around the eyes maybe?"

The glare she sent Xander's way proved that Faith had clearly heard about Ampata. Giles almost laughed when Faith moved away from Xander as if to say, be like that and you're on your own, "I doubt that a doll would deceive them anyway. They would be able to tell it wasn't warm blooded."

"Another fighter would help." Angel said as he separated himself from his place in the shadows. "I can concentrate on getting the prey out of there and you and Faith can get rid of the Glogos."

That Angel still thought of humans subconsciously as `prey' put Giles on edge but a third person would be a great help. "Buffy..."

"Yeah?"

Be careful, he thought. "Take crossbows, don't get close unless you can't help it and aim for the belly."

"Looks like we have a plan," Faith said. "Let's go."

"Call me when you're home, Buffy. I'll be at my flat." Giles saw a subtle change in Faith's eyes and the way she stood. It could be her putting on her `game face' or disappointment over being excluded. The look Anya gave him suggested that she thought it was the latter so he added, "You call or stop by too, Faith."

"Um, sure thing." Giles was rewarded with a bright smile "Let's go frog gigging guys."

Willow turned to Anya before leaving with Oz and surprised Giles by giving her a brief, awkward hug. "I think you were pretty brave and resourceful today."

"But I couldn't save anyone but myself?"

Oz said, "Sure you did."

"Every one that would have died after tonight." Willow finished Oz's thought before Anya or Giles could reply.

"Thank you, I don't really agree but could you tell Buffy that anyway, so she doesn't slay me?"

Willow said, "Just give Buffy some time; she'll warm up to you. The ex- demon thing's a little off putting to a Slayer and she's a little protective of Giles."

"She thinks I'd hurt Giles! Why would she think that?"

Oz said. "Hurting guys was your gig."

"But that's silly, I wouldn't do that now even if could," Anya gave Giles an alarmed look.

"I know you wouldn't, dear." Giles said

"Buffy's not blind- she'll get it." Oz said.

When Oz and Willow left Anya said to Giles, "Are you going to be all right tonight?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that? You've been through a lot today."

"You're worried about Buffy though, you love her, and I could see it on your face when she left."

"It's not that kind of love."

"I know that, that's why I'm so concerned. You love her like a daughter and you want to protect her and it hurts you that you can't."

"I'd rather it wasn't true that instead of keeping Buffy safe I have to hand her a sword and send her into the darkness. That's why the Council frowns on Watchers becoming too attached to their Slayers."

Anya was quiet for a while apparently deep in thought. "I'm not sure the two are as opposite as you think. Isn't that what a parent does once a child is no longer weak and helpless? Inform and arm them the best they can, then send them out into the world to do the job they were meant to. I doubt that parents ever learn to like it though."

"Do you realize you just made me feel better by telling me that it's acceptable to be miserable?" Giles marveled.

"No I didn't; I just said it was all right to admit you care. Lying about it won't make you worry less. Will it?"

"For someone who just recently became human you're awfully perceptive." Giles was a little annoyed at just how perceptive she was being. He wasn't fond of laying his emotions out for all to see.

"I've been watching talk shows after school," Anya said, her face completely serious. "There is something I don't understand. Why did you let everyone think we were a couple when you regretted kissing me back right away?"

"I regretted getting carried away in public with a student. Whoever you were, that's who you are now and we need to behave accordingly. I let Buffy and her friends think whatever they wanted because they could understand that I wasn't taking advantage of a child."

"It wasn't because they see you as asexual and you wanted to scar their young minds by proving them wrong?"

"…Merely icing on the cake."

* * *