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"Bookworm" Part I
BTVS FANFICTION & POETRY
BOOKWORM
Part I ¦ Part II
Written by: Jenny (JenBWK42)
Jenny's Disclaimer: "This is only a fanfic. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and the characters are property belonging to Warner Brothers, Mutant Enemy, Joss Whedon and whoever else may be considered a property owner of the show. I wrote this for fun only and I do not intend a breach of copyright by writing this fanfic. I simply had a thought for a story which grew into more thoughts. I own nothing, nada, zip, nil, zero, nor am I making any money, plain and simple."
Please note: "I would like to thank RavenAmbr once again for cooking up a spell for me. I could not have done this part without her help. {{{Raven}}} Also note that this story is meant to take place between the episodes 'Homecoming' and "Band Candy.'"
Prologue:
"Well, hello lovelies. Are you hungry?" Ethan Rayne snickered, being careful not to squeeze the tweezers too tightly.
"Be careful with it, Ethan," the other person in the room said, brushing his hand anxiously through his dark hair. "They're hard to come by."
"Not for you, Sebastian," Ethan replied, leering at the younger man. "You're acting like a nervous father."
"Aye, that's true," Sebastian Myles answered in a slight Irish brogue, glancing proudly at his collection. Moving towards the counter, he picked up a glass jar and peered inside. "Do you know that the praying mantis hatchlings might even eat each other shortly after they exit the egg case? And a female mantis might eat her mate if she hasn't eaten for a long time."
"You don't say. How fascinating... Survival of the fittest. I can understand that quite well," Ethan replied, smirking. "When do the egg cases hatch?"
"Why? The mantis can't help you."
"Just curious."
Sebastian grinned, his angelic smile belying the nature of his work.
"You've got the face of a saint, Sebastian, and the heart of a rogue. Why are you helping me?"
"A friend in need is a friend of born of greed."
Ethan chuckled.
Sebastian surveyed him with his bright eyes, the left one green, the right one hazel; they were dancing with amusement. "So, Ethan. When do you plan to place them?"
Ethan twirled the tweezers, then inserted them back into a jar, releasing his grip, carefully helping his prize wriggle out of the pincers. "Tonight."
Sebastian nodded his head. "Such a nice present for an old friend."
After seeing Ethan off, Sebastian Myles returned to the basement. He smiled as he catalogued his latest finds and muttered to himself:
"Goldeneyed Lacewing, Stonefly, Caddisfly, Gypsy Moth, Carolina Mantid..."
He had only recently become interested in entomology after hearing--through the hellmouth grapevine--about Ms. French and her little secret. He chuckled as he glanced at the tiny praying mantis egg cases. It could be done again; he was certain of it.
Finishing the new entries, he closed out the computer screen and reached up to the shelf above, pulling down an empty jar. Returning his attention to a lacewing strapped to a mat, he began to murmur...
"Hello, Buffy," Giles greeted his protege. "Hello, Xander."
"Hey Giles," Buffy replied fondly. "Uh, what's that book? It looks old."
"I think you mean *older*, Buff," Xander quipped. "It makes most of Giles' other books look like theyÕre hot off the presses," he added, peering closely at the deeply yellowed and crinkled edges and faint lettering of the large book lying on the table in front of Giles.
"Yes, I suppose it does," Giles agreed, swatting Xander's hand away as he reached out to touch a page.
"Ouch, why'd you do that?" Xander complained.
"Because it is just as you said: older than the other books... one of a kind, in fact."
"So, just how old is this old book?" Buffy chimed in.
"One thousand, six hundred and twenty-seven years, to be precise," Giles offered.
"That officially puts it in the running for geriatric creepy book of the year," Xander said, suitably impressed. "What's it about? Vampires? Your run of the mill demons? General spooky stuff?"
"Magic," Giles said simply, though his eyes brightened.
"You mean old spells?" Buffy said. "You should show it to Wil."
"Oh, I shall. Though it's nothing she would be terribly interested in," Giles replied.
"Suit yourself," Buffy said, shrugging. "I just came in for a book... or two. I have to do a paper for history on the causes of World War I."
Xander's face twisted in mock horror and he staggered backwards. "Buff, you came to the library for a book? You're suddenly research girl?"
Buffy shot him an annoyed glance. "Part of my deal with mom. I have to keep up my grades this year. No slouching. She's way happy that Faith's in town; somehow she thinks it'll help me focus on things other than mass slayage. Think again, Mom."
"Well, Buffy," Giles said in a lecturing tone, "there is something to be said for Faith's presence, however temporary it may be."
"I guess," Buffy replied with a marked lack of enthusiasm. "Well, I gotta go. Just direct me to those World War II books."
Xander coughed. "Uh, don't you mean World War I?
Buffy rolled her eyes. "Oh, yeah."
The floor of the darkened library groaned slightly as he stepped through the double doors. Good, Rupert wasn't in. Three thirty a.m. was a bit late even for the intrepid Ripper. Ethan made his way hastily towards the stairs and walked up into the stacks, winding his way through the shelves of musty old books until he reached the end of the darkest aisle. Reaching into his jacket pocket, he pulled out a jar and tweezers. Twisting the lid off of the jar and placing the tweezers inside, he carefully straddled the tweezers around an inch long white worm, pulled it out and laid it on the shelf. Frantically twisting around for a moment, the worm finally settled and inched its way towards a dark recess between two books. "That's right, my pet, do your work. You look very hungry," Ethan muttered, again placing the tweezers in the jar, pulling out a second, identical worm. It also inched away after its twin as Ethan placed it on the shelf. Ethan sighed contentedly. "Ah, all in a night's work."
With a spring in his step, Ethan strolled out of the stacks, down the stairs, across the main floor and out the library doors, unaware of the dark pair of eyes watching him.
ONE WEEK LATER:
"Hey, Wil, you want to do the Bronze tonight?" Buffy asked as Willow stopped to get a book from her locker.
"Dunno. I'll have to check with Oz"--she giggled-- "I still can't believe it: "check with Oz". I love the sound of that," Willow said, not quite sincerely.
"Yep, you're smitten all right," Buffy replied, smiling, not registering the slight tremor in Willow's voice. "How's the werewolf factor?"
"You know: wolfy. But we're cool. We-"
Willow stopped speaking as a shrill scream rent the loud chatter in the school hallway. Buffy's slayer radar sprung to life as she easily tracked the direction of the scream, Willow hot on her heels as she dashed into Ms. Brown's English classroom.
"Ms. Brown?!" Buffy called out. "What happened?" Her eyes sought out the teacher, whose hands were shaking as she stared down at her desk.
Her lips trembling, Ms. Brown muttered, "M-my files and test papers... Oh my god, what are they?"
Walking towards the desk, Buffy and Willow stopped cold as they saw what had horrified Ms. Brown. Hundred of holes--little more than pencil width--had been punched through the papers on her desk, a strange, thin, oily black residue surrounding each hole. The files in the open filing cabinet had been almost completely destroyed, half of them having become a sticky, wet, gray pulp.
"What the-" Buffy began to say, then let out a startled yell as she saw several gray worms sliding around through the gray mass.
"What. Are. They?" Willow gasped, squinching her nose up. "Gross."
"I-I dunno," Buffy answered, equally grossed out. "Did you use your files yesterday, Ms. Brown?"
"No, not those files. Just the ones on my desk. Are they maggots?"
"Well, I'm not an entomologist"--Buffy rolled her eyes as Willow gave her a look of mock surprise-- "I know how to use a dictionary, Wil... Anyway, I don't think those are maggots. They're too big. Maybe the tro- uh, Principal Snyder will have to call in an exterminator."
"I guess so. But this is years of work down the drain," Ms. Brown answered sadly.
"We're sorry, Ms. Brown," Willow said, as comforting as possible. Do you want us to get Principal Snyder?"
"No, no, that's quite all right. You just get to your classes now."
As Buffy and Willow closed the door to Ms. Brown's room, another deep throated yell drifted down the hall, further away this time. Their eyes widened.
"Oh no, not a-" Willow began to say, cut off by another yelp coming from the opposite direction.
"You go this way"--Buffy pointed down the hall-- "and I'll go that way."
Willow nodded and both girls ran in opposite directions, the other students snapping their heads around in confusion.
Bent over his book on Egyptian mythology, Giles barely heard the ten screams emanating from down the hall in quick succession. Chuckling , Giles murmured to himself, "Childish senior pranks I suppose. Probably the tarantulas again."
Settling back contentedly, Giles read for another three minutes. Sipping distractedly at his hot tea, he practically jumped out of his skin, toppling the beverage over onto the book as someone banged through the doors, a shrill voice exclaiming, "Eww, what are they, Giles?! YOU must know."
Looking up, a sneer on his face as he dabbed frantically at the book with an already wet paper towel, his eyes met the panicked expression of Cordelia. "What," he said, gritting his teeth, "seems to be the problem?"
"THIS," Cordelia replied heatedly, dumping the contents of her bag onto the table.
Giles jumped back as a gray sticky pulp rolled onto the table, attached to a textbook spine. "Good heavens, what is that?!"
"What is THAT?! How about, what are THOSE?!" Cordelia spat, pointing demandingly at three squirming gray worms slipping around her hair brush.
Peering closer, Giles wrinkled up his nose. "I haven't the foggiest... Well, they're not maggots. Nor are they another type of insect larvae." He straightened up, throwing the paper towel down in disgust. "They're worms--annelid variety, I believe."
"Well, thank you, oh genius scholar," Cordelia replied sarcastically. "I could have told you that they were worms myself."
"Well, I'm sorry, Cordelia. I don't know what else to say. Perhaps you should just wash the bag and-" Giles stopped as Buffy and Willow banged through the doors at a fast jog. "Good heavens, what now?"
"Hellmouth gone awry, Giles," Buffy explained, out of breath from running around to classrooms all over the school.
"What are you talking about?" he asked, a bit impatiently. There had been one too many interruptions of his quiet day of reading.
"Worms," Willow said simply. "Everywhere," she added before her eyes drifted towards Cordelia's bag. "Excuse me while I say, eww... How did they get into your bag, Cordelia?"
"Well, THAT'S the question of the day, isn't it?" Cordelia growled. "Why do these things always happen to me?" Whimpering slightly, Cordelia flung herself into Xander's arms as he and Oz walked into the library.
Oz went over to Willow. "Hey, did you hear? It's worm-orama out there."
"It's a veritable worm stew," Xander added, giggling as Cordelia slapped him lightly and buried her head into his neck. "Geez, what did I say?"
"Her bag was turned into worm stew," Buffy quipped, pointing to the gray mess and the brush.
Xander's eyes fell on the table. "Yeeeee. Sorry Cordy. I didn't know." He looked at the rest of the gang. "Remember that worm guy? Well, Cordy's got issues."
Giles' hand shot out as the worms left Cordelia's brush and began to crawl towards his book. He hugged the precious tome to his chest. Better tea than slime. "Well," he said, semi-humorous, semi-rueful, "I know what they are now." The gang looked at him anxiously. "They're called Bookworms. A librarian's worst nightmare."
Ethan cackled as he ducked into his car and looked fondly at the high school. The intermittent screams of dismay were music to his ears. "Sebastian will be a proud papa," he said to himself as he pulled away from the curb.
After twenty minutes, Ethan turned onto a wide cul-de-sac and parallel parked across the street from the local biotechnology firm, a flash of tweed topped by brown hair caught his attention. "Damn," he said as he watched Giles enter the building. Resting his head against the back of the seat, he decided to wait it out.
Immersed in his work as usual, Sebastian didn't bother to raise his head as he heard someone enter the laboratory. "Yes, can I help you?" he called out distractedly, intently looking through a microscope.
"I certainly hope so... Sebastian."
Hearing the informal use of his first name, instead of Dr. Myles, Sebastian finally looked up. It was an effort not to turn white as he looked upon the face of his former classmate. "Rupert, so good of you to stop by again. It's been ages."
"Actually, it's been a year... but who's counting?" Giles replied.
Sebastian stepped down from the stool, took off his latex gloves and reached out. Giles accepted the proffered hand.
"You're busy, I see," Giles said, glancing around the large, sterile, white walled laboratory.
"Aye, as always," Sebastian replied, grinning. "A biotechnician's job is never done."
"Yes, your profession is on the cutting edge right now, isn't it?
"I suppose it is." Sebastian arched an eyebrow. "How can I help you, Rupert?"
"Giles took off his glasses and a tissue and started to clean them slowly. "I had just been thinking, isn't it funny how you ended up working in the town just next to Sunnydale and we've only seen each other once. I thought it was time for a call, that's all. Perhaps tea sometime. I'm feeling nostalgic for some of the old talk, a good game of cricket... that sort of thing."
"Funny, I haven't see many cricket fields nearby."
"Nor have I, Sebastian." Giles noticed the other man staring strangely at him. "I'll just cut to the chase." He put his glasses back on and placed his hands in his jacket pockets.
Sebastian nodded. "Go on."
"Were you aware that Ethan has been to these parts in the past year?"
Sebastian turned away briefly to put his pen down, suppressing the rush of blood to his face, though he was aware that Giles had noticed the sudden flush. He turned back. "Why, yes. I've seen him... for tea. Why do you ask?"
"No particular reason. I just..." Giles became slightly flustered under his host's frank stare. "Actually, I'm not being quite honest with you. I have a bit of a problem and I was hoping you might be able to help."
"Certainly. What can I do?"
"Do you still engage in your study of worms--annelids in particular? I was hoping you might still dabble in it."
"Not as much as when I was at Oxford. Being a 'child prodigy' was rather hard, as you might remember, and I merely used those studies to drown myself in my own world. You know how it was; I was only fourteen, I couldn't drink, couldn't date the women, I had to find something useful to do... so," he added, laughing, "I studied worms and such... not to mention dabbling in the occult. Those were interesting times. I remember being quite excited when you called me from London to tell me about your... escapades, after you left Oxford."
"Well, that was quite irresponsible of me to call you like that. I really wish I hadn't introduced you to Ethan and the others. I wasn't really myself then. But I was always sympathetic to your situation, Sebastian. You know that, don't you?"
"Of course I do."
"Then why did you help him?"
"Who?"
"You know, Sebastian," Giles answered quietly, somewhat sadly.
Sebastian continued to conceal his growing anxiety. This wasn't supposed to happen. What had Ethan said?: the face of a saint, the heart of a rogue. Well, Ethan was about to get the full brunt of his roguish qualities.
Feigning shame, Sebastian sighed and sat down heavily on the stool. "He threatened to kill me."
"That doesn't surprise me," Giles replied sympathetically.
"So I gave him the bookworms. I'm sorry, Rupert."
Giles' eyes narrowed. "Do you know how to get rid of them?"
"Alas, no." Sebastian smiled inwardly at the lie. The heart of a rogue. He could play both sides. This was getting fun.
"No? Then why do you breed them?"
"Because I can. Though, I must admit, I briefly reconsidered the project when a breeding pair accidentally got loose in my house. The results wreaked havoc on my library."
"Funny, that's what they're doing at my school," Giles said, trying to suppress his anger, though the sardonic meaning of his words rang through loud and clear.
Sebastian winced and smiled halfheartedly. "I'm sorry, Rupert. How can I make amends?"
"Well, coming up with a way to eradicate them would be helpful. Since their origins are rooted in magic, they're rather hard to get rid of by normal means, as you well know. Since you're not a sorcerer, I will have to come up with another solution."
Sebastian's lip twitched slightly, the irony of Giles' words amusing him, though their meaning was entirely lost on the librarian. "Well, you can just wait until the toxicity of the ink kills them," he offered.
Giles waved off the suggestion. "That takes two or three years."
Sebastian shrugged. "Just a thought."
"Not a helpful one, I'm afraid." Giles rubbed his eyes tiredly. "I really need to get back to the school. The halls are probably raining bookworms by now." Pulling his hands away, Giles shot Sebastian an unreadable look. "I'll be back."
Sebastian watched Giles close the glass door behind him and smiled. Be my guest."
Giles' first impulse was to turn back around as he walked into the school. He batted at his face as three bookworms sprung from the floor onto his head. "Oh dear, oh dear," he sighed, forging on through the hallway, passing by the screaming students. Though, he had to admit, it was a strangely pleasurable sight to see Principal Snyder running amok, his eyes practically on fire and his hands clutching in frustration at what little hair he had left on his head. Giles rolled his eyes as Snyder focused on him and ran in his direction.
"See, see! Snyder exclaimed. "That Summers girl comes back and all hell breaks loose... I'm really considering early retirement." Not getting a reaction, Snyder huffed at Giles and pivoted around, sliding to the floor and landing on his rear end when a bookworm crawled underfoot.
Suppressing a chuckle, Giles assiduously avoided the same fate, carefully continuing on his way towards the library. Taking a deep breath, Giles braced himself for depression, certain that his precious books would be a heap of pulp by now. He gasped as he entered the library, not a single book ruined, as far as he could see.
Buffy and Willow smiled at him as he entered and Xander, Oz and Cordelia loped down the stairs.
"How in the world has the library escaped... that?" Giles said, incredulous, indicating the outside world with a sweeping gesture.
Willow grinned proudly. "I figured out a spell of protection."
"Then why not the rest of the school?" Giles inquired.
Buffy chuckled. "Two words: Principal Snyder. Mucho entertaining."
Giles laughed out loud, despite the situation.
"Actually," Willow interjected, "the spell is stronger when confined to a smaller space. I figured this place would need the most protecting. Though," she grinned mischievously, "it is nice to see Snyder, you know, not being Snyder."
Giles laughed again, though quickly regained his composure. "Yes, well, very good Willow. It will at least buy us some time while we look for a spell to eradicate the worms. Have you found anything yet?"
"Well, I told her to look in that really old book you were looking at," Buffy answered.
"That book is under lock and key," Giles answered, narrowing his eyes warily. "Buffy. Besides, there isn't anything in that book that would help in this situation."
"If you say so," Buffy replied. "Though I wouldn't be too sure. The book is gone."
Giles' eyes widened. "Gone? What do you mean, gone?"
Buffy smiled sheepishly. "I broke the lock. The book was gone."
Giles closed his eyes and flopped into a chair. "This is really too much. It was one of a kind... escaped the book burnings... in the fourth century. Damn it all."
"Giles," Buffy said, surprised at his language, though she quickly dampened the teasing tone of her words. "Geez, I'm sorry Giles. I didn't know. I wouldn't have made fun if I'd known."
"It's fine, Buffy. At least you didn't have theft in mind. I guess Ethan took it."
"Ethan?!" everyone but Oz exclaimed.
"Who's Ethan?" Oz asked.
"A very bad man," Xander answered.
"Yes, very bad," Giles said, confirming the sentiment. "My nemesis in fact."
Oz nodded his head. "What would a Watcher do without one of those?" He shrugged as Willow slapped him lightly on the shoulder. "Sorry."
"Well," Giles said, rising from the chair, "it's quite possible the spell book did have a solution in it, so we'll have to look elsewhere."
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