Challenge#4 Tuesday

[tangent]

Title: Tuesday
Disclamer:I have no rights whatsoever on anything Joss & co came up with first.
Setting: Sometime in season 5 shall we say
Description: An attempt to get as many cliches as possible into one peice.


Giles slowly rose through the soft clouds of consciousness; letting the world gradually fade back into focus. Allowing himself to drift up through the soft, diffused light, to float serenely upon the gentle echoing sounds of the?

"Wake up!"

The words were yelled at him from close quarters and quickly followed by a slap that made his jaw ache and his ears ring.

"Ow?" he ventured

"I think he is awake Anya" said Xander from his seat at the circular table that was covered with its usual load of occult books "and you can probably stop slapping him now"

Anya peered down at Giles suspiciously; her hand still raised "Well if you're sure." She said with some reluctance "He still looks a little groggy to me though."

She rose from her position astride the ex librarian allowing Giles to rise on to his elbows his head complaining with every movement

"As much as I appreciate your obvious concern Anya and as much as much as I'm sure repeated blows around the head could only be of benefit to my recent concussion I think I can just about manage to survive without." He blinked a few times as he tried to clear his vision. "Now would someone care to tell me what, exactly, it was that knocked me out this time?

"Demon." Xander answered "Big one. Looked kinda angry with you too" He gave Giles a mock reproachful look "And after everything we've told you about not getting on the forces of evil's wrong side as well."

"Yes, thank you Xander, Now, er, where's Buffy?"

"Here." Said Buffy from the entrance to the magic box's back room

"Ah, yes, good" said Giles rising from his prone position. He paused for a second, allowing his aching head time to stop spinning. "I take it that once again I have you to thank for my continued existence?"

"You could say that" Buffy replied with a slight smile "but I wouldn't start the victory parade just yet."

Giles looked up sudden alarm writ large his face. "Oh? You did? kill the creature, didn't you?"

"Oh yeah, I kicked its shiny green butt hard enough to kill it a dozen times over" Buffy said walking over to where the magic shops window afforded a view of the street outside and parted the blinds slightly. "But it turns out that before the big guy went splat he made arrangements for some of his friends and family to join in the fun."

Giles walked over to join her and peered out into the night where a seemingly endless sea of muscular green bodies stood, the light of countless torches lighting their grim expressions and glinting menacingly off their sharp, multi-bladed weapon.

"And this guy was really popular."

"Buffy, we have to get out of here." Giles said in a panicked voice as he turned quickly and started to seize supplies from the Magic Box's shelves, "If those demons get in here..." He stopped suddenly and turned to the slayer "Why aren't they trying to get in here?" He asked.

Xander leant back in his chair and fixed the watcher with a broad grin. "Well as much as I'd like to say that their all frozen with fear ?bout going toe to toe with Buffy and the Slayerettes I think it might have a little more to do with some of Will's force-fieldy goodness.

"Willow's here?"

Buffy nodded "She's in the back room making sure the whole place is covered. Giles, what's going on?"

Giles removed his glasses and held them up to the light before removing his handkerchief from his pocket and cleaning them industriously "Yes well, um, I'm afraid to say that our current situation may very well be, um, my fault."

"See, I told you it would all be his fault." Anya said proudly.

Buffy shot her an annoyed glance and turned back to Giles "Why would this be your fault?"

"Because there happens to be something these demons want, namely a mystical amulet that they need to bring about there own particular brand of apocalypse" Giles lowered his eyes "and because I happen to be in possession of said amulet.

"Ooh, can anyone say Word of Valios"

"Xander, please" Buffy snapped "just let him finish."

"Thank you." Giles said offering Buffy a slightly sheepish smile "I have been doing a great deal of research lately on a particular demon cult. A cult that seems bent on opening a trans-dimensional rift in order to bring forth a powerful and particularly nasty entity named Mommus, a being they worship as a god."

"And this Mommus is?"

Giles close his eyes and began to recite "The son of chaos and father of nightmares, lord of the night and servant of madness" He opened them again "Oh and if he breaks through to this reality It will bring about?"

"The end of the world." Came the chorused reply."

"Well yes, indeed."

Xander rose from his seat and crossed over to join the others, a thoughtful look on his face. "But how come we're only hearing about this now? I mean the big green killing machines outside seem all ready and raring to go for apocalypse nowish, where was the advance warning?"

Buffy frowned "You've got a point there. I mean where were the omens? You know earthquake, two headed cows, red moons; that kind of thing." She turned to Giles "wasn't there even a long forgotten prophecy or something?"

Giles found a further speck of dust on his glasses and began polishing distractedly "well actually?"

"You had a forgotten prophecy and you forgot to tell us about it?" Anya asked incredulously "How could you do that?"

Giles shot her an annoyed glance "Actually that's the very reason I asked you all to meet me here tonight. As I said I've been researching this cult for some time but it's only recently that certain documents came my way giving some very broad hints as to exactly what they planned to do." He turned away from them slightly, not wanting to meet any of their gazes. "It seems, however, that I may have slightly miscalculated the exact date they intended to call Mommus forth."

"Meaning tonight?" Buffy asked

"It's certainly beginning to look that way, yes."

Xander flashed Giles a look filled with irony "You know you'd think the Watchers council would make sure their star pupils got at least a basic grounding in math wouldn't you?"

Giles opened his mouth to reply to but before he could do so the red headed figure of Willow emerged from the back room.

"Okay" she said walking over to join the group "We're good to go, or at least good not to get invaded by demonic type hordes." She smiled at the assembled scoobies "The mystical force-field I've created should be more than enough to make sure nothing else gets in."

"Hang on" said Xander "should be?"

"Well I'm not giving any guarantees here but unless the demons brought a tank with them I think it'll be more than enough to last to morning."

"Okay. And ?hang on' number two would be? ?Nothing else?'

Willow pulled a face "you caught that huh?" She gave a resigned sigh, and turning back to the room she had just left called out "Okay, games up. You'd better come out."

Slowly a face emerged from the side of the door and flashed the briefest of smiles.

"Hi." said Spike.

[tangent]

"And why, exactly is Spike here?" Giles asked, sounding calmer than he felt.

The blonde vampire emerged more fully from the doorway and made his way to the table before throwing himself heavily into one of the wooden chairs that surrounded it.

"Don't worry Rupe I'm not stopping, just thought I'd swing by as I was in the neighbourhood is all." He flashed the ex librarian a smile "You're out of Burba Root by the way."

"Burb? Spike, how long is it going to take you to get this? You are a vampire and we are people who kill vampires. You don't get to just pop round and borrow a jar of coffee every now and again and you certainly don't get to help yourself to my stock?"

"Our stock." Anya interjected

"?Our stock, without paying for it."

Spike looked up at Giles with a hurt expression "What no credit?"

"No!" Chorused Giles and Anya.

"Alright keep your bloody knickers on" the vampire sniffed "Actually, I've got a message for the slayer."

"For me?"

"Yeah, reds witchy friend told me to tell you that you've not to worry and that her and the li'l bit are both fine."

Willows sudden look of concern was mirrored in the face of the blonde slayer and both closed in on where spike sat.

"Why wouldn't they be alright?" Buffy demanded "What's happened?"

Spike raised an eyebrow "You mean you didn't hear the explosion?"

"What explosion? Spike, what's going on?"

"Well I only caught the end credits but it was something to do with Dawn, a bottle of cider and a giant monkey demon that got the ball rolling I think. Upshot though is that Tara and Dawn are back at the crypt and your house is a big pile of steaming ashes."

"What about Tara?" Willow asked urgently "I-is she okay?"

Spike gave her an indulgent grin "Don't worry love, both lover girl and the bit are fine, a bit singed, a few bruises maybe but nothing serious" He looked around at the relieved faces. "Anyway as that's message signed, sealed and sodding delivered I think I'll be going. I'd love to stay, really I would, but you know how it is things to do: demons to kill." He rose and started towards the door becoming more and more aware of the eyes that followed him as he went.

"What." He demanded "what's wrong."

"Oh nothing" Xander answered with a broad smile "we're just drinking in the moment. I mean who knows when we'll get to see you again."

"Bloody weirdos." Spike muttered and then with a shrug and a twirl of his coat he opened the door. It took him perhaps a full second to take in the full horror of the sight that confronted him and a lot less than that to quickly slam the door shut again placing his back hard against its smooth surface.

"Bloody hell!" he swore.

Xander treated him to a broad smile "you got that right."

Spike ignored him and spoke directly to Buffy "Do you know what you've got out there?"

"Big army of bright green demons?"

"Well? yeah, but, I mean, well what the hell is going on here."

"It's a long story?" Giles said wearily.

"We're trapped behind one of willows force-fields because Giles has their god's magic pendant." Anya chimed in.

"?And that would be the abridged version." Giles finished.

Spike moved away from the door and sauntered over to where Giles stood until he was right in front of him, looking directly into his eyes. "You mean there's no way out? I'm stuck in here with you bleeding tossers?"

"Believe it or not we're not exactly thrilled with the prospect ourselves."

The vampire turned away from him raising his hands in exasperation "I can't believe this!" He yelled. "What about the witch can't she?" He made a vague gesture "just poof them out of existence or something?"

"Sorry" Willow answered "It's taken pretty much everything I've got just to put this barrier up. I don't think I've even got enough left to pull a ra-"

"ahem"

"-coon out of a hat" She finished catching the knowing glance from Xander and treating Anya to a broad grin.

"Well there's got to be something!"

Giles removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose "Look, Spike according to my research the demons only have this one night to perform their ritual and if they don't Mommus will be angry enough to ensure that they are in no position to pose a threat when morning comes."

"So we just have to wait them out?"

"Exactly; we may not be able to get out but by the same token they can't get in and as we have the pendant in here with us we merely need to wait for the sun to rise."

Spike looked slightly mollified by this revelation and gave a derisive little snort "Well it'll be the first time in a long time I've looked forward to that." He said "Mind you cooped up in here with you lot I'll probably end up topping myself before morning anyway."

"See" said Xander "there's always a Bright side if you look hard enough."

Giles looked around at the faces that surrounded him, their expressions ranging from Spike's annoyance through Anya's patent boredom to Buffy's helpless impatience and decided it was time to say a few words.

"Look everyone I know this is less than ideal for any of us, but sunrise is only a matter of hours away so if we all try our best to just get along with each other and give each other as much space as possible I'm sure we can get through this with the minimum of stress for all concerned." He leant back against the wall; his hands thrust into his pockets, and gave what he thought of as his best reassuring smile "After all I'm sure we're past the worst of it now.

He had hoped that this little speech would serve to raise everyone's spirits but as he looked around at the faces that were staring at him now all he saw were expressions of fascinated horror.

"I-is something wrong." He asked.

"Giles what are you leaning on?" Willow asked.

"Leaning on? Why, the wall of course." He replied turning and indicating the wall that stood a generous foot and a half behind him.

"What the??"

"Oh no!" Willow cried "The force-field! It's shrinking!"

[tangent]

The inhabitants of the Magic Box sat and stood around its interior in silence each absorbed in their own sombre thoughts. It had been perhaps two hours since the full extent of their peril had been revealed and the intervening period had seen them attempt everything they could to improve their position.

Willow had worn herself out trying in turn to negate or reverse the effects of her force-field spell but had only succeeded in making it visible. The fact that the slowly creeping wall of energy now glowed with a faint golden sheen only served to highlight the fact of just how surely it was closing in on them, bringing a slow crushing death nearer and nearer with each passing minute.

"There's got to be something we haven't tried." Buffy said her frustration increasingly evident.

Giles walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder "Willow has tried everything she has." He explained sadly "The spells we've tried should have worked, should certainly have had more of an effect any way but it appears that there is some outside force at work here that is affecting her magic and without knowing what that is there is nothing else to try."

"So we're doomed?"

"No, we still have time and as long as that's the case we shouldn't give up hope." He glanced at the shimmering barrier as it crept a fraction of an inch closer "After all we've been in stickier spots and won through before."

"Yeah, but this just seems somehow more than your average Tuesday in Sunnydale. I mean I know we've faced demon hordes before and I know Willow's spells don't always go strictly to plan" She gave the Wiccan a brief smile "but this is bad Giles, it just seems like everything that's ever gone wrong before is going wrong again, but all at the same time. "

"It's like a bad dream." Said Xander wistfully.

"Or some kind of horror story" Willow agreed "hey! Maybe that's it. Maybe we're all just characters in some kind of story and whoever's writing it will pull out some kind of big shiny doohickey right at the last minute that will make the force-field and the demons all just go kablooey."

"Well I doubt that will happen" Anya said, with a condescending smile "besides if this is a story it's the most cliché ridden piece of rubbish ever written."

Everyone looked at her for a second "Yes, well?" Giles began

"I mean the plot is frankly ridiculous there are far too many characters, and just about everything that's happened so far has happened so many times before it's, well it's beyond cliché..."

"Anya?" Xander began

"?Giles getting knocked out, miscalculating the timing and having the amulet? Dawn getting into trouble, Willow's spells going wrong, Spike turning up for the thinnest of reasons, and all of us getting trapped in here together. I'm only surprised nobody's been kidnapped yet."

"Anya?"

"And there hasn't even been a decent sex scene." She looked over at Xander who sat next to spike and sighed "All those muscles and not even a hint of homoerotic nudity."

"Hey!" said Spike and Xander in unison.

"As, um, interesting a theory as that is" Giles began, trying to avoid the looks of Xander and Spike "I'm not convinced that our answer lies in that particular direction. It's true that it's been a busy night but as you say none of these things are particularly unheard of."

Buffy walked over to where the barrier shimmered before turning suddenly back a frown on her face "Actually I think Anya might have something."

"She does?"

"Yeah I mean all those things have happened before, almost too often to count in some cases, but like I said, how often have they all happened to all of us all at the same time?"

There was a moment of silence as the rest of those gathered in the room considered this, and then Spike gave a sudden snort of laughter.

"What?" Xander demanded.

"It's bloody obvious isn't it" The vampire said rising from his seat to where Buffy and Giles stood. "You even said it yourself ?It's like a bad dream'. Well what if it is? What if all of this is just happening inside somebody here's head? What could make more bleeding sense on a night choc full of clichés than it all being down to the biggest bloody cliché there is?"

"And it was all a dream." Willow murmured.

"Right; and what was it prophecy said about this Mommus creature ?son of chaos and father of nightmares' wasn't it."

"Lord of the night and servant of madness" Giles finished. "But... you weren't even in the room when I said that."

"I didn't need to be" Said spike smugly "'Cos all this is your dream. What you know, I and everyone else in this room knows because we're all just figments of your imagination."

"Mine?"

"Who else? Who was it that was unconscious at the start of all this? Who woke up just as everything started to go wrong? And who, exactly, is in possession of an amulet belonging to the father of sodding nightmares?"

He approached the watcher his gaze never leaving his eyes "you need to wake up Rupert" He took him by the shoulders "Wake up." He started to shake him roughly "Wake up. Wake?"

~*~

"?Up"

Giles risked opening one eye and was relieved to find himself back in the familiar surroundings of his own bedroom. There were no demons to be found here, no crushing force-fields just the warmth of his bed and the comforting softness of his pillows. But someone had just spoken, hadn't they? Someone had told him to wake up.

He opened the other eye and turned his head and saw a familiar figure buttoning up its shirt.

"Ah, at last; come on sleepyhead if we don't hurry we're going to be late."

"Angel?"

"You were expecting someone else?" said Angel with a smile "I think someone's still half asleep. Tell you what you grab a shower and I'll have a nice hot cup of coffee waiting for you when you get back." The vampire moved over to the bed and sat on its edge making Giles turn slightly in his direction as his weight compressed the bedsprings "But before you do I just want to say thank you."

"Thank you?"

"Yes, silly. Last night was one of the most beautiful experiences of my life" he leant over and kissed Giles softly on the lips "so thank you.

Giles looked up at Angels softly smiling face and closed his eyes resignedly "I'm still dreaming aren't I? "

"Oh, absolutely." Said Angel "But don't worry I'm sure you'll soon?"

~*~

"Wake up!"

This time he caught Anya's arm before it connected with his cheek and sat straight up.

"Demons?" He asked

"Outside."

"Good. Coat?"

"Over the back of Xander's chair." The ex vengeance demon answered, bewilderment written on her face...

Giles stood up ignoring the painful complaints of every bone and muscle in his body and strode quickly to where Xander sat.

"Excuse me." He said as he removed the coat and hunted in its pockets until he found a small green amulet on a chain."

"Thank you." He said as replaced the coat "Now would you kindly pass me that book; no not that one the big, heavy looking one with the brass bindings."

Receiving the volume he had indicated he laid the amulet on the table and raising the book in such a way that the brass bindings would provide the point of contact he brought it heavily down on the small piece of jewellery. Again and again he repeated this until light began to escape from cracks upon its surface, growing wider and brighter with each blow. Then with one final blow the whole piece shattered bathing him in a bright green light that grew in intensity until it was the only thing he could see.

And Rupert Giles woke up.