Giles exhaled but remained silent, searching for what to say.
Buffy shifted in her spot, "They didn't hurt him, did they?"
"They, uh... ate him."Giles said.
Willow sat down.
"They ate Principal Flutie?"Buffy started.
The red head gazed at the Watcher, "Ate him up?"
"The, uh, official theory is that wild dogs got into his office somehow. There was no one at the scene."Giles said.
"But Xander didn't."Willow looked at Buffy, "He, he was with you."
Giles turned toward the cage, "Oh! Uh, well, that's a small mercy."
"Giles, how do we stop this? How do you trans-possess someone?"Buffy demanded.
"I-I'm afraid I still don't have all the pieces. Um, the accounts of the Primals and their methods are a bit thin on the ground. There is some talk of a-a-a predatory act, but the exact ritual is, is, um... The Malleus Maleficarum deals in particulars of demonic possession, which... may apply... Yes, one, one should be able to transfer the spirits to another human."Giles explained, holding the book in his hands.
"Oh, that's great. Any volunteers?"She said snidely.
"Oh. Good point."Her Watcher stated.
"What we need to do is put the hyena back in the hyena."Buffy stated.
Giles protested, "B-but until we know more, uh..."
"Betcha that zookeeper could tell us. Maybe he didn't quarantine those hyenas because they were sick."Buffy said.
"We should talk to him."Giles agreed.
"Okay."She started to leave, then stopped, "Oh, wait, somebody's gotta watch the hyena brothers."
Willow stood, "I will."
Buffy turned to her friend, "Will, are you sure? If they wake up at the same time..."
"I'll be alright. Go."Willow said.
After a moment's hesitation, Buffy handed over the keys to the cage and grabbed her coat.
********************
"Willow...."
Willow turned around, "How are you feeling?"
"Like somebody hit me with a table. What am I doin' here?"
Willow fidgeted, "You're... resting?"
"You guys got me locked up now."He said, sounding upset.
"'Cause you're sick. Buffy said..."
"Oh, yeah. Buffy and her all-purpose solution: punch 'em out 'n' knock 'em down. I'd love to see what she'd do to somebody who was *really* sick."Xander snapped.
"That's not fair. Buffy saved both of our lives."Willow started.
Xander growled, "Before she came here our lives didn't need that much saving, did they? Weren't things a lot simpler when it was just you and me?"
Willow frowned, moving closer to him, "Maybe..."
"When we were alone together... Willow, I know there's something wrong with me. I think it's gettin' worse. But I can't just stand around waitin' for Buffy to decide it's time to punch me out again. Look, I want you to help me. I want you."Xander continued.
"I am helping you."Willow protested.
Xander sighed, "You're doing what you're told."
Willow shook her head, "Buffy's trying to help you, too. You know that. Or Xander does."
He started, "Yeah... Buffy's so selfless. Always thinking of us. Well, if I'm so dangerous, how come she left you alone with me?"
"I told her to."She said, simply.
"Why?"
"'Cause I know you better than she does... and I wanted to be here to see if... you were still you."Willow explained.
"You know I am."He said, "Look at me. Looook."
Willow moved closer, "Xander..."
Suddenly, he made a grab for her through the slot in the cage, but she backed off in time.
Frowning sadly, Willow stared at him, "Now I know."
Xander growled, banging on the cage, "LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT!"
"No."Willow said, moving back to the hyena video.
He glanced down, then chuckled, "You were supposed to watch both of us, right?"
Willow turned back to him, "What are you talking about?"
He chuckled, pointing to the small window in the caged room... the window that could be locked from the outside... but... easily opened from the insdie... easy for someone to climb out and then lock it...
Xander lightly punched at the window, but it wouldn't budge. It had been locked... from the outside...
"Angel!"Willow shouted.
********************
Before Giles could react, Buffy had ran away. Her feet pounding on the floor as quickly as she could move. She passed bye many, many cars and decided to take the short cut through a small bit of forest.
She ran, her heart pounding until she heard a growl. She kept running until she was knocked to the ground with a grunt. She tried to get back up, when she felt a sharp kick to her side. Buffy grunted loudly, before turning on her side to see Angel staring down at her.
His eyes almost gold...
She didn't have time to worry about him, she quickly flipped back up onto her feet, and attacked with a series of punches and kicks. She dodged a punch he sent to her, and grabbed his arm. She forced him forward in a quick motion, before kneeing the small of his back and sending him to the ground.
She watched for a moment, then punched his skull when he began to move again. When he was laying still, almost dead, even, she crept forward and kneeled down beside him. She checked to see if he was breathing and sighed when she felt the hairs on the back of her hand get tickled.
Sighing, she glanced around, and spotted the road. Reaching down, she grabbed Angel's arm, but was suddenly pushed back by him. He attacked her, wild and untamed.
He threw her away from him, then moved forward as she began to pull herself together. He growled loudly, tightening his hand into a fist, and he was about to bring it down when he felt a sharp pain in his back. He shouted, before falling onto her body.
Buffy frowned, rolling his body off of her. She stared at the tiny little arrow in that stood out of Angel's back, then glanced up.
Giles stood, holding a tranq gun in his hands. He slung it over his shoulder, and grabbed his nephew's legs, "Hurry! We have to get to Willow!"
********************
Willow shivered inside the Hyena House. She felt completely scared after running for her life from Xander and his wannabe playmates. She had nearly died if it hadn`t been for Buffy.
Now Buffy was out there risking her life, while Giles and her set up inside, keeping Angel`s body close to Giles.
Willow turned to the librarian, "They're almost here! Giles! Giles!"She spotted the zookeeper, "Where are the hyenas for the trans-possession?"
"They're right here in the feeding area."He gestured to it.
Willow hurried to see the hyenas, but he stopped her.
"Stay back! They haven't been fed."He commanded.
"Where's Giles?"She demanded.
"He's... laying in wait."He replied.
Willow started. "They're almost here. Shouldn't you bring the hyenas out?"
"When the time is right. I'm gonna need your help. He began to bind her wrists.
"They're right behind me!"Willow could hear the shrill shout.
"That's Buffy! Get ready!"Willow shouted.
The zookeeper took Willow and positioned her in front of him, "Here."
"What is this?"Willow questioned.
"A predatory act, remember?"He held a knife to her throat.
Willow shivered, "Uh, right. You'll pretend to slash my throat and, and put the evil in the hyenas?"
"Something like that."
Willow froze, and watched as Buffy came rushing in, "Buffy, it's a trap!"
Xander grabbed Buffy from behind and they fell to the floor. The others came rushed in and dropped ontop of her.
"YU BA YA SA NA!"The Zookeeper chanted.
The pack gazed up at him and their eyes all flash green. A mirror of green flashed around Angel's closed lids. Then the Zookeeper's eyes flashed green. He turned to Willow and growled, dropping the knife. He grabbed her head and moved in to bite her.
"Willow!"Xander shouted, getting up and charging the Zookeeper. He managed to knock him away, as the pack began to move away from Buffy.
Buffy stood up and ran toward the Zookeeper while Kyle and his gang began to crawl away on their butts. The Zookeeper charged Buffy but she knocked him back down. He charged her again and she tossed him over onto his back. He stood up and tried again, but Buffy went under him and throwed him up and into the hyena pit. He tried to climb out but was dragged back down by the hyenas.
Kyle and company get up and scramble away. Buffy runs to the pit to see if she can save the Zookeeper, but she's too late. She looks away as Xander comes over to untie Willow. Giles comes out of the back room.
Giles glanced at the room, "Uh, did I miss anything?"
********************
"I heard the vice-principal's taking over till they can find a replacement."Willow said as she, Buffy, Angel, and Xander walked across the quad.
"It shouldn't be too hard to find a new principal. Unless they ask what happened to the last one."Buffy commented.
"Okay, but we had nothing to do with that, right?"Xander asked, glancing at Angel as they started to climb the stairs.
"Oh, right."Buffy chuckled.
"You only ate the pig, Xander."
Xander stopped, "I ate a pig? Was it cooked and called bacon or..."
The girls shook their heads.
Xander covered his face, "Oh, my God! I ate a pig? I mean, the whole trichinosis issue aside, yuck!"
"Well, it wasn't really you."Buffy reminded him.
"Well, I remember I was goin' on the field trip, and then goin' down to the Hyena House, and next thing some guy's holding Willow and he's got a knife."Xander said.
Angel chuckled, "That's better than waking up with a bunch of sore limbs."
Buffy glanced at Angel, putting a hand on his arm, "Sorry about that."
"Its not your fault."Angel said, giving her hand a little squeeze.
"You saved my life."Willow told Xander.
"Hey! Nobody messes with my Willow."He gave her a hug, to which pleased Willow a lot.
"This is definitely the superior Xander. Accept no substitutes." Buffy grinned.
"I didn't do anything else, did I, around you guys or anything embarrassing?"Xander asked.
The girls smiled, and Buffy considered what to tell him, "Nah!"
"Not at all."Willow smiled.
"C'mon. We're gonna be late."Buffy took her hand.
"See you at lunch."Willow waved.
"Cool! Oh, hey, goin' vegetarian! Huh?"He gave them two thumbs-up. Before moving with Angel to the library.
"I've been reading up on my, uh, animal possession, and I cannot find anything anywhere about memory loss afterwards."Giles said, glancing at the two.
"Did you tell them that?"Xander asked.
"Your secret dies with me."Giles said, glancing at both his nephew and student.
"Shoot me, stuff me, mount me." Xander asked.
Giles patted him on the shoulder as he shook his head and started walking along the balcony. He leaned on the railing and watched Xander go.
********************
Buffy was busy moving around in the library later that night. She was prepping to go on a regular patrol, when she spotted Angel coming down from the stairs.
He glanced at her, before moving up to her at the table.
"Buffy..."He started, his voice sounding normal and warm.
"Yeah?"Buffy turned.
"I wanted to um..."Angel shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans, "I... well, I wanted to tel you that I um... that I'm sorry for what my... ah, hyena alter ego did... I know I said I didn't remember, but I do... and I wanted to apologize for what I--"
Buffy smiled, placing a finger on his lips, "Ssh... it wasn't you... okay?"
"Okay,"He said, sounding relieved.
"Now,"Buffy turned to him, "Wanna go on a patrol with me?"
"Sure."
Buffy smiled as she picked up her coat and put it on. She glanced at him as they started to leave the library, "There's only one rule..."
"What's that?"He asked.
"Leave the hormone crazed primal animal part of you at home."
"You're never gonna let me hear the end of this, are you?"Angel asked.
"Nope."Buffy said, smiling sweetly.
"I thought so."
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