Sometimes the Bear Gets You 

Giles was driving home from the museum, his mind lost in
thoughts of artifacts and paperwork. The autumn evening was
warm, even by Southern California standards, so he rolled
down his window.

The air had the distinct odor of smoke. He breathed it in
and wondered who would be insane enough to build a fire on
night like this. 'I hope it's a hearth fire,' he thought
nervously. He stopped for a red light and reflexively
scanned the area for trouble.

Across the street he saw it. He blinked a few times and
shook his head. Just when you think you've seen
everything...

It looked like a little bear was fighting with a big tree,
and the tree was winning. Knowing he shouldn't, Giles
pulled over the side of the road and went to investigate
further.

He dashed across the road and as he got closer to the melee
he could tell that it wasn't a real bear or a real tree. It
was Sunny the UC Sunnydale mascot, and what appeared to be
a man dressed as a Giant Sequoia. Although, he noted
absently to himself, the bark resembled more of a knotty
pine. No Hellmouth at work here, probably just a fraternity
prank.

He started to turn away, but thought better of it. The bear
*was* awfully small and was definitely getting the worst of
it. The tree loomed over its victim, branches flailing. It
connected with a rather vicious blow that
sent the bear's head spinning all the way around.

Giles heard a muffled scream. "That's enough!" he called
out.

The tree turned to look at him and the bear used the
diversion to its advantage and kicked the tree in the...
um... trunk.

"AIEIAEIE!!!" screamed the tree as it doubled over in pain.

The bear seized the moment and scrambled away from the
attacker. It limped quickly over toward Giles and then past
him, waving for him to follow. Giles stood his ground and
looked back at the tree. A series of extremely vulgar
invectives could be heard as the Redwood stood to its full
height, which in this case was about 10 feet. Emblazoned
across the tree's chest was "BIG RED".

Giles was continuing to mentally catalogue the errors in
costume design when he was startled out of his reverie by
the sound of his own car horn. He spun around to see the
bear sitting in his passenger seat leaning on the horn and
waving him over.

"I'm gonna get that little bear," the tree swore.

Giles tried to think of a response, but what do you say to
an irate tree? A tree that was waggling its branches in a
very threatening manner. Shaking his head and trying not
to appear as if he were running away from a tree, Giles
ran quickly back to his car.

He jumped in just as the tree was picking up speed. He
looked at the bear that was saying something unintelligible
and banging on the dash with its paws, urging him to drive.

Giles turned the key and blessedly, for once, the car
started on the first go, receiving applause from the bear.
Muttering something about being insane, Giles pulled away
and saw the tree disappear in the rearview mirror.

"What... who are you?" he finally asked.

The answer was a stifled mumble.

"I can't hear you through the costume," he said.

The bear nodded and tried to lift the headpiece off, but
there wasn't room in the small car. It patted it the roof
with its little paws and shrugged.

"We'll be at my place soon. Are you hurt?"

The bear lowered its head.

"Are you... what's wrong? You're hurt?" Giles asked
concerned.

The bear's chest heaved a deep sigh and nodded.

"Here we are," Giles said as they reached his apartment. He
hurried to help the bear out of the car and up the steps.
The little thing, barely over five feet tall, was limping
noticeably and the "S" in Sunny was dangling by a thread.

He opened the front door and helped the bear inside.

"Let's get this off you," he said. He reached out and
carefully pulled the headpiece off and set it aside.

"Thanks, Giles."

He spun back around. "Willow?"

Her hair was wet with sweat and matted down against her
forehead. She let out a long breath and pulled off her
paws. "So hot in there."

"W-Willow?"

"I've gotta sit down." She limped her way over to the sofa
and collapsed. "That tree was brutal."

Giles made several sounds, resembling speech, and yet not
coalescing into actual words.

"Oh, look at my 'S'", Willow said sadly. "Now I'm just
Unny." She giggled. "Unny bear... that's kinda cute." Then
she frowned. "I don't feel well."

Giles snapped to and crossed to stand next to her. She
didn't look particularly well. She was paler than normal
and she was sweating.

"It's... um... probably heat exhaustion. Y-you should
t-t-take the rest of ... your costume... off." He blushed
and reached out to help her undo the fasteners.

Willow followed suit and threw in ducking her head for
good measure. "I... don't have clothes... I'm... I've only
got my underwear on."

Her words reached him, but didn't compute. He had
just pulled the zipper down past the clasp of her
bra. He stared at her creamy skin, hiding behind that
whisp of lace. He blinked a few times, mesmerized
by the smooth lines of her back, the long, elegant...

Then, with a rush, he finally realized what she had
said and that he was sitting there ogling her near nakedness.

"Good lord," he mumbled and quickly re-zipped.

"Ouch!" Willow gasped.

"S-S-sorry," Giles sputtered turning away. "Wh-hat...
what..."

"Do you have a robe or something?" Willow asked sheepishly.

"A robe?" The image of Willow in his robe seemed
to freeze his brain for a moment. He stared at her
blankly.

"Or a big T-shirt..."

The image of Willow in a big T-shirt replaced the robe
image and he felt a wave of heat. Clearing his throat, he
managed to speak. "A... robe. Of course."

He scrambled upstairs and tried in vain not to caress the
material that was about to caress her skin. He sighed and
barreled back downstairs.

He handed her the robe and helped her to the bathroom. "Do
you need any...oh, of course. I'll just..." He pulled off
his glasses, which had suddenly steamed up.

Willow smiled shyly and shut the door behind her.

A few minutes later, she emerged. His breath caught in his
throat. So beautiful. She'd washed her face and put her
hair up. The robe was far too big for her, but only added
to his urge to take her into his arms. He fought down that
urge, among others... again...

She was still limping, although less so, and he hurried to
her side. "Does it hurt badly?" he asked gently.

She smiled up at him and tried to ignore the heat that his
touch always caused. "No, it's not too bad. Just twisted
it."

He eased her onto the sofa and offered her a glass of
water, which she gratefully accepted.

He sat next to her, sure not to be too close. "What on
earth... was that all about?"

She laughed and set down her glass. "I'm Sunny, the UC
Sunnydale mascot."

"Why?"

"Well, I wanted to do something to show I have school
spirit, the big game's tomorrow... and they needed somebody
kind of small for the costume. Sunny's a Sun Bear," she
said with a cute little smile. "Sun bears are small and I
fit and everything was great at the pep rally. I think I
really inspired pep in some previously pep-less people."

Giles chuckled. "I'm sure you did."

"And I was walking home and then that mean old tree jumped
out of nowhere."

Giles shook his head in confusion. "And the tree is..."

"Oh. He's Big Red. That's the mascot for Terrytown
University... that's our big rival."

"Ah, like Cambridge was to Oxford. The boat races brought
out the animal in some of the upper classmen."

Willow giggled. "Something like that."

Giles frowned and his eyes darkened. "Why was the tree
beating you?"

"He was trying to get me to go with him."

"Kidnap you?" Giles fumed.

"It's tradition. Each school tries to kidnap the other's
mascot before the big game."

"That's barbaric!"

"That's college," she said with a shrug.

"If I ever get my hands on that tree," Giles growled.

Willow stifled another giggle, but then had a thought. "I
guess they'll try again."

Giles stood up and started to pace. He was taking this
very seriously. "Well, they won't find you here."

"Here?"

"I won't risk your going to the dorm. You'll stay here
tonight," he said with finality.

"Um… okay." Willow said softly.

"You'll be safe here." He looked at her and swallowed hard.
Her big green eyes looked at him with such trust. How he
ached for it to be something more.

"I know," she whispered and then smiled in a way that
always made his heart jump. She reached for her water glass
and let out a small moan.

"What is it?" he said suddenly at her side again.

She scrunched up her face and rubbed her left shoulder.
"Ow."

He started to reach out to touch her, but pulled his hand
back nervously. "Y-your shoulder?"

"That tree got in a few good whacks."

Giles frowned and cleared his throat. "L-Let me." He took
her hand and moved it out the way. He turned her slightly,
so she was facing away from him and tentatively, gently
started to massage her shoulders.

She moaned and he pulled his hands away. "I'm sorry. Did I
hurt you?"

"No," she said. Life gives you opportunities, she thought,
but it's up to you what you make of them. Throwing caution
to the wind, Willow seized the moment. "It feels good, it's
just that.."

He had to lean in to hear her, his breath hot against her
neck. He closed his eyes and breathed in the scent of
lavender. "Just what?" he said softly.

"The robe," she whispered. 'Courage.' "It's so thick... I
think... would you mind if..." she shrugged and slipped the
robe off her shoulders.

Giles moaned, coughed and sputtered. "Mind?"

He sat perfectly still, not trusting himself to move. She
was sitting with her back to him, exposed to him. Her
creamy skin and delicate shoulders inches from him. He
licked his lips and raised trembling hands. His fingers
hovered above her skin. He closed his eyes and touched her.

His hands were just as she had imagined them to be, warm
and strong. He barely brushed against her at first, his
long fingers tracing the length of her neck down across her
shoulders.

He marveled at the feel of her skin. It was softer then
he'd dreamed and he'd dreamed of it often. His fingers
traced patterns, seemingly if their own accord, along her
pale skin. He noticed a red mark and frowned. His fingers
ran along the outside area that marred her perfect skin. He
felt a wave of anger that someone had struck her. Without
thinking he leaned forward and brushed his lips across the
mark, a feather-light kiss.

She gasped and he pulled back. Missing his touch more
desperately than she thought possible, Willow turned to
face him.

His eyes were filled with emotion. He wanted to look away,
ashamed of his reckless behavior, but he couldn't. He met
her gaze and found his own passion reflected, dark and wet.

"Willow-" he whispered. She reached out and placed one slim
finger on his lips. She smiled, at once the innocent and
the seductress. He knew he was lost. She cupped the side of
his face and gently urged him toward her.

He let her guide him to her mouth. With infinite tenderness
he pressed his lips to hers. She moaned quietly and he
pulled her closer. With one arm he lifted her onto his lap,
while the other caressed her cheek. He tilted her head back
to give him access to neck and trailed kisses down to her
collarbone. The robe was barely clinging to her now and he
leaned back and looked down at the sash.

Willow followed his gaze. She took hold of one of his hands
and kissed the palm. He looked back up to her face and knew
he could stare into her eyes for an eternity. She took his
hand and placed it on the sash of her robe, giving him
silent permission. Eternity would have to wait.


* * * * *

The next day at the big game, Buffy and Xander were doing
the bump as the band played its very own special rendition
of "Kung Fu Fighting". Buffy bumped Xander a bit too hard
and he skittered out on his butt into the aisle of the
student section.

"Sorry," he muttered to a pair of tennis shoes.

"Quite all right. Xander?"

Xander looked up and saw Giles or someone who looked a lot
like Giles... but this guy was wearing blue jeans and
tennis shoes. "G-Man?" Xander croaked.

Giles smiled and offered him a hand up.

"Giles," Buffy added with a big grin. "What are you doing
here?"

"Oh.... Willow gave me her ticket. She, um, had something
else to do."

Buffy looked at him a little suspiciously. "She's been
Super Secret Girl the last few days."

Giles tried unsuccessfully to hide an "if you only knew"
smile.

"Peanut?" he offered.

Xander grabbed a handful. "Thanks."

"You look... different," Buffy observed. "Different, but
good... collegey."

Giles smiled slightly embarrassed and turned to scan the
field.

"Didn't think you liked football, G-funk," Xander said
between mouthfuls.

"There are a great many things you don't know about me,
Xander," Giles said cryptically. "And don’t ever call me that."

The teams took the field and the crowd roared. Giles
clapped politely, but craned his neck, trying to see
something in particular.

"And now..." intoned a deep voice from the PA system. "The
pride of UC Sunnydale -- Sunny the Sun Bear!" The crowd
applauded and few jeered, while Giles dropped his peanuts
and whistled and may very well have "whooped".

Buffy and Xander looked at him in shock.

"I just love that little bear," he said brightly.

Part Two

"Go! Go! Go!" yelled an overly excited, perhaps
intoxicated, and definitely well-endowed co-ed.

Xander watched appreciatively as she bounced up and down.
When her cheer was over, she noticed his gaze.

"Um--- nice pom-poms?" he tried.

She smiled at him. "Want one?"

"Huh?"

"To cheer with!" she said pushing a paper pompom at him and
turning back to her friends.

"Oh! Right--- Rah!" He shook the stick half-heartedly. It
wasn't much of a pompom. A cheap piece of wood and about
thirty ragged colored tendrils. He tried to fluff it up,
but some of the paper was soaked with beer and the die ran
onto his fingers.

"College," he sighed wistfully.

"Touchdown!" bellowed a voice over the PA.

The crowd went wild. Again. UC Sunnydale was kicking the
tar out of Terrytown. Everyone was sure it was because "Big
Red", their lucky mascot mysteriously hadn't shown up for
the game.

Buffy grabbed Xander by the arm and pulled him into a hug.
"We rule!" she screamed into his ear.

He winced, but ignored everything save for the soft slayer
in his arms. She pulled out of the hug turned to Giles.

He wasn't cheering; in fact, he looked upset. She tapped
him on the shoulder and said, "Touchdown, good thing."

He smiled faintly and gave her a half-hearted high-five with
his big puffy hand and then returned to his brooding.

"What's wrong, Giles? We're kicking their Terrytown Butt!"
Buffy asked.

"Hmm? Oh, yes. Bravo." He continued to stare down onto the
field, his lips pursed in disapproval.

Buffy tried to follow his gaze, but it couldn't figure it
out. It was just an extra point. Big whoop.

He seemed to be having a good time, although it was
painfully obvious that he didn't have a clue about American
football. Nonetheless, he'd gotten in the spirit, big puffy
hand and all. Until a few minutes ago and then his mood had
taken a sharp turn into pissy.

"What's that bugger think he's---" Giles mumbled.

"Hmm?" Buffy asked.

"Nothing," he said through clenched teeth.

Buffy frowned. Definitely pissy.

What she couldn't see and what Giles watched with growing
ire, was one particular backup tight end who was trying to
make time with Sunny the Sun Bear.

The big oaf was shamelessly coming on to her with his big
pads and tight pants. He held his helmet in one hand, the
other reaching out to hold Sunny's paw--- or something.

Giles grunted and debated making a scene. On the one hand,
Buffy and Xander, not to mention security, might frown on
it, but on the other hand--- he could really do with a spot
of violence.

To her credit, Willow did her best to ignore the player and
whip the crowd into a frenzy. Not that either needed any
encouragement. The crowd was nearly euphoric and bordering
on mob, and the tight end had obviously never heard the
word 'No'.

Oblivious to the game within a game, the real game raged
on. One of UC Sunnydale's most promising defensive backs
intercepted an errant pass and ran it back for yet another
touchdown.

The crowd went mad, and Giles went ballistic.

While everyone around him jumped up and down and sang the
praises of their mighty team, Giles swore like a merchant
marine denied liberty. It seems that in the ensuing
celebration the tight end, god why that name?, had scooped
Sunny into his arms.

After Buffy had managed to get Xander unstuck from the
buxom co-ed, she turned and noticed that not only wasn't
Giles cheering, he wasn't even there anymore. She thought
she saw a flash of his T-shirt flying down the aisle toward
the field, but the chaos and the unspeakable joy of
trouncing an enemy you hadn't even heard of until late last
week, overwhelmed her.

Heedless of the danger or the stupidity, Giles plowed
through the crowd. In his haste, he'd lost track of them
and stopped at the railing to find his quarry.

"Aha!" he cried as he spotted them. He jumped over the
railing and landed on the field below. A security guard was
rushing toward him. Then, suddenly, the crowd erupted into
its loudest roar of the afternoon, and Giles was swarmed
over by a wave of student body bodies. People were jumping
the railing willy-nilly, storming the field as if it were
the beach at Normandy.

He tried to keep track of Willow. That damned tight end had
thrown her over his shoulder and was hauling her off like a
sack of rice. The extra burst of adrenaline surged through,
and he forced his way to her side.

They were being buffeted by the crowd, but Giles managed to
grab the young man's arm and spin him around. "Put that
bear down!" he yelled.

"Piss off, old man!"

"Giles?" Willow's little voice was muffled by the costume.
She struggled against the player's grip, but it was no use.

Giles gripped the younger man's arm painfully and then
kicked him in the back of the knee.

The tight end screamed in pain and dropped Willow. "My
ACL!"

Giles caught her as she fell and scooped her into his arms.
Fighting against the crowd he carried her away from the
fallen player. Once he felt they were far enough away from
the man, he set her down gently and helped her remove the
headpiece.

"Wow!"

"Are you all right?" he asked.

She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply.
Giles grabbed her just as tightly and pulled her to him in
a crushing embrace. The kiss was fierce and passionate.
Finally, needing air, Giles released her.

"Wow," he said.

She giggled and beamed up at him. "Hi."

"Hi yourself," he said huskily.

"Giles!"

That was Buffy's voice. He spun around nervously, but could
only see the endless sea of Sunnydale students streaming
relentlessly onto the field.

"We'd better-" he started, but as he turned back to Willow
she was gone.

"Giles?" Willow said, her voice drifting over the crowd.

"Willow?" he called out.

"Giles?" Buffy said suddenly at this shoulder.

"Oh!" He jumped.

"Did I just hear you call Willow's name? Is *she* down
here?" she asked scanning the crowd.

"Willow?" he said innocently while frantically trying to
see her.

"Yeah, you know. Red head--- smart--- witchy."

Giles nodded impatiently. "Yes! I-"

"Buffy! G-man!" Xander gasped as he was thrown into them by
a sudden surge in the herd of humanity.

"Giles says Willow's down here!" Buffy screamed.

Giles shook his head. "That's not exactly--- Good Lord!"
Another press from the mass sucked Giles into a whirlpool
of revelers. He was traveling toward the goalposts at a
frightening speed.

"Giles!" Buffy called out.

"He'll be okay, we need to find Willow!" Xander screamed
over the roar of the crowd.

"Right!" They looked at each other blankly. "How?"

Xander shrugged and they pushed they way into the mass.

Giles tried to fight the surge, but it was no use. Once he
had resigned himself to that fact, he found it far less
painful.

"Yeah! Yeah! Go-- Sunny-- Go!" the crowd chanted. Giles
strained to see what they were urging Sunny to do.

"Willow!" he cried. She was being passed hand to hand over
the heads of the party-ers and was now being hoisted up
onto the goalposts. Apparently she was being awarded the
dubious honor of being atop them as they were toppled.

Willow was frantically trying to hold on to the posts, but
her little paws kept slipping. She inched her way along the
crossbar and finally threw her arms around one of the
uprights just as they began to sway.

"Look at the funny bear!" Xander shouted to Buffy.

She glared at him. "Xander! Willow--- concentrate!"

"Right." Back into the crowd they plunged.

Giles tried to make his way to Willow, but the press of
bodies was too much. He watched in horror as she clung to
the swaying posts.

Knowing she had to do something, Willow waited until the
posts dipped dramatically to the side she was on and then
throwing caution to the wind, she threw herself into the
crowd.

The crowd screamed as she leapt into the mass of bodies.
She fell on top of the brass section of the band, which was
somehow still managing to play "Tequila".

Giles heard the music come to an abrupt halt. Willow wasn't
on the goalposts anymore. 'Where the devil is that girl
now?'

Willow extricated herself from the second trombone and
noticed that the crowd seemed to have turned on her.

"Shouldn't have bailed Sunny," said one wild looking
flutist.

They had a bloodlust in their eyes usually reserved for the
*other* team's mascot.

Willow swallowed hard and did the only thing she could
think of... ran like hell.

As she wove her way through the crowd, she knew she had to
ditch the Sunny costume, but she was still only wearing
underwear under there.

"Skin the bear!"

"Yikes!" She kept running and started shedding the outfit
as she went--- the paws first and finally she managed to
unzip and squiggle out of the suit.

She ran a few more yards and then stopped and hid near what
used to be the Gatorade table. The Sunny stalkers had
stopped when they found the empty suit. They carried it away
above their heads, triumphant.

'Phew'.

"Streaker!" someone yelled.

Willow spun around and saw several students pointing at
her. Flashing them a Willowy smile she took off as fast her
little feet would go.

"Streak! Streak! Streak!" Chanted the crowd as she whizzed
by.

"Let's do it!" someone shouted and soon dozens were
shedding their clothes and a fad was reborn.

Giles saw a flash of the Sunny Bear fur and pushed his way
toward it. He leapt into group, ready to save her from
whatever fate had befallen her. They weren't prepared for
the Watcher's attack and collapsed in a heap.

"Willow!" Giles called out as he pulled on the leg of the
costume. Empty. "What have you done with her?" he demanded.

"Hey man, you're squishing me!" said a muffled voice
underneath him.

"You broke my piccolo!"

Before he had a chance to reply a nearly naked girl ran
past. He knew that nakedness. "Willow?"

Close on her heels was a growing group of streakers,
screaming, running naked into the night.

"Willow!" Giles called out and started to go after the sea
of nudity, but someone grabbed his arm.

"Giles?" Buffy called.

Flustered, Giles just tried to pull out of her grip, but it
was fruitless.

"Did you see Willow?" she asked.

"W-Willow---" Giles stalled, trying to come up with
something, anything---"N-No--- I haven't seen her."

The streakers had hit a bottleneck at the stadium tunnel and
turned like flock of birds and looped back into the middle
of the field. Willow was at the front and ran right past
Buffy and Giles.

"Oh, there she is," Giles said casually.

"Willow!" Buffy cried and turned to stare at Giles.
"Giles?"

He cleared his throat. "Yes?"

"AHHHHHHH!!!!!" Willow cried as she dashed past them again.

"Buffy---" Giles started calmly. "Oh, hell!" Without
explanation, he took off after Willow.

Buffy was too stunned to move for a moment. When she
regained her senses, the streakers, now numbering in
the dozens, and without Willow at the front, were headed
straight for her. Like the Running of the Bulls, people ran
in and out of the throng. Thoughts of Willow and Giles
were summarily dismissed as the completely naked
water polo team passed by. Yowsa!

Somehow Giles had managed to get pushed out of the stadium.
He kept searching for Willow, trying to keep calm. 'She's
fine,' he assured himself. After all, at least she wasn't
being hunted as Sunny bear anymore. 'No, she's merely
running naked through a campus of overly-excited,
testosterone-pumping students.'

He walked quickly across the parking lot, trying not to
think about her state. He remembered what seeing her like
that had done to him last night. And what he'd done about
it. And then done again in the morning and--- then, just
once more after lunch.

Sighing, he leaned against the hood of his car. "Oh,
Willow, where are you?" he said to the night.

"Giles?" came a small voice.

"Willow?" He looked around, but didn't see her.

"Down her," she said as he head popped out from underneath
his car.

"Good lord!" he cried as he knelt down to help her crawl
out from underneath. "Are you all right?"

She brushed off her knees as she stood. "I'm a little
dirty."

He held her at arms' length and scanned her for injuries. A
few small scrapes, but nothing major. Relief washed over
him and pulled her tightly to him. He kissed her forehead,
silently thanking the Gods that she was safe. Safe and in
his arms. In his arms and practically naked.

He felt a wave of passion overtake him and kissed her. His
mouth was rough with need. She caught her breath before
returning his kiss with equal fervor.

With one arm around her waist, he lowered her onto the hood
of his car and pressed his body against hers.

The metal of the hood was cold against her skin,
heightening the heat of his touch. Her hands pulled him
closer, tangling in his hair. She tried to push her hips
up, but without any leverage, she could only manage to
brush against him. Judging from his moan, it was more than
enough. He felt his arousal surge and instinctively ground
his hips down into hers. She wiggled beneath him, reveling
in the contact.

The hood groaned and creaked under the strain and Giles,
suddenly aware again, pulled back.

Willow gasping for breath stared at him wide eyed. He
couldn't quite speak, but reached out and helped her slid
off the hood.

A group scream broke the silence as the streakers invaded
the parking lot. Giles tried to shield Willow as they
passed by.

Willow poked her head out from behind him. "Xander?"

One of the streakers skidded to a halt. "Wills?"

Xander, forgetting his buck nakedness, smiled at his
friend. "You okay?" he asked walking over to them. "Hey
G-man--- I see you-"

"Xander!" Giles shouted at him.

"What?" the boy replied nervously.

Giles glared at him and tried to push Willow's head behind
his back.

A breeze blew by and Xander shivered. "Cold," he said and
then it hit him. "Oh, God." He smiled nervously and ran off
into the night.

"Giles?" Willow asked.

He unlocked his car and grabbed and extra coat he kept for
emergencies. It dwarfed her and he smiled fondly. 'She
looks too damn sexy in my clothes,' he thought.

"Let's get out of here," he suggested. She nodded and he
helped her into the car.

As they pulled away from the campus Willow asked him to
stop at the intersection where he'd rescued her just the night
before.

"Something I have to do," she explained.

She crossed to the small grove of trees that lined the
street and stared at one particularly odd looking tree.
Giles came to her side. He recognized the tree and a scowl
came across his face.

"You could always leave him that way," he suggested
wickedly.

"Giles!"

They heard the distant screams of the streakers and a gleam
came into Willow's eyes. She mumbled a few words and the
spell was broken. Big Red was back.

He stumbled forward. "What the hell?"

Giles and Willow jumped back into his car and watched as
the scene played out.

"Hey! It's Big Red!" yelled one of the streakers. "Get
him!"

The tree hesitated, and it cost him. The mass of streakers
was upon him and like a school of piranha stripped him
in seconds and then continued down the street.

Big Red wasn't so mighty without his bark and ran crying
into the woods.

Laughing, Willow and Giles drove away.

When the laughter died down, Giles spoke. "When did you
cast that spell, Willow?"

She blushed. "Um-- last night?"

"You--? When did you have the time?" He shook his head and
laughed again.

Willow joined him and then realized something. "I can't
exactly walk into the dorms like this."

He looked at her and felt a rush of heat. He cleared his
throat. "No, you can't." He thought for a second. "I'll go
there in the morning and get some things for you."

"Great." Pause. "In the morning?" she asked.

He looked at her again, the heat building quickly into a
fire. "You won't be needing them until then."

She smiled back at him and knew he was right.

The End