Sealed With a Kiss: Part 2
by Anya
Rupert Giles pulled his glasses off and pressed the heels of his palms into his tired eyes, rubbing them in slow circles. The heaped pile of newspaper articles, books, manuscripts and other assorted pieces of paper spread out on the table of front of him hid the beautiful antique mahogany. It seemed as if no sooner did he work through a text, than another one took it's place. And Giles was beginning to despair of ever working through the accumulating clutter of research. Shoulders slumped, he cast a dark look at the mess, and an even darker look at the happily humming Ms.Calendar, as she typed away quietly and contentedly on her infernal computer.

Sighing he reached for his notepad, ready to annotate what little he had found before Buffy arrived. Buffy had sashayed into the library just before her last period to announce there would be a session tonight, but not immediately after school. Two-thirds of the three musketeers were on a mercy mission. Willow Rosenberg was being escorted right home, taken straight to her room, and tucked right into bed. Only when Buffy and Xander felt that this mission had been successfully fulfilled would they hustle discretely back to the school.

Willow. Giles pen froze as an image of the girl the last time he saw her today flashed through his mind. As a rule of thumb, when Willow had a free period, she came to the library. It was quiet here, generally the other students didn't have a clue where it was, and with the silence came no one to tease her for her intellectual bent. And Giles welcomed her presence. Willow's study skills had facilitated his own research tremendously. He knew, eventually, he'd have to learn to use those dreadful machines she so loved, but, so long as Willow was willing to help out ... he could postpone the inevitable.

Aimlessly drifting in, the girl had wandered over to her computer perched off the main table. Her eyelids were drooping heavily, the skin beneath the eyes an alarming green/blue on her already pale skin. He should have, he realized belatedly, insisted she go home and get some rest. Willow had tossed him a sad shadow of her usual smile, waving him off.

She hadn't been able to focus on much around her, although she tried. She had flicked the computer on, and as Giles sat and watched, stared at the flickering lights of the monitor for ten minutes before shaking herself out of her funk. Giles hadn't had the heart to ask her to find anything. Willow simply wasn't up to it, and he was still unnerved by the memory of her collapse the day before.

Willow had been on the upper floor, pulling some book on the Eleusine mysteries. Walking towards the rail and stairs, eyes glued to the text, her head had shot up when another student brushed past her on his way to the stacks. The movement and surprise had obviously been too sudden for her body to handle. Giles had nearly had a heart attack, she had collapsed with a soft whisper of a moan so close to the iron rail guard.

The student who had surprised her had ran to get Giles, and Giles had prudently shooed the child out of the library, removing Willow to the office. Laying her down on the cot he had been forced to buy (after a week of sleeping in the library), he had been sorely tempted to call the nurse, but Willow had been breathing easy, if a little fast. Even as she lay unconscious in the office, she had been in a state of obvious REM activity. Giles hadn't wanted to wake her, so clearly she needed the sleep. That decision was short-lived, regretfully. Not twenty minutes after her initial collapse she had come awake with a blood-curdling scream, her entire body shaking in violent sobs ...

A hand dropped on his shoulder, and Giles breaking him out of his memories. Ms. Samantha Calendar looked down at him with a sympathetic smile. "Something wrong, Rupert? You look lost."

"Lost," he sighed again. "Lost is a rather large understatement for how I feel. Overwhelmed comes closer, but still falls short." He tossed his pen down onto the notepad, watching it roll off the lined paper pad into a recessed crack between the notepad and newspapers, eminently buried. He stood up suddenly, feeling her hand drop of his shoulder as he did so, and began pacing. "No, I was just thinking about Willow."

Samantha nodded, looking at the clock. "I imagine Buffy and Xander have gotten her home by now. I hope she starts to feel better soon." Sinking down into the chair Giles had abandoned, she continued. "I don't know why she came to school today. She is obviously suffering for exhaustion, unable to concentrate, listless, and physically manifesting signs of illness.... She couldn't even compose a simple string for the assignment in class today, and she finds tasks like that ridiculously easy. She simply was unable to focus. "

"Yes. That's exactly it. She can't focus on the world around her. Most likely, as you implied, a result of sleep deprivation, but one would have thought her doctor would have taken care of that by now." Giles muttered, running a hand across his chin.

"A doctor did," entered a confident new voice . Buffy stood in the entryway, looking her usual chic in a slim, arm baring white sheath dress . Privately, Giles deemed her wardrobe inappropriate for hunting, but it seemed to work for her. Standing beside Buffy, Xander looked like a frump.

"Willow said her doctor gave her sedatives but, quote: they didn't agree with her, unquote." The young slayer stalked over to the two adults, Xander in tow behind, and flopped inelegantly into a free chair. "She's also having nightmares every time she goes to sleep."

Ms. Calendar looked up sharply at that. "Did Willow say she was having nightmares?"

Buffy paused, looking venomously at the woman for catching the slight variance in presentation. "No..."

"But her mother did." Xander inserted. Buffy shot him a grateful smile. " After Buff's and I discussed the whole nightmare thing, and Willow denied it, I thought I'd just ask Mrs. Rosenberg. According to her, Willow's woken up every night screaming her head off." Xander smiled sadly, proud to have finally found a key piece of information.

"Nightmares..." Ms. Calendar muttered. She stood up slowly and walked around the chair and table in a large circle to Willow's computer. Sitting down, she thoughtfully punched a few keys.

Buffy looked at the woman, then Giles who just shrugged, before glancing at Xander with a "did we just miss something?" expression. Xander raised an eyebrow, and ambled around to hover over the esteemed computer teacher's shoulder.

Reading the flashing screens as fast as he could, Xander swiftly decided to concede defeat and wait for the teacher to rejoin them in this plane of existence. Ms. Calendar moved almost as fast as Willow did on a computer.

The thought brought a pang of conscience to the teen. Willow would be so hurt to know they had purposefully excluded her from tonights' meeting. But, it was for her own good, he rationalized. They needed Willow here, with her wits collected. Ms.Calendar was good on a computer, but no where near Willow's level of skill. Besides, those ethics that didn't get in Willow's way sure stopped Ms. Calendars cold when hacking was required.

His conscience mildly appeased, Xander absently began lean over Ms. Calendar's shoulder, again trying to read the screen. She seemed to be going through reports, done in a spreadsheet format...* how does anyone know how to read those things?* he wondered.

A sudden "AHA!" made every back in the room shoot straight up.

"Aha?" Buffy asked hopefully. She gave the dark-haired woman a pixieish smile.

Ms. Calendar smiled widely. "There's been an unparalleled increase in reports of insomnia! But even better, there's been a very large increase in reported cases of severe nightmares causing insomnia!

Xander pursed his lips and shook his head. "And this is good news?" he said incredulously. He moved from his perch beside her to stand beside Buffy's chair.

"Willow's nightmares aren't natural in origin. Or they're unlikely to be natural in origin." Ms. Calendar said crisply. "Nightmares are usually limited to children. They are part of normal development. BUT nightmares are less common in adults, perhaps 5-10% of all adults have nightmares."

Giles approached the table again, thoughtfully cleaning his glasses. "Although, they could be caused by medications, or childhood traumas...is Willow on any medications other than the sedatives? "

Xander seemed to consider this, "Not that I know of. Her family is really into using homeopathic medicines before anything else. And I've known Willow since we were toddlers. The biggest trauma she's ever had was the death of her goldfish. We had a lovely funeral for them. Flushed straight down with a full salute. "

Giles frowned, "I don't consider Willow overly emotional, so that rules out that." He began muttering to himself, and wandered back to his office. The echoes of his mumbling faded, stopping, and then grew stronger as he returned with a book in hand. The faded blue canvas binding the book looked worn. And the gold letters that had once proudly announced title and author were scarcely visible.

Giles leafed through brittle yellow pages quickly, searching for some section that lurked buried within the volume. Head tilted down, he traced his finger down the length of page, as if tracking informaton.

Buffy watched him become lost in his own scholarly world. Rolling her eyes comically, she loudly cleared her throat. "Giles? Would you like to share with the rest of us here?"

"Wha--? Oh, my apologies. I was just considering a final alternative. Are we certain that Willow is suffering from nightmares?..."

"That's what her Mom said," Xander interjected loudly. "I think her Mom would know best, she lives with her, after all."

"Yes, yes. I'm well aware that she's having episodes at night. We've established that based on the testimony of her parents. What I'm wondering is whether this is a case of nightmares...or night terrors."

Buffy shook her head slightly, as if jostle some neurons to differentiate that last bit. "They're the same thing, Giles. "

The Watcher looked at her with a mildly wide-eyed expression. "Actually, no. They aren't. Not much is known of night terrors, other that they occur during the first hour or two of sleep. Victim's of night terrors tend to be violently restless sleepers, they tend to suffer from loud screaming and thrashing about. Although, the sleeper tends to be difficult to wake."

Ms. Calendar looked up for the computer screen she'd be absorbed in since Giles first mentioned night terrors.. "I've got a website here discussing the concept of nightmares and night terrors. I don't think Willow matches your profile. People suffering night terrors don't tend to remember anything beyond an emotional impression."

"You've been discussing her dreams with her then?" Giles shot at her crossly, knowing full well the woman was making leaps without facts.

She pinned him with the look normally reserved for delinquent students. "Has she suffered from episodes of sleepwalking as a kid? Or bed wetting? And these night terrors have come on awfully suddenly, have they not?"

"How would I know if she sleep walks? I'm simply trying to find a natural cause for her sleep deprivation as opposed to an unnatural."

"Um. Guys?" Xander interrupted brewing conflict. "We're interested in Willow here, aren't we? We want to make Willow all better..and the end conclusion of this fascinating dissertation on how people sleep is...?"

Ms. Calendar shot a final glare at Giles before turning to the two young adults in the room. "In all likelihood, Willow isn't suffering your run-of-the-mill nightmare. And she's experiencing night terrors either. Nor are most of the other people around here. Nightmares are being induced."

Xander pursed his lips, looking at Giles for confirmation. The Watcher shut the book he had been reading, and nodded curtly to the silent question. "Okay. So that means?"

"It means, we can give her a charm, or something to prevent Willow from experiencing these nightmares." As she spoke Ms. Calendar pulled at the necklace around her neck, fingers touching the small stone there.

Buffy leaned towards the teacher eagerly, arms pressed against scores of books on the top of the table. "What kind of charm? Do you have one that will work right away?"

Ms Calendar leaned back into the computer chair and looked towards the domed glass windows that made up the skylight. "Right away, I'm not sure. Some may...if we go the herbal route, we can always burn cedar incense, or..." She sighed softly, eyes focusing on the panel of glass that replaced the one that Buffy had thrown the Master through to his demise. Seeing no answer there, or in the corner of her brain, she stood up slowly, reaching half across the table to a black bound library book resting inside her opened briefcase.

Giles smirked, "What? Needing a book? How positively archaic."

"You said it! Unfortunately, because YOU are so lax about scanning all these texts, they aren't in the computer yet." She shot back sweetly.

Flipping through the book, that Xander and Buffy could see was called a Herbal Grimoire, she began to make random comments. "No.. .no.. .hmmm... .Huckleberry...no, oh..hyacinth.. .not locally available....yes! Here we go, purslane placed on the bed..that would prevent nightmares. Although, I doubt that Willow would appreciate either of those two methods though. Gemstones..."

Setting the black book down, she logged back onto the computer and then the web. Typing up an address obviously committed to memory, she began to tab down the page, as the audience anxiously watched.

"Well?" Buffy asked, wanting to end the silence broken only by the rapid click of keys on a keyboard..

"Well, Blue Onxy protects against psychic attacks or hexes, but we haven't established that this is a psychic assault..so it may not work." The dark haired teacher tilted her head slightly to the right, eyes still focused on the screen. "Perhaps malachite...no, it would promote sleep..but..negativity and nightmares are not quite the same thing.." Her eyes suddenly went wide, head snapping up to meet Buffy's bright gaze. "Got it! Blue topaz. If we put a good blue topaz beside her bed, it will prevent or halt a nightmare, and ensure a good nights sleep!"

"But will it work right away? Or at least tonight?" Xander asked, wishing he had some way of stressing the urgency of giving Willow some means to recovery. If a blue topaz would chase her boogey-men away, then he'd get one into her room at any cost. His childhood pal was not going to wake up screaming again if he had any say in it.

Ms. Calendar smiled widely, "It should. It will 'halt' a nightmare, not just prevent it...so it should work. And even better, I happen to own a beautiful blue topaz pendent. All we have to do is run it in cold water for ten or so minutes, and it's purified and ready to roll."

Buffy nodded briskly, "Cool. Let's do it then. Now."

Ms. Calendar made as if to stand up, but Giles raised a hand restraining her. "Uh..before we do that, we should consider the other unusual activity of late. Willow is not the only victim of these nightmares, after all."

"What? You want to give everyone in Sunnydale a blue topaz? Be my guest, Giles, but Willow's got first dibs on this one!" Buffy said sharply. She fixed a cold glare on the Watcher.

"That's not what I meant, Buffy." He chided her mildly, favouring her with a tolerant little smile. "No. I mean, these nightmares are only one instance of bizarre behavioural patterns isolated in Sunnydale."

Xander raised an eyebrow, "Uh..come again?"

"He's right." Ms. Calendar interjected. "In the last six days there have been 30 reported cases of domestic pets going feral on their owners, for no apparent reason. Dogs don't tend to attack the hand that feeds them. The worst was at the park. Dog owners walking their pets found the animals 'ganging together' and attacking en masse. The Humane Society has the animals quarentined for testing." She reached over to the computer, carefully shutting it down for the night, before continuing. "And local schools are concerned with the number of children assaulting and battering other children on the playground. The rules about accepted playground behaviours are well established and enforced, and no one would expect the gentlest most well behaved students to go insane like that! What I find most alarming is that ,hospital admissions have risen 300%. But only in the last six days!"

Giles sank back down into his chair. "And, if you've paid any attention to the news, there have been seven suicides since last Wednesday. Normally one a year is devastating in a town this small."

Buffy frowned, "But why? I mean, when the Hellmouth was nearly opened we had unexplained situations kind of like those...but why now. The Hellmouth isn't open, we saved the world..the apocolypse is over...isn't it?"

"You did beat the Master." Angel interjected from the door. Buffy's face lit up like a Christmas tree to see him, and Xander gritted his teeth. "But something or someone will always want to take his place. As for the Hellmouth, the Seal that safeguards it from opening is leaking. It should be holding the Hellmouth properly closed, and it isn't!"

Giles leapt up, jerking the chair backwards, "What Seal?"


* * *
Resources on dreams/nightmares etc:
Association for the Study of Dreams: Common Questions about Nightmares

Comments, complaints, suggestions?


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