"Go! Go! Go!" yelled an overly excited, perhaps intoxicated, and definitely well-endowed coed.
Xander watched appreciatively as she bounced up and down. When her cheer was over, she noticed his gaze.
"Um--- nice pompoms?" 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 halfheartedly. 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 dye 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 halfhearted 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 COMMA the tight end, God why that name?, had scooped Sunny into his arms.
After Buffy had managed to get Xander unstuck from the buxom coed, 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 goal posts 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 goal posts. 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 goal posts 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. 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 here," 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 he 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
