dragonyphoenix

Title: The Pen is Mightier
Fandom: BtVS
Summary: Anya is less than pleased after Giles has been turned into a rabbit.
Rating: G
Characters: Giles, Anya, Buffy, Ethan
Disclaimer: They will be mine, oh yes they will, once I've taken over the world. Bwah-ha-ha!
Note: Written for the prompt of sword(s) at Giles Shorts but not posted there because it's longer than 100 words.

The bell jangled as Buffy threw open the door of The Magic Shop. She yanked Ethan so hard he half-stumbled as he fell in after her. “Look what I found lurking … Anya?”

Anya, backed up against a display case, her arms stretched out before her, held a sword down toward the ground. The sword was trembling.

“Anya?” Buffy dragged Ethan in as she stepped around a table full of crystals. There was a rabbit in the center of the room and behind the rabbit a tweed suit lay crumpled on the carpet.

“I don't want to stab it in case it's Mr. Giles.” The rabbit twitched. Anya screamed.

“That's Giles? How is that Giles?”

“Well, he was standing there and then he wasn't but the clothes were still there and then something moved inside the clothes and then that … that thing hopped out.”

Buffy twisted Ethan's arm behind his back. “Fix it.”

“What makes you think I?” He gasped as she twisted his arm harder.

“Fix it.”

“Alright.” Ethan reached into his pocket. Buffy tightened her grip. Ethan pulled out a pen. “I'll need the rabbit.”

Buffy picked up the rabbit but held it close. “You're going to draw on him?”

“Just a pictogram. It will return him to his proper form.”

“He's right,” Anya said. “As long as he draws the right image.”

Buffy glared at Ethan but spoke to Anya. “If Ethan runs, stab him. If anything goes wrong, stab him. Heck, if you get annoyed …”

“That's enough of that,” Ethan interrupted.

Buffy held the rabbit as Ethan drew on it. She couldn't quite see what he was doing. “Should it take this long?”

“You try drawing through fur.” Anya poked at him with the sword. “Hey, watch it. That thing's sharp,” Ethan complained.

“Maybe you shouldn't have turned him into a rabbit in the first place.”

“That's it,” Ethan said, pulling the pen back. “It shouldn't take long. You'd better put him down.”

Buffy gently placed the rabbit on the floor. As he grew in size, she suddenly realized Giles would be naked and was looking for something to cover him with when Ethan made a run for it.

“Oh no you don't.” The sword clattered against the floor. Buffy, shielding her eyes against Giles' nakedness, saw Anya tackle Ethan to the floor.

Anya pulled out a pen and drew something and then Ethan was gone.

“What did you do?”

Rupert, half-hiding behind his clothes, stood and asked, “Good Lord, you didn't turn him into a rabbit?”

Anya shrieked. “Of course not.” Ethan's clothes moved and a head peered out.

“A fox?”

“Well, foxes eat rabbits so I thought one would be handy to have around.”

“Oh, yeah,” Buffy replied, “because that would work so well if Giles were still a rabbit.”

“Buffy, please, not even in jest.” Giles was standing but shielding his nudity behind his clothes.

Buffy picked up the sword and held it out toward the fox. “Giles, please get dressed.” As Giles stepped into the back room, Buffy grumbled, “I can't believe you didn't stab Ethan.”

“Well, I remembered the old adage and figured this would be better. I mean, this can be reversed at least.”

“Adage? What adage?”

“The pen is mightier than the sword.”

Buffy held the sword, rock steady, to the fox's neck. “I'm pretty sure in this case the sword is mightier.”