When they reappeared, Fred was glad that they were in the alley as she could only imagine trying to explain to people why they had showed up out of nowhere and why she had wings. As Rupert stepped away, mentioning they were at the shop's back door, her wings folded back and disappeared. When that happened, they looked like any normal couple in the world, especially as they walked together hand-in-hand to the front of the shop and walked inside.
Once they entered, a man immediately moved toward them from the back, a smile on his face. "Good morning, welcome to Bedford Antiques. I've Victor, proprietor of this establishment. Are you just browsing or is there something in particular that you're looking for today?"
Fred looked over at Rupert, realizing that they hadn't really discussed a cover story for why they were there. "Well, my fiancé and I were in town, and since he's bought from you before in private auctions, we wanted to come in and take a look at your selection of antique engagement rings."
"Ah, of course," Victor said with a smile, leading them over to one of the display cabinets toward the back of the store. He looked over at Giles. "May I ask what you've purchased from me? It's always nice to know where certain pieces have gone and whether the owners are enjoying them."
Giles raised his eyebrows a bit at how quickly Fred gave Bedford a cover story for them. He had to admit that the thought of being engaged to her was quite nice. Giving her a loving smile, he followed the both of them to the back of the shop and looked at the display case. "They're quite nice," he said, looking down at the rings.
When Bedford asked his question, Giles turned and smiled. "I'm Rupert Giles. I work for the Watcher's Council. I had an Inca artifact from your establishment a few years ago," he said, not telling what he'd used the artifact for. "I was in Sunnydale at the time."
"Ah, yes," Bedford said with a grin. "I've done quite a bit of business with the Council. I'm glad they've rebuilt. Say, didn't you also purchase something that I had received from a different dimension?"
"I believe I did," Giles said with a small nod.
"I don't buy many things from other dimensions anymore. Although, my girlfriend asked me to obtain a set of books from a different dimension," Bedford said as he shrugged his shoulders. "I can't remember the name of the place but there's three books and they use to be owned by a set of priests. She seems to know more about them." He laughed and shook his head. "Hopefully they arrive tomorrow night as planned or she might have my head."
Bedford laughed again and walked off as Giles turned and raised an eyebrow at Fred.
Wanting to keep up appearances, Fred looked over th rings while Rupert answered Bedford's question about the items he had purchased from him before. Even though they weren't really there to get a ring, however, she found herself smiling softly at the sight of them, thinking how nice it would be to be able to do something like this for real. But she knew that her relationship with Rupert wasn't in any way usual, and she knew that it was enough that she was with him.
When Bedford and Rupert started speaking about different dimensions, she turned and listened. So Bedford knew about different dimensions even though he wasn't so aware of occult aspects. She wondered what he thought the Watchers Council did.
Then Bedford mentioned that his girlfriend wanted him to find three books from another dimension that had been owned by priests, and Fred found her chest tightening as her eyes widened. Once he had left them alone, she looked over Rupert, swallowing hard.
"Pylea," she whispered. "There were three books owned by priests on Pylea that were used to open portals there. The Holy Books of the Covenant of Trombli. Only...they're useless in this dimension. That was why Wesley and I left them there once we figured out where the hotspot was to open the portal back here."
She shook her head, looking in the direction that Bedford had gone. "I don't understand this - why would his 'girlfriend' want him to bring back useless books? It's not like they can do anything with them to make them work here...can they?"
Giles listened to what Fred said about the books being from Pylea and how they wouldn't be able to use them in this dimension. Furrowing his brow, he nodded and looked around the shop. He noticed a coffee and donut shop next door, and took Fred's hand. "We shouldn't chat about this here," Giles said as he smiled over at Bedford. "My fiancé and I are going to have a cup of coffee, and discuss the rings. Will you be here this afternoon?"
"Until three," Bedford said with a smile.
Giles nodded and led Fred out of the shop. He paused for a moment though when he noticed yellow streaks of what looked like resin on the side of Bedford's building. He ran his fingers through it and then smelled it before furrowing his brow. Giles then walked Fred into the coffee shop.
After they'd ordered some beverages, Giles sat them down in a corner table. "The books from Pylea can be used in this dimension if their magical manipulated. And if those books can open portals in Pylea, they'll be able to open something even bigger in this dimension." He leaned closer to Fred and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "The high school in Sunnydale had the same yellow streaks on the outside of the building. They were analyzed and the chemicals in the resin was not of this dimension. We came up with the theory they were there because of the Hellmouth."
Giles leaned closer and stroked Fred's cheek to give the impression they were nothing more than two lovers having an intimate conversation. "If the theory is right, then Bedford's shop is sitting on a Hellmouth and his girlfriend wants the books to open it," he whispered as his hand trailed down Fred's neck. "We'll have to research at a public library and find out the history of this part of the city."
Fred was glad when Rupert suggested that they go elsewhere. There was something about the shop that made her uncomfortable, so getting out there so they could discuss what they had learned seemed a very good idea. She wasn't sure if it was some of the other artefacts in there or whether the girlfriend was around or what.
Taking his hand, she followed him out of the shop and waited while he studied the yellow streaks on the side of the building, looking around to make sure that no one was watching them. Obviously, there was something important about it, the way he was studying it. She had to admit that she couldn't remember seeing anything like it before.
Once they had taken a seat in the coffee shot, she looked at him expectantly, leaning toward him as he explained that the books could be manipulated to allow them to work in their dimension. She swallowed at the thought - they had purposely left the books there because they thought they couldn't be used in their world, and they didn't want them getting into the wrong hands as a result. Now, Rupert was saying that it was likely someone wanted to open a Hellmouth with them. Right there in Bedford's shop.
"I wish we had never left them behind," she said with a sigh. "But we did, figuring they were more of use in Pylea and that Groo would protect them. When he left...oh God, when he left, the books must have been vulnerable."
Running her hand over his, she looked into his eyes. She knew from her reading and researching with Wesley how bad things would be if they managed to open a new Hellmouth. "Once we find out about the city, we should try to track down who might be delivering the books. I know they're supposed to show up tomorrow night, but we should find out before that and stop that...demon woman from even getting them if we can. If I can find out what computer system Bedford uses and we can find a computer cafe or something, I might be able to hack in and get that information."
Once they entered, a man immediately moved toward them from the back, a smile on his face. "Good morning, welcome to Bedford Antiques. I've Victor, proprietor of this establishment. Are you just browsing or is there something in particular that you're looking for today?"
Fred looked over at Rupert, realizing that they hadn't really discussed a cover story for why they were there. "Well, my fiancé and I were in town, and since he's bought from you before in private auctions, we wanted to come in and take a look at your selection of antique engagement rings."
"Ah, of course," Victor said with a smile, leading them over to one of the display cabinets toward the back of the store. He looked over at Giles. "May I ask what you've purchased from me? It's always nice to know where certain pieces have gone and whether the owners are enjoying them."
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When Bedford asked his question, Giles turned and smiled. "I'm Rupert Giles. I work for the Watcher's Council. I had an Inca artifact from your establishment a few years ago," he said, not telling what he'd used the artifact for. "I was in Sunnydale at the time."
"Ah, yes," Bedford said with a grin. "I've done quite a bit of business with the Council. I'm glad they've rebuilt. Say, didn't you also purchase something that I had received from a different dimension?"
"I believe I did," Giles said with a small nod.
"I don't buy many things from other dimensions anymore. Although, my girlfriend asked me to obtain a set of books from a different dimension," Bedford said as he shrugged his shoulders. "I can't remember the name of the place but there's three books and they use to be owned by a set of priests. She seems to know more about them." He laughed and shook his head. "Hopefully they arrive tomorrow night as planned or she might have my head."
Bedford laughed again and walked off as Giles turned and raised an eyebrow at Fred.
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When Bedford and Rupert started speaking about different dimensions, she turned and listened. So Bedford knew about different dimensions even though he wasn't so aware of occult aspects. She wondered what he thought the Watchers Council did.
Then Bedford mentioned that his girlfriend wanted him to find three books from another dimension that had been owned by priests, and Fred found her chest tightening as her eyes widened. Once he had left them alone, she looked over Rupert, swallowing hard.
"Pylea," she whispered. "There were three books owned by priests on Pylea that were used to open portals there. The Holy Books of the Covenant of Trombli. Only...they're useless in this dimension. That was why Wesley and I left them there once we figured out where the hotspot was to open the portal back here."
She shook her head, looking in the direction that Bedford had gone. "I don't understand this - why would his 'girlfriend' want him to bring back useless books? It's not like they can do anything with them to make them work here...can they?"
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"Until three," Bedford said with a smile.
Giles nodded and led Fred out of the shop. He paused for a moment though when he noticed yellow streaks of what looked like resin on the side of Bedford's building. He ran his fingers through it and then smelled it before furrowing his brow. Giles then walked Fred into the coffee shop.
After they'd ordered some beverages, Giles sat them down in a corner table. "The books from Pylea can be used in this dimension if their magical manipulated. And if those books can open portals in Pylea, they'll be able to open something even bigger in this dimension." He leaned closer to Fred and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "The high school in Sunnydale had the same yellow streaks on the outside of the building. They were analyzed and the chemicals in the resin was not of this dimension. We came up with the theory they were there because of the Hellmouth."
Giles leaned closer and stroked Fred's cheek to give the impression they were nothing more than two lovers having an intimate conversation. "If the theory is right, then Bedford's shop is sitting on a Hellmouth and his girlfriend wants the books to open it," he whispered as his hand trailed down Fred's neck. "We'll have to research at a public library and find out the history of this part of the city."
Reply
Taking his hand, she followed him out of the shop and waited while he studied the yellow streaks on the side of the building, looking around to make sure that no one was watching them. Obviously, there was something important about it, the way he was studying it. She had to admit that she couldn't remember seeing anything like it before.
Once they had taken a seat in the coffee shot, she looked at him expectantly, leaning toward him as he explained that the books could be manipulated to allow them to work in their dimension. She swallowed at the thought - they had purposely left the books there because they thought they couldn't be used in their world, and they didn't want them getting into the wrong hands as a result. Now, Rupert was saying that it was likely someone wanted to open a Hellmouth with them. Right there in Bedford's shop.
"I wish we had never left them behind," she said with a sigh. "But we did, figuring they were more of use in Pylea and that Groo would protect them. When he left...oh God, when he left, the books must have been vulnerable."
Running her hand over his, she looked into his eyes. She knew from her reading and researching with Wesley how bad things would be if they managed to open a new Hellmouth. "Once we find out about the city, we should try to track down who might be delivering the books. I know they're supposed to show up tomorrow night, but we should find out before that and stop that...demon woman from even getting them if we can. If I can find out what computer system Bedford uses and we can find a computer cafe or something, I might be able to hack in and get that information."
Reply
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