Title: She’s Earned Her Stripes

Author: Jeanny

E-mail: jeannygrrl@hotmail.com

Rating: G

Spoilers: Season 5 through IWMTLY

Distribution/Archive: Go right ahead, if you like, just let me know where it's going.

Disclaimer: I don't own them, would that I did. The characters herein belong to Joss, Mutant Enemy, Greenwalt, Fox, etc. I'm merely using them to tell my own little silly story.

Feedback: Please! I need it.

Summary: What skills do the Scoobies have that we don’t even know about? Here we learn about some of Willow’s more esoteric hobbies... (A very goofy challenge fic.)

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"And Anya talked you into this how, exactly? Wait, I don't want to know," Buffy twisted the phone cord absently and sighed. Xander had called her seconds before Days of Our Lives came on, a cardinal sin only permitted for life or death emergencies. Like, say, Killer Christmas Trees. Or Faith. Or...Xander's current dilemma. Buffy sighed and looked at her television longingly for one more moment before cutting off MacDonald Carey before he could say, 'Like sands through the hourglass'. "Sure, those are the days of your lives, buddy. You should see a day of my life!"

"Buffy!" Xander hissed desperately. "Are you there?"

"I'm here. Still processing the idea that Anya bought a tiger."

"She thought it was cute. Hey, I talked her out of the antelope! But then this big package arrived with air holes and I opened it and can we talk about this later? I've kinda got-"

"A tiger on your tail?" Buffy smirked. A growl and Xander's frightened yelp quashed her amusement. "Xander? Are you alright?"

"Still here, but that was close."

"Okay, okay, stay calm. Don't panic!"

"I'm trying, but Sheba here is looking ready to dine on MY tender vittles, which is not what Anya brought home from the pet store. I don't think she's gonna go for that Purina Cat Chow."

"Okay, hang loose, Xan. I'm gonna hang up and call Animal Control-"

"No!" he shrieked, and for a second she wasn’t sure if he was screaming at her or the tiger.

"Xander, it'll be okay-" she started to soothe him, but he cut her off.

"No! Buffy, you can't," he said, a fresh note of desperation in his voice.

"I don’t think you’ll get in trouble, Xan. I’m sure you’re not the first-"

"No, that’s not it. Anya will kill me if I get rid of her tiger. I don‘t want it gone, I just...hey! Stop that! Good kitty...I just don‘t want it eating me."

Buffy held the receiver away from her ear for a moment, staring at it in total disbelief.

"You've got to be kidding," she said flatly.

"Come on, Buff. There has to be another way. But hurry, please!" Xander pleaded. Buffy sighed, shaking her head.

"I'll call Willow. See if she can come up with something."

A couple of hours later the three friends collapsed exhausted on Xander's sofa, eyeing the tiger stalking around the cage Willow had conjured.

"I can‘t thank you enough, Will. You‘re the best," Xander said fervently. Buffy shook her head in amazement.

"I've never seen anything like that, Will."

"I am a woman of many talents," Willow said proudly.

"I'll say. Witch, computer hacker..." Buffy said.

"Double-Dutch Jump Rope Champion of Sunnydale Elementary School," Xander contributed. Off of their looks, he added. "Well she was! In 1988!"

"True,"Willow sighed. "But in 1991 I was the Tiger Taming Champ at Sigfried and Roy Summer Camp." She grinned at the cage in satisfaction. "And I still got it!"

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The challenge du Jeff:

Willow being the former double-dutch jump rope Champion of Sunnydale Elementary School

A mention of Faith

The phrase "Like sands through the hourglass."

Any Saturday Night Live reference

A bag of catfood (but no cat). - I kinda fudged that last one, but a tiger’s not exactly a house cat, right?