Disclaimer: I sadly don't own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or any of its characters, places and things.

A/N. (Author's note) I dedicate my first fic to my Mother, as a big thank you for putting up with my odd questions at ridiculous times, as I need your skills at proof reading.

(Timeline) This is set shortly after the episode; Helpless. (you know...) with Buffy's test on her 18th birthday, Quentin Travers firing Giles and Buffy still not trusting Giles – but what's better at restoring trust than a life and death situation? Well it actually happens in-between the final 2 scenes, just after Giles helping Buffy with her wound and before the Scooby-gang in the kitchen.

This is my 1st Buffy the vampire slayer fanfiction, my 1st fanfiction altogether! I hope you enjoy, hell this took a while...I joined in July and I've only just wrote and published a story...ON WITH THE SHOW!

Title: The Armen.

Characters: Giles and Buffy, (main.) Willow (3rd main.) Oz, (mentioned.)

Rating: T. There's a few 'bloodies' here and there from Giles. Also the plot is a dark one. Note: you'll need a torch/flash light. Hehehehe.

Spoilers: Helpless.

Author: DCIPHOENIX aka Rosie Phoenix.

The Armen

Chapter One

How could she trust him again? He wouldn't trust him in this situation. He thought to himself. Huh...Rupert Giles knew this was bad, he was talking about himself in the third person. Perhaps some tea...Giles decided this thought was a good one, splendid in fact. Poor Buffy all that violence and the sense of mist-trust on her young shoulders, also to bear the horrid situation on her birthday. Buffy Summers had enough to worry about, other then The Council ordering Giles to perform the test, her Father had cancelled their yearly meeting; if he heard right, they met every year to go to the Ice Show together, things must be bad, amidst the rambling he heard her talking and offering the chance for him to take her, or an outing for Watcher and Slayer as she put it, or something along those lines. Ah! She said if he was free it would be something a family would do together, or a student and teacher or Watcher and...Oh good lord. Giles was snapped out of his morose thoughts by the incessant whistling of the kettle. Ah, tea: good. He was in need of a refreshing beverage which would calm down one's mind and body. Giles took a sip of the hot caffeinated drink. But sadly the usual effect of the tea had no effect on this situation. But Giles always had a smart quip for these moments, he would say as always if fail – try and try again.

She wished she could carve the thoughts out of her head, and discard them like the innards of a Jack-O-Lantern. Thoughts of which, contained mistrust and hate of Giles and his role in the Cruciamentum test. Sorrow at the fact she acted out therefore Giles must've felt compelled to tell her the truth. She did ask him to promise to tell her the truth, he did therefore he got fired and all this made her feel guilty. Buffy couldn't sleep. After Giles, without word, made short work of her wound, Buffy asked Cordelia earlier that day for a ride home again, she obliged. Cordelia dropped her off; she went straight to her room, like a moody teenager, like a spoiled brat not getting what she wants. Buffy felt like that. She thought with her powers returned all would be right in the world...well not Sunnydale, nothing can never be right there is seems. But no, she didn't get what she wanted. Powers coming back: check. Friends still friends: check. Giles still Watcher: Whoa-oh. Oh. A big, fat 'no' in that department. That was the reason she wasn't herself. That was the reason for the guilt. Sadly Buffy knew this. She needed to apologise, she had to apologise.

Giles' theory had worked. He was relaxed; finally, it took two cups of tea and a rather long session on incessant channel hopping, which would make an Olympic Gold Medallist bow before him. He was relaxed, relaxed and exhausted physically and emotionally. His day had indeed been a trial for both Watcher and Slayer; they both took a one too many blows. Unexpectantly he got fired, of all the things he may've foreseen about today this was absolutely not one of them. After silently seeing to Buffy's most harsh wound he went home, not early, not overly late, as normal. It did him good to put his feet up, after that he observed his collection of exotic and sensual teas, after a few long minutes of choosing he decided on a plain, strong brew. It suited his mood. Then he found himself taking comfort in another, eventually he couldn't bring himself to the kettle once more. Television, or 'cable' as the residents of Sunnydale called it, occupied his wavering attention he put the mute on and just watched the moving pictures, after several minutes it all became a blurry vision. Giles was brought out of his reminiscing about the day's events by the kettle for the second time in one day. Oddly with closer inspection he realised the noise wasn't coming for the kettle in his kitchen. It was coming from the door, repeatedly.

Without a second's thought he opened the door. There, standing with a frown, sleepy eyes and ruffled clothes was Buffy. His Sla... ex-Slayer.

"Buffy." Giles stated unsure of what to say, or how to bloody say it! "You look... umm, are you alright?"

Buffy nodded absent mindedly. She seemed to teeter on the balls of her feet in the direction of the door.

"Come in, by all means." Giles opened the door wider for her to step in, he tried a small smile, and it went unnoticed.

Once she was inside he beckoned her to the sofa, he watched her perch herself on the seat furthest to the wall, rigid, un-readable. He took the used cups to the kitchen and left them there, right now cups and saucers weren't his priority!

"Would you join me in a pot of tea?" Giles asked in the direction of the sofa. He didn't get a reply. "I'll take that as a maybe." Giles mumbled at no one in particular. The tea pot was still hot to the touch and he made himself and her one regardless of an answer. He went back into the sitting room and put the cup and saucer in front of her, he kept hold of his own.

"I'm sorry, I should go." He heard her whisper.

"No. Do stay, please." He replied. He took a sip of his tea.

She relaxed her shoulders. "If you're not too busy." She was the first to make eye contact.

"No, I'm not busy, not at all." He slowly shook his head.

She relaxed slightly.

"I was thinking of finding something in the attic, but..." Giles trailed off as he thought she'd get up and leave if she found out he had plans.

"Yeah?" Buffy asked.

"...I'd best leave it for tonight." Giles thought soulfully.

"You still can, if you want." Buffy shrugged. "I don't mind."

Giles raised and eyebrow and move his glasses a little as he cautiously asked. "Only if you're sure." He put his cup and saucer down.

"Mm." Buffy smiled.

Giles had jogged upstairs to the landing as an alarming speed, leaving Buffy walking up behind him, wide-eyed and mouth agape. She heard him mumble a curse, as he fought with the contraption which was the stairs to the attic. He succeeded after a number of minutes and held up a hand to stop her from coming any further.

"Umm, I'll go up there shall I?" Giles took the moment to remove his glasses, clean them and replace them on the bridge of his nose, preparing for his little adventure.

"Get to it Mr Library-Man." She smiled. Giving him benefit of the doubt.

After her reply, he shot up the stairs and into the depths of darkness which consumed him immediately. Buffy found seconds of silence after his assent. Then out of the blue or black in this case she heard him say.

"Ah...I may've...I could do with a tor... it'll too dark... hmm, I do indeed need a light in...AH! Brilliant, Buffy I found it!"

Giles emerged looking very pleased with himself. He waggled a box at her, nothing special, an ordinary rectangular box, no engravings or markings, with a lock, she saw.

"I found about this; years ago on my journeys in England, but that not concern you... I came aware of this again a few days ago, sorry I can't be specific but it awoke me one night and I investigated. So I discovered this peculiar little box."

Buffy stuck out her bottom lip as she inspected the box. "Cool, neat." She said fully interested. "Wait... how can a box wake you up?" She stood there confused, in front on Giles whom had one foot on the floor the other on the bottom stair. Giles knocked three times on the box. He knocked, knocked? Buffy thought to herself. She could not have believed what happened next, it'd be the stuff of fiction or some horror movie.

But sure enough the box started rattling and trying to escape Giles' grasp on it, but Giles stood his ground and kept hold of the odd box. The shaking didn't increase or decrease it just kept on. He stepped off the bottom step and instructed Buffy to take care of the stairs. Meanwhile in the sitting room, Giles had moved the discarded tea cups and placed the box on the table and put both of his hands on the top.

"Before you ask, no I haven't ventured a guess at what's in the box neither have I opened it." Giles instructed to the young girl whom just that second stepped down in to the room and into Giles' peripheral vision.

"Ah!" Buffy smiled whilst waggling a finger at the side of her head in his direction. "You know me too well." She decided to say. This got a somewhat boyish grin from the Librarian.

Giles raised his eyebrows "Perhaps we could try opening it." Giles said as Buffy sat down next to him, her demeanour less prickly and more comfortable. She took in his comment and slightly nudged him when she answered.

"Perhaps we could." Buffy giggled.

"Right." Giles exhaled slowly as his hands were still keeping the box from falling or jumping off the table. He raised his eyebrows a little further and cast the box a quizzical look. Tutting. Sighing. Then finally deciding. "We should try a normal method of opening this box before we try any magic."

"Oh yeah, by doin' what?" She smirked.

"Well..." He began then as she thought her night couldn't get any weirder Rupert Giles brandished a Swiss Army Knife. This got an amazed 'Ooooh' from the blonde girl beside him. Giles brought out a little corkscrew-letter operner-ish prong and pushed it into the lock; he then proceeded to jiggle the prong in different directions at different speeds. He finished his intricate work when he and Buffy heard an audible and positive click.

"Ah, I'm rather glad that worked, if not I would've been disappointed but luckily it did so I am immensely pleased with my self."

"You damn well should be!" Buffy playfully punched his arm; this received an equally playful glare on Giles' behalf. "Fancy a peek?" Buffy slowly took her eyes away from Giles and stared intently at the box.

Next Chapter up in a mo. :) xxx