Buffy and Giles stepped off the elevator and walked quickly towards his office.
"You don't need to run," Buffy said, effortlessly keeping up with him.
"I'm late."
"It's not even eight o'clock yet," she pointed out.
"Yes, but I'm normally in before four. I'm rather running behind, now aren't I?"
"Giles, even cattle farmers aren't up that early. Relax."
His secretary looked up as they approached and Buffy saw a tension leave her shoulders.
"Mr. Giles, so good to see you. I was beginning to worry." She smiled at him.
"I'm sorry, Margaret. My house guest insisted that I sleep in today. I should have called."
"Oh, it's no problem. Your first appointment isn't for an hour. I put the global updates on your desk along with the Wicca schedule for today. Is there anything else?"
"No, I think that should keep me busy until my meeting. Thank you, Margaret."
When they were in the office, Buffy looked around, noting the piles of paperwork everywhere. She went to the desk and sat in Giles's chair. He ignored her as he hung his suit coat on the back of the chair.
"So, what do I do today?" She asked, idly picking up a report and scanning it.
"Hmm? Oh, why don't you go to the training compound? Margaret can arrange a ride for you. You can talk to Rachael, our director there, and assess the situation. Maybe she'll want you to give a guest lecture."
"That sounds great," Buffy said with a smile. "I can meet you back here for lunch and tell you how it goes."
"Yes, of course," Giles answered, not looking up from a report he was now reading.
"And then we can catch a plane back to The States and move to Las Vegas. We can set up an office supply warehouse and get married. You wouldn't be opposed to having nine kids, would you?"
"That sounds reasonable," He said, still not looking up. She stifled a smile as she watched his brow furrow. He looked up at her. "What did you just say?"
"You mean about lunch?"
"I was actually referring to…nine children? I'm sorry, Buffy. I suppose I wasn't paying attention."
"Considering you just agreed to marry me? No, I'd say you weren't. You're lucky I'm not holding you to that."
She laughed at the slightly terrified look on his face.
"Why don't you ask your secretary to arrange that ride for me?" She smiled at him.
"Yes, yes I'll do that."
A little over an hour later, Buffy was standing in a large gymnasium, watching several young women sparring with each other. The longer she watched, the more her brow furrowed and by the time the director walked up to her, she was wearing a full blown scowl.
"Miss Summers, so wonderful to have you here," Rachael said, walking up and extending her hand. "Director Giles was telling me that you might even be willing to tell the girls what it's like in the field."
Buffy turned to her, shaking her hand, the frown never leaving her face.
"Is this how the girls spar every day?" Buffy asked.
"Yes. Is something wrong?"
"It's not…well, I'm not…they don't fight more…aggressively?"
"I'm not sure I understand the question," Rachael replied. "They seem to be doing quite well."
"Yes, they are, for humans. But these are Slayers and what they are fighting won't be human either."
"Ahhh, yes, I see," Rachael said with a smile. "I'm sure to you this looks mild, but I assure you they are quite brutal."
"No, they aren't" Buffy said bluntly. "Look, I've fought vampires and demons and even a Hellgod. If you send these girls out fighting like this, they are going to get killed."
"Miss Summers, I think you are worrying needlessly."
"You think so? Pick your best girl. I'll fight her one on one. If she wins, I'll admit I'm an alarmist. If I win, you sit down with me and we figure out how to fix this. Deal?"
"That sounds reasonable," Rachael replied with a nod. She turned to look out at the girls. "Claudia! Would you please come here? Claudia has been with us for almost six months. She's very accomplished."
A tall girl with long black hair walked over, nervously looking at Buffy.
"Yes, Miss Rachael?"
"Claudia, this is Miss Summers. She is a Slayer from The States. She would like to spar with you, if you would."
"Of…of course." Claudia said.
Buffy walked out onto the gym floor and smiled reassuringly at the girl.
"Don't hold back," she said with a smile. "I want to see you knock me on my butt. Show me everything you have. You can't hurt me."
The girl nodded and circled around Buffy. The two women moved around each other, each assessing the other. Claudia suddenly struck out, lightning fast. Her punch connected with Buffy's head, yet Buffy barely felt it. She shook her head.
"Harder, Claudia. You're holding back. Hit me harder."
The girl obliged, bringing a punch around to connect with Buffy's shoulder. Again, it was light and didn't even make Buffy wince.
"My Watcher hits harder than that." Buffy said angrily. "Hit me. Really hit me."
Claudia circled around, then aimed a blow at Buffy's face. This time it stung, but not enough. Buffy spun around, bringing a punch at Claudia's head and knocked the girl to the floor. Claudia blinked up at her.
"That hurt!"
"It was supposed to!" Buffy fumed. "If I was a vampire, I'd have taken your head off. You have speed, but you need to put some power in your punches."
Buffy turned to Rachael, who was staring with an open mouth.
"For the record," Buffy called to her. "I pulled that punch. Your girls are not ready. So, where do we sit down to talk?"
x x x x x x x x x x
Giles was studying a report on vampire activity in Tibet when his office door opened and Buffy stormed in.
"We have a problem," she said without preamble. "Your Slayers can't fight."
"Can't…what do you mean can't fight?"
"They fight like humans. One of them hit me and I didn't even wince. You send them into battle and they are all going to die."
Giles frowned.
"But Rachael is a very accomplished martial artist."
"She is great for a human, Giles, but even she admits that she didn't understand the strength needed for this. Look, I think we need to map out a strategy. Why don't we go to lunch and we can talk about it?"
"I usually just get something from the vending machines." At her look of horror he went on. "The sandwiches aren't so bad."
"Giles, you need to eat better. Come on."
She held out her hand to him. He didn't really think to argue, falling back into his old role instinctively. He was already taking her hand when it occurred to him what he was doing. He momentarily flinched, but he followed her out of the office.
He realized that he hadn't even a guess as to what restaurants were in the area, so he turned to Margaret.
"Are there any good restaurants near here?" He asked, slightly embarrassed.
"There's a Chinese buffet two doors down on the right," she replied with a smile.
"Sounds great," Buffy said. "Thanks!"
Giles looked over his shoulder at Margaret as he and Buffy walked to the elevator. There was something in her smile that worried him.
"Buffy, perhaps you shouldn't hold my hand in here. People will get the wrong idea."
"Giles, I'm your Slayer. I'm not worried about what a bunch of Watchers think. Never have been."
The restaurant was nice and the smells were heavenly. Giles hadn't realized how hungry he was until they walked in. After being seated, they got food and sat together at their quiet table in a corner.
"So, what do you propose to solve our problem?" Giles asked.
"Well, I talked to Rachael and we agreed that I need to take an active role in teaching these girls. They have the strength, but they are afraid to use it. They don't want to hurt anyone."
"You?" Giles looked at her, completely surprised. "But Buffy, you are only here temporarily."
"Yeah, about that. I think this move has to be permanent. You won't mind if I stay with you indefinitely, will you"
"Buffy, of course I don't," Giles said, silencing the part of him that dissented. "But, this isn't what you wanted. You wanted to be able to enjoy your life now."
"How can I enjoy it when I know I'm needed here? What other choice do you have?"
"Buffy, I can take over the training program."
"You?"
"Why not me?" He sounded indignant. "I trained you."
"I'm not saying that you aren't good enough. I'm saying you are already too busy."
"This is my job, Buffy. If it needs to be done, I can do it."
"Yes, it's your job, but what about your life?"
"I don't understand the question," Giles said, his brow furrowed. "This is my life."
"Giles, this isn't a life." Buffy's voice was dismissive. It sparked something in Giles.
"Well, it's all I have," he snapped.
"Don't give me that," Buffy shot back. "This is your choice."
"No." Giles's voice was low and angry. "You lot took my choice away when you left me holding the Council bag and never looked back. I don't begrudge you outgrowing me, but don't you dare come back here and belittle the existence I'm forced to endure."
Buffy was looking at him with wide eyes.
"Giles," her voice was gentle. Something about that made Giles's throat sting. Of all the things he wanted from Buffy, pity wasn't one of them.
"I'm sorry," he interrupted. "I shouldn't have snapped at you."
"No, you have a legitimate complaint, but I have to ask you something." She looked at him. "Giles, why won't you look me in the eyes?"
It wasn't the question he expected. He looked up at her. She stared at him and after a minute, she frowned.
"You still aren't looking at me."
"Buffy, I'm looking in your eyes."
"But you won't let me look into yours. I'm still seeing that wall. Giles, let me see you?"
He looked down, his heart pounding in his chest.
"I can't," he whispered.
"Please, Giles? You are my friend and I love you." She took his hand. "Please?"
Her voice sounded anguished and he looked up, his eyes meeting hers. Knowing it was a mistake of epic proportions, he dropped his wall and looked deeply into her eyes. He felt the hurt and anger of the last year eating him whole, but still he looked. She stared into his eyes and gasped, her hand tightening on his.
"Oh Giles, why didn't you say anything?" Her voice was just above a whisper.
"And what would I have said?" His voice trembled slightly.
"That you are hurting and upset? That you needed us to come back here?"
"Buffy, I wasn't about to call and whine at you and ask you to leave your life for me. I'm an adult."
"You know, someone very close to me once said that sometimes the most adult thing you can do is to ask for help."
He swallowed and looked back into her eyes.
"Giles, you are trying to do it all and you are trying to do it alone. No more. I'm here now. You are going to call Willow and tell her that you need her to come home."
"Whatever for?" He asked.
"I saw those reports. You are running the Wicca corps as well as being Head of the Council?"
"Someone needed to."
"Call Willow. She can do that and you can get a breath now and then."
He wanted to argue, but there was something about her voice that caused relief to flood through him. He was exhausted and empty and it was an amazing thought that someone else might be the responsible one for even a minute. He found himself nodding at her. She absently rubbed the back of his hand.
"You need to find someone to read over those reports for you too."
"Buffy, I can't do that. Those reports are both important and obscure. If we miss one fact, it could literally mean the end of the world."
"Yes, but there must be someone that you trust to read them and report back to you."
"Buffy, I don't even trust myself to read them." He sighed, leaning back in his chair. "The global updates are just that; news reports and government documents from around the world. The information has to be sifted through to find anything that might be paranormal in nature. Sometimes it's something insignificant, a footnote, and it's easily missed. Last month I was reading a news report from Japan and as a side note, the reporter mentioned a couple who was hearing voices in their apartment. It was treated as a joke and I almost dismissed it until I read something the voices said. They said, 'And the ring shall be completed and Grynar shall rule.' Of course the news agencies thought it was nonsense."
"What was it really?" Buffy asked.
"It was a dimensional portal opening in this family's home. If we hadn't caught it and sent Watchers to perform the closing ritual, demons would have gotten through. This isn't work I can pass off onto just anyone."
"No, but you aren't going to do much good if you burn yourself out. We'll think about it. I'm sure there has to be someone who can read these reports for you."
"And now I have the Slayers to worry about." Giles frowned.
"No. *I* have the Slayers to worry about. I'll take care of it." She leaned forward, looking at him intently. "And I'll take care of you too."
"Buffy, I'm not a child." He was frustrated. He didn't want her pity, but he knew that she was right. He'd felt the strain of his lifestyle for a while now and he was quickly nearing the end of his rope.
"I wasn't thinking you were. Giles, you've always taken care of me. It's what friends do. Now it's my turn. Let me help?"
He knew he had no real choice. His life couldn't continue like it was. He took a deep breath and looked into her eyes, silently begging her not to let him fall.
"What else do you suggest?" It was a small concession, but for Giles it was a leap of faith.
He could see in her eyes that Buffy understood that. She smiled at him.
"Let's start small. We'll call Willow and then you and I can go over personnel files to find someone to read those reports. We are also going to go shopping tonight. No more vending machine meals for you. And no more three am mornings. You are going to get some sleep. I can help you read reports until you find someone. Agreed?"
He nodded, relaxing. It was liberating to turn control over to her. He knew it was temporary, but the respite was welcome. He just hoped he wouldn't come to regret this decision.
x x x x x x x x x x
Buffy yawned as she got ready for bed. She was tired emotionally as well as physically. She'd had no idea how much strain Giles had been under, how abandoned he'd felt. Their lunch had been a revelation to her, making her feel so selfish. Giles had let her go, had let her pursue a normal life, even though he had needed her help. After everything he'd done for her, she'd left him fighting the war on his own.
But no more. After lunch, they'd gone back to his office and he'd called Willow. He'd been pretty vague about his reasons for wanting her in London, asking only if she wouldn't mind being reassigned. Buffy hadn't told Giles, but later, when he was in a meeting with the head of the Russian Watchers' division, she had called Willow back and told her the whole story. Willow had been worried, saying that she'd had no idea that Giles needed help so badly. She had also told Buffy that she would be happy to move to London and take over the Wicca corps.
Buffy had forced Giles out of the office promptly at five, and they had stopped at the market on the way home. His refrigerator actually had food in it now and the two of them had passed a pleasant couple hours working together to cook dinner. Buffy knew Giles felt like a burden, like the only reason that she was still here was out of pity. She was determined to show him that she was there because she wanted to be, because she cared about him.
As she climbed into bed, she smiled. It was only eleven o'clock and Giles was already in bed. He'd told her earlier this evening that he was lucky if he was home from work by eleven. She turned out the light and settled in, closing her eyes. She couldn't help but notice how at home she felt here. She realized that in the last few days, she hadn't resented Giles or her destiny even once. As she drifted off to sleep, she couldn't help but wonder why that was.
And then she was back in that room, suffocating from fear. She didn't want to walk into the room, wanted to turn and walk away, but she went in anyway, turning to see him, knowing he was dead and knowing there was nothing she could do to save him. She heard the footsteps behind her and turned, only to find herself sitting up in bed, yet again. Why couldn't she get to the end of the dream?
After a moment, she got out of bed and went down the hall to Giles's room. She didn't knock, letting herself in and crawling into bed with him. Her intention was not to disturb him, but she should have known better. His Watcher training left him a light sleeper. He opened his eyes and smiled at her.
"What brings you in here at one in the morning?" His voice was sleepy, but alert.
"I had another nightmare." She moved across the bed, closer to him, expecting him to flinch away. He didn't.
"Is this the same nightmare that brought you to London?"
"Yeah, it is."
"Do you think it's a prophetic dream?" He rolled on his side, resting his head on his arm.
"God, I hope not!" Buffy could hear the terror in her voice.
"Why don't you tell me about it?"
"It's…well, because it's about you."
"Me?" He looked surprised. "It might help if you told me."
"Well, it starts off with me walking into this room. It's dark, but there's light flickering. I think there might be candles. I get in further and I see a body on the floor." Buffy stopped, a shiver going through her.
She hugged herself. Giles looked at her for a moment before he reached out and took her hand.
"It's okay, Buffy. Go on."
"Well," Buffy paused again and took a deep breath. "I go and look at the body. It's…it's…"
"Me?" Giles asked gently. At her nod he rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb.
"Giles, you are dead, but the worst part is the look on your face. So sad. It broke my heart."
"Was that the end of the dream?" He asked gently, squeezing her hand lightly.
"No, that's when it gets frustrating. I hear someone behind me and I *know* it's what killed you. So I turn around to look and that's when I wake up. What does it mean? Is…is it really going to happen?"
"I can't tell you that, Buffy," He answered seriously. "Does it feel like one of your prophetic dreams?"
"Not exactly, but it does feel like it's trying to tell me something. But how do I know what it is if I can't get to the end of the dream?"
"Buffy, in all the years I've known you, I've learned to trust your instincts. When you need to know, you will."
"When did you go all Yoda?"
"When my Slayer woke me up at one in the morning. This isn't Zen, it's exhaustion." He smiled at her.
"Well, I should let you get back to sleep."
"Do you feel any better?"
"A little."
"Would you like to sleep in here tonight?"
"You don't mind?"
"I'm feeling a little more…relaxed than I have in a while. I'm pretty sure I could deal with having you here."
"Good," Buffy said, moving to the other side of the bed and settling in. "Because honestly, that dream is giving me the heebies."
Giles laughed, pulling the covers up around himself.
"Good night, Buffy. Sleep well."
"Night," Buffy murmured, drifting off to sleep, feeling safer than she had since the dreams started.
x x x x x x x x x x
"I'm telling you, this Brian guy looks like a good choice," Buffy said, pointing her fork in Giles's direction. "He worked as a researcher for six years. He has to be detail oriented."
"His name is O'Brian, Buffy and yes, he was a researcher, but it was for a computer software firm. He has no experience with the supernatural."
Giles took a bite of his salad and sighed, looking at the next file in the stack.
"Giles, most people don't have experience with the supernatural. You knew that when you brought on all these new Watcher trainees. He'll learn." She took a bite of her salad, then looked in her bowl. "You know Giles, this is a great salad. We should order from that place more often."
Giles nodded absently.
"It's much better than the vending machine sandwiches," He murmured. He looked up at her and smiled. "An excellent idea on your part, Buffy."
"Hey, I told you I was going to take care of you, right?" She grinned at him and he returned her smile, shaking his head.
"I should complain, but with such a fine lunch, how can I?" His smile softened. "Thank you, Buffy."
She didn't know how to respond, waving off his thanks.
Their day had already been a long one, starting from the moment they walked in the building at a quarter to eight. A routine patrol had gone bad the night before in Scotland and three Slayers were in the hospital. Reports said they would recover, but there had to be new coverage arranged for the area. As Giles ran off to a meeting, Buffy told him that she would go to the Slayer compound here and calm the girls. Giles had smiled gratefully at her, thanking her for her help.
She had spent her morning assuring the Slayers in training that everything would be fine and telling them that this was the result of waging a war.
"Vampires are bad. This is why we fight them," she said seriously. "I know this is scary, but you are Slayers. You can do this."
She'd led them in exercises followed by meditation. It seemed to help. She'd spent an hour writing up a training plan, showing it to Rachael, who agreed that they needed to start it as soon as possible. By the time Buffy had gotten back to Council headquarters, it was after noon.
Giles was out of meetings, looking harried and exhausted. Buffy hadn't even consulted with him before asking his secretary the best place to order salads from. By the time Buffy and Giles could sit down with their lunch and review files, it was after one o'clock. Half an hour later and they still weren't any farther along in the decision making process.
"Whoever you choose is going to have to learn on the job," Buffy said, putting her salad aside.
"That's all we do here," Giles sighed. "But for this position, we can't have any mistakes."
"Who's making mistakes?" A voice said from the doorway.
Buffy and Giles looked up simultaneously. After a moment, Buffy jumped up from her chair and ran across the room.
"Xander!" She pounced on him, hugging him tight.
"What…whatever are you doing here?" Giles asked. He too had stood and crossed the room to Xander. After a moment's hesitation, Xander hugged him. Giles stiffened for the merest second, then relaxed into the hug, returning it.
"Not happy to see me?" Xander quipped when he stepped out of the hug.
"Of course I am," Giles said indignantly. "You just surprised me."
"Is it at least a good kind of surprised?" Xander smiled.
"I'll let you know," Giles said, returning the smile.
"How long are you here for?" Buffy asked, going to back to her chair.
"Well, that's a funny thing, really," Xander replied, sitting down in front of Giles's desk. "I woke up with this need to be back where I can get a soft bed and running water. I was going to ask the head Watcherguy here if I can stay a bit."
"You wish to stay here in London?" Giles asked, surprised. "What about seeing the world?"
"I saw it. It was dirty." Xander grinned. "Seriously, if you don't mind, I'd like to stay for a while."
"Of course," Giles said. "We have other Watchers in Africa. You have a place to stay?"
"Giles, I just got off a plane two hours ago."
"Oh, right." Giles frowned. "You can stay with me. Buffy is there too, but it shouldn't be too crowded."
"Thanks Giles. I won't overstay my welcome. I kind of want to find my own place if that's okay."
"Of course," Giles agreed. "Until then, you stay with us."
"Cool," Buffy said with a grin. "We get to be roomies."
"Pajama party?" Xander asked, grinning back.
"We can camp in the living room." Buffy said. "We can eat cookie dough and watch movies."
"We don't have any cookie dough," Giles said with a straight face. "You wouldn't let me purchase any. You said it was bad for my health."
"Xander and I can buy some," Buffy replied, hiding her smile.
"And not share?" Giles looked at her over his glasses. "You can be a cruel woman, Buffy."
"Hey, when did the Watcherguy get a sense of humor?" Xander asked.
"Oh, that's not a sense of humor," Buffy said seriously. "He's just tired. It'll pass when he gets some sleep."
She looked at Giles and they both broke out laughing. Xander just looked at them.
"It is good to have you back, Xander," Giles said with a smile.