A/N: Wow, it's been a long time. Sorry, school, work, yada, yada, yada. But, I'm not going to abandon this story (And I have forgotten about "Agents of Grey" either, by the way). Thanks go to Greywizard and the beta that he does so well. Updates will be slowish (See previous excuse). But, there is still more to go with this and the next chapter starts the change of everything. Thank you to everyone whose sent reviews, thoughts, and questions. I wish I had the space to answer everything, but that would take a lot of it, so instead I say thanks. Feedback, as always, is welcomed, even if you don't like something. Hope you all enjoy it.
Chapter 14
"I'm telling you, that ain't normal," Faith said as she punched the body shield with a quick combo.
"Yeah, well, since when have any of our lives been normal as of late, huh?" Xander said, exhaling deeply as Faith followed up with a powerful kick, sending him back a few inches. He made sure not to fall or let go of the shield, but it was a near thing at times.
"Normal for us, I mean," Faith said with a shake of her head. "I mean, we've all got shit we don't want other people knowing about, and now Buffy can just come in and take that information? You gonna stand there and tell me that's normal? Fuck, you gonna tell me she has the right?"
It was hard to argue with Faith on this point. Two nights ago, Buffy had fought a pair of demons and managed to kill one while the other got away. It seemed like a typical patrol, nothing to worry about or barely even worth mentioning. Of course, that was before they realized that the type of demon Buffy fought had a way of transferring an aspect of itself through its blood. It was a little hard to be surprised when, low and behold, Buffy said she got some of its blood on her. After that, it was a matter of trying to figure out what, if anything, she was going to inherit from the demon.
Xander had helped Giles research, but they hadn't been able to really come up with anything. There weren't any books specific to this type of demon, so it meant searching through book after book in the hopes of finding it. They hadn't come across anything by the following day when Buffy strolled into the library claiming that she could read minds. After a quick back and forth, Giles was quick to accept her claim.
At least, that's what Xander had been told. It had been one of the rare times he was in class and so had two very distinct stories told to him. One, where Giles was very believing after needing just a short time to confirm it, and another, where he was shocked and slacked jawed by the news. The truth was probably somewhere in between, but it was funny to hear Buffy's version of events, that was for sure.
But, now the problem was that Buffy was having a hard time keeping out of other people's heads, and it was causing some problems between her and everyone else. Xander could sympathize, but it was impossible to deny that it was more than a little freaky, knowing Buffy could hear their thoughts.
Steadying his grip on the shield, Xander nodded his head, letting her know he was ready for her to begin again.
"Hey, it's freaky, I admit. I think I gave her a complex with the way I practically ran out of the room whenever she came in."
"See? That's what I'm talking about! Even you've got some skeletons in the closet that you don't want her seeing."
Wincing a bit as Faith beat on the bag, Xander said, "More like I don't want her thinking I'm some big perv who can't stop thinking about sex."
Stopping, Faith smirked. "You mean you aren't?"
"Oh, I am. I just don't want her thinking that," he told her with a lopsided grin. "Listen, I'm not saying that she has the right to do it, but Giles says that she can't really stop herself – hence, all the research."
"Hence?" Faith said chuckling. "Damn, Boytoy, you've been living with G for way too long."
Xander's eyes grew wide with mock concern and he let the bag drop a bit in his hands. "Faith, if I start wearing tweed, promise you'll slay me."
"Not a problem. I'll even do you in quick. Right through the heart," she teased poking him in the chest, hard.
Laughing, Xander rubbed the spot where she poked him. As she nodded her head, Xander grabbed the body shield again and braced himself for another onslaught from the Slayer.
With Wesley gone on a trip home to England, Faith seemed a lot more excited about training. She didn't hide the fact that it was because Xander was in charge of holding the equipment for her instead of Wesley, but if it was because she knew she got to beat on him some, instead of the Englishman, Xander was still in the dark about it. It was fun, though. Like their nights inside or patrolling, it was just another activity for them. They joked around, talked and goofed off with the occasional flirting thrown in, but it was just nice. Besides, even if Faith just wanted the chance to beat up on him some, she never really hurt him and was always sorry about it if she did accidently end up injuring him slightly, in her own way of course.
They by no means saw eye to eye on every subject and argued a great deal about some things, though he was careful to avoid discussing anything having to do with his bending, unless she brought it up first. But this thing with Buffy seemed to really have her on edge and he couldn't peg down why. He knew that Faith had a hard past that she never talked about it, not really. Like his own upbringing, it was a personal pain that wasn't easy to bring up in casual conversation. He considered asking her about it, but knew better. She would clam up faster than he could run, which was saying something at this point. He could easily understand why she wouldn't want Buffy poking around in her head, but she seemed especially vocal on the subject.
"Think about something else if you see her. I tried multiplying things until, uh, well, that didn't really work," Xander said as he thought about it. "But Giles says she can't, like, go into your mind or anything. Just whatever it is you're thinking about at the moment, I guess. Nothing like Jean Grey, though that would be pretty cool."
"I don't care if she just hears me thinking about what I want for dinner, I don't want her in my head," Faith said aggressively, pounding her fist on the bag with even more force.
"Well, she's working on it. It can't be easy to suddenly have this thrust on you and not be able to control it."
"You mean like being a Slayer?" she replied sarcastically.
"Yeah, something like that," Buffy said walking into the library. "Sorry, didn't think anyone would be here," she added with a sad shrug.
"Buff!" Xander said surprised by the blonde's sudden appearance. In his shock, he loosened his grip on the bag just as Faith kicked out, hard, knocking Xander to the floor.
"Crap! X, you alright?" Faith asked, crouching near him.
"Yeah, I'm good. I needed to lay down anyway."
"You're sure you're alright?" Buffy asked, hurrying over. "You need to be more careful, Xander."
"You know, I was thinking that very thing myself, but you already knew that, huh?" Xander said with a smirk.
Giving him an odd look, Buffy was about to say something before whipping her head towards Faith. The meaning was clear, and Faith didn't like it one bit.
"We got a problem?" Faith asked, standing up.
From his vantage point, Xander watched as the dark haired Slayer tensed, her body screaming that it was ready to attack. Glancing over to Buffy, he watched her go through a few different emotions. The first was the initial Slayer defensive pose, something that was always to be expected whenever Buffy or Faith thought they were being attacked. But that quickly melted away, her body relaxing somewhat, as her eyes scrunched up as if trying to process something. Next, and most shocking of all, was her reaction to whatever the hell she had been hearing in her head. Her eyes grew wide, her mouth forming a small 'O'.
"Oh, God. Faith," Buffy began, reaching her hand out towards the other girl's arm only to have her flinch back.
Faith screwed up her face in anger, attempting to push past Buffy and leave. Again, Buffy reached out to her, grabbing her arm this time. "Faith, wait."
Xander didn't see the punch, but he heard it and felt Buffy fall onto of him.
"Stay the hell away from me!" Faith growled loudly before turning on her heel and storming out of the library.
Buffy quickly got to her feet, but didn't make a move to go after the other girl. She stood, watching the doors swing shut, her hands balled into fist, shaking slightly.
"What the hell was that about?" Xander demanded as he stood up.
"My God, Xander. She…she…" Buffy started, but was unable to continue.
He held her shoulder, gently turning her towards him in case she was still wound up from being hit, not wanting to get slugged himself. Instead of the angry face he expected to see, Buffy's was filled with sadness, her eyes tearing slightly.
"What? What is it?" Xander asked again, this time with less force than before.
"I don't know how she does it. Her thoughts, they…they were filled with so much hate. With so much rage and sadness, I could barely make anything coherent out of them and what I could…" Buffy shuddered, hugging herself. "I didn't mean to, you know that."
Frowning, Xander said with a sigh, "I know, Buff. I know." Looking at the doors, he said, "Should we go after her, make sure she doesn't do something stupid?"
"No," Buffy replied. "She…she doesn't want anyone near her, not right now."
Looking at her chin, Xander sucked in a breath upon seeing the bruise that was beginning to form. "Yeah, I guess you don't really need to be a mind-reader to figure that out, huh?"
Buffy shook her head. "No, I guess not."
"Come on. Giles has some spare ice packs in the office. I know Slayer healing could solve this in a few hours, but it must hurt like hell still," Xander said pulling her towards one of the chairs.
"You sure? I would have thought you would want to try some of that healing water thingy you can do now," Buffy said, happy for the slight change of subject.
Xander didn't exactly trip as he walked towards the office, but his mind started running a mile a minute, despite his best efforts to stop it. He hoped that his fears and concerns about doing something like that were simply too many or too fast for Buffy to make out clearly.
"I, uh, didn't really think about it. Besides, wouldn't you rather the old fashioned method, instead of the weird magic water one?"
Shrugging, she looked at him curiously, though still depressed. "I don't mind. I trust you."
With some hesitation, Xander nodded his head. Instead of grabbing one of the cold compresses, he filled up one of the mugs with some water from the water cooler and brought it inside. As he looked at Buffy's face, his Avatar knowledge, senses, or whatever the hell it was that let him know what to do - something he really needed to learn more about- kicked in. Already the bruise on her chin had grown and had turned an ugly shade of purple and green. Apparently Slayers hitting Slayers had more of an effect than he had thought. Even when Buffy or Faith took on a strong vampire, neither of them got injured this easily. Either that, or Faith had hit her harder than Buffy had been prepared for.
Bending about half the water out of the mug, Xander closed his eyes, inhaled, and exhaled slowly, opening his eyes again. He moved the water onto Buffy's chin, careful not to cover her mouth, and began the healing process. It wouldn't take long, but he wanted to go slow to make sure he didn't screw it up.
Seeing her shiver as the cold water began to glow, Xander smiled shyly in his chair next to her. "Sorry, I didn't really let it warm up at all."
"It's OK. It wasn't the water really. It just feels kind of…strange," Buffy said, making a face.
Xander said, "Yeah, it can feel kind of odd at first. Shouldn't take long though, so don't worry."
"I'm not," Buffy assured him.
The settled into a comfortable silence as Xander continued to work, but throughout it all, he could feel her watching him. When he was finished, he bent the water back into the cup and wiped his hands on his jeans.
"There ya go, one chin, good as new," Xander joked.
"Thanks. A good as new Buffy is a happy Buffy," she said with a smile, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. Again, she gave him an odd look, her head tilted to the side as if she was waiting for him to do something.
"Um…everything alright? Do I have something on my face?" he asked, quickly wiping his hand over his mouth and cheeks trying to get rid of whatever was there.
"No, it's not that it's…" she paused for a moment, watching him again. "Man, is that some kind of Avatar Zen thing you've been doing or what?"
"Huh?"
"You have, like, no thoughts in your head," Buffy said, still looking at him with a bit of wonder.
"Really? Cause..hey!"
"No, not like that," Buffy told him. "I mean, it's like when I saw Angel earlier. There's just…nothing. It's quiet."
"Wait, you mean you can't hear anything? Nothing at all?" Xander asked.
"Nope. Nothing. I thought you were doing something to keep me out."
"You mean, I've been running away from you this whole time thinking you were hearing me think about…" Xander quickly shut his mouth, realizing what he was about to say.
"Do I even want to know?" Buffy said laughing slightly.
"Probably not."
"So, you had no idea?" she asked, bringing them back to the subject.
"Not a clue. You think if I knew that I'd have been running away like I was? A man can only take so much embarrassment before it begins to affect him on a psychological level," he quipped. "Man, that's weird, though. I wonder why you can't hear me."
"Your guess is as good as mine, but honestly, it's kind of nice. This whole mind-reading deal is so not what it's cracked up to be," Buffy said with a sigh. "The only peace I've had today was when I was with Angel, and now, you. I didn't even know that you and Faith were in here. I can't tell where the voices I'm hearing are coming from sometimes, or even make out individual ones."
"Whoa," Xander said raising his eyebrows. "Buff, that's insane. Does Giles know about this?"
Shrugging, she said, "I was looking for him to let him know. If I didn't find him here, I was going to let him know tomorrow. I kind of wanted to wait till my mom went to sleep before heading back. I didn't really feel like throwing this on her tonight, ya know?"
Frowning, Xander tried to figure out a way to help. "You want me to run over and let Giles know? I can get him here in a few minutes if you want, even if he wouldn't like it."
Sighing, Buffy propped her elbow on the table and leaned her head into her hand. "No, it's alright. I can let him know tomorrow. It's…it's just kind of nice right now, not hearing anything. With everyone getting wigged out over this, it's been hard to be around anyone without hearing them. Well, that and some really intense thoughts from Oz and Willow freaking out over how Amy escaped her cage.
"Would you mind just…staying here for a bit?" she continued. "I mean, if you have somewhere else to be, or something else to do, it's OK."
Leaning back in his chair, Xander gave her the best warm smile he could conjure up. "Hey, don't worry about it. Giles knows that I'm out and won't start worrying till later and Faith, well…Faith needs her alone time, I guess."
Buffy got quiet when he brought up Faith, something that was probably only going to lead to her slipping a bit further into the bout of depression see seemed to be in, he decided. Thinking quickly, Xander tried to come up with something to take her mind of the subject.
"So…" he began before stopping. "You know what, I've got nothing."
Buffy gave him a half-smile. "Xand, it's sweet, but you don't have to try and make me feel better. This whole thing is just…it's just one big mess, is all. I'm just hoping Giles can find a way to help me gain some kind of control over it."
"Hey, Giles will come through. He's been research man since you first told him about this. If he can't find a way to help you learn how to control this-"
"I'll go insane?" Buffy offered.
"That's an extreme, and no," he told her. "We'll figure something out. Don't we always?"
For the moment, Xander was glad that she couldn't read his mind. Even as he tried to comfort her, the only thing he could think of was that she might be right. In almost all of science fiction, anyone who suddenly was able to read minds usually ended up going crazy from hearing everyone's thoughts if they couldn't control it. Sure, this was real life, but then again, things never did work out that easy for them.
Much to Xander's dismay, Buffy seemed to follow typical mind-reading problems. Namely, she couldn't shut it off and she began to hear thoughts from further and further away. This had culminated in Buffy collapsing on the floor of the cafeteria due to a barrage of thoughts overwhelming her. They found out, after moving her, that she'd heard someone threaten to kill everyone in the school.
So now, on top of Buffy being confined to her room and still having trouble with hearing people's thoughts, they also had to deal with a potential school massacre.
He then received a phone call from Mrs. Summers and Xander left his friends to find the potential murderer and high-tailed it to Buffy's house. Giles had been the one to actually speak with her and said that Joyce sounded stressed on the phone, something about not being able to go near Buffy at the moment. Since he was the only one who could get close to her without adding to the cacophony of voices in her head during the daylight hours, Xander left without a moment's hesitation. Besides, it wasn't as if they had any real information on who the killer was, and his being there wouldn't make a difference in that department. If they found anything, they could reach him at Buffy's house.
Not caring about who might see him, Xander poured on the speed as he ran through the streets of Sunnydale, kicking up dust and knocking down a few street signs that weren't that well secured. It took him less than three minutes to get to Buffy's house. Knocking on the door, Joyce opened it, looking extremely surprised.
"Xander! How did you get here so fast? Rupert said that you were leaving just a few minutes ago," she said.
Xander gave her what he hoped was a comforting smile as she moved out of the doorway, while careful not to give him a verbal invitation. It was something that Buffy had complained about when she had come back after running away to L.A. last summer, but it seemed as if she had finally gotten through to her mother not to invite anyone in, no matter who it was or what time of day even.
"I'm a lot faster than I look," was all he told her. "What's wrong with Buffy?"
Joyce's face fell. "I..I don't know. One minute, she was in pain, but able to talk. The next, she's barely able say anything that makes sense because of how bad she was feeling. It's getting worse, isn't it?"
Nodding his head, Xander asked, "When was the last time you spoke with her?"
"Just a few moments ago. It was one of her…clearer moments, but…I think it best that I stay away for the moment," she told him, blushing slightly.
Confused, Xander made his way up the stairs wondering just what it was that had happened. Whatever it was, he was almost certain he didn't want to know.
Outside Buffy's door, he knocked softly. When he didn't get a response, he opened it slowly, just in case. Still, he got no response. Opening it up all the way, he stepped inside, peeking his head in first.
Buffy was curled up on her bed, her covers drawn up all the way to her neck and almost covering her head. The curtains were drawn, but given the time of day, there was still plenty of light in the room. It was hard to tell if she was asleep or just trying to shut herself out from the rest of the world and Xander was a bit hesitant to wake her if she was getting any kind of rest. Just as he was about to shut the door, her head snapped up and he looked directly at him.
"Xander?" she asked, talking louder than was really necessary.
"Um, yeah, it's me," he said awkwardly. Coming into the room, Xander closed the door but didn't move any closer. "Your mom called, she's worried."
Buffy gave him a surprised look. "She should be worried. Do you know that she asked Giles out?"
"Wait, what?"
"And that they already sex? Twice?" Buffy said, her voice rising higher.
"Bah!" Xander said closing his eyes tight, willing away those mental images. "Alright, way too much information. Just…gah!"
"How do you think I feel? I had to hear about from my mother's thoughts!"
"OK, OK. Just…no more talk of Giles and sex, alright? I think I may be damaged for life," Xander said, shaking his head.
Wincing a bit, Buffy said, "I thought it would be better with you here." Seeing his confused look, she added, "The noise, the…all the thoughts. I thought they would be a bit quieter with someone to talk to that I couldn't hear."
"Wait, you can hear me? You can hear my thoughts now?" Xander asked.
Pausing, Buffy quirked her head before wincing again. "No," she said slowly. "No, I can't. It's not voices, it's…something else. It's like some kind of feedback or something, like white noise."
"My thoughts are background noise?" Xander asked stepping closer, stopping when Buffy winced even more.
"Stop! Just…stay where you were, OK?" Buffy grabbed her head, closing her eyes. After a few minutes, she opened them again.
"You alright?" Xander asked quietly, stepping back to stand by the door again.
"Yeah, it's just…it's getting worse. I can't block it out. Every thought is running together, and I can't stop it. I can't…the pain…"
Xander watched as Buffy clutched her head as another wave of pain hit her. It was hard not to rush to her aid. Just the couple of steps he had taken before seemed to cause her even more agony from whatever she was picking up from his thoughts. Why she was getting that, he had no idea, but he didn't want to do anything to cause her more pain.
He didn't even know what he was doing here. He had come because she hadn't been able to read his thoughts, because it might help her to have someone here that didn't add to the pain. Now, that wasn't the case anymore. His presence was just as bad as everyone else's. What good was he to her here? Should he go and try to help the others find the potential murderer? Should he be out trying to locate the other demon like Angel was?
Buffy looked at him again, her eyes open. She kept her hands against her head, but was no longer pressing them against it as if she were about to crush her skull. Xander could see the red marks on the side of her scalp were her nails had dug in, though. She didn't seem to be in pain at the moment, but he had no way of telling.
"Oh," Buffy said quietly, her eyes growing wide. "Oh," she said again, louder, her eyes getting wider. "Oh, God!"
"Buffy?" Xander called to her once he noticed that she wasn't focusing on him, but rather in his general direction. "Buffy, what is it?"
"There's so many," she said, almost yelling at him. "I can't…I can't…there's too many of them, I can't take it!"
Forgetting about keeping his distance, Xander rushed to her side. "It'll be alright," he whispers to her. "Giles and Angel are working on a way to fix this, it'll be alright."
"God, there's so many of them. They're all in there. I can hear them, I can hear all of them." She looked at him, her face contorted in pain and worry. "How…how can you stand it? All that whispering, all of them right inside your head?"
Confused, Xander just looked back at her, not understanding. "Buffy…I can't hear anyone."
Grabbing his head, Buffy pushed him away and onto the floor. "No! No, get away! I don't…I don't want to. I can't…I can't understand! I don't want it!"
Scuttling back on his ass, Xander hit the wall and stopped.
He didn't know what was going on, but being near Buffy obviously wasn't doing anything for her. Leaving seemed like the best option, but the door was on the other side of the room now, and each time he attempted to get up and move towards it, Buffy would moan louder and thrash around on her bed. Finally, he gave up and moved into the corner, furthest from Buffy.
It didn't help much, but it stopped the worst of it, it seemed. After a few moments, Buffy seemed to calm down. It was only after Xander watched her for a few minutes that he realized that she wasn't simply resting, but that something was wrong.
Buffy was lying on her back, her eyes open, and her breathing was steady. However, aside from breathing, she wasn't moving in the slightest. As Xander watched, silent tears began running down her cheeks. Attempting to get up and check on her was met with the blonde's breathing beginning to increase rapidly and her muscles start to tense up. Whatever was happening, Xander concluded, he wouldn't be able to get near her without hurting her and possibly putting her in danger.
"Joyce!" Xander called out, hoping that the woman would hear him.
For all his power, there wasn't a thing Xander could do except to sit there and watch one of his best friends lay there in agony.
The next half hour was one of the worst in Xander's life - which said a lot, considering everything that had happened along the years. But to sit by, helplessly while Buffy was basically tortured, to know that he could do nothing to help, tore him up inside. As it was, he was still sitting in the corner, unable to move out of fear of hurting Buffy and possibly ruining their chance at removing the aspect of the demon from her. It didn't even bother him watching Angel sitting next to her, holding her hand as she lay there, unconscious, for the few minutes he stopped in to check on her before going out to hunt the second demon.
It had taken Joyce only a few minutes to contact Giles and tell him everything that Xander had told her. It was odd, relaying what had happened across the room to her as she tried to block out her daughter's pain, something that was impossible to do while she was right in front of her. Seeing Joyce standing there, barely keeping herself from breaking down would be something that would stick with Xander forever. The woman, who was someone he would have loved to call mom, was an emotional wreck and he could do nothing for her. He couldn't even offer her comfort since any movement on his part only sent Buffy into another convulsion.
Xander didn't know how, but somehow Giles was at the door in fifteen minutes. He wasn't even aware the ex-Watcher's car could move that fast, but he wouldn't have been surprised if he had merely hotwired someone else's in order to get there. Like Joyce, he seemed devastated at the sight of Buffy, but he schooled his features and kept himself calm for Joyce's sake. There was no hiding the look of pity he had for Xander, which only served to make the young man feel worse about the whole situation.
With the two adults standing and keeping vigil in the doorway and Xander in the far corner of the room, they waited. There was no way to contact Angel, to see if he had managed to locate the demon yet, and there was nothing more they could do.
When the knock at the downstairs door came, it made everyone, aside from Buffy, jump.
Joyce rushed down the stairs to answer, returning with Angel right behind her. He threw off a smoking blanket and was holding a glowing vial of liquid that Xander could only hope was the finished potion Giles had been working on, along with the heart of the second demon Angel had been out looking for.
It had been tense, but after making Buffy swallow the potion and a short scare with her convulsing some more, she finally seemed to calm down. Xander still refused to move, just in case it hadn't worked or she wasn't quite back to normal yet, and could only watch.
Slowly, Buffy opens her eyes.
Xander heard Joyce and Angel say something, but couldn't pay any attention to them. The only thing he was focused on was Buffy.
"Angel?" the blonde asked.
Joyce let out a breath, asking, "Are you alright? Do you hear any thoughts?"
Concentrating for a moment, Buffy shook her head. "No…" Looking over to Giles, she asked, "Did you find the killer?"
"No, not yet. The others are still looking-"
"We have to get there," Buffy told him, cutting Giles off. Getting out of bed, she faltered for a moment before righting herself. "There might still be time."
Slowly, a bit unsure, Xander got to his feet. His eyes caught Buffy's, stopping her.
"Xander…"
"Not now," he said shaking his head. "You said we need to get to the school, than let's go."
"Honey, are you sure you're alright? Don't you think you need to lie down and rest?" Joyce asked concerned.
"There's no time, mom." Buffy looked at her pleadingly. "I swear, I'll come home after this and I won't get out of bed all night, trust me. But right now…I need to get the school."
"I have a car downstairs," Giles said, moving out of the doorway and into the hall.
"Good," Buffy said with a quick nod of her head. "Xander, come on, you're with me. Angel," she turned towards the vampire and it was obvious she wanted to run into his arms, but she stopped herself, "Thank you."
Angel nodded his head, watching her leave. On the way out, Angel patted Xander on the shoulder, surprising him, but not enough that he said anything. Saying a quick goodbye to Joyce, Xander quickly caught up to Buffy downstairs.
"You sure you're up for this?" he asked quietly as they headed outside.
"No, but when has that ever stopped me before?"
"Good point," Xander conceded. "At least we'll-" Xander stopped mid sentence and stared at the sight in front of him. Sitting at the curb in a little red sports car with the engine revving, was Giles.
"How long was I out for?" Buffy asked, looking as confused as Xander.
"I thought it, but I didn't think you'd actually do it!" Xander exclaimed.
"Yes, right. If you wouldn't mind, can you both get in the bloody car already?" Giles said loudly, knocking both teenagers out of their shock and back into action.
Not bothering with the door, Buffy and Xander both jumped over the side and into the front and back seat, respectively. Though Xander did so with far less grace than his friend.
"Alright, I'm good," he said, grabbing his knee after slamming it into the gear shift console. "Let's go."
Pulling away from the house far faster than was safe, Giles sped towards the school.
"You do know this isn't your car, right Giles?" Xander said with a smirk.
"Really? I wasn't aware," he replied drolly, rolling his eyes while shifting into second.
"So, ya gotta wonder," Xander said, drawing out the words, "whose car is it?"
After a beat, Giles said, "Let's just say they pay certain principals far too much money."
Grinning, Xander said, "Ya hear that, Buffy? Giles stole Snyder's car. I think we might just be rubbing off on him."
"Please," Giles said with a snort. "I was hotwiring cars before either of you were born."
Ignoring both of them, Buffy said, "Once we get to the school, split up. Find the others, if you can, or look for anyone that might be about to do something."
Sobering up quickly, Xander nodded his head. "Anything specific?"
"I'm sure we'll know it when we see it. It's kind of hard to take out a school in secret."
With how fast Giles was going, it didn't take long before they reached the school. Each of them headed off in different directions, though Xander snorted a bit when he realized that Giles had left Snyder's car running and double parked.
Sometimes, in situations like this, it was the little things that you had to hold onto to keep yourself sane.
Moving swiftly through the halls, Xander was having a hard time finding any of his other friends. He didn't bother with the Library since that would probably be the first place Giles would look anyway. Without any real way of knowing where anyone would be, his only hope was finding them, or even the potential mass murderer, by sheer dumb luck. So, by that, he meant he didn't think he would be finding anyone at all, considering the ol' Harris luck.
Searching for twenty minutes without anything to show for it was getting downright annoying. By this time, he was certain that he would have found someone, even if it was just Buffy. He was on his last nerve by this point. With everything that was going on, with what had happened to Buffy, with Faith being MIA, again, and now not having any clue as to what was going on with the murderer in the school, Xander was about ready to scream.
As he stalked down the hall, cursing under his breath in with a very creative use of Earth Kingdom dialect, Xander poked his head into every classroom that wasn't in use. He swore that he wouldn't give up yet, that he would keep looking if he had to go through the school a hundred times, he wouldn't stop till he found someone, anyone! This was too important. There were lives at stake. There were-
His stomach rumbled loudly, and despite no one being near him, he blushed slightly. To his left was the cafeteria and while it might not be the greatest food – or possibly actual food, even - it was making him hungry. Looking into the kitchen, he found a tray of jello.
"Ooh. Jello!"
OK, so a small bite wasn't going to kill anyone, was it? He was starving and the lack of food was probably making him sloppy - he could end up missing something vital if he didn't keep his strength up! At least, that's what he told himself as he made his way to the gelatin, grabbing a spoon on the way. Just as he scooped up some from one of the cups, something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. Glancing over, he saw the lunch lady watching him.
'Crap!'
Before he tried to explain himself, though, he noticed the box in her hand. A big box that said 'Rat Poison'. A big box of Rat Poison that she was pouring into the pot of stew that was being served at lunch today.
Catching on at the same time he did, the lunch lady lunged at him, barely missing him even as Xander twisted and turned away from her.
There were really only two options that Xander could see. He could either stand and fight the lunch lady, or he could get everyone who was already in the cafeteria to stop eating the poisoned stew. As it was, it wasn't as if the lunch lady would simply let him go and go back to her attempted mass murder plot, but the students would continue eating if he didn't do something to stop it.
Pushing out with his palm and drawing it quickly back to himself, Xander bent the water in the pot of the stew towards him, knocking it over and spilling its contents onto the floor. Not only did it get rid of the even worse than normal lunch, it had the added bonus of tripping up the lunch lady and buying him a few minutes to get inside.
Rushing out the door and into the cafeteria, Xander started yelling at everyone.
"It's poison! Stop eating! No! No more with the eating!"
Seeing a few people ignoring him, Xander grabbed the table closest to him and flipped it over, knocking the food to the floor. "What did I just say?"
The scream behind him was the only warning he got. Bending over backwards, he watches a cleaver swing past his face. Spinning to face the threat, he saw the lunch lady in front of him holding the large knife.
"Alright, crazy eyes. That's never a good sign," he muttered to himself, dancing around her as she continued to attack him. Getting tired of the dodging and waiting for her to tire herself out, Xander prepared himself to blast her back with a strong gust of wind, not caring about the other students watching him. He stopped as someone grabbed the lunch lady's wrist, stopping her next attack.
With a sigh of relief, Xander let Buffy take over from there, glad to let her do the heavy lifting. Though after a short exchange, and an even shorter fight, it was over.
"Didn't I tell you that she'd do us in with that stew?" Xander asked Buffy conversationally. "But, nooooo. No one listens to Xander."
The next morning, Buffy found herself sitting on a table in the library, waiting for Giles to join her. He had already met her outside, but she guessed he needed time to collect himself after Buffy telling him that she knew about her mother having sex with him –she shuddered slightly- and his walking into a tree. A part of her hoped that he had hurt himself. Not a lot, just enough so that way he would think twice about doing that ever, ever, ever again.
She had to train. She knew that, but she was still reeling a bit from the whole psychic thing. The headache was mostly gone, but she was still feeling a little shaky. She knew that Giles wouldn't push her today, not if she wasn't really able to do it, but she still needed to talk to him. There were certain things that she had heard and felt in other people's minds that she felt couldn't wait.
She didn't need to wait long, though. Giles walked into the library and gave her a somewhat embarrassed look, before clearing his throat.
"Yes, well, um, shall we begin with some light calisthenics, perhaps? Something to ease you back into everything?"
Shrugging, Buffy said, "Eh, maybe later."
Switching automatically into clinical mode, forgetting about his earlier embarrassment, Giles immediately asked, "Is everything alright? There aren't any lingering side effects I should hope, are there?"
"No, no. Nothing like that. Well, my head hurts, kind of, but it's getting better," Buffy reassured him. Fiddling with a pencil in her hand, she looked down before speaking. "Giles, how much do we know about Faith? I mean, about her life before becoming a Slayer?"
"I'm sorry? What precisely do you mean?"
"I mean, was she raised like other potentials? Did the Council take her from her family when she was a baby, or was she like me and slipped through the cracks?"
Thinking for a moment, Giles said, "I believe that she was like you for most of her life. She grew up not knowing anything about the supernatural until a few months before she was called. While the Council has a lot of political clout, the world isn't like it once was. Simply taking a child away from their parent's isn't as easy of a task as it once was, especially in America. Why do you ask?"
"Well, it just seems like we know so little about her and she is a part of the group, after all. I mean, we should know stuff. Like, what's her favorite food, what she does for fun. Who her, uh, parents are."
Frowning, Giles looked at her very seriously. "Buffy, did something happen?"
Still looking away, Buffy tried to gather her thoughts.
"I read Faith's mind the other night, before everything got bad with it. I didn't mean to, I had come here looking for you, but I found Faith and Xander, instead." She stopped and looked him in the eyes. "What I saw in Faith's mind, the thoughts she was having, they made no sense. There was nothing but pain and anguish and rage, almost none of it made any sense. Giles, it frightened me. And what did make sense…Giles, who's Jeff Robertson?"
Shaking his head slightly, Giles said, "I have no idea. Was that who Faith was thinking about?"
"The little bit that made sense - the few thoughts that weren't completely jumbled - she kept going over his name. Over and over again, like a mantra. She kept repeating his name and saying that she couldn't slip up, she couldn't let him know."
"She couldn't let this Robertson person know something?"
Frowning, Buffy said, "I don't think so. I think…I think that she meant Xander. Her emotions were all messed up when she was thinking about it. When she thought of Robertson, there was anger to it. Anger and…and shame."
Sighing deeply, Giles' shoulders slumped, his face looking older than Buffy had ever seen it. "Honestly, Buffy, I haven't a clue as to who this man might be. I have my…my suspicions, given what you've told me, but until I can get in touch with Wesley, I can't see Faith's file."
"What? But, Giles, this is important! We can't wait around for Wesley to take a break from visiting his family to get this information. What if…what if something happens?"
Putting his hands up, Giles tried to calm her down. "Buffy, I understand your frustration, I do. But the fact of the matter is, we don't have any information at the moment. I feel we may share the same theory as to what it is Faith is dealing with - am I correct?"
Buffy nodded her head, ready to speak again before Giles cut her off.
"Then you know how delicate this kind of situation is. We, unfortunately, have to wait. If we confront Faith with what we suspect instead of what we know, then it might only make the situation worse." Putting his hands on her shoulders, Giles shook his head sadly. "I wish I could tell you differently. That I could tell you that things like this don't happen, but I can't."
Thinking back on a similar exchange between herself and her Watcher as they waited for Billy Fordham to rise, Buffy frowned. "I know. I just…if this happened, Giles, someone is going to pay. I don't know who yet, but they aren't getting away with this."
Giles squeezed her shoulders, unable to tell her that she was wrong. He also didn't mention that he would do everything in his power to ensure that he was the one to dole out the punishment, in order to keep Buffy and Faith as clean of the situation as possible.
"I don't think we'll be getting anything done today as far as training is concerned. You still have plenty of time before your first class, if you'd like to find Willow or Xander."
"Actually," Buffy said, her tone of voice holding him in his place, "there's more."
Taking off his glasses, Giles took a few steps back, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Of course, there's more."
"It's about Xander."
Giles stopped moving. Looking at her very carefully, he nodded his head, silently urging her to continue.
Buffy had known that he would pay more attention when she mentioned Xander's name. It was easy to anyone with a pair of working eyes to see that Giles cared for him more than simply because he was Buffy's friend. He had grown to care for him like the son he didn't have, even if he never said it. He cared for Xander probably as much as he cared for Buffy, herself. That didn't mean that he wasn't just as concerned about Faith and the potential problem with her, but if forced to choose, Buffy didn't think the Council would be happy with his answer.
"Yesterday, when Xander was in my room, I…"
"You read his mind?"
"Yes. No. I don't know!" Buffy said in frustration. "Something happened, though. It was like every other thought around me was blocked out. The only thing I could make out was some kind of noise at first. It was OK for a few minutes, kinda annoying, but better than all the other voices. The longer he was near me, the louder it got. Like this wall of sound that someone kept turning up, and up, and up."
"His thoughts became louder?"
"No, the noise became louder. All of a sudden, it was like I couldn't hear anything, but the noise. It hurt. I mean, it really hurt. It was worse than hearing everyone else's thoughts. It started to sound like whispering. Like hundreds of voices all talking at once."
Removing his glasses, Giles polished them, which spoke volumes to Buffy. "Did you…were you able to make out what any of them were saying? Perhaps they weren't all from Xander. You could have simply been picking up the thoughts of others at that time. You're range had increased drastically since you were first affected - it might not have been Xander that you were hearing."
"They were all in that, um, Asian language that he speaks," Buffy told him before continuing. "The voices weren't what hurt me, though. The worst part of it was how they made me feel. It was like the whispers weren't enough; they had to give off this vibe, ya know? It made me feel…small, powerless. Like I was this tiny, insignificant thing that they could wipe off the planet anytime they wanted."
Buffy caught Giles' eye, making sure that he understood that she didn't want to say what she was about to, but that she needed to. "Giles, this thing scared me. It overwhelmed me and it hurt to even think about it when I was like that. Giles…this thing came from Xander. I…I think it was Xander."
Giles turned his back on Buffy. Putting his hands on the checkout counter, he leaned heavily on his arms. His shoulders sagged a bit as he lowered his head. "Damn," he muttered, quietly. If it hadn't been for her enhanced hearing, Buffy was sure she would have missed it.
"I'm going say that you're not exactly surprised by this, are you?"
Shaking his head, still turned from her, Giles said, "Surprised? No. I wasn't expecting it, but the idea had crossed my mind."
"You thought Xander was hearing voices?"
The chuckle that escaped Giles throat didn't do anything to put Buffy at ease. "No, nothing like that. The voices you heard, if they did come from Xander…Buffy, do you remember what Xander told us about the Avatar? About how each time one dies, they are reborn, reincarnated into another person at that exact moment?"
"Yeah. Well, it sounded a bit New Age-y, but I got the jist of it."
"Something that's been bothering me since he's mentioned that is the nature of the Avatar. If they are reincarnated, then that means that every life the Avatar has ever lived, everything they ever did, ever experienced, they're inside of him, somewhere." Turning, he faced Buffy, his face somber. "Reincarnation is a tricky subject when you get into the workings of it. Warlocks and dark witches have used it as ways to extend their lives, to cheat death in a way, in the past. My concern is that the Avatar that inhabited Xander may have done something similar, whether intentional or not."
"Wait, you lost me there," Buffy said blinking in confusion.
"What I'm saying is that the Avatar, Aang, may have left more than just the power that Xander now has when he possessed him that night. I can't begin to imagine how it works, to be honest, but one of the things that has me worried is how much of an influence that is having on him on a basic level. Did his personality change because he saw things in a new light, or was it because something is changing him without him even knowing it, against his own wishes?"
"Like suddenly having warm and fluffy feelings towards the undead population," Buffy said, catching on. "Giles, what the hell do we do? How do we stop it?"
Closing his eyes, Giles waited a beat before opening them again, looking extremely tired suddenly. "Unfortunately, at the moment, there is nothing we can do. We don't have nearly enough information to act, even if we knew what the case is with Xander. This is not only new territory for us, but we're dealing with a force that we can't even begin to try and understand, not with what we know so far."
"So we do nothing? Giles, I'm tired of doing nothing. Me and nothing don't get along." Buffy hopped off the table, hands balled into fists.
Moving in front of her, he placed a hand on Buffy's shoulder. She knew it was meant to calm her, to comfort her, but it did none of that. First, the mind-reading had taken her out of play when there was a killer on the loose and now she had to sit back and wait, all the while knowing that there may be something horrible wrong with both Faith and Xander. It was frustrating. It was more than frustrating, it was practically impossible.
The expression on her face must have said it all. Giles sighed, took a few steps back, and perched his glasses back on his nose. "Do you know why Wesley is in England?"
"He said he was visiting family," Buffy replied, a bit uncertain about the change in topic.
"While it is true, it's not the complete truth," Giles told her. "Buffy, what I'm about to tell you cannot go any further, especially until Wesley returns."
When she nodded, slowly, he continued.
"Do you remember the book that Wesley obtained from his father, the one containing some historical passages concerning the Avatar's world? There are more. At least, we believe there are more books that the Council is hiding somewhere," Giles paused, taking a breath. "Wesley's father, along with two other members of the Council at the time, effectively hid this information from everyone else."
"If they hid it, how did Wesley get it?" Seeing the surprised look on his face, Buffy rolled her eyes. "Geez, does everyone think that I'm really that blonde?"
"No. No, of course not," he replied, trying to sound believable. And failing dismally. Clearing his throat again, he got back to the topic. "But, you're asking the right question. It's precisely why Wesley went back to the Council. His father sent him the book, but didn't want just anyone gaining access to this information. So, yes, the question is why? Which is exactly what we intend to find out."
"So…we just wait?"
Sighing heavily, Giles nodded his head. "Unfortunately, yes. What we can do, in the next few days, however, is watch. Pay close attention to both Faith and Xander. It's not likely that either of them will get to the point where they will become a danger to themselves or others in the time it takes for Wesley to return, but it would be safer to keep an eye on them."
Grumbling, Buffy knew that Giles was right. At the moment, she couldn't do anything. But she felt so much pain from Faith, she wanted to reach out and help the younger Slayer. And Xander…Christ, what she heard and felt from him yesterday frightened her - for him, as well as herself. If he wasn't still Xander, if he had been taken over by this…this thing, she would kill it.
And then she would find Ethan Rayne and kill him as well.
Saying her goodbyes to Giles, she numbly walked out of the library, hoping that Wesley found something that would help them.
Folding his hands behind his back, Wesley stared out the large bay windows in his father's office. The view, he admitted, was amazing. From this height, he could see the river Thames and London Bridge not too far distance. The sun was setting, casting the sky in a dark red light which the river reflected. With the lights of London coming on, it really was quite beautiful.
As a little boy, he would come here with his mother from time to time, and he remembered being mesmerized by what he saw outside of the window. Of course, that was before his father took a rather…heavy handed approach to his upbringing. But for those few short years, this had been one of his favorite places. Back when things were simple, when he didn't know about the uglier side of the world, of people, and most certainly before he knew about the supernatural.
Truthfully, being told about the demonic and mystical side of life had been rather invigorating, even when he was told that he would be a Watcher. Hell, if he was honest with himself, he knew that becoming a Watcher was something he would strive for when he was told so, in some misguided attempt to gain his father's love and respect. That, like so much in his life, did not go as planned. But the knowledge he gained, the books he had been given access to and the information therein had been an escape from all of that.
Some teenagers hid away in fantasy, in movies or in music. Some of them turned to drugs or, those that ran in his circles, sometimes the darker arts. But, no, not him. He didn't need any of that when the amazing and fantastic world that he knew was open to him, was there to explore, to absorb and, above all else, to master. Again, it might have been a play to gain his father's acceptance, but that didn't matter. Almost everything he did back then was devoted to learning as much as he could. Whether it was mysticism, the various demonic clans, the proper way to train a Slayer, and, of course, hand to hand combat.
He had dedicated his life to these things, spent over a decade in his quest to be the most perfect Watcher there ever was. And in less than a handful of months, all of that had been laid to waste.
While his cold hard facts about demons and magic might be useful, his real world application of anything he knew was woefully useless. He couldn't command respect from anyone in the group back in Sunnydale and had to resort to having Mr. Giles continue helping him in order to get Buffy and Faith to listen to him at first, though it was hardly any better now, at times. His skills as a fighter were practically nonexistent out in the field. When several teenagers with no formal training in any capacity had more individual kills than he did…well, it had almost been enough to wake him up. Truthfully, he probably would have continued thinking that his way was right, even with all of those blaring signs to the contrary. If Mr. Giles hadn't seen fit to show him certain things, to bring him into the group and not treat him as some annoying pest, he would most likely have run to the Council with his information on Xander Harris. Now, here he was, trying to smuggle out information back to the Slayer and her group about that very young man, all the while doing things that were very much against what he was taught.
He didn't know what sort of man that made him. Was he changing into something better or into something worse? The rules and expectations of his youth weighed heavily on him, but he couldn't ignore what he had been shown. Outside the walls of the Council, the real war was being fought. The Slayer was no longer some lofty idea that he read about, to be used as a tool in any way he saw fit. But, strategy would dictate that a single Slayer wasn't useful, that you had to think of the Slayer as a whole, which would mean ignoring the fact that in five years, you might be lucky to have only that many Slayers called. But hadn't Buffy Summers proven that wrong, or was she merely the exception that proved the rule?
Hearing the door open, Wesley put these thoughts aside for the moment.
Turning, he kept his face devoid of any emotion and his back straight. It was a requirement when dealing with his father. It wasn't proper etiquette, not really. More like a series of war games that he had been playing for a long, long time. He only wished that he could say he was better at it than he was.
"Wesley," his father said entering the room, his voice every bit as sure of itself as the man was. "I was surprised to hear that you were here."
"Really?" Wesley asked. "I was sure the two Council guards that were trailing me from Heathrow might have alerted you."
Nodding, his father made his way to stand behind his desk, never taking his eyes off Wesley. "The Council tracks all of its operatives when they leave their post, though I'm sure you knew that already."
"I wasn't aware that being the Watcher of the Slayer, or Slayers as the case may be, put me in the same category as other operatives."
"Of course it does! You were placed in this position, a position of great importance in case you've forgotten, because we thought you wouldn't make the same mistakes that Rupert Giles made. We were correct, in that at least. You've managed to make all new mistakes!" the senior Pryce said loudly.
Bristling at his comment, Wesley felt the urge to look away, but stopped himself. He needed to be strong right now and not give in to the emotions he still held from his younger years. "Exactly what mistakes would those be, father? Both Slayers are fine, healthy, and fighting."
"And what exactly would you call a Watcher who leaves his Slayer, hmm?" his father questioned him, his voice getting louder still. "You left not one, but two Slayers, on the Hellmouth of all places, without any aid, without anyone to make sure that they are doing things correctly. How do you think that reflects on me?"
"I wasn't aware that you were now the Watcher of Buffy and Faith." Wesley was as shocked as his father appeared to be at his words, though he tried not to show it. His father, on the other hand, didn't even try to wipe the look of surprise off his face, or bother to hide the outrage that followed.
"You watch your cheek, you insolent brat. Who do you think put your name out there for the position, hmm? Or did you honestly believe that you did it based solely on your accomplishments at the academy?"
This time, Wesley couldn't keep his face neutral and felt his mouth open slightly, at a loss for words. When he had been appointed to the position of Watcher of the Slayer, he hadn't given it much thought. Well, not much realistic thought, as he now looked back on it. He had been surprised by the news, and proud as well, boastful to his colleagues that he was going to be one of the youngest Watchers in their history to be given an active Slayer. At the time, he really had thought it was because of his scores at the Watchers academy, that he was truly the best choice for the job. That, and he thought that the Council wanted someone younger, perhaps someone who wouldn't fall into the trap of becoming fatherly to the Slayer like Giles had.
He had been a fool.
Having spent time with the group of mismatched students and Mr. Giles, he found that the emotional bond they all shared only strengthened them. They would do more for each other, fight harder, strive to beat back whatever hell spawn that threatened one of them because of it. Mr. Giles' feelings towards Buffy, while strictly against everything the Council taught, was probably the best thing that could have happened. While being completely unorthodox and wholly outside of the Slayer handbook, Buffy Summers was quickly becoming one the greatest Slayers in recent history. If she kept up, she would undoubtedly be the longest living Slayer, though that really was not a hard claim to top. Faith, as well, was shaping up to be a force to be reckoned with in her own right, though there were several rough edges to smooth out.
But, even with his own foolishness and ignorant thinking, he was mostly surprised to hear that his father was the one who suggested his appointment to the position. Undoubtedly, it was probably his word and no little amount of political clout that got Wesley the job. But, why would his father do that? It wasn't as if he was showered with praise by him and he doubted that was something that he would do among his colleagues and friends within the Council.
"No, you didn't even bother to think about it, did you?" his father said, a slight sneer in his voice. "You never did know when you were in over your head, always thinking you knew better."
His father gave him a harsh look before getting suspicious. His voice back to normal levels, he said, "You aren't here, running back with your tail between your legs over the job given to you, are you?"
"No," Wesley said softly. Clearing his throat, he repeated himself, though still somewhat sheepishly. "No, everything on the Hellmouth is fine."
"Wesley, if you honestly believe that everything is fine, then you have either severely overlooked something, or you merely haven't the foggiest idea as to where you were sent. Nothing on the Hellmouth is ever fine."
Closing his eyes, Wesley tried not to fall back into old habits. Really, he was trying. But being around his father had always done this to him. It turned him from being the self-assured man he thought he was back into that small child who could do nothing right. All of the old, painful memories would come flooding back turning him into an idiot.
"Wesley," his father said, his voice tired, "Why did you come here, hmm?"
Right, the whole reason for this trip, the confrontation with his father over the book he had sent. Back in Sunnydale, even on the plane ride here, it had all seemed so simple: - come here, show his father the evidence of his cover up and demand an explanation.
How could he have ever thought it would be that simple?
He had practiced what he was going to say, going it over and over again in his mind. To his own embarrassment, he had even been caught saying it out loud once in the library, much to Willow and Xander's amusement. Thankfully, neither of them knew exactly what it was he was practicing and let it go with barely contained laughter. Despite all of that, all the different scenarios he had played out in his head, it hadn't done a damn bit of good. All of that prep work wasn't worth a damn now that he was actually here in front of the man.
Unable to say a word, Wesley reached into his jacket pocket and removed the leather bound book his father had sent him. Silently, he stepped forward, placing it on the desk. He was afraid to look up into his father's eyes, of what he might see.
Taking a few steps back, Wesley waited for his father to say something. Several moments passed in silence. When it became too much, Wesley gathered his courage, held his head up, and looked at his father.
Despite having been angry a minute ago, all traces of it were gone. Wesley had been expecting his gaze to still hold the heat it had before, now his look was…confusing. He didn't look confused, oh no. His father was anything but lost. Wesley simply couldn't make out what the man was feeling at the moment. Despite his father's tendency to keep his emotions closed off from him (those other than anger and disappointment, anyway), Wesley would say he was fairly good at picking up on the subtle shifts the man went through. Now, though, it was almost as if his father couldn't quite decide how he wanted to react.
Concern, surprise, and wariness all showed on his face. His eyes, while guarded, appeared to be searching Wesley for something that, for the life of him, he couldn't figure out. Usually, his father would control any and all conversations, but his body language gave the appearance of waiting, along with a slew of other signals. If his father was waiting for him to make the first move, he better settle in for a good long time. With his father's gaze on him such as it was, and this new side of him, Wesley didn't trust himself to move, let alone speak!
"What's this?" his father asked after it became apparent that Wesley wasn't going to say anything.
"It's, uh….it's your book. The one you lent me." Wesley's voice was soft, hesitant. He didn't dare raise it any higher, afraid that his throat would close up if he did.
Raising an eyebrow, Roger Wyndam-Pryce stood taller as he continued to watch his son.
"I wasn't aware that the post wasn't working," he said dryly. "If you came all the way here simply to return a book I loaned you, perhaps I was truly mistaken to think you were up to the challenge of training the Slayer."
Ignoring the comment, Wesley pushed on, still unable to raise his voice beyond a gentle, almost docile tone. "The book was quite…informative once I was able to decipher it."
Again, Wesley watched his father become uneasy. Yes, that was the only way to describe it. All of those emotions that seemed to be at war made the man uneasy, but he was, dare Wesley say it, excited. Expectant.
"You were able to read it? That fast? I wasn't aware that you studied any of Asian languages."
"I had some help," Wesley said warily.
"Did you find it useful?"
"Yes," he replied slowly, no longer feeling as embarrassed as he was before. Playing a hunch, one that he didn't fully understand even, he said, "As I said, it was very…enlightening. I was wondering if you had anything else on the subject, actually. I tried to go through the Council records, but there was nothing there, not even this book."
"It isn't uncommon for the members of the Council to have a private collection."
"True," Wesley conceded, "but typically, when a request is made to the Council archive for any information, the other members don't offer books from their private collection. Usually, there isn't a memo that goes out for every request and even if there were, no one would be able to read them all. The only way anyone could know, would be if they were watching for someone to go looking into a specific area - something that, as far as I'm aware of, isn't allowed under normal circumstances."
Pausing, his father nodded his head once. "Under normal circumstances, no."
"But, you had cause to do so," Wesley said when it was clear his father wasn't going to add anything. Taking another leap of faith, he said, "In fact, you were expecting this. You were prepared for me to go searching, weren't you?"
Nodding again, the elder Pryce moved over to the fireplace. "Wesley, there are many things that I have made preparations for over the years. This, however, was not one of them. When you were younger, I thought that perhaps you might stumble across something like this and that would inevitably lead you to this discovery. But, as you got older, it became clear to me that wasn't going to be the case."
"Sorry to have disappointed you," Wesley deadpanned.
"It's quite alright," Roger dismissed his comment without a thought, "It simply wasn't meant to be. At least, that's what I thought.
"I admit, when I found out about your interest in the subject, I merely thought it was a coincidence. But, as you know, coincidences rarely exist in our line of work. At first, I wasn't going to give you the book, but I thought better of it after some further consideration. A second chance, of sorts. It seems that this time, at least, you proved me right." Striking a long match from off the mantel, Roger turned on the gas and lit the fire.
"What is it? What exactly were you hoping for me to find?"
"Information, Wesley. What you found in that book isn't doled out to simply anyone. My father, the good man that he was, wasn't even aware of it. Had I not gone routing around through our family's records, I sincerely doubt my grandfather, your great-grandfather, would have told me any of it. Afterwards, though, I understood why."
"Understood what?" Wesley said, taking a step towards his father. "What does our family have to do with any of this?"
Snorting, his father shook his head as if amused. "Wesley, what do you know of our family history, hmm?"
Lost as to what it had to do with anything, Wesley replied, "Only what you've told me. As far back as anyone can say with certainty, we've been a part of the Council."
"Yes, and how far can we trace that back?"
"I'm…not completely certain. Late seventeenth century to be sure, but further than that and-"
"Fifteen hundred and sixty-five. That is the exact year the Pryce family entered into the Council. The exact date can be found in one of the books I have, similar to that one there."
Glancing at the book on the desk, Wesley's mind went completely blank. He had absolutely no idea what his father was talking about, let alone how they even arrived at their current subject.
When he looked back at his father, he saw the strangest thing he had ever seen in his life. If it weren't for the fact that they were in the Council's headquarters and shielded by the layers of protective magics and wards built into its very foundation, Wesley would have assumed that the man in front of him was not Roger Wyndam-Pryce.
His father was smiling.
"Wesley, there's a bottle of Scotch in my desk that I've been saving for a very long time for just the right moment. I believe now is that moment. Come, my boy. Let me tell you about our family."