FIC Faith The Series S 3 Ep 11 (38?)

Giles pursed his lips as he worked through the library requisition forms, the paperwork giving him the sort of headache he'd only wish on Snyder. "Oh bugger," he muttered as he realised he'd added the budget totals up incorrectly.

"Hello, Rupert." His breath caught and pen dropped to the desk at the cultured voice. Looking up, he saw a distinguished-looking man in his early seventies with thinning grey hair and penetrating blue eyes. "So this is where you work?"

He coughed in an effort to clear his throat. It didn't work. "Hello," he croaked.

"And your Slayer?" the man stepped through the doorway. "Where is she?"

Giles licked his lips, anxious to delay the inevitable. "She's in class."

"Oh, of course. In that case, Rupert," the older man looked around. "Perhaps we should, how do these yanks put it," the man smiled wryly, "catch up?"

Giles rose on decidedly rubbery legs. "What a splendid idea," he lied. Suddenly library requisition forms didn't seem so bad.

"Yo G!" Faith yelled as she entered the library, stopping when there was no reply. Confused, she made her way through to G's office. Finding a piece of crumpled paper on his otherwise spotless desk, Faith snatched it up. "Home, urgent business," Faith muttered.
"G!" Throwing open the front door, Faith hurried into her home, having made the two mile journey home in just over 2 minutes. Sweat dripping off her, she charged into the front room and found her guardian sat in the lounge drinking team with an older guy. "Your note said urgent business!" Faith exclaimed. "I thought it was Sla-," remembering the guest, her voice trailed off.

"Slayer related?" the old man said, his voice filled with wry amusement.

"Faith," she looked towards her guardian, confusion growing. Who the hell was the stranger? "Meet Charlton Giles, my," her Watcher coughed, "father."

"Your pop?" Faith stared in disbelief at the old-timer.

The old geezer chuckled. "Rupert wasn't the result of a science experiment, my girl."

"Yeah," Faith glanced from one man to the other. "I did kinda wonder." Faith smirked. "A botched one."

The old man threw his head back and laughed. "Oh, delightful," he roared, tears rolling down his face. "Delightful." After a second G's pop looked towards her Watcher. "Please, Rupert. I'd like to talk to this young lady," Faith almost looked over her shoulder to see who he was talking about, "on my own for a few minutes if you don't mind."

"So this is how it ends," Slayer hearing picked up G's mutter to himself. "Not in a blaze of glory but a tepid whimper." The Englishman raised his voice. "I have to check out some references in my study anyway."

Once the door had closed behind her Watcher, the old man's eyes lighted on her. "Please, Faith, sit down." The man smiled. "I think it's past time we got to know each other." Faith gulped at the guy's piercing gaze. All at once G's nervousness made sense.

"I trust she meets with your approval?"

Charlton stared searchingly at his son as Rupert sat down in the seat only recently vacated by the Slayer. His offspring's tone was light, but with a note of underlying tension that only those who really knew him would notice. He smiled. "She's all you've said and more. A truly remarkable young woman, especially given what she's been through. You've done an astonishing job with her, she does you great credit."

"Thank you," his son nodded, his face relieved.

Charlton scowled. "I trust you have something planned for her Cruciatmen?"

Rupert's face sobered. "I have a few ideas."

"Good," Charlton nodded. "I've only just met her, I don't intend to lose her."

"Neither do I, neither do I," his son agreed.

"Ah, come on," Faith pleaded, putting her best little girl face on, "ya gotta have some wicked cool stories on G," she implored. G groaned. "Gotta give me some ammo for when he's giving me grief."

G senior chuckled. "I somehow doubt you need any help in defending yourself."

"You have no idea how right you are."

Faith ignored G's mutter to press her Watcher's father. "K, but you gotta have something juicy I can tell the gang?" She looked up as the library doors opened and her friends walked in.

G senior looked over his shoulder. "Is that the young man in question?"

"Yeah."

G senior looked back at her, schooling his face into a forbidding expression. "In that case I best put our little plan into action." G senior rose and strode towards her boyfriend and the others.

"Faith," G demanded from behind her. "What have you and my father concocted?"

"Ah, just a practical joke."

G groaned. "I better get a bucket." She tore her eyes away from the scene unfolding in front of her to look at her Watcher. "To clean up the mess," her Watcher dolefully explained. "There's always a mess when father gets raucous."

Faith's grin widened as her Watcher hurried away. "Oh yeah, I definitely like him."

"Young man!"

Xander blinked at the thunderous looking old man stood before him, stood ramrod straight despite his seventy plus years. "Uh yeah?"

"Uh," the man looked like he couldn't be any more disapproving if he tried. "A sloucher," now the man looked like he'd smelt something bad, and he was reasonably sure he'd washed this morning. "You're Xander Harris aren't you?"

"Yeah," the man sniffed. "Yes," he hurriedly amended.

"You're dating my grand-daughter."

"I don't think so, I'm dating Fait-," Xander's mouth dropped open. "Oh you're G-M-," the man sniffed again. "Mr. Giles' pop?"

"Correct. In England, the higher-classes have a tradition, one does not ask out one's granddaughter without seeking permission." Xander opened his mouth. "Ignorance is no excuse young man. You have offended my honour. The only question is how to settle this-."

"Oh Xander is going get his ass whipped by an old timer!" Cordelia crowed. "This is like my best day ever!"

Cordy's mouth clamped shut when the man's eyes turned to her. Which meant the Englishman had at least one good quality. "The only question", the man's gaze returned to him, eyes boring through him, "is how we settle this. Fists or swords?"

"Gah, ah," Xander suddenly spied Faith sat at the table behind the man, tears rolling down her face as she laughed helplessly. "It's a trick!" he exclaimed.

"Of course my boy, of course," the man's weathered face broke out into a smile. "An old dodder like me's not going to start with a fight with a strapping young fellow like you." G-Man's dad placed an arm around his shoulder and whispered in his ear. "No, I'd hire someone to do it for me if you should ever hurt her." Xander gulped as the man pulled away. "Now the festivities are over, I think it's time we got down to business, Rupert?"

Faith stomach hollowed as her Watcher finished speaking. Even as she opened her mouth to speak, Xander leapt to his feet, face red with rage. "There is no way that is happening!" Xander exclaimed. "You are not feeding Faith to any vampire!"

"Please, Xander," G Senior's voice was soft but with an undeniable note of firmness. "We have no intention of doing anything of the sort. Unfortunately if we are to prevent this from happening we have to box clever."

"Why!" Cordelia demanded. "For once Doofus is right! There's no way we're going to let them do this!"

"If we don't," G interrupted, his face drawn, "they'll have my adoption of Faith reversed and me deported. Then, with a new Watcher in place, they'll test her anyway. And if any of you," his gaze took in the others, "interfere they'll kill you."

Xander leaned over the table. "You must be real proud of this organisation you work for," he scoffed. "What, the Gestapo weren't hiring?"

"Young man," G senior didn't back down an inch from X's glare. "Neither of us agree in the slightest with this test. But to foil it will require a level of intelligence that given your behaviour at the moment I am far from sure you are capable of. Now sit down!" After a final second, Xander sunk back into his seat. "Thank you." G senior's face relaxed before turning to his son. "Rupert, if you don't mind?"

"My father and I were up all night discussing how best to foil the Cruicatmen," G stood. "This plan will require all of your co-operation."

"You've got it," Xander interrupted. Faith smiled weakly at her other friends' instant agreement.

"I expected no less from you all," her Watcher briefly smiled before continuing. "Ever since I arrived in Sunnydale I've sent the Council one set of reports relating to our adventures here, excluding your parts in them, and another more truthful set to my father. At first I was acting to merely avoid controversy, knowing the Council would disapprove of your involvement, but recently I've had a dual purpose. To hide your involvement so you could help Faith with her Cruicatmen. The Council head, Mr. Travers, arrives tomorrow, together with his two assistants and the vampire they have captured. I plan to make a spirited resistance before ultimately capitulating to his demands for a testing and injecting Faith. The night the test occurs I will be escorting Mr. Travers and Tegan on a patrol so he can see her in action. That is why she is not here, to give her deniability."

"Make sure the bitch doesn't spill her guts more like," Faith muttered.

"Because I am to be indisposed, giving me an alibi, my father will be heading operations for us," G looked to the older man, "father?"

"Thank you, Rupert," G senior rose as his son sat. "Xander and Jesse," he glanced from one boy to the other, "you will be inside the house to deal with the vampire when the remote release on his prison is activated, allowing him free rein through the house. Unfortunately, the building, rented accommodation on Lassister Avenue, will have two guards, the assistants I mentioned earlier to assure no one interferes with the test. That's where, Willow, Amy, and Cordelia come in," G senior flashed the girls a smile. "I understand Willow and Amy are witches of some ability?"

"Oh we out-Sabrina anyone!" Willow agreed.

"Out-Sabrina?" G senior asked with raised eyebrow.

"A quite ghastly tv show about a teenage witch," G explained.

"And yet you knew what it was." Faith's titter trailed off at her guardian's glare. "I intend for the pair of you cast a deflection spell on Xander and Jesse to allow them to pass by the guards undetected. But that is only stage one of the diversion," G senior looked towards Cordy, "the divine Miss Chase is going to have an unfortunate car mishap just outside the house, drawing the guards away."

"Oh," Cordy shook her head, "my sports car never breaks down. Only the best for me."

"You said -," G Senior shot his son a disbelieving look before shaking his head and returning his gaze to Cordy, "the car breakdown will be staged. The men will be drawn away from their posts by a beautiful damsel in revealing attire allowing Xander and Jesse to sneak into the house and await Faith's arrival."

"Revealing attire?" queried Cordy.

"He means wear hooker wear, Cor," Xander put in helpfully. "You know, what you usually wear."

Seeing her best friend's eyes harden and mouth open, Faith spoke up before one of their full-blown squabbles could erupt. "And the vamp, do we know anything about it?"

"Indeed we do," G senior pulled a trio of photocopied sheets from his briefcase. "I filched these from Council archives, better the devil you know, indeed." The aged man passed her, Xander, and Jesse a file each. "He's a demon by the name of Mather. He was a conman in the late sixties who had the misfortune to attempt to con a vampire."

"So, not old?" Cordy asked.

"No," G senior shook his head. "The Council have a rule, no vampire over fifty years of age can be used in the Cruicatmen. They don't want the demon to be too strong."

"What?" Xander snorted. "Don't want it to be too unfair?"

"There won't be any cameras inside or anything?" Faith interrupted before an argument could break out.

"No," G shot Xander a look before replying.

"There's an awful lot that could go wrong," Willow said worriedly. "Xander and Jesse could be spotted, the vampire could be too strong for the three of them, one of them could be injured."

"I know," G-Man said wearily. "But it's the only solution we could come up with. We're just lucky it's one vampire."

"Please," Mayor Wilkins gestured his new personal assistant into his office. "Take a seat." He smiled as the African-American demon obeyed. African-American, he sniffed, black was black, a label didn't change the worth of a person or demon. Political correctness, one day he'd catch up with WhedNox demon that had started the movement and squash him like a bug. "It has come to my attention that a considerable opportunity is at hand. Miss Giles is eighteen soon."

Trick blinked at his announcement. "You throwing her a party or something?"

Wilkins stared at the vampire in disbelief. A smile slowly spread across his face as he realised the demon didn't know. "No," he laughed in genuine amusement before plunging into an explanation of the Cruicatmen.

"They do that?" Trick stared at him when he finished. "Are they mad?"

"They're English," Wilkins sniffed. "In my experience it comes to much the same thing. Almost as bad as the French, except they smell a little better. But nonetheless it presents us with an opportunity."

Trick smiled. "Yeah, it does. Where's the address, I'll-."

"No, no, no," Mayor Wilkins shook his head. His subordinate's eagerness was most commendable, but needed channelling in the right way. "I have a delivery on the same day that I want you to collect. I want you to send two vampires to kill her. And Trick, make sure to tell them the other demon dies, I don't want any witnesses."

"Yes sir."

"Keely Banflait! What sort of name is that?" Cordelia moaned as her car zipped through Sunnydale at a perilous speed.

"It's Gaelic for 'beautiful princess'." Charlton gritted his teeth. He'd found within a few minutes of being alone with the Sunnydale cheerleader, the decorative effects wore off to be replaced by a feeling something akin to having one's fingernails removed.

"Oh," the girl sounded mollified. But only for a moment. "But why do I need to have a secret identity? We're not going all La Femme Nikita are we?"

"I beg your pardon?" Charlton felt like he was moving from irritated to bemused at a considerable rate. Almost as fast as the car was moving in point of fact.

"Secret agent!" the teen shot him a withering glare. "Keep up!"

"Because," Charlton felt his mood shift back to annoyed, "if any investigation of the Cruicatmen takes place, your name cannot be linked back to Faith's in any way."

"Ah," Cordelia nodded. "That's why I have to wear the disguise too?"

"Precisely," Charlton nodded as the cheerleader's car screeched to a halt outside a car-hire firm on the outskirts of a town some fifty miles away from Sunnydale.

"But does it have to be a hatchback?"

Charlton sighed.

"It is utter barbarity!" Giles thumped his fist down on his lounge table while he glared at the older man sat opposite.

Quentin Travers appeared unmoved by his rage. "Cruciamentum is not easy... for Slayer or Watcher. But it's been done this way for a dozen centuries. Whenever a Slayer turns eighteen. It's a time-honoured rite of passage."

"It's an archaic exercise in cruelty. To lock her in -," Rupert clenched his fists together. "In a prison, weakened, defenceless, with the very beast she hunts every night. Proving her worth? She's proved it a hundred times! If any one of the Council had actual contact with a Slayer, they would see, but I'm the one in the thick of it."

Giles had to fight the urge to rip Travers' answering smirk off his face. "Which is why you're not qualified to make this decision. You're too close."

"No, that's not true at all. What I am, is loyal," he shook his head. "I won't do it."

Travers sighed. "Rupert, you and your Slayer have achieved a great deal. It would be a tragedy to have to replace you. A Slayer is not just physical prowess. She must have cunning, imagination, and resourcefulness. And believe me, once this is all over, your Faith will be stronger for it."

"Or she'll be dead for it," Giles seethed before allowing his shoulders to slump forward in defeat. "Very well, I'll do it." He looked up at the other man, praying with all his might the other man would take his bait. "I was wondering if you'd accompany myself and Tegan on patrol, to judge her progress?"

"Excellent idea," the head Watcher rose. "I'll meet you here at seven-thirty?"

"Fine," Giles nodded.

"Now," Charlton prowled the lounge carpet like a general on parade, the children and his son, technically not a child although sometimes he wondered, sat on the seats. "Let's run through the plan one more time," he glared at Xander's groan. "Young man, I'm taking this very seriously, are you?"

"Hey, X, takes this seriously," his adoptive grand-daughter snapped. "He just don't like to think much."

"Gee," the boy muttered. "Thanks for the support."

Quelling the urge to smirk, he continued. "First, Rupert leaves with Travers and Tegan," Charlton felt a bitter taste in his mouth at the mention of the other Slayer. He'd met her only briefly, but her snootiness had got his hackles up, and confirmed his first thought of keeping her out of the loop. "Then, Willow and Amy will start the deflection spell here, under my supervision. Next, Keely's car will tragically break down outside the house."

Cordelia snorted. "If that rust-bucket you hired gets me that far."

Charlton decided to ignore the cheerleader's complaints. "While the guards are distracted, Xander and Jesse will walk in. When Keely leaves," Charlton looked towards Faith, "Faith will enter. Once the demon is slain, she will leave. And while the guards are distracted, so will the boys. Any questions?"

"Bloody hell!" Johnson, a ten year veteran of the Met, commented when a car pulled to a shuddering halt just outside the building they'd hired for the Cruicatmen. His mouth dropped open when a gorgeous, bespectacled blonde with the body of a swimsuit model clad only in high heels, black PVC mini, and two sizes too small halter top leapt out. "That's a nice sort and no mistake!"

"Aye," agreed his companion, a burly Scot by the name of Daglish, a ten year veteran of the Highland Guards, "nice knockers." The jock's eyes widened when the blonde lifted her car's bonnet and bent over, her mini-skirt pulling tight. "Cracking arse too."

Johnson grinned at his companion. "It would be impolite not to help."

The Scot's mouth parted in a gap-toothed grin. "Aye, you're right there, laddie."

"Maybe I should stay and watch over Cor-."

"Shut up," Xander pushed his friend through the shadowy building's entrance, grateful for both the distraction and the drooling image Cordy had given them. "Cordy will be fine. We've gotta find this vampire's prison before Faith gets here."

"Yeah," Jesse nodded. "It's the cellar, right?"

"Yeah," Xander led his friend through the house's dusty corridors, the smell of grime heavy in the air. The whole place was a wreck, peeling wallpaper failing to hide the cracks in the walls' plaster. The owners must have died and gone to heaven when the Council approached them about renting this dump.

Licking his lips, Xander descended the stairs leading to the cellar, every step accompanied by the pounding of his heart. He and Jesse exchanged looks before shoving the cellar door open. Stepping inside, Xander fumbled around for the light switch, finally finding a string and tugging on it. A light flickered on. Xander blinked his eyes clear. They were in a bare looking room, an empty, cobweb-covered cupboard against the right wall, and a rotting table and two chairs in the centre.

And in the far corner stood a six foot high, thick wooden box from which inarticulate screams could be heard. "You think that's it?" Jesse whispered.

"Either that, or wood's come to life," Xander whispered back. "Being Sunnydale anything likely."

His joke fell flat, both of them just stood and stared at the box. Xander felt his hands growing sweaty and drew his stake for comfort, to remind himself it was there. "Hey." Both of them both jumped at Faith's hushed voice behind them. "Wussies." Both Faith's laughter and taunt sounded forced. His girl-friend pulled out a stake and looked towards them both. "You ready for this?"

Xander and Jesse looked towards one another before nodding and moving into positions flanking the wooden box while Faith stood four foot from the front of the box, stake held ready. The next few seconds seemed to take hours to pass and then the box's lid slid to one side and the vampire charged out, demonic face showing. "SLAYER!"

Xander dived to the ground in front of the rampaging demon. The vampire grunted as it ran into him, its charge turning into a head-long fall to the ground. The demon immediately started to climb up but Faith's foot to the face momentarily stunned it while Jesse drove his stake through its back. The demon instantly exploded into dust. "That was easy!" Jesse crowed.

"Yeah, too easy," Faith grimaced as she looked down at the dustpile. "One of ya's gonna have to make it look real. Hit me."

"WHAT!" Xander shook his head. "No way!"

"I'll do it."

Both he and Faith turned to Jesse. "Ya got issues Jess?" Faith queried.

"He's tired of Cordy wearing the pants in their relationship," Xander dourly accused as he glared at his best friend.

"Hey, she beats me up in training all the time," Jesse defended before turning to Faith. "What do you want me to do?"

"First," Faith tore the left sleeve off her denim shirt. "Grab my arm and squeeze, hard as you can." All at once Jesse looked reluctant, his mouth opening in protest. "Damn it, Jess!" Faith snapped. "I don't like this anymore than you do! Just do it!"

"Okay," Jesse's face stiffened.

Faith hissed as the teen grabbed her arm around the bicep and squeezed. "Ah hell." Faith took a breath before continuing. "Next kick me in the shin-. Ah shit!" Faith hopped around for a second before taking some dust off the table and rubbing it all over her face, shirt, and pants. "Now, backhand me across the face." Again Jesse just looked at the brunette. "Do it!" Faith's head snapped to one side when the boy hit her, cheek purpling and blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. Next, the brunette tore the chest pocket from her shirt. "Now-."

"Look," Jesse shook his head. "That's beaten up enough."

"Oh no," Xander tore his eyes away from his two friends to look at the two vampires at the door, blood chilling, "that's not even close."

Faith stumbled back a step, horror filling her at the sight of another two vampires. Where the hell had they come from? Even as she asked herself the question, the two demons charged forward, one back-handing Xander, blood flying out of her honey's mouth as he fell into the wall, the other being tackled by Jesse.

Which left her all alone with the one who'd knocked X to the floor. Gathering her courage, she raised her stake.

And was driven to her knees by an overhand right to the temple, stake falling to the ground beside her. "Slayer," the demon's husky voice even as he grabbed her hair and yanked her head back, pain exploding in her head. "Never tasted a Slayer before. Hope you're a screamer."

"AHH!" The demon screamed as she picked up her stake and jammed it through the vampire's foot. "You fucking bitch!"

Blood exploded out of her mouth when the vampire backhanded her onto her back. Head ringing, she tried to rise only for the demon to drive his uninjured foot into her ribs, doubling her up. "That's better," the demon knelt down and tore the stake out of his foot with a sick pop. Wincing, the vampire stood and kicked her onto her back, she tried a kick, but he grabbed her ankle and twisted, the bone's pop as it dislocated lost in her scream. "All on your back. If you're nice to me, I might make it quick."

"I don't think so." The vampire's mouth half-opened in surprise a split-second before it burst into dust. Immediately Xander and Jesse stepped through the dust and helped her to her feet. "Are you alright?" her boyfriend anxiously asked.

She wouldn't cry, she silently promised. "Five by five," she forced a nod. "Let's blow this shithole."

Cordelia looked at her watch for the hundredth time in the past quarter of an hour as she waited for Faith in their pre-arranged meeting place. Where was she? Her heart leapt when the car door opened. "Finally, it took yo-," Cordelia's voice trailed off as she noted the taut look on her best friend's face as she climbed in the car. "What happened? It went alright didn't it? Did Jess-."

"There were three of the fuckers," suddenly her friend was shaking, tears pouring down her face. "If it hadn't been for the guys-."

"Hush," Cordy hugged her friend to her as she sobbed. "It's alright, it's alright."

After a minute, her friend pulled away, an embarrassed look on her face. "Take me to the library," Faith muttered as she rubbed at her eyes.

"Maybe you should go home. Ring Giles from there."

"No," Faith's face hardened. "Me and Travers are gonna have a talk."

"You think that's smar-." Cordelia's voice trailed off at the look in her best friend's eyes. Faith might not have her powers at the moment, but Cordelia had no wish to argue with anyone who could manage to look that pissed. "Library it is then."

"And this is a Stygian Hunting Dagger," Giles raised the curved dagger, "its serrated edge making it doubly dangerous." Patrol had been uneventful, a single raising dealt with. But now, all he could do was wait and hope. And so he was attempting to occupy the long seconds by showing his boss his collection of weapons.

"Yes," the older man couldn't have sounded more bored. "Most impr-."

"You fucking bastard!" Giles' head snapped towards the door as the door flew open and a battered but alive, his heart leapt, Faith strode through it, eyes shooting black fire. "You low-down scumbag!" His eyes widened when the brunette snatched at one of the daggers lying on the counter and lunged towards Travers.

"Faith! No!" He jumped in his daughter's path, and wrestled the sword from her. "Faith! What has come over you!"

"There were three of the fuckers! Not one, G!" Faith screamed.

"She's lying," Travers muttered.

Giles spun to face his superior. "My Slayer doesn't lie! Not about Slaying!"

"Go there and see for yourself! There's three dustpiles!" Faith snarled. "And get out of here before I gut you like the pig you are!"

Travers stormed out of the library and into the darkened corridor. He'd never been so humiliated in his life. "That little tramp," he muttered. "She'll pay."

"No," he turned to see himself being regarded by Charlton Giles, a cold look in his normally reserved countryman's eyes. "Nothing will happen to Faith. But you on the other hand," the older Watcher smiled. "Three vampires at a Cruicatmen? You made a real bugger of this, Quentin. And I'll have your job for it. This will be the last Cruicatmen ever."

"You can't-."

The older man chuckled. "You forget who you're talking to Travers. You only got your post on my sufferance. Now I don't feeling like suffering you any further," the man's eyes turned to icicles. "Get out of my sight before I kill you myself."

"And what do you intend to do once you've finished school?"

Damn, Faith mused as she shrugged, she was glad those Slayer-sapping drugs were wearing off, last night had hurt like hell, anything that speeded up the healing process was a godsend. "I don't know."

"Young lady," G Senior rubbed at his nose in the same kinda way G did, must be heredity. "You have to have something planned for your future?"

Man, that disapproving tone, they must bottle it and pass it on to each new generation. Faith shrugged again, a gesture that gained her a sigh. "Die young, leave a hot cor-."

"None of that!" Faith blinked at the man's thunderous tone. "I won't tolerate talk of that kind, do you understand me, young lady?" Stunned, she nodded. "Good," the Englishman's tone and face softened. "Now, you must have something you'd like to study at university?"

Faith began to shrug again only to stop at G Senior's glare. "I kinda like English and History," she admitted.

"Wonderful," the man beamed before reaching into his pocket and passing her a trio of paper-clipped sheets. "In that case you'll need that." Faith opened the papers and stared down uncomprehendingly at their typed contents. "It's a trust fund, I had the papers drawn up before I came over here on the off chance you were all Rupert told me," Faith looked up. "It will pay you $ 700 a month from the date of your high school graduation until you receive your degree, at which point you will receive the sum of $150,000. Not a lot I know, but it will make going to college a little easier."

For once Faith found herself speechless. "I….I c…can't-."

"Of course you can," the man's tone left no room for argument. "Call it an old man's attempt to make up for all the birthday and Christmas presents you never got and I never got to give you."

"B…but."

"Six generations of Giles' have all gotten degrees. This place," the elderly Watcher sniffed, "is hardly Oxford or even Cambridge, but it will have to do. I intend to make sure that you do the same. After all, you're a Giles, aren't you, girl?"

Faith grinned. "I guess I am. Thanks."

"My pleasure. Now my dear," the man smiled apologetically. "I don't wish to throw you out of your own home. But I'd like a little time with my son before I leave?"

"Uh," Faith stood, "k."

"And you take care of yourself and those friends of yours." G Senior grinned. "And try not to get that son of mine into too much trouble. Lord knows he's easily led."

"Faith appeared inordinately pleased when she left."

Charlton smiled as his son entered the room. "Perhaps that's the reason," he passed Rupert a second copy of the trust fund agreement.

"That's generous." His son's eyes widened as he scanned the document.

"It's nothing for a young woman who risks her life daily," Charlton waved away his son's comments. "The life she's had she deserves any help we can give her." Rupert nodded. "Besides," he chuckled, "I've made sure she can't spend the money on a Harley-," he laughed at his son's shudder. "Oh don't Rupert, I remember your Norton Commando and the near heart attacks you gave me, you bloody hooligan."

His offspring smiled ruefully. "And with you around I'm never going to forget it either." The younger Watcher's face sobered. "Travers?"

"That man is a bloody antique," Charlton growled. "But his incompetence in allowing those two vampires to sneak in give me an opportunity to replace him."

"You don't think it was deliberate?"

"No," Charlton shook his head. "I've checked with the Council and the only captured Council vampire 'out' was Mather. I don't see Travers going outside the Council to 'acquire' one."

"True," Rupert hesitated. "Could our spell have allowed them in?"

Charlton smiled tightly. He'd spent a restless night worrying over that very thing. "No, son," he soothed. "The wording was very specific, only Xander and Jesse were affected by it. It was just pure ineptitude, and the fact the two demons appeared to know about the Slayer being there suggests a leak of some description." Charlton stood and looked down on his son. "I can't tell you how proud I am, Rupert. She's a fine girl, a great credit to you both. Keep her safe."