Warnings and disclaimer in Chapter 1. Enjoy!
"Buffy?" Giles asked, not lowering the stick he grabbed. He looked down. Buffy was still sleeping peacefully.
"Giles," the newcomer intoned. She kept coming closer, stopping just short of the fire. Giles narrowed his eyes.
"Who are you?" She scoffed.
"If I have to tell you, I haven't made a very good choice." She kept her eyes on him. He watched her for a few minutes before his eyes widened.
"You're the Slayer," he said, awestruck.
"Correct," she said as she sat on the ground. Giles watched her, still not lowering his stick. "You might want to put some more wood on the fire. We have a lot to talk about." Giles nodded dumbfoundedly, looking between the Buffy sleeping nearby him and the one on the other side of the fire. Finally he lowered his weapon.
"How are you here?" he asked, throwing a couple logs on the fire and stoking it until a bright fire lighted the area. "We haven't called you."
"Do you want me to come back later?" the Slayer asked, turning to go. "Maybe make you jump through a few more hoops before I grant you an audience?"
"No," Giles quickly called out. "I am just surprised."
"It's not happening the way you thought it would?" the Slayer asked him. Giles shook his head. She smiled. "Gee. Maybe there were some typos in that five thousand year old translation."
"Perhaps," he admitted, sitting back down. She mirrored him. "I'd like to thank you," he started, glancing back to the girl sleeping next to him. The Slayer followed his gaze, her smile slipping slightly.
"I wish I could have done more," she said softly. "No one deserves what those monsters did to her."
"Agreed," Giles said, feeling the familiar anger rise whenever he thought about what she went through. Trying to find his center again he shifted his gaze to study her.
"What?" she asked self consciously. "Do I have something on my face?"
"No," he said, chuckling softly. "You just have an uncanny resemblance to Buffy." She chuckled.
"I am influenced by every Chosen One," she told him. "But it has been many millennia since I have truly bonded with my host. I believe you have met my last true host."
"The Slayer we met in Buffy's dream," Giles commented, "then again in Buffy's mind. She was the Slayer at the Dawn of the Second Age, wasn't she?"
"The first Slayer to truly accept a Watcher," she added, nodding slightly. "Just like you theorized."
"How did you know that?" he asked. The Slayer inclined her head toward Buffy.
"She's not very active right now, but she's still the Slayer. Everything she hears, I hear." Giles studied her for a minute. "What?" she asked defensively.
"I'm just surprised at how effectively we are able to communicate," he admitted. "From what I saw from the First Slayer, I wasn't expecting this." She grinned.
"I'm normally not like this," she told him. "It's just because you know me so well."
"I know Buffy," he countered. She shrugged.
"Tomayto, tomahto," she said. "You know her extremely well, so you know me. And we know you. It gives us a somewhat advantageous relationship. You know exactly what I mean if I say 'tree good, fire…'"
"Bad," Giles automatically finished, smiling softly.
"Correct," she said again. "I knew I chose wisely. You should be proud. I haven't bonded with a Watcher for a hundred years."
"We've bonded?" Giles asked. "But I haven't done the ritual yet."
"Yes you have," she countered. "A few times already."
"But then why haven't you come until now?" She chuckled.
"Slayer's are creatures of the night," she told him. "And what did you always do?" Giles thought for a moment before groaning.
"We left and found somewhere to spend the night." He looked at her. "We could have completed this quest in one day. Was that another typo?"
"Maybe," she smirked. "But then again, I couldn't make it too easy for you. What would the next Watcher think?"
"Can't have them think that something might finally go their way," Giles grumbled. The Slayer smiled and Giles felt his bad mood fade. He watched her intently. "How does the bond work? Do we keep talking like we are now?"
"That would be too easy," she said, laughing a bit before turning serious. "Would you believe me if I said I have no idea?" Giles sighed.
"Can nothing ever be simple?" The Slayer smiled indulgently.
"Not in our world, Watcher Mine," she smiled at him. "But honestly, this is a first for me. My last host wasn't big on conversation, so I can't really tell how different it's going to be. It's going to be a learning experience for both of us."
"We'll figure it out," Giles reassured her, "together."
"You know I'm not really here," the Slayer told him, frowning a bit.
"Of course," Giles reassured her. "I meant Buffy and myself." He looked down at his sleeping Slayer. He smiled as she sighed, shifting slightly as she slept. He looked up when the Slayer gasped. "What?"
"Something's happening," she said, getting a faraway look in her eyes. "Faith."
"What's happening with Faith?" Giles asked, moving closer to Buffy as his protective instincts took over.
"Not just Faith," the Slayer looked back, confusion in her eyes. "There's something more happening, but I'm not sure what."
"If Faith needs you," Giles started, but she shook her head.
"I'm already there," she told him, turning her head to stare into the darkness.
"What does Faith have to do with the prophecy?" Giles asked her. She turned sharply to look at him.
"The prophecy?" the Slayer asked, frowning in confusion.
"The Third Age prophecy," Giles frowned at her. "What Buffy has been trying to tell me." The Slayer started laughing.
"Oh Giles," she tutted. "I don't know anything about the prophecy. That is the world of man. I am not."
"But Buffy," Giles stuttered. "She's been trying to tell me something for the last few weeks."
"She has," the Slayer agreed, "but what makes you think it's about the prophecy." Giles gaped. "Do you think every bad thing stops when a really big bad starts? I didn't think you were that naïve."
"Well," Giles started, but couldn't think of anything to say. "So what is she trying to tell me?" The Slayer shrugged.
"Don't look at me." She closed her eyes. Buffy frowned and she started whimpering. Giles looked down helplessly.
"All of this was for nothing?" he said dejectedly.
"No," she assured him. "I can help. I just can't do it for you." He nodded. "Now, reach out with your mind."
"I'm trying," he said, closing his eyes in concentration. "I can't hear anything."
"You're being too literal. I don't tell my host where to go and when to be there. I give her feelings, dreams, thoughts. You have to stop waiting for instructions and start opening yourself to her instincts." Giles nodded, his whole posture relaxing as he calmed his mind.
"Buffy," Giles said suddenly. "She's fighting. Faith. And Daniel. Something's wrong." He reached down subconsciously and grabbed her shoulder, grounding himself. "Only she's not." He opened his eyes and looked down. Buffy woke up when Giles grabbed her, but instead of sleepy confusion he saw clarity. "She's right here. But she's there as well." He stared into her eyes, thoughts and feelings coming through like a freight train. "Something happened but hasn't happened." Buffy continued to stare, but Giles's eyes started to glaze over with information. "No! Willow!" His eyes focused. "I understand." She smiled and reached up to squeeze his hand. He held her hand for a minute before she released him and motioned for him to go. Giles nodded. "I need to go, now," he said, standing up.
"I can help with that," the Slayer said with understanding. Giles looked to her, and with a flick of her hand he found himself in the Summers house. He was disoriented for a minute before he dashed down the stairs and saw the activity around the cell.
"Willow! No!" Everything stopped. Everyone slowly turned to face him, varying degrees of shock and disbelief on their faces.
"Giles?" Xander asked. Giles nodded, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. Joyce approached him slowly, studying him intently before throwing her arms around him.
"I'm okay," he told her gently before a loud growl brought their attention back to the vampire. Willow went to finish the spell, but Giles yelled. "No. Don't."
"But its Buffy," Willow argued, tears streaming down her face from the emotions of the night. "We have to save her. I have to save her."
"It's Buffy," Giles told her, moving Joyce to the side so he could approach the vampire, "but it's not Buffy."
"Well, that clears everything up," Xander said sarcastically while Giles reached down, grabbed the Orb of Thesulah, and threw it as hard as he could against the wall. The vampire screamed.
"What are you doing?" Willow screamed.
"It's a trap," Giles told everybody. "Its how Willow loses her soul." Everybody froze at that proclamation. Even the vampire went silent, staring at Giles in contemplation before snarling. Buffy the vampire grabbed the bars and, with one pull, yanked them completely off the wall. She growled as she exited the cell, but Faith, Spike, and Daniel were already moving toward her. She hissed and ran out of the basement. "Daniel. The children." He disappeared in a second.
"She's not here," they heard through the baby monitor.
"Look," they heard Andrew. They could hear people moving then the blinds being pulled up.
"She's gone," Daniel told them. "I see her heading down the driveway."
"Tara!" Giles shouted, getting the witches attention as Faith and Spike ran for the stairs. "Do the uninvited spell again. Quickly." Tara nodded, moving quickly to the table they set up earlier and had yet to take down. Willow moved to help, but was pulled away by Giles.
"Giles?" Willow asked when Giles studied her intently.
"Did you finish the spell?" he asked seriously. She shook her head. "How far along did you get?"
"I didn't even finish the first chant," she told them. Giles sighed in relief then pulled Willow into an extremely awkward hug.
"Is she okay?" Joyce asked, not sure what exactly happened, but picking up on Giles's concern for Willow.
"Fine," he said as he released the redhaired witch.
"Done," Tara said a few minutes later.
"Rupert?" Veronica asked. "What is happening?" Giles opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by Faith and Daniel returning.
"We followed her as long as we could," Faith told everyone. "But as soon as she cleared the property line she disappeared."
"Spike can't get back though," Daniel frowned until he saw Tara sitting at the magic table. "Ah."
"We can go invite him again," Dawn said, motioning Tara to go first. Joyce nodded distractedly. Faith and Daniel followed them, just in case there was trouble.
"Rupert?" Joyce asked as everything started falling into place.
"Yes?" he asked distractedly.
"That wasn't my daughter?"
"No," he said as he headed toward Veronica.
"Rupert," she insisted, grabbing his arm and pulling him around. "Where is my daughter?" Giles froze.
"Oh bollucks," he cursed just as Spike burst in.
"Dru is attacking Buffy!" he yelled, grabbing Giles by the collar. "Where is she?"
"She's…" Giles started, but before he could finish there was a bright flash.
"Bollocks," Ethan shouted, staggering to the side. He would have fallen if Xander and Kate hadn't grabbed him.
"Ethan? What are you doing?" Giles asked before he saw what he was holding. "Buffy?" He stormed over and practically ripped the girl from Ethan's arms. Ethan let her go happily, his arms moved to wrap around his chest instead.
"Buffy?" Joyce screeched, moving to her daughter's side. Giles put her on the couch but Joyce rounded on Ethan when she saw the scratch on her daughter's cheek. "What did you do to her?"
"I saved her bloody life," Ethan complained, "and this is the thanks I get?"
"You saved her life?" Joyce questioned, the anger immediately leaving her voice. Ethan nodded, and then winced.
"From that crazy vampire." Ethan looked to Giles.
"How do you know?" he asked once he was sure Buffy was fine. She pulled herself up to a sitting position, looking around the room with interest. Giles, suddenly exhausted, collapsed next to her.
"I've been following you," he smirked. Joyce's gaze softened.
"Let's get you cleaned up." She motioned for the First Aid kit, which Anya had helpfully grabbed. Ethan nodded thankfully, lowering his arms as Joyce helped him into a chair.
"Rupert!" Albert yelled as the chaos started settling down around them. "What the hell happened?"
"I think we just saved the world," he said as he fell into unconsciousness.