Something I got after reading LyCox's 'Of Stakes And Prophecies'. Takes place after Angel 5x16.

Disclaimer: I do not own Buffyverse .

Giles had entered his office in the new Slayer headquarters in Scotland, when he noticed someone else closing the door behind him.

Giles wondered who it was since there was no way in Hell he would invite in another vampire and he turned, surprised to face a familiar face as he felt a shiver down his spine.

"Hello, Rupert." The man said with a hint of venom in his tone.

"Wesley." Giles said. Last time they had met, Wesley was clumsy, arrogant, bumbling and now he looked very different. He was no longer wearing glasses and he needed some shaving and the dark look he had in his eyes told Giles that he had been through quite a lot, to say the least.

"Do you know why I'm here?" Wesley asked with so low voice that it unnerved Giles. He had never seen Wesley so… menacing.

"If this is about Miss Bur—"

Next thing Giles knew, he staggered back, with his nose broken, crashing to the table.

"Don't you dare say her name!" Wesley snarled as he grabbed Giles by his sweater and slammed him to the wall. "Do you have any idea what I've lost? Any at all?!"

Giles could see the eyes full of fury, pain and loss as he met Wesley's look, just like when Giles had lost Jenny.

"I held Fred in my arms as she begged for her life, while that… thing took her over and I had to watch her die. And you could've helped us stop her and try to bring Fred back but you didn't. Why?" Wesley asked brokenly and only at that moment Giles realized what had they actually lost, shame filling him before Wesley grabbed him by his throat. "We worked together to stop Olvikan and you refused to help stop another Old One, just because you let your dislike of Angel cloud your judgement. We've always been on the same side. What do you have to say in your defense?!"

"I… I'm so—" Giles wheezed.

"'Sorry' is not going to bring her back." Wesley growled, punching Giles in the gut as Giles gasped for air and Wesley let him go as Giles fell to the floor. "The only reason I won't kill you is because of Buffy and whatever little sliver of respect I still have for you for the events in Sunnydale. I lost a piece of myself, when I lost Fred. And now… you'll live the same way."

Giles gagged as he felt wet on his mouth as a red line formed across his neck, while Wesley pocketed his knife and walked away, leaving Giles to gasp and weakly call for help and bleed out. This wouldn't bring Fred back but it would haunt Giles for the rest of his life, which was enough for Wesley. He didn't care if the Scooby Gang would hate him for what he had done, they couldn't hate him nowhere as much as he hated Giles now for letting Fred die and Gunn for his indirect role in it.

I've said it before in my other one-shots, I'll say it again, I loved Giles the first three seasons of BTVS, outside of the test where he drugged Buffy but after that he was just 'Meh' and didn't really contribute to the show, outside of killing Ben/Glory but it got worse with him in the later seasons, when he left in Season 6 and it is understandable he wanted Buffy to be less dependent on him but he was a father figure to the Scoobies and he could've helped Willow with her magic but all he did was calling her a rank amateur and giving her at best basic advices and that just makes her addiction to magic and Dark Willow arc from a major part his fault and don't get me started on him conspiring with Robin to try and kill Spike, which goes against Giles's Watcher mentality regarding greater good, since Spike was one of the best fighters the Scooby Gang had and they could've just shackled Spike if Giles was so worried about him being under the influence of the First Evil but his worst sin came in Angel 5x16, which is mainly because of unavailability of Anthony Head, so Whedon decided to ruin Giles further.

While it is understandable that Giles would hate Angel after what happened to Jenny, he let his ego and self-righteousness and dislike of Angel, especially he had taken over W&H, blind his judgement and he refused to help with Illyria and deal with the threat of the Old One and save Fred. The rest of the Scooby Gang wouldn't ignore something like this, especially Buffy or Willow, and Giles was lucky Angel, Spike or Wesley didn't kill him for that. I'm imagining the Scooby Gang would find Giles a few moments later and after finding out from Team Angel about what he had done, they would all be so done with him. He just became just as bad as Travers and the rest of the Watchers Council, who are a bunch of self-righteous asshats.

Who knows what happened in the altered memories, where Wesley didn't kidnap Connor but I'm imagining Wesley still getting his throat slit by Justine and after recovering, Lilah would seduce him and get him to give into his inner darkness.

Please review and let me know if you have enjoyed this one-shot.

With regards

Bl4ckHunter