Disclaimer: I do not own Buffyverse or anything else you may recognize

Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.

Now I want to finish this up soon enough, so since this is a break chapter, the reaction chapter to 5x17 after this will come with this one too. Enjoy both.

Bully Maguire: We missed the part where that's our problem.

Guest 1: Thanks for the review and saying all that. Tell me about it, agree on all of your points. But after a long while of dealing with people like these, I'm just gonna say its not worth it now anymore since its impossible to reason with 'em.

Guest 2: Thanks for the review and telling 'em off.

Guest 3: Thanks for the review. Sure is back, sadly. Oof!

Chapter 131- Break XXVI

The Scoobies, both the past as well as the future ones, arrived at the dining room, and took their seats one by one, Giles sitting a little further away from the rest for obvious reasons, since even if he would be forgiven, which he would be once they tried to rectify all this after going back to their timeline, it was going to take a good long while, especially considering what his on-screen self had done here in the latest recording.

Even when angry, Buffy had never tried to hit him like this before, well, she had when he had drugged her and taken her powers, but she had missed then, now she had succeeded, and even Willow had raised her hand on him.

And yet, he couldn't blame the two for that, he had refused to help Angel and his team regarding Illyria, an Old One, just because he didn't like Angel or Spike. He didn't like that Buffy was involved with Vampires, or that one of those two had been a much more trusted confidante to Buffy in the fight against the First Evil than even him.

Maybe him trying to get Spike killed was more because of that rather than because he was possessed by the First, since with his resources he could have helped Spike rather than helping Robin kill him over what he had done when he did not have his soul.

But like the future version of Buffy said, refusing to help regarding Fred was the worst thing he had ever done, well, not he himself, but his on-screen self, definitely, maybe they would have been unable to save Fred, but at least him trying to help wouldn't make him come off as a horrible person.

He was turning into a bitter old man from whom control was slipping, and he had failed to realize it was his own mistakes that made all the Scoobies- Buffy, Willow, Tara, Dawn, Xander, Faith and anyone else, operate differently from him, without much consultation, they operated freely.

They did not need him, because he wasn't someone to be needed now, he had fallen from the kind and caring fatherly mentor he used to be. He still hadn't been the best mentor to anyone not Buffy, but at least he was someone who could be looked up to.

Now, the person he had become, that person deserved no respect from anyone.

The others were all eating now, and were almost finished, while Giles still hadn't even started his own food.

"Eat", Summers told him. "Not eating isn't gonna change what happened."

Giles sighed and with a nod, finally began eating his food, a bit slower than usual, but still fast enough to finish it within five minutes. His shame over his on-screen self's actions was clear to all, but it would still take them time to get used to this.

"I am sorry", he finally said again.

"For what? Letting Fred die?" Dawnster asked.

"Everything wrong I did", Giles spoke up to all of them. He first looked at Buffy. "Drugging you." He turned to Willow. "Being a terrible mentor to you regarding magic. All I did was tell you that you were opening a door you could not close, outside of that, I never helped you with your magic, you needed guidance, rather you had to learn through trial and error. Jenny cared about you and would have wanted me to teach you, she would ashamed of me." Giles said, imagining the look she would have given him for his stupidity here. He then turned to Buffy. "Then for trying to get Spike killed. I had resources enough to help him, force him to face it all instead of sulking away, rather I helped Robin try to kill him, because I did not like his involvement with you after what he had done without his soul, and I couldn't see how he had changed, or Angel had changed for the matter, so I let my bias get in the way of understanding and doing what was right. I think Spike was right, you surpassed me, and I couldn't take it. And so I did that, and I betrayed you." Giles then finally said. "And the person I am becoming, he would do what you saw in the recording, so I am sorry for that too. I think I was overcompensating here."

"Overcompensating for what?" Buffy asked.

"I want the new Council to be free of any negative influence, including any agents from Wolfram and Hart, and in trying to do that, I ended up completely cutting off Angel", Giles sighed. "And of course because I want him out of our lives. It's a bit of both."

"Me and Angel won't work out, but he's always going to be part of my life, Giles, and so is Spike, whether he and I end up together forever or not", Buffy told him. "You can't control everything, and you have no right to."

"You are right, I don't", Giles agreed.

"But the you in the recordings also hasn't seen what Angel and his team were up to in Los Angeles", Maclay pointed out. "Tell me, after seeing everything, do you still feel the same way about Angel and Spike?"

"No I don't", Giles confessed honestly. "I still have some doubts regarding them, but I can see they are good people trying to do good."

"Yeah, you're right here", Rosenberg nodded.

"Well, now finally you see", Harris smirked. "I took time too, but at least I saw it."

"Same here, I don't like everything about 'em, but they don't deserve to be hated", Xander said in agreement with his future self. "I know that now."

"Thank you", Buffy said to both versions of Xander.

"So I guess you've improved now", Dawn said to Giles.

"I shall not let this happen once we get back to our time", Giles assured. "I promise."

"Good to know", Tara smiled at him.

"Sorry about the slap then", Willow said.

"And the punch", Buffy added.

"No worries, I deserved it, now they shall prevent me from turning into who I have become in here", Giles sighed, while wiping his face.

"So, 4 more then?" Buffy asked.

"Yeah, you should watch 'em, we'll watch the last two with you", Summers told her, and so they all got up and parted ways once more.

The end of another break, hope the Giles bit was decently done.

Hope all enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.