Disclaimer: I own nothing in the "Buffyverse" (but I can dream, can't I?). Thank you, Joss, for allowing me to put your marvelous characters in the stories I design.
Distribution: Ask and ye shall receive:
Feedback: always appreciated… there's the lil review box at the bottom of the page and/or catalysts@home.com
For more of my work: http://jane.crimescene.org/~wench/
Dedication: To everyone who nags me to "write more" : and the lovely ppl who let me know they like what they read… Thank you.
Heart and Soul (part 2)
By C.D. Hackett
What a night it had been. Giles wiped his spectacles to remove some leftover vampire dust. He had been indoors, reading his email when he suddenly knew something was wrong. Giles had considered calling the gang, but they were married now, or at least living together and Willow had managed to become pregnant thanks to Spike and some magical intervention so he didn't want to disturb them until he was certain he needed them.
Giles cautiously walked in the shadows. Being as silent as possible thanks to some lessons from Angel the last time he'd been in L.A. to visit Cordelia and Wesley. What he wanted to be doing was chatting on ICQ to Madison, someone he had loved long ago when he had first become a Watcher. He chuckled to himself for wanting to be online, considering how leery he had once been of such things. A memory enfolded him in its warm embrace as he recalled how the others had reacted when he had Willow set up a state of the art home computer system for him 8 months ago.
******
Xander had simply boggled, "Are you a Wishverse Giles? Since when have you caught up with the world? Or did someone tell you about adult sites?" He leered at Giles for a moment until Anya slugged him in the kidneys.
"Honey," she gazed lovingly into his eyes, "Grow up."
He huffed indignatly, "Easy for you to say. You've had well over a thousand years to work on it and you're still --" he paused in his diatribe as her look of death enveloped him, "I love you."
Anya winked at Giles over her shoulder and caught Willow and Buffy giving her a thumbs up. She smiled winningly. Anya had grown into quite the young woman, once she got over her horror at noticably aging.
******
That had been a fun time. He was so proud of all of them. And Rupert Giles felt positively blessed to be able to have such a unique and loving family as he did. His chest puffed out with pride and, in that moment of recall, he did not sense the specter of Death lurking so close.
******
"Giles!" Buffy bolted up in bed, covered with perspiration and clinging to Mr. Gordo.
"What's wrong?" Her husband woke instantly and moved to comfort her.
"A vision. We might be too late!"
"Let's go." Riley began to pull on clothes.
******
A pale white hand twirled around a tanned nipple and tweaked.
"Hey!"
"Shush!" And the hand repeated the action.
"Damn it, Anya!"
"Xander," her dark eyes seemed to suck him into her soul until he was drowning, pleasurably, in their depths, "When are you going to make an honest woman out of me?"
"What?"
"We are living in sin. I want to be married, to you, preferably. And I caught the bouquet at Buffy's wedding, but Willow got married next anyway."
"Kitten," Xander smoothed her wild hair on the pillow, "Give me a couple of more years to save some money. Please."
"Money? If that's all you need, why didn't you ask me? I have tons of it. Of course most of it is in gold coins and jewels and such."
"What? Since when are you loaded? I've been busting my ass to support you and I never asked for a thing in return, but you could of volunteered."
Her eyes filled with tears, "First, I thought that you were meant to provide for me and that I was to make a nice home for you and shag you senseless as my contribution to our relationship. Later, I didn't tell you because I wanted to be sure you loved me for who I was, not what I had. Then I didn't tell you because it had gone on for so long as it was and, most recently, I decided not to tell you and instead save it for the children."
"What children?"
"The ones we're going to have in about 7 months."
He looked at her, utterly flabbergasted.
"I love you, Anya."
They kissed passionately and sank back down on the bed to share their love when the phone rang.
******
"Xander, Giles is in trouble. We're all going to look for him."
Willow hung up the phone and ran into Spike's embrace.
"I'm afraid we might be too late."
******
"NO! Oh God, not like this. Not like this!" Cordelia began convulsing at Angel's breakfast table. They'd been up late working on a case and he was making potato pancakes and had sent Wesley out for maple syrup.
Angel clutched Cordelia in his arms, to keep her from hurting herself and yelled for Wesley's assistance as he heard the elevator opening.
When she recovered, her eyes felt like they were burning and her throat felt as if she had swallowed razor blades. She threw her arms around two of the most important men in her life and sobbed helplessly.
"Giles is dead."
******
It had been quick and deliberate. An ancient demon with a score to settle with the ex-Watcher. Poor Ripper hadn't known what form Death would take until it was too late.
"M'scalu-Thean, I banished you before I became a Watcher. You were not to walk the earth for centuries."
The demon smiled.
"You are a dead man, Ripper."
"Ethan?" Giles asked in confusion.
An earth-rattling laugh echoed in the stillness of the night. The humidity was suffocating. Giles found himself praying for rain.
"I ate his soul, and now I will have yours."
Giles steeled himself. Centering his energy before striking. He leapt into action, as if he were young again and still called "Ripper."
(*)With Ethan gone, no one will call me that again. I'll miss him.(*)
He ducked and feinted. Avoiding the acid that M'scalu-Thean could emit from his mouth and nostrils. Giles struck him squarely with the battle axe and it stuck firmly into the demon's spine.
He was weaponless.
Then, he was dead.
Giles hovered over his body with a disjointed sense of something being wrong. Not the being dead part, there was nothing he could do about that. He watched as it fell to the pavement, blood seeping from his skull. He felt a curious separation of selves, as if his corporeal form was "Giles" and his non-corporeal form, or soul, was "Rupert."
As if the sky needed to mourn, the clouds let loose with a deluge. Rain beat down against the earth and began to spread the pool of blood over the sidewalk, like the remants of a child's chalk drawing.
Then he heard the animalistic battle cry of his children. They had arrived too late, somehow realizing he was in danger. In unison, they used their special gifts to destroy M'scalu-Thean.
"I still win!"
Buffy beheaded the demon and Xander quipped, "Yeah, 2nd prize in a beauty contest. Collect $10."
Then, they turned to Giles. Disbelief flooded them.
Silence.
Slowly Buffy sank to her knees and ever so gently, cradled Giles' head in her lap. She seemed as lifeless as he did. Barely breathing as she realized that she had failed the truest father she had ever known.
No one moved a muscle.
No one wanted to admit that this was horribly real.
(*)Why am I still here?(*) Rupert wondered, (*)Shouldn't I be in the afterlife now?(*)
"No, Rupert. I'm afraid you can't leave this reality," a sad voice carressed his name.
"Jenny?"
To be continued