Family Ties
Part II
Chapter 3
The Gang's All Here
Rupert Giles had never been one for American sports as they still lacked the particular grace of the gentlemanly sports of his native lands. Even baseball, which resembled Cricket and Golf in its almost inhuman requirement of patience, wasn't particularly to his fancy. It was, however, much more acceptable than the mind numbing and primal histrionics that was American football.
Men dressed as gladiators, whose sole purpose was to carry an oblong ball across the opponents' goal line (though, in honesty, that was not the difficulty had with the game). What had always irked him about said sports was the brutality of it. Tackling men, driving them into the ground to prevent them from scoring required no skill, just mindless beasts jacked up on steroids or the newest enhancement drug. It didn't require the skill and patience of true futbol, or what Americans called soccer. Being an avid fan of the latter, it was difficult for the Watcher to appreciate the bodily sacrifices made by football players.
But as he lay on the floor, gasping for the air as the weight of two supernaturally strong women lay on top of him, Rupert Giles had to admit that he had discovered a new appreciation for football players and their bodily sacrifices.
"Though I don't mean to be rude," he choked out as the feeling of impending death began to dissipate, "I would remind you that being quite unlike Spike and undead, I do require an adequate supply of oxygen to function."
Both women looked at one another with tears in their eyes, tears of joy, before then scrambled off the toppled ex-librarian and helped him up. Taking several deep breaths with his eyes clothed, Giles was able to stand on his own and focus on the two women in front of him.
Which promptly led to the polishing of his glasses in a furious storm of befuddlement before he placed them back onto his face.
"Buffy?" He asked, perplexed, as his head swiveled from the left to the right.
"It's me, Giles," the one on his left said as she traded smiles with her daughter. She saw Giles about to say something but she put a hand up to silence him. "Maybe you should sit down," she suggested and gently grabbed him by the elbow.
"Yes, I think that is the proper course of action," he replied absently as he shuffled down the steps, escorted by Buffy.
"I've got your bags, Gra…Giles," Faith said and smiled sheepishly at her near slip. Giles craned his neck to look at her and he smiled mechanically, still in too much shock for anything to register. Before he reached the table, however, another blonde crashed into him, her arms stiff, yet not without affection as they clung around his neck. Only through Buffy's support did he keep his feet.
"Giles," Anya said before releasing the embrace. She looked at him with excitement before saying, "You can't take anymore books, you know."
Despite his own utter bewilderment, Giles had the presence to smile warmly at the shopkeeper. "Yes, Anya, I know…"
"And the books you did take, I'd really like them back. That is, unless they are yours. And if they are, I need to see a proof of purchase for…"
"Ahn," Xander interrupted before shaking his head at his fiancée. She looked at Xander as if for the first time then back to Giles before patting the Brit on the shoulder somewhat awkwardly before returning to the cash register.
"At least there are some things that haven't changed," Giles remarked as he took a seat between Buffy and Willow. The two Wiccas greeted him warmly and sandwiched him in an easy yet firm hug before returning to their seats while Xander and Spike acknowledged him with a nod.
"So, Rupes," Spike said, putting an arm around Faith as she sat down next to him, "what brings you here?"
"Not that we don't appreciate…and love that you're back," Willow smoothed over, glancing sharply at Spike.
"Yeah, G-man," Xander quipped, "good ole SunnyHell just doesn't quite feel the same without everyone's friendly neighborhood Watcher."
"Well, thank you all for the…warm welcome," Giles replied, casting nervous glances at the woman that Spike had his arm around. The woman that bore a striking resemblance to his slayer. "But I am afraid that I didn't actually come for the bonding experience with you, as much as I would enjoy that."
"Let me guess," Buffy said dryly, "another apocalypse having to do with Sunnydale's resident one year old that curiously reminds us of a hormonally charged, gym shoe wearing, 'Get out' swearing, sixteen-year-old by the name of Dawn Summers." She capped off her diatribe with a stifled yawn.
Giles stared at Buffy for several seconds before noticing that said Summers was not currently in the confines of the Magic Box.
"Little Bit's been nabbed," Spike said, almost nonchalantly. Though his words were casual, Giles saw that his body language was anything but. The way his jaw clenched and his eyes were contaminated with tiny flecks of gold told the Watcher that the vampire was definitely pissed about the subject. He also noticed the woman beside him drop her eyes at the mention of Dawn and that only piqued his curiosity more.
"Dear lord. By whom?"
"Seth," the woman next to Spike said and Giles was startled at the venom in her tone and the glaring hatred in her eyes. Eyes that were an eclectic blend of blue and green.
"Right, Seth. And while I don't mean to belittle the importance of the issue--partially because there is a lot I have to bring you up to speed on--but may I ask who you are?" Giles couldn't hide the confusion and utter fascination in his voice. But he did hide the chill that hiked up his spine when she smirked--not smiled--smirked at him; her dimples clear in the light.
Faith stared lovingly up at Spike before casting her eyes toward Buffy. "So, which one of you two wants to tell him?"
"Tell me what?" Giles said, slightly irritated. It wasn't that he was an impatient man but with everything coming to a head, he didn't have time to play guessing games.
"Well, Giles," Buffy said, turning to face him fully. "It's kind of funny, if I don't say so myself. But Faith here…"
"Faith?" He cut in and removed his glasses, trying to get a better look at the blond sitting across from him.
"Faith," the future slayer replied, a wicked grin on her face, "as in Faith Joyce Summers, vampire slayer." She buried the giggle that threatened to spill at the look of astonishment on Giles' face. But she wasn't quite finished yet. Spike always taught her to, when the opportunity presented itself, go for the jugular.
"Did I get everything, Mum?" She gave a poignant look at Buffy who only shook her head. Giles could only gape at the news, casting incredulous glances at everyone at the table, searching for the joke that had to be in progress. But his fruitful search for finding the truth in the faces of those he looked at as his children only confirmed that what the young woman had said.
"Oh dear," were the only words he could muster as he began another thorough cleansing of his spectacles.
***
Though he was shocked by what Buffy and Faith had to say, Giles believed that he took it rather well. Aside from wiping any and all traces of dirt from his glasses into oblivion, he hardly moved or spoke save for the sporadic 'I see'.
After all the explanations were out of the way, everyone sat silently, waiting for it all to sink into Giles' head. Conveniently omitted was the true identity of Faith's father as well as Spike and Buffy's newly minted relationship.
"So," Buffy said, a little nervous at her father figure's silence, "how's England? Still rainy? I mean, it's not like I've been there or anything, just that from what Spike says and…" Buffy stopped when she noticed everyone staring at her. She blushed as she caught Spike's eyes; they were lit with his adoration and something else that she didn't quite know.
"Well, Rupes," Spike said, never taking his eyes off Buffy, "now that the wittering slayer is finished, why don't you tell us why you came from weather-friendly England to SunnyHell. I suppose you know there is this invention--rings before you answer it..." He gave Giles his best smirk before returning his gaze to his love, who stared at him with less than friendly eyes.
He knew she hadn't been too keen on the whole 'wittering slayer' jilt but he knew how to smooth that over. Giving her a genuine, smirk-free smile, Spike mouthed the words 'I love you' which quickly had the desired effect, causing Buffy to blush deeply and drop her eyes, all the while she hid a sheepish smile.
The interaction had not been lost on Tara and Willow, and the two traded knowing looks. Although Tara knew the two blondes were sleeping together, what they had just exchanged was something much more and it wasn't the first time today that she wondered what changes yesterday had brought for the slayer and vampire's relationship.
As far as Willow was concerned, the lover's exchange between the two blondes was enough to confirm her earlier suspicions. After all this was over, she would definitely have to corner Buffy and make her spill the beans.
"Well," Giles began and consciously forced his hand away from his face, "to make a long story short…"
"That'll be the day," Spike muttered and was properly reprimanded by Faith.
Giles rolled his eyes in exasperation at the vampire but bit back the scathing retort he had been salivating to hurl.
"As I was saying, to make a long story short, you were right, Buffy. About the prophecy. It does, in fact involve Dawn in a ritual called the Enjoining."
"The Enjoining?" Buffy asked, her heartbeat rising at the words Dawn and ritual in the same sentence. "Is that anything like what Glory wanted her for?"
Giles smiled weakly, hoping to reassure his slayer, somewhat at least. She returned the smile and Giles knew it was all for naught. What was planned for Dawn was decidedly worse than opening up the gates of a hell dimension. Well, maybe not, but for Dawn it would be.
"No, not quite. The Enjoining is more along the lines of a binding."
"A binding of what?" Buffy asked as she unconsciously wrung her hands together.
"Well," Giles offered, "that depends on the ritual. For instance…"
"Bloody hell, Watcher," Spike interrupted disdainfully, "I'd almost forgotten how bloody long-winded you could be. Just give us the low down on the soddin' ritual Dawn has been volunteered for so we can get to the rescuing."
Again, Giles reigned in whatever Ripper-esque comment that was bubbling from within. He had almost forgotten how annoying and rude the blond vampire could be.
"Spike's right, Giles," Buffy said softly. She was turned toward Giles so she didn't notice the genuine smile that crept across Spike's angled features. "As exciting as the explanation may be, all we really need to know is what Seth wants with Dawn," she finished by patting him lightly on the arm, eliciting a right and proper British smile (tight and reserved) from him.
Taking a deep breath, the Watcher began. He told them of Dawn's true nature as the First Light, a fact that brought a collective gasp from all in the group except for Spike, who only acknowledged the information with a mutter of 'Knew Nibblet was special'…
"Now," he continued, "The ritual of Enjoining, for all intents and purposes, is a one-time thing."
"But I thought you said that there were several kinds," Willow began, "I mean I thought you were going to list all the different types, like 'hello, cornucopia of Enjoining mojo'--or something."
"I apologize for the confusion. All rituals have others that are similar to them; they can be viewed as cousins, perhaps. The Enjoining is no different. It is comparable to the planets of our solar system," he smiled briefly at Willow's exuberance as he delved into her field of expertise, which, for all intents and purposes, was anything listed under the heading of academia.
"Each of the nine planets shares similarities, some by mass, others by atmospheric consistency. With that said, no two are alike and standing apart from the other eight, of course, is our own, with its unique ability to sustain life."
"Which is false, G-man," Xander interrupted, oblivious to the stairs that were willing him to shut up. "I was surfing the net the other day and stumbled upon a site with more than a little information on the probe they sent to Mars and its findings. Did you know…" but his brain finally caught on at the death glares that bore through his body.
"Are you talking about that site again, Xander," Anya chirped as she walked toward the table. She had twisted the CLOSED sign around, shutting the shop down for the time being. Of course, an addendum was attached to the sign stating that the shop would return to normal business hours the following day and those that mentioned the sign would receive a ten percent discount on items purchasing on said day.
"You know you weren't looking for that. You were searching for pornographic material," she was oblivious to unhealthy pale tint her fiancé's skin turned or the slap of several hands against foreheads in resigned disbelief. Giles rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly, wondering how this could be the same woman that had produced such profitable results for the Magic Box. It was almost a statistical impossibility for it to be the same person. Maybe she was infected by some capitalistic symbiotic entity whose only function was to pilfer every ounce of money from patrons as humanly possible, totally ignorant of the other mundane aspects of human interaction.
Anya sat down next to the sickly brunette, her eyebrows scrunched in reproach. "I don't know why you were looking at it--and don't deny it, I saw the history--How could you? I mean, don't we have sexual relations three times a day like the average American?" Several coughs filtered through the air and Spike whispered 'you may be half a man yet, Harris' to the thoroughly embarrassed Scoobie.
Finally, Faith leaned back in her chair in order to see past Spike and Xander to the ex-vengeance demon. "Anya," she said placating, as if talking to a young child.
"What?"
"As eager as we are to hear about the sexual exploits of Xander the Hammer, there are slightly more pressing matters at hand here." Anya's eyebrow furrowed in confusion before the light went off.
"Oh. Sorry," she turned back to Xander, slapping him on shoulder. "Why didn't you stop me from talking? Now I'm getting reprimanded by Buffy's daughter." Xander shook his head, a buried it in his hands, desperately praying that a hole would swallow him up.
"Thank you, Faith," Giles said, nodding in the blonde's direction. Though he still had not come to terms with Faith, she was right--there were more pressing matters at hand.
"As I was saying, like the Earth is the only planet pure enough for complex life, this Enjoining involving Dawn is the only true Enjoining."
"Still," Buffy stated, trying to hide the apprehension she was feeling. "That doesn't tell us what's going to happen to Dawnie. Is it…is it going to…" she trailed off and had to fight the tears that threatened to spill. She was grateful when she felt Willow's thin arm around her shoulders but it was Spike's soothing blue eyes that steeled her resolve, telling her that it was going to be okay.
"No, no," Giles assured, "the Enjoining is not invoked to kill. As its namesake, it fuses two beings together, and they become one."
"Sort of like when we called on the First Slayer to defeat Adam," Willow supplied as she rubbed circles across Buffy's back.
"It's…it's not dissimilar as they both merge the life forces of the entities involved. However, whereas the invocation we did was only a temporary binding, once invoked, the two participants of the Enjoining are bound together permanently."
The silence that filtered through the room was deafening as a million thoughts zipped through the minds of all the room's inhabitants. They all thought back to last year when they had first discovered that Dawn was, in fact, not real. But that wasn't true. She was as real to them as any other sixteen year-old girl that walked and talked and complained about being treated like a child. They couldn't imagine their life without her now, or then, and the prospect of losing her was too painful to express.
Finally a muffled sob shattered the silence as Buffy buried her face in her hands. She had wanted to be strong, for Faith, for them all, but it was too much. Losing Dawn would be hard enough, but to have her walking around but as someone--something--else tore the slayer's heart into pieces.
Spike had to choke back his own tears at the prospect of losing his Nibblet. No one knew how much he loved that girl and after their summer bonding, she was, in some ways, more a part of him than Buffy was. Losing her was not an option--it was simply unacceptable.
With a speed that couldn't be followed by the human eye, Spike vaulted over the space that separated him from Buffy. He gently wrapped his arms around her and she melted into his chest, comforted in the strength of his arms and the scent of his duster.
The Scoobies watched the scene, words failing them all. Giles was the most surprised at the current display of affection by the vampire and the willingness of Buffy to be comforted by the presence of her once mortal enemy. To say that it was disconcerting would have done a grave injustice to the anxiety that churned in the Watcher's stomach. But he could say nothing, for he saw the body-shuddering sobs of his former charge dissipate under the soothing words and tender strokes of the platinum blond.
"Everything's gonna be peachy, luv" Spike whispered and kissed Buffy on the top of the head. "You'll see. Nibblet always gets herself into something and we always get her out. She never comes out of with more than a scraped knee. S'gonna be fine, pet."
"How do you know?" she challenged after the tears subsided, her voice weary.
"Isn't it always?" He smiled wryly.
Despite her pain, Buffy found that she couldn't help but smile back. She ran her fingers through his hair before cupping his cheek. His potent blue eyes drilled into her soul, caressing her worries and doubts away and before she knew it, her lips were on his.
Spike had not been prepared for the kiss. Though his attention was only on her, he couldn't help but sense the dread that clung to the others like a foul odor. Instincts had taken over when he saw her crying and he acted accordingly. Though the others may have dismissed his desire to comfort her as a remnant of his stalkerish fixation on the slayer, there was no way in hell they could do anything to explain this away.
As Buffy's tongue found his, Spike cast all concerns aside and joined his slayer in their familiar dance. Taking into Giles' earlier accounts, Spike was aware of the similarities of this kiss with the thousands of others that they had shared. It contained the passion and want of their tumble in the abandoned building, along with the gratitude of the one she bestowed upon him after his run-in with Glory. A myriad of other kisses crossed his mind, but nowhere in his memory could he discern what this kiss more or less stood for.
It was a show of possession…not to him, but to others.
And, more importantly, it was one of comfort.
The ministrations of Buffy's tongue as it discovered his mouth again, translated her understanding of how bad this was tearing him up inside and just as his cool lips soothed her, she knew her heat acted as a balm for him and his demon. She had believed that he had no soul; that his humanity was enough and although she still believed the latter to be true, she now understood, with crystal clarity, the knowledge slamming into her with the impact of a hell-god's fist, that he did have a soul.
Hers.
Spike would never know how he came to his senses, but he did, pulling away from the kiss, resting his forehead upon hers as he watched her sleepily force her eyes open. He smiled and she returned the gesture, mouthing a 'Thank you' as his fingers raked through her golden locks.
For the second time that day, Buffy felt the words at the tip of her tongue, begging to be released. Though she was still frightened to speak them, she now knew that she had to or else she would burst. The six others occupying the room was the only thing holding her back from saying it to him. She would let them know how she felt about this man before her, but first she had to tell him. And that moment was one that she was not going to share with anyone.
I'll tell him, she promised herself, right after we rescue Dawn, kick some ass and get home. I'll tell him as I make love to him in my own bed.
Her resolve strengthened, Buffy patted Spike once more on the cheek before turning her eyes to her Watcher. She saw the questions in his eyes but ignored it for the time being.
"Later," she said and he nodded his understanding. "What we need now is to find out how to stop Seth from joining with Dawn."
"It's not Seth, whomever he is, that will partake in the ritual," Giles informed.
"Then who is it?" Buffy questioned.
"Not who, Buffy, but what," he removed his glasses but refrained from his usual cleaning ritual. "And that what is the problem."
"Giles," Xander huffed, "you should direct a movie. I mean with the suspense and all you'd make a killing. But now, suspense so not of the good."
"He's right, Giles," Willow affirmed, "what are we dealing with? It can't be worse than Glory, right?" She smiled but it quickly faltered when she noticed the grave expression on his face. "Right?"
"I am sorry Willow, but this threat is on another plateau 'of the bad', " the Watcher informed. Replacing his glasses, his gaze settled on Buffy. "I believe you faced it before, though that was a mere shadow of what it truly is…"
"Giles," Anya burst in, "will you tell us already, and I have to count the money." She looked over at Xander. "And play the Colonial damsel to his General…"
"Ahn," Xander pled, "could we please be more discreet?" She nodded curtly before fixing her eyes on the books in front of her.
"Yes, well," Giles ran his hands through his hair; something he rarely did and it wasn't lost on the group. "Guess I should get to the crux of the matter, shall I not?"
"Bout bloody time," both Faith and Spike muttered and stole a glance at one another. They both smiled minutely before sensing the eyes of the slayer upon them.
"I'm pretty sure that was a rhetorical question, guys," Buffy chided though she bit the inside of her cheek to suppress her own smile at the near-identical personalities of father and daughter.
Turning back to Giles, Buffy adorned her 'no-nonsense' face. "Giles, just tell us straight out, we can handle it. Hell, we've handled Glory, the Master…"
"The First Evil," the Watcher said.
"The First Evil. Well, that really wasn't hard, you know. All I had to do was…" then she saw the lines of worry that creased his forehead and Buffy knew…
"She's back." It wasn't a question.
Giles tiredly nodded, massaging his brow. "Yes, I'm afraid so."
"Well," Buffy said, as she continued to stroke the silent vampire's hair, "shouldn't be too hard to deal with. I mean, last time…okay Giles, you have that look that says I have no idea what I'm talking about."
"Last time you faced the First, Buffy, it was only a shadow, quite literally. It was capable of only a fraction of its ability to corrupt. Even now, it isn't capable of its full potential for it is encased in a mortal body. It was necessary to complete the ritual that both Dawn and the First were housed in the same vessel."
"So she's trying to turn the Nibblet evil?" Spike asked. "That won't happen, not if I have any say in it."
"I'm sorry, Spike," Giles said, "but you don't have any say in this. The…"
"What the fuck?!" The vampire roared, and he stood. His body shook from rage as he stared down into the eyes of the Watcher and it took all his self-control not to wail on his fellow countryman. "How the bloody hell do you think you are going to stop me? Do you know what the Nibblet means to me, Ripper? Do you?" He moved to leave, but a gentle yet firm hand on his forearm calmed the vampire down.
"Spike is right, Giles," Buffy said, her voice full of concern and authority, "you can't just leave him out in the cold with this. He loves Dawn as much as any of us here and…" she stopped when Giles held up a weary hand.
"No, you misunderstand me, Buffy." He stared pointedly at Spike. "Whatever misgivings I have about you Spike, the one thing I do trust you with is the safety of Dawn. You have already proven beyond any doubt that you would do anything for her this summer. While I am on that subject," the Watcher added semi-reluctantly, "I must express my gratitude for what you did this past summer." He stared at the other Scoobies, "in fact, all of us owe you a debt of gratitude. I doubt we would have made it through those months without you by are side."
"Then why can't I help with the Nibblet?" Spike's voice was filled with desperation as well as confusion.
"It's not just you, Spike, but all of us."
"Okay," Xander gestured for a timeout, "stop. Rewind. Push play. It's all of us? Is this another 'Buffy-has-to-do-it-alone test'? Cuz if it is, I don't think I can deal."
"Giles…" Buffy croaked, the weight on her heart growing like a cancerous cell. Whatever it was, she knew it was bad.
"Why can't we just do a spell," Willow said before hastily adding, "that I would not do or be a part of. Or research in the slightest instance of the word. I mean Buffy faced it before, why can't she get rid of it now?"
"Because, Willow," he
said tiredly "it is foretold in the prophecy."
"Again with the
'huh'?" Xander questioned.
"The prophecy is not what you think…"
"Then tell us," Buffy demanded, her words clipped with dread.
"The prophecy tells us that if Dawn and this First Evil are not merged by the Enjoining, then the world will end." The Watcher waited for the response to the news and was greeted by the unbelieving stares of seven pairs of eyes. They were all asking the same question though none could form the words to express it.
Finally, after several minutes, Faith laughed humorlessly before saying.
"Ain't this a bitch."
***Reviews are welcome and encouraged. Either on her or email, if you don't mind. (d_jasper77@hotmail.com)
***Chapter 4, The Truth You're Not Willing to Hear, should be up sometime Thursday or Friday at the very latest.
***Part V of Do What You Have to Do will be up this Wednesday.