Buffy barged into her house, followed shortly by first Giles (carrying the
unconscious Xander) and then Willow. Willow's eyes had returned to their
normal color, but she was by no means unprepared to access her powers
should the need arrive. Anya was sitting on the couch, so involved in a
rerun of "Gilligan's Island" that she didn't even notice the arrival of her
friends.
"He is in no way a cheapskate!" Anya shouted at the TV when the professor made a crass remark towards the millionaire. "He's practically a genius. I bet he'll figure a way off that island long before you do, Professor McMoron."
"Anya, where's Dawn?" Buffy called out.
Anya spun around, putting her game face on. Once she realized she wasn't under attack, her face returned to that of her human self. "Once I got Dawn to safety, I thought it best if I returned here in case you needed me," she replied as she turned the television off (obviously, the millionaire was being made to look like a bad guy in that particular episode. The problem with fiction, Anya thought to herself, is that it's so unbelievable.)
"And where is Dawn now?"
"The one place Glory will never look," Anya responded. "Wal-Mart." At that moment, Anya caught site of the unconscious Xander slumped across Giles shoulders! "Xander!" she cried.
She ran over and took Xander off Giles's shoulder and placed him on her own. Buffy couldn't help but notice how Giles had been straining under Xander's weight, while Anya acted like he was no heavier than a pillow. She gently placed him on the sofa.
"He still hasn't awakened?"
"He woke once, but he went back to sleep," Buffy remarked. "His ribs were broken, but," she stopped and glanced at Willow, who was staring intently at Giles. "He's better now."
"But how?" Anya asked. "The doctors couldn't have repaired them that fast. They don't have that kind of power." Anya stopped, and then she too shot a glance at Willow. Anya looked back at Buffy, and Buffy nodded her head in approval. "That can't be good," Anya remarked.
"I've got it under control," Willow remarked. Buffy was surprised Willow had even realized they were talking, the way she was so focused on the back of Giles's head.
"That's what you said when you nearly killed us," Buffy snapped. "I thought you realized you can't."
"Desist!" Willow remarked, waving her hand at Buffy. Buffy's mouth continued to move, but no words were coming out. Buffy looked at Willow with a look of horror on her face, causing Willow to regret her actions. She waved her hand again, allowing Buffy to once again speak. "Sorry," she apologized.
"Do you see why I can't trust you?!" Buffy shouted. "We haven't been home for two minutes, and you've already cast a spell on me!"
"Buffy, perhaps you and Anya should head out and patrol," Giles suggested. "Should Glory manage to escape the wreckage, it would be best if you two were there to prevent her from doing any more damage. Willow and I will look after Xander in the meantime, and join you once he's better."
"That sounds like a good idea," Buffy responded. Shooting a glance at Willow, she replied, "I don't think I can stand to be here right now, anyway." With that, Buffy was out of the house. Anya looked uncertainly from Giles to Willow to Xander before teleporting out.
Giles turned to Willow. From the look he was giving her, Willow knew he knew she knew. Despite the fact he was far less powerful than Buffy or Anya, he wasn't looking at her out of fear like they had been. He was looking at her as an equal. She could sense that he was no longer fueled by the Coven's magicks, which meant there was something else boosting his confidence. The power of a God.
"How'd you do it?" she asked. She knew she didn't have to explain what she meant. They were both adults here.
"When Ben died," Giles started.
"Ben's dead?"
"Of course," Giles remarked. "Do you really think Glory would have stayed away so long had she seen capable of returning? When Ben died, Glory was forced to jump to the nearest body."
"Like Eyghon," Willow remarked.
"Precisely. The only difference was Glory didn't need a dead or unconscious body. She just needed a body, so she jumped into the closest one."
"You?" Willow asked. Then she put the pieces together. "You killed Ben?"
"It was the only way," Giles remarked. "Buffy couldn't do it. You couldn't do it, at least not at that point in time." With that, Giles gave a grin. His remark twisted Willow's stomach in knots, but she kept quiet. "I had to do it, in order to save the world. Only I never dreamed that Glory would make a dash into my body.
"Of course, I realized what had happened right away," Giles continued. "She was far too weak to make a comeback at first, so I didn't worry about it. But I could feel her growing in strength, every second of every day. That's why I left Sunnydale; to return to England to use the Counsel's knowledge to learn a way to keep Glory suppressed. Or, even better, to harness her power for myself."
"The Coven," Willow remarked.
"Very good," Giles smiled. "I went to the Coven long before your attempt at destruction. I tried to convince them to help me keep Glory hidden inside. They refused. They opted to perform a spell, to cast Glory from my body and banish her from this dimension. That was unacceptable."
"And so you killed them?"
"It was the only way, really," Giles went on. "How could I be sure Glory wouldn't find a way back, even if we did banish her? The only way was to keep her inside, and the only way I could do that was to use their power for myself. And the only way to do that."
"I get it," Willow interrupted. "But Glory's back. She found a way around your magic."
"I returned to Sunnydale in an effort to stop you from destroying us all," the Watcher remarked. "I knew that by allowing you to drain me, it would enable you to feel your human emotions. It would enable you to take control and stop your actions. But I also knew that without the magicks, I would be unable to keep Glory away."
"But if that's the case, why has Glory only just now appeared?" Willow asked. "It's been two weeks. What happened?"
"I wasn't as weakened as I allowed you to think," Giles said. "I told Anya to warn Buffy and Dawn that I was near death, but the truth was I needed her out of the way to find a potion I kept hidden behind the counter. The Dagon Elixir."
"From the Dagon Sphere?" Willow asked. "But I thought that was destroyed!"
"It was shattered, not destroyed," Giles explained. "After Glory entered my body, I collected the pieces should I need them. If the Sphere weakened Glory when she touched it; now after having drank it, it allows me to control her powers."
"But why would you do that?" Willow asked. "And why the attack on Buffy? What happened to you?"
"Buffy never should have been resurrected," Giles responded. "I told you, you were foolish for having brought her back. She'll never be happy on this planet, not after experiencing a taste of heaven. It's in her own best interest, and it's in the best interest of the natural order of things, to send her back to heaven where she belongs."
"But," Willow started.
"Enough talk!" Giles shouted. And with that, he was Glory once more.
hr
To be continued.
"He is in no way a cheapskate!" Anya shouted at the TV when the professor made a crass remark towards the millionaire. "He's practically a genius. I bet he'll figure a way off that island long before you do, Professor McMoron."
"Anya, where's Dawn?" Buffy called out.
Anya spun around, putting her game face on. Once she realized she wasn't under attack, her face returned to that of her human self. "Once I got Dawn to safety, I thought it best if I returned here in case you needed me," she replied as she turned the television off (obviously, the millionaire was being made to look like a bad guy in that particular episode. The problem with fiction, Anya thought to herself, is that it's so unbelievable.)
"And where is Dawn now?"
"The one place Glory will never look," Anya responded. "Wal-Mart." At that moment, Anya caught site of the unconscious Xander slumped across Giles shoulders! "Xander!" she cried.
She ran over and took Xander off Giles's shoulder and placed him on her own. Buffy couldn't help but notice how Giles had been straining under Xander's weight, while Anya acted like he was no heavier than a pillow. She gently placed him on the sofa.
"He still hasn't awakened?"
"He woke once, but he went back to sleep," Buffy remarked. "His ribs were broken, but," she stopped and glanced at Willow, who was staring intently at Giles. "He's better now."
"But how?" Anya asked. "The doctors couldn't have repaired them that fast. They don't have that kind of power." Anya stopped, and then she too shot a glance at Willow. Anya looked back at Buffy, and Buffy nodded her head in approval. "That can't be good," Anya remarked.
"I've got it under control," Willow remarked. Buffy was surprised Willow had even realized they were talking, the way she was so focused on the back of Giles's head.
"That's what you said when you nearly killed us," Buffy snapped. "I thought you realized you can't."
"Desist!" Willow remarked, waving her hand at Buffy. Buffy's mouth continued to move, but no words were coming out. Buffy looked at Willow with a look of horror on her face, causing Willow to regret her actions. She waved her hand again, allowing Buffy to once again speak. "Sorry," she apologized.
"Do you see why I can't trust you?!" Buffy shouted. "We haven't been home for two minutes, and you've already cast a spell on me!"
"Buffy, perhaps you and Anya should head out and patrol," Giles suggested. "Should Glory manage to escape the wreckage, it would be best if you two were there to prevent her from doing any more damage. Willow and I will look after Xander in the meantime, and join you once he's better."
"That sounds like a good idea," Buffy responded. Shooting a glance at Willow, she replied, "I don't think I can stand to be here right now, anyway." With that, Buffy was out of the house. Anya looked uncertainly from Giles to Willow to Xander before teleporting out.
Giles turned to Willow. From the look he was giving her, Willow knew he knew she knew. Despite the fact he was far less powerful than Buffy or Anya, he wasn't looking at her out of fear like they had been. He was looking at her as an equal. She could sense that he was no longer fueled by the Coven's magicks, which meant there was something else boosting his confidence. The power of a God.
"How'd you do it?" she asked. She knew she didn't have to explain what she meant. They were both adults here.
"When Ben died," Giles started.
"Ben's dead?"
"Of course," Giles remarked. "Do you really think Glory would have stayed away so long had she seen capable of returning? When Ben died, Glory was forced to jump to the nearest body."
"Like Eyghon," Willow remarked.
"Precisely. The only difference was Glory didn't need a dead or unconscious body. She just needed a body, so she jumped into the closest one."
"You?" Willow asked. Then she put the pieces together. "You killed Ben?"
"It was the only way," Giles remarked. "Buffy couldn't do it. You couldn't do it, at least not at that point in time." With that, Giles gave a grin. His remark twisted Willow's stomach in knots, but she kept quiet. "I had to do it, in order to save the world. Only I never dreamed that Glory would make a dash into my body.
"Of course, I realized what had happened right away," Giles continued. "She was far too weak to make a comeback at first, so I didn't worry about it. But I could feel her growing in strength, every second of every day. That's why I left Sunnydale; to return to England to use the Counsel's knowledge to learn a way to keep Glory suppressed. Or, even better, to harness her power for myself."
"The Coven," Willow remarked.
"Very good," Giles smiled. "I went to the Coven long before your attempt at destruction. I tried to convince them to help me keep Glory hidden inside. They refused. They opted to perform a spell, to cast Glory from my body and banish her from this dimension. That was unacceptable."
"And so you killed them?"
"It was the only way, really," Giles went on. "How could I be sure Glory wouldn't find a way back, even if we did banish her? The only way was to keep her inside, and the only way I could do that was to use their power for myself. And the only way to do that."
"I get it," Willow interrupted. "But Glory's back. She found a way around your magic."
"I returned to Sunnydale in an effort to stop you from destroying us all," the Watcher remarked. "I knew that by allowing you to drain me, it would enable you to feel your human emotions. It would enable you to take control and stop your actions. But I also knew that without the magicks, I would be unable to keep Glory away."
"But if that's the case, why has Glory only just now appeared?" Willow asked. "It's been two weeks. What happened?"
"I wasn't as weakened as I allowed you to think," Giles said. "I told Anya to warn Buffy and Dawn that I was near death, but the truth was I needed her out of the way to find a potion I kept hidden behind the counter. The Dagon Elixir."
"From the Dagon Sphere?" Willow asked. "But I thought that was destroyed!"
"It was shattered, not destroyed," Giles explained. "After Glory entered my body, I collected the pieces should I need them. If the Sphere weakened Glory when she touched it; now after having drank it, it allows me to control her powers."
"But why would you do that?" Willow asked. "And why the attack on Buffy? What happened to you?"
"Buffy never should have been resurrected," Giles responded. "I told you, you were foolish for having brought her back. She'll never be happy on this planet, not after experiencing a taste of heaven. It's in her own best interest, and it's in the best interest of the natural order of things, to send her back to heaven where she belongs."
"But," Willow started.
"Enough talk!" Giles shouted. And with that, he was Glory once more.
hr
To be continued.