A/N I know, I know, it's been awhile, but if Itold you why, you wouldn't believe me :) So extra treat, here are the next two chapters, chapter 9 should arrive tomorrow. Keep reviewing so I know that you all like this , either here or at my aol address, Babylon614@aol.com
And a big thanks to those that have reviewed, you make me so happy!!! Also, if you want an email for update just let me know, I'd be happy to send you one. One other note, my fic is also available at the Buffy/Spike Central site, so when ff.net gives us trouble( i know it does me, especially posting) you can check it out there.
Alrighty enough of me! Till next time.



Chapter 7: Family Business

"Quentin Travers, I should have known."

"Miss Summers, nice to see you looking so well."

Buffy, Spike and Giles sat in the living room of their townhouse as the Council entered, brief cases in hand and stern expressions in place.

The Slayer sank further into the couch as the men and women she had come to dislike on sight unpacked their belongings. She looked around the room, taking in her new residence.

She didn't have that much time to last night, but she even then she could tell it was quite the place. It was a nice, two floor home, larger on the inside than on the outside, rather deceiving. The large living room flowed into the kitchen along the back, partially hidden from view behind the spiral stairs. The living room supplied every comfort from over stuffed furniture to plush carpeting that looked just as inviting. There was even a loft library above, presumably Giles's favorite spot.

The bedrooms were upstairs, a place she wanted to get to so badly. Giles had helped Buffy with her luggage while Spike went off to "take care of some business." Exhaustion surprisingly took over the weary Slayer.

All this travel was catching up to her and this morning's arrival of the Council wasn't helping her alertness. The mere sight of them bored her. At least she looked more rested than the vampire beside her. After all, he would still be sleeping right now if it weren't for the pesky blokes in suits.

Quentin and the others finally settled down, the former took his seat in an armchair across from Buffy and Spike. Giles, the dutiful host, immediately headed toward the tea service by the fireplace.

"We are very glad you could join us, Miss Summers. It is quite fortuitous," Quentin greeted as he accepted a cup of tea from the Watcher.

"Yeah, well it seems to be how my life tends. Just when life seems dandy, in comes the Council. I see most of the usual suspects today," she commented as she surveyed the room. Some people. "He's new." Buffy pointed to a young man behind the rest, standing in the doorway. He looked up from the book he was reading. "Who's that?" she asked Quentin.

Quentin sighed at Buffy's abrasive attitude. "That is my son." He gestured for the man to approach.

He was rather tall, medium built man with deep brown eyes behind wire rimmed glasses, nothing to distinguish him from any of the others. But, he caught Buffy's attention, just standing out of the way, content to remain in the background and observe, a born Watcher.

"Miss Buffy Summers, may I present my son, Colin Travers." The young man took Buffy's hand and shook it.

"A pleasure, Miss Summers," Colin said, displaying a beautiful smile.

"Nice to meet you, Colin. I didn't know Quentin had a son."

"I'm his little secret," the man laughed.

"Or you were, my boy, until you entered the family business." He patted his son on the back, showing more affection than Buffy ever saw from him. It just didn't look right on Quentin.

Giles cleared his throat. "Shall we get this underway? I'm sure Buffy and Spike are anxious to get settled."

"Very well," Quentin returned to his chair. "Now, Mr. Spike, we understand that you are in possession of a very rare find, a book?"

"Half," he corrected as he sipped his own tea.

"Excuse me, sir?"

"I have half of your 'rare find.'"

"And what, pray tell, happened to the other half?" one of the other members asked.

"No bloody idea. I was only given half."

"What is the book, anyway?" Buffy wanted to know. "What, is it going to bring about the end of the world?"

"Not exactly." Quentin set his cup and saucer on the table.

"Come now, Quentin, we've been here before. What does it do?"

Quentin chuckled. "Yes, Miss Summers, we have been here. You asked for our help and we gave it to you. We are now soliciting yours. I would hope that having two of your past associates in our employ would doubly secure your assistance in the matter."

"I will do what I can. Just remember, I don't work for you; I am working with you on this case only."

"Then we are in agreement. The book, may I see it?"

"Tell me what's in it first," the Slayer demanded.

"Miss Summers," Colin began, taking an assuring stepped towards his father. "You may not be a member of this Council, but Mr. Giles and Mr. Spike are and paid handsomely for it. If my father requests something from one of his employees, they will deliver."

Buffy raised an eyebrow at the man. He wasn't much older than her, but he obviously had a lot to learn about slayers.

"You're mighty self-assured, aren't you, boy?" Spike smirked, reading Buffy's mind.

"Spike." Giles sent the vampire a warning glance. Buffy took notice of the two men and the dislike electrifying the air. So, Colin and Spike don't get along. What a surprise. "It's alright, Spike, Buffy, give Mr. Travers what you have," Giles said.

After a beat, Spike opened his attaché. He removed his half and tossed the relic to Quentin. All of the Council lunged forward to catch it as it fell through the air. Quentin only smiled as it landed in his outstretched hands. The misfits on the sofa gave each other a laughing glance as the Watchers tried to catch their breaths.

It was a few minutes of examination before Quentin spoke again. "Yes, well, this is all quite good. The book is a piece of a collection of the Guegen Dynasty Sanction. The Guegen Dynasty was a product of Gemini, half-breeds, if you will."

"What kind of half breeds are we talking about here?" Buffy wanted to know.

"Many different kinds, Miss Summers. Some you have yet to encounter. Their lineage was notorious, believed to be responsible for numerous massacres across dimensions."

"And this sanction? What is that?" Buffy urged.

"The Sanction is their anthology of their findings for centuries. They looked upon themselves as voyagers through the demon world," Giles continued. His voice was very low and serious as he described this family. "Every generation resumed the work done by the one before it, cultivating the collection of demonology."

"This particular volume, or rather, this half of this particular volume, contains their spells and prophecies," Quentin informed the captivated audience. "Somehow this escaped the fiery demise its brothers met. The Council of 1790 burned them. Needless to say, this information could be devastating should it fall into the wrong hands."

"So, we're dealing with another prophecy?" Spike snorted. "Can't you guys come up with anything else? A bloke can get bored around here."

"You're in luck then, Mr. Spike. At the moment, we do not know what we are dealing with. It could be anything from world domination to how to make banana bread appear before your very eyes."

Buffy was shocked; Quentin actually made a joke. But, because of the uncertainty of the situation, she refrained from laughing, that and she did not want to give him any satisfaction whatsoever.

Everyone else sat in silence, contemplating Quentin's last remark. Buffy looked to the vampire at her side. He sat still, his mimicked breathing ceased. Feeling her gaze bore into the side of his face, he turned to her and quickly to Giles. The Watcher placed his cup down on the fireplace mantle and stepped towards Quentin.

"The Sanction, it is a long since dead language," he informed the group.

"You are quite right, Mr. Giles. It is going to take a great deal of researching if we have any hope of translating the book. We will not know what Leila wants until we do."

Buffy raised her hand to the gentlemen. "Excuse me, I'm a little confused. Leila wants a book she can't read and you all are nervous....why?"

"Remember when I told you Leila was daft?" Buffy nodded to Spike's question. "Remember when I said she couldn't fight between the good and the evil?" Buffy nodded once more.

"So, you're thinking she's found some way to read it and she's not too fond of banana bread.

"Precisely." Quentin stood from his chair and the other seated members followed his lead. "Leila obviously needs this book. She killed for it and she will kill others if she see fit. So, ladies and gentlemen, how are we going to prevent this from happening? No one made an answer, just waited for him to resume. Quentin rolled his eyes at the men and women around him. This is one of the reason he enjoyed having his son around, he would voice his opinion to his father. Colin, what do you think?

Colin cleared his throat. Well, Father, we need a more expedient way of obtaining information. Translation could take weeks.

Yes, but, do you have a better way? His son shook his head. We must remember, Leila is a very smart young woman. You all know this; you've seen her. I am curious, however, how she found out about this supposedly destroyed collection. That and the location of the other half of the Sanction."

"But, Leila is just a kid," Spike defended. He felt the need to come to her defense; he never wanted her to be hurt. She was just a very mixed up chit. "Can she have any idea about what she is getting into?

"I believe she has no regard, Mr. Spike. She is free from restraints at the present and to a girl who has been so vulnerable and out of control for the whole of her life, I can imagine this would be quite the opportunity for her."

"I don't buy it."

"Well, Mr. Spike, feel free to entertain whatever delusions you may have on the matter, but know that we will find Leila before she gets a hold of this book and we will bring her back to her confinement. In the mean time, my team and I shall continue our perusal and translation of this book. You patrol as usual, with Miss Summers of course. We shall reconvene tomorrow evening. Until then, Miss Summers, again, it is nice to have you here. Mr. Spike, as always" His voice trailed off, leaving only a disdainful expression in its wake. "Mr. Giles, if you would come with me please?"

Giles followed the man out, the gray suits also following behind. Colin stopped at the door and turned to the pair still sitting on the couch.

"Miss Summers, it was a pleasure." He flashed his winning smile to which she flashed hers.

Spike looked at the retreating man and scowled. He didn't like the look in the boy's eyes when he saw Buffy. Call it territorial or bad vibes, either way, Spike made a note to keep watching him.

"Like father like son," he grumbled.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't like him," was his only reply.



Buffy had been in her new room for over an hour, but hadn't unpacked. She was still awestruck by the space around her. The walls were wood paneled. At the end of the far end of the room was an over stuffed recliner and coffee table. At the other, a king size four poster canopy bed. Buffy ran her fingers along the carved surface; it was stunning.

"And this is the guest room?" she asked Giles, bemused. The Watcher just chuckled. "I'd like to see the other bedrooms if this is for strangers."

"Well, Spike has one across the hall and I'm on the other side of the wash room."

Buffy shook her head. "I still can't believe the two of you are living together, let alone working together."

"We aren't living together, Buffy," he insisted as he removed his glasses. "We areco-habitating." Buffy laughed at that. "Actually, I think the Council likes the arrangements we chose, makes them feel like they have power over us."

"Do they?"

"I doubt anyone could have complete control over Spike." Buffy turned from Giles and flounced onto the bed. "Did he tell you why we are doing this?"

Buffy shrugged her weary shoulders. "He said the Council wanted him dust now that he was loose and away from Sunnydale, but if he worked for the Council they'd leave him alone."

"Well, yes, basically."

"What he didn't tell me is how you got roped into this deal."

"No roping necessary. I came willingly."

"You willingly went back to the Council and willingly worked with Spike?" Buffy was shocked. Giles and Spike never liked each other, but worked together despite it. She assumed it was for her benefit.

"Spike came to me on night, quite unexpected. I opened the door to my flat in Bath and there he was, looking sullen, no matter how much he tried to hide it."



~*~*~


"You gonna invite me in?"

"You still have the chip?"

"No."

The Watcher looked him up and down. "What do you want?"

"To talk," he replied simply.

"About Buffy?" Giles ventured a guess.

"Preferably not," he answered, trying to remain stoic at the mention of his love.

"What then?"

"The Council."

Giles stepped out of the doorway. "Come in."


~*~*~



"And we talked for hours strangely enough. It took him awhile to get to the reason for the visit. It was enlightening, watching him sort everything out in his head."

"What else did you talk about? Did he say anything-" Buffy cut herself off.

Giles walked to the door. "We talked about London, being home, being away from home" He observed Buffy's fallen face. "I told him all was well in Sunnydale during my last visit. He seemed happy at that. Then we discussed this new job offer or rather request. And, in a moment of pure insanity, I agreed to work with him. Of course, someadjustments needed to made, ones of which the Council has no understanding." Giles smiled at his mischievousness.

"What do you mean?"

"That 'business' that Spike and I were discussing with regards to the book. We have special procedures that we follow before we hand anything over to the Council. For instance, scanning passages that we want to investigate. Spike spent most of the night going over the book and scanning pages into our computers so we could do our own investigating."

"So, you're working with the Council, but really this is a Giles and Spike operation?" Buffy liked this idea more and more. She was loathed to trust the Council implicitly. It was good to hear the Giles and Spike didn't either.

"More or less, Buffy. We have our own books and snitches and the Council is none the wiser." Giles sat next to Buffy on the bed. "This Leila situation is very delicate. We've always suspected that Quentin knew more about her than he ever let on. We just never had the proof. Spike and I are hoping that this text will open some of those locked doors."

"What a surprise," Buffy groaned. "The Council is hiding information."

The daughter and father figures sat in silence for a moment, both enjoying the other's presence in their lives once more. But, Buffy felt the need to ask one more question. "Giles, about Spike"

"Buffy," Giles began. "Spike and I have an understanding. That does not mean to say he is my favorite person in the world, but I do respect him. Things have been amicable these past few years. I can't tell you how happy I am to have you here, but, please, refrain from baiting Spike."

She stood up at the accusation. "Giles, I'm not here to bait him. Have I shone any signs of doing that?"

"Thus far, no. But, I know the both of you well and I don't want either of you falling into old habits."

"Neither do I, Giles."

"Good." He hoped Buffy was true to her word. A deep feeling of dread accompanied her arrival in London. He knew all about Buffy and Spike's past together. He couldn't say that he approved, far from it actually. But, he had seen the ease that the two shared. Obviously, they cleared the air in Buenos Aires. Giles never considered himself to be nosy or a stuffy busy body, but he had a vested interest in both his Slayer and the vampire. One thing he did not want to see happen was a relapse into their previous relationship. There was a great deal of work that needed to be done and he feared what would happen should Spike and Buffy No, it wouldn't happen. There was too much at stake, they were too smart for that.

"Giles?"

The man turned to the girl. Her voice sounded tired and she looked small as she slumped against the post.

"I've been having these dreams."