1. The characters from the Buffy: The Vampire Slayer show belong to WB
(and/or UPN), Mutant Enemy, Kuzui, Sandollar and Joss Whedon. The
Highlander characters belong to Rysher Entertainment. The Kung Fu: The
Legend Continues characters belong to Michael Sloan and Warner
Brothers. The others are original characters created by myself.
Immortal in Residence - Christmas and Chanukah
by Scott R. Barnett
Giles Residence Sunnydale, CA December 24, 1997
It was about three o'clock in the afternoon and the kitchen at the Giles' residence was quite busy. Jenny, Willow, Cordelia and Buffy were all in there preparing dinner for that night. The five kids and Angel were joining Giles and Jenny for a holiday dinner that night. They would be spending the holidays with their families tomorrow night. The guys, except for Angel, in the meantime, were out in the countryside getting a tree for the house.
This year the eight days of Chanukah passed right through Christmas. As a result the dinner and decorations were encompassing both holidays. While Jenny and Cordelia were working on the turkey and fixings for a traditional Christmas dinner, Willow, with Buffy's help, was preparing some Chanukah specialties to go with it. These included Potato Latkes. They were having a turkey rather than a ham in deference to Willow, who is Jewish. Willow also had some Chanukah Gelt (Chocolate Coins) to go with dessert.
Pretty soon the front door opened and the guys came in with a rather large Christmas tree. They set it up and started decorating it. Giles was supervising them as they had agreed to decorate it in the traditional English way. The only difference was that they were using electric lights rather than lit candles.
By the time everyone was done it was six o'clock and it was already getting dark outside. Giles flipped the switch and all of the lights outside came on. He then plugged in the lights on the tree and it came alive in lights. Everyone ooh'd and ahh'd.
By six thirty the sun had set and Angel had arrived. Willow came out of the kitchen with a pack of matches. She walked over to the Chanukah Menorah that she had setup on the counter between the kitchen and the dining room. She picked up a box of Chanukah candles and placed five of them into the Menorah. It was the fourth night. Everyone was watching her do this. She then put a head cover on her head. After this she lit a match and then used it to light the Shames candle. She then put out the match and picked up the lit candle. She used the Shames candle to then light the other four. After putting the candle back into its spot she bowed her head with her hands in front of her face and chanted the two blessings for the candles. After this she took the head covering off and laid it down next to the Menorah. She then turned around to see everyone watching her. She blushed a little at the attention. Oz came over and gave her a small kiss in way of reassurance that everything was all right and wished her a Happy Chanukah. At that everyone else also wished her a Happy Chanukah. They then set about setting the table for dinner.
As the men finished setting the table the women started bringing out the food. Once they were done everyone sat down to eat. When everyone was settled Giles picked up his glass of wine. He signaled the others to do the same.
"I'd like to propose a toast. I hope that everyone will be well in the coming year and that the love that is here in this room only gets stronger in the years to come."
Everyone clinked his or her glass in agreement with the toast. After they took a sip of wine, each of the couples shared a quick kiss. They then started passing the platters of food around the table. While they were eating Willow explained the significance of each of the Chanukah contributions to the meal.
After all of the dishes were cleared from the table and cleaned up they retired to the living room. Everyone grabbed a seat. Willow and Oz grabbed the loveseat. Angel and Buffy sat down on the sofa. Giles and Jenny sat down in a couple of chairs that were next to each other and Xander and Cordelia sat down on the rug. Xander put his back to the sofa and Cordy leaned up against him. Before Angel had sat down he had started a fire in the fireplace.
Once everyone was settled Giles pulled out an old looking book. It turned out to be a first edition copy of Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol'. He opened the book and in his rich voice started reading them the story. Everyone quietly listened to him tell the tale of Ebeneazer Scrooge. This went on for close to two hours. When he was done Willow told everyone the story of Chanukah. She did this in the finest traditions of the bards of old, and it lasted for about an hour.
At this point it was time to hand out the presents. Xander went over to the table where they had stacked the presents and started handing them out. Once everyone had theirs they started opening them. Xander was watching Cordy very carefully while she opened a small wrapped box. When she opened it she saw that inside was a gold bracelet. It wasn't very fancy, but it was beautiful. She looked up at Xander with tears of joy on her face. He just smiled at her and asked if she liked it. He told her that he couldn't afford much and that he had saved up a lot of money just to buy her this for Christmas. She put it on her wrist and then leaned in to him and kissed him on the lips. He kissed her back.
After everyone had given and received their presents Giles turned to Angel and Xander.
"Angel, Xander you will both receive your presents from me tomorrow. Can you come to the library at 10am?" asked Giles.
Both of them said yes. Giles then asked the rest of them to be there as well. They all indicated that they could be there. A short time later the party broke up and they all went home.
************************************************************************
At ten o'clock the next morning the gang was in attendance at the library. Angel had come up through the sewer entrance in the back of the library, up in the stacks. They were all staring at the chalk pentagram within a chalk circle that Giles appeared to have drawn on the floor. There were candles located at each of the points. Giles finally came out of his office carrying a scroll.
"Thank you all for coming. Angel, are you ready for your Christmas present?" asked Giles.
"Sure. What is it?" asked Angel.
"Oh, I think you'll like it. I think Buffy will too. You see, this scroll here was sent to me by someone that Jenny met in one of her online covens. At my request she had put out some feelers on this subject and we finally found a spell that would work. I have studied the spell for about a month now and am confident that it will work as advertised. I will need Jenny and Willow's help to cast it, as it is quite complicated. Also, Buffy will have to be involved, as it will take the power of your love to ensure its success. You see, what I have here is a spell to banish the demon from your body. When the demon is banished you will revert back to human, at the age you were when you were turned." said Giles.
"Wow! You're sure it will work?" asked Angel. This stunned everyone else.
"Yes, I believe that it will. I also believe that you will retain your vampiric strength and agility, as well as your immortality that you should have received when you died the first time." said Giles.
"Ok. Let's do it." said Angel.
He and Buffy shared a quick kiss before they got into the places that Giles indicated within the pentagram. Giles, Jenny and Willow stood on three points and started chanting. The others stood safely off to the side of the room. The chanting went on for several minutes. While chanting, Giles was also throwing different items into a small cauldron that was bubbling away within the pentagram. With the last item thrown in a puff of black smoke wafted out of it and surrounded Angel. They stopped chanting and watched what was going on. About three minutes in to it they heard a terrible, gut-wrenching scream come from within the black cloud. A minute later the color of the cloud changed to pure while before disappearing altogether. When it cleared Angel was sprawled out on the floor.
Buffy immediately ran over to him and knelt down. She started brushing some hair out of his eyes while saying his name. Giles knelt down on his other side and put his fingers onto Angel's neck to feel for a pulse. He soon found a strong one. He told everyone this. He then took a cross and placed it on Angel's skin. There was no burning. He repeated this test using holy water. Again no burning.
While he was conducting these tests Angel had come around. When Giles was done he helped Angel to stand up.
"How do you feel?" asked Giles.
"Alive. I can't feel the demon anymore. I guess it worked." replied Angel.
"Yes, it appeared to work. Now to test the other two factors. Take that iron bar there and try to bend it." said Giles.
Angel picked it up and bent it into a right angle. Giles then took out a knife and sliced Angel across the arm. They all watched as the wound healed itself right up with the blue lightening that they had all come to know.
"Well it looks like I was right on the vampiric strength and immortality. Now for the second part of the gift. Now that you're human again, you will need employment. I have arranged with the school board to hire you on as the assistant librarian. You will be working for me here at the high school. Congratulations." said Giles.
"I don't know what to say other than thank you." said Angel.
"You're welcome." said Giles.
Everyone came over to congratulate Angel.
A few minutes later they all felt the buzzes of several approaching immortals.
"Ok, we have company. Xander, please take point on this. I think that you're ready. Remember, you just need to tell them that you don't play the game." said Giles.
Four men walked into the Library. They all had their swords drawn. They were all carrying French Rapiers. Xander stepped towards them with his sword drawn.
"I am Xander Harris and I do not play the game." said Xander.
With that the four men took off their coats and exposed what they were wearing underneath. All four of them had on blue tunics with white crosses on them. Xander just gasped when he saw this.
"Allow me to introduce us. I am Aramis, this is Athos, this is Porthos and that is D'Artagnan. We are late of His Majesty's Musketeers."
"You're joking, right?" asked Xander.
"No they're not, Xander. They really are the four musketeers that Alexander Dumas wrote about in his famous story. That adventure really did happen. Surprisingly, all four Musketeers that starred in the story turned out to be Immortals. I've known Porthos for many years and arranged through him for the four of them to come to Sunnydale today as a Christmas present for you so you could meet them." said a smiling Giles.
It was well known amongst the Scoobies that they were heroes of Xander's. Early on when it was obvious that Xander had had some previous experience with a sword, Giles had asked him about it. He had explained that his favorite story as a boy had been the Three Musketeers. He had read the story many times. One year as a birthday present his parents had gotten him some fencing lessons because of this.
"Wow! It's great to meet you guys. I love the story. Was what happened in real life different from the story?" asked Xander.
They all sat down and discussed the differences. There were some. Then Xander got to do some light sparring with each of them. The other Scoobies also tried their hands at it. Xander had a smile on his face the whole time. Giles was pleased that his gift to Xander was that well appreciated. Xander had introduced the rest of the group to the musketeers. They had kissed the hands of each of the ladies. Cordelia, in particular, was glad to meet them as their presence here had made Xander so happy.
A few hours later the four musketeers took their leave of the gang. They had shared contact information with the group in case they ever needed to contact each other. It turned out that the musketeers were also in the demon hunting business. Before they left they presented Xander with a French Rapier of his own. Athos had found it in a sword collector's collection. It was a true Musketeer's Rapier. He had bought it from the man so that they may present Xander with it.
The group then split up, each of them heading to their own homes for Christmas dinner with their families. Giles and Jenny were headed to the Summers later. They, along with Angel, had been invited by Joyce to spend Christmas with Buffy and her.
************************************************************************
Giles and Jenny arrived at the Summers home at around 3 o'clock. They were let in by Buffy. She led them into the living room where they found Joyce, Angel and another gentleman.
"Merry Christmas!" said Giles.
"Merry Christmas Mr. Giles, Miss Calendar. Allow me to introduce my brother Joe Dawson. He came down from Washington to spend Christmas with Buffy and I." said Joyce.
"Good to meet you Mr. Dawson." said Giles.
"Please call me Joe." said Joe.
"Alright, but only if you call me Jenny. His name is Rupert." said Jenny, smiling.
"Alright." said Joe.
They sat and talked for quite awhile. Giles explained that he was the high school's librarian and that Jenny was the school's computer teacher. He also told them that Angel would be starting as his assistant after winter break.
"So, Joe, what do you do for a living?" asked Giles.
"I run a bar called Joe's Place in Seacouver, WA." replied Joe.
"Seacouver you say? I have a couple of friends in that town. Duncan MacLeod and Adam Pierson." said Giles.
"You know Duncan and Adam? They come into my bar regularly." said Joe.
"Interesting." said Giles.
They went on to other topics after that. A short time later Joyce announced it was time for dinner. They enjoyed a dinner of ham with all of the fixings. Afterwards they once again retired to the living room.
Around nine o'clock Giles and Jenny prepared to take their leave of the Summers. Giles had asked Buffy to show him where the bathroom was. She led him upstairs and pointed it out.
"Buffy, does your mother have a tattoo on her wrist?" asked Giles.
"Yes. It is this stylized Y in a circle. She told me she got it while in college. Some type of sorority thing. Why?" asked Buffy.
"No reason. I just thought I saw something there when she was serving the ham." said Giles.
"Oh. Ok." said Buffy.
Giles and Jenny left shortly after this. When they got home Giles made a phone call.
"Hello?" asked the voice on the other end.
"Duncan? Its Giles."
"Giles, how are you doing? Enjoying your Christmas?"
"I'm fine. How about yourself?"
"Everything's fine here. What can I do for you?"
"I just had a quick question for you. The man you've told me about in the past, the one that is the head of the North American branch of the Society of Watcher? Was his name Joe Dawson?"
"Yes it is. Why?"
"I just met him tonight. You remember my charge, Buffy Summers?"
"Yes. Is everything alright?"
"Fine, fine. It appears that Joe is her mother's older brother. Jenny and I just had Christmas dinner with them. It also appears that Joyce has followed in her brother's footsteps and is also a Watcher. My guess is that she has been watching me since they moved here to Sunnydale. I'm also guessing that she is probably the Watcher for all eight of us."
"Interesting. Nothing like having your own mother as your Watcher. Have you told the others?"
"No I haven't. I will probably tell Jenny, but I am not sure whether I should tell the kids yet. They may not understand fully. They may understand the theory of the Watchers, but to be faced with an actual one assigned to them, it may be too much at this time."
"I think you're right. I would leave them out of it for now. Are you going to approach Joyce and Joe, though?"
"I haven't decided yet. I will certainly keep an eye out for her and make sure that she is not in any danger while watching us, but I'm not sure yet whether to approach her. If I do then it means telling her all about the Slayer and Watcher activities, which she undoubtedly knows some about by now. Maybe I will though. It might help put her mind at ease if she knows the full truth about her daughter being the Slayer, rather than just guessing at it."
"Well, I'm sure you'll make the right decision. Have a Merry Christmas, Giles. Goodnight."
"Goodnight Duncan."
He walked into the bedroom where Jenny had gone and sat down and told her what he suspected about Joyce. She was a little surprised to say the least. Giles made sure that she understood exactly what a Watcher does. She calmed down after a while and accepted it. They talked about it for quite a while until she was comfortable with it. She agreed with him that it might not be wise to tell the kids about this at this time. Especially considering how she reacted to it at first.
************************************************************************
The next day he found out that Angel was taking Buffy to see the ice skating show in town. Deciding this was the perfect time, Giles invited Joyce and Joe over for lunch. They arrived around noon.
After lunch the four of them sat down in the living room and talked for a while. Finally Giles brought up the topic he wanted to talk about.
"So Joe, Joyce, have you Seen anything interesting lately?" asked Giles. He put emphasis on the word 'seen'.
Joyce and Joe looked at each other for a moment.
"I guess we could ask you the same thing Mr. Giles." said Joyce.
"True. So how long have you been a Watcher, Joyce?" asked Giles.
"Since my senior year of college. Joe got me into it. And yes, before you ask, I am your Watcher, as well as the Watcher for Jenny and all of the kids. Since you guys tend to stick together it's not too difficult to keep track of you all. Besides Buffy usually tells me what's going on with her and her friends, except for the Slaying bit." said Joyce.
"That's what I figured. I suspected it yesterday when I met you Joe. Duncan has mentioned you before. Don't worry though, I do not plan to tell the kids about any of this. I don't think that are ready to accept it for what it really is. Jenny and I will keep your secrets, just as I hope you will keep ours." said Giles.
"Yes we will. Can you tell us more about the Slayer part though?" asked Joyce.
"Certainly." said Giles.
He went on to tell Joe and Joyce all about the Slayer and their fight against the darkness. He also told Joyce about all of the precautions that she should take if she was going to follow them around at night. He did not want anything happening to her due to their activities.
They talked for a while longer before Joe and Joyce left. Jenny and Giles wished them a Happy Holidays.
END
Immortal in Residence - Christmas and Chanukah
by Scott R. Barnett
Giles Residence Sunnydale, CA December 24, 1997
It was about three o'clock in the afternoon and the kitchen at the Giles' residence was quite busy. Jenny, Willow, Cordelia and Buffy were all in there preparing dinner for that night. The five kids and Angel were joining Giles and Jenny for a holiday dinner that night. They would be spending the holidays with their families tomorrow night. The guys, except for Angel, in the meantime, were out in the countryside getting a tree for the house.
This year the eight days of Chanukah passed right through Christmas. As a result the dinner and decorations were encompassing both holidays. While Jenny and Cordelia were working on the turkey and fixings for a traditional Christmas dinner, Willow, with Buffy's help, was preparing some Chanukah specialties to go with it. These included Potato Latkes. They were having a turkey rather than a ham in deference to Willow, who is Jewish. Willow also had some Chanukah Gelt (Chocolate Coins) to go with dessert.
Pretty soon the front door opened and the guys came in with a rather large Christmas tree. They set it up and started decorating it. Giles was supervising them as they had agreed to decorate it in the traditional English way. The only difference was that they were using electric lights rather than lit candles.
By the time everyone was done it was six o'clock and it was already getting dark outside. Giles flipped the switch and all of the lights outside came on. He then plugged in the lights on the tree and it came alive in lights. Everyone ooh'd and ahh'd.
By six thirty the sun had set and Angel had arrived. Willow came out of the kitchen with a pack of matches. She walked over to the Chanukah Menorah that she had setup on the counter between the kitchen and the dining room. She picked up a box of Chanukah candles and placed five of them into the Menorah. It was the fourth night. Everyone was watching her do this. She then put a head cover on her head. After this she lit a match and then used it to light the Shames candle. She then put out the match and picked up the lit candle. She used the Shames candle to then light the other four. After putting the candle back into its spot she bowed her head with her hands in front of her face and chanted the two blessings for the candles. After this she took the head covering off and laid it down next to the Menorah. She then turned around to see everyone watching her. She blushed a little at the attention. Oz came over and gave her a small kiss in way of reassurance that everything was all right and wished her a Happy Chanukah. At that everyone else also wished her a Happy Chanukah. They then set about setting the table for dinner.
As the men finished setting the table the women started bringing out the food. Once they were done everyone sat down to eat. When everyone was settled Giles picked up his glass of wine. He signaled the others to do the same.
"I'd like to propose a toast. I hope that everyone will be well in the coming year and that the love that is here in this room only gets stronger in the years to come."
Everyone clinked his or her glass in agreement with the toast. After they took a sip of wine, each of the couples shared a quick kiss. They then started passing the platters of food around the table. While they were eating Willow explained the significance of each of the Chanukah contributions to the meal.
After all of the dishes were cleared from the table and cleaned up they retired to the living room. Everyone grabbed a seat. Willow and Oz grabbed the loveseat. Angel and Buffy sat down on the sofa. Giles and Jenny sat down in a couple of chairs that were next to each other and Xander and Cordelia sat down on the rug. Xander put his back to the sofa and Cordy leaned up against him. Before Angel had sat down he had started a fire in the fireplace.
Once everyone was settled Giles pulled out an old looking book. It turned out to be a first edition copy of Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol'. He opened the book and in his rich voice started reading them the story. Everyone quietly listened to him tell the tale of Ebeneazer Scrooge. This went on for close to two hours. When he was done Willow told everyone the story of Chanukah. She did this in the finest traditions of the bards of old, and it lasted for about an hour.
At this point it was time to hand out the presents. Xander went over to the table where they had stacked the presents and started handing them out. Once everyone had theirs they started opening them. Xander was watching Cordy very carefully while she opened a small wrapped box. When she opened it she saw that inside was a gold bracelet. It wasn't very fancy, but it was beautiful. She looked up at Xander with tears of joy on her face. He just smiled at her and asked if she liked it. He told her that he couldn't afford much and that he had saved up a lot of money just to buy her this for Christmas. She put it on her wrist and then leaned in to him and kissed him on the lips. He kissed her back.
After everyone had given and received their presents Giles turned to Angel and Xander.
"Angel, Xander you will both receive your presents from me tomorrow. Can you come to the library at 10am?" asked Giles.
Both of them said yes. Giles then asked the rest of them to be there as well. They all indicated that they could be there. A short time later the party broke up and they all went home.
************************************************************************
At ten o'clock the next morning the gang was in attendance at the library. Angel had come up through the sewer entrance in the back of the library, up in the stacks. They were all staring at the chalk pentagram within a chalk circle that Giles appeared to have drawn on the floor. There were candles located at each of the points. Giles finally came out of his office carrying a scroll.
"Thank you all for coming. Angel, are you ready for your Christmas present?" asked Giles.
"Sure. What is it?" asked Angel.
"Oh, I think you'll like it. I think Buffy will too. You see, this scroll here was sent to me by someone that Jenny met in one of her online covens. At my request she had put out some feelers on this subject and we finally found a spell that would work. I have studied the spell for about a month now and am confident that it will work as advertised. I will need Jenny and Willow's help to cast it, as it is quite complicated. Also, Buffy will have to be involved, as it will take the power of your love to ensure its success. You see, what I have here is a spell to banish the demon from your body. When the demon is banished you will revert back to human, at the age you were when you were turned." said Giles.
"Wow! You're sure it will work?" asked Angel. This stunned everyone else.
"Yes, I believe that it will. I also believe that you will retain your vampiric strength and agility, as well as your immortality that you should have received when you died the first time." said Giles.
"Ok. Let's do it." said Angel.
He and Buffy shared a quick kiss before they got into the places that Giles indicated within the pentagram. Giles, Jenny and Willow stood on three points and started chanting. The others stood safely off to the side of the room. The chanting went on for several minutes. While chanting, Giles was also throwing different items into a small cauldron that was bubbling away within the pentagram. With the last item thrown in a puff of black smoke wafted out of it and surrounded Angel. They stopped chanting and watched what was going on. About three minutes in to it they heard a terrible, gut-wrenching scream come from within the black cloud. A minute later the color of the cloud changed to pure while before disappearing altogether. When it cleared Angel was sprawled out on the floor.
Buffy immediately ran over to him and knelt down. She started brushing some hair out of his eyes while saying his name. Giles knelt down on his other side and put his fingers onto Angel's neck to feel for a pulse. He soon found a strong one. He told everyone this. He then took a cross and placed it on Angel's skin. There was no burning. He repeated this test using holy water. Again no burning.
While he was conducting these tests Angel had come around. When Giles was done he helped Angel to stand up.
"How do you feel?" asked Giles.
"Alive. I can't feel the demon anymore. I guess it worked." replied Angel.
"Yes, it appeared to work. Now to test the other two factors. Take that iron bar there and try to bend it." said Giles.
Angel picked it up and bent it into a right angle. Giles then took out a knife and sliced Angel across the arm. They all watched as the wound healed itself right up with the blue lightening that they had all come to know.
"Well it looks like I was right on the vampiric strength and immortality. Now for the second part of the gift. Now that you're human again, you will need employment. I have arranged with the school board to hire you on as the assistant librarian. You will be working for me here at the high school. Congratulations." said Giles.
"I don't know what to say other than thank you." said Angel.
"You're welcome." said Giles.
Everyone came over to congratulate Angel.
A few minutes later they all felt the buzzes of several approaching immortals.
"Ok, we have company. Xander, please take point on this. I think that you're ready. Remember, you just need to tell them that you don't play the game." said Giles.
Four men walked into the Library. They all had their swords drawn. They were all carrying French Rapiers. Xander stepped towards them with his sword drawn.
"I am Xander Harris and I do not play the game." said Xander.
With that the four men took off their coats and exposed what they were wearing underneath. All four of them had on blue tunics with white crosses on them. Xander just gasped when he saw this.
"Allow me to introduce us. I am Aramis, this is Athos, this is Porthos and that is D'Artagnan. We are late of His Majesty's Musketeers."
"You're joking, right?" asked Xander.
"No they're not, Xander. They really are the four musketeers that Alexander Dumas wrote about in his famous story. That adventure really did happen. Surprisingly, all four Musketeers that starred in the story turned out to be Immortals. I've known Porthos for many years and arranged through him for the four of them to come to Sunnydale today as a Christmas present for you so you could meet them." said a smiling Giles.
It was well known amongst the Scoobies that they were heroes of Xander's. Early on when it was obvious that Xander had had some previous experience with a sword, Giles had asked him about it. He had explained that his favorite story as a boy had been the Three Musketeers. He had read the story many times. One year as a birthday present his parents had gotten him some fencing lessons because of this.
"Wow! It's great to meet you guys. I love the story. Was what happened in real life different from the story?" asked Xander.
They all sat down and discussed the differences. There were some. Then Xander got to do some light sparring with each of them. The other Scoobies also tried their hands at it. Xander had a smile on his face the whole time. Giles was pleased that his gift to Xander was that well appreciated. Xander had introduced the rest of the group to the musketeers. They had kissed the hands of each of the ladies. Cordelia, in particular, was glad to meet them as their presence here had made Xander so happy.
A few hours later the four musketeers took their leave of the gang. They had shared contact information with the group in case they ever needed to contact each other. It turned out that the musketeers were also in the demon hunting business. Before they left they presented Xander with a French Rapier of his own. Athos had found it in a sword collector's collection. It was a true Musketeer's Rapier. He had bought it from the man so that they may present Xander with it.
The group then split up, each of them heading to their own homes for Christmas dinner with their families. Giles and Jenny were headed to the Summers later. They, along with Angel, had been invited by Joyce to spend Christmas with Buffy and her.
************************************************************************
Giles and Jenny arrived at the Summers home at around 3 o'clock. They were let in by Buffy. She led them into the living room where they found Joyce, Angel and another gentleman.
"Merry Christmas!" said Giles.
"Merry Christmas Mr. Giles, Miss Calendar. Allow me to introduce my brother Joe Dawson. He came down from Washington to spend Christmas with Buffy and I." said Joyce.
"Good to meet you Mr. Dawson." said Giles.
"Please call me Joe." said Joe.
"Alright, but only if you call me Jenny. His name is Rupert." said Jenny, smiling.
"Alright." said Joe.
They sat and talked for quite awhile. Giles explained that he was the high school's librarian and that Jenny was the school's computer teacher. He also told them that Angel would be starting as his assistant after winter break.
"So, Joe, what do you do for a living?" asked Giles.
"I run a bar called Joe's Place in Seacouver, WA." replied Joe.
"Seacouver you say? I have a couple of friends in that town. Duncan MacLeod and Adam Pierson." said Giles.
"You know Duncan and Adam? They come into my bar regularly." said Joe.
"Interesting." said Giles.
They went on to other topics after that. A short time later Joyce announced it was time for dinner. They enjoyed a dinner of ham with all of the fixings. Afterwards they once again retired to the living room.
Around nine o'clock Giles and Jenny prepared to take their leave of the Summers. Giles had asked Buffy to show him where the bathroom was. She led him upstairs and pointed it out.
"Buffy, does your mother have a tattoo on her wrist?" asked Giles.
"Yes. It is this stylized Y in a circle. She told me she got it while in college. Some type of sorority thing. Why?" asked Buffy.
"No reason. I just thought I saw something there when she was serving the ham." said Giles.
"Oh. Ok." said Buffy.
Giles and Jenny left shortly after this. When they got home Giles made a phone call.
"Hello?" asked the voice on the other end.
"Duncan? Its Giles."
"Giles, how are you doing? Enjoying your Christmas?"
"I'm fine. How about yourself?"
"Everything's fine here. What can I do for you?"
"I just had a quick question for you. The man you've told me about in the past, the one that is the head of the North American branch of the Society of Watcher? Was his name Joe Dawson?"
"Yes it is. Why?"
"I just met him tonight. You remember my charge, Buffy Summers?"
"Yes. Is everything alright?"
"Fine, fine. It appears that Joe is her mother's older brother. Jenny and I just had Christmas dinner with them. It also appears that Joyce has followed in her brother's footsteps and is also a Watcher. My guess is that she has been watching me since they moved here to Sunnydale. I'm also guessing that she is probably the Watcher for all eight of us."
"Interesting. Nothing like having your own mother as your Watcher. Have you told the others?"
"No I haven't. I will probably tell Jenny, but I am not sure whether I should tell the kids yet. They may not understand fully. They may understand the theory of the Watchers, but to be faced with an actual one assigned to them, it may be too much at this time."
"I think you're right. I would leave them out of it for now. Are you going to approach Joyce and Joe, though?"
"I haven't decided yet. I will certainly keep an eye out for her and make sure that she is not in any danger while watching us, but I'm not sure yet whether to approach her. If I do then it means telling her all about the Slayer and Watcher activities, which she undoubtedly knows some about by now. Maybe I will though. It might help put her mind at ease if she knows the full truth about her daughter being the Slayer, rather than just guessing at it."
"Well, I'm sure you'll make the right decision. Have a Merry Christmas, Giles. Goodnight."
"Goodnight Duncan."
He walked into the bedroom where Jenny had gone and sat down and told her what he suspected about Joyce. She was a little surprised to say the least. Giles made sure that she understood exactly what a Watcher does. She calmed down after a while and accepted it. They talked about it for quite a while until she was comfortable with it. She agreed with him that it might not be wise to tell the kids about this at this time. Especially considering how she reacted to it at first.
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The next day he found out that Angel was taking Buffy to see the ice skating show in town. Deciding this was the perfect time, Giles invited Joyce and Joe over for lunch. They arrived around noon.
After lunch the four of them sat down in the living room and talked for a while. Finally Giles brought up the topic he wanted to talk about.
"So Joe, Joyce, have you Seen anything interesting lately?" asked Giles. He put emphasis on the word 'seen'.
Joyce and Joe looked at each other for a moment.
"I guess we could ask you the same thing Mr. Giles." said Joyce.
"True. So how long have you been a Watcher, Joyce?" asked Giles.
"Since my senior year of college. Joe got me into it. And yes, before you ask, I am your Watcher, as well as the Watcher for Jenny and all of the kids. Since you guys tend to stick together it's not too difficult to keep track of you all. Besides Buffy usually tells me what's going on with her and her friends, except for the Slaying bit." said Joyce.
"That's what I figured. I suspected it yesterday when I met you Joe. Duncan has mentioned you before. Don't worry though, I do not plan to tell the kids about any of this. I don't think that are ready to accept it for what it really is. Jenny and I will keep your secrets, just as I hope you will keep ours." said Giles.
"Yes we will. Can you tell us more about the Slayer part though?" asked Joyce.
"Certainly." said Giles.
He went on to tell Joe and Joyce all about the Slayer and their fight against the darkness. He also told Joyce about all of the precautions that she should take if she was going to follow them around at night. He did not want anything happening to her due to their activities.
They talked for a while longer before Joe and Joyce left. Jenny and Giles wished them a Happy Holidays.
END