Part 4: Giles
#
I am sure that some Watchers have had days when their duty subjected them to stranger and more painful events than this. Unfortunately I have neither the time nor the patience to look them up in the Watcher diaries.
Buffy is gone, maybe ... no, not dead! I won't believe that until I found a body and personally made sure that it is her and not a doppelganger. Only then will I allow myself to believe that the fate of all Slayers might finally have caught up with my Slayer.
Angel's return at this same time worries and calms me. I worry because I doubt Angel's mysterious Powers That Be would send him a vision unless we were truly facing a crisis. On the other hand it is calming because I know he will stop at nothing to help her, no matter the odds, with total disregard to his personal safety.
Then there is Faith.
I admit to myself that I hoped she would never rise from her hospital bed, because I had no idea how to deal with her once that happened. I still don't have an idea, to be honest.
Faith burst into my apartment an hour ago and started screaming at me. Asking me where Buffy was. At first I thought that she would attack me, try and attack Buffy if she found her, but then I saw her eyes.
I don't believe I have seen such fear in anyone's eyes since Buffy thought Angel would die at Faith's hands. Faith has babbled about some kind of dream she had, a dream in which I told her to come and visit me. A dream where Angel sang about the end of the world and Buffy was on fire, saying she would be better real soon.
Prophetic Slayer dreams. Most of the times they are useful only in hindsight. The last time Buffy had such a dream it warned us of the coming of the Gentlemen, but we didn't understand the warning until after they had arrived. I just hope this won't be a repeat of history.
I am profoundly thankful for Angel's presence right now. He was all set to go up against Faith the moment she burst into my apartment, but it never came to that. Faith didn't attack him, me, or Willow. After her first frantic rambling ceased she just sat down on my couch and looked like nothing but a scared child.
"Something has happened to B," she is whispering over and over again.
Angel and I quietly conferred out of her earshot and came to an agreement for the moment. The last thing we knew of Faith was that she tried to kill Angel, but Buffy was convinced that Faith helped her come up with the way to defeat the Mayor while they were both unconscious in the hospital. Maybe her time in coma really has changed her.
Angel is giving her the benefit of the doubt for the moment, which isn't really a surprise to me. Angel thinks that everyone deserves a second chance except himself. So right now Faith is sitting on the couch, Angel torn between hovering around her and pacing for lack of something to do. Willow is on the computer, trying to find out more about the explosion, possible locations of this military installation, and whatever else she might be able to wring from this machine.
And we are all waiting for another guest whose presence I don't really look forward to.
"Open the bloody door," someone yells from outside and I can see Angel stiffen.
"Calm down already! We're there." Xander opens the door and pushes Spike into my apartment, the blanket he's hiding under smoking and sizzling. Xander strolls in after him, making a show of standing in the sunlight. Only until he sees Angel, though.
"What is deadboy doing here?" Xander asks, an angry look on his face.
"What?" Spike looks up. "Oh great, the bloody poof!"
Angel says nothing, but his glare speaks volumes. Spike glares right back at him, the tension between the two Vampires thick enough to cut it with a knife. Oz told us about Angel and Spike's encounter in Los Angeles. I wish we didn't need to bring these two together.
"Spike," I address the blonde Vampire. "Have you heard about the incident at the college?"
"Huge explosion." Spike grinned. "Probably a lot of people went up like torches. Real shame I wasn't there to watch."
Angel moves faster than I can follow and next thing I know he has Spike against the wall, both of them sporting demon faces.
"Buffy was in that explosion somewhere," Angel snarls in Spike's face. "Giles here tells me that you were down in that government installation and got yourself neutered. Well, I don't care about the chip. I will stake you right here, right now, unless you go with us into whatever remains of that installation and show us all there is to show. Do we have an understanding, boy?"
I can see Spike open his mouth for one of his usual remarks, but something in Angel's eyes makes him shut up. Rage and worry is coming off Angel in waves and I fully believe he meant every word he just said. Apparently Spike believes it, too.
"Okay, Peaches," he just says. "We'll play it your way. But don't blame me if we find the Slayer's burnt corpse down there! Which I hope we do, actually."
For a moment I think Angel is about to stake Spike anyway, but then he lets the other Vampire go.
"Sunset is still eight hours away. We'll go there through the sewers and try to find a way in without going by the surface. Should you turn up anything, call me on my cell!"
I just nod, a bit surprised by Angel taking charge so easily. His months in LA really did change him, I guess.
"Who's the cutie?" Spike asks, looking at Faith.
God, I almost forgot she was there, not having said a single word for a while. Faith looks at Spike with a shimmer of recognition in her eyes. Did she meet Spike during her time in Sunnydale? I don't think so.
"I'm Faith," she just says. "And I will come with you."
"No," Angel just says.
"B needs me. I have to ... I have to do something. Something has happened to her and ... I need to be there. Angel, please!"
Angel looks at the dark-haired Slayer and I can see her squirming under his intense gaze. Angel really has changed, I see that now. He is more self- assured. Stronger than he was before. Faith doesn't budge, though, despite her obvious nervousness.
"Very well. You can check out above ground in the college area. If you find any trace of Buffy or see someone in military garb or the like, call me!"
"Maybe one of us should go with her?" Willow asks hesitantly.
The thought of either Willow or Xander alone with Faith sends shivers down my spine. I can see Xander pale a little, involuntarily reaching for his throat. Faith almost choked him to death. Faith almost killed Willow by cutting her throat. So much that Faith did to these children. Can we really trust her?
We can't. But it appears that Angel can.
"No, that's not a good idea," Angel says. "If they captured Buffy, maybe learned her true identity, they will have people on the lookout for her friends. No one here knows Faith, though."
As explanations go, it's a good one. Completely bogus, but a good one.
"I will call you as soon as I find something," Faith says, taking a step closer to Angel. "I ... I will not let her down, Angel. I promise. Not again!"
Angel nods, maybe seeing something in Faith's eyes that makes him trust her. Or maybe he is just playing along to see where she is going with this. I don't know. I have no idea.
I wish I knew that Buffy was safe.
TO BE CONTINUED
#
I am sure that some Watchers have had days when their duty subjected them to stranger and more painful events than this. Unfortunately I have neither the time nor the patience to look them up in the Watcher diaries.
Buffy is gone, maybe ... no, not dead! I won't believe that until I found a body and personally made sure that it is her and not a doppelganger. Only then will I allow myself to believe that the fate of all Slayers might finally have caught up with my Slayer.
Angel's return at this same time worries and calms me. I worry because I doubt Angel's mysterious Powers That Be would send him a vision unless we were truly facing a crisis. On the other hand it is calming because I know he will stop at nothing to help her, no matter the odds, with total disregard to his personal safety.
Then there is Faith.
I admit to myself that I hoped she would never rise from her hospital bed, because I had no idea how to deal with her once that happened. I still don't have an idea, to be honest.
Faith burst into my apartment an hour ago and started screaming at me. Asking me where Buffy was. At first I thought that she would attack me, try and attack Buffy if she found her, but then I saw her eyes.
I don't believe I have seen such fear in anyone's eyes since Buffy thought Angel would die at Faith's hands. Faith has babbled about some kind of dream she had, a dream in which I told her to come and visit me. A dream where Angel sang about the end of the world and Buffy was on fire, saying she would be better real soon.
Prophetic Slayer dreams. Most of the times they are useful only in hindsight. The last time Buffy had such a dream it warned us of the coming of the Gentlemen, but we didn't understand the warning until after they had arrived. I just hope this won't be a repeat of history.
I am profoundly thankful for Angel's presence right now. He was all set to go up against Faith the moment she burst into my apartment, but it never came to that. Faith didn't attack him, me, or Willow. After her first frantic rambling ceased she just sat down on my couch and looked like nothing but a scared child.
"Something has happened to B," she is whispering over and over again.
Angel and I quietly conferred out of her earshot and came to an agreement for the moment. The last thing we knew of Faith was that she tried to kill Angel, but Buffy was convinced that Faith helped her come up with the way to defeat the Mayor while they were both unconscious in the hospital. Maybe her time in coma really has changed her.
Angel is giving her the benefit of the doubt for the moment, which isn't really a surprise to me. Angel thinks that everyone deserves a second chance except himself. So right now Faith is sitting on the couch, Angel torn between hovering around her and pacing for lack of something to do. Willow is on the computer, trying to find out more about the explosion, possible locations of this military installation, and whatever else she might be able to wring from this machine.
And we are all waiting for another guest whose presence I don't really look forward to.
"Open the bloody door," someone yells from outside and I can see Angel stiffen.
"Calm down already! We're there." Xander opens the door and pushes Spike into my apartment, the blanket he's hiding under smoking and sizzling. Xander strolls in after him, making a show of standing in the sunlight. Only until he sees Angel, though.
"What is deadboy doing here?" Xander asks, an angry look on his face.
"What?" Spike looks up. "Oh great, the bloody poof!"
Angel says nothing, but his glare speaks volumes. Spike glares right back at him, the tension between the two Vampires thick enough to cut it with a knife. Oz told us about Angel and Spike's encounter in Los Angeles. I wish we didn't need to bring these two together.
"Spike," I address the blonde Vampire. "Have you heard about the incident at the college?"
"Huge explosion." Spike grinned. "Probably a lot of people went up like torches. Real shame I wasn't there to watch."
Angel moves faster than I can follow and next thing I know he has Spike against the wall, both of them sporting demon faces.
"Buffy was in that explosion somewhere," Angel snarls in Spike's face. "Giles here tells me that you were down in that government installation and got yourself neutered. Well, I don't care about the chip. I will stake you right here, right now, unless you go with us into whatever remains of that installation and show us all there is to show. Do we have an understanding, boy?"
I can see Spike open his mouth for one of his usual remarks, but something in Angel's eyes makes him shut up. Rage and worry is coming off Angel in waves and I fully believe he meant every word he just said. Apparently Spike believes it, too.
"Okay, Peaches," he just says. "We'll play it your way. But don't blame me if we find the Slayer's burnt corpse down there! Which I hope we do, actually."
For a moment I think Angel is about to stake Spike anyway, but then he lets the other Vampire go.
"Sunset is still eight hours away. We'll go there through the sewers and try to find a way in without going by the surface. Should you turn up anything, call me on my cell!"
I just nod, a bit surprised by Angel taking charge so easily. His months in LA really did change him, I guess.
"Who's the cutie?" Spike asks, looking at Faith.
God, I almost forgot she was there, not having said a single word for a while. Faith looks at Spike with a shimmer of recognition in her eyes. Did she meet Spike during her time in Sunnydale? I don't think so.
"I'm Faith," she just says. "And I will come with you."
"No," Angel just says.
"B needs me. I have to ... I have to do something. Something has happened to her and ... I need to be there. Angel, please!"
Angel looks at the dark-haired Slayer and I can see her squirming under his intense gaze. Angel really has changed, I see that now. He is more self- assured. Stronger than he was before. Faith doesn't budge, though, despite her obvious nervousness.
"Very well. You can check out above ground in the college area. If you find any trace of Buffy or see someone in military garb or the like, call me!"
"Maybe one of us should go with her?" Willow asks hesitantly.
The thought of either Willow or Xander alone with Faith sends shivers down my spine. I can see Xander pale a little, involuntarily reaching for his throat. Faith almost choked him to death. Faith almost killed Willow by cutting her throat. So much that Faith did to these children. Can we really trust her?
We can't. But it appears that Angel can.
"No, that's not a good idea," Angel says. "If they captured Buffy, maybe learned her true identity, they will have people on the lookout for her friends. No one here knows Faith, though."
As explanations go, it's a good one. Completely bogus, but a good one.
"I will call you as soon as I find something," Faith says, taking a step closer to Angel. "I ... I will not let her down, Angel. I promise. Not again!"
Angel nods, maybe seeing something in Faith's eyes that makes him trust her. Or maybe he is just playing along to see where she is going with this. I don't know. I have no idea.
I wish I knew that Buffy was safe.
TO BE CONTINUED