Twist of Fate: Chapter 28
by Lisette

Legalese: See Chapter 1 for disclaimers and ratings.

With a gentleness that he didn't entirely believe that she deserved, Xander lowered Faith's body onto the hard bed found in the back of the impressively large motor home. Sighing, he slowly straightened, his gaze taking in her slack features, pale skin, and lank brown hair down to the old pair of sweats. She was hardly recognizable to the fiery and lethal rogue Slayer - the one to whom he had given his innocence. Grimacing, Xander shook his head as he began backing away.

He had sensed the darkness in her, even then, but he had naively believed that it was a darkness that the girl could conquer. Apparently, he had been wrong - they all had, and that wrong had almost cost them the fight against the Mayor. He hardly believed that she deserved their help, not when one of their own had fallen and was still missing. Then again, how could you argue against not one, but five adults... and how could you argue against the Slayer dreams and the wishes of the best friend that may never return to them? At least, never return to them in the same way that she had left, taking a big piece of each of their hearts with her. Sighing, Xander turned away from the comatose girl and moved to the side door of the large vehicle, slowly stepping down the rickety stairs and joining the small circle of adults before brushing past them and inside.

"So where did you find this rig again, Sydney?" Miss Parker asked, eying the monstrosity that sat idling on the drive before them.

Smiling in that little benign way of his, Sydney slowly rocked back on the balls of his feet as he slipped his hands in his coat pocket. "I didn't - Broots did," he said even as Broots joined their little group, the computer technician chaffing his hands to keep them warm in the brisk January wind. It may be Southern California, but that didn't mean that the cold would be kept at bay forever.

Unable to mask her surprise, Miss Parker eyed the man, noting that for once, the tension that was a constant plague for the man seemed to be missing. If anything, this shocked her more than the other revelation. Turning your back on the Centre took guts. It was a move that was likely to get a bullet lodged in that back. And yet this man, this man that she had apparently underestimated, had done it just a few short hours ago. Had done it and come to their aid.

Seeing Miss Parker's expression, Broots shrugged, catching Jarod's small smile. "It was the least I could do after giving you guys up to Mr. Lyle," he explained, his face flushing for a moment before the cold wind stripped it away. "Besides," he added, his eyes slipping back to the open door of the rig behind him, "once he threatened Debbie, I knew that my time at the Centre was over."

Nodding in understanding, Jarod cast a quick glance at the darkened windows of the motor home. "How is Debbie?" he asked, the low timbre of his voice not meant to go past the small group of adults gathered in the dark night.

"Alright, I guess," Broots said with a small shrug. "Right now she's sleeping - the flight wasn't long, but I think she was confused. I.. I didn't really know how to explain it to her."

Sighing softly, Giles listened to this with a heavy heart. While he understood that these people were helping themselves just as much as him, he couldn't help but feel partly responsible for their troubles. Whether it eventually would have come to this or not, the fact remained that his Slayer was the catalyst for this man fleeing from his home and his job with his small daughter - fleeing right into the face of even greater danger. This time, at the direct hand of his Slayer. "Thank you again for everything," he murmured, his eyes catching each of the four adults in turn. "We wouldn't have been able to come this far without your help."

"Somehow, I doubt that you would even be in this position if it wasn't for us," Miss Parker murmured, speaking for her colleagues as she shoved her hands deeper into her pockets. "The Centre caused this and it's the least that we can do to try and make it right."

Nodding, Giles decided to leave the frustration, the guilt, and the apologies where they stood. They couldn't go back - they never could. Instead, they just had to keep moving forward and find a way out of the rabbit hole that they had unknowingly stepped into. "Yes, well, where are you taking her?" he asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence as he turned his eyes to the older man.

"It would probably be better for now if you don't know," Sydney replied, smiling apologetically at the Watcher. "We'll be in contact though," he said, and then watched as the man's face tightened imperceptibly. "I promise to take good care of her," he added, knowing what was on his mind. And then, before anymore could be said, Sydney quickly hugged both Miss Parker and Jarod, lingering a moment longer with his young protg.

"Be careful," Jarod whispered as both men disappeared into the monstrous vehicle seconds before it pulled away, leaving the three adults standing behind in silence. Silence that was quickly shattered as Miss Parker's phone began to ring shrilly.

Startled, Miss Parker retrieved the phone and held it to her ear. "What?" she demanded, old habits dying hard even as her small frown widened into an expression of confused surprise. Turning, she slowly pulled the phone away from her ear and held it out to Giles. "It's for you," she murmured as he stared at the phone as though it were a venomous snake. "It's the Watcher's Council."

Demon and human alike watched the man's entrance with undisguised unease, casually shifting to hide faces behind large mugs of beer and blood. His face was well known in their world, as in the past it had often been associated with the little blonde Slayer. Since her much publicized disappearance from the Hellmouth, the unease and fear of the man had only increased as he made his presence even more well known - on a much more personal basis.

"Er... Mr. Giles," the bar proprietor, known to many as Willie the Snitch, called out loudly, warning his patrons of the man that they now had in their midst. "Ah.. what can I do you for?" he asked, slowly putting the glass he was toweling down to the side, his eyes locking on the man that he had come to fear over the past few years.

Yet instead of answering, Giles pushed past the bar and continued back into the dark, shadowy recesses of the room, sliding into the stained booth opposite of a man he hadn't seen in too many years to remember. "Mister Samuel Fellows," he greeted, eyes noting how the long black hair he remembered was now cut short, cropped and graying at the temples while fine lines etched the corners of each eye. He had aged well, better than Giles had - then again, most of the aging that Giles had undergone had taken place during his time as Watcher to one Buffy Summers. The notable events such as the rising of a Master vampire, the onslaught of the much-feared Angelus, the destruction of a demon who had reached full-ascension... and the disappearance and subsequent... alteration, of his Slayer could do that to a man.

"Mister Rupert Giles," the man acknowledged, a small smile lifting his lips as he twirled the glass he held in his hands. "It has been a while, has it not, old chap?"

"A bloody long time," Giles agreed, fighting the smile that was threatening to break free. Despite their old friendship, too many things had gone down in the past year for him to be able to welcome his appearance with open arms. Too many things that all originated with a single man - a man that he had once believed that he could trust. "I was surprised to receive your call. How did you get Miss Parker's phone number? She mentioned that it was unlisted."

"The Council has its ways. And personally, I was surprised at your choice in a location for this little rendezvous."

"As was I to hear that you were in town," Giles quickly pushed on, strengthened by his friend's words. "Did you come with Travers?"

"No," Samuel denied, his expression tightening. "I came in case Mr. Travers failed."

"He has," Giles quickly supplied, his own eyes growing hard. "He's dead."

"I know," Samuel agreed, his lips turning down in a grimace. "It seems as though the Council has a bit of a dilemma," he admitted, casually leaning back as his eyes took in the man opposite him. "The head of the Watcher's Council and three of their number are dead, one Slayer is still missing, and the other has disappeared from her hospital bed. At present, I'm afraid that you had something to do with this, Rupert," he said, his eyes finally meeting the green eyes of his old friend.

"With Faith's disappearance, yes," Giles agreed, nodding slightly. "Travers, however, was done by Buffy."

"Buffy Summers?" Samuel asked, straightening in his seat as he shook his head slowly. "Your missing slayer?"

"Yes," Giles admitted with a small sigh, debating on exactly how much to share with his old friend - a debate that was over even before it began as the entire truth came spilling out. "We've just recently learned that Buffy was taken by an American corporation known as the Centre," he explained, eyes darting around quickly to assure that this information was only being shared with his fellow Brit. In Willie's bar there were too many patrons that would be more than interested to learn what had really happened to the much-feared Slayer. "They've done something to her, to change her," he added, his eyes growing shadowed, "and now she's being controlled by a man known as Mr. Lyle."

For a moment, Giles' statement was met with a thick silence as Samuel pondered his friend's words. "Then the situation is worse than we'd feared," he admitted, a small frown pulling at his lips.

"Yes, well welcome to my bloody world," Giles muttered, allowing his frustration at so many months of Council inaction to slide through as he leaned back against the hard wall of the bench he rest upon.

At least Samuel had the good graces to look contrite at his words as his eyes once more swept over the aging Watcher. "I truly am sorry, Rupe," he murmured. "I understand that you and Miss Summers were close."

With a small wave of his hand, Giles pushed away the man's sincere attempts to begin making things right between them. It was far too late for such small actions from the Council that he had sworn his allegiance to many long years ago. "What are you doing here, Sam?" he asked, falling into the familiar paces of their younger years.

Nodding his head, Samuel Fellows quickly got down to business. "As you should be well aware, there have always been two factions warring within the Watcher's Council: the one led by Travers and the side that you are more personally acquainted with. The one we've both been with," he amended with a knowing smile before his face turned grim once again. "With Travers gone, our side is making moves to take control once again, as it should have long ago. Yet neither faction can ignore the fact that the world is still in need of a Slayer-"

"You're not getting Faith," Giles interrupted, squaring his shoulders as he glared at his friend. And from the way that his friend's brow shot up quizzically, Giles knew he was as confused about Giles' sudden loyalty to the girl as were the others. All he knew was that Buffy's last coherent words were words that begged for Giles to help her sister slayer. And he wasn't about to let his Slayer down. Not again. Not ever again. "She's safe and you'll never find her."

Sighing, Sam nodded slowly, his eyes drifting away from Giles and back to his drink. "And I accept that," he said, startling his friend with his words. "Yet regardless, the fact remains that the world still needs a Slayer."

Confused, Giles slowly shook his head. "But you don't really believe that Buffy's death will cause another Slayer to be called, do you? Her death, albeit temporary, by the Master's hand three years ago already called her replacement in the form of Kendra. Kendra's death, in turn, called Faith. The next Slayer won't be called until Faith's own death."

"And of this, I am fully well aware," Sam retorted, a tentative smile lifting his lips. "Which means that we better find a way to get your Slayer back," he said, watching as Giles finally understood what he was really doing there. That for the first time, the Watcher's Council was there to lend their assistance. "Is there anything we can do to help?"

For a moment, Giles could barely dare to believe what his old friend had asked - until he realized who it was that was offering the assistance. By sending anyone else, the Watcher's Council risked Giles' wrath as knew that he could never again believe a word that left the mouth of a member of the Watcher's Council - not after Quentin Travers. But by Samuel Fellows coming, on behalf of the Council... now Giles truly believed that perhaps all wasn't lost after all. "Now that you mention it, yes, there is something the Council can do."

"Anything within my power," Sam assured.

"We need to get our hands on a quicker acting version of the Cruciamenturn drug - and we need it as soon as possible," Giles said, watching as a play of emotions flashed across Sam's face.

"Done," he quickly assured, his mind already working through the implications. "Do you still have the remainders from the test last year?" he queried.

"Back in my flat somewhere, but you might as well consider it out of our reach," Giles countered, shaking his head quickly. "The Centre will be watching it and will move in quickly - too quickly - upon first sight of someone entering. Will this be a problem?"

"No, it shouldn't," Sam assured, the skin on his forehead wrinkling slightly as he quickly worked on other avenues to acquire the drug. "Is there anything else?" he asked, returning his attention to his old friend.

"Not at present," Giles declined, "but we'll be in contact," he added as he stood, their business completed as Sam quickly joined him beside the table.

"Fair enough," Samuel concurred, shaking his hand in true British fashion. "And it really was good seeing you again, Rupe - good luck," he added as Giles nodded once and then turned away.

Without once looking back, Giles made his way through the bar and then out into the dark night beyond. Stilling on the empty walk, he took a moment to breathe in the clean, brisk January air before making his way to the rented sedan that idled a few feet away. Opening the rear door, he settled into the backseat beside Xander, pulling the door shut and meeting Jarod's eyes through the rearview mirror. With a small nod, Jarod quickly put the car in gear and pulled into the quiet night traffic.

"Well?" Miss Parker asked, swiveling in her seat beside Jarod to get a look at the tired Watcher.

"They're getting it," he replied simply, knowing instantly to what she was referring. "And have you all made any progress while I was inside?"

With a tight-lipped, calculating smile that was all too familiar to the Pretender that sat beside her, Miss Parker slowly nodded her head, her eyes locking with Xander behind her. "We've a few more details to work out with the others, but we should be set to go a little before sunset tomorrow night."

"Although we still haven't talked about how we're going to get the Centre there," Xander added, frowning softly.

This time, it was Jarod who responded, his expression grim. "That won't be a problem. I'm positive that Lyle will have surveillance there. Once we arrive, the Centre will be sure to follow."