Chapter 11: More or Less
The phone call had come earlier the next day. Willow was needed. Although, she never actually said where. The urgency of the call taking her by surprise and so she left with little more then a 'Goodbye, be back soon, nobody turn themselves into a rat while I'm gone.'
It was a little later in the morning that Giles came back minus the potential he had been seeking. Buffy opened the door after his brief knock, a cold look on her face.
"What, no warm body to take up any more space? Giles, you must be slipping."
Giles moved passed her, removing his glasses and rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Yes, well, I was late, um, getting there. There wasn't anyone left to pick up once I did."
That earned him a mere nod and an "Oh."
They stood there for a moment, Buffy closing the door behind him and crossing her arms over her chest. Daring him to give her a reason.
"Buffy," It wasn't Giles voice, however, that broke the silence but Spike's. He addreseed her as he moved into the room, a couple random potentials behind him. "We were about to do some one on one training in the basement, I thought. . ." His voice trailed off as he noticed the other man in the room. His blue eyes turning a steely gaze as he stopped his forward momentum. "Your busy. Nevermind." He held Giles gaze for a moment then turned on his heel and left. The potentials looking back and forth between the three adults, damning the Powers that Be for placing them with trainers straight outta some poorly written soap opera.
"Spike."
"Forget it, Slayer, I'll take the first leg of it, You join us when you can." He stated as he headed through the kitchen and towards the basement.
Meanwhile, Giles just stood there, watching. A bit taken aback by the vampire's all to cool reaction to the watchers present. Having half expected a snarling vamp to lunge for his throat. He turned to his slayer then. Wishing there was something he could say to make her trust him again. He knew that his alliance with Wood wasn't the smartest idea. Mainly because it hadn't worked, but also because it had managed to have the opposite effect, causing Buffy to trust Spike more and them less. He needed to make her understand. "Buffy,"
She raised her index finger at him, her expression ice, "Don't. Don't even try and explain this away." He started to speak, but she cut him off again, "Or try and apologize, because I will not claim responsibility for what I will do to you if you do. Spike has a soul. You will treat him as such, or you can leave." She waited a moment as this sunk into him. "One good thing about your ridiculous scheme though, Spike's trigger? It's gone. Good old Robin pretty much beat it out of him before he was left with a nasty limp. Now, if you have any interest in helping us at all with this thing, feel free to start sorting through the mounds-o-research we've been digging up, see if anything catches your eye." She turned leaving a stunned Watcher behind her, as she headed to the basement.
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Giles had stayed. He had also begun sorting through the piles, trying to make sense out of the scrawled notes. Muttering under his breath, "Containment spell? How the hell do they plan to. . .and what's all this rubbish about glamours doing in here? Willow shouldn't need notes on that. . .Oh, so you can kill a Turok-Han with a stake, just need to try harder, hmm." His monologue was broken up by Andrew, who had placed a cup of tea in front of the man, settling himself into a nearby seat. Giles took a sip, before looking up to see who had joined him. "Hmm, thanks."
"Protection."
"Huh? What was that?" Giles queried the young man, his eyebrows knitting together for a moment as he placed the tea back down.
Andrew continued all be it a little hesitantly, "The glamours. The notes aren't for Willow. Dawn was helping me figure out how to do them so that we could, well. . ." His voiced trailed off as he saw the look on the watchers face. The former Trio member's hands moving sporadically from his lap to his side, cocking his elbow and supporting his head, till finally he was standing behind the chair, hands grasping the top rung.
"For during the containment spell that Willow is working on. She, she thinks that maybe we can keep all the bad stuff the First lets out when it opens the Hellmouth, kinda like. . ." He cut himself off, *No movie, comic, or TV show references. No movie, comic, or TV show references. No movie. . .* the mantra played repeatedly in his head but, damn it, if it wasn't his knee jerk reaction. *oh, why can't Xander be here, or Dawn.* He whined to himself before continuing, noticing for the first time that the older man was waiting for him to continue.
"See they figure they can stop the Hellmouth's energy from spreading too far. Keep it locked up ya, know.* he paused, moving to the other side of the table. "That way everyone can fight the, well can fight whatever comes through, in a closed off space. And I figured since I'm no good at fighting." He looked sheepish as he continued. "And raising Demons what exactly be useful, that I could kind stay on the outskirts and help conceal anyone who's hurt, so that they don't become yummy First deserts." He shrugged, still unable to keep sit still; he plopped back down arms stretched out on the table in front of him, hands upturned in a plea. "It's something I can do to help. . ."
Giles nodded, leaning back in the chair with an audible sigh. " I see that, but this spell Willow is looking to do," the thought that this was Andrew he was trying to have an intelligent conversation with barely there, seeing as how no one else was around to listen to him. "Well, it would involve her channeling a lot of dark magicks. I'm not so sure that would be wise. Given her history."
Andrew nodded emphatically in agreement and began riffling through the papers. "She figured that, see." He pushed a paper in front of Giles for him to read. "A counterspell? What's that for? Oh. . ." Realization dawned on the Watcher as he saw for the first time a chance for this to all work out. At least with out taking into what the big eye had said, or the fact that they had no idea when this was all going to take place. But still, it was better then nothing, which was all they had had up till now. "They have been busy haven't they?"
Andrew smiled. "Yeah, we actually all worked for hours together with out even once resorting to violence, well maybe once, but hey, nothing's perfect."
"Quite. So where is Willow?"
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"No, no, no." Buffy threw her hands up into the air. "What have I been telling you since you got here. Trust. Your. Instincts. Don't try and be all super-girly, because you aren't and it's gonna get you killed." The potential nodded once, her gaze not wavering. Buffuy nodded back to her, glad that she seemed to understand and that she wasn't all limp from losing the sparring session. "Now go on out back and work with the others."
It had been a long morning. And afternoon and early evening for that matter. Buffy and Spike had spent the day training with each girl on their own while the rest worked out back. For the most part the whole lot of them was shaping up rather well, and for that Buffy was extremely grateful. She didn't want to wear the girls out, but she didn't want the all to end up as compost either. She figured somewhere in the middle would be good.
Spike stretched his arms over his head cleaning the room up from the lessons as Buffy sipped some water from a bottle. Sitting down on Spike's cot with him joiing her a moment later.
He was tired of the damn silence. Yeah, it had been nice for a while. When neither of them spoke then neither of them could fuss it up. So he figured that was a good thing. But, he was tired of it all the same. He wasn't the only one.
"So," Talking seemed like a good idea, when she thought of it. Her hands clasping and unclasping as she tried to think of something to say, because she wanted to talk she really did, she just didn't know what to say.*How about the truth for a change?* The inner Buffy offered only to rebutted by a very forceful, *Nah.*
He lit a cigarette. "S'okay, Buffy. We don't have to talk."
*How does he do that?* God, that was eerie.
"I know, it just. . .It feels like we should, clear the air, so to speak of course." She smiled through the smoke now wafting through the room.
"Oh, yeah. Sorry. You got that whole breathing issue." He smiled at her, a small bit of warmth to it as he took another drag and stamped it out.
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it, pet." He leaned back against the wall, sighing heavily. Damned if he wasn't exhausted. * 's amazing how much energy those potentials can drain a man of.* He thought, closing his lids.
Resigning herself to the silence, she leaned back on the wall herself, closing her own eyes, figuring she could at least get some peace and quiet down here for a few minutes before it was time to patrol.
"Still not ready for me to leave." It was a statement of fact rather then a question.
Her voice was small, but steady. "No."
They sat like that for quite some time, neither one very sure who leaned whose head on whose shoulder. Or who placed whose hand on whose first. Or who was the first to drift off to sleep, a stolen bit of warmth here, a hopeful amount of comfort there. Or who needed who more. Not that it mattered. All that mattered really was that they where there and that for a moment they were happy. More or less.
The phone call had come earlier the next day. Willow was needed. Although, she never actually said where. The urgency of the call taking her by surprise and so she left with little more then a 'Goodbye, be back soon, nobody turn themselves into a rat while I'm gone.'
It was a little later in the morning that Giles came back minus the potential he had been seeking. Buffy opened the door after his brief knock, a cold look on her face.
"What, no warm body to take up any more space? Giles, you must be slipping."
Giles moved passed her, removing his glasses and rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Yes, well, I was late, um, getting there. There wasn't anyone left to pick up once I did."
That earned him a mere nod and an "Oh."
They stood there for a moment, Buffy closing the door behind him and crossing her arms over her chest. Daring him to give her a reason.
"Buffy," It wasn't Giles voice, however, that broke the silence but Spike's. He addreseed her as he moved into the room, a couple random potentials behind him. "We were about to do some one on one training in the basement, I thought. . ." His voice trailed off as he noticed the other man in the room. His blue eyes turning a steely gaze as he stopped his forward momentum. "Your busy. Nevermind." He held Giles gaze for a moment then turned on his heel and left. The potentials looking back and forth between the three adults, damning the Powers that Be for placing them with trainers straight outta some poorly written soap opera.
"Spike."
"Forget it, Slayer, I'll take the first leg of it, You join us when you can." He stated as he headed through the kitchen and towards the basement.
Meanwhile, Giles just stood there, watching. A bit taken aback by the vampire's all to cool reaction to the watchers present. Having half expected a snarling vamp to lunge for his throat. He turned to his slayer then. Wishing there was something he could say to make her trust him again. He knew that his alliance with Wood wasn't the smartest idea. Mainly because it hadn't worked, but also because it had managed to have the opposite effect, causing Buffy to trust Spike more and them less. He needed to make her understand. "Buffy,"
She raised her index finger at him, her expression ice, "Don't. Don't even try and explain this away." He started to speak, but she cut him off again, "Or try and apologize, because I will not claim responsibility for what I will do to you if you do. Spike has a soul. You will treat him as such, or you can leave." She waited a moment as this sunk into him. "One good thing about your ridiculous scheme though, Spike's trigger? It's gone. Good old Robin pretty much beat it out of him before he was left with a nasty limp. Now, if you have any interest in helping us at all with this thing, feel free to start sorting through the mounds-o-research we've been digging up, see if anything catches your eye." She turned leaving a stunned Watcher behind her, as she headed to the basement.
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Giles had stayed. He had also begun sorting through the piles, trying to make sense out of the scrawled notes. Muttering under his breath, "Containment spell? How the hell do they plan to. . .and what's all this rubbish about glamours doing in here? Willow shouldn't need notes on that. . .Oh, so you can kill a Turok-Han with a stake, just need to try harder, hmm." His monologue was broken up by Andrew, who had placed a cup of tea in front of the man, settling himself into a nearby seat. Giles took a sip, before looking up to see who had joined him. "Hmm, thanks."
"Protection."
"Huh? What was that?" Giles queried the young man, his eyebrows knitting together for a moment as he placed the tea back down.
Andrew continued all be it a little hesitantly, "The glamours. The notes aren't for Willow. Dawn was helping me figure out how to do them so that we could, well. . ." His voiced trailed off as he saw the look on the watchers face. The former Trio member's hands moving sporadically from his lap to his side, cocking his elbow and supporting his head, till finally he was standing behind the chair, hands grasping the top rung.
"For during the containment spell that Willow is working on. She, she thinks that maybe we can keep all the bad stuff the First lets out when it opens the Hellmouth, kinda like. . ." He cut himself off, *No movie, comic, or TV show references. No movie, comic, or TV show references. No movie. . .* the mantra played repeatedly in his head but, damn it, if it wasn't his knee jerk reaction. *oh, why can't Xander be here, or Dawn.* He whined to himself before continuing, noticing for the first time that the older man was waiting for him to continue.
"See they figure they can stop the Hellmouth's energy from spreading too far. Keep it locked up ya, know.* he paused, moving to the other side of the table. "That way everyone can fight the, well can fight whatever comes through, in a closed off space. And I figured since I'm no good at fighting." He looked sheepish as he continued. "And raising Demons what exactly be useful, that I could kind stay on the outskirts and help conceal anyone who's hurt, so that they don't become yummy First deserts." He shrugged, still unable to keep sit still; he plopped back down arms stretched out on the table in front of him, hands upturned in a plea. "It's something I can do to help. . ."
Giles nodded, leaning back in the chair with an audible sigh. " I see that, but this spell Willow is looking to do," the thought that this was Andrew he was trying to have an intelligent conversation with barely there, seeing as how no one else was around to listen to him. "Well, it would involve her channeling a lot of dark magicks. I'm not so sure that would be wise. Given her history."
Andrew nodded emphatically in agreement and began riffling through the papers. "She figured that, see." He pushed a paper in front of Giles for him to read. "A counterspell? What's that for? Oh. . ." Realization dawned on the Watcher as he saw for the first time a chance for this to all work out. At least with out taking into what the big eye had said, or the fact that they had no idea when this was all going to take place. But still, it was better then nothing, which was all they had had up till now. "They have been busy haven't they?"
Andrew smiled. "Yeah, we actually all worked for hours together with out even once resorting to violence, well maybe once, but hey, nothing's perfect."
"Quite. So where is Willow?"
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"No, no, no." Buffy threw her hands up into the air. "What have I been telling you since you got here. Trust. Your. Instincts. Don't try and be all super-girly, because you aren't and it's gonna get you killed." The potential nodded once, her gaze not wavering. Buffuy nodded back to her, glad that she seemed to understand and that she wasn't all limp from losing the sparring session. "Now go on out back and work with the others."
It had been a long morning. And afternoon and early evening for that matter. Buffy and Spike had spent the day training with each girl on their own while the rest worked out back. For the most part the whole lot of them was shaping up rather well, and for that Buffy was extremely grateful. She didn't want to wear the girls out, but she didn't want the all to end up as compost either. She figured somewhere in the middle would be good.
Spike stretched his arms over his head cleaning the room up from the lessons as Buffy sipped some water from a bottle. Sitting down on Spike's cot with him joiing her a moment later.
He was tired of the damn silence. Yeah, it had been nice for a while. When neither of them spoke then neither of them could fuss it up. So he figured that was a good thing. But, he was tired of it all the same. He wasn't the only one.
"So," Talking seemed like a good idea, when she thought of it. Her hands clasping and unclasping as she tried to think of something to say, because she wanted to talk she really did, she just didn't know what to say.*How about the truth for a change?* The inner Buffy offered only to rebutted by a very forceful, *Nah.*
He lit a cigarette. "S'okay, Buffy. We don't have to talk."
*How does he do that?* God, that was eerie.
"I know, it just. . .It feels like we should, clear the air, so to speak of course." She smiled through the smoke now wafting through the room.
"Oh, yeah. Sorry. You got that whole breathing issue." He smiled at her, a small bit of warmth to it as he took another drag and stamped it out.
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it, pet." He leaned back against the wall, sighing heavily. Damned if he wasn't exhausted. * 's amazing how much energy those potentials can drain a man of.* He thought, closing his lids.
Resigning herself to the silence, she leaned back on the wall herself, closing her own eyes, figuring she could at least get some peace and quiet down here for a few minutes before it was time to patrol.
"Still not ready for me to leave." It was a statement of fact rather then a question.
Her voice was small, but steady. "No."
They sat like that for quite some time, neither one very sure who leaned whose head on whose shoulder. Or who placed whose hand on whose first. Or who was the first to drift off to sleep, a stolen bit of warmth here, a hopeful amount of comfort there. Or who needed who more. Not that it mattered. All that mattered really was that they where there and that for a moment they were happy. More or less.