Summary:       Spike runs into Giles at the pub.  The 'old friends' talk.

Disclaimer:    Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy own everything.  But I wouldn't mind leasing Spike from them for a couple of weeks :)

Feedback:     As always, appreciated.

Seeing Spike Through Buffy's Eyes Chapter 7 - Nice to See You Again

"Balls!"  Spike looked up at Giles from his place on the floor.  He brought his hand up to check his nose.  Not broken, but damn close.  "So you're the one who taught her how to do that." 

"Very effective, isn't it?"  Giles was wiping his hands on his handkerchief.  He'd been wanting to do that for years.  First the idiot vampire tries to kill his Slayer, then he falls in love with her driving her crazy, and then he leaves making her miserable.  He deserved a good beating. 

Suddenly, a strong hand wrapped around Giles' arm.  "Boss, you want me to throw this guy out?"  Duncan was already dragging Giles towards the door.  Nobody touched the boss.

Spike stood up, still inspecting his nose.  "No, it's okay, Dunc.  Probably deserved it anyway.  Old friend, ya' know."  Spike took the handkerchief Giles still held and wiped the blood from his nose.  He looked around the pub.  "Shows over folks.  Last call.  Bar closes in 20."  Spike turned his attention back to the Watcher.  "Nice to see you too, Ripper.  Can I buy you a drink?" 

"No, thank you.  I have one waiting for me at the table."  Giles did NOT want to spend any more time in the vampire's company than necessary.  He knew the name of the pub was a bad omen when he first heard it.  If it weren't for the others in his group, he would have bypassed the place all together.  Young Watchers are imbeciles, he thought.

"So, the Dewar's was for you?  Leave it.  I have better stuff upstairs."  Spike had no intention of letting Giles out of his site. 

Giles lowered his voice as he spoke.  "Spike, the last thing I need is to have a lengthy conversation with you in front of the others.  I'm going to have a hard enough time explaining our confrontation."

Spike looked over Giles' shoulder.  The other Watchers were doing exactly that – watching.  "Right then.  Come back after closing.  I'll be waiting with a bottle." 

Indecision was written on Giles' face, but he nodded curtly, turned and walked back to the waiting group. 

YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

Two hours later, Giles was sitting on Spike's couch, a glass of scotch in his hand.  He's right; this is better than the Dewar's, Giles thought.  This night was not going the way he thought it should.  What in God's name was he doing in Spike's flat at 5 o'clock in the morning?  And what was Spike doing with a flat?  A very nice flat at that. 

Spike walked into the living room.  "Sorry, just needed to change.  Can't stand the smell of the pub after working hours."  Spike poured himself a drink.  "So, what brings you to New Orleans, Ripper?"

"I could ask you the same question.  And quit calling me that!"  The nickname infuriated the middle-aged man.

Spike chuckled, thinking of his 'luv'.  "Slayer gets her best stuff from you, doesn't she?  'quit calling me that', the punch to the nose.  Tell me, what else did you teach her?"  Spike settled himself into his favorite chair, regarding the hostile man sitting on his couch.  "Look Giles, let's drop this.  I haven't seen anyone I know in a long time.  Do you think we could manage a civilized conversation?"

Giles looked at the vampire sitting across from him.  When Spike had first gotten the chip and was staying at Giles' house, the two men had come to an understanding.  Although the Scoobies hadn't known about it, and both of them would deny it, they had become comfortable together.  "Yes.  I think that is possible.  So, what are you doing in New Orleans?  From what the Cartha demon said, I assume you own the pub downstairs?"

"Actually, I own the whole building."  Spike took a cigarette out of its pack.  "But let's start with you.  Watcher's convention, I presume."

"Yes, this year's convention is here in the city.  Although I'm not exactly a favorite of the Councils, I am still the pseudo-Watcher of the current Slayer.  I was asked to speak concerning her dealings with Glory.  It was considered a great honor."  The last sentence left an awful taste in Giles' mouth.

"Yeah, I can see that.  Didn't like talking about it, did ya'?  Still haven't told them about Buffy being dead for five months."  Spike remembered the pain that Giles went through after Buffy jumped into the portal to save the world – again.  None of them would ever forget the time without her.

Giles began to relax.  It was good to talk to someone who knew the truth about the incident.  "No.  I haven't told them.  Never will.  I've put myself in the muck with this one.  Haven't told them about Buffy.  Haven't told them about Dawn.  I skirted the issue, telling them Glory had managed to find the young girl that held the Key, but I never gave the name.  I used the guise of protection.  But it still doesn't sit well."

"What did you tell them?"  Spike leaned in closer.  Although Giles didn't realize it, his voice had grown quiet.

Giles stared into his glass.  "I told them about Buffy's fight with Glory.  How she was able to defeat her with everyone's help.  The spell Willow had used to weaken Glory's power.  Xander and the wrecking ball.  The troll's hammer.  The orb.  Everything.  I told them when Glory lost control of the body she shared with Ben, the wounds she had sustained had been too much for his human body.  He had died, taking her with him.  I did not tell them about my part in his death, nor did I mention Doc.  I felt it was best to leave things as they were.  I absolved all of us." 

"You protected your girls.  That's the important part.  You did the right thing, Ruppert."  It wasn't often that Spike used Giles' first name.  "Can I pour you another drink?"  Spike walked over to take Giles' glass.

"Getting to be quite the barkeep, aren't we?  Getting back to the subject; what are you doing here?"  This Spike was not the Spike to which Giles was accustomed.  This was not the demon he had left in Sunnydale.

Spike poured each of them a new drink.  He handed Giles the fresh glass, then went back to his chair.  "That is a long, interesting story.  I assume that you knew I had left Sunnydale." 

"Yes, Buffy called me the day after you left.  Your leaving surprised me.  Your letter also surprised me.  It contained very astute personal observations, I would say."  Giles watched Spike's face for a reaction. 

And he got one.  "I'm stunned.  She read you the letter?  I didn't think she would."

"Buffy read it to all of us.  She thought it was important for everyone to hear what you had to say.  No one was more surprised than Xander.  He now thinks it's his responsibility to screen her dates before she goes out."  Giles kept watching Spike's face.  Did he still love the girl, or not?

"Dates?  So, the Slayer's dating?"  Pain and anger quickly flashed across Spike's face.  He does care, thought Giles.  "Well, bully for the Slayer.  Glad she's getting on with her life.  Hope she does better than Captain Cardboard." 

"Yes, she's doing quite well.  But you were going to tell me how you ended up owning a pub."  Giles wanted to steer the conversation away from Buffy.  He would come back to it later.  As soon as he found out what was going on in Spike's life. 

"It's late.  Why don't we continue this in the morning?  You're more than welcome to stay here, if you don't want to go back to the hotel.  I have an extra room."  She's dating?  Faith hadn't mentioned dating.

"Thank you for the offer, but I have a plane in the morning.  The convention ended yesterday."  Giles really didn't want to leave.  He wanted to know what was going on with Spike.

"Call the airlines, change the flight.  Stay a couple more days.  I have the room.  You could think of it as a holiday."  Spike was beginning to babble as badly as Willow.  "I could show you the darker side of New Orleans.  There are some businesses in the area run by demons that might interest you.  There's even a bookstore.  I'm sure you could find things in there you've never seen."

Giles had to stop himself from laughing.  The vampire was lonely.  "That might be interesting.  Maybe I could stay, if you don't mind.  I have been looking for information concerning the Key.  Unfortunately, I haven't had any luck in England.  Do you think I would have better luck here?"

"Yes, definitely.  Let me show you around the flat.  You can call the hotel, tell them someone will be 'round tomorrow to pick up your trunks."  Spike motioned for the Watcher to follow him. 

Giles wasn't sure how to ask, but he had to know.  "Spike, I don't mean to question your hospitality, but –"  Spike spun around with the speed only a vampire and a Slayer possessed.  One minute Giles was standing, the next he was flying back into the cushions of the couch, clutching his arm where Spike had hit him.  Spike was clutching his head.  Giles laughed.  "That's settled.  Let's look at the room, shall we?"

YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

"Buffy, come on!  I have other things to do today.  I can't waste my time waiting for you to finish the grocery list."  Dawn impatiently tapped her foot on the kitchen floor. 

"Without the grocery list, it's a waste of time going to the store.  You know I'll forget something."  Buffy tucked her hair behind her ear, smiling at her little sister.  "Just be thankful I'm letting you out of this trip.  What time are you supposed to meet Michael at the movies?"  Michael was Dawn's first boyfriend.  Buffy liked him; he was a nice kid.  A nice, human, no-demons-allowed-to-date-my-sister, kid.   

"One o'clock.  The movie starts at 1:15.  And it's almost one now, so hurry up."  Dawn rolled her eyes.  Big sisters are such a pain.  The phone rang.  Dawn crossed the kitchen to answer it.  "If I'm late because of this call…"

Dawn picked up the phone.  "Hello, Summer's residence. (pause) Oh, hi, Mr Giles. (pause) I'm doing okay. (pause) Yeah, Buffy's right here.  Hold on a minute.  Buffy, it's Mr Giles."  Dawn handed the phone to her sister.  "Movies?!"

"I'll keep it brief, Dawnie, I promise."  Buffy took the phone from her sister.  "Hey, Giles!  What's up? (pause) Okay.  Thanks for letting me know.  We worry about you. (pause) Talk to you soon. Bye."  Buffy hung up the phone.  "See, brief."

"What did Giles want?"  Dawn asked as Buffy picked up her keys from the kitchen counter.

Buffy also grabbed the grocery list.  "He ran into an old friend at the Watcher's convention.  He's going to stay with him for a few days in New Orleans.  He wanted us to know in case we tried to call him in England.  You know.  Just Giles being Giles.  Come on, you're going to be late."  The Summers' sisters headed out the door.

YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

"So everything's okay then?"  Spike asked as Giles walked into the kitchen.

"Yes.  I told her I was staying in New Orleans for a few more days than anticipated.  And no, I didn't tell her with whom I was staying."  When Giles had first told Spike he needed to call Buffy, the vampire had made it abundantly clear he didn't want the Slayer to know where he was.  "I still don't understand why you don't want me to tell them.  I sure they would want to know you're okay.  And Dawn would like to talk to you, to apologize – "

"They've moved on with their lives.  They don't need to know anything about me.  And the longer I'm out of the picture, the sooner the Nibblet will forget.  And the sooner she forgets, the better off everyone will be.  I don't think about them, do I?  Haven't even asked you about them."  Spike took his mug of blood out of the microwave.

"Yes, Spike.  You've forgotten about them completely.  That's why the top of that monstrosity you call a television set is littered with their pictures."  Giles hadn't noticed them the night before, but he had seen them this morning.  There were pictures of all the Scoobies, himself and Joyce.  Flanking the ends were 8x10 photos of Buffy and of Dawn. 

"Well, everyone else I know is dead.  I needed to put something up there."  Spike had forgotten about the pictures.  He should have put them away last night.  Giles probably thought he was a bigger poof than Peaches.  "Anyways, I have work to do downstairs.  Shouldn't take me too long.  Fix yourself some breakfast.  Then we can talk."  Spike walked out of the flat, slamming the door behind him.

Giles shook his head.  The boy still had it bad.  Giles wasn't sure how he felt about Buffy's feelings for Spike.  Realistically, he knew that no good could come of it, but part of him didn't care.  He wanted his Slayer to be happy.  She deserved that much.  Forcing the thought from his mind, he went about making breakfast.  And trying to reason why Spike would have eggs and bacon in his fridge.  

-----TBC