Disclaimer: Characters off BtVS are Joss'
Authors note: Yes I KNOW they're all coming out of character. I swear I'm not doing it on purpose though, it just keeps happening. I think they want to grow up :) It's their fault I tell you! Blame the Characters! Lol. But yeah, I'll try and get them to act their age again, although I'm thinking they need to get a little older.
And Kendra was distracted because she could sense the atmosphere was different to usual, and it was making her a little nervous because she didn't know why exactly. I should remember that even though I know what I mean to be happening you guys don't unless I write it, huh?
Anyway, I'll try keep it interesting, in character, and remember to explain what's going on in future, k?
CHAPTER 18 Giles glared at the door of the Council chambers. He had been stuck out here for more than an hour, and was still mystified as to what the Council could possibly want.
They had ordered him halfway across the country to London, a three hour drive in the car used for Council business, and then hadn't even bothered to give him any explanation why he had been summoned.
But from what he could hear through the door it didn't sound too good. It seemed they were discussing a new teacher needed for a young magick student. And in his mind that could only mean one thing. They were going to take Willow away and assign her another teacher.
Of course they could be talking about some other student, but then why would he have been called here?
He wondered what his young charges were up to back in Traverston. Terrorising poor Wesley probably. He had left the younger Watcher in charge, there being no alternative.
Giles wasn't actually sure if the younger man had the stamina to look after all of the children. He was half expecting to return home and find the poor man stark raving mad, trembling in a corner or something.
A slight squeak alerted him to the opening of the chamber door. And it had come none too soon. If he had been left outside much longer he thought he would have barged through the door.
"Please come in Mr. Giles" Quentin Travers called from inside the room.
Giles strode in and stood at the end of the table, waiting for the senior Watchers to talk. He would have demanded an explanation but he knew from long experience they would not tell him anything until they were good and ready.
"I suppose you are wondering why we have called you here Mr Giles," Travers stated..
Giles just stood there, waiting for the man to continue.
"You see, it has come to our attention that there is a student witch who needs a more advanced instructor," Travers explained. "And we believe that your work in the Rosenberg girl's case makes you the perfect candidate" Giles felt his eyebrows shoot up. What!? Him? He had taught Willow nothing unusual. Everything he had taught her had been standard council issue. Yes he and Willow were moving faster than the average student would, but why would that make him the perfect candidate? He hadn't even had any experience teaching before Willow.
"But why?" He asked, voicing his thoughts, "There must be several experienced instructors who would be more suited than I"
Travers nodded. "Yes, but the council believes you to be the correct Watcher in this case."
"You see" one of the other senior watchers, whose name Giles couldn't recall, continued, "We believe that this child will fit in with the atmosphere you teach and live in. The child in question is the same age as your other student, and we believe it would be more productive for both of them to learn together"
The tone that was said in indicated that no argument would be heeded. It looked like Giles was getting a new charge, and student.
He sighed. "when should I expect the child?"
Travers raised his eyebrows, as if marvelling at Giles' not realising an obvious fact, and answered that question himself. "Why, in a few minutes" he said, peering at the clock on the wall. "We have sent someone to fetch her from her chambers, so she should arrive shortly."
A quiet knock sounded on the door, and a tall Watcher walked in, accompanied by a small brown haired child who looked scared stiff at being there.
"Ah, yes, Miss Maclay, we were just waiting for you" Travers said, motioning the child closer.
"Mr Giles, this is Tara Maclay, Miss Maclay, This is Mr Giles, who we are assigning as your new instructor" The child just stood there looking nervous. Giles smiled over at her. The poor thing was obviously not happy to be here. Where were her parents? Was this another orphan he was to be put in charge of?
Travers nodded in dismissal. "Thank you Mr Giles, that is all. Please take Miss Maclay back to Traverston and get her settled. Her things will be delivered there in the next few days."
The tall Watcher who had accompanied the child bent down to say goodbye. "Be good for Mr Giles Tara. I'll come and see you in a few weeks okay?" he said.
Tara nodded silently. Her father had told her that she wasn't allowed to hug him goodbye in front of the Council. She felt like crying. She didn't want to leave her dad. But she had to. He had told her it was for the best.
She silently walked over to join her new teacher, determined that she wasn't going to let her tears escape.
Giles felt his blood boil. The Council hadn't bothered to give him any details about the child, other than her name. They were just handing the poor child over and expecting him to look after her. And she was in the same boat. No doubt all she knew of him was his name and that he was to teach her. No wonder she was looking so nervous about following him.
He couldn't be bothered objecting. The council would never change.
He ushered the child out of the chambers and led her down to the car. He was determined to learn all he could about the child and to tell her about his other charges as well. He didn't know why exactly but the lack of information from the Council had just made him want to fill in every gap in said information.
But how was he supposed to do that? The child didn't look as if she wanted to volunteer information about herself. In fact she didn't look like she wanted to talk at all.
"So Tara, do you like learning to use your powers?" he asked conversationally. The child nodded, but didn't expand on that.
Tara smiled a little. This guy seemed nice. Way nicer than those men at the council. But Tara didn't like strangers too much. She just wanted to be back home with her Dad.
Tara missed her home. Her Dad had told the council that her magick was getting good. She wished that her Dad hadn't gone and told them, that he'd just kept teaching her like he always had. Then she'd still be at home.
She missed her dad too. But he had said that she had to go and learn. And that it was safer if she could control her powers, that things could get dangerous if she didn't get it trained. Tara didn't get that. Magick was beautiful. How could it be dangerous?
"You live with some kids my age, don't you?" she said, figuring she may as well talk to the man, since her dad had also told her to be good. And some people thought that if you didn't talk you were being rude.
Giles almost jumped at the sound of the little voice coming from the back seat. He had almost started to believe the child couldn't talk, that was how quiet she was.
"Yes, how did you know that?" he asked, puzzled. Perhaps the child had been told some thing about him after all.
"My father said you did. But he didn't know what they were like or anything." Tara told him.
Giles was astonished how the child called her father 'father'. Most five year olds still used 'daddy', or at least 'dad'. Although he was starting to suspect that the tall Watcher who had brought her to the Council Chambers was her father. If that were the case she would sound grown up. He would probably have been grooming her for a life in the Council.
Watcher's children generally matured quicker than usual. It was the life in the Council that did it. Giles had learned that from his own youth.
"Yes, I have several children living with me. Do you know what a Potential is?" he asked, getting dŽjˆ vu. He had asked Willow the very same question the first time he had met her, almost a year ago now.
"Unh huh, my father told me about them" Tara said.
Giles nodded. His suspicion was at least partially correct. Her father was a Watcher.
"Well I have three Potentials who live with us. There is also my other student, another Watcher and two boys." Giles said. He was surprised at how large the group sounded when he said it like that. He hadn't realised just how fast it was growing. A year ago it had just been him and the three Potentials. Six months before that just him and Buffy.
Tara wrinkled her nose. She had to live with boys? Her dad had told her that boys were noisy and dirty and that she should stay away from them until she was really old. From his descriptions boys sounded icky. She wasn't sure she wanted to be friends with any.
Tara hadn't ever had many friends. Her father and she lived a quiet life and didn't interact with other people that much. Only Watchers, and sometimes their kids. Her dad had said that was because Watchers weren't supposed to have friends. And she was going to be a Watcher one day so she didn't need any either.
But she used to have one friend. Willow Rosenberg. Her parents had been Watchers too. Willow and her mum and dad had lived near Tara, and Tara used to go and play there a lot, when her father had let her. Willow knew magick too. But she was better than Tara.
But one day her father had told her that Willow was leaving, 'cause her Parents had been killed. Tara had cried at that. She had liked Mr and Mrs Rosenberg. She really missed Willow.
But maybe the Potentials Giles had said about would be nice. And maybe his student would be too. That would be fun. She hadn't known any other magick students her own age, other than Willow. Maybe this one would be as nice as Willow.
"What're their names?" she asked, curiously. This man was so friendly that she decided she liked talking to him after all. Maybe it would be nice living with him. And her father had promised to visit too.
Giles smiled, happy she was showing some interest. "The Potential's names are Buffy, Faith and Kendra, the boys are Xander and Oz and my student is called Willow" he told her.
Suddenly everything went quiet in the back seat. Thinking that Tara had just clammed up again Giles waited for a few minutes. Then he started wondering if something he'd said had upset her so turned around to check.
She looked OK to him. She was sitting there with a grin on her face, looking much happier than she had been the rest of the journey.
"What're you grinning at?" Giles asked, his curiosity sparked. The look on her face was so different from the small smiles she had given before.
Tara couldn't believe it. Could it really be the same Willow? It had to be, surely. How many 5- year old girls with magick could there be in the country? It wasn't exactly a common name.
She realised Giles had said something, and she hadn't heard it. "What'd you say?" she asked.
Giles looked amused. "I asked what you were grinning about" he repeated.
"Well, you know your student, Willow? Is her last name Rosenberg??" Tara asked, still excited. She was going to see Willow again. She was sure of it. This was gonna be so cool!
Giles nodded, and Tara could see the puzzled look on his face in the rear view mirror.
"I used to know her before" Tara explained. "She was my best friend."
Giles' look became surprised. That was something he hadn't expected. Willow had mentioned a friend she had had before her parents died, a fellow witch. But she had never mentioned her name as far as Giles could remember.
"Well, that's quite a coincidence isn't it?" he said. Or was it? Surely the council had to have known. But if they had, why had they placed Tara with him? Giles had never known the council to like anyone in their ranks having friendships. It was openly discouraged with Potentials, Watchers, and of course Slayers. So why should it be any different for Watcher's kids?
He realised that perhaps Tara's father had had a hand in this. That was a possibility. He wouldn't have wanted his child to go and live with complete strangers surely?
Tara suddenly became more talkative, telling Giles about how she and Willow had played together, and asking Giles a heap of things about how her friend was now.
Giles told her some of the recent escapades Willow and her friends had been up to, causing Tara to giggle. But she was secretly surprised when he told her these things. Willow had always been really shy when Tara had known her, and would never have dreamed of doing the things that Giles was saying.
She hoped that Willow still wanted to be friends. And that Willow's new friends would be her friends too. Friends were good.
Giles was surprised how soon they reached Traverston, once they had started talking the trip seemed to speed by.
He looked into the back seat. Tara was sitting there looking out at the buildings that surrounded them.
"Is this where you live?" she asked, it seemed so nice. She and her dad had lived in a flat. Here it was really spread out, and there were lots of gardens and everything.
"Well, not quite here" Giles said, amused at her wonder, "But not far. Welcome to Traverston"
Authors note: What do you think? Better? Tara sound somewhere around 5? I think I need to get more fluffy, concentrate on them acting like little kids, rather than on what training they're getting. Agree, disagree? Anyway, please review and tell me what you think, and thanks to everyone who's given me advice or reviewed already.
Authors note: Yes I KNOW they're all coming out of character. I swear I'm not doing it on purpose though, it just keeps happening. I think they want to grow up :) It's their fault I tell you! Blame the Characters! Lol. But yeah, I'll try and get them to act their age again, although I'm thinking they need to get a little older.
And Kendra was distracted because she could sense the atmosphere was different to usual, and it was making her a little nervous because she didn't know why exactly. I should remember that even though I know what I mean to be happening you guys don't unless I write it, huh?
Anyway, I'll try keep it interesting, in character, and remember to explain what's going on in future, k?
CHAPTER 18 Giles glared at the door of the Council chambers. He had been stuck out here for more than an hour, and was still mystified as to what the Council could possibly want.
They had ordered him halfway across the country to London, a three hour drive in the car used for Council business, and then hadn't even bothered to give him any explanation why he had been summoned.
But from what he could hear through the door it didn't sound too good. It seemed they were discussing a new teacher needed for a young magick student. And in his mind that could only mean one thing. They were going to take Willow away and assign her another teacher.
Of course they could be talking about some other student, but then why would he have been called here?
He wondered what his young charges were up to back in Traverston. Terrorising poor Wesley probably. He had left the younger Watcher in charge, there being no alternative.
Giles wasn't actually sure if the younger man had the stamina to look after all of the children. He was half expecting to return home and find the poor man stark raving mad, trembling in a corner or something.
A slight squeak alerted him to the opening of the chamber door. And it had come none too soon. If he had been left outside much longer he thought he would have barged through the door.
"Please come in Mr. Giles" Quentin Travers called from inside the room.
Giles strode in and stood at the end of the table, waiting for the senior Watchers to talk. He would have demanded an explanation but he knew from long experience they would not tell him anything until they were good and ready.
"I suppose you are wondering why we have called you here Mr Giles," Travers stated..
Giles just stood there, waiting for the man to continue.
"You see, it has come to our attention that there is a student witch who needs a more advanced instructor," Travers explained. "And we believe that your work in the Rosenberg girl's case makes you the perfect candidate" Giles felt his eyebrows shoot up. What!? Him? He had taught Willow nothing unusual. Everything he had taught her had been standard council issue. Yes he and Willow were moving faster than the average student would, but why would that make him the perfect candidate? He hadn't even had any experience teaching before Willow.
"But why?" He asked, voicing his thoughts, "There must be several experienced instructors who would be more suited than I"
Travers nodded. "Yes, but the council believes you to be the correct Watcher in this case."
"You see" one of the other senior watchers, whose name Giles couldn't recall, continued, "We believe that this child will fit in with the atmosphere you teach and live in. The child in question is the same age as your other student, and we believe it would be more productive for both of them to learn together"
The tone that was said in indicated that no argument would be heeded. It looked like Giles was getting a new charge, and student.
He sighed. "when should I expect the child?"
Travers raised his eyebrows, as if marvelling at Giles' not realising an obvious fact, and answered that question himself. "Why, in a few minutes" he said, peering at the clock on the wall. "We have sent someone to fetch her from her chambers, so she should arrive shortly."
A quiet knock sounded on the door, and a tall Watcher walked in, accompanied by a small brown haired child who looked scared stiff at being there.
"Ah, yes, Miss Maclay, we were just waiting for you" Travers said, motioning the child closer.
"Mr Giles, this is Tara Maclay, Miss Maclay, This is Mr Giles, who we are assigning as your new instructor" The child just stood there looking nervous. Giles smiled over at her. The poor thing was obviously not happy to be here. Where were her parents? Was this another orphan he was to be put in charge of?
Travers nodded in dismissal. "Thank you Mr Giles, that is all. Please take Miss Maclay back to Traverston and get her settled. Her things will be delivered there in the next few days."
The tall Watcher who had accompanied the child bent down to say goodbye. "Be good for Mr Giles Tara. I'll come and see you in a few weeks okay?" he said.
Tara nodded silently. Her father had told her that she wasn't allowed to hug him goodbye in front of the Council. She felt like crying. She didn't want to leave her dad. But she had to. He had told her it was for the best.
She silently walked over to join her new teacher, determined that she wasn't going to let her tears escape.
Giles felt his blood boil. The Council hadn't bothered to give him any details about the child, other than her name. They were just handing the poor child over and expecting him to look after her. And she was in the same boat. No doubt all she knew of him was his name and that he was to teach her. No wonder she was looking so nervous about following him.
He couldn't be bothered objecting. The council would never change.
He ushered the child out of the chambers and led her down to the car. He was determined to learn all he could about the child and to tell her about his other charges as well. He didn't know why exactly but the lack of information from the Council had just made him want to fill in every gap in said information.
But how was he supposed to do that? The child didn't look as if she wanted to volunteer information about herself. In fact she didn't look like she wanted to talk at all.
"So Tara, do you like learning to use your powers?" he asked conversationally. The child nodded, but didn't expand on that.
Tara smiled a little. This guy seemed nice. Way nicer than those men at the council. But Tara didn't like strangers too much. She just wanted to be back home with her Dad.
Tara missed her home. Her Dad had told the council that her magick was getting good. She wished that her Dad hadn't gone and told them, that he'd just kept teaching her like he always had. Then she'd still be at home.
She missed her dad too. But he had said that she had to go and learn. And that it was safer if she could control her powers, that things could get dangerous if she didn't get it trained. Tara didn't get that. Magick was beautiful. How could it be dangerous?
"You live with some kids my age, don't you?" she said, figuring she may as well talk to the man, since her dad had also told her to be good. And some people thought that if you didn't talk you were being rude.
Giles almost jumped at the sound of the little voice coming from the back seat. He had almost started to believe the child couldn't talk, that was how quiet she was.
"Yes, how did you know that?" he asked, puzzled. Perhaps the child had been told some thing about him after all.
"My father said you did. But he didn't know what they were like or anything." Tara told him.
Giles was astonished how the child called her father 'father'. Most five year olds still used 'daddy', or at least 'dad'. Although he was starting to suspect that the tall Watcher who had brought her to the Council Chambers was her father. If that were the case she would sound grown up. He would probably have been grooming her for a life in the Council.
Watcher's children generally matured quicker than usual. It was the life in the Council that did it. Giles had learned that from his own youth.
"Yes, I have several children living with me. Do you know what a Potential is?" he asked, getting dŽjˆ vu. He had asked Willow the very same question the first time he had met her, almost a year ago now.
"Unh huh, my father told me about them" Tara said.
Giles nodded. His suspicion was at least partially correct. Her father was a Watcher.
"Well I have three Potentials who live with us. There is also my other student, another Watcher and two boys." Giles said. He was surprised at how large the group sounded when he said it like that. He hadn't realised just how fast it was growing. A year ago it had just been him and the three Potentials. Six months before that just him and Buffy.
Tara wrinkled her nose. She had to live with boys? Her dad had told her that boys were noisy and dirty and that she should stay away from them until she was really old. From his descriptions boys sounded icky. She wasn't sure she wanted to be friends with any.
Tara hadn't ever had many friends. Her father and she lived a quiet life and didn't interact with other people that much. Only Watchers, and sometimes their kids. Her dad had said that was because Watchers weren't supposed to have friends. And she was going to be a Watcher one day so she didn't need any either.
But she used to have one friend. Willow Rosenberg. Her parents had been Watchers too. Willow and her mum and dad had lived near Tara, and Tara used to go and play there a lot, when her father had let her. Willow knew magick too. But she was better than Tara.
But one day her father had told her that Willow was leaving, 'cause her Parents had been killed. Tara had cried at that. She had liked Mr and Mrs Rosenberg. She really missed Willow.
But maybe the Potentials Giles had said about would be nice. And maybe his student would be too. That would be fun. She hadn't known any other magick students her own age, other than Willow. Maybe this one would be as nice as Willow.
"What're their names?" she asked, curiously. This man was so friendly that she decided she liked talking to him after all. Maybe it would be nice living with him. And her father had promised to visit too.
Giles smiled, happy she was showing some interest. "The Potential's names are Buffy, Faith and Kendra, the boys are Xander and Oz and my student is called Willow" he told her.
Suddenly everything went quiet in the back seat. Thinking that Tara had just clammed up again Giles waited for a few minutes. Then he started wondering if something he'd said had upset her so turned around to check.
She looked OK to him. She was sitting there with a grin on her face, looking much happier than she had been the rest of the journey.
"What're you grinning at?" Giles asked, his curiosity sparked. The look on her face was so different from the small smiles she had given before.
Tara couldn't believe it. Could it really be the same Willow? It had to be, surely. How many 5- year old girls with magick could there be in the country? It wasn't exactly a common name.
She realised Giles had said something, and she hadn't heard it. "What'd you say?" she asked.
Giles looked amused. "I asked what you were grinning about" he repeated.
"Well, you know your student, Willow? Is her last name Rosenberg??" Tara asked, still excited. She was going to see Willow again. She was sure of it. This was gonna be so cool!
Giles nodded, and Tara could see the puzzled look on his face in the rear view mirror.
"I used to know her before" Tara explained. "She was my best friend."
Giles' look became surprised. That was something he hadn't expected. Willow had mentioned a friend she had had before her parents died, a fellow witch. But she had never mentioned her name as far as Giles could remember.
"Well, that's quite a coincidence isn't it?" he said. Or was it? Surely the council had to have known. But if they had, why had they placed Tara with him? Giles had never known the council to like anyone in their ranks having friendships. It was openly discouraged with Potentials, Watchers, and of course Slayers. So why should it be any different for Watcher's kids?
He realised that perhaps Tara's father had had a hand in this. That was a possibility. He wouldn't have wanted his child to go and live with complete strangers surely?
Tara suddenly became more talkative, telling Giles about how she and Willow had played together, and asking Giles a heap of things about how her friend was now.
Giles told her some of the recent escapades Willow and her friends had been up to, causing Tara to giggle. But she was secretly surprised when he told her these things. Willow had always been really shy when Tara had known her, and would never have dreamed of doing the things that Giles was saying.
She hoped that Willow still wanted to be friends. And that Willow's new friends would be her friends too. Friends were good.
Giles was surprised how soon they reached Traverston, once they had started talking the trip seemed to speed by.
He looked into the back seat. Tara was sitting there looking out at the buildings that surrounded them.
"Is this where you live?" she asked, it seemed so nice. She and her dad had lived in a flat. Here it was really spread out, and there were lots of gardens and everything.
"Well, not quite here" Giles said, amused at her wonder, "But not far. Welcome to Traverston"
Authors note: What do you think? Better? Tara sound somewhere around 5? I think I need to get more fluffy, concentrate on them acting like little kids, rather than on what training they're getting. Agree, disagree? Anyway, please review and tell me what you think, and thanks to everyone who's given me advice or reviewed already.