Starting Over 3 - Two Departing Sunnydale
Giles winced as the sound of his front door being slammed reverberated through his apartment. One day she'd break his bloody windows. The Watcher glanced across at Willow who looked terrified and Spike who was smirking.
"The little bitch! And that idiot!" Buffy screamed as she stormed into the apartment, a battered-looking Riley on her heels.
"She caught you with one of your goats again Farm Boy?" Spike shut up at a glare from Buffy.
"So what happened?" Giles asked neutrally. He hoped with all his heart that Buffy hadn't done anything she'd end up regretting.
"I tracked that little slut down to Angel's office. And then Angel hit Riley and Xander, Xander drew a gun on me!"
Xander? The Watcher's eyes widened. He hadn't realised that the young man had gone, but then why should he? He'd barely noticed when he was around recently. The Englishman shot a warning glance to a chuckling Spike.
"Xander! Why would Xander go with that skank!" Willow demanded hotly.
"The little whore probably promised to open her legs for him again," Buffy snorted disdainfully.
"Jealous?" muttered Spike before wincing at a slap to the back of the head from Buffy.
In Giles' opinion it was considerably more likely that Xander thought Faith was worth helping. It was a viewpoint that he had considerable sympathy with but hadn't bothered to voice. What was the point - since when had Buffy taken his advice or anybody's except her own and maybe Riley's? The Watcher listened tight-lipped as the character assassination of Xander and the threats to Faith continued. Finally he'd had enough. "Get out."
Buffy and Willow looked up in surprise. "We haven't finished yet," pouted Buffy.
"Oh I rather think you have." The Watcher corrected with a glare. "I'm sick of listening to you denigrate Xander. So if you want to continue talking about that marvellous young man in such a manner you can bugger off."
The two girls looked abashed but Riley snorted. "Harris, he's just a -."
"Shut your bloody hole," Giles felt the Ripper inside of him begin to bubble up. "Finish that sentence about a young man who's killed more demons than you've bloody seen you prat and I'll make sure the only way you leave here is on a stretcher."
The Watcher was pleased to see the colour drain from Riley's face and the soldier's jaw clamp shut. The Englishman turned to the girls. "You still here? Take this pillock with you and get out! And don't come back until you're willing to moderate your opinions about both Xander and Faith!"
* * *
Giles sighed as he started to pack his bags, taking care to ensure all his most important texts and belongings were secured. He didn't want to leave Sunnydale but with his influence over Buffy waning and Finn's growing, there was little point in staying. Perhaps he could head to L.A. and offer to be Faith's Watcher. Although why she should accept he had no idea - not after the mess he'd made of the job last time. If she didn't want him, he could always return to England.
Suddenly his musings were interrupted by the sound of clapping behind him. Turning, he saw Spike grinning at him. "Bloody hell that was more fun than chowing down on a whole cheerleading squad."
"Spike what are you still doing here?" Giles groaned inwardly. Sodding marvellous, stuck with the neutered vampire. "I thought I told you to leave."
"Go with the witless wanker and his two groupies? No bloody chance!" the bleached blonde snorted. "So when we leaving?"
"Leaving?" Giles tried for an innocent expression. "Who said I'm going anywhere?"
Spike laughed. "I've been watching you pack for the last half hour. You've just been so engrossed you didn't realise I was still here."
The Watcher shook his head in disgust, being distracted was a good way of getting yourself killed in Sunnydale. "So why do you want to leave Sunnydale? And more to the point, why on earth would I want to take you with me?"
For once the vampire's face lost its habitual cockiness. "Without the whelp, it isn't fun around here. He's the only one nearly capable of matching insults with me. And he's got the biggest set of stones out of all of you, saved all of your lives a bunch of times even though he hasn't got a calling or a special power."
"You like him!" An unwilling smile tugged at the Watcher's lips..
"Take that -. Oh, he's all right." The vampire shrugged. "And if you leave I lose an important source of blood and the Initiative are more likely to come after Hostile 17." "All right, so you've convinced me why you want to leave. Now why should I take your undead arse with me?"
"Two reasons. Firstly, unless I miss my guess you'll be heading to L.A. Can you imagine how pissed Peaches would be if I turned up?"
Giles chuckled, there were few things on earth that gave him more pleasure than annoying Spike's grand-sire. "Tempting, but not enough. And your second reason?"
"I've hidden your car keys."
The Watcher glanced towards the key hook and cursed. "You sneaky bastard!"
Spike grinned. "I'm a vampire, what did you expect?"
"Oh very well," Giles gave in with ill grace. "If you help me pack then we'll go as soon as we're ready."
"Not a good idea, best wait until tonight."
"Why?" In his book, the sooner the better.
"Because those dozy Initiative wankers have had you under surveillance for the past fortnight. I'm figuring with your demonology and vampire knowledge, you try and leave they might try and stop you. We've got more chance of slipping away at night."
"Damn it," Giles thought for a second before nodding. "Tonight it is then."
* * *
"Professor Walsh?"
"Yes Agent Finn?"
Riley faltered for a second under his boss' laser-gun stare before continuing. "I have an idea regarding the Slayer project."
"Really," the woman smiled thinly. "Go on."
"Although Summers is at least in part protected by the Council of Watchers it turns out there's a second Slayer, Faith. This Slayer is considered rouge."
"Interesting, continue."
"Well, apparently the Council have already tried and failed to eliminate Faith. This makes me think that they'd turn a blind eye to Faith being studied." The professor smiled, for a few seconds she drummed her fingers thoughtfully on her office desk. "And where is this Faith exactly?"
Riley hesitated, here was the tricky part. "In L.A., under the protection of the vampire Angelus."
"Angelus is known as a particularly nasty vampire," the professor commented, her brow furrowing in thought. "But better one vampire than the entire Council, we're not ready to take them on yet. Organise a surveillance to investigate the viability of snatching this Faith." Riley hid a smile as the professor strode away. He'd teach that bitch and Harris that nobody messed with him.
Giles winced as the sound of his front door being slammed reverberated through his apartment. One day she'd break his bloody windows. The Watcher glanced across at Willow who looked terrified and Spike who was smirking.
"The little bitch! And that idiot!" Buffy screamed as she stormed into the apartment, a battered-looking Riley on her heels.
"She caught you with one of your goats again Farm Boy?" Spike shut up at a glare from Buffy.
"So what happened?" Giles asked neutrally. He hoped with all his heart that Buffy hadn't done anything she'd end up regretting.
"I tracked that little slut down to Angel's office. And then Angel hit Riley and Xander, Xander drew a gun on me!"
Xander? The Watcher's eyes widened. He hadn't realised that the young man had gone, but then why should he? He'd barely noticed when he was around recently. The Englishman shot a warning glance to a chuckling Spike.
"Xander! Why would Xander go with that skank!" Willow demanded hotly.
"The little whore probably promised to open her legs for him again," Buffy snorted disdainfully.
"Jealous?" muttered Spike before wincing at a slap to the back of the head from Buffy.
In Giles' opinion it was considerably more likely that Xander thought Faith was worth helping. It was a viewpoint that he had considerable sympathy with but hadn't bothered to voice. What was the point - since when had Buffy taken his advice or anybody's except her own and maybe Riley's? The Watcher listened tight-lipped as the character assassination of Xander and the threats to Faith continued. Finally he'd had enough. "Get out."
Buffy and Willow looked up in surprise. "We haven't finished yet," pouted Buffy.
"Oh I rather think you have." The Watcher corrected with a glare. "I'm sick of listening to you denigrate Xander. So if you want to continue talking about that marvellous young man in such a manner you can bugger off."
The two girls looked abashed but Riley snorted. "Harris, he's just a -."
"Shut your bloody hole," Giles felt the Ripper inside of him begin to bubble up. "Finish that sentence about a young man who's killed more demons than you've bloody seen you prat and I'll make sure the only way you leave here is on a stretcher."
The Watcher was pleased to see the colour drain from Riley's face and the soldier's jaw clamp shut. The Englishman turned to the girls. "You still here? Take this pillock with you and get out! And don't come back until you're willing to moderate your opinions about both Xander and Faith!"
* * *
Giles sighed as he started to pack his bags, taking care to ensure all his most important texts and belongings were secured. He didn't want to leave Sunnydale but with his influence over Buffy waning and Finn's growing, there was little point in staying. Perhaps he could head to L.A. and offer to be Faith's Watcher. Although why she should accept he had no idea - not after the mess he'd made of the job last time. If she didn't want him, he could always return to England.
Suddenly his musings were interrupted by the sound of clapping behind him. Turning, he saw Spike grinning at him. "Bloody hell that was more fun than chowing down on a whole cheerleading squad."
"Spike what are you still doing here?" Giles groaned inwardly. Sodding marvellous, stuck with the neutered vampire. "I thought I told you to leave."
"Go with the witless wanker and his two groupies? No bloody chance!" the bleached blonde snorted. "So when we leaving?"
"Leaving?" Giles tried for an innocent expression. "Who said I'm going anywhere?"
Spike laughed. "I've been watching you pack for the last half hour. You've just been so engrossed you didn't realise I was still here."
The Watcher shook his head in disgust, being distracted was a good way of getting yourself killed in Sunnydale. "So why do you want to leave Sunnydale? And more to the point, why on earth would I want to take you with me?"
For once the vampire's face lost its habitual cockiness. "Without the whelp, it isn't fun around here. He's the only one nearly capable of matching insults with me. And he's got the biggest set of stones out of all of you, saved all of your lives a bunch of times even though he hasn't got a calling or a special power."
"You like him!" An unwilling smile tugged at the Watcher's lips..
"Take that -. Oh, he's all right." The vampire shrugged. "And if you leave I lose an important source of blood and the Initiative are more likely to come after Hostile 17." "All right, so you've convinced me why you want to leave. Now why should I take your undead arse with me?"
"Two reasons. Firstly, unless I miss my guess you'll be heading to L.A. Can you imagine how pissed Peaches would be if I turned up?"
Giles chuckled, there were few things on earth that gave him more pleasure than annoying Spike's grand-sire. "Tempting, but not enough. And your second reason?"
"I've hidden your car keys."
The Watcher glanced towards the key hook and cursed. "You sneaky bastard!"
Spike grinned. "I'm a vampire, what did you expect?"
"Oh very well," Giles gave in with ill grace. "If you help me pack then we'll go as soon as we're ready."
"Not a good idea, best wait until tonight."
"Why?" In his book, the sooner the better.
"Because those dozy Initiative wankers have had you under surveillance for the past fortnight. I'm figuring with your demonology and vampire knowledge, you try and leave they might try and stop you. We've got more chance of slipping away at night."
"Damn it," Giles thought for a second before nodding. "Tonight it is then."
* * *
"Professor Walsh?"
"Yes Agent Finn?"
Riley faltered for a second under his boss' laser-gun stare before continuing. "I have an idea regarding the Slayer project."
"Really," the woman smiled thinly. "Go on."
"Although Summers is at least in part protected by the Council of Watchers it turns out there's a second Slayer, Faith. This Slayer is considered rouge."
"Interesting, continue."
"Well, apparently the Council have already tried and failed to eliminate Faith. This makes me think that they'd turn a blind eye to Faith being studied." The professor smiled, for a few seconds she drummed her fingers thoughtfully on her office desk. "And where is this Faith exactly?"
Riley hesitated, here was the tricky part. "In L.A., under the protection of the vampire Angelus."
"Angelus is known as a particularly nasty vampire," the professor commented, her brow furrowing in thought. "But better one vampire than the entire Council, we're not ready to take them on yet. Organise a surveillance to investigate the viability of snatching this Faith." Riley hid a smile as the professor strode away. He'd teach that bitch and Harris that nobody messed with him.