CHAPTER TWELVE: SCOOBIES
Monday, 1st February 1999
The Scoobies gathered in the library, seated quietly around the table. Willow had tears in her eyes and Xander looked tired and forlorn. Cordelia and even Oz looked lost. Giles was in his office, speaking to someone loudly on the phone. The Scoobies could tell that the conversation wasn't going the way that Giles had wanted it to go. Their theory of Giles' frustration was further proved when Giles slammed down the receiver and stalked angrily into the main area of the library.
"Pillock."
"What did the Council say Giles?" Willow asked quietly.
Giles ran a tired hand through his hair. He had been trying for the past two days to get Travers to allow a truth spell to be placed on the two Slayers so they could determine what had truly happened, but Travers was being obstinate about the entire affair.
"They refuse to allow any sort of investigation into what happened. They're taking Faith's word as truth," the ex-Watcher explained.
"I thought Watcher's were meant to be smart," Xander commented. "Why won't Travers do anything about this?"
Giles sighed and sat down at the table beside Willow. He removed his glasses and wiped them clean before attempting to answer.
"My guess is that Travers is not Buffy's biggest fan. In fact, I would go so far as to say that he basically hates her," Giles explained. "Keeping her away from her friends and family is probably his way of revenge."
"Revenge?" Cordelia asked. "For what?"
"For Merrick," Giles replied.
The Scoobies all exchanged confused looks. They'd never heard that name before.
"I think I speak for all of us when I say 'who'?" Xander asked.
"Her first Watcher," Giles replied. "John Merrick Travers. He was killed when Buffy was still in LA. A very powerful Master Vampire named Lothos had Buffy under a sort of thrall, and she froze during battle. Lothos went to kill her, and Merrick intercepted. He was staked through the heart with his own stake. Buffy was forced to watch it."
"Poor Buffy," Willow whispered quietly. One of the tears that had been welling slid down her cheek. She'd never asked Buffy about her time as the Slayer before Buffy had moved to Sunnydale. Hearing that Buffy had lost a Watcher, whom Willow assumed Buffy had respected in the same way that they all respected Giles was heartbreaking for the redheaded girl.
"So where does this Travers guy fit in?" Cordelia asked.
"Travers was Merrick's brother," Giles answered. "They were incredibly close. No doubt Travers blames Buffy for Merrick's death. Hearing that Buffy has been accused of killing a human by staking them in the heart probably hit rather close to home for him."
"You ruin my life, so I ruin yours," Oz surmised.
Giles nodded. He replaced his glasses and regarded the Scoobies intently.
"The Council is unfortunately very much under Travers thumb. We were lucky that they allowed her to be placed in Hogwarts. If she'd been placed under the care of the Council, chances are we would never see her again. They're methods of re-education would be…brutal," Giles admitted. "Whilst she may not exactly be trusted within Hogwarts grounds, she is not openly resented by the students, only the staff."
"Too bad Snyder isn't a teacher at Hogwarts," Xander joked. "He'd have a field day."
"Quite. As it is, we have more of a chance of trying to prove Buffy's innocence in this with her at Hogwarts," Giles explained.
The Scoobies exchanged worried glances. In the past two and a half days, their group had been shattered. They couldn't even begin to imagine how much worse Buffy was probably feeling in all of this. They had no idea of whether to believe Buffy or Faith, though they were more inclined to believe their friend rather than the newer Slayer.
Faith had been shipped out of Sunnydale right after Buffy had been taken. The brunette Slayer had been given a new Watcher, and Wesley had retreated back to England, much to the delight of the Scoobies and Giles especially. They didn't want to believe that Buffy had killed someone, even if it had been an accident, but the truth was, it may well have happened.
They could all remember the incident with Ted, Joyce's boyfriend. He had turned out to be a robot, but before that secret had been discovered, they'd all believed him to be a human. Add that to Giles' explanation that accidents had happened to other Slayers, and the Scoobies had enough reason to doubt that Buffy was truly innocent. They wanted to believe it, but having no word from Buffy even though they knew she wasn't allowed to correspond with them, they all doubted that the Slayer was truly infallible.
"How are we meant to prove it?" Willow asked. "With Faith gone and Buffy not being allowed to write or call, how exactly are we meant to prove that she didn't do it when we're not even sure if she really did it or not? And even if we can prove it, who's to say that the Council would actually do anything about it if that Travers guy really is as nuts as he sounds? And what if-"
"Wills, breath," Oz said quietly.
Giles sighed and shook his head. "I really don't know," Giles replied in answer to every single one of Willow's rambled out questions.
Willow looked at the downtrodden group and spoke decisively. "We'll find a way. We always do."
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Yay to the sudden updates…grr at ff.net for being all blechy! ;) Thanks to everyone for reviewing! Ur all wonderful people!
Toodles.
K.