Chapter 5 A Prince of a Prince

Thanks for the reviews so far! It's nice to hear that you are enjoying the story. Giles certainly has gotten himself into a situation hasn't he? Please take note that I am taking liberty with some characters and timeline to fit the story. It doesn't necessary follow the timeline of the series. I hope you continue to enjoy the twists and turns. There are more to come. Please review and let me know what you think.

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The beautiful sky turned suddenly gray and the thunder rolled in the distance. The picture perfect scene was turning black and they needed to make it to the castle soon. Just as they began walking the rain began to pour and soon they were running side by side.

"Well that certainly came upon us quickly. To think that I thought Sunnydale weather was unpredictable. We just went from sunshine and roses to raining on our parade." Buffy was tired and now wet. This did not make for a happy slayer.

Buffy and Spike managed to make it to the door of the castle without incident. The plan did seem to be going well so far, except for the sudden downpour. They were both still alive, well at least she was, and that was a plus.

The door knocker was intricate and beautiful. It was a very large dragon head and the detail was exquisite. Of course, maybe it was just because she could appreciate a good dragon when she saw one. She used the knocker and pounded loudly. Surely someone was home.

Spike was nervous and pacing behind Buffy. He ran his hand through his hair to drag out the rain that had settled there. This was his idea and now he was becoming just a bit nervous that maybe it was a bad idea. They had no idea what might be behind the door and he didn't want Buffy to get hurt. His feeling hadn't changed as much as he tried to push them away. She doesn't want you. He told himself that. Somehow, he couldn't make himself believe it.

Buffy knew Spike would back her up if there was to be a fight. She looked at him intently. He looked worried. His hair was all messed from running his hands through it and the rain had caused it to curl a little. Why was she looking at his hair? He looked almost human sometimes and it scared her.

There were sounds of footsteps and seconds later the door was opening and a servant girl was looking them straight in the eye. "May I help you?"

"Yes, we seem to be lost. We got caught in the storm. Maybe you can help us."

"No, I am sorry. This is the residence of Prince Julian of Edington. He doesn't take kindly to strangers in his home. Please, leave right away." The girl was very nervous and was trying to shut the door in their faces.

Buffy frowned a little. Something about this girl was quite familiar. She didn't look happy to see them, that was for sure. At least she wasn't an ugly demon trying to rip their heads off. Did she say Prince Julian? That name didn't ring any bells. Of course, why would it.

Just then a very handsome man in his late twenties came up behind the servant girl. "Excuse me Gina, is there a problem? You didn't say we had guests. Please, do come in out of the rain."

The servant girl bowed her head. "Very sorry sir." She scurried away without another word.

"I am sorry for the rudeness of my help. I hope that you weren't inconvenienced. I am Julian. Welcome to my home."

Buffy was stumbling for the right words and Spike was not impressed. He would keep his mouth shut for now, until they knew more about this bloke. They needed help after all and this was the first human they had seen in this unknown place. Human. That was certainly a premature decision on his part. He certainly seemed human. Definitely not vampire. He nodded his head and greeted the prince. "Thanks. The names Sp……."

Buffy interrupted quickly. "Yes, my name is Buffy and this is…….William, my husband. We are very sorry for the intrusion. We thought maybe you could give us directions to town. We were…attacked…. by thieves….. a few miles away and they took our carriage, horses, and all of our things. Then is started to rain and your castle was the only place in sight." Buffy was surprised at what she was saying but it seemed to just keep flowing out. She couldn't make it stop.

Spike looked paler than usual and he was frowning. Husband? Thieves? Directions to town? What was she bloody goin' on about? This was not in the plan. What was the slayer up to?

He started to speak but Buffy quickly stomped on his foot. She gave him a look that said shut up and just go with this. "Yes, we were traveling through your beautiful countryside on our honeymoon and these men came out of nowhere. They were brutes. They left us with nothing but the clothes on our backs."

The Prince was intrigued. Clothes yes, and what peculiar clothes they were. They certainly weren't from around here. That much was true. He didn't want to be rude. "Well, I am very sorry that you have met with such bad circumstances. I am afraid every land has their unsavory characters. Please, except my apologies for my fellow countryman who have shamed us all by their actions. The least that I can do is offer you board for the night and some dry clothes. You won't be finding the nearest town in this storm."

Good. He bought the story hook, line, and sinker. Buffy was quite please with her quick thinking. This should buy them some time to snoop around and find out exactly where they were and hopefully more pieces to this weird puzzle. This plan was last minute but she was beginning to think her quick wit had bought them some time.

"Thank you very much Prince Julian. Your kindness is appreciated. I am not sure what…. William and I would have done if you had turned us away."

"Please…….call me Julian. You are very welcome. I will call someone to take you to your room. As soon as you have changed into some dry clothing then you can join me for the evening meal. I am sure you must be very hungry from your long walk. We can talk about your situation and how I can help you."

Spike had been standing very patiently and waiting for some kind of clue from Buffy as to what she was planning. It looks like we are stay'in the night. Did she call him William again? She had a lot of explaining to do. He hoped she knew what she was doing. Did he say hungry? I doubt he will be offering any blood at this meal. He would just have to make the best of it for now.

Just then the same servant girl appeared and ushered them both upstairs. At least they would get some dry clothes. He was soaked to the bone and his coat was dripping. Bloody hell. Spike just knew they weren't going to have any black t-shirts and jeans handy. This was go'in to be a long night.

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Willow walked from class in the bright sunshine. She was having a good day. The professor had called on her twice in class and she had answered brilliantly both times. She couldn't wait to tell Oz. Their relationship was going good as well. It wasn't really a relationship yet, but it could be. He certainly seemed interested. She hoped she didn't blow it.

She hadn't heard from Buffy last night and she was worried. It wasn't the first time she hadn't come back to the dorm. Maybe she stayed with her mom last night. Maybe she stayed out all night slaying. Sometimes that happened. She would ask Giles when she got to the Magic Box. Surely he had heard from Buffy.

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Giles was pacing the floor with glasses in hand. This was bad, really bad. He could just feel it. Mr. Hargis' phone call was not relieving his fears. What did he mean Buffy wouldn't be able to contact him? He needed to do something. It seemed reasonable to call the Council and try to contact Mr. Hargis again. He needed more answers. His previous conversation hadn't shed any light on the situation and his confidence that he had made the right decision in keeping information from Buffy was certainly fading.

He searched through his address book and picked up the phone. "I'll just call him and demand answers." Yes, that was the plan. He dialed the number and a woman answered.

"Yes, this is Rupert Giles and I need to speak with Mr. Hargis right away." There was a quick "just a moment sir" and then the woman returned to the line. "I am sorry sir, but we have no one by that name."

"You do not understand miss, I am Rupert Giles. I am a watcher in Sunnydale and I need to speak with Mr. Hargis right away. It is very important watcher business. I know that he is a member of the council, so please ring me through."

The woman indicated that she would check again. "I am sorry Mr. Giles, but we don't have a Mr. Hargis as a member of the council. I have checked the records twice sir. He does not work here."

Giles heart raced. He had all the proper paperwork. All the proper identification. Giles knew what it looked like because he had identification of his own. He surely would have known a fake. "Thank you miss", he whispered as he hung up the phone.

He needed to think. Who should he call now? What was the next step? If Mr. Hargis wasn't a member of the Watcher's Council, then who was he? Maybe he was a secret member. Did they have those? What purpose did he have in asking Giles to have Buffy investigate the disappearances? Too many questions and not enough answers.

It was time to come clean with the gang. He needed help in finding Buffy and figuring all this out and it needed to be soon. It was no telling what kind of trouble she was in. He had sent her out alone as well. He certainly wished she wasn't alone.