Chapter 5
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Forgotten thoughts of yesterdays, through my eyes I see the past.
"Drift and Die" Puddle of Mudd
*********************************************************************
Giles felt his hands leave Jenny's but his eyes still did not open to see where she had disappeared to. He suddenly became very aware of the dull twang of pain in his shoulder and the rhythmic throbbing of his head. He concentrated on his breathing as it became harder with every breath. He felt everything flooding back to him again and he suddenly wished he were dead. He fought the urge to throw up as he tried to take in his surroundings, not having the strength to open his aching eyes. A cold wave passed over him as he felt a damp cloth on his forehead and he was grateful for it. He heard muffled voices, a panic in them that scared him. He wondered what was happening to bring such panic and fear to the voices. He swallowed and found himself blinking in the dimly lit room, unsure of where he was. He heard a voice call his name and he rolled his head over to his left to see who it was, suddenly regretting it. He opened his mouth to speak, but the words got stuck somewhere on the way out, coming out as a pained moan instead.
"It's okay Giles. Take it easy." He recognized that voice. He blinked a couple of times trying to take in the blurred image as it started to clear,
"Will - Willow?" he stuttered out. He felt a hand on his forehead, brushing his damp hair away and removing the now warm cloth. He watched a faint smile appear on the witch's lips as her eyes sparkled, threatening tears,
"Oh God Giles. I thought- I thought I'd lost you." She said almost a whisper.
"Takes more than that to get rid of the G-man." Xander said sitting down on the coffee table behind Willow, watching Giles tired features,
"Kind of a spectacular entrance Giles. Three years of nothing and then suddenly-wham! You turn up on our doorsteps battered to pieces." Giles swallowed nervously, knowing what he was saying was true, but he found the words harsh nonetheless.
"Xander not now." Willow said turning to glare at him,
"Let him rest and then -"
"No," Giles said as he started to pull himself into a sitting position awkwardly. Xander got up from his seat and helped the man to sit up. Several groans escaped his lips before he was comfortably propped up on the couch.
"Giles you should be resting. You - Whatever happened you shouldn't - you need to rest." Willow said, her voice full of concern.
"Yeah, it can wait Giles." Xander said backing her up,
"No," he said again with obvious effort, "I owe you an explanation. I owe you all an explanation." He said as his eyes drifted into the hall where a reserved Anya hung by the banisters, staring blankly at him.
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After Giles had put one of Xander's old t-shirts on with the help of Willow he found himself settled back into the cushions of the sofa, as comfortable as he could get in the situation. Willow had draped a blanket over him and put extra cushions under his head. He oddly felt like a grandpa in a nursing home telling his grandchildren of the days when he had been a watcher and the things he had done back then.
Willow would not move herself far from him, feeling overprotective, so she had settled herself at the end of the couch. Tara was seated on the floor beside her. Anya had seated herself in Xander's arms on the chair opposite, their hands clasped, wedding rings intertwined. Dawn sat curled up in the other chair; her eyes still red from when she had cried in his arms only moments earlier. Spike stood behind her chair protectively, watching her rather than Giles himself, like an older brother he supposed.
Giles took a sip of the water Willow had given him, along with some painkillers before he began,
"When I left I didn't mean to. I wanted to stay but it was just too hard. I didn't think you needed me anymore, didn't want me around anymore. I was foolish I know, and a large part of me wishes I had stayed.
When I left I returned to England. I bought myself a flat in Bath and had all of my things shipped over from storage in - from here. For a long time my things stayed in boxes and I debated whether I should stay or not, tt didn't seem like home where I was. I found that most of my friends had moved on, some were dead and others just didn't want to know me anymore. For the best part I kept to myself, grieving.
One day I met someone. Her name was Aura and she was a member of a coven situated in Bath. I learned my lesson about the dark arts a while ago, but what Aura and the coven were into was not dark arts, it was good, pure magic. I found myself at the coven once a week and at Aura's house nearly everyday.
Time went by and the grief seemed to lift. They helped me through things. My loss, the things I had done. The lives I had taken, and I began to heal." He paused, taking another drink. He hadn't told them he had killed Ben, and he didn't want to tell. But they were smart enough and they would figure it out. He felt so tired and he wanted nothing more than to lay his head down and sleep everything off, but it had to be told,
"Three years went by and there was never a day I didn't debate returning to Sunnydale. Things stopped me from coming back though. My fears of what you would say, how you would all react after I had left without a word to any of you. Then the Watcher's council kept me there, giving me things to do now and then: errands to run. Aura kept pushing me to come back, but at the same time she wanted me to stay. Yet she was the one who eventually sent me back." He stifled a yawn, giving enough time for Willow to interject,
"Sent you back?" Giles eyes moved to Willow's. This was the part he didn't want to divulge to any of them. The part that told him how he got here and why he was in such a state. Yet he owed it to them and he couldn't keep it bottled up. He nodded, taking another sip of water giving him time to gather his thoughts and his wits,
"She teleported me here, after - after what happened -"
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A month ago . . .
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"Rupert are you almost ready?"
"Almost." Giles replied coming out of the bedroom, trying to do up his bow tie with some difficulty. Aura rolled her eyes and moved away from the mirror where she had been fixing her make up,
"Come here." She sighed as she brushed his hands out the way and proceeded to tie his bow tie. Giles smiled at her as he started to do up his cufflinks, struggling with those too. Aura rolled her eyes at him again,
"At this rate I'm going to be buying you a Zimmer frame for your next birthday." She said smiling mischievously,
"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked finally getting one of his cufflinks done up,
"I'm perfectly capable of doing things by myself." He frowned as the sleeve he had just done up came undone again,
"Just these blasted things won't stay done up." Aura giggled, finishing off his bow tie,
"You're nervous." She said taking his hand in hers, looking into his soft green eyes,
"You'll do fine Rupert." She said, before softly kissing him,
"Yes, well, I suppose someone must have confidence in me."
"You'll do fine. You'll make your speech and everyone will think it's brilliant." She paused as she lifted his other hand to do the other cufflink,
"And funny. And your father will look down on you and be proud."
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Present day.
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"No one other than Aura heard that speech though." Giles said casting his eyes down to his hands. His eyes falling on half his missing index finger,
"That night at the Watcher's council's annual dinner, it was even more hellish than it normally was. Only when I say hellish, I mean literally."
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Watcher's Council's Annual Dinner.
*********************************************************************
Plates shattered as another table was thrown over, screams shattered the air as people realized they were locked in. There was no way out.
Giles searched the mass hysteria from the stage, looking for Aura in the midst of it all. Her sparkling blue dress shimmered as it moved gracefully towards him. He ducked as one of the vampires swung a blow at him. Giles was quick on the re-bound, brushing the vampire's feet from underneath him. He took the opportunity to jump off the stage. Aura appeared in front of him as he bent to retrieve a chair leg from the floor. Their hands took hold of each other's quickly, finding support in them,
"Aura see if you can break the locks." Aura nodded understanding and turned away. Giles caught her by the arm and she turned back. Their lips brushed,
"Be careful." Giles said, looking into her warm brown eyes,
"You too." She said as they parted and went their separate ways.
It seemed like hours had passed before they finally met up again. The Watchers had managed to disperse the vampires, taking them out one by one, but not without heavy casualties. White shirts were now stained red and the cream carpet in the large ballroom was ruined forever.
Aura found herself searching through the wave of people huddled close in the gardens of the large mansion that was owned by Quentin Travers. An accumulation of ambulances had gathered on the gravel drive and people were being seen to. Some others were being carried out the door in body bags and Aura feared the worst. Her heart was beating so fast she thought it would explode in her chest. She shivered as she stood by the front door, waiting for him to appear; her head throbbing as the blood hardened above her right eyebrow. She would have a scar, but she didn't care. She would have a larger scar if she didn't find Rupert.
Suddenly out of the sea of people he appeared and Aura let out a cry as she got up and ran to him,
"Rupert." She said flinging her arms round him. He held her gently with one arm. She pulled away from him, looking up at him her eyes twinkling. Giles hand went to her head where she was hurt and she automatically pulled away. He put an arm round her and led her away from the house,
"We need to get your head seen to." He said soothingly. Her hand tried to find his, but he pulled it out of reach. Aura stopped, frowning,
"Rupert, what's wrong?" she reached for his hand again and caught his arm instead. She pulled it back into view of the spotlights above the entrance to the house. His hand was a bloody mess and half of his index finger was missing. She let out a small gasp before looking up into his pained eyes,
"That attack was deliberate. Wasn't it?" she asked him, shivering again. Giles removed his jacket with some difficulty, before wrapping it round Aura,
"Someone wants the Watcher's council out of the picture, that much is true." He said before leading Aura away to one of the ambulances.
*********************************************************************
Forgotten thoughts of yesterdays, through my eyes I see the past.
"Drift and Die" Puddle of Mudd
*********************************************************************
Giles felt his hands leave Jenny's but his eyes still did not open to see where she had disappeared to. He suddenly became very aware of the dull twang of pain in his shoulder and the rhythmic throbbing of his head. He concentrated on his breathing as it became harder with every breath. He felt everything flooding back to him again and he suddenly wished he were dead. He fought the urge to throw up as he tried to take in his surroundings, not having the strength to open his aching eyes. A cold wave passed over him as he felt a damp cloth on his forehead and he was grateful for it. He heard muffled voices, a panic in them that scared him. He wondered what was happening to bring such panic and fear to the voices. He swallowed and found himself blinking in the dimly lit room, unsure of where he was. He heard a voice call his name and he rolled his head over to his left to see who it was, suddenly regretting it. He opened his mouth to speak, but the words got stuck somewhere on the way out, coming out as a pained moan instead.
"It's okay Giles. Take it easy." He recognized that voice. He blinked a couple of times trying to take in the blurred image as it started to clear,
"Will - Willow?" he stuttered out. He felt a hand on his forehead, brushing his damp hair away and removing the now warm cloth. He watched a faint smile appear on the witch's lips as her eyes sparkled, threatening tears,
"Oh God Giles. I thought- I thought I'd lost you." She said almost a whisper.
"Takes more than that to get rid of the G-man." Xander said sitting down on the coffee table behind Willow, watching Giles tired features,
"Kind of a spectacular entrance Giles. Three years of nothing and then suddenly-wham! You turn up on our doorsteps battered to pieces." Giles swallowed nervously, knowing what he was saying was true, but he found the words harsh nonetheless.
"Xander not now." Willow said turning to glare at him,
"Let him rest and then -"
"No," Giles said as he started to pull himself into a sitting position awkwardly. Xander got up from his seat and helped the man to sit up. Several groans escaped his lips before he was comfortably propped up on the couch.
"Giles you should be resting. You - Whatever happened you shouldn't - you need to rest." Willow said, her voice full of concern.
"Yeah, it can wait Giles." Xander said backing her up,
"No," he said again with obvious effort, "I owe you an explanation. I owe you all an explanation." He said as his eyes drifted into the hall where a reserved Anya hung by the banisters, staring blankly at him.
*********************************************************************
After Giles had put one of Xander's old t-shirts on with the help of Willow he found himself settled back into the cushions of the sofa, as comfortable as he could get in the situation. Willow had draped a blanket over him and put extra cushions under his head. He oddly felt like a grandpa in a nursing home telling his grandchildren of the days when he had been a watcher and the things he had done back then.
Willow would not move herself far from him, feeling overprotective, so she had settled herself at the end of the couch. Tara was seated on the floor beside her. Anya had seated herself in Xander's arms on the chair opposite, their hands clasped, wedding rings intertwined. Dawn sat curled up in the other chair; her eyes still red from when she had cried in his arms only moments earlier. Spike stood behind her chair protectively, watching her rather than Giles himself, like an older brother he supposed.
Giles took a sip of the water Willow had given him, along with some painkillers before he began,
"When I left I didn't mean to. I wanted to stay but it was just too hard. I didn't think you needed me anymore, didn't want me around anymore. I was foolish I know, and a large part of me wishes I had stayed.
When I left I returned to England. I bought myself a flat in Bath and had all of my things shipped over from storage in - from here. For a long time my things stayed in boxes and I debated whether I should stay or not, tt didn't seem like home where I was. I found that most of my friends had moved on, some were dead and others just didn't want to know me anymore. For the best part I kept to myself, grieving.
One day I met someone. Her name was Aura and she was a member of a coven situated in Bath. I learned my lesson about the dark arts a while ago, but what Aura and the coven were into was not dark arts, it was good, pure magic. I found myself at the coven once a week and at Aura's house nearly everyday.
Time went by and the grief seemed to lift. They helped me through things. My loss, the things I had done. The lives I had taken, and I began to heal." He paused, taking another drink. He hadn't told them he had killed Ben, and he didn't want to tell. But they were smart enough and they would figure it out. He felt so tired and he wanted nothing more than to lay his head down and sleep everything off, but it had to be told,
"Three years went by and there was never a day I didn't debate returning to Sunnydale. Things stopped me from coming back though. My fears of what you would say, how you would all react after I had left without a word to any of you. Then the Watcher's council kept me there, giving me things to do now and then: errands to run. Aura kept pushing me to come back, but at the same time she wanted me to stay. Yet she was the one who eventually sent me back." He stifled a yawn, giving enough time for Willow to interject,
"Sent you back?" Giles eyes moved to Willow's. This was the part he didn't want to divulge to any of them. The part that told him how he got here and why he was in such a state. Yet he owed it to them and he couldn't keep it bottled up. He nodded, taking another sip of water giving him time to gather his thoughts and his wits,
"She teleported me here, after - after what happened -"
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A month ago . . .
*********************************************************************
"Rupert are you almost ready?"
"Almost." Giles replied coming out of the bedroom, trying to do up his bow tie with some difficulty. Aura rolled her eyes and moved away from the mirror where she had been fixing her make up,
"Come here." She sighed as she brushed his hands out the way and proceeded to tie his bow tie. Giles smiled at her as he started to do up his cufflinks, struggling with those too. Aura rolled her eyes at him again,
"At this rate I'm going to be buying you a Zimmer frame for your next birthday." She said smiling mischievously,
"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked finally getting one of his cufflinks done up,
"I'm perfectly capable of doing things by myself." He frowned as the sleeve he had just done up came undone again,
"Just these blasted things won't stay done up." Aura giggled, finishing off his bow tie,
"You're nervous." She said taking his hand in hers, looking into his soft green eyes,
"You'll do fine Rupert." She said, before softly kissing him,
"Yes, well, I suppose someone must have confidence in me."
"You'll do fine. You'll make your speech and everyone will think it's brilliant." She paused as she lifted his other hand to do the other cufflink,
"And funny. And your father will look down on you and be proud."
*********************************************************************
Present day.
*********************************************************************
"No one other than Aura heard that speech though." Giles said casting his eyes down to his hands. His eyes falling on half his missing index finger,
"That night at the Watcher's council's annual dinner, it was even more hellish than it normally was. Only when I say hellish, I mean literally."
*********************************************************************
Watcher's Council's Annual Dinner.
*********************************************************************
Plates shattered as another table was thrown over, screams shattered the air as people realized they were locked in. There was no way out.
Giles searched the mass hysteria from the stage, looking for Aura in the midst of it all. Her sparkling blue dress shimmered as it moved gracefully towards him. He ducked as one of the vampires swung a blow at him. Giles was quick on the re-bound, brushing the vampire's feet from underneath him. He took the opportunity to jump off the stage. Aura appeared in front of him as he bent to retrieve a chair leg from the floor. Their hands took hold of each other's quickly, finding support in them,
"Aura see if you can break the locks." Aura nodded understanding and turned away. Giles caught her by the arm and she turned back. Their lips brushed,
"Be careful." Giles said, looking into her warm brown eyes,
"You too." She said as they parted and went their separate ways.
It seemed like hours had passed before they finally met up again. The Watchers had managed to disperse the vampires, taking them out one by one, but not without heavy casualties. White shirts were now stained red and the cream carpet in the large ballroom was ruined forever.
Aura found herself searching through the wave of people huddled close in the gardens of the large mansion that was owned by Quentin Travers. An accumulation of ambulances had gathered on the gravel drive and people were being seen to. Some others were being carried out the door in body bags and Aura feared the worst. Her heart was beating so fast she thought it would explode in her chest. She shivered as she stood by the front door, waiting for him to appear; her head throbbing as the blood hardened above her right eyebrow. She would have a scar, but she didn't care. She would have a larger scar if she didn't find Rupert.
Suddenly out of the sea of people he appeared and Aura let out a cry as she got up and ran to him,
"Rupert." She said flinging her arms round him. He held her gently with one arm. She pulled away from him, looking up at him her eyes twinkling. Giles hand went to her head where she was hurt and she automatically pulled away. He put an arm round her and led her away from the house,
"We need to get your head seen to." He said soothingly. Her hand tried to find his, but he pulled it out of reach. Aura stopped, frowning,
"Rupert, what's wrong?" she reached for his hand again and caught his arm instead. She pulled it back into view of the spotlights above the entrance to the house. His hand was a bloody mess and half of his index finger was missing. She let out a small gasp before looking up into his pained eyes,
"That attack was deliberate. Wasn't it?" she asked him, shivering again. Giles removed his jacket with some difficulty, before wrapping it round Aura,
"Someone wants the Watcher's council out of the picture, that much is true." He said before leading Aura away to one of the ambulances.