Title: Written In The Stars, Part 10 - Giles

Author: Xanfan

Rating: R/NC-17 for future chapters

Pairing??????

Summary: SLASH. Xander and Spike become friends after Spike gets the chip, they are both hurt and Dru rescues them and brings them to Angel to heal.

Spoilers: BtVS up through season 4 and Ats 1st season. I may however take some liberties with the exact timeline, so, any season from either show is fair game.

Warnings: SLASH

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Original Challenge: Spike has been chipped and taken in by the Scoobies. Just as he and
Xander are beginning to become friends something their both hurt and it's up
to Angel to save and care for them. The twist is its Dru that saves them
and brings them to Daddy.

A/N: I may make take some liberties with timelines from both shows. And Anya was just a onetime thing.

Words in Italics indicate thoughts.

Giles slowly replaced the handset of his phone on its cradle.

He stared numbly at it for a moment. Xander and Spike had been taken and apparently, brutally beaten. Xander had very nearly died, had died for a few moments. And I never noticed they were gone.

Giles shook his head to clear it a little. There would be time to dwell on his own poor behavior later, now he needed to contact the others and make plans to travel to Los Angeles.

He dreaded picking up the phone again.

He decided to call Tara, thinking he might be able to talk her into telling Willow and Buffy.

"Hello?" A soft voice answered tiredly.

"Tara, this is Giles."

"Oh, hello Mr. Giles. What's wrong? Is it about Xander?"

"What?...How did you?" Giles began haltingly.

"I noticed that we hadn't seen him or Spike since patrol the other night. I tried to mention it to Willow, but she said he would turn up eventually. I was starting to get worried, but I didn't feel like I could……" Tara said quietly, not sure if it was her place to tell Giles directly about her concerns for Xander and Spike.

"Please my dear, I'm sorry if I made you feel like you couldn't talk to me. Please, always feel free to express your opinions in the future."

"It's just….he always calls to check up on us if we aren't going to see him that day and if we don't meet up after patrol, he calls to make sure we got home okay. He never called that night or the next day, or the day after. Is something wrong?"

"Tara, Xander and Spike were apparently abducted during patrol the other night, by whom, I'm not sure. Earlier, another vampire, Drusilla, brought them to Angel's office in L.A. I'm not sure of the details, or how she became involved, but I don't believe she was the one who took them in the first place. Both Spike and Xander had been beaten. Spike was very weak and Xander had to be taken to the hospital, where surgery was performed to stop some internal bleeding."

"Oh, no." Tara said softly, "Is he going to be okay?"

"I believe so. I was hoping we could gather up the others and go see for ourselves." Giles said.

"I'll go to Willow and Buffy's room and wake them. Should we tell Riley, or not?" Tara asked hesitantly.

"He and Xander have become friends of late, and he is even tolerant of Spike. With the Initiative closed, I can't see that they had anything to do with this. Although, Angel is helping to watch over Xander, so…."

"We could let Buffy decide? But, I think he should be told, I think Riley would want to be there, Angel or not. You're right, he and Xander have gotten close, I think it has something to do with Xander always being around girls and needing a guy friend." Tara said a smile in her voice.

Giles was amazed; this was the longest conversation he had ever had with the shy girl. "Why don't you go wake the girls, tell them to get ready to go, and I'll call Riley. I will be by in about an hour to pick you all up, and we will drive down together."

"That sounds like a good plan. Thank you Mr. Giles."

Giles hung up the phone with a slight smile. He really liked that girl.

He rang Riley next.

"Hello?" a sleep roughened voice answered after the third ring.

"Riley, this is Rupert Giles."

"Giles, is something wrong with Buffy?" Riley said, much more alert.

"No, Buffy is fine as far as I know….."

"Oh God, it's Xander isn't it?" Riley exclaimed.

Giles pulled the phone away and stared at it. How did they know when he himself hadn't?

"Mr. Giles?" Riley asked in the silence.

"Riley, how did you know?"

"I haven't seen Xander or Spike since we left for patrol the other night. He always calls the girls to make sure they're safe and then calls me to let me know everyone is okay. We both pretend he's not checking on me too." Riley said, a touch of a smile in his voice. "He didn't call and I haven't talked to him since. I tried to ask Buffy about it, but she blew me off, and I didn't think it was my place to go over her head to tell you, yet."

Giles sighed, first Tara, now Riley. How had he made these children feel like they couldn't talk to him, except through Buffy or Willow?

"I'm sorry Riley, I feel like I've failed you somehow. We might not always act like it, but this is a family, not the military, there is no rank involved. God forbid something like this ever happens again, please let me know. And always feel free to talk to me, even if it is not an emergency."

"I'll try to remember that. Now, what happened to Xander?"

Giles filled Riley in with as much information as he had and advised him on where they were meeting and when.

"Oh and Mr. Giles?"

"Yes, Riley."

"Who is going to call Dawn and Mrs. Summers?"

"Oh, Bloody Hell!"