Giles' left without word to anyone. He needed to find the slayer before she got hurt, or hurt anyone else. And he couldn't let the other's know she was alive. Not if it meant she would be… That he might have to… But could he do it? Could he really stake her? The girl that had been like a daughter to him, his Buffy, who he was the reason she had left the world. Could he really bring himself to do it? Perhaps – being a former slayer – she might have a soul? He knew it was ridiculous to think so, and tormenting in the long run, but he couldn't help but hope. Besides, he might not even have to make the decision. Being day time, she could have already been… He couldn't bring himself to think the last. All he new was that he wanted to find her; make it up to her somehow. Or perhaps it was best if he didn't find her. Not know if she were dust from the light – or otherwise – or run away from Sunnydale. He knew she couldn't stay there. Too many people knew her, knew she had died, been to her funeral, and mourned her. If she turned up at the Bronze one day, it would no doubt raise suspicion, not to mention wide spread panic.
He silently punished himself about the events leading up to her death. Every slayer had to take that test. The one where when they turned eighteen – if they lived that long – they had to fight a vampire without their slayer powers. Catch, they wouldn't know why they had lost their powers. Only feel the fear of being in the world, unprotected from all of the things that go bump in the night, completely vulnerable. The council had sent him the package, the one that contained the drug, the syringe, and left him to do the rest. He hypnotized her, and then while under the spell, he injected the drug that would end her into her arm.
She had been afraid of course, frustrated, angry. But he wouldn't tell her why. He wouldn't explain to her the reasons as to which she would be so scared and alone. Perhaps after she completed the test. But of course, there was no guarantee that she would.
The vampire that she was supposed to fight had escaped, turned a man – a minion – and then gone after her. She didn't fight, instead she tried to run, screaming and pleading for help. Perhaps it was her own stubbornness that killed her, not letting Angel stay with her. Perhaps it wasn't her lack of training. It didn't matter; the vampire had her before Giles could arrive to rescue her. And by then it was too late. He'd found her there, dead as she could be. Or maybe not so much. He hadn't thought to check to see if he'd turned her. He only mourned her in utter wretchedness. His poor slayer, his poor little girl. She had trusted him, with her life, her thoughts and emotions, with her body in training and in the fight. He'd betrayed her.
Possibly it was payback from the universe, her being a vampire. It seemed punishment enough.
It seemed uncanny that his search for her lead him to the graveyard. It was only common sense really, where else would he look for a lost vampire? This is where she would have risen, but not likely where she would have stayed. If anything he should have been asking around for a girl of her description. But in the graveyard he was. And eerie as it was that he had chosen this place, in was even more so that he had stopped in front of Spike's crypt. The sworn enemy of he and the slayer would be only too humored at the verity of the slayer turned vampire. And yet, there he was.
It was worth a shot, see if he'd noticed anything. The least that could happen was Spike would have not seen anything, and Giles would stake him before he could find her first. It seemed reasonable enough. He took two steps towards the door of the crypt, and made to push the door open. Then he cursed audibly when he realized he hadn't a weapon on him. The stake still locked up in the weapons chest, a long with his crosses, holy water, and other various demon killing machines. He turned around angrily and began his march back to where he had just left.
Inside the library, the phone was ringing and Willow, Xander, and Cordelia were positioned around it trying to decide whether they should answer or not. Giles stepped in the before they could and picked up the receiver quickly.
"Hello?" He said into the phone.
"Giles, it's me." Angel said.
"Oh hello Angel." The group of students stared at Giles shocked.
"I have some information that might be helpful…" He sounded choked.
Giles wondered for a second whether he wanted to hear it, but decided it best if he did. "What is it?" He said in a voice void of all emotion.
"She was with Spike." He said just as coldly.
With Spike? It couldn't be true, the slayer hated Spike, sworn enemies they were. That couldn't have changed since she'd died could it have?
"Thank you Angel." He dropped the receiver, realizing what had brought him to the crypt.
"What was that about?" Willow asked sadly. She didn't like hearing about her deceased best friend's boyfriend. Used to be boyfriend, not boyfriend anymore.
"Just had some information for me is all." He didn't look at them, but they all knew what that meant.
"Buffy's…" Cordelia looked at Giles nervously. "She's a vampire isn't she." She already knew that answer, she just needed the confirmation.
Giles ignored her and after grabbing a stake he left.
"He's not going to stake her is he?" Willow's voice rising in pitch.
"Well doesn't he have to? I mean, slayer or not she's still a vampire. Just like Jessie." She looked at them sadly.