Before Wesley could open the door further the slayer was through it and half way up the stairs. She found Cordelia sitting next to his bed, a cold towel was across his forehead.
"Giles?" Buffy was next to Cordelia and clutching one of her watcher's hands in seconds. His skin was cold and clammy to the touch. She brushed a hand across his cheek to find it burning.
"Cordy what happened?" panic was creeping into her voice but she was holding it steady.
"We don't know" Buffy turned to see Wesley in the doorway, "My only guess is that the arrow was poisoned"
Poisoned. She turned back to Giles, taking in the pallor of his skin and strained breaths. "He has a fever" Wesley added.
"We need to get him to hospital" Buffy cried, turning back to the younger watcher, "Why haven't you taken him to hospital?"
"I don't think the doctors can do anything" Cordelia said, looking up at the slayer. Buffy noted how tired she looked too.
"It looks more like a mystical poison" Wesley said coming into the room, "I've been research all night for an answer, but half of Giles' books are gone, and I need the arrow to analyse, I need to ring the watcher's council too"
"Well what are you waiting for?" The slayer snapped back, suddenly wishing she hadn't. "Sorry" Wesley stepped closer to her.
"So am I" he said simply. Buffy smiled at him, in her heart she could tell he was doing everything he could.
"Go back to mine" she cried, bringing her gaze back to Giles. "Tell my Mum what's going on, the arrow should be in the living room somewhere" The younger watcher nodded and went on his way, Buffy knew that with Willow hospitalised, Wesley was the best shot at curing Giles.
For the next few hours Buffy flitted backward and forwards to her watcher's house. In the middle of searching for Angel. But she seemed to be fighting a useless cause, Angel was nowhere to be seen, no signs of a struggle anywhere, she'd done three sweeps across the town before she finally returned to her watcher's, it was long past sunset. Wesley was on the phone when she arrived, his voice was raised in anger at Buffy could only guess the watcher's council.
"Thank you" he slammed the receiver down in frustration.
"Any luck?"
"They don't bloody change" he sighed looking at Buffy, "Pompous twats," the slayer had to almost stop herself from laughing at his outburst.
"Well?" she said.
"I may have something, a spell, but it's a long shot, I need to do some research to find the ingredients" the lack of sleep was taking its toll on him, Buffy could tell.
"Maybe you should take a break. I could get Xander to come round for a bit" They were cut off from anymore conversation as there was a bump from upstairs.
"Wesley" Cordelia's muffled voice was heard and they headed up there. Cordelia was on the floor when they arrived, she was cupping her jaw.
"What happened?" Buffy stood frozen still while Wesley helped her up.
"Giles he?" Cordelia began but was cut short. The Watcher began to mumble something. Buffy rushed to the side of the bed. His eyes were rolled up into his head, his face pale and brows furrowed tightly in pain.
"I won't tell you" he moaned, tossing to one side and then the other, "I can't. I won't." He tossed and thrashed.
"Giles" Buffy grabbed his hand, "Giles wake up, your dreaming." Beads of sweat were gathering on his forehead. "Giles" Buffy almost screamed at him as he jolted and mumbled incoherently. He brought a fist up catching her off guard. She stumbled backward rubbing her cheek, her watcher sure had some force behind his punches.
"Wesley what's going on?" Buffy pulled back, tears staining her eyes. "What's happening?"
"He's delirious" Wesley cried, "the poison is overtaking his nervous system, Cordelia run to the bathroom and fetch a bowl of cold water, we need to get his body temperature down"
"How long do we have?" Buffy turned back to the Watcher standing back. He shook his head slowly.
"I'm sorry" he said again, bowing his head so as not to meet the slayers eyes, "I don't know what to do"
"The spell?" Buffy stood in front of him, "You have to try the spell"
"I don't know" he stuttered, "It's a long shot, If it goes wrong, it could kill him, or the spell caster"
"Not doing anything will kill him" The slayer yelled, "read the book, set it up, we're doing this"
"Ok" Wesley rushed off down the stairs to research. Within moments he was back, several books in hand. "The incantation involves some very rare ingredients, Giles doesn't have any of them" he skimmed through the book, reading out a couple of exotic names.
"Well get them" Buffy snarled, "There's a magic shop in town, take Giles' car" Wesley stepped backward at her outburst.
"I was about to ask" he said, looking to the floor, he closed the books and began to leave.
"Wesley?" he turned back avoiding eye contact.
"I'm sorry" she said, "the shop is open till late, it's down on the main street, Giles' car keys are in the second draw in the kitchen, don't be long"
"I won't" he turned and left, leaving Buffy and Cordelia.
>> >>
"Do you think Wesley can do it?" Cordelia sighed, mopping Giles' sweaty brow, within about ten minutes they had finally managed to calm him down. Although, they had resorted to stripping him of half of his clothes. He was still mumbling to himself.
"Probably"
"You know it would help if you weren't so hard on him" Cordelia cried.
"Sorry" Buffy started, "It's just the last time I told him to do something for me" She remembered the time, back when he was her and Faith's watcher.
"He's changed. He's different" Cordelia was beginning to become annoyed with the way everyone was treating them. "I'm different" she said. Buffy remained silent. Cordelia rubbed her head, beginning to get a huge migraine, no. Vision.
"Cordy what's wrong?" Buffy managed to catch her before she hit the floor.
"Vision" she stuttered, holding her head, "Vision" she shrieked as pain ripped through her head. Buffy held her steady and she came back to normal eventually. Staring blankly ahead, she said one word.
"Wesley"