Wesley drove slowly down the main street of Sunnydale, looking out for the magic shop that Buffy had told him about. Most of the shops were closed as night had fallen across the city. A strange eerie silence had fallen over the place. He strained his eyes looking around noticing the magic shop he parked the car. Even with glasses on, his tired eyes were beginning to fail him. After locking Giles' car and storing the keys in his pocket he headed down the street toward the magic shop.
"Come on out, I know your there" Wesley stopped. He could sense someone was following him. He took hold of the stake which was hidden up his sleeve and turned around.
"Angel" he exclaimed, surprised to see the vampire standing on the pavement behind him, "You were kidnapped" he said, "how come you're free?"
"I escaped" Angel said smiling a little, Wesley stepped back, something wasn't right.
"Cordelia said they did something to you" the watcher stepped back again, showing the stake in his hand now.
"Oh yeah, they did something to me alright" the vampire smirked, "Is Giles ok?" he smiled outright this time.
"Angel. Why did they set you free?"
"To do their job" Angel suddenly revealed his game face, Wesley turned to run but it was too late. The stake was dropped and a strong hand clamped around his mouth.
"You know Wes, you really were never that bright, even though you make it out" Angel clamped another hand around the watchers neck and squeezed. Wesley choked and grappled helplessly. "Well this is fun isn't it" the vampire laughed, "Your here to save Giles, and I'm here to kill you"
"Angelus" Wesley choked out.
"That's right" he laughed, "took you a while, brain box, they took my soul" The watcher struggled in vein, but Angelus was too strong.
"Don't worry Wes" the vampire sneered, "I won't kill you outright, just enough that your dead by the time they find you" Angelus growled sinking his fangs into the watchers neck. Wesley stifled a cry and felt his body suddenly and dramatically weaken. He grappled at his belt for a moment, desperately reaching the 15 calibre hidden there. He pulled it out shooting the vampire in the gut.
Angelus pulled back, blood on his lips, he snarled as Wesley shot again. "Well that wasn't very kind" he laughed, knowing too well bullets couldn't stop him. He lunged forward and the watcher pulled the trigger again. The vampire grabbed him and tossed him at the nearest shop window. It smashed on impact and Wesley fell bonelessly to the floor, the gun skidded across the pavement.
"You know, maybe I should snap your neck right now" Angelus pulled him up by the neck and held him above the ground. For a moment the watcher began to loose consciousness but he was suddenly and roughly dropped. He looked up at the vampire to find an arrow stick through his chest, missing the heart.
"Get away from him" A screech of tires, a car pulled into view and a familiar blond jumped out clutching a crossbow.
"Buffy" he whispered, barely audible. The slayer shot the crossbow again, piercing the vampire's shoulder this time. He snarled angrily.
"Hello lover" he laughed, "nice to see you again" Buffy remained stationary, her lips pressed hard together and her brows knotted tightly in a frown.
"This is no time for games" she growled, "Either you get out of here, or I dust you" her voice was wavering, both Wesley and Angelus could tell. The vampire smiled and looked at the watcher then back to the slayer.
"Be seeing you" he laughed and was gone. Buffy let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and turned to help Wesley up.
"I'm fine" he said weakly, in truth he was beginning to feel lightheaded.
"Xander?" Buffy shouted and he was by her side helping suddenly.
"Wait" Wesley stopped as they began to walk back to the car. "Here" he fumbled in his pocket and handed Xander a piece of crumpled paper, "all the ingredients are on there" Xander nodded in recognition and headed down the street to the shop.
"Are you sure you can do this?" Buffy stuttered out as they reached the car and Wesley rested on the seat, beginning to feel weak from blood loss.
"Are you sure you can?" The watcher returned the question and Buffy looked at him, her eyes beginning to fill with unfallen tears.
"What do you mean?" she whispered, trying to hide the look on her face, but Wesley could see right through it.
"Buffy" he said, "I'm not stupid" he struggled to find the words, "After all that's happened these couple of days, seeing Angel like that, I mean you two were" he paused, "close"
"God, you sound like Giles" she smiled, tears now flowing freely down her cheeks, she didn't try to hide it this time. Deep down inside she knew she would have to kill Angel again. She just wished Giles was here telling her what to do, and Willow.
"I'm sorry I doubted you" she sniffed, trying to pull herself together but beginning to fail. "It's just there's, so much at stake, I just can't take it" She let herself go then, breaking down in tears. Wesley pulled her close and she sobbed into his shirt.
"I know" he said simply. She stayed there for a couple of minutes until Xander returned with a bag of ingredients.
"OK" Buffy sat up wiping her eyes dry as best she could trying to hide the tears from Xander, but the damp patch on the watcher's shirt gave it away.
"I'll take Giles' car, I'll meet you there" Wesley said struggling out of the car and standing unsteadily up. Buffy noted that he was bleeding from Angelus's bite.
"You're still bleeding"
"I'll be fine" he touched his neck and looked at his hand coated in red. "Lets get Giles back shall we, then we'll worry about everything else." He squeezed Buffy's shoulder in reassurance and went down the street to the other car.
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"How is he?" Buffy rushed into Giles' bedroom to find Cordelia fast asleep. Though she couldn't blame her, the poor girl must have been awake for the past 24 hours. The slayer had found that the vision's seemed to take a lot out of her.
"Giles?" Buffy stood by her watcher's bedside and grasped his hand finding it icy cold to the touch. "Giles can you hear me?"
"Buffy?" his eyes fluttered open and closed but he failed to regain consciousness. The slayer brushed a hand gently across his cheek, but he didn't respond. "We're gunna get you better" she whispered, "I promise. Wesley's just sorting out all of the potions now" She remained silent for a while, listening to his shallow uneven breaths. Time did not seem to be on there side. Within several minutes Xander and Wesley appeared in the doorway with an array of powders, herbs and strange items.
"Here" the watcher stumbled forward, but Buffy stopped him.
"Take it easy" she reassured him, "you can do this."
"Make him drink this" Wesley handed the slayer a small vial of dark red liquid, "It's important that he drinks it all." Buffy took it and glanced at the strange liquid, wondering for a moment if it was blood.
"OK, shouldn't be too hard right" she inhaled a shaky breath and climbed on the bed next to her watcher. She pulled him upright and sat behind him, undoing the vial lid. Giles moaned incoherently and shivered, but Buffy held him steadily. Wesley watched intently as the slayer gently comforted the older watcher, the close relationship between the two was clear, not that Wes needed telling twice. He had come between the them before and was not about to try it again, the slayer and watcher truly had a bond. They where inseparable.
"Alright Giles" she held the vial close to his mouth and he turned away, "You have to drink this." Buffy forced it between his teeth and poured the foul smelling liquid in. The watcher choked but she forced it down and he swallowed unwillingly.
"Ok what next?" Buffy looked over at the other watcher who was reading away into a large hardback volume. He sighed loudly and looked up, his exhausted expression becoming all too clear to the slayer.
"Now the incantation" he said quietly, "I have to warn you Buffy this may not work" She nodded in understanding, opting not to talk in case she threatened him again. Xander carefully marked out a circle in powder and the watcher placed himself in the middle, a small blue crystal in one hand and the large hardback book in the other. He began to chant something in Latin, in which neither Xander or Buffy could understand. He spoke with determination and confidence, something Buffy had never seen in the man before.
"Higher powers may the spell be broken," the watcher began in English, his voice beginning to sound hoarse and suddenly tired, but he continued. "Release the innocent and may these words be spoken, Let the healing powers of Prana be channelled, Spirits of the earth come forth, Take thy energy and be healed." Wesley stopped, taking in a ragged shallow breath, the crystal began to glow a brilliant blue and his complexion suddenly paled dramatically. Buffy knew what he was doing; she had heard similar words from Giles only a few years earlier, even under the spell of Amy's mother she remembered it clearly.
"May the poison be diminished," he struggled to regain composer, face paling further, the watcher swayed, but held steady, holding the crystal out in front of him towards Giles.
"Let the rites of restoration be sealed." He said finally, voice almost failing, a crackle of energy split into the room, there was a flash, an electric buzz. Then it was gone. Wesley swayed on the spot for a moment, trying to focus on the bedridden watcher. Nothing happened.
"Giles?" Buffy pulled him in close and looked at him, a stillness suddenly surrounding him, no heartbeat, no breath. He was dead.