Chapter 5: Watcher Bernie
A/N: Barely made it before midnight. Only finished it at 10 pm and wanted to give the betas a chance.
Challenge: partially to answer a forum request/challenge by DeepBlueJoy for a story with a 'person of color' as a main character – who doesn't die immediately.
Warning: close to unfriendly towards Giles, but he deserves it to for abandoning Buffy.
Thanks to my betas: AshDawnSoulmates and JacobPhoenix.
Disclaimer: BtVS and AtS characters belong to Joss Whedon / Mutant Enemy. I claim no rights to any copyrighted material. Please do not copy or take this story without my permission. Photos found by using google and edited with photobucket.
Summers dining room
Although he usually thought and referred to Bernie by name, occasionally stress made him slip up…like this time. "Dad? I'm in Sunnydale and just met the Slayer."
Bernie was concerned by the slip, but secretly loved every time Nikki's boy would call him dad. "And? Was it everything you imagined it to be?"
Robin laughed, somewhere between bemusement and hysteria. The way he imagined? Well, he did stake a vampire; that was part of his dream scenario. But the way he hoped for it was to be fighting side by side with the Slayer…or maybe have her witness him saving an innocent from a vampire. Saving her…in her own home…from the vampire who killed his mom?
"Robin? You alright?" Bernie's worried voice shook him out his thoughts.
"Sorry, I'm fine; just comparing my dream encounter to what really happened." Robin quickly continued so that Bernie couldn't ask any questions about the meeting, "Before I get to that, though, I have a serious question to ask you. Have you heard of a Watcher leaving his Slayer before?"
Thinking it over for a second, Bernie replied, "A few times. If he's relieved of his duties by the Council; if he's too sick or injured to remain in harm's way; other more personal reasons. It's usually only temporary, and the Council will send a replacement Watcher right away. Why?" he asked with a hint of suspicion, guessing he wouldn't like the answer he received.
"Because Buffy's Watcher isn't here, and the impression I got was that it wasn't a choice she agreed with…and it sounds permanent." Not wanting to judge the man based solely on Buffy's opinion, Robin asked, "What do you know about him? What was his name again?"
"Rupert Giles. His family is very influential in the Council," Bernie began. His tone made it clear he didn't think much of the younger man, though. When he went on, Robin found out why Bernie didn't like Buffy's Watcher, "Which could explain how he was given a Slayer after his scandalous behavior with magick and demon summoning."
He paused to remember what he could about the troublemaker. "Last I heard, he was working at the British Museum in '97. They probably didn't think Buffy would survive very long, so they gave him the assignment in order to say that he was a Watcher to an active Slayer – even if it was just for a week. That would be enough to satisfy the political parts of the Council. What about the replacement Watcher?" he inquired.
"I don't think she has one…officially," Robin added as a qualifier. What he was about to say would make his mother's Watcher crazy. "She had to call a guy named Wes and ask him to be her Watcher."
As Robin expected, Bernie exploded, "What in the hell is going on there? A Slayer should never be without Council back-up for more than a week! Less, if at all possible! Hold on, I'm thinking she wasn't Council-raised," he commented, trailing off in thought.
"What difference would that make?" Robin demanded, anger tingeing his voice. "And how is that even possible?"
"Every once in a while, a girl slips by our seers – or they choose not to tell us about her," Bernie answered, a bit of humor coming through; apparently he agreed with the idea if the seers actually worked that way. "I think it's because they know that the girl in question would learn valuable skills and attitudes in her pre-slaying life that would serve her well if she was Called. Because those girls are too independent for many of the bureaucrats in the Council, they don't care about extending her life expectancy. Sometimes they even try to shorten it…if they can get away with it."
"No offense, Bernie, but you worked with some real bastards," Robin growled, looking out into the living room at Buffy. How could they treat girl like her that way?
"True, but from their point of view, a Slayer is nothing more than a tool. If they don't like the way it performs, they just get a replacement." Before Robin could question Bernie's loyalties, he added, "As long as there are Watchers with that attitude in charge, I won't regret resigning so I could raise you. If I remember correctly, the Giles family was split on the issue; not sure where Rupert stood on it, though. His actions would seem to indicate he agreed with his father instead of his grandmother."
Robin wasn't sure he should ask Buffy about Rupert – in case it was a wound she didn't want poked at. She already had enough to deal with at the moment. "Can you find out anything more about him or Buffy? Like how long she's been a Slayer? She doesn't look 15…or even 17 to me. She said something about being here for a couple years…I think."
"Of course," Bernie replied immediately, already thinking about which of his old contacts would have the most current information. Then he got to the issue he wanted to deal with, "Robin, what else is going on there? I can tell something is bothering you."
Smiling wryly – he could never fool his dad – Robin stalled for time, "I don't think I can go into it over the phone. Is there any way you could come out here?" he pleaded.
"As soon as I can catch a flight, son," Bernie replied. Although Robin had discussed Slayer business with him, he got the distinct impression that his adopted son needed a father at the moment. "I'm already packed. The joys of being retired," he quipped teasingly.
Surprised at how easy it was, Robin asked, "What about the center?"
Bernie cleared his throat in embarrassment, but admitted, "As soon as you left, I started arranging things so I could leave at a moment's notice. I figured that with you confronting your mother's ghost, so to speak, you'd need me out there sooner or later."
"I'd be insulted by that if I weren't so relieved that you're coming," Robin replied with a chuckle.
"Oh, and I got a little present for you from the secretaries," Bernie said, knowing that Robin would appreciate a little piece of home in Sunnydale. "They took a picture from that blanket drive article and created a poster of us. A copy is in the lobby, but they gave me one to bring to you when I saw you again."
"Can't wait to see it and you, Dad." Robin heard somebody on the front porch so he needed to get off the phone and deal with whoever it was before they disturbed Buffy's sleep. "Let me know when you get the flight info."
Recognizing the tone in his boy's voice, Bernie didn't want to distract him from whatever needed his attention, so he simply answered, "Will do, son. Be careful out there."
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A/N: Not entirely sure what's next. Musie will have to decide that tomorrow. Can anybody tell who Bernie is? Cookie to whoever gets it first.