Disclaimer: I do not own Star Gate or the Buffy Universe. They belong to their creators and this is just a story to play with both. There will be no money made from this work it is purely for the amusement of the author and any crazy enough to read it.
A/N: Warning this is only spell and grammar checked by the computer and the author. Mistakes maybe made. This will be updated as time allows.
By: Fire Wolfe aka Fire Star on ffnet.
7/3/2010
Inheriting Family
Part Four Saved Bond
"Janet is dead Buffy. My cousin is dead and her daughter is all alone." Giles said though his tears.
Buffy was crying softly now as she held Giles. She could not believe how she had almost run away from this man again. She had been so selfish for so many years never seeing how much he had given her. She knew he was hurting and that he needed her support. Buffy held her watcher close as she was considering her words with care. She was not the frivolous teenager Giles had met seven years ago. She was the Slayer and she an adult it was past time she meet him on equal terms. "Cassandra is not alone. She has you Giles. Janet and Cassie were your family and they are now ours as well. We will help you with her just like you have always helped us. She will be as loved and protected as Dawn and the others."
Giles tightened his hold on Buffy. He clung to his slayer and felt her commitment to him and his cousin. As Buffy held him he felt her emotions. For the first time since her 17th birthday the bond between them was once more alive pulsing and growing. Giles head snapped back as he looked at Buffy. He was shocked as Buffy let down her shields. She looked up into his eyes and smiled at him. "It is ok Giles. I understand now. She touched his face with her hand and pushed a stray hair back. "Feel the bond between us. I forgot what it was like. I was a fool Giles; I thought Angel loved me and that we could have forever. I was blinded by his charm and brooding the deep dark mystery that he presented to me. I ignored the fact that he was vampire and that I am the slayer. The man he might have been was gone forever and only the demon remained. I thought a soul would be enough and never stopped to consider if the soul had even been a good one to begin with. I was blinded and lost touch with my true soul mate. I wanted the darkness when I needed the light. He was like the forbidden fruit and I was a fool to take a taste. In doing so I almost destroyed the world and did destroy your love. I am so sorry Giles."
"You were young Buffy." Giles said with a sad smile. "The young often act foolish. I was no different." The pain was lessening as he felt the support from his slayer. He had almost forgotten the joy the bond could bring. He and Buffy had been lucky in their relationship. It took a great deal of trust for a bond to form between watcher and slayer. They did not always occur. According to the Old Council's record bonds formed only one in five pairings between watcher and slayer, they had never determined what caused the bond to form as they had happened as often between male watchers as a female one. The council had tried to only pair males with slayers thinking that this would cause a bond, it had not made a real difference. It was clearly a matter of trust and closeness between the watcher and slayer. The bonded slayers often lived longer lives and were more effective. The last bonded slayer had been Niki Wood and she clearly did not have the same relationship with her watcher as he did with Buffy. Her watcher had been a mentor and father figure. Giles feelings for Buffy were definitely not paternal.
He had never realized that the bond had begun to form until it was gone. He had never told Buffy or the council about it. He feared what they would do with the knowledge that they bonded and then broke it. Travers hated Buffy and had she given him the least cause Giles was certain he would have ordered Buffy killed like he did Faith. Travers was all too happy to order Faith's death. He never saw the slayers as human. To him they had only been disposable tools. His attitude had been spread through the council and the last ten slayers had paid with their lives for it. Giles was ashamed to admit he had not really seen Buffy as a person until after her encounter with the Master. Her cry of fear about not wanting to die at 16 had struck him to the core. It was the desperation and fear in her voice that had made her human to him. It was the pain in her oh so young face and the panic in her friends that had made him suddenly realize the crime the council enacted against all slayers. It was that reason that he had left to face the master. He had not cared if he died if his slayer lived. Giles now began to think that act may have started the bond.
"It did Giles. Only I was not really aware of it. I did not have the training or an understanding of what a watcher and slayer should be. Then I fell in love with Angel." She frowned. "He was really only a school girl crush. The thing is because he was a master vampire and he tried to claim me he interfered with our bond."
Giles growled at that. He clearly hated the idea that Angel had any part of Buffy. She leaned against his chest and smiled. It might be childish and wrong to enjoy his possessiveness but she did. "I will keep you safe Buffy." Giles said. "I should never have left."
Buffy held him and stroked his back."You only did what you thought was right. It was not abandonment as much as your way of trying to protect me. I get that now."
"How can you trust me?"Giles asked.
Buffy decided he needed to see her mind as she had his. She wanted an equal partner something she had never had before. She let her shields fall away and let her mind join Giles like the first slayer had taught her on her vision quest. Giles was suddenly flooded with memories. The memories he was seeing were Buffy's. He froze as her life flashed before him. He felt a smile form as the infant Buffy tore into a chocolate cake getting it all over her face and body. He smiled as she offered a smashed piece to Joyce who took it laughing. It was clearly a happy time. He looked around and noted Hank was off in the corner talking to a tall red head. Buffy had barely noticed and Joyce seemed to be too wrapped up in her daughter to care. The image showed Giles that Hank had never really been all that attentive. The memories came at a remarkable pace. He watched as Buffy was called and saw Angel watching from the shadows. He heard Whistler tell the souled vampire to help her. It was clear that Buffy did not really remember this part. She frowned."Giles, what is this?"
"I think you saw them only you were to busy with Lothos to have it register."Giles answered. More memories came in. Each memory made him question what he understood about his slayer. He saw the fears and terror she held so tightly. Buffy never showed them weakness or fear. Only once had she ever broke down. After coming back from the dead she had never again showed fear or let them know she was afraid to die. Buffy had seen him wounded and willing to die for her and then hardened her heart. She put her fear aside and in that moment chose to become the Slayer. She chose to be the slayer and had accepted him as her watcher. It had not been a conscious decision but an emotional one. One she had made and then went with ever since. It was why she had been so hurt when she learned about his part in the test that had almost killed her mother. It was why she had she had felt abandoned when he left after her second death. He had hurt her deeply with each betrayal. The siding with Robin and latter the Scooby gang had almost severed their weakened bond. However, his pain at losing Janet had struck Buffy hard. Their bond the instinctive need to protect the other had awakened. His feelings had flooded into her. Now she was seeing more then her own needs. His were as important to her as her own. As he held her their bond began to grow stronger. The love he had hidden was laid bare and he was shocked to see hers peek out as well. His slayer loved him and had for many years. Only Buffy had been a child when then meet and did not know how to act on her feelings. Angel, while being years older still appeared to be younger. He was despite his age appeared to be only a few years older. Angel had not appeared to be over 2o and this fit into Buffy's acceptable dating age. The Buffy Giles first met was immature and young afraid of the mature male Giles represented. She had pretended to place him in the role of father figure because it was safe and socially acceptable. The Fifteen year old Buffy did not know how to deal with the thirty five year old man he was. He had appeared to be too sophisticated and to above her for her to ever have a chance with romantically. She had been a student and someplace in her mind Buffy had known that a relationship then would have been wrong. It would have betrayed a trust. She had then turned to Angel and thought the feelings that the PTB had instilled were real. Both she and Angel had mistaken their roles with each other. Angel was supposed to be a back up teacher. However like the man he had once been he was selfish and thought redemption could come from his love for Buffy.
"Oh love I am so sorry. If I had known we could have prevented so much pain."Giles said softly.
"It has made me stronger Giles. I think I needed the pain to season me. I can meet you as an equal now."
"Oh Buffy, You were always that. I was just not wise enough to see it." He kissed the top of her head and held on. The information he got showed him their lives through her eyes and he was ashamed of so many choices. "I need to get Cassandra and bring here home."
"I know, she is family and she belongs with us. We will keep her safe. The NID will not get close to her. We will help her heal from her grief and we will ensure she is safe and happy. Besides I think Dawn would benefit from having a friend close to her own age."
"I will need to go to the funeral." Giles paused not wanting to leave Buffy now. "It is the least I can do for Janet. She was always there for me."
"No, we will need to go."Buffy said firmly. "We all will go. When the others get up we can make arrangements and pack. The US Air Force and this SG-1 will see we are united in this. Call the president and tell him we will be going with him on Air Force One. I can almost guarantee he will be going from your memories of what Janet told you. That should impress your importance to those who might try to take Cassie from us."
Giles smiled and knew that Buffy was right. He shook his head at her idea, only she would plan to use Air Force One as a taxi.
"Hey, my tax dollars pay for it. Besides it will save on green house gasses. Plus Cordy would have said the same thing."
"Of course she would."Giles said with a laugh. His grief fled at her sudden silliness. "I will make the call."
Buffy pulled away and turned to turn on the kettle. She then plugged in the coffee maker. "I will call for take out. The last thing we need is food poisoning."
Giles grinned. Maybe he would make it after all.
TBC...