Xander and Giles walked among the used cars, commenting occasionally on the merits of a particular model.
A salesman noticed their attention settling on an old blue Volkswagen and walked over to test the waters. “Can I help you sirs?” he asked, looking between the two men.
“Dad says that this is a really reliable model but I was looking for something a little less geek-y for my first set of wheels” Xander looked pleadingly at the salesman who gave him a knowing grin then turned his attention to Giles.
“This is quite a reliable model but perhaps I could show you something a little less European?” he suggested in a derisory tone and indicated a car further down the row.
“What exactly is wrong with a European car?” Giles asked in his best stuffy British tones. Xander hid his grin behind his sleeve and decided to let Giles deal with this in his own, inimitable fashion. He moved off to gaze longingly at the shiny red sports car in the row behind them. Giles decided to enjoy himself at the salesman's expense. “I happen to think European cars are very well made and much more reliable than most American models”
The salesman was frantically trying to back peddle and cursing his luck under his breath. “Of course sir” he spluttered. “What I meant to say to the young man was that the German cars are usually a little lacking in design for our taste today”
Giles secretly admired the quick save and the spur of the moment slur on German models but he wasn't going to let him off that easily. “Perhaps you could show me something that actually runs well and I'll decide whether the design is suitable” he drawled and looked down his nose in a particularly offensive manner, remembering how he used to hate it when his Ancient History tutor had done the same to him at Oxford.
“Of course sir” the salesman smiled nervously and led Giles to several reasonably priced models.
“Alexander!” Giles called out over his shoulder. “Don't dawdle, come over here” The look of absolute amazement on Xander's face was priceless and Giles nearly spoiled the charade by laughing out loud. He bickered with the salesman for half an hour and finally agreed to come back later that day to undertake some test drives.
Xander sat sulkily in the front seat of Giles' car until they were several blocks away from the car lot. Giles pulled up outside the café they had agreed on as their rendezvous with Buffy and Willow and turned to look at the young man as he switched the engine off. “Method acting is all very well but you have to know when to stop” he suggested lightly but Xander just sighed and exited the car without saying anything.
“Xander” Giles said anxiously as he shut his own door and caught up with him. “What's the matter with you, are you unwell?”
“No, I'm fine” Xander shook his head and made his way to the booth where Buffy and Willow were already nursing mugs of coffee.
Giles signalled to the waitress for two more mugs and slid into the booth beside Willow. The girls were both looking at Xander as he sunk down in his seat then Buffy turned to Giles. “What happened, did something go wrong?” she asked anxiously.
“Not that I know of” Giles began and shrugged his shoulders. “Our target will accompany me on a test drive later this afternoon as we planned”
Willow reached across and touched Xander's hand. “Xan are you feeling OK?” she asked quietly.
“I'm fine” he murmured and looked up at her. “I just need to use the rest room, I'll be back in a minute” he said sadly and moved to the back of the room.
“What did you do to him?” Willow asked as she glared at Giles.
“I swear, everything went as planned” he protested.
“Tell me everything that happened” Buffy suggested and looked over her shoulder to check the young man was out of earshot. Giles ran over the events of the afternoon and smiled as he remembered the look of shock on the boy's face when he had called him over to him.
Willow and Buffy both groaned at the same time and Buffy covered her eyes with her hands. “What on earth is the matter?” he demanded and looked towards Willow who was looking sadly at him.
“It's not really your fault” she began and put her hand over his. “The only person to use his full name is Xander's father when he is really drunk and wants someone to take it out on” she ended sadly and looked towards Buffy.
Buffy nodded. “You weren't to know” she suggested and shook her head. “He doesn't talk about it any more and we never mention it either”
Giles shook his head and looked angrily at both of them. “You mean I was pretending to be his father and ended up getting too close for comfort?” he grimaced. “I'll be back in a minute” he said and stood abruptly to head for the rest rooms.
“Giles, don't” Willow began but he ignored her and she looked helplessly at Buffy. “I hope he doesn't make it worse” she said in a concerned tone of voice.
Buffy shook her head and looked sadly into her coffee. “I don't think anything could make Xander's home life worse than it already is Will”
Giles was opening the door of the rest room when he heard a muffled sniff from the corridor to his right. Gently he closed the door and headed around the corner to find Xander sitting on the floor, hugging his knees to his chest and wiping his eyes on his sleeve. Xander glared up at him. “I'll be out in a minute OK” he said angrily and the colour rose in his cheeks.
Giles shook his head and hunkered down next to him. “I'm very sorry I upset you Xander, I didn't realise that I was opening some old wounds” he said quietly and laid his hand on the young man's arm. “I got a little carried away and I would give anything to take back my remarks”
Xander shook his head and sniffed again. “It wasn't your fault Giles you just kind of took me by surprise that was all” He smiled a little shakily at the man sitting beside him and took a deep breath. “Why are we sitting in the corridor when there are two beautiful women out there waiting for us?” he asked, trying to regain his usual bantering tone but his heart wasn't really in it.
Giles shook his head and rested his head against the wall. “You need to take some time to work through this and I'm staying with you until you feel well enough to go back out there” he looked across at the young man. “Besides you know that Buffy and Willow will wait for us”
Xander rested his head against his knees and took several deep, calming breaths. A couple of minutes later he lifted his head and wiped his sleeve across his cheeks. “I think I'm ready to go back out” he said quietly and Giles opened his eyes and looked across at him.
“Perhaps you should wash your face first?” he asked gently and smiled as Xander gave him a hand up from the floor. “Xander” he said quietly as he moved past the rest room door. “You know that if you ever need to get away for a few days, my sofa is always available”
Xander looked at him for a few seconds and smiled gently “Thank you” he said quietly. Giles noticed a familiar look return to the young man's eyes as he held the restroom door open. “Willow would be upstairs in bed right?” he suggested and waggled his eyebrows.
Willow and Buffy looked up to see Giles returning, shaking his head ruefully but with a grin on his face. He saw their worried looks and slid into the seat next to Willow. “He's going to be OK, just freshening up” they both looked relieved. “However” he continued, putting his arm around Willow and pulling her closer to him. “If he asks you what you wear in bed remind him of the ancient tradition of chastity belts” he suggested and kissed the top of her head.
“Giles!” Buffy and Willow both exclaimed at the same time.
“Still upsetting the ladies G-Man?” Xander asked jovially as he slid into his seat next to Buffy.
Giles returned to the car lot an hour later and settled on the first car for the test drive. He made a great show of checking under the bonnet, although he made sure that he looked as if he didn't have much of a clue what he was looking at. The salesman noticed his uncertainty and decided that he wasn't having such a bad day after all. Giles drove the car out of the parking lot and slowly around various streets. “Would you mind if I took it for a bit of a spin?” he finally asked and the salesman, thinking he had the situation under control, readily agreed. Giles headed to the pre arranged country road and settled down at a speed just under the limit. After all, he reasoned to himself, he was supposed to be an uptight Englishman and he had to play the part to the full.
As he crested the rise he could see his car up ahead with Buffy sitting morosely on the bonnet. He slowed down and looked at the salesman nervously. “Should we offer our assistance?” he asked and waited until the salesman, hungrily noticing Buffy's extremely short skirt and crop top, grinned at him before bringing the car to a stop beside his own.
“Need any help there m'am?” the salesman asked in his best smarmy tone as he slid from the car.
Buffy tried to pretend that she was a lost, lonely, useless woman with a broken down car just waiting for this particular prince charming to come to her rescue. Giles grinned at the act as he exited the car and lifted his eyebrows at her over the salesman's head. She studiously ignored Giles and sashayed towards the man in the shiny suit. “Thank heavens you showed up” she said in quite the worst Southern Belle accent Giles had ever heard. “I didn't know what I was going to do stuck out here all on my own” she added and stopped in front of the salesman as his jaw dropped and scraped in the dirt.
“You're safe now and I'll have your car working in a jiffy” he smiled at her and moved quickly to pop the hood.
“Scarlett O'Hara?” Giles whispered in her ear as he made to follow the salesman.
“Professor Higgins?” Buffy smiled sweetly at him in reply and moved to the other side of the car.
Buffy hit the salesman once with a right hook and he collapsed into Giles' arms. “Could you have found a shorter skirt?” Giles asked as he hefted the man onto his shoulder and headed for the small group of trees on the other side of the road.
“He needed to be distracted didn't he?” Buffy asked as she put the hood of the car back down and followed Giles.
“He was certainly distracted but perhaps you could try a little more clothing next time?” Giles replied and looked sternly at her legs and midriff.
“Now you're sounding like my father” Buffy said huffily and walked ahead of him.
“Oh for heaven's sake” Giles muttered as he hefted the dead weight on his shoulder.
“What did you do this time?” Willow laughed as he laid the unconscious form on a fallen tree in front of her.
“Apparently I'm channelling everyone's father today” he said helplessly and walked back towards the two cars.
Xander and Giles moved both cars out of view behind a rock formation further down the road then walked back to where Buffy and Willow were finishing tying up the awakening captive. “What the hell?” he started to splutter as Willow rolled up his sleeve and injected a syringe full of clear fluid into his arm.
He continued to yell and Buffy hit him again. “Buffy” Giles said quietly as he moved the unconscious form back onto the tree. “You didn't need to hit him quite so hard” he suggested.
“He is one of the blue robes we watched that night and I'm getting a little fed up with all of this tip toeing around that we're doing” she glared at Giles as she flexed her hand.
He sighed and moved to check her knuckles. “We want him conscious for the pentathol to work” he said quietly as he massaged the muscles in her hand. “I know you're frustrated but we need to keep him awake so he can tell us what he knows of the ritual”
She looked up into his worried eyes and then sheepishly at her hand. “I'm sorry” she mumbled. “I'll try to be good”
He smiled at her and dropped her hand. “Next time try it with your left hand and give this one a rest” he suggested.
“Guys” Willow said and everyone's attention returned to her. “I think he's waking up again”
Xander and Giles moved out of his line of sight and Buffy stood behind him, ready to intervene if necessary. Willow leaned over him and slapped his face gently to rouse him. “What is your name?” she asked quietly.
He shook his head a little to try and clear some of the fuzziness from his brain and then looked curiously into her eyes. “Brian Hamilton” he answered then looked completely confused.
Willow smiled down at him. “You will find that you have to answer all of my questions truthfully and, if you do, I will let you go without any further harm” He looked at her as if she was speaking a foreign language but she knew he understood everything she was saying.
After half an hour had passed they had the names of all of the participants at the ceremony they had witnessed and a date and location for the next meeting. Willow looked up at Buffy and nodded as his last sentence seemed to drift off and she hit him with her left hand, knocking him unconscious again.
Giles and Xander quickly moved back to his side and began untying him while Willow and Buffy gathered the syringe and medication and returned it to Fraser's backup medical bag. Giles slung the body over his shoulder again and carried him back to the area where they had originally stopped. Xander drove his car up to park it next to the body as Giles went back for the test drive car.
By the time the salesman came round his head was resting on Buffy's lap and she was gently rubbing his forehead. Giles was leaning over him looking worried and taking his pulse. “What happened?” he asked groggily and tried to sit up.
“Stay right where you are” Buffy commanded and pulled him back down onto her lap. “You have had a nasty bump to the head and shouldn't do anything too strenuous for a while” she grinned down at him and he seemed to relax and smiled back at her.
“How did I bump my head?” he finally asked as he stared dreamily into her eyes.
Giles coughed and dropped the man's wrist. “The hood came down on you while you were examining the young lady's car” he held out a hand to help him up from his prone position. “We were worried about you and I was just about to head back into town for a doctor when you started to come round” Giles played out his part.
The man gingerly touched his jaw where the bruises were already showing. “It feels like somebody hit me” he suggested, looking between Buffy and Giles.
Buffy took his hand in hers and led him back to his own car. “You hit your chin on the engine when the hood came crashing down on you” she said and contrived to sound even more like a distressed lady of the South. “I was so worried, you must give me your address so I can check up on you when I return to town” she smiled at him and he fumbled in his pocket for a business card, hastily writing his home address on the back.
Giles moved back to the driver's side and started the engine. “I should get you back to the hospital for a check up” he suggested and manoeuvred the car to face back towards town.
“What about her car?” the salesman asked anxiously as he looked over his shoulder at her diminishing form. “We can't leave her out here all night”
Giles turned to him and smiled gently. “You had fixed her automotive problem before your accident” he said. “It was a loose wire and you were giving everything a final check over when it happened”
The salesman seemed mollified by this explanation and glanced at his watch, surprised to find that almost forty minutes had passed since he had last checked. He was about to ask Giles about this when he suddenly felt very sleepy and decided to rest before tackling any more questions.
Giles handed the still sleeping form over to Fraser at the hospital and returned the car to the car lot, explaining the circumstances to a worried owner. He promised to think about his purchase and return the following day with his son to finalise the deal.
Xander and the girls picked Giles up ten minutes later as he walked towards the café they had previously used. He slid out of the driver's seat and let Giles guide them back across town towards his apartment.
Buffy laid out some sandwiches and coffee for everyone as Willow finalised the entry of the information they had collated into an e-mail for Wesley and Angel. “I think we're finally getting somewhere” she suggested as she leaned over Willow's shoulder to read the message.
“Mmm” Willow agreed as she sent the message. “It's a nice feeling to be one step ahead for a change”
Giles stretched and stood up. “If I'm correct then the next ritual should be the one we want to interrupt” he stated as he offered the sandwiches to Xander. “Once Wesley has confirmed our thinking on this we can begin to plan the final assault”
Xander nodded and finished chewing his sandwich. “At least we know that there are only two doors in and out of that warehouse and we've scouted the layout before”
Giles looked at each one of them, sensing the rising confidence as they could finally see an end in sight to their current demon problem. “We don't want to get our hopes up” he cautioned. “Even if we have got the correct information it still leaves us with an awful lot to do”
Buffy grinned at him. “Now you're sounding like the old Giles” she laughed. “I think the Rex Harrison outing earlier has caused you to regress to your stuffy old British ways”
Giles grinned back at her. “This from the mint julip girl” he laughed and ducked under the cushion aimed at his head.
“Hey” Willow interrupted as Giles picked up another cushion. “Don't you dare mess this place up, it took me an hour to get it tidy this morning”
Xander and Buffy laughed in the same instant, breaking the sudden silence, as Giles looked at her in amazement. “What?” she asked as he continued to stare at her.
“You sounded just like my mother” he suggested and grinned at her.
Willow suddenly realised what she had said and grinned back at him. “Any more cheek from you and it will be straight to bed with no supper” she kept eye contact as she moved closer to him.
“Oh good grief” Buffy laughed. “Mom and Dad are at it again” she sighed and rolled her eyebrows at Xander.
He shook his head and tapped Giles on the shoulder. “Giles, call us at Buffy's if Angel comes up with anything” he suggested and headed for the door. Giles acknowledged the contact and the suggestion by waving his hand at the departing figures without breaking eye contact with Willow.
She had reached the sofa and was slowly crawling onto his lap when Buffy finally closed the door. “I didn't realise how much I had missed you wearing a suit” she murmured as she settled on his lap. “Although you might at least have considered the tweed one I suggested this morning” she pouted as she slowly loosened his tie and unbuttoned his collar.
“If I had tried to get dressed in a tweed suit this morning we wouldn't have made it downstairs, never mind to the car lot” he smiled and removed his glasses as he kissed her. They were still kissing on the sofa ten minutes later when the laptop beeped to signal an incoming message. Willow pulled away and tried to stand up but he kept hold of her hips and pulled her back onto his lap. “Wesley can wait for five minutes” he murmured as he captured her lips and turned them so that he was lying partially on top of her.
“Rupert” Willow giggled through his kisses and tried to push him off the sofa. “It might be important, we can do this any time” she sighed as he finally relented and stood up. “Don't pout” she smiled at him as she sat down at the table. “It's not very dignified” He headed upstairs mumbling under his breath and she heard the shower start a couple of minutes later. Shaking her head she settled down to reread the message from Wesley.
After ten minutes Giles returned, still drying his hair, and read the message over her shoulder. Willow stood up to make him some tea as he moved to the phone to call Buffy and Xander. “No” he said and shook his head at Willow as she handed him a mug. “We are going to spend the next couple of hours researching the information from Wesley but you and Xander can come over about nine” he shook his head and handed the phone to Willow in exasperation. “Will you please convince them that we are working this evening and not up to anything else”
Willow took the phone from him and moved to the kitchen. He could hear her mumbling down the phone and occasional giggles but tried to block them from his mind as he looked out the books Angel had left them during his last visit. “OK” Willow finally emerged from the kitchen. “We'll see you guys about ten o'clock” She moved to sit across from him at the table and pulled one of the books nearer to her. She glanced up from the book and caught him staring pointedly at her. “It's not my fault” she murmured and returned to the book.
“This is exactly what I was worried about before the accident” he sighed. “Our relationship is interfering with the work that we need to do”
Willow closed the book and crossed her arms over the top of it. “What do you suggest we do?” she sighed and rested her chin on her arms. “Stop being a couple, go back to just being research buddies with me going home every night?”
He stood and walked to the fireplace “You know that most definitely isn't what I want” he said as he turned to face her. “I want everything to be like it was before, but with you as my girlfriend” he cocked his head slightly to the side as he gazed at her, a smile just lifting the corners of his mouth.
Willow sat back in her chair. “Good answer” she smiled at him. “But you know that we can't go back to before the accident, too much has happened since then” he was about to interrupt her but she shook her head. “Buffy and Xander are just finding it a little difficult to adjust fully to us being together but they will get there eventually”
He nodded. “I know they will darling, I just feel that I'm the one causing all of the upset and I can't think what to do to make the situation any better”
Willow stood and walked towards him. “Oh it is all your fault” she nodded and grinned at him. “But we're all just making do with the new, improved you and will soon entirely forget the old, non lemon-scented Giles”
They hugged for a few seconds and he kissed the top of her head. “Why did they change the time to ten?” he asked as he walked back towards the table.
“Xander wanted to swing by the Bronze to see if there had been any further sightings of Harmony recently” Willow replied, settling down to the book she had chosen earlier. “There was also some mention of giving us plenty of time but I explained that an extra hour wasn't enough time for anything good and Buffy said she had to go and throw up” she grinned at him.
A myriad of emotions chased each other across his face and he started a couple of sentences before spluttering to a halt. Eventually he sat down and opened a book in front of him. “I guess I should be flattered?” he smiled and raised his eyebrow.
She smiled at him and sighed. “What have I told you about the sexy eyebrow, quirky smile thing?” she asked. “Hit those books mister and no more talking unless it's about demons or the end of the world”
Xander stood next to Buffy as she knocked on the door and waited for Giles to answer it. “What?” she asked with a smile as he shook his head and returned to his chair. “There is no harm in being careful, I'm still dealing with the emotional scarring from the last time I interrupted a Giles love-a-thon” she huffed past him and sat on the sofa next to Willow. “Sorry” she whispered to her friend. “Didn't mean to mention that in front of you”
Willow shrugged her shoulders and leaned in to whisper in Buffy's ear. “I'm OK with it now but don't let Rupert know, I can still use the leverage for a while” she smiled as Buffy nodded her head and looked impressed.
“Way to manipulate that man Will” she whispered back and punched Willow's arm gently.
“If you two are quite finished?” Giles sighed and removed his glasses before beginning to pace in front of the sofa. “We had a message from Wesley to confirm our suspicions that the next meeting of the blue robes will be the one where the host is finally chosen and the transference takes place” he paused to ensure he had everyone's attention. “It seems that the adept wearing the red robe is the only one who actually knows the identity of the current host for Bolak, however, as we still don't know his identity we will need to wait for the meeting before carrying out our plan. As we've discussed previously we will enter the premises before the final incantations are cast and remove all of the potential hosts from the immediate area of Bolak” he noticed Xander's hand in the air and turned to him with a long suffering sigh. “Yes?” he wearily asked.
Xander smiled and lowered his hand. “Will he pack the place with vampires like the last time or are we looking at a room full of robe wearing, breathing live types?”
Giles nodded and ran his hand through his hair. “Good question Xander” he murmured and smiled at the young man. “I think we will mostly be dealing with non-vampiric humans this time around as he won't be expecting us to make an appearance” he checked with Buffy and Willow and noticed Buffy looking at him a little strangely. “Buffy is everything OK?” he asked and stopped pacing in front of her.
She pulled herself out of the reverie she had sunk into and smiled a little guiltily at the group. “Yeah” she murmured. “Everything's OK so far, on with the Watcher-y pacing” she smiled at him and he shook his head and continued.
“Where was I?” he murmured as he took his glasses off and cleaned them. “Ah, yes” he replaced his glasses and started pacing again. “Once we have removed all of the potential hosts from the area Buffy, Xander and Wesley will also remove themselves from the immediate vicinity” he took a deep breath before continuing. “I've talked this over with Wesley and Angel and they have agreed that the best plan for disrupting the transference is for me to present myself as host with Angel remaining nearby to offer assistance at the appropriate time” He held his hand up as he caught Willow's movement in his peripheral vision. “Willow will remain outside the premises for the entire operation but will proceed with the joining to aid me in the final stages of the spell” he finally turned to look at her. “The biggest outlay of ‘magic muscle' will be from the person setting up the joining and initiating the conjunction at the appropriate time and I won't be able to do that”
Willow was sitting staring at him with a calculating look in her eyes. “Why do I have to be outside for the whole fight?” she asked.
He let out the breath he had been holding until her agreement with the plan. “Because you are the integral part of the plan without which the entire scheme will undoubtedly fail” he stopped pacing and leaned against the fireplace. “Buffy, Xander, Wesley and Angel can easily deal with the cult members and Angel and I need to be in place at the final stand off with Bolak, however, without your strength I won't be able to defeat him and, well..” he faltered a little.
“Bolak would be pretty ticked off at having an ancient, English host type with a history of memory loss?” Xander supplied.
“Quite” Giles said dryly and focussed his attention on Buffy. “Do you have any reservations with the plan?” he asked her softly.
“It should work” she nodded and raised her eyebrow. “Are you feeling OK?” she asked him.
“I'm fine, why do you ask?” Giles seemed a little perplexed at Buffy's question.
“No reason” she smiled at him and shrugged her shoulders. “So how do we plan to remove the robe wearers without hurting them and keep them out of the way while you magic types do your stuff?” she asked.
“If they are all as wimpy as the car lot guy it should be fairly easy” Xander suggested. “After all we do know some serious moves”
“Normally of the ‘dusting with a stake' variety” Buffy suggested. “We can't kill these guys but we need to keep fourteen of them out of the way while we finish the job” she looked at Willow and Xander.
“Perhaps Fraser could help out?” Willow suggested. “If you, Xander, Wesley and Angel can get the robes out to the sidewalk, Fraser and I could dope them up with something to keep them quiet for the rest of the week if we needed to”
“Good idea, although I'm not sure how Fraser would feel ethically about drugging people under those conditions” Giles suggested.
“It's got to be better for their long term health than letting Angel or I deal with them ourselves?” Buffy suggested and smiled at Willow in reassurance. “Can you call Fraser tomorrow and scope him out on the plan?”
Willow nodded and looked back towards Giles. “If the basics are agreed we should get some practice done for the joining” she suggested.
Giles started to reply when Xander groaned and put his hand over his eyes. “Jeez, surely you guys have had enough practice at that in the last few weeks?”
Giles grimaced slightly and took his glasses off, pinching the bridge of his nose. “She meant the joining of our minds for the final assault on Bolak” he said through grated teeth.
“Oh, right” Xander agreed. Buffy sighed and nodded her head towards the door. Xander nodded but moved towards Giles first. “Giles” he said quietly as Buffy and Willow headed towards the front door. “I'm sorry, I was just kidding around” he laid his hand on Giles shoulder and felt the tension in the muscles. “I didn't mean to embarrass you or Willow”
Buffy had signalled Willow to follow her out to the courtyard. “Is Giles OK?” she whispered urgently.
Willow looked strangely at Buffy and put her hand on her arm. “What's the matter, what do you think is wrong with him?” she asked in a worried tone.
“Didn't tonight seem familiar to you?” Buffy asked and stared at Willow, willing her to understand her.
“How do you mean?” Willow asked and shrugged.
“I mean that Giles was suddenly Giles again” Buffy said in an exasperated tone. “He was laying out a battle plan and using big words and pacing and cleaning his glasses and doing Watcher-y stuff again”
Willow replayed the scene in her mind and finally turned to Buffy with an excited look on her face. “You're right” she whispered. “Come to think of it he has been sliding towards his old self over the last few days but I didn't notice the gradual change”
Buffy looked a little worried. “He isn't behaving differently towards you?” Buffy asked.
Willow shook her head and smiled. “Nope, he still seems to be OK with us as, well, us…” she stopped and bit her lower lip. “Although he is getting a bit freaked out about how you and Xander are reacting to us”
Buffy glanced back inside to see Xander patting Giles' shoulder and walking towards the front door. Giles remained standing at the fireplace and didn't acknowledge Xander. “I think he may be a little more than freaked out tonight, I could stay if you wanted me to?” Buffy offered as Xander joined them both outside.
“Giles seems a little tense, is he just worried about the fight?” Xander asked, looking between Buffy and Willow.
Willow shook her head. “No more than normally” she sighed and hugged Buffy and Xander before moving back to the door. “You guys go on patrol and be careful, I'll talk to him and get this sorted out” Willow shooed them away and closed the door behind her.
She put the kettle on and laid out the mugs and teapot before moving towards him. She laid her hand on his back, between his shoulder blades and gently rubbed her hand across the tensed muscles. “We need to talk about this” she said gently and left him to continue making the tea. When she returned with two mugs he was still standing in the same position. She sighed as she put the mugs down on the coffee table and put her arms round his waist, leaning against him. “I didn't do anything wrong, how come I'm getting the silent treatment” she murmured against his sweater as she hugged him.
He sighed as her hands wondered over his chest and stomach muscles. “I expected the effect of the teasing to wear off eventually but it just seems to be getting to me more and more” He was still facing the wall and she slid one hand under his sweater and rubbed his tensed abdominal muscles until he put a hand down to stop her. “I don't think sex is the answer to this problem” he suggested and removed her hand, taking the sting out of his words by kissing her palm and turning to smile gently at her.
“Never underestimate the problem solving properties of incredible sex” she suggested and moved to the sofa.
He shook his head as he moved to the armchair and settled into it. He settled his head against the back of the chair and took his glasses off again. “We are about to undertake a very serious battle with a determined and clever demon whose sole purpose for existing is to wipe us all off the face of the earth” he began in a quiet voice. “Our solution to this threat is, in itself, fraught with danger and may not work. The slightest deviation from our plan of attack will result in either one or both of us becoming hosts to said demon” he held up his hand as she leaned forward to interrupt. “However” he continued in the same level tone. “Our brave gang of demon quellers choose to spend their precious time joking about my sex life instead of preparing for the coming ordeal”
Willow was sitting staring at him, slowly sipping her tea. When he had apparently finished she stood up and handed him his mug of tea. She then gathered some texts together and headed for the bedroom. “I've got some studying to do before we begin practicing tomorrow, you can sleep with me or on the sofa, whichever option best allows you to prepare for killing the bad guys” she shrugged and headed upstairs, leaving him sitting in the chair staring into space.
She was angry with herself for not sensing the changes in him. He had reacted more and more strongly to Xander's teasing and tried to avoid all mention of their relationship whenever they were all together. She thought hard and realised that his hug and kiss for her in the café earlier in the day had been one of the few overtly boyfriend-y things he had done in the last few days. She dropped the pile of books onto the bed and crawled onto it, leaning back against the headboard as she reached for the top of the pile. Despite her worries about him she soon immersed herself in the translation, trying to understand the fundamentals of the joining process from his point of view as well as her own.
He sat for twenty minutes, staring at a point in space a few feet in front of his nose. Eventually he roused himself and moved to the kitchen to rinse the mugs. Moving slowly round the room he switched off all of the lights and checked the front door was locked. Sighing slightly he moved up the stairs slowly, almost as though he was carrying a heavy weight. As he reached the bedroom he saw her sitting on the bed. Her position had changed, she was now lying on her stomach with the book resting on the pillows. Her ankles were crossed and she was gently bumping the bed cover with her toes. He stood watching her for a few seconds before sighing again.
She jumped slightly at the noise behind her and turned to see him leaning against the wall at the top of the stairs. “Do you want a pillow and some covers?” she asked quietly.
He shook his head and moved towards her, his hands in his trouser pockets. “I think I would very much like to sleep beside you, if you don't mind?” he asked, standing next to the bed as if awaiting her permission.
She closed her eyes for a moment, relief flooding through her and put her hands out to welcome him next to her. “Rupert” she whispered as he gathered her in his arms. “Everything is going to be fine” she mumbled against his shoulder.
He held onto her as if his life depended on it. “I've spent the last few months, since the accident, worrying over what we had faced in the past” he started quietly. “Over the last few days I suddenly realised that I was genuinely frightened about the coming battle, but I couldn't let any of you see my weakness just when we all needed to be strong for each other”
She pulled back from him slightly and kissed his lips, stopping his next sentence. “You don't need to hide anything Rupert, we're all frightened but we have each other and that's always been enough in the past”
He shook his head. “In the past you were all frightened but I seem to remember keeping a stiff upper lip and an unshakeable calm in the face of adversity”
He smiled a little and Willow laughed. “Don't you dare lie Rupert Giles” she placed her hand on his chest. “You were just as scared as the rest of us and that made it OK for the rest of us to show the fear a bit” Her hand moved across his chest and she leaned in to kiss him gently. “I think you're nearly back to the perennial worrier we all used to know and love” she smiled at him. “Some more than others, with the love thing I mean”
He took a deep breath. “Was this the way it always felt before we faced a demon?”
“Pretty much” she nodded. “Although, I have no first hand evidence of how you used to feel” she suggested as her hand continued rubbing his chest and abdomen and she raised her eyebrow. “I am prepared to admit that you feel pretty damned yummy right now, in a ‘Watcher before the battle' kind of way”
He shifted slightly and removed some of the books from immediately behind her before stretching them both out across the bed. “You said something earlier about incredible sex as an aid to problem solving?” he suggested as his own hands began an exploration under her blouse.
“Uhuh” she mumbled as she tried to get him to remove his hands to allow her to slip his sweater off. “It is also an exceptionally good way to remain calm before an impending demon bashing session”
He suddenly stopped moving and pulled back to look at her seriously. He gently pushed her hands away from his waist as she tried, once again, to get his sweater off of him. “Exactly how did you come upon this interesting side effect?” he asked.
She realised he had stopped the touching and groping and looked up at him with a pout. “What?” she asked and then understood what he was asking. “Oh” was all she managed before she blushed and tried to bury her face in his chest.
“Oh no you don't” he grinned and pulled back, lifting her chin so that she had to meet his gaze. “We haven't fought any demons since we got together and, as far as I remember, you weren't seeing anyone when Adam was finally dispatched so…” he left the sentence unfinished and looked at her with his eyebrow raised.
“How do you know that I've got prima facae evidence, it could be hearsay” she countered and defiantly met his gaze.
He looked into her eyes and suddenly smiled. “You had sex with Oz before the Ascension?” he laughed.
His smile completely melted her insides and left her weak at the knees, despite the fact she was lying down. “We weren't really that late, we made it for the snake thing” she mumbled and then realised her mistake.
“You had sex with Oz on the afternoon of the Ascension?” he asked incredulously. “I was busy setting explosives to raze the school to the ground, Buffy had gone to retrieve Faith's knife, Xander was ensuring everyone had a weapon and you were busy having sex”
She knew she should just accept his mocking in good grace but somehow her mouth didn't get the message and she just kept talking. “It had been a pretty stressful couple of days, I had been kidnapped and then we were talking about blowing up the library and I really liked the library and we could all have died and..” her righteous indignation finally lost steam as he collapsed in laughter next to her.
“Thank God Xander and myself didn't have any significant others at the time and some of us managed to keep our minds on the job” he managed before kissing her through his laughter.
She kissed him back then pushed him away. “I think I liked the worried old Watcher type better than the mean new guy who keeps teasing me” she tried to pout again but couldn't quite pull it off as he ran his hand up her thigh and stopped at her hip.
“You don't like being teased?” he asked with a raised eyebrow. “Because I was planning on kissing and licking and nibbling and teasing for the next hour or so” he began to match his actions to his words.
“Perhaps we could get started on that plan and modify it as we go” she suggested and nibbled his earlobe as he kissed her neck.
The sweat was gathering on her top lip again and she tried to ignore it as she willed herself to focus and concentrate on the spell. “Blast” she muttered as she felt the power drift away from her like sand running through her fingers. She hung her head for a moment before reaching for the towel that was draped over the arm of the sofa.
Giles returned to the apartment an hour later and found her sitting in the courtyard, her eyes closed and her face turned towards the sun. “What took you so long?” she asked without opening her eyes.
“I stopped off after the magic shop to pick up a present for you” he smiled and leaned down to kiss her. “How did your practise session go?” he asked as he moved past her into the shade of the apartment.
He heard her sigh and groan slightly as she stood up to follow him. “I can't believe that sitting still and concentrating can make so many different muscles ache, all at the same time” she grumbled and sat at the breakfast counter, watching him unpack the grocery bags he had carried in. “Did you get everything we need from the magic shop?”
“And a bit extra” he grinned. “They were having a sale” he showed her several bags of herbs and she smiled at him.
“That had better not be my present” she suggested and tried to peek into the last bag that he hadn't opened yet.
“Ah, ah, ahh” he muttered and put the bag behind his back before heading out of the kitchen. “We'll spend the rest of the afternoon practising then you can get your present”
She pouted a little but didn't have the strength to argue with him. “I'm pooped, I don't think I could practise any more today”
He looked up at her and frowned. “You really do look quite tired” he nodded. “Why don't you go back out and enjoy the sun while I make you something to eat, perhaps you'll feel better after that?”
She took a deep breath and sighed. “OK” she murmured and headed outside again.
He watched her leave and shook his head with a worried look on his face. She had been working flat out to perfect the spell and the concentration needed to control it for a long period of time. None of them knew how long it would take him to disrupt the transference and they had to be ready and prepared for the spell to last for several hours if necessary. He had marvelled at the ease with which they had taken to performing the spell together. He remembered that they had worked magic together before but he had been teaching her then and they hadn't undertaken any serious spells together during that time. Over the previous two days they had managed to perform the joining ritual and hold it for nearly an hour on two separate occasions. Willow had agreed to work on her side of the incantations to try and prolong the joining but he was worried that she was draining herself too much before the spell had to be used in anger.
Ten minutes later he emerged with a large plate of sandwiches and two glasses of ice-cold lemonade. She smiled at him as she reached for a sandwich. “Did you make the lemonade yourself?” she asked as she lifted her glass.
“I opened the bottle myself, does that count?” he asked and settled onto a chair next to her.
“Good enough for me” she mumbled around another sandwich and smiled at him. “I didn't realise it until just now but I'm starving” she giggled as she picked up a sandwich in each hand and quickly demolished them both.
“Would you like something else?” he asked as he poured her some more juice. “I could make you a proper meal” he suggested.
She shook her head and sighed as she finished the last piece of bread. “That feels much better already but I think I might have a nap before I try any more practise sessions” she yawned before she could get to the end of the sentence.
“I think we'll give up practise for today and just relax, we're ahead of the schedule we set ourselves anyway and there is no sense in tiring you out” he stood up and gave her his hand. “Perhaps madam would like to adjourn to the lounge to receive her present?”
“Madam would” Willow smiled and let him lead her back indoors.
He settled her on the sofa and returned a moment later with a paper grocery bag that he presented to her as if it were the crown jewels. She giggled and pulled open the scrunched up top of the bag to peer inside. “If you got me salami from the deli as a present you are in big trouble” she mumbled as she gave up all pretence and ripped the bag open. A small picture frame fell out onto her lap and a large envelope landed at her side. She picked up the picture frame and stared at it for several minutes before turning to him. “Where on earth did you get this?” she asked and pointed to the picture. “I don't even remember it being taken”
He smiled and kissed her forehead. “Oz took it and gave it to me before he left” he gasped a little as she hugged him tightly. “I've been carrying it around in my wallet ever since because it is the only picture I had of all of us together”
Willow looked crestfallen. “I can't take it from you if it meant that much” she began but he pulled his wallet out and showed her a copy of the picture in pride of place.
“I got it copied but I wanted you to have the original because it was the picture of you that I always turned to whenever things seemed to be getting overwhelming” he smiled and traced her face in the small frame.
“And Jenny?” she asked. “You don't mind me putting up a picture of her here?” she indicated the room they were sitting in.
He shook his head. “I wouldn't have carried it with me if I wasn't able to look at her and remember the good times” She sighed and leaned against him as he put his arm around her. “Don't forget the card” he murmured as he kissed the top of her head.
She gently opened the envelope and pulled out a card with a red rose pressed onto the front of it. Before opening it she sighed and then turned to face him. “I haven't forgotten another anniversary have I?” she asked plaintively.
“No” he smiled. “I just wanted to let you know how much you mean to me” he said quietly and leaned down to kiss her gently.
She sagged against his arm as he deepened the kiss and it was several moments before she could pull herself away to open the card and read the message inside. She shook her head in puzzlement and looked to him for a clue. He took the card from her hands and read out the inscription in flawless Italian.
“Ohhh” she sighed and gazed at him. “Don't tell me what it means just keep saying it while we walk up the stairs” she suggested and stood up.
He laughed and kissed her hand as she led him to the bedroom. He was whispering in Italian how much he loved her and what they were going to do to each other for the rest of the day when she turned round and kissed him fiercely.
He lifted her off of her feet and quickly walked them both to the bed before putting her down again. Her hands held his lips against hers as he quickly removed his clothes, thanking heaven that he had worn a shirt. When he was naked he pushed her onto the bed and quickly removed her clothes as well.
“You've stopped talking” she mumbled as her hands ran over his shoulders and chest. “The foreign talking was definitely helping”
He stopped kissing her abdomen and looked up at her, one hand idly playing across her hip. “I can either tell you what I'm going to do to you or do it” he suggested. “Which would you prefer?” he asked as he stopped touching her altogether.
“Don't you dare start multiple choice pop quizzes in the middle of seducing me” she glowered and wriggled out from underneath him. “Now you will have to be punished” she grinned and straddled him. She waited for him to protest and stared down at him until she realised that he most definitely wasn't complaining.
He grinned up at her. “What are you waiting for?” he asked slyly as he put his hands on her hips and manoeuvred her closer to his groin. “I can cope with a few minutes of this kind of punishment before my back gives out”
She giggled and lifted herself up to rest just above his erection. “Are you sure?” she asked slightly breathlessly. She met his eyes and lost herself for a moment before she noticed his raised eyebrow. “Sorry” she mumbled. “Got a bit distracted there” she sighed as she lowered herself down and took a couple of seconds to steady herself before beginning. When she opened her eyes she watched him watching her. His hands were steadying her hips and his hips were gently rocking in time with her movements but he looked incredibly relaxed and at peace. “Why am I the only one doing any work here?” she asked and increased the pace a little. “This was supposed to be your punishment” she tried to scowl but couldn't quite bring it off.
“Oh I am suffering” he grinned lazily at her. “This is definitely a torment worthy of Torquemada himself” She stopped her movement and closed her eyes. After a moment she gently moved off of him before lying down next to him. “Is something wrong?” he looked worried as he turned on his side to hug her. “Did I do something..”
She put her fingers on his lips to stop him. “I only just realised how weird it is to finally have you back and how much I missed you” She cuddled against him and he looked down on her completely bemused.
“I think I understand the sentiment but I have to argue with the timing a little, darling” he frowned as she lifted her head to look at him.
She smiled and used her hand to smooth out his frown. “Well you will mention ancient Spanish Inquisitor Generals in the middle of sex. How am I supposed to concentrate on the sexy new you when you remind me of the old Librarian?”
“But I thought you wanted this with the old me as well?” he seemed confused and backed off a little to concentrate on the conversation instead of her warm body lying against his.
“I did, I mean I do” she was getting frustrated at not being able to explain to him. “If you had said yes before you were injured I would have jumped you there and then, you know that” she began and he waited for her to make her point. “But you didn't say yes until afterwards and you've always been…” she ground to a halt. “Dammit” she grunted as she stood up to pace at the side of the bed.
He leaned back, putting his hands behind his head as he watched her stride purposefully back and forth. A smile slowly crept across his face as he realised the ridiculousness of the situation. “If I promise not to mention any famous historical figures will you come back and have raunchy sex with me please?” he asked in his politest voice. “We can work out your psychological problems with this later on”
She stopped pacing and turned to face him, her hands on her hips. “This is important” she said seriously. “I need you to know that I want you and….why are you grinning at me like that?” she asked slightly peeved that he was laughing at her while she was trying to be serious.
“You are standing naked in my bedroom with a very attractive blush of indignation, giving me a lecture about our relationship, when you brought me up here to ravish me!” he smirked. “Am I not entitled to be a little amused?”
“You are incorrigible” she smiled at him and slowly crawled back onto the bed. “Shut up and kiss me, then make me forget all of this nonsense with wild, sweaty sex” she nodded and settled into his arms. They kissed for several minutes before she pulled back and looked seriously at him. “I'm sorry but it's just a bit disconcerting when you channel old Giles while I'm doing rude things to new Rupert”
He sighed and pulled her into his arms again. “When we have dealt with Bolak once and for all we should go away for a few days to try and sort this out” he suggested. “We really need to decide how to deal with my apparent change in personality before it completely ruins my sex life”
She pulled him closer and let her hands roam over his lower back. “Perhaps we should enjoy what remains of your sex life before it disappears?”
They both woke at dawn next morning and ate a quick breakfast before setting out the ingredients for practicing the joining spell again. Giles settled himself into the lotus position and tried to hide the discomfort emanating from his lower back. He was glad this ordeal was to be over soon and he could finally rest his back, although he knew it would be difficult with Willow around. The object of his affections sat cross-legged in front of him, closed her eyes and held out her hands. When she felt his hands in hers she began chanting slightly under her breath and he closed his own eyes to enable him to focus on the energy building within him. He felt her presence inside his mind as she completed the initial stages of the joining and opened himself to her energy. After a couple of minutes he felt strong enough to take on Frasier and Ali together and opened his eyes to focus on the pile of cards lying between them. The exercise seemed deceptively simple, he spent the next few hours building and demolishing card houses, one card at a time, using his mind instead of his hands. He could have managed this without Willow's assistance for perhaps five minutes, however, with her strength augmenting his, he lifted and placed the cards with increasing speed and accuracy until they were a blur of colours and numbers.
Willow was staring straight at him and the small part of her mind that wasn't engaged in keeping the spell going was wondering how she had managed to think of him as only a friend for so long. Her mind was starting to wander a little and she closed her eyes and pulled her energy back together to keep the joining in place. After ten more minutes she began to pull back from the spell slightly and felt his recognition that it was about to end. When she opened her eyes again he was sitting with his head in his hands and his t-shirt was sticking to his chest with sweat. She groaned as she tried to stand and glanced across at the clock on the table. “Three hours” she murmured. “Way to go Rupert” she sighed as she finally managed to steady herself and put her hand out to help him up.
“Are you OK?” he asked as he stretched his shoulders and rotated his neck.
“I think so, just a little stiff” she suggested as she started to stretch as well.
“You guys ready for some breakfast?” asked a voice from the kitchen, causing Giles to jump and Willow to gasp. “What?” Buffy asked as they stared at her. “You've never seen me make eggs before?”
“These are very good eggs” Giles murmured around his third plateful. “Any chance of another cup of tea?”
Buffy shook her head. “You and I should definitely go for a run later today to work off these calories” she laughed as she ladelled more toast and eggs onto his plate and passed Willow the jug of juice. “I'll put the kettle on for Giles then you and I should really get going, we have classes this morning”
Willow nodded and finished her juice in a gulp. “I'll be ten minutes in the shower” she announced and grabbed a slice of toast from Giles' plate before running upstairs.
“So what's with the cards?” asked Buffy, motioning towards the cards lying on the floor. “Are you planning on playing the big bad for the hellmouth, because I would have guessed you'd choose Scrabble?”
Giles shook his head. “It is an exercise to prove the joining is working and increase my stamina” he smiled at her as he carelessly flicked his fingers at the cards and they neatly stacked themselves on the table. “A little residual Willow power left over” he explained as Buffy stared at him in astonishment.
“Enough with the Mary Poppins clearing up” she begged. “Are you guys going to be ready by tomorrow night or should we be working on plan B?”
Giles ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. “We're not perfect yet but I think we're as good as we are going to get. This morning was the last work out before Willow and I rest and prepare for the final battle”
Buffy nodded and stood up to gather the dishes. “We only have two classes today so we should be back mid afternoon. I've asked Xander and Fraser to join us and we can sort out the fine details as soon as Angel and Wesley arrive later tonight”
Buffy marvelled at her friend's concentration during the tutorial. When the bell sounded and they all began packing up their notes Buffy leaned across and put her hand on top of Willow's, stilling her movements. “How do you do that?” she whispered and nodded her head towards the tutor. “How can you block out tonight?”
Willow looked around to see if anyone was near and then drew her notepad from her backpack. The first half of the page was filled with her neat handwriting and Buffy recognised a few key phrases from early on in the lecture. The bottom half of the page, however, was a montage of mystical symbols and a floor plan of the warehouse they had previously staked out. Willow finished packing her stuff away and fell into step beside Buffy as they headed across campus. “In the old days” she began quietly. “I used to be able to switch off the vampires and deal with the real life school stuff” Buffy smiled in remembrance of her and Xander cramming from Willow's notes for exams. “I think the last few months have just taken it out of me and I can't really concentrate on anything for more than half an hour or so without inevitably getting back to the nasty that is Bolak”
Buffy nodded. “I guess all of your worry over Giles hasn't helped any, has it?”
Willow smiled a little “I don't always worry about him, in fact” she murmured and turned a little red. “Sometimes the reason I find it difficult to concentrate is the exact opposite”
Buffy shook her head. “Sometimes I think I'm the one who had amnesia and was unconscious for a month” she smiled. “Then I wake up to find my stuffy Watcher finally getting some action and my shy best friend transformed into Miss Slutty Paloosa of this county”
The two girls laughed and turned towards Gile's apartment. Half way there they met up with Xander and the three of them arrived just as Giles was making a pot of tea for Fraser and himself. “I told you” he sighed. “As soon as I make any foodstuffs in this kitchen they all appear, as if they have been standing outside listening for the hum of white goods in action”
Fraser laughed and hugged Willow before moving towards the fireplace. Willow moved on to Giles and gave him a quick hug before opening the refrigerator. By the time everyone had been supplied with sandwiches Fraser was up to date with the proposed plan. “I'm not sure how the hospital board would view one of its doctors drugging unsuspecting members of the public but I'm guessing the blue cloaks won't be making formal complaints once this is all over?”
Buffy smiled. “We can usually persuade obscure cult members to move on and not dwell on the past”
Xander huffed. “I still don't see why we can't just knock these guys out the old fashioned way”
Giles smiled at him. “Much as I admire your Olympian standards in wishing to keep drugs out of this particular sport, I think it would be for the best all round”
Willow patted his arm. “Perhaps if one of them struggles you can restrain him with unnecessary force while Fraser works on him?”
Giles moved over to close the curtains and put some lights on. “Angel and Wesley will be with us soon, perhaps we should get ready”
Buffy nodded and lifted a flipchart stand from the front door. Xander helped Willow and Fraser to move the sofa and chairs while Giles checked through a file of papers. By the time they had finished setting up the presentation, Angel and Wesley had arrived and introductions were being made all round.
Wesley looked a little nervous and nodded to Xander and Buffy while Angel was talking to the doctor. Willow moved across and put her hand on his arm. “It's really good to see you again Wesley”
He relaxed a little and held his hand out to Giles. “Rupert, I'm glad to see you fully recovered”
Giles smiled and shook his hand warmly. “Thank you, Angel has high praise for you whenever he visits. I understand things are going well for you in LA?”
Wesley nodded and was about to reply when Buffy moved between them with a mischievous look on her face. “Did Giles tell you that you were one of the first memories he got back?”
Giles looked extremely embarrassed and coughed slightly while Wesley looked between them and blushed a little. “I trust that the memories recovered since have been of more pleasant events?”
Buffy snorted and elbowed Wesley in the ribs “Don't get me started”
Giles decided to end this particular line of small talk. “He was trying not to” he said curtly to Buffy. “Perhaps everyone could take a seat and we could begin?”
Giles began by summing up the information they had so far for the benefit of Wesley and Fraser. “And that brings us up to date” he suggested. “Assuming that Wesley and Angel agree with our findings we will disrupt the ceremony tomorrow night and mortally injure Bolak's current host, thereby forcing him into choosing me as the only remaining host, whereupon we will use magical means to disrupt the takeover bid for as long as it takes until Bolak can no longer sustain his incorporeal state”
Wesley nodded and cleared his throat. “Angel and I have checked all of the texts we had access to and they seem to agree with Mr Giles's summing up of the situation”
Giles nodded and moved to the flipchart. “This shows a floorplan of the warehouse and we have marked the possible exits and entrances” The next hour was spent in battle tactics and discussions of strategy. By the end of this time everyone was familiar with the plan of action. Giles had a look around all of the faces, most of them eager to get on with it, except for Fraser and Willow. “Are there any more questions?” he asked.
Willow sighed “What happens if the joining lasts for so long that we run out of night?” she asked. “Will there be enough cover for you in the building?” she looked towards Angel.
He nodded “I think I should be OK, but if it takes that long I'd be more worried about you than me”
Willow smiled a little “I'll be fine and I'm fairly sure I can keep the link between us for as long as Giles needs it”
Everyone sat silently for a few minutes, deep in their own thoughts and worries, until Fraser finally stood up. “I'm going to need some help in removing the necessary supplies from the hospital stores. Anyone up for a spot of larceny?”
Wesley smiled at him and stood up. “It's been a while since I was in active service in Sunnydale and I seem to remember the last event ending rather unsatisfactorily” he smiled at Giles. “I'd welcome the opportunity to make up for a pretty dismal show last time around” He lifted his jacked from the back of the chair and turned towards Angel. “Feel like being lookout for us?”
Angel looked as if he was going to disagree but then nodded, “Sure, I'll back you up” He turned as he reached the door “We'll all meet up at the warehouse at six thirty tomorrow night” he said then headed out after Wesley and Fraser.
Buffy and Xander seemed to be unaware of their departure and Willow eventually leaned over the back of the sofa between them. “You guys should get home and get some rest, we'll all need to be fresh and ready to go tomorrow night”
“Sure” Buffy mumbled and noticed the lack of large, moody vampires. “Where did Angel and the others go?” she asked.
Giles stretched a little and began clearing away some of the books and papers he had used earlier. “Angel and Wesley have gone to help Fraser gather the supplies he needs. Speaking of which did anyone notice that Fraser seemed a little distracted before he left, do you think he'll be OK tomorrow night?”
Xander finished taking the flipchart down “This is his first big event, lets remember how we all dealt with our first time and give the guy some time to take it all in”
Willow nodded. “He's probably just a little wigged about being part of this, I mean offering to help is one thing but actually doing it is something else”
Buffy finished moving the sofa back into position. “It's not as if he's flying solo, he'll have Willow to help him in the beginning and then the rest of us will be with him as soon as the last blue coat is out of there”
Giles stacked the last of his books in the bookcase and turned to them. “You're probably right. I sometimes forget how overwhelming this can be”
“And that's why you're the resident amnesia guy!” Buffy smiled. “I'll call by his office tomorrow and make sure he's coping OK” Buffy added and stifled a yawn.
Xander put his arm round her shoulders. “Come on, let's get you to bed young woman” Buffy rolled her eyes and followed him out the door.
Willow locked the door behind them and started putting lights out. Giles came up behind her as she bent over to put out the final table light. “I know I said everyone should get their rest, but I'm prepared to make an exception in your case” she murmured as she turned in his arms and rested her cheek against his shoulder.
“I'm not sure I could sleep even without your presence in my bed” he smiled down at her. “I'm wide awake and can't stop thinking about tomorrow night”
Willow stood back from his arms a little and frowned. “I don't mind you not wanting to ‘sleep' with me but I do mind you worrying about tomorrow night when this one isn't anywhere near over yet”
He lifted one of her hands to his lips and gently kissed her palm. “You are quite right of course, I apologise for my shocking breach of etiquette. How will you ever forgive me?” His lips continued from her hand to her arm, then her shoulder. By the time he had reached her neck she was grinning at him and sighing.
“Welllll” she finally said. “I'm not sure what the correct recourse is in such a situation” she raised her eyebrows and licked her lips as he continued to nuzzle her neck. “Why don't you start by having your wicked way with me then we'll take it from there?”
Willow had started to edge towards the stairs and was surprised when he put his arm round her waist and gently turned her round. “You want to dance?” she asked in a husky voice, making it fairly clear that this wasn't what she had in mind.
He shook his head and sat down on the sofa, gently pulling her down with him. “I watched you tonight, sitting on this sofa, joining in a discussion about some fairly appalling things which might happen to all of us and I suddenly realised that I desperately wanted a happier memory of you on this sofa for our old age”
She grinned and ran her hand up his thigh to rest on the prominent bulge in his slacks. “So I shouldn't feel guilty that I fantasised about you during tonight's lecture either?”
He laughed and traced the shape of her breast with his finger. “Let's just hope someone was paying attention” He gently unbuttoned her shirt until he could push it off her shoulders, before removing her bra. He pushed her back slightly as he leaned down to place kisses over her breasts, taking care to avoid touching her nipples.
Eventually Willow realised he was teasing her and decided to move things along a little. Her hand stopped the gentle massage she had been performing on his inner thigh and moved up to unzip his trousers. She struggled with his belt until he stopped stroking her side and undid the belt and button himself before standing to take them off. She took the opportunity to strip off the rest of her clothes before pulling him on top of her. She grinned up at him and ran her fingernails down his back. “Let's get on with the memory making stuff, shall we?”
He was an intelligent man who understood prophecies and portents, therefore, he was fairly sure he knew exactly what she wanted and was absolutely positive as to exactly what he wanted. But something was holding him back.
Willow sensed his uncertainty and looked deep into his eyes. “Is something wrong?” she asked. “Did I do something wrong?”
He shook his head and leaned down to kiss her tenderly. “It's not you, it's me” he sighed. He began to pull back from her, prepared to discuss his uncertainties.
But Willow had other ideas. “No way” she pushed herself up and stood facing him, her hands on her hips. “No way you are doing this to me again, not going to happen” she insisted and straddled his lap as he sat staring at her in bemusement.
“Do what to you, again?” he asked and settled her more comfortably in his lap.
“OK this time I'm actually naked but last time I was just emotionally naked and I nearly lost you before we managed to finally get together and I'm not going to let you talk your way out of it this time” she nodded her head and crossed her arms to indicate her determination.
“I'm not denying my feelings for you this time darling, it's just that I can't help worrying about tomorrow” he tried to hold her in his arms but she was still leaning back from him slightly.
“You can't sweet talk your way out of this Rupert” she said dryly. “We are both facing considerable danger tomorrow, but we are choosing to go ahead anyway” he started to protest but she put her fingers over his lips to silence him. “The last time we faced Bolak we hadn't admitted our feelings for each other and we both barely survived. This time I am much stronger because I've finally found you and I don't plan on letting anything happen to you”
He ran his hand through her hair and rested it on her shoulder. “You must understand that I can't imagine life without you and I simply won't stand for anyone trying to make that happen”
“That's more like it” she smiled and wriggled in his lap a little, raising her eyebrows at his body's reaction. “Righteous indignation from a British guy is way more scary than a slayer with a pointy stick”
“One day we will make love like normal people, without discussing the fate of the world beforehand” he sighed as he ran his hand from her shoulder across her breasts. “Unless deep metaphysical discussion turns you on?” he queried.
“No more talking” she murmured and her hands ran down his chest to his abdomen. “Unless its Italian” she added as her hands continued south. She heard his gasp as she grasped his erection and gently began stroking it.
He moved his hips nearer to the edge of the sofa and leaned back, teasing her nipples as she continued stroking his erection. When the attention became too much for him he moved his hands to her buttocks and gently pulled her above his erection. Her new position moved her breasts within range of his tongue and he took advantage of the opportunity.
Willow rolled her head back and pushed her breasts closer to his mouth. At that moment she could imagine nowhere else on earth that she would rather be than in his arms, making love to him on his sofa. As he continued to lick and suck her nipples she lowered herself onto his erection and began slow, languorous movements, lifting herself almost completely off of him before sliding back down and earning a sigh of contentment from him at the end of every stroke.
His right hand roamed across her back as his left met her clitoris at the bottom of each stroke. After a few moments of this attention her breathing became shallower and the pace of the strokes increased. He smiled as he moved his lips away from her breasts and pulled her head down into a deep kiss.
She pulled back quickly to gulp air into her lungs, opening her eyes to gaze down on his lazy smile. She marvelled at the power he had over her. “I love you” she gasped before drawing him back into a kiss. Her tongue swept across his upper lip and she could feel his smile grow as he reciprocated. She felt herself move closer to climax and drew back from the kiss. Both of her hands moved behind him, one to steady herself on the back of the sofa the other to hold his head and mouth against her breasts, making her intentions fairly clear.
He held onto her as she cried out and buried her head on his shoulder. His left hand was trapped between them and he felt the contractions that caused shudders to run through her body. “I love you too Willow” he whispered in her ear and kissed her neck.
The feel of his breath on her neck made her squirm and she giggled as she pulled away. “Wow” she sighed and he noticed her breasts rise and fall with her heavy breathing. “We really are getting the hang of this aren't we?”
“I couldn't possibly comment at this early stage” he murmured and helped her off of his lap. “Perhaps we could move to the bedroom for round two and you could ask me the same question in a couple of hours?”
They both slept late the next day, wakening slowly and holding each other for some time before Giles finally sighed. “I don't want to let you go” he whispered in her ear.
“But” she murmured and reached round to kiss him again.
It took several minutes for him to remember the direction his thoughts had taken. “But” he sighed again. “I am starving and we should really get up and get dressed”
“Why?” she asked innocently. “I mean I could go along with getting some breakfast but why do we need to get dressed?”
He leaned on his side and rested his head on his arm as he looked down at her with a smile. “Are you suggesting we spend the day in bed?”
Willow expected him to protest but was sure she detected a hint of willingness in his tone. “Nope” she announced and pushed the covers back before putting on a robe. “I think there are plenty of other parts of the apartment which hold unhappy memories and I'm proposing we spend the day making some happier memories for each of them”
His face had fallen at her initial response but he wore a huge grin by the time she had finished and he followed her example and pushed the covers to the floor. “I've always felt vaguely depressed in the kitchen” he suggested and took her hand to lead her downstairs.
Buffy wandered down the corridor in the hospital, trying to remember the last time she had been here. When she reached the nurse's station and found Fraser in deep conversation with a colleague she remembered the day that they had taken Giles home. “Dr Alexander” she said quietly as his colleague moved away. “Could I have a quick word with you?” she asked.
Fraser looked at her worriedly. “Of course, Buffy, come this way” he said, leading her to a small room which had barely enough space for the desk and chairs. He motioned her to sit in one of the chairs and closed the door behind her. “Is everything OK?” he asked quickly and moved to sit on the other side of the desk.
She smiled at him. “Everything's fine, I was just a bit worried about how you were holding up and thought I would see if you needed any help with anything before tonight”
He seemed a little relieved and smiled slightly at her. “I'm OK, but just a little apprehensive about tonight”
She nodded. “I would be concerned if you weren't, after all we're all worried and we've been doing this for a lot longer than you” She leaned back in her chair and stared at him thoughtfully. “Is there anything you don't understand or that I can help you with?”
He settled more comfortably in the chair and looked closely at her. “What happens if it doesn't work?” he asked and licked his lips nervously. “What happens if Rupert isn't able to overcome the demon, even with Willow's help?”
Buffy kept eye contact with him and tried to hide her surprise that he had worked out the one flaw in their plan. “If something happens and Willow and Giles aren't strong enough to overcome Bolak..” she began and paused to take a deep breath. “Well, one or both of them will become host to him and we would deal with that if it happens” She finished rather uncertainly and left him to decide how much information he wanted.
“You mean you would kill them” he tried to keep his tone as even as possible and ignored the voice in his head which was telling him how ridiculous this conversation was.
Buffy shook her head. “We wouldn't kill them” she began then stopped to gather her thoughts. “It's like someone knocking down a house you once lived in” she explained. “They would be destroying a house, not your house, do you understand”
“We're not talking mid town property clearances here Buffy, we're discussing the deliberate murder of two of your closest friends”
She shook her head again. “My friends would already be dead if it gets that far and I would be finishing off the demon who killed them” She leaned forward and took his hand “You need to know that we will take every precaution to stop that ever happening and that Giles and Willow are more than capable of doing this”
Her obvious belief in the sentiment stopped the reply that sprang to mind, instead he leaned forward and patted her hand. “I don't suppose that I have any right to be more worried about this than you are” he began. “After all, I doubt you would allow them to undertake this task unless you believed they would succeed”
She nodded and smiled slightly. “Damn right I wouldn't” She decided that she would wait a few years before explaining to the doctor that she couldn't stop Giles or Willow even if she didn't believe in them. She knew that he needed to share her apparent faith in their abilities and he didn't need to know that, if the process failed, Angel would kill Giles before they had a chance to discuss their feelings in the matter. Sadness swept over her as she ran over the potential scenarios for that night, most of which would end with one or more of them dead. She realised the doctor was staring at her and pulled her attention back to the present, after all tomorrow, and the resolution it would bring, would come soon enough.
“So” she pulled herself together. “How are your preparations coming along?”
He knew he wouldn't be able to get anything more from her in regard to their failure so he tacitly agreed to concentrate on the success of their venture. “I had a long discussion with Wesley last night while we appropriated supplies and he came up with a good idea”
Buffy seemed a little nervous. “His plans haven't always been his strong suit, what did he suggest?”
“It seemed to be a clever way to avoid having to drug the captives for too long. He suggested that we detain them in a mini bus while we drug them and then drive them out of town and leave them somewhere deserted when they come round” he seemed quite pleased when Buffy smiled and stood up to depart.
“Seems like you guys have this all sorted out without me, keep up the good work and I'll see you and Wesley later this afternoon at Giles' apartment?” Buffy left the hospital in a slightly more cheerful frame of mind and headed to the mansion to discuss final arrangements with Angel.
Wesley scouted the area around the warehouse surreptitiously, making sure that nobody was aware of his interest. When he had the layout clearly in his mind he returned to the mini-bus and headed towards Angel's mansion to go over the evening's plans one last time.
“Angel” he shouted as he pushed open the front door. “I think I've got everything we'll need for tonight” he rounded the corner and saw Buffy sitting in an armchair while Angel came through from the bedroom, still fastening his shirt. “I haven't interrupted anything have I?” he asked pointedly and looked seriously at Angel.
Angel shook his head slightly and put his hands on his hips. “Buffy and I were doing some training and I was putting on a clean shirt” He motioned to the bag in Wesley's hand. “Did you get the extra stuff we need?”
“Yes” Wesley replied with a nod to Buffy. “And I'm glad nobody round here knows me any more because the man at the hardware shop now thinks I am a complete pervert”
Buffy looked a little incredulously at Wesley and moved to open the bag he had left on the table. She pulled out a long length of sturdy chain and found several sets of handcuffs caught up in it. “Mr Wyndham Price!” she raised her eyebrows. “What is it with Watchers and handcuffs?” she sighed and pushed the chain back into the bag.
Wesley had turned a very bright red and looked at Angel with his best long suffering expression. “I beg of you, don't ever tell me about Mr Giles”
Willow stepped out of the shower and grinned at Rupert as he finished drying his hair and pulled on a t-shirt. “Did I ever mention that I was extremely unhappy in Fraser's car?”
He groaned and threw the wet towel at her. “Perhaps I'll ask Fraser to borrow it again this weekend but only if you promise to be gentle with me!”
Willow picked the towel up and twirled it in the air. “Aren't I always?” she asked sweetly.
“I nearly dislocated my shoulder in the kitchen and you nearly drowned me in the shower and that's you being gentle?” he asked incredulously as he moved to hug her.
She wriggled out of his grasp. “I'm still all wet and you promised me lunch” she put her hand on his chest and pushed him away. “You had better be back with a triple decker club sandwich by the time I'm dressed or I'll start being not gentle with you for real”
He held his hands up in surrender and picked up his car keys from the bedside table. She smiled dreamily as she heard the front door slam shut downstairs. She couldn't remember ever being this happy. Even when she allowed her mind to wander to the danger they were placing themselves in that night, she couldn't quite shake the feeling of extreme well being which washed over her with every breath. “Probably a bad sign” she sighed. “If this were a movie he'd have crashed the car by now and I'd be a lonely and bitter old woman for the rest of my life” She looked at herself in the mirror before getting dressed. “Nope” she murmured. “No bitterness and definitely not old yet”
Willow was in the kitchen straightening up the furniture and clearing away the debris from their recent happies when he returned. Giles dumped the bag of sandwiches on the counter and gently placed two large take out cups of coffee next to them. “Come and get it” he announced as he took his jacket off and sat at the counter.
“Just a second” Willow mumbled as she finished levelling off the fridge. “That's better” she announced as she took a step back and cocked her head to the side to gauge the results.
“Your coffee will get cold” he admonished and handed her the plastic cup.
Willow sighed as she finished her sandwich and tidied the paper bags into the trash. “So, what delights have you planned for the rest of the day?” she asked him.
“Ah” he said in a slightly worried tone. “I'm not sure how to tell you this but Buffy, Wesley, Xander and Fraser will be here in about three hours.”
“What?” she turned towards him with an annoyed look on her face. “Why on earth are they coming here again I thought we were all meeting up at the warehouse later?”
He moved to hug her. “I know darling but they just want to go over a couple of points” He took a step back and looked at her unhappy face. “Perhaps I could call Buffy and get her to put it off for another hour or so?”
“No, it's OK, I guess” Willow sighed dramatically. “But tomorrow we had better be left well and truly alone” she ended with a definitive nod of her head.
“If tonight goes as planned I'm sure we'll be too exhausted to get up to anything tomorrow” he smiled and pulled her onto his lap as he sat on the sofa. “Willow” he started then sighed. “I'm not really sure how to say this but I need you to know that you are the best thing to happen to me in a very long time indeed and I plan on having many happy years with you” he stopped a little uncertainly.
Willow had moved off of his lap to sit on the armchair across from him. “I know what you're trying to say Rupert and I love you too, but nothing is going to go wrong tonight” He started to shake his head and was about to speak when she stood up and began to pace in front of him. “I mean it Rupert, after all, this demon has only ever dealt with a Watcher or a Slayer, never with an entire team of people and never with two people so adept in the use of magic and we will overcome this threat”
“I know that” he agreed. “I'm just worried that he may have a trick or two up his sleeve and that I won't be able to deal with him. I also worry, with some justification, that he may be able to last for a considerable amount of time outside of a host body and that we will not be able to maintain the joining for long enough to defeat him and ….”
Willow interrupted. “Before you get into your “dance of worry” you should know that you sound just like the old Giles” she smiled sweetly at him.
Buffy and Wesley arrived a couple of hours later and found Willow and Giles relaxing in the waning evening sun. “Glad to see you're relaxing before the big game” Buffy smiled at both of them and signalled to Willow to join her inside.
Wesley sighed “May I?” he asked before sitting on the chair Willow had vacated. “How are your preparations going for this evening?” he asked and turned to look at Giles.
“Apparently I have returned to my pre-amnesia status of being a Big Watcher Worrier” Giles quoted and sighed. He took his sunglasses off to look at the younger man. “We have achieved a high level of joining on three separate occasions, with the last effort lasting for some three hours, and I think we are as ready as we can be under the circumstances”
“I don't wish to dwell on the gloomy side of things but I have agreed with Angel that Fraser, Xander and I will remove the captives from the vicinity and I'll make sure we are away for as long as possible” Wesley explained hurriedly to Giles, looking anxiously to ensure Willow hadn't returned. “Should anything go wrong Angel will be with you and Buffy will be with Willow, can you think of any other precautions we should take?”
“Just make it quick” Giles looked straight into Wesley's eyes. “And make damn sure that there is no way back for either of us”
“Understood” Wesley nodded. “I'm sorry Willow, please have your chair back” he smiled at her as if the previous conversation hadn't taken place. Willow blushed slightly and couldn't make eye contact with the young Watcher. “You told her didn't you?” he wearily asked Buffy.
Buffy's face was a picture of innocence “I merely explained that the proper precautions for securing the bad guys were in place” She turned to stare straight at Giles. “I also may have suggested that you would have some second hand handcuffs for sale by tomorrow night”
Giles kept eye contact and smiled lazily “Usual staff discount?” he asked sweetly and smirked as Buffy stared open mouthed at him in surprise.
“Willow said you were back to full on Giles” she finally laughed. “But I'm definitely still getting new Rupert”
Fraser arrived about twenty minutes later to find everyone lounging in the apartment, listening to music and talking about nothing in particular. It was obvious to all of them that he was very keyed up and seemed to be getting worse by the minute. Wesley and Giles made eye contact and both stood up at the same time. “Would you mind going over the properties of the sedative you are using one more time for Rupert's sake?” Wesley asked and led the other two into the kitchen.
Buffy smiled at Willow “I think the Watcher Boys are glad to have a new guy to amaze with their mastery of all things weird”
Willow shrugged her shoulders and turned to look at the three men in the kitchen, poring over a small black bag. “I don't know about you but I'll be glad when this is finally over and we can all get back to normal”
Buffy stood up to refill her glass. “This is normal for us Willow, you're the one who's been acting weird recently” she smiled to take the sting out of her words. “By the way what happened to Giles' shoulder?”
“Did he tell you?” Willow asked and was aware of the blush rising to roots of hair.
Buffy laughed at the reaction she had provoked. “He didn't have to, he's been moving his arm kind of funny since we got here and I know I didn't damage the goods at our last training session”
Willow groaned as she realised she had as good as admitted her guilt by the extremely guilty look on her face. “He tried to stop something falling off the kitchen counter and he kind of twisted and jolted his shoulder” she finished on a note of certainty and almost believed the story herself.
“Next time he should just let you fall” Buffy whispered in her ear and then turned to see Xander coming through the door. “Don't worry I won't traumatise Xander by telling him”
Xander tried to ignore the blush and giggles from Willow as he was fairly sure they related to Watcher sex and he had just eaten. “Dead guy should be here soon, the sun has just set”
Angel tapped him on the shoulder “Can't you get some new lines?” he asked wearily and shook his head as Xander nearly jumped out of his skin.
“Don't do that” he exclaimed wildly and clutching his heart, staggered to the nearest seat.
Angel nodded to Buffy and Willow and joined the three men in the kitchen. “Everything OK?” he asked and Wesley nodded. “We should probably get started in that case, we don't have much time”
Suddenly the tension mounted in the room as everyone stood up and prepared to leave. When everyone was installed in the mini-bus Wesley pulled away and turned to speak to Fraser. “I understand you are the proud owner of a Spitfire?” he asked and smiled at Fraser's nod of agreement. “They are beautiful cars, my father used to own one and he would occasionally let me drive it”
Buffy sniggered and leaned across to whisper in Giles ear. “I told you he was mini Giles” He pretended to ignore her but smiled a little to himself.
Fraser nodded again. “I would be happy for you to take it for a spin tomorrow” he suggested to Welsey and then coughed a little as he realised that talk of tomorrow may be a bad omen.
“That reminds me” Rupert tapped him on the shoulder. “Would it be possible to arrange a weekend hire of the car for the end of the month?”
Fraser realised that Rupert was reassuring him that forward planning was allowed and he smiled in appreciation. “You mean you have another young woman you want to impress?”
“Same old woman as before I'm afraid” Rupert smiled and then grunted as Willow elbowed him in the ribs.
“Hey be careful with him” Buffy suggested. “I need him relatively fit for training on Saturday”
Willow was about to protest when Angel cleared his throat. “We're nearly there, perhaps Buffy and I should slip out and do a little recon?” he suggested.
Wesley pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road and watched both of them leave from the rear door. When they had disappeared into the rapidly darkening night he pulled out again and eventually parked a block away from the warehouse.
Xander had moved to sit just behind Wesley and peered out of the windscreen at the corner of the warehouse. “I'll skulk manfully in that doorway over there and count them all in. Once we're sure they have a full compliment you can move to the alley behind the warehouse”
“Xander be careful” Giles said quietly. “Remember they may have perimeter guards this time around” Xander nodded and quietly shut the door behind him.
Wesley scrunched down in his seat and adjusted the mirrors so that he had a view of the immediate area around the mini bus. “So, Dr Alexander, how are you enjoying your first stake out?” he asked and turned a little to look at Rupert with a smile.
“If they are all as quiet as this I think I'll get used to them” Fraser murmured and moved to sit directly behind Welsey. They conversed quietly and ignored Giles and Willow, who had moved to the rear seats.
“I hate this waiting around” Willow whispered fiercely and tried to stretch her legs out as she scrunched down in her seat as well.
“I know darling” Rupert whispered and took her hands in his own. “It would be more bearable if those two hadn't remained with us” he suggested and nodded his head towards Wesley and Fraser.
“Rupert” Willow laughed quietly. “You are worse than Xander”
He leaned across and kissed her gently. “I want you to know that I love you with all of my heart” he breathed in her ear. “I also love you with most of the rest of my body and I need you to promise me one thing”
Willow shivered as she felt his breath across her neck. “Anything darling”
“I need you to promise that, if I ever get amnesia again, you will kiss me until I remember this moment of perfect happiness with you” he put his arm round her shoulders and pulled her against his chest.
Willow leaned into his neck and nibbled his earlobe. “And if I ever get amnesia you are hereby allowed to do much more than kiss me, and I don't care what Fraser says”
Buffy appeared at the window beside Wesley and murmured quickly to him before disappearing in Xander's direction. Fraser seemed to tense a little and turned to face the couple behind him. “Sorry to interrupt” he began apologetically. “Buffy's just checking with Xander but she thinks they are all inside the warehouse”
Rupert sat up and squeezed Willow's hand before moving forward. “Let's move to the alley behind the warehouse and you can sort out your equipment Fraser”
Moments later Willow stood outside the warehouse with Giles and held both of his hands in hers. “I'll start a low level joining once we have the last blue cloak out and you know you only need to think about the deeper connection to bring me fully online”
He leaned down and kissed her for several moments. “If I tell you to cut the connection you must promise me that you will” he whispered quietly in her ear so that the others wouldn't hear. “If I can't defeat him I won't have you sacrificing yourself in an attempt to save me”
Willow took a deep breath and stared him straight in the eye. “You know I can't promise you anything like that but I can promise you that I won't let Bolak defeat either of us”
He shook his head and hugged her to him. “Buffy needs at least one of us to survive this encounter and we have to try and think logically about this”
Willow sighed. “One day you will learn not to discuss logical matters while hugging your girlfriend” she stood away from him and stepped back towards the mini bus. “Now go in there and kick some demon butt and try not to get that sweater messy, I've always liked it”
Giles shook his head as he walked away to find Buffy. “Ready?” Buffy asked when he walked up to the small gathering. When he nodded his assent she turned to Xander and Wesley. “Let's go”
Angel was standing by the rear door of the warehouse and motioned towards the fire escape. Buffy nodded and he started up the stairs silently. Giles and Xander stood on either side of the door and Wesley stood a little behind Buffy. She checked with all of them before taking a couple of steps back and kicking the door. It swung on its one remaining hinge as the four of them moved quickly into the loading bay. Two cult followers were rushing to investigate the noise and they were quickly dealt with as Buffy and Xander hit them both once before heading further into the warehouse. Giles and Wesley dragged the unconscious forms out to the back door and left them for Willow and Fraser to begin the sedative injections. Both men headed back inside and joined in with the general melee that was occurring around a pentagram marked out on the floor. With the arrival of the two ex Watchers and Angel the bulk of the resistance crumpled and Xander and Wesley began dragging bodies back to the rear of the building. Angel and Buffy were checking some of the small rooms set off from the main warehouse area and reported back quite quickly that they had checked them all and found one locked. Giles nodded and headed in that direction with Angel while Buffy went to help the others with the unconscious cult followers.
When she arrived at the back door she found Xander and Wesley busy dragging two more bodies into the mini bus while Willow helped Fraser inject the remaining six unconscious forms. “Is that the last one?” Willow asked as she saw Buffy exit the building.
Buffy shook her head. “Angel and Giles are heading for the locked room where the cult leader and Bolak must be” She took over from Willow as the witch moved to a small pile of boxes and got herself comfortable in the lotus position before closing her eyes and taking deep, calming breaths.
Ten minutes later, amid much muttering and cursing from Wesley, Xander and Buffy the inert bodies were all safely buckled and manacled into the mini bus and Fraser was gathering his supplies together. Wesley nodded to Buffy and they walked a little way off. “Once Angel brings out the last one I'll try to take them as far out as I can before Xander gets suspicious. I think I should be able to keep them away for the next couple of hours” He met her eyes and took a deep breath. “Rupert asked if you could make it quick” he kept eye contact until he saw her nod slightly.
“Wesley” Buffy said quietly as he walked away. “I won't need to do this, they will defeat him” He nodded and headed back towards the others. Buffy settled down next to Willow and silently prayed that she would never have to test her resolve by dealing with a demon-infected Willow.
Giles was aware of the hairs on the back of his next rising and a soft tickle behind his right ear. He smiled slightly to himself at the knowledge of Willow's presence in his mind and took a deep breath, nodding to Angel who promptly kicked down the locked door.
Angel strode into the room and faced the two occupants “Knock, knock” he said and headed towards the cult leader in the red robes.
The other occupant of the room surprised Giles as he appeared to be a young boy, perhaps fourteen years old. However, he didn't have much time to register his surprise before the boy jumped onto Angel's back and began raining blows on the vampire. Giles quickly strode forward and pulled him away from the two men. The boy turned, yelling “Let go of me” and kicked out at Giles. Giles grimaced slightly before punching the boy in the jaw and gently lowering his unconscious body to the floor.
Angel picked up the leader and slung him over his shoulders. “Are you OK while I take this guy out to the others?” he asked and disappeared when Giles nodded.
Angel put the last body straight into the mini bus and stood out of the way as Fraser injected him and Xander secured his handcuffs. “You should get started” he said to Wesley and nodded to Buffy. “We have the present host, Giles will be starting the ritual soon”
Buffy nodded and moved quickly to his side. “Be careful” she said quietly and Angel nodded in understanding that it wasn't him she was worried about.
When Angel returned to the room he found Giles sitting on a chair with his feet resting on the desk in front of him. “He's so young but we should have expected that” he said quietly and rubbed his hands over his face.
Angel seemed a little confused until he noticed the young man lying on the floor next to the desk. “I suppose a stray dog is more likely to make a connection with a young boy than anyone else” Angel murmured and took his jacket off. “Wesley and the guys have headed out with the others and Willow and Buffy are ready outside”
Giles sighed and stood up to remove his own jacket. “I know, I can sense Willow already” he moved round the desk and looked down on the boy's face, a dark bruise already showing where he had hit him. “Let's get this over and done with” he suggested and turned away.
Angel leaned over the unconscious form and Giles heard the loud snap as the vampire twisted the boy's head quickly. Angel stood up and moved to the other side of the small room. “He's all yours” he said quietly and leaned against the wall.
“The young ones are always the worst” Giles sighed and settled into the lotus position on the floor beside the body. “Right you bastard, come and play with someone your own size” he said quietly before taking a deep breath and closing his eyes.
The first thing he felt was Willow's presence, sitting quietly at the furthest reaches of his mind and the feeling settled his nerves a little. After a few minutes he was aware of a different energy gently probing his mind and prepared himself to set out the welcome mat. A warm feeling of well being began to spread all over his body and he started taking deep, steady breaths while he faked the normal emotions of a new host meeting a demon for the first time. He felt rather proud of his ability to portray fear, uncertainty and a little bit of curiosity all at the same time.
As Bolak sensed the new host's willingness to go further he began spreading powerful feelings of euphoria throughout Giles' mind. This seemed to be the way that hosts were attracted to the joining but Giles could sense, underneath the happy feelings that were being generated, the demon's anger at having his joining ceremony disturbed and the necessity to find another part time host. He hoped that this would distract the demon, after all, he reasoned to himself, Bolak couldn't be that choosy right now as there wasn't another prospective host within reach.
Angel pulled a chair over as quietly as he could and settled down to watch the silent battle going on within his friend's mind. A small smile was playing over Giles' face and Angel wondered what he could possibly be finding to smile about right now.
Giles felt fabulous and allowed a large part of his mind to be overtaken by the sensations currently coursing through his body. It had been a long time since he had received this much pleasure from magical sources and he smiled lazily as he allowed the demon to think he was being engulfed by it. After several minutes he sensed a darker force running as an undercurrent and realised that the demon had taken the bait and was preparing to transfer his essence. This was nearly the prime moment of weakness for the demon and Giles opened himself a little more to ensure a false feeling of superiority persuaded the demon to hurry the transfer along.
Buffy strode to the end of the alleyway and back again, making sure they wouldn't have any unexpected visitors. She peered anxiously at Willow who seemed extremely relaxed and even had a dreamy smile playing across her lips. Buffy sighed and decided to check the end of the alley again.
Willow was getting an overflow of euphoria from Giles and tried to concentrate on the task at hand. She kept reminding herself that she needed to keep on the edge of the action until after the transfer had begun and resigned herself to waiting a little longer. She trusted Giles to let her know when he needed help and she wouldn't ruin the carefully constructed plan by rushing into things. After all, she reminded herself, she wanted this demon gone more than anyone else.
Bolak could sense the new host's mind opening a little further for him and was surprised at the ease with which he was overcoming the minor resistance. Had the circumstances been slightly different he might have checked the transfer and taken some time to consider the situation, however, he didn't have the luxury of time. The young boy who had been his temporary host had been given a mild sedative to calm him down in the run up to the transfer ceremony and Bolak had felt the residual effects as he relaxed his hold and began preparations for the transfer of his essence into the carefully chosen host body. He was distracted by thoughts of his vengeance over this particular slayer and promised himself that the coming battle would end her tenure as the chosen one for good. When the attack came he had been unable to regain a sufficient hold over the boy's actions to stop his injury and eventual death. The portion of his mind that was overseeing the transfer was now fully immersed in the final part of the initial stage and Bolak felt his essence begin to leave the boy's corpse and channel towards the new host.
Giles held his breath as he felt the presence of Bolak drip into his mind like icy drops of water. He carefully monitored the progress until he knew the point of no return had been reached. A tiny part of his mind, kept carefully hidden until this time, signalled to Willow that the full joining should now begin and he concentrated on shutting the open door which Bolak was using to enter his psyche.
They had discussed what this would feel like and Willow was aware of Giles' mental picture of the door closing while Bolak frantically tried to find where the resistance was coming from. Willow gently pushed behind Giles' and felt him acknowledge her presence and use the strength she was now offering to mount a much stronger defence.
Bolak was caught unawares and realised almost too late what was happening. However, he was an eight hundred year old demon who did this for a living so he knew how to fight dirty. Regaining some control over the process he ensured that the transfer could continue slowly behind his defences while he mounted his retaliation. The feelings of euphoria he had been using to mask his takeover bid were abruptly cut off and replaced by sharp jolts of pain directed at the same areas. He felt the new host weaken slightly at this sudden change and pushed further into his mind to ensure the pain he was now offering up was felt in as many different areas as possible.
Angel stood up from the chair quickly as he saw Giles slump forwards and suddenly turn sheet white but he knew he wouldn't interfere for a while yet to give Giles and Willow a chance to end this as planned.
Willow was aware of the pain being meted out to Giles and was also aware of the barrier he had erected to protect her from the worst effects. She pushed a little harder with her mind and felt Giles steady himself before the continuing onslaught. She was surprised that the next attack from Giles concentrated on the transfer still taking place instead of cutting off the attacks of pain but she knew that Giles was the expert in this situation and tried to find a way to back him up.
Giles knew he was experiencing agony in every part of his body but had managed to tune out the worst of it and was instead working to break down the defences around Bolak's transfer. Gently probing the wall of protection he suddenly found a small flaw in one of the spells and set about removing the defensive wall one brick at a time. He was proceeding slowly but surely when the pain suddenly decreased and he was left a little off balance for a moment. He felt Willow's presence within him increase a little and knew that she had broken through his barrier and was taking the brunt of the pain away from him. He checked to make sure that she had done so without alerting Bolak and was reassured that the demon thought he was still dealing with only one host mind. Taking a deep breath he returned to the laborious task of breaking down the protection spells one by one.
Buffy had just returned from another mini patrol of the alley when Willow suddenly tensed and grimaced. Buffy put out her hand to stop her falling forwards and was relived when the young witch shook her head and sat upright again. However, the look of pain on her face remained and Willow clenched her hands tightly in her lap.
Buffy returned from checking the alleyway one more time and checked on Willow again. The witch still wore an expression of considerable pain and Buffy noticed sweat starting to form on her brow. Buffy reached out and wiped the sweat away from Willow's eyes. She was surprised when Willow opened here eyes and focussed on Buffy. “Help me?” Willow said quietly and held her hands out. Buffy nodded and grasped her hands in both of her own, taking a deep breath when Willow tightened her grip.
Giles felt the pain he was experiencing drop a little further and knew that Willow was channelling most of the punishing energy away from him. He didn't have time, however, to worry about how she was coping with this as he was almost finished breaking down one of the protection spells surrounding the transfer procedure. He paused, knowing that he would have to move quickly and precisely once he had broken through as Bolak would only take a few seconds to realise what was happening and secure his defences again.
Angel checked his watch, surprised that an hour and a half had passed since Giles had started the process. He stood up and walked around Giles, going into the corridor and checking that they didn't have any unexpected company. Satisfied that they were still alone in the warehouse he moved back to his chair and continued his silent vigil in the hope that Giles and Willow would be able to complete their task before they ran out of time.
Xander sighed and looked at Wesley again. “Why did we have to bring them out this far?”
Wesley kept his eyes on the road. “Because we want them to have a long, painful walk back to Sunnydale during which they can ponder their life choices”
Fraser turned round after checking on the captive nearest to him. “I think we should try to find somewhere soon, they are about to wake up”
Wesley nodded and pointed to a cluster of old farm buildings about a mile off of the road. “We should be able to use those buildings to unload them”
Xander mumbled again “About time” and flexed his fists. “We need to get back in case Willow or Giles needs our help”
Fraser looked up quickly and then turned his gaze onto Wesley. A sudden understanding lit up his eyes and he drew his breath in sharply. Wesley met his gaze in the rear view mirror and knew that the Doctor had seen through his motivation for the long drive. “Everything OK back there Doctor?” he asked quietly, praying that Fraser would think their position through before answering him. If the doctor gave him away now he knew Xander would leave him out here handcuffed to the cult members.
Fraser took his time answering him. He looked at Xander quickly and then back to Wesley. “Yes, everything's fine, I'm just worried about the others”
Wesley silently blessed the fact that Giles had found someone so quick on the uptake to divulge their secret to. He pulled the van up next to the largest building and quickly jumped out to help the others unload the captives. During the process he found the opportunity to put his hand on Fraser's shoulder and squeeze it gently, letting the doctor know that he appreciated his silence.
Giles took a deep breath and braced himself before removing the last thread in the flawed protection spell. As the spell broke down he quickly entered into the inner mind of the demon and began attacking with a ferocity that caused Bolak to recoil as if a flame-thrower had suddenly been introduced into the equation. However, the demon quickly tried to regroup, surprised by the resistance but still confident in his abilities.
Willow sensed the slight weakening in the demon's attack and immediately threw all of her resources behind Giles'. The pain she had been channelling from Giles stopped and she let go of Buffy's hands so quickly that the slayer stumbled backwards. Although she was getting tired she sensed that the end was near and drew inner strength that she immediately fed to Giles.
Angel sensed a change in the silent battle taking place in front of him and immediately became alert. Giles, who had been sitting with his head bowed, suddenly sat up and stared straight ahead. His fists clenched in his lap and an evil grin took over the pensive look on his face. Angel raised an eyebrow and knew that the Watcher was winning the battle, for now anyway.
Giles felt the tendrils of power from the demon slowly wither and slide from his brain. The power that he was receiving from Willow was more than he had ever felt before and he knew the demon had lost the foothold he had. He sensed an anger building within Bolak and had his defences ready even before the final onslaught began.
Buffy took a deep breath and gently massaged her fingers. Whatever strength Willow had needed before she had been happy to help, but she guessed that the witch and watcher were now in command of the situation. She watched as Willow took several deep breaths and a look of deep concentration fell over her face. Remembering their exposed situation Buffy decided that a quick check of the alley was called for and she set out, confident that Willow had the situation well in hand.
Bolak felt a rising panic as he felt his strength begin to fade. He had been without the resources of a host for too long and he couldn't understand where the completely unexpected resistance was coming from. A part of his being quickly detached itself from the battle and reached out, trying to find any warm blooded host to allow him to escape and recoup.
Angel sensed the demon's presence spreading throughout the room and readied himself for the final battle.
Giles knew that the demon was weakening and pressed his advantage, reclaiming all of the parts of his mind previously taken over. When the demon no longer had a presence within his mind he acknowledged Willow and checked that she was also free of any connection to Bolak. “I'm fine” he heard her say in his mind and smiled at her exultant spirit. He sent her a psychic kiss and broke the contact between them. After a deep breath at the loss of her power he opened his eyes and saw Angel, standing in front of him looking worried. “It's over, he's all yours” he managed before leaning back against the wall and fainting.
Willow smiled a little then slumped in Buffy's arms, exhausted. Buffy shook her gently, “Will, are you OK, did we do it?” she asked, getting more exasperated at the lack of information.
Willow eventually shook her head to clear it and smiled up at the slayer. “Giles did it, Angel's just clearing up the ectoplasmic goo”
“Way to go Will” Buffy shouted and put her hand up for a high five, quickly replacing it on the witch's shoulder as she slumped forward again.
Bolak's essence was floating in the middle of the room. It had been almost five hundred years since he had been without a host for any length of time and he knew that the situation was desperate. The last time he had resorted to the only other living thing within reach and had spent five years trapped within a mountain goat. Now even that ridiculous situation seemed a happy memory. Just when he had resigned himself to lying dormant and waiting for another cult to resurrect him he felt the tug of another demon nearby. Reaching out with his failing strength he made contact with the demon and asked for help.
Angel smiled slightly as his demon found the invisible essence of Bolak and persuaded it to show itself. As soon as the luminescence appeared Angel reached into his pocket and removed the small bag gingerly. Trying not to spill any of the contents he opened the top of the bag and concentrated on the glowing presence in front of him. When he was sure of its position he emptied the contents of the bag over the pulsing light. He dropped to his knees as the psychic scream from Bolak transmitted through his demon connection before stopping as abruptly as it had begun. The whitish light in front of him broke up into a thousand tiny points of light, each one of which winked out of existence in a blinding flash. After several seconds of silence he stood up and wiped his hands of the remainder of the powder. Gathering his jacket from the back of the chair he turned and picked Giles up.
Buffy was helping Willow to drink from a bottle of water when Angel appeared with Giles in his arms. For a heart stopping moment she thought the worst then grinned as Giles started to stir and Angel deposited him on the packing cases beside Willow. “Bad guy dusted?” Buffy asked and looked relieved when Angel smiled and nodded.
Willow raised herself up on one elbow and grimaced slightly. “Hey you” she murmured, using her free hand to push Giles' hair off of his forehead. “We did it” she said quietly and leaned across to kiss him gently.
“Indeed” he smiled and traced her jaw with his left hand. “Are you alright?”
She grinned and stretched her back slightly. “A bit stiff but nothing that a lazy couple of days in bed won't cure” she waggled her eyebrows.
He groaned and Buffy moved to his side. “Are you OK Giles?” she asked worriedly and helped him sit up.
“I'll be fine, but I need you to promise me one thing?” he asked and held her hand.
Buffy glanced anxiously at Willow and Angel. “Anything, you know that Giles” she whispered.
“I want you to promise me that nothing will disturb Willow and I for the next three days, even if you have to stand guard outside the apartment” he sighed and finally let himself smile.
Buffy looked incredulously between them and then dropped his hand in disgust.