Summoned: Part Three
by Allison
Disclaimer: Not mine. Don't sue!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part Three
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Buffy stopped three feet from the door of the banquet hall, intensifying her grip on his arm.
"I don't want to go in," she said, seized with something that was probably similar to stage fright.
"You'll be fine. I'll be right here. They're going to be very impressed with you." She nodded at his encouragement and stood closer to him. She took a deep breath.
"OK, let's go."
Giles opened the door and walked in right behind her, and she immediately took hold of his arm again, standing so close that her hip brushed tantalizingly against him as she walked. From about the neck up, she looked like a frightened little girl, and the rest of her...well...
The ballroom was huge, with a high ceiling, and decorated very tastefully. Crystal chandeliers hung over head, lighting the room. Heavy midnight blue curtains hung in front of the windows, unstirring. Members of the Council were mingling with each other, drinking champagne and laughing. They stopped, and about 80 faces looked towards the entering guests. The room hushed, and Giles searched out the president of the council. With Buffy still clinging to his arm, he made his way towards him. Conversation picked up again, but there was no doubt as to what it was about.
"Mr. Bevins, sir, it's a pleasure to see you again."
"Giles! Welcome! And this must be..." Though he spoke to his fellow Watcher, his eyes gazed steadily upon the Slayer.
"Yes sir. Mr. Bevins, I'd like to introduce you to my...this is Buffy Summers."
"Ms. Summers, it is an immeasurable honor to have you in our presence. How is life on the Hellmouth?" he asked in a jovial tone.
"Well, it keeps me busy, sir." A million more flippant retorts flew through her head, but she knew this was no time for humor. Giles gave an inward sigh of relief; he knew what Buffy *wanted* to say to that question.
"Ha! I'm sure it does. Let me introduce you!" he turned to the crowd. He offered his arm, but Buffy was unwilling to let Giles go. This was Giles's moment too, and she wasn't about to let Mr.
President-of-the-Council take her away from her Watcher. Bevins faltered and set his jaw when she showed no sign of taking his proffered arm.
"Come, I'll introduce you both."
Bevins led them around the room, introducing Buffy first each time and then Giles, speaking eloquently and demanding the attention of those who surrounded him. Buffy could easily see why he was the president of the Watchers. They came up to man very old man, he had to be at least 85, who was standing in one corner of the room, leaning on a weathered wooden cane topped with a brass ball. Bevins was suddenly very polite and respectful.
"Buffy, this is Mr. Edmonton. He is the eldest member of the Council."
The old man, unlike all the other gentlemen that were here tonight, seemed unimpressed with Buffy's outward appearance. She felt as if she were at an audition.
"Good evening, Sir, it's a pleasure to meet you." She held out her hand, and after a moments hesitation he took it and shook it firmly; none of that gentlemanly softness that had been offered to her all night.
"So you're our Slayer? How old are you?"
"16, Sir."
"You don't look a day under 19." He spoke to Giles. "She's very mature for her age, is she not?"
"Yes, Mr. Edmonton, she most certainly is." Buffy smiled up at Giles, the old man turned back to study her again.
"How long have you been with your Watcher?"
"About a year now." Despite his gruff nature, Buffy actually like the man. He was like a disgruntled teddy bear.
"Does he treat you well?"
"Yes Sir, very well."
"I was a Watcher myself, you know. The Slayer before you was mine. I ended up marrying her, you know."
"Really? What was her name?"
"Her name was Katherine. She fell at the hands of the Master, years and years ago."
"I'm terribly sorry."
He waved a hand dismissively, unwilling to become lost in grief tonight. "At least she knew that I loved her. I hope that when the inevitable arrives for you, you know whose heart you held...whose ever it might have been."
The curious old man turned away, fending off memories, and it appeared that the conversation was closed. Buffy and Giles were both looking down at the floor as they walked away, and he snuck a quick glance at her.
"I'm sorry if what he said upset you...he's a bitter old man."
"No, no not at all. I wasn't upset...just...thoughtful, I guess."
Giles nodded, and they went on with Buffy's introductions. The girl never left Giles's side during all this, keeping rather silent and only speaking when spoken to. Her Watcher was feeling protective, and made no move to leave her. Finally, after what seemed liked several rounds of the room and about 800 "This is Buffy Summers, the *Slayer*..."s, the guests began to file into the dining room for dinner. Giles took advantage of the time to speak to Buffy.
"Are you all right?" he whispered near her ear. "You've been so *quiet*."
Buffy grinned, determined to save talk of love and mortality for another time. "You didn't know I could be *respectful*, did you?"
"Well, since I'd never seen it *personally*..." he teased. She feigned hurt and bumped into him discreetly.
"Hey, with comments like that, you'll never see any!" They shared a private smile.
This conversation, along with Buffy firmly attached to her Watcher's arm, was not lost on several of the ladies of the Council. It had become a favorite pastime for them to speculate as to the progression of...relations...between Slayers and their Watchers. These two were the source of constant interest. The ladies decided it was time to go see what juicy gossip they could retrieve from the honored pair.
"Giles! how wonderful to see you again!" Giles turned and tried to hide his discomfort. These women were the biggest gossips in the Council.
"Margaret, how lovely to see you," he lied. He took her hand and kissed it. "And Diane," he greeted the other woman, and kissed her outstretched hand as well. Buffy frowned, wondering why Giles didn't seem very enthusiastic about speaking to these women, and they took the negative expression as jealousy for his attentions. Margaret and Diane shared a smile before continuing.
"So, Giles, does the Slayer here keep you on your toes?"
"Yes, yes she does. We stay quite busy, life on the Hellmouth, you know."
"Yes, of course. But surely you have other things going on than battling the undead?" Diane asked with a bright smile.
"No, not really. Keeping up with Buffy is quite a job." He looked to Buffy with amusement.
Seeing that they would get no interesting tidbits from Giles, they set their sites on Buffy. Giles prayed that she wouldn't let anything slip that could be taken the wrong way. Damn him for not being able to warn her about Margaret and Diane!
"Buffy, how old are you again?"
"16."
"Ah yes, so young. Do you train regularly?"
"Of course," she looked to Giles innocently, "Giles gives me quite a workout every night."
The women's eyes went wide and their mouths snapped shut. Buffy had just unwittingly given them all the information they cared to know.
Giles placed a hand over his face and groaned, watching their retreating figures.
"What? What did I say?"
He laughed, unable to ignore the hilarity of what she had blurted out.
"Buffy, think about what you just told them."
She spoke quietly, mumbling to herself. "Do I train regularly, yes, Giles gives me a workout every..." The light came on and she looked back at Giles with an incredulous expression. "Oh my god! They thought that I meant that I...that we...every night! Oh no." Now it was Buffy's turn to slap a hand to her forehead.
"It's alright...I should have warned you about those two before we ever came." He lowered his voice and muttered softly, "That was what they were expecting, anyway."
"What do you mean, they were expecting it?"
"Well," Giles said awkwardly, gesturing to the many portraits hanging high on the walls. For the first time, Buffy noticed that they all had the same lasts names. Sarah and Peter McBride, Arthur and Gwen Parsons, and so on. She turned to Giles with an inquisitive expression that clearly said, 'explain'. He had seen that look before every time he told her he had discovered a new, dangerous prophecy.
"Traditionally...Slayers and Watchers, have been very...close. Actually, most of them have been married." He looked away. "It's just something that, historically, has just seemed to be part of a natural progression." Buffy stared at him with what she hoped was an encouraging expression on her face, but he refused to meet her penetrating eyes.
"Oh," was all that she said.
This story archived at: The Slayer\'s Fanfic Archive
The Slayer\\\\\\\\'s FanFic Archive - http://www.slayerfanfic.com/viewstory.php?sid=1626