Remembrance: 19
by Selene
Buffy heard a low whistle of appreciation. Faith was standing to her side a couple feet away from the two of them. Waving her hand back and forth fanning herself off, she lazily drawled, “Man you two are HOT. But I just thought I would give you the heads up the the old man is heading this way and something pissed him off..”
Buffy smiled sheepishly, “Thanks Faith...”
“No problem. Uh, good to see you in the land of the living blondie. Us reformed villains have to be keepin’ it real for the slayerettes. I better go check up on Xander. The twerp is missing. He never checked in with Xander. I figured that Xander and Dawn might need some backup.”
At the mention of Dawn’s name Spike could feel Buffy tense up. He shot a questioning look at Faith to see if they were needed.
Faith caught the glance and waved her hands dismissively. “Don’t worry B. I got this covered! You two figure out what the hell we are going to do from here.” She saw Giles coming and made her getaway before he could drag her into one of his long winded discussions of the best possible plan of action they could take.
Buffy almost groaned aloud. She had to admire Faith’s sense of timing. That girl always knew the best time to quit and run. Watching Giles come closer she realized that there was something different about him. The same feeling that she had whenever Willow was around was evincing itself. She had thought that Giles was working on borrowed powers like he had before when he came to help Willow get off of the dark magicks. Now she had a sneaking suspicion that Giles had some ‘splaining to do.
Giles stormed up to them. Then did a quick double take. He was doubly grateful that Spike was alive and apparently getting a second chance with his Slayer. Feeling uncomfortable because of their past he managed to grind out a stilted, “Spike... I am so happy to see that you are alive...” At the raised eyebrow from Spike he continued, “Truly I am... I have realized what a dreadful mistake I made in Sunnydale. I can only offer you my sincerest apology and my word that nothing so completely stupid, on my part, will happen ever again.”
Giles stuck out his hand in a gesture of friendship. At Spike’s reluctance on accepting it he appealed once more, “You do realize that I was only doing what I thought was necessary for her. Another dreadful mistake, but, one that I hope I am rectifying as of right here and now...” He trailed off at a loss to convey his deep felt regret for his past actions.
He felt a cool hand reach up and return his firm handshake, “What’s an attempt on your life between friends. How can I hold it against you when you have forgiven me on MY attempts on all of your lives before the chip?” Giles acknowledged the dig at the Scoobies characters with a slight nod of his head. “And look at Red, Angel, Faith, oh yeah, even poncey Andrew, everyone in the line up has had some kind of shady past. I couldn’t bloody well fit in without my checkered past...”
“Yes, well, I am obviously not without one of my own. I really can’t apologize enough. I would also like to formally thank you for averting the Sunnydale apocalypse. Without you there we might not have have made it...”
Giles’ speech was interrupted by Buffy barreling into him and giving him a great big hug. “Oh Giles, I am so glad that the two of you have kissed and made up. Well not literally...” Her face scrunched up in a yuck look. “Now that Spike is back I need you, and everyone else, to make him feel welcome because he is not going anywhere without me.”
The look of wonder and complete joy that crossed over Spike’s face at Buffy’s speech was not missed by Giles. He felt that this might just be the thing that would make his Buffy happy at last. He cleared his throat. “Right then, Where was I? Oh... yes... The proper plan for an evacuation of this size is something of a logistical nightmare. I have thought it over and I really think that the best possible course of action is to have Willow and I preform another teleportation spell along with a cloaking and misdirection spell for this area. I have also thought about the possible resting space that we can use until we figure out if this is the major battle or just the beginning...”
Buffy sighed softly. She just knew that Giles would have that big brain in overdrive and have everything all planned out. She tried to pay attention but all of her thought seemed to be focused on the vampire next to her. She leaned closer to him and grabbed his hand. He had been paying attention to Giles and looked at her with a warm smile and gently squeezed her hand. She felt goosebumps break out all over her skin in reaction to his touch. She tamped down on where her thought were leading her. Must pay attention.
She heard the tail end of Giles question and looked to Spike for help. He smile evilly at her and asked, “Yeah Buffy do you agree?”
Nonplussed Buffy tried to skirt around whatever the issue was, “Ummm... Whatever Giles thinks.”
Giles sighed. “It seems that Buffy agrees it is way too dangerous to stay in the States. We will return to the Coven. There will have plenty of room and it is one of the safest areas that we could retreat to. At least until we have analyzed the extent of this new debacle that we have thrown ourselves into. Angel and his friends will just have to come with us to be on the safe side.”
Buffy was amazed that for once what she blindly agreed with Giles on what was actually sounding like the choice that she might like. She perked up. Looking at Spike she asked, “How does that sound to you? A place where we can... talk.”
The heat coming from Spikes eyes should have set her on fire. The looks that she was sending him made him want to shag her senseless. Growling low in his throat he snatched her close and began kissing her with all of his pent up passion. He could hardly believe that this was the same Buffy. She was kissing him in public. Bloody hell, he had even bit her in front of everyone. He felt like he was in a dream. He wasn’t about to waste a single precious moment with her.
Giles realized that there was going to be no more talking to either of them took off muttering something about Willow making him blind again. Now that their game plan was all sorted out he was getting everyone ready to pull out of the area. He managed to put some of the healing poultices on the more serious wounds but with their slayer healing factor most of the girls didn’t need it. They had come through this fight with only one casualty. The thought of Rona made him choke up. He could remember the day when she had shown up on Buffy’s doorstep. So brash and full of life. Seeing her on the cold pavement almost cleaved in two had brought this to reality for many of the girls.
So far they had thought their slayer powers were fantastic. That they could beat anything. For the most part they could. They only patrolled in groups of three. Most of the time they came back grumbling that they hadn’t had any fun tonight. That there wasn’t enough evil for them to kill to go around. Tonight they were introduced to the world that Buffy and Faith had lived through. A world where you were the only thing standing between evil and humanity. And evil could win. It wasn’t fun and games it was life or death.
He felt their pain after Sunnydale he had thought that maybe things would get easier for all of them. Things only became more complicated. He heard a groan to his right. He thought that he had tended everyone. He saw Wesley lying on the ground his chest soaked in red. A strange woman was cradling him in her lap. Angel was kneeling next to him arguing with him about something. Giles made his way over and caught what Angel had been saying.
“...just let me fix this for you. It will only take a second.”
“It’s only a minor flesh wound. No need to bother, Angel.” Wesley struggled to sit up and black spots swam across his eyes. He wobbled and finally lay back down.
“Look at you! You need me to help you with this.” Angel leaned over and ripped open Wesley’s shirt. As he started to lean over the wound a tiny little hand came up on his forehead and stopped him from going any lower.
“Do you wish this creature to touch you? I can hold you and pretend if you would prefer that.”
Wesley was grateful that Illyria had stopped Angel from what he had been about to do. He had made it clear to him that he wasn’t comfortable with him “tending” his wounds but Angel hadn’t even listened. He was always aware of what Angel truly was. His training as a watcher pretty much made that a given. But he had come to also think of him as a friend. Angel’s disregard of his wishes made him experience a different kind of hurt than the wound in his chest. He was in no shape to do anything but give Angel a fierce tongue lashing so Illyria’s intervention seemed at the moment to be the best course of action. Wesley managed a weak, “Yes Illyria please continue to hold me that should be enough for now.”
Gunn had stayed strangely quiet throughout this whole exchange. Deep in thought.
Giles was horrified by what he had just witnessed Angel try to do. Pent up hatred for Angel blazed through his system. Remembering his misguided attempt on Spike’s life he barely managed to contain it. Moving around Angel’s bulky form he reached the other side of Wesley. Looking down at him he said fondly, “Hello Wesley. I see that you have a nasty looking wound there. I can’t imagine why you would object to some of the Coven’s healing salve being used.”
Wesley smiled weakly glad for Giles help. “I would like that very much...” Giles looked at Illyria for permission. Correctly assuming he needed to. She nodded her head regally.
Giles placed a generous amount of the healing balm on the open wound, infusing it with some of his own magic, the wound stopped bleeding and closed over on itself. Wesley looked down amazed. Two close calls in one day. Thank God for magick.
Giles happened to look up after the wound healed and caught Angel staring at him in a strange manner. He could have sworn that his eyes had flashed gold. Then it was gone.
A/N: Reviews are welcome... and encouraged
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