Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except for Kersey and a few other little add-ons. Buffy and Co. belong to Joss Whedon, the WB network, and Mutant Enemy.
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Part Four
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Giles stepped cautiously into the room, his mind in violent confict with itself. Part of him wanted to rush like a distraught parent to his unconsious and injured Slayers' still form and cradle her in his arms if only to assure himself that she was still alive. Of course the more sensible and decidely British side of him told him to remain calm and cool. Yes, she was like a daughter to him but it wouldn't do to act like the children would. They would insist upon touching her and talking to her..trying to understand.
Well why the hell not? It wasn't like he understood. Why had the vampires who had attacked her wasted their time beating her. Angel had told him t once they had been away from Xander and Willow that the vamps had been given plenty of opportunity to bite the Slayer and kill her that way but had opted instead for beating her into her present state. Almost as if they were playing with her and forcing her to suffer before they moved in for the kill.
It was sick. Well of course it was and to be honest he wasn't all that suprised. Buffy, even though she looked like a typical teenage push-over, was one hell of a warrior. She had put more than a major crimp in both the Master and the Annointed One's plans for taking over the surface. It wasn't much of a stretch to say that they hated her. And wanted her to suffer. Which she was.
Without realizing it Giles had moved his way across the room and was standing at her bed. He reached a trembling hand up and lightly touched her face. It was so strange seeing her like this; silent and still. He was used to her being up and bouncing about like a teenager looped on caffeine which half the time she was anyways. The girl was so full of life and energy that even the weight of the world resting firmly on her shoulders couldn't keep her down and depressed for long. She was the strangest girl and to be honest, he wouldn't have it any other way. Of course he'd never admit that to her.
"We'll take care of you. I promise you that, "Giles murmured as he brushed his hand across her dark blonde hair. "You'll be okay."
"Giles.." the girl murmured suddenly, her eyes still closed. It was a bizarre sight seeing the Slayer's lips moving even though she looked pale and sickly enough to be dead.
He leaned down closer to her, "I'm here, Buffy.."
Bufy swallowed hard, "Mom..I don't want to go to school today..Giles..Giles.."
The Watcher narrowed his eyes, half in confusion and half in concern. She was rambling and making little sense and it bothered him. He understood that she was drugged and that the concussion had messed up her mind a bit but just the same it disturbed him. That and what if she let it slip that she was the Slayer in her delirium.
Immediately he scolded himself. What did the secrecy of the Slayer matter now? She was hurt and all that mattered was that she be able to get well. That was all that mattered.
In the back of his mind another worry moved through though. He remembered reading one of Merricks' old diaries about a Slayer named Natasha. Merrick said that she was one of the best there ever was. A scrapper like Buffy. And then there had come what he could only call the Turning Point. She'd had been beaten nearly to death by a group of vampires in much the same way that Buffy had been. When the girl had recovered she had been so traumatized by what had occured that she had rejected her birthright and had even gone so far as to commit suicide. Her body had never been recovered and Merrick had noted suspicions that somehow or another, she'd been taken across the side of the undead. There was no proof of it and that wasn't really the part that bothered Giles. What shook him was the thought of Buffy being so badly..what was the word she used.."wigged" that she would step away from being a Slayer.
That would be a loss that the side of the angels could not survive. It sounded melodramatic even in his own head but it was true. Even Merrick had spoken of her being the best of the best. Giles couldn't help but agree. She was sixteen years old but her abilities went far beyond her years. He always knocked her when he watched her do battle but that was just to keep her from getting too cocky and not watching her back. In truth..she was amazing.
"I don't want to go to school..five more minutes..please.. mom..mom...NO! NO!!" A scream ripped from her mouth and she tried to wrench forward even in her sleep. Giles put an arm out and pushed her back but she tried to thrash. "I killed you.." she protested weakly, tears falling like water from a foucet down her cheeks. A siren squealed next to her bed and two nurses ran into the room. One took his arm and led him from the room while the other injected a sedative into Buffy's IV drip. She fluffed the girls' pillow and laid her back against it.
"Mr.Giles? What happened?" The nurse that had taken him outside asked quietly. The other nurse joined them.
"She..uh..she was having a ni..nightmare." Giles said blinking quickly.
"Understandable. She's been through a traumatic ordeal. She'll be okay now. I gave her a pretty powerful sedative that should block her from dreaming for right now."
Giles nodded and thanked them and then went out the doors to where the others were waiting. Well somewhat waiting. Angel was pacing the room like a rat in a cage and Xander kept repeatedly shuffling a deck of cards.
"Where's Willow?"
"Talking to Ms. Calendar."
Giles' eyebrow went up and his mouth quirked, "Oh?"
"They're working on a way to get Buffy out of here. We do still need to do that, right?" Xander asked, his words moving so quickly that they were practically running into each other. The Slayerette had been drinking waaaay too much Mountain Dew.
It was Angel who replied. Only he didn't so much speak as growl,"Oh you better believe it."
"Angel? What's wrong?" Giles asked, instantly worried. The vampires's eyes had hardened as had his jawline. Something was pissing him off mightily.
"That..guy..over there in the suit is..a.." he stammered angrily for a moment before he spat out the word, "vampire."
"Are..are you sure? Of course you're sure. What should we do?" Giles asked.
"I say we find a box of pencils and kill him very slowly, "Xander said dryly.
Angel shot him a look and then replied in a low, angry, savage voice, "I'll take care of him." His eyes narrowed into predatory slits and he began to move towards the sharply dressed vampire. The demon turned and saw Angel approaching and tried to flee. Needless to say, Angel followed him out of the hospital.
Xander rubbed his eyes and then lifted his watch to gaze at it. It was past four in the morning and he was exhausted and yet he knew that sleep would be impossible. One of his best friends..hell the girl that sent his heart into overdrive every time she smiled at him was lying in a hospital bed delirious and badly injured. It seemed so trite and ridiculous to even be thinking about his own insignifigant problems. "If she was away she'd be wigging because of all of us tripping so hard," he muttered.
"What?" Giles asked, pulled away from his own reflective thoughts by the boys' mumbling.
"Huh? Oh, sorry. Nothing..hey Will!"
Giles turned and frowned. Approaching quickly was the third member of the Three Muskateers and dammit to hell, that dreadful Calendar woman.
"Hello Rupert. I got here as quick as I can. I buried the needle of my Geo."
Giles blinked, "Buried? What? Once again.."
"She pulled the max on her Geo..floored it, ya know?" Xander offered.
Samantha Calendar dipped her head, "You have floored your car before, right..oh wait..that would mean going what..fifty miles per hour in it?"
"Forty," Xander quipped.
"It's a very reliable car," Giles said defensively. First Buffy had made his car a daily joke and now Calendar was joining the fray.
Willow cleared her throat loudly, "Buffy?"
"Huh? What? Oh. Oh!" Giles looked stunned for a brief moment and then he sighed. "Not doing well I'm afraid. Her dreams are bad and she's in a lot of pain. And there are vampires..Angel just..where is Angel?"
"Right here," Angel said from behind Calendar. The woman jumped when he spoke and he shrugged his apology. "There's um, one less vampire causing trouble."
"Excellent. Now, did you two figure out a way to get her out of this dreadful place."
"Not like hospitals, Rupert?"
"Not particurly, no." Giles replied crisply, locking eyes with the technopagan. Willow grinned and Xander rolled his eyes. Angel however wasn't in the mood to find anything cute or amusing.
"Well?"
"We have a plan." Willow told him softly.
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