Disclaimer: They're not mine, please don't sue me. =)
Hello everyone. Long time no post! I'm sorry it's taken so long for me to get my act together and finish this up. Because it has been so long, I'm reposting this last little bit again before I get on with the ending. So if you've already read it, you can just skip it, and if you need to refresh your memory then here it is. =) Please PLEASE send me some feedback at nwbaxter@altinet.net
Rating: PG
Summary: Buffy has been called to be presented to the Watcher's Council, so Giles takes her to England.
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Part Five
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Giles peeked in the door of Buffy's room as quietly as possible. She was sprawled diagonally on her bed, crisp white sheets cocooning her and golden locks splayed against her pillow. He shut her door again and laid out some breakfast for her in the kitchen. With a sigh and a heavy heart, he wrote her a short note explaining where he was going but not why, signed it 'Love, Giles,' and walked out of their hotel room.
The morning was cool and the sky was a steely gray, with a few low clouds blanketing the street in thin fog. Giles preferred to walk to his destination, just to be out in the open air of the city. As he stepped out into the pedestrian traffic of England, he couldn't help but feel completely at peace. He knew he belonged with the Slayer...she was supposed to be his home; that had been trained into him, but England was the kind of place that you never really want to be away from. He had missed his birthplace.
A few blocks away, he came to stand looking up at a high rise apartment building, very tasteful but very discreet. He headed a familiar path to the 5th floor and knocked on room number 511.
As he stood waiting, he thought back over how many times he had made this trek to this very door. The old man had been his mentor, teaching him the things that weren't in the textbooks and telling him stories of the greatest Watchers before them. But there was obviously one story that he had neglected to mention...the story of his own Slayer, Katherine. Mr. Edmonton had a story that Giles wanted to hear. His thoughts were interrupted when the elder himself opened the door.
"Giles. Good morning. I thought you might be stopping by." His voice was pleasant but tired...he was getting very old and world weary.
"Good morning sir, it's not too early I presume?"
"Not at all. I have a tale you'd like to hear, no doubt?"
"I must admit sir that I was curious, yes. All my years as your protegee', and I never knew about *your* Slayer..."
"Come in." Giles followed him into the large, fancy apartment and breathed in the familiar smells of it. The books, the antique furniture, all had a unique scent that combined to make this room entirely different than any he'd ever been in before or since. He sat down across from him on the couch, waiting for him to speak.
"Tea?"
"Please." After the beverages were made and distributed, the old man settled down on the couch again, looking as though he were performing a last duty by repeating this tale one more time. The thought of his mentor's last *anything* scared Giles more than he would have thought. He began slowly, but with confidence that comes with familiarity.
"I met her when she was about 18...late in her training, just like you took Ms. Summers. I was the eager student. I was still so high on book knowledge...I could recite every prophecy, pull facts out of my head, but I knew nothing of the *real* way things were done out there. That girl...she was beautiful. She had flowing red hair and the brightest blue eyes that you've ever seen, and she was the deadliest thing out there. She taught me more than I taught her...she had been slaying for a few years *on her own*. By herself!" he exclaimed proudly. "I think that's what made me fall her for, originally. Her incredible strength, physically *and* emotionally. Katherine was an amazing woman. She really was my beginning...we saw the world together. But she was so young, and being so young and naive myself, I actually believed in upholding the 42nd Ordinance."
They shared a chuckle over this; the 42nd Ordinance stated that no Watcher should bed a Slayer under any circumstances. It had become quite obsolete...it was almost a tradition that the rule was broken. The old man continued.
"We really should get around to revising those things." He returned to his story. "Anyway, I was young and didn't know about the rule being broken so often. She loved me, I knew, but I never told her how I felt. Then she became determined to battle the master, and when Katherine was determined to do something, there was no stopping her." Giles smiled, that sounded familiar.
"In all honesty, I thought she could handle it. I couldn't have imagined his power. But something nagged me. Something inside insisted that I tell her *tonight*, so I did. I remember the look that came into her eyes, the way she kissed me, the gentleness that was there. We married three days later, and I made love to her once before she left to fight him. She never came home. I had failed her, and the only consolation I've had these years was the knowledge that she knew how much I loved her. Now, I have to ask you Giles, when it's Buffy's turn to die, what are you going to have to hold on to?"
That blunt question turned his stomach. He didn't want to think about 'Buffy's turn to die'. Giles remained silent, staring at his hands thoughtfully.
"You love her, don't you Rupert?" Without looking up, without thinking, he replied...
"Of course."
The old man nodded knowingly, his expression devoid of any accusation. "She's too young to love you, Giles."
"I know." The statement was painfully true.
"You'll know when to tell her Giles. Inside, you'll know when it's about to be too late, like I did. Just don't miss the signs, or when she goes, it will be with an empty heart. Wait until the time is right. She loves you now, but she's too innocent to know it yet."
Giles finally looked up. He nodded solemnly, feeling like the little schoolboy again, getting an important lesson from his teacher.
"Mr. Edmonton, I want to thank you. I'm sorry for your loss, and I hope things turn out differently for me and Buffy."
"They will, Giles. She adores you."
The two men stood and shook hands, and Mr. Edmonton showed his old pupil to the door.
"Goodbye, Giles, and good luck."
"Goodbye sir."
Giles clicked the door shut behind him, lost in thought and mulling over his feelings for a certain pretty, strong, 16-year-old girl.
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