Title: What???
Author: BuffyRipper
Pairing: B/G
Rating: Well, imaginations being what they are, PG 13 for the kiss.
Disclaimer: Joss, ME, Fox, yadda, yadda, yadda... they're not mine. I'm poor, and cannot afford to feed them, and I always forget to take then for walks. Really, it's better this way.
Dedication: Somehow, My brain and Jen's is linked... we always seem to write at the same time... :( So, as she started up again, I guess this goes to her. IT"S ALL HER FAULT!
Notes: + Thoughts +
Summary: The PTB send an emissary from the future to right a few wrongs.

Buffy was idly flipping through random books laying on the table, when Giles walked over and stood next to her.

"Care for some training?"

"Sure, why not?"

Giles walked over to the cage to get the swords out. Meanwhile, Buffy started stretching and warming up. After a few minutes, Giles handed one of the weapons to her, and they began to spar. To anyone who might see them, it was a good match. Buffy was quicker, but Giles obviously had much more skill.

In any case, it was a pretty long while before either could gain an upper hand over the other. Finally, Giles managed to disarm Buffy, and pin her into a corner.

"Now what?"

Instead of answering, Buffy dropped into a crouch and threw her legs out, kicking Giles in the ankles. As he went down, she rolled to avoid his sword, but unfortunately, not quite quickly enough. The blade grazed her forearm as she went, leaving a small gash in its wake. Immediately, Giles scrambled up and went to check the damage.

"Oh, Buffy. Are you alright?"

"Yeah. I'm ok. It's just a scrape, really."

"Let me see."

As he examined, Buffy made a mental note of how he smelled. +Old books and leather. Yummy.+ As she slowly came out of her daydream, she realized that her Watcher was saying something.

"What?"

"You'll be alright, but let me go get something to put on that. I don't want some silly cut to escalate into something much worse."

Disappointed by the loss of contact as he rose, she scrambled to her feet.

"Giles..."

"Yes, Buffy?"

"I..." +Crap. Now what?+

"Yes? What is it?"

"Did you know you're REALLY cute when you blush?" +OMIGOD!! Did I really just say that?+

"I... excuse me?"

+Crap!! I did!+

"Um..."

Just then, a familiar face walked in.

"'Ello, pet."

Both Watcher and Slayer turned toward this new voice.

"Spike?!" they exclaimed in unison.

"What are YOU doing here? I thought I told you to leave and never come back..."

"Well, yeah, you did, but..."

"But what?"

"Well, near as I can figure... I'm from the future."

"The future?"

"Yeah. I'm s'posed to come back and right some wrong committed here. But, that's all I can really say."

"And we're supposed to believe you, why?"

"Look, Buffy... why would I lie?"

"Because you're evil?"

"Ha. Not anymore."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"Look... I can't go into details."

"No, you look... I don't really see how you have a choice."

"Buffy."

"Yes, Giles?"

"I think he's right."

"HUH?"

`"IF Spike... this Spike... is from the future, then any details he gives up are going to alter that future. It would create a time paradox."

"Exactly. What he said."

"But, how can we know he's telling the truth?"

"Well... I suppose I could perform a truth spell, but it would be too risky."

"Risky, how?"

"Well, once he's under, he could reveal information about the future, if he's telling the truth. I'm afraid I can't risk it. We'll just have to believe him."

"But..."

"OK, look. I can tell you this because you find out anyway, and if I don't give a whole lot of details, you really won't learn anything anyway... Right?"

"I suppose."

"OK. Sometime in the future, I come back here and get captured by some people. They do experiments on me, and the end result is that I can't hurt anyone."

" Oh, yeah. That's believable."

"I'm serious, Slayer. Why would I tell you that I was neutered if I bloody well wasn't? D'you think that's something I want people to find out???"

"He does have a point, Buffy."

"I can prove it, too."

"How?"

"If I do try to hurt something, it causes me extreme pain in my head."

"OK, but you could fake that."

‘Oh, Y'know... I hadn't thought of that. I guess I could fake it."

"So, again, I ask... Why should I believe you?"

"Well, I guess you shouldn't. I can't prove anything without changing the future, so..."

"Look. Why don't we sit down? For some reason... I believe you."

"Giles?!"

"Well, I do. I'd like to sit down and discuss this further."

"Good."

All three of them walked to the table and sat down.

"So, what is this wrong you're supposed to correct?"

"You two."

"What do you mean?"

"In the future, you two never got together. The Powers that Be told me that you're s'posed to be."

"You're kidding, right?"

"'Fraid not, Slayer."

"But... eiewwww."

"Look, you're gonna have to trust me on this. Supposedly, if you two hook up, a lot of things that happened that weren't s'posed to, won't."

"Why on earth would these Powers that Be choose YOU of all people to deliver this message?"

"Well, because... all of the things that happen involve me."

Everyone was silent for a few minutes while they processed this information.

"Well... I think we'd better hear about his before we go any further."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, what happens? If we're to change it, then I think details won't affect us more than they should."

"Er... alright."

"Well, spill."

"Before I start, can I get a promise that you won't stake me?"

"Is it that bad?"

"You'll think so, yeah."

"Fine. I won't stake you."

"OK, Well... it's like this. After I get chipped, I start fighting for the good guys, ‘cuz I can hurt demons. Now, a big baddie comes along, and Buffy dies."

"I DIE???"

"Yeah, for a little while."

"Oh, my god."

"Well, you come back. Anyway, once you come back, you're all depressed, and one night while we're fighting-"

"I thought you were a good guy?"

"I am. It makes you feel better to pummel me, so we fight."

"Now, THAT I can believe."

"Yeah, well... Anyway, so we're fighting, then all of a sudden... we're kissing."

‘KISSING?!?!?!?!"

"Yeah, that and a whole lot more."

Suddenly, Buffy jumps to her feet and brings out Mr. Pointy.

"Buffy. You promised you weren't going to stake him."

"But.... Kissing?! And... and..."

"And if you stake me, you won't know how to avoid it."

Sighing, she put her stake away and sat back down.

"Fine, fine."

"Please, continue."

"Anyway, so we're kissing... which turns into a whole lot more. We... well, we kind of have a love/hate relationship."

"Love/hate? What do you mean by that?"

"Well, I loved you, but hated the way you treated me, and you pretty much hated everything about me."

"But then why would I... Oh, it's too icksome to say."

"You may have hated me, but I did something no-one else could do for you."

"And what would that be?"

"When you came back, you were numb. The only time you could feel anything was when you were with me."

"Uh, exactly how long was I dead?"

"Oh, uh... about three months."

At this, Giles stood and grabbed Spike by his collar.

"Three months?! That's impossible. No-one can be brought back to life after that long of a time."

"Well, she was. Red worked her mojo, and we had a depressed Slayer."

"Willow? She doesn't have that kind of power."

"Maybe not yet, but she will. Although, you might want to focus on some control stuff. She's gonna get a little crazy with it."

"Alright. What spell does she use, do you know?"

"Um... I'm not sure. It might have something to do with Osiris."

"Good Lord."

"What? What does that mean?"

"Buffy, invoking Osiris, if that IS what she did... its..."

"What?"

"It's dangerous. She would have had to have extreme amounts of power to even make it work."

"Um..."

"It's very improbable that our Willow would have been able to control it, no matter how much we worked on it. It would have warped her power... made it dark where it should be light. Not to mention that it would be an immeasurable rush. It would be nearly impossible for her not to want that rush again... and again. It's most likely that she became addicted."

Giles shot a look to Spike, who was nodding.

"How bad was it?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know?!"

"It's not like I was part of the gang, y'know. Alls I was was the Slayers' plaything... and since no-one knew about it, I couldn't even claim that title."

"Surely you noticed SOMETHING?"

"Um... she did cast a spell that made us lose our memories."

"Why on earth would she do that?"

"To make Buffy... um, I don't know."

Buffy leaned in and pushed Spike back down into his chair.

"To make Buffy what?"

"I'm not s'posed to tell."

"Too bad."

"Giles..."

"Oh, no. If the Powers that Be hadn't wanted us to find out, we wouldn't have found out."

"Bugger it. Fine. She was trying to make you forget you were in heaven."

Buffy fell back into her chair.

"Heaven?"

"Well, a heavenly dimension, at any rate."

"I was in Heaven?"

"Yeah."

Spikes' face softened, and for just a moment, Giles could see how the information had hurt him. + He really must have loved her. +

"Heaven?! She pulled me out of Heaven?!"

"She didn't know you were in heaven. She thought you were in a hell dimension."

"All these years I've been fighting the forces of darkness, and she thought I was in Hell? Why?"

"Cuz of how you died. You threw yourself into a portal,"

"Why would I do that?"

"Surely something like that would be prophesied?"

"Well, it was blood that opened it, and it had to be blood that closed it. You weren't gonna let Nibblet die, so you had to."

"Who's Nibblet?"

"Dawn."

"Who?"

"She's your sister, only not really."

"I don't have a sister."

"Not yet. Some monks created her from you to protect her from Glory."

"Huh?"

Just as Spike was about to explain, the PTB intervened, and he was struck dumb.

"Well? Start explaining/"

"I can't."

Spike looked surprised that he could talk.

"What do you mean you can't?"

"I can't. I guess this is something you don't get to know."

"But..."

"Look. I don't make the bloody rules."

"Apparently, this Glory person will still be an issue, and we'll still have to fight her. I would guess, though, that if we're together, then you don't die."

"If... Dawn... is my sister, and she was sent to me for protection, I can't let her die."

"Buffy, I'm sure we'll figure something out."

"Anyway, that's not really the issue. The issue is that you two need to get together."

"How does us being a couple change all of that?"

"I'm not sure. It just does."

"It's still gross."

"Leave."

"Watcher..."

"I said leave. Unless you have more information to share, get out."

"Fine. I've done my bit. I guess I'll be going."

It was a silent room Spike walked out of.

"So, do you think he was telling the truth?"

"I'm not sure, to be honest. I f he was lying, he put a lot of thought into it. I can't say Spike's ever been much of a thinker...Historically, he's been one for action. On the other hand, if he is telling the truth..."

"Then we have to..."

"I realize that this must be difficult for you. Perhaps we should call it a night... discuss this tomorrow?"

"No. Giles..."

"Yes?"

"I..."

Buffy took a deep breath, readying herself for the confession she was about to make.

"... I lied... earlier. You're not gross. Truth is... well, I think I love you."

"Buffy..."

"I know you don't feel the same way. It's ok."

Rather than answer, Giles pulled her into his arms and kissed her. When the need for oxygen became to great, they broke apart.

"Silly girl. How could I not love you?"

"Really?"

"Yes, really. I've loved you for some time. Why else would I have lost my job to protect you?"

"I don't deserve you, you know that?"

"I'm the one who doesn't deserve you. After all the things I've done..."

"Tell, ya what. How's about my bad things cancel out your bad things, and we call it even?"

"Buffy."

"OK, then consider what you'll be saving me from. I think that should erase all past mistakes, don't you?"

"No, but I'll agree because I love you."

"That works for me. Either way, I win."

"Yes, you win."

"Goody! Now, I want my prize."

"Prize?"

"Yep, my prize."

Buffy claimed her prize in the form of a fiery kiss.

"I'll have to let you win more often."

Laughter, mixed with kissing noises rang through the library. The Powers that Be smiled.

FIN