Title: Forgotten 6/7
Author: Cyberwulf
Rating: M (15s) for violence, sexual situations, and drunkenness.
Pairing: B/G, but only in Giles' head.
Disclaimer: B:tVS characters belong to Joss Whedon. Ethan's nephew
Donovan, Sue, Ricky and the other members of the Giles family belong
to me (except James who belongs to Nick Fisher), as do the vampires.
Spoilers: Set after "Wrecked". Buffy and Spike slept together once,
but Buffy's been staying away from him since then. Willow and Tara
are not together.
Summary: Written in response to michamon's `Mindscape Challenge' at
ODD. This chapter: Giles has his most severe psychotic break yet.
Buffy and the gang mount a daring rescue.
Feedback: Feed the Wulf! cyberwulf_1andonly@yahoo.co.uk
Author's Note: // // denotes thoughts. ~~~ denotes reality change.
Author's Note 2: Yes, I know. How long is it since I started this
thing? I'm bad and should be punished. Thanks for all the feedback
so far, and for your incredible patience. The first five chapters of
the story can be found here:
http://vampirecows.com/odd/authors/cyberwulf/forgottenbg01.html
Author's Note 3: Room! Room! Leroy marked a *room* on the map. Not a
building. D'oh!
Xander opened the front door and pushed Giles inside.
"Try not to look so…"
"So what?" Giles giggled.
Xander ran a hand through his hair and blew out a breath.
"Okay, if Buffy asks, it was your idea to get tanked up," he said. "You overpowered me and I couldn't stop you. Deal?" He took Giles' arm and led him into the lounge.
"Hey, everyone!" Xander exclaimed. "How was the baby shower?"
Giles grinned at Buffy. She was glowing, the whole room darkening around her. He weaved towards her, pulled her up off the sofa and kissed her wetly.
"I love you," he slurred. He knelt down and kissed her bump. "I love my baby…" He stood up again. "I love my sister-in-law…" He kissed Dawn on the forehead. "I love my two lesbian friends…" He kissed both witches on the cheek, then turned to Xander. " I love my best man…"
"Whoa –"
Giles grabbed Xander's head and planted a kiss on his lips.
"And I love the best business partner in the world," he finished, kissing Anya.
Buffy took his arm and carefully turned him to face her.
"You're so drunk," she giggled, pulling gently on his loosened tie.
"I'm not drunk," Giles replied, offended. "I'm just very happy." He slid his hands onto her hips and smiled. "Not that long ago I was… I was all alone and, and now I'm…" He tried to swallow the lump in his throat. " I'm going to be a daddy." He wiped his eyes with his wrist. //Bloody booze making me cry.//
"C'mon, you big softie," Buffy teased. "I'm gonna put you to bed."
She put her arm around his waist and steered him towards the staircase, then helped him up the steps and into their bedroom. Buffy pushed him gently down on the bed and began to undress him.
Giles giggled. "Buffy, we have guests."
She leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead.
"Yep, so don't get any ideas, mister," she warned, mock sternly.
Giles watched as she unbuckled his belt. He should be standing at attention by now… but nothing was stirring below his waist.
"Oh." Buffy looked up at him, and he wanted to cry. "I *am* drunk."
"Yeah, I know," Buffy said soothingly. She covered him up. " Put your head down and try to sleep. I'll be up soon."
Giles rolled onto his side and closed his eyes – the room was starting to spin a bit. The pillow smelled like Buffy. As sleep began to overtake him, he felt the mattress creak and a moment later, a warm body nestled in against him. Drowsily, he draped an arm over his wife and slipped into a dreamless slumber.
He awoke in the dark, stomach lurching, bladder uncomfortably
full. Giles rolled out of bed and stumbled towards the bathroom,
holding onto the walls. He made it to the toilet and braced himself
with both hands on the bowl.
" I will not be sick," he mumbled aloud. " I will not –" A second later he spectacularly lost his supper, dinner and the ridiculous amount of alcohol he'd consumed in between. After a few dry heaves, he was satisfied that there wasn't any more. He spat out the last stray sour chunks and flushed the toilet. The sound of the water reminded him that he had to piss, too. Giles sighed as he relieved himself. His head was throbbing a little, and he knew it would be ten times worse in the morning, but at that moment he didn't feel so bad. He washed his hands and splashed a little cold water on his face, then looked at himself in the mirror.
"Relief's here."
Giles looked around sharply. The voice had sounded as if it was coming through the wall. He shook it off and turned back to the mirror.
Instead of his reflection he saw a damp, brick wall.
"Oh no," he mumbled. He closed his eyes, hoping to dispel the waking dream. When he opened them again he was standing in a darkened room with grey brick walls.
Giles squeezed his eyes shut.
"Not real," he told himself. "Not real." He felt his way along the wall to where he thought the door was, but instead the wall beside him just continued on. Garbled voices seemed to come from all around him. Trying not to panic, Giles kept going forward until he bumped against the bed. He clambered in and reached for Buffy.
His fingers brushed against rough stone.
Giles opened his eyes and found himself staring at a wall.
He screwed his eyes shut and pulled the blanket over his head.
"Not real," he mumbled. "Not real." The voices seemed to get louder. Giles put his hands over his ears. "Not real. Not real."
Abruptly there was silence. Slowly, Giles took his hands away from his head. He heard his watch ticking on the bedside table, then the rustle of sheets next to him. He poked his head cautiously out from under the covers. Buffy lay beside him, sleeping peacefully, her golden hair spread out on the pillow, one hand on her bump. Giles reached out with a trembling hand. She was solid, and real, and warm.
He burst into tears.
"Hey, hey." Buffy was holding him. "What's wrong?"
"I can't drink any more," Giles sobbed, "don't let me, I..."
"Shh..." Buffy pulled his head towards her breasts and began to stroke his hair. Giles wrapped one arm around her and held on tight. The warmth and the smell of her began to calm him down. "Tell me what happened."
Giles snuffled.
"I got up to be sick," he explained tearfully, "and then all of a sudden I was in a dark little room. And you weren't there."
Buffy rubbed his back and Giles managed to get himself back under control.
"It's okay, big guy," she murmured. "I'm here and I'll never let anything happen to you. Okay?"
Giles gulped and nodded. "I - I know."
Buffy kissed him. "Try to sleep, honey. We'll talk about this tomorrow."
Giles nodded again and pulled the blanket up higher. He settled in beside Buffy and curled his arm around her. Despite what she'd said, he didn't think he'd ever get back to sleep.
The bang as the front door closed woke Giles from his slumber.
The room was blessedly dark, the curtains blocking out the sunshine.
He rolled gingerly onto his side and saw a large bottle of water, a
glass, and a big tin of Alka-Seltzer on the bedside table.
"I love that woman."
After taking his medicine, Giles settled down to try and sleep off his hangover. The whole house was silent and the bed was warm and soft. It wasn't long before he'd slipped into a doze.
He drifted back to consciousness when a cool, damp cloth was pressed gently against the back of his neck.
"Hmmm..."
"Shh." The cloth left his neck and reappeared against his forehead. "How you feeling, honey?"
Giles opened his eyes and saw Buffy sitting on the edge of the bed. "Better."
"Good." Buffy continued to mop his brow. Giles took her hand and kissed it.
"Join me?"
Buffy lifted an eyebrow.
"You sure you're up to that?"
"That's not what I meant," Giles replied with a sheepish smile. "Rest. Keep me company."
"Okay."
Buffy slipped out of her tracksuit pants, leaving on her sloppy, white 'Baby on Board' T-shirt. She got under the covers and nestled in beside him. Giles rubbed his hand gently over his wife's swollen belly.
"What are we going to call this child when it comes out?" he murmured.
"I was kinda thinking - if it's a girl - then, maybe Joyce," Buffy replied. "Probably not for a first name, 'cos, you know, Joyce Giles sounds kinda funny."
"My grandmother's name was Emily," Giles remarked. "We could call her Emily Joyce. Though Joyce Giles sounds fine to me."
"I like Emily Joyce," Buffy answered, snuggling back against him. "Jason if it's a boy."
"Jason?" Giles asked.
"Yeah," Buffy said. "As in 'Jason and the Golden Fleece', Mr. Mythology Lover." She rolled over and kissed him. "I thought you'd wanna name the kid Arthur or Lancelot, so I figured I'd head you off at the pass."
Giles chuckled. "You've certainly thought this through." He held onto her and kissed her more thoroughly. "But you're wrong. I'd never name a son of mine Arthur."
"How come?" Buffy teased. "Not into the Knights of the Round Table?"
"My grandfather's name was Arthur," Giles explained. "He was not a nice man."
"Oh." Buffy played with his chest hair. "What would you like to name the baby?"
"Rupert Junior."
"No way." Giles did his version of Buffy's pout. Buffy laughed. "Giles, the kid'll get laughed out of kindergarten."
"No he -" Giles thought for a moment. "Actually, you're probably right." He rolled onto his back and pulled Buffy closer. "You know, Jason is starting to grow on me. Jason Giles... it has a certain ring to it."
"Pick a middle name," Buffy murmured. "One that's all you."
Giles considered.
"Theodore."
"Theodore?" Buffy looked at him. "How come?"
"Family tradition."
Buffy continued to look at him askance.
"You can shorten it to Teddy," Giles explained.
Buffy thought for a moment, then understanding dawned. "Yeah, I get it now. Arthur, Edward, Rupert..." She grinned. "You have a weird family."
Giles kissed her. "And now you're part of it."
They lay in comfortable silence for a while, then Buffy rubbed her hand over his tummy.
"Giles, do you remember what you were like last night?"
Giles didn't answer. The nightmare moments of the previous night weren't something he wanted to discuss. He was quite happy to try and forget they'd ever happened.
Buffy sat up and looked at him. "Giles." He let out a sigh. Buffy took his hand. "Look," she continued, "I know we got you all checked out before, but I think we should go see the doctor again. I booked us an appointment for tomorrow." She brushed her hand against his hair. "We're gonna have a baby soon. And I need to know my guy's okay."
Giles relented. "You're right." He sat up and cupped her cheek. "It's just...I'm worried that - I'm worried about what he'll tell me."
"It's okay, big guy," Buffy murmured. "No matter what happens, I'll be right there with you."
Giles smiled and touched his forehead to hers. It was comforting to know that he didn't have to face things on his own. He'd had a good twenty-five years of that, thank you very much.
"Wanna snuggle?" Buffy asked.
"Yes please."
~~~
Sue brought Ethan's van to a halt outside the old warehouse.
"Okay, final check," Buffy said quietly. "Everybody know what they're doing?"
Xander nodded. "You guys create a diversion, we sneak round the back and get Giles."
"I hope that demon was better at drawing maps than he was at spelling," Willow remarked, looking at the crumpled piece of paper in her hands.
"Do I have to have this ridiculous plastic toy?" Anya complained, holding up a giant neon water gun. "I feel stupid."
Xander twisted around in the front seat and patted her on the shoulder. "Just think of it as a really colourful flamethrower."
"I, I keep meaning to paint it black and silver," Rick volunteered, in a voice that was too loud. "Y'know, make it look like something out of Terminator, or, or something..." He blushed and trailed off.
"You okay?" Buffy asked.
"Yeah," Rick said, jogging his leg nervously. "Kind of." He tried to smile, but it came out as a grimace. "First field combat, this."
"You be careful," Sue warned, twisting around in the driver's seat to look at her son. "You're not a bloody ninja turtle."
"Mu-um!" Rick grumbled. "Haven't liked ninja turtles for years, they're well sad."
"Yeah, well, you're not the karate bloke off Street Fighter, either," Sue retorted.
In the grey dawn light, Buffy saw Sue's lip tremble slightly before she tightened her jaw.
"I'll be okay, Mum," Rick assured her earnestly. He made his way in between the others and kissed her. "I promise."
Buffy watched as Sue cupped Rick's cheek and quietly told him to come back safe to her. She realised suddenly what it must have taken for her own mother to let her go out on patrol every night. Thinking about her mom caused tears to prick the back of her eyes, but she pushed the feeling away and looked at the others.
"We ready?"
Xander nodded. "You bet."
"Then let's do it."
"I don't like it," Blaise growled, prowling up and down the room. "They should've been back by now."
"Maybe they got held up and found a grave to hide in," Dan suggested.
"No," Blaise replied, shaking his head. "No, someone's got to them." He eyed his three remaining lieutenants for a few minutes, then barked, "Which one of you talked?!"
"Wha'?"
"You!" Blaise got right in Dan's face. "Did you run your mouth off to any of those witless drones downstairs?"
"No!" Dan bellowed angrily. "D'ya think I'm thick?"
Blaise didn't answer. He turned his attention to Butler.
"Maybe it was you," he accused. "Maybe you blabbed to the Watchers and you're planning to slip away before they get here!"
Butler gave Blaise a withering look.
"I'm not even gonna dignify that with a reply," he said in distain.
Blaise wheeled away and faced the trio again.
"Well it must have been one of you," he snapped, "because no-one could find us with that shield in place..."
Melissa shifted her weight nervously, and at once Blaise was almost on top of her.
"What have you done?" he snarled, twisting her hair in his fingers and yanking her head upwards. "What have you done, you stupid little bitch?"
The fire-alarm shrilled suddenly, coinciding with a loud crash from downstairs, and seconds later the sounds of a fight echoed up the stairwell. Blaise flung Melissa against the wall.
"Kill them!" he roared. "Kill them all!"
Buffy swiftly staked the vampire who'd hit the alarm button, as
several minions swarmed into the room from below. A mahogany-
coloured statuette stood on a nearby table, giving off a faint glow.
One well-placed kick knocked it to the floor, where it shattered.
"Come on then," Buffy heard Rick growl as the vampires charged.
Ethan, Donovan and Tara ran for cover behind a pile of crates.
"Perfect," Ethan said breathlessly, sitting on the floor. "Quick, give me your hands."
Three vampires rushed Buffy together, one jumping on her back. She flung him over her shoulder into the other two, then staked all three as they lay in a tangled mass on the floor. She glanced over at Rick. He and a vampire were circling each other warily. Suddenly Rick darted forward with a roar and swung his sword at the vampire's neck. Buffy grimaced when she saw how much pressure he had to put on the sword to force it through the spine, and the anxious look on his face when his weapon almost twisted out of his hands. Rick hadn't been kidding about this being his first fight.
More vampires streamed into the room from the trapdoor to the basement. Buffy grit her teeth. //Looks like Demon Boy couldn't count.// She tensed herself, ready for more action. Suddenly a portion of the ceiling collapsed on top of the minions, sealing off the trapdoor.
"Yeah!" Rick shouted, punching the air.
"Sounds like our spell worked," Tara remarked with a grin.
Buffy smirked. //Whatcha gonna do now, huh?//
A moment later more minions started pouring into the room from upstairs.
//Fuck.//
Big Dave was too busy enjoying the smell of the ripe, juicy human
on the other side of the cell door to realise there were three other
humans sneaking up on him, until it was too late. Someone tapped him
on the shoulder. He turned and got a blast of holy water in the
face. Blinded, he never saw who staked him.
Willow searched frantically through the dust. "I can't find a key!"
"He didn't have a key?" Anya almost shrieked. "What kind of guard doesn't have a key?!"
"Take it easy, Ahn," Xander said quickly. He glanced around, listening for the sounds of running feet. "We don't wanna attract any attention."
"What are we gonna do now?" Willow asked. "That door's solid!"
Xander stared at the door for a few seconds.
"Yeah, but the frame's not," he replied. "These idiots put a steel door on a timber frame. A rotting timber frame." He drew back his fist and punched the frame near the lock. "Ow!" He shook his hand and flexed his fingers. "Okay, not smart. And I was doing so well, too."
Anya took a whack at the doorframe with the butt of her water gun while Willow looked around for something, anything, with which to attack the wood. Fumbling in the dark, her fingers closed around the crowbar the guard had been carrying.
"Xander!"
"Thanks, Will." Xander swung the crowbar at the timber frame beside the lock. After a couple of strikes, the wood began to splinter. Xander kept going, breaking off occasionally to dig out the wood while the women kept watch. At last, with one final whack, a large chunk of wood fell out and the lock was free of the frame. The three Scoobies pushed the heavy door open.
The room was dingy and damp, lit by a single, dim lightbulb. An unpleasant smell hung in the air. Giles lay on the narrow bed opposite the toilet. He was wearing a grubby vest and Y-fronts. His eyes were wide and staring, the pupils huge and dilated. Anya covered her mouth. Xander swallowed.
"Oh, man..."
Willow managed to push away the initial paralysis of shock. "We gotta get him outa here." She moved closer to the bed. "Look, he's lying on a blanket. Xander, you take the bottom corners, and Anya and I can take a top corner each. We can move him that way."
Xander nodded, trying not to look at Giles' eyes.
"Good plan."
Buffy swept her hair back from her face and tried to ignore the
sweat dripping down the back of her neck. She and Rick were slowly
being driven back towards the door. At least it was daylight
outside, which meant the vampires couldn't follow them if they had
to beat it. All they had to do was give Willow, Xander and Anya as
much time as they could. Buffy pulled another stake from her belt
and jumped back into the fray.
"Well, what've we got here?"
Tara, Donovan and Ethan looked up, startled, as a female vampire with mousey brown hair stuck her head over the pile of crates. Donovan made a swift getaway while the other two quickly scrambled backwards, Ethan beginning to chant a spell as he did so.
"I don't think so," Melissa growled. She stretched out her hand and barked something in a strange language. Ethan let out a yell as he felt his energy draining away from him.
Melissa cackled as the sorcerer's magic flowed into her. She made a motion with her hand and Ethan rose off the ground. A flick of her wrist sent him flying into the wall. He crumpled to the floor, next to where Donovan was crouching.
Tara began a spell of her own as Melissa smirked at her handiwork. The vampire witch whirled around. A bolt of green energy flew from her hand and encircled Tara, lifting her a few feet above the ground. The blonde witch struggled desperately, but couldn't get free.
Rick found himself face to face with a big vampire armed with a metal bar. He raised his sword and widened his stance, shifting his weight back and forth on the balls of his feet.
"Come on, boy," Dan shouted, a horrible smirk on his face. "I'll fuckin' show you karate!"
They circled each other for a moment, then Rick stepped outside Dan's guard and drove forward, sword up for the decapitating blow. Dan stepped aside and smashed the metal bar into Rick's knuckles. Rick let out a yell and dropped his sword. At once Dan kicked the weapon away and put the teenager in a headlock.
Two vampires charged at Buffy, one from either side. She leaped out of the way at the last minute and the vampires collided. The Slayer quickly drove a stake through their bodies.
"Undead skewer, anybody?" she quipped, then went cold as she saw Tara and Rick. She staked her opponent and prepared to charge at the big vampire holding Giles' nephew.
"Stop!"
Buffy looked round as the other vampires fell back.
The sound of boots on metal rang out as a tall, muscular vampire with long, black hair came down the steel staircase at the far end of the room. The others made way as he approached Buffy, flanked by a smaller, older vampire with grey hair.
"So," the tall vampire remarked. He nodded at Buffy's stake. "You must be the Slayer."
Buffy narrowed her eyes and glared at him.
"And you must be the Hell's Angels reject who took my Watcher," she said. "What did that lizard guy say your name was - Blast, Bling...?"
"Blaise." Blaise circled her, eyeing her up and down appraisingly. "You know, I've always wondered what it would be like to fight the Slayer. But let's face it, I'm twice your size. There's no contest here." He halted in front of her and grinned. "I prefer more challenging opponents. Come back when you've got some muscle on that bony little body."
Buffy darted forward and plunged her stake through Blaise's rotting leather jacket and into his heart. His eyes widened in surprise, then he crumbled into dust.
Buffy shook her head and looked around at the other vampires, who were staring aghast at where their leader once stood.
"When are you guys gonna learn not to make with the speeches?"
The grey-haired vampire suddenly found his voice.
"Get her!"
Half a dozen vampires began to close in on Buffy.
Ethan shook his head a few times and got to his feet. He held onto the wall and cast his gaze around the room.
"Donovan, I think it's time we made a getaway," he said quietly.
His nephew wasn't listening. He was staring intently at the battle.
Ethan raised his voice. "Donovan!"
The younger sorcerer vaulted over the crates and knelt on the ground.
Dan tightened his hold on Rick's neck.
"Time to die, fuckface," he laughed. "Hey Melissa! D'ya want a pet?"
Melissa turned and saw Donovan walking towards Dan.
"Oh no you don't!" she shouted. The vampire witch stretched out her hand and chanted the draining spell. Donovan looked at her, a smile spreading over his face. Melissa grinned back as she felt his magic flowing into her. Her face contorted as a burning sensation spread throughout her body. Dan looked on in horror as Melissa was incinerated from the inside out. Tara fell to the floor, released from the binding spell. Rick took advantage of the distraction and broke free from Dan, diving for his sword. He spun away and ran towards Buffy.
"Hey, hey wait!" Dan shouted. He turned back towards Donovan and gave a yell. Tongues of flame spread out from the young sorcerer, licking along the floor. They reached Dan and in an instant his legs were pillars of fire.
Buffy heard screams from her position in the middle of the thicket of vampires and prayed they weren't coming from any of her friends. She kicked one vampire, elbowed another and staked a third. She spun around and was abruptly showered with dust. Rick was standing there, holding his sword.
"Come on!"
The pair of them fought their way towards the door.
"What's with all the fire?" Buffy asked, glancing quickly at the flames that were rapidly climbing the walls.
"It's Donovan," Ethan shouted from behind them. "Hurry up! In a few more minutes, this place will be an inferno. We have to get out now!"
Buffy staked another vampire and found herself out of opponents. The few undead that remained were running, screaming, burning. Donovan hovered in the centre of the room, arms out, head tilted back, eyes closed. Every surface was blazing, red and yellow.
"Come on!" Ethan called.
Buffy spun around to face him.
"What about the others?"
"No time."
Furious, Buffy punched him so hard he fell down.
Ethan pressed a hand to his streaming nose. "I'm sorry."
Buffy grabbed him under the arm and dragged him to the exit.
Dawn straightened up as three figures came running towards the van.
"Hey, that's them!"
Sue nodded. "Go on, open the door." Dawn unbuckled her seatbelt and turned to get out.
"Oh, Jesus," Sue mumbled.
Dawn turned back to see the warehouse burst into flames.
"Buffy..."
Sue shook off her disbelief and turned to Dawn. "Go on, open the back doors!"
"Yeah, right." Dawn scrambled out of the passenger seat.
Willow, Xander and Anya picked up the pace on seeing Dawn.
"Hurry!" Anya called. "We can't carry him much further."
Dawn opened the rear doors and stood aside.
"Easy, guys," Willow said. Holding the top two corners of the blanket carefully, Anya and Willow stepped into the van and walked slowly inside. Xander followed.
"Gently..." The trio gingerly lowered Giles onto the floor of the van and wrapped the loose ends of the blanket around him. Dawn peered nervously inside.
"Can I see him?" she asked.
Xander came to the door.
"He's in pretty bad shape," he told her.
Sue looked over her shoulder and down at her older brother.
"Oh, Christ, Rupert," she murmured.
Anya hopped out of the van onto the street.
"Okay, when did the building catch fire?"
"The building's what?!" Willow squeaked. She joined the former demon for a look. "Buffy – Tara –"
Xander gulped and patted her on the shoulder.
"Hey, I, I'm sure they're okay," he mumbled half-heartedly.
"No, I mean, here they come!" Willow answered, pointing.
Buffy, Tara, and Rick charged up to the van, with Ethan lagging a bit behind.
"You guys get him?" Buffy panted.
Xander nodded. Buffy moved towards the van's rear doors and Willow touched her on the arm.
"He doesn't look very good, Buffy," she warned her.
Buffy swallowed and stepped inside. She stared down at her Watcher for a few minutes, then came back to the door and called to the others.
"Everyone inside," she said shortly. "We gotta get Giles to the hospital."
The gang quickly obeyed, being careful not to step on Giles as they got in the back. Xander took his usual place in the front with Sue and Dawn.
"Let's go then," Ethan called, closing the rear doors.
"What about your creepshow nephew?" Xander asked as Sue started the engine.
Ethan smirked. "He'll come home when he's ready."
Buffy glared. "That psycho nearly got us all killed."
" `Pyro', dear," Ethan corrected. "You pronounce it `pyro'."
Buffy stifled her desire to shove Ethan out of the vehicle and turned her attention to Giles. She bit her lip as she gazed at his eerie, unblinking eyes.
//Please be okay, Giles. Please…//