Title: Rebuilding the Family
Author: Escargoat
Chapter: 1/?
Pairing: G/B
Rating: Well, “R” for right now that should be safe.
Disclaimer: I don’t own, I don’t want to own. Joss, Mutant Enemy, Fox, FX, the WB etc own the rights to the characters. I’m just borrowing them. I’m not making any money either.
Summary: Well, this just sort of picks up after the end of Season six. Giles isn’t in good shape from being beaten on by Willow, Anya is a vengeance demon, Buffy’s turning over a new leaf with Dawn, Willow’s a basket case… then it is all AU from there. (With B/G added in, of course)
Giles gasped as Anya settled him gently on Buffy’s couch. His head was swimming, and he really was not sure if he could see straight. In the back of his mind, he tried to reason out whether is was just his eyesight that was blurry or if it was just a side affect from the powerful magics, but his concentration slipped, and he found he could not remember what he had been thinking about.
He could not remember much of anything. Where was he? Oh yes, Buffy’s house. Why was he there? Did Oz bring him? No, no Oz was no longer with them. Perhaps Buffy brought him.
Buffy, Buffy… Where was Buffy? Perhaps she was hurt. He had to protect her! Surely the Mayor would be out to destroy her after what she had done to Faith.
The front door opened and closed. The loud bang sent Rupert’s mind skittering off in another direction. A door. Jenny. Dear God, Jenny. He had to stop Angelus. He had to stop him before he hurt Buffy.
As Giles mind twisted and turned on him, Buffy took the cool cloth that Anya had wet and began to dab at Giles’ forehead.
“He’s been like this since I got him here. He seemed pretty coherent when we left the shop, but when I came back from the kitchen with the glass of water he asked for, he was mumbling in disjointed phrases. I think he’s concussed or in shock, or maybe both,” Anya explained rapidly.
Buffy softly wiped the blood off of his face. “If he’s concussed, he’s going to need to stay awake,” she turned to speak to Dawn who was standing in the doorway, “Dawn, go get the first aid kit and the other medical supplies we have.”
“Shouldn’t we take him to the hospital?” Dawn asked tentatively.
“No, I don’t think that he teleported his papers with him. And they aren’t going to be happy with a foreigner who entered the country illegally, even if he is British,” Anya supplied.
Buffy shook her head. “Anya’s right. Now go get that stuff. Anya? You help me get his shirt and jacket off. I need to see how his ribs are.”
“No, Buffy, come back,” Giles’ tortured voice whispered as Buffy and Anya began to undress him.
The two women shared a concerned look and Buffy awkwardly patted Giles’ arm. “I’m right here. Not going anywhere,” she whispered as tears threatened to start spilling out.
“I got the stuff,” Dawn announced as she came back into the room. Her blue eyes widened at the massive bruising on Giles’ now exposed torso.
“Did Willow do that?” she choked out in horror.
“She did, but she’s better now. Xander helped her,” Anya said in her own comforting way.
“It doesn’t matter right now. What we need to do is help Giles,” Buffy said brusquely as she grabbed the first aid kit from Dawn and began to clean and bandage the damage.
“What if he’s got internal bleeding?” Dawn said through tears that were flowing much more freely than her sister’s.
“Oh, I’m sure he doesn’t. I think it was the magic loss that was killing him,” Anya explained, “I’m sure he’ll be okay if he doesn’t go into a coma from all of the mystical powers that he was channeling and getting hit with and got sucked out of him.”
“But, but it’s Giles. Why would she want to hurt him like that?” Dawn whimpered, “I don’t understand.”
Buffy looked up from her work on Giles and looked at her sister, “I don’t think any of us understand right now, Dawn, but what I know is that Willow isn’t ending the world and that Xander is with her. Why don’t you go upstairs and get cleaned up? We’re going to have to keep Giles awake in case this is another concussion, and we might have to take turns doing it.”
Buffy turned quickly back to tending her watcher and Dawn turned and went up the stairs to do as her sister said.
Anya gestured towards the kitchen. “You guys are going to need to eat. I’ll go make something.”
Buffy nodded in acknowledgement and continued to clean Giles’ wounds while keeping an ear out to make certain he was still rambling under his breath instead of slipping into unconsciousness.
“Buffy,” his voice sounded so lost as he cried her name again.
“Why does the fact that delirious you thinks of me so much not comfort me?” Buffy responded as she wrapped cloth around his broken ribs.
Unfocused green eyes tried to look at her, “You’re so beautiful, standing on my doorstep,” he slurred as his left hand tried to touch her face.
Buffy gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “Yup, you got me there. I’m really pretty,” she sniffled.
“I should never have let him touch you,” he responded.
Buffy shrugged and tried to continue the conversation, “He was Angel and you couldn’t stop me. Not really your fault.”
“Angel, oh my poor girl. What did he do? Did he hurt you?”
Buffy felt the tears begin to well up again. “Can you maybe ramble about something a little more uplifting? I’m tired of crying today.”
He laughed creepily, “I’m going to kill Ethan for what he did to my girl.”
Buffy’s nose wrinkled. “I said uplifting, not psycho killer creepy, ‘cause I’ve really had enough of the today to.”
“My Buffy, did I hurt you much? I only ever wanted to make you happy. I would have staked that nancy soldier boy if I’d known he’d make you cry. And him making it your fault. He should have realized that he’d been gifted to have such a treasure in his bed.”
Buffy stopped from where she was getting his shoes off to stare at his glazed over eyes.
Anya stepped into the room. “I’m making some of those frozen pizzas that were in your freezer. How are things going in here?”
“Aside from the fact that Giles is seriously disturbed when he isn’t lucid? Pretty good. I just sort of need to get his pants off…” Buffy trailed off as Giles began to giggle.
Anya looked at her former business partner then looked at Buffy. “I’m pretty sure I could grant you a vengeance wish against Willow if you want. It wouldn’t really be your fault then.”
Buffy shook her head. “I don’t think so. I just need some help. I’m thinking that the blood stain by his thigh isn’t someone else’s.”
Anya moved to help Buffy shuck Giles’ pants off. “Maybe we should move him to one of the bedrooms? I mean, it might be a little creepy to put him in Tara and Willow’s room, but he’d probably be more comfortable.”
“NO! I mean, I don’t think that having him in Willow and Tara’s room will help. We don’t know what kind of mojo Willow tried when Tara got shot, and I don’t want to hurt him more if some of this stuff is a reaction to those powers. We’ll put him in my room. I can sleep down here or in the other room.”
Anay nodded. “Good idea.”
The two of them grabbed the ailing watcher and carried him as gently as they could up the stairs. Thankfully, Dawn was taking a long shower to rid herself of the dirt she had picked up and did not have to witness the sight of a battered and delirious Giles being carried along the hallway.
‘’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’
A bleary eyed Buffy stumbled down the stairs the next afternoon to find Dawn making toast.
“Hey,” she greeted her little sister.
Dawn smiled, “Hey. Giles quit rambling this morning. Anya thinks he’s doing good, or at least that was what her demon friend that used to be a doctor said. Toast?”
Buffy frowned, “Is that why she wouldn’t let me in the room?”
“No, actually after we had to sedate you to get you to leave his side, we thought it would be best if we made you eat before you went back in to see him.”
Buffy blushed a little and began to nibble at the toast her sister offered her. “I’m sorry that I, well, you know.”
“Totally freaked out about being separated from the crazy British guy who was expressing really violent tendencies and telling very disturbing limericks?”
“He was telling limericks?” Buffy asked.
“Yeah, that was after the whole scene where Anya stabbed you with enough sedatives to knock out an elephant. They were pretty dirty to, the limericks, not the sedatives.”
“That was after he quit half singing every love song he knew and kept whining for his Slayer,” Anya said as she came into the kitchen.
“He was asking for me?” Buffy asked concernedly.
“Actually, it was more like piteously begging, I had to send Dawn away. I’ve heard men beg for a thousand years. I’m used to it,” Anay said as she grabbed a piece of toast.
“And you didn’t come get me?” Buffy demanded.
“You were kind of sedated Buffy,” Dawn reminded her.
“Is he alone up there right now?” Buffy glared accusingly at Anya.
“Oh, don’t worry. He’s unconscious, but he isn’t in a coma. He’s going to need a bath though, and I need to change my clothes, so I thought that maybe you should clean him after I had to clean up his vomit earlier.”
“He threw up? That isn’t good,” Buffy commented.
“But, he’s okay now. The doctor said that he just got over excited, and when he tried to stand up, he got all queasy,” Dawn hurriedly explained.
“I think I’d better go sit with him,” Buffy said as she slid off of her chair.
“Oh, the sponge bath instructions are on your nightstand,” Anya said as Buffy walked up the stairs. She turned and shrugged at Dawn. “I’d better get going. I’ll come see you later.” With that, she teleported out of the kitchen.