Title: Rebuilding the Family
Chapter: (7/?)
Author: escargoat
Rating: R (Although a PG rating should cover this chapter)
Pairings: B/G, mentions of X/Anya & W/T
Warnings: Crazy!Spike in this chapter. General non-fuzzy talk about Spike aka – not everyone think’s he is wonderful, much like not everyone liked him on the series.
Disclaimer, summary and author’s notes in part 1.
Another short chapter. Not much B/G goodness in this chapter. I promise to remedy that later. I just needed to set up some plot elements before continuing…
Giles glared his hardest at the pull-out sofa. Somehow, he truly believed that it would evaporate should he glare at it hard enough. Not that it would help if it did. He could hardly go traipsing off to Buffy’s house just because Xander’s couch burst into flames.
“Something wrong?” Xander asked.
“No, just thinking,” Giles said softly.
“Ah,” Xander replied in a knowing tone.
Giles raised an enquiring eyebrow.
“Look, Giles, it’s okay about Spike. I’m not too thrilled about the idea either, but Buffy is a big girl now, and she’s learned from her mistakes. Well, most of them anyway. I think we’ve all grown up after last year.”
“Actually, Xander, I’ve been meaning to speak with you about that,” Giles decided to pounce upon the opportunity when it presented itself.
“Spike? Or the badness that was last year?”
“Neither. I was referring to the fact that you are all adults now. As such, I feel the need to point out that my relationship with all of you has and rightfully should have changed. My relationship with Buffy has changed.”
“Hey, no worries there, G-Man. You’ll always be the Buffster’s Yoda. Only not short and talking backwards.”
“Yes, I just, that is to say, I’m not simply an old man, Xander. And as you have all matured during the recent difficulties, I find that it would be scurrilous to label me as simply a substitute father for any of you.”
“Oh, gotcha. Look, I’ll talk to Buffy for you, tell her not to lean on you so much now that you’re back. Give you some space to be a regular guy. She’ll understand. It’s just, you know Buffy, she’s pretty pumped at having you home.”
“That isn’t what I….” the ringing of the telephone cut off Giles’ words as Xander bolted for it.
“Hello? Hey, yeah, no prob I can make it in early tomorrow…”
Giles quit listening to Xander’s conversation as the younger man began to ask questions about the extra job he was being called out on. With a sigh, he pulled of his glasses and stripped down to his boxers. That conversation had gone in the wrong direction very quickly. He only hoped that he would have the chance to talk to Buffy before Xander did.
‘’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’
“Hey, Xand. What brings you around so early?” Buffy asked as her friend came in her door the next morning.
“I got called in early to work. I’m getting the old responsibility blues. Pretty soon I’m going to be talking about the good old days when I could sleep ‘til noon.”
“Aw, poor Xander,” Buffy said in mock sympathy as she continued to make breakfast.
“And don’t you forget it. Say, Buff, as long as I’m here I thought that maybe we could talk about Giles.”
Buffy tensed for a moment then relaxed. “What about him?” she asked neutrally.
“He’s, well, he just got back and I think that he needs his space. You know, he needs to be a regular guy.”
“And you don’t think that I’m treating him like one?”
“I didn’t say that, I just… he’s got some concerns, and I don’t want anything bad to happen.”
Buffy stopped mixing her pancake batter to stare at her friend. “Xander, what exactly did Giles say to you?”
“Ah, Buff, don’t get upset. I’m just saying that he wants to be treated as a part of the gang, not just your Watcher, and I’m not saying that you’re treating him like that, just that he’s worried about it, and I don’t want to see two of my best friends in pain.”
“Well, if it makes you feel any better, I swear that I’m not going to treat him like dirt. Believe me, I’ve done enough dirt treating to last me a lifetime.”
“Ah, good,” Xander replied completely flummoxed as to why Buffy was not outright attacking him, and seemed instead to have a slight smirk on her lips.
“So, where is Giles, now that you’ve brought him up?” Buffy asked after allowing Xander to be puzzled for a good minute.
“Sleeping. I think the time difference got him all mixed up and when he fell asleep, he really fell asleep. How’s Willow doing?”
“Good. It’s kinda the same with her, only we stayed up late watching movies.”
“And yet, you’re still in the chipper mood.”
“Xand, I’ve spent the years staying up late and then going to school or work in the mornings. I’m way used to it. Besides, if I wasn’t awake early, I’d never be able to fend off the empty pit called Dawn.”
“Hey, I heard that,” said sister complained as she walked into the kitchen.
“Well, it’s true. You eat more than Xander used too, and I was pretty sure that was impossible.”
“And as much as I’d like to hang around and listen to your sister tell tall tales about my appetite, I’ve got to run. Are you two going to be good with getting to school?”
“Gee, I’m not sure if I can handle driving that new used car out front. I only passed my driver’s test with flying colors,” Buffy murmured sarcastically.
“Well, you don’t have the world’s best driving record, Buff,” Xander pointed out.
“I was seventeen! I’m a lot older now, and I did pass the exam,” Buffy huffed out.
“Point taken. I think I’ll bid you ladies adieu before a certain slayer decides to add me to the pancake batter,” Xander said as he backed out of the kitchen and made his way out the door.
Dawn giggled softly at Xander’s hasty retreat before snagging the first cooked pancake and starting to eat.
‘’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’
Buffy took a deep breath as she made her way down into the Sunnydale High basement. There were hundreds, maybe even thousands, of things she would rather be doing on her lunch break, but duty did not know how to quit dialing her number, so she was going to check on Spike.
“Swirling, swirling through my mind. Biting, tasting – song and flowers, not enough. He’s got her parts – the parts no one else can have,” Spike’s soft ramblings reached her ears as she rounded a corner.
“Spike?” she called softly.
“The Slayer! Burns me, burns me from the inside she does. All pure and light,” he mumbled as he hid his face in his hands.
“I guess asking you how you are would be a bad idea at this point,” Buffy stated as she took in the vampire’s disheveled appearance.
“Death, death is in this school. The school of the dead,” he said in a conspiratorial tone.
“Great, just great. Look, Spike, do you need anything to eat?”
“NO! No blood, mustn’t, shouldn’t, couldn’t, wouldn’t. Pools of it lie in the li and brary. Seeping and flowing, puddling and glowing in the light of the fake light.”
“Are you sure that you didn’t somehow merge with Drusilla?” Buffy asked as he stood upright and began to sway as he sniffed the air.
“I’m hungry, but I’m good. I haven’t tasted a drop. Left them alone, I have. The dead one and his children.”
“The dead one? Spike, who’s dead?”
“The librarian. Who else?”
“Giles?” Buffy ground out before she grabbed Spike and slammed him against the wall. “What happened to Giles?” she demanded roughly.
“Watcher is well as Watcher’s goes. The librarian is the one who has no more prose.”
Buffy dropped him down to his feet. “You really were an awful poet, Spike,” she said in an attempt to cover her relief.
Spike merely nodded and sat back down on the floor.
Buffy shook her head and backed away. She did not know what to do with Spike, but she did know that if the vampire thought there was blood, then there was probably blood, and it was her duty as Slayer to find it.
That meant a trip to the library, and if nothing was there, she was going to have to search elsewhere.