Title: Explosion 3/7
Author: Jadedragon
Email: blm55@bellsouth.net
Pairing: Buffy/Giles
Rating: PG 13
Disclaimer: The characters from BVTS don't belong to me (sigh), they are the property of Joss, the WB, UPN and Mutant Enemy. I'm just playing with them for a while.
Summary: Giles is trapped in a warehouse when it explodes and believed to be dead.
Feedback: I'd love to know what you think. If you disagree with something I would like to hear it, small flames okay, but bonfires are not appreciated.
Notes: <> denotes thoughts

Wesley had driven all night to reach Stone Bluff the morning after the memorial. He would have started before the Memorial, but Buffy needed all of her friends to help her though the service. She had been so frail, so lifeless. He wanted to find the truth of the situation as soon as he could. He only hoped that the results of his search would be positive.

He had with him everything he would need to camp in the open and to cast the spells to locate Rupert. Once he reached the small town of Tolley, at the foot of Stone Bluff, he stopped to find the sheriff's office to see if any unidentified persons had been found on the mountain. The Sheriff, Karl Logan was out and not expected back for a day or two as he had gone to investigate possible poachers in the mountains. When the authorities had not known anything, Wesley bought a local map of the area and quickly found an isolated spot to cast the spell to find where Rupert was transported. He used the pendulum and the bowl that had been used previously to locate where Giles had been sent. He eventually came upon a very stony hill where someone had attempted to cover the evidence of a spell. Wesley sensed the spell had been to hide the evidence of the previous magicks and did not have the expertise to over come the strong hiding spell. He sat on the stony ground, wishing that Willow and Tara were there, but he refused to give up. He went back to his van to regroup and grab a bite to eat. As he sat in his van a patrol car pulled up.

"Good afternoon. Can I help you find something?" a man in a sheriff's uniform asked the watcher.

"I hope you can. My name is Wesley Wyndham-Price and I'm looking for a friend, Rupert Giles." Wesley told the sheriff handing him a picture of Giles with Buffy. "He disappeared and we have reason to believe that he might be somewhere on Stone Bluff."

"Where are you from?" the sheriff asked.

"I drove up from Sunnydale, California. Rupert was in an explosion, and he may be wandering, lost and injured. I need to find him as soon as possible. I tried to talk to the Sheriff in Tolley but he wasn't in."

Karl listened to the English man who seemed concerned about Giles. He wondered if he was really a friend of the man Callie had found or just part of the group she had run from all those years ago. She felt that Giles might be running from the same people. Karl decided to try and see what he could find out by a small deception.

"I'm Karl Logan, and I'm afraid that I have bad news for you. Mr. Giles, as you call him was indeed found by one of the local residents, just a few days ago, but he was in such bad shape that he didn't live very long."

"Might I see the body to verify that it is Rupert? His girlfriend will want to have his body brought home. Oh, Buffy, I've failed again." Wesley murmured before he leaned heavily on the van, tears finally flowing."

"Are you alright, son?" Karl asked, not expecting such a reaction.

"Rupert was a very good friend. He and Buffy had only been…together for a few months and she'd just found out that she is pregnant. He didn't even know that he was to be a father. That's Buffy standing in the picture with him. She has been totally devastated by his death, and I had hoped that I would find him alive for her and their child. She always thought that Rupert would outlive her."

"But he is so much older than her, how old is she?" Karl asked, looking again at the young woman in the picture with Giles.

"Buffy's 19, but the women in her pro...family don't usually live past 25."

"Let me take you to Callie, she found him and could tell you more about the circumstances," Karl told the young Englishman, becoming more and more puzzled about the man Callie had found.

"Yes, thank you, I'll follow you." Wesley asked, wiping the tears from his eyes, unashamed that the man had seen them. He had not known just how much he had loved Rupert, until his death had been confirmed by the lawman; his heart went out to Buffy and the child she carried who, would never know its father. He realized just how much he had changed since that first day in the library, when he had come to take over Rupert's position as Buffy's watcher. It didn't take long before they were at the cabin that Sheriff Logan had mentioned.

Karl had called Callie and told her of the man he had met near the hill where Giles had appeared. He told her how the man had reacted to the news of Giles' death and about the young woman Giles had left behind. In the days since Giles had made it to her cabin they had all discovered that Giles was indeed very well educated and knowledgeable in occult, demons and magick. When she got off the phone with Karl, she told Giles and Sun that someone who claimed to know him was on his way here and she wanted him to stay inside with Sun and watch to see if he recognized the man. Callie met Karl and Wesley outside her cabin.

"Hi Karl. What brings you up here?" she asked already knowing the answer but not wanting the stranger with Karl knowing that they had talked.

"Callie, this is Wesley Price, he is looking for Rupert Giles and the picture he has looks like the man you found several days ago."

"Ma'am, I am Wesley Wyndham-Price and yes, I am looking for this man, have you seen him?" Wesley asked as he handed her the picture of Rupert and Buffy that had been taken at a picnic a couple of weeks earlier.

"This looks like the man I found, but who is the young woman with him, his daughter?" Callie asked.

"No," answered Wesley, "That is his girlfriend, Buffy. Rupert means the world to her, to all his friends. Ma'am, this may sound very strange, but I followed a spell he cast to escape from an explosion in Sunnydale, hoping to find him alive."

"Was it truly him you found?" Wesley asked hoping that she had found someone else.

Callie looked at the young man before her. She could sense his true grief and pain, but there was something in his aura that reminded her of those who had chased her all those years ago. She was not sure what to do, on one level she trusted this man, but the past called to her to be more prudent. He could be leading others here, who would try to make her life miserable again. The choice was taken from her when Giles approached from the house.

"Sir, do you know me?" Giles asked of the man standing in front of Callie.

At the sound of that familiar voice, Wesley turned looked at Rupert, stunned for only a second, then proceeded to give him a bearhug. "Rupert Giles, I'm so glad to find you!! I can't believe you're alive."

"Sir, please unhand me! You're hurting my arm!" Giles admonished him.

"I'm sorry, Rupert. I'm just so glad to find you alive," Wesley told him as he looked closely, seeing the broken arm, bruises and cuts which had come from the explosion. "Buffy will be so surprised"

"Buffy?"

"Rupert, don't you know me?" Wesley asked, concern on his face.

"I'm sorry, I don't remember anything, before I regained consciousness on the mountain. Who is Buffy?" Giles asked.

"Your girlfriend. Here's her picture." Wesley handed him the picture he had shown to Callie.

"The girl from my dreams. We're dating? She's so much younger. How did we meet?" Giles asked the man who seemed to know him from his past.

"Why don't we all go inside and talk. I'm sure that you have a lot of questions and we want to know everything." Callie said as she motioned for Wesley to follow them inside.

"Why did you tell me he was dead?" Wesley asked of the sheriff, anger in his expression.

"We were concerned by the way that he arrived that he might be involved with some people who were looking for Callie. I wanted to protect her as well as Giles."

"He remembered his name?" he asked.

"Well, sort of, he dreamed of Buffy and she called him that. Does he go by his last name?"

"When Buffy met him she was only 16 and he was her teacher and mentor. That is what she and her friends have always called him. It was only recently, after they became a couple, when she started calling him by his given name." Wesley explained.

"What exactly did he teach Buffy?" Callie asked him with a strange look on her face. "We have discovered that he has a vast knowledge of the occult, demons and magick. However, most of that knowledge is centered on vampires.

Callie did her best to manage her anxiety and asked, "Is he a watcher?"

"He was, until he was sacked," Wesley told her, a strange expression on his face. Not many people knew about the Council. "He was Buffy's watcher, and for all practical purposes still is. I was assigned to her as Watcher briefly, and made a total ass of myself, trying to make her follow the regulations and go by the book, but Buffy has always had a mind of her own. I was sacked myself for not following regulations."

"So you are no longer part of the Watcher's Council?" Callie asked; the measure of fear showing on her face had noticeable increased.

"No, I'm not and Buffy resigned from the council when they wouldn't help her save a friend. The Council has been corrupted and has not been much help to Rupert or Buffy. It has caused them nothing but grief and pain."

"Are you telling me that Buffy is the Slayer?" Callie asked.

"Yes, she has been since before she came to Sunnydale. How do you know of the Council?" Wesley asked Callie as they entered her cabin and sat down.

"I was taken from my family when I was just a baby and raised in a compound to be a slayer. I managed to escape when I was 13 and ran until I met Sunshine who was able to help me fake my death and put them off the trail. She helped me to establish a new identity and get into school. I owe my life to her."

Giles had looked on during this conversation, feeling horror that he had been involved in such an organization. He had so many questions to ask, so many things that he wanted to know. Mostly, he wanted to see Buffy, the young girl who loved him. He felt so drawn to her. He felt such love for her, he wanted to be with her.

"Wesley, where is Buffy?" he finally asked.

"She's in Sunnydale, Rupert. She doesn't know that I am here, we didn't tell her of the spell you had cast to escape the explosion. She was so very devastated that we didn't want to raise her hopes. She's with Willow, Xander, Tara and Anya in the house that they share. Joyce, her mother, has been there with her, as well."

"She knows her parents?" Callie asked in disbelief.

"Yes, she was raised by them. The Council did not discover Buffy until she was called. Her first watcher found her and started training her while she still lived in Los Angeles. He was killed saving her life. She then moved to Sunnydale where Rupert became her watcher. She had a pretty normal life up until that time and has made every effort to keep as normal as she can. It has been difficult, but Buffy is a fighter."

"Tell me more about her," Rupert asked Wesley.

Wesley looked at the man he had grown to love and respect. He told him of his past and his relationship with Buffy and the rest of the Scooby gang. Callie asked as many questions as Rupert did, amazed at Buffy's life. She was like no slayer she had ever been taught about. She had a life other than slaying, and she had a watcher who was a person, not a machine like those she remembered from her childhood. She wanted to meet this young woman who in many ways reminded her of herself, so many years ago.

"I want to go home." Giles said to Wesley. "I want to see this young woman who loves me. I want to remember my life."

"Rupert, there are a couple of things I need to tell you. Your will was read just before I came looking for you. In it, you asked Buffy to marry you, posthumously, and she did."

"She is my wife?"

"Yes." Wesley told his friend.

"What does posthumously mean?" Sun asked.

"It means "after death," Giles told him.

"Is that legal?" Sun asked.

"Rupert and his attorney researched it and I was told it was. He wanted Buffy to inherit his estate and he also adopted any child she might have been carrying at the time of his death." Wesley told the surprised group. Wesley then looked at Giles, "Rupert, she is carrying your child. She was going to tell you after we finished searching the warehouse the night of the explosion."

"She's pregnant with my child!" Giles was stunned.

"We can leave first thing in the morning. I know a young woman who will be very glad to see you," Wesley told the speechless man before him.

"Why wait until then?" Karl asked. "I have access to a small plane and we could be there in a couple of hours or so, if you like?"

"That would be appreciated, but how would I get my van home?" Wesley asked.

"One of my deputies is scheduled to be in Los Angles in three days to testify at a trial. He could drive your van down and bring it to you."

"I'll still be in Sunnydale, but he could leave it at Angel Investigations, where I work." Wesley told him as he took a business card out of his wallet to hand to the sheriff.

"Well that settles it. Lets get down the mountain and to the airstrip."

"Karl, I'm coming, too." Callie said. "I want to see Giles safely home and I want to meet this young girl he has watched over. I need to face my past."

"Are you sure about this, Cal?" Sun asked her.

"Yes, I need to do this. I can finally put the past behind me."

"Then I'm coming, too, if you have room Karl?" Sun asked him.

"Love, I'll borrow the six-seater Cessna from Tommy. Lets get out of here before she wants to take Bo, too!" Karl teased Callie, mentioning her Doberman, who went just about everywhere with her.

Callie packed a bag while Sun and Karl took Bo down the mountain in the patrol car. Callie had made arrangements to have one of her friends take care of while they were gone. When Callie and Giles drove down the mountain with Wesley following them, the sun was setting. It was a beautiful sight, one Callie never tired of. The four met at the airstrip at 5 o'clock and were in the air soon after. They were landing in Sunnydale by 7:30 and caught a taxi to the Scooby's house.

**********

As they approached the Scooby House, Wesley told the others he would go and see if Buffy was home and for the others to stay in the car until he told them to come in. Wesley approached the house and was met by Willow when she opened the door to his knock.

"Wesley, I didn't expect you back so soon. What did you find?" Willow asked him, seeing the taxi at the curb.

"Willow," Wesley asked hesitantly, "Where is Buffy?"

"She's gone out. Her mom was able to persuade her to go out to dinner. I expect them back about 8:30 or so."

Wesley turned and waved everyone to the house. When Willow saw Giles get out of the taxi, she ran down the stairs screaming and almost knocked him down when she jumped into his arms.

"Giles, you're alive!"

"Please, young lady, let me go!" an overwhelmed Giles told the young woman who had jumped into his arms hugging him very tightly.

Willow let Giles go as soon as she realized that his left arm was in a cast and he was not responding as he normally would. She then realized there were three strangers watching her with surprised concern on their faces.

"Let's get everyone inside then we can discuss what has happened." Wesley said as he led the group to the house.

Xander and Anya had heard Willow's scream and came running to the door from upstairs with stakes and swords in hand, while Tara came from the library ready to cast a protection spell to help her lover. When they saw Wesley enter the house followed by Giles and Willow, Xander dropped the sword he had been carrying and ran to Giles to hug him.

"G-man, it's great to see you." Xander told him, seeing the strange expression on Giles face stood back. "What's wrong?"

"I-I don't remember any of you. Are you Xander?" Giles asked cautiously.

"Yes, I'm Xander, this is Willow, Anya and Tara. We live here with Buffy and help you…and her," he said not sure how much to say.

"Wesley has told me about you and our work together." Giles told the young man as they entered the living room.

"Giles, we have saved each other so many times. I am so very glad to see you alive." Xander told the older man, tears in his eyes.

Giles was in awe of the loving welcome he was receiving from the young people who lived here. The love they had for him was so clear. They had been truly glad to see him alive, and he had seen the tears in Willow and Xander's eyes. He wanted to remember them. they had been important to him; he could feel it.

"Let's all sit down in the living room and let Callie, Sun and Karl tell you about what happened to Rupert over the last few days." Wesley told the group, trying to lead them to the other room and away from the door. Once they were all seated, Wesley turned to the group.

"This is Callie Weston, Sunshine Lindy and Karl Logan, the sheriff of Tolley, Oregon. Giles made his way to Callie's cabin after the explosion and they all helped him. The explosion has affected Rupert's memory and we are hoping that being around familiar places and people will help it to return. First however, what have you heard about Boris?" Seeing the hesitation in Xander's eyes, Wesley continued. "Callie, Sun and Karl know about Buffy and Giles being the slayer and her watcher. They want to help," he reassured the young man.

"Angel is scouting another likely location and should be back soon." Xander announced. "Wesley, if Boris tries to open the Hellmouth at the full moon in three days, we're screwed. Buffy is in no shape to fight, neither is Giles, even if his memory returns. We need some serious manpower and magicks. Tara and Willow have been working day and night since you left to try and find spells in any of Giles' books that will help us. But with only Tara and Willow we're going to be short. We need more manpower."

"What type of spells are you looking for, Callie and I might be able to help. I'm a white sorceress. Wesley has told us of your trouble with this Boris. I have some ideas of how to counteract the spells he may use to get the vampires and demons to work together." Sunshine told them.

"Any help will be appreciated," Xander assured her. "We have a very serious situation here. Angel and I were almost taken last night. Wesley, do they know about Angel?"

"No, Xander, I thought it best to introduce them to Angel and then tell them the story."

"Did someone call me?" Angel asked as he came into the room. He saw Giles and walked over to him reaching out his hand to the watcher. "Rupert, you don't know how good it is to see you," he said as he shook his hand.

"My! Your hand is cold… You're Angel," he said slowly. "You're different…" Giles said with a strange expression on his face, spreading to fear as it dawned on him why Angel was different. "You're a vampire!"

"Rupert, you've known that a long time." Angel said as he looked into the watcher's eyes. "The explosion…you lost your memory, didn't you?"

"Yes." he said, puzzled.

"Rupert, I've helped you and Buffy many times. I live in LA now and run an investigation agency with Wesley and Cordelia." Angel became aware of the three other people in the room and their fear. He turned to them to reassure them and was met with a crossbow pointed at his heart. "I won't hurt you." he tried to reassure the older woman in front of him.

"Please, Callie. Put that away. Angel would no more hurt you than you would have hurt Rupert." Wesley assured her.

"But he's a vampire!"

"Yes, a vampire with a soul."

"What?" Callie asked, her past reaching out to grab her with all the fear she remembered.

"He was cursed by gypsies, cursed with a soul. He helps fight against the forces of darkness, including other vampires. He is a friend and my employer." Wesley told the woman.

"You work for a vampire?"

"Yes, we are here to help fight Boris to prevent him from uniting the demons and vampires and opening the Hellmouth. If you can't accept Angel's part in our endeavor, I suggest that you leave and let us get to work," Wesley announced firmly.

Callie looked at Sun and Karl to see their reaction. Both, while surprised, seemed to be accepting this strange turn of events. Callie turned to look at the vampire again and saw that he had remained where he was standing the crossbow still pointed at his heart.

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