Title: Little Boy Lost 6/7
Author: Jadedragon
Email: blm55@bellsouth.net
Pairing: B/G
Rating: PG 13
Spoilers: Season 4. This takes place over the summer, before Season 5.
Disclaimer: Characters from BtVS are property of Joss, WB, UPN and Mutant Enemy. I'm just playing with them for a while.
Summary: Buffy finds Giles' son on the door step with a letter from his mother.
Feedback: Greatly appreciated.

Buffy watched as Giles closed the door as well as he could, with it having been torn off its hinges by the Moslair demons. He put a binding spell on the door to hold it and keep any unwanted beings out. Buffy had stayed, telling the others she wanted to protect him if the demons came back. Anya and Angel had given her odd looks and she knew that she would have to explain to everyone later, but right now she just wanted to be alone with Rupert. Buffy had so many questions to ask him and knew that he still needed to talk about the events of this morning. When he joined her on the couch she saw the love shining from his eyes and knew that everything would be all right between them.

"Giles, tell me about Rebecca," she started.

Giles looked into the eyes of the second woman he had asked to be his wife, knowing that she would not abandon him. "Rebecca was a researcher and a scholar in Demon Lore for the Council. She was brilliant. Her reasoning and leaps of intuition led to many breakthroughs in the field of demonology. She helped me on my research paper on Chronos demons and we started dating. Michael, her brother, never approved of our relationship and this was very hard on her. Their parents had been killed in a demon attack when she was only 7 and he was all the family she had. Buffy, I loved her very much and when I asked her to marry me and was turned down, I was devastated. I thought that she didn't love me. Now, I know that she did, but at the time I felt so abandoned and unloved. Soon after that, she moved and did her research elsewhere. I never saw her again," he finished, tears tracing a path down his cheeks.

Buffy looked at the man she loved and reached out to take his hand as he continued.

"I thought I would never find anyone I could love as much as I loved Rebecca, until you walked into the Library your first day of school in Sunnydale. I was drawn to you immediately, and knew that you were the woman I could love more than I had ever loved Rebecca. It was as if all the pain I had buried in my heart was gone and love had replaced it."

"You've known that long?" Buffy asked surprised that he had kept his feelings for her hidden so long.

"Buffy, you were only 16, I knew that I had to wait. You weren't ready for a serious relationship. I knew that. I spent all my time making sure that you would live a long life. I felt that, given enough time, the bond between us would grow into love."

"Didn't you love Jenny?"

"I'll never know if I could have loved Jenny in that way. Our relationship never got that far, and I was already in love with you. I enjoyed Jenny's company and we had fun together. I loved her as a friend, more than a friend, but we were never lovers."

"What about Olivia?"

"Olivia was a friend from my Ripper days. We had always had casual relationship, nothing serious. Basically, we were both lonely and wanted to be held. It was only sex, no real emotion. She had just been dumped by her fiancé and felt abandoned and unloved, much as I had when Rebecca left me. We comforted each other for a short while."

"You've been alone too long."

"Luv, I've been alone most of my life, but not any more. I haven't really been alone since the day you first walked into the library. You, Xander, Willow and the others have become the only family I ever really wanted or needed," he told her as he took her into his arms. He was so blessed.

"Rupert, what about your son?" Buffy asked him, knowing that he needed to talk about this unexpected event.

"Buffy that's the biggest shock of the day. I never knew that Rebecca was pregnant. We took precautions, but something, obviously didn't work. I now understand why she didn't want to marry me, but I wish she had told me about Rupe. I could have helped her. I don't want to think about what Michael put her and Rupe through. He hated me and felt that I was to blame for the distance between him and his sister. Michael didn't want Rebecca to have any friends, to rely only on him; but she was such a loving giving woman and everybody who knew her, adored her. This made Michael only hate me more, me and anyone else who befriended her. I can only imagine how he treated Rupe. I don't know if I can ever forgive him and Elizabeth for leaving Rupe alone on my doorstep. I am so truly grateful that you were here to take care of him until I returned. Buffy, you're so good with him. I've never seen you around small children, but it doesn't surprise me."

"I want to help him and you as much as possible. He's been through so much and this has not been a very easy introduction into your life," her concern for his son all too clear.

"It has been a rather eventful day, full of a great many changes for Rupe and myself. Buffy, I never thought that I would have a child, now my son is sleeping upstairs in my bed; never thought I would marry, yet here you sit, my fiancé. I am truly blessed," he told her as he bent his head to capture her lips.

**********

"What?" Cordelia and Xander asked at the same time.

"It's the only thing that makes sense. The Anointed One kidnapped the four of us when he tried to bring the Master back. What if some vampire has found a spell to bring him back and needs those who were physically close to him like the spell that the Anointed One was using? That would explain why they want me, Cordelia, Giles and Ms. Calendar." Willow told her fellow prisoners.

"But Buffy made dust out of the bones, there was nothing left!" Cordelia exclaimed.

"There are many spells that don't require the entire skeleton. They might just need some of the pieces of bone, and there were pieces left," Willow explained.

"Will, you are not making us feel any better." Xander told his friend. "Do you have any ideas on how to get out of here?"

"No. I'm sure that Buffy and Giles are on it and Tara and Anya will help them."

"Wesley and Angel were following. I saw them getting in Angel's car as we turned the corner before I lost sight of them. They should be here by now."

"With all of them working on it, I'm sure that they'll be able to rescue us," Willow tried to reassure Cordy and Xander.

"I remember one of them saying something about Lugnassa. Do you know what that is?" Cordelia asked her.

"Lugnassa is the pagan festival of the harvest. It takes place in three days. If that is when they plan on the ritual then I don't think they will be doing anything to us tonight. Why don't we try to get some rest? If they do try to rescue us, we need to be ready." Willow told them.

"I think one of us should stand guard while the others sleep. I'll take the first watch." Xander told the girls.

"I'll take the second. Wake me up in three hours," Willow told him. "Cordelia, I'll wake you up three hours after that, that way we all will have some rest."

Willow and Cordelia went to the corner where there were several bales of hay and spread it out to sleep on. They were soon asleep while Xander stood guard.

**********

Spike quietly approached the entrance to the factory from the sewer. The door was rusted shut from non-use and it took him several minutes to pry it open, being as quiet as possible. Once he got it open, he entered the factory on the second level below the street. The cells he remembered were on the next and he quietly made his way toward them. He had not quite gotten to the stairs leading down when he heard someone approaching. He quickly moved to a shadowy alcove and listened to the vampires approaching.

"This is crazy. How does Jacques expect the spell to work when one of the people is now just a skeleton?" the first vampire asked the second.

"Well, dust and broken bones are all we have left of the Master and he thinks that will be enough. You have to trust Jacques. He has been researching this spell for years and he knows what he's doing. Just keep a lookout. Once the Slayer discovers her Watcher and friends are missing she will be trying to find them."

"I still say that he looks too young to be a Watcher."

"You have to trust Jacques, he would know if we had the wrong guy. Everything will go as planned and in three days, the Master's essence will be joined with Jacques' and we will take over Sunnydale. Once the Watcher is turned, we'll have his knowledge and we can destroy the Watcher's Council and there will be no more Slayers." The second vampire told his compatriot as they continued further down the hallway out of Spike's hearing.

"Well this is the place," Spike thought to himself, as he continued toward the lower level to try and discover which room Xander, Willow and Cordelia were being held in. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, he saw a guard on a duty near the end of the hall. He kept to the darkness and wanting to get closer to the cell, but was unable to without giving himself away. After about ten minutes, he gave up and headed back to Joyce's. He had just enough time to get back there before sunrise.

**********

Joyce made sure that everyone had a place to sleep and was as comfortable as she could make them, on such short notice. She pulled out the rollaway bed in the basement for Angel, put Hank in Buffy's room and Wesley in the guest room. She also prepared a cot in the basement for Spike, worried that he would not be very comfortable, hoping that he would get back before dawn. She was more worried about him than Buffy. She knew that Rupert would take good care of her daughter, his fiancée.

Wesley couldn't sleep and was in the living room looking through some of the books he had brought from LA. Wesley heard the backdoor and went to be sure that it was Spike. As he walked through the dining room he saw the papers from Hank's briefcase still on the table. Wondering what they were he picked up the pages concerning the third codicil and started reading them as he entered the kitchen and saw Spike closing the back door behind him. Spike watched as the expression on Wesley's face became one of astonishment.

"Rupert and Buffy are getting married?" the former Watcher asked the vampire.

"Yeah, and about time. They've lusted after each other for far too long in my book. So am I sleeping in the basement with the `poof'? Spike asked.

"Yeah," Wesley answered in a daze, as he sat down in a stool at the counter. "Have they developed the `bond'?

"I don't know anything about a `bond' but I know what I have seen ever since I've known them," Spike told him as he went to the microwave and took a bag of blood from his coat pocket and placed in the microwave to heat up. As he was pouring the blood into a cup, Angel came into the kitchen from the basement.

"Spike, did you find anything at the factory?" Angel asked the other vampire.

"Yeah, I was able to get into the basement and I think I found where they are holding Willow, Xander and Cordelia. There was a guard on the door, so I couldn't get closer to try and talk to them. But from what I overheard, they're alive.

"What did you hear?" Wesley asked him, coming out of his haze.

"Jacques plans for the ceremony to take place and once the `Watcher' is turned, use his knowledge to take over the Council and get rid of them and the Slayers."

"Don't they realize that Xander is not Giles?" Wesley asked

"Apparently not. The two vamps I over heard were arguing, one thought Xander was too young to be a Watcher while the other had complete faith in Jacques and his plan. He felt that Jacques would know if they had the wrong person."

"They just don't know what kind of a nut case he is. From what I know about Jacques, he gets so involved with his schemes that he sees only what he wants to see. Jacques is so charismatic that most vampires follow him without thinking on their own, if they are intelligent enough to think." Angel told them. "Do you know anymore about the vampire that was arguing?"

"Naw, I didn't see any faces or recognize their voices. I was hiding in an alcove when they passed by. I was more concerned about hiding myself and trying to find where they were keeping Willow, Xander and Cordelia."

"How hard will it be to get us back in there?"

"Not hard at all, mate! I figure that the three of us with Buffy and Giles should be able to sneak in there and get them out fairly quickly, especially if we go during the day, when they won't be expecting us."

Angel and Spike headed downstairs to get some rest and Wesley went upstairs to the guest room. How would Angel take the news of Buffy and Giles, he wondered. Wesley finally drifted off to sleep as the sunlight came in the window.

**********

As Buffy woke up she realized that she was not home and was in a strange bed, still in her clothes. When she reached out and touched the two bodies next to her she remembered where she was. She was in bed with Rupert and his son. She looked beside her at the two of them. They had come upstairs when Rupe started screaming from a nightmare. Giles was able to calm him down and they lay on either side of him and a very tired little boy finally went back to sleep in his Dad's arms. Rupe was curled up next to his father, his arms clinging to the neck of the man he had met only yesterday. Giles arms were around the son he had never known. Buffy felt so peaceful watching them, knowing that here was where she belonged. She slowly got up, trying not to wake them, but Giles caught her hand before she left the bed.

"What time is it?" he asked.

"Only 9:00. Go back to sleep. I'll be right back." She told him as she left the room heading for the bathroom. There was so much to do today. She hoped that Spike would have some good news for them when they met at her Mom's later. She was worried about Willow, Xander and Cordelia.

Giles looked at the small boy in his arms and felt such love for him. He wanted to protect Rupe from every evil known to man and from every hurt that he could possibly suffer. He realized that this was unrealistic, however he wanted nothing but the best for his son. His son. It was still hard to believe that he had a son. He was still relishing the feel of the small boy in his arms when he felt the child stirring.

"Daddy?" a small hesitant voice asked as the child sat up on the bed next to Giles.

"Yes son, I'm here."

"The d…demons didn't come back?"

"No Rupe, that was just a nightmare. You're safe, I won't let anything happen to you and neither will Buffy." Giles assured his son.

"Daddy, d…do you like Buffy?"

"Yes, I do." He told the child wondering just how much Rebecca had told her son.

"W…will she be my n…new mother?" Rupe asked in an unsteady voice.

"Rupe, Buffy and I are planning to marry, but she would never try to take the place of your mother," he told him, guessing what the problem was. "Buffy likes you and wants to be your friend, but she would never want you to forget your mother."

"So I won't have to call her mom?" he asked as Buffy came in. She had listened to part of the conversation and knew what the child was thinking.

"Rupe," she said as she sat by the small boy, "I wouldn't want you to forget your mother. I know how much you love her and how you must miss her. I want to be your friend and help you in any way I can. I love your father very much and I want to be a part of your family.'

"Ok. Can I still call you Buffy?"

"Of course."

There was a knocking at the front door and they heard Anya calling for Giles. He got up and headed downstairs with Rupe in his arms, Buffy following. When Giles got to the door he released the wards and let Anya and Tara enter the condo.

"Giles, Tara and I did a location spell this morning and were not able to locate Willow. We found Xander, but we didn't have anything of Cordelia's to try and find her."

"Was there any reaction at all when you tried to find Willow?"

"T..there was no r…reaction at all," answered the witch. "She's dead, isn't she?" Tara asked in tears.

"Tara, I don't think so. We know that they need them for Lugnassa in three…two days now. They know that Willow's a powerful witch and they probably have her shielded so she can't use her magick." Giles told the young woman trying to calm her. Why don't you sit down and I'll make us some tea while Buffy gets together what we need to take with us to her home."

Giles made tea while Tara and Anya sat with Rupe. Once they had their tea, Giles took a quick shower, changed clothes and got Rupe ready for the day. They had left for Buffy's by 9:45. He realized that they would be early but wanted to see if Wesley and Angel had anything of Cordelia's with which they could try a location spell. The spell Anya and Tara cast to find Xander placed him at the location of the factory where they thought that Jacques had his hideout.

**********

Joyce saw them pull up and opened the door for them. She had placed blankets over the windows in the kitchen and had shut all the blinds and drapes through out the rest of the house. She had coffee, tea and hot chocolate ready and soon everyone was in the living room. Wesley found a receipt of Cordelia's that she had used as a bookmark in one of the books he had brought with him. Soon it was discovered that she, too, was at the factory. Once Spike had relayed his information to the rest of the group, they got down to planning how to approach it.

"If Angel, Spike, Wesley, Buffy and Giles go in through the sewers, what do the rest of us do?" Hank asked, not wanting to be left out.

"Waiting with the cars. You don't have any experience with this, Dad, and I don't want you hurt," Buffy told her father in no uncertain terms.

"I have an idea for a possible diversion," Giles told the lawyer. "A fire lighted against the back wall of the Factory would create enough of a diversion to distract them. Spike told me of some piles of rubbish, which we can add oily rags to. That would make a lot of smoke and we could enter the basement while they are trying to find a way to put it out."

Everyone liked the plan and it was decided to try it that afternoon. That way if it didn't work, they could try and come up with another one before tomorrow night. They gathered everything that they would need and after lunch, they headed toward the factory. Spike and Angel were in the van that Hank had gone out to rent early that morning; also in the van was their arsenal. It was decided that Anya, Tara and Hank would stay with the vehicles while the others went through the sewers to the entrance into the basement of the factory. Joyce had stayed at the house with Rupe. Rupe had wanted to go with his father, but understood why he couldn't.

**********

Giles looked at his watch. They should have started the fire and the smoke from it would soon be entering the condemned building. He motioned the others to start toward the entrance to the underground section of the factory where Willow, Xander and Cordelia were being held. Spike led the way and soon they were in the dark hallways of the factory. Slowly and silently they made their way toward the basement where their friends were being held. They quickly moved into an alcove when they heard footsteps approaching from the lower basement.

"Hurry, there's a fire behind the building! If we don't put it out, we'll all die!" Spike recognized the voice as that of the vampire that trusted Jacques. He was in a panic, rushing through the halls pulling the other vampire with him.

"Why doesn't Jacques use his magick to put the fire out?" asked the vampire who had questioned Jacques competency the night before.

"He has to save his strength for tomorrow night. Hurry, the fire is near the storeroom where the Master's bones lie!" The first vampire cried as he pulled the other one down the hall toward the stairs leading to the upper levels.

Several other vampires ran past them talking about how to put out the fire and hoping to find enough water to do so.

The group waited several minutes before moving toward the lower area to be sure that no other vampires were coming from that direction. When they reached the lower area they saw only one guard. Angel and Buffy quickly attacked the vampire and they were able to take him out quite easily.

**********

Xander heard the commotion in the hallway and told Cordelia and Willow to stand in the corner where they had slept. He was determined to try and protect his friends. Xander was poised and ready to jump on the vampires as they entered the room. He was jumping as the door opened only to jump and knock Buffy to the ground.

"Xander, I know you're glad to see me, but please get off." Buffy told her friend.

Xander quickly got up as Willow and Cordelia joined the rest of the group. Quickly and silently they made their way past the dust pile that had been their jailor, heading to the sewers and freedom. Spike and Buffy were in the lead as they worked their way back to the sewer entrance. They had just closed the door as they heard vampires in the passageway behind the rusty door. Spike told them to leave. He and Angel would take care of the vamps as they could only come out one at a time. Buffy, Giles and Wesley led the captives to the waiting vehicles and soon were on their way, all but Hank who said he would stay and wait for Spike and Angel.

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