Title: Misunderstandings - Part 12
Author: Michelle
Rating: FRAO (Adults Only)
Pairing: Buffy/Giles (eventually)
Summary: Another birthday has tragic consequences for Buffy
Setting: set after season seven
Warnings: contains non-consensual sex
Disclaimer: These are not my characters. They belong to Joss, Twentieth Century Fox, UPN, WB & Mutant Enemy. This is purely for fun.
Previous parts are here: http://bripper.drakeleather.com/Misunderstandings01.shtml
Buffy hated being cooped up in the infirmary. She felt they were treating her like a prisoner, all the while telling her it was for her own protection. Not able to take it any it anymore, she decided to leave. Fred was still in the hall outside the room. Slowly, quietly, Buffy crept into the hall. In one swift motion, she grabbed the stun gun from Fred and used it to knock her out. Before she took off, she dragged Fred into the room. Her strength hadn’t returned, so she left Fred lying on the floor rather than put her on the bed.
As she headed down the hall, she realized she didn’t know where to go. Then she felt it: the bond. She could feel Giles and knew he was still in the building.
"I have to get rid of it," she mumbled. "Only one way to do that, and I don’t plan on dying."
* * * * * * * * * *
When Willow entered the detention area, Giles was just waking up, but Merissa was still out cold.
"Any luck?" Robin asked when he saw her.
"Did you find a way to fix Giles?" Xander asked.
Willow smiled and opened Merissa’s laptop, letting Robin and Xander look at the files. "I wouldn’t watch the videos yet," she warned as she walked over to Wesley. "Wesley?"
"He’s beginning to come around," Wesley said quietly. "Will he still be under the spell?"
"I don’t think so," she answered as she pulled a chair over and sat next to him. "I knocked him out when he attacked Faith. He didn’t remember anything when he woke up. He’s been out longer this time."
"It’s the spell I used," Wesley responded.
They heard Giles groan, but he didn’t open his eyes yet. Behind them, they heard Xander and Robin talking in hushed tones.
Willow handed Wesley a folded piece of paper. "This is the spell they used. I copied it from the video I found. She has videos of everything and files on everything."
An outburst from Xander caused them to both turn and look. "Did you see who Rachel’s parents are?" Xander asked. "No wonder they wanted to recruit her."
"I know," Willow said. "We’re lucky she refused."
* * * * * * * * * *
Gunn followed Faith as she ran through the halls. "Do you know where she is?" he asked as he caught up with her at a corner stairway.
"Right now, Rachel should be in her dorm room," Faith answered. She took the stairs two at a time as they made their way to the main level of the building. "The dorm is on the other side of campus."
"How far?" Gunn asked as they reached the door leading outside.
Faith didn’t slow to answer, "Less than half a mile. Faster to run than to take a car."
Gunn was glad he’d been working out. Otherwise, he would never have kept up with Faith as she ran across the parking lot and lawn.
When they got closer to the dormitory, they heard a scream. They ran faster. A crowd of girls had gathered on the lawn. Those she could see, Faith recognized as Slayers. "We’re too late," she said.
"They’re gonna kill her," Gunn said.
"Not if I can help it," Faith said. She ran even faster, leaving Gunn behind. Suddenly a car sped in front of her, stopping in the grass a few feet from the mob. Faith almost ran into it, but dodged at the last second.
The door opened and a tall, sinister looking man got out. "Is this a private party, or can anyone join?" he said in a heavy English accent. He had spoken in a whisper, but everyone still heard him. Everyone stopped and stared at him. Some of the girls paled and began to retreat. "I see some of you know me." He waved his hand, and they stopped, unable to move. "Can’t have you leave now that the fun is about to begin."
"Who is that?" Gunn asked as he caught up with Faith.
"I don’t know," she whispered.
"Now. These aren’t very good odds," the man said. "Let’s even things a bit. Shall we?" He turned his gaze on Rachel, and she nodded slightly before scrambling away from the mob. "There. That’s better. Whatever grudge you had with her, you can settle with me." When no one said a word, he gazed around at all of them. "No one? Pity. I was hoping for some fun." He walked around, tapping his finger on his chin. "I could turn you all into demons, you know, but I think that would be too kind. What shall I do with you?"
Faith stepped forward, pulling Gunn along. "They’re only part of a bigger problem," she said. "We need information from them. I don’t really care what you do as long as they can remember and talk to us when you’re done."
"Faith, is that a good idea?" Gunn asked. "You don’t even know who this guy is."
"It’s obvious Rachel trusts him," Faith said, still watching the man as he circled around the group of girls.
"Well, Faith," the man said. "If you must know, I’m Rachel’s father."
* * * * * * * * * *
Willow and Wesley shared a look as they though of what could have happened. "If Rachel had helped them —" Willow began.
"Why did they do this?"
They turned around. The question had come from Giles. He was standing by the window to his room, watching them.
"It looks like they all had ties to either you or Buffy in some way," Robin said from behind them.
"They all hate you guys," Xander added.
"Why did Merissa want to do this?" Wesley asked. "Why does she hate them?"
"Quentin Travers was her grandfather," Willow said. "I guess she wants revenge."
"And Rachel . . . ?" Giles asked.
"Her mother was a Watcher named Heather, and her Father is listed as Ethan Rayne," Willow answered.
* * * * * * * * * *
Buffy was mildly surprised to find Giles in the detention area. She was more surprised to see the crowd of people outside his room. If she moved quickly, she’d be able to incapacitate them all before they fought back. There were four of them, and they all had their backs to her. ‘Should be easy,’ she thought.
She snuck up on Robin first and shocked him with the stun gun. Xander was next. She managed to get him before he could think to shout. Willow and Wesley were talking. It didn’t look like they’d heard anything. She jabbed the stun gun into Wesley’s side first. When he fell over, Willow turned around.
"Buffy," she said, surprised. "What are you doing?"
Willow stood and reached for the stun gun, but Buffy was faster. "Sorry, Will," she said as she watched Willow fall to the floor.
"Buffy?"
She turned at the sound of Giles voice but didn’t answer him. The urge to vomit was strong, but she forced it away. Turning from Giles, she searched the area and smiled when she saw Xander was wearing his tool belt. She grabbed a utility knife and headed for the door to Giles room. It was locked when she tried to open it.
She rummaged through everyone’s pockets until she finally found the keys in Robin’s pocket. "Thanks," she muttered before returning to the door. She unlocked the door and opened it, leaving the key hanging in the lock.
"I knew you’d come," Giles said when they were standing face to face.
Buffy lunged at him with the knife. He deflected the attack easily.
"This isn’t the way to solve anything," he told her.
"I told you I would kill you!" she shouted.
"You said you’d kill me if I touched you," Giles said calmly. "I haven’t touched you. You came here to kill me all the same."
She couldn’t speak as she lunged at him again. He countered the attack, but she sliced deeply across his arm. When she saw the blood, she dropped the knife, the reality of what she was doing finally hitting her. She looked at the door, suddenly wanting to leave, but the door slammed shut.
"Why the hell did you do that?" Buffy asked.
"You came here to kill me. Then do it." Giles picked up the knife and handed it back to her. "If you really want to kill me, I won’t stop you."
She stared at the knife for a long time before she raised her hand, turning it on herself. Giles only barely stopped her in time. He forced her to drop the knife, then kicked it into the far corner of the room. Buffy fought him, but in her weakened state, he easily overpowered her.
Buffy stopped fighting when she realized he had her in a hold she couldn’t break. She fell to her knees, taking him to the floor with her. "Let. Me. Go," she said through gritted teeth.
"No," he said, firmly. "Not until we talk."