Title: The Rules Have Changed - part 10 of 12
Author: Michelle - mrsdrake@gmail.com
Rating: FRAO
Pairing: Buffy/Giles
Summary: Giles is attacked and has an unusual way of dealing with it.
Spoilers: Set after the finales of Buffy and Angel.
Distribution: If you want it, you can have it. Just tell me where to find it.
Disclaimer: These are not my characters. They belong to Joss, Twentieth Century Fox, UPN, WB & Mutant Enemy. This is purely for fun.
Buffy backed away slowly.
“Buffy, what’s wrong?”
She avoided looking at his face as she answered, “Nothing. I just need to go to the bathroom. That’s all.”
“I know you better than that,” he said as she reached for the door. He put hand on the door to prevent her from opening it. “Why are you so afraid? You said you trusted me.” He placed a finger under her chin and tilted her face up to look into her eyes. “I won’t hurt you, Buffy.”
“But –” she began. “Oh God! How could I forget? You need blood. You’ll be stronger once you drink blood.” She paused for a moment. “I don’t think we have any. This all happened so fast. I didn’t think about it.”
“Buffy?” he asked, confused.
“Your face,” she said. “You’re still in vamp face. I guess that happens when you’re hungry.”
“I’ll be fine. You don’t need to worry.”
“You could drink my blood,” Buffy suggested. “Slayer blood is powerful, and I’ve heard stories that it’s . . .” Her voice trailed off when she saw the look in his eyes. The vamp face smoothed out, but the look in his eyes was still there. She didn’t know if it was hunger or lust.
“No . . . the curse . . . my soul.”
“First, we didn’t use the curse. That means no true happiness clause and no being tortured about people you’ve hurt. Second, you should only need a little. So, it won’t kill me.” She raised her wrist to his lips. “You need this.” He hesitated.
He backed away from her. “I won’t do that. I’ll never . . . not to you.”
“You can’t go out like this,” Buffy argued. “If the hunger gets too bad, what will you do?” He didn’t answer. “What happens when the instincts kick in?”
“Buffy, I refuse to drink human blood.”
A sudden knock on the door startled them. “Buffy?”
“God , Willow, you scared me half to death,” Buffy said as she opened the door.
“Sorry. Angel heard - or felt - something. I don’t know what, but he thought Giles was awake. So, I brought up some blood.” She handed a large mug to Buffy. “Angel and Wesley brought it. There’s more in the kitchen if you need it.”
Buffy took the offered mug. “Thanks, Will.”
“Buffy?”
“Yes, he’s awake. No, he’s not evil,” Buffy answered Willow’s unspoken questions before closing the door.
Giles just stared at the mug as Buffy offered it to him. “Wesley and Angel brought it. I’m pretty sure it’s not human.” He didn’t respond. “If it is, it’s probably from someone evil.”
Giles laughed a little. “Buffy, I –”
“You don’t want me to watch.” She set the mug on the night stand. “I’ll be in the kitchen.”
“You don’t need to go.”
“You need to do this on your own. I understand that. Having a soul makes it different. You feel guilty for wanting to drink any blood. You need it if you’re going to be strong. You can’t fight them if you’re weak.” She kissed him gently before opening the door. “I’ll be in the kitchen.”
* * * * * *
“So he’s wigged?” Willow asked.
“Majorly,” Buffy said. “I think it’s the whole soul thing. I think he feels guilty, and he hasn’t even done anything.”
“He’ll adjust,” Angel said.
“Like you adjusted?” Buffy retorted.
“It’s one thing to know about vampires,” Wesley said. “It’s quite another to experience it for oneself. It’s difficult enough for one without a soul. I can’t begin to imagine what it must be like for him.”
“So, what’s up with the bad guys?” Willow asked suddenly. “Do we need to research?”
“I don’t know,” Buffy admitted. “He didn’t tell me much. This isn’t the first time they’ve gone after members of the Watchers’ Council. If we don’t stop them they’ll do it again.”
“And you aren’t going after them,” Giles said from the doorway. “They’re much too dangerous. I don’t want you or the Slayers involved.”
“I have to be able to help,” Buffy protested. “I can’t just sit here while you go off and fight them.”
“I’m not going to fight them yet,” he told her.
“Why not?” Willow asked.
“They think I’m dead. They’ll expect a new Head Watcher to be chosen soon. When it doesn’t happen, they’ll make a move. That’s when I strike.”
“I don’t understand,” Buffy said. “Why not go after them now? They won’t expect it.”
“How can they know you died?” Willow asked.
“The same way the Council knows when a Slayer dies,” Wesley said as he realized the implications. “There’s someone in the Council working with them.”
“So when you said ‘chosen’ you meant the same way a Slayer is chosen?” Buffy asked.
“Yes,” Giles answered.
“So why won’t someone else be chosen?” Willow asked.
“It’s linked to the soul, not the body,” Wesley answered. “The Council knows when the body dies, but. . .”
“. . . the Powers That Be know he still has his soul,” Angel finished.
“They’ll think they’ve won, and they’ll try something,” Buffy said.
Giles nodded. “Until then, we wait.”