Title: Unexpected Guests - 2 of 5
Author: Michelle with the help of Jadedragon
Email: mrsdrake@sff.net
Date: January 2004
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Buffy/Giles
Summary: Buffy and Giles are getting married, and some unexpected guests show up.
Feedback: I love it, want it, and need it.
Distribution: If you want it, take it. Just tell me where to find it.
Spoilers: This story takes place between seasons three and four, but uses some elements from season five. If you know about the Magic Box, you'll be okay.
Disclaimer: These are not my characters. They belong to Joss, Twentieth Century Fox, UPN, WB & Mutant Enemy. "And I Love Her" was written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. This is purely for fun.
Author's note 1: This is a sequel to Band Cookies, but it can be read as a stand alone. This starts a week after graduation day.
Author's note 2: Giles was put on probation after the events in Helpless, not fired. Wesley was brought in to be Faith's Watcher, not as a replacement for Giles. Wesley is supposed to report to the Council if Giles disobeys the Council again. Faith is not bad. I use these < > to denote thoughts.
Special thanks to Jadedragon for helping so much with the spells and magick scenes. Also, thanks go out to my betas, Jade and Mer.
Wesley watched as Quentin talked with the two men. He became more agitated the longer they talked. "What's going on?" He heard Faith ask.
"I don't know, but it can't be good." He turned to face her. "Faith, while they're distracted sneak out. Go to Buffy's house and stay with Joyce."
"Sure thing, Wes."
He watched her as she left, making sure no one saw her, then turned his attention back to Quentin Travers. He was clearly arguing with the two men. To his surprise, Quentin left the two men and walked toward Wesley. "Wesley, we have a problem. Our sorcerer is missing. We wanted him to keep Buffy from leaving her home, so we could stop the wedding. I sent a team to check on him and to see that Buffy has not been harmed."
"What went wrong?"
"He wasn't there. We can't find him."
"What do you think I can do?"
"We will need Mr. Giles' help if we're to find him."
"You won't find Mr. Giles that easy. He won't be willing to return to England."
"This isn't about Mr. Giles anymore. We have bigger problems now, and I need his help. Even if we could find the sorcerer on our own, we would not be able to stop him without help."
"I can get a message to Mr. Giles, but I need more information. Who is this sorcerer that you lost?"
"Nicholas Byrd."
A look of terror passed across Wesley's face. "Why would you use someone as unstable as Nicholas?"
"Unstable? He's not unstable."
"Really? You think so? What do you know of him?"
"I've read his files. All I need to know is there."
Wesley couldn't believe what he was hearing. He needed to make Travers understand what they were really dealing with. "Mr. Travers, I know a great deal about Nicholas Byrd, and none of it is good. I knew him when I lived in England. He was ambitious, to say the least. His father, grandfather, and great-grandfather were all watchers. He dreamed of being a watcher like them. He applied several times and was denied."
Travers was unimpressed. "You've told me nothing I don't already know."
Wesley continued with his story. "After being denied the last time, he disappeared for several weeks. I heard rumors that he was looking for sorcerers to teach him dark magic. When he finally returned, it seemed that he was ready to move on with his life. He said he was done living in the past. He took the research position that was offered to him.
"He seemed normal for a time, behaving the way the Council expected. Some members of the Council believed he had changed. They thought nothing was wrong, but some of us knew he was a time bomb that could explode any time. He was quiet and polite, but sometimes, he would become violent. Mostly, he would get into fist fights, but sometimes he would use dark magic. He never killed anyone, but those touched by his magic wished he had." When Travers looked like he was going to ask for details, Wesley held up a hand to stop him. "Please, don't ask what happened to those men and women." Travers nodded. "After hearing the stories of what he'd done to them, people kept their distance. No one wanted to become a target for his anger.
"I tried to get closer to him. Maybe I was crazy. I thought that if I could learn more about him, I might be able to keep him from hurting more people. I shared my own experiences with him. I let him believe that I was unable to convince the council to let me be a Watcher. I told him I had given up and was happy with research. He was happy that I wasn't trying to compete with him. He became more comfortable talking to me. We talked about our families, about our fathers. His father never thought he was good enough to be a Watcher. Nicholas was trying to prove him wrong. As long as Nicholas thought he had a friend to talk to he kept his temper under control. Everything was fine for a while, until the slayer died and Buffy was called.
"When Nicholas learned of a watcher being sent to Buffy, he was furious. He threatened Merrick. Merrick wasn't intimidated. The threats didn't trouble him. He became her Watcher and eventually, died protecting her. When I heard of his death, I knew that Nicholas had a hand in it. I couldn't prove it, but I knew.
"A new watcher had to be sent. Everyone knew Mr. Giles' reputation and his shady past. Some of us took it upon ourselves to talk with members of the Council and recommend him for the job. He would not be intimidated, and with his knowledge of magic, he would be able to protect Buffy and himself from Nicholas. This is also why I volunteered to be the one to come and observe during Mr. Giles' probation.
"When Nicholas found out that Mr. Giles had been sent as Merrick's replacement, he went out and got himself drunk. I found him early in the morning, trying to walk home. I gave him a ride. We had a long talk while he was drunk. I learned about the spies he had in California, watching Buffy and Mr. Giles. Nicholas was waiting for an opportunity. I believe you gave him one, Mr. Travers. How did you learn about the wedding today? I never told anyone about it."
"We received an anonymous call. We were told that Buffy had not been training or patrolling for some time and that she was planning to marry her watcher today."
"Nicholas, I'd bet, or friends of his. He's been waiting for this opportunity. There's no telling what he's done."
"You will help us? You will give a message to Mr. Giles?"
"Yes. Come with me. I'll contact him from the magic shop."
On their way out, Wesley stopped and talked to Willow and Xander. He briefly told them what he had learned. "Joyce might need the help of a witch. Come with us to the Magic Box, take what you think you might need, then you can head over to Buffy's house." They gathered their things and followed Wesley out of the church.
* * * * *
Joyce jumped at the sound of the phone. "Chill, Joyce. It's just the phone." Faith told her. "Do you want me to get it?"
"No, we don't know who could be calling." She hesitantly picked up the phone. "Hello?"
"Joyce, It's Wesley. Have you heard from Mr. Giles?"
"No. It's been hours since he left."
"Is Faith there?"
"She's been here for a little while. What's wrong? Has something happened?"
"I don't have time to go into details. If you hear from Mr. Giles, have him come to the Magic Box, immediately."
"I will."
"Now, put Faith on the phone."
"Hey, Wes."
"Faith, Willow and Xander are on their way over. The Council was using a sorcerer to keep Buffy and Joyce from leaving their home. He is now missing. You may need Willow's help. Help her any way you can."
"Sure, Wes."
"Faith?"
"Yea?"
"He is extremely dangerous and violent. Do whatever you need to do to protect everyone."
"I understand. Don't worry about us."
* * * * *
Giles walked into the magic shop. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Quentin Travers sitting at the table with Wesley. "Travers, I should have known."
"Take a seat, Rupert."
"I'd prefer to stand." He walked over and gripped the back of the chair across from them. He leaned toward them. "What's this all about?"
"We sent a man to the Summer's house to place a spell on it to keep Miss Summers locked inside. The goal was to keep her away from the wedding until we located you. He was then going to lift the spell. He was to check in with us periodically. He never has. I sent men check on him. They couldn't find him."
Giles couldn't believe his ears. He thought he might laugh. "You are worried about losing a man who didn't do a spell for you." When Travers started to speak, Giles slammed his fist on the table. "I can tell you why he wasn't there, why he didn't do the spell, why your men couldn't find him. He took Buffy. He sent something into her bedroom to find her and take her to him. I have been out looking for her for hours, while you have been sitting around wondering why your man is missing."
Travers blanched. "My God. What have I done?"
"Who took Buffy? Who is he?"
It was Wesley who answered. "Nicholas Byrd."
Giles recognized the name instantly. Nicholas made Ripper look like a saint, and now he had Buffy. Before Travers could blink, Giles moved around the table and hauled him out of his chair. "Do you know who he is, what he can do?"
Travers answered weakly. "Yes."
"I don't think you do. You can't begin to imagine unless you've seen it yourself. I witnessed one of his tantrums. Before that day, I never knew men were capable of such evil. Those men and women will never be the same because of him. They wish they had died with the others. If he does anything to hurt Buffy. . . ." He let the unspoken threat hang in the air before finally letting go of him.
"I will take care of your little problem, but it's not for you or the council. I am doing this for Buffy, her family, and friends. When I give Nicholas to you, I expect you to take him and leave. You will never again interfere in Buffy's life or mine. You have another slayer and watcher to work for you. You don't need us. Is that clear?"
Travers thought about objecting. The look on Giles face quickly changed his mind. "Yes, Mr. Giles."
"If you'll excuse me, I have to gather supplies and be on my way." Travers sat in silence as he watched Wesley help Giles collect the things he might need.
Wesley kept his voice low as he spoke to Giles. "Buffy is a smart girl. She won't do anything to provoke him."
"I hope you're right. She has a bad habit of acting before thinking."
Wesley put a hand on his shoulder. "They will be fine." He knew his mistake the instant the words left his lips. They both turned to look at Travers, to see if he had heard.
Travers stared at them. "They? To whom are you referring?"
Wesley looked to Giles. "We can't keep it a secret forever." Giles nodded and resumed gathering his supplies. "Miss Summers is pregnant."
Travers shot to his feet. "Pregnant? She'll be defenseless."
"We are quite aware of that, Mr. Travers. That is why she hasn't been training or patrolling. Faith has taken over all slayer duties. Miss Summers has been actively helping with research."
"How could you let this happen? Who is the father?" Wesley again looked to Giles for permission.
"I am the father." Giles turned to Wesley. "You might as well tell him the whole story." He threw his bag over his shoulder. "I need to go. Buffy needs me." As he left the Magic Box, he could hear Wesley start the story with the events of Buffy's eighteenth birthday.
* * * * *
Buffy rose from the table and took her dirty dishes to the sink. "Would you like me to help with the dishes?" She asked hesitantly.
Nicholas looked at her. She thought he might become violent again. "No, thank you. Why don't you go to the living room and relax? I'll join you in a little while." She nodded and left the room, grateful to be out of his sight.
She sat on the rug in the center of the floor, closed her eyes, and tried to relax. She needed to think. <How am I going to get out of this one? I don't even know if anyone is looking for me. Don't be silly, Buffy.> She chided herself. <I know Rupert is looking for me, but what if he can't find me. I don't know what this guy can do. Let's see. What do I know? He's strong, he can do magic, and he's got major mood swings. I really need to be careful.>
Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt Nicholas enter the room. She didn't open her eyes. <Maybe he'll think I'm meditating or something.> She slowed her breathing and concentrated on him. He was walking around the room slowly, and she was sure that he kept his eyes on her. She could hear every breath he took, every movement he made. When he stopped directly behind her, her heart felt like it would jump out of her chest, but she kept her breathing even. He was waiting to see what she would do.
Suddenly, she felt faint and sick to her stomach. A cold sweat broke out on her face as she pitched forward. Just as suddenly, he knelt beside her, placing waste basket it in front of her. She felt his hands pull her hair away from her face as she threw up the contents of her lunch. When she tried to sit, he picked her up and placed her on the couch. "Lie still. I'll be right back." He returned with a wet cloth and a glass of water. "Sip this to rinse your mouth." She did as she was told, while he wiped the sweat from her face. "Are you all right?"
She shivered. "I'm cold." He took the throw from the back of the couch and laid it over her. "I don't know what happened. I was meditating and suddenly the room felt like it was spinning. That's the way things happen with me. I'm fine one moment, sick the next. The last time I was sick, I had this fever, and they made me go to the hospital." <I really hope he believes I'm sick. I can't let him know about the baby.>
"You don't need to explain. Just rest. Sleep if you can. I'll check on you later." He turned out the lights and left her alone on the couch.
As she drifted off to sleep, Buffy wondered what would have happened if she hadn't thrown up at that moment. She shuddered at the possibilities.