Title: R.I.P 4/6
Author: Savage
Pairing: B/G
Rating: Strong R, sad fic, ends happy
Distribution: Dusty
Dedication: To Morr, Merry Christmas Sis! *g* Even if it this is
two years old *eg* seems to be a thing with me, LOL
Disclaimer: Joss owns all
Author note: um, I was thinking of adding another story to this later,
but I’m not sure. You guys let me know. Jules you rock, thanks so much
for keeping Giles english!

(Outside - Bath)

As Giles continued on his way home, he had to cross through a graveyard nearby to get there. He took into consideration that it was almost morning and the gates would most likely be closed, making for a difficult getaway should there be a vamp lurking. However there was no other way to reach his house without going into open view; and if who ever Ethan was talking to was looking for him, there was no need to be out in the open, so he had to make it through this to reach his home and safety. He just hoped all the vamps were well on their way to their hideouts by now and would leave him alone.

Gently he lifted his arms so as not to jar his battered and, he suspected, broken ribs. Reaching for a hold onto the wall, he pulled himself up, clenching his teeth as his ribs screamed at him.

Swinging his legs over, Giles landed on his feet on the other side. His left hand immediately going to his side, he cursed Ethan in his mind. White light flashed behind his closed lids as his ribs ached and shot pain through out his whole body.

Taking a breath, the watcher sucked up the pain and got moving. He couldn't afford to be standing there, weak, broken and bleeding. He'd be the perfect target for a vamp or any demon looking for an easy kill. Giles made his way through the cemetery, walking in the shadows as something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye.

Stopping, the Watcher turned to his left where he saw a large cross, maybe 4 or 5 feet tall, standing above a fresh grave. What was so different about the piece, causing him to notice it, was it held a stake through the middle of it.

It was beautiful.

Approaching the grave he saw the detail in the lovely headstone. Someone must have loved this person, he thought. Dear Lord. His eyes fell to the name on the cross as his heart pounded harder in chest.

Rupert Giles
1954-2002
Beloved friend, mentor, watcher and father
RIP

This was... his grave.

(Hotel Room)

The gang had fallen asleep on the large bed, no one wanting to separate from the others yet. Soft sounds of Xander snoring then grunting, yet not waking, as Anya elbowed him, filled the room.

The TV was still on, though the voice wasn't as loud as before. The sun started to fill the small room while the sound of a keycard was heard. The Scooby's door opened and a figure entered.

With a sinister grin on his face, the man motioned to his group of minions as they lunged forth towards the unsuspecting gang.

(Giles' Home - Bath - England)

Buffy awoke as thunder cracked across the sky. She sat up quickly, her breathing heavy and unsteady at the sudden clap of noise. Her tired eyes were scanning the room in search of what had caused her to jolt awake, when another clap of thunder sounded.

She relaxed when she realized it was just the storm and watched through the back door as lightening struck and lit up the patio and most of the first level of Giles' home.

Heavy sheets of rain pounded the roof and sides of the home, making the slayer very restless. With such a storm going on outside and her mind continuously slipping to thoughts of Giles, Buffy got up and off the couch. As she did she ran her hands through her now tousled hair and wondered around the house.

She really was there.

She was there and Giles was.... gone.

Pain filled her heart as she continued to walk around the house. She didn't know she could miss someone this much. He filled her mind every waking moment - hell, even her dreams were of him. How was she going to move on? How was she going to make it through this without him. She needed him, she wanted him...

Buffy jumped as thunder crashed outside, yet again. She tried to flip the lights on in the living room, groping for the lightswitch but not finding it. So she opened the curtains to the back patio a little wider to allow the light from the moon to fill the room. The rain still poured in heavy sheets as puddles of water were beginning to form. She never saw storms like these in Sunnydale. They were so fierce here, so strong and untamed.

She wished Giles was there with her. She had always felt so safe when he was near. Somehow his presence always made her feel secure and she knew that everything would be all right.

Turning from the window, Buffy walked back into the middle of the living room as the storm outside, raged on.

Much like her emotions were now.

Memories of her time with Giles filled her mind as she looked around at his things. Tears gathered in her eyes and slipped silently down her cheeks as she thought about their last moments together. She should have had the courage to tell him she was in love with him. She should have had the strength to keep him from leaving her.

She should have said to him then and there how much his time with her was cherished and appreciated by not only by herself, but the gang as well, that he *was* needed. She should have let him know that she was thankful for having him, getting to know him, and letting the time they shared together, grow into something no other watcher or slayer ever shared.

The laughter he brought her, the knowledge he shared, even the kindness he showed... it meant so much. Never did he judge, never did he criticize. Sure he lectured her, but for her own good. And really, she didn't mind it; she loved listening to his voice. So soft and soothing... she could have listened to him all night.

God why did it take her this long to grow up? Why couldn't she have realized all this before it was all too late...?

She wanted the late night ice cream talks, she wanted the training, the special looks they shared, that only the two of them understood...the patrols and jokes, and laughter that filled her heart and touched her soul, she wanted all of it back.

But mostly, she just wanted her watcher.

Closing her eyes, Buffy swallowed hard. He was everything to her and he never even knew it. She had never bothered to tell him, or show him.

Lighting struck outside and lit the inside of Giles' home, startling Buffy out of her reverie.

She caught a glimpse of his radio across the room, sitting on the fireplace mantel, when the light flashed outside. Hoping it had batteries in it; she walked to it and flipped the switch on. A song started to play as she smiled sadly.

Of course it would have batteries. Giles if anything, was always prepared.

Turning from the radio, Buffy took another look around the home. All his things were still in place, in order and clean. How could he not be there? How could his home still look like he was living in it when he'd been gone for a week?

She could still smell his colognel in the air. Unwrapped chocolate kisses lay on the coffee table next to a bowl with other assorted candy. His tea cup next to the candy bowl, half full, still waiting for him to finish it....

How could he really be gone? How could it be possible that she would never see him again?

It wasn't fair! None of this was fair! Giles, of all people, didn't deserve this.

Anger finally started to seep into the Slayer's soul as she continued to look around. Her watcher was gone and she would never have the chance to tell him of her feelings, to thank him for being everything she and the others have always needed, for offering his help, his money and his love to them, without condition.

Why did everything in her life always have to be ripped away from her? Especially the things she loved the most.

The song continued on the radio and Buffy turned back, flipping the volume up. As she did, she noticed several pictures lining the mantel above his fireplace.

They were all of him and the Scooby's, displayed proudly and in the expensive frames.

There was just one, a little one, of her. Just a close-up of her face set inside a beautiful picture frame. The photo she knew was taken from her high school yearbook. Lowering her head, Buffy sighed deeply. She hadn't even given him a proper picture of herself to keep with the rest of his family. Which was how she knew Giles thought of them.

As his children.

All of them...except her. She knew he didn't think of her like that. A man doesn't look at a woman the way Giles used to look at her and think of her as anything but a friend...or possibly a lover.

Buffy looked at all the smiles and grins in the different photos of him and the Scooby's. Every one of the photos showed the laughter and life in Giles' eyes. Whether it was him hugging Willow or getting punched on the arm by Dawn, he was smiling and laughing.

"Damn you Giles! Why did you leave!"

Buffy angrily grabbed a photo and threw it across the room with everything she had. The glass shattered into hundreds of tiny pieces as it crashed into the wall leading to the kitchen. Turning back she grabbed the rest of the frames one by one and did the same. Finding this action was making her feel better, she grabbed the coffee table and flipped it over then took the books lying on the couch and flung them wildly one at a time across the room as another song came on over the radio and soft instrumental music played.

As she reached for another object, Buffy spotted a jewelry box with a ice skater on the top, on the floor at her feet. Her own name caught her eye and looking more closely, she saw the engraving on a gold plate on the front "Happy birthday Buffy, Love Giles".

He must have gotten it for her a long time ago, because the gold plate had scratches on it and it was covered in dust. Picking it up, she ran her fingers along Giles' name which caused some of the dust to come off as well.

She found a date, April 23rd 2001. It was just before she died and after her mother had passed away. She didn't have a party that year. He must have forgone giving it to her after things had gone downhill.

He really didn't forget her birthday after all....

Buffy fell to her knees crying as the song from the radio grew louder....

She sits among the pieces of broken glass and photographs
Reluctantly releases the last of what was her past
It struck without a warning or did she just ignore the signs
In those dark clouds forming behind silver lines

The Door slammed like thunder and the tears they fall like rain
and the warnings from her family whirl like a hurricane
she's drowning in emotions and she cannot reach the shore
she's alive, but can she survive ....The storm...

Broken jewel box dancer, lies in pieces down the hall
She's finding out the answers don't change, nothing at all
It's time she stops searching for whose to blame or what went wrong
The only thing for certain is he's gone....She's gotta move on

Then a door was slammed like thunder and her tears fell like rain
And the warnings from her family whirl like a hurricane
She's drowning in emotions and she cannot reach the shore
She's alive, but can she survive ....The storm...

So many days just roll on by without a gray cloud in the sky
She keeps telling herself "I... will make it on my own"
And her friends, they've all gone back to their lives
Thinking she will be all right
As she races through the night .....To make it home

The door it slams like thunder and the tears they fall like rain
And the warning from her family, whirl like that hurricane
Oh, she's drowning in emotions and she cannot reach the shore
She's alive, but can she survive ....The storm...

As the song came to an end Buffy fell forward, bits of glass and photographs surrounding her, as she lay on her side and pulled her legs to her chest. She clenched the jewelry box to her as tears fell and her chest rocked with sobs.

The batteries in the radio died soon after....

(Outside Giles Home)

As Giles came to the front of his home, he looked around one last time to make sure no one was following him, then approached the front door. He'd decided that his first task had to be to call the children and let them know that he was safe and well. It was obvious both from the beautiful craftsmanship of the headstone and the loving inscription, that it was no Council-provided marker.

It had to have been done by his family.

Dragging his keys from his pocket, surprised they were still there, he unlocked the door and headed inside. Shivering as he closed the door behind him, Giles headed further into the home, using the light from outside to see by as he rubbed his tired eyes. Turning to head for his room Giles noticed something under foot, crunching as he walked.

<what the bloody hell....>

Lifting his foot, Giles saw the shattered glass covering the floor.

What the hell had happened here?

As his eyes darted around the room, he saw most of his things were smashed. Even the pictures of the kids were lying all over the floor. The watcher's eyes went to the middle of the room and he saw the figure lying there.

Panic struck him as he got closer and realized there was only one person he knew with that small a build. Then his heart stopped as he saw her golden locks covering her face....

"Buffy!"

He was at her side in seconds and on his knees next to her. He could see her cheeks still wet from her tears as he moved her hair from her face. Dark circles lay under her beautiful eyes but at least she was breathing. He didn't see any blood on her, so he knew she wasn't hurt.

She just appeared to be.... exhausted.

Her chest rose and fell steadily as he watched her eyes darting back and forth under her closed lids. Then she was mumbling something as she clenched an object closer to her chest. Giles leaned forward to see she held the jewelry box he had bought for her birthday.

"Oh dear, Buffy...Did you do this?" His soft voice asked as he looked around again.

She must have been so angry with him.

Turning back to her, Giles slipped his hands under her body. The glass lying there cut into his forearms as he lifted her into his arms and carried her upstairs into his room. She stirred lightly, but didn't awaken, only mumbling something again as he placed her on his bed.

"No Angel, wanna stay..."

Giles gazed at her briefly before he checked her for any cuts. <Wonderful, she's dreaming of him. Again> Giles thought sadly.

He found several small lacerations along Buffy's hands as he examined her, then one larger one, along her arm. Realizing the larger cut needed some attention, Giles got up and headed into the bathroom to retrieve the first aid kit from the medicine cabinet.

After he got what he needed, Giles saw his reflection in the mirror as he closed the door to the cabinet. He had too many cuts to count - some still seeping blood along his handsome face. Where there wasn't blood, there was bruising, angry-looking ones that were purple and blue and led down his neck to his chest.

He looked so tired, so worn, so...old.

Sighing, Giles remember his ribs as a sharp pain stung him. His hand went gently to his ribcage and cradled the injury as he steadied his breathing, then headed back to Buffy.

(Dungeon)

The Scooby's had no idea how they got to be where they were and as they started to wake up, one by one, they realized something or someone had knocked them out. Their last memory was of all of them falling asleep in the hotel room, watching South Park.

"Ahh... my head" Xander moaned as Anya touched his arm.

"Mine too. What happen?" She asked as Willow helped Dawn sit up. Tara was looking around the darkened area as Willow answered

"I don't know. Something, someone took us"

"Took us where?" Dawn asked as she rubbed her head.

"I don't know. Maybe..."

"Hey guys, look" Tara's soft voice interrupted Willow as they all stood on wobbly legs and went to her. They saw as she pointed through a crack in the large wooden door, Ethan Rayne tied to a chair. As the Scooby's watched the two men, Willow explained who Ethan was to Tara, Anya and Dawn while a tall man who was standing beside Ethan with his back to the gang, held a tight grip around the sorcerers throat.

"I told you Rayne. I warned you what would happen if you double-crossed me!"

Ethan spoke through his discomfort.

"Yes, well, forgive me for trying to save my own arse!"

Alexander tightened his hold around Ethan's neck.

"Something I should have remembered about you, I know. However the plan was simple, Mr. Rayne. There was no need for you to run off. After my son had joined me, you would have been free to go!"

"Ripper would never have let you turn him. He'd have killed himself before he ever allowed that to happen and I'm not fool Alexander. I knew that once you had Rupert, you'd never let me go. However, you underestimate Buffy and her friends. That's why I let Ripper get away. There's no way I want his slayer after me again!""

"It's a good thing everyone believes him to be dead then, isn't it?"

"No one to interfere with your plans? Yes, good show on your part"

Dawn's hand went to her mouth as she held her gasp in. <Oh my god! Giles was Alive! And... his dad was a vampire?>

"You're scared of that tiny, weak blonde?" Alexander asked Ethan

"Trust me when I say, she's anything but weak"

Laughing, Alexander let go of Ethan's neck. The sorcerer gasped for air as Giles' father grabbed a sword off the table.

"I don't fear the Slayer"

"Obviously you have yet to meet her" Ethan said tightly as his throat began to burn.

"You think she can stop me?" Alexander asked as he turned back to Ethan with the blade of the sword touching the underside of Ethan's chin.

"In a heart beat. Or in this case, not so much the heart beating, as the time it will take her to drive a stake through it."

(Giles' Home)

Giles gently cleaned the shallow cuts on Buffy's hands before moving on to the larger gash on her arm. As he held it palm up, Giles reached with his free hand to grab the wash cloth he brought in from the bathroom. He softly touched the large cut, cleaning the blood away as Buffy moaned.

"Ow...Angel...stop" She didn't open her eyes as Giles smiled sadly.

"It needs cleaned" He told her. Buffy frowned then buried her face into the pillow.

"No..."

"Yes. Just relax Buffy" Giles grabbed some antibiotic cream and began to apply it.

Buffy groaned again, trying to pull her arm away.

"No. Giles...Giles does that. Leave me alone" She mumbled softly.

Giles watched her, his actions halting as Buffy continued. "Miss him, Angel..." She began crying. "I miss him too much..." her tears were falling heavily through her closed eyes as Giles' heart broke when he suddenly realised that her grief was for him. She thought he was dead.

"Oh Buffy...Buffy, wake up" Giles grabbed her upper arms and gently shook her. "Buffy, I'm here. It was all a trick...."

He watched her tear-stained eyes open slowly. She was frowning as she turned to look at him.

"Giles...? "

"Yes. It's ok, Buffy. Ethan was up to something, I'm not quite sure what as of yet, but he wanted all of you to think I was gone."

Buffy stared at him silently.

"Buffy?"

Closing her eyes, Buffy shook her head 'No'.

"I-I'm dreaming. It's always a dream. Every time I close my eyes, you're here. Like now. Then...when I open them again, you're still really...gone"

"Buffy, I am here"

She shook her head in denial once again and kept her eyes closed as tears slipped down her cheeks.

"Oh Buffy...you're not dreaming. Feel...." Reaching for hand, Giles placed it above his heart.

"No, please stop. Giles, please stop. I can't take these dreams...your... your...killing me. I miss you so much....".

She was crying so hard now, she began to worry her watcher. Giles took her into his arms, laying her head against his chest. He rocked her gently for a few moments before Buffy realized his heart was beating strongly against her ear.

NEXT