Title: The Assistant, part 62
Author: Sweetdoggie (stirling_summer@yahoo.com)
Pairing: B/G
Rating: R
Summary: Merrick didn’t die. AU
Spoilers: season 4
Disclaimer: No permission has been granted to use the characters.. They are owned by their creator, Joss Whedon, Twentieth Century Fox, UPN, WB, and Mutant Enemy. This story is non-profit and is intended solely as entertainment. No copyright infringement is intended.
Buffy and Giles had returned to the others and told them what had just transpired. Anna blinked in disbelief. “Why did you not kill him?”
“Didn’t feel right,” Buffy shrugged.
Even Faith looked like she was having a hard time with that.
Finally, Buffy puffed out her breath and crossed her arms over her chest. “Look, even if I’m wrong about him, he’s still chipped. He wasn’t doing anything bad.”
“Right then,” Faith said darkly.
“Look, he doesn’t know about the other Slayers…Faith was unconscious when we fought Adam and Anna hadn’t been Called. I think we need to keep them in reserve—not let him know about them. If he sees them patrolling, we can pass them off as Potentials in training.”
“If he sees us fight, that idea is blown,” Anna remarked.
“He won’t see you if I keep him around me,” Buffy said slowly. “We need to keep an eye on him. I’ll take him on patrol with me and watch him. You guys can patrol on the other end of town. It’s not like we don’t have plenty of work.”
Faith and Anna looked at each other and shrugged. “If you want babysitting duty, that’s your call, Buffy,” Faith told her. “But you can’t trust him. Not even for a second. It could just all be a big scheme to kill you.”
Buffy pushed her hair out of her face tiredly. “Do you think I don’t know it? But I’m telling you, I think he’s on the level.”
“I don’t like it,” Giles told her. “You have a duty to our child now, Buffy. You are not just a Slayer, you are a mother.”
“Giles…I’m a Slayer. You know what that means.”
He looked to the other Watchers for support but none of them would make eye contact. The bottom line was, Buffy was the Slayer. It took precedence over every aspect of her life, whether or not she or her husband and family had different priorities. Seeing no support, he slammed his fist down on the table. “You will take no chances. Anna?” He turned to the youngest Slayer. “You will shadow Buffy while she is out with Spike. Stay far enough back that he can’t sense you, but don’t let her out of your sight. If he starts anything, finish him.”
Anna nodded, satisfied with his precautions. Buffy put her hand on his arm. “Thank you, Rupert. I know this is hard for you.”
“Hard doesn’t even begin to cover what I’m feeling right now.” He walked out of the room.
~*~
Buffy didn’t know what to do. She needed to patrol. Her Slayer instincts were shouting at her to get out there and find whatever was causing this plague. Her wifely instincts told her to comfort her husband. She knew he was suffering the torments of the damned right now. He couldn’t accept that her destiny as the Slayer took precedence over her role as wife and mother. It was a bitter pill for her to swallow as well, but she had come to the realization years ago that Slaying would take everything from her and she had accepted it. Giles, apparently, had not.
Sighing at the thought of the conversation they were going to have to have, she trudged after her husband and caught him in their room. He had thrown himself into the large overstuffed chair he favored and was brooding moodily.
“Giles, I think we probably need to talk about this.”
“I don’t know that we have anything to say.”
“I’m the Slayer, love. I just can’t quit being the Slayer and say to heck with everything. I don’t get that choice. You know that.”
He took a deep breath. “I do know it, but I also somehow believed that your duty to our child might override it somehow.”
“I wish it did. I wish I could just be your wife and our little Dawn’s mom, but that isn’t going to happen.” She paused. “One day, I’m going to die. It’s going to be brutal and horrible and you are going to be left alone. I need you to be able to deal with that, Rupert. I need to know that you will look after our baby.”
He jumped up out of the chair. “How can you ask that of me, Buffy? When you die, I want to go with you.”
“I know, Giles. I know. But you don’t have that option. You need to stay behind, just for a little while and take care of our child. We’ll be together again soon enough, I know it.”
“I believe you, but I want now, too.”
“We have now. We just don’t have tomorrow.”
He wrapped her in his arms and held her to him as if he’d never let her go.
~*~
Thomas Paine had witnessed his fellow Watcher’s outburst of emotional torment with some strong emotions of his own. If he and Anna finally forged their bond, he would eventually experience the suffering that Rupert was undergoing even now. It terrified him. His Slayer was a very sweet girl and he was tremendously fond of her already, but he was shaken with horror at the pain he witnessed when Rupert and Buffy couldn’t agree on something as basic as her duty. He wondered if he had the courage to continue on the path he had set for himself.